The Creed of Al Wastiyyah - Lesson 3

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

THE CREED OF ALWASITIYYAH BY SHAYKH’UL ISLAM AHMAD IBN TAYMIYYAH

Taught by Ustadh WasimKempson

Lesson  3

This lesson we startedchapter one of the book: re-affirming the creed of ASWJ.

‘An expression of the above principles is foundin what Allah describes Himself in Surah al Ikhlaas, which equals to a 1/3 ofthe Qur’an.

The Prophet  sallalahu alayhi wa sallam  would recite Surah Ikhlaas inone unit of prayer before Fajr after reading Surah al Kafiroon in the firstunit of prayer. After the Maghrib salah the Prophet sallalahu alayhi wa sallam  would recite Kafiroon andIkhlaas. The Ulama have said that the benefits of the chapter are thefollowing:

      1.      He recitedSurah Al Kafiroon before Fajr to absolve himself from Shirk

      2.      In the 2^ndunit of prayer he would recite Surah al Ikhlaas because this was an affirmationof Tawheed.

This chapter is equalto 1/3 of the Qur’an so what does that mean?

Many of the Salaf useto say that Qur’an is ‘thalatha maqsid’ (3 main objectives/topics)

      1.      Rulings,prohibitions and commands

      2.      Informationand Stories given to use with regards to Prophet s, Day of Judegement etc.

      3.      DescribingAllah (swt) e.g. through His names and attributes.

So, Surah Ikhlaas(Sincerity) is describing Allah therefore it covers the last objectivementioned. This achieves it from every respect.

‘Say He is Allah, the One. Allah, theEverlasting Sustainer of all. He has not given birth and was not born. There isnone comparable to Him.’ (al Ikhlaas:1-4)

Short tafsir ofthis surah

1. Say Allah is one, He has no equal and He is unique
2. As Samad is His name. It means He is the perfect one in knowledge, power, wisdom, in all His Attributes. THE PERFECT ONE. Also He is One who has no need for anything and everything else is reliant upon Him.
3. Here Allah (swt) negates any of shareek (partner or equal). He has no kufr, equal, likeness. In negation, we affirm the opposition – He is perfect therefore free of need.
4. None comparable to Him à UNIQUENESS OF ALLAH (SWT)

Ikhlaas is sincere toAllah alone.

AbuSa'id al-Khudri (radiAllahu anhu) reported that the Messenger ofAllah sallalahu alayhi wa sallam said to his Companions, "Are any of youunable to recite a third of the Quran in a night?" That was difficult forthem and they said, "Which of us is able to do that, Messenger ofAllah?" He said, "[The surah] 'Say: He is Allah, AbsoluteOneness, Allah, the Everlasting Sustainer of all' (112) constitutes a third ofthe Quran.'"
[Sahih al-Bukhari 6:61 #534, Riyad as-Salihin by Imam an-Nawawi Ch.183 #1010]

AbuHuraira  (radiAllahu anhu) reported that theMessenger of Allah sallalahu alayhi wa sallam said that "Say: He is Allah,Absolute Oneness" is equal to a third of the Quran.
[Muslim, Riyad as-Salihin by Imam an-Nawawi Ch.183 #1012]  

Another narration - Abu Sa'id al-Khudri (radiAllahu anhu) reported that the Messengerof Allah sallalahu alayhi wa sallam said about the surah, "Say: He is Allah,Absolute Oneness" (112), 'By Him in Whose hand my soul is, it is equalto one third of the Quran!'
[Sahih al-Bukhari 6:61 #533, Riyad as-Salihin by Imam an-Nawawi Ch.183 #1010]

Itis also found in what Allah describes Himself with in the greatest verse of HisBook (2:255) Ayatul Kursi

Q.Why is it the greatest verse?

Short tafsir of Ayatul Kursi

255)Allah, there is none worthy of worship save Him, the Living, the SelfSustaining.

‘Ilah’ = deity, something that isworshipped, fear of that what they worship.

Here Allah informs us THERE is no deityEXCEPT Him. Very explicitly negates all forms of things that are worshipped infear and hope EXCEPT to Allah (swt). You are obligated as a creation to submit,love and have hope in Allah (swt).

They are not but [mere] names you have named them- you and your forefathers - for which Allah has sent down no authority. Theyfollow not except assumption and what [their] souls desire, and there hasalready come to them from their Lord guidance. (Najm:23)

This verse(Ayatul Kursi) began with His name. This is Kalimat At Tawheed.

Narrated Abu Huraira:

The Prophet sallalahu alayhi wa sallam said, "Perish the slave of Dinar,Dirham, Qatifa (thick soft cloth), and Khamisa (a garment), for if he is given,he is pleased; otherwise he is dissatisfied." (Bukhari, Volume 8, Book 76,Number 443)

They havetaken their scholars and monks as lords besides Allah, and [also] the Messiah,the son of Mary. And they were not commanded except to worship one God; thereis no deity except Him. Exalted is He above whatever they associate with Him.(At Tawah:31)

To support the above ayah we have another hadith

The Prophet sallalahu alayhi wa sallam  used tosay, "After fear of Allah a believer gains nothing better for himself thana good wife who obeys him if he gives her a command, pleases him if he looks ather, is true to him if he adjures her to do something, and is sincere towardshim regarding her person and his property if he is absent.
(Transmitted by Ibn Majah, Tirmidhi: 2095)

.. the Living, the Self Sustaining – ‘alhayyu alqayyumu’

‘Al Hayyu’ – Mostperfect of life. No non-existence before him and will have no death.

‘Al Qayyum’ (Lit:Qa’im) – something which is standing. Qayyum is an exaggerating form and isonly for Allah (swt). No need of anything for sustaining.

The Ulama havesaid that they ‘alhayyu alqayyumu’ are the greatest namesof Allah.

Anas ibn Malik (may Allah be pleasedwith him) reported: I was sitting in a gathering with the Messenger of Allah sallalahu alayhi wa sallam,and a man was standing for Salaah, after bowing and prostrating he sat. Hesaid Tashahhud and then supplicated saying, 'O Allah! Verily, I ask of You, by the fact that to You belongs allPraise, there is no god except You, You alone and You have nopartners, Al-Mannaan (i.e, The Benefactor), O Badee' (i.e,Originator) of the heavens and the earth, O Dhal Jalali wal Ikram(i.e,Lord of Majesty, Bounty and Honour), O Hayy (i.e, The Everliving) andO Qayyum (i.e, The Self-subsisting): Indeed I ask ofYou Al-Jannah (i.e, The Garden of Paradise), and I seek refuge withYou from An-Naar (i.e, Hellfire)'. The Prophet sallalahu alayhi wa sallam  saidto his companions, 'Do you know with what he had supplicated?' Theysaid, 'Allah and His Messenger know best. He sallalahu alayhi wa sallam  said, 'By Him in Whose Hand is my soul! he has supplicated Allah with His GreatestName, The One with Which if He is supplicated (in Duaa) He answers, and withWhich if He is asked He gives'." (Related by Abu Dawud, Tirmidhi,Nasaa'i, Ibn Maajah; Albaani declared it Sahih in 'Sifatu Salatu Nabi'; SeeHusnil Muslim of Qahtaani, #64)

In a version of the same above hadith ofAnas ibn Malik, related by Imaam Ahmed in his Musnad: The Name ofAllah Al-Hannaan(i.e, The Compassionate), is there insteadof Al-Mannaan (i.e, The Benefactor). (Musnad, Vol. 3, p. 158; Albaanisaid it is Sahih in Mishkat Masaabih, Kitab Da'wat, #2290; See Fath Rabbani byAhmed Al-Banna, Vol. 14, p. 279)

Based onthis narration the Ulama have said that some names of Allah (Swt) are greaterthan others.
Fact that Ayatul Kursi is the greatest ayah means some ayahs are greater thanothers.

