Al-Musāyarah fī al-ʿAqā’id

al-Munjiyah fī al-Ākhirah

A Key Curricular Text in Islamic Rational Theology

First Integral on the Essence of Allah – A Complete Online Study of the Ten Principles

Course Overview

This course is a complete study of the First Integral of al-Musāyarah fī al-ʿAqāʾid al-Munjiyah fī al-Ākhirah by ʿAllāmah Kamāl al-Dīn Ibn Humām, covering the ten principles on the Essence of Allah. Al-Musāyarah was a curricular text in the classical Dars-i Niẓāmī, and Ibn Humām was called 'the arch-scholar of people on earth' by Imām al-Sakhāwī.

The course illustrates how works in kalām should be approached and studied. It sets a foundation for further studies in Islamic rational theology, and by following the Khairābādī method, students will unlock access to a number of other kalām texts at the same level.

Al-Musāyarah is taught according to the Khairābādī method. Students prepare the upcoming passages using all available skills and resources, including the classical commentaries. The instructor then delivers a taqrīr, filling in what the student's preparation could not reach, while also integrating into the text. Students then revise and apply the lecture back into the text until it becomes second nature.

Through the course, the instructor presents other works in kalām and practically demonstrates how they have become accessible through this method of study.

Style of Study

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Course Outline

  • This unit consists of 25 modules, SAT-style questions, two assessments & two playback seminar-style tutorial discussions.

    Modules:
    i. Beginning with the Name of Allah: Intentions and Biography

    ii. Pedagogical Principles of Dars-i Nizāmī in kalām and Khairabādī Learning Methods for Studying Al-Musayārah

    1. The Difference Between Scholastic Theology & Creed

    2. Introduction to Al-Musayārah Based On The Preface

    3. The Layout of Al-Musayārah & The First Integral With It's Ten Principles

    4. The First Principle on the Existence of Allah: God’s Essence is beyond Human Intellect 

    5. Proving God's Existence: Evidential and Causal Reasoning in Logic 

    6. Establishing God's Existence: Using Evidential Reasoning in Islamic Theology 

    7. Inferring God's Existence from Creation

    8. Understanding Benefits and Harms in Creation & Scientific Investigation

    9. The Rational Necessity of God's Existence 

    10(a-b). Understanding Disbelief: The Reasons Behind Kufr (Disbelief)

    11. Fitra & The Universal Acknowledgment of God's Existence 

    12. The Call to Tawḥīd: Affirming the Oneness of God in Prophetic Teachings 

    13. The Rational Evidence of God's Existence: Exploring the Foundations of Logical Argumentation

    14. Establishing Evidence Through Syllogism for God’s Existence 

    15. The Necessity of a Cause: Understanding the Relationship Between Ḥādith (created) and Muḥdith (Creator)

    16. Clarifying the Need for a Mukhaṣṣiṣ (Specifier) in Establishing a Ḥādīth: The Role of Tanbīhāt (Clarifications) in Understanding Ḍarūriyyāt (Self-Evidential Knowledge) 

    17. Establishing the Need for Evidence in the First Premises: The Relationship Between Jawhar (Substance) and ʿAraḍ (Accident) in the Realm of Kalām

    18. Establishing Temporality (Ḥudūth): From Substance (Jawhar) to Accident (ʿAraḍ) – A Dual Approach

    19. Three Propositions for Establishing the Ḥudūth (Temporality) of Jawāhir (Substances)

    20. First Dāʿwah: The Self-Evident Nature of a Jism's Association with Ḥarakah (Movement) and Sūkūn (Stillness)

    21. Second Dāʿwah: Establishing Ḥarakah (Movement) and Sūkūn (Stillness) as Ḥādīth Through Precedence of Non-Existence

    22. Objection on the First Evidence and Response: The Case of Motion and Stillness in Mountains

    23. Concluding Section to Evidence One: Allowing Ḥarakah (Movement) and Qalb al-Maḥīyah (Changing of The Essence) in Ajsām  Means Establishing Its Temporal Nature as the Locus of Ḥawādith (Temporal Occurrences)

    24(a-g). The Third Dawah: That Which is Not Free from Ḥawādith (Temporal Occurrences) is Itself Ḥādīth (Temporal)  

    25. Final Synthesis: Proving the Temporality of the Universe and the Necessity of a Creator

  • This unit consists of seven modules, SAT-style questions, one assessment & a playback seminar-style tutorial discussion.

