29. And we are certain that Muhammad Sallalahu Alayhi Wa Sallam is His chosen Servant and elect Prophet and His Messenger with whom He is well pleased.
30. He Sallallahu Alayhi Wa Sallam is the Seal of the Prophets and the Imaam of the god-fearing and the most honored of all the messengers and the Beloved of the Lord of all the worlds.
31. Every claim to Prophethood after Him is falsehood and deceit.
32. He is the one who has been sent to all the Jinn and all mankind with truth and guidance and with light and illumination.
From amongst the beliefs are the believes regarding the Prophets and Messengers of Allah Ta'ala. We believe that Allah Ta'ala sent down many-a-times Prophets for the guidance of mankind. From amongst these Prophets was the beloved Prophet Muhammad Sallallahu Alayhi Wa Sallam.
In regards to the beloved Prophet Sallallahu Alayhi Wa Sallam, we believe that he was the last and final Prophet and Messenger sent down to mankind by Allah Ta'ala. He thus became the Seal of the Prophets and therefore no other Prophets can come after him.
In addition to being the final Prophet, he was also a Prophet for not only mankind but also to Jinns and any other creation that may exist. He was sent as a Mercy to the worlds and as guidance so pure and true.
Any claims made of prophethood after him are false and an act of deviation.
33. The Qur'an is the word of Allah. It came from Him as speech without it being possible to say how. He sent it down on His Messenger as revelation. The believers accept it, as absolute truth. They are certain that it is, in truth, the word of Allah. It is not created as is the speech of human beings, and anyone who hears it and claims that it is human speech has become an Kaafir.
Allah warns him and censures him and threatens him with Fire when He says, Exalted is He:
When Allah threatens with the Fire those who say "This is just human speech" (74:25) we know for certain that it is the speech of the Creator of mankind and that it is totally unlike the speech of mankind.
34. We do not argue about the Qur'an and we bear witness that it is the speech of the Lord of all the Worlds which the Trustworthy Spirit came down with and taught the most honoured of all the Messengers, Muhammad, may Allah bless him and grant him peace. It is the speech of Allah and no speech of any created being is comparable to it. We do not say that it was created and we do not go against the Congregation (Jamaa'ah) of the Muslims regarding it.
The Qur'an is known to the believers to be the word of Allah Ta'ala. It is therefore our belief that the Qur'an cannot be the speech of man. And as mentioned before, Allah Ta'ala cannot be conceived as we conceive humans; His form, shape, character and being is unknown and unimaginable to mankind. Similarly, the word and speech of Allah Ta'ala hold the same ruling as He does; meaning that just as Allah Ta'ala has been there for ever and will remain forever, so is the case with his words. His words were there from the beginning and will remain eternally.
35. Anyone who describes Allah as being in any way the same as a human being has become an unbeliever. All those who grasp this will take heed and refrain from saying things such as the unbelievers say, and they will know that He, in His attributes, is not like human beings.
The being of Allah Ta'ala cannot be pondered over and accommodated by the human mind. It is Allah Ta'ala that created mankind and it is He who possesses the complete knowledge of His being. We cannot indicate that He is as his creation, for He is free from all defect.
In many places in the Ahadeeth and Qur'an there have been instances where Allah Ta'ala has been attributed with parts and actions of the creation. In some places it has been said "the hand of Allah Ta'ala" and in other places it has been mentioned that "He comes running". It should be kept clear in mind that these do not denote the meaning that is known to us. Allah Ta'ala has used these words in order to make simple for man to comprehend a complex matter.
It is the best believer who reads these references to Allah Ta'ala and claims in his heart that they are how Allah Ta'ala knows and he is free from all human attributes,
Some go a step deeper into the apparent wording and extract meanings for the words attributed to Allah Ta'ala; where the "hand" of Allah Ta'ala will mean "His mercy" etc. This may be done in order to understand what is being meant by Allah Ta'ala, however, if refrained from it is better.
