Naqshbandiya Foundation for Islamic Education

The Naqshbandiya Foundation for Islamic Education (NFIE) is a non-profit, tax exempt, religious and educational organization dedicated to serve Islam with a special focus on Tasawwuf(Sufism),

Sunday, May 2, 2021

INTRODUCTION TO ISLAMIC CREED Risālat fi 'Ilm al-Tawhīd 

Compiled by Imam Ibrahim al-Bajuri Translation & Notes by Rashad Jameer - Full PDF :

https://penuntutilmu.files.wordpress.com/2020/05/al-bajuri-introduction-to-islamic-creed-v4.pdf

Contents:  Foreword by Shaykh Ahmed Saad al-Azhari i License to Transmit (ijazah) iii Publisher’s Message vii Translator’s Preface ix Imam Ibrahim al-Bajuri al-Azhari xiii The Ten Principles (mabadi al-‘ashrah) xvii Risalat Fi ¢Ilm al-Tawhid 1 Allah’s Attributes u 7 The Matters of Prophethood 35 Conclusion 44 Appendix: Memorization Charts Allah's Attributes 53 Attributes of the Prophets 55 25 Prophets Named in the Qur’an 55 His Lineage From His Father’s Side s 57 Wives of the Messenger s 58 Children of the Messenger s 59 The Levels of Heaven & Hell 60 Acknowledgements 61 About The IGI Essentials Series 63

Foreword : Ahmed Saad al-Azhari al-Hasani Ihsan Institute for Arabic & Islamic Studies

 Theology has always been an area of great interest and richness since Muslims moved from the Arabian Peninsula to mix with people who had inherited a rich and heavy amount of theological questions. Even though kalam developed as a response to new situations that required Islam to give its view on various, more intricate and complicated questions, an average Muslim is not required to get involved in those academic debates that require long reading and a sophisticated mentality. However, every Muslim is required to strengthen his faith and free himself from the bondage of blind imitation by knowing some simple proofs that allow the tenets of his belief to make sense to him, otherwise, he may fall into the trap of doubts and confusion. In their attempt to make the tenets of belief easy and understandable to the average Muslim, scholars have written simple expositions of Islamic belief that suit any individual who is willing to know what he should really believe in. One of these scholars is the great Shaykh al-Islam Burhan al-Din al-Bajuri, who assumed the leadership and Sheikhdom of the Grand al-Azhar Mosque in Cairo, and was a prolific writer and a great teacher. Imam al-Bajuri was born in the northern Delta governorate al-Munufiyyah 1198 ah – 1783 ce and started his studies in al-Azhar in 1213 ah – 1797 ce under great luminaries like Imam Muhammad al-Amir and Shaykh Muhammad al-Fadali. His writings include his marginalia on Jawharahal-Tawhid, his marginalia on the al-Sullam in logic and his marginalia on the al-Burdah poem. His works are characterized by depth and have been received with great acceptance by circles of Islamic scholarship.

Translator’s Preface : Rashad Jameer. In the name of Allah, most Gracious, most Merciful, the only Entity free of need, worthy of all praise. May peace and blessings be upon our master Muhammad, the unlettered Prophet for the end of time, and upon his Family, his Companions, and all those who follow his way until Judgment Day. Islamic theology or ‘aqidah is one of the most important and central-most sciences of Islamic scholarship, as it expounds upon the creed of the Muslims. It allows one to learn the attributes of the Creator, the Prophets f, the unseen realm, and all matters pertaining to them. The study of this science allows one to remove any doubt and gain certitude in belief; it safeguards one from distorted and deviant ideas. It is for this reason that it is considered an individual obligation ( fard ‘ayn) upon every believing male and female to study and acquire this knowledge. It is no wonder that the founder of one of the four Sunni Schools of Law, Abu Hanifa, who was given the honorific title ‘Imam al-A’zam’ or ‘the greatest Imam,’ has entitled his book on creed ‘al-Fiqh al-akbar’ or ‘the greatest science to be understood.’ Allah states in the Qur’an: Know that there is no god but Allah… (Muhammad 47:19). This is but one of the proofs from which scholars derive that it is obligatory to know, with certainty, thatthere cannot be another god besides Allah. Imam al-Ghazali says: ‘Your worship is not acceptable unless you know whom you are worshipping,’ and the Malikite jurist al-Akhdari states: ‘The first obligation upon every legally responsible person is to rectify his creed.’The Qur’an instructs to: Ask the people of Remembrance if you know not (Nahl 16:43). While it is necessary, and not only recommended, in matters of law (fiqh) for one to follow a scholar who is supremely qualified to derive rulings directly from the Qur’an and Sunna, which in Arabic is called a mujtahid, it is not required for the average Muslim to know the proofs for prayer, fasting, and fiqh on the whole. When the Companions used to seek fatwa (religious edicts) from the learned among them, they did not ask them for the proofs. Today, many Muslims have a misunderstanding that they need to know the evidences for how to pray and fast, etc. So, do Muslims have to learn evidences as to why they believe in Allah Most High? Regarding ‘aqidah, scholars say they do. In the following verse of the Qur’an, Almighty Allah blamed the disbelieving Quraysh for following their forefathers in belief without knowing the proofs (taqlid fi al-‘aqa’id):And when it is said to them: ‘Come to what Allah hath revealed; come to the Apostle’ they say: ‘Enough for us are the ways we found our fathers following.’ What!Even though their fathers were void of knowledge and guidance? (Ma’ida 5:104)Unfortunately, this sentiment is still echoed today when Muslims are asked, especially in the University environment, why they are Muslims. They think something along the lines of: ‘I’m Muslim because my parents are Muslim’ – and Allah’s aid is sought! Imam Abu al-Mansur al-Maturidi, the great Imam of Ahl al-Sunna wa al-Jama’ah (may Allah have mercy on him) and the founder of one of the two schools of creed, states: ‘The muqallid in creed (‘aqidah) is a disobedient believer (mu’min ‘asi’). In other words, he is not a disbeliever, but is considered sinful. Why, you may ask? Because Allah has commanded in His final revelation that we must Know that there is no god but Allah. You will notice that most of what lies in Imam al-Bajuri’s main text (matn) does not reference revelation (the Qur’an) and is based on logic and reason. This is especially important for Muslims living in non-Muslim majority lands where, when asked ‘why’ they believe in God, saying ‘because the Qur’an says so’ is circular reasoning and insufficient (though it may suffice the believer). Thus, to compliment the logical focus of this topic, I have added corroborative proofs and references from the Qur’an and Sunna in the footnotes to further strengthen the points therein. Ultimately, as a response to a request, Imam al-Bajuri outlines the core beliefs of the orthodox Sunni doctrine (‘aqidah) that must be known by every Muslim. Designed to be studied with a teacher or read on one’s own, this text will equip the student with sufficient knowledge of the essentials of Muslim theology to be able to distinguish truth from falsehood, orthodox from heterodox, Ahl al-Sunna wa al-Jama’a or Sunni Islam from other than it. It is hoped that by including the facing, vocalized Arabic script that 1) students of Sacred Knowledge will be aided in learning the language of the Qur’an, the Prophet a, and the ‘ulama, 2) it will serve as a teaching aid for the ‘ulama when teaching this text to reference the original work and 3) topreserve the actual words of Imam al-Bajuri. Anything indecorous in this rendering is from my nafs and my ignorance, and anything herein which is of benefit is from Allah, the blessing of the author, and the scholars who transmitted it. 

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