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by Al-Jazaa'iree
THE SIX PILLARS OF IMAN
Just
as
Islam has five pillars (please recall the
definitions of Islam
and Pillar), so Imaan
(please recall the definition of Imaan
in all of its three
necessary components) also has six pillars,
taught to us by the Prophet (sas). These pillars
are:
Belief in Allah;
Belief in the angels;
Belief in the revealed books;
Belief in the commissioned Messengers (peace be
upon them).
Belief in the resurrection and the events of
Qiyama.
Belief in the predestination by Allah of all
things, both the (seemingly) good and the
(seemingly) bad.
THE FIRST PILLAR
Belief in Allah Most High.
-
It is the
foundation
of the Islamic
personality.
-
It is a basic human need, more basic than
the need for his provision and sustenance.
-
Acts of worship only become real and valid
with the feeling and awareness of their
Object.
supplication
Love
Humility
Fear
Hope/reliance
Adoration
· He is free of any need for others.
· He is the sole Creator of all that which pleases
Him (and that which doesn't).
· Allah has ordered His creation and forbidden
them only in ways which are in their best
interest.
· He sent the Messengers and the books with the
truth Ilm-ul-Ghaib.
He alone can guide to Iman. This is why the
people of paradise will say:
[All praise be to Allah who guided us to this,
for we never would have been guided to it if He
had not guided us to it.]
The best worship is insufficient as gratitude
for his bounties and mercies - they always fall
short and we are need of His forgiveness.
No one's works will
merit
paradise. There is no
contradiction between the Hadith:
"None shall enter Paradise by his actions." and
the verse which says:
[These are the people of paradise, therein
forever, a reward for that which they used to
do.]
Every human needs Allah's forgiveness of his
sins.
THE
SECOND PILLAR
Belief
in the Angels.
Belief that among Allah's creation are angels.
Real beings, not illusions or figments of human
imagination.
Created from light.
A Muslim must believe specifically in all the
angels named and/or described in the Qur'an and
the Sunnah.
Jibreel:
in charge of delivering revelation.
Mika'il:
in charge of bringing the rain.
Israfil:
the blower of the horn on Qiyama.
Malik-ul-Maut: the Angel of Death who takes
people's souls at death.
The Noble Recorders: those who record people's
actions.
The Protectors (Al-Mu'aqqibat): who keep people
from death until its decreed time.
Ridhwan:
in charge of Paradise.
Malik:
in charge of Hell.
Munkar
and Nakir: the
questioners in the grave.
The Carriers of the Throne.
Those who record the future of the foetus.
Those who enter the Haram: 70,000 every day.
Those who move about, descending upon gatherings
at which Allah and His Book are mentioned and
studied.
Belief in the angels is an integral part of
Iman.
[See 2/285 Al-Baqarah]
Kufr with respect to the angels is kufr.
[See 4/136 An-Nisaa]
They are
not some metaphysical force or aspect of
the human psyche or self. Deviants have said
such things for many centuries, and it was not a
new deviation when it was being propagated in
America during this century.
THE THIRD PILLAR
Belief in the Books of Allah.
General belief in the phenomenon of the sending
of books.
Six specific books mentioned in the Qur'an:
As-Suhuf of Ibrahim and Musa.
Az-Zaboor given to Daud.
At-Taurat revealed to Musa.
Al-Injeel revealed to Isa.
Al-Qur'an - the final revelation.
Attributes of the Qur'an:
Flawless and untampered with:
[See 41/42 Fusilat]
The final authority over any remnants of the
previous books.
[See 5/48 Al-Maidah]
A guidance and a mercy.
[See 10/37 Yunus]
The Qur'an must be
followed and applied.
[See 6/155 Al-An'aam]
Hadith narrated by Ali:
The Prophet (sas) said: "Verily, there will be
fitan." I said: "What is the way out of
them, Messenger of Allah?" He said: "The Book of
Allah; in it is news of those who came before
you; news of what is to come after you; the
ruling on that which is between you; it is the
decisive criterion, and is not jest. Whoever
leaves it among the arrogant ones will be made
small by Allah; whoever seeks guidance from
other than it will be sent astray by Allah. It
is the mighty rope of Allah, the Wise Reminder,
and the Straight Path. With it, inclinations do
not deviate nor tongues become confused.
