Welcome your child in the correct Islamic manner

There are many sunnahs relating to the newborn:

• The Adhân being recited to the child soon after the birth so that it is the first thing the child hears.
• Tahnîk: rubbing a small piece of softened date or something sweet on the palate of the newborn.
• Shaving the hair of the newborn on the seventh day and giving the value of its weight in silver to charity.
• Announce the good news of the birth to family and friends and you will see that everyone is happy when they hear of the birth of a new Muslim child!
• The Aqîqah is a strong Sunnah and many scholars regard it as an obligation upon the parents and it is the slaughtering of two sheep or goats for a boy and one sheep or goat for a girl preferably on the seventh day. The Prophet ( sallallâhu alaihi wa sallam) is reported to have said:

  “The Aqîqah is a right (upon you). (Slaughter) for a boy two compatible sheep, and for a girl: one”. (Ahmad and others.)^[1] Although many people send money to poor Muslim countries for the Aqîqah, this important Sunnah should be revived in the societies we live in as well. By having the Aqîqah in your locality, by eating of the meat yourself and having your friends and family and other Muslims gather and take part in this joyous occasion or in distributing the meat to them there are many benefits: First of all this is the way the Prophet (sallallâhu alaihi wa sallam) practiced it. The sense of identity of the Muslim community as well as Muslim children will increase, people will know that there is a new addition to the Ummah and will pray for your child insha Allâh and you will be able to enjoy this occasion and perhaps meet family and friends who you may not be able to see so often now that you are a busy mother.

• A good name is one of the rights of the child. Good names are those which are known to be pleasing to Allâh and approved by His Messenger or acceptable to the scholars of Islam. Recommended names are those that show servitude to Allâh: Abdullah, Abdurrahmân etc. The names of the Prophets and Sahâbah and the pious people before us will also have a good effect on the childs psyche. She will want to be like Mariam (‘ alaihas Salâm) and he will want to be like ‘Umar (Radi Allâhu ‘anhu) if you give them those names insha Allâh. And the child will have a role model in their name and love to hear the story of a person in the past with their name. Make sure the name has a good meaning, don’t just name it because it sounds good. There have been some people especially from amongst the non-Arabs who have named their children names that sound good but have a bad or improper meaning for a Muslim. That name will have an effect on the character of that child and will follow that child for life. One name that we came across amongst some children was a Muslim girl called: Ilâha! Meaning ‘goddess’! We seek refuge in Allâh from such names.
• Circumcision: If you have a son, get him circumcised on the seventh day or as soon as you can so as not to cause the child discomfort. It’s good to get a personal recommendation when looking for a Doctor and the procedure is a very easy one and local anesthetic is usually used. Usually healing takes a week or two.

Du’a and other worships

A common statement made by some sisters who are mothers is “I don’t get any time to do ‘ Ibâdah”. This is a misconception amongst us because we don’t realize that even the every day tasks that we do as Muslims become Worships if they are accompanied with a good intention. So, perhaps you are spending most of your time caring for your baby and even after the post-partum bleeding period you may not be able to pray as many superogaratory prayers or teach Qur’ân or do other praiseworthy acts that you used to do. But remember, the job that you are doing is one, which Allâh has ordained for you, and a very important and rewardable one if you do it mindfully and for the sake of Allâh. You are bringing up the future worshippers of Allâh, the future scholars or Mujâhidîn or teachers or leaders: the future Ummah!

Although you will not be performing Salâh as you are in your Post natal bleeding period, this is a time you need to call on Allâh regularly and using His names and attributes, call on Him sincerely, ask Him to make easy anything you may be finding difficult. Make du'a for your child for the du’a of the mother for her child is answered as occurs in the hadîth:

“There are three supplications that are answered – there being no doubt about it: the supplication of the oppressed, the supplication of the traveler and the supplication of the parent for his child.”[2]

Some du’as you can make for your child are as follows:

• The du’a that the Prophet used to make for Hasan and Hussain which was also the du’a that the Prophet Ibrahîm (alaihis salâm) used to make for Ismaîl and Ishâq was:

  “U’îdhukumâ bi kalimât illâhi-ttâmah, min kulli shaytânin wa hâmmah wa min kulli ‘ainin lâmma”^[3]

  “I seek refuge for you with Allâh’s complete words from every Devil and harmful creature and from every envious eye”

• And the du’a of Mariam’s mother (alaihas Salâm) to Allâh:

  “Innî u’îdhu hâ bika wa dhurrîyyatuhâ minashaitânir-rajîm”

  “I seek Your protection for her and her progeny from Shaitan, the outcast.” (Surah آl-‘Imran 3:36)

• Suratul Fâtihah, Ayatul Kursî and the last three Surah’s of the Qur’ân can also be recited for seeking protection.

You may be awake in the night feeding your child for long stretches, so take this opportunity to make du’a and make adhkâr while feeding. Du’a and Dhikr are in and of themselves ‘Ibâdah. Allâh has given us many ways of worshipping him for all different situations. You could revise the Surahs you have memorized ^[4] or just listen to Qur’ân recitation and contemplate on the meaning. Getting your baby used to having the Qur’ân recited to him will insha Allâh be beneficial and have an effect on him. Or get some cassettes with talks on them to listen to as this can have a very positive effect on you especially if the talks are inspirational like the Stories of The Prophets or Sahabah.

Breastfeeding

With your baby’s arrival, the first part of his Rizq or provision arrived too and that is breast milk! AllâhSubhânahu wa ta’âla ordained breastfeeding for humans and many animals and people have been breastfeeding from the beginning of their existence.

Allâh’s Messengers too were breast-fed. Allâh inspired Musa’s mother to put her baby Musa in a basket in the river to save him from Pharaoh’s killing decree, Pharaoh’s family found him and wanted to keep him and looked everywhere for a wet-nurse to breastfeed him and Allâh caused Musa to refuse to be breast-fed by any woman except his own mother.

The Prophet Muhammad Sallallâhu‘alaihi wa sallam in his childhood, suckled from his mother Aminah, Thuwaybah – a slave girl of his uncle Abu Lahab, Umm Ayman and Halimah as-Sa’diyyah.^[5]

The Prophet’s Sallallâhu‘alaihi wa sallam children too were breastfed. His son Ibrahîm had a wet-nurse as occurs in a hadîth and when his son passed away he was only 1 year and 10 months old so there were two months of suckling left for him so the Prophet sallallâhu alaihi wa sallam said as narrated by Al-Bara (bin Azib): The Prophet, after the death of his son Ibrahîm, said, " There is a wet-nurse for him (i.e. Ibrahîm) in Paradise."^[6]

It is only in modern times that the wide use of artificial forms of baby-feeding, cow’s and goat’s milk formulas, have been used and that women have left their homes in pursuit of careers which make them leave the superior role that Allâh has given them and pulled them away from the home to serve others and leave their own families.

Allâh Subhanahu wa ta’âla tells us the recommended time of suckling a child in the Qur’ân:

“And the mothers are to suckle their infants for two years, for those who wish to complete the suckling”(Surah Baqarah 2:233) “We have enjoined upon the human being to treat his parents kindly. His mother bore him with weakness upon weakness, and his weaning is in two years.” (Surah Luqman 31:14)

Look at the importance of breastfeeding! Our Creator even mentions it in the Qur’ân a number of times! Breastfeeding is widely acknowledged now as being the best food for babies. It provides everything your baby needs: it is clean and sterilized, the right temperature, it’s fresh, it’s easily digested, contains antibodies and anti-allergens and is designed by Allâh perfectly for your baby’s needs. As a result, breast fed babies have better immune systems, and less infections. But that is not all. Scientists agree that babies gain many psychological and emotional benefits through breastfeeding too. Some scholars say that the good characteristics of the mother are transferred to the child through breastfeeding. The child feels ultimate comfort and security through being so close to his mother and their special bond is strengthened, so much so that in Islâm if a non-related woman breastfeeds a child she becomes a foster mother to him and her children are foster sisters and brothers to him who he cannot marry! As the Prophet (Sallallâhu‘alaihi wa sallam) said as is related in a number of Ahadîth:

”Indeed, Allâh has prohibited (marriage) among suckling relatives, as He has prohibited it among birth (or blood) relatives”[7]

What more proof do we need of the bond that is created through breast-feeding? It is permissible with the parent’s joint agreement to have a child breastfed by another woman and that wet-nurse is entitled to a wage. It was the custom at the time of the Prophet ( Sallallâhu‘alaihi wa sallam) to be breastfed by other women, which strengthened relationships and made more mahram men for women etc. This also took the strain off one woman if she was finding it difficult.

