Overview

This text is a treatise on the Shafi laws regarding the hunting and slaughtering of animals and the proper eating habits for Muslims who wish to maintain a halal diet.

Authorship

Completed “pada waktu zuhur, hari Selasa, Rajab,” (no year given) by Shaykh Daud b. ‘Abd Allah al-Fatani, in Mecca. It fits the flavor of al-Fatani’s late legal writings, however, suggesting it was completed sometime in the late 1830s.

Manuscripts

It is the only undated work of Shaykh Daud al-Fatani that gained wide distribution. It appeared most prominently in the 1880s and was published in the Middle East around the turn of the twentieth century. It sometimes appeared in manuscript compilations including other works by the same author, such as Al-Bahja al-Marḍiyya, Bulugh al-Maram, or Hidayat al-Muta‘allim as well as works by other scholars in the network.

35 known manuscript copies

Manuscripts with dated colophons (2):

1. c. 1878, Jul/Aug. In compilation to text copied Sha’ban 1296 AH. PNM 221A: 22 ff. Double brown/maroon frame. Compiled with PNM 221B: Qunu’ Liman Ta’attaf.
2. 1882, May 21. Copied by Muhammad Salih b. Jaib, “pada waktu ‘isha, 3 Rajab 1299 AH.” IAM 306: 49 pp., incomplete.

Manuscripts with Undated or Partially-dated Colophons (10):

1. IAM 128A: 24 pp., incomplete. Copied by Abu Bakr b. Muhammad Jamal, “hari Ahad, enam likur hari daripada, bulan Jumada al-awwal di negeri Yaring Kampung Pauh Manis.” Compiled with IAM 128B: [kitab tasawwuf] and IAM 128C: Risalah fi Bayan Hukm.
2. IAM 338: 57 pp. Copied by ‘Abd al-Rahman b. Muhammad Salih Fatani, “pada likur bulan Dhu’l-Qaddah hari isnin waktu ‘asar.”
3. PNM 9: 21 ff., incomplete. Copied “hari Rabu, 14 Rajab.”
4. PNM 698: Copied “hari isnin, bulan Shawwal,” in Mecca. Double violet frame.
5. PNM 816C: Copied by ‘Abd al-Rahman b. ‘Abd Allah in Kampung Temperak, Canak (today in Songkhla Province, Thailand). Compiled with PNM 816A: Bulugh al-Maram and PNM 816B: Bahjat al-Mardiyya.
6. PNM 834: 22 ff. Copied “hari Selasa, bulan Rajab.” Double red-violet frame.
7. PNM 1918: 30 pp. Copied by Muhammad Rashid b. Sulayman Fatani. Brown & black plaid fine cloth cover.
8. PNM 2486A: 24 ff. Copied “pada waktu zuhur, hari Selasa, bulan Rajab.” Compiled with PNM 2486B: [kitab tawhid] and PNM 2486C: [Fatwa Shaykh Ahmad Fatani]
9. PNM 2668: 29 ff. Copied by Haji ‘Abd al-Rahman, “hari Rabu, 10 Safar” in Kelantan. Double red frame. Coarse tan cloth cover.
10. PNM 2943: 11 ff., incomplete. Copied “waktu zuhur, hari Sabtu, 29 Jumada al-akhir.” Double red frame.

Manuscripts without colophons (1):

1. IAM 49B: 15 pp., incomplete. Compiled with IAM 49A: Hikayat Nabi Yusuf, IAM 49C: Qunu’ liman, and IAM 49D: Hidayat al-Muta’allim.
2. IAM 189A: 21 pp., incomplete. Compiled with IAM 189B: [kitab tasawwuf].
3. IAM 246: 43., incomplete.
4. IAM 388: 42 pp., good condition.
5. IAM 449: 60 pp., incomplete.
6. IAM 769: 24 pp., incomplete.
7. PNM 115: 4 ff., incomplete.
8. PNM 199: 14 ff., incomplete.
9. PNM 516: 24 ff.
10. PNM 571: 22 ff., incomplete.
11. PNM 750: 12 ff., incomplete.
12. PNM 921: 25 ff., incomplete.
13. PNM 1111: 10 ff., incomplete.
14. PNM 1158: 6 ff., incomplete.
15. PNM 1204: 12 ff., incomplete.
16. PNM 1211(3): 7 ff., incomplete.
17. PNM 1248: 11 ff., incomplete.
18. PNM 1620: 30 ff. Final part of colophon is written in pencil.
19. PNM 1886: 34 ff.
20. PNM 1975: 22 ff., incomplete.
21. PNM 1976: 54 ff.
22. PNM 2271: 23 ff. Red & brown plaid fine cloth cover.
23. PNM 2952: 12 ff., incomplete.

Published Editions

1. Constantinople. Details unknown.
2. 1904/5, 3rd ed. Mecca: Matbaah al-Miriyya al-Kainah, 1322 AH. Holding: PNM.
3. Cairo. Details unknown.