Rabi' ibn Hadi 'Umayr al-Madkhali (Arabic: ربيع بن هادي عمير المدخلي, romanized:Rabiʿ ibn Hādī ʿUmayr al-Madkhalī; 1933 – 9 July 2025) was a Saudi Arabian Islamic scholar and professor at the Islamic University of Madinah, where he headed the Sunnah Studies Department.[4][3][5] He remained active throughout his life in the field of Islamic scholarship and daʿwah. He was praised by fellow scholars such as al-Uthaymin, Ibn Baz, and al-Albani, who described him as the "imam of criticism and praise" (Arabic: إمام الجرح والتعديل, romanized:Imam al-Jarḥ wal-Tad’īl), although he himself later rejected the title.[3][1][6] His will stresses adherence to the Quran, Sunnah, and the path of the early generations as essential for the Ummah’s success.[7]
Rabīʿ al-Madkhali began seeking knowledge in his village Banu Shabil from Ahmad bin Muhammad Jabir Al-Madkhali and Muhammad bin Jabir Al-Madkhali after he turned eight years old.[8] His teacher before his study at the 'Ma’had al-’Ilmi' in Samtah was Nasir Khalufah Mubaraki (one of Abdullah ibn Muhammad Al-Qar’awi's students). After completing several classical Islamic texts with him, he started his education at the Ma’had al-’ilmi in Samtah. The most notable of his teachers were: Hafidh ibn Ahmed Ali al-Hakami, Muhammad bin Ahmad Al-Hakami, Ahmad bin Yahya Al-Najmi, Muhammad Aman Al-Jami' and Muhammad Saghir Al-Khamisi.[9]
In 1961, he entered the Faculty of Sharia at Imam Muhammad ibn Saud Islamic University in Riyadh for two months and then switched to the Faculty of Sharia at the Islamic University of Madinah, where his teachers included former Mufti of Saudi Arabia, Abd al-Aziz ibn Baz, Muhammad Nasiruddin al-Albani, Abdul-Muhsin Al-Abbad, Muhammad Amin Al-Shanqiti, Saleh Al-Iraqi and Abdul-Ghaffar Hasan Al-Hindi.[9] He graduated four years later with excellence. After working at the University, he returned to complete his higher education. He received his master's degree after publishing his thesis, ″Between imams Muslim and Daruqutni″ and achieved his doctorate with distinction with his dissertation. After completing his Doctorate at Umm al-Qura in 1980, Madkhali returned to the Islamic University of Madinah where he taught at the Faculty of Hadith and later became the head of the Department of Sunnah in the Department of Higher Studies. He held the chair until his retirement in the mid-1990s.[10]
Having been an opponent of the House of Saud[11][12] but then having turned strongly pro-establishment by the early 1990s, the Saudi government promoted al-Madkhali to lead a countermovement against growing criticisms of the Kingdom's socioeconomic ills, late deliveries of farm subsidies and normalization of ties with Israel on the condition of a Palestinian state.[13] After the Gulf War had concluded, Madkhali distributed a booklet justifying the decision of the Saudi Arabian government to allow the presence of U.S. troops on Arabian soil and criticizing rival controversial radical cleric Safar Al-Hawali for the latter's opposition to the government's decision.[14] In 2016, he issued a fatwa calling upon "the Salafis of Libya" to rebel against the UN-recognized Government of National Accord in favor of Khalifa Haftar, who has been described as "Libya's most potent warlord".[15]
Scholarly works
Al-Madkhali's collected works
Rabīʿal-Madkhali had authored over 30 works in the field of Hadith and Islamic sciences, much of which has been compiled into a 15 volume set [16] In 1984, the book which brought him fame in the Saudi religious field, 'Manhaj Al-Anbiyah Fi Da’wah Ila Allah' (The Methodology of the Prophets in Calling to Allah), caused controversy over Al-Madkhali's criticisms of the Muslim Brotherhood and their methods in Muslim missionary work.[17] According to Lacroix, Al-Madkhali insisted that priority must be given to correcting Islamic creed amongst the people, whereas the Muslim Brotherhood's initial focus was on political reform.[17] Some observers state that Al-Madkhali is most noted for his refutations of Islamic thinker Sayyid Qutb. Al-Madkhali received acclamations for his works refuting radical preacher [18] Sayyid Qutb from other Salafi scholars such as Saleh Al-Fawzan, Muqbil bin Hadi al-Wadi'i, Muhammad Nasiruddin al-Albani and Muhammad ibn al Uthaymeen.[19] Of his four books on Sayyid Qutb, 'Adhwa Islamiyyah ala aqidat Sayyid Qutb wa fikrihi' is considered the most important.[20] Apart from his praised works in refutations, his other authorships include:
“Bainal-Imāmain Muslim Wad-Daruqutnī” – “Between the Two Imams: Muslim and Ad-Dar Qutni.” And this was one large volume which was the thesis of his Magistrates degree.
“An-Nukat ‘Ala Kitāb Ibn Salāh” – “Points Upon the Book of Ibn Salāh.” Published in 2 volumes and it was his PhD thesis.
“Manhajul-Anbiyā’ Fid-Da’wah IlAllāh Fīhī Al-Hikmah Wal-‘Aql” – “The Methodology of the Prophets in Calling to Allāh: In it was Wisdom and Intellect”
“Manhaj Ahlus-Sunnah Fī Naqd Ar-Rijāl Wal-Kutub Wat–Tawā’if” – “The Methodology of The People of Sunnah in Criticism of Men, Books, and Groups.”
“Kashf Mawqif Al-Ghazālī Min As-Sunnah Wa-Ahlihā” – “Exposing Ghazālī’s Position Regarding the Sunnah and Its People.”
