The Garden of Reminders

قال القاضي العبّاس بن موسى بن مشكوية:

"لقيت العلماء في مكة والمدينة ‏والكوفة والبصرة والشام فرأيتهم على السنة والجماعة."

فقال ‏له الواثق: "وما السنة والجماعة؟"

فقال له: "‏سألت عنها العلماء فكل يقول ان صفة المؤمن من أهل السنة والجماعة أن يقول العبد المؤمن مخلصاً: ‏لا إله إلا الله وحده لا شريك له وأن محمداً عبده ورسوله ‏والإقرار بما جاءت به الأنبياء والرسل والإيمان بالقدر خيره وشره من الله عز وجل ويعلم العبد أن ما أصابه لم يكن ليخطئه وأن ما أخطأه لم يكن ليصيبه؛ والإيمان قول وعمل يزيد بالطاعة وينقص بالمعصية وأن الله عز وجل قد علم من خلقه ما هم فاعلون وما هم إليه صائرون (فريق في الجنة وفريق في السعير) وصلاة الجمعة والعيدين خلف كل إمام بر وفاجر والصلاة المكتوبة من غير أن تُقَدِّمَ وقتاً أو تُأخِّرَ وقتاً وأن تشهد للعشر المبشرين بالجنة ‏والحب والبغض لله وفي الله وإيقاع الطلاق إذا جرى على اللسان والمسح على الخفين للمسافر ثلاثة ايام وللمقيم يوم وليلة وقصر الصلاة للمسافر وتقديم الإفطار وتأخير السحور ووضع اليمين على الشمال في الصلاة و الجهر بآمين وإخفاء بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم وأن تقول بلسانك وتعلم يقيناً بقلبك أن خير هذه الأمة بعد نبينا صلى الله عليه وسلم أبو بكر ثم عمر ثم عثمان ثم علي رضي الله عنهم والكفّ عمّا شجر بين أصحاب النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم والإيمان بالبعث والنشور وعذاب القبر وسؤال القبر ومنكر ونكير والصراط ‏والميزان وأنّ الله عزّ وجل يُخرِج أهل الكبائر من هذه الأمة من النار برحمة رب العالمين وشفاعة الشافعين وأنه لا يُخَلَّد في النار إلا المشرك والكافر وأنّ أهل الجنة يرون الله عزّ وجل بأبصارهم كما يرون القمر ليلة البدر ليس دونه سحاب وأن القرآن كلام الله غير مخلوق وأنّ (الأرض جميعاً قبضته يوم القيامة والسماوات مطوِيّات بيمينه سبحانه وتعالى عما يشركون)."

قال ‏الإمام أحمد رحمه الله: "ينبغي أن نكتب هذا الكلام على أبواب المساجد ونعلمه أهلنا وأولادنا، فإذا لقيت الله يوم القيامة تلقاه على السنة والجماعة."

[الإبانة لإبن بطة]

The ‘Aqeedah of Ahlus-Sunnah wa’lJama’ah

Al-Qadhi Al-‘Abbas bin Musa bin Mishkawayh said:

“I met the scholars in Makkah, Madinah, Kufah, Basrah, and Sham, and I saw them upon the Sunnah wal’Jama’ah.”

Al-Wathiq said: “And what is Al-Sunnah wa’lJama’ah?”

So he replied: “I asked the scholars regarding this, so all of them say that the characteristics of the believer from Ahlus-Sunnah wal’Jama’ah are that: he says ‘La ilaha illa Allah wahdahu laa shareeka lahu wa anna Muhammadan ‘abduhu wa Rasooluhu [There is no deity worthy of worship except for Allah, in His Oneness with no partners, and that Muhammad is his slave and Messenger],’ and acknowledging and accepting what the Prophets and Messengers came with, and faith that the Qadar - the khayr [good] of it and the shar [evil] of it - is from Allah ‘Azza-wa-Jall, and that what afflicted the servant was never going to miss him, and what missed him was never going to afflict him. And that faith [Eman] is speech and actions, it increases with obedience and decreases with disobedience and sins. And that He certainly knows of His creation what they are doing and what they are endeavoring towards and what their endings will be - (a party will be in Paradise and a party in the blazing Fire). And Salatul-Jum’ah [Friday prayer] and the two ‘Eids [prayed] behind every imam, righteous and corrupt, and the obligatory prayers without preceding the beginning time for them or delaying them past the end time for them. And that you bear witness for the ten [companions] who were given glad tidings of Jannah, and hating and loving for Allah, and for the sake of Allah. And that divorce takes place if it is pronounced on the tongue, and wiping over the socks - for the traveler three days, and for the resident one day and night, and shortening the prayer for the traveler, and hastening the Iftar and delaying the suhoor. And placing the right hand on top of the left in prayer, and verbally pronouncing “Ameen” and silently pronouncing “Bismillahir-Rahman-ir-Raheem” [in prayer]. And that you say with your tongue and know with certainty in your heart that the best of this Ummah after the Prophet Sall-Allahu ‘alayhi wa Sallam is Abu Bakr, then ‘Umar, then ‘Uthman, then ‘Ali, may Allah be pleased with them, and not speaking about the disagreement between the companions of the Prophet Sall-Allahu ‘alayhi wa Sallam. And having faith in the Resurrection, and the punishment of the grave, and the questioning of the grave, and Munkar and Nakeer [the two angels who are entrusted with questioning the deceased], and the Sirat [the bridge over the Hellfire that is thinner than a hair and sharper than a sword that the believers must pass over - whoever passes it is saved, and whomever falls is punished justly and accordingly], and the Meezaan [the scale which weighs the deeds and the creation on the Day of Judgement], and that Allah removes the people of major sins from this Ummah from the Hellfire by the Mercy of the Lord of the Worlds and the intercession of those who intercede [by the will of Allah]. And that none remain in the Hellfire for eternity except for the polytheist and the disbeliever. And that the people of Jannah see Allah ‘Azza-wa-Jall with their eyes, just as they see the moon on a full moon night with no clouds around it. And that the Qur’an is the words of Allah, uncreated, (And on the Day of Resurrection the whole of the earth will be grasped by His Hand and the heavens will be rolled up in His Right Hand. Glorified is He, and High is He above all that they associate as partners with Him!)"

Imam Ahmad Rahimahullahu Ta’ala said: “These words must be written on the doors of the masajid, and we should teach them to our wives and children, so that when you meet Allah on the Day of Judgement, you will meet him upon the Sunnah and the Jama’ah.”