Scholars are never satiated with it; it never
becomes tiresome with repetition; its wonders
never diminish. ... Whoever speaks by it is
truthful; whoever applies it is rewarded;
whoever judges by it is just; and whoever calls
to it is guided to a straight path.
- Narrated by At-Tirmidhi [Its chain is not
strong because of two unknown narrators.]
THE FOURTH PILLAR
Belief in the prophets, prayers and salutations
of Allah be upon them.
Belief in the process of prophethood.
Allah in His wisdom did not neglect His
creation.
Prophets sent to guide us in this life and the
next.
Specific belief in the 25 prophets named in the
Qur'an: (1) Adam, (2) Nuh, (3) Idris, (4) Saleh,
(5) Ibrahim, (6) Hud, (7) Lut, (8) Yunus,
(9) Isma'il, (10) Is-haq, (11) Ya'qub,
(12) Yusuf, (13) Ayub, (14) Shu'aib, (15) Musa,
(16) Harun, (17) Alyas', (18) Dhu Al-Kifl,
(19) Daud, (20) Zakariya, (21) Sulaiman,
(22) Ilyas, (23) Yahya, (24) Isa, and
(25) Muhammad, prayers and salutations of Allah
be upon him and upon all the messengers of
Allah.
General belief that there are many other
prophets and messengers, but never assuming
anything without knowledge from Allah.
The subject matter of the prophethood.
Warnings and glad tidings.
So the disobedient will have no excuse before
Allah. (Prophets sent to every nation.)
Enjoining the worship of Allah and the avoidance
of At-Taghoot (Shaitaan, etc.)
[Study: 4/165, An-Nisaa; 16/36, An-Nahl]
Prophets are the best of the Awliyaa (Allies) of
Allah.
What is
wilaya; what it isn't.
Wilaya, Iman, Kufr and Nifaaq are all
variable
attributes which can all be
present to varying degrees.
The best of Allah allies are the prophets
(a.s.).
The best among the prophets are the messengers.
The best among the messengers are the five
firmly intentioned mentioned in the Qur'an.
[See: 42/13, Ash-Shuraa]
The best of the firmly intentioned is Muhammad
(sas).
Attributes of the Prophet Muhammad:
Seal of the prophets; Imam of the pious;
Foremost among the sons of Adam; Imam and Khatib
of the prophets when they assembled; Possessor
of the Praiseworthy Position which all of
mankind will wish they had attained (and which
is mentioned in the Du'a of hearing the adhan);
Owner of the pool in paradise; Intercessor for
all mankind on the day of Qiyama.
Allah sent him with the best of the books and
the best of His law. Allah made his nation "the
best nation brought forth for mankind." Allah
gave him (and us) all of the good that was given
only partially to the previous nations. His
nation is the last in creation, the first in
resurrection.
From the moment of his prophethood, Allah made
him the criterion (Al-Farooq) for distinguishing
Allah's allies and their actions from His
enemies and their actions: None can have any
relationship to Allah except through belief in
the Prophet (sas) and following what he
brought in public and in secret. Whoever claims
love or closeness to Allah while disobeying the
message is actually drawing closer to Shaitaan,
farther from Allah.
THE FIFTH PILLAR
Belief in the resurrection (Al-Ba'th).
Reconstruction of the body and return of the
soul to it. People will come forth out of their
graves like locusts. Faces bent down. Rushing to
the Caller.
[See 53/76 Al-Qamar; 70/43 Al-Ma'arij; 17/49
Al-Israa; 36/78 Yasin; 20/108 Taha]
The resurrection is of the body and the
soul, not some metaphysical resurrection of the
latter.
Twelve verses from the Qur'an which prove that.
