The Six Pillars of Iman

Just as Islam has five pillars (please recall tohe definitions of Islam and Pillar), so Iman (please recall the definition of Iman in all of its three necessary components) also has six pillars, taught to us by the Prophet (saws). These pillars are:

Belief in Allah;

Belief in the angels;

Belief in the revealed books;

Belief in the commissioned Messengers (peace be upon them).

Belief in the resurrection and the events of Qiyamah.

Belief in the predestination by Allah of all things, both the (seemingly) good and the (seemingly) bad.

The First Pillar

Belief in Allah Most High.

It is the foundation of the Islamic personality.
It is a basic human need, more basic than the need for his provision and sustenance.
Acts of worship only become real and valid with the feeling and awareness of their Object.

supplication
love
humility
fear
hope/reliance
adoration

Differences between the Creator and His creation.

He is free of any need for others.
He is the sole Creator of all that which pleases Him (and that which doesn't).
Allah has ordered His creation and forbidden them only in ways which are in their best interest.
He sent the Messengers and the books with the truth Ilm-ul-Ghaib.

He alone can guide to Iman. This is why the people of paradise will say:

[All praise be to Allah who guided us to this, for we never would have been guided to it if He had not guided us to it.]

The best worship is insufficient as gratitude for his bounties and mercies - they always fall short and we are need of His forgiveness.

No one's works will merit paradise. There is no contradiction between the Hadith:

None shall enter Paradise by his actions. and the verse which says:

[These are the people of paradise, therein forever, a reward for that which they used to do.]

Every human needs Allah's forgiveness of his sins.

The Second Pillar

Belief in the Angels.

Belief that among Allah's creation are angels.

Real beings, not illusions or figments of human imagination.

Created from light.

A Muslim must believe specifically in all the angels named and/or described in the Qur'an and the Sunnah.

Jibreel: in charge of delivering revelation.

Mika'il: in charge of bringing the rain.

Israfil: the blower of the horn on Qiyamah.

Malik-ul-Maut: the Angel of Death who takes people's souls at death.

The Noble Recorders: those who record people's actions.

The Protectors (Al-Mu'aqqibat): who keep people from death until its decreed time.

Ridhwan: in charge of Paradise.

Malik: in charge of Hell.

Munkar and Nakir: the questioners in the grave.

The Carriers of the Throne.

Those who record the future of the foetus.

Those who enter the Haraam: 70,000 every day.

Those who move about, descending upon gatherings at which Allah and His Book are mentioned and studied.

Belief in the angels is an integral part of Iman.

[See 2/285 Al-Baqarah]

Kufr with respect to the angels is Kufr.

[See 4/136 An-Nisaa]

They are not some metaphysical force or aspect of the human psyche or self. Deviants have said such things for many centuries, and it was not a new deviation when it was being propagated in America during this century.

The Third Pillar

Belief in the Books of Allah.

General belief in the phenomenon of the sending of books.

Six specific books mentioned in the Qur'an:

As-Suhuf of Ibrahim and Musa.

Az-Zaboor given to Daud.

At-Taurat revealed to Musa.

Al-Injeel revealed to Isa.

Al-Qur'an - the final revelation.

Attributes of the Qur'an:

Flawless and untampered with:

[See 41/42 Fusilat]

The final authority over any remnants of the previous books.

[See 5/48 Al-Maidah]

A guidance and a mercy.

[See 10/37 Yunus]

The Qur'an must be followed and applied.

[See 6/155 Al-An'aam]

Hadith narrated by Ali:

The Prophet (saws) said: Verily, there will be fitan. I said: What is the way out of them, Messenger of Allah? He said: The Book of Allah; in it is news of those who came before you; news of what is to come after you; the ruling on that which is between you; it is the decisive criterion, and is not jest. Whoever leaves it among the arrogant ones will be made small by Allah; whoever seeks guidance from other than it will be sent astray by Allah. It is the mighty rope of Allah, the Wise Reminder, and the Straight Path. With it, inclinations do not deviate nor tongues become confused. Scholars are never satiated with it; it never becomes tiresome with repetition; its wonders never diminish. ... Whoever speaks by it is truthful; whoever applies it is rewarded; whoever judges by it is just; and whoever calls to it is guided to a straight path.

- Narrated by At-Tirmidhi [Its chain is not strong because of two unknown narrators.]

The Fourth Pillar

Belief in the prophets, prayers and salutations of Allah be upon them.

Belief in the process of prophethood.

Allah in His wisdom did not neglect His creation.

Prophets sent to guide us in this life and the next.

Specific belief in the 25 prophets named in the Qur'an: (1)Adam, (2)Nuh, (3)Idris, (4)Saleh, (5)Ibrahim, (6)Hud, (7)Lut, (8)Yunus, (9)Isma'il, (10)Is-haq, (11)Ya'qub, (12)Yusuf, (13)Ayub, (14)Shu'aib, (15)Musa, (16)Harun, (17)Alyas', (18)Dhu Al-Kifl, (19)Daud, (20)Zakariya, (21)Sulaiman, (22)Ilyas, (23)Yahya, (24)Isa, and (25)Muhammad, prayers and salutations of Allah be upon him and upon all the messengers of Allah.

General belief that there are many other prophets and messengers, but never assuming anything without knowledge from Allah.

The subject matter of the prophethood.

Warnings and glad tidings.

So the disobedient will have no excuse before Allah. (Prophets sent to every nation.)

Enjoining the worship of Allah and the avoidance of At-Taghoot (Shaitaan, etc.)

[Study: 4/165, An-Nisaa; 16/36, An-Nahl]

Prophets are the best of the Awliyaa (Allies) of Allah.

What is wilaya; what it isn't.

Wilaya, Iman, Kufr and Nifaaq are all variable attributes which can all be present to varying degrees.

The best of Allah allies are the prophets (a.s.).

The best among the prophets are the messengers.

The best among the messengers are the five firmly intentioned mentioned in the Qur'an.

[See: 42/13, Ash-Shuraa]

The best of the firmly intentioned is Muhammad (saws).

Attributes of the Prophet Muhammad:

Seal of the prophets; Imam of the pious; Foremost among the sons of Adam; Imam and Khatib of the prophets when they assembled; Possessor of the Praiseworthy Position which all of mankind will wish they had attained (and which is mentioned in the Du'a of hearing the adhan); Owner of the pool in paradise; Intercessor for all mankind on the day of Qiyamah.

Allah sent him with the best of the books and the best of His law. Allah made his nation the best nation brought forth for mankind. Allah gave him (and us) all of the good that was given only partially to the previous nations. His nation is the last in creation, the first in resurrection.

From the moment of his prophethood, Allah made him the criterion (Al-Farooq) for distinguishing Allah's allies and their actions from His enemies and their actions: None can have any relationship to Allah except through belief in the Prophet (saws) and following what he brought in public and in secret. Whoever claims love or closeness to Allah while disobeying the message is actually drawing closer to Sheytan, farther from Allah.

The Fifth Pillar

Belief in the resurrection . Reconstruction of the body and return of the soul to it. People will come forth out of their graves like locusts. Faces bent down. Rushing to the Caller.

[See 53/76 Al-Qamar; 70/43 Al-Ma'arij; 17/49 Al-Israa; 36/78 Yasin; 20/108 Taha]

The resurrection is of the body and the soul, not some metaphysical resurrection of the latter.

Twelve verses from the Qur'an which prove that.

Hadith: The sun will come down toward the people on the day of Qiyamah until it is only about a mile up. The people will be in their own perspiration according to their acts: some of them will be in it up to their ankles, some up to their groin and others up to their chins, and he pointed to his mouth. Narrated by Muslim.

A disbeliever once came to the Prophet (saws) with an old bone, crumbled it with his hand and said: O Muhammad, will Allah bring this back to life after it has rotted?! The Prophet said: Yes, Allah will resurrect this and he will cause you to die, bring you back to life, and put you into the fire of Jahannam!

