Sessions of Debate on Creed
The Shaykh—may Allah have mercy on him—recorded a concise account of what transpired in those gatherings and appended to it a brief commentary (1), saying (2):
All praise is due to Allah, Lord of the worlds, the All-Merciful, the Ever-Merciful, Master of the Day of Judgment. I bear witness that there is no deity but Allah alone, without partner, supporter, or helper; and I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and messenger, whom He sent to all of creation. May Allah bless him, his family (3), and all the righteous servants of Allah.
To proceed: I have been asked (4) to write down whatever I can recall of what occurred in the three sessions convened for disputation on matters of creed, in compliance with the letter the Sultan sent from Egypt to his deputy, the governor of these lands, after a group of spite-filled people (5)
(1) The word “mukhtasaran” (abridged) is absent from manuscripts B and Q.
(2) Immediately afterwards, manuscripts F and K insert the basmalah, “Bismillah al-Rahman al-Rahim” (In the name of God, the All-Merciful, the Compassionate). Editor’s note: The shaykh recorded the proceedings of these sessions several times at different periods, and each account contains material not found in the others. The version established here is among the most complete, as is the copy in Majmuʿ al-Fatawa 3:160–193. A shorter recension was cited by al-Barzali, and another abridged narrative was related by ʿAbd Allah ibn Taymiyyah; both are likewise preserved in the Fatawa. An additional autograph copy by the shaykh is held in the Zahiriya collection (fols. 261a–266b). For cross-references I shall cite the printed edition of the Fatawa as (Taf).
(3) Manuscripts B, Q, and F add the word “tasliman” (with salutations); manuscript T reads “kathiran” (abundantly).
(4) Manuscripts F, K, and Taf insert the phrase “ghayra marratin” (more than once).
(5) Thereafter, manuscripts F, K, and Taf add: “the Jahmiyya, the Ittihadiyya, the Rafida, and others.”