THE MUSLIM'S BELIEF
ChapteIrI I - Angel'sF unctions
ChapteIrV - Beliefi n Allah'sB ooks
- Books known
- The Qur'a-nP rotectedfr om Change
- PreviousS criptureCs hanged.
ChapterV - Beliefi n l\,lessengers
- The First end Last Messengers
- The Best Messengers
- Messengearsr e Humanb eings
- Islam:T he Universaal nd Final Message
- Rightly Guided caliphs
- Prophet'sC ompanions
ChapterV I - Beliefi n the Angels
- Belief in Resurrection
- Beliefi n Recordsa nd Scales
- The Prophet's Intercession
- The Straight Path
Beliefi n Paradisea nd Hell
- Beliefi n What Happensin the Grave
Chapter VII - Belief in Fate and Divine Decree
- Levels of Belief in Fate
- Man's Free Will
- FateN o Excusef or Sinners
- Evil Not Attributabler o Allah
Chapter VIII - Virtues of Belief in Allah
- Virtues of Belief in Angels
- Virtues of Belief in Books
- Virtues of Belief in Messengers
- Virtues of Belief in Day of Judgement
- Virtues of Belief in Fate.
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CHAPTER I
OUR CREED
Our creedi s to believein Allah, His Angels,H is Books,H is Messengerst,
h e Day of Judgertrenat,n d Fatew hetherg ood or bad.
Beliefi n Allah's Lordship,O nenesss,n d Attributes
- Web elievein Allah'sD ivinity,t hati s He is theL ord,t heC reatort,h e
Sovereigna, nd the Managero f all affairs.
- We believein Allah'sC odship;t hati s, He is theT rueG oda nde very
other deity is false.
- We believe in His Names and Attributes, that is He has the mosr
magnificentN amesa nd the sublimep erfectA ttributes.
- We believein His Onenessin all this, that is, He hasn o associatien
His Divinity,H is GodshipH, is Nameso, r His AttributesA. llah says
in the Qur'6n: "He is the Lord of the Heavensa nd the Earth and all
that is in between them, so worship Him and be patient in His
worship,d o you knowa nye qualt o Him." (19:65)
- We believet hat He is "Allah therei s no Cod but He, the Living the
Everlasting. Slumber does not seize Him, neither sleep; to Him
belongsa ll that is in the Heavensa nd the Earth. Who is theret hat
shalli ntercedew ith Him excepbt y His permissionH? e knowsw hati s
before them and what is behind them, and they do not emcompass
anythingo f His knowledgee xceptw hat He wills. His Thronee xtends
over the Heavensa nd the Earth; the preservationo f them doesn ot
burden Him; He is the High, the Great." (2:255)
- We believet hat "He is Allah, therei s no god but He - the Knower
of the Unseena nd the Visible,H e is the Most GraciousM, ost Merciful.
He is Allah, there is no God but He, the King, the Holy One,
the Source of Peace, the Keeper of Faith, the Guardian, the
Almighty, the Subduer, the Sublime. Glory be to Allah above what
they associatew ith Him. He is Allah, the Creator,t he Maker, the
Shaper, His are the most beautiful Names. All that is in the Heavens
and the Earth glorfies Him. He is the Almighty, the Wise."
t59:22-4)
- We believeth at to Him belongsth e kingdomo f the Heavensa nd the
Earth: "He createsw hat He pleasesH. e gives,t o whom He wills,
femalesa, nd He gives,t o whom He wills, males,o.r He couplesth em,
malesa nd femalesa; nd He makesw hom He wills barren.S urely,H c
is the Knowing. the Powerful." (42:49-50).
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We believe that "There is nothing whatever like unto Him, He is thc
All-Hearing, the AII-Seeing. To Him belongs the keys of the Heavens
and the Ear th. He enlargesa nd rest r ictsp rovisionst o whom
He wills. Surely He has knowledge of everything." (42:l l-12).
We believe that "There is no creature that moves in the Earth but its
provision depends on Allah. He knows its dwelling and its resting
place. AII is recorded in a clear Book." (l l:6)
We believe that "With Him are the keys of the Unseen; none knows
them but He. He knows what is in land and sea; not a leaf falls, but
He knows it. Not a grain in the deep darkness of the Earth, not a
thing green or dry but it is in a clear Book." (6:59).
We believe that "Allah alone has the knowledge of the Hour, sends
down rain, and knows what is in the wombs. No soul knows what it
shall earn tomorrow, and no soul knows in what land it shall die.
Surely, Allah is All-knowing, All-aware." (31:34)
We believe that Allah speaks wbatever He pleases whenever [{e
pleases "And Allah spoke to Moses directly." Q:164) "And when
Moses came at Our appointed place, and his Lord spoke to him."
(7:143) "We called to him from the right side of the Mount (Sinai),
and We brought him near in communion." (19-52)
We believet hat "If the oceanb ecamei nk for the words of my Lord,
the ocean would be finished before the words of my Lord came lo
an end." (18:109) "And if all the trees that are in the earth were
pens, and the ocean (were ink), with seven oceans swelling it therefore,
the words of Allah would not be exhausted. Surely, Allah is
Mighty, Wise." (31 :27).
We believe that Allah's words are the most truthfirl in conveying
information, the most just in ruling, and the fairest in conversation.
He said, "The word of your Lord has been fulfilled in truth and
justice." (6:l15) "And who is more truthful in his word than
Allah?" (4:74).
We believe that the Qur'an is Alllh's words. He literally spoke it to
Gabriel who conveyed it to the Prophet, peace be upon him: "Say
(O Muhammad) the Holy Spirit has brought it down from your
Lord in truth." (16:102) "Truly it is the revelation of the Lord of
the worlds brought down upon your heart by the Faithful Spirit sc
that you may be one of the warners, in a clear Arabic tongue."
(26:192-5)
We believet hat Allah is well above his creaturesi n His persona nd
His Attributes, because He says, "He is the High, lhe Great."
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(2:255)" He is Supremeo ver His servantsa, nd He is the Wise.t he
All-aware."(6 :l 8).
- We believeth at He "createdt he Heavenas nd the Earthi n six days,
then He settledH imselfo n the Throne;H e managees verything."
(i0:3) His "settling on the Throne" means that He is sitting in
persono n His Thronei n a wayt hat is becomingto His Majestya nd
greatnessN.o bodyb xcepHt e knowse xactlyh ow He is sitting.
