Of Umar, son of Al-Khattab, may God's grace be upon him, thus it was said: Lo, as we sat in the presence of God's Emissary, peace and blessings be upon him, there came unto us a man arrayed in garments of purest white and with hair of deepest black. Upon him bore no trace of a journey, nor was he known amongst us. He drew nigh unto the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, and with his knees touching the Prophet's own, he rested his hands upon his thighs, and thus he spake, "O Muhammad, I beseech thee, speak unto me of this Islam."

The Prophet, peace be upon him, responded, "Verily, Islam is to testify that there is no god but God, and Muhammad is His messenger, to observe prayer, to give alms, to fast during the month of Ramadan, and to make pilgrimage unto the Sacred House, if thou art able to journey there."

"Thou hast spoken truly," the man replied. We marvelled greatly at this stranger who sought the Prophet's wisdom, and then confirmed its truth. He then inquired further, "Now tell me of faith."

The Prophet, peace be upon him, answered, "Faith is to believe in God, His angels, His holy books, His messengers, the Last Day, and the divine decree, whether it brings good or ill."

"Thou hast spoken truly," the man affirmed. "Now speak to me of goodness."

The Prophet replied, "Goodness is to worship God as though thou seest Him, for even if thou dost not see Him, He seeth thee."

"Now tell me of the Final Hour," the stranger implored.

"Of that hour," replied the Prophet, "the one who is asked knows no more than the one who asks."

"Then speak to me of its signs."

The Prophet, peace be upon him, answered, "The signs shall be that a servant girl shall give birth to her mistress, and thou shalt see the barefoot, the naked, the destitute, the shepherds vying in the construction of lofty buildings."

With that, the stranger took his leave. After a while had passed, the Prophet turned to me and asked, "O Umar, dost thou know who was the questioner?"

"Nay," I responded, "God and His Messenger know best."

The Prophet, peace be upon him, said, "Verily, it was the angel Gabriel. He came to teach you your religion."

By the scholar Jalal al-Din al-Suyuti

The chapter on theology from his larger work Purity

In the name of God, Most Gracious, Most Merciful,

Theology is the discipline in which is examined that which must be believed.

The cosmos is a creation, and its Creator, the One, is eternal, possessing no commencement in His existence. 

His nature is distinct from the nature of all other beings. 

His attributes encompass life, will, knowledge, power, hearing, sight, and His eternal word, inscribed in the sacred texts, held in the hearts, and pronounced by tongues. 

He, Exalted be He, is transcendent, beyond physical form, color, taste, and accidental properties, and does not indwell within creation. 

Concerning the scriptural and traditional narrations of enigmatic matters, we adhere to their apparent meaning, while acknowledging His transcendence beyond their literal reality, entrusting their interpretation to Him or engaging in theological exegesis. 

Divine providence, both its blessings and trials, originates from Him. 

His will manifests, and what He does not will, does not occur. 

He does not pardon idolatry but may forgive sins other than this, if He so chooses. 

No duty is incumbent upon Him, Exalted be He. 

He dispatched His messengers with clear signs and miracles, culminating in Muhammad ﷺ. 

A miracle is an act that transcends natural laws, in response to a challenge, and serves as a sign of grace for the saints, except in the case of birth without a natural parentage. 

We affirm the reality of the tribulation in the grave, the interrogation by the two angels, the final gathering, the celestial basin, the bridge, the scale, the intercession, and the believers' beatific vision of Him, Exalted be He, as true. 

The bodily ascension of the Chosen One ﷺ is true, as is the return of Jesus near the end of time and his defeat of the Antichrist, and the taking away of the Koran is true. 

Heaven and Hell have been created, with Heaven being celestial, and concerning Hell we abstain. The soul endures and death is predestined. 

Sin does not eradicate faith, nor does heresy, except in the case of anthropomorphism or denying God's omniscience in details. 

The most exalted of all creation is the Beloved of God, the Chosen One ﷺ, followed by His friend Abraham, peace be upon him, then Moses, Jesus, and Noah, who are the Resolute. Subsequently, the other prophets vary in their esteemed ranks, followed by the angels, then Abu Bakr, then Umar, then Uthman, then Ali, then the remainder of the ten, then the people of Badr, then Uhud, then the pledge at Hudaybiyyah, then the rest of the Companions, may God be pleased with them, and then the remainder of the faithful, distinguished by their varying characteristics. The most venerable among women are Mary and Fatimah, along with the mothers of the faithful: Khadijah and Aishah. 

The prophets, peace and blessings be upon them, are safeguarded from error, the Companions are deemed upright, and figures such as Al-Shafi'i, Malik, Abu Hanifa, Ahmad, among other leaders, are guided on the path of righteousness. Imam Abu al-Hasan al-Ash'ari stands as a preeminent leader in the tradition, and the path of Ibn al-Qasim al-Junayd and his companions is firmly established.

Also known as: The Smallest, The Smallest of the Small

By the scholar Abu Abdullah Muhammad ibn Yusuf al-Sanusi

In the Name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful,

May blessings and peace be upon our Master, Muhammad, and his noble family. Thus spoke the revered and learned Sheikh, the esteemed jurist and sage of his time, Abu Abdullah Sidi Muhammad ibn Yusuf al-Sanusi al-Hasani, may God's mercy encompass him, and may He be well pleased with him. Amen.

Praise be to God, and peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of God.

Know that our Lord, exalted and mighty is He, doth possess attributes that are necessary and eternal: existence, pre-eternity, and everlastingness. He is unlike His creation, subsisting in His own essence, independent of any locus or determinative cause. He is singular in His essence, attributes, and actions. To Him alone belongeth power, will, knowledge, life, hearing, sight, and speech, speech that is neither composed of letters nor uttered in sound. He is indeed endowed with omnipotence, volition, omniscience, vitality, hearing, sight, and speech.

Furthermore, there are twenty attributes impossible to ascribe to Him, the Most High, which are the opposites of the aforementioned necessary attributes. These include non-existence, temporality, the possibility of ceasing to exist, resemblance to created things, dependency on a place or a specific direction, and the existence of any partner in His essence, attributes, or actions.

