<![CDATA[Of the many sources for the study of Hadîth and the science of law and legal arrangements (al-ahkâm wa al-mawââ id), Kitâb Muntaqâ al-Akhbâr by Majd al-Dîn Abd al-Salâm bin Abdullah bin Qâsim better known as Ibn Taymiyyah (d. 652 H) is one of the most important. This book has been commented by al-Shawkânî in a book called Nayl al-Awţâr where he employs the following methods. First, elaborating and commenting not of all hadiths but some them in each chapter of the book. Second, describing the narrators of the hadîths, their quality and personality. Third, providing the literal meaning of the hadîths he commented. Fourth, explaining the grammatical position of the vocabularies of the hadîth. Fifth, highlighting the use and benefit of the hadîth. Sixth, explaining the views of various ulama on a hadith. Seventh, extrapolating the legal rules of the hadîth using the dictums of the uÅûl al-fiqh. This paper is designed to discuss this. It holds that in providing the commentary of the hadith, al-Shawkânî begins with the issue of how it was narrated (takhrîj), and ends up with extrapolating rules that may be learnt from it. The paper also believes that al-Shawkânî is an objective scholar, who worked in the elaboration and commentary of the hadîths just for the sake of knowledge. The fact that he often offers a commentary against the legal position of his own school of thought indicates that al-Shawkânî a person of academic integrity. The methods that he employs and the spirit behind his determination to provide commentary, all point to one thing of particular importance, that al-Shawkânî is immune of fanaticism and imitation.]]>
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