A Refined Explanation of the Sanusi Creed (Umm al-Barāhīn) | Shaykh Saʿid Foudah

A Refined Explanation of the Sanusi Creed: The Foundational Proofs is an English presentation and detailed explanation of one of the most influential classical texts in Islamic theology: Umm al-Barāhīn (أم البراهين), also known as al-ʿAqīdah al-Ṣughrā, by Imam Muhammad ibn Yusuf al-Sanusi (d. 895 AH).

For centuries, this concise theological treatise has occupied an important place in traditional Islamic education, particularly within the Ashʿari school of Sunni theology. Its systematic approach to the foundations of belief has made it a widely studied and memorised introduction to ʿilm al-tawḥīd.

The work presents the essential doctrines of Islamic faith through rational arguments and textual evidence, demonstrating how sound reasoning and revelation complement one another in the classical Sunni theological tradition.

In this edition, Shaykh Saʿid Foudah enriches the original text with classical commentary, detailed explanatory notes and additional insights drawn from generations of Muslim theologians.

The result is a valuable resource for readers seeking a structured understanding of Islamic creed and the intellectual foundations of traditional Sunni theology.

The Foundational Proofs of Imam al-Sanusi

Imam Abu ʿAbdallah Muhammad ibn Yusuf al-Sanusi was a renowned North African theologian whose works became central to the teaching of Ashʿari creed.

His Umm al-Barāhīn provides a systematic presentation of Islamic beliefs, explaining what is necessary, impossible and possible with respect to Allah and His Messengers.

Rather than presenting theological doctrines as isolated statements, Imam al-Sanusi establishes their foundations through carefully structured arguments.

The text became particularly influential because of its concise organisation and its suitability for memorisation and systematic study.

This edition introduces readers to the intellectual tradition surrounding the work and demonstrates how its arguments have been explained and developed by later scholars.

Understanding Islamic belief through rational evidence

A central theme of The Foundational Proofs is the importance of establishing religious belief upon sound knowledge and evidence.

The commentary explores the relationship between revelation, rational inquiry and theological certainty.

Among the subjects discussed are:

* The nature and categories of rational judgements
* The distinction between necessary, impossible and possible existence
* The religious responsibility of the legally accountable person (mukallaf)
* Knowledge of Allah and the question of taqlīd in matters of belief
* Rational proofs for the existence of Allah
* The Divine Attributes and their classifications
* The pre-eternity and everlastingness of Allah
* Allah’s absolute dissimilarity from created beings
* Divine self-subsistence and oneness
* Divine power, will, knowledge and life
* The attributes of hearing, sight and speech
* The relationship between Divine Attributes and rational demonstration

Through these discussions, readers encounter the fundamental terminology and methods employed by classical Ashʿari theologians.

The Divine Attributes in classical Ashʿari theology

A substantial portion of the work is dedicated to the attributes of Allah.

The commentary introduces important theological classifications, including the negating attributes (al-ṣifāt al-salbiyyah), the qualitative attributes (ṣifāt al-maʿānī) and the predicative attributes (al-ṣifāt al-maʿnawiyyah).

Particular attention is given to:

Pre-eternity (Qidam)

The affirmation that Allah has no beginning and is not preceded by non-existence.

Everlastingness (Baqāʾ)

The affirmation that Allah has no end.

Absolute dissimilarity (Mukhālafah li-l-ḥawādith)

The understanding that Allah is fundamentally unlike created and contingent beings.

Self-subsistence (Qiyām bi-l-nafs)

The affirmation that Allah is independent of everything else.

Oneness (Waḥdāniyyah)

The affirmation of Allah’s absolute unity.

The commentary also addresses Divine power, will, knowledge, life, hearing, sight and speech, explaining their theological significance and the rational arguments associated with them.

A commentary rooted in classical scholarship

One of the distinguishing features of this edition is its engagement with the wider commentarial tradition surrounding Imam al-Sanusi’s creed.

Shaykh Saʿid Foudah presents the original work together with an abridged commentary by Imam Ahmad ibn ʿIsa al-Ansari.

His explanatory notes also draw upon the contributions of major theologians, including:

* Imam Ibrahim al-Bajuri
* Imam al-Battawi
* Imam Ahmad al-Sawi
* Imam al-Marghani

Alongside these classical sources, Shaykh Foudah provides his own theological observations and clarifications.

This layered approach enables readers to appreciate both the original argumentation of Imam al-Sanusi and the ways in which later scholars explained its terminology, implications and underlying proofs.

Faith, reason and theological certainty

The book places particular emphasis on the intellectual foundations of Islamic belief.

Its approach reflects the classical Sunni theological conviction that authentic revelation and sound rational demonstration do not fundamentally contradict one another.

Rather than treating faith as an exercise in unexamined acceptance, the work encourages serious engagement with the proofs supporting Islamic doctrine.

The foreword by Shaykh Galal al-Jihani highlights the importance of grounding belief in evidence and developing the intellectual tools necessary to respond to doubts and theological misunderstandings.

This makes the book especially relevant to readers interested in classical Islamic responses to questions concerning reason, revelation, existence and the Divine Attributes.

About the author and commentator

Shaykh Saʿid ʿAbd al-Latif Foudah, born in Haifa in 1967, is a contemporary scholar specialising in Islamic theology (ʿilm al-kalām), logic (manṭiq) and legal theory (uṣūl al-fiqh).

He grew up in Amman, Jordan, where he pursued traditional Islamic studies under several scholars.

His education included the study of Arabic grammar, Shafiʿi jurisprudence, Qurʾanic recitation and classical theological texts.

Among the works he memorised and studied were al-Kharīdah al-Bahiyyah and Jawharat al-Tawḥīd.

