Jawab Ahl al-Sunna al-Nabawiyya fi Naqd Kalam al-Shia wa al-Zaydiyya (matbu ضمن al-Rasail wa al-Masail al-Najdiyya, al-Juz al-Rabi, al-Qism al-Awwal)

Jawab Ahl al-Sunna al-Nabawiyya fi Naqd Kalam al-Shia wa al-Zaydiyya ("The Response of the People of the Prophetic Sunna in Refuting the Discourse of the Shia and the Zaydiyya") is a theological and polemical treatise by the Najdi Hanbali scholar Abd Allah ibn Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab (1165–1242 AH / 1752–1826 CE) Majmuat al-Rasail wal-Mas…+1. Written to counter objections raised by contemporary Zaydi scholars against the Najdi reform movement, it is published as part of the fourth volume of al-Rasa'il wa al-Masa'il al-Najdiyya Majmuat al-Rasail wal-Mas…+1.

Background and Context of Composition

The treatise was composed as a direct rejoinder to an epistle sent by scholars from the Zaydiyya Majmuat al-Rasail wal-Mas…+1. In the opening of the work, the author notes that he received their letter containing objections to an earlier written response he had dispatched to them the previous year in the company of their envoy Jawab Ahl al-Sunna al-Nab….

Key Themes and Arguments

The work addresses several theological, polemical, and historical disputes between the Najdi scholars and their Shi'i and Zaydi interlocutors:

• The Cause of Conflict: The author refutes the claim of his opponent that the discord between their factions stems from early political rifts—namely the conflict between Ali ibn Abi Talib and Mu'awiya ibn Abi Sufyan Jawab Ahl al-Sunna al-Nab…. Instead, he states that the root cause of disagreement and hostility is the spread of polytheism (shirk) across various regions—including Yemen, the Levant, the East, and the West—specifically through invoking the righteous (al-istighatha bi-l-salihin) and supplicating to them for relief from distress and the attainment of benefits Jawab Ahl al-Sunna al-Nab….
• Divine Attributes: The author sets forth the creed of the early generations (al-Salaf), maintaining that the scriptural texts concerning the divine attributes are affirmed upon their apparent meaning (zahiriha) while negating any modality (kayfiyya) or anthropomorphic conception Islamiyya la Wahhabiyya.
• Enjoining Good and Rebellion against Rulers: He discusses the historical positions surrounding the rebellion of al-Husayn ibn Ali against Yazid ibn Mu'awiya, surveying the differing views among the Companions and early scholars concerning enjoining good and forbidding evil—contrasting those who restricted it to the heart and tongue while prohibiting armed rebellion against oppressive rulers with those who permitted armed opposition under specific circumstances Jawab Ahl al-Sunna al-Nab….

Publication History

The treatise was printed under the patronage of King Abd al-Aziz Al Saud within Majmu'at al-Rasa'il wa al-Masa'il al-Najdiyya (volume 4, part 1) edited by Muhammad Rashid Rida Majmuat al-Rasail wal-Mas…+1. It was also published in Beirut by Dar al-Afaq al-Jadida (1401 AH / 1981 CE) as part of the compilation Fi Aqa'id al-Islam Ihtisab al-Shaykh Muhamma…, and was later edited and studied in an academic monograph by Nasir al-Sa'wi al-Daawa al-Muasira al-Mu….