Hamawi's Criticism on al-Ashbah ve'n-Nazair by Ibn Nujaym
Abstract
The aim of Al-Ashbâh ve’n-Nazâir by Ibn Nujaym is neither to write all the issues of fiqh or method books, nor to write opinions that will be taken as a basis for fatwa. The most basic purpose of Al-Ashbâh ve’n-Nazâir is to reveal the rules and origins which the Hanafi school is based on and its fiqh logic which the issues are based on. It is important sign that Ibn Nujaym’s work is respected in the sect after him, is read in many regions, is accepted as the handbook of kâdi, mufti and mudarris, that more than ten commentary and annotations have been made on it. Most importantly, the fact that a new book of Eşbâh was not written after Ibn Nujaym is an important indication that he achieved this goal.
However, Al-Ashbâh ve’n-Nazâir received some criticisms from some later scribes and commentators. In fact, according to some later authors such as Ibn Abidin, there are many deficiencies in Al-Ashbâh ve’n-Nazâir and it is not permissible to give fatwas with it.
In this study, the criticisms of Eşbâh were examined in the center of the work called Gamzu uyuni’l-besâir alâ mehâsini’l-Eşbâh ve’n-nezâir by Ebu’l-Abbâs Ahmed el-Hamevî’ye (d. 1098/1687), which is one of the most important commentaries of Eşbâh. Although Hamevi’s method of criticism is generally in the form of presenting evidence from previous books and showing the result, it is attracting the attention that he hardened his style in some places and even described Ibn Nujaym as indecent.
Some of Hamevi’s criticisms are that there are errors and deficiencies in Al-Ashbâh ve’n-Nazâir’s narrations, that Ibn Nujaym misunderstood the expressions in some books, that there are the contradictions between Eşbâh and Ibn Nujaym’s other books, that there are inconsistencies in the text and another part of his criticism is on the deficiencies arising from the fact that Al-Ashbâh ve’n-Nazâir is written very concisely. In addition, Hamevi also has objections to Ibn Nujaym’s fatwas, preferences and ijtihads in many places. In this study, Hamevi’s criticism is discussed in detail through examples, the nature of the mistake he points out is examined and some evaluations about it are included. The main goal of the study is to present examples of intra-sectarian debates among classical scribes and to contribute to understanding the intra-sectarian debates of Hanafism through the examples presented.
When Hamevi’s objections are examined, it is seen that a significant part of them is correct. However, it is possible to criticize Hamevi’s objections that there are differences and contradictions between Eşbâh and his other books. Because Eşbâh is the last book written by Ibn Nujaym, it is natural that there are differences between the books he wrote before. On the other hand, it is understood that the source of some of the errors in Eşbâh is not Ibn Nujaym, the same errors are also included in some Hanafi books written before him and Ibn Nujaym took it from there. The reason for some of the mistakes in Eşbâh is due to the fact that Ibn Nujaym gave an issue with details by generalizing. It is seen that some of Hamevi’s objections to the fact that Eşbâh is not understood or misunderstood due to its short writing are correct, while others are weak.
Probably, Ibn Nujaym’s writing of Eşbâh in a short time and then catching the plague prevented him from re-examining and correcting the work. For this reason, there are some gaps in many parts of the author’s copy of the work to be completed later. It can be thought that some copyright weaknesses in the work and partial contradictions within the text are due to this.
Despite all this, the statements of Ibn Abidin that a fatwa cannot be given with Eşbâh is open to discussion. Because there were some objections by the later scribes against almost all the books of the sect. For example, there are many criticisms on al-Hidayah, one of the most important books of the Hanafi sect, and on Wikâye, which is also one of the mutûn al-arba’a. Some authors even wrote separate works on the errors in these books. All of these show that the existence of some errors in a fiqh book will not completely destroy the trust in it. Indeed, even Hamevi, who criticizes Eşbâh in many ways, says, “There is no kadi who does not apply to Eşbâh in the trial, and there is no mufti who does not rely on him when issuing fatwas.”
Keywords
Project Number
SBA-2020-10576
İbn Nüceym’in el-Eşbâh ve’n-Nezâir’ine Hamevî Tarafından Yöneltilen Eleştiriler
Abstract
İbn Nüceym’in el-Eşbâh ve’n-Nezâir’i mezhepte genel kabul görmüş, sonraki dönem fakih, müftî ve kadıların elkitabı haline gelmiştir. Eşbâh literatüründe Hanefilerde yazılmış ilk kitap olarak kabul edilmekte olup kendisinden sonra da yeni bir Eşbâh kitabı kaleme alınmamıştır. Eşbâh üzerine ondan fazla şerh ve hâşiye türü çalışma yapılması da bu ilginin bir göstergesidir. Eşbâh gördüğü bu ilgi ve kabulün yanı sıra çeşitli açılardan eleştirilere de tabi tutulmuştur. Sonraki dönem bazı müelliflere ait, Eşbâh’ta çok sayıda hata bulunduğuna, hatta onuna fetva verilmesinin caiz olmadığına ilişkin ifadeler bulunmaktadır. Bu çalışmada Eşbâh’ın en önemli şerhlerinden biri olan Hamevî’ye ait Gamzu uyuni’l-besâir merkezli Eşbâh eleştirileri incelenmiştir. Hamevî’nin eleştirileri, Eşbâh’ın nakillerinde hata ve eksiklik olduğu, İbn Nüceym’in bazı kitaplardaki ifadeleri yanlış anladığı, Eşbâh ile İbn Nüceym’in diğer kitapları arasında çelişki olduğu, metin içerisinde tutarsızlık bulunduğu, Eşbâh’ın çok muhtasar yazılmasından kaynaklanan eksiklikler olduğu hususlarına ilişkindir. Ayrıca Hamevî’nin birçok yerde İbn Nüceym’in fetvalarına, tercihlerine ve tahrîclerine yönelik eleştirileri de bulunmaktadır. Bu çalışmada Hamevî’nin eleştiri noktaları, örnekler üzerinden detaylı olarak ele alınmış, nispet ettiği hatanın mahiyeti incelenmiş ve bununla ilgili bazı değerlendirmelere yer verilmiştir. Çalışmanın temel hedefi klasik dönem fakihler arasındaki mezhep-içi tartışmalara ilişkin örnekler sunmak ve sunulan örnekler üzerinden Hanefiliğin mezhep içi tartışmalarını anlamaya katkı sağlamaktır.
Keywords
Supporting Institution
Erciyes Üniversitesi Bilimsel Araştırma Projeleri Birimi
Project Number
SBA-2020-10576
