The evidence for divine decree is found throughout the Quran and hadiths, hence any Muslim who does not believe in divine decree is not even a Muslim.

Let us first quote the evidences from the Quran and hadiths that prove that divine decree is indeed a reality:

Sahih Muslim:

Book 001, Number 0001:

It is narrated on the authority of Yahya b. Ya’mur that the first man who discussed about Qadr (Divine Decree) in Basra was Ma’bad al-Juhani. I along with Humaid b. ‘Abdur-Rahman Himyari set out for prilgrimage or for ‘Umrah and said: Should it so happen that we come into contact with one of the Companions of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) we shall ask him a bout what is talked about Taqdir (Division Decree). Accidentally we came 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 other stood on his left. I expected that my companion would authorize me to speak. I therefore said: Abu Abdur Rahman! there have appeared some people in our land who recite the Holy Qur’an and pursue knowledge. And then after talking about their affairs, added: They (such people) claim that there is no such thing as Divine Decree and events are not predestined. He (Abdullah ibn Umar) said: When you happen to meet such people tell them that I have nothing to do with them and they have nothing to do with me. And verily they are in no way responsible for my (belief). Abdullah ibn Umar swore by Him (the Lord) (and said): If any one of them (who does not believe in the Divine Decree) had with him gold equal to the bulk of (the mountain) Uhud and then, it (in the way of Allah), Allah would not accept it unless he affirmed his faith in Divine Decree. He further said: My father, Umar ibn al-Khattab, told me: One day we were sitting in the company of Allah’s Apostle (peace be upon him) when there appeared before 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 last he sat with the Apostle (peace be upon him) He knelt before him placed his palms on his thighs and said: Muhammad, inform me about al-Islam. The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: Al-Islam implies that you testify that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad is the messenger of Allah, and you establish prayer, pay Zakat, observe the fast of Ramadan, and perform pilgrimage to the (House) if you are solvent enough (to bear the expense 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 and then he would himself verify the truth. He (the inquirer) said: Inform me about Iman (faith). He (the Holy Prophet) replied: That you affirm your faith in Allah, in His angels, in His Books, in His Apostles, in the Day of Judgment, and you affirm your faith in the Divine Decree 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 good deeds). He (the Holy Prophet) said: That you worship Allah 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 (of the Doom). He (the Holy Prophet) remarked: One who is asked knows no more than the one who is inquiring (about it). He (the inquirer) said: Tell me some of its indications. He (the Holy Prophet) said: That the slave-girl will give birth to her mistress and master, that you will find barefooted, destitute goat-herds vying with one another in the construction of magnificent buildings. He (the narrator, Umar ibn al-Khattab) said: Then he (the inquirer) went on his way but I stayed with him (the Holy Prophet) for a long while. He then, said to me: Umar, do you know who this inquirer was? I replied: Allah and His Apostle knows best. He (the Holy Prophet) remarked: He was Gabriel (the angel). He came to you in order to instruct you in matters of religion.

So as you can see from this hadith, two Muslims approached a companion of the prophet Muhammad, and they wanted to inquire about divine decree, they informed the companions that some Muslims denied this belief, and Ibn Umar immediately distanced himself from these people, saying he has nothing at all to do with this deviant wrong belief.

The hadith then goes on to quote the prophet speaking about faith, the prophet stated that part of faith is to believe in divine decree, the good and bad of it, hence as you can see divine decree is something that is very real, and something the companions of the prophet believed in.

There is more evidence for divine decree:

022.070
YUSUFALI: Knowest thou not that Allah knows all that is in heaven and on earth? Indeed it is all in a Record, and that is easy for Allah.

Here Allah says he knows everything that is in the heavens and on the earth, and that it is all recorded. Ibn Kathirs Tafsir for this verse writes:

Allah tells us how perfect is His knowledge of His creation, and that He encompasses all that is in the heavens and on earth.

Not even the weight of a speck of dust, or less than that or greater escapes His knowledge in the heavens or in the earth. He knows all things even before they happen, and He has written that in His Book, Al-Lawh Al-Mahfuz, as was reported in Sahih Muslim from `Abdullah bin `Amr, who said, “The Messenger of Allah said:

«Åöäøó Çááåó ÞóÏøóÑó ãóÞóÇÏöíÑó ÇáúÎóáóÇÆöÞö ÞóÈúáó ÎóáúÞö ÇáÓøóãæóÇÊö æóÇáúÃóÑúÖö ÈöÎóãúÓöíäó ÃóáúÝó ÓóäóÉò¡ æóßóÇäó ÚóÑúÔõåõ Úóáóì ÇáúãóÇÁ»

(Allah issued His decrees concerning the measurement and due proportion of the creatures fifty thousand years before He created the heavens and the earth, and His Throne was over the water.) In the Sunan, it was reported from a group of the Companions that the Messenger of Allah said:

«Ãóæøóáõ ãóÇ ÎóáóÞó Çááåõ ÇáúÞóáóãõ¡ ÞóÇáó áóåõ: ÇßúÊõÈú¡ ÞóÇáó: æó ãóÇ ÃóßúÊõÈõ¿ ÞóÇáó: ÇßúÊõÈú ãóÇ åõæó ßóÇÆöäñ¡ ÝóÌóÑóì ÇáúÞóáóãõ ÈöãóÇ åõæó ßóÇÆöäñ Åöáóì íóæúãö ÇáúÞöíóÇãóÉ»

(The first thing that Allah created was the Pen. He said to it, “Write!” It said, “What should I write” He said, “Write what will happen,” so the Pen wrote everything that will happen until the Day of Resurrection.)

As you see Allah knew everything before they happened, and wrote them down in a book that is preserved in the heavens, this book is separate from the Quran itself.

So now since the proof of divine decree is evident within Islam, one must then grasp a correct understanding of this belief. The Ahlus Sunnah have agreed in 4 correct ways of believing in this belief and they are as follows:

Knowledge (to believe): It is to know and firmly believe and have faith in the fact that Allah knows everything, he is aware of everything, nothing is hidden from him, nor is he ignorant of anything at all.

The Recording: A Muslim must also believe that Allah has indeed recorded everything before they have happened, in a preserved book that is in the heavens, we have already quoted the proof of this.

The Will: We also believe that nothing happens against the will of Allah, and that all that happens happens by the will of Allah, nothing is out of his control, he is control of all things and actions. All existence happens with the will of Allah, and all that doesn’t exist basically the non-existence occurs by the will of Allah.

The Creation: We believe that Allah created everything, the reason why this is an important factor is for instance, when we act on desires, such as love, anger, sadness, and so on. All these feelings and desires have been created by Allah, we choose to act on these desires and so on, yet Allah created them, he created such feelings which allow us to act on them, they don’t come from nowhere.

Now since some people do sometimes get confused by this topic I shall try to make it easier for some people, I will bring up some common questions that are usually brought up with this topic, and then I shall proceed to answer it.

However so before doing this, let me try to make things even more simple for you, for instance right now I am writing this article, however so I believe in divine decree, this means that Allah already knew what I was going to write before I wrote it, and Allah already had it recorded down in a book, and in fact Allah already had this action of mine written and recorded before I was even created. However so, I myself have chosen to write this article, although Allah already knew what I was going to write, and already had it recorded, it does not negate my free will since I was not forced to write, rather I chose to write it of my own will. Now even though I have written this with my own free will, I am still acting on Allah’s will, because it his only by his will that I am able to write this, it is not out of his control.

