The Fundamentals of Faith
Bismillāhirraḥmānirraḥīm
Chapter on Knowing Allah Almighty and Belief in Him
1. Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said: “Allah Almighty said: ‘I am the One Who is most free from want of partners. Whoever does a deed and associates others with Me in it, I leave him to his polytheism.’”
[Narrated by Muslim]
2. Abu Mūsa (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: “The Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) stood up amongst us and made five statements:
‘Allah does not sleep, and it is not befitting that He should sleep. He lowers the Scales and raises them. The deeds done during the day are taken up to Him before the deeds done during the night, and the deeds done during the night before the deeds done during the day. His veil is light; if He were to unveil it, the glory of his Face would burn everything of His creation, as far as His sight reaches.’”
[Narrated by Muslim]
3. Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said:
“Allah’s right Hand is full, which is not affected by continuous spending day and night. Do you know what He has spent since He created the heavens and the earth? Yet they did not decrease what is in His right Hand. In His other Hand is the Scale, which He raises and lowers.”
[Narrated by Al-Bukhāri and Muslim]
4. Abu Dharr (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: “The Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) saw two sheep butting each other and said: ‘Do you know why they are butting each other, O Abu Dharr?’ I said: ‘No!’ He said: ‘But Allah knows and He will judge between them.’”
[Narrated by Ahmad]
5. Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: “The Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) recited this verse: {Indeed, Allah commands you to return trusts to their owners...Indeed, Allah is All-Hearing,
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All-Seeing.} [Surat an-Nisā’: 58] as he put his two thumbs upon his ears and the two next fingers upon his eyes.”
[Narrated by Abu Dāwūd, Ibn Hibbān, and Ibn Abi Hātim]
6. Ibn ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him and his father) reported that the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said:
“Keys of the unseen are five and none knows them but Allah: No one knows what will happen tomorrow but Allah; no one knows what is in the womb but Allah; no one knows when it will rain but Allah; no one knows where he will die but Allah; and no one knows when the Hour will be established but Allah Almighty.”
[Narrated by Al-Bukhāri and Muslim]
7. Anas ibn Mālik (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said:
“Allah is more pleased with the repentance of His servant than one of you, were he upon his riding camel in a desert, carrying his provision of food and drink, and he lost it and lost all hope to find it; then, he lay down in the shadow with no hope of retrieving his camel, while he was in that state, he found the camel standing before him; he took hold of its nose-string and then out of excessive joy says: ‘O Lord, You are my servant and I am your Lord.’ He made this mistake out of extreme delight.”
[Narrated by Al-Bukhāri and Muslim]
8. Abu Mūsa (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said:
“Allah extends His Hand during the night so the sinners of the day may repent, and He extends His Hand during the day so the sinners of the night may repent. He keeps doing so until the sun rises from the west.”
[Narrated by Muslim]
9. ‘Umar ibn al-Khattāb (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: “The captives of war from Hawāzin were brought to the Messenger of Allah (may Allah‘s peace and blessings be upon him) and there was a woman among them who was moving quickly and running. Suddenly, this woman saw an infant in the midst of the captives. She took him up close to her bosom, and nursed him. Thereupon, the Prophet (may Allah‘s peace and blessings be upon him) asked: ‘Do you think that this woman would throw her child in the fire?’ We said: ‘No, By Allah, she would not.’ He said: ‘Verily, Allah is more merciful to His servants than this woman to her child.’” [Narrated by Al-Bukhāri and Muslim]
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10. Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said:
“When Allah created the creation, He wrote in a book, which is with Him over the Throne: ‘Verily, My mercy overcomes My anger.’”
[Narrated by Al-Bukhāri]
11. Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said:
“Allah divided mercy into one hundred parts. He retained with Him ninety-nine parts and sent down to earth one part. Because of this one part, creatures show mercy towards each other, so much that an animal lifts its hoof away from its youngster lest it should hurt it.” [Narrated by Al-Bukhāri and Muslim]
12. A similar Hadīth reported by Salmān (may Allah be pleased with him) in part reads:
“Every part of mercy is as extensive as the space between the heaven and the earth... and on the Day of Judgment, He will complete it with this mercy.” [Narrated by Muslim]
13. Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said:
“When a disbeliever does a good deed, he is rewarded for it in this world. As to the believer, Allah Almighty saves his good deeds to reward him in the Hereafter and provides him with sustenance in this life as a reward for his obedience.”
