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{{Short description|Islamic theology}}
{{Short description|Islamic term for denominational practice or theology}}
{{About||the story of the binding of Isaac|Binding of Isaac|East African administrators|Akida}}
{{Expand Arabic|date=July 2024|عقيدة إسلامية}}
{{Italic title}}
{{Italic title}}
{{About||the story of the binding of Isaac|Binding of Isaac|East African administrators|Akida}}
{{Aqidah|all}}
{{Aqidah|all}}
{{Islam|beliefs}}
{{Islam|beliefs}}


'''''Aqidah''''' ({{Lang-ar|عقيدة|ʿaqīdah}} ({{IPA-ar|ʕɑˈqiːdæ, ʕɑˈqɑːʔɪd}}), plural {{Lang|ar|عقائد}} ''ʿaqāʾid'', also rendered ''ʿaqīda'', ''aqeeda'', etc.) is an [[Islam]]ic term of [[Arabic]] origin that literally means "[[creed]]".<ref>{{cite book |author-last=Abdel-Haleem |author-first=M. A. S. |author-link=Muhammad Abdel-Haleem |year=2008 |chapter=Part I: Historical perspectives - Qur’an and hadith |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=O1IiAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA19 |editor-last=Winter |editor-first=Timothy |editor-link=Timothy Winter |title=The Cambridge Companion to Classical Islamic Theology |location=[[Cambridge]] |publisher=[[Cambridge University Press]] |pages=19–32 |doi=10.1017/CCOL9780521780582.002 |isbn=9781139001816}}</ref> It is also called '''Islamic creed''' and '''Islamic theology'''.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Buang |first1=Sa’eda |last2=Chew |first2=Phyllis Ghim-Lian |title=Muslim Education in the 21st Century: Asian perspectives |date=9 May 2014 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-1-317-81500-6 |page=97 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=D2-LAwAAQBAJ&dq=aqidah++theology&pg=PA97 |access-date=9 August 2022 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Abbas |first1=Tahir |title=Islamic Political Radicalism: A European Perspective |date=22 January 2007 |publisher=Edinburgh University Press |isbn=978-0-7486-3086-8 |page=257 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1ueqBgAAQBAJ&dq=aqidah++theology&pg=PA257 |access-date=9 August 2022 |language=en}}</ref>
'''''Aqidah''''' ({{Langx|ar|عَقِيدَة|ʿaqīdah}}, {{IPA|ar|ʕɑˈqiːdæ|IPA}}, pl. {{Langx|ar|عَقَائِد|ʿaqāʾid|label=none}}, {{IPA|ar|ʕɑˈqɑːʔɪd|}}) is an [[Islam]]ic term of [[Arabic]] origin that means "[[creed]]".<ref>{{cite book |author-last=Abdel-Haleem |author-first=M. A. S. |author-link=Muhammad Abdel-Haleem |year=2008 |chapter=Part I: Historical perspectives - Qur’an and hadith |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=O1IiAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA19 |editor-last=Winter |editor-first=Timothy |editor-link=Timothy Winter |title=The Cambridge Companion to Classical Islamic Theology |location=[[Cambridge]] |publisher=[[Cambridge University Press]] |pages=19–32 |doi=10.1017/CCOL9780521780582.002 |isbn=9781139001816}}</ref> It is also called '''Islamic creed''' or '''Islamic theology'''.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Buang |first1=Sa’eda |last2=Chew |first2=Phyllis Ghim-Lian |title=Muslim Education in the 21st Century: Asian perspectives |date=9 May 2014 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-1-317-81500-6 |page=97 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=D2-LAwAAQBAJ&dq=aqidah++theology&pg=PA97 |access-date=9 August 2022 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Abbas |first1=Tahir |title=Islamic Political Radicalism: A European Perspective |date=22 January 2007 |publisher=Edinburgh University Press |isbn=978-0-7486-3086-8 |page=257 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1ueqBgAAQBAJ&dq=aqidah++theology&pg=PA257 |access-date=9 August 2022 |language=en}}</ref>


''Aqidah'' go beyond concise statements of faith and may not be part of an ordinary Muslim's religious instruction.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Guillaume |first1=Alfred |title=Islam |publisher=Penguin |date=1978 |orig-date=1954 |pages=134 |ref=AGI1978}}</ref>  It has been distinguished from ''[[Iman (Islam)|Iman]]'' in "taking the aspects of Iman and extending it to a detail level" often using "human interpretation or sources".<ref name="FAROOQ-content-2020">{{cite web |last1=FAROOQ |first1=MOHAMMAD OMAR |title=Let's Be Content With Iman, Not Aqeedah |url=https://www.islamicity.org/22471/lets-be-content-with-iman-not-aqeedah/ |website=Islamicity |access-date=26 June 2022 |date=6 February 2020}}</ref> Yet in contrast with Iman, Aqidah is not a term in the [[Qur'an]].
''Aqidah'' goes beyond concise statements of faith and may not be part of an ordinary Muslim's religious instruction.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Guillaume |first1=Alfred |title=Islam |publisher=Penguin |date=1978 |orig-date=1954 |pages=134 |ref=AGI1978}}</ref>  It has been distinguished from ''[[Iman (Islam)|iman]]'' in "taking the aspects of Iman and extending it to a detail level" often using "human interpretation or sources".<ref name="FAROOQ-content-2020">{{cite web |last1=FAROOQ |first1=MOHAMMAD OMAR |title=Let's Be Content With Iman, Not Aqeedah |url=https://www.islamicity.org/22471/lets-be-content-with-iman-not-aqeedah/ |website=Islamicity |access-date=26 June 2022 |date=6 February 2020}}</ref> Also, in contrast with ''iman'', the word ''aqidah'' is not explicitly mentioned in the [[Quran]].


Many [[schools of Islamic theology]] expressing different ''aqidah'' exist.  However, this term has taken a significant technical usage in the Islamic theology, and is a branch of [[Islamic studies]] describing the beliefs of Islam.
Many [[schools of Islamic theology]] expressing different ''aqidah'' exist.  However, this term has taken a significant technical usage in the Islamic theology, and is a branch of [[Islamic studies]] describing the beliefs of Islam.


==Etymology==
==Etymology==
''Aqidah'' [['Akedah|comes]] from the [[Semitic root]] ''[[:wikt:ع ق د|ʿ-q-d]]'', which means "to tie; knot".<ref>and hence the class VIII verb ''iʿtaqada'' "to firmly believe", verbal noun ''iʿtiqād'' "belief, faith, trust, confidence, conviction; creed, doctrine", participle ''muʿtaqad'' "creed, doctrine, dogma, conviction, belief, opinion". (Source: Wehr, Hans, “عقد” in: J. Milton Cowan (ed.), ''A Dictionary of Modern Written Arabic'', 4th edition (1979)).</ref> ("Aqidah" used not only as an expression of a school of Islamic theology or belief system, but as another word for "theology" in Islam, as in: "Theology (Aqidah) covers all beliefs and belief systems of Muslims, including sectarian differences and points of contention".)<ref name="Madina Institute">{{cite web |title=Theology (Aqidah) |url=https://www.madinainstitute.com/studies_programs/aqidah-theology |website=Madina Institute |access-date=12 August 2021 |archive-date=14 August 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210814171953/https://www.madinainstitute.com/studies_programs/aqidah-theology |url-status=dead }}</ref>
''Aqidah'' comes from the [[Semitic root]] ''[[:wikt:ع ق د|ʿ-q-d]]'', which means "to tie; knot".<ref>and hence the class VIII verb ''iʿtaqada'' "to firmly believe", verbal noun ''iʿtiqād'' "belief, faith, trust, confidence, conviction; creed, doctrine", participle ''muʿtaqad'' "creed, doctrine, dogma, conviction, belief, opinion". (Source: Wehr, Hans, “عقد” in: J. Milton Cowan (ed.), ''A Dictionary of Modern Written Arabic'', 4th edition (1979)).</ref> ("Aqidah" used not only as an expression of a school of Islamic theology or belief system, but as another word for "theology" in Islam, as in: "Theology (Aqidah) covers all beliefs and belief systems of Muslims, including sectarian differences and points of contention".)<ref name="Madina Institute">{{cite web |title=Theology (Aqidah) |url=https://www.madinainstitute.com/studies_programs/aqidah-theology |website=Madina Institute |access-date=12 August 2021 |archive-date=14 August 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210814171953/https://www.madinainstitute.com/studies_programs/aqidah-theology |url-status=dead }}</ref>


==Introduction==
==Introduction==
According to Muslim scholar Cyril Glasse, "systematic statements of belief became necessary, from early [on in the history of] Islam, initially to refute heresies, and later to distinguish points of view and to present them, as the divergences of schools of theology or opinion increased."<ref name=Glasse/>  
According to Muslim scholar Cyril Glasse, "systematic statements of belief became necessary, from early [on in the history of] Islam, initially to refute heresies, and later to distinguish points of view and to present them, as the divergences of schools of theology or opinion increased."<ref name=Glasse/>


The "first" creed written as "a short answer to the pressing heresies of the time" is known as ''Fiqh Akbar'' and ascribed to [[Abu Hanifa]].<ref name=Glasse/><ref>{{Cite web|last=Abu Hanifah An-Nu^man|title=Al- Fiqh Al-Akbar|url=http://www.aicp.org/SupportingDocs/Al__Fiqh__Akbar_English.pdf|publisher=aicp.org|access-date=14 March 2014}}</ref> Two well known creeds were the ''Fiqh Akbar II''<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.scribd.com/doc/34756601/Al-Fiqh-Al-Akbar-II-With-Commentary-by-Al-Ninowy|title=Al-Fiqh Al-Akbar II With Commentary by Al-Ninowy|website=scribd.com|access-date=2017-09-08|archive-date=2014-03-15|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140315081425/http://www.scribd.com/doc/34756601/Al-Fiqh-Al-Akbar-II-With-Commentary-by-Al-Ninowy|url-status=dead}}</ref> "representative" of the [[Ash'ari]], and ''Fiqh Akbar III'', "representative" of the [[Shafi'i]].<ref name=Glasse/> [[Al-Ghazali]] also had an ''aqidah''.<ref name=Glasse/> These creeds were more detailed than those described below.
The "first" creed written as "a short answer to the pressing heresies of the time" is known as ''Fiqh Akbar'' and ascribed to [[Abu Hanifa]].<ref name=Glasse/><ref>{{Cite web|last=Abu Hanifah An-Nu^man|title=Al- Fiqh Al-Akbar|url=http://www.aicp.org/SupportingDocs/Al__Fiqh__Akbar_English.pdf|publisher=aicp.org|access-date=14 March 2014}}</ref> Two creeds were the ''Fiqh Akbar II''{{citation needed|date=March 2024}} "representative" of the [[Ash'ari]], and ''Fiqh Akbar III'', "representative" of the [[Shafi'i]].<ref name=Glasse/> [[Al-Ghazali]] also had an ''aqidah''.<ref name=Glasse/>


According to Malcolm Clark, while Islam "is not a creedal religion", it has produced some detailed creeds, "some containing 100 or more belief statements" that summarized "the theological position of a particular scholar or school."<ref name="Clark-believe">{{cite book |last1=Clark |first1=Malcolm |title=Islam for Dunnies |date=2003 |publisher=Wiley |chapter=4. What Muslims believe. Rejecting formal creeds}}</ref>
According to Malcolm Clark, while Islam "is not a creedal religion", it has produced some detailed creeds, "some containing 100 or more belief statements" that summarized "the theological position of a particular scholar or school."<ref name="Clark-believe">{{cite book |last1=Clark |first1=Malcolm |title=Islam for Dunnies |date=2003 |publisher=Wiley |chapter=4. What Muslims believe. Rejecting formal creeds}}</ref>


===Six articles of belief===
===Six articles of belief===
The six articles of faith or belief (Arkan al-Iman) derived from the [[Quran]] and [[Sunnah]],<ref name=Interfaith>{{Cite book|title=Sourcebook of the World's Religions: An Interfaith Guide to Religion and Spirituality|publisher=New World Library|pages=68–9|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dbSPOoQfu0IC&pg=PA68 |editor=Joel Beversluis |year=2011 |isbn=9781577313328}}</ref> are accepted by all Muslims. While there are differences between [[Shia Islam|Shia]] and [[Sunni Islam]] and other different schools or sects concerning issues such as the attributes of God or about the purpose of angels, the six articles are not disputed.
The six articles of faith or belief (Arkan al-Iman) derived from the [[Quran]] and [[Sunnah]],<ref name=Interfaith>{{Cite book|title=Sourcebook of the World's Religions: An Interfaith Guide to Religion and Spirituality|publisher=New World Library|pages=68–9|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dbSPOoQfu0IC&pg=PA68 |editor=Joel Beversluis |year=2011 |isbn=9781577313328}}</ref> are accepted by all Muslims. While there are differences between [[Shia Islam|Shia]] and [[Sunni Islam]] and other schools or sects concerning issues such as the attributes of God and the purpose of angels, the six articles are not disputed.


