Mawsuat Mahasin al-Islam wa Radd Shubuhat al-Liam

Mawsuat Mahasin al-Islam wa Radd Shubuhat al-Liam (The Encyclopedia of the Merits of Islam and the Refutation of the Doubts of the Ignoble) is a twelve-volume contemporary Sunni apologetic encyclopedia compiled by Ahmad ibn Sulayman Ayyub and a team of researchers under the supervision and conception of Dr. Sulayman ibn Duray' al-'Azimi Mawsuat Mahasin al-Islam …+1. Published in 1436 AH / 2015 CE, the work provides systematic thematic refutations of over six hundred primary anti-Islamic polemics and misconceptions concerning Islamic creed, scripture, jurisprudence, history, and social teachings Mawsuat Mahasin al-Islam …+1.

Background and Compilation

The idea for the encyclopedia originated with Sulayman ibn Duray' al-'Azimi, who sought to produce a comprehensive reference work defending Islam against intellectual attacks and polemical arguments Mawsuat Mahasin al-Islam …. He commissioned Ahmad ibn Sulayman Ayyub to oversee the research at Mujamma' al-Tawhid al-Islami in Bilbays, Egypt Mawsuat Mahasin al-Islam …+1.

The compilation spanned approximately five years of collective work Mawsuat Mahasin al-Islam …+1. The participating research team included Abu Muhammad Salih Hassun (who coordinated assignments, general review, and technical arrangement), Abu 'Abd al-Rahman Mahmud 'Abd al-Hakim, Abu 'Umar Sayyid Sayyid 'Abd al-'Al, Ihab 'Abd al-Wahid, 'Abd al-Rahman Isma'il, Muhammad 'Iwad, Abu Husam al-Tarfawi, Sulayman Duwaydar, 'Abd Allah al-Ghandur, Ahmad Naji, Mustafa Abu al-Ghayt, Muhammad Ghunaym, Muhammad 'Abd al-'Aziz al-Sayyid, Midhat 'Abd al-'Azim, Ahmad Bandari, and Walid Duwaydar Mawsuat Mahasin al-Islam …+1. A technical evaluation of the text was also conducted by Khalid al-Rabbat at Dar al-Falah in Faiyum Mawsuat Mahasin al-Islam ….

The initial draft was compiled across eighteen volumes; however, following consultations and suggestions from scholars, the material was condensed, merged, and pruned of redundancies to facilitate ease of use, resulting in a finalized twelve-volume edition Mawsuat Mahasin al-Islam …+1. Ayyub completed his introduction on 12 Sha'ban 1435 AH, and the encyclopedia was published in its first edition in 1436 AH / 2015 CE by Dar Ilaf al-Dawliyyah in Kuwait and Dar al-'Ilm in Egypt Mawsuat Mahasin al-Islam …+1.

Structure and Scope

The encyclopedia opens with an extensive foundational preface divided into three chapters addressing the historical conflict between truth and falsehood, the etiquette and principles of debate (adab al-munazarah), the state of the world prior to Islam, Islamic virtues, tolerance, moderation, rights in Islam, Western testimonies about Islam, and the biography, character, and companions of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ Mawsuat Mahasin al-Islam …+1.

The remainder of the work refutes objections categorized across ten major thematic divisions:

1. Creed ('Aqidah): Addressing Christian theological polemics, refuting the divinity of Jesus, original sin, crucifixion, and redemption, demonstrating biblical textual alteration (tahrif), and clarifying Islamic doctrines regarding the divine attributes Mawsuat Mahasin al-Islam …+1.
2. The Qur'an and Qur'anic Sciences: Arranged systematically according to the order of the surahs of the Qur'an Mawsuat Mahasin al-Islam ….
3. The Prophetic Sunnah and Hadith Sciences Mawsuat Mahasin al-Islam ….
4. The Prophets and Prophet Muhammad ﷺ Mawsuat Mahasin al-Islam ….
5. The Wives of the Prophet ﷺ Mawsuat Mahasin al-Islam ….
6. The Companions (Sahabah) Mawsuat Mahasin al-Islam ….
7. Jurisprudence (Fiqh) Mawsuat Mahasin al-Islam ….
8. Women in Islam Mawsuat Mahasin al-Islam ….
9. Linguistic Doubts Mawsuat Mahasin al-Islam ….
10. Scientific Miracles (al-I'jaz al-'Ilmi) Mawsuat Mahasin al-Islam ….

Methodology

The authors outlined a multi-stage methodology for compiling and replying to objections:

• Collection and Refinement: Doubts were gathered from orientalist writings, Christian missionary publications, academic journals, books, and internet forums Mawsuat Mahasin al-Islam …+1. They were reformulated into coherent, polite language, excluding sheer insults and crude linguistic errors made by critics unable to read Arabic properly Mawsuat Mahasin al-Islam ….
• Multi-faceted Refutations: Each objection is answered from multiple angles (wujuh), incorporating textual (naqli), rational ('aqli), and scientific arguments Mawsuat Mahasin al-Islam ….
• Engagement with Opponents' Texts: Responses frequently cite passages from the Old and New Testaments to highlight internal contradictions and inconsistencies within the interlocutors' own authorities Mawsuat Mahasin al-Islam …+1.
• Adherence to Orthodox Sunnism: The authors reject arguments based on weak or fabricated hadiths, aberrant (shadhdh) opinions, or non-Sunni doctrines, explicitly dissociating mainstream Islam from the views of groups such as the Rafidah, Kharijites, Jahmiyyah, and extreme Sufis Mawsuat Mahasin al-Islam …+1.
• Source Verification and Exegesis: Quranic verses are supported with explanations from standard classical exegetes, and hadiths are authenticated, citing Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim directly or providing takhrij (authentication chains) for narrations outside the two collections Mawsuat Mahasin al-Islam ….