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Islamic theology (Arabic: عقيدة‎, ʿAqīdah, plural Arabic: عقائد‎, ʿaqāʾid) is a branch of Islamic studies describing the beliefs of the Islamic faith. Any religious belief system, or creed, can be considered an example of ʿaqīdah. However, this term has taken a significant technical usage in Islamic history and theology, denoting those matters over which Muslims hold conviction. Literally, the word ʿaqīdah is derived from the triconsonantal root ʿqd (ʿaqada), which means "to tie" or "knot".

Muslims enumerate their creed to include the Six articles of belief (called arkān al-īmān). There is a consensus on the elements of this creed across all spectrums as they are clearly articulated in the Qurʾān. While some Muslim groups may hold different beliefs regarding the attributes of God or the purpose of angels, there are no disputes concerning the existence of God, that he has sent his revelation via messengers, and that man will be held to account and rewarded or punished in the after life.

Six articles of belief[link]

In the Hadith of Gabriel, the Islamic prophet Muḥammad explains, "Faith is to affirm your faith in Allah, His angels, His Books, His Messengers and the Last Day, and to believe in the Divine Destiny whether it be good or bad."

The six Sunni articles of belief are:

1. Belief in God (Allāh), the one and only one worthy of all worship (tawhid).
2. Belief in the Angels (malāʾika).
3. Belief in the Books (kutub) sent by Allah^[1] (including the Qurʾān, Gospel and Torah/Tanakh).
4. Belief in all the Messengers (rusul) sent by Allah (including Muḥammad, Jesus, Moses, Abraham, Noah, and Adam)
5. Belief in the Day of Judgment (yawm al-qiyāmah) and in the Resurrection (life after death).
6. Belief in Destiny (Fate) (qadar).

The first five are based on several Qurʾānic creeds including but not limited to the following the verse

"O ye who believe! Believe in Allah and His Messenger, and the scripture which He hath sent to His Messenger and the scripture which He sent to those before (him). Any who denieth Allah, His angels, His Books, His Messengers, and the Day of Judgment, hath gone far, far astray. "

—Qur'an, Sura 4 (An-Nisa), ayat 136^[2]

The sixth point made it into the creed because of the first theological controversy in Islām. 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 ʿadl as the sixth point of belief. This does not mean either that Sunnis deny his justice or that Shiʿites negate his power; it simply reflects a difference in emphasis.

In both the Sunni and the Shiʿi view, having īmān literally means to have belief in the six articles of faith. However, the importance of īmān relies heavily upon reasons. Islam explicitly asserts that belief should be maintained in that which can be proven using faculties of perception and conception.

There is a well-known short formula of creed which summarises the articles of faith, called the Āmantu (“I believe”, cf. Credo).^[3] The text (in one of the slightly differing versions), followed by the shahada is:^[4]

"I believe in (the One) God (Allāh), His angels, His Books, His Messengers and the Last Day, and in the Destiny, from God, whether it be good or bad; and the Resurrection after death is true. I bear witness that there is no god but God (Allāh), and I bear witness that Muhammad is His Servant and His Messenger."

آمَنْتُ بِاللهِ وَمَلَئِكَتِهِ وَكُتُبِهِ وَرُسُلِهِ وَاْليَوْمِ اْلآخِرِ وَبِالْقَدَرِ خَيْرِهِ وَشَرِّهِ مِنَ اللهِ تَعَالَى وَاْلبَعْثُ بَعْدَ اْلمَوْتِ حَقٌّ اَشْهَدُ اَنْ لا اِلَهَ اِلاَّ اَللهُ وَ اَشْهَدُ اَنَّ مُحَمَّداً عَبْدُهُ وُ رَسُولُه
Arabic: Āmantu bi-llāhi wa-malā’ikatihī wa-kutubihī wa-rusulihī wal-l-yawmi l-ākhiri wa-bi-l-qadari khayrihī wa-sharrihī mina-llāhi ta‘ālā, wa-l-ba‘thu ba‘da l-mawti haqq. Ash'hadu an lā ilāha illā-llāh wa-ash'hadu anna Muhammadan ‘abduhū wa-rasūluh.

The Āmantu formula is sometimes written in the calligraphic shape of a "ship of salvation" (safīnat an-najāt), or Âmentü gemisi, the "Āmantu ship," in Turkish.^[5]

Types of theology[link]

Muslim theology is the theology 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.

Kalām[link]

Kalām is the Islamic philosophy 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).

Eschatology[link]

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 human souls, the final judgment of human deeds by Allāh 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.

Comparative religion[link]

Comparative religion in Muslim theology is about the differences and similarities between Muslim theology and other theologies such as Christian, Jewish theologies as explained in the Qur'an and the Prophetic traditions.

Views specific to other Muslim schools[link]

In the history of Muslim theology, there have been theological schools among Muslims displaying both similarities and differences with each other in regard to beliefs.

Shiʿi beliefs and practices[link]

Shiʿi Muslims 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 a both free will and predestination.

