WAASITIYYAH: The Classic Text on Basic Islamic Beliefs

178 Pages·2020·13.31 MB·English

by  Moosaa Richardson

ةيطساولا ةديقعلا
WAASITIYYAH
THE CLASSIC TEXT

ON BASIC ISLAMIC BELIEFS

للها هحمر ةيميت نب ميللحادبع نب دحمأ ملاسلإا خيشل

BY SHAYKH AL-ISLAM AHMAD IBN 'ABDIL-HALEEM IBN TAYMIYAH

WORKBOOK
PREPARED BY

MOOSAA RICHARDSON
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

Copyright © 1441 (2020) by Bakkah Publications.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or
transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or
other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the
copyright holder, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews
and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.
First Print and Kindle Edition: Jumaadaa al-Oolaa 1441 (January 2020)
Second Print and Kindle Edition: Jumaadaa al-Aakhirah 1441 (February 2020)
Third Print and Kindle Edition: Rajab 1442 (February 2021)
Waasitiyyah: The Classic Text on Basic Islamic Beliefs / Author: Moosaa Richardson
ISBN 979-8600811591
1. Education & Reference —Foreign Language Study —Arabic.
2. Nonfiction —Religion —Islam —Theology.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

ABOUT THIS WORKBOOK 7
[1] INTRODUCTION: THE TEXT, THE AUTHOR, AND THE TOPIC 11
[2] THE AUTHOR'S INTRODUCTION 12
[3] THE CREED OF THE SAVED SECT: AHLUS-SUNNAH WAL-JAMAA'AH 13
[4] AFFIRMING DIVINE ATTRIBUTES WHILE AVOIDING FOUR ERRORS 14
[5] AVOIDING FOUR ERRORS (CONTINUED) 15
[6] AHLUS-SUNNAH WAL-JAMAA'AH ARE UPON THE STRAIGHT PATH 16
[7] ALLAH'S NAMES AND ATTRIBUTES IN SOORAH AL-IKHLAAS 17
[8] ALLAH'S NAMES AND ATTRIBUTES IN AAYAT AL-KURSEE 18
[9] THE FIRST, THE LAST, THE EVER-LIVING 19
[10] THE KNOWLEDGE OF ALLAH: ABSOLUTE AND COMPREHENSIVE 22
[11] THE KNOWLEDGE OF ALLAH (CONTINUED) 23
[12] AFFIRMING HEARING & SEEING AS ATTRIBUTES OF ALLAH 22
[13] ALLAH'S DIVINE WILL: MASHEE'AH AND IRAADAH 23
[14] AFFIRMING ALLAH'S LOVE AS A DIVINE ATTRIBUTE 24
[15] AFFIRMING ALLAH'S LOVE (CONTINUED) 25
[16] AFFIRMING ALLAH'S MERCY AS A DIVINE ATTRIBUTE 26
[17] THE PLEASURE OF ALLAH AND HIS ANGER 27
[18] ALLAH'S MAJESTIC ARRIVAL ON THE DAY OF JUDGMENT 28
[19] ALLAH'S MAJESTIC FACE AND HANDS 29
[20] ALLAH'S EYES 30
[21] ALLAH'S HEARING AND SEEING 31
[22] ALLAH'S HEARING AND SEEING (CONTINUED) 32
[23] PLOTTING AND PLANNING 33
[24] PARDONING AND FORGIVING 34
[25] ALLAH'S MAJESTIC HONOR 35
[26] THE BLESSED NAME OF ALLAH AND HIS DIVINE UNIQUENESS 36
[27] ALLAH'S UNSHARED SOVEREIGNTY (PART 1) 37
[28] ALLAH'S UNSHARED SOVEREIGNTY (PART 2) 38
[29] ALLAH'S UNSHARED SOVEREIGNTY (PART 3) 39
[30] THE PROHIBITION OF SPEAKING ABOUT ALLAH WITH SIMILITUDES 40
[31] THE ASCENSION ABOVE THE THRONE IN SEVEN CLEAR QURANIC PASSAGES 41
[32] THE ASCENSION ABOVE THE THRONE IN QURANIC PASSAGES (CONTINUED) 42
[33] ALLAH'S DIVINE LOFTINESS: MORE QURANIC PROOFS 43
[34] THE "MA'IYYAH" OF ALLAH: HE IS WITH HIS CREATION 44
[35] THE "MA'IYYAH" OF ALLAH (CONTINUED) 45
[36] ALLAH SPEAKS WITH REAL SPEECH (PART 1) 46
[37] ALLAH SPEAKS WITH REAL SPEECH (PART 2) 47
[38] ALLAH SPEAKS WITH REAL SPEECH (PART 3) 48
[39] ALLAH HAS SENT THE QURAN DOWN FROM ABOVE THE CREATION 49
[40] BELIEVERS WILL SEE ALLAH IN THE HEREAFTER 50
[41] ALLAH'S DIVINE ATTRIBUTES AS FOUND IN THE SUNNAH 51
[42] ALLAH DESCENDS EVERY NIGHT IN A MANNER THAT BEFITS HIS MAJESTY 52
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[43] ALLAH'S HAPPINESS AND LAUGHTER AS ESTABLISHED IN THE SUNNAH 53
[44] THE FOOT OF ALLAH AS ESTABLISHED IN THE SUNNAH 54
