al-Durar al-Saniyya fi al-Ajwiba al-Najdiyya
- Author died
- 1392 AH
- Editions
- ‘Abd al-Raḥmān ibn Muḥammad ibn Qāsim
al-Durar al-Saniyya fi al-Ajwiba al-Najdiyya (The Brilliant Pearls in the Najdi Answers) is a multi-volume compendium of theological treatises, legal responsa (fatwas), letters, and polemical writings by the scholars of Najd from the era of Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab onward, compiled and topically arranged by the Hanbali scholar Abd al-Rahman ibn Qasim (1319–1392 AH / 1901–1972 CE) .
Background and Compilation
Prior to this compilation, many writings of the Najdi scholars—including members of the Al al-Shaykh family and their contemporaries—remained scattered in manuscript form or dispersed across unindexed volumes, such as those printed by al-Manar Press under the title Majmuʿat al-Rasaʾil wa-l-Masaʾil al-Najdiyya . Ibn Qasim gathered these scattered texts from diverse source manuscripts, collated the available copies, and excluded unverified or unreliably attributed materials . He organized the material into a structured reference work to facilitate access for students and scholars .
Ibn Qasim read the compilation through at least twice before Muhammad ibn Ibrahim Al al-Shaykh, who served as his primary supporter during the project and wrote a formal commendation (taqriz) for it . The collection was also reviewed and endorsed by Muhammad ibn Abd al-Latif Al al-Shaykh and Abd Allah al-Anqari .
Scope and Structure
The work is organized thematically according to the standard classifications of Islamic disciplines and juristic subject headers . Its major sections cover:
- Creed and theology (al-ʿaqaʾid), focusing extensively on the unicity of worship (tawhid al-ʿibada) and refutations of idolatry and sectarian doctrines .
- Quranic exegesis (tafsir) and deducing legal principles from scripture .
- Jurisprudence (fiqh), including acts of worship (ʿibadat), commercial and civil transactions (muʿamalat), and judicial rulings .
- Jihad, apostasy, and public ordinances .
- Polemical treatises and refutations (rudud) against critics, alongside moral advice and general correspondence (nasaʾih) .
Ibn Qasim also compiled a supplementary biographical volume for the collection, titled Tarajim ashab tilka al-rasaʾil (Biographies of the Authors of Those Treatises) .
Publication History
The first edition was printed in Mecca at the Umm al-Qura Press in 1352 AH during the reign of King Abd al-Aziz Al Saud . A second edition was published in Beirut by al-Maktab al-Islami in 1385 AH (1965 CE) . Ibn Qasim maintained an augmented personal master copy of the work with additional texts, which was subsequently prepared for expanded posthumous editions .
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