2. THE MUSLIM'S BELIEF
BY
ShaikhMuhammadas-Silehat-Uthaimin
Translatedby
Dr. ManehHammadal-Johani

3. TABLE OF CONTENTS
- Translator's
Foreward
- ShaikhIbn Baz'sPreface
- Author's Introduction
Chapter
I - Beliefin Allah's Lordship,Oneness,
and
Attributes
Allah's Will: Universal
and Legal
More of Allah's Artributes
Describing
Allah by His Revelation
chapterrl
: il::::;.::#'o.lll,-, contradi.
tions
Chapter
III - Angel'sFunctions
Chapter
IV - Beliefin Allah'sBooks
- Booksknown
- The Qur'a-n
Protected
from Change
- Previous
Scriptures
Changed.
Chapter
V - Beliefin l,lessengers
- The Firstend LastMessengers
- The BestMessengers

4. - Messengers Human beings
are
- Islam:The Universal
and Final Message
- RightlyGuidedcaliphs
- Prophet's
Companions
Chapter
VI - Beliefin the Angels
- Beliefin Resurrection
- Beliefin Records
and Scales
- The Prophet'sIntercession
- The StraightPath
Beliefin Paradise Hell
and
- Beliefin What Happens the Grave
in
ChapterVII - Belief in Fateand Divine Decree
- Levelsof Beliefin Fate
- Man's FreeWill
- Fate No Excuse Sinners
for
- Evil Not Attributable Allah
ro
ChapterVIII - Virtuesof Beliefin Allah
- Virtuesof Beliefin Angels
- Virtuesof Beliefin Books
- Virtuesof Beliefin Messengers
- Virtuesof Beliefin Day of Judgement
- Virtuesof Beliefin Fate.

5. TRANSLATOR'SFOREWARD
ln the Name of Allah. Mosl Grgcious, Most Merciful
I found this treatise of the Muslim's creed a conciseand useful pre-
sentation of a very important topic. The need for this treatise,especially
among the non-Arabic speakingreaders.cannot be over-estimated.The-
refore, I decidedto transalte it and make it accessable English readers.
to
I would like to draw the attention of the readersto the following
points:
l. I gave the book the title THE MUSLIM'S BELIEF insteadof the
author's'Agidat Ahl rs Sunnahwe-l-Jami.ah which may be trans-
lated as The Creed of the Peopleof Sunnahand Mejority. I think
my preference justified by:
is
a) The title I preferredis shorter
b) The two titles mean almost the same
c) The original title containssometechnicalterms that are not only
difficult to translate,but also difficult to understandby many rea-
ders.
d) The original title may antogonizesome readerswho are misin-
formed about the true designations the words in the original
of
title.
2. I provided, in parentheses after every Qur'dnic verse,the numbers
cf chaptersand versesquoted by the author without giving their
proper reference. This I deemed useful for readers who do not
know the Qur'an by heart and would like to check any of these
verses.
3. Because author, in most cases,quotes or paraphrases
the some of
the Prophetic traditions without indicating them to the readers.I
tried, wheneverI could recognize thesetraditions, to put them in
quotations and to cite in parentheses Prophetic collectionsin
the
which they are reporred.In most casesI limited myself to Bukhari
and Muslim collections, whenever sayingis quoted in them. If it
the
is not in thesetwo collections,'l mention one or two of the other
collectionsthat contain the quoted saying.
4 . I p r o v i d e dt h e a r r a n g e m e no f t h e t e x t i n t o c h a p t e r s n d h e a d l i n e s
t a
for easeof reading and understanding.I also provided a table of
contentsfor easeof reference.
-5-

6. 5. ln translatingthe Qur'6nic versesquoted in this treatise,I did not
follow any specific translation of the Qur'in. I benefited from
more than one, but followed my own preference.
It is my sinceredesireand hope that this book would be of greathelp
to thosewho consult it. Please include in your prayer all those who con-
tributed to its presentshape.
M.J.
-6-

7. PREFACE SHAIKH ABD AL.AZIZ IBN BAZ
BY
In the Name of Allah. Most Gracious.lfost llerciful.
P r a i s eb e l o n g st o A l l a h a r o n e ;p c a c ea n d b r c . ' r i r r orn t h e l a s t p r o -
,
p h e t ,h i s f a m i l v a n d h i s c o m p a n i o n s .
I w a s i n t r o d u c c d o r h el a l u a b l ea n c lc o n c i s c r c a t i s ro n t h e M u r l i m . s
t t .
belief preparcd b1' our brorher. rhe -ereatschotar. shaikh N{uhanrrnad
a s - s d l e h l - U r h a i m i n . l i s r c n c .tc l i t a l l a n d t ' o u n d; h a r i r c o v e r s h e
a I tr t crccd
o f t h e S u n n i r c s n d t h e m a i ' s t r c a n lm a j o r i t yo f l l r c i l u s l i m s , i n t h c
a arca
o f t h e o n e n e s so f A l l a h . H i s A , r r r i b u t e s , c b c r i c f i n r h e A n g e r s .t h c
th
B o o k s a n d r h e l c s s c n - c c r sl.: c D a 1 ' o f J u d g e m e n a n d i n t h e b c l i e f o f
i r
F a t e a n c !D i ' i n c D e c r e e .H e ' s u c c c c d c dn c o l l c c t i n gu h a r r h c s e c k c ro f
i
k n o r r ' l c d ga n d L ' ' c r ) t u s l i m n c c d i n h i s b e l i c . t ' i n I l a h . H i r , n g e l , . H i s
c A
S c r i p t u r e sH i s m e s s c ' n g e r s ,e D a 1 . o l ' J u d g c n r . ' a n c iF u t c .H c i n c l t r r l c < l
. th nr
i n h i s t r c a t i s e s c f u li n t o r m a t i o nr c l a r e crlo t h c l r t u s l i m , s e l i c f sr h a r
u b are
n o t r e a d i l ya ' a i l a b l c i n m a n y o f t h e b o o k s w r i r r e no n r h e s e o p i c s .M a y
t
Allah re'*'ardrhc aurhor, incrcasehim in knouredgcand guidance,ancl
make this book and his othcr books mosr uselul. ilay-Allah the Hcarer
and the Close, blessus and him and all our brothersanclmake us among
thosewho are guiding and righrly guidedto call peopleto Allah uirh surc
knowledge.
D i c t a t c db v ' A b d a l - A z i z i h n B a z . n r l y A l l a h f o r g i v c
h i n t u n d s h o w e rp e a c ca n d b l e s s i n g n
o
< r u rP r o p h c r l t u h a m n r a d ,h i s l ' : r m i 1 1a . d h i s
.n companions.
-7 -

