Kalimat al-Ikhlas wa Tahqiq Manaha - ضمن Rasa'il Ibn Rajab
- Author died
- 795 AH
- Editions
- Al-Fārūq al-Ḥadīthah lil-Ṭibā‘ah wal-Nashr
Kalimat al-Ikhlas wa Tahqiq Manaha (The Word of Sincerity and Verifying Its Meaning) is a theological treatise by the Hanbali scholar Ibn Rajab al-Hanbali (736–795 AH / 1335–1395 CE) on the meaning, conditions, and implications of the Islamic testimony of faith (la ilaha illa Allah).
Origin and Title
The treatise lacks a formal authorial introduction, beginning immediately after the basmalah with the hadith of Mu'adh ibn Jabal narrated in Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim regarding the virtues of the testimony of faith. Commentators have suggested that it originated as an instructional lesson or an exhortative sermon transcribed by his students rather than as an independently penned book, which accounts for the absence of an explicit title assigned by Ibn Rajab or by the manuscript's copyist, his student Ibn Abd al-Da'im.
The text is known under various names derived from its theme, including Tahqiq Kalimat al-Ikhlas, Sharh Hadith Mu'adh, and Kitab al-Tawhid, though Kalimat al-Ikhlas wa Tahqiq Manaha became its most prevalent title.
Contents and Theological Method
The work focuses on expounding the declaration of monotheism (tawhid) and refuting misconceptions surrounding its mere verbal pronunciation:
- Meaning of the Testimony and Conditions: Ibn Rajab defines an ilah (deity) as that which is obeyed and worshipped out of love, reverence, awe, fear, hope, and reliance, rights that belong exclusively to God. He clarifies that absolute scriptural promises of salvation for uttering the formula are qualified by texts stipulating sincerity (ikhlas), certainty (yaqin), and compliance with its essential conditions.
- Critique of Irja' and Forms of Polytheism: The treatise warns against the doctrine of Irja' (the view that faith requires only internal assent or verbal confession without obligatory works). Ibn Rajab illustrates how obedience to created beings or the Devil compromises monotheism, and he details minor or subtle branches of polytheism (shirk), such as ostentation (riya'), swearing by other than God, relying on superstitious omens (tiyara), and consulting diviners.
- Inward Devotion and Virtues: Drawing upon the example of Pharaoh's magicians who sacrificed their lives once faith entered their hearts, the author underscores the inseparable link between outward deeds and inner conviction. He concludes by detailing the virtues and merits (fada'il) of the phrase, noting that true monotheists will not remain eternally in Hellfire even if punished for sins, and urges complete realization of sincerity.
Publication History and Commentaries
The treatise was first published in Cairo in 1950 under the title Tahqiq Kalimat al-Ikhlas, annotated by Mahmud Khalifa and Ahmad al-Shirbassi (80 pages). It was subsequently published multiple times by al-Maktab al-Islami starting in 1380 AH, with a fourth edition appearing in 1397 AH edited by Zuhayr al-Shawish. It has also appeared under the editorship of Imad Taha Furrah (1403 AH), Sabri Salama Shahin, and Bashir Muhammad Uyun, as well as within the compendium Majmu' Rasa'il Ibn Rajab.
The text has been the subject of modern commentary, notably by Abd al-Rahman ibn Nasir al-Barrak in his published work Sharh Kalimat al-Ikhlas.
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