al-Athar al-Marwiyya fi Sifat al-Maiyya
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- Aḍwā’ al-Salaf
al-Athar al-Marwiyya fi Sifat al-Maiyya (The Transmitted Reports Concerning the Attribute of Withness) is a theological treatise by Muhammad ibn Khalifa al-Tamimi, examining the Islamic creedal understanding of the divine attribute of ma'iyya (God's "withness" or co-presence) through early textual traditions.
Background and Purpose
The treatise was composed to compile and document narrations (athar) from early Muslim authorities (the Salaf) regarding the Quranic verses mentioning God being "with" His creation. The author states that he wrote the book to address doubts raised by speculative theologians (ahl al-kalam) who utilized verses of ma'iyya to argue that God is omnipresent in His essence, thereby denying the attribute of divine transcendence and aboveness (al-'uluww). By gathering the interpretations transmitted across generations, the author aimed to demonstrate the historical consensus among early authorities and show that there is no contradiction between affirming God's transcendence and His withness.
Structure and Content
The work consists of an introduction, four primary thematic sections (matalib), and a conclusion:
- Introduction (al-Muqaddima): Discusses the theological importance of the topic, the motives behind writing, and the outline of the research.
- First Section (al-Matlab al-Awwal): Reviews the Quranic verses containing terms of ma'iyya and classifies them into two categories: general withness (al-ma'iyya al-'amma), which encompasses all of creation through God's all-encompassing knowledge and observation; and specific withness (al-ma'iyya al-khassa), which denotes divine assistance, support, and victory granted specifically to believers.
- Second Section (al-Matlab al-Thani): Details statements from early scholars, exegetes, and jurists explaining the verses of general withness as signifying God's knowledge. It also notes that early Ash'arite figures, including Abu al-Hasan al-Ash'ari, agreed with the early generations on this interpretation.
- Third Section (al-Matlab al-Thalith): Focuses on reports reconciling the attribute of divine aboveness with that of withness, arranged in chronological order by the death dates of the authorities cited, beginning with the Companion Abdullah ibn Mas'ud.
- Fourth Section (al-Matlab al-Rabi'): Outlines the distinct theological positions held regarding ma'iyya, contrasting the perspective of Ahl al-Sunnah wa-l-Jama'ah—affirming that God is above the heavens, established over the Throne, and distinct from creation—with opposing views, such as those of the Jahmiyya.
- Conclusion (al-Khatima): Summarizes the main theological conclusions established in the study.
Publication
The book was published as an independent monograph by Adwa' al-Salaf in Riyadh in 1422 AH (2001/2002 CE). It has also appeared as an academic paper in the scholarly journal Majallat Jami'at Umm al-Qura li-'Ulum al-Shari'a wa-l-Lugha al-Arabiyya.
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