Studying Aqeeda

If I was asked what books to study for 'Aqidah, for beginner, intermediate and advanced level of study,
with focus only on classical books and excluding the Najdi scholars, these works will be fine:

Beginner's level:

1. Al-Wasitiyyah by Ibn Taymiyya

The best matn to learn your basic creed which is based on all that is authentic and agreed upon by the
Companions.

2. ‘Aqida by Abu Ja’far al-Tahawi

3. Al-I’tiqad (Sarih al-Sunnah) by Muhammad b. Jarir al-Tabari
4. I’tiqad A’immat Ahl al-Hadith
5. Al-Iqtisad fi’l-I’tiqad by ‘Abd al-Ghani al-Maqdisi

All short creeds with all the main topics mentioned. Very simply worded and, perhaps, all have slight
points which one could differ about in term of formulation and, in a much lesser degree, content.

6. Lum’at al-I’tiqad by Ibn Qudama al-Maqdisi

7. Al-Risalah (the introduction only) by Ibn Abi Zayd al-Qayrawani

Easy text, simply stated.

8. Al-Mukhtar fi Usul al-Sunnah by Ibn al-Banna’

This work is practically an abridgment of Kitab al-Shari'a by Abu Bakr al-Ajurri.

9. Al-Qasida al-Ha’iyya by Ibn Abi Dawud

10. Al-Qasida fi al-Sunnah by Abu Tahir al-Silafi
11. Al-Durra al-Mudhiyya fi ‘Aqd al-Firqa al-Mardhiyya by al-Saffarini

The above three works are poems which have been commented by subsequent scholars.

Intermediate level:

1. Risala al-Wafiyya by Abu ‘Amr al-Dani

Discussed in this forum. Like so many works, none is free from criticism. However, it is one of the easiest
and filled with Ayat as proofs.

2. Sharh wa’l-Ibana ‘an Usul al-Sunnah al-Diyana by Ibn Batta al-‘Ukbari

Also known as al-Ibana al-Sughra. One of the best books, larger than the beginner's books.

3. Al-Tabsir fi Ma’alim al-Din by Muhammad b. Jarir al-Tabari

A book with proofs, arguments and refutation of different tenets. Al-Tabari analyzes differences in this
book, in a very simple way. He usually interacts with the Mu'tazilites in this book, as they were the main
adversaries of the Ahl al-Sunnah in his time. The Ash'ariyyah were not really existent in his time, yet.

4. Al-Ibana ‘an Usul al-Diyana by al-Ash’ari

One of the best creeds in terms of presenting the main orthodox beliefs and answering heterodox
beliefs. A much longer work with textual and rational arguments.

5. ‘Aqidat al-Salaf wa Ashab al-Hadith by Abu ‘Uthman al-Sabuni

6. Kitab al-Shari’a by Abu Bakr al-Ajurri

Mostly narrations on different topics, divided in chapters. It’s more of a reference book, i.e. filled with
Ayat, Ahadith and Athar and the necessary discussion.

7. Al-Kafiyya by Ibn al-Qayyim

A famous poem, but only understood if you are familiar with the terms, individuals and doctrines
alluded to in the text. Maybe only comprehended with a commentary or familiarity with no.8 and no.9
in this list.

8. Sharh 'Aqida al-Tahawiyya by Ibn Abi'l-'Izz

9. Lawami’ al-Anwar al-Bahiyya by al-Saffarini

Two of the best summaries for a comprehensive, compact knowledge of sound creed of the Ahl al-
Sunnah. The Lawami' is maybe more advanced than Ibn Abi'l-Izz's text, but these two works practically
cover up everything in general and in a lot of details.

10. Al-Muntaqa by al-Dhahabi

This is actually an abridgment of Ibn Taymiyya's refutation of the Shi'ites without much of the non-
Shi'ite digression found in the work. It is on just one topic, Shi'ism.