With that said let us bring up some common questions which come up with this topic:

Q: If everything is pre-ordained and already decreed, then where is the free choice and will?

A: As I already said, divine decree does not negate free will, you are not forced into doing something, you make that choice, however so we believe Allah is all knowing do we not? Off course, hence since he is all-knowing he knows everything, before and after, and since he already knew what we would do because of his infinite knowledge, he has recorded it down already; he does not need to wait for you to do something to be able to know what happens.

Q: If everything is pre-ordained and so on why do we get punished for sins, since it is already pre-decreed, hence how do we get the blame and fault?

A: Once again, pre-decree does not negate free will and choice, now having said that; let us give an example for this situation. Say a man comes up to you and he gives you two options, one is a job that will make you rich and will make you fruitful till the day you die. Option 2 is that he gives you a job that will bankrupt you, earn you no money and will cause you heartache till the day you die. Logically you will choose option one right? Off course, you wouldn’t choose option 2 knowing the bad consequences and problems it will cause to you. In Islam you have the same thing and more, Allah has made it crystal clear to you in the Quran about good and evil, he has made it clear to you on how to act and what to believe in, and if you go by his rulings you will be successful. Allah has also made it clear to you if you choose some other way than his, that you will be unsuccessful in the hereafter, hence logically which one will you choose? Will you choose the bad or the good? You will choose the good! Hence you are completely to blame for your sins, since Allah does not force you to it, he has already given you the choice, hence when you commit evil you cannot say but Allah has pre-decreed it for me so I have simply acted on his all knowing knowledge! This is wrong; the only thing you have acted on is your own flimsy sinful desires and have though to justify it by Allah’s infinite knowledge.

Q: If Allah already knew everything before he created mankind and everything, why didn’t he just judge us then, why wait for billions and billions of years?

A: He has not judged us yet because he is fair, why would Allah judge and throw you into hell when you have not acted or done anything? It would be illogical to do so, to judge and throw you into hell before you even act or do anything. Just because Allah knows what you will do and has recorded it down he still creates you and waits till you die because that is the logical and fair way, he allows and gives you a choice, to live, and to act, and you yourself don’t know Allah’s qadar, hence he is being just and merciful to his created humans. People forget that Allah is all-merciful, and this is exactly why he doesn’t judge you before you even do anything.

Secondly, as I earlier said it would be illogical to judge and throw man into hell and heaven before they are even created. By allowing man to live, and act on his desires from the good and the bad it leaves man with no excuse in the here-after, because in the here-after it will be the man who is at fault for what lies ahead of him, he will not be able to say “but I never had a chance on earth, so give me a chance please before you judge me, I have not done anything yet”! Man will not be able to make such excuses now because he is the one responsible for himself and what he does, and even having said that although man is responsible for what he does, he still not out of Allah’s control since Allah is in control of everything and everything happens only by his will.

These are the 3 most common questions that usually arise up, I could go on to list so many, because so many questions can be made for this topic, however so the questions are un-neccassasory. A Muslim should not delve into issues that will merely make him confused which will make him fall right into the hands of satan, a Muslim should simply affirm divine decree, believe in it in the correct way, with the 4 points I have listed, and leave at that since there is no more benefit than this.

And Allah Knows Best and I submit myself to his qadr!

And it is from eemaan in Allaah to have eemaan in what Allaah has described Himself with in His Book and in what His Messenger (sallallaahu alayhi wasallam) has described Him with, without changing the original meaning [of these texts] (Tahreef), without denying such attributes for Allaah (Ta’teel), without enquiring into their true nature (Takyeef) and without likening [His attributes] to those of the creation (Tamtheel).

Explanation

After the author (rh) mentioned, in a general way, the fundamental principles, having eemaan in which is obligatory, he mentions them in a detailed and elaborate way. He commences with the first foundation and that is having eemaan in Allaah, the Exalted. He says that included in this pillar is to have eemaan in His attributes with which He has described Himself in His Book or which His Messenger (sallallaahu alayhi wasallam) has described Him with in his Sunnah. This can only occur if we establish and affirm such attributes for Allaah in the precise way they have come in the Book and the Sunnah, with the same words and intended meanings, without changing the words used for these attributes, denying their meanings, likening them to those of the creation and enquiring into their true nature. Furthermore, this only occurs if we depend upon the Book and the Sunnah. We do not go beyond the Qur’aan and the Hadeeth since they restrict (the use of whatever is besides them such as intellect and other such matters).

The meaning of (…Tahreef…) is to introduce a change or make an alteration (taghyeer) and also to turn something away from its true position (imaalah). It is said: He has deviated (inharafa) from such and such when he digressed and turned away from it. Tahreef is of two types:

The First Type: Changing the Word. This is to refrain from (accepting) this word as it is and instead adopting another word either by adding or taking away an additional letter or word or by changing a vowel point. An example is the saying of the people of misguidance regarding the speech of Allaah:

Ar-Rahmaan ascended (istawaa) the Throne [Taahaa 20:5]

They say: istawlaa, which gives it the meaning of conquered and have therefore added a letter to the verse. Also, their saying about the speech of Allaah

And your Lord comes (jaa’a) with the angels in rows [Fajr 89:22]

They say: The command (amr) of your lord, meaning the command of your Lord comes. Therefore, they have added a word. Also their saying about the speech of Allaah:

And Allaah spoke to Moses direct

They change the vowel point in the word Allaah, so they made it from Allaahu to Allaaha giving it the altered meaning: And to Allaah Moses spoke direct. So they have changed the vowel point from a dhamma to a fatha to enable a change in the meaning.

The Second Type: Changing the Meaning. This means to refrain from (accepting) the (established and proven) meaning (of the word in question) as it is, to refuse its reality and to give the word signifying it the meaning of another word. An example is the saying of the innovators: The meaning of mercy (rahmah) is: The desire to bestow favours, and that the meaning of anger (ghadab) is: The desire to seek revenge.

The meaning of (…Ta’teel…) in the language is to leave and vacate (al-ikhlaa’). It is said: He neglected it, left it (atalahu) meaning he vacated it (akhlaahu). The intended meaning of it here is the denial of Allaah’s attributes, free and sublime is He from all imperfections, the Exalted. The difference between tahreef and ta’teel is that tahreef is to deny the correct meaning which is proven by the texts (of the Book and the Sunnah) and substituting another incorrect meaning for it. Ta’teel is to merely deny the proven and established meaning without substituting it for another meaning and this is the way of the Mufawwidah. Therefore, anyone who changes the meaning of the word (a muharrif) is also one who denies the proven and correct meaning (a muattil) but one who denies the meaning indicated by the word is not one who actually changes the proven meaning.

The meaning of (…Takyeef…) is to specify the exact nature and reality of the established meaning of the attribute. It is said: He gave something a shape or form (kayyafa) when he made for it a known quality. Committing takyeef with Allaah’s attributes is to specify their precise nature, state or condition and their form or shape. This is impossible for mankind since the knowledge of this is amongst that knowledge which Allaah has kept to Himself. Therefore, there is no way of knowing the precise nature of His attributes because the attribute follows the Self (dhaat). Just as it is not possible for a person to know the exact nature of the Self of Allaah, it is likewise impossible to know the exact nature of His attributes. Their exact nature is not known. This is why when Imaam Maalik was asked about the verse:

Ar-Rahmaan has ascended (istawaa) the Throne [Taahaa 20:5]

How is the ascending (istawaa)? He replied: “The ascending is known, its reality is unknown, having eemaan in it is obligatory and asking about it is an innovation.”