Hadith: "The sun will come down toward the
people on the day of Qiyama until it is only
about a mile up. The people will be in their own
perspiration according to their acts: some of
them will be in it up to their ankles, some up
to their groin and others up to their chins, and
he pointed to his mouth." Narrated by Muslim.
A disbeliever once came to the Prophet (sas)
with an old bone, crumbled it with his hand and
said: "O Muhammad, will Allah bring this back to
life after it has rotted?! The Prophet said:
"Yes, Allah will resurrect this and he will
cause you to die, bring you back to life, and
put you into the fire of Jahannam!"
THE SIXTH PILLAR
Belief In Predestination and Decree
A Muslim believes in Allah's predestination of
all things and events (Qadhaa), His
decree (Qadar), His wisdom in His
actions, and His will. Nothing in the
universe can occur, even the voluntary actions
of His slaves, except after Allah's knowledge,
and His decree of that event. A Muslim
further believes that Allah is Just in
His predestination and His decree, Wise in all
of His actions. His wisdom follows His will:
Whatever He wills is, and whatever He does not
will is not.
There is no power nor any
movement except by Allah. This is substantiated
by the textual and logical proofs which follow:
TEXTUAL EVIDENCE
1) Allah informed us of this in the Qur'an:
[Verily, we have created everything in
(predetermined) measure.] Qur'an 54/49
[And there is nothing whatsoever but that its
reserves are with us, and we do not send it down
except in known measure.] Qur'an 15/21
[No calamity strikes in the earth nor in your
selves but that was in a book since before We
created it (i.e. the event). That is easy for
Allah.] Qur'an 57/22
[No calamity strikes except with the permission
of Allah.] Qur'an 64/11
[Say: Nothing will befall us except what Allah
had decreed for us, He is our protecting Ally,
and upon Allah let the believers depend.] Qur'an
9/51
[And with Him are the keys of the unseen, no one
knows them except Him. He knows all that is in
the ocean and on the land. No leaf falls without
His knowledge, nor any particle in the dark
recesses of the earth, nor anything green and
fresh or dry and withered but that it is in a
clear book.] Qur'an 6/59
[This is nothing less than a reminder to all the
worlds. * For whoever among you has an intention
to go straight. * But you will never have this
intention unless Allah so wills, Lord of the
worlds.] Qur'an 81/27-29
[Those for whom good has already been decreed by
us will be far removed from it (i.e. hell).]
Qur'an 21/101
[If only, when you entered your garden, you had
said: (This is only) by the will of Allah. There
is no power except from Allah.] Qur'an 18/39
[Praise be to Allah who guided us to this, and
we would never have attained guidance if Allah
had not guided us.] Qur'an 7/43
2) The Prophet (sas), too, has informed us about
the reality of Allah's predestination and decree
in many hadith:
"Verily, each one of you is formed in his
mother's womb forty days as a drop, then he is
something suspended for a similar period, then
he is a piece of flesh like a chewed piece of
meat for another period of forty days, then the
angel is sent to insert the soul. This angel is
ordered to record four things: the sustenance
which he will receive during his lifetime, the
length of his life, all actions that he will do,
and whether he will end up miserable (in hell)
or joyous (in paradise). I swear by the One
other than whom there is no deity, one of you
may do the works of the people of paradise right
up until there is only an arm's length between
him and paradise, but his destiny overtakes him,
so he does the actions of the poeple of the fire
and enters it. And, verily, one of you may do
the works of the people of hell until there is
nothing between them and hell except for one
arm's length, but his destiny overtakes him, and
so he does the works of the people of paradise,
and enters it." (Muslim)
"Young man, I will teach you some words:
Preserve (your obligations toward) Allah and He
will preserve you. Guard (your obligations
toward) Allah, and you will find Him on your
side. When you ask, ask Allah. When you seek aid
and succour, seek it from Allah. And know, that
if the entire nation got together to benefit you
in some way, they could never benefit you at all
except for that which Allah had already decreed
for you. And, if they all got together to harm
you in some way, they could do you no harm
except for that which Allah had already decreed
for you. The pens have been lifted, and the
tablets have dried." (At-Tirmidhi, and he rated
it Sahih.)
