Sharh al-Qawaid al-Muthla fi Sifat Allah wa Asmaih al-Husna

Sharh al-Qawaid al-Muthla fi Sifat Allah wa Asmaih al-Husna (Commentary on the Exemplary Principles Concerning the Divine Attributes and Most Beautiful Names) is a contemporary Sunni theological work by the Saudi scholar Muhammad ibn Khalifa al-Tamimi Ifrad Ahadith Asma Allah …+1. It is an analytical commentary on al-Qawaid al-Muthla fi Sifat Allah wa Asmaih al-Husna, the celebrated primer on the divine names and attributes composed by Muhammad ibn Salih al-Uthaymin Ifrad Ahadith Asma Allah …+1.

Context and Subject Matter

The base text, al-Qawaid al-Muthla, was formulated to synthesize and structure the creedal foundations of Ahl al-Sunnah wa-l-Jamaah regarding the names and attributes of God into standardized, memorizable maxims (qawaid) al-Manhaj al-Ilmi li-Tull…+1. Al-Tamimi’s commentary forms part of his broader scholarly focus on the theology of divine names and attributes (tawhid al-asma wa-l-sifat), an area in which he authored multiple specialized studies and academic treatises at the Islamic University of Madinah Ifrad Ahadith Asma Allah …+1.

Structure and Core Principles

The commentary expounds the three primary divisions of principles established in al-Uthaymin's original text al-Mujalla fi Sharh al-Qa…+1:

• Principles Concerning the Divine Names (Qawaid fi Asma Allah): Elucidates that all of God's names are exclusively names of absolute perfection (husna), serving as both proper names and descriptive titles; that they are strictly scriptural (tawqifiyyah) and cannot be derived through independent human reasoning; that their total number is not circumscribed by a specific limit in revelation; and that deviation (ilhad) concerning them is rejected Sharh al-Qawaid al-Muthla…+1.
• Principles Concerning the Divine Attributes (Qawaid fi Sifat Allah): Details that all divine attributes are wholly perfect, free from deficiency, and categorized into essential (dhatiyyah) and active (filiyyah) attributes; that affirmative attributes (thubutiyyah) outnumber negated ones (manfiyyah); and that every negated attribute implies the affirmation of its perfect opposite Sharh al-Tadmuriyya - Muh…+1.
• Principles Concerning Textual Evidence (Qawaid fi Adillat al-Asma wa-l-Sifat): Establishes that the textual proofs for affirming divine attributes are restricted to the Quran and the authentic Sunnah; that scriptural texts must be maintained upon their apparent meanings (zahir) without arbitrary figurative reinterpretation (tawil or tahrif), negation (tatil), drawing likeness to creation (tamthil or tashbih), or inquiring into their modality (takyif) Sharh Lumat al-Itiqad - M…+1.

Method and Reception

Al-Tamimi approaches the text by providing textual evidences from the Quran, Hadith, and classical theological literature, particularly drawing upon the writings of early traditionists and later synthesizers such as Ibn Taymiyyah and Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyya al-Mujalla fi Sharh al-Qa…+1. The work also details responses to the theological positions of opposing scholastic schools, such as the Jahmiyyah, Mutazilah, and Ashariyyah, explaining the textual and rational errors attributed to figurative interpretation and negation al-Mujalla fi Sharh al-Qa…+1. It is utilized among students of Islamic creed as an expanded pedagogical aid alongside other well-known commentaries on the matn, such as those by al-Uthaymin himself, Abd al-Rahman ibn Nasir al-Barrak, and Kamila al-Kuwari al-Mujalla fi Sharh al-Qa…+1.