Abu Umamah (radiAllahu anhu) reportedthat the Prophet sallalahu alayhi wa sallam  said that the ismullahi al- a'dham (TheGreatest Name of Allah), through which Allah assuredly fulfils people's needs,is contained in three surahs in the Qur'an: al-Baqarah, Al Imran and Taha. AbuUmamah (radiAllahu anhu) says that when he searched for the ismullahi al-a'dham, he found it to be in Ayat al-kursi (2:255); and in Surah Al-’Imran(3:2); and in Surah Taha (20:111).[al-Hakim, ibn Majah, at-Tabarani, at-Tahawi,and others] 

TheSalaf looked through these and found that ‘alhayyu al qayyum’ covers all ofAllah’s attributes.

..He is not subject to drowsiness or sleep. This negates other things.Drowsiness, just before sleep is Nu’as and this is a sign of weakness. Thecreation gets tired, which is a lesser weakness than sleep. Drowsiness andsleep are effects and needs of the creation. This line refutes that Allah took a rest after creating Heavens andEarth – This is what the Jews and Christians believe and this is affirmed bythe fact that He is perfect.

Everything in the heavens and the earthbelong to Him. HereAllah (swt) mentions His dominion of the universe. It only belongs to thecreation for some time and you’ll never own it forever

Who can intercede with Him except by Hispermission?Intercession, of course, is one of those issues in Aqeedah that’s important forMuslim to understand. Here Allah (swt) is saying no-one can intercede EXCEPT byHis permission. Even when the Prophet sallalahu alayhi wa sallam  wants to intercede on the Dayof Judgment, he will wait till Allah gives permission. He sallalahu alayhi wa sallam will prostrate in front of Allahand wait till Allah gives permission.

‘O Muhammad ! You are Allah’s Apostleand the last of the Prophet s, and Allah forgave your early and late sins.(Please) intercede for us with your Lord. Don’t you see in what state we are?”The Prophet   added, “Then I will go beneath Allah’s Throneand fall in prostration before my Lord. And then Allah will guide me to suchpraises and glorification to Him as He has never guided anybody else before me.Then it will be said, ‘O Muhammad Raise your head. Ask, and it will be granted.Intercede It (your intercession) will be accepted.’ So I will raise my head andSay, ‘My followers, O my Lord! My followers, O my Lord’. It will be said, ‘OMuhammad! Let those of your followers who have no accounts, enter through sucha gate of the gates of Paradise as lies on the right; and they will share theother gates with the people.” The Prophet  further said, “By Him in WhoseHand my soul is, the distance between every two gate-posts of Paradise is likethe distance between Mecca and Busra (in Sham).” (Bukhari :Book 6 :Volume 60:Hadith 236)

Anothercondition is that Allah will only grant intercession for those who He ispleased with.

He knows whatis [presently] before them and what will be after them, and they cannotintercede except on behalf of one whom He approves. And they, from fear of Him,are apprehensive. (Anbiya:28)

He is pleased with those who have established Tawheed. Intercessionwill not benefit except for those who Ar Rahman permits and is pleased with

That Day, nointercession will benefit except [that of] one to whom the Most Merciful hasgiven permission and has accepted his word. (Taha:109)

He knows what is beforethem and what is behind them, but they cannot grasp any of His knowledge exceptwhat He wills. So He knows the affairs happening now and what will happen and whathas proceeded. Allah (swt) will never forget that. He completely encompasses itall and we cannot know except what knowledge He has give us (Allamal Maqlooq)

His footstoolencompasses the heavens and the earth.. This is the biggest ofAllah’s creation. This is NOT the Arsh (Throne). The Arsh is the highest ofAllah (swt) creation.

Thesaying of Prophet sallalahu alayhi wa sallam 

“There are one hundred degrees inparadise which Allah has prepared for those who work hard for his cause,between every two degrees is like what is between the sky and the earth, so ifyou ask Allah, ask Him for Al Firdaus, for it is the highest place in heavenand at its middle ...” (Al Bukhari: 2790)

In its explanation, Ibn Abil-'Izzal-Hanafi says that the Kursi is other than Allah's Throne, and that it isauthentically reported from Ibn 'Abbas that he said that Kursi is a footstoolfor Allah's Two Feet.

NB: youneed to understand that even if Ibn Abbas said it’s placement for 2 feet thisdoes not resemble Him or the creation.

..and He is never weary of preserving them. Ya’3ni preserving the heavensand the earth is no difficulty for Him.

He is the Most High, the Magnificent.

MOSTHIGH (Aleeyon)

1. He is above His Creation
2. He is High in our estimation of who He (swt) is concerning His name and attributes.
3. Most High in power of creation.

This isthe belief of ASWJ.

MAGNIFICENT(Al Adheem)

This isthe complete of Ayatul Kursi.

Allah's Messenger sallalahu alayhi wa sallam assigned me to keep watch over the Sadaqah(charity) of Ramadan. A person snuck in and started taking handfuls offoodstuff. I caught him and said, `By Allah, I will take you to Allah'sMessenger.' He said, `Release me, for I am meek and have many dependents and amin great need.' I released him, and in the morning Allah's Messenger asked me,`What did your prisoner do yesterday, O Abu Hurayrah' I said, `O Allah'sMessenger! He complained of being needy and of having many dependents, so Ipitied him and let him go.' Allah's Messenger said, `Indeed, he told you a lieand will be coming again.' I believed that he would show up again, for Allah'sMessenger had told me that he would return. So, I watched for him. When he(showed up and) started stealing handfuls of foodstuff, I caught hold of himagain and said, `I will definitely take you to Allah's Messenger.' He said,`Leave me, for I am very needy and have many dependents. I promise I will notcome back again.' I pitied him and let him go. In the morning Allah's Messengerasked me, `What did your prisoner do last night, O Abu Hurayrah!' I replied, `OAllah's Messenger! He complained of his great need and of too many dependents,so I took pity on him and set him free.' Allah's Messenger said, `Verily, hetold you a lie; he will return.' I waited for him attentively for the thirdtime, and when he (came and) started stealing handfuls of the foodstuff, Icaught hold of him and said, `I will surely take you to Allah's Messenger as itis the third time you promised not to return, yet you returned.' He said, `Letme teach you some words which Allah will give you benefit from.' I asked, `Whatare they' He replied, `Whenever you go to bed, recite Ayat Al-Kursi- Allahu lailaha illa Huwal-Hayyul-Qayyum, till you finish the whole verse. (If you doso), Allah will appoint a guard for you who will stay with you, and no Shaytanwill come near you until morning.' So, I released him. In the morning, Allah'sMessenger asked, `What did your prisoner do yesterday' I replied, `O Allah'sMessenger! He claimed that he would teach me some words by which Allah willgrant me some benefit, so I let him go.' Allah's Messenger asked, `What arethey' I replied, `He said to me:Whenever you go to bed, recite Ayat Al-Kursi from the beginning to the end,Allahu la ilaha illa Huwal-Hayyul-Qayyum. He further said to me: (If you doso), Allah will appoint a guard for you who will stay with you, and no Shaytanwill come near you until morning.' (One of the narrators) then commentedthat they (the Companions) were very keen to do good deeds. The Prophet   said,`He spoke the truth, although he is a liar. Do you know whom you were talkingto, these three nights, O Abu Hurayrah' Abu Hurayrah said, `No.' He said, `Itwas Shaytan.''' (Bukhari 2311, 3275, 5010 and An-Nasa'i also recorded thisHadith in Al-Yawm wa Al-Laylah)

The Prophet sallalahu alayhi wa sallam  alsosaid that it was the greatest ayah and this is recorded by Suyuti.