8. AUTHOR'S INTRODUCTION
I n t h e N a m e o f A l l a h , M o s t G r a c i o u s ,M o s l M e r c i f u l .
P r a i s e e t o t h e L o r d o f t h e u n i v e r s e h o g i r e st h e b e s tr e w a r dt o t l r c
b w
godfearingand the great lossto the transgressor. bear witnessthat there I
is no God but Allah; He has no partner and possesses sovereignty. real I
bear witnessthat Muhammad is His servantand messenger; seal of the
the Prophetsand the leaderof the godfearing.May Allah blesshim and
blesshis family, companionsand those who follow them till the Day of
Judgement.
Allah has sent His messenger Muhammad, peacebe upon him' with
the real guidanceand the true religionas a mercyto mankind, a model for
those who do good, and Allah's argument against mankind. Through
Mumhammad and what was revealed him, namely,the Qur'6n and the
to
Prophetic sayings,Allah showedmankind all meansof reforming them-
selves and straighterring their religious and mundane affairs in sound
beliefs,right conducts,fine morals, and laudablemanners.The Prophet,
peacebe upon him, 'left his followers' on a clear straight path, only the
doomed will deviatefrom it." (lbn Mdjah & Ahmad) His followers,the
companiorrs,their followers and those who faithfully followed them are
the best of mankind. They established law, upheld his way and held
his
fast to it as a belief and piactice,a moral and manner. By this, "They are
consideredthe party who are victorious, on the straight path, unharmed
by those who are against them till the end of the world." (Bukhiri &
Muslirl).
We, thanks to Allah, are following their footstepsand guided by
their exampleswhich are supported by the Qur'dn and the Prophetic tra-
ditions. We are sayingthis only as an announcement Allah's blessings
of
and clarificationof what every Muslim should believe.We pray to Allah
that He may keep us and our brotherson the straightpath in this life and
in the Hereafter and give us mercy from Him, He is the Giver.
It is beeauseof the importance ol this topic and the difference of
opinions about it, that I want to briefly explain our creed - the belief of
the Sunnites and the main stream Muslims (Ahl as-Sunneh
wr-l-Jami'ah). This creedis the belief in Allah, His Angels, His Books,
His Messengers, Day of Judgement,and Fate whether good or bad. I
the
prav to Allah to make this effort sincerefor His sake, in agreementwith
Hrs wish, and useful for His people.
M.S.U.
-8-

9. CHAPTER I
OUR CREED
Our creedis to believe Allah, His Angels,
in His Books,His Mes-
sengers, Day of Judgertrent, Fatewhether
the and good or bad.
Belief in Allah's Lordship,Oneness, Attributes
snd
- We believe Allah'sDivinity,thatis He is theLord, theCreator,
in the
Sovereign, the Manager all affairs.
and of
- We believe Allah's Codship;
in that is, He is theTrue God andevery
other deity is false.
- We believein His Namesand Attributes, that is He has the mosr
magnificent Namesand the sublimeperfectAttributes.
- We believe His Oneness all this, that is, He hasno associate
in in in
His Divinity,His Godship, Names, His Attributes.
His or Allah says
in the Qur'6n: "He is the Lord of the Heavens and the Earth and all
that is in betweenthem, so worship Him and be patient in His
worship, you know any equalto Him." (19:65)
do
- We believe that He is "Allah thereis no Cod but He, the Living the
Everlasting.Slumber does not seizeHim, neither sleep;to Him
belongs that is in the Heavens
all and the Earth. Who is therethat
shallintercede with Him except His permission? knowswhat is
by He
beforethem and what is behindthem, and they do not emcompass
anythingof His knowledge except what He wills. His Throneextends
over the Heavens and the Earth; the preservation them doesnot
of
burdenHim; He is the High, the Great." (2:255)
- We believe that "He is Allah, thereis no god but He - the Knower
of the Unseen the Visible,He is the Most Gracious,
and Most Mer-
ciful. He is Allah, thereis no God but He, the King, the Holy One,
the Source of Peace, the Keeper of Faith, the Guardian, the
Almighty, the Subduer, Sublime.Glory be to Allah abovewhat
the
they associate with Him. He is Allah, the Creator, the Maker, the
Shaper, arethe mostbeautifulNames. that is in the Heavens
His All
and the Earth glorfies Him. He is the Almighty, the Wise."
t59:22-4)
- We believe that to Him belongs kingdomof the Heavens the
the and
Earth: "He creates what He pleases. gives,to whom He wills,
He
females, He gives, whom He wills, males,. He couples
and to or them,
males and females; and He makes whom He wills barren.Surely,Hc
is the Knowing.the Powerful." (42:49-50).
-9-

10. We believethat "There is nothing whateverlike unto Him, He is thc
All-Hearing, the AII-Seeing.To Him belongsthe keys of the Hea-
v e n s a n d t h e E a r t h . H e e n l a r g e s n d r e s t r i c t s r o v i s i o n st o w h o m
a p
He wills. Surely He has knowledgeof everything." (42:l l-12).
We believethat "There is no creaturethat movesin the Earth but its
provision dependson Allah. He knows its dwelling and its resting
place. AII is recordedin a clear Book." (l l:6)
We believethat "With Him are the keys of the Unseen;none knows
them but He. He knows what is in land and sea;not a leaf falls, but
He knows it. Not a grain in the deep darknessof the Earth, not a
thing greenor dry but it is in a clear Book." (6:59).
We believethat "Allah alone has the knowledgeof the Hour, sends
down rain, and knows what is in the wombs. No soul knows what it
shall earn tomorrow, and no soul knows in what land it shall die.
Surely, Allah is All-knowing, All-aware." (31:34)
We believe that Allah speaks wbatever He pleaseswhenever [{e
pleases"And Allah spoke to Moses directly." Q:164) "And when
Moses came at Our appointed place, and his Lord spoke to him."
(7:143) "We called to him from the right side of the Mount (Sinai),
and We brought him near in communion." (19-52)
We believethat "If the oceanbecameink for the words of my Lord,
the ocean would be finished before the words of my Lord came lo
a n e n d . " ( 1 8 : 1 0 9 )" A n d i f a l l t h e t r e e st h a t a r e i n t h e e a r t h w e r e
pens, and the ocean (were ink), with sevenoceansswellingit there-
fore, the words of Allah would not be exhausted.Surely, Allah is
M i g h t y , W i s e . " ( 3 1: 2 7 ) .
We believe that Allah's words are the most truthfirl in conveying
information, the most just in ruling, and the fairest in conversation.
He said, "The word of your Lord has been fulfilled in truth and
justice." (6:l15) "And who is more truthful in his word than
Allah?" (4:74).
We believethat the Qur'an is Alllh's words. He literally spoke it to
Gabriel who conveyedit to the Prophet, peacebe upon him: "Say
(O Muhammad) the Holy Spirit has brought it down from your
Lord in truth." (16:102) "Truly it is the revelationof the Lord of
the worlds brought down upon your heart by the Faithful Spirit sc
that you may be one of the warners,in a clear Arabic tongue."
(26:192-5)
We believethat Allah is well above his creaturesin His person and
His Attributes, becauseHe says, "He is the High, lhe Great."
-10-

11. (2:255) "He is Supreme over His servants, He is the Wise.the
and
(6:
All-aware." l8).
- We believe that He "created Heavens the Earthin six days,
the and
then He settledHimselfon the Throne;He manages everything."
(i0:3) His "settling on the Throne" meansthat He is sitting in
person His Thronein a way that is becoming His Majesty
on to and
greatness. Nobodybxcept knowsexactly
He how He is sitting.
- We believe that He is with His crearures while He is still on His
Throne.He knowstheir conditions, hearstheir sayings, sees their
deeds and manages their affairs.He provides the poor'andthe
for
broken.He givessovereignty whom He pleases takesaway
to and
sovereig,nty from whom He pleases; exaltswhom He wills and
He
He abases whom He wills. In His hand is all good and He is
powerful over everything.Whoever possesses these qualitites is
literallywith His creatures evenif He is literallyaboverhemon His
Throne. "There is nothing whatsoever unto Him; He is the
like
g."
All-hearing, All-seein (42:lll
the
- We do not say as the Incarnationists among the Jahomites and
otherssay, that is, Allah is living with His creatures Earth. We
on
considerwhoeversaysthis a non-believer strayingawaybecause
or
he attributedto Allah that doesnot become Him of defects.
- We believein what His Messenger told us that He descends the
to
nearsky beforethe lastthird of everynight and says:"Who prays
to Me and I will answer prayers?
his Who asksfMe and I will give
him? Who asksmy forgiveness I will forgivehim? (Bukhari&
and
Muslim).
- We believe that He will comeat the Day of Judgement judge to
amongHis people because said,"No indeed!
He whenthe Earth is
crushed powder,and your Lord comes
to down with the angels in
rowsafter rows,and Hell is broughtour that day. On that day man
will remember, but what will rememberance avail him?"
(89:21-23)
- We believe that He is the Doerof what He wills.
- 1'l-

