Al-Fawakih al-'Adidah fil Masa-il al-Mufidah - Ibn Manqoor al-Hanbali

Ibn Manqoor was a scholar from Najd who served as both judge and mufti. In these roles, he constantly fielded questions from the public about religious and legal matters, which inspired him to create a comprehensive reference guide. Drawing from his extensive personal library, he compiled relevant scholarly opinions and organized them following the traditional chapters found in Hanbali legal texts. Rather than trying to cover all Fiqh issues like most authors did, he took a practical approach - focusing on the real-world issues people actually came to him with. The result was a unique compilation of fatwas and judicial rulings.

Ibn Manqoor built each entry in the book in the following manner. He would present an issue and then weave together various expert opinions, starting with teachings from his own mentor, Abdullah bin Dahlan (who was the chief judge and mufti of Riyadh at the time). He also incorporated views from prominent Hanbali scholars like Al-Buhuti, as well as religious authorities from across the Levant and Egypt. Since the book grew directly out of his work with the community, it offers fascinating glimpses into the social, economic, and historical realities of his time.

The current edition was carefully pieced together by three scholars who worked from four original manuscripts, complete with biographical details, a full accounting of his 122 sources, and an analysis of his methodology.