Ahmad with the wording in Muslim, AbuDawud, Ibn Durays, al-Hakim and al-Harawi have reported regarding theexcellence [of Ayat al-Kursi] from Ubay Ibn Ka`b that the Prophet sallalahu alayhi wa sallam was asked about which verse of the Holy Qur’anwas the most exalted and he sallalahu alayhi wa sallam replied: “Ayat al-Kursi “Allah. There is no deity except Allah theLiving and Everlasting…” By Him in whose Hand is my soul; [this verse] has atongue and two lips with which it sanctifies the King at the foot of theThrone.” (See Muslim, Sahih, 1:556 (#810); al-Hakim, al-Mustadrakala’l-Sahihayn, 1:561; Abu Dawud, Sunan, 2:27 (#1460) and Ahmad in his Musnad,5/141 (#21315). See also al-Suyuti, al-Durr al-Manthur, 2:6.)

It is for this reason that Allah…untilmorning.

InAyatul Kursi 5 of Allah’s names are mentioned.

1. Al Hayyu
2. Al Qayyum
3. Al Alee
4. Al Adheem
5. Allah.

Attributesderived from this verse

1. Divinity
2. Negation of slumber and sleep
3. Comprehensiveness of sovereignty
4. Power and Perfection of His authority
5. Affirm that He gives permission to some
6. Comprehensiveness and Perfection of His knowledge
7. Not ignorant of past or future
8. Affirmation of His will ‘Bi’ithni’
9. Affirm that Kursi is placement of Allah (swt) 2 feet.
10. Perfection of His knowledge and mercy of His preservation of Heavens and earth
11. Affirmation of Allah’s exaltedness (above His creation)

In a similar vein Allahalso says ‘Put your trust in the Living, who does not die’ (Furqan:58). This is acommand from Allah (swt) that complete trust and reliance is on Him only.

‘Tawakkul’ – Reliant on Allah (swt) and entrusting your heart to Allah(swt) after you’re undertaking the necessary means. E.g. you know He willsustain you but that will require you to do some work. There are two types oftrust

1. Trust ONLY belonging to Allah (swt)
2. Reliance and trust on creation. This is further broken down:
   a) on a matter which they don’t have the ability to help you in e.g. to forgive your sins. This is a major sin (Shirk)
   b) reliance in a person/job/leader in which where they’ll help you attain what you are asking from them (minor shirk)
   c)upon which insaan has the ability to help you (mubah)

Allah (swt) mentions us to have faith in Allah (Ma’idah:23)

Said two menfrom those who feared [to disobey] upon whom Allah had bestowed favor,"Enter upon them through the gate, for when you have entered it, you willbe predominant. And upon Allah rely, if you should be believers."(Ma’idah:23) Here Allah links Tawakkul to Imaan.

From Umar ibn Al-Khattab narrated fromthe Prophet sallalahu alayhi wa sallam  who said:
"If only you relied on Allah a true reliance, He would provide sustenancefor you just as He does the birds: They fly out in the morning empty and returnin the afternoon with full stomachs."
Ahmad, An-Nasa’I, Ibn Majah, Al-Hakim and At-Tirmidhi who said: "Hassansahih"

Shaykh’ul Islam rahimullah uses another verse too.

‘Heis the First and the Last, the Outward and the Inward; He has knowledge of allthings’ (Hadid:3)

Here He is talking about the four names of Allahand they are opposite in sense of time and place. This implies that Allah (swt)encompasses everything with His knowledge.

 It was reported that Abu Hurayrahsaid: “The Messenger of Allaah sallalahu alayhi wa sallam)used to tell us, when any one of us wanted to sleep, to lie on his right side,then say ‘…O Allaah, You are the First and there is nothing before You; You arethe Last and there is nothing after You. You are the Manifest (al-Zaahir) andthere is nothing above You; You are the Hidden (al-Baatin) and there is nothingbeyond You. Settle our debt and spare us from poverty).’” (Narrated by Muslim,2713). 

It is He whohas sent His Messenger with guidance and the religion of truth to manifest itover all religion, although they who associate others with Allah dislike it.(At Tawbah:33)

KNOWLEDGE

And Allahknows what you conceal and what you declare (Nahl: 19)

Shaykh’ul Islam rahimullah uses Ayahs of the Qur’an to explain hispoint.

‘He is the All-Wise, theAll-knowing’ (Al Hakim, Al Alim)

On the topic of knowledge he uses 6 ayahs.

Benefits we take:

1. Al Hakim – All wise
   a) Wisdom (Al Hikmah). He decrees everything in a correct manner
   b) He is Al Haakim – Judge and Ruler with His rule.

Regarding Hikmah of Allah (swt) there are two types

Ø  Knowing howsomething is and condition which is e.g. Salah is preceded by purification andthere is wisdom is giving zakah

Ø  Object of thelaw. Why it has been legislated. No doubt Allah has commanded it, even if itmay be seen as a calamity.

Corruption hasappeared throughout the land and sea by [reason of] what the hands of peoplehave earned so He may let them taste part of [the consequence of] what theyhave done that perhaps they will return [to righteousness]. (Rum:41)

This is a refutation of those who say bad things in times of calamity,so turn to Allah.

2. Al Alim – All knowing

‘Is not Allahthe most just of judges?’ (At Teen:8)

.. Allah decides for me, and He is the best of judges. (Yusuf:80)

Then the author mentions another ayah.

‘The All Knowing and All Aware’(At Tahreem: 3) Al Alim  Al Kabeer –knower of smallest of affairs. He has fine knowledge on a matter. E.g. secretsand hidden matter.  Kabeer is a morespecific attribute.

He knows whatpenetrates into the earth and what emerges from it and what descends from theheaven and what ascends therein. And He is the Merciful, the Forgiving. (Saba: 2)Detailabout His knowledge that He knows about even the smallest of creation.

And with Him are thekeys of the unseen; none knows them except Him. And He knows what is on theland and in the sea. Not a leaf falls but that He knows it. And no grain isthere within the darknesses of the earth and no moist or dry [thing] but thatit is [written] in a clear record. (An’am:59)

It starts with Allah (swt) telling us that the keys/treasures of unseenare in His possession e.g. coming of the hour.

Umar Ibn Al-Khattab reports: One daywhen we were with Allah's Messenger sallalahu alayhi wa sallam,  a man with very white clothing and very blackhair came up to us. No mark of travel was visible on him, and none of us recognizedhim. Sitting down beside the Prophet   (saw), leaning his knees against his andplacing his hands on his thighs, he said: … He said: “Now tell meabout the Hour.” He replied: “The one who is asked about it is no betterinformed than the one who is asking.” (Narrated by Muslim)

In SurahLuqman:34 there are stated 5 matters that Allah has knowledge off.

