In the nameof Allah, the Most Merciful, the Most Beneficent

May Allah sendprayersand peaceupon our masterMuhammad,

his family and his companions
One of the most important endeavorsthat a Muslim will concernhimself with is
gaining knowledge that will allow a servantto reach his Lord. This knowledge being
those rules that a Muslim will need to deal with his Creator. 'ibadat. and deal with the
creation,mu'amalat. One of the main ways to do this is*py accessingthe texts that our
righteousscholarshave authoredto assistin gainingthis knowledge. Throughtheir texts,
they have laid down for us a clear path that will saveus from the pitfalls of ignorance.
They have codified the rules taken from the Qur'an and Sunnahin a way that makesit
simple for anyonedesiring to increasehimself in knowledgeto do so. One of the most
importanttexts of this type is the book that is beforeyou, The Abridgement of Imam Al
Akhdari.
It is a beginning text of Islamic Jurisprudence,
fiqh, that has been benefitingthe
ummahfor the past severalcenturies. It has been studiedby both young and old alike,
and in many localesfrom the Heart of the Muslim landsto the Heart of the Bay Area. It
is of the utmost imporlancethat all Muslims dedicatea portion of their preciouslives to
gaining sacred knowledge, and this text is one of the best ways to begin. As for
motivationto study,it should suffice us that Allah has honoredknowledgeand its people
in His Book. Allah the Almighty has said;
(( Are thosewho know equalto thosewho do not? Nay they are not equal))
(( Ask the peopleof knowledgeif you do not know ))
(( Only the scholarshave deepfear of Allah ))
Also, it shouldbe enoughto motivateus to desireknowledgethe many sayingsof the
3l .'-It.tn"1t ut'
Messengerof Allah S: #
"seeking knowledgeis incumbenton everyMuslim"
"Seek knowledge,evenunto China".
When we look to the scholarsof all generations,we find much praiseaboutthe stationof
knowledgesuch as the answerof Imam Malik when he was asked,"When does studying
becomeblameworthy?". He answered,"When doesignorancebecomepraiseworthy?" If
one has an interestin readingmore aboutthe benehtsand knowledge,he should refer to
one of the many books authoredon the subjectsuch as The Manners of the Studentby
Imam Zarnugr.
Even with all this praise of knowledge by Allah Almighty in His Book, the
and the many sayings of the righteous
lS ;itt oi;,
sayingsof His Messenger$:

people,we still find the dominant stateof the Muslims is that they are satisfiedwith be
submersedin ignorance and they have little if any desire to gain knowledge. It may be
that they think the knowledge taken from "ancient" books can be of no benefit to us in
this age of technology. If that is the case,they should be careful for they have begun to
resemblethose who describedthe Qur'an as being "tales of the ancients", as these texts
are no more than a codification of the laws derived from the Book of Allah and Hadith
collections. We also know that this is a sign of the end of time becauseour Noble
lirl .rL:5a1d, "Allah will not take away knowledgeall at once. Rather
Prophet $': #
He will take it away by taking away the scholarsand then the people will make the
ignorantonestheir leadersand they will give answerswithout knowledgeso they will be
misguidedand they will misguide." So, if we do not want to make ourselvesanothersign
of the end of time, we must be a part of reviving the sciencesof this deen.
To do that, we have to go back to the texts that have been passeddown to us by
our pious predecessorsand wholeheartedlybegin to study and implement them. One of
the poets has said, "Those who have come before us have left for us nothing other than to
follow their footsteps." The ummaft is in desperateneed of people who have a deep
understandingof this deen who can aid in alleviatingthe suffering causedby ignorance.
Justas the sacredtexts have beenpreserved,so to hasthe methodto studythem.
Traditionally, the Islamic method of learningbeganat agesix with memorization
of the Qur'an. During that time they would be picking up the necessarytool of the Arabic
language. Then they would go on to study aqeedah (Islamic Creed) fiqh (Islamic
Jurisprudence), nahw (grammar), usul (Foundational Methodology) and many other
sciences. All the texts that were studiedwere committedto memory as this was one of
the main ways of preservingthe knowledge. So even if a persondid not have accessto
his books,they were stolenor destroyed,the river of knowledgecould continueto flow.
Imam Shafi'e said, "My knowledgeis with me when I walk in the streetsand not
in a trunk at my home." Imam Al Ghazzali once spent a great amount of time copying
various manuscriptsby hand and when he was on a journey, they were stolen. Imam
Ghazzalitold the thief, "Do not take my knowledge." The thief respondedby saying,
"What kind of knowledgeis it if a personlike me can take it?" From that time on, Imam
al Ghazzaliresolved to never study anything exceptthat he would memorize it. When the
Mongols invadedIraq, the river ran red and black. Red from the blood of thosekilled and
then black from the books that were thrown in. Although there were many volumes that
were lost and never recovered,due to the many huffadth, or "those who preserve"i.e.
memorize, that the most important of those books were saved. One scholar, Ibn Al
Qassar,told the people in Iraq to bring scribesand write what he says as he could read
from memory the contentsof the books that were destroyed. This station,though, was
not somethinggained over night, it took yearsof strenuousstudy. We too hope that we
can produce people of knowledge that can relieve some of the pain that humanity is
experiencing.
One of the most beautiful examplesof where our huffadthhave done this is during
the trans-Atlanticslave trade. In those honible conditions in the depths of those ships,
one of the only things that gave the stolen people comfort, whether they were Muslim,