36. The Seeing of Allah by the People of the Garden is true, without their vision being all-encompassing and without the manner of their vision being known. As the Book of our Lord has expressed it: "Faces on that Day radiant, looking at their Lord." (al-Qiyama 75:22-3) The explanation of this is as Allah knows and wills.
37. Belief of a man in the seeing of Allah by the People of the Garden is not correct if he imagines what it is like or interprets it according to his own understanding, since the interpretation of this seeing or indeed, the meaning of any of the subtle phenomena which are in the realm of Lordship, is by avoiding its interpretation and strictly adhering to the submission.
This is the religion of Muslims. Anyone who does not guard himself against negating the attributes of Allah, or likening Allah to something else, has gone astray and has failed to understand Allah's glory, because our Lord, the Glorified and the Exalted, can only possibly be described in terms of oneness and absolute singularity and no creation is in any way like Him.
38. Everything that has come down to us about this from the Messenger, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, in authentic traditions, is as he said and means what he intended. We do not delve into that, trying to interpret it according to our own opinions or letting our imaginations have free rein.
The worldly eye does not contain the power and ability to visualise Allah Ta'ala. However, as a reward to the believing people it will be made possible in the Hereafter for every believer to see Him. Nevertheless, the vision of man, even in the hereafter, will not be able to totally encompass the being of Allah Ta'ala.
Furthermore, a person who believes that he will see his Lord on the day if judgement whilst imagining His being will be classed as being astray from the correct path. We only believe that we will see Him, but we do not ponder on his being. Additionally, we believe that Allah Ta'ala is as His messenger has told us. We do not ponder over matters that we cannot comprehend nor do we try to find meanings and reasons for things deep within Islam. "We listen and we obey".
39. A man's Islam is not secure unless it is based on submission and surrender. Anyone who desires to know things which it is beyond his capacity to know, and whose intellect is not content with surrender, will find that his desire veils him from a pure understanding of Allah's true unity, clear knowledge and correct belief, and that he veers between disbelief and belief, confirmation and denial and acceptance and rejection. He will he subject to whisperings and find himself confused and full of doubt, being neither an accepting believer nor a denying rejector.
No one is safe in his religion unless he surrenders himself completely to Allah, the Exalted and Glorified and to His Messenger, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and leaves the knowledge of things that are ambiguous to the one who knows them.
A point from the earlier belief; A person is never secure in his religion if he tries to comprehend every aspect of his religion. Religion is simple yet it can be complex. The simplicity in religion is to take heed of the matters that are complicated and accept them without trying to delude ourselves in the meanings it may contain. A true believer is he who accepts the commandments of his Lord without any doubt, with total submission.
40. He is beyond having limits placed on Him, or being restricted, or having parts or limbs. Nor is He contained by the six directions as all created things are.
Allah Ta’ala is not limited to any place or space. He is neither front, back, up down, left or right. It is a common habit of people to say that Allah Ta'ala is "everywhere". Although the meaning of it is known by people, it is technically incorrect to class Allah Ta'ala as being "everywhere". The reason being for this is that Allah Ta'ala is not confined to a space; which is what we are actually saying by placing him "everywhere".
The correct form of describing His presence is to say "He is not confined to any space".
41. Al-Mi'raj (the Ascent through the heavens) is true. The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, was taken by night and ascended in his bodily form, while awake, through the heavens, to whatever heights Allah willed for him.
Allah ennobled him in the way that He ennobled him and revealed to him what He revealed to him,
Allah blessed him and granted him peace in this world and the next.
Our belief is that the Prophet Sallallahu Alayhi Wa Sallam was taken on the journey of Mi'raj and was shown the heavens and Hell. This entire journey took place in short span of worldly time. Nevertheless, it happened whilst he was awake and fully aware and did not take place in his dream.
42. Al-Hawd, the Pool which Allah has granted the Prophet as an honour to quench the thirst of his Community on the Day of Judgement, is true.
43. Al-Shafa`a, the intercession which is stored up for Muslims, is true, as related in the Ahaadeeth.
From amongst the many gifts and honours given to the Prophet Sallallahu Alayhi Wa Sallam two are as mentioned. The Hawd-e-Kauther (The fountain of Kauther) and Shifa-at-e-kubra (the big intercession).
