The Theological Introductions in Ibn Yunus al-Siqilli’s Book "Al-Jami' li-Masa'il al-Mudawwanah": A Study of the Methodology of Inference Regarding Divinity (Ilahiyyat)

Abstract

This study explores the theological and creedal (Kalam) material embedded by the jurist Imam Abu Bakr ibn Yunus al-Siqilli within the conclusion of his jurisprudential encyclopedia, Al-Jami' li-Masa'il al-Mudawwana. The research problem focuses on identifying the features of the "demonstrative tendency" in a Maliki jurist renowned for his exceptional mastery of legal branches (Furu') and mathematics, and how he strategically employed rational and logical tools to establish the fundamentals of religion (Usul al-Din). The study adopts a comparative analytical approach to deconstruct these theological texts, tracing them back to their foundational origins in the early Ash'ari school.

The research reached several fundamental results, most notably: that Ibn Yunus al-Siqilli presented a unique model of "epistemological integration" between Jurisprudence (Fiqh) and Creed ('Aqida), establishing the "Theory of Knowledge" as a necessary threshold for theological inquiry. Furthermore, the study revealed al-Siqilli's clear methodological adherence to the school of Judge Abu Bakr al-Baqillani, particularly in formulating the "Cosmological Argument for Contingency" (Burhan al-Huduth) based on the concomitance of substances and accidents (Al-Jawahir wa al-A'rad), and his utilization of the "Argument from Wisdom/Design" (Ihkām) to prove Divine Attributes of Meaning (Sifat al-Ma'ani). The study concludes that including these topics at the end of the book serves as a "theological fortress," linking the certainty of fundamental principles to the validity of legal branches, thereby reinforcing the status of the Sicilian Maliki heritage as a primary tributary of early Ash'ari thought