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THE GENERATPRESCRIPTS

OF BETIEFIN
THE OU'RANAND SUNNAH

Abdur-RahmaanAbdul-Khaliq

Translationand Commentaryby
MahmoudMurad

€PA,t-->))t1vt-' d"a
S:'

A WORD OF THANIG

TheMayliss of Al-HaqPublicationSocietyis gratefulto thosewho helped


in producingthe English
versionof thisbook,andbrotherKhorshidBateson
in particular,who never hesitatedin offeringhis editingservicesto the
workspublishedby the Society.
May Allah rewardthem all alongwith thoseMuslimswho supportthe
Societyto reacheverycontinentin the world.
TABTEOF CONTENTS
Translato/sWord. ...... i
Introduction " " 'iii
of Beliefin Allahthe Exalted
lssues ..... 1
TheexistenceofAllah ....'....1
Uniquenessof the tssenceof Allah .' ..' 1
TheUniqueness of HisAftributes 1
r+
Thewisdombehindcreation
Unificationof worship 5
Thebeliefin angels 7
.,
Thebeliefin the Scriptures. . .
Thebeliefin theApostles of Allah B
ThebelieiintheHereafter.... ..... -..12
T h e b e l i eifn p r e d e s t i n a t i o n a n d f a t a l i s m .... '..16
The Muslim ummah(nation) . . . ."17
T h e b a s i cosl d a ' w a h t o A l l a h .........22
Attitudestowardsnon-Muslims . ' -.....24
The fundamentalsof Fiqh liurisprudence) 27
TheSunnah .....29
TRANSLATORS
WORD
All praiseis due to Allah the Exalted,and may peace be on Muhammad,
the Sealof the Prophets,who delivered the messageof his Lord in the best
manner.

t he Apostle of Allah was reported to have said:"lf you deal with eenah,'
and hold the cows' tails,and become content with employing yourselves
with agriculture,and abandon jihad' in the way of Allah, Allah would per-
mit your humiliation and would not relieve you of it until you return to
your religion."'

The preoccupationsmentioned in the above hadeethare not all that we


must be aware of. We must also beware of all that may be inferredfrom
them, takingthem in a metaphoricalsense.Eenahtransactionsand holding
cows' tails, and contentment with employing in agriculture represent in-
clinationtowards the affairsof this world. They all lead to abandoningjihad
in the way of Allah.

Indeed, the wordS of the Prophet (Peacebe on Him) serye as a warning


to the Muslimsof a future which has been realized.He was describingour
presenttime, and informing us of the significanceof our presentactivities.

Reliefcannot come through embracingfalse beliefsand deviant tenets.


The Prophet Muhammad, (Peacebe on Him) on the other hand, foretold
the fact that his ummah would be divided into sevenw-threesects,all of
which would end up in the Fire except one only, and that is Ahlus-Sunnah
Wal-lama'ah.Many of those sects claim their adherenceto the Book and
Sunnah.lf, for the sake of argument, their claim is held to be true, then
there has to be somethingelse which distinguishesthe safe sect from the
other sevenw-two.

lndeed, it is the way of understandingthe Book and the Sunnahwhich


makes the difference. The tvvo great sources of lslam have to be
understood the way they were understood by the pious predecessors
amongstwhom the Prophetlived.

Allah says:"Whoever opposes the Apostle after the right way has been
clearlyshown to him, and follows other than the believers'wav.we shall
keep him in the path he haschosen,and burn him in Hell,and what an evil
d e s t i n a t i o n .4". 1 1 5

'fenah is one of the prohibited form of buying and selling,as it involvesusury


'Strivingin the way of Allah.
tAbu Dawood.
The beireverswhom Allah cornmands us to follow held the right
a<7r'edahand gainedprosperity.lt is unfortunatethat most of the books in
Englishdeal rvith lslamic issueswhich representparticularschools of
thought refleetrngthe opinionsof one particularimam or another.In marty
casesthey are supported by weak ahaadeeth(traditions)or by none at all.
Thus we have taken upon ourselvesin Al-Haq PublicationSocietythe task
of makingworks of our pious predecessors, and of those
As-Sa/afus-Saalih,
who follow their suit. availableto our Muslim brotherswho do not speak
Arabic,by translating thoseworks into English,Frenchand other languages.
We also have taken upon ourselvesthe duty of addressingthe pressing
issuesthe N'luslims usuallyencounterin non-Muslimsocieties.

M.A.P.Societypresentsthis book with a senseof fulfillment,as it indeed


containsthe g,eneralarticlesof beliefthat are incumbenton all Muslimsto
hold in order to safeguardthemselvesagainstevery hideoustenet and
belief introducedto them under the falsepretenseof defendinglslam.

The reader will find in this book the fundamentalsof lslam and the
prescriptsof faith, and other important issuessupported by proofs from
the Qu/an and Sunnahand other reliablereferences.

I tried my best to convey the messageof the basictext of this book, and
be faithful to the languageof the original.Where necessaryfor the sakeoi
making an idea clear, a strictly literal translationhas been abandoned,and
besides the quotations from the Qur'an and Sunnah,I have introduced
footnotes and commetrtary where | {elt that a term or a concept requried
some elaboration.However, I would like to draw the kind attention of the
reader that although Qur'anic texts and Prophetic traditions in this book
are preceded with "Allah says"or "the Prophet said",yet only their mean-
ing is quoted in this book.

In conclusion,I am gratefulto ,qllahthat He gave me the chanceto serve


His religion and my brothers-in-lslam.

Mahmoud Murad
27, Raiab 14O5
A p r i l1 7 , ' 1 9 8 5
8.C,, CANADA
u,
INTRODUCTION
Praisebe to Allah of Whom we ask help, forgivenessand guidance,and
in Whom we seek refuge againstour own wrongdoing5."He who Allah
guides there is none to lead astrayand he whom Allah misguidesthere is
none to guide."
It has been almost ten years since this discoursewas first published in
Arabic, a period in which it has been reprinted or photocopied in various
countriesthroughout the Muslim world, where it has been received with
approval, praisebe to Allah for His grace.
It is our purposein publishingthis concisediscourseto presentto our
brothers-in-lslam the articlesof our creed in their entirety.Followingthe ex-
ample of those of our pious predecessorswho have composed concise
discourseson the tenets of lslanr,I have written this in a simple style, and
numbered it in order to facilitate comprehending and retaining its con-
tents. lt was my intention to write explanatorycomments on this discourse,
had I not been preoccupied with the daily editing of articles on issues
which required immediate attention. Allah, however, made it possibleto
expound on the subject in consecutive lessonsand lectures that were
recorded in about forty-fiveaudio tapes,copies of which are available,by
the grace of Allah, in the Eastand West, to the benefit of many people irr
terested in learningthroughout the world.
ln the ten yearssince the first edigpn of this discourse,Muslims have suf-
fered many afflictions,that causedsome to swervefrom the right way and
others to tamper with the fundamentalsof lslam,while still others came to
claim partners to Allah, to whom they ascribed His attributes. This
necessitatedthe expositionof terms of referenceto safeguardthe Muslims
againstdeviation from the right way.
ft is common knowledge that lslamic atlee<Jah1 is presentedin the Qu/an
in two types of ayat (verses):

1) Statementsin which Allah plainly and clearly informs us (e.g. ,,Say:


He is Allah,the One, Allah,the absolutelyindependentupon whom all de
pend. He does not beget nor was he begotten. And there is none com-
parableto Him." [5.1120.Thissurah(chapter)isa Divinestatementinform-
ing us about His Exaltedessenceand His attributesand His Oneness,praise
be to Him. He is Self-sufficient,
who standsout matchless,with none equal
to Him, and He neither begets nor was begotten. The reason behind
revealing the above surah, as it has been reported, was that the
Prophet(Peace be on Him) was asked either by

''Aqeedah'is a rehgioustenet upon whrch one's mind


and heart is firmly senled and to which
he holds or adheres.
Quraishlor by somebedouins:"Tellus of your Lord'slineage!"2The surah
was revealedin responseto their query.lrrespectiveof the particularcir-
cumstances of the revelationof thissurah,it and manyothersimilarones
were revealedby Allahto makeusawareof Hisattributesand hisexistence.

2) Statementsin which Allah rebutsor repelsdubiousor profaneteneB


held by the paggnsor Peopleof tre Boo[ to verify*re truth and ordainHis
aqeedah.For example:"And they saidthe Compassionate hastaken unto
Himselfoffspring."
[19.SS]Allah in the above ayahreftrtes
a beliefheld by tre
pagansthatangelswerethe daughters of Allah.TheangelsareHishonourable
slaves,not Hisdaughtersas they alleged.

Anotherexample:
'The
Jewssay:Allah'shandis tied up (.e. He doesnot spendof His
bounty).'Betreir handstied up and be *rey accursed for what frey
uttered.Nal Both Hishandsare widelyouBtretched.He givesand
s p e n d s ( o f H i s b o u n t y ) a s H e w i l l s .. . " 5 . 6 4
and:
'Thosewho takepartners(inworship)withAllahwill say:'lfAllahtnd
willed,we would not havetakenparhers(n wonhip)withHim,nor
would our fahers,andwe would not haveforbiddena dring(against
His Will).' Likewisethose who were beforetrem gave*re lie (to
Aflah'smessengers). . ." 6.148 cr

The latterayahin whichAllahrebutsand rebukesunbeliefandconfirmsthe


true beliefrepresents a type commonlyfound in the Qu/an.
No doubt, the lessonof correct aqeedahis more froroughly leamed
tlrroughthe presentation of dre falseand is refutaton.Ihis is dtrc to dre fact
thatthingsare recognized befterwhenplacedin oppositionto theircontraries;
lightfor instancecanbe distinguished only by contrastwith darkness. Similarly,
truth may be sought through an awareness of falsehood. Allah the Exalted
says:
'lA/hoeverdisbelievesin the falsedeitiesand believesin Allah,then
he has graspedthe most trustworlfiy handhold,fiat will never
break.. ." 2.256
Thismeansthat in orderto belie taghoot'onefirstmustbe awareof it andits
nature.
I havecompiledthis discoursein accordancewith the conceptof Ahlus-
Sunnahwallamaah(the SunniMuslims)in order to presentthe authentic
creedas perceivedby as-Salafus-5aa/ih (thepiouspredecessors). lt is due to
Hisgracethat neithera tenet which is held by Ahlus-Sunnah wal-lamaah,

'Quraish is the tribe of the Prophe(Peace be on Him).


rlt is customary for the Arabs to take pride in their family lineage and to set it as a criterion by
which social status is judged.
''At-taghctctt'isany derty worshipped beside or other than Allah, or any obiect of wonhip.
nor any issuerelated to the subject matter, were left out of this discourse.
In other.words, this work comprisesall of'the issuesrelevantto aqeeda
dealt with by scholarsof the past and by contemporaryones, along with
other commentariesrelatingto disruptivecontroversiesof our time.
Anyone who is well acquainted with works on aqeedahrealizesthat
there have been times when many of religion'sminor issueshave been
treated as fundamental,e.g., wiping over boots (in ablution),the imamate
(leadership)of Abu Bakr, Urrrr and Uthman (may Allah be pleasedwith
them),the definitionof the term Ahlul-Beit(the family of the prophet(peace
be on Him), the marriage of mut'ah (enjoyment), stoning the married
adulterer,and other minor judicial issues,differingover which resultedin
attackson the reputationsof the companionsof the Prophet(may Allah be
pleasedwith them all), Differingover these issuesultimately led some to
regardthe Prophefs respectedcompanionsas infidels,and even to go so
far as to regard the Qur'an as incomplete.
Thus there have been times when people so exceeded the bounds of
correct behaviour in pursuingdifferencesin minor issuesin religion,that
they ended by differing over fundamentals.
Similarto them are many people of the presenttime, who form a small
group to invite to the way of Allah and deem themselvesthe sole lslamic
group, while holding all others to be either infidelsor polytheists.
Invariably,the source of this anitude is a disagreementover some minor
question which later developsinto the centralfeatureof their sect and the
criterion by which they judge others.
Motivated by the concern over this situation,I brought together all the
major issuesof aqeedahin this work, includingthe articlesof faith (i.e.the
belief in Allah, His angels,His Scriptures,His Messengers,the Final Day,
predestiny(of good or bad))and other issuesof importanceon which peo-
ple have differed now and in the past. I have also included that which it is
incumbent on the Muslims to believe with regard to jurisprudenceand
ijtihadl, and the stand that the believers must take in relation to both
Muslims and non-Muslims.All the basic issueshave been included,of
which the Muslim should be aware in order to learn,and to evaluatehis
convictionsso that he may hold fast to the right way.
The SunniMuslims have no choice but to accept this pure aqeedah to
achieve their unity and avoid all innovationsin belief or acts of worship,
and to resistdeviationfrom and perversionof religion,and to rebuff false
opinions and the deviantseventy-twosectsto which the prophet(peacebe
on Him) referred: "The Jews were divided into seventy-onesects, and
Nasaraa(Christians) were divided into seventy-twosects,and my Llmmah
(nation) shall be divided inb seventy-threesecrs;all of them are in the
(Hell) Fire except one, that is Al-Jamaahr."

