Tahqiq Bidayat al-Sul
- Author died
- 660 AH
- Editions
- Al-Maktab al-Islāmī
Bidayat al-Sul fi Tafdil al-Rasul (The Commencement of the Quest Regarding the Preference of the Messenger) is a concise theological treatise on the exclusive merits and superiority of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ by the Shafi'i scholar Izz al-Din ibn Abd al-Salam (577 or 578–660 AH / 1181 or 1182–1262 CE) .
Origin and Subject
The book was written in response to a request by the author's son, who asked Ibn Abd al-Salam to dictate a concise work demonstrating the superiority of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ over all created beings, to which he agreed without hesitation . The text belongs to the genre dedicated to prophetic distinctions and special prerogatives (khasa'is nabawiyya), establishing the Prophet's rank compared to previous prophets, humanity, and the angels .
Structure and Content
Ibn Abd al-Salam organized the book into forty-two distinct virtues and merits of the Prophet ﷺ :
- Leadership over mankind: The treatise opens with the first merit, affirming that Muhammad ﷺ is the master of all creation, citing the prophetic statement: أنا سيد ولد آدم ولا فخر ("I am the master of the children of Adam, without boast") .
- Universal mission: It highlights that God dispatched earlier prophets specifically to their own peoples, whereas Muhammad ﷺ was sent to all humans and jinn, and therefore receives the reward for conveying the message to all creation . In this context, Ibn Abd al-Salam discusses the divine favor mentioned in وَلَوْ شِئْنَا لَبَعَثْنَا فِي كُلِّ قَرْيَةٍ نَذِيرًا .
- Eschatological and sensory gifts: The text covers particular gifts bestowed upon him, such as the reserved intercession on the Day of Resurrection, sensory miracles including the weeping palm trunk ( فحن الجذع ) and water flowing from his fingers, as well as the granting of the River al-Kawthar in Paradise and the Basin (al-Hawd) at the Gathering .
- Preeminence over angels: The forty-second and final distinction demonstrates that just as God favored the Prophet ﷺ over human messengers, He favored him over celestial messengers and angels, based on the principle that the most righteous of humankind surpass the angels .
The author concludes the text by stating that these points serve as concise indications sufficient for the discerning reader, ending with a prayer for divine guidance to follow the Prophet's Sunnah, character, and outward and inward conduct .
Transmission and Critical Editions
The work has been preserved and published under related titles and several critical editions:
- An edition verified by Muhammad Nasir al-Din al-Albani was published under the title Tahqiq Bidayat al-Sul fi Tafdil al-Rasul by al-Maktab al-Islami in Beirut, comprising 80 pages, containing hadith grading and critical annotations .
- An edition prepared by Iyad Khalid al-Tabba' was published by Dar al-Fikr in Damascus (1999) .
- A version titled Munyat al-Sul fi Tafdil al-Rasul, based on the transmission of the hadith scholar Sharaf al-Din al-Maydumi, was edited by Salah al-Din al-Munajjid and published by Dar al-Kitab al-Jadid in Beirut (1401 AH / 1981 CE) .
Answer updated