12. ALLAH'S WILL: UNIVERSAL AND LEGAL
- We believe that His will is of two kinds:
Universal will: through which His intention is carried out. It is not
necessarythat what is carried out is liked by Him. This type of will means
permission,as Allah said, "Had Allah willed, they would not have fought
one againstthe other, but Allah doeswhateverHe desires," (2:253)and
"If Allah desires lead you astray, He is your Lord." (ll:34).
to
Legal will: which does not necessarilyentail that the execution of His
desire.The will, in this case,cannot be but what He likes, as He said,
"Allah wants to forgive you." (4:21)
- We believethat His universal and legal wills are part of His wisdom.
Every thing He performs in the universe or requires legally from His
creatures is for a good reason and according to His wisdom, whe-
ther we grasp it or it escapesour reasons: "ls not Allah the best of
Judges?" (95-9), "And who is better than Allah in judgement for
a peoplewho have firm faith." (5:50)
- We believethat Allah loves His selectservantsand they love Him:
"Say if you love Allah, follow me and Allah will love you," (3:31)
"Allah will bring a people whom He will love and who will love
Him", (5:45) "Allah loves the steadfast," (3:146) "And act justly,
surely, Allah loves the just," (49:9) and "Do good; Allah loves
those who do good." (5:93)
- We believe that Allah likes what He prescribed of good deeds and
sayingsand He dislikeswhat He prohibited of bad deedsand
sayings:"If you disbelieve, surely Allah does not need you, yet He
does not like disbelief for His servants;if you are thankful, this
pleases Him," (39:7), "But Allah disliked their marching forth. So
He kept them back, and it was said to them: "Stay with the weak-
lings." (9:aQ.
- We believethat Allah is pleasedwith those who believein Him and
do good deeds: "Allah is well pleasedwith them and they are well
pleasedwith Him. That is for him who fears his Lord." (98:8)
- We believe that Allah is angry with those who deserveHis anger
among the non-believers and others; "And those who think evil
thoughts of Allah, against them shall be the evil turn of fortune.
Allah is angry with them." (48:6) "But whoever opens his heart to
disbelief, on them is Allah's wrath and they shall have a severe
p "rnishment. (16:106).
"
-12-

13. MORE OF ALLAH'S ATTRIBUTES
- We believethat Allah has a glorious and dignified face: "There will
reinain the face of your Lord, majesticand splendid." (55:27)
- We believe that Allah has two generous hands: "No, both His
hands are wide open; He spendshow He pleases,"(5:64) "They do
not esteemAllah with the esteemthat is due to Him. The whole
Earth will be His handful on the Day of Resurrection,and the
Heavenswill be rolled up in His right hand. Glory be to Him and
exaltedis He above that which they associate with Him." (39-67)
- We believe that Allah possesses two real eyes, becauseHe said,
" A n d b u i l d t h e a r k u n d e r O u r e y e sa s W e r e v e a l . " ( l l : 3 7 ) T h e
Prophet, peace be upon him, said, "His veil is light. Had He
removed it, the sublimity of His countenance would have burnt all
that His sight reached." (Muslim & Ibn Mijah) The Sunnitesuna-
nimously have agreedthat His eyes are two. This is supported by
the Prophet's saying about rhe Dajjdl (the anri-Christ) that "he is
one-eyed and your Lord is not one-eyed." (Bukhiri & Muslim)
- We believethat "Eyes cannot perceiveHim, but He perceives the
e y e s ,H e i s t h e I n c o m p r e h e n s i b l t h e A l l - a w a r e . " ( 6 : 1 0 3 )
e,
- We believe that the believerswill see their Lord on the Day of
Resurrection:"Upon that day some faces shall be radiant, gazing
upon their Lord." (15:22-3)
- We believethat Allah has no equal because His Attributes are per-
fect: "There is nothing whatsoevelike unto Him. He is the All-
r
H e a r i n g ,t h e A l l - S e e i n g . "( 4 2 : l l )
- We believethat "No slumber or sleepseizesHim," (2:255)because
His life is perfect and eternal.
- We believethat He does not do injustice to anybody becauseHis
fairnessis perfect.
- We believethat He is not unawareof His servants'deedsbecause of
His perfect supervision and comprehensive knowledge.
- We believethat He is capableof doing anything in the Heavensor
in the Earth because His perfect knor.rledge
of and power: "lndeed
His command, when He desires thing, is only to say to it 'Be' and
a
it is." (36:82)
- We believe that He is free from wearinessand weaknessbecauseof
His super-power:"Surely, We created the Heavensand the Earth
and all that is betweenthem in six days, and no weariness touched
U s . "( 5 0 : 3 8 ) .
-13-

14. DESCRIBINGALLAH B Y H I S R E V E L A T I O I
We believe all that H e a s s i g n e do H i m s e l l ' o r w h a t H i s M e s s e n g : r
in t
describedHim with. of names and attributes; but we reject two
concepts:
l) To say or believethat Allah's Attributes are similar to those of
His creatures:
2) To say or believethat Allah's Attributes are like such and such.
We negateall what He negatedabout Himself or what His Messenger
negatedabout Him. We believethat negation implies the affirmation
of a perfect opposite. We do not discusswhat He or His Messenger
did not mention about Him.
We believe that following this apprach is a must becausewhat Allah
affirmed or negated concerning Himself is a statement He made
about Himself. He knows Himself best, His words are most just and
trustful and people cannot know everything about Him. What
Aliah's Messenger affirmed or negatedabout Him is a statementhe
made about Allah. Besidesknowing Allah bettcr than anyone, he is
the most truthful, sincereand eloquentamong people.Thus, in what
Allah said and what His prophet said concerning His Names and
Attributes is truth, knowledge,and clarification. Therefore,we have
no execuseto reject or even hesitate in accepting it.
-14-