"litihad'is drawing forth judiciallaws or rulingsby studyingrelevanttextsfrom the eu/an and


Sunnah.
')'Al-lamaah'isthe assemblageof SunniMuslims.
v,
ln another hadeeth,he referredto them saying,"A group of my Um-
mahwill remainvictorious in theirstrugglein the courseof the truthuntil
Allah'sorder(theFinalHour)comesupon them."'
The above authentichadeethmakesit abundantlyclear that only the
sa/afls(thosewho follow the methodologyof the Prophet(Peace be on
Him)and hiscompanions) constitutethe lama'ah, the peopleof the truth
who hold fastto the Bookand Sunnahandwho shundisbelief,falsehood
and shirk.'l
The sa/aficall and the aqeedahof the safesectis what thisdiscourseis
all about.
We hope that this aqeedahdwellsin the heartsof everyMuslim,and
that everyda'ee(inviter)to Allah promotesit. We also hope that Allah
makes feasiablecompleting a concise Arabic commentary on this
discoursesubstantiatedby valid argumentsand by proofs from the
Qu/an and Sunnah.
It is entirelyup to Allahto makeour endeavourpurelyfor Hissake,and
to help usavoiderrorsin belief,utteranceand deed;He is the Hearerthe
Knower.

Abdul Khaliq
Abdur-Rahmaan

lBukhari
,Shirk - The attribution of partners or offspring to Allah.
I. ISSUES
OI BELIEF
IN ATLAH
THEEXAITTD

Ahlus-Sunnahwal-famahh believe and bear witness that:

THT EXISTTNCE
OT AttAH

1. Allah is the Cod Whose existence,Divinity,Lordshipand Onenessare


provecl to be true, and are acknowledged by everv existingbeing.'

uNtQurNrss
oF THrrssENcr
ot AIIAH
2 . Allah, Clory be to Him, is on His throne, mounting it in rhe manner
which suitsHis Majesty,as He describedHimselfin seven different ayat
(verses).']

Allah is "the Firs(', before Whom there is none, and "the Las('after
Whom there is none, and "the Predominanf'above Whom there is
none, and "the Internal" nearer than Whom there is none,j and all of
His attributesare ever eternal, with neither a beginning nor an end.

4 . The essenceof Allah, the Exalteddoes not resemblethat of any of His


creatures,as verified in the ayah: "There is none like unto Him, and He
is the Hearer the Seer."aHe is the One, the Sole, the Indivisible.He is
the Lord without Whom no affairs are accomplished and to Whom
Lordshipultimately pertains.He neither begetsnor is bcgoften. There is
none equal to Him.t

5 . Allah never indwellsin any of his creaturesnor do they indwell in Him.


All other than Him are created by His ordinance and are subservientto
H i sw i l l .

THEt'N|QUENTSS
OF HtSATTRTBUTTS

6. Allahis Everliving,
Self-subsistrng,
the Sustainer,
He by Whom all things,

"The seven heavensand the earth and all that is therein glorify Him. and there is not a thing
but celebratesHis praise,but you understand not their oraise."17.44
l Q u / a n 7 . 5 4 .i 0 . 1 , 1 3 . 2 .2 0 . 5 , 2 5 . 5 9 .
12.4.57.4
'Qu/an 57.3
'Qur'an 42.11
tcf.
Q u r ' a n :1 1 2
2
al-Arsh,' alKursi,2the heavens,the earth and all that is therein were
created;they all stanciin need of Him, and He standsin need of none.
To Him belong Clory and Majesty.

7. Allah is the Omniscient,Whose knowledgecomprehendsin the most


perfect manner all things.hidden or open, the small and the great.3.
Nothing is absent from His knowledge, nor anything is hidden from
Him even if it be the weight of the smallestant.4Whether at rest or in
motion, the stateof thingsis known to Him prior to and during its oc-
currance.He is neither'heedlessnor is He errant.'s

8. Allah the Supremeis the Lord of everythingand is its proprietor. He nas


a free hand in the disposalof all affairs.There is no one to slrareHis do-
main nor is there an aider or supporterfrom His creatures.

9. Allah the Glorified is the Conrpassionate,the Merciful Whose mercy


encompassesall things. He is far removed from iniusticeor tyranny.6

10. Allah is well acquaintedwith internal and external affairsof all things,
and is All-Wise. He is free from defect or imperfection.There is no in-
congruitynor any unsoundnessin His judgment.?NothingHe chooses
is in vain, nor is there anythingnot under His control.

11. Allah the Exaltedloves,feelscontentment,reioicesand laughs,and He


also hates, dislikes, abhors and becomes angry, yet none of these
Divine attributes resemblesthose of human beings.'

12. Allah the Exaltedis Craciousand Merciful,Who deliversHis believing

'Al-Arsh was the first created thing and it is the


Sreatestof all. lt is one of the things which
mankind knows not in reality,but only by name. lt is erroneouslytranslatedas "throne" for if it
were that, it would be a support to Allah. Allah says:"Verily Allah holds the heavensand the
earth, lest they should move from their place; and if they should move from their place, no
one would hold them after Him." 35.59 [cf. Mufradat of ar-Raghib]
'lAlthough there are different traditions describing al-Kursi, none of them is proven to be
authentic, according to ash-Sheikh Nassirud-Din al-Alban(the leading authority in the science
of Hadeeth of the present time) except one hadeeth quoted by him in his SilsilatulAhaadeeth
'The
as-sahihah(No. 1@ of Vol. l): The Prophet(Peacebe on Him) was reported to have said:
seven heavens by the side of the KURSIare nought but as a ring thrown down in a desert land:
and such is the KURSIwith resoect to the ARSH."
'cf.
Qu/an 76.14
'cf.
Qur'an 1o.61
'Qu/an 20.52
'Qu/an 18.49
'Qu/an 21.16
rThe term'Dvine aftributes'is restricted to the attributes imputed to Allah by Himsel{, or by
His Apostle(Peace be on Him). They should not be carried beyond their lingr;i5116 meaning.
One should avoid trying to imdgine the reality of these 3ttributes; to deny them, or to attempt
to interpret them, leads to kufr (unbelieo.
3
slavesand supportsthem.Thedisbelievers on the other hand.,He leaves
bereft of aid, punishes,exactsvengeanceupon, deceivesand draws to
destructionlinle by linle.

13.Allah the Most Highspeak to his slavesas He wishes.lHe descends


and comescloserto Hisslavesas He wills.,He hasa face,ra hand,.a
legr and a foot.6Yet none of the attributesof His essenceresembles
those of humanbeings.

14.Allah, Praisebe to Him, is the Omnipotent,and there is nothingto


Hispoweror abilityto attainor accomplish
-frustrate anything,nor does
'the
preservationof the heavensand earth burden Him.' ihere is no
strengthnor power to do anythingexceptby meansof Him,

15.Allahthe Supremeis Benignant,


Generouswith Hisbounty.He confers
benefisandfavoursupon Hisslaves.Thereis neithera gift nor a grace
but from Him,and thereis nonewho can repelor withholdHisboun-
ties.

16.Allah the Cloriousis far greaterthan to be encompassed by the


knowledgeof Hiscreatures,t and thereis no reignwhich can surpass
l-lis.No one can praiseAllah as well as Allah praisesHimself,nor is
there any who can comprehendthe essenceof Allahas Allahdoes.

r"And to Moses Allah spoke direc('4.164


rAbu Hurairah narrated: "Allah's Apostle said: Every night when it is the last third
of the night,
our Lord, the Supreme, the Blesseddescends to the nearest heaven and savs:'ls there anvone
to invoke Me that I may respondto his invocation?ls there anyone to ask Me that I may grant
his request?ls there anyone asking My forgiveness so that I may forgive himl," Bukhari Vol. lX,
p 435.
rThere are eleven ayat (verses)in the
Qur'an referringto the "Faceof Allah" (viz 2.115,2.272,
13.22, 30.38, 3039, s5.27,76.9,92.20, 6.52, 18.28, 28.ffi)
'There are ten ayat in the
Qu/an referringto the "Hands of Allah' (viz 3.73, 5.6412),48.10,
57.29, 3.26, 23.88, 36.83, 67.1, 49.1, 38.75, 36.711
"The day the Shinshall be laid bare, and they shall be summoned to prostrate,but they shall
not be able to do so." 68.42
'Anas narrated: The Prophet(Peacebe on Him) said: 'The peopfe will be thrown into Hell Fire
'Are
and it will keep on saying there any morez Until the Lord of the Worlds puts His feet over
it, whereupon its sides will come close to each other, and it will say: 'Enough,enough'..."
Bukhari Vol. lX, p.157
'd.
Qu(an:2.255
''He knows what is before them and what is behind them, while they cannot encompassHim
with their knowledge." 20.11O
4
THTWISDOMBTHINDCTEANON

17.Allah the All-Wisedid not createangels,jinn and mankind,heavens


and earthbut to worship,'praise,2
and glorifyHim in their own way.

18.Anyone who refrainsfrom glorifyingor worshippingAllah, be it an


angel,a jinn or a humanbeing.Allahcastsout and curses,and whoso
contendswith Allah'sDivinityand callsothersto worshiphim, Allah
shallcurseand punishhim.!

19.The only form of worshipacceptedby Allah is the fulfillmentof His


commands,wheJherapprovedby reasonor btherwise,with absolute
obedience, humilityand lovefor Him.o

20.Allah shallacceptnone other than the religionof lslamfrom angels,


jinn or men.tlslamis submissionto Allahby beingobedientto Him,
and by makingone'swill subservient to His.

21.Upon bringinginto existencethe creation,Allah apportionedfor


includingangels,jinn,and mentheirmeansof subsistence.6
everything,
andassigned to eachits mansionand habitat,andmadeeachcleaveto
it.

22.Allahthe Most Highcreatedjinn and men only to worshipHim alone


and He triesthem with good andevil by way of probationandthereby
teststheirobedienceto Him.7Jinnand men earngood or evil through
their choice,yet neitherof them can gain good unlessAllah accom-
modatesthem and grantsthem His help; evil deedsare committed
within the frameworkof Allah'swill and permissionand are not a
frustrationof Hiswill.

23.Allah SubhanahumadeAdamfrom the clayof thisearthwith HisOwn


hand,as an independentform of creation,then He commandedJibril,

"'l have onlv created iinn ond men to worship Me." 51.56
,The seven heavensand the earth and all beingstherein declareHis Clory. There is not a thihS
but celebratesHis praise,but you understand not (how they) celebrate His praise."17.44
r"And if any of them should say, I am a god besideHim, such one We should reward him with
Hell. Thus do We reward those who do wrong." 21.29
'The word "worship" in its broad meaning, accordingto Sheikhul-lslam lbnu Teimiyyah,refers
to everythrngAllah loves and to the deeds or utteranceswith which He is pleasedwhether
they are hidden or manrfested.
3"lf anyone desires a religion other than lslam never will it be accepted of him and in the
H e r e a f t e rh e w r l l b e a m o n g t h e l o s e r s . "J . 8 5
""Verily for all things Allah has appointed a due proportion." 65.3
'cf. Qu/an 4.79
5
His Spirit,to breathe life into him, turning him thus into man.1lt is also a
fact that bringing Adam into existencetook place in Heaven. Allah
Subhanahucommanded angelsto prostrateto Adam, and all of them
obeyed. The jinn lblees, refused out of arrogance, disbelief and
rebellion. Allah expelled him from His mercy, and warned Adam
againsthim.

24. Allah created Hawwa'(Eve)from one of Adam's ribs and made her his
wife.3Allah then tested them both by permitting them to eat all of the
fruits of Jannah,while commanding them to stay away from one par-
ticular tree. They disobeyed Allah by eating from it, so He sent tnem
down to earth to live with their posterity,i that He may test their obe
dience and submissionto Him. Those who obey shall end in Jannah,
and those who disobev shall end in Hell.

UNIFICATION OF WORSHI?

25. No slave shall attain belief in the oneness of Allah unlessand until his
love, sincerity, fear and reverence of Allah become incomparably
greater than that for any other than Him,s and unlesshe entrustsand
submits to Allah alone, and gonsidersAllah sufficientas a reckoner.

26. Bowing prostrating,offering sacrifices,fasting vows and oaths6are all


due to Allah alone. He who rendersthem to other than Allah commits
shirk.'

27. No tawaafsaround an object other than the Ka'bahis permitted as an


',Ver@e|ikenessofAdam.HecreatedhimthenHesaid
unto him: Be!and he is. Allah sent Jibril.who is the spirit of Allah, to breatheinto lviaryam,as a
resultof which she conceivedand lssawas born to her. SinceAllah confirmsthat the creatron
of lssawas as that of Adam then it is quite clear that rt was none but libril who breathed life in-
to Adam.
':cf.
Qur'an 2.34
rAbu Hurairahnarrated;Allah'sApostle said:,,Treatwoman
nicely,for woman is createdfrom
a rib, and the most curved part of the rib is its upper end, so if you try to straightenit, it will
break." Eukhari,The Book of Prophets.
'cf.
Qur'an 2.30
t"Say:lf it be that your fathers,your sons, your
brothers,your mates,or your kin, the wealth
that you have gained, the commerce for which you fear a decline or the dwellings in which
you take delight are dearer to you than Allah or His Apostle or the strrvingin His cause,then
wait until Allah brings about Hrs decision,and Allah guides not the rebellious.',9.24
6The Prophet(Peacebe on Him) was reported to have sard:"He who
swears by other than
A l l a h c o m m r t sr h r r A . '
"'Say:Verily my prayer, my serviceof sacrrfice,my life and my death are (all) for Allah, the
L o r d o f t h e W o r l d s . "6 . 1 6 2
E'Tawaalis circumambulation round the K.r'bah,in Meccah. Allah ',We
says: assignedto
lbraheem the site of the (Sacred)House sayrng:Assocratenot anything(in worship)with Me,
and sanctify My House for those who compass it round or stand up, or bow or prostrate
themselves(therein in prayerl.' 22.26
6
act of worship. A kiss,as an act of worship may be given to nothing
other than the Black Stone of the Ka'bah.Coing on a journey for the
purpose of worship is permined only to al-Maslidul-Haraam (Meccah),
Masjidun-Nabi(Medinah), and al-Masjidul-Aqsa (Jerusalem).'

