Al-Mabsut
Al-Mabsut is an 11th-century classical Hanafi legal text written by al-Sarakhsi. It covers the fundamental principles of the Hanafi school and serves as a commentary on Al-Kafi by Hakim al-Shahid, which was itself based mainly on the six canonical works of Muhammad al-Shaybani, a student of Abu Hanifa. Al-Sarakhsi composed the work largely during his imprisonment. As he had no access to books or references, his students would read al-Kafi aloud to him, and he would explain and expand upon it from memory. His students recorded his dictations, which became the text of al-Mabsut. It virtually became the chief text of the Hanafi school.
Composition
Hakim al-Shahid had earlier summarized Muhammad al-Shaybani's major works, known as Zahir al-Riwayah, in al-Kafi. Approximately 150 years later, al-Sarakhsi used this text as the basis for al-Mabsut. While al-Kafi includes some chapters not directly derived from Zahir al-Riwayah, such as Kitab al-Shurut and Kitab al-Aqar, al-Sarakhsi added Kitab al-Kasb and Kitab al-Rida, which were not in al-Kafi. He concluded his work with Kitab al-Hiyal, following the structure of al-Kafi.In the introduction, al-Sarakhsi explains his motivation for writing: some students had lost interest in legal studies, teachers faced difficulties in earning a livelihood through teaching, and unnecessary philosophical debates had blurred the distinction between fiqh and kalam. He aimed to create a commentary that explained each legal issue clearly and concisely, without unnecessary details, while also including answers to questions raised by his colleagues.
Al-Sarakhsi wrote al-Mabsut under harsh prison conditions, describing his captivity as a life of hardship and exhaustion. The term imla' frequently appears in the work, referring to how he dictated it to his students while in prison. Since he was deprived of books, he relied entirely on memory. His students regularly visited him, read from al-Kafi, and recorded his explanations. A passage in Kitab al-Iqrar suggests that he was imprisoned with common criminals. Another note, found in most Istanbul manuscripts, indicates that his situation improved somewhat while he was dictating Kitab al-Wikala. It is believed that he later completed the final parts of the book after being moved to a room in the Ozkent Fortress.
There is no definite information about when al-Mabsut was begun or completed. However, in the introduction to his al-Usul, al-Sarakhsi states that he had finished this commentary before starting his next work in Shawwal 479 AH. Scholars such as Muhammad Hamidullah and Salih Tug suggest that the text was written between 466 and 479 AH. They base this on various manuscript dates: a possible misreading of '477' as '479' in Kitab al-Rida and another date, '466,' found at the beginning of Kitab al-Ma'aqil, which may refer to the start of the entire work.
A printed edition of al-Mabsut appeared in Cairo in thirty volumes between 1324 and 1331 AH. The first volume was edited by Muhammad Razi al-Hanafi, and later volumes were prepared by a team of scholars. This edition was probably based on a single manuscript and contains many errors and omissions. Some passages found in manuscripts are missing, and misprints in certain places alter the meaning of the text. Efforts to mark the al-Kafi text within parentheses were inconsistent, leading to confusion between the two texts. In 1421 AH, a new edition was published in Beirut under the supervision of Abu Abd Allah Muhammad Hasan Ismail al-Shafi'i. He compared the Cairo edition with the Dar al-Kutub al-Misriyya manuscript and added references for Quranic verses, hadiths, and poetic citations. However, since he did not consult other manuscripts, many earlier errors remained unresolved.
Style and method
Al-Mabsut differs from ordinary commentaries, as it aims to discuss Hanafi jurisprudence contained in al-Kafi rather than merely explain its expressions. Al-Sarakhsi collected the views of the Companions, Successors, and early jurists in an analytical way. He gave special attention to the opinions of Hanafi imams but also compared them with those of other schools. Al-Shafi'i's views are discussed most frequently, followed by those of Malik ibn Anas, while Ahmad ibn Hanbal is rarely mentioned.Each chapter begins with explanations of key terms, both linguistic and technical, and often includes reasons for the order of discussion. The author presents various Hanafi opinions on each issue and explains the reasons for their differences. He then cites the views of other schools along with their evidences and provides the Hanafi response, clarifying the reasoning and basis for preference. Despite being in prison, he compared available manuscripts, noted textual variations, and chose readings consistent with Hanafi principles. Every chapter ends with the phrase 'Wallahu a'lam bis-sawab'. The work contains numerous hadiths, which al-Sarakhsi uses both to support Hanafi rulings and to refute opposing arguments. The author also relates general legal maxims to their practical applications.
Al-Sarakhsi critiques al-Hakim al-Shahid's statements when necessary and sometimes suggests clearer phrasing. He adds further discussions and clarifies the views of earlier scholars such as 'Umar al-Hassi, Muhammad al-Shaybani, and al-Tahawi. The book explains many specialized juristic terms such as tatbiq, i'tibar, and tawdih. When multiple Hanafi narrations exist, al-Sarakhsi prefers the one closest to the school's principles. He also identifies and explains the causes of disagreement between Abu Hanifa and his disciples Abu Yusuf and Muhammad, linking them to differences in evidence or context.
Scholars have noted some weaknesses in al-Mabsut. Al-Sarakhsi occasionally narrates unverified stories, such as the dialogue between Abu Hafs al-Kabir and Muhammad al-Bukhari. He sometimes cites weak or unreliable hadiths, such as the report about Ammar ibn Yasir and his daughter. At a few points, his remarks toward opponents, like al-Shafi'i, are considered excessively harsh.