A master's thesis defense on the juristic preferences (al-ikhtiyārāt al-fiqhiyya) of Imam al-Hajjāwī.
Under the patronage of the honorable President of the University of Fallujah, Prof. Dr. Ahmad Sulayman Hamad, and under the supervision and follow-up of the Dean of the College of Islamic Sciences, Prof. Dr. Muhammad Jasim Abd, the public defense of the master’s thesis submitted by the graduate student Zubaida Mundhir Nu‘man (Department of Sharia – College of Islamic Sciences / University of Fallujah) was held on Monday morning, November 17, 2025.
Her thesis is titled:
“The Juristic Preferences of Imam al-Hajjāwī (d. 968 AH) in His Book al-Iqnā‘ in the Jurisprudence of Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal and Their Impact on the Fatwas of Contemporary Scholars – A Comparative Study.”
The defense took place in the main hall of the College of Islamic Sciences.
The examination committee consisted of the following professors:
- Prof. Dr. Ali Hussein Abbas — Chair
- Prof. Dr. Ma‘n Nuri Muhammad — Member
- Assoc. Prof. Dr. Karim Zahlef Jazza‘ — Member
- Prof. Dr. Muhammad Jasim Abd — Member and Supervisor
Objectives of the Thesis:
This thesis aims to compile Imam al-Hajjāwī’s juristic preferences from al-Iqnā‘ and to analyze them through a comparative juristic study with the views of seven schools of law: Hanafi, Maliki, Shafi‘i, Hanbali, Imami, Zaydi, and Zahiri. It also seeks to clarify al-Hajjāwī’s evidences, the basis of his reasoning, and the strengths of his methodological approach, as well as his position in establishing authoritative views within the Hanbali school.
Key Findings:
The study reached several important conclusions, the most notable of which is that Imam al-Hajjāwī represents a stage of completion in the later formulation of the Hanbali school, and that al-Iqnā‘ has become one of its foundational texts. It also found that al-Hajjāwī’s juristic preferences tend toward precaution in acts of worship, especially in the chapters on funerals, ritual bathing, prayer, and their related rulings.
After an extensive discussion by the committee members, the thesis was accepted with a grade of “Satisfactory (Muwafī / Fully Met Requirements).”
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