Introduction

Al-Sharh al-Mumti' 'ala Zad al-Mustaqni' is among the most celebrated works of Islamic jurisprudence produced in the modern era. It is the magnum opus of Shaykh Muhammad ibn Salih al-Uthaymin (1347–1421 AH / 1929–2001 CE), one of the foremost Hanbali scholars of the twentieth century. This multi-volume commentary represents decades of teaching and refinement, capturing the Shaykh's lectures at the Grand Mosque of Unayzah and his deep engagement with the Hanbali legal tradition.

Zad al-Mustaqni', the base text upon which this commentary is written, is a concise manual of Hanbali fiqh authored by Sharaf al-Din Musa ibn Ahmad al-Hajjawi (d. 968 AH). Al-Hajjawi composed it as an abridgment of Ibn Qudamah's al-Muqni', one of the foundational texts of the Hanbali school. Despite its brevity, Zad al-Mustaqni' became extraordinarily influential, serving for centuries as a primary teaching text in the Arabian Peninsula and beyond. Its terse style made it ideal for memorization, but also necessitated commentary for proper understanding.

Ibn Uthaymin's approach in al-Sharh al-Mumti' is distinguished by several features. First, he does not merely explain the Hanbali position but engages rigorously with the evidences — Quranic verses, hadith, analogical reasoning, and scholarly consensus — that support each ruling. Second, he frequently discusses minority positions within the Hanbali school and views held by other madhabs, allowing the reader to understand the landscape of scholarly disagreement. Third, his style is pedagogical and clear, reflecting his experience as a teacher rather than a purely academic writer.

A defining characteristic of Ibn Uthaymin's methodology is his willingness to depart from the relied-upon Hanbali position when he judges the evidence of another view to be stronger. This independent assessment, grounded in mastery of the sources, distinguishes al-Sharh al-Mumti' from more traditional Hanbali commentaries that restrict themselves to the school's transmitted positions. He consistently applies the principle that the obligation of the scholar is to follow the dalil (evidence), not the madhab for its own sake.

This work covers the full spectrum of practical Islamic jurisprudence: purification, prayer, zakat, fasting, hajj, commercial transactions, marriage, divorce, inheritance, and more. For students of Islamic law, al-Sharh al-Mumti' serves as both an entry into Hanbali fiqh and a model of how to engage with legal evidence. The chapters that follow present the key rulings and reasoning from each major section of this landmark commentary.