And this is said with respect to all of Allaah’s attributes.

The meaning of (…Tamtheel…) is resemblance (tashbeeh) and it is committed when it is said that Allaah’s attributes are like the attributes of the creation. For example, it might be said: The hand of Allaah is like our hands and His hearing is like our hearing. High is Allaah above such things. Allaah said:

There is nothing like Him and He is the All-Hearing, the All-Seeing [Shooraa 42:11]

Therefore, it cannot be said that His attributes are like our attributes or that they resemble our attributes just like it cannot be said that the Self of Allaah is like our selves or that it resembles our selves.

The believing muwahhid is the one who establishes and affirms all the attributes in the manner that befits and suits the might and grandeur of Allaah. The mu’attil denies all of them or some of them and the mushabbih, the mumaththil (one who likens and compares them to those of the creation) affirms them in a way that does not befit Allaah but rather befits the creation.

“Mankind was one Ummah, then Allaah sent prophets bringing good news and warnings.” (Soorah Baqarah 2:213)

Ibn ‘Abbaas – radiallaahu ‘anhu – said: “Between Nooh (Noah) and Adam were ten generations, all of them were upon Sharee’ah (law) of the truth, then they differed. So Allaah sent prophets as bringers of good news and as warners.” [2]

Ibn ‘Urwah al-Hanbalee (d.837 H) said: “This saying refutes those historians from the People of the Book who claim that Qaabil (Cain) and his sons were fire-worshippers.” [3]

I say: In it is also a refutation of some of the philosophers and athists who claim that the (natural) basis of man is Shirk, and that Tawheed evolved in man! The preceeding aayah (verse) falsifies this claim, as do the two following authentic hadith:

Firstly: His (the prophet sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) saying that he related from his Lord (Allaah) : “I created all my servants upon the true Religion (upon Tawheed, fre from Shirk). Then the devils came to them and led them astray from their true Religion. They made unlawful to people that which I had made lawful for them, and they commanded them to associate in worship with Me, that which I had sent down no authority.” [4]

Secondly: His (the prophet sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) saying: “Every child is born upon the Fitrah [5] but his parents make him a jew or a christian or a magian. It is like the way an animal gives birth to a natural offspring. have you noticed any born mutilated, before you mutilate them.”

Abu Hurayrah said: Recite if you wish: “Allaah’s fitrah with which He created mankind. There is to be no change to the creation (Religion) of Allaah.” (Soorah ar-Rum 30:30) [6]

After this clear explanation, it is of the upmost importance for the Muslim to know how Shirk spread amongst the believers, after they were muwahhideen (people upon Tawheed). Concerning the saying of Allaah – the most perfect – about the people of Nooh:

“And they have said : You shall not forsake your gods, nor shall you forsake Wadd, nor Suwaa’, nor Yaghooth, nor Ya’ooq, nor Nasr.” (Soorah Nooh 71:23)

It has been related by a group from the Salaf (Pious Predecessors), in many narrations, that these five deities were righteous worshippers. However, when they died, Shaytaan (Satan) whispered into their people to retreat and sit at their graves. Then Shaytaan whispered to those who came after them that they should take them as idols, beautifying to them the idea that you will be reminded of them and thereby follow them in righteous conduct. Then Shaytaan suggested to the third generation that they should worship these idols besides Allaah – the most high – and he whispered to them that this is what their forefathers used to do!!!

So Allaah sent to them Nooh alayhis-salaam, commanding them to worship Allaah alone. However none responded to hiscall except a few. Allaah – the mighty and majestic – related this whole incident in Soorah Nooh Ibn ‘Abbas relates: “Indeed these five names of righteous men from the people of Nooh. When they died Shataan whispered to their people to make statues of them and to place these statues in their places of gathering as a reminder of them, so they did this. However, none from amongst them worshipped these statues, until when they died and the purpose of the statues was forgotten. Then (the next generation) began to worship them.”[7]

The likes of this has also been related by Ibn Jareer at-Tabaree and others, from a number of the salaf (Pious Predecessors) – radiallaahu ‘anhum. In ad-Durral-Manthoor (6/269): ‘Abdullaah ibn Humaid relates from Abu Muttahar, who said: Yazeed ibn al-Muhallab was mentioned to Abu Ja’far al-Baaqir (d.11H), so he said: He was killed at the place where another besides Allaah was first worshipped. Then he mentioned Wadd and said: “Wadd was a Muslim man who was loved by his people. When he died, the people began to gather around his grave in the land of Baabil ( Babel ), lamenting and mourning. So when Iblees (Satan) saw them mourning and lamenting over him, he took the form of a man and came to them, saying : I see that you are mourning and lamenting over him. So why don’t you make a picture of him (i.e. a statue) and place it in your places of gatherings so that you maybe reminded of him. So they said: Yes, and they made a picture of him and put in their place of gathering; which reminded them of him. When Iblees saw how they were (excessively) remembering him, he said : “Why doesn’t every man amongst you make a similar picture to keep in your own houses, so that you can be (constantly) reminded of him.” So they all said “yes”. So each household made a picture of him, which they adored and venerated and which constantly reminded them of him. Abu Ja’far said: “Those from the later generation saw what the (pevious generation) had done and considered that……..to the extent that they took him as an ilah (diety) to be worshipped besides Allaah. He then said :” This was the first idol worshipped other than Allaah, and they called this idol Wadd”[8]

Thus the wisdom of Allaah – the Blessed, the Most High – was fufilled, when he sent Muhammed sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam as the final prophet and made his Sharee’ah the completion of all divinely Prescribed Laws, in that He prohibited all means and avenues by which people may fall into Shirk – which is the greatest of sins. For this reason, building shrines over graves and intending to specifically travel to them, taking them as places of festivity and gathering and swearing an oath by the inmate of a grave; have all been prohibited. All of these lead to excessiveness and lead to the worship of other than Allaah – the Most High.

This being the case even more so in an age in which knowledge is diminishing, ignorance is increasing, thre are few sincere advisors ( to the truth) and shaytaan is co-operating with men and jinn to misguide mankind and to take them away from the worship of Allaah alone – the Blessed, the Most High.

FOOTNOTES:

1. Tahdheerus-Saajid min Ittikhaadhil-Quboori Masaajid (pp.101-106)

2. Related by Ibn Jareer at-Tabaree in his tafseer (4/275) and al-Haakim (2/546) who said: “It is authentic according to the criterion of al-Bukhari.” Adh-Dhahabee also agreed.

3. Al-Khawaakibud-Duraaree fee Tarteeb Musnadul-Imaam Ahmad’alaa Abwaabil-Bukhaaree (6/212/1), still in manuscript form.

4. Related by Muslim (8/159) and Ahmad (4/162) from ‘Iyaadh ibn Himaar al-Mujaashi’ee radiallaahu ‘anhu

5. [From the Editors] Ibn-al-Atheer said in an-Nihaayah (3/457): “Al-Fitr: means to begin and create, and al-Fitrah is the condition resulting from it. The meaning is that mankind were born upona disposition and a nature which is ready to accept the true Religion. So if he were to be left upon this, then he would continue upon it. However, those who deviate from this do so due to following human weaknesses and blind following of others…..” Al-Haafidh Ibn Hajar said in Al-Fath (3/248): “The people differ concerning what is meant by al-Fitrah and the most famous saying is that it means Islaam. Ibn ‘abdul-Barr said: That is what was well known with most of the salaf (pious predecessors), and the scholars of tafseer are agreed that what is meant by the saying of Allaah – the Most High – “Allaah’s fitrah wiht which He created mankind.” is Islaam

6. Related by Al-Bukhaaree (11/418) and Muslim (18/52)

7. Related by al-Bukhaaree (8/534)

8. Related by Ibn Abee Haatim also, as is in al-Kawaakibud-Duraaree (6/112/2) of Ibn ‘Urwah al-Hanbalee, along with an isnaad which is Hasan, up to Abu Muttahar. However, no biography could be found for him, neither in ad-Dawlaabee’s al-Kunaa wal-Asmaa, nor Muslim’s al-Kunaa, nor any one elses. And the hidden defect here is that he is from the Shee’ah, but his biography is not included in at-Toosee’s al-Kunaa — from the index of Shee’ah narrators.