Likewise, it is impossible for Him, exalted is He, to be impotent with regard to any possible matter, to be unwilling, ignorant, forgetful, inattentive, or heedless. It is impossible for Him to die, to be deaf, blind, or mute.

It is permissible, concerning God the Most High, that He may act upon or refrain from any possible matter.

The proof of His existence, exalted is He, is the occurrence of the world. Had He not been eternal, He would have been contingent. Had He not been everlasting, He would not have been eternal. Had He not been distinct from His creation, He would have been like them, a contingent being. Had He not been self-subsisting, He would have been in need of a locus and a specific cause. If He had required a locus, He would have been a mere attribute. If He had required a specific cause, He would have been contingent.

Had He not been one, He would have been overcome, yet He is the Subduer over His servants. Had power, will, knowledge, and life not been necessary for Him, none of His creation would have come into being. Had He not possessed hearing, sight, and speech, He would have been deficient, exalted is God above such a thing with great exaltation.

Had it not been permissible for Him, the Most High, to act or refrain from acting in regard to possible matters, the very essence of reality would have been overturned, and the overturning of realities is impossible.

As for the Messengers, upon them be peace and blessings, it is necessary for them to be truthful, trustworthy, and to convey that which God hath commanded them to convey unto creation.

It is impossible for them, upon them be peace and blessings, to possess the opposites of these attributes, namely falsehood, treachery, and concealing what God hath commanded them to convey unto creation.

It is permissible for them, upon them be peace and blessings, to experience what is permissible for other human beings, such as illness, hunger, sleep, eating, drinking, buying and selling, marriage, and divorce, so long as these do not detract from their lofty stations.

The proof of their truthfulness, upon them be peace and blessings, lies in the miracles they perform. Had they not been trustworthy, they would have been treacherous. Had they not conveyed, they would have concealed, and such a thing is impossible.

The evidence for the permissibility of human attributes in them, upon them be peace and blessings, is the witnessed occurrence of such attributes during their lifetimes by the people of their time, transmitted to us through mass transmission and reports, generation after generation, until the present day.

And with God's guidance, success is achieved; there is no Lord besides Him, nor is there any deity in truth save Him. And may God send blessings upon our Master and Lord, Muhammad, and upon his family and companions, and grant them abundant peace.

Thus, the Creed is completed, by the praise of God, the Most High.

By the saint and scholar, Imam Abu Hamid al-Ghazali

A chapter from his larger work Ihya Ulum al-Din

In the Name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful,

It contains four chapters.

The First Chapter: A rendering of the creed of the People of the Sunnah concerning the two phrases of the Testimony, which are among the pillars upon which Islam is built.

Praise be to God, the Beginner and the Restorer, the Doer of whatsoever He wills, Possessor of the Glorious Throne and Mighty in Retribution, the One who guides the elect among His servants unto the upright path and the sound doctrine; He who bestows upon them, after the testimony of Divine Oneness, His favour in safeguarding their beliefs from the shadows of doubt and hesitation. 

He it is who leads them to follow His chosen Messenger, grace and benedictions be upon him in full measure, and to tread the traces of his noble Companions, honored and upheld by divine support and heavenly guidance. He manifests unto them, in His Essence and His Acts, the most beautiful of attributes, which none comprehends save he who lends an ear while bearing witness with heart awake.

He has made them to know that He, in His Essence, is One without partner, unique without equal, eternal without opposite, singular without rival.

He is One, Pre-eternal, without beginning; Everlasting, without end; Abiding in perpetual being, without cessation; Everlasting, without limit or decline; Self-sustaining, without interruption; Ever-during, without lapse or dissolution. 

He has never ceased, nor shall He ever cease, to be described with the attributes of majesty. The passing of ages nor the vanishing of times decree no end upon Him, nor doth the expiry of durations or the extinction of lifespans sever Him from existence. Nay rather, He is the First and the Last, the Manifest and the Hidden, and He is, of all things, All-Knowing.

He is exalted beyond all likeness, not a body, nor a substance defined by limit or measure. He resembles not bodies, neither in extension nor in susceptibility to division. He is not a substance, nor do substances inhere in Him; nor is He an accident, nor do accidents befall Him. Nay rather, He resembles not toward any creation, nor does any existent resemble toward Him.

There is naught like unto Him, nor is He like unto aught.

No dimension constrains Him, no direction encompasses Him, no region contains Him, neither do the heavens nor the earth enclose Him.

Ascending Above

And He is exalted above the Throne in the manner which He hath declared, and in the meaning which He Himself intend, an exaltation purified from contact, settlement, establishment, indwelling, or movement. The Throne bears Him not; rather, the bearers of the Throne are themselves born, upheld by the subtlety of His power, and subdued beneath His grasp.

He is above the Throne and the heavens, and above all things down unto the depths of the dust. Yet His exaltedness adds not nearness to the Throne or the skies, just as it adds not distance from the earth or the soil below. Nay rather, He is exalted in degree above the Throne and the heavens, just as He is exalted above the earth and what lies beneath.

And yet, He is near unto every created thing, closer to the servant than his jugular vein, and He is Witness over all things. For His nearness resembles not the nearness of bodies, even as His Essence resembles not the essence of bodies.

And He, exalted is He, is not indwelling in anything, nor does anything dwell within Him. Transcendent is He above being contained by space, just as He is sanctified above being confined by measure.

He is now as He ever was, before He created time and space, for time and space are His creation, and He is as He was before them.

He, glorified be He, is separate from His creation by His Attributes: there is naught within His Essence but He Himself, nor is His Essence found within aught besides Him.

He is hallowed above all change and alteration; no emergent events befall Him, nor do accidental states overtake Him.

Nay, He remains ever in the Attributes of His Majesty, purified from cessation, and in the perfections of His beauty, in no need of increase nor completion.

And He, exalted is He, is known in His Essence by the intellects through the certainty of existence, and His Essence shall be beheld by the eyes as a grace from Him and a mercy upon the righteous in the Abode of Settlement, as a gladdening of their bliss through the vision of His Noble Countenance.

