Minhaj al-Sunnah al-Nabawiyyah
- Author died
- 728 AH
- Editions
- Imam Muhammad ibn Saud Islamic University
Minhaj al-Sunnah al-Nabawiyyah (The Methodology of the Prophetic Sunnah), fully titled Minhaj al-Sunnah al-Nabawiyyah fi Naqd Kalam al-Shi'ah wa-al-Qadariyyah, is a multi-volume theological and polemical treatise by the Hanbali scholar Ibn Taymiyya (661–728 AH / 1263–1328 CE) refuting Twelver Shi'i and Mu'tazili doctrines .
Background and Composition
Ibn Taymiyya composed the work around 710 AH, during his stay in Egypt . It was prompted by a group of Sunni scholars who brought him a copy of Minhaj al-Karamah fi Ithbat al-Imamah (The Way of Charisma in Establishing the Imamate) by the Twelver Shi'i scholar Ibn al-Mutahhar al-Hilli (648–726 AH) and requested a refutation . Al-Hilli had composed his book for the Ilkhanid ruler Uljaytu Khudabandah (Ghiyath al-Din Muhammad, r. 703–716 AH) to persuade him and other rulers to embrace Twelver Shi'ism, an effort that contributed to the monarch's conversion around 709 AH .
Structure and Themes
The work systematically addresses the arguments presented in al-Hilli's treatise while broadening into detailed discussions of theology, hadith criticism, and Islamic history . Its central themes include:
- The Imamate and Infallibility: Examining the Shi'i doctrine of the necessity of an infallible Imam (ismah) and refuting the theological premises used to establish it .
- The Companions of the Prophet: Defending the uprightness and early caliphates of Abu Bakr, Umar, and Uthman, and addressing Shi'i criticisms against them . Ibn Taymiyya argues that the virtues ascribed to Ali ibn Abi Talib were shared with other Companions and demonstrates that the earlier caliphs preceded him in merit and status according to Sunni doctrine .
- Divine Attributes and Predestination: Presenting the Sunni framework regarding the divine attributes (sifat) and predestination (qadar), while contrasting it with the stances of the Jahmiyyah, the Mu'tazilah, and Shi'i theologians .
- Methodology and Hadith Criticism: Critiquing sectarian historiography and evaluating narrations, distinguishing authentic reports from unverified or fabricated accounts used in theological disputes .
Reception and Critique
Sunni scholars widely praised Minhaj al-Sunnah for its extensive coverage and polemical depth. Siddiq Hasan Khan described it as one of Ibn Taymiyya's most significant works, stating that no comparable work of its kind was written before or after it . The historian Muhammad Kurd Ali noted that the book stood as a testament to the author's command of Islamic legal history and sectarian doctrines .
Conversely, the book attracted criticism. Opponents accused Ibn Taymiyya of harshness toward Ali and diminishing his standing, though Sunni defenders countered that he upheld the mainstream veneration of Ali as one of the Rightly Guided Caliphs while strictly countering sectarian hyperbole . In hadith criticism, scholars such as Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani and Abd al-Hayy al-Laknawi observed that in his zeal to counter al-Hilli's arguments, Ibn Taymiyya rejected several sound or acceptable hadiths, such as those concerning the prayer of glorification (salat al-tasbih) .
Abridgments and Editions
The book was abridged by Ibn Taymiyya's student al-Dhahabi under the title al-Muntaqa min Minhaj al-I'tidal fi Naqd Kalam Ahl al-Rafd wa-al-I'tizal . Modern abridgments include Mukhtasar Minhaj al-Sunnah by Abd Allah al-Ghunayman .
Early printed versions of the work appeared through the Bulaq Press in Egypt in four volumes . A critical edition in nine volumes (the ninth reserved for indices) was prepared by Muhammad Rashad Salim and published by Imam Muhammad Ibn Saud Islamic University in Riyadh, collated against thirteen manuscript copies, the Bulaq edition, and the 1880 Iranian print of al-Hilli's Minhaj al-Karamah .
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