Indeed the religion of Islam calls for the Muslim to have a belief in the six following articles of faith:

The Messenger believeth in what hath been revealed to him from his Lord, as do the men of faith. Each one (of them) believeth in Allah, His angels, His books, and His messengers. “We make no distinction (they say) between one and another of His messengers.” And they say: “We hear, and we obey: (We seek) Thy forgiveness, our Lord, and to Thee is the end of all journeys.” (2:285)

And from the hadith of Gabriel:

One day we were sitting in the company of Allah’s Apostle (peace be upon him) when there appeared before 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 last he sat with the Apostle (peace be upon him) He knelt before him placed his palms on his thighs and said: Muhammad, inform me about al-Islam. The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: Al-Islam implies that you testify that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad is the messenger of Allah, and you establish prayer, pay Zakat, observe the fast of Ramadan, and perform pilgrimage to the (House) if you are solvent enough (to bear the expense 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 and then he would himself verify the truth. He (the inquirer) said: Inform me about Iman (faith). He (the Holy Prophet) replied: That you affirm your faith in Allah, in His angels, in His Books, in His Apostles, in the Day of Judgment, and you affirm your faith in the Divine Decree about good and evil. He (the inquirer) said: You have told the truth. (Muslim book 1, number 1)

So a Muslim must believe in the following six articles of faith:

1- Belief in God

2- Belief in the angels

3- Belief in the divine Books

4- Belief in the messengers

5- Belief in the Day of Judgment

6- Belief in divine decree

Any Muslim who lacks just one of the above is not a true Muslim. Hence whenever the Muslim reads the Islamic texts which talk about the above 6 articles of faith, he should take them, understand them, and believe in them with no doubts.

And Allah Knows Best

“First, associating partners in the worship of Allah. Allah says,

“Verily, Allah forgives not (the sin of) setting up partners in worship with Him, but He forgives whom He pleases other sins than that” (al-Nisa 116).

Allah also says,

“Verily, whosoever sets up partners in worship with Allah, then Allah has forbidden Paradise for him, and the Fire will be his abode. And for the wrongdoers, there are no helpers” (al-Maidah 72).

Included in this category of deeds is sacrificing animals for the sake of jinn or graves.

“Second, whoever sets up an intermediary between himself and Allah, whom he prays to, seeks intercession from and puts his reliance in, has blasphemed according to the consensus of the scholars.

“Third, whoever does not consider the polytheists as disbelievers or whoever has doubt concerning their disbelief or whoever considers their way as correct has committed an act of disbelief himself.

“Fourth, if a person believes that some guidance other than the guidance of the Prophet (peace be upon him) is more complete than his or that another’s judgment is better than the Prophet’s, [then that person has committed an act of disbelief]. This would be like the one who prefers the rule and law of false gods [be they human or otherwise] over the Prophet’s rule and law. This position is one of disbelief.

“Fifth, whoever dislikes anything the Prophet (peace be upon him) brought, even if he acts by it, has committed an act of disbelief.

“Sixth, whoever ridicules or jokes about any part of the religion of the Messenger (peace be upon him) or its rewards or its punishments, has committed an act of disbelief. The evidence for this is in the Words of Allah,

“Say: Was it Allah, or His signs or His Messenger that you were mocking? Make no excuse, you have disbelieved after you had believed.” (al-Tauba 65-66).

“Seventh, the performing of magic [is an act of disbelief], this includes those magical incantations that make one love or hate another person. Whoever performs them or is pleased with them has committed an act of disbelief. Allah says in the Quran,

“But neither of these two (angels) taught anyone (such things) until they had said, ‘We are only for trial, so disbelieve not [by learning such magic from us]“‘ (al-Baqara 102)

“Eighth, assisting and supporting the polytheists against the Muslims [is also a type of disbelief]. The proof for this is in Allah’s statement,

“And if any among you takes them [the Jews and Christians] as helpers and protectors, then surely he is one of them. Verily, Allah guides not those people who are wrongdoing” (al-Maida 51).

“Ninth, if a person believes that some people are permitted to be free of the Law of Muhammad (peace be upon him), in the same way that Khidr was free of the law of Moses (peace be upon him), then that person is a disbeliever.

“Tenth, turning away from the religion of Allah, not learning it or applying it, [is also a form of disbelief]. The evidence for this is Allah’s saying,

“And who does more wrong than he who is reminded of the signs of his Lord, then he turns aside therefrom? Verily, We shall exact retribution from the sinners” (al-Sajdah 22).

“There is no difference with respect to all of the above whether the act is done jokingly, seriously or out of fear. The only exception is one who is coerced. All of them are from the greater of the dangerous acts and they are also among the most common in occurrence. A Muslim must be aware of them and fear for himself concerning such actions. We seek refuge in Allah from that which brings about His anger and the painfulness of His punishment

In this article we shall cite the forms of shirk that can occur, however so before doing this let us post the verses which show the serious consequences and magnitude of this sin:

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YUSUFALI: Allah forgiveth not that partners should be set up with Him; but He forgiveth anything else, to whom He pleaseth; to set up partners with Allah is to devise a sin Most heinous indeed.

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YUSUFALI: Allah forgiveth not (The sin of) joining other gods with Him; but He forgiveth whom He pleaseth other sins than this: one who joins other gods with Allah, Hath strayed far, far away (from the right).

These verses make it crystal clear that associating partners with God (shirk) will never be forgiven, every other sin you commit, major or minor can be forgiven. Hence a person must do his utmost to avoid this sin because if one dies upon this sin then this shall doom the person leaving no hope for him.

The prophet Muhammad himself stated:

Bukhari Volume 6, Book 60, Number 24:

Narrated ‘Abdullah:

The Prophet said one statement and I said another. The Prophet said “Whoever dies while still invoking anything other than Allah as a rival to Allah, will enter Hell (Fire).” And I said, “Whoever dies without invoking anything as a rival to Allah, will enter Paradise.”

So therefore there should be no doubt as to the severity of this sin, again I repeat one must do all he can to avoid this sin as it is the unforgivable sin and shall doom the one who commits it.

Now some may ask how one commits shirk (associate a partner or another god beside the true God Allah). Well the answer to this is that there is more than one way in committing shirk, and it is to this that we now turn our attention to, because it is very important to know the routes that lead to shirk, because when one knows this information it allows him to guard himself against it.

For starters there is a correct way of believing in Allah, one of the correct ways to believe in Allah is that you believe that he is the sole creator, that he is one, that all affairs are under his control and go back to him, that nothing occurs without his will, and that only he can protect or harm you. The verses of the Quran that establish this point are too numerous to quote, but we shall quote a few of these verses to make things easy:

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YUSUFALI: Say: He is Allah, the One and Only;

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YUSUFALI: To Him is due the primal origin of the heavens and the earth: When He decreeth a matter, He saith to it: “Be,” and it is.

