Ibn Uthaymin
Taqrib al-Tadmuriyya
- Author died
- 1421 AH
- Editions
- Dār Ibn al-Jawzī
Taqrib al-Tadmuriyya (Approximating al-Tadmuriyya) is a treatise on Islamic creed by the Saudi scholar Muhammad ibn Salih al-Uthaymin (d. 1421 AH / 2001 CE), written as an abridgment and simplification of Ibn Taymiyya’s (d. 728 AH / 1328 CE) theological work al-Risala al-Tadmuriyya.
Background and Purpose
The original work by Ibn Taymiyya—formally titled Tahqiq al-Ithbat li-l-Asma' wa-l-Sifat wa-Haqiqat al-Jam' bayna al-Qadar wa-l-Shar'—was written in response to inquiries regarding divine attributes, religious law, and predestination. Ibn Uthaymin prepared his abridgment approximately eleven years before his death, after observing that Ibn Taymiyya's text presented pedagogical difficulties for students at Imam Mohammad Ibn Saud Islamic University despite its foundational importance and rigorous arguments.
In his introduction, Ibn Uthaymin noted that while al-Tadmuriyya is one of the most comprehensive and well-formulated treatises on its topic despite its brevity, his aim was to organize its scattered points, clarify its meanings for readers, supplement necessary explanations, and omit dispensable material without undermining the core objectives of the text.
Method and Structure
The book mirrors the thematic division of Ibn Taymiyya's treatise, which centers on two fundamental principles (aslan):
- Divine Names and Attributes (al-Tawhid wa-l-Sifat): Affirming what God and His Messenger established concerning divine attributes without anthropomorphism (tamthil) or negation (ta'til), while responding to differing theological schools through rational and textual principles.
- Divine Command and Decree (al-Shar' wa-l-Qadar): Harmonizing belief in God’s absolute decree and sovereignty with human responsibility and adherence to revealed law.
In summarizing the rules articulated in the original work, Ibn Uthaymin omitted the "Seventh Rule" (al-Qa'ida al-Sabi'a), explaining in his notes that it was missing from certain manuscript copies and that its core concepts were already sufficiently addressed in the preceding rules.
Reception and Publications
The work is recognized as one of the prominent concise expositions and pedagogical simplifications of al-Tadmuriyya. Contemporary scholars, including Muhammad ibn Abd al-Rahman al-Khamis, cited it as a primary reference when writing subsequent commentaries on the original text. It also generated supplementary student manuals, such as al-Ajwiba al-Mardiyya fi Taqrib al-Tadmuriyya by Abu Mus'ab al-Jaza'iri.
Taqrib al-Tadmuriyya was published in Riyadh by Matba'at Safir (1412 AH / 1992 CE) and Dar al-Watan (1412 AH), as well as by Dar Ibn al-Jawzi in Dammam.
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