Christian or pagan,was the Qur'an reciters. Our Noble Carriers of the Book of Allah
who were ripped from all they had, including their clothes, could not have the Qu'ran
ripped from their hearts. In their pure hearts,they also carriedsomeof the sacredtexts of
Islam, such as the Risala if Ibn Abi Zayd. Some of them put what they carried in their
heartson paper when they got a chanceand now those manuscriptsare being preservedin
museumsthroughout America. We too want huffadth whose recitation of the Qur'an and
the sacredtexts can echo throughout the wilderness of North America, and once again
bring comfort to the suffering souls of the Children of our father Adam, upon him be
peace. This dream can becomea reality through texts like the Abridgment of Imam Al
Akhdari.
Although traditionally, these texts were studied one on one with a teacherwho
would give the commentaryorally and guide the studentduring the courseof his studies,
we realizethat many peopledo not have accessto a teacherwho can do this. We decided
to try a new method since when water is not available one does tayammum. We have
provided an audio commentary of the text in English along with a translation of the text.
The hope is not that one will study and memorizein the English medium, ratherthey will
use it as a crutch to increasethem in the Arabic language. Without the Arabic language,
one will never gain a deep understandingof the way of Islam. One of the scholars,Al
Hilali, said, "The most important aspect of knowledge is aqeedah,then fiqh, then
purification of the heart and then Arabic which is a tool that is neededto begin". So,
even though Arabic is ranked fourth in importance,it is neededto accessthe rest. An
Nabigha said, commentating on this opinion, "It seemsfrom his statementthat Arabic is
studied even before aqeedah". We find people will learn a language for the love of a
woman or to get a job, so where are those that will learn Arabic for the love of Allah
itl ,.!,-7
Almighty and His Messenger &:#
If one studies this text in the suggestedmanner, I am sure that he will greatly
increasehis knowledge of the Arabic languagewhile learning the rules of worship that
Allah Almighty has obliged him to know. I personallyhave seena number of students
who knew little or no Arabic go through this text and a basic book on Arabic and within a
few months they were grasping the language. A good book to use for learning Arabic is
the 3 volume set called the Arabic Coursefor English SpeakingStudentsby Dr V. Abdur
Raheem that is used by the Medina University. As for the Text of Akhdari, a person
would need to be able to read the Arabic alphabetbefore beginning study of this text in
Arabic, but until then, he should go through it first in the English medium to begin
familiarizing himself with the rules of worship,
Once a personcan read the Arabic, begin by writing out a few lines of the Arabic
in your own handwriting into a notebook that you have set aside for memorization. Take
a little at first and then increase as you go on. Look at every word and know what it
means by either looking at the translation or using a good dictionary such as the
Dictionary of Modern Written Arabic by Hans Wehr. After that, or before that, listen to
the correspondingEnglish audio commentaryso that you have an understandingof the
lesson.If you can find someonewho has alreadygone over the text or someonewho is
going to be your study partner,review it with him. Then, with you prayer beadsin hand,

beginreciting aloud the lessonover and over.