- We believet hat He is with His crearurews hile He is still on His
Throne.H e knowst heir conditionsh, earst heir sayingss, eest heir
deedsa nd managetsh eir affairs.H e providesfo r the poor'andt he
broken.H e givess overeignttyo whom He pleaseasn d takesa way
sovereig,ntfyro m whom He pleasesH; e exaltsw hom He wills and
He abasesw hom He wills. In His hand is all good and He is
powerful over everything.W hoever possessetsh ese qualitites is
literallyw ith His creatureesv eni f He is literallya bover hemo n His
Throne. "There is nothingw hatsoevelrik e unto Him; He is the
All-hearingt,h e All-seeign. " (42:lll
- We do not say as the Incarnationistasm ong the Jahomitesa nd
otherss ay, that is, Allah is living with His creatureso n Earth. We
considerw hoevers ayst his a non-believeor r strayinga wayb ecause
he attributed to Allah that does not become Him of defects.
- We believei n what His Messengetro ld us that He descendtso the
near sky before the last third of every night and says: "Who prays
to Me and I will answerh is prayers?W ho asksf Mea nd I will give
him? Who asksm y forgivenesasn d I will forgiveh im? (Bukhari&
Muslim).
- We believet hat He will comea t the Day of Judgementto judge
amongH is peopleb ecausHe e said," No indeed!w hent he Earthi s
crushedto powder,a nd your Lord comesd own with the angelsin
rows after rows, and Hell is brought our that day. On that day man
will remember, but what will rememberancea vail him?"
(89:21-23)
- We believeth at He is the Doero f what He wills.
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ALLAH'S WILL: UNIVERSAL AND LEGAL
- We believe that His will is of two kinds:
Universal will: through which His intention is carried out. It is not
necessaryth at what is carried out is liked by Him. This type of will means
permission, as Allah said, "Had Allah willed, they would not have fought
one against the other, but Allah does whatever He desires," (2:253) and
"If Allah desirest o lead you astray, He is your Lord." (ll:34).
Legal will: which does not necessarily entail that the execution of His
desire. The will, in this case, cannot be but what He likes, as He said,
"Allah wants to forgive you." (4:21)
- We believe that His universal and legal wills are part of His wisdom.
Every thing He performs in the universe or requires legally from His
creatures is for a good reason and according to His wisdom, whether
we grasp it or it escapes our reasons: "ls not Allah the best of
Judges?" (95-9), "And who is better than Allah in judgement for
a people who have firm faith." (5:50)
- We believe that Allah loves His select servants and they love Him:
"Say if you love Allah, follow me and Allah will love you," (3:31)
"Allah will bring a people whom He will love and who will love
Him", (5:45) "Allah loves the steadfast," (3:146) "And act justly,
surely, Allah loves the just," (49:9) and "Do good; Allah loves
those who do good." (5:93)
- We believe that Allah likes what He prescribed of good deeds and
sayings and He dislikes what He prohibited of bad deeds and
sayings:" If you disbelieve,s urelyA llah does not need you, yet He
does not like disbelief for His servants; if you are thankful, this
pleasesH im," (39:7), "But Allah disliked their marching forth. So
He kept them back, and it was said to them: "Stay with the weaklings."
(9:aQ.
- We believe that Allah is pleased with those who believe in Him and
do good deeds: "Allah is well pleased with them and they are well
pleased with Him. That is for him who fears his Lord." (98:8)
- We believe that Allah is angry with those who deserve His anger
among the non-believersa nd others; "And those who think evil
thoughts of Allah, against them shall be the evil turn of fortune.
Allah is angry with them." (48:6) "But whoever opens his heart to
disbelief, on them is Allah's wrath and they shall have a severe
p "rnishment". (16:1 06).
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MORE OF ALLAH'S ATTRIBUTES
- We believe that Allah has a glorious and dignified face: "There will
reinain the face of your Lord, majestic and splendid." (55:27)
- We believe that Allah has two generous hands: "No, both His
hands are wide open; He spends how He pleases," (5:64) "They do
not esteem Allah with the esteem that is due to Him. The whole
Earth will be His handful on the Day of Resurrection, and the
Heavens will be rolled up in His right hand. Glory be to Him and
exaltedi s He abovet hat which they associatew ith Him." (39-67)
- We believe that Allah possessetsw o real eyes, becauseH e said,
"And build the ark under Our eyes as We reveal." (ll:37) The
Prophet, peace be upon him, said, "His veil is light. Had He
removed it, the sublimity of His countenancew ould have burnt all
that His sight reached." (Muslim & Ibn Mijah) The Sunnites unanimously
have agreed that His eyes are two. This is supported by
the Prophet's saying about rhe Dajjdl (the anri-Christ) that "he is
one-eyed and your Lord is not one-eyed." (Bukhiri & Muslim)
- We believet hat "Eyes cannot perceiveH im, but He perceivest he
eyes,H e is the Incomprehensibl teh,e Al l -aware. " (6:103)
- We believe that the believers will see their Lord on the Day of
Resurrection: "Upon that day some faces shall be radiant, gazing
upon their Lord." (15:22-3)
- We believe that Allah has no equal because His Attributes are perfect
: "There is nothing whatsoevelri ke unto Him. He is the Al l -
Hearing, the All-Seeing." (42:ll)
- We believe that "No slumber or sleep seizes Him," (2:255) because
His life is perfect and eternal.
- We believe that He does not do injustice to anybody because His
fairness is perfect.
- We believet hat He is not unawareo f His servants'd eedsb ecauseo f
His perfects upervisiona nd comprehensivek nowledge.
- We believe that He is capable of doing anything in the Heavens or
in the Earth becauseo f His perfect knor.rledgea nd power: "lndeed
His command, when He desiresa thing, is only to say to it 'Be' and
it is." (36:82)
- We believe that He is free from weariness and weakness because of
His super-power: "Surely, We created the Heavens and the Earth
and all that is betweent hem in six days, and no wearinesst ouched
Us." (50:38).
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DESCRIBING ALLAH
We believein all that
describedH im with.
concepts:
l) To say or believe
His creatures:
BY HIS REVELATIOI\
He assignedto Himsel l 'orw hat His Messeng: r
of names and attributes; but we reject two
that Allah's Attributes are similar to those of
2) To say or believe that Allah's Attributes are like such and such.