Indeed, Allah[alone] has knowledge of the Hour and sends down the rain and knows what is inthe wombs. And no soul perceives what it will earn tomorrow, and no soulperceives in what land it will die. Indeed, Allah is Knowing and Acquainted.(Luqman:34)

1. With Him alone has the knowledge of the hour
2. Sends down the Ghayf (rain so that vegetation can grow or removes any calamity)
3. He knows what’s in the wombs – e.g. you can only find out if the baby is male or female a certain time in and you can’t know if it’ll be happy/sad mu’min/kaafir.
4. What you will earn tomorrow
5. What land you will die. By not knowing is a mercy of Allah because Death is a test for us.

Theauthor then refers to another verse

No female becomes pregnant or gives birthexcept with His knowledge’ (Fatir: 11)

It is Allah who hascreated seven heavens and of the earth, the like of them. [His] commanddescends among them so you may know that Allah is over all things competent andthat Allah has encompassed all things in knowledge. (Talaq: 12)

Allah has the ability to do anything without any weakness.

MIGHT

‘Truly Allah, He is theProvider, the Possessor of Strength, the Sure’ (Ad Dhariyat: 58). This particularverse comes after specific verse

‘And I did notcreate the jinn and mankind except to worship Me. I do not want from them anyprovision, nor do I want them to feed Me.Truly Allah, He is the Provider, the Possessor of Strength, the Sure’ (Ad Dhariyat:56-58)

‘Ar Razzaq’ – Extensiveness and plentiness of sustenance. Rizq isdivided into 2 categories

1. General – includes everything your body will benefit from (Halal/Haram)
2. Specific – refers to only given to a special type of person e.g. provision of righteous deeds, aided in obedience to Allah. This is given to the mu’minoon. Everything has been decreed.

‘Dhul Quwaah’ – Possessor of ALL strength. Opposite of ‘Dha’af’ (weak).He has unlimited strength whereas some of the creation is given strength.

As for 'Aad,they were arrogant upon the earth without right and said, "Who is greaterthan us in strength?" Did they not consider that Allah who created themwas greater than them in strength? But they were rejecting Our signs.(Fusilat:15)

‘Al Matin’ – The sure/firm

In this verse are two names of Allah ‘Ar Razzaq’ and ‘Al Matin’. Theattributes are ‘Provisions’, ‘Strength’ and ‘Sure/Firm’

The author then goes onto HEARINGAND SEEING

‘Nothing is like Him;and He is the All Hearing, the All Seeing’ (Ash Shura: 11) Firstly inthis ayah there is negation followed by affirmation ( He is Perfect). This is arefutation again those who make tamthil (likeness) to Allah.

‘All hearing’ and ‘All Seeing’ are names and attributes.

As Sam’a – To hear something and it comes into 3 different categoriesin the Qur’an.

1. No sound except Allah (swt) hears it.
    Daleel: ‘Certainly has Allah heard the speech of the one who argues with you, [O Muhammad], concerning her husband and directs her complaint to Allah . And Allah hears your dialogue; indeed, Allah is Hearing and Seeing. (Mujadilah:1)
2. Hearing which supports and aid is intended.
   Daleel: [ Allah ] said, "Fear not. Indeed, I am with you both; I hear and I see. (Taha: 46). This is when Musa and Haroon (as’s) were told to go to the Firawn.
3. Form of intimidation.
   Daleel: Or do they think that We hear not their secrets and their private conversations? Yes, [We do], and Our messengers are with them recording. (Zukhruf: 80)

‘Al Baseer’ – All Seeing. Indeed, Allah knows the unseen [aspects]of the heavens and the earth. And Allah is Seeing of what you do. (Hujurat:18)

The fact that they are together tells us that Allah (swt) can see/hearwhat I do.

‘How excellent is whatAllah exhorts you to do! Allah is All-Hearing, All-Seeing’ (An Nisa: 58)

Allah (swt) tells us to judge between people with justice. The ‘kaana’ emphasizesthat Allah (swt) was and always will be Hearing and Seeing.

Hadith: Whenthis ayah was revealed, the Prophet sallalahu alayhi wa sallam  covered his ears and eyes (AbuDawud) 

This is the end of lesson three. All good you take from here is from Allah and any mistakes are from myself

The Creed of Al Wastiyyah - Lesson 2

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

THE CREED OF ALWASITIYYAH BY SHAYKH’UL ISLAM AHMAD IBN TAYMIYYAH

Taught by Ustadh WasimKempson

Lesson  2

The lesson start off by remembering thatthe testification of the Messenger of Allah (SAW) is in 2 parts

1. Obeying everything he said and following everything he said and did
2. Staying away from what he told us to stay away from.

Also being aware that Muhammad (sallalahualayhi wa sallam) had 5 names:

‘Ihave five names: I am Muhammad, and I am Ahmad, and I am Al-Maahi with whom Goderases disbelief, and I am Al-Hashir following whom human beings are going tobe resurrected and I am Al-Aaqib.’  (Bukhari: 3339)

The author said ‘ I testify that Muhammad is His servant and Messenger…’

SERVANT –hehas no part in Allah’s Lordship (Ruboobeeyah) because that is specific toAllah. His status as a servant is higher than us because he is the ‘Seal of theProphets’

As Abu Hurairah narrated from the Prophet (sallalahualayhi wa sallam) ‘I am the master ofthe children of Adam on the Day of Judgment, the first from whom the grave willsplit, the first interceder, and the first to be granted intercession.‘(Muslim)

Allah mentions in the Qur’an that he (sallalahu alayhi wa sallam) is a servant.

In [Surah Baqarah: 23] - ‘Whohas made the earth your couch, and the heavens your canopy; and sent down rainfrom the heavens; and brought forth therewith Fruits for your sustenance; thenset not up rivals unto Allah when ye know (the truth).’

In[ Surah Isra:1] – ‘Gloryto (Allah) Who did take His servant for a Journey by night from the SacredMosque to the farthest Mosque, whose precincts We did bless,- in order that Wemight show him some of Our Signs: for He is the One Who heareth and seeth (allthings).’

In [Surah Najm: 10] – ‘sodid (Allah) convey the inspiration to His Servant- (conveyed) what He (meant)to convey.’

In [Surah Jinn: 19] - "yetwhen the Devotee (Servant) of Allah stands forth to invoke Him, they just makeround him a dense crowd.’

MESSENGER – Not only reached pinnacle of servant, he was the BEST ofMessenger. He was the ‘Khalil of Allah’; he was given risala to the whole ofmankind which would remain with the mankind till the ‘hour’.

..may ever increasing peace andblessings be upon him. (sallalahualayhi wasallam)

The word ‘Sallah’ has another meaning. It could mean a) Allah (Swt)praises the Prophet amongst the company of Angels (Bukhari ) Or b)Salah ofAllah is a mercy upon him (sallalahu alayhi wa sallam).

Ibn al Qayyim (rahimullah) supports the first opinion that Allahis praising the Prophet (sallalahu alayhi wa sallam). This can be seen inBada’I al Fawa’id and Jalalul Ath’aam. This is a command given us to praise theProphet.

