al-Ikhtilaf fi al-Lafz wa al-Radd ala al-Jahmiyya li Ibn Qutayba
- Author died
- 276 AH
- Editions
- Dār al-Rāyah
al-Ikhtilaf fi al-Lafz wa al-Radd ala al-Jahmiyya wa al-Mushabbiha (Disagreement over Pronunciation and the Refutation of the Jahmiyya and Anthropomorphists) is a theological treatise written by the Abbasid scholar and jurist Ibn Qutaybah (213–276 AH / 828–889 CE) . The work addresses the theological controversy surrounding the pronunciation of the Quran (al-lafz bi-l-Qur'an) and defends early Sunni credal principles against both the Jahmiyya and the Mushabbiha (anthropomorphists) .
Purpose and Theological Content
In the preface, Ibn Qutaybah laments the factional divisions, sectarian discord, and mutual accusations of disbelief that had afflicted the Muslim community, explaining that he composed the tract to guide readers to upright religious positions amidst widespread doctrinal confusion .
The core of the treatise examines the dispute regarding whether a person's verbal recitation or pronunciation (lafz) of the Quran is created or uncreated . Ibn Qutaybah articulates a moderate, text-based position regarding divine attributes:
- Adhering strictly to what is affirmed by God in the Quran and by His Prophet, without removing Arabic expressions from their recognized linguistic meanings or inventing interpretations beyond the revealed text .
- Affirming attributes and reports transmitted by trustworthy narrators—such as the beatific vision (al-ru'ya), divine manifestation (al-tajalli), God's descending (al-nuzul), His ascending above the Throne (al-istiwa'), the divine Self (al-nafs), and the Two Hands (al-yadan)—while affirming them without assigning modality (kayfiyya), bounds (hadd), or anthropomorphic resemblance (tashbih) .
Later scholars and modern commentators have cited this work to refute accusations that Ibn Qutaybah held anthropomorphist (tashbih) leanings, demonstrating that he explicitly refuted anthropomorphism and the Jahmiyya alike .
Publications and Editions
The treatise has been published in several print editions:
- Edited with commentary and introductory material by Muhammad Zahid al-Kawthari under the title Laft al-Lahz ila ma fi al-Ikhtilaf fi al-Lafz, published by Maktabat al-Qudsi at Matba'at al-Sa'ada in Cairo (1348/1349 AH, 86 pages) .
- Published by Dar al-Kutub al-Ilmiyya in Beirut (1405 AH / 1985 CE) .
- Edited with hadith verification and commentary by Umar ibn Mahmud Abu Umar, published by Dar al-Raya in Riyadh (1412 AH / 1991 CE) .
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