A COMPARATIVE AND ANALYTICAL STUDY OF ʿUMDAT AL-FIQH AND THE RISALAH OF IBN ABI ZAYD AL-QAYRAWANI

مقارنة بين عمدة الفقه ورسالة ابن أبي زيد القيرواني دراسة تحليلية

Abstract

This study presents a comparative analysis of Al-‘Umdah by Imam Muwaffaq al-Din Ibn Qudamah and Al-Risalah by Imam Abu Muhammad Abdullah ibn Abi Zayd al-Qayrawani, with particular focus on selected issues related to sales and agricultural partnership (Muzara‘ah). The study first introduces the two eminent jurists and examines the distinctive methodology adopted by each author in presenting and organizing Islamic legal rulings. It then compares their positions on selected jurisprudential issues, examines the evidences supporting their respective views, and identifies the opinion that appears stronger in light of the available evidence. The research employs an analytical and comparative methodology, supported by an inductive examination of relevant discussions in both works. The findings demonstrate that Al-‘Umdah and Al-Risalah are significant instructional works of Islamic jurisprudence that have received considerable attention from Muslim scholars. Despite belonging to different legal traditions, Ibn Qudamah and Ibn Abi Zayd show substantial agreement on many fundamental legal rulings. Their differences in certain subsidiary issues primarily arise from variations in the interpretation of textual evidence, methods of legal reasoning, and approaches to determining the effective causes of rulings. Ibn Qudamah generally gives greater attention to presenting and connecting legal rulings with their evidences, whereas Ibn Abi Zayd adopts a more concise approach, focusing mainly on stating the established ruling. The study concludes that comparative examination of classical jurisprudential texts contributes significantly to developing juristic understanding, clarifying the causes of disagreement among scholars, and connecting individual legal rulings with their underlying principles and legal maxims. It also recommends further comparative studies of the major works of different Islamic legal schools.