Rasail wa Fatawa Aba Butayn
- Author died
- 1282 AH
- Editions
- Dār al-‘Āṣimah
Rasail wa Fatawa Aba Butayn (Treatises and Legal Rulings of Aba Butayn) is a collection of scholarly epistles, doctrinal treatises, and legal rulings (fatwas) by the Najdi Hanbali jurist and judge Abd Allah Aba Butayn (1194–1282 AH / 1780–1865 CE) .
Subject and Contents
The work gathers correspondence and answers penned by Aba Butayn in response to queries from contemporaries on matters of Islamic creed (aqida) and jurisprudence (fiqh) .
In theological matters, the collection addresses controversies surrounding doctrinal definitions, including the creed of Ahl al-Sunnah regarding the Speech of God ( كلام الله ) and whether it is uncreated, distinguishing that stance from the views of the Mu'tazilites and the Ash'arites . Other treatises and responses address the status of lands containing shrines of polytheism (shirk) and the classification of their inhabitants in relation to the designation of Dar al-Islam, as well as refutations concerning strictures on polytheism .
In substantive law (furu' al-fiqh), the collection includes rulings on diverse legal scenarios, such as the etiquette and rulings of reserving spaces in the mosque using personal belongings, supplication between the Friday sermons, dedicating voluntary charity on behalf of the deceased to living relatives in need, rights of self-defense against aggressors, and agricultural agreements .
Publication History
The collection was assembled and printed as a distinct section within the compendium Majmu'at al-Rasail wa-l-Masail al-Najdiyya . Its first edition was published by order of King Abd al-Aziz Al Saud at Matba'at al-Manar in Egypt in 1345 AH (c. 1926 CE), appearing alongside treatises by scholars such as Hamad ibn Nasir ibn Mu'ammar and Abd al-Rahman ibn Hasan Al al-Shaykh . It was later reprinted in Riyadh by Dar al-Asimah in 1412 AH .
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