Church Laws-Ibn al-‘Assal and al-Majmū‘ al-Safawī
Church Laws
Ibn al-‘Assal… His Merits and His Shortcomings (1)
Ibn al-‘Assal and al-Majmū‘ al-Safawī
The effort made by Ibn al-‘Assal
He was a compiler, not a scholarly researcher
Erroneous additions in his book
What his book lacks
Mistakes by Ibn al-‘Assal
We have previously spoken about the sources of canonical laws recognized by our Church. It remains for us to mention the collections that published and included these canons, which are:
Al-Majmū‘ al-Safawī by Ibn al-‘Assal
Its compiler is Shaykh al-Safī Abū al-Faḍā’il Ibn al-‘Assal, who lived during the papacy of Pope Cyril III ibn Laqlaq in the thirteenth century. He authored many books in theology, doctrine, canon law, homilies, and history. But his most famous book is al-Majmū‘ al-Safawī fī Qawānīn al-Kanīsa (“The Pure Collection of Church Canons”), which we shall discuss in detail.
Miṣbāḥ al-Ẓulma by Ibn Kabar
Its compiler is Shaykh al-Mu’taman Shams al-Ri’āsa Abū al-Barakāt Ibn Kabar, who lived in the fourteenth century and authored many works on doctrine, theology, and canon law. His most famous book is Miṣbāḥ al-Ẓulma fī Īḍāḥ al-Khidma (“Lamp of Darkness in the Clarification of Service”), a well-known book that gathers wide knowledge. Another of his works is al-Sullam al-Kabīr, a dictionary of the Coptic language. Although Miṣbāḥ al-Ẓulma is an important ancient reference, it has many shortcomings.
Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, Vol. XIV
This English book includes the canons recognized by our Church, as well as those accepted by other Churches, with commentary. Thus, we may take from it what agrees with our faith, but not everything it contains.
Kitāb al-Shar‘ al-Kanasī (The Ecclesiastical Law Book) – of the Greek Orthodox Church
It is almost an Arabic translation of the previous reference. It includes chapters on the works of councils, doctrines, and heresies, with notes and explanations. It gathers what is recognized by our Church along with that of the Greek Orthodox Church. It was compiled, translated, and arranged by Archimandrite Ḥanania Elias Kassab, with an introduction by His Beatitude Patriarch Elias IV, Patriarch of Antioch for the Greek Orthodox. It was published in 1975.
Now we shall speak about Ibn al-‘Assal and his book al-Majmū‘ al-Safawī—the effort he made.
There is no doubt that al-Majmū‘ al-Safawī was the largest book on church canons in his time—a great effort indeed. Ibn al-‘Assal took care to:
Gather the canons, arranged according to their sources, comparing different collections.
Divide the canons into subjects and arrange the texts accordingly.
Add commentary on these canons, either as footnotes or in appended chapters.
In the edition of Ibn al-‘Assal’s book published by Gergis Faltāwus ‘Awad, there are notes and commentaries inserted by the publisher which are neither canonical nor written by Ibn al-‘Assal. He also included in the section on personal status quotations from the book of Fr. Philotheos Ibrahim.
It is certain that Ibn al-‘Assal in his Majmū‘ al-Safawī was a compiler, not a research scholar. He collected everything that came into his hands—whether legitimate canons recognized by our Church or forged and invalid ones, whether ecclesiastical laws, royal decrees, or even personal opinions. Hence, the title al-Majmū‘ (The Collection), and al-Safawī refers to his name “al-Safī.”
The Book al-Majmū‘ al-Safawī
This book includes 51 chapters, 22 of which deal with ecclesiastical subjects and priestly ranks, and matters of worship such as prayer, fasting, the Eucharist, almsgiving, and feasts. Chapter 24 concerns personal status, meaning that only 23 chapters relate to church matters. The rest deal with civil issues—inheritance, endowments, clothing, housing, and other worldly or financial matters—taken from royal laws of Christian kings, which have no relation whatsoever to church canons.
