Tawjihat Islamiyya li-Abd Allah ibn Humayd
- Author died
- 1402 AH
- Editions
- Tawjihat Islamiyya li-Abd Allah ibn Humayd
Tawjihat Islamiyya (Islamic Directives) is an instructional treatise by the Saudi jurist and scholar Abd Allah ibn Muhammad ibn Humayd (1329–1402 AH / 1911–1982 CE), addressing fundamental themes of Islamic creed (aqidah), preaching (da'wah), social unity, the comprehensive merits of Islamic law, and the practical rites of pilgrimage .
Publication History
The work was printed in Mecca by Matabi' Dar al-Thaqafa in 1385 AH (31 pages) and was later published in Riyadh by Maktabat al-Safahat al-Dhahabiyya in 1400 AH (42 pages) .
Structure and Contents
The treatise is organized into thematic sections providing religious guidance on individual, communal, and legal responsibilities:
Da'wah and the Duty of Scholars
The treatise opens with an exposition on calling people to God as the established way of the Prophets . Ibn Humayd asserts that religious decline occurs when scholars withdraw to their private quarters and abandon public guidance . Citing historical precedents—including Malik ibn Anas entering upon unjust rulers to speak the truth and Abu al-Hasan al-Ash'ari engaging the Mu'tazilis in their gatherings—he argues that religious scholars must actively reach out to society, correct doctrinal errors, and enjoin good and forbid wrong with patience and gentle persuasion .
Monotheism and Grave Practices
Under the heading of prophetic call (da'wat al-mursalin), the author elucidates tawhid as the exclusive dedication of all acts of worship to God alone, emphasizing that acts such as supplication (du'a), seeking aid (isti'anah), seeking relief (istighatha), slaughtering (dhabh), and vows (nadhr) directed to anyone else constitute associationism (shirk) . Ibn Humayd details the strict prohibition of elevating graves, plastering them, illuminating them, or constructing domes over them, drawing upon prophetic traditions recorded by Muslim ibn al-Hajjaj, al-Tirmidhi, and Abu Dawud . He supports these rulings with statements from classical jurists and scholars, including al-Shafi'i, al-Nawawi, Shihab al-Din al-Adhra'i, Ibn Taymiyya, Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyya, Muhammad ibn Isma'il al-San'ani, and Muhammad ibn Ali al-Shawkani .
The Merits of Islam and Communal Governance
In a section on the merits of Islam (min mahasin al-Islam), the treatise details how Islamic legislation encompasses both individual acts of purification and widespread societal welfare, including commercial laws, domestic relations, penal ordinances, the appointment of rulers, the judiciary, and public inspection (hisbah) . The author emphasizes Islamic unity and warns against division, nationalist chauvinism (al-qawmiyya), tribalism (al-'asabiyya), racism (al-'unsuriyya), and reliance on imported man-made legislation (al-qawanin al-wad'iyya) in place of the Qur'an and Sunnah .
The Rites of Hajj
The concluding part of the treatise provides a chronological description of the Farewell Pilgrimage of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, detailing each stage of the pilgrimage rites: entering the sacred state (ihram), arrival in Mecca, circumambulation of arrival (tawaf al-qudum), running between al-Safa and al-Marwah (sa'y), residing in Mina, standing at Arafat and the delivery of the pilgrimage sermon, staying at Muzdalifah, the rites of the Day of Sacrifice (stoning the pillar of al-'Aqaba, offering sacrifices, shaving or trimming hair, and tawaf al-ifadah), staying during the days of Tashriq, and concluding with the farewell circumambulation (tawaf al-wada') .
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