You shoulddo it in incrementsof 60-100times eachfour times aday. Oncein
the morning, once between Dhuhr and Maghrib and then once before sleep. Then the
next day, either right before Fajr or right after, do it for the fourth time and it should be
memorized. If its not, don't be frustrated,it will come with time. Try decreasingthe
amount you took and increasethe times you read it and soon you will know how many
times you have to read a certainamountto memorizeit as eachpersonis different. When
you recitethe text from memory,you want to be ableto do it without eventhinking about
it, just as you do when you recite Qur'an. When you have your lessonmemorized,move
onto your next lesson. Once you have committeda good amountto memory, continueon
adding new lessonsand set aside a time eachday to recite all that you have memorized.
When writing out your lesson,be sureto include a few lines from the next lesson.
This will act as a link for you when you are reciting all the lessonsand you won't haveto
keepingstoppingand think, "What's the next part?". So, the following is an exampleof
what your lessonsof a threeday period might look like in your notebook;
LessonI

;i"1-11:;;*.,Ji

e)l.l',ltr;)\Lllj ljinlt-llliJ {J i"-11

!-ilsll (.+ i+; 1; U31i}J;):11e\-lr Ji$l i\i

i;

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r

l-oa-i ;
4

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,.\Ep -

Lesson2

, alll ;j3i, F 141=+Ol_4Jl'i--,=,Jat+LJIJlJt4J.Jlr

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Lesson3

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All of these are suggestionsfor the course of studies and a person can changethe
method to what suits his studying style best. The important thing is that a person has
memorizedthe Arabic and understandsthe meaning. If one follows this courseof study,
they will be gaining theirfard 'ayn, rndlidual obligatoryknowledge,along with getting
accustomedto the Arabic language. This method gets ones eyes used to reading the
Arabic, the tongue used to reciting it, the ears used to hearing it and the handsused to
writins it. This has been the traditional wav of studiesthrouehout the Muslim lands and

is a way that is tune with thefitra. One man who was guided to this method of learning
and greatlybenefitedfrom it was the shaheed,El Hajj Malik El Shabazz,or Malcolm X.
He saysin his biographyin chapter9, "Saved";
I spenttwo daysjust riffling uncertainlythroughthe dictionary'spages.
I'd never reahzedso many words existed! I didn't know which words I neededto
learn. Finally, just to start somekind of action,I begancopying.
In my slow, painstaking, ragged handwriting, I copied into my tablet
everything printed on that first page,down to the punctuation marks.
I believe it took me a day. Then aloud, I read back, to myself, everything
I'd written on the tablet. Over and over, aloud, to myself, I read my own
handwriting.
I woke up the next morning,thinking aboutthosewords- immenselyproud
to rcahze that not only had I written so much at one time, but I'd written words
that I never knew were in the world. Moreover, with little effort, I could also
rememberwhat many of thosewords meant.
He, may Allah have mercy on him, began this processafter being frustratedover not
being able to expresshimself in the English language,as his mother tonguewas the slang
of the streets. For those that are frustrated over not beine able to accessthe Arabic
language,this processwill benefit them.
It will take time and effort but if you persevere,you will be victorious.
Knowledgeis a preciousthing and Allah will only let you have it if you struggle. Even
the Messengerof Allah J-': *:; ill Gl;was not given revelation without experiencing
great pain. At the first revelation, the Angel Gabriel, 'alayhis salam, squeezedhim three
lirt
reciting. Each squeezewas
times and then our Messenger $j
#
-ll6.gan
unbearablebut he was being shown that knowledge can only be received by those who
endurehardship. In the story of our MasterMoses,'alayhis salam, when he was going to
seek knowledge from our Master Khadr, 'alayhis salam, our Master Moses, 'alayhis
salam said, "We have becometired becauseof our journey". One must also struggleto
gain knowledgeby stayingup late into the night or gettingup beforedawn. Imam Shafi'e
said, "Whoever seekslofty things will stay up late at night. Whoever seekslofty things
without strugglewill have wasted his life seekingthe impossible. The one who seeks
pearls dives into the ocean." El Hajj Malik El Shabazzsaid when recountingthe long
hours he spent reading every night, "That went on until three or four every morning.
Threeor four hours of sleepa night was enoughfor me. Often in the yearsin the streets,I
had slept less than that." With this in mind, one must also realizedthat his body has a
right over him so give it rest from time to time. Traditionally,schoolsset asidetwo days
a week for rest. A studentcould pursuepersonalinterests,spendtime with friends or do
other light study.
To end this introductionto the Abridgmentof Imam al Akhdari, we turn to a brief
biographyof the authorhimself written by Dr. Muhammadbin MuhammadTalib Eesa;
The great scholarAbdur Rahmanibn Muhammadibn Saghiyaribn
Muhammad ibn Amir Al Akhdari was an eminent scholar a man who

