Jami al-Wara wa Qami al-Bida

Jami al-Wara wa Qami al-Bida (Arabic: جامع الورع وقامع البدع, lit. 'The Gatherer of Scrupulousness and Queller of Innovations') is a treatise written by the Hanbali traditionist and scholar Abu Bakr al-Dashti (634–713 AH / 1237–1313 CE) Jami al-Wara wa Qami al-B…+1. The work refutes the practices of musical audition (sama'), dancing, and associated Sufi rituals, arguing for their prohibition and upholding the conduct of the early generations (al-salaf) Jami al-Wara wa Qami al-B…+1.

Background and Purpose

The treatise was composed in response to a written inquiry posed to al-Dashti concerning groups of people who gathered in mosques and elsewhere to play tambourines (dufuf), pastoral reed pipes (shabbabat), and melodious singing, accompanied by ecstatic trance (tawajud) and dancing, claiming that these acts were permissible and meritorious Jami al-Wara wa Qami al-B…. In their defense, such practitioners cited ancestral practice and claimed justification from early authorities, including Malik ibn Anas and al-Shafi'i Jami al-Wara wa Qami al-B….

Al-Dashti composed the work as a religious counsel (nasiha) and rebuttal, seeking to demonstrate that such practices constitute religious innovations (bida'), misguidance, and a misuse of mosques, which were not established for such activities Jami al-Wara wa Qami al-B…+1.

Content and Method

The work relies on textual evidence from the Quran, the prophetic Sunnah, consensus (ijma'), and the reports of early Muslim authorities Jami al-Wara wa Qami al-B…+1. Its primary themes include:

• The legal prohibition of singing (ghina'), musical audition (sama'), dancing (raqs), and keeping company with beardless youths (al-murd) and women during such gatherings Jami al-Wara wa Qami al-B…+1.
• The refutation of arguments advanced by proponents who claimed divine mercy descends during musical ecstasy or that angels surround participants Jami al-Wara wa Qami al-B…+1.
• The moral character, manners, religious practice, and preservation of time exemplified by the Prophet ﷺ, the Companions, the Successors, and later ascetic scholars and jurists Jami al-Wara wa Qami al-B….
• The inclusion of poetic verses, both composed by al-Dashti himself and quoted from other scholars, to reinforce his admonitions Jami al-Wara wa Qami al-B…+1.

Manuscript and Publication

The surviving manuscript of the work consists of 126 folios (leaves), with page lengths varying between 15 and 20 lines per page and roughly 8 to 13 words per line Jami al-Wara wa Qami al-B…. On its title page, the author's name appears as Shihab al-Din Abu Bakr Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Abi al-Qasim ibn Badran (or Ibn Bashran) al-Anami al-Kurdi Muhammad ibn Mahmud al-Dashti al-Hanbali Jami al-Wara wa Qami al-B…. The text was edited and annotated by Abu al-Mundhir Mahmud ibn Muhammad ibn Mustafa al-Minyawi Jami al-Wara wa Qami al-B….