1. Unofficial Translation
ُ‫اط‬َ ‫ر‬ِ‫الّص‬ُ‫مي‬‫ر‬‫ق‬َ‫ت‬ ْ‫س‬‫مل‬‫ا‬
The Straight Path
Shaykh Muhaddith ^Abdullah Ibn Muhammad al-Harariyy al-
Habashiyy

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ُ‫اط‬َ‫ر‬ِّ‫الص‬ُ‫يم‬ِ‫ق‬َ‫املست‬ُ
The Straight Path
Al-Muhaddith Ash-Shaykh ^Abdullah Ibn Muhammad
Al-Harariyy Al-Habashiyy
First Draft, 2012

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Contents
Author’s Biography ......................................................................... 8
Introduction .................................................................................. 17
The Straight Path........................................................................... 17
The Greatest of Allah’s Rights over His Slaves.............................. 18
The Meaning of the Two Testifications of Faith ........................... 21
The Obligation of Every Accountable Person ............................... 25
No Religion is Correct Except Islam .............................................. 25
The Judgment of the One who Claims Islam Verbally but Nullifies
Islam in Meaning........................................................................... 28
Clarification of the Divisions of Blasphemy .................................. 31
What is Exempted from the Blasphemous Expressions ........... 38
Important Benefit ......................................................................... 52
A Return to the Classification of Blasphemy for the Additional
Benefit........................................................................................... 55
Benefit........................................................................................... 58
Protection from Hell ..................................................................... 60
The First Creation.......................................................................... 60
The Eternality of Allah is not Related to Time .......................... 63
Clearing Allah of a Place, and the Mental Validity of His Existence
Without a Place............................................................................. 65
The Thirteen Attributes of Allah ................................................... 87
Existence ................................................................................... 87
Eternality................................................................................... 88
Everlastingness.......................................................................... 89
Hearing...................................................................................... 90

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Sight .......................................................................................... 90
Speech....................................................................................... 91
Will............................................................................................ 94
Power........................................................................................ 96
Knowledge ................................................................................ 98
Life............................................................................................. 99
Oneness................................................................................... 100
Independence of Others......................................................... 101
Dissimilarity to the Creation ................................................... 102
All of the Attributes of Allah Are Perfect.................................... 104
The Reason for the Revelation of Surah Al-Ikhlas....................... 108
The Decisive and Ambiguous Verses .......................................... 110
The Decisive Verses................................................................. 111
The Ambiguous Verses............................................................ 111
Interpretation of His Saying ﴿‫ن‬ِ‫م‬ُ‫ا‬َ‫ن‬ِ‫وح‬ُّ‫ر‬﴾ and His Saying ُ﴿‫ن‬ِ‫م‬ُ‫ى‬ِ‫وح‬ُّ‫ر‬﴾
................................................................................................ 122
Interpretation of the Verse ﴿ُ‫ن‬َ‫مح‬َّ‫الر‬ُ‫ى‬َ‫ل‬َ‫ع‬ُُِ‫رش‬َ‫الع‬ُ‫ى‬َ‫و‬َ‫است‬﴾ ....................... 124
The Interpretation of the Ma^iyyah (‫)معية‬of Allah that is
Mentioned in the Qur’an........................................................ 131
The Explanation of the Saying of Allah ﴿َُّ‫م‬َ‫ث‬َ‫ف‬ُُ‫ه‬ْ‫ج‬َ‫و‬ُُِ‫الل‬﴾ ................. 134
The Explanation of the Verse ﴿ُ‫الل‬ُُ‫ور‬‫ن‬ُُِ‫ات‬َ‫او‬َ‫م‬َّ‫الس‬ُُِ‫ض‬ْ‫َر‬‫أل‬‫ا‬َ‫و‬﴾ ................... 135
The Meaning of Destiny and Believing in It ................................ 138
Guidance Is of Two Facets ...................................................... 154
The Destining of Allah Does Not Change................................ 157
Dividing the Matters into Four Categories.............................. 160

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The Tawhid of Allah in the Doings .......................................... 161
The Intellectual Evidence for the Invalidity of the Saying of the
Mu^tazilah that the Slave Creates his Deeds ......................... 165
Confirmation that the Normal Reasons Do Not Affect in Reality
and that the Only One Who Affects in Reality is Allah ........... 166
Important Notice ........................................................................ 179
Prophethood............................................................................... 181
The Difference between the Prophets and the Messengers.. 181
What is Necessary for the Prophets and What is Impossible for
Them ....................................................................................... 182
The Miracle ............................................................................. 183
Miracles That Took Place for Those Who Came before Our
Master Muhammad ‫ﷺ‬ ................................................... 184
Some of the Miracles of the Prophet ‫ﷺ‬......................... 185
The Miracle’s Substantiation of the Truthfulness of the
Prophet ............................................................................... 192
The Way to Know the Miracle by Definitiveness and Certainty
............................................................................................ 193
Belief in the Torture of the Grave and its Enjoyment and
Questioning............................................................................. 194
The Judgment of the One who Denies the Torture of the
Grave................................................................................... 200
The Resurrection..................................................................... 201
The Gathering ......................................................................... 201
The Questioning of Allah......................................................... 202
The Scale ................................................................................. 202
Reward and Punishment......................................................... 203

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The Bridge............................................................................... 204
The Basin................................................................................. 205
The Description of Paradise.................................................... 206
The Description of Hell............................................................ 207
The Intercession...................................................................... 208
The Soul................................................................................... 208
Clarification that the Mercy of Allah is Inclusive of the Believers
and the Blasphemers in the Present Life and Specific to the
Believers in the Afterlife ............................................................. 210
The Innovation [Bid^ah].............................................................. 212
Confirmation that Tawassul by the Prophets and the Waliyys is
Permissible, and not Shirk as Said by the Wahhabiyys............... 216
Seeking Blessings from the Traces of the Prophet ‫ﷺ‬............. 227
Ijtihad and Imitation ................................................................... 233
Epilogue....................................................................................... 239
The Epilogue of the Epilogue ...................................................... 242

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Author’s Biography
He was the great Islamic scholar, Imam, Muhaddith, the pious
worshipper, Ash-Shaykh Abu ^Abdir-Rahman, ^Abdullah Ibn
Muhammad Ibn Yusuf Ibn ^Abdillah Ibn Jami^, Al-Harariyy, Ash-
Shaybiyy, Al-^Abdariyy, the Mufti of Somalia. He is Al-Harariyy
because he is from the city of Harar. In 1887, Somalia was
occupied and divided into five parts, and the western province of
Harar was given to Ethiopia. He is Ash-Shaybiyy because he
belongs to Banu Shaybah, a clan of Quraysh; they are the people
in charge of the Ka^bah. He is Al-^Abdariyy because he also
belongs to ^Abdud-Dar, a clan of Qusayy Ibn Kilab, the fourth
grandfather of the Prophet ‫.ﷺ‬
He was born in Harar around 1339 A.H., or 1920. He grew up in a
humble house loving Islamic knowledge and its people. He
memorized Al-Qur’an by heart with tajwid rules when he was
seven years old. He continued to scoop from the sea of
knowledge. He memorized numerous books in various Islamic
sciences. He gave the knowledge of hadith a great amount of
attention. He memorized the six books of Hadith (Al-Bukhariyy,
Muslim, at-Tirmidhiyy, Abu Dawud, Ibn Majah, an-Nasa’iyy) and
other books of Hadith with their chains of narration. He was
authorized by scholars to give religious judgments and to relate
hadith when he was less than eighteen years old.

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He was not satisfied with taking knowledge only from the scholars
of his own city. He went to many places in Ethiopia and Somalia
seeking knowledge and its people. He had many trips with
hardships and difficulties, but he did not care about them;
whenever he heard about a scholar he went to him, which is the
habit of the righteous Salaf.
His intelligence and wonderful memory helped him gain a vast
amount of knowledge in the school of Imam Ash-Shafi^iyy, as well
as the Malikiyy, Hanafiyy, and Hambaliyy schools. To the point
that he became a person at who fingers point; people would come
to him from different places in Ethiopia and Somalia. He became
the Mufti of Somalia at the age of eighteen.
He took the Fiqh of the School of Ash-Shafi^iyy, its Usul and Arabic
Grammar from Ash-Shaykh Muhammad ^Abdus-Salam Al-
Harariyy, Ash-Shaykh Muhammad ^Umar Jami^ Al-Harariyy, Ash-
Shaykh Muhammad Rashad Al-Habashiyy, Ash-Shaykh Ibrahim
Abil-Ghayth Al-Harariyy, Ash-Shaykh Yunus Al-Habashiyy, and Al-
Hafidh Muhammad Siraj Al-Jabartiyy. From those Islamic scholars
he took many main texts such as Alfiyyah Az-Zubad, At-Tambih,
Al-Minhaj, Alfiyyah Ibn Malik, Al-Luma^ by Ash-Shiraziyy and other
main texts.
He took the sciences of the Arabic Language, especially from the
righteous Shaykh Ahmad Al-Basir and Ash-Shaykh Ahmad Ibn
Muhammad Al-Habashiyy and others. He read the Fiqh of the

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other three schools and their Usul under Ash-Shaykh Muhammad
Al-^Arabiyy Al-Fasiyy, and Ash-Shaykh ^Abdur-Rahman Al-
Habashiyy. He took at-Tafsir from Ash-Shaykh Sharif Al-Habashiyy
in his town, Jimmah.
He took the Hadith and its sciences from many teachers, notably
from Al-Hafidh Ash-Shaykh Abu Bakr Muhammad Siraj Al-
Jabartiyy, the Mufti of Ethiopia, Ash-Shaykh ^Abdur-Rahman
^Abdullah Al-Habashiyy, and others.
He met with the righteous Shaykh, Muhaddith, Qari’ Hajj Ahmad
Al-Kabir, the Head of the Reciters in Al-Masjidul-Haram in Makkah
(he was appointed as the Imam and Shaykh of Al-Masjidul-Haram
by as-Sultan ^Abdul-Hamid II, the last Ottoman Khalifah), from
him he took the 14 ways of reciting Al-Qur’an, as well as the
Science of Hadith. He also met Shaykh, Qari’, Dawud Al-Jabartiyy.
He started giving classes at a young age for the students who may
have been older than him; so he was both learning and teaching.
He was superior in both Ethiopia and Somalia to his peers in
knowing the biographies of the people of Hadith and their ranks,
memorizing the texts, and getting in depth in the sciences of
Hadith, language, Tafsir, and other than that.
He did not leave any known Islamic science without mastering it.
He may talk about some knowledge or science and a person may
think that he specialized in that only. You would see him humbly

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11
listening to a Hadith with his ear and his heart, although he knows
better about it than the speaker himself.
He went to Makkah and met its scholars such as Ash-Shaykh, as-
Sayyid, ^Alawiyy Al-Malikiyy, Ash-Shaykh Muhammad Yasin Al-
Fadaniyy and Ash-Shaykh Amin Al-Kutubiyy. He attended circles by
Ash-Shaykh Muhammad Al-^Arabiyy at-Tabban. He contacted
Ash-Shaykh ^Abdul-Ghafur Al-Afghaniyy an-Naqshabandiyy and
took at-Tariqah an-Naqshabandiyyah from him.
Afterwards, he went to Al-Madinah and contacted its scholars. He
took hadith from Ash-Shaykh Muhammad Ibn ^Aliyy as-Siddiqiyy
Al-Bakriyy. He met with Muhaddith Ibrahim Al-Khutniyy, the
student of Muhaddith ^Abdul-Qadir Shalbiyy. He stayed by and in
^Ārif Hikmat and Al-Mahmudiyyah libraries going through the
manuscripts. He stayed in Al-Madinah close to the Prophet’s ‫ﷺ‬
Mosque for about a year while receiving ijazah from many
scholars.
He then went to Jerusalem in the 1940’s, then to Damascus,
where he was welcomed by its people, especially after the death
of its Muhaddith, Badrud-Din Al-Hasaniyy. He went to Damascus,
Beirut, Hims, Hamah, Halab, and other cities. He then lived in
Jami^ul-Qatat, and his fame spread in the area. Consequently, the
scholars and students of Ash-Sham came seeking him, and he got
to know some of its scholars. They benefited from him and

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acknowledged his knowledge, and he was called “the Successor of
Ash-Shaykh Badrud-Din Al-Hasaniyy”. He was also known as “the
Muhaddith of Ash-Sham”. A great number of the scholars of Ash-
Sham praised him such as Ash-Shaykh ^Izzud-Din Ibn Ahmad Al-
Khaznawiyy, Ash-Shafi^iyy, an-Naqshabandiyy from Al-Jazirah in
the north of Syria, Ash-Shaykh ^Abdur-Razzaq Al-Halabiyy, the
Director of Al-Masjidul-‘Umawiyy in Damascus, Ash-Shaykh Abu
Sulayman Suhayl Az-Zabibiyy, Ash-Shaykh Mulla Ramadan Al-
Butiyy, Ash-Shaykh Abul-Yusr ^Ābidin, the Mufti of Syria, Ash-
Shaykh ^Abdul-Karim Ar-Rifa^iyy, Ash-Shaykh Naji Nur from
Jordan, Ash-Shaykh Sa^id Tanatirah, Ash-Shaykh Ahmad Al-
Husariyy, the Director of the Islamic school of Ma^arratu-n-
Nu^man, Ash-Shaykh ^Abdullah Siraj Al-Halabiyy, Ash-Shaykh
Muhammad Murad Al-Halabiyy, Ash-Shaykh Suhayb Ar-Rumiyy,
the Amin of Al-Fatwa in Halab, Ash-Shaykh ^Abdul-^Aziz ^Uyunus-
Sud, the Head of the Qurra’ of Hims, Ash-Shaykh Abus-Su^ud Al-
Himsiyy, Ash-Shaykh Fayiz ad-Dayr ^Ataniyy, Ash-Shaykh ^Abdul-
Wahhab Dibs wa Zayt of Damascus, Dr. Halawaniyy, the Shaykh of
reciters in Syria, Ash-Shaykh Ahmad Al-Harun of Damascus, the
righteous Waliyy, Ash-Shaykh Tahir Al-Kayyaliyy from Hims, Ash-
Shaykh Salih Kaywan ad-Dimashqiyy, Ash-Shaykh ^Abbas Al-
Juwayjatiyy ad-Dimashqiyy, Ash-Shaykh Muhammad Thabit Al-
Kayyaliyy Ash-Shaykh Muhammad As-Sayyid Ahmad, Ash-Shaykh
Nuh Al-Qadah Al-Urdunniyy and others, may Allah benefit us from
them.

