The Creed

Abu Hurayrah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) reported that the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Allah made mercy into one hundred parts. He retained with Him ninety-nine parts and sent down to earth one part. Because of this one part, creatures show mercy towards each other, so much so that an animal lifts its hoof away from its youngster lest it should hurt it." Another narration reads: "Allah, the Almighty, has one hundred mercies, of which He sent down one mercy among mankind, jinn, animals, and vermin. It is by this mercy that they show compassion towards each other and are merciful to each other; and it is by this mercy that the beast is affectionate towards its offspring. Allah, the Almighty, deferred ninety-nine mercies with which He will bestow mercy on His slaves on the Day of Judgment." Salmān Al-Fārisi (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Allah, the Almighty, has one hundred mercies, out of which one mercy is used by His creatures to be merciful towards one another, while the ninety-nine mercies are kept for the Day of Judgment." Another narration reads: "Allah, the Almighty, created one hundred mercies on the Day He created the heavens and the earth. Each mercy can fill what is between the heavens and the earth. He placed one (mercy) on earth, and it is with it that a mother has compassion for her child and animals and birds have compassion for one another. On the Day of Judgment, He will complete them (the ninety-nine mercies) with that mercy."

Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Leave me as I leave you. Verily, what destroyed those before you was their asking questions and their disagreement with their prophets. So, if I forbid you from something, avoid it; and if I command you with something, do as much of it as you can."

Umm Thābit, Kabshah bint Thābit, sister of Hassān ibn Thābit, (may Allah be pleased with both of them) reported: The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) visited me and drank from the mouth of a hanging waterskin while he was standing. So, I got up and cut off its mouth.

Mu‘ādh ibn Jabal (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: I was on a journey in the company of the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him). One morning I was close to him when we were on the move, so I said: O Messenger of Allah, inform me of a deed that admits me to Paradise and keeps me far from Hellfire. He said: "You have asked me about a great matter, which is, indeed, easy for whomever Allah makes it easy. Worship Allah and do not associate anything with Him, establish the prayer, give Zakah, fast Ramadan, and make Hajj to the House." Then he said: "Shall I not guide you to the gates of goodness? Fasting is a shield, charity extinguishes sin as water extinguishes fire, and a man's prayer in the dead of night." He said: Then he recited: "{They forsake their beds} until he reached {what they used to do} [Surat as-Sajdah:  16-17]." Then he said: "Shall I inform you of the head of the whole matter, its pillar, and its peak?" I said: Yes, O Messenger of Allah. He said: "The head of the matter is Islam, its pillar is the prayer, and its peak is Jihad." Then he said: "Shall I inform you of what holds all these things?" I said: Yes, O Prophet of Allah. So he took hold of his tongue and said: "Keep this under control." I said: O Prophet of Allah, are we held accountable for what we speak? He said: "May your mother lose you, O Mu‘ādh! What else casts people into Hellfire on their faces or on their noses other than the harvest of their tongues?"

Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "O people, indeed, Allah is good and does not accept except what is good. Indeed, Allah has commanded the believers with what he commanded the messengers. He says: {O messengers, eat from the lawful things and act righteously, for I am All-Knowing of what you do.} [Surat al-Mu’minūn: 51] And He says: {O you who believe, eat of the good things We have provided for you.} [Surat al-Baqarah: 172] Then he mentioned a man traveling for a long period; his hair is disheveled, and he is covered in dust. He stretches his hands toward the sky: O Lord, O Lord; while his food is unlawful, his drink is unlawful, his clothing is unlawful, and he is nourished by the unlawful. So, how could that be answered?"

Ibn ‘Abbās (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him), as part of what he narrated from his Lord, said: "Allah has written down the good deeds and the bad ones. Then, He explained that: He who intends a good deed and does not do it, Allah writes it down with Himself as a full good deed; and if he intends it and does it, Allah writes it down with Himself as ten good deeds to seven hundred times, or many times over. Yet, if he intends a bad deed and does not do it, Allah writes it down with Himself as a full good deed. But, if he intends it and does it, Allah writes it down as one bad deed."

Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Indeed, Allah does not look at your appearance and wealth, but He looks at your hearts and deeds.”