The Sixth Pillar

Belief In Predestination and Decree

A Muslim believes in Allah's predestination of all things and events (Qadhaa), His decree (Qadar), His wisdom in His actions, and His will. Nothing in the universe can occur, even the voluntary actions of His slaves, except after Allah's knowledge, and His decree of that event. A Muslim further believes that Allah is Just in His predestination and His decree, Wise in all of His actions. His wisdom follows His will: Whatever He wills is, and whatever He does not will is not. There is no power nor any movement except by Allah. This is substantiated by the textual and logical proofs which follow:

Textual Evidence

1) Allah informed us of this in the Qur'an:

[Verily, we have created everything in (predetermined) measure.] Qur'an 54/49

[And there is nothing whatsoever but that its reserves are with us, and we do not send it down except in known measure.] Qur'an 15/21

[No calamity strikes in the earth nor in your selves but that was in a book since before We created it (i.e. the event). That is easy for Allah.] Qur'an 57/22

[No calamity strikes except with the permission of Allah.] Qur'an 64/11

[Say: Nothing will befall us except what Allah had decreed for us, He is our protecting Ally, and upon Allah let the believers depend.] Qur'an 9/51

[And with Him are the keys of the unseen, no one knows them except Him. He knows all that is in the ocean and on the land. No leaf falls without His knowledge, nor any particle in the dark recesses of the earth, nor anything green and fresh or dry and withered but that it is in a clear book.] Qur'an 6/59

[This is nothing less than a reminder to all the worlds. * For whoever among you has an intention to go straight. * But you will never have this intention unless Allah so wills, Lord of the worlds.] Qur'an 81/27-29

[Those for whom good has already been decreed by us will be far removed from it (i.e. hell).] Qur'an 21/101

[If only, when you entered your garden, you had said: (This is only) by the will of Allah. There is no power except from Allah.] Qur'an 18/39

[Praise be to Allah who guided us to this, and we would never have attained guidance if Allah had not guided us.] Qur'an 7/43

2) The Prophet (saws), too, has informed us about the reality of Allah's predestination and decree in many hadith:

Verily, each one of you is formed in his mother's womb forty days as a drop, then he is something suspended for a similar period, then he is a piece of flesh like a chewed piece of meat for another period of forty days, then the angel is sent to insert the soul. This angel is ordered to record four things: the sustenance which he will receive during his lifetime, the length of his life, all actions that he will do, and whether he will end up miserable (in hell) or joyous (in paradise). I swear by the One other than whom there is no deity, one of you may do the works of the people of paradise right up until there is only an arm's length between him and paradise, but his destiny overtakes him, so he does the actions of the people of the fire and enters it. And, verily, one of you may do the works of the people of hell until there is nothing between them and hell except for one arm's length, but his destiny overtakes him, and so he does the works of the people of paradise, and enters it. (Muslim)

Young man, I will teach you some words: Preserve (your obligations toward) Allah and He will preserve you. Guard (your obligations toward) Allah, and you will find Him on your side. When you ask, ask Allah. When you seek aid and succour, seek it from Allah. And know, that if the entire nation got together to benefit you in some way, they could never benefit you at all except for that which Allah had already decreed for you. And, if they all got together to harm you in some way, they could do you no harm except for that which Allah had already decreed for you. The pens have been lifted, and the tablets have dried. (At-Tirmidhi, and he rated it Sahih.)

The first thing which Allah created was the pen. Then, He said to it: Write. It asked: My Lord, what should I write? He said: Write the proportions of all things up until the Hour. (Ahmad, At-Tirmidhi, and it is hassan.)

Adam disputed with Musa. Musa said to Adam: O, Adam, you are the father of the human race, Allah created you with His hand, and blew into you of His spirit, and made His angels prostrate to you, why did you expel yourself and us from the garden? Adam said to him: You are Musa whom Allah favoured with His speech, and wrote for you the Taurah with His hand, so (tell me) by how many years before my creation did you find it written about me: [... then Adam disobeyed his Lord and got lost.] (Qur'an 20:121)? Musa said: By forty years. Then, Adam said: So how do you blame me for something which Allah had decreed for me before my creation by forty years? The Prophet said: And so, Adam defeated Musa in the dispute.

Iman (faith) is to believe in Allah, His angels, His revealed books, His messengers, the last day, and the predestination of all things both (those which appear) good and (those which appear) bad. (Muslim)

Act, for each of you will find easy that for which he was created. (Muslim)

Verily, oaths do not change destiny. (Sahih)

O, Abdullah ibn Qais, should I not teach you a word which is one of the treasures of paradise? (It is to say): There is no movement nor any power except from Allah.

Someone said: That which Allah wants and you want. To which the Prophet (saws) replied: That which Allah alone wants. (An-Nasaa'i, and he rated it sahih)

3) Millions of people from the nation of Muhammad (saws) have believed in Allah's predestination and decree of all things and events including its scholars, righteous ones and others. They all believed too in His wisdom and His will and that everything is known to Allah in advance of its occurrence, and only takes place by His decree. Nothing can take place anywhere in His kingdom except for that which He wills. What He wills is, and what He does not will is not. The pen has already recorded the destinies of all things up to the establishment of the hour.

Evidence Of Reason

1) Reason does not reject the idea of predestination and decree and of Allah's wisdom and His will. Just the opposite, reason demands that this is the case without doubt because of the clear evidences of it in the universe around us.

2) Belief in Allah and in his perfect might and power demands the belief in His predestination and His decree, His wisdom and His will.

3) An architect is able to make drawings for a huge building on a piece of paper. He determines the time in which it will be built, and then works at the execution of his plan, bringing the reality of the building from the paper to reality in the time set for its accomplishment, and in accordance with what he drew on the paper, neither more nor less. This being the case for a human, how could anyone reject the fact that Allah has set the proportions of all things from now until the hour? And then, due to the perfection of His knowledge and His power, He brings about those assigned proportions just as He had pre-set them in terms of quantity, nature, time, and place. There is no reason to reject these facts once we know that Allah is capable of all things!

The Affirmation Of Allah's Characteristics (Without Negation, Analogy, Distortion Or Speculation)

The Author: Part of the belief in Allah is the belief in all that with which He has described Himself in His Book or with which His Prophet (saws) has described Him without any distortion, negation, speculation (as to the exact nature of these attributes), nor analogy (i.e. between Allah's attributes and those of His creation bearing the same names).

This section is a more detailed explanation of the first pillar of Iman: belief in Allah Most High. This is, of course the most fundamental principle in Islam, and the foundation of all other principles of belief and action.

Distortion (At-Tahreef).

Distortion of the Names and Attributes themselves (i.e. the words) and (b) Distortion of their meanings.

Examples:

The Jahmiy (follower of the deviations of Al-Jahm ibn Safwan) negates Allah's statement about himself that he sat on the throne by adding an extra letter to the word in the Qur'an.

[Istawaa 'alaa al-'arsh] ==> [Istawlaa 'alaa al-'arsh]

The innovators who changed the case of a noun in the Qur'an in an effort to negate Allah's attribute of speech:

[Wa kallama Allahu Musa takleeman] ==> [Wa kallama Allaha Musa takleeman]

Others distorted meanings of Allah's attributes without actually changing the words. Examples include those who said that Allah's anger (u>Ghadhab) means His intention to punish, His mercy (u>Rahma) means his intention to have mercy, His hand (u>Yad) is His generosity or His power, etc.

Negation (At-Ta'teel):

The meaning of the word is to leave, neglect or be done with something, or for something to be unused and non-functional. The technical meaning here is the negation or denial of any or all of Allah's Attributes. Negation of Allah's attributes can be divided into three categories:

Negation of the Exalted Perfection of Allah Most High via the negation of His Names and Glorious Attributes such as was done by the Jahmiya and the Mu'tazila.

Negation through negation of appropriate interaction with Allah and neglect of worship of Him and obedience to Him, or the association of others with Him in acts of worship and/or obedience.

Negation of the relationship of the creation to its Creator, such as the negation of the philosophers who claimed that this physical universe has no beginning, and that it has always and will always work according to its own internal rules. They turn Allah into an essence with no attributes - which is an impossibility!

Speculation And Analogy (At-Takyeef Wa At-Tamtheel):

At-Takyeef means attempts to ascribe a detailed understanding of the exact nature of the various attributes with which Allah has described Himself. At-Tamtheel means to make a direct comparison or analogy between one of Allah's attributes and a human attribute having the same name, such as the comparison of Isa by the Christians to Allah Most High, or that of Uzair by the Jews or that of the idols by the polytheists to Allah Most High. Likewise the Mushabbiha among the Muslims who compare Allah with His creation by saying that He has a face like our faces, hands like our hands, hearing and sight like ours, etc.

