Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab
Usul al-Iman li Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab - ضمن Majmu Muallafatihi
- Author died
- 1206 AH
- Editions
- Imam Muhammad ibn Saud Islamic University
Usul al-Iman (The Fundamentals of Faith) is a theological treatise and hadith collection compiled by Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab (1115–1206 AH / 1703–1792 CE) on the core tenets of Islamic creed according to Ahl al-Sunnah wa-l-Jama'ah.
Content and Method
The work focuses on presenting Prophetic traditions that outline the fundamentals of belief and underscore warnings against theological deviation and associationism (shirk). The treatise is structured into twelve thematic chapters. It opens with the chapter titled "Knowing Allah and Believing in Him" (Bab Ma'rifat Allah wa-l-Iman bih), which cites narrations establishing divine uniqueness and self-sufficiency, including the hadith qudsi reported by Abu Hurayrah: أنا أغنى الشركاء عن الشرك، من عمل عملا أشرك فيه معي غيري تركته وشركه ("I am the most self-sufficient of partners beyond having any partner; whoever performs a deed in which he associates another with Me, I abandon him and his association").
Transmission and Publication
In certain manuscript copies of the work, including the codex transcribed by Sheikh Muhammad ibn Abd al-Latif, the opening carries a note indicating that one of the author's sons added further material to the original text.
The work has been published in several compilations:
- Within Majmu'at al-Hadith al-Najdiyyah, issued in early prints by Matba'at al-Manar and al-Salafiyyah in Cairo, as well as in Qatar.
- Within the collected works edition (Majmu' Mu'allafat al-Shaykh Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab), prepared under the auspices of Imam Mohammad Ibn Saud Islamic University in Riyadh, where it was included in the first volume (the section on creed and manners) after being edited and collated against two manuscripts by Isma'il al-Ansari, Abd al-Aziz al-Furaih, and Muhammad Eid.
Answer updated