Wad al-Fitna: Dirasa Naqdiyya li-Shubuhat al-Murjifin wa Fitnat al-Jamal wa Siffin ala Manhaj al-Muhaddithin
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Wad al-Fitna: Dirasa Naqdiyya li-Shubuhat al-Murjifin wa Fitnat al-Jamal wa Siffin ala Manhaj al-Muhaddithin (Quelling the Strife: A Critical Study of the Rumormongers' Doubts and the Tribulations of the Camel and Siffin According to the Method of the Hadith Scholars) is a historical and critical study by the Jordanian researcher Ahmad Mahmud al-Shawabkeh (Abu Ubaydah Ahmad Mahmud Khalil al-Shawabkeh) . Published in 1430 AH (2009 CE), the work examines the early Islamic civil strife (al-fitna), focusing on the events surrounding the Battle of the Camel and the Battle of Siffin, and refutes historical allegations against the Prophet Muhammad and his Companions using the critical tools of Hadith scholarship .
Subject Matter and Scope
The book addresses the historical turmoil that arose during the era of the early caliphate, specifically analyzing the disputes that led to armed conflict at the Battle of the Camel and the Battle of Siffin . The author begins with the biography of the Prophet Muhammad, discussing the religious obligation to love him, his household (Ahl al-Bayt), and his Companions among the Emigrants (Muhajirun) and the Helpers (Ansar) .
In addition to the historical conflicts, the book covers:
- The legal ruling concerning those who insult, mock, or harm the Prophet or his Companions .
- The tribulations faced by the Prophet from polytheists and hypocrites in early Islam and parallels drawn with modern attacks and mockery .
- The theological necessity of prophetic infallibility (ʿiṣma), responding to arguments raised by Orientalists .
- The virtues, uprightness (ʿadāla), and moral standing of the Companions, maintaining that their mutual disagreements stemmed from sincere legal and political interpretation (ijtihād) aimed at reaching the truth rather than malice .
Methodology and Sources
Al-Shawabkeh's primary approach is the application of Hadith methodology (manhaj al-muḥaddithīn) to historiographical reports . He highlights that early chroniclers, notably al-Tabari in his work Tarikh al-Umam wa-l-Muluk, compiled narrations complete with their chains of transmission (asānīd) without undertaking to include only authenticated reports, relying on the scholarly norm that attributing a report to its transmission chain leaves the burden of verification to the reader .
The author argues that subsequent writers often transmitted these narrations uncritically, treating fabricated or weak accounts as historical facts . Consequently, al-Shawabkeh subjects the chains of transmission to the biographical evaluation of narrators (al-jarḥ wa-l-taʿdīl) while also evaluating the texts (mutūn) for internal coherence and consistency with established Islamic principles . The author drew upon more than two hundred classical and contemporary sources in preparing the study .
Prefaces and Reception
The book includes three introductory prefaces written by Jordanian academic scholars:
- Mahmoud Ali al-Sartawi, Professor of Comparative Jurisprudence at the University of Jordan, who praised the author's rigorous filtration of historical accounts and adherence to authentic evidences from the Quran and Sunna (dated 24 Safar 1430 AH / 20 February 2009 CE) .
- Ahmad Nawfal, Professor of Quranic Exegesis and Studies at Yarmouk University and the University of Jordan, who commended the work's balanced tone, documentation, and defense of early Islamic history (dated 13 Rabiʿ al-Thani 1430 AH / 10 March 2009 CE) .
- Muhammad al-Umari, Professor of Hadith and Dean of the Faculty of Sharia at Yarmouk University, who noted the contemporary need for revisiting historical accounts through the disciplined criteria of Hadith scholars .
Publication
The work was published in its first edition in 1430 AH (2009 CE) by Dar Ammar li-l-Nashr wa-l-Tawziʿ in Amman, Jordan .
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