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

1. Tawhīd (Oneness): The Oneness of Allah.
2. Adalah (Justice): The Justice of Allah.
3. Nubuwwah (Prophethood): Allah 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. Imamah (Leadership): God has appointed specific leaders to lead and guide mankind — a prophet appoints a custodian of the religion before his demise.
5. Qiyamah (The Day of Judgment): Allah will raise mankind for Judgment

Ismaili beliefs[link]

The branch of Islam known as the Ismāʿīlīs is the second largest Shiʿi community. They observe the following pillars of Islam:

1. Tawhīd
2. Imāmah
3. Nubuwwah
4. Qiyāmah
5. Ṣalāh

Muʿtazilite view[link]

In terms of the relationship between human beings and their creator, Mu'tazilites emphasize human free will over predestination.

Literature pertaining to creed[link]

Many Muslim scholars have attempted to explain Islamic creed in general, or specific aspects of aqidah. The following list contains some of the most well-known literature.

Sunni literature[link]

• al-ʿAqīdah aṭ-Ṭaḥāwiyya or "The Fundamentals of Islamic Creed by the Imām aṭ-Ṭaḥāwī. This has been accepted by almost all Sunnī Muslims (Atharis, Ashʿarīs, Māturīdīs).^[6] A well-known explanation exists by Ibn Abī 'l-ʿIzz, however, his commentary and that by the late Saudi Mufti ʿAbdullāh Ibn Bāz. Several mainstream Sunni scholars have written about the Tahawiyya creed, including a commentary by Ibn al-Seraj al-Dimashqi al-Hanafi called Al-Qala'id fi Sharh il-'Aqa'id
• al-ʿAqīdah al-Wāsiṭiyyah or "The Fundamentals of Islamic Creed as given to the people of Wāsiṭ, Iraq" by Ibn Taymiya.^[7]
• Sharh as Sunnah or the Explanation of the Sunna by Al-Barbahaaree. Lists approximately 170 points pertaining to the fundamentals of Aqidah.
• Khalq Af'aal al-Ibad (The Creation of the acts of Servants) by Bukhari. It shows the opinion of early scholars (Salaf) but it does not cover all topics.
• Ulu??? (MUST BE CORRECTED)) by al-Dhahabī. Details the opinions of early scholars.
• Ibaanah by Abu al-Hasan al-Ash'ari. Accepted by Atharis and early Ash'aris.
• Tahāfut al-Falāsifah, or "The Incoherence of the Philosophers" by Imam al-Ghazali. An Ash'ari refutation of Greek philosophy.

Shia literature[link]

• Shiʿite Islam Muḥammad Ḥusayn al-Ṭabāṭabāʾī: translated by Hossein Nasr; (also reprinted under the title Shi'a.)"
• Root and Branches of Faith by Maqbul Hussein Rahim
• Shi'ism Doctrines, Thought and Spirituality by Hossein Nasr

See also[link]

• Five pillars of Islam
• Islamic eschatology
• Kalam
• Contemporary Islamic philosophy

References[link]

External links[link]

• Six Articles of Islamic Faith A description of the Six Articles of Islamic faith.
• Exhaustive Books & Articles on Aqeedah

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (November 2011)

Hamza Yusuf
Hamza Yusuf at Doha Academy Education Conference in Qatar, 2010.
Born	Mark Hanson 1958 (age 53–54) Walla Walla, Washington, United States
Residence	Northern California, United States
Occupation	Islamic scholar
Religion	Sunni Islam[1][2]
Spouse	Liliana (Umm Yahya) Hanson
Website
Sandala.org

Hamza Yusuf Hanson is an American Islamic scholar^[3][4], and (with Zaid Shakir and Hatem Bazian) is co-founder of Zaytuna College in Berkeley, California, United States. He is a convert to Islam, and is one of the signatories of A Common Word Between Us and You, an open letter by Islamic scholars to Christian leaders, calling for peace and understanding. He has described the 9/11 attacks as "an act of 'mass murder, pure and simple'". Condemning the attacks, he has also stated "Islam was hijacked ... on that plane as an innocent victim".^[5] The Guardian newspaper in the United Kingdom reported that he "is arguably the west's most influential Islamic scholar" and added that "many Muslims find his views hard to stomach."^[6]

Biography[link]

Hamza Yusuf was born to two academics^[7] in Washington State and raised in Northern California. In 1977, he became Muslim and subsequently traveled to the Muslim world and studied for ten years in the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, as well as North and West Africa.^[8] Hamza Yusuf spent four years studying in the United Arab Emirates and elsewhere in the Middle East. Later he traveled to West Africa and studied in Mauritania, Medina, Algeria, and Morocco under such scholars as Murabit al Haaj; Baya bin Salik, head of the Islamic court in Al-'Ain, United Arab Emirates; Muhammad Shaybani, Mufti of Abu Dhabi; Hamad al-Wali; and Muhammad al-Fatrati of Al Azhar University in Cairo, Egypt.^{[citation needed]} After more than a decade abroad, he returned to the United States and earned degrees in nursing from Imperial Valley College and religious studies at San José State University.^{[citation needed]}

