Customer Reviews

The Attributes of God: Ibn al-Jawzi's Daf' Shubah al-Tashbih bi-Akaff al-Tanzih

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This work is a must have in refuting the non-orthodox views of the new Pseudo-salafi cult that has plagued the Muslim world. It goes to show the absurdities of the old-school Hanbali anthropomorphists and how their da'wah was refuted by the Hanbali Ibn Al-Jawzi (r).

This is a lucid and very readable translation of Imam ibn al-Jawzi's daf' shubah al-tashbih bi akaff al-tanzih, and it has the same relevance today as it did hundreds of years ago. Now and then, there are many claiming to follow the pure 'aqidah of Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal. Ibn al-Jawzi shows them the danger of their anthropomorphic and literalistic ways, and how they have erred greatly in their acceptance and interpretation of certain traditions of the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace.

Abdullah bin Hamid Ali's footnotes are extremely valuable, as is the introduction and appendices. Amal Press also displays their usual, impeccable publishing quality and editing. It is too bad that this work was not published in hardcover; it deserves it. Highly recommended for anyone with an interest in Islamic theology, and for Muslims confused on the issue of how the Attributes of God are to be interpreted.

This work is essentially a partisan work centered around an old controversy raging within Sunni Islam. The attribution of the book to the classical Muslim scholar Ibn al-Jawzi is misleading, as it contains more in the way of introductions, appendixes and other articles vigorously defending one side of the debate than the actual work of Ibn al-Jawzi, which is only a small portion of the work. The overall tone of the work is bitter and contentious, in the line of most polemical works.

For non-Muslims, I would imagine this work to be of little interest. For Muslims, I would advise them to skip this work unless they have a particular interest in this narrow debate on one aspect of Islamic theology. But caution must be made to those who do choose to read this book that it represents only one side of the debate on Allah's names and attributes, and fairness would demand a study of the other side as well, from their own proponents.

Abu Zayd