"The first thing which Allah created was the
pen. Then, He said to it: Write. It asked: My
Lord, what should I write? He said: Write the
proportions of all things up until the Hour."
(Ahmad, At-Tirmidhi, and it is hassan.)
"Adam disputed with Musa. Musa said to Adam: "O,
Adam, you are the father of the human race,
Allah created you with His hand, and blew into
you of His spirit, and made His angels prostrate
to you, why did you expel yourself and us from
the garden?" Adam said to him: "You are Musa
whom Allah favored with His speech, and wrote
for you the Taurah with His hand, so (tell me)
by how many years before my creation did you
find it written about me: [... then Adam
disobeyed his Lord and got lost.] (Qur'an
20:121)? Musa said: "By forty years." Then, Adam
said: "So how do you blame me for something
which Allah had decreed for me before my
creation by forty years?" The Prophet said: "And
so, Adam defeated Musa in the dispute."
"Iman (faith) is to believe in Allah, His
angels, His revealed books, His messengers, the
last day, and the predestination of all things
both (those which appear) good and (those which
appear) bad." (Muslim)
"Act, for each of you will find easy that for
which he was created." (Muslim)
"Verily, oaths do not change destiny." (Sahih)
"O, Abdullah ibn Qais, should I not teach you a
word which is one of the treasures of paradise?
(It is to say): There is no movement nor any
power except from Allah."
"Someone said: That which Allah wants and you
want. To which the Prophet (sas) replied: That
which Allah alone wants." (An-Nasaa'i, and he
rated it sahih)
3) Millions of people from the nation of
Muhammad (sas) have believed in Allah's
predestination and decree of all things and
events including its scholars, righteous ones
and others. They all believed too in His wisdom
and His will and that everything is known to
Allah in advance of its occurrence, and only
takes place by His decree. Nothing can take
place anywhere in His kingdom except for that
which He wills. What He wills is, and what He
does not will is not. The pen has already
recorded the destinies of all things up to the
establishment of the hour.
EVIDENCE OF REASON
1) Reason does not reject the idea of
predestination and decree and of Allah's wisdom
and His will. Just the opposite, reason demands
that this is the case without doubt because of
the clear evidences of it in the universe around
us.
2) Belief in Allah and in his perfect might and
power demands the belief in His predestination
and His decree, His wisdom and His will.
3) An architect is able to make drawings for a
huge building on a piece of paper. He determines
the time in which it will be built, and then
works at the execution of his plan, bringing the
reality of the building from the paper to
reality in the time set for its accomplishment,
and in accordance with what he drew on the
paper, neither more nor less. This being the
case for a human, how could anyone reject the
fact that Allah has set the proportions of all
things from now until the hour? And then, due to
the perfection of His knowledge and His power,
He brings about those assigned proportions just
as He had pre-set them in terms of quantity,
nature, time, and place. There is no reason to
reject these facts once we know that Allah is
capable of all things!
THE AFFIRMATION OF ALLAH'S CHARACTERISTICS
(WITHOUT NEGATION, ANALOGY, DISTORTION OR
SPECULATION)
The Author: "Part of the belief in Allah is the
belief in all that with which He has described
Himself in His Book or with which His Prophet
(sas) has described Him without any
distortion,
negation,
speculation (as to
the exact nature of these attributes), nor
analogy
(i.e. between Allah's
attributes and those of His creation bearing the
same names)."
This section is a more detailed explanation of
the first pillar of Iman: belief in Allah Most
High. This is, of course the most fundamental
principle in Islam, and the foundation of all
other principles of belief and action.
Distortion
(At-Tahreef).
Distortion of the Names and Attributes
themselves (i.e. the words) and (b) Distortion
of their meanings.
EXAMPLES:
The Jahmiy (follower of the deviations of
Al-Jahm ibn Safwan) negates Allah's statement
about himself that he "sat on the throne" by
adding an extra letter to the word in the
Qur'an.