28. Whoever goes to a kaahin or arraaf2and askshis advice respectinga


thing, and believes in what he says, denies what was revealed to
Muhammad(Peacebe on Him).rThe knowledge of the unseenbelongs
to Allah alone. He who lays a claim to havingaccessto the unseenor
to the Tablet Preservedlis an unbeliever and a mushrik.'

29. The Messenger of Allah(Peacebe on Him) made unlawful er?cting


mosqueson graves,forbade us from praisinghim as the Nassara(Chris-
tians)praisedthe Messiahson of Maryam, and forbade owning or mak-
ing imagesor figures.He thereby safeguardedhis Ummah (nation)from
practicestantamount to shirk.

30. Karamah6may be performed by a righteousman. lt can also happen


that events breaking normal laws of nature may be performed by the
rebellious,and by imposters and hoaxers.He who is well aequairrted
with the truth of religion can differentiatebetween the two categories;
the obeyers of Allah and the obeyers of Shaitan.

31. Pride,greatnessand glory are qualitieswhich pertainto Allah alone. No


one intercedeswith Him (on the Day of Judgment)on behalf of others
exceptby His permission.T No one can make fa-al/i,!nor compete with
Allah in any of Hisqualities.Thereis no repellerof Hisdecreeand judg-
ment.s

32. Creation,sovereigntyand authoritybelongexclusively to Allah,and it is


Allah Who holds command legislateslaws respectingworship' Whoso
contendswith Allah in His iurisdictioncommits shirk.

33. He who complieswith the command of a master,a leaderor a ruler in

'cf. Bukharibook 30
lKaahidor 'arraafis a diviner or astrologerwho laysa falseclaim to the knowledge of the un-
seen which Allah restrictedto Himself.
'cf . fmam Ahmad (in his "Musnad')
'A record which contains whatever Allah willed and decreed.
'Mushrik - a person who commits shrrk.(see footnote p.Vl)
6'Karamah'is a miracle performed by a righteousperson not claimrngto be a prophet. lt is per-
formed with the help of Allah as a sign of His love to the pious siave.
' " W h o i s t h e r e w h o c a n i n t e r c e d ei n H i s p r e s e n c ee x c e p ta s H e p e r m i t s . "2 . 2 5 5
s ' I . l - , t / / i ' m e a npsa s s i n gl u d g m e n ta n d p r o n o u n c i n Bs e n t e n c ew , i t hr e g a r d st o s o m e o n e ' st a t e i n
t h i s l i f e o r i n t h e H e r e a f t e re, . g . ,s a y i n g :" S u c ha o n e i s d e f i n t e l yi n . l a n n a ha n d s u c h a o n e l s
d e f i n i t e l yi n H e l l " ,o r s w e a n n Bb y A . l l a ht h a t s u c h a t h i n g w i l l a s s u r e d l yb e f u l f i l l e db y A l l a h
" ' ( W h e n )A l l a h p a s s e sl u d g m e n t ,t h e r e i s n o n e t o p u t b a c k H i s r u l i n g . "1 3 . - 1 4
7
disobedienceto and defianceof Allahis an unbelieverand a mushrik.
Thereshallbe no obedienceto a creatureof Allahwhen it would in-
volve disobeyingor displeasing
Allah.l

34.All statementsand words of Allah are truthfuland all His rulingsare


just."And the word of your Lordhasitsfulfillmentin truthandjustice."
6.115

THTBEUTF
IN ANCTIJ

35.Allahcreatedangelsout of lightand madethem perfectlyobedientto


Himanddevotedto constantworshipof Him.'Theyspeaknot untilHe
hasspokenand they.actby Hiscommand.He knowswhat is bbtore
them and what is behindthem;theydo not intercedewith Himexcept
for thosewho are acceptableto Him, and they (the angels)standin
awe for fear of Him;' 21.27

36.Alfah Subhanahu tasks the angelsto undertakenumerousduties


besidespraisingHim,suchasdeliveringDivineMessages (revelation)
to
HisApostlesand Prophets,givingthe believerscourageand firmness
whenfightingthe enemies,recordingman'sgoodandbaddeeds,guar-
ding and wardinghazardsfrom thosewhom Allahwishesto protect,
collectingsoulsat the time of death,breathinglife into the foetus,
directingcloudsand other dutiesasstatedby Allahin HisBook,or by
the tongueof HisMessenger(Peace be on Him).

37.We lovethe angelsbecausethey lovethe believers


and prayfor them,
and becausewe sharewith them the beliefin the Onenessof Allah,
and we, alongwith themglorifyHimand proclaimHisHoliness. Con-
traryto whatJewsdo, we makeno distinctionbetweenone angeland
another.

THEBTUEF
IN THTSCRIPTURES

38.Allahsentdown the Scrrptures to HisApostles,and beingwordsfrom


Allah,they were free from any imperfectionor errorsat the time of
their revelation.
All of the scripturespreceedingthe Qur'anhavebeen
tamperedwith and distortedby their people,' while the Qur'an is
'cf. 'SahihMuslim', book Al-lmarah P. 1469
rThereare many versesin the indicatingtasksfor which angelsare assigned.e.g..6.6i,
' 1 0 . 2 1 , 1 3 . 1 2 , 2 6 . 1 9 3 , 3 2 . 1 1Qur'an
.
R e f e r e n c etso s u c ht a s k sa r e m a d e i n a u t h e n t i ct r a d r t r o nas s w e l l .
"'Do you (O believers)hope that they (the people of the book) wrll be true to you when a par-
ty of them used to hear the words of Allah (their Book),then they knowingly changed it after
thev had understood it." 2.75
I
protected by Allah from changeand tampering.' lt will be kept as such,
by means of Allah's bounty, until He removes it from the earth.,

39. The Qu/an which is revealed to Muhammad(Peacebe on Him) is in


truth the words of Allah, not a created thing.sFalsehoodcannot be ad-
ded to it nor can a portion be removed from it. lt is a miracle which
stands on its own merits, and the like of it in terms of speech, elo-
quence, meaning and laws could not and never can be produced by
any other than Allah.'

,lO.Allah has sent down the Qur'an to make manifesteverythingwhich He


considersto be for the good of the people in this world as well as in
the Hereafter,and there is no inconsistencyin its verses.Allah approv-
ed is recitation as a means of devotion, and considered the best of
Muslims to be the one who learnsthe Qur'an and teachesit.'

THT BEI.IEF
IN THE APOSTTTSOT AIAH

41.Allah la'ala chose from mankind prophets and apostlesto guide and
invite people to the way of Allah. The first of them was Adam and the
last of them and their Seal was Muhammad(Peacebe on Him), after
whom there shall be no prophet. They are all brothers-in-faithand in-
viters unto the Lord of the Worlds. Although their laws were different
they share the same aqeedah.'

42. All of the apostlesare protected from attributingto Allah somethingof


their own invention,judging accordingto their own desires,falling into
major sins and adding to or diminishingfrom the religion.They are
directed by Allah to be upriiht in the dispositionof their affairs.As they
were human, they could make mistakesin matters not pertaining to
religion, but Allah did not endorse any erroneousjudgment they may

r"No doubt We have sent down the dhikr (i.e.


Qur'an and Sunnah)and surely We will guard
it." 15.9
rAnas narrated:Allah's Apostle sard:"lt is among the signsof the LastHour that knowledge
would be taken away." This is explained in another hadeeth: "Allah does not take away
knowledge by snatching it from the people but He takes it away by taking away the
scholars.. ." Muslim p.1zlo+
'Some deviated sectsclaim that the Qur'an which we read in Arabic containsonly the mean-
ing of words of Allah rather than His words themselves.
a'And it you are in doubt concerning that which We have sent down to our slave (Muham-
mad(Peacebe on Him)),then produce a Surahthe like thermf and call your witnessesbeside
Allah if vou are truthful." 2.23
!cf. Eukhari.Narrated on the authority of Uthman bin Affan. Vol.Vl p.502.
."And We did not send any apostle before you (O Muhammad) but We revealedto him that
there is none who has the right to be worshippedbut | (Allah).5o rvorshipNle (aloneand none
elsel." 21.25
9
have made.t

43. The apostleswere human beingslike we are. None of them was made
of the light of Allah or of the light of His Arsh,2as some infidelsamong
Muslimsallege with regardsto the nature of Muhammad(Peacebe on
Him). Nor were they made of the word of Allah, as the Nassara(Chris-
tians) allege with regardsto lssa (Jesus).'They experiencedsickness,
pain and death just like their fellow human beings.

44. lt is only be.causethey achieved full submissionto Allah, that He


honoured thenl with the Divine assignment.They are the most perfect
in belief, most Cod-fearing and most knowledgeable among the
believers.Not one of them called people to magnify himself, rather
they called all people to worship Allah alone.'

45. Of the unseen the Apostles knew only that which Allah revealed to
them. They made public what they learned, and they concealed
nothing of what was revealed to them.s

46. Muhammad(Peacebc- on Him) is the Seal of Prophes and Apostles,


their head and the best of them in the sight of Allah6. He has the
highest degree in the estimation of Allah. He delivered the message
perspicuouslyand concealed nothing of that which was revealed to
him by the Lord of the Worlds.

47. No one shall maintain perfect belief unlessthe love he holds for the
Messengerof Allah, Muhammad(Peacebe on Him) is greater than the
love he holds for his parent,childrenand himself,and honours,reveres
and follows His message,and placesobedience to Him above his obe
dience to any other creature.T.

"'[He, (Allah) prot€rts them] r.rntilHe sees that they (the apostles)have <onveyed the message
of their Lord, and He surroundsall that which is with them and He keepsaccount of all things."
72.i
"'Say(O'Muhammad)lam but a man like yourselves;the revelatronhas come to me that your
Lordis One." 41.6
tThe Christranssubxribe to the beliei that "the word of Allah was made flesh and dwelt
among them.'"ln the beginningwas the Word, and the Word was with Cod, and the Word
was Cod." Gospel of Saint fohn.
r'lt is not (possrble)that a man to whom is given the book and wisdom and the Prophetic of-
fice should say to people: Be you my worshippers rather than Allah's, (on the contrary he
woufd say):Be you worshippersof Him Who is truly the cherishero( all." 7.79
t"He (alone) knows the unseen. He does not make anyone acquarntedwrth Hrs mystenes."
'Alaa'narrated;
72.26Um T h e P r o p h e t ( P e a cbee o n H i m ) s a i d :" . . . 8 y A l l a h , l d o n o t k n o w
what Allah will do with me (in this world) though I am Allah'sApostle " Bukhan Vol.l p. 1{).
'"Muhammad is not the father of any of your men, but (he islthe Apostle of Allah and the Seal
of Proohets."11.40
'Anas narrated:The Prophet(Peace be on Him) said:"Mne of you shallhave farth till he loves
me more than his father, his children and all mankind." BukhariVol. Vl, p. 19.
10
48. On the Day of Judgment,the Prophet Muhammad(Peacebe' on Hrm)
shallbe able to rnakethe CreaterIntercession for mankind.'that Allah
may give His verdict arrd let people depart the place of cong,reg,ation.
At thrs pornt Allah will permit him too, to intercedefor ,r number of
believers,that they may be admitted into paradise.We attrrmthe fact
that his intercession will also be f'or the disobedient among the
believers.'We affirm that the Messengerwill intercede orrly for those
for whom Allah permits it.

49. Allah sent Muhammad(Peacebe on Him) to all peoples,' Arabs and


non-Arabsalike, and the messagehe brought will be in force until the
final Hour. He is Allah's Apostle to mankind as well as to iinn.'

50. The veracityand straightforwardnessof Muhammad(Peacebe on Him)


were manifested by the amazing miracles he performed. Allah revealed

,Pre{erringhrm over Hrsother Prophets and N'lessengers, Allah favoured Muhanrmad(Peacebe


on Him) by grantinghrrn the (lreater Intercessron on the Day of ludgment Anas bin Mahk nar-
rated: Thc Prophet(Peacebe on Him) said:"Allah would g,atherpe.opleon the Day of Resur-
rectron lnd they would be concerned about rt." (lbnu Ubeid elaborated upon this Hyrng:'The
people would be inspired to look for sorneone to intercede on therr behalf.') The people
would say: "lf we could soek intercession wtth our Lord, we may be relieved from this predica'
merrt of ours." The Prophet Muhammad(Peace be on Him) said: "They would come to Adam
'You are Adam, the father of mankind, Allah created you with His Own hand and
and say:
breathed Into you of His spirit and commanded the angels and they orostrated be{ore you, so
intercede for us wrth your Lord that He may relieve us from this podtion of ours.'He would
'l
say, am not in a posrtronto do this',and would recallhis error and would feel shy of His Lord
on account of that." The harleeth rs too long to be quoted in its entirety, but in brief, Adam
would drrect people to Noah, who in tuin would direct them to lbraheem, after recallinghrs
error. lbraheern wouki drrert them to Musa who directs them to lssa (Jesus).Finally lssa
'You
refrainsfrom intere<gJirrg saying: should go to Muhammad(Peacebe on Him) a servant
whose former and latrer srnshave been forg,rven."He, (the narrator)sard:thc Messengerof
Allah observed;"S<> they would come to n)('and I would ask the permissionot my Lord and tt
would be grarrtedtrr rrrr, an(i wlrcn I woul<lsrle Hrm. I would fall down tn prostration,and He
( A l l a h )w o u l d l e a v em r . t h u sa s k n g a s f l c w o u l d w r s h ,a n d t h e n r t w o u l d b e s a r d : ' CM
) uham-
mad, raise your head, say and you w<;uld be heard; ask and it would be granted; intercede
a n d r n t e r c e s s i own ould be acceptd. . ."'Muslint Vol.l p. 125.
rAbu Sa'eed al-Khudn reported: Verily the Messengerof Allah said: "Allah wall admit into
paradisethose deservingof paradrse,and lle will admit wlrom He wishes,out of His mercy,
'See,he whom
and He wrll admrt those condemned to fiell, Into the Fire.He would then say:
you tind having as much faith rn his heart as a grain of mustard,brrng him out.' They will then
be brought out, burned and turned into charcoaland would be cast into the rrverof ftfe,and
they would sprout as does a seed in the silt carried away by a flood. . .'Mus|m Vol.l p. 119.
'Say:"(O Muhammad) O Men! lam sent unto you all as the Apostle of Allah." 7.158
'lT is a fact that the ProphetMuhammad(Peacebe on Hrm) was sent not onlv to mankind but
to the pnn as well. ln confirmatron of thr: Allah says: "And (remember) when We turned
towards you (C)Muhanrmad)some of the 1nn listeningto the Qu/an; when they anended rts
'listen
re(rtatronthey sard rn srlence'.And wherqrtwas finishedthey returned to their people to
'O
warn them: our people resJrondwrth qdedience to Allah's caller (r.e., Allah's apostle
Muhammad(Peacebe orr llrn) and beheve rn hrnr (rn his message.'[Allahlwrll forgrve sins of
'
yours and will saveyou trom a parnfultorm{,nt. 46 29,ttO.There is a whole Surahentitled,'Af
lrnn' No. 72 whrch conlrrrnsthe fact that Muhammad(Peacebe on Him) is sent for both men
and iinn.
11
to him the miraculousQur'an, and He transportedhim to Jerusalemin
one night.' The believers bear witness too that in that night, he was
taken to heaven where he saw angels and Apostles and spoke to
them.2 Allah the Exalted spoke to him, honoured him and made
obligatory on him and on his Ummah (nation)prayerfive times a day.3

