By Sheikh ʿAbdul As-Salām Shākir
Checked by Sheikh Adīb Al-Kallās
Lines 1-22
Lines 1-22
1.
الْحَمْدُ
لِلّهِ عَلَى صِلاتِهِ ثُمَّ سَلامُ اللهِ مَعْ صَلاتِهِ
Praised be Allah for His gifts;
His blessings and peace be
2.
عَلَى
نَبِيٍّ جَاءَ بِالتَّوْحِيْدِ وَقَدْ خَلا الدِّيْنُ عَنِ التَّوْحِيْدِ
Upon a prophet who came with belief in the One God [tawḥīd]
when religion had become
devoid of belief in the One God
In other
words, we exalt our Master[1]
and praise Him, He Who has blessed us with his gifts, followed by Allah’s
salutations that are befitting of our master,[2]
Muḥammad, may Allah’s prayers[3]
and peace be upon him, along with His mercy – for indeed, ṣalāt from Allah is mercy, from the angels it is seeking
forgiveness and from the believers it is entreaty and supplication – upon our
master, Muḥammad, may Allah’s prayers and peace be
upon him; as Allah sent him with the Pure Religion,[4]
calling all those who are legally responsible[5]
from amongst the thaqalayn[6]
to the worship of Al-Wāḥid,[7]
Al-Aḥad[8]
at a time in which there were various false objects of worship and tawḥīd was absent. Tawḥīd means to single out the Object of Worship with worship while believing
that He is One in His Essence, Attributes and Actions.
3.
فَأَرْشَدَ
الخَلْقَ لِدِيْنِ الْحَقِّ بِسَيْفِهِ وَهَدْيِهِ لِلْحَقِّ
He guided Creation to the religion of The True Lord
By means of his sword and his guiding to the truth
In other words, our master, Muḥammad, may Allah’s prayers
and peace be upon him, guided[9]
all of the thaqalayn and showed them the Dīn of Allah, which is affirmed
and established by the Qurʾān, the Sunnah and the Muḥammadan
light which illuminates hearts and minds. And it was also by means of the
sword, which is the tool of jihād, since jihād is an obligation
against the disbelievers who wage war against the Call to Islam.
4.
مُحَمَّدُ
الْعَاقِبْ لِرُسْلِ رَبِّهِ وَآلِهِ وَصَحْبِهِ وَحِزْبِهِ
Muhammad, the last of his Lord’s Messengers
his family, his Companions and his party.
In other words, this is followed by the peace of Allah and His
prayers upon a Prophet. He is Muḥammad, the last one, after whom there is no
other Prophet. He is the seal of those sent and his Revealed Law abrogates all
the Revealed Laws that came before him. ‘His family’ means every taqī[10]
from amongst his Ummah when it is used in a general supplication.[11]
‘His Companions’ are those who gathered around him as believers and died in
that state.[12]
They are the best of the generations from the Ummah of our master, Muḥammad,
may Allah’s prayers and peace be upon him. ‘His party’ are his group[13]
and his followers, may Allah’s prayers and peace be upon him.
5.
وَبَعْدُ فَالْعِلْمُ
بِأَصْلِ الدِّيْنِ مُحَتَّمٌ يَحْتَاجُ لِلتَّبْيِيْنِ
To begin; knowledge of the foundation of the Dīn is
obligatory and requires clarification
Indeed, knowledge of the foundations of the Dīn[14],
which is one of the names of the science of tawḥīd, is an obligation
in the Revealed Law, and this is due to the statement of the Exalted One: “Know[15]
that there is no god but Allah.” [Sūrat Muḥammad 47:19] This science
needs elucidation by way of illustrating its issues and establishing them with
decisive proofs.
6.
لَكِنْ
مِنَ التَّطْوِيْلِ كَلَّتِ الْهِمَمْ فَصَارَ فِيْهِ الاخْتِصَارُ
مُلْتَزَمْ
However, due to lengthiness [of the works], endeavours have become
weary,
Thus, brevity has become necessary.