‘Umar ibn al-Khattāb (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: One day, we were sitting with the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) when there appeared before us a man dressed in extremely white clothes and had very black hair. No traces of travel were visible on him, and none of us knew him. He came in and sat down opposite the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him), rested his knees against his, and placed the palms of his hands on his (the Prophet's) thighs. He said: "O Muhammad, tell me about Islam." The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Islam is to testify that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, to establish prayer, to pay Zakah, to fast Ramadan, and to perform Hajj to the House if you are able to find a way thereto." He said: "You have spoken the truth." We wondered how he asked him and affirmed his truthfulness. Then, he said: "Tell me about Imān (faith)." He said: "It is to believe in Allah, His angels, His books, His messengers, and the Last Day, and believe in the divine decree, the pleasant and unpleasant aspects thereof." Then, he said: "You have spoken the truth." Then, he said: "Tell me about ihsān." He said: "It is to worship Allah as if you see Him, for if you do not see Him, He sees you." He said: "Tell me about the Hour." He said: "The one questioned about it knows no more than the questioner." He said: "Then, tell me about its signs." He said: "The slave girl will give birth to her mistress, and you will see the barefoot, naked, and destitute herdsmen competing in constructing lofty buildings." Then, he departed. I stayed for a while, and then he said to me: "O 'Umar, do you know who the questioner was?" I said: "Allah and His Messenger know best." He said: "He was Jibrīl (Gabriel). He came to teach you your religion."

‘Ā’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) reported that the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Whoever introduces into this matter of ours (Islam) something that does not belong to it shall have it rejected." [Agreed upon] A narration by Muslim reads: "Whoever does something that is not in accordance with this matter of ours shall have it rejected."

Abu Dharr (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him), as part of what he narrated from his Lord, said that Allah Almighty said: "O My slaves, I have made oppression forbidden for Myself, and I have made it forbidden amongst you, so do not oppress one another. O My slaves, all of you are misguided except those whom I guide, so seek guidance from Me, and I shall guide you. O My slaves, all of you are hungry except those whom I feed, so ask Me for food, and I shall feed you. O My slaves, all of you are naked except those whom I clothe, so ask Me for clothes, and I shall clothe you. O My slaves, you commit sins by night and day, and I forgive all sins, so ask Me for forgiveness, and I shall forgive you. O, My slaves, you can neither do Me harm nor do Me any good. O My slaves, if the first and the last amongst you and all humans and jinn were all as pious as the most pious heart of any man amongst you, that would add nothing to My dominion. O My slaves, if the first and the last amongst you and all humans and jinn were all as wicked as the most wicked heart of any man amongst you, this would cause no loss to My dominion. O My slaves, if the first and the last amongst you and all humans and jinn were all to stand together in one place and ask of Me, and I were to give everyone what he asked for, that would not decrease what I possess, except what is decreased of the sea when a needle is dipped into it. O, My slaves, it is only your deeds that I record for, and I shall recompense you for them. So, whoever finds good should praise Allah, and whoever finds other than that should blame no one but himself."

Ibn ‘Abbās (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: One day, I was riding behind the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), and he said: "O boy, I shall teach you some words: Be mindful of Allah, and Allah will protect you. Be mindful of Allah, and you will find Him before you. If you ask, ask Allah; if you seek help, seek help from Allah. And know that if the Ummah were to gather together to benefit you with anything, they would not benefit you except with what Allah had already prescribed for you. And if they were to gather together to harm you with anything, they would not harm you except with what Allah had already prescribed against you. The pens have been lifted, and the scrolls have dried."

‘Ā'ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) reported the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "An army will invade the Ka‘bah and when it reaches a desert, all of them will be swallowed up by the earth." She asked: "O Messenger of Allah, how will they be swallowed up by the earth while amongst them will be their marketeers and people not belonging to them?" He replied: "All of them will be swallowed up by the earth, then they will be resurrected for judgment according to their intentions."

Al-Miqdād ibn ‘Amr al-Kindi (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: He said to the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him): What if I meet a man from the disbelievers and we both fight? He strikes one of my hands with the sword and cuts it off, then he seeks refuge from me in a tree and says: I have submitted to Allah. O Messenger of Allah, should I kill him after saying it? The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Do not kill him." He said: O Messenger of Allah, he cut off one of my hands, then he said this after cutting it off. The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Do not kill him, for if you kill him, he will be in the same position as yours before you kill him, and you will be in the same position as his before saying the word that he said."

