aqida from the ground up1

Islamic Notes Series

Aqida

Aqida from

the Ground

Up

By Prof� Mohamed Tariq Kahn


Aqida

The Tawhid of Allah

Concerning knowledge of Allah, know that Allah is One

without any partners, not in His Lordship, not in His

Divinity or in His names and attributes. Allah is Allah and

creation is creation.

Allah, glory be to Him, He has no helpers, no child, mother,

father, wife...any associate. None. He has no partner and no

need for it.

There is no creator besides Him and no lord or master

besides Him.

There is no provider, and no one that disposes of the

affairs in this existence except Him.

Then acknowledge and testify that there is none that has

the right to be worshipped but Him, al- Aziz , al-Hakim.

NOTES:

Terms of Reference


Aqida

Affirming Tauhid means singling out the worship of Allah

alone, also

Affirming that worship is for Allah alone! with all its

necessary implications and rights.

Affirming Tauhid means negating the types of shirk

and partnerships in glorification, and what follows as a

consequence of that.

نس إال ليـعبدون وما خلقت اجلن واإل

"I did not create the Jinns and the human beings except

for the purpose that they should worship Me"

Quran 51:56

NOTES:

These obligatory matters

include believing in the heart

and expressing with the

tongue : Laa illaha illallah

and is followed by actions.


Aqida

Singling out for worship: What is the implications of

that?

It means to single Him, the glorified out for all types of

worship such as:

Prostration, bowing, vowing, tawaf , sacrifice, slaughter,

supplication, legislation, and all things similar to it.

- رب العالمني قل إن صاليت ونسكي وحمياي وممايت

ال شريك له وبذلك أمرت وأ0 أول المسلمني (Quran 6:162-163).

"Say, :My prayer, my offering, my life and my death are for

Allah, the Lord of all the worlds.

For Him there is no partner. And thus I have been

commanded, and I am the first one to submit".

Even our life and death is for Allah, not this or that being.

NOTES:


Aqida

Laysa kamithli shay' : He is unlike anything Quran 42:11

ليس كمثله شيء and also

األعلى و- المثل Wa lillahil-mathalul-a'la.

Ayah 60 of Suratun-Nahl

Allah has Attributes of perfection that are not similar to

the attributes of others or creation. Everything other than Allah is created (i.e., this entire universe, space-time, the

worlds, jannah, jahannam, anything possible).

Everything we as human beings know exist in 3 dimensional

space-time. Three dimensional space time gives us six

directions. A flat piece of paper is two dimensional space.

A two dimensional space-time has four directions. Allah has NO direction as He is not contained in any such dimensional

existences. Allah is also not subjected to time. NOTES:


Aqida

4 directions is 2D

Two dimensional space-time cannot describe Allah.

6 directions is 3D

Three dimensional space-time CANNOT describe Allah.

Only Allah can describe Allah, in Quran and on the tongue of

His Messenger ملسو هيلع هللا ىلص but we CANNOT give any likeness or

interpretation in OUR OWN terms of reference to it.

NOTES:


Aqida

We can only CONFIRM what Allah says about Himself, not

attempt to imagine all kinds of possibilities.

The Attributes of Allah are eternal and everlasting; they

have no beginning or end. The Attributes of Allah do not

change, develop, or transform, because those processes

belong to the attributes of the creation. The "How" is not

possible for anyone to ask.

Thus says Ibn Qudama al-Maqdisi (Lum atul I'tiqad): "Every attribute of the Most Merciful [Allah] which comes in the Qur’an, or is

authentically narrated from the Chosen One ملسو هيلع هللا ىلص , must be believed in, submitted to and accepted. Contradicting it by rejection, interpretation, drawing

resemblance or similitude, must be abandoned. Whatever is difficult to grasp must be affirmed, and delving into its meaning should be avoided. Knowledge of it should be referred to the One who said it, and we put its responsibility/

trusteeship to the one who narrated it. We follow the way of those firmly grounded in knowledge who were praised by Allah in His Clear Book in His statement:

“… And those firmly grounded in knowledge say: We believe in it; all of it is from our Lord.” (SurahAal ‘Imran, (3): 7) Regarding those who desire to interpret the unclear aspects of revelation:

“As for those in whose hearts there is deviation, they follow what is unclear of it, desiring turmoil and misinterpretation.” (SurahAal ‘Imran, (3):7) He made the desire for interpretation a sign of deviation and linked it to the

desire for turmoil in censure. Then He veiled them from what they hoped for and cut off their desires from what they sought in His statement:

