Sharh Kitab al-Tawhid li-Ibn Khuzayma - Muhammad Hasan Abd al-Ghaffar
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- Sharh Kitab al-Tawhid li-Ibn Khuzayma - Muhammad Hasan Abd al-Ghaffar
Sharh Kitab al-Tawhid li-Ibn Khuzayma is a contemporary commentary by Muhammad Hasan Abd al-Ghaffar on the foundational creedal work Kitab al-Tawhid wa-Ithbat Sifat al-Rabb by the classical Shafi'i jurist and hadith master Abu Bakr Muhammad ibn Ishaq ibn Khuzayma (223–311 AH / 838–924 CE). Delivered as an educational lecture series, the work provides a detailed exposition of Islamic theology, focusing specifically on the unity of God’s names and attributes (Tawhid al-Asma wa-al-Sifat).
Content and Structure
The commentary begins with an extensive introduction dedicated to establishing the foundational principles of Tawhid and reviewing the life and scholarly standing of Ibn Khuzayma. In this introductory section, the commentator highlights Ibn Khuzayma’s mastery in hadith criticism (al-jarh wa-al-ta'dil) and Islamic jurisprudence, noting that he studied under leading Shafi'i scholars such as Isma'il ibn Yahya al-Muzani and al-Rabi ibn Sulayman, and transmits commendations of him by classical authorities including Abu Hatim al-Razi, al-Daraqutni, al-Dhahabi, and Ibn Hibban.
The subsequent lessons systematically follow the thematic arrangement of Ibn Khuzayma’s text:
- Essential Attributes (al-Sifat al-Dhatiyyah): The commentary examines scriptural proofs concerning divine attributes such as the Face (al-Wajh), the Hand (al-Yad), the Foot (al-Rijl), and the Image (al-Surah). Abd al-Ghaffar analyzes the authenticity and interpretation of the relevant textual transmissions, explaining how to derive theological benefits from the narrations cited in the base text.
- Active Attributes (al-Sifat al-Fi'liyyah): The work transitions from essential attributes to divine actions, addressing divine transcendence and elevation (al-Uluww), God's ascension above the Throne (al-Istiwa), and the divine Speech (al-Kalam).
- Theological Controversies: A significant portion is devoted to historical creedal disputes, particularly the issue of the uncreated nature of the Quran and the theological rulings regarding those who assert its createdness.
Method and Approach
Abd al-Ghaffar adheres to the interpretive methodology of the early generations (Ahl al-Sunnah wa-al-Jama'ah), maintaining that divine attributes confirmed by textual evidence must be affirmed as befitting divine majesty, without anthropomorphic comparison (tashbih), inquiring into or specifying the modality (takyif), distorting textual meaning (tahrif), or nullifying the attribute (ta'til). Regarding attributes such as the Hand, he maintains that the attribute is affirmed while the underlying modality remains unknown to humans and must be relegated to God (tafwid al-kayfiyyah). Throughout the commentary, he contrasts this approach with the positions of dissenting theological groups who resorted to figurative interpretation or negation.
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