Islamic Theology Series
MODULE ONE:
WHAT IS ISLAMIC CREED AND ITS RELATED SCIENCE?
5 Lessons with Shaykh Ramzy Ajem
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Module One: What is Islamic Creed and Its Related Science?
5 Sessions · 1.5 hours each
Instructor: Shaykh Ramzy Ajem
Explore the foundations of Islamic Theology (ʿIlm al-Tawḥīd) through the classical framework of the Ten Introductory Enquiries (al-Mabādi’ al-ʿAshara), which outline the essential principles of every sacred science—its definition, subject, founder, sources, name, legal ruling, merits, relation, aims, and issues. This module offers a structured and analytical introduction to theology, demonstrating how these enquiries establish its methodology, significance, and role as the noblest of the Islamic sciences.
All recordings and slides from this module are now available below for continued study and reflection.
Lesson 1: Definition, Subject & Fruit
Lesson 1: Definition, Subject & Fruit
By the end of this lesson, students will be able to:
Recall the Ten Enquiries
Define Ilm al-Tawḥīd as a discipline
Identify its subject matter and intended benefit
Quiz 1:
Copy of SLIDES_1OF5.pdfCopy of LESSON1of5 _RECORDING_2025/09/21Lesson 2: Relation & Merit
Lesson 2: Relation & Merit
By the end of this lesson, students will be able to:
Explain the relationship between ʿIlm al-Tawhīd and other Islamic sciences—such as jurisprudence, tasawwuf, and other fields of study—and articulate its unique subject matter, purpose, and virtue as the most exalted and foundational of the religious disciplines.
Quiz 2:
Copy of SLIDES_2OF5.pdfCopy of LESSON2of5_RECORDING_2025/09/28Lesson 3: Founder (Part 1)
Lesson 3: Founder (Part 1)
By the end of this lesson, students will be able to:
Trace the early preservation of Sunni creed prior to the formalization of the discipline, identify key figures and movements that shaped pre-Ashʿarī theological thought, and explain how Imam Abū al-Hasan al-Ashʿarī systematized the discipline into a coherent orthodox methodology that defined ʿIlm al-Tawhīd.
Copy of SLIDES_3OF5.pdfCopy of LESSON3of5_RECORDING_ 2025/10/05Lesson 4: Founder (Part 2)
Lesson 4: Founder (Part 2)
By the end of this lesson, students will be able to:
Explain the theological positions established by Imām Abū al-Ḥasan al-Ashʿarī, identify his key students and inheritors, trace the historical development of the Ashʿarī school, and cite what leading scholars across the centuries have said regarding his authority, legacy, and status within Sunni orthodoxy.
Copy of SLIDES_4OF5.pdfCopy of LESSON4of5_ITS_RECORDING - 2025/10/12Lesson 5: Name, Sources, Ruling & Issues
Lesson 5: Name, Sources, Ruling & Issues
By the end of this lesson, students will be able to:
Identify the formal names of ʿIlm al-Tawḥīd and its related designations, distinguish between its revelatory (naqlī) and rational (ʿaqlī) sources, explain its legal rulings and when it becomes a personal obligation (farḍ ʿayn), and describe the central issues it investigates concerning what is necessary, impossible, and possible with respect to God and His Messengers.
Copy of SLIDES_5OF5.pdfCopy of LESSON5of5_RECORDING - 2025/10/19Alphabetical Glossary of Core Terms (Lessons 1–5)
Alphabetical Glossary of Core Terms (Lessons 1–5)
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