T he C orrect C reed that Every M uslim M ust K now

Shaykh 'A b d u s-Salaam Ibn B urjiss

W ith N o te s F ro m S h a y k h M u h a m m a d Ib n R a m z a a n a l-H a a ju re e
T ra n sla te d By 'U m a r B ry a n t
“They are saved from the Fire
on the Last Day, and they are
safe from innovations in this
world. They are the aided
sect as the Prophet ( $ ) said
about them, “There shall not
cease to be a group from
my Ummah who will remain
victorious until the order of
Allaah (the last hour)
comes and they are still
victorious.”
Z U L H io J I - % n V o D l l

the Correct
CREED
that Everq Muslim Must Know
Shaykh 'Abdus-Salaam Ibn Burjiss
W ith Notes by Shaykh M uham m ad Ibn R a m za an al-H aajiree
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rR O ID A S T O R E
I S L A M I C G O O D S
 T a b le O f C o n t e n t s

T ran slato r's P re fa c e .......................................................................................................VII

A B rief B iograp h y of Sh aykh D r. 'A b d u s-S alaam Ibn B urjiss Ibn

N aasir A ali 'A b d il-K a re e m ..........................................................................................IX

H is N am e and L in e a g e ...................................................................................................................X

H is Early S tu d ie s ............................................................................................................................... X

H is P ositio n s and A d v an ced S tu d ie s ...................................................................................XII

H is B o ok s and W ritin g s ............................................................................................................ XIV

H is V e rific a tio n s ........................................................................................................................... XIX

A u th or's In tro d u ctio n ............................................................................................. XXIII

T he C orrect B elief R egarding: T aw heed a r-R o o b o o b iy y a h ..........................1

T h e P oly th eists N ever D isp u ted T aw heed A r-R o o b o o b iy y a h .......................................... 2

T h e B elief o f the P oly th eists that T h e ir G o d s In terced e for T hem b efore

A llaah and N ot B ecau se T h ey C reate and P ro v id e .......................................................... 3

T h e B en efits o f A llaah A ffirm in g T aw heed a r-R o ob oo b iy y ah .......................................... 5

T h e Inv alid ity o f Shirk in R ooboobiyyah, In tellectu ally and T extu ally (Based
up on the V e r s e s ).................................................................................................................................8

Th e C orrect B elief R egarding: T aw heed a l-A sm a a ' w a s -S ifa a t 11

The First P r in c ip le ........................................................................................................................... 11

T h e Second P rin cip le ...................................................................................................................... 12

T h e T hird P r in c ip le .........................................................................................................................13
D escrib in g H is A scen sio n abov e the T h ro n e .............................................................. 14
T h e M ean in g o f 'Istiw aa'.........................................................................................................14
N ot K n o w in g H ow this Istiw aa T o o k P la ce .................................................................. 14
T h e A ttribu tes o f H earin g and S e e in g ............................................................................ 14
 T h e M ean in g of the A ttrib u te o f H e a r in g .................................................................... 15
T h e M ean in g of the A ttrib u te o f S e e in g ........................................................................ 15

Th e C orrect B elief R egarding: Taw heed a l-Ila ah iy ya h ................................17

T h e O p p o site o f T aw heed Is A sso ciatin g P artn ers w ith A lla a h .................................19

W h o Is a P o ly th e is t? .......................................................................................................................21

D u'aa Is N ot to be D irected to A n yo n e E xcep t A lla a h ..................................................21

M essen g ers W ere S en t for the Sake o f T h is A sp ect o f T a w h eed ............................... 25

T h e P oly th eists H av e no A rg u m en t S u p p o rtin g T h eir S h ir k .................................... 27

The C orrect B elief R egarding: The Six Pillars of E em aan (F a ith ) 31

B elief in A lla a h ..................................................................................................................................31

B elief in the A n g e ls......................................................................................................................... 31

D escrip tio n o f the A n g e ls ..................................................................................................... 32
D escrip tio n o f the C reatio n o f the A n g e ls .................................................................... 34
A llaah R efu tes the P oly th eists W h o Say, "T h e A n gels are A llaah 's
D a u g h te r s " ................................................................................................................................... 35
J ib r e e l,' A la y h is-S a la am ............................................................................................................37
M ik aa'eel, ‘A la y h is-S a la am .................................................................................................... 39
Israafil, ‘A la y h is-S a la am .......................................................................................................... 39
T h e A ngel o f D eath, ‘A la y h is-S a la am ............................................................................... 40
The G u ard ian A ngels, 'A la y h im u s-S a la a m .................................................................... 40
The H o n orab le Scribes, ‘A la y h im u s-S a la a m ..................................................................41
W h o ev er R ejects the E xisten ce o f A n gels H as D isb e lie v e d ................................ 42

B elief in the R evealed B o o k s ..................................................................................................... 42

T h e Revealed B o ok s A re the S p eech o f A llaah T a 'a a la .......................................... 45
T y p es o f R e v e la tio n ..................................................................................................................46
T h e B ook s C on firm O ne A n o th e r..................................................................................... 47
T h e N am es o f A lla a h 's B o o k s .............................................................................................48
T h e N oble Q u r'a n Is the Final B o ok and It A b ro g ates A ll O th er B o o k s ...... 49
T he Q u r'a n Is a M ir a c le ......................................................................................................... 50
The Q u r'a n Is P ro te cte d ......................................................................................................... 50

B elief in the M e s s e n g e r s .............................................................................................................. 51

V irtu es o f the P ro p h e ts .......................................................................................................... 51
T h e C all o f the M essen g ers A greed in the Fo u n d atio n o f the R e lig io n ......... 52
The N u m ber o f P ro p h ets and M e sse n g e rs................................................................... 54
The D ifferen ce b etw een a P ro p h et and a M e sse n g e r..............................................54
 N am es o f the P rop h ets and M e s s e n g e r s .......................................................................55
The P ro p h ets and M essen g ers W ere M en W h o m A llaah B lessed w ith
P ro p h eth o o d and the M e s s a g e ...........................................................................................55
O u r P ro p h et M u h am m ad (S allallaahu ‘A lay h i w a Sallam ) Is the Seal of
the P ro p h e ts ................................................................................................................................. 58
T h e Sacred Pact o f the M essen g ers w ith O u r P rop h et (Sallallaahu
‘A lay h i w a S allam )....................................................................................................................... 59
W h o ev er D en ies the M essage o f M u h am m ad (S allallaahu ‘A layhi wa
Sallam ) H as D is b e lie v e d ........................................................................................................ 61
W h o ev er C laim s P rop h eth o od after M u h am m ad (Sallallaahu ‘A layhi wa
Sallam ) H as D is b e lie v e d ........................................................................................................ 62
W h o ev er D en ies the M essage o f A ny o f the P ro p h ets and M essen gers
H as D isb e lie v e d ..........................................................................................................................63

B elief in the L ast D a y .....................................................................................................................64

T h e R e su rrectio n ........................................................................................................................ 65
Book o f D e e d s ............................................................................................................................. 66
T h e S c a le s ......................................................................................................................................67
T h e In te rce ssio n ..........................................................................................................................67
T h e F o u n ta in ................................................................................................................................68
T h e B r id g e .....................................................................................................................................69

B elief in the D ivin e P red estin atio n — Its G o od and Its Bad: Q adr and
Q a d h a a '.................................................................................................................................................. 69
P rin cip les o f a l-Q a d r ................................................................................................................. 70
T h e S e rv a n t's D e e d s ................................................................................................................. 76
T h at W h ich H as B een W ritten (D ecreed ) Shou ld N ot P reven t O ne
from A c tio n s ................................................................................................................................78

T h e C orrect B elief R egarding: Eem aan (F a ith ).................................................. 81

T h e In creasin g and D ecreasin g o f F a i t h .............................................................................. 81

Faith Is N o t Sim p ly B e lie f............................................................................................................84

Faith Is N ot Sim p ly R e c o g n itio n .............................................................................................. 84

T h ere Is N ot Faith w ith o u t D e e d s ...........................................................................................86

T h e R u lin g o f A c tio n s ................................................................................................................... 87

T h e R u lin g o f T a k fe er......................................................................................................................87

Th e C orrect B elief R egarding: Th e R ulin g of O ne W ho H as Fallen

into M ajor S in ..................................................................................................................... 91
 T h e O ne W ho C o m m its a M ajor Sin H as W eak F a ith ...................................................92

N o C o n trad iction b etw een O n e B eing an E v il-D o er and a M u s lim ...................... 93

T h e C ateg ories o f D isbelief, Shirk, O p p ressio n , Evil, and A p o sta s y ..................... 94

M ajor D isb e lie f..................................................................................................................................94

M in o r D is b e lie f.................................................................................................................................95

The C orrect B elief R egard in g: Th e C om p an ion s of the M essen ger

of A llaah (Sallallaahu 'A layhi wa Sallatn).......................................................... 99

The V irtu e o f the M u h a a jiro o n .................................................................................................100

T h e R u lin g o f the O n e W h o H ates the C o m p a n io n s................................................... 102

T h e V irtu e o f the C o m p a n io n s................................................................................................103

P ro h ib itio n o f In su ltin g the C o m p a n io n s ......................................................................... 103

The M essen g er o f A llaah (Sallallaahu ‘A layhi w a Sallam ) B ears W itn ess to

T h eir R ig h te o u sn e s s .....................................................................................................................104

V irtu e o f the A n s a a r.................................................................................................................... 104

V irtu e o f T h o se W h o G av e T h eir A llegian ce at R id w a a n ........................................ 105

C lassification o f the C o m p an io n s by V ir tu e ................................................................... 105

T h e C orrect B elief R egarding: The Fam ily of the P rophet

(sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sa lla m ) ...............................................................................107

H is (Sallallaahu ‘A layhi wa Sallam ) W ives A re from A h lu l-B a y t.............................. 108

The C orrect B elief R egarding: The B lessings of A llaah 's F rien d s Ill

D efin itio n o f W alee........................................................................................................................ I l l

So m e o f the B lessin g s that A llaah H as G iv en to H is A w liy a a ’ ................................112

T h e C orrect B elief R egarding: The O bligation T ow ard s and

R esp ect G iven to the Leaders of the M u slim s.................................................115

P roh ibitio n o f O v erth ro w in g the R u le rs............................................................................115

T h e P u n ish m en ts o f O ne W ho O v erth ro w s the R u le r ............................................... 116

S u p p licatin g for the R u le rs .......................................................................................................117

P ro h ib itio n o f In su ltin g the R u le rs ....................................................................................... 117

P rohib ition of D isputing A b out the R e lig io n .................................................119

 B lam ew orth y A rg u in g ................................................................................................................120

D ebates from the S h a re e'a h ....................................................................................................... 122

Prohib ition of S ittin g w ith the Peop le of D e s ire s ........................................ 123

C lassification o f the P eop le o f D e s ir e s ................................................................................123

P erm issibility o f A v o id in g S ittin g w ith T h e m ................................................................123

C o n c lu s io n ......................................................................................................................... 125

G lossary of Im p ortan t A rabic W ord s and P h ra s e s ......................................127

In d e x ...................................................................................................................................... 133
 $
Translator's Preface

C_Jj 4 ji x^~\

U pon com p letin g the translation o f th is trem end ou s book, the translator,
m y beloved brother, teacher and com p anion, 'U m a r Bryant, requested
that 1 w rite the tran slator's preface for the book. M uch like our Shaykh,
Dr. 'A bd u s-Salaam Ibn Burjiss, 'U m ar passed aw ay at a you n g age; he
died at the age o f thirty-eigh t on 6 R ajab 1431/18 Ju n e 2010. M ay A llaah
have m ercy upon them both and upon all the M uslim s.

T his book clarifies the belief o f A hlus-Sunnah uml Jam aa'ah con cern in g an
assortm ent o f essential topics, from the six pillars o f faith, T akfeer upon
the M uslim , b elief concerning the C om p an ion s o f the Prophet (peace be
upon him ) and h is fam ily, and the obligation tow ard s the M uslim rulers.

The notes to this book w ere w ritten by ou r Shaykh, M uham m ad

R am zaan, one o f the m ashaayikh 'U m ar w as blessed to sit at the feet of
and ben efit from.

T ran slator notes are indicated as such.

VII
The M uslim s are in need o f such a book to protect th em selves and their
fam ilies from the callers to m isguidance.

The M essenger o f A llaah (sallallaahu 'alayhi um sallam) said, "T h e re w ill

be callers at the doors of the Fire, w h oever respon d s to them w ill be
cast th e re in ."1

This book is an ideal study guide for the M uslim w ho w ishes to teach his
fam ily the creed of Ahlus-Sunnah wal-Jamaa'ah.

I ask A llah to rew ard the fam ily o f 'U m ar, B ashan 'A b d u llaah and
A m anda Brow n.

I ask A llah to preserve 'U m a r's children, 'A bd u llaah , Janaan, M u'aad h,
H anaa, Saara and D aania, upon the creed o f Ahlus-Sunnah iml-jamaa'ah
until the day w e all return to A llaah.

py- (’- r i P C f-^ J ^

/c , ' -
bu r Crf (’- S ^ 1 k ?

A nd those w ho believe and w hose offsp rin g follow them in faith, W e

shall join them tog eth er w ith their o ffsp rin g [in paradise] and W e shall
n ot decrease the rew ard of their d eeds in anything.
[Sooratut-Toor, 52:21]

R asheed Ibn Estes Barbee

1 Hndeeth o f H u d a y fa h Ibn Y a m a a n ; co lle cted by Ib n M aajah in "T h e B o o k o f T ria ls "

(hndeeth, 3 979).

VIII
 A Brief Biography of Shaykh Dr. /Abdus-Salaam
Ibn Burjiss Ibn Naasir Aali 'Abdil-Kareem2

A hlus-Sunnah w al-]am aa'ah w ere shocked w hen the n ew s reached them of

the death o f the noble shaykh, Dr. 'A b d u s-Salaam Ibn B u rjiss Ibn N aasir
A ali 'A bd il-K areem w ho died on Saturd ay night, the 3 rd o f D hul-H ijjah
1425 (14th January 2005) in a terrible car accid en t w h ile on his w ay from
A hsaa to Riyadh.

Shaykh 'A bd u s-Salaam w as w ell k now n to the scholars and shuyookh of

this blessed country (Saudi A rabia). T he p roof for th is w as the large
nu m ber of scholars and teachers w ho attend ed his funeral prayer. And I
have heard som e o f the peop le o f kno w led ge and virtue say abou t him :
"T h e level o f know led ge of Shaykh 'A bd u s-Salaam su rpassed his a g e ."3

And it w as also said about him : "H ad he lived long, he w ould have been
an ayah (proof/sign)." A nd I have seen a large nu m ber of scholars and
stud ents of k now led ge affected by his loss. T h is w as since he w as a
d efend er of the Sunnah, safeguard ing it w ith his life, pen, and w ealth.
A llaah blessed m e by allow ing m e to be close to the Shaykh for a period
of tim e, w hich is considered short in com p arison to the nu m ber of close
friends and loved on es he had. D urin g m y closen ess to him , w h en ev er I
w ould hear anything from him concern ing his biography and personal
inform ation, I w ould w rite it dow n. So after a w hile, I had collected

2 T h is b io g ra p h y w a s w ritte n b y H a a n ee Ib n Sa a lim a l-H u sa y n e e a l-H a a rith e e in Je d d a h

an d w as d istrib u te d in th e Sa u d i n e w sp a p e r, al-]azeerah .
1 T ra n sla to r's n o te: T h is m ea n s h e h ad m o re k n o w le d g e th a n w a s ty p ica l a t h is y o u n g age.

IX
several pieces o f in form ation about him . And every tim e I w ould sit w ith
him , I w ould rem ind him about that, and he w ould say to m e: " I am not
one w hose biography should be recorded. I am less (significant) than
th at."

H ow ever, I now feel that it is the least of my d uties to him that I w rite
this biography even though it has d eficiencies in it. So I say, w hile
seeking assistance from A llaah:

H is N am e and Lineage

H e w as Abu 'A bd ir-R ah m aan 'A bd u s-Salaam Ibn B urjiss Ibn N aasir Aali
'A bd il-K areem . H e w as born in R iyadh in 1387H as confirm ed in his
personal identity card. H e w as raised u nd er the care of his parents, and
their hom e w as a place of religiou sness and righteousness. Ever since his
youth, the Shaykh w as intelligent, determ ined, d iligent, and h ard ­
w orking.

H is Early Studies

Shaykh 'A bd u s-Salaam m em orized the Q u r'an and began seeking

know led ge at the age o f thirteen. H is teach ers observed d istinctive signs
in him ; thus, they gave him special atten tion and im portance.

T he Shaykh studied at the hand s of a nu m ber o f scholars in this blessed

country, such as:

T he Im aam and great scholar, Shaykh 'A b d u l-'A zeez Ibn 'A bd illaah Ibn
Baaz (D. 1420H ), m ay A llaah have m ercy on him , w hom he accom panied
for a period o f tim e, attend ing a nu m ber o f his lessons, particularly his

X
classes on Bulooghul-Maraam o f Ibn H ajr, Tafseer Ibn Katheer, and other
books.

Also, the scholar o f Fiqh and Usool, M uham m ad Ibn Saalih Ibn
'U th ay m een (D. 1421H), m ay A llaah have m ercy on him . Shaykh
'A b d u s-Salaam travelled to him betw een the years 1401H and 1403H
d uring the regu lar school breaks. H e also m aintained close con tact w ith
him w hen Shaykh M uham m ad beg an his classes in al-Masjidul-Haraam in
M akkah in 1402H . H e also lived w ith him befo re he accom panied the
Shaykh and his fam ily to M akkah. T his also inclu d es the other tim es he
spent w ith him . H e studied Kitaab at-Tawheed w ith him , as w ell as Al-
'Aqeedah al-W aasitiyyah and som e statem ents from Zaad al-Mustaqni' on
Fiqh, al-Ajaroomiyyah on gram m ar, Shaykh M u h am m ad 's abrid gem en t of
Al-Qawaa'id of Ibn Rajab, and alm ost half o f Saheeh al-Bukhaaree.

Shaykh M uham m ad had g reat respect and esteem for Shaykh 'A bd u s-
Salaam . I even saw this for m yself.

He also kept close com p any w ith Sh aykh 'A b d u llaah Ibn 'A b d ir-
R ahm aan Ibn Jibreen, w hom he accom panied for a period o f four years
in w hich he read and studied the book At-Tawheed o f Ibn K hu zaim ah
u nder him , as w ell as An-Nooniyyah o f Ibn al-Q ayyim along w ith its
explan ation by Ibn 'E esaa. Shaykh 'A b d u s-Salaam m em orized alm ost
one thousand lines from it. H e also studied Zaad al-Mustaqni' along w ith
(its explanation) Ar-Razvd al-M urabbi' and Ma'aarijul-Qabool o f Shaykh
H aafidh al-H akam ee. Shaykh 'A b d u s-Salaam ben efited im m en sely from
Shaykh Ibn Jibreen.

A lso am ongst his teachers w as the g reat scholar and Muhaddith,

'A b d u llaah Ibn M uham m ad ad -D u w aysh (D. 1409H ). H e studied the
Alfiyyah of al-'Iraaqee and a portion o f Sunan Abee Daawood u nd er him
d uring his scheduled school breaks in Buraydah.

XI
H e also studied u nd er Shaykh Saalih Ibn 'A b d ir-R ah m aan al-A tram in
the C ollege o f Sh aree'ah of Im aam M uham m ad Ibn Sa'oo d U niversity.
H e studied the notes on Ar-Rawd by Ibn Q aasim and attended his lessons
in the masjid.

H is teachers also included Fahd al-H um ayn, m ay A llaah preserve him ,

u nd er w hom he studied Tawheed and Fiqh.

H e also studied u nd er Shaykh 'A b d u llaah Ibn Q u 'ood , w ith w hom he

read FathuTMajeed.

A lso am on gst his teachers w as the scholar of Fiqh and Usool, 'A b d u llaah
Ibn 'A bd ir-R ah m aan Ibn G hud ayaan, w hom he studied u nd er w h ile in
the H igher Institute o f Jud icial Education.

Saalih Ibn Ibraaheem al-Baleehee (D. 141 OH) w as also one of his teachers.
H e attended his classes on Zaad al-M ustaqni' along w ith his notes to it,
w hich is called As-Salsabeel fe e Ma'rifatid-Daleel.

A nother o f his teachers w as the Shaykh, Dr. 'A b d u l-K areem al-K hudayr,
u nd er w hom he studied NayluTAwtaar o f A sh -Sh aw kaan ee and the
Alfiyyah of al-'Iraaqee on hadeeth term inology.

H is teachers also included Dr. 'A bd u l-M u h sin Ibn M uham m ad al-
M uneef, u nder w hom he studied Ar-Rahbiyyah on the L aw s of
Inheritance w hile in M akkah in 1405H d uring R am adaan.

H is P osition s and A d vanced Studies

T hese are ju st som e of the teachers the Shaykh studied under, and he did
so w ith the d eterm ination of the people o f know led ge. As for his

XII
organized studies, the Shaykh acquired his ed u cation in the city of
Riyaadh. There, he beg an h is prim ary level studies. Then he join ed an
ed u cation al in stitute under the au sp ices o f Im aam M uham m ad Ibn
Sa'oo d U niversity. A fter that, he m oved on to the C ollege o f Sh aree'ah at
the sam e university and g rad uated in 1410H . U pon his g rad uation, he
w as appointed as a teacher in the ed u cational institute in Q aw ay 'iyy ah ,
w hich is located about 170 k ilom eters w est of R iyadh on the road to
M akkah.

H e then aspired to con tinu e his ed u cation w ith h ig h er studies, so he

joined The H igher Institute for Ju d icial E ducation and com p leted his
M asters there. T he title of his M aster's thesis w as " At-Tawtheeq bil-'Uqood
fil-Fiqhil-Islam ee (N otorizing D ocu m ents o f Islam ic Ju risp ru d en ce)."

H e w as then appointed a ju d g e in the M in istry o f Justice, bu t he asked to

be excused from this position. H e w as finally granted his request after
m uch struggle. He w as then nom inated to w ork in the B ureau of
C om p laints and Injustices in the city o f Jed d ah . H ow ever, he only stayed
in that position for one w eek. H e then abandoned the bureau ou t of
d islike for it, and ou t of looking to absolve h im self from it. H e returned
to R iyaadh as a lecturer for T he H igher Institute o f Ju d icial Education.
He obtained his D octo rate's degree in 1422H due to his verification o f the
book A l-Faw aa’idul-Muntnkhabaat Sharh Akhsarul-M ukhtasaraat of
'U th m aan Ibn Jaam i' (D. 1240H ) in collaboration w ith others. T he person
w ho su pervised him in this project w as the cu rrent head M uftee o f Saudi
A rabia, Shaykh 'A b d u l-'A zeez A alush-Shaykh.

A fter this, he w as appointed as A ssistant P rofessor, a position he held up

until his death; m ay A llaah have m ercy on him .

XIII
H is M anners

H e had profound ly good m anners and hum bleness, and he w as know n

for his gentleness, am iability, and ch eerfu lness w ith his parents, teachers,
fam ily m em bers, and colleagues. Everyone w ho associated w ith him
knew him to be this w ay. T his is w hy there w ere so m any peop le w ho
w ere affected and grief-stricken upon hearing new s o f his death. W e ask
A llaah to unite us w ith him in H is h onorable abod e.4

Shaykh 'A bd u s-Salaam w as also an excellen t poet. H is poetic verses

w ere of the highest quality and at the u pperm ost level o f precision. He
has recorded poetic talks. H is poetry show s his innate talent and that he
had no need for w riting it dow n (i.e. he w ould m ake poetry o ff the top of
his head). He w ould use poetry in his regular con versation s and it w ould
be lim ited to his friends and loved ones. If w e w ere to try to collect all
these poem s, they w ould fit into a m od erate-sized v o lu m e—m ay A llaah
assist the one w ho com p iles it.

H is Books and W ritings

Shaykh 'A bd u s-Salaam possessed a fluent w riting style and used elegant
expressions. He has authored num erous books w hich have spread far
and w ide, going to the east and the w est, and prod ucing m uch benefit.
He w rote his first book before reaching age eighteen. H is books are
valuable and of great benefit. I w ill now m ention those b ooks he w rote
that I am aw are of, inclu ding both those that are printed and those that
are not:

4 T ra n s la to r's n o te: It is im p o rta n t to n o te th a t th e Sh a y k h w as a lso d ilig e n t and a c tiv e in

th e field o f d a'w ah as h e w o u ld travel th ro u g h o u t Sa u d i A rab ia to p a rticip a te in c o n fe re n c e s

and sem in a rs. T h is a lso in c lu d e s h is trip to th e U n ited K in g d o m in w h ich h e d e liv ere d

sev era l lectu res an d lesso n s for th e b e n e fit o f th e M u slim s th ere.

XIV
 0 Al-Qawlul-M ubeen fee Hukmil-Istihzaa bil-Mu'mineen (The C lear
Statem en t on the R ulin g of M ocking the B elievers) —printed in a
concise treatise.

0 Eeqaafun-Nabeel ‘alaa Hukmit-Tamtheel (A lertin g the N oble Person

on the R uling of Plays) — published in an av erage-sized
p aperback.5

® At-Tamannee (H ope) — published.

® 'Awaa'iqut-Talab (O bstacles in the Path o f Seeking K now led ge) —

published.

® Al-I'laam bi-Ba'adi Ahkaamis-Salaam (A N otification o f Som e o f the

R ulings on G reeting w ith Salaam) — published as a sm all treatise.

® Al-Hujajul-Qawiyyah 'alaa annaa Wasaa'il ad-D a’wah Tawqeefiyyah

(Sound Proofs that the M eans of Da'wah are Based on
R evelation) —published as a short paperback.

5 T ra n sla to r's n o te: In h is in tro d u c tio n to th is trea tise , S h a y k h S aalih a l-F a w z a a n said:

I h a v e re v iew ed th e v a lu a b le b o o k w ritten by S h a y k h 'A b d u s-S a la a m Ib n B u rjiss

Ibn N a a sir A ali 'A b d il-K a re e m w ith th e title E eqa a fu n -N ab eel ‘a laa H u km it-

T am theel, w h ich c o n sists o f e v id e n c e s fo r th e p ro h ib itio n o f su ch an act. In it he

m en tio n s th e a rg u m e n ts u sed b y th o se w h o a llo w it, so I fo u n d it, all p ra ise b e to

A lla a h , to b e a v a lu a b le trea tise , c o m p re h e n siv e in its su b ject. It w ill so lv e a

c u rre n t p ro b lem th a t h a s a ffected m a n y sc h o la rs an d teach ers. S h a y k h 'A b d u s-
S a la a m , m a y A llaah rew a rd h im , h a s c la rifie d th e tru th in it, lea v in g n o ro o m for

d o u b t c o n c e rn in g th e p ro h ib itio n o f p lays.

Sh ay k h R a b ee' a l-M a d k h a le e said : " I re v iew ed th is v a lu a b le k n o w le d g e -b a se d research ,

w h ich w a s a c tiv e ly p u t to g e th e r by a n o b le y o u n g m a n , o n e w ith e n th u sia sm fo r th e

relig io n , S h a y k h 'A b d u s-S a la a m Ibn B u rjiss ."

XV
 0 DarooratuTIhtimaam bis-Sunan (The N eed for G iving Im portance
to the A spects of the Sunnah) — published as a sm all paperback
treatise.

0 Al-Abyaat al-Adabiyyah al-Haasirah (C onfined P oetic V erses on

Ethics) —published tw ice.

0 Al-Abyaatul-‘llmiyyah al-Haasirah : T he Shaykh m entioned it in his

introd uction to his aforem ention ed book, stating that he has yet
to finish it. I asked him five m onths befo re his death abou t it and
he told m e it w as still incom plete. If it w ere to be com pleted it
w ould indeed be som eth ing am azing. T he Shaykh let m e review
tw o sections from it. If it w ere to be printed in the m an n er that
the Shaykh left it, it w ould still be very beneficial.

0 Al-Mu'taqidus-Saheeh al-Waajib 'alaa Kulli Muslim I'tiqaadu (The

C orrect C reed that Every M uslim M ust B elieve in): O riginally,
this treatise w as a lecture that the Sh aykh gave in the C entral
M osque. Shaykh 'A b d u l-'A zeez Ibn Baaz com m ented on this talk
and praised Shaykh 'A bdu s-Salaam , m ay A llaah have m ercy on
both o f them . O ne o f the noble mashaayikh suggested to the
Shaykh to print the book, so he did. It w as published several
tim es and m uch ben efit cam e from it.