15. PART II
T H E Q U R ( A N A N I ) S U N N A H : S O U R C E SO F H I S A T T R I B U T E S
All that we mentionedabout Allah's Altributes whetherbriefly or in
detail, affirmalively or negatively, basedon the Book of our Lord and
is
the traditions of our Prophet. lt also agreeswith the practiceof the pre-
vious generations Muslims and the rightly guided scholarswho gnms
of
a f t e rt h e m .
We believeit is obligator;-to take the texts of the Qur'an and the
Prophetictraditionsconcerning Allah's Attributes at their face valueand
interpret them in a way that is suitableto Almighty Allah. We reject the
practiceof thosewho twistedthe meanings thesetextsand understood
of
t h e m i n a w a y .l h a t w a s n o t i n t e n d e d y A l l a h a n d H i s m e s s e n g e r .
b
We also reject the practiceof thosewho made them devoid of their
meanings conveyedby Allah and His Messenger. finally reject the
as We
approachof the exaggerationists gavethem a pnysicalinterpretation
who
t h a t m a k e sA l l a h s i m i l a rt o s o m eo f H i s c r e a t u r e s .
THU QUR'AN AND SUNNAII: SOURCUS I HtS ATTRIBUTES
O
W e k n o r v f o r s u r et h a t w h a t i s r e v e a l e dn A l l a h ' s B o o k a n d i n t h e
i
t r a d i t i o n so f H i s M e s s e n g ei r t h e t r u t h . l t d o e sn o t c o n t a i na n y c o n t r a -
s
d i c t i o n : " D o t h e y n o t p o n d e ro v e r t h e Q u r ' d n ? I f i t h a d b e e nf r o m o t h e r
t h a n A l l a h , s u r e l yt h e y w o u l d h a v e f o t r n d i n i t a l o t o f d i f f e r e n c e s . "
(4:82)
C o n t r a d i c t i o n sn s t a t e m e n t f a l s i f y l h e m , a n d t h i s i s i m p o s s i b l en
i s i
t h o s es t a t e m e r r trs v e a l e dr o m A l l a h a n d s a i d b y l { i s M e s s e n g e r
e f p,e a c e
b e u p o n h i m . / l r o o ' e rc l a i m st h a t t h e r ea r c c o n t r a d i c l i o n is t h e Q u r ' a n ,
n
tht'l'ronheticraditions r betueen
t o t h e t r r ' om u s t h a v eu i c k c d i n t e n t i o n
a n d a m i s g u i d e d e a r t .S o h e s h o u l dr e p e n ta n d q u i t h i s s i t r . l l ' s o n r e o n e
h
i n r a g i n ets a t t h c r ca r c o r n ec o t t t r i t d i c t i t t itlrrs h e Q u r ' a n ,t l r es a y i n g o f
h t s
t h e P r o p h c to r b c l w e e n h e s el r v < ,t h i s m u s t b e a r e s u l to f h i s l i t t l e k n o w -
l r,
l e d g e ,i n a d e q u a t e n d e r s t a n d i no r l a c k o l d e e pt h i n k i n g .T h e r e f o r e , e
u g h
s h o u l ds e e kk n o r v l e d g a n d d o h i s b e s t ' i nr e f l e c t i o n n t i l t h e t r u t h i s c l e a r
e u
t o h i m . l f a f t e r a l l t h e s e f f o r t s , t h e t r u t h i s n o t c l e a rt o h i m , h e s h o u l d
e
l e a v e h e w h o l e m a t t e rl o t h e O n e w h o k n o w si t a n d s h o u l dq u i t h i s i m a -
t
g i n a t i o na n d s a ya s t h o s ef i r m l y r o o t e di n k n o w l e d g e a y : " W e b e l i e v en
s i
i t . a l l i s f r o m o r r rI o r d " ( l : 7 ) H e m u s l k n o r r t h a t t h e r ea r e n e i t h e c o n - r
t r a d i c t i o n s o r d i f f e r e n c e is t h e O u r ' a n , t h e S u n n a ho r b e t u e e n h e t w o .
n n t
- ll -

16. CHAPTER III
BELIEF IN ANGELS
- We believein the existence the angelsof Allah and that they are
of
,,honoured servants. They do not speak beforeHe does,and theyact
only by His command." (2l.26l Allah created them and they wors-
hippedand obeyedHim. Thosewho are at His presence not disdain
do
to worshipHim, nor do theyweary." (21:19)
- Angclsare concealed from us, we cannotseethem' Allah may show
them to someof His servants. The ProphetMuhammadsawcabriel
in his reat shapewith six hundredwings that coveredthe horizons
(Bukhlri & Muslim). Gabrieltook the form of a handsome human
beingwho met Mary and exchanged conversation with her. He came
to the Prophet while he was among his companions the appea-
in
ranceof an unknownman who did not showany traceof long travel,
with very white clothesand very black hair. He sat facingthe Pro-
phet: his kneesto the Prophet'sknees,peace upon him, and his
be
patmsontheProphet'sthighsandtalkedwiththeProphet.The
-Prophet
lat€r told his companions the man theysawwasGabriel
that
(Brrkhiri& Muslim).
ANGEL'S FUNCTIONS
- We believe tbat the angels assigned
are certainfunctions.Among the
angels Gabrielwho is entrustect revelation. brings down
is with He it
rrom nttatr to whomeverHe wishesamong His Prophetsand Mes-
sengers.
Among them is Michaelwho is in charge rain and plantation.
of
Among them also is tsraftLwho is in charge blowingthe Horn at the
of
time oi Thunderbolring and ftesurreclion, Among them is the Angel of
death,who takesar"af people's soulsat the time of death'Amongthe
angeliis the onewho is in charge mountain;
of and Malik, the keeper of
Hell.
Someangelsareinchargeofembryosinwombs,othersareresp
siblefor protecting humanbeings
the and otherangels busyin recor-
are
ding men's deeds:two angelsfor everyperson,"when the two angels
word
,"..iu. (hisdeeds), sittingon the right and oneon theleft, not a
one
hf utteri but by him is an observer ready." (50:18) Some otherangelsare
in chargeof questioning deedafter he is
the put in his last abode.Two
angels cometo him and ask him abouthis Lord, his Religion, and his
-16-

17. Prophet.There"Allah confirmsthosewho believe with the firm say,in
the presentlife and the Hereafter,and Allah leadsastraythe evildoers
and Allah doeswhat He wills." (14:27)
Someof the angels in charge the dwellers Paradise:
are of of "The
enterto them from everygate,saying'peace upon you for that
angels be
you werepatient.How excellent your final home." (13:24)
is
The Prophet, peacebe upon him, told us that seventythousand
angelsenteror pray in the PopulousHousein Heaven everyday. They
nevercomebackto it aslong asthey live." (because
their turn will never
come)(Bukhiri & Muslim).
-17-

18. CHAPTER IV
BELIEF IN ALLAH'S BOOKS
- We believe that Allah revealed Books to His Messengcrs pr'oof
as
against nankind and a guidance for the righteous workers. They
purified nd taught them wisdom by these Books.
- We be e that Allah sent down a Book with every Messenger
becaur He says "lndeed We sent down our Messengers with the
clear signs, and We sent down with them the Book and the
Ilalanceso that people may uphold justice." (57:25)
BOOKS XNOWN
Among theseBooks we know the following:
I The Torrh which was revealed Moses,peacebe upon him. lt is the
to
grealcst among the lsraelites' books. "Surely, f,'e sclrt down the
Torah, whercin is guidanceand light; by its laws tltc Jcrrs have beerr
judged by the Prophets who surrenderedthemselves Allah, the
lo
rabbis and the doctors of law becau:;elhey were entrustedthe pro-
tection of Allah's book and were witnesses thereto." (5:44)
2. The GospelrvhichAllah revealed Jesus,peacebe uporr him. lt is a
to
confirrnation of the T0rah and a complementto it. "And we gave
him the Gospel, *'herein is guidance and light and confirming the
Torah before it, as a guidance and an admonition to th,
godfearing." (5:46) "And to make lawful to you certairrthings that,
trefore,were forbidden to you." (3:50)
3. The Psalmswhich Allah gave to David, peacebe upon ltitlr.
4. Tablels of Abraham lnd Moses, peacebe upon them.
5. The Glorious Qur'an which was revealed to l{is Prophet
Itlulrammad, the Seal of the Prophets. ll is "a guidance to the
pcoplc and clear signs of guidanceand criterion bet'cct.l
right and
u rong." ( 2 :I 8 5 )
TI{E QIJR'AN lS PROTECTED ['ROM CHANGII
Ihe Qur'an is "confirming the scripture that was bcfore it and
standsas a guardianover it." Thus, by the Qur'an Allah ablogatedall the
pt cvi6n5Books. Allah hasalso guaranteed protectionlrotn any play or
its
nriscnievous distortion. "lndeed, We sent dorvn the messagc and We will
g t r a r di t . " ( 1 5 : 9 )T h a t i s b e c a u s eh e Q u r ' a n i s a p r o o f a g a i n s t a n k i n d
t m
till the f)ay of Judgement.
.-18-