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YUSUFALI: To Allah belongs all that is in the heavens and on earth: To Him do all questions go back (for decision).

So a Muslim must believe this and not contradict it. Hence one form of shirk is to contradict this belief, it is to believe that some other deity has the power to independently create and cause death. A form of this shirk is committed by Christians, they believe Jesus is the creator of the heavens and the earth, that Jesus is in control of destiny, that Jesus is in control of life and death, therefore this is one type of shirk. So basically believing in any other deity as the source of power which causes life and death, which runs the universe and so on, this is one form of shirk.

A Muslim must be careful from falling into this form of shirk since it possible, there are Muslims who have fallen into this form of shirk by believing that certain saints of theirs can cause life and death, which we all know is not possible since it is only Allah who controls life and death.

Now another correct way of believing in Allah is believing that all forms of worship are for him alone, your prayers, invocations, sacrifices, and oaths are all directed to him. The Quranic verses which speak of this are too numerous to quote, but we shall highlight a few of them to make things easier:

YUSUFALI: Say: “Truly, my prayer and my service of sacrifice, my life and my death, are (all) for Allah, the Cherisher of the Worlds:No partner hath He: this am I commanded, and I am the first of those who bow to His will.Say: “Shall I seek for (my) Cherisher other than Allah, when He is the Cherisher of all things (that exist)? Every soul draws the meed of its acts on none but itself: no bearer of burdens can bear of burdens can bear the burden of another. Your goal in the end is towards Allah: He will tell you the truth of the things wherein ye disputed.” (6:162-164)

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YUSUFALI: “And the places of worship are for Allah (alone): So invoke not any one along with Allah;

So to contradict this is to commit shirk, and by contradicting this it means you worship someone else besides Allah, or you sacrifice and send invocations to someone other than Allah. In fact the pagans of the prophet Muhammad’s time were guilty of this form of shirk, they set up other idols beside Allah as intercessors so they could supposedly get nearer to Allah, hence they would invoke and call upon these false deities. Most Muslims who fall under this category of shirk make excuses similar to that of the old pagans, that they simply call upon the dead and the saints so they can get nearer to Allah and so on, yet there is no difference at all and Allah rejects this since he has called on you to call on him only and not on others. It does not matter what or who you are worshiping and invocating to, they all fall under the same evil category, whether you are invoking and calling upon the prophet Muhammad, the angels, the jinns, the trees, the saints, Jesus, or false wooden objects you have carved out.

The Quran speaks a lot about this form of shirk, it speaks against it:

“‘Those unto whom they pray [i.e., the saints] themselves seek avenue to their Lord’s mercy, compete in coming closer to Allah and fear His punishment,’ Qur’an 17:57

The Quran also refutes those who make excuses, saying we only call upon them to get closer to Allah:

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YUSUFALI: Is it not to Allah that sincere devotion is due? But those who take for protectors other than Allah (say): “We only serve them in order that they may bring us nearer to Allah.” Truly Allah will judge between them in that wherein they differ. But Allah guides not such as are false and ungrateful.

So therefore you should be in no doubt concerning who you should worship and who you should devote yourself to.

The third correct way in believing in Allah is believing in his names and attributes. Allah’s 99 names are to be found throughout the Quran, and believing in them is also called for in the authentic hadiths. For example one of Allah’s 99 names is:

Al-Aleem, which means the All-Knower, that he Knows everything, that he is not ignorant of anything.

So therefore a person who believes another person such as a saint is all-knowing has committed shirk, likewise if they attribute other names and attributes of Allah to themselves, such as being all-powerful, then they have also committed shirk since these names and the meaning and attributes behind the names are exclusively and uniquely for Allah alone.

So in conclusion a Muslim and any non-Muslim must avoid all these forms of shirk, to do so grants you security and safety in the here-after, and to be able to guard yourself from shirk then you must correctly believe in Allah, therefore I implore all Muslims to learn about the correct Islamic aqidah so they will not fall into miss-guidance and error. And I call on non-Muslims to come to the straight path of monotheism since that is indeed the best path.

And Allah the one and true creator whom all worship is due to Knows Best!

With regard to the texts of the Qur’aan and the Sunnah, it is obligatory (concerning Allaah’s Names and Attributes) to leave their proofs and implications upon their literal meanings, without changing them. This is because Allaah revealed the Qur’aan in a plain Arabic language and the Prophet (saws) used to speak with the Arabic language. Therefore, it is obligatory to leave the implications of the words of Allaah and the words of the Messenger of Allaah (saws) as they are, in that language. Also, changing it from its literal meaning is speaking about Allaah without knowledge and this is forbidden, due to the statement of Allaah:

“Say: ‘The things that my Lord has indeed forbidden are the great evil sins, whether committed openly or secretly, sins (of all kinds), unrighteous oppression, joining partners (in worship) with Allaah for which He has given no authority, and saying things about Allaah of which you have no knowledge.’” [Surat-ul-A'araaf (7): 33]

An example of this principle is found in the statement of Allaah: “Nay, both His hands are widely outstretched.” [Surat-ul-Maa'idah (5): 64]

Indeed, what is literally apparent from this ayah is that Allaah has two actual hands. Thus, affirming that is obligatory, due to this principle. So if someone were to say that the meaning of His hands is “power”, then we must say to him that this is changing the word from its literal meaning. And saying this is not permissible, for it is speaking about Allaah without knowledge.

The Second Principle: Concerning Allaah’s Names

There are several subdivisions included in this principle:

The first subdivision: All of Allaah’s Names are the best

This means that they all possess the highest extent of goodness. This is since they are comprised of perfect attributes. There are no deficiencies to be found in them in any way whatsoever, for Allaah says: “To Him belong the best of Names.” [Surah TaHa (20): 5-8]

An example of this is the name Ar-Rahmaan, which is one of the Names of Allaah, for it demonstrates a magnificent attribute – which is (His) vast mercy.

We know that Ad-Dahr (time) is not one of the Names of Allaah, for it does not possess a meaning that reaches the highest extent of goodness. As for the Prophet’s (saws) statement: “Do not curse time, for indeed, Allaah is Ad-Dahr (time)”,[2] then its meaning is that He is the “Owner of time – the One who dispenses it”. This change occurs based on the evidence found in his (saws) statement in the second narration (of this hadeeth) in which Allaah said: “In My hand is the Command. I turn (in cycles) the night and the day.” [3]

The Second Subdivision: The Names of Allaah are not confined to a fixed and definite number

This is based on the famous hadeeth: “I ask You, O Allaah, by every one of Your Names by which You have named Yourself or revealed in Your Book. Or (those which You have) taught to one of Your creatures or appropriated for Yourself in the knowledge of the Ghaib (Unseen) that is with You.” [4]

Specifying and grasping whatever Allaah has appropriated for Himself in the knowledge of the Ghaib (Unseen) that is with Him, is impossible to attain.

The way to combine between this hadeeth and the other authentic hadeeth: “Verily, to Allaah belong ninety-nine names, (by which) whosoever takes account of them (i.e. memorizes, learns and supplicates by them), will enter Paradise “ [5] s that the meaning of this (latter) hadeeth is:

“Verily, from among all the names of Allaah are ninety-nine names by which if someone takes account of them, he will enter Paradise .”

It does not mean that Allaah’s names are restricted to this number (of 99).

