THE MUSLIM'S BELIEF
TRANSLATOR'S FOREWARD
ln the Name of Allah. Mosl Grgcious, Most Merciful
I found this treatise of the Muslim's creed a concise and useful presentation of a very important topic. The need for this treatise, especially
among the non-Arabic speaking readers. cannot be over-estimated. Therefore, I decided to transalte it and make it accessable to English readers.
I would like to draw the attention of the readers to the following
points:
l. I gave the book the title THE MUSLIM'S BELIEF instead of the
author's'Agidat Ahl rs Sunnah we-l-Jami.ah which may be translated as The Creed of the People of Sunnah and Mejority. I think
my preference is justified by:
a) The title I preferred is shorter
b) The two titles mean almost the same
c) The original title contains some technical terms that are not only
difficult to translate, but also difficult to understand by many readers.
d) The original title may antogonize some readers who are misinformed about the true designations of the words in the original
title.
2. I provided, in parentheses after every Qur'dnic verse, the numbers
cf chapters and verses quoted 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 the author, in most cases, quotes or paraphrases some of
the Prophetic traditions without indicating them to the readers. I
tried, whenever I could recognize these traditions, to put them in
quotations and to cite in parentheses the Prophetic collections in
which they are reporred. In most cases I limited myself to Bukhari
and Muslim collections, whenever the saying is quoted in them. If it
is not in these two collections,'l mention one or two of the other
collections that contain the quoted saying.
4. I provided the arrangement of the text into chapters and headlines
for ease of reading and understanding. I also provided a table of
contents for ease of reference.
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5. ln translating the Qur'6nic verses quoted 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 sincere desire and hope that this book would be of great help
to those who consult it. Please include in your prayer all those who contributed to its present shape.
M.J.
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PREFACE BY SHAIKH ABD AL.AZIZ IBN BAZ
In the Name of Allah. Most Gracious. l\fost l\lerciful.
Praise belongs to Allah arone; pcace and brc.'rirr,r on the last prophet, his familv and his companions.
I was introduccd to rhe laluable ancl concisc trcatisr. on the Murlim.s
belief preparcd b1' our brorher. rhe -ereat schotar. shaikh N{uhanrrnad
as-sdleh al-Urhaimin. I lisrcnc.cl ttr it all and t'ound ;har ir covers the crccd
of the Sunnircs and the mai' strcanl majority of llrc iluslims, in thc arca
of the oneness of Allah. His A,rrributes, thc bcricf in rhe Angers. thc
Books and rhe \lcsscn-ccrs. il:c Da1'of Judgemenr and in the bclief of
Fate anc! Di'inc Decree. He'succccdcd in collccting uhar rhc seckcr of
knorr'lcdgc and L'\'cr) \tuslim nccd in his belic.t'in AIlah. Hir ,\ngel,. His
Scriptures. His messc'ngers, the Da1.ol'Judgcnr.'nr anci Futc. Hc incltrrlc<l
in his trcatise uscful intormation rclarecl ro thc lrtuslim,s belicfs rhar are
not readily a'ailablc in many of the books wrirren on rhese topics. May
Allah re'*'ard rhc aurhor, incrcase him in knouredgc and guidance, ancl
make this book and his othcr books mosr uselul. i\lay- Allah the Hcarer
and the Close, bless us and him and all our brothers ancl make us among
those who are guiding and righrly guided to call people to Allah uirh surc
knowledge.
Dictatcd bv 'Abd al-Aziz ihn Baz. nrly Allah forgivc hint und shower peacc
AUTHOR'S INTRODUCTION
In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Mosl Merciful.
Praise be to the Lord of the universe who gires the best reward to tlrc
godfearing and the great loss to the transgressor. I bear witness that there
is no God but Allah; He has no partner and possesses real sovereignty. I
bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and messenger; the seal of
the Prophets and the leader of the godfearing. May Allah bless him and
bless his family, companions and those who follow them till the Day of
Judgement.
