Commentary on the Creed of Abu Jaafar at Tahawi

7/30/2019 Commentary on the Creed of Abu Jaafar at Tahawi

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-J, ?!OMMENTARYON THE S-CREED OF AT-TAHAWI ~ \Y- \BN ABI AL -'IZZ ~ ~- -'lRHAL -'AQIDAHAT - TARAWIYYAHTRANSLATED BY SUHAMMAD ' ABDUL-HAQQ ANSARI


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KINGDOM OF SAUDI ARABIAMinistry of Higher EducationAI-Imam M uhammad ibn Saud Islamic

UniversityDeanery of Academic Research

COMMENTARYON THE

- -CREED OFAT-TAHAWI. . .BY-IBN ABI AL -'IZZ

- -SHARH AL -'AQIDAHAT - TAHAWIYYAH. .TRANSLATED BY

MUHAMMAD 'ABDUL-HAQQ ANSARI

AL-IMAM MUHAMMAD l iN SA'UD ISLAMIC UNIVERSITYIMADAT AL-BAHTH AL-'ILMI

RIYADH, SAUDI ARABIAINSTITUTE OF ISLAMIC AND ARABIC SCIENCES IN AMERICA1421 A.H.-2000 CEo


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IN THE NAME OF ALLAHTHE COMPASSIONATE THE MERCIFUL


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ALL RIGHTS RESERVED1421 A.H.-2000 A.D.


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Commentary on the Creed ofA(-TaJ:tiiwf

T ABLE OF CONTENTS

Introduction xviiTranslator's Preface xixCommentator's Preface xlviiThe Creed of At-TaJ:!iiwi IviiThe Creed and its Commentary 1Tawl}ld: Affirming God's Unity 1Two aspects of tawJ:tld:tawJ:tld al-iliihlyyah, and tawJ:tfd al-rubiiblyyahTawhld is inherent in manThe Qur'lin expounds on and argues for God's unityTawhld in faith and in actionThe prophets' tawJ:tld was the most perfect

Criticism of the mystical view of tawJ:tldGod is unlike anything 23To affirm attributes ofGod is not to liken Himwith His creatures (tashblh)Words common between the Creator and the createddenote nothing realNothing is impossible for God 31The Qur'lin mentions God's positive attributes in detail,and negative attributes in briefMutukallimiin do just the reverseGod is Eternal and Everlasting 3SThe Qur'lin uses the words: the First and the LastMulakallimiin use the word Al -Qadim,which is not a happy choice

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Nothing comes into existence except whatGod wills 38Two kinds ofDivine will: creative and prescriptiveCreative will does not necessarily imply that Godapproves of the object He createsPrescriptive will implies that God approves.ofthe object He commands men to doBoth the wills have some purpose which may concernman, God or bothIt is not necessary that God should help one to dowhat He asks him to doGod is beyond understanding and imagination 41The Jahmlyyah are wrong in saying that to affirmattributes ofGod is to anthropomorphize HimTheological discussion does not admit of syllogistic

or analogical argument; it admits only theargument ofpriorityGod is Living and All-Sustaining 45He is the Creator and the ProvidentHe causes death and shall raise againAll the attributes of God are eternal 49This is true of essential attributes, such asknowledge and power,Of active attributes such as creation, andOf voluntary attributes such as coming, descending,mounting, anger and pleasureThe meaning of coming, mounting, anger etc .,

is known to us; what is not known is their modalityDo things happen to God?Essence and attributes, whether one or different?Name and the NamedEvents as a class have no beginning and God

is active from eternityGod is Creator, Originator, Lord, Reviver, etc .,from eternityGod has power over all things; the impossible initself is nothingGod has created things with knowledge 66He Ordained them in due measures, and fixed their terms

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He knew what people would do even beforeHe created themThings happen as He ordains and willsThis does not mean that He approves of everythingpeople doNor does pre-ordination offer any justificationfor doing evilHis guidance and protection is a favor from himRefutation of the view that God must dowhat is best for manHis decision is not reversed, resisted or frustratedProphecy of Mut,ammad (pbuh) 76Mul)ammad is a servant of God, and the most perfectman is the most perfect servant of GodMiracle is a proof among other proofs of prophecyOther proofs are: the message, teachings, lifeand conduct, works and achievements of the prophetIt is on these grounds that Negus of Abyssinia andHeraclius of Syria testified to Mul)ammad's prophecyThe difference between nab[ and rasa!Mul)ammad is the seal of the prophets

aftiidUh on the subjectHe is the leader of the piousHe is the chiefof the apostlesHe is the best of all the prophets, but this should notbe said to degrade other prophetsHe is very dear to GodGrades ofloveEvery claim to prophecy after him is falseHe is sent to men as well as to j innsThe Qur'an 96The Qur'an is the word of GodIt has proceeded from Him in an unknown manner

as articulated speechTo say that it is spoken by God is not toanthropomorphize himVerses and a ~ i i d U h saying that God speaks;the meaning of His speechThe Qur'an is an attribute of God, not something created

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It has been brought down to Mul)ammad by Gabriel,acting simply as a messengerIt is not the word of a human being, one who saysthat is a kafirSpeech is an attribute of God, and He has been speaking

from eternity as and when He has willedHis speech as a class is eternalRefuting the objection that God shall then bethe locus of contigent eventsThe Qur'an is the word ofGod whether recited,written or remembered; and it is uncreatedHowever, our reciting, writing, or remembering isour act, and is contigent, as is the voice or the inkinvolved in the processThis is the view ofAbu I:IanIfah and the Ahl al-SunnahThe view of later I:Ianafis on the subject is not correctThe view that God's speech is a simple inaudible idea,and what is recited is its interpretation is wrongBeatific Vision 119People will see God in Paradise in an unknown mannerand without encompassing HimVerses referring to it must not be interpreted allegoricallyRefutation of the arguments advanced by the Mu ' tazilahA/.ladfth on the subject are very clearHowever, no one has seen or can see God in this lifeDid the Prophet see God in his life?Mu'tazilI interpretation of texts is not correctTaw/.lfd is to believe in what has come down fromthe Prophet authenticallyIslam is to believe, submit, and refrainfrom misinterpreting texts 136Three kinds of people destroy religion:Rulers pursuing policies opposed to the Shar'SUfis following kashfand experienceMutakallimiin arguing from reason aloneAI-Ghazall on the inadequacy of kalamThe reason the Salaf condemned kalamThe root cause of error is lack of reflection on

the Qur'an and the Sunnah

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Philosophers and theologians speak about thelimitation of philosophy and kaltimMeaning of ta 'wi!Ta 'wi! in the Qur'an and SunnahTa 'wil in early commentariesTa 'wi! in the works of later jurists and mutakallimilnInterpreting divine names:Avoid both negation and anthropomorphizationGod's hands, face, eyesGod and space (jihah)

Ascension of the Prophet 162His Fountain 167His Intercession 170Intercession by other prophets, 'ulamti ' and martyrsPraying in the name of someoneTawassulGod's Covenant with Mankind 182Tawhid is inherent in manShirk is alien to human natureFore-ordainment 191God knows from eternity who will go to Paradise andwho will go to Hell, as well as their deeds leadingthem to their destinationEveryone gets the opportunity to do what he or shehas been created forFore-ordainment is a secret ofGod;

one should not delve into itEverything good and bad is brought out by God'screative will, which does not necessarily implyH s approvalHowever, God does not will pure evilGod may not help one do what He approves ofFore-ordainment and repentenceFore-ordainment and resignation (rirj.ti ')We are not required to resign to everything decreed

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The Pen and the Tablet 210What shall come into existence till the Last Dayhas been written downNo one can change what has been writtenEarning is not opposed to trustThere is no change in God's fore-knowledgeFaith in fore-ordainment is necessaryWhat qadr impliesQuestioning qadr is a diseaseThe Throne and the Footstool 223The Throne and the Footstool are realBut God does not need the ThroneHe encompasses all and is above allVerses and alztidfth that speak of His being abovethe world (fawqfyyah)Twenty reasons for HisJawqryyahSayings of Abu I;Ianjfah on the subject'Ulii andJawqryyahThe knowledge that God is above the world is inherentin human natureGod took Abraham as friend 242Angels, Prophets and Heavenly Books 246Angels, their grades and functionsWe must believe in all the prophets of God and inall His booksAs for Mul:1ammad (Pbuh), we must believe in himas well as follow his teachingsOne is muslim and mu 'min so long as onewitnesses to what the Prophet has brought 261The Qur'an may be read in all the seven established waysThe Faithful Spirit has brought down the Qur'an andconveyed it to Mul:1ammad (Pbuh)Sin, Faith and Salvation 266No Muslim becomes kiifir by committing a sin unless

he or she thinks it to be lawfulTo deny what the Prophet has affirmed, affirm whathe has denied, legalize what he has prohibited, or

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prohibit what he has legalized is kufr; and whoeverdoes so is a kiijirHowever, one should refrain from calling a particularperson kiijir, for he may be mistaken or may not beaware of relevant textsThe Ahl al-Sunnah do not excommunicate ongrounds of bid 'ahKufr as used in the Qur'an and Sunnah is of varyingdegrees: one justifies excommunication (takfir),another does notSin exposes one to God's punishmentWe hope that God will forgive righteous Muslims andput them in Paradise, but we cannot be sureSimilarly, we fear about the sinners, but they should notlose hopePunishment for sins is waved for ten reasonsComplacence and disappointment both are wrong;the right course is in betweenOne goes out of fman only by repudiating what hasbrought him into itIman and IslamDoes iman include works or not?Many scholars of J:zadfth and jurists say that it does.Abu i:larufah and his followers say that it does not;however, the difference is not important.Does [man increase or decrease?Arguments of the ahl al-J:zadithArguments of the i:lanafi School,and comments on themAJ:zadith telling that works are parts offmanVerses and aJ:ziidith that iman increases and decreasesSayings of the Companions on the subjectiman and isliim mean the same when mentioned singly,but mentioned together they mean different thingsAll that has authentically come down fromthe Prophet is trueThe Ahl as-Sunnah do not ignore texts or opposeto it their reason or the word of any person.A one-man J:zadith which is accepted by the ummahprovides knowledge