His Power

And verily, He is Living, ever Living, Mighty, All-Powerful, Overwhelming, and Subduing. No incapacity touches Him, nor any feebleness; nor does slumber seize Him, nor sleep. Perishing has no sway over Him, nor does death ever draw nigh.

He is the Possessor of sovereignty and dominion, might and majesty. His is the command, His the creation, His the dominion and the decree. The heavens are rolled up in His right hand, and all created beings are subdued beneath His grasp.

He is the One alone in creation and origination, the Sole Author of existence and innovation. He created all creatures and their deeds, apportioned their sustenance and their appointed terms. No object within His grasp can escape His power, nor can the unfolding of affairs elude the decree of His might.

His decreed things cannot be numbered, nor can His knowledge be encompassed by limit.

His Knowledge

And He is Knowing of all that is known, encompassing all that comes to pass, from the depths of the earth to the heights of the heavens. Naught escapes His knowledge, not the weight of a mote in the earth, nor in the sky. Nay, He knows the creeping of the black ant upon the hard stone in the pitch of a dark night. And He perceives the movement of the mote in the midst of the air, and knows the secret and what is yet more hidden.

He is aware of the stirrings of the inmost thoughts, the motions of passing notions, and the subtlest whispers of the soul’s recesses، by a knowledge pre-eternal and uncreated, with which He has ever been described from the dawn of pre-eternity. Not by a knowledge newly acquired within Himself through indwelling or transition, but by an eternal knowledge, unchanging and without beginning.

His Will

And God, exalted is He, is the Willer of all that is, the Disposer of all that comes newly into being. Naught passes in the realm of dominion or sovereignty, be it little or much, small or great, good or evil, benefit or harm, faith or disbelief, gnosis or denial, triumph or loss, increase or diminution, obedience or rebellion, save by His decree and foreordainment, His wisdom and volition. Whatsoever He wills, it is, and whatsoever He wills not, shall never be.

Nor does the glance of an onlooker, nor the fleeting thought of a thinker, escape His Will, for He is the Beginner and the Restorer, the Doer of whatsoever He wills.

None may repel His command, nor delay His judgment; and no servant has refuge from sin save through His enabling grace and mercy, nor has he strength for obedience save by His Will and His desire.

And if mankind and jinn, angels and devils, were to gather as one to move a single mote in the world, or to still it, apart from His Will and ordinance, they would be utterly powerless so to do.

And His Will subsists within His very Essence, among the totality of His Attributes. He has ever been thus, described eternally as Willing, having willed, in His pre-eternity, the existence of things in the times He appointed for them. And so they came into being in their due times, even as He had willed them from everlasting, neither earlier nor later, but precisely in accordance with His Knowledge and Will, without alteration or change.

He disposes all affairs, not by the ordering of thoughts, nor by awaiting the passage of time; and thus, no affair distracts Him from another.

Hearing and Sight

And He, exalted is He, is All-Hearing, All-Seeing. 

He hears and He sees; naught escapes His hearing, though it be hidden, nor is any visible thing absent from His sight, though it be subtle. His hearing does not arise after absence, nor is His seeing hindered by darkness. He beholds without pupil or eyelids, and He hears without canal or ears, just as He knows without heart, strikes without limb, and creates without instrument; for His Attributes bear no likeness to the attributes of creation, just as His Essence resembles not the essences of created beings.

Speech

And He, exalted is He, is Speaking, commanding and forbidding, promising and threatening, with a Speech that is pre-eternal, without beginning, subsisting in His Essence, unlike the speech of created beings. It is not a sound arising from the vibration of air or the striking of corporeal bodies; nor is it composed of letters that cease by the closing of lips or the movement of tongue.

And the Koran, the Torah, the Gospel, and the Psalms are His revealed Books, sent down upon His Messengers, peace be upon them all.

And the Koran is recited upon tongues, written in codices, and preserved within hearts; yet withal, it is pre-eternal, subsisting in His Essence, majestic is His Majesty, admitting neither separation nor division through its transmission into hearts and parchments.

And Moses, grace and peace be upon him, heard the Speech of God Most High without sound and without letter, just as the righteous shall behold the Essence of God, glorified and exalted is He, in the hereafter, without substance or accident.

And if these be His Attributes, then He is Living, Knowing, Powerful, Willing, Hearing, Seeing, and Speaking, through Life, Power, Knowledge, Will, Hearing, Sight, and Speech, not merely by Essence alone.

And verily, there is naught in existence besides Him but that it is created by His act, and flows forth from the outpouring of His bounty, in the most excellent, complete, perfect, and just of forms.

He is Wise in all His doings, Just in all His judgments. His power is not to be measured by the power of His servants, for injustice may be conceived of in the servant, when he acts upon the possession of another; but no injustice can be conceived of in God Most High, for there is naught that belongs to another wherein His action might be deemed unjust.

Thus, all that is besides Him, of men and jinn, angels and devils, heaven and earth, animals and plants, inanimates and essences, air and soil, intelligibles and sensibles, is created, brought into being by His power after non-existence, through sheer origination.

And He brought all into being after it had been naught, for in pre-eternity He was, and naught was with Him. He alone existed, without peer or partner. Then He brought forth creation, as a manifestation of His power, a fulfillment of His pre-eternal Will, and a realization of His eternal Word. Not out of need or want did He create, but as a gracious favor.

He is the Benefactor in creating, originating, and enjoining, not by compulsion or necessity; the Bestower of blessings and rectitude, not out of obligation. To Him belong grace, beneficence, bounty, and favor, for He is able, if He so willed, to pour upon His servants all manner of torment, and to try them with diverse pains and afflictions. And were He to do so, it would be but justice from Him, neither wrong nor evil.

And He, mighty and exalted is He, rewards His believing servants for their acts of obedience by the rule of generosity and promise, not by way of obligation or merit. For naught is incumbent upon Him on behalf of any soul, nor can injustice be conceived of in His actions; no right is owed Him by any, and no duty is owed by Him to any.

