'Ijalat al-ma'rifa fi usul al-din (book)
 | |
| Author | Muhammad b. Sa'id b. Hibat Allah al-Rawandi |
|---|---|
| Original title | عِجالَةُ المَعرِفَة فی اُصولِ الدّین |
| Language | Arabic |
| Subject | Theology |
| Published | 1419/1998-9. |
| Publisher | Al al-Bayt Institute |
ʿIjālat al-maʿrifa fī uṣūl al-dīn (Arabic: عِجالَةُ المَعرِفَة فی اُصولِ الدّین, Brief Acquaintance: On the Roots of Religion) is a theological book in Arabic composed by Muhammad b. Sa'id b. Hibat Allah al-Rawandi, a Shiite scholar of the seventh/thirteenth century, who explained and argued in this book for the main religious beliefs. He organized the book in four chapters and used a new approach in presenting the contents.
Author
Zahir al-Din Abu l-Fadl Muhammad b. Sa'id b. Hibat Allah al-Rawandi was the son of the well-known Qutb al-Rawandi. A number of works have been mentioned for him in biographical sources.[1]
Approach
The novel approach of the author is based on the concept of need: the fact that every human being finds within himself the need for and dependency on a being other than himself. This need shows human beings the existence of God, who, in order to guide human beings to their perfection, has sent prophets with sacred books and divine laws.[2]
The author has composed the book in a clear way; the contents of the book are neatly connected together and the reader views smooth transitions between the parts.[3]
Contents
The author explains in the introduction his approach in establishing religious beliefs and then organizes the contents of the book into four chapters.
- Chapter one: establishing the existence of the Creator and His positive and negative attributes.
- Chapter two: establishing prophethood and its elements and implications
- Chapter three: on imamate, the necessary qualifications of an Imam, and establishing the occultation of the Twelfth Imam (a). This chapter ends with a discussion on the hereafter.
- Chapter four: on divine justice, the issue of promise and threat (al-wa'd wa l-wa'id) and other issues related to the hereafter.[4]
Edition
The only manuscript used for the edition of this work is a manuscript contained in al-Dustur collection held in the library of the University of Tehran.[5] The edition was conducted by Sayyid Muhammad Rida Jalali and the work was published by Mu'assasat Al al-Bayt in Beirut in 1419/1998-9.
Notes
- ↑ Rāwandī, ʿIjālat al-maʿrifa fī uṣūl al-Dīn, p. 8-15.
- ↑ Qur'an 35:15: "O mankind! You are the ones who stand in need of Allah, and Allah—He is the All-sufficient, the All-laudable" and Qur'an 47:38: "Allah is the All-sufficient, and you are all-needy".
- ↑ Rāwandī, ʿIjālat al-maʿrifa fī uṣūl al-Dīn, p. 17-18.
- ↑ Rāwandī, ʿIjālat al-maʿrifa fī uṣūl al-Dīn, p. 18-19.
- ↑ Rāwandī, ʿIjālat al-maʿrifa fī uṣūl al-Dīn, p. 21-22.
References
- Rāwandī, Muḥammad b. Saʿīd. ʿIjālat al-maʿrifa fī uṣūl al-Dīn. Beirut: Muʾassisa Āl-i al-Bayt, 1419 AH.