The six Sunni articles of belief are:
The six Sunni articles of belief are:
#Belief in [[God in Islam|God]]  and [[tawhid]] ([[monotheism]])
#Belief in [[God in Islam|God]]  and ''[[tawhid]]''
#Belief in the [[Islamic view of angels|angels]]
#Belief in the [[Islamic view of angels|angels]]
#Belief in the [[Islamic holy books]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://al-quran.info/#&&sura=2&aya=177&trans=en-arthur_arberry&show=both,quran-uthmani&format=rows&ver=1.00|title=The Quran|others=contributors Iman Mohammad Kashi, Uwe Hideki Matzen, and Online Quran Project |website=The Quran}}</ref>
#Belief in the [[Islamic holy books]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://al-quran.info/#&&sura=2&aya=177&trans=en-arthur_arberry&show=both,quran-uthmani&format=rows&ver=1.00|title=The Quran|others=contributors Iman Mohammad Kashi, Uwe Hideki Matzen, and Online Quran Project |website=The Quran}}</ref>
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The first five are based on several Qurʾanic beliefs:
The first five are based on several Qurʾanic beliefs:
:...righteous is he who believeth in God and the Last Day and the angels and the scripture and the prophets (2:177)
:...righteous is he who believeth in God and the Last Day and the angels and the scripture and the prophets (2:177)
:...believer believe in God and His angels and His scriptures and His messengers (2:285)
:...believer believes in God and His angels and His scriptures and His messengers (2:285)
:Whoever disbelieveth in God and His angels and His scriptures and His messengers and the Last Day, he verily wandered far stray (4:136)
:Whoever disbelieveth in God and His angels and His scriptures and His messengers and the Last Day, he verily wandered far stray (4:136)
:Who is an enemy of God, His Angels, His Messengers, Gabriel and Michael! Then, lo! God is an enemy to the disbelievers (2:98)
:Who is an enemy of God, His Angels, His Messengers, Gabriel and Michael! Then, lo! God is an enemy to the disbelievers (2:98)


The sixth point made it into the creed because of the first theological controversy in Islam. Although not connected with the Sunni-Shiʿi controversy about the succession, the majority of Twelver Shiʿites do not stress God's limitless power (qadar), but rather His boundless justice ([[adl|ʿadl]]) as the sixth point of belief – this does not mean that Sunnis deny His justice, or Shiʿites negate His power, just that the emphasis is different.{{citation needed|date=March 2014}}


In Sunni and Shia view, having ''[[Iman (concept)|Iman]]'' literally means having belief in the six articles. {{citation needed|date=March 2014}}
In Sunni and Shia views, having ''[[Iman (concept)|Iman]]'' literally means believing in the six articles. {{citation needed|date=March 2014}}


===Tawhid===
===Tawhid===
{{Allah}}
{{Allah}}
{{See also|Rabb|Ilah|Names of God in Islam}}
{{See also|Rabb|Ilah|Names of God in Islam}}
''[[Tawhid]]'' ("doctrine of Oneness") is the concept of monotheism in Islam. It is the religion's most fundamental concept and holds that ''Allah'' (the Arabic word for God) is one (''aḥad''), unique (''wāḥid''), and the only being worthy of worship.
''[[Tawhid]]'' ("doctrine of Oneness") is the religion's most fundamental concept and holds that ''Allah'' (the Arabic word for God) is one (''aḥad''), unique (''wāḥid''), and the only being worthy of worship. The Quran teaches the existence of a single, absolute truth that transcends the world—a unique, independent, and indivisible being, independent of the entire creation.<ref name="EncRel">Vincent J. Cornell, Encyclopedia of Religion, Vol 5, pp. 3561-3562.</ref> God, according to Islam, is a [[Universalism|universal]] God, rather than a local, tribal, or parochial one, and is an absolute who integrates all affirmative values.<ref name="Barlas96">[[Asma Barlas]] (2002), p. 97.</ref><ref>{{Cite book|title = Kitab Al Tawheed|last = Wahhab|first = Abd Al|publisher = Darussalam|chapter = Chapter 4, Fear of Shirk}}</ref>


===Iman===
===Iman===
Iman, in Islamic theology denotes a believer's faith in the metaphysical aspects of [[Islam]].<ref>Farāhī, Majmū‘ah Tafāsīr, 2nd ed. (Faran Foundation, 1998), 347.</ref><ref>Frederick M. Denny, ''An Introduction to Islam, 3rd ed., p. 405''</ref> Its most simple definition is the belief in [[Iman (concept)#The six articles of faith|the six articles of faith]], known as ''arkān al-īmān''.
Iman, in Islamic theology, denotes a believer's faith in the metaphysical aspects of [[Islam]].<ref>Farāhī, Majmū‘ah Tafāsīr, 2nd ed. (Faran Foundation, 1998), 347.</ref><ref>Frederick M. Denny, ''An Introduction to Islam, 3rd ed., p. 405''</ref> Its most simple definition is the belief in [[Iman (concept)#The six articles of faith|the six articles of faith]], known as ''arkān al-īmān''.


==Hadith of Gabriel==
==Hadith of Gabriel==
The [[Hadith of Gabriel]] includes the [[Five Pillars of Islam]] ([[Tawhid]], [[Salat]], [[Sawm]], [[Zakat]], [[Hajj]]) in answer to the question, "O messenger of God, what is Islam?" This hadith is sometimes called the "truly first and most fundamental creed."<ref name=Glasse>{{Cite book|last=Glasse|first=Cyril|title=New Encyclopedia of Islam|date=2001|publisher=Rowman & Littlefield Publishers|page=105|edition=Revised}}</ref>
The [[Hadith of Gabriel]] includes the [[Five Pillars of Islam]] ([[Tawhid]], [[Salat]], [[Sawm]], [[Zakat]], [[Hajj]]) in answer to the question, "O messenger of God, what is Islam?" This hadith is sometimes called the "truly first and most fundamental creed."<ref name=Glasse>{{Cite book|last=Glasse|first=Cyril|title=New Encyclopedia of Islam|date=2001|publisher=Rowman & Littlefield Publishers|page=105|edition=Revised}}</ref>


[[Image:Prayer in Cairo 1865.jpg|thumb|left|An [[Imam]] leading prayers in [[Cairo]], [[Egypt]], in 1865.]]
[[Image:Prayer in Cairo 1865.jpg|thumb|left|An [[Imam]] leading prayers in [[Cairo]], Egypt, in 1865]]
[[File:Aurangzeb 27.jpg|thumb|260px|The [[Mughal emperor]] [[Aurangzeb]] performing Salat.]]
[[File:Aurangzeb 27.jpg|thumb|260px|The [[Mughal emperor]] [[Aurangzeb]] performing Salat]]


===Salat===
===Salat===
[[Salat]] is an act of worship. Salat means to call to the Lord Who created and gives life to the worshipper in Islam. This call realizes one to surrender caller's will, obeying his God. It is one of the Five Pillars of Islam. Islam gives concession conditionally if it is difficult to pray Salat in formal ways. People who find it physically difficult can perform Salat in a way suitable to them. To perform valid Salat, Muslims must be in a state of ritual purity, which is mainly achieved by ritual wash ups, (wuḍūʾ), as per prescribed procedures. Salat consists of "standing" (Qiyam) intending to call God, bow at knees (Ruku) meaning to ready to obey, prostrate (Sajda) willing to surrender worshipper's will to God's, then to sit (Tashhud) asserting evidence of the oneness of God and the finality of God's apostle (Nabi).
[[Salat]] is an act of worship. Salat means to call to the Lord Who created and gives life to the worshipper in Islam. This call realizes one to surrender caller's will, obeying his God. It is one of the Five Pillars of Islam. Islam gives concession conditionally if it is difficult to pray Salat in formal ways. People who find it physically difficult can perform Salat in a way suitable to them. To perform valid Salat, Muslims must be in a state of ritual purity, which is mainly achieved by ritual wash ups, (wuḍūʾ), as per prescribed procedures. Salat consists of "standing" (Qiyam) intending to call God, bow at knees (Ruku) meaning to ready to obey, prostrate (Sajda) willing to surrender worshipper's will to God's, then to sit (Tashhud) asserting evidence of the oneness of God and the finality of God's apostle (Nabi).


===Sawm===
===Sawm===
[[File:Fasting.JPG|thumb|left|Ending the fast at a [[mosque]].]]
[[File:Fasting.JPG|thumb|left|Ending the fast at a [[mosque]]]]
In the terminology of [[Sharia|Islamic law]], ''[[sawm]]'' means to abstain from eating, drinking (including water) and sexual intercourse from dawn until dusk. The observance of ''sawm'' during the holy month of [[Ramadan]] is one of the [[Five Pillars of Islam]], but is not confined to that month.
In the terminology of [[Sharia|Islamic law]], ''[[sawm]]'' means to abstain from eating, drinking (including water) and sexual intercourse from dawn until dusk. The observance of ''sawm'' during the holy month of [[Ramadan]] is one of the [[Five Pillars of Islam]], but is not confined to that month.


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===Hajj===
===Hajj===
[[File:OldmapofMecca.jpg|thumb|left|A 16th century illustration of [[Islam]]'s holiest shrine, the Ka'aba.]]
[[File:OldmapofMecca.jpg|thumb|left|A 16th century illustration of [[Islam]]'s holiest shrine, the Ka'aba]]


The [[Hajj]] is an Islamic pilgrimage to [[Mecca]] and the largest gathering of Muslims in the world every year. It is one of the five pillars of Islam, and a religious duty which must be carried out by every able-bodied Muslim who can afford to do so at least once in his or her lifetime.
The [[Hajj]] is an Islamic pilgrimage to [[Mecca]] and the largest gathering of Muslims in the world every year. It is one of the five pillars of Islam, and a religious duty which must be carried out by every able-bodied Muslim who can afford to do so at least once in his or her lifetime.
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===Jihad===
===Jihad===
[[Jihad]] (to struggle) and  literally means to endeavor, strive, labor to apply oneself, to concentrate, to work hard, to accomplish. It could be used to refer to those who physically, mentally or economically serve in the way of God.<ref>Khalid Mahmood Shaikh</ref>
[[Jihad]] (to struggle) and  literally means to endeavor, strive, labor to apply oneself, to concentrate, to work hard, to accomplish. It could be used to refer to those who physically, mentally or militarily serve in the way of God.<ref>Khalid Mahmood Shaikh</ref>
In the religious context, it is the struggle against disbelief and injustice using any means possible to establish, propagate and defend the faith and its principles on individualistic and societal levels.
In the religious context, it is the struggle against disbelief and non-muslim life to establish, propagate and spread the faith and its principles on individualistic and societal levels.