19. PREVIOUS SCRIPTURES CHANGEI.)
The previousscripturrs were meant for a limited period that ended
with the revelationof what abrogatedthcm and exposed what had takcn
place in them of distortion and change.That is why they were not pro-
tected from corruption. They underwentdistortion, addition and omis-
sion. "Some of the Jewspervertwords from their meanings." (4:46)"So
'This is
woe to thosewho write the Book with their hands, and then say,
from Allah,' that they may sel. it for a little price. So woe to them for
what their hands have written, and woe to them for their earnings."
(2:79)"Say, who sentdown the Book that Mosesbrought as a light and a
guidanceto people?You put it into sheets papershowingsomeof thent
of
and concealingmuch." (6:91) "And there is a group among them who
twist their tongueswith the Book, that you may think it is a part of the
'lt
Book, but it is not part of the Book. And they say is from Atlah,' yet it
is not from Allah, and they tell a lie againstAllah and they know it. lt is
not for any human beingto whom Allah hasgiven the Book, the Wisdom
and the Prophethood to say to men "Worship me intead of Allah,"
(3:J8-70) "People of the Book! Our Messengerhas come to you,
making clear to you many things you have beenconcealing the Bookof
and forgive you much. A light has come to you from Allah and a glorious
Book, with u'hich He will guide whoeverfollows His pleasurein the way
of peace,and bringsthem forth from darkness into the light by His will."
( 5 :I 5 - l 6 )
-19-

20. CHAPTER V
BELIEF IN MESSENGERS
- We believethat Allah has sent to His people messengers who were
"bringing good tidings and warning, so that mankind might have
no argument against Allah after the messengers. Allah is All-
mighty, All-wise." (4: 165)
THE FIRST AND LAST MESSENGERS
- We believe that the first among the Messengers Noah and the
is
last is Muhammad, peacebe upon them all. "We revealedto you
as We revealed to Noah and the Prophets after hiin." (a:163)
"Muhammad is not the father of any of your men, but the Mes-
sengerof Allah and the Sealof the Prophets." (33:40)
THE BEST MESSENGERS
- We believe that the best among the messengers Muhammad, is
then Abraham, then Moses, then Noah and then Jesus, son of
Mary. It is they who are meant by the following Qur'inic verse:
"And when We took compact from the Prophets, and from you,
and from Noah. and Abraham, Moses, and Jesus,son of Mary.
We took from them a solemn compact." (33:7)
- W e b e l i e v e t h a t M u h a m m a d ' s m e s s a g e ,p e a c eb e u p o n h i m ,
includes all the merits of the messages those dignified messen-
of
gers becauseAllah says, "He ordained for you that He enjoined
on Noah and what He revealedto you and what He enjoined on
Abraham Moses and Jesus,namely, established this faith and be
u n i t e di n i t . " ( 4 2 : 1 3 )
MESSENGERS ARE HUMAN BEINGS
- We believe that all messenSers are created human beings who
have none of the divine qualities of Allah. Allah, the Exalted.
said about Noah. who was the first among them, "l do not say to
y o u , ' l p o s s e s sh e t r e a s u r e s f A l l a h , ' I d o n o t k n o w t h e u n s e e n ,
t o
'l am an angel'." (ll:31) Allah directed
and I do not say:
Muhammad who is the last among them to say: "I do not say to
you I possessthe treasures of Allah, nor do I know the unseen,
'l am an angel." (6:50) And to say: "l
and I do not say to you
have no power to bring profit or hurt for myself, but as Allah
-20-

21. wills." (7:188) And also to say: "1 have no power to hurt or
benefit you. Say none can protect me from Allah, nor can I find
any refuge besidesHim." (72:21-2)
- we believe that the messengers are among Allah's servants. He
blessedthem with the message and describedthem as servants,in
the context of praising and honouring them. So, He says about
Noah, the first among them: .,you.,are the descendants those of
whom We carried with Noah, he was a truly thankful servant."
(l7:3)
Allah said about the last among them, Muhammad, peacebe upon
him: "Blessed be He who sent down the eur'dn to His servant,that he
may warn mankind." (25: I ) He said about someother messengers: , ,And
mention our servantsAbraham, Isaac, and Jacob men of might and
vision." (38:45) "And rememberour servantsDavid who was a mighty
a n d p e n i t e n tm a n . " ( 3 8 :l 7 ) " A n d t o D a v i d , w e g a v eS o l o m a n ,h e w a s a n
excellentand penitent servant." (38:30)
Allah said about Jesus, son of Mary: ,,He is only a servantwhom We
blessed and we made him an exampleto the children of Isreal." (63:59)
- we believethat Allah concludedall messages with the message of
Muhammad, peacebe upon him, to all people because Allah said:
" S a y , ' O m a n k i n d , I a m A l l a h ' s m e s s e n g etro y o u a l l . T o H i m
belongs the Kingdom of the Heavensand the Earth; There is no
god but He. He ordains life and death. So believe in Allah and
His messenger, the unlettered prophet who believesin Allah and
His words. Follow him so that you may be rightly guided."
( 7 :I 5 8 )
ISLAM: THE UNIVERSAL AND FINAL MESSAGE
- we believe that rhe Sharijah of
the prophet Muhammad, peace
be upon him, is the religion of Isram which Ailah has chosen for
His servants and does not accept from anyone other rerigion,
b e c a u s eA l l a h , t h e E x a l t e d , s a i d , , , S u r e l y , r h e t r u e r e l i g i o - n n
i
A l l a h ' s s i g h t i s I s l a m , " ( 3 : 1 9 )a n d . H e a l s o s a i d , . . T o d a y I
have
perfectedyour religion for you and I have completed my
favour
u p o n y o u , a n d I h a v e c h o s e nl s l a m t o b e y o u r r e l i g i o n . , , ( 5 : 3 )
And "whoever desiresa religion other than Isram, it wilr never
be
acceptedfrom Him, and in rhe Hereafrer he will be among
the
l o s e r s . "( 3 : 8 5 )
-21 -

22. - lt is our opinion that whoeverclaims the acceptability any of
existingreligiontoday - other than lslam - such as Judaisnt,
Christianity and so forth, is a non-believer. shouldbe askedto
l{e
repent,if he doesnot, he must be killed as an apostate because he
is rejecting Qur'an.
the
It is alsoour opinionthat whoever rejects universal
the message of
Nluhamntad, peace upon him, is rejedting message all messen-
be the of
gers,evenif he claimsthat he believes followshis messengeAllah,
and .
the Exalted,said: "Noah's peoplerejected messengers."
the (26:105)
Thus, Allah considered them rejecting the messengers
all despite fact
the
that therewasno messenger beforeNoah. This is alsoclearfrom the fol-
lowing verses:
"Those who disbelieve Allah and His messengers, wish to
in and
makcdivisionbetween Allah and His messengers, say:'We believe
and in
someand disbelieve others,'wishingto take a midwaycourse.
in Those
indeedare the unbelievers, We have.prepared the unbelievers
and for a
humiliating (4:
punishment." 150-l)
- We believe that thereis no prophetafter Muhammad,Allah's Mes-
senger,peacebe upon him. Whoever claims prophethoodafter
him, or believes anyone
in it, because is
claiming is a disbeliever he
rejectingAllah, [Iis messenger, the Muslims'consensus'
and
TIIE RICHTLY GUIDED CALIPHS
- We believethat the Prophet, peace be upon him, had rightly-
guidedsuccessors carriedout his Sunnrh in spreading
who know-
ledge, calling to Islam and managingthe Muslims' affairs. We
believethat the best among them and the most entitled to Cali-
phate was Abii Bakr as-Siddiq,then 'Umar lbn al-Khattab,then
'Urhman lbn 'Affan, then 'Ali lbn Abi TAlib, may Allah be
pleased with them all. Thus their succession the Caliphatewas
to
accordingto their virtues. Allah, the Exalted, who possesses the
infinite wisdom, would not appoint a ruler over the best of gene-
ratiorrsunlesshe was the most superioramong them and had the
bestclairnto Cdiphate.
- We believethat the inferior among those rightly guided compa-
nions can be superiorin a specificvirtue to thosewho are better
than him, but he doesnot deserve absolutesuperioritybecause the
Slements constitutingsuperiority variedand numerous.
are
- We believe that the Muslim Ummahis the bestamongnations, and
-22--

