Fi Sharh-e Āyāt-il-Ahkām
This book is written by the great Shi'a scholar of the 6th century Hegira, Qutbuddīn Sa'īd son of Hebatullāh Rāvandī, a brilliant Faqīh (Islamic Jurisprudent), interpreter and exegete of the holy Qur'ān, narrator of Hadīths, and literary scholar.
Subject
The Qur'ānic verses, which are related to Fiqh (Islamic Jurisprudential issues), have been collected with unique comprehensiveness so that the author can be accounted as one of the pioneers in this field.
Motivation
"My intention for writing this book was that I couldn't trace a book in which an appropriate approach to the issues of Islamic Fiqh - reflected in Qur'ānic verses - had been made; that is, there was no book available in which a survey on Fiqh of Qur'ān or Allah's sayings could be observed.
So I decided to write a book and accomplish a comprehensive survey on all its relevant subjects, such as forms and meanings of the verses as well as their exoteric and esoteric meanings about Islamic Jurisprudential injunctions.
Shi'a Ulamā suggest that an IJMĀ (consensus) of Islamic Ulamā based on the authentic and reliable narrations (Riwāyāt) of infallible Imāms(A.S.) will suffice us to be sure of the certainty of our knowledge about an issue in the field of Fiqh.
But I think it would be much more desirable to have Qur'ānic verses - in addition to infallible Imāms' (A.S.) sayings - to enlighten our ideas and strengthen our beliefs.
Therefore I wrote this book, in order to satisfy the readers' curiosity by its strict and firm reasoning, and help them understand its contents easily. I tried to write briefly and without ambiguity, so that every Islamic Jurisprudent or scholar will confirm it and approve its contents. May Allah help me do this work perfectly."
Specifications of the Book
The book is arranged according to the order of Fiqh subjects, starting from Tahārat (ritual purity) and ending to Diyāt (subject of blood money); also some interesting points are mixed with the subjects of Fiqh and Qur'ānic interpretations in this book.
Works of Qutbuddīn Rāvandī is much affected by the ideas and viewpoints of Sheikh-ut-Tāyifah Muhammad son of Hasan Tūsī' in the books At-Tibyān fī Tafsīr-il-Qur'ān' and Al-Istibsār fī makhtalafa fīhe min-al-Akhbār'. As a result, Rāvandī has paid special attention to the standpoints of Sayyid Murtadhā Alam-ul-Hudā' in the book named Al-Intisār fī Infirādāt-il-Imāmīyah'.
This matter can be easily found throughout the book Fiqh-ul-Qur'ān, because in some parts Qutbuddīn Rāvandī has quoted their exact statements without any alteration or changes. But this does not necessarily mean that the author himself was lacking the ability to infer or practice religious Jurisprudence. On the contrary, in many cases, as a competent Faqīh, he has made inferences, analyzed issues on Fiqh and Qur'ānic interpretation, and propounded new firm standpoints.
Another characteristic of this book is its innovation in juxtaposition or combination of Islamic Fiqh and Qur'ānic interpretation (Tafsīr). Thus, he has made a kind of compatibility between these two apparently contradictory subjects.
To disclose the matter, it is so that when we refer to Islamic sources of Fiqh on one hand, and of Narrations on the other, at the first glance it seems that Islamic scholars have different views with regard to these two different fields of Islamic science; but referring back to the book Fiqh-ul-Qur'ān, surprisingly we see that Rāvandī has brought together all those different views, and elaborated them with simple and attractive statements.
Another feature of this book is putting forward the matters of difference between Shi'a and Sunnī Ulamā, which are precisely addressed in the book. In some cases the author has elaborated them in a detailed way sometimes in several chapters - and shed light on them from various angles.
By and large, this book is a great and everlasting piece of work in its kind, and is still being used by many researchers and Islamic Jurisprudents despite passage of nearly one thousand years from its date of writing.
The Statements of Dignitaries
"One of the pioneers in this field, a brilliant figure, versatile scholar, virtuous luminary, knowledgeable Islamic sage, thinker, Muhaddith (great narrator of Traditions), exegete of the holy Qur'ān, great theologian, unique figure, and prodigy of his age, is Sheikh Qutbuddīn Abū Alī Sa'īd son of Hibatullāh Rāvandī Kāshānī'.
He took residence in Qum until his death. By his book called Fiqh-ul-Qur'ān, he offered a great service to Islamic Fiqh by training great Faqīhs. This book is one of the most vital books in this field, and it would be hard to find a counterpart for it."
The Copies of the book
1- One copy is available in the library of Āyatullāh Najafī Mar'ashī in Qum, written in 759 Hegira
2- Another copy at Tehran University's Library, written in 706 Hegira