Aqil al-Maqtari

Aqil al-Maqtari (fl. late 20th – early 21st century) is a contemporary Yemeni Islamic scholar based in Taiz, known for his writings on Islamic methodology and propagation, including his treatise al-Da‘wah al-fardiyyah wa-ahammiyyatuha fi tarbiyat al-ajyal (Individual Outreach and Its Importance in Nurturing Generations) Istifa al-Aqwal fi Tahrim…+1.

Scholarly Activity and Views

His full name is Abu Abd al-Rahman Aqil ibn Muhammad ibn Zayd al-Maqtari al-Yamani al-Sarim al-Munki fi al-R…+1. Based in Taiz, Yemen, al-Maqtari has engaged in writing on Islamic outreach, theology, and classical text verification Istifa al-Aqwal fi Tahrim…+1.

In al-Da‘wah al-fardiyyah wa-ahammiyyatuha fi tarbiyat al-ajyal, al-Maqtari articulated the distinction between collective preaching—such as general lectures and public lessons—and individual outreach directed to people one-on-one al-Dawa al-Fardiya wa Aha…+1. He composed the treatise to urge Muslim youth to take up personal propagation rather than restricting themselves to passive attendance at lessons, outlining the necessary developmental stages and factors for success in individual guidance al-Dawa al-Fardiya wa Aha…+1. The text was transcribed for him by his brother Umar ibn Muhammad ibn Zayd al-Dawa al-Fardiya wa Aha….

In his treatise Tahdhir al-fudala' min ittiba' zallat al-ulama' (Warning the Virtuous Against Following the Slips of Scholars), al-Maqtari examined the principles regarding human error among scholars of legal reasoning (ijtihad), noting that while a qualified scholar receives reward for striving even when erring, followers must not imitate errors uncritically nor exploit them to defame scholars al-Mawsuaa al-Aqadiyya+1. In addition to original compositions, he has prepared critical editions of classical texts, such as Ibn Abd al-Hadi's theological polemic al-Sarim al-munki fi al-radd 'ala al-Subki al-Sarim al-Munki fi al-R…+1.