===Dawah===
===Dawah===
{{main|Dawah}}
{{main|Dawah}}
[[Dawah|Da‘wah]] ("invitation") means the proselytizing or preaching of Islam. Da‘wah literally means "issuing a summon" or "making an invitation", being an active participle of a verb meaning variously "to summon" or "to invite." A Muslim who practices da‘wah, either as a religious worker or in a volunteer community effort, is called a dā‘ī (داعي plural du‘āh, gen: du‘āt دعاة).
[[Dawah|Da‘wah]] ("invitation") means the preaching of Islam. Da‘wah literally means "issuing a summon" or "making an invitation", being an active participle of a verb meaning variously "to summon" or "to invite." A Muslim who practices da‘wah, either as a religious worker or in a volunteer community effort, is called a dā‘ī (داعي plural du‘āh, gen: du‘āt دعاة).


A dā‘ī is thus a person who invites people to understand Islam through dialogue, not unlike the Islamic equivalent of a missionary inviting people to the faith, prayer and manner of Islamic life.
A dā‘ī is thus a person who invites people to understand Islam through dialogue, not unlike the Islamic equivalent of a missionary inviting people to the faith, prayer and manner of Islamic life.
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==Schools of theology==
==Schools of theology==
{{main|Schools of Islamic theology}}
{{main|Schools of Islamic theology}}
Sunni Muslim theology is the [[theology]] and interpretation of creed (''aqidah'') that derived from the [[Qur'an]] and [[Hadith]]. The contents of Muslim theology can be divided into theology proper such as [[theodicy]], [[eschatology]], [[anthropology]], [[apophatic theology]], and [[comparative religion]]. In the history of Sunni Muslim theology, there have been theological schools among Muslims displaying both similarities and differences with each other in regard to beliefs. <ref>{{Cite web|last=Islamic Studies Resources|first=BAHISEEN [Islamic Studies]|title=Primary Resources|url=https://bahiseen.com/bahiseen-resource-bank/list-of-primery-sources-in-islamic-studies/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210226131804/https://bahiseen.com/bahiseen-resource-bank/list-of-primery-sources-in-islamic-studies/ |archive-date=2021-02-26 }}</ref>


===Traditional schools===
[[File:Sunni Streams of Doctrine.png|thumb|Main schools of thought within Sunni Islam, and other prominent streams.]]
 
The contents of Muslim theology can be divided into theology proper such as [[theodicy]], [[eschatology]], [[anthropology]], [[apophatic theology]], and [[comparative religion]]. In the history of Sunni Muslim theology, there have been theological schools among Muslims displaying both similarities and differences with each other in regard to beliefs.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Islamic Studies Resources|first=BAHISEEN [Islamic Studies]|title=Primary Resources|url=https://bahiseen.com/bahiseen-resource-bank/list-of-primery-sources-in-islamic-studies/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210226131804/https://bahiseen.com/bahiseen-resource-bank/list-of-primery-sources-in-islamic-studies/ |archive-date=2021-02-26 }}</ref>


==== Kalam ====
=== Kalam ===
{{main|Kalam}}
{{main|Kalam}}
{{See also|Islamic philosophy|Sufi metaphysics}}
{{See also|Islamic philosophy|Sufi metaphysics}}
''Kalām'' is an "Islamic scholastic theology" of seeking theological principles through [[dialectic]]. In [[Arabic language|Arabic]], the word literally means "speech/words." A scholar of ''kalām'' is referred to as a ''mutakallim'' (Muslim theologian; plural ''mutakallimūn''). There are many schools of Kalam, the main ones being the [[Ash'ari]] and [[Maturidi]] schools in [[Sunni Islam]], and the [[Mu'tazilis]] (who are not Sunni).<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Frank |first1=Daniel H. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KBjtygnlBtEC&dq=mu%27tazila+kalam&pg=PA72 |title=The Cambridge Companion to Medieval Jewish Philosophy |last2=Leaman |first2=Oliver |last3=H |first3=Frank Daniel |date=2003-09-11 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=978-0-521-65574-3 |language=en|page=72|access-date=10 August 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|author=Jeffry R. Halverson|title=Theology and Creed in Sunni Islam: The Muslim Brotherhood, Ash'arism, and Political Sunnism|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=IYzGAAAAQBAJ&pg=PA20|date=2010|publisher=[[Palgrave Macmillan]]|isbn=9780230106581|page=20}}</ref> Traditionalist theology rejects the use of kalam, regarding humans reason as sinful in unseen matters.<ref>Hadi Enayat Islam and Secularism in Post-Colonial Thought: A Cartography of Asadian Genealogies Springer, 30.06.2017 {{ISBN|9783319526119}} p.48 </ref>
''Kalām'' is an "Islamic scholastic theology" of seeking theological principles through [[dialectic]]. In [[Arabic language|Arabic]], the word literally means "speech/words." A scholar of ''kalām'' is referred to as a ''mutakallim'' (Muslim theologian; plural ''mutakallimūn''). There are many schools of Kalam, the main ones being the [[Ash'ari]] and [[Maturidi]] schools in [[Sunni Islam]], and the [[Mu'tazilis]] (who are not Sunni).<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Frank |first1=Daniel H. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KBjtygnlBtEC&dq=mu%27tazila+kalam&pg=PA72 |title=The Cambridge Companion to Medieval Jewish Philosophy |last2=Leaman |first2=Oliver |last3=H |first3=Frank Daniel |date=2003-09-11 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=978-0-521-65574-3 |language=en|page=72|access-date=10 August 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|author=Jeffry R. Halverson|title=Theology and Creed in Sunni Islam: The Muslim Brotherhood, Ash'arism, and Political Sunnism|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=IYzGAAAAQBAJ&pg=PA20|date=2010|publisher=[[Palgrave Macmillan]]|isbn=9780230106581|page=20}}</ref> Traditionalist theology rejects the use of kalam, regarding human reason as sinful in unseen matters.<ref>Hadi Enayat Islam and Secularism in Post-Colonial Thought: A Cartography of Asadian Genealogies Springer, 30.06.2017 {{ISBN|9783319526119}} p.48</ref>
 
=== Usul al-din ===
'''Usul al-din''', "the principles of religion", is used by scholars in different meanings.  In the ordinary sense, it represents the aqidah, articles of faith, "truths which must be believed". In this sense, the scientific discussion about ''usul al-din'' constitute the ''[[ilm al-kalam]]''.{{sfn|Gimaret|2012|p=}}


=====Mu'tazilis=====
There is a difference in the use of the word ''usul'' in ''usul al-din'' when compared with ''[[usul al-fiqh]]'' where the term refers to the sources underlying the [[sharia]], as ''usul al-din'' represents not the sources, but the theological judgement itself.{{sfn|Gimaret|2012|p=}}
Muʿtazilite is an Unorthodox school. In terms of the relationship between human beings and their creator, the [[Muʿtazila]] emphasize human [[free will]] over predestination. They also reduced the divine attributes to the divine essence. The Mu’tazilites are considered heretics by all the traditional Sunni Islamic schools of theology.<ref>[[Nader El-Bizri]], ‘God: essence and attributes’, in ''The Cambridge Companion to Classical Islamic theology'', ed. Tim Winter (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2008), pp. 121-140</ref>


===== Ash'aris =====
''Usul al-din'' is frequently used in titles of many works by Islamic scholars, including the kalam ones.{{sfn|Gimaret|2012|p=}}
 
Western scholars, like [[George Makdisi]], occasionally use ''usul al-din'' to designate the [[Traditionalist theology (Islam)|traditionalist theology]] as opposed to the [[rationalist]] ''kalam''.{{sfn|Emon|Ahmed|2018|p=257|loc=Note 38}}
''Usul al-din''  can also designate a theological discipline ("principles of religion") that is studied at the Islamic universities. For example, from 1950, the [[al-Azhar University]] included three faculties: Islamic law (''al-sharia''), ''usul al-din'', and Arabic language.{{sfn|Steigerwald|2004|p=93}}
 
===Mu'tazilis===
{{main|Muʿtazila}}
In terms of the relationship between human beings and their creator, the [[Muʿtazila]] emphasize human [[free will]] over predestination. They also reduced the divine attributes to the divine essence. The Mu'tazilites are considered heretics by all the traditional Sunni Islamic schools of theology.<ref>[[Nader El-Bizri]], ‘God: essence and attributes’, in ''The Cambridge Companion to Classical Islamic theology'', ed. Tim Winter (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2008), pp. 121-140</ref>
 
===Sunni schools===
Sunni Muslim theology is the [[theology]] and interpretation of creed (''aqidah'') that derived from the [[Qur'an]] and [[Hadith]].
 
==== Ash'aris ====
{{main|Ash'ari}}
{{main|Ash'ari}}
The eponymous founder of this school is [[Abu al-Hasan al-Ash'ari]], one of the first to study under but then quit the Mu'tazilis. This group is considered the most “traditional” of [[Sunni Islam|Sunni theology]] and the most followed by Sunni Muslims today.<ref>{{cite book|author=[[A. C. Grayling]]|title=The History of Philosophy|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bDJwDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT390|date=2019|publisher=[[Penguin UK]]|isbn=9780241980866|page=390|quote=The Ash'ari school became, and is still, the most important of the Sunni theological schools (it is sometimes described as the 'Sunni orthodoxy').}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|editor1=Jeffrey T. Kenney|editor2=[[Ebrahim Moosa]]|title=Islam in the Modern World|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gTptAAAAQBAJ|date=2013|publisher=[[Routledge]]|isbn=9781135007959|page=103}}</ref> It was the historic foe of the Mu'tazili school, the “rationalists” in terms of speculative theology.<ref>{{cite book|author=[[Hamid Dabashi]]|title=Shi'ism: A Religion of Protest|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nVgwEAAAQBAJ|date=2012|publisher=[[Harvard University Press]]|isbn=9780674262911|page=338}}</ref>
The eponymous founder of this school is [[Abu al-Hasan al-Ash'ari]], one of the first to study under but then quit the Mu'tazilis. He then towards the end of his life became an Ashari.<ref>{{cite book|author=[[A. C. Grayling]]|title=The History of Philosophy|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bDJwDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT390|date=2019|publisher=[[Penguin UK]]|isbn=9780241980866|page=390}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|editor1=Jeffrey T. Kenney|editor2=[[Ebrahim Moosa]]|title=Islam in the Modern World|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gTptAAAAQBAJ|date=2013|publisher=[[Routledge]]|isbn=9781135007959|page=103}}</ref> It was the historic foe of the Mu'tazili school, the "rationalists" in terms of speculative theology.<ref>{{cite book|author=[[Hamid Dabashi]]|title=Shi'ism: A Religion of Protest|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nVgwEAAAQBAJ|date=2012|publisher=[[Harvard University Press]]|isbn=9780674262911|page=338}}</ref>