44. The covenant which Allah made with Adam and his offspring is true.
After the creation of Adam Alayhis Salaam, Allah Ta'ala created, from him, his children. These were the people that would be born from the time of Adam Alayhis Salaam up until the day of Judgement.
When Allah Ta'ala had all the creation in front of Him he took a covenant from them, "Am I not your Lord?" They all replied in the affirmative, "Yes indeed". However, due to the weakness of the human mind the majority of people cannot remember it. However, each and everyone has the ability of recalling it and recognising it when the evidences and reminders come from Allah Ta'ala in front of him.
45. Allah knew, before the existence of time, the exact number of those who would enter the Garden and the exact number of those who would enter the Fire. This number will neither be increased nor decreased.
46. The same applies to all actions done by people, which are done exactly as Allah knew they would be done. Everyone is eased towards what he was created for and it is the action with which a man's life is sealed which dictates his fate. Those who are fortunate are fortunate by the decree of Allah, and those who are wretched are wretched by the decree of Allah.
47. The exact nature of the decree is Allah's secret in His creation, and no angel near the Throne, nor Prophet sent with a message, has been given knowledge of it. Delving into it and reflecting too much about it only leads to destruction and loss, and results in rebelliousness. So be extremely careful about thinking and reflecting on this matter or letting doubts about it assail you, because Allah has kept knowledge of the decree away from human beings, and forbidden them to enquire about it, saying in His Book,
Therefore, anyone who asks: "Why did Allah do that?" has gone against a judgement of the Book, and anyone who goes against a judgement of the Book is an unbeliever.
The belief regarding 'fate and decree' is a very complex and delicate topic. It is a topic, as told by our beloved Prophet Sallallahu Alayhi Wa Sallam, that led astray the people that were before us. The matter of decree and fate should not be dwelled upon to a degree where one starts to question the actions of Allah Ta'ala.
It is our belief that when Allah Ta'ala created man he also wrote their fate. Every person has a place in heaven and hell, if he becomes a dweller of hell he is shown his seat in paradise to make him regret and remorse, and if he is a dweller of heaven, he is shown his seat in hell so that he is more greatful.
This makes people ponder as to whether man has any control over the action he does, or if every action he does is already written by Allah Ta'ala. Similarly, people question themselves as to how they can accomplish something if their fate is written otherwise.
This question was posed to Hadhrat Ali Karamallahu Wajhahu who replied by telling the person to raise his one leg. After person had done so, Hadhrat Ali asked him to raise the other, to which he said it was not possible. Hadhrat Ali explained to the man that fate was in the same manner. In certain places we have choices and it is this choice that will determine our fate, and on other places we have no choice. Either way we have to surrender to the will of Allah Ta'ala.
48. This in sum is what those of Allah's Friends with enlightened hearts need to know and constitutes the degree of those firmly endowed with knowledge. For there are two kinds of knowledge: knowledge which is accessible to created beings, and knowledge which is not accessible to created beings. Denying the knowledge which is accessible is disbelief, and claiming the knowledge which is inaccessible is disbelief. Belief can only be firm when accessible knowledge is accepted and the inaccessible is not sought after.
We have to keep firm belief that not all knowledge is accessible to mankind. There is knowledge that is only available to Allah Ta'ala, the Almighty. It is therefore part of faith not to go in search of the knowledge that cannot be acquired by mankind.
49. We believe in al-Lawh (the Tablet) and al-Qalam (the Pen) and in everything written on the former. Even if all created beings were to gather together to make something fail to exist, whose existence Allah had written on the Tablet, they would not be able to do so. And if all created beings were to gather together to make something exist which Allah had not written on it, they would not be able to do so. The Pen has dried having written down all that will be in existence until the Day of Judgement.Whatever a person has missed he would have never got, and whatever he gets he would have never missed.
