Principles of the Religious Creed

Written by:

Shaikh Abdurrahman bin Naasir as-Sa’di (d.1376 H.)

Translated by:

Faisal bin Abdul Qaadir bin Hassan

1
All praise is due to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds, and may peace and blessings be upon
Muhammad, his family, Companions, and all those who follow them until the Last Day.

As for what follows:

is is a very summarized [text] on the Principles of the Religious Creed and the great,
important principles. We restricted ourselves in it with mere indication and notification [of the
matters of the creed] without expanding on the speech nor mentioning the evidences. e
closest thing which can be said [about this text] is that it is a type of index for the issues [of the
Creed] so that its foundations, its status, and position in the Religion will become known.

As for the one who has desire for knowledge, then let him seek its expansion and its evidences
from its places. If Allah makes it easy for me and grants me life, I will expand on this request
and clarify its evidences.

⬤ e First Principle: Tawheed ⬤

e definition of Tawheed which encompasses all of its types is: the belief of the servant and his
Imaan in the singling out of Allah with perfect Attributes and with the di ferent types of
worship. Entering into this is:

Tawheed of Lordship: it is the belief of singling out the Lord in creation, provisions, and the
di ferent types of administration [of the creation].

Tawheed of the Names and Attributes: it is to a firm what Allah has a firmed for Himself and
what His Messenger (‫ )ﷺ‬a firmed for Him from Beautiful Names and Perfect, Lo ty Attributes,
without likening them to the creation, nor making similarities between Allah and the creation,
nor distortion, nor denial.

Tawheed of Worship: it is to single Him out alone with the di ferent categories of worship and
its types; to single Him out in it is to do so without associating partners with Him in anything
from it, along with the belief in His complete Lordship.

Entering into Tawheed of Lordship is the a firmation of al-Qadaa and Qadr (Pre-Decree) - that
what Allah wills will be and what He does not will, will not occur. And that He is over all things
Omnipotent and He is Al-Ghani (Rich, Free of all wants), Worthy of all praise. What is besides
Him is dependent on Him from every angle.

2
Entering into the Tawheed of the Names and Attributes is the a firmation of all the meanings of
the Beautiful Names of Allah, the Exalted, reported in the Book and the Sunnah. Imaan in them
has three levels:

● Imaan in the Names

● Imaan in the Attributes

● Imaan in the rulings of His Attributes

Like knowing that He is al-’Aleem (the All-Knowing), the possessor of knowledge, and that He
knows everything. And that is al-Qadeer (the All-capable), the possessor of ability and is capable
over all things, etc., in relation to the Sanctified Names belonging to Him.

Entering into that is a firming His lo tiness over His creation, His ascending over His rone,
and His descending every night to the lowest heaven in a manner that befits His Majesty and
greatness.

Also entering into that is: a firming the Attributes of Essence (‫ )ﺻﻔﺎت ذاﺗﯿﺔ‬which do not
separate from Him: such as hearing, seeing, knowledge, lofitness, and the likes.

e Attributes of His Actions (‫ )ﺻﻔﺎت ﻓﻌﻠﯿﺔ‬are the Attributes which are connected to Allah’s will
and ability, like speech, creation, provision, mercy, ascending over the throne, descending to the
lowest heavens as He wills. All of these [attributes] are a firmed for Allah without making a
resemblance between them and the creation nor denying them. ey are all established by His
essence and He is described with them. He, the Exalted never ceased to say and do, nor will He
cease to do so. He does what He intends (or wills), He speaks with what He wills, when He wills,
and how He wants. He never ceased to be described with speech and to be known for mercy and
perfection.

Entering into that is the belief that the Quran is the speech of Allah, revealed, not created. From
Him it came and to Him it shall return. He spoke it with truth and His speech does not exhaust
nor come to an end.

And entering into that is Imaan that He is Ever Near, All-Responsive, and along with that He is
All High. ere is no contradiction between the perfection of His Lo tiness and the perfection of
His Nearness because there is none similar to Him in all of His descriptions. [Belief] in the
Tawheed of the Names and Attributes of Allah is not complete until a person believes in

3
everything that comes in the Book and the Sunnah in terms of Names, Attributes, actions, and
rulings, in accordance to a manner that befits the Majesty of the Inventor of all things. He
should know that just as none resembles Him in essence, none resembles Him in His Attributes.

