Ilqa al-Daw al-Qurani ala Kitabat al-Duktur Alawi hawl al-Nabhani
- Author died
- 1418 AH
- Editions
- Islamic University
Ilqa al-Daw al-Qurani ala Kitabat al-Duktur Alawi hawl al-Nabhani (Casting Quranic Light upon Dr. Alawi's Writing Concerning al-Nabhani) is a theological critique written by the Meccan scholar and instructor at the Institute of the Grand Mosque, Abd al-Qadir bin Habib Allah al-Sindi (d. 1418 AH / 1997 CE) . The treatise refutes the commendation given to the Sufi scholar and judge Yusuf al-Nabhani (1266–1350 AH) by Dr. Muhammad bin Alawi al-Maliki, while addressing al-Nabhani's theological stances regarding intercession, supplication, and Quranic exegesis .
Background and Context of Composition
The treatise originated as a critical rejoinder to a biographical work compiled by Dr. Muhammad al-Maliki entitled Ithaf Dhawi al-Himam al-Aliyyah bi-Raf Asanid Walidi al-Saniyyah (printed in Damascus in 1387 AH / 1967 CE) . In that work, al-Maliki recorded biographical entries for sixty-four scholars with whom his father, Alawi bin Abbas al-Maliki, had studied or maintained scholarly links . Al-Sindi had previously written a critique of al-Maliki's praise of Muhammad Zahid al-Kawthari and Ahmad Zayni Dahlan in an article published in the Journal of the Islamic University of Medina .
Upon re-evaluating the biographical catalogue, al-Sindi examined the entry dedicated to Yusuf ibn Ismail al-Nabhani, whom al-Maliki had praised lavishly with titles such as "Hassan of the Ahl al-Bayt" and "the al-Busiri of his era" . Viewing such praise as an endorsement of al-Nabhani's polemics against early Muslim scholars, al-Sindi composed the refutation in serialized articles for the Journal of the Islamic University of Medina, including installments published in Dhu al-Hijjah 1395 AH (December 1975 CE) and subsequent issues .
Content and Core Arguments
Al-Sindi directs his critique primarily toward al-Nabhani's book on saintly intercession, Shawahid al-Haqq fi al-Istighathah bi-Sayyid al-Khalq, and his doctrinal treatises :
- Exegesis of Quranic Verses on Tawhid: Al-Sindi refutes al-Nabhani's assertion that Quranic verses prohibiting the invocation of intermediaries apply strictly to the pre-Islamic polytheists of Mecca and do not encompass later Muslim populations. Al-Sindi contends that this violates the established hermeneutical principle that legal and theological rulings depend on the generality of textual expressions rather than specific historical circumstances .
- Doctrinal Critiques: The treatise challenges views found in al-Nabhani's poetry and writings, including claims transmitted in his poem Tayyiba al-Gharra regarding the Prophet's omnipresence across all time and space, as well as notions aligned with existential monism (wahdat al-wujud) and extreme veneration .
- Defense of Reformist Figures: Al-Sindi defends classical and later figures whom al-Nabhani had attacked, including Ibn Taymiyyah, Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyya, and Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab, arguing that al-Nabhani distorted their positions on monotheism and supplication .
Sources and Method
Al-Sindi relies heavily on earlier refutations of al-Nabhani, primarily Mahmud Shukri al-Alusi's two-volume work Ghayat al-Amani fi al-Radd ala al-Nabhani, alongside appraisals by Muhammad Rashid Rida published in the periodical al-Manar and assessments by the Grand Mosque imam Muhammad bin Abd Allah bin Subayyil . He also draws on biographical and historical notices from modern scholars, including Khayr al-Din al-Zirikli and Umar Rida Kahhala, to highlight al-Nabhani's administrative and judicial career across Jenin, Constantinople, Koy Sanjaq, Latakia, Jerusalem, and Beirut . Methodologically, al-Sindi counters al-Nabhani's citations by juxtaposing them against Quranic verses, prophetic traditions, and interpretations from classical exegetes and early authorities (al-salaf al-salih) .
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