[Narrated by Muslim]
14. Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said:
“Verily, Allah is pleased with one who eats some food and praises Him for it and who drinks some drink and praises Him for it.” [Narrated by Muslim]
15. Abu Dharr (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said:
“The sky has squeaked, and it has every right to do so, for it does not have a space of four fingers where there is no angel prostrating to Allah Almighty. By Allah, if you knew what I know, you would laugh little and weep much; you would not enjoy women in bed; and you would go out to the open plains loudly imploring Allah Almighty.”
[Narrated by At-Tirmidhi, who classified it as Hasan (sound)]
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16. Jundub (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said:
“A man said: ‘By Allah, Allah will not forgive so-and-so.’ Thereupon, Allah Almighty, said: ‘Who is this who swears by Me that I will not forgive so-and-so? Verily, I have forgiven so-and-so and rendered your deeds worthless.’” [Narrated by Muslim]
17. Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said:
“If the believer knew what is with Allah of punishment, no one would hope to enter His Paradise, and if the disbeliever knew what is with Allah of mercy, no one would despair of entering His Paradise.” [Narrated by Muslim]
18. ‘Abdullah ibn Mas‘ūd (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said:
“Paradise is nearer to one of you than his shoelace, and so is Hellfire.” [Narrated by Al-Bukhāri]
19. Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said:
“A prostitute saw a dog moving around a well on a hot day and hanging out its tongue because of thirst. She drew water for it in her shoe, and she was pardoned (for this act of hers).”
20. He also reported: “A woman was admitted into Hellfire because of a cat that she locked. She neither fed it nor let it go and eat from the vermin of the earth.”
Az-Zuhri said: “Thus, no one should entirely rely on Allah’s mercy (without true work) and no one should lose hope in His mercy.”
[Narrated by Al-Bukhāri and Muslim]
21. He also reported that the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said:
“Our Lord wonders at people who will be led to Paradise in chains.”
[Narrated by Ahmad and Al-Bukhāri]
22. Abu Mūsa al-Ash‘ari (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said: “No one is more patient with the abuse he hears than Allah; they falsely attribute a son to Him, yet He grants them safety and sustenance.”
[Narrated by Al-Bukhāri]
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23. Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said:
“If Allah Almighty loves a servant, He calls out to Jibrīl (Gabriel) and says: ‘O Gabriel, verily, Allah loves so-and-so, so love him.’ So, Gabriel loves him and announces to the inhabitants of the heavens: ‘Verily, Allah loves so-and-so, so love him.’ The inhabitants of the heavens, thus, love him and he is granted acceptance on the earth.” [Narrated by Al-Bukhāri]
24. Jarīr ibn ‘Abdullah al-Bajali (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: “As we were sitting with the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him), he looked at the moon when it was full and said:
‘Indeed, you will see your Lord just as you see this moon without any difficulty in seeing Him. So, if you can avoid missing a prayer before sunrise and after sunset, then do so.’ Then, he recited: {And glorify your Lord with praise before sunrise and before sunset.} [Surat Taha: 130]”
[Narrated by Al-Bukhāri, Muslim, Abu Dāwūd, An-Nasā’i, At-Tirmidhi, Ibn Mājah, and Ahmad]
25. Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said:
“Verily Allah said: ‘Whoever shows enmity to a pious worshiper of Mine, I declare war against him. My servant does not draw near to Me with anything dearer to Me than what I have made obligatory upon him. My servant continues to draw near to Me by doing supererogatory deeds until I love him. When I love him, I become his hearing with which he hears, his sight with which he sees, his hand with which he strikes, and his foot with which he walks. Were he to ask Me for something, I would surely give it to him, and were he to seek refuge with Me, I would surely grant him refuge. I do not hesitate to do anything as I hesitate to take the soul of My believing servant, for he hates death, and I hate to hurt him, and it is unavoidable for him.’”