In Islâm, unless there is a legitimate excuse, the mother is required to breastfeed her baby. It is an obligation upon both parents – the mother provides the milk and the father provides the material support for the mother even if they are divorced.^[8] If a parent thinks there is a need to wean the baby before the end of two years it is permissible after consultation and joint agreement.

In the West, although breastfeeding is regarded as the best way to feed a child, still, some health professionals do not hesitate to advise women to give their babies formula milk top ups or to part breast feed- part bottle feed, even without a serious reason. And unfortunately many Muslim Women take this up too. Of course if there is a serious reason then this is unavoidable (although reviving the tradition of other women feeding our children would be very useful in this case). But all too often our sisters are talked into bottle-feeding for convenience reasons or because a baby’s weight is not picking up as quickly as the chart says it should. However many women have found that even if it seems difficult at first, if they persevere, breastfeeding becomes easier. Yes you may have some discomfort early on and it is physically demanding at times because as the mother, you alone must wake up often and feed you baby whereas with bottle-feeding someone else can do it for you. But we must ask ourselves: Why has Allâh given the mother such an honoured and lofty status in Islam? Why does she have so many rights upon her children, even more than the father in many cases? Is it not because of the sacrifices she made? The pain she endured? The nights she stayed awake?

Your new baby has just come from a very secure environment where all his needs were being met and he was so close to you and now he is suddenly in this very sensuous world where he may be feeling hunger, thirst, seperation, pain for the first time. He needs you and that closeness, nourishment and security that suckling gives him.

As Sheikh Suhaib Hasan so aptly puts:

“…the child should be suckled for the first two years of his life, instead of being given powdered milk which has been stored in tins for months. Few adults would abandon fresh fruit and vegetables for stale, tinned foods, yet they are quite happy to feed nothing but tinned milk and foods to their infants. Secondly, just as the mother’s blood in the womb passes nutrients and her emotions through to the blood of her child, so her milk also passes her characteristics and emotions to her child while she is suckling him, causing him to feel immense comfort and confidence.”^[9]

The scholars of the past too knew the importance of breast milk and the following is just a snippet of Ibn ul Qayyim’s advice regarding breastfeeding:

“Babies should only be fed the (mother’s) milk until their teeth appear. Their stomach and digestive system (in the early months) are incapable of handling (solid) food. When the babies teeth come out, its stomach becomes strong and ready for food. Indeed, Allâh delays the growth of teeth until the baby needs the food. This is from His wisdom and kindness, and out of mercy toward the mother and her breast’s nipples, so that the baby would not bite them with its teeth.

The babies should be given solid food in a gradual manner, starting with soft foods, such as wet bread, (animal) milk, yoghurt, meat broth… The parents should not be too disturbed by the baby’s crying and screaming, especially when it is hungry for milk. That crying benefits the baby tremendously, training its limbs, widening its intestines, broadening its chest…

The complete breast-feeding term is two years. This is a right for the baby – if it needs it and cannot do without it…”^[10]

Patience & Gratitude

Whenever there are difficult patches in our lives we should remember Allâh’s saying, the meaning of which is:

“Indeed after every hardship is ease, Indeed after every hardship is ease” (Surah ash-Sharh (94), âyah 6)

No pain afflicts a Muslim except that some of his sins are forgiven due to it. If things happened in labour, which you didn’t like, discuss with your husband how you could avoid those things in the future. But try not to over analyse things. Simply think of solutions and seek advice and seek Allâh’s aid and move on. Deal with any major problems you can highlight to the hospital or nursing staff, but move on. We should remember to count the blessings in our situation and we will find that even though this testing time seems difficult to us - there will always be people who are being tested more than us and our situation is still much better than that of many.

If your labour was particularly difficult, think about Mariam (‘ alaihas Salâm) and how she was all alone through childbirth, no hospital and facilities, no husband, no books telling her what to expect, no family support -and on top of that the fear of being falsely accused by her people and given a bad reputation. Allâh tells us in the Qur’ân, the meaning of which is:

“So she conceived him (‘خsa) and she retired with him to a remote place. And the pains of childbirth drove her to the trunk of a palm-tree: she said: “Oh! Would that I had died before this! Would that I had been a thing forgotten and out of sight!” But (a voice) cried to her from beneath her saying: “Grieve not! For your Lord has provided a water stream under you. And shake the trunk of the palm-tree towards you, it will let fall fresh ripe-dates upon you. So eat and drink and be glad. And if you see any human being, say: ‘Verily I have vowed a fast unto the Most Gracious (Allâh) so I shall not speak to any human being this day.’” Then she brought him (the baby Isa) to her people, carrying him. They said: “Oh Mariam! Indeed you have brought a mighty strange thing!” (Surah Maryam: âyât 22-27)

She had no one but Allâh سبحانه و تعالى to help her and of course He was enough for her. Reflect on this: if labour pains are so difficult to bear, then how is it that we sin and do not fear Allâh’s punishment which is more bitter and longer lasting? Should we not now think twice before we sin?

There are probably women in our own families who had much less than we do, less information, facilities and support all round. So we must be thankful. You will see that insha Allâh, within weeks or months you will be physically healed and will become a lot more organized. Allâh has made us able to adapt to changes over time, so we must trust in Him and ask Him to help us overcome any weaknesses we think we may have.

Slow down & Prioritise

You may feel that there are many things to do and balance in the early days…but if you prioritise and really think about what is important and what can wait, you will achieve a lot more insha Allâh. You may have to totally concentrate on your baby and her needs and devote your time completely to her feeding and other needs. Allâh has made doing this easier for us Alhamdulillah by lifting the obligation of praying at this time so that we can devote our time to our baby’s needs. So for a short time, leave the less important things and concentrate on the job at hand and soon, you will be able to balance more thingsinsha Allâh. Sleep when your baby sleeps and leave the things such as cleaning till you are on your feet a bit more, or ask friends and family to help. When things settle down more, you can write down the most important things that need to be done and try and do them throughout the day.

Seek help and advice and do your research

Find out about Islamic rulings regarding any issues you face. There is no shortage of information in our times Alhamdulillâh. And it is very advisable for sisters to be informed about childbirth, pain relief options and their implications etc. It is also useful to read up about breastfeeding and what to expect of your baby in the first weeks and months of life. If you get the things you think you’ll need before the birth of your baby then insha Allâh this will save you and your husband a lot of running around afterwards. You may need to be shown how to breast-feed correctly. So seek help from the women in your family and your Muslim sisters or even the midwife. Sometimes this is the only way to learn how to do it properly and avoid pain and problems later.

Getting advice from our mothers and friends who are mothers is very important because they usually have tips and advice that books cannot teach us. Many sisters like to stay with their mothers in the early weeks. This way they can get as much help and advice as possible and the whole family can spend quality time with the baby! In the past and in many cultures today, extended families live together which can make things easier.

Being around good people will have a good impact on your mood and خmân. The Internet has many medical websites or websites with parent and baby information, which you could look up instantly if you need advice or information quickly about any issues that come up.

Be mindful of your husband’s rights

Books by non-Muslims and magazines are always giving women excuses to behave badly! Hormones are blamed for everything unreasonable a woman does. Hormones and other pressures do have an effect and the good husband will realize this and also be understanding. But Islam teaches us Sabr – Patience and perseverance in the face of adversity and trying situations. So even at this time when you should put your needs and the needs of your baby first, your husband’s rights should not be neglected. The coming of your child is a happy time for him too and one of changes and insha Allâh your husband will be helping you as much as he can and this will be a time for your family unit to grow even closer insha Allâh. Perhaps he can take time off work at this stage. Seek his help and explain to him how you feel so that he can help you as much as possible and make du’a for him. Things that seem obvious to you may not be to him so explain, so that he can empathize. Enjoy your time with your new family and insha Allâh, you will see that very soon as things settle down you will get more organized and your day will have more structure insha Allâh and you’ll wonder how you ever lived without the precious little one in your lives. It’s obvious but you must discuss and consult with him any decisions that need to be made. Remember to be thankful to your husband for all the help and support he will have given you through childbirth and before that. Unthankfulness is one of the bad traits that often surface in women at times of pressure, so look at this as your test.

