Al-Aqaid al-Nasafiyya

Al-Aqaid al-Nasafiyya (Arabic: العقائد النسفية) is a classical Islamic creed treatise of the Maturidi school, attributed to the Hanafi scholar Abu Hafs Umar al-Nasafi. Some scholars have suggested Burhan al-Din al-Nasafi [ar] as the author, but most evidence from manuscripts and research supports Abu Hafs Umar al-Nasafi. The work was likely written at the request of Seljuk authorities to present a clear statement of Sunni belief and counter the influence of sects such as the Ismailis. It is considered a summary of Tabsirat al-Adilla by Abu al-Mu'in al-Nasafi, which itself drew on Abu Mansur al-Maturidi's Kitab al-Tawhid. The treatise became widely studied over time, especially after Al-Taftazani wrote the first major commentary, i.e., Sharh al-'Aqa'id al-Nasafiyya, and it was taught for centuries in Ottoman and other madrasas such as Al-Azhar University. Today, it remains a major textbook on Islamic creed in scholarly circles.

Al-Aqaid al-Nasafiyya

1207 AH manuscript excerpt
Author	Abu Hafs Umar al-Nasafi
Original title	العقائد النسفية
Language	Persian and Arabic
Subject	Kalam
Genre	Treatise
Publication place	Seljuk Empire
Media type	Print
Dewey Decimal	297.2
Website	nasafi.org

Compilation

According to some Persian manuscripts preserved in the Maktaba-i Majlis Shura-i Islami Iran, the work was compiled at the request of the Seljuk authorities to unify Sunni beliefs in response to the spread of sects, likely the Ismailis, in the province of Sistan.^[1] The emir of Sistan, Abu al-Fadl, requested Sultan Ahmad Sanjar's assistance, who then instructed the scholars of Samarkand to prepare a treatise outlining the main tenets of Ahl al-Sunna wa al-Jama'a. Abu Hafs Umar al-Nasafi was chosen to undertake this task. After completing the work, he presented it to the scholars of Samarkand, who reviewed its contents, approved its doctrinal positions, and signed the manuscript as a form of endorsement.^[1] The treatise thus became a doctrinal standard, officially recognized by the Seljuk state.^[2] Initially written in Persian, it later circulated widely in Arabic, with an added section (Asbab al-'Ilm, Paths of Knowledge) not present in the Persian version.^[2] The work largely abridges earlier Hanafi creed texts, particularly Abu al-Mu'in al-Nasafi's Tabsirat al-Adilla, which itself systematized Maturidi's Kitab al-Tawhid, making al-Nasafi primarily a compiler and summarizer rather than an independent author.^[2]

Attribution

The authorship of Al-Aqaid al-Nasafiyya has been the subject of scholarly debate. Some, including Abd al-Hayy al-Lucknawi citing Muhammad al-Zurqani's Sharh al-Mawahib al-Ladunniyyah, and Ismail Hakki Izmirli (tr), argued that the treatise was authored by Burhan al-Din al-Nasafi, a scholar of kalam, rather than Abu Hafs Umar al-Nasafi, who was primarily known as a jurist.^[3] However, the majority of scholars and researchers—including Al-Taftazani, the first commentator of the treatise, as well as Kâtip Çelebi, Ismail Pasha, Wensinck (de), and Carl Brockelmann—attribute the work to Abu Hafs Umar al-Nasafi. The oldest manuscript copies consistently ascribe the treatise to him, with no references suggesting Burhan al-Din al-Nasafi's authorship.^[3] One manuscript in the Suleymaniye Library explicitly states, 'This is a book of creed abridged by Abu Hafs Umar al-Nasafi,' indicating that he compiled the text from the creeds of preceding Nasafi scholars. Linguistic and structural similarities between Al-Aqaid al-Nasafiyya and earlier works by Abu al-Muin al-Nasafi, as well as Risala fi al-aqaid by Ibn Abi al-Muayyad Ahmad b. Mahmud al-Nasafi, further support its attribution to Abu Hafs Umar al-Nasafi, who died before Burhan al-Din al-Nasafi (687 AH / 1288 CE).^[3] Recent research by Ibrahim Bayram of Tokat Gaziosmanpaşa University, based on the discovery of the collection Matla al-nujum wa majma al-ulum (facsimile published in 2015), confirms that the creed text included at the beginning of this compendium is identical to Al-Aqaid al-Nasafiyya, effectively resolving doubts about its authorship and establishing Abu Hafs Umar al-Nasafi as its compiler.^[4]

