The Creed

'Umar ibn al-Khattāb (may Allah be pleased with him) informs that Jibrīl (peace be upon him) appeared before the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) in the form of an unknown man with white clothes and very dark hair and the signs of travel - such as fatigue, dust, unkempt hair, and dirty clothing - were not visible on him. None of those present knew him. This happened while they were sitting with the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him). He sat down before the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) as a learner and asked him about Islam. He answered him, pointing out the pillars of Islam: acknowledgment of the two testimonies of faith, observing the five prayers, paying the Zakah to its due recipients, fasting the month of Ramadan, and performing the obligation of Hajj for those who are able to do so. The inquirer said: You have spoken the truth. The Companions wondered that he posed the question, which indicated that he apparently did not know the answer, and then he affirmed that the answer was right. Then, he asked the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) about faith, and he answered him listing the six pillars that contain belief in the existence of Allah Almighty and His attributes, ascribing His actions, such as creation, to Him alone, and devoting worship only to Him; belief that the angels, whom Allah created from light, are honorable servants who do not disobey Allah Almighty and they execute His commands; belief in the scriptures revealed by Allah Almighty to the messengers, like the Qur’an, the Torah, and the Gospel, and in the messengers who conveyed Allah's religion, such as Noah, Abraham, Moses, Jesus, and the last of them Muhammad (peace be upon all of them); belief in the Last Day, which includes the barzakh life (life after death in the grave) and that every human being will be resurrected after death and undergo the reckoning and will ultimately end up in Paradise or Hellfire; and belief that Allah had predestined all things according to His prior knowledge, wisdom, writing, and will, and that everything happens according to Allah's predestination and creation. Then, he asked him about ihsān, and the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) told him that ihsān is to worship Allah as if you can see Him, and if he cannot reach that level, he should then worship Allah Almighty as if Allah is watching him. The first is the level of watching, which is higher, and the second is the level of watchfulness. Then, he asked the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) about the Hour, and he clarified that knowledge of the Hour is one of the things Allah kept to Himself alone; so, none of the creation knows it, neither the one inquired about it nor the inquirer. Then, he asked him about the signs of the Hour. He pointed out that its signs include the increasing number of slave girls or the prevalence of children's ingratitude toward their mothers as they treat them like slaves and that shepherds and poor people will lead a life of opulence in the latter times, taking pride in the construction and decoration of big houses. Then, the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) informed that the inquirer was Jibrīl, who came to teach the Companions this upright religion.

1. The Hadīth shows the Prophet’s good manners and that he would sit with his Companions, and they would attend to him.
2. A questioner should be treated in a gentle and friendly manner so that he can pose the question without reservation or fear.
3. A teacher should be treated in a polite manner, as Jibrīl (peace be upon him) sat down before the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) in a polite way to learn from him.
4. The pillars of Islam are five and the fundamentals of faith are six.
5. When Islam and faith are mentioned together, Islam is taken to refer to the outward aspects, whereas faith is taken to refer to the inward ones.
6. Religion has varying levels. The first level is Islam, the second is Imān (faith), and the third is ihsān, which is the highest one.
7. A questioner typically lacks knowledge, and it is his ignorance that drives him to ask. Therefore, the Companions wondered that he posed the question and affirmed the soundness of the answer.
8. First things first. He began with the two testimonies of faith when defining Islam and began with belief in Allah when defining faith.
9. A scholar may be asked about something the questioner already knows so that others can learn it.
10. Knowledge about the Hour is part of the knowledge Allah kept to Himself alone.

صحيح مسلم (1/ 36) (8). التحفة الربانية في شرح الأربعين حديثا النووية (ص7). شرح الأربعين النووية، لابن عثيمين (ص19). فتح القوي المتين في شرح الأربعين وتتمة الخمسين، للعباد (ص15). الأحاديث الأربعون النووية وعليها الشرح الموجز المفيد، لعبد الله المحسن (ص7). تاج العروس من جواهر القاموس، للزبيدي (2/ 460).

