The most purified of the knowledge of fundamentals

Author: Abi Hamed Al-Ghazali Publication date: 2025 Book classification: Religious books Publisher: Maktabat Al-Taqwa Publishers Number of pages: 823 Format: Hardcover Overview: It is one of the main books in the roots of jurisprudence. Al-Ghazali combined in it good arrangement and clear explanation of precise investigation in meanings, arranged it with an introduction that includes preliminary and logical basics of the science of the roots of jurisprudence, then followed it with four sections: The first section: on Islamic law and its categories. The second section: on the general evidence for rulings, which are the Book, the Sunnah, consensus, and istislah (consideration of public interest). The third section: on the method of reasoning, rules of deduction, and indications in the discussions of the Book and Sunnah, including analogy (qiyas). The fourth section: on ijtihad, conflict and preference, imitation, and issuing fatwas. Al-Ghazali’s method is to present the issue, clarify the opinion on it, mention the scholars' agreeing opinions, then mention the opposing views and their evidence, including analogy. He discusses and refutes the evidence based on textual and rational proofs to reach a preference, the chosen opinion, and the correct one. It was explained by Al-Fahri (679 AH) and Al-‘Abdari Al-Maliki in Al-Mustafaa, with a marginal note by Al-Garnati (639 AH). It was summarized by Al-Ishbili (647 AH) and Ibn Rushd Al-Hafid (595 AH).