The reason that it is not ‘Rahmah’ because:

 ‘They are those on whom (Descend) blessingsfrom Allah, and Mercy, and they are the ones that receive guidance.’ [Baqarah:157]

Thus ‘Sallah’ and Rahmah do not mean the same thing. Therefore ‘SALLALAHUALAYHI WA SALLAM’ in Arabic doesn't include Mercy. Wallahu ‘Alum.

..and his family – In Arabic, who does‘Ala’ include?

1. Just the Prophet’s household and family?
2. Inclusive of the ummah and the followers?

Both of which there is a difference of opinion but the correctview is those who would follow the way of the Prophet (sallalahu alayhi wasallam) would come under ‘Aali Muhammad’.

‘This is (an exposition of) thebelief of the saved groups, those who are aided until the establishment of theHour..

The author says ‘Amma Ba’ad’ to show he will stop one part ofspeech and start another or there is a change of direction in what’s going tobe talked about.

I’tiqaad is an exposition of belief whereby it something that theheart believes and there is firm and established belief in the heart.

Narrated Abu Hurairah: TheProphet (sallalahu alayhi wa sallam) said: The Jews were split up intoseventy-one or seventy-two sects; and the Christians were split up into seventyone or seventy-two sects; and my community will be split up into seventy-threesects.  (Sunan Abu Dawood )

The hadith in Tirmidhi ‘Thosewho will be successful are those who are what I am on today and my companions’  Related by at-Tirmidhi(no. 2641) and al-Haakim (1/128-129)

This narration is classed as da’ef BUT a hadith supporting thisnarration is by Anas ibn Malik in Tabarani which raises it to hasan.

Savedgroup  This treaty is of the saved,victorious group until the establishment of the hour. They are saved from thehellfire (An Naar)

There are two meanings to what they are saved from:

1. By physical strength
2. Ability to proclaim people to Islam by giving correct da’wah.

FromJaabir Ibn ’Abdullaah ( radiyallaahu ’anhu) who said: I heard the Messenger ofAllaah ( sallallaahu ’alayhi wa sallam) saying: ‘‘There shall alwaysremain a group from my Ummah fighting upon the truth, until the Day ofJudgement.’ (Relatedby Muslim (no. 1923).)

Also - "TheHour will only come upon the worst of the people.” Sahih, MK: 4/496. Declaredsahih by al-Hakim and agreed to by adh-Dhahabi.

Q. How do we reconcile these two ahadith?

Scholars say: As we know shortly before the‘Hour’ the wind will be sent which will take the souls of the mu’mineen thusonly left on Earth (worst of the creation) then the hour will come.

Aided –ASWJ – these arethe people of the sunnah, who hold onto the sunnah and the jama’ah (those whoare together upon that.)(The Mujtami’oon)

..Itcomprises faith in Allah, His Angels His Books, His Messengers…

Faith(Imaanubillah) : General  -this is whatsomebody should believe in generally.

Specific - Allah is creator, most knowledgeable, sustainer,free of need, He has names/attributes to Him and Him alone, Rulings belongs toAllah (swt) etc.

HisAngels: General – Know that they are His honoured servants, created fromlight, do as they are commanded, some are given certain responsibilities. Youjust need to know that they are servants of Allah.

Specific – know their names and the specific duties e.g.Israfeel is the one who blows the trumpets (diff of opinion) and Jibra’eel (as)was given the wahi. Etc.

Q. Is it an obligation to knoweverything about Angels?

A. No BUT required to know the general belief in Angels andonce knowledge reaches you about them, then you have to accept it.

HisBooks: Generally – Say yes, person may only know the Qur’an but believethat there are other books. This is sufficient.

Specific  - Qur’anabrogated all other revelations that came before it. E.g. We know Isa alayhissalaam was given the Injeel etc. BUT not obligations to know finer issues butmore you know the stronger your belief.  You recognize that these are speech ofAllah revealed to the Prophets. The previous books were tampered with thus Qur’ancame and this preserved and protected ‘Wehave, without doubt, sent down the Message; and We will assuredly guard it (fromcorruption)’[Hijr:9]

HisMessengers: General – Allah sent down Messengers to Bani Adam, they spoke asrevelation was given to them. 25 Prophets in the Qur’an mentioned and havebelief and ‘Of some messengers We havealready told thee the story; of others We have not;- and to Moses Allah spokedirect’ [Nisa:164]

..theresurrections after death – those whom the Prophet (sallalahu alayhi wa sallam) wassent to use to say ‘And they say:"What is there but our life in this world? We shall die and we live, andnothing but time can destroy us." But of that they have no knowledge: theymerely conjecture’ [Jaathiya:24]

Allah will raise you and you will be accountable for yourdeeds. When a person dies they will have ‘life of the grave’ (minorresurrection). This is part of imaan of the unseen EXCEPT what we’ve been informedoff: [Waaqiah:84-8]). Allah mention what happens [Waaqiah: 90-93]. At the timeof death Malikul Maut will ask people to give up their souls. What will happento the disbeliever is found in Surah An’am "Yieldup your souls: this day shall ye receive your reward,- a penalty of shame, forthat ye used to tell lies against Allah, and scornfully to reject of Hissigns!"[An’am:93].
In [Surah Zukhruf:68] we get told what happens to the believers My devotees! no fear shall be on you thatDay, nor shall ye grieve [Zukhruf:68]

..beliefin the divine Decree – the good thereof and the bad. (Al Qadr)

Ibn Al Qayyim – One article of Imaan that people haveconfusion about. Most of it is matters of the unseen. We can simply break downthe matter in to 4 areas of Qadr (Good and bad)

1. ILM – no doubt what’s been decreed, no path can change it. (Tawheed Ruboobeeyah). Thus Allah has knowledge of everything that will occur(ed). Our knowledge cannot be compared to His.
2. KITABAAllah, because of knowledge, commanded the pen to write everything that will be till coming of the Hour. ‘Abd-Allah ibn ‘Amr ibn al-‘Aas said: I heard the Messenger of Allah (sallalahu alayhi wa sallam) say: “Allah wrote down the decrees of creation fifty thousand years before He created the heavens and the earth.”(Muslim,2653) This is in the ‘Preserved Tablet’. Allah has knowledge of what’s going/not going to happen. So du’a doesn’t change your decree but change the direction of decree BUT Allah knows of it.
3. KHALQ (Creation) Allah created everything in the universe. He is the creator of EVERYTHING
4. WILL – Whatever happens in this universe, it is by the will of Allah. Whether a blessing or calamity, this is the will of Allah. (We never have absolute free will).

Part offaith in Allah is to believe in what He has described Himself within His Bookand what His Messenger, Muhammad (saw), has described Him… à We believe exactly what Allahhas described in the Qur’an and this is how the Prophet(sallalahu alayhi wasallam) described Allah (swt).

‘Asma’ – the names of Allah are telling us WHO Allah is e.g. Allahis Ar Rahman ; this is Allah! Go back to his essence. All names go back toAllah! ‘IsmAllah’. Then we have ‘As Sifaat’. These are the attributes aboutAllah (swt). It is not only a name but we’ll take an attribute e.g. As Sami isname of Allah but also ‘All hearing’. From Allah’s name we extract uniqueattributes. When talking about Allah we talk about principles (important topic). Based on Qur’an andsunnah, therefore when Allah is telling us He is Ar-Rahman, it is Him tellingus so we must describe Him like that too.

