The Shorter Abridgment: An English Translation of al-Mukhtasar al-Saghir

BaFadl wrote al-Muqaddimah al-Hadramiyyah, and its abridgment al-Mukhtasar al-Saghir, for students of knowledge at Qubah Abu Murayyam in Tarim, Yemen. After completing memorization of the Holy Qur’an, the students would generally begin their studies in the subject of fiqh. BaFadl composed these works to simplify and facilitate that endeavor. Indeed, teaching and learning fiqh is of utmost importance.

Many have turned their attention to BaFadl’s writings. Luminaries like Ibn Hajar al-Haytami, Shams al-Din al-Ramli, Muhammad b. Sulayman al-Kurdi, Muhammad Mahfuz al-Tarmasi, ‘Abd Allah b. Sulayman al-Jarhazi, and others all penned commentaries elucidating these blessed texts. The reason for the widespread acceptance of BaFadl’s books manifests with every turn of the page. Lucid passages explain the most fundamental concepts of fiqh with a conciseness and clarity only possible when a master jurist wields the pen. These works attest to both BaFadl’s sheer brilliance and his closeness to his Lord.

Our much-esteemed colleague and brother serviced this work by translating it into English. He has undoubtedly captured the spirit in which it was first written. The translation presented side-by-side with the Arabic original make this publication an excellent introductory level textbook in the subject of fiqh for the individual, masjid study group, or Qur’an school. This continues a profound and magnificent legacy. From those students of Qubah Abu Murayyam until now, countless are those who have taken tremendous benefit from this masterpiece.

In this publication, the English font is set in Linotype’s Basilia and the Arabic is in Lotus. Printed on FSC accredited premium acid-free paper.