We negate all what He negated about Himself or what His Messenger
negated about Him. We believe that negation implies the affirmation
of a perfect opposite. We do not discuss what He or His Messenger
did not mention about Him.
We believe that following this apprach is a must because what Allah
affirmed or negated concerning Himself is a statement He made
about Himself. He knows Himself best, His words are most just and
trustful and people cannot know everything about Him. What
Aliah's Messengera ffirmed or negateda bout Him is a statementh e
made about Allah. Besides knowing Allah bettcr than anyone, he is
the most truthful, sincere and eloquent among people. Thus, in what
Allah said and what His prophet said concerning His Names and
Attributes is truth, knowledge, and clarification. Therefore, we have
no execuse to reject or even hesitate in accepting it.
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PART II
THE QUR(AN ANI) SUNNAH: SOURCES OF HIS ATTRIBUTES
All that we mentioned about Allah's Altributes whether briefly or in
detail,a ffirmalively or negatively,is basedo n the Book of our Lord and
the traditions of our Prophet. lt also agrees with the practice of the previous
generationso f Muslims and the rightly guideds cholarsw ho gnms
after them.
We believe it is obligator;- to take the texts of the Qur'an and the
Prophetict raditionsc oncerningA llah's Attributesa t their facev aluea nd
interpret them in a way that is suitable to Almighty Allah. We reject the
practiceo f thosew ho twistedt he meaningso f theset extsa nd understood
them in a way.l hat wasn ot intendedb y Al lah and His messenger .
We also reject the practice of those who made them devoid of their
meaningsa s conveyedb y Allah and His MessengerW. e finally rejectt he
approacho f the exaggerationistwsh o gavet hem a pnysicali nterpretation
that makes Allah similar to some of His creatures.
THU QUR'AN AND SUNNAII: SOURCUS OI HtS ATTRIBUTES
We knorvf or suret hat what is revealedin Al lah's Book and in the
t radi t ionso f His Messengeirs the t ruth. l t doesn ot containa ny cont radiction:
"Do they not ponder over the Qur'dn? If it had been from other
than Allah, surely they would have fotrnd in it a lot of differences."
(4:82)
Cont radict ionsin statementfsa lsi fyl hem, and this is impossiblein
thoses tatemer r trse vealedf r om Al lah and saidb y l { is Messengerp,e ace
be uponh im. \ \ / l roo'erc laimst hat therea rcc ont radicl ionisn theQ ur 'an,
tht ' l ' ronhet i ct r adi t ionso r betueenth et r r 'om us th aveu i c k cdi ntent ion
and a misguidedh ear t .S o he shouldr epenta nd qui t his si t r .l l 'sonreone
inraginetsh att hc r ca r c \ ornec ot t t r i tdi c t i t titlrrst heQ ur 'an,t l res ay ingos f
the Prophcto r bclweenlh esel rv<,trh, ism ustb e a resul to f his l i t t lek nowledge,
i nadequateu nderstandinogr lack ol deept hinking.T herefore,h e
shoulds eekk norvledgaen d do hisb est ' inr ef lect ionu nt i l thet ruth is clear
to him. lf after all these efforts, the truth is not clear to him, he should
leavet he wholem at terl o the One who knowsi t and shouldq ui t his imaginat
iona nd saya st hosef i rmly rootedi n knowledges ay:" We bel ievein
i t . al l i s f rom or r rI ord " ( l :7) He mus lk nor rt hatt herea ren ei thecr ont
radict ionsn or di f ferenceisn theO ur 'an,t heS unnaho r betueent het wo.
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CHAPTER III
BELIEF IN ANGELS
- We believei n the existenceo f the angelso f Allah and that they are
,,honoureds ervantsT. hey do not speakb eforeH e does,a nd theya ct
only by His command." (2l.26l Allah createdt hem and they worshippeda
nd obeyedH im. Thosew ho are at His presenced o not disdain
to worship Him, nor do they weary." (21:19)
- Angclsa re concealedfr om us, we cannots eet hem' Allah may show
them to someo f His servantsT. he ProphetM uhammads awc abriel
in his reat shape with six hundred wings that covered the horizons
(Bukhlri & Muslim). Gabrielt ook the form of a handsomeh uman
beingw ho met Mary and exchangecdo nversationw ith her. He came
to the Prophet while he was amongh is companionsin the appearance
of an unknown man who did not show any trace of long travel,
with very white clothes and very black hair. He sat facing the Prophet:
his knees to the Prophet's knees, peace be upon him, and his
-pPartomphseotn t h ePr o p h e t ' s t h i g h s a n d t a l k e dwi t h t h ePr o p h e t .Th e
lat€rt old his companionsth at the mant heys aww asG abriel
(Brrkhiri & Muslim).
ANGEL'S FUNCTIONS
- We believetb at the angelsa rea ssignedce rtainf unctions.A mongt he
angelsis Gabrielw ho is entrustecwti th revelationH. e bringsi t down
rrom nttatr to whomever He wishes among His Prophets and Messengers.
Among them is Michael who is in charge of rain and plantation.
Among them also is tsraftLwho is in charge of blowing the Horn at the
time oi Thunderbolringa nd ftesurreclionA, mong them is the Angel of
death,w ho takesa r"af people'ss oulsa t the time of death'A mongt he
angelii s theo new ho is in chargeo f mountaina; ndM alik, thek eepeor f
Hell.
Someangelsareinchargeofembryosinwombs,othersareresponsiblef
or protectingt he humanb eingsa nd othera ngelsa reb usyi n recording
men's deeds: two angels for every person, "when the two angels
,"..iu. (hisd eeds)o, nes ittingo n the right ando neo n thel eft, not a word
hf utterib ut by him is an observerre ady."( 50:18S) omeo thera ngelsa re
in chargeo f questioningth e deeda fter he is put in his last abode.T wo
angelsc omet o him and ask him abouth is Lord, his Religiona, nd his
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Prophet.T here" Allah confirmst hosew ho believew ith the firm say,i n
the presentl ife and the Hereafter,a nd Allah leadsa strayt he evildoers
and Allah does what He wills." (14:27)
Someo f the angelsa re in chargeo f the dwellerso f Paradise": The
angelse ntert o them from everyg ate,s aying'peaceb e upon you for that
you werep atient.H ow excellenits your final home." (13:24)
The Prophet, peace be upon him, told us that seventy thousand
angelse ntero r pray in the PopulousH ousei n Heavene veryd ay. They
neverc omeb ackt o it asl ong ast heyl ive." (becausteh eir turn will never
come) (Bukhiri & Muslim).