Ash'arism accepts reason in regard of exegetical matters and traditionalistic ideas.<ref>Ed. Esposito ''The Oxford History of Islam'' Oxford University Press 1999 {{ISBN|9780195107999}} p. 280</ref> What God does or commands — as revealed in the Quran and ahadith — is by definition just. What He prohibits is by definition unjust. Right and wrong are objective realities.<ref>Brown, Jonathan A.C. (2014) Misquoting Muhammad: The Challenge and Choices of Interpreting the Prophet's Legacy. Oneworld Publications {{ISBN|978-1780744209}} p. 53</ref> The [[Quran]] is the uncreated word of God in essence, however it is created then it takes on a form in letters or sound.<ref name=glasse-62-3>Cyril Glassé, Huston Smith ''The New Encyclopedia of Islam'' Rowman Altamira 2003 {{ISBN|978-0-759-10190-6}} page 62-3</ref>
Ash'arism accepts reason as a witness to the evidence in the scripture.<ref>{{cite book |editor-last=Esposito |editor-first=John L. |title=The Oxford History of Islam |publisher=Oxford University Press |date=1999 |isbn=9780195107999 |page=280}}</ref> What God does or commands—as revealed in the Quran and ahadith—is by definition just. What He prohibits is by definition unjust. Right and wrong are objective realities.<ref>{{cite book |last=Brown |first=Jonathan A.C. |date=2014 |title=Misquoting Muhammad: The Challenge and Choices of Interpreting the Prophet's Legacy |publisher=Oneworld Publications |isbn=978-1780744209 |page=53}}</ref> The [[Quran]] is the uncreated word of God in essence, however, it is created when it takes on a form in letters or sound.<ref name=glasse-62-3>{{cite book |first1=Cyril |last1=Glassé |first2=Huston |last2=Smith |title=The New Encyclopedia of Islam |publisher=Rowman Altamira |date=2003 |isbn=978-0-759-10190-6 |pages=62–63}}</ref>


=====Maturidis=====
Some scholars, especially those of the Hanbali school, such as [[Ibn Qudamah]] spoke harshly against the Ash'aris, saying "It is obligatory to abandon the people of innovation and misguidance.",<ref>{{cite book |last=Ibn Qudamah al-Maqdisi |title=Kitab al-I'tiqad |pages=43–44}}</ref> going on to list deviant groups, in which he mentioned the Asha'ris. Other scholars outside of the [[Hanbali school|Hanbali]] madhhab such as [[Shafi'i school|Shafi’i]], [[Maliki school|Maliki]], and [[Hanafi school|Hanafi]] scholars, and some of the later Hanbali scholars accepted them into [[Sunni Islam|Ahlus Sunnah Wal Jamaah]] and did not view them as deviants.
 
==== Maturidis ====
{{main|Maturidi}}
{{main|Maturidi}}
Maturidism is a Sunni theological school founded by [[Abu Mansur al-Maturidi]], holding many positions in common with the Ash'aris but differing from them on others.<ref>{{cite book|author=[[Abul Hasan Ali Nadwi]]|editor=Mohiuddin Ahmad|translator=Mohiuddin Ahmad|title=Saviours of Islamic Spirit, Volume 1|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_I8XAAAAIAAJ|date=1971|publisher=Academy of Islamic Research and Publications|location=[[Lucknow, India]]|isbn=|page=98|quote=The differences between the Ash'arites and the Maturidites were simply marginal and limited to 30 to 40 issues of comparatively lesser importance.}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|author=H.R.H. [[Prince Ghazi bin Muhammad]]|editor=Foreword by H.M. King [[Abdullah II ibn al-Hussein]]|title=A Thinking Person's Guide to Islam: The Essence of Islam in 12 Verses from the Qur'an|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tZNsEAAAQBAJ&pg=PT171|date=2018|publisher=Turath Publishing|isbn=9781906949648|page=171|quote=Most Sunnis of the four madhahib follow the Ash'ari and Maturidi schools of doctrine and theology. Indeed, Ash'ari and Maturidi doctrines basically only differ on a few issues, most of which are arguably linguistic quibbles, so that these two schools of theology are essentially one tradition.}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|author=Fitzroy Morrissey|title=A Short History of Islamic Thought|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-fdQEAAAQBAJ|date=2021|publisher=[[Oxford University Press]]|isbn=9780197522011|page=68|quote=There, in a city noted for its religious diversity, he continued the old tradition of kalam as reasoned polemic: his writings contain refutations of Jews, Christians, and the dualist Manichaeans and Zoroastrians, as well as the Mu'tazila, the Shi'a, and other misguided Islamic sects. Against these various opponents, al-Maturidi argued for doctrines that were essentially close to those of al-Ash'ari.}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://aliftaa.jo/Question.aspx?QuestionId=489|title=هل أهل السنة في الأردن هم الأشاعرة؟|publisher=[[w:ar:دائرة الإفتاء العام (الأردن)|The General Iftaa' Department of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan]]|website=aliftaa.jo|language=ar|archive-url=https://archive.today/20150704092249/http://aliftaa.jo/Question.aspx?QuestionId=489%23.VZel4OLLfK4|archive-date=4 Jul 2015|quote=الأشاعرة هم جمهور أهل السنة والجماعة من المالكية والشافعية، وأما الحنفية فهم ماتريدية يتبعون أبا منصور الماتريدي (333هـ)، والخلاف بينهم وبين الأشاعرة محدود}}</ref> Much like the Ash'arite approach to Qur'anic verses that could yield an [[anthropomorphic]] concept of God, they affirmed His transcendence while understanding these expressions by the conventional figurative meanings they had garnered in Arabic.
Maturidism is a Sunni theological school founded by [[Abu Mansur al-Maturidi]], holding many positions in common with the Ash'aris but differing from them on others.<ref>{{cite book|author=[[Abul Hasan Ali Nadwi]]|editor=Mohiuddin Ahmad|translator=Mohiuddin Ahmad|title=Saviours of Islamic Spirit, Volume 1|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_I8XAAAAIAAJ|date=1971|publisher=Academy of Islamic Research and Publications|location=[[Lucknow, India]]|isbn=|page=98|quote=The differences between the Ash'arites and the Maturidites were simply marginal and limited to 30 to 40 issues of comparatively lesser importance.}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|author=H.R.H. [[Prince Ghazi bin Muhammad]]|editor=Foreword by H.M. King [[Abdullah II ibn al-Hussein]]|title=A Thinking Person's Guide to Islam: The Essence of Islam in 12 Verses from the Qur'an|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tZNsEAAAQBAJ&pg=PT171|date=2018|publisher=Turath Publishing|isbn=9781906949648|page=171|quote=Most Sunnis of the four madhahib follow the Ash'ari and Maturidi schools of doctrine and theology. Indeed, Ash'ari and Maturidi doctrines basically only differ on a few issues, most of which are arguably linguistic quibbles, so that these two schools of theology are essentially one tradition.}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|author=Fitzroy Morrissey|title=A Short History of Islamic Thought|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-fdQEAAAQBAJ|date=2021|publisher=[[Oxford University Press]]|isbn=9780197522011|page=68|quote=There, in a city noted for its religious diversity, he continued the old tradition of kalam as reasoned polemic: his writings contain refutations of Jews, Christians, and the dualist Manichaeans and Zoroastrians, as well as the Mu'tazila, the Shi'a, and other misguided Islamic sects. Against these various opponents, al-Maturidi argued for doctrines that were essentially close to those of al-Ash'ari.}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://aliftaa.jo/Question.aspx?QuestionId=489|title=هل أهل السنة في الأردن هم الأشاعرة؟|publisher=[[w:ar:دائرة الإفتاء العام (الأردن)|The General Iftaa' Department of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan]]|website=aliftaa.jo|language=ar|archive-url=https://archive.today/20150704092249/http://aliftaa.jo/Question.aspx?QuestionId=489%23.VZel4OLLfK4|archive-date=4 Jul 2015|quote=الأشاعرة هم جمهور أهل السنة والجماعة من المالكية والشافعية، وأما الحنفية فهم ماتريدية يتبعون أبا منصور الماتريدي (333هـ)، والخلاف بينهم وبين الأشاعرة محدود}}</ref> Much like the Ash'arite approach to Qur'anic verses that could yield an [[anthropomorphic]] concept of God, they affirmed His transcendence while understanding these expressions by the conventional figurative meanings they had garnered in Arabic.


Maturidism holds, that humans are creatures endowed with reason, that differentiates them from animals. Further, The relationship between people and God differs from that of nature and God; humans are endowed with [[free will]], but due to God's sovereignty, God creates the acts the humans choose, so humans can perform them. [[Ethics]] can be understood just by reason and do not need prophetic guidances. Maturidi also considered [[hadith]]s as unreliable, when they are in odd with reason.<ref>Rico Isaacs, Alessandro Frigerio Theorizing C''entral Asian Politics: The State, Ideology and Power'' Springer, 2018 {{ISBN|9783319973555}} p. 108</ref> However, the human mind alone could not grasp the entire truth, thus it is in need of revelation in regard of mysterious affairs. Further, Maturidism opposes anthropomorphism and similtute, while simultaneously does not deny the divine attributes. They must be either interpreted in the light of [[Tawhid]] or be left out.<ref>Mohammad Sharif Khan, Mohammad Anwar Saleem ''Muslim Philosophy and Philosophers'' PH Publishing, 1994 {{ISBN|9788170246237}} p. 30</ref>
Maturidism holds, that humans are creatures endowed with reason, that differentiates them from animals. Further, the relationship between people and God differs from that of nature and God; humans are endowed with [[free will]], but due to God's sovereignty, God creates the acts the humans choose, so humans can perform them. [[Ethics]] can be understood just by reason and do not need prophetic guidances. Maturidi also considered [[hadith]]s as unreliable, when they are in odd with reason.<ref>Rico Isaacs, Alessandro Frigerio Theorizing C''entral Asian Politics: The State, Ideology and Power'' Springer, 2018 {{ISBN|9783319973555}} p. 108</ref> However, the human mind alone could not grasp the entire truth, thus it is in need of revelation in regard of mysterious affairs. Further, Maturidism opposes anthropomorphism and similitude, while simultaneously does not deny the divine attributes. They must be either interpreted in the light of [[Tawhid]] or be left out.<ref>Mohammad Sharif Khan, Mohammad Anwar Saleem ''Muslim Philosophy and Philosophers'' PH Publishing, 1994 {{ISBN|9788170246237}} p. 30</ref>


====Athari theology====
====Athari theology====
{{main|Athari}}
{{main|Athari}}
For the Athari theology, the literal meaning of the Qur'an and especially the prophetic traditions have sole authority in matters of belief, as well as law, and to engage in rational disputation, even if one arrives at the truth, is absolutely forbidden.<ref>Jeffry R. Halverson, Theology and Creed in Sunni Islam. {{ISBN|0230106587}}, p 36.</ref> Atharis engage in an amodal reading of the Qur'an, as opposed to one engaged in ''Ta'wil'' (metaphorical interpretation). They do not attempt to rationally conceptualize the meanings of the Qur'an and believe that the real meanings should be consigned to God alone (''tafwid'').<ref>Jeffry R. Halverson, Theology and Creed in Sunni Islam. {{ISBN|0230106587}}, p 36-37.</ref> This theology was taken from exegesis of the Qur'an and statements of the early Muslims and later codified by a number of scholars including [[Ahmad ibn Hanbal]] and [[Ibn Qudamah]]. There are different views whether Ath’ari creed should or should not be included as a Sunni school of aqidah.<ref name="Ahmad-Which">{{cite web |last1=Ahmad |first1=Ustadha Shazia |title=Which School of Thought Should I Follow in 'Aqida? |url=https://seekersguidance.org/answers/islamic-belief/which-school-of-thought-should-i-follow-in-aqida/ |website=Seekers Guidance |access-date=26 June 2022 |date=29 March 2022}}</ref><ref name="Abrahamov 2016">{{cite book |author-last=Abrahamov |author-first=Binyamin |year=2016 |origyear=2014 |chapter=Part I: Islamic Theologies during the Formative and the Early Middle period – Scripturalist and Traditionalist Theology |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=70wnDAAAQBAJ&pg=PA263 |editor-last=Schmidtke |editor-first=Sabine |editor-link=Sabine Schmidtke |title=The Oxford Handbook of Islamic Theology |location=[[Oxford]] and [[New York City|New York]] |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |pages=263–279 |doi=10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199696703.013.025 |isbn=9780199696703 |lccn=2016935488}}</ref>
For the Athari theology, the apparent meaning of the Qur'an and especially the prophetic traditions have ultimate precedence in matters of belief, as well as law, and to engage in rational disputation, without textual evidence, is absolutely forbidden.<ref>Jeffry R. Halverson, Theology and Creed in Sunni Islam. {{ISBN|0230106587}}, p 36.</ref> Atharis engage in an amodal reading of the Qur'an, as opposed to one engaged in ''Ta'wil'' (metaphorical interpretation). They do not attempt to rationally conceptualize the meanings of the Qur'an and believe that the real meanings should be consigned to God alone (''tafwid'').<ref>Jeffry R. Halverson, Theology and Creed in Sunni Islam. {{ISBN|0230106587}}, p 36-37.</ref> This theology was taken from exegesis of the Qur'an and statements of the early Muslims and later codified by a number of scholars including [[Ahmad ibn Hanbal]] and [[Ibn Qudamah]].<ref name="Ahmad-Which">{{cite web |last1=Ahmad |first1=Ustadha Shazia |title=Which School of Thought Should I Follow in 'Aqida? |url=https://seekersguidance.org/answers/islamic-belief/which-school-of-thought-should-i-follow-in-aqida/ |website=Seekers Guidance |access-date=26 June 2022 |date=29 March 2022}}</ref><ref name="Abrahamov 2016">{{cite book |author-last=Abrahamov |author-first=Binyamin |year=2016 |orig-date=2014 |chapter=Part I: Islamic Theologies during the Formative and the Early Middle period – Scripturalist and Traditionalist Theology |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=70wnDAAAQBAJ&pg=PA263 |editor-last=Schmidtke |editor-first=Sabine |editor-link=Sabine Schmidtke |title=The Oxford Handbook of Islamic Theology |location=[[Oxford]] and [[New York City|New York]] |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |pages=263–279 |doi=10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199696703.013.025 |isbn=9780199696703 |lccn=2016935488}}</ref>


