All praise is for Allaah alone, and prayers and peace be upon the Prophet, his family and his Companions.
To Proceed:
The correct 'Aqeedah[1] is the foundation of Islaam and the foundation stone of the Islaamic nation. It is known through evidences of the Sharee'ah[2] from the Book[3] and the Sunnah[4], that one's actions and statements can only be correct and acceptable to Allaah when they arise from a correct 'Aqeedah. If, however, the 'Aqeedah is not correct then the actions and statements that arise due to it are invalid. Allaah the Exalted says,
| "Whosoever rejects faith, then fruitless is his work and in the Hereafter he will be among the losers."[5] |
| "And indeed it has been revealed to you [O Muhammad] as it was to those before you [saying]: 'If you join others in worship with Allaah [then] surely [all] your deeds will be in vain and you will certainly be amongst the losers.'"[6] |
There are many verses with this meaning.
The evidences in the clear Book of Allaah and in the Sunnah of His truthful Messenger sall Allaahu 'alayhi wa sallam show the correct 'Aqeedah in brief, to be: eemaan[7] in Allaah, His Angels, His Books, His Messengers, the Last Day, and Predestination - the good and the bad of it. These six matters are the fundamentals of the correct 'Aqeedah with which Allaah the Almighty revealed His Book and sent His Messenger Muhammad sall Allaahu 'alayhi wa sallam.
All issues concerning the unseen and all that we have been informed of are from Allaah and His Messenger sall Allaahu 'alayhi wa sallam. These issues all stem from the above principles and we are obliged to believe in them. The evidence for these six pillars [of Faith] are in the Qur`aan and the Sunnah and are many. These include the sayings of Allaah,
|
"It is not righteousness that you turn your faces towards the East or the West [in prayers] but righteous is he who believes in Allaah, the Last Day, the Angels, the Book and the Prophets."[8]
"The Messenger believes in what has been sent down to him from His Lord, as do the faithful believers. Each one believes in Allaah, His Angels, His Books and His Messengers. They say: We make no distinction between one and another of His Messengers."[9] "O you who believe! Believe in Allaah, His Messenger [Muhammad], the Book [the Qur`aan] which He has sent down to His Messenger, and the Scripture which He sent down to those before [him]. Whosoever disbelieves in Allaah, His Angels, His Books, His Messengers, and the Last Day has strayed far away."[10] "Do you not know that Allaah knows all that is in heaven and the earth? Verily it is [all] in a record. Verily, that is easy for Allaah."[11] |
There are also many authentic ahaadeeth[12] proving these fundamentals. Amongst them is the famous authentic hadeeth narrated by Muslim in his Saheeh on the authority of the leader of the believers, 'Umar bin al-Khattaab, may Allaah be pleased with him, that [the Angel] Jibreel 'alayhis salaam asked the Prophet sall Allaahu 'alayhi wa sallam about eemaan [Faith]. He replied to him, "Eemaan is to believe in Allaah, His Angels, His Books, His Messengers, the Last Day and to believe in Predestination - the good and bad of it."[13]
All the crucial and obligatory matters of belief relating to Allaah, the Day of Judgement and other matters of the Unseen originate from these six principles.
Part 1 : Eemaan in Allaah
Part 2 : Eemaan in the Angels
Part 3 : Eemaan in the Books
Part 4 : Eemaan in the Messengers
Part 5 : Eemaan in the Last Day
Part 6 : Eemaan in Predestination
Part 7 : Other Points Concerning Eemaan
Part 8 : Appendix 1: Allaah's Names and Attributes - by Abu Rumaysah
Part 9 : Appendix 2: The position of the Salaf concerning the Attributes of Allaah - by Abu 'Aaliyah and Abu Rumaysah
Part 10 : Footnotes