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CHAPTER IV
BELIEF IN ALLAH'S BOOKS
- We believe that Allah revealed Books to His Messengcrs as pr'oof
against nankind and a guidance for the righteous workers. They
purified nd taught them wisdom by these Books.
- We be e that Allah sent down a Book with every Messenger
becaur He says "lndeed We sent down our Messengersw ith the
clear signs, and We sent down with them the Book and the
Ilalance so that people may uphold justice." (57:25)
BOOKS XNOWN
Among these Books we know the following:
I The Torrh which was revealedt o Moses,p eaceb e upon him. lt is the
grealcst among the lsraelites' books. "Surely, \f,'e sclrt down the
Torah, whercin is guidance and light; by its laws tltc Jcrrs have beerr
judged by the Prophets who surrenderedt hemselveslo Allah, the
rabbis and the doctors of law becau:;elh ey were entrustedt he protection
of Allah's book and were witnessesth ereto." (5:44)
2. The Gospelr vhichA llah revealedt o Jesus,p eaceb e uporrh im. lt is a
confirrnation of the T0rah and a complement to it. "And we gave
him the Gospel, *'herein is guidance and light and confirming the
Torah before it, as a guidance and an admonition to th,
godfearing." (5:46) "And to make lawful to you certairr things that,
trefore, were forbidden to you." (3:50)
3. The Psalms which Allah gave to David, peace be upon ltitlr.
4. Tablels of Abraham lnd Moses, peace be upon them.
5. The Glorious Qur'an which was revealed to l{is Prophet
Itlulrammad, the Seal of the Prophets. ll is "a guidance to the
pcoplc and clear signs of guidancea nd criterion bet\\'cct.rli ght and
u rong." (2: I85)
TI{E QIJR'AN lS PROTECTED ['ROM CHANGII
Ihe Qur'an is "confirming the scripture that was bcfore it and
stands as a guardian over it." Thus, by the Qur'an Allah ablogated all the
pt cvi6n5B ooks. Allah hasa lsog uaranteedit s protectionl rotn any play or
nriscnievouds istortion. "lndeed, We sentd orvnt he messagca nd We will
gt rardi t . " (15:9)T hat is becauseth e Qur 'an is a proof againstm ankind
till the f)ay of Judgement.
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PREVIOUS SCRIPTURES CHANGEI.)
The previous scripturrs were meant for a limited period that ended
with the revelation of what abrogated thcm and exposed what had takcn
place in them of distortion and change. That is why they were not protected
from corruption. They underwent distortion, addition and omission.
"Some of the Jews pervert words from their meanings." (4:46) "So
woe to those who write the Book with their hands, and then say, 'This is
from Allah,' that they may sel. it for a little price. So woe to them for
what their hands have written, and woe to them for their earnings."
(2:79) "Say, who sent down the Book that Moses brought as a light and a
guidancet o people?Y ou put it into sheetso f papers howings omeo f thent
and concealing much." (6:91) "And there is a group among them who
twist their tongues with the Book, that you may think it is a part of the
Book, but it is not part of the Book. And they say
'lt
is from Atlah,' yet it
is not from Allah, and they tell a lie against Allah and they know it. lt is
not for any human being to whom Allah has given the Book, the Wisdom
and the Prophethood to say to men "Worship me intead of Allah,"
(3:J8-70) "People of the Book! Our Messenger has come to you,
making clear to you many things you have beenc oncealingo f the Book
and forgive you much. A light has come to you from Allah and a glorious
Book, with u'hich He will guide whoeverf ollows His pleasurei n the way
of peace,a nd bringst hem forth from darknessin to the light by His will."
(5: I 5- l 6 )
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CHAPTER V
BELIEF IN MESSENGERS
- We believet hat Allah has sent to His people messengerws ho were
"bringing good tidings and warning, so that mankind might have
no argument against Allah after the messengers. Allah is Allmighty,
All-wise." (4: 165)
THE FIRST AND LAST MESSENGERS
- We believet hat the first among the Messengersis Noah and the
last is Muhammad, peace be upon them all. "We revealed to you
as We revealed to Noah and the Prophets after hiin." (a:163)
"Muhammad is not the father of any of your men, but the Messenger
of Allah and the Seal of the Prophets." (33:40)
THE BEST MESSENGERS
- We believe that the best among the messengersis Muhammad,
then Abraham, then Moses, then Noah and then Jesus, son of
Mary. It is they who are meant by the following Qur'inic verse:
"And when We took compact from the Prophets, and from you,
and from Noah. and Abraham, Moses, and Jesus, son of Mary.
We took from them a solemn compact." (33:7)
- We believe that Muhammad's message, peace be upon him,
includes all the merits of the messageso f those dignified messengers
because Allah says, "He ordained for you that He enjoined
on Noah and what He revealed to you and what He enjoined on
Abraham Moses and Jesus,n amely, establishedt his faith and be
united in it." (42:13)
MESSENGERS ARE HUMAN BEINGS
- We believe that all messenSers are created human beings who
have none of the divine qualities of Allah. Allah, the Exalted.
said about Noah. who was the first among them, "l do not say to
you, ' l possessth e t reasureso f Al lah, ' I do not know the unseen,
and I do not say: 'l am an angel'." (ll:31) Allah directed
Muhammad who is the last among them to say: "I do not say to
you I possess the treasures of Allah, nor do I know the unseen,
and I do not say to you 'l am an angel." (6:50) And to say: "l
have no power to bring profit or hurt for myself, but as Allah
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wills." (7:188) And also to say: "1 have no power to hurt or
benefit you. Say none can protect me from Allah, nor can I find
any refuge besides Him." (72:21-2)
- we believe that the messengersa re among Allah's servants. He
blessedt hem with the messagea nd describedt hem as servants,i n
the context of praising and honouring them. So, He says about
Noah, the first among them: .,you.,a re the descendantso f those
whom We carried with Noah, he was a truly thankful servant."
