Guide to S C ound reed A Book on Muslim Creed and Faith --------------------------------------------J if VI (jf I ^ LijV I Dr. Salih Al-Fawzan Professor of Islamic Jurisprudence, Member of the Board of Senior Ulema & Member of the Permanent Committee for Fatwa and Research Al-Maiman Publishing House Saudi Arabia, P.O.Box 90020, Riyadh 11613 In the Name of Allah, the Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful CONTENTS Page English Islamic Library............................................................................................... « About the Author...................................................................................................... » Acknowledgement................................................................................................. xiii Translator’s Preface........................................................................................... xv Introduction.............................................................................................................. 1 The Muslim Creed............................................................................................. 4 Necessity of Learning Muslim Creed........................................................... 9 Preaching the Muslim Creed......................................................................... 13 Principles of Islamic Creed................................................................................ 19 Prologue.............................................................................................................. 19 The First Principle: Belief in Allah 21 1-1 Tawhidur-Rubhbiyyah (Belief in Allah’s Lordship).................................. 22 1-2 Tawhldul-Ultihiyyah (Belief in Allah’s Divinity)...................................... 25 Tawhldur-Rubdbiyyah and Tawhidul-Ulhhiyyah........................................ 29 Calling for Belief in Tawhidul - Uldhiyyah: The Quranic Method 34 Things Nullifying Tawhldul-Uluhiyyah................................................... 40 Dreadful Consequences of Shirk (Polytheism)....................................... 44 Tawhidul-Uldhiyyah: Refutation of Polytheists’ Arguments................................... 61 Categories of Major Polytheism.................................................................... 66 1- Polytheism Due to Fear....................................................................... 66 2 - Attachment to False Deities or Objects besides Allah....................... 75 3 - Trusting False Deities besides Allah..................................................... 79 4 - Obeying Others besides Allah.............................................................. 84 iv Guide to Sound Creed Things Nullifying Tawhid and Involving Apostasy................................ 93 Mistrusting Allah................................................................................... 93 Acts of Ridicule....................................................................................... 97 Acts of Polytheism..................................................................................... 100 1 - Wearing Rings and Strings as Good Omens.................................. 100 2 - Wearing Amulets.............................................................................. 101 3 - Seeking Blessings from Trees, Stones............................................. 101 4 - Sorcery............................................................................................... 102 5 - Divination.......................................................................................... 103 6 -Evil Omens........................................................................................ 104 7-Astrology ............................................................................................ 108 8 - Istisqi’ by the Anwa (Over Belief in the Virtue of Stars).............. 111 9 - Attributing Favors to Others but Allah........................................... 114 Minor Polytheism...................................................................................... 119 1. Swearing by Things/Creatures other than Allah..................................... 119 2. Utterances Entailing Polytheism....................................................... 120 3. Polytheism in Intentions................................................................... 121 4. Ascribing Ones Deficiencies to Time or Condemning it............... 127 5. The Word ‘If’ Opens the Gates of Satanic Thoughts............................... 131 Patience as an Indispensable Pillar of Faith............................................. 134 Utterances Impermissible to be Said about Allah................................... 138 1.3 Believing in the Oneness of Allah’s Best Names............................... 142 Necessity of Revering Allah’s Names....................................................... 145 Understanding Allah’s Attributes and Names: Adherents of Sunna Method and their Followers..................................................................... 150 Understanding Allah’s Attributes and Names: Jahmiyyah Method and their Followers............................................................................................ 154 Refutation of Anthropomorphism and Denial of Allah’s Divine Attributes.................................................................................................. 156 Hie Second Principle: Belief in the Angels.............................................. 169 The Third Principle: Belief in Allah’s Scriptures................................ 177 The Fourth Prindple:Belief in Allah’s Messengers.............................. 183 Proofs of Prophethood.......................................................................... 187 The Miracle of the Ever-Glorious Qur’&n............................................ 191 Infallibility of Allah’s Prophets.............................................................. 194 All Prophets Believe in One Religion................................................... 202 Contents v Privileges of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH)................................................ 206 1) Al-Isrd’ and Al-Mi 'r&j (Ascension).................................................. 