Essential Islamic Knowledge 
A translation of MALA BUDDA MINHU 
Formerly Translated as The Essential HANAFI hand book of Fiqh
By Qadi Thana Ullah Panipati (1731-1831 CE)
Translated by Yusuf Talal De Lorenzo (translation from Persian)
Publisher: UK Islamic Academy (2003)
Pages: 272 Binding: Paperback ISBN: 1872531342

The book gives an explanation on Aqidah, Taharah, Salah, Zakah, Sawm and hajj. In addition, some basic aspects on what is prohibited and disliked, together with some instructions on elements of social conduct.
Hanafi fiqh is followed, however there are occasional references to other school of fiqh.

Description from the Publisher
This book gives a detailed explanation of the creed held by the ahl-as-Sunnah wal-Jama'ah, and goes on to describe the essential features of purification, prayer, poor-dues, fasting, and etc. It deals with issues that should be known by everyone regarding the correct performance of these devotions, which Muslims have little knowledge of.

Additionally, intricate matters such as God-fearing behaviour, social behaviour, one's duties to others, individual and collective dealings, sales and purchases, and more are also addressed, with both their correct and distorted forms highlighted. A section is also devoted to tazkiyah and ihsan, the sincere worship of Allah and attaining to the true spirit of faith.

The main feature of this book is that it deals only with that which is important, with those issues which the average Muslim person faces daily. As such it is an invaluable guide to the basic Islamic tenets for the common Muslim and for young people making their entry into adulthood

Qadi Thana'ullah Panipati (1731-1831 C.E) hails from a family renowned for its piety and learning. He gained his Islamic education and knowledge of the Shari`ah from the great scholars of his time such as Shah Waliyyullah Dehlawi, the great muhaddith and reformer, and he was also the greatest disciple of Mirza Mazhar Jane Janan (the renowned shaikh of the Nagshbandi Sufi order in Muslim India) in his spiritual training and jihad in the way of Allah. His whole life was dedicated to the teaching, interpreting and preserving of the Sunnah of the Prophet . Qadi Thana'ullah was himself a great scholar of the Shari'ah and a saintly man whose piety is reflected in all his writings.
Apart from Mala Budda Minhu - Essential Islamic Knowledge, the Qadi wrote several more books on the subject of fiqh, ranging from a collection of fatawa to a treatise on the elements of jurisprudence. One of his major works is his great and famous exegesis of the Holy Qur'an, written across many volumes and named Tafsir al-Mazhari, after his spiritual Shaikh, Mirza Mazhar Jane Janan.