al-Alfaz wal-Mustalahat al-Mutaalliqah bi-Tawhid al-Rububiyyah
- Author died
- -
- Editions
- al-Alfaz wal-Mustalahat al-Mutaalliqah bi-Tawhid al-Rububiyyah
al-Alfaz wal-Mustalahat al-Mutaalliqah bi-Tawhid al-Rububiyyah (Words and Terminology Related to the Unification of Lordship) is an academic study in Islamic theology by Amal bint Abd al-Aziz al-Amr, dedicated to collecting, defining, and analyzing vocabulary and technical terms pertaining to the divine lordship (tawhid al-rububiyyah) from the perspective of Ahl al-Sunnah and other theological groups .
Background and Purpose
The work was originally composed as a doctoral dissertation submitted to the Department of Creed (Aqidah) . It was conceived as part of a collective academic initiative alongside companion dissertations focused on terms related to the divine names and attributes (tawhid al-asma wal-sifat) and prophecies (al-nubuwwat) .
The author outlines the necessity of defining creedal terms according to the methodology of Ahl al-Sunnah, noting that earlier lexicons either focused on other disciplines or reflected the terminology of philosophical, Sufi, and scholastic theology (kalam) . The book aims to clarify the legitimate textual (shar'i) and linguistic meanings of theological terms, explain how non-Sunni groups adapted or altered them, and address ambiguous and innovated expressions .
Structure and Contents
The book is organized into an introduction, a preparatory section, two main parts, a conclusion, and extensive analytical indexes :
- Preliminary Section (al-Tamhid): Covers the definitions and categories of tawhid, lexical terms (alfaz), technical terminology (mustalahat), and encyclopedic reference works .
- Part One: Theoretical sources and rules governing theological terminology among Ahl al-Sunnah and opposing factions .
- Chapter 1: Sources of Ahl al-Sunnah (the Quran, the Sunnah, the Arabic language, and the traditions of the Salaf) and their hermeneutical principles, such as adhering to revelation, upholding linguistic indications, and avoiding innovated, ambiguous, or borrowed terms .
- Chapter 2: Sources of opposing groups (reason, Greek philosophy and Aristotelian logic, other religions, and mystical unveiling / kashf) and their principles, including reliance on non-textual terminology, metaphorical reinterpretation (ta'wil), and innovated expressions .
- Chapter 3: The logicians' concept of formal definition (al-hadd) and the critique leveled against it by Sunni scholars .
- Chapter 4: Evaluation of key historical lexicons of theological terms, including al-Mubin by Sayf al-Din al-Amidi, al-Ta'rifat by al-Sharif al-Jurjani, and al-Tawqif 'ala Muhimmat al-Ta'arif by al-Munawi .
- Part Two: An applied study of terms connected to tawhid al-rububiyyah, divided into four chapters :
- Chapter 1: Terms related to the specific characteristics of lordship, such as creation (khalq), origination (ibda'), bringing into existence (ijad), existence (wujud), eternity (qidam, azaliyyah), and unity of actions .
- Chapter 2: Terminology linked to proofs of God's lordship, including necessary and theoretical knowledge (al-'ilm al-daruri, al-'ilm al-nazari), regression (tasalsul), circularity (dawr), substance and accident (jawhar, 'arad), possible and necessary existence (mumkin, wajib al-wujud), mutual hindrance (dalil al-tamanu'), and natural disposition (fitrah) .
- Chapter 3: Expressions connected to polytheism in lordship (shirk fil-rububiyyah), including modern and philosophical ideologies (atheism, materialism, causality, emanation, eternity of the world) and historical polytheistic practices (astrology, divination, sorcery, omens) .
- Chapter 4: Innovated terms related to lordship, focusing predominantly on extreme Sufi concepts such as the spiritual hierarchy (al-abdal, al-awtad, al-qutb, al-ghawth), hidden men (rijal al-ghayb), and forms of annihilation (al-fana') and mystical intoxication (al-sukr) .
The text concludes with summary findings and seven indexes covering Quranic verses, Hadiths, biographical entries, sects, technical terms, cited sources, and subjects .
Methodology
When analyzing each term, the author provides its linguistic definition before establishing its Islamic legal meaning (shar'i) where one exists . Definitions given by Sunni scholars are presented in chronological sequence, moving from early authorities to later figures, with preference given where definitions differ; if no explicit classical definition is found, an inductive definition is formulated adhering to Sunni theological parameters . The work subsequently examines non-Sunni usages across theological and philosophical sects in chronological order, critiquing divergent interpretations against the Quran, the Sunnah, and classical Arabic linguistic norms .
Answer updated