Advanced level:

1. Al-Hujjah fi Bayan al-Mahajjah by Abu’l-Qasim al-Taymi

A comprehensive book on 'Aqidah with the proofs on Tawhid, al-Qadar, promise and threat, Fada'il al-
Sahaba, adhering to the Sunnah and keeping away from Bid'a, and so forth. It contains quite a number
of unique creeds (of earlier scholars), found nowhere else in books or libraries.
2. Al-Ibana al-Kubra by Ibn Batta al-‘Ukbari
3. Sharh Usul al-I’tiqad Ahl al-Sunnah by al-Lalika’i

These two are the only books you need to safeguard your 'Aqidah. Abu Dawud said: If you have the
Qur'an and my book , i.e. al-Sunan, you have all you need for your Islam. I think if you put these - or one
of these two - along, you have also all you need for your creed. One of the wonderful things is that
presenting evidences of Ijma' in Fiqh is a difficult in itself, let alone in 'Aqidah. But al-Lalika'i managed to
collect lots of evidences of Ijma' in one book, and that in a book of 'Aqidah: for example, he lists dozens
of men and their statements in Tabaqat on a specific subject, for example in "Sequence of that what has
been related from the Salaf in regard the kinds of punishments and Hudud which they have prescribed
and implemented against the one of insults the Companions", and then a list of narrations follows with
the authorities of the Salaf who mentioned something about. And even if two from the Salaf say the
same, he mentions that one after another.

4. Al-Intisar by Ibn Abi’l-Khair al-‘Imrani

Originally a Radd on a Zaydite-Mu'tazilite work, it is a quite a comprehensive book but more

concentrated on the topic of al-Qadar.

5. Ithar al-Haqq ‘ala’l-Khalq by Ibn al-Wazir al-Yamani

This is a wonderful book, but very few have read it I'm afraid. Only the introduction is worthy in itself, let
alone the rest.

6. Al-Fatwa al-Hamawiyyah by Ibn Taymiyya

7. Sharh al-Isfahaniyya by Ibn Taymiyya
8. Al-Tis’iniyyah by Ibn Taymiyya
9. Al-Istiqama by Ibn Taymiyya

All the works of Ibn Taymiyya are wonderful. Al-Hamawiyyah falls in the same category of books as
Ithbat Sifat al-'Uluww by Ibn Qudama, al-'Uluww and al-'Arsh by al-Dhahabi, Ijtima' al-Juyush by Ibn al-
Qayyim and so forth. They focus on Allah's Highness and the evidences. Al-Hamawiyya stands apart,
since it is more about the general method of dealing with God's Attributes and al-'Uluww has a main
focus in it.

10. Mukhtasar al-Sawa’iq al-Mursala by Ibn al-Qayyim

The four major topics of debate in the history of 'Aqida-differences are dealt in this book, i.e. about
literal and metaphorical, empirical verses logical, certainty and probability, and of course, reason versus
text. This is specialist stuff but the best in its kind.

11. Dar’ Ta’arud al-‘Aql wa’l-Naql by Ibn Taymiyya

This deals generally with one of the four topics mentioned in the previous work, i.e. the relation
between reason and text; but it has many more stuff and lot of digression and is a goldmine. You need
knowledge of a lot of sciences to understand all of IT's arguments.

12. Minhaj al-Sunnah al-Nabawiyya by Ibn Taymiyya

The book devoted against the Shi'ah. It has everything about Shi'ism and more

If you want to study also about sects, i.e. works devoted to that topic alone, there is, as far as I know,
not a single good work dealing with sects from a Sunni perspective. However, a lot of books mentioned
above do deal with sects.

The best book on sects is al-Ash'ari's Maqalat al-Islamiyyin wa Ikhtilaf al-Musallin. The rest is simply in
another league.