His right upon His servants in matters of obedience became binding upon them by His own ordinance, as conveyed through the tongues of His Prophets, peace be upon them, not by reason alone.

But He sent forth Messengers, and made manifest their truthfulness by evident miracles; they conveyed His commands and prohibitions, His promises and His threats, and thus it became incumbent upon creation to believe them in all that they brought.

The Second Phrase, which is the Testimony concerning the Messenger, grace and benedictions be upon him, affirming his Prophetic Mission.

And verily, He sent the unlettered Prophet, the Qurayshite, Muhammad, grace and benedictions be upon him, with His message unto all peoples, Arab and non-Arab, jinn and mankind alike.

By his sacred law He abrogated the laws that came before, save that which He confirmed thereof.

He exalted him above all the other Prophets, and made him the Master of mankind.

He rendered the Testimony of Faith incomplete, namely: “There is no god but God,” except it be joined with the Testimony of the Messenger: “Muhammad is the Messenger of God.”

And He made it incumbent upon all creation to believe him in all that he conveyed, concerning matters of this world and the hereafter. Nor is the faith of any servant accepted until he believe in all that the Prophet declared regarding what is to come after death.

And the first of these is the questioning by Munkir and Nakir, two dreadsome and awe-inspiring beings who seat the servant upright in his grave, body and soul united, and question him concerning the Oneness of God and the Prophethood. They say unto him: “Who is thy Lord? What is thy religion? And who is thy Prophet?” They are the examiners of the grave, and their questioning is the first trial following death.

And one must believe in the punishment of the grave, that it is true, and its judgment just, and that it may befall both body and soul, according to whatsoever God wills.

And he must believe in the Scale, possessing two scales and a tongue, its magnitude like unto the breadth of the heavens and the earth. Therein shall deeds be weighed by the power of God Most High. And the weights, on that Day, shall be like grains of dust and mustard seed, in perfect fulfillment of divine justice. The scrolls of good deeds shall be cast therein in a comely form, luminous and radiant, and the scale shall be made heavy thereby, in proportion to their rank in the sight of God Most High, by the bounty of God. And the scrolls of evil deeds shall be cast therein in an ugly and darkened form, and the scale shall be made light thereby, by the justice of God.

And he must believe in the Bridge, that it is true indeed. It is a bridge stretches across the surface of Hell, sharper than a sword, finer than a hair. Thereon shall the feet of the disbelievers slip, by the judgment of God,glorified is He, and they shall be cast down into the Fire. But the feet of the believers shall be made firm upon it, by the grace of God, and they shall be led onward to the Abode of Settlement.

And he must believe in the Promised Basin, the Basin of our Master Muhammad, grace and benedictions be upon him. From it shall the believers drink before entering Paradise, and after crossing the Bridge. Whosoever drinks from it a single draught shall never thirst again for all eternity. Its breadth is as the distance of a month's journey; its water is whiter than milk and sweeter than honey. Around it are vessels as numerous as the stars of heaven. And into it flow two channels, pouring forth from al-Kawthar.

And he must believe in the Reckoning, and that the creation shall differ therein: some shall be called to full account and examined in detail, others shall be pardoned without reckoning, and among them are those who shall enter Paradise without any account; they are the ones brought nigh.

God Most High shall question whomsoever He wills from among the Prophets concerning the delivery of the Message; and whomsoever He wills from among the disbelievers concerning their denial of the Messengers. He shall question the innovators concerning the Sunnah, and the Muslims concerning their deeds.

And he must believe in the deliverance of the monotheists from the Fire after vengeance has been exacted, such that none shall remain in Hell of those who affirmed Divine Oneness, by the grace of God Most High. No believer in the Oneness of God shall abide eternally in the Fire.

And he must believe in the Intercession, first by the Prophets, then by the scholars, then by the martyrs, and then by the righteous among the believers, each according to his rank and station in the sight of God Most High.

And whosoever remains of the believers without an intercessor shall be brought forth by the sheer grace of God, glorified is He. Thus, no believer shall be consigned to everlasting punishment, but shall be brought forth therefrom if there be in his heart so much as the weight of a grain of faith.

And he must hold firm belief in the virtue of the Companions, may God be pleased with them, in accordance with their established ranks. That the best of mankind after the Messenger of God, grace and benedictions be upon him, is Abu Bakr, then Umar, then Uthman, then Ali, may God be well pleased with them all.

And he must maintain a good opinion of them, and of all the Companions collectively; and he must praise them, just as God, mighty and majestic, and His Messenger, grace and benedictions be upon him, praised them all.

For all this has come by sound reports, and has been born witness to by the narrations and traditions.

And whosoever holds all these beliefs with full certainty and unwavering conviction, is of the people of truth and the company of the Sunnah, separate from the faction of error and the party of innovation.

So we ask God Most High for the perfection of certainty and steadfastness in the religion, for ourselves and for all the Muslims, by His mercy, for verily He is the Most Merciful of the merciful.

And may blessings be upon our Master Muhammad, and upon every elect servant chosen and drawn nigh.

By the Scholar Najm al-Din Abu Hafs Umar al-Nasafi

In the Name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful,

Praise be to God, the Lord of all creation, and peace and blessings be upon our Master Muhammad, the faithful one. Now, to proceed,

The venerable Nasafi, God rest his soul, said that the adherents of truth declare:

The realities of things are steadfast, and the knowledge of them is ascertained, in contrast to the assertions of the Sophists.

The means of knowledge for the created beings are threefold: unimpaired senses, truthful testimony, and reason.

The senses are fivefold: hearing, vision, olfaction, touch, and taste, and by each of these faculties, one comprehends that for which it has been ordained.

The truthful testimony is of two kinds: (1) the recurrent testimony, which is the testimony established on the tongues of a people, their collusion in falsehood being unimaginable. It gives rise to necessary knowledge, like the knowledge of bygone kings in the elapsed eras and remote lands.

The second kind is the testimony of the Apostle, endorsed by miracles, which necessitates inferential knowledge. The knowledge established by this testimony is akin to the knowledge established by necessity in terms of certainty and steadfastness.

