Hanbali Acts of Worship: From Ibn Balban's The Supreme Synopsis

This slim volume presents a practical introduction to acts of worship according to the Hanbali school of Islamic law. The text comes from Shaykh Ibn Balban's Supreme Synopsis (Akhsar al-Mukhtasarat), a favorite introduction covering the full range of topics. The chapters of this volume cover purification, prayer, zakat, fasting, pilgrimage, and jihad. The text includes numerous explanatory notes to equip students for personal practice, and to prepare them for more advanced studies. This edition includes the Arabic text, its translation, and notes drawn from its commentaries—especially Shaykh Abd al-Rahman al-Ba'li's Kashf al-Mukhaddarat. This volume covers the first third of Shaykh Ibn Balban's Supreme Synopsis. Future volumes will cover the rest of the text.