All praise is for Allah for His favours and prayer upon His Prophet and his family.
The Prophet said, “my nation will divide into 73 sects, all of them are in the fire save one. It was asked, and which are those? He replied: Those who are upon that which I and my companions are upon.”
This is the creed of the saved sect, and they are the Ash’arites.
The predecessors (salaf) in terms of the muhadithūn (Hadith scholars), the Imams of the Muslims and the Ahl al-Sunnah wa l-Jamā’ah (people of the Sunnah and congregation) concur that:
The universe is temporary
It was by God’s omnipotence [caused] after it was not [in existence]
It is subject to perishability
Contemplation concerning the knowledge of God is legally binding, and through it knowledge is achieved, and there is no need for a teacher.
There is, for the universe, an eternal producer (sāni’ qadīm) Who always was and always will be.
His existence is necessary by Himself
Non-existence is rationally inconceivable for His essence
There is no creator save Him
He is attributed with all the Attributes of perfection
He is free of any signs of defect
He has knowledge of all known things
He is Omnipotent over all possibilities
He is the Determiner of the entire universe
He speaks
He is Living
He is Hearing
He is Watchful
He is Free from any aspects of deficiency
There is nothing similar to Him nor is there any opposite to Him
There is nothing like Him
There is no partner for Him
There is no patron for Him
He does not incarnate into anything
Nothing temporary is established along with His Being
He does not infuse into anything
He does not consist of jawhar (indivisible atom)
He does not consist of ‘ardh (accident)
He does not have a jism (body/substance)
He does not occupy space nor is He in a direction
He cannot be pointed to with [saying] here or there
Movement and space shifting are not sound for Him
Ignorance and lying are not sound for Him
He is seen by the believers on the Day of Judgment without correspondence, being opposite and without any direction
Whatever God willed was and whatever He did not will was not
Disbelief and disobedience are by His creating and His willing, whilst they are displeasing to Him
He is self-subsisting not in need of anything
There is no ruler over Him
Nothing is binding over Him such as gentleness, doing what is best (aslah) and compensating for affliction
N0 reward [is binding on Him to give the obedient] nor punishment [for the disobedient]. Therefore, if He rewards then it is out of His grace and if He punishes then it is out of His justice
There is no negative from Him
Nothing from which He does is attributed to injustice or oppression
He does whatever He wishes
He rules how He wishes
There is no motive for His actions
He is well aware of the wisdom behind what He has created
He has commanded His slaves out of honour and mercy, not from necessity
There is no ruler save Him
The intellect (‘aql) has no role in [ascertaining] the good of things nor the evil of them
Actions being a means for reward and punishment is a judgment
Good is whatever the sacred law legislates as good and evil is whatever the sacred law legislates as evil
Actions do not have a real attribute in terms of it being good or bad; [thus] if the action were to be opposite then it would be so
He is not a fragment [of something else] nor is He a part [of a whole]
There are no limits for Him, nor any end
His attributes are one in essence
They are never-ending in terms of linkage
So what is found in terms of His decreed things are little from a lot there is no correlation between the two
For Him is increase and decrease in His creation
For Allah, there are Angels with wings in twos, threes, and fours. From them are Gabriel, Mikāīl, Isrāfīl and ‘Azrāīl. Each one of them has a known rank. They do not disobey Allah of that which He has commanded them and they act with all of what they are commanded.
The Quran is the speech of God uncreated. It is written in the copies, memorised in the hearts, recited on the tongues. The written is without writing, the recited without recital. Its names are divinely inspired, it is not permissible to use a name for it which the Lawgiver has not revealed.
The Return is true. The bodies will be gathered and the souls will return into them; and like this reward and accounting. The bridge is true. The Scales are true and the creation of Paradise and the Fire.
The people of Paradise will dwell therein forever and the unbeliever in the Fire.
The Muslim who is a major sinner will not remain within the Fire forever, rather he will exit and enter last into Paradise. The pardoning of the minor and major sins even without repentance is conceivable.
The Intercession is true for the one whom the Lord of Mercy permits. And [so it is true] the intercession of the Messenger, upon him be blessings and peace, for the people of major sins from his nation. He is one whose intercession is responded to and his request is not rejected.
The Punishment of the Grave is true. The questioning of Munkar and Nakīr is true.
The sending of the Messengers with miracles from the time of Adam until Muhammad, upon them all be peace, is true. And, Muhammad is the seal of all Prophets. There is no Prophet after him. The Prophets are free of the major sins and from the minor sins. They are greater than the greatest Angels.
The people of the pledge of Ridwān and the people of Badr are from the people of Paradise.
The Miracles of the saints are true. Allah favours with them whomsoever He wishes from His slaves and specifies by His mercy whom he wishes.
The Imam after the Messenger of Allah is Abu Bakr, his Imāmah is established by consensus whilst the Prophet did not categorically select anyone for Imāmah. Then [the Imam] is ‘Umar al-Farūq, then Uthmān the possessor of the two lights, then ‘Alī al-Murtadhā. Superiority is in accordance with this order. The meaning of superiority is that he has the most reward with Allah due to what he earned out of good. Not that he is more knowledgable and noble in lineage and things such as this.
Disbelief is the absence of faith and that is [i.e. faith] affirming all of that by which the coming of the Prophet is known necessarily. We do not label as an unbeliever anyone from those who face the Qiblah except due that [belief] within which is the denial of the Originator, the Omnipotent, the All-Willing and All-Knower; or polytheism; or denying prophecy; or denying that by which the coming of the Prophet is known necessarily; or denying what is agreed upon definitively such as the five pillars; and permitting what is harām. As for other than that, then the one who says it is an innovator and not an unbeliever; and for it [unbelief] is pantheism.
Repentance is necessary, accepted out of gentleness from Allah. Commanding the good is following that with which one has been commanded. If that with which one has been commanded is obligatory then it is obligatory [to call to it] and if it is recommended then recommended [to call to it]. Its condition is that it [i.e. calling to good and forbidding evil] does not lead to dismay and that it will be accepted [by the one being called]. Spying is not permitted.
May Allah keep you firm upon this sound creed and may He allow you to practice that which He loves and is pleased. All praise is for Allah in the beggining and the end and peace be upon His Prophet inwardly and outwardly.
Comentários