Explanation of Ibn Al-Hajib’s Al-Mukhtasar Al-Usuli, classified by Al-Multani: A Study and Investigation of the ‘Separate Allocations’ Section

Abstract

This research examines a portion of ʿAlam al Dīn Sulaymān ibn Aḥmad ibn Zakariyyā al Multānī al Qurashī’s commentary on Ibn al Ḥājib’s Al Mukhtaṣar al Uṣūlī, with particular focus on the section entitled ‘Separate Allocations’. Structured into an introduction and two main parts—study and investigation—the work begins by outlining the objectives, significance, rationale for selection, prior studies, divisions, and methodology. The practical section first introduces the commentator al Multānī, then presents the text itself, relying on a unique manuscript copy for the investigated portion. The ‘Separate Allocations’ section spans six panels and thirteen issues, and the researcher sought to preserve the text as its author intended, correcting defects by consulting the original and noting emendations in footnotes. Ibn al Ḥājib’s words were occasionally cited, while the text was further supported through commentary, attribution of verses, grading of ḥadīths, and documentation of statements from authentic sources. The study highlights the originality of the commentary and al Multānī’s distinctive method of clarifying Ibn al Ḥājib’s intentions with concise and lucid phrasing.