بِسْمِ اللّهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيْمِ The Guiding Creed[1] قَالَ الشَّيْخُ فَخْرُ الدِّيْنِ بْنُ عَسَاكِر رَحِمَهُ اللّهُ: Shaykh[2] Fakhrud-Din[3] Ibn ^Asakir[4], may Allah have mercy upon him, said: | |
| اِعْلَمْ أَرْشَدَنَا الله وَإِيَّاكَ أَنَّهُ يَجِبُ عَلَى كُلّ مُكَلَّفٍ: Know, may Allah guide us and you, that obligatory upon everyone accountable: | |
| أَنْ يَعْلَمَ أَن اللهَ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ وَاحِدٌ فِيْ مُلْكِهِ، | Is knowing that Allah – Invincible and Great – is Unique in His[5] Dominion[6]. |
| خَلَقَ الْعَالَمَ بِأَسْرِهِ، اَلْعُلْوِيَّ وَالسُّفْلِيَّ وَالْعَرْشَ وَالْكُرْسِيَّ، وَالسَّمَوَات وَالْأَرْضَ وَمَا فِيْهِمَا وَمَا بَيْنَهُمَا. | He Created the universe in its entirety; the upper and the lower, the ^Arsh and the Kursiyy, the skies[7] and the Earth, and anything in them or between them. |
| جَمِيْعُ الْخَلَائِقِ مَقْهُوْرُوْنَ بِقُدْرَتِهِ، | All creations are subjugated by His Power. |
| لَا تَتَحَرَّكُ ذَرَّةٌ إِلَّا بِإِذْنِهِ، | Not a speck moves but by His Permission. |
| لَيْسَ مَعَهُ مُدَبِّرٌ فِى الْخَلْقِ وَلَا شَرِيْكٌ فِى الْمُلْكِ، | He does not have an assistant manager for the creation, nor a partner in the dominion. |
| حَيٌّ قَيُّوْمٌ لَا تَأْخُذُهُ سِنَةٌ وَّلَا نَوْمٌ، | Alive; Qayyum. Not taken by drowsiness or sleep. |
| عَالِمُ الْغَيْبِ وَالشَّهَادَةِ، لَا يَخْفَى عَلَيْهِ شَىْءٌ فِى الْأَرْضِ وَلَا فِى السَّمَاءِ، يَعْلَمُ مَا فِى الْبَرِ وَالْبَحْرِ. وَمَا تَسْقُطُ مِنْ وَرَقَةٍ إِلَّا يَعْلَمُهَا، وَلَا حَبَّةٍ فِيْ ظُلُمَاتِ الْأَرْضِ وَلَا رَطْبٍ وَلَا يَابِسٍ إِلَّا فِيْ كِتَابٍ مُبِيْنٍ. أَحَاطَ بِكُلِّ شَىْءٍ عِلْمًا وَأَحْصَى كُلَّ شَىْءٍ عَدَدًا، | Knower of the Unseen and of the evident; manifest. Nothing on Earth or in the sky is hidden from Him. He knows what is on land and (at) sea. Not a leaf falls but that He knows it. Nor is there a seed within the darknesses of the earth, nor a thing moist nor a thing dry, but that it is in a clear record[8] He encompasses everything in Knowledge, and He encompasses everything in count. |
| فَعَّالٌ لِّمَا يُرِيْدُ، قَادِرٌ عَلَى مَا يَشَآءُ، | Doer of whatever He wills. Powerful over whatever He wills. |
| لَهُ الْمُلْكُ وَلَهُ الْغِنَى، وَلَهُ الْعِزُّ وَالْبَقَاءُ، وَلَهُ الْحُكْمُ وَالْقَضَآءُ، | Ownership is His, and the Needlessness is His, and Nobility and Everlastingness are His, And Ruling and Creating are His. |
| وَلَهُ الْأَسْمَآءُ الْحُسْنَى، | And the Best Names are His. |
| لَا دَافِعَ لِمَا قَضَى، وَلَا مَانِعَ لِمَا أَعْطَى، | There is no repeller of what He ordained, and no preventer of what He granted. |
| يَفْعَلُ فِيْ مُلْكِهِ مَا يُرِيْدُ، وَيَحْكُمُ فِيْ خَلْقِهِ بِمَا يَشَآءُ. لَا يَرْجُوْ ثَوَابًا وَلَا يَخَافُ عِقَابًا، لَيْسَ عَلَيْهِ حَقٌّ [يَلْزَمُهُ] وَلَا عَلَيْهِ حُكْمٌ، وَكُلُّ نِعْمَةٍ مِنْهُ فَضْلٌ وَكُلُّ نِقْمَةٍ مِنْهُ عَدْلٌ، | He does in His dominion whatever He wills, and He rules His creation as He wills, no hoping for reward, and not fearing retribution. There is no [binding] right on Him, nor any rule over Him. Every endowment from Him is generosity, and every punishment from Him is just. |
