Creed Beyond a Slogan

Giving first priority to the testimony “There is no god worthy of worship except Allah” does not mean that Islamic callers should limit themselves to repeating this statement. Allah has perfected His religion, and callers must carry Islam as a whole. Concern for correct belief therefore does not permit neglect of revealed worship, manners, social conduct, or behaviour.

The first concern should nevertheless be the most important matter brought by Islam: understanding the correct belief that emerges from this testimony. Its priority is a matter of importance, not a restriction of the caller’s work to a single slogan.

From a concise statement to informed worship

It is not enough to understand the testimony merely through the concise explanation that nothing is truly worshipped except Allah. That summarized meaning must be joined to knowledge of the acts of worship by which the Lord, Mighty and Majestic, is worshipped.

A Muslim must understand these acts so that no act of worship is directed to any worshipper or servant of Allah. The testimony therefore requires both recognition of its general meaning and knowledge of what worship demands in practice. A general explanation by itself is not sufficient.

Many Muslims affirm Tawheed and do not direct worship to anyone other than Allah. Yet their minds may still lack many of the correct principles mentioned in the Book of Allah and the Sunnah. This is why genuine concern for the testimony cannot stop at pronouncing it or giving a brief definition. It must lead to a sound understanding of the worship owed to Allah alone, while Islam continues to be carried in its entirety.

Many Muslims affirm Tawheed and do not direct any act of worship to anyone other than Allah, Mighty and Majestic. Yet this affirmation may exist without knowledge of many of the sound principles found in the Book of Allah and the Sunnah. Faith cannot be complete through a concise affirmation alone; the principles of creed connected to it must also be understood.

Allah’s High Majesty and transcendence over His creation provide an example. Many Salafis believe that Allah, Mighty and Majestic, is over and above His throne, with istiwa, without Ta’weel—false interpretation—and without Takyeef—asking how. Nevertheless, such a person may become bewildered when a contemporary Mu’tazilee, Jahmee, Matureedee, or ‘Asharee raises an objection based on the apparent wording of a verse while failing to understand its meaning.

The challenger may point to the verse concerning Him who is in heaven. He then argues that, according to his opponent’s belief, the object of worship is within heaven, even though the heavens are created. Faced with this objection, the believer who had confidently affirmed Allah’s transcendence may become perplexed about his own creed and even go astray.

The problem is not that he never affirmed the correct belief. Rather, he did not receive and understand it from all the directions by which the Book of Allah and the hadith of the Prophet explain it. His belief therefore remained vulnerable when someone presented a doubt.

Correct creed must consequently be learned comprehensively. Particular verses and hadith connected to belief cannot be treated merely as isolated formulas. Their meanings and the principles surrounding them must be learned from the Quran and Prophetic hadith, so that faith rests upon clear understanding rather than an affirmation that collapses when challenged.

Apparent agreement with the correct creed does not always mean that its meaning and requirements are clear. The belief of Islamic monotheism, with all that it requires, remains unclear in the minds of many people—including some who believe in the Salafee creed. This lack of clarity is also found among followers of the ‘Ash‘aree, Matureedee, and Jahmee creeds.

For this reason, calling people to the Book and the Sunnah is not as simple as some callers present it. A person may identify with the correct creed and repeat its statements while still lacking a detailed understanding of what those statements require. Verbal agreement can therefore conceal uncertainty in belief.

The fundamental distinction appears in the contrast between the polytheists of the Days of Jaahiliyyah and many Muslims today. The early polytheists were called to say, “There is no god worthy of worship except Allah.” They refused to say it, but they understood what this good statement meant. Many Muslims today say the same good word, yet they do not understand its meaning correctly.

The contrast is striking: those earlier polytheists rejected the statement while recognizing its meaning, whereas later Muslims may pronounce it without grasping it properly. Pronunciation by itself therefore does not establish clarity of creed.

This need for understanding extends to particular matters of belief. One example is Allah’s High Majesty and transcendence over all His creation. It is not sufficient merely to affirm scriptural wording about this matter without understanding what that wording means. Correct creed must be present in the mind with its requirements understood, rather than remaining an unsupported formula or an outward claim of agreement.

Allah’s highness and transcendence over all His creation require careful explanation. It is not enough merely to affirm the verse describing the Most Merciful as established above the Throne. The verse concerning the Most Merciful being established above the Throne must be understood alongside the language used elsewhere in revelation.

In scriptural expressions translated as Allah being “in” the heavens, the word “in” does not mean “within.” It carries the meaning of above or over. Thus, the Quranic statement concerning the One who is in the heavens means that Allah is above the heavens, not contained within them.

The same linguistic usage appears in the authentic hadith:

“Show mercy to what is in the earth, and He Who is in the heaven will show mercy to you.”

“What is in the earth” does not mean the insects and worms located inside the soil. It means what is on the earth, including mankind and animals. In the same way, “He Who is in the heaven” means He Who is above the heavens.

The two parts of the hadith therefore clarify one another. Just as those “in the earth” are those upon it rather than enclosed inside it, Allah being “in the heavens” signifies His being above them. This explanation is essential when presenting and defending the true call, because it enables a person to recognize the clear evidence rather than misunderstand the wording as though it meant containment.

In the famous hadith of the slave-girl, who was a shepherdess, the Messenger asked her, “Where is Allaah?” She answered, “In the heavens.” The Prophet acknowledged her answer. In this expression, “in the heavens” means above the heavens, not contained within them.

Her answer came from her natural disposition, or Fitrah. Although she was a commoner who cared for sheep, she knew the correct creed found in the Book of Allaah and the Sunnah. The text describes her, in modern terms, as living within “the environment of Salafiyyah,” unpolluted by ideas that would obscure this natural understanding.

It also compares her formation to graduating from the school of the Messenger. That school was not limited to men or to particular women. It united men and women and ultimately encompassed the whole society. The shepherdess’s answer therefore illustrates the result of a society broadly formed upon correct creed: even an ordinary member of that society could answer clearly from Fitrah.

The contrast with many Muslims today is sharp. The author says that this simple explanation is often absent even among those who supposedly care for the nation or lead groups. When asked where Allaah is, many become perplexed and confused. He even contrasts the shepherdess’s clear response with the answer attributed to some leading scholars of Al-Azhar: “Allaah is everywhere.” Yet the shepherdess answered that Allaah is in the heavens, and the Prophet acknowledged what she said.