Fatawa al-Aimma fi al-Nawazil al-Mudlahima
- Author died
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- Editions
- Dār al-Awfiyā’ lil-Ṭab‘ wal-Nashr
Fatawa al-Aimma fi al-Nawazil al-Mudlahima ("Fatwas of the Imams on Overwhelming Crises"), with the full subtitle wa-Tabri'at Da'wat wa-Atba' Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab min Tuhmat al-Tatarruf wal-Irhab ("and the Exoneration of the Call and Followers of Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab from the Accusation of Extremism and Terrorism"), is a single-volume legal and theological compilation by Ibn Safran al-Qahtani (Muhammad ibn Husayn ibn Sa'id ibn Hadi ibn Abd al-Rahman ibn Muhammad ibn Hasan ibn Safran al-Qahtani) . The work gathers judicial verdicts, official statements, and authoritative texts by prominent Islamic scholars addressing critical contemporary crises, extremist violence, declarations of apostasy (takfir), and civil strife .
Purpose and Scope
The author compiled the work in response to contemporary times of upheaval, violence, factional division, and ideological confusion, aiming to guide Muslims back to firmly grounded scholars during major crises (al-nawazil al-mudlahima) . A core aim of the compilation is to counter violent extremism and to vindicate the 18th-century reform movement of Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab and its followers from accusations of fostering terrorism and extremism .
Structure and Method
The collection arranges legal and theological decrees thematically across key matters of security, governance, and dogma:
- Rights of Rulers and Rebellion: The book includes classical and contemporary rulings on the rights of political authorities, the obligation of giving them sincere counsel, and the strict prohibition of taking up arms or rebelling (al-khuruj) against them, citing foundational statements from classical scholars such as Ibn Taymiyya and Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyya .
- Extremism and Takfir: It addresses the legal ruling on extremism (al-tatarruf), the hazards of reckless takfir, and the characteristics of the Kharijites, featuring excerpts from classical figures such as al-Dhahabi on avoiding unwarranted excommunication of Muslims .
In selecting contemporary authorities, the compiler set a strict condition: he quoted exclusively from members of the Saudi Council of Senior Scholars, making only two deliberate exceptions: the traditionist Nasir al-Din al-Albani and the author's teacher Salih ibn Abd al-Aziz Al al-Shaykh .
Reception and Editions
The work received endorsements and introductory commendations from leading Saudi authorities:
- Abd al-Aziz ibn Abd Allah Al al-Shaykh, the Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia and Head of the Council of Senior Scholars, commended the volume as a valuable reference that directs individuals during tribulations to firmly established scholars (ahl al-ilm al-rasikhin) .
- Salih ibn Fawzan al-Fawzan, member of the Council of Senior Scholars, contributed a foreword praising the compilation's refutation of aberrant acts and violence committed by misled youth, noting that the compiled fatwas clarify the Islamic ruling on bombings in Muslim and non-Muslim lands .
The book was published in Riyadh in one volume by Dar al-Awfiya' lil-Tab' wal-Nashr . Later printings incorporated an expanded selection of pertinent fatwas by senior scholars .
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