( l 7 : 3 )
Allah said about the last among them, Muhammad, peace be upon
him: "Blessed be He who sent down the eur'dn to His servant, that he
may warn mankind." (25: I ) He saida bout someo ther messengers, ,:A nd
mention our servants Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob men of might and
vision." (38:45) "And remember our servants David who was a mighty
and peni tentm an. " (38:l 7) "And to David,w e gaveS oloman,h e wasa n
excellent and penitent servant." (38:30)
Allah saida bout Jesus,s on of Mary: ,,He is only a servantw hom We
blesseda nd we made him an examplet o the childreno f Isreal." (63:59)
- we believet hat Allah concludeda ll messagesw ith the message of
Muhammad, peaceb e upon him, to all peopleb ecauseA llah said:
"Say, 'O mankind, I am Al lah's messengetro you al l . To Him
belongs the Kingdom of the Heavens and the Earth; There is no
god but He. He ordains life and death. So believe in Allah and
His messengert,h e unletteredp rophet who believesi n Allah and
His words. Follow him so that you may be rightly guided."
(7: I 58)
ISLAM: THE UNIVERSAL AND FINAL MESSAGE
- we believe that rhe Sharijah of the prophet Muhammad, peace
be upon him, is the religion of Isram which Ailah has chosen for
His servants and does not accept from anyone other rerigion,
becauseA l lah, the Exal ted, said, , ,Surely, rhe t rue rel igio-nin
Allah's sight is Islam," (3:19) and.He also said, ..Today I have
perfected your religion for you and I have completed my favour
upon you, and I have chosen lslam to be your religion.,,(5:3)
And "whoever desires a religion other than Isram, it wilr never be
accepted from Him, and in rhe Hereafrer he will be among the
losers." (3:85)
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- lt is our opinion that whoeverc laimst he acceptabilityo f any
existingr eligiont oday - other than lslam - sucha s Judaisnt,
Christianitya nd so forth, is a non-believelr{.e shouldb e askedt o
repent,i f he doesn ot, he must be killed as an apostateb ecauseh e
is rejectingt he Qur'an.
It is alsoo ur opiniont hat whoevere jectsth e universaml essagoef
Nluhamntadp, eaceb e upon him, is rejedtingt he messagoef all messengers,
e veni f he claimst hat he believesa nd followsh is messeng.e A llah,
the Exalted,s aid: "Noah's peopler ejectedt he messengers(."2 6:105)
Thus, Allah consideredth emr ejectinga ll the messengedrse spitet he fact
that therew asn o messengebre foreN oah.T his is alsoc learf rom the following
verses:
"Those who disbelievein Allah and His messengersa,n d wish to
makcd ivisionb etweenA llah and His messengerasn, ds ay:' We believein
somea nd disbelievein others,'w ishingt o take a midwayc ourse.T hose
indeeda re the unbelieversa, nd We have.preparefdo r the unbelieveras
humiliatingp unishment."(4 :1 50-l)
- We believet hat therei s no propheta fter Muhammad,A llah's Messenger,
peace be upon him. Whoever claims prophethood after
him, or believeisn anyonec laimingi t, is a disbelievebre caushee is
rejectingA llah, [Iis messengear,n d the Muslims'c onsensus'
TIIE RICHTLY GUIDED CALIPHS
- We believe that the Prophet, peace be upon him, had rightlyguideds
uccessorwsh o carriedo ut his Sunnrh in spreadingk nowledge,
calling to Islam and managing the Muslims' affairs. We
believe that the best among them and the most entitled to Caliphate
was Abii Bakr as-Siddiq, then 'Umar lbn al-Khattab, then
'Urhman lbn 'Affan, then 'Ali lbn Abi TAlib, may Allah be
pleasedw ith them all. Thus their successiotno the Caliphatew as
accordingt o their virtues. Allah, the Exalted,w ho possessetsh e
infinite wisdom, would not appoint a ruler over the best of generatiorrs
unless he was the most superior among them and had the
best clairn to Cdiphate.
- We believe that the inferior among those rightly guided companions
can be superior in a specific virtue to those who are better
than him, but he doesn ot deservea bsolutes uperiorityb ecauseth e
Slementcso nstitutings uperioritya rev arieda nd numerous.
- We believeth at the MuslimU mmahi s the besta mongn ationsa, nd
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Allah, the Dignified and Exalted, has blessed it because He said,
"You are the best nation ever brought forth for mankind, enjoining
what is r ight and forbiddingw hat is wrong, and bel ievingi n
Allah." (3: I l 0 )
IHE PROPHET'S COMPANIONS
- - We bel ievet hat the besta mong the Musl im Ummah are the Pro.
phet's Companions, then their followers, and those who followed
them.
- We also believe that a group of this Ummah will always remain
victorious on the right path, unharmed by those rvho let them
down or those who oppose them, until the Day of Judgement.
- We believe that the disputes that took place among the Prophet's
Companionsw ere the result of sincere interpretationst hey rvorked
hard to reach. Whoever was right among them would be rervarded
twice, and whoever was wrong among them would be rervarded
once and his mistake would be forgiven.
- lt is our opinion that we should stop talking about thcir nristakes
and mention what they deserve of beautiful praise. \\re should
purify our hearts from hatred and malice against any of them,
because Allah said about them, "They are nol equal: those among
you who spent and who fought before the conquest of N,lakkah.
Those are higher in rank than those who spent and fought afterwards.
B ut to al l Al lah has promiseda Ereatr eward. " (57;10)A nd
Allah said about us, "And those who came after them say: our
Lord, forgive us and our brothersw ho precededu s in faith, and do
not put in our hearts any malice against those who have believed.
Our Lord, You are the most Kind, most Merciful." (59:10)
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CHAPTER VI
BELIEF IN THE DAY OF JUDGEMENT
- We believein the Final Day, which is the Day of Judgementw, hen
peoplew ill be resurrecteda live to remain in the abodeo f enjoyment
or in the abodeo f severep unishment.
