Ghayat al-Maqsud fi al-Radd ala al-Nasara wa al-Yahud
- Author died
- 570 AH
- Editions
- Dar al-Afaq al-'Arabiyyah
Ghayat al-Maqsud fi al-Radd ala al-Nasara wa al-Yahud (The Ultimate Aim in Refuting Christians and Jews) is an apologetic and polemical treatise by the mathematician, physician, and convert from Judaism, al-Samawal ibn Yahya al-Maghribi (d. c. 570 AH / 1174–1175 CE), dedicated to refuting Judaism and Christianity through rational arguments and biblical textual criticism .
Background and Purpose
Al-Samaw'al ibn Yahya composed the work following his conversion to Islam, utilizing his insider knowledge of Jewish scripture, rabbinic tradition, and Hebrew linguistic nuance . In the introduction, the author states that his overarching purpose in writing the treatise was to refute obstinate opponents, expose the corruption and contradictions in their doctrines, and provide compelling proofs that hold them accountable to their own principles and texts .
Contents and Method
The work combines rational argumentation with detailed textual analysis of the Hebrew Bible and Jewish religious history:
- Abrogation of Religious Laws (Naskh): The author establishes that divine law is subject to abrogation, refuting the Jewish denial of naskh by demonstrating that abrogation occurred repeatedly within the biblical narrative itself . He cites specific instances from Genesis, such as the institution of retribution for murder under Noah and circumcision under Abraham, and notes that the Mosaic law introduced prohibitions that had previously been permissible, such as the prohibition of craft and labor on the Sabbath .
- Rational Proofs for Prophethood: Al-Samaw'al argues that anyone who accepts the prophethood of Moses on the basis of widespread recurrent transmission (tawatur) is logically compelled to accept the prophethood of Jesus and Muhammad, as their missions are established by the same standard of evidence . He critiques blind adherence to parental tradition, urging a critical examination of inherited beliefs .
- Biblical Prophecies: The treatise interprets biblical passages as foretelling the Prophet Muhammad. Al-Samaw'al demonstrates that the Hebrew Bible uses the term "brethren" for peoples other than the Israelites, such as the descendants of Esau and Ishmael . He also analyzes the blessing given to Abraham regarding Ishmael, pointing out that the Hebrew phrase bi-me'od me'od ("exceedingly") has an abjad numerical value of 92, which corresponds directly to the numerical value of the name Muhammad .
- Critique of Jewish Sects: The work examines the division between the Karaites and the Rabbanites, critiquing the Rabbanites—the majority faction—for claiming continuous divine communication and revelation in legal determinations .
Reception and Legacy
Later Muslim scholars praised and cited the treatise in their exegetical and polemical writings. The 9th-century AH scholar Burhan al-Din al-Biqa'i commended it as "a very fine book" (kitab hasan jiddan), highlighting the author's mastery of Jewish law, mathematics, and geometry . Al-Biqa'i recounts that when a Jewish scholar sent a polemical letter criticizing al-Samaw'al's conversion to Islam, al-Samaw'al responded with an answer opening with the verse: سَيَقُولُ السُّفَهَاءُ مِنَ النَّاسِ مَا وَلَّاهُمْ عَنْ قِبْلَتِهِمُ الَّتِي كَانُوا عَلَيْهَا ("The foolish among the people will say: What has turned them from their qiblah which they were facing?") and challenged him to refute the arguments established in Ghayat al-Maqsud . The text is also cited by Ibn Ashur and Jamal al-Din al-Qasimi in their respective Quranic commentaries .
Manuscripts and Publication
Manuscript copies of the treatise are preserved in several collections, including the As'ad Efendi (MS 3153) and Ashir Efendi (MS 545) collections in Istanbul, as well as a copy registered at the Institute of Arabic Manuscripts in Cairo . A modern critical edition, edited by Imam Hanafi Sayyid Abd Allah, was published in one volume by Dar al-Afaq al-Arabiyya in Cairo in 1427 AH / 2006 CE .
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