Usāmah ibn Zayd (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) sent us to Al-Huraqah, a sub- tribe of Juhaynah, and we attacked them in the morning at their springs. A man from the Ansār and I chased one of their men, and when we attacked him he said "there is no god but Allah". The Ansāri man held back from him but I stabbed him with my spear until I killed him. When we arrived in Madīnah, the news of this incident reached the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) so he said to me: "O Usāmah, you killed him after he had said there is no god but Allah?" I said: "O Messenger of Allah, he only said it to protect himself." He repeated: "You killed him after he had said there is no god but Allah?" He kept repeating it until I wished I had not embraced Islam before that day. In another narration: "So the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: 'Did he say there is no god but Allah and yet you still killed him?' I said: 'O Messenger of Allah, he only said it out of fear of the weapon!' He said: 'Did you split open his heart to know whether or not he meant it?' He continued saying it over and over again until I wished I had embraced Islam only that day." Jundub ibn ‘Abdullāh (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) sent an army of the Muslims to a tribe of idolaters. The two sides met (in combat). There was one of the idolaters who, whenever he wanted to aim for one of the Muslims, he went straight for him and killed him. A man from the Muslims was waiting for a chance to attack him while he was unaware. We heard that it was Usāmah ibn Zayd. When he (the Muslim man) raised his sword, the idolater said "there is no god but Allah", but he killed him. A man came to the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) with news of the victory, and he asked him (about the battle) so he informed him of everything including what that man (Usāmah) had done. The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) summoned him and asked him: "Why did you kill him?" He said: "O Messenger of Allah, He struck many of the Muslims and killed so and so of them –and he named a group. I attacked him and when he saw the sword he said there is no god but Allah." The Messenger of Allah said: "Did you kill him?" Usasmah said: 'Yes.' The Messenger of Allah said: "What will you do with (his statement) there is no god but Allah when it comes on the Day of Judgment?" Usāmah said: "O Messenger of Allah, seek forgiveness for me!" He said: "And what will you do with there is no god but Allah when it comes on the Day of Judgment?" He added nothing, but kept repeating: "What would you do with there is no god but Allah when it comes on the Day of Judgment?"

Abu Burdah ibn Abi Mūsa (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: Abu Mūsa was in such severe pain that he lost consciousness while his head was in the lap of a woman from his family, and he was unable to respond to her in any way. Upon regaining his consciousness, he said: I dissociate myself from whoever the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) dissociated himself from. Verily, the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) disavowed the Sāliqah (wailing woman), the Hāliqah (shaving woman), and the Shāqqah (woman tearing garment).

Rifā‘ah ibn Rāfi‘ Az-Zuraqi (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that Jibrīl came to the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) and said: "How do you rate the people who participated in the battle of Badr among you?" He said: "They are from the best of Muslims." or said something similar to that. Jibrīl said: "So are the angels that witnessed the battle of Badr."

Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Between the two Blows (of the Trumpet), there will be (an interval of) forty." The people said: "O Abu Hurayrah, do you mean forty days?" He said: "I cannot say anything." They said: "Do you mean forty years?" He said: "I cannot say anything." They said: "Do you mean forty months?" He said: "I cannot say anything." (The Prophet added) "Everything of the human body will perish except the end of the coccyx (tailbone), and from that part, Allah will reconstruct the whole body. Then Allah will send down water from the sky, and the people will grow like green vegetables."

Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "The places that are dearest to Allah are the mosques, and the places that are most hateful to Allah are the marketplaces."

Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Everyone of my Ummah will enter Paradise except those who refuse." They said: "And who would refuse, O Messenger of Allah?" He said: "He who obeys me will enter Paradise, and who disobeys me has refused."

Abu Barzah al-Aslami (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Man's feet will not move from their place on the Day of Judgment until he is asked about his life, in what he let it perish; about his knowledge, what he did with it; about his money, from where he earned it and on what he spent it on; and about his body, and how he wore it out."