The creed of Muslims: Allah exists without a place! He does not need any!!!

Brothers & Sisters, know that Allah is the one who created everything and that he existed before creations, and was needless to anything and now he is as he was subhanahu wata^ala. One of Sahabah once said: “We were young children close to reaching puberty, we learned Iman (Essentials of belief, creed, the knowledge that is about Allah and about the Prophets) than we learned Al Qur’an, and by Al Qur’an, our Iman had increased!” So the to have your worship and obligations accepted, you must have the right creed. The ^Aqeedah of clearing Allah from imperfections and from resembeling the creations, such as being in a place or having a son.

For that, I have chosen a treaties for a very popular scholar named: Shaykh Fakhrud-Din Ibn ^AsakirShaykh Fakhrud-Din Ibn ^Asakir who died in close to the 600’s hijri.

Briliant words, I remember that we used to memorize this when we were young because it was so full of the meanings that empower your love and increases your fear to Allah.


The ^Aqidah of Ibn^Asakir

Shaykh Fakhrud-Din Ibn ^Asakir, may Allah have mercy upon him, said:

Know, may Allah guide us and you, that it is obligatory upon every accountable person to know that Allah is the only God in His Dominion.

He created the entire world, the upper and lower, the ^Arsh and Kursiyy, the heavens and earth, and what is in them and in between them.

All the creation is subjugated by His Power. No speck moves except by His will.

He has no manager for the creation with Him, and has no partner in Dominion.

He is attributed with Life and is Qayyum. He is not seized by somnolence or sleep.

He is the One Who knows about the unforeseen and what is evidenced by His creation. Nothing on earth or in heaven is hidden from Him. He knows what is on land and in sea. Not a leaf does fall but He knows about it. There is no grain in the darkness of earth, nor anything which is moist or dry but is inscribed in a clear Book. His Knowledge encompasses everything. He knows the count of all things.

He does whatever He wills. He has the power to do whatever He wills.

To Him is the Dominion and He needs none; To Him belong the Glory and Everlastingness. To Him are the Ruling and al-Qada’ (the Creating). He has the Names of Perfection. No one hinders what He decreed. No one prevents what He gives. He does in His dominion whatever He wills. He rules His creation with whatever He wills.
He does not hope for reward and does not fear punishment.

There is no right on Him that is binding, and no one exercises rule over Him.

Every endowment from Him is due to His Generosity and every punishment from Him is just. He is not questioned about what He does, but they are questioned.

He existed before the creation. He does not have a before or an after. He does not have an above or a below, a right or a left, an in front of or a behind, a whole or a part.

It must not be said: When was He? Or where was He? Or how is He? He existed without a place. He created the universe and willed for the existence of time. He is not bound to time and is not designated with place.

His management of one matter does not distract Him from another. Delusions do not apply to Him, and He is not encompassed by the mind. He is not conceivable in the mind. He is not imagined in the self nor pictured in delusions. He is not grasped with delusions or thoughts.

This Ayah means: [Nothing is like Him and He is attributed with Hearing and Sight.]


Tell me what you think.. I think it is a great clarification for such a great scholar. I ask Allah to make us steadfast on this creed.

Regarding that treatise, I say The knowledge of the Religion is among the best of the acts of obedience; and it is the most worthy of allocating the precious time it takes to acquire it. This is especially so because at-Tirmidhiyy related that the Prophet, sallallahu ^alayhi wa sallam, said: <>

The greatest of all knowledge is that of the fundamentals of the creed. This is why the Messenger of Allah taught it to the Companions prior to teaching them the rules of the Religion. The saying of sahabiyy that I mentioned in the first post was in his book, Misbah az-Zujajah.. al-Busiriyy classified as sahih what Ibn Majah related that Jundub Ibn ^Abdullah, may Allah raise his rank, said: "We were with the Prophet of Allah, sallallahu ^alayhi wa sallam, as young men. We learned the matters of the belief before we learned the Qur'an. Then we learned the Qur'an which added to our belief."

I have found the ^Aqidah (creed) of Shaykh Fakhrud-Din Ibn ^Asakir, may Allah endow mercy on him, to contain a multiplicity of meanings in spite of its brevity. In it, the author summarized the creed of Ahlus-Sunnah wal Jama^ah with a few brief terms. Its words are easy for children to memorize and enjoyable for adults to study. Furthermore, it became famous among the Muslims. These qualities inspired Muslims to explain its terms in order to facilitate learning and to propagate its message without using lengthy explanations.

This treatise has been translated to some of the many languages in existence. it was translated into English, French, Spanish, Urdu, Russian, Turkish, and Chinese.

Hoping of earning the reward promised in the hadith of the Prophet that was related by al-Bukhariyy: <>

After the debates that happened, I say, Alhamdulillah that I incisted on requesting Islamic clarifications whenever we discuss Islamic issues.

Now, I have chosen to post this to article hoping that it was a great benefit for all of us, knowing that previous topics are done and clear.

Salam. I hope, sincere brothers and sisters here include us in their Du^a'.

Too important concepts. Wonder what some of who oppose say about this creed! as some have falsified Imam Abu Ja^far At-Tahawiyy when he said that Allah is clear from residing in a place and Allah is not in the six directions.

Verse from QURAN:

“Do you feel secure, that He (Allaah), who is above the heavens, will not cause the earth to sink with you.” (Qur’aan, Chapter 67, Verse 16).

**And in a long Hadith found in Saheeh Muslim, it is narrated that the companion Muawiyah ibn al-Hakam, (Radhiallaahu Anhu) slapped his servant girl who used to tend his sheep, and as a result when to the Prophet (sallallaahu alaihi wa sallam) and asked what should be done as an atonement for having slapped her. The Prophet (sallallaahu alaihi wa sallam) replied, "Bring her to me" so Muawiyah brought her to the Prophet (sallallaahu alaihi wa sallam). The Prophet (sallallaahu alaihi wa sallam) then asked her, “Where is Allaah?” and she replied “Above the Sky” then the Prophet (sallallaahu alaihi wa sallam ) asked her, "Who am I?" and she replied, "You are Allaah’s Messenger", so the Prophet (sallallaahu alaihi wa sallam) said, “Free her, for verily she is a true believer.”