50. It is necessary for the servant to know that Allah already knows everything that is going to happen in His creation and has decreed it in a detailed and decisive way. There is nothing that He has created in either the heavens or the earth that can contradict it, or add to it, or erase it, or change it, or decrease it, or increase it in any way. This is a fundamental aspect of belief and a necessary element of all knowledge and recognition of Allah's oneness and Lordship.
As Allah says in His Book:
And He also says:
So woe to anyone who argues with Allah concerning the decree and who, with a sick heart, starts delving into this matter. In his deluded attempt to investigate the Unseen, he is seeking a secret that can never be uncovered, and he ends up an evil-doer, telling nothing but lies.
In connection to the belief of fate and destiny, is the belief of the Lawh and Qalam (Tablet and Pen). All that is to take place in the lives of mankind has been written in the Tablet. It is even said that the words of the Qur’an existed in the Lawh and it was from there that it was revealed to the Prophet Sallallahu Alayhi Wa Sallam.
"The Pen has dried" means that the destiny of mankind has been written. There is no power in the world that can change that. If the entire creation was to group and make happen that which has been written not to happen then surely they would not be able to do so. It is therefore our belief that whatever a person receives or whatever he misses is all written down in the Lawh.
All that is written in completeness and therefore nothing can be increased or decreased from it.
51. Al-'Arsh (the Throne) and al-Kursi (the Chair) are true.
52. He is independent of the Throne and that which is beneath it.
We believe without doubt that the Arsh (Throne) and Kursi (Chair) mentioned in the Qur'an both exist. However, it is incorrect to ponder and imagine the description of these objects and how it is used by Allah Ta'ala. We cannot attribute the actions "sit" or any other action known to us and attribute it to Allah Ta'ala. He is free from every action that man does and is totally independent of any Chair or Throne.
53. He encompasses all things and that which is above it, and what He has created is incapable of encompassing Him.
There is nothing that can encompass or contain His being and it is He who encompasses everything. This is true whether it is in the context of a Throne or Knowledge or any other matter.
54. We say with belief, acceptance and submission that Allah took Ibrahim as an intimate friend and that He spoke directly to Musa.
55. We believe in the angels, and the Prophets, and the books which were revealed to the messengers, and we bear witness that they were all following the manifest Truth.
As part of our Imaan (Faith) we belief Ibrahim Alayhis Salaam to be His friend and Moosa Alayhi Salaam to have spoken with Him. This is all mentioned in the Qur'an, which we believe to be completely true and from Allah Ta'ala.
Furthermore, mentioned in the Qur'an is the belief regarding the Angels, Books and the Prophets Alayhimus Salaam. We believe in the Angels, Prophets and Books of Allah Ta'ala. And whatever they followed was from Allah Ta'ala and completely true and correct.
56. We call the people of our Qibla Muslims and believers as long as they acknowledge what the Prophet, Sallallahu Alayhi Wa Sallam, brought, and accept as true everything that he said and told us about.
57. We do not consider any of the people of our Qibla to be unbelievers because of any wrong action they have done, as long as they do not consider that action to have been lawful.
58. Nor do we say that the wrong action of a man who has belief does not have a harmful effect on him.
Those who have brought Imaan and believe in what the Prophet Sallallahu Alayhi Wa Sallam brought are classed as Muslims. We cannot class any of these people as disbelievers for any wrong action they commit as long as they do not claim that the wrong action is lawful. However, we say that this wrong action will have a harmful affect on him, physically, mentally or spiritually.
Any person who claims a wrong action to be lawful is either denying the Qur'an or Hadeeth and therefore there is a fear that he has left the fold of Imaan.
59. We do not enter into vain talk about Allah nor do we allow any dispute about the religion of Allah.
We submit completely to the will and order of Allah Ta'ala. Our intellect does not allow us to comprehend the being of Allah Ta'ala or all the rulings in His religion. Therefore, we do not enquire about matters that we have no knowledge about. If we do not understand any matter we should not make fault disputes.
30. He Sallallahu Alayhi Wa Sallam is the Seal of the Prophets and the Imaam of the god-fearing and the most honored of all the messengers and the Beloved of the Lord of all the worlds.