23. Allah, the Dignified and Exalted, has blessedit becauseHe said,
"You are the best nation ever brought forth for mankind, enjoi-
n i n g w h a t i s r i g h t a n d f o r b i d d i n gw h a t i s w r o n g , a n d b e l i e v i n g n
i
A l l a h . " ( 3 :I l 0 )
IHE PROPHET'S COMPANIONS
- - W e b e l i e v et h a t t h e b e s t a m o n g t h e M u s l i m U m m a h a r e t h e P r o .
p h e t ' s C o m p a n i o n s ,t h e n t h e i r f o l l o w e r s ,a n d t h o s e w h o f o l l o w e d
them.
- W e a l s o b e l i e v et h a t a g r o u p o f t h i s U m m a h w i l l a l w a y s r e m a i n
v i c t o r i o u so n t h e r i g h t p a t h , u n h a r m e d b y t h o s e r v h o l e t t h e m
d o w n o r t h o s ew h o o p p o s et h e m , u n t i l t h e D a y o f J u d g e m e n t .
- We believethat the disputesthat took place among the Prophet's
Companionswere the result of sincere interpretations they rvorked
hard to reach. Whoever was right among them would be rervarded
twice, and whoever was wrong among them would be rervarded
once and his mistake would be forgiven.
- lt is our opinion that we shouldstop talking about thcir nristakes
and mention what they deserve of beautiful praise. re should
purify our hearts from hatred and malice against any of them,
because Allah said about them, "They are nol equal: those among
you who spent and who fought before the conquest of N,lakkah.
Those are higher in rank than those who spent and fought after-
w a r d s . B u t t o a l l A l l a h h a s p r o m i s e da E r e a tr e w a r d . " ( 5 7 ; 1 0 ) n d
A
Allah said about us, "And those who came after them say: our
Lord, forgive us and our brotherswho preceded in faith, and do us
not put in our hearts any malice against those who have believed.
Our Lord, You arethe most Kind, most Merciful." (59:10)
-23-

24. CHAPTER VI
BELIEF IN THE DAY OF JUDGEMENT
- We believe the Final Day, which is the Day of Judgement,
in when
peoplewill be resurrectedalive to remain in the abodeof enjoy-
ment or in the abodeof severepunishment.
BELIEF IN RESURRECTION
- We believe Resurrection
in which is Allah's bringingto life all the
dead when Israfil blows the Horn for the secondtime, "And the
Trumpet shall be blown and all who are in the Heavens and who
are in the Earth shall fall down fainting exceptthose that Allah
shall spare.Then, it shall be blown againand they shall risegazing
around them." (39:68) People will stand up from their graves,
answering call of the Lord of the Universe.
the They are going to
be bare-footed,naked, and uncircumcised, "As We started the
first creation,so We shall bring it back again. This is a promise
from Us, so We shallassuredly fulfil it." (21:104)
BELIEF IN RECORDS& SCALES
- We believein the recordsof deedsthat will be given to peoplein
their right handsor behindtheir backs,in the left hands:"As for
him who is givenhis book in his right hand, he shall surelyreceive
an easyreckoning and he will return to his family rejoicing.But as
for him who is given his book behind his back, he shall call for
destruction on himself and will burn in a Blazing Fire."
(84:.7-12) "Everyman'swork We have fastened his own neck,
on
and on the Day of Judgement shall bring out for him a book
We
which he will see spread open, saying, fRead your own bookf
Enough for you this day that your own soul should call you to
(17:
account." l3-14)
- We believethat scales deedswill be set up on the Day of Jud-
of
gementand no soul shall be wronged. "Whoever has done an
atom's weightof good shall seeit." (9:70E) "Those whosescales
arl heavy. theyaie the successful; thosewhose
but scales light,
are
they are the ones who have I'st their souls in Hell dwelling
forever. The Fire will burn their faces, and there they will be
gloomy with lips displaced." (23:102-al "He that does a good
deed shall be rewardedten times the like of it, and he that does
-24-

25. evil shall only be rewarded like of it, and they shall not be
the
wronged." (6:160)
THE PROPI{ET'SINTERCESSION
- We believe in the special great prophet
.Intercession the
of
Muhammad, peace upon him. He will pleadwith Allah, after
be
His permission and on behalf of mankind,to judge among His
servants when they suffer from worries and troubleswhich they
cannotbear.They will go to Adam, then Noah, then Abraham,
then to Moses,then to Jesus and finally to ProphetMuhammad,
peace upon him.
be
- We believein the intercession which concenrs somebelievers
who
were to be taken out from the Fire. This mediationis grantedto
the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, and to others
amongthe Prophets, believers, the angels.
the and
- We believe also that Allah will savefrom Hell somepeopleamong
the believers
without the intercession any one, but by His grace
of
and mercy,
TI{E PROPHET'SPOOL
- We believein the Pool of the Prophet, peacebe upon him, the
water of which is whiter than milk and sweeter than honey and
betterin fragrancethan musk. Each of its lengthand width is the
distanceof a month-travel.Its glasses as stars in beautyand
are
number. The believers among the Prophet's followers come to
take from this greatcisterna drink after which they will neverbe
thirsty.
THE STRAIGHT PATH
- We believein the Straight Path isiret) set uD over Hell. people
passover it according their deeds:the first of them as fast as
to
lighting, then as fast as wind, then as fast as birds, and then as
running men. The Prophet will be standingon the Path, saying,
"Lord, Save!Save!" Somepeople's deeds will fall short. Someof
them will come crawling. At both sides of the Path there are
hooks that are designed take whom Allah wills: someare saved
to
but bruised;othersare thrown into Hell. (Bukhiri & Muslim).
- We believe all that is mentioned the Qur'in or the Prophetic
in in
sayingsconcerning that day and its horrors, may Allah saveus
from them.
-25-

26. - (shef6'sh)of ProphetMuhammad,
We believein the intercession
peacebe upon him, for the peopleof Paradise enter therein.
to
This intercession is exclusively limited to the Prophet
Muhammad,peace upon him.
be
BELIEF IN PARADISE & HELL
- We believe Paradise
in and Hell. Paradise the abodeof enjoyment
is
which Allah, the Exalted,preparedfor the righteous.The blessing
theyenjoy there,no eyehaseverseen, ear haseverheardof, and
no
no humanbcinghaseverthoughtof: "No soul knowswhat comfort
is kept hiddenfor them,as a rewardfor their deeds."(32:17) Hell is
the abodeof punishment which Allah has prepared the unbelie-
for
vers and the evildoers. The torture and horror in it clnnot be ima-
gined. "Surely, We have preparedfor the evildoersa fire, whose
pavilionencompasses them. If they call for help, they will be helped
with water like molten copper which will scald their faces.How
dreadfula drink and how evil a resting-place!" (18:29)
- Both Paradise and Hell are existingnow and they will neverperish.
"Whoever believes Allah and doesrighteousness, will admit
in He
him to Gardens beneath which riversflow, to dwell thereinfor ever.
Allah had indeed m.adefor him an excellent provision." (65:ll)
"Certainly, Allah hascursedthe unbelievers prepared them
and for
a blazing Fire to dwell therein forever, they shall find neither pro-
tector nor helper.On the day when their facesare turned about in
the Fire, they shall say "Would that we had obeyedAlah and
obcyedthe Messenger!" (33:64-6)
- We confirm Paradise whom it is confirmedin the Qur'6n or the
to
Prophetictraditions either by name or desciption. Among those
who are grantedParadise and mentioned namesare Ab0 Bakr,
by
'Umar, 'Uthmiln, 'Ali and otherswho were specified the Pro- by
phet, peacebe upon him (Bukh?lriand Muslim). Among those
whom we confirm to enterParadise because they fit the description
are the faithful and the pious.
- We likewise confirm Hell to whom it is confirmedin the Qur'an and
the sayings the Prophet,whetherin nameor description.
of Among
those who are meirtionedby namesto be in Hell are Ab'il Lahab,
'Amr lbn Luhai Al-Khuza'i and others(Bukhfri & MuSlim).Con-
firmation of Hell which is ba3ed on description includes every
unbcliever,polytheistor hypocrite.
-26-

27. BELIT,F +'HATHAPPENS THE GRAVE
IN IN
- we believe the Triar of the Grave,which
in is the questioning the
of
dead personin his graveabout his Lord, his relijion and iis pro-
phet.There"Allah confirms those who believe with tne firm say,in
the present rife and the Hereafter."(14:27) The believer wilr say:
"Allah is my Lord,_.lslam my religion,and Muhammad
is is my
Prophet."The unbeliever the hypocrite
or will say,.,I don,t know,
I heardthe people saying something I saidit.,,
and
- we believein the comfort of the grave ,,Those
for the berievers.
whoselivesthe angels take in stateof purity, saying ,peace
be on
you; enterParadise what you weredoing'.,,(t6:31)
for
- we believein the punishment
of the grave for the transgressing
unbelievers: you courdonry seewhen the evirdoers
"rf are- rhe
in
agoniesof death and the angersare stretchingout their
hands,
saying,'Give up your souls!Today you shall be rewarded with the
punishment humiriationfor what you usedto
of say untrury about
Allah, and for scornfully rejecting signs.,,
His (6:93iThesayings of
the Prophetare numerous and welr-knownin this area. e vusri.
must believe ail that is reportedin the
in eur'6n and prophetictra-
ditions concerning unseen
the matters.He shourdnot contradictit
by his worldly experience becausethe affairs of the Hereafter
cannot be measured the affairs of this life. The difference
by bet-
weenthem is very great.Allah is the source help.
of
BEI,TEF FATN AND DIVINE DECREE
IN
- we believe Fate,whether
in good or bad, which Alrah hasmeasured
and ordainedfor all creatures according His previousknowredge
to
and as deemed suitable His wisdom.
bv
LEVELS OF BELIEF IN FATE
- Beliefin Fatehas four levels:
The first level is knowledge:We believethat Allah, may He be
exalted,knows everything. knew what had happened
He and what
will happenand how it will happen.His knowledge eternal.Heis
does not acquire a new knowledgenor does he forget what He
Knows.
The secondlevel is Recording:we believe that Altah has recorded
in the Secured Tablet (el-Lrwlr el-Mahfodh)whateveris going ro
happenuntil the Day of Judgement. "Did you not know that Allah
knows all that is in Heavenand Earth? Surerythat is in a Book.
Surelythat for AIIah is an easymatter." e2.n
- zt -