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All Believers are friends (aw/iyii') of God 313Meaning of walayahWalayah and taqwaGrades of awliya 'The most perfect awliya ' are those who are mostobedient to GodArticles of Faith 317God, Angels, Heavenly Books, Prophets, Last Day,Fore-ordainmentEvery I;asanah and sayyfyyah is from GodGod does not create pure evilSupplication is worshipFaith in all the prophets without discriminationThose who commit grave sins (kabii'ir) 326God may forgive them,Or punish them in Hell for a timeHowever, they will not stay there for ever,even if they do not repentWhat is kabfrah?fj a/iih may be offered behind a sinner 330and behind one guilty of bid 'ahSalah should be offered at the funeral of every Muslim,except an open hypocriteWe do not send anyone to Paradise or Hell 336Nor do we charge anyone with kufr or shirkor nifaq unless he is guilty of it openlyWe do not take up sword against anyoneunless it is necessaryWe do not revolt against our leaders and rulerseven if they are unjust, nor defy their ordersunless they order something sinfulWe follow the Sunnah and the Jamii'ah,and avoid dissension 349We love the just and the honestWhen something is unclear, we say God knows betterWiping on leather socks (in wuc;lii ') is right/fa)) and Jihad shall continue under all Muslim

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Commentary on the Creed 0/Af-Tal:zawlauthorities, pious or impious

Akhirah: Life after Death 348Angels that note down our deedsAngels ofDeathSpirit (ar-ru/:z) is createdAn-nafs and ar-rul:zIs spirit mortal?Angels that visit in the graveReward and punishment in the graveResurrection, Judgement, reward and punishment,Bridge and BalanceParadise and Hell exist at the presentMost Salaf and khalafbelieve that Paradise shall lastforever, but Hell will disappear in the endGod has created some people for each; whom He hasallotted for Paradise He has allotted as a favor,and whom He has allotted for Hell He has done sobecause His justice demanded itPower and Responsibility 392Power is of two kinds: before and at the time of actionThe former is the basis of obligation,but it is not sufficient to produce actionThus, the power concomitant to action is createdHuman actions are created by God and acquired by menCriticism of the Mu'tazili viewHow is it that God should punish man for actionsHe has created?God does not charge man except what he can doEverything happens as He wills, knows and decreesHowever, God does no injustice; in fact He hasprescribed mercy on HimselfBenefits to the Dead 414Funeral prayerPrayer at the graveCharityFasting, I:zajj, reciting the Qur'anGod responds to prayer and grants itGod's Anger and Pleasure 426God gets angry and is pleased as and when He likes

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To interpret God's anger and pleasure allegoricallyis incorrect

Companions of the Prophet and Khulafii' 430We love all the companions, but not anyone to excessNor do we disown anyoneLove for them is part of iman, and hatred for them iskufr and nifaqAfter the Prophet the first rightful khalifah wasAbu Bakr, then 'Umar, then 'Uthman, then'AlIThe order of their khilafah is the order of their honorBesides these four, there are six more to whomthe Prophet gave the good tidings of entering ParadiseWhoever speaks well of the Prophet's companions andhis wives is free from hypocrisy'Ulamii' and Awliyii' 458'Ulama' of the Ummah should be honoredNo friend (wall) of God should be exalted over a prophetOne prophet is better than all the awliya ' combinedCriticism of Ibn 'ArabIMiracles are true, and when ascertained should be believedKinds of miracles: effective and cognitiveMiracles are an honor only when they serve religionInsight (jirasah) and its kindsSigns of the Hour 468Diviners, Fortune Tellers 470We do not bel ieve in themNor in the astrologersMagic and its kindsSufisRijal al-GhaybMystical experienceThe MalamatIyyahSima' and spiritual excercisesThe story of Moses and KhiQrUnity of the Jamii'ah, differences and sectsPreservation of the unity of the jama 'ah 479


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Differences should be referred to the Qur'an and SunnahDifferences are of two kinds:Difference of variationDifference of contradictionGod's religion is one, and it is IslamIslam is between excess and negligencebetween tashblh and negation,between coercionism and libertarianism,between complacency and pessimismReview of heretical sectsMushabbihah, MU ' tuzilah, Jahmlyyah,Jabarlyyah, QadarIyyahHeretical sects treat revelation in two ways:

Some alter the meaning of text,Others charge the prophets with ignoranceBiographical SketchesBibliography

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INTRODUCTION

All praise and thanks belong to Allah, and may peace be uponHis chosen servants.The religion of Islam is characterized by and distinguishedfrom all other religions by its many ordinances, rules and systemsof life. The concept that comes in the forefront of these ordinancesand systems is the Islamic creed ('aqfdah). This is from theviewpoint that belief is the fundamental principle for action andfrom it emanates the philosophy of life and the view of the creationand the Creator.The Salaf (Pious Predecessors) of the nation of Mui:Iammad(may peace and blessings be upon him) have placed considerableemphasis on this concept on practical and theoretical grounds.Practically, the pure Islamic 'aqfdah (creed), the one that is freefrom all superstition and innovation, far from false interpretationand denial , was their methodology of life and their guide tocontemplation and thought. Theoretically, this Islamic 'aqfdahreceived immense care and attention in its presentation andexplanation, as well as in defense of its sacred domain, regardlessof whether they did so by way of education, authorship, dialogue,or debate.Among the valuable books on this subject is The Creed o fA!TalJawf of Imam Abu Ja'far Ai:Jmad Ibn Mui:Iammad AI-AzdI A\Tai:Iawi (d. 321 A.H.). It is a very accurate and precise text for itssmall size. It includes the fundamental principles of belief and itsmost important issues. One scholar was destined for itsexplanation and presentation. He was 'Ali Ibn 'Ali Ibn Abi AI-'IzzAI-DimashqI (d. 792 A.H .). His explanation is adequate and in aneasy to understand language.This book has obtained high stature at this University since thetime it was founded. It has been the main reference book for the'aqfdah curriculum of university-level studies. In fact, even beforethat it had received special attention from the scholars and leadersof the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. That is because it encompassesthe true creed of the Ahl as-Sunnah wa al-Jama 'ah and is themethodology upon which this country (may Allah fortify andhonor it) has stood since its founding.

Therefore, due to the importance of this book and the immenseneed for it and its like, the University took on the task oftranslating it into English in hopes that those who speak English..

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Sharl:z Al- 'Aqfdah A!-Tal:zawfyyahmay benefit from it. The task of this translation was entrusted to aqualified professor who is fluent in both Arabic and English, Dr.Mu1.lammad 'Abdul-l:Iaqq A n ~ a n . researcher in the Deanery ofAcademic Research. Dr. Mu1.lammad took on this task and putforth an effort to be thanked, and one deserving of our prayers andpraise.Then the University entrusted the printing and publication ofthis book, including review and editing by various specialists, tothe Institute of Islamic and Arabic Sciences in America, a branchof the University. The director and those with him at the Institutehave put forth constant efforts to publish this book and we thankthem for that.I ask Allah to make this work a benefit and source of good forthe nation ofMu1.lammad (may the peace and blessings of Allah beupon him). Allah is the Giver of success.Dr. Muhammad Ibn Sa' ad AI-Salem. Rector.AI-Imam Mu1.lammad Ibn :Satid Islamic University

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having written a Creed ('aqfdah) which is still unpublished. Itappears, however, that his Creed did not become popular; only onescholar, Taj ad-DIn As-SubkI (d. 77l/1370) is recorded as havingcommented upon it. 4 A!-Tai).awI's Creed, on the other hand, enjoyedgreat popularity. Some fifteen scholars from different periods oftime and different parts of the Islamic world, as we shall see, havewritten small or large commentaries on it.The second important feature of this work is the approach of thecommentator. Although he was brought up and educated in a I:Ianafifamily, worked as a I:Ianafi judge (qa!ji), and was fully aware oflater developments in I:Ianafi kaliim, Ibn AbI Al-'Izz abhorred thekalami method which almost all the other commentators on theCreed followed. Instead, Ibn AbI Al-'Izz pursued the Salafi method,particularly as it was developed by Shaykh ai-Islam Ibn Taymlyyah(d. 728/326) and his disciple, Ibn Al-Qayylm (d. 75l/1350). Atplaces in his commentary, Ibn AbI Al-'Izz dissociates himself fromAbu M a n ~ u r AI-MaturldI (d. 333/944), as well as from later I:Ianafitheologians, and adopts the views of the I,zadfth scholars and hedefends them as well. On many occasions he quotes from AI-Fiqhai-Akbar to show that he has Abu I:Ianlfah, if not later I:Ianafis, onhis side. At times, where Abu I:Ianlfah's views differ from theviews of the i).adIth scholars, such as, for example, on the questionof iman, he states both views and painstakingly shows that thedifference between them is not substantial. The commentary maytherefore be taken as both a I:Ianafi and a Salafi exposition of theIslamic faith; I:Ianafi in the sense of early I:Ianafism, and Salafi inthe sense that it was developed by Ibn Taymlyyah and his school.In the following pages I will discuss the life and work of theauthor and those of the commentator. I shall make a fewobservations on the text and elucidate some features of the methodthat the commentator follows. I will also underline some ideas of thecommentary. Finally, I will conclude this section with a few wordsregarding the translation and the notes that I have added throughoutthe work.

See Fuwad Sezgin, TJrikh al-TurUlh al- 'Arabi. vol. I, part IV , p. 42.

