Note on Al-Iqna' and its explanation

Forward Abd Rahman Nasser Al-Saadi Introduction All praise be to Allah, we praise Him, seek His help, ask for His forgiveness, and repent to Him. We seek refuge in Allah from the evil of ourselves and from the bad consequences of our deeds. Whom Allah guides, there is no misguidance for him, and whom He misguides, there is no guide for him. 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. May Allah's peace and blessings be upon him, his family, his companions, and those who follow them with goodness until the Day of Judgment. And may peace and blessings be many. As for what follows: The book "Al-Iqna’" for the seeker of benefit is a noble and highly beneficial book. Its author—may Allah have mercy on him—clarified in it the authentic from the school of Imam Ahmad—may Allah have mercy on him—and no one has written like it in the abundance of questions, the clarification of his sayings, and its easy and clear language. It contains the sought-after goal and the lost guidance. It has been cared for by later scholars and companions, who have given it great attention from all sides—sometimes through memorization and teaching, relying on it in judgment and fatwa; sometimes through explanation and reasoning; sometimes through annotation, editing, and detailed analysis; and sometimes through abridgment. Some have combined it with another book, "Intaha al-Iradat." Among those who served this book and paid attention to it through annotation and editing is Sheikh Abd Rahman Al-Saadi—may Allah have mercy on him—who clarified many questions, linked similar issues, and preferred what the evidence supported and the reasoning confirmed. The reasons for choosing to verify this annotation include: 1. The fame of the book "Al-Iqna’" and its high status among later scholars, relying on it in judgment and fatwa. 2. The standing of the author of the annotation among scholars of his time, its fame, and its distinction in clarification, investigation, and detailed analysis. 3. The advantages of this annotation, as will be detailed, insha’Allah. 4. That verifying annotations is as important as verifying explanations; although explanations may surpass annotations in covering all the words of the text with clarification and analysis, annotations excel because they focus on the words of the text that the annotator finds important, containing depth, clarification, and detailed analysis rarely found in explanations. The plan for working on this annotation was as follows: First: The study section, which includes three topics: - The first topic: Introduction to the book "Al-Iqna’" and its author, including three points: - The first point: Its scientific value and its rank among the books of the school. - The second point: Its explanations and annotations. - The third point: Introduction to the author of "Al-Iqna’." - The second topic: Introduction to the book "Kashaf al-Qina’" and its author, including two points: - The first point: Its scientific value and its rank among the books of the school. - The second point: Introduction to the author of "Kashaf al-Qina’." - The third topic: Introduction to the annotation of "Al-Iqna’" and its author, including five points: - The first point: The name of the annotation and its relation to its author. - The second point: The features and scientific value of the annotation. - The third point: The method of the author in his annotation. - The fourth point: Introduction to the author of the annotation. - The fifth point: The copy relied upon in the verification. Second: The method of verification: 1. Copying the manuscript, observing known punctuation marks. 2. Referencing Quranic verses. 3. Extracting hadiths and sayings from their original sources. 4. Documenting the narrations and texts mentioned by the author from their sources. 5. Explaining unfamiliar words in the annotation. 6. Index of sources and references. 7. Index of topics. I ask Allah, the Most Generous, to make my work sincere for His face and beneficial to His servants. Indeed, He is the Generous, the Merciful. All praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and may peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, and all his companions. The first topic: Introduction to the book "Al-Iqna’" and its author, including three points: - The first point: Its scientific value and its rank among the books of the school. - The second point: Its explanations and annotations. - The third point: Introduction to the author of "Al-Iqna’."