Commentary on Bulugh al-Maram from the Evidences of Legal Rulings (Complete 3-Volume Set: Introduction, Volume 1 & Volume 2) By Al-Hafiz Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani Explained By Shaykh Abdul Aziz bin Baz

And whatever the Messenger has given you – take; and what he has forbidden you – refrain from.

— Surah al-Hashr 59:7

About This Book

Commentary on Bulugh al-Maram from the Evidences of Legal Rulings is Shaykh Abdul Aziz bin Baz's explanation of Bulugh al-Maram min Adillat al-Ahkam, al-Hafiz Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani's collection of the Prophetic evidences on which Islamic legal rulings are based. Shaykh Ibn Baz explains the meanings of the hadith and the rulings and benefits drawn from them. Where needed he addresses the authenticity and strength of a narration, discusses areas of juristic disagreement, and weighs the scholars' positions in light of the evidence. This set brings together three volumes: the Introduction, Volume 1 and Volume 2.

What This Book Covers

The Introduction, Part One: Ibn Hajar and Bulugh al-Maram

The Introduction opens with a full biography of Ibn Hajar: his lineage, upbringing, pursuit of knowledge, teachers, official positions, students, the scholars' praise of him, his death and his works. It then studies the book itself: establishing its attribution to him, its title and what the title means, why it was written, the work he relied on in compiling it and his method in abridging al-Ilmam, when it was written, and whether he gave it a final revision. It closes with the works built around Bulugh al-Maram: its editions, versified adaptations, the referencing and verification of its hadith, and its commentaries and marginal notes.

The Introduction, Part Two: Shaykh Ibn Baz and His Commentary

The second part gives the biography of Shaykh Ibn Baz and studies his commentary: how he connects the arrangement of the books, chapters and hadith, how he explains the chapter headings, how he references the hadith and rules on their authenticity, and how he comments on each hadith in three steps: introducing the Companion who narrated it, explaining its unfamiliar words, and clarifying the jurisprudential issues it raises. It also sets out how the commentary was prepared for publication from recordings of his lessons and his written marginal notes: transcription, editing, verification of the text, and referencing of the hadith.

Volume 1: The Book of Purification, Hadith 1 to 79

Volume 1 begins the commentary proper with the Book of Purification: the chapters on waters, vessels, removing impurity and its rulings, wudu, wiping over the khuffs, and the things that invalidate wudu, hadith by hadith.

Volume 2: Purification Completed and the Book of Prayer, Hadith 80 to 197

Volume 2 completes the Book of Purification with the chapters on the etiquettes of relieving oneself, ghusl and the rulings for a person in a state of janabah, tayammum, and menstruation. It then opens the Book of Prayer with the chapters on the prescribed times of prayer and the adhan.

About the Author

Al-Hafiz Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani (773 to 852 AH) was a hadith master and jurist of Cairo, author of Fath al-Bari, the explanation of Sahih al-Bukhari. The commentary is by Shaykh Abdul Aziz bin Baz (1330 to 1420 AH), the former Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia, who studied under Shaykh Muhammad ibn Ibrahim Aal ash-Shaykh and taught and answered questions for decades. Translated by Abu Sulayman Muhammad Abdul-Azim. Published by Al-Ihsan Publications.

Who This Book Is For

Serious students and general readers alike who want to understand the evidences of the Shari'ah and how they apply in a Muslim's life, readers who already own the text of Bulugh al-Maram and want a scholar's explanation alongside it, and teachers looking for a commentary to study from.

Continue Reading

Read the text itself in Bulugh al-Maram, and see Shaykh Ibn Baz's Commentary on Riyadh as-Salihin and the Commentary on Umdatul Ahkam. Our guide to the best hadith books sets out where to start, or browse the full hadith collection.