However, accessing a reliable English version—especially a free PDF—requires careful navigation. Here is everything you need to know. Al-Hidayah is not a beginner’s primer. It is a commentary (sharh) on the author’s own earlier work, Bidayat al-Mubtadi . It compiles rulings derived from the Qur’an, Sunnah, and reasoned opinion (ijtihad) according to the Hanafi school.
For students of Islamic jurisprudence (fiqh), few texts carry the weight and authority of Al-Hidayah fi Sharh Bidayat al-Mubtadi (The Guidance). Written by the great Hanafi jurist Burhan al-Din al-Marghinani (d. 1197 CE), this book has been the backbone of Hanafi fiqh curriculum for over 800 years. al-hidayah book english pdf