Itiqad al-Aimma al-Arbaa
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- Dār al-‘Āṣimah
Itiqad al-Aimma al-Arbaa (The Creed of the Four Imams) is a theological treatise written by the contemporary Saudi scholar Muhammad ibn Abd al-Rahman al-Khamis, dedicated to outlining the creed of the four eponymous imams of Islamic jurisprudence—Abu Hanifa, Malik ibn Anas, al-Shafi'i, and Ahmad ibn Hanbal—and demonstrating their shared consensus in the fundamentals of faith ( usul al-din ) .
Background and Composition
The book originated from al-Khamis's doctoral dissertation, Usul al-Din ind al-Imam Abi Hanifa (The Fundamentals of Religion according to Imam Abu Hanifa) . In the introduction to that research, the author had incorporated a summary of the beliefs of the other three imams: Malik, al-Shafi'i, and Ahmad . After colleagues suggested publishing the creed of those three imams independently, al-Khamis decided to combine that summary with an abridged presentation of his findings on Abu Hanifa's creed to produce a single comprehensive work covering all four imams .
Content and Structure
The treatise is organized into thematic sections that present the theological positions transmitted from the four imams through traditional sources:
- The Unity of the Imams' Creed: The work opens with an introductory chapter asserting that the four imams held a unified belief regarding the fundamentals of religion that is derived from the Quran, the Sunnah, and the consensus of the early generations ( al-salaf ), citing corroborating assessments from scholars such as Ibn Taymiyya and Siddiq Hasan Khan .
- The Creed of Abu Hanifa: The author details Abu Hanifa's positions on monotheism ( tawhid ), lawful supplication versus prohibited forms of intercession ( tawassul ), the affirmation of divine attributes without modality ( bi-la kayf ) alongside the refutation of the Jahmiyya, the divine decree ( al-qadar ), the status of the Companions, and his condemnation of speculative theology ( ilm al-kalam ) . The author notes that Abu Hanifa diverged from the other imams on the technical definition of faith ( iman ) by restricting it to inward assent and verbal confession and maintaining that it neither increases nor decreases .
- The Creeds of Malik, al-Shafi'i, and Ahmad: The subsequent sections compile authentic transmissions from Malik ibn Anas, Muhammad ibn Idris al-Shafi'i, and Ahmad ibn Hanbal concerning the affirmation of Allah's attributes, Allah's aboveness and ascension over the Throne ( al-istiwa ), the uncreated nature of the Quran, the divine decree, the definition of faith as speech and action, and their strict censure of kalam .
Publication
The book was published in a single volume by Dar al-Asima in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, with its first edition appearing in 1412 AH (1992 CE) .
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