al-Mutabar fi Aqidat Ahl al-Sunna wa Mukhalifihim fi al-Qadar
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- Dār al-Imām Muslim lil-Nashr wa-al-Tawzī‘
Al-Mu'tabar fi 'Aqidat Ahl al-Sunna wa-Mukhalifihim fi al-Qadar ("The Reliable Reference on the Creed of the People of the Sunna and Their Opponents Regarding Divine Decree") is a contemporary theological work by Ibrahim bin Amir al-Ruhayli examining the Sunni doctrine of divine preordination (al-qada wa-l-qadar) and refuting the positions of dissenting sects .
Background and composition
The work originated as an abridgment titled al-Mukhtasar fi 'Aqidat Ahl al-Sunna fi al-Qadar, which al-Ruhayli began writing in 1424 AH (2003–2004 CE) while teaching a course on belief in divine decree to second-year undergraduate students at the Islamic University of Madinah . It initially circulated among students as a study booklet before being published in multiple editions and adopted as an official university curriculum text .
When the Department of Creed introduced a new curriculum for master's-level students, al-Ruhayli taught the subject for several years, relying on his earlier summary alongside other references . In response to student requests to cover the remaining curriculum topics with the same concise analytical method, he expanded the original text while preparing a reprint . Because the additional material more than doubled the page count and number of issues treated in the original abridgment, he revised the title to al-Mu'tabar fi 'Aqidat Ahl al-Sunna wa-Mukhalifihim fi al-Qadar to distinguish it from the undergraduate edition .
Structure and contents
The book is structured into an introduction, a preliminary chapter, four main chapters, and a conclusion :
- Introduction and Preliminary Chapter: Outlines the motives for composition and research outline, followed by three sections defining qada and qadar, the status of belief in divine decree in Islam, and the historical emergence of theological disputes and novel doctrines regarding it .
- Chapter One: Covers the core principles of belief in divine decree across six sections: general Sunni belief in qada and qadar; the doctrines of opposing groups and their refutation; the four degrees (maratib) of decree and their textual proofs; voluntary human actions; divine guidance and misguidance; and the distinction between God's ontological and legislative wills .
- Chapter Two: Discusses issues pertaining to divine acts across five sections: divine wisdom in God's actions; the theological debate on the best possible outcome (al-salah wa-l-aslah); imposing obligations beyond human capacity (taklif ma la yutaq); and God's transcendence above evil and injustice .
- Chapter Three: Addresses issues related to human deeds across five sections: contentment with divine decree; human capacity; refuting the claim that belief in decree justifies fatalism or abandoning action; the prohibition of using decree as an excuse for committing sins (including the dialogue between Adam and Moses); and the prohibition of delving into unrevealed aspects of decree .
- Chapter Four: Examines supplementary theological questions across four sections: the status of secondary causes (al-asbab); rational assessment of good and evil (al-tahsin wa-l-taqbih); whether human beings are compelled or possess free choice; and clarifying the accusation of doctrinal deviation in decree (bid'at al-qadar) leveled against certain early figures .
- Conclusion: Summarizes the primary findings of the study .
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