Talbis Mardud fi Qadaya Hayya
- Author died
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- Editions
- The book is published on the website of the Saudi Ministry of Awqaf without publication details
Talbis Mardud fi Qadaya Hayya (Refuted Deception on Vital Issues) is a polemical and apologetic treatise by the Saudi jurist and Imam of al-Masjid al-Haram, Salih bin Humayd (b. 1369 AH / 1950 CE), addressing contemporary criticisms and misconceptions raised against Islamic teachings.
Background and Occasion
The author composed the work in response to an inquiry sent to him from an Islamic center in the West. The center had received a series of interrogative challenges directed at Islam by a Christian missionary organization known as the "White Fathers" (al-Abaʾ al-Bid). Viewing these questions as part of a concerted campaign to influence Muslim youth and undermine Islamic principles, Ibn Humayd took up the task of refuting the claims systematically.
Content and Structure
The author reorganized the inquiries thematically into five main subjects rather than following their original order, appending the original question list at the end of the book:
- Equality (al-Musawah): Examining the innate, social, and legal differentiations among human beings.
- Freedom (al-Hurriyyah): Specifically focusing on religious liberty and the institution of slavery.
- Women (al-Marʾah): Addressing the status, role, and rights of women in Islamic law.
- Application of Sharia (Tatbiq al-Shariʿah): Defending the viability and justice of Islamic legislation.
- Jihad (al-Jihad): Clarifying its legal framework and objectives.
Methodology
Because the treatise was intended to engage non-Muslim interlocutors who do not consider Islamic scriptural texts authoritative, the author primarily adopted a rational and intellectual mode of argumentation (mukhāṭabat al-ʿaql wa-muḥāwarat al-fikr). Scriptural texts from the Quran and Sunnah were cited selectively when detailed legal explication was required, such as on the topic of slavery.
In his critique, Ibn Humayd argued that the missionary challengers operated from preconceived biases and raised issues (such as slavery, holy war, and religious inequality) that were historically affirmed within Christian doctrine and ecclesiastical practice without adequate resolution in their own tradition. He likewise dismissed modern Western civilization as an absolute normative model, contending that its proclaimed human rights standards were selectively applied.
Publication
The book was published in Mecca by Maktabat al-Manara (1st ed., 1412 AH / 1991–1992 CE). It has also been disseminated electronically through the website of the Saudi Ministry of Islamic Affairs, Dawah and Guidance.
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