Badr al-Tamam Sharh Lamiyat Shaykh al-Islam
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- Editions
- Markaz al-Nukhab al-Ilmiyyah
Badr al-Tamam Sharh Lamiyat Shaykh al-Islam (Full Moon: Commentary on the L-Rhyming Poem of Shaykh al-Islam) is a contemporary treatise on Sunni Islamic creed by the Saudi scholar Abd al-Rahman bin Abd al-Aziz al-Aql, written as an analytical commentary on the concise sixteen-verse poem on creed attributed to Ibn Taymiyyah (661–728 AH / 1263–1328 CE) .
Origin and Pedagogical Framework
The commentary was prepared as the initial textbook in the foundational curriculum (al-Manhajiyya al-Ilmiyya al-Ta'siliyya) organized under Markaz al-Nukhab al-Ilmiyya in the Al-Qassim Province . The text originated from extemporaneous lectures delivered by the author, which were transcribed by students during teaching sessions and subsequently revised, expanded, and condensed for publication .
Structure and Content
The work begins with an introductory chapter detailing the pedagogical objectives of the instructional program and providing the full vocalized text of the sixteen-verse Lamiyya . It then devotes a dedicated study to the historical and critical debate regarding the poem's attribution to Ibn Taymiyyah, categorizing scholarly assessments into three main positions :
- Affirmation of attribution: Supported by commentators and scholars including Ahmad ibn Abd Allah al-Mardawi (d. 1236 AH), Muhammad ibn Abd Allah al-Jabarti (d. 1286 AH), Khayr al-Din al-Alusi (d. 1317 AH), Abd al-Aziz ibn Nasir al-Rashid (d. 1408 AH), Salih ibn Ibrahim al-Bulayhi (d. 1410 AH), Ahmad ibn Hajar Al Bu Tami (d. 1423 AH), Abd Allah ibn Abd al-Rahman al-Jibreen (d. 1430 AH), Muhammad ibn Ibrahim al-Shaybani, and Yusuf ibn Abd Allah al-Salim . Proponents cite its presence in early manuscripts alongside Ibn Taymiyyah's treatises, explicit title ascriptions, and its widespread transmission among scholars .
- Rejection of attribution: Maintained by Muhammad ibn Salih al-Uthaymeen (d. 1421 AH) and Bakr ibn Abd Allah Abu Zayd (d. 1429 AH), who noted that the poem is absent from the extensive biographical catalogues compiled by Ibn Taymiyyah's direct students—such as Ibn Rushayyiq, Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyya, and Ibn Abd al-Hadi—and highlighted theological terms in some copies, such as describing the Quran as al-qadim (eternal), which Ibn Taymiyyah explicitly criticized in his known writings .
- Suspension of judgment: Represented by scholars such as Sulayman ibn Sahman (d. 1349 AH), who expressed reservation regarding the authenticity of its transmission .
Following the preliminary study, the commentary proceeds line by line through the poem's thematic sections . It explicates fundamental Sunni creedal tenets addressed in the verses, including: loving all the Prophet's Companions and acknowledging the preeminence of Abu Bakr al-Siddiq; showing affection to the Prophet's household (Ahl al-Bayt); affirming the Quran as the revealed, uncreated speech of God; affirming the divine attributes without figurative interpretation (ta'wil) or anthropomorphic visualization; affirming the beatific vision of God (ru'yah) in the hereafter and divine descent without asking "how" (bighayri kayf); affirming the Scale (mizan), the Basin (hawd), the Traverse (sirat), and the questioning and deeds in the grave; and tracing these convictions to the four canonical Sunni jurists—al-Shafi'i, Malik ibn Anas, Abu Hanifa, and Ahmad ibn Hanbal .
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