The Removal of Blame from the Great Imāms is an annotated translation of Ibn Taymiyyah's classical jurisprudential treatise Rafʿ al-Malām ʿAn al-Aʾimmah al-Aʿlām. This foundational text in Islamic legal theory examines the methodological basis for scholarly disagreement among mujtahid jurists.
Taqiuddin Ibn Taymiyyah (661–728 AH / 1263–1328 CE), a distinguished medieval Ḥanbalī scholar, systematically identifies ten reasons why equally qualified jurists arrive at divergent legal conclusions despite shared commitment to Qurʾān and Sunnah. The work addresses core issues in uṣūl al-fiqh: hadith authentication, textual interpretation, reconciliation of conflicting evidence, and the ethical application of legal rulings.
Essential for academic collections in Islamic studies, this translation by Abdul Hakim al-Matroudi provides critical insights into the epistemological and methodological foundations of classical Islamic jurisprudence. The work demonstrates how the legal tradition balances textual authority with recognition of legitimate interpretative diversity, offering scholars a rigorous model of juristic reasoning and ethical restraint.
Suitable for graduate-level courses, research libraries, and scholars examining legal theory, religious authority, and comparative jurisprudence.