Can you give a brief account of Abu Hayyan al-Tawhidi, stating whether he was a heretic (mulhid), and what is the view of his book "Al-Dhakha'ir wa al-Basa'ir"?
Source: FtawySummary from Ftawy's records · added here Oct 24, 2026
Conflicting opinions exist regarding Abu Hayyan al-Tawhidi. One group, including Ibn al-Jawzi and al-Dhahabi, viewed him as an irreligious apostate (zindiq). Others, such as Ibn al-Najjar and al-Subki, considered him to have sound عقيدة (creed/belief). As for Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah, he confirmed al-Tawhidi's engagement with philosophy but refrained from ruling him an apostate. His book, "Al-Basair wal-Dhakhair" (Insights and Treasures), is considered a valuable literary work that contains strong criticism of the People of Kalam (speculative theology).
Summary from Ftawy's records · added here
Reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.
Read the full answer on Ftawyhttps://ftawy.com/en/questions/28542
Where this answer came from
- Source platform
- Ftawy
- Original fatwa ID
- 28542
- Added here
- . This is when the answer was added to El Fatwa, not the fatwa's date.
- Text
- Summary from Ftawy's records, reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.
- Read the full ruling
- Read the full answer on Ftawy