Raf al-Ishtibah an Ibarat al-Ashbah
- Author died
- 1252 AH
- Editions
- T Istanbul
Raf al-Ishtibah an Ibarat al-Ashbah (Dispelling Ambiguity Concerning the Phrase in al-Ashbah) is a legal-theological treatise by the Hanafi jurist Ibn Abidin (1198–1252 AH / 1784–1836 CE) examining a controversial ruling on prophetic impeccability (ismah) and apostasy found in Ibn Nujaym's al-Ashbah wa-l-naza'ir .
Composition and Context
Ibn Abidin composed the treatise following an inquiry directed to his teacher in Sha'ban 1218 AH regarding an ambiguous passage in Ibn Nujaym's legal work . His teacher instructed him to collect and assess the commentary written on that work alongside the statements of other scholars . Ibn Abidin completed writing the text on the night of the fifteenth of Ramadan 1218 AH . It constitutes the fourteenth treatise in his collected epistles (Majmuat Rasail Ibn Abidin) .
Structure and Content
The work is organized into a primary objective (maqsad) and an epilogue (khatimah) .
The Problematic Passage (al-Maqsad)
The main section analyzes a legal ruling mentioned at the end of the chapter on apostates (bab al-murtadd) in al-Ashbah wa-l-Naza'ir, where Ibn Nujaym stated that whoever asserts that the prophets did not commit disobedience either during their prophethood or prior to it has committed disbelief because it contradicts scriptural texts . Ibn Abidin reviews the interpretations of earlier commentators on al-Ashbah:
- Khayr al-Din al-Ramli maintained that declaring disbelief applies only to denying the specific disobedience mentioned in the Quranic account of Adam in وَعَصَىٰ آدَمُ رَبَّهُ ("and Adam disobeyed his Lord"), while holding that claiming prophets committed major sins is itself disbelief due to violating scholarly consensus .
- Ahmad al-Hamawi found the passage problematic in light of the position upheld by al-Qadi Iyad and others that prophets are protected from both major and minor sins before and after receiving revelation .
Ibn Abidin concludes that the branch (far) was transmitted by Ibn Nujaym from Mukhtar al-Zahidi's al-Qunyah, which had copied it from Jam al-Ulum, and is an alien transmission (dakhil) unrepresentative of the relied-upon Hanafi school . Citing juristic principles—including remarks by al-Ramli and Ibn Nujaym himself in al-Bahr al-Raiq—he stresses that a Muslim cannot be declared an unbeliever whenever a sound or non-blasphemous interpretation of their words is possible, regarding Ibn Nujaym's inclusion of the statement as an uncorrected oversight .
The Doctrine of Prophetic Impeccability (al-Khatimah)
The epilogue details the theological positions regarding the immunity of prophets from major and minor sins, both intentionally and unintentionally, prior to and following their commission as prophets . Ibn Abidin establishes the preferred stance—affirmed by figures such as al-Qadi Iyad, Abu Ishaq al-Isfarayini, Abu al-Fath al-Shahrastani, and Taqi al-Din al-Subki—that prophets are safeguarded against all faults, major sins, and minor sins . He reconciles this doctrine with various Quranic verses whose literal reading might suggest otherwise, providing non-literal interpretations for:
- Adam's lapse in وَعَصَىٰ آدَمُ رَبَّهُ فَغَوَىٰ (Qur'an 20:121), explaining that it stemmed from forgetfulness rather than intentional transgression .
- The address to the Prophet Muhammad in عَفَا اللَّهُ عَنكَ لِمَ أَذِنتَ لَهُمْ (Qur'an 9:43), clarifying that it served as an inquiry into the reason rather than a rebuke .
- Joseph's inclination in وَلَقَدْ هَمَّتْ بِهِ وَهَمَّ بِهَا (Qur'an 12:24), interpreting it as natural human disposition rather than an intended sinful act .
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