These descriptions that we find of Allah are not matters where aperson is left confused. It is very clear to us.

We do it without distorting,denying, questioning how, or likening,..

Distorting (At Tahreef) – (Lit: Harf) –something which is on the edge. Distortion is one of the characteristics of theYahud. There are 2 types of Tahreef

1. A) Tahreefun Lahfi (Distortion of the word itself). This is the changing of the word [Taha:5] where people change istawa to mean istawla.
   B) Where you change the vowelling of the words [Nisa:164]. Jahmiyyah denied that Allah spoke to Musa (as) by changing Qallamallahu to Qallamallaha (dhama to fatha) to say ‘Musa spoke, Allah heard’.
2. Tahreef al Ma’nawi (changing the meaning itself). This is the most frequent type of distortion. This is done by Ash’ariyyah and Mu’tazilah where they accepted some names of Allah but denied the attributes e.g. Alim bin ilm. They call it ta’weel (interpretation) but this in fact is distortion.

ASWJ, part of their faith is howHe is described in the Qur’an and Sunnah.

Denying(At Ta’teel) – (Lit:Atl) – something which is empty. Likewise there is nodenial of his name and negate any meaning of his name. this comes in 3categories

1. Negate the creator (Makhluq al Khaaliqeen) like the Pharoah did.
2. Negate rights of the Creator (Ta’til Huqooqullah)
3. Denial of attributes of Allah (swt).

ASWJ –away from distortion and denial and the question of how.

Questioning how (Takyif) – to ask how e.g. using [Taha:5]again, we weren’t to know HOW He (swt) rose above the throne.

‘He rose(known), How He rose (not known) To Believe it (obligation) Asking about it(Innovation) – Imam Malik.

Likening (Tamthil)

1. Likenes to Allah’s essence
2. Likeness to one of His attributes
3. Likeness to His Actions
4. Likeness to His Rights – worship Him alone.

Obligationto make these things unique to Him only.

..rather they believe about Allah, Gloriousis He, that nothing is like Him and He isthe All Hearing, the All Seeing. (Ash-urah:11). ASWJ is a way from all these and mentionsthe verse from the Qur’an. This verse is considered the foundation for ASWJ.Contains Negation and Affirmation.

Nothing like Him – general rule is that this is notexplained in detail and linguistically it is more eloquent.

Scholarshave said that the benefit of this verse is Allah affirms the 2 attributes e.g.even if we hear and we see, it’s not like Allah (swt). Qayyum is just for Allahbut we can be Raheem, Kareem.

As such they do not negate what He hasdescribed Himself with, the do no distort words from their proper places, and theydo not desecrate His names and Signs. ASWJ do not negate anything. People startgiving names to people of Haqq (name-calling) till they start detesting thetruth. ASWJ do not distort words from proper places. (see footnote 9, pg 39 ofbook)

Ilhaad –Desecrate, close to distortion.

They do not ask after the how and they donot liken His Attributes with the attributes of His creation. This is becauseHe has no namesake; there is none who is comparable to Him, and none who isequal to Him. Donot ask of knowledge that we’ve been known off. Do not liken his attributes toHis creation because He has no namesake. Some innovators try to find somesimilarity and if they find something, they deny it or change the meaning. E.g.He has a hand, we have hands therefore His hand must mean strength.

Imam Ahmad said: ' Allah is onlydescribed with what He described Himself with, or with what His Messenger (sallalahualayhi wa sallam) described him with. One does not go beyond the Qur'an and thehadith.

Ibn Abbas – ‘Do you know of any example or similitude to him

"Lord of the heavens and ofthe earth, and of all that is between them; so worship Him, and be constant andpatient in His worship: knowest thou of any who is worthy of the same Name asHe?" (Maryam:65)

Tamthil

1. Comparing/likening the creation to the Creator and this is where majority of mankind fall in to. E.g. in their worship, they worship the dead = SHIRK.
2. Make Allah like the creation. This is quite rare. E.g. Allah has these attributes and it’s JUST like the creation. Hand of Allah is like our hand (Tashbeeh)

Making something equal to Allah isprohibition.

He, Glorious andmost High, is not to be compared to His creation for He best knows Himself andothers.. Do notmake analogies therefore Qur’an and Sunnah is all the information about Allah.

Qur’an - it is what it is. No better speech. He is better in discourse than Hiscreation. Moreover His Messengers aretruthful and entrusted (Messengers are Saadiqoon and Musadiqoon)

Your Companion is neitherastray nor being misled [Najm:2] There are still those that reject the Messengers but everything theysaid was the HAQQ.

Ibn Abbas (RA)narrated: When the Prophet (sallalahu alayhi wa sallam) was taken to the(heavens for the) mi’raj, he passed by a Prophet and Prophets with whom were agroup of people, a Prophet and Prophets with whom was a raht, a Prophet and Prophetswith whom was nobody..’ [Ahmad:2448]

This doesn’t meanthat the Prophet that had no followers wasn't on the truth. See quotes below

Yet no faith will thegreater part of mankind have, however ardently thou dost desire it. [Yusuf:10]– Even if youtry your best, they won’t believe you. Similar to Wert thou to follow the common run of those on earth, they will leadthee away from the way of Allah. They follow nothing but conjecture: they donothing but lie. [An’am 116]

Glory to thy Lord,the Lord of Honour and Power! (He is free) from what they ascribe (to Him)! And Peace onthe messengers! And Praise to Allah, the Lord and Cherisher of the Worlds.[Saafat:180-182]

This started with glorified, Allah ispurifying the situation. ‘Subhaan’ removes any deficiencies and anything peopleattach to Him. It describes Him in a way that is due to Him.
The fact that Allah chose Messengers to complete this message and chose thisummah, the ummah of the BEST of the messengers.

The path of thosewhom Allah favoured; the path of the Prophets, the sincerely truthful, the martyrs and therighteous. (4types of people are mentioned)

This is the end of lesson two. All good you find in this is from Allah and all mistakes are from myself.

The Creed of Al Wastiyyah - Lesson 1

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

THE CREED OF ALWASITIYYAH BY SHAYKH’UL ISLAM AHMAD IBN TAYMIYYAH

Taught by WasimKempson

This is a brief introduction by the Ustadh

  Ø  The more you know about Allah (swt), the moresincere you’ll be

  Ø  As long as you adhere to the time of the Prophet(sallalahu alayhi wa sallam) then you will be ok. On a side note, studyingAqeedah is simpler than studying Fiqh due to the number of differences ofopinion. In fiqh, there are loads of differences of opinion, which are allvalid and supported by evidence that are accepted by Ahlus Sunnah wal Jama’ahBUT with Aqeedah the message of Tawheed during the time of the Prophet (sallalahualayhi wa sallam)  and now is still thesame and the Haqq is one so when it comes to areas of belief only a small areaof difference of opinion will be tolerated

  Ø  The Ustadh then moved on to explain‘Wasitiyyah’ (lit: Wasit) which was a place in Iraq. It lies between Baghdadand Basra (many Ulema come from there i.e. Hasan Al Basri).  It’s a place where Hujjaj would gather enroute. Ibn Taymiyyahs books are a response to a various questions asked.

ABOUT THE BOOK

  Ø  It is primarily about the names of Allah (swt).

  Ø  The book has a number of explanations tosimplify it for us. This book was originally written for a Judge – an Alim toan Alim.