The equivalent of this would be if one were to say: “I have one hundred dollars which I have counted out for the purpose of giving in charity.” This does not negate that he has other dollars in his possession, which he has counted out for a purpose other than charity.

The Third Subdivision: The Names of Allaah are not affirmed by the intellect – they can only be affirmed by Revelation

The Names of Allaah are based upon Revelation and as such, their affirmation is dependent upon what is reported in the revealed texts concerning them. Therefore, nothing can be added to them nor subtracted. This is because the intellect is not able to itself ascertain which names Allaah is most deserving of. So it is obligatory to depend upon the revealed texts for determining that. Also, naming Allaah with that which He did not name Himself or rejecting what He did name Himself with, is a crime against Him and a perpetration of His right. Thus, abiding by the proper etiquettes with regard to that is obligatory.

The Fourth Subdivision: The meaning of each of Allaah’s Names applies to 1) Allaah Himself, 2) the attribute that such a Name implies, and 3) the effect of such an attribute, if it is transitive.

Faith in Allaah’s names cannot be complete without affirming all of this.

An example of those names that are not transitive is the name Al-’Adheem (The Most Great). One’s Faith is not complete until he believes that it is a name of Allaah whose meaning applies to Him Himself, as well as the attribute that it encompasses, which is His magnificence (‘adhamah). An example of a name that is transitive is Ar-Rahmaan (the Most Merciful). One’s Faith is not complete until he believes that it is a name of Allaah that applies to 1) Himself, 2) the attribute that it encompasses, which is his mercy, and 3) what results from that, which is that he grants mercy to whom He wills.

The Third Principle: Concerning Allaah’s Attributes

There are also subdivisions included in this principle:

The First Subdivision: All of Allaah’s Attributes are of the highest degree of perfection and praise possible. There is no deficiency found in them in any way whatsoever.

Some examples of these Attributes are: (His) living, knowledge, ability, hearing, seeing, wisdom, mercy, highness and other than these. This is based on His saying:

“And to Allaah belongs the highest description.” [Surat-un-Nahl (16): 60]

It is also because the Lord is absolutely perfect; thus His Attributes must be perfect.

If an attribute is deficient and imperfect, then it is restricted from Him, such as death, ignorance, inability, deafness, blindness, and other than that. This is because Allaah will punish those who describe Him with deficiencies and He has freed Himself from all the defects that they attribute to Him. Also, it is not possible for the Lord (Rabb) to have a defect due to the incompatibility of deficiency with the aspect of Lordship (Rububiyyah).

If an attribute is perfect in one way and deficient in another way, then it is not affirmed for Allaah nor is it restricted from Him in the absolute sense. Rather, a distinction between the two cases must be made. Thus, it is affirmed for Allaah in the circumstances when it is perfect and it is not possible to affirm it for Him in the condition when it is deficient. Examples of this are planning (Makr), plotting (Kaid), deception (Khadaa’) and so on. These three attributes are perfect when they are implemented as a response to their equals (being done by an opponent), since they indicate that the One who is doing it is not incapable of encountering His enemy with his same action. And it would be deficient in any other condition.

So it is affirmed for Allaah in the first condition and not in the second. Allaah says: “They (disbelievers) were planning and Allaah too was planning (i.e. makr). And Allaah is the best of those who plan.” [Surat-ul-Anfaal (8): 30]

“Verily, they are but scheming a plot. And I too am scheming a plot (i.e. kaid).” [Surat-ut-Taariq (86): 15-16]

“Verily, the hypocrites seek to deceive Allaah, but it is He who deceives (i.e. khadaa’) them.” [Surat-un-Nisaa (4): 142]

So if for instance, it is said: “Has Allaah attributed plotting to Himself?” Then do not say yes, and do not say no. Instead say: “He is plotting against those who are deserving of that, and Allaah knows best.”

The Second Subdivision: The Attributes of Allaah can be divided into two categories: Those that are affirmed (Thubootiyyah) and those that are negated (Salbiyyah).

Thubootiyyah: consists of the attributes that Allaah has affirmed for Himself, such as living, knowledge and ability. Affirming these for Allaah in a manner befitting to Him is obligatory. This is because Allaah has affirmed them for Himself and He is the most knowledgeable concerning His Attributes.

Salbiyyah: consists of the attributes that Allaah has negated for Himself, such as injustice. Negating these from Allaah is obligatory because Allaah has negated them from Himself. However, it is obligatory to believe in affirming their most perfect opposites, for Allaah, since a negation is not complete until it consists of an affirmation.

An example of this is Allaah’s statement: “And your Lord treats no one with injustice.” [Surat-ul-Kahf (18): 49]

Thus, it is obligatory to negate injustice from Allaah, while affirming (the opposite) – which is justice – for Him, based on its most perfect perspective.

The Third Subdivision: The Affirmed Attributes (Thubootiyyah) can further be divided into two categories:

Dhaatiyyah (Attributes of His Essence): They are the attributes that do not cease nor will ever cease to be descriptive of Him, such as hearing and seeing.

Fi’aliyyah (Attributes of His Actions): They are the attributes that are connected to His Will (Mashee’ah). If He wills, He will do it and if He wills, He will not do it, such as rising over the Throne and (His) coming.

It is possible that an attribute could be both Dhaatiyyah and Fi’aliyyah, according to each of the two, such as Speech. In regards to the origin of the attribute, it is an attribute of His Essence (Dhaatiyyah) because Allaah never stopped nor will stop speaking. And in regards to the units of Speech that are put forth, it is an attribute of the action (Fi’aliyyah), since Speech is connected to His Will. He speaks as He wills, when he wills.

The Fourth Subdivision: Each Attribute of Allaah should bring three questions to mind.

The first question: Is it real (as opposed to figurative) and why?

The second question: Is it permissible to say how it is and why?

The third question: Is it comparable to the attributes of creation and why?

The answer to the first question: Yes, it is real, because the foundation of speech concerning this subject is based on actuality (as opposed to symbolism). This may not be abandoned, unless there is authentic evidence that restricts it.

The second answer: No, it is not permissible to describe how an attribute is, due to Allaah’s statement: “But they will never encompass anything of His Knowledge.” [Surah TaHa (20): 110]

Also, the intellects are not able to comprehend the nature of how Allaah’s attributes are.

The third answer: It cannot be compared to the creation’s attributes, due to Allaah’s saying:

“There is nothing whatsoever like Him.” [Surat-ush-Shooraa (42): 11]

And also Allaah is worthy of the utmost perfection, therefore it is impossible for Him to be compared to the creation, since that is something deficient and imperfect.

The difference between takyeef (saying how it is) and tamtheel (saying it is like such and such) is that tamtheel is to describe the manner of an attribute by restricting it to a certain example, whereas takyeef is describing the manner of an attribute without restricting it to a certain example.

An example of tamtheel is if someone were to say the hand of Allaah is like the hand of a human being.

An example of takyeef is to imagine that the Hand of Allaah has a specific nature that has no comparison found in the hands of created beings. This type of imagining is not permissible.

The Fourth Principle: What may be used to refute those who commit ta’teel (rejection of Allaah’s Attributes).

The Mu’tilah (those who commit ta’teel) are the ones who reject anything from the Names and Attributes of Allaah and distort the texts from their literal meanings. They are also known as the ones who commit ta’weel (distorted interpretation). The fundamental principle by which we may refute them is to say that their statements:

1. Are in contradiction to what is literally apparent from the texts

2. Are in contradiction to the understanding of the Salaf

3. Do not have any authentic proof (to support them)

For some attributes, there may be a fourth perspective, or more than that.

