The Mainstay Concerning Jurisprudence A Handbook of Hanbali Fiqh. (Al 'Umda fi 'l Fiqh)

Well there are barley any books on Hanbali Fiqh in English so this book is a great place to start. This book talks about what the Hanbali fiqh is through one of the greatest Hanabli Sages, Imam Muwaffaq. The book goes over pretty much one needs to know about his fiqh. This would be fasting, how to pray, trade and etc. The book is a great read, it isn't too long and it's easy to understand. There are some things that should be noted. Mukhtar Holland passed away before a revision of the book could be done. A piece of paper will be sent with the book. A couple of things were translated wrong but on the piece of paper it tells you how it should have been translated. To my knowledge it was only two or three things.The book is great for those interested in the Hanbali Fiqh. It is a beginners book but certain things don't have clarification. For example when grasping the hands for prayer it is under the naval but the fingers aren't laced like the Hanafis but more of a grabbing manner. Things like this were not discussed but I feel that is what the more advanced books are for.I wanted to add something new in after covering part of this book with a Hanbali teacher. There is a something really major to note that if the reader does not have a strong (VERY STRONG) background in Hanbali Fiqh and in Arabic one might take this the complete opposite direction. For example in this commentary it talks about that raising the finger 7 times in Tasshud while the Hanbali thought on this is to raise the finger and not put it down until the end of prayer. However the way it is worded in the book makes you think that the index finger must be raised 7 times while the background information is Mabbab if I am not mistaken meaning not to raise it up and down.

This translation seems to overcomplicate this beginners primer. Solid text for getting an overview of all the chapters and subchapters of fiQh.