0 Ibtaal Nisbatud-Deewaan al-M ansoob Li-Shaykhil-Islam Ibn

Taymiyyah (The Falsehood of A scribin g ad-Deeivaan to Ibn
Taym iyyah) —published in a sm all paperback.

0 Majmoo' Shi'r Shaykhil-Islatn Ibn Taymiyyah (A C om p ilation of

P oem s from Ibn T aym iyyah) —published as an append ix in the
aforem entioned book.

XVI
0 M u’aamalatul-Hukaam fe e Daw'il-Kitaab ivas-Sunnah (Interacting
w ith the R ulers in L ight o f the Qur'an and Sutmah): T his book
w as printed several tim es. M uch b en efit cam e from it; it is a book
that is u niqu e in its subject.

0 Al-Amr bi-Luzoom Jamaa'atil-M uslimeen wa Imaamihim wat-

Tahdheer min Mufaaraqatihim (The O bligation o f Stickin g to the
U nified Body o f M uslim s and T h eir Im aam and a W arn in g on
Splitting from Them ): T he source for this bo o k is a ch ap ter in the
aforem entioned book. O ne o f the tnashaayikh close to him
ad vised him to pu blish it sep arately due to its im portance.

0 Bayaan al-Mashroo' wal-M amnoo' min at-Tawassul (A C larification

o f the Legislated and P rohibited F orm s o f Tawassul) — published.

0 At-Taivtheeq bil-'Uqood fil-Fiqhil-Islam ee (A u th en ticatin g C ontracts

A ccord ing to Islamic Ju risp ru d en ce): T his w as a scholastic
research w hich the Shaykh presented in ord er to receive his
M aster's degree in the H igher Institute for Ju d icial Education. It
has not been published.

0 Q at’ul-Miraa fe e Hukmid-Dukhool 'alal-'Umaraa (R em oving

A rgum ents on the R ulin g o f E ntering in the P resen ce of Rulers):
T he Sh aykh w rote th is bo o k at the requ est o f one o f the noble
tnashaayikh. It has been p u blished in a sm all volum e.

0 Al-Ahaadeeth an-Nabawiyyah fe e Dhammil-'Unsuriyyah al-

Jaahiliyyah (The P rop h etic Ahaadeeth on the C en sure of the
N ationalism o f the D ays of Ignorance): T h is w as p u blished in a
m edium -sized booklet.

0 Al-Khiyaanah: Dhammuhaa wa Dhikru Ahkaamihaa (D eception: Its

D isapproval and a D iscu ssion on its R ulings). This bo o k has

XVII
 been form atted and is ready for printing. T he Shaykh told m e
this about four m onths before his death.

® Mashroo'iyyah Hibbatith-Thawaab (The L egality o f P resenting

R ew ards): It is form atted and ready for print.

® Al-M uhaadharaat fid-D a'wah ivad-Du'aat (Lectures on the Call and

the C allers): T he book consists o f nearly thirteen lectures the
Shaykh delivered, w hich I took the task of tran scribin g along
w ith a brother, M an soor Ibn M ubaarak as-Safaree. T he Shaykh
then review ed it and m ad e corrections to it. It w as then
form atted and is now ready for publication.

® Shark al-M uharrir fil-H adeeth li Ibn 'Abdil-Haadee (D. 744H ): The
Shaykh devoted a lot o f tim e to this book, loved it, and had a
strong desire to com p lete its explan ation . H ow ever, A llaah
w illed that he not com p lete it. H e w as only able to finish the
chap ter on pu rification and m ost of the ch ap ter on prayer.

® Tadweemd-'Aqeedah as-Salafiyyah: Juhood A'immatil-Islam fee

Nashril-'Aqeedatil-Islamiyyah (The R ecord in g o f the Salafee C reed:
The Efforts o f the M uslim Im aam s in Spread in g the Islam ic
C reed): It is a w onderful book contain ing lots o f benefit. It
consists o f a list of the books o f the Salaf on creed along w ith
b rief biograp hies for each o f their authors. Th e Shaykh o rigin ally
intended to m ake the book tw o volum es, the first one consisting
o f books from the first century to the end o f the sev enth century,
and the second one from the beginn in g of the eighth century to
m odern tim es. T he Shaykh com pleted the first volum e. A s for
the second volum e, he did not begin w riting it, accord in g to my
lim ited know ledge. T he first volu m e is form atted and ready for
publication. I have a photocopy o f it in m y library.

XV III
 ® A bo o k on Ficjh: T he Shaykh w ould m ention it often and he said
he w as revising it and exam ining it in depth. I d o n 't know how
m u ch he cut o ff from it.

® Taraajim Li Ba'adil-'Ulamaa (Biograp hies o f Som e o f the Scholars):

I do not have any inform ation on this bo o k oth er than th at the
n oble Shaykh, 'A bd u l-K areem Ibn M uham m ad al-M uneef,
m entioned it to m e and told m e that Sh ay kh 'A b d u s-Salaam told
him about it.

® Bayaan Mashroo'iyyatid-Du'aa 'alal-Kaafireen bil-'Umoom (A

C larification on the L egality of Su p p licatin g again st the
D isbelievers in G eneral): T h is is a sm all b o o klet on this subject,
printed in eight pages and w id ely available.

® Darbul-Mar'ah bayna Hukmish-Shara' iva W aaqi’in-Naas (H itting

W om en betw een its L egal R uling and the A ction s o f People).

T here m ay be other b ooks that I am not aw are of.6 T he Sh aykh has also
w ritten n um erous articles w hich have been d istribu ted in n ew spap ers
and m agazines.

H is V erifications

T he Shaykh also gave special im portance and tim e to verifying,

spreading, and w orking hard to d istribu te the b o o ks o f the scholars of
N ajd. He d eserves credit, after A llaah, for reprin tin g the book:
Majmoo'ur-Rasaa'il wal-Masaa'il an-Najdiyyah. T h is book w as originally

<■ T ra n sla to r's n o te: T h is d o e s n o t in c lu d e th e m a n y le c tu re s h e g a v e w h ich w e re later

tran scrib e d an d p u b lish ed in to b o o k le ts. S o m e o f th ese tra n scrib e d trea tise s w e re a v a ila b le

on th e A l-Ib a a n a h o n -lin e B o o k sto re (n o w d e fu n ct).

XIX
published in 1346H . He, m ay A llaah have m ercy on him , also took on the
task o f verifying m any of the treatises that w ere published in tw o
volum es, the first w ith the title Silsilaat Rasaa'il wa Kutub ‘Ulatnaa Najdil-
A'laam, and the second w ith the title Min Rasaa'il ‘Ulamaa Najd al-
Fiqhiyyah. They are as follow s:

® "Dahd Shubuhaat ‘alaat-Tawheed" o f Shaykh 'A b d u llaah Abaa

Butayn
® " Al-Fawaa'idul-' Udhaab" o f Shaykh H am ad Ibn M u 'am ar
® "Ar-Radd ‘alal-Qubooriyeen" o f Shaykh H am ad Ibn M u 'am ar
® “Ad-Diyna-ush-Shaariq" of Shaykh Su laym aan Ibn Sahm aan
® " Su'aal wa Jawaab fe e Ahammil-M uhimmaat" of Shaykh 'A b d u r-
R ahm aan Ibn Sa'd ee
® " Tuhfatut-Taalib wal-Jalees” o f Shaykh 'A b d u l-L ateef A ali Shaykh
® " As-Sawaa'iqul-Mursalah ash-Shihaabiyyah" o f Shaykh Su laym aan
Ibn Sahm aan
® "Ar-Radd ‘alaa Shubuhaat al-M usta’iyeeneen bi-Ghairillaah" of
Shaykh A hm ad Ibn 'E esaa
® " Kashfush-Shubhatain " of Shaykh Su laym aan Ibn Sahm aan
® "Iqaamatul-Hujjah wad-Daleel" of Shaykh Su laym aan Ibn
Sahm aan
0 "Shifaa-us-Sudoor fir-R add ‘alal-Jawaabil-M ashkoor" of Shaykh
M uham m ad Ibn Ibraaheem
® "Ar-Radd ‘alaa Jareedatil-Qiblah" o f Shaykh Su laym aan Ibn
Sahm aan
® " At-Tuhfat-uI-Madaniyyah f i l - ‘Aqeedat-is-Salafiyyah" of Shaykh
H am ad Ibn M u 'am ar
® "Usool wa Dawaabit fit-Takfeer" o f Shaykh 'A b d u l-L ateef Aali
Shaykh
® "Naseehah Muhimmah fe e Thalaatha Qadaayaa" o f several scholars
® "M inhaaj Ahlul-Haqqi w al-Ittibaa” o f Shaykh Su laym aan Ibn
Sahm aan

XX
 0 " Ar-Rasaa'ilul-Hisaan" o f Sh aykh 'A b d u llaah Ibn H um ayd
0 "Naseehah fit-Tahdheer min al-M adaaris al-Ajnabiyyah" o f Shaykh
'A bd u r-R ah m aan Ibn N aasir as-Sa'd ee
0 "At-Ta'sees wat-Taqdees fee K ashf Talbees Duivaad Ibn Jarjees" of
Shaykh 'A bd u llaah A baa B utayn
0 "Al-Jahr bidh-Dhikr ba'adas-Salaat" of Sh aykh Su laym aan Ibn
Sahm aan
0 "Munaasahatul-Imaam Wahb Ibn M unabbih" o f Shaykh Su laym aan
Ibn Sahm aan
0 "Al-Fawaa’idul-M nntakhibaat fe e Sharh Akhsar al-M ukhtasaraat" of
Ibn Ja a m i' an-N ajdee: T he Shaykh verified this b ook and
presented it to the A dvanced Ju d icial In stitute to obtain his
D octo rate's degree in C om p arative Fiqh. H e verified the book
from the begin ning to the end of the ch ap ter on gifts. Th e person
in charge o f su pervising this treatise w as the cu rren t M uftee,
Shaykh 'A b d u l-'A zeez A alu sh-Sh ay kh; m ay A llaah prolong his
life.

T here are other books that the Shaykh verified bu t w h ich have not yet
b een printed.

Shaykh 'A bd u s-Salaam w as eag er to spread the b ooks o f know led ge in

general and the books o f the scholars of the Salafee da'wah in particular.
H e w ould at tim es m ake ph otocop ies o f m anu scrip ts or strive to obtain
them for those w ho w ould take on the task o f verifyin g them . M ore than
thirty b ooks and treatises w ere counted in w hich the verifiers m entioned
that they used som e o f the m an u scrip t copies th at w ere found in the
Sh ay k h 's library for their verifications. T here are m any other stories and
reports w hich are hard to en u m erate here; m ay A llaah facilitate their
com p ilation and arrangem ent.

XXI
XXII
 Author's Introduction

All praise is due to A llaah, and m ay peace and b lessings be u pon the
M essen ger of A llaah (sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam) and upon his fam ily
and those w ho follow them .

Indeed, the b elief of Ahlus-Sunnah wal-Jamaa'ah is the religion o f truth

that every M uslim is obligated to believe in. For it is the belief o f the
M essenger o f A llaah (sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam) and his noble
C om p anions (radhiyyallaahu 'anhum ). So w h oever o pposes them in that
has set h im self up for the anger o f A llaah and H is extrem e punishm ent.
T he P rophet (sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam) said abou t the seven ty-th ree
sects that shall appear in his Ummah, "A ll of them are in the Fire except
one, an d they are the Ja m a a ’a h ."7

T he P rophet (sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam) has described this group that

w ill be safe from the threat o f the Fire w hen he (sallallaahu 'alayhi wa
sallam) said, "T h o se w ho are u pon w hat I and m y C om p an ion s are
up on to d a y ."8

So this is the stand ard of Ahlus-Sunnah wal-Jamaa'ah. They stick firm to

the Sunnah o f the M essen ger o f A llaah (sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam) and

7 T ra n sm itted by Im a a m A h m a d , A bu D a a w o o d , fro m th e h a d eeth o f M u 'a w iy y a h , Ibn

M ajah , an d Ibn A b ee A asim in th e h a d eeth o f A n as.

8 N arra ted b y a l-A a ju re e in A sh -S h a ree'a h o n th e a u th o rity o f 'A b d u lla a h Ib n 'A m r, at-

T a b a ra n e e in A s-S ag lieer, an d a l-A w sa a t, o n th e a u th o rity o f A n as Ib n M aalik .

XXIII
the Sunnah of his rightly-guid ed pred ecessors. They hold on tigh t to it
w ith their m olars and for this, they are the saved sect.

They are saved from the Fire on the Last D ay, and they are safe from
innovations in this w orld. They are the aided sect as the Prophet
(sallallaahu 'alayhi urn sallam ) said about them , "T h e re shall n ot cease to
be a group from m y Um m ah w ho w ill rem ain v ictoriou s until the ord er
of A llaah (the last hour) com es and they are still v icto rio u s."9

V ictoriou s here m eans aid and assistance (of A llaah).

A llaah says:

4 CX;' ^ ^ ^ -CC- i \C lj -Lis #

So W e gave pow er to those w ho b elieved again st th eir en em ies, and

they b ecam e the u pperm ost.
[Sooratus-Saff, 61:14]

And A llaah says:

A nd that O ur hosts, they verily w ou ld be the victors.

[Sooratu s-Saffat, 37:173]

They are the victors w ith the sw ord and the ton gue or w ith the
irrefutable argum ents and proofs. They are one group, that d oes not
divide, and for this reason they are know n as the 'Jamaa'ah.'

A llaah says:

9 N a rra ted in th e tw o Sah eeh s o n th e a u th o rity o f a l-M u g h ira h Ibn S h u 'b a h .

XXIV
 4 ifS) j fyaj '5 j(_^xjT J j j liL»i

So after the tru th , w hat else can there be, save error?
H ow then are you turned aw ay?
[Soorah Y oon us, 10:32]

They do not have a nam e that they are k now n by oth er than Islam and
the Sunnah and other nam es that are d erived from the above tw o .10

Im aam M aalik ( rahimahullaah ) said, " Ahlus-Sunnah do n ot h ave a title

that they are know n by (except those d erived from the Islam and the
Sunnah), n ot jahm ee, n ot Qadree, and n ot Raafidhee.” H e ( rahimahullaah )
w as asked abou t the Sunnah. H e replied, "T h e y do n ot have a n am e other
than the Sunnah.” M eaning Ahlus-Sunnah does not h ave any other nam e
that they are recognized by excep t for this.

The creed o f the Salafus-Saalih is preserved by evid en ces and the various
exp lan ation s that h ave been pu t forth by m any o f the m ajor scholars in
num erous w ritin g s—sm all and large. M any of these w ritin gs begin w ith
'As-Sunnah' w hich in this con text m eans, the creed. T h ere are m ore than
tw o hund red and fifty titles beg in n in g w ith As-Sunnah.
From these m agnificent w ritings:

® The Sunnah o f Ibn A bee Shaybah

10 Sh ay k h M u h a m m a d Ibn R a m z a a n : A n d th is is c o rre ct; th ey a re n o t k n o w n b y an y th in g

o th er th an Isla m and th e S u n n ah . L ik ew ise, th ey a re ca lle d A h lu l-H a d eeth in c o n tra st to

A h lu r-R a 'i (th e p e o p le o f o p in io n s). T h e y a re a lso ca lle d A h lu l-A lh a r in c o n tra st to A h lu l-

K alaam (th e p eo p le o f p h ilo so p h ica l false sp e ech ). A n d th ey a re a lso called F o llo w e rs o f the
S a la f in c o n tra st to th o se w h o o p p o se (th e m ) fro m th e fo llo w e rs o f th e K halaf. L ik ew ise, th ey

are called S alafiy y oon b e c a u se o f th eir c o m p lia n c e w ith th e S a lafu s-S aalih an d b e c a u se they

fo llo w th eir p re d ecesso rs.

XXV
The Sunnah o f Im aam Ahm ad
The Sunnah of Ibn A bee 'A asim
The Sunnah of 'A bd u llaah Ibn A hm ad
The Sunnah o f al-K halaal
The Sunnah of A hm ad Ibn al-Fu raat A bee M as'o o d ar-R aazee
The Sunnah o f A sad Ibn M oosaa
The Sunnah of Ibn Q assim (com panion o f Ibn M aalik)
The Sunnah o f M uham m ad Ibn Salaam al-B ikand ee
The Attributes and the Refutation against the Jahmiyyah by N a ’eem
Ibn H am m ad
The Sunnah of al-Athram
The Sunnah of H arb Ibn Ism aeel al-K harm aan ee
The Sunnah of Ibn A bee H aatim
The Sunnah of Ibn A bee D unyaa
The Sunnah of Ibn Jareer at-Tabaree
A t-T abseerfee Ma'aalim ad-Deen by Ibn Jareer at-Tabaree
The Sunnah of at-Tabaraanee
The Sunnah of A bee Shaykh al-A sbahaanee
The Sunnah o f A bee al-Q assim al- L aalakaaee
The Sunnah o f M uham m ad Ibn N asr al-M arw azee
The Creed o f the Salaf and the People ofH adeeth by as-Saaboonee
Al-Ibaanah by Ibn Battah
At-Tawheed by Ibn K huzaym ah
At-Tawheed by Ibn M andah
Al-Eemaan by Ibn A bee Shaybah
Al-Eemaan by A bee 'U bayd al-Q aasim Ibn Salaam
Explanation o f the Sunnah by al-M uznee, a com p anion o f Im aam
as-Shaafi'ee
Explanation o f the M adhaahib o f Ahlus-Sunnah by Ibn Shaaheen
The Su nnah know n as The Argument in Clarifying The Dispute and
an Explanation o f the B elief o f Ahlus-Sunnah by the great defender
o f the Sunnah, A bu Q aasim at-T ay m ee al-A sbah aan ee
 ® Usoolus-Sunnah by A bu 'A b d illaah Ibn A bee Z am neen
® Ash-Sharee'ah by al-A aju rree
® The B elief o f Ahlus-Sunnah by A bu Bakr al-Ism aa'eelee
0 Al-Eemaan by Ibn M indah
0 Al-Eemaan by al-A d anee Sh aybah
0 The Qadr by Ibn W ahb
0 The Throne by M uham m ad Ibn A bee
0 The Qadr by Abu D aaw ood
0 The R u ’ya, As-Sifaat, and An-Nuzool by A d -D arqutnee
0 The Sijzee Letter to the People ofZ abeed by A bu N asr as-Sijzee
® The Sunnah of al-B arbah aaree
® The Sunnah o f A bee A hm ad al-A sbah aanee (know n as al-A saal)
0 The Sunnah o f Y aaq oob al-Fasaw ee
® The Sunnah of al-Q assab
0 The Sunnah of H anbal Ibn Ishaaq
0 The Answer to the People o f Damascus Regarding the Attributes by al-
K hateeb al-B aghd ad ee
0 Principles o f the Sunnah by A bu B akr Ibn 'A b d illaah Ibn az-
Z u bayr al-H um aydee
0 The Principles by Abu 'A m r at-T alam ankee

And there are m any others. Likew ise, there are the books that cam e after
them from Ahlus-Sunnah, such as the books of:

® Ibn 'A bd u l Barr

0 'A b d u l-G h an ee al-M aqd isee
® Ibn Q ud am ah al-M aqd isee
® Ibn Taym iyyah
0 Ibn Q ayyim
0 Im aam ad h-D hah abee
0 Ibn K atheer
0 M uham m ad Ibn 'A bd u l-W ah h aab

XXV II
And other than them , w ho have clarified the correct belief, defended it,
and exposed the m iscon ceptions o f the peop le of desires.

W e shall m ention in general the b elief o f these great exam ples in an

abridged fashion, and m y su ccess is only due to A llaah, and on H im I
rely upon, and to H im I shall return.

XXV III
 The Correct Belief Regarding:
Tawheed ar-Rooboobiyyahn

A hlus-Sunnah w al-Jam aa'ah believe that A llaah ta'aala is one and alone in
H is creation, dom inion, and arrang em ent o f affairs.

A llaah says:

t_rv*-^ <-£r^ (*^h 3 ^ • j ! ^

4J J -»<cdjaj jly J I ^
' ' r-

# O j 4jL)I J] j L5

In deed you r Lord is A llaah, W ho created the h eaven s and the earth in
six D ays, and then H e lsta w a a [rose over] the Th ron e [really in a
m an n er that suits H is M ajesty]. H e b rin gs the nigh t as a cover o ver the
day, seek in g it rap idly, and [H e created] the sun, the m oon , the stars
sub jected to H is C om m and . Surely, H is is the C reation and
C om m andm en t. Blessed be A llaah , the Lord of the 'Alam een [m ankind,
jin n s and all th at exists]!
[Sooratu l-A 'raaf, 7:54]

A nd A llaah says:

l£lj I c Lio i*t~Y * l3 ^ ' u *3'J J I ai) ji>

11 S in g lin g o u t A llaah a lo n e in h is lo rd sh ip an d a ctio n s.

 To A llaah b elon gs the kin gd om of the h eaven s and the earth. H e
creates w hat H e w ills. H e b estow s fem ale [offspring] upon w hom He
w ills, and b estow s m ale [offspring] upon w hom H e w ills.
[Sooratush-Shooraa, 42:49]

And he says:

H is is the kin gd om of the h eaven s and the earth. A nd to A llaah returns

all the m atters [for decision].
[Sooratul-H adeed, 57:5]

The P olyth eists N ever D isputed T aw heed A r-R ooboobiyyah

T his category of Taw heed is called Taw heed ar-R ooboobiyyah. It is

som ething that is inherently natural in the souls o f hum an beings, and no
one from m ankind disputes this w hether he is a M uslim or a
d isbeliever12 as A llaah says:

^ ■+ A ■» Z"* t S i J ^ ' c ^ ^ ^- , , < f „ -

4i) Ji *1)1 ^ #

_ ^^ ' * f, "* &

# ;']p V

And if you [O M uham m ad (sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam )] ask them :

"W h o has created the h eaven s and the earth ," they w ill certain ly say:

12 T ra n sla to rs n o te: Y ou w ill find th at ev en an a lleg ed ath eist c a n n o t ev en d en y th is fact.

W h en an a th e ist is c a u g h t in a situ a tio n o f d ire n eed — su ch as an a u to m o b ile a c c id e n t—you

w ill find him ca llin g u p o n h is C re a to r say in g , "O h G o d !" D u e to h is in g ratitu d e, he ch o o se s

to d e n y h is Lord.

2
 "A lla a h ." Say: "A ll the p raises and th an k s be to A llaah !" But m ost of
them k n ow not.
[Soorah L uqm aan, 31:25]

A llaah, subhaanahu w a ta'aala, also says about them :

A nd m ost of them b elieve n ot in A llaah excep t that th ey attrib u te

partn ers unto H im .
[Soorah Y oosu f, 12:106]

M ujaahid, rahim ahullaah, said, "T h e ir b elief is their saying that A llaah is
our C reator, H e provides for us, and He cau ses us to die. T h is b elief is
[accom panied] w ith shirk in their w orship o f other than H im ."13

T h e Belief of the P olyth eists that T h eir G ods In terced e for T hem
b efore A llaah and N ot B ecause T h ey C reate and Provide

T he poly th eists14 did n ot believe that their god s participated w ith A llaah
in H is creation. R ather, they used to believe that A llaah w as one and
their god s w ere beseech ed u pon on th eir beh alf befo re A llaah. They w ere
taken as in term ed iaries w ith A llaah ta'aala; as A llaah says:

13 A t-T a b a re e , Ja a n ii’ a l-B ay aan (78-8/13/77).

14 T ra n sla to r's n o te: M ea n in g th e p e o p le o f M a k k a h in th e tim e o f th e P ro p h e t (snllallaahu

'alayhi w a sallam ) w h o did n o t b e lie v e th a t o th e rs crea ted , (i.e. o n ly A llaah crea tes), and

th o se o f to d a y fro m th e M u slim s w h o h a v e fa llen in to m a jo r s h irk (d esp ite a ffirm in g A llaah

as th e crea to r).
 S urely, the religion [i.e. the w orsh ip and the obedience] is for A llaah
only. A nd those w ho take A w liyaa' [protectors and helpers] b esides
H im [say]: "W e w orsh ip them only that they m ay b rin g us near to
A llaah ." V erily, A llaah w ill judge betw een them co n cern in g that
w herein they differ. Truly, A llaah guides n ot him w ho is a liar and a
disbeliever.
[Sooratuz-Z um ar, 39:3]

And He says:

i sp

Say [O M uham m ad (sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam )]: "T e ll m e or

inform m e [what] do you thin k about y ou r [so-called] p artner-god s to
w hom you call up on b esid es A llaah ; sh ow m e, w hat they have created
of the earth? O r have they any share in the h eaven s? O r have W e given
them a Book so that they act on clear p ro of therefrom ? N ay, the
Zaalimoott [polyth eists and w ron g-d oers, etc.] prom ise one an oth er
n oth in g b u t d elu sio n s."
[Soorah Faatir, 35:40]

A llaah says about the polytheists o f Q uraysh:

 _ r ' . ' ' * * J* '\ < i ' %
4 C25
“ f, X'
^*: 61'c 'j"

Truly, w hen it w as said to them : L aa ilaaha ill-A llaah "[n o n e has the
righ t to be w orsh ip p ed b u t A llaah ]," they p u ffed them selves up w ith
p ride [i.e. denied it]. A n d [they] said: "A re w e goin g to ab an d on our
aaliha [gods] for the sake of a m ad p o et?"
[Sooratu s-Saffat, 37:35-36]

^ - t
ifTji <L>\s*S- t 1-AiA (jl I_U> j 4-^! '?

H as he m ade the aaliha [gods] [all] into O ne Ilaah [G od - A llaah]?

V erily, this is a cu rious thing!
[Soorah Saad, 38:5]

The Ben efits of A llaah A ffirm in g T aw heed ar-R ooboobiyyah

A llaah has established this (category of) Taw heed as p roof and certainty
(of H is existence) and as an establish ed evid en ce in d icatin g the
obligation of Taivheed al-U loohiyyah. Thus, Taw heed ar-R ooboobiyyah
necessitates that one w orsh ips n one bu t A llaah alone.

He, T he M ost H igh says:

4 :2): ij* < y -$ j p&d*-1_$ j]T ^ - u 4

O M an k in d! W orsh ip you r Lord [A llaah], W ho created you an d those

w ho w ere before you so that you m ay b ecom e al-M uttaqoon [the pious
- s e e V .2:2].
[Sooratu l-Baqarah 2:21]

And H e says:

5
 ...s u c h is A llaah you r Lord. H is is the k in gd om , Laa ilaaha ilia H uw a
[none has the right to be w orsh ip p ed b u t H e]. H ow then are you
turned aw ay?
[Sooratuz-Z um ar, 39:6]

And The M ost H igh says:

, m 9 % \- ■'u m ^'"u I ** " 4 ' \ ^Ir \

4 3y>- V_J' O j IJ J-OCJlS

So let them w orship [A llaah] the Lord of this H ou se [the K a'bah in

M akkah]. [He] W ho has fed them again st hun ger, and has m ade them
safe from fear.
[Soorah Q uraish, 106:3-4]

So A llaah, subhaanahu wa ta'aala, m entions that He is their only C reator

and their only Provider. T here is no d oubting this. H e has m ade this an
argum ent against them in m aking sincere w orship to H im alon e and not
associate any partners to Him.

A llaah says:

6
 Say [O M uh am m ad (sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam )]: "P ra ise and
than k s be to A llaah , and peace be on H is slaves w hom H e has chosen
[for H is M essage]! Is A llaah better, or [all] that you ascrib e as partners
[to H im ]?" [O f course, A llaah is b etter]. Is n ot H e [better than you r
gods] W ho created the heavens and the earth, and sends d ow n for you
w ater [rain] from the sky, w h ereby W e cause to grow w onderful
gard ens full of b eauty and d elight? It is not in y o u r ab ility to cause the
grow th of th eir trees. Is there any ilaah [god] w ith A llaah ? N ay, b ut
they are a people w ho ascrib e eq u als [to H im ]! Is not H e [better than
y ou r gods] W ho has m ade the earth as a fixed ab od e, an d h as placed
rivers in its m idst, and has p laced firm m ou n tain s therein , and h as set
a b arrier b etw een the tw o seas [of salt and sw eet w ater]. Is there any
ilaah [god] w ith A llaah ? N ay, b ut m ost of them k now not. Is not He
[better than your gods] W ho resp o n d s to the d istressed one w hen he
calls H im , and W ho rem oves the evil, and m akes you inh eritors of the
earth, g eneration s after g eneration s. Is there any ilaah [god] w ith
A llaah ? Little is that you rem em b er! Is not H e [better than y ou r gods]
W ho guides you in the d ark n ess of the land and the sea, and W ho
sends the w inds as heralds of glad tid in gs, g oin g b efore H is M ercy
[rain]? Is there any ilaah [god] w ith A llaah ? H igh Exalted be A llaah
above all that they associate as p artn ers [to H im ]!
[Sooratu n-N am l, 27:59-63]

So, in all of these verses A llaah renou nces the p o ly th eists— those w ho
affirm that H e alone is the M ost H igh, that H e is the one and only
C reator o f the h eavens and earth, and that He alone brin gs ben efit and
(allow s) harm —by inform ing them that this affirm ation does not benefit

7
them due to them jo in in g an oth er partner w ith H im and calling u pon it
as they call upon A llaah. This is nothing m ore than a m ajor con trad iction
to the divine law, as w ell as to the intellect. Thus, the one w ho is singled
out in actions, such as creation, provision, re-creation, cau sin g creation to
die, is naturally the sam e one w ho should be singled ou t in all areas of
obedience.