“While, no one knows its interpretation except Allah.” (SurahAal ‘Imran, (3): 7)"

NOTES:


Aqida

Can we speculate about Allah with our own knowledge? The statement of Allah narrated from Isa ibn Maryam –

Peace be on him:

“You know what is in myself and I do not know what is in

Yourself. ” (Soorah al- Maa’idah, (5): 116)

This explains that even the answer of a Prophet of Allah

was not subject to his own interpretation, even with the

vast knowledge that came with prophethood. The

contentious question, "How?" is not entertained because it

will lead to unending questioning and speculation of the essence of Allah which will lead to disbelief.

The Prophet ملسو هيلع هللا ىلص asked someone called Husayn : “How many

gods do you worship? ” He replied, “Seven; Six on Earth and one above the heavens.” He asked him, “From Whom do you

seek your needs and protection from your fears? ” Husayn

replied, “From the One above the heavens.” He then told him, “Leave the six and worship the One who is above the

heavens and I will teach you two prayers.” He accepted

Islam. NOTES:


Aqida

The Arsh (Throne) of Allah

Imam Malik ibn Anas – May Allaah have mercy on him – was

asked: “O Abu ‘Abdullah, “The Most Merciful has settled

above the throne,” how did He settle above?” He replied, “Settling above is not unknown, the how is incomprehensible,

belief in it is obligatory, and questioning about it is

innovation.” He then instructed that the man be seized and

expelled from the gathering. Narrated by al-Bayhaqee in al-Asmaa was-Sifaat,, ad-Daarimee in ar-Radd ‘alaa al-

Jahmiyyah,

: كنا عند مالك بن أنس فجاء رجـل فقال : � أ� عبد هللا الرمحن على

العرش استـوى فكيف استوى؟، قال: فأطرق مالك رأسه حىت (( االستواء ، واإلميان به واجب، والسؤال عنه بدعة،غري جمهول،والكيف غري معقول

Our knowledge and belief in a matter is not dependent on

knowing its kayfiyyah. In other words, not knowing the description and reality of an attribute neither negates nor

opposes believing in the Attribute itself as there is no

interdependence between the meaning and the kayfiyyah.


Aqida

The Messenger of Allah, the ultimate teacher about Allah. Imam al-Awza’i narrates that Hassan ibn Atiyyah said,

“The revelation used to descend on the Messenger of Allah and Jibreel would bring him the Sunnah which interprets ملسو هيلع هللا ىلص

that revelation, so the Prophet ملسو هيلع هللا ىلص didn’t have any source for

his statements, actions and approvals except the Wahi

(revelation).

Then he recited:

“Nor does he speak of (his own) desire. It is only an

Inspiration that is inspired” (Qur’an 53:3-4).

The unique nature in which Islam was brought and taught, in

stages with the revelation from Allah of His uncreated

Word, the Quran al-Majeed, deserves special merit and the

Ulama are unanimous that there are nothing left out of knowledge in the development of a human being that was not

dealt with by the Rasul of Allah, Muhamad ملسو هيلع هللا ىلص . This human

development, ( not technological advancement which is

knowledge of " the names of things", which Allah gave to our ancestor Adam, alayhi salaam,) is the crowning glory of the

vast Sunnah of Muhamad ملسو هيلع هللا ىلص.


Aqida

Aboveness (uluw) is to be accepted without direction or 3D envisioning Qadi Abu Bakr Ibn Al-Arabi Al-Maliki said, when speaking

about Hadith on Allah's Attributes: «And the madhhab of Malik -Rahimahullah- is that each one of them [the hadiths

of Attributes] its meaning is known, that is why he said to

the one who asked him: "Al-Istiwa' is not unknown, and the

kayfiyyah [its reality, how it is] is incomprehensible.")

And it has been narrated that Imam Malik said: «Allah Azza wa Jal is above the heaven (fi as-sama') and His Knowledge

is everywhere, not being absent from anything.»

