Ara Muhammad Rashid Rida al-Aqaidiyya fi Ashrat al-Saa al-Kubra wa Atharuha al-Fikriyya
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- Maktabat al-Imām al-Dhahabī lil-Nashr wa-al-Tawzīʻ
Ara Muhammad Rashid Rida al-Aqaidiyya fi Ashrat al-Saa al-Kubra wa Atharuha al-Fikriyya (The Creedal Views of Muhammad Rashid Rida on the Major Portents of the Hour and Their Intellectual Repercussions) is a theological study authored by Mishari Saeed al-Mutrafi (Mishari Saeed Humaid al-Mutrafi) . The book examines, analyzes, and critiques the doctrinal stances and objections raised by Muhammad Rashid Rida regarding the major signs of the Day of Judgment in his Quranic exegesis Tafsir al-Manar .
Purpose and Scope
The author wrote the work to address doubts raised against the major signs of the Hour, noting an absence of comprehensive analytical theological studies focused specifically on Rashid Rida's positions on this subject in Tafsir al-Manar . The study aims to counter the rejection of authentic hadiths—particularly those recorded in the Sahihs of al-Bukhari and Muslim—on claims that they contradict the Quran, sound reason, or cosmic laws, or because they are solitary transmissions (ahad) .
The scope of the study is confined to four specific major portents of the Hour:
- The emergence of the False Messiah (al-Masih al-Dajjal)
- The advent of al-Mahdi
- The descent of Jesus son of Mary (Isa ibn Maryam)
- The rising of the sun from the west
Methodology
The research relies on three core methodological approaches:
- The inductive method (al-manhaj al-istiqra'i): tracing and gathering Rashid Rida's views and arguments across Tafsir al-Manar, as well as the positions and evidences of opposing scholars .
- The evidential method (al-manhaj al-istidlali): substantiating arguments using texts from the Quran, authentic Sunnah, and the statements of authoritative Islamic scholars .
- The analytical method (al-manhaj al-tahlili): analyzing Rashid Rida's arguments to evaluate their merits and respond to his objections .
Structure and Contents
The work comprises an introduction, an introductory preliminary chapter, four main chapters, and a conclusion :
- Introduction: Outlines the importance of the study, motives for selection, previous literature, research questions, boundaries, methodology, and outline .
- Preliminary Chapter (al-Fasl al-Tamhidi): Divided into six sections covering the linguistic and technical definitions of the portents of the Hour; textual proofs for the inevitability and proximity of the Hour; the division of signs into minor and major; the authoritative standing of solitary reports (khabar al-ahad) in creed; and the relationship between reason and revelation according to Ahl al-Sunnah wa-al-Jama'ah .
- Chapter One: A biographical profile of Muhammad Rashid Rida in ten sections, covering his lineage, birth, upbringing, education, intellectual shifts, migration to Egypt, the founding of al-Manar magazine, reformist activities, legal school (madhhab), theological creed, death, and writings .
- Chapter Two: A study of Tafsir al-Manar in six sections, addressing its general definition, exegetical methodology, stylistic approach, key characteristics, doctrinal approach, and critical reservations (al-ma'akhidh) noted by critics .
- Chapter Three: Detailed analysis of Rashid Rida's theological stances regarding the major portents across five sections: his general overview of the portents; his stance on the Dajjal (including the mass-transmission of the narrations, his physical description, why he is unmentioned in the Quran, and the hadith of the Jassasah); his stance on the Mahdi (the narrations and their transmission status, his lineage, and the evaluation of the report stating "there is no Mahdi except Isa"); his stance on the descent of Isa ibn Maryam (proofs, mass transmission, whether his ascension was physical or spiritual, and the duration of his stay); and his stance on the sun rising from the west and the closure of repentance .
- Chapter Four: An assessment of the intellectual repercussions of Rashid Rida's views in six sections: casting doubt on prophetic traditions; challenging the authority of the two Sahihs; creating confusion among Muslims regarding their creed; reviving the legacy of the Mu'tazilah; fostering boldness against established Islamic fundamentals; and serving the objectives of Western Orientalism .
- Conclusion: Summarizes the findings of the study, affirming the mass-transmitted status (tawatur) of the hadiths concerning the descent of Isa and the rising of the sun from the west, while highlighting the negative intellectual outcomes of Rida's rationalist methodology .
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