UṢŪL AL-FATWĀ
Būṭlayḥiyya of
Muhammad al-Nābigha ibn ʿUmar al-Ghallāwī
The Būṭlayḥiyya is a didactic poem on the principles of issuing legal verdicts (uṣūl al-fatwā), composed by the eminent Mauritanian scholar Muḥammad al-Nābigha ibn ʿUmar al-Ghallāwī (d. 20th century). This versified manual serves as a structured guide for muftīs—those qualified to issue fatāwā—outlining the conditions, ethics, and methodological foundations required for engaging in iftāʾ within the Mālikī madhhab and the broader Sunni tradition.
The poem explores topics such as the qualifications of the muftī and mustaftī (questioner), the role of ijtihād and taqlīd, the proper use of legal sources, and the limits and responsibilities involved in issuing religious rulings. Al-Ghallāwī draws heavily from classical Mālikī sources and integrates discussions on fiqh, uṣūl al-fiqh, and legal theory, distilling them into accessible verse meant for memorization and oral transmission within the Mauritanian maḥẓara tradition.
The Būṭlayḥiyya reflects the deep scholarly culture of West Africa, where legal training includes not only the mastery of jurisprudence (fiqh) but also the ethical and epistemological framework governing its application. This text is particularly valued for its clarity, depth, and balanced approach to the responsibilities of legal authority in Islamic tradition.
Consists of 61 classes.
The course was taught by Shaykh Zuhayr Qazzān in 2021.
