A Blog for Muslim Educators By Ramzy Ajem, Executive Director of Risalah.ca

Aqidatul-Awaam is a poem on the tenets of Islamic belief (Iman) for beginners. The accuracy of the Arabic text, its grammar and vowel markings has been painstakingly checked and verified by Shaykh Dr.Moaaz Safwat Salem through the use of various copies and commentaries. The poem consists of fifty-seven lines in Bahr al-Rajaz (a common metre in classical Arabic poetry). The text is written to facilitate easy memorization and comprehension for the novice. Sections outlining what is necessary, impossible and possible of God and His Messengers are articulated in the way of the Ash`ari theologians but without recourse to rational evidences. The text then continues to elaborate on the six pillars of Iman guiding the reader through a beginner's level of detail, and then concludes with a brief prophetic biography.

It has been reported by the author that the Prophet ﷺ instructed him in a dream to recite the poem from the beginning until this line: "وَصُحُفُ ٱلْخَــلِيلِ وَٱلْكَــلِيمِ فِيــهَا كَـــلَامُ ٱلْحَكَمِ ٱلْعَـــلِيمِ". He then awoke from the dream having memorized it. On another occasion while asleep, he saw the Prophet ﷺ again which prompted the Shaykh to recite the poem back to him ﷺ before his companions. After reciting every line they said, "ameen!" Later, when people started to learn the poem from the Shaykh and inquired about its meanings, he found it necessary to add more to the poem. Hence, the Shaykh added line 27 "وَكُــلُّ مَــــا بِـــهِ أَتَى ٱلرَّسُـــولُ فَــحَــقُّــهُ ٱلــتَّــسْــلِيــمُ وَٱلْــقَُــبُــولُ" onwards until the end of the poem making it fifty-seven lines.

I have divided the poem into sections, added subject headings to each, and followed it with questions and answers to help my students at Dar al-Burhan comprehend what they memorize of the poem. I have refrained from translating the poem into English in order help students rely on the original Arabic for a general comprehension. The forty-five questions and answers serve as a commentary for students and a teaching tool for teachers. I ask Allah Most High to grant benefit to those who memorize the poem and study the addendum that this needy servant, Ramzy Ajem (may Allah forgive him), has authored.

Posted by: Ramzy Ajem

Aqidatul-Awaam Text

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Imam Sanusi's Umm al-Barahin - Ramzy Ajem

12/2/2022

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The Mother of Proofs is a primer text, also known as The Succinct Sanusi Creed, authored by Imam Abu Abdullah Muhammad ibn Yusuf al-Sanusi al-Hasani (832 - 895 AH), may Allah have mercy on him, and bring us benefit by him and his knowledge. It has been translated into English by Ramzy Ajem, may Allah forgive him.

The Text

Name: Umm al-Barahin (The Mother of Proofs)
AKA: Matn al-Sanusiya or al-Aqida al-Sanusiya
Length: 10-15 pages
Content: Al-Ilahiyat, Al-Nubuwat, Sam`iyat
Curriculum Level: Intermediate study and relied upon text in Islamic theology for the past 500 years within the Sunni world (Azhar, Zaytuna, Qarawiyin, and institutions throughout Africa, Middle East and Malaysia).
Translation: The Succinct Sanusi Creed: Umm al-Barahin (v2.8 near-final draft)
Translator: Ramzy Ajem

The Author of the Text

Teknonymy (kunya): Abu Abd Allah
Name: Muhammad
Father’s Name: Yusuf ibn Umar ibn Shu`ayb
Last Name: Al-Sanusi (attributed to a Moroccan tribe Bani Sanus)
Lineage: Hasani (from father’s mother)
Date of Birth: ~830 AH / ~1430 AD
Region: Telmecan, Algeria
Jurisprudential School: Maliki
Theological School: Ashari
Scholarly Status: Recognized as among leading theological scholars of Ahl al-Sunna wal-Jama`a
Published Works in: Theology, Fiqh, Tasawwuf, Legal Theory, Astronomy, Logic, The Seven Variants of Quranic Readings, & Commentaries on Hadith
Political Context: Zayyanid dynasty (Ziyānyūn زيانيون) in Tlemcen & Ottoman Empire in the East
Contemporaries: Al-Sharif Al-Jurjani, Al-Qastallani, Al-Suyut, 'Ala' al-Din al-Bukhari
Prominent Teachers: Among many is Imam Abu Abdallah Muhammad ibn al-Abbas al-Abbadi (d.871 AH)
Prominent Students: Among many is Imam Sayid Ahmad “Zarruq” ibn Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Isa Al-Barnusi Al-Fasi (d. 899 AH)

