In his article on Creed for Brill’s Encyclopedia of Islam third edition Jon Hover writes: One of the most influential Ḥanafī creeds is the ʿAqāʾid (“Articles of the creed”) of the Māturīdī theologian Najm al-Dīn al-Nasafī (d. 537/1142). This creed differs from earlier creeds in that it begins with epistemological and metaphysical claims typical of kalām theology before…
editions
Editions of the al-ʿaqaīda al-Nasafiyya There are many many editions of Nasafi’s creed (al-ʿaqaīda al-Nasafiyya) in circulation for as soon as it was released it was widely circulated therefore a discussion of the many published editions of this work is in order. . This work continued to be popular into the modern period even as soon as Modern…
[God and the creation of the world]-012
[God and the creation of the world] وَالمُحْدِثُ لِلْعَالَمِ هُوَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى، اَلْوَاحِدُ، الْقَدِيمُ، الحَيُّ، الْقَادِرُ، الْعَلِيمُ، السَّمِيعُ، الْبَصِيُر، الشَّائِي، المُرِيدُ لَيْسَ بِعَرَضٍ، وَلاَ جِسْمٍ، وَلاَ جَوْهَرٍ، وَلاَ مُصَوَّرٍ، وَلاَ مَحْدُودٍ، وَلاَ مَعْدُودٍ، وَلاَ مُتَبَعِّضً، وَلاَ مُتَجَزَّ، وَلاَ مُتَرَكِّبٍ، وَلاَ مُتَنَاهٍ، وَلاَ يُوصَفُ بِالْماهِيَّةِ، وَلاَ بِالْكَيفِيَّةِ، وَلاَ يَتَمَكَّنُ فِي مَكانِ، وَلاَ يَجْرِي عَلَيْهِ زَمَانٌ، وَلاَ…
[World]-011
[The World (continued)] وَالْعَرَضُ مَا لاَ يَقُومُ بِذَاتِهِ، وَيَحْدُثُ فِي الأَجْسَامِ وَالجَوَاهِرِ، كَالأَلْوَانِ وَالأَكْوَانِ وَالطُّعُومِ وَالرَّوَائِحِ. 011- Property (ʿarḍ) is something that does not subsist in itself but is originated in bodies and atoms, such as colors (alwān), possibilities (akwān), tastes (ṭuʿūm), and smells (rawāʾiḥ).
[World]-010
[The World (continued)] فَالأَعْيَانُ مَا لَهُ قِيَامٌ بِذَاتِهِ، وَهُوَ إِمَّا مُرَكَّبٌ وَهُوَ الْجِسْمُ، أَوْ غَيْرُ مُرَكَّبٍ كَالجَوْهَرِ، وَهُوَ الجُزْءُ الَّذِي لاَ يَتَجَزَّأُ، 010- A substance is that which is self-subsistant (qiyyām bi-dhātihi), and it is either a composite (murakkab), that is, a body (jism); or not composite, like the atom (jawhar), which is the [indivisible]…
[World]-009
[The World ] وَالْعَالَمُ بِجمِيعِ أَجْزَائِهِ مُحْدَثٌ؛ إِذْ هُوَ أَعْيَانٌ وَأَعْرَاضٌ. 009- Further, the world (ʿālam) in all its parts is [a thing] originated (muḥdath), since it consists of substances (aʿyān) and accidents (aʿrāḍ).
[Source of knowledge]-008
[Sources of Knowledge (continued)] وَالإلْهَامُ لَيْسَ مِنْ أَسْبَابِ المَعْرِفَةِ بِصِحَّةِ الشَّيْءِ عِنْدَ أَهْلِ الحَقِّ. Inspiration (ilhām) is not a valid [ref]In Arabic valid is literaly “soundness of the thing”. [/ref] of the sources knowledge (maʿrifa) according to the people of truth (ahl al-ḥaqq).
[Source of knowledge]-007
[Sources of Knowledge (continued)] وَأَمَّا الْعَقْلُ: فَهْوَ سَبَبُ لِلْعِلْمِ أَيْضاً، وَمَا ثَبَتَ مِنْهُ بِالْبَدِيهَةِ فَهُوَ ضَرُورِيٌّ، كالْعِلْمَ بِأَنَّ كُلَّ الشَّيْءِ أَعْظَمُ مِنْ جُزْئِهِ. وَمَاَ ثَبَتَ منه بِالاسْتِدْلاَلِ فَهُوَ اَكْتِسَابِيُّ. Then as for reason (ʿaql): it is a source of knowledge also; and whatever of it is established by self-evident perception (badīhī) is necessary, just as…
[Source of knowledge]-006
[Sources of Knowledge (continued)] [ref]Its here we start to see textual variations and minor errors and spelling conventions[/ref] وَالنوع الثَّانِي: خَبَرُ الرَّسُولِ المُؤَيَّدِ بِالْمُعْجِزَةِ، وَهُوَ يُوجِبُ الْعِلْمَ الاسْتِدْلاَلِيَّ، وَالْعِلْمُ الثَّابِتُ بِهِ يُضَاهِي الْعِلْمَ الثَّابِتَ بِالضَّرُورَةِ فِي التَّيَقُّنِ والثَّبَاتِ. 006 – The second kind is the narrative of the Messenger (rasūl) supported by a miracle (muʿjiza),…
[Source of knowledge]-005
Sources of Knowledge (continued) أَحَدُهُمَا الْخَبَرُ المُتَوَاتِرُ، وَهُوَ الخَبَرُ [الصَّادِقُ وَ] الَثَّابِتُ عَلَى أَلْسِنَةِ قَوْمٍ لاَ يُتَصوَّرُ تَوَاطُؤُهُمْ عَلَى الْكَذِب، وَهُوَ مُوجِبٌ لِلْعِلْمِ الضَّرُورِيِّ، كَالْعِلْمِ بِالْمُلُوكِ الخَالِيَةِ فِي الأَزْمِنَةِ المَاضِيَةِ وَالْبُلدَانِ النَّائِيَةِ. 005- One of them is the mass-transmitted (mutawātir) narrative, and it is the narrative (khabar) established on the tongues of people of whom it…