Usul Bila Usul
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- Editions
- Dār Ibn al-Jawzī
Usul Bila Usul (Principles Without Principles) is a theological treatise written by the contemporary Egyptian scholar Muhammad Ismail al-Muqaddim, dedicated to refuting what he identifies as unorthodox epistemic sources utilized by Sufi groups and claimants of Mahdism.
Background and Purpose
The book's full title is Usul Bila Usul: Bahth Wafin fi Radd 'Udwan al-Sufiyya wa-Mudda'i al-Mahdiyya 'ala Masadir al-Talaqqi wa-l-Marji'iyya al-Shar'iyya (Principles Without Principles: A Comprehensive Inquiry Refuting the Transgression of Sufism and Mahdist Claimants Against the Epistemological Sources and Legal Authority). The work originally formed the third section of al-Muqaddim's broader work on the Mahdi, titled 'Udwan Mudda'i al-Mahdiyya 'ala Masadir al-Talaqqi (The Transgression of Mahdist Claimants Against the Sources of Reception). The author subsequently revised, expanded, and detached it into an independent monograph to reduce the parent volume's size and enhance accessibility for readers.
The stated objective of the work is to address historical and contemporary recurrences of false Mahdist claims and the uncritical emotional reception they garner among followers. Al-Muqaddim argues that the theoretical justifications of such claimants rely on groundless foundations that bypass standard Islamic textual and rational criteria, aiming through this study to foster intellectual immunity among Muslim youth and students of religious knowledge against distortions of orthodox epistemological sources.
Structure and Contents
The book is organized into an introduction followed by five main chapters:
- Chapter One: The Authority of Dreams (Sultan al-Manamat): Analyzes the phenomenon of dreams and visions, categorizing them according to Islamic tradition while critiquing reductionist secular psychological frameworks, such as the psychoanalytic theories of Sigmund Freud.
- Chapter Two: On the Evidentiary Value of Extraordinary Feats (Fi Dalalat Khawariq al-'Adat): Examines supernatural occurrences and supernatural feats in relation to religious legitimacy.
- Chapter Three: The Claim of Seeing the Prophet Awake After His Death and Direct Reception from Him (Da'wa Ru'yat al-Nabi ba'da Wafatihi Yaqazatan, wa-l-Talaqqi 'anhu Mubasharatan): Critiques claims that religious knowledge or mandates can be derived through waking encounters with the Prophet Muhammad after his death.
- Chapter Four: Inspiration, Divinely Induced Thought, and Mystical Unveiling (al-Ilham wa-l-Tahdith wa-l-Kashf): Details scholarly disagreements regarding non-prophetic inspiration (ilham), the conditions set by jurists and legal theorists for its permissible scope, and the rejection of mystical unveiling (kashf) as an independent legal source.
- Chapter Five: The Claim of Meeting al-Khadir and Receiving Knowledge from Him (Itti'a' Luqya al-Khadir wa-l-Talaqqi 'anhu): Discusses and critiques historical and Sufi narratives asserting meetings with al-Khadir to obtain litanies, esoteric knowledge, or authority.
Publication
The author concluded the introduction in Alexandria on 15 Jumada al-Ula 1429 AH (15 May 2008 CE). The first edition of the book was issued in 1429 AH / 2008 CE by Dar Ibn al-Jawzi in Cairo, Egypt.
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