al-Ikhtilaf fi al-Amal al-Islami: al-Asbab wa al-Athar
- Author died
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- Editions
- The book is published on the website of the Saudi Ministry of Awqaf without publication details
al-Ikhtilaf fi al-Amal al-Islami: al-Asbab wa al-Athar (Disagreement in Islamic Work: Causes and Effects) is a contemporary treatise by the Saudi scholar Nasir al-Umar examining the nature, classifications, causes, and consequences of internal disagreement and factionalism within Islamic activism and scholarly discourse .
Context and Purpose
The treatise addresses the fragmentation, ideological discord, and sectarian divisions experienced by the Muslim community, emphasizing that true unity requires collective adherence to the Quran and the Sunnah . Drawing on classical authorities such as Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyya, the author posits that disagreement stemming from natural disparities in human intellect and perception is inevitable; however, discord becomes reprehensible when accompanied by mutual transgression (baghy), hostility, and partisan division (tahazzub) .
Typology of Disagreement
The book establishes several frameworks for categorizing disagreements:
- By Nature of the Issue: Disagreements are divided into formal or apparent differences (ikhtilaf suri)—which include variations in phrasing or complementary diversity (ikhtilaf al-tanawwu'), such as permissible interpretive differences that do not constitute genuine opposition—and genuine contradictions (ikhtilaf al-tadadd), which may be legally permissible (sa'igh) or impermissible (ghayr sa'igh) .
- By Consequence and Impact: Differences are divided into those that generate enmity and schism (chiefly over consensus-based fundamentals) and those that do not . The author also separates practically consequential disagreements that affect legal rulings and actions from purely theoretical or abstract disputes that bear no real-world implications .
- By Moral Assessment: Differences are distinguished between those in which all disputants are blameworthy—such as disputes rooted in transgression and divisive sectarianism—and those divided into praiseworthy and blameworthy, where a sincere scholar who exercises valid legal reasoning (ijtihad) is excused and rewarded even if mistaken, whereas one who errs through negligence or hostility is blameworthy .
Rulings and Causes of Division
The work outlines the legal rulings pertaining to differing views, categorizing them according to the subject matter:
- Decisive fundamentals of religion (usul al-din) established by definitive evidence, such as the oneness of God, the messengers, and the resurrection, wherein divergence is impermissible .
- Contested theological questions, such as the beatific vision in the afterlife or theological controversies over the creation of the Quran .
- Matters known from religion by necessity (al-ma'lum min al-din bi-al-darurah), such as the obligation of the five daily prayers and the prohibition of unlawful acts, where divergence is unacceptable .
The author identifies several principal causes of schism (al-iftiraq) within Islamic work, including innate disparities in human temperament, uneven levels of religious knowledge and understanding, the pursuit of personal desires (ittiba' al-shahawat), and the influence of ideological doubts and corrupt misinterpretations (al-shubuhat wa-al-ta'wilat al-fasidah) .
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