Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab
al-Risala al-Mufida
- Author died
- 1206 AH
- Editions
- Ri’āsat Idārat al-Buḥūth al-‘Ilmiyyah wa-al-Iftā’ wa-al-Da‘wah wa-al-Irshād
al-Risala al-Mufida (The Useful Treatise), also known in some editions as al-Risala al-Mufida al-Muhimma al-Jalila, is a concise theological treatise attributed to Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab (1115–1206 AH / 1703–1792 CE) outlining the foundational categories of monotheism (tawhid), polytheism (shirk), disbelief (kufr), and hypocrisy (nifaq) in Islamic theology .
Authorship and Attribution
The text opens with the formula: "Praise be to God, and peace be upon His servants whom He has chosen..." (الحمد لله وكفى، وسلام على عباده الذين اصطفى) . It is attributed to Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab in several major collections, including the Indian, Meccan, and Damascene printings of Majmu'at al-Tawhid, as well as in al-Durar al-Saniyya and the bibliographic registry compiled by Ahmad al-Dubaib .
However, in the critical edition of Majmu'at al-Tawhid printed by al-Matba'a al-Salafiyya in Egypt, the work is attributed to his grandson, Abd al-Rahman ibn Hasan . Under the title al-Risala al-Mufida al-Muhimma al-Jalila li-l-Shaykh Abd al-Rahman ibn Hasan, it was published by Umar Abd al-Jabbar and included in the fifth-grade elementary curriculum in Saudi Arabia . The treatise was not included among the collected works published by Imam Mohammad Ibn Saud Islamic University, leading some researchers to suggest that it may indeed be a composition of Abd al-Rahman ibn Hasan .
Structure and Content
The treatise begins by stating that God created humanity solely to worship Him without associating partners, defining worship as monotheism . It then systematically classifies theological concepts with scriptural proofs:
- Divisions of Tawhid: The author divides monotheism into three categories: tawhid al-rububiyyah (the Oneness of Lordship, which the pre-Islamic pagans affirmed), tawhid al-uluhiyyah (the Oneness of Divinity, which encompasses directed acts of worship such as supplication, vows, sacrifice, hope, fear, and reliance), and tawhid al-dhat wa-l-asma' wa-l-sifat (the Oneness of God's Essence, Names, and Attributes) .
- Divisions of Shirk: Polytheism is divided into major (akbar), minor (asghar), and hidden (khafiyy) . Major shirk is further subdivided into four types: shirk of supplication (du'a'), shirk of intention and desire (niyyah wa-l-iradah wa-l-qasd), shirk of obedience (ta'ah to scholars or worshippers in disobedience to God), and shirk of love (mahabbah) . Minor shirk is defined as ostentation (riya'), while hidden shirk is explained through prophetic warnings and supplications .
- Divisions of Kufr: Disbelief is divided into major disbelief that expels one from the faith—consisting of denial (takdhib), arrogance and refusal (iba' wa-stikbar), doubt (shakk), turning away (i'rad), and hypocrisy (nifaq)—and minor disbelief, represented by ingratitude for blessings (kufr al-ni'mah) .
- Divisions of Nifaq: Hypocrisy is categorized into doctrinal (i'tiqadi), which condemns its practitioner to the lowest level of the Fire, and practical ('amali), which encompasses traits such as lying, breaking promises, betraying trusts, quarreling maliciously, and breaching covenants .
Editions
The work has been printed individually and as part of anthologies. A notable edition was published by the General Presidency of Scholarly Research, Ifta, Da'wah, and Guidance in Riyadh with marginal notes added by Muhammad ibn Abd al-Aziz ibn Mani', printed jointly alongside Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab's Kashf al-Shubuhat .
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