Bidayat al-Abid

Bidayat al-Abid

Author: ʿAbd al-Raḥman b. ʿAbd Allah al-Baʿli

Translator: John N. Starling, III

Description: Bidayat al-Abid wa Kifayat al-Zahid is a concise manual restricted to the acts of worship based on the jurisprudence of the highly regarded Imam Abu Abdullah Ahmad b. Hanbal. This publication offers the reader what is considered the first rung on the ladder to studying the Hanbali school in a side-by-side dual-language format with both original Arabic text and English translation. Topics include the most common issues pertaining to the rites and rituals of worship i.e. purification, prayer, funeral proceedings, alms-giving, fasting, pilgrimage, and also briefly touches on legal rulings and ethics of military service.