PhD Degree Awarded to Mr. Sulaiman Abdullah Maqbooli Al-Ahdal in Islamic Jurisprudence‎ and Its Foundations

Mr. Sulaiman Abdullah Maqbooli Al-Ahdal was awarded a PhD degree in Islamic Jurisprudence‎ and Its Foundations for his dissertation titled: Fatawa of Sulaiman bin Yahya bin Omar Maqbool Al-Ahdal (d. 1197 Hijri) From the Beginning of the Manuscript to the End of Purification Chapter: Critical Study and Investigation, which was submitted to the Department of Islamic Studies, Faculty of Arts and Humanities – Sana’a University. The dissertation defense was held on Thursday, December 4, 2025.

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

# Committee Members Designation Position
1 Prof. Huda Ali Yahya Al-Emad Internal Examiner Chair
2 Prof. Adel Saleh Al-Faqih Main Supervisor Member
3 Assoc. Prof. Mustafa Mahmoud Al-Rousi External Examiner Member

The study aimed to:
 Edit and produce the manuscript in a sound scholarly manner, ensuring accurate verification and annotation.
 Produce the manuscript in a sound scholarly form and ensuring proper verification, annotation, and study.
 Introduce the author as a distinguished scholarly figure and highlight his juristic opinions and deductions.
 Present and clarify the methodology adopted by the author throughout these Fatawa.

The study yielded a number of key findings summarized as follows:

 Sulaiman bin Yahya bin Omar Maqbool Al-Ahdal excelled in a wide ‎range of sciences and disciplines.‎
 His Fatawa constitute a valuable scholarly treasure, in which the author compiled ‎numerous benefits and insightful annotations.‎
 The author demonstrated extensive knowledge and drew upon a large number of ‎references and sources.‎
 The author cited and referenced the opinions of a large number of scholars and ‎jurists, over two hundred in this part alone.‎
 The Fatawa include numerous preferences and determinations of Shafi‘i jurists, along with the author’s own juristic preferences.‎
 The author possessed mastery in multiple fields of knowledge, which is clearly ‎reflected in his Fatawa.‎
 Al-Ahdal adopted a clear methodology in presenting sound Prophetic traditions and ‎demonstrating how they are used as evidence for legal rulings.‎
 He also followed a systematic method in presenting weak narrations and explaining ‎the manner in which they are used in argumentation.‎

In light of these findings, the researcher recommended:

 Compiling a global inventory of manuscripts and their locations, along with cataloguing the titles of works already edited.
 Facilitating exchange procedures between libraries and universities for manuscript reproduction and access.
 Editing and publishing the major scholarly heritage of Sulaiman bin Yahya bin Omar Maqbool Al-Ahdal, as most of his works remain in manuscript form.
 Studying Yemeni scholars and their methodologies in Islamic jurisprudence‎, its Foundations, and other scientific fields through their writings.
 Conducting a comprehensive academic study on the life and scholarly contributions of Sulaiman bin Yahya bin Omar Maqbool Al-Ahdal.
 Encouraging researchers and students to devote greater attention to the scholarly verification of classical manuscripts and authored works.

The dissertation defense was attended by a number of academics, researchers, and specialists, students, colleagues, and the researcher’s family.