Istidrak wa Taqib ala al-Shaykh Shuaib al-Arnaut fi Tawilihi bad Ahadith al-Sifat
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Istidrak wa Taqib ala al-Shaykh Shuaib al-Arnaut fi Tawilihi bad Ahadith al-Sifat (Correction and Tracking of Shaykh Shu'ayb al-Arna'ut Regarding His Figurative Interpretation of Certain Hadiths on Divine Attributes) is a theological critique written by the Saudi scholar Khalid ibn Abd al-Rahman ibn Hamad al-Shaya . Completed in 1418 AH (1997 CE), the treatise addresses and critiques instances of figurative interpretation (ta'wil) of prophetic traditions concerning the Divine Attributes found in the marginal annotations of the hadith scholar Shu'ayb al-Arna'ut .
Background and Purpose
The author completed the treatise on 15 Muharram 1418 AH in Riyadh . In the introduction, al-Shaya notes that while he acknowledges and respects al-Arna'ut's extensive, decades-long contributions to editing and publishing classical Islamic texts, he considered it a religious duty to point out specific creedal errors regarding the Divine Names and Attributes . Al-Shaya explained that he published these corrections openly rather than offering private counsel because the annotations had already been published and circulated widely in print for years without correction, potentially misleading readers who might accept them without discernment .
Scope and Methodology
The work focuses on al-Arna'ut's editorial comments and footnotes across five major classical works that he edited or participated in editing:
- Sahih Ibn Hibban
- Riyad al-Salihin by al-Nawawi
- Zad al-Ma'ad by Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyya
- Musnad Ahmad
- Sharh al-Sunnah by al-Baghawi
Al-Shaya observes that al-Arna'ut affirmed Ash'ari positions on the Divine Attributes in some annotations through his own wording, but more frequently did so by quoting earlier scholars who engaged in figurative interpretation or by citing ambiguous remarks from other authorities . The book does not aim to compile every instance exhaustively, but rather presents selected cases to alert readers to the issue, contrasting al-Arna'ut's notes with the classical Sunni approach of accepting the apparent meaning without figurative interpretation (ta'wil) or anthropomorphism (tamthil) .
Among the specific passages examined are:
- Al-Arna'ut's note on the hadith of charity in Riyad al-Salihin, where he quoted al-Maziri's figurative interpretation of the Hand of God as a metaphor for divine acceptance .
- The commentary in Musnad Ahmad on the narration regarding God not looking at certain sinners, where al-Arna'ut and his co-editor Adel Murshid explained "looking" as a metaphor for mercy and divine wrath, which al-Shaya and his reviewer maintained should be affirmed literally as a divine attribute without inquiring into its modality .
Review and Publication
The treatise was read and reviewed across multiple sessions by Abd al-Aziz ibn Abd Allah ibn Baz, the Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia and Head of the Council of Senior Scholars, who added his own brief marginal comments and endorsements throughout the text . The book was published in its first edition in 1419 AH (1998/1999 CE) by Dar Balansiyyah in Riyadh .
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