Falsafat al-Ayad wa Hikmat al-Islam - Dimn "Athar al-Muallimi

Falsafat al-A‘yad wa-Hikmat al-Islam (The Philosophy of Feasts and the Wisdom of Islam) is a legal and philosophical treatise by the Yemeni scholar ‘Abd al-Rahman al-Mu‘allimi al-Yamani (d. 1386 AH / 1966 CE) examining the nature, purpose, and legal philosophy of celebrations and communal gatherings in Islamic law Falsafat al-Ayad wa Hikma…+1. The treatise is also referenced under alternate titles, including Falsafat al-A‘yad wa-Hukmuha fi al-Islam and Falsafat al-A‘yad fi al-Islam al-Nukat al-Jiyad al-Munt…+1.

Subject and Arguments

The author begins by defining an Eid in general custom as a designated day of the year on which a community displays public joy, primarily through adornment (zinah), citing Pharaoh's exchange in the Qur'an: مَوْعِدُكُمْ يَوْمُ الزِّينَةِ ("Your appointment is the day of adornment," Qur'an 20:59) Falsafat al-Ayad wa Hikma…. He distinguishes between "natural" feasts, which arise from recurring universal blessings, and "conventional" (istilahi) holidays instituted by human convention or political memory, noting that most religious festivals in non-Islamic traditions are conventional Falsafat al-Ayad wa Hikma…+1.

Under the heading "The Theory of Islam Regarding Feasts" (Nazariyyat al-Islam fi al-A‘yad), al-Mu‘allimi argues that Islamic law recognizes only true blessings that recur annually and encompass the entire Muslim community Athar Abd al-Rahman ibn Y…+1. These are twofold:

1. The completion of the fast of Ramadan and relief from its exertion, commemorated in Eid al-Fitr Athar Abd al-Rahman ibn Y…+1.
2. The completion of the Hajj pilgrimage and exit from the state of ihram, celebrated in Eid al-Adha for both pilgrims and non-pilgrims Athar Abd al-Rahman ibn Y…+1.

Divine wisdom combined external celebration (adornment, cleanliness, perfume, and special meals) with acts of pure worship (the Eid prayers, takbir, zakat al-fitr, and animal sacrifices), ensuring that outward joy functions alongside gratitude to God Falsafat al-Ayad wa Hikma…+1.

Al-Mu‘allimi highlights social and political unity (al-ijtima‘) as a core objective of Islamic legislation Athar Abd al-Rahman ibn Y…+1. He details how Islamic law establishes expanding tiers of congregational assembly: local neighborhood gatherings for the five daily prayers; citywide gatherings for Friday prayer; broader metropolitan assemblies for Eid prayers, where even women and menstruating individuals are encouraged to attend; and ultimately the universal assembly of all Muslims during the Hajj Falsafat al-Ayad wa Hikma…+1.

He also explains why specific historical occasions of blessing—such as the Prophet's birth, the day of ‘Arafah, or the Friday assembly—were not made into festive holidays of adornment, but rather designated as seasons for extra acts of worship or fasting, noting that no authority after the completion of revelation has the right to institute new religious festivals Falsafat al-Ayad wa Hikma…+1. On the cover page of his manuscript, he further notes that Islam does not sanction annual commemorations of historical tragedies or deaths, pointing out that Islam prescribes patience upon the occurrence of affliction and prohibits transforming such memories into formal mourning days Falsafat al-Ayad wa Hikma….

Manuscripts and Publication

An autograph manuscript of the treatise is preserved in the Library of the Grand Mosque in Mecca (film no. 3579), comprising five folios (measuring 32 × 21 cm) Athar Abd al-Rahman ibn Y…. Another bibliographical count lists the manuscript at seven pages (four folios) al-Nukat al-Jiyad al-Munt…+1. The treatise was edited by Muhammad Uzair Shams and published as the seventeenth treatise in the collection of al-Mu‘allimi's legal writings (Majmu‘ Rasa'il al-Fiqh) within the multi-volume compilation Athar al-Mu‘allimi Falsafat al-Ayad wa Hikma…+1.