Tahdhib Iqtida al-Sirat al-Mustaqim
- Author died
- -
- Editions
- Maktabat Dar al-Ulum
Tahdhib Iqtida al-Sirat al-Mustaqim (Refinement of the Necessity of the Straight Path) is an abridgment by the Egyptian scholar Shehata Saqr of the classical theological and legal treatise Iqtida al-Sirat al-Mustaqim li-Mukhalafat Ashab al-Jahim by Ibn Taymiyya (d. 728 AH / 1328 CE), focusing on the prohibition against imitating non-Muslims in their religious customs and festivals.
Purpose and Scope
The book summarizes Ibn Taymiyya's examination of a foundational principle in Islamic law and creed: the prohibition of imitating non-Muslims (tashabbuh), the obligation to avoid their ways in general and their festive occasions in particular, and the wisdom underlying Islamic legal texts that mandate distinction from Jews, Christians, and non-Muslim polytheists. In his introduction, Saqr notes that he prepared this abridgment to make the text accessible to contemporary readers, quoting the commendation of Muhammad ibn Salih al-Uthaymin that Ibn Taymiyya's original treatise is of the utmost utility, especially in modern times.
Methodology
Saqr outlined a systematic editorial approach for abridging and presenting the text:
- Textual streamlining: Removing extensive juridical (fiqhi) and linguistic digressions that fall outside the central theme of the work.
- Scriptural referencing: Citing Quranic verses inline immediately following the text in a smaller typeface rather than in footnotes, intended to ease reading flow.
- Hadith documentation (takhrij): Providing concise source documentation and authentication grades for hadiths and historical narrations (athar) immediately following each report in smaller script. For this documentation, Saqr relied on the evaluations of Muhammad Nasir al-Din al-Albani, the annotations of Ahmad Shakir on the Musnad of Ahmad ibn Hanbal and the Quranic commentary of Ibn Kathir, the critical edition prepared by Nasir ibn Abd al-Karim al-Aql, and the edition supervised by Mustafa al-Adawi.
- Structural additions: Inserting topical subheadings adapted from Nasir al-Aql's critical edition and defining obscure vocabulary in footnotes.
Publication
The work was published in Egypt by Maktabat Dar al-Ulum, based in Abu Hummus in the Beheira Governorate.
Answer updated