[Istawaa 'alaa al-'arsh] ==> [Istawlaa 'alaa
al-'arsh]
The innovators who changed the case of a noun in
the Qur'an in an effort to negate Allah's
attribute of speech:
[Wa kallama Allahu Musa takleeman] ==> [Wa
kallama Allaha Musa takleeman]
Others distorted meanings of Allah's attributes
without actually changing the words. Examples
include those who said that Allah's anger (Ghadhab)
means His intention to punish, His mercy (Rahma)
means his intention to have mercy, His hand (Yad)
is His generosity or His power, etc.
Negation
(At-Ta'teel):
The meaning of the word is to leave, neglect or
be done with something, or for something to be
unused and nonfunctional. The technical meaning
here is the negation or denial of any or all of
Allah's Attributes. Negation of Allah's
attributes can be divided into three categories:
Negation of the Exalted Perfection of Allah Most
High via the negation of His Names and Glorious
Attributes such as was done by the Jahmiya
and the Mu'tazila.
Negation through negation of appropriate
interaction with Allah and neglect of worship of
Him and obedience to Him, or the association of
others with Him in acts of worship and/or
obedience.
Negation of the relationship of the creation to
its Creator, such as the negation of the
philosophers who claimed that this physical
universe has no beginning, and that it has
always and will always work according to its own
internal rules. They turn Allah into an essence
with no attributes - which is an impossibility!
Speculation and Analogy
(At-Takyeef wa At-Tamtheel):
At-Takyeef means attempts to ascribe a detailed
understanding of the exact nature of the
various attributes with which Allah has
described Himself. At-Tamtheel means to make a
direct comparison or analogy between one of
Allah's attributes and a human attribute having
the same name, such as the comparison of Isa by
the Christians to Allah Most High, or that of
Uzair by the Jews or that of the idols by the
polytheists to Allah Most High. Likewise the
Mushabbiha among the Muslims who compare
Allah with His creation by saying that He has a
face like our faces, hands like our hands,
hearing and sight like ours, etc.
The author said elsewhere: "Rather [the
believers] believe that Allah Most High is not
comparable to anything or anyone else, and He is
the Hearing, the Seeing. They do not negate or
deny any of that with which He described
Himself, nor [do they] distort the words out of
their proper context. They do not deviate [with
respect to] His Names and His Verses. They do
not seek detailed descriptions of the exact
nature of His attributes without sources of that
knowledge, nor compare His attributes with those
of His creation, because there are none
comparable to Him, nor any equal or partner!"
Tauhid of Allah's Names and Attributes means
belief in everything which has come in the
Qur'an and the authenticated hadith regarding
Allah's attributes with which He described
Himself in the Qur'an, or with which His Prophet
(sas) has described Him. A Muslim must believe
in the reality of these attributes just as they
have come in the above sources, without
attempting to analyze the "how" of any of them,
nor to attempt to represent them with something
else, nor to view them as equivalent to
something else, nor to re-interpret them with
other than their apparent meanings in the Arabic
language, nor to distort or negate them
maintaining the belief that...
[There is nothing whatsoever similar to Him, and
He is the Hearer, the Seer.] Ash-Shooraa/11
Allah said:
[Say: He is Allah, the One * Allah, the one
sought for all needs, the self-sufficient, the
eternal. * He bears not offspring, nor was He
born, * And there exists nothing comparable to
Him.] Qur'an Al-Ikhlaas/all
[And to Allah belong the best of names, so call
Him with them, and leave those who deviate with
regard to His names - they will be fully repaid
for all that they used to do.] As- A'raaf/180
THE POSITION OF AHLU AS-SUNNAH WITH REGARD TO
ALLAH'S ATTRIBUTES
The Prophet (sas) said: "The best of generations
is my generation. It is followed (in
superiority) by the one which comes after it,
then the one which comes after that, then the
one which comes after that."