    Modules:

    1. The Second Principle: Qadīm Without Beginning

    2. Establishing evidence: a Ḥādith needs a Muḥdith

    3. Establishing evidence: refuting infinite regress

    4. Causal sequencing (tartīb ʿillī): differentiating between the ‘lā awwala lahā’ sequence and the cause-effect (ʿillah-maʿlūl) sequence

    5. The Difference Between the Mutakalimīn and Falāsifah on ʿIllah: the Concept of Causing to Occur by Choice

    6. The Refutation of Infinite Regress Continued: The Impossibility of Extramental Existence in the Context of Tasalsul (Infinite Regress)

    7. Closing up the argument: The Necessity of the Eternal Being Who Has No Beginning

  • This unit consists of eight modules, SAT-style questions, one assessment & a playback seminar-style tutorial discussion.

    Modules:

    1. The Attribute of ‘Qidam’- The Negation of Subsequent Non-Existence

    2. Establishing Evidence - If ʿAdam Lāḥiq is Presumed - The Two Scenarios of Non-Existence

    3. The First is Void: Refuting the Claim of Non-Existence Necessitated by The Divine Essence

    4. The Impossibility of Non-Existence Being Necessitated by the Divine Essence: Understanding The Concept of ‘Takhalluf’

    5. The Second is also Void: The Impossible Scenario of an External Annihilator that is Opposite to the Essence

    6. The Impossibility of an External Annihilator's Eternal Nature: Refuting the First Hypothesis

    7. The Impossibility of an External Annihilator's Temporal Nature: Refuting the Second Hypothesis

    8. Concluding the Evidences: It is Rationally Impossible for Non-Existence to Follow Allah's Existence

  • This unit consists of four modules, one assessment & a playback seminar-style tutorial discussion.

    Modules:

    1. Defining Ḥayyiz and Makān - Mutakallimīn and Falāsifah

    2. Understanding the Daʿwah of ʿAllāmah Ibn Humām

    3. Evidence for the Impossibility of Allah being a substance in a place

    4. Using the Word ‘Jawhar’ for Allah while denying Ḥayyiz

  • This unit consists of nine modules, one assessment & a playback seminar-style tutorial discussion.

    Modules:

    1. Allah Almighty is not a Body: Understanding the Categories of Divine Attributes

    2. What Is a Body: The Kalām and Falsafah Debate on Corporeality

    3. Independent Evidence: The Theological Invalidation of Corporeality Through the Refutation of Substance

    4. Refuting Lawāzim Musāwiyyah Through the Invalidation of Jismiyyah

    5. The Prohibition of Naming Allah a 'Jism' and the Ijmāʿah of Scholars

    6. The Masʾalah of 'Jism' in Light of Tawqīf and Ishtiqāq

    7. The Term 'Jism' and Its Necessary Implication of Ḥudūth

    8. Ibn Humām and the 'Aẓhar' Fatwā- Naming Allah 'Jism' as an Act of Kufr, Not Merely Sin

    9. The Collapse of Jism’s Lawāzim & Summary of the Principle of Mutasāwiyyah

  • This unit consists of four modules, one assessment & a playback seminar-style tutorial discussion.

    Modules:

    1. Daʿwah - He is not an Accident

    2. First Proof: The Impossibility of ʿAraḍiyyah for the Divine Essence Due to an ʿAraḍ's Ontological Dependence and Sequential Posteriority

    3. Second Proof: The Mawṣūf of Ṣifāt Thubūtiyyah is a Self-Subsisting Essence

    4. Concluding Synthesis: Affirming the Absolute Dissimilarity of the Divine Essence and Attributes to Creation

  • This unit consists of six modules, one assessment & a playback seminar-style tutorial discussion.

    Modules:

    1. Understanding the Daʿwah

    2. First Proof - The Subordination of Direction (Jihāt) to Created Bodies and Its Impossibility for the Divine Essence

    3. Second Proof - Jihāt are Conceptual Entities

    4. The Rational Implications of the Jihāt being Conceptual Entities

    5. The Third Proof - The Linkage of Specification, Particularization, and Makan

    6. For Those who Assert Other Meanings for Jihah

  • This unit consists of ten modules, one assessment & a playback seminar-style tutorial discussion.

    Modules:

    1. The Differences Between Ahlus Sunnah and its Opponents in Interpretational Methodology

    2. Ithbāt and Tanzīh

    3. Īmān in the Āyāt and the Negation of Tashbīh

    4. Muqaddimah on the Muḥkamāt and Mutashābihāt

    5. Muqaddimah on Waqf's Role in Interpretation and Ishtirāk Lafẓī

    6. The Conditions for Ta'wīl Ṣaḥīḥ

    7. Ẓāhirī Interpretation and Jismiyyah

    8. Linguistic Proofs for Ta'wīl

    9. Ta'wīl for the Other Mutashābihāt

    10. Ta'wīl, Certainty, and the Practice of Some of the Mutaqaddimīn

  • This unit consists of 15 modules, one assessment & a playback seminar-style tutorial discussion.

    Modules:

    1. Understanding Ru'yah of a Mumkin by another Mumkin

    2. The Meaning of Idrāk and the Lawāzim of Ru’yah of Mumkināt by Mumkināt

    3. What Constitutes Ru’yah as a Sabab of ʿIlm

    4. The Intended Meaning of Ru’yah and the Positions Regarding the Ru’yah of Allāh in this Dunyā

    5. The First Dalīl Naqlī, Maʿnā Ḥaqīqī, and Naẓar Baṣarī

    6. The Second Dalīl Naqlī, Certainty and the Ru'yah

    7. The Third Dalīl Naqlī, Responding to the Muʿtazilah and the Positions of Ahlus Sunnah Regarding the Ru'yah

    8. The Fourth Dalīl Naqlī, Imkān of the Istiqrār al-Jabal and Imkān of Ru'yah

    9. Dalīl ʿAqlī, If Muḥāl is Assumed, the Lāzim is another Muḥāl

    10. Dalīl ʿAqlī, Nawʿ al-ʿIlm can be Created in the Mudrik Without Requiring Muqābalah

    11. (Continued) Dalīl ʿAqlī, a Nawʿ al-ʿIlm can be Created in the Mudrik Without Requiring Muqābalah

    12. Ru'yah without Muqābalah and Iḥāṭah

    13. Ru'yah as a Nisbah between Rā'iy and Mar'iy

    14. Dalīl ʿAqlī, ʿIlm without Ṣūrah and Ru'yah without Ṣūrah

    15. Iḥāṭah, Masāfah, Muqābalah, and Ṣūrah in connection to a Mar'iy that is a Jism

  • This unit consists of 15 modules, one assessment & a playback seminar-style tutorial discussion.

    Modules:

    1. An Analysis of the First Integral's Structure

    2. Uṣūl 1 to 9 in relation to Aṣl 10

    3. The Meanings of the word 'Wāḥid' and Tawḥīd with regards to His Dhāt, Ṣifāt, and Afʿāl

    4. The First Textual Proof and Qiyās Istithnā'ī Ittiṣālī

    5. Analysing Imām Ibn Humām and Imām al-Ghazālī's Passages and Beginning the Rational Proof

    6. Responding to an Objection Regarding Imām al-Ghazālī's Tafsīr

    7. Luzūm al-Fasād and a Millī's Attainment of ʿIlm Qaṭʿiy Regarding It

    8. The First Proof Given to the Ghayr Millī

    9. The Second Proof Given to the Ghayr Millī

    10. Objection to the Second Proof

    11. Further Discussion on Iḥtimāl al-Naqīḍ in Relation to ʿUlūm ʿĀdiyyah

    12. Understanding the Previous Discussion when Reading the Text

    13. The Second Way of Responding to the Ghayr Millī

    14. Responding to the Takfīr of Imām Taftazānī (First Part)

    15. Responding to the Takfīr of Imām Taftazānī (Continued)

How will the course be delivered?

The course is divided into ten units. Each unit contains modules, a live tutorial, a question submission form, supplementary readings, and an assessment. Modules are short pre-recorded videos combining the teacher's taqrīr with clear diagrams.

Students have approximately two weeks per unit. Each unit concludes with an assessment and a playback seminar-style tutorial discussion.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Answer keys for the SAT-style questions are available in the course portal. Each module also has a question submission form, and answers to submitted queries are added regularly to a shared question bank. Students will additionally be added to a Telegram group for ongoing access to the instructor and admin team. All resources remain available for lifetime access, though a dedicated study of this course is expected to take around eight months.

Reflections from Our Students

"Being inspired to study Kalām by reading texts like Imām al-Sanūsī's Umm al-Barāhīn and Imām al-Laqqānī's Jawharah al-Tawḥīd, I thought I had developed a proficiency in the subject.

When I studied al-Musāyarah with the commentary prepared by Mawlānā Mubashir, I felt for the first time in perhaps a decade the same feeling I had when I first encountered the Sanūsiyyah. This course made me use my intellect in ways I had not in any other Kalām course."

– Hassan

About the Author: Ibn al-Humām

Kamāl al-Dīn Muḥammad Ibn al-Humām (790–861 AH) was a prominent Ḥanafī jurist and theologian. Imām al-Sakhāwī called him 'the arch-scholar of people on earth.' He is known for three major works:

  • Sharḥ Fatḥ al-Qadīr in Ḥanafī fiqh,

  • Al-Musāyarah in ʿilm al-kalām, and

  • Al-Taḥrīr in uṣūl al-fiqh

He also excelled in Qurʾānic commentary, logic, rhetoric, and taṣawwuf.

Al-Shawkānī noted that Ibn Humām surpassed many of his teachers in insight and precision of thought, highlighting his unique position as a major scholar in the Māturīdī period of Mazj (convergence).

He was known to have preferred a life of seclusion, writing, and private teaching.

About the Text

Al-Musāyarah fī al-ʿAqāʾid al-Munjiyah fī al-Ākhirah is a foundational text in Islamic theology from the period of Mazj (700–900 AH), marking an era of convergence between the Māturīdī and Ashʿarī schools. The text contains four Integrals with an introduction on the definition of ʿilm al-kalām and an ending on Īmān and Islām.

The four integrals cover:

  1. Knowledge of Allah,

  2. Knowledge of His Attributes,

  3. Knowledge of the Acts of Allah, and

  4. Textually Transmitted Beliefs.

Each Integral is divided into ten principles.

The book received several commentaries, notably those of his two students al-Qāsim b. Quṭlūbaghā (d. 879 AH) and al-Kamāl b. Abī Sharīf (d. 822 AH), the latter known as al-Musāmarah.

The Musāyarah encompasses what foundational and intermediate texts in kalām provide, while building the skills to access those texts without prior study of them.

Although aimed at beginners and intermediate students, al-Musāyarah is not the most straightforward work in its genre. Studied through the Khairābādī method, however, it unlocks access to many other kalām texts such as Sharḥ al-ʿAqāʾid al-Nasafiyyah.

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Who is this course for?

  • Students of the Islamic sciences seeking a deeper understanding of ʿilm al-kalām through traditional curricular texts

  • Beginners in kalām who wish to enter the science with a structured foundation

  • Students who have studied kalām before but wish to fill gaps and strengthen their understanding

  • Anyone intending to study advanced maʿqūlāt in the future

  • No prior knowledge of Arabic, logic, or philosophy is required, though recommended. The text will be translated and key concepts explained as needed.

Reflections from Our Students

“Studying al-Musayarah with Ustadh Mubashir was a truly enlightening experience. His clear and concise explanations made even the most complex concepts of ʿIlm al-kalām accessible. I highly recommend this course to anyone interested in developing a basic understanding of this important subject.”

– Usman Chaudhary

Learning Outcomes

  • Understand the difference between ʿilm al-ʿaqāʾid and ʿilm al-kalām

  • Experience the Khairābādī method applied to a classical kalām text

  • Gain independent access to early intermediate texts in kalām, particularly on the Essence of Allah

  • Develop skills needed to access other works in the classical kalām tradition

  • Appreciate the depth of Islamic rational theology and Khairābādī pedagogy

  • Prepare for the study of Sharḥ al-ʿAqāʾid al-Nasafiyyah with its ḥāshiyah by Mullā Khayālī

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About the Instructor

Shaykh Muhammad Mubashir Iqbal teaches within the Khairābādī pedagogical tradition, with a focus these days on structured entry into the classical sciences. His teaching emphasises the pedagogical methods passed down within this tradition alongside faithful transmission of the late-classical curriculum.

He began his studies at the age of eleven at Jamʿia al-Karam, where he spent a decade before also teaching Arabic in his final years. He went on to study Persian texts and advanced Dars-i Niẓāmī works at Dārul Qurrāʾ and Islamic Research Centre in England, and later engaged with scholars of diverse backgrounds in Istanbul, including scholars of Shām.

He pursued Ḥadīth studies at Dār al-ʿUlūm Muḥammadiyyah Ghawthiyyah in Bhera, Pakistan, and completed the final books of the classical Dars-i Niẓāmī curriculum at Jamʿia Qādiriyyah in KPK, including al-Hidāyah, Mīr Zāhid Umūr al-ʿĀmmah, Mīr Quṭbī, Shams-i Bāzigah, and commentaries on Sullam al-ʿUlūm.

His sanad in the rational sciences traces back to Imām Fazl-i Ḥaq Khairābādī, Mullā Niẓām al-Dīn Sihālwī, Mīr Sayyid Jurjānī, ʿAllāmah Mubārak Shāh, Qāḍī ʿAḍud al-Dīn al-Ījī, Imām Abū Ḥāmid al-Ghazālī, and Imām Abū al-Ḥasan al-Ashʿarī, may Allāh have mercy upon them all.

With extensive teaching experience, he excels in the classical Khairābādī/Farangī Maḥallī curriculum. He has disseminated his knowledge in various seminaries across England, including Greengate Islamic College, Cambridge Muslim College, and Manchester Muslim College, leaving an indelible mark on his students.

Shaykh Muhammad Mubashir Iqbal
Founder of Khairabadi Institute

Course Details

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Begin Immediately and Study at Your Own Pace

Content: 110+ modules across 10 units, with quality diagrams

Tutorials: 10 playback seminar-style tutorial discussions
Questions: Structured submission system with answers organised by unit in running question banks
Assessments: End-of-unit assessments including SAT-style questions
Materials: Additional readings connecting each passage to at least two other works in kalām
Telegram: Student group with direct access to the instructor
Access: Lifetime access to all materials

£249.99 — One-Time Enrollment
Monthly payment option: £35/month × 8 (includes a small administrative charge)

Upon Enrollment, students will receive a welcome pack containing all details, including modules, tutorials, question banks, ebooks, resources, Telegram group access, guidelines, and schedules.

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