In this book, I'tiqad-nama, the Prophet's (sall-Allahu ta'ala 'alaihi wa sallam) hadith-i-sharif ^[1] telling of iman (faith) and Islam will be explained. I hope that, through the blessing of this hadith-i-sharif, the faith of Muslims will be perfected, and thereby they will attain salvation and happiness. And I hope again that it will cause me, Khalid, whose sins are so many, to be saved. May Allahu ta'ala, in whom I have the beautiful belief that He needs nothing and that His favours and blessings are so plentiful, and who pities His slaves much, forgive this poor Khalid, whose stock is so little and heart so black, for his unsuitable words, and accept his defective 'ibadat (worshipping). May He protect us against the evils of the deceitful, lying satan [and against being deceived by false, erroneous words and writings of the enemies of Islam] and make us happy! He is the Most Merciful of the merciful and the Most Generous of the generous.

The 'ulama' ^[2] of Islam said that every discreet male or female Muslim, who has reached the age of puberty, ought to know and believe in the as-Sifat adh-Dhatiyya (see explanation below) and as-Sifat ath¬Thubutiyya of Allahu ta'ala correctly. It is this which is primarily obligatory (fard) for everybody. Not to know is not an excuse but a sin.

Everything other than Allahu ta'ala is called the ma-siwa or 'alam (the creation, the universe), which is called "nature" now. All creatures were nonexistent. Allahu ta'ala is the One who has created them all. They all are mumkin (that may come into existence out of nonexistence) and hadith (that came into being out of nothing); that is, they may come into existence while they are nonexistent, and they came into existence while they had been nonexistent. The hadith-i-sharif, 'Allahu ta'ala was existent, anything else did not exist,' shows that this is true.


[As-Sifat adh-Dhatiyya of Allahu ta'ala are six: al-Wujud, existence; al-Qidam, being without beginning, and eternal in the past; al-Baqa', being without end, and eternal in the future; al-Wahdaniyya, having no partner or match; al-Mukhalafatu li-l-hawadith, being dissimilar to every creature in every respect; al-Qiyamu bi nafsihi, self-existence or being unneedy of anything for His existence. No creature has any of these six attributes, nor any relation with them. They belong to Allahu ta'ala exclusively. Some 'ulama' said that al-Mukhalafatu li 'l-hawadith and al-Wahdaniyya were the same and that as-Sifat adh-Dhatiyya are five.]

[1] hadith (sharif): i) a saying of the Prophet ('alaihi 's-salam).; al-Hadith ash-sharif: all the hadiths as a whole; ii) 'ilm al-hadith; iii) Books of the hadith ash-sharif. iv) Al-hadith al-qudsi, as-sahih, al-hasan: kinds of hadiths (for which, see Endless Bliss, II). [2] 'ulama': pl. of 'alim; 'ulama' ar-rasihin, those learned in both zahiri and batini sciences.