Your good behaviour towards your husband will not go unrewarded insha Allâh. Remember the hadîth, in which Asmâ bint Yazîd ibn as Sakan (radiallâhu anha) came to the Prophet ( sallallâhu alaihi wa sallam) and said:

“Oh Messenger of Allâh, may my father and mother be sacrificed for you. I have come to you on behalf of the women. We have believed in you. We do not go out and we remain in your homes. We are your source of physical pleasure. We carry your children. A man goes out to pray jumu’ah and jamâ’ah and follows the janazah. And if you go out fo Hajj, or ‘Umrah, or Jihâd, we look after your wealth. We wash your clothing. We raise your children. Shall we not share in the reward?”

The Prophet (sallallâhu alaihi wa sallam) turned to his companions and said: “Have you ever heard anything a woman has said better than what she has said?”

Then he said to her: “Understand oh woman, and inform the other women. Indeed a woman’s perfection of her relationship with her husband, her seeking his pleasure, and doing that which he approves of is equivalent to all of that.” Asmâ left exclaiming “La ilâha illa Allâh!”^[11]

Enjoy your baby

Enjoying the company of your child is also a blessing from Allâh. Look at the story of Musa’s mother in the Qur’ân and see how the separation of mother and child is such a test. It is one of the most moving stories mentioned in the Qur’ân. Her son is born in the year when Pharaoh has decreed the killing of every newborn son of Bani Isra’îl. She knows that soon Pharaoh’s men will come and kill her child. Allâh سبحانه و تعالى says, the meaning of which is:

“So we sent this inspiration to the mother of Musa: ‘Suckle your child, but when you fear for him, then cast him into the river and fear not, nor grieve. Verily! We shall bring him back to you and shall make him one of our Messengers.” Then the household of Pharaoh picked him up, that he might become for them an enemy and a cause of grief. For indeed, Pharaoh, Haman and all their men were sinners. And the wife of Pharaoh said: A comfort of the eye for me and for you. Kill him not, perhaps he may be of benefit to us, or we may adopt him as a son.” And they perceived not (what they were doing)! And the heart of the mother of Musa became empty. She was very near to disclosing his case, had we not strengthened her heart, so that she might remain a firm believer. And she said to Musa’s sister: “Follow him.” So she watched him from a far place secretly, while they perceived not. And We had already forbidden other foster suckling mothers for him, until she (Musa’s sister) said: “Shall I direct you to a household who will rear him for you, and will look after him in a good manner?” Thus did We restore him to his mother, that her eye might be comforted, that she might not grieve and that she might know that the promise of Allâh is true: but most of them know not.” (Surah Al-Qasas, âyât 7-13)

Look how much Allâh cared for this great mother, He knew her pain and her feelings and He returned her child to her in the most unexpected way, so we must realize that Allâh is All-Hearing All-Merciful, He knows the plight of the caller when he calls and remember how Allâh has helped mothers throughout the ages and how He mentions many mothers in the Qur’ân: Mariam and her mother, Musa’s mother, Ishâq’s mother Sara, the mother of Yahya. (‘alaihimus salâm).

So enjoy your new baby’s company because these days will pass- never to return. At the different stages of our lives: the beginning of parenthood and at every stage, we will find lessons to reflect upon, signs from Allâh that make us thankful and in awe of Him. From the development of your baby throughout the nine months and in seeing him grow and flower every single day there are signs for you and we can see how helpless we too were and how Alhamdulillah Allâh gave us parents and allowed us to grow. There are so many lessons and benefits for us if only we look and think. Remember that Allâh the Almighty is more merciful to us than the mother is to her child, and He is Arham urRâhimîm (The Most Merciful of those who have mercy), so draw near to Him and make Him the One upon whom you place your trust.

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Footnotes

1. Verified to be authentic by al-Albâni (Sahih ul-Jami no. 4133, and ‘Irwa ul-Ghalil no. 1166)

2. Reported by Ibn Majah (No.1270) and others and its isnâd is ‘hasan’ as occurs in sahihul jâmi’ (No.3033)

3. Recorded by Ahmad, verified by al-Albâni as being aunthentic (as-Sahih no.1048)

4. Scholars have stated that it is permissible for the Menstruating woman to recite of the Qur’an and even to hold books with Qur’ânic âyat in them or books which have tafsir in them but not the Mushaf. (Book containing only the Qur’an as the majority of its contents.) This is so that they may not forget the Surahs which they have memorised. See Islamic Fatâwa Regarding Women (Pgs 86- 89 Sheikh Bin Bâz’s fatâwa)

5. Recorded by Ibn Hibban, Abu Dawud and others from ‘Abdullah bin Ja’far. Verified to be hasan by adh-Dhahabiand others.

6. Al-Bukhâri: Volume 4, Book 54, Number 477:

7. Recorded by al-Bukhâri, Muslim and others.

8. See the book “Our Precious Sprouts” (Aflâdhu Akbâdina) by Muhammad al-Jibaly. Pg 153-161 for a dicussion on Breastfeeding and issues related to it.

9. Raising children in Islâm, Suhaib Hasan, Al-Qur’ân Society

10. Tuhfatul Mawdud 140-145 (See Muhammad al-Jibaly’s book “Our Precious Sprouts” (Aflâdhu Akbâdina) pg 161)

11. Adh-Dhahabirelated in Siyar A'lâm An-Nubalâ

Prologue
All Praise be to Allah, the Cretor of the worlds. The learned authority on Islam, Abu Ja’far AI- Warraq AI-Tahawi of Egypt (May Allah have mercy upon him) said:

This is an exposition of the beliefs Of Ahl us Sunnah wal Jama’h in accordance with the way of the jurists Of Islam:
Abu Hanifa al-Nu’man bin thabit Al-kufi
Abu Yusuf Ya’qub bin Ibrahim AI-Ansari
Abu Abdullah Muhammad bin AI-Hasan Al-Shaibani
(May Allah be pleased with them all)
and this is what they believe about the fundamentals of the religion and the belief they profess about the Creator of the worlds.
By the grace of Allah, this what we say about the Tawheed[1] (unity) of Allah:

On Tawheed (Oneness of Allah)
1- Allah is one and has no partners at all.
2- Nothing in the whole universe is similar to Him.
3- Nothing can surpass or outreach Him.
4- No one is worthy to be worshipped except Him.
5- He is Qadeem[2] with no beginning and Eternal with no end.
6.- He will never die nor perish.
7.- Nothing happens in this universe except with His will.
8.- No conjecture or thinking can perceive His real essence.
9.-He does not resemble any of His creatures.
10.- He is alive; death will not overtake Him. He is the protector; in no need of sleep at all.
11.- He is the Creator of the whole universe but He is in no need of it. He feeds all without difficulty.
12.- He makes all taste death with no fear. He will resurrect them all without any difficulty.

13.- Since eternity He has been there with all His attributes. He has always had these attributes and will always have these attributes. They did not increase after He brought His creatures into existence because they have always been there.

14.- He was not the Creator (Khaliq) after He had created His creatures and neither was He the Designer (Al-Bari) after He had designed the universe.

15.- He was The Nourisher (Rabb) before there was anyone to nourish and The Creator (Khaliq) before He had created anyone.

16.- Although He is entitled to be called The Resurrector after giving life to the dead, He deserves this title even before the resurrection. Similarly, He deserves to be called The Creator even before He gave life to anyone.

17.- He has power over everyone; everyone is in complete need of Him. He can do whatever He likes easily and is in no need of anything.