BELIEF IN RESURRECTION
- We believei n Resurrectionw hich is Allah's bringingt o life all the
dead when Israfil blows the Horn for the second time, "And the
Trumpet shall be blown and all who are in the Heavensa nd who
are in the Earth shall fall down fainting except those that Allah
shall spare. Then, it shall be blown again and they shall rise gazing
around them." (39:68) People will stand up from their graves,
answeringth e call of the Lord of the Universe.T hey are going to
be bare-footed,n aked, and uncircumcised",A s We started the
first creation, so We shall bring it back again. This is a promise
from Us, so We shalla ssuredlfyu lfil it." (21:104)
BELIEF IN RECORDS & SCALES
- We believei n the recordso f deedst hat will be given to peoplei n
their right hands or behind their backs, in the left hands: "As for
him who is given his book in his right hand, he shall surely receive
an easy reckoning and he will return to his family rejoicing. But as
for him who is given his book behind his back, he shall call for
destruction on himself and will burn in a Blazing Fire."
(84:.7-12) "Everyman'sw ork We have fastenedo n his own neck,
and on the Day of JudgemenWt e shall bring out for him a book
which he will see spread open, saying, fRead your own bookf
Enough for you this day that your own soul should call you to
account."( 17l:3 -14)
- We believet hat scaleso f deedsw ill be set up on the Day of Judgement
and no soul shall be wronged. "Whoever has done an
atom's weight of good shall see it." (9:70E) "Those whose scales
arl heavy.t heya ie the successfubl;u t thosew hoses calesa rel ight,
they are the ones who have I'st their souls in Hell dwelling
forever. The Fire will burn their faces, and there they will be
gloomy with lips displaced." (23:102-al "He that does a good
deed shall be rewarded ten times the like of it, and he that does
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evil shall only be rewardedth e like of it, and they shall not be
wronged."( 6:160)
THE PROPI{ET'S INTERCESSION
- We believe in the special great .Intercessiono f the prophet
Muhammad, peace be upon him. He will plead with Allah, after
His permissiona nd on behalfo f mankind,t o judge amongH is
servants when they suffer from worries and troubles which they
cannot bear. They will go to Adam, then Noah, then Abraham,
then to Moses, then to Jesus and finally to Prophet Muhammad,
peaceb e uponh im.
- We believei n the intercessiown hich concenrss omeb elieversw ho
were to be taken out from the Fire. This mediation is granted to
the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, and to others
amongt he Prophetst,h e believersa,n d the angels.
- We believea lso that Allah will savef rom Hell somep eoplea mong
the believersw ithout the intercessioonf any one, but by His grace
and mercy,
TI{E PROPHET'S POOL
- We believe in the Pool of the Prophet, peace be upon him, the
water of which is whiter than milk and sweetert han honey and
betteri n fragrancet han musk. Each of its lengtha nd width is the
distanceo f a month-travel.I ts glassesa re as starsi n beautya nd
number. The believers among the Prophet's followers come to
take from this great cistern a drink after which they will never be
thirsty.
THE STRAIGHT PATH
- We believe in the Straight Path isiret) set uD over Hell. people
pass over it according to their deeds: the first of them as fast as
lighting, then as fast as wind, then as fast as birds, and then as
running men. The Prophet will be standing on the Path, saying,
"Lord, Save!S ave!" Somep eople'sd eedsw ill fall short. Someo f
them will come crawling. At both sides of the Path there are
hooks that are designedto take whom Allah wills: somea re saved
but bruised; others are thrown into Hell. (Bukhiri & Muslim).
- We believein all that is mentionedin the Qur'in or the Prophetic
sayings concerning that day and its horrors, may Allah save us
from them.
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- We believei n the intercession(s hef6'sh)o f ProphetM uhammad,
peace be upon him, for the people of Paradise to enter therein.
This intercession is exclusively limited to the Prophet
Muhammad, peace be upon him.
BELIEF IN PARADISE & HELL
- We believein Paradisea nd Hell. Paradiseis the abodeo f enjoyment
which Allah, the Exalted, prepared for the righteous. The blessing
they enjoy there, no eye has ever seen, no ear has ever heard of, and
no human bcing has ever thought of: "No soul knows what comfort
is kept hiddenf or them,a sa rewardf or their deeds."( 32:17)H ell is
the abodeo f punishmenwt hich Allah hasp reparedf or the unbelieversa
nd the evildoers.T he torture and horror in it clnnot be imagined.
"Surely, We have prepared for the evildoers a fire, whose
pavilione ncompassethse m. If they call for help,t hey will be helped
with water like molten copper which will scald their faces. How
dreadfula drink and how evil a resting-place!("1 8:29)
- Both Paradisea nd Hell are existingn ow and they will neverp erish.
"Whoever believesin Allah and doesr ighteousnessH,e will admit
him to Gardensb eneathw hichr iversf low, to dwell thereinf or ever.
Allah had indeed m.ade for him an excellent provision." (65:ll)
"Certainly, Allah hasc ursedt he unbelieverasn d preparedf or them
a blazing Fire to dwell therein forever, they shall find neither protector
nor helper. On the day when their faces are turned about in
the Fire, they shall say "Would that we had obeyed Al\ah and
obcyedt he Messenger!"(3 3:64-6)
- We confirm Paradiseto whom it is confirmedi n the Qur'6n or the
Prophetic traditions either by name or desciption. Among those
who are grantedP aradisea nd mentionedb y namesa re Ab0 Bakr,
'Umar, 'Uthmiln, 'Ali and othersw ho were specifiedb y the Prophet,
peace be upon him (Bukh?lri and Muslim). Among those
whom we confirm to enterP aradiseb ecauseth ey fit the description
are the faithful and the pious.
- We likewisec onfirm Hell to whom it is confirmedi n the Qur'an and
the sayingso f the Prophet,w hetheri n nameo r descriptionA. mong
those who are meirtioned by names to be in Hell are Ab'il Lahab,
'Amr lbn Luhai Al-Khuza'i and others (Bukhfri & MuSlim). Confirmation
of Hell which is ba3ed on description includes every
unbcliever, polytheist or hypocrite.
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BELIT,FIN \+'HATH APPENSI N THE GRAVE
- we believein the Triaro f theG rave,w hichi s the questioninogf the
dead person in his grave about his Lord, his relijion and iis prophet.
