al-Tuhfa al-Madaniyya fi al-Aqida al-Salafiyya
- Author died
- 1225 AH
- Editions
- 'Abd al-Salam ibn Barjas ibn Nasir Al 'Abd al-Karim
al-Tuhfa al-Madaniyya fi al-Aqida al-Salafiyya (The Medinese Masterpiece on the Salafi Creed) is a theological treatise on the divine names and attributes written by the Najdi Hanbali scholar Hamad ibn Nasir Al Mu'ammar (1160–1225 AH / 1747–1810 CE) .
Occasion and Purpose
The treatise was composed in response to a formal inquiry regarding the scriptural texts of divine attributes (ayat wa-ahadith al-sifat), including verses and reports concerning Allah's ascension upon the Throne (al-istiwa'), His Hand, His nightly descent (al-nuzul), and the hearts of believers being between two Fingers . The questioners asked specifically about the creed of Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab and his followers, seeking clarification on whether they affirmed the apparent wording of these texts while maintaining divine transcendence (tanzih) or interpreted them figuratively (ta'wil) .
Content and Method
Al Mu'ammar outlines the stance of the early generations of Muslims (al-salaf) and the foundational imams of jurisprudence and hadith—such as Malik ibn Anas, al-Shafi'i, Sufyan al-Thawri, al-Awza'i, Abdullah ibn al-Mubarak, Ahmad ibn Hanbal, Ishaq ibn Rahawayh, and Abu Hanifa . He states that Allah is described only with what He described Himself with in His Book and what His Messenger ﷺ described Him with, without textual distortion (tahrif), negation (ta'til), assigning modalities (takyif), or drawing analogies to creation (tamthil) . He emphasizes that Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab held this exact position, not deviating from the Quran and hadith .
The author establishes that the rule regarding divine attributes corresponds to the rule regarding the divine essence: just as Allah possesses a real essence that does not resemble created essences, He possesses real attributes that do not resemble created attributes . Shared terms applied to both the Creator and creation—such as "Living" (Hayy) or "Knowing" (Alim)—reflect commonality in name rather than resemblance in true reality . The work marshals textual evidence from the Quran, prophetic traditions, and scholarly consensus to substantiate specific attributes, particularly divine highness (uluww) and ascension above the Throne .
Attribution and Publication
The treatise was historically confused in an early Indian printing and in some bibliographical references—including entries by Siddiq Hasan Khan and Khayr al-Din al-Zirikli—with a work attributed to the Yemeni scholar Muhammad ibn Nasir al-Hazimi (d. 1283 AH) . This attribution was later corrected, as the text explicitly refers to Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab as "our teacher" (shaykhuna), and manuscript copies identified it under Al Mu'ammar's name, including one titled Mu'taqad al-Shaykh Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab .
The work is incorporated into the compendium al-Durar al-Saniyya fi al-Ajwiba al-Najdiyya (volume 3, pages 207–262) . It was also edited as a standalone volume by Abd al-Salam ibn Barjis Al Abd al-Karim and published by Dar al-Asima in Riyadh (first edition, 1412/1413 AH) .
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