Manna al-Qattan
- Died
- 1420 AH
- Born in
- -
Manna al-Qattan (1925–1999 CE / d. 1420 AH) was an Egyptian-born Islamic scholar and educator who had an extensive academic career in Saudi Arabia, where he taught Quranic sciences and Islamic jurisprudence and served as the director of the Higher Institute of Judiciary .
Early life and education
Manna Khalil al-Qattan was born in 1925 CE in the village of Shanshur, located in the Menofia Governorate of Egypt . He memorized the Quran at the local village school (kuttab) and completed his primary schooling before enrolling at Al-Azhar's Shibin al-Kawm Institute . He later graduated from the Faculty of Usul al-Din (Theology) at Al-Azhar, where he pursued specialized pedagogical training and earned the ʿAlamiyya degree accompanied by a teaching certification . Among the scholars under whom he studied was Abd al-Razzaq Afifi .
Academic and administrative career
Al-Qattan began his teaching career in Egypt before being seconded to Saudi Arabia in 1373 AH (1953 CE) to teach in its network of religious scientific institutes . He taught sequentially at the scientific institutes in Riyadh, Unayzah, and al-Ahsa . In 1377 AH, he was appointed to the faculty of the College of Sharia in Riyadh .
When the Higher Institute of Judiciary was established in 1385 AH, al-Qattan joined as a lecturer and council member, subsequently assuming the directorship of the institute in 1393 AH . He was also appointed dean of higher studies at Imam Mohammad Ibn Saud Islamic University and served on both the Supreme Council and the University Council of the institution . In these roles, he supervised numerous academic theses, including the postgraduate research of Husayn ibn Ali al-Harbi on principles of Quranic exegesis .
Beyond his university appointments, al-Qattan served as a member and rapporteur of the sub-committee for educational policy, directed the teaching of Islamic legislation at the College of Internal Security Forces, and was a frequent contributor to radio broadcasts and Islamic periodicals . He also represented academic and religious bodies at various international Islamic conventions, including conferences convened by the Muslim World League . His instructional contributions include widely referenced academic manuals such as Mabahith fi Ulum al-Quran (Studies in the Sciences of the Quran) and Tafsir Ayat al-Ahkam (Exegesis of Legal Verses) .
Death
Al-Qattan died on 6 Rabi al-Akhir 1420 AH (July 19, 1999 CE) .
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List of Works
Tarikh al-Tashri al-Islami (History of Islamic Legislation) is a modern textbook on the historical development of Islamic jurisprudence and its legal sources. The work explores divine legislation, its foundational sources, the emergence and evolution of jurisprudence, legal schools, and their methodological principles, while tracing Islamic legal development across distinct historical eras.
Mabahith fi Ulum al-Quran (Studies in the Sciences of the Quran) is a single-volume academic handbook providing a comprehensive introduction to the foundational disciplines, historical development, and interpretive principles of the Quran. Designed as an accessible overview of Quranic studies, it systematically addresses key subjects across twenty-six chapters.
Itimad Dawat al-Shaykh Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab ala al-Kitab wa al-Sunna (The Reliance of Shaykh Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab's Call on the Book and the Sunnah) is a research treatise examining the methodology of Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab's reform movement. The work demonstrates its foundational reliance on the Quran and the Sunnah as primary sources and refutes claims that it formed an innovative or separate sect.
Nuzul al-Quran ala Sabat Ahruf (The Revelation of the Quran in Seven Modes) is a specialized treatise on Quranic sciences devoted to examining the prophetic traditions concerning the revelation of the Quran upon seven ahruf (modes or readings). It analyzes classical scholarly interpretations, evaluates linguistic and theological arguments, and addresses related polemical doubts.