al-Radd ala al-Shadhili fi Hizbayhi wa ma Sannafahu fi Adab al-Tariq
- Author died
- 728 AH
- Editions
- Dar Ata'at al-Ilm
al-Radd ala al-Shadhili fi Hizbayhi wa ma Sannafahu fi Adab al-Tariq (A Refutation of al-Shadhili Regarding His Two Litanies and What He Composed on the Etiquette of the Spiritual Path) is a critical treatise by the Hanbali scholar Ibn Taymiyya (661–728 AH / 1263–1328 CE) evaluating the litanies and mystical writings of the Sufi master Abu al-Hasan al-Shadhili (d. 656 AH) .
Title and Composition
Ibn Taymiyya did not assign a formal title to the work, nor was it designated by a standardized name among his early students . His disciple Ibn Abd al-Hadi referred to it as a response to the litany of Abu al-Hasan al-Shadhili and similar texts, while al-Safadi described it as a composition refuting what al-Shadhili stated in his litany . One manuscript copy bears a descriptive heading stating that it is Ibn Taymiyya's answer to an enquirer regarding Hizb al-Bahr . The expanded title al-Radd ala al-Shadhili fi Hizbayhi wa ma Sannafahu fi Adab al-Tariq was adopted by its modern editor to reflect the complete scope of the text .
The treatise was composed in response to a written inquiry requesting an evaluation of al-Shadhili's Hizb al-Bahr (The Litany of the Sea), which the questioner transcribed in full, along with queries from students about such Sufi litanies and their supplications . Although the exact date of composition is not recorded, an extant manuscript copied by Ayyub al-Amiri is dated 723 AH, establishing that it was authored prior to that year . It is considered most likely to have been written during Ibn Taymiyya's residency in Egypt between 705 and 712 AH, a period marked by active debates with local Sufi figures, including Shadhili adherents such as Ibn Ata Allah al-Iskandari (d. 709 AH) .
Structure and Scope
The treatise is organized into two primary divisions:
- Foundational Principles of Worship and Supplication: A theoretical opening detailing the legal criteria distinguishing legislated (mashru') devotions from prohibited innovations (mamnu'), the ruling on designating unlegislated fixed times or phrasings for worship, and the evaluation of compiled prayer manuals . Ibn Taymiyya observes that al-Shadhili was among the best of the Sufi masters in his adherence to the Sharia and his reverence for the Quran and Sunna, yet he argues that all statements must nonetheless be measured against scriptural proofs . He also addresses the legal definition of innovation and the Sunni stance on the coexistence of praise and blameworthy traits in a single person .
- Textual Critiques: A systematic analysis comprising three subjects:
- A critique of Hizb al-Bahr, which Ibn Taymiyya regarded as the soundest of al-Shadhili's litanies, outlining ten specific points of criticism .
- A critique of Hizb al-Barr (The Litany of the Land, also known as al-Hizb al-Kabir), which he deemed more objectionable due to illicit supplications and terminology that he linked to monistic Sufi philosophy, such as the thought of Ibn Arabi .
- A critique of al-Shadhili's treatise on the etiquette of the spiritual path (Adab al-tariq fi ilm al-haqiqa), wherein Ibn Taymiyya first quotes the text in full and then refutes it passage by passage, concluding with a chapter highlighting his impartiality toward al-Shadhili .
Method and Main Arguments
Ibn Taymiyya's critique centers on what he identifies as theological irregularities, contradictions, transgressions in supplication (i'tida' fi al-du'a'), and the misapplication of Quranic verses in these litanies . Alongside identifying these issues, he consistently provides alternative, lawful wordings drawn from the Quran and the prophetic Sunna . He argues that later Sufis drew terminology from texts rooted in philosophical concepts—such as the esoteric writings attributed to Abu Hamid al-Ghazali, Ibn Arabi, Ikhwan al-Safa, Ibn Tufayl, and Ibn al-Farid—incorporating these ideas without recognizing their full doctrinal implications . He concludes that because al-Shadhili's litanies contain objectionable invocations, their recitation should be discouraged entirely, particularly when established as regular congregational routines .
Transmission and Publication
The attribution of the work to Ibn Taymiyya is attested by classical biographical and historical sources, including Ibn Abd al-Hadi's al-Uqud al-durriyya, Ibn al-Wardi's Tarikh, al-Safadi's al-Wafi bi-l-Wafayat, Ibn al-Mulaqqin's Tabaqat al-awliya', and Abd al-Wahhab al-Sha'rani's al-Tabaqat al-kubra .
The book was edited by Ali ibn Muhammad al-Umran and published by Dar Alam al-Fawa'id in Mecca . The first edition (1429 AH) was prepared from a single manuscript that lacked the opening folios containing the introduction . A second, complete edition was issued in 1437 AH following the discovery of an additional manuscript in the United Arab Emirates that preserved the missing introductory material .
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