ʿAQĪDA
Al-ʿAqīda al-Wusṭā of
Imām al-Sanūsī
Registration is open and recordings are available to catch up through.
Ongoing since: 2025-06-21
Al-ʿAqīda al-Wusṭā is a central theological treatise by the renowned North African scholar and theologian Imām Muḥammad ibn Yūsuf al-Sanūsī (d. 895 AH / 1490 CE), one of the most influential figures in post-classical Ashʿarī kalām. The full title of the text is ʿAqīdat Ahl al-Tawḥīd al-Mawsūma bi’l-Wusṭā (“The Creed of the People of Divine Unity, Designated the Middle [Text]”), commonly known as al-Wusṭā due to its intermediate level between al-Sanūsī’s beginner’s text Umm al-Barāhīn (al-ʿAqīda al-Ṣughrā) and his advanced treatise al-ʿAqīda al-Kubrā.
This text systematically presents the essential beliefs of Sunni Islam according to the Ashʿarī school, using a rational, structured approach while remaining accessible to serious students of theology. The Wusṭā covers:
– The necessary, impossible, and possible attributes (ṣifāt) of God
– The attributes of the Prophets and Messengers
– The nature of creation, causality, and divine will
– Epistemological foundations for belief (how knowledge is attained)
– The concept of accountability and salvation
Unlike Umm al-Barāhīn, which is primarily a summary for memorization and foundational learning, al-Wusṭā elaborates on key theological arguments, offering more philosophical reasoning and deeper clarification of issues related to tawḥīd, prophecy, eschatology, and divine justice. It provides the tools for students to transition from rote understanding to conceptual analysis and reasoned conviction (yaqīn).
Imām al-Sanūsī’s al-Wusṭā reflects his broader educational vision: to revive rigorous ʿilm al-kalām in a way that was accessible to students in traditional settings, especially in the Maghrib. The text has been the subject of numerous commentaries and has served as a bridge for generations of students moving from basic creed to more advanced theological inquiry.
In summary, al-ʿAqīda al-Wusṭā is a pivotal work in the Sanūsian trilogy of creed, offering a balanced blend of textual fidelity and rational defense of the Sunni Ashʿarī creed, and remains widely studied in traditional Islamic seminaries, particularly in North and West Africa.
All classes are recorded for students to study or review. Live participation is not mandatory, but recommended.
