Master’s Degree Awarded to Ms. Asia Ahmed Al-Ajel in Islamic Jurisprudence

Ms. Asia Ahmed Mohammed Al-Ajel was awarded a Master’s degree in Islamic Jurisprudence with an average of (Excellent) and a grade of (95%) for her thesis titled: Al-Bawariq Al-Yamania fi Masa’il Al-Fiqh Al-Marawiya by Scholar Mohammed Ahmed Abdulbari Al-Ahdal (d. 1298 AH) – The Books of Claims and Manumission: An Investigative and Critical Study, which was submitted to the Department of Islamic Studies, Faculty of Arts and Humanities – Sana’a University. The MA defense was held on Thursday, October 9, 2025.

The MA Viva-voce Committee, which was formed based on a resolution issued by the Graduate Studies and Scientific Research Council, consisted of the following:

The study aimed to:

• Investigate and critically study the remaining section of Al-Bawariq Al-Yamania fi Masa’il Al-Fiqh Al-Marawiya (Books of Claims and Manumission), providing a scholarly contribution to Islamic library and highlighting Yemeni jurisprudential heritage.
• Introduce the author and his work, outline his methodology in jurisprudential writing, and highlight his scholarly status among Shafi‘i scholars in Yemen.

The study concluded with several key findings:

• The author enjoyed a distinguished scholarly status among Yemeni jurists of the 13th century AH.
• The intellectual and scholarly life of that period remained vibrant despite political unrest and other prevailing challenges.
• The town of Al-Maraw’ah, the author’s birthplace, played a significant role in enriching Yemen’s intellectual and scholarly scene.
• The author was aware of fatwa (religious opinion) responsibility. Therefore, he approached fatwa with a method that combined a sound understanding of religious texts and a keen awareness of social realities.
• The manuscript represents a valuable Shafi‘i jurisprudential reference that systematically presents the opinions of the Four Imams and identifies the most preponderant views.
• The author’s responses reflect a clear jurisprudential grounding within the Shafi‘i school.
• The jurisprudential issues discussed—claims, testimonies, and evidence—are pivotal in achieving justice and reinforcing the link between Islamic jurisprudence and contemporary judicial conventions.

The study recommended:

• Continuing efforts to investigate and study unresearched Yemeni jurisprudential manuscripts.
• Conducting further research on the life and scholarly and intellectual contributions of Scholar Mohammed Ahmed Al-Ahdal, including his methodology in writing and issuing fatwas.
• Highlighting Al-Maraw’ah town as a historical center of learning through academic documentation of its intellectual legacy and scholarly figures.
• Printing and Publishing the entire book through the Faculty of Arts and Humanities at Sana’a University in recognition of its high scholarly value.

The defense session was attended by a number of academics, researchers, and interested participants, colleagues and the researcher’s family members.