Imom Buxoriy xalqaro ilmiy-tadqiqot markazi bukhari.uz
In his book “Siyar al-a’lam an-nubala” (Descriptions of Famous Scholars), a famous Arabic historian Shamsuddin az-Zahabi wrote: “Fakhr al-lslam al-Pazdavi was a scholar who had his own direction in the Hanafian order”. Another historian Abu Sa’d as-Sam’ani (1113-1167) stressed in his book: “Fakhr al-lslam al-Pazdavi was a well-known sheikh of the Hanafian order in Maveraunnahr”.
It is a real fact that, thanks to his incomparable and courageous attempts and devoted service in the fight for the purity of Islam in our country, Fakhr al-Islam al-Pazdavi earned respect and appreciation of our countrymen and received the honourable title “Fakhr al-Islam” (the pride of Islam) which is given to the most respected and estimated representatives of the Islamic science. He lived in Samarkand for a long period of time and delivered lectures in its madrasahs. Then he came to Kesh (Shakhrisabz) and died there in 1089. As the historical sources state, his corpse was later brought to Samarkand and buried there.
Although the works written by Fakhr al-Islam al-Pazdavi were devoted to different branches of the Islamic sciences, his works dealing with the Islamic law form a special class of works that attract the attention of experts in this field. They are as follows:
- “Al-Mabsut” consisting of eleven volumes. This book is devoted to different problems of the Hanafian order;
- A commentary written on the book “Al-Fiqh al-akbar” by Abu Hanifa, the founder of the Hanafian order;
- “Kashf al-astor”. It included 120 parts each of which was a huge book. It was devoted to descri ption of the characteristic features of the Holy Qur’an;
- “Sharh al Jami’ al-kabir li Shaybani”;
- “Sharh al Jami’ as-Saghir li Shaybani”;
- A commentary written on Imam al-Bukhari’s “Al-Jami’ as-sahih”;
- “Ghana’ al-fuqaha” devoted to the problems of law of the
Hanafiya order; - “Siyrat al-mazhab fi sifat al-adab”;
- “Risala fi qiraat al-musalliy”;
- “Kitab al-muyassar fi-l-kalam”;
- “Zallat al-qariy”;
- “Usui al-Pazdavi”;
- “Al-Amaliy”, etc.
Among these above-mentioned books, “Usui al-Pazdavi” occupied a place of special attention. Its full title sounded as “Kanz alvusul ila ma’rifat al-usul”. As it contained a perfect and detailed settlement of the legal problems of Islam,especially of the Hanafian order, it was highly appreciated by the experts of law and used as a precious manual for lawyers. The scholars who lived after Imam al-Pazdavi created their scientific products on law relying on his above-mentioned book. As an example of the books written in this way, we may show the book “Usui al-fiqh” by a famous scholar Shams ul-aimma as-Sarakhsi who died eight years after Fakhr al-lslam al-Pazdavi.
Being a book of greatest importance in the field of law, many important commentaries were devoted to this precious book. As an instance of this opinion, we might mention the commentaries written by the following famous figures in the field of law of that time:
- Salim ibn Ahmad as-Sanadi;
- Husain ibn Ali as-Sam’ani;
- Muhammad ibn Mahmud al-Babirti;
- Sadru-sh-shariah al-Mahbubi;
- Badriddin Muhammad ibn Shamsuddin;
- Amir Katib ibn Amir Umar al-Farabi;
- Al-Javanfuri;
- Alauddin Abdul aziz ibn Ahmad al-Bukhari, etc.
Among the above-mentioned authors Alauddin al-Bukhari’ commentaiy titled as “Kashfu-l-asrar” is the most famous and pre cious one. Therefore, this commentary was republished later twice (1994,1997) in Beirut in four volumes. The manuscripts written by Fakhr al-lslam al-Pazdavi are preserved as precious sources in law in different libraries of the world. A German scholar of Oriental studies Karl Brokkelman informs us that the manuscripts of tin-book “Kanzu-1-vusul” by Imam al-Pazdavi are preserved in tin scientific libraries of Berlin, London, Paris, Delhi, Sankt-Petersbuir Peshawar, Cairo, Tunisia and Istanbul.