In other words, even though this field needs elucidation, it
should not be discussed at length to the extent that it leads to ennui and
boredom, and this is so that the reader does not become fatigued and so that
his resolve does not weaken. This is why a summarization that does not violate
the meaning is necessary.
7.
وَهذِهِ أُرْجُوْزَةٌ لَقَّبْتُهَا جَوْهَرَةَ التَّوْحِيْدِ
قَدْ هَذَّبْتُهَا
This is a poem that I have named,
‘The Jewel of Belief in The One God’, which I have refined.
Indeed this treatise has been put together according to the rajaz
metre. It consists of one hundred and forty-four verses and the author has
called it and named it ‘The Jewel of Belief in The One God’, for it is like a precious pearl, and he has
purified it and cleansed it of interpolation and elaboration while at the same
time affirming its meanings.
8.
وَاللهَ
أَرْجُوْ فِيْ القَبُوْلِ نَافِعًا بِهَا مُرِيْدًا فِيْ الثَّوَابِ طَامِعًا
Allah alone I hope for acceptance (from), benefitting
by it the person who avidly wants reward.
In other words, I hope to obtain Allah’s
acceptance and pleasure, as He is Glorified and Exalted, benefitting with this
Jewel the person who wants it and strives for it, avidly hoping for reward and
merit from Him, the Exalted.
9.
فَكُلُّ
مَنْ كُلِّفَ شَرْعًا وَجَبَا عَلَيْهِ أَنْ يَعْرِفَ مَا قَدْ وَجَبَا
Hence, it is obligatory for anyone who is legally responsible
to know what is obligatory
In other words, it is obligatory upon every mature,[16]
sane[17]
individual who has received the Call[18]
and has fully-functioning senses to firmly believe, in accordance with the facts
derived from evidences, in what is necessary for Allah the Exalted, and they
are twenty attributes, as shall be mentioned.
10.
لِلّهِ
وَالْجَائِزَ وَالْمُمْتَنِعَا وَمِثْلُ ذَا لِرُسْلِهِ فَاسْتَمِعَا
For Allah and what is possible and impossible,
and likewise for His messengers, so listen carefully.
Likewise, it is obligatory to believe in what is possible for
Allah and what is impossible with regards to Him, the Exalted, and they are the
opposites of the twenty attributes. Likewise, it is obligatory to believe in
what is necessary, possible and impossible with regards to the messengers,
peace be upon them.
11.
إِذْ
كُلُّ مَنْ قَلَّدَ فِي التَّوْحِيْدِ إِيْمَانُهُ لَمْ يَخْلُ
مِنْ تَرْدِيْدِ
Because anyone who blindly adopts another’s beliefs,
his faith will always be with uncertainty.
For indeed, the faith of someone who blindly adopts someone else’s
beliefs[19]
without proof or evidence will be faith that is never free of hesitation,
doubts and misgivings.[20]
12.
فَفِيْهِ بَعْضُ الْقَوْمِ يَحْكِيْ الْخُلْفَا وَبَعْضُهُمْ حَقَّقَ فِيْهِ
الْكَشْفَا
Regarding this person, some of the theologians have differed,
And one of them clarified the matter concerning him,
In other words, with regards to the validity of the faith of muqallid
without any proof, there is a difference of opinion. There are those who have
said that it is not valid and there are those who have said that it is valid
but such a person is disobedient because they have left off the proofs. There
are also some people who have managed to investigate and clarify this
difference of opinion, and they include Al-Tāj Al-Subkī.
13.
فَقَالَ
إِنْ يَجْزِمْ بِقَوْلِ الْغَيْرِ كَفَى وَإِلاَّ لَمْ يَزَلْ
فِيْ الضَّيْرِ
He said, ‘If he believes firmly in the position of another,
it is sufficient; and if not, he remains in peril.’
