Introduction to the Book
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The Shaykh : In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and may peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Muhammad, and upon his family and all his Companions.
As for what follows: Before us is a concise book called *Al-'Aqidah al-Wasitiyyah*, composed by the ink of the Ummah in his time: Abu al-Abbas, Shaykh al-Islam Ahmad ibn 'Abd al-Halim ibn 'Abd al-Salam ibn Taymiyyah al-Harrani (may Allah have mercy on him), who died in the year 728 AH.
This man has positions for which he is to be thanked, and we hope from Allah for him reward therein. He has positions in defending the truth and attacking the people of falsehood that are known to everyone who has followed and examined his books. The truth is that he is one of the blessings of Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) upon this Ummah, because Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) averted through him great and serious matters concerning the Islamic creed.
This book is a concise one, named *Al-'Aqidah al-Wasitiyyah* because a man from the judges of Wasit came to him and complained to him about what the people were suffering from in the deviant schools of thought regarding the names and attributes of Allah. So he wrote this creed, which is considered the essence of the creed of the people of the Sunnah and the community regarding the matters in which people have delved into religious innovations and in which much talk and gossip has increased.
And before we begin speaking about this great treatise, or this small book in size but great in meaning, we would like to clarify that all the messages of the messengers, from the first of them, Nuh (peace be upon him), to the last of them, Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him), all call to tawhid (the oneness of Allah). All call to the oneness of Allah (Mighty and Majestic). Allah the Exalted said:[Al-Anbya 21:25] And He the Exalted said: [An-Nahl 16:36] This is because creation was created for only One, and He is Allah (Mighty and Majestic). They were created to worship Him, so that their hearts would be attached to Him with awe, exaltation, fear, hope, reliance, desire, and dread, until they strip themselves of everything in this world that does not help them in the oneness of Allah (Mighty and Majestic) in these matters. Because you are a created being, you must be for your Creator, in heart and body, in everything.
Therefore, the call of the messengers (peace and blessings be upon them) was to this important and great matter: worshipping Allah alone, having no partner for Him. The messengers whom Allah (Mighty and Majestic) sent to mankind did not call to tawhid al-rububiyyah (oneness of lordship) as they called to tawhid al-uluhiyyah (oneness of worship). That is because those who deny tawhid al-rububiyyah are very few, very few. And even those who deny it, in the depths of their souls, cannot deny it, unless they have been deprived of intellects, the discerning intellects, meaning the lowest level of discernment. Then they may deny this out of stubbornness.
Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and may peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Muhammad, and upon his family and all his Companions.
As for what follows: Before us is a concise book called *Al-'Aqidah al-Wasitiyyah*, composed by the ink of the Ummah in his time: Abu al-Abbas, Shaykh al-Islam Ahmad ibn 'Abd al-Halim ibn 'Abd al-Salam ibn Taymiyyah al-Harrani (may Allah have mercy on him), who died in the year 728 AH.
This man has positions for which he is to be thanked, and we hope from Allah for him reward therein. He has positions in defending the truth and attacking the people of falsehood that are known to everyone who has followed and examined his books. The truth is that he is one of the blessings of Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) upon this Ummah, because Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) averted through him great and serious matters concerning the Islamic creed.
This book is a concise one, named *Al-'Aqidah al-Wasitiyyah* because a man from the judges of Wasit came to him and complained to him about what the people were suffering from in the deviant schools of thought regarding the names and attributes of Allah. So he wrote this creed, which is considered the essence of the creed of the people of the Sunnah and the community regarding the matters in which people have delved into religious innovations and in which much talk and gossip has increased.
And before we begin speaking about this great treatise, or this small book in size but great in meaning, we would like to clarify that all the messages of the messengers, from the first of them, Nuh (peace be upon him), to the last of them, Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him), all call to tawhid (the oneness of Allah). All call to the oneness of Allah (Mighty and Majestic). Allah the Exalted said:
And We sent not before you any messenger except that We revealed to him that, "There is no deity except Me, so worship Me."
وَمَا أَرْسَلْنَا مِنْ قَبْلِكَ مِنْ رَسُولٍ إِلاّ نُوحِي إِلَيْهِ أَنَّهُ لا إِلَهَ إِلاّ أَنَا فَاعْبُدُونِAnd We certainly sent into every nation a messenger, [saying], "Worship Allah and avoid Taghut."
وَلَقَدْ بَعَثْنَا فِي كُلِّ أُمَّةٍ رَسُولاً أَنِ اعْبُدُوا اللَّهَ وَاجْتَنِبُوا الطَّاغُوتَTherefore, the call of the messengers (peace and blessings be upon them) was to this important and great matter: worshipping Allah alone, having no partner for Him. The messengers whom Allah (Mighty and Majestic) sent to mankind did not call to tawhid al-rububiyyah (oneness of lordship) as they called to tawhid al-uluhiyyah (oneness of worship). That is because those who deny tawhid al-rububiyyah are very few, very few. And even those who deny it, in the depths of their souls, cannot deny it, unless they have been deprived of intellects, the discerning intellects, meaning the lowest level of discernment. Then they may deny this out of stubbornness.