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13
He was also praised by Ash-Shaykh ^Uthman Sirajud-Din, the
descendant of Ash-Shaykh ^Ala’ud-Din, the Shaykh of an-
Naqshabandiyyah in his time, and they had brotherly and
scholarly correspondences between them. He was praised also by
Ash-Shaykh ^Abdul-Karim Al-Bayyariyy, the teacher in Jami^il-
Hadrah Al-Kilaniyyah in Baghdad, Ash-Shaykh Ahmad Az-Zahid Al-
Islambuliyy, Ash-Shaykh Mahmud (Efendi) Al-Hanafiyy, who is one
of the famous and active Turkish scholars, Ash-Shaykh ^Abdullah
Al-Ghumariyy, the Muhaddith of Morocco, and Ash-Shaykh
Habibur-Rahman Al-‘A^dhamiyy, the Muhaddith of the Indian
Peninsula, whom he met with many times and stayed as his guest
for some time.
He took permission for At-Tariqah Ar-Rifa^iyyah from Ash-Shaykh
^Abdur-Rahman as-Sibsibiyy, Ash-Shaykh Muhammad ^Aliyy Al-
Haririyy, and Ash-Shaykh Tahir Al-Kayyaliyy. He took permission in
At-Tariqah Al-Qadiriyyah from Ash-Shaykh At-Tayyib Ad-
Dimashqiyy, Ash-Shaykh Ahmad Al-^Irbiniyy, Ash-Shaykh Al-
Mu^ammar ^Aliyy Murtada ad-Dayrawiyy Al-Bakistaniyy and Ash-
Shaykh Ahmad Al-Badawiyy as-Sudaniyy Al-Mukashifiyy, may
Allah have Mercy upon them. He took At-Tariqah Ash-
Shadhiliyyah from Ash-Shaykh Ahmad Al-Basir. He took the
Tariqahs of Al-Chistiyyah and As-Suhrawardiyyah as well.
Ash-Shaykh ^Abdullah went to Beirut in 1950 and he was the
guest of the famous shaykhs like Qadi Muhyid-Din Al-^Ajuz,

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Shaykh Al-Mustashar Muhammad Ash-Sharif, Shaykh ^Abdul-
Wahhab Al-Butariyy, the Imam of Jami^ Al-Basta Al-Fawqa, and
Shaykh Ahmad Iskandaraniyy, the Imam and Mu’adhdhin in Jami^
Burj Abi Haydar, and they learned and benefited from him. Then
he met with Shaykh Tawfiq Al-Hibriyy, may Allah have Mercy on
him, and at his residence he used to meet the important people in
Beirut. He also met with Shaykh ^Abdur-Rahman Al-Majdhub and
Shaykh Muhammad Al-Butariyy. He met with Shaykh Mukhtar Al-
^Alayiliyy, may Allah have Mercy upon him, who was the Amin of
Al-Fatwa who acknowledged his honor and breadth of his
knowledge, and prepared for his residence in Beirut to teach in
different mosques. The Department of Al-Fatwa paid the
expenses of his residence during that period. In 1969, upon the
request of the Director of Al-Azhar in Lebanon, he lectured in at-
Tawhid to the students there.
Shaykh ^Abdullah’s primary goal was to spread the correct belief
of Ahlus-Sunnah wal-Jama^ah, a task which has been occupying
most of his time. He fought the atheists and the people of bid^ah
to extinguish their misguidance.
Shaykh ^Abdullah Al-Harariyy was very pious, humble, and a
worshipful Muslim. He spent his time teaching and performing
dhikr at the same time. He did not care about acquiring worldly
things. He had a good and pure heart. He did not waste a moment
without teaching, performing dhikr, reciting, admonishing, or

15. It might be said: Unofficial Translation
15
guiding. He had the correct belief in Allah and held on to Al-
Qur’an and As-Sunnah. He had a good memory and powerful,
brilliant proofs. He was wise, managing things at the right time
and place. He refused and renounced disobeying Allah very much.
He had a high effort in bidding Al-Ma^ruf and forbidding Al-
Munkar until the people of misguidance and prohibited
innovations feared and envied him. This did not lessen his efforts
to fight them, because Allah Supports and Defends the people
who believe in Him.
Ash-Shaykh ^Abdullah Al-Harariyy conveyed the knowledge of the
Religion with continuous chains back to Prophet Muhammad
‫.ﷺ‬ Among them is: from Muhammad Ibn ^Aliyy ^Adham
Husayn as-Siddiqiyy Al-Khayradadiyy Al-Madiniyy from Muhaddith
Abul-Ma^ali Muhammad Badru-d-Din Ibn Yusuf Al-Baybaniyy Al-
Hasaniyy Al-Maghribiyy from Muhaddith as-Sayyid Yusuf Ibn
Badru-d-Din Al-Maghribiyy from Shaykh Abdullah Ibn Hijaziyy Ash-
Sharqawiyy [Shaykhil-Jami^il-Azhar] from Shaykh Muhammad Ibn
Salim Al-Hifniyy from Shaykh ^Id an-Namrisiyy from ^Abdullah Ibn
Salim Al-Basriyy from Shaykh ^Aliyy Zaynul-^Ābidin Ibn ^Abdul-
Qadir at-Tabariyy Al-Makkiyy from ^Abdul-Qadir Ibn Muhammad
at-Tabariyy Al-Makkiyy from Imam Yahya Ibn Mukrim at-Tabariyy
Al-Makkiyy from Hafidh As-Sakhawiyy from Shihabu-d-Din Ahmad
Ibn Hajar Al-^Asqalaniyy from Ustadh Ibrahim Ibn Ahmad at-
Tanukhiyy from Abu-l-^Abbas Ahmad Ibn Abi Talib Al-Hajjar from
Abi ^Abdillah Al-Husayn Ibn Mubarak Az-Zabidiyy from Abu-l-

16. It might be said: Unofficial Translation
16
Waqt ^Abdul-Awwal Ibn ^Isa Ibn Shu^ayb as-Sijziyy Al-Harawiyy
from Abil-Hasan ^Abdur-Rahman Ibn Muhammad Ibn Mudhaffar
Ibn Dawud ad-Dawudiyy Al-Bushinjiyy from Abi Muhammad
^Abdullah Ibn Ahmad Ibn Hammuyah as-Sarakhsiyy from Abi
^Abdillah Muhammad Ibn Yusuf Ibn Matar Ibn Salih Ibn Bishr Al-
Farabriyy from Imam Abi ^Abdillah Muhammad Ibn Isma^il Al-
Bukhariyy Al-Ju^afiyy from Imam Abi ^Abdillah Ahmad Ibn Hambal
Ash-Shaybaniyy from Imam Abi ^Abdillah Muhammad Ibn Idris
Ash-Shafi^iyy Al-Muttalibiyy from Imam Abi ^Abdillah Malik Ibn
Anas Al-Asbahiyy from Nafi^ Ibn ^Abdir-Rahman from ^Abdillah
Ibn ^Umar Ibnil-Khattab from the Messenger of Allah.
He (may Allah have Mercy upon him) departed this life the dawn
of Tuesday, the 2nd
of Ramadan, 1429 AH - September 2, 2008.

17. It might be said: Unofficial Translation
17
Introduction
ِ‫سم‬ِ‫ب‬‫ٱ‬ِ‫هلل‬‫ٱ‬‫حم‬َّ‫لر‬ِ‫ن‬‫ٱ‬ِ‫يم‬ِ‫ح‬َّ‫لر‬
The Shaykh and Muhaddith ^Abdullah Ibn Muhammad Al-
Harariyy Al-Habashiyy, may Allah have Mercy upon him, said:
The Straight Path
Excellent praise and gratitude are due to Allah. May Allah increase
the rank and honor of Prophet Muhammad ‫ﷺ‬ and protect his
[Muslim] Nation from what he feared for it.
Allah the Exalted Said1
:
﴿َُ‫ي‬ُ‫ا‬َ‫ه‬ُّ‫َي‬‫أ‬‫ٱ‬ُْ‫ا‬‫و‬‫ن‬َ‫ام‬َ‫ُء‬َ‫ين‬ِ‫ذ‬َّ‫ل‬‫ٱ‬ُْ‫ا‬‫و‬‫َّق‬‫ت‬‫ٱ‬ُ‫د‬َ‫غ‬ِ‫تُل‬َ‫َّم‬‫د‬َ‫ق‬ُ‫ا‬َّ‫ُم‬ٌ‫فس‬َ‫ن‬ُ‫ر‬‫نظ‬َ‫لت‬َ‫ُو‬َ‫لل‬﴾
[which means] “O you who believed, fear Allah, and let each self
look at that which it has prepared for tomorrow.”
^Aliyy [Ibn Abi Talib], may Allah accept his good deeds and honor
his face, said, “Today is the work and tomorrow is the Reckoning.”
This was narrated by Al-Bukhariyy in the Chapter of Ar-Riqaq.
1
Surat Al-Hashr, ayah 18.

18. It might be said: Unofficial Translation
18
The Greatest of Allah’s Rights over His Slaves
Know that the greatest of the rights of Allah the Exalted over His
slaves is [confirming] His Oneness and that nothing would be
associated with Him. This is because associating partners with
Allah is the biggest sin committed by the slave. It is the sin that He
does not Forgive [after death], and He Forgives whatever is less
than that for whomever He Wills.
Allah the Exalted Said2
:
﴿َُّ‫ن‬ِ‫إ‬‫ٱ‬ُ‫آء‬َ‫ش‬َ‫نُي‬َ‫م‬ِ‫ُل‬َ‫ك‬ِ‫ل‬َ‫ذ‬َُ‫ن‬‫و‬‫اُد‬َ‫ُم‬‫ر‬ِ‫غف‬َ‫ي‬َ‫ُو‬ِ‫ه‬ِ‫ب‬ُ َ‫ك‬َ‫شر‬‫َنُي‬‫أ‬ُ‫ر‬ِ‫غف‬َ‫ُي‬ َ‫َُل‬َ‫لل‬﴾
[which means] “Surely, Allah does not forgive the association of
partners with Him, and He forgives whatever is less than that for
whomever He Wills.”
Likewise, all types of blasphemy are not Forgiven by Allah [after
death]. This is due to the Saying of Allah the Exalted3
:
﴿َُّ‫ن‬ِ‫إ‬‫ٱ‬ُِ‫يل‬ِ‫ب‬َ‫نُس‬َ‫ُع‬ْ‫ا‬‫و‬ُّ‫د‬َ‫ص‬َ‫اُو‬‫و‬‫ر‬َ‫ف‬َ‫ك‬َُ‫ين‬ِ‫ذ‬َّ‫ل‬‫ٱ‬ُ‫ن‬َ‫ل‬َ‫ُف‬ٌ‫َّار‬‫ف‬‫مُك‬‫ه‬َ‫ُو‬ْ‫ا‬‫و‬‫ات‬َ‫ُم‬َّ‫ُُث‬ِ‫لل‬
َُ‫ر‬ِ‫غف‬َ‫ي‬‫ٱ‬‫م‬َ‫َل‬ُ‫لل‬﴾
2
Surat an-Nisa’, ayah 48.
3
Surat Muĥammad, ayah 34.

