Abd al-Rahman ibn Nasir al-Barrak
- Died
- -
- Born in
- Al-Bukayriyah
Abd al-Rahman ibn Nasir al-Barrak (born 1352 AH / 1934 CE) is a Saudi Islamic scholar, theologian, and retired university professor specializing in Sunni Athari creed and legal sciences .
Lineage and Early Life
His full name is Abd al-Rahman ibn Nasir ibn Barrak ibn Ibrahim al-Barrak, tracing his lineage to the Uraynat branch of the Subay' tribe . He was born in the town of al-Bukayriyyah in the al-Qasim region in Dhu al-Qi'dah 1352 AH . His father died when he was one year old, and he was raised by his mother among his maternal relatives . At five years of age, he moved with his mother to Mecca under the care of his stepfather, Muhammad ibn Hammud al-Barrak . While enrolled in the second primary grade at al-Madrasa al-Rahmaniyya in Mecca, he contracted an eye illness around the age of ten that resulted in the complete loss of his sight .
Education and Teachers
Al-Barrak returned with his family to al-Bukayriyyah, where he memorized the Quran around the age of ten under his uncle Abd Allah ibn Mansur al-Barrak, and subsequently studied recitation under the town's reciter, Abd al-Rahman ibn Salim al-Kuraydis . Around 1364–1365 AH, he began attending scholarly circles in al-Bukayriyyah, studying Arabic grammar and theology under Abd al-Aziz ibn Abd Allah al-Subayyil and Muhammad ibn Muqbil . He returned to Mecca around 1366 AH for three years, studying Arabic grammar with the imam of the Grand Mosque, Abd Allah ibn Muhammad al-Khulayfi .
In Mecca, he met the scholar Salih ibn Husayn al-Ali al-Iraqi, who took him to the town of al-Dilam in Rabi' al-Awwal 1369 AH to study under Abd al-Aziz ibn Baz, who was serving as the town's judge . Al-Barrak accompanied Ibn Baz on the pilgrimage that year and subsequently devoted himself to studying foundational texts in hadith, theology, and jurisprudence under his direct supervision . His association with Ibn Baz continued for over fifty years until the latter's death in 1420 AH .
During his academic studies in Riyadh, al-Barrak also attended the mosque lessons of the Grand Mufti Muhammad ibn Ibrahim Al al-Shaykh . His other prominent instructors included Muhammad al-Amin al-Shinqiti, Abd al-Razzaq Afifi, Muhammad Abd al-Razzaq Hamza, Abd al-Aziz ibn Nasir al-Rashid, and Abd al-Rahman al-Afriqi .
Academic Career and Teaching
In 1379 AH, al-Barrak was appointed as an instructor at the Riyadh Scientific Institute, where he taught for three years . By order of Muhammad ibn Ibrahim, he transferred in 1381 AH to the Faculty of Sharia in Riyadh to teach Islamic legal and theological disciplines . Following the founding of the Faculty of Usul al-Din in 1396 AH, he joined the Department of Creed and Contemporary Ideologies, continuing to lecture and supervise graduate dissertations until his retirement in 1420 AH .
Ibn Baz requested on multiple occasions that al-Barrak assume formal roles in issuing legal verdicts, but al-Barrak declined, agreeing only to serve temporarily as a summer deputy at the Ifta Administration in Riyadh during two seasonal rotations . Following Ibn Baz's death, the Grand Mufti Abd al-Aziz Al al-Shaykh also invited him to join the official ifta body, but al-Barrak chose instead to concentrate fully on independent teaching and public circles in mosques, notably at the al-Khulayfi Mosque in Riyadh .
Scholarly Output
Al-Barrak's scholarship is centered on the articulation and defense of classical Sunni theology according to the methodology of the early Muslim generations (al-salaf). His delivered lectures and glosses include Sharh al-Aqida al-Tahawiyya ("Commentary on the Tahawi Creed"), which provides an exposition of classical Sunni dogma substantiated by textual evidence . He also delivered specialized critical notes on non-Athari theological formulations in later commentaries, such as his glosses on Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani's Fath al-Bari , as well as Tawdih Maqasid al-Aqida al-Wasitiyya ("Clarification of the Objectives of al-Aqida al-Wasitiyya"), delivered during intensive educational courses in Riyadh .
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List of Works
This critical theological work examines and rectifies doctrinal positions found in Ibn Juzayy's Quranic commentary, al-Tashil li Ulum al-Tanzil. Organized chronologically by Quranic surahs, it pairs cited excerpts from the original text with critical annotations grounded in classical Sunni theology to address matters of belief and conduct.
This theological commentary explains Muhammad ibn Salih al-Uthaymin's treatise on Islamic creed, al-Qawaid al-Muthla fi Sifat Allah wa-Asma'ihi al-Husna. It focuses on the principles governing divine names and attributes in Sunni theology, elucidating the categorization of monotheism (tawhid), linguistic and theological rules, and responses to theological deviations.
This Quranic exegesis and supercommentary covers Surat al-Fatihah and Surat al-Baqarah, combining concise verse interpretations with analytical notes on Tafsir al-Jalalayn. It clarifies the original authors' intended meanings, resolves ambiguous phrasing, and addresses theological interpretations of divine attributes from an Athari Sunni perspective.