18.- Allah Almighty created all consciously.
19.- He estimated for each of His creatures what it needed (Known as Taqdir or predestination).
20.- He planned the end of every creature.
21.- Nothing was hidden from Him even before He brought His creatures into existence. He knew beforehand whatever His creatures would do in their lives.
22.- Allah Almighty commands His people to obey Him and forbids them from disobeying.
23.- Everything in this universe is bound to His will. What He wills occurs; what He does not will, could never happen.
24.- Allah Almighty guides whom He likes. He protects everyone out of His kindness. On the firm ground of justice and equity He disgraces or withholds His guidance or places in trials whoever He likes.
25.- All people are under His rule in this world; their lives are governed by His generosity and kindness at one one end and His justice at the other.
26.- He is above all partners and equals.
27.- No one can change His preordained decisions and neither can His orders be delayed. No one can overshadow His decisions. .
28.- We have complete faith in Him. We believe that everything happens due to Him.

On Muhammad ﷺ
29.- Muhammadﷺ is undoubtedly His most exalted creature, His most beloved Messenger and a chosen Prophet.

30.- He is the last of the Prophets, Imam of all pious people, the Master of all the Messengers and the most beloved to the Creator of this universe.

31.- Any claim to prophethood after Him is ignorance and infidelity.

32.- He is commissioned to both jinns and human beings and to the entire universe with a message of truth, guidance and light.

On The Glorious Qur’aan

33- The Quran, undoubtedly, is the word of Allah. It reveals the sayings of Allah. Allah Almighty revealed this Book to His Messenger. The believers testify to it as the whole truth with a firm faith that it is the word of Allah and that it is not a created thing like the words of the creatures themselves. Whoever listens to this Book and thinks that it is a word of a human being, commits infidelity. Allah Almighty condemns such a person and threatens him with chastisement in the Hell- fire.

“Soon will I cast him into Hell-Fire. “ (74:26) in reply to the one who said about the Book of Allah: “This is nothing but the word of a mortal.”(74:25)

We believe that the Quran is the word of the Creator of the human beings. It does not resemble the words of human beings.

34.- Whoever compares the attributes of Allah to those of human beings, commits infidelity. Anyone who thinks deeply and escapes the onslaught of the thinking of the infidels, will certainly realise that the attributes of Allah have no resemblance at all to those of a human being.

35.- The dwellers of Paradise will see their Lord in accordance with the Quranic saying:
‘Some faces that day will beam (in brightness an beauty) Looking towards their Lord’ (75:22-23).

‘How this will happen is known to Allah Almighty. The above verse should be understood in a manner akin to Allah’s will and knowledge. The best explanation in this regard is that of the Prophetﷺ himself as narrated in some authentic Ahadith. We must have no consideration for our own will or desire in this issue. A man is safe as long as he refers back to Allah and His Messenger. Whenever in doubt he should try to consult a man of learning.

36.- Whoever does not concede to the evidences produced by the Book and the Sunnah is no longer a Muslim. A man who indulges in the fundamentals of faith without proper knowledge and does not submit himself to these two sources, will remain deprived of true faith, of understanding of the religion and of pure belief in the Oneness of Allah. Instead he will find himself swinging between faith and infidelity, belief and unbelief, submission and denial. He will always be confused and doubtful. He will neither be a believer who has a strong faith, nor a disbeliever who rejects wholeheartedly.

37.- To imagine Allah in a certain form is not correct. The safest way for a Muslim is to believe in all the attributes of Allah without adding any interpretation. To negate the attributes of Allah altogether or to compare Him to someone, is a deviation from the right path. Our Lord is unique and without any equal at all.

38.- Allah Almighty is above all limits and anthropomorphic descriptions. Unlike other things He is not bound by the six directions.[3]

On Mi’raj
39- Mi’raj (The Prophet’s night journey to heaven) is true. Allah Almighty took His Prophet while he was awake on a splendid journey. Then his ascension took place in flesh. Allah took him as high as He wanted him in all respect and glory.
‘So did Allah convey the inspiration to His servant (conveyed) what He (meant) to convey’. ‘The (Prophet’s) (mind and) heart in no way falsified that which he saw’. (53: 10-11) May Allah shower His blessing and mercy upon him in this world and in the Hereafter.

On Kauthar
40.- The pool of Kauthar is true. Allah Almighty will let the Ummah quench its thirst from this exalted pool.

On Intercession
41.- The intercession (Shafa’a) for this Ummah by the Prophet is true in accordance with a number of Ahadith.

On The Covenant
42.- The pledge that Allah took from Syyedina Adam (A.S.) and his descendants is true. Note.. Refer to verse No. 172 of Sura A’raf which is as follows:
When thy Lord drew forth from the children of Adam From their loins – their descendants and made the testify concerning themselves saying: “A m I not your Lord (Who cherishes and sustains you)? – They said.. Yea, we do testify” This lest you should say on the Day of Judgement. ‘Of this we were never mindful’or lest you shouldsay: ‘Our fathers before us took false gods but we are (their) descendants after them: will Thou then destroy us because of the deeds of men who followed falsehood. “(7:172-173)

On Taqdir
43.- Allah Almighty has known since eternity those who will enter Paradise and those who will go to the Hell-Fire. No increase or decrease in this divine knowledge will occur at all.

44.- Allah Almighty knows all the actions that the people will undertake. The actions that are destined for each individual will be made easier to him. Actions are valued according to their ends. Fortunate is the one whose Taqdir is in his favour and wretched is the on whose Taqdir falls against him.

45.- Taqdir is a secret placed by Allah Almighty among His creatures which is not known even by any close angel or by a Messenger. The more you think about it, the more you will find yourself depressed, deprived and arrogant. This is why a Muslim should abstain from thinking deeply about it. Allah has withdrawn the knowledge of Taqdir from His creatures and forbade them from arguing about it. He says: “He cannot be questioned for His acts, but they will be questioned for theirs”. By asking ‘why did Allah do this?’ a man rejects one of the injuctions of the Quran and whoever does this, enters the rank of the infidels.

46.- Only the friends of Allah whose hearts are lit by a light of Allah, believe in the Shari’a practically and dogmatically as revealed from Allah. People with deep knowledge receive such status. Knowledge is of two kinds: (i)- Knowledge of the present (i.e. that of the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of the Prophet). (ii) – Knowledge of the absent (i.e. that of Taqdir which is hidden from the creatures).[4] To deny the knowledge of the present and to claim to have knowledge of the absent amount to infidelity. A man’s faith is strengthened by accepting what is present and leaving aside what is absent.

47.-We believe in the pen and the tablets and whatever is associated with the writing Of Taqdir. What Allah has decreed must happen even though all the creatures may try their best to stop it happening. Similarly, if Allah has decreed for anything not to happen, it will never happen though all the creatures will try their utmost to do it. Allah has decreed whatever is going to happen until the Day of Judgement. Allah’s decree will never fail. Whoever does wrong, would never have been able to do otherwise. And Whoever does right, would never have been able to do wrong.

48.- Let all the People know that whatever happens in this universe is known to Allah before it happens. No one can change or Overrule or increase or decrease whatever is decreed by Him. To believe in these facts indicates a firm belief, recognition of truth and well awareness of the oneness of Allah.

Allah says: “It is He who created all things and ordered them in due proportions”. (25:2)
“And the command of Allah is a decree’ determined.” (33:38)

A man subjects himself to destruction by unknowingly disputing on the issue of Taqdir, in a vain pursuit of the hidden knowledge through superstition and conjecture and ends up eventually as a liar and forger.

On The Throne And Chair
49.- ‘The Divine Throne (‘Arsh) and Chair (Kursi) are true.
50.-Allah Almighty is in no need of the Throne or anything beyond it.
51.-Allah Almighty is above everything. He dominates them all. Nothing can surpass Him.

On The Status Of Ibraheem and Moosa
52.- We believe wholeheartedly that Allah Almighty declared Sayyidina Ibrahim (A.S.) as His Khalil (friend) and Sayyidina Musa (A.S.) as His Kalim (speaking directly to Him).

On The Books Of Allah
53.- We believe in all those books which were revealed to the Prophets and the Messengers of Allah and bear witness that all of them spoke the truth.

Muslim And Mu’min
54.- We hold all those who tum their faces to the Ka’ba as Muslims and Mu’min as long as they accept the Shari’a of the Prophet Muhammadﷺ and all of his sayings with an open heart.

55.- We do not indulge in discussions about the essence of Almightly Allah, nor do we dispute in the matters of religion.

