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Summary: Number One Book on Islamic Law
Review: A clear choice of excellence, in translation, in refrence, in application. Reliance is a metaphor, as described and translated by Shaykh Nuh, meaning (paraphrase) In order to to travel to Allah, you need a guide. The guide in non the less, Sharia. This text is the Shafi Madthab from A-Z. I'm Speachless, above reviews sum it up. Love the new price
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Summary: A legislative one stop shop
Review: Every Shafee follower should have this book. It really is a legislative one stop shop for everyday matters with clearly laid out clauses which are easy to follow and understand.
It can be compared to the "Bahisti Zewar" (Heavenly Ornaments" by Maulana Ashraf Ali Thanvi for Hanafi follwers except that Mr Keller has no doubt done a better job of translating it. I have been looking for this book since 1997. In Australia (out of stock), India (I should have known better) and Singapore (out of stock) but with no luck until amazon.com was suggested to me. Anyone wanting to order through the internet can be rest assured of a very professional service and delivery. The package arrived on time in a very carefully sealed box. The price is very competitive and postage nominal.
The only way to really find out how great this book is, is not to read the reviews but to actually buy and read the book. It is everything the reviews say and more. May Allah give unlimited rewards to all those involved in its compilation and production. Ameen
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Summary: An Essential Reference when Studying Islam
Review: I encourage anyone who wants to better understand Islam to buy a copy. This is where the ummah ultimately leads. Wonder how the mullahs in the Taliban constructed the model of their medieval society?- well, they didn't have to. It's all contained here in the Sunni shariah.You cannot hope to understand "applied islam" without this text. This is THE book that the islamists do NOT want kufrs (infidels) to read. It absolutely identifies the outcomes of the establishment of Dar al-Islam and the extension of the ummah. Note: Even this book contains inaccuracies in its translation- see, for example, the linguist Reverend Mark Durie's demonstration that the section on mandatory female genital mutilation is watered down in this English translation from the Arabic. Also, the distinction drawn between "greater" jihad and "lesser" jihad is also a translational fabrication. However, in the absense of any other English translation, and recognizing the "Good (Islamist) Housekeeping Seal of Approval" on this translation, it really is an essential reference when dealing with Islam (of course, never forget, Islam is a trilogy of works: the Qur'an; the ahadith; and the resulting Umdat al-Salik.)
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Summary: Excellent all the way around
Review: I won't comment on the actual material of the book, since the content is based on Imam Nawawi's work - Which basically says the text is about as good as it gets. The content of the book covers the Shafi Fiqh. Basically, all rulings that could concern a Muslim. (ie. Sunnah of Wudu, Fard of divorce proceedings, etc.) It even has quick autobiographies at the end. (A nice touch for background on some of those scholars I had never heard of.) As for the rest: The translation into English seems excellent, the book is hardcover with good binding: Excellent. And the cover is green and looks nice. The font is nice, and it even has the original Arabic text on the side. Most important, there are several seals on the first several pages indicating that the book has passed inspection from various large Muslim Universities. Something I don't see in other translations. Recommended.
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Summary: Number One Book on Islamic Law
Review: I would like to say this is the most comprehensive Islamic Law book written in the English language. If you want to the know the veiws of the Shafi madhhab than this book is a must. This book contains rulings from other madhhabs as well. I strongly recommend this book to anyone who wants to know about Islam. If you are looking for a good book on islamic this one is for you. Buy it, Buy it, Buy it. If I could afford it, I would buy it for you. May God reward you Good in your search for knowledge.