===[[Shia]] beliefs and practices===
===[[Shia]] beliefs and practices===
Shiʿi Muslims are different they hold that there are five articles of belief. Similar to the Sunnis, the Shiʿis do not believe in complete predestination, or complete free will. They believe that in human life there is both free will and predestination.
Shiʿi Muslims are different as they hold that there are five articles of belief. Similar to the Sunnis, the Shiʿis do not believe in complete predestination, or complete free will. They believe that in human life there is both free will and predestination.


====Twelver's Roots of Shia Religion ''(Uṣūl ad-Dīn)''====
====Twelver's Roots of Shia Religion ''(Uṣūl ad-Dīn)''====
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#[[Adalah (Islam)|Adalah]]: The Justice of God.
#[[Adalah (Islam)|Adalah]]: The Justice of God.
#[[Prophecy (Shia Islam)|Nubuwwah]] (Prophethood): God has appointed perfect and infallible prophets and messengers to teach mankind the religion (i.e. a perfect system on how to live in "peace.")
#[[Prophecy (Shia Islam)|Nubuwwah]] (Prophethood): God has appointed perfect and infallible prophets and messengers to teach mankind the religion (i.e. a perfect system on how to live in "peace.")
#[[Imamate (Twelver doctrine)|Imamate]]: (Leadership): God has appointed specific leaders to lead and guide mankind —  a prophet appoints a custodian of the religion before his demise.
#[[Imamate (Twelver doctrine)|Imamate]]: (Leadership): God has appointed specific leaders to lead and guide mankind— a prophet appoints a custodian of the religion before his demise.
#[[Last Judgment]]: God will raise mankind for Judgment
#[[Last Judgment]]: God will raise mankind for Judgment


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#[[Prophecy (Shia Islam)|Belief in the prophets and messengers]]
#[[Prophecy (Shia Islam)|Belief in the prophets and messengers]]
#Beliefs about the Last Judgment
#Beliefs about the Last Judgment


==Literature pertaining to creed==
==Literature pertaining to creed==
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*''Mukhtasar Shu'ab al-Imān'' or "The 77 branches of faith" by the Imām [[al-Bayhaqi]]
*''Mukhtasar Shu'ab al-Imān'' or "The 77 branches of faith" by the Imām [[al-Bayhaqi]]
*''Al-Fiqh Al-Akbar''  by Imām [[Abu Hanifa]]
*''Al-Fiqh Al-Akbar''  by Imām [[Abu Hanifa]]
*Al-Risala by Al-Shafi'i
*''al-ʿAqīdah aṭ-Ṭaḥāwiyya'' ("The Fundamentals of Islamic Creed by [[al-Tahawi]]). This has been accepted by almost all Sunnis ([[Athari]]s, [[Ash'ari]]s and [[Maturidi]]s). Several Islamic scholars have written about the Tahawiyya creed, including [[Ali al-Qari]], [[Abd al-Ghani al-Ghunaymi al-Maydani|al-Maydani]], [[ibn Abi al-Izz]] and [[Abd al-Aziz ibn Baz]].
*''al-ʿAqīdah aṭ-Ṭaḥāwiyya'' ("The Fundamentals of Islamic Creed by [[al-Tahawi]]). This has been accepted by almost all Sunnis ([[Athari]]s, [[Ash'ari]]s and [[Maturidi]]s). Several Islamic scholars have written about the Tahawiyya creed, including [[Ali al-Qari]], [[Abd al-Ghani al-Ghunaymi al-Maydani|al-Maydani]], [[ibn Abi al-Izz]] and [[Abd al-Aziz ibn Baz]].
*''As- Sunnah'' by Imām [[Ahmad ibn Hanbal]]
*''Usool as- Sunnah'' by Imām [[Ahmad ibn Hanbal]]
*Al-Rad 'ala I- Zanadiqa wal-Jahmiya by Imām Ahmed ibn Hanbal
*''Al- Iman'' by al-Adni  
*''Al- Iman'' by al-Adni  
*''As-Sunnah'' by Imām [[Abu Dawood]]
*''As-Sunnah'' by Imām [[Abu Dawood]]
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*''As-Sunnah'' by Imām [[Al-Tabarani]]
*''As-Sunnah'' by Imām [[Al-Tabarani]]
*''Aqīdah Salafi Ahl al-Hadith'' by al-Sabuni  
*''Aqīdah Salafi Ahl al-Hadith'' by al-Sabuni  
*''I'tīqad Ahl Al-Sunnah wal Jām'ah'' by Imām Lalqai Hibatullah  
*''Sharh Usool I'tīqaad Ahlus-Sunnah wal Jāmaa'ah'' by Imām Hibatullah-al- Laalakaa'ee
*''As- Sunnah'' by Nasr al- Marwazi  
*''As- Sunnah'' by Nasr al- Marwazi  
*''Ash-Shariah'' by al-Ajurri  
*''Ash-Shariah'' by al-Ajurri  
*''Al-Iman'' by Ibn Mandah  
*''Al-Iman'' by Ibn Mandah  
*''Ad- Durrātu fīma yazibu i'tiqaduhu'' by Imām [[Ibn Hazm]]
*''Ad- Durrātu fīma yazibu i'tiqaduhu'' by Imām [[Ibn Hazm]]
*''Kitāb at- Tāwhid'' by Imām [[Ibn Rajab#Works|Ibn Rajab]]
*''Kitāb at- Tāwhid Or Kalimah Al-Ikhlas(La Ilaha Illa Allah )'' by Imām [[Ibn Rajab#Works|Ibn Rajab]]
*''Al- 'Aqīdah al-Nasafiyya'' by Imām [[Najm al-Din 'Umar al-Nasafi]]
*''Al- 'Aqīdah al-Nasafiyya'' by Imām [[Najm al-Din 'Umar al-Nasafi]]
*''Ar-rīsālah al-kairoāniyah'' by Abi Zaid al-Kairoa
*''Ar-rīsālah al-kairoāniyah'' by Abi Zaid al-Kairoa
Line 166: Line 188:
*''Ibaanah'' ''ān ūsulid diyanah'' by [[Abu al-Hasan al-Ash'ari]].
*''Ibaanah'' ''ān ūsulid diyanah'' by [[Abu al-Hasan al-Ash'ari]].
*''Risālah al-Qudsiyyah'' ("The Jerusalem Tract") by [[al-Ghazali]], where the rules of faith are discussed.
*''Risālah al-Qudsiyyah'' ("The Jerusalem Tract") by [[al-Ghazali]], where the rules of faith are discussed.
* ''[[The Book of Tawhid: The Right of Allah Upon His Servants]]'' by [[Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab]].
*''Sa'd al-Din al-Taftazani'' on the creed of [[Abu Hafs Umar an-Nasafi]]
*''Sa'd al-Din al-Taftazani'' on the creed of [[Abu Hafs Umar an-Nasafi]]