T here" Allah confirmst hosew ho believew ith tne firm say, in
the presentr ife and the Hereafter."( 14:27)T he believerw ilr say:
"Allah is my Lord,_.lslamis my religion,a nd Muhammadi s my
Prophet."T he unbelieveorr the hypocritew ill say,. ,I don,t know,
I heardt he peoples ayings omethinagn d I saidi t.,, - we believei n the comfort of the grave for the berievers,., Those
whosel ivest he angelsta ke in stateo f purity, saying, peaceb e you; on enterP aradisefo r whaty ou wered oing'.,,( t6:31)
- we believe in the punishment of the grave for the transgressing
unbelievers":r f you courdo nry seew hen the evirdoersa re-in rhe
agonies of death and the angers are stretching out their hands,
saying,' Give up your souls!T oday you shall be rewardedw ith the punishmento f humiriationf or what you usedt o say untrury about
Allah, and for scornfullyr ejectingH is signs.,(, 6:93iThes ayingso f
the Propheta re numerousa nd welr-knowni n this area. e vusri.
must believein ail that is reportedi n the eur'6n and prophetict raditions
concerningt he unseenm atters.H e shourdn ot contradicti t
by his worldly experienceb ecauset he affairs of the Hereafter
cannot be measuredb y the affairs of this life. The differenceb et- ween them is very great. Allah is the source of help.
BEI,TEFIN FATN AND DIVINE DECREE
- we believein Fate,w hetherg ood or bad, whichA lrah has measured
and ordainedf or all creaturesa ccordingt o His previousk nowredge
and asd eemeds uitableb v His wisdom.
LEVELS OF BELIEF IN FATE
- Belief in Fate has four levels:
The first level is knowledge: We believe that Allah, may He be
exalted,k nows everything.H e knew what had happeneda nd what
will happena nd how it will happen.H is knowledgeis eternal.H e
does not acquire a new knowledge nor does he forget what He
Knows.
The secondl evel is Recording:w e believet hat Altah has recorded
in the Secured Tablet (el-Lrwlr el-Mahfodh) whatever is going ro
happenu ntil the Day of Judgement". Did you not know that Allah
knows all that is in Heaven and Earth? Surery that is in a Book.
Surely that for AIIah is an easy matter." e2.n\
- z t -
The third level is Will: We believe that Allah has willed everything
in the Heaven and Earth. Nothing happens except by His will; whatever
He wills, will take place; and whatever He does not wish, will
not take place.
The fourth level is Creation: We believe that "Allah is the Creator
of all things; He is the Guardian over all things, and to Him belong
the keys of the Heavens and the Earth." (39:62-3)
The fourth level include whatever Allah Himself does and whatever
His creatures do. So, all that people perform of sayings, deeds, or
omissions are known to Allah and He has recorded them, willed
them and created them, "To those among you who will to be
upright. But you shall not will except as Allah wills, the Lord of the
Worlds." (81:28-9) "And has Allah willed they would not have
fought one against the other; but Allah does whatever He desires."
(2:253) "Had Allah willed, they would not have done so, but leave
them alone and their false inventions." (6:137) "And Allah created
you and what you do." (37:96)
MEN'S FREEWILL
- We believe, however, that Allah has granted man a power and a
freewill by which he performs his action. That man's deeds are by
his power and freewill can be proven by the following points:
Firstly, Allah's saying, "So approach your fields (wives) when and
how you will." (2:223) "Had they desired to go forth, they would
have made some preparation for it." (9:46) In these'versesA llah
affirmed for man "a going forth" by his will and "a preparation"
by his desire.
Secondly, directing man to do or not to do. If man has no freewill
and power, these directions mean that Allah is asking man to do
that which he cannot. This proposition is rejected by Allah's
wisdom, His mercy and His truthful statement in the verse "Allah
does not charge a soul beyond its capacity." (2:286)
Thirdly, Praising the virtuous for his deeds and blaming the evildoer
for his actions and rewarding each of them with what he
deservesI.f the action is not done by the individual's freewill, then
praising the virtuous is a joke and punishing the evildoer is an
injustice, and Allah is, of course, free from joking and being
unjust.
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Fourthly, Allah has sent messengers who are "bearing good
tidings, and warning, so that mankind might have no argument
against Allah after the messengers." (40:165) If the individual's
action is not performed by his freewill, his argument is not invalidated
by the sen{ing of messengers.
Fifthly, every doer of actions feels that he does or does not do a
thing without any coercion. He stands up and sits; comes in and
goes out; travels and stays by his own freewill without feeling anybody
forcing him to do any of these actions. In fact, he clearly distinguishes
between doing something of his own freewill and
someone else forcing him to do that action. The Islamic law also
wisely distinguishes between these states of affairs. It does not
punish a wrong-doer for an action done under compulsion.
NO EXCUSE IN FATE TOR SINNI,RS
- We believe that the sinner has no excuse in Allah's Divine Decree
begause he commits his sin by his freewill, without knowing that
Allah has decreedi t on him. That is. becausen o one knows Allah's
decree before it takes place: "No soul knows what it will earn
tomorrow." (31:34) How can it be possible, then, to present an
excuse that is not known to the person who is advancing it when he
commits his offence? Altah invalidated this type of argument in
His saying: "The idolaters will say 'Had Allah willed, we would
not have been idolaters, neither our fathers, nor would we have
forbidden anything.'So did the people before rhem cry lies until
they tasted our might. Say: 'Have you any proofs that you can
show us? You follow nothing but assumption, and you are lying."
(6:148) We say to the sinner who is using Divine Decree as an
excuse: 'Why did not you perform deeds of obedience assuming
that Allah has decreed them upon you since there is no difference
between them and sins in being unknown before they happened
from you? That is why when Prophet Muhammad told his companions
that everyone's position in Paradise or Hell has been assigned,
they said: "Should not we rely on this and stop working?"
He said: "No, work and every one will be directed to what he is
created for," (Bukhdri & Muslim)
We may say to the sinner who is trying to find excuse in Divine
Decree: "Suppose, you want to travel to Makkah. There are two roads
that may take you there. You are told by a truthful person that one of
these roads is dangerous and difficult, the other is easy and safe. You will
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take the second one. You will not take the first road and say it is decreed
upon me. If you did, people would consider you crazy.
We may also say to him: "lf you are offered two jobs, one of them is
higher in salary. You will certainly take the one with the higher salary.
How come do you choosd what is lower in rhe Hereafter and use Divine
Decree as an excuse?"
We may further say to him: "We see you when you are inflicted with
a disease,y ou knock every phy'sician'sd oor looking for treatmenta nd
bearing whatever pain that may result from surgical operations and the
bi t ternesos f medicine.W hy do not you do the samew hen your hear ti s
spiritually sick with sins?"