The author said elsewhere: Rather [the believers] believe that Allah Most High is not comparable to anything or anyone else, and He is the Hearing, the Seeing. They do not negate or deny any of that with which He described Himself, nor [do they] distort the words out of their proper context. They do not deviate [with respect to] His Names and His Verses. They do not seek detailed descriptions of the exact nature of His attributes without sources of that knowledge, nor compare His attributes with those of His creation, because there are none comparable to Him, nor any equal or partner!

Tauhid of Allah's Names and Attributes means belief in everything which has come in the Qur'an and the authenticated hadith regarding Allah's attributes with which He described Himself in the Qur'an, or with which His Prophet (saws) has described Him. A Muslim must believe in the reality of these attributes just as they have come in the above sources, without attempting to analyse the how of any of them, nor to attempt to represent them with something else, nor to view them as equivalent to something else, nor to re-interpret them with other than their apparent meanings in the Arabic language, nor to distort or negate them maintaining the belief that...

[There is nothing whatsoever similar to Him, and He is the Hearer, the Seer.] Ash-Shooraa/11

Allah said:

[Say: He is Allah, the One * Allah, the one sought for all needs, the self-sufficient, the eternal. * He bears not offspring, nor was He born, * And there exists nothing comparable to Him.] Qur'an Al-Ikhlaas/all

[And to Allah belong the best of names, so call Him with them, and leave those who deviate with regard to His names - they will be fully repaid for all that they used to do.] As- A'raaf/180

The Position Of Ahlu As-Sunnah With Regard To Allah's Attributes

The Prophet (saws) said: The best of generations is my generation. It is followed (in superiority) by the one which comes after it, then the one which comes after that, then the one which comes after that.

Ahlu As-Sunna acknowledge and believe that Allah ta'ala is completely unlike and cannot be compared to any created being, neither in His essence, His attributes, His actions or His names. All of His names are glorious, and all of His attributes are attributes of perfection and absolute greatness. The ultimate and most concise proof of the position of ahlu as-sunnah is found in the verse cited earlier, in which Allah says:

[There is nothing whatsoever similar to Him, and He is the Hearer, the Seer.] Ash-Shooraa/11

This verse contains a negation which is followed immediately by an affirmation. The fact that Allah negates the possibility of anything or anyone being comparable or like Him, and follows that immediately with he affirmation of two of His glorious names and perfect attributes, puts an absolute end to the confusing arguments and sophistries of the innovators in the area of Allah's names/attributes. When one comprehends fully the meaning of this verse and contemplates it, it is alone is sufficient for an understanding of this issue. It is further supported by the following verses:

[He knows all that is in front of them and all that is behind them, and they are incapable of encompassing Him with their knowledge.] Taha/110

[He knows all that is in front of them and all that is behind them, and they can encompass nothing of his knowledge (with their understanding) except what He so wills.] Al-Baqarah/ 255

The author said elsewhere:

those who used their imaginations, (2) those who distort meanings through non-apparent interpretation, and (3) those who postulate ignorance of their meanings on the part of the Prophet (saws) and the believers.

The imaginers are the philosophers and those who followed their path among sophists (u>Al-Mutakallimeen) and Sufis. The essence of their position is that they say: All that the Prophet (saws) has mentioned to us in the area of belief in Allah and the last day is just an imaginary conception of the realities delivered in a form that the masses could benefit from, but which do not make any of that reality clear or guide the creation to an understanding of them.

Beyond this, they fall into two groups: One group says that the Prophet (saws) did not have true knowledge of these realities, and they say that some of the later philosophers and spiritual seekers after him have arrived at this knowledge! They place some of the supposed awliyaa' on a higher lever than the commissioned messengers! This is the belief of the many of the sufis and the Shi'a. Another group says that while the Prophet (saws) had knowledge of these realities, he did not make them clear to the people. In fact, they claim that he taught them meanings actually at odds with the realities which he understood because that was what was beneficial to them. Thus, their argument is that it was required of the Prophet (saws) to call the people to belief in Allah having attributes that they could understand, to the resurrection of our bodies on Qiyama, to eating and drinking in Al-Jannah, not because these things are real, but because it would not have been possible to call the people except with such things. Thus they allege that the Prophet (saws) was ordered to lie to the people for their own good. As for the practical applications and laws of Islam, they go two different ways: some accept their obligation upon them, while others say that they only apply to some people or that they apply to the common masses, but that certain special individuals become exempt from their requirements.

Those who distort by allegorical interpretation say that the Prophet (saws) did not intend, in these texts dealing with Allah's attributes, that people should believe untruths; rather, he intended with them certain meanings which, however, he did not make clear, or did he point them in their direction. Rather, he wanted them to seek and attempt to know the realities with their minds, and then to fit the texts through interpretation to the meanings at which they arrive. In their belief, the teachings of the Prophet (saws) were nothing more than a test or a requirement of them to seek to know the truth from other sources, and not from him (saws).

Those who postulate ignorance (and there are many of them who claim adherence to the sunnah) claim that the Prophet (saws) did not know the meanings of the revelations about Allah's attributes, nor did Jibreel. According to this, the Prophet (saws) spoke to us with things which he himself did not understand. They cite Allah's statement that:

[None knows their true meanings (or interpretation) except Allah.]

This is basically a correct position, except for the fact that they failed to differentiate between meaning and interpretation (i.e. tafsir).

No Analogies Or Comparisons Can Be Made Between Allah Most High And His Creation

Allah Most High said: [So do not posit similitude's to Allah; Verily Allah knows and you know not.] An-Nahl/74. Allah ta'ala cannot be compared to any among His creation in His actions and His attributes, just as He cannot be compared to any of them in his essence.

This position of the Sunnah and its followers, is at odds with he deviation of the Mu'tazilah and those among the Shi'a who imitated them. They make analogies between Allah and His creation and make Allah comparable to His creation and subject to the same methods of analysis. Then they proceeded to fabricate a law from themselves, saying that Allah must do such and such and must not do such and such.

The Mu'tazilah and those who follow their way are Mushabbiha in relation to Allah's actions, and Mu'attilah in relation to His attributes. They reject some of what Allah has attributed to Himself, and they call that Tauhid; and they have made Him comparable to His creation in analysis of praiseworthy and blameworthy actions, calling that justice.

Their justice is a rejection of Allah's absolute power and control over his creation (the Sixth Pillar of Iman, above), and is in reality shirk. Their tauhid is deviation with regard to his names and their rejection or negation (ta'teel).

[And to Allah belong the best of names, so call Him with them, and leave those who deviate with regard to His names - they will be fully repaid for all that they used to do.] As- A'raaf/180

In short, Allah's is the utmost example (in all of his attributes); comparisons and analogies, either partial or total, cannot be drawn between Him and His creation.

[And His is the utmost example in the heavens and the earth, and He is the Mighty, the Wise.] Ar-Rum/27

Thus, any attribute of perfection or power with which humans can be described, is in its ultimate meaning, and is most appropriate when applied to Allah, ta'ala. And any negative attribute or shortcoming which is negated from humans by way of praise is in its ultimate meaning, and is most appropriate when applied to Allah ta'ala.

All issues of Allah's attributes and names must be taken back, both to affirm and deny, to that which Allah said about Himself, and that which His Prophet (saws) taught us about Him. These sources cannot be neglected in favour of those who forge lies about Allah, and speak about Him that which they know not.

The author: And [Allah is] more truthful in speech and superior in discourse to his slaves.... This is taken from the verse:

[Allah! There is no deity but Him. He will surely bring you all together to the day of Qiyamah; there is no doubt therein; and who is more truthful in discourse than Allah?] An-Nisaa/87

Allah's discourse is on the absolute highest level of truth. Any knowledge which contradicts the discourse of Allah is falsehood, lies or deception since it contradicts the ultimate and infallible truth.

The author: Further, His messengers are truthful and among those who believe as true... Truthfulness (As-Sidq) means accordance between statement and reality. Those who believe as true (Musaddiqeen) refers to their complete belief in the revelations which came to them.

The author: ...This, in contrast to those who say about Allah that which they know not. This includes those who speak, based on speculation and their own minds, understandings and inclinations about Allah: His law, His Deen, His names or His attributes.

Allah said:

[Glorified is your Lord, the Lord of might above that which they attribute to Him. * And peace be upon the messengers. * And all praise is to Allah, Lord of the worlds.] As-Saaffaat/180-182.

