Module Notes:

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Module Text: Ascent to Felicity (Maraqi al-Sa‘ādāt) by Imam Hasan ibn Ammar al-Shurunbulali (d. 1069 AH)

This course is based on Ascent to Felicity (Maraqi al-Sa‘ādāt), a concise yet comprehensive manual of Hanafi jurisprudence by the distinguished Egyptian jurist Imam Hasan ibn Ammar al-Shurunbulali, one of the foremost scholars of the 11th century AH (17th century CE).

The text serves as an accessible summary of the rulings found in larger works of the Hanafi school, particularly al-Wiqaayah and al-Hidayah. Its clarity, precision, and brevity have made it one of the most widely studied primers in traditional seminaries across the Muslim world.

In this module, students will focus on the sections of Ascent to Felicity dealing with Ṣalāh (prayer) — covering its obligations, conditions, recommended acts, and special forms such as Friday, Eid, eclipse, and funeral prayers. Through this text, learners gain both a technical understanding of prayer rulings and insight into their spiritual and ethical dimensions, reflecting the harmony between outward law (fiqh) and inner devotion (ihsan).

Born in a village in Upper Egypt in 994/1586, his father took him to Cairo at the tender age of six. He memorized the Qur’an and subsequently studied the Islamic sciences under numerous scholars, specifically Qur’anic recitation under Shaykh Muhammad al-Hamawi and Shaykh ‘Abd al-Rahman al-Masiri, and jurisprudence under Imam ‘Abdullah al-Nahriri, ‘Allama Muhammad al-Mahabbi, and Shaykh ‘Ali ibn Ghanim al-Maqdisi. He then went to Azhar University, which at that time was the sanctuary for advanced students. He pursued higher education there and surpassed his peers, for he was foremost in his knowledge of juridical passages and maxims. Word spread of his rank and skill, and he eventually became one of the most renowned juristconsults of the entire Muslim world. He assumed the post of professor at Azhar, whereby numerous aspiring students sat at his feet and benefited from his knowledge, many of whom themselves later developed into notable scholars of law. These included, from Egypt, ‘Allama Ahmad al-’Ajmi, Sayyid Ahmad al-Hamawi, Shaykh Shahin al-Armanawi, and from the Levant, ‘Allama Isma’il al-Nablusi (father of the illustrious saint and jurist, Shaykh ‘Abd al-Ghani al-Nablusi). Moreover, the high demands and taxing lifestyle of his roles as professor, jurisconsult (mufti) and jurist, did not in the least take away from his occupation as writer. He authored over sixty works, ranging from the aforementioned two commentaries, as well as his distinguished Shurunbulaliyya, to numerous smaller treatises covering an array of specialized legal matters.