Ahlu As-Sunna
acknowledge and believe that
Allah ta'ala is completely unlike and cannot be
compared to any created being, neither in His
essence, His attributes, His actions or His
names. All of His names are glorious, and all of
His attributes are attributes of perfection and
absolute greatness. The ultimate and most
concise proof of the position of ahlu
as-sunnah is found in the verse cited
earlier, in which Allah says:
[There is nothing whatsoever similar to Him, and
He is the Hearer, the Seer.] Ash-Shooraa/11
This verse contains a negation which is followed
immediately by an affirmation. The fact that
Allah negates the possibility of anything or
anyone being comparable or like Him, and follows
that immediately with he affirmation of two of
His glorious names and perfect attributes, puts
an absolute end to the confusing arguments and
sophistries of the innovators in the area of
Allah's names/attributes. When one comprehends
fully the meaning of this verse and contemplates
it, it is alone is sufficient for an
understanding of this issue. It is further
supported by the following verses:
[He knows all that is in front of them and all
that is behind them, and they are incapable of
encompassing Him with their knowledge.] Taha/110
[He knows all that is in front of them and all
that is behind them, and they can encompass
nothing of his knowledge (with their
understanding) except what He so wills.]
Al-Baqarah/ 255
The author said elsewhere:
those who used their imaginations, (2) those who
distort meanings through non-apparent
interpretation, and (3) those who postulate
ignorance of their meanings on the part of the
Prophet (sas) and the believers.
The imaginers are the philosophers and those who
followed their path among sophists (Al-Mutakallimeen)
and sufis. The essence of their position is that
they say: "All that the Prophet (sas) has
mentioned to us in the area of belief in Allah
and the last day is just an imaginary conception
of the realities delivered in a form that the
masses could benefit from, but which do not make
any of that reality clear or guide the creation
to an understanding of them."
Beyond this, they fall into two groups: One
group says that the Prophet (sas) did not
have true knowledge
of these realities, and they
say that some of the later philosophers and
spiritual seekers after him have arrived at this
knowledge! They place some of the supposed "awliyaa'"
on a higher lever than the commissioned
messengers! This is the belief of the many of
the sufis and the Shi'a. Another group says that
while the Prophet (sas) had knowledge of these
realities, he did not make them clear to the
people. In fact, they claim that he taught them
meanings actually at odds with the realities
which he understood because that was what was
beneficial to them. Thus, their argument is that
it was required of the Prophet (sas) to call the
people to belief in Allah having attributes that
they could understand, to the resurrection of
our bodies on Qiyama, to eating and drinking in
Al-Jannah, not because these things are
real, but because it would not have been
possible to call the people except with such
things. Thus they allege that the Prophet (sas)
was ordered to lie to the people "for their own
good". As for the practical applications and
laws of Islam, they go two different ways: some
accept their obligation upon them, while others
say that they only apply to some people or that
they apply to the common masses, but that
certain special individuals become exempt from
their requirements.
Those who distort by allegorical interpretation
say that the Prophet (sas) did not intend, in
these texts dealing with Allah's attributes,
that people should believe untruths; rather, he
intended with them certain meanings which,
however, he did not make clear, or did he point
them in their direction. Rather, he wanted them
to seek and attempt to know the realities with
their minds, and then to fit the texts through
interpretation to the meanings at which they
arrive. In their belief, the teachings of the
Prophet (sas) were nothing more than a test or a
requirement of them to seek to know the truth
from other sources, and not from him (sas).
Those who postulate ignorance (and there are
many of them who claim adherence to the sunnah)
claim that the Prophet (sas) did not know the
meanings of the revelations about Allah's
attributes, nor did Jibreel. According to this,
the Prophet (sas) spoke to us with things which
he himself did not understand. They cite Allah's
statement that:
[None knows their true meanings (or
interpretation) except Allah.]
This is basically a correct position, except for
the fact that they failed to differentiate
between meaning and
interpretation (i.e. tafsir).
NO ANALOGIES OR COMPARISONS CAN BE MADE
BETWEEN ALLAH MOST HIGH AND HIS CREATION
Allah Most High said: [So do not posit
similitudes to Allah; Verily Allah knows and you
know not.] An-Nahl/74. Allah ta'ala cannot be
compared to any among His creation in His
actions and His attributes, just as He cannot be
compared to any of them in his essence.