19. It might be said: Unofficial Translation
19
[which means] “Surely Allah will not Forgive those who
blasphemed and those who blocked others from the path of
Allah4
, and then died while being blasphemers.”
The Messenger of Allah ‫ﷺ‬ said:
ُ‫َلُالل‬ِ‫إ‬َُ‫له‬ِ‫إ‬ُ‫َُل‬ْ‫ن‬‫ُأ‬َ‫د‬ِ‫ه‬َ‫نُش‬َ‫م‬َُُ‫و‬ُْ‫ح‬َُ‫د‬ُ‫ه‬َُُ‫َلُش‬ُِ‫ر‬َُ‫يك‬َُُ‫ل‬ُ‫ه‬َُ‫أ‬‫و‬ُ،َُّ‫ن‬َُُ‫م‬َُّ‫م‬ُ‫د‬َُ‫اُع‬ُْ‫ب‬ُ‫د‬ُ‫ه‬ُ
َُ‫و‬َُ‫ر‬ُ‫س‬ُ‫ل‬‫و‬ُ‫ه‬َُُ‫أ‬‫و‬َُّ‫ن‬ُُِ‫ع‬َُ‫يس‬َُ‫ىُع‬ُْ‫ب‬ُ‫د‬ُُِ‫الل‬َُُ‫و‬َُ‫ر‬ُ‫س‬ُ‫ل‬‫و‬ُ‫ه‬َُُ‫و‬َُ‫ك‬ُِ‫ل‬َُ‫م‬ُ‫ت‬ُ‫ه‬َُُ‫أ‬ُْ‫ل‬َُ‫ق‬َُ‫اه‬ُِ‫إ‬ُ‫ا‬َُ‫ىلُم‬ُْ‫ر‬ََُ‫ي‬َُ‫،ُو‬ُ‫ر‬ٌُ‫وح‬ُ
ُِ‫م‬ُْ‫ن‬ُ‫ه‬َُُ‫و‬َُ‫ال‬َُّ‫ن‬َُ‫ة‬َُُ‫ح‬ُ‫ق‬َُُ‫و‬َُّ‫ن‬‫ال‬َُ‫ار‬َُُ‫ح‬ُ‫ق‬َُ‫أ‬ُ،ُْ‫د‬َُ‫خ‬َُ‫ل‬ُ‫ه‬ُُ‫الل‬َُُ‫ال‬َُّ‫ن‬َُ‫ة‬َُُ‫ع‬َُ‫ل‬َُ‫ىُم‬َُ‫ك‬ُ‫ا‬َُ‫ن‬‫ا‬ُُِ‫م‬َُ‫ن‬َُُ‫الع‬َُ‫م‬ُِ‫ل‬
[which means] “Whoever testifies that no one is God except
Allah alone without a partner, that Muhammad is His slave and
His Messenger, that ^Isa (Jesus) is the slave of Allah and His
Messenger, and the good news given to Mary, and a soul from
Allah, that Paradise is true, and Hellfire is true, Allah will admit
him to Paradise no matter what he did.” This hadith was narrated
by Al-Bukhariyy and Muslim.
In another hadith:
‫َل‬ِ‫إ‬َُ‫له‬ِ‫إ‬ُ‫َُل‬َ‫ال‬َ‫ق‬ُْ‫ن‬َ‫ُم‬ِ‫ر‬‫َّا‬‫ن‬‫ىُال‬َ‫ل‬َ‫ُع‬َ‫م‬َّ‫ر‬َ‫ُح‬َ‫ُالل‬َّ‫ن‬ِ‫إ‬َ‫ف‬َُُ‫ه‬ْ‫ج‬َ‫ُو‬َ‫ك‬ِ‫ل‬َ‫ذ‬ِ‫ب‬ُ‫ي‬ِ‫غ‬َ‫ت‬ْ‫ب‬َ‫ُي‬‫الل‬ُُِ‫الل‬ُ
[which means] “Surely Allah Made forbidden for Hell5
whoever
said no one is God except Allah sincerely for the sake of Allah.”
This hadith was narrated by Al-Bukhariyy.
4
This means blocking others from embracing Islam.

20. It might be said: Unofficial Translation
20
It is obligatory to associate the belief in the Message of
Muhammad ‫ﷺ‬ with the testimony that no one is God except
Allah. That is the least by which safety from the everlasting stay in
Hell would take place.
5
Meaning to stay in Hell forever, not a negation of a believer entering it.

21. It might be said: Unofficial Translation
21
The Meaning of the Two Testifications of Faith
In general, the meaning of the Testification that “no one is God
except Allah” is: I confess with my tongue and I hold as a
conviction and submit to it in my heart that the only rightfully
worshipped One is Allah the Exalted.
The meaning of the Testification that “Muhammad is the
Messenger of Allah” is: I confess with my tongue and I accept with
my heart that our Master Muhammad ‫ﷺ‬ is sent from Allah to
all of the humans and jinn. Muhammad ‫ﷺ‬ was truthful in
everything he conveyed from Allah the Exalted, therefore the
people must believe in his Laws and follow him.
What is meant by the two Testifications of Faith is the negation of
Godhood for other than Allah and confirming it for Allah the
Exalted, along with the confession of the Message of our Master
Muhammad ‫.ﷺ‬ Allah the Exalted Said6
:
﴿ُِ‫ب‬ُ‫ن‬ِ‫ؤم‬‫مُي‬َّ‫ل‬ُ‫ن‬َ‫م‬َ‫و‬‫ٱ‬َُ‫ك‬‫ل‬ِ‫اُل‬َ‫ن‬‫د‬َ‫َعت‬‫أ‬ُ‫َّآ‬‫ن‬ِ‫إ‬َ‫ف‬ُِ‫ه‬ِ‫ل‬‫و‬‫س‬َ‫ر‬َ‫ُو‬ِ‫لل‬‫ا‬‫ري‬ِ‫ع‬َ‫ُس‬َ‫ين‬ِ‫ر‬ِ‫ف‬﴾ُ
[which means] “Whoever does not believe in Allah and His
Messenger, then he is a blasphemer, and We have Prepared Hell
for the blasphemers.” This verse is explicit in charging whoever
does not believe in Muhammad ‫ﷺ‬ with blasphemy, and
6
Surat Al-Fath, ayah 13.

22. It might be said: Unofficial Translation
22
whoever argues with this point would be objecting to the Qur’an,
and whoever objects to the Qur’an blasphemes.
The Islamic scholars have agreed on charging whoever practices a
religion other than Islam with blasphemy, as well as whoever does
not charge him with blasphemy, or doubts, or remains neutral
[about his blasphemy]; like for one to say “I do not say he is a
blasphemer and I do not say he is not a blasphemer.”
Know with certainty that Iman (faith) and Islam would not be
valid, nor would the good deeds be accepted, without the two
Testifications of Faith, i.e., by the expression: “I testify that no one
is God except Allah and I testify that Muhammad is the Messenger
of Allah,” or by whatever carries the meaning of these two
statements, even if it were expressed in other than the Arabic
language. It is enough for the validity of one’s Islam to utter it
once in a lifetime. After that, the obligation of saying the
Testification of Faith remains for the validity of every prayer. This
is in reference to the one who was following a religion other than
Islam, then he wanted to enter Islam. In reference to the one who
was raised as a Muslim and he believed in the two Testifications of
Faith, uttering them is not a condition. Rather, he is a Muslim even
if he does not utter.
The Messenger of Allah ‫ﷺ‬ said:

23. It might be said: Unofficial Translation
23
َُ‫ال‬َ‫ق‬ُ‫ىء‬َ‫ش‬ِ‫ب‬ُ‫ي‬ِ‫د‬ْ‫ب‬َ‫ُع‬َّ‫ىل‬ِ‫إ‬َُ‫ب‬َّ‫ر‬َ‫ق‬َ‫اُت‬َ‫م‬َ‫عاىل:ُو‬َ‫ُت‬‫الل‬
َُُّ‫ىل‬ِ‫إ‬َُّ‫ب‬َ‫َح‬‫أ‬ُِ‫ه‬ْ‫ي‬َ‫ل‬َ‫ُع‬‫ت‬ْ‫ض‬َ‫ر‬َ‫ت‬ْ‫َّاُاف‬ِ‫ِم‬ُ
[which means] “Allah Said, ‘My slave does not come closer to Me
(i.e. he does not gain a higher status from Me) by doing anything
more acceptable to Me than what I have Made obligatory upon
him’.” This is a Qudsiyy hadith narrated by Al-Bukhariyy.
Moreover, the best and first obligation is the belief in Allah and
His Messenger.
The Creed that no one is God except Allah alone is not enough if it
is not associated with the Creed that Muhammad ‫ﷺ‬ is the
Messenger of Allah. Allah the Exalted Said7
:
﴿ُْ‫ا‬‫و‬‫يع‬ِ‫َط‬‫أ‬ُ‫ل‬‫ق‬‫ٱ‬َُ‫ُو‬َ‫لل‬‫ٱ‬َُّ‫ن‬ِ‫إ‬َ‫ف‬ُ‫ا‬‫و‬َّ‫ل‬َ‫و‬َ‫نُت‬ِ‫إ‬َ‫ف‬ُ‫ول‬‫س‬َّ‫لر‬‫ٱ‬ُُّ‫ب‬ِ‫ُُي‬ َ‫َُل‬َ‫لل‬‫ٱ‬َُ‫ك‬‫ل‬َُ‫ين‬ِ‫ر‬ِ‫ف‬﴾ُ
[which means] “(O Muhammad,) say, ‘Obey Allah and the
Messenger,’ and if they turn away (from believing in Allah and His
Messenger) then Allah does not Accept the blasphemers.” This
means that because of his blasphemy, Allah does not Accept the
one who turned away from believing in Allah and His Messenger,
and what is meant by “obeying Allah and His Messenger” in this
verse is “believing in them.”
7
Surat Al ^Imran, ayah 32.

24. It might be said: Unofficial Translation
24
This is evidence that whoever does not believe in Allah and His
Messenger, Muhammad ‫,ﷺ‬ is a blasphemer, and Allah does not
Accept him because of his blasphemy. Whoever says that Allah
loves the believers and the blasphemers because He Created all of
them has contradicted the Qur’an. So it is said to him, “Allah
Created all of them, but He does not Accept all of them.”

25. It might be said: Unofficial Translation
25
The Obligation of Every Accountable Person
Know that uttering the two Testifications of Faith after puberty
once in a lifetime, with the intention of fulfilling the obligation, is
obligatory on every accountable person according to the
Malikiyyah. This is because they do not consider the Tashahhud
obligatory in the prayer; they only consider it to be
recommended. According to the Shafi^iyyah and the Hanabilah, it
is obligatory to utter in every prayer for the validity of the prayer.
No Religion is Correct Except Islam
The true religion to Allah is Islam. Allah the Exalted Said8
:
﴿َُ‫ري‬َ‫غ‬ُِ‫غ‬َ‫بت‬َ‫نُي‬َ‫م‬َ‫و‬‫ٱ‬َُ‫ل‬‫س‬ِ‫إل‬ُ ِ‫ُِف‬َ‫و‬‫ه‬َ‫ُو‬‫نه‬ِ‫ُم‬َ‫ل‬َ‫قب‬‫نُي‬َ‫ل‬َ‫اُف‬‫ين‬ِ‫ُد‬ِ‫م‬‫ٱ‬َُ‫ن‬ِ‫ُم‬ِ‫ة‬َ‫ر‬ِ‫َخ‬‫أل‬
‫ٱ‬َُ‫خل‬َُ‫ين‬ِ‫ر‬ِ‫س‬﴾
[which means] “Whoever seeks other than Islam as a religion, it
will not be accepted from him, and he will be among the losers
in the Hereafter.” Also, Allah the Exalted Said9
:
﴿َُّ‫ن‬ِ‫إ‬‫ٱ‬َُ‫ند‬ِ‫ُع‬َ‫ِّين‬‫لد‬‫ٱ‬ُِ‫لل‬‫ٱ‬ُ‫م‬ َ‫سَل‬ِ‫إل‬﴾
8
Sūrat Āl ^Imrān, āyah 85.
9
Sūrat Āl ^Imrān, āyah 19.

26. It might be said: Unofficial Translation
26
[which means] “The (acceptable) religion to Allah is Islam.”
Therefore, all of the Prophets were Muslims. Whoever was a
follower of Musa [Moses] was a “Mosaic Muslim” and whoever
was a follower of ^Isa [Jesus] was a “Jesusite Muslim”. It is valid to
say about someone who follows Muhammad ‫ﷺ‬ that he is a
“Muhammadan Muslim”. Islam is the Religion that Allah Accepts
for His slaves and Ordered us to follow. Allah is not called a
“Muslim” as mentioned by some ignorant people.
In ancient times, mankind altogether was on one religion, which
was Islam. Associating partners with Allah and blasphemy took
place only after Prophet Idris [Enoch]. Nuh [Noah] was the first
Prophet sent to the blasphemers, calling to the worship of Allah,
the One Who has no partners. Allah warned all of the Messengers
[i.e., so that they would warn their people] after Nuh from
associating partners with Allah. Our Master Muhammad ‫ﷺ‬
came with the renewal of the Call to Islam after it was cut off
among the humans on Earth. He was supported with Miracles
that prove his Prophethood. Some people embraced Islam, and
the people of misguidance rejected his Prophethood. Some of
them were pagans, like a faction of Jews who worshiped ^Uzayr
(Ezra), adding blasphemy to their blasphemy. Some of the People
of the Book, the Jews and the Christians, believed in him, like
^Abdullah Ibn Salam, the scholar of the Jews in Madinah, and
Ashamah An-Najashi, the king of Ethiopia; he was a Christian.
Then he followed the Messenger in a perfect way and died during

27. It might be said: Unofficial Translation
27
the lifetime of the Messenger of Allah ‫ﷺ‬. The Messenger
prayed the funeral prayer for the absent on the day he died; Allah
revealed his death to the Prophet ‫.ﷺ‬ Then light was seen on his
grave during the nights, and this is evidence that he became a
perfect Muslim who was a Waliyy among the Awliya’ of Allah, may
Allah Accept his deeds.
The Islamic basis which unites all the people of Islam is the
worship of Allah alone.