[Narrated by Al-Bukhāri]
26. He also reported that the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said:
“Our Lord, Glorified and Exalted be He, descends every night to the lowest heaven in the last third of the night and says: ‘Who supplicates Me so that I may answer him? Who asks Me so that I may give him? Who asks Me for forgiveness so that I may forgive him?’”
[Narrated by Al-Bukhāri and Muslim]
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27. Abu Mūsa al-Ash‘ari (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said:
“Two gardens, the utensils and the contents of which are of gold; two other gardens, the utensils and the contents of which are of silver. Nothing will prevent people from looking at their Lord except the veil of pride over His Face in the Garden of Eden.”
[Narrated by Al-Bukhāri]
Chapter on the Verse {Until when their hearts are relieved of dread, they will say [to the angels], “What did your Lord just say?” They will say, “The Truth, and He is the Most High, Most Great.”} [Surat Saba’: 23]
28. Ibn ‘Abbās (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: “One of the Prophet’s Companions from the Ansār (Supporters) related to me: ‘As we were sitting one night with the Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him), a meteor shot gave a dazzling light. Thereupon, he said:
“What did you use to say (in the pre-Islamic days) when there was such a shot (of meteor)?”
They said: “We used to say that a great man was born on that night or a great man died.”
He said: “They are not shot at the death or birth of anyone. Rather when our Almighty Lord decrees a matter, He is glorified by the bearers of the Throne. Then, He is glorified by the inhabitants of the heaven who are below them, then those below them, until such glorification reaches the inhabitants of the lowest heaven. Then those below the bearers of the Throne say: ‘What did your Lord say?’ They tell them what He had said. Then the inhabitants of each heaven inquire and the information is conveyed amongst them until the news reaches the inhabitants of the lowest heaven. Meanwhile, the jinn overhear it and convey what they hear to their friends. So, what they convey as it is true, but they distort and add to it.’”
[Narrated by Muslim, At-Tirmidhi, and An-Nasā’i]
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29. An-Nawwās ibn Sam‘ān (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said:
“When Allah Almighty wants to decree a matter, He speaks with revelation, and the heavens start to shake and tremble out of extreme fear of Allah. And when the inhabitants of the heavens hear this, they are shocked and stunned, and they fall down in prostration to Allah. The first one to raise his head is Gabriel (peace be upon him). Then, Allah speaks to him with revelation about whatever He wants. Then, Gabriel passes by the other angels, and every time he passes by one of the heavens, its angels ask him: ‘What did our Lord say, O Gabriel?’ Gabriel responds: ‘He said the truth, and He is the High, the Great.’ Then, all the angels say the same as Gabriel said. Thereafter, Gabriel brings the revelation to wherever Allah ordered him.”
[Narrated by Ibn Jarīr, Ibn Khuzaymah, At-Tabarāni, and Ibn Abu Hātim; this is the wording of Ibn Abi Hātim]
Chapter on the Verse {They did not revere Allah His true reverence. On the Day of Resurrection, the whole earth will be in His Grip, and the heavens will be rolled up in His Right Hand. Glorified and exalted is He above all what they associate with Him!} [Surat az-Zumar: 67]
30. Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that he heard the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) say:
“Allah will grasp the earth, and He will roll up the heaven in His right Hand. Then He will say: ‘I am the King. Where are the kings of the earth?’” [Narrated by Al-Bukhāri]
31. Ibn ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him and his father) reported that the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said: “Indeed, Allah will grasp the earths on the Day of Judgment and the heavens will be in His right Hand, and then He will say: ‘I am the King.’” [Narrated by Al-Bukhāri]
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32. Ibn ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him and his father) reported: “The Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) recited this verse one day on the pulpit: {They did not revere Allah His true reverence. On the Day of Resurrection, the whole earth will be in His Grip, and the heavens will be rolled up in His Right Hand. Glorified and exalted is He above all what they associate with Him!} As the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) recited it, he was moving his hand back and forth: ‘The Lord will glorify Himself saying: I am the Compeller, I am the Superior, I am the Mighty One, I am the Honorable One.’ The pulpit shook with the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) so much that we thought it would fall down with him.”