As for reason, it too is a means of knowledge. What is established by it through intuition is necessary, like the knowledge that the whole is always greater than its part. What is established by it through inference is acquired.

The cosmos, with all its constituents, is created, for it consists of substances and accidents. Substances are entities that exist per se, either composite or non-composite, like essence, which is the indivisible part. Accidents are entities that do not exist independently and occur in bodies and essences, such as colors, dimensions, tastes, and odors.

The Creator of the cosmos is God, the Most High, the One, the Everlasting, the Living, the Omnipotent, the Omniscient, the All-Hearing, the All-Seeing, the Ordainer, the Willing, who is neither an accident nor a body, nor an essence, nor a form, nor limited, nor numbered, nor divisible, nor fragmentable, nor finite, and who is not defined by essence, nor by modality, and who is not contained in a place, nor subject to time, and nothing resembles Him, and nothing eludes His knowledge and power.

He possesses eternal attributes inherent in His essence, which are neither He nor other than He [i.e., His attributes are fixed to His essence and are inseparable from Him]. They are knowledge, power, life, might, hearing, sight, will, decree, action, creation, provision, and speech. He speaks with a speech that is an attribute of His, eternal, not of the nature of letters and sounds, and it is an attribute that negates silence and affliction. God, the Exalted, speaks with it, commanding, forbidding, and informing. The Koran is the uncreated speech of God, the Exalted, and it [i.e., the utterance revealed that indicates it] is inscribed in our scrolls, preserved in our hearts, recited on our tongues, heard by our ears, and not subject to change.

The act of bringing into existence is an eternal attribute of God, the Most High, and it pertains to His creation of the cosmos and every part of its constituents, not in eternity but at the time of their existence, in accordance with His knowledge and will. This act of bringing into existence is distinct from the created things themselves, in our understanding. Will is also an eternal attribute of God, the Most High, inherent in His essence.

The vision of God, the Exalted, is rationally possible and obligatory according to divine revelation. The auditory evidence affirms the vision of the faithful beholding God, the Exalted, in the abode of the hereafter. He shall be seen not in a place, nor in a direction, without facing or contact of rays, nor with a fixed distance between the beholder and God, the Exalted.

God, the Exalted, is the Creator of all the actions of His servants, including disbelief, faith, obedience, and disobedience, all of which occur by His will, decree, wisdom, judgment, and predestination.

The servants have voluntary actions for which they are rewarded or punished. The good actions among them are pleasing to God, the Exalted, while the evil actions are not.

Ability accompanies action, and it is the reality of power by which an action is performed. This term also applies to the soundness of means, instruments, and faculties. The validity of obligation depends on this ability. A servant is not burdened with what is beyond his capacity.

As for what occurs of pain in the one struck after being struck by a human, and the breaking of glass after being broken by a human, and the like, all of that is created by God, the Exalted. There is no agency for the servant in their creation.

Verily, both the licit and the illicit are provisions for sustenance, and each soul shall receive its due provision, be it rightful or sinful. It is unthinkable for a man not to consume his own provision or for another to consume that which is not his. 

God Almighty leads astray whom He wills, and guides whom He wills. That which is best for His servant is not obligatory upon God Almighty. 

The torment of the grave awaits the unbelievers and some of the sinful believers, while the obedient ones shall enjoy comfort in the grave as God Almighty knows and wills. The questioning by the angels Munkar and Nakir is confirmed by auditory evidence. Resurrection, Judgment, the Scripture, the Questioning, the Font, the Bridge, Heaven, and Hell are all truth. Both Heaven and Hell are created realities that shall persist eternally; they shall not perish, nor shall their inhabitants. 

A grave sin does not expel the believing servant from faith, nor does it place him in disbelief. God forgives not that partners should be set up with Him, but He forgives anything less than that to whom He wills, both minor and major sins. Punishment may be inflicted for minor sins, and pardon may be granted for major sins unless they involve making the illicit lawful, for such a transgression constitutes disbelief. 

Intercession is confirmed for the messengers and the righteous, especially for those of the believers who have committed grave sins, who shall not abide eternally in Hellfire. 

Faith is to affirm what comes from God Almighty and to acknowledge it. As for deeds, they can increase in themselves, but faith neither increases nor decreases. Faith and submission are one and the same. 

If a servant affirms and acknowledges, it is right for him to say: "I am a true believer", and he ought not to say, "I am a believer, God willing." The fortunate may suffer, and the unfortunate may find happiness. Changes occur in the states of felicity and misery, not in the bestowing of these states, for they are attributes of God Almighty, who Himself does not change, nor do His attributes. 

In the sending of messengers, there is wisdom. God has sent messengers from among humans to other humans, bringing glad tidings and warnings, and clarifying to people what they need in matters of this world and the faith. They were supported with miracles that contradicted ordinary conventions. The first of the prophets was Adam, peace be upon him, and the last of them was Muhammad, peace be upon him. While their exact number is mentioned in some traditions, it is preferable not to confine to a specific count; for God Almighty has said, "Some of them We have narrated unto thee, and some of them We have not narrated unto thee." We should be careful in considering the count, lest we include those who do not belong or exclude those who do. All of them delivered messages from God Almighty, and they were truthful and sincere. The best of the prophets, peace be upon them, is Muhammad, peace be upon him. 

The angels are the servants of God Almighty, who act according to His command. They are not described as being male or female. God has revealed books to His prophets, in which He clarified His commandments, prohibitions, promises, and threats. 

The ascension of the Messenger of God, peace be upon him, to the heavens and then to whatever God Almighty willed was a reality. 

The miracles of the saints are real. These miracles manifest in ways that contradict ordinary conventions, such as covering great distances in a short time, the provision of food, drink, and clothing in times of need, walking on water and in the air, speaking with inanimate objects and the mute, warding off calamities, and defeating enemies, among other things. Such occurrences would be considered miracles for a messenger if they were to occur for a member of his community, for they affirm his saintliness, and no one is a saint unless he is truthful in his faith, which is to acknowledge the message of his messenger. 

The best of humanity after our Prophet is Abu Bakr the Truthful, then 'Umar the Discriminator, then 'Uthman the Possessor of Two Lights, then 'Ali the Accepted One, and their succession was in this order. 

