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Basic Beliefs of Islam Written by Aḥmad al-Marzūqī al-Mālikī (d. 1281AH)

English rendition by Mostafa Azzam

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Dear reader,

Please recite Surat al-Fatiha and donate the reward of your recitation to the

renowned scholars and great gnostics, carriers of the banner of the

authority of the Quran and Sunna, who illuminated the land of Khorasan

and Hind with the Muhammadan light, ʿAlī bin ʿUthman al-Hajweri al-Hasani

wal-Husayni and Baba Fareed Masʿud Ganjshakar — may Allah the Exalted have

mercy upon them and reward them well on behalf of the Muslims; Indeed,

He is All-Hearing, All-Knowing. Amin

- Abdul Samad Ali

Introduction

In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful.

Praise be to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds. Blessings and salutations on the best of Allah’s creation, the most sublime in character, our Master Muhammad ملسو هيلع هللا ىلص, the seal of those who have

passed and the guide to the straight path — and upon His ملسو هيلع هللا ىلص pure and noble wives and family,

His ملسو هيلع هللا ىلص Companions and those who have followed the People of the Prophetic Way and the

Majority of Scholars (Ahl as-Sunnah wal-Jamāʿah) with excellence until the Day of Judgement.

The author of the text, ʿAqīdat al-ʿAwāmm, is Abū al-Fawz Aḥmad bin Muḥammad bin al-Sayyid Ramaḍān al-Marzūqī al-Ḥasani wal-Ḥusayni al-Mālikī. He is al-Marzūqī because he is a descendent of the knower of God, Marzūq al-Kaffāfī, whose progeny was well-known for having immense knowledge, piety and scrupulousness. He is al-Ḥasani wal-Ḥusayni because he traces his lineage back to the grandsons of our Master Muhammad ملسو هيلع هللا ىلص — Sayyidina Ḥasan and Sayyidina Ḥusayn —

from paternal and maternal side. He is al-Mālikī because he followed the school of Imām Mālik ibn Anas in Jurisprudence.

He was born in Egypt in the year 1205AH. He was known to be an erudite scholar, a mufassir (exegete), preserver and reciter of the holy Quran, a muḥaddith (traditionist) and a faqīh (jurist). He was amongst the great scholars of al-Azhar. His residence was far away from al-Azhar, so every day he would hire a horse carriage to take him to al-Azhar. After a period of time, the owners of the horse carriage mastered the science of Islamic creed through him.

He later moved to the sanctuary of Mecca in the late 1250s AH. His brother, al-Sayyid Muḥammad al-Marzūqī, was the grand mufti of that time. His brother passed away in the year 1261AH, he was then appointed as the grand mufti of the Malikis, in Mecca. He held that position and taught several sciences of the religion, until he passed away in the year 1281AH.

Imam Aḥmad al-Marzūqī’s authored works include: ʿAqīdat al-ʿAwāmm and a commentary on it; a poem on the infallibility of the prophets; a commentary on the Mawlid work of Shaykh Aḥmad bin Qāsim al-Harīrī al-Mālikī; a poem on the science of astronomy; a poem on the principles of grammar and morphology; a commentary on Ajrūmiyyah and a few other texts.

Knowing the Islamic beliefs is from the greatest of the religious obligations. It is an obligation upon every legally responsible person [mukallaf] to learn these Islamic beliefs. It is under the light of Islamic beliefs that the believer expresses his servanthood to the Lords of the worlds and follows that which he received from the leader of Prophets and our Master, Muhammad ملسو هيلع هللا ىلص. This treatise contains the original arabic text of the poem, ʿAqīdat al-ʿAwāmm, followed by its English rendition.

May Allah the Exalted guide us all to the right path, the path of the People of the Prophetic Way and the Majority of Muslim Scholars (Ahl as-Sunnah wal-Jamāʿah), protect us from misguidance and unite us with our Master Muḥammad ملسو هيلع هللا ىلص in Paradise. Āmīn

THE REASON FOR THE COMPOSITION OF ʿAQĪDATUL ʿAWĀMM: Shaykh Muḥammad Nawawī al-Jāwī mentions a unique story reported from the author regarding the reason for al-Marzūqī’s composition of this poem:

The author — may Allah have mercy upon him — had a dream on the night of Friday, 6 Rajab 1258AH, in which he saw the Prophet ملسو هيلع هللا ىلص and his companions f standing around him.

The Prophet ملسو هيلع هللا ىلص said to him (al-Marzūqī): “Recite the poem of al-Tawhīd (Divine Oneness) which whomsoever memorises will enter paradise, and will attain all that is desired from every good that is in conformity with the Book and the Sunnah”.

He (al-Marzūqī) said to the Prophet ملسو هيلع هللا ىلص:

“What is that poem, O Messenger of Allah?” The Companions f said to him:

“Listen to the Messenger of Allah to what he says. The Messenger of Allah ملسو هيلع هللا ىلص said:

“Say,  أ بـــدأ بــــسم اهلل والـــرحــــــمن”

So he (al-Marzūqī) repeated after him ملسو هيلع هللا ىلص, whilst the Messenger of Allah ملسو هيلع هللا ىلص was listening to

him: ــدأ بــــسم اهلل والـــرحــــــمن أبــuntil the end of the poem: ــــالم الــــحكم الــــعليم وصــــــــــــحف الخــــــليل والـــــكليم — فــــيها كـ

