Madhahib al-Nas fi Sifat al-Mahabba lillah
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- Madhahib al-Nas fi Sifat al-Mahabba lillah
Madhahib al-Nas fi Sifat al-Mahabba lillah (مذاهب الناس في صفة المحبة لله عز وجل, lit. 'Doctrines of People Regarding the Divine Attribute of Love for Allah') is a theological treatise written by Dr. Abd al-Majid bin Muhammad al-Wa'lan . The book examines the Islamic theological doctrines concerning the divine attribute of love (al-mahabba), presenting the position of Ahl al-Sunnah and refuting the interpretations and denials of theological schools categorized as al-Mu'attila (the negationists) .
Structure and Outline
The author organized the treatise into a preliminary section (tamhid), an introduction (muqaddima), two main chapters, and a conclusion (khatima) :
- Preliminary Section (Tamhid): Addresses the significance of studying the names and attributes of Allah, noting that knowledge of Allah's attributes is the noblest branch of knowledge because the nobility of knowledge stems from the nobility of what is known . It highlights that the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ left his community on a clear path, though subsequent deviations led to sectarian division and theological misinterpretations regarding divine attributes . The author also outlines his academic methodology, including referencing Quranic verses, sourcing and evaluating hadith narrations, biographical sketches of referenced sects and figures, and generating indices and bibliographies .
- Introduction (Muqaddima): Analyzes the linguistic and terminological definitions of love (al-mahabba) . Linguistically, the term is traced across Arabic lexicography to root concepts including steadfastness, clarity, and incline of the heart . Terminologically, the treatise defines divine love as an actual, voluntary attribute of action (sifa fi'liyya ikhtiyariyya) tied to Allah's divine will (mashi'a), established through the Quran and the Sunnah .
- Chapter One: Discusses the doctrine of Ahl al-Sunnah wa al-Jama'ah regarding the attribute of love, establishing textual evidence from the Quran, prophetic hadiths, and scholarly consensus (ijma') .
- Chapter Two: Surveys the views of the opposing groups (al-Mu'attila) and refutes their arguments and rational objections .
- Conclusion (Khatima): Summarizes the findings of the study, reiterating that scripture affirms absolute perfection for Allah and warning against speculative theological assertions not grounded in revelation .
Theological Content and Arguments
The Sunni Position
The work establishes that Ahl al-Sunnah affirm the attribute of divine love in reality (haqiqatan), maintaining that Allah truly loves His righteous servants and is truly loved by them, as indicated by verses such as فَسَوْفَ يَأْتِي اللَّهُ بِقَوْمٍ يُحِبُّهُمْ وَيُحِبُّونَهُ ("Allah will bring forth a people whom He loves and who love Him") and وَالَّذِينَ آمَنُوا أَشَدُّ حُبًّا لِلَّهِ ("And those who believe are stronger in love for Allah") . This affirmation is maintained in accordance with the general Sunni principle of affirming attributes without distortion (tahrif), denial (ta'til), assigning a modality (takyif), or anthropomorphic comparison (tamthil), analogized to Malik ibn Anas's foundational ruling on the attribute of divine ascension (istiwa') .
The Divergent Views and Refutations
Drawing heavily upon the theological treatises of Ibn Taymiyyah, the work classifies the views of various Islamic sects into distinct categories :
- Total Negation: The Jahmiyya and the Mu'tazila denied that Allah loves or is loved, arguing that love requires affinity or correspondence (munasaba) between the lover and the beloved, which they asserted cannot exist between the Eternal Creator (al-Qadim) and temporal creation (al-Muhdath) . Consequently, they interpreted the servant's love for Allah as merely the desire to obey Him, and Allah's love for the servant as His reward or praise .
- Reinterpretation via Divine Will: Groups such as the Asha'ira and certain speculative theologians (mutakallimun) asserted that love is a category of divine will (irada), interpreting Allah's love as His will to bestow favor and forgiveness (iradat al-in'am wa-l-maghfira), and the servant's love as compliance with divine commands .
The book responds to these positions across several dialectical points:
- The Claim of Affinity and Need: The author argues that denying love out of fear of implying need (haja) or correspondence is flawed, because the same objection could be leveled against the attribute of divine will (irada), which these theologians themselves affirm . Furthermore, love is an attribute of absolute perfection, and Allah is inherently self-sufficient (Ghaniyy) without needing creation .
- Separation between Love and Obedience: The treatise notes that the Quran distinguishes between Allah Himself and the acts of obedience or worship performed for Him, as seen in أَحَبَّ إِلَيْكُمْ مِنَ اللَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِ وَجِهَادٍ فِي سَبِيلِهِ ("...more beloved to you than Allah and His Messenger and striving in His cause") . Reducing love of Allah merely to love of action is linguistically and scripturally untenable, as love for a means (wasila) is secondary to love for the ultimate objective .
- Accidents and Change (Hulul al-Hawadith and al-Taghayyur): The author refutes the kalam objection that affirming voluntary attributes entails temporal change or corporeality (tajsim), arguing that Allah possessing actions linked to His will by no means implies deficiency or transformation from one state of imperfection to another .
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