28. It might be said: Unofficial Translation
28
The Judgment of the One who Claims Islam
Verbally but Nullifies Islam in Meaning
There are many factions that have contradicted Islam in meaning,
even if they are attributed to Islam because of their saying the
two Shahadahs, “I testify that no one is God except Allah and I
testify that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah”, and their
praying and their fasting, because they have contradicted the two
Testifications of Faith by believing what negates them. They have
surely gone out of Tawhid by worshipping other than Allah, so
they are blasphemers, they are not Muslims; like those who
believe in the godhood of ^Aliyy Ibn Abi Talib, or Al-Khadir, or Al-
Hakim Bi-Amri-llah, and others. Likewise is anything that has the
judgment of that, whether a saying or doing.
The judgment of the one who rejects the two Testifications of
Faith is that he is definitely charged with blasphemy. His
destination will be Hell. He will be in it forever and ever. The
everlasting torture in the Hereafter will not be cut off from him,
and he will not be the one who gets out of Hell.
Whoever performs the greatest of the rights of Allah by
confirming His Oneness, the Exalted, i.e. leaving out associating
anything with Him, and having faith in His Messenger ‫ﷺ‬, will
not dwell in Hellfire forever, even if he does enter Hell because of
his sins. His fate in the end, no matter what the situation, is exiting

29. It might be said: Unofficial Translation
29
Hell and entering Paradise after receiving the torture that he
deserves, if Allah does not Forgive him. The Messenger of Allah
‫ﷺ‬ said:
َُ‫ي‬ُُ‫ر‬ُُِ‫م‬ُِ‫ر‬‫نُالنا‬َُُ‫م‬ُْ‫ن‬َُُ‫ق‬َُ‫ال‬ُُِ‫إ‬ُ‫َل‬َُ‫له‬ُُِ‫إ‬ُ‫َلُالل‬َُُ‫وِفُق‬ُْ‫ل‬ُِ‫ب‬ُِ‫ه‬َُُ‫و‬ُْ‫ز‬ُ‫ن‬َُُ‫ذ‬َُّ‫ر‬ُ‫ة‬ُُِ‫م‬ُِ‫إ‬ُ‫ن‬ُ‫ميان‬
[which means] “Whoever says “There is no God except Allah” will
come out Hell as long as he has a particle’s weight of faith in his
heart.” This was narrated by Al-Bukhariyy.
As for the one who adhered to the Tawhid of Allah, the Exalted,
and he refrained from disobeying Allah and fulfilled His Orders, he
will enter Paradise without torture, where the everlasting and
ongoing luxuries are. This is proven by the Qudsiyy hadith
conveyed by Abu Hurayrah in which he said, The Messenger of
Allah ‫ﷺ‬ Said:
َُ‫ُم‬َ‫ُالصاحلني‬َ‫ي‬ِ‫ُلعبد‬‫ت‬ْ‫د‬َ‫َعد‬‫أ‬ُ:َّ‫ل‬َ‫ج‬َ‫ُو‬َّ‫ز‬َ‫ُع‬‫ُالل‬َ‫ال‬َ‫ق‬ُ‫ُوَل‬ ْ‫َت‬‫أ‬َ‫ُر‬ٌ‫اَُلُعني‬
ُ‫ر‬َ‫ش‬َ‫ُب‬ ِ‫ب‬ْ‫ل‬َ‫ُعلىُق‬َ‫ُوَلُخطر‬ ْ‫ت‬َ‫ع‬َِ‫َُس‬ٌ‫ن‬‫ذ‬‫أ‬ُ
[which means] “Allah the Mighty and Great Said: I have prepared
for my pious slaves what no eye has seen, no ear has heard, and
what never occurred to the heart of any human.” Abu Hurayrah

30. It might be said: Unofficial Translation
30
continued to say: “Recite, if you want, the Saying of Allah the
Exalted10
:
﴿ُ‫ا‬‫و‬‫ان‬َ‫ك‬ُ‫ا‬َ‫م‬ِ‫ب‬َُ‫آء‬َ‫ز‬َ‫ُج‬‫عني‬‫ُأ‬ِ‫ة‬َّ‫ر‬‫نُق‬ِّ‫مُم‬َ‫َل‬َُ‫ى‬ِ‫خف‬‫اُأ‬َّ‫ُم‬ٌ‫فس‬َ‫ن‬ُ‫م‬َ‫ل‬‫ع‬َ‫ُت‬ َ‫َل‬َ‫ف‬
َُ‫ن‬‫و‬‫ل‬َ‫عم‬َ‫ي‬﴾
[which means] “No soul knows what is hidden for them of
pleasurable things as compensation for what they used to do.”
Al-Bukhariyy narrated that in his Sahih.
10
Sūrat as-Sajdah, āyah 17.

31. It might be said: Unofficial Translation
31
Clarification of the Divisions of Blasphemy
Know, O my Muslim brother, that there are creeds, doings and
sayings that invalidate the two Testifications of Faith and make
one fall into blasphemy. Blasphemy is of three types: the
blasphemous creed, the blasphemous act and the blasphemous
expression.
This is by the Consensus of the [scholars of the] Four Schools, like
an-Nawawiyy and Ibnu-l-Muqri of the Shafi^iyyah, Ibn ^Abidin of
the Hanafiyyah, Al-Buhutiyy of the Hanabilah, Shaykh Muhammad
^Illaysh of the Malikiyyah, and others. So whoever wants, let him
go look in the books of the scholars. Similarly, other than the
scholars of the Four Schools among the past mujtahids, like Al-
Awza^iyy, mentioned that. He was a mujtahid; he had a school
that was practiced, after which his followers died out.
The place of the blasphemous creed is the heart. Examples are
denying an Attribute among the Attributes of Allah the Exalted
that are necessary for Him by consensus, such as His Existence, His
Being Powerful, Hearing, and Seeing. [It is also blasphemy to]
believe that He is an illumination or a soul. Shaykh ^Abdul-
Ghaniyy an-Nabulusiyy said: “Whoever believes that Allah filled
the Heavens and Earth, or that He is a body sitting above the
^Arsh, then he is a blasphemer even if he claimed that he was a
Muslim.”

32. It might be said: Unofficial Translation
32
An example of the blasphemous act is throwing a book of the
Qur’an in the trash. Ibn ^Abidin said, “Even if he did not intend to
belittle the Qur’an, because his doing itself is an indication of
belittlement.” [It is also blasphemy to] throw religious papers in
the trash or any paper that has a Name among the Names of Allah
the Exalted, while that person knows that Name is on it.
Furthermore, whoever hangs the signs of blasphemy on himself
without a necessity, if it were with the intention of seeking
blessings, glorification, or out of legitimating it, would be an
apostate.
The blasphemous saying is like insulting Allah, the Exalted—we
seek refuge with Allah from blasphemy—by saying “O daughter of
your Lord,” or “O son of Allah.” Blasphemy will take place in this
case even if the person did not believe that Allah has a daughter
or a son.
If a Muslim calls another Muslim by saying “O blasphemer,”
without any ta’wil11
, he blasphemes, because he has named Islam
blasphemy. Whoever says to the Muslim, “O Jew,” or the like, with
the intention that he is not a Muslim, blasphemes, unless he
intended that he resembles the Jews; then he does not
blaspheme.
11
An explanation of the statement that saves him from falling into
blasphemy. Such as meaning by the saying “O kafir,” “You act like a
blasphemer,” or that this Muslim committed an enormous sin which the
speaker thought was blasphemy.

33. It might be said: Unofficial Translation
33
If a person said to his wife, “You are more beloved to me than
Allah,” he blasphemes. If he said to her, “I worship you,” while
understanding from that the worship which is specific to Allah the
Exalted, he blasphemes.
If a person said to another, “May Allah be unjust to you as you
have been unjust to me,” he blasphemes, because he attributed
injustice to Allah the Exalted. However, if he understood from the
meaning of “May He be unjust to you,” “May He avenge me,” we
do not charge him with blasphemy, but we forbid him from
[saying] that.
If a person said to another person “Damn your Lord,” he
blasphemes. Likewise blasphemes the one who said to a Muslim,
“Damn your Din.” Some of the scholars said that if he meant by
the word ‘Din’ that person’s own behavior he does not
blaspheme. Some Hanafiyy scholars said that he blasphemes if he
generalizes, that is, if he did not intend that person’s own
behavior, and he did not intend the Religion of Islam.
Likewise blasphemes whoever says, “So-and-so moved my Lord,”
because this has the attribution of movement and place to Allah.
Likewise blasphemes the one who says—and we seek refuge with
Allah—“The likeness of Allah,” he means someone resembles
Allah.
Likewise blasphemes whoever attributes to Allah an organ, like
the saying of some stupid people, “O penis of Allah.” This is an

34. It might be said: Unofficial Translation
34
explicit statement of blasphemy, and there is no way to explain it
other than the apparent meaning. Likewise blasphemes the one
who says, “I am the Lord of whoever does such-and-such.”12
Likewise blasphemes the one who says—and we seek refuge with
Allah—“My Lord went crazy,” or the one who says to a
blasphemer, “May Allah honor you,” with the intention that Allah
would give them a high status, because Allah does not give honor
to the blasphemers, as Allah the Exalted Said13
:
﴿َُّ‫ن‬ِ‫إ‬َ‫ف‬ُ‫ا‬‫و‬َّ‫ل‬َ‫و‬َ‫نُت‬ِ‫إ‬َ‫ف‬‫ٱ‬ُُّ‫ب‬ِ‫ُُي‬ َ‫َُل‬َ‫لل‬‫ٱ‬َُ‫ك‬‫ل‬َُ‫ين‬ِ‫ر‬ِ‫ف‬﴾ُ
[which means] “If they turn away from that, then Allah does not
Accept the blasphemers.”
Likewise, to say to a blasphemer, “May Allah Forgive you,” if he
intended that Allah would Forgive him while he is on his state of
blasphemy until he dies. Likewise blasphemes whoever says about
the one who died as a blasphemer, “May Allah have Mercy upon
him,” with the intention that Allah would relieve him of his torture
in the grave, not with the intention of Allah lightening his torture
12
This judgment does not pertain to the one who says, “I am the lord of
the land (landlord),” for example. It refers to the one who says, “I am the
lord of carpenters,” for example. This is blasphemy because Allah is their
Lord.
13
Sūrat Āl ^Imrān, āyah 32.

35. It might be said: Unofficial Translation
35
without him getting complete relief. If he says that with that
intention then it is possible that he does not blaspheme.
Whoever uses the word “create” in reference to the people in a
context in which it means “to bring into existence from non-
existence” blasphemes, like for someone to say, “Create for me
such and such like Allah Created you.”
Whoever insults ^Azra’il14
, peace be upon him, blasphemes, as
mentioned by Ibn Farhun in the book Tabsirah Al-Hukkam, or
cursing any angel, peace be upon them.
Likewise [blasphemes] whoever says, “I hate Allah.” Whoever says
“Allah does not tolerate so-and-so,” blasphemes, if his
understanding is that Allah is attributed with inability or that Allah
is annoyed by him. However, if he understands from this that
Allah grants that one a low status he does not blaspheme.
Whoever says, “Damn the sky of your Lord,” blasphemes because
he belittled Allah the Exalted by that.
Likewise, whoever calls the religious places of the blasphemers
“Houses of Allah” blasphemes. As for the Saying of Allah the
Exalted15
:
14
The Angel of Death
15
Sūrat Al-Hajj, verse 40.

36. It might be said: Unofficial Translation
36
﴿ُ‫فع‬َ‫ُد‬ َ‫وَل‬َ‫ل‬َ‫و‬‫ٱ‬ُِ‫لل‬‫ٱ‬ُ‫ت‬َ‫ِّم‬‫د‬َّ‫َُل‬‫عض‬َ‫ب‬ِ‫ب‬ُ‫م‬‫ه‬َ‫عض‬َ‫ُب‬َ‫َّاس‬‫ن‬‫ل‬ُ‫و‬َ‫ص‬ٌُ‫ع‬َ‫ي‬ِ‫ب‬َ‫ُو‬‫ع‬ِ‫م‬
ُ‫و‬َ‫ل‬َ‫ص‬َ‫و‬َُ‫س‬َ‫م‬َ‫ُو‬ٌ‫ت‬ُ‫د‬ِ‫ج‬﴾ُ
[which means] “Had it not been for Allah protecting the people
by others, then Sawami^, Biya^, Salawat, and Masjids would
have been demolished,” what is meant by what is in this verse is
the places of the followers of Moses and Jesus when they were
Muslims, because those places are like the masjids of the Nation
of Muhammad ‫.ﷺ‬ Each one of those different types was built
for the Oneness of Allah and His glorification, not for worshipping
other than Allah. Allah has named the Aqsa Mosque a masjid, and
it is not among the buildings of Muhammad’s Nation. So let a
person fear Allah and let him beware of naming what was built for
shirk “houses of Allah,” and whoever does not fear Allah says
whatever he wants.
Likewise whoever tells a lie, while knowing that it is a lie, and says,
“Allah is a witness to what I say,” intending, “Allah Knows the
issue as I said,” attributes ignorance to Allah, because Allah Knows
he is a liar.
Likewise it is not permissible to say, “Everyone is on his [own]
religion, Allah empowers him,” with the intention of making
supplication for everyone who is on [his own] religion.
Likewise blasphemes whoever generalizes his speech and says
“The dog is better than the children of Adam,” or the one who

37. It might be said: Unofficial Translation
37
says “Arabs are scabies.”16
If he qualifies his speech or the context
of the situation qualifies his talk, such as saying “Today, the Arabs
are corrupt,” then saying “The Arabs are scabies,” in this case he
does not blaspheme.
Whoever calls the Devil, “Bismillahir-Rahmanir-Rahim,”
blasphemes, but not if he merely mentioned the basmalah with
the intention of seeking refuge with Allah from the evil of the
Devil.
There are some poets and writers who write blasphemous words,
like one who wrote, “Allah fled.” This is among the bad manners
towards Allah that drop one into blasphemy. Qadi ^Iyad [Al-
Malikiyy] said: “There is no difference among the Muslims that the
one who insults Allah is a blasphemer.”
Whoever deems these sayings and expressions good blasphemes,
and how widespread they are in many authored works. The bad
manners that people show towards the Messenger by making fun
of any of his situations, or making fun of any of his deeds, are
blasphemy.
Belittling what has some Qur’an written in it, the Prophets, peace
be upon them, the signs of Islam, or belittling a law revealed by
Allah is definite blasphemy. Likewise, deeming blasphemy good
16
This statement about the Arabs is blasphemy because some of the
Prophets were Arabs. Likewise if someone says “all men are dogs”, he
blasphemes because the Prophets are men.

