Kashf al-Awham wal-Iltibas an Tashbih Bad al-Aghbiya min al-Nas
- Author died
- 1349 AH
- Editions
- Dār al-‘Āṣimah
Kashf al-Awham wal-Iltibas ‘an Tashbih Ba‘d al-Aghbiya’ min al-Nas ("The Removal of Delusions and Confusion Regarding the Misrepresentations of Certain Foolish People") is a theological polemic by the Najdi Hanbali scholar Sulayman ibn Sahman (d. 1349 AH / 1930 CE) . The work defends the scholarly consensus of Ahl al-Sunnah on the excommunication (takfir) of the Jahmiyya and addresses contemporary doctrinal disputes concerning theological deviance and sectarian classification .
Background and Occasion of Writing
The treatise arose as a direct refutation of positions advanced by Husayn ibn Hasan Al al-Shaykh and a related polemical exchange involving Yusuf ibn Shabib al-Kuwayti . Ibn Sahman had previously authored a brief epistle refuting Ibn Shabib's interpretation and application of statements by Ibn Taymiyyah . In response, Husayn ibn Hasan composed a 21-line poem attacking Ibn Sahman—dismissing him as merely a poet ignorant of legal rulings—and sent an inquiry to Muhammad ibn Abd al-Latif ibn Abd al-Rahman .
In that query, Husayn argued that Sunni authorities held two differing views regarding the excommunication of the Jahmiyya, asserting that excommunicating them would unjustly necessitate declaring disbelief upon past Sunni scholars and common Muslims who withheld takfir . Although Ibn Sahman had initially refrained from public refutation out of regard for Husayn’s family and requests from peers, he composed this prose treatise once he confirmed Husayn's written statements and arguments .
Core Arguments and Method
In the treatise, Ibn Sahman refutes the claim of a Sunni dispute over the Jahmiyya, arguing that leading authorities across generations reached an established consensus regarding their disbelief and their exclusion from the seventy-three sects of Islam . He critiques his opponent's methodology for conflating stubborn innovators whose doctrines constitute apostasy (such as the Jahmiyya and grave-worshippers) with innovators whose heresies do not remove them from Islam (such as the early Kharijites) .
Ibn Sahman also addresses the theological standing of contemporary groups along the coast of Oman—specifically mentioning Dubai and Abu Dhabi—and analyzes the status of ignorant blind followers (muqallidun) . He refutes the claim that not excommunicating an individual who refrained from takfir implies declaring previous scholars infidels, invoking the legal and theological maxim that the implied consequence of a school of thought is not inherently that school's stated position (lazim al-madhhab laysa bi-madhhab) .
To substantiate his arguments, Ibn Sahman draws extensively upon classical works and regional Najdi scholarship, citing:
- Early traditionists such as Abd Allah ibn Ahmad ibn Hanbal in Kitab al-Sunnah, Abd al-Aziz al-Kinani in al-Haydah, and Uthman ibn Sa'id al-Darimi .
- Medieval authorities, notably Ibn Taymiyyah and Ibn al-Qayyim (referencing works such as al-Kafiyah al-Shafiyah and al-Juyush al-Islamiyyah) .
- Prominent Najdi scholars, including Abd al-Rahman ibn Hasan's Fath al-Majid and the writings of his teacher Abd al-Latif ibn Abd al-Rahman (including citations from al-Ithaf fi al-Radd ‘ala al-Sahhaf) .
Publication
The work was edited and authenticated by Abd al-Aziz ibn Abd Allah al-Zir Al Hamad and published by Dar al-Asimah in Saudi Arabia (first edition, 1415 AH) .
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