al-Nubuwwat li-Ibn Taymiyya
- Author died
- 728 AH
- Editions
- Aḍwāʾ al-Salaf
al-Nubuwwat (The Prophecies) is a theological treatise by the Hanbali scholar Ibn Taymiyya (661–728 AH / 1263–1328 CE) examining the reality of prophecy, the evidential nature of prophetic signs, and the differentiation between miracles and other supernatural phenomena .
Subject Matter and Scope
The work is dedicated to articulating the doctrine of Ahl al-Sunna regarding prophecy and its proofs, while refuting the theological premises of opposing schools, including the Ash'arites, Mu'tazilites, and philosophers . Ibn Taymiyya addresses:
- Proofs of Prophethood: Refuting the assertion of dialectical theologians (mutakallimun) who restricted the proof of prophecy solely to habit-breaking miracles (khawariq al-adat) performed as a challenge, arguing instead that prophetic truth is established through a comprehensive array of rational, moral, and textual evidences, as well as circumstantial indicators (qara'in al-ahwal) .
- Distinction Between Extraordinary Feats: Differentiating authentic prophetic signs (ayat and mu'jizat) from saintly miracles (karamat) and the deceptive, demonic phenomena exhibited by sorcerers, diviners, and false claimants to prophethood or sainthood .
- Critique of Scholastic Theology: Engaging in an extensive critique of Ash'ari theology, specifically targeting the positions of al-Baqillani in his work al-Bayan 'an al-Farq bayn al-Mu'jizat wa-l-Karamat, challenging his rational foundations and demonstrating what Ibn Taymiyya regarded as internal inconsistencies in his criteria for validating miracles .
- Quranic Exegesis and Theological Subtopics: Addressing various related interpretive questions, such as passages concerning earlier prophets and interactions with the People of the Book .
Method and Structure
The book is structured around two complementary approaches: setting forth the methodology and assertions of Ahl al-Sunna, and dissecting the foundational rational arguments of critics and unorthodox groups . Ibn Taymiyya traces opposing views back to their roots, illustrates their necessary corollaries (lawazim), and refutes them systematically . His discourse features extensive digressions to quote adversaries at length, interspersed with cross-references to his other writings for topics treated in greater detail elsewhere .
The text opens directly with the basmala, praise of God, and the heading fasl (section), without a lengthy formal prologue .
Debate on Completeness
Scholars have differed over whether the surviving text of al-Nubuwwat is complete:
- Researchers including Muhammad Rashad Salim and Abd al-Rahman al-Mahmud suggested that the book is incomplete and that a substantial portion may be missing, drawing attention to its lack of an elaborate conventional opening .
- Other researchers maintain that the work is intact, arguing that beginning directly after brief praise is a known habit in several of Ibn Taymiyya's writings, and that internal cross-references within al-Nubuwwat consistently correspond to discussions present in the text itself .
Manuscript Transmission and Print History
A portion of the work was preserved within al-Kawakib al-Darari, an expansive compilation arranged by the Hanbali scholar Ibn Zaknun (d. 837 AH) and held at the Zahiriyya Library in Damascus (MS 581), where approximately thirty folios containing the first third of the treatise are preserved in volume 121 .
al-Nubuwwat was printed for the first time in Egypt in 1346 AH by Muhammad Munir Agha al-Dimashqi at al-Matba'a al-Muniriyya in a single volume of 300 pages . It was later edited by Muhammad Hamid al-Fiqi and published in Beirut by Dar al-Kutub al-Ilmiyya in 1402 AH (in 454 pages) and by Dar al-Fikr, prior to subsequent critical editions .
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