Muhammad bin Mawheb Al-Maliki (d. 406 H.) said in his

Sharh of Ibn Abi Zayd’s “Risalah” : “And the word “fi” (in) in the language of the Arabs can have the meaning “fawqa”

(above), like His saying: {Do you feel secure that He, Who is

over the heaven} [67:16] …{and I will surely crucify you fi

(on) the trunks of date palms} [20:71]. The people of Tafsir

said: He means “above it”, and it is the saying of (Imam) Malik from what he understood from the Tabi`een, from

what they understood from the Sahabah, whom understood

it from the Prophet –Sallallahu Alayhi wa Sallam- that Allah

is fis-sama’ (in the heaven) meaning: above it.

(Al-Uluw by Adh-Dhahabi (p.264)


Aqida

Imam Al-Qurtubi al Maliki (d. 671 H.) said in “Al-Asna fi Sharh

Asma’ Allah Al-Husna” after mentioning 14 sayings regarding Allah’s Istiwa : “And the most correct of these beliefs...., is what is manifest in the ayaat and hadiths, that Allah –Subhanahu wa Ta`ala- is on His Throne as He said in His Book, and upon the tongue of His Prophet without (asking) how,

separate from all His creation, this is the sum of the belief of the Pious Salaf from what has been transmitted from them by the Trustworthy narrators.” Imam Al-Qurtubi also says:

وإنما ترفع األیدي . بالعلو والعظمة ال باألماكن والجھات والحدود ألنھا صفات األجسامووصفھ بالدعاء إلى السماء ألن السماء مھبط الوحي، ومنزل القطر، ومحل القدس، ومعدن المطھرین من المالئكة، وإلیھا ترفع أعمال العباد، وفوقھا عرشھ وجنتھ؛ كما جعل هللا الكعبة قبلة للدعاء

والصالة، وألنھ خلق األمكنة وھو غیر محتاج إلیھا، وكان في أزلھ قبل خلق المكان والزمان وال وھو اآلن على ما علیھ كان. مكان لھ وال زمان .

The descriptions of aboveness (‘uluw) and grandeur are not in the sense of a place, direction of limits as these are the qualities of bodies. During supplication the hands are only raised towards the heavens because this is the place from where

revelation descends and rain falls, the place of purity where the pure Angels reside, and the deeds of creation are raised towards it, and over the heaven is His ‘Arsh and Paradise – just like Allah has made the Ka’bah the direction (qibla) for supplication and prayer. This is because Allah has created place

and He is not in need of place Himself, He was in His beginning-less eternality before creating space and time, when there was no place or time, and He is now as He was.


Aqida

Imam Ghazali as-Shafi'i said in his Qawa'id al Aqa'id:

"Truly, He is seated on the throne after the manner in

which He said and in the sense in which He willed -in a state

of equilibrium removed from contact, fixity of location, stability, envelopment, and change. The throne does not

support Him, but the throne and those who carry it are

supported by the grace of His power and are constrained by

His hand. He is above the throne and above the Heavens and

above everything to the limits of the earth with an aboveness which does not bring Him nearer to the throne

and the Heavens, just as it does not make Him farther from

the earth. No, He is highly exalted above the throne and

the Heavens, just as He is highly exalted above the earth."

Thus the statements of the Most High: “Are you secure from the One above the heavens?” (Soorah

al-Mulk, (67): 16)

And the statement of the Prophet ملسو هيلع هللا ىلص: “Our Lord is Allah who is above the heavens, holy is Your Name" (Sunan Abu Dawud, vol. 3)


Aqida

Is Allah Everywhere? It is the belief of the rationalists who subscribed to the logic of the Greek translations that began to flourish during

the Umayyad era after the conquest of Egypt. They denied

Allah's attributes and His description of Himself was

questioned. Human rationality became a yardstick, not the

word of the Most High.

Ibn Abdul-Barr Al-Maliki (d. 463 H.) in “At-Tamheed” when

explaining the hadeeth regarding Allah’s Nuzool : “And in it

is evidence that Allah –Azza wa Jal- is above the heaven on

the Throne, from above seven heavens, as the Jama`ah said. And it is from their evidences against the Mu`tazilah

and Jahmiyyah who says that Allah –Azza wa Jal- is

everywhere, and not on the Throne.”

( Remember the principle - Dont ask How?)

In opposing the view of the people of Sunnah, the

Mu'tazillah seeked to explain away what their logic saw as

attributing direction to Allah, and proposed that Allah is

everywhere.