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Summary: A Criminal Justice Eye Opener
Review: Reliance of the Traveller provides exceptional insight to Islamic values. The revised edition, edited and translated by Nuh Ha Mim Keller, is certified by al-Azhar University, the Muslim worlds most prestigious institution of higher learning with the following "...We certify that this translation corresponds to the Arabic original and conforms to the practice and faith of the orthodox Sunni community (Ahl al-Sunnah wa al Jamma'a)." Legislators, Criminal Justice Officials, Educators, Scholars, Journalists, and ordinary citizens who value "truth" may find the passages contained in Book R, Section 8, Lying (pages 744 - 746) quite illuminating. Lying is permitted in war, settling disagreements, and a man talking with his wife or she with him. If a praiseworthy aim is attainable by lying but not telling the truth, it is permissible to lie if attaining the goal is permissible and obligatory to lie if the goal is obligatory. (p. 745) "When, for example, one is concealing a Muslim from an oppressor who asks where he is, it is obligatory to lie about him being hidden. Or when a person deposits an article with one for safekeeping and an oppressor wanting to appropriate it inquires about it, it is obligatory to lie about having concealed it, for if one informs him about the article and he then seizes it, one is financially liable (to the owner) to cover the article's cost."(p. 745) Law Enforcement Investigations looking for people or evidence may find this problematic. "Whether the purpose is war, settling a disagreement, or gaining sympathy of a victim legally entitled to retaliate against one so that he will forbear to do so; it is not unlawful to lie when any of these aims can be obtained through lying. But it is religiously more precautionary in all cases to employ words that give a misleading impression, meaning to intend by one's words something that is literally true, in respect to which one is not lying, while the outward purport of the words deceives the hearer, though even if one does not have such an intention and merely lies without intending anything else, it is not unlawful in the above circumstances." (p.745) "Lying is permissible when there is a legitimate desired end. And the legitimate desired end may be a personal one." "One should compare the bad consequences entailed by lying to those by telling the truth, and if the consequences of telling the truth are more damaging, one is entitled to lie." (p.746)
Legal provisions for Giving a Misleading Impression (Book R, Section 10 Giving a Misleading Impression) is contained on page 748. "Giving a misleading impression is among the most important topics, being frequently met with and often abused. It befits us to examine the matter closely, and whoever learns of it should reflect upon it and apply it." "Giving a misleading impression means to utter an expression that ostensibly implies one meaning while intending a different meaning the expression may also have, one that contradicts the ostensive purport. It is a kind of deception. It often takes the form of the speaker intending a specific referent while the hearer understands a more general one, as when a person asks a householder, "Is So and so here?" to which the householder, intending the space between himself and the questioner rather than the space inside the house, replies, "He is not here." "Scholars say that there is no harm in giving a misleading impression if required by an interest countenanced by Sacred Law that is more important than not misleading the person being addressed, or if there is a pressing need which could not otherwise be fulfilled except through lying." Slander, in the Western context, is the utterance of false charges or misrepresentations which defame and damage another's reputation. Within the Sunni Islam tradition, slander means mentioning anything concerning a person that that person would dislike. The truth, then, becomes slanderous when an author or source mentions "anything concerning a person that that person would dislike." The Reliance of the Traveller further discusses slander. "Slander means to mention anything concerning a person that he would dislike, whether about his body, religion, everyday life, self, disposition, property, son, father, wife, servant, turban, garment, gait, movements, smiling, dissolution, frowning, cheerfulness, or anything else connected with him." (p.730) 'Do you know what slander is?' They answered, 'Allah and His Messenger know best.' He said, 'It is to mention of your brother that which he would dislike.' Someone asked, 'What if he is as I say?' And he replied, 'If he is as you say, you have slandered him, and if not, you have calumniated him. The Muslim is the brother of the Muslim. He does not betray him, lie to him, or hang back from coming to his aid. All of the Muslim is inviolable to his fellow Muslim: his reputation, his property, his blood. Godfearingness is here (the heart). It is sufficiently wicked for someone to belittle his fellow Muslim." (p.730.) This passage has implications for objective assessments of those who do wrong. It may be "improper" to tell the truth and say they have done wrong. Reliance of the Traveller gives insight to a wide variety of problems confronting the current era of law enforcement and a noticeable skewing of the truth in Islamic scholarship and news coverage. Local, state and federal officials, Criminal Justice officials, scholars, journalists, and those interested in the ongoing clash of civilizations will find the Reliance of the Traveller an invaluable tool in understanding some of the more problematic aspects of Islamic behavior. This book is an invaluable addition to any personal and professional library.
Rating:
Summary: A Criminal Justice Eye Opener
Review: Reliance of the Traveller provides exceptional insight to Islamic values. The revised edition, edited and translated by Nuh Ha Mim Keller, is certified by al-Azhar University, the Muslim worlds most prestigious institution of higher learning with the following "...We certify that this translation corresponds to the Arabic original and conforms to the practice and faith of the orthodox Sunni community (Ahl al-Sunnah wa al Jamma'a)." Legislators, Criminal Justice Officials, Educators, Scholars, Journalists, and ordinary citizens who value "truth" may find the passages contained in Book R, Section 8, Lying (pages 744 - 746) quite illuminating. Lying is permitted in war, settling disagreements, and a man talking with his wife or she with him. If a praiseworthy aim is attainable by lying but not telling the truth, it is permissible to lie if attaining the goal is permissible and obligatory to lie if the goal is obligatory. (p. 745) "When, for example, one is concealing a Muslim from an oppressor who asks where he is, it is obligatory to lie about him being hidden. Or when a person deposits an article with one for safekeeping and an oppressor wanting to appropriate it inquires about it, it is obligatory to lie about having concealed it, for if one informs him about the article and he then seizes it, one is financially liable (to the owner) to cover the article's cost."