(Saheeh Muslim, Vol 1, Hadith #1094, English Translation)** (Thats a references with book# vol. #, hadith #, unlike your kinda references lol!!! “this hadith, that hadiths, prophet said that…” etc.

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)

haha

http://www3.pak.org/gupshup/smilies/hehe.gif

Take it easy.

http://www3.pak.org/gupshup/smilies/smile.gif


V~V~VHe came, He saw, He conqueredV~V~V**


----*High Priest-OF-Painful Truth*----

[This message has been edited by The Watcher (edited December 18, 2000).]

That Allah swt has described for himself attributes, it is not for any man to describe or explain them. As in the haadith of the slave-girl, we simply affirm that he is above the sky, but do not ask how or why.

Moreover, the concept of Allaah being everywhere is not Islamic as the above Qur’aanic Aayah and the authentic hadith confirm. Indeed if Allaah was everywhere then there would be no need for the Prophet (pbuh) to go up through the seven skies on the night of Mi`raaj to meet Allaah - he would have been in the direct presence of Allaah in his very own house.


V~V~VHe came, He saw, He conqueredV~V~V**


----*High Priest-OF-Painful Truth*----

Can you read the quotes of that great scholar? Does he not understand the Qur’an more than you and I do? No doubt.

Allah is clear from any imperfection and does not resemble any of his creations as he mentioned in surat As-Shurah Ayah 11 what means [Absolutely Nothing resembles Allah, and He is attributed with hearing and sight]. This means Allah DOES NOT resemble ANY of his creations IN ANY WAY.

Allah created everything and is needless to anything. He created heavens (skies) earths water ^arsh (throne) and does not need them. Before he created the places, Allah existed without them e.i withou a place! No oppositions. And after Allah created the places, he is still without a place. He is not above the heavens as you say physically, for, Allah is not a body. He is above all in rank. That’s how the Arabic language is. For the beatiful hadith that you mentioned of the lady, it’s very strong and nothing wrong with it, in fact it shows the beaty and power of the Arabic language. But it’s not interperted as some did by saying Allah is above the skies because Allah existed without them and now he is as he was. The hadith mean: what is your belief in Allah? Allah is VERY HIGH IN RANK. Prooves?

First of all: Allah said [Absolutely nothing is like him] which clearly means that Allad does not need anything, no angles, no places no earhts nothing.

Prophet Muhammad said which means: “Allah existed eternaly and there was nothing” That means no place nor any of the creations than Allah created the places but Allah still does not need any of the places.

Imam ^Aliy Radiallahu Anhu said: “Allah existed and there was no place and now he exists as he was” e.i without the place. That’s also clear along with the words of Ibn ^Asakir:

“He existed before the creation. He does not have a before or an after. He does not have an above or a below, a right or a left, an in front of or a behind, a whole or a part.”

“It must not be said: When was He? Or where was He? Or how is He? He existed without a place. He created the universe and willed for the existence of time. He is not bound to time and is not designated with place.”

Also Imam At-Tahawiy has mentioned in his creed as he called it the creed of Ahlus-Sunnah: “He (Allah) is clear from all boundaries, limits, limbs. THE SIX DIRECTIONS DO NOT CONTAIN HIM as the rest of creations”…

And you can also read the entire creed of At-Tahawiyy in your favorite URL: www.salaf.net

However, ibn taymiah and wahabies incisted and some other sects incisted onto making the sound of the hadith of the women, and some of the Mutashabihat verses of Al Qur’an ambiguous to some in which resulted them into agreeing with the jews that Allah is in the skies. Allad DOES NOT NEED THE SKIES. When it’s said Allah is ^Aliy it means high in rank, and English does not have that richness as the Arabic language does therefore, one must interpret ahadiths like that by other ahadith and sayings otherwise you will have contradictions!. The creed of Muslims is that Allah does not need any of his creations and that he exists without a place, and that Muhammad is the best of Allah’s creations.

I will post a full article insha’llah about that when I get time.

hahaha Ahmad G,

You might need a PEER to explain to you what quran means. QURAN IS EASY and very simple. ALL YOU NEED IS BRAINS TO UNDERSTAND IT.

I don’t care what your scholar says, the place of Allah is clearly stated in the VERSE I gave you and in the hadith I gave you.

Believe it or not, I have done my duty.
May Allah guide you in the month of Ramdan towards the TRUTH OF ISLAM and not devient ways of your forfathers. May Allah show you the right path of TRUE SUnnah of MOhammad and NOT ways of your peer-fakeeers. AMeen. [that is the best, I can do for you-make dua for you to see the truth through your own eyes, rather than seeing it with eyes of some self-fish scholar/peeeer sahib] Peace.

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V~V~VHe came, He saw, He conqueredV~V~V**


----*High Priest-OF-Painful Truth*----

Are you saying that all of the Sahabah and Scholars did not have brains? Did they not sit down and learn the meanings of AL Qur'an from the scholars? Did they not ask repeatedly from the Prophet? Didn't the Scholars learn from Sahabah?! Why did they have to spend years and years to compile their books when they can just take it all from one book on their own!. See that's your problem, you read and read. You understand what others wouldn't. If we all take a book and read it we all come with different understandings, but when we all learn from one trustworthy person who learned from the same, we would all have ONE understanding! See, that's unity.

