Islamic Creed of Imam Tahawi

Al-'Aqidah At-Tahawiyyah — the Islamic Creed of Imam Tahawi — presents the foundational beliefs of orthodox Sunni Islam. Imam Tahawi, a renowned scholar of the ninth century, wrote this creed to clarify the essential beliefs held by Ahl as-Sunnah wal-Jama'ah, the people of the Sunnah and the community.

Why This Particular Text

Because of how widely it is accepted. Imam Tahawi was a Hanafi jurist, and his creed is nonetheless taught and endorsed across the schools — which is unusual, and which is why it has served for eleven centuries as a common statement of what Sunni Muslims hold.

He opens by saying that this is the belief of the people of the Sunnah according to the madhhab of Abu Hanifah, Abu Yusuf and Muhammad ash-Shaybani, and then proceeds to state positions that Malikis, Shafi'is and Hanbalis recognized as their own.

What It Covers

The Oneness of Allah and His attributes. The Qur'an as His uncreated speech. Prophethood and the finality of Muhammad ﷺ. Divine decree. The vision of Allah in the Hereafter. Faith and what affects it. The standing of the Companions. And the errors it was written against, named directly.

Why It Is Short

Deliberately. It was written to be read, memorized and taught — a compact statement a Muslim could hold entire rather than a treatise he would consult.

Who It Is For

Any Muslim wanting a reliable statement of Sunni belief in a form short enough to actually finish. Also students, for whom it is a standard first text in creed.

Related Reading

• The Creed of the Four Imams — the creed of the four Imams
• The Ha'iyya of Ibn Abi Dawud — the Ha'iyya of Ibn Abi Dawud
• A Summary of the Creed of As-Salaf As-Salih — the creed of the Salaf, summarized