Aqida

Jahm ibn Safwan the heretic Abu Muàdh Khalid bin Sulaiman Al-Balkhi (d. 199 H.) said: «al-Jahm bin Safwan was on the crossing of Tirmidh, and he had an eloquent tongue, but he had no knowledge, and had no sitting with the people of knowledge. He then spoke to the Sumaniyah, and they said to him: “Describe for us your Lord whom you worship.” So he entered his home and didn’t come out (for some time), then he came out to them after several days and said: “He is this air, (He is) with everything, and in everything, nothing is free of Him.” Abu Muàdh said: “The enemy of Allah has lied, Allah is above the heavens (fis-sama) on the Throne as He described Himself.» Ishaq bin Rahwaih said (d. 238 H.) : «The sign of Jahm and His companions is their claim, with their passion with lying, that Ahl Al-Jam’ah are Mushabbiha (one’s who liken Allah to His creation), nay but they are Muàttilah (negators of Allah’s Attributes), and if it was probable to say: “they are the Mushabbiha”, it would be possible, for they say : Allah -Subhanahu Wa Taala- is everywhere with all of Him, in the lowest earth and the highest heaven the same, and they have lied in that, and kufr (disbelief) is imperative of them.» Abu Asim Khushaish bin Asram (d. 235 H.) said, when classifying the Jahmiyyah: «Some of them claims that there is no veil between Allah and His Creation, and that Allah cannot be separated from His creation and His creation cannot separate from Him unless He annihilate all of His creation, so none is left of His creation. And that He is at the end the Last of His creation mixed with it, so if He took the life of His creation, He would be clear of them and they would be clear of Him ...


Aqida

Another type of Jahmiyyah denied that Allah –subhanahu wa Ta’ala- is above the Heaven (fi as-sama), denied The Kursi, and denied that Allah is above the Throne, above the heavens; And they say that Allah is everywhere, existing even in dirty places, Exalted Be Allah from what they say.

Remember: Allah is free of likeness, place, our

imagination...By introducing the questioning of Allah's description in His revelation, a

re-interpretation, explaining away, became necessary, leading to even more

preposterous presumptions by the Jahmiah and the Mu'tazillah. This philosophical

approach was later incorporated amongst Sufi orders as well, who wished to explain

the verse: "Everywhere you look is the Face of Allah."


Aqida

What follows is the translation of the Aqida section of

the Matn Risala ibn Abi Zayd, which was done by Alhaj

Bello Mohammad Daura, MA. The commentary was done

by the author of this current book in order to contextualise it to our situation.

Who was Ibn Abi Zayd?

Ibn Abi Zayd was known as the Little Malik, in that he

was regarded as being so closely on the methodology of

Malik, in scrupulousness and understanding. He was from Qayrawan in North Africa and lived from 310AH

to 386AH.

He was the Imam of the Malikis in his time and their

model. He had a comprehensive grasp of the school of

Malik and explained his statements. He had extensive knowledge and a prodigious memory and transmission.

His books are ample testimony of that. His writing was

fluent, clarifying and defining what he said. He did not

write in flowery language but penned what was easily

understood and whose meaning was apparent and clear. He defended the school of Malik and established

evidence in its support. He knew how to refute the

people of sects. In addition to his writing, he was very

righteous, scrupulous and chaste. He obtained leadership in the deen and this world and people from

all regions travelled to visit him.

His work on Aqida is a bastion of the belief of the

Ahlus Sunnah.


Aqida

1.1 Beliefs regarding Allah

1.1a Tawhid -His Oneness and Disconnection from creatures

(tanzih) These obligatory tenets include believing in the heart and

expressing with the tongue that Allah is One God with no

god other than Him, nor any likeness to Him, nor any equal

to Him.

1.1b. Lack of Associates He has had no child. He had no father. He has no wife. He

has no partner.

1.1c. Lack of Temporality

There is no beginning to His firstness nor any end to His

lastness. 1.1d. Ineffablity and Indefinablity

Those who try to describe Him can never adequately do so

nor can thinkers encompass Him in their thought. Real

thinkers may derive lessons from His signs but do not try to

think about the nature of His Essence. "But they do not

attain any of His knowledge except what He wills." (2:254)

Aqida of Ibn Abi Zayd al Maliki


Aqida

1.1e. His Footstool

"His Footstool embraces the heavens and the earth, and

their preservation does not tire Him. He is the Most High, the Magnificent" (2:254)

1.1g. His Attributes

The All-Knower and the All-Aware, the Arranger and the

All-Powerful. The All-Hearer and the All-Seeing. The High

and the Great. He is over His Glorious Throne by His Essence.