Synopsis

Al-Aqaid al-Nasafiyya begins by affirming the real existence of the world and identifying the sources of knowledge as the senses, reason, and widely transmitted reports (mutawatir khabar). It presents the existence of God through the argument of origination (huduth) and then discusses His attributes. The treatise addresses human actions, human capability (istitāa), provision (rizq), and the appointed term of life (ajal). It also considers life after death, including experiences in the grave, divine questioning, judgment, the balance (mizan), the pool (hawd), and the states of paradise and hell.^[3]

The text continues with discussions on the state of sinners, signs of faith and unbelief, belief in prophets, the prophethood of Muhammad, belief in angels and scriptures, and miracles (karamat). It examines the order of precedence among the noble Companions (tafdil), the imamate, fundamental principles accepted by Ahl al-Sunnah, and the rejection of esoteric interpretations (batini tawils). The treatise also outlines beliefs and actions that lead to unbelief, the signs of the Last Day, and issues such as ijtihad. Finally, it specifies the hierarchy between angels and human beings.^[3]

Methodology

The treatise presents Islamic creed in a concise and clear way, with each statement (faṣl) discussing a separate theological issue.^[5] It uses scriptural evidence (Nass) from the Quran and Sunnah to demonstrate certainty (yaqīn) in matters of faith.^[5] The text explains that nass refers both to clear divine speech and to any statement with an obvious meaning. The treatise addresses the issues of creed with precision (tanqīḥ) and refinement (tahdhīb) and follows an organized order (tanzīm and tartīb) to present core Islamic beliefs in a structured way.^[5]

Legacy

Despite its brevity, Al-Aqaid al-Nasafiyya became influential in Islamic intellectual circles and was widely disseminated beyond the Hanafi school.^[3] According to M.M. Ovezov of the Bulgarian Islamic Academy, perhaps it is one of the most popular works on creed across different schools of thought.^[1]

Historical records and manuscripts preserved in the Topkapi Palace Museum and Suleymaniye libraries indicate that approximately seventy studies were written on the treatise, most of them marginal notes (hashiyas), with more than ten full commentaries (sharh).^[3] Contrary to claims that Al-Taftazani was the only commentator, others also produced commentaries, including Shams al-Din Mahmud b. Abdurrahman al-Isfahani, Abu Abdullah al-Shaykh Zayn al-Din, Mollazade Ahmad b. Osman al-Herawi, Ibn al-Ghars Muhammad b. Muhammad al-Hanafi, Ibn al-Haram al-Andalusi, Ibrahim b. Ibrahim al-Lakani, Abu al-Abbas Shihab al-Din Abdullah b. Muhammad al-Maqari, Muhammad Nur al-Arabi of the Melami order, and Karabash Veli of the Shabaniyya order.^[3] The main commentary remains Al-Taftazani's Sharh al-'Aqa'id al-Nasafiyya, which emphasized the role of reason in theology.^[3] Muhammet Ali KOCA of Yalova University notes that the treatise's recognition outside Samarkand increased particularly through Al-Taftazani,^[6] leading to its inclusion in the madrasa system and its teaching in Ottoman madrasas and at al-Azhar.^[3] Over time, it became a central textbook in the study of creed, a status it retains in various universities and scholarly circles today.^[3]

The work was rendered into Arabic verse by Tajizade Sadi Celebi and Damadzade Ebubekir of Corum, translated into English by Duncan Black MacDonald (Development of Muslim Theology, Jurisprudence and Constitutional Theory, 1903), into German by C.H. Ziegler (Turkischer Catechismus der muhammedanischen Religion, 1792), and into French by Mouradgea d'Ohsson (Tableau général de l'Empire Ottoman).^[3] During the final years of Abdul Hamid II's reign, the section on imamate was removed from printed editions due to political concerns regarding the caliphate and Quraysh lineage.^[3]

Manuscript excerpts

Excerpts from a manuscript copied by Mahmud al-Mulaqqab in 1207 AH (1792–1793 CE), currently preserved at Imam Mohammad Ibn Saud Islamic University.

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See also

• List of Sunni books