51. Of the miraclesperformed by the Prophe(Peacebe on Him) were: The


springingof water from between his fingers,afeeding hundredsof peo-
ple from food that normally would not sufficea ferv tens of people,'
the sound of grief made by the trunk of a tree in his presence,6the

'"Prarsebe to Him who took His slave(Muhammad(Peacebe on Him))for a journey by night


fronr the SacredMosque to the farthestMosque (in Jerusalem)the surroundingswhereof We
have blessed,that We might show him of Our signs.Verily He is the All-Hearer,the All-Seer."
17.1
rlhe authenticahadeethrndicate,implicitlyas well as explicitly,that the Prophe(Peacebe on
Him) saw the angels. I refer in particular to the one recorded by Bukhari Vol.l. The
Prophet(Peace be on Him) was reported to have said:". . . Then he (Jibril)took my hand, and
'Open
ascendedwith me to the nearestheaven.Jibrilsaid to the g,atekeeperof the Heaven:
(the gate).'The gatekeeperasked:'Who is itl librii answered:'Jibril.'He asked:'ls there anyone
'Has
with youl .libnl replied: 'Yes, Muhammad(Peacebe on Him) is wrth me.' He asked, he
'Yes!' "
been calledl Jibrilsaid: So the gate was opened. . . In the same hadeeth mentioned
above, the Prophet(Peacebe on Him) mentioned that he passedby some Apostles such as
Adam, lbraheem, Edrees,Musa and others and he exchanged greetingswith them. They
welcomed him sayrng:'Welcome O pious Prophet. . ."'
'The Prophet(Peacebe on Him) describedhow sa/aahwas enjoined (accordingto the narra-
tron of Anas bin Malik) sayrng:"Then libril ascendedwith me to a place where I heard the
creakingof the pens. . . Then Allah enjoined fifty prayersa day on the Muslims.Musa said:Go
back to your Lord (and appeal for a reduction),for your followers will not be able to bear it.
5 o . l w e n t b a c k t o A l l a h a n d r e q u e s t e da r e d u c t i o n a , n d H e r e d u c e di t t o h a l f. . . " T h e P r o -
phet(Peacebe on Hrm)went back and iorth between Musa and Allah askingior further reduc-
'These
tions until Allah reducedthe prayer to five times a day saying: are five prayersand they
a r e a l l ( e q u a lt o ) f r f t y( i n r e w a r d )f o r M y w o r d d o e s n o t c h a n g e . . . " B u k h a r iV o l . l .
oAnasbin Malik narrated:"l saw Allah's Apostle(Peacebe on Him) when the Asr prayer was
due, and the people searchedfor water to perform ablution, but they could not find it. Later
on a pot containrngrvater,enough for one ablution. was brought to Allah'sApostle(Peacebe
on Him). He put his hand rn that pot and ordered the people to per{orm ablutionfrom it. I saw
the water springingout from between his fingerstill all of the people performed the ablution."
B u k h a rVi o l . l . ,p . 1 1 8 .
'Jabrrbin Abdullah narrated:"When the trench was dug (in preparationfor the baftle against
the mushrikeen)| saw the Prophet(Peace be on Him) in a state of extreme hunger.5o I return-
ed to my wrfe and said:'Have you got anythinSto eatl Shebrought one Saa'of barley,and we
had an animal which I slaughteredwhile my wife ground the barley.Shefinishedat the trme I
frnishedbutcheringthe animal. I cut the meat and put it in a pot to cook. ,labirthen askedthe
Prophet(Peacebe on Him) to come with only a few of his companionsfor a meal, because
what was there would barelysufficea small number of people. The Prophet(Peace be on Him)
started distributingthe bread and meat titl they all ate therr fill, and even then some food re
'Eat
mained. Then he said to fabi/s wife, and presentto others as the people are struck wrth
h u n g e r . "B' u k h a r iV o l . V , p . 2 9 6 .
6Jabirbin Abdullah narrated:"'TheProphet(Peacebe on Him) used to stand bv the trunk of a
d a t e - p a l mt r e e ( w h i l e d e l i v e r yh i s k h u t b a h . )W h e n t h e p u l p i t w a s s e t u p f o r h r m ( a n d h e
m o u n t e d i t t o d e | v e r t h e k h u t b a h )w e h e a r dt h a t t r e e t r u n k c r y i n gl i k e a p r e g n a n ts h e - c a m e l
t r l l t h e P r o p h e t ( P e a cbee o n H i m ) g o t d o w n f r o m t h e p u l p i t a n d p l a c e d h i s h a n d o v e r i t . "
B u k h a rVi o l . l l .o . 1 9 .
12
praisingof Allah by pebbles and food in his hands,' and the com-
municationof a complaint made to him by a camel.?

52. Allah made Muhamnrad(Peace be on Him) excel the other Apostles,


giving him jawami-al-Kalim,3and victory by filling the hearts of his
enemies with terror, making the earth a place for prayer and a means
of purificationfor him and his followers, making spoilsof war rawfurfor
him, sendinghim as a Messengerto all mankind.and makinghim the
last of the Prophets.And we bear witnessthat the Howds in Jannahis a
reality;we ask Allah to give us to drink from it.

THE BTUEFIN THE HEREAFTR

53. Allah has predecreeda term for each individual,and a term for the life
of this world. lts end will be rnarkedby the soundingof the Horn, then
it will sound againand mankind shallbe resurrectedto send before the
Lord of the Worlds on the Day of Requital.G

54. Jannahand Hell Fireare two everlastingcreated things that are already

"'Duranga visit paid to the Prophet(Peacebe on Him) by the first three Khulafa.Abu Bakr,
Umar and Uthman, the Prophet(Peacebe on Him) picked up seven or nine pebbles and put
them in his hand. Thereupon they made tas-beeh(praisingAllah) in audible sounds like that of
the bees, .." Al-Bazzar.
zYolireported that he had witnessedamazing incidentswhen
he was in the companv of the
Apostle of Allah. of those incrdents,he reported that a camei came to hrm. He saw tears In rts
eyes, whereupon he called for its owners and told them: 'The camel is complainingthar you
will keep drawing water with rt until it becomes old and then you will slaughterit. Do not kill
it, let it be with the company of the camels."Ahmad 4-1Zj
rAbu Hurairah reportecl the Prophet(Peacebe on Him)
as saying:"l have been sent with
jawami al-kalim"(concisenessof speech; having many meantngscompnsed in a few words)
M u s l i m .V o l . l o . 2 6 5 .
'Jabirbin Abdullah narrated:The Prophet(Peacebe on Him) said:"l have
been given five things
which were not given to any of the Prophets;Allah made me victoriousby meansof terror (fill-
ing the heartsof my enemres)at a distanceof one month's journey. The earth has been made
for me a placefor praying and a means of purification(tayammum or dry ablution);therefore
my followers can pray wherreverthe time of prayer is due. The spoilsof war have been made
lawful for me; it was never made so for anyone else.Everyprophet was sent particularlyto his
o r v n p e o p l e ,w h e r e a sl w a s s e n t t o a l l m a n k i n da n d t h e l i n e o f p r o p h e t si s c l o s e dw i t h m e . "
B u k h a n& M u s l i m .
'There are numerous authentic traditions concerning al-Howd
or the pool of the Apostle,
w h i c h i s r e f e r r e dt o i n t h e Q u r ' a n i n S u r a h1 0 8 e n t i t l e d ' A / - K a w r h a r ' ( w h i ci sht h e n a m e o r a r -
Howd). Abdullah brn Amr narrated:the Prophet(Peacebe on Hrm)said:"My Hctu,drs so large
t h a t i t t a k e sa m o n t h ' sj o u r n e yt o c r o s si t . l t s w a t e r i s w h i t e r t h a n m i l k , a n d i t s s c e n ti s n r c e ' r
t h a n m u s k ,a n d i t s d r r n k r n gc u p s a r e ( a sn u m e r o u s a ) s t h e s t a r so f t h e s k v ;a n d w h o e v e ro r r n x s
from tt, wtil never be thjrsty."Eukhari, \/ol.Vlll, p. lBO.Only the believersshall drink thereot
and will never be thirsty thereafter.
" " A n d t h e t r u m p e t w i l l b e b l o w , n .a n d a l l x ' h o a r e r n t h e h e a v e n sa n C t h e e a n h r v r l ls w o o n
a w a y s a v eh r m w h o A l l a h w i l l s T h e n i t w r l l b e b l o r v na s e c o n dt r m e .l h e n b e h o l dt h e v w r l l b e
s t a n d i n ga n d l o o k i n go n . " . 1 9 . 5 8
13
in existence.The people of Jannah(paradise),without doubt shallenter
it on the Day of Judgment,and the people of Hell shall have to fall into
it; they shall not find any room to turn aside or back away from it.

55. Allah will ultimately remove from Hell those believerswho entered it
becauseof sins they committed, which were neither forgiven by Allah
nor atoned for by good deeds in their ilfetimes.,

56. The joy and blissin Jannahare sensualrealities,and so is the torment of


Hell Fire.' Both bliss and torment are grahicallydescribed by Allah in
His Book and by the Prophet(Peacebe on Him) in his traditions.

57. The residentsof .fannahwill certainlyfind there things that no eye has
seen, ahd no ear has heard of and no human mind has imagined.The
people of Hell Fire will certainly find there torment and sufferingthat
they could never think of nor imagine,"for that day His torment will be
such as none else can inflict and His bond will be such ;rs none (other)
can bind." 89.25-26.We ask Allah to make us not of the latter.

58. Anyone who is to be of the people of Jannah,shall be at peace in his


grave,and anyone who is to be of the people of Hell shall be tortured
in his grave.Thus, peace and torture in the grave are facts,as is the in-
terrogation by the two angelstherein..

59. There are signsof the FinalHour, both major and minor, some of which
Allah mentioned in His Book, which are clearly explained by the Pro-
phet(Peacebe on Him). Of the major ones are the Beastof the Earth';
'There are many ayat in
Qur'an, and authentic traditionsin the Sunnahconfirming this fact,
e.g., on /annah: 57.21: on Hell: l.-131.As for the Sunnahit sufficesto refer to hadeeth on the
subject of the mrrai (the ascendingof the Prophet up to the heavenswhere he actually saw
both lannah and Hell. The tradttionistshave recorded his account of what he saw in both of
them. I quote here a sampleo{ such traditions.lmran narrated:The Prophet(Peace be on Him}
said:"l looked into fannahand saw that the maiority of its people were poor, and llooked into
the Fire and saw that the maiority of its people were women." BukhariVol.Vlll, p.362.
rReferto Para.48.
'The versesdealingwith this fact leave no room for those who deivatedfrom the right path to
rnsert their false allegation that the bliss and torment in the Hereafterare merely spiritual.
Allah preparedfor the people of Jannahthrngsto eat, palacesto live in and beautifulfemales
to mate with while the people of the Hell will eat biner planS and thosecretion of wounds,
a n d d r i n k b o i l i n gw a t e r , a s d e s c r i b e di n 5 u r a h 5 6 . 1 5 - 5 6 .
'Allah describesthe punishment in the grave of the people of Fir'awn(Pharoah):'The Fire;
they are exposedto it, morning and evening,and when the FirralHour is established(it will be
'cause
sard) Pharoah'sfolk to enter the severesttorment."' 40.46.
'A'ishah
Masrook narrated: said that a Jewesscame to her and mentioned the punishmentin
the grave, sayrnBto her 'May Allah protect you from the punishmentof the grave.''A'ishah
then asked Allah'sApostle about the punrshmentrn the grave.He said:'Yes,(there is) punish-
ment In the grave.''A'rshahsaid:'After that I never saw Allah'sApostle without seekingrefuge
r v r t hA l l a h f r o m t h e p u n r s h m e n itn t h e g r a v e . " B ' ukharV i o l . l l ,p . 2 5 6 .
'"And when the Word is fulfilled againstthem, We shall produce from the earth a beast to
s p e a kt o t h e m ( t o p e o p l e ) . "2 7 . 8 2 .
14
the descent of the Messiah, lssa son of Maryam, from heaven to earth
in Damascus,'from whence he will rule in accordancewith the Qur'an,
break the cross, kill the swine and waive the lizyah'1;the appdarance of
ad-Dajjaland Cog and Magog3;and the eruption of a fire in Aden which
will drive the people to the Land of Congregationa(of the Day of Judg-
ment).