Whoever thinks that it is necessary, in some [people's] intellects, to interpret the Attributes of
Allah to a meaning other than is known, then he has clearly gone astray.

And Tawheed of Lordship is not complete until the servant believes that the actions of the
servants are created by Allah, and that the will of the creation follows the will of Allah, and that
they have actions. eir will occurs with their actions and they are connected to commands and
prohibitions. And there is no contradiction between the two a fairs: a firming the general,
encompassing will of Allah over the essences, actions, and attributes [of the creation], and
a firming the ability of the servant over his own actions and statements.

And Tawheed of Worship is not a firmed until a servant is sincere for Allah, the Exalted in his
intentions, statements, and actions, and until he leaves o f major Shirk, which contradicts
Tawheed with every type of contradiction. It (Shirk) is to give a type from the types of worship to
other than Allah, the Exalted. e perfection of that is leaving o f minor Shirk. It is: every
means, which is close and that leads to Major Shirk, such as swearing by other than Allah, small
amounts of Riyaa, and the likes of that.

e people in relation to Tawheed are in levels, varying in accordance to what they established of
knowledge of Allah and acts of worship. e most complete of them in this chapter is the one
who knows the details of Allah's Names and Attributes, His Actions, His Bounties, their
established meanings in the Book and the Sunnah, and understands them with a good
understanding. So his heart is full of knowledge of Allah, venerating and honoring Him, loving
Him, and repenting to Him. All the desires of his heart are attracted to Allah, the Exalted, and
directed to Him alone without any partner.

All his movements and times of stillness occur in the completion of Imaan and complete
sincerity, which is not contaminated by any evil intents. So he becomes tranquil to Allah, the
Exalted, by knowing Him, repenting to Him, performing actions (for His sake), leaving o f
actions (for His sake), perfecting himself and others, and calling to this great foundation. So we
ask Allah by His bounty and Honor to bestow that upon us.

4
 ⬤ e Second Principle: Belief in the Prophethood of All the Prophets in General
and the Prophethood of Muhammad (‫ )ﷺ‬Specifically ⬤

is foundation: is built upon a person believing that all the Prophets have been specified by
Allah with His revelation and dispatchment, and that He has made them an intermediary
between Him and the creation in conveying His Legislation and Religion.

Allah has supported them with evidences that point to their truthfulness and to the validity of
what they have come with. ey are the most complete creation in action and knowledge, the
most truthful and righteous of them, the most complete in character and actions, and that Allah
has specified them with virtue that no one else can attain. He has freed them from every lowly
characteristic.

ey are infallible in what they convey from Allah, the Exalted, and nothing comes from their
reports and conveyance except truth and correctness.

It is obligatory to believe in them, and in everything given to them from Allah, and to love them
and venerate them.

ese a fairs are a firmed with our Prophet Muhammad (‫ )ﷺ‬upon the most complete form. It is
obligatory to know all that he has come with of the Legislation in general and detail, to have
Imaan in that, to adhere to his obedience in everything, to attest to his reports, to adhere to his
commands, and avoid his prohibitions.

From that is [to believe] that he (‫ )ﷺ‬is the seal of the Prophets, and his Legislation aborgoates all
the Legislations, and that his Prophethood and Legislation will remain until the establishment
of the Hour. So there is no Prophet a ter him nor Legislation besides his Legislation in the
principles of the Deen and the subsidiary issues.

Entering in the Belief of the Messenger: is Imaan in the Books. So the Imaan in Muhammad (‫)ﷺ‬
necessitates Imaan in everything of what he came with from the Book and the Sunnah: its
wordings and meanings.

So Imaan is not complete except by that. Everyone who is greater in knowledge of that, and is
greater in attestation, acknowledgement, and action, then he his more complete in Imaan.

Imaan in the Angels and Qadr (Pre-Decree) enters into this great principle. From the
completion of the belief in it is knowing that what he (the Prophet (‫ ))ﷺ‬comes with is truth and it
is not possible to establish a logical proof or tangible proof in opposition to him, just as a textual

5
proof cannot be established in opposition to him. So the intellectual a fairs and beneficial senses
find the evidences of the Quran and Sunnah established and they encourage to learn and act
upon them.