56.- We do not dispute concerning the words and meanings of the Quran. We bear witness that the Quran is the word of Allah Almighty . The Archangel Jibrail brought it to Muhammadﷺ, the master of the messengers, through revelation. There is no doubt that it is the word of Allah. The words of human beings can ,ever equal it, and we do not regard it as a created thing. We do not disgrace with the Muslim Ummah’ in any Of these issues.

57.- We do not declare anyone from among the Muslims as an infidel because of a sin unless the Person believes that it is not a sin. [5]

58.- We do not believe that if a man has faith, his sins will not affect him.

59.- We hope that Allah Almighty will forgive all those who were good in their actions (i.e. Muhsinin) and will them enter Paradise out of his mercy. We are hopeful of this but we do not testify that they will definitely enter Paradise. [6]
We seek forgiveness for all those who do wrong. Although we are scared of their end, we do not allow for despair either.

60.- Being regardless Of the punishment of Allah or despairing of the mercy of Allah forces a person out of the pale of Islam. The people of the Qibla should adopt a middle way betwen those extremes.

61.- A man does not come out of the bond of faith until he denies all that made him enter the faith originally. [7]

62.- Iman(i.e. faith) has to be announced verbally and testified in the heart.[8]

63.- All authentically reported commandments of the Prophetﷺ are true.

64.- The essence of faith is one.[9] All faithful are the same as far as the fundamental of faith is concerned. However, they vary in ranks due to the variation in their fear of Allah and in their rejection of lust and desire and in keeping with the most preferable duties.

65.- All believers are the friends of Rahman (Allah). The most respected among them in the eyes of Allah are those who obey and follow the Quran the most.-

66.- Faith includes belief in Allah and His Angels. His Books, His Messengers, The Last Day, Taqdir and that good or bad, sweet or sour, are all from Him.

On The Messengers
67.- We believe in all the above mentioned. We do not differentiate among the Messengers of Allah. We believe that all that they preached was true.

68.- The people who committed major sins (i.e. Kaba’ir) from among the followers of the Prophet Muhammedﷺ will not remain in Hell-fire forever, provided that they die on Tawheed, although they had not repented. Such people who met their Lord as faithful will be subject to the will of Allah and His decision. If He wills, He will forgive them and pardon them out of His Grace, as He says in His book:

“He forgiveth anything else (except Shirk), to who He pleaseth”. (4:48)

But if He wills, He will punish them in the Hell-fire out of His justice and later release them out of mercy and due to the intercessions made by obedient servants. He will then let them enter Paradise. This is because Allah Almighty protects those who recognise Him and does not treat them like those who deny Him, those who miss His guidance and lose His friendship. 0 Allah! Thou who befriends Islam and its followers! Keep us firmly on Islam until we meet Thee with this faith.

69.- We allow prayer behind every pious or sinful pers among the people of the Qibla. Similarly, we deem it permissible to pray the funeral prayer over both of them.

70.- We do not declare anyone of them as a dweller of Paradise or Hell-fire, nor do we label them with infidelity or idolatry or hypocrisy unless any of these characteristics is very apparent in them. We leave their hidden characters to Allah

71.- We do not approve of the killing of anyone from among the followers of Muhammadﷺ except those who deserved it according to the Shari’ia.

In General
72.- We do not approve of rebellions against our Imams and rulers, even though they may act unjustly. We do not pray against them, nor do we refuse to obey them. We hold that obedience to them is part of obedience to Allah, as long as they do not command the committing of sins. We pray to Allah that He may guide and forgive them.

73.- We follow the Sunnah and abide by the Jama’at and keep away from dissension, disagreement and partition.

74.- We love the people of justice and trust and despise those of tyranny and betrayal.

75.- We say “Allah knows best” whenever we are in doubt.

76.- We allow the rubbing of moccasins (or boots of soft leather, used as socks) during ablution, both while travelling and when at home, in accordance with the Hadith.

77.- Hajj and Jihad should both be carried out under guidance of the people of authority among Muslims, regardless of their being pious or wrongdoers, until the Day of Judgement. Nothing can suspend or nullify them.

78.- We believe in Kiraman Katibin (i.e. the angels who commissioned to record whatever we utter or do), Allah Almighty also made them protectors over us.

79.- We believe in the angel of death who is commissioned to take away the souls of everyone.

80.- We believe in the chastisement of the grave concerning those who deserve it. We believe that two angels known as Munkar and Nakir question everyone in their graves about the Creator, the religion and the Prophet in accordance with the Ahadith of the Prophet (Peace Upon Him) and sayings of the Companions.

81.- The grave is either a garden from the gardens Paradise, or a ditch from the ditches of Hell.

82.- We believe in the resurrection and the requital of deeds. We believe in the presentation of deeds (to Allah), the account, the reading of everyone’s record, the reward, the punishment, the bridge (over the Hell-fire), and the scale.

83.- Both the Jannah (Paradise) and Hell-fire are created. They will never perish or come to an end. Allah created both of them before the creatures and created those who will dwell therein. He will admit whom He will into Paradise out of His Grace, or into the Hell-fire out of His Justice. Everyone does what he is supposed to do and everyone is heading towards what was created for him.
84.- Both evil and good are destined for mankind.

85.- Ability to do something is of two kinds: (i) Tawfiq: Grace from Allah which enables a person to carry out a command or to abstain from something forbidden. It is always connected with a specific action and does not exist before the action. It cannot be attributed to creatures, as they have no control over it. (ii) Ability due to health, variety of means, access to them, and the use of body organs. This type of ability precedes a specific action. A person is held responsible for a command if he has this ability, as Allah says in the Quran:
“On no soul does Allah place a burden greater than it can bear”. (2:286)
(The passage is translated freely as the original is too complicated.).

86.- People’s actions are created by Allah but earned by themselves.

87.- Allah Almighty has only asked people to do what they can manage. They themselves are not able to do anything except what he has enabled them to do.[10] This is what is meant by: There is no movement or power except by Allah-”We say that no one can turn himself away from sin except with the assistance of Allah. No one has any power at all to carry out an act of obedience to Allah and to remain firm on it, except by the grace of Allah.

88.- Everything happens by the Will of Allah, His Knowledge, His Decree and His Pre- estimation. His will has dominated those of others, and has changed them completely. His Decree has overpowered the planning of all others. He does what He like. He is never unjust.

‘He cannot be questioned about His acts, But they will be questioned (about theirs).” (21:23)

89.- The dead benefit from the deeds of their lives, such as prayer and acts of charity.

90.- Allah Almighty responds to the prayers and fulfils the needs.

91.- He owns everything. None owns Him. No one can be needless of Him, even for one blink of an eye. The one who thinks of himself in no need of Allah, even for the blink of an eye, commits infidelity and perishes.

92.- Allah Almighty becomes angry and is pleased, but His anger and pleasure are not like those of a creature.

93.- We love the companions of the Messenger of Allahﷺ. Our love for any one of them does not exceed that for any others, and neither do we reject any of them. We hate those who despise them or talk of them disrespectfully. We talk of them with repect. Love f or them is a sign of faith, conviction and piety, and hatred for them is nothing but infidelity, hypocrisy and tyranny.

94.- We hold that the first right Khalifa after the Prophetﷺ was Abu Bakr Al-Siddiq, as he was the most Preferable person of this Ummah. After him, it was right for Umar ibn Al-Khattab, then Uthman. and finally Ali ibn Abi Talib, may Allah be pleased with them all. They are the rightly-guided Khulafa and Imams.

95.- We testify that those ten Companions who were given the great tidings of Paradise by the Prophetﷺ with their names, are the dwellers of Paradise because of the testimony of the Prophet, who was always true in his saying. They are:
Abu Bakr Al-Zubair ibn AI-Awwam Umar ibn Khattab Sa’d ibn Abi Waqqas Uthman ibn Affan Sa’id ibn Zaid Ali ibn Abi Talib Abdul Rahman ibn Auf Talha ibn Ubaidullah
Abu Ubaida ibn al-Jarrah who is known as the Amin (trustworthy) among this Ummah. May Allah be pleased with them all.

96.- Absolved from hypocrisy is the one who speaks well of the Companions of the Messenger of Allah and of his wives who were clean from any impurity and of his offspring who were purified from all dirt.