Allah has sent His messenger Muhammad, peace be upon him' with
the real guidance and the true religion as a mercy to mankind, a model for
those who do good, and Allah's argument against mankind. Through
Mumhammad and what was revealed to him, namely, the Qur'6n and the
Prophetic sayings, Allah showed mankind all means of reforming themselves and straighterring their religious and mundane affairs in sound
beliefs, right conducts, fine morals, and laudable manners. The Prophet,
peace be upon him, 'left his followers' on a clear straight path, only the
doomed will deviate from it." (lbn Mdjah & Ahmad) His followers, the
companiorrs, their followers and those who faithfully followed them are
the best of mankind. They established his law, upheld his way and held
fast to it as a belief and piactice, a moral and manner. By this, "They are
considered the 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 footsteps and guided by
their examples which are supported by the Qur'dn and the Prophetic traditions. We are saying this only as an announcement of Allah's blessings
and clarification of what every Muslim should believe. We pray to Allah
that He may keep us and our brothers on the straight path in this life and
in the Hereafter and give us mercy from Him, He is the Giver.
It is beeause of 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 creed is the belief in Allah, His Angels, His Books,
His Messengers, the Day of Judgement, and Fate whether good or bad. I
prav to Allah to make this effort sincere for His sake, in agreement with
Hrs wish, and useful for His people.
M.S.U.
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CHAPTER I
OUR CREED
Our creed is to believe in Allah, His Angels, His Books, His Messengers, the Day of Judgertrent, and Fate whether good or bad.
Belief in Allah's Lordship, Oneness, snd Attributes
- We believe in Allah's Divinity, that is He is the Lord, the Creator, the
Sovereign, and the Manager of all affairs.
- We believe in Allah's Codship; that is, He is the True God and every
other deity is false.
- We believe in His Names and Attributes, that is He has the mosr
magnificent Names and the sublime perfect Attributes.
- We believe in His Oneness in all this, that is, He has no associate in
His Divinity, His Godship, His Names, or His Attributes. Allah says
in the Qur'6n: "He is the Lord of the Heavens and the Earth and all
that is in between them, so worship Him and be patient in His
worship, do you know any equal to Him." (19:65)
- We believe that He is "Allah there is no Cod but He, the Living the
Everlasting. Slumber does not seize Him, neither sleep; to Him
belongs all that is in the Heavens and the Earth. Who is there that
shall intercede with Him except by His permission? He knows what is
before them and what is behind them, and they do not emcompass
anything of His knowledge except what He wills. His Throne extends
over the Heavens and the Earth; the preservation of them does not
burden Him; He is the High, the Great." (2:255)
- We believe that "He is Allah, there is no god but He - the Knower
of the Unseen and the Visible, He is the Most Gracious, Most Merciful. He is Allah, there is no God but He, the King, the Holy One,
the Source of Peace, the Keeper of Faith, the Guardian, the
Almighty, the Subduer, the Sublime. Glory be to Allah above what
they associate with Him. He is Allah, the Creator, the Maker, the
Shaper, His are the most beautiful Names. All that is in the Heavens
and the Earth glorfies Him. He is the Almighty, the Wise."
t59:22-4)
- We believe that to Him belongs the kingdom of the Heavens and the
Earth: "He creates what He pleases. He gives, to whom He wills,
females, and He gives, to whom He wills, males,. or He couples them,
males and females; and He makes whom He wills barren. Surely, Hc
is the Knowing. the Powerful." (42:49-50).
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We believe that "There is nothing whatever like unto Him, He is thc
All-Hearing, the AII-Seeing. To Him belongs the keys of the Heavens and the Earth. He enlarges and restricts provisions to whom
He wills. Surely He has knowledge of everything." (42:l l-12).
We believe that "There is no creature that moves in the Earth but its
provision depends on Allah. He knows its dwelling and its resting
place. AII is recorded in a clear Book." (l l:6)
We believe that "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 darkness of the Earth, not a
thing green or dry but it is in a clear Book." (6:59).
We believe that "Allah alone has the knowledge of 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 pleases whenever [{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 believe that "If the ocean became ink for the words of my Lord,
the ocean would be finished before the words of my Lord came lo
an end." (18:109) "And if all the trees that are in the earth were
pens, and the ocean (were ink), with seven oceans swelling it therefore, the words of Allah would not be exhausted. Surely, Allah is
Mighty, Wise." (31 :27).
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 believe that the Qur'an is Alllh's words. He literally spoke it to
Gabriel who conveyed it to the Prophet, peace be upon him: "Say
(O Muhammad) the Holy Spirit has brought it down from your
Lord in truth." (16:102) "Truly it is the revelation of 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 believe that Allah is well above his creatures in His person and
His Attributes, because He says, "He is the High, lhe Great."
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(2:255) "He is Supreme over His servants, and He is the Wise. the
All-aware." (6: l8).
- We believe that He "created the Heavens and the Earth in six days,
then He settled Himself on the Throne; He manages everything."
