Sharh Lamiyyat Shaykh al-Islam
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- Sharh Lamiyyat Shaykh al-Islam
Sharh Lamiyyat Shaykh al-Islam (Commentary on the Lamiyyah of Shaykh al-Islam) is a contemporary theological commentary by the Saudi scholar Abd al-Karim al-Khudayr explaining the short didactic creedal poem al-Lamiyyah, traditionally attributed to Ibn Taymiyyah (d. 728 AH / 1328 CE) .
Origin and Scope
The work consists of a series of three transcribed lectures delivered by al-Khudayr and published through his official website . The base text, al-Lamiyyah, is a concise poem composed of sixteen verses rhyming in the letter lam, in which the author articulates his theological creed and school of thought in response to an inquiry . Although historically and widely attributed to Ibn Taymiyyah, later scholars have noted differing perspectives regarding the definitive proof of its attribution to him .
Content and Method
Al-Khudayr opens the work with an introductory exposition on religious comprehension (al-fiqh fi al-din), explaining that religion encompasses all domains of Islamic learning, foremost among them being core beliefs and creed—traditionally referred to as the "greater jurisprudence" (al-fiqh al-akbar) . He then proceeds verse by verse through the poem, addressing:
- The Foundations of Creed: Adhering to the consensus of the early Muslim generations (Ahl al-Sunnah wa-l-Jama'ah) and the positions transmitted from the four imams: Abu Hanifa, Malik ibn Anas, al-Shafi'i, and Ahmad ibn Hanbal .
- The Companions and the Prophet's Family: Professing love for all the Prophet's companions and the Prophet's household (Ahl al-Bayt), while affirming the preeminence of Abu Bakr al-Siddiq as the foremost of the companions without dispute .
- Divine Attributes and the Quran: Affirming the Quran as the revealed speech of God, and passing the textual verses and reports concerning divine attributes as transmitted by the early generations without figurative interpretation (ta'wil) or anthropomorphic speculation .
- Eschatology: Affirming the beatific vision of God by the believers in the Hereafter, divine descent without modality (bighayr kayf), the questioning and deeds in the grave, the Scale (al-Mizan), the Basin (al-Hawd), the Bridge (al-Sirat), and Paradise and Hellfire .
Throughout the commentary, al-Khudayr combines textual analysis, linguistic and grammatical observations, and doctrinal elucidation to clarify the concise expressions of the poem .
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