Imarat al-Qubur fi al-Islam - al-Mubayyada - ضمن «Athar al-Muallimi»
- Author died
- 1386 AH
- Editions
- Dar Alam al-Fawa'id lil-Nashr wa-al-Tawzi'
'Imarat al-Qubur fi al-Islam – al-Mubayyada (The Construction over Graves in Islam – The Fair Copy) is a legal and theological treatise by the Yemeni scholar Abd al-Rahman al-Muallimi al-Yamani (1313–1386 AH / 1896–1966 CE) examining the Islamic rulings and doctrinal implications surrounding the building of structures over graves .
Background and Purpose
Al-Mu'allimi stated in his opening remarks that he composed the work after examining contemporary treatises on the topic of erecting structures over graves and observing the widespread controversy surrounding the issue . Seeking to evaluate the subject impartially, he aimed to deduce the ruling directly through scriptural proofs from the Quran and the Sunnah . Among the texts he refuted in the work was al-Radd 'ala al-Wahhabiyyah by Hasan al-Sadr (d. 1354 AH) . The work's editor noted that it was probably written after al-Mu'allimi settled in Mecca following 1371 AH .
Subject Matter and Methodology
The treatise addresses building over graves as a question originating in jurisprudence (fiqh) that carries serious implications for Islamic creed ('aqidah) . Al-Mu'allimi approached the topic through independent legal reasoning (ijtihad), citing the relevant primary texts and evaluating both their authenticity (thubut) and their semantic implications (dalalah) with critical hadith methodology .
He established that the physical state and etiquette of graves are religious, textually designated matters (tawqifiyyah) . In the first chapter, he analyzed scriptural evidence regarding the prescribed form of graves, discussing the Quranic verse of the raven ( فَبَعَثَ اللَّهُ غُرَابًا يَبْحَثُ فِي الْأَرْضِ ) and the hadith of Fadalah ibn 'Ubayd in Sahih Muslim concerning the command to level graves . After verifying its transmission chains and corroborating reports, he examined the linguistic and legal meaning of leveling (taswiyah), defining it as arranging the grave properly according to the divine law without excess or deficiency .
Manuscript Versions and Publication
Al-Mu'allimi penned several drafts of the work across his lifetime . Although the manuscripts lacked a standalone title page, the full title 'Imarat al-Qubur fi al-Islam was found written in his own hand in draft manuscript No. 4717 at the Library of the Holy Mosque in Mecca, and he cited the work twice under the shorter title 'Imarat al-Qubur in his book al-'Ibadah .
The text was published in various formats:
- An edition titled al-Bina' 'ala al-Qubur, prepared by Hakim ibn 'Uwaysan al-Mutayri, based on an earlier draft version .
- An edition titled 'Imarat al-Qubur, prepared by Majid ibn Abd al-Aziz al-Ziyadi, based on the author's later manuscript .
- The critical edition of the fair copy (al-Mubayyada), edited by Ali ibn Muhammad al-'Imran and reviewed by Muhammad Ajmal al-Islahi and Sa'ud ibn Abd al-Aziz al-'Urayfi, published within the fifth volume of Athar al-Mu'allimi alongside the draft version (al-Musawwada) and his treatise Yusr al-'Aqidah al-Islamiyyah .
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