None but wahabies said that Allah is residing in skies along with the jews. And they also say that the world is eternal, it was there with Allah (Look Al^Qeedah Al Wasitiyah for Ibn Taimiah). But Allah said that he is the one who created everything. Everything you imagine is a creation Allah is different from it.

The saying that Allah, ta^ala, exists without a place is the belief and the creed of the Messenger of Allah, sallallahu ^alayhi wa sallam, the Companions and those who graciously followed them, and it shall be until the Day of Judgment. The proof of this precious statement is what Allah said in the Qur'an, in Surat ash-Shura, ayah 11:

which means: "There is nothing like Him and He has the attribute of Hearing and Seeing." This ayah absolutely and totally clears Allah of resembling the creation. It comprises that Allah, ta^ala, is different from the creations in the Self, Attributes, and Doings. Hence, it shows that Allah, ta^ala, exists without a place, because the one who exists in a place would, by nature, be composed of atoms, i.e., he would be a body, occupying a space, and Allah, ta^ala, is clear of occupying spaces. It's not what you think of the meaning of an ayah from al-Qur'an, it's what the Scholars of Islam said it is means.

Al-Bukhariyy, al-Bayhaqiyy and Ibn al­Jarud related that the Messenger of Allah, sallallahu ^alayhi wa sallam, said:

which means: "Allah existed eternally and there was nothing else." This hadith proves that Allah was alone in al-'azal, (the status of existence without a beginning,) i.e., before creating any of the creation. There was nothing with Him: no place, no space, no sky, no light, and no darkness. It is determined in the rules of the Religion and the judgments of the sound mind that Allah, the Exalted, does not change. Hence, it is impossible that after having been existing without a place, He would become in a place, because this is a development, and the development is a sign of needing others, and the one who needs others is not God. And the Prophet does not oppose the Qur'an, so the Qur'an is interperted by the hadiths which are interperted by the sahabah and scholars.

Also imam Abu Mansur al-Baghdadiyy related in his book, Al-Farqu Bayn al­Firaq, that Imam ^Aliyy, the fourth of the caliphs, may Allah reward his deeds, said:

which means: "Allah existed eternally and there was no place, and He now is as He was, i.e., without a place."

Our great Imam, Abu Hanifah, who is one of the authorities of as-Salaf, said in his book Al-Fiqh al-­Absat: "Allah existed eternally and there was no place. He existed before creating the creation. He existed, and there was no place, creation, or thing; and He is the Creator of everything."

Imam al-Hafidh al-Bayhaqiyy said in his book, Al-Asma'u was-Sifat, on page 400: ".... What was mentioned towards the end of the hadith is an indication of denying Allah has a place and denying the slave is alike to Allah, wherever he was in proximity or remoteness. Allah, the Exalted, is adh­Dhahir--hence, it is valid to know about Him by proofs. Allah is al-Batin--hence, it is invalid that He would be in a place." He also said: "Some of our companions used as a proof to refute the place to Allah the saying of the Prophet, sallallahu ^alayhi wa sallam : 'You are adh-Dhahir and there is nothing above You, and You are al-Batin and there is nothing underneath You.' Therefore, if there is nothing above Him and nothing underneath Him, He is not in a place."

Imam Ahmad Ibn Salamah, Abu Ja^far at­Tahawiyy, who was born in the year 237 after Hijrah, wrote a book called Al-^Aqidah at­Tahawiyyah. He mentioned that the content of his book is an elucidation of the creed of Ahl as­-Sunnah wal Jama^ah, which is the creed of Imam Abu Hanifah, who died in the year 150 after al­Hijrah, and his two companions, Imam Abu Yusuf al-Qadi and Imam Muhammad Ibn al­Hasan ash-Shaybaniyy and others. He said in his book: "Allah is supremely clear of all boundaries, extremes, sides, organs and instruments. The six directions do not contain Him--these are attributed to all created things." Such is the saying of Imam Abu Ja^far who is among the heads of as-Salaf. He explicitly stated that Allah is clear of being contained by the six directions. The six directions are above, below, in front of, behind, right, and left. Do we leave these sayings and make up meanings to al-Qur'an?! NO.

The linguist and scholar of hadith, Imam Muhammad Murtada az-Zabidiyy, narrated by a continuous chain from himself back to Imam Zayn al-^Abidin ^Aliyy Ibn al-Husayn Ibn ^Aliyy Ibn Abi Talib, (who was among the first of as-Salaf, who earned the title of as-Sajjad, i.e., the one who prays a lot), that Zayn al-^Abidin said in his treatise as­Sahifah as-Sajjadiyyah about Allah:

which means: "O Allah, You are clear of all imperfection. You are Allah, the One Who no place contains You." He also said:

which means: "O Allah, You are clear of all imperfection. You are Allah, the One Who is not in boundaries."

In the explanation of al-Bukhariyy in the chapter on Al-Jihad, Hafidh Ibn Hajar said: "The fact that the two directions above and below are impossible to be attributes of Allah, does not necessitate that Allah would not be attributed with aboveness, because attributing aboveness to Allah is a matter of status and the impossibility lies in it being physical."

The scholar Imam Zayn ad-Din Ibn Nujaym, the Hanafiyy, in his book Al-Bahr ar­Ra'iq, on page 129 said: "Whoever says it is possible that Allah would do a doing in which there is no wisdom commits blasphemy, and also he commits blasphemy by affirming a place to Allah, the Exalted."

So, how could one come up with his own meanings to al-Qur'an and neglect all of these proves from these scholars who are the ones whom without, we would not have known Islam! Do we leave the sayings of the Prophet mentioned about? Saying of Imam ^Aliyy?!! As-Shafi^iyy & Abu Hanifah?! At-Tahawiyy.. It's them who we follow. Therefore, Allah does exist without a place, and he is supremely the only true creator who brought the creations from the state of non-existance to the state of existance.

There is a verse from quran and an authentice hadith proving your alim’s fatwa wrong and proving your claims wrong.

