al-Ibana al-Kubra - Ibn Batta

al-Ibanah al-Kubra (full title: al-Ibanah ʿan shariʿat al-firqah al-najiyah wa-mujanabat al-firaq al-madhmumah, "The Clarification of the Creed of the Saved Sect and the Avoidance of Cured Sects") is an extensive compendium on Sunni and early traditionalist theology by the Hanbali jurist and traditionist Ibn Batta (d. 387 AH / 997 CE) Madkhal li-Dirasat al-Aqi…+1. It serves as a major source for early theological discourse, transmitting chains of narration, statements of the Companions and Successors, and traditionalist responses to theological schisms Sharh Kitab al-Ibana min …+1.

Background and Purpose

Ibn Batta composed the work to delineate the creed of the "saved sect" (al-firqah al-najiyah) amidst the emergence and diffusion of rival theological groups and speculative debates Sharh Kitab al-Ibana min …+1. In the introduction, he expresses distress over the deviations, sectarian factionalism, and departure from prophetic Sunnah observable in his era Sharh Kitab al-Ibana min …. He patterned his work after classical traditionalist compendia (such as books titled Kitab al-Sunnah), assembling cited reports (athar) to document the beliefs of early authorities by name Sharh Kitab al-Ibana min ….

Structure and Content

The compendium is organized into major thematic parts divided into chapters, spanning faith (iman), divine decree (qadar), and polemics against dissenting theological sects Sharh Kitab al-Ibana min …:

• Adherence to Tradition and the Nature of Faith: The opening parts treat the necessity of obeying the Prophet ﷺ, clinging to the Muslim community, and prohibiting theological schisms and disputations (khasumat wa-mira') Madkhal li-Dirasat al-Aqi…. Ibn Batta details the Sunni doctrine of iman, defining it as belief in the heart, verbal confession on the tongue, and physical deeds, while asserting that faith increases and decreases Sharh Kitab al-Ibana min …+1. He addresses hypocrisy, the ruling on major sins, the status of those who neglect prayer and zakat, and critiques the Murji'ah Madkhal li-Dirasat al-Aqi….
• Divine Decree (Qadar): The middle sections systematically articulate the doctrine of divine decree and predestination Sharh Kitab al-Ibana min …+1. Ibn Batta establishes the eternal foreknowledge of Allah, the creation of the Pen to record future events, and the inclusion of human acts within divine will and creation al-Ibana al-Kubra - Ibn B…+1. He records reports from early authorities—including the early Caliphs, prominent Companions, and leading jurists—while condemning delvement into the inscrutable secrets of destiny and refuting the Qadarites al-Ibana al-Kubra - Ibn B…+2.
• Refutation of the Jahmiyyah: The final sections focus on counter-theological polemics against the Jahmiyyah and speculative theologians, affirming divine attributes according to traditionalist methods and refuting the doctrine of the createdness of the Quran Sharh Kitab al-Ibana min …+1.

Transmission and Reception

The book was preserved and transmitted through continuous chains from Ibn Batta, including the authorization (ijazah) granted to Abu al-Qasim ʿAli ibn Ahmad ibn al-Busri, and subsequently transmitted by later Hanbali figures such as Ibn al-Zaghuni al-Jami li Ulum al-Imam A…+1. Its attribution is attested by continuous isnads, audition notes (samaʿat) preserved on manuscripts, and extensive citations by later scholars, including al-Qadi Abu Ya'la, Ibn Taymiyyah, Ibn al-Qayyim, and al-Dhahabi Sharh Kitab al-Ibana min ….

The book has been edited in modern times by a team of scholars including Rida Naʿsan Muʿti, ʿUthman ʿAbd Allah Adam al-Ithyubi, Yusuf al-Wabil, al-Walid ibn Sayf al-Nasr, and Hamad al-Tuwayjiri, and issued in multiple volumes by Dar al-Rayah in Riyadh al-Balagha al-Umariyya.