| لَا يُسْئَلُ عَمَّا يَفْعَلُ وَهُمْ يُسْأَلُوْنَ. | He is not questioned about what He does; they are questioned. |
| مَوْجُوْدٌ قَبْلَ الْخَلْقِ، | Existent prior to creation. |
| لَيْسَ لَهُ قَبْلٌ وَلَا بَعْدٌ، وَلَا فَوْقٌ وَلَا تَحْتٌ، وَلَا يَمِيْنٌ وَلَا شِمَالٌ، وَلَا أَمَامٌ وَلَا خَلْفٌ، وَلَا كُلٌّ، وَلَا بَعْضٌ، | Not having a before nor an after, nor an over, nor an under, nor a right, nor a left, nor a front, nor a rear, nor a whole, nor a part. |
| وَلَا يُقَالُ مَتَى كَانَ وَلَا أَيْنَ كَانَ وَلَا كَيْفَ | And it is not said: “When was He?” nor “Where was He?” nor “How?” |
| كَانَ وَلَا مَكَانَ، كَوَّنَ الْأَكْوَانَ وَدَبَّرَ الزَّمَانَ، لَا يَتَقَيَّدُ بِالزَّمَانِ وَلَا يَتَخَصَّصُ بَالْمَكَانِ، | He was, and there was no place. He gave being to the beings, and controlled time. He is not bound by time, nor designated with place. |
| وَلَا يَشْغَلُهُ شَأْنٌ عَنْ شَأْنٍ، | And no issue distracts Him from another. |
| وَلَا يَلْحَقُهُ وَهْمٌ، وَلَا يَكْتَنِفُهُ عَقْلٌ، وَلَا يَتَخَصَّصُ بِالذِّهْنِ، وَلَا يَتَمَثَّلُ فِى النَّفْسِ، وَلَا يُتَصَوَّرُ فِى الْوَهْمِ، وَلَا يَتَكَيَّفُ فِى الْعَقْلِ، لَا تَلْحَقُهُ الْأَوْهَامُ وَالْأَفْكَارُ، | No delusion can grasp Him, and no mind can enclose Him, and He is not determined by thought, nor represented in the self, nor depicted in delusion, nor modified in the mind. He is not caught by delusions or thoughts.[9] |
| ﴿لَيْسَ كَمِثْلِهِ شَىْءٌ وَهُوَ السَّمِيْعُ الْبَصِيْرُ﴾ اه. | Unlike Him is there anything, and He is the Hearer the Seer. (End Quote.) |
[1] is a brief treaty mentioning the Creed of the Muslims that was accepted by scholars of Ahlus-Sunnah. Examples of scholars who praised it are Al-Hafidh Salahud-Din Al-^Alaiyy (D:671 AH) and Tajud-Din As-Subkiyy. Al-Hafidh Ibn ^Asakir had special care in teaching this treaty, such that it became known as The Creed of Ibn ^Asakir, despite him not being the original author.
[2] Al-Hafidh
[3] ^Abdur-Rahman
[4] [D: 620AH]
[5] He when used about God does not mean a physical male. In English sometimes ‘he’ is used for other than a man, just like ‘she’ is sometimes used for other than a woman. For example, it might be said, “The sun is so hot we cannot face him” and “The ship, she sailed”.
[6] The ownership (of everything).
[7] heavens; firmaments
[8] Surah Al-An^am (S9), Ayah 59:
(وَيَعْلَمُ مَا فِي الْبَرِّ وَالْبَحْرِ ۚ وَمَا تَسْقُطُ مِن وَرَقَةٍ إِلَّا يَعْلَمُهَا وَلَا حَبَّةٍ فِي ظُلُمَاتِ الْأَرْضِ وَلَا رَطْبٍ وَلَا يَابِسٍ إِلَّا فِي كِتَابٍ مُّبِينٍ)
[9] Ref: As-Suyutiyy and Abul-Qasim narrated the hadith from the Prophet. Dhun-Nun and Ahmad’s statement.
Authentic Sunni Knowledge 
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