Posted by: Ramzy Ajem

Umm Al-Barahin Text

Sample Slides for Umm al-Barahin

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Al-Ghazali's Qawa`id al-`Aqa'id (A Student's Guide) - Ramzy Ajem

12/1/2022

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Section I : Al-Ilāhiyāt On Knowledge of The Divinity

THE NECESSITIES REGARDING THE DIVINITY
Below, in the order of the text, are the principle divine attributes of perfection. The mukallaf is responsible for knowing that they are necessary of God and that their opposites are impossible of Him, meaning that the divine nature necessarily entails, above all, these twenty attributes:

a) The first pertains exclusively to the Entity (al-dhāt), termed as as-Sifa an-Nafsiyya (the Self-Signifying Attribute) because Being refers to the very entity of God and not to any ‘added meaning’ that an attribute would normally denote.
1. Being (al-Wujūd)

b) The next five attributes are termed as-Sifāt as-Silbiyya (the Negating Attributes), termed as such because their denotations primarily involve negating qualities that do not apply to the Divinity.
2. Unicity (al-Wahdāniyya)
3. Beginninglessness (al-Qidam)
4. Endlessness (al-Baqā’)
5. Self-Subsistence (al-Qiyām bin-Nafs)
6. Transcendence (al-Mukhālafa lil-hawādith)

c) The next seven attributes are referred to as Sifātal-Ma`āniy (the Existential Attributes), termed as such because their meanings are positive (wujūdi). Each attribute is a real quality by which the Divinity is eternally characterized.
7. Life (al-Hayāt)
8. Power (al-Qudra)
9. Knowledge (al-`Ilm)
10. Will (al-Irāda)
11. Hearing (as-Sami`)
12. Sight (al-Basar )
13. Speech (al-Kalām)

d) The above seven attributes entail by necessity the as-Sifāt al-Ma`anawiyah (the Quasi Attributes), termed as such because they are names and not attributes (strictly speaking). These attributes are entailed by the Existential Attributes.
14. Living (Hayy)
15. Powerful (Qādir)
16. Knowing (`Ālim)
17. Willing (Murīd)
18. Hearing (Samī`)
19. Seeing (Basīr)
20. Speaking (Mutakallim)...

DOWNLOAD The student's guide

Posted by: Ramzy Ajem

Shaykh Ramzy Ajem, Imam Ramzy Ajem, Risalah Foundation, Masjid Vaughan, Vaughan Masjid, ramzy ajem

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What is Ethical Rationalism? Answered by Ramzy Ajem

Who is accountable for knowledge and belief in God? Answered by Ramzy Ajem

What is the first obligation in Islam? Answered by Ramzy Ajem

Is it a Religous Obligation in Islam to Know God? Answered by Ramzy Ajem

What are the Logical Rulings of Necessity, Impossibility & Possibility? Answered by Ramzy Ajem

What are legal, empirical and logical rulings? Answered by Ramzy Ajem

What are the means of knowing? Answered by Ramzy Ajem

What does it mean to know something? Answered by Ramzy Ajem

Who is the Author of Umm Al-Barahin? Answered by: Ramzy Ajem

What Are the Three Pillars of Religion? Answered By Ramzy Ajem

What is the significance of knowledge in Islam? Answered by Ramzy Ajem

Aqidatul-Awaam Student's Guide - Ramzy Ajem

Posted by: Ramzy Ajem

Imam Sanusi's Umm al-Barahin - Ramzy Ajem

Posted by: Ramzy Ajem

Al-Ghazali's Qawa`id al-`Aqa'id (A Student's Guide) - Ramzy Ajem

Posted by: Ramzy Ajem

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“Verily, God did not send me to engage others forcefully nor to bring difficulty, rather He sent me as a teacher who brings ease.” –The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