Athar al-Shaykh Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab
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- Editions
- Dar al-Marikh
Athar al-Shaykh Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab (The Works of Shaykh Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab) is a specialized bibliographic reference work compiled by the Saudi scholar and bibliographer Ahmad Muhammad al-Dhabib, serving as a comprehensive record of the published writings of Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab and the secondary literature written about him .
Background and Purpose
Al-Dhabib completed the manuscript in Riyadh on 10 Shawwal 1396 AH (3 October 1976 CE), while serving as the dean of library affairs at the University of Riyadh . The author noted that the published heritage of Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab had become dispersed across numerous compendia and anthologies since the early 14th century AH, frequently commingled with the writings of other scholars and described inconsistently by biographers who often omitted his fatwas, brief notes, and correspondence . Al-Dhabib intended the work to provide contemporary researchers with a systematic guide detailing printing dates, publication venues, editions, and the original placements of both major treatises and minor texts, describing it as an initial step toward compiling a national bibliography for the intellectual heritage of the Arabian Peninsula .
Structure and Contents
The bibliography organizes the material topically into thematic divisions:
- Creed (al-Aqidah): Covers writings on theological matters, monotheism (tawhid), devotion, and polemical responses . It is divided into three sections: independent books, treatises, and short notes; doctrinal questions and recorded answers; and correspondence, comprising personal letters sent to specific individuals as well as general public epistles addressed to towns and communities .
- Jurisprudence (al-Fiqh): Arranged into two sections covering legal treatises and notes, followed by legal responsa (fatawa) and judicial answers .
- Exegesis, Hadith, and Biography (al-Tafsir wa-al-Hadith wa-al-Sirah): Divided into two sections: writings on Quranic exegesis and deduced legal principles from specific verses; and works on prophetic traditions and biography, including editions of Nasihat al-Muslimin bi-Ahadith Sayyid al-Mursalin (Counsel to Muslims Through the Traditions of the Master of Messengers) and Mukhtasar Sirat al-Rasul (Abridgment of the Messenger's Biography) .
- Commentaries and Biographies: An appended section dedicated to commentaries (shuruh) written on Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab's works, along with a catalog of books written about his life and persona . It also includes an introductory biographical sketch of the subject summarized from Ibn Ghannam's Tarikh Najd (History of Najd) and Ibn Bishr's 'Unwan al-Majd fi Tarikh Najd (The Title of Glory in the History of Najd) .
Methodology
Al-Dhabib arranged the entries chronologically within each chapter, beginning with the earliest known editions and listing subsequent reprints in sequence . For untitled responsa or fragments, he assigned descriptive headings based on their contents and quoted their incipit (opening lines) to avoid confusion between texts sharing similar subjects . Each entry provides essential bibliographic metadata, including publisher, place of publication, date, pagination, and details on whether the work appeared independently or as part of a larger compilation .
Publication History
The first edition was printed in Riyadh by al-Matabi' al-Ahliyyah lil-Offset in 1397 AH (1977 CE) across 199 pages under the patronage of the Saudi Minister of Higher Education, Hasan ibn Abd Allah Al al-Shaykh . A subsequent edition was published in Riyadh by Dar al-Marrikh in 1402 AH (1982 CE) under the expanded subtitle Sijill Bibliyujrafi lima Nushira min Mu'allafatihi wa-li-Ba'd ma Kutiba 'Anh (A Bibliographic Record of His Published Works and Selected Writings About Him) .
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