What is not beneficial from those things mentioned, then they do not deny its existence (i.e.
what is established from the evidences of the Book and Sunnah), even though the Legislated
proof prohibits and dispraises these harmful a fairs. It enters into Imaan in what the Messenger
(‫ )ﷺ‬came with. Rather, [it enters into Imaan in] what all the Messengers came with.

⬤ e ird Principle: Imaan in the Last Day ⬤

So everything that comes in the Quran and Sunnah in regards to what will happen a ter death,
then verily it is from Imaan in the Last Day. Such as: the conditions of the Barzakh, the
conditions of the Day of Judgement, and what is in it from reckoning, reward, punishment,
intercession, the Balance, the scrolls being received by the right and le t hands, the Siraat (the
Bridge), the conditions of the Jannah and the Hell-Fire, the conditions of their residents, and
the various things that Allah promised its residents in general and detail. All of that enters into
the Imaan in the Last Day.

⬤ e Fourth Principle: e Issue of Imaan ⬤

Ahlus-Sunnah believe in what comes in the Book and the Sunnah, [and] from it is that Imaan is:
the attestation of the heart which includes actions on the limbs.

So they say: Imaan is beliefs in the heart and its actions, actions of the limbs, and statements of
the tongue. All of it is from Imaan.

And that whoever completes it, externally and internally, then he has completed Imaan.
Whoever is deficient in something of it, then he is deficient in his Imaan. ese a fairs [of
Imaan] are seventy odd branches. e highest of it is the statement: La ilaha illa Allah (there is no
Deity worthy of worship except Allah), and the lowest of it is removing something harmful from
the path. And modesty is a branch of Imaan.

ey [Ahlus-Sunnah] attach to this principle that the people are in levels in regards to Imaan.
ose nearest to Allah, the companions of the right hand, and those who oppressed themselves -
in accordance to their station in the Religion and Imaan, and that it increases and decreases.
Whoever commits something unlawful or leaves o f an obligation, then his obligatory Imaan
decreases if he does not repent to Allah.

6
 ey [Ahlus-Sunnah] connect to this principle that the people are of three categories:

● Some of them are those who establish all the rights of Imaan. ey are the true
believers.

● Some of them are those who leave all of them o f. is is the disbeliever in Allah, the
Exalted.

● And some of them who have Imaan and disbelief or Imaan and hypocrisy or good and
evil. So in him is the allegiance of Allah and his deservedness to be honored by Him, in
accordance to what is with him of Imaan, and in him is the enmity of Allah and his
deservedness for the punishment of Allah in accordance to his weakness in Imaan.

ey [Ahlus-Sunnah] connect to this great principle that the major sins and the minor sins
which do not lead the one who commits them to disbelief, decrease the Imaan of the servant
without expelling him from the fold of Islam nor make him abide in the Hell-Fire eternally.

And they do not pronounce disbelief upon him [i.e., they do not accuse such a person of kufr] as
the Khawaarij say nor deny him of Imaan as the Mu'tazilah say.

So these principles make up Imaan in all of the texts of the Book and the Sunnah and following
this principle is:

● at Islaam wipes out what precedes it

● at repentance wipes out what precedes it

● at whoever apostastes and dies upon that, then his good deeds are nullified

● at whoever repents to Allah, then Allah accepts it [from him]

ey [Ahlus-Sunnah] also connect to this principle the validity of saying in shaa Allah in Imaan.
So it is correct that a person says: “I am a believer in shaa Allah (if Allah wills)”. is is because he
hopes from Allah, the Exalted, to complete his Imaan, so he says in shaa Allah in that. He hopes
for firmness upon that until death, so he makes an exception (says in shaa Allah) without doubt
that he has obtained the foundation of Imaan.

ey [Ahlus-Sunnah] also connect to this principle that the origin and the amount of love and
hate follows Imaan, its presence or absence; completion or deficiency.

7
 en allegiance and disallegiance follow that. So this is from Imaan: loving for Allah’s sake and
hating for Allah’s sake, allegiance for Allah and enmity for Allah’s sake.

Following that also is that a person loves for his brother what he loves for himself. It (Imaan) will
not be complete except by it.

Following that also is love for the unity of the believers, encouraging a finity and love between
them, and the absence of boycotting.