Thus, A llaah, T he M ost H igh refutes them (the polytheists) w hen H e

said: "Is there any ilaah (god) w ith A llaah ?" He did not say "Is there a
C reator w ith A llaah ?" since they do n ot d isp ute this point.

T he In valid ity of Shirk in R oo bo obiy ya h, In tellectu ally and T extu ally

(Based upon the V erses)

A llaah clarifies the falsehood o f shirk in ar-R ooboobiyyah and clarifies that
if such (shirk) w ere to be correct, then the heavens and earth w ould have
been corrupted. T his is also u nd erstood through one's innate intellect.

A llaah, subhaanahu wa ta'aala, says:

s' s ' s s ' I s ^ " t % s s . '

4j J j ^ • J 1^=3 I j O j ^j A 4j j l J l£ - \ Lo
p.
, __ ’ - . ST' C \
4 ;-'vJ ^ j L*_P aJJI -£• ^ gr** * i

No son [or o ffsp rin g or children] did A llaah b eget, n or is there any
ilaah [god] along w ith H im ; [if there had b een m any gods], behold,
each god w ou ld have taken aw ay w hat he had created , and som e
w ould have tried to overcom e others! G lorified be A llaah ab ove all
that they attrib ute to H im !
[Sooratu l-M u ’m inoon, 23:91]

And H e says:

8
 # ;f^y) L-Lp ^*J I C->J 4JJ I ^jL>t^>3 Ij -L^jsJ I 2 j A^A1* 0^ ^

H ad there b een therein [in the h eaven s and the earth] gods b esides
A llaah , then verily both w ould have b een ru ined . G lorified be A llaah,
the Lord of the T h ron e, [H igh is He] ab ove w hat they attrib u te to H im !
[Sooratu l-A n biyaa', 21:22]

9
 2

The Correct Belief Regarding:

Tawheed al-Asmaa' was-Sifaat15

From the general belief o f Ahlus-Sunnah w al-]am aa‘ah is that they affirm
for A llaah the M ost H igh that w hich he affirm s for H im self and that
w hich the M essenger (sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) has affirm ed for H im
from H is perfect N am es and gloriou s A ttributes. They do n ot exceed the
lim its o f the Q u r'an and the sound hadeeth of the M essen ger o f A llaah
(sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam).

They affirm the term s used and know their m eaning in the tongue o f the
A rab in w hich the Q u r'an w as revealed. They leave the m eaning of how
these attributes are w ith A llaah alone. A llaah, ta'aala, is distinguished
and characterized by how these attributes are and has not inform ed
anyon e from m ankind (concern ing their details).

Ahlus-Sunnah are the ones w ho approach this dan gerous chap ter upon
the follow ing firm ly-established p rinciples of the Sharee’ah. W hoever
sticks firm to them is indeed safe from corruption:

The First Principle

A ffirm ation o f that w hich A llaah affirm s for H im self or that w hich His
M essenger (sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) has affirm ed, w ith ou t any

15 S in g lin g o u t A lla a h a lo n e in H is n a m e s an d attrib u tes.

11
ad d ition to or lessening of them : T his is because there is no o n e m ore
know led geable about A llaah than H im self.

He, T he M ost H igh says:

r r

...S a y , "D o you k now b etter or does A llaah ?..."

[Sooratul-Baqarah, 2:140]

L ikew ise, there is no one m ore know led geable about A llaah after A llaah
than the M essenger (sallallaahu 'alayhi um sallam ).

A llaah says:

4 £ o! £ \ Lftj 'J': CSyf- ^

Y o u r com pan ion [M uham m ad (sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam )] has

n eith er gone astray n or has erred. N or does he speak of [his ow n]
desire. It is only an In spiration that is inspired.
[Sooratun-N ajm , 53:2 -4 ]

The Second Principle

E xalting and freeing A llaah, subhaanahu urn ta ’aala from resem blin g the
creation in His A ttributes.

12
 2

A llaah subhaanahu w a ta'aala says:

l La S ' a - ..l #

.T h ere is n oth in g lik e unto H im , and He

is the A ll-H earer, the A ll-Seer.
[Sooratu sh-Shooraa, 42:11]

And A llaah says:

_ '> '
■i jj»-

A nd there is none co-equ al or com p arab le unto H im .

[Sooratu l-Ikhlaas, 112:4]

Th e T hird Principle

N ot attem p ting to com prehend how A llaah 's A ttributes are.

A llaah says:

/ % %*
^ Ulf- ^ • _) # ■

...A n d they w ill n ever en co m p ass an yth in g of H is K n ow ledge.

[Soorah Taa H aa, 20:110]

And H e says:

Do you know of any w ho is sim ilar to H im ?

[Soorah M aryam , 19:65]

13
 D escrib in g H is A scen sion ab ove the Th ron e

So from His exalted A ttributes is that w hich H e has m entioned in

several places o f the Q u r'an w hen H e said:

The M ost Beneficen t [A llaah] istaw aa [rose over]

the [M ighty] T hrone.
[Soorah Taa H aa, 20:5]

From this w e learn: affirm ation that A llaah rose above the th rone in
reality. W e know its m eaning, bu t w e do not know the k a y f (how -
ness).

The M eaning of 'Istiw a a '

As for its m eaning, then it is synonym ous w ith elev ation and
ascension. This is w hat the A rabic tongue has com e w ith, and it is
the definition that A hlus-Sunnah has agreed upon.

N ot K now ing H ow this Istiw aa T ook Place

A s for how this istiw aa (ascension) took place, then no on e know s

this except A llaah alone w ho has no partners.

The A ttributes of H earin g and Seeing

Likew ise, (from these exalted attributes) is the saying o f Allaah,

subhaanahu wa ta'aala :

14
 2

...T ru ly , A llaah is E ver A ll-H earer, A ll-S eer

[Sooratu n-N isaa', 4:58]

W e g ather from this verse, and oth ers sim ilar to it, the
affirm ation o f the attribute o f hearing for A llaah. H earing in the
A rabic language m eans to grasp sounds.

The M ean in g of the A ttrib ute of H earin g

Thus, it is affirm ed that A llaah, subhaanahu wa ta'aala hears. H e hears

in a m anner that does not resem ble his creation. W e leave the
m eaning of how this is done w ith A llaah ta'aala. So w e do not say,
"H o w d oes He hear?" N or do w e attem p t to d eciph er it, as He, The
M ost H igh, has not inform ed us o f these m atters. R ath er He, The
M ost M agnificent, has given us w hat He has w illed from His
know ledge.

The M ean in g of the A ttrib u te of Seeing

Likew ise, seeing or the ability to view things has been narrated in
Saheeh Muslim on the au th ority of Abu M oosaa al-A sh 'aree,
radhiyyallaahu 'anhu, w ho stated that the P roph et (sallallaahu 'alayhi
wa sallam) said:

Ind eed , A llaah does not sleep and it is n ot b efittin g for him to
sleep. H e low ers the scales and raises them . The deeds of the
day are resurrected in fron t of H im before the deeds of the
night, and the deeds of the n igh t b efore the deeds of day. H is

15
 veil is light, and if H e rem oves it, the rays from H is face w ould
b u m w hatever H is sight reaches of H is creation.

So, actual sight is affirm ed for A llaah in w hich He sees in a

m anner befitting H is m ajesty. H ow this vision is, w e do not
know ; rather, w e know w hat A llaah has tau ght us w hen H e said:

% j| j ^ ^ x ^ / “y✓

...T h e re is n oth in g like unto H im , and H e is the

A ll-H earer, the A ll-S eer
[Sooratush-Shooraa, 42:11]

These exam ples are from the m ethodology o f A hlus-Sunnah regard in g the
N am es and A ttributes of A llaah the M ost H igh.

16
 3

The Correct Belief Regarding:

Tawheed al-Ilaahiyyah16

From the b elief o f A hlus-Sunnah is that w e sing le ou t A llaah, subhaanahu

wa ta'aala, alon e in w orship. Thus, w e do not w orsh ip any god along
w ith H im . R ather, all acts of o bed ien ce in w hich A llaah 's co m m an d s are
to b e acted u pon and an sw ered are for A llaah alone.

Thus,

w e do not m ake prostration to anyone excep t A llaah;

w e do not circle the Ka'bah, his blessed house, for anyon e except
A llaah;
& w e do n ot slaughter excep t for A llaah;
w e do not sw ear by anyon e excep t A llaah;
w e do n o t m ake an oath by anyone excep t A llaah;
$ w e do n ot depend upon anyone excep t A llaah;
® and w e do n ot call u pon anyon e excep t A llaah.

This is singling ou t A llaah alone in w orship.

A llaah says:

16 S in g lin g o u t A lla a h in w o rsh ip . N o te: T h e sc h o la rs u se th e te rm s 'U looh iy y ah ' an d

'llaah iy y ah ' in terch a n g ea b ly .

17
 3

^ i .~w I ^ l y ^

W orship A llaah an d join n on e w ith H im in w o rsh ip ...

[Sooratu n -N isaa', 4:36]

^ oLjI ^fl “^1 dX ij

...A n d you r Lord has decreed that you w orsh ip none b ut H im

[Sooratu l-Israa', 17:23]

# jjh sij ^ i 3 j ij Sii i ^

... w hile they [Jew s and C hristians] w ere com m an d ed [in the T aw raat
(Torah) and the In jeel (G ospel)] to w orsh ip none b ut O ne Ilaah (G od —
A llaah). N one has the righ t to be w orsh ip p ed excep t H im .
[Sooratut-Taw bah, 9:31]

4 iv * ' G j

A n d they w ere com m and ed not, b ut th at they sh ou ld w orsh ip A llaah ,

and w orsh ip none but H im A lo n e ...
[Sooratu l-Bayyinah, 98:5]

4 £2- O j-1?*?! ■$! i_r~’^ 3 o Jii> - L*j ^

A nd I [A llaah] created not the jin n s and h u m an s excep t

they should w orship M e (A lone).
[Sooratu dh-D haariyaat, 51:56]

A nd the m eaning o f 'w o rsh ip ' is to single out (A llaah).

18
 3

Th e O pp osite of T aw heed Is A sso ciatin g Partners w ith A llaah

The opposite o f this, w hich is ascribing a partn er to A llaah, is the g reatest

sin one can com m it against A lla a h —m ay A llaah protect us from it.

A nd A llaah says:

4 I-Lju VJUi? <0j Lj

V erily! A llaah forgives n ot [the sin of] settin g up p artn ers in w orsh ip
w ith H im , b ut H e forgives w hom he p leases, sins oth er than that, and
w h o ev er sets up p artners in w orsh ip w ith A llaah , has ind eed strayed
far aw ay.
[Sooratu n -N isaa', 4:116]

4 :2 j! ^9

V erily, A llaah forgives not that p artners sh ou ld be set up w ith him in

w orsh ip , b ut H e forgives excep t that [anythin g else] to w hom He
p leases, and w ho ev er sets up p artn ers w ith A llaah in w orsh ip , he has
ind eed inven ted a trem en d ou s sin.
[Sooratu n -N isaa', 4:48]

H u n a fa a ’ Lillaah [i.e. to w orsh ip n on e b u t A llaah ], n ot associatin g

p artners [in w orsh ip , etc.] u nto H im and w h o ev er assign s p artners to
A llaah , it is as if he had fallen from the sky, an d the b ird s had
sn atch ed him , or the w ind h ad throw n him to a far off place.
[Sooratul-H ajj, 22:31]

19
 3

A n d [rem em ber] w hen Lu q m aan said to his son w hen he w as ad visin g

him : "O m y son! Join not in w orsh ip others w ith A llaah . V erily!
Jo in in g others in w orsh ip w ith A llaah
is a great dhulm [w rong] in d eed ."
[Soorah Luqm aan, 31:13]

A llaah, subhaanahu wa ta'aala, clarifies that shirk nu llifies d eeds and takes
one out of the fold o f Islam .

A llaah says:

...b u t if they had join ed in w orsh ip others w ith A llaah , all that they
u sed to do w ou ld have b een of no b en efit to them .
[Sooratu l-A n'aam , 6:88]

A n d ind eed it has been revealed to you [O M u h am m ad (sallallaahu

'alayhi iva sallam )], as it w as to those [A llaah 's M essen gers] before
you: "If you join others in w orsh ip w ith A llaah , [then] su rely [all] you r
deeds w ill be in vain, and you w ill certain ly be am on g the losers."
[Sooratu z-Z um ar, 39:65]

In Saheeh Muslim, on the au thority of Jaab ir Ibn 'A bdu llaah ,

radhiyyallaahu 'anhu, w ho said that the M essen ger o f A llaah (sallallaahu
'alayhi wa sallam) said: "W h o ev er m eets A llaah not ascrib in g any

20
 3

p artners to H im then he shall en ter P arad ise, and w h o ev er m eets him

ascrib in g partn ers w ith H im then he shall en ter the F ire ."17

In Saheeh Bukhaaree, on the au th ority Ibn M as'o o d , radhiyyallaahu 'anhu,

w ho said that the M essenger o f A llaah (sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam) said:
"W h o e v er dies callin g u p on an oth er b esid es A llaah shall en ter the
F ire ."18

W h o Is a P olyth eist?

So w h oever directs any form o f w orship to oth er than A llaah is a

disbelievin g polytheist.

D u'aa Is N ot to be D irected to A n yon e E xcep t A llaah

Du'aa is a form o f w orship w h ich A llaah com m and s, so w h oever calls

upon A lla a h alone is a muwaahid (one w ho sing les ou t A llaah alone in
w orship). A nd w hoever calls u p on oth er than A llaah has ascribed
partners to A llaah .19

A llaah, subhaanahu wa ta'aala, says:

* * s "• %
^ li) d J jli c J j i J qU a -i !-• q?

17 C o llected b y M u slim (93), n a rra te d b y ja a b ir

18 Saheeh a l-B u k h aa ree, " T h e B o o k o f T a fse e r o f th e Q u r 'a n " (4497).

19 T ra n sla to r' n o te: E x a m p le s o f du'aa to o th e r th a n A lla a h a re to say, " O M u h a m m a d p lease

cu re m e " o r " O H u sa y n p lea se g ra n t m e a c h ild ."

21
 3

A nd invoke n ot b esides A llaah , any that w ill n eith er p ro fit you , nor
h u rt you, but if [in case] you did so, you shall certain ly be one of the
D haalim oon [polyth eists and w ron g-d oers].
[Soorah Yoonus, 10:106]

— JuS' L ijjj jaJ ^

4 'Jz'’ M

A nd w h oever invokes [or w orsh ip s], b esid es A llaah , any o th er ilaah

[god], of w hom he has no p roof, then h is reck o n in g is only w ith his
Lord. Surely al-Kaafiroott [the d isb elievers in A llaah and in the
O nen ess of A llaah , p olyth eists, p agan s, idolaters, etc.] w ill n ot be
successful.
[Sooratu l-M u 'm inoon, 23:117]

f s f X V ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^

4 ;5j) I■Zo-1 <0)1 ^ 4 II^ip aj

P JU <ii

A n d the m osqu es are for A llaah [A lone],

so invoke not an yon e alon g w ith A llaah.
[Sooratul-Jinn, 72:18]

Y rj* jji-T S_^CO jaJ

"- ' ' ~S % s ^ t %S S % -s'9*

^ J I c IPO L«J jjb L«J oli £L*J I

For H im [A lone] is the W ord of T ruth [i.e. none h as the right to be

w orsh ip p ed b ut H e]. A nd those w hom th ey [polyth eists and
disbelievers] invoke an sw er them no m ore than one w h o stretch es
forth h is hand [at the edge of a deep w ell] for w ater to reach his m outh,
but it reaches him not, and the invocation of the d isb elievers is
n oth in g b ut an erro r [i.e. of no use].
[Sooratu r-R a'd , 13:14]

22
 3

T h ose w hom they [al-M ushrikoon] invoke b esid es A llaah have not
created an yth ing, but are them selves created . [T h ey are] dead, lifeless,
and they know not w hen they w ill be raised up.
[Sooratu n-N ahl, 16:20-21]

,, * , ^’ V x „ j. •• ^ v ^ ^ ' /• -•

L^-l) I 4A)1 ^

So invoke not w ith A llaah an o th er ilaah [god] lest you be am on g those

w ho receive p u n ishm ent.
[So oratu sh -Sh u a'raa', 26:213]

H e m erges the night into the day [i.e. the d ecrease in the hou rs of the
n igh t are added to the hou rs of the day], and H e m erges the day into
the n igh t [i.e. the decrease in the h ou rs of the day are added to the
hou rs of the night]. A nd H e has sub jected the sun and the m oon , each
runs its cou rse for a term ap p oin ted . Such is A llaah y ou r Lord; H is is
the k ingd om . A nd those, w hom you invoke o r call u pon instead of
H im , ow n not even a Q itm eer [the thin m em b ran e o ver the date-stone].
If you invoke [or call upon] them , they h ear n ot y o u r call, and if [in
case] they w ere to hear, th ey could n ot gran t it [you r request] to you.
A nd on the D ay of R esu rrection , they w ill d isow n y ou r w orsh ip p in g
them . A nd n one can inform you [O M u h am m ad (sallallaahu 'alayhi
wa sallam )] lik e H im W h o is the A ll-K n o w er [of each and everything].

23
 3

[Soorah Faatir, 35:13—14]

'J* ^ ^ ) y*-^\jf°'j^'i ^
% * J tf % ~r 'i I ^ ^ ^ T i *“* f x’ f **

O ji ^rf L* I(jii- jjlj f

* > ■■> > . . , , f,f_ > > - - , ,t * , (, s .,
' '. jA J a <Jj.-i'j' 31 c - ^ u 5 J,A ^Ja Jva^ <0)1 J^ ljl oj

— - , |* v | > s ** ' * ^ ,
^ ' J ‘~~~=ly~l j

A nd verily, if you ask them : "W ho created the heaven s and the earth?"
Surely, they w ill say: "A llaah [has created them ]." Say: "Tell m e then,
the things that you invoke b esid es A llaah , if A llaah intended som e
harm for m e, could they rem ove H is harm , or if H e [A llaah] intended
som e m ercy for m e, could they w ith h old H is M ercy?"
Say : "S u fficien t for m e is A llaah ; in H im those w ho tru st [i.e.
believers] m ust p ut th eir trust.
[Sooratuz-Z um ar, 39:38]

l?
•
Ar?. ,^V "* f , 1u -
cr?
*1 i •i"
bl» j^ jl 4A)I
-* / * * ' -< ** * A - it \
Ji &

Cr*J Cf5 o! A-^p ^ j* 3^ I

j^Aj a^ I aJI a } j J J ; a] S! Ai)' 03^03 -S’ 0^3

4 'Cp V iip i v i i y i r (^r iL)T_}0o- ij|3 03^^

Say [O M uham m ad to these pagans]: "Think! All that you invoke

b esid es A llaah show m e! W hat have they created of the earth ? O r have
they a share in [the creation of] the heaven s? B ring m e a Book
[revealed before this], or som e trace of k n ow led ge [in su p p ort of you r
claim s], if you are truthful! A nd w ho is m ore astray than one w ho calls
[invokes] b esid es A llaah, such as w ill not an sw er him till the D ay of
R esu rrection, and w ho are [even] unaw are of th eir calls [invocations]
to them ? A nd w hen M an k in d are gathered [on the D ay of
R esu rrection], they [false deities] w ill b ecom e en em ies for them and
w ill deny th eir w orship p ing.

24
 3

[Sooratu l-A hqaaf, 46 :4 -6 ]

It has been au th en tically reported on the au thority o f an -N u 'm aan Ibn

Basheer, radhiyyallaahu ‘anhu, w ho said the M essen ger o f A llaah
(sallallaahu 'alayhi w a sallam ) said: " D u ’aa [su pp lication ] is w o rsh ip ."20

M essen gers W ere Sent for the Sake of T h is A sp ect of T aw heed

T his aspect o f Taw heed, Taw heed o f W orship, is that w h ich all o f the
m essen gers conflicted and d isputed w ith their people over.

For this reason, A llaah sent H is m essen gers to explain it (taw heed) and
call to it. H e revealed the books to affirm it and clarify it and argue the
point.

A llaah says:

^ ' i* I *
4 1 111
- ~ Jjj * U 1j ^ •jl 1 *^—
=3 b iju JJa Jj

A n d verily, W e have sent am on g every U m m ah [com m u n ity, nation] a

M essen ger [proclaim ing]: "W orship A llaah [A lon e], and avoid [or keep
aw ay from ] T aaghoot [all false deities, etc. i.e. do n ot w orsh ip
T aaghoot b esid es A llaah].
[Sooratu n-N ahl, 16:36]

And H e says:

4 1^1V ] a J] ^ 1a J] S i] j U J L - jl Li j

20 M u sn ad o f Im a a m A h m a d , Ib n H a b b a n , A bu D a a w o o d .

25
 3

A nd W e did n ot send any M essen ger before you [O M uh am m ad

(sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sa lla m )] but W e insp ired him [saying]: Laa
ilaaha ilia A na [none has the righ t to be w orsh ip p ed b ut I (A llaah )], so
w orsh ip M e [A lone and none else].
[Sooratu l-A nbiyaa', 21:25]

t 0xf _ «» i ' f
4 ;r,: El N ] aJI ^ ja j\

H e sen ds dow n the angels w ith insp iration of H is C om m an d to w hom

of H is slaves H e pleases [saying]: "W arn m an k in d that Laa ilaaha ilia
A na [none has the right to be w orsh ipp ed b ut I], so fear M e [by
ab stainin g from sins and evil d eed s]."
[Sooratun-N ahl, 16:2]

Each of the m essengers began calling their people to A llaah. Each

m essenger said to his people, "W o rsh ip A llaah, you have no other god
besid es H im ."21 N ooh, Hud, Saalih, Sh u 'ay b, and the rem ain d er o f the
m essengers —m ay the peace and blessings o f A llaah be upon them all —
proclaim ed this point.

And A llaah says:

)J q l i j j! AjoT (J_ 5 ^ { j * . ’ J * L * jl J

21 S o o ra tu l-'A ra a f: 59, 65, 73, 75.

26
 3

A nd [rem em ber] Ibraah eem [A b rah am ] w hen he said to his people:

"W o rsh ip A llaah [alone], and fear H im ; that is b etter for you if you did
b ut kn ow .Y ou w orsh ip b esid es A llaah only idols, and you only inven t
falsehood. V erily, those w hom you w orsh ip b esid es A llaah have no
p ow er to give you provision , so seek y ou r p rovision from A llaah
[alone], and w orship H im [alone], and be gratefu l to H im . To H im
[alone] you w ill be b rough t b ack ."
[Sooratu l-'A n kaboot, 29:16-17]

A llaah says about H is prophet Y oosu f:

_ % ' s _ j -Z' “*•* % I . * * ' ' i p ^ f ■» ■* * ,

U 4jjl ^ •J fri yjaJL* Jl Li #

Mi <l\ |»5vO«jt (jl tj4 a l— y t lip -0)1 I- ,» J-Ijl L*J *.- . a ... c li- ll V j
# "

^ j ^aM^;ujl o U 'i «Ljl y»\

O tw o co m p an io n s of the p rison! A re m any d ifferen t lords [gods]

b etter or A llaah, the O ne, the Irresistib le? You do n ot w orsh ip b esid es
H im b u t only n am es w hich you have n am ed [forged ], you and you r
fathers, for w hich A llaah h as sen t d ow n no auth ority. T h e com m an d
[or the jud gem en t] is for none b u t A llaah. H e has co m m an d ed that you
w orsh ip none b ut H im [i.e. H is M onotheism ], that is the [true] straigh t
religion , b ut m ost m en k now not.
[Soorah Y oosu f, 12:39^40]

The Polyth eists H ave no A rg u m en t S u p p ortin g T h eir Shirk

T he polytheists have no fou nd ation or excuse for their polytheism , not

from any intelligent stand p oint or any n arratio n from the m essengers.

A llaah, subhaanahu w a ta ’aala, says:

27
 3

4 ££5 Cr? '-4*"3 <j* ,_r? U Lljl ^ f

A n d ask [O M u h am m ad (sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sa lla m )] those of O ur

M essengers w hom W e sent before you: "D id W e ever ap p oin t aalihah
[gods] to be w orsh ip ped b esides the M ost B en eficen t [A llaah ]?"
[Sooratu z-Z ukhruf, 43:45]

M eaning, that no one from the m essen gers called to w orsh ipp in g other
gods besid es or along w ith A llaah. R ather, all o f them —from the first to
the la s t—called to the w orship of A llaah alone.

A llaah, subhaanahu w a ta'aala, also points to rational evid en ce that refute

the shirk of the polytheists.

H e says:

J A r? ^ J jj1 ^ D* ^

4 -Qi? ^ ‘ i~~=> o ! •j f ? IJ-ia (_Jl3 ^ Jl

Say [O M uh am m ad (sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sa lla m )] to these pagans:

"T h in k ! A ll that you invoke b esides A llaah show m e! W h at have they
created of the earth ? O r have they a share in [the creation of] the
heaven s? Bring m e a B ook [revealed before this], or som e trace of
k n ow led ge [in sup p ort of you r claim s], if you are tru th fu l!"
[Sooratu l-A hqaaf, 46:4]

Here, A llaah refutes them w ith logical and irrefutable evid en ce that
everythin g w orshipped besid es H im is invalid as they have n ot created
anything nor have they played any part in assisting in creation. Indeed,
A llaah is O ne and A lone in that so w hy then are these others
w orshipp ed? Then A llaah n egates that the polytheists have any evid ence
from revelation in any o f the revealed books or from any o f the sent

28
 3

m essen gers concern in g their shirk. H e m akes it clear that there is n ot a

single argum ent for the poly th eists at all; thus, they shall rem ain in the
fire o f H ell forever, and w hat an evil abode.

From that w hich has been m entioned, w e now know that this asp ect of
taw heed is the first obligation and m ost im p o rtan t of duties. A llaah w ill
not accep t any other religion besid es it.

29
 3

30
 4

The Correct Belief Regarding:

The Six Pillars of Eemaan (Faith)

From the general b elief o f A hlus-Sunnah w al-]am aa’ah is that w e have

b elief in A llaah, H is angels, H is books, H is m essengers, the resurrection
after death, and b elief in the d ivine pred estination.

B elief in A llaah

T his consists o f affirm ing A llaah by singling H im ou t in R o ob oo b iy y ah 22

U loohiyyah,23 and A sm aa' w as-S ifaat.24 C larificatio n for these three points
has already preceded.

Belief in the A n gels

T his is by believing in their existence and w h at has been m entioned to us

concerning their n am es and their actions.