If you wanna uphold fatwaa of your brailvi Alim, go ahead. And if you are a true Muslim, you would listen to what Quran and Sunnah has to say, not your fabricator Alim. Thank you very much.

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You take it easy now.


V~V~VHe came, He saw, He conqueredV~V~V**


----*High Priest-OF-Painful Truth*----

If you call these non-^alims? definetly you do because they break your neck and shut your mouth with their prooves!!

Quit saying that you are sunny and that you follow al-Qur’an, because you don’t!! You don’t.


<<>> Learning the Obligatory Knowledge of the Religion puts the Muslim on the road for excellence and self-betterment. Acquire The Islamic Knowledge!!

Ahmad/Islamic Studies

So-called watcher, don’t you claim that you follow our Imam At-Tahawiyy?! And Isn’t the followin your favorite site?! well why don’t you read this creed and find how Imam At-Tahawiyy may Allah raise his rank clears Allah from the six directions and from being in a place and resembeling the creations.
http://www.salaf.indiaaccess.com/aqeedah/aqeedatut_tahaawiyyah.htm

------------ (Below is the translationn of the creed of At-Tahawiy which is a book that talks about the priniples of Islam, the book is a translation you may satisfy your self with it) it’s translated according to the makers of that site ----------

AQEEDATUT-TAHAAWIYYAH

By Imam Abu Ja’far al-Tahawi (239-321 AH)

Imam Tahawi’s al-'Aqidah, representative of the viewpoint of ahl-al- Sunnah wa-al-Jama’a, has long been the most widely acclaimed, and indeed indispensable, reference work on Muslim beliefs, of which this is an edited English translation .

Imam Abu Ja’far Ahmad bin Muhammad bin Salamah bin Salmah bin 'Abd al Malik bin Salmah bin Sulaim bin Sulaiman bin Jawab Azdi, popularly known as Imam Tahawi, after his birth-place in Egypt, is among the most outstanding authorities of the Islamic world on Hadith and fiqh (jurisprudence). He lived 239-321 A.H., an epoch when both the direct and indirect disciples of the four Imams- Imam Abu Hanifah, Imam Malik, Imam Shafi’i and Imam Ahmad bin Hanbal - were teaching and practicing. This period was the zenith of Hadith and fiqh studies, and Imam Tahawi studied with all the living authorities of the day. He began as a student of his maternal uncle, Isma’il bin Yahya Muzni. a leading disciple of Imam Shafi’i. Instinctively, however, Imam Tahawi felt drawn to the corpus of Imam Abu Hanifah’s works. Indeed, he had seen his uncle and teacher turning to the works of Hanafi scholars to resolve thorny issues of Fiqh, drawing heavily on the writings of Imam Muhammad Ibn al-Hasan al-Shaybani and Imam Abu Yusuf, who had codified Hanafi fiqh. This led Imam Tahawi to devote his whole attention to studying the Hanafi works and he eventually joined the Hanafi school.

Imam Tahawi stands out not only as a prominent follower of the Hanafi school but, in view or his vast erudition and remarkable powers of assimilation, as one of its leading scholars. His monumental scholarly works, such as Sharh Ma’ani al-Athar and Mushkil al-Athar, are encyclopaedic in scope and have long been regarded as indispensable for training students of fiqh.

Al-'Aqidah, though small in size, is a basic text for all times, listing what a Muslim must know and believe and inwardly comprehend.

There is consensus among the Companions, Successors and all the leading Islamic authorities such as Imam Abu Hanifah, Imam Abu Yusuf, Imam Muhammad, Imam Malik, Imam Shafi’i and Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal on the doctrines enumerated in this work. For these doctrines shared by ahl-al-sunnah wa-al-Jama’ah owe their origin to the Holy Qur’ân and consistent and confirmed Ahaadeeth - the undisputed primary sources of Islam.

Being a text on the Islamic doctrines, this work draws heavily on the arguments set forth in the Holy Qur’ân and Sunnah. Likewise, the arguments advanced in refuting the views of sects that have deviated from the Sunnah, are also taken from the Holy Qur’ân and Sunnah.

As regards the sects mentioned in this work, a study of Islamic history up to the time of Imam Tahawi would be quite helpful. References to sects such as Mu’tazilah, Jahmiyyah, Qadriyah, and Jabriyah are found in the work. Moreover, it contains allusions to the unorthodox and deviant views of the Shi’ah, Khawarij and such mystics as had departed from the right path. There is an explicit reference in the work to the nonsensical controversy on khalq-al -Qu’ran in the times of Ma’mun and some other 'Abbasid Caliphs.

While the permanent relevance of the statements of belief in al-'Aqidah is obvious, the historical weight and point of certain of these statements can be properly appreciated only if the work is used as a text for study under the guidance of some learned Person able to elucidate its arguments fully, with reference to the intellectual and historical background of the sects refuted in the work. Such study helps one to better understand the Islamic doctrines and avoid the deviations of the past or the present.

May Allah grant us a true undersanding of faith and include us with those to whom Allah refers as ‘those who believe, fear Allah and do good deeds’; and ‘he who fears Allah, endures affliction, then Allah will not waste the reward of well-doers.’

Iqbal Ahmad A’zami

In the Name of Allah, the Merciful, the Compassionate

Praise be to Allah, Lord of all the Worlds.

The great scholar Hujjat al-lslam Abu Ja’far al-Warraq al-Tahawi al-Misri, may Allah have mercy on him, said: This is a presentation of the beliefs of ahl-al-Sunnah wa al-Jama’ah, according to the school of the jurists of this religion, Abu Hanifah an-Nu’man ibn Thabit al-Kufi, Abu Yusuf Ya’qub ibn Ibrahim al-Ansari and Abu 'Abdullah Muhammad ibn al-Hasan al-Shaybani, may Allah be pleased with them all, and what they believe regarding the funda- mentals of the religion and their faith in the Lord of all the Worlds.

