The Creed of Ahl-us-Sunnah wa al-Jamā‘ah
All praise belongs to Allah Alone, and may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon the one after whom there will be no other Prophet, and upon his household and Companions. To proceed:
I have gone over this precious and concise book regarding the Creed compiled by our brother, His Eminence Shaykh Muhammad bin Sālih al-‘Uthaymīn. I listened to the entirety of it and found that it contains an explanation of the Creed of Ahl-us-Sunnah wa al-Jamā‘ah in the aspects of the Oneness of Allah and His Names and Attributes, and the areas regarding belief in the Angels, the Books, the Messengers, and the Last Day, and Belief in Preordainment; the good and the bad thereof.
He has proficiently and beneficially compiled it; he mentioned in it what the student of knowledge and every Muslim require regarding their belief in Allah, His Angels, His Books, His Messengers, and the Last Day, and about Preordainment; the good and the bad thereof. He also mentioned, in addition to that, many other beneficial points regarding the Creed which may not be found in many of the books compiled about the matters of Creed.
May Allah reward him with abundant good and increase him in knowledge and guidance. May He make this book and all his other works beneficial, and may He make us and him and all our brothers among the guided ones who guide others; those who invite to Allah upon clear knowledge, certainly He is All-Hearing and Ever-Near.
Spoken by the one who dictated it, the one in need of Allah the Exalted, ‘Abdul-‘Azīz ibn ‘Abdullah ibn Bāz, may Allah pardon him. May Allah’s peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Muhammad, his household, and all his Companions.
I bear witness that there is no deity worthy of worship but Allah Alone Who has no partner, the Supreme, the Truth, the Manifest; and I bear witness that Muhammad is His Messenger, the last of the Prophets and the leader of the righteous. May Allah’s peace be upon him and upon his household, his Companions, and those who follow them with righteousness till the Day of Recompense.
Allah the Exalted certainly sent His Messenger, Muhammad, with guidance and the true religion as a mercy to the entire creation, a role model for the obedient and evidence against all mankind (that the call to worship Allah has reached them). He made clear through him and through what he revealed to him of the Book and wisdom all that guarantees the wellbeing and uprightness of people in their religious and worldly affairs of sound creed, perfectly balanced deeds, noble morals, and lofty manners.
So, he (the Prophet) left his Ummah upon a clear path, the night of which is like its day, and no one strays from it except that he becomes doomed.
Consequently, his Ummah who heeded the invitation from Allah and His Messenger followed it; and they are the best of creation. Those are the Companions and their followers and all those who follow in their footsteps with righteousness. They implemented his legislations and firmly held on to his guidance in the aspects of creed, worship, character, and manners. They thus became the group that would ever be manifest upon the truth; no one who betrayed or opposed them would ever harm them till the command of Allah the Exalted comes while they are upon that.
All praise is due to Allah that we follow upon their path, guided by their lives which they lived according to the Qur’ān and the Sunnah. We say this by way of proclaiming the favors of Allah Almighty and in order to explain what every believer should be upon.
We ask Allah Almighty to keep us and our Muslim brothers firm with the firm word in this life and the Hereafter, and to grant us mercy from Himself; He is certainly the Granter of favors.
Considering the importance of this subject and the varying views of the people regarding it, I preferred to write for brevity 'our Creed' to refer to the Creed of Ahl-us-Sunnah wa al-Jamā‘ah; which is: Belief in Allah, His Angels, His Books, His Messengers, the Last Day, and Preordainment – the good and the bad thereof, while asking Allah Almighty to make this work sincere, seeking His Countenance Alone and conforming to what He is pleased with and is beneficial to His servants.
Our Creed is: Belief in Allah, His Angels, His Books, His Messengers, the Last Day, and Preordainment – the good and the bad thereof.
So, we believe in the Rubūbiyyah (Lordship) of Allah, the Exalted; meaning that He is the Rabb (Lord), the Creator, the Sovereign, and the Disposer of all affairs.
We believe in the Ulūhiyyah of Allah, the Exalted; meaning that He Alone is the True Ilāh (deity) and all that is worshiped besides Him is false.
We believe in His Names and Attributes; meaning that His are the most Beautiful Names and the most Perfect Lofty Attributes.
We believe in His Oneness in all that; meaning that He has not any partner in His Rubūbiyyah (Lordship) nor in His Ulūhiyyah (Divinity), nor in His Names and Attributes. Allah Almighty says: {Lord of the heavens and earth, and all that is between them, so worship Him and be constant and patient in His worship. Do you know of any who is similar to Him?!} [Maryam: 65]
We believe that He is: {Allah - there is no deity except Him, the Ever-Living, the Sustainer of all existence. Neither drowsiness overtakes Him nor sleep. To Him belongs all that is in the heavens and all that is on earth. Who is it that can intercede with Him except by His permission? He knows what is [presently] before them and what will be after them, and they encompass nothing of His knowledge except for what He wills. His Kursi (footstool) extends the heavens and earth, and their preservation tires Him not. And He is the Most High, the Most Great.} [Al-Baqarah: 255]
We believe that: {He is Allah, none has the right to be worshiped but He, the All-Knower of the unseen and the seen. He is the Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful. He is Allah, none has the right to be worshiped but He, the King, the Holy, the One Free from all defects, the Giver of security, the Watcher over His creatures, the All-Mighty, the Compeller, the Supreme. Glory be to Allah! (High is He) above all that they associate as partners with Him. He is Allah, the Creator, the Inventor of all things, the Bestower of forms. To Him belong the Best Names. All that is in the heavens and earth glorify Him. He is the All-Mighty, All-Wise.} [Al-Hashr: 22-24]
We believe that to Him belongs the kingdom of the heavens and earth: {He creates what He wills. He bestows female (offspring) upon whom He wills, and bestows male (offspring) upon whom He wills. Or He bestows both males and females, and He renders barren whom He wills. Verily, He is the All-Knower and is Able to do all things.} [Al-Shūra: 49-50]