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 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 Qur'anic and rational argumentation that characterizes 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 sets them against those offered by the Kalām theologians who relied on Aristotelian and Avicennian frameworks 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.

The Rationality of the Qur'anic Position

As with his other theological works, Ibn Taymiyyah argues that the position of the Qur'an and Sunnah is not only evidentially sound but rationally stronger than the alternatives — an argument particularly useful in responding to philosophical challenges to Islamic theology.

About the Author

Shaykhul-Islam Ahmad ibn Abd al-Halim Ibn Taymiyyah (661–728 AH) was born in Harran and taught in Damascus. He wrote across aqeedah, fiqh, hadith and usool, and engaged directly with the philosophical systems that had entered Islamic theology in his era. Published by Dar Al-Arqam.

Who This Book Is For

Students of Islamic theology engaging with philosophical arguments about creation, causation and the nature of God. Muslims who encounter Kalām or Avicennian framings of these questions and want the Salafi response with its reasoning laid out. And readers of the first volume in this series who want to continue with the same author and translator.

Continue Reading

We wrote about this volume in more depth in Ibn Taymiyyah on Creation ex Materia — a recommended read. The first volume in the series is Ibn Taymiyyah on the Oneness of God. Browse more works by Ibn Taymiyyah. 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.