A llaah says:

22 T h e a c t o f sin g lin g o u t A lla a h a lo n e in H is lo rd sh ip .

23 T h e a c t o f sin g lin g o u t A lla a h a lo n e in w o rsh ip .

24 T h e act o f sin g lin g o u t A lla a h a lo n e in H is N a m e s an d A ttrib u tes.

31
 4

'The M essen ger b elieves in w hat h as been sen t dow n to him from his
Lord, and [so do] the b elievers. Each one believes in A llaah , H is
A n gels, H is Books, and H is M essen gers. T h ey say, "W e m ake no
distin ction b etw een one an oth er of H is M essen gers."
[Sooratul-Baqarah, 2:285]

It is not al-B irr [piety, righ teou sn ess, and each and every act of
obed ience to A llaah , etc.] that you turn y ou r faces tow ard s east and [or]
w est [in prayers]; b ut a l-B irr is [the quality of] the one w ho believes in
A llaah , the Last D ay, the A n gels, the Book, the Prophets.
[Sooratul-Baqarah, 2:177]

O n the au thority o f 'U m a r Ibn K hattaab, radhiyyallaahu 'anhu, concerning

the lengthy qu estion about b elief asked by Jibreel to the Prophet
M uham m ad (sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam)-, he said, "B e lie f is that you
affirm y ou r faith in A llaah, H is an gels, H is b ook s, H is m essen gers,
and the resurrection , and to b elieve in the divine destiny, the good and
evil th ereo f."25

D escription of the A ngels

A llaah has d escribed them in H is book:

25 Saheeh Muslim.

32
 4

% ' -> y y % * y _

O^ OjL/?^-*“l ^ ■’9-liP u^’j'^ '3 oi'_yil..~J I <_j ^ ja]j 4

— x %^“* y 'j CT ^ ■'■’ '■* _, ^ ^^
4 '■£>'■iiis M y J ^ ' i J J 1 0_pv-~9 ;jp

To H im b elon gs w h o so ev er is in the h eaven s and on earth. A nd those

w ho are n ear H im [i.e. the angels] are not too p roud to w orsh ip H im ,
n or are they w eary [of H is w orsh ip ]. T h ey [i.e. the angels] g lorify H is
P raises n ight and day, [and] th ey n ever slacken [to do so].
[Sooratu l-A n biyaa', 21:19-20]

_ ^ * y V y •» £ f ' f ^ f ^ y _ j •* f ff

4 '22' - ’ j ’*■>)a-:-~-I 2 j > * l}-i 4

T h ey are b ut honored slaves. T h ey sp eak n ot until H e has spoken, and

they act on H is C om m and.
[Sooratu l-A n biy aa', 21:26-27]

4 ^ ^Aj 3l~P ^ -U-P #

Surely, those w ho are w ith y o u r Lord [angels] are n ever too p roud to
perform acts of w orsh ip to H im , b u t they g lorify H is Praise and
p rostrate before H im .
[Sooratu l-A 'raaf, 7:206]

So they are servan ts o f A llaah and a creation from H is rem arkable

creations. They do not d eserve any sort o f w orship.

A llaah says:

I_jJLs 'T'_ tjjju ju <$LzLe-LI ju L*—f 1' - * - * * 3 ^ - * ?

, - - > ■>l ' jc f * ?r - >t- ' : •y , . ' . ’ 1 -6 ' ' . f 11" ' - '
’'£• O y ^ j* (Vji 1 'j j o J j ;»-4-L5-5 Cr? I

A nd [rem em ber] the D ay w hen H e w ill gath er them all togeth er, and
then w ill say to the angels: "W a s it you that these p eop le u sed to

33
 4

w orsh ip ?" T hey [angels] w ill say: "G lorified be You! You are our
W alee [Lord] instead of them . N ay, b ut they used to w orsh ip the jintis;
m ost of them w ere b elievers in th em ."
[Soorah Saba', 34:40^11]

isLji jjji j i s > l' #

'T' il j _*j ^a>JL}

N or w ould he ord er you to take angels and p roph ets for lords [gods].
W ould he ord er you to disb elieve after you have
su bm itted to A llaah 's W ill?
[Soorah A ali-Im raan, 3:80]

D escription of the C reation of the A ngels

In Saheeh Muslim, on the au thority o f A a'ishah , radhiyyallaahu ‘anha, w ho

said the M essenger of A llaah (sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam) said: "T h e
an gels w ere created from light, the jin n w ere created from a sm ok eless
fire, and A adam w as created from that w hich has b een d escribed to
y o u ."

From the ch aracteristics o f their creation is that they have w ings. So from
them there are those w ho have tw o w ings, three w ings, four w ings, etc.

A llaah says:

i Oj * G Jp ld ^ -AjJj £->j j

34
 4

All the p raises and thank s be to A llaah, the [only] O rig in ato r [or the
(only) C reator] of the h eaven s and the earth , W h o m ad e the angels
m essen gers w ith w in gs —tw o or three or four. H e increases in creation
w hat H e w ills. V erily, A llaah is able to do all things.
[Soorah Faatir, 35:1]

It w as narrated in Saheeh Bukhanree on the au thority o f Ibn M as'ood ,

radhiyyallaahu 'anhu, w ho said the P rop het (sallallaahu 'alayhi urn sallam )
saw Jibreel and that he had six hund red w ings.

Likew ise, A llaah has given them the ability to take beau tiful body form s
as Jibreel took the form o f a m an in front o f M aryam . Sim ilarly, are those
w ho cam e to Ibraaheem , 'alayhis-salaam , in the form o f his n oble guests,
and also those w ho cam e to Loot w hen they w ere ordered to send dow n
the p u nishm ent upon his people.

A llaah R efutes the Polyth eists W ho Say, "T h e A n gels are A llaah 's
D au g h ters"

A llaah has refuted the polytheists w ho claim ed that the an gels w ere from
the d aughters of A llaah. G lory be to A llaah above all that the w ron g­
d oers say abou t Him.

A llaah Th e M ost H igh says:

i - ■»-* ^ t ^ f ’ J ^j ' , ^ 4 ^ ^ ■ ■* ' ^

, - , >. 7 j ,; '
# 'T f] <Jj a a . - *

A nd they say: "T h e M ost B en eficen t [A llaah] has b egotten a son [or
ch ild ren ]." G lory to H im ! T h ey [those w h om they call ch ildren of

35
 4

A llaah i.e. the angels, 'Eesa (Jesus) son of M aryam (M ary), 'U zayr
(Ezra), etc.], are b ut h on ou red slaves. T h ey sp eak n ot until H e has
spoken, and they act on H is C om m and . H e k n ow s w h at is b efore them ,
and w hat is b ehind them , and they cann ot interced e excep t for him
w ith w hom H e is pleased. A nd they stand in aw e for fear of H im .
[Sooratu l-A n biyaa', 21:2 6 -2 8 ]

And H e says:

lijj L jiJj- ^1 j ^S\ JLgJj I

£jp; O x * ^ J (*r]3 ^ —1 ( * ^* j ^ (*-r! ijSj’ s J J ! ! - 1,! ' ' 1'

^yJaL» |*^J ’J } ! 0

— t J . _ f
^ ^,ev Cj-^ Li j. ^ }. ^

N ow ask them [O M uh am m ad (sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam )]: "A re

there [only] d au gh ters for y ou r Lord and sons for th e m ?" O r did W e
create the an gels fem ales w hile they w ere w itn esses? V erily, it is of
their falsehood that they [Q uraysh pagans] say: "A llaah has b egotten
o ffsp rin g or ch ildren [i.e. an gels are the dau gh ters of A llaah ]?" And,
verily, they are liars! H as H e [then] ch osen d au gh ters rath er than sons?
W hat is the m atter w ith you? H ow do you d ecid e? W ill you n ot then
rem em b er? O r is there for you a plain auth ority? T hen b rin g you r
B ook if you are truthful!
[Sooraus-Saaffaat, 37:149-157]

Then He says about the angels:

# Qy iI 1' Lj]^ ,aJ *^j LL« L§j ^

T h ere is not one of us [angels] b ut has h is know n place [or position];

V erily, w e [angels], w e stand in row s for the p rayers [as You M uslim s

36
 4

stand in row s for y o u r p rayers]; V erily, w e [angels], w e are they w ho

g lorify [A llaah's p raises i.e. perfo rm p rayers].
[Sooratu s-Saaffaat, 37:164-166]

Jib r e e l,'A layhis-Salaam

From these an gels is ]ibreel, ‘alayhis-salaam , the one entrusted w ith the
R evelation.

A llaah says:

# 4jjl d l .b jaJ \ j j l£ ^ j IS^ i

Say: "W h o ev er is an en em y to Jib reel [G abriel] [let him die in his

fury], for indeed he has b ro u g h t it [this Q u r'aan ] dow n to y ou r heart
by A llaah 's P erm issio n ..."
[Sooratu l-Baqarah, 2:97]

Indeed, the P rophet (sallallaahu 'alayhi w a sallam ) saw him and he had six
hundred w ings. H e w as able to see the m agnificen ce o f his creation
across the entire horizon. T hen he saw him on the N ight o f the M i'raaj2b
in the sky as well.

A llaah says:

La jja S' 0 ' \ j wL<*. -Lwp '.'Jr.y, C S ^ J ^

A nd ind eed he [M uh am m ad (sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sa lla m )] saw him

[Jibrael (G abriel)] at a secon d d escen t [i.e. an oth er tim e]. N ear Sidrat-

26 H is (sallalla a h u ‘a la y h i w a sallam ) a sc e n sio n to H ea v en .

37
 4

ul-M untahaa [lote-tree of the utm ost b ou nd ary (beyond w hich none
can pass)]. N ear it is the Parad ise of A bode.
[Sooratun-N ajm , 53:13 -1 5 ]

He never saw him in this im age excep t on these tw o occasions. As for all
other tim es, then he cam e in the im age o f a m an and in the form o f the
com p anion D ihyah al-K albee.27

A llaah The M ost H igh says:

2' 2>- '2 5 ^ J j —j &

^ j f ,v x ^ J

# ;r; JLaJj ;

V erily, this is the W ord [this Q ur'an b rough t by] a m ost hon ou rab le
m essen ger [Jibreel (G ab riel), from A llaah to the P roph et M uham m ad
(sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam )]. O w n er of pow er, and high rank w ith
[A llaah] the Lord of the T hron e, O beyed [by the an gels], tru stw orthy
there [in the heaven s]. A nd [O people] y o u r com p an ion [M uham m ad
(sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam )] is not a m ad m an ; A nd ind eed he
[M uham m ad (sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sa lla m )] saw him [Jibreel
(G abriel)] in the clear horizon [tow ards the east].
[Sooratu t-Takw ir, 81:19-23]

27 N a rra ted by A bu 'U th m a a n w h o said : " I w a s in fo rm ed th at Jib re e l c a m e to th e P ro p h et

(sallallaah u ’a la y h i w a sallam ) w h ile U m m S a la m a h w a s w ith h im . Jib re e l starte d talk in g [to

th e P ro p h et (sallallaah u ‘a la y h i w a sallam )]. T h e n th e P ro p h et (sallallaahu ‘a la y h i w a sallam )

ask ed U m m Sa la m a h , 'W h o is th is? ' S h e re p lied , 'H e is D ih y ah [a l-K a lb e e ].' W h en Jib re el

had left, U m m S a la m a h said , 'B y A lla a h , I did n o t ta k e h im fo r a n y b o d y o th e r th an h im [i.e.

D ih yah ] till I h ea rd th e serm o n o f th e P ro p h et (sallallaah u ’a la y h i w a sallam ) w h erein he

in fo rm ed a b o u t th e n ew s o f Jib r e e l.'" T h e su b n a rra to r ask ed A bu U th m aan : "F ro m w h o

h a v e you h eard th a t? " A bu 'U th m a a n said: "F ro m U sa a m ah Ibn Z a y d ." (B u khaaree)

38
 4

M ik a a 'e e l,'A layhis-Salaatn

From the angels is the angel M ik aa'eel, ‘alayhis-salaam , w ho is responsible

for the rain and other duties w hich A llaah, subhaanahu wa ta'aala,
com m and s him to do.

N arrated by Im aam A hm ad, on the au thority o f Anas, radhiyyallaahu

‘anhu, w ho said that the M essenger o f A llaah (sallallaahu 'alayhi w a sallam )
said to Jibreel, "W h y is it th at I have n ever seen M ik aa'eel laugh in g? So
he (Jibreel) said, "H e has not laughed since the creation o f the F ire."

A llaah says about M ikaa'eel:

W h oev er is an enem y to A llaah , H is A n gels, H is M essen gers, Jib rael

[G abriel] and M ikael [M ich ael], then verily, A llaah is
an en em y to the d isbelievers.
[Sooratu l-Baqarah, 2:98]

Israafil, ‘A layhis-Salaatn

From the angels is Israafil, ‘alayhis-salaam , w ho is respon sible for the

Trum pet. H e w ill blow it three tim es at the com m and o f his Lord. The
first o f the blow s w ill be to frighten, the second will am aze, and the third
w ill be for standing befo re the Lord o f the W orlds.

These three angels m entioned are those m entioned by the Prophet

(sallallaahu 'alayhi w a sallam ) in his su p p lication o f the night prayer: "O
A llaah , Lord of Jib reel, M ik aa'eel, and Israafil, C reator of the heaven s
and earth, K n ow er of the seen and u n seen , you shall jud ge betw een
y o u r servan ts in that w hich they used to differ. G uide m e in m atters

39
 4

that have been disputed up on b y y ou r leave. F o r verily, you guide

w hom you w ill to the straight p a th ."28

O n the au thority o f A a'ishah, radhiyyallaahu 'anha, w ho said, "T h e

M essenger o f A llaah (sallallaahu 'alayhi urn sallam) said, "O A llaah , Lord
of Jib reel, M ikaa'eel, and Israafil, I seek refu ge w ith you from the heat
of the Fire and from the p u n ish m en t of the g ra v e ."29

The A ngel of D eath, 'A layhis-Salaam

From the an gels is the A ngel o f D eath, 'alayhis-salaam, w ho is responsible

for taking the souls.

A llaah says:

Say: "T h e angel of death, w ho is set o v er you, w ill take you r souls,
then you shall be b ro u g h t to y ou r L ord ."
[Sooratus-Sajdah, 32:11]

The G uardian A n gels, 'A layhim us-Salaam

From them are the angels entrusted to protect m ankind at every

m om ent, inclu ding w hile sleeping, w hile aw ake, and w hile traveling.

A llaah, The M ost H igh says:

28 C o llected b y M u slim in: “T h e B o o k o f T h e P ra y er o f th e T ra v e lle r and S h o rte n in g it."

C h a p te r, "S u p p lic a tio n d u rin g th e N ig h t P ra y e r" (770).
29 A n -N a sa a 'e e.

40
 It is the sam e [to H im ] w h eth er any of you conceal h is sp eech or
declare it openly, w h eth er he be hid by night or go forth freely by day.
For each [person], there are an gels in succession , b efore and behind
him . T h ey guard him by the C om m and of A llaah. V erily! A llaah w ill
not change the good con d ition o f a p eop le as lon g as they do not
change their state of goodn ess them selves [by co m m ittin g sins and by
b ein g u n grateful and disob ed ien t to A llaah ], But w hen A llaah w ills a
p eop le's p u n ishm ent, there can be no turn in g back of it, and they w ill
find b esid es H im no p rotector.
[Sooratu r-R a'd , 10-11]

Ibn 'A bbaas, radhiyyallaahu 'anhu, said regard ing "F o r each [person],
there are an gels": A ngels protecting them befo re them and behind them ,
bu t w hen his tim e com es they d ep art from him .

Th e H on orab le Scribes, ‘A layh im u s-S ala am

And from them are the honorable scribes, ‘alayhim ussalaam . They are
those w ho w rite the good and bad d eeds of the servants.

A llaah says:
 4

But verily, over you [are ap p oin ted angels in ch arge of m ankind] to
w atch you, K iraam an [hon ourab le] K aatibeen w riting dow n (your
deeds]. T hey k now all that you do.
[Sooratul-Infitaar, 82:10-12]

Likew ise, the P rophet (sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said, "In d eed the
B a yt a l-M a'm o o r is in the sky. Each day seven ty thou san d an gels en ter
it [in an oth er narration , "p ray in it"] then they do n ot return from it."30

W hoever R ejects the Existence of A ngels H as D isb elieved

W hoever rejects the existence of the angels has indeed disbelieved by

consensus of the M uslim s.

A llaah says:

# I-Lju SLL*3 J - * 3 “j j i <U)b 'y&-i y j *

...A nd w h o so ev er d isb elieves in A llaah , H is A n gels, H is Books, His

M essen gers, and the Last D ay then indeed he has strayed far aw ay.
[Sooratu n-N isaa', 4:136]

B elief in the R evealed Books

As for belief in the revealed books, then indeed, A llaah has sent every
m essenger w ith a book, as A llaah, subhaanahu wa ta'aala, says:

# ,]aZ«a] L idI - ■j <■_- I U J 1L L L * j UJL-j 1 JJiJ #

30 B u kh aaree, M u slim , M tisn ad Im aam A h m ad .

42
 4

Indeed, W e have sen t O u r M essen gers w ith clear proofs, and revealed
w ith them the S cripture and the Balance [justice] that
m an k in d m ay keep up justice.
[Sooratu l-H ad eed , 57:25]

And A llaah says:

I^ -U l

L* wUu ^4 0 JI ^Sfj 4^3 1 L*j 4^3 i 1 Lft-^S lU 1 Lj

"* ’ x • I ' , , ^ ^ ^ ,•• % '- t ' f7 , •* ' j ■

* —^
£_4^o Ij I 4-*3 L*J I^-4^c ^ •j iA)! 4jjl U^3 Lou I c L>

# 4y^— • )p jv ? J ] *^3

M an k in d w as one com m u n ity and A llaah sent P roph ets w ith glad
tid in gs and w arn in gs, and w ith them H e sent the S crip ture in truth to
judge betw een p eople in m atters w herein th ey d iffered. A nd only
those to w hom [the Scripture] w as given differed con cern in g it after
clear p roofs had com e unto them throu gh h atred, one to an other. Then
A llaah by H is Leave g uid ed those w ho b elieved to the truth of that
w herein they d iffered. A nd A llaah g uid es w hom H e w ills to a Straight
Path.
[Sooratu l-Baqarah, 2:213]

Therefore, w e believe in these books and know w ith certainty that they
are from A llaah and thus follow ing H is sayings:

J - ^ 1 3 > a 3 3 i U\ ' j/ ' L 'j M k ? 4> l £ . 1;

o H s Jy j ^ ilij' ^ 3 c s ^ f 3 ls~ y* u V '-*3 Jp 1I 2L 13

43
 4

Say [O M uslim ], "W e believe in A llaah and that w hich has b een sent
dow n to us and that w hich h as been sent dow n to Ibraahim
[A braham ], Ism aa'il [Ishm ael], Ishaaq u e [Isaac], Ya'q oob [Jacob], and
to al-A sb aat [the tw elve sons of Ya'qoob (Jacob)], and that w hich has
b een given to M oosaa [M oses] and 'Iesa [Jesus], and that w hich has
been given to the Prophets from their Lord. W e m ake no distin ction
betw een any of them , and to H im w e have su b m itted [in Islam ].
[Sooratul-Baqarah, 2:136]

A nd T he M ost H igh says:

O you w ho believe! Believe in A llaah , and H is M essen ger

[M uh am m ad (sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam )], and the Book [the
Q ur'an] w hich H e has sent dow n to H is M essen ger, and the Scripture
w hich H e sen t dow n to those before [him ], and w h o so ev er disb elieves
in A llaah, H is A n gels, H is Books, H is M essen gers, and the Last D ay,
then indeed he has strayed far aw ay.
[Sooratu n-N isaa', 4:136]

And A llaah says:

4 ‘y • 1 1 L«-; Ie #

...B u t say: "I believe in w h atsoev er A llaah has

sen t dow n of the B o o k ..."
[Sooratu sh-Shooraa', 42:15]

And H e also says:

44
 4

* % % 9^ / J| 9 ^ s ^ s *9 ** s s "[
Oj+s^-ij O y~?ji '$JJ- c r ^ M iS '^ S^J ^ ' kUJ’i ^JJ}>»Jl ^

>iiili ^ J j j l U j 4 d Jl J j j l br. J^dbjlj '^"' O>°-° - J ^ g"•*j j bcVj 5_jL*aJI

* ■£)■ "*“* *3^5 b' L)J

A lif-L aa m -M eem . [These letters are one of the m iracles of the Q ur'an
and none b ut A llaah (A lone) kn ow s th eir m ean in gs]. T h is is the Book
[the Q ur'an], w h ereof there is no d oubt, a guid an ce to those w ho are
al-M uttaqoon [the p ious and righ teou s p erson s w ho fear A llaah m uch
(abstain from all kind s of sins and evil deeds w hich H e has forbidden)
and love A llaah m u ch (perform all kinds of good deeds w hich H e has
ord ain ed)]. W ho b elieve in the G haib and p erfo rm a s-S alaa t [Iqaam at-
a s-S alaa t], and sp en d out of w hat w e have p rovid ed for them [i.e. give
Z a kaat, spend on th em selves, th eir p aren ts, th eir ch ildren, their
w ives, etc., and also give charity to the p oo r and also in A llaah 's C ause
- Jih a a d , etc.]. A n d w ho b elieve in [the Q ur'an and the Sunnah] w hich
has been sent dow n [revealed] to you (M uh am m ad (sallallaahu 'alayhi
wa sa lla m )] and in [the T aw raat (Torah) an d the In jee 1 (G osp el), etc.]
w hich w ere sent dow n b efore you and they b elieve w ith certain ty in
the H ereafter. [R esu rrection , recom p en se of th eir good and b ad deeds,
Paradise and H ell, etc.].
[Sooratu l-Baqarah, 2:1-4]

Th e R evealed B ooks A re the Speech of A llaah Ta'aala

W e also believe that these books are the actual speech o f A llaah,
subhaanahu w a ta'aala, and not the sp eech o f anyon e other than H im . W e
believe that A llaah spoke this speech in truth as H e has w illed and in a
m anner H e has chosen.

45
 4

T yp es of R evelation

From this (speech) is that w hich w as heard in truth from behind a cover
and w ith no interm ed iary, such as w hen H e spoke to M oosaa, 'alax/his-
salaam .

A llaah says:

A nd w hen M oosaa [M oses] cam e at the tim e and place ap p oin ted by us
and his Lord sp oke to h im ...
[Sooratu l-A 'raaf, 7:143]

[A llaah] said: "O M oosaa [M oses] I have chosen you ab ove m en by M y

M essages, and by M y sp eak in g to y o u ]."
[Sooratu l-A 'raaf, 7:144]

From this speech is that w hich A llaah allow s a m essen ger from the
an gels to hear and then com m and s him to inform a m essenger from
m ankind.

A llaah says:

It is not given to any h um an b eing that A llaah should speak to him

unless [it be] by In spiration, or from behind a veil, or [that] H e sen d s a

46
 4

M essen ger to reveal w h at H e w ills by H is Leave. V erily,

H e is M ost H igh, M ost W ise.
[Sooratu sh-Sh oora, 42:51]

B elief in the books also con sists of b elief in all that they contain from
law s. It w as an obligation upon those to w hom these books w ere
revealed that they obey them and rule by them .

The B ooks C on firm O ne A n other

T he revealed books also confirm and affirm one another. They do not
con trad ict each other. Also, the texts o f the first revealed books w ere
abrogated by the truth w ithin the books that follow ed them , ju st as som e
of the law s o f the Torah w ere abrogated by the Bible.

A llaah The M ost H igh says concern ing Jesu s, 'alayhis-salaam :

4=».lc- (_? j j ' Is**-*- - ■ ]* W ^ 4 -^ *3 ^

4 0 >*-2-^\3 ^ ^ 1-3 \ IL>

A nd I have com e con firm ing that w hich w as b efore m e of the T auraat
[T orah], and to m ake law ful to you p art of w hat w as forb id d en to you,
and I have com e to you w ith a p ro of from y o u r Lord. So fear A llaah
and obey m e.
[Soorah A ali-'Im raan , 3:50]

W e also believe that the Q ur'an abrogates all previou s revealed books.
A llaah says:

$ a I I p 1 ^ ^ *J ■' X 11 A j JU JV L * J U J y*3 a #

47
 4

...co n firm in g the Scripture that cam e b efore it and M ohaym inati
[tru stw orth y in h igh n ess and a w itness] o ver it [old S crip tu re s]...
[Sooratu l-M aa'id ah , 5:48]

And A llaah says con cernin g all o f these books:

# "9] yA U j h

But it is n oth in g else than a R em in d er to all the

'Aalam een [m ankind, jin n s and all that exists].
[Sooratul-Q alam , 68:52]

B elief in the revealed books of A llaah m u st be general in areas w here

A llaah has left them general and specific and detailed in areas w here
A llaah has left them specific and detailed.

The N am es of A llaah 's Books

Indeed, A llaah has detailed the nam es o f som e o f the Books. H e has
nam ed the Torah (by nam e) w hich w as revealed to M oosaa, ‘alayhis-
salaam and the Bible w hich w as revealed to 'E esaa, ‘alayhis-salaam and the
Z aboor w hich w as revealed to D aaw ood ‘alayhis-salaam and finally the
Q u r'an w hich w as revealed to M uham m ad (sallallaahu ‘alayhi w a sallam ).
A llaah also m ention s S u h u f (sm all books or papers) revealed to
Ibraaheem and M oosaa, m ay the peace and blessings o f A llaah be upon
all of them .

So w e believe in the aforem entioned books in the detail and m anner

A llaah details them . Likew ise, A llaah has m entioned m any other books
in general bu t has not m entioned their nam es. So w e also believe in these
b ooks (in the m anner A llaah has m entioned them ).

48
 4

A llaah says:

Say: "I believe in w h atsoev er A llaah has sen t dow n of the Book [all the
holy B o o k s ]..."
[Sooratu sh-Shooraa, 42:15]

T h e N oble Q u r'an Is the Final Book and It A b rogates A ll O th er Books

T he N oble Q u r'an that A llaah revealed to ou r P roph et M uham m ad

(sallallaahu 'alayhi w a sallam ) is the last o f the h eaven ly b ooks revealed —
there shall be no book after it. It abrogates all previou s books for both
m ankind and jin n .

A llaah says:

<tj> '7 ' ^"5 “li] ytb ^

B ut it is n oth in g else than a R em in d er to all the

'Aalam een [m ankind, jin n s and all that exists].
[Sooratu l-Q alam , 68:52]

T he Q u r'an con tains all of m an k in d 's needs. It con sists o f everyth in g

m ankind needs for their life in this w orld and their life in the hereafter.

%S ^S ^ 1 j| '

4 ^ Op / i s i j

...T h is day, I have p erfected y ou r religion for you, com p leted M y

Favour u pon y ou , and have ch osen for you Islam as y o u r religion. But
as for him w ho is forced by severe hu n ger, w ith no inclin ation to sin

49
 4

[such can eat these ab ove-m en tion ed m eats], then surely, A llaah is O ft-
Forgiving, M ost M erciful.
[Sooratu l-M aa'id ah , 5:3]

The Q u r'an Is a M iracle

T he Q u r'an is a m iracle that cannot be reprod uced by anyone.

A llaah says:

1 oV J 3 ^

4 ^ 5 ' *^4^ (j ^ v l QZj ^

Say: "If the m ank in d and the jin n s w ere tog eth er to produ ce the like of
this Q u r’an, they could not produ ce the like thereof, even if they
helped one an oth er."
[Sooratu l-Israa', 17:88]

And H e says:

^ ■» 9

^ X u? J t / j <j* *^3 o v cr? ^ ^

F alsehood can n ot com e to it from before it or b eh in d it [it is] sent

dow n by the A ll-W ise, W orth y of all praise [A llaah],
[Soorah Fussilat, 41:42]

T he Q u r'an Is Protected

It is protected from anything bein g added to or taken aw ay from it as

A llaah says:

50
 4

V erily W e: It is W e W h o have sen t d ow n the D hikx [i.e. the Q ur'an] and

su rely, W e w ill guard it [from corru p tion ].
[Sooraul-H ijr, 15:9]

Belief in the M essen gers

Belief in the m essengers consists o f a firm u nw av erin g conviction that

A llaah has sent a m essenger to every nation, calling them to the w orship
o f A llaah and A llaah alone and p roclaim in g that H e is free o f partners as
w ell as d isbelievin g in all others w orshipp ed besid es H im .

All of them w ere trustw orthy, honest, upright, guiders, and caring
individuals. They all delivered the m essage of A llaah (w ithou t
deviation).

W e believe that A llaah took Ibraaheem (A braham ), ‘alayhis-salaam and

M uham m ad (sallallaahu 'alayhi w a sallam ) as intim ate friends. W e believe
that A llaah actually spoke to M oosaa (M oses) and raised Idrees (Enoch)
to a high ranking position, and that 'E esaa (Jesus) w as H is slave and
m essenger, and H is w ord w as d elivered to M aryam (M ary) and the Ruh
al-Q ud u s (G abriel).

V irtues of the P rophets

W e believe that A llaah has favou red som e P roph ets over others and has
raised som e in ranks h igher than others, and that M uham m ad is the ch ief
o f all o f A ad am 's progeny on the L ast D ay; and w e say this w ithout
boasting.

51
 4

Th e Call of the M essen gers A greed in the F ou n d ation of the R eligion

W e believe that their call —from the first o f them to the last o f them —
agreed in the fund am ental fou nd ation o f the religion w hich w as the
oneness of A llaah in H is w orship, lordship, and nam es and attributes.

H e says:

** - •>* *

4 <0)1 U if ^ j j j f i o ! ^

T ruly, the religion w ith A llaah is Islam ...

