Majmu al-Fatawa
- Author died
- 728 AH
- Editions
- King Fahd Complex for the Printing of the Holy Quran
Majmu al-Fatawa (Compendium of Legal Rulings) is a comprehensive encyclopedic compilation of the fatwas, treatises, essays, and doctrinal works of the Hanbali scholar Ibn Taymiyya (661–728 AH / 1263–1328 CE), compiled and arranged in thirty-seven volumes by the Najdi scholar Abd al-Rahman ibn Muhammad ibn Qasim (1312–1392 AH / 1894–1972 CE; also recorded as born 1319 AH) with the assistance of his son Muhammad ibn Abd al-Rahman ibn Qasim (d. 1421 AH) .
Compilation and History
Prior to this compilation, Ibn Taymiyya's writings were scattered in various libraries or published across small, disparate collections . At the suggestion of Muhammad ibn Ibrahim Al al-Shaykh, Abd al-Rahman ibn Qasim began collecting manuscripts from the libraries of Najd and the library of the Sacred Mosque in Mecca, later expanding his search across multiple countries . The Saudi government sponsored the project by financing the acquisition of manuscripts, hiring copyists, and funding publication and distribution .
According to Muhammad ibn Qasim's introduction, approximately two-thirds of the compilation consists of texts and treatises that had appeared in earlier printings—encompassing around forty previously published works—while more than one-third comprised previously unpublished material drawn directly from manuscripts . The compilers collated the previously published texts against manuscript witnesses to correct omissions, misreadings, and typographical errors .
The first thirty volumes were printed in Riyadh in 1381 AH under the personal patronage of King Saud ibn Abd al-Aziz, and the remaining seven volumes were printed at the Government Press in Mecca in 1386 AH . Subsequent official reprints were issued in Morocco by order of King Khalid, in 1397 AH under King Fahd, and later at the King Fahd Glorious Quran Printing Complex in Medina .
Structure and Contents
The work spans thirty-seven volumes, consisting of thirty-five volumes of primary texts arranged by subject matter and two final volumes of comprehensive indices . It incorporates numerous standalone books and treatises, encompassing:
- Theology and Creed (Aqida and Tawhid): Containing major doctrinal treatises such as al-Aqida al-Wasitiyya, al-Hamawiyya al-Kubra, al-Risala al-Tadmuriyya, al-Risala al-Arshiyya, al-Iman al-Kabir, al-Iman al-Awsat, and Qaidah Jalilah fi al-Tawassul wa-l-Wasilah .
- Quranic Exegesis (Tafsir): Covering volumes 13 through 17, including al-Iklil fi al-Mutashabih wa-l-Ta'wil, Aqsam al-Quran, and specific commentaries on Surah al-Ikhlas, Surah al-Nur, and Surah al-Kawthar .
- Hadith and Principles of Religion: Including treatises on specific narrations, such as Ibn Taymiyya's forty hadith collection (al-Arba'un Hadithan), and commentaries on Hadith al-Nuzul and Innama al-A'mal bi-l-Niyyat .
- Spiritual Conduct and Ethics (Suluk and Tasawwuf): Incorporating al-Ubudiyya, al-Tuhfa al-Iraqiyya fi al-A'mal al-Qalbiyya, Amrad al-Qulub wa-Shifa'uha, and al-Furqan bayna Awliya al-Rahman wa-Awliya al-Shaytan .
- Jurisprudence and Legal Theory (Fiqh and Usul): Detailed rulings structured across standard fiqh chapters, as well as distinct works including Raf' al-Malam 'an al-A'imma al-A'lam, Sihhat Madhhab Ahl al-Madina, al-Siyasa al-Shar'iyya, al-Hisba, and treaties on oaths, divorce, and commercial transactions .
Reception and Related Works
Scholars widely received the collection as an indispensable reference for Ibn Taymiyya's thought; Muhammad ibn Ibrahim Al al-Shaykh described it as "a book of immense worth and great benefit" . Later scholars noted minor structural shortcomings, such as the accidental duplication of certain legal questions across different volumes (for example, between volumes 22 and 29) .
Several derivative works and studies have been produced around the compendium:
- Supplements: Muhammad ibn Abd al-Rahman ibn Qasim published a five-volume supplement entitled al-Mustadrak 'ala Majmu al-Fatawa in 1418 AH, gathering additional texts and responsa not included in the original edition .
- Textual corrections: Nasir ibn Hamad al-Fahd authored Siyanat Majmu al-Fatawa min al-Saqt wa-l-Tashif to document and rectify typographical errors and textual omissions .
- Abridgments and studies: Ahmad ibn Nasir al-Tayyar compiled Taqrib Fatawa Ibn Taymiyya, an abridgment unifying scattered statements on identical legal questions and identifying variants across earlier transmissions .
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