1.sharh of maydani 2. sharh of babarti (if you get abdul salam shannar edition, it is better) and 3. shaykh sayid foudeh's sharh al-kabir. there are a few brief commentaries of tahawiyyah too by ghaznawi by mustafa adawi and a recently published sharh by ahmad ibn mualla turkistani (671-733 AH) one by qadi ismayil shaybani (d. 629) ---- a few modern commentaries dr. umar abdullah kamil (not sure of his inclination) another by dr. salah sawi, a professor in american uni (don't know about him either) ----- there various commentaries by mubtadiys; keep away from them. 1. albani's annotations 2. ibn jibran's / wahabi annotations 3. abi'l izz al hanafi - some have claimed that it was ibn qayyim, but there is no doubt that the author is heavily influenced by ibn taymiyyah 4. another commentary by a wahabi: barrak 5. durratu'l bahiyyah - sharh of the heretic harari (of ahbash notoriety) 6. hasan saqqaf's heavy mutazili-tafzili garbage
anything we say or do should be to achieve an objective. otherwise, it is laghw. one may be an expert in kalam - and if he argues merely to impress others or to establish superiority over peers, or to gain name and fame, it is of no use. it would be better if he never learned that science. innama'l a'malu bi'n niyyat. actions are according to intentions. ---- فـرأسُ الـعِلمِ تَقوى اللهِ حقاً ولـيس بأن يُقال : لقد رأستا the mainstay of knowledge is piety; in reality, fear of Allah not merely earning a name and that you are called upon as a leader (of men) (ra'as = head; in the first line used as capital, the main ingredient etc. in the second, used as a 'head' as in prominent; meaning glory and fame) إذا مـا لـم يُفِدْكَ العِلمُ خيراً فـخـيرٌ منهُ أن لو قد جَهِلتا if knowledge does not benefit you and lead you to good (i.e. righteousness) it would have been better if you had remained ignorant. ---- what is the objective of 'complex discussions'? especially such as 'existence of God'? a believer should be happy that he was given faith; and be thankful. while 'discussing the existence of God' may sound intellectually satisfying, it is also fraught with danger. people lose their faith - al-iyadhu billah - due to inability to comprehend arguments. often it is because they are incapable of grappling with such questions. the west has become atheist and many are becoming atheists. a common reason cited is: 'religion does not answer our questions and doesn't sound reasonable'. this has become quite fashionable of late. sometimes, young muslims take it (discussion of existence of God) as a challenge without proper understanding of their own faith, or the tools required to counter atheist arguments. RasulAllah sallAllahu alayhi wa sallam foretold of this time: "a man will be a muslim in the morning and will become a kafir in the evening..." --- should we have comprehensive discussions on the topic and refute objections of atheists? yes, but not by non-experts. it is a good thing to put out a fire and save people trapped in an inferno. however, someone who does not know of types of fires, and methods of fighting fires and various techniques to protect oneself and others - nor have the requisite training should not simply run inside a burning building without equipment or appropriate protection or tools to 'save' the trapped ones. those trapped may not come out alive, and this fool will most likely perish. first secure yourself - then try to save others. ---- if you are well-grounded in kalam and understand our aqidah, zaruriyat, their bases and their proofs. if you are familiar with the books of imams sanusi, sharif jurjani, taftazani, imam razi, laqani, and others like them - you may have a valid reason to discuss this issue. AND if you do not have those tools and learning, NOR there is a pressing need - such to answer someone, it is forbidden. wAllahu a'alam. you are required to read and understand sharh aqidah al-tahawiyyah. instead of polluting your head with these arguments. ---- the hadith of avoiding complex discussions - is in line with the hadith: Allah dislikes three things: qeel wa qaal wa kathratu's su'al wa iDa'atu'l maal. argument for the sake of argument; asking too much (or asking too many questions) and wasteful expenditure. wAllahu a'alam.
As-Salāmu Alaykum respected readers. My question concerns the hadith (reported, I believe by Tabarani and al-Khatīb and Ibn Mubārak in az-Zuhd) that says to avoid complex discussions. The Existence of God is a particularly interesting topic for me and I wonder if this hadith forbids me from discussing that issue.
