Researcher Nazmi Mohammed Abdullah Ahmed Sirwan Al-Hashimi was awarded a PhD degree in Tafsir and Quranic Sciences for his dissertation titled: The Methodology of Imams Al-Mawza‘i and Al-Najri in Their Tafsir of the Verses of Legal Rulings: A Comparative Study, which was submitted to the Department of Islamic Studies, Faculty of Arts and Humanities –Sana’a University. The dissertation defense was held on Monday, September 28, 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:
• Assoc. Prof. Bushra Ali Yahya Al-Emad – Sana’a University – Internal Examiner and Chair.
• Assoc. Prof. Kawthar Hamoud Mohammed Al-Mekhlafi – Sana’a University – Main Supervisor and Committee Member.
• Assoc. Prof. Ibrahim Abdullah Jaber Mohammed – Hodeidah University – External Examiner and Committee Member.
The study aimed to introduce Imams Al-Mawza‘i and Al-Najri and examine their methodologies in interpreting verses dealing with legal rulings in their respective works, Taysir Al-Bayan li Ahkam Al-Qur’an and Shafi Al-‘Alil fi Sharh Al-Khamsmi’a min Ay Al-Tanzil. It also sought to identify the disputed jurisprudential issues addressed by the two Imams, examine them through scholarly analysis, and clarify their implications.
The study reached several findings, most notably that Imam Al-Mawza‘i began his exegesis with an introduction to the principles of jurisprudence and based many of his jurisprudential preferences on those principles. He also paid considerable attention to the occasions of revelation, extensively derived legal rulings, presented the various scholarly opinions and their supporting evidence, discussed them, and generally indicated his preferred view.
The study also found that Imam Al-Najri did not begin his exegesis with an introduction to the principles of jurisprudence and did not give particular attention to the occasions of revelation. Nor did he extensively cite evidence supporting different opinions, adopting a concise approach in his exegesis. However, he devoted considerable attention to deriving non-jurisprudential rulings related to ethics, creed, the imamate, and contemporary issues. He also provided a more extensive interpretation of the surahs and verses than Imam Al-Mawza‘i.
The study recommended that Sana’a University and other universities teaching courses on the verses of legal rulings give greater attention to studying the exegeses of Imams Al-Mawza‘i and Al-Najri, given their scholarly significance. It also recommended greater attention to the scholarly heritage of Yemeni scholars in general and Imams Al-Mawza‘i and Al-Najri in particular.
The dissertation defense was attended by a number of academics, postgraduate students, researchers, as well as the researcher's colleagues and family members.
الملخص:
Researcher Nazmi Mohammed Abdullah Ahmed Sirwan Al-Hashimi was awarded a PhD degree in Tafsir and Quranic Sciences for his dissertation titled: The Methodology of Imams Al-Mawza‘i and Al-Najri in Their Tafsir of the Verses of Legal Rulings: A Comparative Study, which was submitted to the Department of Islamic Studies, Faculty of Arts and Humanities –Sana’a University.
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