97.- No one among the early scholars and those who followed them, whether in the field of narrating the sayings and events, or in the field of understanding and thinking, should be mentioned except in a proper way. Whoever speaks ill of them is not on the right path.

98.- We do not give preference to any Wali over any of the Prophets (A.S.). We say that a single Prophet is preferable to all Awlia.

99.- We believe in whatever has been reported of their. Karamat (i.e. unusual happenings) and whatever is authentically conveyed of their sayings.

100.- We believed in the signs proceeding the Hour, such as the advent of Dajjal, the descent of Isa ibn Maryam from Heaven, the rising of the sun from the west, the appearance of a subterranean beast from its place.

101.- We do not believe in any soothsayers, sorcerers, or anyone who claims anything contrary to the Book and Sunnah and the consensus of the Ummah.

102.- We hold that to be united as Jamaat is the true and right way, whereas disunity and partition are misleading and destructive.

103.- In the heaven and the earth, the Deen of Allah is one, i.e Islam. Allah says:

“Verily, Deen with Allah is Islam” (2:19)

And He says:

“And I have chosen for you Islam as your Deen” (5:3)

104.- Islam is between the extremes of: * Exceeding the limit or falling short of it (anything or commandment). * Comparing Allah to creatures or stripping him of His attributes. * Human beings as bound to do what is destined or totally free to do what they like. * NOT fearing the Punishment of Allah or totally despairing Of His mercy.

105.- This is our Deen and belief, in open and in the depths of the heart. We absolve ourselves to Allah from anyone already expounded and explained by us. We pray to Allah Almighty to guide us firmly on the path, to let us die on it, to protect us from the opposing and contradicting views, and from disparaging factions such as:
Mushabbiha: -those who compare Allah to creatures.
Mu’tazila: – those who deviate from the way of early scholars as far as the interpretation Of the attributes of Allah are concerned.
Jahmiyya: – those who negate the attributes of Allah.
Jabriyya: – those who believe that Man is bound to do what is destined, with no free will of his own.
Qadariyya: – those who believe that Man is completely free to do what he likes.
All of these went against the people Of Sunnah and Jama’at and so misled themselves. We absolve ourselves from them, as they have deviated from the right path to that of destruction.
And with Allah lies all strength and Taufiq (capability).
——————————————————————————————
Footnotes of Al-Shaikh Abdul Azeez Bin Abdullah Bin Baaz

(1) The Tawheed with which Allah commissioned His Prophets and which He explained in His scriptures is of three kinds; this is in accordance with the Book, the Sunnah and the state of mankind itself.

A) TAWHEED UR RUBUBIYYAH This is to believe in the Oneness of Allah regarding His actions. In other words, Allah is the sole Creator, Nourisher and Maintainer of His creatures affairs, exercising complete freedom in all their matters of this world and of the Hereafter without the aid of any partners.

As He says Himself: ‘Allah is the Creator of all things.” (Zumar 39:62) And He says:
“Verily your Lord is Allah, who created the heavens and the earth in six days, then He established Himself on the Throne.”(Yunus 10:3)

Even the polytheists, those who worshipped idols, recognized this form of Tawheed, although they rejected the idea of resurrection. However, they were not regarded as Muslims because they associated gods with Allah, worshipped many deities beside Him, and refused to accept the Messenger Muhammadﷺ.

B)TAWHEED UL ULUHIYYAH This is the type which was totally rejected by the polytheists. Allah Almighty says:
“So they wonder that a warner has come to them from among themselves! And the Unbelievers say, ‘This is a sorcerer telling lies! as he made gods (all) into one God? Truly this is a strange thing!’.” (Saad 38:4-5)
The Quran contains a number of other similar verses. Tawheed in this regard requires that a person should direct all forms of worship to Allah alone since Allah alone deserves to be worshipped and hence to worship someone else is totally false. In fact this is what “La Ilaha Illallah” means, i.e. there is none to be truly worshipped except Allah, as He said:

“That is because Allah -He is the Reality; and those besides Him whom they invoke, they are but vain Falsehood”. (AI-Hajj 22:62)

C) TAWHEED UL ASMA WAS SIFAT (Tawheed in names and attributes) This is to believe in all those names and attributes of Allah which occur in the Book of Allah and in the authentic sayings of the Prophetﷺ; to believe in them in a way most appropriate to His Being without altering any of His attributes, negating any of them, understanding any of them in an anthropomorphic way (i.e. by attributing a human shape to Allah), or interpreting His names and attributes figuratively. This is in line with the following ayaat of the Quran:

“Say: He is Allah, the One; Allah, the Eternal, Absolute; He begets not, nor is He begotten. And there is none like unto Him.” (Ikhlas 112:1 – 4)

And He says: “There is nothing whatever like unto Him. And He is the One, that hears and sees.” (Shura 42:1 1)

And He says: “The most beautiful names belong to Allah : so call on Him by them.” (A’raf 7:180)

And He says: “To Allah applies the highest similitude: for He is the Exalted in power, Full of Wisdom.” (Nahl 16:60)

The Highest Similitude (AI Mathal ul A’la) means the best description of Him, free of any defect. This is what the people of Sunnah and Jama’ah from among the Companions of the Prophetﷺ and their Successors believed. They understood the attributes of Allah from the Quran and the Sunnah without any attempt to imagine the physical shape of Him, and at the same time absolved Him of any resemblance to any of His creatures. Their mode of expression is in harmony with all the evidence from the Book and the Sunnah and thus shuts the door in the face of their opponents. They are indeed the ones mentioned in the following verse and we pray to Allah to count us among them by His grace and favour, for He alone is the One to be turned to for help:

“The vanguard (of Islam) – the first of the Muhajireen (those who forsook their homes) and of the Ansar (those who gave them aid), also those who follow them in good deeds – Allah is well pleased with them, as they are with Him: for them He has prepared gardens under which rivers flow, to dwell therein for ever; that is the supreme Triumph.” (Tauba 9:100)

(2) The phrase Qadeem bila lbtida’ (“Old with no beginning”) did not occur among the Best Names of Allah as pointed out by a number of scholars. It was first mentioned by the scholars of Kalam in an effort to prove Allah’s existence before anything else. Let it be known that the Names of Allah are of a divine origin. Only those names for which there is evidence in the Quran and the authentic Sunnah can be used for Allah. They cannot be introduced into the Islamic vocabulary simply at one’s whim, and this has been clearly understood by the Imams of the pious predecessors. In fact, the word Qadeem does not even denote the meaning which the people of Kalam wished to express. In Arabic, it means something preceding another, though it is itself preceded by nothing, such as in the saying of Allah:

“Till she (the moon) returns like the old lower part of a date-stalk. (Ya Sin 36:39)

Although the addition of bila ibtidda’ makes the meaning crystal clear, it is not valid to be counted among the best Names of Allah because there is no proof for it in the Book or the Sunnah. Instead, Allah’s name al-Awwal (the First) expresses this idea better, as shown in His saying:
“He is the First and the Last.” (Hadeed 57:3)

(3) This phrase can be exploited at face value by those who are obsessed with twisting the meaning or who got out of their way to interpret the names and attributes of Allah. Yet they have no argument because the authorرحمة الله عليه uses this expression to absolve the Creator from resembling His Creatures. Anyway, this brief statement needs explanation in order to remove all lingering doubts.
By hudood (limits) the author means such as known by humans since no one except Allah Almighty knows his limits. Thus Allah the Exalted has said:
“He knows what is before or after or behind them, but they shall comprehend Him not. ” (Ta Ha 20:110)

Those among the pious predecessors who spoke of a limit with regard to His attribute of istawa, meant a limit known to Allah only and not known by people. As for al-ghayaaat wal arkan wal a’da’ wal adawaat (the ends, columns, the organs and the utensils), the author means that Allah is absolved in His divine attributes and wisdom from resembling any of His creatures. Allah has the attributes of face, hand and foot etc., these attributes of His in no way resemble those of His creatures. No one except Allah knows their true nature.
The people of innovation use such expressions in order to negate some of the attributes of Allah. They use words other than those approved by Allah in order to avoid being exposed by the scholars of Islam. The author, al-Tahawi, undoubtedly did not mean this because he holds the same belief as that of Ahl-us-Sunnah as far as the attributes of Allah are concerned. Whatever he says about belief can be better understood by his own sayings which explain what is briefly stated in other places.
Similarly, his saying “The six directions do not surround Him like all other innovations” means the six created directions. He does not means the negation of Allah being above His creation and established on His throne because His position is not covered by the six directions, as He is above this universe and surrounding it. Allah made His servants instinctively believe that He is above them as maintained by the consensus of the Ahl-ul-Sunnah-wal-Jam’ah among the Companions of the Prophetﷺ and their Successors. All the evidence from the Book and the authentic Mutawatir Sunnah prove that He is in the direction above us. Dear reader, be alert to this point which is the sole truth and anything else is falsehood.