(i0:3) His "settling on the Throne" means that He is sitting in
person on His Throne in a way that is becoming to His Majesty and
greatness. Nobody bxcept He knows exactly how He is sitting.
- We believe that He is with His crearures while He is still on His
Throne. He knows their conditions, hears their sayings, sees their
deeds and manages their affairs. He provides for the poor'and the
broken. He gives sovereignty to whom He pleases and takes away
sovereig,nty from whom He pleases; He exalts whom He wills and
He abases whom He wills. In His hand is all good and He is
powerful over everything. Whoever possesses these qualitites is
literally with His creatures even if He is literally above rhem on His
Throne. "There is nothing whatsoever like unto Him; He is the
All-hearing, the All-seein g." (42:lll
- We do not say as the Incarnationists among the Jahomites and
others say, that is, Allah is living with His creatures on Earth. We
consider whoever says this a non-believer or straying away because
he attributed to Allah that does not become Him of defects.
- We believe in what His Messenger told us that He descends to the
near sky before the last third of every night and says: "Who prays
to Me and I will answer his prayers? Who asks fMe and I will give
him? Who asks my forgiveness and I will forgive him? (Bukhari &
Muslim).
- We believe that He will come at the Day of Judgement to judge
among His people because He said, "No indeed! when the Earth is
crushed to powder, and your Lord comes down with the angels in
rows after rows, and Hell is brought our that day. On that day man
will remember, but what will rememberance avail him?"
(89:21-23)
- We believe that He is the Doer of what He wills.
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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
necessary that 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 against the other, but Allah does whatever He desires," (2:253) and
"If Allah desires to lead you astray, He is your Lord." (ll:34).
Legal will: which does not necessarily entail 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 believe that 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, whether we grasp it or it escapes our reasons: "ls not Allah the best of
Judges?" (95-9), "And who is better than Allah in judgement for
a people who have firm faith." (5:50)
- We believe that Allah loves His select servants and 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
sayings and He dislikes what He prohibited of bad deeds and
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 weaklings." (9:aQ.
- We believe that Allah is pleased with those who believe in Him and
do good deeds: "Allah is well pleased with them and they are well
pleased with Him. That is for him who fears his Lord." (98:8)
- We believe that Allah is angry with those who deserve His 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).
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MORE OF ALLAH'S ATTRIBUTES
- We believe that Allah has a glorious and dignified face: "There will
reinain the face of your Lord, majestic and splendid." (55:27)
- We believe that Allah has two generous hands: "No, both His
hands are wide open; He spends how He pleases," (5:64) "They do
not esteem Allah with the esteem that is due to Him. The whole
Earth will be His handful on the Day of Resurrection, and the
Heavens will be rolled up in His right hand. Glory be to Him and
exalted is He above that which they associate with Him." (39-67)
- We believe that Allah possesses two real eyes, because He said,
"And build the ark under Our eyes as We reveal." (ll:37) The
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 Sunnites unanimously have agreed that 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 believe that "Eyes cannot perceive Him, but He perceives the
eyes, He is the Incomprehensible, the All-aware." (6:103)
- We believe that the believers will see their Lord on the Day of
Resurrection: "Upon that day some faces shall be radiant, gazing
upon their Lord." (15:22-3)
- We believe that Allah has no equal because His Attributes are perfect: "There is nothing whatsoever like unto Him. He is the AllHearing, the All-Seeing." (42:ll)
- We believe that "No slumber or sleep seizes Him," (2:255) because
His life is perfect and eternal.
- We believe that He does not do injustice to anybody because His
fairness is perfect.
- We believe that He is not unaware of His servants' deeds because of
His perfect supervision and comprehensive knowledge.
- We believe that He is capable of doing anything in the Heavens or
in the Earth because of His perfect knor.rledge and power: "lndeed
His command, when He desires a thing, is only to say to it 'Be' and
it is." (36:82)
- We believe that He is free from weariness and weakness because of
His super-power: "Surely, We created the Heavens and the Earth
and all that is between them in six days, and no weariness touched
Us." (50:38).
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DESCRIBING ALLAH
We believe in all that
described Him with.
concepts:
l) To say or believe
His creatures:
BY HIS REVELATIOI\
He assigned to Himsell'or what His Messeng:r
of names and attributes; but we reject two
that Allah's Attributes are similar to those of
2) To say or believe that Allah's Attributes are like such and such.
We negate all what He negated about Himself or what His Messenger
negated about Him. We believe that negation implies the affirmation
of a perfect opposite. We do not discuss what He or His Messenger
did not mention about Him.
