al-Fawakih al-Adhab fi al-Radd ala man lam yuhakkim al-Sunna wa al-Kitab

al-Fawakih al-Adhab fi al-Radd ala man lam yuhakkim al-Sunna wa al-Kitab (The Sweet Fruits in Refuting Whoever Does Not Judge by the Sunna and the Book) is a theological treatise written by the Najdi scholar Hamad bin Nasir Al Muammar (d. 1225 AH / 1810 CE) to document his debate against Meccan scholars regarding core tenets of Islamic monotheism and ritual practice al-Fawakih al-Adhab fi al…+1.

Background and Composition

In 1211 AH (1796/1797 CE), Sharif Ghalib ibn Musa'id, the ruler of Mecca, sent a formal request to the Saudi ruler Imam Abd al-Aziz ibn Muhammad ibn Saud, asking him to send scholars from Najd to debate the scholars of the Grand Mosque regarding both the fundamental principles and subsidiary rulings of their teachings al-Fawakih al-Adhab fi al…+1. Imam Abd al-Aziz dispatched a scholarly mission headed by Hamad bin Nasir Al Muammar al-Fawakih al-Adhab fi al….

Upon their arrival in Mecca, public debates were held before Sharif Ghalib and assemblies of settled and nomadic people al-Fawakih al-Adhab fi al…. When the sessions concluded, the Meccan scholars requested that Al Muammar record in writing the proofs he had presented al-Bayan wal-Ishhar li-Ka…. Al Muammar requested reference works representing all four Sunni legal schools (Hanafi, Maliki, Shafi'i, and Hanbali) and compiled his responses into a concise written treatise al-Bayan wal-Ishhar li-Ka…. The title of the treatise was assigned either by the author or by the scholars of Dir'iyyah, reportedly after one of the Meccan interlocutors stated that he would not accept evidence outside the Hanafi school al-Fawakih al-Adhab fi al…+1.

Structure and Content

The treatise is organized around the three primary questions debated during the encounters in Mecca:

1. Supplication and Seeking Deliverance from Intercessors: The ruling on invoking prophets or righteous figures (such as saying «یا رسول الله» "O Messenger of God," «یا ابن عباس» "O Ibn Abbas," or «یا محجوب» "O Mahjub") and seeking their aid in relieving distress al-Bayan wal-Ishhar li-Ka…+1. Al Muammar argues that directing supplication to anyone other than God constitutes polytheism (shirk) al-Fawakih al-Adhab fi al…+1.
2. Abandonment of Obligatory Rituals: The status of an individual who utters the two testimonies of faith (la ilaha illa Allah, Muhammad rasul Allah) but neglects obligatory prayer (salat) and the alms-tax (zakat), examining whether such a person remains a believer al-Bayan wal-Ishhar li-Ka…+1.
3. Structures Over Graves: The legal prohibition of erecting buildings, domes, and ornate structures over burial sites al-Fawakih al-Adhab fi al…+1.

In addressing these questions, the work draws upon textual proofs from the Quran and the Sunna, corroborating them with explicit rulings and positions documented by classical jurists across the four Sunni madhhabs al-Fawakih al-Adhab fi al…+1.

Reception and Transmission

The debate was noted by the contemporary Yemeni scholar Muhammad ibn Ali al-Shawkani in his biographical dictionary al-Badr al-Tali', recording that the performance of the Najdi scholars in Mecca before Sharif Ghalib proved their firm standing in religious knowledge Majmuat al-Rasail wa al-M…+1.

The full text of al-Fawakih al-Adhab was incorporated by the historian Husayn ibn Ghannam into the second volume of his chronicle Majmuat al-Rasail wa al-M…+1. It was subsequently anthologized by Sulayman ibn Sahman in his collection al-Hadiyya al-Sunniyya wa al-Tuhfa al-Wahhabiyya al-Najdiyya, through which it went through multiple printings, as well as being published within broader compendia of Najdi theological works and in independent editions Majmuat al-Rasail wa al-M…+1.