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At-TaQiiwi's Life and WorkAbu Ja'far AQrnad Ibn Mul:tammad Ibn Salamah Ibn 'AbdulMalik N-TaJ:!awi5 was born on Rabi' al-Awwal II, 239 A.H.I

August 9, 853 C.E., in Tal:ta, a town in Upper Egypt, to an Arabfamily from the Hajr branch of the QaJ:!\iinI tribe of Azd. His fatherwas a I.zadith and literature scholar. His mother, too, was learned.Both his parents used to attend the lectures of Imam Ash-Shafi'i (d.204/820). Abu Ja 'far first learned from the members of his familyand then he attended the classes of Abu Zakariyya Ibn Mul:tammadon the Qur'an in the mosque of 'Amr Ibn A I - ' A ~ . At that time, hememorized the entire Qur'an.Abu Ja 'far received his first lessons in I.zadith from his father.After that, he pursued the study of I.zadith from his maternal uncle,Isma'il Ibn YaJ:!ya AI-MuzanI (d. 264/877), an eminent disciple ofImam Ash-Shafi 'i. By the time he was thirteen he had finished AshShafi 'i's Musnad. This was, however, only a beginning. Abu Ja'farcontinued his study of I.zadith. He made it a point to meet everyscholar that went to Egypt from any part of the Islamic world and helearned the I.zadith that they taught. This is testified to by the list of, For At-Tahawi's life and works, see Ibn Khallikan, Wafayii! al-A 'yiin, ed. by Dr.Ih san 'Abbas (B eirut: Dar Sadir, 139811978), vol. I, pp. 71-72; As-Safadi, AI-Waftbi al-Wafayii! (Wiesbaden, 1971), vol. 8, p. 9; Adh-Dhahabi, Siyar A'Iiim anNubalii', ed. by Shu'ayb AI-ArnaWlit and Hu ssayn A I-Asad (Beirut: Mu'assasat arRi sii lah, 140 11 1981), vol. 15 , pp. 2733; Ibn Hajar, Lisan al-Mizan, (Hyderabad,1329 A.H.), vol. I, pp. 274-282; AI-Qarshi, AI-Jawahir al-MurJi'ah, ed. by 'AbdulFattah AI-H ilwa (Cairo: 'jsa AI-Ha labi, 1398,1978), vo l. I, pp. 271277; Abu IShaqAsh-ShiraZi, Tabaqii! al-Fuqahil', ed. by Ih san 'Abbas (Beirut, 1978), p. 142; Ibn AnNadim, AI-Fihris! (Cairo: AI-Maktabah at.Tajariyyah, 1348 A.H.), p. 292; IbnKathir , AI-Bidayah wa all-Nihilyah (Cairo: Matba 'at as-Sa'adah), vo l.. II , p. 174; IbnAI-' Imad, Shadhara! ad-Dhahiib (Cairo: Malba 'a t al-Qudsi, 1350 A.H.), vol. Ii, p.288; AI-Yafi ' i, Mir 'a ! al-Jillall (Hyderabad, 1337), vol. I, p. 28 1; Haji Khalifah,Ka sh! a,-?lInUII (Istanbul , 136211943) , vol. II , p. 143; Ibn AI-Jawzi, MUlltazam(Hyderabad, 1357 A.H.), vo l. 6, p. 250; As-Sam'ani, AI-Allsab, ed. by M. AI'Awwamah (Beirut: n.d.), vo l. 8, p. 218; Ibn AI-Athir, AI-LlIbab (Cairo: Matba 'a t alQudsi, 1367-59 A.H.), vol. II , p. 276; Ad-Dawudi, Tabaqii! al-Mufassirin (Beirut: Daral -Kutub al-'lImiyyah, 140311983), vo l. I, p. 74; As-Suyuti, Tabaqa! al-Huffa" ed.by 'A li M. 'Umar (Cairo: Maktabah Wahbah, 139311973), p. 337; Isma' i1 Basha,Hadya! al- 'Arifin (Istanbul, 1951); Tash Kubri Zadah, Tabaqii! al-Fuqahii' (AI-Musal :Mataba 'a t az-Zahrah , 1961), 2nd edition, p. 58); Sh. M. Zahid A I-Kawthari, AI-Ifawift Sira! al-Imiim Abi Ja far Ar-Tai)iiwi (Cairo: AI -Anwar Press, 1368 A.H .).

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the teachers of /:ladith that he mentions in his works. They comefrom Syria, Basrah, Kufah, the Hijaz, Yemen, Khurasan in the Eastand Morocco in the West. The list includes such renowned scholarsas AI-Hafi{: Abu 'Abdur-Ral:Iman AQmad Ibn Shu'ayb An-Nasa 'I(d . 303 /915), Abu Zur'ah 'Abdur-Ral:Iman Ibn 'Amr Ad-DimashqI(d. 2811894), 'AlI Ibn 'Abdul-'AzIz AI-BaghawI (d. 280/893), andAbu Bishr Mul:Iammad Ibn Sa'Id Ad-DulabI (d. 310/922). Amonghis students who narrated a/:ltiduh from him, on the other hand, aresuch outstanding scholars of /:ladith as AI-Hafi{: Abu AI-QasimSulayman Ibn AQmad A!-Tabararu (d. 360/971) and the great criticof /:ladith, Abu AQmad 'Abdullah Ibn 'AdIy (d. 365/975).Abu Ja'far was brought up in a Shafi'I family. His first teacherof jiqh was no less than Imam Ash-Shafi'I's great disciple AJMuzaru, about whose juristic ability the imam had a very highopinion and whom he called the defender of his school.6 Abu Ja' farstudied AI-MuzanI's famous M u k h t a ~ a r , the first compendium ofShafi'I jiqh, with AI-Muzaru himself. He did not, however, limithimself to just that school; he also attended lectures on I:Ianafi jiqh,which were held at the Mosque of 'Amr Ibn A I - ' A ~ and he studiedI:Ianafi works, a number of which his uncle had in his library and towhich he often referred .'

Abu Ja'far's interest in I:Ianafijiqh kept growing. The processwas accelerated when he came into contact with two I:Ianafi judgesof Egypt, Bakkar Ibn Qutaybah (d. 270/8 33) and AQmad Ibn AbI'Imran AI-BaghdadI (d. 280/893).8With these two, he increased hisstudy of I:Ianafi jiqh. He once said, "At first I used to write/:ladUhfrom AJ-MuzanI and follow the views of Ash-Shafi'1. But aftersome time, when Ahmad Ibn AbI 'Irnran came and took over asjudge of Egypt, I kept company with him and followed hisopinions.,,9Most probably it was at that time that his uncle called him asideand rebuked him for not having produced anything worthwhile up tothat time. Abu Ja far got angry at this and broke off from him.Later, when he wrote his M u k h t a ~ a r in I:Ianafi jiqh on the lines of, Az-Zarkall, AI-A "film (Beirut: Dar al-Malayin, 1980), vol. I, p.329.7 Ibn Kha llikan, Wafayut al-A'yun, vol. I , p. 72; AI-Yafi ' i, Mir'at al-Jinun, op cit.,vol. I, p. 28 1."Adh-Dhahabi, Siyar A 'lam an-Nubalu', vol. IS, p. 27; AI-Qarshi, AI-Jawilhir alMudi 'ah, vol. I, p. 272., Adh-Dhahabi, Siyar A 'lam an-Nubala " vol. 15 , p. 30

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Regarding his position in the l;Ianafi school, Tash KubrI Zadah (d.968/1561) observed, "He was an imam and mujtahid in the categoryof the mujtahidunfi al-masa'i/.,,'6 And As-Sam'anI (d. 56211167)noted, "Without a doubt, he was an imam [in fiqh], reliable andtrustworthy [in ~ a d l t h ] and no one came after him who could rise tohis level infiqh and scholarship.""AkTal)awI's first work on ~ a d l t h , S h a r ~ Ma 'ani al-Athar, is aunique work. It discusses different views on one subject, points outtheir merits and flaws, and defends the view which he prefers. It isextremely helpful for getting insight into fiqh. Three scholars, thegreat commentator of AI-BukharI's S a ~ i ~ , AI-Badar Al-'AynI (d.85511451), the famous MalikI scholar, Ibn 'Abdul-Barr (d.463/1071) and the renowned l;Ianafi scholar, Jamal ad-Din Az-Zayla'I (d. 762/1361), have commented on the work. In his secondwork, SharI) Mushkil al-Athar, A!-Tal)awI highlights those facets of~ a d l t h which are not normally noticed by common people. Thefamous MalikI jurist and philosopher, Ibn Rushd (d. 598/1198)abridged the work. Two other scholars, Abo AI-Waiid SulaymanIbn Khalaf Al-BajI (d. 47411 031) and Qat;li al-QUi;liit Jamal ad-DinMOsa AI-MalikI ' 8 (d. 803/1460), produced abridged editions. In hisSunan Ash-Shafi'I, A!-Tal)awI collected the a ~ a d l t h which he heardfrom his uncle, AI-MuzanI. This work was published in Cairo(1315/1877) as well as in Beirut (140611985). At-Taswiyyah baynHaddathana wa Akhbarana is another work listed in his writings onhadlth.Most ofA!-Tal)awI's writings were in the field of fiqh. We havealready referred to his Mukhtasar. It is the first compendium of fiqhwritten according to the l;Ianafi school. It was edited by Abo Al-Warn AI-Afghani and published by Dar al-Kutub al-' ArabIyyah inCairo (1370/1950). Another work, Ash-Shuru! as-Saghir, whichdeals with the rules of trade, wages, pre-emption, endowments andcharity, has been published in Baghdad (139411974) in twovolumes. A part of a larger work of his, Ash-Shuru! al-Kabir, hasbeen published by Joseph Schacht in Heidelberg (134611927) underthe title Kitab Adhkar al-lfuquq wa al-Ruhun. A facsimile edition ofa much more important work, Ikhti/aj al-Fuqaha', was firstproduced by Fredrick Cohn (Beirut: Dar al-Kutub al-'IlmIyyah," Tash KubrI Zadah, Tabaqiil al-Fuqahii', p. 58." As-Sam'finI,AI-Ansiib, vol. 8, p. 218.

See Mul)ammad SaghTr ijassan Ma 'sumI. op cit., p. 39.

