Are there Islamic writings similar to a Christian catechism?

For major Christian faiths, *catechisms* maintained by religious authorities are relatively concise summaries of their doctrine. (One example, from the Episcopal Book of Common Prayer, can be found [here](http://anglicansonline.org/basics/catechism.html).) They are useful for launching deeper inquiry and providing basic knowledge to children, converts, and curious strangers. Are there analogous (semi-)authoritative documents published in English by major Islamic institutions, useful for a stranger who wishes to gain basic knowledge? [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catechism#Non-Christian_catechisms) 's page on catechisms mentions something called *Ilm ul-Hal*, but most of the high-ranking Google results for this term aren't in English.