Book excerpt: This short treatise on theology written by Imam Tahawi was titled Bayan al- Sunna wa l-Jama'a and is commonly known as al-'Aqida al-Tahawiyya. The importance of this creed lies in the fact that it corroborates the views of Imam Abu Hanifa, the founder of the Hanafi school, that have come down to us from different sources. Imam Tahawi does not make an attempt to explain the views of Imam Abu Hanafi or to solve the old theological problems by advancing any new arguments. His sole aim was to give a summary of the views of the Imam and to show indirectly that they were in conformity with the traditional views of the orthodox school. Imam Tahawi 's treatise, though small in size, is a basic text for all times, listing what a Muslim must know and believe and inwardly comprehend. It can be said to represent the creed of both the Ash'aris and the Maturidis, especially the latter, given his being a follower of the Hanafi school. The doctrines enumerated in this work are entirely derived from the undisputed primary sources of religion, the Qur'an and the confirmed Hadith. This text, representative of the viewpoint of Ahl al-Sunna wa l-Jama'a, has long been the most widely acclaimed, and indeed indispensable, reference work on Muslim beliefs.