HISTORY OF THEEMERGENCE OF AQEEDAH

The Qur’an wasrevealed to the Prophet (sallalahu alayhi wa sallam), over a period of 23 yearsand when he passed away it was completely revealed. The sahaba still remainedso they had the Qur’an and Sunnah to go on.

“Allah (swt) willpreserve these sources until the last day” – This was there ‘pure’ Aqeedah.During that time there were no difference of opinion and this continued all theway till the reign of Ali (RA) in 36AH.

INTRODUCTION OF THEINNOVATIVE SECTS

     1)     The firstfitnah to enter was the innovation of the ‘Khawaarij’.This sect would render a person apostate for committing a sin and they wouldtake their wealth/life. The Prophet (sallalahu alayhi wa sallam) informed usthat a time would come when people would be like you in terms of praying likeyou, giving zakah etc but the Qur’an wouldn’t reach their throats (Bukhari) andthey would also fight against the Muslims. This wouldn’t make them kuffar butmisguided.

     2)     Nextappeared ‘Qaadiriyyah’. (lit: Qadr–Decree). They came about because they didn’t understand the Qadr of Allah(swt) and they denied that Allah (swt) had knowledge of what’s going to happenuntil it happened. Then after accepting that they denied that Allah (swt)creates things.
The first hadith in Sahih Muslim: The book of Faith is where Abdullah ‘Ibn Umaris addressing these people who appeared in Iraq.

 It is narrated on the authority of Yahya b. Ya'murthat the first man who discussed about Qadr (Divine Decree) in Basra was Ma'badal-Juhani. I along with Humaid b. 'Abdur-Rahman Himyari set out for prilgrimageor for 'Umrah and said: Should it so happen that we come into contact with oneof the Companions of the Messenger of Allah (swt) (peace be upon him) we shallask him a bout what is talked about Taqdir (Division Decree). Accidentally wecame across Abdullah ibn Umar ibn al-Khattab, while he was entering the mosque.My companion and I surrounded him. One of us (stood) on his right and the otherstood on his left. I expected that my companion would authorize me to speak. Itherefore said: Abu Abdur Rahman! there have appeared some people in our landwho recite the Holy Qur'an and pursue knowledge. And then after talking abouttheir affairs, added: They (such people) claim that there is no such thing asDivine Decree and events are not predestined. He (Abdullah ibn Umar) said: Whenyou happen to meet such people tell them that I have nothing to do with themand they have nothing to do with me. And verily they are in no way responsiblefor my (belief). Abdullah ibn Umar swore by Him (the Lord) (and said): If anyone of them (who does not believe in the Divine Decree) had with him gold equalto the bulk of (the mountain) Uhud and then, it (in the way of Allah (swt)), Allah(swt) would not accept it unless he affirmed his faith in Divine Decree. Hefurther said: My father, Umar ibn al-Khattab, told me: One day we were sittingin the company of Allah (swt)'s Apostle (peace be upon him) when there appearedbefore us a man dressed in pure white clothes, his hair extraordinarily black.There were no signs of travel on him. None amongst us recognized him. At lasthe sat with the Apostle (peace be upon him) He knelt before him placed hispalms on his thighs and said: Muhammad, inform me about al-Islam. The Messengerof Allah (swt) (peace be upon him) said: Al-Islam implies that you testify thatthere is no god but Allah (swt) and that Muhammad is the messenger of Allah(swt), and you establish prayer, pay Zakat, observe the fast of Ramadan, andperform pilgrimage to the (House) if you are solvent enough (to bear theexpense of) the journey. He (the inquirer) said: You have told the truth. He(Umar ibn al-Khattab) said: It amazed us that he would put the question andthen he would himself verify the truth. He (the inquirer) said: Inform me aboutIman (faith). He (the Holy Prophet (sallalahu alayhi wa sallam)) replied: Thatyou affirm your faith in Allah (swt), in His angels, in His Books, in HisApostles, in the Day of Judgment, and you affirm your faith in the DivineDecree about good and evil. He (the inquirer) said: You have told the truth. He(the inquirer) again said: Inform me about al-Ihsan (performance of gooddeeds). He (the Holy Prophet (sallalahu alayhi wa sallam)) said: That youworship Allah (swt) as if you are seeing Him, for though you don't see Him, He,verily, sees you. He (the enquirer) again said: Inform me about the hour (ofthe Doom). He (the Holy Prophet (sallalahu alayhi wa sallam)) remarked: One whois asked knows no more than the one who is inquiring (about it). He (theinquirer) said: Tell me some of its indications. He (the Holy Prophet (sallalahualayhi wa sallam)) said: That the slave-girl will give birth to her mistressand master, that you will find barefooted, destitute goat-herds vying with oneanother in the construction of magnificent buildings. He (the narrator, Umaribn al-Khattab) said: Then he (the inquirer) went on his way but I stayed withhim (the Holy Prophet (sallalahu alayhi wa sallam)) for a long while. He then,said to me: Umar, do you know who this inquirer was? I replied: Allah (swt) andHis Apostle knows best. He (the Holy Prophet (sallalahu alayhi wa sallam))remarked: He was Gabriel (the angel). He came to you in order to instruct youin matters of religion.  (Muslim)

The fitnah occurred in Iraq and the first one totalk about the issues pertaining to Qadr was Ma’bad al Juhani in 50AH and thesecond was Ghilan al Qadri.
 

     3)     The nextfitnah to appear were ‘Murji’a’(lit: Irja – to delay). They claimed that sins do not affect your imaan at all.Long as you are a mu’min, you are a person of complete Imaan. This was said byAl Jahm Ibn Safwan who then led a group called ‘Jahmiyyah’ in the year 100AH

     4)     The nextsect to appear was the ‘Mu’tazilah’ (lit:I’tizal – Ostracise). They said that a person can commit a major sin and heneither a believer nor disbeliever rather he is in a stage between them two buthe’ll be eternally in the Hellfire. The person to start this movement was Wasil‘Ibn Atah al Basri – who was a student of Hasan Al Basri. Having said that, heuse to differ with his teacher and then went his own way.

     5)     Am IbnUbbayd continued the methodology of the Mu’tazilah in 144AH

     6)     In 150AHthere were those who began to deny the attributes of Allah (swt) e.g. he doesn’thave the attribute of love, Rahmah. This was started by Al Ja’ad ibn Dirham in124AH. He was later killed for saying Ibrahim wasn’t the Khalil of Allah (swt).
Ja’ad Ibn Safwan took over and continued building on what he said. During thistime innovation appeared but known scholars like Imam Abu Hanifa, Imam AshShafi’i, Imam Malik and Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal as well as the likes of AbdullahIbn Mubarak and Hasan al Basri were propagating da’wah.

     CONCLUSION ON THE ABOVE SECTION

  Ø  The truth is not known by numbers but by whatwhich is being propagated thus Ibn Taymiyyah was a minority and no one claimsthat he was infallible but he followed the way of the Salaf.

EXPLANATION OFAQEEDAH (PG 37)

Firstly it startedwith the basmAllah (swt) as does the Qur’an with the exception of At Tawbah(Surah 9). The argument for whether the basmAllah (swt) is an ayah of theQur’an is a few but the strongest is and Allah (swt) knows best is that it isseparate from the ayah.

