Bayan al-Mahajja fi al-Radd ala al-Lajja (matbu ضمن al-Rasail wa al-Masail al-Najdiyya, al-Juz al-Rabi, al-Qism al-Awwal)

Bayan al-Mahajja fi al-Radd ala al-Lajja (The Clarification of the Highway in Refutation of al-Lajja) is a theological refutation written by the Hanbali scholar Abd al-Rahman ibn Hasan Al al-Shaykh (1193–1285 AH / 1779–1868 CE) defending the Najdi theological critique of the renowned poem Qasidat al-Burda Tashil al-Sabila li Murid…+2.

Background and Context

The treatise was prompted by a scholarly dispute concerning the poetic panegyric al-Burda by al-Busiri al-Suhub al-Wabila ala Da…+1. The jurist Abdullah ibn Abd al-Rahman Aba Butayn had issued a fatwa critiquing several verses in the poem—such as lines attributing knowledge of the Preserved Tablet (al-Lawh) and the Pen to the Prophet ﷺ and seeking ultimate refuge in him on the Day of Judgment—classifying these assertions as religious extremism (ghuluw) and major associationism (shirk akbar) that direct divine prerogatives to a created being al-Suhub al-Wabila ala Da…+2.

In response, the Hanbali biographer Muhammad ibn Humayd al-Najdi (author of al-Suhub al-Wabila ala Dara'ih al-Hanabila) wrote an objection defending al-Busiri and arguing that other verses in the poem absolved the author of polytheistic intent al-Suhub al-Wabila ala Da…+2. Ibn Hamdan noted a claim that Ibn Humayd titled his rebuttal Qurrat al-Ayn fi al-Radd ala Aba Butayn, though commentators noted this title is unverified in Ibn Humayd's known corpus al-Suhub al-Wabila ala Da…. Following this exchange, Abd al-Rahman ibn Hasan authored Bayan al-Mahajja to counter Ibn Humayd's objections and vindicate Aba Butayn's theological assessment al-Suhub al-Wabila ala Da…+1.

Title and Opponent's Designation

The title explicitly designates the interlocutor with the epithet al-Lajja (اللجة) al-Suhub al-Wabila ala Da…+1. While Ibn Hamdan suggested that Ibn Humayd was nicknamed al-Lajja on account of clamorous or excessive speech, Abdullah al-Bassam pointed out that it was an ancestral moniker inherited from his father, widely recognized among the genealogists and inhabitants of his hometown, 'Unayzah al-Suhub al-Wabila ala Da…. In various historical bibliographies, the work is alternately referenced under shortened titles such as al-Mahajja bi-l-Radd ala al-Lajja or Bayan al-Hujja fi al-Radd ala al-Lajja Mawsuat Mawaqif al-Salaf …+1.

Contents and Theological Argument

The work focuses on key tenets of Islamic monotheism (tawhid) and the impermissibility of supplicating or seeking salvation from created beings Bayan al-Mahajja fi al-Ra…+1. Abd al-Rahman ibn Hasan argues that:

• Supplication (dua) and seeking refuge (liyadha) in the unseen or in affairs belonging solely to God constitute acts of worship that must be dedicated exclusively to God Bayan al-Mahajja fi al-Ra…+1.
• The language of al-Burda compromises these principles by directing claims of ultimate rescue and comprehensive knowledge to the Prophet ﷺ al-Suhub al-Wabila ala Da…+1.
• Disclaimers in other lines of poetry do not negate explicit expressions of associationism contained within the disputed verses al-Suhub al-Wabila ala Da…+2.

Publication History

Bayan al-Mahajja fi al-Radd ala al-Lajja was published as part of Majmuat al-Rasail wa-l-Masail al-Najdiyya (vol. 4, part 1), edited under the auspices of Muhammad Rashid Rida and financed by King Abd al-Aziz Al Saud in 1349 AH al-Ayat al-Quraniyya al-W…+1. It has also appeared in other anthologies of Najdi theological tracts, including Majmuat al-Tawhid al-Suhub al-Wabila ala Da…+1.