Majmuat Rasail Ilmiyya
- Author died
- 1422 AH
- Editions
- Dār al-Āthār lil-Nashr wa-al-Tawzīʿ
Majmu'at Rasa'il 'Ilmiyya (مجموعة رسائل علمية, "Collection of Scholarly Treatises") is an anthology of specialized research papers and monographs by the Yemeni hadith scholar Abu Abd al-Rahman Muqbil ibn Hadi al-Hamdani al-Wadi'i (d. 1422 AH / 2001 CE) . The collection brings together treatises addressing various subjects in hadith criticism ('ilal), transmission analysis, jurisprudential rulings, and theological refutations .
Background and Context
The author, Muqbil ibn Hadi bin Muqbil bin Qa'idah al-Hamdani al-Wadi'i, began his early studies in the region of Sa'dah in northern Yemen, before traveling to Mecca and Medina to pursue hadith studies at the Islamic University of Medina, where he earned a master's degree by editing and examining al-Daraqutni's al-Ilzamat wa-l-Tatabbu' . Alongside his major compilations and transmitter indices, al-Wadi'i authored numerous independent research tracts and polemical treatises responding to contemporary scholarly disputes and methodological issues . These individual writings were subsequently compiled and published under collective titles, including Majmu'at Rasa'il 'Ilmiyya.
Subject Matter and Methodology
The treatises collected in al-Wadi'i's scholarly writings cover a broad spectrum of traditional Islamic sciences, reflecting his approach to hadith and jurisprudence:
- Hadith and Critical Defects ('Ilal): Al-Wadi'i devoted several studies to defending classical hadith critical methods and uncovering subtle defects in outwardly sound chains of transmission, exemplified by works such as Gharat al-Fasl 'ala al-Mu'tadin 'ala Kutub al-'Ilal ("The Decisive Raid on the Transgressors Against the Books of Hadith Defects") and Ahadith Mu'allah Zahiruha al-Sihha ("Defective Hadiths that Outwardly Appear Authentic") .
- Jurisprudence (Fiqh): His legal treatises, such as Adillat al-Jam' bayna al-Salatayn fi al-Safar ("Evidences for Combining the Two Prayers during Travel"), center on deriving rulings directly from primary scriptural texts rather than adhering to rigid school-based emulation (taqlid), while consulting classical compendia like Ibn Qudamah's al-Mughni and al-Nawawi's al-Majmu' .
- Theological Refutations and Defense of the Sunnah: The collection encompasses works dedicated to vindicating specific prophetic traditions and answering theological deviations, such as Rudud Ahl al-'Ilm 'ala al-Ta'inin fi Hadith al-Sihr ("Scholarly Rebuttals Against Those Who Challenge the Hadith of Sorcery") .
Across these writings, al-Wadi'i adheres strictly to the evidential authority of the Quran and authentic Sunnah, relying heavily on the evaluations of early authorities in transmitter criticism (al-jarh wa-l-ta'dil) and rejecting theological scholasticism .
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