This position of the Sunnah and its followers,
is at odds with he deviation of the "Mu'tazilah"
and those among the Shi'a
who imitated them. They make
analogies between Allah and His creation and
make Allah comparable to His creation and
subject to the same methods of analysis. Then
they proceeded to fabricate a law from
themselves, saying that Allah must do such and
such and must not do such and such.
The Mu'tazilah and those who follow their way
are Mushabbiha in relation to Allah's actions,
and Mu'attilah in relation to His attributes.
They reject some of what Allah has attributed to
Himself, and they call that Tauhid; and
they have made Him comparable to His creation in
analysis of praiseworthy and blameworthy
actions, calling that justice.
Their "justice" is a rejection of Allah's
absolute power and control over his creation
(the Sixth Pillar of Iman, above), and is in
reality shirk. Their "tauhid" is
deviation with regard to his names and their
rejection or negation (ta'teel).
[And to Allah belong the best of names, so call
Him with them, and leave those who deviate with
regard to His names - they will be fully repaid
for all that they used to do.] As- A'raaf/180
In short, Allah's is the utmost example (in all
of his attributes); comparisons and analogies,
either partial or total, cannot be drawn between
Him and His creation.
[And His is the utmost example in the heavens
and the earth, and He is the Mighty, the Wise.]
Ar-Rum/27
Thus, any attribute of perfection or power with
which humans can be described, is in its
ultimate meaning, and is most appropriate when
applied to Allah, ta'ala. And any negative
attribute or shortcoming which is negated from
humans by way of praise is in its ultimate
meaning, and is most appropriate when applied to
Allah ta'ala.
All issues of Allah's attributes and names must
be taken back, both to affirm and deny, to that
which Allah said about Himself, and that which
His Prophet (sas) taught us about Him. These
sources cannot be neglected in favor of those
who forge lies about Allah, and speak about Him
that which they know not.
The author: "And [Allah is] more truthful in
speech and superior in discourse to his
slaves...." This is taken from the verse:
[Allah! There is no deity but Him. He will
surely bring you all together to the day of
Qiyama; there is no doubt therein; and who is
more truthful in discourse than Allah?]
An-Nisaa/87
Allah's discourse is on the absolute highest
level of truth. Any "knowledge" which
contradicts the discourse of Allah is falsehood,
lies or deception since it contradicts the
ultimate and infallible truth.
The author: "Further, His messengers are
truthful and among those who believe as true..."
Truthfulness (As-Sidq) means accordance between
statement and reality. "Those who believe as
true (Musaddiqeen) refers to their complete
belief in the revelations which came to them.
The author: "...This, in contrast to those who
say about Allah that which they know not." This
includes those who speak, based on speculation
and their own minds, understandings and
inclinations about Allah: His law, His Deen, His
names or His attributes.
Allah said:
[Glorified is your Lord, the Lord of might above
that which they attribute to Him. * And peace be
upon the messengers. * And all praise is to
Allah, Lord of the worlds.] As-Saaffaat/180-182.
ALLAH CANNOT BE COMPARED TO HIS CREATION
(Continued)
The verses quoted previously are a concise
expression of the position of the true
worshippers of Allah in relation to His
attributes about which He has informed us
through His Messenger (sas). In the first verse,
Allah declares His perfection and his remoteness
from any of the things which humans attempt to
ascribe to him with their minds. Next, He
invokes a greeting upon the commissioned
messengers - because of their faithful delivery
of the true teachings about Allah and His
attributes. Finally, He finishes by invoking to
Himself "Al-Hamd" the ultimate praise
which is due only to Him because of His glorious
attributes of perfection and might.
Now, we will take a closer look at the meaning
of the words in the verse.