The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) informs that Allah Almighty said that He made oppression forbidden for Himself and forbidden among His servants, so people should not oppress one another; that all servants are misguided away from the true path, except if guided and directed by Allah. And whoever asks Allah for guidance, He guides and directs him; that all servants stand in need of Allah in all their affairs. So, whoever asks from Allah, He fulfills his need and gives him sufficiency; that they commit sins day and night, and Allah Almighty conceals their sins and pardons them when they ask for His forgiveness; that they cannot cause any harm to Allah or bring Him any benefit; that if they were as pious as the most pious heart of any man, their piety would not add anything to Allah's dominion; and if they were as wicked as the most wicked heart of any man, their wickedness would not cause any decrease in His dominion. This is because they are helpless and in need of Allah. They need Him in all their conditions and in all times and places, whereas He is the Self-Sufficient One above any need; and that if they were to stand in one place, including all humans and jinn, the first and last one amongst them and were to ask from Allah, and He gave everyone what he asked for, this would not cause any decrease to what Allah possesses, like a needle when it is dipped into the sea; the sea does not diminish whatsoever on account of that. This is because of the perfect self-sufficiency of Allah Almighty; and that Allah Almighty records and counts the deeds of His servants and gives them full recompense on the Day of Judgment. Whoever finds good recompense for his deeds should praise Allah for guiding him to His worship, and whoever finds different recompense for his deeds should not blame anyone but his evil-commanding self, which led him to the loss.

1. This is one of the Hadīths the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) narrated about his Lord. It is called a Qudsi or divine Hadīth, and its wording and meaning are attributed to Allah. However, Qudsi Hadīths do not possess the traits of the Qur'an, which is distinguished from anything else, such as reciting it as a form of worship, getting purified for it, presenting it as a challenge, its miraculousness, etc.
2. Any knowledge or guidance that people possess comes from Allah’s guidance and teaching.
3. Any good that happens to a person comes from Allah's grace, and any evil that afflicts him stems from his soul and vain desire.
4. Whoever acts rightly is due to guidance from his Lord, and the good recompense he gets is a favour from Allah, to Whom all praise is due. And whoever does wrong should not blame anyone but himself.

صحيح مسلم (4/ 1994) (2577). التحفة الربانية في شرح الأربعين حديثًا النووية (ص52). شرح الأربعين النووية، لابن عثيمين (ص235). فتح القوي المتين في شرح الأربعين وتتمة الخمسين، للعباد (ص82). الأحاديث الأربعون النووية وعليها الشرح الموجز المفيد، لعبد الله المحسن (ص46).

The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) warns against persistent wrongdoing by committing sins, polytheism, and injustice to people about their rights, for indeed Allah Almighty gives respite to the oppressor and endows him with a long lifetime and abundant wealth and does not hasten to punish him. But, if he does not repent, He seizes him and does not release him due to his persistent wrongdoing. Then, he (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) recited: {Such is the seizing of your Lord when He seizes the towns that are given to wrongdoing; His seizing is surely painful and severe.} [Surat Hūd: 102]

1. A wise person should hasten to repent and not feel safe from the plan of Allah, if he is persistent in wrongdoing.
2. By giving respite to the oppressors and not hastening to punish them, Allah Almighty drags them to sin, making them worthy of a greater punishment unless they repent.
3. Oppression is one of the causes for which Allah inflicts punishment on any nation.
4. If Allah destroys a town, there might be some righteous people. Those will be resurrected on the Day of Judgment in the state of piety that they died on, and their inclusion in the punishment will cause them no harm.

صحيح البخاري (6/ 74) (4686). صحيح مسلم (4/ 1997) (2583). شرح رياض الصالحين، لابن عثيمين (2/ 496). بهجة الناظرين شرح رياض الصالحين، لسليم الهلالي (1/ 303). نزهة المتقين شرح رياض الصالحين، لمصطفى الخِن وغيره (1/ 231). تطريز رياض الصالحين، لفيصل آل مبارك (ص165). مرقاة المفاتيح، علي القاري (8/ 3200).