Pre-Ibn Taymiyyah Shafi Scholars with Salafi Theology on Allah’s Attributes

In his impressive study, Al-Ittijah al-Salafi ‘ind al-Shaf’iyyah, Dr. Taha Muhammad Naja does an excellent job demonstrating how the classical Shafis, be they prominent jurists, Qur’anic exegetes, Sufis, linguists, etc., prior to being dominated by Ash’aris were Salafi in their stances on the matter of Allah’s attributes. He does this by showing how they were similar in their affirmation of Allah’s essential attributes (الصفات الخبرية), volitional attributes (الأفعال الاختيارية), elevation (صفة العلو), and stance on Allah’s Speech (كلام).

The prominent scholars discussed were:

- Abdullah b. al-Zubayr al-Humaidi (d. 219 A.H.)

- Abu Ubayd al-Qasim b. Sallam (d. 224 A.H.)

- Abdul Azeez al-Kinani (d. 240 A.H.)

- Isma’eel b. Yahya al-Muzani (d. 264 A.H.)

- Uthman b. Sa’eed al-Darimi (d. 280 A.H.)

- Imam al-Nasaa’ee (d. 303 A.H.)

- Ibn Khuzaymah (d. 311 A.H.)

- Abu Abdullah al-Zubayri (d. 317 A.H.)

- Ahmad ibn al-Hussain, known as Ibn al-Haddad (d. 345 A.H.)

- Abu Bakr al-Aajurree (d. 360 A.H.)

- Abu Mansur al-Azhari (d. 370 A.H.)

- Muhammad b. Khafeef al-Shiraazi (d. 371 A.H.)

- Imam al-Daaraqutni (d. 385 A.H.)

- Abu al-Qasim al-Lalakaa’ee (d. 418 A.H.)

- Abu Mansur al-Asbahani (d. 418 A.H.)

- Ibn al-Qazweeni (d. 442 A.H.)

- Abu Uthman al-Sabouni (449 A.H.)

- Abu al-Mudhfir al-Sam’aani (d. 489 A.H.)

- Imam al-Baghawi (516 A.H.)

- Abul Qasim al-Asbahani (d. 535 A.H.)

- Abul Hussain al-Omrani (d. 558 A.H.)

Others included other names not found here, but Dr. Taha covered the bulk of the prominent scholars.

Recommended Reading:

Allah's Divine Attributes Discourse