Lesson 7: Defining Terminology

Question 1

where are issues of dispute in ‘Aqeedah?

Answer 1

In secondary issues, not the usul.

Question 2

What’s the difference in how Ijma’ is usually found in ‘Aqeedah compared to fiqh?

Answer 2

‘Aqeedah is usually based aroung a single evidence, while Fiqh is around several

Question 3

What is the primary evidence of seeing Allah and why?

Answer 3

• ۞ لِّلَّذِينَ أَحْسَنُوا۟ ٱلْحُسْنَىٰ وَزِيَادَةٌۭ ۖ وَلَا يَرْهَقُ وُجُوهَهُمْ قَتَرٌۭ وَلَا ذِلَّةٌ ۚ أُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ أَصْحَـٰبُ ٱلْجَنَّةِ ۖ هُمْ فِيهَا خَـٰلِدُونَ ٢٦For those who have done good is the best (reward, i.e. Paradise) and even more (i.e. having the honour of glancing at the Countenance of Allâh جل جلاله). Neither darkness nor dust nor any humiliating disgrace shall cover their faces. They are the dwellers of Paradise, they will abide therein forever.This is because the messenger ﷺ explained it as seeing Allah

Question 4

Example of the linguistic usage of the word ‘Aqeedah in the sunnah (memorize now or later time part thats bold)

Answer 4

**أَخْبَرَنَا عِصْمَةُ بْنُ الْفَضْلِ ، حَدَّثَنَا حَرَمِيُّ بْنُ عُمَارَةَ ، عَنْ شُعْبَةَ ، عَنْ عُمَرَ بْنِ سُلَيْمَانَ ، عَنْ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنِ أَبَانَ بْنِ عُثْمَانَ ، عَنْ أَبِيهِ ، قَالَ: خَرَجَ زَيْدُ بْنُ ثَابِتٍ مِنْ عِنْدِ مَرْوَانَ بْنِ الْحَكَمِ، بِنِصْفِ النَّهَارِ، قَالَ: فَقُلْتُ مَا خَرَجَ هَذِهِ السَّاعَةَ مِنْ عِنْدِ مَرْوَانَ إِلَّا وَقَدْ سَأَلَهُ عَنْ شَيْءٍ، فَأَتَيْتُهُ، فَسَأَلْتُهُ، فَقَالَ: نَعَمْ، سَأَلَنِي عَنْ حَدِيثٍ سَمِعْتُهُ مِنْ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَالَ: “ نَضَّرَ اللَّهُ امْرَأً سَمِعَ مِنَّا حَدِيثًا فَحَفِظَهُ، فَأَدَّاهُ إِلَى مَنْ هُوَ أَحْفَظُ مِنْهُ، فَرُبَّ حَامِلِ فِقْهٍ لَيْسَ بِفَقِيهٍ، وَرُبَّ حَامِلِ فِقْهٍ إِلَى مَنْ هُوَ أَفْقَهُ مِنْهُ، لَا يَعْتَقِدُ قَلْبُ مُسْلِمٍ عَلَى ثَلَاثِ خِصَالٍ إِلَّا دَخَلَ الْجَنَّةَ “، قَالَ: قُلْتُ: مَا هُنَّ؟، قَالَ: إِخْلَاصُ الْعَمَلِ لِلَّهِ، وَالنَّصِيحَةُ لِوُلَاةِ الْأَمْرِ، وَلُزُومُ الْجَمَاعَةِ، فَإِنَّ دَعْوَتَهُمْ تُحِيطُ مِنْ وَرَائِهِمْ، وَمَنْ كَانَتْ الْآخِرَةُ نِيَّتَهُ، جَعَلَ اللَّهُ غِنَاهُ فِي قَلْبِهِ، وَجَمَعَ لَهُ شَمْلَهُ، وَأَتَتْهُ الدُّنْيَا وَهِيَ رَاغِمَةٌ، وَمَنْ كَانَتْ الدُّنْيَا نِيَّتَهُ، فَرَّقَ اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ شَمْلَهُ، وَجَعَلَ فَقْرَهُ بَيْنَ عَيْنَيْهِ، وَلَمْ يَأْتِهِ مِنْ الدُّنْيَا إِلَّا مَا قُدِّرَ لَهُ “، قَالَ: وَسَأَلْتُهُ عَنْ صَلَاةِ الْوُسْطَى، قَالَ: هِيَ الظُّهْرُ
**
Sunan ad-Darimi
https://sunnah.com/urn/6102310

Isma’il bin Al-Fadl narrated to us, Harami bin ‘Umara narrated to us, from Shu’ba, from ‘Umar bin Sulaiman, from ‘Abd ar-Rahman bin Aban bin ‘Uthman, from his father, who said: Zayd bin Thabit left Marwan bin al-Hakam at midday. I said, “He would not have come out at this time unless Marwan asked him about something.” So I approached him and asked. He said, “Yes, he asked me about a hadith that I heard from the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ):

‘May Allah illuminate the face of a person who hears a hadith from us, memorizes it, and conveys it to someone else. For perhaps a person carries understanding without comprehending it, and perhaps a person carries understanding to someone who understands it better. **No Muslim’s heart will hold three things except that they will enter Paradise: sincerity in action for Allah, advising the rulers, and adhering to the community, for their supplication surrounds them. Whoever makes the Hereafter his intention, Allah will place richness in his heart, gather his affairs together, and the world will come to him humbled. But whoever makes the world his intention, Allah will scatter his affairs, place poverty between his eyes, and nothing of the world will come to him except what has been decreed for him.’

