Marham al-Ilal al-Mudila fi al-Radd ala Aimmat al-Mutazila
- Author died
- 768 AH
- Editions
- Dār al-Jīl
Marham al-Ilal al-Mudila fi al-Radd ala Aimmat al-Mutazila ("The Salve for Intractable Ailments in Refuting the Leaders of the Mu'tazila") is a theological work on the fundamentals of religion (usul al-din) by the Yemeni Shafi'i scholar and mystic al-Yafi'i (d. 768 AH / 1367 CE) .
Background and Purpose
The treatise was composed in response to a written inquiry sent to al-Yafi'i by a Zaydi jurist . The inquiry contained disputed theological issues concerning the foundations of faith and presented various speculative doubts associated with the Mu'tazilites . In particular, the questioner raised problems regarding the negation of any second deity alongside God based on the verse: فَاعْلَمْ أَنَّهُ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ ("So know that there is no deity except Allah", Surah Muhammad: 19), probing whether establishing divine oneness depends on knowing God or vice versa, and challenging the Ash'ari reliance on revelation (sam') over pure reason by arguing that it leads to circularity . Al-Yafi'i undertook the work to dismantle these objections and provide a theological defence of Sunni positions against Mu'tazilite doctrine .
Title and Subject Matter
Biographers and bibliographers record the work under slightly varying titles:
- Marham al-Ilal al-Mudila fi al-Radd ala Aimmat al-Mutazila .
- Marham al-Ilal al-Mudila fi Daf' al-Shubah wa-al-Radd ala al-Mutazila ("The Salve for Intractable Ailments in Repelling Doubts and Refuting the Mu'tazila") .
- Marham al-Ilal al-Mudila fi Usul al-Din .
- Marham al-Ilal al-Mu'attila fi al-Radd ala Aimmat al-Mutazila in certain bibliographical entries .
The book is classified as a work of speculative theology (kalam) and creed (usul al-din) . Within the text, al-Yafi'i critiques Mu'tazilite interpretations and engages in theological argumentation, while also defending the viewpoints of Abu Hamid al-Ghazali .
Transmission and Publication
The author specifically granted transmission licenses (ijaza) for the work during his lifetime, including to the traditionist Ibn al-Iraqi . Manuscript copies of the treatise have survived in multiple international repositories, including the State Library in Berlin (MS 2806), Leiden University Library (MS 902), and the Mahmudiyya Library in Medina (MS 1901) .
A printed edition edited by Mahmud Muhammad Mahmud Hasan Nassar was published by Dar al-Jil in Beirut in 1412 AH / 1992 CE .
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