al-Tuhaf al-Rabbaniyya fi Jawab al-Asila al-Lamdaniyya
- Author died
- 1096 AH
- Editions
- Matba'at al-Sa'ada
al-Tuhaf al-Rabbaniyya fi Jawab al-Asila al-Lamdaniyya (The Divine Gifts in Answering the Lamdanian Questions) is a theological treatise in Islamic creed (aqida) by the Algerian Maliki scholar Yahya al-Shawi (d. 1096 AH / 1685 CE) .
Background and Contents
The work was composed as a structured response to several theological questions sent to al-Shawi regarding issues of monotheism and dogma . Rather than offering passive doctrinal summaries, al-Shawi engages in analytical discourse on theological problems .
Among the primary issues addressed in the text are:
- Whether God creating the world all at once is permissible according to doctrine or impossible as some students had presumed .
- The nature of the general proof (al-dalil al-jumli) whose knowledge removes an imitator (muqallid) from disagreement, and whether it consists in the temporal origination of the world (huduth al-alam) .
- The theological relationship between divine satisfaction (al-rida), love (al-mahabba), and will (al-irada)—examining whether they are synonymous or distinct attributes and assessing interpretations of verses such as وَلَا يَرْضَىٰ لِعِبَادِهِ الْكُفْرَ ("And He is not pleased with disbelief for His servants") .
Method and Sources
The author arranges the treatise in a question-and-answer format, treating each question as a distinct inquiry into a point of creed . In formulating his answers, al-Shawi draws upon Quranic verses, prophetic hadiths, and citations of classical theologians, including Taqi al-Din al-Muqtarah's commentary on the Kitab al-Irshad of Imam al-Haramayn al-Juwayni, while contrasting orthodox Sunni stances with those of the Mu'tazilites .
Manuscripts and Publication
A manuscript copy of the treatise is held at the National Library of the Kingdom of Morocco in Rabat (shelfmark 1089 K, within a compilation spanning pages 1–52) . The manuscript is written in medium Maghrebi script, with 21 lines per page . It opens with praise of God and prayers upon the Prophet Muhammad, and concludes with the author's counsel: "And I advise you, beloved ones, if any issues arise, refer back to us with them" . The treatise was printed in Egypt by Matba'at al-Sa'ada .
Answer updated