The Creed of Imam al-Tahawi is the first
book published by Zaytuna Institute for its Curriculum Series. Translated,
annotated, and introduced by Shaykh Hamza Yusuf, it is a simple yet profound
expression of the essential points of Muslim belief. Imam al-Tahawi’s creed has
achieved an unusual degree of acceptance in the Muslim world, as it avoids
involuted theological issues and systematically presents the most fundamental
aspects of dogmatic theology. Studied throughout the Muslim world and
increasingly in the West, The Creed of Imam al-Tahawi serves as a sound
basis for Islamic faith and is the most reliable of the early articulations of
Muslim belief.
About Imam
al-Tahawi:
Born in Taha in Upper Egypt in 239 AH/853 CE, Imam Abu Ja’far al-Tahawi lived
until 321/933. A first-rate jurist, a brilliant grammarian and philologist, and
an erudite man of letters, Imam al-Tahawi is best known for his eponymous
creed. Known as “al-Azdi,” in reference to the Yemeni clan known as “Azd
al-Hajar,” Imam al-Tahawi was a descendent of a people about whom the Prophet
Muhammad 
said, “Faith is Yemeni.” It is altogether
fitting that the man who penned such a unifying creed descended from the land
of which faith itself is a descendant. Providing seekers of knowledge with a
luminous set of simple and sound statements, his creed is a beacon of certainty
in the darkness of doubt and ambiguity.
About the
Translator:
Hamza Yusuf is an American
convert to Islam who studied for several years under leading scholars in the
Muslim world. He is the co-founder of the Zaytuna Institute in California and
has translated into modern English several classical Arabic texts and poems,
including the latest rendering of the thirteenth-century devotional poem, The
Burda: The Poem of the Cloak. His most recent works include Purification
of the Heart, a translation with commentary of a nineteenth-century text
that examines the spiritual conditions and treatments of the heart; and The
Content of Character, a collection of sayings from the Prophet Muhammad
regarding the essence of character and
behavior. The Creed of Imam al-Tahawi is the first text in the Zaytuna
Curriculum Series.
Appreciation for The
Creed of Imam al-Tahawi
"Shaykh Hamza Yusuf’s is, in my opinion, by far the best rendition to date
of this famous and very important treatise. We can expect no less of a scholar
of the caliber of Shaykh Hamza Yusuf due to his command over his native tongue,
English, as well as his acquired and well-learned Arabic."
- Dr. Nizam Yaquby, Mufti of Bahrain
"Shaykh Hamza
Yusuf has rendered a service not only to Muslims, but also to a wider audience
by his new translation of the Creed of Imam al Tahawi accompanied by an
illuminating historical introduction and by helpful biographies and extensive
notes. His translation is formal without being archaic and is written in a
style that Christians can recognize from their own credal formulations. The
work is of value to others than Muslims, for two reasons: first, it provides in
130 short paragraphs a clear presentation of core Muslim belief in a way that
is not easily available by other means, thereby providing a very positive
instrument for the essential work of dialogue. Secondly, it provides
Christians, who have also developed and continue to use credal formulations, with
the opportunity to see just where the Islamic understanding of God comes close
to the Christian understanding of God. This does much to reduce the credibility
of approaches which insist on a thoroughgoing bipolar understanding of
Christianity and Islam. Muslims and Christians should welcome this
publication."
- Dr. Rowan Williams, Archbishop of Canterbury, UK
"By providing
such an accurate, lucid, and theologically sensitive
translation of Imam Tahawi's creed, Shaykh Hamza Yusuf has rendered a
valuable service to Muslims and non-Muslims alike. This work will take
its rightful place among the great works in the English-language Islamic
library."
- Imam Zaid Shakir, Resident Scholar, Zaytuna Institute
"Hamza Yusuf’s Creed
of Imam al-Tahawi is an important contribution to scholarship and to Muslim
self-understanding. This fluid and accurate translation provides access and
insight into a major scholastic work that sets out core Islamic
beliefs/doctrines. It will be welcomed by Muslim and non-Muslim readers
alike."
- Dr. John L. Esposito, Director, Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Center
for Muslim-Christian Understanding, Georgetown University, Washington, DC.
"Students of
Islam often have little exposure to the basic theological creeds around which
communal and sectarian boundaries were formed for many centuries. Ordinary
Muslims did not study advanced theological treatises, but memorized and defined
themselves by the pithy dogmas advanced in texts like al-Tahawi’s creed. These
creeds address universal questions, as well as issues particularly relevant to
the political and social context of their formulation. Imam al-Tahawi’s creed
is therefore useful both as a record of core and enduring principles of Sunni
theology, as well as a glimpse into some of the dynamics of the early formative
period of Islamic thought. Hamza Yusuf’s eloquent and accurate translation is
especially helpful as it is accompanied by the well-edited original Arabic
text."
- Dr. Ingrid Mattson, President, Islamic Society of North America and
Professor of Islamic Studies, Hartford Seminary, Connecticut
"The Creed of
Imam al-Tahawi is a concise and immensely articulate work. Straight as an
arrow, it treats deep concepts in a condensed, readable way. This book is a
quick guide to the basic doctrine of Islam in its Sunni understanding, worthy
of many re-readings. It glows with the aura of the genuine article."
- Mohamed Zakariya, Calligrapher and Artist, Zakariya Calligraphy
