Sharh al-Aqida al-Wasitiyya - al-Harras
- Author died
- 1395 AH
- Editions
- Dār al-Hijrah lil-Nashr wa-al-Tawzī‘
Sharh al-Aqida al-Wasitiyya is a concise commentary on Ibn Taymiyya's creedal treatise al-Aqida al-Wasitiyya, authored by the Egyptian theologian Muhammad Khalil Harras (d. 1395 AH / 1975 CE) . The work explains the principles of the Sunni creed (aqidat ahl al-sunna wa-l-jama'a) with direct phrasing and an emphasis on pedagogical clarity .
Purpose and Composition
Harras noted in his introduction that although Ibn Taymiyya's al-Aqida al-Wasitiyya is among the most comprehensive yet succinct summaries of Sunni theology, many of its passages required clarification to unveil their underlying meanings . He composed this commentary specifically to avoid excessive length, digressions, and burdensome citations of textual variants, aiming to deliver the core concepts in an accessible manner suitable for beginner students .
Method and Content
The author comments on almost every term in the base text . His methodology relies on:
- Extensive citations from the Quran, prophetic hadiths, statements of the Companions, and classical Quran commentators (mufassirun) .
- References to the statements of early Sunni authorities (al-salaf), such as Ahmad ibn Hanbal, Muhammad ibn Isma'il al-Bukhari, and Nu'aym ibn Hammad .
- Utilization of later scholars who followed their path, including other works of Ibn Taymiyya, his students Ibn al-Qayyim and Shams al-Din al-Dhahabi, as well as modern scholars such as Abd al-Rahman ibn Sa'di and Muhammad ibn Mani' .
- Presenting and refuting the doctrines of opposing theological factions—including the Jahmiyya, Qadariyya, Jabriyya, Mu'tazilites, and Ash'aris . In doing so, he critiques early theological figures such as Ghaylan al-Dimashqi and Bishr al-Marisi, later scholastic theologians such as Fakhr al-Din al-Razi and Abu Hamid al-Ghazali, and contemporary polemicists such as Zahid al-Kawthari .
Reception and Editions
The scholar Abd al-Razzaq Afifi commended Harras's commentary as "among the most valuable commentaries, the clearest in exposition, and the most concise in expression" .
The work has been published in multiple editions:
- An edition reviewed by Abd al-Razzaq Afifi, published by the Islamic University of Madinah in 176 small-format pages .
- An edition corrected and annotated by Ismail al-Ansari, published in 1403 AH (187 small-format pages) by the General Presidency of Scholarly Research and Ifta in Saudi Arabia .
- An edition prepared by Alawi ibn Abd al-Qadir al-Saqqaf, who adjusted text vocalization, verified hadiths, and appended Mulhaq al-Wasitiyya—an appendix designed to supply creedal topics not addressed in the original treatise or the commentary—published by Dar al-Hijrah in al-Khobar .
Answer updated