Jamharat Maqalat wa Rasail al-Shaykh al-Imam Muhammad al-Tahir Ibn Ashur

Jamharat Maqalat wa Rasail al-Shaykh al-Imam Muhammad al-Tahir Ibn Ashur (Compendium of Articles and Treatises of Shaykh Imam Muhammad al-Tahir Ibn Ashur) is a four-volume collection of essays, scholarly treatises, academic lectures, book introductions, reviews, speeches, and correspondence by the Tunisian scholar and rector of Ez-Zitouna, Muhammad al-Tahir Ibn Ashur (1296–1393 AH / 1879–1973 CE), compiled and edited by Muhammad al-Tahir al-Misawi Jamharat Maqalat wa Rasai…+1.

Background and Compilation

The work gathers Ibn Ashur's scattered writings published over a span of six decades across various Arab and Islamic periodicals and independent publications Jamharat Maqalat wa Rasai…+1. These sources include the periodicals al-Sa‘adah al-‘Uzma and al-Majallah al-Zaytuniyyah in Tunis, al-Hidayah al-Islamiyyah in Cairo (edited by Muhammad al-Khidr Husayn), and the journals of the Arab academies of Damascus and Cairo, alongside curricular pamphlets prepared for students at Ez-Zitouna Jamharat Maqalat wa Rasai…+1.

Prior to this compendium, two partial collections of Ibn Ashur's articles had appeared: Tahqiqat wa-Anzar fi al-Qur'an wa-l-Sunnah, compiled by his son Abd al-Malik Ibn Ashur and containing twenty-one articles, and Maqalat al-Imam Muhammad al-Tahir Ibn Ashur, edited by Ali al-Rida al-Husayni and containing twelve articles from al-Hidayah al-Islamiyyah Jamharat Maqalat wa Rasai…. Al-Misawi initially considered titling the larger compilation Tahqiqat wa-Anzar, but adopted Jamharat Maqalat wa Rasail al-Shaykh al-Imam Muhammad al-Tahir Ibn Ashur to prevent confusion and resolve copyright issues with the earlier publication Jamharat Maqalat wa Rasai….

The collection purposefully omits the bulk of Ibn Ashur's routine fatwas—which were compiled separately by other researchers—retaining only select analytical legal rulings that demonstrate his broader juristic methodology Jamharat Maqalat wa Rasai…. As supplements, the editor also incorporated two related studies by Ibn Ashur's son, Muhammad al-Fadil Ibn Ashur Jamharat Maqalat wa Rasai….

Structure and Contents

The material across the four volumes is organized into five major thematic axes (mahawir), subdivided into branches Jamharat Maqalat wa Rasai…+1:

• Theology, Exegesis, and Intellectual Thought: Covers articles on Islamic creed (aqidah), Quranic interpretations, philosophical and theological inquiries, and Islamic wisdom Jamharat Maqalat wa Rasai….
• The Sunnah and Prophetic Biography: Encompasses legal and textual analyses of hadith (fiqh al-hadith) and critical examinations of the Prophetic biography (fiqh al-sirah) Jamharat Maqalat wa Rasai…+1.
• Legal Theory, Jurisprudence, and Rulings: Treats fundamental principles of Islamic jurisprudence (usul al-fiqh), applied legal questions, and analytical fatwas, concluding with an appendix on Maliki juristic terminology by Muhammad al-Fadil Ibn Ashur Jamharat Maqalat wa Rasai…+1.
• Arabic Language and Literature: Divided into sections for philology, rhetoric (balaghah), and literary criticism—including his study on the poet Bashshar ibn Burd—supplemented by Muhammad al-Fadil Ibn Ashur's treatise on the Tunisian chain of transmission in Arabic lexicography Jamharat Maqalat wa Rasai…+2.
• Reviews, Biographies, Speeches, and Correspondence: Features critical book reviews, notes on common linguistic usage, scholarly biographical sketches, introductions to critical editions, official speeches delivered as rector of Ez-Zitouna, and prose and verse correspondence with contemporaries such as Muhammad al-Khidr Husayn and his teacher Muhammad al-Nakhli Jamharat Maqalat wa Rasai…+2.

Publication

The compendium was published in four volumes by Dar al-Nafais in Amman, Jordan, with its first edition issued in 1436 AH / 2015 CE Jamharat Maqalat wa Rasai…+1.