al-Muntakhab min Kutub Shaykh al-Islam
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- Dar al-Huda lil-Nashr wa-al-Tawzi
al-Muntakhab min Kutub Shaykh al-Islam (Selections from the Books of Shaykh al-Islam) is an anthology compiled by the contemporary Saudi scholar Alawi ibn Abd al-Qadir al-Saqqaf, drawing key doctrinal, methodological, and legal passages from the printed corpus of Ibn Taymiyyah .
Background and Purpose
In his introduction, al-Saqqaf notes earlier efforts by scholars to extract and summarize selections from Ibn Taymiyyah’s writings, highlighting two notable works: Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab’s compilation of 135 issues (al-Masa'il allati Lakhkhasaha al-Imam Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab) and Abd al-Rahman ibn Nasir al-Sa'di’s compendium of over eight hundred legal and theological principles, Tariq al-Wusul ila al-Ilm al-Ma'mul .
Al-Saqqaf assembled al-Muntakhab to provide a distinct selection with minimal overlap with these preceding works, choosing over 160 excerpts primarily from Majmu' al-Fatawa and other published treatises . The governing criterion of selection was to gather topics that may be obscure or overlooked by students of knowledge in theory or practice, as well as principles pertinent to scholars, callers, and reformers in modern times . Elementary creedal subjects—such as the basic divisions of tawhid and the general affirmation of divine attributes—were intentionally bypassed because they are already well known to students of knowledge .
Structure and Contents
The compilation is organized into five main divisions (aqsam), each subdivided into thematic chapters whose titles are largely drawn directly from Ibn Taymiyyah’s own phrasing :
- Tawhid and Creed (al-Tawhid wa-l-Aqidah): Encompasses nuances of the divine names and attributes, faith (iman) and disbelief (kufr), theological sects such as the Murji'ah and Khawarij, grave visitation, and matters concerning jinn and devils .
- Knowledge, Jihad, and Governance (al-Ilm wa-l-Jihad wa-l-Siyasah al-Shar'iyyah): Covers guidelines on seeking religious knowledge, the rules and conduct of jihad, and Sharia-based public policy .
- Scholarly Disagreement and Reform (al-Khilaf wa-l-Inkar wa-l-Tahazzub...): Discusses differences of opinion, denouncing wrongful actions, praiseworthy and blameworthy factionalism, religious innovation (bid'ah), balancing harms and benefits (al-masalih wa-l-mafasid), and fairness (al-insaf) .
- Legal Theory and Adherence to the Sunnah (Masa'il Usuliyyah...): Examines adherence to prophetic traditions, abstaining from heresy, blind following (taqlid), and adherence to legal schools (madhhabs) .
- Miscellaneous Issues (Masa'il Mutafarriqah): Collects various other benefits and unique points of inquiry across diverse disciplines .
Method
The main body of the work consists exclusively of Ibn Taymiyyah’s verbatim text, while all additions by al-Saqqaf are relegated to footnotes . Where extended texts are abridged, ellipsis dots mark omissions without any textual interpolation . Each entry is referenced to its exact source volume and page in Ibn Taymiyyah's published works, accompanied by Quranic citation references and brief hadith authentication (takhrij) .
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