Mukhtasar [Sharh] Tashil al-Aqida al-Islamiyya
- Author died
- 1438 AH
- Editions
- T 2
Mukhtasar [Sharh] Tashil al-Aqida al-Islamiyya (Abridgment of the Facilitation of Islamic Creed) is a contemporary manual of Sunni theology composed by the Saudi scholar Abd Allah ibn Abd al-Aziz al-Jibrin (d. 1438 AH / 2017 CE) . It serves as a streamlined educational digest of his larger theological work Tashil al-Aqida al-Islamiyya (also issued with his expanded commentary as Sharh Tashil al-Aqida al-Islamiyya), tailored for students and non-specialists .
Background and Purpose
Al-Jibrin originally composed Tashil al-Aqida al-Islamiyya with extensive footnotes containing detailed academic documentation, including the authentication and sourcing of hadiths and historical narrations (takhrij), supporting citations from the four Sunni legal schools, and references to the early righteous forebears (al-salaf) and independent jurists (mujtahidun), designed primarily for instructors and specialized scholars .
To make the text more accessible for beginning students, general readers, and educational courses, he prepared this condensed version . He created the abridgment by stripping away most of the bulky academic footnotes and making concise summaries of the main body text in select passages .
Content and Structure
The work is organized systematically with an emphasis on clarity of expression and direct scriptural proofs from the Qur'an, authentic prophetic traditions, and scholarly consensus (ijma') . It opens with an introductory section defining key theological terms to facilitate comprehension throughout the treatise .
The core subject matter covers six primary theological topics:
- The fundamental characteristics of the Islamic creed (khasa'is al-aqida al-islamiyya) .
- The moderation and centrism of Islamic belief (wasatiyyat al-aqida al-islamiyya) .
- Monotheism (tawhid), including its categories: Lordship (rububiyya), worship (uluhiyya), and divine names and attributes (al-asma wa-l-sifat) .
- The nullifiers of monotheism (nawaqid al-tawhid), addressing polytheism (shirk) and related violations .
- Matters that detract from or impair monotheism (munaqqisat al-tawhid), including unlawful innovations and prohibited forms of seeking blessing (tabarruk) .
- Loyalty and disavowal (al-wala wa-l-bara) .
Publication History
The work has been published in multiple editions in Riyadh, including an edition issued by Maktabat al-Rushd in 1424 AH . A later printing was published by Madar al-Watan in 1438 AH (2017 CE), featuring the author's final minor additions and revisions dated 4 Sha'ban 1438 AH, along with the core base text (Matn Tashil al-Aqida) prefacing the abridged commentary .
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