These works are just from the top of my head. I forgot quite a lot, such as of course the creed of Imam
Ahmad collected by Ibn Abi Ya'la in his Tabaqat and also published separately. The works of 'Abdallah b.
Ahmad b. Hanbal, Abu Bakr al-Khalil, Ghulam al-Khallal, Ibn Abi Ya'la himself and so forth. Some are at
beginner's level, some are more advanced. Ahmad's creed named as "Usul al-Sunnah" is a very good
text, but so is Ibn Abi Ya'la's I'tiqad. Also, I'tiqad al-Qadiri by the Abbasid Caliph is a very good text and a
basic primer, not just because of the contents but also because of its context.

Then I forgot to mention the dozens of 1 topic 'Aqidah books, particularly of Ibn Taymiyya. A work which
cannot be left unmentioned in this regard is al-Tadmuriyya which is one of the few 'Aqidah-books
wherein Ibn Taymiyya set out, methodologically and instructively the concept of Tawhid of Allah's
Names and Attributes and al-Qadar. I would recommend it if you know generally about Tawhid.

O yeah... the works of al-Darimi, particularly his Naqd, which is a work Ibn Taymiyya urged others to
read and benefit from. It is one of the most sophisticated discussions on Allah's Attributes and the
concept of Ta'wil. If you read, digest and comprehend this work, you will absorb all the ins and outs of
ta'wilat performed by Ibn Furak, al-Juwayni, Fakhr al-Din, al-Amidi, Ibn 'Abd al-Salam, Ibn Labban and so
forth in their respective works.

Finally, so not to burden you, if you have found for yourself a track, please take your time to enjoy and
benefit from reading al-'Awasim min al-Qawasim from Ibn Wazir. There are so many benefits in it for the
study of 'Aqidah, you will gain so more insights.

Since often we are scorned, if not ridiculed and abused, for our lack of knowledge and comprehension of
Ash’ari creed, I decide to put up a reading and study list on the Ash’ari school of theology, similar to
what I did in a previous post in this thread for the study of Sunni 'Aqidah. I will suggest several levels of
study material about Ash’arism for an aspiring student of knowledge, in order to get a grip on only the
theology (i.e. dogmatics or ilahiyyat, not other topics of the so-called Usul al-Din or ‘Ilm al-Kalam) of the
Ash’arites. The list will be organized on a beginner, intermediate and advanced level of study, with focus
on classical books alone, based largely on my own learning and reading experience.
Beginner's level:
1. The works of the founder: Abu’l-Hasan al-Ash’ari

The best way to learn about the Ash’arites, is to start with their founder. Usually, this cannot be done
with every sect, not even with the Sunni creed, or else we should start with the Qur’an and the Sahihayn
as the Messenger of Allah founded our Usul al-Din. But with the Ash’arites, this is possible and this is the
best way to get a grip on Ash’arism. Not because all Ash’arites have a similar creed as al-Ash’ari, not at
all, but it will help you understand how much his followers stood in his tradition.

I would not randomly read his books but start first with al-Ibana ‘an Usul al-Diyana, which is his last
book. Then, I would start with one of his earlier works written after his apostasy from Mu’tazilism: al-
Luma’ fi al-Radd ‘ala Ahl al-Zaygh wa’l-Bida’. If you start reverse, you have to remind yourself what he
finally believed. Beside, al-Luma’ is a much shorter work and it contains much lesser topics than al-
Ibana: not all matters of dogmatics are discussed in this work, such as the Sifat al-Khabariyya. Hence, al-
Ibana is the best start as this work is also a focus point in modern days. I would also read his Risala ila
Ahl al-Thagr and Mas’alat al-Iman, two works of importance. The first summarizes the beliefs al-Ash’ari
held and about which he claims consensus and which contain also a criticism of one of the main proofs
used by Ahl al-Kalam, Ash’arites included, to argue for the existence of Allah. The Maqalat al-Islamiyyin
is a reference book, but it contains also al-Ash’ari’s creed and is known as the creed of the Ashab al-
Hadith. I would not bother reading the full book, yet.

