Master’s Degree for Researcher Ahlam Ma’awdhah from the Department of the Holy Quran, Faculty of Education, Sana’a University
Researcher Ahlam Mohammed Ali Ma’awdhah was awarded a Master’s degree with an overall grade of Excellent and a percentage of 95% from the Department of the Holy Quran and its Studies, majoring in Tafsir (Interpretation), for her thesis titled: A Study and Verification of Tafsir Surat Yusuf in the book ‘Nafais Aljawaher Alhesan Albahiah Fi Bayan Asrar Alma’ani Alqura’aniah’ by Scholar Hassan bin Ibrahim al-Khatib, who passed away in 1265 AH.
The defence took place on Wednesday, 18 Shawwal 1446 AH, corresponding to April 16, 2025 AD.
The panel of examiners consisted of the following:
- Professor Ahmed Mohammed Madhkour – external examiner and chairperson of the panel.
- Professor Refa’at Hussein Aborah – supervisor and a member of the panel.
- Associate Professor Mujahed Yahya Hadi – internal examiner and a member of the panel.
The thesis aimed to:
* Introduce the author, scholar Hassan bin Ibrahim al-Khatib al-Zubaidi, his era, and his book: “Nafais Aljawaher Alhesan Albahiah Fi Bayan Asrar Alma’ani Alqura’aniah”.
* to study the manuscript by clarifying the author’s methodology and his most important sources.
* Additionally, it aimed to verify the Tafsir of Surat Yusuf (peace be upon him) from beginning to end, and to study it with a scientific methodology based on the right rules and foundations followed in the scientific verification of manuscripts.
The study revealed several conclusions, the most important of which are:
* Confirmation of the attribution of the book “Nafais Aljawaher Alhesan Albahiah Fi Bayan Asrar Alma’ani Alqura’aniah” and that its author was one of the virtuous and well-established scholars who studied under a group of Yemeni scholars and excelled in various studies.
* The book “Nafais Aljawaher Alhesan Albahiah Fi Bayan Asrar Alma’ani Alqura’aniah” is considered one of the most important books of Tafsir (Quranic interpretation), as its author combined interpretation based on transmitted texts and commendable reasoned interpretation. Its contribution-value is evident in its inclusion of subtleties, nuances, and benefits. Furthermore, the author showed a clear effort in weighing different opinions and was not merely a transmitter of the statements of those who preceded him.
In her study, the researcher suggested several recommendations, including:
Recommending that researchers involved in this project expedite its completion as soon as possible so that knowledge seekers can benefit from it, as it is most worthy of being presented and studied. She also recommended paying more attention to the author’s legacy and searching for any other unverified books he may have written, as well as sources for his biography, since existing biographical sources are scarce and rare.
The researcher also proposed creating a database for Yemeni universities in general, and Sana’a University in particular, that includes all Yemeni manuscripts, to identify which manuscripts have been verified and which still need verification.
The Viva was attended by a number of academics, researchers, interested students, the researcher’s colleagues, and her family members.
