Sharh al-Hamawiyya li-Ibn Taymiyya - al-Rajihi
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- Sharh al-Hamawiyya li-Ibn Taymiyya - al-Rajihi
Sharh al-Hamawiyya li-Ibn Taymiyya is a theological commentary by Abd al-Aziz ibn Abd Allah al-Rajihi on the creedal treatise al-Fatwa al-Hamawiyya al-Kubra authored by Ibn Taymiyyah (d. 728 AH / 1328 CE) .
Background and Context
The base work, al-Fatwa al-Hamawiyya al-Kubra, was written by Ibn Taymiyyah in 698 AH (1299 CE) as a comprehensive legal-theological response to an inquiry sent by residents of Hama regarding the verses and prophetic narrations concerning divine attributes, such as God's ascension over the Throne (al-istiwa') . Al-Rajihi delivered his commentary as a series of instructional lectures explaining the text, which were subsequently transcribed and published digitally .
Content and Method
In this work, al-Rajihi follows Ibn Taymiyyah's text sequentially, expounding the doctrine of the early Muslim generations (al-salaf) regarding the divine names and attributes . The commentary highlights several core themes:
- The Methodology of the Salaf: Al-Rajihi affirms that the creed of the early generations involves accepting the divine names and attributes without inquiring into their modality (takyif), without likening them to creation (tamthil), without figurative distortion (tahrif), and without divestment or negation (ta'til) . He refutes the claim advanced by later dialectical theologians that their path is wiser, asserting that the method of the Salaf is safer, more knowledgeable, and wiser (aslam, a'lam, wa-ahkam) .
- Prophetic Delivery of Theological Foundations: He emphasizes Ibn Taymiyyah's argument that the Prophet ﷺ fully clarified the essential tenets of faith and the knowledge of God, making it impossible that he left the foundations of creed ambiguous while teaching even minor practical matters . Consequently, the best of generations could not have been ignorant of the truth or spoken falsely regarding it .
- Divine Transcendence and Attributes: The commentary discusses explicit textual proofs affirming God's highness (al-'uluww) and His ascension above the Throne, explaining that His accompaniment (al-ma'iyya) with creation is general through His encompassing knowledge and does not imply physical blending, contact, or proximity .
- Scholarly Consensuses and Citations: Al-Rajihi elucidates the extensive citations presented by Ibn Taymiyyah from prominent scholars and imams of later centuries—such as Abu al-Hasan al-Ash'ari, Abu Ya'la al-Farra', Ibn Abd al-Barr, and Abd al-Qadir al-Jilani—showing their reliance on the Quran and Sunnah in affirming divine attributes .
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