38. It might be said: Unofficial Translation
38
from others is blasphemy because accepting blasphemy is
blasphemy.
The one who conveys another person’s blasphemy does not
blaspheme, if he did that without deeming it good, by saying “so-
and-so said such-and-such.” If someone delays the words “he
said”, to the end of the statement, it is a condition that he had the
intention to say it before he said the statement.
What is Exempted from the Blasphemous
Expressions
The slip of the tongue is exempted from the blasphemous
expressions. That is, to say anything of that type without will;
rather, it ran on one’s tongue and he did not intend to say it at all.
The case of the absence of mind: The lack of a conscious mind
[exempts one from being charged with blasphemy]17
.
The case of compulsion: The one who utters blasphemy with his
tongue under the threat of death or the like, while his heart is
tranquil with faith, does not blaspheme. Allah the Exalted Said18
:
17
The one who says a blasphemous statement out of anger is not
covered under this rule, thus they are not exempted from the charge of
blasphemy.
18
Sūrat an-Nahl, āyah 106.

39. It might be said: Unofficial Translation
39
﴿ُِ‫ب‬َُ‫ر‬َ‫ف‬َ‫ك‬ُ‫ن‬َ‫م‬‫ٱ‬ُ‫مي‬ِ‫إ‬ُِ‫عد‬َ‫نُب‬ِ‫ُم‬ِ‫لل‬ُِ‫ب‬ٌُ‫ن‬ِ‫ئ‬َ‫طم‬‫ُم‬‫ه‬‫لب‬َ‫ق‬َ‫ُو‬َ‫ه‬ِ‫ر‬‫ك‬‫نُأ‬َ‫ُم‬ ‫ا‬‫َل‬ِ‫إ‬ُِ‫ه‬ِ‫ن‬‫ٱ‬ُ‫مي‬ِ‫إل‬ُِ‫ن‬
َُ‫ل‬َ‫و‬ُِ‫ب‬َُ‫ح‬َ‫ر‬َ‫نُش‬َّ‫نُم‬ِ‫ك‬‫ٱ‬ُ‫لك‬َُ‫ن‬ِّ‫ُم‬ٌ‫ب‬َ‫ض‬َ‫غ‬ُ‫م‬ِ‫ه‬‫ي‬َ‫ل‬َ‫ع‬َ‫اُف‬‫در‬َ‫ُص‬ِ‫ر‬‫ف‬‫ٱ‬ُِ‫لل‬﴾ُ
[which means] “…except for the one who was compelled while
his heart was firm with belief. However, whoever blasphemes in
Allah after belief, and his heart was delighted with blasphemy,
he deserves the Punishment of Allah.”
The case of conveying another’s blasphemy: The one who conveys
the blasphemy of another without accepting it does not
blaspheme. Our reference for excluding the case of conveying
another’s blasphemy is the Saying of Allah the Exalted19
:
﴿ُ ِ‫ت‬َ‫ل‬‫ا‬َ‫ق‬َ‫و‬‫ٱ‬ُ‫ود‬‫ه‬َ‫لي‬ُ‫ع‬َُ‫ز‬ٌُ‫يز‬ُ‫ٱ‬ُ‫بن‬ُ‫ٱ‬ُِ‫لل‬َُُ‫و‬َُ‫ق‬َُ‫ل‬‫ا‬ُِ‫ت‬ُ‫ٱ‬َُّ‫ن‬‫ل‬َُ‫ص‬َُُ‫ر‬ُ‫ى‬‫ٱ‬ُِ‫ملس‬ُ‫يح‬ُ‫ٱ‬ُ‫بن‬ُ‫ٱ‬ُِ‫لل‬﴾
[which means] “The Jews said ‘Ezra is the son of Allah’ and the
Christians said ‘the Masih (Jesus) is the son of Allah’.”
[Also20
:]
﴿ُ ِ‫ت‬َ‫ل‬‫ا‬َ‫ق‬َ‫و‬‫ٱ‬ُ‫د‬َ‫ُي‬‫ود‬‫ه‬َ‫لي‬‫ٱ‬ُِ‫لل‬ٌُ‫ة‬َ‫ل‬‫و‬‫غل‬َ‫م‬﴾
[which means] “The Jews said ‘Allah is stingy’.”
Furthermore, the citation that protects the narrator from
blasphemy would either be at the beginning of the statement that
19
Sūrat at-Tawbah, āyah 30.
20
Sūrat Al-Mā’idah, āyah 64.

40. It might be said: Unofficial Translation
40
he cites or after his mentioning that blasphemous word, while
intending beforehand to say the citation. So if he said, “‘The Masih
(Jesus) is the son of Allah’ is the saying of the Christians,” or, “the
Christians said that,” it is a citation that prevents blasphemy from
the citer.
The case of a person who has a misunderstanding of the Religious
Law while trying to arrive at the truth: The one with a
misunderstanding does not blaspheme unless his
misunderstanding was in reference to the definite matters – in
this he is not excused. Like the misconception of those who said
that the world is beginningless, such as Ibn Taymiyah.
An example of those who do not blaspheme is those who
misconceived and withheld the Zakah during the era of Abu Bakr,
claiming that Zakah was obligatory only during the lifetime of the
Messenger. They said that this is because his supplication for
them due to the paid Zakah would be mercy and tranquility for
them, and that was cut off by his death. The Companions did not
charge them with blasphemy for that because those people
understood from the Saying of Allah the Exalted21
:
﴿ُ‫َمو‬‫أ‬ُ‫ن‬ِ‫ذُم‬‫خ‬َُّ‫ن‬ِ‫إ‬ُ‫م‬ِ‫ه‬‫ي‬َ‫ل‬َ‫ُع‬ِّ‫ل‬َ‫ص‬َ‫اُو‬َ
ِ‫مُِب‬ِ‫ه‬‫ي‬ِّ‫ك‬َ‫ز‬‫ت‬َ‫مُو‬‫ه‬‫ر‬ِّ‫ه‬َ‫ط‬‫ُت‬‫ة‬َ‫ق‬َ‫د‬َ‫مُص‬ِِ‫َل‬
ُ‫و‬َ‫ل‬َ‫ص‬‫م‬َّ‫َُل‬ٌ‫ن‬َ‫ك‬َ‫ُس‬َ‫ك‬َ‫ت‬﴾
21
Sūrat at-Tawbah, āyah 103.

41. It might be said: Unofficial Translation
41
[which means] “Take a charity from their money that purifies
them, and make supplication for them; surely your supplication
is a mercy for them.” The meaning of this verse [according to
their understanding] is “O Muhammad, take their Zakah from
them so that when they pay it, it would be mercy for them.” Then
they said that his supplication would not happen after his death,
so it is not obligatory on them to pay it because he died and he
was the one ordered to take it from them. They did not
understand that the ruling was general during his life and after his
death.
The only reason Abu Bakr fought them like he fought the
apostates who followed Musaylimah Al-Kadhdhab in his claim of
prophethood was because he was unable to take the Zakah from
them except by fighting them. They were a mobilized force, so he
was forced to fight them.
Likewise those who interpreted the Saying of Allah the Exalted22
:
﴿َُ‫ن‬‫و‬‫ه‬َ‫نت‬ُّ‫مُم‬‫ت‬ْ‫َن‬‫أ‬ُ‫ل‬َ‫ه‬َ‫ف‬﴾ُ
[which means] “Are you going to stop?!” to be giving a choice
rather than as a prohibition of drinking wine, so they drank it.
^Umar [Ibnu-l-Khattab] did not judge them as blasphemers, rather
he said, “Whip them eighty times each, and if they return [to
22
Sūrat Al-Mā’idah, āyah 91.

42. It might be said: Unofficial Translation
42
deeming] it [lawful] then execute them.” This is narrated by Ibn
Abi Shaybah.
They only charged with blasphemy those who apostatized from
Islam by believing in Musaylimah Al-Kadhdhab, the one who
claimed prophethood. So fighting those who misinterpreted and
withheld the Zakah in this way was for taking the obligatory right
on their money. This case is like fighting the rebels; they are not
fought for blasphemy, rather they are fought to bring them back
to the obedience of the Caliph. This is like those whom our master
^Aliyy fought in the three conflicts: the conflict of Al-Jamal, the
conflict of Siffin with Mu^awiyah, and the conflict of An-
Nahrawan with the Khawarij, although among the Khawarij there
is a group that are actually blasphemers, and they have their own
judgment.
Hafidh Abu Zur^ah Al-^Iraqiyy said in his book, An-Nukat:
Our Shaykh Al-Bulqiniyy said, [that] it is necessary to say
‘without an acceptable excuse (that saves them from
blasphemy)’ in order to exclude the rebels and the
Khawarij who legitimized the People of Justice’s blood and
money, while believing in the prohibition of their own
blood being lawful for the People of Justice, as well as
those who denied the obligation of the Zakah on them
after the Messenger of Allah ‫ﷺ‬ are excused. This is

43. It might be said: Unofficial Translation
43
the judgment because the Companions (may Allah Accept
their deeds) did not charge them with blasphemy.
This is a reference from the documents of the School concerning
the case of misinterpreting the text.
Among the documents of the School about the case of
misunderstanding the religious text and the case of citing another
person’s blasphemy is the saying of Shamsu-d-Din Ar-Ramliyy in
his explanation of Minhaj at-Talibin, in the beginning of the Book
of Apostasy, in his explanation of the saying of an-Nawawiyy:
“Apostasy is cutting off Islam with an intention or saying of
blasphemy,” “So there is no affect from the slip of the tongue,
compulsion, misunderstanding, and citing another person’s
blasphemy.”
And the saying of the commentator, that is, the author of the
Commentary of the Explanation [of Minhaj at-Talibin], Nuru-d-Din
^Aliyy Ash-Shabramallisiyy (1087 A.H.), concerning Ar-Ramliyy’s
statement, “and misunderstanding”: “That is, not absolutely, as is
clear from what will be presented about the likes the blasphemy
of those who say that the world is eternal, despite that it is based
on deduction and inference.”
The other commentator on the explanation of Ar-Ramliyy, Ahmad
Ibn ^Abdir-Razzaq who is famous as “Al-Maghribiyy Ar-Rashidiyy”
(1096 A.H.): “When he said, ‘misunderstanding’, that is in
reference to what does not have definitive evidence [against his

44. It might be said: Unofficial Translation
44
misunderstanding], as proven by the blasphemy of the likes of
those who say ‘the world is eternal,’ even though it was by
inference.”
From here, it is known that not every person who has a
misunderstanding is saved from blasphemy by his
misunderstanding. So let the student of knowledge always
remember the aforementioned saying of Ar-Rashidiyy when he
said, “in reference to what does not have definitive evidence.”
This means one should always recall this statement in his heart,
because it is important. Misunderstanding in the face of definitive
evidence does not prevent the charge of blasphemy against the
one who misunderstood.
What we said about the Khawarij, excluding some of them from
being among those who were charged with blasphemy, is because
of the confirmation of what dictates charging some of them with
blasphemy, as supported by the saying of some Companions who
narrated the hadiths about the Khawarij.
As for what was narrated from our master ^Aliyy, that he said,
“Our brothers have rebelled against us,” there is no evidence in it
to judge all of them with Islam because its chain of narration was
not confirmed from ^Aliyy, and the Hafidh and Mujtahid Ibn Jarir
at-Tabariyy and others were certain about the blasphemy of all of
them. This should be taken to be in reference to the different

45. It might be said: Unofficial Translation
45
cases of the Khawarij; that some of them reached the level of
blasphemy and others did not.
This case has been expressed by some as “ijtihad” and some have
expressed it as “ta’wil”. Among those who used the term “ta’wil”
is the Hafidh, Faqih, and Shafi^iyy, Siraju-d-Din Al-Bulqiniyy, the
one the author of Al-Qamus referred to as “The Savant of the
World”. Some of the explainers of Minhaj at-Talibin have
expressed it as “ijtihad,” and both expressions must be properly
restricted.
From here it is known that not everyone who misunderstands is
protected from blasphemy by his misunderstanding. So let no one
think that is absolute, because generalizing in that is a disbanding
of and exiting from the Religion.
Do not you see that many of those who are attributed to Islam
who busied themselves with philosophy went out of the Religion
for their belief that the world is eternal, out of their “ijtihad”?
Despite that, the Muslims have agreed on their blasphemy, as
mentioned by the Muhaddith and Faqih Badru-d-Din Az-
Zarkashiyy in the explanation of Jam^u-l-Jawami^. He said after
mentioning the two groups [of the philosophers]; those who
claimed that the world in its entirety is eternal, and those who
claimed that the world is eternal by its kind only and not its
elements, “The Muslims have agreed on their misguidance and
their blasphemy.”

