Reliance of the Traveller: Handbook of Shari’ah

This post is spurred by recent interest in tags related to Reliance of the Traveller.

Islamic law is derived from Muhammad’s recitation and example: Qur’an & Sunnah.  “Umdat as-Salik wa ‘Uddat an-Nasik (Reliance of the Traveller and Tools of the Worshipper, also commonly known by its shorter title Reliance of the Traveller) is a classical manual of fiqh for the Shafi’i school of Islamic jurisprudence.”  Here is the Wikipedia entry.

The book is about 1251 pages long. While you can search it at Muhaddith,  there are some limitations to the search. The text has been posted an an educational site, from which I took these quotations. This is a raw text file, and some of it is extremely RAW!  I suggest using the Ctrl F search function to find what you are seeking if you go here and delve into it: http://www.nku.edu/~kenneyr/Islam/Reliance.html .  That text version is not complete, it ends with Book V.

Islamic Bulletin has an extensive library which includes two versions of Reliance.

• http://www.islamicbulletin.org/free_downloads/resources/reliance_complete.pdf 31.4 mb  low resolution pdf file. This appears to be the complete text of the book, including the certifications and index. 1251 pages.
• http://www.islamicbulletin.com/free_downloads/resources/reliance_complete2.pdf 57.31mb high resolution pdf file.  Not complete: begins with book f.

Maktabah has a Scribid version which is only 384 pages, far short of complete. If you want a hard copy, it is available from Amazon.

Shari’ah means “path to the life giving waters”,  it is a guide to obedience of Allah and emulation of Moe.  While much of it is arcane, such as the rules of  ritual purity and prayer,  it also  governs matters with more direct application to temporal affairs.

The laws concerning marriage, divorce, crime & punishments, and jihad are imposed upon non-Muslims where Allah’s writ runs.  Islamic law forbids charging or receiving interest.  Shari’ah compliant commerce involves the proscription of all interest and all traffic with Israel.  It also involves the payment of 2.5%  Zakat on financial transactions  as well as on increase in wealth.  What most westerners don’t know is that 1/8  of Zakat collections must be paid to the terrorists to finance their war against us.  It is illegal to give Zakat to Kuffar.

H8.7: The Eight Categories of Recipients

It is obligatory to distribute one’s zakat among eight categories of recipients (O: meaning that zakat goes to none besides them), one-eighth of the zakat to each category. (n: In the Hanafi school, it is valid for the giver to distribute his zakat to all of the categories, some of them, or to confine himself to just one of them (al-Lubab fi sharh al-Kitab(y88), 1.155). )

H8.17: Those Fighting for Allah

The seventh category is those fighting for Allah, meaning people engaged in Islamic military operations for whom no salary has been allotted in the army roster (O: but who are volunteers for jihad without remuneration).  They are given enough to suffice them for the operation, even if affluent; of weapons, mounts, clothing, and expenses (O: for the duration of the journey, round trip, and the time they spend there, even if prolonged. Though nothing has been mentioned here of the expense involved in supporting such people’s families during this period, it seems clear that they should also be given it).

H8.24

It is not permissible to give zakat to a non-Muslim, or to someone whom one is obliged to support (def: m12.1), such as a wife or family member.

Some of the most important provisions have been documented with screen shots from the search engine at Muhaddith.

• http://www.crusadersarmory.co.cc/RelianceO9-0.html  Jihad defined as making war on Kuffar.
• http://www.crusadersarmory.co.cc/RelianceO9-1.html  The communal obligation to attack Kuffar at least once each year.
• http://www.crusadersarmory.co.cc/RelianceO9-8.html The caliph makes war on Jews… codification of 9:29.
• http://www.crusadersarmory.co.cc/RelianceO9-9.html The caliph fights all other people… codification of 8:39.
• http://www.crusadersarmory.co.cc/RelianceO4-9.html Unequal indemnity for killing non-Muslims.
• http://www.crusadersarmory.co.cc/RelianceO1-2.html Honoricide: no retaliation for killing your offspring.
• http://www.crusadersarmory.co.cc/RelianceO11-5.html Restrictions on Dhimmis.
• http://www.crusadersarmory.co.cc/RelianceO11-10.html Acts which violate Dhimma, subjecting the violator to the death penalty.
• http://www.crusadersarmory.co.cc/RelianceO9-13.html Women & children enslaved by reason of capture.
• http://www.crusadersarmory.co.cc/RelianceO8-7.html List of acts entailing apostasy.
• http://www.crusadersarmory.co.cc/RelianceO8-2.html Penalty for Apostasy.
• http://www.crusadersarmory.co.cc/RelianceO25-9.html The eighth  duty of subordinate rulers: to undertake Jihad.

A series of blog posts about Shari’ah has been compiled into a Windows Help File (chm). Shari’ah.chm (100K Zipped) Compiled from a series of articles about Shari’ah, how it can affect you and what you can do to stop it.

Myth vs Fact #2

Myth	Fact
Islam: Religion of peace.	9:29. Fight against those who (1) believe not in Allâh, (2) nor in the Last Day, (3) nor forbid that which has been forbidden by Allâh and His Messenger (4) and those who acknowledge not the religion of truth (i.e. Islâm) among the people of the Scripture (Jews and Christians), until they pay the Jizyah with willing submission, and feel themselves subdued. [9:29]
Tafsir	Breaking the Covenant The Battle of Hunayn The Order to fight People of the Scriptures until They give the Jizyah The Prohibition of following the Ways of the People of the Book
Bottom Line:	This is one of several orders to fight, an open ended, outcome oriented imperative without geographic or chronological limits. The site linked following the text of the ayeh displays the translator’s foot notes. The following Islamic law is based on this ayeh. O-9.8: The Objectives of Jihad The caliph (o-25) makes war upon Jews, Christians, and Zoroastrians (N: provided he has first invited them to enter Islam in faith and practice, and if they will not, then invited them to enter the social order of Islam by paying the non-Muslim poll tax (jizya, def: o-11.4) -which is the significance of their paying it, not the money itself-while remaining in their ancestral religions) (O: and the war continues) until they become Muslim or else pay the non-Muslim poll tax (O: in accordance with the word of Allah Most High,…[Reliance of the Traveller] This ayeh is confirmed by Bukhari1.8.387.