In other words, Al-Subkī said, ‘Indeed the faith of the muqallid
is accepted if he is firm upon the position of the other person, such that if
the muqallad[21] were to go back
on his position, he would not do likewise. On the other hand, if he is not
firm, such that if the other person were to go back on his position the muqallid
would do likewise, then his faith is not accepted and he remains in the
iniquity of doubt, which is inconsistent with faith.
14.
وَاجْزِمْ بِأَنَّ أَوَّلاً مِمَّا
يَجِبْ مَعْرِفَةٌ
وَفِيْهِ خُلْفٌ مُنْتَصِب
Be certain that the first obligation is
knowledge of Allah, although there is a confirmed disagreement about it.
In other words, firm belief that knowledge[22]
of Allah’s attributes is an obligation upon every legally responsible person,
and the Imams have differed with regards to knowing them; are they the first of
the obligations? The most well-known position[23]
of Imam Al-Ashʿarī is the first obligation upon those legally responsible,
because none of the other obligations can be realised without it.
15.
فَانْظُرْ
إِلَى نَفْسِكَ ثُمَّ انْتَقِلِ لِلْعَالَمِ الْعُلْوِيِّ
ثُمَّ السُّفْلِيْ
So, reflect over your own self and then
reflect over the celestial and terrestrial realms
In other words, if you want knowledge then realise with your
intellect and reflect on the states of your essence. The Exalted One has said, “And
in yourselves as well. Do you not then see?” [Sūrat Al-Dhāriyāt 51:21]
Then, turn your attention towards the states of the celestial realm, such as
the skies, the celestial bodies and the stars. Then, turn your attention
towards the terrestrial realm, that which is on earth, such as the minerals,
the plains, the mountains, the seas, the plants and the animals.
16.
تَجِدْ
بِهِ صُنْعًا بَدِيْعَ الْحِكَمِ لَكِنْ بِهِ قَامَ دَلِيْلُ
الْعَدَمِ
You will find therein a creation of unique
perfections,
yet in it resides the evidence of nonexistence.
In other words, you will find, after looking at
this universe from its celestial realm to its terrestrial realm, an amazingly
unique precision that proves the Knowledge[24] of its Maker as well as
His Power and His Life. However, this world – even though it of the utmost
precision and the utmost uniqueness – is ḥādith[25] and must have a muḥdith,[26] because with this
universe the sign of non-existence has been established, and it is subject to
change and alteration, such as motion and stillness, and this proves that it
has come into existence after non-existence and that a Maker must have brought
it into existence.
17.
وَكُلُّ
مَا جَازَ عَلَيْهِ الْعَدَمُ عَلَيْهِ قَطْعًا يَسْتَحِيْلُ الْقِدَمُ
And anything for which nonexistence is possible,
pre-eternality is without doubt impossible for it.
In other words, anything that can possibly go out of existence
cannot possibly be pre-eternal. The result is that the world is ḥādith, since
that which is pre-eternal is not subject to any change or alteration.
Furthermore, every ḥādith must have a muḥdith and the muḥdith is Allah, Glorified and Exalted.
18.
وَفُسِّرَ
الإيْمَانُ بِالتَّصْدِيْقِ وَالنُّطْقُ فِيْهِ الْخُلْفُ بِالتَّحْقِيْقِ
Faith has been explained to mean ‘affirmation’,[27]
but there is a disagreement over uttering (it), as has been verified
In other words, faith has been defined as affirmation of what our
master, Muḥammad, may Allah’s prayers and peace be upon him, has brought,
such as what is known of the Dīn by necessity,[28]
like the prayer, fasting, zakāt, Ḥajj and faith in the angels, prophets and
messengers. The scholars have differed over the ruling of articulating the two
testimonies of faith[29]
for those who are able to articulate. Thus, those who are mute are excluded
because they are not able to articulate, and therefore indication[30]
suffices as proof of their faith.
19.