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132011902), and later by Dr. $aghIr I:Iassan MasOmI , published it inIslamabad (Institute ofIslamic Studies, 1391/1971) with a detailedintroduction. The authors of AI-Fihrist and AI-luwahir al-Muifi 'ahhave mentioned many other w r i t i n ~ s of Al-Tal)awI in fiqh. Thereader may refer to these two works. 9Al-'Aqidah A!-TalJiiwiyyah

This work has been referred to by the following names indifferent manuscripts: (1) Risalah fi U ~ a l ad-Din, (2) 'Aqidah Ahlas-Sunnah wa ai-lama 'ah, (3) Bayn as-Sunnah wa ai-lama 'ah, and(4) Bayn as-Sunnah wa Rijab.20 (This last title seems to be amisspelling). It was first published with the third title in Aleppo in134411925. The same title was put on the commentary on the creedby 'Abdul-Ghani AI-MaydanI that was published by Mul)ammadMu\i ' A I - H a f i ~ and MuJ:!ammad Riyac;l AI-Malil) from Maktabat An-NOrI, Damascus (139011970). Under the second title it waspublished in Riyadh (without mention of its date) with notes byMul)ammad Ibn Mani' and by AI-Maktab al-IsllirnI in Beirut (1397A.H.).Commentaries on the 'Aqidah

A number of commentators, beginning in the 7th Century HijrIand continuing until the last century, have written on the 'Aqidah.The following is a list of the commentators that were mentioned byDr. Fowad Sezgin in his Tarikh at Turath al- 'Arabi:I) Isma'Il Ibn Ibrahim Ibn Al)mad Ash-ShaybanI21 (50411110-629 /1231), a I:Ianafijurist commonly known as Ibn M u ~ a l I . He wasborn in B a ~ r a h and at times acted as the deputy to the judge inDamascus.

" Ibn An- NadIm, AI-Fihrist, p. 292; AI-QarshI , AI-Jawiihir al-MUI;Ji 'ah , vol. I,pp . 275-77.10 See Bro ckelman, Geschichte der Arabisches LilteraLUr (Leiden , 1937-49), vol. I ,pp. 293-94 .

For more about Isma'TI Ash-ShaybanI, see Ibn KathIr. AI-Bidiiyah wa an-N ilulyah ,vol. 13 , p. 136; AI -QarshI, AI-Ja wiihir al-Murji'ah , vol. I, p. 144; Ibn AI- ' Imiid,Shadhariil ad-Dhahab, vol. 5, pp. 129f; Abu AI-Fath AI-Yan;nI, Mir'at az-Zaman(Hyderabad, 138 0/ 1960 ), vol. 8, p. 674.

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2) Najm ad-Din Manjubars22 (d. 652 / 1254), a Turkish jurist.His commentary bears the title An-Nur al-Lami ' wa al-Burhan asSati'. A copy of it, penned in 714 A.H., consists of75 folios.3) Hibatullah Ibn A\:Imad Ibn Mu'alla23 (d. 732 /1331), a I:lanafijurist and u$ull from At-Tiraz in Turkistan. His commentary is in149 folios and is detailed.4) Ma\:lmUd Ibn A\:Imad Ibn Mas ' ud Al -QunawI24 (d. 77111369) ,a jurist and mutakallim from Damascus, commonly known as IbnAs-Sarraj. His commentary is entitled AI-Qalii'id fi SharJ:z al'Aqa'id. It was published in 1311 A.H. in Qazan.5) Siraj ad-Din 'Umar Ibn Is\:laq Al-MarghinanI '5 (d. 77311372),a renowned I:lanafi scholar and a prolific writer. He added a detailedintroduction and an epilogue to his commentary.

6) Mu\:lammad Ibn Mu\:lammad Ibn Ma\:lmUd Alanal ad-Din AJ-BabartI26 (d. 786 /1384) , a staunch defender of I:lanafi views, and acontemporary to our commentator Ibn AbI Al- ' Izz. The lattercriticized some of his views in his book AI-lIiM '.7) $adr ad-DIn Ibn AbI Al- ' Izz (d. 792 /1390), our commentator,whose works have been translated here. We will discuss him inmore detail later.

For more about Najm ad-Din Manjubars, see Isma 'il 8asha , Hadayal al-Arijin, vol.I, p. 233.

For more about Hibatullah , see AI-Qarshi , AI-Jawahir M l l ~ / i 'alt , vol. II , pp . 204f.For more on Mabmud Al-Qunawi, see AI-Qar shi , AI-Jmnlhir al-MIll}i 'alT, vol. II ,

pp. 156f; Ibn !:Iajar, Ad-Dural' al-Kaminah (Hyderabad, 1360/ 193 1), vol. IV, pp .322f; Ibn Tallin , Qudal Dimishq, ed. by $alah ad-DIn AI -Munajjid (Damascus, 1956) ,p. 200 .For more on Siraj ad-Din 'Umar AI-Marghinanl. see Ibn l:Iajar, Ad-Durar alKiiminn/t , vol. III, pp . 154ff; Ibn TaghrI BardT, An- Nujiim az-Zahirah (Cairo ,138311969), vol. ll , pp. 120f; Ibn AI- ' Imad, Shadharul ad-Dhahub, vol. 6, pp. 228f;As-SuyO,i, /fusn al-Muhilt/arah , ed. by M. Abo AI-Fa


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Ibn Abi AI-'Izz's Life and WorkThe name of our commentator is Sadr ad-Din Abo AI-I:Iassan'Ali Ibn 'Ala ad-Din 'Ali Ibn Shams ad-Din Abi 'AbdullahMu\:lammad Ibn Sharf ad-Din Abi AI-Barakat Mu\:lammad Ibn 'Izzad-Din Abi AI-'Izz Sali\:l, commonly known as Ibn Abi AI_'Izz31Originally his family lived in Adhru'at, today called Dir'a, someseventy miles south of Damascus. From there they moved toDamascus, where the commentator's great grandfather, Mu\:lammadIbn Abi AI-'Izz was born in 645/ 1249.Ibn Abi AI-'Izz's father, 'Ala ad-Din (d. 946/1345), was ascholar of I:Ianafi fiqh. He delivered sermons at the Mosque of AlAfram, taught at the school of Mu'azzamiyyah, and served as a

judge assisting the chief judge (qal/f ai-quI/at) 'Imad ad-Din AtTar!usi. His grandfather, Shams ad-Din (d. 722/ 1322) was a verydistinguished I:Ianafi jurist and served as chief judge. And his greatgrandfather, Mu\:lammad Ibn Abi AI- 'Izz, taught at the school of AlMurshidiyyah. His uncle, Sadr ad-Din SUlayman Ibn Abi AI-'Izz (d.677/ 1278), was also a great I:Ianafi scholar and writer, and servedas chief judge in Syria and Egypt. Sulayman's descendants alsodistinguished themselves as judges, muftis and professors.Ibn Abi AI-'Izz was born into this distinguished family ofscholars and judges on Dhul-I:Iijjah 22, 731 A.H.lSeptember 25,1331 C.E. Naturally, he had learned first from his family and seemsto have completed his studies with them at an early age. Ibn QaQIShuhbah said that he started teaching at Qimaziyyah School at theage of seventeen in the year 748. This school had been built bySarim ad-Din Qa'imaz, one of the descendants of Salah ad-Din AlAyyObi, for teaching I:Ianafi fiqh. In 77111369, Ibn Abi AI-'Izzmoved to the Rulcniyyah School, which was founded in 621 A.H.by Amir Rukn ad-Din MankUras. In 784/1382, he started teaching at

) J For more on Ibn Abj AI- ' Izz , see Taqi ad-Din Ibn Qa


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the 'IzzIyyah School, founded by Abu AI-Fa


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quotedJrom belonged to this school. (We will discuss this point ingreater detail later. )In the year 784 /1382, 'All Ibn Aybak36 (d. 80111398-9), aregular poet of Damascus, wrote an ode in praise of the Prophet(peace be on him) in the same meter in which the famous ode "BanatSu 'ad .." was written by Ka'b Ibn Zuhayr. It was a beautiful poemand received general appreciation. It happened that Ibn AbI AI- 'Izzread it and wrote a letter to the poet stating his appreciation of theliterary aspect of the ode. In a separate paper, however, he alsonoted down his remarks about some of its ideas. Some peopleobjected to this note and raised their voices against Ibn AbI AI- 'Izz.Ibn Aybak referred the note to some jurists who objected to Ibn AbIAI-'Izz's remarks. The case was brought to the Sultan, who formeda council of scholars and jurists belonging to the different schoolsand asked for their opinion. The council held many sessions duringwhich it questioned Ibn AbI AI- 'Izz and discussed the issue atlength. At the end of the fifth session, the council, led by a Shafi'Ijudge, convicted Ibn AbI AI- 'Izz for his views, consigned him tojail, removed him from his post, and fined him. The fine was laterwithdrawn but he had to spend fourteen months injail.3 7In all there were eight issues on which Ibn AbI AI-'Izz wasconvicted. He was accused, for example, of believing that angels arebetter than prophets. He discussed this issue at length in thisCommentary. He opened his discussion of this topic with thefollowing words:

People have debated the question as to which is superior:angels or human beings that are pious. It is said that the Ahlas-Sunnah believe that pious men, or at least the prophetsamong them, are superior to the angels. The Mu'tazilah, onthe contrary, believe in the superiority of the angels. Thisopinion is also held by a group of the Ahl as-Sunnah and theSufis. As for the Ash'atis, some have no opinion on this issueand others are inclined to believe in the superiority of theangels. Shi' ah scholars say that all the imams are superior tothe angels, and exalted some categories of men over somecategories of angels, and vice-versa. However, no one worth

J6 For more about ' AlI Ibn Aybak Ibn ' Abdullah (d. 80111398-9), see Ibn AI-'Imad,Shadhara! ad-Dhahub, vol. 7, pp. 8f; Ibn Taghrl, Ad-DaW ash-Shaji, vol. I, p.452 ." Ibn Qa


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the Salaf, the imams, the Companions, the Successors andtheir successors, is not different from this view."Qa:


