Bakr Abu Zayd

بكر بن عبد الله أبو زيد

1944–2008 · Saudi Arabia · Jurist, judge and writer; member of the Council of Senior Scholars; president of the International Islamic Fiqh Academy

Bakr ibn ‘Abd Allah Abu Zayd was a Saudi jurist and writer in the Salafi tradition, with a strong interest in Hanbali law, born around 1944. After early schooling he moved to Riyadh in 1955 and went on to the Shari’a faculty of Imam Muhammad ibn Saud Islamic University, graduating in 1966. He later completed a master’s degree and, in 1982, a doctorate at the Higher Judicial Institute. He is recorded as a student of Muhammad al-Amin al-Shinqiti.

His career combined library work, the judiciary and public office: he worked in the library of the Islamic University of Madinah from 1964, was appointed a judge in 1966, and in 1979 was appointed to a senior legal post in the Ministry of Justice. From 1985 until his death he was president of the International Islamic Fiqh Academy, and in 1991 he joined Saudi Arabia’s Council of Senior Scholars and its Permanent Committee for Islamic Research and Fatwas.

He wrote dozens of short, tightly argued books and treatises. Many are on the contemporary application of Islamic law (including a study of new legal problems, Fiqh al-nawazil), on hadith methodology, on the biography and legal thought of Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyya and on the Hanbali scholars, and on manners and conduct for students and writers, of which his Hilyat talib al-‘ilm is the best known. He died in February 2008 and was buried in Diriyah.

Archived 19 October 2026 · Biography sources: en.wikipedia.org · openlibrary.org

Works

Books 10

BOOK 1987 · Arabic

Tabaqat al-Nassabin طبقات النسابين

A biographical survey of Muslim genealogists (nassabun) arranged by generations.

Archived 19 October 2026 · Source: openlibrary.org

Cite

Zayd, Bakr Abu. Tabaqat al-Nassabin. 1987. Archived 19 October 2026 in Islamic Internet Archives: Archive of Modern Islamic Thought. https://islamicarchives.org/authors/bakr-abu-zayd/#bakr-abu-zayd-tabaqat-al-nassabin

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BOOK 1988 · Arabic

Hilyat Talib al-'Ilm حلية طالب العلم

A short guide to the conduct and manners expected of a student of religious knowledge, widely used as a teaching text.

Archived 19 October 2026 · Source: Internet Archive

Cite

Zayd, Bakr Abu. Hilyat Talib al-'Ilm. 1988. Internet Archive, https://archive.org/details/Helyah_Bakr. Archived 19 October 2026 in Islamic Internet Archives: Archive of Modern Islamic Thought. https://islamicarchives.org/authors/bakr-abu-zayd/#bakr-abu-zayd-hilyat-talib-al-ilm

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BOOK 1989 · Arabic

Hajr al-Mubtadi' هجر المبتدع

A treatise on the practice of shunning innovators (hajr al-mubtadi') in Sunni religious discipline.

Archived 19 October 2026 · Source: openlibrary.org

Cite

Zayd, Bakr Abu. Hajr al-Mubtadi'. 1989. Archived 19 October 2026 in Islamic Internet Archives: Archive of Modern Islamic Thought. https://islamicarchives.org/authors/bakr-abu-zayd/#bakr-abu-zayd-hajr-al-mubtadi

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BOOK 1989 · Arabic

Hukm al-Intima' ila al-Firaq wa-l-Ahzab wa-l-Jama'at al-Islamiyya حكم الانتماء إلى الفرق والأحزاب والجماعات الإسلامية

A treatise on the ruling concerning membership of sects, parties and organised Islamic groups.

Archived 19 October 2026 · Source: openlibrary.org

Cite

Zayd, Bakr Abu. Hukm al-Intima' ila al-Firaq wa-l-Ahzab wa-l-Jama'at al-Islamiyya. 1989. Archived 19 October 2026 in Islamic Internet Archives: Archive of Modern Islamic Thought. https://islamicarchives.org/authors/bakr-abu-zayd/#bakr-abu-zayd-hukm-al-intima-ila-al-firaq-wa-l-ahzab-wa-l-jamaat-al

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BOOK 1992 · Arabic

Al-Ta'alum wa-Atharuhu 'ala al-Fikr wa-l-Kitab التعالم وأثره على الفكر والكتاب

A critique of affected or pretended learning (ta'alum) and its effect on thought and on books.