فَقِيْلَ
شَرْطٌ كَالْعَمَلْ وَقِيْلَ بَلْ شَطْرٌ وَالإسْلامَ
اشْرَحَنَّ بِالْعَمَلْ
It is said to be a condition of faith like action; and it is said, in
fact
it is half of faith; whereas you should explain Islam through action.
In other words, the verifying scholars from amongst both the Ashʿarīs
and Māturīdīs have said, ‘Indeed, articulating the two testimonies of faith is
a condition for worldly rulings to be made applicable, such as inheritance,
marriage and so forth.[31]
Thus, whoever affirms in his heart and does not articulate the two testimonies
of faith is a believer in Allah’s sight but not a believer with regards to the
worldly rulings of the Revealed Law. Based on this, the author has likened it
to righteous actions, since they are a condition of the perfection of
faith. Imam Abū Ḥanīfa and a group of Ashʿarīs[32]
have stated, ‘Indeed, articulating the two testimonies of faith is a part of
faith and is a pillar included therein, unlike all the other righteous actions.
Based on this, whoever affirms in his heart but does not articulate the two
testimonies of faith is not a believer in Allah’s sight or in this world and
such a person does not deserve to enter Paradise. His statement, ‘whereas you
should explain Islam through action’, means that the reality of Islam is in
compliance and submission to what Allah has commanded and avoidance of what is prohibited, and those
ruling should be obeyed and not rejected.
20.
مِثَالُ
هذَا الْحَجُّ وَالصَّلاةُ كَذَا الصِّيَامُ فَادْرِ وَالزَّكَاةُ
Examples of this are Ḥajj and prayer
likewise, fasting and zakāt.
In other words, examples of those actions through which Islam is
explained include Ḥajj, prayer, fasting and zakāt. The author has
mentioned the four pillars of Islam after the two testimonies of faith.[33]
21.
وَرُجِّحَتْ
زِيَادَةُ الإيْمَانِ بِمَا تَزِيْدُ طَاعَةُ الإنْسَانِ
The preferred opinion is that faith increases
due to a person’s obedience increasing
22.
وَنَقْصُهُ بِنَقْصِهَا وَقِيْلَ لا وَقِيْلَ لا خُلْف كَذَا قَدْ نُقِلا
And it decreases by obedience decreasing; it is also said that it does
not;
It has also been said that there is no disagreement, as has been
transmitted.
There has been a difference of opinion with regards to faith
increasing and decreasing. The Ashʿarīs have preferred the
position that faith increases due to a person’s obedience increasing – which is
to do what is commanded and avoid what is prohibited – and faith decreases due
to a person’s obedience decreasing. The Exalted One has said, “…whose faith is increased when His āyāt
are recited to them.” [Sūrat Al-Anfāl 8:2] Imam Abū Ḥanīfa
said, ‘Indeed faith does not increase or decrease.’ Al-Fakhr Al-Rāzī took the
position that there was no real difference of opinion between the two sides.
Rather, it is only a difference in wording. Thus, the position that faith
increases and decreases refers to deeds, while the position that it doesn’t
increase or decrease refers to affirmation.
His statement ‘as has been transmitted’ is an indication that this
position is not the most correct one, because the most correct position is that
affirmation in the heart increases and decreases based on how much
investigation one does and the clarity of the proofs.[34]
[2] (tn): Ar. sayyid,
which can only be used for human beings
[3] (tn): Ar. ṣalāt
[4] (tn): Ar. al-Dīn
al-Khāliṣ
[5] (tn): Ar. al-mukallafīn
[6] (tn): i.e.
human beings and jinn
[7] (tn): i.e.
One, but especially in the sense of not being comprised of constituent parts.
This is why one finds this term used in āyāt that refute the Christians, such
as Al-Māʾida, 5:72-73. Allah says in āya 73, “Those who say that Allah is
the third of three are disbelievers. There is no god but One God [ilāhun wāḥid].”