  1. We say about Allah’s unity believing by Allah’s help - that Allah is One, without any partners.

  2. There is nothing like Him.

  3. There is nothing that can overwhelm Him.

  4. There is no god other than Him.

  5. He is the Eternal without a beginning and enduring without end.

  6. He will never perish or come to an end.

  7. Nothing happens except what He wills.

  8. No imagination can conceive of Him and no understanding can comprehend Him.

  9. He is different frown any created being.

  10. He is living and never dies and is eternally active and never sleeps.

  11. He creates without His being in need to do so and provides for His creation without any effort.

  12. He causes death with no fear and restores to life without difficulty.

  13. He has always existed together with His attributes since before creation. Bringing creation into existence did not add anything to His attributes that was not already there. As He was, together with His attributes, in pre-eternity, so He will remain t hroughout endless time.

  14. It was not only after the act of creation that He could be described as ‘the Creator’ nor was it only by the act of origination that He could he described as ‘the Originator’.

  15. He was always the Lord even when there was nothing to be Lord of, and always the Creator even when there was no creation.

  16. In the same way that He is the ‘Bringer to life of the dead’, after He has brought them lo life a first time, and deserves this name before bringing them to life, so too He deserves the name of ‘Creator’ before He has created them.

  17. This is because He has the power to do everything, everything is dependent on Him, everything is easy for Him, and He does not need anything. ‘There is nothing like Him and He is the Clearer, the Seer’. (al-Shura 42:11)

  18. He created creation with His knowledge.

  19. He appointed destinies for those He created.

  20. He allotted to them fixed life spans.

  21. Nothing about them was hidden from Him before He created them, and He knew everything that they would do before He created them.

  22. He ordered them to obey Him and forbade them to disobey Him.

  23. Everything happens according to His degree and will, and His will is accomplished. The only will that people have is what Hc wills for them. What He wills for them occurs and what He does not will, does not occur.

  24. He gives guidance to whoever He wills, and protects them, and keeps them safe from harm, out of His generosity; and He leads astray whoever He wills, and abases them, and afflicts them, out of His justice.

  25. All of them are subject to His will between either His generosity or His justice.

  26. He is exalted beyond having opposites or equals.

  27. No one can ward off His decree or put back His command or overpower His affairs.

  28. We believe in all of this and are certain that everything comes from Him.

  29. And we are certain that Muhammad (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) is His chosen servant and selected Prophet and His Messenger with whom He is well pleased.

  30. And that he is the seal of the prophets and the Imam of the godfearing and the most honoured of all the messengers and the beloved of the Lord of all the Worlds.

  31. Every claim to prophethood after Him is falsehood and deceit.

  32. He is the one who has been sent to all the jinn and all mankind with truth and guidance and with light and illumination.

  33. The Qur’an is the word of Allah. It came from Him as speech without it being possible to say how. He sent it down on His Messenger as revelation. The believers accept it, as absolute truth. They are certain that it is, in truth, the word of Allah. It is not created, as is the speech of human beings, and anyone who hears it and claims that it is human speech has become an unbeliever. Allah warns him and censures him and threatens him with Fire when He says, Exalted is He: ‘I will burn him in the Fire.’ (al-Muddaththir 74: 26) When Allah threatens with the Fire those who say ‘This is just human speech’ (al-Muddaththir 74: 25) we know for certain that it is the speech of the Creator of mankind and that it is totally unlike the speech of mankind.

  34. Anyone who describes Allah as being in any way the same as a human being has become an unbeliever. All those who grasp this will take heed and refrain from saying things such as the unbelievers say, and they will know that He, in His attributes, is no t like human beings.

  35. ‘The Seeing of Allah by the People of the Garden’ is true, without their vision being all-encompassing and without the manner of their vision being known. As the Book of our Lord has expressed it: ‘Faces on that Day radiant, looking at their Lord’. (al-Qiyamah 75: 22-3) The explanation of this is as Allah knows and wills. Everything that has come down to us about this from the Messenger, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, in authentic traditions, is as he said and means what he intended. We do not delve into that, trying to interpret it according to our own opinions or letting our imaginations have free rein. No one is safe in his religion unless he surrenders himself completely to Allah, the Exalted and Glorified and to His Messenger, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and leaves the knowledge of things that are ambiguous to the one who knows them.

  36. A man’s Islam is not secure unless it is based on submission and surrender. Anyone who desires to know things which it is beyond his capacity to know, and whose intellect is not content with surrender, will find that his desire veils him from a pure understanding of Allah’s true unity, clear knowledge and correct belief. and that he veers between disbelief and belief, confirmation and denial and acceptance and rejection. He will he subject to whisperings and find himself confused and full of doubt, being neither an accepting believer nor a denying rejector.

  37. Belief of a man in the ‘seeing of Allah by the people of the Garden is not correct if he imagines what it is like, or interprets it according to his own understanding since the interpretation of this seeing’ or indeed, the meaning of any of the subtle phenomena which are in the realm of Lordship, is by avoiding its interpretation and strictly adhering to the submission. 'This is the din of Muslims. Anyone who does not guard himself against negating the attributes of Allah, or likening Allah to something else, has gone astray and has failed to understand Allah’s Glory, because our lord, the Glorified and the Exalted, can only possibly be described in terms of Oneness and Absolute Singularity and no creation is in any way like Him.

  38. He is beyond having limits placed on Him, or being restricted, or having parts or limbs. Nor is He contained by the six directions as all created things are.

  39. Al-Mi’raj (the Ascent through the heavens) is true. The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, was taken by night and ascended in his bodily form, while awake, through the heavens, to whatever heights Allah willed for him. Allah ennobled him in the way that He ennobled him and revealed to him what He revealed to him, ‘and his heart was not mistaken about what it saw’ (al-Najm 53: 11). Allah blessed him and granted him peace in this world and the next.

