This first monograph is entitled Creed for the Common Folk: Orthodoxy and Elitism in Early Modern Morocco. The book analyzes discussions among Moroccan scholars between the 14th-18th centuries around how to conceptualize and manage the religious belief of less educated Muslims. The project will show that while these scholars broadly agreed on the importance of belief, as well as on core doctrine, they disagreed over whether it is necessary, ethical, or even feasible to assess others’ internal cognitive states and attempt to shape their beliefs. In short, the project comprises a historical study of how scholarly elites in a particular time and place articulated theological truths and sought to ensure adherence to those truths in wider society. Alongside the monograph, the project will also include a critical edition of Arabic writings by Muhammad b. ʿUmar b. Abi Mahalli, a 17th-century scholar of southeast Morocco who was especially insistent on the need to intervene in the beliefs of others.