Allah Cannot Be Compared To His Creation

The verses quoted previously are a concise expression of the position of the true worshippers of Allah in relation to His attributes about which He has informed us through His Messenger (saws). In the first verse, Allah declares His perfection and his remoteness from any of the things which humans attempt to ascribe to him with their minds. Next, He invokes a greeting upon the commissioned messengers - because of their faithful delivery of the true teachings about Allah and His attributes. Finally, He finishes by invoking to Himself Al-Hamd the ultimate praise which is due only to Him because of His glorious attributes of perfection and might.

Now, we will take a closer look at the meaning of the words in the verse.

{Subhaana Rabbika Rabbi Al-'Izzati 'Amma Yasifoon; Wa Salaamun 'Alaa Al-Mursaleen; Wa Al-Hamdu Lillahi Rabbi Al-Aalameen}

Subhaana:

This is a verbal noun derived from the same root as Tasbeeh which connotes declaration of Allah's freedom of all defects (and His deanthropomorphism) and His distance from all that is bad. Prayer has been called Tasbeeh, since this attitude toward Allah is the heart of all belief and worship.

Al-'Izza:

Strength, power, dominion and control.

Al-Rabb:

The Lord and Cherisher of all of His creation with a multitude of bounties and provisions.

As-Salaam:

Greetings (the greetings of peace) upon the Messengers. It also connotes integrity and freedom from defects (as opposed to those who speak of Allah as they imagine Him to be) in their teachings, since Salaama comes from the same root.

Al-Mursaleen:

Plural of Rasool (Messenger). The Messengers are those to whom a law has been revealed from Allah, and who have been ordered to propagate it.

Al-Hamd:

An expression of praise based on the good action which the praised one has done by his will and choice, whether that action has benefited the praiser or others beside him.

The General Meaning of the Three Verses:

These verses are a very important lesson in Tauhid, and an apt closing to Sura As-Saaffaat in which Allah has declared himself free of any consort, wife, partner, son or companion. This is so the Muslim may never be unmindful of these truths, and may place the seal of Tauhid on all of his good actions. Allah declares Himself free of all of the attributes which have been ascribed to Him by those who oppose the Messengers or deviate from their messages - attributes which are not appropriate to His greatness and perfection. The greeting upon the Messengers which follows this is because of the complete integrity and reliability of all that they taught about Allah, Most High. In this, also, is an indication that just as a Muslim must have a belief in Allah free from any shortcoming or flaw, a Muslim likewise must believe in the integrity of all of the Messengers in their actions and their statements. None of the Messengers ever lied about Allah, associated anything with Him or deceived their nations about Him; they speak nothing about Him but the truth, may the prayers and peace of Allah be upon them.

The people of the Sunnah are unanimous in affirming that the Messengers are infallible in their delivering of the message. It is impossible that anything could stabilize in their teaching and practice of the Shariah which is not Allah's ruling. It is obligatory to believe all that of which they have informed us and to obey them in that which they have ordered and forbidden. Although a Muslim commits sins (and does not thereby cease being a Muslim), they are not to be accepted from him. Further, if he repents a true repentance, he may, with Allah's mercy reach a superior state than the one previous to his sin and repentance.

It has been narrated that the Prophet (saws) used to recite these three verses just before giving Salaam in his prayer. It is also narrated as a du'a to be said at the conclusion of a sitting.

How To Believe In Allah's Names And Attributes

The Author: Allah, subhaanahu, has combined in that with which He has described and named Himself negation (of all faults and negative attributes) and affirmation (of all attributes of might and perfection). The people of the Sunnah will turn nowhere away from that which the Messengers have brought. It is the Straight Path, the path of those upon whom Allah has bestowed His grace among the prophets, the ever-truthful, ever-faithful disciples, the martyrs, and all other righteous ones.

Thus, belief in Allah's names and attributes is based upon two fundamental principles: negation and affirmation. Negation refers to rejecting with respect to Allah all attributes which contradict His perfection, including all types of faults, weaknesses or needs. We reject the idea that Allah could have any partner or peer. Nor can there be any comparable to Him in any of his attributes or the rights due to him alone. There are two types of affirmation: affirmation of general attributes such as Allah's absolute perfection, majesty, etc; and affirmation of detailed attributes such as His detailed knowledge of all things, his decree of all events, His mercy, etc.

Negation (of a negative attribute) alone, not accompanied by affirmation (of its opposite) is not praise and is not befitting Allah. Thus, every negation which Allah has attributed to himself contains and implies the affirmation of its opposite. Allah's negation of His having any partner or sharing any common attributes with any of his creation or of anything escaping His knowledge or of his acting with frivolity or of His forgetting, becoming tired or being touched by sleep all imply their opposites among Allah's attributes of perfection.

The Author: The way of life in Allah's eyes is Islam, and it is the straight path.

Ibn Al-Qayyim said (paraphrased): The best expression of the meaning of As-Siraat Al-Mustaqeem is that it is the path which Allah set for his slaves on the tongues of His messengers, upon them be peace, and made it the path to Him - there is no other way for them. The straight path is dedicating all worship solely to Allah, and obedience solely to His messengers (among men). This then is the guidance, and it is knowledge of the truth and its application.

The way to Allah is one and no more. The Straight Path is sometimes attached by possessive to Allah {And this is my path which is straight}, because He is the one who ordained it and set it as the way to success for His slaves. Other times it is so attached to those who follow it, as in Sura Al-Fatiha, since they are the ones who traverse it.

As-Siraat in the Qur'an is of two types: spiritual (or abstract) and physical. The spiritual path is what we have been discussing, and the physical, tangible path (siraat) is the one which will be placed over the fire of Jahannam on Qiyamah. The people will pass over this bridge (or fail to) according to their actions in this life. The degree of their steadfastness on the metaphysical path while in this life will be directly reflected in their steadfastness and ability to cross over the physically real path which leads to Al-Jannah.

{Verily Jahannam is a place of ambush. * A destination for the transgressors. * Who will remain therein for ages. * Nothing cool shall they taste therein, nor any drink. * Except for boiling liquid and a liquid dark and murky. * A fitting recompense. * Verily, they used not to expect any taking of accounts. * And they arrogantly treated our verses as lies. * And all things we have recorded in a book. An-Naba'/21-29.

Testimony That Muhammed (saws) Is Allah's Messenger

And I bear witness that Muhammad is Allah's slave and messenger, may Allah's prayers be upon him and upon his people (Aal) and his companions and Allah's greetings (or peace) in abundance...

Meaning: I accept and believe in an absolute fashion that Muhammad is the slave of Allah and His messenger to all peoples of both men and jinn. He came as a bringer of glad tidings and a warner, a caller to Allah with His leave and a bright light of guidance. Thus, it is obligatory to believe him in each and every issue about which he informed us, whether past, present or future and to obey him in each and every order and forbiddance and to follow the law which he brought (Shari'ah) and his path (Sunnah).

The testimony to Muhammad's (saws) status of slave of Allah and messenger goes hand in hand with the testimony as to the oneness of Allah, one is of no use without the other. In so bearing witness, a believer acknowledges the perfect servitude of Muhammad (saws) to Allah Most High and the completeness and perfection of his message. In so doing, we acknowledge the complete example in the person of the Prophet (saws) and that his person, life and example far exceed every other created being in every aspect including the law, his devotion to Allah, his character, etc.

[There is for you in Allah's Messenger a good example for whoever hopes for Allah and the Last Day and remembers Allah much.] Al-Ahzab 21

Ibn Al-Qayyim said: Just as Muhammad (saws) was sent with the message intended for every responsible being in Allah's creation, likewise, his message was general and inclusive of all issues of life and religion both general principles and details. Just as no one is outside the scope of his message, likewise no ruling or judgement of which the nation has a need is outside the scope of his message or not explained fully by his message. Ibn Taimia said: The entire Din falls under the two testimonies since their meaning is that we worship none but Allah and that we obey his Messenger (saws). The entire religion of Islam consists of this: worship of Allah by obedience to His messenger. Every issue which is required or loved by Allah falls under obeying Allah and His messenger (saws).

The Messengers Are The Best of The Creation And the Most Truthful

Whoever contemplates that which was brought by the Prophet (saws) will come to know that it could not have been delivered except by most knowledgeable and the most truthful and most righteous of Allah's creation. Such a teaching could not have come from someone intentionally lying and committing a forgery against Allah nor from someone ignorant who imagined that Allah has commissioned him. We know this from the perfection and completeness of the message of Islam. It guides mankind to that which is most beneficial to them and makes clear many issues which the human mind understands in general but is incapable of arriving at its details. The message contains knowledge at a level of perfection which could only have come from the All-Knowing and delivered by the most trustworthy and honest of mankind. And, it contains perfect benefit, good and guidance of the creation to that which will benefit them and warning them against that which will harm them that it could only have come from the Most Merciful, delivered the most compassionate, merciful and truthful of Allah's creation, Muhammad, may the prayers and salutations of Allah be upon him.