60. Of the minor signsof the Final Hour are the contraction of time, the
prevalence of afflictionsand bloodletting,sthe outnumbering of men

'Abu Hurairah narrated: Allah's Apostle said: "By him in Whose hand my soul is, surely lssa
(Jesus)the son of Maryam wdl soon descend amcngst you as a just ruler; he will break the
cross(thus declaringthe religionof Nassaranull and void), kill the swine and waive the Jizyah."
Bukhari Vol.lV, o.437.
l'lizyah'is alorm of tax paid by non-Muslimsto the Muslim governmentto which they are sub-
iect rn lieu of par$cipating in military servrce,and to ensure their protection. lt is rmposed only
on those who can afford it.
rThe Prophe(Peace be on Him) described ad-Dalial (pseudo-Chnst) sayrng: "He would be a
young nlan with twisted curly hair and wrth a blind eye. . . He amongst you who would sur'
vive to see him should recite over him the opening lerses of Suratul-Kahf (No.18).He would
appear on.the way between Syriaand lraq, and would spread mrschief right and left. O slaves
of Allah, adhere to the path of truth." We said: "Allah's Messenger,how long would lre stay on
the earthl' lle said, "Forty days, one day like a year, and one day like a month, and one day
like a week, and the rest of the days w'ould be like your days." We said:"Allah'sMessenger,
would one da/s prayer sufficefor the prayersof a day equal to one yearl'Thereupon he said,
"No, but you must make an estimate of ti:'ne (and observe prayersaccordingly)."We said:
"Allah'sMessenger,hor,r'quicklywould he walk upon the earthl'Thereupon he said: "Like a
cloud driven by the wind. He would come to the people and invite them (to a wrong religion)
and they would affirm their faith in him and respond to him." The Prophet(Peacebe on Him)
went on to say that ad:Dajial'later on would be killed by lssa.ThereafterCog and Magog
would swarm down from every slope ("until when Cog and Magog are let loose, and they
swiftly swarm from every hiil." 21.96).The first of them would pass the lake of Tiberiasand
'There was
drink out of it; when the last of them would pass it he would say: once water
there!" Allah would send worn-rs(which would attach therr necks)and in the morning they
would perish as a single person.
Allah's Apostle lssaand his companions would then come down from Tur (a place to which
Allah commanded lssa to take the believers as a safe refuge from Cog and Magog) and they
would not find in the earth the space of a single span whrch was not filled with the putrefac-
tion and stench of the corpsesof Cog and Magog. Allah'sApostle and his companionswould
then beseech Allah, who would send birds whose necks would be like those of bactrian
camels and they would carry them (the carcassesof Cog and Magog) and throw them where
Allah would will. Then Allah would send rain, which no house of clay nor tent (made of
camel's hair) would keep out. lt would wash the earth shiny clean.
The earth will be told to bring forth its fruits and restore its blessings.There would grow a
pomegranate so big that a group of persons would be able to eat it, and seek shelter under its
skin. A cow would give so much milk that a whole tribe would be able to drink of it. At that
time Allah would send a pleasantwind which would soothe people. lt would hold them by
their armpits, and would take the life of every believer and every Muslim. Only the wicked
would survive,and they would commit adultery like asses(in public).The FinalHour would
c o m e t o t h e m . " M u s l i m ,V o l . l V , p . 1 5 1 7 - 1 5 1 8 .
'The hadeeth of Fire is recorded by Muslim in book 53-13.
tAbu Hurairah related that the Prophet(Peacebe on Him) said that of the signsof the Final
'The
Hour are: contraction of time, decrease of (religious) knowledge, prevalence of nig'
gardliness,appearanceof afflictionsand the increaseof bloodshed."(lbnu Maiah E 36126l.
15
by women,'the fight bt'tween the Muslimsand the Jelvs,rand jornrng
togetlrerirr banle of the Muslimsand Nasaraagainstthe infidels,follow-
ed by another fight between the Muslims and Nasararesultingin the
deleal of thr' latter.'

61. The FinalHour will not come until Rome is conquered,nor until the ap-
perance at the end of time, o( al-M,thdi,who is from the Ummah of
Muhammad, whose name is the same as the Apostle's name, and
whose name is the same as the Apostle's name, and whose fathe/s
name is Abdullah"' Al-Mahdiis not the "hidden mahdl', Mohamed. son
of al-Hassanal-Askariof the Shiites.'

62. The Day of Judgment will last fifty thousand calendar years,6during
which time people will stand before therr Lord to receive His
sentence.tHe will judge berween them on the matters wherein they
used to differ." They wtll be distinct in respectof therr rnranand their

'Also r.rfthe signsof the FinalHour are: "Dimrnishrngof (the number ot) men t r
the porni thar
there wrll be left one man for every fifty women." lbtd.
rAbu Hurarrahreported Allah'sMessenge(Peacebe on Him) as sayrng ''The l.rst Hour would
n o t c o m e t i l l t h e M u s l i m sf r g h ta g a i n s t h e j e w s , a n d t h e , \ l u s h m sw , r lkl r l lr h e n ru n t t l t h e , e w s
hide thernselvesbehrnd the storresand trees,and the storresand treeswould s,teakup sayrng:
'O Musfrnr!
O slaveot Allahi Ihere rsa lew hrdrngbehrnd me; come and hll hrm' I he Ch,rrtprl
t r e c w o u l d s p e a k ,f o r r l 1 5t h e t r e e o f t h e J e w s . "M u s h n rV o l . l V p . 15 l ( )
'Dhi Makhmor reported:"l heard the Prophet(Peace be on Hrm) sayrng t hc Ronrans{Nasara)
wtll enter rnt(, a p€rJ(€-[)a(twrth you. ,rnd you wrll rard along,w,rththent an en(.tny (peclplr)
a n d w r l l c o n q u e rt h t r r t . g a r nt h e s J r o ral n d r e t u r ns a f e l yt o s ( 4 o u r nr n a h r l l yp a s ' u r t ,l a n d . A
man of the pwpl+r.of the rross wrll ratsethe crossup and say:"Ihe r ross nrarle :he vrctory"
Thereupona Mushm man would stdnd up in angerand kill hrm. At thar Jrcrnt the ,lt.rmanswrll
breach.the pact and g,atherrhenrselvesfor the massacre."lbnu Mayah,j(r,/35.
'AMullah narrated;''1he Prophet(Peace be on Hirn)said:'li there were <;nlyorre di y left rn ttrc
hfe of thrs world, Allah would prolong rt to send a man from nry iarnrlywhose r.anrers hke
mine, and whose fathers narne rs hke my father's!"Abu l)awurd Book ot Al,Mahdr.p.10(,
rThe hadeeth (crtedairove rn footnote 4) refutesthe alleg,atr<rns nradt b'y rhe Shirt(rsrhat th('
awartedMahdr rs he whom they falselyclarm t<>be the s.rn of al-Hasanal,Askarr In additron
hrstorianshave shown tlrat Hasanal-Askarrdrd not even trave any sururvrngrssue
"[he angels and the Sprrrtasct'nd to Him rn a Day the- m('asure
"Upon he'anngthe ay:th
whcreof is frhy thousand yvars.' l7o.l), people sardto the l.rophet(Pea< 'What
e be on Hrm): a
long day thrs will bel" l hereupon the Prophet(Peacebe orr Hrm) sard:"By the One rn Whose
Hand rs my soul. lt Mll tle all<'vratedior thc bt'lrever.trllrl becomes slrr>rttrtlr.rrrthr trme of
one prescrrbedprayer lrt' used to pray rn thrs world. Ah,:nradand lbun Jantr
' " T h r n kt h e y n o t t h a t t h t y w r l l b e r a r s e du p , o n a C r e a t D a y , a d a y r v h e n ( a l l )r n a n l r n d w r l l
stand before the Lord ot the Worldsl 8J.4.516
]'Allah will
ludge berween them on the Day of Resurrertron about that wherern they have
been diffenng."2.113
r6
ranl6.' TheMizarr'is a fact,andas-Siratt is a fact,andthe intercession
of
the Chiefof the Messengers is a fact,aand the intercessionby thoseen-
titled to it by Allahis a fact.'

THTBEITTIN PREDESTINANON
AND TATAIISM

63.Allah createdeverythingin due proportion.His determinationof the


natureof thingswasestablishedfifty thousandyearsbeforeHe created
the Heavensand earth.' Nothing occurs or takes shape within the
heavensor earthbut with His knowledge,and by Hisorder.Thereis
nothingabsentfrom the knowledgeof Allah.'

'". . . of them are some who wrong themselves and of them are some who mix good deeds
with bad, and of them are some who outstrip (others) through good deeds, by Allah's
l e a v e .. . " f 5 . ) 2
'The scale which will be set up on the Day of
Judgment for weighing the deeds of men.
,'siral'is a bridge ertending over the midst of Flell, and over it mankind will pass. Upon being
asked: "What is the bridge.r THe Prophet(Peacebe on Him) said: "(tt is) slippery. On it, there
are hooks, tongs and spits like the thorns that are found in Najd known as as-sa'dan.The
believers would pass over it in the twinkling of an eye, like lightning like wind, like birds, like
the finest horses and camels. Some will escape and be safe,some will be lacerated and let go,
and some will be pushed into the Fire of Hell. . . " Muslim, Vol.l, p.118
Al-Mqdad reported the Prophet(Peace be on Him) to have said: The people would be
submerged m persptrat'on according to their deeds some up to the knees, some up to the
waist and some would have the bridle o{ perspiration.'While saying this, Allah's Apostle(Peace
be on Him) pornted his hand towards his mouth. Sahih Muslim Vol.lV, p.1,188.
Abu Hurairah reportd that the Apoctle(Peace be on Him) of Allah had said: "Seven are (the
persons)Whom Allah would Bive protection with this Shade(i.e., the shade of His Arsh) on the
Day {of Judgment) when there would be no Shade but His: A iust ruler; a youth who Srew up
with the worship of Allah; a person whose heart is attached to the mosques (who loves to
spend most ol his time in the mosque), two persons who love each other and meet each
other and depart from each other for the sake of Allah, a man whom a beautiful woman of
high rank tries to seduce, but he refuses(to respond) saying:"l fear Allah"; a person who gives
charity and correals it (to such an extent) that the left hand does not knor'v what the right
hand has given; and a person who remembered \llah in private and his eyes shed tears."
Sahih Musfim Vol.ll, p.491.
'Refer to para. 48.
iAllah will allow some people other than Muhammad(Peace be on Him), such as other pre
phets, angels and beliwers, to lntercde on behalf of others on the Day of ludgement
'"No misfortune can happen on earth or rn yourselves but it is recorded in a decree, before
We brrng it into existence. That is truly easy lor Ai\ah." 57.22.
Abdullah b. Amr B. al-Asreported: "l heard Allah'sAlrcstle(Peacebe on Him) saying:'Allahor'
darned the destrny o{ the creatron fifty thousand years be{ore He creirted the heavens and the
earth."' lr.luslim,Vol.l\'. p. 1j97.
'<i
Quran 2.255
17
64.Allahhasalreadyordainedhappiness to someandadversity to others.l
It is an inalterabledecree.The pen hasrun dry and the recordshave
beenfolded up.'There can be no changein the wordsof Allah.

65.Good and evil existby Allah'sdecree,and everyonegainsone or the


other throughhis own choiceand by the exerciseof his own will.
Nonetheless,the goodoccursonly with the helpof Allah,and the evil
occursnot againstHiswill but only by Hisleave.

66.We do not say that man has no power to act and is forced to do
whateverhe does,rnor do we-saythat man createsand chooseshis
own deedsentirelyof hisown freewill, operatingindependent
of and
superiorto the will of Allah.o

THT MUS1IAAU'\1'VIAH

67. We believe that all of the apostlesand Prophetsand their followers are
one singienation:the umrnah(nationof iman),as Allah says:'Verilythis
lJmmah of yours is one single ummah, and I am your Lord, therefore
worship Me.'

68. We attach ourselvesto every believer from our predecessorsback to


Adam, and from those of succeeding generations down to those who
at the end of time. We love them all whether or not
wifl fight ad-Daj1al6
they are know to us, and defend their honour.

69. The followers of Muhammad(Peacebe on Him), the first and last of


whom compriseone single ummah,the ummah o( lslamand lman, are

'Ali reported the Prophet(Peacebe on Him) as saying: 'There is not one amongst you for
whom a seat in Paradiseor Hell has not been allotted and about whom it has not been written
down whether he would be a miserableperson or a happy one. A man said:"O Apostle of
Allah: Shouldwe not then depend upon our destinyand abandon our deedsl'Thereupon,the
Messenger of Allah said: "Whoever belongs to the company of happiness he will have good
works made easier for him, and who belongs to the company of misery, he will have evil acts
made easier for him." Then he recited: "fu for him who gives (in charity) and keeps his duty to
Allah, and believesin the best reward from Allah, We will make easy for him the means of
good deeds, (which leads to Jannah)and who is miserly and considers himself above need (for
Allah),We shallmake easyfor him the meansof evil deeds (which leadsto Hell Fire."(92.5-10)
M u s l i mV o l . l V ,p . 1 3 9 3 .
rThe expression'The pen has run dry'' implies that the decreesof Allah are decisiveand final
and can never be changed or altered.
'This is the doctrine o( al-labriwah. This sect believesthat rnan is compelled to lead life the
way he does and has no voluntary actions.
'This is the doctrine o( al-Qadariyyah. This sect takes a position at the opposite extreme to
that of al-iabriyyah, denying predestination by Allah altogether. (Lanes Lexicon)
tcf.
Q u r ' a n :2 1 . 9 2
6Seeoara. 59.
l8
joined together by one aqeedahand one set of laws regardlessof their
race or country of origin.' We love them all and believe that all
believersare brothers.

