al-Sunan wal-Mubtadaat al-Mutaalliqa bil-Adhkar was-Salawat
- Author died
- 1352 AH
- Editions
- Dār al-Fikr
al-Sunan wal-Mubtadaat al-Mutaalliqa bil-Adhkar was-Salawat (The Sunnahs and Innovations Pertaining to Remembrances and Prayers) is a treatise by the Egyptian scholar al-Shuqayri (d. after 1352 AH / 1934 CE) dedicated to identifying religious innovations in acts of worship and outlining their prescribed prophetic counterparts.
Composition and Purpose
The author, Muhammad ibn Ahmad Abd al-Salam Khidr al-Shuqayri al-Hawamidi, was the founder of the Salafi Society in al-Hawamidiyya in the Giza Governorate of Egypt. According to al-Shuqayri's conclusion to the work, he began writing the book after the night prayer on 29 Rajab 1351 AH (1932 CE) and completed its arrangement before sunset on Saturday, 29 Dhu al-Hijjah 1352 AH (1934 CE).
Contents and Structure
Al-Shuqayri opens the book with a brief theoretical overview addressing the censure of religious innovation (dhamm al-bidah), the definitions of sunnah and bidah, and the categorization of innovations into those that constitute disbelief (mukaffirah), those that are prohibited (muharramah), and those that are disliked (makruhah).
Following this concise introduction, the author enumerates widespread ritual innovations alongside the authentic sunnahs and transmitted supplications (mathurat) that correspond to them. Among the topics detailed in the work are:
- Unlegislated verbal formulas and Quranic recitations uttered prior to the opening takbir of prayer or between rak'ahs during the Tarawih prayers.
- Post-prayer practices, such as shaking hands immediately after the final greeting (taslim), gathering to recite Quranic completions (khatm) in unison, and touching the fingers to the eyes after prayer.
- Seasonal observances, including a chapter criticizing the celebration of the Prophet's birthday (Mawlid) during the month of Rabi' al-Awwal as an unlegislated innovation.
Reception
The book received praise from contemporary reformist scholars. In his introduction to the text, Muhammad Hamid al-Fiqi described al-Shuqayri as righteous, striving, patient, and seeking reward. Rashid Rida also commended the work, describing its author as a caller to the Sunnah and a deterer of innovation.
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