EVII, NOT ATTRIBUT},D T0 ALI,AH
- We bel ieveth at evi l shouldn ot be at t r ibutedt o Al lah becauseo f His
perfect mercy and wisdom. The Prophet said: "And cvil is not
attributable to You." (Muslim) Thus, Allah's decree by itself has
no evil whatsoever because it is coming from mercy and wisdom.
Evi l may, however ,r esul t l rom some of His decrccs,b ecauseth e
Prophct said in the supplicillion for gunIl which hc taught to
al-Hasan: "And protect us from the evil of what You decreed"
(Tirmithi & Others) Here, thc Proplrct attributed o'il to what Hc
decreed.D espi tet his, evi l in His decreeis not pure evi l . l t is rather
evil in one respect,g ood in anothcr or it is cvil in onc case,a nd good
in another. Thus, corruption in the land resulting from drought,
disease, poverty and fear is evil, but it is good in another rcspccl.
Al lah, the Exal teds aid: "Cor rupt ion hasa ppearcdo n thc land and
sea for what men's hands have earned. Allah has ordained this for
men, so that they may taste some o[ what they have done, in ordcr
that they may rurn back ( f rorn evi l ) . " (30:41)C ut t ingo f f the thief 's
hand or stoning the adulterer is an evil thing for the thief and the
adulterer,b ut it is good for them in one respectb ecauseit is a purificatidn
for them so that the punishment of this life and thc
Hereafter are not combined for them. lt is also good in anothe!'
respect. The application of these punishment is a protection ol'
property, honors, and relationships.
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CHAPTER VIII
TRUITS OT'FAITH
f'his rublirnc' bclief which includes those great principles bears
numcrousa nd usefult ypeso f fruits for whoeverb elievesin it.
Virtues of Belief in Allsh:
. Beliefi n Allah,H is Namesa ndH is Attributesin stilsin thei ndividual
Allah's love and His glorification that result in performing Allah's ins'
tructionsa nd avoidingH is proscriptionsw hich aret he meanso f achiev'
ing ultimat,'h appinesisn this life and the Hereafterf or the individuala s
r.r'eall st he society." Whoever,m aleo r female,d oesr ighteousd eed,w hile
believingW, e shalla ssuredlgyr anth im a goodlyl ife, and We shall'reward
thema ccordingto the besto f theirr leeds."( 16:97)
I'irlues of Belief in the Angels:
Firstly.a ppreciatintgh eD ignityo f Allah,H is mighta ndH is sovereignty.
Secondh.u ratitudet owardA llah becauseH e puts someo f the angelr
in chargeo f His servantsrre cordingth eir deedsa nd other thingst hat
benefit them.
'thirdll
. lorc and admirationf or the angelsb ecausoef what they are
doing, namely, *orshipping Allah in the best possible manner and
praying for the believers.
Virtues of Belief in the Books:
I irsttl, appreciatinAgl lah'sm ercya ndc aref or Hisp eoplein thatH e sent
dou'n a Book to every nation for their guidance.
Secondll'.a ppreciatingA llah's Wisdom becauseH e revealedi n these
Bookst o everyn ationw hat suit them.T he gloriousQ ur'6ni s the final
amongt heseB ooksa ndi t is suitableto all peoplea t all tiinesu ntilt heD ay
of Judgement.
Thirdly,s howingg ratitudefo r Allah'sm ercyi n revealingth eseB ooks.
I'irtues of Belief in Messengers:
finitly. apprc'ciatinAgl lah'sm ercya nd caref or His proplef or sending
themt hoseg reatm cssengetros guidet hemt o the straightP ath'
Secondllt,h ankingA llahf or thisg reatf avour.
Thirdly. lovinga nd respectintgh e Prophetsa nd praisingt hemi n what
theyd eservbee causteh eya reA tlah'sm essengearsn d His choicea mong
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His people.T hey worshippedA llah accordingto the besto f their.ability,
conveyedH is messagteo mankind,g aves incerea dviset o thema nd bore
patientlyw hateverh urt they received.
Virtues of Belief in the Day of Judgement:
Fintly, endeavotro obeyA llah to gett her ewardo f that daya nd to avoid
His disobediencfeo r fear of His punishment.
Secondlya, consolationfo r the believefro r whatevehr em isseso f worldly
enjoymentb y what he hopest o gain of blessingsa nd reward of the
Hereafter.
Virlues of Belief in Fate end Divine l)ecree:
Firstly, dependencoen Allah when doing any action becauseb oth the
cause and effect are the result of Allah's decree.
Secondlye, aseo f mind and comfort becausew hent he individualk nows
that everythingis by Allah's decreea nd'that mishapsa re going to take
placea nyway,h is soul will be at easea nd his heartw ill be satisfiedw ith
Allah's decree.N o one hasm ore comforiablel ife, worry-frees oul, and
strongerc onfidenceth an a believerin Fate.
Thlrdly, freedomf rom arrogancew hena goali s achievedb ecausteh is is a
blessingfr om Allah throughw hat He decreedo f the causeso f good and
successT.h e individuals houldt hank Allah for that and freeh imselff rom
arrogance.
}'ourthly, freedom from worry and boredom in case of failure or mishap
becauseth at is by Allah's decreew ho possessetsh e Heavensa nd the
Earth. Since that is going to happen anywa)', the individual should be
patient and hope for the reward from Allah.
Allah poins to the last two virtues by the following verse:
"No misfortunec anh appeno n eartho r in yourselvebsu t is recorded
in a decreeb eforeW e bring it into existencet,h at is reallye asyf or Allah;
that you may not grievef or what escapeyso u, nor rejoicei n what has
comet o you..Allah doesn ot love any vaingloriousb oaster." (57:22-3)
We prayt o Allah,t he Exaltedl,o rewardu sI 'ort hisb eliel't,o realize
for us its fruits, to increaseo ur blessingsto, keepu s on the Right Path to
which He hasg uidedu s, and to bestowo n us a blessingfr om Him, He is
indeed the Giver. Praise and gratitude be to Allah, the Lord of the
Worlds and peacea nd blessingsb e on the Prophet Muhammad, his
family, his Companionsa, nd thosew ho rightly follow them.
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