Majmaʿ al-Baḥrayn wa Multaqā al-Nayyirayn

مجمع البحرين وملتقى النيرين

By Muẓaffar al-Dīn Aḥmad ibn ʿAlī al-Baghdādī, better known as Ibn al-Sāʿātī (d. 694 AH / 1295 CE)

Majmaʿ al-Baḥrayn wa Multaqā al-Nayyirayn is one of the most celebrated and authoritative classical texts in Hanafi jurisprudence. Renowned for its precision, organization, and comparative approach, it occupies a distinguished place among the relied-upon mutūn of the Hanafi school and has been studied and commented upon by generations of jurists.

Ibn al-Sāʿātī—whose family derived its name from his father, the celebrated builder of the astronomical clock at the Mustanṣiriyyah Madrasah in Baghdad—was both an accomplished Hanafi jurist and an expert in legal theory. In this masterful work, he sought to unite two of the school's most influential texts into a single, coherent manual, hence the title "The Confluence of the Two Seas."

The work synthesizes Mukhtaṣar al-Qudūrī, one of the foundational manuals of Hanafi law, with the legal discussions and comparative material found in the works of Imām Abū Ḥafṣ al-Nasafī. The result is a concise yet remarkably rich text that presents the relied-upon rulings of the Hanafi school while also highlighting important juristic disagreements, legal reasoning, and comparative discussions within and beyond the madhhab.

A distinctive feature of Majmaʿ al-Baḥrayn is its sophisticated system of abbreviations and symbols identifying individual jurists, preferred opinions, and legal authorities. This concise style enabled the author to preserve an extraordinary amount of legal detail while maintaining the brevity expected of a teaching text. For this reason, it became one of the principal reference works for advanced students and later commentators.

This exceptional critical edition published by Dar al-Minhāj al-Qawīm is based primarily on the author's own autograph manuscript, providing an unparalleled level of textual authenticity. It is further verified against the rare manuscript preserved by Ibn al-Sāʿātī's scholarly sister, making this one of the most reliable editions ever produced. The editors have carefully documented textual variants, explained the author's legal abbreviations, verified references, and supplied vocalization where necessary to facilitate accurate reading and study.

Printed in a clear, generously sized typeface for comfortable reading, this edition combines rigorous scholarship with exceptional readability, making it ideal for students, teachers, researchers, and specialists in Hanafi jurisprudence.

Features

• One of the foundational and most authoritative Hanafi legal texts
• Authored by the eminent jurist Ibn al-Sāʿātī (d. 694 AH)
• Synthesizes Mukhtaṣar al-Qudūrī with the comparative legal discussions of Imām al-Nasafī
• Presents relied-upon Hanafi rulings together with important juristic differences and legal reasoning
• Preserves the author's sophisticated system of legal abbreviations and references
• Critically edited from the author's own autograph manuscript
• Verified against the rare manuscript preserved by the author's scholarly sister
• Includes verification of references, explanation of abbreviations, textual variants, and vocalization
• Printed in large, easy-to-read font for comfortable study