Sharh Masa'il al-Jahiliyyah
- Author died
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- Editions
- Dār al-‘Āṣimah lil-Nashr wa-al-Tawzī‘ al-Riyāḍ
Sharh Masa'il al-Jahiliyyah (Commentary on the Issues of Pre-Islamic Ignorance) is an Islamic theological commentary by the Saudi scholar Salih al-Fawzan on the treatise Masa'il al-Jahiliyyah by Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab .
Origin and Composition
The work originated as a series of instructional lessons delivered by al-Fawzan in the mosque, in which he explained the matters of pre-Islamic ignorance summarized in Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab's short treatise . Students recorded these lectures on cassette tapes and subsequently transcribed and compiled them into written text . After reviewing the manuscript, al-Fawzan approved its publication and distribution to make the material widely accessible .
Content and Methodology
The commentary focuses on the beliefs, customs, and practices of the pre-Islamic era (jahiliyyah)—both of the scriptuaries (Jews and Christians) and the unlettered polytheists—which the Prophet Muhammad opposed . Al-Fawzan notes that studying these pre-Islamic matters serves two principal objectives: enabling Muslims to identify and avoid erroneous practices, and demonstrating the excellence of Islam, since concepts are made distinct through contrast .
Throughout the text, al-Fawzan proceeds sequentially through the individual points compiled in the base treatise, elucidating their textual proofs from the Quran and Sunnah and drawing parallels to later religious controversies . Key topics addressed in his commentary include:
- Devotional practices and intercession: The first and foremost issue analyzed is the worship and invocation of righteous figures under the pretext of seeking intercession with God, which the author identifies as the fundamental root of polytheism (shirk) .
- Epistemological errors: Critiquing the pre-Islamic reliance on majoritarian consensus as a benchmark for truth rather than revealed scripture , and engaging in religious disputes without sound knowledge .
- Distortion of theological concepts: Exposing tendencies such as labelling adherence to pure monotheism (tawhid) as deviation or disrespect, while giving devotional practices toward saints or tombs the guise of love and veneration .
- Relics and historical veneration: Analyzing the preservation and glorification of relics associated with prominent historical figures as an eventual avenue leading toward polytheism across successive generations .
- Denial of the unseen: Addressing the rejection or skepticism regarding the angels, messengers, divine scriptures, the Day of Resurrection, and the meeting with God .
Publication
The work was published in a single volume by Dar al-Asimah in Riyadh, with its first edition appearing in 1421 AH (2001 CE) .
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