Tanbih Dhawi al-Albab al-Salima an al-Wuqu fi al-Alfaz al-Mubtadaa al-Wakhima
- Author died
- 1349 AH
- Editions
- Dār al-‘Āṣimah
Tanbih Dhawi al-Albab al-Salima an al-Wuqu fi al-Alfaz al-Mubtadaa al-Wakhima (Alerting Sound Minds Against Falling into Reprehensible Invented Expressions) is a theological treatise by the Najdi Hanbali scholar Sulayman bin Sahman (d. 1349 AH / 1930 CE) . Written in the form of an epistolary critique, the work corrects theological formulations and terminology derived from scholastic theology (kalam) that appeared in contemporary Hanbali creedal commentaries .
Background and Purpose
The treatise was composed as a direct address to the scholar Muhammad ibn Abd al-Aziz ibn Mani . Ibn Mani had requested Ibn Sahman to review his abridgment of the commentary on the creed of Muhammad ibn Ahmad al-Saffarini and point out any positions at variance with the Quran, the Sunnah, and the consensus of the early generations (al-salaf) so that he could retract them . After receiving a paper outlining problematic points found in these texts, Ibn Sahman authored this response to caution against adopted theological vocabulary that diverged from traditional Athari doctrine . The book is also recorded under the variant title Tanbih Dhawi al-Albab al-Salima an al-Wuqu fi al-Alfaz al-Mustahjana al-Wakhima .
Theological Contents
The work addresses specific theological points where the author argues the commentator deviated from sound traditional positions:
- Definition of Divine Prayer (Salat): Ibn Sahman rejects the commentator's definition that God's salat upon His Prophet means mercy (rahmah), arguing that it contradicts the stronger report recorded by al-Bukhari from Abu al-Aliyah, which defines it as God's praise of His servant in the exalted assembly (al-mala' al-a'la) .
- Divine Ascendance (Istiwa'): The author criticizes qualifying God's istiwa' over the Throne with phrases such as "without contact" (min ghayr mumassah), "without settling" (tamakkun), or "without inherence" (hulul) . He argues that terms like mumassah are innovated expressions unmentioned in the Quran, Sunnah, or sayings of the Companions and early imams, citing his teacher Abd al-Latif ibn Abd al-Rahman ibn Hasan to argue that such ambiguous expressions must neither be affirmatively asserted nor categorically negated .
Publication History
The treatise was first printed in Egypt by Matba'at al-Manar in 1343 AH (with another source citing 1342 AH), published together in one volume alongside another work by Ibn Sahman, Tabri'at al-Shaykhayn al-Imamayn min Tazwir Ahl al-Kadhib wa-al-Mayn . A second edition was published by Dar al-Asimah in Riyadh in 1410 AH .
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