Sira al-Fikr wal-Ittiba
- Author died
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- Editions
- Mu'assasat Qurtubah lil-Tiba'ah wa-al-Nashr wa-al-Tawzi'
Sira al-Fikr wal-Ittiba (The Conflict Between Thought and Adherence) is an Islamic methodological treatise written by Adnan al-Arur (b. 1362 AH / 1943 CE) as the third part of his multi-volume project, al-Sabil ila Manhaj al-Ta'ifa al-Mansura (The Path to the Methodology of the Victorious Group), addressing the obligation of adhering to revealed precedent (ittiba') versus reliance on unauthorized human thought and religious innovation (ibtida').
Context and Purpose
The book forms part of the author's broader al-Sabil project, which was written to provide a legal and analytical diagnosis for the contemporary weakness, division, and afflictions facing the Muslim community. Al-Arur frames the series as an effort to ground the contemporary Islamic revival (al-sahwah) in foundational scholarship, sound doctrinal principles, and correct Islamic methodology rather than transient emotionalism or reactionary zeal.
Within this framework, the book is dedicated to establishing the "Third Principle" (al-Asl al-Thalith) of the Victorious Group (al-Ta'ifa al-Mansura): that Islam is fundamentally a religion of adherence to divine revelation and prophetic practice rather than speculative intellect or invented ways.
Structure and Contents
The treatise is organized around several interconnected analytical and doctrinal topics:
- Definition and Scope of Ittiba': Al-Arur defines ittiba' as following in the footsteps of established precedent, contrasting it directly with ibtida' (originating untrodden paths). He identifies two essential conditions for legitimate adherence: a linguistic criterion requiring prior precedent, and a religious criterion requiring that the source be one commended by God or His Messenger. He emphasizes that ittiba' is comprehensive, encompassing theological creed, acts of worship, reformist pathways, governance, and moral conduct.
- Scriptural Importance and Fruits: The author highlights over sixty Quranic passages enjoining adherence, arguing that adherence serves as the sole divine safeguard against ideological deviation and produces guidance, worldly triumph, salvation in the afterlife, and divine pleasure.
- Critique of Innovation and Deviation: The text examines the dangers of religious innovation, the stance of the early generations (al-Salaf) regarding purely intellectual opinions, the prohibition of inventing novel methodologies in religious work, and the underlying psychological and methodological causes of innovation.
- Discerning Innovators and Fair Evaluation: The treatise details distinguishing marks of innovators versus adherents of the Sunnah, surveys several contemporary deviant sects, and outlines principles of equity (qawa'id al-insaf) when evaluating innovators to prevent falling into excess or unjust leniency.
Publication
A revised and expanded second edition of the work was published in 1416 AH / 1995 CE by Mu'assasat Qurtubah in Giza, Egypt.
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