46. It might be said: Unofficial Translation
46
Likewise the Murji’ah, those who said sins are not harmful while
having belief, just like good deeds are not beneficial while having
blasphemy; they only said that out of “ijtihad” and “ta’wil” of
some texts outside of their contexts, and they were not excused.
Moreover, groups other than them became misguided and they
are attributed to Islam; their deviance was through “ijtihad” and
“ta’wil”.
Rule: The expression that has two meanings, one of which is a
type of blasphemy and the other is not blasphemy, and the
meaning that was blasphemy was the apparent meaning,
however, it was not explicit, the one who said it is not charged
with blasphemy until it is known which of the two meanings he
intended. So if he said, “I intended the blasphemous meaning,” he
is judged with blasphemy, and the rules of apostasy are applied to
him, or else he is not charged with blasphemy. Likewise, if the
expression has many meanings, and all of its meanings were
blasphemy except one, he is not charged with blasphemy until the
intent of the blasphemous meaning is known from him. This is
what was mentioned by some Hanafiyy scholars in their books.
As for what some people say, that if the statement has ninety-nine
opinions confirming a charge of blasphemy and one opinion not
confirming a charge of blasphemy, then we take by leaving out the
charge of blasphemy, it is meaningless. It is not valid to attribute
that to Malik or to Abu Hanifah as Sayyid Sabiq attributed the likes

47. It might be said: Unofficial Translation
47
of to Imam Malik. This is widespread on the tongues of some
contemporaries, so let them fear Allah.
The scholars said that the explicit blasphemy is that statement
which only has one meaning; it necessitates the charge of
blasphemy. Therefore, the one who says it is charged with
blasphemy, like to say, “I am Allah.” Even if this [type of]
expression came from a Waliyy while his mind was absent, he will
be punished, despite that he was not accountable at that time;
that was said by ^Izzud-Din Ibn ^Abdis-Salam. This is because
punishment affects the one whose mind is absent, just like it
affects the one with a clear mind and just like it affects the
animals. For surely had the beast been defiant and then was hit, it
stops its defiance even though it does not have a mind. Likewise
the Waliyy; if he utters blasphemy while his mind is absent, then
was hit or shouted at, he would refrain because of the natural
affect of being reprimanded.
Keep in mind that blasphemy does not come from a Waliyy while
his mind is present. It would only occur if his tongue slips or he
loses his mind, because the Waliyy is protected from blasphemy.
This is different from the major or minor sin, because it is possible
for a Waliyy to commit it. However, he will not insist on that sin,
rather, he would repent immediately. It could be that a Waliyy
commits a major sin shortly before his death; however, he will not
die unless he repents, like Talhah Ibn ^Ubaydillah and Az-Zubayr
Ibn ^Awwam, may Allah accept their deeds. Both of them went

48. It might be said: Unofficial Translation
48
against the Prince of the Believers, ^Aliyy, may Allah Accept his
deeds, by standing with those who fought against him in Basrah.
So ^Aliyy reminded both of them about a hadith. As for Az-Zubayr,
he said to him, “Did the Messenger of Allah ‫ﷺ‬ not say to you:
‫ُله‬ٌ‫أنتُظامل‬‫و‬ُ‫ا‬ًّ‫ي‬‫ُعل‬َّ‫ن‬َ‫ل‬‫إنكُلتقات‬
[which means] ‘Surely you will certainly fight ^Aliyy while you
are unjust to him’?” So he said, “I forgot.” Then he left the
battlefield without fighting, and a man from the army of ^Aliyy
followed him and killed him. So he repented by ^Aliyy’s reminder
and he did not die without repentance.
As for Talhah, he said to him, “Did the Messenger of Allah ‫ﷺ‬
not say:
ُ‫ُموَله‬‫ُفعلي‬‫ُموَله‬‫نُكنت‬َ‫م‬ُ
[which means] ‘Whomever I was his supporter, then ^Aliyy is his
supporter’?” So he left, abandoning the battle, then Marwan
Ibnu-l-Hakam hit him and killed him. He also repented and
regretted upon ^Aliyy mentioning this hadith to him. Each one of
them did not die without repentance. Both of these hadiths are
authentic; in fact, the second is mutawatir.
Imam Abul-Hasan Al-Ash^ariyy mentioned that Talhah and Az-
Zubayr are forgiven by virtue of the good news that was given to

49. It might be said: Unofficial Translation
49
them by the Messenger of Allah ‫ﷺ‬ with eight others in one
session. This is a confirmation from Imam Abul-Hasan Al-
Ash^ariyy that they commited a sin. He said the same about
^A’ishah because she also received the good news of going to
Paradise. She regretted severely that she stood with those who
fought ^Aliyy, to the extent that whenever she would remember
her travel to Basrah and her standing with those who fought
^Aliyy she would cry strongly; her scarf would become wet from
her tears. This is also mutawatir. And he said about other than
those two [Talhah and Az-Zubayr] among the people of the
incident of Al-Jamal and the people of Siffin—those who fought
^Aliyy with Mu^awiyah—“Their forgiveness and pardon is
possible,” as conveyed by Imam Abu Bakr Ibn Furak from Abul-
Hasan Al-Ash^ariyy in his book Mujarrad Maqalat Al-Ash^ariyy.
Ibn Furak is the student of the student of Abul-Hasan Al-
Ash^ariyy, and that student is Abul-Hasan Al-Bahiliyy, may Allah
accept their deeds.
What some ignorant people believe, that a Waliyy does not fall
into a sin, is abominable ignorance. For those three, Talhah, Az-
Zubayr and ^A’ishah are among the greatest Awliya’.
Imam Al-Haramayn Al-Juwayniyy said, “The scholars of the
Fundamentals of the Religion agreed that whoever says a word of
apostasy (i.e., blasphemy) and claims that he intended some far-
fetched meaning is charged as a blasphemer inwardly and

50. It might be said: Unofficial Translation
50
outwardly,” and he agreed with them. This means that the far-
fetched explanation does not benefit him, like the one who says,
“Damn the Messenger of Allah,” then he says, “What I meant by
the Messenger of Allah is the lightning.”
Numerous scholars, like the Hanafiyy faqih, Badru-r-Rashid, and
he was close to the eighth Hijriyy century, listed many
[blasphemous] things. So it is a must that one would be aware of
that, for surely the one who does not know evil will fall in to it, so
let him beware. It is confirmed from one of the Companions that
he took hold of his tongue and addressed it by saying, “O tongue,
say good and reap the goodness. Be silent from evil and be safe
before you regret. Surely I heard the Messenger of Allah ‫ﷺ‬
saying23
:
ُِ‫ه‬ِ‫ُلسان‬ْ‫ُمن‬َ‫م‬َ‫ُءاد‬ِ‫ن‬‫ُخطاياُاب‬‫أكثر‬ُ
[which means] ‘Most of the sins of the son of Adam are from his
tongue.’” Among those sins are blasphemy and major sins.
In another hadith of the Messenger ‫ﷺ‬:
َُّ‫ن‬ِ‫إ‬َُُ‫الع‬ُْ‫ب‬َُ‫ل‬َُ‫د‬َُ‫ي‬َُ‫ت‬َُ‫ك‬َُّ‫ل‬ُِ‫ب‬ُ‫م‬َُ‫ك‬‫ال‬َُ‫ُم‬ِ‫ة‬َ‫م‬ِ‫ل‬ُ‫ا‬ُِ‫ُف‬ َّ‫بني‬َ‫ت‬َ‫ي‬َُ‫يه‬َُ‫اُي‬ُْ‫ه‬ُِ‫و‬ُ‫ُِما‬َ‫د‬َ‫ع‬ْ‫َب‬‫أ‬ُِ‫ر‬‫َّا‬‫ن‬‫اُِفُال‬َ
ِ‫يُِب‬
َُ‫ب‬َُْ‫ني‬ُ ِ‫ر‬ْ‫ش‬‫ُامل‬‫امل‬‫و‬ُِ‫ب‬ِ‫ر‬ْ‫غ‬ُ
23
Narrated by Abul-Qāsim Sulaymān Ibn Aĥmad at-Tabarāniyy with a
authentic chain from the route of ^Abdullāh Ibn Mas^ūd.

51. It might be said: Unofficial Translation
51
[which means] “Surely the slave would certainly speak with the
word. He does not distinguish it [i.e., he does not contemplate on
its meaning], and because of it he would fall into Hell a distance
greater than what is between the east and the west.” That is
narrated by Al-Bukhariyy and Muslim from the route of Abu
Hurayrah.

52. It might be said: Unofficial Translation
52
Important Benefit
The judgment of the one who commits any one of these types of
blasphemy is that he loses his good deeds entirely, so not one
particle of good deeds that he did previously will be counted for
him, whether charity, Hajj, fasting, praying, etc. The only good
deeds that will be counted for him are the new good deeds that
he did after renewing his belief. The Exalted Said24
:
﴿ُِ‫ب‬ُ‫ر‬‫كف‬َ‫نُي‬َ‫م‬َ‫و‬‫ٱ‬ُ‫مي‬ِ‫إل‬ُ‫ه‬‫ل‬َ‫م‬َ‫ُع‬َ‫ط‬ِ‫ب‬َ‫دُح‬َ‫ق‬َ‫ُف‬ِ‫ن‬﴾ُ
[which means] “Whoever blasphemes after belief has lost his
deeds.”
If one says, “I seek the forgiveness of Allah,” before renewing his
belief by saying, “I testify that no one is God except Allah and I
testify that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah,” while he is on
this state [of blasphemy], for him to say “I seek the forgiveness of
Allah” will not increase him in anything but sin and blasphemy.
This is because he is contradicting the Saying of Allah the
Exalted25
:
24
Sūrat Al-Mā’idah, āyah 5.
25
Sūrat Muĥammad, āyah 34.

53. It might be said: Unofficial Translation
53
﴿َُّ‫ن‬ِ‫إ‬‫ٱ‬ُِ‫يل‬ِ‫ب‬َ‫نُس‬َ‫ُع‬ْ‫ا‬‫و‬ُّ‫د‬َ‫ص‬َ‫ُو‬ْ‫ا‬‫و‬‫ر‬َ‫ف‬َ‫ك‬َُ‫ين‬ِ‫ذ‬َّ‫ل‬‫ٱ‬َُ‫ل‬َ‫ُف‬ٌ‫َّار‬‫ف‬‫مُك‬‫ه‬َ‫ُو‬ْ‫ا‬‫و‬‫ات‬َ‫ُم‬َّ‫ُُث‬ِ‫لل‬ُْ‫ن‬ُ
َُ‫ر‬ِ‫ف‬ْ‫غ‬َ‫ي‬‫ٱ‬‫م‬َ‫َل‬ُ‫لل‬﴾ُ
[which means] “Surely those who blaspheme and those who
blocked others from embracing Islam, then they died while they
are blasphemers, Allah will not Forgive them.” And this is also
because of the Saying of Allah the Exalted26
:
﴿ُِ‫إ‬َُّ‫ن‬ُ‫ٱ‬َُّ‫ل‬ُِ‫ذ‬َُ‫ين‬َُُُ‫ك‬َُ‫ف‬ُ‫ر‬َُ‫اُو‬‫و‬َُ‫ظ‬َُ‫ل‬ُ‫م‬َُ‫اُملُي‬‫و‬ُ‫ك‬ُِ‫ن‬ُ‫ٱ‬ُ‫لل‬ُُِ‫ل‬َُ‫ي‬ُْ‫غ‬ُِ‫ف‬َُ‫ر‬َُُ‫ل‬ُ‫ه‬َُ‫مُو‬ُِ‫َلُل‬َُ‫ي‬ُ‫م‬‫ه‬َ‫ي‬ِ‫د‬ْ‫ه‬
‫ا‬‫يق‬ِ‫ر‬َ‫ط‬َُُ‫ُخ‬َ‫َّم‬‫ن‬َ‫ه‬َ‫ُج‬َ‫يق‬ِ‫ر‬َ‫ط‬ُ َّ‫َل‬ِ‫إ‬‫ا‬‫د‬َ‫َب‬‫أ‬ُ‫آ‬َ‫يه‬ِ‫ُف‬َ‫ين‬ِ‫د‬ِ‫ل‬﴾ُ
[which means] “Surely, those who blasphemed and did injustice,
Allah will not Forgive them nor guide them to a path except the
path of Hell, to dwell in it forever.”
Ibn Hibban narrated from ^Imran Ibn Husayn that a man came to
the Messenger of Allah and said, “O Muhammad, ^Abdul-Muttalib
is better to his people than you. He used to feed them liver and
camel hump, and you kill them.” So the Messenger of Allah said
whatever Allah Willed.27
Then when the man wanted to leave he
said, “What should I say?” The Prophet ‫ﷺ‬ said:
‫ي‬ِ‫ر‬ْ‫َم‬‫أ‬ُِ‫د‬َ‫ش‬ْ‫َر‬‫أ‬ُ‫ُعلى‬ ِ‫مُِل‬ِ‫ز‬ْ‫اع‬‫و‬ُ‫ي‬ِ‫س‬ْ‫ف‬َ‫ُن‬َّ‫ر‬َ‫ُش‬ ِ‫ِن‬ِ‫ُق‬َّ‫ُاللهم‬ْ‫قل‬
26
Sūrat an-Nisā’, āyah 168-169.
27
Meaning he responded to him.

