The Conclusive Argument From God

Shah Wali Allah of Delhi Paperback, 548 pages. Hujjat Allah al-Baligha Volume 1: The General Principles from Which are Derived the Beneficial Purposes Considered in the Rulings of the Divine Law. The Conclusive Argument from God is the master work of Shah Wali Allah of Delhi (1703-1762), considered to be the most important Muslim thinker of South Asia. This work, originally written in Arabic, represents a synthesis of the Islamic intellectual disciplines authoritative in the 18th century. It argues for the rational, ethical, and spiritual basis for the implementation of the Hadith injunctions of the Prophet Muhammadﷺ, developing a cohesive schema of the metaphysical, psychological, and social knowledge of its time. The work provides an extensive and detailed picture of Muslim theology and interpretive strategies and is still referenced by many contemporary Islamic thinkers. Contents include investigations into the causes of religious obligations, the manner of requital during life and after death, the supports of civilisation, human felicity, piety and sin, the regulation of religion, and the derivation of Sharia laws from the reports of the Prophet.