Ibn al-‘Assal used abbreviations for his sources. For example, the Didascalia (Dsq), the Apostolic Canons (Rsta – Rstb – Rstg), the Canons of Basil the Great (Bs), and abbreviations for councils, such as the Council of Antioch (Ṭk), Sardica (Sdq), and Laodicea (Dhq). He placed these references beside the canon numbers where relevant—an admirable scholarly method for his time.
However, al-Majmū‘ al-Safawī contains many errors—some due to wrong additions, others to omissions, and some to his personal opinions.
Additions for Which Ibn al-‘Assal Is Blamed
He relied on royal laws (four books), which form more than half of his work (from chapter 25 to 51). Even in personal and ecclesiastical matters, he used royal decrees. But what do these have to do with church canons issued by holy councils and the priestly authority?
He also relied on forged canons not recognized by the Church—such as the eighty-one forged canons attributed to the Council of Nicaea. To distinguish them, he marked them (Niqiyya) while the genuine Nicene canons were marked (Niq). He also relied on other non-recognized canons such as those falsely attributed to the Apostles from the “Upper Room of Zion.”
He used canons of the Nestorians and Melkites—though the Nestorians were heretics condemned by the Church, and the Melkite canons after the schism are not recognized.
He included canons with no stated source, which cannot be relied upon.
He added his own personal ideas to church canons—for example, the chapter on Confession in al-Majmū‘ al-Safawī is almost an article on doctrine written by Ibn al-‘Assal himself, unrelated to canonical texts, and containing some unacceptable ideas.
What al-Majmū‘ al-Safawī Lacks
It omits theological canons entirely—he did not dedicate a section to them.
It neglects the canons of the Councils of Constantinople and Ephesus.
It omits a section on Rituals, a vital part of ecclesiastical law.
It does not mention the canons of many revered Church Fathers, such as St. Athanasius the Apostolic, St. Peter the Seal of the Martyrs, St. Theophilus of Alexandria, St. Cyprian, or the anathemas of St. Cyril the Great, among others.
In the section on monasticism, he relied only on the canons of St. Basil, omitting those of St. Pachomius and St. Shenouda the Archimandrite, and other great monastic fathers—and even included some forged Nicene canons.
Mistakes by Ibn al-‘Assal
The chapter on Patriarchs in his book is wholly rejected.
He based it only on the forged Nicene canons, recognizing the primacy of St. Peter and the Roman See (canon 44 of the forged Nicene collection), and stated that there were only four patriarchs in the world—the first being the holder of Peter’s See in Rome (based on forged canon 37). He also wrote that the Patriarchate of Ephesus was moved to “the city of the king” (forged Nicene 38), though Constantinople (“the city of the king”) did not yet exist at the time of Nicaea. He even mentioned the Church of Ethiopia, which had not yet been founded at that time.
Much of what he wrote on personal status is unacceptable—such as his views on annulment of marriage, property contracts, gifts before marriage, dowry, and engagement—all lacking any canonical reference.
Other mistakes appear in scattered sections—for instance, in his discussion on confession, or fasting (where he refers to the week before Lent as “Heraclius’ Friday”), and in his section on priesthood, where he claims that if a bishop is absent from his see for six months and Easter, he should be deposed—attributing this to forged Nicene canon 34. In quoting Apostolic Canons, he often mixed authentic and spurious ones, sometimes merely saying “as the Apostles commanded” without citing sources.
The errors committed by Ibn al-‘Assal do not diminish the fact that he was a light in his age and that he made a huge effort—but one not free from error, containing serious mistakes that cannot be accepted.
Question and Answer
Polygamy and Multiple Marriages
Q: Does what St. Paul wrote—“A bishop must be blameless, the husband of one wife” (1 Tim 3:2; Tit 1:6)—mean that only clergy were forbidden multiple marriages, while it was permitted for laypeople?
A: The phrase “husband of one wife” means that he had married only once in his life, for anyone who married again after being widowed could not be ordained to any clerical rank.
There is a difference between polygamy and multiple marriages:
Polygamy is forbidden for all Christians—by Gospel teachings, by church canons, and by the universal consensus that the Church has upheld since its beginning.
As for multiple marriages, they are forbidden only for clergy—he may marry only once; if his wife dies, he may not remarry.
¹ An article by His Holiness Pope Shenouda III, published in Watani newspaper on July 5, 1987.
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