[Soorah A ali-'Im raan , 3:19]

A nd w h oever seeks a religion other than Islam , it w ill n ever be

accep ted of him , and in the H ereafter he w ill be one of the losers.
[Soorah A ali-'Im raan , 3:85]

And A llaah says about N oah:

# J I^ . j A I {J I 13

...A n d I have b een com m an d ed to be one of the M uslim s [those w ho

su bm it to A llaah 's W ill],
[Soorah Y oonus, 10:72]

And He says about M oses:

4 2 '- O] 'jlS 'y < c J Vt ^ o! Cy^-i f

52
 4

A nd M oosaa [M oses] said: "O m y p eople! If you h ave b elieved in

A llaah , then p ut you r tru st in H im if you are M u slim s [th ose w ho
su b m it to A llaah 's W ill]."
[Soorah Y oonus, 10:84]

And A llaah, subhaanahu w a ta'aala, says abou t Su laym aan , 'alayhis-salaam :

# '~2 1 AJJ ^y^e-JLu C. ^‘ ^■■‘^11^ ( jj #

..." M y Lord! V erily, I have w ron g ed m yself, and I su b m it [in Islam ,

tog eth er w ith Sulaym aan (Solom on ), to A llaah , the Lord of the
'Aalameett (m an kin d, jin n s and all th at exists]."
[Sooratu n-N am l, 27:44]

^^ ^ ^ ^ ^ 9x ^ 9 J ^ ^ X ^ # ^ I J f , f ^ ^ ^ ^
4JJI 4-JI Uj L» I _/y ^3 \j3j &Z-> ^ 1 I J-4J

4 Cr* < j+ r J

H e [A llaah] has o rd ain ed for you the sam e religion [Islam ] w hich H e
ordained for N ooh [N oah], and th at w hich W e have inspired in you [O
M u h am m ad (sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam )], and that w hich W e
ord ain ed for Ibraaheem [A b rah am ], M oosaa [M oses] and ’Eesaa [Jesus]
saying you sh ould establish religion [i.e. to do w hat it ord ers you to do
practically], and m ake no d ivisions in it [religion] [i.e. variou s sects in
religion ]. In tolerab le for the M u sh riko on , is that to w hich you [O
M uham m ad (sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sa lla m )] call them . A llaah chooses
for H im self w hom He w ills, and g uid es unto H im self w ho turns to
H im in rep en tance and in o b ed ien ce.
[Sooratu sh-Shooraa, 42:13]

53
 4

T he N um ber of P roph ets and M essen gers

The total num ber o f m essengers w as three hundred and fifteen, and
there w ere one hundred and tw enty-four thousand prophets. T his is
confirm ed by the au then tic hadeeth o f the M essen ger o f A llaah (sallallaahu
‘alayhi um sallam ) on the au thority o f Abu U m aam ah and the hadeeth of
Abu D harr.31

The D ifference betw een a P rop h et and a M essen ger32

As for the d ifference betw een a prophet and a m essenger, then a prophet
is one w ho A llaah has inform ed or given inform ation. H e then inform s
his people o f that w hich A llaah has inform ed him of. H ow ever, if he is
sent w ith that inform ation to a people w ho have deviated from the
com m and of A llaah and inform s them o f the m essage o f A llaah then he
becom es a m essenger. If he w as one w ho w as im plem enting the law that
cam e before him and thus, w as not sent to d eliver any m essage from
A llaah, then he is a prophet and not a m essenger.

M ujaahid, rahim ahullaah, said "T h e prophet alon e is the one w hom is
spoken to directly [by Allaah] and inform ation is revealed to him . H e is
not sent fo rth ."33 So every m essenger is in fact a prophet, bu t every
prophet is not a m essenger.

31 From th e M u sn a d o f Im aam A h m a d . In th e n a rra tio n o f A b u U m a a m a h from A bu D h arr,

w h o said : "O A lla a h 's M esse n g er! H ow m an y p ro p h e ts w e re th e re ? " T h e P ro p h et

(sallallaah u 'alayhi w a sallam ) sa id : "O n e h u n d re d an d tw e n ty -fo u r th o u sa n d , a n d th ere

w e re th re e h u n d re d a n d fifte e n m e ss e n g e rs fro m a m o n g th em ." A l-A lb a a n e e said : " I t is a

so u n d hadeeth."

32 T h e b o o k , E n lig h ten m en t f o r the M in d in E x p lan ation of: T he D ifferen ce b etw een a P rophet an d
a M essen g er by Sh a y k h A bu N a sr M u h a m m a d Ib n 'A b d u lla a h a l-Im aam is p u b lish ed by

T R O ID P u b lica tio n s.
33 N arrated from Ib n a l-M u n d h ir fro m th e tafseer o f M u jaah id Ib n Jab r.

54
 4

N am es of the P roph ets and M essen gers

A llaah has nam ed a num ber o f these p rophets and m essen gers for us.
They are A adam , N ooh (N oah), Idrees (Enoch), H ood, Saalih, Ibraaheem
(A braham ), Ism aa'eel, Ish aaq (Isaac), Y a'qoob (Jacob), Y o o su f (Joseph),
Loot (Lot), Shu'ayb, Y oon us (Jonah), M oosaa (M oses), H aaroon (A aron),
Ilyaas (Elias), Z akariyyah (Zakariah), Y ahyaa (John), al-Yasaa, D hul-K ifl,
D aaw ood (D avid), Su laym aan (Solom on), A yoob (Job), 'E esaa (Jesus)
and M uham m ad (m ay the peace and blessing o f A llaah be upon them
all).

He (A llaah) has inform ed us o f the story o f their m essage and that w hich
it contains from its su fficiency, lessons, and insight:

y* Mil dd-Lc- >« . A * j 3 N—» jj y

# U_L£==»j

A n d M essen gers W e have m en tion ed to you b efo re, and

M essengers W e have n ot m en tion ed to y ou , and to
M oosaa [M oses] A llaah spoke directly.
[Sooratu n -N isaa', 4:164]

H ence, w e believe in all o f them in the detail that A llaah has m entioned
as w ell as in the general m anner that A llaah has g eneralized them .

The P rophets and M essengers W ere M en W h om A llaah Blessed w ith

P roph ethood and the M essage

W e believe that all of the prophets and m esseng ers w ere created m en not
having any special d ivine cap abilities.

55
 4

A llaah says:

*UaJ Iy>~ji 0 ^ ' 3 4i!) Llil ^jl y^. ^ \S^»\ J i ^>

^^ i _ , , ' * ■, >' , ' . ,,

;'“'/ Ijl >-I i-4jj o^Lju 13x1lv> V-*£"

Say [O M uham m ad ]: "I am only a m an like you. It h as been insp ired to

m e that you r Ilaah [God] is O ne Ilaah [G od i.e. A llaah]. So w hoever
h op es for the M eeting w ith h is Lord, let him w ork righ teou sness and
associate none as a p artn er in the w orsh ip of his L ord ."
[Sooratul-K ahf, 18:110]

A llaah says:

'- 'J Cr? i Cr*-* ^ 0 ^ 3 j *^j o^~ ^

4 j y»jt AjjT j i l i 'J j ^yjaL-l jvSCjb jjl HJ j IS"

T h eir M essen gers said to them : "W e are no m ore than h um an beings
like you, but A llaah b estow s H is G race to w hom H e w ills of H is
slaves. It is not ours to b rin g you an au th ority [proof] excep t by the
Perm ission of A llaah. A nd in A llaah [A lone] let the b elievers p ut their
trust.
[Soorah Ibraaheem , 14:11]

And A llaah says:

j*lxiajt ^ j_^lSi-J jb$i] 'if] y ^ d lili LL»,j! L«j

^ ' ' I ^ f '* * -» r, ' ' ' - ' s s

I'^ a j JU jj ^ •j i I 4jJ3 ^ a jc J 1

A nd W e never sent before you [O M uh am m ad (.sallallaahu ’alayhi wa

sa lla m )] any of the M essen gers b ut verily, they ate food and w alk ed in
the m ark ets. A n d W e have m ade som e of you as a trial for others: w ill
you have p atience? A nd y ou r Lord is Ever A ll-S eer [of everything].

56
 4

[Sooratu l-Fu rqaan, 25:20]

And,

% y >I b j i l l . J j bijSi ^ 3 v J J i JIp i V3 & ^ L $ r ^ '(& ' j j ‘ ‘V j s f

4© o j ' i s i dj ls~y- ^

Say [O M uh am m ad (sallallaahu ’alayhi wa sallam )]: "I don't tell you

that w ith m e are the treasures of A llaah , nor [that] I know the unseen;
n or I tell you that I am an angel. I b u t follow w hat is revealed to m e by
in sp iration ." Say: "A re the b lind and the one w ho sees eq u al? W ill you
not then take th o u g h t?"
[Sooratu l-A n 'aam , 6:50]

3 J3 boil ; U L. ^1 i j i % 1 1\L\ V J i 4

Say [O M uh am m ad (sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam )]: "I possess no

p ow er of ben efit or hu rt to m yself excep t as A llaah w ills. If I had the
know led ge of the G hayb (unseen), I sh ou ld have secu red for m yself an
ab u n dan ce of w ealth, and no evil sh ou ld have tou ch ed m e. I am b ut a
w am er, and a b ring er of glad tidings unto p eop le w ho b eliev e."
[Sooratu l-A 'raaf, 7:188]

W e believe that they are servants of A llaah, and A llaah has favoured
them to d eliver the M essage. H e has described them as possessing the
high est level o f w orship of A llaah and H e has, indeed, praised them.

57
 4

O u r P roph et M uh am m ad (Sallallaahu A la yh i wa Salla m ) Is the Seal

of the Prophets

W e believe that A llaah has sealed this m essage w ith M uham m ad

(sallallaahu 'alayhi w a sallam ) to both m ankind and jin n .

A llaah, subhaanahu w a ta ’aala, said:

ft j , 1J 4J0|jJ

Say [O M uham m ad (sallallaahu ’alayhi wa sallam )]: "O m ankind!

V erily, I am sent to you all as the M essen ger of A llaah ..."
[Sooratu l-A 'raaf, 7:158]

And H e says:

^ 'TT' ' • ft

A nd W e have sent you [O M uh am m ad (sallallaahu ’alayhi wa sa lla m )]

n ot but as a m ercy for the ’A alam een [m ankind, jin n s and all that
exists].
[Sooratu l-A nbiyaa', 21:107]

A nd He says:

A nd W e have not sent you [O M uh am m ad (sallallaahu ’alayhi wa

sa lla m )] excep t as a giv er of glad tid in gs and a w a m e r to all m ankind,
b ut m ost of m en know not.
[Soorah Sabaa', 34:28]

58
 4

The Sacred Pact of the M essen gers w ith O ur P roph et (Sallallaahu

'A layhi iva Sallam )

A llaah inform s us that H e has taken a pact w ith the p roph ets that if they
w ere to m eet in the tim e o f ou r P roph et M uham m ad (sallallaahu 'alayhi
w a sallam ) that they w ould follow him . T his is the clear evid en ce that his
(sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam ) call w as the final m essage and that it
abrogates all p receding m essages.

A llaah, subhaanahu w a ta'aala, says:

J 1 lf> <~y=> ^ n 1e. L*J ^ ^ I ijj

• % -*Z' ^ 9 ,Z ( s ' <% ■*>- * - I

IjJli ( £ j+ <£>\ /♦j Ij ! cJ li jyO :>xJj uJ J-ya_4

J ^ , '3 *' s s s ' ' s ' _ ' -» , S ^ '' 0 3 * •» * ' s '

!*-• J-v i_r»i ;r|)! r jA X u blj Ij-L^li J l i IjJJil

_ %
# ^ ' J 4fl 1311

A nd [rem em ber] w hen A llaah took the C oven an t of the Prophets,

saying: "T ak e w h atev er I gave you from the B ook and H ikm ah
[un d erstan d in g of the Law s of A llaah, etc.], and afterw ard s there w ill
com e to you a M essen ger [M uh am m ad (sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sa lla m )]
con firm ing w hat is w ith you; you m u st, then , b elieve in him and help
h im ." A llaah said: "D o you agree [to it] an d w ill you take up M y
C oven an t [w hich I con clud e w ith you]?" T h ey said: "W e a g ree." He
said: "T h en b ear w itness; and I am w ith you am o n g the w itn esses [for
th is]." T hen w h oever turns aw ay after this, they are the F aasiqoon
[rebellious: those w ho turn aw ay from A llaah 's O bedience].
[Soorah A ali-'Im raan , 3:81-82]

A llaah says:

59
 4

jy ^ J _ j - 3 i j l J a 'j ^ l ^»T J l i i[)

, •=» , ,
,T- i<r ' i -' »T
^ e U - U j -u -I
’-r
^
,- , > . - „. , .,
i i jjl ) '

* cftr* y * - ? i.ii> i y i i <l ~uxJ L i

And [rem em ber] w hen ’Eesaa [Jesus], son of M aryam [M ary], said: "O
C hildren of Israel! I am the M essen ger of A llaah unto you con firm ing
the T aw raat [(T orah) w hich cam e] b efore m e, and g ivin g glad tidings
of a M essen ger to com e after m e, w hose nam e shall be A hm ad. But
w hen he [A hm ad i.e. M uham m ad (sallallaahu ’alayhi wa sa lla m )]
cam e to them w ith clear proofs, they said: "T h is is plain m ag ic."
[Sooratus-Saff, 61:6]

And He says:

^-4.; <L~yjo\ kill)) b J-A b] jjj J - 'CZj S\ a_LUb J j UJ ‘I ^=»t j &

(’-* L|-a L«J y * b i l ^

«^Jl ^ j ;^3) 0y~?3^

( y ^ 3 3^- 3 o^- p -* y ^ 4
i^w41 c ^ c-o £*” ^ 3 6 £*^3
(» ; ^ I

j ’ ^ ^^ / -*^C' ^ ^ ^ J V » ^^^ ^ j ^ y ^^^,

4 -H' 1
v il-ijjl )^ U J j j l (^ j]l I_y—i 3 Oy^^ajj aJ j 3^ J

"A n d ordain for us good in this w orld, and in the H ereafter. C ertainly
w e have turned unto Y o u ." H e said: [As to] M y P u n ishm ent I afflict
therew ith w hom I w ill and M y M ercy em b races all things. That
[M ercy] I shall ordain for those w ho are the M uttaqoon (pious), and
give Zakaat, and those w ho believe in O u r A y a a t (proofs, evid en ces,
verses, lessons, signs and revelation s, etc.); Th ose w ho follow the
M essen ger, the P rophet w ho can n eith er read n or w rite [i.e.
M uham m ad (sallallaahu 'a layhi wa sa lla m )] w hom they find w ritten

60
 4

w ith th e m in th e T a iv ra a t [T o ra h ] a n d th e I n je e l (G o s p e l), h e

c o m m a n d s th e m fo r a l- M a 'r o o f [ i.e. Is la m ic M o n o th e is m a n d all th a t

Isla m h a s o rd a in e d ]; a n d fo rb id s th e m fro m a l-M u n k a r [i.e. d is b e lie f,

p o ly th e is m o f all k in d s, a n d all th a t Isla m h as fo rb id d e n ]; h e a llo w s

th e m as la w fu l a t-T a y y ib a a t [(i.e. all g o o d an d la w fu l) as re g a rd s

th in g s , d e e d s, b e lie fs , p e rso n s, fo o d s, e tc.], a n d p ro h ib its th e m as

u n la w fu l a l-K h a b a a 'ith [i.e. all e v il an d u n la w fu l as re g a rd s th in g s,

d e e d s, b e lie fs, p e rso n s, fo o d s, e tc.], h e re le a se s th e m fro m th e ir h e a v y

b u rd e n s [o f A lla a h 's C o v e n a n t], a n d fro m th e fe tte rs [b in d in g s] th a t

w e re u p o n th em . So th o se w h o b e lie v e in h im [M u h a m m a d

(sa lla lla a h u 'a la y h i w a sa lla m )], h o n o u r h im , h e lp h im , an d fo llo w th e

lig h t [th e Q u r'an ] w h ich h as b e e n se n t d o w n w ith h im , it is th e y w h o

w ill b e su ccessfu l.

[S o o ra tu l-A 'ra a f, 7 :1 5 6 -1 5 7 ]

O n the au th o rity o f A bu H u ray rah , radhiyyallaahu ‘anhu, w h o said th at

the P rop h et, (sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam) said: " B y th e o n e w h o se h an d
M u h a m m ad 's so u l is in, n o on e w h o h ears o f m e from th is n a tio n 34 be
h e Je w o r C h ristian , th en d ies an d d o es n ot b e lie v e in th at w h ich I
h ave b een sen t w ith , then h e is fro m th e in h a b ita n ts o f th e fire ."35

W h o e v er D en ies the M essag e of M u h am m ad (S alla lla a h u 'A lay h i wa

S a lla m ) H as D isb elieved

34 T h e te rm um m ah a s u sed in th e hadeeth is d iv id e d in to tw o ca te g o rie s:

0 T h e first b e in g th e ummah o f d a ’umh o r th o se w h o h a v e h ea rd th e n a m e an d call

o f M u h a m m a d (sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam ) fro m th e Je w s an d C h ristia n s.

0 T h e seco n d is th e ummah o f istijaabah o r th o se w h o h a v e h eard th e call o f

M u h a m m a d (sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam ) an d h a v e a n sw e re d it b y e m b ra c in g

Islam .
35Saheeh M uslim.

61
 4

So, w hoever d enies the m essage of M uham m ad (sallallaahu 'alayhi wa

sallam ) being sent to all of m ankind has d isbelieved , and he disbelieves
even if he claim s to be a believer and follow er.

A llaah says:

# 1^ yi * yi y

T he people of N ooh [N oah] b elied the M essengers.

[So oratu sh -Sh u a'raa', 26:105]

So A llaah has declared all o f them d isbelievers in all o f the m essengers

even though no m essenger preceded N ooh, 'alayhis-salaam .

W hoever C laim s Propheth ood after M u h am m ad (Sallallaahu 'A layhi

w a Sallam ) H as D isbelieved

W e believe that there shall be no prophet after M uham m ad (sallallaahu

'alayhi am sallam ), so w hoever claim s prophethood has lied and
disbelieved.

A llaah, subhaanahu w a ta ’aala, says:

^ <jj! J y * j !*>j ^jA wL>I LI L« ¥

^ ;:f*: iX ip

M uham m ad (sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sa lla m ) is n ot the fath er of any

m an am ong you, b ut he is the M essen ger of A llaah and the last [end of
the Prophets]. A nd A llaah is E ver A ll-A w are of everything.
[Sooratul-A hzaab, 33:40]

62
 4

O n the au thority o f Abu H urayrah, radhiyyallaahu ‘anhu, the P rophet

(sallallaahu ‘alayhi urn sallam) said: "I have been favou red o ver all of the
p roph ets w ith six things:

1. I have b een given Ja w a am i'u l-K a la m *

2. I w as gran ted victory ow ing to m y aw e,
3. the sp oils of w ar have b een m ade p erm issib le for m e,
4. all of the earth h as b een m ade a m asjid for m e,
5. I have b een sent to all of m an k in d , and
6. I am the seal of the p rop h ets."37

W h oev er D enies the M essage of A n y of the P roph ets and M essen gers
H as D isbelieved

W h oever d isbelieves in the m essage o f any o f the prophets and

m essengers has d isbelieved accord in g to consen sus o f the M uslim s.

^ •j jJjJL jj jy I •j 9 ^ •^.^1^ o! ^

sllfiljl ^L-~» JU J'i (jy l^-L»cLj ol O j-A x )

aAJLj Ic1;. g* CI-L£ ^Aj5sJU L>JJLC-I_J UL>- J1

;2 '! L f > U) I 3" A''-' ilW

V erily, those w ho disb elieve in A llaah and H is M essen gers and w ish
to m ake distin ction betw een A llaah and H is M essen gers [by b elievin g
in A llaah and d isb elievin g in H is M essen gers] saying, "W e b elieve in
som e but reject o th ers," and w ish to ad op t a w ay in b etw een . T h ey are
in tru th d isbelievers. A nd W e h ave p rep ared for the d isb elievers a

% Ja w a a m i’u l-K a la m : T h e g ift o f u sin g few w o rd s w h ich c o n ta in m an y b e n e fits and

k n o w led g e.
■
v S aheeh M u slim .

63
 4

hu m iliatin g torm ent. A nd those w ho b elieve in A llaah and H is

M essen gers and m ake no d istin ction b etw een any of them
(M essengers), W e shall give them their rew ard s, and A llaah is Ever
O ft-Forgiving, M ost M erciful.
[Sooratu n-N isaa', 4 :150 -1 5 2 ]

Belief in the Last D ay

It is the D ay o f Ju d g em ent and that w hich w ill occu r on that day. A hlus-
Sunnah has firm belief in this; as A llaah, subhaanahu wa ta'aala, says:

4 *^3 4-^-* {j* j y !jy y j ?

...A n d they believe w ith certain ty in the H ereafter.

[Sooratul-Baqarah, 2:4]

And A llaah says:

(J^5 yX 'Jl i J ] V 4jut

A llaah! Laa ilaaha ilia H uw a [none has the right to be w orsh ip p ed but
He]. Surely, H e w ill gath er you togeth er on the D ay of R esurrection
about w hich there is no doubt. A nd w ho is tru er in statem en t than
A llaah?
[Sooratu n-N isaa', 4:87]
And,

LzJl ^ •j l ^ ^|] Laj j ^ 1 #

^ ya JI

64
 4

A nd W e created not the h eaven s and the earth and all that is betw een
them excep t w ith truth, and the H ou r is surely com in g, so overlook [O
M u h am m ad (sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam )], th eir faults w ith gracious
forgiveness. [This w as b efore the o rd ain m en t of Jih a a d (holy fighting)
in A llaah 's C ause].
[Sooratul-H ijr, 15:85]

The R esu rrection

Inclu sive in this is b elief in the b a ’th (resu rrection) in w hich the dead will
be brou ght back to life.

A llaah, subhaanahu w a ta'aala, says:

A nd the T ru m pet w ill be b low n, and all w ho are in the h eaven s and all
w ho are on the earth w ill sw oon aw ay, excep t him w hom A llaah w ills.
T hen it w ill be blow n a second tim e and beh old , th ey w ill be standing,
look in g on [w aiting].
[Sooratu z-Z um ar, 39:68]

And,

^ O IJ o L>j U-wLp I J - P j i jj ^ b l j u L o ^

...A s W e began the first creation, W e shall rep eat it, [it is] a prom ise
bin d in g upon Us. T ru ly, W e shall do it.
[Sooratu l-A n biy aa', 21:104]

65
 4

Book of D eeds

T here is also b elief in the Book of D eeds that shall be given in either the
right hand, from behind o n e's back, or in the left hand.

A llaah says:

, „ ' } # , ^ J— _ f % - ) _ { , , < f-

J J j j ;'T' (j-- 1*13 #

- ^ ^ ’ v , ^ M ^% % % _ ^ ^ ^

L *j jC*Ij I^JS" A^jI^ 1^3^Ja3 A^J Ic- A_k_>- ^ A^-^? Ij aJu*^ ^

A^-JJw^ I ^a! .>A_^lxS””t ^^ I Tl a A_lJ li-l ^ Ij I ^ ^».«-fl.l.«*<I

„ , ' , _ f - , _ - •».» ,, ' ? ' * — -y , „ , f "

^JJ la ■cJ'-* Al^bLaJl G Jb !j [” ]

-**. ,
l ,j ’
> * ' % *. * , - ,
Ip lji L^Pji ^ Ojb& >*-* ~ d^lii d^J3- '“ ' ^^■■1,U1...

^ '” ' I ^Ixis <U)b 0^ " -,4^1 ' ^ ' O j^ L llj

^ "E- ^ ^ ! •’^JS'tj *§ *3' <j\Lb*P Vj ^l*i» 'ily ;'"T] 1’•$' * f>=-^ ^

Then as for him w ho w ill be given h is R ecord in his righ t hand w ill
say: "T ak e, read m y R ecord! Surely, I did believe that I shall m eet my
A cco u n t!" So he shall be in a life, w ell-p leasin g. In a lofty Paradise.
The fruits in b u n ch es w hereof w ill be low and n ear at hand. Eat and
drink at ease for that w hich you have sent on before you in days past!
But as for him w ho w ill be given h is R ecord in his left h and, w ill say:
"I w ish that I h ad not been given m y R ecord! A n d that I had never
kn ow n , how m y A ccou nt is? I w ish, w ou ld that it had b een m y end
[death]! M y w ealth has not availed m e, m y p ow er and argu m en ts [to
defend m yself] have gone from m e!" [It w ill be said]: "S e iz e him and
fetter him , then throw him in the b lazin g F ire." Then fasten him w ith a
chain w hereof the length is seventy cu b its!" V erily, H e used not to
believe in A llaah , the M ost G reat. A nd urged not on the feed ing of al-
M iskeen [the poor]. So no friend has he h ere this D ay, N or any food

66
 4

excep t filth from the w ash ing of w ou n d s. N one w ill eat excep t the
K haati'oon [sinners, d isb elievers, p olyth eists, etc.]
[Sooratu l-H aaqqah, 69:19-37]

T h e Scales

W e also believe in the Scales that shall be placed on the D ay of

R esurrection, and indeed, no soul shall be o ppressed that day.

A llaah, subhaanahu w a ta'aala, says:

^ I -t-A d d -jJjli odja j ^

T h en , those w h ose scales [of good deeds] are h eavy,

these, they are the su ccessfu l.
[Sooratu l-M u 'm inoon, 23:102]

The In tercession

W e believe in the In tercession on that day, and it can be categorized as

follow s:

$1 A sh-Shafaa'atul 'Uthrnaa (The M ajor Intercession): It w ill be

specifically designated for the P rophet M uham m ad (sallallaahu
'alayhi w a sallam ) to in terced e for the peop le w ho have been
gathered to be judged.

$1 Intercession seeking the open ing of the doors of P arad ise for its
people. T his will also be specifically for the P roph et (sallallaahu
'alayhi w a sallam ).

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 4

Intercession to lighten the p u n ishm en t for those d eserving o f it.

T his is also specified for the P rop h et (sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam )
as he w ill interced e on beh alf of his uncle A bu Taalib to lighten
his (Abu T aalib's) p u nishm ent in the H ellfire su ch that it w ill be
a pu nishm ent that w ill en com pass him and anger him .

Intercession to seek the raising in rank of the peop le o f Paradise.

It has been said (by the peop le of know led ge) that this is
specifically for the P rop h et M uham m ad (sallallaahu 'alayhi zva
sallam ), and it has been said that it is not specifically for him .

The Intercession for the peop le of m ajor sin. They are the sinners
from the believers w ho have entered the Fire as a result o f their
sins. T he intercession w ill be to rem ove them from the Fire. The
M essenger o f A llaah (sallallaahu ‘alayhi zva sallatn) w ill intercede,
as w ell as other m essengers, angels, the righteous, and the
m artyrs.

The Q u r'an and fasting shall also interced e for its people on the D ay of
Jud gem ent. Likew ise, believin g child ren shall interced e for their parents.

T h e Fountain

W e believe in The Hazvd (The fountain). This is the fou ntain o f our
Prophet M uham m ad (sallallaahu ‘alayhi zva sallam ). Its liquid w ill be
exceptionally w hite m ilk and it w ill be sw eeter than honey. Its sm ell w ill
be better than the b est perfum e. W hoever drinks from it shall n ev er thirst
again.

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 4

The Bridge

W e believe in the brid ge that shall pass over a portion o f the H ellfire. The
people shall pass over it accord ing to th eir deeds. T h e first w ill pass over
like a flash o f lightening, then like w ind, then like a flying bird. And the
Prophet (sallallaahu 'alayhi w a sallam ) shall be stand ing on the bridge
saying, "O m y Lord, give safety, give safety"38 u ntil all o f the deeds of
the servants have passed. U ntil a m an w ill try to pass and he will have
no w ay to pass excep t by craw ling.

And on both sides o f the brid ge there shall be hooks attached. They w ill
be com m anded to take hold of anyone o rd e re d —eith er he passes safely
b u t scared and scratched, or he is flung into the Fire.

W e believe in all that has com e in the B ook and the Sunnah in form ing us
of that day and w hat w ill occu r on it —M ay A llaah give us safety on that
day.

B elief in the D ivine P red estin atio n —Its G ood and Its Bad: Q adr and
Q ad ha a'

We have a firm u nw avering b elief that A llaah has preordained

everythin g for creation, and w hatever A llaah has w illed shall com e to
pass, and w hatever He has n ot w illed shall never com e to pass.

