Risala fiman yaddai anna man dhurriyat al-Abbas Hamza al-Khalaf lil-Naji
- Author died
- 900 AH
- Editions
- دار التوحيد [ضمن مجموع فيه أربعة أجزاء حديثية]
Risala fiman yaddai anna min dhurriyat al-Abbas Hamza al-Khalaf (Treatise Concerning Those Who Claim That Hamza al-Khalaf Is from the Progeny of al-Abbas) is a short genealogical and legal polemical treatise written by the Shafi'i scholar and hadith specialist Burhan al-Din al-Naji (d. 900 AH / 1495 CE) . The work refutes the genealogical authenticity of a group claiming Hashimite descent through an alleged son or descendant of the Prophet's uncle al-Abbas ibn Abd al-Muttalib named "Hamza al-Khalaf" .
Background and Composition
The treatise originated as a legal response (fatwa) to an inquiry regarding a group of people who claimed noble descent (sharaf) by identifying themselves as descendants of "Hamza al-Khalaf ibn al-Abbas" . Al-Naji declared that al-Abbas had ten sons, and that neither among them nor among their recorded progeny in standard genealogical works was there anyone named Hamza al-Khalaf, describing the figure as completely fictitious by the consensus of genealogists .
After completing his initial fatwa, al-Naji appended further scholarly citations and notes . Later, the inquirer brought him a written genealogical document attempting to trace this descent to al-Abbas, requesting an independent rebuttal . Al-Naji drafted a full repudiation in a single evening, criticizing the document's grammatical solecisms, scribal corruptions, invented personas, historical errors, and internal contradictions .
Contents and Arguments
Al-Naji structures his critique around both genealogical evidence and Islamic legal principles:
- Genealogical Evidence: He affirms that the lineage of al-Abbas and his descendants is exhaustively documented in biographical and genealogical literature, with no historical record of an individual named Hamza al-Khalaf . He notes that the historical Abbasid caliphs descended specifically through Ali ibn Abd Allah ibn al-Abbas (known as al-Sajjad; d. 117 or 118 AH), who resided in al-Sharah in the Balqa' region of Syria and later maintained a residence in Damascus .
- Legal and Theological Repercussions: The author emphasizes the severity of falsely claiming noble lineage or attributing offspring to someone falsely, citing hadith warnings against deception and verses condemning fabricated claims . He quotes early authorities—such as al-Qasim ibn Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr, Sufyan al-Thawri, Hassan ibn Zayd, and Abd Allah ibn al-Mubarak—on the role of critical historical inquiry in identifying fabrications .
- Shar'i Consequences of Lineage: Drawing on the writings of al-Nawawi, al-Naji outlines the numerous legal rulings linked to valid Hashimite descent, including marriage suitability (kafa'ah), the prohibition of receiving obligatory charity (zakat), entitlements in the division of state revenues (fay') and war spoils, and qualifications regarding the supreme imamate .
- Personal Anecdote: Al-Naji recounts that while he was drafting additions to the initial fatwa during the last ten days of Ramadan, his wife suffered an eye ailment and went to sleep; she reported seeing a dream in which the Prophet ﷺ and Abd Allah ibn al-Abbas appeared, after which she awoke relieved of the affliction .
Transmission and Publication
A manuscript copy of the treatise was completed by the scribe Ibrahim ibn Uthman ibn Muhammad on Saturday, 10 Shawwal 878 AH (1474 CE) during al-Naji's lifetime . The work was edited and annotated by Jamal Azzun and published in a single volume alongside other short treatises by Dar al-Tawhid in 1429 AH / 2008 CE .
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