Then there are a number of other texts from al-Ash’ari and ascribed to al-Ash’ari. Those from al-Ash’ari,
I mean the large portions cited from the Tabyin, they are useful to get to know more about him. The one
falsely ascribed to him, I mean Sajarat al-Yaqin, is to be abandoned.

2. Mujarrad Maqalat al-Ash’ari by Ibn Furak

This work is also more or less of the founder, i.e. al-Ash’ari, as the compiler tried to compile al-Ash’ari’s
opinions in one book from his own books. One has to be however careful, as Ibn Furak sometime
misrepresented a part of al-Ash’ari’s doctrines based upon a careful comparison. This is probably a tiny
part, perhaps negligible. Hence, this work is a main source on al-Ash’ari’s beliefs. There is, however, one
issue: Ibn Furak did not base his book on all or at least all of al-Ash’ari’s late writings, such as al-Ibana.
Thus, Ibn Furak managed to present to us not all of al-Ash’ari’s latest views.

3. The main earlier manuals of Kalam: Ibn al-Baqillani, Ibn al-Juwayni and al-Shahrasani

These are al-Tamhid, al-Irshad and Nihayat al-Iqdam, respectively. I do not mention them randomly.
They represent three ‘streams’ if you ask me: al-Tamhid, in the latest edition, represents Ash’arism in
quite a traditional Kalami fashion with regard for the main doctrines and arguments of the founder, al-
Ash’ari; al-Irshad – dubbed as the psalms for later-day Ash’arites – is perhaps the most influential of all
Ash’ari manuals of Kalam and represents Ash’arism in a more ‘independent’ way, as the other deviated
more from what the Shaykh (i.e. al-Ash’ari), the Qadi (i.e. Ibn al-Baqillani) or the elders opinioned. It is
also more a fusion of Mu’tazilite and Ash’arism in many aspects. Whereas the third work, al-
Shahrastani’s manual, is a Kalami book that engages philosophers among other deviants. It has little
regard for the Shaykh’s opinions.
4. The works of Sayf al-Din al-Amidi: al-Abkar and Ghayat al-Maram; to some degree, also al-Razi’s al-
Masa’il al-Khamsun fi Usul al-Din.

I would start with Ghayat al-Maram fi ‘Ilm al-Kalam, which is somehow a summary of al-Abkar al-Afkar fi
Usul al-Din. The Ghayat is one of the best compiled Ash’ari manuals of Kalam, i.e. in terms of
organization and arguments. However, he mixed a lot of philosophy in it and he criticized his Ash’arite
predecessors in quite a number of topics and arguments they bring forth. If you absorb his individual
opinions and go back to his earlier work, al-Abkar, you see with whom he differed such as al-Ash’ari, Ibn
al-Baqillani, al-Juwayni and so forth. The Abkar is in fact also a reference work on Ash’arite inner
differences.

One of the reasons why I mention al-Amidi before al-Razi, who will be mentioned much later, is that al-
Amidi differed and criticized al-Razi. For example, al-Razi was of the opinion that all schools of theology
– be they from the Mu’attila, Mu’awwila, Mujassima or Mushabbiha brand – were guilty of the so-called
concept of hulul al-hawadith. Al-Amidi, however, answered al-Razi’s accusation in the Ghayat and
elsewhere.

Al-Razi’s book al-Masa’il al-Khamsun fi Usul al-Din, although from a Muta’akhkhir par excellence, it is
very like the older Kalam manuals.

