ibn Katheer
Adapted from ‘Tafseer ibn Katheer’
The following information was excerpted from the appendices to the English translation of TAFSEER IBN KATHEER.
The Qur’aan uses the word Kufr to denote people who cover up or hide realities. The Qur’aan uses this word to identify those who denied Allaah’s favors by not accepting His Dominion and Authority. Kufr thus is an antonym for Iman or disbelief in Allaah and a Kaafir is a non-believer. This type of Kufr is called AL-KUFR UL AKBAR or major kufr. There are many types of Al-Kufr ul Akbar:
1. Kufrul-’Inaad: Disbelief out of stubborness. This applies to someone who knows the truth and admits to knowing the truth and admits to knowing it with his tongue, but refuses to accept it and refrains from making a declaration. Allaah subhanahu wa ta’ala says: Throw into Hell every stubborn disbeliever [Soorah Qaaf (50), Ayah 24]
2. Kufrul-Inkaar: Disbelief out of denial. This applies to someone who denies with both heart and tongue. Allaah subhanahu wa ta’ala says: They recognize the favors of Allaah, yet they deny them. Most of them are disbelievers. [Soorah Nahl (16), Ayah 83]
3. Kufrul-Kibr: Disbelief out of arrogance and pride. The disbelief by the devils (Iblees) is an example of this type of Kufr.
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Imam Ibn Kathir
Tafsir Ibn Kathir (Abridged), Volume 1
© 2000 Darussalam
“O mankind! Worship your Lord (Allah), Who created you and those who were before you so that you may acquire taqwa (piety).
Who has made the earth a resting place for you, and the sky as a canopy, and sent down water (rain) from the sky and brought forth therewith fruits as a provision for you. Then do not set up rivals unto Allah (in worship) while you know (that He alone has the right to be worshipped.”
Qur’an, 2:21-22
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Ibn ul Qayyim al Jawziyyah
Quoted in “The Weakening of Faith – Its Symptoms – Causes & Cure”
by Shaykh Muhammad Saleh al-Munajjid
© 1997 Daar of Islamic Heritage
Ibn Al-Qayyim described Allah’s Greatness, saying,
He governs the affairs of the various kingdoms and He commands and forbids, creates, sustains, gives death, gives life, gives power, strips power (to and from whom He wills) and alternates the night and day. He gives varying fortunes to people and alternates governments (and states), destroying some and bringing some into existence. His Command and Power are dominant in the heavens and their zones, the earth and all that which is on and in it, in the seas and in the air.
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Ibn Qayyim al Jawziyyah
“Man always looks for what benefits him and what protects him from harm. However, to accomplish this, man must be able to realize what is harmful. He must then know whom he should need, trust, and love so that he can attain what is beneficial as well as to feel good about his choice. He also must know the proper and good approach that would make him achieve this goal. This latter condition requires that man:
a) Know about harm
b) What ways can be used to drive harm away
Certainly, man can have no better guidance than that which comes from the One Who had perfected everything, and the One who Has no deficiency in Himself and in His Attributes. The One Who is Ever-Living and Who does not die. There can be no One better than the One Who Has no need for anything; the One Who is rich; the Giver; the One who, after all, controls man’s soul. Man is so poor to Him. He is Allah, the True and only God. Man can bring harm to himself if he seeks other than Allah for help. Allah is the One Who can help man drive away any harm for it cannot occur without His Will and His Power.
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Imaam at-Tahaawi
Introduction
Imam Tahawi’s al-’Aqidah, representative of the viewpoint of ahl-al- Sunnah wa-al-Jama’a, has long been the most widely acclaimed, and indeed indispensable, reference work on Muslim beliefs, of which this is an edited English translation .
Imam Abu Ja’far Ahmad bin Muhammad bin Salamah bin Salmah bin ‘Abd al Malik bin Salmah bin Sulaim bin Sulaiman bin Jawab Azdi, popularly known as Imam Tahawi, after his birth-place in Egypt, is among the most outstanding authorities of the Islamic world on Hadith and fiqh (jurisprudence). He lived 239-321 A.H., an epoch when both the direct and indirect disciples of the four Imams- Imam Abu Hanifah, Imam Malik, Imam Shafi’i and Imam Ahmad bin Hanbal – were teaching and practicing. This period was the zenith of Hadith and fiqh studies, and Imam Tahawi studied with all the living authorities of the day. He began as a student of his maternal uncle, Isma’il bin Yahya Muzni. a leading disciple of Imam Shafi’i. Instinctively, however, Imam Tahawi felt drawn to the corpus of Imam Abu Hanifah’s works. Indeed, he had seen his uncle and teacher turning to the works of Hanafi scholars to resolve thorny issues of Fiqh, drawing heavily on the writings of Imam Muhammad Ibn al-Hasan al-Shaybani and Imam Abu Yusuf, who had codified Hanafi fiqh. This led Imam Tahawi to devote his whole attention to studying the Hanafi works and he eventually joined the Hanafi school.
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Ibn Taymiyyah
The additional text in italics after each point is a summary of the words of Ibn Taymiyyah in his Majmoo’ al-Fataawaa
1. Everything which is in accord with the Book and the Authentic Sunnah is accepted by them and everything which is in opposition to it is treated as false by them.
The first thing which distinguishes the Ahl us-Sunnah wal- Jamaa’ah from all those besides them is the methodology with which they acquire their sciences (of the Deen) and the source of the Truth from which they derive their beliefs, concepts, acions of worship, dealings (with the people), their mode of conduct and their manners. The source of Knowledge and Truth in all the various branches of knowledge with the Ahl us-Sunnah is the Book of Allaah and the Sunnah of His Messenger (sallallaahu alayhi wasallam) . No words other than the words of Allaah come first and no guidance other that the guidance of the Messenger (sallallaahu alayhi wasallam) comes first.
2. There is no one who is free from making mistakes (in the Deen) except the Messenger of Allaah (sallallaahu-alaihi-wasallam).
The Ahl us-Sunnah do not regard anyone as being safe from error as regards the Deen except the Messenger (sallallaahu alayhi wasallam) . The scholars are not free from making mistakes but rather the words of everyone can either be accepted or rejected except those of the Messenger (sallallaahu alayhi wasallam) . Therefore the words and statements of the scholars of the Ahl us-Sunnah by necessity follow or are in accordance with the Sunnah of the Prophet (sallallaahu alayhi wasallam) and do not precede or go ahead of it.
3. The Ijmaa’ (concensus) of the Salaf us-Saalih (Pious Predecessors) is regarded as a Sharee’ah proof which is necessary to hold on to for those who come after them.
And the Ahl us-Sunnah wal-Jamaa’ah believe that the most knowledgeable of the creation as regards the Deen of Allaah after the Prophet (sallallaahu alayhi wasallam) are the Companions (ra) and the Salaf us-Saalih. Whatever they united/agreed upon from any of the affairs or matters of the Deen is free from being wrong and it is not [permissible] for anyone to leave it. Their Ijmaa is a Sharee’ah proof which it is obligatory to hold on to for those who come after them. All those who stick to their Ijmaa are [therefore] those who adhere strictly to their Jamaa’ah (group).
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Imam Bukharee
CHAPTER 15
The saying of Allah, the Exalted,
“Allah warns you of Himself” [Ali 'Imran (3): 28]
and His, Magnificent is His mention, saying,
“You know what is in myself but I do not know what is in Yourself” [al-Ma'idah (5): 116]
32. ‘Umar bin Hafs bin Ghayath narrated to us; my father narrated to us; al-A’mash narrated to us; from Shaqiq; from ‘Abdullah that the Prophet (SAW) said,
There is none having a greater sense of modesty and self-respect than Allah and it is for this reason that He has forbidden shameful deeds and sins. There is none to whom praise is more beloved than Allah.
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