Abd al-Rahman al-Muallimi al-Yamani
al-Jihad Sanam al-Din - within "Athar al-Muallimi
- Author died
- 1386 AH
- Editions
- Dār ‘Ālam al-Fawā’id lil-Nashr wa-al-Tawzī‘
al-Jihad Sanam al-Din (Arabic: الجهاد سنام الدين, lit. 'Jihad: The Apex of Religion') is a treatise by the Yemeni scholar Abd al-Rahman al-Muallimi al-Yamani (d. 1386 AH / 1966 CE) urging Muslims to defense and military struggle.
Context and Manuscript
The work was discovered at the end of the manuscript collection of al-Muallimi's Friday and Eid sermons (folios 67–68), where it was entitled al-Jihad Sanam al-Islam (الجهاد سنام الإسلام). Al-Muallimi signed the text at the end under his full name, "Abd al-Rahman ibn Yahya ibn Ali al-Muallimi." Owing to its passionate oratorical tone, the editors included it as an appendix to his sermons in the 22nd volume of his collected works (Athar al-Muallimi), matching its placement in the original manuscript reproduction. These sermons date to al-Muallimi's period in Jizan during the emirate of Sayyid Muhammad ibn Ali al-Idrisi (between Safar 1336 AH and Sha'ban 1341 AH), where he served as chief judge (ra'is al-qudah).
Structure and Contents
The treatise consists of an introduction, three main sections (mabahith), and a conclusion:
- Jihad with one's person (fi al-jihad bi-l-nafs).
- Jihad with wealth (fi al-jihad bi-l-mal).
- Counsels, incitement, encouragement, merits of reward, prohibition of dissuasion, and the vices of punishment (fi al-nasa'ih wa-l-tahrid wa-l-tashji' wa-fada'il thawabihi, wa-l-nahy 'an al-tathbit wa-dhikr radha'il 'iqabihi).
Al-Muallimi concludes the third section by rebuking those who remain inactive or discourage others, questioning how long they will delay and whether they have turned away from leadership and liberty. In the epilogue, he addresses claims that the conflict was not purely for the sake of God, arguing that even hypothetically, it remains an imperative defense of homelands, families, women, and children against an enemy that would otherwise conquer remaining Muslim territories. The overarching tone is one of warning, admonition, and censure aimed at those who claim legal and scholarly knowledge yet actively discourage armed resistance.
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