Athar al-Iman fi Tahsin al-Umma al-Islamiyya didd al-Afkar al-Haddama
- Author died
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- Editions
- Deanship of Scientific Research, Islamic University of Madinah
Athar al-Iman fi Tahsin al-Umma al-Islamiyya didd al-Afkar al-Haddama (The Impact of Faith in Fortifying the Muslim Ummah Against Destructive Ideas) is a contemporary treatise on Islamic theology and thought by Abd Allah ibn Abd al-Rahman al-Jarbu, examining how orthodox faith shields individuals and society from intellectual deviation .
Background and Purpose
The work originated as a master’s thesis submitted in 1412 AH (1991–1992 CE) to the Department of Creed in the College of Da'wah at the Islamic University of Madinah, written under the academic supervision of Ahmad ibn Atiyya al-Ghamidi .
The author was prompted to write the treatise after studying modern ideological conflicts and noticing that scholarly treatments of intellectual invasion (al-ghazw al-fikri) rarely elaborated on the doctrinal mechanisms through which Islamic faith protects against destructive philosophies . The book defines destructive ideas (al-afkar al-haddama) as man-made philosophical doctrines, corrupted religious concepts, and alien ideologies that undermine Islamic creed and ethics, contrasting them with divinely revealed truth .
Structure and Content
The treatise is organized into an introduction, a preparatory chapter (tamhid), three main parts (abwab), and a conclusion :
- Preamble (al-Tamhid): Surveys the historical conflict between truth and falsehood across earlier Islamic eras and outlines the methods and institutions associated with modern intellectual invasion, such as missionary schools and cultural programs .
- Part One (Divine Guardianship as an External Fortification): Focuses on the concept of divine alliance (wilayat Allah). It examines the ranks of believers (the wronger of himself, the moderate, and the foremost in good deeds), the requisites for attaining God's guardianship, and how divine support preserves believers by guiding them out of darkness into light, granting firmness during trials, and protecting them from harmful intentions .
- Part Two (The Internal Fortification of the Heart): Explores the internal spiritual impact of faith (al-athar al-qalbi). It covers the functions and states of the heart—including intellection, beliefs, intentions, and emotions—and details how faith purifies (tathir) the heart from false doctrines, sins, and corrupted attachments such as unlawful desires, rancor, and envy . It also addresses spiritual cultivation (tazkiya), explaining how it produces inner peace, divine light, and the faculty of discernment (furqan) .
- Part Three (The Fortification of Muslim Society): Addresses the collective and institutional impact of faith (al-athar al-ijtima'i). It explores the protective function of Islamic moral codes, socioeconomic frameworks, the legal penal system (al-jaza' wa-l-uqab), and the preservation of ideological unity . It further discusses the societal duty of commanding right and forbidding wrong, the governance duties and qualifications of Muslim rulers (wulat al-amr), and the role of legitimate empowerment and jihad in safeguarding the Muslim community against external subversion .
The work concludes with a summary of findings on the nature of protective faith—which integrates belief, speech, and action—and provides specialized reference indices for Quranic verses, prophetic traditions, biographical notices, sources, and detailed subject headings .
Methodological Approach
The author structures the study by deriving evidence from scriptural texts and classical Sunni scholarship while engaging with modern disciplines such as sociology and psychology . While acknowledging references to non-Muslim thinkers and modern writers whose views may deviate from the creed of the early generations (al-salaf al-salih), the author notes that such sources are cited selectively under the principle of accepting sound observations that substantiate the truth .
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