A llaah says:

, - -' > - ' <>*

# j - lSj JS L>I #

38 N arra ted b y a l-M u g h e era h Ib n S h u 'b a h in th e b o o k A l-M u sta d ra k alaa a s-S a h eeh ay n .

69
 4

V erily, W e have created all things w ith Q adr [D ivine P reord ain m en ts
of all things before th eir creation , as w ritten in the Book of D ecrees
(A l-Law h A l-M ahfoodth)].
[Sooratul-Q am ar, 54:49]

And,

, — j ’ /, - £* , '
<8> Ij j ljJL3 4jjl Dj #

...A n d the C om m and of A llaah is a decree determ ined.

[Sooratul-A hzaab, 33:38]

P rinciples of al-Q adr

The proper m anner in w hich to und erstand the Q adr can be outlined in
four categories:

1. A l-'Ilm (K now ledge): W e believe that A llaah Th e M ost H igh has

k now led ge over everything. H e know s w hat w as not, w hat w ill
be, and how it w ould be. H is k now led ge is etern al and
everlasting. H is k now led ge does n o t orig in ate from ignorance
nor is H is know led ge coupled w ith forgetfulness after know ing.

2. A l-K itaabah (The W riting): W e believe that w ritten in the Law h al-
M ahfoodth (The P reserved Tablet) is that w hich w ill take place
until The Day of Jud gem ent.

A llaah says:

j d JJ'3 <jj e U -Jl j L. kul v ■j l

4 (JJJvs-A ^ o!

70
 4

K now you not that A llaah k n ow s all th at is in h eaven and on

earth ? V erily, it is [all] in the B ook [A l-Law h A l-M ahfoodh].
V erily! T h at is easy for A llaah.
[Sooratul-H ajj, 22:70]

And H e says:

^ i j iJ j J j~? X Xi
_ , , ^ I
4 X- ^3 J 3

[Fir'aw n (Pharaoh)] said: "W h a t ab ou t the gen eration s of o ld ?"

[M oosaa (M oses)] said: "T h e k n ow led ge th ereof is w ith m y
Lord, in a R ecord. M y Lord is n eith er u n aw are n or does
H e fo rget."
[Soorah Taa H aa, 20:51-52]

And A llaah, subhaanahu zva ta'aala, says:

4 ’X - Cfir* •i j ^%<Jr" J S j *

A nd all thin gs W e have record ed w ith n u m b ers [as a record] in

a C lear Book.
[Soorah Y aa-Seen , 36:12]

In clu sive in this b elief of that w hich is w ritten from the Q adr are:

& T he etern al p red eterm ination befo re the creation o f the

heavens and earth .39 A llaah says:

39 T h a t w h ich w ill o c cu r to th e en d o f tim e.

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 4

Say: "N o th in g shall ever h ap p en to us excep t w hat

A llaah has ord ain ed for us. H e is o u r M aw laa [Lord,
H elp er and P ro tecto r]." A nd in A llaah let the believers
p ut th eir trust.
[Sooratu t-Taw bah, 9:51]

The w riting of the covenant the day A llaah said, "A m I

n ot you r L ord ?"

A nd A llaah, subhaanahu wa ta ’aala, says:

A n d [rem em ber] w hen y ou r Lord b ro u g h t forth from

the C hildren of A ad am , from th eir loins, th eir seed [or
from A d am 's loin his offspring] and m ade them testify
as to th em selves [saying]: "A m I n ot you r L ord ?" They
said: "Y es! W e te s tify ..."
[Sooratu l-A 'raaf, 7:172]

The pred eterm ined lifespan d uring the creation o f the

nutfah (m ixed m ale and fem ale discharge).

An angel is sent to blow the soul into the em bryo and

likew ise, fou r things are w ritten for it: its provisions, its
tim e of dem ise, its deeds, and w h eth er it shall be
m iserable or happy.

72
 4

® The annual p red eterm ination o f (Laylatn l-Q adr) The

N ight of Pow er. As A llaah, subhaanahu w a ta'aala, says:

T herein [that night] is decreed every m atter of

ord ainm en ts.
[Sooratu d-D ukhaan, 44:4]

R egarding this verse, Ibn 'A bbaas, radhiyyallaahu ‘an hu ,

said, "W ritten in the M oth er o f the B ook (al-Law h al-
M ahfoodth), on the N ight of P ow er shall be all the deeds
for that year, from death, life, provisions, and rain, even
those w ho w ill be m aking Hajj. It is said, "S o and so shall
m ake H ajj and so and so shall m ake H ajj.”40

% T he daily p red eterm ination. As A llaah says:

— f' * '" ^ j"*„ „

# o'--. i_i 3-®/^ Jp

Every day H e has a m atter to b rin g forth [such as

giving h on or to som e, disgrace to som e, life to som e,
death to som e, etc.]!
[Sooratu r-R ahm aan, 55:29]

T he daily p red eterm in ation is a d etailing of the annual

predeterm ination; the annual pred eterm in ation is a
detailing of the p redeterm ined lifespan u pon creation of
the m ttfah; and the p red eterm ined lifespan is a detailing

40 T afseer a l-Q u rlu b ee. Ib n 'A b b a a s a lso sa id co n c e rn in g th e v erse, "V e r ily y o u sh all see a

m an w a lk in g in th e m a rk et, an d in d eed , h is n a m e m ay b e w ritten as fro m th o se w h o sh all

d ie [th at y e a r]."

73
 4

o f w h at w as previously determ ined on the D ay o f the

C ovenant, w hich is a d etailing of the eternal
p redeterm ination w ritten by the Pen in al-Laivh al-
M ahfoodth.

A l-Law h al-M ahfoodth contains know led ge from A llaah,

subhaanalnt w a ta'aala. Thus, the end o f all and its
d eterm ination is know led ge that is left w ith A llaah. So,
everythin g in the beginning shall end w here it began and
everythin g in the end shall end (by returning to A llaah).

4 ^12 “ U J J 0*3 f

A nd that to you r Lord [A llaah] is the End [R eturn of

everything].
[Sooratun-N ajm , 53:42]

3. A l-M ash i’ah (The W ill of A llaah): W e believe that A llaah,

subhaanahu wa ta'aala, has w illed everyth in g in the h eavens and
earth. N othing exists excep t by H is w ill. W hat He w ills w as and
will be, and w hat He does not shall never be.

Allaah, subhaanahu w a ta'aala, says:

# 1^1 Oja \Lojl #

j

V erily, H is C om m and , w hen H e intends a thin g, is only that

H e says to it, "B e !" and it is!
[Soorah Yaa-Seen, 36:82]

^ Atyd ^ b * iL i j Jj )s>

74
 4

...I f A llaah had w illed , th ey w ou ld not have fou gh t again st one

an oth er, but A llaah does w h at H e likes.
[Sooratu l-Baqarah, 2:253]

* J_gJ I J p ^ g« a >J 4J01 c Li j i j

...A n d had A llaah w illed , H e cou ld have gath ered them

tog eth er [all] u nto true g u id a n ce ...
[Sooratu l-A n 'aam , 6:35]

;'»T' jd i ^»LLll j tL i ¥

A nd if y ou r Lord had so w illed , H e could surely have m ade

m ankind one Uttimah [nation or com m u n ity (follow in g one
religion only, i.e. Islam )].
[Soorah H ood, 11:118]

i il iS l i l l i >5) &
*
A nd if W e had w illed , surely! W e w ou ld have given every
p erson his guid an ce, b ut the W ord from M e took effect...
[Sooratu s-Sajd ah, 32:13]

# j c<_jiAJJI ^ ■j C L«_) ^

H ave they not traveled in the land, and seen w hat w as the end
of those before them , and they w ere su p erior to them in
p ow er? A llaah is n ot such that an yth in g in the heaven s or in
the earth escap es H im ...
[Soorah Faatir, 35:44]

4. Al-Khalq (C reation): He, A llaah, created ev ery doer o f an action

and his action; everyth ing that m oves and its m ovem ents;
everythin g that is inactive or d oes not m ove and its im m obility.

75
 A llaah, subhaanahu w a ta'aala, says:

_ , ' s ' •"' ^ -»

W hile A llaah has created you and w hat you m ake!

[Sooratus-Saafaat, 37:96]

4 3' \ls" 3 *3 \iis“ >r^ ==’ t3 ^ " ^ 4

A llaah is the C reator of all thin gs, and H e is the W akeel

[Trustee, D isp oser of affairs, G uardian , etc.] over all things.
[Sooratu z-Z um ar, 39:62]

T he S ervant's D eeds

W e believe, along w ith this, that every servant has ability over his
actions and has free w ill and choice of them . A llaah, subhaanahu wa
ta'aala, is their creator and the creator o f their w ill, their ability, their
speech, and their deeds. T heir speech and actions com e from them and is
their responsibility, and for them they shall be rew arded or punished.

T hey do not have the ability to do anything u nless A llaah has given them
that ability. They do not have any desire or w ill u nless A llaah desires or
wills.

A llaah says:
 4

V erily! T h is [V erses of the Q ur'an] is an ad m onition , so w h osoever

w ills, let him take a Path to his Lord [A llaah], B ut you can n ot w ill,
u n less A llaah w ills. V erily, A llaah is E ver A ll-K n ow in g, A ll-W ise.
[Sooratul-Ihsaan, 76:29-30]

f i ' - ' x f - ? „ ^ , _ , , , f „ _ , - » ' * ,

AW! eLiO I J | •* ‘ft"‘ * I c J ry ^ | I#

<& 'T*' ^ I

V erily, this [the Q ur'an] is no less than a R em in d er to [all] the

’A alam een [m ankind and jinns\. To w h o m soev er am on g you w ho w ills
to w alk straight. A nd you w ill not, u nless [it be] that A llaah w ills, the
Lord of the 'A alam een [m ankind, jin n s and all that exists].
[Sooratu t-Takw ir, 81:27-29]

# L* Ljlipj .-c U LjJ aJl>I ■, ^ #

A llaah b u rd en s not a p erson b eyon d his scope. H e gets rew ard for that
[good] w hich he has earned , and he is p u n ish ed for th at [evil] w hich
he has e a rn e d ...
[Sooratu l-Baqarah, 2:286]

^__ I , 9* j t x ft? ^ ^ t g “* ■* , "*

X ^ •j »L»-3u L*_j La I I 4j 3-I viJJGj #

T his is the Paradise w hich you have b een m ade to in h erit b ecau se of
y ou r deeds w hich you used to do [in the life of the w orld].
[Sooratu z-Z ukhruf, 43:72]

M eaning; as a result o f deeds.

I K ** * i- - -- > - ,
—. 'IjLP ^ Lj I I.XlA ftLflJ ^Lu*0 #

% ' t % -

77
 4

T hen taste you [the torm en t of the Fire] b ecau se of you r forgettin g the
M eeting of this D ay of yours, [and] surely! W e too w ill forget you, so
taste you the ab id in g torm en t for w hat you used to do.
[Sooratus-Sajdah, 32:14]

# :X : ^ ’3' 3^ji- 0 ^ *•* ^

So w hosoever does good equal to the w eigh t of an atom [or a sm all

ant], shall see it. A nd w ho so ev er does evil equal to the w eigh t of an
atom [or a sm all ant], shall see it.
[Sooratu z-Z alzalah, 9 9:7 -8 ]

T hat W hich H as Been W ritten (D ecreed) Should N ot Prevent O ne from

A ctions

And w e believe that anything w hich has been w ritten for us d oes not
prevent us from doing actions nor oblige us to rely solely upon our
deeds. For this w e see the Prophet (sallallaahu ‘alayhi urn sallam ) inform ing
his C om p anions o f the follow ing:

O n the authority o f 'A lee, radhiyyallaahu 'anhu, w ho said, "W e w ere in the
com p any of the P roph et (sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam ) in a funeral
procession at Baqi al-G harqad. H e (sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam ) said,
"T h ere is none of you b ut has his place w ritten for him in Paradise or
in the H ellfire." They said, "O M essenger o f A llaah! Shall w e depend
[on this fact and give up actio n s]?" H e said, "C arry on doing [good
deeds]; for everyb ody w ill find it easy to do [w hat w ill lead him to his
destined p lace]." Then he recited:

78
 4

A s for him w ho gives [in charity] and keeps h is duty to A llaah , and
believes in al-husna [the B est rew ard] from A llaah [i.e. A llaah w ill
com p en sate him for w hat he w ill spend in A llaah 's w ay]. So, W e w ill
m ake sm ooth for him the path of ease [goodn ess]. But he w ho is a
greedy m iser.... for him , the p ath for e v il.41
[Sooratul-Layl, 92:5-10]

Thus, destiny has outlining reasons that m u st be achieved. Ju st as the

pu rpose o f m arriage is to have a child, and inheritance is a reason to
attain land, thus, righteous d eed s are the reason for en terin g Parad ise
and evil deeds result in enterin g the Fire —m ay A llaah protect us.

41 Saheeh B u khaaree, "B o o k o f T a fse e r."

79
 4

80
 5

The Correct Belief Regarding: Eemaan (Faith)

From the general b elief o f A hlus-Sunnah w al-Jam aa'ah is that eem aan is:

A statem ent on the tongue, m eaning a person w ill recite

the testim ony o f the oneness o f A llaah by saying: Laa
ilaaha illallaah, M uham m adu r-rasoolullaah.42
® A b elief in the heart, m eaning that the person has the
unw avering, firm , and stead fast b elief o f that w hich he
has stated upon his tongue.
$1 And finally, actions w ith the body parts.

Im aam ash-Shaafi'ee, rahim ahullaah, said:

It w as the consensu s o f the C om p anions, Taabi'een, those that

follow ed them , and all those w hom w e have com e in contact
w ith, that they have said, ' al-E em aan : [is] a statem en t [on the
tongue], actions [w ith the body parts], and intention [belief in the
heart], and none o f the three can be su fficed except w ith the
o th ers.'43

Th e In creasing and D ecreasin g of Faith

Eem aan increases w ith obed ience and it decreases w ith d isobedience.

42 N o n e h as th e rig h t to b e w o rsh ip p ed in tru th e x c e p t fo r A llaah , and M u h am m ad is H is

M essen g er.
43 N arrated by a l-L a a la k a a 'e e in A s-S u n n ah .

81
 5

Allaah, subhaanahu w a ta'aala, says:

T h ose [i.e. believers] unto w hom the people [hypocrites] said, "V erily ,
the peop le [pagans] have gath ered again st you [a great arm y], therefore,
fear th em ." But it [only] increased them in F a ith ...
[Soorah A ali-Im raan, 3:173]

4 C|5 Oy^'y-i Jn fcj ii)^ J -a-x-^j ->AXijl(. k— ?

...A n d w hen H is V erses [this Q ur'an ] are recited unto them , th ey [i.e.
the V erses] increase their Faith; and they p ut th eir tru st in th eir Lord
[A lone].
[Sooratul-A nfaal, 8:2]

i-JT d l j L ^0 JL-A Aj^lj J y&-l y j * 9•*>3 5j_j-» c J j j l l-« I3[) ■

# r! v________ _.0 ^a-A^J 1 1^ J j ,a g ^Iy3

A nd w h en ever there com es dow n a Soorah [ch ap ter from the Q ur'an ],
som e of them [hypocrites] say: "W h ich of you has had his faith
increased by it?" A s for those w ho b elieve, it has increased th eir Faith,
and they rejoice.
[Sooratut-Taw bah, 9:124]

, ^ ^ ^ J| /J ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ✓ ✓ ✓ y ^ x a ^ ^ 9 f ’V ^ % *9 % ^ ^ ^
laj ->aJ jj 4JJI (3 ~Ly=>J ; 4 ] A J J I b La I «AlA IL d o i> ^ i o ^ p i i'o U J j ^

y Le-aLwl^ 1 1 Ij

A nd w hen the b elievers saw al-A hzaab [the C on fed erates], th ey said:
"T h is is w hat A llaah and H is M essen ger [M uh am m ad (sallallaahu
'alayhi wa sallam )] had p rom ised us, and A llaah and H is M essen ger
(M uham m ad (sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sa lla m )] had sp ok en the truth, and
it only added to th eir faith and to th eir su b m issiven ess [to A llaah].

82
 5

[Sooratu l-A hzaab, 33:22]

<S> I Li^jl I ^ I ^

H e it is W ho sent dow n as-Sakeenah [calm ness and tran qu illity] into

the hearts of the b elievers, that they m ay g row m ore in Faith along w ith
th eir [present] F a ith ...
[Sooratul-Fath, 48:4]

# \l±i\ \j^>U S b jjj b

...A n d the b elievers m ay increase in F a ith ...

[Sooratu l-M u d d ath hir, 74:31]

O n the au thority o f Ibn 'U m ar, radhiyyallaahu ‘anhu, w ho said that the
Proph et (sallallaahu ‘alayhi w a sallam ) ad m on ish ed the w om en; he said to
them , "I have seen none lack ing in com m on sense and failin g in
religion bu t [at the sam e tim e] rob bin g the w isd om of the w ise b eside
y o u ."44 This is the evid ence that eem aan w eakens.45

H e (sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam ) also said, "T h e b est of b elievers in faith

are the b est of them in ch aracter."46

So if one is described as having had good character, then he has the

stron gest eem aan, unlike the one w hose ch aracter is bad and as a result has
the w eakest eem aan.

44 Saheeh B u kh aaree an d M u slim .

45 A s a re su lt o f a w o m a n 's m en stru a l c y c le a n d p o st-n a ta l b le e d in g , sh e lea v es o ff b o th

p ra y er an d fastin g , an d b e c a u se o f th is h er eem a a n w ea k en s.

46 O n th e a u th o rity o f A bu H u ra ira h , rad h iy y a lla a h u ‘an h u , from th e M u sn ad o f Im aam

A h m ad .

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 5

Faith Is N ot Sim ply Belief

Eem aan (faith) is not a statem ent on the tongue or actions w ith the body
parts w ithou t having belief. T his is the faith o f the m u naafiq,47

A llaah says:

4 ~T. c (*-* ^ 3 3^ ^ c r ii 4

A n d of m an k in d , there are som e [hypocrites] w ho say: "W e b elieve in

A llaah and the Last D ay" w hile in fact they believe not.
[Sooratul-Baqarah, 2:8]

Faith Is N ot Sim ply R ecognition

Likew ise, it is not ju st a m ere recognition (of A llaah's existence) as this is

the faith o f the d isbelievers and those w ho reject (true) faith.

A llaah says:

# ^y.-I »11-LJiiP ^ a jti LaIIs a')1 1g~■5 .\ \j #

And they belied them [those A ynat] w ron gfu lly and arrogan tly, though
their ow n selves w ere con vin ced thereof [i.e. those (Ayaat) are from
A llaah, and M oosaa (M oses) is the M essen ger of A llaah in truth, but
they disliked to obey M oosaa (M oses), and hated to believe in his
M essage of M onotheism ]. So see w hat w as the end of the m ufsidoon
(disbelievers, d isob ed ien t to A llaah, evil-d oers, liars).

47 M u n a a fiq is c o m m o n ly tra n sla ted as h y p o c rite (its lin g u istic m ea n in g ); h o w ev er, th is d o es

n o t a ccu ra tely d e fin e its Isla m ic m ea n in g . A m u n aa fiq is a p erso n w h o o u tw a rd ly ex p resse s
Islam w h ile in w a rd ly d isb e liev in g in it an d h a tin g it.

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[Sooratu n-N am l, 27:14]

4 'Ijp >.Lb^j j Svj ^.Li ^

...I t is not you that they deny, b u t it is the V erses [the Q ur'an ] of A llaah
that the zaalim ooti [polyth eists and w ron g-d oers] deny.
[Sooratu l-A n 'aam , 6:33]

t f „ ^ , „ „ ' f ^ ■* , , , j ^

Th ose to w hom W e gave the S crip ture [Jew s and C h ristian s] recogn ize
him [M uham m ad (sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sa lla m ) or the K a'bah at
M akkah] as they recogn ize th eir so n s...
[Sooratu l-Baqarah, 2:146]

L > %' ' • \ , < % - - 4''

^ -=3 ^ c L>- LiJLs ^

T hen w hen there cam e to them that w hich they had recogn ized , they
d isbelieved in it...
[Sooratu l-Baqarah, 2:89]

j ’h - . - i T X ly S s ^ 4 = l-~* cr? XXj X -^3 '^ > ^ 3 ' ^ 3 ^

4 -2^ '> ^ 3 ^

A nd ’A ad and T h am ood [people]! A nd ind eed [their destru ction ] is

clearly ap p aren t to you from th eir [ruined] d w ellin gs. S h aytaan [Satan]
m ade their deeds fair-seem in g to them , and turned them aw ay from the
[Right] Path, thou gh they w ere intelligen t.
[Sooratu l-'A nk aboot, 29:38]

85
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T here Is N ot Faith w ith out D eeds

Also, it (eem aan , i.e. faith) is not ju st a statem en t on the tongue and a b elief
in the heart w ith no actions because A llaah has referred to actions as faith.

H e says:

E >* , , , )S, , , ,
-1 -oil jE f 4

...A n d A llaah w ould n ever m ake you r faith [prayers] to be lost [i.e. you r
p rayers offered tow ard s Jeru sa le m ]...
[Sooratul-Baqarah, 2:143]

M eaning, you r prayers in A qsa m osque.

O n the au thority o f Ibn 'A bbaas, radhiyyallaahu 'anhu, w ho said that the
P rophet (sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam ) said to a d elegation o f 'A bdul-Q ays:

I com m and you to do four things and p ro h ib it you again st four

acts. [The fou r deeds w hich you are com m an d ed to do are]: [al-
Eem aan] Faith in A llaah , and then he ask ed , "D o you know
w hat al-Eem aan in A llaah m ean s?" Th en he said, 'T estifyin g
that none has the right to be w orsh ip p ed in truth excep t for
A llaah and that M u h am m ad is the M essen ger of A llaah,
estab lishin g the prayer, p aym ent of charity, fasting in
R am adaan , and that you pay khum s [one-fifth] of the booty
fallen to you r lot...'48

A nd on the au thority of Abu H urayrah, radhiyyallaahu 'anhu, w ho said

that the Prophet (sallallaahu ‘alayhi w a sallam ) said, " A l-E em a a n has over
seven ty branch es or sixty b ran ch es. The h igh est of them is the saying,

48 S aheeh B u kh aaree an d M u slim .

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'N o n e has the right to be w orsh ip p ed excep t for A llaah an d the low est
of them is rem ovin g som ethin g harm ful from the p ath , and sh yn ess is
from eemaati."*9

Th e R uling of A ctions

There are no actions that are left that w ould constitute d isb elief excep t for
the prayer. So w hoever leaves o ff the prayer co m p letely 50 then he has
becom e a disbeliever. T he C om p anion s o f the M essen ger o f A llaah
(sallallaahu ‘alayhi w a sallam ) have com e to a con sen sus con cern in g this
issue.

'A b d u llaah Ibn Shaqeeq said, "The C om p an ion s o f the M essen ger of
A llaah (sallallaahu 'alayhi urn sallam ) did not see any action s that w ere left
off as d isbelief excep t for the p rayer."51

Th e R uling of T akfeer

Takfeer (declaring another M uslim to be a d isbeliever) is the right of

A llaah alone; thus, no one is declared a d isbeliever u nless A llaah and H is
M essenger (sallallaahu ‘alayhi w a sallam ) have declared them as such or one
w ho the M uslim s52 have com e to a consensu s upon.

44 S aheeh Bu klm aree, Ibn M aajah

50 S h ay k h M u h a m m a d Ibn R a m z a a n : T h e re is n o d o u b t th a t th e o n e w h o lea v es o ff the
p ra y er in te n tio n a lly b y re jectin g its o b lig a tio n is a d isb e lie v e r. A s fo r th e on e w h o is lazy

w ith th e p ra y er, th en th ere is a d iffe re n c e o f o p in io n a m o n g st th e p e o p le o f k n o w led g e

c o n c e rn in g th is. H o w ev e r, th e p ro m in e n t o p in io n is th a t h e is a d isb e liev er.

51 A t-T irm id h e e.
52 C o n se n su s o f th e C o m p a n io n s d u rin g th eir tim e and th o se q u a lified from th e M u slim s to

m ak e su ch a ju d g e m e n t— n a m e ly th e sc h o la rs o f th is re lig io n a fte r th e tim e o f th e

C o m p an io n s.

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So w hoever declares another M uslim a d isbeliever w ith an aspect of

d isbelief not establish ed by clear proofs based upon texts o f the Book, the
au thentic Sunnah, and consensus (of the scholars) then he is d eserving o f a
severe p u nishm ent and rebuke.53 Thus, "w h o ev e r accuses a believer of
d isbelief then it is as if he killed h im ."54

K ufr (disbelief) occurs by a statem ent of d isbelief that can n ot be disputed.

Likew ise, it m ay occu r throu gh an action and/or throu gh a belief.
Likew ise, istihlaal (consid ering a prohibited m atter as law ful) is not a
condition of d isbelief.55

T here is a difference betw een a general declaration of d isbelief and

referring to a specific person as a disbeliever. T his general d eclaration of
d isbelief is the sam e as a general threat (from A llaah). The
p ronouncem ent should be m ade in general.56 For exam ple, the scholars
w ould say, "W hoever alleges that the Q u r'an is created is a d isbeliever" or
like the statem ent o f Ibn K huzaym ah, rahim ahullaah, w ho said, "W hoever
does not affirm that A llaah is above H is throne and has indeed risen

53 H e is to b e co rre cted by th e ru ler o f th e M u slim s.

54 Saheeh B u khaaree. O n th e a u th o rity o f T h a a b it Ibn a d -D a h h a a k .

55 S h a y k h M u h a m m a d Ib n R a m z a a n : W h o e v e r fa lls in to d isb e lie f re g a rd less o f w h eth e r it

w a s sp e ech o r a c tio n s is a d isb e liev er. A s fo r th e m a tte r o f istihlaal, th en th ere a re th o se w h o

say, 'W e d o n o t d e cla re a n y o n e from th e p eo p le o f th e Q iblah a d isb e lie v e r u n til h e m a k es th e

u n la w fu l la w fu l.' It is p o ssib le fo r a p erso n to fall in to d isb e lief; h e d o e s n o t d e em it law fu l,

b u t th e m a tter h e h a s fa llen in to is still d isb e lief. In th is case, w e can a ttrib u te d isb e lie f to h im
(b u t n o t d eem h im to b e a d isb e liev er).

56 S h a y k h M u h a m m a d Ibn R a m z a a n : A n e x a m p le o f th is w o u ld b e th e sta te m e n t o f th e

M e sse n g e r o f A lla a h (sallallaah u ‘a la y h i w a sallam ), "W h oever g o es to a w o m an a n a lly h as

in d e e d d isb e lie v e d in th a t w h ich h a s b e e n re v e a le d to M u h a m m a d ." T h is is a g en eral

d e cla ra tio n o f d isb e lie f and a g e n e ra l w a rn in g . S o if a m an w e re to c o m e to u s an d say, "I'v e
had an al re la tio n s w ith a w o m a n , am I a d isb e lie v e r?" T h is p erso n w o u ld h a v e a sp e cific

ru lin g th a t d iffers fro m th e g e n e ra l ru lin g o f o n e w h o d id th is o r said th a t (as o u tlin ed in th e

v e rses and ah aad eetli th a t h a v e su ch w a rn in g s).

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above H is seven heaven s is a d isbeliever w hose blood, m oney, and spoils

b ecom es p erm issib le ."57

As for d eclaring a specific ind ividu al a d isbeliever, then it m u st be

fulfilled by con d ition s w ith an absence o f all m atters that w ould prevent
such a ruling.58 So a general d eclaration o f d isbelief does n ot ind icate a
specific declaration upon a specific individual u nless all con d ition s are
fulfilled and all m atters preventing such a ruling on it are absent.59

57 A l-H aa k im , T he K n o w led g e o f S cien ce o f H ad eeth , pg. 285.

58 S h ay k h M u h a m m a d Ibn R a m z a a n : T h e re m u st b e c o n d itio n s b e fo re d e cla rin g on e a

d isb e liev er. T h e se c o n d itio n s in clu d e k n o w le d g e o f th e a c tio n an d a ch o ic e to d o it. A s for

th ose m a tte rs th a t m u st n o t b e p re sen t w h en d e cla rin g a M u slim to b e a d isb e liev er, then

th ey in clu d e ig n o ra n ce , d u ress, an d fa lse in te rp re ta tio n . T h e se a re ju st so m e o f the

c o n d itio n s an d lim ita tio n s o f takfeer.