Ahlus-Sunnah wal-Jama’ah free themselves from bigotry, separation, and hatred. ey see this
principle to be from the most important principles of Imaan. ey do not see that di fering in
issues which do not lead to disbelief or innovation necessitate separation.

Resulting from Imaan is love for the Companions in accordance to their levels and that they have
virtue, precedent, and merits which grant them virtue over all the Ummah.

ey [Ahlus-Sunnah] worship Allah through love for them, and spread their virtues, hold back
from what happened between them of discord, and [belief] that they are the foremost of the
Ummah in every praiseworthy characteristic, and preceded them in every good, and are the
furthest of Ummah from every evil.

ey [Ahlus-Sunnah] believe that the Ummah cannot do without a ruler who establishes their
deen and dunya for them, and de lects the transgression of the transgressors. And the rulership
of the ruler is not complete except by obedience to him in other than the disobedience of Allah,
the Exalted.

ey [Ahlus-Sunnah] see that Imaan is not complete except by enjoining the good and
prohibiting the evil with the hand, otherwise with the tongue, otherwise with the heart
according to the Legislated levels and its applicable paths.

In sum, they [Ahlul-Sunnah] take the opinion that establishing every Legislated principle upon
its Legislated form to be from the completion of Imaan and the Religion.

From the completion of this principle is their path in regards to knowledge and action.

8
 ⬤ e Fi th Principle: eir Path in Regards to Knowledge and Action ⬤

Ahlus-Sunnah wal-Jama’ah believe and hold fast to [the belief] that there is no path to Allah and
to honor except by beneficial knowledge and righteous actions.

So beneficial knowledge is what the Messenger (‫ )ﷺ‬came with from the Book of Allah and
Sunnah, so they [Ahlus-Sunnah] strive in knowing its meanings and understanding it, in both
principles and subsidiary issues.

And they follow all paths of indication in it which are: (‫)دﻻﻟﺔ اﻟﻤﻄﺎﺑﻘﺔ‬1, and (‫)دﻻﻟﺔ اﻟﺘﻀﻤﻦ‬2, and
(‫اﻻﻟﺘﺰام‬ ‫)دﻻﻟﺔ‬3.

ey exert their strength to obtain that in accordance to what Allah gave them. And they believe
that these are the beneficial sciences and also what branches out from them from sound analogy
and suitable rulings.

Every knowledge that aids and assists in that or follows it, then it is a Legislated science. Just as
whatever opposes it or nullifies it, then it is a science of falsehood. So this is their path in
knowledge.

As for their path in action, then they draw near to Allah, the Exalted, by attestation and
complete acknowledgement of the beliefs of Imaan, which are the foundation of the acts of
worship and their basis. en they draw near to Allah by performing His obligations connected
to His right and the rights of His servants, along with increasing in the voluntary deeds, and
leaving o f the prohibitions and forbidden things out of worship of Allah.

ey know that Allah, the Exalted, does not accept except every sincere action done for His
Honorable Face, following the path of the Noble Prophet (‫ )ﷺ‬in it. ey seek Allah, the Exalted,
[for] assistance in treading these beneficial paths which are beneficial knowledge and righteous
action, which lead to every good, success, and happiness now and in the future.

1
Shaikh Abdul-Aziz ar-Raajihi (may Allah preserve him) said it is the indication of something intending all of its
meanings [al-Hidayatur-Rabbaaaniyyah Fi Sharh Aqeedati-Tahawiyyah (pg. 48)]
2
Shaikh Abdul-Aziz ar-Raajihi (may Allah preserve him) said it is the indication of something intending some of its
meaning [al-Hidayatur-Rabbaaaniyyah Fi Sharh Aqeedati-Tahawiyyah (pg. 48)]
3
Shaikh Abdul-Aziz ar-Raajihi (may Allah preserve him) said it is the indication to something outside of its
meaning [al-Hidayatur-Rabbaaaniyyah Fi Sharh Aqeedati-Tahawiyyah (pg. 48)]. For more on these types of
indications, See ar-Risalah Lateefah al-Jaami’ah Fi Usul-Fiqh (pg. 7) of Shaikh Abdurrahman as-Sa’di (may Allah have
mercy upon him)
9
 All praise is due to Allah the Lord of the Worlds
And may abundant peace and blessings be upon Muhammad, his family, and Companions

5 Ramadan 1357

[End of Treatise]

10