5. Matali’ al-Anzar fi Sharh Tawali’ al-Anwar by Shams al-Din al-Asfahani

This is a main manual of Ash’ari Kalam since its production. It is actually a commentary on a well-
received Kalam-manual, i.e. al-Baydawi’s Tawali’ al-Anwar. I believe the book and commentary have
been also translated in English. It sums the main topics and themes of Ash’ari Kalam according to the
method of the Muta’akhkhirin. The Muta’akhkhirin or later-day Ash’arites are those writers who wrote
after Ibn al-Juwayni and only al-Shahrastani and al-Amidi have been mentioned before. But the work
covers also the base issues discussed by al-Ghazali, al-Razi, al-‘Izz b. ‘Abd al-Salam and other Ash’arite
scholars. What makes this book different is not only the testimony of Ibn al-Subki about the base text
(he considers it the best), but also that al-Baydawi proceeded with an extensive muqaddimat about
principles, logical arguments and so forth.

6. The main creedal mutun of later-day Ash’arites such as al-Murshida by Ibn Tumart, al-‘Aqida al-
Burhaniyya by al-Salaliji, al-‘Aqa’id al-‘Adudiyya, ‘Aqida al-Sughra (also called Umm al-Barahin) by al-
Sanusi, Umm al-Qawa’id from Matn Ibn ‘Ashur, Jawharat al-Tawhid by al-Laqqani, al-Kharida al-Bahiyya
by al-Dardir, ‘Aqida al-Nuriyya by al-Safaqisi and similar later day short texts.

These are all basic mutun, i.e. creedal texts in which the author puts together what to belief in. Similar
to al-Tahawi’s text, except content wise. Basically, if you arrive at this end you cover all the basics of
Ash’ari dogmatics.

Intermediate level:
1. Tuhfat al-Murid ‘ala Jawharat al-Tawhid by al-Bayjuri, Sharh al-Mawaqif by al-al-Jurjani and Sharh
‘Aqidat al-Imam al-Ghazali by Zarruq.

All the commentaries and border-commentaries on the previous mutun mentioned, are good to study
after becoming familiar with the main ideas of the the Kalam manuals and the short creeds distilled
from this heritage. So basically, any sharh or hashiyya on one of the mutun texts suffices for this level.
However, I would direct one to a few works I believe will give you a better and more comprehensive
grasp of Ash’arite dogmatics:

The Tuhfat is basically a comprehensive commentary on al-Laqqani’s poem of creed according to the
later-day Ash’arites opinions. The matn is a very popular one and commented by many. The Sharh of
Ahmad Zarruq, however, is a commentary on a matn I did not list before: al-Qawa’id fi al-‘Aqa’id by al-
Ghazali. Strictly speaking, like Matn Ibn ‘Ashur, this work is part of another book, i.e. the Ihya ‘Ulum al-
Din, so not a separate book. However, al-Ghazali wrote also al-Risala al-Qudsiyya which is indeed a
creed and is almost the same as the Qawa’id. Zarruq, the late Ash’arite-Malikite scholar wrote a critical
commentary on the Qawa’id and did this also from his Sufi background. As such, it stands in a different
tradition. In fact, Zarruq is critical of Kalam in itself and does not hold back in his criticism of later-day
Ash’arites. I also have to mention that the Mawaqif of al-Iji, a very popular Kalam manual, was
commented by Sharif al-Jurjani. The Mawaqif is like al-Shahrastani’s, al-Razi’s works loaded with
philosophical terms and discussions, and stands apart from the main Kalam manuals of before al-
Ghazali.

2. Maqalat al-Islamiyyin, al-Farq bayn al-Firaq and al-Milal wa’l-Nihal by: al-Ash’ari, al-Baghdadi and al-
Shahrastani

These are the essential books on sects and groups written by Ash’arites. Al-Shahrastani has elsewhere
written on sects, and so did al-Razi mention their opinions in different works. But this suffices.

3. Mushkil al-Hadith wa Bayanuhu by Ibn Furak, al-Asma’ wa’l-Sifat by al-Bayhaqi, Asas al-Taqdis by al-
Razi

These deal with the so-called ‘difficult’ or ‘ambiguous’ passages on Allah’s Attributes. Generally, all or
most Ta’wilat-books – there are more devoted to this by Ibn al-Labban, Ibn Jama’a, al-Suyuti and so
forth – are similar in content. All early Ta’wilat culminate in al-Razi’s al-Asas al-Taqdis, so studying this
work will cover most.

