The Creed

Allah's statement: {So do not attribute to Allah equals while you know} [Sūrat al-Baqarah: 22]. Ibn ‘Abbās commented: "Equals are polytheism. It is subtler than the crawling of a small black ant on a black stone in the darkness of the night." Polytheism can be expressed by saying: “I swear by Allah and by your life, O so-and-so, and by my life.” Other forms of this polytheism are: “Had it not been for Kulaybah (puppy), thieves would have broken in.” And: “Had it not been for the duck in our house, thieves would have broken in." And this statement of a man to his companion: “By Allah's will and your will.” In addition, the following statement also falls under the same ruling: “If it weren't for Allah and so-and-so.” Don't associate others with Allah; all this is polytheism.

Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said: "O Allah, do not make my grave an idol that is worshiped. Allah cursed the people who took the graves of their prophets as places of worship."

Anas ibn Mālik (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: “The greater the tribulation, the greater the reward. When Allah loves people, He tests them. So whoever is content, for him is pleasure; and whoever is discontent, for him is displeasure.”

Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Allah Almighty said: 'I am the One Who is most free from want of partners. So, he who does something for the sake of someone else beside Me, I discard him and his polytheism.'"

Jundub (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: I heard the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) five (nights) before he died, say: "I stand acquitted before Allah that I should take anyone of you as an intimate friend, for Allah has taken me as an intimate friend just as he took Abraham as an intimate friend. Had I taken anyone from my Ummah as an intimate friend, I would have taken Abu Bakr as an intimate friend. Beware! Those who were before you used to take the graves of their prophets as places for prayer. Beware! Do not take graves as places for prayer, for I forbid you to do so."

Hudhayfah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Do not say: What Allah wills and what so-and-so wills; rather say: What Allah wills then what so-and-so wills."

‘Abdullāh ibn Mas‘ūd (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "To swear by Allah even if I were telling a lie is dearer to me than to swear by other than Him even if I were telling the truth."

Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Verily, Allah gets jealous and the believer gets jealous. The jealousy of Allah is when the believer commits what He has made unlawful for him."

Abu Sa‘īd al-Khudri (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Verily, you will follow those before you, span by span and cubit by cubit; even if they were to enter the hole of a Dabb (lizard), you would follow them." We said, O Messenger of Allah, the Jews and Christians? He said, "Who else then?"

Ibn ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that he heard a man saying: “No, by the Ka‘bah.” He said to him: "Do not swear by other than Allah, for I heard the Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) say: 'Whoever swears by other than Allah has disbelieved or associated partners with Allah.'"

Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "The most burdensome prayers for the hypocrites are the ‘Ishā’ and Fajr prayers. If they were to know the virtue of them, they would come to them, even if they had to crawl. I have almost intended to order for the prayer to be established, and appoint a man to lead the people in prayer, and then I would go along with some men having bundles of firewood, to the people who are not attending the prayer and burn their houses upon them with fire."

Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Allah, the Almighty, will say on the Day of Judgment: 'Where are those who loved each other for My glory? Today, I will shelter them under My shade the day when there is no shade but My shade.'"

Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Whoever calls to guidance shall receive a reward similar to the rewards obtained by those who followed him without diminishing anything from their rewards. And whoever calls to misguidance shall incur a sin similar to the sins incurred by those who followed him without diminishing anything from their sins."

‘Abdullah ibn Mas‘ūd (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that he heard the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) say: "Among the most wicked people are those who will be alive when the Hour comes, and those who take the graves as places of worship."

Ibn ‘Abbās (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that he saw a man who shivered on hearing a Hadīth of the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) about Allah's attributes. So, he said: "What is the reason for those people's fear? They willingly accept what is precise thereof, and react ruinously when it comes to what is broadly indicative.”

Mahmūd ibn Labīd (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "The thing that I fear most for you is minor Shirk (polytheism).' They said: 'What is minor Shirk, O Messenger of Allah?' He said: 'It is Riyā’ (showing off). Allah Almighty will say on the Day of Judgment when He will requite all people for their deeds: "Go to those before whom you used to show off with your deeds in the worldly life and see whether you find any reward with them?"

‘Abdullah ibn Mas‘ūd (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Tiyarah (belief in evil omens) is Shirk (polytheism). Tiyarah is Shirk. Tiyarah is Shirk - three times." Every one of us experiences something of that, but Allah Almighty dispels it with reliance on Him.

‘Adiyy ibn Hātim (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: I heard the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) recite this verse: {They have taken their scholars and monks as lords besides Allah, and [also] the Messiah, the son of Mariyam. And they were not commanded except to worship one God; there is no deity except Him. Exalted is He above whatever they associate with Him.} So I said to him: "We do not worship them." He replied: "Don't they forbid what Allah allows, so you forbid it? Don't they allow what Allah forbids, so you allow it?" I said: 'Yes.' He said: "That is how you worship them."

Ibn Mas‘ūd (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: A rabbi came to the Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) and said: ‘O Muhammad, we learn that Allah will put the heavens on one finger, the earths on one finger, the trees on one finger, the water on one finger, the dust on one finger, and all other creatures on one finger. Then, He will say: ‘I am the King.’ Thereupon, the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) laughed so much that his premolar teeth became visible, confirming what the rabbi said. Then, he recited: {They have not appraised Allah with true appraisal, while the earth entirely will be [within] His grip on the Day of Judgment.} [Sūrat Az-Zumar: 67] In another narration by Muslim: “And the mountains and the trees on one finger, and He will shake them and say: ‘I am the King. I am Allah.’” And another narration by Al-Bukhāri reads: “And He will put the heavens on one finger, the water and dust on one finger, and all other creatures on one finger.”

‘Abdullāh ibn ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: “Allah will fold the heavens on the Day of Judgment and then take them in His right hand and say: ‘I am the King. Where are the mighty ones? Where are the arrogant ones?’ Then, He will fold the seven earths and take them in His left (hand) and say: ‘I am the King. Where are the mighty ones? Where are the arrogant ones?’”