59 Sh ay k h M u h a m m a d Ib n R a m z a a n : T h is is sim ila r to th e a fo re m e n tio n e d e x a m p le in th e
had eeth th a t th e o n e w h o g o e s to h is w o m a n a n a lly h a s d isb e liev ed in th a t w h ich h as b een

re v ealed to M u h a m m a d (sallalla a h u ‘a la y h i w a sallam ). T h is is a g e n e ra l ru lin g , b u t h e is u n d e r

a se v e re th reat. T h is d iffers fro m a p erso n w h o a c tu a lly d o e s th e actio n w h ich n ow m ak es

th e ru lin g sp e cific. T h e issu e o f d e cla rin g a M u slim to b e a d isb e lie v e r is h a n d led b y th e

sch o lars o f th is relig io n an d n o t b y th e c o m m o n p eo p le. If o n e is k n o w n to b e su sp ected o f

h a v in g fa llen in to k u fr th a t w ill re m o v e h im fro m th e fold o f Islam , th en h is m atter is tak en to

th e p eo p le o f k n o w le d g e w h ere a d e te rm in a tio n w ill b e m ad e.

89
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90
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The Correct Belief Regarding: The Ruling of One

Who Has Fallen into Major Sin

From the general belief o f A hlus-Sunnah w al-]am aa'ah is that all s in s —other
than ascribing partners w ith A llaah —do not rem ov e a M uslim from the
fold of Islam ; u nless he deem s them (sins) perm issible, and this is w hether
he d oes the action because he believes it to be p erm issible or believ es it to
be perm issible w ithou t doing the actio n .60 In such case, this individual
b elies the Q u r'an and belies the M essenger (sallallaahu ‘alayhi w a sallam ) and
this is d isbelief accord ing to the Book, the Sunnah, and the con sen su s o f the
scholars.

E very sin w ith the exception o f ascribin g partners w ith A llaah w ill not keep
its d oer in the H ellfire for eternity, as A llaah says:

I lia d JJ'i j j i L» jA*.j j ^ 4 / ^ O' ^ o! *

V erily, A llaah forgives not that p artners sh ould be set up w ith him in
w orsh ip , but H e forgives excep t that [anythin g else] to w hom He
p le a s e s...
[Sooratu n -N isaa', 4:48]

The text of the verse ind icates that the sinn er is u nd er the w ill o f A llaah
subhaanahu wa ta'aala; if He w ills, H e w ill pard on him w ith H is lofty m ercy
and k indness and if H e so w ills, H e w ill en ter him into the Fire d epend ing

60 A n e x a m p le o f th is is o n e w h o lea v es o ff an o b lig a tio n o f th e re lig io n and c la im s its

p e rm issib ility w h ile k n o w in g fu ll-w ell o f its p ro h ib itio n .

91
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on his sins, (in order) to purify him , and then rem ove him from it based
upon his b elief in H is oneness and enter him into Paradise.

The O ne W ho C om m its a M ajor Sin H as W eak Faith

A llaah has indeed m entioned som e o f the m ajor sins, such as m urd er and
fornication in H is Book and has affirm ed b elief for those w ho com m it these
sins. Thus, they are believers based on their b elief but evil-d oers due to
th eir sins.

Allaah, subhaanahu w a ta'aala, says:

JiV tj j i i J s a iT \ ^ k}

9 ■»" — ( } ■’ -* ■*' * t 9 ^ C x t
^>-1;^ 4_Jl CIJ l_j k_j Ij cJjii ■’^1

O you w ho believe! A l-Q isa as [the Law of Equality in pu n ishm ent] is

p rescribed for you in case of m urder: the free for the free, the slave for
the slave, and the fem ale for the fem ale. But if the k iller is forgiven by
the b roth er [or the relatives, etc.] of the killed again st blood m oney, then
ad h erin g to it w ith fairness and paym en t of the blood m on ey to the h eir
sh ould be m ade in fairness.
[Sooratul-Baqarah, 2:178]

So A llaah affirm s b elief for the m u rd erer and the m urdered and also
affirm s that they m ay be broth ers in faith.

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N o C on trad iction betw een O ne B eing an Evil-D oer and a M uslim

T here is no contradiction w hen w e refer to one w ho does an evil act or an

evil-d oer as being M uslim .61 T he rules o f Islam and the M uslim s still apply
to him . W e see the story o f the noble C om p anion, 'A b d u llaah H im aar,
w hich explains this p rinciple clearly.

'A b d u llaah H im aar drank alcohol and w as su bsequ en tly b rou gh t to the
Prophet (sallallaahu ‘alayhi zva sallam ). O ne o f the C om p an ion s (m ay A llaah
be pleased w ith them ) said, "M ay A llaah cu rse h im ,62 how m any tim es has
he been brou gh t here?" So the P rophet (sallallaahu 'alayhi zva sallam ) said,
"D o not curse him for ind eed he loves A llaah and H is m e sse n g e r."63

So w e see that he did not leave the fold o f Islam sim ply because o f his
m ajor sin. R ather, faith w as affirm ed for him [by the M essen ger o f A llaah
(sallallaahu ‘alayhi zva sallam )] even though he fell into this m ajor sin.64

61 Sh av k h M u h a m m a d Ibn R a m z a a n : W e re fer to th e d o e r o f th e sin as a M u slim , and th e ru les

o f th e M u slim s ap p ly to h im . S o if a p erso n w e re to c o m m it fo rn ica tio n fo r exam p le,

fo rn icatio n is an ev il d eed and its d o e r is an e v il-d o er. S o h e is n o w attrib u ted w ith tw o

ch a ra cteristics. B u t d o e s th is ev il d eed and th e fa ct th a t h e is an e v il-d o e r n eg a te h is Islam ? No,

h e is a M u slim an d th e p u n ish m en t is e sta b lish e d a g a in st him .

62 Sh ay k h M u h a m m a d Ibn R a m z a a n : W h en o n e falls in to an ev il actio n , it d o e s n o t n ecessita te

th at y o u sla n d er h is h o n o u r o r cu rse h im . R ath er, su ch a p erso n h as fallen in to a d eed th at

d e serv es p u n ish m en t. In su ltin g h im c a u se s th e S h ay taan to a ssist h im . So, o n e w h o h as fallen

in to evil d eed s, h is Islam is n o t n eg ated .

Saheeh B u kh aaree. R eg a rd in g th e c u rsin g o f so m e o n e sp e cifica lly , S h a y k h M u h am m ad Ibn

R am zaan : C u rsin g is n o t a llo w ed to b e d o n e u p o n a sp e cific in d iv id u al (eg: M ay th e cu rs e o f

A llaah b e u p o n so and so). T h is is d iffere n t fro m th a t w h ich th e P ro p h et (sallallaahu ‘a la y h i um

sallam ) h a s d o n e w h en h e said, "S o cu rse th e m [i.e. w o m e n w h o d o n o t co v er] fo r v e rily th ey

are from th e cu rse d ." So d o e s th is m ean th a t ea ch tim e you see a w o m an y o u say to her,

"A lla a h cu rse y o u ? " N o, ra th er w e sa y "M a y th e cu rse o f A llaah b e u p on th o se w o m en w h o

are u n c o v e re d " (w ith o u t b ein g sp e cific ) and e v e n th en , p erh a p s A lla a h w an ts to cu rse h er o r

p erh ap s A lla a h w a n ts re p e n ta n ce fo r her.

M T ra n sla to r's n o te: S im ila r to this, is w h a t w e h ea r m a n y ig n o ra n t M u slim s sta tin g w h en they
see a M u slim fa llin g in to a m a jo r sin su ch a s sellin g a lco h o l o r d o in g d ru g s, etc. T h e y say , " H e

93
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The C ategories of D isb elief, Shirk, O ppression, Evil, and A postasy

To further clarify: disbelief, ascribing partners w ith A llaah, oppression,

evil-doing, and hyp ocrisy have appeared in the texts of the Q u r'an and the
Sunnah in tw o w ays:

1. A kbar (m ajor): T his takes the person outsid e the fold of Islam due to
his com p lete opposition to the fou nd ation o f the religion.
2. A sghar (m inor): This negates the com p leteness o f o n e's eem aan and
does not rem ove an individual from the fold o f Islam.

And this is the categorization o f the S a la f( m ay A llaah be pleased w ith all of

them ). It is also affirm ed by H ibrul-U m m ah, T urjum aanul-Q ur'aan,65 Ibn
'A bbaas, radhiyyallaahu 'anhu, that there is d isb elief (kufr) less than disbelief,
oppression (dhu lm ) less than oppression, open sinning (fasooq) less than
debau chery, and hyp ocrisy (nifaaq) less than hyp ocrisy.6*’

M ajor D isbelief

So A llaah refers to the one w ho calls upon oth er then H im as a d isbeliever,

idol w orshipper, and oppressor:

L *jli jaJ j-!

c a n n o t b e M u slim " o r "A real M u slim w o u ld n o t d o th is o r th a t." S ta te m e n ts su ch as th ese

c o n stitu te d e cla rin g a n o th er M u slim a d isb e lie v e r an d a re h e n ce im p erm issib le.

65 T h e se tw o titles: H ibru l-U m m ah (S ch o la r o f th e N atio n ) an d T u rju m aan u l-Q u r'aan (T h e

Q u r'a n 's In terp reter) w e re g iv en to Ibn 'A b b a a s b y th e P ro p h et (sallallaahu ‘a la y h i w a sallam ) for

h is im m e n se k n o w led g e an d u n d e rsta n d in g o f th e re lig io n an d its ru lin gs.

** O n e can h a v e o r c o m m it th ese a c tio n s b u t n o t b e c o n sid ere d a d isb e liev er, an o p p resso r, an

ev il-d o er, o r a h y p o crite.

94
 A nd w ho ev er invokes [or w orsh ip s], b esid es A llaah , any oth er ilaah
[god], of w hom he has no p roof, then his reckon in g is only w ith his Lord.
Surely! A l-K aafiroon [the disb eliev ers in A llaah and in the O nen ess of
A llaah, p olyth eists, pagan s, idolaters, etc.] w ill n ot be successful.
[Sooratu l-M u 'm inoon, 23:117]

Say [(O M u h am m a d sallallaahu 'alayhi zva sallam )]: "I invoke only my
Lord [A llaah alon e], and I associate none as p artners alon g w ith H im .
[Sooratu l-Jinn, 72:20]

i f t . ' , , * " , , , t . ,
# j*.'' l'U»lTy lil (.iLlj cJjls jjls -tl/voj L* ^ Vj ?

A nd invoke n ot b esid es A llaah , any that w ill n eith er p rofit you, n or hurt
you, b ut if [in case] you did so, you shall certain ly be one of the
D haalim oon (polyth eists and w ron g-d oers).
[Soorah Y oonus, 10:106]

i j y *1c f C r ^ 1Cr? ^ (_r45! X! t

...E x c e p t Iblees [Satan]. H e w as one of the jin n s; he d isob eyed the

C om m and of his L o rd ...
[Sooratul-K ahf, 18:50]

M in or D isbelief

A llaah, subhaanahu urn ta'aala, says:

 6

...A n d w h o so ev er does not jud ge by w hat A llaah has revealed , such are
the Kaafiroott [i.e. disb elievers of a lesser degree as they do not act on
A llaah 's law s].
[Sooratu l-M aa'id ah, 5:44]

^ ilaJ I <031 ( J j j l L * j a ^

...A n d w h osoever does not judge by w hat A llaah has revealed such are
the D haalim oon [the polyth eists and w ron g-d oers, of a lesser degree]
[Sooratu l-M aa'id ah, 5:45]

'77 ^"7 j p.* kiL iJjli - i t JJ

... A nd w h osoever does not judge by that w hich A llaah has revealed ,
[then] such [people] are the Faasiqoott [the reb elliou s, ie. d isob ed ien t (of
a lesser degree) to A llaah],
[Sooratu l-M aa'id ah, 5:47]

I jb > J j) l 4 = a b L « j l L a i b ^ * ^ 1 1 1 J ’j ^ l O j ' ^~=* b O] ^

4 b ' - • J

V erily, those w ho u njustly eat up the p roperty of orphans, they eat up

only a fire into their b ellies, and they w ill be b u rn t in the b lazin g Fire!
[Sooratu n-N isaa', 4:10]

And the Prophet (sallallaahu 'alayhi w a sallam ) said, "In su ltin g a M uslim is
d eb au ch ery and k illin g him is d isb elief." And H e said, "W h o e v e r takes
an oath by oth er than A llaah then he has ind eed d isb elieved or fallen
into p oly th eism ."67

67 Siiim n Hm M aajah , n a rra ted b y Ibn M a s'o o d . N o. 3 9 3 9 ; C o llected by at-T irm id h ee , n arrated
b y Ibn 'U m a r. N o. 1535.

96
 6

These indicate m inor disbelief (ku fr), m inor polytheism (shirk), m inor
oppression (dhu lm ), and m inor evil action (fisq). Eem aan can co-exist w ith
these m atters as the text o f the B ook and the Sunnah and consensus o f the
S ala f specify, and it m erely signifies w eak faith and lack o f its com pleteness.

97
 6

98
 The Correct Belief Regarding: The Companions of
the Messenger of Allaah (Sallallaahu 'Alayhi wa
Sallam)

From the general b elief o f A hlu s-S un nah w al-Jam aa'ah is their love for the
C om p anions o f the M essenger o f A llaah (sallallaahu 'alayhi w a sallam ), their
loyalty to them , their bein g pleased w ith them , their seeking forgiven ess for
them , and their praising them .

A llaah says:

4 i)l [ j o 3 13 ^

\liJJ'i IJ-jl Hjjj fjtyjls)- ^ 7 AsS- JJ

A nd the first to em b race Islam of the M u h aajiroon [those w ho m igrated

from M akkah to al-M ad een ah ] and the A n sa a r [the citizen s of al-
M ad een ah w ho help ed and gave aid to the M uhaajiroon] and also those
w ho follow ed them exactly [in Faith]. A llaah is w ell-p leased w ith them
as they are w ell-pleased w ith H im . H e has p repared for them G ardens
u n d er w hich rivers flow [P aradise], to dw ell therein forever. T h at is the
sup rem e su ccess.
[Sooratu t-Taw bah, 9:100]

So A llaah is pleased w ith the first (genereration) w ho em braced Islam and

H e did not stipulate, as a condition, al ihsaan (precision) (as he did for those
after them ), and H e is not pleased w ith those later gen eration s excep t if
they follow them (the first g eneration) w ith ihsaan.

99
 7

Allaah, subhaanahu wa ta'aala, says:

#o i ■~ \SljjjuLsj I <uj1 jjzl] #

Indeed, A llaah w as pleased w ith the b elievers w hen they gave their
B a y'a ' [pledge] to you [O M uh am m ad (sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam )]
u n d er the tre e ...
[Sooratul-Fath, 48:18]

And w h oever A llaah is pleased w ith then he w ill never becom e discontent.
It has been au thentically reported in a hadeeth o f the Prophet (sallallaahu
'alayhi wa sallam) that he said, "N o one w ho gave the pledge of allegiance
from u n d er the tree shall enter the F ire ."6*

T he V irtue of the M uhaajiroon

And w hen A llaah m entioned the Muhaajiroon, H e described them as being

truthful. He says:

L j j 4l)l yA N-^a-3 ^ jA \y > -J > -\ t\ ^

* o y U' y*»11 iA LJ j I jaJ JJ jJjy v a ijj

[A nd there is also a share in this booty] for the p oo r em igran ts, w ho w ere
exp elled from th eir hom es and th eir p roperty, seek in g B ou n ties from
A llaah and to please H im . A nd h elp in g A llaah [i.e. h elp in g H is religion]
and H is M essen ger [M uham m ad (sallallaahu ’alayhi wa sallam )]. Such
are indeed the truthful [to w hat they say].
[Sooratul-H ashr, 59:8]

^ S u nan A bu Dnmmmit, n a rra ted fro m Ja a b ir. N o. 4653.

100
Then He m entions the A nsaar w hen H e says:

O - '®’ 3-*J J J -^=’ ( j O j *■*-£■' ^3 j* ^ ! 3?"'-® O'* -Alii ^ 3 '-^ 0^1*3 f

f * d J-d jls *3>i Cr*3 ^>U<a>- ^-p 0 “ j^3 ^-l-tLrLkj LvJ1

# :'T]: _

And those w ho, before them , had hom es [in al-M ad een ah ] and had
adopted the Faith, love those w ho em igrate to them , and have no jealou sy
in th eir breasts for that w hich th ey have b een given [from the b ooty of
Banee an -N ad eer], and give them [em igrants] p referen ce over them selves,
even though they w ere in need of that. A nd w ho so ev er is saved from his
ow n covetousn ess, such are they w ho w ill be the successful.
[Sooratu l-H ashr, 59:9]

Then H e m entions the cond ition o f the believers that w ill com e after them
w ho will follow the C om p anions of the M essen ger of A llaah (sallallaahu
‘alayhi wa sallam ) exactly.

He says:

Lj lj j Z.... ^ • y_j ] I L j 'js>- U jZ s- 1 l i j j ^ • j »J qjjj j*xj y c b- „ • y

» „ », , < --j . , ■■ t w ^
# ££>■ Id j "^-p dj V3

A nd those w ho cam e after them say: "O u r Lord! Forgive us and our
brethren w ho have p receded us in Faith, and put not in our hearts any
hatred again st those w ho have b elieved. O u r Lord! You are ind eed full of
k in d n ess, M ost M ercifu l."
[Sooratu l-H ashr, 59:10]

And He, subhaanahu w a ta'aala, says:

101
M uh am m ad [(sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sa lla m )] is the M essen ger of A llaah ,
and those w ho are w ith him are severe again st d isb elievers, and m erciful
am ong them selves. You see them b ow ing and falling dow n p rostrate [in
prayer], seeking B ounty from A llaah and [His] G ood Pleasure. The m ark
of them [i.e. of their Faith] is on their faces from the traces of prostration.
T h is is their description in the T aw raat [Torah]. But th eir description in
the Ittjeel [G ospel] is like a [sow n] seed w hich sends forth its shoot, then
m ak es it strong, it then b ecom es thick, and it stan d s straigh t on its stem ,
d elightin g the sow ers that H e m ay en rage the d isb elievers w ith them .
A llaah has prom ised those am ong them w h o believe and do righteous
good deeds, forgiveness and a m igh ty rew ard [i.e. Paradise].
[Sooratul-Fath, 48:29]

The R uling of the O ne W ho H ates the C om p an ion s

Im aam M aalik, rahim ahullaah, says, "W h o ev er from the people d evelops in
his heart any anger tow ards anyon e from the C om p an ion s of the M essenger
of A llaah (sallallaahu 'alayhi urn sallam ), then this verse is directed at th em ."

And A llaah, subhaanahu w a ta'aala, says:

102
 A nd those w ho believed, and em igrated and strove hard in the C ause of
A llaah [al-Jihaad], as w ell as those w ho gave (them ) asylum and aid;
T h ese are the b elievers in tru th, for them is forgiveness and R izqun
Kareetn [a gen erou s provision i.e. Paradise].
[Sooratu l-A nfaal, 8:74]

T he V irtue of the C om panion s

C oncerning the virtue o f the C om p anions w ho gave their w ealth before the
con qu est o f M akkah and the virtue o f each o f the parties w ho gave and
fou ght after the conquest, A llaah, subhaanahu w a ta'aala, prom ises them
Paradise.

He, subhaanahu w a ta'aala, says:

...N o t equal am on g you are those w ho sp en t an d fought before the

co n q u erin g [of M akkah] [w ith those am ong you w ho did so later]. Such
are h ig h er in degree than those w ho sp en t and fought afterw ard s. But to
all, A llaah has prom ised the b est [rew ard]. A n d A llaah is A ll-A w are of
w hat You do.
[Sooratu l-H ad eed , 57:10]

P rohib ition of Insu lting the C om p anions

O n the au thority of Abu Sa'eed al-K hu d ree, radhiyyallaahu ‘anhu, w ho said

the M essenger o f A llaah (sallallaahu ‘alayhi w a sallam ) said, "D o n ot insult

103
m y C o m p an io n s"69 and in the n arration o f Saheeh M uslim he states, "D o not
insult anyone from m y C om pan ion s for verily if one w ere to give gold in
the size of M oun t U hud then it w ill not reach even a m uddu of the rew ard
of any one of them or even a n a s eef of that."70 M eaning, one w ill not even
reach this sm all level of their virtue or even h alf of it.

The M essen ger of A llaah (Sallallaahu 'A layhi wa Sallam ) Bears W itness
to T h eir R igh teousn ess

O n the au thority o f 'Im raan Ibn H usayn, radhiyyallaahu 'anhu, w ho said that
the Prophet (sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam ) said, "T h e b est g eneration is m y
generation then those that follow them and then those that follow th em ."
'Im raan then said, 'I do not recall w hen he m entioned his generation
w hether there w ere tw o m ore or three m ore g en eration s,' "th en after them
w ill be a people w ho w ill b ear w itn ess w ith ou t b ein g asked to bear
w itn ess, they w ill betray and are n ot tru sted , they sw ear oaths and do not
fulfill them , and fatness w ill ap p ear am on gst th e m ."71

V irtue of the A nsaa r

O n the authority o f Anas, radhiyyallaahu ‘anhu, w ho said the P rophet

(sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam ) said, "Love of the A n sa a r is a sign of faith and
hatred for them is a sign of d issem blance [hyp ocrisy].72

Also, on the authority o f al-Bara'a Ibn 'A azib w ho said the P rophet
(sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam ) said concerning the A nsaar, "N o one loves
them except that he is a b eliev er and none hates them excep t that he is a

69 Su n an A bu D aaw ood, no. 46 5 8 .

70 Sah eeh M u slim . A l-m u d d is 75 0 m l o r q u a rter o f a S a a ’. N a s e e f is h a lf a m udd.

71 T h e h ad eeth is n a rra ted in b o th S ah eeh M u slim and Saheeh B u khaaree.

72 S ah eeh M uslim .

104
hypocrite. W h oev er loves them then A llaah loves him and w ho ev er
d espises them then A llaah d esp ises h im ."73

It w as reported on the au thority o f A bu H urayrah, radhiyyallaahu 'anhu that

the M essenger o f A llaah (sallallaahu ‘alayhi w a sallam ) said: "A m an w ho
believes in A llaah and the Last D ay n ever h ates the A n s a a r/'74

O n the au thority o f 'A lee, w ho said that the P roph et (sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa
sallam ) said regarding H aatib Ibn B alta'ah , radhiyyallaahu 'anhu,75 "...he w as
a p articip an t in Bad r and m aybe A llaah looked at the peop le of Bad r and
said: "D o w hat you like for there is forgiveness for y o u ."76

V irtue of Those W ho G ave T h eir A llegiance at R idw aan

O n the au thority of Jaabir Ibn 'A b d illaah w ho said that U m m M ubashir

reported that she heard the P rophet (sallallaahu ‘alayhi w a sallam ) saying in
the presence o f H a fsa h :"In sh a 'A llaah , the p eople of the tree w ou ld n ever
en ter the H ellfire, they w ere those w ho gave their allegian ce u n d er it." 77
Their num ber w as around one thousand and four hundred, inclu d ing Abu
Bakr, 'U m ar, 'U th m aan , and 'A lee.

C lassification of the C om p an ion s by V irtue

A hlus-Sunnah believe that the best of the nation after its P roph et (sallallaahu
‘alayhi w a sallam ) w as Abu B akr as-Sid d eeq, then 'U m a r al-Faarooq, and this

77 Ibid.
74 Ibid.
75 T h e C o m p a n io n w h o w a rn ed th e Q u ra y sh o f th e P ro p h e t's im p e n d in g a tta c k on M akk ah .

76 S aheeh B u kh aarce and M u slim .

77 C o llected by M u slim . N o. 2496.

105
w as the consensus of all of the C om p anions and the Taabi'een, and no one
from am ongst them ever disagreed abou t this.

Several narrations have com e on the authority of the C om m an d er of the

Faithful, 'A lee Ibn A bee Taalib, stating, "T h e best o f this nation after its
P rophet (sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam ) is indeed Abu B akr and then 'U m a r."78

A fter this, A hlus-Sunnah consid ers the third to be 'U th m aan Ibn ’A faan and
the fourth, 'A lee Ibn A bee Taalib as the best o f this nation.

78 T h e se n u m e ro u s n a rra tio n s can b e fou nd in th e M u sn ad o f Im aam A h m ad , as w ell as th e

fam o u s b o o k A l-B id aay ah w an -N ih aay ah by Ibn K a th e er, w h ich d o c u m e n ts th e h isto ry o f Islam .

 8

The Correct Belief Regarding: The Family of the

Prophet (sallallaahu 'alayhi zva sallam)

From the beliefs o f A hlus-Sunnah w al-Jam aa'ah is their love for the fam ily of
the Prophet (sallallaahu ‘alayhi w a sallam ), recogn izin g their virtue and
hon ou r as this is follow ing the beq u est of the P roph et (sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa
sallam ) on the day o f G hadeer K hum m 79 w here he praised A llaah, extolled
H im , delivered the serm on, and exhorted (us) saying:

As to w hat proceed s. O p eop le, I am a h u m an being. I am about

to receive a m essen ger [the A ngel of D eath] from m y Lord and I,
in respon se to A llaah 's call, [w ould bid farew ell to you ], b u t I am
leavin g am ong you tw o w eig h ty thin gs: one b ein g the B ook of
A llaah in w hich there is right g uid an ce and light, so hold fast to
the Book of A llaah and ad here to it.

H e exhorted (us) (to hold fast) to the Book o f A llaah and then said: "A n d
the m em b ers of m y h ouseh old ; I rem in d you [of y o u r duties] to the
m em b ers of m y fam ily; I rem ind you [of y o u r duties] to the m em b ers of
m y fam ily; I rem in d you [of y ou r duties] to the m em b ers of m y fa m ily ."80

Ibn K atheer says in his tafseer:

79 A lo catio n h a lf-w a y (2 0 0 m ile s) b e tw e e n M a k k a h a n d M a d e e n a h , th e lo ca tio n o f th e final

serm o n .

80 Saheeh M u slim , o n th e a u th o rity o f Z a y d Ib n A rq am .

107
 8

The bequ est to respect the m em bers o f the [P rop h et's (sallallaahu
'alayhi wa sallam )] household, follow ing them precisely, respecting
them , and honouring them , cann ot be denied. For indeed, they are
from a pure offspring and from the noblest of houses found on the
face of the earth by w ay of pride, rew ard, and lineage. Even m ore
so if they [those part o f the Prophet's lineage] w ere follow ers o f the
clear prophetic Sunnah. T hose such as al-'A b b aas and his son and
'A lee and those o f his house and lineage; m ay A llaah be pleased
w ith all o f them.

H is (sallallaahu 'alayhi iva sallam ) W ives A re from A h lul-B ay t

And from his household w ere indeed his w ives. A llaah, subhaanahu wa
ta'aala, says:

JjS / l (r jy ij oA ; ?

^ 1 ^ wLj^j L *jl 4Jl>^

* \j±~>-i o. U1 ^ - ' 15" 4joi <jl

A nd stay in y ou r houses, and do not d isplay you rselves like that of the
tim es of ignorance, and perform a s-Salaat [Iqatnaatus-Salaat], and give
Z a ka a t and obey A llaah and H is M essenger. A llaah w ish es only to
rem ove A r-R ijs [evil deeds and sins, etc.] from you, O m em b ers of the
fam ily [of the P rophet (sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam )], and to purify you
w ith a thorough purification. A nd rem em b er [O you the m em b ers of the
P rophet's (sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam ) fam ily, the G races of you r
Lord], that w hich is recited in you r hou ses of the V erses of A llaah and al-
H ikm ah [the Prophet's Sunnah, legal w ays, etc. so give you r thanks to

108
 A llaah and glorify H is Praises for this Q u r'an and the Sunnah], V erily,
A llaah is E ver M ost C ou rteou s, W ell A cq uain ted w ith all things.
[Sooratu l-A hzaab, 3 3:33-34 ]

Ibn K atheer said in his tafseer, "This is a clear statem en t that the w ives o f the
Prophet (sallallaahu ‘alayhi w a sallam ) are included am ong the m em bers of
his fam ily [A hlul-Bayt] here, becau se they are the reason this verse w as
revealed, and the scholars are u nanim ously agreed that they w ere the
reason for revelation in this case."

Also, inclu sive in this verse is the C om m an d er o f the Faithful, 'A lee Ibn
A bee Taalib, Faatim ah, d aughter o f the M essenger o f A llaah (sallallaahu
'alayhi urn sallam ), al-H asan, and al-H usayn; m ay A llaah be pleased w ith all
of them .

