Al-Tuhfa al-Saniyya fi al-Ta'rif bi-Kutub al-Fiqh wa-al-Fatawa lil-Hanafiyya التحفة السنية في التعريف بكتب الفقه والفتاوى للحنفية

Al-Tuhfa al-Saniyya fi al-Ta’rif bi-Kutub al-Fiqh wa-al-Fatawa lil-Hanafiyya (التحفة السنية في التعريف بكتب الفقه والفتاوى للحنفية) by Shaykh Muhammad Abdul Malik (Director of Studies at Markaz al-Dawah al-Islamiyyah and Associated with Jamia Muhammadia, Dhaka, Bangladesh) is a highly acclaimed bibliographic and methodological manual (madkhal) dedicated to the literature of the Hanafi school of jurisprudence (fiqh).

The Author

Shaykh Muhammad Abdul Malik is a distinguished contemporary Hadith scholar, jurist (faqih), and specialist in Hanafi bio-bibliography from Bangladesh. He studied under prominent scholars, including Shaykh Abd al-Fattah Abu Ghuddah and Mufti Muhammad Taqi Usmani. He currently serves as the Grand Mufti of Bangladesh (National Baitul Mukarram Mosque) and heads Markaz al-Dawah al-Islamiyyah in Dhaka.

The Book

The work serves as an indispensable guide for students and researchers of Hanafi jurisprudence. It categorizes, describes, and traces the historical development and authority (i’timad) of the primary texts, commentaries, fatwa collections, and reference works relied upon within the Hanafi madhhab.

Structure and Contents

Following an insightful Introduction on the methodology of Hanafi jurists and the principles of consulted literature, the book is organized into five core chapters and a comprehensive appendix:

Chapter 1: Books of Zahir al-Riwaya (ظاهر الرواية)

Focuses on the primary, most authoritative transmissions from the founding masters of the school (al-A’immah al-Thalathah: Imam Abu Hanifa, Imam Abu Yusuf, and Imam Muhammad ibn al-Hasan al-Shaybani).

•Outlines and analyzes the six foundational works composed by Imam Muhammad al-Shaybani (Al-Mabsut, Al-Ziyadat, Al-Jami’ al-Saghir, Al-Jami’ al-Kabir, Al-Siyar al-Saghir, and Al-Siyar al-Kabir), along with their recensions like Al-Kafi by al-Hakim al-Shahid.

Chapter 2: Core Fiqh Texts and Their Commentaries (المتون الفقهية وشروحها)

Details the historical evolution of standard legal primers (mutun), such as Mukhtasar al-Quduri, Al-Wiqayah, Al-Kanz (by al-Nasafi), and Bidayat al-Mubtadi (by al-Marghinani).

Examines their major classical commentaries (shuruh), such as al-Kasani’s Bada’i’ al-Sana’i’, al-Marghinani’s Al-Hidayah, Ibn al-Humam’s Fath al-Qadir, and Ibn Nujaym’s Al-Bahr al-Ra’iq.

Chapter 3: Fatwa Collections of Hanafi Jurists (كتب الفتاوى والنوازل)

Explores historical fatwa compendiums (Nawazil and Fatawa literature), distinguishing between primary historical fatwas and later compilations.

Highlights seminal reference collections such as Fatawa Qadi Khan, Al-Fatawa al-Bazzaziyyah, Al-Fatawa al-Hindiyyah (Al-Alamgiriyyah), and Ibn Abidin’s masterwork Radd al-Muhtar 'ala al-Durr al-Mukhtar.

Chapter 4: Works on Comparative Fiqh (كتب الفقه المقارن)

Introduces classical and medieval Hanafi literature designed for comparative legal analysis across the four Sunni schools (al-Madhahib al-Arba’ah).

Covers key comparative works that detail textual evidences (adillah), juristic disagreements (ikhtilaf), and comparative reasoning, such as Imam al-Tahawi’s Sharh Ma’ani al-Athar and al-Dabbusi’s Ta’sis al-Nazar.

Chapter 5: Contemporary Fiqh Works 

Reviews modern Hanafi reference books written using contemporary thematic structures, legal indexing, codified laws (qanun), and encyclopedic formats.

Highlights works such as Majallat al-Ahkam al-'Adliyyah (the Ottoman Civil Code), Al-Fiqh al-Islami wa-Adillatuh by Wahba al-Zuhayli, and modern legal encyclopedias.

Appendix: Biography of Imam Abu Hanifa

Provides a detailed biographical outline of the founder of the school, Imam Abu Hanifa al-Nu’man (80–150 AH).

Outlines his life, teachers, students, piety, methodologies in ijtihad, and the testimony of contemporary early scholars (salaf) regarding his mastery of Hadith and legal reasoning.

Significance of the Work

• Essential Bibliographical Key: It acts as a map for navigating Hanafi legal literature, preventing students from confusing primary legal texts (mutun) with secondary opinions or weak transmissions (gHayr Zahir al-Riwaya).

•Academic Precision: Highly praised by scholars of the Indian Subcontinent and the Arab world for its rigorous research, clear categorization, and authoritative insights.