Dahd Shubuhat ala al-Tawhid min Su al-Fahm li-Thalathat Ahadith

Dahd Shubuhat ala al-Tawhid min Su al-Fahm li-Thalathat Ahadith (Refutation of Misconceptions Regarding Monotheism Arising from the Misunderstanding of Three Hadiths) is a theological epistle by the Najdi Hanbali scholar and mufti Abd Allah Aba Butayn (d. 1282 AH / 1865 CE), written to refute objections raised against the doctrine of monotheism in worship (tawhid al-uluhiyyah) based on misinterpretations of three prophetic traditions Majmuat al-Rasail wal-Mas…+1.

Background and Purpose

The treatise was composed as a response to a request from an inquirer seeking clarification on arguments advanced by opponents of the Najdi reform movement Majmuat al-Rasail wal-Mas…+1. The title does not appear explicitly in the original manuscript text, and was likely assigned to the work when it was published by the scholar Muhammad Rashid Rida Dahd Shubuhat ala al-Tawh….

Content and Arguments

Aba Butayn opens the treatise by affirming that the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ was sent primarily to establish monotheism in worship and to eradicate idolatry and the devotion directed toward other than God Majmuat al-Rasail wal-Mas…. The treatise addresses three distinct hadith texts that were commonly cited to dispute the persistence of polytheism or the ruling of fighting those guilty of it:

1. The Hadith on Satan's Despair: Opponents argued from the hadith stating that Satan had despaired of being worshipped by those who pray in the Arabian Peninsula ( إن الشيطان يئس أن يعبده المصلون في جزيرة العرب ) that polytheism could never occur in that region, an interpretation Aba Butayn deconstructs Majmuat al-Rasail wal-Mas….
2. The Hadith on Calling for Restraint: The narration reporting the phrase يا عباد الله احبسوا ("O servants of God, hold back!"), which was used to justify supplication and calling upon unseen beings Majmuat al-Rasail wal-Mas….
3. The Hadiths on the Inviolability of the Proclaimer of Faith: Opponents invoked the Prophet's ﷺ query to Usama ibn Zayd— أقتلته بعد ما قال لا إله إلا الله ("Did you kill him after he said: 'There is no god but Allah'?")—as well as the narration commanding fighting people until they profess the declaration of faith, claiming that uttering the words لا إله إلا الله grants absolute protection against being excommunicated or fought, regardless of subsequent acts of polytheism Majmuat al-Rasail wal-Mas….

Transmission and Publication

The work was preserved in a manuscript transcribed in 1345 AH by Abd Allah al-Rashid al-Faraj directly from Aba Butayn's own autograph Majmuat al-Rasail wal-Mas…. It was published under the auspices of King Ibn Saud within the compendium Majmu'at al-Rasa'il wa-l-Masa'il al-Najdiyyah Majmuat al-Rasail wal-Mas…, and was likewise incorporated into the compilation al-Durar al-Saniyyah al-Durar al-Saniyya fi al….

The epistle was later edited as an independent monograph by Abd al-Salam ibn Barjis al-Abd al-Karim, who verified its texts and annotated its references Dahd Shubuhat ala al-Tawh…+1. This edition was commended by scholars including Salih ibn Ibrahim al-Bulayhi and Abd Allah ibn Jar Allah al-Jar Allah Dahd Shubuhat ala al-Tawh…+1, and issued by Dar al-Asimah in Riyadh Al-Dua wa Manzilatuhu min….