Hamza Yusuf is a co-founder of Zaytuna College, located in Berkeley, California. He is an advisor to Stanford University's Program in Islamic Studies and the Center for Islamic Studies at Berkeley's Graduate Theological Union.^{[citation needed]} He also serves as a member of the board of advisors of George Russell's One Nation, a national philanthropic initiative that promotes pluralism and inclusion in America. In addition, he serves as vice-president for the Global Center for Guidance and Renewal, which was founded and is currently presided over by Abdallah Bin Bayyah, one of the top jurists and masters of Islamic sciences in the world.^{[citation needed]}

Hamza Yusuf has promoted Islamic sciences and classical teaching methodologies throughout the world. He has also been an advocate for social justice, peace, and conviviality among peoples and places. For several years, he has argued that the "them versus us" problem is fundamentally flawed, and, in R. D. Laing’s term, a “knot” that will destroy people if they do not extricate themselves from it.^{[citation needed]}

Hamza Yusuf has served as an advisor to many organizations, leaders, and heads of state.^{[citation needed]} He has been an innovator in modern Islamic education^{[citation needed]}, founding the highly imitated Deen Intensives, and with Ibrahim Osi-Efa, he started the first Rihla program in England, which has been running for over fifteen years. Dozens of young Muslims who were influenced by his call to reviving traditional Islamic studies in the West went to the Muslim lands in the nineties and early part of the current decade to study, many of who are now teachers in their own right.^{[citation needed]}

With Eissa Bougari, Hamza Yusuf initiated a media challenge to the Arab world that resulted in a highly successful cultural religious program that he hosted for three years and was one of the most watched programs in the Arab world during Ramadan.^{[citation needed]} Cambridge Media Studies stated that this program had a profound influence on subsequent religious programming in the Arab world. He has also been interviewed on BBC several times and was the subject of a BBC documentary segment The Faces of Islam, ushering in the new millennium, as it aired at 11:30 pm on December 31, 1999. Hamza Yusuf has been an outspoken critic of American foreign policy as well as Islamic extremist responses to those policies.^{[citation needed]}

He has drawn criticism from both the extreme right in the West and Muslim extremists in the East.^[9] He told The Guardian: "Many people in the west do not realise how oppressive some Muslim states are – both for men and for women. This is a cultural issue, not an Islamic one. I would rather live as a Muslim in the west than in most of the Muslim countries, because I think the way Muslims are allowed to live in the west is closer to the Muslim way. A lot of Muslim immigrants feel the same way, which is why they are here."^[10]

He and colleagues founded the Zaytuna Institute in 1996, which has established an international reputation^{[citation needed]} for presenting a classical picture of Islam in the West and which is dedicated to the revival of traditional study methods and the sciences of Islam. Hamza Yusuf currently resides in Northern California with his wife and five children.^{[citation needed]}

Hamza Yusuf has also authored several encyclopedia articles and research papers. His published books include The Burda (2003), Purification of the Heart (2004), The Content of Character (2004), The Creed of Imam al-Tahawi (2007), Agenda to Change our Condition (2007), and Walking on Water (2010). Forthcoming are The Prayer of the Oppressed, and The Helpful Guide.^{[citation needed]}

Hamza Yusuf is the first American lecturer to teach in Morocco's prestigious and oldest university, the University of Al-Karaouine in Fes.^[11] He is married and has five children, all boys.

Critical reception[link]

Jordan's Royal Islamic Strategic Studies Centre placed him on its list of the top 50 most influential Muslims in the world.^{[citation needed]} The magazine Egypt Today described him as a kind of theological rock star, "the Elvis Presley of western Muslims."^[12] Recently, Hamza Yusuf was ranked as "the Western world's most influential Islamic scholar" by The 500 Most Influential Muslims, edited by John Esposito and Ibrahim Kalin, (2009).^[13]

Publications[link]

Books Authored[link]

• The Burda The Burda (2003)
• Purification of the Heart: Signs, Symptoms and Cures of the Spiritual Diseases of the Heart (2004)
• The Content of Character (2004)
• The State We Are In: Identity, Terror, and the Law of Jihad (contributing Author) (2006)
• The Creed of Imam al-Tahawi The Creed of Imam Al-Tahawi (2007)
• Agenda to Change our Condition co-authored with Zaid Shakir (2007)
• Walk on Water: The wisdom of Jesus Walk on Water: The wisdom of Jesus (2010)
• Educating your Child in Modern Times

Books with Foreword or note[link]

• Instruction of the Student: The Method of Learning
• The Prophetic Invocations By Mostafa Al-Badawi

Book Edited with Zaid Shakir[link]

• Submission Faith and Beauty Submission Faith and Beauty, The Religion of Islam by Joseph Lumbard (2009)

Papers[link]

• Caesarean Moon Births Part 1
• Caesarean Moon Births Part 2
• Climbing Mount Purgatorio
• Religion, Violence, and the Modern World
• Generous Tolerance in Islam and its Effects on the Life of a Muslim
• Chess in the Light of the Jurist
• Who are the Disbelievers?

References[link]