al-Sarim al-Maslul ala Shatim al-Rasul

al-Sarim al-Maslul 'ala Shatim al-Rasul (The Drawn Sword Against the Insulter of the Messenger) is a treatise in Islamic jurisprudence and theology written by the Hanbali scholar Ibn Taymiyya (661–728 AH / 1263–1328 CE) addressing the legal rulings, penalties, and doctrinal definitions regarding reviling the Prophet Muhammad Kashf al-Zunun an Asami a…+1.

Background and Composition

Ibn Taymiyya composed the work in Rajab 693 AH following the incident of Assaf al-Nasrani, a Christian from al-Suwayda' who was accused by witnesses of insulting the Prophet al-Bidaya wa al-Nihaya+1. Assaf sought refuge with Ibn Ahmad ibn Hajji, the chieftain of the Al Ali tribe al-Bidaya wa al-Nihaya+1. Ibn Taymiyya and Zayn al-Din al-Fariqi, the head of Dar al-Hadith, petitioned the viceroy in Damascus, Amir Izz al-Din Aybak al-Hamawi, who agreed to summon Assaf al-Bidaya wa al-Nihaya+1. When Assaf arrived accompanied by a Bedouin who asserted that Assaf was better than the gathered public, a commotion erupted and the crowd pelted them with stones al-Bidaya wa al-Nihaya+1.

The viceroy subsequently had Ibn Taymiyya and al-Fariqi brought before him, subjected them to flogging, and placed them in custody at the Adhrawiyya madrasa al-Bidaya wa al-Nihaya+1. Assaf declared his conversion to Islam and established the existence of prior hostility between himself and the witnesses, leading to the preservation of his life al-Bidaya wa al-Nihaya+1. The viceroy then conciliated both Ibn Taymiyya and al-Fariqi and released them; Assaf subsequently traveled toward the Hijaz, where he was killed near Medina by his nephew al-Bidaya wa al-Nihaya+1. In the wake of these events, Ibn Taymiyya penned al-Sarim al-Maslul to articulate the legal rulings pertaining to the case al-Bidaya wa al-Nihaya+1.

Structure and Contents

The author structured the work into four principal questions (masa'il) Ahkam Ahl al-Dhimma+1:

1. The First Question: Establishing that reviling the Prophet necessitates capital punishment, applying equally whether the perpetrator is a Muslim or a non-Muslim, citing the positions of early authorities and jurists across the schools of law al-Sarim al-Maslul ala Sh…+1.
2. The Second Question: Demonstrating that execution is mandatory and unavoidable, precluding alternative measures such as enslavement, unilateral pardoning (mann), or releasing the offender through financial ransom (fida'), even in the case of a protected non-Muslim (dhimmi) whose pact is considered violated Ahkam Ahl al-Dhimma+1.
3. The Third Question: Examining the legal status and prescribed ruling if the insulter offers repentance Ahkam Ahl al-Dhimma+1.
4. The Fourth Question: Defining the boundaries of what constitutes reviling (sabb) as opposed to what does not, differentiating it from general unbelief, and establishing that disparaging Allah or His Messenger entails apostasy both inwardly and outwardly, regardless of whether the speaker regarded the act as permissible, prohibited, or acted in jest Ahkam Ahl al-Dhimma+1.

Reception and Impact

The book is cited by later historians and scholars as one of the most comprehensive works on its subject al-Fusul fi Sirat al-Rasu…+1. Ibn Kathir referred to it as one of the finest books written on the issue, and Ibn al-Qayyim drew substantially upon its arguments and evidence when treating the legal status of non-Muslim subjects in his Ahkam Ahl al-Dhimma al-Fusul fi Sirat al-Rasu…+1. Ibn Taymiyya also recorded that his theological adversary al-Bakri acknowledged the treatise, admitting that he had not seen its equal on the topic al-Istighatha fi al-Radd ….

The text was later abridged by the Hanbali scholar Badr al-Din al-Ba'li (d. 778 AH) under the title Mukhtasar al-Sarim al-Maslul 'ala Shatim al-Rasul Mukhtasar al-Sarim al-Mas….