Risala fi al-radd ala al-Rafida (Matbu ضمن Muallafat al-Shaykh Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab, al-juz al-thani ashar)
- Author died
- 1206 AH
- Editions
- Imam Muhammad ibn Saud Islamic University
Risala fi al-radd ala al-Rafida (Treatise in Refutation of the Rafida) is a polemical theological treatise written by the Najdi scholar Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab (1115–1206 AH / 1703–1792 CE) to critique the doctrines, historical narratives, and legal practices of Twelver Shia and Rafidi traditions .
Manuscript History and Publication
The work survived in a unique manuscript preserved within a collective volume (majmu') containing treatises by Hanbali scholars such as Ibn Taymiyya and Ibn Rajab, held in the Awqaf Library in Baghdad . The manuscript copyist recorded finishing the transcription at one o'clock on the fourth night of Dhu al-Hijjah 1325 AH in Baghdad . It was subsequently photographed and prepared for publication by the Center for Scientific Research and Islamic Heritage Revival at the College of Sharia in King Abdulaziz University, with its citations referenced from both Sunni and Shia theological and legal sources . The treatise was published as part of the author's collected writings in Mu'allafat al-Shaykh Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab (Volume 12) .
Structure and Content
The treatise is organized around thematic points or inquiries (matalib) addressing core theological and jurisprudential disputes :
- Imamate and the Companions: The author refutes narratives asserting an explicit testament designating Ali ibn Abi Talib as the immediate political successor to the Prophet, arguing that such accounts ascribe cowardice or weakness to Ali and contradiction to divine protection . He defends the legitimacy and primacy of Abu Bakr's caliphate using Quranic proofs and prophetic reports , and rejects claims transmitted in Shia biographical dictionaries, such as that of al-Kashshi, that the Companions apostatized en masse following the Prophet's death . He also addresses allegations of Quranic omission or alteration leveled by polemicists against Uthman ibn Affan , and outlines the legal ruling on cursing the Companions .
- Doctrinal Principles: The work criticizes the doctrine of taqiyya (precautionary dissimulation) as undermining confidence in religious transmission , and defends Aisha against slander, citing the exonerating verses of Surat al-Nur and declaring persistent accusations of infidelity against her to be apostasy . It refutes doctrines confining the caliphate to twelve designated imams, claims of their absolute infallibility (isma), assertions elevating Ali above prophets, beliefs in raj'a (the eschatological return of historical figures before Judgment Day), and the claim that non-Shias are permanently consigned to Hell .
- Legal and Ritual Practices: The text evaluates various Shia legal positions, including adding phrases to the Adhan, combining daily prayers without an established legal excuse, temporary marriage (mut'a), marriage contracts conducted without a guardian or witnesses, simultaneous marriage to a woman and her aunt, wiping over the bare feet rather than washing them during ablution, and rejecting the validity of a triple repudiation uttered at once .
- Sectarian Comparisons and Ritual Mourning: The author draws polemical parallels between certain Shia practices and those of earlier religious communities, including Jews, Christians, and Zoroastrians . He censures rituals associated with Ashura, such as professional mourning and symbolic representations of graves, citing passages from Ibn Taymiyya and Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyya to argue that both excessive mourning rituals and reciprocal celebrations by opponents represent unauthorized innovations .
The treatise concludes with an extended sermon attributed to Ali describing the righteous qualities, night vigils, and asceticism of his true spiritual partisans (shi'at Ahl al-Bayt), emphasizing that genuine devotion to the Prophet's household aligns with following Sunnah and revering the early caliphs .
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