[Narrated by Ahmad]
33. The same Hadīth was narrated by Muslim from ‘Ubaydullah ibn Muqassim, who related that he looked at ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him and his father) as he was reporting the Hadīth from the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) saying:
“Allah Almighty will take His heavens and earths with His Hands and will grasp them both, and He will say: ‘I am the King.’ And He will clench His fingers and open them and say: ‘I am the King.’ I saw the pulpit moving from underneath him so much that I wondered if it would fall with the Messenger of Allah upon it.”
34. ‘Imrān ibn Husayn (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: “The Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said:
‘Accept the glad tidings, O Banu Tamīm.’
They said: ‘You have given us glad tidings; so give us.’
He said: ‘Accept the glad tidings, O people of Yemen.’
They said: ‘We have accepted; so tell us about the start of this matter.’
He said: ‘Allah has existed before everything and His throne was above water, and He wrote everything in the Preserved Tablet.’
Then someone came to me and said: ‘O ‘Imrān, your she-camel was set free from its hobble.’
So, I went after it and did not know what happened thereafter.” [Narrated by Al-Bukhāri and Muslim]
35. Jubayr ibn Muhammad ibn Jubayr ibn Mut‘im related from his father that his grandfather reported: “A Bedouin came to the Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) and said: ‘O Messenger of Allah, the people are suffering distress, the children are hungry, the crops withered, and the animals
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perished; so ask Allah to grant us rain, for we seek you as our intercessor with Allah, and Allah as an intercessor with you.’
Thereupon, the Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said:
‘Woe to you, do you know what you are saying?’ Then, the Messenger of Allah glorified Allah and kept glorifying Him till the effect of that was apparent on the faces of his Companions. He then said: ‘Woe to you, Allah is not to be sought as an intercessor with anyone. Allah’s status is greater than that. Woe to you, do you know how great Allah is? His throne is above His heavens thus (indicating with his fingers like a dome over him), and it squeaks on account of Him as a saddle does because of the rider.’”
[Narrated by Ahmad and Abu Dāwūd]
36. Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said:
“Allah Almighty said: ‘The son of Adam tells a lie about Me and he has no right to do so; and he insults Me and has no right to do so. His lying about Me is his saying that I will not resurrect him as I created him for the first time. In fact, the first creation was not easier for Me than resurrecting him again. His insult to Me is his saying that Allah has begotten a son, while I am the One, the Eternal Refuge, Who begets not nor was He begotten, and there is none comparable to Him.’”
37. In another narration by Ibn ‘Abbās (may Allah be pleased with him and his father):
“And his insult to Me is saying that I have a son, and far exalted am I above taking a wife or a son.”
