Al-Bidaya fi Usul al-Din البداية في أصول الدين

The Author

Imam Nur al-Din Abu Muhammad Ahmad ibn Mahmud ibn Abi Bakr al-Sabuni al-Bukhari (d. 580 AH / 1184 CE) was one of the foremost theologians of the Maturidi school of Sunni Islamic theology (Kalam). A native of the celebrated city of Bukhara in present-day Uzbekistan, he flourished in one of the greatest centers of Islamic scholarship in Transoxiana (Ma Wara' al-Nahr).

Scholarly Legacy

Imam al-Sabuni is renowned for his exceptional ability to present the principles of Maturidi theology with clarity, precision, and systematic organization. By distilling complex theological discussions into accessible yet rigorous works, he made the study of Sunni creed more approachable for students while preserving its scholarly depth. His writings became standard references in madrasas throughout Central Asia, Anatolia, and later the Ottoman Empire, exerting a lasting influence on the teaching of Islamic theology.

This Book

Al-Bidayah fi Usul al-Din (The Introduction to the Principles of Religion) is Imam al-Sabuni's best-known work. It is a concise yet comprehensive manual on Sunni creed ('Aqidah) according to the Maturidi tradition. It provides a structured presentation of the essential doctrines of faith, including the sources of knowledge, the existence and attributes of Allah, prophethood (Nubuwwah), divine decree (Qadar), and the unseen matters transmitted through revelation (Sam'iyyat). Its lucid style and balanced treatment of theological issues have made it a foundational text for generations of students and scholars alike.