Archived 19 October 2026 · Source: openlibrary.org

Cite

Zayd, Bakr Abu. Al-Ta'alum wa-Atharuhu 'ala al-Fikr wa-l-Kitab. 1992. Archived 19 October 2026 in Islamic Internet Archives: Archive of Modern Islamic Thought. https://islamicarchives.org/authors/bakr-abu-zayd/#bakr-abu-zayd-al-taalum-wa-atharuhu-ala-al-fikr-wa-l-kitab

No free copy online

BOOK 1993 · Arabic

Al-Ta'sil li-Usul al-Takhrij wa-Qawa'id al-Jarh wa-l-Ta'dil التأصيل لأصول التخريج وقواعد الجرح والتعديل

A book setting out the principles of hadith takhrij (tracing sources) and the rules of criticism and validation of narrators.

Archived 19 October 2026 · Source: openlibrary.org

Cite

Zayd, Bakr Abu. Al-Ta'sil li-Usul al-Takhrij wa-Qawa'id al-Jarh wa-l-Ta'dil. 1993. Archived 19 October 2026 in Islamic Internet Archives: Archive of Modern Islamic Thought. https://islamicarchives.org/authors/bakr-abu-zayd/#bakr-abu-zayd-al-tasil-li-usul-al-takhrij-wa-qawaid-al-jarh-wa-l-tadil

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BOOK Arabic

'Ulama' al-Hanabila min al-Imam Ahmad ila Wafayat 'Am 1420 علماء الحنابلة من الإمام أحمد المتوفى سنة 241 إلى وفيات عام 1420

A biographical register of Hanbali scholars from Imam Ahmad (d. 241 AH) to deaths recorded in 1420 AH.

Archived 19 October 2026 · Source: Internet Archive

Cite

Zayd, Bakr Abu. 'Ulama' al-Hanabila min al-Imam Ahmad ila Wafayat 'Am 1420. Internet Archive, https://archive.org/details/29222411420. Archived 19 October 2026 in Islamic Internet Archives: Archive of Modern Islamic Thought. https://islamicarchives.org/authors/bakr-abu-zayd/#bakr-abu-zayd-ulama-al-hanabila-min-al-imam-ahmad-ila-wafayat-am-1420

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BOOK Arabic

Fiqh al-Nawazil فقه النوازل

A study of fiqh applied to newly arising questions (nawazil), with discussion of how such cases are to be approached.

Archived 19 October 2026 · Source: Internet Archive

Cite

Zayd, Bakr Abu. Fiqh al-Nawazil. Internet Archive, https://archive.org/details/055940. Archived 19 October 2026 in Islamic Internet Archives: Archive of Modern Islamic Thought. https://islamicarchives.org/authors/bakr-abu-zayd/#bakr-abu-zayd-fiqh-al-nawazil

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BOOK Arabic

Hirasat al-Fadila حراسة الفضيلة

A book on guarding virtue and public morals in society.

Archived 19 October 2026 · Source: openlibrary.org

Cite

Zayd, Bakr Abu. Hirasat al-Fadila. Archived 19 October 2026 in Islamic Internet Archives: Archive of Modern Islamic Thought. https://islamicarchives.org/authors/bakr-abu-zayd/#bakr-abu-zayd-hirasat-al-fadila

No free copy online

BOOK Arabic

Mu'jam al-Manahi al-Lafziyya معجم المناهي اللفظية

A dictionary of words and expressions that the author considers discouraged or forbidden in religious usage, with a supplement of notes on words.

Archived 19 October 2026 · Source: openlibrary.org

Cite

Zayd, Bakr Abu. Mu'jam al-Manahi al-Lafziyya. Archived 19 October 2026 in Islamic Internet Archives: Archive of Modern Islamic Thought. https://islamicarchives.org/authors/bakr-abu-zayd/#bakr-abu-zayd-mujam-al-manahi-al-lafziyya

No free copy online