  40. Al-Hawd, (the Pool which Allah will grant the Prophet as an honour to quench the thirst of His Ummah on the Day Of Judgement), is true.

  41. Al-Shifa’ah, (the intercession, which is stored up for Muslims), is true, as related in the (consistent and confirmed) Ahadith.

  42. The covenant ‘which Allah made with Adam and his offspring’ is true.

  43. Allah knew, before the existence of time, the exact number of thosc who would enter the Garden and the exact number of those who would enter the Fire. This number will neither be increaser nor decreased.

  44. The same applies to all actions done by people, which are done exactly as Allah knew they would be done. Everyone is cased to what he was created for and it is the action with which a man’s life is sealed which dictates his fate. Those who are fortunate are fortunate by the decree of Allah, and those who are wretched are wretched by the decree of Allah.

  45. The exact nature of the decree is Allah’s secret in His creation, and no angel near the Throne, nor Prophet sent with a message, has been given knowledge of it. Delving into it and reflecting too much about it only leads to destruction and loss, and results in rebelliousness. So be extremely careful about thinking and reflecting on this matter or letting doubts about it assail you, because Allah has kept knowledge of the decree away from human beings, and forbidden them to enquire about it, saying in His Book, ‘He is not asked about what He does but they are asked’. (al-Anbiya’ 21: 23) So anyone who asks: ‘Why did Allah do that?’ has gone against a judgement of the Book, and anyone who goes against a judgement of the Book is an unbeliever.

  46. This in sum is what those of Allah’s friends with enlightened hearts need to know and constitutes the degree of those firmly endowed with knowledge. For there are two kinds of knowledge: knowledge which is accessible to created beings, and knowledge which is not accessible to created beings. Denying the knowledge which is accessible is disbelief, and claiming the knowledge which is inaccessible is disbelief. Belief can only be firm when accessible knowledge is accepted and inaccessible knowledge is not sought after.

  47. We believe in al-Lawh (the Tablet) and al-Qalam (the Pen) and in everything written on it. Even if all created beings were to gather together to make something fail to exist, whose existence Allah had written on the Tablet, they would not be able to do so. And if all created beings were to gather together to make something exist which Allah had not written on it, they would not be able to do so. The Pen has dried having written down all that will be in existence until the Day of Judgement. Whatever a person has missed he would have never got it, and whatever one gets, he would have never missed it.

  48. It is necessary for the servant to know that Allah already knows everything that is going to happen in His creation and hits decreed it in a detailed and decisive way. There is nothing that He has created in either the heavens or the earth that can contradict it, or add to it, or erase it, or change it, or decrease it, or increase it in any way. This is a fundamental aspect of belief and a necessary element of all knowledge and recognition of Allah’s oneness and Lordship. As Allah says in His Book: ‘He created everything and decreed it he a detailed way’. (al-Furqan 25: 2) And He also says: ‘Allah’s command is always a decided decree’. (al-Ahzab 33: 38) So woe to anyone who argues with Allah concerning the decree and who, with a sick heart, starts delving into this matter. In his delusory attempt to investigate the Unseen, he is seeking a secret that can never be uncovered, and he ends up an evil-doer, telling nothing but lies.

  49. Al-'Arsh (the Throne) and al-Kursi (the Chair) are true.

  50. He is independent of the Throne and what is beneath it.

  51. He encompasses everything and is above it, and what He has created is incapable of encompassing Him.

  52. We say with belief, acceptance and submission that Allah took Ibrahim as an intimate friend and that He spoke directly to Musa.

  53. We believe in the angels, and the Prophets, and the books which were revealed to the messengers, and we bear witness that they were all following the manifest Truth.

  54. We call the people of our qiblah Muslims and believers as long as they acknowledge what the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, brought, and accept as true everything that he said and told us about.

  55. We do not enter into vain talk about Allah nor do we allow any dispute about the religion Of Allah.

  56. We do not argue about the Qur’an and we bear witness that it is the speech of the Lord of all the Worlds which the Trustworthy Spirit came down with and taught the most honoured Of all the Messengers, Muhammad, may Allah bless him and grant him peace. It is the speech of Allah and no speech of any created being is comparable to it. We do not say that it was created and we do not go against the Jama’ah of the Muslims regarding it.

  57. We do not consider any of the people of our qiblah to he unbelievers because of any wrong action they have done, as long as they do not consider that action to have been lawful.

  58. Nor do we say that the wrong action of a man who has belief does not have a harmful effect on him.

  59. We hope that Allah will pardon the people of right action among the believers and grant them entrance into the Garden through His mercy, but we cannot be certain of this, and we cannot bear witness that it will definitely happen and that they will be in the Garden. We ask forgiveness for the people of wrong action among the believers and, although we are afraid for them, we are not in despair about them.

  60. Certainty and despair both remove one from the religion, but the path of truth for the people of the qiblah lies between the two (e.g. a person must fear and be conscious of Allah’s reckoning as well as be hopeful of Allah’s mercy).

  61. A person does not step out or belief except by disavowing what brought him into it.

  62. Belief consists of affirmation lay the tongue and acceptance by the heart.

  63. And the whole of what is proven from the Prophet, upon him be peace, regarding the Shari’ah and the explanation (of the Qur’an and of Islam) is true.

  64. Belief is, at base, the same for everyone, but the superiority of some over others in it is due to their fear and awareness of Allah, their opposition to their desires, and their choosing what is more pleasing to Allah.

  65. All the believers are ‘friends’ of Allah and the noblest of them in the sight of Allah are those who are the most obedient and who most closely follow the Qur’an.