“Makānatu Ahlil-Hadīth” – “The Position of the People of Hadīth”
“Manhaj Al-Imām Muslim Fī Tartībi Sahīhihī” – “Al-Imām Muslim's Method in Ordering his Sahīh.”
“Adhwā’ Islāmiyyah ‘Alā ‘Aqīdah Sayyid Qutb wa Fikarihī” – “The Illumination of Islām Regarding the Creed of Sayyid Qutb and his Ideas.”
“Matā’in Sayyid Qutb fī As-hābi Rasūlillāh SallAllāhu Alaihi wa Sallam” – “The Slanders of Sayyid Qutb Upon the Companions of the Messenger of Allāh (H).”
“Al-Hadd Al-Fāsil Bainal-Haqq Wal-Bātil” – “The Distinct Separation Between Truth and Falsehood,” which was part of critical dialogue between him and Bakr Abū Zaid
“Jamā’ah Wāhidah Lā Jamā’āt; Wa Sīrat Wāhid Lā ‘Asharāt” – “One Jamā’ah – Not Many Jamā’ahs; and One Path – Not Tens of Paths,” which was part of a critical dialogue with ‘Abdur-Rahmān ‘Abdul-Khāliq.[2]
Counterparts' views
20th century Salafi scholar al-Albani regarded al-Madkhali to be very knowledgeable in the field of hadith, particularly in al-Jarh wal-Ta’dil. Al-Albani stated that, “the carrier of the flag of [knowledge] of al-Jarh wal-Ta'dil today, in this present time, and rightfully so, is our brother Dr. Rabee’, and those who refute him do so without any knowledge."[21] He has also received praise from other contemporary Salafist scholars such as Abd al-Aziz ibn Baz, Saleh Al-Fawzan, Muhammad ibn al-Uthaymeen, Muqbil bin Hadi al-Wadi'i, and the Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia among many others who praised him for being a firm defender of Islam's core values.[2] Roel Meijer notes that some analysts view Madkhali's followers as having an obsession with his defense and continuously cite scholarly praise of him as a mechanism "for maintaining, defending and enhancing this authority", which is contested by Madkhali's detractors.[22]
Political scientist Gilles Kepel has described Madkhali as being the perfect example of pro-regime "court scholars" in the Middle East, as opposed to more radical trends within the Salafist movement.[23] In contrast to his early opposition to the Saudi Arabian government, Madkhali is now considered one of the Saudi royal family's staunchest defenders.[10][11][24][25][26] While politically quietest within his own country, Madkhali has supported violent conflict in other areas, having called on Muslims both inside and outside Indonesia to participate in the Maluku sectarian conflict.[27][28][29][30]
Madkhali's source of religious authority within the Salafist movement is unclear. He has not been involved with official religious bodies of the Saudi government, does not belong to the significant line of 20th-century Salafist scholars including Abd al-Aziz ibn Baz and Muhammad Nasiruddin al-Albani, and has been described as below the level of contemporaries such as Muhammad ibn al Uthaymeen or Saleh Al-Fawzan.[31] Some anti-Muslim Brotherhood figures like Muqbil ibn Hadi al Wadi'i are huge supporters of Al-Madkhali and consider him to be a senior scholar. According to Al-Wadi'i:
"From the most insightful of people concerning the [misguided] groups and their taints in this era is the brother, Shaikh Rabī’ bin Hādī, may Allāh preserve him. Whomever he declares to be a hizbī, then it will be unveiled [and made clear] for you after some days that he is indeed a hizbī...I advise you to ask Shaikh Rabī’ bin Hādī, may Allāh preserve him. A great deal of his life has passed with [dealing with] al-Ikhwān al-Muslimīn. He is the most knowledge person concerning them and their realities"[32]
Religious life and students
Shaykh Rabīʿ was known for his staunch defence of the Sunnah and his detailed works in al-Jarḥ wa at-Taʿdīl (criticism and praise). His teachings on methodology and refutations of deviant groups became widely respected in Salafi circles. His known students include:
Rabīʿal-Madkhali died in Madinah on 9 July 2025, at the age of 92. His janazah was performed after Fajr, at the Prophet's Masjid in Madinah on 10 July. It was led by Khaled al-Muhanna, an imam of the Prophet's Mosque. [34][35]
↑ Omayma Abdel-Latif, "Trends in Salafism." Taken from Islamist Radicalisation: The Challenge for Euro-Mediterranean Relations, pg. 74. Eds. Michael Emerson, Kristina Kausch and Richard Youngs. Brussels: Centre for European Policy Studies, 2009. ISBN9789290798651
↑ Mansoor Jassem Alshamsi, Islam and Political Reform in Saudi Arabia: The Quest for Political Change and Reform, pg. 111. London: Routledge, 2010. ISBN9781134126538
↑ Muhammad Najib Azza, "Communal Violence in Indonesia and the Role of Foreign and Domestic Networks." Taken from Conflict, Community, and Criminality in Southeast Asia and Australia, pg. 25. Eds. Arnaud De Borchgrave, Thomas M. Sanderson and David Gordon. Washington, D.C.: Center for Strategic and International Studies, 2009.
↑ Rohan Gunaratna, Inside Al Qaeda: global network of terror, pg. 201. Volume 3 of the University of St Andrews' Centre for the Study of Terrorism and Political Violence series. London: C. Hurst & Co., 2002.
↑ Roel Meijer, "Politicizing al-jarh wa-l-ta'dil: Rabi b. Hadi al-Madkhali and the transnational battle for religious authority." Taken from The Transmission and Dynamics of the Textual Sources of Islam: Essays in Honor of Harald Motzki, pg. 377. Eds. Nicolet Boekhoff-van der Voort, Kees Versteegh and Joas Wagemakers. Leiden: Brill Publishers, 2011.
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