al-Aqaid al-Islamiyya
- Author died
- 1420 AH
- Editions
- Dar Al-Kitab Al-Arabi
al-Aqaid al-Islamiyya (The Islamic Doctrines) is a book on Islamic theology and creed (aqida) authored by the Egyptian scholar and jurist Sayyid Sabiq (d. 1420 AH / 2000 CE) . Written alongside his other works in jurisprudence and Islamic advocacy (dawah), the book presents the fundamentals of Islamic belief in a direct, accessible manner drawn from the Quran and the Sunnah .
Method and Scope
The work approaches theology by presenting Islamic creed in its innate, unadulterated form (al-fitra), seeking to balance rational intellect with emotional spiritual conviction . It intentionally avoids the dry, dialectical argumentation and rigid philosophical logic characteristic of classical scholastic theology (ilm al-kalam), while also steering clear of esoteric extremes . Sabiq emphasizes that genuine knowledge of God is attained through both the mind and the heart, and that such knowledge bears practical fruit in human conduct and character .
Among the core subjects treated in the book are:
- Divine unity (tawhid) and the attributes of God .
- The practical "fruits of faith" (thimar al-iman), notably the liberation of the human soul from subjugation to others, whether in the form of political tyranny from rulers or the clerical tyranny of religious hierarchies .
- Divine decree and predestination (al-qada wa-al-qadr), alongside questions of human free will and compulsion (al-jabr wa-al-ikhtiyar) .
- The relationship between faith and righteous action (al-iman wa-al-amal), sin, repentance, and the reality of the afterlife (al-khulud) .
- Matters of the unseen (al-ghayb) and related ethical and spiritual topics .
Reception and Publication
The work was received positively by contemporary scholars and educators who praised its clarity and its modern pedagogical presentation of Sunni creed, with some critics suggesting its adoption in intermediate educational curricula, such as at al-Azhar, to provide students with a foundational grounding in creed free from polemical encumbrances .
The book has been issued in multiple editions by several publishing houses, including Dar al-Kutub al-Haditha in Cairo, Dar al-Fikr in Beirut (1398 AH / 1978 CE), and Dar al-Kitab al-Arabi in Beirut .
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