A Guide to Conclusive Proofs for the Principles of Belief

Al-Irshad ila Qawati' al-Adilla fi Usul al-I'tiqad

Author	Al-Juwayni
Language	Arabic
Genre	Aqidah, Kalam (Islamic theology)
Published	English translation published in 2000 (Ithaca Press, Garnet Publishing Ltd.)
Publication place	Persia
Media type	Print (paperback)
Pages	372
ISBN	978-1-85964-157-6

A Guide to Conclusive Proofs for the Principles of Belief (Arabic: الإرشاد إلى قواطع الأدلة في أصول الاعتقاد, romanized: Al-Irshad ila Qawati' al-Adilla fi Usul al-I'tiqad), commonly known simply as Al-Irshad ("The Guide"), is a major classic of Islamic theology. Its author, Imam al-Haramayn al-Juwayni, was the leading theologian of his time. His writings in the field of theology, especially Al-Irshad, represent a high point of the development of theology in the then contemporary Islamic world.^[1]

Content

It is intended to outline exactly what has been proven, what can be proven and how those things can be proven.^[2] He focuses much of his attention on God and the fundamental Islamic principle that God is the only and all-powerful creator. He explains that we are often caught up in a temporally contingent existence, lost in continuity but that we should realize God's ability to interrupt this continuity at any time.^[3] Al-Juwayni focuses a similar amount of attention on legal methodology and is particularly concerned with the methods for discerning difficult debates. He explains naskh "abrogation", for example, in great detail.^[2]

See also

• The Moderation in Belief
• List of Sunni books

References

1. "A Guide to Conclusive Proofs for the Principles of Belief: Kitab Al-Irshad Ila Qawati Al-Adilla Fi Usul Ati Tiqad". garnetpublishing.co.uk.
2. Hallaq, Wael B.. "Caliphs, Jurists and the Saljuqs in the Political Thought of Juwayni." The Muslim World 74, no. 1 (1984): 26-41.
3. Fadiman & Frager,James & Robert. Essential Sufism. 1 ed. James Fadiman & Robert Frager. San Francisco : Harper Collins, 1997.