The Hidayah has dominated the field of Islamic jurisprudence since the day it was written over 800 years ago. It has been the primary text used by Muslim jurists to issue authentic and reliable rulings on Islamic law according to the school of Imam Atha Hanifa (d. 1 50 AH/767 CE). The Hidayah commands such an authoritative position amongst the doctors of law that the knowledge of a scholar who has not read it is not considered reliable. Around 7o huge commentaries, some spread over more than a dozen volumes, have been written on it. The number of explanatory glosses is in thousands. Comprehensive in content and conveniently organised, with the publication of this book all previous works that discussed Islamic jurisprudence according to The Hanafi law become outmoded and soon fell into disuse. If revealed books are not taken into account, never has a book received so much attention as the Hidayah. This landmark publication of the Hidayah not only has been translated in its entirety for the first time but has been done so from Arabic, the language in which it was written.
The Author, Shaykh al-Islam Burhan al-Din al-Marghindni (d. 593 AH/ 1197 CE) was considered to be the leading jurist of the Muslim world in his times.
"The Hidayah is justly celebrated as the most practical and useful summary compilation of Hanafi jurisprudence. It has been a standard text in the curricula of Islamic law schools since the 12th century. Itwas first translated into English by Charles Hamilton in 1791. A new translation into modern English has been long overdue. This translation by Imran Ahsan Khan Nyazee is both precise and straightforward. With his knowledge of Islamic law and jurisprudence coupled with his command of both the Arabic and English languages, he has conveyed the meaning of the original with great clarity. The Hidayah is a dense work, intended for use in teaching Hanafi fiqh — it is a work that needs explication if its arguments are to be understood fully. This the translator has provided through his valuable notes."

DR MOHAMMAD AKRAM NADWI, RESEARCH FELLOW OXFORD CENTRE FOR ISLAMIC STUDIES, OXFORD

"Al-Marghinani's Hidayah is frequently referred to as one of the most important and influential fiqh manuals ever written. Dr Nyazee performs a tremendous service through his translation of this magisterial work that allows the reader to grasp the original ideas that al-Marghinani presents but does so in language that is clear and surprisingly free of the opacities of the original work. The translation is an important contribution and vastly improves on previous attempts to render the Hidayah in English. It will be useful for students of Islamic law as well as any reader who in interested in medieval Muslim thought."