Al-Ibana

Scholars hold differing views on the authorship and date of composition of al-Ibana. Some suggest that al-Ashari wrote the work immediately after his separation from the Mu'tazilism, while others believe it was produced toward the end of his life. Hikmet Yagli Mavil (2016) similarly concluded that al-Ibana preceded al-Luma, though neither represented al-Ashari's final work. According to Ayetullah Ugurlu, in his master's thesis, al-Ibana was a direct result of al-Ashari's separation from the Mu'tazilism. Ugurlu described it as both a statement of his new theological position and a rational response to his previous school of thought. Although the political conditions of the period and the decline of Mu'tazilism influence may have shaped the background, Ugurlu found no evidence that al-Ashari's transformation was politically motivated. Despite some alignment with Hanbali doctrines, al-Ashari was criticized by Hanbalis for continuing to use the kalam method. Ugurlu interpreted al-Ibana as a representation of al-Ashari's intellectual renewal and as a synthesis between Mutazilite rationalism and Hanbali traditionalism, marking an early stage in the formation of Ash'arite theology. Other scholars, including Duncan Black MacDonald, Arthur Stanley Tritton, and Ignac Goldziher, proposed that al-Luma was written earlier, soon after al-Ashari left the Mutazila, when his views still contained rationalist elements, and that al-Ibana was composed later in accordance with a more traditionalist orientation. == Chapters ==

According to the edition prepared by Fawkiyya Husayn Mahmud, al-Ibana begins with an introduction followed by a preface divided into two sections and fourteen chapters. The first chapter discusses the seeing of God (ruyat Allah), criticizing the Mu'tazila who deny that God can be seen in Paradise. Chapters two to four focus on the creation of the Quran (khalq al-Quran), proving that the Quran is eternal and not created, refuting the views of the Jahmiyya and Mu'tazila, presenting some opinions of the traditionalist, and emphasizing that even the recitation of the Quran is not created. Chapters five and six examine certain divine attributes mentioned in the texts, such as istiwa, nuzul, maji', ityan, wajh, ayn, and yad, explaining that these attributes should be accepted as they are without interpreting them anthropomorphically. The seventh chapter deals with the attribute of knowledge (ilm) and the concept of affirmative attributes (sifat al-thubutiyya), showing that groups like the Jahmiyya and Mu'tazila indirectly denied divine attributes. Chapters eight to ten address destiny (qadar), refuting the Mu'tazila's ideas about God's will, divine power, grace, guidance, provision, and misguidance, and including relevant hadiths. Chapters eleven to thirteen cover intercession (shafa'a), the Pond (hawd), and punishment of the grave (adhab al-qabr), countering the Mu'tazila's rejection or limitation of these concepts. The fourteenth chapter discusses leadership (imama), proving the legitimacy of the caliphate of Abu Bakr and the other three caliphs through Quranic indications and consensus, and emphasizing the importance of respecting all the Companions. == Editions ==

The introduction and preface of al-Ibana appear in Ibn Asakir's work Tabyin Kadhib al-Muftari, in a modern edition prepared with the efforts of Zahid al-Kawthari. This edition was published in Damascus, Syria, in 1347 AH (1928 CE). The first Hyderabad edition of al-Ibana, printed in 1321 AH (approximately 1903 CE) at the Press of the Council of Nizamiyya, included two appendices by Muhammad Inayat Ali al-Haydarabadi. In addition to the Hyderabad editions, al-Ibana has been published in Cairo, Egypt, in 1348 AH and 1349 AH (1929–1931 CE), and later in 1965 and 1987 CE. Editions have also appeared in Medina, Saudi Arabia, in 1395 AH / 1975 CE and 1409 AH / 1989 CE, as well as in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, with the third edition published in 1400 AH. Fawkiyya Husayn Mahmud's scholarly edition, published in Cairo in 1397 AH / 1977 CE and revised in 1407 AH / 1987 CE, was based on manuscripts from Alexandria, Egypt; Al-Azhar University; the Topkapi Palace Museum Library in Istanbul, Turkey; and Dar al-Kutub al-Misriyya, Egypt. Other editions include those by Bashir Uyun in Beirut, Lebanon, 1401 AH / 1981 CE; Abbas Sabbagh in Beirut, Lebanon, 1414 AH / 1994 CE; and an edition with hadith verification by Abd al-Qadir al-Arnaut, published jointly in Damascus, Syria, and Beirut, Lebanon, 1401 AH / 1981 CE. The work has also drawn the interest of Orientalist scholars. It was translated into English by Walter C. Klein as ''Al-Ibanah an Usul ad-Diyana: The Elucidation of Islam's Foundation, first published in New Haven, Connecticut, in 1940 CE and later republished in New York, USA, in 1967 CE. William Thomson evaluated this translation in his article Al-Ashari and His al-Ibanah in The Muslim World, volume XXXII, 1942. Klein also notes that the introduction of al-Ibana was translated into German by W. Spitta and into French by A. F. Mehren. Further scholarly evaluations and quotations on al-Ibana'' appear in Richard J. McCarthy's The Theology of al-Ashari (Beirut, 1953) and Michel Allard's ''Le probleme des attributs divins dans la doctrine d'al-Ashari'' (Beirut, 1965). There are three Turkish translations of al-Ibana. Emrullah Yuksel translated the work for a bachelor's thesis at Ankara University, Turkey, in 1966 CE. Mahmut Tasyapan completed a master's thesis translation in 1995 CE at Erciyes University, Turkey. In 2005 CE, Mustafa Cevik produced a translation titled The Principles of Faith of the Religion, which included a presentation, annotation, and a terminological glossary. Differences among editions were noted in the footnotes. This translation was published by Ilahiyat Publishing House in Turkey. == Critical studies ==