The Creed of Al-Wasitiyyah By Shaykhu'l-Islam Ahmad Ibn Taymiyyah

Page : 01
DAAR US-SUNNAH CLASSIC COLLECTION كله وكفى بالله شهيدا ، وأشهد أن لا إله إلا الله وحد ، وتوحيداً، وأشهد أن محمداً عبده ورسوله صلى الله عليه زيدا . أما بعد: فهذا اعتقاد الفرقة الناحية المنصورة إلى قيام النساء الجماعة، وهو الإيمان بالله وملائكن کی کثیر فرار والبعث بعد ال بالقدر خيره وشره . ومن الإيمان بالله الإيمان ما وصف به نفسه في كنا نه به رسوله محمد صلى الله عليه وسلم من غير تحريف و تحريف ولا تعطيل ولا قتيل بل يؤمنون بأن A textbook on orthodox Sunni creed THE CREED OF AL-WASITIYYAH being a translation of al-'Aqidah al-Wasitiyyah بغيره، وأصدق قبلا وأحسن حده مخلفي وتعالى فإنه أعلم by Shaykhu'l-Islām Aḥmad ibn Taymiyyah ن، لخلاف الذين يقولون عليه ما لا يعلمون، ولهذا قال (1) 728-1661) يصفون وسلام على المرسلين، والحمد لله رب العالمين) فسبح نفسه Translated by Abu Rumaysah with annotations from other works of Ibn Taymiyyah and accompanying arabic text. دار السنة للرسل، وهو سبحانه قد جع فيما وصف النفي والاثات
Page: 02
Transliteration Table CONTENTS INTRODUCTION THE LIFE OF IBN TAYMIYYAH His Teachers His Students The Praise of the Scholars for him His Sayings His Death His Works THE AUTHOR'S INTRODUCTION CHAPTER ONE 12 222 223 13 17 21 29 33 34 377 41 Knowledge Might 43 44 Hearing and Seeing Will 45 45
Page : 03
THE CREED OF AL-WASITIYYAH Qur'an and authentic hadiths of the Messenger (). It commences by listing articles of belief concerning Allah, in particular His Names and Attributes and the principles which must be applied to understand them. It then moves on to discuss topics such as the Qur'an, seeing Allah, the punishment of the grave, some of the descriptions of the Last Day and the events that will occur therein, the divine decree, faith, the Companions and the Awliya'. Of significant note is that the creed closes with a discussion about the moral conduct that a Muslim should adhere to; by this the au- thor intended to show that the Islamic creed is not mere dogma but has a practical role, translating into ethical conduct conducive to the betterment of the individual and society. The writing of this creed generated a great deal of controversy amongst ibn Taymiyyah's contemporaries and he was accused of anthropomorphism and deviancy. In the year 705H gatherings were convened in which the creed was read and discussed at length, and the author interrogated. Ibn Taymiyyah himself later wrote down his recollections of what had occurred in those gatherings.2 In these recollections he writes that when asked about his creed that he was propagating, he replied, 'Creed is not taken from me or from those greater than me. It is taken from Allah, His Messenger () and the consensus of the Salaf of this nation. Anything in the Qur'an and the authentic Sunnah, such as what is found in Sahih Bukhārī and Sahih Muslim, must be believed." The point being made here was that the source of creed was revelation, not the views and opinions of men; as such he was laying out the premise of the tribunal, stat- ing that it could only be conducted if based on the three sources he 2 Majmu' Fatāwā, vol. 3, pp. 3 160-210 Majmu' Fatawa, vol. 3, pg. 161 14
Page : 04
THE CREED OF AL-WASITIYYAH being a translation of al-'Aqidah al-Wasitiyyah Written in response to a request from a Shafi'i Judge from Wasit, Iraq, ibn Taymiyyah penned this creed encapsulating the belief taught by the Prophet Muhammad. In his own words, "This is (an exposition of) the belief of the saved group, those who are aided until the establishment of the Hour: Ahlul-Sunnah wal-Jama'ah.' The tract is relatively brief but comprehensive, marked by its terse and precise statements. As one would expect of the author, the work draws heavily on the Qur'an and authentic hadiths of the Messenger. It commences by listing articles of belief concerning Allah, in particular His Names and Attributes and the principles which must be applied to understand them. It then moves on to discuss topics such as the Qur'an, seeing Allah, the punishment of the grave, some of the descriptions of the Last Day and the events that will occur therein, the divine decree, faith and the Companions. Of significant note is that the creed closes with a discussion about the moral conduct that a Muslim should adhere to; by this the author intended to show that the Islamic creed is not mere dogma but has a practical role, translating to qualities, characteristics and actions. The author, Taqi al-Din Abu'l-'Abbas Ahmad ibn 'Abdu'l-Salam ibn Taymiyyah al-Harrānī (d. 728H) was a leading Hanbali scholar and a Mujtahid in his own right. His breadth of learning and depth of understanding was accepted by all of his peers and many of his biographers stated that he clearly surpassed the vast majority, if not all of the scholars of his time. He was a prolific writer and skilled orator. He was deeply religious and unwavering in his adherence to Islam and the Sunnah and repudiating all that opposed it. دار السنة Visit us www.daarussunnah.com ISBN-13: 978-19043361-9-8 ISBN-10: 1-904336-19-1 Daar us-Sunnah Publishers P.O. Box 9818, Birmingham, B11 4WA, United Kingdom E-mail: info@daarussunnah.com 9781904 336297"> Price: UK £8.00