al-Aqida al-Saffariniyya = al-Durra al-Mudiyya fi Aqd Ahl al-Firqa al-Mardiyya
- Author died
- 1188 AH
- Editions
- Maktabat Adwa' al-Salaf
al-Durra al-Mudiyya fi Aqd Ahl al-Firqa al-Mardiyya (The Radiant Pearl on the Creed of the Pleasing Sect), widely known as al-Aqida al-Saffariniyya, is an Arabic didactic poem on Islamic theology by the Hanbali scholar Shams al-Din al-Saffarini (1114–1188 AH / 1702–1774 CE) .
Composition and Scope
Al-Saffarini composed the poem in 1173 AH (c. 1759/1760 CE) after some of his companions requested a versified summary of the foundational creedal principles of the traditionalists (Ahl al-Athar) . The text consists of slightly over two hundred and ten verses setting forth Sunni Islamic doctrine .
Commentary and Content
Following requests from his companions to explain the poem, al-Saffarini authored an extensive, two-part commentary titled Lawami' al-Anwar al-Bahiyya wa-Sawati' al-Asrar al-Athariyya li-Sharh al-Durra al-Mudiyya . In this commentary, he articulated a broad definition of Ahl al-Sunna wa-l-Jama'a, dividing them into three distinct branches: the Atharis, led by Ahmad ibn Hanbal; the Maturidis, led by Abu Mansur al-Maturidi; and the Ash'aris, led by Abu al-Hasan al-Ash'ari .
Reception and Scholarly Works
The poem and its primary commentary became prominent reference works in late Hanbali theology and attracted extensive teaching, annotation, and abridgment .
Commentaries and Glosses
- al-Kawakib al-Durriyya fi Sharh al-Durra al-Mudiyya, authored by the poet's grandson, Muhammad ibn Umar al-Ghazzi .
- al-Kawakib al-Durriyya li-Sharh al-Durra al-Mudiyya, a commentary by Muhammad ibn Abd al-Aziz ibn Mani', published in India in 1336 AH .
- Hashiyat al-Durra al-Mudiyya, a concise line-by-line gloss by Abd al-Rahman ibn Muhammad ibn Qasim (d. 1392 AH), first published in Mecca in 1364 AH .
Abridgments and Critiques
Al-Saffarini's extensive commentary Lawami' al-Anwar al-Bahiyya was abridged by several scholars, including Hasan al-Shatti (d. 1247 AH), Muhammad ibn Sallum, and Ali al-Mansur al-Karmi .
While scholars valued the work for its vast collection of theological citations, several Athari commentators noted minor departures where al-Saffarini incorporated theological terminology or arguments of later scholastic theologians (khalaf) . These issues were addressed in published marginalia by Abdullah ibn Abd al-Rahman Aba Butayn and Sulayman ibn Sahman, the latter of whom also composed a dedicated critical treatise titled Tanbih Dhawi al-Albab al-Salima (published in Cairo in 1343 AH) .
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