‘In the Name of Allah(swt)’ is seeking blessing from Allah (swt) about what you’re about to take.There is a hadith that states that if you do not recite the basmAllah (swt)then your request is deficient. This hadith is da’ef.

‘Allah (swt)’ for Allah(swt) is the greatest name he has. Surah Hashr, Ayatul Kursi and various otherayahs begin with Allah (swt).

‘Allah (swt)’ is theOne who is worshipped.

  Ø  Ar Rahman – Takes from Merciful ( Possessor ofencompassing Mercy)

  Ø  Ar Raheem - Bestower of Mercy (more specific) – This name can be given to anyonebecause they can show Mercy however you cannot call someone Rahman because theyaren’t encompassing of Mercy.

The author then says‘All praise belongs to Allah (swt)...’

Let’s break this down.الحمد - Allah (swt) is deserving of praise (I use praise loosely because youcannot translate الحمد )regarding of what he did and regardless of what he didn’t do. الحمدinvolves that you love who you are praising. Allah (swt) praises himself inSurah An’am:1

‘[All] praise is [due] to Allah (swt) , who created theheavens and the earth and made the darkness and the light. Then those whodisbelieve equate [others] with their Lord.’ (6:1)

Humans have many deficiencies i.e. we need sleep, food, drink etcthus self praise for us is a sign of Khidr (pride) whereas Allah (swt) doesn’thave any deficiencies thus he has a right to praise himself. He does so inSurah Zumar:75, Kahf:1.

Then the author says  ‘..who sent his Messenger’. The messengers were sent from Nuh (as) till the Prophet(sallalahu alayhi wa sallam).

Q. How many Messengers arethere?  In the Qur’an 25 arementioned and there’s a hadith that says that there are ‘124,000’ Prophets.This hadith is da’ef.

In [Surah Ghaafir:78] Allah (swt) says, ‘And We have already sent messengers before you. Among them are those[whose stories] We have related to you, and among them are those [whosestories] We have not related to you. And it was not for any messenger to bringa sign [or verse] except by permission of Allah (swt) . So when the command of Allah(swt) comes, it will be concluded in truth, and the falsifiers will thereuponlose [all].’

In [Surah Ibrahim:9] Allah (swt) says:  ‘Has there not reached you the news of thosebefore you - the people of Noah and 'Aad and Thamud and those after them? Noone knows them but Allah (swt) .Their messengers brought them clear proofs, but they returned their hands totheir mouths and said, "Indeed, we disbelieve in that with which you havebeen sent, and indeed we are, about that to which you invite us, in disquietingdoubt.”’

In [Surah Nahl:36] Allah (swt) says, ‘And We certainly sent into everynation a messenger, [saying], "Worship Allah (swt) and avoid Taghut."And among them were those whom Allah(swt) guided, and among them were those upon whom error was [deservedly]decreed. So proceed through the earth and observe how was the end of thedeniers.’

In [Surah Fatir:24] Allah (swt) says,‘Indeed,We have sent you with the truth as a bringer of good tidings and a warner. Andthere was no nation but that there had passed within it a warner.’

The author then says ‘guidance and religion of truth’ – whereby hemeans beneficial knowledge and righteous deeds. Islam may reign supreme and theword has a lowly standing but Islam reigns over all other ways of life.

Q. Where is the superemityof Islam now?  To be supreme does notnecessary mean in power but ideology at belief system is supreme; it lies inthe fact that no one can argue with its principles and morals. The Romans andPersians came and went and Islam will rise again. Islam will continue to remainon this earth because of the fact that it remains amongst the people.

‘Sufficient is Allah (swt) as a witness’ [Fath: 28]

The ustadh then moved on to the Shahadah.

The shahaadah is a verbal declaration; testifying of somethingwhich you are completely certain on and certainty is based on knowledge. It isthe first obligation on the slave. You submit to Him and by this you enter thefold of Islam. This shahaadah has conditions, pillars, rights, benefits.

PILLARS OF THE SHAHDAH

     1.      Negation – There is no deity worthy of worship

     2.      Affirmation – Except Allah (swt)

CONDITIONS (SHUROOT)

     1.      Knowledge – we have knowledge of what you’re saying.

     2.      Truth (As Sidqu) – You don’t say it as a liar

     3.      Certainty (Al Yakeen) – complete certainty in your heart ofwhat you are saying

     4.      Sincerity (Al Ikhlaas) – to Allah (swt) as to what you aresaying, as opposed to Shirk

     5.      Acceptance (Qubool) – No rejection of anything

     6.      Submission - to everything it necessitates.

     7.      Love (Al Mahhabba) – Opposing any hatred that you have inyour heart

     8.      Rejection – Disbelief that may negate yourstatement/testification.

VIRTUES

رسول محمد الله إلاَّ إله لا

     1.      The Hadith of Sa’eed Al Khudri said, ‘The Prophet (sallalahualayhi wa sallam) informed us of an incident of Musa (as), when he spoke to Allah(swt) to teach him something to remember Him by. Allah (swt) said,

“Say رسول محمد الله إلاَّ إله لا” But Musa (as) said everyone saidthat and he wanted something special to him. Allah (swt) said, “If the 7heavens and 7 earths were placed on a scale with the Shahadah, the Shahadahscale will be outweighed’ (An Nasa’i, Ibn Hibban, Al Haakim)
This shows the virtue of the testification

    2.      ‘Whoever’s last speech is رسول محمد الله إلاَّ إله لاwillenter Jannah’ (Sunan Abu Dawud and Musnad of Ahmad

    3.      ‘Best du’a made is the one of the Day of Arafat’ (Muwatta ofImam Malik)

HAQQ OF SHAHADAH

     1.      Carry out all that which Allah (swt) has commanded and leaveout what He has told you to leave.

     2.      Fear His punishment and have hope for His reward.

‘’I was commanded to fight with people until they testify رسول محمد الله إلاَّ إله لاand if they say that,there wealth is protected except withdue right. (if they haven’t fulfilled this testifcation then they haveright to fight i.e. the issue of Zakah during the reign of Abu Bakr (ra).

BENEFITS

     1.      They will have happiness in this life and hereafter, if theysay it sincerely from the heart.

‘"Peace be upon you for what you patiently endured. Andexcellent is the final home." [Ra’ad:24]

You have to acknowledge and affirm all this and this is Tawheed.When the Prophet (sallalahu alayhi wa sallam) send Mu’adh to Yemen he said tocall people to Islam, to have doubts first (Bukhari, Book of Zakat)

This Shahadah is inclusive to follow and obey the Messenger (saw).It is to follow him and stay away from what he told us to (Muslim, Abu Dawud).

‘I am the master of the children of Adam on the Day of Judgment,the first from whom the grave will split, the first interceder, and the firstto be granted intercession. ‘(Muslim)

NOTE: ** He has no portion of Allah (swt)’s Lordship. In [SurahIsra: 1] Allah (swt) calls his servants by ‘Abd’

‘Exalted is He who took His Servant by night from al-Masjidal-Haram to al-Masjid al- Aqsa, whose surroundings We have blessed, to show himof Our signs. Indeed, He is the Hearing, the Seeing’

Believing and testifying that the Prophet (sallalahu alayhi wasallam)  is a Messenger of Allah (swt),we will judge and rule by the Shari’ah given to the Prophet (sallalahu alayhiwa sallam). This is explicitly said in[ Surah Nisa: 59-63,63]