Then I asked him about the middle prayer, and he said: ‘It is the Dhuhr (noon) prayer.’**

Question 5

Usage of ‘Aqeedah by Abu Ubaid al-Qasim ibn Sallam al-Khurasani al-Harawi (224 AH) and what does it fall under?

Answer 5

** فَالْعَمَلُ قَلْبٍ الإِتِقَاد
**

The action of the heart is ‘Aqeedah

‘itiqaad is the same word, only difference is that “’Aqeedah” is a shorter verbal while “’Itiqaad” is a longer one

However, even here we wouldn’t really said it is in a complete technical manner, as actions of the heart include things outside of ‘Aqeedah, such as the issue of the actions of the heart-being conscious of Allah, fearing Allah and hoping in him etc, it is true that it comes from ‘Aqeedah, but its an action of the heart, not a complete belief of the heart.

So here, it is getting closer to the technical definition by 224 AH, and even then, the Imam named his book, “The book of Iman” not the book of ‘Aqeedah, but he did say the actions of the heart is ‘Aqeedah

However, its yet not fully in line, it hasn’t fully excluded everything, setting the Hadd, the boundaries yet.

Question 6

When do we truly get the usage of the technical definition of ‘Aqeedah

Answer 6

هَذَا ذِكْرُ بَيَانِ عَقِيدَةِ أَهْلِ السُّنَّةِ وَالْجَمَاعَةِ عَلَى مَذْهَبِ فُقَهَاءِ الْمِلَّةِ أَبِى حَنِيفَةَ النُّعْمَانِ بنِ ثَابِتٍ الْكُوفِىِّ وَأَبِى يُوسُفَ يَعْقُوبَ بنِ إِبْرَاهِيمَ الأَنْصَارِىِّ وَأَبِى عَبْدِ اللَّهِ مُحَمَّدِ بنِ الْحَسَنِ الشَّيْبَانِىِّ رِضْوَانُ اللَّهِ عَلَيْهِمْ أَجْمَعِينَ وَمَا يَعْتَقِدُونَ مِنْ أُصُولِ الدِّينِ وَيَدِينُونَ بِهِ لِرَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ.

“This is a mention of the explanation of the creed of Ahl al-Sunnah wa al-Jama’ah according to the madhhab of the jurists of the faith: Abu Hanifa al-Nu’man bin Thabit al-Kufi, Abu Yusuf Ya’qub bin Ibrahim al-Ansari, and Abu ‘Abdullah Muhammad bin al-Hasan al-Shaybani, may Allah be pleased with them all, and what they believe in terms of the fundamentals of the religion and that which by they sought nearness to the lord of the worlds

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• This is now the proper usage of the technical definition, percisely as for how we use it for

Question 7

Who else used the technical usage of ‘Aqeedah?

Answer 7

Abu Haatim ar razi-327, هبة الله بن الحسن بن منصور الطبري، أبو القاسم الرازي، الشافعي اللالكائي الآملی (Al lalikaaee 418 AH) as well as Abu bakr Ahmed ibn Husayn al Bayhaqee (458 AH) who after that, used ‘Aqeedah in its purest technical sense.

Question 8

Principle about terminologies and an important thing to consider

Answer 8

لا مُشاحَةَ فِي الإصْلاحِ

There is no dispute when it comes to terminology

In other words, there should be no arguing when it comes to terminology, and the default posiiton is there is no argumentation and dispute over terminology. If you want to call it Tawheed, usul ad deen etc there is no issue with that, and those that make an issue with it are wrong to do so. Because Terminology isn’t intended in of itself, it’s the implementation of the meanining which is important. Terminology is just to make the science digestible for the learner. Its the fact that you’re being taught ‘Aqeedah-6 pillars, iman as a concept, etc that matters.

Ibn Qayyim said that there is a condition for this, that the one who says that there is never a dispute in terminology is wrong, and Ibn Qyyim mentioned the condition for terminologies which is

والاصطلاحات لا مُشَاحَّة فيها إذا لم تتضمَّن مَفْسَدَةً

*There is no dispute in terminology as lost as that terminology does not lead to negative* consequences

-Madaarij as salikeen

For example, if we take a bottle of wine and remove the label and label it, ‘grape juice’ we would say this is Haram, and like this we brought a principle, you can call it gape juice or wine, but the negative consequence is that people will not realize what it is, not associate the ruling with it and so on. So if a terminology has a negative consequence, it is blameworthy.

Question 9

Principle about names

Answer 9

** الأسماء لا تُغَيِّرُ الحَقائق
**

Names do not change the reality of things

As such, if a name is changed to disguise the reality of something it is blameworthy.