Ibn Abidin

Ibn Abidin (1784–1836) was an Ottoman Hanafi jurist whose legal opinions and commentary Radd al-Muḥtār became influential in later Hanafi jurisprudence.

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Hanafi school: One of the four major Sunni schools of Islamic jurisprudence, founded on the teachings of Abu Hanifa. Ibn Abidin interpreted law within this school and helped shape its later doctrine.
Radd al-Muḥtār: Ibn Abidin’s extensive commentary on al-Haskafi’s Durr al-Mukhtar, a major work of Hanafi law. This is his best-known work and the principal source of his lasting legal influence.
Ottoman Empire: A multiethnic empire centered in Anatolia that lasted from the late thirteenth century until 1922. Ibn Abidin lived and worked in its nineteenth-century capital, Damascus, under Ottoman rule.
Hanafi legal literature: The body of texts that records, interprets, and develops legal doctrine within the Hanafi school. Radd al-Muḥtār became one of its most influential later works.
Islamic jurisprudence: The discipline of interpreting and deriving Islamic legal rulings from authoritative sources. It is the broader discipline in which Ibn Abidin worked as a jurist.
Durr al-Mukhtar: A widely used Hanafi legal manual by Ala al-Din al-Haskafi, composed in the seventeenth century. Ibn Abidin’s commentary explains and extends this foundational manual.
Damascus: A historic city in the Levant that served as a major center of Islamic learning and Ottoman administration. Ibn Abidin was born, taught, and practiced law in Damascus.
Ifta: The practice of issuing fatwas by qualified Islamic legal scholars. His opinions and methods informed later Hanafi fatwa practice.
Abu Hanifa: An eighth-century Muslim jurist whose teachings became the foundation of the Hanafi school. His legal legacy supplied the school Ibn Abidin interpreted centuries later.
Urf: Customary practice recognized as a consideration in Islamic legal reasoning when compatible with authoritative law. Ibn Abidin’s discussions are noted for treating changing custom as legally relevant.