Belief in Allah (Creed)

Belief in Allah signifies that Allah is the true God Who Alone

deserves to be worshipped, as He is the Creator and the

Sustainer of all human beings. It also signifies that He is also

fully aware of their secret and open words and deeds and is

Able to reward the righteous and punish the disobedient. In

fact, Allah created mankind and the jinn for the sole reason to

worship Him Alone. As the Qur’aan says:

"And I (Allah) created not the jinn and mankind except

that they should worship Me (Alone). I seek not any

provision from them (i.e., provision for themselves or

for My creatures) nor do I ask that they should feed Me

(i.e., feed themselves or My creatures). Verily, Allah is

the All-Provider, Owner of Power, the Most Strong."

(Soorah 51 : 56-58)

And He said:

"O mankind! Worship your Lord, Who created you and

those who came before you that you may become

righteous. Who has made the earth a resting place for

you, and the sky as a canopy, and sent down rain from

the sky, and brought forth therewith fruits as provision

for you. Then do not set up rivals unto Allah (in

worship) while you know that He Alone has the right to

be worshipped." (Soorah 2:21,22)

Allah sent the Messengers and sent down the Books to clarify

this Truth, call to it and warn against all that which contradicts

it. The Qur’aan says:

"And verily, we have sent among every Ummah a

Messenger, (with the command), 'Worship Allah (Alone)

and avoid (or Keep away from) At-Taghut (i.e., all false

deities)." (Soorah 16:36)

"And We did not send any Messenger before you but we

revealed to them (saying): La Ilaha illa Ana (none has

the right to be worshipped but I, So worship Me."

(Soorah 21:25)

"(This is) a Book, the Verses whereof are perfected and

then explained in detail from One (Allah), Who is All-

Wise and Well-Acquainted (with all things): (Saying)

worship none but Allah. Verily, I (Muhammad) am unto

you from Him a warner and a bringer of glad tidings."

(Soorah 11:1,2)

The reality of 'worship' mentioned in the above-mentioned

Verses is to direct all one s acts to Allah Alone. These include,

amongst other things, supplications, fear and hope, prayers,

fasting, making sacrifices and taking vows. These should be

done in total submission to His Will, fearing His chastisement

and hoping for His Mercy as well as displaying love for Him.

Many Verses of the Qur'aan clearly state this Islamic

fundamental. The Qur’aan says:

"Verily, We have sent down the Book to you in truth: so

worship Allah (Alone), offering Him sincere devotion.

Surely, sincere devotion (worship) is due to Allah

Alone." (Soorah 39:2,3)

"And your Lord has decreed that you worship none but

Him." (Soorah 17:23)

“So, call upon Allah with sincere devotion, making your

worship pure for Him (Alone)” (Soorah 40:14)

Al-Bukhāri and Muslim also report on the authority of Mu’adh

who said, that the Prophet said:

“Allah’s right upon His slaves is that they should worship Him

Alone and not to associate anyone with Him in worship.”

Belief in Allah also necessitates the belief in all the apparent

obligations including the five pillars of Islam, namely the

declaration that none is worthy of worship except Allah and

that Muhammad ! is His Messenger, performing prayers,

paying Zakah, fasting during the month of Ramadān, and

performing pilgrimage to Ka’bah in Makkah, if one can afford

it.

The mast important of all these pillars is the declaration of

Faith, That none has the right to he worshipped except Allah.

This declaration requires offering sincere devotion to Allah

Alone. Anyone who is worshipped besides Allah is but vain

falsehood, as the Qur’aan says:

"That is because Allah is the Only True God, and those

besides Him whom they invoke are but vain falsehood."

(Soorah 22:62)

We have mentioned earlier that Allah created the jinn and

men to worship Him Alone and that He sent His Messengers

and sent down His Books to explain this fundamental to them.

Many Muslims nowadays have neglected this fundamental and

have thus fallen into ignorance and have, wittingly or

unwittingly, worshipped others besides Allah, hence violating

this right of worship, which is His prerogative.

This belief also necessitates the belief that Allah is the

Originator and Creator of the creation and that He Alone is the

Disposer of their affairs with His Total Will and Absolute

Knowledge. He is also the Master of the present world and the

Hereafter and the Lord of the worlds. There is no creator or

lord but He. He sent the Messengers and sent down the Books

to call them to that which will benefit them in this world and in

the Hereafter. The Qur’aan says:

"Allah is the Creator of all things, and He is the

Guardian and Disposer of all affairs." (39: 62)

"Indeed your Lord is Allah, Who created the heavens

and the earth in six days, then He rose over the Throne

(in the manner that suits His Majesty). He covers the

night with the day, seeking it rapidly, and (He created)

the sun, the moon, and the stars, (all) are subjected to

His Commandment. Surely, His is the creation and the

commandment. Blessed be Allah, the Lord of the

worlds." (Soorah 7:54)

Belief in Allah also necessitates the belief in His Beautiful

Names and Lofty Attributes that are clearly stated in the

Qur'aan and are authentically mentioned by His Prophet

Muhammad !. We should believe in all His Attributes without

changing them, completely ignoring them, twisting their

meanings, or claiming that they resemble human attributes.

Rather, we should believe in these Attributes and describe

Allah in a manner that suits His Majesty and Grandeur, for

none of His creatures resembles Him in any way.