(4) By al-’ilm al-mafqood (lost knowledge) he means the knowledge of the Unseen. This is only for Allah Allmighty. Whoever among the human beings claims to possess it is an infidel because Allah Almighty says:

” With Him are the keys of the Unseen, the treasures that none knoweth but He.” (An’am 6:59)

And He says:
“Say: None on the heavens or on earth, except Allah, knows what is hidden.” (Naml 27:65)

Also, the Prophetﷺ said: “The keys of the Unseen are five, not known to anyone except Allah Then he recited the following verse:

“Verily the knowledge of the Hour is with Allah (alone). It is He who sends down rain, and He Who knows what is in the wombs. Nor does anyone know what it is that he will earn on the morrow. Nor does anyone know in what land he is to die. Verily with Allah is full knowledge and He is acquainted (with all things).” Luqman (31:34)

There are a number of authentic Ahadith which prove that the Prophetﷺ did not know the Unseen although he was the best of the creatures and master of the Messengers. Other beings can thus only be ignorant of it.

The Prophet (Peace Re Upon Him) knew only that which Allah made known to him: when some people slandered Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) he did not know that she was totally innocent of their accusations until revelation came to him; Aisha’s necklace was lost during a journey, he sent a party to look for it and was unaware of where it was until they made the camel stand and found it under the animal.
There are a number of other evidences from the Book and the Sunnah on this issue.

(5) Here he means that the Ahl-us-Sunnah-wal-Jama’ah do not label a Muslim as an infidel as long as he believes in Allah and the Last Day, because of a sin he commits such as adultery, drinking, dealing in interest, disobeying the parents, ctc. as long as he does not consider them as lawfull.’Once he regards them as lawful, he is definitely an infidel because he has rejected Allah and his Prophetﷺ and has come out of the pale of Islam. However, if he does not regard them as Halal, he is not an infidel in the eyes of Ahl-us-Sunnah-wal-Jama’ah but will be counted as a person weak in faith. He will be liable for the appropriate punishment given to a fasiq(sinner), as described in the purified Shari’a.
This is the belief of the Ahl-us-Sunnah-wal-Jama’ah unlike the Khawarij and the Mu’tazilah and those who followed their false way. As for, the Khawarij, they declare a Muslim as an infidel because of the sins he commited. As for the Mu’tazilah, they Place such a person in a position between Islam and infidelity in this world but they believe that such a person will abide eternally in the hell-fire, just like the belief of the Khawarij. The sayings Of these two factions is totally false in the light of the Book, the Sunnah and the consensus of the pious predecessors. Some people seem to be confused about them out Of ignorance but it has never been a matter of doubt to the people of truth.

(6) The author means that we do not testify that they are among the people of Paradise except those for whom the Prophet (Peace Upon Him) himself testified, such as the ten and others as explained later in his statement. It should be known that the Ahl-us-Sunnah-wal-Jama’ah believe that the believers and the muttaqeen will in general enter Paradise an that the infidels and polytheists and hypocrites will in general enter the Hell fire. This is proved by a number of verses and mutawatir ahadeeth of the Prophetﷺ, e.g.

“As to the Righteous they will be in gardens, and in happiness. “(Tur 52:17)

And He says: “Allah has promised to believers, men and women, gardens under which rivers flow, to dwell therein … “ (Tauba 9:72)

And about non-believers He says: “But those who reject (Allah). for them will be the fire of Hell; no term shall be determined for them so they should die, nor shall its punishment be lightened for them. Thus do we reward every ungrateful one!” (Fatir 35:36)

And He says: “The Hypocrites will be in the lowest depths of the Fire; no helper will you find for them.” (Nisa’ 4:14-5)

(7) Such a narrow definition is not without criticism. An infidel enters into the fold of Islam by pronuuncing two Shahadah if he had not previously said them. If he had said them before but had then committed an offence which caused his infidelity, he can re-enter Islam by repenting.
“To deny what made him enter Islam” is not the only reason for apostasy. The scholars have included other acts under the banner of apostasy such as criticising Islam or the Prophetﷺ, making fun of Allah, His Messenger, His Book, or any part of the Sharia’a, in line with the saying of Allah:

“Say: ‘Was it at Allah, and His Signs, and His Messenger, that you were mocking? Make no excuses: you have rejected faith after you had accepted it’.” (Tauba 9:65 – 66)

The case is similar with the people who worship idols or invoke the dead to help them or meet their demands, since all of this contradicts the shahadah ” ” which requires that all forms worship including supplication, asking help, bowing, prostrating, sacrifice, vow, etc. should be directed to Allah. Whoever worships something other than Allah, be it idols or angels or jinn or the dead commits shirk and falls short of maintaining the requirements of ” La ilaha illallah “. All such matters are not necessarily the denial of what a person confirmed on entering Islam, but nevertheless take him/ out of the pale of Islam as proved by the Book and the Sunnah. There are a number of other issues not related to denial which render a Muslim an infidel; these are mostly discussed in detail by the scholars under “apostasy” and the reader may refer to them if wishes.

(8) This definition is inadequate and objectionable; the correct course is the one followed by the Ahl-us-Sunnah-wal-Jama’ah who say that iman (faith) consists of belief, speech and actions collectively, all which increase with obedience, and decrease with disobedience, to Allah. The evidence for this from the Book and the Sunnah is almost too numerous to be counted, but the reader may check some of this evidence which is mentioned by the commentator lbn Abi Al’iz.
Separating action from faith is the important principle of the Murjia. The dispute between them and the Ahl-us-Sunnah-wal-Jama’ah is not merely to do with the choice of words but it also concerned with the concept, to which many issues are related, These issues can be gauged by reflecting on the sayings of the Ahl-us-Sunnah-wal-Jama’ah and of the Murjia.

(9) His statement that faith is one and that all faithful people are basically equal is highly objectionable; indeed, it is completely false. Believers have greatly differing levels of faith; the faith of the Prophets was not the same as the faith of others just as the faith of the Rightly-Guided Caliphs and the rest of the Companions رضي الله عنها was not equal to the faith of others. In the same way, the faith of true believers is not the same as that of sinners. The dissimilarity is thus based on the amount of knowledge contained in the heart of each person about Allah, His Names and Attributes, and what He has enjoined on His servants. This is the saying of the Ahl-us-Sunnah-wal-Jama’ah and is thus in conflict with the Murjia.

(10) This is not true; in fact, the people are able to do much more than they have been required to do by Allah because He, out of His grace and kindness, wished to make things easy for his servants and not to make their deen oppressive.

Providing children with Islamic education and raising them up as good practicing Muslims are essential duties of parenthood. Rightfully fulfilling these duties will lead to the Pleasure of Allah and good for the parents and the child in this life and the Hereafter. However, ignoring these duties would lead to the destruction of the child's Hereafter and the Wrath of Allah will befall the parents for not protecting their child from the traps of Shaytan and allowing him to choose the path of destruction. 

Allah's Messenger ﷺ said: "Each of you is a shepherd and each of you is responsible for his flock. The leader is a shepherd and is responsible for his flock, a man is the shepherd of his family and is responsible for his flock; a woman is the shepherd in the house of her husband and is responsible for her flock, the servant is the shepherd of his master's wealth and is responsible for it. Each of you is a shepherd and is responsible for his flock."[Saheeh al-Bukharee and Saheeh Muslim]

Allah says in the Qur'aan: "O you who believe! Save yourselves and your family from a fire whose Fuel are men and stones." [Soorah at-Tahreem (66): 6] One of the ways of protecting your children from the Fire is to let him memorize the Words of Allah. The Prophet ﷺ said: "If the Qur'aan is gathered in a body (i.e. a person), Allah will not burn him with the Fire." [al-Baihaqee, Authenticated by Shaikh al-Albanee]

"Teaching the children the Qur'aan is a fundamental from the fundamentals of Islam. By it the child will grow upon the Fitrah (natural Islamic monotheism) and the lights of wisdom will rush to their hearts before the desires are able to settle in them and darken them with the cloudiness of disobedience and misguidance," said al-Haafidh as-Suyootee. 

