al-Fatawa - Muhammad al-Amin al-Shinqiti
- Author died
- 1393 AH
- Editions
- Dār ‘Aṭā’āt al-‘Ilm
al-Fatawa (The Fatwas) is a collection of five detailed legal and theological responsa by the Mauritanian scholar and jurist Muhammad al-Amin al-Shinqiti (1325–1393 AH / 1905–1974 CE), addressing doctrinal inquiries, legal theory (usul al-fiqh), and contemporary issues.
Overview and Compilation
The work brings together five independent treatises and answers issued by al-Shinqiti in response to inquiries submitted by princes, judges, and fellow scholars. It was edited by Sulayman ibn Abd Allah al-Umayr under the supervision of Bakr ibn Abd Allah Abu Zayd and published as the tenth volume within the collected works project Athar al-Shaykh al-Allamah Muhammad al-Amin al-Shinqiti by Dar Ataat al-Ilm and Dar Ibn Hazm.
Contents
The collection comprises five distinct legal answers:
- The Origin of Creation and Sustenance: A response to a query posed by Prince Uthman ibn Abd al-Rahman examining the theological claim of whether the entire universe was created and sustained through the blessing of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ or through other ordained causes.
- Three Inquiries on Intellect, Polytheism, and Mosques: A responsum answering three specific questions sent by his cousin, Shaykh Muhammad al-Amin ibn Muhammad al-Khidr al-Shinqiti (former Chief Judge and diplomat of Jordan): whether the seat of human intellect (maqar al-aql) is the heart or the brain; whether the Qur'anic term al-mushrikun (polytheists) includes the People of the Book (Ahl al-Kitab); and the legal ruling on non-Muslims entering mosques other than al-Masjid al-Haram.
- Legal Justification by Wisdom (al-Talil bi-l-Hikmah): A six-leaf treatise answering a question submitted by Shaykh Abdullah ibn Sulaiman bin Mani regarding the permissibility of deriving legal rulings based on underlying wisdom (hikmah) rather than standard effective causes (illah). The manuscript was copied in ruqah script directly from the author's pen by Bakr ibn Abd Allah Abu Zayd on 22 Muharram 1390 AH.
- Prayer Aboard Aircraft: Answering an inquiry on the validity of performing ritual prayer aboard airplanes, titled al-Ijabah al-Sadirah ala Sihhat al-Salah fi al-Ta'irah by the author's son, Dr. Abdullah. The question had originally been posed during al-Shinqiti's travels in Africa, and he subsequently dictated the answer upon returning to Saudi Arabia.
- The Ruling on Sa'y on the Roof of the Mas'a: A dissenting legal memorandum dictated and signed on 12 Dhu al-Qidah 1393 AH during the fourth session of the Council of Senior Scholars of Saudi Arabia. In it, al-Shinqiti argued against the validity of performing the ritual walk (say) upon the upper roof level of the Mas'a corridor in Mecca, diverging from the majority opinion of the Council members.
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