===Shia literature===
===Shia literature===
*''Shiʿite Islam'' [[Muhammad Husayn Tabataba'i]]: translated by [[Hossein Nasr]]; (also reprinted under the title ''Shi'a.)"
*Kitāb al-tawḥīd, kitāb al-ḥujjah, and kitāb al-īmān wa'l-kufr in ''ʾUṣūl al-kāfī'' by [[Muhammad ibn Ya'qub al-Kulayni|al-Kulaynī]]
*''Kitāb al-tawḥīd'' by [[Shaykh al-Saduq|al-Ṣadūq]]
*''al-Iʿtiqādāt'' by al-Ṣadūq
*''Taṣḥīḥ al-iʿtiqādāt'' by [[Al-Shaykh al-Mufid|al-Mufīd]]
*''Bāb ḥādī ʿašar'' by [[Allamah Al-Hilli|al-Hillī]]
*''al-Fuṣūl al-muhimma fī uṣūl al-aʾimma'' by [[Al-Hurr al-Amili|al-Ḥurr al-ʿāmilī]]
*''al-Ḥaqq al-yaqīn'' by [[Al-Majlisi|al-Majlīsī]]
*''Shiʿite Islam'' [[Muhammad Husayn Tabataba'i]]: translated by [[Hossein Nasr]]; (also reprinted under the title ''Shi'a.)"''
*''Root and Branches of Faith'' by [[Maqbul Hussein Rahim]]
*''Root and Branches of Faith'' by [[Maqbul Hussein Rahim]]
*''Shi'ism Doctrines, Thought and Spirituality'' by [[Hossein Nasr]]
*''Shi'ism Doctrines, Thought and Spirituality'' by [[Hossein Nasr]]
==Importance==
Manzoor Elahi in his book "Samāja sanskārē saṭhika ākīdāra gurutba" (The Importance of Right Aqeedah in Social Reformation) says about the "necessity of reforming society and the role and importance of correct Islamic Aqeedah in that context",<ref>{{cite book |last1=Ilahi |first1=Muhammad Manzoor |editor-last1=Zakariya |editor-first1=Abu Bakr Muhammad |title="Samāja sanskārē saṭhika ākīdāra gurutba" (The Importance of Right Aqeedah in Social Reformation)|publisher=Islamic Propagation Office in Rabwah |location=  Riyadh, Saudi Arabia |pages=19–28 |url=https://d1.islamhouse.com/data/bn/ih_articles/single3/bn_somaj_songoskare_sothik_aqidar_gurutto.pdf |access-date=23 November 2022 |language=bn}}</ref>
{{quote|Man lives in society to meet all the needs of his individual life. The main goal of any society is to ensure the overall welfare and peaceful co-existence of all the members of that society.  But the illiteracy, poor education and selfishness of the individual life have a great negative impact on the social life, making the society polluted and poisoned with diseases such as corruption, discrimination, division, violence etc.  It is then that there is a great need for social reform, as we experience it in our present social context.  If we analyze the current situation of the society, we can see that the people of this society are plagued with problems and are caught in corrupt practices.  The inevitable consequence of this is the disunity in belief and the belief of whoever wants according to the demand of instinct, whether it is correct or not based on the Qur'an and Sunnah.  On the other hand, people's faith has become very weak, piety has departed from their hearts, and they have forgotten about the punishment of the Hereafter.  As a result, instability, instability, the tendency to loot, various types of terrorism and spread of bad culture and many other problems have appeared in the society.  In the biography of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, we see that he changed the then Jahili society and turned it into the best society of that time.  The movement to bring about positive changes in individual and social life that he started after attaining prophethood, was the primary process of religious reformation.  About this [[Sayyid Qutb]] said in his book Maquomat التصور الإسلامي (Elements of Islamic understanding):
"The Messenger of God, may God's prayers and peace be upon him, was sent at a time when Jazirat al-Arab was divided as plundered wealth between the Romans in the north and the Persians in the south.  They extended their hands to the fertile lands of Jazirat al-Arab, the seas, all the sources of wealth and trade.  The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) was sent at a time when the prevailing social and economic conditions represented the era of slavery in the grand scheme of things.  The Messenger of Allah, may God's prayers and peace be upon him, was sent at a time when human nature was driven by ignorance in alcohol, fornication, gambling, games and pranks, creating evil and disaster.  The Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) did not start the reform work with any of these.  He was able to call the Arabs towards nationalist unity to drive out the Romans and Persians from the fertile lands of Jazirat al-Arab.  He could employ all the forces of war against them and enrage the Arabs against national enemies.  As a result they would obey his leadership and forget all their enmity.……But Allah knew, He informed and guided His Prophet, that this is not the right path and it is not the main action.  The main task is for man to know his true Lord and to accept only His servitude, and to be freed from the servitude of His servants, and finally to accept whatever comes to them from Allah…”.
...Notably, the Prophet sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam gave the greatest importance to the dissemination of knowledge about the creed during the 13th year of Makki's life after Prophethood.  Prophet  Not only this, but the first task of all prophets and messengers was to call people from all walks of life to the right belief.  In the words of Al-Quran, they had that call: “O my people, worship Allah.  You have no true god but Him.”  [Al-A'raf: 58] The reason for this was only one, if the belief is not pure, the individual's life is not pure, and if the individual is not pure, the society is not pure.
...(1) The role of the right creed in establishing greater national unity: Just as it is not possible to establish greater unity without agreeing on the right creed, it is also far-fetched for the Muslim Ummah all over the world to be united.  In this context (Dr.) Umar Sulaiman Al-Ashkar said: "Muslim unity cannot be realized until the same creed unites Muslims."  In fact, it is religious confusion that sows the seeds of disunity in society.  The society is divided into different factions.  If the question arises that everyone considers their own creed and belief to be right.  In that case, it will not be possible to agree on a certain belief as correct.  Because every party is confident in its opinion.  In response to this question (Dr.) Umar Sulaiman Al-Ashkar said: “There is a clear statement in the Quran and Sunnah regarding the pure Islamic belief.  It is possible to present proofs on every fundamental and fundamental aspect of this creed.  And Salaf Salehin was founded on the true Islamic faith.  They have recorded this creed so well that it is completely different from the creed of heretics and misguided people.  Among these great personalities is Allama Tahabi, who wrote a book of Aqeedah which is famous in his own name.  The explanation of this book is written by Muhammad Ibn Abil ez al-Hanafi.  The matter does not stop here, but many scholars have written before and after on Sahih Aqeedah.  Among them are Imam Ahmad, Ibnu Taymiyyah, Shawkani and Safarini among others.”
(2) The correct belief creates a strong foundation for the formation of a civil society free from corruption, and oppression. On the basis of which, all activities and mutual transactions of the society are conducted.  Therefore, if the creed is based on perversion and falsehood, then social life will become endangered, disturbed and facing destruction.  This is the main reason why our society is in the position it is today.  So, to save the society from distortion, disaster and destruction, it is necessary to return to the correct belief.
(3) Importance of correct belief in ensuring peaceful coexistence in society: An integral part of a Muslim person's belief is that he considers it essential to live according to the commands of Allah and His Messenger, may God bless him and grant him peace, and believes that disobedience to their commands is illegal.  Allah says: "And there is no right for a believing man or woman to have any other jurisdiction over themselves than Allah and His Messenger have commanded."  [Al-Ahzab: 36]
In order to ensure peaceful coexistence in the society, when Allah Ta'ala calls Muslims brothers to each other, identifies the encroachment on a person's life and property as a serious crime, and orders the fulfillment of the agreement made with non-Muslims, he obeys that order without hesitation.  Takes, because accepting it like this is part of his creed.  Allah says: "Therefore, by your Lord, they will not be believers until you judge the dispute between them, then feel no doubt in their hearts about the decision you give and accept it with full consent."  [An-Nisa: 65]
(4) Importance of Right Aqeedah in Bringing Political Stability: One of the essential fundamentals of Islamic Aqeedah is the firm belief that Allah is the Creator of this world, so He is the owner of its governance and guidance.  Allah says: "Know, His is the creation and the guidance."  [Al-A'raf: 54]
"Say, surely all matters belong to Allah."  [Ale Imran: 154]
"The command is only from Allah."  [Al-An'am: 57]
Besides, Allah is the owner of all sovereign powers and the only lawgiver and lawgiver.  This is one of the meanings of accepting Him as Lord.  Political stability can return to our society only when the political leaders have strong conviction towards this creed.  Peace, order and stability cannot come to any Muslim society with basically man-made laws.  Perhaps reality is the biggest proof and witness of this.
(5) Importance of correct beliefs to prevent mis-culture: It would not be an exaggeration to call it as mis-culture that is currently being practiced in our Bangladeshi society in the name of culture in imitation of alien foreigners and different religions.  Because as these cultures do not represent our native thoughts and traditions, they are largely in conflict with the Muslim faith.  We have to remember that this country is a predominantly Muslim country.  So if we arrange all our cultural and social rituals in the light of correct Islamic belief, then the country can be gifted with a beautiful, tasteful, decent and healthy culture.
(6) Importance of correct creed in freeing the society from anarchy and confusion and shirk and bid'at in thought: Knowledge of correct Islamic creed can enlighten the thinking world of the intellectual class of the society so that they can guide the nation to the right path. The anarchy and confusion that we observe in the thinking of a class of intellectuals today, perhaps the biggest reason why they continue their war of pen against Islam despite being called Muslims, is that they have known Islam in a distorted way, they have not been fortunate enough to acquire the correct Islamic belief.  The same applies to all those educated and uneducated Muslims who think of worship and are immersed in shirk and bid'at.  In the light of Quran and Sunnah, they did not recognize shirk and bid'at.  They are completely oblivious to the basic principles of recognizing Shirk and Bed'at.  Acquiring knowledge of Aqeedah along with increasing awareness towards the correct Aqeedah can guarantee the liberation of all of society from these confusions and Shirk and Bed'ah.
Therefore, acquiring the knowledge of authentic Islamic faith is the only way to develop oneself as a true believer and Muslim servant of Allah.  Similarly, if we want to build a society as a complete Islamic society, there is no alternative to enriching everyone in the society with the knowledge of Sahih Aqeedah.  In this regard, the social and cultural Islamic organizations have to fulfill the important responsibility.  Those who are skilled in Islamic Shariah and studies can remove the inadequacy of books written in Bengali language by writing authentic books on Saheeh Aqeedah.  In this regard, the help of Imam, Khatib and Madrasah teachers can also be taken.  Of course, before that they should be enriched with the knowledge of Sahih Aqeedah.  Through efforts to spread Sahih Aqeedah, our society can be developed as a beautiful civil society free from Shirk and Bed'at.}}


==Gallery==
==Gallery==
Line 201: Line 207:
File:Bosnian Book of the Science of Conduct WDL7479.pdf|[[Bosniak]] "Book of the Science of Conduct" lists 54 religious duties that each Muslim must know about, believe in, and fulfill. Published in 1831, the handbook is by the Bosnian author and poet [[Abdulwahāb Žepčewī]].
File:Bosnian Book of the Science of Conduct WDL7479.pdf|[[Bosniak]] "Book of the Science of Conduct" lists 54 religious duties that each Muslim must know about, believe in, and fulfill. Published in 1831, the handbook is by the Bosnian author and poet [[Abdulwahāb Žepčewī]].
File:Book of Wisdom WDL6937.pdf|"Book of Wisdom" based on [[Islamic Theology]] by [[Khoja Akhmet Yassawi]] (died 1166)
File:Book of Wisdom WDL6937.pdf|"Book of Wisdom" based on [[Islamic Theology]] by [[Khoja Akhmet Yassawi]] (died 1166)
File:Brief Explanation of the “Safeguards of Transmission” of Guidance to the True Path WDL6901.pdf|“Safeguards of Transmission” by [[Ubayd Allāh ibn Masūd ibn Mahmud ibn Ahmad al-Mahbūbī]] (died 1346).
File:Brief Explanation of the “Safeguards of Transmission” of Guidance to the True Path WDL6901.pdf|"Safeguards of Transmission" by [[Ubayd Allāh ibn Masūd ibn Mahmud ibn Ahmad al-Mahbūbī]] (died 1346)
</gallery>
</gallery>


==See also==
==See also==
{{Portal|Islam}}
{{Portal|Islam}}
*[[Throne of God|Arsh]]
*[[Throne of God in Islam|''Arsh'']]
*[[Bidah]]
*[[Bidah|''Bid'ah'']]
*[[Contemporary Islamic philosophy]]
*[[Contemporary Islamic philosophy]]
*[[Glossary of Islam]]
*[[Glossary of Islam]]
*[[Iman (Islam)]]
*[[Outline of Islam]]
*[[Index of Islam-related articles]]
*[[Index of Islam-related articles]]
*[[Iman (Islam)|Iman]]
*[[Islamic eschatology]]
*[[Islamic eschatology]]
*[[Islamic schools and branches]]
*[[Islamic schools and branches]]
*[[Islamic studies]]
*[[Islamic studies]]
*[[Kufr]]
*[[Kufr|''Kafir'']]
*[[Madhhab]]
*''[[Madhhab]]''
*[[Outline of Islam]]
*[[Schools of Islamic theology]]
*[[Schools of Islamic theology]]
*[[Shahada]]
*''[[Shahada]]''
*[[Shia–Sunni relations]]
*[[Shia–Sunni relations]]
*[[Salafi–Sufi relations]]
*[[Safavid conversion of Iran to Shia Islam]]
*[[2016 international conference on Sunni Islam in Grozny]]
*[[Shia crescent]]
*[[Shia crescent]]
*[[Shirk (Islam)]]
*[[Shirk (Islam)|''Shirk'']]
*[[Succession to Muhammad]]
*[[Succession to Muhammad]]
*[[Sunnah]]
*[[Sunnah]]
*[[Sufi-Salafi relations]]
*[[Sufi-Salafi relations|Salafi–Sufi relations]]
*[[Tawhid]]
*''[[Tawhid]]''


==References==
==References==
{{Reflist}}
{{Reflist}}
== Sources ==
* {{cite book |last1=Emon |first1=Anver M. |last2=Ahmed |first2=Rumee |title=The Oxford Handbook of Islamic Law |publisher=Oxford University Press |date=2018 |isbn=978-0-19-967901-0 |url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/The_Oxford_Handbook_of_Islamic_Law/ZzpxDwAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&pg=PA257 |access-date=2025-08-22}}
* {{cite book |chapter=Uṣūl al-Dīn |doi=10.1163/1573-3912_islam_sim_7760 |chapter-url=https://referenceworks.brill.com/doi/10.1163/1573-3912_islam_SIM_7760 |ref=|first = D. | last = Gimaret |access-date=2025-08-22 | title=Encyclopaedia of Islam New Edition Online | publisher=Brill| date=2012 |issn=1573-3912}}
* {{cite book |editor-last=Martin |editor-first=Richard C.|first=Diana |last=Steigerwald|title=Encyclopedia of Islam and the Muslim World |publisher=Macmillan Reference USA : Thomson/Gale |publication-place=New York |date=2004 |isbn=0-02-865604-0|chapter=Azhar, Al-|url=https://ia601204.us.archive.org/0/items/EncyclopediaOfIslamAndTheMuslimWorld_411/EncyclopediaOfIslamAndTheMuslimWorld2volumes_editedByRichardC.martin2004ByMacmillan.pdf | pages=92–93 }}


{{Islam topics|state=collapsed}}
{{Islam topics|state=collapsed}}
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[[Category:Islamic theology]]
[[Category:Islamic theology]]
[[Category:Islamic terminology]]
[[Category:Islamic terminology]]
[[Category:Islamic creed]]

Latest revision as of 04:38, 14 March 2026


For the story of the binding of Isaac, see Binding of Isaac. For East African administrators, see Akida.