1.1g. His knowledge

He is everywhere by His knowledge. He created man and He

knows what his self whispers to him and He is nearer to him

than his jugular vein. No leaf falls without him knowing of it

nor is there any seed in the darkness of the earth, nor any fresh thing nor any dry thing, that is not in a clear book.

1.1h. Mastery over all creation

He is firmly established on His throne and has absolute

control over His kingdom.

1.1i. His Names and Attributes "To Allah belong the Most Beautiful Names" (7:180)

1.1j. His Speech and Manifestation

He spoke to Musa with His speech which is an attribute of

His essence and not something created. He manifested

Himself to the mountain and it disintegrated through exposure to His majesty.


Aqida

The Prophet said:

“O Allah, I ask you by every name belonging to You with which You named

Yourself, or You revealed in Your scripture, or You taught one of Your

creatures, or You kept with Yourself exclusively in the hidden knowledge.” [Musnad Ahmad, vol. 1, p. 394, 452]

Allah's names and attributes are not decided by reason but by Revelation.

Thus we accept all his names and attributes as He revealed without asking

How. When He describe Himself by terms like His Hands, it can be

explained metaphorically, or accepted as is without further delving. And

affirmation, due to lack of our own knowledge, is preferred over reason

which subjects Allah to our knowledge.

“And to Allah belongs the supreme example” (Soorah an-Nahl, (16): 60)

However attributes in creation that represents deficiency without any

element of perfection, is absolutely inapplicable to Allah. For example,

death, ignorance, inability, deafness, blindness, etc. Because the Almighty

punishes those who attribute deficiency and imperfection to Himself and He

exalted Himself far above the deficiencies they attributed to Him due to the

contradiction of deficiency to Lordship and sovereignty.

In outlining the points of belief in Allah, ibn Abi Zayd gives a short but

concise description which is a framework for correct belief in the Asma wa

Sifaat as described in the Quran and Hadith. Thus Allah is given the glory of

naming and attributing to Himself what he wants, not subject to human

intellect. For instance :

“They plot and Allaah plots, and Allaah is the best of plotters.” (Soorah

al-Anfaal, (8): 30)

Does this ayat indicate something negative about Allah? No. If it is asked,

for example: “Can Allah be described as plotting?” Do not say yes or

no. Instead say that He plots against those who deserve it, and Allah knows

best.


Aqida

1.2 Belief in the Qur'an

The Qur'an is the speech of Allah, not something created

which must therefore die out, nor the attribute of something created which must therefore come to an end.

1.3 Belief in the Decree (Qadar)

1.3a. The Prior Decree of Good and Evil Also included is belief in the Decree both the good of it and

the evil of it, the sweet of it and the bitter of it. All of this

has been decreed by Allah, our Lord. The way things are

decided is entirely in His hand and the way they happen is

according to His decree. He knows all things before they come into existence and they take place in the way He has

already decided.

The early Muslims never differed that this audible Qur’an is Allah’s Speech, and that Jibreel

descended with it upon the Prophet ملسو هيلع هللا ىلص . The reliable imams all declared that the Quran is

eternal, as stated here by Ibn Abi Zayd, while the Mu’tazila claimed that it is created. Later

some Muslims agreed with the Mu’tazila that the Quran is created and said: ‘This is not

Allah’s Speech. Rather, Allah’s Speech is an Attribute subsisting in Allah’s Essence. It did not

descend on the Prophet, nor is it audible.'

We do not oppose the basic statement of Ibn Abi Zayd. It is safer to accept that the Quran is

Kalaamullah, without questioning how?


Aqida

1.3b. Prior Knowledge

There is nothing that His servants say or do which He has

not decreed and does not have knowledge of. "Does not He

who creates know, when He is the Subtle and the Aware."

(67:14)

1.3c. The Prior Predisposition of People

He leads astray whoever He wills and in His justice debases

them and He guides whoever He wills and in His generosity

grants them success. In that way everyone is eased by Him to what He already has knowledge of and has previously

decreed as to whether they are to be among the fortunate

or the miserable.

1.3d. Exaltedness of Allah's power

He is exalted above there being anything free of Him in His kingdom, or that there should be anything not dependant on

Him, or that there should be any creator of anything other

than Him, the Lord of all people, the Lord of their actions,

the One who decrees their movements and the time of their

death.