210 Al-Isrd’ and Al-Mi 'r&j in Qur’in and Sunn ah................................................... 211 Was Al-Isra in Soul and Body or in Soul only?................................................. 212 Was the Prophets Ascension Repeated?..................................................... 214 2) The Universality of Muhammad’s Prophethood.................................... 216 3) Muhammad’s: The Concluding Message......................................... 219 The Significance of Conduding Prophethood with Muhammad................................ 223 Karimatul-Awliyi’ (Supernatural Acts and Allah’s Allies)................................ 226 The Fifth Principle: Belief in Last Day................................................. 231 5.1 Belief in the Signs of the Day of Judgment............................................ 231 1 - The Emergence of Al-Mahdi.......................................................... 236 2 - The Emergence of the Anti-Christ................................................. 239 3 - The Descending of Jesus (PBUH) from the Heavens............................... 241 4 - The Emergence of Gog and Magog............................................... 245 5 - The Emergence of the Beast........................................................... 248 6 - The Sun: Rising from the West........................................................ 252 7 - Assembling All People in the Land of Ash-Sh&m............................... 255 8 - Blowing the Horn and Falling Dead............................................... 258 5.2 Belief in the Last Day.............................................................................. 263 5.3 End of the First Life (i.e., Death) and Beginning of the Second Life (i.e., Resurrection)........................................................................................ 270 - Death of Sleep and Actual Death........................................................ 271 - The Truth about the Soul.................................................................... 273 - The Soul is Created.............................................................................. 273 - How Ar-Ruh (i.e., the Soul) of the Dying Person is Taken and its Destination after Death.................................................................... 274 - Are Ar-Rhh (i.e., the Soul) and An-Nafs (i.e„ the Self) the same or are they two different entities?................................................................. 279 - The Trial of the Grave, its Torment and its Pleasure............................... 280 1) The Two Angels Questioning.................................................... 280 Description of the Questioning of the Two Angels as Related in Hadiths.............................................................................................. 283 The Connections between the Soul and the Body................................. 285 i Guide to Sound Creed 2) Torment and Pleasure in Grave.................................................... 286 Proofs of Torment and Pleasure in the Grave from Qur’&n 286 Proofs of Torment and Pleasure in the Grave from Sunnah 288 Refuting Claims of Deniers of Grave Torment and Pleasure 291 3) Causes of Torment in Grave......................................................... 295 Resurrection.................................................................................................. 296 Believing in What Happens on Day of Resurrection................................. 301 1 - Accountability................................................................................... 302 2 - Giving Records of Deeds................................................................. 303 3 - Weighing Deeds................................................................................ 304 4 - Passing over the Sirdt........................................................................ 305 5 - The Prophetic Fountain................................................................... 305 6 - Intercession....................................................................................... 307 7 - Paradise and Hellfire........................................................................ 309 The Sixth Principle: Belief in Al-Qadd’ and Al-Qadar (Divine Decree and Predestination)........................................................................ 313 Allah’s Divine Predestination is of Two Categories.................................... 315 Fruits of Believing in Allah’s Divine Predestination and Decree............... 317 Al-Wald’ and Al-Barct’ (Amity and Enmity)................................................ 321 6.1 Aspects of Showing Amity with the Disbelievers................................. 323 6.2 Aspects of Showing Amity to Believers................................................ 327 People to be Befriended or Hated ......................................................... 332 Conclusion............................................................................................................. 337 Warning against Bid 'ahs...................................................................... 337 Chapter One: Definition of Bid'ah, Main Categories and Legal Ruling. 1 - Definition of Bid 'ah......................................................................... 337 2 - Categories of Bid 'ahs....................................................................... 337 3 - Legal Ruling on Bid'ahs in Religious Ordinances................................ 338 Chapter Two: The Emergence of Bid 'ahs in the Muslim History. 341 1 - Emergence of Bid 'ahs...................................................................... 341 2 - The Places where Bid 'ahs Emerged................................................ 341 Chapter Three: Causes Led to the Emergence of Bid'ahs.................... 343 1 - Ignorance of Religious Matters....................................................... 343 2 - Following Personal Desires............................................................. 344 Contents vii 3 - Bias towards Fixed Ideas and Certain Individuals................................ 344 4 - Imitating the Disbelievers................................................................ 344 Chapter Four: Muslim Nation and Innovators...................................... 34^ Chapter Five: Refuting the Arguments of Innovators: Methodology of the Adherents of the Sunnah and Muslim Community.......................... 