Sharh al-Sunnah lil-Barbahari

Sharh al-Sunnah (The Explanation of the Sunnah) is a creedal treatise on the doctrines of Ahl al-Sunnah wa-l-Jama'ah authored by the Hanbali scholar Abu Muhammad al-Barbahari (d. 329 AH / 941 CE; also reported 328 AH) al-Taliq ala Sharh al-Sun…+1.

Purpose and Content

The treatise serves as a concise summary of the foundational tenets of traditional Sunni theology al-Taliq ala Sharh al-Sun…+1. Al-Barbahari opens the text by equating Islam with the Sunnah and the Sunnah with Islam, emphasizing that adherence to the collective body of believers (al-Jama'ah) and the way of the Prophet's Companions constitutes the core of religious orthodoxy Sharh al-Sunnah lil-Barba…+1.

The work covers core creedal matters, including:

• The Divine Attributes and the Quran: Affirming God's attributes as He described Himself without asking "how" (kayf) or "why" (lima), affirming that God is established over His Throne, and asserting that the Quran is the uncreated speech of God while declaring that disputing over it or claiming that one's pronunciation of it is created is an innovation al-Taliq ala Sharh al-Sun…+1.
• Eschatology and the Unseen: Belief in the resurrection, the Bridge (al-Sirat), the Balance (al-Mizan), the Prophet's intercession (al-Shafa'ah), the angels, the Prophets, Paradise, Hellfire, and the believers' beatific vision of God in the hereafter al-Taliq ala Sharh al-Sun…+1.
• The Companions and Governance: Recognizing the superior rank of Abu Bakr al-Siddiq, followed by Umar ibn al-Khattab and Uthman ibn Affan, prohibiting reviling the Companions, and affirming obedience to Muslim rulers whether righteous or wicked al-Taliq ala Sharh al-Sun…+1.
• Rejection of Heresy and Theological Disputation: Warning against religious innovations (bida'), avoiding theological debate and dialectical disputation (jadal and kalam), and refuting theological groups such as the Jahmiyya, Mu'tazila, Kharijites, and Rafida al-Taliq ala Sharh al-Sun…+1.

Method and Structure

Al-Barbahari presents the doctrines in direct declaratory statements without extended chains of transmission or speculative reasoning, framing the text as an exposition of the early religion (al-amr al-'atiq) passed down from the Prophet ﷺ, his Companions, the Successors, and succeeding generations through the 3rd and 4th centuries AH al-Taliq ala Sharh al-Sun…+1. The text relies on the framework and sayings of Ahmad ibn Hanbal and other early traditionists, emphasizing submission and adherence to textual authority rather than rationalistic disputation al-Taliq ala Sharh al-Sun…+1. He concludes the work by enumerating fundamental principles for dealing with innovators and reinforcing steadfast adherence to the Sunnah al-Taliq ala Sharh al-Sun….

Reception and Modern Editions

Sharh al-Sunnah is regarded among scholars of the Hanbali and traditional Sunni tradition as one of the early classical outlines of creed ('aqidah) al-Taliq ala Sharh al-Sun…. Excerpts of the text were preserved and transmitted in biographical works such as Tabaqat al-Hanabilah by Ibn Abi Ya'la and Siyar A'lam al-Nubala' by al-Dhahabi Tabaqat al-Hanabila - li-…+1.

The work has been published in several modern editions, notably one edited by Muhammad ibn Sa'id al-Qahtani (first published in 1408 AH / 1988 CE) and another edited by Khalid al-Raddadi al-Taliq ala Sharh al-Sun…+1. It has also been the subject of modern commentaries, including Ithaf al-Qari bi-Sharh Sharh al-Sunnah by Muhammad ibn Khalifah al-Tamimi al-Qawl al-Musaddad fi Sh….