''Awail al Maqalat fi Madhahab al Mukhtarah'' or Principal theses of selected doctrines ( fa, اوائل المقالات), is a Shia doctrinal, theological book written by
Shaykh Mufid
Abu 'Abd Allah Muhammad ibn Muhammad ibn al-Nu'man al-'Ukbari al-Baghdadi, known as al-Shaykh al-Mufid () and Ibn al-Mu'allim (c.9481022 CE), was a prominent Twelver Shia theologian. His father was a teacher (''mu'allim''), hence the name Ibn ...
.
Author
Shaykh Mufid was a prominent
Twelver
Twelver Shīʿīsm ( ar, ٱثْنَا عَشَرِيَّة; '), also known as Imāmīyyah ( ar, إِمَامِيَّة), is the largest branch of Shīʿa Islam, comprising about 85 percent of all Shīʿa Muslims. The term ''Twelver'' refers t ...
Shi'a
Shīʿa Islam or Shīʿīsm is the second-largest Islamic schools and branches, branch of Islam. It holds that the Prophets and messengers in Islam, Islamic prophet Muhammad in Islam, Muhammad designated Ali, ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib as his S ...
theologian.
He was the son of ''Muallim'', hence called ''Ibn Muallim''. Taught by
Al-Shaykh al-Saduq
Abu Ja'far Muhammad ibn 'Ali ibn Babawayh al-Qummi (Persian: ar, أَبُو جَعْفَر مُحَمَّد ٱبْن عَلِيّ ٱبْن بَابَوَيْه ٱلْقُمِيّ; –991), commonly referred to as Ibn Babawayh (Persian: ar, ...
,
Ibn Qulawayh
Ibn Qulawayh ( fa, ابن قولویه) (died in Baghdad, 978 or 979 AD) was a Twelver Shia traditionalist and jurist. He is one of the authoritative traditionalists among the Shia.
Life
His official name was Ibn Qūlawayh (Qūlūya), Abu'l-Qasem ...
,
Abu Abdallah al-Basri and al-Rummani,
Sharif al-Murtaza
Abū al-Qāsim ʿAlī ibn al-Ḥusayn al-Sharīf al-Murtaḍā (Arabic: أبو القاسم علي بن الحسين الشريف المرتضى ) (commonly known as: Sharīf Murtaḍā, Sayyid Murtaḍā, (Murtazā instead of Murtaḍā in non-Ara ...
and
al-Shaykh al-Tusi were among his students. Only 10 of his 200 works have survived which include ''Amali'', ''Al-Irshad'', ''Al-Muqni'ah'', and ''Tashih al-Itiqadat''.
Content
Mufid tries to distinguish between Shia and Mutazilite by describing the principle creeds of Shia. According to Mufid, the principle belief of Shia is loyalty to Ali and repudiation of other caliphs, namely Osman, Abu Bakr and Omar. The relation between revelation and reason is emphasized, such that there is such a way that the former could help the latter. Contrary to Mutazilizm, who believed in a middle position for someone who is grave sinner, Mufid believed that he is, in spite of being grave sinner, a believer, and that a Shia person will not be punished because of his belief. However, he mentioned some conditions and principles for commanding rights, such as it being indispensable to instruct someone, and that it is known that it is useful and advantageous. Mufid explained the basic beliefs of the Twelver Shia through connecting with concepts such as the unity of God, justice, prophecy, the imam and the Return. but generally these subjects did not constitute the outline of Awail.
Theological beliefs
Mufid believes that being a seer and hearer in case of God finally originated from God. However it is a necessary belief to believe in the presence of an infallible imam in the world as a central belief. According to him, using this reason leads to believing in unity. He also referred to some other attributes of God such as being living, powerful seer, hearer, knowing all things and yet not visible to the eye. Mufid believed in not assigning and names to God other than those which are mentioned in
Quran
The Quran (, ; Standard Arabic: , Classical Arabic, Quranic Arabic: , , 'the recitation'), also romanized Qur'an or Koran, is the central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be a revelation in Islam, revelation from God in Islam, ...
and traditions. Mufid thought that people in next life, whilst not under moral obligation, are commanded in their minds to do what is appropriate. Mufid emphasized in the case of this rule that God's obligation does not originate from the Justice. He says:
"I say that the help which the proponents of the doctrine of lutf make incumbent upon God is so from His generosity and nobility.
It is not – as they think- justice that obliges Him, so that He would be unjust were He not to give it."(Awa'il, p. 26.)
See also
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Shia Islam
Shīʿa Islam or Shīʿīsm is the second-largest branch of Islam. It holds that the Islamic prophet Muhammad designated ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib as his successor (''khalīfa'') and the Imam (spiritual and political leader) after him, m ...
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Ja'fari jurisprudence
Jaʿfarī jurisprudence ( ar, الفقه الجعفري; also called Jafarite in English), Jaʿfarī school or Jaʿfarī fiqh, is the school of jurisprudence (''fiqh'') in Twelver and Ismaili (including Nizari) Shia Islam, named after the sixth ...
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Shaykh Mufid
Abu 'Abd Allah Muhammad ibn Muhammad ibn al-Nu'man al-'Ukbari al-Baghdadi, known as al-Shaykh al-Mufid () and Ibn al-Mu'allim (c.9481022 CE), was a prominent Twelver Shia theologian. His father was a teacher (''mu'allim''), hence the name Ibn ...
References
Bibliography
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*{{cite book, last=McDermott, first=Martin J., title=The Theology of Al-Shaikh Al-Mufīd, url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lvFiAAAAMAAJ, year=1978, publisher=Dar el-Machreq éditeurs, isbn=978-2-7214-5601-4
Islamic theology books
Shia theology books