Rasail al-Sunna wa al-Shia li Rashid Rida
- Author died
- 1354 AH
- Editions
- Dār al-Manār
Rasail al-Sunna wa al-Shia (Arabic: رسائل السنة والشيعة, "Treatises on the Sunna and the Shia"), also known by the subtitle al-Sunna wa al-Shia aw al-Wahhabiyya wa al-Rafida: Haqa'iq Diniyya Tarikhiyya Ijtima'iyya Islahiyya ("The Sunna and the Shia, or Wahhabism and the Rafida: Religious, Historical, Social, and Reformist Truths"), is a polemical and theological treatise by the Islamic reformist scholar Muhammad Rashid Rida (1282–1354 AH / 1865–1935 CE) addressing doctrinal rifts between Sunnis and Shias, defending the Najdi reform movement, and discussing the prospects and obstacles of Islamic rapprochement.
Context and Composition
The composition of the work emerged during the period following the collapse of the Ottoman Caliphate and the rise of the Saudi state in the Arabian Peninsula under King Abdulaziz Al Saud. An immediate catalyst was a series of polemical articles published in the Lebanese journal al-Irfan, edited by Arif al-Zayn, which drew sharp contrasts between mainstream Sunnism and the Najdi movement. Around the same time, the Lebanese Shia jurist Muhsin al-Amin authored treatises against the movement, including al-Husun al-Mani'a (written in response to a piece in Rida's journal al-Manar by the traveler Muhammad Kamil al-Rafi'i al-Baghdadi) and a voluminous refutation titled al-Radd ala al-Wahhabiyya.
Rida stated that he felt religiously obligated to publish the treatise after witnessing anti-Sunni discourse from Shia scholars and publications, the proceedings of the Najaf conference among Iraqi Shias, and attacks directed against the Saudi government, Ibn Taymiyya, Ibn al-Qayyim, Ibn Abd al-Hadi, and Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab.
Content and Themes
The book combines theological defense of the Salafi doctrine with historical accounts of sectarian dialogue:
- Theological Defense of Salafism: Rida defends Ibn Taymiyya and Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab against allegations of anthropomorphism (tajsim and tashbih). He argues that they affirmed God's attributes, such as His highness (al-uluww) and ascension over the Throne (al-istiwa), according to their literal meanings without figurative interpretation (ta'wil) or resemblance to creation, following the early generations (al-salaf al-salih). He also champions the Najdi emphasis on monotheism (tawhid) and its rejection of saint and grave veneration.
- Islamic Unity and Its Obstacles: In response to critics in Beirut who questioned the wisdom of engaging in sectarian debate during an era of Western colonial pressure, Rida recounts his personal dedication to Muslim rapprochement over more than a third of a century. He mentions discussing unity with figures ranging from his mentor Muhammad Abduh in 1315 AH to political leaders such as King Faisal I of Iraq.
- Debates with Contemporary Shia Figures: Rida critiques the position of the Shia scholar Abd al-Husayn Nur al-Din, who asserted in al-Manar that practical cooperation was impossible unless one party fully conceded its fundamental beliefs to the other. Rida documents his meeting with the prominent Shia mujtahid Muhammad al-Husayn Al Kashif al-Ghita during the General Islamic Congress in Jerusalem, where he presented Nur al-Din's stance to Kashif al-Ghita, who repudiated it in a written response.
Publication History
The work was printed by Matba'at al-Manar in Cairo in 1347 AH (1928–1929 CE). A second edition was issued posthumously by Dar al-Manar in Cairo in 1366 AH (1947 CE).
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