[Narrated by Al-Bukhāri]
38. Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said:
“Allah Almighty said: ‘The son of Adam hurts Me by cursing time, for I am time; in My Hands are all things and I cause the alternation of night and day.” [Narrated by Al-Bukhāri and Muslim]
Chapter on Belief in the Divine Decree
And the verse that says: {But those for whom We have decreed the finest reward, they will be far away from it.} [Surat al-Anbiyā’: 101]
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And the verse that says: {And Allah’s command is a decree firmly determined.} [Surat al-Ahzāb: 38]
And the verse that says: {And it is Allah Who created you and all what you do.} [Surat as-Sāffāt: 96]
And the verse that says: {Indeed, We have created everything according to a determined measure.} [Surat al-Qamar: 49]
39. ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Amr ibn al-‘Ās (may Allah be pleased with him and his father) reported that the Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said:
“Allah decreed the measures of the creatures fifty thousand years before He created the heavens and the earth, as His Throne was above the water.” [Narrated by Muslim]
40. ‘Ali ibn Abi Tālib (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: “The Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said:
‘There is none among you but has a place assigned for him in Paradise and in Hellfire.’ The Companions said: ‘O Messenger of Allah, should we not rely upon what has been written for us and give up work?’ He said:
‘Carry on doing good deeds, for everyone will find it easy to do deeds for which he has been created. Those among the blissful will be enabled to do the deeds of the blissful people, and those among the miserable will be enabled to do the deeds of the miserable people.’ Then, he recited: {As for the one who gives in charity and fears Allah, and truly believes in the best reward, We will make easy for him the way of salvation.} [Surat al-Layl: 5-8]”
[Narrated by Al-Bukhāri and Muslim]
41. Muslim ibn Yasār al-Juhani reported: “‘Umar ibn al-Khattāb (may Allah be pleased with him) was asked about this verse: {And [remember] when your Lord brought forth from the loins of the children of Adam their offspring.} [Surat al-A‘rāf: 172] He replied: ‘I heard the Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) say:
“Allah created Adam, then passed His right Hand over his back and brought forth from it his offspring, saying:
‘I have created these for Paradise and they will do the deeds of the people of Paradise.’ He then passed His Hand over his back and brought forth from it his offspring, saying: ‘I have created these for Hellfire and they will do the deeds of the people of Hellfire.’” A man asked: “Then, what is the good of doing anything, O Messenger of Allah?”
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He said: “When Allah creates a servant for Paradise, He employs him in doing the deeds of the people of Paradise so his final action before death will be that of the people of Paradise, for which He will admit him into Paradise. But when He creates a servant for Hellfire, He employs him in doing the deeds of the people of Hellfire so his final action before death will be one of the deeds of the people of Hellfire, for which He will admit him into Hellfire.”
[Narrated by Mālik and Al-Hākim, who said: It meets the conditions set by Muslim]
The Hadīth was also narrated by Abu Dāwūd through another chain of transmission from Muslim ibn Yasār from Nu‘aym ibn Rabī‘ah from ‘Umar.
42. Is-hāq ibn Rāhawayh said: Baqiyyah ibn al-Walīd told us that Az-Zubaydi Muhammad ibn al-Walīd related from Rāshid ibn Sa‘d from ‘Abdur-Rahmān ibn Abu Qatādah from his father that Hishām ibn Hakīm ibn Hizām reported: “A man said: ‘O Messenger of Allah, do we initiate deeds or the decree has already been determined?’ The Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said:
“When Allah brought forth Adam’s offspring from his back, He made them testify against themselves and then placed them in His two Hands and said: ‘These are for Paradise and these are for Hellfire; the people of Paradise will be enabled to do the deeds of the people of Paradise, and the people of Hellfire will be enabled to do the deeds of the people of Hellfire.’”
43. ‘Abdullah ibn Mas‘ūd (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said:
“Verily, the creation of each one of you is brought together in his mother’s womb for forty days in the form of a sperm drop; then it becomes a clot for a similar period; then it becomes a lump of flesh for a similar period. Then Allah sends an angel, who is commanded to record four things about it: its conduct, its life span (in this world), its sustenance, and whether it will be happy or miserable, then life is breathed into it. By the One besides Whom there is no other god, one of you would perform the actions of the dwellers of Paradise until only one cubit separates him from it, when what is foreordained would come to pass and he would perform the actions of the inmates of Hellfire until he enters it. And one of you would perform the actions of the inmates of Hellfire until only one cubit separates him from it, when what is foreordained would come to pass and he would perform the acts of the dwellers of Paradise until he enters it.”
[Narrated by Al-Bukhāri and Muslim]
44. Hudhayfah ibn ’Usayd (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said:
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“When the sperm drop remains in the womb for forty or forty five nights, the angel comes and says: ‘My Lord, will it be miserable or blissful?’ And both things will be written. Then, the angel says: ‘My Lord, will it be male or female?’ And both things are written. Then his deeds, his effect, his life span, and his sustenance are also recorded. Then, the papers will be folded and nothing will be added thereto or omitted therefrom.”
