Biography:Sa'id Foudah

Short description: Contemporary Kalam scholar from Jordan

Sa'id Foudah
سعيد فودة
Personal
Religion	Islam
Nationality	Jordan, Palestine
Denomination	Sunni
Jurisprudence	Shafi'i
Creed	Ash'ari
Main interest(s)	'Aqidah, Kalam, Logic
Notable work(s)	Al-Kashif al-Saghir 'An 'Aqa'id Ibn Taymiyya
Education	University of Jordan, Jordan University of Science and Technology, World Islamic Sciences and Education University
Tariqa	Shadhili
Profession	Professor and investigator (muhaqqiq)
Muslim leader
Teacher	Nuh al-Qudah
Influenced by Al-Ash'ari, Fakhr al-Din al-Razi, Al-Kawthari, Al-Tahawi, Al-Baqillani, Al-Juwayni, Al-Ghazali, Al-Baydawi, Al-Shahrastani, Al-Taftazani, Al-'Izz b. 'Abd al-Salam, 'Ala' al-Din al-Bukhari, Baha' al-Din al-Ikhmimi, Muhammad b. Yusuf al-Sanusi, Ahmad al-Dardir, Mustafa Sabri
Influenced 'Abd al-Qadir Muhammad al-Husayn
Profession	Professor and investigator (muhaqqiq)
Website	www.aslein.net

Sa'id 'Abd al-Latif Foudah (Arabic: سعيد عبد اللطيف فودة) is a Shafi'i-Ash'ari scholar of Islamic theology (kalam), logic, legal theory (usul al-fiqh), and the Chief Theology and Philosophy Advisor to the Imam al-Razi Chair at the King Hussein bin Talal Mosque in Amman, Jordan, who is best known for his criticism of the Salafi-Wahhabi movement and Ibn Taymiyya (d. 728/1328) and his followers, as well as Ibn 'Arabi (d. 637/1240) and his school.

Birth

He was born in 1967 in the Jordanian town of al-Karameh, but his family originates from the Palestinian city of Haifa, from the village of Bayt Dajan.

Education

He holds bachelor's and master's degrees in 'aqidah (Islamic creed) from the University of Jordan, and a PhD from the World Islamic Sciences and Education University, and is fluent in Arabic, English, and Italian. He also has a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering from the Jordan University of Science and Technology.

Teachers

He was trained in the sciences of tafsir, tajwid, tasawwuf, and kalam, under scholars throughout the Middle East, including Nuh al-Qudah, 'Ali Gum'a, Sa'id al-'Anbatawi, and Ahmad al-Jamal of the Shadhiliyya tariqa in Jordan, among many others.

Views

In his commentary on the al-'Aqida al-Tahawiyya (the creed of al-Tahawi), he criticizes the Wahhabi scholar Ibn Baz (d. 1420/1999) for an erroneous critique of the “people of kalam.” Foudah asserts: “The sole intention of Ibn Baz... was to oppose the scholars of kalam, even if with falsehood.” Elsewhere in his commentary, Foudah asserts the vital importance of studying the articles of belief in Islam, stating: “'Aqidah is sought after for itself, not only because it is a condition for the validity of actions. Even if an action is not obligatory, 'aqidah is still necessary, for it is the foundation of everything.”

In another treatise entitled “Critiquing A Critique,” Foudah refutes Ibn Taymiyya's claims that the study of logic is forbidden in Islam and defends al-Ghazali's statement that logic is the basis of all sciences. In yet another treatise by Foudah, he responds to the infamous speech on the subject of faith and reason given by Pope Benedict XVI in September 2006. The Pope offended many in the Muslim world by repeating a quote by a medieval Christian scholar that referred to the teachings of the Islamic prophet Muhammad as “evil and inhumane” and being “spread by the sword.” Foudah devoted his treatise to the Pope's remarks regarding Islam's relationship with reason, stating: “The Pope wants to say that the view of the Church in regards to Allah is in conformity with reason, but the view of Muslims with regards to this is contrary to reason! These are words which cause in us shock, laughter and bewilderment.”

According to Jeffry R. Halverson, the Pope's narrow characterization of Islam's conception of God reflects only the Islam of the Atharis, and not at all the theological doctrines of the Ash'aris and Maturidis. This point is not lost on Foudah, who laments the demise of theology and other rational sciences that once flourished in the Islamic world, stating:

“ Such are the times that they dare say their (incorrect) view is (in keeping with) reason, and then claim that the Muslims contradict reason. By Allah, this shows the degree that the Muslims have deteriorated. This is a man of highest position in their (Catholic) group and he has dared utter something like this. If the people of Islam were grounded in the foundations of their knowledge, as were the previous scholars of Islam from the mutakallimin (theologians) and usuliyin [scholars who devoted themselves to the study of the principles of Islamic jurisprudence (usul al-fiqh)], they would never have dared say such about Islam. ”

