Tayseer Al-Alam, Explanation of Umdat Al-Ahkam

Taysir Alealam Sharh Oumdat Alahkam

Author's name: Abdullah Al-Bassam

Praise be to Allah, we praise Him, seek His aid and ask His forgiveness. We seek refuge in Allah from the evils of our own souls and the wickedness of our deeds. Whomsoever Allah guides, none can misguide, and whomsoever He misguides, none can guide. We bear witness that there is no god but Allah, alone, without partner, and we bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and Messenger. May Allah’s prayers and peace be upon him, his family, his companions and those who follow them in righteousness.

And then;

This Ummah is a select selection of the most authentic narrations of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), namely the two noble books, Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim. The author, may Allah exalt his mention, chose it from them and arranged it according to the classifications of the jurists in the books of branches, so that it may be an aid to those who memorize and reflect upon it in deriving matters from their authentic evidence, for they are principles and rules to which the accomplished may return, and a ladder by which the beginner ascends to the collections of Islam transmitted from the best of mankind.

It has been the subject of commentaries and service from scholars, but none of those commentaries have been destined to be published to the people, and we do not know whether they are still preserved or have been destroyed by the events of time (1). The scholar and diligent scholar Ibn Daqiq al-Eid is circulating among the people.

This commentary, despite the eminence of its author and the great benefit of his approach, which is to branch out the issues into fundamental rules and principles, his attention to this research has distracted him from many of the subtleties of Hadith jurisprudence, the required rulings, and the clarification of conflicting opinions. Furthermore, the nature of the research the author has undertaken is obscure and robust, rising above and beyond the understanding of many students of knowledge and seekers of knowledge.

Therefore, I sought help from God Almighty to write an explanation that is easy to understand, straightforward to grasp, and detailed in its topics, so that its issues do not overlap and its research does not become mixed up, causing confusion and bewilderment.

I first discussed the general meaning, striving to match the apparent meaning of the words, and clarifying in that any wisdom, legislation, introduction and preparation implied by the words, and other things suggested by the sentences and words. If the situation required clarification from some of the chains of transmission of the hadith that the author did not include, I summarized them, pointing out the benefit, and thus the discussion would be correct.

Then I extract from the hadith what it indicates in terms of rulings and etiquette, then I mention what strengthens the scholars’ disagreement, while mentioning their evidence and their sources, ignoring the weak disagreement that is not based on strong evidence, so that the reader does not fall into unnecessary confusion of thought.

I was keen to explain the wisdom of legislation, the beauty of Islam, the sublimeness of its goals, and the noble objectives behind these texts, so that the reader may understand the beauties of his religion and its noble purposes, and know that it is both a religion and a state; lest he be influenced by the false claims against Islam and its lofty principles. Unfortunately, there are many who claim to be Muslims who have been seduced and deceived by this false Western civilization, so they do not raise their heads to these Islamic rulings and Muhammadan morals, and they view them as an obstacle to progress. If you were to ask them about their argument, you would find it similar to the argument of those who say, “Indeed, we found our fathers following a religion, and indeed, we will follow in their footsteps.” (Az-Zukhruf 43:23). They have no basis for their false claim except the croaking of the enemies of the religion among the Westerners. I ask Allah Almighty to make it beneficial, so that it may be a reminder for those who have completed it and an insight for those who are just beginning. May He make it sincere for His Noble Face and bring us closer to Him in the House of Bliss. Amen. May God’s prayers and peace be upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, and all his companions.