5th-century Hanbali legal thought with special reference to qiyās

Usūl al-fiqh serves as a mirror reflecting the internal dynamics and intellectual tendencies of legal schools (madhāhib). Therefore, the distinctive character of any legal school cannot be fully understood independently of its legal theory. This study aims to contribute to such a perception in the context of the Ḥanbalī school. The focus of our research is the 5th century AH (11th century CE), during which the foundational and formative texts of Ḥanbalī legal theory were authored. Since it is beyond the scope of this study to reflect the entirety of usūl thought of the period, the concept of qiyās has been chosen as a representative example. Within this framework, the study seeks to answer the question of how qiyās was understood by the Ḥanbalīs of the time. To this end, three fundamental Hanbalī works from the period, al-Udde fī Uṣūl al-Fiqh, al-Tamhīd fī Uṣūl al-Fiqh, and al-Wāḍiḥ fī Uṣūl al-Fiqh, have been examined. The introduction provides a concise review of the relevant literature and briefly presents the primary texts forming the axis of the study. The second chapter discusses the nature and evidentiary value of qiyās; the third chapter covers its types and scope; and the fourth chapter addresses its essential elements and conditions. This study aims to offer a clear view on the topic based on the mentioned themes and to deepen the understanding of Hanbalī usūl, which has been rarely studied in the local literature.