Fadl al-Islam (matbu ضمن Muallafat al-Shaykh Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab, al-juz al-awwal)
- Author died
- 1206 AH
- Editions
- Imam Muhammad ibn Saud Islamic University
Fadl al-Islam (The Virtue of Islam) is a doctrinal treatise authored by Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab (d. 1206 AH / 1792 CE) that outlines the defining characteristics of Islam, its religious merit, the obligation of adhering to it in full, and the prohibition of religious innovations . The text is included within the first volume of the author's collected works (Mu'allafat al-Shaykh Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab) .
Purpose and Content
The treatise was written to clarify the reality and virtues of Islam, establish the duty of entering into its fold, demonstrate the sufficiency of following the Quran and the Prophetic Sunnah to the exclusion of other paths, and warn against departing from Islam's tenets or altering the innate human disposition (fitrah) . It emphasizes adherence to orthodox practice, highlights the danger of innovations (bida'), and addresses the merit of adhering to religion during times of spiritual estrangement (ghurba) .
Structure and Method
The work is organized into thematic chapters (abwab), each headed by a descriptive title under which the author compiles relevant verses from the Quran, prophetic hadiths, and statements from early authorities without extensive personal commentary, leaving the underlying doctrinal rulings and textual implications for the reader to deduce .
The chapters of the treatise include:
- Bab Fadl al-Islam (The Virtue of Islam)
- Bab Wujub al-Islam (The Obligation of Islam)
- Bab Tafsir al-Islam (The Explanation of Islam)
- Bab qawl Allah ta'ala: وَمَنْ يَبْتَغِ غَيْرَ الْأِسْلامِ دِينًا فَلَنْ يُقْبَلَ مِنْه (Chapter on the Verse: "Whoever seeks a religion other than Islam, it will never be accepted of him")
- Bab Wujub al-Istighna' bi-Mutaba'atih (The Obligation of Sufficing with Following the Quran)
- Bab ma ja'a fi al-khuruj 'an da'wa al-Islam (What Has Been Transmitted Regarding Departing from the Call of Islam)
- Bab Wujub al-Dukhul fi al-Islam kullihi wa-tark ma siwah (The Obligation of Entering into Islam Entirely and Abandoning All Else)
- Bab ma ja'a anna al-bid'ah ashadd min al-kaba'ir (What Has Been Transmitted That Innovation Is Graver than Major Sins)
- Bab anna Allaha ihtajaza al-tawbata 'an sahib al-bid'ah (That God Withholds Repentance from the Person of Innovation)
- Bab qawl Allah ta'ala: يَا أَهْلَ الْكِتَابِ لِمَ تُحَاجُّونَ فِي إِبْرَاهِيمَ (Chapter on the Verse: "O People of the Scripture, why do you argue about Abraham?")
- Bab qawl Allah ta'ala: فَأَقِمْ وَجْهَكَ لِلدِّينِ حَنِيفًا (Chapter on the Verse: "So direct your face toward the religion inclining to truth")
- Bab ma ja'a fi ghurbat al-Islam wa-fadl al-ghuraba' (What Has Been Transmitted Regarding the Estrangement of Islam and the Virtue of Strangers)
- Bab al-Tahdhir min al-bida' (Warning Against Innovations)
Commentaries
The book has been the subject of dedicated scholarly commentaries and lectures, such as Sharh Kitab Fadl al-Islam by Nasir al-Aql and Al-I'lam fi Sharh Fadl al-Islam by Ahmad ibn Abd al-Rahman al-Qadi .
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