We believe that following this apprach is a must because what 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 negated about Him is a statement he
made about Allah. Besides knowing Allah bettcr than anyone, he is
the most truthful, sincere and eloquent among 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 execuse to reject or even hesitate in accepting it.
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PART II
THE QUR(AN ANI) SUNNAH: SOURCES OF HIS ATTRIBUTES
All that we mentioned about Allah's Altributes whether briefly or in
detail, affirmalively or negatively, is based on the Book of our Lord and
the traditions of our Prophet. lt also agrees with the practice of the previous generations of Muslims and the rightly guided scholars who gnms
after them.
We believe it is obligator;- to take the texts of the Qur'an and the
Prophetic traditions concerning Allah's Attributes at their face value and
interpret them in a way that is suitable to Almighty Allah. We reject the
practice of those who twisted the meanings of these texts and understood
them in a way. lhat was not intended by Allah and His messenger.
We also reject the practice of those who made them devoid of their
meanings as conveyed by Allah and His Messenger. We finally reject the
approach of the exaggerationists who gave them a pnysical interpretation
that makes Allah similar to some of His creatures.
THU QUR'AN AND SUNNAII: SOURCUS OI HtS ATTRIBUTES
We knorv for sure that what is revealed in Allah's Book and in the
traditions of His Messenger is the truth. lt does not contain any contradiction: "Do they not ponder over the Qur'dn? If it had been from other
than Allah, surely they would have fotrnd in it a lot of differences."
(4:82)
Contradictions in statements falsify lhem, and this is impossible in
those statemerrts revealed from Allah and said by l{is Messenger, peace
be upon him. \\/lroo'er claims that there arc contradiclions in the Qur'an,
tht'l'ronhetic traditions or betueen the trr'o must have uickcd intention
and a misguided heart. So he should repent and quit his sitr. ll'sonreone
inragines that thcrc arc \orne cotttritdictitttrs ilr the Qur'an, tlre sayings of
the Prophct or bclween lhese lrv<,r, this must be a result of his little knowledge, inadequate understanding or lack ol deep thinking. Therefore, he
should seek knorvledge and do his best'in reflection until the truth is clear
to him. lf after all these efforts, the truth is not clear to him, he should
leave the whole matter lo the One who knows it and should quit his imagination and say as those firmly rooted in knowledge say: "We believe in
it. all is from orrr I ord " (l:7) He musl knorr that there are neither contradictions nor differences in the Our'an, the Sunnah or betueen the two.
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CHAPTER III
BELIEF IN ANGELS
- We believe in the existence of the angels of Allah and that they are
,,honoured servants. They do not speak before He does, and they act
only by His command." (2l.26l Allah created them and they worshipped and obeyed Him. Those who are at His presence do not disdain
to worship Him, nor do they weary." (21:19)
- Angcls are concealed from us, we cannot see them' Allah may show
them to some of His servants. The Prophet Muhammad saw cabriel
in his reat shape with six hundred wings that covered the horizons
(Bukhlri & Muslim). Gabriel took the form of a handsome human
being who met Mary and exchanged conversation with her. He came
to the Prophet while he was among his companions in the appearance of an unknown man who did not show any trace of long travel,
with very white clothes and very black hair. He sat facing the Prophet: his knees to the Prophet's knees, peace be upon him, and his
patmsontheProphet'sthighsandtalkedwiththeProphet.The -Prophet
lat€r told his companions that the man they saw was Gabriel
(Brrkhiri & Muslim).
ANGEL'S FUNCTIONS
- We believe tbat the angels are assigned certain functions. Among the
angels is Gabriel who is entrustect with revelation. He brings it down
rrom nttatr to whomever He wishes among His Prophets and Messengers.
Among them is Michael who is in charge of rain and plantation.
Among them also is tsraftLwho is in charge of blowing the Horn at the
time oi Thunderbolring and ftesurreclion, Among them is the Angel of
death, who takes ar"af people's souls at the time of death' Among the
angeli is the one who is in charge of mountain; and Malik, the keeper of
Hell.