31. Every claim to Prophethood after Him is falsehood and deceit.
32. He is the one who has been sent to all the Jinn and all mankind with truth and guidance and with light and illumination.
From amongst the beliefs are the believes regarding the Prophets and Messengers of Allah Ta'ala. We believe that Allah Ta'ala sent down many-a-times Prophets for the guidance of mankind. From amongst these Prophets was the beloved Prophet Muhammad Sallallahu Alayhi Wa Sallam.
In regards to the beloved Prophet Sallallahu Alayhi Wa Sallam, we believe that he was the last and final Prophet and Messenger sent down to mankind by Allah Ta'ala. He thus became the Seal of the Prophets and therefore no other Prophets can come after him.
In addition to being the final Prophet, he was also a Prophet for not only mankind but also to Jinns and any other creation that may exist. He was sent as a Mercy to the worlds and as guidance so pure and true.
Any claims made of prophethood after him are false and an act of deviation.
33. The Qur'an is the word of Allah. It came from Him as speech without it being possible to say how. He sent it down on His Messenger as revelation. The believers accept it, as absolute truth. They are certain that it is, in truth, the word of Allah. It is not created as is the speech of human beings, and anyone who hears it and claims that it is human speech has become an Kaafir.
Allah warns him and censures him and threatens him with Fire when He says, Exalted is He:
"I will burn him in the Fire."
(al-Muddaththir 74:26)
When Allah threatens with the Fire those who say "This is just human speech" (74:25) we know for certain that it is the speech of the Creator of mankind and that it is totally unlike the speech of mankind.
34. We do not argue about the Qur'an and we bear witness that it is the speech of the Lord of all the Worlds which the Trustworthy Spirit came down with and taught the most honoured of all the Messengers, Muhammad, may Allah bless him and grant him peace. It is the speech of Allah and no speech of any created being is comparable to it. We do not say that it was created and we do not go against the Congregation (Jamaa'ah) of the Muslims regarding it.
The Qur'an is known to the believers to be the word of Allah Ta'ala. It is therefore our belief that the Qur'an cannot be the speech of man. And as mentioned before, Allah Ta'ala cannot be conceived as we conceive humans; His form, shape, character and being is unknown and unimaginable to mankind. Similarly, the word and speech of Allah Ta'ala hold the same ruling as He does; meaning that just as Allah Ta'ala has been there for ever and will remain forever, so is the case with his words. His words were there from the beginning and will remain eternally.
35. Anyone who describes Allah as being in any way the same as a human being has become an unbeliever. All those who grasp this will take heed and refrain from saying things such as the unbelievers say, and they will know that He, in His attributes, is not like human beings.
The being of Allah Ta'ala cannot be pondered over and accommodated by the human mind. It is Allah Ta'ala that created mankind and it is He who possesses the complete knowledge of His being. We cannot indicate that He is as his creation, for He is free from all defect.
In many places in the Ahadeeth and Qur'an there have been instances where Allah Ta'ala has been attributed with parts and actions of the creation. In some places it has been said "the hand of Allah Ta'ala" and in other places it has been mentioned that "He comes running". It should be kept clear in mind that these do not denote the meaning that is known to us. Allah Ta'ala has used these words in order to make simple for man to comprehend a complex matter.
It is the best believer who reads these references to Allah Ta'ala and claims in his heart that they are how Allah Ta'ala knows and he is free from all human attributes,
Some go a step deeper into the apparent wording and extract meanings for the words attributed to Allah Ta'ala; where the "hand" of Allah Ta'ala will mean "His mercy" etc. This may be done in order to understand what is being meant by Allah Ta'ala, however, if refrained from it is better.
36. The Seeing of Allah by the People of the Garden is true, without their vision being all-encompassing and without the manner of their vision being known. As the Book of our Lord has expressed it: "Faces on that Day radiant, looking at their Lord." (al-Qiyama 75:22-3) The explanation of this is as Allah knows and wills.
