al-Aqida fi Allah
- Author died
- 1433 AH
- Editions
- Dar Al-Nafaes for Publishing and Distribution
al-Aqida fi Allah (The Creed Concerning Allah) is a contemporary Sunni theological treatise authored by the Palestinian-Jordanian Islamic scholar Umar Sulayman al-Ashqar (d. 1433 AH / 2012 CE) . It serves as the opening installment of his multi-volume theological curriculum, al-Aqida fi Daw' al-Kitab wa-al-Sunna (Creed in the Light of the Quran and Sunna) .
Subject Matter and Scope
The book is devoted to expounding the primary pillar of Islamic faith: belief in Allah . It addresses the terminology and definitions surrounding ʿaqīda (theological creed) and tawḥīd (monotheism), outlining how historical usage evolved from terms such as al-sunna, al-sharīʿa, and uṣūl al-dīn to modern classifications .
The text covers belief in the existence and oneness of Allah, His Lordship (rubūbiyya), His exclusive right to worship (ulūhiyya), and His divine names and attributes (al-asmāʾ wa-al-ṣifāt) . In its exposition of the divine attributes—such as the attribute of the Face (al-Wajh)—the work adheres to the mainstream traditional Sunni position of affirming what is established in the Quran and the Sunna in a real manner befitting the Creator, without distortion (taḥrīf), divestment (taʿṭīl), speculation about modality (takyīf), or anthropomorphic resemblance (tamthīl) .
Method and Structure
Al-Ashqar frames the work within his broader pedagogical approach to creed, which differentiates between the essential knowledge of faith—derived directly from the Quran and the authentic Sunna—and the supplementary dialectical rules formulated by later scholars to defend orthodoxy . The book prioritizes systematic textual evidences over scholastic theological (kalām) debate, presenting theological doctrine in clear, accessible language aimed at cultivating faith and understanding in modern readers .
Publication History and Reception
The book has been printed in multiple editions across the Middle East. Early editions were issued jointly by Dar al-Nafa'is in Beirut and Maktabat al-Falah in Kuwait (such as the second edition in 1979 CE) . Subsequent editions were published by Dar al-Nafa'is in Amman, Jordan, including printings in 1414 AH (1994 CE), 1415 AH, and 1419 AH .
Al-Aqida fi Allah and the accompanying series are widely cited in contemporary Islamic scholarship and frequently recommended in formal educational curricula as an entry-level doctrinal textbook for students of Islamic knowledge .
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