[Narrated by Muslim]
45. ‘Ā’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) reported:
“The Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) was invited to the funeral of a boy from the Ansār. I said: ‘How blessed he is! He will be a bird among the birds of Paradise, for he has done no evil, being too young for that.’ He replied:
‘It may be otherwise, O ‘Ā’ishah. Indeed, Allah created for Paradise those who are fit for it while they were yet in their fathers’ loins and created for Hellfire those who are fit for it while they were yet in their fathers’ loins.’” [Narrated by Muslim]
46. Ibn ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him and his father) reported that the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said: “Everything is decreed, even inability and ability.”
[Narrated by Muslim]
47. Qatādah (may Allah be pleased with him) commented on this verse: {On that night the angels and the Spirit [Gabriel] descend by their Lord’s permission with all decrees.} [Surat al-Qadr: 4] He said: “He decrees in it what will occur in the year to come.”
[Narrated by ‘Abdur-Razzāq and Ibn Jarīr]
A similar meaning was reported by Ibn ‘Abbās (may Allah be pleased with him and his father), Al-Hasan, Abu ‘Abdur-Rahmān as-Sulami, Sa‘īd ibn Jubayr, and Muqātil.
48. Ibn ‘Abbās (may Allah be pleased with him and his father) reported: “Allah created a preserved tablet from a white pearl, and its two covers are of a red ruby. Its pen is light and its book is light, and it is as broad as the distance between the heaven and the earth. Every day He looks into it three hundred and sixty times, with each look creating, providing sustenance, giving life, causing death, honoring, humiliating, and doing whatever He wills. This is the meaning of the verse that says: {Every day He is engaged in some matters.} [Surat ar-Rahmān: 29]”
[Narrated by ‘Abdur-Razzāq, Ibn al-Mundhir, At-Tabarāni, and Al-Hākim]
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Commenting on these and other similar Hadīths, Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allah have mercy upon him) said:
“This is a daily determination, preceded by a yearly one, preceded by a lifetime determination after one comes to life, and before it is a determination at the time of forming him as a lump. This is also preceded by a determination prior to one’s existence, yet after the creation of the heavens and the earth, which is also preceded by a determination 50 thousand years before the creation of the heavens and the earth. Each of these determinations is part of the preceding one.
This indicates the complete knowledge of the Almighty Lord and His perfect power and wisdom, and that He gives more information to the angels and His believing servants about His essence and His names.”
He added: “These Hadīths and the likes agree that the preceding determination does not preclude work or entail passive reliance upon it; rather, it requires hard work and diligence.”
Hence, when one of the Companions heard about that, he said: “I have never seen myself more diligent than now.”
Abu ‘Uthmān an-Nahdi said to Salmān: “I am more pleased with the earlier part of this matter than its latter one.”
This is because if Allah predetermined something for him and enabled him to reach it by certain means, he would be more glad about the predetermination coming from Allah to him than about the subsequent means.
49. Al-Walīd ibn ‘Ubādah reported: “I visited my father when he was sick, and I perceived that he was close to death. So I said: ‘Give me earnest advice, father.’ He said: ‘Sit me up,’ which they did. He said: ‘Son, you will not find the taste of faith or reach the reality of knowledge about Allah Almighty until you believe in destiny, along with its pleasant and unpleasant aspects.’ I said: ‘Father, how can I distinguish the pleasant aspects of destiny from the unpleasant ones?’ He replied: ‘You should know that whatever missed you would not have befallen you, and whatever befell you would not have missed you. Son, I heard the Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) say:
“The first thing created by Allah was the pen, then He ordered it to write, so it wrote everything that will happen till the Day of Judgment...” Son, if you die while not following this, you will enter Hellfire.’”
[Narrated by Ahmad]
50. Abu Khizāmah related that his father (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: “I said: ‘O Messenger of Allah, do you think that the Ruqyah (faith healing) we use,
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the treatments we use, and what we seek to protect ourselves will repel anything from Allah’s decree?’
He said: ‘They are part of Allah’s decree.’”
