Nazmül Ferâid

Nazm al-Farāʾid (also known as Nazm al-Farāʾid wa Jamʿ al-Fawāʾid) is a key theological work in the Islamic scholarly tradition, authored by Shaykhzādah ʿAbd al-Raḥīm b. ʿAlī b. Muʾayyid (d. 944/1537). Shaykhzādah was a prominent scholar during the reign of Sultan Selim I.

This significant book focuses on the specific points of disagreement between the two main Sunni theological schools: the Ashʿarī and the Māturīdī. It systematically examines 40 points of difference in matters of creed (ʿaqīdah). For each issue, the work presents the perspectives and proofs of both schools, followed by the Māturīdī response to the Ashʿarī proofs. It also provides additional insights under the headings of “fā’idah” (benefit) and “tatimmah” (supplement).

The book’s importance is further underscored by the fact that it often includes, as an appendix, Ibn Kamāl Pāshā’s treatise on the same subject, titled Risālat al-ikhtilāf bayna al-Ashāʿirah wa al-Māturīdiyyah fī ithnā ʿashara masʾalah, which outlines 12 of these disputed issues.

Nazm al-Farāʾid is considered one of the most systematic and excellent examples of its kind and has been a source of inspiration for subsequent works on the same topic. It has also served as a valuable reference for scholars and researchers of Islamic theology.