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his stipend. The emir agreed and issued the relevant orders. Ibn AbIAI- 'Izz resumed teaching at JawharIyyah and delivered sermons inthe Mosque ofAfram in the month of Rabi' al-Awwal in 791/1389.But this occupation proved to be short-lived. The following year, inthe month ofDhul-Qi'dah, death overtook him and he met his Lord.He was buried in the cemetery of Qasiyiin. May Allah have mercyon him and shower His blessings on him.Ibn AbI AI-'Izz did not write much. Besides the Commentary,which was his magnum opus and which we shall introduce shortly,he is said to have discussed, in a book entitled At-Tanbff.! 'alaMushkilat al-Hidayah, some of the difficult issues of the famouswork of I:Ianafi jiqh, Al-Hidayah by Abo. Bakr Burhan ad-DIn 'AllAI-MarghinanI (d. 59311197). No manuscript of this book seems tobe extant at the present time. Another tract, SiMat al-Iqtida' bi al-Mukhalif, was written to defend the practice of offering prayersbehind an imam of a different school. A manuscript of this tract ispreserved in the Tatwan Library in Morocco, and a photocopy of itmay also be found in the library of Shaykh I:Iammad A I - A n ~ 3 . r I ofMadinah. Our sources2 also mention another book which is nolonger present, An-Nar al-Lami ' j i ma yu 'malu bihf ji al-Jami '. Thetitle implies that the book is about what one should do in the Mosqueof Bano. Umayyah in Damascus. Finally, we have alreadymentioned his small but fine book, Al-Ittibii'. This was firstpublished in Lahore in 1401 A.H. and then in Oman in 1405 A.H .The Creed

In his work, Dr. Szegin listed some thirty-two extantmanuscripts of the Creed which were penned in different periods oftime. The earliest one, which is preserved in Alexandria, waswritten in 783 A.H. It consists of six folios,, 3 The editors of thecommentary written by 'Abdul-GhanI AI-Maydaru referred toearlier, stated that they have compared the text of the Creed with amanuscript written even earlier, in 732 A.H4' The earliest extantcommentary on the Creed, by Najm ad-DIn At-Turk!, was written in646 A.H.45

" See Isma ' lI Basha, Hadyat al- "iirijin, vol. I, p. 726.' J Fuwad Sezgin, Tiirikh at-Turiith al- 'Arabi, vol. I, part 11/, p. 96." , Abdul-GhanI A I - M a y d ~ n I , Sharlj al- 'Aqidah At-Tahiiwiyyah, p. 10 .45 FOwad Sezgin, op. cit., p. 97.

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speaking about God, for instance, he asserts about Him what He orHis Prophet said about Him, and negates about Him what He or HisProphet negated about Him. He does not predicate anything of Godsimply on the basis of reason, nor does he prefer any term todescribe Him ifthere is a term already stated in the revelation for thesame purpose. To give an example, theologians use the term qadimto describe God's eternity. This is not a pleasing term for it merelymeans old and ancient, something that precedes another thing, butnot that which precedes all things. The Qur'an, on the other hand,uses the word AI-Awwal, the First, which means the One Thatprecedes all and to Whom everything returns' 8 Hence, one shouldadhere to what the Qur'an and the Prophet say about God.Again, when the Qur'an speaks about Allah, it describes in detailHis positive attributes, that He is Living, Knowing, Powerful,Seeing, Hearing, and so on. But in describing Him negatively, theQur'an is brief; it simply says, "Nothing is like Him." This is inclear contrast to the way of the mutakallimun who never tire ofsaying that God is not this , nor is He that, and so on, trying toreduce His positive attributes to a minimum. The truth of thisstatement may be confirmed by referring to the Mu'tazilI descriptionof Allah's attributes that AI-Ash'arI reproduced in his Maqaltit al/sltimiyyfn:

Like the Salaf, Ibn AbI AI-'Izz takes the texts of the Qur'an andthe Sunnah at their face or literal value and he avoids interpretingthem symbolically. He takes God's descent to the lower heaven orascent to the Throne at face value. Similarly, he takes God's hand,face and eyes literally and avoids interpreting them metaphorically asthe mutakallimun do. However, to say that these attributes are real isnot to say that they resemble the attributes of the creatures. Allahdescends and ascends but not as humans do. Similarly, He hashands and eyes but not as humans have. To assert the reality ofthese attributes is not to anthropomorphize God. If to assertknowledge or will to God is not to liken Him with any creature,why should asserting hands and eyes to him be likening Him toman? In either case, we add the qualification that one attribute is notthe like the other attribute.This has been stated by the Salaf from the beginning, byscholars of /:ladfth as well as jiqh, by Imams Malik and Al)mad as" See infra, pp. 36-39..1 Y AI-A sh'ari, Maquliif al-Islilmiyyfn, ed . by Helmut Ritter (Wiesbaden: Franz SteinerVerlag, 1980), pp . 155f.

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well as Imam Abu J:lanlfah. But Ibn Taymlyyah added a newdimension to it when he said that general predicates, or universals,are mere concepts in the mind; they do not refer to any externalreality. What exists in reality is something particular. There is nowill, knowledge, hand or eye as such; what exists out there is thiswill or that will, this knowledge or that knowledge, this hand or thathand, and so on. No one will is the same as another will, and noone hand is the same as another hand. Hence, to say that Allah haswill, knowledge, a hand or eye is not to anthropomorphize theseattributes; Allah's will is Allah's will, and man's will is man's will;they are not alike. Similarly, Allah's hand is Allah's hand and man'shand is man's hand and they are not the same. There is nothing outthere in which the divine and the human share. 50 This nominalism isthe contribution ofIbn Taymlyyah to the thought of the Salaf and itwas wholeheartedly endorsed by Ibn Abi Al-'Izz.51In understanding the text of the Qur'an and Sunnah, Ibn Abi Al-'Izz adheres to what the Salaf (the Companions, their Successorsand the recognized imams) have stated. For instance, the Salaf haveunderstood the texts which say that Allah is above the world, abovethe heavens, and above the Throne to mean that Allah is not in theworld, but above and beyond the world. On the other hand, theyhave understood the texts which say that Allah is with us and thatHe is nearer to us than our jugular vein to mean that He is with us inknowledge, not in being. He knows us intimately. Bothunderstandings are real; the latter may appear to be a metaphoricalinterpretation, but it is not. It is just the face meaning (az-zahfr) ofthe text 52 We have to go by the Salafs understanding of the textsfor they knew and understood them better than we. The principle offollowing the understanding of the Salaf is not confined to theinterpretation of texts; it extends to the understanding of the valuesand norms of Islamic life, as well as the conduct (sulilk) of theindividual. Ibn Abi Al-'Izz's comments on mystical experience andSufi !arfqah illustrate this point. 53We observed earlier that one of the weaknesses of kalam wasthat it developed ideas that conflicted not only with revelation but51! Ibn TaymIyyah elaborated this view at various places in his writings. For example.Majm" 'at al-Rasii'i/ wa al-Maseri/. ed. by Rashid Rida (Cairo, n.d.) , vol. IV, pp. 15-22; Ar-Risalah atTadmuriyyah (Riyadh: Imam MuI)ammad Ibn Sa'fid IslamicUniversity Press, 1403 A.H.), pp. 79f." See infra, pp. 28f." See infra, p. 234." See infra, pp. 2 1-23, 446ff.

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Ibn AbI Al-'Izz distinguishes between the creative and theprescriptive will of Allah. The fonner is meant in the sentence,"What God wills happens and what He does not will, does nothappen." The latter is meant in the sentence, "God wills that weshould worship and obey Him." In the case of the fonner, it is AllahWho acts; in the latter case, He asks someone else to act. Again, theobject of the fonner may be good or evil, while the object of thelatter is always good. In other words, creative will does notnecessarily imply that God must like and approve of its object;prescriptive will, on the other hand, does. That is, God likes andapproves of what He asks anyone to do. In light of this clarification,it would not be difficult to affinn that evil is also from God, that it isHe Who creates it, but it does not then follow that He approves of it.God does not create absolute evil. Every evil that He brings intoexistence is a condition or a means to something good. No evil is anend in itsel[.57

It is also necessary to see that when God wills man to do an act,it is not necessary that He also help him do it. If He helps him, thatwill be a favor from Him, but if he does not, and lets him defy Himand do evil, He does him no injustice. He has created man, givenhim power, shown him the right path and asked him to submit; it isthen for man to submit or defy. If Allah does not further help him incarrying out His command, it is no injustice on His part. But if Hedoes help him, it is a favor and a blessing from Him.Allah has power over everything, but this does not negate, saysIbn AbI Al- 'Izz, causality between things or the efficacy of humanwill. He has made one thing the cause of another thing, not only inthe sense the Ash'ans allow, that one thing is the condition foranother thing, but also in the sense that one thing produces anotherthing. Similarly, He has given power to human will. Those whodeny this power or negate causality do not do justice with the textsof the Qur'an and Sunnah. Ibn AbI Al-'Izz further distinguishesbetween a power that precedes an action and is the basis for God'scommandment and a power in the fonn of will and detenninationthat coexists with an action. It is in light of this distinction that heexplains the texts related to this subject. 58On the question regarding the order of distinction between thefirst four rightly-guided caliphs, AbO Bakr, 'Umar, 'Uthman and'All, At-Ta\:lawI mentions that the order of their caliphates is theorder of their honor or distinction. Ibn AbI Al-'Izz has endorsed thisS7 See infra. p. 204." See infra, pp. 378f.

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SuyiitI in Egypt, along with the earlier editions of the work. Forsome unstated reasons, however, he did not base his edition on thatmanuscript. A sixth edition of the book was published in Beirut in1405/ 1984-5 with notes and references regarding al;tidUh by BashIrMul:Jammad 'Uyiin. He based his edition on the earlier editions andbarely added anything new.The best and most correct edition of the Commentary is the onewhich Dr. 'Abdullah Ibn 'Abdul-Mul:Jsin At-TurkI, Rector of ImamMul:Jammad Ibn Sa od Islamic University in Riyadh, and Sh.ShO'ayb Al-AmawOt, the editor of the fourth edition mentionedabove, collaborated on and published in two volumes through theMu 'assasat ar-Risalah in Beirut in 1988. Their work is based onfour manuscripts of the Commentary: one written in 782 A.H.during the lifetime of the commentator and compared with theoriginal manuscript; another written in 883 A.H. and also comparedwith the original manuscript; the third was a photocopy of amanuscript written in 1217 A.H.; and the fourth was also written inthe same year. In their introduction, the editors discussed at lengththe life and work of the author and the commentator, whereas theeditors of the earlier editions had only briefly touched upon thesesubjects . Another distinction of this edition is that it contains full anddetailed comments on the al;adUh and traditions which occur in theCommentary.

