Preface of Fatawa

The Preface of Fatāwā: The paronomastic preface of Fatāwā al-Riđawiyyah, being the praise of Allāh táālā and prayers for blessings upon the Prophet ﷺ is composed using names of fiqh imams and books. A few lines from the two page preface is given below:[1]

al-ĥamdulillāh * huwa’l fiqh al-akbar * wa’l jāmiý al-kabīr * li ziyādāti fayđih al-mabsūţ * al-durar al-ghurar * bihi al-hidāyah * wa minhu al-bidāyah * wa ilayhi al-nihāyah * bi ĥamdihi al-wiqāyah * wa nuqāyah al-dirāyah * wa áyn al-ínāyah * wa ĥusn al-kifāyah * wa’ş şalātu wa’s salāmu ála al-imām al-aáżam li’r rusul al-kirām * mālikī * wa shāfiýī * aĥmad al-kurām * yaqūl al-ĥusnu bilā tawaqquf * muĥammad al-ĥasanu, abū yūsuf.

We praise Allāh and it is the greatest knowledge and an immense aggregation of His abundant favours and spread out bounties, lustrous precious pearls. Guidance is only from Allāh; and [His praise] is in every beginning and the ultimate objective of all endeavors, and in His praise is safety, and because of it, the mind stays pure, which in itself is an enormous bounty and a sufficient means. Salawat and Salam on the greatest leader of all the Messengers: my master, my intercessor, the most praiseworthy among the honourable and the noble ones. Beauty exclaims without deliberation: Muĥammad the handsome, in his beauty is the father of Yūsuf.

Fiqh al-Akbar, Jāmiý al-Kabīr, Ziyādāt, Fayđ, Mabsūţ, Durar-Ghurar, Hidāyah, Bidāyah, Nihāyah, Wiqāyah, Nuqāyah, Dirāyah, Ínāyah, Kifāyah are all commonly referenced works of Ĥanafī fiqh. Imām al-Aáżam, Mālikī, Shāfiýī, Aĥmad [ibn Ĥanbal], Muĥammad [al-Shaybānī], Abū Yūsuf [Qāđī Yáqūb] are major imams and their names are used to describe attributes of the Prophet ﷺ.

[1] For the full preface, translation and exposition of names, see the infographic:

http://www.ridawipress.org/wp-content/uploads/khutbah-clr-hires.pdf