One can also see Imam Al-Ghazālī’s definition of Al-Wāḥid in Al-Maqsad
Al-Asnā fī Sharḥ Asmāʾ Allāh Al-Ḥusnā, which has been translated as The
Ninety-Nine Beautiful Names of God by David B. Burrell and Nazih Daher
(Cambridge: Islamic Texts Society, 2004), p.130-131.
[8] (tn): i.e.
One, but especially in the sense that there is no god besides Him. It is
related that the Quraysh said, ‘O Muḥammad! Describe for us your Lord whom you
are calling us to’ and then Sūrat Al-Ikhlāṣ was revealed: “Say: ‘He is
Allah, Al-Aḥad; Allah, the Everlasting Sustainer of all. He has not given birth
and was not born. And no one is comparable to Him.’” [112:1-4]. Please see
Imam Al-Bayḍāwī’s commentary of this sūra in Anwār Al-Tanzīl wa Asrār
Al-Taʾwīl (Beirut: Dār Al-Kutub Al-ʿIlmiyya, 1424/2003), v.2, p.631.
[9] (tn):
‘guided’ (hadā] here also means ‘shown’, as in Sūrat Al-Balad 90:10: “And
we showed him [hadaynāhu] the two pathways [of good and evil].”
[10] (tn): From
the word taqwā, which is the awe or fear of Allah which inspires a
person to be on guard against wrong action and eager for actions which please
Him.
[11] (tn):
Whereas in fiqh, namely in Zakāt and distributing the spoils of war (ghanīma
and fayʾ), ‘his family’ is Banū Hāshim and Banū Muṭṭalib according to
the Shāfiʿīs, i.e. they are the ones who are not eligible to receive Zakāt but they
do receive a fifth of a fifth of the spoils of war [Reliance of the
Traveller (Beltsville: Amana Publications, 1994), p.606, section o10].
According to the Mālikīs, ‘his family’ is only Banū Hāshim. However, the Shāfiʿīs and Mālikīs agree that
when ‘his family’ are praised it refers to every righteous believer and when
they are mentioned in duʿāʾ it refers to every Muslim, righteous or not. Please
see Ghāyat Al-Munā; Sharḥ Safīnat Al-Najā by Imam Muḥammad bin ʿAlī bin
Muḥammad Bā ʿAṭiyya Al-Duʿanī (Tarīm, Maktaba Tarīm Al-Ḥadītha, 1429/2008),
p.33. This does not necessarily contradict the statement above because the word
taqī, or a person of taqwā, can also refer to every believer, as
evidenced by Allah’s words in Sūrat Al-Māʾida 5:27: “Allah only accepts from
people who have taqwā [muttaqīn].” In his commentary of this
āya, Imam Ibn Kathīr relates a statement from Muʿādh Ibn Jabal, may Allah be
pleased with him, who said that the muttaqūn are ‘People who have
protected themselves [ittaqū] from idolatry and the worship of idols and
have made their worship sincere [for Allah], and thus they are going to
Paradise.’ [Tafsīr Al-Qurʾān Al-ʿAẓīm (Beirut: Dār Ibn Ḥazm,
1423/2002), v.2, p.935]
[12] (tn):
In Al-Iṣāba fi Tamyīz Al-Ṣaḥāba, Imam Ibn Ḥajar Al-ʿAsqalānī defines a
Companion as ‘man laqiya al-Nabī ṣallā Allahu alayhi wa sallam muʾminan wa
māta ʿalā al-Islām,’ i.e. whoever met the Prophet, may Allah bless him and
grant him peace, as a believer and died upon Islam. (Beirut: Dār Al-Kutub
Al-ʿIlmiyyah, n.d., v.1 p.177)
[13] (tn):
Ar. jamāʿa
[14] (tn):
Ar. uṣūl al-Dīn
[15] (tn):
The verb is in the singular command form, i.e. faʿalam, and not the
plural command form, i.e. faʿalamū, which indicates that knowledge of
this science is an individual obligation (farḍ ʿayn) as opposed to a
communal obligation (farḍ kifāya).
