al-Barahin al-Islamiyya fi Radd al-Shubha al-Farisiyya

Al-Barahin al-Islamiyya fi Radd al-Shubha al-Farisiyya (Islamic Proofs in Refutation of the Persian Doubts) is a theological polemic by the Najdi Hanbali scholar Abd al-Latif ibn Abd al-Rahman Al al-Shaykh (1225–1293 AH / 1810–1876 CE) al-Barahin al-Islamiyya f…+1. The treatise refutes arguments concerning grave devotion, the invocation of saints, and the attribution of divine prerogatives to created beings al-Barahin al-Islamiyya f…+1. In scholarly bibliographies, it is also cited under the titles al-Barahin al-Islamiyya fi al-Radd 'ala al-Shubah al-Farisiyya and al-Barahin al-Islamiyya fi al-Radd 'ala al-Shubhat al-Farisiyya Mashahir Ulama Najd wa Gh…+1.

Context and Scope

The work was authored in response to a written tract by a writer identified as Persian (mansub ila Faris), who sought scriptural justification for seeking aid from the deceased and ascribing supernatural powers to righteous figures al-Barahin al-Islamiyya f…+1. Upon receiving these written leaves, Abd al-Latif composed a systematic refutation to counter the opponent's doctrines and defend the theological positions established by Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab al-Barahin al-Islamiyya f…+1.

The tract of the Persian opponent advanced several core claims:

• That beings other than God possess knowledge of the unseen ('ilm al-ghayb) al-Barahin al-Islamiyya f…+1.
• That righteous saints (awliya' and salihun) exercise active disposal (tasarruf) over the universe during life and after death, possessing the power to bring benefit, avert harm, hear distant supplications, and relieve distress al-Barahin al-Islamiyya f…+1.
• That seeking aid (istimdad) from individuals in graves is permissible, with the claim that their management and assistance from within the grave is more potent than during their earthly lifetimes al-Barahin al-Islamiyya f….
• Accusing those who restrict supplication, hope, and reliance exclusively to God of Mu'tazilism (i'tizal) al-Barahin al-Islamiyya f….

Method and Arguments

Abd al-Latif engages the opposing tract point by point, pairing textual proof from the Quran and Sunnah with dialectical argument (al-dalil bi-l-ta'lil) al-Barahin al-Islamiyya f…+1. He argues that attributing knowledge of the unseen and universal control to creatures contradicts foundational Islamic teachings and infringes upon God's exclusive Lordship (tawhid al-rububiyya) al-Barahin al-Islamiyya f…+1.

The author maintains that the pre-Islamic polytheists acknowledged God's Lordship and sovereign creation, but erred by taking intermediaries to draw closer to Him, citing the verse: مَا نَعْبُدُهُمْ إِلَّا لِيُقَرِّبُونَا إِلَى اللَّهِ زُلْفَى ("We only worship them so that they may bring us closer to Allah") al-Barahin al-Islamiyya f…+1. Consequently, he asserts that acknowledgment of God's Lordship logically necessitates singling Him out in all acts of worship (tawhid al-uluhiyya), including supplication, love, dread, and reliance al-Barahin al-Islamiyya f…+1. He further emphasizes that the proper Islamic attitude toward deceased believers is to supplicate and seek forgiveness for them, rather than directing prayers and requests toward them al-Barahin al-Islamiyya f….

Manuscripts and Publication

Manuscript copies of the treatise were preserved in Riyadh at the Saudi Library (under call number 359/86) and in the library of Imam Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab in al-Mudhannab Uyun al-Rasail wal-Ajwiba…+1. The text was edited and transcribed from the original manuscript by Muhammad al-'Arif ibn 'Uthman al-Harari al-Arumi, who verified its scriptural references, with the support and introduction of Isma'il ibn Sa'd ibn 'Atiq, and published by Maktabat Dar al-Hidaya al-Barahin al-Islamiyya f…+1.