Mentioning benefits from Surat al-Asr, and refuting those who say there is no disagreement among Muslims regarding creed, with the definition of faith as an example
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The Shaykh : ... Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He) said in Surat al-Asr, summarizing for us this methodology that Muslims must follow: returning to their religion with the correct understanding and acting upon it. On that day, the believers will rejoice in the victory of Allah. Allah (Mighty and Majestic) said: [Al-'Asr 103:1-3]. Those who believed and did righteous deeds: these are two conditions for success, so that we do not become among the losers in this world before the Hereafter: faith and righteous deeds. Now, I return to refuting that claim which is spread in universities and among cultured Muslims, namely that there is no disagreement among Muslims regarding creed. Let us take the word "faith" (iman), which appears in dozens of verses of the Qur'an. Did Muslims, past and present, agree on its essence? The answer, unfortunately, is no. The scholars of hadith, along with some theological schools of thought, such as the Asha'irah, for example, say, "Faith is belief in the heart and action with the limbs." This is the correct opinion, because Allah (Mighty and Majestic), whenever He mentions faith, pairs it with righteous deeds, as you just heard. But there is another opinion that says faith is belief only: firm belief only. As for deeds, although they are commanded—meaning, Muslims are commanded to do righteous deeds—when the term "faith" is used in a general sense, righteous deeds are not included in the definition of faith. This is the first disagreement on the very first matter of Islam, which is faith. [Al-Baqarah 2:2-3] In what? This faith in the unseen is a matter of disagreement: is it only firm belief, or is it accompanied by righteous deeds? There are two well-known school opinions: the Maturidiyyah and the Asha'irah. The Asha'irah hold the opinion of the people of hadith, as I mentioned earlier: faith is action and belief. The Maturidiyyah say it is belief only, and deeds are not included in it. This disagreement may seem simple on the surface, but it led to a long and broad disagreement. Wars arose between the disputants in the past...
(1) By time, (2) Indeed, mankind is in loss, (3) Except for those who have believed and done righteous deeds and advised each other to truth and advised each other to patience.
والعصر إن الإنسان لفي خسر إلا الذين آمنوا و عملوا الصالحات و تواصوا بالحق وتواصوا بالصبر(2) This is the Book about which there is no doubt, a guidance for those conscious of Allah - (3) Who believe in the unseen, establish prayer, and spend out of what We have provided for them,
ألم ذلك الكتاب لا ريب فيه هدى للمتقين الذين يؤمنونIn secret.
بالغيب
Source
www.al-albany.com
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.
