Sharh al-Qawaid al-Sab' min al-Tadmuriyya
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- Sharh al-Qawaid al-Sab' min al-Tadmuriyya
Sharh al-Qawaid al-Sab' min al-Tadmuriyya (Explanation of the Seven Rules from al-Tadmuriyya) is an Islamic theological commentary by the scholar Yusuf al-Ghafis, expounding the foundational theological principles articulated by Ibn Taymiyya (d. 728 AH / 1328 CE) in his treatise al-Risala al-Tadmuriyya. The work focuses on the theological and rational rules that govern the affirmation of divine names and attributes (tawhid al-asma' wa-al-sifat) and the refutation of various philosophical and scholastic theological schools.
Background and Foundations of al-Tadmuriyya
The treatise al-Risala al-Tadmuriyya was originally composed by Ibn Taymiyya as a written reply to an inquiry sent by the inhabitants of Tadmur (Palmyra) in Syria. As al-Ghafis elucidates, the text is structured around two fundamental theological principles (aslan): the affirmation of the oneness of God and His divine attributes, and the reconciliation between sacred religious law (al-shar') and divine decree (al-qadar).
Al-Ghafis notes that observing the station of divine decree represents the fulfillment of divine lordship (rububiyya), while observing the sacred law—which commands worship and prohibits idolatry—represents the fulfillment of divine servanthood and worship (uluhiyya).
Method of Affirmation and Rational Arguments
The commentary discusses the methodology of the early Muslim community (Salaf) as derived from the Quran and Sunna, which relies upon detailed affirmation (ithbat mufassal) of divine names and attributes, accompanied by concise negation (nafy mujmal) of shortcomings and resemblance to created beings. The commentary analyses Ibn Taymiyya's rational and scriptural rebuttals of deviating groups, including the Batinites, Qaramita, philosophers, Jahmites, and Mu'tazilites.
Among the rational principles treated in the work is that the discourse regarding divine attributes parallels the discourse regarding the divine essence (al-qawl fi al-sifat kal-qawl fi al-dhat): since interlocutors affirm a real divine essence without equating it to created essences, they must consistently affirm real divine attributes without equating them to created attributes. It also employs rational examples, such as the bliss of Paradise, showing that nominal sharing in names does not imply identity in essence or reality.
The Seven Rules (al-Qawa'id al-Sab')
The core of the commentary focuses on the concluding section of al-Tadmuriyya, in which Ibn Taymiyya synthesised seven overarching rules for validating divine attributes and rebutting contrary positions:
- The First Rule: God is described by both affirmation and negation. Affirmations (such as divine knowledge, power, hearing, and sight) signify absolute perfection, while scriptural negations (such as the negation of injustice) imply the affirmation of their opposite perfection, namely absolute justice.
- The Second Rule: Muslims are obligated to believe in everything conveyed by the Prophet ﷺ regarding God in the Quran and Sunna, whether consisting of informative statements, commands, or prohibitions, as well as matters consensus-established by the early generations; newly arisen contested terminology among later theologians requires detailed examination.
- The Third Rule: Clarification regarding the apparent meaning (zahir) of scriptural texts. If intended as the sound meaning befitting the majesty of God, it is affirmed; if intended as resemblance to creation (tashbih), that meaning is rejected and is not the valid apparent purport of the texts.
- The Fourth Rule: Highlighting the four pitfalls faced by those who wrongly presume anthropomorphism in scripture: likening divine attributes to creation, divesting scriptural texts of their meaning (ta'til), denying divine attributes without knowledge, and attributing opposite traits to God.
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