Mukhtasar Maarij al-Qabul
- Author died
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- Editions
- Maktabat al-Kawthar
Mukhtasar Maarij al-Qabul (Abridgment of the Ascents of Acceptance) is an abridgment of Hafiz ibn Ahmad Hakami’s treatise on Islamic theology (aqidah), Maarij al-Qabul bi-Sharh Sullam al-Wusul, prepared by Abu Asim Hisham ibn Abd al-Qadir ibn Muhammad Al Uqdah.
Composition and Purpose
Al-Uqdah originally drafted the summary for personal use while studying Hakami’s extensive commentary. After fellow students examined the work and encouraged its publication to facilitate wider access to the original treatise, he revised and expanded the draft. He completed the work in Damanhur on the evening of Friday, 21 Rajab 1410 AH (16 February 1990 CE). Al-Uqdah noted that the summary was intended as an introductory aid to prepare students for reading Hakami’s comprehensive original rather than as a replacement for it.
Methodology and Structure
Al-Uqdah followed several specific methodological guidelines in preparing the abridgment:
- Hadith grading and selection: He retained accepted hadiths while omitting unneeded length. For narrations attributed in the original to Sahih al-Bukhari or Sahih Muslim, he verified references through the scholarly editing office of Dar al-Safwah in Cairo, adding corrections in footnotes when necessary. For traditions outside the two Sahihs or left without citation by Hakami, he supplied rulings on their authenticity, primarily citing the evaluations of Muhammad Nasir al-Din al-Albani.
- Style and phrasing: He largely preserved Hakami’s original wording and style to avoid misrepresenting the author's meaning, adding occasional explanatory glosses, vocalization marks, and selected scholarly comments where necessary.
- Organization of poetic verses: Rather than offering a line-by-line commentary on Hakami’s didactic poem Sullam al-Wusul, he placed relevant verses at the end of each subject or section as textual evidence. He also adjusted the division of topics from the original structure.
- Pedagogical review: Each subject or cluster of topics concludes with a set of review questions designed to test and reinforce the reader’s comprehension.
Reception and Editions
The abridgment is used in contemporary religious curricula and recommended for intermediate students of Islamic creed as a bridge between elementary summaries and advanced theological texts. It has also been cited for its concise presentation of arguments regarding the existence of God.
The book has been published in a single volume, including a fifth edition issued in 1418 AH by Maktabat al-Kawthar in Riyadh. Another separate abridgment of Hakami's work was also compiled under the same title by Sa'd al-Qahtani.
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