Majalis ma Fadilat al-Shaykh Muhammad al-Amin al-Shanqiti
- Author died
- 1434 AH
- Editions
- Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs
Majalis ma‘ Fadilat al-Shaykh Muhammad al-Amin al-Shanqiti (Sessions with His Eminence Shaykh Muhammad al-Amin al-Shanqiti) is a biographical and scholarly memoir compiled by the Mauritanian scholar Ahmad ibn Muhammad al-Amin al-Shanqiti (d. 1434 AH / 2012–2013 CE), documenting the gatherings, discussions, and treatises of his teacher, Muhammad al-Amin al-Shanqiti (1325–1393 AH / 1905–1974 CE) .
Background and Purpose
The author, Ahmad ibn Muhammad al-Amin ibn Ahmad ibn al-Mukhtar al-Mahdari al-Jakani al-Shanqiti, traveled to the Hijaz in 1374 AH (1954–1955 CE), where he performed the Hajj pilgrimage and closely accompanied Shaykh Muhammad al-Amin al-Shanqiti, joining him on his journey to Riyadh and becoming one of his closest students . The author later taught at the institute of the Sacred Mosque in Mecca from 1389 AH until his retirement in 1408 AH .
In his introduction, the author states that he compiled the book to preserve the scholarly legacy and personal recollections of his teacher from being lost to time . He intended it as a resource for younger students in traditional Mauritanian schools (mahadir) who never had direct access to the shaykh, providing insights into his character, memory, generosity, and scholarly discourse .
Structure and Contents
The work records various scholarly sessions and written exchanges spanning theology, Quranic exegesis (tafsir), jurisprudence (fiqh), Islamic history, and Arabic literature . Among the notable contents documented in the book:
- Biographical and Anecdotal Accounts: Records detailing the kinship and personal relationship between the author and his shaykh, along with demonstrations of the shaykh's vast memorization, insight, and conduct .
- The Written Response to Shaykh Muhammad al-Amin ibn Mayyaba: Termed a "quasi-session" (shibh majlis), this section documents the verbatim text of a written exchange where Shaykh Muhammad al-Amin ibn Muhammad al-Khidr ibn Mayyaba—former Chief Judge and Minister of Education in Jordan—asked Shaykh al-Shanqiti three legal and theological inquiries :
- The anatomical and spiritual seat of the intellect (aql) in humans .
- Whether the term "polytheists" (al-mushrikin) encompasses the People of the Book (Ahl al-Kitab) .
- Whether non-Muslims are permitted to enter mosques other than the Sacred Mosque in Mecca .
- The Address to King Muhammad V: An exegesis session delivered inside the Prophet's Mosque in Medina in 1378 AH (1958–1959 CE) when King Muhammad V of Morocco visited Saudi Arabia and requested a lecture from Shaykh al-Shanqiti on the perfection of Islam . The discourse expounded upon the Quranic verse: الْيَوْمَ أَكْمَلْتُ لَكُمْ دِينَكُمْ وَأَتْمَمْتُ عَلَيْكُمْ نِعْمَتِي وَرَضِيتُ لَكُمُ الْإِسْلَامَ دِينًا ("This day I have perfected for you your religion and completed My favor upon you and have approved for you Islam as religion") .
Publication
The book was published in its first edition in 1428 AH (2007 CE) by the Technical Affairs Office within the Mosques Sector of the Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs in Kuwait . The publication included a biographical preface of the author compiled by the Technical Affairs Office, drawing from Muhammad ibn Sidi ibn Habib's biographical sketch in the introduction to Nathr al-Wurud .
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