Someangelsareinchargeofembryosinwombs,othersareresponsible for protecting the human beings and other angels are busy in recording men's deeds: two angels for every person, "when the two angels
,"..iu. (his deeds), one sitting on the right and one on the left, not a word
hf utteri but by him is an observer ready." (50:18) Some other angels are
in charge of questioning the deed after he is put in his last abode. Two
angels come to him and ask him about his Lord, his Religion, and his
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Prophet. There "Allah confirms those who believe with the firm say, in
the present life and the Hereafter, and Allah leads astray the evildoers
and Allah does what He wills." (14:27)
Some of the angels are in charge of the dwellers of Paradise: "The
angels enter to them from every gate, saying'peace be upon you for that
you were patient. How excellent is your final home." (13:24)
The Prophet, peace be upon him, told us that seventy thousand
angels enter or pray in the Populous House in Heaven every day. They
never come back to it as long as they live." (because their turn will never
come) (Bukhiri & Muslim).
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CHAPTER IV
BELIEF IN ALLAH'S BOOKS
- We believe that Allah revealed Books to His Messengcrs as pr'oof
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
Ilalance so that people may uphold justice." (57:25)
BOOKS XNOWN
Among these Books we know the following:
I The Torrh which was revealed to Moses, peace be upon him. lt is the
grealcst among the lsraelites' books. "Surely, \f,'e sclrt down the
Torah, whercin is guidance and light; by its laws tltc Jcrrs have beerr
judged by the Prophets who surrendered themselves lo Allah, the
rabbis and the doctors of law becau:;e lhey were entrusted the protection of Allah's book and were witnesses thereto." (5:44)
2. The Gospel rvhich Allah revealed to Jesus, peace be uporr him. lt is a
confirrnation of the T0rah and a complement to 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 certairr things that,
trefore, were forbidden to you." (3:50)
3. The Psalms which Allah gave to David, peace be upon ltitlr.
4. Tablels of Abraham lnd Moses, peace be 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 guidance and criterion bet\\'cct.l right and
u rong." (2: I85)
TI{E QIJR'AN lS PROTECTED ['ROM CHANGII
Ihe Qur'an is "confirming the scripture that was bcfore it and
stands as a guardian over it." Thus, by the Qur'an Allah ablogated all the
pt cvi6n5 Books. Allah has also guaranteed its protection lrotn any play or
nriscnievous distortion. "lndeed, We sent dorvn the messagc and We will
gtrard it." (15:9) That is because the Qur'an is a proof against mankind
till the f)ay of Judgement.
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PREVIOUS SCRIPTURES CHANGEI.)
The previous scripturrs were meant for a limited period that ended
with the revelation of what abrogated thcm and exposed what had takcn
place in them of distortion and change. That is why they were not protected from corruption. They underwent distortion, addition and omission. "Some of the Jews pervert words from their meanings." (4:46) "So
woe to those who write the Book with their hands, and then say, 'This is
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 sent down the Book that Moses brought as a light and a
guidance to people? You put it into sheets of paper showing some of thent
and concealing much." (6:91) "And there is a group among them who
twist their tongues with the Book, that you may think it is a part of the
Book, but it is not part of the Book. And they say
'lt is from Atlah,' yet it
is not from Allah, and they tell a lie against Allah and they know it. lt is
not for any human being to whom Allah has given the Book, the Wisdom
and the Prophethood to say to men "Worship me intead of Allah,"
(3:J8-70) "People of the Book! Our Messenger has come to you,
making clear to you many things you have been concealing of the Book
and forgive you much. A light has come to you from Allah and a glorious
Book, with u'hich He will guide whoever follows His pleasure in the way
of peace, and brings them forth from darkness into the light by His will."
(5: I 5- l6)
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CHAPTER V
BELIEF IN MESSENGERS
- We believe that 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 Allmighty, All-wise." (4: 165)
THE FIRST AND LAST MESSENGERS
- We believe that the first among the Messengers is Noah and the
last is Muhammad, peace be upon them all. "We revealed to 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 Messenger of Allah and the Seal of the Prophets." (33:40)
THE BEST MESSENGERS
- We believe that the best among the messengers is Muhammad,
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)
- We believe that Muhammad's message, peace be upon him,
includes all the merits of the messages of those dignified messengers because Allah says, "He ordained for you that He enjoined
on Noah and what He revealed to you and what He enjoined on
Abraham Moses and Jesus, namely, established this faith and be
united in it." (42:13)
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
you,'l possess the treasures of Allah,' I do not know the unseen,
and I do not say: 'l am an angel'." (ll:31) Allah directed
Muhammad who is the last among them to say: "I do not say to
you I possess the treasures of Allah, nor do I know the unseen,
and I do not say to you 'l am an angel." (6:50) And to say: "l
have no power to bring profit or hurt for myself, but as Allah
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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 besides Him." (72:21-2)
- we believe that the messengers are among Allah's servants. He
blessed them with the message and described them as servants, in
the context of praising and honouring them. So, He says about
Noah, the first among them: .,you., are the descendants of those
whom We carried with Noah, he was a truly thankful servant."
