Af'al al-Rasul wa dalalatuha fi Ahkam al-Shariah (2 volumes in one binding) أفعال الرسول ﷺ ودلالتها في أحكام الشريعة

"أفعال الرسول ﷺ ودلالتها في أحكام الشريعة" (The Actions of the Messenger ﷺ and Their Legal Implications in Shariah) is a seminal and highly regarded contemporary work in the field of Usul al-Fiqh (the principles of Islamic jurisprudence). Authored by the prominent scholar Dr. Umar Sulaiman al-Ashqar (1940–2012), a former professor of Shariah at several prestigious universities including the University of Jordan, this book was originally presented as his doctoral thesis at Al-Azhar University, where it received high academic honors.

The central question the book addresses is: When the Prophet ﷺ did something physically, without explicitly commanding his followers to do it, what does that action imply for us? Is it obligatory (wajib), recommended (mustahabb), merely permissible (mubah), or was it unique to him?

A. The author categorizes the actions of the Prophet ﷺ to determine which ones carry legal weight for the Ummah:

Natural Human Actions (Al-Af’al al-Jibilliyyah): Actions stemming from his nature as a human being (e.g., eating, sleeping, walking, standing). The author discusses whether following him in these matters is recommended or merely permissible.

Customary Actions (Al-Af’al al-’Adiyyah): Actions related to his time, culture, or personal experience (e.g., methods of agriculture, trade, military tactics, or clothing styles).

Legislative Actions (Al-Af’al al-Tashri’iyyah): Actions performed in his capacity as a Messenger conveying the divine message (e.g., the specific rituals of prayer, Hajj, and judicial decisions).

Prophetic Exclusives (Al-Khasa’is): Actions legally restricted only to the Prophet ﷺ (e.g., continuously fasting without breaking it overnight (wisal), or marrying more than four wives).

B. Clarification of Ambiguous Actions (Bayan al-Mujmal)

The author explains how the Prophet’s actions serve as an explanation (bayan) for general or ambiguous commands in the Quran. For example, the Quran commands us to establish prayer (Aqīmū al-Salāh), but the physical details of how to pray are derived entirely from the Prophet’s physical action, coupled with his saying: “Pray as you have seen me praying.”

C. The Legal Indication of an Action (Dalat al-Fi’l)

When an action is purely legislative but lacks a clarifying verbal statement, what is its default ruling? Dr. Al-Ashqar meticulously analyzes the classical opinions of the four Sunni schools of thought (Hanafi, Maliki, Shafi’i, and Hanbali) and the Ahl al-Hadith:

Does a bare action imply an obligation (Wujub)? Does it imply recommendation (Nadb)? Or does it imply mere permissibility (Ibahah)?

The book explores the concept of Ta’assi (emulating the Prophet’s actions). The author outlines the conditions required for an action to be considered legal emulation and how a believer should align their intentions when copying the physical movements of the Prophet ﷺ.

In the final sections, the author tackles how jurists resolve apparent contradictions between different sources. An apparent conflict between two actions of the Prophet ﷺ. An apparent conflict between a verbal command (which might dictate one thing) and a physical action (which might show another).

Dr. Al-Ashqar does not merely state his own views; he lists the opinions of classical giants of Usul al-Fiqh (such as Al-Amidi, Al-Ghazali, Ibn al-Hajib, Al-Qarafi, and Al-Sarkhasi), offering a comparative study of the Hanafi, Maliki, Shafi’i, and Hanbali approaches. Evidence-Based (Adillah): Every discussion is heavily backed by textual evidence from the Quran and authentic Hadiths, followed by a rigorous linguistic and logical analysis of the legal arguments. Accessibility: Despite dealing with highly advanced and dense legal theory (Usul), Dr. Al-Ashqar’s writing style is famously clear, structured, and free of overly convoluted jargon, making it accessible to modern students of knowledge and researchers alike.