Facsimile · p. 147
This collection has no original name. It is as stated at the end: "A book containing all the commentaries of the infallible Imam, the known Mahdi, may God be pleased with him, which were dictated by our master the Imam, the Caliph, and may their victory be strengthened and may the Commander of the Faithful, Abu Muhammad Abd al-Mu'min ibn Ali, be empowered, may God perpetuate their support." This is a title that appears to be the work of the scribe, or whoever was tasked with its collection, their prosperity, and its arrangement. As for the name "A'azz ma Yutlab" (What is Most Sought After), it is the name of one of the books included in this collection. It is the first in order. It is mentioned in the aforementioned list. And in the list of commentaries: as some historians mentioned it, implying its uniqueness, Ibn Sahib al-Salat said, speaking about one of his sheikhs: "I heard him recite Kitab al-Tawhid, al-Aqida al-Mubaraka called al-Tahara, and Kitab A'azz ma Yutlab." As al-Marrakushi said: "Then he authored for them [i.e., the Mahdi for his followers] treatises on knowledge, including a book he named 'A'azz ma Yutlab' and creeds in the principles of religion." In both accounts, the book is mentioned with other books also present in the collection. This indicates that it refers to a single book, not the entire collection. It is therefore clear that the collection was given the name of one of its parts, which is the book "A'azz ma Yutlab," which appears first in it, for the sake of brevity and ease. We do not know precisely when this naming occurred. However, it is likely that it occurred in a later period. The reason for this naming is that it was named after the first phrase it contained, which is: "What is most sought after, and best acquired, and most precious to store, and best to do is knowledge, which God has made the cause of guidance to all good..." The entirety of what is mentioned in this collection is correctly attributed to Ibn Tumart, as indicated by the same source and page. Same source and page. See a definition of it on page 149 of this research. Ibn Sahib al-Salat, the Imam: 229-30. Al-Marrakushi, al-Mu'jib: 225. See: Abdullah Kanun, Aqidat al-Murshida li al-Mahdi Ibn Tumart: 107. A'azz ma Yutlab: Ibn Tumart: 147.