AlUmm

al-Umm, literally “The Mother” or “The Source,” is a foundational work of Islamic jurisprudence authored by Imam Abu Abdullah Muhammad ibn Idris al-Shafi'i (c. 767–820 CE). Completed in the early 9th century, it is one of the earliest and most influential systematic compendia of the Shafi'i school. The book presents a comprehensive approach to Islamic law, combining Qur’anic verses, hadith, ijma (consensus), and qiyas (reasoned analogy) to derive legal rulings.

The content of al-Umm spans worship and daily life. It covers acts of worship such as purification, prayer, zakat, fasting, and pilgrimage, as well as civil and commercial matters (muamalat) including marriage, divorce, inheritance, contracts, sales, and loans. The work also discusses definitions, legal principles, and methodological notes that guide how rulings are established. Although it is a major juristic manual, it is not merely a hadith compilation; it is a jurisprudential treatise that presents the author’s rulings and the evidences for them.

Impact and transmission: al-Umm became the principal source for the Shafi'i madhhab and shaped its doctrinal and methodological framework for generations. Over time, it was transmitted through commentaries and abridgments by later scholars, with notable summaries such as Mukhtaṣ al-Umm by al-Muzani helping to disseminate its doctrine. In modern scholarship, it exists in Arabic critical editions and has been translated or summarized in various languages to aid study.

See also: Shafi'i school of jurisprudence, Islamic legal theory, fiqh.