Fath Rabb al-Bariyya bi-Talkhis al-Hamawiyya

Fatḥ Rabb al-Bariyya bi-Talkhīṣ al-Ḥamawiyya (The Opening of the Lord of Creation in Abridging the Hamawiyya) is a treatise on Islamic theology by the Saudi scholar Ibn Uthaymin (d. 1421 AH / 2001 CE), abridging Ibn Taymiyya's foundational creedal work al-Fatwa al-Hamawiyya al-Kubra al-Jami li Ulum al-Imam A…+1.

Background and Composition

The underlying text, al-Fatwa al-Hamawiyya, was composed by Ibn Taymiyya in 698 AH in response to a question sent from Hama in Syria regarding the theological position of the early jurists and religious authorities on the Quranic verses and prophetic traditions concerning the divine attributes Majmu Fatawa wa Rasail al…+1. Ibn Taymiyya's response spanned roughly eighty-three pages and subsequently subjected him to severe trials Majmu Fatawa wa Rasail al…+1.

Observing that fully grasping Ibn Taymiyya's extensive discourse was arduous for many students and readers, Ibn Uthaymin wrote an abridgment focused on its essential arguments while adding necessary clarifications and commentary Majmu Fatawa wa Rasail al…+1. Authored in 1380 AH (1960 CE) when Ibn Uthaymin was thirty-three years old, it represents the very first book he composed and published in his lifetime al-Jami li Ulum al-Imam A…+1.

Content and Method

The work sets out the theological creed of the early generations (al-Salaf) regarding God's names and attributes, presenting their method as literal affirmation (ithbāt) without distortion (taḥrīf), negation (taʿṭīl), anthropomorphism (tamthīl), or resigning the textual meaning (tafwīḍ) Majallat al-Bayan. It synthesizes the textual arguments and historical statements of classical scholars to demonstrate that the early Muslim community maintained a unified approach to theological texts, contrasting their methodology with that of speculative theologians and divergent groups Majallat al-Bayan.

Publication History

The treatise was first published in 1380 AH al-Jami li Ulum al-Imam A…+1. Ibn Uthaymin later revised the work, introducing selective additions and omissions for its second edition Majmu Fatawa wa Rasail al…+1. It has undergone multiple printings, including:

• A second edition printed by the press of Imam Mohammad Ibn Saud Islamic University in Riyadh in 1404 AH Aqidat al-Muslim fi Daw a…, and published the same year (1983 CE) by Dar Taybah within a collection titled Majmūʿ Rasāʾil fī al-ʿAqīda Wasatiyyat Ahl al-Sunna b….
• A fourth edition published by the Imam Mohammad Ibn Saud Islamic University Press in 1410 AH Ara Ibn Hajar al-Haytami …+1.
• An edition released by Dar Ibn al-Jawzi in 1427 AH al-Athar al-Warida an al-….

The text is also collected within Ibn Uthaymin's broader compendium of legal opinions and theological treatises, Majmūʿ Fatāwā wa-Rasāʾil Ibn ʿUthaymīn Majmu Fatawa wa Rasail al…+1.