54. It might be said: Unofficial Translation
54
[which means] “Say, ‘O Allah, save me from the evil of myself
and make me firm on that which is the best guidance for me.’”
Then the man left and he did not embrace Islam. Then he said to
the Messenger of Allah [at a later date], “I came to you and said to
you ‘Teach me.’ So you said, ‘Say, “O Allah, save me from the evil
of myself and make me firm on that which is the best guidance
for me”.’ So what should I say now that I have embraced Islam?”
The Prophet ‫ﷺ‬ said:
ُ‫ري‬ْ‫ُأم‬ِ‫شد‬ْ‫مُِلُعلىُأر‬ِ‫ز‬‫اع‬‫و‬ُ‫ي‬ِ‫س‬ْ‫ف‬‫ُن‬َّ‫ُشر‬ ِ‫ِن‬ِ‫ُق‬َّ‫ُاللهم‬ْ‫قل‬ُ ِ‫ُاغفرُِل‬‫ا‬‫اللهم‬
ُ‫ت‬ْ‫ل‬ِ‫ه‬َ‫ماُج‬َ‫ُو‬‫ت‬ْ‫أ‬َ‫ط‬ْ‫ُوماُأخ‬‫دت‬َ‫م‬َ‫ماُع‬َ‫ُو‬‫ت‬ْ‫ن‬َ‫ل‬ْ‫َع‬‫أ‬ُ‫ُوما‬‫ت‬ْ‫ر‬َ‫ر‬ْ‫ماُأس‬
[which means] “Say, ‘O Allah, save me from the evil of myself
and keep me firm on that which is the best guidance for me. O
Allah, Forgive me for what I have done secretly and what I have
done openly, what I have done purposely and what I have done
mistakenly, and what I have done ignorantly.’”
Among the judgments of apostasy is that the apostate corrupts his
fasting, his tayammum, and his marriage before consummation.
He likewise corrupts it after consummation if he does not return
to Islam within the ^iddah. His marriage contract would not be
valid with a Muslim or a blasphemer, even if she were an apostate
like him.28
28
The judgments related to the validity of the marriage contract are the
same whether the man or the woman apostatizes.

55. It might be said: Unofficial Translation
55
A Return to the Classification of Blasphemy
for the Additional Benefit
Know that blasphemy is of three categories. It will be either
likening, contradicting, or denying.
The first of them is likening Allah to the creation. [Examples are]
for one to attribute to Allah a beginning for His Existence or going
out of existence, or a body, color, shape, or quantity [i.e., a size or
a volume].
As for what came in the hadith:
ٌُ‫يل‬َِ‫َُج‬َ‫ُالل‬َّ‫ن‬ِ‫إ‬ُ
[which translates literally as] “Surely Allah is Beautiful,” it does not
mean a beautiful appearance, rather it means that He has the
Attributes of Perfection, or it means He is Generous.
The second of those is contradicting the Religious Law. That is
contradicting what came in the Honorable Qur’an or what the
Messenger came with, i.e., what was confirmed from the
Messenger, while what was contradicted was commonly known
and immediately recognized by the Muslims to be of the Religion.
For example, for someone to believe that Paradise or Hell will end,
or to believe that Paradise’s pleasure is not physical, or that the
torture of Hell is allegorical, or to deny the Resurrection of the
bodies and souls together, or denying the obligation of prayer,

56. It might be said: Unofficial Translation
56
fasting, or Zakah, believing that divorce is [absolutely] haram,
believing that wine is lawful, and other matters which have been
confirmed by definite religious evidence and are spread among
the Muslims and became famous.
This is different, for example, from the one who believes the
prayer is obligatory upon him, however, he does not pray. He
would be a sinner, not a blasphemer like the one who believes the
prayer is not obligatory upon him.
The third type is denial, meaning negating the Existence of Allah,
and that is the worst of blasphemy29
.
The judgment of the one who likens Allah to His creation is
definite blasphemy. The way to avoid likening Allah to the
creation is following this decisive rule: “Whatever you imagine in
your mind, Allah is different from that.” This rule is agreed upon
among the People of Truth and it is taken from the Saying of Allah:
﴿ٌُ‫ىء‬َ‫ُش‬ِ‫ه‬ِ‫ثل‬ِ‫م‬َ‫ك‬َُ‫يس‬َ‫ل‬﴾ُ
[which means] “Nothing resembles Him in any way whatsoever.”
Also, it is by observing what was narrated from [Abu Bakr] As-
Siddiq, and that is a line of poetry in a meter called Al-Basit:
29
Also in this category is the belief of hulul (believing that Allah dwells in
creations) and ittihad (believing that Allah and the world are united as
one). All of these are considered the worst type of blasphemy.

57. It might be said: Unofficial Translation
57
ُ‫اك‬َ‫در‬ِ‫إ‬ُِ‫اك‬َ‫در‬ِ‫إل‬‫ُا‬ِ‫رك‬َ‫نُد‬َ‫ُع‬‫جز‬َ‫الع‬ُُ‫اك‬َ‫شر‬ِ‫إ‬َ‫ُو‬ٌ‫فر‬‫ُك‬ِ‫ه‬ِ‫ات‬َ‫ذ‬ُ‫ن‬َ‫ُع‬‫حث‬َ‫الب‬َ‫و‬ُ
[which means] “The inability of realizing His Reality is in itself a
correct realization, and searching for the Reality of His Self is
blasphemy and shirk.” It is also by the saying of some: “No one
knows the Reality of Allah except Allah the Exalted.”
Our knowledge about Allah is not an encompassing knowledge;
rather, it is knowing what is necessary to ascribe to Allah, such as
the necessity of His Existence with no beginning, and clearing Him
from what is impossible to ascribe to Him, such as the
impossibility of a partner for Him, and [knowing] what is
permissible to say about Him, such as the Creating of something
or not Creating it.
Imam Ar-Rifa^iyy30
said: “The extent that one can know about
Allah is the certitude in His Existence, the Exalted, without a how
and without a place”.
30
AHmad ibn Abil-Hasan 3aliyy Ar-Rifaa3iyy.

58. It might be said: Unofficial Translation
58
Benefit
Al-Ghazaliyy31
said in Ihya’ ^Ulumi-d-Din:
Surely He (Allah) is Eternal, His Existence does not have a
beginning and His Existence does not have an end, and
surely He is not an entity that is contained. Rather, He is
Exalted and Glorified from whatever is the attribute of the
occurrences. Surely He is not a body that is composed of
particles, and had it been valid to believe that the Maker
of the world is a body, it would have been valid to believe
in the godhood of the sun and the moon or any other
thing among the different types of bodies. So He does not
resemble anything, and nothing resembles Him, rather He
is the Living, the Qayyum32
who does not resemble
anything. How would the creation resemble its Creator,
and the limited thing resemble the One who Limited it,
and the image resemble the One who Gave it the image?
This Kalam is not the Kalam that the scholars dispraised. The
Salaf have only dispraised the Kalam of the innovators in the
creed, like those who liken Allah to the creation, the Mu^tazilah,
the Khawarij, and the other deviant factions, those factions that
31
Abū Ĥāmid Muĥammad Ibn Muĥammad Ibn Muĥammad Ibn Aĥmad
ať-Ťūsiyy Ash-Shāfi^iyy Al-Ghazāliyy (450 – 505 AH).
32
The One who does not need anything, or the One Whose Existence
does not end, or the One with confirmed Existence.

59. It might be said: Unofficial Translation
59
have deviated from what the Messenger and his Companions
were upon, those who have divided into 72 factions, just as the
Messenger informed about in the authentic, confirmed hadith. Ibn
Hibban narrated with his chain of narration back to Abu Hurayrah
that he said that the Messenger of Allah said:
‫افرتقت‬‫اليهود‬‫افرتقت‬‫و‬ُ ‫ُفرقة‬ ‫ُوسبعني‬ ‫ُإحدى‬ ‫على‬‫النصارى‬ُ‫على‬
‫ا‬ُ‫ثنتنيُوسبعنيُفرقة‬‫س‬ُ‫ُأميت‬ ‫تفرت‬‫إ‬ُُ‫ىلُثَلثُوسبعنيُفرقة‬ُ‫كلهمُِف‬
ُ‫النارُإَل‬ُ‫احدةُو‬‫و‬‫هي‬ُ‫الماعة‬ُ
[which means] “The Jews have divided into 71 factions, the
Christians have divided into 72 factions, and my Nation will
divide into 73 factions. All of them will be in Hell except one, and
that is the Jama^ah,” i.e., the vast majority.
As for the knowledge of Kalam that Ahlus-Sunnah busied
themselves with, it was practiced before Al-Ash^ariyy and Al-
Maturidiyy by the likes of Abu Hanifah, for he has five treatises on
the subject, and Imam Ash-Shafi^iyy mastered it to the extent that
he said, “We mastered that before this,” i.e., we mastered the
science of Kalam before Fiqh.

60. It might be said: Unofficial Translation
60
Protection from Hell
Allah the Exalted said:
﴿ُُ‫َّاس‬‫ن‬‫اُال‬َ‫ه‬‫ود‬‫ق‬َ‫اُو‬‫ار‬َ‫ن‬ُْ‫م‬‫يك‬ِ‫ل‬ْ‫َه‬‫أ‬َ‫ُو‬ْ‫م‬‫ك‬َ‫س‬‫َنف‬‫أ‬ُ‫ا‬‫و‬‫اُق‬‫و‬‫ن‬َ‫ُآم‬َ‫ين‬ِ‫ذ‬َّ‫ل‬‫اُا‬َ‫ه‬ُّ‫َي‬‫أ‬ُ‫ا‬َ‫ي‬
ُ‫ا‬َ‫ه‬ْ‫ي‬َ‫ل‬َ‫ُع‬‫ة‬َ‫ار‬َ‫ج‬ِْ‫احل‬َ‫و‬ُْ‫م‬‫ه‬َ‫ر‬َ‫َم‬‫أ‬ُ‫ا‬َ‫ُم‬َ‫ه‬َّ‫ل‬‫ُال‬َ‫ن‬‫و‬‫ص‬ْ‫ع‬َ‫ُي‬ َّ‫َُل‬ٌ‫اد‬َ‫د‬ِ‫ُش‬ٌ‫ظ‬ َ‫َل‬ِ‫ُغ‬ٌ‫ة‬َ‫ك‬ِ‫ئ‬ َ‫َل‬َ‫م‬
َُ‫ن‬‫و‬‫ر‬َ‫م‬ْ‫ؤ‬‫اُي‬َ‫ُم‬َ‫ن‬‫و‬‫ل‬َ‫ع‬ْ‫ف‬َ‫ي‬َ‫و‬﴾ُ
[which means] “O you who believed, protect yourselves and your
families from a fire; its fuel is people and stones. In it are Angels
who are merciless and powerful, they do not disobey Allah in
what He Ordered them, and they do what they are ordered to
do.”
It came in the interpretation of this verse that Allah Orders the
believers to protect themselves and their families from Hell,
whose fuel is people and stones, by learning the religious matters
and teaching their families that, meaning knowing what Allah
Made obligatory to do and to avoid (i.e., the obligations and the
prohibitions). This is so that one would not fall into likening Allah
to the creation, blasphemy and misguidance; for the worship of
the one who likens Allah to anything would not be valid, because
he worshipped something he imagined in his imagination, and by
his delusion he was deluded. Abu Hamid Al-Ghazaliyy said, “The
worship is not valid except after knowing the Worshipped.”
The First Creation

61. It might be said: Unofficial Translation
61
The Messenger of Allah said, upon being asked about the
beginning of creation:
ُ‫ُِف‬َ‫ب‬َ‫ت‬َ‫ك‬َ‫،ُو‬ِ‫لىُاملاء‬َ‫ُع‬‫ه‬‫ش‬ْ‫ر‬َ‫ُع‬َ‫ن‬‫ا‬َ‫ك‬َ‫ُو‬‫ه‬‫ري‬َ‫غ‬ٌُ‫ىء‬َ‫نُش‬‫ك‬َ‫ملُي‬َ‫ُو‬‫ُالل‬َ‫ن‬‫ا‬َ‫ك‬
َُّ‫ل‬‫ُك‬ِ‫ر‬ْ‫ك‬ِّ‫الذ‬َُُ‫ض‬ْ‫َر‬‫أل‬‫ا‬َ‫ُو‬ ِ‫ات‬َ‫او‬َ‫م‬َّ‫ُالس‬َ‫ق‬َ‫ل‬َ‫ُخ‬َّ‫،ُُث‬‫ىء‬َ‫ش‬ُ
[which means] “Allah Existed and nothing else existed. His ^Arsh
was over the water, He ordered for everything to be written in
the Guarded Tablet, then He created the Heavens and the
Earth.” This is narrated by Al-Bukhariyy. The Messenger
responded to this question by saying that Allah has no beginning
for His Existence, meaning He is Eternal and there is no eternal
one other than Him. In other words, in Eternity, nothing existed
except Allah, and Allah Created everything, meaning He is the One
who Brought it from non-existence to existence. The meaning of
“He Created everything” is that He Brought all existing things from
non-existence into existence. Allah the Exalted is Alive and does
not die, because He has no end for His Existence, meaning He is
Everlasting. Therefore, non-existence does not occur to Him,
because had He existed after non-existence, Eternity would be
impossible for Him.
The judgment of the one who says, “Allah created the creation,
but who created Allah?” is a definite charge of blasphemy,
because he has attributed to Allah non-existence before
existence, and this is not said except about events, meaning the

62. It might be said: Unofficial Translation
62
creations. Hence Allah the Exalted has the Necessary Existence,
i.e., His non-existence is inconceivable to the mind; His Existence
is not like our eventual existence, because our existence is by His
Creating, and everything other than Allah has a possible existence.
This means that it is mentally possible that it could exist after non-
existence, and that it could go out of existence after existence.
This is the judgment of the mind [regarding the possible matter] in
and of itself.
Know that there are three categories of existence. The first is
Eternal and Everlasting, and that pertains to Allah only, meaning
there is no beginning and no end for His Existence. The judgment
of the one who says that there is something eternal other than
Allah is definitely a charge of blasphemy. For this reason the
philosophers blasphemed by their foolish creed that the world is
eternal and beginningless, because Eternity is only valid for Allah
the Exalted.
The second is everlasting and not eternal, that is, it has a
beginning and it has no end. This is in reference to Paradise and
Hell; both of them are created, meaning they both have a
beginning, however, they have no end, meaning they are
everlasting. So destruction does not happen to them, nor non-
existence, because Allah Willed for their everlastingness. In and of
themselves, it is mentally possible that they would go out of
existence.

