English Translation of Aqeedah al-Tahawi (Islamic (Sunni) Belief) with Commentary by Maulana Qari Muhammad Tayyab

Imam Tahawi's al-Aqidah, representative of the viewpoint of ahl-al-Sunnah wal-Jama'ah, has long been the most widely acclaimed, and indeed indispensable, reference-work on Muslim beliefs. Being a text on Islamic doctrines, this work draws heavily on arguments set forth in the Holy Qur'an and Sunnah. Likewise, the arguments advanced in refuting the views of sects that have deviated from the Sunnah are also taken from the Holy Qur'an and Sunnah.

It contains references to views of the Shi'ah, Khawarij and such mystics that had departed from the right path. There is an explicit reference in the work to the non-sensical controversy on khalq-al- Qur'an in the times of Ma'mun and some other 'Abbasid Caliphs. While the permanent relevance of the statements of belief in al-Aqidah is obvious, the historical weight of these statements can only be properly appreciated if the work is used as a study text under the guidance of some learned person able to highlight its arguments fully. Such a study will help one understand Islamic doctrines better and avoid deviations.

English Translation by Mufti Afzal Hoosen Elias

About the author/commmentator

Imam Abu Ja'far Ahmad bin Muhammad bin Salamah bin Salmah bin 'Abd al Malik bin Salmah bin Sulaim bin Sulaiman bin Jawab Azdi, popularly known as Imam Tahawi, after his birth-place in Egypt, is among the most outstanding authorities of the Islamic world on Hadith and fiqh (jurisprudence). He lived 239-321 A.H., an epoch when both the direct and indirect disciples of the four Imams - Imam Abu Hanifah, Imam Malik, Imam Shafi'i and Imam Ahmad bin Hanbal - were teaching and practicing. This period was the zenith of Hadith and fiqh studies, and Imam Tahawi studied with all the living authorities of the day. He began as a student of his maternal uncle, Isma'il bin Yahya Muzni, a leading disciple of Imam Shafi'i. Instinctively, however, Imam Tahawi felt drawn to the corpus of Imam Abu Hanifah's works. Indeed, he had seen his uncle and teacher turning to the works of Hanafi scholars to resolve thorny issues of Fiqh, drawing heavily on the writings of Imam Muhammad Ibn al-Hasan al-Shaybani and Imam Abu Yusuf, who had codified Hanafi fiqh. This led Imam Tahawi to devote his whole attention to studying the Hanafi works and he eventually joined the Hanafi school.

Imam Tahawi stands out not only as a prominent follower of the Hanafi school but, in view of his vast erudition and remarkable powers of assimilation, as one of its leading scholars. His monumental scholarly works, such as Sharh Ma'ani al-Athar and Mushkil al-Athar, are encyclopaedic in scope and have long been regarded as indispensable for training students of fiqh.

Maulana Qari Muhammad Tayyab was the grandson of Maulana Qasim Nanotwi, the founder of Darul Uloom Deoband (One of the established Islamic Institutes in the world) He graduated from Darul Uloom Deoband in 1336 Ah (1918.)

His teachers include Mufti Azizur Rahman, Maulana Habibur Rahman Uthmani, Allamah Shabbir Ahmad Uthmani, Maulana Asghar Hussain and Allamah Anwar Shah Kashmiri may Allah Have mercy on them all. He recieved spiritual guidance from the likes of Shaykh al-Hind Maulana Mahmood Hasan and Maulana Ashraf Ali Thanwi may Allah Have mercy on them both .

He was the principal of Darul Uloom Deoband for a period of 40 years during which the Darul Uloom progressed tremendously. Qari Muhammad Tayyab was an outstanding orator and was able to speak on any Islamic subject for hours and hours.

He passed away in the month of Shawwal 1403 AH (July 1983)

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