Zawaid Masaail al-Jahiliya
- Author died
- 1409 AH
- Editions
- Dar al-'Ulayyan lil-Nashr wal-Naskh wal-Taswir wal-Tajlid
Zawaid Masaail al-Jahiliya (Arabic: زوائد مسائل الجاهلية, lit. 'Additions to the Issues of Pre-Islamic Ignorance') is a theological and legal treatise by the Saudi scholar Abdullah al-Duwaysh (1373–1409 AH / 1954–1989 CE) . The book compiles 211 pre-Islamic customs, beliefs, and practices that were not included in Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab's foundational work Masa'il al-Jahiliyya .
Background and Purpose
The treatise builds upon earlier scholarly writings detailing the blameworthy traits of pre-Islamic ignorance (jahiliyya) and emphasizing the obligation upon Muslims to differentiate themselves from non-Muslim communities, such as Ibn Taymiyya's Iqtida' al-Sirat al-Mustaqim and Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab's Masa'il al-Jahiliyya (which addressed around 131 matters and was later commented upon by Mahmud Shukri al-Alusi in Fasl al-Khitab) .
In his introduction, al-Duwaysh emphasizes that Muslims are prohibited from imitating the people of Jahiliyya, citing the Quranic verse وَلَا تَبَرَّجْنَ تَبَرُّجَ الْجَاهِلِيَّةِ الْأُولَىٰ ("And do not display yourselves as was the display of the former times of ignorance") and the prophetic narration in Sahih Muslim: أربع في أمتي من أمر الجاهلية لا يتركونهن ("Four traits from the matters of Jahiliyya remain in my nation that they will not abandon") . Al-Duwaysh explains that knowledge of these blameworthy customs is essential to prevent Muslims from falling into them unwittingly . He also clarifies that his supplementary work was not intended as a critical rectification (istidrak) of Ibn Abd al-Wahhab, because the latter never claimed to have gathered every single pre-Islamic practice, but had rather focused on select issues opposed by the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ .
Structure and Contents
The compilation covers 211 numbered issues, addressing practices found broadly among the people of Jahiliyya, including both the People of the Book (Jews and Christians) and polytheists . In the printed edition, the points are indexed into two overarching thematic sections:
- Creedal issues (al-'aqa'id): Topics relating to theological deviations, such as denying or doubting the Hereafter, assigning divine status to humans, prostrating to the sun or moon, mocking or harming prophets, and following community leaders in contravention of divine truth .
- Jurisprudential and behavioral issues (al-abwab al-fiqhiyya): Matters concerning moral and legal practices, such as fraudulent weighing and measuring, homosexuality, infanticide, ostentatious display (tabarruj), placing women in political leadership, sowing discord among believers, placing hands on the hips during prayer (al-ikhtisar fi al-salat), and decorating places of worship .
Each item is succinctly formulated and supported directly by relevant Quranic verses, prophetic traditions, or statements from the early generations .
Publication
The work was edited and verified by Abd al-Aziz ibn Ahmad al-Mushayqih and published as al-Zawa'id 'ala Masa'il al-Jahiliyya by Dar al-Ulayan in 1411 AH (1990 CE) within the collected writings of the author (Majmu'at Mu'allafat al-Shaykh 'Abd Allah al-Duwaysh) .
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