A Commentary On Umdatul Ahkam (Complete 5-Volume Set) By Al-Hafiz Abdul-Ghani al-Maqdisi Explained By Shaykh Abdul Aziz ar-Rajihi

Umdatul Ahkam by Al-Hafiz Abdul-Ghani al-Maqdisi is a carefully selected compilation of authentic hadith from Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim covering the major acts of worship and dealings. Because every hadith in it comes from the two most authoritative collections, it is used as a foundational text for students learning how rulings are derived directly from the authenticated Sunnah.

About This Book

A Facilitation from the Bestower of Blessings Through a Commentary on Umdatul Ahkam is the explanation of Shaykh Abdul Aziz ar-Rajihi on al-Maqdisi's collection, translated by Abu Sulayman Muhammad Abdul-Azim and published by Al-Ihsan Publications. This is the complete five-volume set. Volume 1 opens with a brief biography of the Shaykh and al-Maqdisi's own introduction. Each hadith is given in Arabic and English with its source in the two Sahihs, followed by the Shaykh's commentary.

What This Book Covers

The Chapters of Worship

The hadith of purification — wudu, the siwak, entering the lavatory and istinja, wiping over the khuffs, ghusl from janabah, tayammum, and menstruation; prayer — its times, congregational prayer, the adhan, facing the qiblah, the rows, leading the prayer, the description of the Prophet's prayer ﷺ, tranquility in bowing and prostration, recitation, shortening and combining prayers when travelling, Jumu'ah, the two Eids, the eclipse prayer, and the prayer of fear; funerals; zakat; fasting, i'tikaf and Laylat al-Qadr; and hajj — the miqats, ihram and what is forbidden in it, entering Makkah, tamattu' and the hady. For each, the commentary explains the hadith, draws out the fiqh ruling it establishes, and notes where scholars have differed and why.

The Chapters of Dealings

Beyond worship, Umdatul Ahkam gathers the hadith governing a Muslim's dealings with others. In transactions: the sales Allah has prohibited, al-salam (advance payment), conditions in sales, riba and currency exchange, pledges, waqf, and lost property. In family law: wills, inheritance, marriage and the dowry, divorce and the waiting period (iddah), li'an, and breastfeeding.

Punishments, Judgments and Daily Conduct

The final volumes cover retaliation, the prescribed punishments (including those for theft and intoxicants), oaths and vows, judicial rulings, foods, hunting, sacrificial animals, beverages, clothing, jihad, and emancipation — each treated with the same evidence-first method.

Methodology: Deriving Rulings from Hadith

A key benefit of studying Umdatul Ahkam is learning to move from hadith text to fiqh ruling — the same process the scholars used. The commentary models this reasoning step by step, training the student to understand not just what the ruling is but how the scholars derived it from the text.

About the Original Author

Al-Hafiz Abdul-Ghani al-Maqdisi (541–600 AH) was born in Jama'il, Palestine, and settled in Damascus. A Hanbali hadith scholar and a cousin of Ibn Qudamah al-Maqdisi, he wrote on hadith criticism and narrator biography alongside this collection. Published by Al-Ihsan Publications.

Who This Book Is For

Students of Islamic knowledge who want to learn fiqh the way the scholars learned it — from the authenticated Sunnah, with reasoning made explicit. Also valuable for any Muslim who wants to understand the hadith evidence behind the rulings they practice.

Continue Reading

For a reading order across all of al-Maqdisi's titles we carry, see our guide on where to start with Abdul-Ghani al-Maqdisi's books.

Browse more works by Al-Hafiz Abdul-Ghani al-Maqdisi and Shaykh Abdul Aziz ar-Rajihi, explore our full hadith collection, or see where to begin with our guides to the best hadith books and the best fiqh books in English.