In another treatise entitled “Modern Salafism and its Effect on Muslim Disunity,” Foudah notes the detrimental effects that Salafi thought has had on the Muslim world. He also recounts a series of systematic refutations or polemics against Salafi beliefs, writing:

“ Let us now take a moment to focus on Wahhabite thought, or Taymite thought (i.e. the followers of Ibn Taymiyya) as I sometimes like to call it. Their view-point can be summed up in the following: the Salaf were upon the true creed and their affair remained for a while. Afterwards their occurred a disconnection and the innovators from other sects became dominant, and that has continued unabated till today—barring the specific time periods in which certain callers to their doctrine appeared. The most important of these callers, according to the Wahhabis, are Ibn Taymiyya and his student Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyya... [But what they mention to you] are disconnected and disparate individuals in separate times and places; and this, in my view, is one of the biggest proofs demonstrating the falsehood of their ideas, beliefs, and rulings in which they oppose Ahl al-Sunna wa al-Jama'a [i.e., Sunni Islam]. ”

Works

His books and treatises are numerous, most of them in the science of 'aqidah, kalam (Islamic scholastic theology), logic and in response to philosophers and secularists and to those who he considers as mubtadi'a (heretical innovators) such as Ibn Taymiyya and his followers, particularly the Wahhabi movement.

He has authored and edited over eighty books and articles on almost every topic of Islamic systematic theology. Among his notable publications are the following:

• Al-Sharh al-Kabir 'ala al-'Aqida al-Tahawiyya (Arabic: الشرح الكبير على العقيدة الطحاوية), a monumental and large commentary on al-'Aqida al-Tahawiyya in over 1450 pages and 2 volumes.
• Al-Kashif al-Saghir 'An 'Aqa'id Ibn Taymiyya (Arabic: الكاشف الصغير عن عقائد ابن تيمية), regarding the creed of Ibn Taymiyya. He dedicated this work to Fakhr al-Din al-Razi (d. 606/1210) and Muhammad Zahid al-Kawthari (d. 1371/1951).
• Risala fi al-Radd 'ala Ibn Taymiyya (Arabic: رسالة في الرد على ابن تيمية في مسألة حوادث لا أول لها), commentary on the book of Baha' al-Din al-Ikhmimi (ar), concerning Ibn Taymiyya's belief in infinite regress.
• Naqd al-Risala al-Tadmuriyya (Arabic: نقض الرسالة التدمرية), critique of Ibn Taymiyya's work on creed. Translated into English by Suraqah Abdul Aziz.
• Fatḥ al-Wadūd bi-Sharḥ Risālat al-Sharif al-Jurjani fi Wahdat al-Wujud (Arabic: فتح الودود بشرح رسالة الشريف الجرجاني في وحدة الوجود), a refutation of the teachings of Ibn 'Arabi as contained in the writings of al-Sharif al-Jurjani.
• Risalatan fi Wahdat al-Wujud (Arabic: رسالتان في وحدة الوجود), a refutation of the teachings of Ibn 'Arabi, which expands upon the refutation in "Fatḥ al-Wadūd".
• Munāqashāt wa Rudūd ma'a al-Shaykh 'Abd al-Ghanī al-Nābulsī (Arabic: مناقشات وردود مع الشيخ عبد الغني النابلسي), a refutation of the teachings of Ibn 'Arabi as found in the works of 'Abd al-Ghani al-Nabulsi, which further expands upon the refutation found in Foudah's previous anti-Ibn 'Arabi output.
• Tahdhib Sharh al-Sanusiyya: Umm al-Barahin (Arabic: تهذيب شرح السنوسية: أم البراهين), summary of the explanation of the creed of Muhammad b. Yusuf al-Sanusi (ar) (d. 895/1490). Translated into English by Suraqah Abdul Aziz.
• Tad'im al-Mantiq (Arabic: تدعيم المنطق), in support of the science of logic.
• Misbah al-Arwah fi Usul al-Din (Arabic: مصباح الأرواح في أصول الدين), editing of al-Baydawi's work on scholastic theology.
• Muljimat al-Mujassima (Arabic: مُلجمة المجسمة), editing of 'Ala' al-Din al-Bukhari's work against Ibn Taymiyya.
• Masa'il al-Ikhtilaf bayna al-Asha'ira wa al-Maturidiyya (Arabic: مسائل الاختلاف بين الأشاعرة والماتريدية), commentary on Ibn Kamal Pasha's work about the differences between the Ash'aris and the Maturidis in theology, in which Foudah succinctly explains the causes of the disagreements and their levels. Translated into English by Suraqah Abdul Aziz.

External links

• Sa'id Foudah's page on Goodreads
• Sa'id Foudah's profile on Islamic & Strategic Studies Institute (ISSI)