Bad’ al-Amali
English Translation of a Classical Text on Sunni Creed
Imam Áli Ibn Úthman Al-Ūshi
(d. 575 AH / 1179 CE)
Every Muslim should learn the fundamentals of faith [aqīdah], which is also termed as obligatory knowledge. There are many short and lengthy works on this subject and this poem on Sunni creed [qaşīdah] is well known and used to be a component of elementary education in the past. This qaşīdah is written by Imām Alī al-Ūshī, a Ĥanafī scholar who lived in the 6th century of the Islamic calendar. He was born or lived in Uūsh, by the Farghana valley (Osh in today’s Kyrgyzstan) and hence his demonym al-Ūshī.
The present translation of Bad’ al-Amālī is intended to be a beginner’s guide and a handy reference of the Creed of Ahl al-Sunnah. A transliteration is appended in the end, as an aid to students who wish to memorise the poem.