The Caliphate lasted for thirty years, and after it came monarchy and leadership. 

And the faithful must have a leader who shall execute their judgments, establish their bounds, defend their borders, prepare their armies, take their alms, subdue the oppressor and the usurper and the highwaymen, establish the congregation and the holy days, terminate the disputes arising among the servants of God, accept the testimonies grounded upon just claims, betroth the young and the orphans who have no guardians, distribute the spoils of war, and the like. Then, it behooves that the leader be manifest, not concealed nor awaited, and he shall be of the tribe of the Koraish, and none other is permissible, nor shall he be exclusively of the House of Hashim and the children of Ali, may God be pleased with him. And it is not required that the leader be sinless, nor that he be the best of the people of his time; but he must be of the people of absolute and perfect authority, able to execute judgments and preserve the boundaries of the Christian dominion and to vindicate the oppressed from the oppressor. And the leader is not to be removed due to wickedness and tyranny.

And it is permissible to pray behind every righteous man and sinner, and prayers shall be said for every righteous man and sinner.

And we shall mention the companions only with good. And we bear witness to the ten who received the glad tidings, those whom the Prophet, peace be upon him, gave tidings.

And we hold that wiping over the foot coverings, both in travel and at home, is permissible, and we do not forbid the must of dates.

And no saint attains the degree of the prophets, nor does a servant reach the point where commandments and prohibitions fall away from him.

And the texts are to be understood according to their outward meanings; to deviate from them to other meanings, as is claimed by the esotericists, is heresy, and to reject the texts is disbelief, and to declare sinfulness lawful is disbelief, and to make light of sin is disbelief, and to ridicule the law is disbelief, and to despair of God is disbelief, and to be secure from God is disbelief, and to believe in the priest concerning what he tells of the unseen is disbelief.

And that which does not exist is not anything.

And in the prayers of the living for the dead and their giving of alms on their behalf, there is benefit for them. And God Almighty answers prayers and fulfills needs.

And whatever the Prophet, peace be upon him, has informed of the signs of the hour, such as the emergence of the Antichrist and the Beast of the Earth, and Gog and Magog, and the descent of Jesus, peace be upon him, from the evening and the rising of the sun from its setting, it is the truth.

And the jurist may err and may succeed.

And the messengers of humanity are better than the messengers of the angels, and the messengers of the angels are better than the generality of humanity, and the generality of humanity is better than the generality of angels.

By the Saint and Scholar Ahmad Zarruq

An excerpt from Zarruq's commentary on the Foundational Queries of the Mystic Path by the Zaragozan

In the Name of the Lord, the Compassionate, the Merciful

Verily, in the pursuit of penitence, threefold are the conditions of its validity: a heart laden with remorse for transgressions past, a swift forsaking of the sinful path, and a resolute intent never to return to the ways of old. 

And threefold also are the conditions for its fulfillment: a universal intent, for though penitence may stand with one sin forsaken and another yet embraced, such a soul remains imperfect, disobedient in another aspect, and seldom safe from the snare of relapse, burdened still by the root of transgression. The discharge of duties owed unto the Lord, be it in prayer, fasting, almsgiving, or atonements, must be rendered. And the restitution of material and reputational wrongs, agreed upon universally, and as is known among the sages of faith.

Threefold too are the conditions of perfection: a redoubling of vigor in new endeavors, replacing past laxities. A flight from the snares of temptation, by all possible means, and a zealous quest for spiritual perfection in whatsoever manner it may be achieved. For he who lacks the conditions of validity, finds no repentance; he who lacks the conditions of fulfillment, remains in disobedience, rarely free from the perils of backsliding; and he who lacks the conditions of perfection, tastes not the sweetness of repentance, nor grasps its fruits. Each condition holds not but by the soundness of that which follows it. Thus, the sages in their wisdom have not merely stated these truths, but adorned themselves therewith, and enjoined them upon others, both in general counsel and in specific guidance, as deemed fit by the sage or feasible for the seeker.

By the Holy Sage and Scholar Ahmad Ibn Idris

In the Name of the Lord, the Compassionate, the Merciful

DOCTRINE I: Reckoning

Blessings and grace be upon our master Mohammed and his family, with every look and every breath, matching the count of what God's knowledge encompasses.

Indeed, the complete matter, the resonant word, the flaming sword on God's exalted path is: the prudent person who wants to save his soul from all dangers and who wants the Lord to admit him into the company of those drawn close to Him in all ways should, if he wants to undertake any matter, whether by speech or by action, make sure that God Almighty will indeed bring him to stand before Him and will question him about that matter. Thus, he should prepare the response to the question of the Truth before he engages in that matter. If he finds the response fitting and truthful, in accordance with the Truth and acceptable to Him, then he should begin that matter, for the result will be praiseworthy in this life and the next.

But if he finds the answer displeasing to the Truth and unacceptable, then he should run from that matter, whatever it may be. For it will bring disaster upon him if he undertakes it. This doctrine is the cornerstone of all words and deeds.

Whoever grasps this doctrine and remains firm in it, all his states will be founded upon truth, outwardly and inwardly, without the smallest imperfection. This is the essence of the Prophet's words, peace and blessings upon him, "reckon with yourselves before you are reckoned with, and weigh yourselves before you are weighed against."

DOCTRINE II: Sincerity

That he does not say a word or perform an action until his intent is only to seek the face of God. For if his purpose is pure for the sake of God's face and he has cleaned his heart from all contamination of hidden motives, and if his heart is steadfast in this doctrine, he will neither speak nor act except with resolve and thoughtfulness. Thus, all his actions will be sincere, without the smallest stain. This is the meaning of the words of our Creator, the Majestic, to His most exalted messenger and beloved, peace and blessings upon him, "and restrain yourself with those who call upon their Lord at morning and evening, desiring His face," (The Cave), signifying nothing else in all their affairs. And He, the Mighty and Majestic, said, "and confers no favour on any man for recompense, only seeking the Face of his Lord the Most High; and he shall surely be satisfied," (The Night).