(p. 745) Law Enforcement Investigations looking for people or evidence may find this problematic. "Whether the purpose is war, settling a disagreement, or gaining sympathy of a victim legally entitled to retaliate against one so that he will forbear to do so; it is not unlawful to lie when any of these aims can be obtained through lying. But it is religiously more precautionary in all cases to employ words that give a misleading impression, meaning to intend by one's words something that is literally true, in respect to which one is not lying, while the outward purport of the words deceives the hearer, though even if one does not have such an intention and merely lies without intending anything else, it is not unlawful in the above circumstances." (p.745) "Lying is permissible when there is a legitimate desired end. And the legitimate desired end may be a personal one." "One should compare the bad consequences entailed by lying to those by telling the truth, and if the consequences of telling the truth are more damaging, one is entitled to lie." (p.746)
Legal provisions for Giving a Misleading Impression (Book R, Section 10 Giving a Misleading Impression) is contained on page 748. "Giving a misleading impression is among the most important topics, being frequently met with and often abused. It befits us to examine the matter closely, and whoever learns of it should reflect upon it and apply it." "Giving a misleading impression means to utter an expression that ostensibly implies one meaning while intending a different meaning the expression may also have, one that contradicts the ostensive purport. It is a kind of deception. It often takes the form of the speaker intending a specific referent while the hearer understands a more general one, as when a person asks a householder, "Is So and so here?" to which the householder, intending the space between himself and the questioner rather than the space inside the house, replies, "He is not here." "Scholars say that there is no harm in giving a misleading impression if required by an interest countenanced by Sacred Law that is more important than not misleading the person being addressed, or if there is a pressing need which could not otherwise be fulfilled except through lying." Slander, in the Western context, is the utterance of false charges or misrepresentations which defame and damage another's reputation. Within the Sunni Islam tradition, slander means mentioning anything concerning a person that that person would dislike. The truth, then, becomes slanderous when an author or source mentions "anything concerning a person that that person would dislike." The Reliance of the Traveller further discusses slander. "Slander means to mention anything concerning a person that he would dislike, whether about his body, religion, everyday life, self, disposition, property, son, father, wife, servant, turban, garment, gait, movements, smiling, dissolution, frowning, cheerfulness, or anything else connected with him." (p.730) 'Do you know what slander is?' They answered, 'Allah and His Messenger know best.' He said, 'It is to mention of your brother that which he would dislike.' Someone asked, 'What if he is as I say?' And he replied, 'If he is as you say, you have slandered him, and if not, you have calumniated him. The Muslim is the brother of the Muslim. He does not betray him, lie to him, or hang back from coming to his aid. All of the Muslim is inviolable to his fellow Muslim: his reputation, his property, his blood. Godfearingness is here (the heart). It is sufficiently wicked for someone to belittle his fellow Muslim." (p.730.) This passage has implications for objective assessments of those who do wrong. It may be "improper" to tell the truth and say they have done wrong. Reliance of the Traveller gives insight to a wide variety of problems confronting the current era of law enforcement and a noticeable skewing of the truth in Islamic scholarship and news coverage. Local, state and federal officials, Criminal Justice officials, scholars, journalists, and those interested in the ongoing clash of civilizations will find the Reliance of the Traveller an invaluable tool in understanding some of the more problematic aspects of Islamic behavior. This book is an invaluable addition to any personal and professional library.
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Summary: Best traditional Islamic law manual translated!
Review: Reliance of the Traveller was the first book of Islamic Jurisprudence that I bought. This book is a must for any muslim or even nonmuslim who wishes to learn about the laws and practices of Islam as understood by the tradtional scholars of the Shafi'i madhhab or school of jurisprudence. Not only that, but it includes a biography for all the people mentioned in the text as well as appendices on various topics not necessarily restricted to the shafi'i madhhab. This book should be a model to which other islamic law manuals are translated and checked. Get this book! It will help you a lot.
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Summary: The only accurate English translation of a medieval handbook
Review: Speaking as an American student of Islamic law, I highly recommend this translation for other students. What the translator says about specialists in universities is true of my acquaintance, and so it should be: the Western academic student of Islamic law is no more a man of religion (in this case a mufti qualified to answer Muslims' religious questions) than the historian of medieval physics is a physicist. The old Egyptian edition of _`Umdat al-salik_ included commentaries from two shaykhs, which Keller seems to have translated along with the main text, scrupulously identified. Since a handbook like this was largely an outline for lectures, the commentaries are often essential to understanding the text. A fine piece of work for which all English-speaking students of Islamic law may be grateful.
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Summary: An Essential Reference when Studying Islam
Review: This is probably the Most comprehensive fiqh(Islamic Law) in the English Language. It cover the very basics of islam as well as other aspects of Islam, like purification of the soul, getting closer to God (Allah). It meat of the book of outer fiqh, but it also deals with inner fiqh (spirituality).. So I highly Highly recommend this book. You won't be disappointed. In you are look for a good classical text book in Islamic Law.
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