70. We extend our love and support to the people of our urnmah and aid
no infidelnor enemy againstthem.

71. We battle with and abhor racist, nationalistic,sectarianand partisan


zealotswho would sunderthe unity of the Muslims.,

72.The best of men in the Muslim ummah'l,next to the Prophet, is Abu


Bakras-Siddiq,then Umar bin al-Khattabthen Uthman then Ali.r lt's best
generation,according to the authentic ahadeeth,(traditions)is that of
the lifetime of the prophet, then that generationwhich succeededit.o

73. We love all the companions of the Apostle of Allah, and attach
ourselves to them. Of all the companions of all the prophets, they
were the best; they aided the religionof Allah and struggledalong with
the Chief of Messengers.'He who imputes to them disbeliefor infideli-
ty we regardas an unbeliever,becausehe rejectsthe evidenceof their
excellencegiven by the Lord of the worlds.'

74.We abstainfrom dwelling on any differencesof opinion among the


companions of the Prophet(Peacebe on Him), and we hold the belief
that they were Mujtahidoon'whose rewardsare with Allah; they were
not infallibleapostles.

"'O mankind: We created you from (a singlepair of) male and female and made you into na-
tions and tribes that you may know one another. Verily, the most honourable of you in the
sight of Allah is that (believer)who is most God{earing." 49.13.
"'Those who divide their religionand break it up ihto sects,you have no part in them." 6.159.
"And be not among the mushrikeen;those who split up their religionand form sects."30.32.lt
has been narratedon the authority of Arfaiahwho said:"l have heard the Messengerof Allah
'Differentevilswill make their appearancein the near future. Anyone who
say: tries to disrupt
theaffairs of this Ummah while thev are united vou should strikehim with the sword whoever
h e b e . " ' M u s l i mV o l . l l l , p . ' 1 O 3 1 .
'SunniMuslimsare in unison with regardsto the superiorityof the four khulala(caliphs)accor-
ding to their chronologicalorder; Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman then Ali.
'Abdullah b. Masood reported Allah's Messenger(Peace 'The
be on Him) as saying: best
among people are of my generation,then those next to them." Muslim Vol.lV, p.-1346.
"'And the first to embrace lslam of the Muhajirin (those who migrated from Mecca to
Medinah)and Ansar (citizensof Medinah who helped the Muhajirin)and those who followed
them exactly (in faith). Allah is well-pleasedwith them as they are well-pleasedwith Him. He
has oreoaredfor them Cardensunder which riversflow. to dwell therein forever. That is the
ultimate success."9.100.
"Abu Hurairah narrated: Allah's Messengersaid: "Do not revile my companions. By Him in
Whose hand is my life if one of you would have spent (in charity)a pile of gold as big as Mount
Uhud, it would not amount to as much as one rnudd (about 2/3 of a kilo) of one of them nor
even half o( mudd (soent in charrtv).
'Muitahtdoon (pl. of ['lurtahid):scholarswho use their reasonfor the purpose of forming an
oprnion or making a ruling on a religiousrssue.
t9
75. The believersare distinct in respect of their iman. Ol them are those
who do themselves injustice,those who pursue the middle road in
their affairsand those who, by the will of Allah hastento good deeds.'
Allah promised all of them a good outcome in the Hereafter,each in
accordancewith his level of irnan.

76. We regard a person as a Muslim immediately upon witnessing his


recitationof the Shahadah':
or his oerformanceof a Muslim act of wor-
ship.i

77.We do not cast a Muslim out of the fold of lslam upon his commission
of an act of disbeliefdue to his ignorance,misunderstandingor com-
pulsion, or due to an assumptionby him that his act is conducive to
good. The verdict of disbeliefcan only be given when there is establish-
ed evidencethat the person committed the wrong wilfully, and know-
ingly.

78. We do not attribute disbelief to anyone of the people of the Qiblah


(i.e.,Muslims in general)by reasonof any sin he committed, unlesshe
did it knowing it to be unlawful, and treating it as if it were lawful.

79. Jannahhas been guaranteedonly to those to whom Allah gave His


assurancein His Book, and to those in whose favour the Messengerof
Allah testified.Visionsand dreams are not proofs of admissionto lan-
nah. Although we wish lannahfor those we deem to be pious, we
cannot decisivelyassertthat any individualwill be admitted to it.'

8O.The believingmen and women are all awliyaa5(proteges)of the Com-


passionate.The further the slave advanceson the path of irnan the
greater his support of Allah's cause becomes and the greater support

'cf.
Quran:35.32.
'The testificationof faith, 'There is no god truly worthy of worship but Allah and Muhammad
is His Messenger.
tThe author has explainedthat performingan act of worship that is exclusivelylslamicis suffi
cient for a person to be regardedas a Musftm. Without a doubt, performing a singleact of
worship without the Shahadahwill be considerednull and void, but the author most properly
refers to the following tradition: Anas reported the Prophet(Peacebe on Him) as saying: "l
'There is no god but Allah; and if they
have been orderedto fight the people until they say:
5ay so, and pray like we do, iacing our Qrb/ahand slaughteranimals(for food) as we do, then
therr blood and property will be sacredto us. and we will not interferewith them except legaf
, o l . l ,p . 2 3 4 .
l y , a n d t h e r r r e c k o n r n gw i l l b e w i t h A l l a h . 'B u k h a r i V
'"5o ascribe not ptety to yourselves.He knows best who it is that keep his duty to Allah."
5] t2
tArvIyaa (pl ol walry) those who are rn recerpt of the constant beneficenceand favour of
A l l . r h ;b e h e v e r sw h o a r e f a v o u r e db y A l l a h .
20
he receivesfrom Allah in return.' we bear witnessthat Allah does not
take a protege who has neither iman nor good deeds as Sufi Zendiqsz
allege.

81. We judge Muslimsby their outward mannerand leavetheir intention


for Allah to judge.r

82. Salaah(prayer)in congregationis a duty for us.whetherthe Muslim im-


ama is righteous or not.s And we participate in lihad against the
enentiesof Muslims under the leadershipof Muslim rulers whether
they are just or unjust.6Piety is not a precondition for leading iihad or
salah.

'"Allah is the proteftor of those who have faith;


irom the depth o{ tJarknessHe will lead them
iorth rnto light. And those who reject faith are the patrons of taghoot (a falseobject of wor-
shipl" 2.256.
'Zendrg: a heretic, one who devratesfrom the right religion
of lslam.
v'And pursuenot that of which you have n. knowledge.
Verily, every act of hearingor of see
ing and (intentron)will be inquired anto(on the Day of Judgmentl.',17.16.,.Oyou who believe:
Avoid suspicionas much (as possible)for suspicionin some casesis a sin." 49.12.
The Prophet(Peacebe on Him) reproachedone of his companions who happened to kill an
enemy atter he had unered .Shahadah. The companron iustifiedkilling the man by sayingto
the Prophet(Peacebe on Him) that he uttered shahadahout of fear of death. Thereupon,lhe
Prophet(Peacebe on Him) said:"Did you tear his heart open in order to find out whether he
s a i d i t ( o u t o f b e l i e f )o r n o t . " M u s l i m V o l . l , , 1 7 6 , p . 5 6 .
'lmam is the one who leads the congregation in prayers.
The word lmam also means ttre
leader of the Muslim community.
'The sunni MusIms do not hold the belief that imams
are infallible;a Muslim ruler or imam
mav be upright or othenvist'. lt rs incumbent upon Muslimsto obey them. Allah says:,.O you
who believe:obev Allah, and obey the Apostle and those of vou who are in authoriW.,'4.59.lt
has been narrated on the authority o{ Abu Hurairahthat the Messengerof Allah said: one
who abandoned obedience to the leader and separatedfrom the main body of the Muslims
and died in that state would die the death of one belonging to the days o( lahityyah(pre.
lslamic era) i.e. he would not die as a Muslim. Muslim Vol.lll, p.-1O29. According to another
tradition in sahthMushm,it is enough that the Muslim subjectabhor his leader'sact of disobe
dience; he should not rebel againsthim. 5imilarly,praying behind an erring lmam, if no one
better is available,bearing in mind the value of unity of the Muslim ummah. Ubaidullahnar.
rated: "l went to Uthman bin Affan (may Allah be pleasedwith him) when he was besieged
(just before he was murdered),and said to him: 'You are the chief of all the Muslims and you
see what has befallen you. We are led in a prayer by a leader of the rebellion,and we are
afraid of being sinful in following him.' Uthman said: The prayer is the best of all deeds, so
when the people do good deeds do the same with them and when they do bad deeds avoid
t h e i r b a d d e e d s . " 'B u k h a r iV o l . l . o . 1 7 6 .
"Jrhadrsfighting in the way of Allah so long as the frghtingis for the purpose of marntaining
the superiorityof the word of Allah, the calibreof the Muslim ruler who callsfor it should not
be consideredin respondingto his call. Abu Hurairahreportd the Prophe(Peacebe on Him)
'lihad
as saying: is a duty on you with every (Muslim) leader be he obedient, or disobedient,
even if he committed the great sins,and (congregational) prayer is a duty on you behind every
Muslim imam be he obedrent or disobedient, even if he committed the great sins." Abu
D a w o o d . H a d e e t h- 2 5 1 3 . o . 1 8 .
21
B) We are not permittedto war againstany of Nluhammad'srrrnrrrah ex-
cept in self-defence.'
[ven then,rve believethat it is preferableto forgo
fighting(againstMuslims).,We deem rt lar,r4ulto shed the blocd of
Muslimsonly in the caseof the marriedadulterer,the rnurderer,or the
one who qurtshis religionand departsfrom /ama.rh.,

84. Any call the purpose of whrch ls the absorptionof rlluslimsrnto the
societyof disbelievrngnations,or which leadsto the compromiseot
any part of our religion,or to the approvalof any part of the relrgronof
the unbelieversis a false call whether the nrotivesimputed to it be
humanitarian,nationalisticor sectarian.We declarebefore Allah that
we dissociateourselvesfrom any assemblylvhich standsopposed to
lslamand fightsagarnstrt.o

85. Everygroup of Muslimswho agreewrth us In respectto good, prety,


andiiha<J to supportand inviteto the way of Allah'are our brothers,as
long as they do not clarmthat they are the only legitimateMuslims,and
that all others are unbelievers.o.

86. The Muslim ummah is the best unrmah raised from mankind
throughoutthe ages.lt is the inherrtorof Allah'sreligionand the inviter
to it up till the end of thisrvorld.The Muslimswere the lastummah rais-
ed by Allah, yet they will be the foremoston the Day of .fudgement.'

' A b u H u r a i r a hn a r r a t e dt h a t t h e P r o p h e t ( P e a cbee o n H r m ) s a r d ;" H e w , h c t a k e s u p a r m s


aSainstusisnotofus,andhewhoactsdrshonestlytow,ardsusrsnoN t o,ftuuss.l i m V o l . l , p . 5 8 .
)Foregoinglightrng againstMuslms is recomnrendedfor the preservrngof N4ushmunlty dnd
Muslim blood (cf. the rebellion agarnstthe third Ca|ph Uthman). Ahnaf b. Qars reported on
the authority of Abu Bakr that Allah'sMessenger(Peace be on Him) sard:"When two fvlushms
confront each other with therr swords, both the slayerand the slarnare doomed to the Frre"
M u s l i m V o l . l V ,p . 1 4 9 6 .
' B u k h a r iV o l . l X ,p . 7 .
"'He has revealedto you rn the Book that when you hear the signso{ Allah held rn defiance
a n d r i d i c u l e y, o u a r e n o t t o s i t w i t h t h e m u n l e s st h e y t u r n t o a d r f f e r e ntth e m e l f v o u s a t w t t h
them you would be hkethem."4.1.10
"'You are the best of people ever rarsedup tor mankrnd,)-ou enjorn what rs nght, and forbrd
w h a t i s w r o n g , a n d y o u b e l i e v er n A l l a h . ' 3 . 1 1 0
6 T h ei s s u eo f r m p u t i n gd i s b e l i e tf o M u s | m s r sr m p o r t a n tn o t t o b e u n d e r e s t i n r a t e dl b n U m a r
reported the Prophet(Peacebe on Him) as sayrng:"Any person who calis hrs broiher: C)
u n b e l i e v e r(!h a sd o n e a n a c t b y w h r c ht h i su n b e l r e fw ) c r u l dr e t u r nt o o n e o f t h e n r .l f r t w ( , r es o .
a s h e a s s e r t e d(,t h e nt h e u n b e h e fo f t h e m a n w a s c o n f r r : n e db. u t r f i t w , a sn o t t r u e ) .t h e n t h e
s t a t eo f u n b e | e { w o u l d a p p l y t o h r m ( w ' h ol a b e l l e dh r sb r o t h e r a n u n b e l r e v e r )r .\ l u s h n rV o l i
p.41
' A b u H u r a r r a hr e p o r t e dt h e P r o p h e t ( P e a cbee o n H r m )a s s a y r n g",W e a r e t h e l a s ta n d n o u k J
b e t h e f i r s to n t h e D a y o f R e s u r r e c t r r r nN. l"u s l r mV o l l l p . l O 5 l i i n c et h e P r o p h e t ( P e a cbee o n
H i m ) i s t h e l a s to f t h e P r o p h e t sh. r st , ' n r m , r hr st h e n a t r o nr r h r c hh a s r e te r re d t h e l a s to f A l l a hs
S c r i p t u r e sO. n t h e D a y o f i u d g m e n tt h e P r o p h e t ( P e a cbee o n H r m )r v o u l do c c u p vt h e h r g h e s t
r a n k a n d h i s U n , m a l tw r l l b e s u p e r i o rt o t h e o t h e r r r n r u m( n a t r o n s )
22
THE BASICSOT DAlilAH TO ATI-AH

87. The da'wah (invitation)to Allah is the duty of the Muslim tJmmah. Every
Muslim is charged with this mission,each according to his capacity.l

88. The obiectives of dawah are:


- to guide people to the religionbf Allah
- to establishthe evidence againstthose who decline from or oppose
the religion
- to dischargethe duty enjoined on us, the Muslims, by Allah
- to exalt the word of Allah on earth

89. The purpose of da'wah in this world is to preparethe good Muslim and
to establishthe good society.

90. The good Muslim is he who believes in the Oneness of Allah, obeys
him within the limits of his capacity and observesHis commands. The
good society is the one in which the Hudood, of Allah are established
and whose members cooperate with and subsidizeeach other.'Those
who, if We establish them in the land, perform salaah and give
obligatory charity and enjoin the right and forbid the wrong. With Allah
rests the (decision) on (all) affairs;'

91 . The reward for da'wah in the Hereafter,is the pleasureof Allah, and His
jannah.-

92. lt is incumbent on every Muslim who witnessessthe wrong to correct it


with his hand, or if he is unable, then with his tongue or at least to
abhor it in his heart.The inabilityto do so is indicativeof lack of iman.'

