The Arab World Can't Read the Greatest Hanafi Fiqh Encyclopedia
Bahar-e-Shariat — 20 volumes of comprehensive Hanafi jurisprudence — exists only in Urdu. You can help change that.
Help Make It AccessibleImagine a library of Islamic law so thorough it covers every chapter of Hanafi fiqh — from worship to transactions to personal affairs — in a single organized work. Now imagine it's locked behind a language barrier.
That's the reality today. Bahar-e-Shariat, written by Hazrat Sadrush Shariah Mufti Amjad Ali Azmi (may Allah have mercy on him) under the direct supervision of Aala Hazrat Imam Ahmad Raza Khan Qadiri, is the most comprehensive Hanafi fiqh reference ever compiled. It distinguishes between weak and strong narrations, between fatwa-issued and non-fatwa opinions, and presents complex rulings with a clarity rarely found in other works.
Yet this 20-volume treasure remains entirely in Urdu. The scholars and students of the Arab world — the very people who need it most — cannot access it. There is no equivalent in Arabic. Nothing comes close.
Your support can bridge this gap. A rigorous Arabic translation will unlock this scholarship for the entire Arabic-speaking world — for the first time in over a century.
Every month of delay is a month that Arab scholars, students, and muftis remain without this indispensable resource.
Fund the TranslationThree Reasons This Translation Is Urgent
Nothing Like It Exists in Arabic
There is no book in Arabic that covers all chapters of Hanafi fiqh in the same accessible, organized, and comprehensive manner. Arab scholars seeking a single authoritative reference have no equivalent to turn to.
Our Scholarly Voice Is Missing
The amount of scholarly output from our akabir reaching the Arab world is negligible compared to opposing schools, who have been publishing in Arabic at scale for decades. This imbalance has real consequences for how our tradition is understood internationally.
The Door That Opens Everything Else
Turkey is predominantly Hanafi and Sunni — its madrassas are actively seeking a definitive fiqh encyclopedia. Bahar-e-Shariat answers that need on its own merit. But once Arab and Turkish scholars trust this work, it becomes the bridge to the entire scholarly legacy of Aala Hazrat — works that have shaped our tradition for over a century but remain invisible to the Arabic-speaking world.
You're not funding a book. You're opening a door.
Jamiaturraza Istanbul exists for one reason: to bring the scholarly works of Aala Hazrat Imam Ahmad Raza Khan to Turkey and the broader Arabic-speaking world. This translation is our strategic starting point — the work that Arab and Turkish madrassas need most, delivered first.
Each volume will be released as it is completed — not held until the end. As volumes reach scholars, we will seek written endorsements from Arab ulema, building a chain of trust and credibility that compounds with every release.
No other tradition has done this. The scholarly voice of our akabir has been absent from the Arabic world for decades while others have published at scale. This project changes that — and your support makes you part of the movement that begins it.
You can help put this scholarship into the hands of Arab scholars and students for the first time.
Support This WorkNamed Scholars, Proven Track Record
This project is led by verifiable scholars with institutional backing, undertaken as an initiative of Jamiaturraza Istanbul under the patronage of Huzoor Qaid-e-Millat, Mufti Muhammad Asjad Raza Khan, and with the spiritual blessings of Huzoor Tajushshariah (may Allah have mercy on him).
Jamiaturraza Istanbul
The project is undertaken as an initiative of Jamiaturraza Istanbul (Riza Ilim ve Yardımlaşma Derneği), which manages fundraising, coordination, and international dissemination.
Dr. Allama Muhammad Imran Shami
Oversees the academic direction, quality control, and scholarly standards of the entire translation project.
Already Delivering Results
This is not an untested vision. The academic team is already producing internationally published scholarly work.
Lubab (Commentary on Quduri)
Annotated with references to Aala Hazrat's works including Fatawa Razawiyyah and Jadd ul-Mumtar. Being published from Turkey this month.
Publishing NowFaraid ul-Islam by Hashim Thattvi
A classical work by Hazrat Hashim Thattvi (may Allah have mercy on him), one of the great scholars of Sindh, annotated and currently being published from Jordan.
Publishing NowOngoing Annotation Programme
Standard madrasa textbooks are being systematically annotated with insights from Aala Hazrat's jurisprudential corpus for global scholarly use.
ActiveHow the Translation Will Be Done
This is not a simple Urdu-to-Arabic word swap. Each passage goes through a rigorous four-stage pipeline.
Trace Original Sources
Every passage in Bahar-e-Shariat is traced back to the original Arabic fiqh source it references — the classical text the author drew from.
Compare Texts
The Bahar-e-Shariat text and its original source are carefully compared. If the meaning is identical, the original Arabic source text is used verbatim — preserving classical authority.
Compose Where Needed
Where the author summarized, expanded, or reworded the source, a fresh Arabic rendering is composed — faithful to the author's intent in clear, accessible language.
Final Verification
The original Bahar-e-Shariat text, the source text, and the new Arabic text are placed side by side for meticulous comparison before approval.
Everything You Need to Know
Project Timeline — 3 Years, 20 Volumes
Rolling release: Each volume will be published and distributed as it is completed — you won't wait three years for results. As each volume reaches scholars, we will seek endorsements from Arab ulema, building trust and momentum progressively.
Year One — Foundation (6 Volumes)
Assembling the scholarly team, establishing quality standards, and beginning systematic translation. Approximately one volume every two months.
Year Two — Momentum (7 Volumes)
With refined processes and an experienced team, the pace increases while maintaining rigorous scholarly standards.
Year Three — Completion (7 Volumes)
Final 7 volumes. Final review, cross-referencing with all original sources, and preparation for publication and distribution.
Budget Breakdown — $36,000 Total
This requires a full organized scholarly team working systematically over three years. The budget covers:
- Expert jurists (fiqh specialists) and experienced researchers
- Arabic language specialists for translation and composition
- Scholars for source verification and hadith authentication
- Typesetting, formatting, and editorial professionals
- Workspace, computers, and research resource access
The Deliverable
20 Volumes of Bahar-e-Shariat, Fully Translated into Arabic
A complete, academically rigorous Arabic edition of the most comprehensive Hanafi fiqh encyclopedia — with authenticated sources, verified citations, and scholarly annotations — ready for publication and distribution across the Arabic-speaking world.
Academic Standards
- Correct punctuation, paragraph structure, and formatting throughout
- New section headings added where needed for reader clarity
- Brief, accessible explanations provided for difficult or ambiguous passages
- All Quranic verses and Hadith authenticated per international scholarly standards
- All fiqh citations verified using modern critical research methods
- Brief biographical introductions for all scholars, figures, and books referenced in the text
- Any discrepancies between quoted sources and their originals are investigated and corrected
- All other internationally recognized academic research standards are observed
The scholarly team is assembled. The methodology is documented. International publications are already in print from Turkey and Jordan. Everything is in place except the funding.
The work can begin immediately once funded. Your contribution sets it in motion.
Fund This Translation“When a person dies, their deeds come to an end except for three: sadaqa jariyah, knowledge from which benefit is gained, or a righteous child who prays for them.”
— Sahih Muslim 1631
Be Part of This Legacy
Your contribution becomes knowledge studied and acted upon for generations. That’s sadaqa jariyah.