Principles of the Creed, Book 2 of Ihya ulum al-din

Al-Ghazali, Khalid Williams (tr.)

Paperback

9781941610169

In the Principles of the Creed (Kitab qawaid al-aqaid), second of the forty books of the Revival of the Religious Sciences (Ihya’ ulum al-din), Abu Hamid al-Ghazali explains the fundamental beliefs of Islam, those that concern faith in God, His revelation, His messengers, and the hereafter. The scope of these beliefs includes the nature of God, Muhammad’s status as a prophet, the virtues of the Companions, the events related to the resurrection and judgment, and the nature of faith itself. This presentation of beliefs goes beyond a list of creedal statements; al-Ghazali cites the scriptural foundations in the Quran and hadith, refers to transmitted reports from the Companions and others from the righteous predecessors, and supports these beliefs with rational arguments.

Contents:

1: An Exposition of the Creed of the People of the Sunna [with regard to] the Two Testimonies of Faith, which are One of the Foundations of Islam

2: On Imparting Religious Instruction Gradually, and the Stages and Levels of Conviction

3: Shining Proofs of the Creed, Entitled "The Jerusalem Epistle on the Principles of the Creed"

4: On Faith (Iman) and Islam, What Connects and Separates Them, Whether Faith Can Increase and Decrease, and Whether the Predecessors Qualified Their Claims to Faith [by Saying "God Willing"]