93. The conditionsfor correctingthe wrong are:


* the one who takes it up on himself to correct the wrong has to be
aware of the wrong he is about to correct.
- one should not correct one wrong by committing another.
- correcting a wrong should not create a situation that leads to a
greater wrong.
- one who would correct a wrong should be clear of that wrong lest
he falls among those whom Allah chastizes:"Why do you say that
which you do not do."4
l"Let there ariseout of you a band of people invitingto all that is good, enjoining
what is right
and forbidding what is wrong. They are the prosperousones." 3.1M
1'Hudood' are the restrive ordinances or statutes of Allah respecting things lawful and
unlaw'ful.lt also means castigationor punishmentwhich preventsthe criminalfrom returning
to his crime and prevents others from committins his crime.
'cf. MuslimVol.l,p.33.
'cf.
Qur'an61.3.
2t
94. Da'wahshouldstartwith fundarnental beforeproceeding
issues, with
thosethat are lesscentral.TheOnenessof Allahis the beginning
and
the end.Eachdeed shouldbe connectedwith it.'

95. Themeansof da'wahto Allaharenumerous, but foremostisthe marr


nerof the da'ee(inviter).
Heshouldmakehimselfa personwho others
are inclinedto take as an example.Dawah by good exampleis the
mosteffectivemeans.Afterthisin importanceareda'wahby word of
mouth,and da'wahby giving'financialsupport.

96. Anyonewho hasknowledge,regardless


of how little it is,is entitledto
communicateit.2

97. lt is permissibleto form groups or organizationsfor da'wah in Muslim


or non-Muslim countries with or without the permission of the imam
(leader).Da'wah is a duty incumbent upon us.

98. Formationof a varietyof groupsfor the purposeof da'wah is permissi-


ble provided that each maintains the solidarity of the Muslim body
and brotherly co-operationto achievegood and maintain piety. Any
da'wah group'which claimsit is the only Muslim jama'ah,and imputes
disbeliefto the others, is a group of neo-khawarii' and promoters of
division,which must be opposed and eliminated.

99. lt is not the right of a da'wah group to make restrictivejudgments or


to take punitive measuresor eliminatethose who oppose or desertit
unlessit first assumessovereigntyover the land and establishesthe
lslamic caliphate(governrnent).

100.The work of Da'wah requires the employment of lawful methods,


protection of the interest of the ummah, and the use of wisdom in
disseminatingknowledge. Allah says:"lnvite to the way of your Lord
with wisdom and fine preachingand discusswith them in a manner
that is more gracious,for your Lord knows best who has strayedfrom
His path, and who are the guided ones."a

rlbn Abbas narrated:when the Prophet(Peacebe on Him) sent Mu'adh to Yemen, he said to
him: "You are going to a nation of the People of the Book, so let the first thin8 to which you
will invite them be the Tawheed (Onenessof Allah).lf they learn that, tell them that Allah has
enioined on them five prayersto be offered in one day and one night." BukhariVol.lX,p.348.
,Zaid b. Thabit narrated The Prophet(Peacebe on Him) said: "May Allah cause to have
freshnessand brilliancethe man who hearswhat I say and keeps it in mind, then convey it to
others. Ahmad. 5-183.
'Refer to para.77(the imputing of disbeliefto Muslims)
Khawaril:asect of hereticswho went againstAli in the banle of Siffin.The letm KhawariiaV
plies also to any group which goes againstthe rest of the ummah and the religion.(Lanes
Lexicon)
'cf.
Qu/an 16.125
24
1O1. lihad' and participatingin militaryexpeditionsare fardh which apply
until the Day of Judgment.The one who died neitherhavingfought in
the way of Allah nor havingconsideredit would die havinga shareIn
hvpocrisy.']

102.Fightingnraystartonly after a declarationof war has been made and


after it has been ascertainedthat the ranksof the enemv contain no
Muslims.t

103.Thereare grandobjectivesbehindfightingin the way of Allah in lslam.


Frghtingis enjoinedto defend the believers,to deliverthe oppressed
and to enablethe believersto be establishedwith power in the land
so that there would be no more afflictionandonlythe religionof wor-
shrppingAllah alcne would prevail.l

ATTITUDI TOWARDS NON-MUSLIMS

104.All mankind descendedfrom Adanr, and Adanr has a position of


honour with Allah.All mankindis createdto worshipHim. lt is incum-
berrt on the da'ee to exert the utmost effort to make people aware of
the duty Allah createdthem to fulfill.a

105.Peopleare differentin qualirylike minesof gold and silver;those who


lvere the bestof theircommunitybeforeembracinglslamare the best
after embracinglslam,provided they acquirereligiousknowledge.s

'Strivingin the way of Allah.


t c f . M u s l i m V o l . l l l ,p . 1 0 5 7
r A b u H u r a i r ar e p o r t e dt h a t t h e M e s s e n g e ( P e a cbee o n H i m ) s a i d :" . . . w h o s o f r o m m y u m -
mah attacksmy followers,(indiscriminately) killingthe righteousand the wicked of them, spar-
i n g n o t t h o s e s t a u n c hr n f a r t h .a n d f u l f i l l i n gn o t h r so b h g a t i o nt o w a r d st h e m w h o h a v e b e e n
g i v e n a p l e d g e( o f s e c u r i t y )i,s n o t f r o m m e . " M u s l i m V o l . l l l ,p . 1 0 3 0 .
'cf. ()ur'an2.192
n c f .M u s l i r nV o l . l V , p . 1 3 8 7
' c f . M u s l i m V o l . l V .o . . l 8 l 7
25
106.Everyonesincethe time of the missionof Muhammadbelongsto the
ummahof Muhammad(theummahof da'wah),and thosewho have
acceptedthe messageconveyedby him belong to the ummah of
Muhammad(the ummahof response).'

107.Anyonewho heardof the missionof Muhammadbe he a Jew,a


Nasrani(Christian),
or otherwise,and died withoutbelievingalthough
he had been providedwith evidence,is a kafir(unbeliever),
and is of
the peopleof the Fire.'

108.Muslimsare commandedto fight the Arabs(in particular), until they


believe(i.e.,embracelslam).lf theydeclarebelieftheirbloodandpro
pertyare inviolable,and it is up to Allahto judgetheir intention.r

109.Non-ArabNasara,Jews,Magiansand othersare to be fought until


they believe(in the message of lslam)or paylizyahain acknowledge
ment of their submissionto the authoriwof the Muslims.'

110.Peacetreatiesand paetsare permissible betweenMuslimsand norr'


Muslimsuntilthe end of the world. lt is up to the Muslimsto choose
whateverbenefiuthem,strengthens and protectstheirlivesandtheir
properties.

'Lest one be confusedwith the terms (the ummah of da'wah) and (the ummah of response)
mentioned in article 107, it should be born in mind that Allah the Exalted,sent each and every
prophet to his own people. However, He made Muhammad(Peacebe on Him)the Sealof Pro
phets and made his messagea universal one. fu such, every human being existed at the time
of Muhammad's nrissionor thereafter belongs to the universal nation of Muhammad(Peace be
on Him) which is referred to as (the ummah of da'wah), while the term (the ummah of
response)applies only to those who accepted the Divine mission of Muhammad(Peace be on
Him) (i.e., lslam).There are numerous referencesin the Qur'an confirmingthe universalityof
lslam in which Allah addresses mankind at large to respond to the message with which l-le
sent Muhammad, such as:
Say (O Muhammad): "O mankind! Verily I am Allah's Apostle to you all" 7-158
". ..and We did not send you except as a mercy to the worlds." 2-1.107
rAbu Hurairahnarrated:The Prophetobserved:"by Him in Whose hand is the life of Muham-
mad, any lew or Nasrani(Christian)who hearsabout me, and dies before affirminghis behefin
that with which I have been sent, he shall be but one oi the companions o{ the Fire." Muslim
V o l . l .o . 9 1 .
'Abu Hurairah reported that the Messengersaid: "l have been commanded to fight against
people, untrl they testify that there is no god but Allah, and believethat I am His messenger,
and behevein all that I have brought. (lf they do so) their blood and richesare guarantd prc
i e c t r o n . . . a n d t h e r ra t f a i r sr e s t w i t h A l l a h . "M u s l i m V o l . l , p . 1 7 .
'Seepara.59
5 S e ep a r a . 5 9
26
111.lt ls not permissible
for a Muslimleaderor rulerto consummatea
treaty or agreementwith the unbelieverson behalfof Allah or His
Apostle,but only on his own behalf,and that of his cornpanions.'

112.Muslimsare enjoinedto fight the enemiesof lslamin orderto keep


the word of Allah uppermoston earth.2

113.Policiesset forth in the Qur'anand Sunnahhaveto be followedas a


guidein dealingwith the non-Muslims.

114.Katirs(unbelievers)
are not to be taken as confidentialassociatesby
Mudim.rulers.'

115.Takingthose of the kafirswho oppose us as intimatefriends,and


distinguishingthem by bestowinglove upon them, supportingthem
againstMuslims,approvingof their falsereligionor compromising a
part of lslamfor their falsereligionor for them is kufr (unbelief)
and
apostasy.l

116.lt is recommendedto treat peacefulunbelieverswith kindnesscon-


siderationand beneficence.'

117.Invitingpeopleto the pathof Allahrequiresgentleness


andcourtesy,
but fightingthe enemyrequireshardness and vehemence.,

'lt has be€n reported on the authority of Sulaiman b. Buraid'sfather that when the Messenger
of Allah appointed anyone leader of any army or detachment, he would especially exhort him
to fear Allah and be good to the Muslims with him. A..nong other things he would say: "lf you
lay siege to a fort and the besieged appeal to you for protection in the name of Allah and His
Prophet, do not accord to them the guarantee of Allah and His Prophet, but accord to them
your own guarantee and the guarantee of your companions, for it is a lessersin that the securi-
ty given by you and your companions be disregarded than that the secunty granted in the
name of Allah and His Prophet be violated. 'lly'hen you besiege a fort and the besieged want
you to summon them to thejudgment of Allah, do not summon them to the judgment of
Allah, but summon them to your own judgment, for you do not know whether or not you will
be abfe to reach the right judgment with regard to them." Muslim Book of allihad.
r"And fight them until there is no more affliction (or oppression) and there prevails the religion
of Allah (i.e. worshipping Allah alonef'. 2.193
t"O you who believe! Take not as your intimates those (unbelievers)outside your religion.
They will not fail to do their best to corrupt you." 3.118
4'O you who believe! Take not my enemies and yours as friends (or protectors) offering them
love even though they have refected the truth that has come to you." 60.1
'Allah forbids you not, with regards to those who do not fight you for your faith, nor drive you
out of your homes, that you should deal kindly and justly with them." 6O.8
""O you who believe! Fight those of the disbelievers who are near to you and let them find
harshnessin you. . ." 9.123
27
THERJNDAMENTAIS
Or HQH (TUREPRUDTNCE)

118.Thedecisionon everyaffairis for nonebut Allahthe Exalted.'Verily,


the decisionis for Allah."'

119.TheApostleis a legislator,
by the commandof Allah."He doesnot
speakof hisown desire;his(speechwasnothingotherthan)arevela-
tion that was revealed."2
He neverlegislatedof his own accordor
from hisown desire.

120.Thereligionwhich Allah commandsus to follow, to worshipHim,


consistsonly of Hiswordsand the wordsof Hismessenger.r

121.lslamis for its adherents


a comprehensive way of life,encompassing
all its aspecs,includingtheological,political,socialand economic.lt
consistsof a full adherenceto the ordinancesand statutesof Allah
and a total imanin all that he revealed.

122.No one is a Muslimin truth savehe who resignshimself,hiswill, and


hischoiceto Allahthe Lordof the worlds.('Say, verilymy prayer,my
(serviceof) sacrifice,my life and death are for Allah,the Lord of the
worlds.")'