Footnotes:

[1] Shaikh Muhammad Ibn Saalih Al-’Uthaimeen has a great book on the subject of Allaah’s Names and Attributes in which he states a number of important principles regarding this topic. We have provided a checking for it and it is called “Al-Qawaa’id Al-Muthlaa fee Sifaatillaahi wa Asmaa’ihi Al-Husnaa” (Ideal Principles concerning Allaah’s Attributes and His Beautiful Names). It deserves to be studied and devoted special attention to.

[2] Saheeh Muslim: Book of Words from Good Manners (no. 2246) from the hadeeth of Abu Hurairah. Al-Haafidh Ibn Hajr said in Al-Fath (10/565): “Ahmad has transmitted it from another path from the hadeeth of Abu Hurairah with the wording: ‘Do not curse time, for indeed Allaah has stated: ‘I am Ad-Dahr (Time). The days and the nights belong to Me. I will renew them, vanquish them and bring forth kings after kings.’ And its chain of narration is authentic.”

A Point of Benefit:
The great scholar Ibn Al-Qayyim said in Zaad Al-Ma’aad (2/355): “Anyone that curses time is lingering between two states of which there is no doubt that he is from one of them. Either he has cursed Allaah Himself or he has ascribed a partner to him (Shirk). For indeed, if he believes that Allaah is the only one that did that and he curses whomsoever did it, then he has cursed Allaah.”

[3] Saheeh Al-Bukhaaree: Book of Tawheed (no. 7491) and Saheeh Muslim: Book of Words from Good Manners (no. 2246) from the hadeeth of Abu Hurairah.

[4] Hadeeth Saheeh: This is a part from the hadeeth of Ibn Mas’ood t that has been reported by Ahmad (1/394, 452), Ibn Hibbaan (no. 2372 of the Mawaarid), and Al-Haakim (1/519). Al-Haafidh Ibn Al-Qayyim authenticated it in Shifaa-ul-’Aleel (pg. 274). And he (ra) went in detail, clarifying the importance and benefits of this hadeeth in his book Al-Fawaa’id (pg. 24-29). It was also authenticated by Shaikh Ahmad Shaakir (ra) in his notes to Al-Musnad (no. 3721), Al-Albaanee in As-Saheehah (no. 199) and Shu’aib Al-Arna’oot in his checking of Zaad Al-Ma’aad (4/198).

[5] Saheeh Al-Bukhaaree: Book of Supplications (no. 6410) and Saheeh Muslim: Book of Remembrance and Supplication (no. 2677) from the hadeeth of Abu Hurairah (raa)

]]> http://thecreedofislam.wordpress.com/2009/06/07/important-principles-regarding-allahs-names-and-attributes-tawheed-al-asamaa-wal-sifaat/feed/ 0 samialathar http://thecreedofislam.wordpress.com/2009/06/03/the-benefits-of-laa-ilaha-ilallaah/ http://thecreedofislam.wordpress.com/2009/06/03/the-benefits-of-laa-ilaha-ilallaah/#comments Wed, 03 Jun 2009 10:16:52 +0000 samialathar http://thecreedofislam.wordpress.com/?p=83 ]]> This kalimah (word) Laa ilaha ilallaah (that none has the right to be worshipped except Allaah), if it said with truthfulness and sincerity from the heart, and acted upon in that which it necessitates – outwardly and inwardly – then its effect will indeed be praiseworthy upon both the individual and the society.

 From the most important of its effects are:-

1) Uniting the word of the Muslims: This will result in strengthening the Muslims and assisting them in defeating their enemies – as long as they continue to follow and practise the same single religion, and as long as they adhere to the same single ‘aqeedah (belief). Allaah – the Most High – said:

 ”And hold fast to the rope of Allaah and do not be divided.” [3:103]

 ” It is He Who has strengthened you with His help and with the Believers, and moreover, He has put love and affection between their hearts. If you were to spend all that is in the earth, then never could you have united their hearts, but Allaah has united them. Indeed He is the all-Mighty, the all-Wise.” [8:62-63]

 And differing in matters of ‘aqeedah (beliefs) is the cause for splitting, disunity and hostility, as Allaah – the Most High – said:

” Indeed those who split-up their religion and become sects, you have no part with them in the least.” [6:159]

” But people have cut-off their affair of unity between them and have become sects, each party rejoicing in that which is with itself. ” [23:53]

 So people cannot truly be united except upon the correct concept of eemaan (faith) and the correct ‘aqeedah of Tawheed, which are both direct implications of Laa ilaha ilallaah. One need only consider the conditions of the Arabs before and after Islaam.

2) Prevalence of safety and peace in a unified society, which believes in and abides by Laa ilaha ilallaah. Since the individuals in such a society will take care in doing only that which Allaah has made halaal (lawful) and abandoning that which Allaah has made haraam (unlawful) – acting in accordance with what the ‘aqeedah necessitates upon them. So this will prevent people from enmity, oppression and injustice, whilst directing them towards co-operation, love and deep brotherhood for the sake of Allaah, acting upon His – the Most High’s saying – :

 ” Indeed the Believers are but brothers.” [49:10]

 This is clearly reflected in the life of the Arabs before and after believing in Laa ilaha ilallaah. Before Islaam, they lived in hostility and insecurity, constantly fighting and killing each other. However, when they embraced Islaam all this changed, and the same people lived with each other in peace and an atmosphere of love and brotherhood prevailed, as Allaah – the Most High – said:

 ”Muhammad is the Messenger of Allaah, and those who are with him are strong and mighty against the unbelievers and merciful and kind amongst each other.” [48:29]

 ”And remember the favour of Allaah upon you; for you were enemies and He joined your hearts in love, so that by His grace you became brothers ” [3:103]

3) Achievement of happiness, attainment of the khilaafah (succession of power and authority) in the earth, maintaining purity of the religion and being steadfast against the onslaught of false beliefs and foreign ideologies. Allaah said:

“Allaah has promised to those among you who truly have eemaan (true faith and belief) and act in obedience to Allaah and His Messenger, that he will grant them rulership upon the earth, just as He granted it to those before them, and that He will establish their Religion for them and grant them the authority to practice their religion which He chose and ordered them with. And He will certainly change their situation to one of security, after their fear. Providing that they worship and obey Me, not associating anything else in worship with Me. Then, whoever rejects this favour by disobedience to their Lord – then they are the rebellious transgressors.” [24:55]

 So Allaah – the Most Perfect – has made achievement of these lofty goals conditional upon worshipping and obeying Him not associating any partners with Him. And this is the true meaning of Laa ilaha ilallaah.

And it is from eemaan in Allaah to have eemaan in what Allaah has described Himself with in His Book and in what His Messenger (sallallaahu alayhi wasallam) has described Him with, without changing the original meaning [of these texts] (Tahreef), without denying such attributes for Allaah (Ta’teel), without enquiring into their true nature (Takyeef) and without likening [His attributes] to those of the creation (Tamtheel).

Explanation

After the author (rh) mentioned, in a general way, the fundamental principles, having eemaan in which is obligatory, he mentions them in a detailed and elaborate way. He commences with the first foundation and that is having eemaan in Allaah, the Exalted. He says that included in this pillar is to have eemaan in His attributes with which He has described Himself in His Book or which His Messenger (sallallaahu alayhi wasallam) has described Him with in his Sunnah. This can only occur if we establish and affirm such attributes for Allaah in the precise way they have come in the Book and the Sunnah, with the same words and intended meanings, without changing the words used for these attributes, denying their meanings, likening them to those of the creation and enquiring into their true nature. Furthermore, this only occurs if we depend upon the Book and the Sunnah. We do not go beyond the Qur’aan and the Hadeeth since they restrict (the use of whatever is besides them such as intellect and other such matters).

