Rules of Sound Rational Inference on Matters of Creed According to Shaykh Muhammad bin Salih al-Uthaymin (may Allah have mercy on him)

Abstract

This study examines the rules of sound rational inference in matters of creed according to Shaykh Muhammad ibn Salih al-Uthaymin. It aims to identify the position of Ahl al-Sunnah wa al-Jama‘ah regarding the rules of rational inference in the fundamentals of creed; to identify Shaykh Muhammad ibn Salih al-Uthaymin’s methodology in dealing with rational rules in matters of creed; to determine the rules of rational inference that Shaykh al-Uthaymin used in arguing for the fundamentals of creed; and to demonstrate their conformity with the methodology of Ahl al-Sunnah in reception and inference. The study employs the inductive-analytical method and concludes that the rules of rational inference in matters of creed according to Shaykh al-Uthaymin are as follows: the agreement of sound reason with authentic revelation; reliance on necessary knowledge in inference; reason’s general indication of matters of the unseen; reason does not independently judge matters of the unseen; rational proof concerning matters of the unseen is consistently applicable but not reversible; rational proof is not the only proof in matters of creed; and whatever leads to falsehood is false. I recommend that researchers direct contemporary studies in creed toward giving attention to sound rational rules in refuting doubts.