Asas al-Taqdis

Asās al-Taqdīs (Arabic: أساس التقديس, lit. 'The Foundation of Declaring Allah's Transcendence'), also known as Ta'sis al-Taqdis (Arabic: تأسيس التقديس, lit. 'The Establishment of the Sacred') is an Islamic theological book, written by the Shafi'i-Ash'ari scholar Fakhr al-Din al-Razi (d. 606/1209), as a methodical refutation of the Karramiyya and other anthropomorphists.^[1][2]

Fakhr al-Din al-Razi wrote this work to counter the book Kitab al-Tawhid composed by the ultra-traditionalist Ibn Khuzayma (d. 311/923). He referred to Ibn Khuzayma as 'the corporealist' (al-mujassim).^[3]

He said in the book's introduction that he dedicated it especially to the Just King and the brother of Saladin, Sultan Abu Bakr ibn Ayyub.

Content

The first part of the book opens with a categorical rejection of any corporeality regarding God, under the title of "Indications on God's Transcendence beyond Corporeality and on Him not Being Confined [by any spatial location]". That is, in fact, his definition of anthropomorphism: al-Razi maintains that the one God is not present in a direction; He is not a space-occupying entity and is not a body, an assertion for which he provides proofs based on rational and textual evidence.

Al-Razi raises numerous claims, which he then refutes. The claims he contradicts are namely those held by the corporealist Karramites and the ultra-traditionalists who affirmed God's direction (jiha) and its veridical meaning (as haqiqa: truth, reality). In his discussion al-Razi articulates the Ash'ari stance on this matter and explains the proper figurative interpretation (ta'wil), according to his opinion.^[3]

Criticism

Ibn Taymiyya (d. 728/1328) and his student Ibn al-Qayyim (d. 751/1350) criticized and attacked the book. Ibn Taymiyya wrote a critical response to the book, entitled al-Ta'sis fi Radd Asas al-Taqdis (Arabic: التأسيس في رد أساس التقديس), better known as Bayan Talbis al-Jahmiyya (Arabic: بيان تلبيس الجهمية, lit. 'Explication of the Deceit of the Jahmiyya'), defended the position that God is spatially extended and a body with parts (note that he refuses the word part or limbs and calls them Sifat al-A'yan, A'yan means entities, as opposed to Sifat Ma'na which subsist in the Essence and not entities on their own).^[1][3][4][5]

See also

• Books portal
• Islam portal

• Daf' Shubah al-Tashbih
• Al-Sayf al-Saqil fi al-Radd ala Ibn Zafil
• Tabyin Kadhib al-Muftari
• Al-Insaf fima Yajib I'tiqaduh
• The Moderation in Belief
• List of Sunni books