Maarij al-Qabul bi Sharh Sullam al-Wusul
- Author died
- 1377 AH
- Editions
- Dār Ibn al-Qayyim
Maarij al-Qabul bi Sharh Sullam al-Wusul (The Ascents of Acceptance: Commentary on the Ladder of Attainment) is an extensive theological work on Islamic creed (aqidah) written by the Saudi scholar Hafiz bin Ahmad Hakami (1342–1377 AH / 1924–1958 CE) as a commentary on his own didactic poem, Sullam al-Wusul ila Ilm al-Usul .
Composition and Context
Hakami originally composed the base text, Sullam al-Wusul ila Ilm al-Usul fi Tawhid Allah wa-Ittiba al-Rasul, in 1362 AH at the request of his teacher, Abdullah al-Qar'awi . The poem consists of 290 verses in the rajaz meter detailing the creed of the early Muslims (Salaf) and addressing contemporary practices such as the veneration of graves, stones, and trees . After the poem circulated among students, Hakami was asked to provide an explanatory commentary that would resolve ambiguous passages, clarify conciseness, and furnish proofs directly from the Quran and the Sunnah . Hakami completed drafting the extensive commentary in 1366 AH .
Contents and Structure
The commentary systematically follows the sequence of Sullam al-Wusul, addressing foundational theological themes:
- Tawhid and its Categories: Detailed exposition of the oneness of divine lordship (tawhid al-rububiyyah), the oneness of worship (tawhid al-uluhiyyah), and the divine names and attributes (tawhid al-asma wa-l-sifat) .
- Conditions of Faith: Analysis of the declaration of faith (Shahada) and its seven requisite conditions formulated by Hakami: knowledge, certainty, acceptance, compliance, truthfulness, sincerity, and love .
- Nullifiers and Deviations: Detailed treatment of major and minor polytheism (shirk), types of disbelief (kufr), hypocrisy (nifaq), sorcery, and grave-related innovations .
- Pillars of Faith: Discussion of belief in the angels, divine scriptures, messengers, the Last Day, and divine predestination (qadar) .
- Eschatological Details: Thorough examination of afterlife events, including the resurrection, reckoning, and the beatific vision of God (ru'yah) in Paradise, where Hakami refutes opposing groups such as the Mu'tazila and draws from the works of Ibn al-Qayyim .
Method and Sources
The book is characterized by an extensive reliance on scriptural evidence, citing hundreds of Quranic passages and over 650 Prophetic hadiths in its first volume alone, alongside transmitted reports from the Companions and early authorities . Hakami establishes doctrinal points primarily through textual proofs rather than speculative theological dialectic (kalam) . Hakami's subsequent question-and-answer primer, A'lam al-Sunnah al-Manshurah, functions as a concise summary of the doctrinal topics established in Maarij al-Qabul .
Reception, Editions, and Abridgments
Hakami's works, including Maarij al-Qabul, were presented to the Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia, Muhammad ibn Ibrahim Al al-Shaykh, who praised them and recommended that the government print and distribute them widely .
The work's first edition was published in two large volumes comprising over 1,100 pages . It was subsequently reprinted multiple times, including a third edition printed at al-Matba'a al-Salafiyya in Cairo (1404 AH) with a biographical introduction by the author's son, Ahmad ibn Hafiz al-Hakami , an edition by the General Presidency of Scholarly Research and Ifta in Saudi Arabia , and a three-volume edition edited by Umar ibn Mahmud Abu Umar published by Dar Ibn al-Qayyim in Dammam (1410 AH / 1990 CE) .
An abridgment titled Mukhtasar Maarij al-Qabul was prepared by Abu Asim Hisham ibn Abd al-Qadir Al Uqdah and published in Riyadh by Maktabat al-Kawthar .
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