al-Hukm ala al-Shay far an Tasawwurihi
- Author died
- 1415 AH
- Editions
- Al-Jāmi‘ah al-Islāmīyah bi-al-Madīnah al-Munawwarah
al-Hukm ʿala al-Shayʾ Farʿ ʿan Tasawwurihi (Judging a Thing Is Subordinate to Conceptualizing It) is a theological treatise by the Salafi scholar Muhammad Aman al-Jami (d. 1415 AH / 1996 CE), written while serving as Dean of the Faculty of Hadith at the Islamic University of Madinah, critically engaging with contemporary lectures and discourses on Islamic sects, legal adherence, and divine attributes.
Background and Purpose
The treatise originated as a critical rejoinder after al-Jami listened to an audio cassette of a lecture delivered in a congregational mosque in Kuwait City by Ismail al-Shatti, then editor-in-chief of the Kuwaiti journal al-Mujtamaʿ, under the title al-Tatarruf wa-al-Tafarruq ("Extremism and Division"). While acknowledging al-Shatti's sound treatment of early Kharijite and Shiʿi extremism, al-Jami composed the work to refute what he identified as severe mischaracterizations regarding the four Sunni legal schools (madhhabs), the theology of the divine names and attributes (tawhid al-asmaʾ wa-al-sifat), the Salafi movement, and contemporary revolutionary politics.
The title of the treatise references the classical logical and juristic maxim: "Judging a thing is subordinate to conceptualizing it" (al-hukm ʿala al-shayʾ farʿ ʿan tasawwurihi). Al-Jami argues that this principle finds direct corroboration in Islamic scripture, citing Qur'anic directives against speaking without verified knowledge, such as Surah al-Israʾ: وَلَا تَقْفُ مَا لَيْسَ لَكَ بِهِ عِلْمٌ إِنَّ السَّمْعَ وَالْبَصَرَ وَالْفُؤَادَ كُلُّ أُولَئِكَ كَانَ عَنْهُ مَسْئُولًا ("And do not pursue that of which you have no knowledge; indeed, the hearing, the sight and the heart—about all those one will be questioned"), and Surah al-Nahl: وَلَا تَقُولُوا لِمَا تَصِفُ أَلْسِنَتُكُمُ الْكَذِبَ هَذَا حَلَالٌ وَهَذَا حَرَامٌ ("And do not say about what your tongues assert of untruth, 'This is lawful and this is unlawful'"), along with the prophetic hadith: وَمَنْ كَانَ يُؤْمِنُ بِاللَّهِ وَالْيَوْمِ الْآخِرِ فَلْيَقُلْ خَيْرًا أَوْ لِيَصْمُتْ ("Whoever believes in Allah and the Last Day, let him speak good or remain silent").
Content and Major Arguments
The work is organized around systematic refutations of several interconnected themes:
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Critique of Blind Imitation (Taqlid) and Madhhab Fanaticism: Al-Jami responds to al-Shatti's characterization of taqlid as an established ancient practice of the first three generations. He demonstrates that the founders of the Four Sunni Schools explicitly prohibited uncritically imitating their rulings and commanded adherence to authentic prophetic texts whenever a juristic view conflicted with them. He criticizes late theological manuals—singling out Ibrahim al-Bajuri's commentary on Jawharat al-Tawhid—for claiming an obligation to follow exclusively one of the four imams to the exclusion of earlier figures such as the Rightly Guided Caliphs or other prominent Successor-era authorities like al-Awzaʿi, Sufyan al-Thawri, and al-Layth ibn Saʿd. Al-Jami illustrates the divisive consequences of strict legal factionalism by referencing historical practices, such as the maintenance of four separate prayer niches (mihrabs) in the Umayyad Mosque of Damascus and the four separate stations (maqamat) that formerly divided congregations in the Grand Mosque of Mecca before their dismantling during the Saudi era.
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Affirmation of Divine Attributes (Tawhid al-Asmaʾ wa-al-Sifat): The author addresses al-Shatti's claim that categorizing theology into Tawhid al-Asmaʾ wa-al-Sifat is an innovation (bidʿah), as well as al-Shatti's denial of literal divine attributes such as the Hand (al-Yad). Al-Jami establishes that discourse on divine names and attributes is strictly revelatory (tawqifi), governed solely by the Qur'an and Sunnah without rational speculation or allegorical nullification, invoking the traditional creedal rule articulated by Ahmad ibn Hanbal and the classical answer of Malik ibn Anas on divine ascension (istiwaʾ).
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Defense of Salafi Dawah: Al-Jami rejects allegations that Salafi scholars focus narrowly on theological semantics while ignoring rulers who rule by non-revealed laws or failing to support causes like the Afghan jihad. He argues that rectifying theological belief forms the indispensable foundation for all Islamic obligations and political reform. He also criticizes contemporary extremist figures, such as Shukri Mustafa of Jamaʿat al-Takfir wa-al-Hijrah and Juhayman al-ʿUtaybi, noting that both lacked scholarly competence.
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Critique of the Iranian Revolution: The treatise concludes with an analysis warning Muslim students against ideological infatuation with Ruhollah Khomeini's political movement in Iran. Al-Jami characterizes the revolution as grounded in heterodox Twelver Shiʿi theological doctrines rather than authentic Islamic governance.
Publication
The work was published as a monograph and also featured as a long academic treatise in the Journal of the Islamic University of Madinah (Majallat al-Jamiʿah al-Islamiyyah bi-al-Madinah al-Munawwarah).
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