His writings and teachings focus particularly on the intellectual foundations of Sunni theology and the classical Ashʿari tradition.

Who is this book for?

This book is particularly suitable for:

* Students of Ashʿari theology
* Readers studying Imam al-Sanusi and Umm al-Barāhīn
* Students of classical Islamic creed
* Readers interested in rational proofs of Islamic belief
* Students of ʿilm al-kalām and manṭiq
* Teachers and traditional Islamic study circles
* Readers progressing beyond introductory ʿaqīdah texts
* Those seeking an English introduction to the Sanusian theological tradition

Level: Intermediate, although motivated beginners with some prior knowledge of Islamic creed may also benefit from guided study.

Summary

A Refined Explanation of the Sanusi Creed: The Foundational Proofs by Shaykh Saʿid Foudah presents Imam al-Sanusi’s celebrated Umm al-Barāhīn, a foundational text of classical Ashʿari theology.

The book explores the rational foundations of Islamic belief, the categories of theological judgement, the Divine Attributes and the relationship between reason and revelation.

Featuring an abridged commentary by Imam Ahmad ibn ʿIsa al-Ansari and detailed explanatory notes drawing upon major Sunni theologians, this English edition offers a structured introduction to one of the most important works in traditional Islamic creed.

Book Details

• Title: A Refined Explanation of the Sanusi Creed
• Subtitle: The Foundational Proofs
• Original work: Umm al-Barāhīn (أم البراهين) / al-ʿAqīdah al-Ṣughrā
• Original author: Imam Muhammad ibn Yusuf al-Sanusi (d. 895 AH)
• Contemporary commentator: Shaykh Saʿid Foudah
• Classical commentary: Imam Ahmad ibn ʿIsa al-Ansari (abridged)
• Foreword: Shaykh Galal al-Jihani
• Translator: Abdul Aziz Suraqah
• Subject: ʿAqidah / Ashʿari Theology / Islamic Theology / ʿIlm al-Kalām
• Language: English, with Arabic source material
• Publisher: Sunni Publications
• Place of publication: Rotterdam, The Netherlands
• Edition: Second Edition
• Publication year: 2018 (original edition 2013)
• Pages: 224
• Binding: Paperback
• Weight: 260 g
• ISBN: 978-90-79294-27-5
• ISBN-13 / GTIN: 9789079294275
• Condition: New

 

 

Nederlands

Een verfijnde uitleg van de geloofsleer van Imām al-Sanūsī

A Refined Explanation of the Sanusi Creed: The Foundational Proofs is een Engelstalige uitgave van de beroemde Umm al-Barāhīn (أم البراهين) van Imām Muḥammad ibn Yūsuf al-Sanūsī رحمه الله.

Dit klassieke werk behoort tot de belangrijkste teksten binnen de Ashʿarī geloofsleer en werd eeuwenlang bestudeerd en gememoriseerd binnen het traditionele islamitische onderwijs.

Imām al-Sanūsī behandelt op systematische wijze de fundamenten van de islamitische geloofsleer en onderbouwt deze met rationele argumenten en religieuze bewijzen.

De uitgave is voorzien van toelichtingen door Shaykh Saʿīd Foudah, die gebruikmaakt van het commentaar van Imām Aḥmad ibn ʿĪsā al-Anṣārī en andere klassieke geleerden.

Het boek behandelt onder andere:

* De verschillende categorieën van rationele oordelen
* De verplichting om Allah te kennen
* De betekenis van kennis en taqlīd binnen de geloofsleer
* De noodzakelijke, onmogelijke en mogelijke eigenschappen
* De Goddelijke Eigenschappen, waaronder macht, wil, kennis en leven
* Allahs eeuwigheid, onafhankelijkheid en absolute eenheid
* De verhouding tussen verstandelijke bewijsvoering en openbaring

De aanvullende toelichtingen van Shaykh Foudah maken de klassieke argumentaties toegankelijker voor hedendaagse studenten en bieden inzicht in de bredere traditie van de islamitische theologie.

Een waardevol studieboek voor studenten van ʿaqīdah, Ashʿarī theologie en ʿilm al-kalām.

De uitgave bevat 224 pagina’s en is uitgegeven door Sunni Publications.

 

العربية

شرح منقح للعقيدة السنوسية – أم البراهين

كتاب باللغة الإنجليزية يتناول شرح العقيدة السنوسية الصغرى، المعروفة باسم أم البراهين، للإمام أبي عبد الله محمد بن يوسف السنوسي الحسني رحمه الله (ت 895هـ).

وقد اعتُمد هذا المتن قرونًا طويلة في تدريس العقيدة الأشعرية، لما يتميز به من ترتيب محكم للأدلة العقلية والنقلية المتعلقة بأصول الإيمان.

يقدم الشيخ سعيد فودة شرحًا وتوضيحات علمية للمتن، مستفيدًا من شرح الإمام أحمد بن عيسى الأنصاري، ومن شروح عدد من علماء أهل السنة، منهم الإمام الباجوري والبطاوي والصاوي والمرغني.

ويتناول الكتاب موضوعات منها:

* أقسام الحكم العقلي
* وجوب معرفة الله تعالى
* مسائل العلم والتقليد في العقيدة
* الصفات الواجبة والمستحيلة والجائزة في حق الله تعالى
* صفات السلب وصفات المعاني والصفات المعنوية
* أدلة وجود الله ووحدانيته
* العلاقة بين العقل والنقل في تقرير العقيدة

ويتميز الكتاب بجمعه بين المتن العقدي المشهور والتعليقات العلمية المستمدة من التراث الأشعري.

كتاب مناسب لطلاب العقيدة الأشعرية وعلم الكلام الراغبين في دراسة أم البراهين باللغة الإنجليزية.