Sharh al-Qasida al-Lamiyya li-Ibn Taymiyya - Abd al-Rahim al-Sulami

Sharh al-Qasida al-Lamiyya li-Ibn Taymiyya (Commentary on the L-Rhyming Poem of Ibn Taymiyya) is a commentary by Abd al-Rahim al-Sulami on al-Qasida al-Lamiyya, a short creedal poem attributed to Ibn Taymiyya outlining the theological tenets of Ahl al-Sunna wa-l-Jama'a Sharh al-Qasida al-Lamiyy….

Purpose and Scope

The work serves as an explanatory exposition of the poem, which is known as a Lamiyya because each verse concludes with the letter lam as its rhyme letter (harf al-rawi) Sharh al-Qasida al-Lamiyy…. The primary benefit of studying and memorizing the verses is that it allows students of religious knowledge to retain core issues of Islamic creed in a concise, structured poetic form Sharh al-Qasida al-Lamiyy….

Structure and Content

The commentary is structured across five major thematic lessons or sections, following the verses of the poem:

• The Companions and the Prophet's Family: The first section covers love and praise for the noble Companions, affirming the relative merit among them with Abu Bakr al-Siddiq as the most virtuous, and loving the family of the Prophet ﷺ (Ahl al-Bayt), while repudiating the views of extremist sects such as the Shi'a and the Khawarij Sharh al-Qasida al-Lamiyy….
• The Speech of Allah and the Quran: The second section addresses the belief that Allah speaks with letters and a voice and that the Quran is His revealed, uncreated speech, opposing the Mu'tazila and others who distorted the textual proofs, and rejecting allegorical interpretation (ta'wil) that turns scriptural terms away from their apparent meanings Sharh al-Qasida al-Lamiyy…+1.
• The Divine Attributes: The third section focuses on affirming the divine attributes without likening Allah to His creation, detailing rules regarding divine attributes, passing textual descriptions as they were transmitted (imrar al-sifat), sources of creedal doctrine, and the themes of transcendence, ascension (istiwa'), and divine highness (uluww), while critiquing speculative theologians who abandoned Quranic texts in favor of poetic citations from al-Akhtal Sharh al-Qasida al-Lamiyy….
• The Beatific Vision and Eschatological Realities: The fourth section explains the belief that believers will see their Lord with their eyes on the Day of Resurrection, contrary to groups that denied it explicitly or functionally, and affirms the divine descent to the lowest heaven without inquiring into modality (bi-ghayr kayf), as well as belief in the Basin (al-Hawd) and the Balance (al-Mizan) Sharh al-Qasida al-Lamiyy….
• The Hereafter and the Four Imams: The final section expounds on eschatological events, including faith in Paradise for the pious, Hellfire for the wretched, the Traverse (al-Sirat) erected over Hellfire, the state of the grave with its reward and punishment, and the deeds accompanying the deceased, concluding with the assertion that the theological positions outlined in the poem represent the consensus creed of the four followed imams—Abu Hanifa, Malik, al-Shafi'i, and Ahmad ibn Hanbal Sharh al-Qasida al-Lamiyy….