In this regard, Sh. ShO'ayb Al-AmawOt greatly improved uponhis own comments in his earlier edition. Finally, the editors noted inthe footnotes the works of Shaykh ai-Islam Ibn TaymIyyah and hisdisciple, Ibn al-QayyIm, mentioning the pages where they dealt withthe issues which the commentator discusses. In places they havealso pointed out the passages which the commentator hasreproduced or abridged.In translating the Commentary, I had the editions of Al:JmadMul:Jammad ShakIr, Sh. ShO'ayb Al-AmawOt and N a ~ i r ad-DIn Al-AlbanI before me. The edition of Dr. 'Abdullah At-Turk! andShO'ayb Al-AmawO\ had not appeared by that time ; I received itwhen I had almost finished the first draft of the translation.However, in revising the draft I did refer to their edition on manyoccasions. But except in a few places, the differences between theirsand other editions were not ofmuch significance.In preparing the references to the al;adUh, I have relied mainlyupon the edition of Dr. 'Abdullah At-TurkI and Sh. ShO'ayb Al-AmawOt. In general, I retained the references to better known works


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and dropped the references to lesser known works, unless suchreferences were indispensable. I have also summarized their detailedobservations. For convenience of reference, I have often mentionedsections and chapters of different /:ladith collections along with thenumbers of the a/:ziidith which they have given. I also noted theworks of Ibn TaymIyyah and Ibn Al-Qayyim which deal with theissues that Ibn Abi Al- 'Izz discussed.Concerning the personalities and scholars mentioned in theCommentary, the authors of the various editions have had littlecomment. Dr. 'Abdullah At-Turk! and Sh. ShU'ayb A l - A m a w i l ~introduced them very briefly. I have written about them in moredetail, taking note also of what has appeared concerning them inlanguages other than Arabic. As the translation is meant for readersnot necessarily aware of Islamic history and personalities, I havealso given biographies of a number of figures whom Dr. Turk! andSh. A l - A r n a w i l ~ did not feel the need to discuss as their readers aremore or less conversant with Islamic history. In an appendix at theend of the book, 1 have put together the different sections of theCreed and indicated the pages where they occur in the translation. Inthis manner, the reader may have a look at the Creed as a whole.

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COMMENT A TOR'S PREFACEIn the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.

All praise is for Allah. We praise Him, seek His help, ask for Hisforgiveness; and we seek refuge in Allah from the evil in our soulsand from the wrong of our deeds. Whomever Allah guides, there isno one to misguide him; and whomever He leaves astray, there isnone to guide him. I bear witness that there is no god except Allah,the One, with no partner. I also bear witness that our reveredMu\:lammad is His servant and messenger. May Allah bless him andhis family, his companions and his followers, and shower on thempeace and favors.The science of the principles of faith ( u ~ a l ad-din) is the noblestof all the sciences, for the dignity of a science depends upon thedignity of the subject it studies. It is the jiqh al-tikbar (higherknowledge) in contrast to jiqh al-furu (knowledge of practicalrules). For this reason, Imam Abu I:IanIfah named what he statedand gathered together in writing concerning the foundations of thereligion jiqh al-tikbar. A person's need for this understanding isgreater than any other need. It is a greater necessity than any othernecessity, for there is no life, pleasure or tranquility for heartsexcept by knowing their Lord, object of adoration and Creator, byHis names, attributes and acts. In knowing that, he will love Himabove everything, and he will seek all that brings him close to Himand he will not pursue anything else ofHis creation.

It is impossible for unaided human reason to know all of theabove and to realize it in detail. Therefore, the mercy of the Mercifulled Him to send messengers to teach about Him and to call people tobelief in Him. Whoever responded (positively) to them receivedgood tidings from the prophets, and whoever opposed themreceived warnings from them. The key and essence of their missionswas to impart knowledge of the Adored, may He be glorified,through His names, attributes and actions. From beginning to end,the goal of their prophecies was built upon this knowledge.This is thus followed by two important principles. First is theknowledge of the way to Allah and that way is His Shari'ah, whichconsists of His commands and prohibitions. Second is theknowledge of the happiness and bounties which are reserved forthose who come to Allah by following the proper way.Those who know Allah best are the best followers of the path toHim and the most knowledgeable of the life that awaits them whenthey come to Him. For this reason, Allah called what He revealed to

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through the tongues of His messengers. He has declared that Herejects all that people ascribe to Him except what the prophets statedabout Him. He states, "Glory be to your Lord, the Lord of Honorand Power. He is free from what they ascribe to Him. And peace beon the messengers. And praise be to Allah, the Lord and Cherisherof the Worlds" [37: 180-182). He has thus exalted Himself above theunbecoming attributes the unbelievers ascribed to Him. Then Heblessed the prophets because they did not ascribe any shortcomingor defect to Him. Then He praised Himself because of His uniqueattributes that entitle Him to complete praise.The best people of all generations, the Companions of theProphet (peace be on him) and their righteous Successors, followedthe way which the Prophet (peace be on him) had shown. TheCompanions taught it to the Successors and the Successors followedthe Companions. They thus walked on the path the Prophet (peacebe on him) blazed. As Allah says in His Noble Book, "Say: This ismy way; 1 do call to God with full knowledge, 1 and those whofollow me" [12: 108). (By the Arabic structure of the verse,) "thosewho follow me" could relate back to "I do call to God," [meaning, 'Icall to God as do those who follow me,') which is evidence thatthose who follow him are the real callers to the way of Allah. Or, itcould be referring to "with full knowledge," thus stating clearly thatthose who follow him are those with full knowledge of what hebrought as opposed to others (who do not have such knowledge).Both meanings are sound.The Prophet (peace be on him) delivered the message clearly andexplained it for those who seek the truth. The best generationsfollowed his path and way. Then came generations afterwards whofollowed their lusts and divided into sects. But then Allah raised forthis nation people who protected and restated the foundations andprinciples of its religion, as the Prophet (peace be on him) stated,"There will always be a group of my nation that will defend thetruth. Those who forsake them will not harm them.' >62" Muslim , a ~ cd. by M u ~ a m m a d Fu wad ' Abdul-BaqI (Beirut: Dar I ~ y a at-Turath a l-'ArabI , first edition. 137511965, henceforth referred to as Mu slim) , J;adilh no . 1920;At-TirmidhI, 22 30; Ibn Majah, SlInan , ed. by M ~ a m m a d Fuwad ' Abdul-BaqI (Beirut:Dar at-Turath al -' ArabI; henceforth referred to as Ibn Majah), ~ a d no . 10 . TheI;adilh . with som e change in wording and with di fferent chains, was al so recorded by

A ~ m a d Mllsnad (Beirut: AI-Maktab al-lslamI, 139811978; henceforth referred to asA ~ m vo l. 4, p. 244, 248 and 252; AI-BukharI, S ( f ~ i ~ ed. by M u ~ i b b ad-DIn AI Khatlb and M ~ a m m Fiiwad 'Abdul-BaqI (AI-Matba 'ah as-Salafiyyah, 1400 A.H.;henceforth referred to as AI-BukharI), ~ a d i l h number 3640, 3641. 73 11 , 73 12 an d

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One of the Muslim scholars who fulfilled that obligation wasImam Abu Ja'far ~ a d Ibn MUQammad Ibn Salamah AI-Azill M-Tal)awi, may Allah immerse him in His mercy. He lived during thethird century after the Hijrah; he was born in 239 A.H. and died in321 A.H. He reported what the Elders (Salaf) followed. He quotedfrom Imam Abu I:Ianifah An-Nu'man Ibn Thabit AI-Kufi and histwo colleagues, Abu Yusuf Ya'qub Ibn Ibrahim AI-I:Iimyan AJ-A n ~ a r i and MUQammad Ibn I:Iassan Ash-Shaybani, the principles offaith they believed in to please their Lord. May Allah bless them.As time passed on, heresies and deviations - what theirproponents (deceivingly) called la'wfl ('correct interpretation') inorder for it to be accepted - began to appear. Very few coulddistinguish between correct interpretation and wrong, deviantinterpretations. Ta 'wfl, as they understood it, was to discard theplain meaning of the text and understand it in a sense different fromwhat its words implied, even though there was nothing in the wordsto suggest that meaning. This was a source of evil. Since they calledit la 'wfl, and as people began using the term in that sense, it becamedifficult to distinguish correct interpretation from misinterpretation.After that began, the Believers came to be in need of clearexpositions and refutations of the misconceptions presented. Thisled to a lot of discussion and discord. The cause for that was thepeople's inclining to the misconceptions and doubts the heretics hadraised and their entering into blameworthy philosophical discussionsthat the Elders had discouraged. The Elders prohibited studying,preoccupation with, or leaning towards such philosophy orscholasticism. This was in compliance with their Lord's command,Who said, "When you see men engaged in vain discourse about Ourwords, tum away from them unless they tum to a different topic."[6:68] The meaning of this verse clearly applies to them.Misinterpretation of the text and deviation from the truth are ofvarying degrees: some are infidelity (kufr) , some are' intransigence(fisq) , some are sin (rna ' ~ i y y a h ) and some are simply mistakes(kha'I) .It is necessary to follow the messengers strictly and adhere towhat Allah revealed to them. Prophecy ended with MUQammad(peace be on him). He was made the final prophet; his Book waselsewhere; At-Tirmidhi, 2192 ; Abu Dawiid, Sunan , ed. by Mul)ammad MUhiy ad-Din,Abdul-l:Iamid (Beirut: Dar al-Ihya as-Sunnah an-N ubuwiyyah/Dar at-Turath al- ' Arabi;henceforth referred to as Abu Dawud), ~ a d i t " no. 2484.

