Maqam Ibrahim - within Athar al-Muallimi

Maqam Ibrahim — Hal Yajuzu Taʾkhiruhu ʿan Mawdiʿihi ʿinda al-Hajah li-Tawsiʿ al-Mataf (The Station of Abraham: Is It Permissible to Move It Back from Its Location When Needed to Expand the Circumambulation Area?) is a juridical treatise by the Yemeni scholar Abd al-Rahman al-Muallimi al-Yamani (1311–1386 AH / 1894–1966 CE) addressing the permissibility of relocating Maqam Ibrahim within al-Masjid al-Haram to alleviate congestion during circumambulation (Tawaf) Athar Abd al-Rahman ibn Y…+1.

Background and Purpose

The treatise was written when King Saud ibn Abd al-Aziz initiated the expansion of al-Masjid al-Haram and the circumambulation area surrounding the Kaaba Athar Abd al-Rahman ibn Y…. This project prompted a proposal to shift Maqam Ibrahim further back so that it would not obstruct or cause harm to worshippers performing Tawaf Athar Abd al-Rahman ibn Y…. When some contemporaries viewed moving the stone as an unlawful alteration of the sacred rites, al-Muallimi composed the work to demonstrate that shifting and postponing the Maqam from its spot is permissible and grounded in Islamic law, following the precedent established by the Second Caliph, Umar ibn al-Khattab, with the concurrence of the Prophet's Companions Athar Abd al-Rahman ibn Y….

Core Arguments and Contents

Al-Muallimi argued that the Quranic texts command the preparation of the area around the Kaaba primarily for those circumambulating, as well as those staying for devotion and praying, and that fulfilling this obligation adapts according to the size of the crowds Nataij al-Buhuth wa Khawa…. He detailed that during the Prophet's ﷺ time, the Maqam remained adjacent to the Kaaba because the number of pilgrims in earlier years did not cause overcrowding, whereas during the caliphate of Umar ibn al-Khattab, the number of Muslims grew permanently, prompting Umar to move the stone back and expand the mosque to clear space for the circumambulating worshippers Nataij al-Buhuth wa Khawa….

Al-Muallimi concluded that the legal ruling regarding taking Maqam Ibrahim as a place of prayer ( وَاتَّخِذُوا مِنْ مَقَامِ إِبْرَاهِيمَ مُصَلًّى ) attaches to the physical stone itself wherever it is placed, rather than to a fixed plot of ground, provided that its core rights are preserved: remaining in proximity to the Kaaba, staying within the surrounding mosque, and maintaining its directional alignment with the House Fatawa wa Rasail Samahat ….

Reception and Scholarly Debate

The treatise was published during the author's lifetime in 1378 AH al-Nukat al-Jiyad al-Munt…+1. It received strong support from the Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia, Muhammad ibn Ibrahim Al al-Shaykh, who endorsed it, commended it as an exceptional treatise, and affirmed that al-Muallimi had arrived at the exact truth on the issue Athar Abd al-Rahman ibn Y…+1. Muhammad Hamid al-Fiqi also wrote an introduction praising the work Athar Abd al-Rahman ibn Y….

Conversely, the scholar Sulayman ibn Abd al-Rahman ibn Hamdan opposed al-Muallimi's fatwa and composed a critical rebuttal titled Naqd al-mabani min fatwa al-Yamani (also titled Tahqiq al-maram fima yataʿallaq bi-l-maqam) al-Nukat al-Jiyad al-Munt…+1. In response to Ibn Hamdan's criticism, Mufti Muhammad ibn Ibrahim authored a counter-refutation defending al-Muallimi titled Nasihat al-ikhwan bi-bayan baʿd ma fi Naqd al-mabani li-Ibn Hamdan min al-khabt wa-l-khalat wa-l-jahl wa-l-buhtan, followed by a separate treatise titled al-Jawab al-mustaqim fi jawaz naql Maqam Ibrahim al-Nukat al-Jiyad al-Munt….

The treatise was later republished as part of the collected works project, Athar al-Shaykh al-Allamah Abd al-Rahman al-Muallimi al-Yamani Athar Abd al-Rahman ibn Y…+1.