The text of Imam Tahawi's Aqida is widely accepted as a sound and reliable source of the Aqida of Ahl al-Sunnah wa'l-Jamaa'ah and represents what the majority of Muslims have believed for over 1,400 years and continue to believe today.
In the Name of Allah, the Merciful, the Compassionate.
In a time when Muslims are unable to unite, it is important to know what the majority of our Community has believed for over 1,400 years.
Today we are overwhelmed with misinformation and bombarded by western ideologies; this causes confusion about our identity and beliefs. Many, if not most, who grow up under modern circumstances are not even aware of what to believe.
The Aqida of Imam Tahawi (239-321 A.H.), also known as the Aqida of Ahl al-Sunnah wa'l-Jamaa'ah, represents the beliefs of the majority and is reproduced here so everyone has an easy way to reference what the beliefs of Sunni Muslims are (it can be said to represent the creed of both Asharis and Maturidis). A discussion on theology and doctrine is not the goal of this website. It's there, because sometimes we have to read, and re-read, so that that we can remember and continue to remind ourselves of what we believe in and how to live it.
This text has been reproduced here from Book 1 (Beliefs) of Mawalana Shaykh Hisham Kabbani's (may Allah (ﷻ) grant him a higher station) Encyclopedia of Islamic Doctrine in the hope that it will be a useful resource for all Muslims. Shaykh Hisham says: "While the permanent relevance of the statements of belief in Al-Aqida is clear, the historical weight of the statements can be properly appreciated only if the work is studied with the guidance of some learned person." Please keep this in mind when reading the text.
May Allah (ﷻ) grant him a higher station and more blessings for his efforts in making this available to those of little understanding like us, may He bless Imam Tahawi for penning this Aqida, and may He grant us the ability to understand, unite, and live it.
May Allah (ﷻ) forgive us for any mistakes, may He accept from us, and may He guide us all to the Straight Path.
In the Name of Allah, the Merciful, the Compassionate.
Praise be to Allah, Lord of the Worlds.
The great scholar Hujjat al-Islam Abu Jafar al-Warraq al-Tahawi al-Misri, may Allah ﷻ have mercy on him, said:
This is a presentation of the beliefs of the Sunnis, according to the school of the jurists of this religion Abu Hanifa al-Numan ibn Thabit al-Kufi, Abu Yusuf Ya'qub ibn Ibrahim al-Ansari and Abu Abd Allah Muhammad ibn al-Hasan al-Shaybani. May Allah be pleased with them all, and with what they believe regarding the fundamentals of the religion and their faith in the Lord of the worlds.
We say about Allah's (ﷻ) unity, believing by Allah's (ﷻ) help that:
We ask Allah (ﷻ) to make us firm in our belief and seal our lives with it and to protect us from the variant ideas, scattering opinions and evil schools of view such as those of the Mushabbiha, the Mutazila, the Jamhiyya, the Jabriyya, the Qadariyya, and others like them who go against the sunna and Sunnis and have allied themselves with error. We renounce any connection with them and in our opinion they are in error and on the path of deviation. We ask Allah (ﷻ) to protect us from all falsehood and we ask His Grace and Favour to do all good.
Meanings and pronunciation of Arabic unicode characters used in the text.