Advanced level:

1. Al-Shamil fi Usul al-Din by Ibn al-Juwayni

This is the most important Kalami book by Imam al-Haramayn, however, it is not published in full. Large
parts are published and there is a complete abridgment in two volumes, recently published. In this work,
unlike al-Irshad let alone al-‘Aqida al-Nizamiyya, Ibn al-Juwayni introduced philosophy to a Kalam-
manual. He is the first who from the Ash’arites was influenced by philosophy, although not seriously as
some of his students and the later Ash’arite generations. Ibn al-Juwayni appears to be the first to use
the standard epithets for important teachers of the school: Shaykh = al-Ash’ari – Qadi = Ibn al-Baqillani –
Ustadh = Abu Ishaq al-Isfara’ini.

It must be known that Ibn al-Juwayni was criticized for some deviancies by his fellow Ash’arites,
particularly about Allah’s attribute of Knowledge. Malikite-Ash’arites criticized him for that, but also
Ash’arites from the East, including al-Ghazali. In this book, al-Shamil, he presents also some notions
which are misguidance.

2. Al-Ghunya fi al-Kalam by Abu’l-Qasim al-Ansari

This is a Kalam-manual, as those mentioned in the beginning. However, I put this at an advanced level
not because I studied in after I read all those works I mentioned before, but because after I was very
happy to have found the book, I recognized that as a Kalam-manual is quite advanced in terms of
evidences, discussions and so forth. Furthermore, al-Ansari was a direct student of Ibn al-Juwayni and
some have suggested that this work is supposedly based on al-Shamil. Why I have put it behind al-
Shamil, is that al-Ansari cites not only differences of opinion in this manual, but also the different
opinions of his master Imam al-Haramayn alone. Ibn al-Juwayni, if you read his books on ‘Aqida in a
more chronological order (al-Irshad first, al-Shamil later and al-Nizamiyya as last), you will see
differences (some might say: contradictions). The author of al-Ghunya solves these differences, by
explaining that Ibn al-Juwayni adhered to earlier doctrines but now not.

Al-Ansari’s book is also an eye-opener since he – like al-Razi later – is not afraid to deal with the issues
in-depth and judge matters after individual contemplation. Al-Ansari’s book reveals also lot of lost texts
from earlier Ash’arites.

3. Al-Munazarat, al-Matalib al-‘Aliya and al-Mabahith al-Mashriqiyya, al-Arba’in fi Usul al-Din and
Muhassal al-Afkar, all by al-Razi.

It makes no sense to start studying al-Razi’s books first or rely on works that rely mostly on al-Razi’s
studies. If one does this, lot of original Ash’ari theology is lost and one can in fact conclude that this is
not at all Ash’ari theology. Al-Razi is an independent thinker in the Ash’arite school who disagreed a lot
with Ash’arites, deviated from quite a number of Ash’arite (read al-Ash’ari, Ibn al-Baqillani and Ibn
Furak) tenets, and who in addition used quite a different vocabulary and terminology than most of the
early Ash’arites.

If you have not read philosophy, particularly Arabic philosophers such as al-Kindi, al-Farabi and Ibn Sina,
you cannot comprehend anything al-Razi discusses in al-Munazarat, al-Mabahith or most of his writings.
Al-Razi has also older books, written while he was young, such as al-Ishara fi ‘Ilm al-Kalam; recently
published, by never read. This is a work in which he relies more on the early Ash’arites and Ibn al-
Juwayni and deals not so much with Avicennan philosophy.

Now, if you get the time to read and study these works, during your Islamic studies, any layman would-
be Ash'ari claiming you know zilch will probably never learned or read an Ash'ari text at all.