al-Sawaiq al-Muhriqa ala Ahl al-Rafd wal-Dalal wal-Zandaqa
- Author died
- 974 AH
- Editions
- Mu'assasat al-Risalah
al-Sawa’iq al-Muhriqa ‘ala Ahl al-Rafd wal-Dalal wal-Zandaqa (The Burning Thunderbolts upon the People of Rafidism, Misguidance, and Heresy) is a theological treatise in defense of the caliphates and virtues of the Prophet’s Companions and Household, written by the Shafi‘i jurist and hadith scholar Ibn Hajar al-Haytami (909–974 AH / 1504–1567 CE; also reported as d. 973 AH) .
Composition and Purpose
Ibn Hajar al-Haytami states in the opening of the work that he was originally requested to author a text demonstrating the legitimacy of the caliphate of Abu Bakr al-Siddiq and the leadership of Umar ibn al-Khattab . He was subsequently asked to teach and recite the book during the month of Ramadan in the year 950 AH at al-Masjid al-Haram in Mecca, due to the increased presence and spread of Shi‘i and Rafidi doctrines in the holy city at the time . The work was designed to refute their doctrines and establish Sunni views on early Islamic governance and the status of the Prophet’s companions .
Structure and Contents
The book opens with three introductory premises (muqaddamat):
- The obligation to venerate the Companions of the Prophet ﷺ and the refutation of fabrications transmitted against them by the Rafidis .
- The consensus (ijma‘) of the Companions on the necessity of appointing an imam after the prophetic era .
- The valid mechanisms through which the caliphate is established .
The body of the treatise is arranged into eleven chapters (abwab) . The first chapter focuses on the establishment of Abu Bakr's caliphate and the textual and rational proofs of its validity, divided into five sub-sections (fusul) . In its opening section, the author cites reports from Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim regarding Umar's address upon his return from pilgrimage detailing the pledge of allegiance given to Abu Bakr .
A related treatise often published alongside or appended to it is Ibn Hajar al-Haytami's Tathir al-Janan wal-Lisan ‘an al-Khawd wal-Tafawwuh bi-Thalb Mu‘awiya ibn Abi Sufyan (Cleansing the Heart and Tongue from Delving into Defaming Mu‘awiya ibn Abi Sufyan) .
Title Variants and Editions
The book appears in historical sources and editions under several variants of its title, including:
- al-Sawa‘iq al-Muhriqa ‘ala Ahl al-Rafd wal-Dalal wal-Zandaqa
- al-Sawa‘iq al-Muhriqa fi al-Radd ‘ala Ahl al-Bida‘ wal-Zandaqa
- al-Sawa‘iq al-Muhriqa li-Ikhwan al-Shayatin Ahl al-Dalal wal-Bida‘ wal-Zandaqa (or Ikhwan al-Ibtida‘)
Printed editions of the work include those edited by Abd al-Rahman ibn Abd Allah al-Turki and Kamil Muhammad al-Kharrat (published by Mu'assasat al-Risala in Beirut, 1417 AH), an edition with commentary by Abd al-Wahhab Abd al-Latif (Egypt, 1385 AH), and an academic edition edited by Salih ibn Dayfallah al-Humaydi as a master's thesis at Umm al-Qura University .
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