and knowledge of the necessity of its Maker. And knowledge of the Maker's eternity. And knowledge of His oneness. And knowledge of His attributes. And knowledge of His transcendence. And knowledge of the possibility of seeing Him. And Abu Ishaq enumerated these sciences.

He informed of the necessity of these sciences, and that they are obligatory upon every Muslim. Abu al-Ma'ali mentioned their obligation in Al-Irshad, and narrated the consensus on it without enumerating them. Al-Mahdi mentioned them in some of his writings, and said at the beginning of what he intended to mention: "Chapter on what one cannot be ignorant of." And our master, may Allah be pleased with him [i.e., Ibn Sab'in], affirmed it (as stated) in this context: "The Imams of the Ash'aris are in consensus on this."

Thus, Al-Mahdi's opinion was included within the opinion of the rest of the Ash'aris, which implies his genuine contribution to enriching Ash'arism in general, and his effective role in spreading it throughout the Maghreb.

The Impact of Al-Murshida's Creed on the Spread of Ash'arism in the Maghreb: If Al-Mahdi's writings in general were the factor in the spread of Ash'arism in the Maghreb, then the book "Al-Ghinaya" and its contents, as we have explained, were the most significant factor in spreading Ash'arism among the people of the Maghreb. It had a profound impact on transforming the creedal conception of the Maghreb from a Salafi conception to a conception based on interpretation.

By this work, we mean Al-Murshida's creed. Its mention became widespread among the common people and scholars. Tongues recited it by heart and explained it. Over time, it became the summary of the creedal conception that occupied minds and was taught to people.

Therefore, we consider the spread of this creed and its influence as an important manifestation of Ibn Tumart's Ash'ari impact in the Maghreb, as it was composed in the Ash'ari methodology, free from the opinions in which Al-Mahdi differed with this methodology. We will provide a brief definition of this creed below.

Then we will conclude by explaining the manifestations of its spread and its influence on the people of the Maghreb.

Al-Murshida's Creed: It was named thus because its opening is a brief treatise not exceeding two pages.

(160) See Ibn Sab'in's Letters: 77-78. (161) See the previous discussion of Al-Mahdi's writings. 047