28. The third level is Will: We believe that Allah has willed everything
in the Heaven and Earth. Nothing happens except by His will; wha-
tever He wills, will take place; and whatever He does not wish, will
not take place.
The fourth level is Creation: We believe that "Allah is the Creator
of all things; He is the Guardian over all things, and to Him belong
the keys of the Heavens and the Earth." (39:62-3)
The fourth level include whatever Allah Himself does and whatever
His creaturesdo. So, all that people perform of sayings,deeds,or
omissions are known to Allah and He has recorded them, willed
them and created them, "To those among you who will to be
upright. But you shall not will exceptas Allah wills, the Lord of the
Worlds." (81:28-9) "And has Allah willed they would not have
fought one againstthe other; but Allah does whateverHe desires."
(2:253) "Had Allah willed, they would not have done so, but leave
them alone and their false inventions." (6:137)"And Allah created
you and what you do." (37:96)
MEN'S FREEWILL
- We believe,however, that Allah has granted man a power and a
freewill by which he performs his action. That man's deeds are by
his power and freewill can be proven by the following points:
Firstly, Allah's saying, "So approach your fields (wives)when and
how you will." (2:223) "Had they desired to go forth, they would
have made some preparation for it." (9:46) In these'verses Allah
affirmed for man "a going forth" by his will and "a preparation"
by his desire.
Secondly,directing man to do or not to do. If man has no freewill
and power, these directions mean that Allah is asking man to do
that which he cannot. This proposition is rejected by Allah's
wisdom, His mercy and His truthful statementin the verse "Allah
does not charge a soul beyond its capacity." (2:286)
Thirdly, Praising the virtuous for his deedsand blaming the evil-
doer for his actions and rewarding each of them with what he
deserves. the action is not done by the individual's freewill, then
If
praising the virtuous is a joke and punishing the evildoer is an
injustice, and Allah is, of course, free from joking and being
unjust.
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29. Fourthly, Allah has sent messengers who are "bearing good
tidings, and warning, so that mankind might have no argument
against Allah after the messengers."(40:165) If the individual's
action is not performed by his freewill, his argument is not invali-
dated by the sen{ing of messengers.
Fifthly, every doer of actions feels that he does or does not do a
thing without any coercion. He stands up and sits; comes in and
goes out; travels and stays by his own freewill without feeling any-
body forcing him to do any of theseactions. In fact, he clearly dis-
tinguishes between doing something of his own freewill and
someoneelse forcing him to do that action. The Islamic law also
wisely distinguishesbetween these states of affairs. It does not
punish a wrong-doer for an action done under compulsion.
NO EXCUSEIN FATE TOR SINNI,RS
- We believethat the sinner has no excusein Allah's Divine Decree
begausehe commits his sin by his freewill, without knowing that
Allah has decreedit on him. That is. because one knows Allah's
no
decree before it takes place: "No soul knows what it will earn
tomorrow." (31:34) How can it be possible, then, to present an
excusethat is not known to the personwho is advancingit when he
commits his offence? Altah invalidated this type of argument in
His saying: "The idolaters will say 'Had Allah willed, we would
not have been idolaters, neither our fathers, nor would we have
forbidden anything.'So did the people before rhem cry lies until
they tasted our might. Say: 'Have you any proofs that you can
show us? You follow nothing but assumption,and you are lying."
(6:148) We say to the sinner who is using Divine Decree as an
excuse: 'Why did not you perform deeds of obedience assuming
that Allah has decreed them upon you since there is no difference
between them and sins in being unknown before they happened
from you? That is why when Prophet Muhammad told his com-
panions that everyone'sposition in Paradiseor Hell has been assi-
gned, they said: "Should not we rely on this and stop working?"
He said: "No, work and every one will be directed to what he is
createdfor," (Bukhdri & Muslim)
We may say to the sinner who is trying to find excusein Divine
Decree:"Suppose, you want to travel to Makkah. There are two roads
that may take you there. You are told by a truthful person that one of
theseroads is dangerousand difficult, the other is easyand safe.You will
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30. take the secondone. You will not take the first road and say it is decreed
upon me. If you did, peoplewould consideryou crazy.
We may also say to him: "lf you are offered two jobs, one of them is
h i g h e ri n s a l a r y .Y o u w i l l c e r t a i n l yt a k e t h e o n e w i t h t h e h i g h e rs a l a r y .
How come do you choosdwhat is lower in rhe Hereafterand use Divine
Decreeas an excuse?"
We may further say to him: "We seeyou when you are inflicted with
a disease, you knock every phy'sician's door looking for treatment and
bearing whateverpain that may result from surgicaloperationsand the
b i t t e r n e s o f m e d i c i n e . h y d o n o t y o u d o t h e s a m ew h e n y o u r h e a r t i s
s W
s p i r i t u a l l ys i c k w i t h s i n s ? "
EVII, NOT ATTRIBUT},D T0 ALI,AH
- W e b e l i e v e h a t e v i l s h o u l dn o t b e a t t r i b u t e dt o A l l a h b e c a u s e f H i s
t o
perfect mercy and wisdom. The Prophet said: "And cvil is not
a t t r i b u t a b l et o Y o u . " ( M u s l i m ) T h u s , A l l a h ' s d e c r e eb y i t s e l f h a s
no evil whatsoeverbecauseit is coming from mercy and wisdom.
E v i l m a y , h o w e v e r ,r e s u l t l r o m s o m e o f H i s d e c r c c s , e c a u s e h e
b t
P r o p h c t s a i d i n t h e s u p p l i c i l l i o nf o r g u n I l w h i c h h c t a u g h t t o
al-Hasan: "And protect us from the evil of what You decreed"
( T i r m i t h i & O t h e r s ) H e r e , t h c P r o p l r c t a t t r i b u t e do ' i l t o w h a t H c
d e c r e e d . e s p i t et h i s , e v i l i n H i s d e c r e e s n o t p u r e e v i l . l t i s r a t h e r
D i
evil in one respect, good in anothcr or it is cvil in onc case,and good
i n a n o t h e r . T h u s , c o r r u p t i o n i n t h e l a n d r e s u l t i n gf r o m d r o u g h t ,
disease, poverty and fear is evil, but it is good in another rcspccl.
A l l a h , t h e E x a l t e ds a i d : " C o r r u p t i o n h a s a p p e a r c d n t h c l a n d a n d
o
sea for what men's hands have earned. Allah has ordained this for
men, so that they may taste some o[ what they have done, in ordcr
that they may rurn back (frorn evil)." (30:41) uttingoff the thief's C
h a n d o r s t o n i n gt h e a d u l t e r e ri s a n e v i l t h i n g f o r t h e t h i e f a n d t h e
adulterer,but it is good for them in one respectbecause is a puri- it
ficatidn for them so that the punishment of this life and thc
Hereafter are not combined for them. lt is also good in anothe!'
respect. The application of these punishment is a protection ol'
property, honors, and relationships.
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31. CHAPTER VIII
TRUITSOT'FAITH
f'his rublirnc'bclief which includesthose great principlesbears
numcrous and usefultypesof fruits for whoeverbelieves it.
in
Virtues Beliefin Allsh:
of
. Belief Allah,His Names His Attributes
in and instils theindividual
in
Allah's love and His glorificationthat resultin performingAllah's ins'
tructionsand avoidingHis proscriptions which are the means achiev'
of
ing ultimat,'happiness this life and the Hereafter the individualas
in for
r.r'ell the society.
as "Whoever,maleor female, doesrighteousdeed,while
We
believing, shallassuredly granthim a goodlylife, and We shall'reward
themaccording the bestof theirrleeds."
to (16:97)
I'irluesof Beliefin the Angels:
Firstly.appreciating Dignityof Allah,His mightandHis sovereignty.
the
Secondh. uratitudetoward Allah because puts someof the angelr
He
in chargeof His servantsr recording their deedsand other thingsthat
benefitthem.
'thirdll
. lorc and admiration for the angels because what they are
of
doing, namely, *orshipping Allah in the best possiblemanner and
prayingfor the believers.
Virtues Beliefin the Books:
of
Allah'smercy
I irsttl, appreciating andcarefor His people that He sent
in
dou'na Book to everynationfor theirguidance.
Secondll'.appreciating Allah's Wisdom because revealedin these
He
Booksto everynationwhat suit them.The glorious Qur'6n is the final
among theseBooks andit is suitable all people all tiines
to at untilthe Day
of Judgement.
Thirdly, showing gratitude Allah'smercyin revealing
for theseBooks.
I'irtues of Beliefin Messengers:
finitly. apprc'ciatingAllah's mercyand carefor His proplefor sending
themthose greatmcssengers guidethemto the straight
to Path'
Allah for thisgreatfavour.
thanking
Secondll,
and praising
Thirdly. lovingand respecting Prophets
the them in what
theydeserve because are Atlah'smessengers His choice
they and among
-31 -

32. His people.
They worshipped to
Allah according the bestof their.ability,
conveyed message
His to mankind,gavesincere advise themand bore
to
patientlywhatever
hurt they received.
Virtuesof Belief in the Day of Judgement:
Fintly, endeavor obeyAllah to gettherewardof that day and to avoid
to
His disobedience fear of His punishment.
for
Secondly, consolation the believer whatever misses worldly
a for for he of
enjoymentby what he hopesto gain of blessings
and reward of the
Hereafter.
Virlues of Belief in Fate end Divine l)ecree:
Firstly, dependence Allah when doing any action because
on both the
cause and effectare the resultof Allah's decree.
Secondly, ease mind and comfort because
of whenthe individualknows
is
that everything by Allah's decree and'that mishaps going to take
are
placeanyway,his soul will be at ease and his heartwill be satisfiedwith
Allah's decree. one has more comforiablelife, worry-freesoul, and
No
strongerconfidencethan a believer Fate.
in
whena goalis achieved
Thlrdly, freedomfrom arrogance because is a
this
blessingfrom Allah throughwhat He decreed the causes good and
of of
success. individualshouldthank Allah for that and freehimselffrom
The
arrogance.
}'ourthly, freedomfrom worry and boredomin case failureor mishap
of
because that is by Allah's decreewho possesses Heavensand the
the
Earth. Sincethat is going to happenanywa)',the individual shouldbe
patientand hope for the rewardfrom Allah.
Allah poins to the last two virtuesby the following verse:
"No misfortune happen earthor in yourselves is recorded
can on but
in a decree beforeWe bring it into existence, is reallyeasyfor Allah;
that
that you may not grievefor what escapes you, nor rejoicein what has
cometo you..Allah doesnot love any vainglorious boaster." (57:22-3)
We prayto Allah, the Exalted, reward I'orthisbeliel', realize
lo us to
for us its fruits, to increase blessings, keepus on the Right Path to
our to
which He hasguidedus, and to bestow us a blessing
on from Him, He is
indeedthe Giver. Praiseand gratitudebe to Allah, the Lord of the
Worlds and peaceand blessings on the Prophet Muhammad, his
be
family, his Companions, and thosewho rightly follow them.
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