Sharh Lumat al-Itiqad - Yusuf al-Ghafis
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- Sharh Lumat al-Itiqad - Yusuf al-Ghafis
Sharh Lumat al-Itiqad (Commentary on the Luminescence of Creed) is an Islamic theological commentary by the contemporary scholar Yusuf al-Ghafis on Lum'at al-I'tiqad al-Hadi ila Sabil al-Rashad, the well-known creedal primer composed by the Hanbali jurist and theologian Ibn Qudamah al-Maqdisi (541–620 AH / 1146–1223 CE) .
Background and Purpose
Al-Ghafis structured the commentary around clarifying the foundational issues of the principles of religion (usul al-din) outlined in Ibn Qudamah's text . In his introduction, he provides a biographical account of Ibn Qudamah, noting his mastery across Islamic jurisprudence, legal theory, and theology, as exemplified in works such as al-Mughni and Rawdat al-Nazir . He also prefaces the work with a survey of the positions adopted by the followers of the four Sunni legal schools on matters of theology, pointing out that adherents across these schools historically exhibited differing methodologies in approaching theological principles .
Content and Methodology
The work provides a detailed exposition of the theological principles compiled in Ibn Qudamah's text, which covers matters disputed among theological factions:
- Divine Lordship and Attributes: The commentary begins with the general statements regarding Divine Lordship (rububiyya) and explicates the theological stance of Ahl al-Sunnah on affirming God's names and attributes based on scriptural evidence from the Quran and Sunnah . Al-Ghafis details how the Sunni methodology opposes the positions of the Jahmiyya, Mu'tazilah, Ash'ariyya, and Maturidiyya, as well as the extremes of figurative interpretation and denial (ta'til), anthropomorphism (tashbih), and the delegating of meaning (tafwid) .
- Other Articles of Faith: The book covers divine decree and predestination (al-qada' wa-al-qadar), faith (al-iman), the signs of the Hour, and the afterlife . It affirms core eschatological doctrines, including the reality and eternal nature of Paradise and Hellfire, while rejecting claims of their eventual annihilation as novel innovations unsupported by scripture .
- Hadith Exposition: Al-Ghafis draws on foundational prophetic traditions, notably the Hadith of Gabriel narrated through Ibn Umar from Umar ibn al-Khattab, analyzing it as a comprehensive summary uniting inward faith, outward legal obligations, and spiritual excellence (ihsan) .
Analysis and Evaluation of the Original Text
In evaluating Lum'at al-I'tiqad, al-Ghafis addresses criticisms raised by some contemporary scholars who censured Ibn Qudamah over expressions perceived as ambiguous or related to tafwid . Al-Ghafis defends the treatise, stating that it contains no explicit, clear-cut errors (ghalat sarih), but rather a degree of brevity and generality (ijmal) that is clarified elsewhere in the author's writings .
He further draws comparisons with other seminal creed treatises:
- Comparison with al-Aqida al-Tahawiyya: Al-Ghafis assesses Lum'at al-I'tiqad as being closer to the methodology of the traditionalists (Ahl al-Hadith) and safer from outright doctrinal error than al-Aqida al-Tahawiyya by Abu Ja'far al-Tahawi, arguing that al-Tahawi closely followed Abu Hanifa's specific definition of iman and incorporated certain ambiguous expressions regarding divine transcendence (al-'uluww) .
- Relationship to al-Aqida al-Wasitiyya: Al-Ghafis notes that Ibn Taymiyyah modeled his famous al-Aqida al-Wasitiyya in part after Ibn Qudamah's Lum'ah, though Ibn Taymiyyah expanded significantly on textual proofs and provided more elaborate discussions, particularly on divine transcendence and predestination .
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