[Narrated by Ahmad and At-Tirmidhi, who classified it as Hasan (sound)]
51. Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said:
“A strong believer is better and dearer to Allah than a weak believer, and there is good in both. Adhere to whatever brings you benefit, seek the help of Allah, and do not feel helpless. If something befalls you, do not say: ‘Had I done such-and-such, it would be such-and-such.’ Indeed,‘if’ opens the way before the devil to act.”
[Narrated by Muslim]
Chapter on Mention of the Angels and Belief in them
And the verse that says: {It is not righteousness to turn your faces towards the east or the west, but righteousness is to believe in Allah, the Last Day, the angels, the Scriptures, and the prophets...} [Surat al-Baqarah: 177]
And the verse that says: {Those who say, “Our Lord is Allah,” then remain steadfast, the angels will descend upon them [at the time of death, saying], “Do not fear, nor grieve, but receive glad tidings of Paradise which you were promised.”} [Surat Fussilat: 30]
And the verse that says: {The Messiah would never disdain to be a slave of Allah, nor would the nearest angels to Him.} [Surat an-Nisā’: 172]
And the verse that says: {To Him belongs all those who are in the heavens and earth. Those [angels] who are with Him are not too proud to worship Him, nor do they ever grow weary. They glorify Him day and night tirelessly.} [Surat al-Anbiyā’: 19-20]
And the verse that says: {It is He Who made the angels messengers with two, three, or four wings...} [Surat Fātir: 1]
And the verse that says: {Those [angels] who bear the Throne and those around it glorify their Lord with His praise and believe in Him, and seek forgiveness for those who believe...} [Surat Ghāfir: 7]
52. ‘Ā’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) reported that the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said:
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“The angels were created from light; the jinn were created from a smokeless flame of fire, and Adam was created from what was described to you.”
[Narrated by Muslim]
53. It is reported in some authentic Hadīths on the Mi‘rāj (Ascension) that the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) was shown Al-Bayt al-Ma‘mūr, which lies in the seventh heaven, or the sixth heaven, just above the Ka‘bah on earth, with its sacredness in the heaven similar to the sacredness of Ka‘bah. Every day seven thousand angels enter it and when they go out, they do not come back.
54. ‘Ā’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) reported that the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said: “There is no foothold in the heaven except with an angel on it prostrating or an angel standing. This is the meaning of the angels’ statement: {We are indeed those who stand lined up in rows, and we are indeed those who glorify Allah.} [Surat as-Sāffāt: 165-166]”
[Narrated by Muhammad ibn Nasr, Ibn Abu Hātim, Ibn Jarīr, and Abu ash-Shaykh]
55. Jābir ibn ‘Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with him and his father) reported that the Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said:
“There is no foothold, span, or the area of a palm in the seven heavens except with an angel on it standing, prostrating, or bowing. On the Day of Judgment, they will all say: ‘Glory be to You, we have not worshiped You duly. But we have not associated any partners with You.’” [Narrated by At-Tabarāni]
56. Jābir (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said: “I was allowed to speak of an angel from the angels of Allah who carry the Throne: (the distance) between his earlobe and his shoulder equals a journey of seven hundred years.”
[Narrated by Abu Dāwūd, Al-Bayhaqi in "Al-Asmā’ wa as-Sifāt", and Ad-Diyā’ in "Al-Mukhtārah"]
One of the chief angels is Gabriel (peace be upon him), whom Allah Almighty describes as being honest, good-mannered, and strong. He says: {He was taught by [an angel of] mighty power, and of great perfection, who manifested himself [in his true form].} [Surat an-Najm: 5-6]
Out of his tremendous strength, Gabriel (peace be upon him) lifted the seven cities of the people of Lūt (Lot) (peace be upon him) along with its people who were around 400 thousand, along with their animals, lands, and buildings, carrying all these on the tip of his wing and taking them up so close to the heaven that the angels heard the barking of their dogs and the crowing of their cocks, then he overturned them, upside down.
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This is the one of mighty power.
And he is also one with a good moral character, beauty, splendor, and extreme power.
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