(7) The Book’s Standing

Al-Ṣawāʿiq al-Mursala ʿalā al-Jahmiyyah wa-l-Muʿaṭṭilah is among the most precious and powerful works of Imām Ibn al-Qayyim. It ranks as one of the strongest rebuttals of the Jahmiyyah and the Muʿaṭṭilah—and, indeed, of all heterodox groups in matters of creed. The book unites sound transmitted proofs with clear rational arguments; its title perfectly befits its substance, for it truly is, as the author names it, “lightning bolts” hurled at the innovators. It sets forth the creed of Ahl al-Sunnah wa-l-Jamāʿah and demolishes whatever contradicts it with radiant evidence and decisive proof, all while displaying complete fairness, excellent presentation, and a smooth, flowing style—qualities scarcely matched by any other work.

This noble book reveals Ibn al-Qayyim’s mastery of the Islamic sciences, coupling robust foundational reasoning with lucid exposition.

Many scholars have praised it highly, among them:

• The eminent scholar ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Ḥasan Āl al-Shaykh, who, after mentioning Ibn Taymiyyah, said: “His student, the erudite Ibn al-Qayyim, has many beneficial writings clarifying the categories of tawḥīd and refuting the people of innovation. Among the best of them are Ighāthat al-Lahfān and the book al-Ṣawāʿiq al-Mursala fī al-Radd ʿalā al-Jahmiyyah wa-l-Muʿaṭṭilah.” (1)

• The eminent scholar Aḥmad ibn Ibrāhīm ibn ʿĪsā, who declared in Tawḍīḥ al-Maqāṣid (2/27) concerning al-Ṣawāʿiq: “It spans several volumes and is of the utmost excellence and value.”

• The eminent scholar Maḥmūd Shukrī al-Ālūsī said (2): “A detailed discussion of this …”