( l7:3)
Allah said about the last among them, Muhammad, peace be upon
him: "Blessed be He who sent down the eur'dn to His servant, that he
may warn mankind. " (25 : I ) He said about some other messengers: , ,And
mention our servants Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob men of might and
vision." (38:45) "And remember our servants David who was a mighty
and penitent man." (38: l7) "And to David, we gave Soloman, he was an
excellent and penitent servant." (38:30)
Allah said about Jesus, son of Mary: ,,He is only a servant whom We
blessed and we made him an example to the children of Isreal." (63:59)
- we believe that Allah concluded all messages with the message of
Muhammad, peace be upon him, to all people because Allah said:
"Say, 'O mankind, I am Allah's messenger to you all. To Him
belongs the Kingdom of the Heavens and the Earth; There is no
god but He. He ordains life and death. So believe in Allah and
His messenger, the unlettered prophet who believes in Allah and
His words. Follow him so that you may be rightly guided."
(7: I 58)
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,
because Allah, the Exalted, said,,,Surely, rhe true religio-n in
Allah's sight is Islam," (3:19) and.He also said, ..Today I have
perfected your religion for you and I have completed my favour
upon you, and I have chosen lslam to be your religion.,,(5:3)
And "whoever desires a religion other than Isram, it wilr never be
accepted from Him, and in rhe Hereafrer he will be among the
losers." (3:85)
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- lt is our opinion that whoever claims the acceptability of any
existing religion today - other than lslam - such as Judaisnt,
Christianity and so forth, is a non-believer. l{e should be asked to
repent, if he does not, he must be killed as an apostate because he
is rejecting the Qur'an.
It is also our opinion that whoeverejects the universal message of
Nluhamntad, peace be upon him, is rejedting the message of all messengers, even if he claims that he believes and follows his messenge . Allah,
the Exalted, said: "Noah's people rejected the messengers." (26:105)
Thus, Allah considered them rejecting all the messengers despite the fact
that there was no messenger before Noah. This is also clear from the following verses:
"Those who disbelieve in Allah and His messengers, and wish to
makc division between Allah and His messengers, and say: 'We believe in
some and disbelieve in others,' wishing to take a midway course. Those
indeed are the unbelievers, and We have.prepared for the unbelievers a
humiliating punishment." (4: 150-l)
- We believe that there is no prophet after Muhammad, Allah's Messenger, peace be upon him. Whoever claims prophethood after
him, or believes in anyone claiming it, is a disbeliever because he is
rejecting Allah, [Iis messenger, and the Muslims' consensus'
TIIE RICHTLY GUIDED CALIPHS
- We believe that the Prophet, peace be upon him, had rightlyguided successors who carried out his Sunnrh in spreading knowledge, calling to Islam and managing the Muslims' affairs. We
believe that the best among them and the most entitled to Caliphate 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 to the Caliphate was
according to their virtues. Allah, the Exalted, who possesses the
infinite wisdom, would not appoint a ruler over the best of generatiorrs unless he was the most superior among them and had the
best clairn to Cdiphate.
- We believe that the inferior among those rightly guided companions can be superior in a specific virtue to those who are better
than him, but he does not deserve absolute superiority because the
Slements constituting superiority are varied and numerous.
- We believe that the Muslim Ummah is the best among nations, and
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Allah, the Dignified and Exalted, has blessed it because He said,
"You are the best nation ever brought forth for mankind, enjoining what is right and forbidding what is wrong, and believing in
Allah." (3: I l0)
IHE PROPHET'S COMPANIONS
-- We believe that the best among the Muslim Ummah are the Pro.
phet's Companions, then their followers, and those who followed
them.
- We also believe that a group of this Ummah will always remain
victorious on the right path, unharmed by those rvho let them
down or those who oppose them, until the Day of Judgement.
- We believe that the disputes that took place among the Prophet's
Companions were 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 should stop 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 afterwards. But to all Allah has promised a Ereat reward." (57;10) And
Allah said about us, "And those who came after them say: our
Lord, forgive us and our brothers who preceded us in faith, and do
not put in our hearts any malice against those who have believed.
Our Lord, You are the most Kind, most Merciful." (59:10)
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