Once we have understood that Muhammad (saws) is Allah's messenger by our reason and by the transmitted evidence which has reached us and then find something in our mind which is at odds with any part of the message, logic and intellect demand that we submit the issue of difference between our own thinking and the message of Muhammad (saws) to the one more knowledgeable of all such issues. A Muslim would never give his opinion precedence over any statement of the Prophet (saws), knowing that his own intellect, no matter how great, falls far short of that of the Prophet (saws) and that the Prophet (saws) is more knowledgeable of Allah, His Names and Attributes, His law and of the hereafter.

The difference in knowledge between the most knowledgeable of the Muslims and the Prophet (saws) is much greater than the difference between an average man and a master doctor. When we are sick, we follow the prescriptions of the doctor even though we know that his medicines often don't help and sometimes harm and that he makes mistakes. How then could we fail to follow the prescriptions of the Messenger (saws).

Our lack of knowledge of certain realities does not affect their reality. All that of which we have been informed by the Truthful messenger is established whether we know it or not -- it is not affected by our knowledge of it one way or the other. All that of which the Prophet (saws) has informed us is truth regardless of who believed in it and who didn't and all guidance which the Prophet (saws) delivered is from Allah, regardless of who obeyed it and who rebelled against it.

What is clear from all this is that intellect is not a source of establishing the law. Knowledge can neither give it any attribute nor affect it in any way since knowledge here only seeks to understand the message of Allah which is not in need of it in any way. To make this clearer, let us understand that knowledge is of two types. One type is a condition to the existence of its subject such as the comprehension of one of us of what we wish to do before undertaking doing it. The second type is theoretical knowledge of something which is self-existing and in no need of anyone's knowledge of it. Examples of this are our knowledge of the oneness of Allah, the truthfulness of His messenger (saws) and the perfection of His law. The relationship of the Shariah to our own knowledge and understanding is along these lines. The Shariah which Allah sent down to us through His messenger is established and constant in and of itself, whether we understand it with our minds or not. It is in no need of our minds or our understanding. We, on the other hand are in dire need to know it and understand it with our minds so that we can gain its benefit. Our knowledge of the Shariah and of Islam will change the nature of our mind and elevate it to a higher level and ignorance of it will leave us ignorant and unguided even though none of that will have any effect on the reality of Allah's Din which is established and unchanging.

That which is known infallibly through intellectual reasoning is never and can never by in conflict with the revelation of Muhammad (saws). In all such cases which have been claimed, we discover that either the narration cited is a forgery, or its indication of the claimed meaning is ambiguous and unclear. In such a case, the narration is understood in the way which does not conflict with reason.

Section

Discussion Of Texts Dealing With The Attributes Of Allah In Which A Muslim Must Believe

Surah Ikhlas

First: Hadith which reveal the greatness of this Sura (presented orally).

Allah has described Himself with certain attributes in this short Sura which is equivalent to one third of the Qur'an, as the Prophet (saws) said in the hadith. These attributes are among those in which a Muslim must believe. Allah said:

These, then are among the attributes which a Muslim accepts as they have come in the revelation without negation, analogy, distortion or speculation. The Prophet (saws) informed us in a sahih hadith that this one short sura is equivalent to one third of the Qur'an. This is because all of the knowledge contained in the Qur'an fits into one of three categories:

Knowledge of the Rulings of the Law (Shariah): in which is included the science of Fiqh which deals with Ibadaat (worship), Mu'aamalaat (human interaction) and corollaries of those two;

Knowledge of the Consequences of Our Actions: which includes those actions which are the reason for returns of what their doers deserve, either reward or punishment, and descriptions of some of the details of the rewards and punishments in the hereafter;

Knowledge of Tauhid: This is the most sublime of the three types of knowledge, and includes knowledge of all that is obligatory upon Allah's slaves in terms of knowledge of Him and belief.

Sura Al-Ikhlas contains the entire foundation for this third type of knowledge (and this, and Allah knows best, is why the Prophet equated it to one third of the Qur'an). Say, He is Allah, the One, i.e. the completely unique in His greatness and perfection, the one and only in his majesty, sublimity and grandeur. This is carried further by the next verse: Allah, the one sought for all needs, the self-sufficient, the eternal, i.e. Allah is the Lord whose lordship is absolute, the Great whose greatness is absolute, the All-Knowing whose knowledge knows no flaw, the absolute Sovereign, and the Perfect in each and every one of His names and attributes. Another meaning of As-Samad in this verse is He who is sought and needed by all creation for all of their needs, wants and aspirations. Thus the word As-Samad is not only one of Allah's attributes, rather it includes in its meaning the affirmation of all of Allah's glorious names and sublime attributes. This is the first and greatest aspect of the Tauhid of Allah's Names and Attributes: affirmation of all of His attributes of perfection and greatness.

The second aspect of the Tauhid of Allah's names and attributes, is negation with respect to Allah of any progeny, partners or equals. This is found in the next verses: He bears not offspring, nor was He born, * And there exists nothing comparable to Him.

The negation of the process of birth or the betaking of a son is in reality a negation of all types of shirk. Shirk is much more common among the human race than the claim of Allah having a son. Both of them entail the belief in another like unto Allah at least in some aspects. All of this is rejected by sound reasoning as well as the infallible texts of the revelation.

If this imagined son is considered equal to Allah, this means the need of each of them for the other, and that is impossible with respect to Allah, the All-Powerful, the Self-Sufficient.

If, on the other hand, the son is less than equal, this indicates that the father sought him to aid him in something. The fact that all created beings are in absolute need of their Creator for all needs, and that the Creator is absolutely self-sufficient and not in need of them for anything negates totally the concept of father and son with respect to Allah.

Birth is something which occurs not by the choice of the parents. It is impossible for anything to take place which is not by the choice and decree of Allah, Most High.

The betaking of a son is resorted to when one is unable to have their own as a substitute for a natural offspring. To say that about Allah is even worse, since it indicates a lack and a need.

This Sura has been called Al-Ikhlas (i.e., sincerity, completeness of devotion) because it is complete in its description of the Merciful or because it makes the devotion of one who reads and practices it complete and free of associations, either conceptual or practical.

This Sura contains in its meanings all three types of Tauhid. It deals explicitly with the Tauhid of Allah's names and attributes; the Tauhid of Allah's lordship is implicit in its meanings; and the Tauhid of worship and obedience is an inevitable consequence of the contents of this Sura.

Knowledge Contained In This Sura

The Oneness of Allah Most High;

The complete need of the creation for Allah, and His absolute lack of any need for them;

A rebuttal of the claim of those who say that the Qur'an is the words of Muhammad;

Rejection of the claim of the Jews that Uzair is the son of Allah and that of the Christians that Isa is His son;

A call to reliance on Allah for all needs;

A call to the worship of Allah alone and with no partner;

Exaltation of Allah above any resemblance to His creation;

Details of belief are to be taken from the Qur'an and the Sunnah only;

A rejection of those who say the nature and its laws are what direct all events in the universe;

Whoever steadfastly believes in the Oneness of Allah, that He is As-Samad and that He is the Doer of whatever He wishes purifies his heart from all contamination of shirk or attachment to other than Allah Most High; and

This Sura includes the rejection of all of the various types of associationism. Multiplicity of the Deity is rejected by the words the One. Allah negates all types of need for others on His part with the word As-Samad. He negates any similarity or equality between Creator and creation with the words He bears not offspring. He negates the possibility of His coming about at a point in time (Al-Huduth) with the words Nor was He born. And, finally, he negates the possibility of any others being at all comparable to Him with the words: And there exists nothing comparable to Him.

Ayat Al Kursiy

All that with which Allah has described Himself in Verse255 of Sura Al-Baqarah, the greatest verse in the Qur'an, also known as the Verse of the Throne (Aayat Al-Kursiy) is also part of the attributes of Allah in which a Muslim believes.

{Allah. There is no Deity but Him, the Living, the Ever-Present Sustainer. Drowsiness can never overtake Him, nor sleep. His is all that is in the heavens and all that is in the Earth. Who then can intercede in His presence except with His permission? He knows all that is in front of them and all that is behind them; they can encompass nothing of His knowledge except as He wishes. His throne extends over the heavens and the earth; maintaining them causes Him no fatigue whatsoever; and He is the High, the Great.} Baqarah/255.

