APPENDIX I
1. ASH-SHAHRASTANI ON THE CLASSIFICATION OF MUSLIM SECTS.
2. TWO TRADITIONS FROM MUHAMMAD ON THE ESSENTIALS OF ISLAM.
3. A SHORT CREED BY AL-ASH'ARI.
4. A SHORT CREED BY AL-GHAZZALI.
5. A SHORT CREED BY AN-NASAFI (MATARIDITE).
6. A SCHOLASTIC EXPOSITION OF THE FUNDAMENTALS OF THEOLOGY.
7. ANALYSIS OF A TREATISE IN CANON LAW.
Notes have been added where such appeared called for, but the index,
facilitating reference to the body of the book, renders a full commentary unnecessary. The
student should use the index as a vocabulary of techuical terms, referring for their
explanation to the passages where they occur.
I
ASH-SHAHRASTANI ON THE CLASSIFICATION OF MUSLIM SECTS
Then I applied myself to what of arrangement was easy of attainment and to what of
attainment was easy of arrangement, until I had crowded them [the different opinions] into
four fundamentals, which are the great principles. The first fundamental concerns the
Qualities (sifat) with the Unity (tawhid); it embraces the question of the
eternal (azali) Qualities, affirmed by some and denied by others, and of the
exposition of the essential Qualities (sifat adh-dhal) and of the active Qualities
(sifat al-fi'l) and of what is necessary in God Most High and what is possible for Him and
what is impossible; it involves the controversies between the Ash'arites and the
Karramites and the Anthropomorphists (mujassims) and the Mu'tazilites. The second
fundamental concerns decree (qadar) and justice (adl); it embraces the
question of destiny (qada) and decree (qadar); of force (jabr) and
acquisition
| 
