Scholastic Theology [IO Bijapur 227] نهج الحق و کشف الصدق

Scholastic Theology.

This manuscript is now IO Bijapur 227 in the India Office collections.

[metadata: Otto Loth, A Catalogue of the Arabic Manuscripts in the Library of the India Office, (volume 1), no. 437 here with further notations and hyperlinks].

437.

B 227. Size 93/4 in. by 6 in.; foll. 236. Nineteen lines in a page.

A Refutation of the Theology and Legal System of the Sunnites, entitled نهج الحق و کشف الصدق. The author, who is not mentioned, appears to be1 Jamâl al-dîn Abu Manṣûr Ḥasan b. Yûsuf, commonly called IBN AL-MUṬAHHAR ḤILLÎ, a great Shî’ah divine and pupil of Ṭûsî, who died A.H. 726. See regarding him, Cat. Mus. Brit. 452 and 455. The present work is mentioned in Stewart’s Catal., p. 141. It is dedicated to Sultan Ghiyâth al-dîn Ûljâitû Khudâbandah Muḥammad of Persia (A.H. 703-716).

The preface begins: الحمدلله الذی غرقت فی بحار معرفته افکار العلماء. The author blames the Sunni divines for their utter disregard of intuitive and natural knowledge, which in his opinion leads them to conclusions quite unacceptable to the sound mind. He says:

اوضحت فیه لطائفة المقلِّدین من طوائف المخالفین انکارَ روسائهم و مقلَّدیهم القضایا البدیهیةَ و المکابرة فی المشاهدات الحسّیة و دخولهم تحت حرف1 السوفسطائیة و ارتکاب الاحکام التی لا یرتضیها لنفسه ذو عقل ورویة لعلمی بان المنصف منهم اذا وقف علی مذهب من یقلّده تبرّأ منه و حاد عنه و عرف انه ارتکب الخطأ والزلل

He confines himself to eight questions (مسئلة), namely, I. (fol. 3) فی الادراک; II. (fol. 9) فی النظر; III. (fol. 10v.) فی صفاته تع; IV. (fol. 53v.) فی الانبیاء; V. (fol. 60) فی الامامة; VI. (fol. 142v.) فی المعاد; VII. (fol. 144) فیما یتعلق باصول الفقه; VIII. (fol. 160) فیما یتعلق بالفقه.

In the dogmatical part he chiefly attaches the Ash’arites, to whom, he says (fol. 3v.), with the exception of some divines of Transoxania, all the four orthodox sects are now reduced (جماعة الاشاعرة الذین هم الیوم کل الجمهور من الحنفیة و الشافعیة و المالکیة و الحنابلة الّا یسیرا من فقهاء ما وراء النهر); and he vindicates against them the doctrines of the Imâmîyah.

Well written in Nasta’liḳ. Dated A.H. 1072.

Inscribed: الجز الاول من کشف الحق و نهج الصدق

Cf. Cat. 229, ii.

1 See the conclusion of no. 471, ii.

1 No. 471, ii. reads: ووغولهم تحت فرق.