al-Shaykh Abd al-Rahman ibn Saadi wa Juhuduhu fi Tawdih al-Aqida
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- Maktabat al-Rushd
al-Shaykh Abd al-Rahman ibn Saadi wa Juhuduhu fi Tawdih al-Aqida ("Shaykh Abd al-Rahman ibn Sa'di and His Efforts in Clarifying the Creed") is an academic monograph by the Saudi scholar Abd al-Razzaq ibn Abd al-Muhsin al-Badr, dedicated to examining the biography and theological contributions of Abd al-Rahman ibn Nasir al-Sadi (d. 1376 AH / 1957 CE).
Background and Composition
The book originated as a master's thesis in Islamic theology submitted for postgraduate studies in Medina. The author undertook the study after consulting several scholars, including direct students of al-Sadi. The thesis was completed on 21 Ramadan 1407 AH (May 1987 CE) under the academic supervision of Ali ibn Nasir Faqihi, and was examined and evaluated by Salih ibn Fawzan al-Fawzan and Abd Allah ibn Muhammad al-Ghunayman.
Structure and Contents
The work is organized into an introduction, two main parts, and a conclusion:
- Introduction (al-Muqaddimah): Explains the theological importance of the subject and outlines the research plan.
- Part One (al-Bab al-Awwal): Covers the life of Abd al-Rahman ibn Sa'di across two chapters:
- Chapter One: Al-Sadi's personal life in eight sections, addressing his lineage, birth, the death of his parents, upbringing, physical description, character traits, occupations, illness, death, and eulogies.
- Chapter Two: Al-Sadi's scholarly life in eight sections, covering his pursuit of knowledge, teachers, engagement with and influence by the works of Ibn Taymiyyah and Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyya, teaching career and pedagogical method, students, creed, intellectual breadth, writings, and scholarly praise.
- Part Two (al-Bab al-Thani): Analyzes al-Sadi's doctrinal contributions across four chapters:
- Chapter One: Clarification of faith in God, divided into an introduction and three sections covering divine lordship (tawhid al-rububiyyah), divine names and attributes (tawhid al-asma wa-l-sifat), and divine worship (tawhid al-uluhiyyah).
- Chapter Two: Clarification of faith in prophethood, including belief in the angels and the revealed scriptures.
- Chapter Three: Clarification of faith in the Last Day across an introduction and five sections, detailing the signs of the Hour, the trials and conditions of the grave, the blowing of the Trumpet, the resurrection, and post-resurrection events.
- Chapter Four: Clarification of the definition of faith (iman) and related issues, such as exception in faith (al-istithna fi al-iman), its increase and decrease, and the status of the perpetrator of major sins (murtakib al-kabirah).
- Conclusion (al-Khatimah): Summarizes the principal findings and conclusions of the study.
Methodology and Sources
To compile the study, the author surveyed al-Sadi's extensive corpus, which numbers over forty works across various Islamic disciplines, including more than ten treatises devoted specifically to creed, as well as his major Quranic commentaries Taysir al-Karim al-Rahman and Taysir al-Latif al-Mannan. The research involved research trips to Unaizah and Riyadh to gather written texts and conduct direct oral interviews with al-Sadi's students. The author documented quotations from primary sources, indexed Quranic verses, and provided concise verification (takhrij) for prophetic traditions cited in the text.
Publication
The work was published in Riyadh by Maktabat al-Rushd, with its first edition appearing in 1411 AH (1991 CE) and a second edition in 1414 AH (1993 CE). It is frequently cited as a standard reference for al-Sadi's biographical details and theological positions.
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