In the famous hadith of Abu Hurayrah, the Prophet (saws) explains the great power of this verse:

The Prophet (saws) placed me in charge of the of guarding the Zakat of Ramadan. In the night, an intruder came and began taking some of the food. I seized him and said: I will take you to Allah's Messenger (saws) .... He said: When you go to your bed, read the Verse of the Throne. There will continue to be a guardian from Allah with you until morning, and no Sheytan will approach you. [When this was reported to the Prophet,] He said: He was truthful with you, though he is a liar - that was Sheytan!

Sahih Al-Bukhari/Fadhaa'il Al-Qur'an/10.

who is self-sufficient and absolutely free of any need for any of his creation and (2) who watches over all His creation without interruption; He created them, completed their creation, He provides them sustenance, manages their affairs and extends to them all that they need. This name includes implicitly all of Allah's attributes of action (u>As-Sifaat Al-Fi'liya). This is why it has been narrated that Al-Hayy Al-Qayoom is the greatest name of Allah which, when du'a is made in this name, it is answered; i.e. because of Al-Hayy including all of Allah's attributes of His essence and Al-Qayoom including all of His attributes of action.

Then, Allah expounds upon His attribute of Al-Qayoom (the Ever-Present Sustainer, and the Self-Sufficient), by declaring that drowsiness can never overtake him, nor sleep.

After that, Allah mentions the totality of His dominion over the upper worlds and the lower. Another aspect of the completeness of His dominion is that none can intercede in His presence except after His permission. Thus, this verse also mentions Ash-Shafaa'a, an obligatory part of a Muslim's Aqidah. It is the intercession which takes place after His permission and with His pleasure. The Shafaa'a which is rejected, on the other hand, is that in the beliefs of the Associationists, which is sought from other than Allah and without His permission. Thus, the completeness of Allah's Greatness and Dominion means that none can ever intercede before Him except those to whom He grants permission and that this permission will only be granted to those with whose actions and speech Allah is pleased. Allah states in the Qur'an that no intercession of anyone will be of benefit to the Associationists.

Next, Allah mentions the greatness of His knowledge, its all-encompassing quality and that nothing whatsoever is hidden from His knowledge. As for His creation, they are not capable of encompassing (i.e. comprehending) anything of His knowledge except to the degree that He so wills. This refers to the portion of His knowledge in the areas of the Shari'ah, Tauhid and the question of predetermination which Allah has allowed some of his creation to have access to and some understanding of. It is an infinitesimally tiny degree of knowledge compared the knowledge of the Creator, Most High. Thus, the angels said to Allah after the discussion about the creation of Adam: Glorified are You! We have no knowledge except that which You have caused us to know. (Sura Al-Baqarah).

After this, Allah Most High gave us a glimpse of His Majesty and Might in a description of His Kursiy, which is as the footrest of the Throne (Al-Arsh) itself. This Kursiy encompasses the heavens and the earth and all that is therein. Allah informs us that he preserves and maintains the heavens and the earth, keeping them from crashing into each other or shaking apart. He caused the whole universe to function smoothly according to the laws which he prescribed for it and in a manner which provides countless bounties and provisions for His creation. The correct interpretation here is that Al-Kursiy and Al-Arsh are not the same thing and that, as the Prophet said in the hadith, the magnitude of the Kursiy in relation to the Arsh is like the size of a ring cast out into the desert compared to the whole desert. In spite of this incredible size of Allah's creation, He is full capable without any hardship to maintain all of it perfectly from His mighty Arsh to the smallest cell or atom.

{And he is the High, the Great.} Allah concluded this mighty verse with these two names of His. Allah has the attribute of absolute highness and elevation from every perspective. Elevation of His essence meaning his being far above His creation mounted on the Throne and elevation of degree meaning His possession of all attributes of greatness and perfection that those attributes being in the ultimate and absolute form in relation to Allah Most High. And Allah is the Great, possessor of absolute greatness and all perfect attributes of greatness, pride and power.

The Author said elsewhere: It is mandatory to understand that the upper and the lower worlds, all of them put together are tiny in relation to the Creator, Most High, as has been clearly established in the texts of the Qur'an and the Sunnah. No comparisons whatsoever may be made between the two magnitudes. The heavens and the earth and all that is therein is, in Allah's grasp, like nothing more than a mustard seed in the grasp of a human being. Furthermore, the whole of Allah's creation knows instinctively to look for their Lord in the upward direction, in contrast to some of the Associationists or philosophers who have become confused on this issue. [paraphrased]

Knowledge contained In This Ayat

Assertion of Allah's deity ship.

His oneness in His attribute of deity ship.

Assertion of Allah's attribute of Life.

Assertion of Allah's attributes of a) self sufficiency and lack of all need for anyone and b) His complete and total maintenance of and care for His entire creation on a continuous basis without interruption. (Both concepts are from the term Al-Qayoom.)

Exaltation of Allah (negation) above any possibility of drowsiness or sleep.

Negation of Allah's ever being incapable of anything.

Assertion of the absolute and complete nature of Allah's knowledge and that it encompasses everything in His creation.

Assertion of the completeness of Allah's dominion and that to him belongs all that is in the heavens and the earth both in terms of their original creation and His ownership of them after than, in which He has no partner or competitor.

His total control over knowledge of His creation, and that they can never know or comprehend anything except that which He wills for them.

Assertion of the reality of the intercession by those to whom Allah grants permission.

Assertion of Allah's attribute of elevation and that He is above his creation and, obviously, therefore distinct and separate from it.

Assertion of Allah's will or decree (Al-Mashee'a).

Rejection of the position of all of those who claim intercession for idols or others.

Rejection of all those who deny the absolute nature of Allah's knowledge e.g. that He doesn't know events until they occur.

That Allah, when he so wishes, grants to humans some portion of His knowledge, as Allah said:

{We will show them Our signs on the horizons and in them selves until it becomes clear to them that it is the Truth. It is not sufficient that your Lord is a witness over all things?} Fusilat/53

That no human is the true possessor of anything -- they only possess its use temporarily, and Allah is the true Owner of all things.

That the most knowledgeable of humans has been given only a tiny portion of knowledge.

That there are, in the heavens, creations known only to Allah.

That intercession before Allah is not something that can be earned or achieved by any human. Rather, it is only after and by Allah's permission to those with whom he is pleased.

Allah's Knowledge Encompasses All

{He is the First, the Last, the Uppermost and the Innermost and He is completely knowledgeable of all things.} Al-Hadeed/3.

{And place your reliance on the Living, who never dies, and exalt His praises, and enough is He to be fully informed of the sins of His slaves.} Al-Furqan/58.

{He is the One who created the heavens and the earth in Truth; the day He says, Be!, and it is. His Word is the Truth. His will be the dominion the day the horn will be blown; Knower of the unseen and the apparent, and He is the Wise, the Fully-Acquainted (with all things). Al-An'aam/73

The Prophet (saws) has interpreted the four glorious names of Allah found in the verse from Sura Al-Hadeed above saying (in some of his Du'a):

You are the First so there is nothing before you, and You are the last so there is nothing after You, and you are the Uppermost so there is nothing above You, and You are the Innermost so there is nothing closer than You.

The common denominator of these four names is the concept of encompassing. This concept can then be divided into two categories: encompassing in time and encompassing in space. With relation to time, Allah is the First before all else no matter how ancient, and the Last after which there is nothing. With relation to space, Allah is the Uppermost above all other dominators or mighty ones; and He is the Innermost beyond which there is nothing. Thus, the First is Allah's having no beginning, the Last is His eternal existence, the Uppermost is Allah's elevation above His creation and His Mightiness, and the Innermost is his closeness (in His knowledge and power).

Then, Allah said: ...and He is completely knowledgeable of all things. Allah is all knowing of all that ever was, all that is now, all that ever will be, and all that would have been if such-and-such a variable had been different. He knows all of this about the lower worlds and the upper worlds, about all apparent and hidden things, about all that is possible, that which must be and that which cannot be and {...nothing can be hidden from Him, not even an atom's weight, neither in the heavens nor in the earth.} Saba/3.

Knowledge Contained In This Ayat

The affirmation of Allah's attribute of First, and His being before all else.

