Tanzih al-Anbiya Amma Nusiba Ilayhim Huthalat al-Aghbiya
- Author died
- 614 AH
- Editions
- Dār al-Fikr al-Mu‘āṣir
Tanzih al-Anbiya Amma Nusiba Ilayhim Huthalat al-Aghbiya (Exoneration of the Prophets from What the Dregs of the Ignorant Ascribed to Them) is a theological treatise on Islamic creed by the Ceutan scholar Ibn Khumayr al-Subti (d. 614 AH / 1217 CE), dedicated to vindicating the prophets from blemishes and defending their infallibility ( ʿiṣmah ) against misinterpretations and fabricated narratives.
Context and Purpose
Ibn Khumayr dictated the work in response to requests from students of religious knowledge who sought clarification regarding Quranic passages containing divine reproach or admonition directed at certain prophets. He composed it out of zeal to protect the honor of the prophets, arguing that expressions of divine admonition in scripture neither diminish their exalted rank nor compromise their infallibility and perfection. In his introduction, he specifically critiques the misconceptions propagated by heretical factions, uncritical historians, and popular storytellers ( quṣṣāṣ ) who failed to comprehend the true nature of prophethood and what is permissible or impossible regarding God's emissaries.
The book is also referenced in manuscript catalogues under the variant title al-Tanbih ʿala al-Tanzih fi Tanzih al-Anbiya.
Contents and Arguments
The treatise systematically examines controversial biblical and historical accounts attributed to the prophets, interpreting scriptural verses in accordance with the doctrine of prophetic impeccability from both major and minor sins.
Among its prominent discussions:
- Refutation of the Uriah Narrative: Ibn Khumayr vigorously refutes the tale concerning Dawud (David) and the wife of Uriah, rejecting claims that Dawud schemed to have Uriah killed in battle to marry his wife, and denouncing such accounts as fabricated slanders against a prophet endowed with wisdom and kingdom.
- Prophethood of the Brothers of Yusuf: He maintains that the brothers of Yusuf (Joseph) were not prophets when they carried out their misdeeds against Yusuf and their father Ya'qub (Jacob). Grounding his argument in twenty Quranic verses, he enumerates five major sins they committed that cannot be reconciled with prophethood: wronging a fellow believer, filial disobedience to Ya'qub, lying regarding the wolf, selling a free believer into bondage, and falsely accusing Yusuf of past theft.
Transmission and Publication
The work was preserved in manuscript form, including a copy transcribed in Cairo on 15 Safar 646 AH by Ishaq ibn Mahmud ibn Balakwayh al-Shabarkhwasti al-Burujirdi, copied from a text collated against the author's own original manuscript.
The text was edited by Muhammad Ridwan al-Dayah and published in a single volume by Dar al-Fikr al-Mu'asir in Beirut and Dar al-Fikr in Damascus in 1411 AH / 1990 CE.
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