Template:Aqidah

Part of a series on
Islam
Beliefs
Practices
History
Culture and society
Related topics

Aqidah (Script error: The function "langx" does not exist., ar, pl. Script error: The function "langx" does not exist., ar) is an Islamic term of Arabic origin that means "creed".[1] It is also called Islamic creed or Islamic theology.[2][3]

Aqidah goes beyond concise statements of faith and may not be part of an ordinary Muslim's religious instruction.[4] It has been distinguished from iman in "taking the aspects of Iman and extending it to a detail level" often using "human interpretation or sources".[5] Also, in contrast with iman, the word aqidah is not explicitly mentioned in the Quran.

Many schools of Islamic theology expressing different aqidah exist. However, this term has taken a significant technical usage in the Islamic theology, and is a branch of Islamic studies describing the beliefs of Islam.

Etymology[edit | edit source]

Aqidah comes from the Semitic root ʿ-q-d, which means "to tie; knot".[6] ("Aqidah" used not only as an expression of a school of Islamic theology or belief system, but as another word for "theology" in Islam, as in: "Theology (Aqidah) covers all beliefs and belief systems of Muslims, including sectarian differences and points of contention".)[7]

Introduction[edit | edit source]

According to Muslim scholar Cyril Glasse, "systematic statements of belief became necessary, from early [on in the history of] Islam, initially to refute heresies, and later to distinguish points of view and to present them, as the divergences of schools of theology or opinion increased."[8]

The "first" creed written as "a short answer to the pressing heresies of the time" is known as Fiqh Akbar and ascribed to Abu Hanifa.[8][9] Two creeds were the Fiqh Akbar II[citation needed] "representative" of the Ash'ari, and Fiqh Akbar III, "representative" of the Shafi'i.[8] Al-Ghazali also had an aqidah.[8]

According to Malcolm Clark, while Islam "is not a creedal religion", it has produced some detailed creeds, "some containing 100 or more belief statements" that summarized "the theological position of a particular scholar or school."[10]

Six articles of belief[edit | edit source]

The six articles of faith or belief (Arkan al-Iman) derived from the Quran and Sunnah,[11] are accepted by all Muslims. While there are differences between Shia and Sunni Islam and other schools or sects concerning issues such as the attributes of God and the purpose of angels, the six articles are not disputed.

The six Sunni articles of belief are:

  1. Belief in God and tawhid
  2. Belief in the angels
  3. Belief in the Islamic holy books[12]
  4. Belief in the prophets and messengers
  5. Belief in the Last Judgment and Resurrection
  6. Belief in predestination

The first five are based on several Qurʾanic beliefs:

...righteous is he who believeth in God and the Last Day and the angels and the scripture and the prophets (2:177)
...believer believes in God and His angels and His scriptures and His messengers (2:285)
Whoever disbelieveth in God and His angels and His scriptures and His messengers and the Last Day, he verily wandered far stray (4:136)
Who is an enemy of God, His Angels, His Messengers, Gabriel and Michael! Then, lo! God is an enemy to the disbelievers (2:98)


In Sunni and Shia views, having Iman literally means believing in the six articles. [citation needed]

Tawhid[edit | edit source]

Template:Allah

See also: Rabb, Ilah, and Names of God in Islam

Tawhid ("doctrine of Oneness") is the religion's most fundamental concept and holds that Allah (the Arabic word for God) is one (aḥad), unique (wāḥid), and the only being worthy of worship. The Quran teaches the existence of a single, absolute truth that transcends the world—a unique, independent, and indivisible being, independent of the entire creation.[13] God, according to Islam, is a universal God, rather than a local, tribal, or parochial one, and is an absolute who integrates all affirmative values.[14][15]

Iman[edit | edit source]

Iman, in Islamic theology, denotes a believer's faith in the metaphysical aspects of Islam.[16][17] Its most simple definition is the belief in the six articles of faith, known as arkān al-īmān.

Hadith of Gabriel[edit | edit source]

The Hadith of Gabriel includes the Five Pillars of Islam (Tawhid, Salat, Sawm, Zakat, Hajj) in answer to the question, "O messenger of God, what is Islam?" This hadith is sometimes called the "truly first and most fundamental creed."[8]

An Imam leading prayers in Cairo, Egypt, in 1865
The Mughal emperor Aurangzeb performing Salat

Salat[edit | edit source]

Salat is an act of worship. Salat means to call to the Lord Who created and gives life to the worshipper in Islam. This call realizes one to surrender caller's will, obeying his God. It is one of the Five Pillars of Islam. Islam gives concession conditionally if it is difficult to pray Salat in formal ways. People who find it physically difficult can perform Salat in a way suitable to them. To perform valid Salat, Muslims must be in a state of ritual purity, which is mainly achieved by ritual wash ups, (wuḍūʾ), as per prescribed procedures. Salat consists of "standing" (Qiyam) intending to call God, bow at knees (Ruku) meaning to ready to obey, prostrate (Sajda) willing to surrender worshipper's will to God's, then to sit (Tashhud) asserting evidence of the oneness of God and the finality of God's apostle (Nabi).

Sawm[edit | edit source]

Ending the fast at a mosque

In the terminology of Islamic law, sawm means to abstain from eating, drinking (including water) and sexual intercourse from dawn until dusk. The observance of sawm during the holy month of Ramadan is one of the Five Pillars of Islam, but is not confined to that month.

Zakat[edit | edit source]

Zakat is the practice of charitable giving by Muslims based on accumulated wealth and is obligatory for all who are able to do so. It is considered to be a personal responsibility for Muslims to ease economic hardship for others and eliminate inequality.

Hajj[edit | edit source]

A 16th century illustration of Islam's holiest shrine, the Ka'aba

The Hajj is an Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca and the largest gathering of Muslims in the world every year. It is one of the five pillars of Islam, and a religious duty which must be carried out by every able-bodied Muslim who can afford to do so at least once in his or her lifetime.

Other tenets[edit | edit source]

Part of a series on
Islam and Iman
Individuals
Groups
Regions
Terms

In addition, some Muslims include Jihad and Dawah as part of aqidah.

Jihad[edit | edit source]

Jihad (to struggle) and literally means to endeavor, strive, labor to apply oneself, to concentrate, to work hard, to accomplish. It could be used to refer to those who physically, mentally or militarily serve in the way of God.[18] In the religious context, it is the struggle against disbelief and non-muslim life to establish, propagate and spread the faith and its principles on individualistic and societal levels.

Dawah[edit | edit source]

Main article: Dawah

Da‘wah ("invitation") means the preaching of Islam. Da‘wah literally means "issuing a summon" or "making an invitation", being an active participle of a verb meaning variously "to summon" or "to invite." A Muslim who practices da‘wah, either as a religious worker or in a volunteer community effort, is called a dā‘ī (داعي plural du‘āh, gen: du‘āt دعاة).

A dā‘ī is thus a person who invites people to understand Islam through dialogue, not unlike the Islamic equivalent of a missionary inviting people to the faith, prayer and manner of Islamic life.

Eschatology[edit | edit source]

Main article: Islamic eschatology

Eschatology is literally understood as the last things or ultimate things and in Muslim theology, eschatology refers to the end of this world and what will happen in the next world or hereafter. Eschatology covers the death of human beings, their souls after their bodily death, the total destruction of this world, the resurrection of humans, the Last Judgment of human deeds by God after the resurrection, and the rewards and punishments for the believers and non-believers respectively. The places for the believers in the hereafter are known as Paradise and for the non-believers as Hell.

Schools of theology[edit | edit source]

Main article: Schools of Islamic theology
Main schools of thought within Sunni Islam, and other prominent streams.

The contents of Muslim theology can be divided into theology proper such as theodicy, eschatology, anthropology, apophatic theology, and comparative religion. In the history of Sunni Muslim theology, there have been theological schools among Muslims displaying both similarities and differences with each other in regard to beliefs.[19]

Kalam[edit | edit source]

Main article: Kalam
See also: Islamic philosophy and Sufi metaphysics

Kalām is an "Islamic scholastic theology" of seeking theological principles through dialectic. In Arabic, the word literally means "speech/words." A scholar of kalām is referred to as a mutakallim (Muslim theologian; plural mutakallimūn). There are many schools of Kalam, the main ones being the Ash'ari and Maturidi schools in Sunni Islam, and the Mu'tazilis (who are not Sunni).[20][21] Traditionalist theology rejects the use of kalam, regarding human reason as sinful in unseen matters.[22]

Usul al-din[edit | edit source]

Usul al-din, "the principles of religion", is used by scholars in different meanings. In the ordinary sense, it represents the aqidah, articles of faith, "truths which must be believed". In this sense, the scientific discussion about usul al-din constitute the ilm al-kalam.[23]

There is a difference in the use of the word usul in usul al-din when compared with usul al-fiqh where the term refers to the sources underlying the sharia, as usul al-din represents not the sources, but the theological judgement itself.[23]

Usul al-din is frequently used in titles of many works by Islamic scholars, including the kalam ones.[23]

Western scholars, like George Makdisi, occasionally use usul al-din to designate the traditionalist theology as opposed to the rationalist kalam.[24]

Usul al-din can also designate a theological discipline ("principles of religion") that is studied at the Islamic universities. For example, from 1950, the al-Azhar University included three faculties: Islamic law (al-sharia), usul al-din, and Arabic language.[25]

Mu'tazilis[edit | edit source]

Main article: Muʿtazila

In terms of the relationship between human beings and their creator, the Muʿtazila emphasize human free will over predestination. They also reduced the divine attributes to the divine essence. The Mu'tazilites are considered heretics by all the traditional Sunni Islamic schools of theology.[26]

Sunni schools[edit | edit source]

Sunni Muslim theology is the theology and interpretation of creed (aqidah) that derived from the Qur'an and Hadith.

Ash'aris[edit | edit source]

Main article: Ash'ari

The eponymous founder of this school is Abu al-Hasan al-Ash'ari, one of the first to study under but then quit the Mu'tazilis. He then towards the end of his life became an Ashari.[27][28] It was the historic foe of the Mu'tazili school, the "rationalists" in terms of speculative theology.[29]

Ash'arism accepts reason as a witness to the evidence in the scripture.[30] What God does or commands—as revealed in the Quran and ahadith—is by definition just. What He prohibits is by definition unjust. Right and wrong are objective realities.[31] The Quran is the uncreated word of God in essence, however, it is created when it takes on a form in letters or sound.[32]

Some scholars, especially those of the Hanbali school, such as Ibn Qudamah spoke harshly against the Ash'aris, saying "It is obligatory to abandon the people of innovation and misguidance.",[33] going on to list deviant groups, in which he mentioned the Asha'ris. Other scholars outside of the Hanbali madhhab such as Shafi’i, Maliki, and Hanafi scholars, and some of the later Hanbali scholars accepted them into Ahlus Sunnah Wal Jamaah and did not view them as deviants.