In the hadeeth o f 'A a ’ishah, radhiyyallaahu ‘anha, she reported that the
M essenger o f A llaah (sallallaahu 'alayhi w a sallam ) w ent ou t one m orning
w earing a striped cloak o f the black cam el's hair. T hen H asan Ibn 'A lee
cam e and he w rapped him u nd er it, then H u sayn cam e and he w rapped
him under it along w ith him (H asan). F aatim ah then cam e and he took her
u nd er it, then cam e 'A lee and he also took him u nd er it and then said:
"A llaah w ish es only to rem ove ar-R ijs [evil d eeds and sins, etc.] from
you, O m em b ers of the fam ily [of the P rophet (sallallaahu 'alayhi wa
sa llam )], and to p u rify you w ith a thorou gh p u rifica tio n ."81

Bl Saheeh M u slim .
 8

110
 9

The Correct Belief Regarding:

The Blessings of Allaah's Friends

A hlus-Sunnah w al-]am aa’ah believe in w hat the n u m erou s texts have stated
con cerning the blessings o f A llaah, subhaanahu w a ta'aala, that w ill b efall H is
friends/allies.

D efin ition of W alee

The term ‘w alee' (friend or ally) relates to w h oever im plem ents the
com m and s o f the Sharee'ah and stays aw ay from w h atever it has prohibited.

A llaah says:

^ ■j y Y cld jl • j ! ^0 y

>j ^ ‘
# . j q flT ^ •y. j j '

No doubt! V erily, the A iv liy aa ' of A llaah [those w ho b elieve in the

O nen ess of A llaah and love A llaah m uch [abstain from all kinds of sins
and evil deeds w hich he has forbidden] and love A llaah m u ch [perform
all kinds of good d eeds w hich H e has o rdain ed ], no fear shall com e upon
them n or shall they grieve. T h ose w ho believed [in the O nen ess of A llaah
- Islam ic M o notheism ], and used to fear A llaah m u ch [by ab stain in g from
evil deeds and sins and b y d oin g righ teou s deeds].
[Soorah Y oonus, 10:62-63]

111
 9

So, as the verse indicates, w ith faith and taqw aa (fear o f A llaah) com es H is
friendship.

And as for the term 'kiraamah' then it is defined as an out o f the ordinary
even t w hich A llaah bestow s upon H is friends to aid them in m atters o f His
religion and in w orldly affairs.82 It should be noted, how ever, that these
m arvels do not reach this person by w ay of m iracles sim ilar to that o f the
prophets and m essengers.

Som e of the B lessings that A llaah H as G iven to H is A w liy a a ’

From the w onders of A llaah upon H is A w liyaa

® The story o f the peop le o f the cave

& The story o f M aryam d uring her labou r at the trunk o f the date
palm tree. A llaah com m anded her to shake the branch so that som e
o f the ripe dates w ould fall in ord er for her to gain relief. Likew ise,
A llaah provided for her; m ay A llaah be pleased w ith her. H e gave
her w inter fruits in the su m m er m onths and su m m er fruits in the
w inter m onths
The stories of A asif the scribe o f Sulaym aan, the m an w ho A llaah
caused to die for one hundred years and then brou ght him back to
life83

82 S h a y k h M u h a m m a d Ibn R a m z a a n : A n y e x tra o rd in a ry e v e n t th at h a p p e n s to a n y o n e b esid es

th e P ro p h ets. E x a m p le s o f th is are: d ifficu lt ta sk s m a d e ea sy for th em w h en th ey a re u su ally

d ifficu lt for a n y o n e e lse to a ch iev e, su ch a s b ein g sav ed fro m d e stru c tio n , o r b ein g g iv en food
o r w a te r d u rin g e x trem e h u n g e r o r th irst, o r rain a s a re su lt o f h is du 'an, etc.
83 A llaah says,

' Ja jk ) yj T U lk b j ] i S L v £ i d J j J l i S y jJ o x j )\ J t j .- '1 .1 ; d—, J l j

112
 9

The story of Jurayj, the m onk

$) T he story of the three m en from the people o f Israa'eel w ho sought
refu ge in a cave and as a result b ecam e stuck in it

And likew ise, other w ell-know n n arrations from the peop le o f k now led ge
that are firm ly supported by the Q u r'an and the au th en tic Sunnah and that
w hich has been au thentically reported by w ay o f the S ala f and those after
them .

T h ese blessings w ill be p resent in this nation until the estab lish m en t o f the
H our as it is a result o f being an ally, and one being an ally shall also
rem ain until the estab lish m en t o f the H our.

So w h oever com es w ith such extraord inary o ccu rren ces then he shall not be
recognized nor shall he be considered being an ally o f A llaah u nless all of
his actions w ere in accord ance w ith the Q u r'an and the Sunnah. Thus, he
w ould be know n for his firm ness and his follow in g o f them (the Q u r'an
and the Sunnah) both o utw ard ly and in w ard ly.84

(J t s ■ jy J l_ lli L a S o '*3 L a ^ w j . a . ^ jl - t J i _ j !

'Hi tcS-* 41)1 o'

O r lik e th e o n e w h o p a sse d b y a to w n an d it h ad tu m b le d o v e r its ro o fs. H e said : "O h ! H o w

w ill A lla a h e v e r b rin g it to life a fte r its d e a th ?" S o A lla a h c a u s e d h im to d ie fo r a h u n d red

y e a rs, th en ra ise d h im u p [ag a in ]. H e sa id : "H o w lo n g d id y o u re m a in Id ead ]?" H e [th e m an ]

said : "[P e rh a p s] I re m a in e d [d ead ] a d a y o r p a rt o f a d ay ". H e said : "N ay , y o u h a v e rem ain ed

[d ead ] fo r a h u n d re d y e a rs, lo o k a t y o u r fo o d a n d y o u r d rin k , th ey sh o w n o ch a n g e ; and

lo o k a t y o u r d o n k e y ! A n d th u s W e h a v e m a d e o f y o u a sig n fo r th e p e o p le . L o o k at the
b o n es, h o w W e b rin g th e m to g e th e r a n d clo th e th e m w ith flesh ". W h en th is w as clearly

sh o w n to h im , he sa id , "I k n o w (n o w ) th a t A lla a h is A b le to d o all th in g s.

(S o o ra tu l-B a q a ra h , 2:259]

M Sh ay k h M u h a m m a d Ibn R a m z a a n : If a m an w e re to w alk o n w a te r th en th is is an
e x tra o rd in a ry ev en t. It is not, h o w ev er, e v id e n c e th a t h e is a rig h teo u s m an ; sim ila rly , a p erson

w h o m A llaah h a s p re serv ed h is feet fro m b ein g b u rn e d by fire if h e w e re to w a lk o n it. W e ^

113
From the virtu es of these allies is that w hich has been au thentically
reported from the M essenger o f A llaah (sallallaahu ‘alai/hi w a sallam ) w hen
he said: "V erily A llaah, subhaanahu wa ta'aala, says, "W h oever b ecom es an
enem y to one of m y allies then indeed I h ave declared w ar again st him ."85

lo o k to h is d e ed s. D o es h e pray, is he u p o n th e S u n n ah , e tc.? W e lo o k at th is w h eth e r h e flies in

th e a ir o r w a lk s u p o n w ater.

S5 H ad eeth Q u dsee, no. 182. N arrated b y A bu H u ra y ra h .

 10

The Correct Belief Regarding: The Obligation

Towards and Respect Given to the Leaders of the
Muslims

A hlus-Sunnah w al-Jam aa'ah believe that A llaah, subhaanahu zva ta'aala, has
obligated the believers to obey those in au thority from am o n gst them ,
w ith ou t d isobeying A llaah.86

And they literally believe the statem ent o f the M essen ger (sallallaahu 'alayhi
zva sallam ) in the hadeeth o f 'U baadah Ibn as-Saam it, radhiyyallaahu ‘anhu:
"Listen and obey [those in authority] in tim es of d ifficu lty an d in tim es of
p rosp erity, in tim es of en th u siasm [high eem aa n] an d tim es of low
activity, to endure u n fairn ess, even if he w ere to take y ou r w ealth and
beat y ou r back, so long as there is no d isob ed ien ce."87

P rohib ition of O verth row in g the R ulers

A hlus-Sunnah believe that it is prohibited to overthrow the lead ers o f the

M uslim s, even if they w ere to be ty ran nical and oppressive, so long as clear

86 S h ay k h M u h a m m a d Ib n R a m z a a n : T h e rig h ts o f th e ru lers in clu d e, su p p lic a tin g for th em ,

g iv in g th e p le d g e o f a lle g ia n ce to th em , an d h e a rin g an d o b e y in g th em in o b e d ie n c e o f A llaah

an d H is M esse n g er (sallallaah u ‘a lai/h i w a sallam ) fo r th ere is n o o b e d ie n c e to th e crea tio n in

d iso b e d ie n ce to th e C rea to r. O th e r rig h ts o f th e ru ler in clu d e, n o t tu rn in g th e p e o p le ag a in st

h im , b ein g u n ified w ith h im , re fra in in g fro m c a llin g to o v e rth ro w h im . T h e rig h t o f th e Im aam

is th at h e b e a d v ised u p o n th e truth an d w a rn ed fro m fa lseh o o d , an d from o th e r th an th ese,

and th e o b lig a tio n s a re m an y .

87 S aheeh M u slim , from th e h ad eeth o f A bu H u ra y ra h .

115
 10

indisputable kufr is not seen from them , such that w ere to be proven from
(the sharee'ah of) A llaah. T his is in accord an ce w ith the statem en t of
M essenger (sallallaahu ‘alayhi urn sallam ): "T h e b est of y ou r leaders are those
w hom you love and they love you, those w hom you pray for and they
pray for you. Th e m ost evil of y ou r leaders are those w hom you h ate and
they hate you and those w hom you curse and they curse y o u ."

It w as said, "O M essenger o f A llaah (sallallaahu 'alayhi w a sallam ), shall w e

not overtake them w ith the sw o rd ?" So he said, "N o , so lon g as he
establishes the p rayer am on gst you. A nd if you see an yth in g from you r
leader that you d espise then despise his action and do not pull you r hand
from his o b ed ien ce."88

In another narration: "W h o ev er has a lead er over him and sees him
d isob eyin g A llaah then let him hate the action that is of d isob ed ien ce to
A llaah , and he m ust n ever rem ove h is hand from his o b e d ie n ce ."89

The P u n ishm ents of O ne W ho O verth row s the R uler

W hoever leaves the m ain body o f the M uslim s then the Sharee'ah contend s
that such a person shall be m et w ith a severe pu nishm ent in this life and the
next accord ing to the m agnitu de of his crim e:

From such punishm ents:

$1 W hoever dies and is in d isobedience and opposition to the m ain

body o f M uslim s then he dies the death o f jaahiliyyah (tim e of
ignorance before Islam ).

88 A t-T irm id h e e, fro m th e h ad ccth o f U m m Sa la m a h .

89 M u slim .

116
 10

W h oever d ivid es the m ain body o f M uslim s then he shall not be

qu estioned about it, ind icating the severity o f his sin.90
W h oever d ivides the m ain bod y o f the M uslim s then there shall be
no arg u m ent or excu se for him before A llaah on the D ay of
Jud gem ent.
$ W hoever divides the m ain body o f the M uslim s then indeed, the
Shaytaan is a partner to him.
W h oever divides the m ain bod y o f the M uslim s then his blood
becom es halaal.

S u p plicatin g for the R ulers

A hlus-Sunnah w al-Jam aa'ah believe that su pplication for good and success
for the leader o f the M uslim s is som eth ing p raisew orth y and highly
recom m ended, and it is a sign o f a m an from A hlus-Sunnah as Im aam al-
B arbahaaree states in his book: " If you see a m an su p p licatin g again st the
ruler then know he is a person o f his d e sires."91

Im aam as-Saaboonee, rahim ahullaah, said: "A nd they [A hlus-Sunnah] view

su pplication for them [the leaders] to be upright, correct and rig h teo u s."92

P rohib ition of In sultin g the R ulers

They (A hlus-Sunnah) view insu lting them (the rulers) as som ething the
Sharee'ah has forbid d en by w ay o f u nan im ous agreem en t o f the m ajor
C om p anions of the M essenger of A llaah (sallallaahu 'alayhi w a sallam ).

‘ B e cau se o f th e sh a m e a sso cia ted w ith it.

91 A l-B a rb a h a a ree, E x p lan ation o f th e S u n n ah , pg. 113.

9- Sharh 'A q eed atu s-S a la f w a A sh a a bu l-H a d eeth .

117
 10

A nas Ibn M aalik, rahim ahullaah, said, "D o not insult, cheat, or h ate your
leaders. And fear A llaah! Be patient for verily the affair is near."

118
 11

Prohibition of Disputing About the Religion

A hlus-Sunnah w al-]aam a'ah forbid d isp utin g and qu arrelin g over the
religion as the Prophet (sallallaahu 'alayhi w a sallam ) has forbid d en such.

The Prophet (sallallaahu ‘alayhi w a sallam ) said: "R ecite the Q u r'an as long
as you r hearts agree u pon it, and w hen you feel v arian ce betw een them
[betw een y ou r hearts and ton gu es], then get up [and leave its recital for
the tim e b ein g ]."93

L ikew ise, on the au thority o f 'A b d u llaah Ibn 'A m r w ho said that the
Prophet (sallallaahu 'alayhi w a sallam ) cam e ou t to his C om p an ion s w ho w ere
d isp uting abou t the qadr, and it w as as if a p om egran ate seed had b u rst on
his face ( i.e. his face w as red w ith anger). He said, "Is this w h at you w ere
com m an d ed to do? Is this w hat you w ere created for? A re you u sin g som e
parts of the Q ur'an to con trad ict others? Th e n ations before you w ere
destroyed by th is!"94

R ather, there is a narration that says d isp uting is a pu n ish m en t from the
pu nishm ents of A llaah upon the nation.

O n the au th ority o f A bee U m aam ah, radhiyyallaahu ‘anhu, w ho said that the
M essenger o f A llaah (sallallaahu 'alayhi w a sallam ) said, "A p eop le have not

q3 Saheeh M u slim .
9't Ibn M aa ja h , M u sn a d , Sah eeh M u slim .

119
 11

gone astray after the guid an ce that they w ere u pon excep t th at th ey w ere
given to q u arrellin g," then he read the verse:

^ I d JJ QyJjva La

T hey quoted not the ab ove exam p le excep t for argum ent.
[Sooratuz-Z ukhruf, 43:58]95

Im aam Ahm ad (rahim ahullaah) said: "T h e principles o f the Sunnah w ith us
are:

H olding firm to that w hich the C om p an ion s of the M essen ger of

A llaah (sallallaahu 'alayhi urn sallam ) w ere upon and follow ing them,
Leaving o ff innovation, and every innovation is m isguidance,
<§) Leaving o ff disputing and sitting w ith the people o f desires,
Leaving o ff quarrelling, arguing, and con flictin g in the religion ."

B lam ew orth y A rgu in g

T his refers to:

A rguing and d ebating w ith falsehood

^ A rguing about the truth after it has been m ade apparent
& A disputer arguing abou t m atters he has no know led ge of
A rguing about the m atters that are u nclear w ithin the Q u r'an
& A rguing w ithou t a pure intention (for seeking the truth), etc.

If the purpose o f the debate is m aking the truth know n and clarifying (and
gathering) it from a person o f k now led ge w ith pure in tentions and proper
m annerism , then this is from the praisew orthy affairs.

1,5 R efe r to th e p re v io u s v e rse (v erse, 5 7) fo r fu rth er cla rity .

120
 11

A llaah says:

I ^^ ^ £ 'J ^^ ^ ^y __’ J ^ ’ ^-. _ ' f ^

^jjh vLbj ijl 0-1 l_S^ vk4^r'i ?“i <L«^-I iiaP^»Jlj i-aS'li-L; liJjJ ,_b— (JJ JO I f

4 !«35 -> ^ ' >®3 ‘-p-y?-~ J ' * ’ 0 ”*“* " * ^ '

Invite [m ankind, O M uh am m ad (sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sa lla m )] to the

W ay of y ou r Lord [i.e. Islam ] w ith w isdom [i.e. w ith the D ivine
Insp iration and the Q ur'an ] and fair p reach in g, and argue w ith them in a
w ay that is better. T ruly, you r Lord k n ow s b est w ho h as gone astray from
H is Path, and H e is the Best A w are of those w ho are guided.
[Sooratu n-N am l, 16:125]

C $jL. & i ; ip P ) J^ L . iji lf e o iiT •$) ^ J l. v .-:4 a ]T J i l i\ p j4 - ^3 9

4 >lf5 0> < 4-J J ^ 4 ^ 1 3 M 1 3 (*-^==lJ j Uj-’lj U/’’

A nd argue not w ith the people of the Scrip ture [Jew s and C h ristian s],
un less it be in [a w ay] that is b etter [w ith good w ord s and in good
m an n er, invitin g them to Islam ic M o notheism w ith H is V erses], except
w ith such of them as do w rong, and say [to them ]: "W e b elieve in that
w hich has b een revealed to us and revealed to you; our Ilaah [G od] and
y ou r Ilaah [G od] is O ne [i.e. A llaah ], and to H im w e have su b m itted [as
M uslim s].
[Sooratu l-'A nk aboot, 29:46]

J^ a Jl \~ ~ b Jju l* j lb Is d^ L^ = ls ll£ j Jjj>- JLS i^ Jls

T h ey said: "O N ooh [N oah]! You have d isp u ted w ith us and m uch have
you p rolon ged the dispute w ith us, now b rin g upon us w hat you threaten
us w ith, if you are of the tru th fu l."
[Soorah H ood, 11:32]

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 11

D ebates from the Sharee'ah

A llaah inform s us of the d ispute betw een Ibraaheem , 'alayhis-salaam , and

his people and M oosaa, 'alayhis-salaam , and Pharaoh. Likew ise, in the
Sunnah w e see the debate betw een A ad am and M oosaa. M any d ebates have
also been transm itted from the pious pred ecessors; all of them
praisew orthy d isp utes w hich all contained know led ge, p roper intention,
follow ing o f the Sunnah, and proper m annerism .

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 12

Prohibition of Sitting with the People of Desires

A hlus-Sunnah w al-]aam a'ah severely cau tion again st sitting w ith the people
o f desires and innovation. Sitting w ith them is in direct o pposition to the
com m and o f A llaah and is also a sign o f on e's love for them . Sitting
u ltim ately m eans su bm ission to their m isgu id an ce and follow ing them in
their falsehood.

C lassification of the Peop le of D esires

Ibn Taym iyyah, rahim ahullaah, said:

T he innovation that regard s a m an to be from the people o f desires

is that w hich has becom e k now n w ith the peop le o f k now led ge of
the Sunnah and deem ed to be in o pposition to the B ook and the
Sunnah, such as the innovation of the K haw aarij, Raafidhah,
Q adriyyah, and M u rji'ah,%

P erm issib ility of A void in g S itting w ith T h em

A llaah, subhaanahu w a ta'aala, says:

% F o r a q u ic k o v e rv ie w o f th ese g ro u p s, read A G lim p se at the D ev ia ted Sects b y D r. S a a lih Ibn

F aw zaan a l-F a w z a a n . S a la fi P u b lic a tio n s, 20 0 3 .

123
 12

^13 J is^~ '- ^ * ‘ i| 0 y* ° ) ^ O id l1 1^13 ^

^ {^pj ( ji ^ J a J I I j j i -i*-; J b u ij ^>Ls ' \*-_ -~-11 v i-lll—'■'d

A n d w hen you [M uh am m ad sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam )] see those

w ho engage in a false co n versation ab ou t O u r V erses [of the Q ur'an ] by
m ock ing at them , stay aw ay from them till they turn to an oth er topic.
A nd if Shaytaan [Satan] causes you to forget, then after the rem em b ran ce
sit not you in the com p any of those peop le w ho are the D haalim oon
Ipolytheists and w ron g -d o ers, etc.].
[Sooratu l-A n'aam , 6:68]

Ibn 'A bbaas, radhiyyallaahu ‘anhu, said: "T h is verse refers to any and every
in novator in the religion and every in n ovator until the D ay of
Ju d g em en t."97

Ibn Jareer at-Tabaree said: "In this verse is clear p roof o f the prohibition
from sitting w ith the people o f falsehood o f every kind —from the in n ovator
to the transgressor —w hen they en g age in their fa lseh o o d ."98

Ibn 'A bbaas, radhiyyallaahu 'anhu, also said: "D o not sit w ith the peop le of
desires for verily sitting w ith them is a sickness of the h e a rt."99

97 T afseer al-B ag h aw ee.

w J a a m i ul-B ayaan .

99 A sh -S h n ree’ah by a l-A a ju re e, pg. 65.

124
 Conclusion

By the g race o f A llaah, this com p letes the book:

The C orrect C reed That E very M uslim M u st B elieve In

I ask A llaah, subhaanahu w a ta'aala, to m ake it solely and sincerely for H is

face and keep it in agreem ent w ith the Sunnah o f H is Prophet
M uham m ad (sallallaahu 'alayhi w a sallam ) and to allow the M uslim s to
ben efit from it.

M ay peace and prayers forever be u pon our P roph et M uham m ad

(sallallaahu 'alayhi w a sallam ) and u pon h is pure fam ily, his noble
C om panions, and those that follow them precisely until the L ast Day!

W al H am dulillaahi R ab bil-’Aalameen\

125
126
 Glossary of Important Arabic Words and Phrases

'A alim (pi. A learned Scholar.

'U lam aa)

A h lu s-Su n n ah T h e peop le of the Sunnah, those w ho follow the

w al-Jam aa'ah Su nnah o f the P rophet (sallallaahu ‘alayhi w a sallam )
and cling to the m ain bod y o f the M uslim s.

'A q eed ah The principles and specific details o f b elief one

hold s in his heart.

Bayt al-M a'm o or The h ouse in Jannah w here the an gels con g reg ate to
w orship A llaah.

D a'w ah Invitation or call to A llaah.

D een R eligion.

127
F ataaw a R eligious virdicts.
(Sing. Fatw aa)

Fladeeth The sayings, actions, and ap provals accurately

(PI. A haadeth) narrated from the P roph et (sallallaahu 'alayhi wa
sallam ).

H adeeth Q udsee

H izbee

H aqq Truth.

I'tik aaf R em aining in the m osqu e for a long tim e (usually a

num ber of d ays d uring R am adan) w ith the
intention o f gaining nearness to A llaah.

Ijtihaad In d ep end en t reasoning by a scholar that lead s to a

ruling on an issue w here there is no clear text from
the Q u r'an or Sunnah.

Jab b ariyyah The sect that innovated the b elief that A llaah
com p els people to do good and evil deed s and that
they h ave n either the pow er n or the w ill to act.

Jah m iyyah T h ose w ho follow the ideas o f Jah m Ibn Safw aan

128
 w ho propagated the b elief that A llaah 's N am es and
A ttributes are n ot real, so their apparen t m eanings
m ust be distorted and denied.

Jih aad To strive hard against o n e's inner self, or to defend

o n es's w ealth, property, freedom , and religion,
m aking A llaah 's w ord (that none is w orth of
w orsh ip excep t H im ) suprem e.

K halaf T hose w ho cam e after, the opposite of the S ala f

(those w ho opposed their m ethod ology).

K haw aarij A d eviant group w hich d eclares th at a M uslim

b ecom es a d isbeliever due to com m ittin g a m ajor
sin alone, and d eem it p erm issible to fight against
the M uslim rulers. T heir roots trace back to D hul-
K hu w aysirah, one w ho qu estioned the social
ju stice of the P rophet M uham m ad (sallallaahu
‘alayhi w a sallam ).

M inhaj M ethod ologies. T he m ethod ologies of the M uslim

(Sing. M anhaj) in the d erivation, u nd erstan d in g, and application
o f his religion

M u rji'ah A deviant sect that ascribes to Islam . They claim

that n either good d eeds n or sins affect a p erso n 's
faith.

129
M u'tazilah The follow ers o f 'A m r Ibn 'U bayd and W aasil Ibn
'Ataa, from their beliefs is that the Q u r'an is created
and the denial o f A llaah's A ttributes.

Q adriyyah The d eviant group w ho denied the devine decree

of Allaah.

R aafidhah An extrem ist Shee'ah sect that cu rses and reviles the
com p anions of A llaah's M essen ger (sallallaahu
'alayhi wa sallam ) and believ es that the Q u r'an is
incom plete. T h ey also believe that their Im aam s
h ave know led ge o f the u nseen and that 'A lee (m ay
A llaah be pleased w ith him ) has w ithin him
divinity. For m ore see Talbees Iblees by Ibnul-
Jaw zee.

Rabb Lord.

Salaf/Salafus- The R ighteou s P red ecessors; the first three

Saalih righteous generations o f M uslim s as w ell as those
w ho cam e after them and traversed their
M ethodology.

Salafee O ne w ho follow s the Q u r'a n and the Sunnah o f the

P rophet M uham m ad (sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam )
upon the M ethod ology o f the Salafus-Saalih.

130
Sharee'ah The Islam ic legislation.

Shaykh (pi. An eld er or a religiou s scholar.

Shuyook)

Shirk T he association o f partners w ith A llaah.

S h ee'ah A num ber o f d evian t sects that ascribe them selves

to Islam ; they prefer som e o f the com p anion s to
others in an u nlegislated w ay. Som e of them have
enm ity for som e o f the com p anions; oth ers curse
and revile them as a form of w orship.

Soofee (pi. O n e w ho follow s the d evian t creed o f at-T asaw iv u f

Soofiyyah) (soofism ). From their beliefs is W ahdatul-W oojud
(unity o f existence) i.e. that A llaah and H is creation
are one and the sam e. Som e o f them also believe in
al-H ulu l (incarnation), ie. that A llaah is incarnate
w ithin H is creation. For m ore details see
H aqeeqatu s-Soofiyyah fe e D aiv'il-Kitaab w as-Sunnah
by Shaykh M uham m ad Ibn R abee' Ibn H aadee al-
M adkhaalee.

Sunnah T he statem ents, actions and tacit ap provals of the

Prophet M u ham m ad (sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam ).

T afseer C om m entary to the N oble Q ur'an .

T aab i'o o n T he generation after the com p anion s o f the P rophet

(sallallaahu 'alayhi w a sallam ).

131
 U m m ah N ation.

132
 Index

A E

A ctions ■XIX , 78, 87 E em aan ■XXVI, XXVII, 31, 81, 84, 86,
A llaah's A ttributes ■ 13 97
A nsaar, virtues o f - 104 etern al predeterm in ation ■71, 74
A postasy ■94 Evil, categories o f - 94
A sm aa' w a Sifaat ■11
attribu te o f hearin g ■ 15
F

B First P rin ciple ■ 11

B elie f in the A n gels ■31

beliefs ■ 130, 131 J
Books, nam es ■XIV, 32, 42, 44, 45, 47,
4 8 ,4 9 Jabbariyyah ■ 128
Jahm iyyah ■ 128
Jawaami'ul Kalam ■63
c
C om panions, virtues o f ■ 103 K

K haw aarij ■ 129

D kn ow ledge ■ 130

d aily predeterm in ation ■73

D escription o f the A n gels ■32, 34
D isbelief, categories o f ■94
D ivine P redestination ■69
M
M essen gers ■20, 25, 28, 32, 39, 42, 43,
44, 51, 52, 54, 55, 56, 59, 62, 63,
112
m essengers, nu m ber o f ■25, 26, 27, 28,
29, 31, 32, 35, 51, 54, 55, 62, 63, 68
m iracle ■5 0 R oobubiyyah ■2, 5, 8, 31
M uhaajiroon, virtues o f - 99, 100
M urji'ah ■ 129 -------------------------------------
M u 'tazilah ■ 130 $

Salafee ■130
o Seal ■58
Secon d P rinciple ■12
O ppression, categories o f ■94 sect ■128, 129, 130
Servant's D eeds ■76
Sharee'ah ■ 131
P Shee'ah -131
shirk ■3, 8, 20, 28, 29, 97
polytheists ■3, 4, 7, 8, 22, 27, 28, 35, Shirk, categories o f - 94
67, 85, 95, 96, 124 statem en ts -131
predeterm in ed lifespan ■72, 73 Sunnah ■ 127, 130, 131
P rin ciple ■ 13
P rophets ■32, 43, 44, 51, 54, 55, 58,
59, 62, 63, 112 T
prophets an d m essengers, nam es o f ■55
prophets, nu m ber o f - 34, 54, 55, 59, 63 T aabi'oon ■ 131
T aw heed ■XI, XII, XX, XXVI, 1 ,2 ,5 ,
1 1 ,1 7 , 1 9 ,2 5
Q T aw heed a l-llaahiyyah ■ 17
T aw heed ar-R ooboobiyyah ■ 1
Q adariyyah ■130 The B ridge ■69
Q adhaa' ■69 the coven an t ■72
Q adr ■XXVII, 69, 70, 71, 73 The Fountain ■68
The Intercession ■67, 68

R
w
R aafidah -1 3 0
R evelation, types o f - 46 w orship ■ 129, 131
R idw aan, allegian ce at ■ 105
R ighteous P redecessors ■ 130

134