Tariq al-Hidaya Mabadi wa Muqaddimat Ilm al-Tawhid inda Ahl al-Sunna wa al-Jamaa

Tariq al-Hidaya: Mabadi wa-Muqaddimat 'Ilm al-Tawhid 'inda Ahl al-Sunna wa-l-Jama'a (The Path of Guidance: Principles and Introductions to the Science of Monotheism According to the People of the Sunnah and the Community) is a contemporary treatise on Islamic theology and creedal fundamentals by the Egyptian scholar Muhammad Yusri Ibrahim, completed in 1425 AH (2004 CE) Tariq al-Hidaya Mabadi wa…+1. The work was composed as an introductory manual establishing the foundational principles and epistemology of the study of tawhid (Islamic monotheism) according to the framework of Ahl al-Sunna wa-l-Jama'a Tariq al-Hidaya Mabadi wa…+1.

Background and Purpose

The author completed the text in Cairo on the 1st of Rabi' al-Awwal 1425 AH Tariq al-Hidaya Mabadi wa…. He formulated the work in response to the traditional ten introductory principles (al-mabadi al-'ashara)—encompassing a discipline's definition, subject matter, fruit, merit, relation, founder, name, sources, legal ruling, and core questions—which had historically been systematized in the introductions to various Islamic sciences Tariq al-Hidaya Mabadi wa…. Ibrahim observed that scholastic theologians (al-mutakallimun) had framed the introductory premises of theology using terminology, definitions, and speculative proofs derived from Greek logic and philosophy ('ilm al-kalam), attributing the discipline's founding to post-early generations Tariq al-Hidaya Mabadi wa…. The stated aim of the book was to reframe these ten introductory principles strictly from the perspective of Ahl al-Sunna, rectifying these concepts and clarifying their methodology Tariq al-Hidaya Mabadi wa….

The book is designed as the first part of a tripartite pedagogical series of introductions to creed: the second intended to cover innovators, sects, and their methodologies of reception, and the third to present the documented creedal statements of early Sunni authorities Tariq al-Hidaya Mabadi wa….

Contents and Structure

The book is arranged into major parts, chapters, and supplementary appendices:

• Part One: Ahl al-Sunna wa-l-Jama'a: Discusses the identity and defining characteristics of Ahl al-Sunna, including their moral uprightness, enjoining good and forbidding evil, remaining steadfast upon the truth, and the requirements for proper affiliation with their methodology Tariq al-Hidaya Mabadi wa….
• Part Two: The Science of Tawhid: Principles and Introductions ('Ilm al-Tawhid: Mabadi wa-Muqaddimat):
  • Chapter One: Examines the ten introductory principles of tawhid according to Ahl al-Sunna: definition (hadd), alternate names (asma'), subject matter (mawdu'), legal ruling (hukm), merit (fadl), derivation and sources (istimdad), taxonomic relation (nisba), founder (wadi'), ultimate purpose (ghaya), and core issues (masa'il) Tariq al-Hidaya Mabadi wa….
  • Chapter Two: Details the core characteristics of creed according to Ahl al-Sunna, classifying them under being divinely revealed (tawqifiyya rabbaniyya), pertaining to the unseen (ghaybiyya), moderate (wasatiyya), rational ('aqlaniyya), innate (fitriyya), and comprehensive (shumuliyya) Tariq al-Hidaya Mabadi wa….
  • Chapter Three: Outlines the rules and standards of evidence for creedal issues (qawa'id wa-dawabit al-istidlal 'ala masa'il al-i'tiqad) Tariq al-Hidaya Mabadi wa…+1.

The text concludes with two appendices:

1. Topical Index of Creedal Issues: A detailed classification scheme compiled from classical and modern Sunni sources, categorized into an introduction on principles followed by four main subjects: the reality of faith (haqiqat al-iman), the pillars of faith (arkan al-iman), the nullifiers of faith (nawaqid al-iman), and miscellaneous theological topics Tariq al-Hidaya Mabadi wa…+1.
2. Directory of Creedal Literature: A bibliographic guide profiling one hundred classical and contemporary works of Sunni creed, starting historically with al-Fiqh al-Akbar (attributed to Abu Hanifa) up to the modern era Tariq al-Hidaya Mabadi wa….