al-Muwalat wal-Muadat fi al-Sharia al-Islamiyya
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- Dār al-Yaqīn lil-Nashr wa-al-Tawzī‘
al-Muwalat wal-Muadat fi al-Sharia al-Islamiyya (Loyalty and Enmity in Islamic Law) is a doctrinal treatise authored by the Saudi scholar Mahmas ibn Abd Allah al-Jalaud, examining the theological and legal principles of allegiance and disavowal (al-wala' wal-bara') in Islam.
Purpose and Scope
The work investigates the station of love and hatred for the sake of God (al-hubb fillah wal-bughd fillah) and its outward and inward manifestations, positing it as an essential foundation of Islamic belief without which faith is incomplete. Addressing potential objections to formulating the title around al-Sharia (law/comprehensive path) rather than al-Aqida (creed), the author explains that theological creed constitutes an integral part of the overarching Sharia, which encompasses beliefs, acts of worship, and societal dealings alike.
Structure and Contents
The work is organized into an introduction, a preliminary study, three principal parts (abwab), and a conclusion:
- Preliminary Section (al-Tamhid): Covers the linguistic and legal definitions of allegiance (al-muwalat), patronage (al-tawalli), and enmity (al-mu'adat), and explains the connection between the treatise's title and the terminology of Islamic Sharia.
- Part One: The Legitimacy of Loyalty and Enmity in Islamic Law:
- Historical Overview: Introduces the historical manifestations of allegiance and enmity.
- Chapter One: Discusses the status of loyalty and enmity through ten topics, including proofs from the Quran and the Sunna, statements of the righteous predecessors (al-salaf al-salih), connection to the two testimonies of faith, status as both speech and action, the requirement that loyalty to truth necessitates enmity toward falsehood, and the differentiation between flattery (al-mudahana) and courteous diplomacy (al-mudara).
- Chapter Two: Covers practical implementation across five topics: causes for realizing loyalty in God, rights entailed by loyalty, rights of Muslim minorities, causes for realizing enmity in God, and historical and practical forms of both.
- Part Two: Factors Weakening Loyalty and Enmity for God's Sake: Analyzes the causes behind compromised allegiance across five chapters, addressing ignorance, secondary legal disagreements (al-ikhtilaf fi al-furu'), isolation from the Muslim community, claims of duress (al-ikrah), and individuals who align with adversaries for worldly and personal gain.
- Part Three: Loyalty and Enmity Toward Sects and Innovators: Divided into two chapters, examining stances toward heterodox movements and sects affiliating with Islam, such as the Zaidiyyah, Twelver Shia, Alawites (Nusayriyya), and Druze.
- Conclusion: Summarizes the findings, maintaining that Islamic unity relies upon correct adherence to loyalty and disavowal as established in early Islamic history.
Reception
The book was recommended by contemporary scholars as a comprehensive reference on the subject of allegiance and disavowal alongside classical and modern treatments. In reviews, commentators praised the author's diligence while noting the need to clearly delineate between forbidden loyalty (al-muwalat al-muharrama) to non-Muslims and permitted benevolence and justice (al-birr wal-iqsat) toward non-combatants.
Publication History
The work was published in a two-volume edition in 1407 AH / 1987 CE by Dar al-Yaqin in Mansoura, Egypt, alongside Dar al-Furqan.
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