Preference Between Juristic Evidences According to Imam Al-Ethiopi (d. 1442 AH) in His Book Dhakhirat al-Uqba: The Time of Maghrib Prayer as a Case Study

Abstract

This study examines the methodology of Imam Muhammad Ali Adam Al-Ethiopi in weighing juristic evidences through his book Dhakhirat al-Uqba fi Sharh al-Mujtaba, by applying it to the issue of the time of Maghrib prayer. The study aims to clarify how the Imam dealt with hadiths that appear contradictory in meaning and to reveal the hadith-based and usul-based principles upon which he relied in preferring one evidence over another. The research adopts an inductive and analytical approach while benefiting from the comparative method. The study concludes that Imam Al-Ethiopi favored the opinion that the time of Maghrib extends until the disappearance of twilight, reconciling the hadiths encouraging early performance with those indicating extension by interpreting the former as referring to the time of virtue and the latter to the time of permissibility. The study also demonstrates that the Imam based his preference on several hadith and usul principles, most notably: preference based on the explicitness of the text, the multiplicity of chains and narrations, giving precedence to explicit statements over probable actions, and applying all evidences whenever possib.