Sharh Aqidat al-Imam al-Mujaddid Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab
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Sharh Aqidat al-Imam al-Mujaddid Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab (Explanation of the Creed of the Renewer Imam Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab) is an Islamic theological commentary by the Saudi scholar Salih al-Fawzan explaining the creedal epistle composed by Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab (d. 1206 AH / 1792 CE) .
Background and Base Text
The commentary explicates the treatise written by Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab in response to the people of al-Qasim when they questioned him regarding his theological tenets . In that epistle, Ibn Abd al-Wahhab affirmed his adherence to the doctrine of the Saved Sect (al-firqah al-najiyah), Ahl al-Sunnah wa-l-Jama'ah, calling God, the attending angels, and the recipients to witness that he introduced no novel teachings into the religion .
Content and Method
In his commentary, al-Fawzan analyzes the foundational principles of Sunni creed outlined in the letter, emphasizing that theological doctrine (aqidah) is strictly textual and non-negotiable (tawqifiyyah), unlike subsidiary juristic matters (furu'), where scholarly interpretation (ijtihad) and divergence are permissible . He expounds on the core tenets of belief, which include:
- Belief in God and Divine Unity: Incorporating the three traditional classifications of tawhid: Lordship (tawhid al-rububiyyah), Worship (tawhid al-uluhiyyah), and the Divine Names and Attributes (tawhid al-asma' wa-l-sifat) . The text affirms God's attributes as revealed in the Quran and the Sunnah without distortion (tahrif) or denial (ta'til), refuting allegorical reinterpretation such as glossing istawa (ascending over the Throne) as istawla (seizing power) or the divine hand (al-yad) as mere power .
- Belief in the Angels and Scriptures: Affirming the existence of angels as beings created from light with designated duties—such as Jibril (Gabriel) delivering revelation, Mika'il overseeing rainfall, and the recording angels—and affirming belief in all divinely revealed scriptures, culminating in the Quran .
- Belief in the Messengers and the Last Day: Maintaining faith in all prophets and messengers, asserting that disbelieving in any one messenger entails disbelief in all of them, alongside affirming bodily resurrection after death (al-ba'th) and accountability in the Hereafter .
- Belief in Divine Decree (al-Qadar): Delineating the four stages of predestination: God's all-encompassing eternal knowledge (al-'ilm), the prior recording in the Preserved Tablet (al-kitabah), God's absolute will (al-mashi'ah), and divine creation (al-khalq) .
Publication
The work has been published in a standalone volume, including an edition issued by Maktabat Dar al-Minhaj in Riyadh (2nd edition, 1431 AH / 2010 CE) .
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