al-Aqaid al-Islamiyya li-Ibn Badis
- Author died
- 1359 AH
- Editions
- Maktabat al-Sharikah al-Jazā’iriyyah Marāziqah Bū Dāwūd wa-Shurakā’uhum
al-Aqaid al-Islamiyya (full title: al-Aqaid al-Islamiyya min al-Ayat al-Qur'aniyya wal-Ahadith al-Nabawiyya, "Islamic Creeds from Quranic Verses and Prophetic Hadiths") is a concise theological treatise by the Algerian reformist scholar Abd al-Hamid ibn Badis (1308–1359 AH / 1889–1940 CE), setting forth the foundational tenets of Islamic belief directly substantiated by scriptural texts .
Background and Composition
The material for the book originated as a series of instructional lectures delivered by Ibn Badis to students at the Green Mosque (al-Jami' al-Akhdar) in Constantine . These lessons were designed to educate Algerian youth on a scriptural, Salafi method of creed prior to the formal establishment of the Association of Algerian Muslim Scholars, later serving as the doctrinal foundation and educational curriculum for the association's broader religious reform movement .
The lectures were preserved, transcribed, and annotated by one of his students, Muhammad al-Salih Ramadan, a former director of religious education in Algeria's Ministry of Awqaf . The compiled text was first printed in 1964 with an introduction contributed by the president of the Association of Algerian Muslim Scholars, Muhammad al-Bashir al-Ibrahimi, followed by a second edition prepared in Shawwal 1385 AH (January 1966 CE) .
Structure and Contents
The book opens with an introductory sermon (iftitah) following the standard opening formula that Ibn Badis used in his regular public lectures . The subsequent content is arranged systematically around the fundamental principles and articles of faith:
- Principles of Islam (Qawa'id al-Islam): A detailed exposition of the five pillars of Islam, defining the concepts of Islam, Iman (faith), and Ihsan (excellence), and discussing the interconnection of internal belief, verbal profession, and physical deeds .
- Belief in God (al-Iman billah): Covering divine affirmation and transcendence (al-ithbat wal-tanzih), as well as doctrinal and practical monotheism (al-tawhid al-ilmi wal-amali) .
- Belief in Divine Decree (al-Iman bil-Qadar): Addressing belief in predestination alongside diligent action and adherence to the sacred law, arguing through divine decree, caution, and God's wisdom and justice in decree .
- Belief in Angels and Scriptures: Encompassing belief in the angels and the revealed scriptures, the unique divine preservation of the Quran, the Quran as universal guidance for humanity, and the obligation of accepting the Prophetic Sunnah as part of believing in the Quran .
- Belief in the Messengers: Outlining divine support for prophets through clear signs and miracles, their high rank coupled with complete servanthood to God, proper etiquette regarding matters in which they were admonished or sought forgiveness, and the universality and finality of the message of Muhammad ﷺ .
- Belief in the Last Day (al-Iman bil-Yawm al-Akhir): Detailing the cessation of worldly existence, the resurrection (al-ba'th), the weighing of deeds and divine reckoning, the traverse (al-sirat), the abode of punishment (Dar al-Adhab), and the abode of bliss (Dar al-Na'im) .
Method and Reception
Ibn Badis's pedagogical method in the work relies upon presenting theological tenets directly through verses of the Quran and authentic Prophetic hadiths . In his introduction, al-Bashir al-Ibrahimi contrasted this scriptural methodology with scholastic theological manuals prevalent in North Africa—such as al-Sanusi's al-Aqida al-Sughra and its dialectical proofs for God's existence through the temporal origination of the world—praising the work as an exemplary model for cultivating sound monotheism and urging schools and Muslim families to adopt it as a foundational teaching text for the young .
Answer updated