[45] ALLAH SPEAKS TO HIS CREATION AS ESTABLISHED IN THE SUNNAH 55
[46] ALLAH'S LOFTINESS AS ESTABLISHED IN THE SUNNAH (PART 1) 56
[47] ALLAH'S LOFTINESS AS ESTABLISHED IN THE SUNNAH (PART 2) 57
[48] ALLAH IS WITH HIS CREATION AS ESTABLISHED IN THE SUNNAH 58
[49] ALLAH'S NEARNESS AS ESTABLISHED IN THE SUNNAH 59
[50] ALLAH'S NEARNESS (CONTINUED) 60
[51] SEEING ALLAH ON THE DAY OF JUDGMENT 61
[52] [52] AHLUS-SUNNAH WAL-JAMAA'AH AFFIRM ALL THESE ATTRIBUTES 62
[53] AHLUS-SUNNAH WAL-JAMAA'AH: THE MIDDLE COURSE OF BALANCE 63
[54] PROOF OF ALLAH'S LOFTINESS AND "MA'IYYAH" COMBINED 64
[55] [55] ALLAH'S "MA'IYYAH" DOES NOT MEAN HE IS WITHIN THE CREATED REALM 65
[56] SHUNNING FALSE NOTIONS ABOUT ALLAH'S "MA'IYYAH" 66
[57] ALLAH IS THE EVER-NEAR, THE EVER RESPONDING 67
[58] THE QURAN IS THE SPEECH OF ALLAH, NOT CREATED 68
[59] REJECTING FALSE NOTIONS ABOUT THE SPEECH OF ALLAH 69
[60] ALLAH WILL REALLY BE SEEN IN THE HEREAFTER 70
[61] THE REALM OF THE GRAVE AFTER A PERSON DIES 71
[62] THE SCALES OF JUSTICE ON THE DAY OF JUDGMENT 72
[63] THE RECORD BOOKS DISTRIBUTED ON THE DAY OF JUDGMENT 73
[64] PEOPLE FACE THEIR RECKONING ON THE DAY OF JUDGMENT 74
[65] THE PROPHET'S DRINKING POOL ON THE DAY OF JUDGMENT 75
[66] THE BRIDGE OVER THE HELLFIRE ON THE DAY OF JUDGMENT 76
[67] ALL DISPUTES ARE SETTLED BEFORE ENTERING PARADISE 77
[68] THE PROPHET'S INTERCESSIONS ON THE DAY OF JUDGMENT 78
[69] OTHER INTERCESSIONS ON THE DAY OF JUDGMENT 79
[70] ALLAH CREATES MORE PEOPLE FOR THE REMAINING SPACE IN PARADISE 80
[71] QADAR (DIVINE DECREE) (PART 1) 81
[72] QADAR (DIVINE DECREE) (PART 2) 82
[73] QADAR (DIVINE DECREE) (PART 3) 83
[74] QADAR (DIVINE DECREE) (PART 4) 84
[75] QADAR (DIVINE DECREE) (PART 5) 85
[76] QADAR (DIVINE DECREE) (PART 6) 86
[77] QADAR (DIVINE DECREE) (PART 7) 87
[78] EEMAAN IS BOTH SPEECH AND ACTION 88
[79] NOT EXPELLING SINFUL MUSLIMS FROM THE FOLD OF ISLAM 89
[80] MUSLIM IN CONFLICT WITH EACH OTHER ARE STILL BROTHERS IN FAITH 90
[81] DISOBEDIENT MUSLIMS ARE STILL BELIEVERS, YET WEAK IN FAITH 91
[82] DSIOBEDIENT MUSLIMS ARE STILL BELIEVERS (CONTINUED) 92
[83] LOVING THE COMPANIONS AND SPEAKING WELL OF THEM 93
[84] AFFIRMING THE HIGHER STATUS OF THE MOST VIRTUOUS COMPANIONS 94
[85] THE COMPANIONS PROMISED PARADISE AND THE FOUR CALIPHS 95
[86] SLIGHT DIFFERING OVER THE RANKS OF 'UTHMAAN AND 'ALEE 96
[87] SLIGHT DIFFERING OVER THE RANKS OF 'UTHMAAN AND 'ALEE (CONTINUED) 97
[88] LOVING AND HONORING "AHLUL-BAYT", THE PROPHET'S HOUSEHOLD 98
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[89] HONORING THE PROPHET'S WIVES, THE MOTHERS OF THE BELIEVERS 99
[90] REJECTING THE EXTREMES OF THE RAWAAFIDH AND NAWAASIB CULTS 100
[91] THE SPECIAL STATUS OF THE COMPANIONS 101
[92] THE SPECIAL STATUS OF THE COMPANIONS (CONTINUED) 102
[93] AFFIRMING THE MIRACULOUS EVENTS GIVEN TO THE RIGHTEOUS 103
[94] FOLLOWING THE SUNNAH AND AVOIDING INNOVATION 104
[95] THE IJMAA' (CONSENSUS) OF THE RIGHTEOUS EARLY SALAF 105
[96] COMPREHENSIVE ISLAMIC BROTHERHOOD (PART 1) 106
[97] COMPREHENSIVE ISLAMIC BROTHERHOOD (PART 2) 107
[98] THE SAVED SECT FOLLOWS THE BOOK AND THE SUNNAH 108
[99] THE SAVED SECT AND AIDED PARTY: AHLUS-SUNNAH WAL-JAMAA'AH 109
[100] CONCLUDING THE TEXT WITH SUPPLICATION 110
APPENDIX I: THE COMPLETE TEXT OF THE ENGLISH TRANSLATION 111
APPENDIX II: ISNAAD: CHAIN OF TRANSMISSION FOR THE TEXT 131
APPENDIX III: THE COMPLETE ARABIC TEXT OF WAASITIYYAH 152
APPENDIX IV: A COMPLETE MANUSCRIPT OF THE TEXT OF WAASITIYYAH 178

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BOOK COVER: Shaykh 'Ubayd al-Jaabiree's explanation of al-'Aqeedah al-Waasitiyyah.
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ABOUT THIS WORKBOOK
All praise is due to Allah, the Lord, Creator, and Sustainer of all things. May He raise the rank of and
grant peace to His Prophet and final Messenger, Muhammad, and all of his respected family and
noble companions.
One of the most outstanding features of the Religion of Islam is that Muslims worship their Lord
upon sound, authentic knowledge, with passionate devotion and genuine sincerity. They are the
middle path between the overly technical strictness of the Jews and the passionate yet ignorant
devotion of the Christians. Islam is the Straight Path which Muslims pray for continually in the most
often repeated prayer:
ﱠ ﭐﱡ
ﱣﱢﱡﱠﱟﱞﱝﱜﱛﱚﱙﱘﱗ

"Keep us guided upon the Straight Path, the Path of those upon whom You have bestowed
Your Grace, not [the path of] those who have earned Your Anger,
nor those who have gone astray." [1:6-7]
The Muslims are the balanced middle nation, those whom Allah Himself has brought forth to be just
witnesses over Mankind:
ﱠ ﭐﱡ
ﱦﱥﱤﱣﱢﱡﱠﱟﱞﱝﱜﱛﱚ

"Thus We have made you a balanced nation, to be witnesses over the people,
and so the Messenger would be a witness over you." [2:143]
Muslims cannot possibly hope to truly fulfill this great, noble role without sufficient knowledge of
the Creator and His Religion. Thus, Allah commands us to know about His Oneness before He
commands us to worship Him:
ﱠ ﭐﱡ
ﳣﳢﳡﳠﳟﳞﳝﳜﳛﳚﳙ

"Know that there is none worthy of worship other than Allah, then seek forgiveness
for your sin, and for the believing men and women as well." [47:19]
Due to ignorance, widespread differing and confusion occurs among those who claim to adhere to
Islam and follow its last Prophet (may Allah raise his rank and grant him peace). To remain safe, we
must return to the pure, pristine way of the early generations of the Muhaajiroon, the noble
emigrants who left their homeland to support the Messenger of Allah (may Allah raise his rank and
grant him peace), and the Ansaar of al-Madeenah who received them and took them as true allies
and brothers in Religion. They are the ones who knew this Religion and how it is to be practiced, and
they are the ones whom Allah has praised so highly in His Majestic Book:
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ﱠﱍﱌﱋﱊﱉﱈﱇﱆﱅﱄﱃﱂﱁﭐﱡ

"The first predecessors of the Muhaajiroon and Ansaar, and those who followed them in
righteousness, Allah is pleased with them, and they are pleased with Him." [9:100]
They are the Jamaa'ah, the core of this Ummah, whom all Muslims must strive to emulate in their
religious beliefs and practice. They are the ones whose understanding is rightfully sought when
religious confusion and strife overtakes the people. The Messenger of Allah (may Allah raise his rank
and grant him peace) foretold the religious differing among Muslims that we see all around us today,
and he outlined the solution as well, when he said:
َ َق ر َ َتَف َ تَس َ َة َلَم لاََ هَذ َه ََن َِوَ َ، َة َلَم ََن ي َعَب َس وَ ََن َي َ تَ ن َثَى َلَع َاو َقر َ َتَ فاََب ا َتَك لاََل َه َأََن َم ََم َك َلَ ب َ قََن َم ََن َََِل َأ"
". َةَع اَم َج لاََي َه وَ َ،َة َنَج لاَي َفَ َةَد َح اوَ وَ َ،َر ا َنلاَي َفََن و َعَ ب َس وَ ََن ا َتَ ن َثَ:َن ي َعَب َس وَ ََث َل َثَى َلَع
"Nay, those who came before you from the People of the Book split into 72 religious factions.
Verily, this Religion will split into 73, of which 72 are in Hell, and only one goes to Paradise.
They are the Jamaa'ah." [Aboo Daawood; see: As-Saheehah, no.204]
The Jamaa'ah are those who are upon the same Religion as the Messenger of Allah (may Allah raise
his rank and grant him peace) and his companions. As Allah, the Exalted, states clearly:
ﱠ ﭐﱡ
ﱻﱺﱹﱸﱷﱶﱵﱴﱳ

"If they believe as you have believed, they will be rightly guided." [2:137]
If we believe with the same belief sanctified in this noble Verse, then Allah promises that we will be
rightly guided, and as a result:
ﱠ ﭐﱡ
ﱧﱦﱥﱤﱣﱢﱡ

"Those who have gone astray will not harm you if you are rightly guided." [5:105]
This effort is an attempt to aid the English-speaking Muslims in learning and embracing the correct
creed in Islam, "The creed of the saved sect, those aided until the arrival of the Last Hour, Ahlus-
Sunnah wal-Jamaa'ah." (See: Point 3 of the text, p.13)
This workbook, by the Permission of Allah, is a helpful study companion for the classic primer in basic
Muslim creed, al-'Aqeedah al-Waasitiyyah, by Shaykh al-Islaam Ibn Taymiyah [d.728]. The text of the
book is divided into 100 lessons. Each lesson includes the fully voweled Arabic wording, along with
an English translation. Further resources are available as appendices, like the uninterrupted text, the
Arabic original, as well as its translation, a chain of transmission (isnaad) back to the author, and a
complete manuscript as well.
Additional resources, like review quizzes, extension activities, group projects, and research
assignments will be made available and announced throughout the course, in shaa' Allah.
It should be clear that this workbook has not been designed for independent self-study. To maximize
your benefit from these lessons, attend our classes at the First Muslim Mosque in Pittsburgh,
Pennsylvania (pending Covid-19 restrictions), or tune in to the weekly broadcasts, on Friday
evenings. As the time of the class changes throughout the year, follow the masjid's Twitter account
(@1MMPGH) to stay aware of the most updated class time. If you are unable to attend live in person
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or online, then download or listen to the recordings of the classes and follow along with the
workbook. If you are not attending the classes at the masjid, here is how you can benefit from the
live broadcasts and/or their recordings:
Go to www.Spreaker.com/radio1mm and follow the live broadcast right on the main page, if we are
broadcasting live at the time. Otherwise, click on the PODCAST: "01 WAASITIYYAH", as illustrated
below:

Then, click on "WAASITIYYAH." You should see a list of all
available recordings to date, in shaa' Allah.
I ask Allah that He grant me and you success in attaining His
Pleasure and in drawing near to Him. May He raise the rank
of his Messenger, Muhammad, and grant him and his family
and companions an abundance of peace.
ABUL-'ABBAAS MOOSAA RICHARDSON
Education Director
First Muslim Mosque
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Email: [email protected]
Twitter: @1MMeducation

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BOOK COVER: Shaykh Saalih al-Fowzaan's explanation of al-'Aqeedah al-Waasitiyyah.
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