  66. Belief consists of belief in Allah. His angels, His books, His messengers, the Last Day, and belief that the Decree - both the good of it and the evil of it, the sweet of it and the bitter or it - is all from Allah.

  67. We believe in all these things. We do not make any distinction between any of the messengers, we accept as true what all of them brought.

  68. Those of the Urnmah of Muhammad, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, who have committed grave sins will be in the Fire, but not forever, provided they die and meet Allah as believers affirming His unity even if they have not repented. They are subject to His will and judgement. If He wants, He will forgive them and pardon them out of His generosity, as is mentionied in the Qur’an when He says: ‘And He forgives anything less than that (shirk) to whoever He wills’ (al-Nisa’ 4: 116); and if He wants, He will punish them in the Fire out of His justice and then bring them out of the Fire through His mercy, and for the intercession of those who were obedient to Him, and send them to the Garden. This is because Allah is the Protector of those who recognize Him and will not treat them in the Next World in the same way as He treats those who deny Him and who are bereft of His guidance and have failed to obtain His protection. O Allah, You are the Protector of Islam and its people; make us firm in Islam until the day we meet You.

  69. We agree with doing the prayer behind any of the people of the qiblah whether right-acting or wrong-acting, and doing the funeral prayer over any of them when they die.

  70. We do not say that any of them will categorically go to either the Garden or the Fire, and we do not accuse any of them of kutr (disbelief), shirk (associating partners with Allah), or nifaq (hypocrisy), as long as they have not openly demonstrated any of those things. We leave their secrets to Allah.

  71. We do not agree with killing any of the Ummah of Muhammad, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, unless it is obligatory by Shari’ah to do so.

  72. We do not recognize rebellion against our Imam or those in charge of our affairs even if they are unjust, nor do we wish evil on them, nor do we withdraw from following them. We hold that obedience to them is part of obedience to Allah, The Glorified, and therefore obligatory as long as they do not order to commit sins. We pray for them right guidance and pardon from their wrongs.

  73. We follow the Sunnah of the Prophet and the Jama’ah of the Muslims, and avoid deviation, differences and divisions.

  74. We love the people of justice and trustworthiness, and hate the people of injustice and treachery.

  75. When our knowledge about something is unclear, we say: ‘Allah knows best’.

  76. We agree with wiping over leather socks (in Wudu) whether on a journey or otherwise, just as has come in the (consistent and confirmed) ahadith.

  77. Hajj and jihad under the leadership of those in charge of the Muslims, whether they are right or wrong-acting, are continuing obligations until the Last Hour comes. Nothing can annul or controvert them.

  78. We believe in Kiraman Katibin (the noble angels) who write down our actions for Allah has appointed them over us as two guardians.

  79. We believe in the Angel of Death who is charged with taking the spirits of all the worlds.

  80. We believe in the punishment in the grave for those who deserve it, and in the questioning in the grave by Munkar and Nakir about one’s Lord, one’s religion and one’s prophet, as has come down in ahadith from the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and in reports from the Companions, may Allah be pleased with them all.

  81. The grave is either one of the meadows of the Garden or one of the pits of the Fire.

  82. We believe in being brought back to life after death and in being re- compensed for our actions on the Day of Judgement, and al-'Ard, having been shown them and al-Hisab, brought to account for them. And Qira’at al-Kitab, reading the book, and the reward or punishments and in al-Sirat (the Bridge) and al-Mizan (the Balance).

  83. The Garden and the Fire are created things that never come to an end and we believe that Allah created them before the rest of creation and then created people to inhabit each of them. Whoever He wills goes to the Garden out of His Bounty and whoever He wills goes to the Fire through His justice. Everybody acts in accordance with what is destined for him and goes towards what he has been created for.

  84. Good and evil have both been decreed for people.

  85. The capability in terms of Tawfiq (Divine Grace and Favour) which makes an action certain to occur cannot be ascribed to a created being. This capability is integral with action, whereas the capability of an action in terms of having the necessary health, and ability, being in a position to act and having the necessary means, exists in a person before the action. It is this type of capability which is the object of the dictates of ShariÕah. Allah the Exalted says: ‘Allah does not charge a person except according to his ability’. (al-Baqarah 2: 286)

  86. People’s actions are created by Allah but earned by people .

  87. Allah, the Exalted, has only charged people with what they are able to do and people are only capable to do what Allah has favoured them. This is the explanation of the phrase: ‘There is no power and no strength except by Allah.’ We add to this that there is no stratagem or way by which anyone can avoid or escape disobedience to Allah except with Allah’s help; nor does anyone have the strength to put obedience to Allah into practice and remain firm in it, except if Allah makes it possible for them to do so.

  88. Everything happens according to Allah’s will, knowledge, predestination and decree. His will overpowers all other wills and His decree overpowers all stratagems. He does whatever He wills and He is never unjust. He is exalted in His purity above any evil or perdition and He is perfect far beyond any fault or flaw. ‘He will not be asked about what He does but they will he asked.’ (al-Anbiya’ 21: 23)

  89. There is benefit for dead people in the supplication and alms-giving of the living.

  90. Allah responds to people’s supplications and gives them what they ask for.

  91. Allah has absolute control over everything and nothing has any control over Him. Nothing can be independent of Allah even for the blinking of an eye, and whoever considers himself independent of Allah for the blinking of an eye is guilty of unbelief and becomes one of the people of perdition.

  92. Allah is angered and can be pleased but not in the same way as any creature.

  93. We love the Companions of the Messenger of Allah but we do not go to excess in our love for any one individual among them nor do we disown any one of them. We hate anyone who hates them or does not speak well of them and we only speak well of them. Love of them is a part of Islam, part of belief and part of excellent behaviour, while hatred of them is unbelief, hypocrisy and rebelliousness.

