Bismillahi Al-Rahmani Al-Rahim
Takhrij
Wajib vs. Fard
At 03:07 AM 9/21/2002, you wrote:
assalamu alaikum
wa `alaykum al-salam wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu
#1 Are there any books of takhrij of hadith by hanbali muhadditheen
done on
the hanbali fiqh books that are printed and available?
I remember reading one or two classical works of takhrij, but I cannot
remember the specifics. The longer and more detailed books in the mathhab
tend to discuss differences between various transmissions of a hadith,
though they expect some familiarity with hadith al-ahkam.
Books like Al-Zayla`i's Nasb Al-Rayat or Ibn Hajar's
Al-Talkhis Al-Habir are still quite useful; both authors are known
for their fairness. Al-Majd Ibn Taymiyyah's Al-Muntaqa is also
quite helpful.
The late Nasr Al-Din Al-Albani's Irwa Al-Ghalil is a takhrij of
Manar Al-Sabil, and the Damascene `Abd Al-Razzaq Al-Mahdi has a
concise and excellent takhrij on Al-`Udda.
But in the end: in light of the mathhab's emphasis on ijtihad, detailed
takhrij almost sound like cheating. And al-hamdu lillah for Al-Zayla`i and
Ibn Hajar!
#2 In Dalil al-talib, the word "wajib" is used for the tasmiyyah
(in the
chapters on wudu, ghusl, tayammum...) and "fard" for the other
obligatory
aspects. I know that Imam Ahmad is said have used the word fard
for that
which is established from the Quran and wajib for that from the sunnah.
Is
the author of Dalil operating on this terminology or some other?
Hanbali books of usul al-fiqh state that the strongest opinion in the
mathhab is that fard and wajib are synonymous. But books of Hanbali fiqh,
or more specifically: furu` al-fiqh, do not consider the two
synonymous.
Of the books I have readily available, the best discussion on this topic
comes in a book by the great Hanbali Imam, Yusuf bin `Abd Al-Hadi, also
well known as Ibn Al-Mibrad. What he says is that
- Wajib is that which someone who intentionally omits it is
unconditionally censured for. Linguistically, wajib and fard are
distinct. Legally, they are synonymous according to the soundest of the
two opinions transmitted from Imam Ahmad.
- The second transmitted opinion is that fard is more emphatic;
according to this opinion the fard is what is established using a certain
proof (dalil maqtu` bihi) (Ibn Balban: and the wajib established
using a probabilistic proof (dalil mathnun)), or: that the fard
is that which cannot be omitted through intention or neglect (Ibn
Baban: whereas the wajib can be omitted), or: that the fard is required
by the Qur'an (Ibn Balba: and the wajib is required by the sunna).
(Ghayat Al-Saul, pp157-58)
This second opinion transmitted from Imam Ahmad agrees with what you wrote.
However, the first opinion transmitted from Imam Ahmad is considered
stronger and it is what the scholars of usul use.
But when the Hanbalis talk about fiqh, they define the fard as something
which cannot be omitted--intentionally or through neglect--without
invalidating the action it is a part of. This is in contrast to the wajib,
which is something that when omitted through neglect, the action that it is
a part of can still be valid (with details specific to each individual
topic). Mar`i bin Yusuf alludes to this in Dalil Al-Talib in the
very opening of the section on wudu: "tajibu fihi al-tasmiyyah, wa
tasqutu sahwan, wa in dhakaraha fi ithna'ihi ibtada'a" (Saying
bismillah al-rahmani al-rahim is obligatory, but it ceases [being
obligatory if left] out of neglect, and if he remembers it during the wudu
he restarts the wudu).
Ibn Al-Mibrad defends and explains the distinction between the definitions
in usul al-fiqh and fiqh by pointing out that the definitions in usul
al-fiqh are concerned with the praise and censure of actions, while the
definitions in fiqh are concerned with the soundness and validity of
actions. He points out that according to this, fard and wajib are
synonymous in usul al-fiqh while they are distinct in fiqh. (Ghayat
al-saul, p157)
This distinction between the two disciplines is not always explicitly
stated. Ibn Badran in Al-Madkhal (p66) uses the strongest
definition according to the discipline of usul al-fiqh without mentioning
that in fiqh there is a slight difference, while in his introduction to
Akhsar Al-Mukhtsarat (p77) he does acknowledge it.
So, to wrap this up: the author of Dalil Al-Talib is using the
definitions from the disciplined of fiqh, whereas the opinion from Imam
Ahmad is the weaker of two transmitted opinions that fall under the
discipline of usul al-fiqh.
And Allah knows best.
[Works references: Ibn Qudamah's Raudhat Al-Nathir (Maktabah
Al-Kulliyaat Al-Azhariyyah) pp70-85, Ibn Balban's Akhsar
Al-Mukhtasarat (Dar Al-Basha'ir Al-Isamiyyah) p77, Mar`i bin Yusuf's
Dalil Al-Talib (Mus'asisah Al-Kutub Al-Thaqafiyyah) p15, Ibn
Al-Mibrad's Ghayat Al-Sual (Dar Al-Basha'ir Al-Islamiyyah)
pp155-58, Ibn Badran's Al-Madkhal (Dar Al-Kutub Al-`Ilmiyyah)
p66]
barakAllah fikum
wa iyyakum, wa iyyahum.
wa al-salamu `alaykum
--musa