Sifat Rabb al-Alamin
- Author died
- 789 AH
- Editions
- T Tamalt
Sifat Rabb al-Alamin (Attributes of the Lord of the Worlds) is an extensive, source-based theological work on divine attributes and creed compiled by the Damascene Hanbali traditionist Ibn al-Muhibb al-Samit (712–789 AH / 1312–1387 CE) .
Title and Attribution
The standard title recorded on the work's manuscript is Sifat Rabb al-Alamin . It is also referred to concisely in bibliographical records as Kitab al-Sifat, and Ibn al-Mibrad (Yusuf ibn Hasan ibn Abd al-Hadi) referred to it descriptively as Ithbat Ahadith al-Sifat (Establishing the Hadiths of the Attributes) .
Its attribution to Ibn al-Muhibb is verified by his autograph handwriting across the extant manuscript, where he specifically noted his name on the cover of the fifth part as Muhammad ibn Abd Allah ibn Ahmad ibn al-Muhibb al-Maqdisi . Further evidence includes audition notes recorded within the manuscript by Ibn al-Mibrad, transmission chains linking to Ibn al-Muhibb's student Nizam al-Din Ibn Muflih, the author's direct citations of transmissions from his father, grandfather, and grand-uncle, as well as explicit references to his teachers such as Ibn Taymiyyah . A later notation on the manuscript cover by Muhammad Murad al-Shatti attributed the work to Muhammad ibn Ahmad ibn al-Muhibb, which editors identified as an erroneous slip by the writer .
Scope and Contents
The primary focus of the work is the affirmation of the divine attributes of God according to the textualist approach of early traditionists (Ahl al-Hadith) and the Salaf, affirming what appears in the Quran and authentic Prophetic traditions without figurative interpretation (taʾwil), negation (taʿtil), or anthropomorphic comparison (tamthil) .
In addition to divine names and attributes, the compilation addresses several related theological, eschatological, and historical topics, including:
- Divine decree and predestination (al-qadaʾ wa-l-qadar) .
- The beatific vision of God in the Hereafter (ruʾyat Allah) and God's manifestation to the believers in Paradise .
- Eschatological intercession (al-shafaʿah), portents of the Day of Judgment, tribulations (al-fitan), and descriptions of Paradise and Hellfire .
- Narrations concerning the creation of angels, jinn, the houris (hur al-ʿin), and the spirit (al-ruh) .
- Narrations concerning sectarian groups such as the Kharijites, innovators, and speculative sects .
Structure and Methodology
Ibn al-Muhibb divided the compilation into nine parts (ajzaʾ) arranged topically into individual chapters (abwab) . His organizational and critical methodology encompasses:
- Textual Framing: Opening each chapter with relevant Quranic verses establishing the attribute or theme under discussion .
- Narrations with Isnad: Citing Prophetic hadiths and early reports (athar) through his own chains of transmission, drawing upon major compilations, regional musnads, specialized monographs, small hadith booklets (ajzaʾ), and dictation sessions (amali) .
- Hadith Criticism: Gathering parallel transmission avenues (turuq), supporting witnesses (shawahid), analyzing hidden defects (ilal), evaluating narrators, and assessing chains for soundness or weakness .
- Scholarly Citations: Quoting statements from early traditionists, Quranic exegetes, and linguists, with frequent transmission from his principal teachers, such as the hadith master al-Mizzi and Ibn Taymiyyah . He also preserved passages from earlier theological and biographical works that are otherwise lost .
- Supplementary Material: Occasionally including Arabic poetry illustrating linguistic uses of attributes, as well as citing statements from theological dialecticians (ahl al-kalam) and philosophers to examine contrasting doctrines .
Manuscript and Academic Study
The work survived in a unique autograph draft manuscript (musawwadah) held in the Zahiriyyah Library in Damascus (cataloged under Majamiʿ 57 / 3739) . Because Ibn al-Muhibb continually updated the draft without producing a final fair copy (mubayyada), the physical codex is marked by dense marginal notes across all margins, interlinear insertions, and minor foliation misplacements .
The manuscript was subsequently edited and analyzed across several collaborative master's dissertations in the Department of Aqidah at Umm al-Qura University in Mecca .
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