343 Chapter Six: Living Examples of Bid ahs Nowadays............................. 350 1 - Commemorating the Prophets Birthday During the Month of Rabi'ul-Awwal.................................................................................. 350 2 - Seeking Blessings from Specific Monuments, Places and Persons:...... 352 3 - Bid ahs in Religious Ordinances and Rituals................................ 352 Chapter Seven: How to Treat a Heretic................................................... 355 Glossary.................................................................................................................. 357 Name Index............................................................................................................ 367 Quranic Verse Index............................................................................................. 375 Hadlth Index........................................................................................................ 385 Transliteration System.............................................................................................. 397 ENGLISH ISLAMIC LIBRARY English Islamic Library: A series in English covering central and various issues in Creed, Jurisprudence and Islamic Sciences by authors who have expert knowledge in their fields. It targets both the Muslims and the non-Muslims in the west as well as those who study Islamic Sciences in English in Arab countries. It also targets those who are engaged in propagating Islam in the West. IN THIS SERIES: 1. Concise Commentary on the Book of Tawhid: Sheikh professor Salih Al-Fawzan 2. A Summary of Islamic Jurisprudence (Volume one): Sheikh professor Salih Al-Fawzan 3. A Summary of Islamic Jurisprudence (Volume two): Sheikh professor Salih Al-Fawzan 4. Guide to Sound Creed: Sheikh professor Salih Al-Fawzan 5. Concise Biography of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH): Sheikh Muhammad Ibn ' Abdul-Wahhab 6. Allah’s Insightful Signs: Tawfiq ' Ulwan 7. Way of the Travelers: An Explanatory Book on Islamic Jurisprudence: Sheikh ' Abdur-Rahman As-Sa'di 8. Exonerating the Great Imdms from Blame: Imam Ibn Taymiyah 9. The Universality of Islam: Imam Ibn Taymiyah 10. Ibn Taymiyah’s Collection ofFatwas (Volumes 21 & 22 8r 23) ABOUT THE AUTHOR Sheikh Salih Ibn Fawzan Ibn ' Abdullah Al-Fawzan was born in 1935 A.D. His father died when he was young so he was brought up by his family. He learned the Noble Qur’an and the basics of reading and writing then he later studied at the state school. When he completed his studies at the Faysaliyyah School in Buray- dah, he was then appointed as a school teacher. Sheikh Al-Fawzan then joined the Faculty of Shari'ah (Islamic Law) at the University of Imam Muhammad in Riyadh and graduated in 1381 A.H. (1960 A.D.). Thereafter, he gained his Masters Degree in Fiqh (Islamic Jurisprudence), and later a Ph.D. at the same faculty. Sheikh Al-Fawzan studied at the hands of a number of prominent scholars and jurists, including: Sheikhs 'Abdul-'Aziz Ibn Baz, 'Abdullah Ibn Humayd, Muhammad Al-Amin Ash-Shanqiti, 'Abdur-Razzaq 'Aixfi, Salih 'All An-Na- sir and others. Moreover, he studied at the hands of a number of scholars from Al-Azhar University (Egypt), specialized in Hadith (Prophetic Traditions), Tafsir (Quranic Interpretation) and Arabic language. The honorable Sheikh is a member of the Council of Senior Scholars, the Fiqh Committee in Mecca, and the Committee for Supervision of the Callers in Hajj. He also presides over membership of the Permanent Committee for Islamic Research and Fatwas, and he is the Imam and instructor at the Prince Mut' ib Ibn ' Abdul-' Aziz Mosque. Sheikh Al-Fawzan also takes part in answering questions on a radio program called “Nur 'Ala Ad-Darb” (Light along the Path), and he also contributes to a number of Islamic research publications at the Council for Islamic Research, Studies, Theses and Fatwas, which are then collected and published. Sheikh Al-Fawzan is the author of more than sixty published works, covering Muslim Creed, Islamic jurisprudence and Muslims conduct, among which are the following: - The Book ofTawhid (Monotheism). - Al-Irshdd ild Sahih Al-I'tiqdd (Guide to Sound Creed). - Al-Mulakhkhas Al-Fiqhi (A Summary of Islamic Jurisprudence). - Rulings on Foods in Shari'ah. - Among the Reforming Scholars in Islam. ACKNOWLEDGEMENT Our truly and profound thanks and gratefulness are due to Allah the Almighty Who has endowed us with all the means to make this work a reality. Thanks go to Him for all His endless blessings and favors. In the course of translating this invaluable book, innumerable people have helped directly and indirectly, without their help, this book would have never come to the light. At the outset, we deeply appreciate and thank sheikh professor Salih al-Fawzan for giving us exclusive permission to translate and publish his books as well as his follow-up with the different stages of publishing the books. May Allah give him success in this Worldly Life and Hereafter. First of all, our eternal gratitude and sincerest appreciation are due to Dr. Muhammad Mahmud Ghali, professor of Linguistics and the ex-dean of Faculty of Languages and Translation, Al-Azhar University, for his valuable suggestions and penetrating advice he rendered us when we started the process of translation. We would like also to express our heartfelt thanks to Dr. Muhammad Muhammad Abu Layla, professor of Islamic Studies in English and Head of English Department, Faculty of Languages and Translation, for his endless continuous help, suggestions and moral support. We are enormously indebted also to Dr. Ahmad Zaki Hammad, professor of Islamic Studies in English, Faculty of Languages and Translation for providing us with invaluable suggestions and important insights on translation. Again, thanks are due to Dr. 'Attia Es-Sayyed 'Attia, lecturer in ELT and Apphed Linguistics, Faculty of Education, Al-Azhar University for having professionally edited this work and others. His pertinent comments and valuable touches at the final stage of writing the book added much to the final version of the book. Finally yet importantly, we thank Umm Abdullah, the native editor, who exerted great efforts in editing the book, and with whose final touches she made it meaningful and more appealing to the target audience. Publisher Sulaiman A. Ahnaiman