could explain things clearly, an eloquent poet, an excellent author,

intelligent and logical and a successfuljurist. He was a reformer with
deep insight who refuted various innovationsand superstitionscriticizing
all types of outward deviations. He was bom in the year 918 Hijrah
Calendarand dies in the year 983. [He was from the scholarsof the area
now known as Algeria].
He has written a number of texts on various subjectsand Allah
Almighty has allowed them to be acceptedby many people. Beginners
study his books, scholarshave written commentarieson it, and educators
teach it. His book has benefited people in the East and the West and that
may be due to the soundnessof his inward state,his steadfastness
on the
path of guidance and his enjoining right and forbidding evil. For these
things cause a person to have a truthful tongue and a beautiful way of
expressingideas. Allah Almighty also blessesthe work of a personlike
this and gives him acceptance
in the earth.
We ask Allah Almighty, out of His graciousnessand bounty, to
make us from amongstthe acceptedones in this world and the next. We
ask that He recti$' our intentions and our descendants. We ask that He
bless our actions and that He resurrectus in the company of the Chosen

One&-r !l' 3l &.

We hope that for thosethat receivethis book it will be the beginningof a lifelong
journey of seekingknowledge. This processwill include moving from this text to other
texts on this subjecl of fiqh moving through the beginningtexts, to the intermediateand
then on to the advancedtexts. The samewill be for the other subjectsof 'aqeedah,usul,
seerah, and the many other sciencesof Islam. We also hope to provide a systemof
having a contact for those that are going through the text so that they can clear up any
things that are not clear. Once a studenthas finishedthe text and knows it well, we hope
to have a system of testing the students and then giving them ijozahs, or traditional
teachinglicensesin each text. We will also provide them with Arabic commentariesof
this and other texts to enhancetheir understandingof the text and increasetheir skill of
Arabic. The Abridgment of Imam Al Akhdari has many commentariesthree of which
deal with the proofs from the Qur'an and Sunnah for the rulings he mentions. One of
these will be provided to studentswho have gone through the text and have basic
understandingof Arabic.
With this as a beginning,we hope to build up a core group of Muslims who have
deepunderstandingof the deenand then we can help eachother move onto spreadingthe
correctmessageof Islam. If we want the best for ourselvesand our families, we must
strive to get this understanding,or fiqh. Our Master Muhammad J-,J S; 3l ,rl*osi6,
"Whoever Allah wants good for him, He will give him deep understanding(fiqh) of the
deen."
We ask that Allah acceptall of our actionsand gives us successin following the
;!l ,.,jL
way of our Master Muhammad J,,': #
We ask all those that receive this

book to make du'a for thosewho aidedin putting the studypackagetogetherand for their
familiesand teachers.

Your brotherin Islam.

Rami Nsour