The meaning of (…Tahreef…) is to introduce a change or make an alteration (taghyeer) and also to turn something away from its true position (imaalah). It is said: He has deviated (inharafa) from such and such when he digressed and turned away from it. Tahreef is of two types:

The First Type: Changing the Word. This is to refrain from (accepting) this word as it is and instead adopting another word either by adding or taking away an additional letter or word or by changing a vowel point. An example is the saying of the people of misguidance regarding the speech of Allaah:

Ar-Rahmaan ascended (istawaa) the Throne [Taahaa 20:5]

They say: istawlaa, which gives it the meaning of conquered and have therefore added a letter to the verse. Also, their saying about the speech of Allaah

And your Lord comes (jaa’a) with the angels in rows [Fajr 89:22]

They say: The command (amr) of your lord, meaning the command of your Lord comes. Therefore, they have added a word. Also their saying about the speech of Allaah:

And Allaah spoke to Moses direct

They change the vowel point in the word Allaah, so they made it from Allaahu to Allaaha giving it the altered meaning: And to Allaah Moses spoke direct. So they have changed the vowel point from a dhamma to a fatha to enable a change in the meaning.

The Second Type: Changing the Meaning. This means to refrain from (accepting) the (established and proven) meaning (of the word in question) as it is, to refuse its reality and to give the word signifying it the meaning of another word. An example is the saying of the innovators: The meaning of mercy (rahmah) is: The desire to bestow favours, and that the meaning of anger (ghadab) is: The desire to seek revenge.

The meaning of (…Ta’teel…) in the language is to leave and vacate (al-ikhlaa’). It is said: He neglected it, left it (atalahu) meaning he vacated it (akhlaahu). The intended meaning of it here is the denial of Allaah’s attributes, free and sublime is He from all imperfections, the Exalted. The difference between tahreef and ta’teel is that tahreef is to deny the correct meaning which is proven by the texts (of the Book and the Sunnah) and substituting another incorrect meaning for it. Ta’teel is to merely deny the proven and established meaning without substituting it for another meaning and this is the way of the Mufawwidah. Therefore, anyone who changes the meaning of the word (a muharrif) is also one who denies the proven and correct meaning (a muattil) but one who denies the meaning indicated by the word is not one who actually changes the proven meaning.

The meaning of (…Takyeef…) is to specify the exact nature and reality of the established meaning of the attribute. It is said: He gave something a shape or form (kayyafa) when he made for it a known quality. Committing takyeef with Allaah’s attributes is to specify their precise nature, state or condition and their form or shape. This is impossible for mankind since the knowledge of this is amongst that knowledge which Allaah has kept to Himself. Therefore, there is no way of knowing the precise nature of His attributes because the attribute follows the Self (dhaat). Just as it is not possible for a person to know the exact nature of the Self of Allaah, it is likewise impossible to know the exact nature of His attributes. Their exact nature is not known. This is why when Imaam Maalik was asked about the verse:

Ar-Rahmaan has ascended (istawaa) the Throne [Taahaa 20:5]

How is the ascending (istawaa)? He replied: “The ascending is known, its reality is unknown, having eemaan in it is obligatory and asking about it is an innovation.”

And this is said with respect to all of Allaah’s attributes.

The meaning of (…Tamtheel…) is resemblance (tashbeeh) and it is committed when it is said that Allaah’s attributes are like the attributes of the creation. For example, it might be said: The hand of Allaah is like our hands and His hearing is like our hearing. High is Allaah above such things. Allaah said:

There is nothing like Him and He is the All-Hearing, the All-Seeing [Shooraa 42:11]

Therefore, it cannot be said that His attributes are like our attributes or that they resemble our attributes just like it cannot be said that the Self of Allaah is like our selves or that it resembles our selves.

The believing muwahhid is the one who establishes and affirms all the attributes in the manner that befits and suits the might and grandeur of Allaah. The mu’attil denies all of them or some of them and the mushabbih, the mumaththil (one who likens and compares them to those of the creation) affirms them in a way that does not befit Allaah but rather befits the creation.

Tawheed has three categories understood directly from Allaah’s Book. This division of tawheed is not from someone’s opinion, nor is it merely a traditional way to explain tawheed. It is a division that is taken directly from Allaah’s Book.

The first category is tawheed ar-ruboobiyyah, which means “to single out Allaah in understanding His Actions,” like His creating, providing, bringing of life and death, and keeping order in all affairs. A person understands that Allaah alone is the Creator, the Provider, the Ever-Living One in charge of all affairs.

The second category is tawheed al-uloohiyyah, which means “to single out Allaah within the actions of the servant.” This includes all actions that draw them closer to Allaah, Glorified and Exalted, like:

Du’aa’ – supplication
Khowf – fear
Rajaa’ – hope
Rahbah – awe
Ragbah – longing
Tawakkul – trust
Isti’aanah – seeking general assistance
Istighaathah – seeking assistance in emergencies
Thabh – slaughtering
Nathr – taking oaths

All forms of worship must be strictly for Allaah alone, and nothing can be done for other than Him. This is what is called tawheed al-’ebaadah, or tawheed al-uloohiyyah, and it is the tawheed that is put into practice as the servant singles out Allaah in everything He has requested, with an intention for Him alone, in all acts of obedience.

The third category is tawheed al-asmaa’ was-sifaat, which means “to believe in every Name and Attribute that Allaah affirmed for Himself, or those that His Messenger (sallallaahu ‘alayhe wa sallam) affirmed for Him.

These three categories are understood directly from Allaah’s Book. Every verse that mentions Allaah’s Actions, like creating, providing, bringing life and death, and controlling affairs, is describing tawheed ar-ruboobiyyah. This is quite frequent in the Qur’aan. Allaah says:

( Say: ‘Who owns the earth and all that is on it, if you truly have knowledge?’ They will say: ‘Allaah.’ Say: ‘Then won’t you be reminded?’ Say: ‘Who is the Lord of the seven heavens and the Great Throne?’ They will say: ‘Allaah.’ Say: ‘Then won’t you have taqwaa?’ Say: ‘In whose Hands are the treasures of everything, and He protects while there is no protector against Him, if you truly have knowledge?’ They will say: ‘Allaah.’ Say: ‘How then are you deluded from the truth?’ ) (23:84-89)

Allaah also says:

( Say: ‘Who is it that provides for you from the heavens and the earth?’ Or ‘who possesses hearing and sight and brings forth the living from the dead, and the dead from the living? And who is in control of the affairs?’ They will say: ‘Allaah.’ Say: ‘So then won’t you have taqwaa?’ ) (10:31)

Similarly, every verse that mentions the creation of the heavens and the earth or other created things is about tawheed ar-ruboobiyyah.

Every verse mentioning worship, whether it be a command to worship Allaah or a prohibition of shirk, is about tawheed al-uloohiyyah.

Every verse mentioning something about Allaah’s Names or Attributes is about tawheed al-asmaa’ was-sifaat.

All of these categories are found in Allaah’s Book, and this is what led the scholars to say, “Tawheed is three categories: uloohiyyah, ruboobiyyah, and al-asmaa’ was-sifaat.” They did not invent this division on their own, rather it is something directly from Allaah’s Book. I will elaborate on this later, in shaa’ Allaah.