al-Radd ala al-Luma
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- Dar Al-Khulafa' Al-Rashidin
al-Radd ‘ala al-Luma‘ (Arabic: الرد على اللمع, lit. 'The Refutation of al-Luma‘'), also titled Kashf al-Bida‘ wa-l-Radd ‘ala al-Luma‘: Hiwar Hadi’ ma‘a al-Ustadh Muhammad Husayn (كشف البدع والرد على اللمع: حوار هادئ مع الأستاذ محمد حسين), is a polemical treatise by the contemporary Egyptian Salafi author Shehata Saqr written to refute the book al-Luma‘ fi Tajliyat al-Bida‘ by Muhammad Husayn .
Background and Purpose
The author completed the treatise in Abu Hummus, Egypt, on 26 Dhu al-Qi‘dah 1426 AH (December 2005) . The work was composed to counter the arguments presented in al-Luma‘ fi Tajliyat al-Bida‘ (اللمع في تجلية البدع) by Muhammad Husayn, whom Saqr identifies as a prominent figure in the Muslim Brotherhood .
According to Saqr, the refutation was necessitated by two main factors: the sheer volume of dubious arguments (shubuhat) raised in al-Luma‘, and the status of its author within the Muslim Brotherhood, which risked making the text a guiding cultural reference for their youth and a polemical counter-argument against Salafi efforts to dismantle religious innovations . Saqr argued that Husayn's defense of "praiseworthy innovation" (bid‘ah hasanah) undermines the Sunnah and opens the door to unwarranted religious inventions .
Methodological Critique
In analyzing Husayn's methodology, Saqr details several critical flaws:
- Selective reliance on scholarly opinions: Failing to make the Quran and Sunnah the primary basis for legal preference (tarjih), relying instead on isolated opinions of scholars to treat clear issues as valid differences of opinion (khilaf) .
- Inconsistency with individual scholars: Citing authorities such as Malik ibn Anas, al-Shafi'i, Ahmad ibn Hanbal, or Ibn Taymiyyah when their words appear to support his position, while dismissing them—and accusing Ibn Taymiyyah of rejecting authentic hadiths—when their conclusions oppose his, such as on the issue of supplication via the Prophet's person (al-tawassul bi-l-dhat) .
- Reliance on weak and unverified narrations: Deducing legal and theological rulings from weak (da‘if) or unattributed narrations, despite initially asserting that weak hadiths should not be used in creed and legal rulings .
- Truncation of source texts: Quoting passages out of context, such as citing al-Shatibi's definition of relative innovation (al-bid‘ah al-idafiyyah) while omitting his explanatory examples, selectively quoting Ibn Rajab and Ibn al-Hajj, or abridging the hadith of the blind man to argue for intercession by the Prophet's essence rather than his supplication .
Saqr also incorporates statements by Hasan al-Banna, the founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, on the obligation of adhering strictly to the Quran and the authentic Sunnah, presenting them as a reminder to Husayn's own associates .
Structure and Scope
The treatise is organized into six core components :
- An examination of Muhammad Husayn's methodology in al-Luma‘ .
- An introductory framework outlining foundational principles regarding prophetic traditions (sunan) and innovations (bida‘) .
- A systematic refutation of the arguments and proofs advanced by Husayn to justify the existence of "praiseworthy innovation" in Islam .
- An assessment of Husayn's handling and application of weak hadiths .
- A detailed refutation of specific ritual innovations and errors endorsed throughout al-Luma‘ .
- A critical discussion of selected views from another book by Muhammad Husayn, titled Sulukiyyat wa-Ahkam al-Mar'ah fi al-Mujtama‘ al-Muslim (Behaviors and Rulings Concerning Women in Muslim Society) .
In a technical note to readers, Saqr explains that his refutation references page numbers from the first edition of al-Luma‘, and notes that a second edition appeared with four additional pages, instructing readers consulting the later printing to adjust citations by four pages .
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