When he awoke from his sleep he recited that which he had seen in his dream and found that it was preserved with him from its beginning to its end. He then saw the Prophet ملسو هيلع هللا ىلص a second

time in a dream, on the night of Friday, 28 Dhil-Qaʿdah 1258AH, at the time before dawn. The Prophet ملسو هيلع هللا ىلص said to him:

“Recite that which you have gathered” (meaning in your heart). So he recited it from its beginning to its end whilst standing in front of him ملسو هيلع هللا ىلص and his

companions standing around him saying: “Āmīn” after every verse of this poem. When he had completed his recitation the Prophet ملسو هيلع هللا ىلص said:

“May Allah هلالج لج give you success to that which pleases Him, accept that from you, bless you

and the believers, and benefit the slaves by it. Āmīn.” The author was then questioned after people came to know of the poem, so he answered their question, and added his own words to the poem from:

ــه الـــرســـــــول — فــــحقه التســــــــــليم والــــــقبول ــل مـــا أتـــى بـ كــ

until the end of the poem. 1

Shaykh Muḥammad Nawawī al-Jāwī, Tahṣīl Nayl al-Marām li-Bayān Manẓuma ʿAqīdatul ‘Awāmm. 1

Passage translated by Saleh Malik

ʿAqīdat al-ʿAwāmm — عقيدة العوام

Basic Beliefs of Islam What Must Be Known By the Common Woman and Man

Rendition by Mostafa Azzam

Based on ʿAqīdat al-ʿAwāmm

[1] In the name of Allah, the most compassionate, Who's the most merciful and most beneficent.

[2] And to Allah, the pre-eternal, is all praise, The everlasting, last, Who's subject to no change.

[3] Then followed by favour forever, also peace To the noble Prophet, best of monotheists,

[4] And then his family, companions, and nation That are on the true creed without innovation.

[5] Know this is a brief epitome in faith, simple, To be for memorisation a vehicle.

[6] By the needy of his Lord Mostafa Azzam, Though based on Marzuqi’s ʿAqīdat al-ʿAwāmm.

[7] The name of it is Basic Beliefs of Islam: What Must Be Known By the Common Woman and Man.

[8] Then afterwards, the following we all must know: That twenty traits are necessary for Him, so

[9] He is existent, ancient, also permanent, And from all else is absolutely different.

[10] And self-subsistent, also He is one alone, And living, able, willing, knowing all the known,

[11] And hearing, seeing everything and speaking, so He has the seven attributes listed below:

[12] They are His life, ability, and will, knowledge, And hearing, sight, and speech—all must we acknowledge.

[13] The proof of that is in the origination Of this so changing (as is witnessed) creation.

[14] And by His grace and justice is it possible For Him to do or not do any potential.

[15] To guide the world the messengers Allah has sent, Truthful, loyal, conveying, and intelligent.

[16] And human states are possible in their nature, Including illness not decreasing their stature.

[17] And they, like angels, are divinely safeguarded; And they are by Allah more highly regarded.

[18] Impossible’s opposite to necessary. So memorising fifty’s obligatory.

[19] To everything of the Messenger’s transmission We must have acceptance along with submission.

[20] Of messengers all those accountable must know The twenty-five whose names are all listed below:

[21] With Ādam they start, then Idrīs, and Nūḥ and Hūd; Along with Ṣāliḥ, Ibrāhīm do they include

[22] The Prophets Lūṭ and Ismāʿīl, Isḥāq, Yaʿqūb, Then Yūsuf, beautiful, unwavering Ayyūb,

[23] Shuʿayb, Hārūn and then Mūsā, who are brothers, Al-Yasaʿ, Dhu l-Kifl, Dāwūd, Sulaymān others,

[24] Ilyās, and Yūnus, Zakariyya, then the rest Are Yaḥyā, ʿĪsā, then Muḥammad, who is best.

[25] Upon them and their families favour and peace— Eternal favour and peace that will never cease.

[26] And then the angels have no father or mother. They do not eat or drink and do not sleep, either.

[27] We must know ten specific ones: they are Jibrīl, Mīkāʾīl, Isrāfīl, as well as ʿAzrāʾīl,

[28] And Munkar and Nakīr, Raqīb, ʿAtīd, and then Mālik, Riḍwān—with them are listed all the ten.

[29] Then four specific heavenly books must we know: The first is the Tawrah to Mūsā, then also

[30] Dawūd’s Zabūr, then the Injīl came down upon Our master ʿĪsā, to Muḥammad the Qurān.

[31] Know that to Ibrāhīm and Mūsā scrolls were sent, Containing words of the Judge, the Omniscient.

[32] We must have faith in that the Last Day will occur, Along with all related matters of wonder:

[33] Its signs, and death, and then questioning in the grave, Then bliss and torment as one in life did behave,

[34] Then resurrection, gathering, and reckoning, The balance, bridge, pool, rewarding and punishing.

[35] And Hell and Heaven, also the intercession, And for believers is the ultimate vision.

[36] We must have faith in destiny, that everything— Both good and evil—is by Allah’s destining.

[37] The rest of this rhyme’s verses are a conclusion About the noble messenger of this nation.

[38] Our messenger’s Muḥammad sent to all the world As a mercy, and above all he is preferred.

[39] In character, he is the best of all people And of them in appearance the most beautiful.

[40] From ʿAbd Allāh, ʿAbd al-Muṭṭalib he descends, Listed is up ’til his established lineage ends:

[41] So Hāshim have we, then ʿAbdu Manāf, Quṣayy, And then Kilāb, and Murrah, Kaʿb, and then Luʾayy,

[42] Ghālib, