Schools of Islamic theologySchools of Islamic theology are various Islamic schools and branches in different schools of thought regarding ʿaqīdah (creed). The main schools of Islamic Theology include the extant Ashʿarī, Māturīdī, and Aṯharī; the extinct ones include Qadariyah, Jahmiyya, Murji'ah, Muʿtazila, Batiniyya,. The main schism between Sunnī, Shīʿa, and Kharijite branches of Islam was initially more political than theological, but over time theological differences have developed throughout the history of Islam.
Bila KayfThe Arabic phrase Bila Kayf, also pronounced as Bila Kayfa, (بلا كيف) is roughly translated as "without asking how", "without knowing how or what", or "without modality" which means without considering how and without comparison. Literally, "without how" but figuratively as "in a manner that suits His majesty and transcendence". It was a way of resolving theological problems in Islam over apparent contradictions in āyāt (verses of the Quran) by accepting without questioning.
QuranismQuranism or Qur'anism (القرآنية) is a movement within Islam. It holds the belief that traditional religious clergy have corrupted religion, and divine law should be derived solely from the Quran. As a result, in matters of faith, jurisprudence, and legislation, Quranists differ from Sunnis, who consider the hadith, scholarly opinions, the opinions of the sahaba, ijma and qiyas, and Islam's legislative authority in matters of law and creed in addition to the Quran.
AtharismAtharism or Atharī theology (الأثرية: ALA-LC / DIN æl ʔæθæˈrɪj.jæ), otherwise referred to as Traditionalist theology or Scripturalist theology, is one of the main Sunni schools of Islamic theology which is more strict in adherence to the Quran and Sunnah. It emerged as a school of theology in the late 8th century CE from the scholarly circles of Ahl al-Hadith, an early Islamic religious movement that rejected the formulation of Islamic doctrine derived from rationalistic Islamic theology (kalām) in favor of strict textualism in interpreting the Quran and the ḥadīth.
KalamʿIlm al-kalām (عِلْم الكَلام, literally "science of discourse"), usually foreshortened to kalām and sometimes called "Islamic scholastic theology" or "speculative theology", generally speaking, is the philosophical study of Islamic doctrine (aqa'id). It was born out of the need to establish and defend the tenets of the Islamic faith against the philosophical doubters. However, this picture has been increasingly questioned by scholarship that attempts to show that kalām was in fact a demonstrative rather than a dialectical science and was always intellectually creative.
AqidahAqidah (ʿaqīdah (ʕɑˈqiːdæ, ʕɑˈqɑːʔɪd), plural عقائد ʿaqāʾid, also rendered ʿaqīda, aqeeda, etc.) is an Islamic term of Arabic origin that literally means "creed". It is also called Islamic creed and Islamic theology. Aqidah go beyond concise statements of faith and may not be part of an ordinary Muslim's religious instruction. It has been distinguished from Iman in "taking the aspects of Iman and extending it to a detail level" often using "human interpretation or sources". Yet in contrast with Iman, Aqidah is not a term in the Qur'an.
Ibadi IslamThe Ibadi movement or Ibadism (al-ʾIbāḍiyya, alʔibaːˈdʕijja) is a school of Islam. It has been called by some the third branch of Islam, along with Sunni Islam and Shia Islam. The followers of Ibadism are known as the Ibadis. Ibadism emerged around 60 years after the Islamic prophet Muhammad's death in 632 AD as a moderate school of the Khawarij movement, although contemporary Ibāḍīs strongly object to being classified as Kharijites.
Twelver Shi'ismTwelver Shīʿism (ٱثْنَا عَشَرِيَّة; DIN), also known as Imāmiyya (إِمَامِيَّة), is the largest branch of Shīʿa Islam, comprising about 85 percent of all Shīʿa Muslims. The term Twelver refers to its adherents' belief in twelve divinely ordained leaders, known as the Twelve Imams, and their belief that the last Imam, Imam al-Mahdi, lives in Occultation and will reappear as the promised Mahdi (المهدي المنتظر). Twelvers believe that the Twelve Imams are the spiritual and political successors to the Islamic prophet Muhammad.
Islamic schools and branchesIslamic schools and branches have different understandings of Islam. There are many different sects or denominations, schools of Islamic jurisprudence, and schools of Islamic theology, or ʿaqīdah (creed). Within Islamic groups themselves there may be differences, such as different orders (tariqa) within Sufism, and within Sunnī Islam different schools of theology (Atharī, Ashʿarī, Māturīdī) and jurisprudence (Ḥanafī, Mālikī, Shāfiʿī, Ḥanbalī).
Mu'tazilismMu'tazilism (المعتزلة ) was/is a theological movement that appeared in early Islamic history and flourished in Basra and Baghdad and later, Al-Andalus (8th–10th century). Its adherents, the Mu'tazila or Mu'tazilites, were known for their neutrality in the dispute between Ali and his opponents after the death of the third caliph, Uthman. By the 10th century the term al-muʿtazilah had come to refer to a distinctive Islamic school of speculative theology (kalām). This school of theology was founded by Wasil ibn Ata.
