Irshad al-Thiqat ila Ittifaq al-Shara'i ala al-Tawhid wa al-Ma'ad wa al-Nubuwwat

Irshad al-Thiqat ila Ittifaq al-Shara'i ala al-Tawhid wa al-Ma'ad wa al-Nubuwwat (Guiding the Trustworthy to the Agreement of Revealed Laws on Divine Unity, the Hereafter, and Prophethoods) is a theological treatise by the Yemeni scholar Muhammad ibn Ali al-Shawkani (d. 1250 AH / 1834 CE) demonstrating that all divinely revealed religions share core doctrinal foundations al-Fath al-Rabbani min Fa…+1.

Composition and Context

Al-Shawkani initially drafted a shorter treatise on the consensus of religions regarding the afterlife, titled al-Maqala al-Fakhira fi Ittifaq al-Shara'i ala Ithbat al-Dar al-Akhira, completed in Rabi' al-Akhir 1224 AH al-Fath al-Rabbani min Fa…. He subsequently expanded the subject into a comprehensive work encompassing monotheism and prophethood as well, completing the autograph manuscript on Wednesday, tentatively dated to the 27th of Rabi' al-Akhir 1231 AH (1816 CE) al-Fath al-Rabbani min Fa…+1. The work was later compiled within the fourth volume of his collected legal and theological responsa, al-Fath al-Rabbani min Fatawa al-Imam al-Shawkani al-Fath al-Rabbani min Fa…+1.

Subject Matter and Structure

The treatise is structured around three primary theological objectives (maqasid) that the author argues are recurrent themes of the Quran and the universal message of all prophets Tariq al-Hidaya Mabadi wa…+1:

1. Affirmation of Divine Unity (Ithbat al-Tawhid): Demonstrating the rejection of polytheism and idolatry across prophetic traditions, citing scriptural passages condemning idol worship from earlier revelations Irshad al-Thiqat ila Itti…+1.
2. Affirmation of the Hereafter (Ithbat al-Ma'ad): Establishing the reality of bodily resurrection, judgment, and physical reward and punishment in paradise and hellfire across earlier religious communities, critiquing contrary stances advanced by writers such as Ibn Maymun and Ibn Abi al-Hadid Tariq al-Hidaya Mabadi wa…+1.
3. Affirmation of Prophethoods (Ithbat al-Nubuwwat): Examining the continuity of prophetic missions, mutual confirmations among prophets—such as Moses foretelling Joshua, David foretelling Jesus, and John the Baptist foretelling Jesus—and highlighting scriptural prophecies regarding the advent of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ in the Torah and the Gospel Tariq al-Hidaya Mabadi wa…+1.

Method and Sources

Alongside evidence from the Quran and hadith, al-Shawkani utilized Arabic versions of prior revealed scriptures available to him, directly citing passages from the Torah, the Psalms (al-Zabur), the Gospels (al-Injil), and other prophetic books of the Israelites al-Fath al-Rabbani min Fa…+1. He argued that the substantial convergence between these scriptures on fundamental dogma refutes doubts regarding the continuity and universal consensus of prophetic teachings on core creedal tenets Irshad al-Thiqat ila Itti…+1.

Manuscript and Publication History

The author's original manuscript consists of 40 folios penned in standard Naskh script al-Fath al-Rabbani min Fa…. The work has been printed in several independent and collected editions:

• An edition edited by Ibrahim Ibrahim Hilal, published by Dar al-Nahda al-Arabiyya in Cairo (1395 AH / 1975 CE) Fath al-Qadir li al-Shawk….
• An edition published by Dar al-Kutub al-Ilmiyya in Beirut (1404 AH / 1984 CE) al-Qawaid fi Tawhid al-Ib…+1.
• A critical edition prepared by Muhammad Subhi ibn Hasan Hallaq as part of al-Fath al-Rabbani min Fatawa al-Imam al-Shawkani al-Fath al-Rabbani min Fa…+1.