Faith Made Clear

Do I actually believe this, or have I only inherited it?

What aqidah means and why belief matters; the difference between inherited familiarity and understood conviction; the sources of knowledge; and the relationship between sound reason and authentic revelation.

ExerciseA private question inventory: what do I believe, and what do I still need to understand?

By the end of this weekDistinguish inherited familiarity from understood conviction, and name the sources of knowledge Islam actually appeals to.

Why did Muslims ever need to write their beliefs down?

Creed in the Qur’an and Sunnah; the belief of the earliest Muslim community; the appearance of theological disputes; the purpose of concise creedal texts; and an introduction to Imam al-Tahawi and al-Aqidah al-Tahawiyyah.

Questions introducedDivine decree, the attributes of Allah, the nature of faith, grave sin, and revelation.

By the end of this weekSummarize the early disputes that made creedal texts necessary, and say who Imam al-Tahawi was and what his creed is for.

Can the existence of God be reasoned toward, or only felt?

Fitrah, existence and dependence, causation, contingency, order, intelligibility, and moral awareness. Students learn how rational arguments function, and what they can and cannot establish.

ExerciseConstructing and explaining a simple argument, rather than memorizing its conclusion.

By the end of this weekBuild and explain one accessible argument for God’s existence, and state honestly what such arguments can and cannot establish.

What can be said about Allah, and where must speech stop?

Divine unity, perfection, transcendence, knowledge, will, power, life, speech, and freedom from created limitation, and the Sunni method of affirming revelation without likening Allah to creation or emptying revelation of meaning.

Primary readingsSelected statements from al-Tahawiyyah concerning Allah and His attributes.

By the end of this weekExplain divine unity, perfection, and transcendence from al-Tahawiyyah’s own statements, without likening Allah to creation or emptying the words of meaning.

If God exists, why would He speak to us at all?

The limits of unaided reason; humanity’s need for divine guidance; the qualities of prophets (truthfulness, trustworthiness, intelligence, transmission, and protection); and the meaning and function of miracles.

By the end of this weekExplain why unaided reason needs revelation, list the qualities of prophets, and describe how a miracle functions as a sign.

Why believe this Prophet, and this Book?

The Prophet’s life, character, consistency, message, sacrifice, fulfilled signs, and transformative influence; and the transmission, preservation, language, coherence, and inimitability of the Qur’an.

ExerciseA structured case for prophethood, built from several independent forms of evidence.

By the end of this weekAssemble a structured case for prophethood from several independent lines of evidence, and explain the Qur’an’s preservation and inimitability.

If Allah already knows, how am I still responsible?

Divine knowledge and decree, human choice and accountability, wisdom in suffering, angels, resurrection, judgment, Paradise, Hell, and the life of the grave.

Primary readingsSelected passages from al-Tahawiyyah concerning decree and the hereafter.

By the end of this weekState the Sunni position on decree and human responsibility, and summarize what Muslims hold about the grave, resurrection, and judgment.

What difference should certainty make on a hard day?

Faith and action; certainty during difficulty; hope and fear; responding to questions without panic; the difference between a passing question and corrosive doubt; and how belief shapes worship, character, purpose, and courage.

Final project“What I Believe and Why”: a written or spoken creed map explaining the central beliefs studied and the evidence or meaning behind each.

By the end of this weekPresent a personal creed map covering what he believes, why, and what remains beyond human knowledge, and tell a passing question apart from corrosive doubt.