By Amatullah Aminah
Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5
Bismillah: The baa in basmalah is often, and wrongly, translated as ‘in’. The word in Arabic means ‘with’ thus the correct translation of basmalah is ‘with the name of Allah...”, and we know the rest. ‘With’ is a plea for help in basmalah and the whole of basmalah is the most concise and beautiful dua we make every day without putting much thought in it. When we utter these beautiful words we are beseeching Allah for His help and guidance, in whatever we are about to undertake, by the virtue of His Compassion and Mercy. Ar-Rahman and Ar-Raheem are amongst the sanctified names of Allah; the fact that these attributes make up the basmalah is in itself a testimony of their stature and potency.
Ar-Rahman: The possessor of boundless mercy. The Mercy which we witness and feel each day around us is a glimpse of the ninety nine parts of mercy which is reserved with Allah Ta’la. According to sound narrations Allah has sent one part (out of hundered parts) of His mercy upon His creation [1]. He shows mercy to the entire creation including those who deny Him, who commit shirk, who show arrogance and pride and sin relentlessly. He still gives them shelter, food, health, time, and the opportunity to repent until their last breath.
Ar-Raheem: The mercy Allah shows to the believers. This is a special kind of mercy reserved for the believers. It is another concept of mercy which we will be bestowed upon in the after life ... a time when the disbelievers would have lost their right to receive Allah’s mercy in any form.
“And He is Ever-Merciful to the Believers" [Surah Al-Ahzaab 33:43]
All the surahs, with the exception of Surah Taubah, begin with basmalah and it is also the sunnah of our prophet sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam to begin letters and undertake tasks with basmalah (no matter how small and casual the action/deed/task is). Bearing this in mind a habit to begin with basmalah must be forged!
Based on the hadith of Abu Hurairah the Prophet sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam said: “Every affair that does not begin with the praise of Allah is deficient. (Abu Dawood and others) The meaning of deficient is: devoid of blessings. It is also reported in other narrations “... with Bismillaahir-Rahmaanir-Raheem...”. Keeping this in mind this treatise begins with basmalah, glorification of Allah, the two testimonies and sending of peace and praise upon the prophet sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam, his family and companions.
So, hereby, I begin with His name, the Compassionate, the Merciful. The sole owner of all praise and may His abundant peace and blessings be upon the prophet, his family, and his companions.
I’ll try my best to be succinct for the beauty of this aqeedah has been challenged by a word limit I must adhere to. Aqeedah al Wasitiyyah takes its name from a place called Wasit in central Iraq. Ibn Taymiyyah, a name beyond introduction, compiled a treatise (aqeedah al-wasitiyyah) for the people of Wasit upon the request of a local judge who wished to bring back his people on the right track after they had gone astray for years, following the Mongol conquest. It served as a manual to people back then in Wasit and today it is successfully doing the same throughout the world. During the course of reading this aqeedah I lost my grandma, and less than four months earlier, I had lost my grandpa. This was a time when I needed sabr, the most. Reading through the pages as I came across sections dedicated to the attributes of Allah, I think, I understood His majestic being to an extremely small, but very significant, extent. Knowing Him alone is the source of all peace and tranquillity in this world. I am so grateful that I learnt something that day, which made me whole, and I pray that you learn something this day.
Religion of Truth and Guidance and the Two Testimonies.
Allah azza wa jal is the exclusive and rightful possessor of all praises. None is worthy of praise (and worship) except Him and any form of praise and appreciation we receive in this world is due to His majesty alone. We cannot begin to anticipate the extent of His favours and bounties upon His creation, one of which is that He sent His prophet with the truth. He preserved guidance for us and sent Prophet Muhammad sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam as a mercy for all mankind, bearing the deen of haqq, establishing it and making it victorious over all other religions, for which sufficient is He as a witness.
And We have not sent you, [O Muhammad], except as a mercy to the worlds. [Surah Al-Anbya 21:107]
The two declarations of faith hold monumental importance for the reason because they are the very base of our imaan.
