A Hanbali Epitome - The Student's Guide - Dalil al-Talib

This book is a translation of Marʿī b. Yūsuf al-Karmī’s (d. 1033/1623) classical Ḥanbalī law manual, Dalīl al-Ṭālib, with a detailed introduction and notes.

In 1961 George M. Baroody translated the section of criminal law as part of a Masters’ thesis. The present work focuses on the sections of worship (ʿibādāt). It clearly presents the rules and regulations the Muslim community requires for purification, prayer, charity, fasting, pilgrimage, and warfare. A lengthy introduction to Islamic law and the Ḥanbalī school has been included to prepare the readers.

The language employed in the translation has been kept simple, straightforward, and modern to make the work accessible to everyone who speaks English – law student or otherwise.

This bilingual edition, with its parallel Arabic text, will allow readers to access the original Arabic and hopefully help with vocabulary building, oracy, and future translations. Muslims for many centuries have turned to Dalīl al-Ṭālib for study, and ultimately to be informed of their religious practices.

It is hoped the translation, The Student’s Guide, will produce a similar response and convey the spirit and manner of the original owing to its style and simplicity.