{Subhaana Rabbika Rabbi Al-'Izzati 'Amma
Yasifoon; Wa Salaamun 'Alaa Al-Mursaleen; Wa
Al-Hamdu Lillahi Rabbi Al-Aalameen}
Subhaana:
This is a verbal noun derived from the same root
as Tasbeeh which connotes declaration of
Allah's freedom of all defects (and His
deanthropomorphism) and His distance from all
that is bad. Prayer has been called
Tasbeeh, since this
attitude toward Allah is the heart of all belief
and worship.
Al-'Izza:
Strength, power, dominion and control.
Al-Rabb:
The Lord and Cherisher of all of His creation
with a multitude of bounties and provisions.
As-Salaam:
Greetings (the greetings of peace) upon the
Messengers. It also connotes integrity and
freedom from defects (as opposed to those who
speak of Allah as they
imagine Him to be) in their
teachings, since Salaama
comes from the same root.
Al-Mursaleen:
Plural of
Rasool
(Messenger). The Messengers
are those to whom a law has been revealed from
Allah, and who have been ordered to propagate
it.
Al-Hamd:
An expression of praise based on the good action
which the praised one has done by his will and
choice, whether that action has benefitted the
praiser or others beside him.
The General Meaning of the Three Verses:
These verses are a very important lesson in
Tauhid, and an apt closing to Sura As-Saaffaat
in which Allah has declared himself free of any
consort, wife, partner, son or companion. This
is so the Muslim may never be unmindful of these
truths, and may place the seal of Tauhid on all
of his good actions. Allah declares Himself free
of all of the attributes which have been
ascribed to Him by those who oppose the
Messengers or deviate from their messages -
attributes which are not appropriate to His
greatness and perfection. The greeting upon the
Messengers which follows this is because of the
complete integrity and reliability of all that
they taught about Allah, Most High. In this,
also, is an indication that just as a Muslim
must have a belief in Allah free from any
shortcoming or flaw, a Muslim likewise must
believe in the integrity of all of the
Messengers in their actions and their
statements. None of the Messengers ever lied
about Allah, associated anything with Him or
deceived their nations about Him; they speak
nothing about Him but the truth, may the prayers
and peace of Allah be upon them.
The people of the Sunnah are unanimous in
affirming that the Messengers are infallible in
their delivering of the message. It is
impossible that anything could stabilize in
their teaching and practice of the Shari'a which
is not Allah's ruling. It is obligatory to
believe all that of which they have informed us
and to obey them in that which they have ordered
and forbidden. Although a Muslim commits sins
(and does not thereby cease being a Muslim),
they are not to be accepted from him. Further,
if he repents a true repentance, he may, with
Allah's mercy reach a superior state than the
one previous to his sin and repentance.
It has been narrated that the Prophet (sas) used
to recite these three verses just before giving
Salaam in his prayer. It is also narrated as a
du'a to be said at the conclusion of a sitting.
HOW TO BELIEVE IN ALLAH'S NAMES AND ATTRIBUTES
The Author: "Allah, subhaanahu, has combined in
that with which He has described and named
Himself negation (of all faults and negative
attributes) and affirmation (of all attributes
of might and perfection). The people of the
Sunnah will turn nowhere away from that which
the Messengers have brought. It is the Straight
Path, the path of those upon whom Allah has
bestowed His grace among the prophets, the
ever-truthful, ever-faithful disciples, the
martyrs, and all other righteous ones."
Thus, belief in Allah's names and attributes is
based upon two fundamental principles: negation
and affirmation. Negation refers to rejecting
with respect to Allah all attributes which
contradict His perfection, including all types
of faults, weaknesses or needs. We reject the
idea that Allah could have any partner or peer.
Nor can there be any comparable to Him in any of
his attributes or the rights due to him alone.
There are two types of affirmation: affirmation
of general attributes such as Allah's absolute
perfection, majesty, etc; and affirmation of
detailed attributes such as His detailed
knowledge of all things, his decree of all
events, His mercy, etc.
Negation (of a negative attribute) alone, not
accompanied by affirmation (of its opposite) is
not praise and is not befitting Allah. Thus,
every negation which Allah has attributed to
himself contains and implies the affirmation of
its opposite. Allah's negation of His having any
part | 