1) Confirming with certainty and sincerity that there is indeed none worthy of worship except Allah means that we testify with our heart, our tongue, our forms of worship and deeds that Allah is the one and only deity and He alone should be worshipped, and we do nothing to contradict it.
2) The second testimony that Muhammad is His servant and His Messenger, sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam, is the belief that he came with His message. This testimony is linked directly to Allah and the whole essence of Tawheed. One testimony alone is not complete without the other. Interestingly, the part in this testimony which states that he is His servant is a refutation of the people of exaggeration. The second part which states that he is His messenger is a confirmation to those people who have neglected to recognise his rightful position and status. We must save ourselves from falling into these two extreme groups.
May Allah send abundant and ever increasing blessings and peace upon the prophet, his family and his companions.
Indeed, Allah confers blessing upon the Prophet, and His angels [ask Him to do so]. O you who have believed, ask [Allah to confer] blessing upon him and ask [ Allah to grant him] peace. [Surah Al-Ahzab 33:56]
The Firqat un-Najiyah and Ahl us-Sunnah wal Jamaa'a
"There will never cease to be a taa’ifah (a small band of people) from my Ummah upon the Truth, aided (by Allaah). Those who desert and abandon them will not harm them until the command of Allaah arrives." Reported by Bukhari and Muslim
Ahl us-Sunnah wal Jamaah is the group of those people who staunchly adhere to the Sunnah of the prophet sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam. They inexorably endorse his sayings and actions and live by them. They are called Ahl us Sunnah due to their attachment and love for the sunnah as opposed to people who have fallen into innovations.
These are the people who are safe from all kinds of evil and undesirable things in this world and the fire of the hereafter. They are strengthened by Allah against those who oppose them and Allah will continue to do so until they breathe their last. This aqeedah is the creed of such people- people who are shielded and supported by Allah!
To be continued....
References[1] Sahih Bukhari, Book 76, Hadith 476
http://www.kalamullah.com/aqeedah.html
Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5
Bismillah: The baa in basmalah is often, and wrongly, translated as ‘in’. The word in Arabic means ‘with’ thus the correct translation of basmalah is ‘with the name of Allah...”, and we know the rest. ‘With’ is a plea for help in basmalah and the whole of basmalah is the most concise and beautiful dua we make every day without putting much thought in it. When we utter these beautiful words we are beseeching Allah for His help and guidance, in whatever we are about to undertake, by the virtue of His Compassion and Mercy. Ar-Rahman and Ar-Raheem are amongst the sanctified names of Allah; the fact that these attributes make up the basmalah is in itself a testimony of their stature and potency.
Ar-Rahman: The possessor of boundless mercy. The Mercy which we witness and feel each day around us is a glimpse of the ninety nine parts of mercy which is reserved with Allah Ta’la. According to sound narrations Allah has sent one part (out of hundered parts) of His mercy upon His creation [1]. He shows mercy to the entire creation including those who deny Him, who commit shirk, who show arrogance and pride and sin relentlessly. He still gives them shelter, food, health, time, and the opportunity to repent until their last breath.
Ar-Raheem: The mercy Allah shows to the believers. This is a special kind of mercy reserved for the believers. It is another concept of mercy which we will be bestowed upon in the after life ... a time when the disbelievers would have lost their right to receive Allah’s mercy in any form.
“And He is Ever-Merciful to the Believers" [Surah Al-Ahzaab 33:43]
All the surahs, with the exception of Surah Taubah, begin with basmalah and it is also the sunnah of our prophet sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam to begin letters and undertake tasks with basmalah (no matter how small and casual the action/deed/task is). Bearing this in mind a habit to begin with basmalah must be forged!
Based on the hadith of Abu Hurairah the Prophet sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam said: “Every affair that does not begin with the praise of Allah is deficient. (Abu Dawood and others) The meaning of deficient is: devoid of blessings. It is also reported in other narrations “... with Bismillaahir-Rahmaanir-Raheem...”. Keeping this in mind this treatise begins with basmalah, glorification of Allah, the two testimonies and sending of peace and praise upon the prophet sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam, his family and companions.
