Critical notes of Sh. Marjani regarding Ali al-Qari’s comment on the book “al-Fiqh al-’akbar” by Imam Abu Hanifah

This article analyzes how Shihab al-Din al-Marjani, a Tatar historian and theologian, criticized the statements and opinions of the major Meccan Hanafi scholar ‘Ali al-Qari. He relied on the information from the book of Imam al-Muhibbi, who criticized al-Qari for madhhab fanaticism and for the statements which some theologians consider to be offensive to Prophet Muhammad and his parents. Marjani discussed the authorship of the book "al-Fiqh al-akbar", attributed to Imam Abu Hanifa, and expressed doubts about the authenticity of this book, arguing that it could have been written later on the basis of the views of Abu Hanifa and that it can be partially distorted. Marjani also criticized al-Qari's version that the Prophet's parents died in disbelief. He claimed that this opinion is erroneous and is not supported by reliable hadiths. The article also mentions that disagreements on this issue are associated with the ideological confrontation between Sunnis and Shiites, as well as with different approaches of the two Sunni persuasions on the need to adopt Islam through reason or appeal.