Explanation of the beneficial books that are read and studied in creed.

The Shaykh : As for what concerns creed, we warn against all books of kalām (theology). We specifically encourage acquiring certain books that address creed according to the methodology of the righteous Salaf, particularly the books of Shaykh al-Islām Ibn Taymiyyah and his student Ibn al-Qayyim al-Jawziyyah. However, there is a very concise treatise, most of which—and I do not say all of it—follows the methodology of the righteous Salaf. It is the treatise known as the Creed of Abu Ja‘far al-Tahawi. This is a small booklet, but the commentator Ibn al-‘Az al-Hanafi has explained this book with a purely Salafi commentary and pointed out certain issues. These can be limited to just two issues: Does faith increase and decrease? The author of the Tahawi Creed says, "It does not increase and does not decrease," because his original school is Hanafi, and this is the position of the Hanafis. The other and final issue is: Are righteous deeds part of faith? He says, "No," whereas the Salafi school says, "Yes." This is explicit in the Book of Allah and in the hadiths of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). The commentator explains these two points satisfactorily, and thereby one benefits from the Tahawi Creed. I once found some free time, so I took this creed and provided a very concise commentary on it, adding some notes. It was printed as a small treatise titled "The Tahawi Creed of Abu Ja‘far al-Tahawi: Commentary and Notes by al-Albani." This suffices many people who do not have the time or the desire to read the lengthy works, as it provides the correct view regarding the points where people differ: whether faith increases and decreases, and whether faith includes righteous deeds or not. This is with regard to creed.