Mustafa az-Zarqa

Mustafa Ahmad az-Zarqa (1904-1999 CE / 1322-1420 AH) was a Syrian Hanafi jurist who is widely regarded as one of the foremost authorities on Islamic law in the modern era. Born in Aleppo into a family of scholars (his father Ahmad az-Zarqa was also a notable jurist), he studied Islamic sciences traditionally before also obtaining a law degree from Damascus University.

Az-Zarqa's most important work is al-Madkhal al-Fiqhi al-Amm (The General Introduction to Islamic Jurisprudence), a comprehensive two-volume work that presents Islamic law in a systematic, modern academic framework while remaining faithful to its classical foundations. This work became a standard university textbook across the Arab world. He also authored al-Fiqh al-Islami fi Thawbihi al-Jadid (Islamic Jurisprudence in its New Form), a multi-volume systematization of Hanafi law, and al-Istislah wal-Masalih al-Mursalah on juristic reasoning in the public interest. He served as a professor at Damascus University and later at the University of Jordan.

Az-Zarqa combined deep traditional scholarship with modern legal thinking, making him uniquely qualified to address contemporary questions in Islamic law. He was a member of the Islamic Fiqh Academy and contributed to numerous conferences on Islamic finance, law, and governance. His works helped bridge the gap between classical fiqh and modern legal systems, and his students include many of the leading Islamic jurists of the late 20th and early 21st centuries. He passed away in Riyadh.