Jawab al-Itiradat al-Misriyya ala al-Fatya al-Hamawiyya

Jawab al-Itiradat al-Misriyya ala al-Fatya al-Hamawiyya (The Answer to the Egyptian Objections to the Hamawa Fatwa) is an extensive theological refutation by Ibn Taymiyya (661–728 AH / 1263–1328 CE), written to defend his creedal treatise al-Fatya al-Hamawiyya against criticisms raised by Egyptian scholars Jawab al-Itiradat al-Misr…+1.

Background and Composition

Following the circulation of al-Fatya al-Hamawiyya, several contemporary scholars wrote treatises contesting its positions on Islamic creed and the divine attributes Jawab al-Itiradat al-Misr…. Among the foremost refutations was one authored by the Hanafi chief judge of Egypt, Shams al-Din Ahmad ibn Ibrahim al-Saruji (d. 710 AH) Jawab al-Itiradat al-Misr…+1. Ibn Taymiyya referred to him in Bayan Talbis al-Jahmiyya as "the best of the opposing judges" and composed his multi-volume reply to systematically dismantle the queries and objections presented against the original fatwa Jawab al-Itiradat al-Misr…+1. Al-Safadi noted that Ibn Taymiyya dictated this response while imprisoned in the well-dungeon (al-Jubb) in Cairo Ayan al-Asr wa Awan al-Na….

Scope, Content, and Title Variations

Classical bibliographers and students of Ibn Taymiyya recorded the work under slight variations of its title. Ibn Rashiq and Ibn Abd al-Hadi documented it as Jawab al-I'tiradat al-Misriyya 'ala al-Fatya al-Hamawiyya, noting its length as four volumes, with some copies spanning fewer Jawab al-Itiradat al-Misr…+1. Al-Safadi and Ibn Shakir al-Kutubi cited it omitting the opening word Jawab, while Ibn Rajab and al-Ulaymi used the plural al-Fatawa al-Hamawiyya Jawab al-Itiradat al-Misr…. Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyya referred to it in his didactic poem al-Kafiya al-Shafiya (the Nuniyya) as al-Ajwiba al-Misriyya and described it as filling six substantial volumes al-Uqud al-Durriyya fi Ma….

The treatise addresses theological disputes surrounding:

• The affirmation of God's transcendence (uluww) and His being above the Throne (istiwa'), alongside His nearness to supplicants Jawab al-Itiradat al-Misr…+1.
• The nature of God's speech (kalam Allah) and the Quran, addressing the historical disagreements among early and later theological factions Jawab al-Itiradat al-Misr….
• Principles and levels of figurative interpretation (ta'wil), homonymous terms, and textual proofs from the Quran, Sunnah, and early consensus Jawab al-Itiradat al-Misr….

Ibn Taymiyya regularly referenced the work across his subsequent writings, including al-Istiqaama and al-Tis'iniyya, directing readers to its expansive discussions Jawab al-Itiradat al-Misr….

Transmission and Modern Publication

Although large portions of the original multi-volume text were lost, surviving manuscript fragments were recovered and edited by Muhammad Uzayr Shams, published under the supervision of Bakr Abu Zayd Jawab al-Itiradat al-Misr…+1.