PhD Degree Awarded to Mr. Abdullah bin Hamed in Islamic Studies (Hadith and ItsSciences)

Mr. Abdullah Hamed Omar bin Hamed was awarded a PhD degree in Islamic Studies (Hadith and Its Sciences) for his dissertation titled: Muntaha Al-Elmam bi Ahadith Al-Ahkam (From the Beginning of the Chapter ‘What Has Been Reported Concerning the Imam’ to the End of Part One: The Chapter on Al-Fara and Al-Atirah) by the Scholar Mohammed bin Saleh bin Hadi Al-Samawi, Known as Ibn Harywah (d. 1241 AH): A Critical Study and Investigation, which was submitted to the Faculty of Arts and Humanities – Sana’a University. The dissertation defense was held on Thursday, February 12, 2026.

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. Mohammed Ahmed Al-Matari External Examiner Chair
2 Prof. Adel Saleh Al-Faqih Main Supervisor Member
3 Prof. Mutie Mohammed Ahmed Shabala ‎ Internal Examiner Member

The dissertation aimed to:
 Revive Islamic heritage in general, and Yemeni heritage in particular, by bringing an important hadith manuscript from the realm of handwritten texts into published scholarly circulation.
 Highlight the scholarly status of the scholar Mohammed bin Saleh Al-Samawi (Ibn Harywah) and his contributions to the service of the Prophetic Sunnah.
 Establish an accurate critical edition of Muntaha Al-Elmam, document its citations, and provide comprehensive hadith authentication and grading in accordance with the principles of hadith scholarship.
 Examine the author’s critical methodology in handling hadiths of legal rulings, both in terms of chains of transmission (isnad) and textual analysis (matn).
The study yielded several key findings summarized as follows:
 The edited text was successfully produced in a precise scholarly form closely reflecting the author’s original manuscript.
 The critical edition was distinguished by comprehensive sourcing of all hadiths and narrations from their primary references, along with clarification of their authenticity and grading (sound or weak).
 The study revealed that Al-Samawi followed a rigorous methodology in organizing chapters and presenting hadiths.
In light of these findings, the researcher recommended the following:‎

 Printing and publishing this valuable work to fill a gap in the heritage library and make it accessible to researchers.
 Encouraging postgraduate students to complete the editing of the remaining parts of Muntaha Al-Elmam and other unpublished manuscripts by Al-Samawi.
 Conducting complementary analytical studies on the book’s content, such as examining the author’s methodology in criticism and preference (tarjih), and comparing his work with other hadith compilations of his era.

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