The affirmation of Allah's eternity, that He will remain forever, and that nothing is after Him.

The affirmation of Allah's attribute of Highness and elevation above His creation.

Allah's closeness (with His Knowledge and Power) and His encompassing of all things.

The perfection of Allah's Knowledge and that it encompasses all things.

Rejection of the claim that Allah knows only the generalities in the universe but not every intricate detail.

Rejection of the claims of those who reject Allah's attribute of Knowledge.

Affirmation of Allah's attribute of speech.

Urging to be conscious of Allah in public and in secret.

In the second verse, Allah orders us to place our reliance in Him, the Living who never dies. The meaning of At-Tawakkal is the reliance of the heart on Allah for the acquiring of all benefit, and the repelling of all harm accompanied by trust in Allah, and practice of the causes. i.e., Place your reliance on the Eternal Lord, the Lord and Sovereign of all things, make Him your sanctuary and refuge, refer all of your affairs to him, actively seek submission to His Will and Order and then be steadfast in the face of all that afflicts you in the pursuit thereof, with a surety of knowledge that He is sufficient for you, He is your Helper and Ally, and the only One to take you to your goal.

Ibn Al-Qayyim said: The people are in unanimous agreement that At-Tawakkal in no way conflicts with the pursuit of the causes of success and that At-Tawakkal is no valid unless accompanied by pursuit of the causes. Sahl ibn Abdallah said: Whoever attacks effort and striving has attacked the Sunnah and whoever attacks At-Tawakkal has attacked Iman (belief), for At-Tawakkal was the state of the Prophet (saws) and striving and working was his Sunnah. Therefore, whoever works on (achieving) his (saws) state, let him beware lest he neglect his (saws) Sunnah.

At-Tawakkal is two types: reliance on Allah and reliance on other than Allah. Reliance on other than Allah is three types:

Reliance on other than Allah in affairs of which none are capable except Allah Most High. Examples include reliance on the dead and those worshipped besides Allah in issues of sustenance, achieving benefits or repelling harm. This is major association (Ash-Shirk Al-Akbar).

Reliance on other than Allah in some of the apparent causes such as reliance on a ruler in those areas in which Allah has given him some power such as material wealth, repelling harm or coming to one's aid in battle. This is a type of minor association (u>Ash-Shirk Al-Asghar).

Commissioning another person to do something of which you yourself are capable on your behalf. This is legitimate in general, but it is not acceptable for him to place in reliance in that, but rather to maintain his full reliance upon Allah to make his affairs easier. With this condition, this is part of the legitimate pursuit of the causes of success.

Ibn Taimia said: The turning away of the heart from seeking from Allah and placing all hope in Him leads inevitably to the drifting of the heart away from the worship of Allah. This is especially so when one places hopes in created beings and is distracted from placing his hopes in the Creator. And so, his heart becomes attached to his political power, his armed forces, his followers, his servants, his Shaikh or others among those who have either already died, or who will die.

Allah says {And place your reliance on the Living, who never dies...}. The human heart can never attain felicity, happiness or experience any true sweetness and peace and tranquillity except through worship of its Lord, love for Him, and turning to Him in submission and repentance. Even if one were to achieve all the sources of pleasure and sweetness from Allah's creation, but without the supreme pleasure of Iman and Tawakkal, he would never find peace therein because of the spiritual poverty from which he would suffer.

Knowledge Contained In This Ayat

Affirmation of Allah's attribute of Life. This is one of the attributes of Allah's essence. Allah's Life is the ultimate and perfect meaning of Life which inevitably means His eternity. The significance of this attribute here is the Ever-Living is the one in whom one should place his trust and reliance.

The order to place one's true reliance in Allah Most High.

Rejection of the claims of those who reject Allah's attribute of Life.

Allah's Attribute Of Knowledge

One of the attributes with which Allah has described us is His attribute of knowledge or of knowing. As with all of Allah's attributes, we accept at face value that Allah knows since He said He does. Since Allah is totally unlike any of His creation and there is nothing at all comparable to him, we know that Allah's knowledge is not like human knowledge which we know of and can in no way be compared to it. Finally, since that we know that Allah is the Exalted, Possessor of all attributes of perfection and might, we know that His knowledge is the ultimate and perfect meaning of the concept of knowledge.

In this section, We will discuss four different verses which indicate Allah's attribute of knowledge.

{He is the one who created the heavens and the earth in six days, then sat on the throne. He knows all that enters into the earth and all that comes out there from; and all that descends from the heavens and all that ascends therein. He is with you wherever you are, and Allah is Seeing of all that you do.} Hadeed/4

This verse is one of the proofs of Allah's attribute of knowledge. Allah's knowledge is on of His attributes of His essence (As-Sifaat Adh-Dhaatiya). Allah's knowledge includes and encompasses all things. He knows what was, what is, what will be and what would have been if such-and-such a variable had been different.

This verse, then affirms Allah's knowledge. He knows all that enters the earth such as water, treasures, the dead, seeds, animals, cave creatures, etc.. He knows all that issues forth from the earth such as plants, minerals, water, steam and the dead on the day of Qiyamah. Allah knows all that descends from the heavens such as the angels, rains, heat, cold and calamities. And He knows all that ascends therein such as the preservers of people's actions.

Al-Qadariya reject Allah's attribute of eternal knowledge. They deny Allah's knowledge of events before they occur. Imam Ahmad said in his rebuttal of this position: If the Jahmiy says that Allah does not have knowledge he has disbelieved and if he says that Allah has knowledge that came about at a point in time he has also disbelieved. This is because, in so doing, he has claimed that Allah was at some point unknowing until the knowledge came to him and then He knew. And if he says that Allah possesses eternal knowledge which is neither created nor did it come about at a point in time, he has reversed his position and returned to the position of the people of the Sunnah.

This can even be seen from the standpoint of logic and sound reasoning as follows: Allah is the Creator of all things. It is impossible that He could have created and yet be ignorant of them. This is because creating of something can only be an act of will. This will necessitates a conception of what is to be created, and this conception necessitates His knowledge of what he created. Secondly, if it is said that created beings possess some forms of knowledge, then this knowledge could only have come from their Creator. It is not possible that the creator of knowledge could Himself be without it. Rather, Allah's is the most sublime analogy, and He is no way equal or comparable to His creation. In fact any positive attribute with which Allah's creation are praised has its perfection and ultimate form in the Creator Himself, exalted his He. And any negative attribute with which Allah's creation are praised by its denial, is more deservedly and more perfectly negated in the case of the Creator Most High.

Knowledge Contained In This Ayat

Affirmation of Allah's attribute of knowledge or knowing.

Rejection of the position of Al-Qadariya in the question of Allah's knowledge.

Allah's knowledge includes and encompasses all things - nothing whatsoever is hidden from Him.

Rejection of the position of those who claim that Allah knows only the generalities and not the details of events in the universe.

Proof of Allah's elevation above His creation.

Allah's absolute capability and power to do all things.

An urging to be conscious of Allah at all times and to beware of His laws and boundaries.

Proof of the non-literal or general with-ness of Allah with His creation (Al-Maa'iya Al-Amma).

Affirmation of Allah's attribute of Seeing.

Evidence of resurrection of the dead, taking of accounts, and rewards and punishments according to one's actions in this life.

{And with Him are the keys to the unseen; none know them except Him. He knows all that is in the land and in the sea. No single leaf falls without His knowledge, nor any seed (or particle) in the dark recesses of the earth, nor any moist thing or dry thing - all of that is in a clear book.} 59/6.

{Allah knows what every female carries, that which the womb absorbs and that which increases. Everything is with Him in precise proportion.} 8/13.

The verse about the keys of the unseen is one of the greatest verses in the Qur'an which deals in detail with Allah's all-encompassing knowledge. The meaning is that with Allah Most High alone are the stores of the unseen or the keys thereto. He is the one who has encompassed all with His knowledge - all beside him are ignorant and know nothing whatsoever of the unseen except that which Allah gives to them. Al-Mannawiy said: Thus, whoever claims for himself knowledge of any of the unseen has entered kufr. The Prophet (saws) said:

The Keys of the Unseen are five: Very Allah possess knowledge of the Hour; He sends down the rain; He knows what is in the wombs; no soul knows what it will earn tomorrow; and no soul knows in which land it will die. Verily, Allah is All-Knowing, All-Aware.

