al-Tabsir fi al-Din wa Tamyiz al-Firqa al-Najiya an al-Firaq al-Halikin

al-Tabsir fi al-Din wa Tamyiz al-Firqa al-Najiya an al-Firaq al-Halikin (Insight into Religion and Distinguishing the Saved Sect from the Perishing Sects) is an eleventh-century heresiographical treatise on Islamic sects and theological doctrines by the Shafi'i jurist and theologian Abu al-Muzaffar al-Isfarayini (d. 471 AH / 1078 CE) Kashf al-Zunun an Asami a…+1.

Purpose and Scope

Al-Isfarayini composed the work as a concise manual to delineate orthodox Sunni theology from heterodox movements, framing his classification around the prophetic tradition concerning the division of the Muslim community into seventy-three sects, of which only one represents the saved group al-Tabsir fi al-Din wa Ta…+1. The author states in his introduction that accurate religious knowledge requires both affirming divine perfection and recognizing and avoiding erroneous beliefs, prompting him to compile a work that presents the arguments of truth while exposing the fallacies of deviant and heretical factions in a balanced manner without undue prolixity al-Tabsir fi al-Din wa Ta…+1.

Structure and Contents

The treatise is organized into a single small volume containing fifteen chapters (abwab) Kashf al-Zunun an Asami a…+1:

1. The earliest disagreements that arose in Islam after the death of the Prophet ﷺ and during or near the era of the Companions al-Tabsir fi al-Din wa Ta….
2. A general overview of the various sects of the community al-Tabsir fi al-Din wa Ta….
3. Detailed doctrines and errors of the Rawafid al-Tabsir fi al-Din wa Ta….
4. Detailed doctrines and errors of the Khawarij al-Tabsir fi al-Din wa Ta….
5. Detailed doctrines and errors of the Qadariyya, designated as the Mu'tazila al-Tabsir fi al-Din wa Ta….
6. Detailed doctrines and errors of the Murji'a al-Tabsir fi al-Din wa Ta….
7. Detailed doctrines and errors of the Najjariyya al-Tabsir fi al-Din wa Ta….
8. Detailed doctrines and errors of the Dirariyya al-Tabsir fi al-Din wa Ta….
9. Detailed doctrines and errors of the Bakriyya al-Tabsir fi al-Din wa Ta….
10. Detailed doctrines and errors of the Jahmiyya al-Tabsir fi al-Din wa Ta….
11. Detailed doctrines and errors of the Karramiyya al-Tabsir fi al-Din wa Ta….
12. Detailed doctrines and errors of the Mushabbiha (anthropomorphists) al-Tabsir fi al-Din wa Ta….
13. Sects claiming affiliation with Islam that are not counted among the Muslims nor among the seventy-two sects, numbering over twenty groups al-Tabsir fi al-Din wa Ta….
14. Doctrines of heretical and dualist groups that existed prior to the emergence of Islam al-Tabsir fi al-Din wa Ta….
15. The creed of Ahl al-Sunna wa-al-Jama'a, detailing their theological tenets, merits, and contributions across various fields of Islamic learning, including jurisprudence, hadith, and Sufism al-Tabsir fi al-Din wa Ta…+1.

Method and Reception

Written from an Ash'ari theological perspective, the work closely reflects the framework and classification of al-Isfarayini's teacher and father-in-law, Abd al-Qahir al-Baghdadi (d. 429 AH / 1037–1038 CE), the author of al-Farq bayn al-Firaq Mawqif Ibn Taymiyya min a….

The text has been printed in several modern editions, notably one edited by Muhammad Zahid al-Kawthari (Cairo, 1359 AH / 1940 CE) and another edited by Kamal Yusuf al-Hut (Beirut: 'Alam al-Kutub, 1403 AH / 1983 CE) Jana al-Khurfa fi Ibtal a…+1.