Risalat al-Shirk wa Mazahiruhu

Risalat al-Shirk wa Mazahiruhu (Treatise on Polytheism and Its Manifestations) is a theological and reformist work by the Algerian scholar and historian Mubarak al-Mili (d. 1364 AH / 1945 CE), addressing Islamic monotheism, the definition and origins of polytheism, and its historical and contemporary manifestations Mujam Alam al-Jazair+1.

Composition and Sources

The work originated as a series of articles written by al-Mili for al-Basa'ir, the official newspaper of the Association of Algerian Muslim Scholars, beginning in 1355 AH (1936 CE) Risalat al-Shirk wa Mazah…. Following requests from readers across various regions to assemble the material into an independent volume, al-Mili halted serializing the remaining articles in the newspaper Risalat al-Shirk wa Mazah…. He subsequently rearranged, revised, and expanded the text with new chapters before publishing it as a standalone book Risalat al-Shirk wa Mazah….

Al-Mili noted that when he started writing his initial articles, he had not encountered an earlier treatise composed on the exact structure and specific reformist objective he pursued Tarikh al-Jazair al-Thaqa…. While preparing the work for publication, he consulted additional writings on creed, including Muhammad ibn Isma'il al-San'ani's Tathir al-I'tiqad, Muhammad ibn Ali al-Shawkani's al-Durr al-Nadid, and Fath al-Majid, a copy of which had been sent to him by Muhammad Nasif from Jeddah Tarikh al-Jazair al-Thaqa…. The bibliography appended to the book comprises twenty-eight primary sources across language, Quranic exegesis (including the commentaries of al-Tha'alibi, al-Razi, al-Qurtubi, al-Zamakhshari, al-Suyuti, al-Shawkani, and Tafsir al-Manar), and hadith collections such as Malik ibn Anas's al-Muwatta' Tarikh al-Jazair al-Thaqa….

Contents and Themes

The treatise focuses on the necessity of adhering strictly to the Quran and the Sunnah according to the way of the early righteous predecessors (al-salaf al-salih), rejecting religious innovations (bida') and superstition Risalat al-Shirk wa Mazah…+1. Al-Mili begins by defining shirk (polytheism and associationism) and surveying its manifestations in the Quran, hadith literature, and ancient nations Mawsuat Mawaqif al-Salaf …+1.

The book details various forms of worship and examines widespread contemporary practices, including the veneration of saints (al-awliya'), claims of knowing the unseen (ilm al-ghayb), soothsaying, and magic Tarikh al-Jazair al-Thaqa…. It critiques Sufi orders and titles (such as al-qutb and al-badal), the institutionalized extraction of wealth through shrines and seasonal festivals (al-zardat), and the exploitation of popular credulity, which the reform movement viewed as socially detrimental and politically advantageous to French colonial rule Risalat al-Shirk wa Mazah…+1. The treatise concludes with a discussion of enjoining good and forbidding evil, incorporating a full reformist poem by al-Tayyib al-Uqbi originally published in the newspaper al-Muntaqid Tarikh al-Jazair al-Thaqa….

Reception and Publication

Upon its completion, the book was reviewed and officially endorsed by the administrative board of the Association of Algerian Muslim Scholars Risalat al-Shirk wa Mazah…. In the association's official report, written by its general secretary al-Arabi al-Tabbasi, the board declared the text to be in full conformity with the Sunnah and recommended its study and application Risalat al-Shirk wa Mazah…+1. Contemporary figures also praised the book in verse, including the Algerian poets Ahmad Sahnun and Muhammad al-Id Al Khalifa Diwan al-Shaykh Ahmad Sah…+1.

The book was first printed in Algeria by al-Matba'ah al-Islamiyyah al-Jaza'iriyyah in 1937 CE Risalat al-Shirk wa Mazah…+1. It saw subsequent editions, including a 1966 printing by Maktabat al-Nahdah al-Jaza'iriyyah, editions published by the Islamic University of Madinah in 1407 AH and 1412 AH, and an edition published by Dar al-Rayah in Riyadh in 1422 AH (2001 CE), edited by Abu Abd al-Rahman Mahmud Risalat al-Shirk wa Mazah…+3.