Ibn Taymiyyah on Creation ex Materia (The Act of Creation)

Ibn Taymiyyah on Creation ex Materia is the second volume in a series of English translations from Ibn Taymiyyah's theological works — covering topics that span from the evidences of Allah's perfection to the signs of prophethood, and from the meaning of divine creative agency to the compatibility of divine predestination with human moral responsibility.

This volume specifically addresses the question of creation — what it means for Allah to be the Creator, how Islamic theology understands the act of creation in relation to Allah's nature and will, and how Ibn Taymiyyah's position differs from and surpasses the answers offered by Kalām theology and Avicennian philosophy. The title "ex materia" refers to a central debate in philosophical theology about whether creation requires pre-existing matter — a question Ibn Taymiyyah addresses with the rigorous Qur'anic and rational argumentation that characterizes all his theological work.

What This Book Covers

The Evidences of Allah's Perfection

Ibn Taymiyyah establishes from the Qur'an the arguments for Allah's absolute perfection and how these arguments are superior to those offered by the Kalām theologians who relied heavily on Aristotelian and Avicennian frameworks that were foreign to the revealed texts.

Divine Creative Agency

The book addresses what it actually means when we say Allah is the Creator — examining the Islamic understanding of how Allah's will, knowledge, and power relate to the act of bringing creation into existence, and dismantling the philosophical objections raised against this understanding.

Superior Rationality of the Qur'anic Position

As with all his theological works, Ibn Taymiyyah demonstrates that the position of the Qur'an and Sunnah is not only evidentially superior but rationally superior to the alternatives — a demonstration particularly valuable in responding to philosophical challenges to Islamic theology.

About the Author

Shaykhul-Islam Ahmad ibn Abd al-Halim Ibn Taymiyyah (661–728 AH) was one of the greatest scholars in Islamic history. Published by Dar Al-Arqam.

Continue Reading

We wrote about this volume in more depth in Ibn Taymiyyah on Creation ex Materia — a recommended read. For the wider foundations, see our guide to the best aqeedah books for beginners and the full aqeedah and Islamic creed collection, or work through the author's catalogue with Books by Ibn Taymiyyah: where to start.