Reliance of the Traveller: Classic Manual of Islamic Sacred Law

Description

Reliance of the Traveller: A Classic Manual of Islamic Sacred Law
Translated and annotated by Shaykh Nuh Ha Mim Keller

Reliance of the Traveller (ʿUmdat al-Sālik wa ʿUddat al-Nāsik) is the first complete and authoritative English translation of a classical manual of Islamic sacred law (fiqh) from the Shāfiʿī school, meticulously rendered and annotated by Shaykh Nuh Ha Mim Keller, a traditionally trained scholar and Sufi master.

Originally authored by the 14th-century jurist Imām Aḥmad ibn Naqīb al-Miṣrī, this seminal work is a comprehensive guide to every aspect of the Muslim’s legal life—from purification and prayer to commerce, marriage, inheritance, and criminal law. Grounded in Qur’an, Sunnah, scholarly consensus, and analogy, it represents the distilled rulings of one of Islam’s four Sunni legal schools.

Keller’s translation, the result of years of rigorous scholarship, includes extensive notes, scholarly appendices, and over 200 reliable endorsements (ijāzas) from leading Muslim authorities worldwide—affirming its authenticity and utility for contemporary readers. His work is a model of clarity, fidelity, and reverence for tradition.

For students of Islamic law, scholars, and anyone seeking an in-depth understanding of the Shariʿah as lived and applied for centuries, Reliance of the Traveller is an essential and enduring reference—uniting timeless knowledge with accessible presentation.

This is a classic manual of fiqh rulings based on Shafi”i School of jurisprudence and includes original Arabic texts and translations from classic works of prominent Muslim scholars such as al Ghazali, al Nawawi, al Qurtubi, al Dhahabi and others. It is an indispensable reference for every Muslim or student of Islam who needs to research on Islamic rulings on daily Muslim life.