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S h a r ~ Al- 'Aqidah ! - T a ~ i i w i y y a hmade the judge over all the books revealed before; he was given theBook and the Sunnah; and his message was for all responsiblecreatures - both men and j inns - for all times, until the Day ofResurrection. Through him, Allah has established the truth,explained everything people need, and completed his religion forhim and his nation. He has declared that obedience to the Prophet isobedience to Allah and disobedience to the Prophet is disobedienceto Allah. Furthermore, He swore by Himself that people will not betrue Believers unless they submit to the Prophet's verdict ondifferences that may arise between them. He also stated that onlyhypocrites would ignore the Prophet and take their disputes to othersfor judgment. When they are called to Allah and the Messenger (tojudge between them) - that is, to the Book of Allah and the Sunnahof His Messenger - they oppose it completely and claim that theysimply want what is best and blessed.And many of the dialecticians, philosophers and others say thesame, "We want to know things as they really are. And we want toreconcile the rational evidence - what they call rational evidencewhich is actually ignorant evidence - and the reported statementsfrom the Messenger." Or, "We want to bring the Shari'ah andphilosophy into agreement."Or as many of the heretics among the ascetics and Sufis say,"We want the best life by bringing together the Shari'ah and thefalseness that they call reality." This is ignorance and misguidance.Similarly, many who have by any means grabbed power claim, "Wewant to improve the conditions of the people and reconcile theirprinciples of government and the Shari'ah," and so on.Whoever intends to establish anything in religion besides whatthe Prophet (peace be upon him) taught, and believes that it is goodand that combines what the Prophet had with what contradicts it willonly get the latter, for what the Prophet brought is sufficient andperfect. Every truth is part of it. Shortcomings and errors only comefrom the many Muslims themselves who actually do not know whatthe Prophet stated in matters related to theology, in matters related todifferent aspects of worship or in matters related to governmentalaffairs. Or they ascribe to the Shari'ah of the Messenger, because oftheir suppositions and customs, things that are not part of it and theydiscard many things which are part of that Shari'ah. As a result ofthe ignorance and error of some, and the intransigence andhypocrisy of others, the knowledge of the Prophet's teachings is onthe decline and hypocrisy is on the rise.

It is necessary that we acquaint ourselves completely with whatthe Messenger (peace be on him) taught, reflect deeply on it and

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apply it to all that we know and believe. We must apply it bothexoterically and esoterically. In that way, we will do justice to theBook and will not discard anything of it.If someone is not able to know or act upon all of thatknowledge, he should not oppose what he cannot comprehend ofwhat the Prophet (peace be upon him) brought. It is sufficient forhim that he is not to be blamed for his inability. But he should behappy that someone else is able to do what he cannot. It shouldplease him. He should wish that he could do the same. He shouldnot believe in some parts of the revelation and not in others, but hemust believe in all of the Book. He must also refrain from puttinginto it what does not belong to it , even if it be something passed onfrom earlier people or opinion, and refrain from following anything,in belief or actions, that is not from Allah. As Allah, the Most High,has said, "Do not confuse the truth with falsehood, nor hide thetruth knowingly." [2 :42]This was the way of the earliest generation of Elders (Salaf),those who followed them in good, the leaders of the religion(a 'immat ad-din) whom the entire Muslim nation accepts, and thosewho follow them until the Day of Resurrection. Abo YOsuf, mayAllah have mercy on him, said to Bishr AI-MarisI, "Knowledge ofkaltim is ignorance, and ignorance of kaltim is knowledge. Whoevermasters kalam should be called or accused of being a heretichypocrite (zindlq)." By "ignorance of kalam" he meant the beliefthat it is not true, that it by itself is beneficial knowledge, or hemeant by that refraining from kalam and avoiding studying it. That itwill protect a person's knowledge and intellect and is part ofknowledge itself. Allah knows best. He also said, "Whoever seeksknowledge through kaltim becomes a heretic-hypocrite. Whoeverseeks wealth by alchemy will become penniless. Whoever runs afterlone (gharlb) /:zadlth falls into falsehood."Imam Ash-Shafi'I (may Allah have mercy on him) said, "Myjudgment concerning the people engaged in kalam is that theyshould be flogged with palm branches and shoes and taken roundand displayed before the tribes and clans." And he stated, "This isthe punishment for those who ignore the Qur'an and Sunnah andinstead engage in kalam." He also stated, in lines of poetry, "Everyknowledge except the Qur'an is diversion except (also) /:zadlth andfiqh in religion. Knowledge is found there. What He related to us isstated; beyond that is only what has been whispered by Satan."What the companions (of Ash-Shafi'I) mentioned in their legalrulings, he would advise the scholars of his land, "Do not let the

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scholastic theologians (mutakillimiln) be among you." The Elderssaid that if a man willed to have his books left as a religiousendowment, the books of kaliim among his books should be sold(and not kept as part of the religious endowment). That has beenstated in Al-Fatiiwa adh-Dhahiriyyah.How can one wish to attain the knowledge of the foundations orprinciple aspects without following what the Messenger brought?What an excellent statement was made by the one who said inpoetry, "You who go out in search of knowledge, all knowledge issubservient to the knowledge of the Messenger. Do you seek thefine details to correct the foundation, and you have forgotten thefoundation of the foundations?"The Prophet was given full control over language. He knewhow to begin a speech, how to conclude it, and how to put manyideas in few words. He was sent with general principles and theknowledge of the matters of this world as well as the next. Later ithappened that whenever anyone came with an innovation, peopletook it and wrote volumes to respond to it, although such deedscontain few blessings. The Elders, on the other hand, used to speakand write little, but what they said was very useful and full ofblessings. It is not as the straying scholastic theologians say, "Themethod of those people was safer but ours is wiser and moreerudite." Or as those who have no ability to reflect in matters offiqh, "(the Elders) did not formulate or define the principles, as theywere busy with other matters. We devoted ourselves to these thingsso we are more knowledgeable than they."

All those people are ignorant of the greatness of the Elders andtheir profound knowledge, deep insight and unassuming style. ByAllah, the later writers only distinguished themselves by writing onmarginal issues, whereas the Elders were concerned with thefundamentals. They laid down the basic rules , defined the principlesand were interested in major issues and problems of real importance.The later writers were concerned about one thing while the Elderswere concerned with something completely different. And Allah hasdecreed for everything its measure.Many scholars have commented on this creed, but I have noticedthat these commentators have inclined to the way of the unacceptablekaliim , based their arguments upon them and spoken according totheir terms.The Elders did not disapprove of new terms like substance,body, accident, and so on, just because they were new terms tryingto convey true ideas. In fact, they never objected to the terms whichthe new sciences employed. Nor did they oppose any effort to

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THE CREED OF AT-TAH.A.WI. .(I) We say about the Unity of Allah - with Allah's help - that Allahis one, without any partners.(2) There is nothing like Him.(3) Nothing is impossible for Him.(4) There is no god other than He.(5) He is Eternal without a beginning, Everlasting without an end.(6) He does not perish (yafna) or pass away (yab/d).(7) Nothing comes into being except what He wills.(8) No imagination (wahm) can conceive of Him, and nounderstanding (jahm) can fathom Him.(9) He does not resemble mankind.(10) He is Living and will never die . He is All-Sustaining andnever sleeps.(11) He creates without being in need to do so, and provides forHis creation without any trouble (bila mu'unah).(12) He causes death without fear, and He resurrects (the dead)with no effort.(13) He has always existed with His attributes, even before thecreation of the world, which did not add anything to His attributesthat were not already present. Just as He is Eternal along with Hisattributes, so He is Everlasting along with them.(14) It is not the case that He acquired the name Creator (AlKhaliq) only after He created, or the name Originator (Al-Barl)only after He originated (something).

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(27) His decision is never reversed; His command is never resisted;His will is never frustrated.(28) We believe in all of these things, and We are certain thateverything comes from Him.(29) (And we believe and are certain) that Mui).ammad is His chosenServant ('abd), His elect Prophet (nab!) and His Messenger (rasal),with whom He is well-pleased.(30) And he is the seal of the prophets.(31) He is Leader (imam) of the Pious.(32) He is Chief of the Messengers.(33) He is very dear to the Lord of the Worlds.(34) All claims to prophecy after him are false (ghayy) and fanciful(hawa).(35) He has been sent to all jinns and all mankind with truth,guidance, light and illumination.(36) The Qur'an is the word of Allah.(37) Anyone who attributes something human to Allah is an infidel.(38) The seeing of Allah by the people of Paradise is factual.without their vision being all-encompassing and without the mannerof their vision being known.(39) The foundation of Islam is not made firm except with thesupport of unreserved assent and submission to Allah.(40) He Who seeks knowledge that has been barred from him, andwhose intellect is not prepared to surrender. will be veiled from apure understanding of Allah's unity, clear knowledge and correctfaith.(41) He sways (yatadhabdhab) between faith and disbelief,confirmation and denial, and acceptance and rejection. He will be

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family). It is the speech of Allah, the Most High, which no speechof any created being can match. We do not believe that it wascreated, and we avoid going against the belief of the Muslimcommunity.(67) We do not charge anyone of the ahl al-qiblah with being aninfidel (kafir) for committing a sin, unless he considers it to belawful. Nor do we say that sin will not harm the sinner merelybecause he has faith.(68) We hope that the righteous among the Believers will receiveAllah's pardon and be sent to Paradise through His mercy, but wecannot be certain about them. We cannot testify that they willcertainly go to Paradise. As for wrongdoers, we pray to Allah toforgive them. Although we do fear for them, we are not in despairfor them.(69) Anyone who feels secure (from Allah's punishment) or wholoses hope (in His mercy) falls outside the realm of Islam. Thecorrect course for the ahl al-qiblah lies in between these two ways.(70) One does not leave the realm of [man except by repudiatingwhat brought him into it.(71) [man (faith) is to profess with the tongue and believe in theheart that all that the Prophet (peace be on him) is authenticallyknown to have said or enjoined is true. Iman is one , and with regardto its essence all Believers are equal. They differ only with respect totheir fear of Allah and piety, abstention from following evil desiresand pursuance of what is best.(72) All Believers are friends (aw/iya') of Allah, the All-Merciful.(73) the most honored of them (the Believers) in the sight of Allahare those who obey Him most and follow the Qur'an best.(74) Iman is faith in Allah, His angels , His books, His messengers,the Last Day, and that everything, good and bad, pleasant andunpleasant, is ordained by Allah.(75) We believe in all these things. We never discriminate betweenone messenger and another. We also believe that whatever they havetaught is true.