37. Belief of a man in the seeing of Allah by the People of the Garden is not correct if he imagines what it is like or interprets it according to his own understanding, since the interpretation of this seeing or indeed, the meaning of any of the subtle phenomena which are in the realm of Lordship, is by avoiding its interpretation and strictly adhering to the submission.
This is the religion of Muslims. Anyone who does not guard himself against negating the attributes of Allah, or likening Allah to something else, has gone astray and has failed to understand Allah's glory, because our Lord, the Glorified and the Exalted, can only possibly be described in terms of oneness and absolute singularity and no creation is in any way like Him.
38. Everything that has come down to us about this from the Messenger, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, in authentic traditions, is as he said and means what he intended. We do not delve into that, trying to interpret it according to our own opinions or letting our imaginations have free rein.
The worldly eye does not contain the power and ability to visualise Allah Ta'ala. However, as a reward to the believing people it will be made possible in the Hereafter for every believer to see Him. Nevertheless, the vision of man, even in the hereafter, will not be able to totally encompass the being of Allah Ta'ala.
Furthermore, a person who believes that he will see his Lord on the day if judgement whilst imagining His being will be classed as being astray from the correct path. We only believe that we will see Him, but we do not ponder on his being. Additionally, we believe that Allah Ta'ala is as His messenger has told us. We do not ponder over matters that we cannot comprehend nor do we try to find meanings and reasons for things deep within Islam. "We listen and we obey".
39. A man's Islam is not secure unless it is based on submission and surrender. Anyone who desires to know things which it is beyond his capacity to know, and whose intellect is not content with surrender, will find that his desire veils him from a pure understanding of Allah's true unity, clear knowledge and correct belief, and that he veers between disbelief and belief, confirmation and denial and acceptance and rejection. He will he subject to whisperings and find himself confused and full of doubt, being neither an accepting believer nor a denying rejector.
No one is safe in his religion unless he surrenders himself completely to Allah, the Exalted and Glorified and to His Messenger, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and leaves the knowledge of things that are ambiguous to the one who knows them.
A point from the earlier belief; A person is never secure in his religion if he tries to comprehend every aspect of his religion. Religion is simple yet it can be complex. The simplicity in religion is to take heed of the matters that are complicated and accept them without trying to delude ourselves in the meanings it may contain. A true believer is he who accepts the commandments of his Lord without any doubt, with total submission.
40. He is beyond having limits placed on Him, or being restricted, or having parts or limbs. Nor is He contained by the six directions as all created things are.
Allah Ta’ala is not limited to any place or space. He is neither front, back, up down, left or right. It is a common habit of people to say that Allah Ta'ala is "everywhere". Although the meaning of it is known by people, it is technically incorrect to class Allah Ta'ala as being "everywhere". The reason being for this is that Allah Ta'ala is not confined to a space; which is what we are actually saying by placing him "everywhere".
The correct form of describing His presence is to say "He is not confined to any space".
41. Al-Mi'raj (the Ascent through the heavens) is true. The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, was taken by night and ascended in his bodily form, while awake, through the heavens, to whatever heights Allah willed for him.
Allah ennobled him in the way that He ennobled him and revealed to him what He revealed to him,
"And his heart was not mistaken about what it saw".
(al-Najm 53:11)
Allah blessed him and granted him peace in this world and the next.
Our belief is that the Prophet Sallallahu Alayhi Wa Sallam was taken on the journey of Mi'raj and was shown the heavens and Hell. This entire journey took place in short span of worldly time. Nevertheless, it happened whilst he was awake and fully aware and did not take place in his dream.
42. Al-Hawd, the Pool which Allah has granted the Prophet as an honour to quench the thirst of his Community on the Day of Judgement, is true.
43. Al-Shafa`a, the intercession which is stored up for Muslims, is true, as related in the Ahaadeeth.
From amongst the many gifts and honours given to the Prophet Sallallahu Alayhi Wa Sallam two are as mentioned. The Hawd-e-Kauther (The fountain of Kauther) and Shifa-at-e-kubra (the big intercession).
