Sarih al-Sunnah lil-Tabari
- Author died
- 310 AH
- Editions
- Dār al-Khulafāʾ lil-Kitāb al-Islāmī
Sarih al-Sunnah (The Explicit Sunnah) is a concise theological treatise on Islamic creed (aqidah) authored by the exegete, jurist, and historian Abu Ja'far Muhammad ibn Jarir al-Tabari (224–310 AH / 839–923 CE) .
Subject and Content
The treatise serves as a concise statement of al-Tabari's creed regarding fundamental doctrines of Islamic theology (usul al-din) . Al-Tabari begins the work by addressing the doctrine of God's speech and revelation, affirming that the Quran is the uncreated speech of God regardless of whether it is written, recited, heard, memorized in hearts, or inscribed on tablets .
To establish this point, he cites Quranic verses, including:
- بَلْ هُوَ قُرْآنٌ مَجِيدٌ فِي لَوْحٍ مَحْفُوظٍ ("Rather, it is a glorious Quran, in a Preserved Tablet" [Surat al-Buruj: 21–22]) .
- وَإِنْ أَحَدٌ مِنَ الْمُشْرِكِينَ اسْتَجَارَكَ فَأَجِرْهُ حَتَّى يَسْمَعَ كَلَامَ اللَّهِ ("And if any one of the polytheists seeks your protection, then grant him protection so that he may hear the words of Allah" [Surat al-Tawbah: 6]) .
He pronounces severe anathema against anyone claiming that the Quran is created or asserting that any Quran exists in heaven or earth other than that which is recited and written in manuscripts .
Method
The general methodology of al-Tabari in Sarih al-Sunnah differs from his other doctrinal epistle, al-Tabsir fi Ma'alim al-Din, which was written to address the people of Amul and involved detailed accounts of theological debates, opponents' views, and rational arguments alongside textual proofs . In Sarih al-Sunnah, al-Tabari outlines the points of doctrinal contention and sets forth his own creedal conclusions substantiated directly by scriptural and transmitted evidence (al-dalil al-sam'i), generally omitting lengthy descriptions of conflicting views .
Transmission and Publication
The creed in the text was transmitted from al-Tabari by his student, the judge Abu Bakr Ahmad ibn Kamil, and documented in theological works such as al-Lalika'i's Sharh Usul I'tiqad Ahl al-Sunnah wa-l-Jama'ah .
The text is a short work encompassing around forty transmitted reports (athar) and spans approximately thirty printed pages . It was published in a critical edition edited by Badr Yusuf al-Ma'tuq by Dar al-Khulafa' lil-Kitab al-Islami in Kuwait (1405 AH) . It was also explained and edited by Akram Ziyadah al-Faluji under the title Tamam al-Minna fi Taqrib Sarih al-Sunnah .
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