Dirasat fi al-Adyan al-Yahudiyya wa al-Nasraniyya

Dirasat fi al-Adyan al-Yahudiyya wa al-Nasraniyya (Studies in Religions: Judaism and Christianity) is a contemporary Arabic treatise on comparative religion by the Saudi scholar Saud ibn Abd al-Aziz al-Khalaf, examining the history, scriptures, doctrines, and denominations of Judaism and Christianity from an Islamic theological perspective Dirasat fi al-Adyan al-Ya…+1.

Purpose and Scope

Al-Khalaf composed the work as a concise study intended to explain the scriptures, sources, and beliefs of Judaism and Christianity, alongside related historical and theological matters Dirasat fi al-Adyan al-Ya…. In the introduction, he outlines several objectives for studying non-Islamic religions: equipping Muslim callers (da'is) to engage adherents of other faiths by identifying corruptions in their traditions and presenting the clarity and preservation of Islam; countering Christian missionary efforts in Muslim regions; deepening a Muslim's certainty in the veracity of Islam; and providing detailed verification of the Quranic descriptions of scriptural alteration (tahrif) and innovation (bid'a) Dirasat fi al-Adyan al-Ya…+1.

Structure and Contents

The book is organized into an introductory framework followed by two principal sections devoted respectively to Judaism and Christianity Dirasat fi al-Adyan al-Ya…:

• Introduction to the Study of Religion (Madkhal): Explores the linguistic and technical definitions of religion (din), reviews Islamic and Western definitions, and classifies religions based on their object of worship into monotheistic faiths and polytheistic or pagan traditions Dirasat fi al-Adyan al-Ya…+1. It also discusses the Quranic framework for addressing world religions and the development of Muslim scholarship in comparative religion Dirasat fi al-Adyan al-Ya…+1.
• Judaism: Examines the origins, names, and history of the Jewish people; their sacred texts, focusing on the Torah (the Pentateuch: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy), the remaining books of the Old Testament, and the Talmud; critiques of textual transmission and evidence of textual distortion (tahrif); core tenets concerning God, prophecy, and the concept of the Messiah; and prominent historical and modern Jewish sects, such as Orthodox Judaism Mawsuat al-Milal wa al-Ad…+2.
• Christianity: Analyzes the Christian scriptures, focusing on the historical compilation and transmission (isnad) of the four canonical Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) and the Epistles of the New Testament, particularly those of Paul Mawsuat al-Milal wa al-Ad…+1. It reviews the emergence of core Christian doctrines, the ecumenical church councils, and the distinctive beliefs of the major Christian denominations, including Eastern Orthodoxy, Roman Catholicism, and Protestantism Mawsuat al-Milal wa al-Ad….

Publication and Reception

The book was published in a single volume by Maktabat Adwa al-Salaf in Riyadh, with its first edition appearing in 1418 AH (1997 CE) and subsequent editions published through the fourth edition in 1425 AH (2004 CE) al-Khitab al-Qurani li-Ah…+2. It is frequently cited as a contemporary academic and reference text in Islamic studies, fatwas, and encyclopedias of religions and sects Mawqi al-Islam Su'al wa J…+2.