Yeah but the musnad is more a collection than a book...
whole Islam is a collection ..collection of junk , it is all
"he said, I said who said" business..
Ahmad bin Muhammad bin Hanbal Abu `Abd Allah al-Shaybani (780–855 CE / 164–241 AH) (Arabic: احمد بن محمد بن حنبل ابو عبد الله الشيباني) was an important Muslim scholar and theologian. He is considered the founder of the Hanbali school of Islamic jurisprudence. Ibn Hanbal is one of the most celebrated Sunni theologians, often referred to as "Sheikh ul-Islam,"[7] honorifics given to the most esteemed doctrinal authorities in the Sunni tradition. Ibn Hanbal personified the theological views of the early orthodox scholars, including the founders of the other extant schools of Sunni fiqh. Hanbal was a strong spokesman for the usage of hadiths
(780–855 CE / 164–241 AH) That is way after alleged prophet's death..
I think that
Principles of Islamic Jurisprudence by Muhammad Kamali is a good one., Off course that guy writes from west..., Canada??
Errrrrrrrrrrrrrr...., with these rules of Islamic Jurisprudence .. you run in circles....