The Glorious Opening on the Rules of Imitation by Ibn Al-Jamal

Researcher Dr. Abdul Aziz Muhammad Ibrahim Al-Aweid Introduction Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and blessings and peace be upon our Prophet Muhammad, the trustworthy, and upon his family and companions altogether. After: Achieving and editing heritage books is a noble aspiration for researchers and scholars, not only because it enriches the Islamic legal library—though that is a great and desired goal—but also because the act of investigation provides the researcher with practical scholarly experience and a treatment of the texts of these books. It involves linking the verified book to its sources and references and documenting its texts. One of the blessings of this work for the investigator is the opportunity to explore and discover treasures of handwritten and printed heritage. All of this motivated my desire to participate and contribute to the investigation of some books, especially in the field of Usul al-Fiqh (Principles of Islamic Jurisprudence). When I reviewed the catalogs of handwritten manuscripts documented and cataloged online, Allah granted me success in obtaining the book "Fath al-Majid fi Ahkam al-Taqleed" by the learned scholar, Imam Jamal al-Din Ali ibn Abi Bakr ibn al-Jamal al-Khuzari al-Ansari al-Shafi’i al-Makki, who passed away in the year 272 AH after the Hijri year. I studied the author and his biography, which prompted me to undertake its investigation, especially since it discusses a specialized scientific issue that I dedicated research and study to: the issue of Taqleed (imitation) and its foundations and branches. The plan for the research and investigation consisted of two sections: First Section: The Study Section It includes three chapters: Chapter One: Biography of the author, Ibn al-Jamal al-Makki. It contains ten topics: - Topic 1: His name and lineage. - Topic 2: His birth and upbringing. - Topic 3: His pursuit of knowledge. - Topic 4: His teachers. - Topic 5: His scholarly brilliance. - Topic 6: His teaching in the Holy Mosque (Al-Masjid al-Haram). - Topic 7: His students. - Topic 8: His writings. - Topic 9: His character traits. - Topic 10: His death. Chapter Two: The book "Fath al-Majid fi Ahkam al-Taqleed" - Topic 1: The name of the book. - Topic 2: Documenting the attribution of the book to its author. - Topic 3: The reason for writing the book. - Topic 4: The importance of the book. - Topic 5: The topics covered in the book. - Topic 6: The sources of the book. - Topic 7: The author's methodology in its compilation. - Topic 8: The merits of the book.