In the second verse, Allah tells us that no conception can take place nor any birth without His knowledge. He knows on what day any female will conceive and on what day (and if) she will give birth. His knowledge also includes what is in the womb - whether male or female, whole or deformed, what provision they will obtain while in this life and whether of the people of paradise or of the people of hell-fire.

Knowledge Contained In These Verses

Affirmation of Allah's attribute of knowledge.

Proof of the reality of the Preserved Tablet (Al-Lauh Al-Mahfoodh).

Evidence of Allah's greatness in His sublime attributes.

That the Preserved Tablet is a record of all things.

That Allah is in full knowledge of the seen and the unseen, the known and the unknown and of all things in all times and places no single thing of any kind is hidden from His knowledge.

Rejection of the position of those who believe that the Prophet (saws) was a knower of the unseen.

In this verse is the knowledge which totally rejects the lies of the sorcerers, fortune tellers, astrologers and the like who make claims to things which are not within their ability or their knowledge.

A reminder to all responsible creatures of Allah (Mukallafoon) and a warning not to be unmindful of their actions and conditions as they relate to rewards and punishments.

It is understood from this verse that all of the information in the lands and the sea are tiny in comparison to the whole meaning of the Keys of the Unseen of which Allah is all-knowing.

That Allah alone knows what the wombs contain.

{Allah made the Ka'abah - the Sacred House - a sanctuary (or a sustenance or support) for the people and (likewise) the forbidden month, the sacrificial animals and the (special) collars (that mark them). That is so you may know that Allah knows all that is in the heavens and the earth and that Allah is all-knowing of all things.} 5/97

That is so you may know... refers back to Allah's acts expressed in the first part of the verse, or to the meanings in the verses before this in the Sura or to an omitted phrase, the meaning being: He did that in order that you may know... i.e. that you may know that Allah's power and knowledge are perfect, and He is capable of all things. His knowledge and power includes all things, including the acts of His slaves. Whenever He wills to do anything, He does it with no opposition and none who can prevent Him. All things in the creation are under the force of His absolute power and will, and nothing is outside of His knowledge.

Knowledge Contained In This Verse

Allah's absolute knowledge and His absolute capability, power and control.

Proof of the Tauhid of Deityship (Tauhid Al-Uluhiya).

Guidance to contemplation and the seeking of beneficial knowledge.

Fear of Allah, the Capable of all things.

Rejection of the position of Al-Qadariya who claim that the actions of people do not fall under Allah's Qudra (power and decree).

Proof of Allah's attribute of creation.

That Allah's slaves do not truly conceive of His greatness. (See, Sura Al-An'aam (6), verse 91.) If they did, they could never commit acts of disobedience knowing that He could destroy them for it in an instant.

Allah's immense patience, compassion and forbearance with the disbelievers and the disobedient believers. (Otherwise, He would destroy them immediately and not give them more and more chances to go right.)

Allah's Will

Allah says, quoting the man speaking to the one with the great garden:

{Rather He is Allah, my Lord, and I will associate no one with my Lord. And, if only, when you entered your garden, you had said: That which Allah wills; there is no power except by Allah, if you see me as less than you in wealth and children.} Al-Kahf/38-39

In this verse, and others like it, Allah affirms the reality of His absolute will. Allah's will is of two types:

Iradat Allah Al-Kauniya Al-Qadariya: This is His will as related to His decree, which we have already discussed. It is His determination of all things and events. This will must be, and nothing whatsoever can alter it, change it, or prevent its coming about. The decree of Allah contains both human actions which are in accordance to Allah's Shariah and things which are in violation of it. The will referred to in the above verse is of this type.

Iradat Allah Ad-Deeniya Ash-Shar'iya: This is Allah's will as related to His order, i.e., all that with which He has ordered us via His messengers. At this point in time, that means the Shariah found in the message of Muhammad (saws). This will may be in any particular case and it may not be. Thus Allah ordered that Abu Talib should be a Muslim, but He did not decree it. This will contains only that which is pleasing to Allah, i.e. that which is enjoined in the Shariah.

In this verse, the believing man is addressing another who has become haughty because of worldly wealth which Allah has given him. He says to him that if you were so pleased with your garden when you entered it, why didn't you then thank Allah for the bounty which He has bestowed upon you, reminding yourself that whatever happens is only what Allah has decreed. This would have been on your part an admission of your powerlessness, and that all that is in your garden is only by Allah's will, as is its continued existence or its destruction and decay. Furthermore, the development and cultivation which you have done to it was only by Allah's permission and with His aid, not by your own strength, capability or power.

Knowledge Contained In This Ayat

Affirmation of Allah's will, in this case His absolute will or decree which must be, and which is the sole determinant of all events.

All that occurs and all that is can only be that which Allah has predestined and decreed to be.

A reminder to praise/thank (Al-Hamd) Allah for His bounties and to acknowledge our helplessness and lack of power except with the aid of Allah Most High.

That nothing can be transformed from one state to another except by Allah's power. (This is the meaning of Laa Haula wa Laa Quwwata illa billahi.)

A sincere advice and a reprimand to anyone who says something like what the owner of the garden said. In the verses before this, he is quoted as saying: I am greater than you in wealth and stronger in number. Then, when he entered his garden, he said: I don't think this will ever be destroyed. And I don't think the Hour is really coming; and even if I am returned to my Lord, I will surely find something even better than this in exchange.

In Sura Al-Baqarah, Allah mentions the Prophets, peace be upon them, and then says:

{...And if Allah had so willed, those who came after then would never have fought one another after that which is clear had come to them. But they differed: some of them believed and some of them disbelieved. If Allah had so willed, they would never have fought, but Allah does as He wishes.} Al-Baqarah/253

In this verse, Allah informs us of what took place among the followers of all of the Prophets, peace be upon them, and what was to take place among Muhammad's followers as well. They differed and became enemies of each other. Here, Allah reminds us that all of that was only be His will (of the first type as explained above, and not of the second type!), since nothing whatsoever can take place in His creation except that which He as predestined and decreed. If Allah had willed that they would not differ and fight, it would not have happened. In fact, as Allah tells us elsewhere in the Qur'an, if He had willed that all humanity be believers, it would have been so, but he did otherwise for a wisdom and a reason known to Him.

Knowledge Contained In This Ayat

Affirmation of Allah's absolute will and that whatever occurs is by His will and that whatever He wills must occur.

Affirmation of Allah's attribute of doing, and that He does whatever He wishes.

Affirmation of Allah's attribute of absolute power and ability to do all things.

The next verse from Sura Al-Maidah is an example of the other will of Allah, i.e., the one relating to that which pleases Allah and that which He enjoins upon us and that is the Shari'ah if Islam.

{O you who believe, fulfil your contractual obligations. Allowed for you are the grazing animals, except that which has been recited to you, and not to make hunted animals allowed while you are in a state of Ihraam. Verily Allah rules as He wishes.} Al-Maidah/1

The will of Allah alluded to here is of the second type explained above. It is clear that it is Allah's will or order that we eat only of the animals which are Halal, and that we not break the restrictions on hunting during the Hajj. It is also clear that this will does not always occur in all cases. Some people follow the orders of Allah, while others violate it and partake of the haraam.

Allah rules (yahkum) as He wishes. He is the absolute sovereign and source of law (u>Al-Hakim), and there can be no objection to His rulings. He is Al-Hakim and there is no other sovereign (Haakim) other than Him. All sovereignty other than His sovereignty is false and rejected. Anyone who rules by any rulings or laws other than those of Allah and His Prophet (saws) is a Taaghoot (shaitaan) and a Kaafir. Allah said:

{And any who rule not by what Allah has sent down are indeed Kaafireen.}

This is general, and covers all areas of life. There is no issue in which Allah does not have a ruling. Allah said:

{We have neglected nothing in the book.}

{On this day we have perfected for you the Deen, and completed our favour upon you.}

The Prophet said in the hadith:

I have left you on the clearest of bases. Its night is like its day. None are corrupted away from it except those doomed to destruction.

It was an obligation upon every single messenger sent by Allah to point his nation to all that he knew was for their good and to warn them against all that he knew was for their detriment.

Abu Dharr said: The Prophet (saws) passed way from us and there was not a single bird flapping its wings in the sky but that he had given us some knowledge of it.

There can be no doubt that anyone who turns away from the book of Allah and the Sunnah of His Messenger (saws) and taking in its stead man-made laws is a kaafir whose Kufr is sufficient to remove him from the Ummah of the Muslims. Likewise, anyone who mocks the Qur'an, or claims that it is contradictory or