al-Risala al-Wafiya li Abi Amr al-Dani
- Author died
- 444 AH
- Editions
- Dār al-Imām Aḥmad
al-Risala al-Wafiya li-Madhhab Ahl al-Sunna fi al-I‘tiqadat wa-Usul al-Diyanat (The Sufficient Treatise on the School of the People of the Sunna Regarding Beliefs and the Fundamentals of Religions) is a creedal treatise composed by the Andalusian scholar Abu Amr al-Dani (371–444 AH / 981–1053 CE) outlining the foundational tenets of Islamic theology and dogma .
Background and Purpose
Al-Dani wrote the treatise in response to a request asking him to compose a concise yet comprehensive summary of the core principles of faith and the fundamentals of religion . He noted that knowledge and affirmation of these doctrines are obligatory upon every legally accountable Muslim (mukallaf)—whether scholar or imitator (muqallid), male or female, free or enslaved—to ensure adherence to the truth, safeguard believers from theological innovations, and maintain the way of the early generations (al-salaf) and those who followed them .
Content and Method
The treatise covers primary theological topics through textual proofs and rational argumentation:
- The First Obligation: Al-Dani begins by affirming that the first obligation incumbent upon legally responsible individuals is rational contemplation of God’s signs and evidence (al-nazar wa-l-istidlal), since God is not known through direct perception or sensory observation .
- Divine Existence and Essential Attributes: He addresses the affirmation of divine oneness (tawhid) and God's pre-eternal essential attributes, including Life, Power, Knowledge, Will, Hearing, Sight, Speech, and Permanence .
- Affirmative Attributes (Sifat Khabbariyya): He affirms attributes mentioned in scripture—such as the Face, Hands, and Eyes—while stipulating that they are not bodily parts, limbs, or sensory faculties (laysat bi-jariha wa-la dhawat sura), rejecting anthropomorphism . He asserts that the position of Ahl al-Sunna regarding these attributes is to pass them on as they were transmitted without modality (takyif) or delimitation (tahdid) .
- Volitional and Relational Attributes: He discusses attributes such as Love, Displeasure, Wrath, and Pleasure, maintaining that they correspond to God's eternal Will concerning His servants rather than emotional states or altering temperaments .
- The Name and the Named (al-Ism wa-l-Musamma): The text includes a section dedicated to the theological problem of whether the name is the entity named itself (al-ism huwa al-musamma), affirming that they are identical .
Scholarly Reception and Influence
Scholars analyzing al-Dani's theological orientations have noted that in al-Risala al-Wafiya he drew conceptual material from al-Baqillani's al-Insaf, concurring with his approach to theological fundamentals and the divine attributes .
Editions
The work has been published in several modern editions, including:
- An edition edited by Muhammad ibn Sa‘id al-Qahtani, published by Dar Ibn al-Jawzi (1419 AH) .
- An edition edited by Daghsh ibn Shabib al-Ajmi, published by Dar al-Imam Ahmad in Kuwait (1421 AH / 2000 CE) .
- An edition published by al-Maktaba al-Islamiyya in Cairo (1422 AH) .
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