The Essentials of Belief (‘Aqidah)

This course has finished for the summer. Make sure you are on our mailing list to stay informed about our next term and upcoming events. You can also join our Telegram group here.

What does it mean for a Muslim to be a believer? And how do we know what to believe?

This year-long course, delivered over 30 lessons, will answer to these two important questions. Students will learn how scholarly Islam uses both rational arguments as well as spiritual insight to understand God's existence, our existence, and creation intelligibly.

The particulars of Aqīdah will be studied by drawing on both the theological and spiritual traditions of Islam, for each complements the other. The discipline of 'Aqīdah provides theological frameworks on how to think about God, His attributes and related issues. The spiritual dimension gives the context in which those frames become relevant. The purpose is to bring together these two cognitive disciplines in a synthesized way, which leads to a realized connection with God and His creation. This is how a believer comes to fully understand the statement of the Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace), when he was asked, 'What is excellence (ihsān)?', and he replied, ‘That you worship Allah as though you see Him and if you do not see Him know that He sees you’.

In Spring Term 2022, we will explore a Muslim's beliefs regarding prophets and the moral requirements for prophethood. Particular attention will be given to matters of faith relating to the unseen and events in the hereafter.