The Qur’aan says:

"There is nothing like unto Him, and He is the All-

Hearer, the All-Seer." (Soorah 42: 11)

"Invent not similitudes for Allah. Truly, Allah knows and

you know not."(Soorah 16:74)

Such is the creed of Ahlus-Sunnah wal-Jamā'ah, the

Companions of the Prophet and those who follow in their

footsteps. Imām Abu Al-Hasan Al-Ash'arI mentioned this creed

in his book 'A1-Maqālāt 'an Ashābil-Hadithi wa Ahlis-Sunnah. '

Other leading scholars have also mentioned this true creed in

their works.

Imam A1-Awza said:

Az-ZuhrI and Makhul were inquired about the Verses which

talk about Allah' s Attributes and they replied, 'Leave them as

they are." That is, do not interpret them.

Al-Walid bin Muslim said:

"Mālik, A1-Awzā'i, Al-Laith bin Sa'd, and Sufyān Ath-Thawri,

may Allah have mercy upon them, were asked about the

narration concerning Allah's Attributes, and they all said to

believe in them all without interpreting their meanings."

Al-Awzā'i said:

"We used to say in the presence of At-Tābi'un, the successors

of the Prophet's Companions, that Allah is over His Throne,

and we believed in all the Prophetic traditions concerning

Allah's Attributes."

When Rabi'ah bin Abu 'Abdur-Rahmān, the teacher of Imām

Mālik, was asked about the Verse, "Allah rose over His Throne." (Soorah 7:54), 

he replied:

"Allah's rising over the Throne is not to be denied, to imagine

the manner in which this is done is impossible, the Message is

from Allah, the Prophet conveyed this Message, and we have

to believe in it as it is."

When Imām Mālik himself was inquired about the manner in

which Allah rose over the Throne, he replied: "Allah's action of

rising over the Throne is known, the manner in which this was

done is not known, the belief in this matter is obligatory, and

inquiring about this manner is an innovation in religion, or

Bid'ah."

Then he addressed the inquirer thus, "You are but an evil

person." Then he asked people around him to send him out.

Umm Salamah, the Prophet's wife, is reported to have made

the same statement.

Imām Abu 'Abdur-Rahman 'Abdullāh bin Al-Mubārak said in

this connection:

"We know that our Lord, Glorious is He, is over His Throne and

over His heavens, distinct from His creation."

The religious scholars have written so much on this subject

that it is impossible to quote them all in this treatise. Whoever

is interested to find out more about this subject can refer to

works written by scholars of Sunnah in this regard. These

include, among other things, 'Abdullāh bin Imām Ahmad's As-

Sunnah, Muhammad bin Khuzaimah's At-TawhId, Abul Qāsim

At-Tabari's As-Sunnah. One can also refer to Imām Ibn

Taimiyyah's reply to the people of Hamāt, Syria, in which he

delineated the belief of Ahius-Sunnah. He also included in this

reply the statements of Ahlus-Sunnah as well as logical and

textual evidence from the Qur’aan and the Sunnah supporting

their position and exposing their opponents' opinions. He also

dealt with the subject in his treatise known as Ar-Risalatu At-

Tadmiriyyah in which he cited the belief of Ahlus-Sunnah along

with logical and textual evidence from the Qur'aan and the

Sunnah, leaving no room for argument for the objective

seekers of Truth.

Whoever adopts other than the position of Ahius-Sunnah as to

the issue of Allah's Names and Attributes will certainly

contravene massive logical and textual evidence from the

Qur’aan and the Sunnah.

Ahlus-Sunnah have confirmed all the Names and Attributes

that Allah confirmed for Himself either in the Qur'aan or

through the authentic traditions of the Prophet !, without

changing them completely, twisting their meaning, ignoring

them or likening them to those of His creatures. They have

taken into account all possible proofs and have thus avoided

falling into obvious contradictions. It is Allah's Plan to make

the argument of those objective and sincere seekers of the

Truth supreme:

"Nay, We hurl the Truth against falsehood, and it

destroys it, and behold, falsehood is  vanished." (Soorah

21:18)

"And no question do they bring to you but We reveal to

you the Truth and the best explanation (thereof)."

(Soorah 25:33)

Commenting on the Verse:

"Indeed your Lord is Allah, Who created the heavens

and the earth in six days, then He rose over the Throne

(in a manner that suits His Majesty)." (Soorah 7:54)

The renowned exegete of the Qur’aan, or Mufassir, Al-Hafiz

Ibn KathIr said:

"People in this regard adopt far too many different opinions,

which are not possible to cite here. However, we adopt in this

regard the position of (the righteous predecessors), As-Salafus-

Salih, past and present, such as Mālik, Al-Awzā'i, Ath-

Thawri, Al-Laith bin Sa'd, Ash-Shāfi'i, Ahmad and Ishāq bin

Rāhwaih. They all believed in Allah's Attributes without

twisting their meanings, ignoring them completely, or likening

them to those of His creatures."

And whatever image comes to our minds about Allah should

be rejected, for 

"there is nothing like unto Him, and He is

the All-Hearer, the All-Seer." (Soorah 42:11)

Nu'aim Al-Khuzā'i, the teacher of Imām A1-Bukhāri, said:

Whoever likens Allah to His creatures is a disbeliever, and

whoever denies the Attributes that Allah ascribes to Himself is

a disbeliever. It is impossible to liken Allah to any of His

Creatures. Guided are those who confirm to Allah the

Attributes, in a manner suiting His Majesty, mentioned in the

clear Qur’aanic Verses and authentic Prophetic traditions and

rejects all blemishes as to Allah's Attributes."

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