Sa'id Foudah
Sa'id 'Abd al-Latif Foudah () 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. 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: 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: 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: