THE BELIEF (I'TIQAD) AND ESSENTIALS OF THE AHL AL-SUNNAH

No school of thought (madhhab) was needed during the Age of Happiness
and the time of the Four Rightly Guided Caliphs, because people
learned the faith directly from Prophet Muhammad (saas) and his
Companions.
As heretical movements and divisions based on un-Islamic ideas and
practices (bid`ah) gradually emerged, devout scholars still following
the path of the Prophet (saas) and his companions began to identify
various measures in his beliefs and deeds. They presented people with
a purified form of Islam by distinguishing between truth and error.
One outgrowth of this effort was the Ahl al-Sunnahmadhhab.
Several elements separate the Ahl al-Sunnah from heretical movements,
some of which attracted gullible persons by opposing the Ahl
al-Sunnah's criteria. Therefore, those who follow our Prophet's (saas)
path must always be on our guard against such types of corruption. The
first thing we need to do is to learn about and bear in mind the
essence of the Ahl al-Sunnah's belief (i`tiqad).
Matters upon Which the Ahl al-Sunnah Agree
1) Belief in Allah (swt)
Believing in Allah's (swt) names, as referred to in the Qur'an and the
Sunnah, is Islam's basic tenet. It is impossible to bestow titles
befitting human beings on Allah (swt), for He cannot be compared with
His own creation. Each of His names has been mentioned in the Qur'an.
Great care must be taken here, and no credence should be given to
heretical views.
So long as people consider themselves Muslim, they must harbor no
doubts about Islam and must not regard themselves as unbelievers due
to any deficiencies they may have, so long as they have faith in their
hearts. Having such a misguided perspective as regards their own faith
is very harmful in terms of our belief. Indeed, our Lord reveals the
following in the Qur'an:
Who could say anything better than someone who calls to Allah, acts
rightly, and says: éI am a Muslim"? (Surah Fussilat: 33)
2) The Ahl al-Sunnah's Belief in the Qur'an
The Qur'an is the word of Allah (swt). It came from Allah's (swt)
presence and will return to Him. It is the last and final Divine book,
and the only book of truth that will remain valid until the Day of
Judgment. Certain heretical movements have other ideas on this
subject.
You receive the Qur'an directly from One who is All-Wise, All-Knowing.
(Surat al-Naml: 6)
3) Allah Cannot Be Seen in This World
Nowhere does Prophet Muhammad (saas) say that he actually saw Allah
(swt). One hadith, which some people claim implies this, has been
unanimously rejected by Islamic scholars. According to the Ahl
al-Sunnah, anyone claiming to have seen Allah (swt) before they die is
a liar. In one hadith, our Prophet (saas) states: éNone of you will
see our Lord before he dies" (Muslim).
4) Believers Will See Our Lord in Paradise
Books of trustworthy hadiths refer to people seeing Allah (swt) after
Day of Judgment with the eye of the Hereafter. However, the Jahmiyya,
Mu'tazila, and Rafida schools maintained the opposite.
Allah (swt) is not in any one space or on the Throne. Rather, He (swt)
is exalted far above all space. The Karramiyya school holds some views
on this matter that are incompatible with those of the Ahl al-Sunnah.
5) What Happens after Death?
The Ahl al-Sunnah believe in the Prophet's (saas) literal words
concerning the Hereafter and that punishment that will be meted out in
the grave. The Mu'tazila, on the other hand, do not believe this.
According to the Ahl al-Sunnah, the grave is the garden of Paradise
for the believers and one of the deepest pits of Hell for the
unbelievers.
Questioning by Munkir and Nakir, the two angels who will question each
Muslim in the grave, is also a fact. Members of the Qadariyya school
deny this questioning. Anyone who does not turn to Allah (swt),
recognize the Prophet (saas), abide by his Sunnah, or act according to
the Qur'an will experience great difficulties when called to account
in the grave.
The soul is restored to the body on the Day of Judgment, at which time
the unbelievers will not be asked about their good and evil deeds.
Rather, their actions will be counted and calculated. Once they admit
their sins, they will be punished.
Whoever safely crosses al-Sirat, a bridge that has been built over
Hell, will enter Paradise. After doing this, they will stop on a
bridge between Paradise and Hell. Here, their mutual rights in this
world will be considered and the rights will be returned to their
owners. If they are saved from here and forgiven, they will be allowed
to enter Paradise.
6) The Intercession (Shafaat) of the Prophet (saas)
On the Day of Judgment, the Messenger of Allah (saas) will have three
separate intercession (shafaat). He will perform the first one for all
the people gathered on the Day of Judgment, the second one so that the
people of Paradise may enter it, and the third for those who have
earned Hellfire. He will also performshafaatso that some people who
have entered Hell may leave it due to some of the deeds that did while
alive. The prayers and alms of the living will also benefit deceased
believers.
Members of the Wahabbi school in particular have produced various
ideas concerning the Prophet's (saas)shafaatthat are incompatible with
those of the Ahl al-Sunnah.
7) Belief in Destiny
The Ahl al-Sunnah believe in the good and evil of destiny. There are
two degrees of belief in destiny:
The first degree is that Allah (swt) is fully aware of what every
member of creation has done and will do. He knows their obedience and
their rebellion before they ever take place. Almighty Allah (swt) has
written the destiny of all that exists on al-Lawh al-Mahfuz (the
Preserved Tablet). A person's destiny is brought to him by an angel
while he is still in an embryonic form, before his soul has been
breathed into him. Some members of the Qadarriya school have adopted
several mistaken suppositions here. Muslims must be on their guard on
this highly sensitive issue.
The second one is that Allah's (swt) will is superior to that of human
beings. No one can be a believer or an unbeliever unless Allah (swt)
wills it to be so. The Qadariyya school rejects this aspect of
destiny.
