Bismi’llâhi ’r-rahmâni ’r-rahîm
Let us begin the book in the name of Allah!
The best protection is the name of Allah!
His blessings are beyond all means of measure;
All Merey He is, forgiving His pleasure!
Allâhu ta’âlâ, having
mercy upon all people on the earth, creates useful things and sends them to us.
In the Hereafter, He will forgive those guilty Believers who are to go to Hell,
and will bring them to Paradise. He alone creates every living creature, keeps
every being in existence every moment, and protects all against fear and
horror. Trusting ourselves to the honourable name of Allâhu ta’âlâ we begin to
write this book.
Hamd[1] be to Allâhu ta’âlâ. Peace and blessings be on
Rasûlullah, the Prophet Muhammad (sall-Allâhu ’alaihi wa sallam). Benedictions
be over his pure Ahl al-Bait and over all his just and devoted companions
(radiy-Allâhu ta’âlâ ’anhum ajma’în).
Islamic scholars, who are called Ahl as-Sunna, wrote thousands of valuable books that state the beliefs, commands and prohibitions of Islam correctly. Many of them have been translated into foreign languages and circulated throughout the world. On the other hand, malevolent, short-sighted people have attacked Islam’s beneficial, bountiful and luminous way; tried to blemish the scholars of the Ahl as-Sunna (radiy-Allâhu ta’âlâ ’anhum ajma’în), and attempted to change Islam and thereby deceive Muslims. This struggle between Muslims and the irreligious has taken place in every century, and it will continue
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[1] Praise and gratitude.
till the end of the
world. Allâhu ta’âlâ willed in eternity that this be so.
Muslims consist of
scholars (hawâs) and laymen (awâm). The Turkish book Dürr-i Yektâ writes, “Laymen are those
who do not know the rules of Arabic grammar and literature. They are unable to
grasp the books of fatwâ. It is fard for them to look for and learn the
knowledge relating to Islamic belief and ’ibâdât. On the other hand, it is fard
for scholars to teach, by preaching and writing, first the belief and then the
five tenets of ibâdât, which make up the foundation of Islam. It is stated in
the books Zahîra and Tâtârhâniyya that
teaching the fundamentals of îmân and the belief of Ahl as-sunna is of primary
importance.” That is why the great scholar ’Abd-ul-hakîm-i-Arwâsî ‘rahmatullahi
’aleyh’, an expert in the religious and experimental sciences, said towards the
termination of his blessed life, “For thirty years, I have endeavoured to
explain the Islamic belief, the i’tiqâd (credo, tenets) of Ahl as-sunna, and
Islam’s beautiful ethical teachings in Istanbul’s mosques.” Therefore, in all
our books, we too, have tried to explain the i’tiqâd of the Ahl as-Sunna and
the good morals of Islam, stressing the importance of being kind to everybody
and obeying and helping the State. We do not approve of the writings of some
lâ-madhhabî people, who are unaware of the religion and who provoke people
against the State and set brothers at loggerheads. Stating, “The religion
is under the shadow of swords,” Rasûlullah (sall-Allâhu ’alaihi wa sallam)
explained that Muslims could live in comfort under the protection of the State
and its laws. As the State becomes stronger, the people enjoy more happiness
and peace. Muslims living happily and carrying out their religious duties with
freedom in non-Muslim countries, such as those in Europe and America, should
not revolt against the State and the laws which give them freedom; they should
not be tools for instigation (fitna) and anarchy. This has been a commandment
of scholars of Ahl as-Sunna.
It has been observed with
gratitude that, men of religious authority in almost all Muslim countries
strive to promulgate and defend this right way of Ahl as-Sunna. However, some
ignorant people, who either have not read or have not understood the books
written by scholars of Ahl as-sunna, make some ignorant oral and written
statements, though without having any effect except betraying their own
ignorance and wretchedness against Muslims’ firm îmân and the brotherly love they
have for one
Harmful separatist
movements among Muslims attack books of ’ilm-i-hâl and try to vilify the
’ulamâ’ of Ahl as-Sunna and great men of tasawwuf (rahmatullâhi ta’âlâ ’alaihim
ajma’în). ’Ulamâ’ of Ahl as-Sunna wrote necessary answers against them and
protected the true meanings which Rasûlullah (sall-Allâhu ’alaihi wa sallam)
derived from Qur’ân al-kerîm against their attempts to change it. We entreat
Allâhu ta’âlâ that, by studying this book carefully with their common sense and
pure conscience, our valuable readers will judge it fairly and stick together
in the right and true way of the Ahl as-Sunna and avoid lying, slanderous and
heretical people. By doing this, they will escape eternal damnation.
Explanations added
afterwards to some parts of our book are written in brackets [...]. All these
explanations also have been borrowed from authentic books.
Mîlâdî Hijrî
Shamsî Hijrî Qamarî
2001 1380 1422
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Permission is granted to
those who wish to print this book in its original form or to translate it into
another language. We pray that Allâhu ta’âlâ will bless them for this
beneficent deed of theirs, and we thank them very much. However, permission is
granted with the proviso that the paper used in printing will be of a good
quality and that the design of the text and setting will be properly and neatly
done without mistakes.
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A Warning: Missionaries are
striving to advertise Christianity, Jews are working to spread out the
concocted words of Jewish rabbis, Hakîkat Kitâbevi (Bookstore), in Istanbul, is
struggling to publicize Islam, and freemasons are trying to annihilate
religions. A person with wisdom, knowledge and conscience will understand and
admit the right one among these and will help to spread out that for salvation
of all humanity. There is no better way and more valuable thing to serve
humanity than doing so.