al-Iman al-Awsat
- Author died
- 728 AH
- Editions
- t Ibn al-Jawzi
Al-Iman al-Awsat (The Intermediate Book of Faith) is a theological treatise by the Hanbali scholar Ibn Taymiyya (d. 728 AH / 1328 CE), composed as an exposition of the Hadith of Gabriel concerning the definitions and ranks of Islam, faith (iman), and spiritual excellence (ihsan) .
Title and Relation to Other Works
The work is widely known as al-Iman al-Awsat, a designation adopted by Abd al-Rahman ibn Muhammad ibn Qasim in Majmu' al-Fatawa, presumably drawn from a manuscript source . It has also been titled Sharh Hadith Jibril (Commentary on the Hadith of Gabriel) and referred to as al-Iman al-Saghir (The Minor Book of Faith), as found in the Mahmudiyya manuscript copy .
Compared to Ibn Taymiyya's Kitab al-Iman al-Kabir (The Major Book of Faith), al-Iman al-Awsat is characterized by its relative conciseness and focused approach . However, it treats certain subjects in greater detail than the larger work, including the factions of the Murji'ites and the distinct ways in which faith increases, decreases, and varies among believers .
Contents and Methodology
The treatise is structured around the Hadith of Gabriel, in which the Prophet explains religion through three ascending tiers: Islam, Iman, and Ihsan . Ibn Taymiyya establishes two fundamental premises from the scriptural texts: first, that people during the prophetic era were divided into sincere believers inwardly and outwardly, outright disbelievers inwardly and outwardly, and hypocrites who displayed Islam outwardly while harboring disbelief internally; second, that scriptural texts distinguish between Islam and Iman, sometimes affirming Islam while negating complete Iman .
Throughout the text, Ibn Taymiyya establishes the doctrine of Ahl al-Sunnah wa-l-Jama'ah, asserting that faith is a composite reality consisting of statement and action: the statement of the heart (belief and knowledge), the statement of the tongue (testimony and remembrance), the action of the heart (love, fear, and hope), and the actions of the physical limbs . He also addresses theological controversies surrounding the status of the grave sinner (al-fasiq al-milli) and refutes the doctrines of various theological factions regarding faith—including the Kharijites, Murji'ites, Mu'tazilites, Jahmiyya, and Karramiyya—focusing heavily on the Jahmiyya and presenting a dedicated inquiry into the factors that remit divine punishment (asbab suqut al-'uquba) .
Transmission and Editions
The treatise was preserved across multiple manuscript copies, the oldest being an Ottoman library manuscript dated 743 AH, transcribed from a copy penned by Ibn Taymiyya's student Jamal al-Din al-Iskandari . It is published within the seventh volume of Majmu' al-Fatawa alongside Kitab al-Iman al-Kabir . The text was also critically edited by Ali ibn Bakhit al-Zahrani as a doctoral dissertation submitted to the College of Da'wah and Usul al-Din at Umm al-Qura University in Mecca in 1420 AH .
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