Al-Jami' li Masa-il al-Mudawwanah - Ibn Yunus As-Siqilli (451H)

This book, written by Imam and jurist Abu Bakr Muhammad Ibn Abdullah at-Tamimi as-Siqilli (died 451 AH), is considered one of the best books dealing with Al-Mudawwana (Al-Mudawwana is a compendium of the legal opinions of the school of Madinah as stated by Imam Malik). He has abridged it in a wonderful way, without interrupting with its issues, explained it in a full and comprehensive manner, collecting its scattered topics, citing the evidence, clarifying and facilitating the ambiguous words, interpreting its issues, and separating the similar ones so that they do not confuse each other.

The Imam relied on the most important sources of Maliki jurisprudence, such as Ibn al-Qasim, Ibn al-Mawaz, Ibn al-Atabi, Ibn Wahb, Ibn Habib, al-Abhari, Ibn al-Qassar, Ibn Khuwaiz Mandad, Abu Ishaq Ibn Sha’ban and Abu Bakr Ibn al-Labbad. Sometimes he used statements such as: more than one of Baghdad scholars have said, some of our companions have stated, and statements from most of the prominent Maliki jurists from those who were before him.

The importance of this book is great; it was the main authoritative book of the Malikis in the old days. Rather, it was called the Mushaf of the Madhhab, and that is to compare it to the Noble Qur’an in which everything is clarified, and that whoever had this book is in no need of others.

People have studied the book from east and west, and transmitted from it. You can hardly find a Maliki book of jurisprudence, hadith or interpretation without it being quoted from Ibn Yunus, and this alone is sufficient to prove the value of the book, in addition to the fact that some used to memorise it by heart, and answer the issues from it.