44. The covenant which Allah made with Adam and his offspring is true.
After the creation of Adam Alayhis Salaam, Allah Ta'ala created, from him, his children. These were the people that would be born from the time of Adam Alayhis Salaam up until the day of Judgement.
When Allah Ta'ala had all the creation in front of Him he took a covenant from them, "Am I not your Lord?" They all replied in the affirmative, "Yes indeed". However, due to the weakness of the human mind the majority of people cannot remember it. However, each and everyone has the ability of recalling it and recognising it when the evidences and reminders come from Allah Ta'ala in front of him.
45. Allah knew, before the existence of time, the exact number of those who would enter the Garden and the exact number of those who would enter the Fire. This number will neither be increased nor decreased.
46. The same applies to all actions done by people, which are done exactly as Allah knew they would be done. Everyone is eased towards what he was created for and it is the action with which a man's life is sealed which dictates his fate. Those who are fortunate are fortunate by the decree of Allah, and those who are wretched are wretched by the decree of Allah.
47. The exact nature of the decree is Allah's secret in His creation, and no angel near the Throne, nor Prophet sent with a message, has been given knowledge of it. Delving into it and reflecting too much about it only leads to destruction and loss, and results in rebelliousness. So be extremely careful about thinking and reflecting on this matter or letting doubts about it assail you, because Allah has kept knowledge of the decree away from human beings, and forbidden them to enquire about it, saying in His Book,
"He is not asked about what He does, but they are asked".
(al-Anbiya' 21: 23)
Therefore, anyone who asks: "Why did Allah do that?" has gone against a judgement of the Book, and anyone who goes against a judgement of the Book is an unbeliever.
The belief regarding 'fate and decree' is a very complex and delicate topic. It is a topic, as told by our beloved Prophet Sallallahu Alayhi Wa Sallam, that led astray the people that were before us. The matter of decree and fate should not be dwelled upon to a degree where one starts to question the actions of Allah Ta'ala.
It is our belief that when Allah Ta'ala created man he also wrote their fate. Every person has a place in heaven and hell, if he becomes a dweller of hell he is shown his seat in paradise to make him regret and remorse, and if he is a dweller of heaven, he is shown his seat in hell so that he is more greatful.
This makes people ponder as to whether man has any control over the action he does, or if every action he does is already written by Allah Ta'ala. Similarly, people question themselves as to how they can accomplish something if their fate is written otherwise.
This question was posed to Hadhrat Ali Karamallahu Wajhahu who replied by telling the person to raise his one leg. After person had done so, Hadhrat Ali asked him to raise the other, to which he said it was not possible. Hadhrat Ali explained to the man that fate was in the same manner. In certain places we have choices and it is this choice that will determine our fate, and on other places we have no choice. Either way we have to surrender to the will of Allah Ta'ala.
48. This in sum is what those of Allah's Friends with enlightened hearts need to know and constitutes the degree of those firmly endowed with knowledge. For there are two kinds of knowledge: knowledge which is accessible to created beings, and knowledge which is not accessible to created beings. Denying the knowledge which is accessible is disbelief, and claiming the knowledge which is inaccessible is disbelief. Belief can only be firm when accessible knowledge is accepted and the inaccessible is not sought after.
We have to keep firm belief that not all knowledge is accessible to mankind. There is knowledge that is only available to Allah Ta'ala, the Almighty. It is therefore part of faith not to go in search of the knowledge that cannot be acquired by mankind.
49. We believe in al-Lawh (the Tablet) and al-Qalam (the Pen) and in everything written on the former. Even if all created beings were to gather together to make something fail to exist, whose existence Allah had written on the Tablet, they would not be able to do so. And if all created beings were to gather together to make something exist which Allah had not written on it, they would not be able to do so. The Pen has dried having written down all that will be in existence until the Day of Judgement.Whatever a person has missed he would have never got, and whatever he gets he would have never missed.
