Ibtal al-Tawilat
- Author died
- 458 AH
- Editions
- T Gharas · Ta Elaf
Ibtal al-Tawilat li-Akhbar al-Sifat (Invalidating Figurative Interpretations of the Reports on the Divine Attributes) is a theological treatise by the Hanbali jurist and scholar al-Qadi Abu Ya'la Ibn al-Farra' (380–458 AH / 990–1066 CE) dedicated to affirming textual reports concerning the divine attributes and refuting allegorical interpretation (ta'wil) .
Title and Purpose
The title recorded on early manuscript copies and by the author's son in his biographical work is Ibtal al-Tawilat li-Akhbar al-Sifat . Later scholars cited it under shortened variants: Ibn Taymiyyah referred to it as Ibtal al-Tawil and Dhamm al-Tawil, while al-Dhahabi cited it as Ibtal Tawil al-Sifat .
Abu Ya'la composed the book specifically to refute the Ash'arite theologian Abu Bakr Ibn Furak (d. 406 AH) and his work Mushkil al-Hadith wa-Bayanuh (The Problematic Hadiths and Their Clarification), which had itself been written in response to Ibn Khuzaymah's Kitab al-Tawhid .
Method and Arguments
In the work, Abu Ya'la establishes that reports concerning the divine attributes should neither be rejected, as done by the Mu'tazilites, nor subjected to allegorical interpretation, as practiced by the Ash'arites . Instead, he maintains that they must be accepted on their apparent literal meaning ('ala zahiriha) as real attributes of God that bear no resemblance to creation, adhering to the stance transmitted from Ahmad ibn Hanbal and early traditionists to "pass them along as they have come" (amriruha kama ja'at) .
To support his rejection of ta'wil, Abu Ya'la argues that the Companions of the Prophet and the Successors accepted these reports on their outward sense without diverting them toward metaphorical meanings . He contends that had figurative reinterpretation been permissible, the early generations would have been the first to employ it . Furthermore, he asserts that maintaining the apparent wording preserves literal truth (haqiqah), whereas figurative interpretation reduces the attributes to metaphor (majaz), which he considers inadmissible regarding divine descriptions .
Reception and Controversies
Ibtal al-Tawilat became a focal point of intense scholarly debate:
- Critique of Narrations: The inclusion of unauthenticated and fabricated narrations (ahadith mawdu'ah) concerning the divine attributes drew strong criticism from scholars, including fellow Hanbalis who censured the author harshly .
- Accusations of Anthropomorphism: Adversaries accused Abu Ya'la of anthropomorphism (tajsim and tashbih), a charge echoed by the historian Ibn al-Athir on account of this book .
- Refutations: The Hanbali scholar Abu al-Faraj Ibn al-Jawzi (d. 597 AH) wrote a direct refutation titled Daf' Shubah al-Tashbih bi-Akaff al-Tanzih (Repelling the Fallacies of Anthropomorphism with the Palms of Transcendence), criticizing Abu Ya'la, alongside Ibn Hamid and Ibn al-Zaghuni, for what he viewed as anthropomorphic tendencies . Ibn al-Jawzi's refutation was later counter-refuted in modern times by Sulayman al-Alwan in Ithaf Ahl al-Fadl wa-l-Insaf .
Abridgment and Publication
Abu Ya'la himself authored an abridgment of the work titled Mukhtasar Ibtal al-Tawilat .
The extant text of Ibtal al-Tawilat was edited by Muhammad ibn Hamad al-Humud al-Najdi and published in Kuwait by Dar al-Imam al-Dhahabi and Dar Ilaf al-Dawliyyah (1410 AH / 1990 CE) .
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