8) Faith Consists of Words and Deeds; Therefore, It Increases and Decreases
This is a basic tenet of the Ahl al-Sunnah. Faith rises according to
the level of one's obedience and declines according to one's sins. All
good works fall under the scope of religion and faith.
9) The People of the Qibla Cannot Be Excommunicated (Takfir) Due to Sinning
Someone adhering to the Ahl al-Sunnah's convictions does not
excommunicate another believer who prays in the same direction (qibla)
as he does or claim that such a person is an unbeliever. His faith may
not, perhaps, be absolute. Kharijism, Islam's first heretical
movement, produced its first corruption (fitna) on this very subject.
No matter how many good works someone who has lapsed into denial may
perform, he will not benefit from them. Similarly, no matter how many
sins a Muslim may commit, he cannot be considered a denier until he
says that what is allowed is actually prohibited and that what is
prohibited is actually allowed.
10) The Miracles of theAwliyaof Allah (swt) Are Accurate
Belief in the miracles (karamah) of theAwliyaof Allah (swt), the
extraordinary states to which Allah (swt) gives rise by their hand,
and the discoveries they make in various spheres of knowledge are
among the essence of the Ahl al-Sunnah's convictions.
11) The Prophet's (saas) Miraculous Journey
According to the Qur'an and the hadiths, our Prophet (saas) ascended
to a world beyond the heavens in both body and soul. Anyone who
rejects this miraculous journey is considered to have fallen into
denial. The Qur'an reveals that our Prophet's (saas) going to Bayt
al-Maqdis (Jerusalem) is an absolute truth, and reliable hadiths
confirm that he rose to the skies.
Glory be to Him Who took His servant on a night journey from the
Masjid al-Haram [in Makkah] to the Masjid al-Aqsa [in Jerusalem],
whose surroundings We have blessed, in order to show him some of Our
signs. He is the All-Hearing, the All-Seeing. (Surat al-Isra', 1)
In order to create corruption, the deniers and hypocrites, who did not
believe in this miracle, dared to mock it. This corruption soon spread
all over Makkah, for they told everyone that they met about it. One of
them asked Abu Bakr (ra):éMuhammad (saas) claims to have gone from
Makkah to Jerusalem in a single night. What do you say?"With his usual
exemplary trust and submission, Abu Bakr (ra) ended this spreading
corruption by replying:éIf he says so, then it is true."
12) Acknowledging Allah (swt)
Those who refuse to accept Allah (swt) in their words, despite knowing
Him in their hearts, are unbelievers. Those who refuse to recognize
Allah (swt) in their hearts, despite accepting Him in their words, are
hypocrites. However, it is not appropriate to accuse anyone of
hypocrisy in the absence of outright denial or any solid evidence of
hypocrisy.
13) The Day of Judgment
The Day of Judgment is the final day of life for the universe, as
predetermined by Allah (swt). Everyone will be called to account on
the Day of Judgment. No one will return to Earth in a second body, for
all of the bodies of everyone who has ever lived, from the time of
Prophet Adam (as) right up until the Day of Judgment, were created
beforehand. No soul will return to Earth with a different body.
14) Appreciating Those Given the Glad Tidings of Paradise
Any inappropriate word spoken against a Companion of the Prophet
(saas) who received the glad tidings of Paradise is not in line with
the respect due to them and is a great sin toward those great
individuals. These Companions are:
Abu Bakr (ra)
Umar (ra)
Uthman (ra)
Ali (ra)
Talha (ra)
Zubayr ibn Awwam (ra)
Sa`d ibn Abi Waqqas (ra)
Said ibn Zayd (ra)
Abd al-Rahman ibn Awf (ra), and
Abu Ubaydah ibn Jarrah (ra).
The history of Islam's early days is full of these superior
individuals' heroism. Rasulullah (saas) praised them in his hadiths
and even stated that, after himself, some of them were worthy of the
rank of prophethood. For that reason, any slander uttered against them
is regarded as being uttered against the Prophet (saas) himself.
A common feature of heretical movements is the way they adopt a tone
of opposition to some of the Companions whom have been given the glad
tidings of Paradise. There is absolutely no room for such views among
the Ahl al-Sunnah.
15) None Other than the Messengers Is Protected from Imperfection
Allah (swt) protects all of His messengers' words. The importance of
complying with the words spoken and/or written by the great Islamic
scholars who follow the line of the Ahl al-Sunnah is also critical for
believers. However, contrary to what some extremist movements claim,
no one is obliged to abide by these.
16) The Sources of Reference in Islam
Anything that is incompatible with the Qur'an and the sunnah is
unacceptable. This is the most important distinguishing feature
between the Ahl al-Sunnah wa'l-Jama'ah and other groups. Indeed,
Rasulullah (saas) tells us that when we cannot agree on a particular
matter, we must first look to the Qur'an and then to the sunnah. The
Ahl al-Sunnah believe that seeking to depict something that is not
part of the Qur'an and the sunnah as part of Islam is to be avoided at
all costs.
17) To Make No Interpretation of the Qur'an and the Sunnah
Reason and analogy are not to be used to interpret the Qur'an and the
sunnah, because the Companions and the scholars of our school learned
their knowledge directly from the Qur'an and the sunnah. Believers
accept everything that is compatible with the Qur'an and the sunnah
and reject everything that violates them. The main feature
distinguishing the Ahl al-Sunnah wa'l-Jama'ah from other groups is how
they regard these two sources as the essential sources of all
knowledge. They interpret all matters in light of them, instead of
following their presumption, whims, and desires. Nobody has the right
to cast any doubt on the Qur'an and the sunnah.