This is because the child from the early age will be protected from the temptations of the world and whispers of the Shaytan, he will live and grow up among the gathering of Dhikr (remembrance of Allah) where tranquility and the mercy of Allah of descends, and as a result Allah will preserve his Fitrah (natural inclination of Islamic Monotheism) 

The Prophet ﷺ said: "No people gather in a house of the houses of Allah (i.e. masjids) reciting the Book of Allah and studying it among themselves, except that the tranquility descends upon them, and Allah mentions them to those who are with Him (the lofty gathering of Angels)." [Saheeh Muslim]

Your child will be given a position in Paradise according to the number of verses he memorizes from the Book of Allah, it will be said to him on the Day of Judgment as the Prophet ﷺ said: "'Read, ascend and recite with slow, rhythmic chanting just as you used to recite in the worldly life. For verily, your position (in Paradise) will be at the place of the last verse that you recite." [Abu Dawood and at-Tirmidhee]

Every time your child goes to the Masjid to learn the Qur'aan he will have the reward of a perfect Hajj. The Prophet ﷺ said: "Whoever goes to the Masjid in the morning having no intention except to learn something good or teach it he will have the reward like the person who performs Hajj." [at-Tabaree. Authenticated by Shaikh al-Albanee]

The Prophet ﷺ said to Abu Dharr رضي الله عنه,"O Abu Dharr! That you set out in the morning and learn one verse from the Book of Allah is better for you than if you prayed one hundred Raka'ahs (units of prayer)." [Ibn Majah]

The Qur'aan will intercede for your child on the Day of Judgment, Allah's Messenger ﷺ said: "Recite the Qur'aan for verily it will come on the Day of Judgment as an intercessor for those who recited it."[Saheeh Muslim] 

Your child will be given to wear garments and a crown of honor on the Day of Judgment. The Prophet ﷺ said: "The Qur'aan will come on the Day of Judgment and say, 'Oh Lord! Adorn him.' So the person will be made to wear the crown of honor. Then it (the Qur'aan) will say, 'Oh Lord! Increase him.' So the person will be made to wear the garment of honor. Then it will say, 'Oh Lord! Be pleased with him.' So Allah will be pleased with him. Then it will be said, 'Recite and ascend.' And the person will receive an extra good deeds for every verse (that he recites of the Qur'aan)." [(Saheeh) at-Tirmidhee]

The Prophet ﷺ said: "Whoever recites the Qur'aan, learns it and acts upon it will be given a crown of light to wear on the Day of Judgment and its light will be like the light of the sun." [(Saheeh) al-Hakim]

So, why not encourage our children to memorize the Qur'aan and make them one of the best individuals of this Ummah. Allah's Messenger ﷺ said: "The best of you are those who learn the Qur'aan and teach it."[Saheeh al-Bukharee]

Allah, the Exalted, has also promised abundant rewards for those parents who guide their children to memorize the Qur'aan. The Prophet ﷺ said: "Whoever recites the Qur'aan, learns it and acts according to it will be given a crown of light to wear on the Day of Judgment whose light will be like the sun. His parents will be clothed in two garments that did not exist in this worldly life. So they will say, 'What has caused us to be clothed (in these garments)?' It will be said, 'Your child taking hold of (i.e. memorizing) the Qur'aan has caused this.'" [Al-Hakim graded it authentic]

When the parents leave a righteous child behind them, the child will be a source of reward and blessing for them after their death, for Allah's Messenger ﷺ said: "When a man dies, all his good deeds come to an end, except for three cases; the charity of continuous blessings, beneficial knowledge which he leaves behind and a righteous child who prays for him."[Saheeh Muslim]

The parents will also receive equal amount of reward that the child receives by memorizing or reciting the Qur'aan, for the parents guide him to this good act and instill in his heart the love for Islam, and the love for the Book of Allah. 

The Prophet ﷺ said: "Whoever guides to something good is like the one who does it." [Saheeh Muslim] and: "Whoever invites to guidance will receive the reward like the rewards of those who follow him and that will not diminish anything from their rewards…" [Saheeh Muslim] 

The parents should also send those children who are intelligent and bright to learn the Qur'aan and Islamic education. It should not be that only those children who when are unsuccessful in worldly studies are sent to Madrasas for religious studies. The parents should realize the importance of Islamic education for their children and raising well-educated Muslims who would in the future work for the Cause of Islam. 

The Prophet ﷺ said: "The example of guidance and knowledge with which, Allah has sent me is like abundant rain falling on the earth, some of which was fertile soil, absorbed rain water and brought forth vegetation and grass in abundance. (And) another portion of it was hard and held the rainwater and Allah benefited the people with it and they utilized it for drinking, making their animals drink from it and for irrigation of the land for cultivation. (And) a portion of it was barren which could neither hold the water nor bring forth vegetation (then that land gave no benefits). The first is the example of the person who comprehends Allah's religion and gets benefit (from the knowledge), which Allah has revealed through me (the Prophet) and learns and then teaches others. The last example is that of a person who does not care for it and does not take Allah's guidance revealed through me (He is like that barren land.)" [Saheeh al-Bukharee v.1 no.79]

Those parents who give the excuse that their child is weak or does not have good memory or 'he is not gifted', should know that Allah has said in the Qur'aan: "And indeed we have made the Qur'aan easy to remember." [Soorah al-Qamar (54): 17] and the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: "Whoever treads on a path in search of Islamic knowledge, Allah will ease the way to Paradise for him. The Angels will lower their wings, pleased with this seeker of knowledge, and everyone in the heavens and on earth will ask forgiveness for the knowledgeable person, even the fish in the deepest of waters will ask for his forgiveness." [(Saheeh) Abu Dawood, Ibn Majah and at-Tirmidhee (2835)]

It is not mandatory for your child to memorize the complete Qur'aan. If he is not able to memorize the complete Qur'aan then know that only attending daily circle for memorization will suffice your child for it will accustom him to frequent the places of worship rather than visiting evil gatherings. Your child will find good companions which will protect him from deviating and adopting evil habits and practices. Allah says: "And keep yourself patiently with those who call on their Lord, morning and afternoon, seeking His Face and let not your eyes overlook them, desiring the pomp and glitter of the life of the world; and obey not him whose hearts We have made heedless of Our Remembrance, one who follows his own lust and whose affairs (deeds) have been lost." [Soorah al-Kahf (18): 28]

Muhammad al-Jibaly
From 'The Inevitable Journey: Life in al-Barzakh'

"And that the human being can have nothing but what he has earned (good or bad)" (53:39)

Commenting on this ayah, Ibn Kathir rahimahullaah, said: "Imaam ash-Shafi'ee concluded from this ayaah that reciting the Qur'aan does not benefit the dead, because it is not from their doing and earning. For this reason, Allaah's Messenger sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam did not recommend it to his ummah, encourage them to do it, or guide them to it with a text or a hint. Nor was such a thing reported from any of the sahaabah rahimahullaah. Had this been any good, they would have preceeded us in doing it. Matters of worship must be limited to the texts, and are not liable to modifications based on analogies and opinions." (Tafseer Qur'aan il-'Adheem) It is in general true that one cannot benefit from other people's deeds after his death. But this has important exceptions detailed in this chapter.

JANAZAH PRAYER

When the Muslims pray janazah for their deceased brother, they are granted intercession for him. The more the number of Muslims who join in the prayer, the more beneficial it is for the deceased.

This means that Allaah takes their testimony and supplication regarding the deceased's apparent actions as a sufficient reason for forgiveness. Since those Muslims who associated with him did not find any major problem to prevent them from supplicating for him, Allaah the most generous accepts that and agrees to forgive many of his hidden sins that they did not know. Anas and 'Aishah rahimahullaah reported that Allaah's Messenger sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam said: