al-Itiqad li-Ibn Abi Yala
- Author died
- 526 AH
- Editions
- Dar Atlas al-Khadra'
al-I'tiqad (The Creed) is a concise theological treatise by the Baghdadi Hanbali jurist and biographer Abu al-Husayn Ibn Abi Ya'la (451–526 AH / 1059–1132 CE) . The work articulates the theological positions of the early traditionalist Sunni community (Ahl al-Sunna wa-l-Athar), aligning closely with the creedal framework of Ahmad ibn Hanbal and the author's father, al-Qadi Abu Ya'la .
Background and Purpose
Abu al-Husayn composed the epistle in response to an inquiry asking him to clarify his theological beliefs and religious commitments so that the questioner could adopt them and remain protected from theological innovations and misleading inclinations . In his conclusion, Ibn Abi Ya'la states that the doctrines set forth represent his own faith as well as the convictions maintained by his father throughout his life .
Content and Theological Structure
The treatise presents an overview of core Sunni doctrines without lengthy speculative polemics, relying primarily on scriptural texts, Prophetic traditions, and statements from early authorities:
- Faith and Islam (al-Iman wa-l-Islam): Ibn Abi Ya'la defines faith as verbal affirmation, belief in the heart, and physical actions, which increases with obedience and diminishes with sin . He affirms the legitimacy of istithna' (qualifying one's declaration of faith by adding "if God wills" without expressing doubt) and distinguishes between the terms Islam (the verbal testimonies alongside inner assent) and Iman (encompassing all acts of obedience) .
- Divine Attributes (al-Sifat): The text affirms God's oneness and divine attributes without anthropomorphism (tashbih) or speculative modalization (takyif) . Ibn Abi Ya'la lists attributes mentioned in scripture—including life, knowledge, power, hearing, sight, speech, will, the divine hands, face, shin, descent to the lowest heaven each night, and laughter—warning that anthropomorphizing these attributes constitutes disbelief (kufr), while explaining them away through figurative interpretation (ta'wil) is the doctrine of the Jahmiyya . He maintains that the Qur'an is the uncreated speech of God .
- Predestination (al-Qadar): The work affirms that all events—good and evil—are decreed and willed by God, and that no creature escapes His eternal decree . God commands, loves, and approves of obedience, whereas sins occur by His decree and will, although He neither commands nor loves them .
- Eschatology and the Unseen: The treatise affirms belief in the questioning by Munkar and Nakir, the punishment of the grave, the blowing of the trumpet by Israfil, the resurrection, the Bridge (al-Sirat), the Scales (al-Mizan), the Prophet's Basin (al-Hawd), and intercession (al-Shafa'a) for major sinners among the monotheists . It also upholds the pre-existence and eternity of Paradise and Hell .
- Prophethood, Miracles, and Veneration: The author addresses the miraculous nature of the Qur'an, the Night Journey and Ascension (al-Isra' wa-l-Mi'raj), which he affirms occurred bodily while awake, and the obligation to venerate the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ . He discusses the Praiseworthy Station (al-Maqam al-Mahmud), citing traditional narrations attributed to Mujahid ibn Jabr concerning the Prophet's seating upon the Throne .
- The Companions (al-Sahaba): The text asserts the hierarchical excellence of the four Rightly Guided Caliphs—Abu Bakr al-Siddiq, Umar ibn al-Khattab, Uthman ibn Affan, and Ali ibn Abi Talib—bears witness to the Ten Promised Paradise, mandates invoking mercy upon all Companions, and honors Mu'awiya ibn Abi Sufyan as the scribe of revelation .
- Boycotting Sectarian Movements: The treatise concludes with an explicit mandate to avoid and abandon factions identified by the author as deviating from orthodox Sunni belief, specifically listing the Anthropomorphists (Mushabbiha and Mujassima), Ash'ariyya, Mu'tazila, Rafida, Murji'ah, Qadariyya, Jahmiyya, Kharijites, Salimiyya, and Karramiyya .
Transmission and Editions
The treatise has survived in a unique manuscript preserved in the al-Zahiriyya Library in Damascus (MS 4546), comprising fifteen pages transcribed by the Hanbali jurist Baha' al-Din al-Maqdisi (Abd al-Rahman ibn Ibrahim) in Dhu al-Qa'da 563 AH . The manuscript carries several historical transmission notes (sama'at), documenting readings attended by prominent Hanbali figures such as Abd al-Ghani al-Maqdisi in 563 AH, subsequent transmission sessions in Damascus, Nablus, and Baalbek, as well as later audition entries penned by Yusuf ibn Abd al-Hadi in 897 AH .
The text was edited and annotated by Muhammad ibn Abd al-Rahman al-Khumayyis and published by Dar Atlas al-Khadra' in 1423 AH / 2002 CE, and also appeared as an academic paper in the Journal of the Islamic University of Madinah .
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