The book of the jurist and the theologian for Al-Khatib Al-Baghdadi

The rights of the Baghdad preacher: Achieved by: Adel bin Youssef Al-Azzazi Introduction All praise be to Allah, we praise Him, seek His help, and ask for His forgiveness. We seek refuge in Allah from the evil of ourselves and the wickedness of our deeds. Whomever Allah guides, none can misguide; and whomever He misguides, none can guide. I bear witness that there is no deity but Allah alone, with no partner, and I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and Messenger. O you who believe, fear Allah as He should be feared, and do not die except as Muslims. [Al-Imran: 102] O people, fear your Lord, who created you from a single soul, and from it created its mate, and from both spread many men and women. And fear Allah, through whom you ask one another, and the wombs. Surely, Allah is ever Watchful over you. [An-Nisa: 1] O you who believe, fear Allah and speak words that are straight, so He may correct your deeds for you and forgive your sins. And whoever obeys Allah and His Messenger, then surely he has attained a great victory. [Al-Ahzab: 70-71] Afterwards, the most truthful speech is the Book of Allah, and the best guidance is the guidance of Muhammad, peace be upon him. The worst affairs are the newly invented matters, and every innovation is an innovation, and every innovation is misguidance, and every misguidance is in the Fire. And after: The scholars continue to strive in supporting the Hadith of the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, dedicating themselves patiently and seeking reward in learning and knowing the sciences of religion, including jurisprudence, its roots, Tafsir, sciences, different modes of recitation, Hadith sciences and methodology, language, manners, and other fundamental and branch sciences. Allah has chosen and granted success to those who are sincere in this work and wish good for it, as proven in the Hadith: "Whomever Allah wishes good for, He grants him understanding in the religion." Among these scholars who have drawn from these sciences, compiled, and authored is Imam Abu Bakr Muhammad bin Ali bin Thabit Al-Khatib Al-Baghdadi. Our book, which we have before us now, "The Jurist and the Faqih," is one of the fruits of his knowledge, indicating his scholarly status and high rank in it. This is clear in its valuable topics: he discusses the science of Usul al-Fiqh, elaborating on its issues after explaining the meaning of Fiqh and its roots, citing evidence from the Book, the Sunnah, and consensus. Then he talks about analogy (Qiyas), what is permissible and what is not. He proceeds to mention foundational issues such as the Mutashabih (ambiguous verses), the command and prohibition, general and specific, clear and ambiguous, abrogating and abrogated, and the reality and metaphor concerning the ruling of preserving the state and the ruling on things before the legislation. He explores matters related to reasoning and debate, what is permissible and what is not, and the manners of argumentation. He also discusses imitation (Taqleed), what is permissible and what is not. Finally, he mentions the manners of the jurist and the faqih, along with advice he offers to students of knowledge to assist them in their pursuit. The reader will find enjoyment in his style and beauty in his discussions, so much so that he hardly finishes a chapter without being drawn to the next, all of this with eagerness and abundant references to Hadiths and sayings. Allah has helped me—glorified and exalted be He—in annotating this work, extracting its Hadiths and sayings, following a method that will not bore the reader. This method is to judge the Hadiths from the closest means, so as not to lose the essence of the original and to prevent the reader from being scattered in annotations. I have endeavored to advise as much as I could, and I do not claim to have reached the pinnacle of knowledge or to be among those who have made great strides in science. So do not rush, O you who look into it, if you find a slip or mistake; that is human nature. Suffice it that you have purity, and I have impurity. And here I pray for those who have offered me advice to conceal their faults and increase their reward. Allah is sufficient for me and the best disposer of affairs. Abu Abdul Rahman Adel bin Youssef Al-Azzazi