63. It might be said: Unofficial Translation
63
The third is neither eternal nor everlasting, meaning it has a
beginning and it has an end, and that is everything in this present
life from the seven Skies to the Earth. Therefore, there is no
escape from their ceasing to exist, their annihilation, and the
annihilation of what is in them, whether humans, jinn or angels.
Know that it is the habit of the scholars to mention that the
mental judgment is divided into three categories: the necessary,
the possible and the impossible. The necessary is what is not
conceived to be nonexistent, and that is in reference to Allah and
His Attributes. The impossible is that which its existence is not
conceived by the mind, and they sometimes express it as the
prevented existence. The possible is that which its existence and
nonexistence are conceived by the mind, and this why they
ascribe to Allah the Necessary Existence.
The Eternality of Allah is not Related to Time
Allah the Exalted Existed Eternally without time or place and
before darkness and light. Thus He is not of the tangible type
within the world such as earth, stone, the stars, plants, and the
human. Furthermore, He is not of the intangible type within the
world, such as light, souls, air, jinn, and angels, because of His
dissimilarity to the events, i.e., His Difference from all the
creation.

64. It might be said: Unofficial Translation
64
If it were said, “Isn’t one of His Names Al-Latif?” The answer is
that the meaning of Al-Latif, which is a Name of Allah, is the One
Who is Merciful to His slaves, or the One Who is not reached by
delusions, so they do not realize Him. Therefore, there is no
resemblance for Him, the Exalted; there is no likeness for Him;
and there is none similar to Him in His Self, or in His Attributes, or
in His Doing. Had He been similar to the creation in one way or the
other, such as by size, motion, stillness, and the like, then He
would not have been the Creator of those things. Therefore, Allah
the Exalted is Glorified from the attributes of the events, and
likewise the Attributes of Allah are Eternal; that is, they are
without beginning. Because of the importance of this subject,
Imam Abu Hanifah said, “Whoever said that the Attributes of
Allah are events, or he doubts, or he is neutral about that, then he
is a blasphemer.” He mentioned that in the book Al-Wasiyyah.
Additionally, At-Tahawiyy said, “And whoever attributes to Allah
attributes of the human has blasphemed.”

65. It might be said: Unofficial Translation
65
Clearing Allah of a Place, and the Mental
Validity of His Existence Without a Place
Allah the Exalted is Free of needing the creation, meaning
Eternally and Everlastingly He does not need anything other than
Him. He does not need a place in which He would be contained, or
something in which He would dwell, or a direction, because He is
not like any of the different types of things. He is not a tangible
body or an intangible body. The tangible body and intangible body
are contained in direction and place.
Allah the Exalted Said:
﴿َُ‫ر‬َ‫م‬َ‫ق‬ْ‫ل‬‫ا‬َ‫ُو‬َ‫س‬ْ‫َّم‬‫الش‬َ‫ُو‬َ‫ار‬َ‫َّه‬‫الن‬َ‫ُو‬َ‫ل‬ْ‫ي‬َّ‫ل‬‫ُال‬َ‫ق‬َ‫ل‬َ‫يُخ‬ِ‫ذ‬َّ‫ل‬‫ُا‬َ‫و‬‫ه‬َ‫و‬
َُُ‫ن‬‫و‬‫ح‬َ‫ب‬ْ‫س‬َ‫ُي‬‫ك‬َ‫ل‬َ‫ُف‬ ِ‫ُِف‬‫ل‬‫ك‬﴾
[which means] “He is the One who created the night, the day, the
sun, and the moon; and each of them is in an orbit, moving.”
Allah has Confirmed for each one of those four containment in its
space, which is its pathway.
The Saying of Allah,
﴿ٌُ‫ىء‬َ‫ُش‬ِ‫ه‬ِ‫ثل‬ِ‫م‬َ‫ك‬َُ‫يس‬َ‫ل‬﴾ُ
[which means] “Nothing is like Him in any way,” is enough to
clear Allah from place, containment, and direction, because had

66. It might be said: Unofficial Translation
66
He had a place then He would have similarities and dimensions;
length, width, and depth, and whoever is like that is an event in
need of the one who specified Him with this length, width, and
depth. This is the evidence from the Qur’an.
As for the evidence from the hadith, it is what was narrated with
an authentic chain of narration by Al-Bukhariyy, Ibnul-Jarud, and
Al-Bayhaqiyy that the Messenger of Allah said,
‫ملُيكنُشىءُغريه‬‫و‬ُ‫كانُالل‬
[which means] “Allah Existed and nothing else existed.” Its
meaning is that Allah never ceased to Exist Eternally. There was
none other than Him with Him; no water, air, Earth, Sky, Kursiyy,
^Arsh, human, jinn, angel, time, place, or direction. So He, the
Exalted, Existed before the place without a place, and He is the
One who Created the place, so He is not in need of it. This is
among what is derived from this aforementioned hadith.
Al-Bayhaqiyy said in his book Al-Asma’ was-Sifat: “Some among
our colleagues have used as evidence for negating a place for Him
the saying of the Prophet ‫,ﷺ‬
[which means] ‘O Allah, You are Adh-Dhahir and there is nothing
above You, and You are Al-Batin and there is nothing below
You.’ If there is nothing above Him and nothing below Him He is
not in a place.” This hadith also has the refutation for those who
ascribe a direction to Allah. ^Aliyy said: “Allah Existed and there

67. It might be said: Unofficial Translation
67
was no place, and He Is now as He Existed.” This was narrated by
Abu Mansur Al-Baghdadiyy.
The foundation of the Creed is not based on delusion; rather, it is
based on what is dictated by the sound mind, which is a witness
for [the validity of the truthfulness of] the Religious Law. The
sound mind judges that what is limited is in need of whoever
limited it with that limit, so it would not be God.
Just as Allah’s Existence without a place is valid before He Created
places and directions, His Existence after Creating the places is
valid without a place or a direction. This would not be a negation
of Allah’s Existence, as claimed by the Likeners and the
Wahhabiyys, the callers to ascribing a body to Allah in this time.
The judgment of whoever says that Allah the Exalted is
everywhere, or in all places, is a charge of blasphemy if one
understands from this expression that Allah by His Self is spread
or dwelling in all places. However, if one understood from this
expression that Allah has control over everything and that He is
knowledgeable about everything, then he does not blaspheme;
this is the intent of many who are fond of these two expressions.
In any case, it is obligatory to forbid them from saying it, because
these statements are not originally from the Salaf; rather, they
originally came from the Mu^tazilah, then the ignorant lay people
started to use them.

68. It might be said: Unofficial Translation
68
We raise our hands in du^a’ to the sky because it is the place from
which the mercy and blessings descend; it is not because the Self
of Allah exists in the sky. Similarly, we direct ourselves to the
honorable Ka^bah in the prayer because Allah Ordered us with
that; it is not because the Ka^bah has some merit or specification
of Allah living in it. The one who believes that Allah is contained
blasphemes, or if he believes that Allah is something like the air or
the light that fills a place, room or masjid.
Those who believe that Allah is contained in the direction of
above say that we raise our hands to the sky while making du^a’
because He is in the direction of above. They are refuted by what
is confirmed from the Messenger of Allah, that he sought rain and
he put his palms toward the ground and the back of his hands up
to the sky [when he made du^a’], and that the Prophet ‫ﷺ‬
forbade the one who is praying from lifting his head to the sky.
Had Allah been contained in the direction of above as the Likeners
think, then he would not have prohibited us from lifting our vision
up to the sky while praying. Further proof is that the Prophet ‫ﷺ‬
used to lift his pointer finger while praying when he said “illallah”
in the Tashahhud, and he would bend it slightly. Had the issue
been as the Likeners said, he would not have bent his finger;
rather, he would have lifted it to the sky. All of this is confirmed in
authentic hadiths according to the scholars of hadith; what then
would the Likeners and the Wahhabiyys do?

69. It might be said: Unofficial Translation
69
We call the masjids, “the Houses of Allah,” not because Allah lives
there, rather because they are places that are prepared and
dedicated for the remembrance of Allah and His worship.
It is said about the ^Arsh that it is an entity that Allah has
prepared for the Angels, around which they make tawaf just as
the believers on Earth make tawaf around the Ka^bah.
Likewise blasphemes whoever said Allah lives or resides in the
hearts of His Awliya’, if he understands from it the belief of those
who believe that Allah dwells in His slaves.
It is not intended by the Ascension [Mi^raj] up to the skies that
the Messenger would reach a place in which Allah exists, and
whoever believes that blasphemes. The only intent of the
Ascension is to honor the Messenger by making him aware of the
amazing upper world, glorifying his status, and letting him see the
Holy Self of Allah with his heart, not his eyes, without the Self of
Allah being in a place. Rather, the place is for the Messenger.
What is meant by the Saying of Allah:
﴿َُّ‫ُث‬َُّ‫ىل‬َ‫د‬َ‫ت‬َ‫اُف‬َ‫ن‬َ‫د‬﴾ُ﴿َُ‫ن‬ْ‫َد‬‫أ‬ُْ‫َو‬‫أ‬ُِْ‫ني‬َ‫س‬ْ‫و‬َ‫ُق‬َ‫اب‬َ‫ق‬َُ‫ن‬‫ا‬َ‫ك‬َ‫ف‬﴾
[which means] “Then he drew close and dangled, and he was as
close as two cubits or closer,” is Jibril when the Messenger saw
him in Makkah in a place that is called Ajyad. He has six hundred
wings, and his enormous size filled the horizon. This is just as the

70. It might be said: Unofficial Translation
70
Prophet ‫ﷺ‬ saw him a second time by Sidratul-Muntaha33
, as
Allah said in the Qur’an:
﴿‫ى‬َ‫ر‬ْ‫خ‬‫ُأ‬‫ة‬َ‫ل‬ْ‫ز‬َ‫ُن‬‫اه‬َ‫ء‬َ‫ُر‬ْ‫د‬َ‫ق‬َ‫ل‬َ‫و‬﴾ُ﴿‫ى‬َ‫ه‬َ‫ت‬ْ‫ن‬‫ُامل‬ِ‫ة‬َ‫ر‬ْ‫د‬ِ‫ُس‬َ‫د‬ْ‫ن‬ِ‫ع‬﴾
[which means] “He saw him a second time at Sidratul-Muntaha.”
There are two reasons why what is in Sahih Muslim is not
authentic, which is that a man came to the Messenger of Allah
and asked him about a slave woman of his; the man said, “I said,
‘O Messenger of Allah, should I free her?’ He said ‘Bring her to
me’, so he brought her to him. Then he said to her, ‘Aynallah?’
She said, ‘Fis-sama’.’ He said, ‘Who am I?’ She said, ‘You are the
Messenger of Allah.’ He said, ‘Free her, for she is a believer.’”
[The first is] because of inconsistency [idtirab], since it was
narrated with this expression and also with the expression: “‘Who
is your Lord?’ She said, ‘Allah,’” and with the expression
“‘Aynallah’, and she pointed to the sky,’” and with the expression,
“‘Do you testify that no one is God except Allah?’ she said ‘Yes,’ he
said, ‘Do you testify that I am the Messenger of Allah?’ She said,
‘Yes’.
The second issue is that the narration of “Aynallah” is against the
known Rules of the Religion, because among the basic Rules of the
Religion is that a person is not judged with Islam because he said,
“Allah is in the sky,” for this saying is shared by Jews, Christians
33
A huge tree rooted in the sixth Heaven that grows to the seventh.