  94. We confirm that, after the death of the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, the caliphate went first to Abu Bakr al-Siddiq, may Allah be pleased with him, thus proving his excellence and superiority over the rest of the Muslims; then to 'Umar ibn alKhattab, may Allah be pleased with him; then to 'Uthman, may Allah be pleased with him; and then to 'Ali ibn Abi Talib, may Allah be pleased with him. These are the Rightly-Guided Caliphs and upright leaders.

  95. We bear witness that the ten who were named by the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and who were promised the Garden by him, will be in the Garden, as the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, whose word is truth, bore witness that they would he. The ten are: Abu Bakr, 'Umar, 'Uthman, 'Ali, Talhah, Zubayr, Sa’d, Sa’id, 'Abdur-Rahman ibn 'Awf and Abu 'Ubaydah ibn al-Jarrah whose title was the trustee of this Ummah, may Allah be pleased with all of them.

  96. Anyone who speaks well of the Companions of the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and his wives and offspring, who are all pure and untainted by any impurity, is free from the accusation of hypocrisy.

  97. The learned men of the first community and those who followed in their footsteps - the people of virtue, the narrators of the Ahadith, the jurists and analysts- they must only be spoken about in the best way and anyone who says anything bad about them is not on the right path.

  98. We do not prefer any of the saintly men among the Ummah over any of the Prophets but rather we say that any one of the Prophets is better than all the awliya’ put together.

  99. We believe in what we know of Karamat, the marvels of the awliya’ and in authentic stories about them from trustworthy sources.

  100. We believe in the signs of the Hour such as the appearance of the Dajjal and the descent of 'Isa ibn Maryam, peace be upon him, from heaven and we believe in the rising of the sun from where it sets and in the emergence of the Beast from the earth.

  101. We do not accept as true what soothsayers and fortune-tellers say, nor do we accept the claims of those who affirm anything which goes against the Book, the Sunnah and the consensus of the Muslim Ummah.

  102. We agree that holding together is the true and right path and that separation is deviation and torment.

  103. There is only one religion of Allah in the heavens and the earth and that is the religion of Islam. Allah says: ‘Surely religion in the sight of Allah is Islam’. (Al 'Imran 3: 19) And He also says: ‘I am pleased with Islam as a religion for you’. (al-Matidah 5: 3)

  104. Islam lies between going to excess and falling short, between Tashbih (likening of Allah’s attributes to anything else), and TaÕtil (denying Allah’s attributes), between fatalism and refusing decree as proceeding from Allah and between certainty (without being conscious of Allah’s reckoning) and despair (of Allah’s mercy).

  105. This is our religion and it is what we believe in, both inwardly and outwardly, and we renounce any connection, before Allah, with anyone who goes against what we have said and made clear.

We ask Allah to make us firm in our belief and seal our lives with it and to protect us from variant ideas, scattering opinions and evil schools of view such as those of the Mushabbihah, the Mu’tazilah, the Jahmiyyah the Jabriyah, the Qadriyah and others like them who go against the Sunnah and Jama’ah and have allied themselves with error. We renounce any connection with them and in our opinion they are in error and on the path of destruction.

We ask Allah to protect us from all falsehood and we ask His Grace and Favour to do all good.

If you read carefully you would find that the Imam emphasizes on clarifying that Allah is clear from resembeling the creations and that he exists without a place and that he does not need any of his creations.

Well a thought I liked to share with you:

Actually, I have heard very serious debates on Allah's location by many learned people. Ibn Tanmiyah also wrote that Allah cannot exist on Earth and that he is in the Heavens.

Well my view on this matter...something that I have learned through all my quest for religious knowledge is that...

Allah created what we know today as physical (locations). So any physical location, the way that our minds percieve it are among his creations.

To attribute to Allah any physical location is as if we are limiting his Divine nature (atleast the way that Allah has made my mind percieve it).

A location as we understand is also a creation of Allah..and if so in a sense we are limiting His Highness the same way the trinitarian Christians have limited his Diviness by attributing to him the attribute of having a son...which is basically is an attribute which is limiting Allah to be more human-like.

Do I make any sense?!...Okay, in simple words we should not * limit * the attributes of Allah if we cannot percieve oe understand them with our * limited *intelligence.

Ahmad G, let me explain that by this you cannot generalize about 'Wahabies' as you call them. Abdul Wahab brought reforms in a bedouin nation which was much indulged in polytheism. His one and only teaching was of tawhid and that we should not associate anyone, even Prophet Muhammed(saw) with Him.

He agreed to the fact that ON THE DAY OF JUDGEMENT, the Prophet will be granted a special favour of Intercession for HIS UMMAH only. This does not mean that we can go on and pray to Muhammad..because on that day he will certainly diown anyone who worshipped him...

Consider these wise words of Abu Bakr (ra), at a time when there was much havoc and disunity in some tribes fo Madina who started doubting Muhammad's prophethood:

If anyone worshipped Muhammad(saw), then let it be known to him that Muhammad is dead....but for all those worship Allah, let it also be known that your Lord(sw) lives forever!


Allah knows best...

[quote]
Originally posted by prince_x:
**To attribute to Allah any physical location is as if we are limiting his Divine nature (atleast the way that Allah has made my mind percieve it).

A location as we understand is also a creation of Allah..and if so in a sense we are limiting His Highness the same way the trinitarian Christians have limited his Diviness by attributing to him the attribute of having a son...which is basically is an attribute which is limiting Allah to be more human-like.
**
[/quote]

That' enough for one to have the belief of clearing ALlah from resembeling the creations and from being limited in the sky as Ibn taymiah and wahabies say.

Now, worshipping Muhammad is kufur, thinking that Muhammad is not a human being is not from Islam, thinking that Muhammad knows everything that Allah knows is not from Islam, but loving Muhammad and extremely respecting him is ordered by Islam.

That's not the topic, the topic was that Allah is not limited in the skies he exists without a place as you mentioned in the quote.