50. It is necessary for the servant to know that Allah already knows everything that is going to happen in His creation and has decreed it in a detailed and decisive way. There is nothing that He has created in either the heavens or the earth that can contradict it, or add to it, or erase it, or change it, or decrease it, or increase it in any way. This is a fundamental aspect of belief and a necessary element of all knowledge and recognition of Allah's oneness and Lordship.
As Allah says in His Book:
"He created everything and decreed it in a detailed way."
(al-Furqan 25:2)
And He also says:
"Allah's command is always a decided decree."
(al-Ahzab 33: 38)
So woe to anyone who argues with Allah concerning the decree and who, with a sick heart, starts delving into this matter. In his deluded attempt to investigate the Unseen, he is seeking a secret that can never be uncovered, and he ends up an evil-doer, telling nothing but lies.
In connection to the belief of fate and destiny, is the belief of the Lawh and Qalam (Tablet and Pen). All that is to take place in the lives of mankind has been written in the Tablet. It is even said that the words of the Qur’an existed in the Lawh and it was from there that it was revealed to the Prophet Sallallahu Alayhi Wa Sallam.
"The Pen has dried" means that the destiny of mankind has been written. There is no power in the world that can change that. If the entire creation was to group and make happen that which has been written not to happen then surely they would not be able to do so. It is therefore our belief that whatever a person receives or whatever he misses is all written down in the Lawh.
All that is written in completeness and therefore nothing can be increased or decreased from it.
51. Al-'Arsh (the Throne) and al-Kursi (the Chair) are true.
52. He is independent of the Throne and that which is beneath it.
We believe without doubt that the Arsh (Throne) and Kursi (Chair) mentioned in the Qur'an both exist. However, it is incorrect to ponder and imagine the description of these objects and how it is used by Allah Ta'ala. We cannot attribute the actions "sit" or any other action known to us and attribute it to Allah Ta'ala. He is free from every action that man does and is totally independent of any Chair or Throne.
53. He encompasses all things and that which is above it, and what He has created is incapable of encompassing Him.
There is nothing that can encompass or contain His being and it is He who encompasses everything. This is true whether it is in the context of a Throne or Knowledge or any other matter.
54. We say with belief, acceptance and submission that Allah took Ibrahim as an intimate friend and that He spoke directly to Musa.
55. We believe in the angels, and the Prophets, and the books which were revealed to the messengers, and we bear witness that they were all following the manifest Truth.
As part of our Imaan (Faith) we belief Ibrahim Alayhis Salaam to be His friend and Moosa Alayhi Salaam to have spoken with Him. This is all mentioned in the Qur'an, which we believe to be completely true and from Allah Ta'ala.
Furthermore, mentioned in the Qur'an is the belief regarding the Angels, Books and the Prophets Alayhimus Salaam. We believe in the Angels, Prophets and Books of Allah Ta'ala. And whatever they followed was from Allah Ta'ala and completely true and correct.
56. We call the people of our Qibla Muslims and believers as long as they acknowledge what the Prophet, Sallallahu Alayhi Wa Sallam, brought, and accept as true everything that he said and told us about.
57. We do not consider any of the people of our Qibla to be unbelievers because of any wrong action they have done, as long as they do not consider that action to have been lawful.
58. Nor do we say that the wrong action of a man who has belief does not have a harmful effect on him.
Those who have brought Imaan and believe in what the Prophet Sallallahu Alayhi Wa Sallam brought are classed as Muslims. We cannot class any of these people as disbelievers for any wrong action they commit as long as they do not claim that the wrong action is lawful. However, we say that this wrong action will have a harmful affect on him, physically, mentally or spiritually.
Any person who claims a wrong action to be lawful is either denying the Qur'an or Hadeeth and therefore there is a fear that he has left the fold of Imaan.
59. We do not enter into vain talk about Allah nor do we allow any dispute about the religion of Allah.
We submit completely to the will and order of Allah Ta'ala. Our intellect does not allow us to comprehend the being of Allah Ta'ala or all the rulings in His religion. Therefore, we do not enquire about matters that we have no knowledge about. If we do not understand any matter we should not make fault disputes.
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