Aqida

1.4 Belief in the Messengers and Muhammad ملسو هيلع هللا ىلص

1.4a. The sending of Messengers

He has sent Messengers to them in order that they should

have no argument against Him.

1. 4b. The Final Messenger

He sealed this Messengership, warning, and Prophethood with his Prophet Muhammad, may Allah bless him and grant

him peace, whom He made the last of the Messengers - "A

bringer of good news and a warner, calling to Allah by His

permission and an illuminating lamp."

1.4c. Divine Guidance through the Book

He sent down on him His Wise Book and by means of him He explained his upright deen and guided people to the

Straight Path.

It is obligatory to believe in the Prophet ملسو هيلع هللا ىلص as the final Messenger

and final Prophet. It is necessary to accept everything that the

Prophet ملسو هيلع هللا ىلص has brought to us, that authentically narrated from him.

We believe accept that what he brought is truth and correct,

whether we understand it or are ignorant of it and have not

understood the reality of its meaning. For example, the Night

Journey (Israa ) and the Ascension (Mi‘raaj) which took place in

the waking state and not during sleep. The Quraysh tribe rejected it

and considered it a gross error, while not denying dreams. To the

Prophet ملسو هيلع هللا ىلص was revealed the final complete revelation, al-Quran. He

was described as the Living Quran by his wife Aisha, radialllahu

anha.


Aqida

1.5. Belief in the Resurrection and Judgement

1.5a. The Last Hour

Also part of what must be believed is that the Hour is coming - there is no doubt about it .

1.5b. Resurrection of the Dead

It must be believed that Allah will raise up all who have

died: "As He brought them into existence the first time so

they will be brought back again;" 1.5c. Divine Reward: Multiplication of Good Actions

It must be believed that Allah, glory be to Him, multiplies

the reward of the good actions of His believing servants.

1.5d. Pardoning Wrong Actions

He pardons them for their major wrong actions by virtue of

their repentance (tawba) and forgives them for their minor wrong actions by virtue of their avoidance of the major

wrong actions.

1.5e. Those who do not repent are subject to His will

Those who do not repent of their major wrong actions

become subject to His will. "He does not forgive anything being associated with Him, but He forgives anything other

than that to whoever He wills."


Aqida

1.5f. Deliverance from the Fire because of Iman

Those He punishes with His Fire, He will remove from it

because of any Iman they did have and by this He will

cause them to enter His Garden. "Whoever does an atom's

weight of good will see it." (99:7) 1.5g. The Intercession of the Prophet

Any of the community of the Prophet, may Allah bless him

and grant him peace, who have committed major wrong

actions and for whom he intercedes, will be brought out of

the Fire by his intercession.

1.6 The Afterlife: the Garden and the Fire

1.6a. The Garden

Allah has created the Garden and has made it ready as an

everlasting abode for His friends (awliya'). He will honour

them in it with the vision of His Noble Face. This is the same Garden from which He sent down Adam, His Prophet

and Khalif, to the earth, which was as it had already been

decreed in His foreknowledge.

1.6b. The Fire

He has created the Fire and has made it ready as an everlasting abode for those who disbelieve in him and deny

His signs and Books and Messengers and He keeps them

veiled from seeing Him.


Aqida

1.7 Details of the Resurrection

1.7a The Coming of Allah and the Angels

Allah, may He be blessed and exalted, will come on the Day of Rising together with the angels, rank upon rank.

1.7b. Presentation of Peoples

All the different peoples are confronted with their

accounts and their punishment or reward.

1.7c. The Balance The balances will be set up to weigh people's actions -

"Whoever's actions are heavy in the balance - they are the

successful."

1.7d. The Books of Actions

People will be given pages on which their actions are

recorded - "Whoever is given his book in his right hand will be given an easy accounting and whoever is given his book

behind his back - they will burn in a Fire." (84:7- 13)

1.7e. The Sirat

The Bridge (sirat) is true and people will cross it according

to their actions. Those who cross it, and achieve safety from the Fire, do so at different speeds, while the actions

of others cast them to their destruction in the Fire.


Aqida

1.7f The Basin

Also included is belief in the Basin (hawd) of the Messenger

of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, which his community will come down to drink from after which

they will never feel thirst again. But those who make any

changes or alterations in the dîn will be driven from it.

