al-Munazarat al-Aqadiyya li-Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyya
- Author died
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- Editions
- Al-Nashir al-Mutamayyiz, Dar al-Nasihah
al-Munazarat al-Aqadiyya li-Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyya: Jam'an wa-Dirasa (The Theological Debates of Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyya: A Compilation and Study) is a specialized academic study by the Bahraini researcher Haytham al-Hamri that compiles and analyzes the theological oral disputations conducted by Ibn Taymiyya .
Composition and Academic Context
The work was originally submitted as a master's thesis in the Department of Aqida at the Islamic University of Madinah . It was defended on 21 Sha'ban 1438 AH before an examination committee comprising Abd al-Aziz ibn Salih al-Tuwayyan as supervisor, with Abd Allah ibn Sulayman al-Ghufayli and Salih ibn Abd al-Aziz Sindi as examiners, receiving an excellent grade with first-class honors and a recommendation for publication . The printed edition features an introduction by Muhammad ibn Abd al-Rahman al-Khumayyis, professor of Islamic creed at Imam Mohammad Ibn Saud Islamic University .
Scope and Purpose
The book addresses the fact that Ibn Taymiyya's theological disputations were scattered across disparate works of theology, biographical dictionaries, and history . The author defines the boundaries of the study around three specific criteria:
- Focusing strictly on debates (munazarat) in their technical sense—defined as oral verbal dialogue between two opposing parties regarding a specific issue to make the truth manifest—which excludes purely written refutations .
- Restricting the subject matter solely to theological issues (aqadiyya), excluding debates on jurisprudence or other fields .
- Confining the study to the disputations of Ibn Taymiyya .
In his literature review, al-Hamri evaluates prior works, noting that earlier compilations were either brief overviews, limited to single debates, or contained unverified historical claims .
Structure and Content
The book is organized into an introduction, a preliminary study, two main parts, and a conclusion :
- Preliminary Study (al-Tamhid): Covers the linguistic and technical definitions of disputation, its constituent pillars, its legal ruling, and an introduction to Ibn Taymiyya and his methodology in debate .
- Part One (al-Bab al-Awwal): Examines Ibn Taymiyya's debates with non-Muslims across four chapters :
- Debates with Christians concerning the divinity of Christ, theological analogies regarding the union of divine and human natures, discussions with monks of Upper Egypt, and debates on intercession .
- Debates with the Tatars regarding claims of superiority based on political dominion .
- Debates with astrologers refuting astrology using rational proofs they acknowledge .
- Debates with philosophers .
- Part Two (al-Bab al-Thani): Details Ibn Taymiyya's debates with various Muslim sects and factions across six chapters :
- Debates with proponents of monism (al-Ittihadiyya) .
- Debates with Sufis and grave-venerators, including public encounters with members of the Rifa'iyya order over claimed supernatural feats .
- Debates with the Shi'a (al-Rafida) over the doctrines of infallibility (isma) and the imamate .
- Debates with speculative theologians (al-Mutakallimun), including the council sessions held regarding al-Aqida al-Wasitiyya before the Sultan's deputy in Damascus and debates on figurative interpretation (ta'wil) of divine attributes .
- Debates with antinomian determinists (al-Jabriyya al-Ibahiyya) who justified actions through divine decree .
- A debate with Ibn al-Wakil al-Shafi'i regarding his attribution of Murji'ite views to Ahl al-Sunna wa-al-Jama'a .
In each topic, the author first presents the historical account and text of the debate, followed by an analysis of the primary theological points raised in it .
Publication
The work was published in Riyadh by al-Nashir al-Mutamayyiz as part of its university theses series .
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