This theological commentary analyzes Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab's treatise Kashf al-Shubuhat (The Removal of Doubts). It expounds on the foundational principles of Islamic monotheism, specifically the monotheism of worship (tawhid al-ibadah), while addressing theological misconceptions, grave veneration, and issues surrounding intercession and devotion.
This theological commentary offers an exposition of Abu Ja'far al-Tahawi's classical doctrinal treatise, al-Aqida al-Tahawiya, in accordance with the tenets of Ahl al-Sunna wa-l-Jama'a. It substantiates creedal positions using textual proofs from the Quran and Sunnah, clarifies ambiguous phrases, connects interrelated topics, and critiques differing theological sects.
al-Tawdih lil-Masail al-Aqadiyya fi Muqaddimat al-Risala al-Qayrawaniyya is an intermediate-length commentary on the theological prologue of al-Risala, the foundational Maliki legal primer by Ibn Abi Zayd al-Qayrawani. The work examines these creedal tenets through the framework of the early Muslim generations, emphasizing the shared theological foundations of early legal authorities.
Taliqat al-Shaykh al-Barrak ala al-Mukhalafat al-Aqdiyya fi Fath al-Bari is a specialized creedal work containing dictated glosses and critical notes on selected doctrinal passages in Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani's commentary Fath al-Bari. Rather than a comprehensive cover-to-cover commentary, it addresses over 150 specific theological points to articulate the Athari and Salafi stance, primarily critiquing Ash'arite interpretations concerning divine attributes.
Sharh Nawaqid al-Islam is a theological commentary on the concise treatise Nawaqid al-Islam by Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab. It explains the ten primary acts and beliefs that invalidate a person's faith, examining their scriptural proofs within the classical jurisprudential framework of the ruling on apostasy.
Sharh al-Aqida al-Tadmuriyya is an extensive theological commentary on Ibn Taymiyya's creedal treatise al-Aqida al-Tadmuriyya. It clarifies the specialized principles and dialectical arguments governing the divine names and attributes as well as the reconciliation between divine decree and religious obligation according to the methodology of the early Muslim generations.
Sharh al-Usul al-Thalatha is a concise commentary on the creedal treatise al-Usul al-Thalatha by Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab. Following the sequential arrangement of the base text, it explains the preliminary obligations and clarifies the three foundational principles of Islamic faith: knowledge of Allah, knowledge of His Prophet Muhammad, and knowledge of the religion of Islam based on textual evidence.
al-Taʿlīq wa-al-Bayān ʿalā al-Dīn al-Ḥaqq li-al-Shaykh ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Ḥammād al-ʿUmar is a commentary on the introductory treatise al-Dīn al-Ḥaqq ("The True Religion"). The work expounds the core tenets of Islamic belief and practice, elucidating theological points, addressing criticisms and misconceptions raised against Islam, and linking its central arguments to broader principles of creed and scholarship.
Sharh al-Qawaid al-Arba (A Commentary on the Four Rules) is a concise theological commentary on al-Qawaid al-arba by Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab. It expounds the fundamental principles that distinguish Islamic monotheism (tawhid) from polytheism (shirk).
al-Jamiʿ li-Fawaʾid Bulugh al-Maram (The Comprehensive Compendium of the Benefits of Bulugh al-Maram) is a legal commentary on Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani's legal hadith collection Bulugh al-Maram min Adillat al-Ahkam. It systematically extracts and enumerates the specific jurisprudential, theological, and ethical deductions derived from each narration.
Tawdih al-Maqsud min Haiyyat Ibn Abi Dawud (Clarification of the Intent of Ibn Abi Dawud’s Haiyyah Poem) is a concise commentary on theological creed. It explicates al-Manzumah al-Haiyyah, a classical didactic poem on traditional Sunni doctrine composed by the hadith scholar Abu Bakr Ibn Abi Dawud.
Tawdih Maqasid al-Aqida al-Wasitiyya (Clarification of the Objectives of al-Aqida al-Wasitiyya) is a theological commentary on Ibn Taymiyya's classical creedal treatise al-Aqida al-Wasitiyya, elucidating its core doctrinal principles and objectives.
Sharh al-Qasida al-Daliyya lil-Kalwadhani is a theological commentary on Abu al-Khattab al-Kalwadhani's doctrinal poem. The work explains the linguistic meaning of the verses and clarifies their answers, presenting early Sunni creedal positions on foundational dogmas, the oneness of God, and divine attributes, while offering critical annotations where the poem's formulations differ from traditional Sunni doctrine.
Sharh Kalimat al-Ikhlas li-Ibn Rajab is a theological commentary on Ibn Rajab al-Hanbali's treatise examining the testimony of faith ("There is no god but Allah"). Designed as an intermediate commentary, the work explores the theological meanings, virtues, and implications of the declaration of monotheism while critically reviewing sayings transmitted by various figures of Sufism and spiritual wayfaring.
Irshad al-Ibad ila Maani Lumat al-Itiqad is a theological work that provides an explanation of Muwaffaq al-Din Ibn Qudama al-Maqdisi's creedal treatise, Lum'at al-I'tiqad, elucidating its core doctrinal teachings and concepts.
Jawab fi al-Iman wa Nawaqidih is a theological treatise that provides a concise exposition of the definition of faith (iman) and the nullifiers that invalidate it according to Sunni doctrine. It addresses the role of deeds in relation to faith, the requirements for entering Islam, and the beliefs and actions that lead to apostasy or breach Islamic monotheism.