Al-Ghazali : The Principles of the Creed

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Al-Ghazali : The Principles of the Creed,
Kitab Qawaid al-'Aqaid, New,
*[A5] Paperback - 167 pages,
by Imam Abu Hamid al-Ghazali,
Book II of the Ihya Ulum al-Din, The Revival of the Religious Sciences,
Translated from the Arabic by Khalid Williams,
Introduction and Notes by James Pavlin,
Published by Fons Vitae, USA.

Back in Stock November 2020

Description :

In the Principles of the Creed, (Kitab qawaid al-aqaid) the second of the forty books of the Revival of the Religious Sciences (Ihya’ ulum al-Din), Imam Abu Hamid al-Ghazali, may Allah be pleased with him, explains the fundamental beliefs of Islam, those that concern faith in God, His Revelation, His Messengers, and the Hereafter.

The scope of these beliefs includes the nature of God, Muhammad’s, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, status as a Prophet, the virtues of the Companions, the events related to the resurrection and judgment, and the nature of faith itself.

This presentation of beliefs goes beyond a list of creedal statements; Imam al-Ghazali cites the scriptural foundations in the Qur'an and hadith, refers to transmitted reports from the Companions and others from the righteous predecessors, and supports these beliefs with rational arguments.

*** In Chapter 1, which presents a succinct summary of the essential aspects of the Muslim creed, the Arabic text appears on facing pages.

*** Chapter 2 discusses how religious instruction should be imparted gradually, the stages and levels of conviction, the ruling on studying debate and theology, the outward and inward creed, and the difference between the two.

*** Chapter 3, the “Jerusalem Epistle on the Principles of the Creed” (al-Risala al-qudsiyya fi qawa’id al-‘aqa’id), is a detailed exposition consisting of four pillars: the recognition of the essence of God, the knowledge of the attributes of God, the knowledge of the acts of God, and belief based on transmitted reports about God from the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace.

*** Chapter 4 examines faith and Islam, what connects and separates them, whether faith can increase and decrease, and whether the predecessors qualified their claims to faith (by saying “God willing”).

Imam Abu Hamid al-Ghazali, may Allah be pleased with him, is generally acclaimed as the most influential thinker of medieval Islam, whose writings have been regarded as the greatest in spirituality and have been, for centuries, the most read work after the Qur'an in the Muslim world.

Khalid Williams studied Arabic and Islamic studies at the University of Leeds, graduating in 2005, and then moved to Morocco to continue his study of traditional Islamic sciences and spirituality in Salé, Fes, Oujda and Nador. His previous translations include Our Master Muhammad by Imam Abdallah Siraj al-Din, Muhammad the Perfect Man by Sayyid Muhammad Alawi al-Maliki, Love in the Holy Qur'an by HRH Ghazi bin Muhammad, and The Qur'an and the Prophet in the Writings of Shaykh Ahmad al-Alawi. He lives in Salé, Morocco with his family.

Table of Contents :

---Editor's Note,
---Biography of Imam al-Ghazali,
---About the Revival of the Religious Sciences,
---Introduction.

The Principles of the Creed - Kitab Qawaid al-'Aqaid,

Chapter [1].
---An Exposition of the Creed of the People of the Sunna [with regard to] the
Two Testimonies of Faith which are One of the Foundations of Islam,
------Unity,
------Transcedence,
------Life and Omnipotence,
------Knowledge,
------Will,
------Hearing and Sight,
------Speech,
------Acts,
------The Meaning of the Second Testimony [of Faith] is,
Bearing Witness to the Messenger of the Message.

Chapter [2].
---On Imparting Religious Instruction Gradually, & the Stages and Levels of Conviction,
------Inquiry on the Ruling on Studying Debate and Theology,
------Inquiry : Is There an Outward Creed and an Inward Creed,
------Inquiry on the Difference Between the Outward and the Inward.

Chapter [3].
---Shining Proofs of the Creed, Entitled ''The Jerusalem Epistle on the Principles of the Creed''
------The First Pillar of Faith : Recognition of the Essence of God, and that God is One,
------The Second Pillar of Faith : Knowledge of the Attributes of God,
------The Third Pillar of Faith : Knowledge of the Acts of God,
------The Fourth Pillar of Faith Belief Based on Transmitted Reports and Believing in what [the Prophet, ?] Conveyed about God.

Chapter [4].
---On Faith [Iman] and Islam, What Connects and Separates Them, Whether Faith Can Increase and Decrease, and Whether the Predecessors Qualified Their Claims to Faith [by Saying "God Willing"],
------Inquiry : Is Islam Identical with Faith (Iman), or Distinct from it ?
------Inquiry : On the Increase and Decrease of Faith,
------Inquiry : Is it Acceptable to Say, " I am a Believer, God Willing."

---Bibliography,
---Indexes,
------Index of Qur'anic Verses,
------Index of Hadith,
------General Index.

---About the contributors.