al-Athbat fi Makhtutat al-Aimma: Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiya, wa al-Allama Ibn al-Qayyim, wa al-Hafiz Ibn Rajab
- Author died
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- Editions
- Without publisher (King Fahd National Library Cataloging - Riyadh)
al-Athbat fi Makhtutat al-Aimma: Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiya, wa al-Allama Ibn al-Qayyim, wa al-Hafiz Ibn Rajab (Catalogues of the Manuscripts of the Imams: Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyya, al-Allama Ibn al-Qayyim, and al-Hafiz Ibn Rajab) is a bibliographical reference work compiled by Ali bin Abd al-Aziz al-Shibl cataloguing manuscript copies of the treatises and compositions of three Hanbali scholars: Ibn Taymiyya (661–728 AH), his student Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyya (691–751 AH), and Ibn Rajab al-Hanbali (736–795 AH) .
Background and Composition
The project originated while al-Shibl was searching manuscript catalogues and public and private collections for a master's thesis topic in the Department of Creed and Contemporary Trends at Imam Mohammad Ibn Saud Islamic University in Riyadh . During this survey, he began recording uncatalogued or lesser-known treatises and legal answers (fatawa) attributed to Ibn Taymiyya .
An early version containing over 260 titles of Ibn Taymiyya's works was published in the introductions to al-Shibl's editions of Ibn Taymiyya's Qa'ida fi al-radd 'ala al-Ghazali fi al-tawakkul and Mas'ala fi al-kana'is . Although he initially intended to publish a list restricted to Ibn Taymiyya, scholars suggested appending manuscripts of Ibn al-Qayyim, after which he also incorporated those of Ibn Rajab . The author completed the compilation on 19 Safar 1421 AH in Riyadh .
Structure and Methodology
The work is organized into three distinct parts, arranging the three scholars chronologically by era and seniority: Ibn Taymiyya first, followed by Ibn al-Qayyim, and concluding with Ibn Rajab . Within each scholar's section, entries are generally organized in alphabetical order .
For each entry, the author provides concise catalogue data, including:
- The manuscript's title as found in library catalogues and codices .
- Location and repository shelfmark or call number .
- Physical description, noting leaf or page count, script type, copyist name, and date of transcription when recorded .
- Footnotes recording whether the manuscript has undergone academic critical editing, citing the editor's name .
The introductory material includes an edited biographical notice of Ibn Taymiyya written by al-Dhahabi from his Dhayl Tarikh al-Islam, based on manuscripts from the Chester Beatty Library and Leiden University Library, alongside reflections on Ibn Taymiyya's critique of writings and authors .
Senior scholars, including Abdullah bin Abd al-Aziz bin Aqil and Hammad al-Ansari, suggested cross-referencing each entry with printed compendiums such as Majmu' Fatawa, but al-Shibl refrained from doing so, stating that he lacked direct access to all manuscript copies to verify concordance and wished to encourage researchers to independently examine and authenticate manuscript sources .
Reception and Critique
The catalogue for Ibn Taymiyya lists over 400 manuscript titles . Bibliographical researcher Abdulsalam al-Husayn observed that the section on Ibn Taymiyya contains duplicate entries under varying titles, as well as several works that are biographical accounts about Ibn Taymiyya rather than compositions authored by him .
Publication
The book was published in 1423 AH (2002 CE) by the King Fahd National Library in Riyadh as part of its third publication series (no. 49), in a single volume comprising 400 pages .
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