So, hereby, I begin with His name, the Compassionate, the Merciful. The sole owner of all praise and may His abundant peace and blessings be upon the prophet, his family, and his companions.
I’ll try my best to be succinct for the beauty of this aqeedah has been challenged by a word limit I must adhere to. Aqeedah al Wasitiyyah takes its name from a place called Wasit in central Iraq. Ibn Taymiyyah, a name beyond introduction, compiled a treatise (aqeedah al-wasitiyyah) for the people of Wasit upon the request of a local judge who wished to bring back his people on the right track after they had gone astray for years, following the Mongol conquest. It served as a manual to people back then in Wasit and today it is successfully doing the same throughout the world. During the course of reading this aqeedah I lost my grandma, and less than four months earlier, I had lost my grandpa. This was a time when I needed sabr, the most. Reading through the pages as I came across sections dedicated to the attributes of Allah, I think, I understood His majestic being to an extremely small, but very significant, extent. Knowing Him alone is the source of all peace and tranquillity in this world. I am so grateful that I learnt something that day, which made me whole, and I pray that you learn something this day.
Religion of Truth and Guidance and the Two Testimonies.
Allah azza wa jal is the exclusive and rightful possessor of all praises. None is worthy of praise (and worship) except Him and any form of praise and appreciation we receive in this world is due to His majesty alone. We cannot begin to anticipate the extent of His favours and bounties upon His creation, one of which is that He sent His prophet with the truth. He preserved guidance for us and sent Prophet Muhammad sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam as a mercy for all mankind, bearing the deen of haqq, establishing it and making it victorious over all other religions, for which sufficient is He as a witness.
And We have not sent you, [O Muhammad], except as a mercy to the worlds. [Surah Al-Anbya 21:107]
The two declarations of faith hold monumental importance for the reason because they are the very base of our imaan.
1) Confirming with certainty and sincerity that there is indeed none worthy of worship except Allah means that we testify with our heart, our tongue, our forms of worship and deeds that Allah is the one and only deity and He alone should be worshipped, and we do nothing to contradict it.
2) The second testimony that Muhammad is His servant and His Messenger, sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam, is the belief that he came with His message. This testimony is linked directly to Allah and the whole essence of Tawheed. One testimony alone is not complete without the other. Interestingly, the part in this testimony which states that he is His servant is a refutation of the people of exaggeration. The second part which states that he is His messenger is a confirmation to those people who have neglected to recognise his rightful position and status. We must save ourselves from falling into these two extreme groups.
May Allah send abundant and ever increasing blessings and peace upon the prophet, his family and his companions.
Indeed, Allah confers blessing upon the Prophet, and His angels [ask Him to do so]. O you who have believed, ask [Allah to confer] blessing upon him and ask [ Allah to grant him] peace. [Surah Al-Ahzab 33:56]
The Firqat un-Najiyah and Ahl us-Sunnah wal Jamaa'a
"There will never cease to be a taa’ifah (a small band of people) from my Ummah upon the Truth, aided (by Allaah). Those who desert and abandon them will not harm them until the command of Allaah arrives." Reported by Bukhari and Muslim
Ahl us-Sunnah wal Jamaah is the group of those people who staunchly adhere to the Sunnah of the prophet sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam. They inexorably endorse his sayings and actions and live by them. They are called Ahl us Sunnah due to their attachment and love for the sunnah as opposed to people who have fallen into innovations.
These are the people who are safe from all kinds of evil and undesirable things in this world and the fire of the hereafter. They are strengthened by Allah against those who oppose them and Allah will continue to do so until they breathe their last. This aqeedah is the creed of such people- people who are shielded and supported by Allah!
To be continued....
References[1] Sahih Bukhari, Book 76, Hadith 476
http://www.kalamullah.com/aqeedah.html
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2 comments:
Masahallah very well written and very interesting. Cannot wait for the rest.
Looking forward to the continuation. May Allah reward you
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