ʿAqīdah

Aqidah (Arabic: عقيدة‎, translit. ʿaqīdah‎, plural عقائد, ʿaqāʾid, also spelled aqeeda or ʿaqīda) is an Islamic term meaning "creed." Many schools of Islamic theology expressing different views on aqidah exist. Any religious belief system, or creed, can be considered an example of aqidah. However, this term has taken a significant technical usage in Muslim history and theology, denoting those matters over which Muslims hold conviction. It is a branch of Islamic studies describing the beliefs of Islam.

Literally, the word ʿaqīdah is derived from the Semitic root ʿqd (ʿaqada), which means "to tie" or "knot."

According to Muslim scholar Cyril Glasse, "systematic statements of belief became necessary, from early Islam on, initially to refute heresies, and later to distinguish points of view and to present them, as the divergences of schools of theology or opinion increased."

The "first" creed written as "a short answer to the pressing heresies of the time" is known as Fiqh Akbar and ascribed to Abu Hanifa. Two well known creeds were the Fiqh Akbar II "representative" of the Ash'ari, and Fiqh Akbar III, "representative" of the Shafi'i.Al-Ghazali also had a ʿaqīdah. These creeds were more detailed than those described below.

The six articles of faith or belief, derived from the Quran and Sunnah (Arkan al-Iman). is accepted by all Muslims. While there are differences between Shia and Sunni Islam and other different schools or sects concerning issues such as the attributes of God or about the purpose of angels, the six articles are not disputed.

The six Sunni articles of belief are:

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