Taysir al-Aziz al-Hamid fi Sharh Kitab al-Tawhid alladhi huwa Haqq Allah ala al-Abid
- Author died
- 1233 AH
- Editions
- al-Maktab al-Islāmī
Taysir al-Aziz al-Hamid fi Sharh Kitab al-Tawhid alladhi huwa Haqq Allah ala al-Abid (Facilitating the Mighty and Praiseworthy in Explaining the Book of Monotheism) is an extensive theological commentary authored by the Najdi scholar Sulayman ibn Abd Allah Al al-Shaykh (b. 1200 or 1205 AH / 1785 or 1791 CE, d. 1233 AH / 1818 CE) . It is the earliest and most detailed commentary written on Kitab al-Tawhid (The Book of Monotheism), the foundational treatise compiled by the author's grandfather, Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab (d. 1206 AH / 1792 CE) .
Scope and Methodology
The commentary systematically follows the arrangement of Kitab al-Tawhid, addressing the obligation of dedicating worship exclusively to God (tawhid al-ibadah) alongside textual evidence from the Quran and Sunnah . The text opens with an exposition of monotheism as the primary duty incumbent upon accountable individuals, its role in the expiation of sins, and the necessity of calling others to it with clarity .
Sulayman ibn Abd Allah elaborates on the chapters concerning practices that undermine or nullify monotheism, including major and minor polytheism (shirk), wearing rings, strings, or amulets to ward off harm, seeking blessings from trees or stones, and offering sacrifices, vows, or supplications for deliverance to other than God . In his terminology throughout the commentary, references to "Shaykh al-Islam" designate Ibn Taymiyyah, while "al-Hafiz" denotes Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani .
Incompletion and Structure
Sulayman ibn Abd Allah died before completing the entire commentary, having been executed by gunfire under the orders of Ibrahim Pasha during the Ottoman–Saudi war in 1233 AH . The author's fair copy (mubayyaḍah) ended at the chapter on mocking anything containing the mention of God (Bab man hazala bi-shay'in fihi dhikr Allah), while his working draft (musawwadah) extended to the end of the chapter concerning the deniers of predestination (Bab ma ja'a fi munkiri al-qadar), which constitutes the fifty-ninth chapter of the parent work . Another account states that the commentary extended up to the chapter concerning image-makers (Bab ma ja'a fi al-musawwirin) .
Abridgment and Reception
The scholar Abd al-Rahman ibn Hasan Al al-Shaykh (d. 1285 AH / 1868 CE) later utilized the commentary to compile his own work, Fath al-Majid (The Conquest of the Glorious), wherein he abridged and reorganized the text of Taysir al-Aziz al-Hamid, pruned repetitive passages and lengthy digressions, incorporated additional scholarly citations, and authored explanations for the remaining unfinished chapters .
Editions and Related Studies
When Taysir al-Aziz al-Hamid was prepared for its first printed edition, the publisher requested Muhammad ibn Ibrahim Al al-Shaykh to complete the commentary for the seven missing chapters; as that was not feasible, the publisher appended the remaining chapters along with their commentary directly from Fath al-Majid . This first edition was published in 1382 AH (1962 CE) by al-Maktab al-Islami in Damascus, followed by subsequent reprints . A later edition edited by Majdi ibn Mansur ibn Sayyid al-Shura was published in Beirut by Dar al-Kutub al-Ilmiyyah in 1416 AH (1996 CE) .
The hadith traditions cited in the work were subjected to a dedicated source-critical authentication by Jasim al-Fuhayd al-Dawsari in a volume titled al-Nahj al-Sadid fi Takhrij Ahadith Taysir al-Aziz al-Hamid, published by Dar al-Khulafa' lil-Kitab al-Islami in Kuwait in 1404 AH (1984 CE) .
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