Masala fi Tawhid al-Falasifa
- Author died
- 728 AH
- Editions
- Dār al-Fatḥ lil-Dirāsāt wal-Nashr
Mas’ala fi Tawhid al-Falasifa (A Question on the Monotheism of the Philosophers) is a theological and philosophical treatise by the Hanbali scholar Ibn Taymiyya (d. 728 AH / 1328 CE), dedicated to refuting the concept of divine unity (tawhid) and its logical proofs as formulated by the philosophers .
Background and Context
The treatise is structured as an extensive response to a question posed regarding the philosophers’ proof for the oneness of the Necessary Existent (wajib al-wujud), which relies on dialectical premises involving quiddity (mahiyya), essential concomitants (lawazim), and accidents (‘awarid) .
The work was referenced by Ibn Taymiyya’s student Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyya in his didactic poem al-Kafiya al-Shafiya (the Nuniyya), where he commended the treatise, describing it as a concise volume (sifr latif) that demolishes the foundations of the philosophers using sound rational arguments and demonstration .
Content and Arguments
In his reply, Ibn Taymiyya argues that the philosophers’ conception of tawhid is, in reality, a form of divine divestment or nullification (ta‘til) of the Necessary Existent . He maintains that while the philosophers formally affirm the Necessary Existent, they negate its necessary entailments and divine attributes; because negating necessary concomitants implies the negation of that which entails them, their position logically results in denying God's existence .
Ibn Taymiyya characterizes the logical proofs presented by the philosophers as sophistical (sufista’iyya) rather than genuinely demonstrative (burhaniyya) . He asserts that their denial of composition (tarkib) and multiplicity (ta‘addud) within the Necessary Existent serves as a pretext to strip God of His real attributes and meanings, ultimately entailing contradictions within their philosophical system .
Manuscript and Publication
The treatise remained in manuscript form until it was edited and published from a unique manuscript preserved in the National Library of Tunisia (MS 23837, part of a compendium) . The manuscript consists of 100 folios and lacks a stated copyist or date; however, the scribe describes Ibn Taymiyya as his teacher and offers prayers for him, suggesting it was copied by a student shortly after Ibn Taymiyya’s death . The manuscript also contains marginal notes written in Maghrebi script highlighting various arguments and topics .
The text was edited by Mubarak ibn Rashid al-Hathlan and published for the first time by Dar al-Fath for Studies and Publishing in Amman, Jordan, in 1439 AH / 2018 CE .
Answer updated