[16] (tn):
Ar. bāligh
[17] (tn):
Ar. ʿāqil
[18] (tn):
i.e. to Islam
[19] (tn): Ar. muqallid
[20] (tn):
While in fiqh it is normal to quote a scholar, in theology one would
never say, for example, that Allah is One because Imam Al-Ṭaḥāwī has said so.
Rather, the Book and Sunnah are referred to directly.
[21] (tn):
i.e. the person whose position is being adopted
[22] (tn):
Ar. al-maʿrifah
[23] (tn):
Ar. al-mashhūr
[24] (tn):
Ar. ʿilm
[25] (tn):
i.e. it came into existence after being non-existent
[26] (tn):
i.e. that which brings it into existence.
[27] (tn):
Ar. al-taṣḍīq
[28] (tn):
Ar. maʿlūm min al-Dīn bi al-ḍarūra
[29] (tn): Ar. al-shahādatayn,
i.e. that there is no god but Allah and that Muḥammad is His Messenger, may
Allah’s prayers and peace be upon him
[30] (tn):
Ar. al-ishāra
[31] (tn) For example, a man would have to articulate his
faith before being eligible to marry a Muslim woman, or to inherit from Muslim
parents.
[32] (tn): ‘Except that there
has been a difference of opinion amongst the Imams regarding the person who
believes in his heart only; will that save him on the Day of Resurrection or
will it be insufficient unless he affirms and acknowledges with his tongue as
well? Al-Nawawī related from a group of scholars that certainty of the heart
alone is insufficient for salvation on the Day of Resurrection unless it is
with faith, affirmation and pronunciation on the tongue. In his commentary
on Al-Arbaʿīn Al-Nawawiyyah, Ibn Ḥajar [Al-Haytamī] preferred what most
of the Ashʿarīs have gone with, as well as some of the verifying scholars amongst
the Ḥanafīs [i.e. Māturīdīs], which is that affirmation on the tongue is only a
condition for worldly rulings to be made applicable. As for the Day of
Resurrection, certainty of the heart is sufficient. And Allah knows best.’
Sheikh Muḥammad Saʿīd Ramaḍān Al-Būṭī, Kubrā Al-Yaqīniyyāt Al-Kawniyyah
(Damascus: Dār Al-Fikr, 2007), p.240.
[33] (tn): A linguistic note has been omitted here.
[34] (tn): Another way to word it would be to see faith as
being of two types, salvational faith (īmān aṣlī) and devotional faith (al-īmān wa at-taṣdīq wa al-yaqīn bi
al-ʿamal). Salvational
faith does not increase or decrease, for if it were to decrease one would
become a disbeliever. As for devotional faith, which includes affirmation and
certainty with deeds, this does increase and decrease. Please see Sūrat Al-Fatḥ 48:4: “It is He who sent down serenity into the
hearts of the believers, thereby increasing them with their faith with their
faith.” According to Ibn ʿAbbās, the first faith is certainty (yaqīn),
affirmation (taṣdīq) and knowledge (ʿilm) while the second faith is faith in Allah and His Messenger, may
Allah’s prayers and peace be upon him. [Tanwīr Al-Miqbās min Tafsīr Ibn
Abbās (Beirut: Dār Al-Kutub Al-ʿIlmiyyah,
1412/1992), p.542]
4 comments:
Beautiful text ma sha Allah, thank you and jazakum Allah khayr!
Mash'Allah
Beneficial indeed. I am currently doing a commentary on the Jawhara and request permission to use of your comments if possible? I would like to share what Iv does thus far with you beloved Shaykh. If possible, please let me know
Wassalam,
Allie.
Assalaam alaykum,
Sorry for the extremely belated reply. Please feel free to use the comments.
Wassalaam,
Mahdi
JazakAllah khayr for your efforts.
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