DOCTRINE III: Mercy

Let his heart become a dwelling of mercy for all the faithful, both young and old, and let him bestow upon them their due in Islam with reverence and honour. If his heart stays firm and resolute in this doctrine, God, beyond and exalted, will pour forth divine mercy on his entire being, and allow him to taste its sweetness, for he will have attained a vast and mighty portion of the prophetic inheritance from God's words, "We have not sent you, except as a mercy to all beings," (The Prophets). And this is the meaning of the Prophet's words, peace and blessings be upon him, "Indeed, God, Mighty and Majestic, holds three things sacred: whoever guards them, God will in turn protect his religious and worldly affairs, and whoever does not guard them, God will not protect anything for him: the sanctity of Islam, my sanctity, and the sanctity of my family." In the same vein are the words of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, to Abu Bakr, the truthful, may God be pleased with him, "Do not despise anyone among the Muslims, for the least of the Muslims is great with God."

DOCTRINE IV: Virtue 

The nobility of character, indeed, is that which the Messenger, peace and blessings upon him, was sent to perfect, and the essence of his words, "I was only sent to perfect goodly character." This doctrine, in truth, is the marrow of faith, and its reality is that the servant is gentle and tender with family and friends, with servants, and with all creation. The Messenger, peace and blessings upon him, said, "The inhabitants of the garden are gentle, soft, easy, and familiar; while the dwellers of the fire are harsh and behemoth." They asked, "What does behemoth mean, O Messenger of God?" He answered, "Harsh with his wife, his friends, and his family."

Our Lord Almighty has said, "Speak good to people," (The Cow) meaning not foul. He, mighty and majestic, said, "And tell My servants to say words that are kinder," (The Night Journey), and the kinder are those which are both good and more.

In sum, that which you would want others to treat you with - gracious speech, kindly words, and beautiful actions - do likewise with God's creation. While that which you would hate for them to treat you with - foul speech, harsh words, and hateful actions - avoid. For, indeed, God deals with the servant according to the manner and character in which the servant deals with creation. The recompense of a quality is the very same quality in return. "He will surely recompense them for their quality," (The Cattle). "For a suitable recompense" (The Tiding). Thus, whoever is a shield, a mercy, and an expansive shade for creation to find comfort in, God will be the same for him. Whoever honours a servant

for the sake of his master has, in truth, honoured his master.

As it has come to pass in a tradition of God, mighty and majestic, "Indeed, He says to the servant on the Day of Resurrection, 'I was hungry and you did not feed me, I asked you for water and you did not give me to drink, I was sick and you did not visit me,'" and the servant says, "How can You be hungry when You are the Lord of the Worlds? How can You be sick when You are the Lord of the Worlds? How can You seek water when You are the Lord of the Worlds?" So, God Most High and transcendent explains, "Indeed, my servant so-and-so was sick, and had you visited him, you would have found me with him. My servant so-and-so was hungry, and had you fed him, you would have found that with me. My servant so-and-so sought water, and had you given him to drink, you would have found that with me." He, the transcendent, clarified the meaning of His words, 'I was hungry, I was sick, I sought water,' by saying, 'my servant so-and-so was hungry, my servant so-and-so was sick, my servant so-and-so sought water.' Therefore, dealing with the servant with regards to his master is nothing less than dealing with the master himself. Whoever's foot is firmly placed in this station, his dealings become dealings with the Truth, mighty and majestic, in all things, for he sees none other than God, most high.

The sum of virtuous character with God, most high, and with His servants is the words of the Blessed Prophet, "Honour God by not letting Him see from you anything He has forbidden," and this is that He does not find you where He forbade you, and that He does not find you absent where He commanded you.

That which makes the servant ashamed before God, most high, is the knowledge with full certainty that God observes all and witnesses all, as He, most high, said, "Know that God knows what is in your hearts, so fear Him," (The Cow). If the servant fills his heart with this watchfulness and practises it until it becomes habit and familiar, then shame before God most high will deter him from uttering or doing anything that displeases God or ill-befits His majesty; He is present in his heart, "He is with you wherever you are," (The Iron), for indeed God, most high, is with him and looks upon him.

Surely, if the servant wishes to commit adultery, for example, or to steal while others watch him, he is unable to proceed, knowing they observe him. Indeed, he regrets and disdains that which he sees in himself. Thus, if this is the case with created beings which possess no harm or benefit, and the cause of all this is the mere fear of falling into disgrace before others and losing their respect, then without doubt, had his heart been present at the moment of doing what displeases God, most high, he would have immediately stopped. This is the meaning of the words of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, on perfecting faith, "Worship God as though you see Him, for even though you do not see Him, He surely sees you."

Whoever finds himself in this state will perfect and fulfill this act of worship according to the strength of his knowledge that God is watching him. And God alone grants success.

Grace and blessing be upon our master Mohammed and upon his kin, with every glance and every breath, according to the number of what God's knowledge encompasses.

By the scholar Jalal al-Din al-Suyuti

The chapter on mysticism from his larger work Purity

In the name of God, Most Gracious, Most Merciful,

The doctrine of mysticism speaketh of the heart's purification before the Lord Most High and the renouncing of all but Him. 

Observe thou the Lord in every condition of thine, commencing with the performance of duties mandated, and the avoidance of the forbidden, progressing to the voluntary and the discouraged acts. 

Let thy zeal in abandoning the forbidden surpass thy diligence in performing the commanded, and in matters permitted, thou art free. Shouldst thou seek by it obedience, or means thereto, or abstention from the forbidden, it is praiseworthy. 

Acknowledge thy shortfall in what thou hast presented, and that thou hast not fulfilled unto the Lord the merest fraction of His due, and count not thyself above any soul, for the end of all things is unknown to thee. 

Yield unto the command of the Lord Most High and His decree, assured that only that which He wills shall transpire, not as thou desirest. And take heed not to judge the conditions of thy brethren, save by that which the Sacred Law doth dictate. 

Within thyself, treasure these three tenets:

The first: That neither benefit nor harm can issue but from Him, Most High, and whatever He hath preordained as thy provision, boon, or trial from before time shall surely come to pass.

