Al-Ikhtiyār li-Taʿlīl al-Mukhtār

الاختيار لتعليل المختار

By Imām Abū al-Faḍl Majd al-Dīn ʿAbd Allāh ibn Maḥmūd al-Mawṣilī (d. 683 AH)

With Al-Taʿrīf wa-al-Ikhbār bi-Takhrīj Aḥādīth al-Ikhtiyār by Ḥāfiẓ Zayn al-Dīn Qāsim ibn Quṭlūbughā al-Ḥanafī (d. 879 AH)

Al-Ikhtiyār li-Taʿlīl al-Mukhtār is one of the most celebrated and enduring works of Hanafi jurisprudence. Written by the distinguished jurist Imām al-Mawṣilī, it is the author's own commentary on his legal primer, Al-Mukhtār lil-Fatwā, a concise manual that summarizes the relied-upon positions of the Hanafi school based upon the transmitted opinions of Imām Abū Ḥanīfah, Imām Abū Yūsuf, and Imām Muḥammad al-Shaybānī.

Responding to requests from students and scholars, Imām al-Mawṣilī later composed Al-Ikhtiyār to explain the legal reasoning behind the concise rulings of the Matn. The commentary discusses juristic principles, linguistic nuances, textual evidences from the Qur'an and Sunnah, and the legal distinctions that underpin the Hanafi school's authoritative positions. Its balanced methodology and clarity have made it one of the standard references for advanced Hanafi fiqh for more than seven centuries.

A distinctive feature of this edition is the inclusion of Al-Taʿrīf wa-al-Ikhbār bi-Takhrīj Aḥādīth al-Ikhtiyār by the eminent hadith scholar Ḥāfiẓ Ibn Quṭlūbughā. In this important companion work, every hadith and narration cited by Imām al-Mawṣilī is traced to its original sources, with references to the major hadith collections and discussions of their authenticity. This integration of fiqh and hadith makes the edition especially valuable for scholars, researchers, and students seeking both legal reasoning and textual verification.

Published by Dār Taḥqīq al-Kitāb, this four-volume critical edition has been established through a careful comparison of three manuscript copies of Al-Ikhtiyār and two manuscript copies of Ibn Quṭlūbughā's Al-Taʿrīf wa-al-Ikhbār. Its innovative page design presents three complementary layers of scholarship on each page: the text of Al-Mukhtār lil-Fatwā at the top, Imām al-Mawṣilī's commentary (Al-Ikhtiyār) in the main body, and Ibn Quṭlūbughā's hadith verification immediately beneath the commentary. The editor's critical annotations and manuscript notes appear separately in the footnotes. This thoughtful arrangement enables readers to study the legal text, its explanation, the supporting hadith evidence, and the editor's scholarly observations simultaneously.

Features

• One of the foundational references of Hanafi jurisprudence
• Commentary by Imām al-Mawṣilī on his own Al-Mukhtār lil-Fatwā
• Explains the legal reasoning, evidences, and linguistic nuances of Hanafi rulings
• Includes the complete Al-Taʿrīf wa-al-Ikhbār of Ḥāfiẓ Ibn Quṭlūbughā
• Full hadith takhrīj with references to the major hadith collections
• Four-volume critical edition based on five manuscript sources
• Innovative three-tier page layout presenting the matn, commentary, and hadith verification, with separate critical editorial footnotes
• Critical annotations by the editor throughout
• Essential reference for advanced Hanafi fiqh and legal research