1.8 Belief (Iman)

1.8a. Definition of Iman

Iman consists of what you say with the tongue, what you

believe sincerely in the heart, and what you do with the

limbs.

1.8b Increase and Decrease of Belief It increases when your actions increase and decreases when

they decrease. So it is through actions or the lack of them

that increase and decrease in belief occurs.

1.8c. The intention and following the Sunna

The statement of belief is not complete without action. Neither the statement nor action are complete without

intention. And neither the statement nor intention are

complete unless they are in accordance with the sunna.


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1.8d. Islam and Wrong actions

No Muslim becomes an unbeliever (kafir) through wrong

actions. 1.8e. Martyrs

Martyrs (shuhada') are alive, receiving their provision in the

presence of their Lord.

1.8f. In the grave: the spirits of the fortunate

The spirits of the fortunate remain in bliss until the day they are raised again.

1.8g. In the grave: the spirits of the miserable

The spirits of the miserable are tormented until the Day of

Judgement.

1.8h. The questioning in the grave

The believers are tried and questioned in their graves. "Allah makes those who believe firm by giving them firm

words in the life of this world and the next world."


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1.9 The Angels

1.9a. The Recording Angels

People have recording angels over them who write down

their actions. Nothing people do escapes the knowledge of their Lord.

1.9b. The Angel of Death

The angel of death seizes people's spirits by the permission

of his Lord.

1.10 Authorities

1.10a The Best generation

The best generation are those who saw the Messenger of

Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and believed

in him. Then those who followed them and then those who

followed them.

1.10b. The best Companions

The best of the Companions (Sahaba) are the rightly-guided

khalifs. Firstly, Abu Bakr, then 'Umar, then 'Uthman, then

'Ali, may Allah be pleased with all of them.


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1.10c. Respect for all the Companions

None of the Companions of the Messenger should be

mentioned except in the best way and silence should be maintained concerning any disagreements that broke out

between them. They are the people who are most worthy of

being considered in the best light possible and the people

whose opinions should be most respected.

1.10d. Those in authority

Obedience to the leaders of the Muslims, both their rulers

and their men of knowledge, is obligatory.

1.10e. The Salaf

It is also obligatory to follow the Right-acting Companions, to tread in their footsteps and ask forgiveness for them.

1.10f. Avoiding Disputation

It is also obligatory to avoid wrangling and argumentation

regarding the Deen ...


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1.10g. Avoiding Innovations (Bidah) ...and (it is obligatory) to avoid every new thing which people

have introduced into it (the Deen).

New matters of worship in the Deen are shunned as per the hadith in the Sahih of

Muslim and many others:

Narrated Irbad ibn Sariyah:

AbdurRahman ibn Amr as-Sulami and Hujr ibn Hujr said: We came to Irbad ibn

Sariyah who was among those about whom the following verse was revealed: "Nor

(is there blame) on those who come to thee to be provided with mounts, and when

thou saidst: "I can find no mounts for you."

We greeted him and said: We have come to see you to give healing and obtain

benefit from you.

Al-Irbad said: One day the Apostle of Allah (peace_be_upon_him) led us in

prayer, then faced us and gave us a lengthy exhortation at which the eyes shed tears

and the hearts were afraid.

A man said: Apostle of Allah! It seems as if it were a farewell exhortation, so what

injunction do you give us?

He then said: I enjoin you to fear Allah, and to hear and obey even if it be an

Abyssinian slave, for those of you who live after me will see great disagreement.

You must then follow my sunnah and that of the rightly-guided caliphs. Hold to it

and stick fast to it. Avoid novelties, for every novelty is an innovation, and every

innovation is an error.

In the Muwatta: Yahya related to me from Malik, from Yahya ibn Said, from

Muhammad ibn Ibrahim ibn al-Harith at-Taymi, that Rabia ibn Abdullah ibn al-Hudayr

once saw a man in a state of ihram in Iraq. So he asked people about him and they said,

"He has given directions for his sacrificial animal to be garlanded, and it is for that reason

that he has put on ihram ."

Rabia said, "I then met Abdullah ibn az-Zubayr and so I mentioned this to him and he

said, 'By the Lord of the Kaba, an innovation!"


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May Allah bless and give much peace to our Master

Muhammad ملسو هيلع هللا ىلص , His Prophet, and his family and his wives and

his descendants


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Arabic Matn of the Aqida.


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First Draft End

aqida from the ground up1

Spiritual