Rasm al-Widad fi Idah Tuhfat al-Awlad fi Tawhid Rabb al-Ibad
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Rasm al-Widad fi Idah Tuhfat al-Awlad fi Tawhid Rabb al-Ibad (Drawing Affection in Clarifying the Gift for Children Regarding the Monotheism of the Lord of Servants) is a contemporary commentary by Abu Hamza Ghazi bin Salim Aflah on the first part of the didactic poem Tuhfat al-Awlad fi Tawhid Rabb al-Ibad composed by the Quran reciter Muhammad ibn Eid al-Sha'bani .
Purpose and Scope
The base poem outlines the creed of Ahl al-Sunnah wa-l-Jama'ah in monotheism (tawhid), following the thematic arrangement and principles of Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab's Kitab al-Tawhid . Aflah designed his work as a marginal commentary and pedagogical aid intended to assist instructors when teaching the text to students .
The work explicates the obligations of monotheism, covering knowledge of God's divinity, lordship, and names and attributes, as well as their antitheses such as polytheism (shirk) and nullification (ta'til) . It also addresses belief in the angels, divine scriptures, messengers, the Last Day, and divine decree, alongside adherence to the Quran and the Sunnah .
Sources and Method
In compiling the commentary, Aflah drew primarily on standard modern pedagogical commentaries on Kitab al-Tawhid, particularly:
- Al-Qawl al-Mufid Sharh Kitab al-Tawhid by Muhammad ibn Salih al-Uthaymin .
- Al-Tamhid li-Sharh Kitab al-Tawhid by Salih ibn Abd al-Aziz Al al-Shaykh .
He also referenced other scholarly explanations of Kitab al-Tawhid and traditional works on Islamic creed .
Composition and Textual Background
Aflah completed the introduction to the work on Thursday, 21 Safar 1434 AH (3 January 2013 CE) . He composed the commentary independently before learning that the original poet, Muhammad ibn Eid al-Sha'bani, had authored both a concise commentary (Mukhtasar Sabil al-Rashad) and an extended one on his own versification . Upon communicating, the poet provided Aflah with a copy of his concise commentary and sent a revised, corrected version of the poetic text, which was subsequently integrated into the published edition of the gloss .
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