Majmuat al-Rasail wa al-Masail wa al-Fatawa

Majmuat al-Rasail wa al-Masail wa al-Fatawa (The Compendium of Treatises, Inquiries, and Legal Rulings) is a collection of theological treatises, polemical writings, and legal responsa by the Hanbali scholar and judge Hamad bin Nasir Al Muammar (d. 1225 AH / 1810 CE) Majmuat al-Rasail wa al-M…+1.

Compilation and Background

Al Muammar’s writings and legal answers originally circulated as independent epistles or were dispersed across earlier anthologies, including Majmuat al-Rasail wa al-Masail al-Najdiyya—printed at Matbaat al-Manar and later Matbaat Umm al-Qura—as well as the compendium al-Durar al-Saniyya Majmuat al-Rasail wa al-M…+1. The standalone edition of his collected treatises and legal inquiries was published with encouragement and editorial guidance from the scholars Abd Allah bin Abd al-Rahman al-Bassam and Abd al-Rahman bin Abd al-Latif Al al-Shaykh Majmuat al-Rasail wa al-M…. The collection opens with a biographical profile of the author detailing his education in Diriyah, his judicial posts, his theological debates, and his death in Mecca Majmuat al-Rasail wa al-M…+1.

Theological and Methodological Treatises

The collection contains several major theological and methodological responses:

• Al-Fawakih al-Adhab fi al-Radd ala man lam Yuhakkim al-Sunna wa-al-Kitab (The Sweet Fruits in Refuting Those Who Do Not Rule by the Sunna and the Book): Written as a systematic answer to three inquiries debated in Mecca in Rajab 1211 AH before Sharif Ghalib bin Musaid and the scholars of the Holy Mosque, led by the Hanafi scholar Abd al-Malik al-Qali Majmuat al-Rasail wa al-M…+1. The treatise addresses the ruling on invoking prophets or righteous persons for relief (istighatha), whether one who pronounces the two testimonies of faith but neglects prayer and zakat is a believer, and the prohibition of building structures over graves Majmuat al-Rasail wa al-M….
• Treatise on Evidence and Blind Following (Taqlid): An inquiry addressing whether beginner students and commoners are obligated to know specific textual evidence (dalil) for every legal issue or whether relying on qualified scholars and taqlid of the four legal schools suffices Majmuat al-Rasail wa al-M….

Jurisprudential Inquiries and Fatwas

The book brings together multiple series of practical legal inquiries (masa'il) and epistolary responsa sent to correspondents such as Jum'an bin Nasir Majmuat al-Rasail wa al-M…+1:

• Marriage and Family Law: Examining conditional stipulations in marriage contracts, such as a wife stipulating the divorce of a co-wife, the validity of conditions granting options of contract annulment (faskh), and the consequences of waiving those conditions before or after separation Majmuat al-Rasail wa al-M….
• Worship and Ritual Purity: Rulings on congregational prayer rows, praying behind an imam, the validity of prayer when grammatical errors occur in reciting Surat al-Fatiha, and praying with forgotten ritual impurity (najasah) Majmuat al-Rasail wa al-M…. It also covers the differing legal views on whether vomiting is ritually impure and whether it invalidates ablution Majmuat al-Rasail wa al-M….
• Public and Financial Rulings: Addressing whether a mosque leader or public officer may solicit financial assistance from state spoils (fai') versus mandatory alms (zakat) Majmuat al-Rasail wa al-M….