al-Itiqad al-Qadiri - Nuskha Elektroniya

Al-I'tiqad al-Qadiri (Arabic: الاعتقاد القادري, The Qadiri Creed) is a concise Sunni theological treatise promulgated under the Abbasid caliphate in the early fifth century AH, defining orthodox Sunni doctrine and polemicizing against rival theological groups al-Itiqad al-Qadiri - Maj…+1.

Authorship and Historical Background

The creed is named after the Abbasid Caliph al-Qadir bi-Allah (r. 381–422 AH / 991–1031 CE), to whom most classical historians—including al-Khatib al-Baghdadi, Ibn al-Salah, al-Safadi, al-Isnawi, Ibn Kathir, and al-Suyuti—attribute its authorship al-Itiqad al-Qadiri - Maj…+1. However, Ibn Taymiyyah reported that the text was originally composed by the earlier traditionalist scholar Abu Ahmad al-Karji al-Qassab (d. c. 360 AH), and that Caliph al-Qadir transcribed, adopted, and issued it as the caliphate's official creed al-Itiqad al-Qadiri - Maj…+1.

The promulgation took place around 420 AH during an era of caliphal efforts to assert Sunni authority against the rival Fatimid (Ubaydid) state and suppress rationalist and sectarian movements, including the Mu'tazila and the Rafida al-Itiqad al-Qadiri - Maj…+1. Although historical accounts by al-Dhahabi and Ibn al-Jawzi describe lengthy assemblies convened in Sha'ban, Ramadan, and Dhu al-Qi'dah of 420 AH where long books were read—incorporating admonitions, reports on the Prophet's death, the merits of the Companions, and accounts of the debate between Abd al-Aziz al-Kinani and Bishr al-Marisi—the specific core text of the creed itself spans only a few pages al-Itiqad al-Qadiri - Maj…+1.

Theological Doctrines

The text sets forth the articles of faith according to the traditionist (Ahl al-Hadith) methodology, emphasizing distinctions between Sunnism and opposing theological schools al-Itiqad al-Qadiri - Maj…+1:

• Tawhid and Divine Transcendence: The creed opens with the affirmation that Allah is One without partner, who neither begets nor was begotten, has neither spouse nor child, is eternal without beginning and enduring without end, and is free from need al-Itiqad al-Qadiri - Maj…+1. It asserts that Allah created everything by His power and created the Throne not out of need, then ascended over it (istawa) as He willed, without bodily rest (la istiwa' rahah) al-Itiqad al-Qadiri - Maj…+1.
• Divine Attributes: It affirms that Allah is described only as He described Himself or as His Prophet described Him, and that all Divine attributes (such as knowledge, power, hearing, sight, and speech) are real (haqiqiyyah) and not metaphorical (la majaziyyah), without resemblance to created faculties Tarikh al-Islam+1.
• The Quran: The text explicitly states that the Quran is the uncreated speech of Allah, literally spoken by Him, heard directly by Gabriel, and conveyed to the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ Tarikh al-Islam+1. It maintains that the Quran remains uncreated in all states—whether recited (matluwwan), memorized (mahfuzan), written (maktuban), or heard (masmu'an)—and declares that anyone who asserts its createdness is an unbeliever Tarikh al-Islam+1.
• Faith (Iman): Faith is defined as statement, action, and intention, which increases through obedience and decreases through disobedience Tarikh al-Islam+1.
• The Companions: It establishes the obligation to love the Companions of the Prophet, ranking the four Rightly Guided Caliphs in order of merit: Abu Bakr, Umar ibn al-Khattab, Uthman ibn Affan, and Ali ibn Abi Talib Tarikh al-Islam+1. It warns that anyone who reviles Aisha has no share in Islam, forbids speaking ill of Mu'awiya, and commands refraining from disputes regarding the conflicts that arose among the Companions Tarikh al-Islam+1.

Public Readings and Reception

The text was officially preserved and read aloud in assemblies and public halls across Baghdad during times of theological dispute al-Itiqad al-Qadiri - Nus…+1. In the 430s AH (specifically 433 AH), Caliph al-Qa'im bi-Amr Allah reissued his father's creed and had it read in the caliphal court (al-diwan) before scholars and ascetics al-Itiqad al-Qadiri - Nus…+1. Among those present was the ascetic Shaykh Abu al-Hasan Ali ibn Umar al-Qazwini, who endorsed it in writing below the document before the jurists affixed their signatures confirming: "This is the creed of the Muslims; whoever opposes it has deviated, sinned, and disbelieved" al-Itiqad al-Qadiri - Nus…+1.

In Jumada al-Ula 460 AH, traditionalists and jurists again gathered at the caliphal divan to demand the public reading of the Qadiri and Qa'imi creeds to suppress public teaching by the Mu'tazilite scholar Ibn al-Walid al-Itiqad al-Qadiri - Nus…. The text was preserved in full by Ibn al-Jawzi in his chronicle al-Muntazam fi Tarikh al-Muluk wa-al-Umam and cited by later scholars including al-Dhahabi and Ibn Taymiyyah al-Itiqad al-Qadiri - Maj…+1.