al-Muntaqa min Minhaj al-Itidal

al-Muntaqa min Minhaj al-Itidal (The Selection from the Pathway of Moderation) is a theological treatise and abridgment authored by the Damascene traditionist and historian Shams al-Din al-Dhahabi (673–748 AH / 1274–1348 CE) al-Awasim min al-Qawasim+1. It distills the arguments of Minhaj al-Sunna al-Nabawiyya (referred to by al-Dhahabi as Minhaj al-I'tidal fi Naqd Kalam Ahl al-Rafd wa-l-I'tizal), the multi-volume polemical work by his teacher Ibn Taymiyya (d. 728 AH / 1328 CE) al-Muntaqa min Minhaj al-…+1.

Background and Purpose

The original work by Ibn Taymiyya was written to refute Minhaj al-Karama fi Ma'rifat al-Imama (The Pathway of Nobility in Knowing the Imamate), a book composed by the Imami Shi'i theologian Ibn al-Mutahhar al-Hilli (d. 726 AH / 1325 CE) for the Ilkhanid ruler Öljaytü (referred to as Khudabanda) al-Muntaqa min Minhaj al-…. Al-Dhahabi prepared al-Muntaqa as a selective compilation of the most critical theological and textual arguments (fawa'id wa nafa'is) from Ibn Taymiyya's lengthy refutation, condensing the prose while maintaining the primary counterarguments al-Muntaqa min Minhaj al-….

Contents and Structure

The book mirrors the thematic progression of the five chapters in Ibn al-Mutahhar's Minhaj al-Karama, which al-Dhahabi systematically critiques al-Muntaqa min Minhaj al-…:

1. Doctrinal Positions on the Imamate: Reviewing and critiquing sect positions and foundational definitions al-Muntaqa min Minhaj al-….
2. Obligation of Following the Imami School: Refuting the claim that the Imami creed is obligatory to adhere to, along with discussions on divine justice, human acts, and theological attributes al-Muntaqa min Minhaj al-….
3. Proofs for the Imamate of Ali ibn Abi Talib: Examining both rational and textual arguments presented in support of the immediate succession and infallible imamate of Ali ibn Abi Talib al-Muntaqa min Minhaj al-….
4. The Twelve Imams: Discussing the doctrine of the Twelve Imams and critiquing the belief surrounding the hidden Twelfth Imam (Muhammad ibn al-Hasan al-Muntazar) al-Muntaqa min Minhaj al-…+1.
5. The Early Caliphates: Rebutting polemical criticisms raised against the legitimacy and conduct of the first three caliphs—Abu Bakr, Umar ibn al-Khattab, and Uthman ibn Affan al-Muntaqa min Minhaj al-…+1.

Method and Sources

In his selection, al-Dhahabi emphasizes the hadith-critical and historical evaluations pioneered by Sunni scholars of narrator criticism (al-jarh wa-l-ta'dil) al-Muntaqa min Minhaj al-…. The text rejects historical accounts drawn from transmitters deemed untrustworthy by mainstream hadith critics, such as Abu Mikhnaf and Hisham ibn al-Kalbi al-Muntaqa min Minhaj al-…. It incorporates statements by early jurists including Malik ibn Anas and al-Shafi'i regarding the transmission of narrations, while contextualizing prophetic traditions related to leadership and communal allegiance (bay'ah) as recorded in standard collections such as Sahih Muslim al-Muntaqa min Minhaj al-…+1.

Publication History

Al-Muntaqa gained wide circulation as an accessible summary of Ibn Taymiyya's larger opus and was published in Cairo under the supervision of the Salafiyya Press al-Awasim min al-Qawasim.