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(76) Those of the ummah of Mul)ammad, peace be upon him, whocommit grave sins (kaba'ir) will not stay in Hell forever, even i fthey do not repent, provided they die while Believers in Allah'sunity and meet Allah knowing Him. They will be absolutely at Hiswill and judgment. He may forgive and pardon them out of Hismercy if He wills, as He has said in His book, "And He will forgiveanything other than it (shirk) to whom He please" [4:48]. Or Hemay punish them in the Fire, as is required by His justice, and then,out of pity and the intercession of His obedient servants, take themout thereof and put them in His Paradise. This is because Allah isthe Protector and Patron of those who know Him. He never treatsthem in either of the two worlds like those who deny Him and whoare bereft of His guidance and have failed to obtain His protection.o Allah, Protector ofIslam and the Muslims! Keep us in Islam untilwe meet You.(77) We believe that prayer may be offered behind any person fromamong the ahl al-qiblah, whether he is righteous or impious. Wealso believe in performing the funeral prayer over them upon theirdeaths.(78) We do not "place" anyone of them in Paradise or in Hell.(79) Nor do we charge anyone with not having faith (kufr) or shirkor hypocrisy (nijaq), as long as they do not openly demonstrateanything of that nature. We leave what they believe or do in privateto Allah.(80) We do not believe in taking up the sword against any of theummah of Mul)ammad, peace be upon him, except upon those forwhom it is obligatory.(81) We do not believe in revolt against our leaders and rulers, eveni f they commit injustice, nor do we pray against them or defy theirorders. On the contrary, we believe that obedience to them is a dutyand a part of our obedience to Allah, so long as they do not orderanything sinful. We pray for their safety and piety.(82) We follow the Sunnah and the jama'ah, and avoiddisagreement, dissension and sectarianism.

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(83) We love those who are just and the honest, and we hate thosewho are unjust and dishonest.(84) Whenever something is not clear to us we say Allah knowsbetter.(85) We believe that it is correct to wipe over leather socks, whetherone is traveling or resident, as has been mentioned in the I}adith.(86) !faii and iihad will continue until the Last Day under allMuslim authorities (uli al-amr), pious or impious. They will neverbe suspended or abrogated.(87) We believe in the honorable angels that note down (our deeds).Allah has appointed them to keep watch over us.(88) We believe in the Angel of Death, who has been charged withtaking out the souls of the people.(89) We believe that some people may be punished in their graves ifthey deserve it, and that Munkar and Naklr will question peopleabout their Lord. their religion and their Prophet, as has beenreported by the Messenger of Allah (peace be on him) and theCompanions. We believe that the grave is either a garden of Paradiseor a pit of the Hell-fire.(90) We believe in resurrection after death and in recompense ofdeeds on the Day of Judgment. People will be have their deedspresented and will be accountable for them. They will be given theirrecords to read. and will be rewarded or punished. (We also believe)in the Bridge ( ~ i r a O and the Balance (mizan).(91) Paradise and Hell have been created and will never perish orpass away. Allah created them before the world. He allotted somepeople for each. Those whom He allotted for Paradise. He did so outof His bounty for them. And those whom He allotted for Hell , Heallotted because it was required by His justice. Everyone will dowhat has been chosen for him, and will go to the place for which hehas been created. Good and evil both have been determined for eachand every person.(92) The power needed to perform a duty is a gift from Allah, not anattribute possessed by man. and exists only with the action.

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(101) The second heir to the khilafah was 'Vmar, may Allah bepleased with him.(102) The third heir to the khilafah was 'Uthman, may Allah bepleased with him.(103) The fourth heir to the khilafah was 'AlI, may Allah be pleasedwith him.(104) They are the right-principled caliphs and the rightly guidedimams.(105) We believe that the ten Companions , those whom the Prophet(peace be on him) named and gave the glad tidings that they wouldgo to Paradise, will go to Paradise, as he said, and what he said istrue. Those Companions are: AbU Bakr, 'Umar, 'Uthman, 'AlI,Tal!)ah, Az-Zubayr, Sa'd, Sa'Id, 'Abdur-Ra!)man Ibn 'Awf and AbU'Ubaydah Ibn AI-Jarra!), "the trustee of this ummah". May Allah bepleased with them all.(106) Whoever speaks well of the Prophet's Companions, his pureand pious wives - free from any impurity - and his noble andrighteous descendants - free from any impurity - is free fromhypocrisy.(107) The scholars of the Elders and their successors, whether theyare I,ladfth and tradition scholars or scholars of fiqh and rationalsciences, should not be mentioned except in good terms. Whoeverspeaks ill of them is not on the right path.(108) We do not exalt any friend (waif) of Allah over anyone of Hisprophets, peace and blessings be upon them. On the contrary, webelieve that a single prophet (nab!) is greater than all the waliscombined.(109) We believe in the miracles (karamat) that have proceededfrom them and have been reported by reliable reporters.(110) We believe in the signs of the Hour, such as the emergence ofthe Great Liar (ad-Dajjal) , the descent of Jesus son of Mary fromHeaven, and we believe in the rising of the sun from the west, andthe appearance of the Beast of the Earth from its place.

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The Creed and its Commentary(1) We say about the Unity of Allah - with Allah's help- that Allah is one, without any partners.

One must know that tawJ;ld is the first matter the prophetspreached. It is the first step on the path and the first stage of thejourney to Allah. Allah stated, "We sent Noah to his people and hesaid, 'My people, serve Allah; you have no other god than He"[7:59]. Had said similar words to his people, "Serve Allah, there isno god for you but He" [7:65]. Siilil) said to his people, "WorshipAllah as you have no god but He" [7:73]. Shu'ayb said to hispeople, "Worship Allah; you have no god but He" [7:85]. Allah alsosays, "We sent to every community a prophet saying, 'WorshipAllah and avoid false gods" [16:36], and, "Not a messenger did Wesend before you (Mul)amrnad) without Our revealing to him thatthere is no god but I, so worship and serve Me" [21 :25]. TheProphet (peace be on him) also stated, "I have been commanded tofight people until they accept that there is no god but Allah and thatMul)ammad is His prophet."\Therefore, it is correct to say that the first obligation upon aperson is to witness that there is no god except Allah. He is notrequired to reflect, to intend to reflect or to be skeptical at first, asthe leaders of the censured kaltim have stated. In fact, all the leadersof the Elders agree that the first thing one must do is witness to theunity of Allah and the prophethood of Mul)ammad (peace be onhim). They also agree that if a child did that before he reached theage of puberty, he is not commanded to repeat the witnessing afterattaining puberty. Instead, he is commanded to ritually purifyhimself and pray when he reaches puberty or is able to ascertainthings, according to those who hold this latter opinion. None ofthem requires his guardian to address him at that time and tell him torepeat his act of witnessing to the faith, even though that is the firstduty of a Muslim and a necessary condition for performing theprayer. But he, in fact, has already fulfilled that obligation.

' AI-BukharI, 25; Muslim, 22 ; At-TirmidhI, 2606; AbU Dawud, 2640; An-Nasa 'I,Sunan (with commentary by Jalal ad-DIn As-SuyU!I and gloss by As-SindI; Beirut: DarIhya at-Turath al-l slamI, 138411 930; henceforth referred to as An-Nasa'I), ChapterZakah, vol. 5, p. 14.


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2 Shar/:t Al- 'Aqfdah A!-Ta/:tiiwfyyahThe jurists have also discussed the case of the person who praysbut has not made the testimony of faith (the two shahiidahs) orperforms some aspect of Islam without the testimony. Is such aperson a Muslim? The correct opinion is that he becomes a Muslimby fulfilling all the deeds that are particular to Islam.With taw/:tfd one enters into Islam, and with it one will departfrom this world. The Prophet (peace be on him) said, "He whoselast words are 'There is no god except Allah,' will enter Paradise .,,2

It is, therefore, the first duty and the last duty.taw/:tfd is, then, the beginning of the matter and its end. What ismeant by this is taw/:tfd al-iliihlyyah, or the belief in the unity of God(as the only object of worship) . For taw/:tfd has three dimensions toit: first, matters concerning the attributes of Allah; second, taw/:tfdar-rububfyyah (the oneness of His Lordship), which states thatAllah alone created everything; and third, taw/:tfd al-iliihfyyah or theoneness of His Godhead, that Allah alone is to be worshiped andserved without associating any partner to Him.The first category of taw/:tfd concerns the attributes of Allah.Those who deny the attributes include the denial of attributes as partof what they call taw/:tfd. Jahm Ibn Safwan and those who agreewith him say that affirming the attributes requires more than onenecessary being. Such a statement is known to be obviously andblatantly wrong, for a being devoid of all attributes cannot have areal existence. It is an impossibility, a mere fancy of mind, anabsolute void. This view of taw/:tfd led some people to the doctrineof incarnation (/:tulu) and union (itti/:tiid), which is far worse thanthe heresy of the Christians. The Christians at least limit the divinityto Christ, while these people extend it to all of creation.A number of evil consequences follow from this falseunderstanding of taw/:tfd. For example, Pharaoh and his followersbecome perfect Believers and the best gnostics of the truth of Allah.The idol worshipers are also considered correct and faithful sincethey were actually worshiping Allah and no one else. Similarly,there is no longer any difference between the lawful and theunlawful, between (marrying or having intercourse with) a motheror sister and a non-related woman; there is no difference betweenwater and alcohol nor between adultery and marriage. They are allfrom one and the same essence. In fact, they are all one and the

' Abu Dawiid, 3116; AJ:Imad, 5:223, 247; Ibn J:libban, $ a ~ i ~ , ed. by ' Abdur-RaI)manMui)ammad ' Uthman and Mui)ammad 'Abdul-Muhsin AI-Kutubl (Madinah: AI-Maktabas-Salafiyyah, 139011970; henceforth referred to as Ibn J:libban) , ~ a d i l h no. 719.


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Commentary on the Creed o fA{- TaJ:ztiwf 3same Being. This doctrine also finds fault with the prophets, sincethey curtailed the freedom of the people and made things difficult forthem. Exalted is Allah high above what they say.The second category of tawJ:zfd , tawJ:zfd ar-rubiibfyyah, i

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Commentary on the Creed of Abu Jaafar at Tahawi