The second: That thou art a servant sustained, and thy Sovereign and Possessor exerciseth over thee His will, and it fitteth not to disdain what thy Sovereign enacteth upon thee, Who is more tender and merciful towards thee than thyself and thy kin, and He is the most judicious of judges in His enactments, seeking by that which afflicteth thee nothing but thy betterment and welfare.

The third: That this world is ephemeral and evanescent, while the Hereafter approacheth, everlasting, and thou art but a sojourner herein, and inevitably thy voyage shall conclude, and thou shalt arrive at thy abode. Endure, therefore, the travails of this journey and labor in the cultivation of thine eternal dwelling, its refurbishment and embellishment in this fleeting span, that thou might revel therein for an unending age. 

And in truth, he is a believer complete, in whom the branches of faith are fully realized, numbering sixty-odd or seventy-odd. And such is: 

the faith in Allah, 

and His attributes, 

and the origination of all that is not Him, 

and in His angels, 

and His scriptures, 

and His messengers, 

and in the divine decree, 

and the Day of Judgment, 

and in the love of Allah, 

and love and detestation for His sake, 

and in the love of the Prophet, peace be upon him, 

and the belief in his exaltation, 

and therein the invocation of blessings upon him, 

and adherence to his Sunnah, 

and purity of intent, 

and therein the rejection of show and hypocrisy, 

and repentance, 

and awe, 

and hope, 

and gratitude, 

and fidelity, 

and patience, 

and acquiescence to the divine will, 

and modesty, 

and trust, 

and compassion, 

and humility, 

and therein the veneration of the elder, 

and the mercy towards the younger, 

and the eschewing of haughtiness and vanity, 

and abandoning envy, malice, and anger, 

and affirming the Oneness of God, 

and the recitation of the Quran, 

and the pursuit and dissemination of knowledge, 

and supplication, 

and remembrance, 

and therein seeking pardon, 

and avoiding idle speech, 

and cleansing both in essence and in judgment, 

and therein the eschewing of filth, 

and the veiling of nakedness, 

and prayer, obligatory and voluntary, 

and almsgiving similarly, 

and the freeing of captives, 

and benevolence, 

and therein sustenance, 

and hospitality, 

and fasting, mandated and voluntary, 

and retreat, 

and the quest for the Night of Power, 

and the pilgrimage, 

and the lesser pilgrimage, 

and the circuits, 

and the flight in faith's cause, 

and therein migration, 

and the fulfillment of vows, 

and earnestness in faith, 

and the enactment of atonements, 

and chasteness through wedlock, 

and the maintenance of dependents' rights, 

and filial piety, 

and the upbringing of offspring, 

and the knitting of kinship, 

and the heed to leaders, 

and kindness to servants, 

and the steadfast upholding of justice, 

and the consort with the congregation, 

and the heed to those of authority, 

and the amendment amongst the folk, 

and therein the strife against the rebels and the insurrectionists, 

and the support in righteousness, 

and therein the enjoinment of good, 

and the prohibition of evil, 

and the execution of legal penalties, 

and the struggle in God's path, 

and therein: the guard at the frontier, 

and the discharge of trust, inclusive of the fifth, 

and the settlement of loans, 

and the honouring of neighbours, 

and the integrity of dealings, 

and therein the lawful accumulation, 

and the rightful expenditure of wealth, 

and therein: the avoidance of profligacy and excess, 

and the reciprocation of greetings, 

and the blessing upon the sneezer, 

and the prevention of harm, 

and the shunning of frivolity, 

and the removal of nuisances from the path.

Sufyan, the son of Waki', recounted unto us, "Jumay', the son of 'Umayr, the son of 'Abd al-Rahman, of the clan of 'Ijli, shared with us from his book, saying, 'A man from the tribe of Banu Tamim, known by the agnomen Abu 'Abdillah, and one of the offspring of Abu Hala, the spouse of Khadija, told me, which he received from one of the sons of Abu Hala, who heard from Hasan, the son of 'Ali, who reported:

'I inquired of my mother's brother, Hind, the son of Abu Hala, skilled in the description of features, regarding the comely aspect of the Messenger of the Lord, peace be upon him. I desired that he would impart some of his features unto me, that I might cherish and hold them fast. He said, "The Messenger of the Lord, peace be upon him, possessed sublime qualities, and was esteemed accordingly by others. His blessed countenance shone like the light of the full moon on a clear night. He was taller than the common man, but shorter than one who is tall. His blessed head was large, and his blessed hair was wavy. If his hair would easily part at the front of his blessed head, he would part it in the midst; if not, he would let it be. When left alone, his hair would fall past his earlobes. His complexion was fair and luminous. His blessed forehead was broad. His eyebrows were full, perfectly shaped, but not joined together. Between them, a vein would pulsate when anger seized him. His blessed nose was prominent, and a light proceeded from it; one who observed him not closely might think it straight. His blessed beard was thick, and his cheeks were smooth. His mouth was wide, and between his blessed front teeth was a slight space. A thin line of hair ran from his blessed chest to his navel. His blessed neck resembled that of an ivory statue, resplendent as silver. His form was evenly proportioned; he was well-built and strong, his blessed chest and stomach level with one another. His blessed chest and shoulders were broad, and his blessed joints were large. His blessed limbs shone bright when uncovered. Save for the thin line of hair that extended from his blessed upper chest to his navel, his chest and stomach bore no hair. His blessed arms, shoulders, and upper chest were, however, covered with hair. He had long forearms and wide palms, sturdy hands, and feet. His blessed fingers and toes were long and well-proportioned, and his blessed feet's soles had a slight arch. His blessed feet were so smooth that water could readily flow from them. When he walked, he lifted his blessed feet with vigor, leaning forward slightly and treading lightly. He possessed a naturally wide gait, as if descending an incline when he walked. When he turned to look, he would do so with his whole body. He cast his gaze downward, fixing his eyes on the ground more than the sky. He looked mostly from the corner of his blessed eye. His Companions would walk before him, and he would greet with peace those he encountered first."'