Maturidis[edit | edit source]

Main article: Maturidi

Maturidism is a Sunni theological school founded by Abu Mansur al-Maturidi, holding many positions in common with the Ash'aris but differing from them on others.[34][35][36][37] Much like the Ash'arite approach to Qur'anic verses that could yield an anthropomorphic concept of God, they affirmed His transcendence while understanding these expressions by the conventional figurative meanings they had garnered in Arabic.

Maturidism holds, that humans are creatures endowed with reason, that differentiates them from animals. Further, the relationship between people and God differs from that of nature and God; humans are endowed with free will, but due to God's sovereignty, God creates the acts the humans choose, so humans can perform them. Ethics can be understood just by reason and do not need prophetic guidances. Maturidi also considered hadiths as unreliable, when they are in odd with reason.[38] However, the human mind alone could not grasp the entire truth, thus it is in need of revelation in regard of mysterious affairs. Further, Maturidism opposes anthropomorphism and similitude, while simultaneously does not deny the divine attributes. They must be either interpreted in the light of Tawhid or be left out.[39]

Athari theology[edit | edit source]

Main article: Athari

For the Athari theology, the apparent meaning of the Qur'an and especially the prophetic traditions have ultimate precedence in matters of belief, as well as law, and to engage in rational disputation, without textual evidence, is absolutely forbidden.[40] Atharis engage in an amodal reading of the Qur'an, as opposed to one engaged in Ta'wil (metaphorical interpretation). They do not attempt to rationally conceptualize the meanings of the Qur'an and believe that the real meanings should be consigned to God alone (tafwid).[41] This theology was taken from exegesis of the Qur'an and statements of the early Muslims and later codified by a number of scholars including Ahmad ibn Hanbal and Ibn Qudamah.[42][43]

Shia beliefs and practices[edit | edit source]

Shiʿi Muslims are different as they hold that there are five articles of belief. Similar to the Sunnis, the Shiʿis do not believe in complete predestination, or complete free will. They believe that in human life there is both free will and predestination.

Twelver's Roots of Shia Religion (Uṣūl ad-Dīn)[edit | edit source]

Main article: Theology of Twelvers
  1. Tawhid: The Oneness of God.
  2. Adalah: The Justice of God.
  3. Nubuwwah (Prophethood): God has appointed perfect and infallible prophets and messengers to teach mankind the religion (i.e. a perfect system on how to live in "peace.")
  4. Imamate: (Leadership): God has appointed specific leaders to lead and guide mankind— a prophet appoints a custodian of the religion before his demise.
  5. Last Judgment: God will raise mankind for Judgment

Ismaili Shia beliefs[edit | edit source]

The branch of Islam known as Isma'ilism is the second largest Shiʿi community. They observe the following extra pillars:

  1. Belief in the Imamate
  2. Belief in the prophets and messengers
  3. Beliefs about the Last Judgment


Literature pertaining to creed[edit | edit source]

Many Muslim scholars have written Islamic creeds, or specific aspects of a aqidah. The following list contains some of the most well-known creeds.

Sunni literature[edit | edit source]

Shia literature[edit | edit source]

Gallery[edit | edit source]

See also[edit | edit source]

References[edit | edit source]

  1. ↑ Abdel-Haleem, M. A. S. (2008). "Part I: Historical perspectives - Qur'an and hadith". In Winter, Timothy (ed.). The Cambridge Companion to Classical Islamic Theology. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. pp. 19–32. doi:10.1017/CCOL9780521780582.002. ISBN 9781139001816.
  2. ↑ Buang, Sa’eda; Chew, Phyllis Ghim-Lian (9 May 2014). Muslim Education in the 21st Century: Asian perspectives. Routledge. p. 97. ISBN 978-1-317-81500-6. Retrieved 9 August 2022.
  3. ↑ Abbas, Tahir (22 January 2007). Islamic Political Radicalism: A European Perspective. Edinburgh University Press. p. 257. ISBN 978-0-7486-3086-8. Retrieved 9 August 2022.
  4. ↑ Guillaume, Alfred (1978) [1954]. Islam. Penguin. p. 134.
  5. ↑ FAROOQ, MOHAMMAD OMAR (6 February 2020). "Let's Be Content With Iman, Not Aqeedah". Islamicity. Retrieved 26 June 2022.
  6. ↑ and hence the class VIII verb iʿtaqada "to firmly believe", verbal noun iʿtiqād "belief, faith, trust, confidence, conviction; creed, doctrine", participle muʿtaqad "creed, doctrine, dogma, conviction, belief, opinion". (Source: Wehr, Hans, “عقد” in: J. Milton Cowan (ed.), A Dictionary of Modern Written Arabic, 4th edition (1979)).
  7. ↑ "Theology (Aqidah)". Madina Institute. Archived from the original on 14 August 2021. Retrieved 12 August 2021.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 8.4 Glasse, Cyril (2001). New Encyclopedia of Islam (Revised ed.). Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. p. 105.
  9. ↑ Abu Hanifah An-Nu^man. "Al- Fiqh Al-Akbar" (PDF). aicp.org. Retrieved 14 March 2014.
  10. ↑ Clark, Malcolm (2003). "4. What Muslims believe. Rejecting formal creeds". Islam for Dunnies. Wiley.
  11. ↑ Joel Beversluis, ed. (2011). Sourcebook of the World's Religions: An Interfaith Guide to Religion and Spirituality. New World Library. pp. 68–9. ISBN 9781577313328.
  12. ↑ "The Quran". The Quran. contributors Iman Mohammad Kashi, Uwe Hideki Matzen, and Online Quran Project.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
  13. ↑ Vincent J. Cornell, Encyclopedia of Religion, Vol 5, pp. 3561-3562.
  14. ↑ Asma Barlas (2002), p. 97.
  15. ↑ Wahhab, Abd Al. "Chapter 4, Fear of Shirk". Kitab Al Tawheed. Darussalam.
  16. ↑ Farāhī, Majmū‘ah Tafāsīr, 2nd ed. (Faran Foundation, 1998), 347.
  17. ↑ Frederick M. Denny, An Introduction to Islam, 3rd ed., p. 405
  18. ↑ Khalid Mahmood Shaikh
  19. ↑ Islamic Studies Resources, BAHISEEN [Islamic Studies]. "Primary Resources". Archived from the original on 2021-02-26.
  20. ↑ Frank, Daniel H.; Leaman, Oliver; H, Frank Daniel (2003-09-11). The Cambridge Companion to Medieval Jewish Philosophy. Cambridge University Press. p. 72. ISBN 978-0-521-65574-3. Retrieved 10 August 2022.
  21. ↑ Jeffry R. Halverson (2010). Theology and Creed in Sunni Islam: The Muslim Brotherhood, Ash'arism, and Political Sunnism. Palgrave Macmillan. p. 20. ISBN 9780230106581.
  22. ↑ Hadi Enayat Islam and Secularism in Post-Colonial Thought: A Cartography of Asadian Genealogies Springer, 30.06.2017 ISBN 9783319526119 p.48
  23. ↑ 23.0 23.1 23.2 Gimaret 2012.
  24. ↑ Emon & Ahmed 2018, p. 257, Note 38.
  25. ↑ Steigerwald 2004, p. 93.
  26. ↑ Nader El-Bizri, ‘God: essence and attributes’, in The Cambridge Companion to Classical Islamic theology, ed. Tim Winter (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2008), pp. 121-140
  27. ↑ A. C. Grayling (2019). The History of Philosophy. Penguin UK. p. 390. ISBN 9780241980866.
  28. ↑ Jeffrey T. Kenney; Ebrahim Moosa, eds. (2013). Islam in the Modern World. Routledge. p. 103. ISBN 9781135007959.
  29. ↑ Hamid Dabashi (2012). Shi'ism: A Religion of Protest. Harvard University Press. p. 338. ISBN 9780674262911.
  30. ↑ Esposito, John L., ed. (1999). The Oxford History of Islam. Oxford University Press. p. 280. ISBN 9780195107999.
  31. ↑ Brown, Jonathan A.C. (2014). Misquoting Muhammad: The Challenge and Choices of Interpreting the Prophet's Legacy. Oneworld Publications. p. 53. ISBN 978-1780744209.
  32. ↑ Glassé, Cyril; Smith, Huston (2003). The New Encyclopedia of Islam. Rowman Altamira. pp. 62–63. ISBN 978-0-759-10190-6.
  33. ↑ Ibn Qudamah al-Maqdisi. Kitab al-I'tiqad. pp. 43–44.
  34. ↑ Abul Hasan Ali Nadwi (1971). Mohiuddin Ahmad (ed.). Saviours of Islamic Spirit, Volume 1. Translated by Mohiuddin Ahmad. Lucknow, India: Academy of Islamic Research and Publications. p. 98. The differences between the Ash'arites and the Maturidites were simply marginal and limited to 30 to 40 issues of comparatively lesser importance.
  35. ↑ H.R.H. Prince Ghazi bin Muhammad (2018). Foreword by H.M. King Abdullah II ibn al-Hussein (ed.). A Thinking Person's Guide to Islam: The Essence of Islam in 12 Verses from the Qur'an. Turath Publishing. p. 171. ISBN 9781906949648. Most Sunnis of the four madhahib follow the Ash'ari and Maturidi schools of doctrine and theology. Indeed, Ash'ari and Maturidi doctrines basically only differ on a few issues, most of which are arguably linguistic quibbles, so that these two schools of theology are essentially one tradition.
  36. ↑ Fitzroy Morrissey (2021). A Short History of Islamic Thought. Oxford University Press. p. 68. ISBN 9780197522011. There, in a city noted for its religious diversity, he continued the old tradition of kalam as reasoned polemic: his writings contain refutations of Jews, Christians, and the dualist Manichaeans and Zoroastrians, as well as the Mu'tazila, the Shi'a, and other misguided Islamic sects. Against these various opponents, al-Maturidi argued for doctrines that were essentially close to those of al-Ash'ari.
  37. ↑ "هل أهل السنة في الأردن هم الأشاعرة؟". aliftaa.jo (in العربية). The General Iftaa' Department of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. الأشاعرة هم جمهور أهل السنة والجماعة من المالكية والشافعية، وأما الحنفية فهم ماتريدية يتبعون أبا منصور الماتريدي (333هـ)، والخلاف بينهم وبين الأشاعرة محدود{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  38. ↑ Rico Isaacs, Alessandro Frigerio Theorizing Central Asian Politics: The State, Ideology and Power Springer, 2018 ISBN 9783319973555 p. 108
  39. ↑ Mohammad Sharif Khan, Mohammad Anwar Saleem Muslim Philosophy and Philosophers PH Publishing, 1994 ISBN 9788170246237 p. 30
  40. ↑ Jeffry R. Halverson, Theology and Creed in Sunni Islam. ISBN 0230106587, p 36.
  41. ↑ Jeffry R. Halverson, Theology and Creed in Sunni Islam. ISBN 0230106587, p 36-37.
  42. ↑ Ahmad, Ustadha Shazia (29 March 2022). "Which School of Thought Should I Follow in 'Aqida?". Seekers Guidance. Retrieved 26 June 2022.
  43. ↑ Abrahamov, Binyamin (2016) [2014]. "Part I: Islamic Theologies during the Formative and the Early Middle period – Scripturalist and Traditionalist Theology". In Schmidtke, Sabine (ed.). The Oxford Handbook of Islamic Theology. Oxford and New York: Oxford University Press. pp. 263–279. doi:10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199696703.013.025. ISBN 9780199696703. LCCN 2016935488.

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