123.TheBookof Allah,al-Qu/an,iscomposedof Hiswords,sentdown to


Muhammadand is the eternal miraclewhose recitationis an act of
worshipordainedby Allah. lt is $e primarybasefor the studyof
lslam.lt is the veryQur'anthatiswith ustoday,andthatisavailable
to
all throughoutthe world. He who allegesotherwise,suchas *rose
who allege it is hidden by the absent imam or another,is an
unbeliever.5

124.Allahmadeclearin HisBookwhat he hasdeterminedto be good or


conduciveto good in the affairsof mankindin this world and in the
one to come. "And We have sent down to you the Book to make
manifesteverything,and as a guidanceand a mercyand gladtidings
for the Muslims."6

' Q u r ' a n6 . 5 7
rQu'ran 53.3-4
v'Say,obey Allah and obey His Apostle, but if they turn away, Allah does not love the Kafireen
(those who reiect faith)." 3.32
'Qu/an 6.162
'"8ut Allah bearswitnessthat what He has sent down unto you (i.e.,thdqufan), He has sent
forth with His knowledge, and the angels bear witness (to this fact), (but) Altah suffices for a
witness."4.166
6Qur'an 16.89
28
125.There is no contradiction whatsoever in the ayat (verses)of the
Qur'an. Ayat expressingsimilar meaningsshould be studied collec-
tively rather than individuallyif a rr.rlingor jtrdgment is to be drawn
from them.t

126.The Qur'an can be comprehendedaccordingto its clear and apparent


meaning, and by the explanation and practice of Rasu/u/-/ah(the
Apostle of Allah),and by the practiceof the pious predecessorsof this
ummah.2

127.fhe literal apparentmeaning of the Qu/an and its explicationare


neither mutually contradictory nor inconsistentwith one another. He
whom Allah distinguisheswith the understandingof the Qur'an and
the knowledge of Qu/anic interpretationadducesonly that which is
in accord with the Qur'an.

128. Allah guarded His Book againstalteration,addition or reduction until


the end of this world.s

129.The abrogation by Allah of some ayat o( the Qur'an was of three


distinct types:
- the abrogation of the ruling contained in an ayah, while retainrng
the ayah iself as part of the Qu/an.a
- The abrogationof an ayah from the Qur'an while retainingthe rul-
ing it had contained.s
- the abrogation of both ayah and ruling together.

'This is a very important notion when it comes to deriving a ruling from such ayat. In fact,
refraining from studying verses of similar or related rrreaning collectively led a sect called al-
labriyyahto deviatefrom the right way when they considereCthe meaningof the verse:"And
Allah createdyou and (created)your deeds."(37.96)and failed to considerwith this verse:"As
a reward for what they had accomplished." (56.24) Had al-labriyyah considered the meanrngs
of the two versesin juxtaposition,they would not have ascribedinjusticeto Allah by holding
the falsebelief that man has no free will in this world and has no control over his behaviour.
rThe 'pious predecessors'or as referred to in Arabic as-Salafus-Saalih are the companions of
the Prophet and those who followed with piety. lt is they whom Allah ordered us to follow
saying:"And whoever opposesthe Apostle after the right path has been shown clearlyto him
and follows other than the believers'way,We shall keep him in that path he has chosen and
b u r n h i m i n H e l l . "4 . 1 1 5
'"Whatever ayah We abrogateor causeto be forSotten.We bring (in its place)a better one or
one similarto it. Do you not know that Allah is able to do all thingsf'2.106. "Verily,We have
sent down the Qu/an and (surely)We will guard it."
'Zaid b. Thabit was reported to have said:I heard the Prophetreciting:'The old man and the
old woman if they commit adultery stone them to death." This ayah is no longer part of the
Qur'an, while the ruling it contained is still in effect.
"Umar ibn al-Khanabreported that there were versesof the Qu/an that they used to recite
that were abrogated,and that they no longer recited.
T)
130.The Qur'an may abrogateparts of the Sunnah(be it mutawatirlor
aahaad'])and similarly the Sunnah (be it mutawatir or ahad) may
abrogate rulingsof the Qur'an. Both the Qur'an and Sunnahare from
Allah.

THE SUNNAH

131. The Sunnahis whatever was brought forth by the Messengerof Allah
apart from the Qu/an. it is a source of legislationfor the ummah,
whether in the form of his utterance,hrsaction or his approval of an
act witnessedby him or reported to him.

132.ln order to be acceptedas valid or authoritative,a tradition must meet


certain standards,as determined by Muhaddithoon (traditionaliss),
the scholarsof the prophetic traditions.No tradition is to be held true,
or cited as a proof, if not authenticallyascribedto the Prophet.

133.The Sunnahis equivalentto the Book of Allah, the Clorified.We must


believe in them equally and regardtheir ordinancesas being of equal
weight, since they are both from Allah.3The sole differencebetween
them is that Allah made incumbent on us the recitationof the words
of the Qur'an as an act of worship, but not of those of the Sunnah.

134.The Sunnahdoes not contradictthe Qur'an,as they are both from one
source. Allah the Exaltedsays:"And he does not speakfrom his own
desires;it is a revelationwhich has been revealedto him."aAnd: "We
have sent down to you the Book in truth *rat you may judge between
men by that which Allah shows you. so be not a pleader for the
traitors.sAny iltiha& the Prophet exerted in matters of jurisprudence
is truthful and binding, as Allah would never grant approval to er-
roneousjudgment.

135. Any tradition which has been authenticallyascribed to the Prophet


through truthful, pious and reliable transmittersmust be believed in
and applied whether it is mutawatir or aahaad.

136. lt is not permissible to turn away from what was determined by

"Mutawatr'rs the tradition which has been transmittedby such a large number of narrators
that it cannot be supposed that they all agreed to a falsehood.(Lane'sLexicon)
'Ahad is the tradition which has been transmitted by one narrator or a few narrators.
lAl-Miqdad b. Ma'dr Karib narrated:The Prophe,(Peace be on Him) said:"Verily, I re<eivedthe
Qur'an and similarto it along with it." Ahmad.
'Qu/an 53.3
'Qu/an 4.105
-l
"See page V, note
30
consensusof the companions of the Prophet. Sincewe are assured by
*re Prophe(Peacebe on Him)that the ummahwill never be in unison
upon dhala/ah,rwe can be confident in the correctnessof the collec-
tive opinions.'

137. The Sunnahof the khu/afa'aar-Rashidoon'? is binding as long as it does


not differ with a text from the Qur'an and Sunnah.'

138. Our understandingof lslam should correspond with the understan-


(the pious predecessors,-the Prophet'scom-
ding of as-Salafas-Saalih,
pa.nionsin particular)because they had more knowledge of the cir-
cumstancesof revelation,havingactuallywitnessedthem, and greater
command of the Arabic language.

139.All Muslim scholarsafter the Propheq,including his companions,are


fallible, and any religiousstatement by ihem is rendered null and void
if it contradictsor differs from a text from Allah or his Messenger.

140. Rulers,scholars,jurists,parenb, educators,husbandsor guardiansare


to be obeyed only insofar as their commands correspond to that
which pleasesAllah, and to His commands.There should be no obe.
dience to a creature of Allah if it would involve disobeyingAllah the
creator.l

141. Opinions not substantiatedby referenceto the Qur'an or Sunnahare


all equal in value and it is permissibleto take from them whatever one
judges to be trustworthy or reliable.Adopting some such opinion and
distinguishingit with particularzeal from all others leadsto deviation.

142.lt is incumbent upon us to obey those of the Muslims who are in


authority over us, and to offer them sincerecounsel.lt is not permissi-
ble to disobey them unlessthey enact commands the obedience of
which would bring us to the disobedienceof Allah the Exalted.lt is
also permissibleto issue Fatwasdifferent from theirs if theirs is not
substantiated.lt is a duty too to obey their decisionson public affairs,
whether the decision is reached through ijtihadsor ta'wee/.6

'cf. Abu Dawood, Book l4l1. Dhalalah:mrsguidance.


rThe well-guided caliphsAbu Bakr, 'Umar. 'Uthman and ALr.
rAl-lsbadreported the Prophet(Peacebe on Him) as saying:"Adhere to my sunnah and the
s u n n a ho f t h e w e l l - g u i d e dc a l i p h s . . . " ( t h e i n t r o d u c t i o np . ' 1 6 )
'cf. Muslim Vol.lll. p.1022
'See p.v, Note 1
5Muta'awwilis one who tries to discover or develop and interpret a text which may serve as
the basisfor the formulation of his opinion or decision.Such practice is called fa-wee/
31

143.lt is not permissible


for a Muslim rulerto issuea rulingon a casein the
public interestunlesshe first consultsthe people. Their unanimous
decisionbecomesbindingon him.

144. Deferringto the opinion of the majority by the /marn,the leadingman


in authority,is in accordancewith authenticSunnahand is in the
legitimatepublic interest.

145.Other than those mentionedin the Qur'anand Sunnah,all forms and


acts of worship are prohibited.lt is not permissibleto rntroducea
form of worship which is not warranted by either Allah or His
Messenger(Peace be on Him)."Everypracticewhich has no warrant or
sanctionfrom the Qur'an or the Sunnahof the Messenger(Peace be
on Him) is to be rejected."l

146.All typesof transactionare law4ulsavethose that are specificallypro-


hibited by a text of the Qu/an or of the Sunnah.'

147.fhe sin of the one who makeslawfulthingsunlavvfulis similarto that


of the one who makesunlawfulthingslaw'ful.
'qlyas'(analogy)'in as long as certaincondi-
148. The use of iurisprudence,
tions are met, is valid. Wisdom in religionconsistsin not differen-
tiating between tvvo similar issuesnor in combiningtrnvodissimilar
ones.

istinbat,jurisprudenceand religiousknowledge,are with the


149.l1trhad,
Ummah until the final Hour. Not everyonemay be considereda jurist
by virtue of possessingsome knowledge."lf Allah wants to do a
favour to someone, He bestows on him the gift of refi(lous
knowledge(understanding the Qur'an or Sunnah)."0

150.The experienceol rltrhadand istrnbafsin comrngto decisionstn mat-


for the proper
ters of law is FardhKifayahuon Muslims.lt is,tiecessary
regulationof people'slegal in
affairs the novel circumstancesof every
a8e.

' F r o m a u t h e n t i ch a d e e t hf r l e db y M u s l i m a n d B u k h a r V i o l . l X ,p . 3 2 9
'Aaishah repo(ed that the Prophet(Peacebe on Hrm) said: "He who drd any act for which
t h e r e i s n o s a n c t i o nf r o m o u r b e h a l f ,t h a t i s t o b e r e J e c t e d .M " u s l r r t V o l . l l l ,p . 9 i 1
, A n a l o g yi s f o r m u l a t i n ga r u l i n go n a c e r t a i nr s s u et h a t n e r t h e rt h e [ ) u r ' a n n o r t h e S u n n a hh a c
d e a l t l v i t h , b y c o m p a r i n gi t t o a t e x t u a lr u l t n go n a 5 t m t l a tr s s u e .
' B u k h a r i .V o l . l X .p . 1 1 0
' l s t l n b a ti s e l i c i t i n ga j u d i c i a lr u l i n gb y s t u d y i n gr e l e v a n t e s t s .
5 F a r d ht,s a t h i n g m a d e o b l r g a t o r yb y A l l a h o n e v e r y r n d r v i d u a\ l4 u s l r m. r n d n e g i e c t r n g r t,c a l l s
f o r p u n i s h r n e n(te . g . ,S a l a t )f.a r d h K r i a y a hi s t h a t w h r c hr so b l r g a t o r yo n t h e c o l l e c t r v eb o d y o t
M u s [ m s . l t s u f f i c e st h a t i t b e o b s e r v e db y s o m e o f t h e m , ( e . g . ,/ . r n . r z . iphr a y e r )b u t a l l w r l l b e
ounrshedrf none of them observe rt.
32
151. Only the person who is fitfor iitihadmay practiseit. He who presumes
to issuefatwaswithout proper qualificationrisksenteringthe Fire.

152.Fitnessbr iitihadis achievedby acquiringthe knowledgeof the book


and the Sunnah, the Arabic language, the fundamentals of
jurisprudenceand its purposes.lt requirestoo an awarenessof peo-
ple's concerns and affairs.This knowledge must be combined with
gravityo{ intellect,wisdom and the fear of Allah.

153.ljtihadconsistsin employingthe facultiesof mind and strivingto the


utmost for the purpose of coming to a decision in a given case which
is deemed to be or believed to be in accord with that of Allah, were
He to make one.

154. People are divided into three categorieswith regardsto iitihad:


- those who have no share of knowledge, who must follow those of
the people of knowledge and religion whose fatwa they consider
to be issued in accordance with the judgment of the Lord of the
Worlds.
- the students who have some knowledge and understanding on
whom it is incumbentto follow the scholars,requestingtheir tex-
tual evidence and seekingthe truth.
- the scholarswho have fulfiiled the conditions of iitihad.on whom it
is incumbent to be aware of judicial rulings and their distinctive
proofs.

155.All discord and disagreementmust be referredfor resolutionto the


words of Allah and the words of the Messenger(Peacebe on Him).
Our Obiectives
To project a clear image of the religion of Islam in accor-
dance with the Qur'an and Sunnah as understood by as-
Salafus-Saallh(the pious predecessors).

To warn Muslims against all types of shirk and bida' (in-


novation) related to religion, and against the sacrileges,
the fabricated weak ahaadeeth (Prophetic traditions)
which mar the beauty of Islam.

To oppose and refute the deviant tenets and ideologies


such as atheism, communism and sectarianism.

To cooperate with Sunni Muslim organizations to


achieve the above obiectives.

o To propagate lslam amongst non-Muslims.


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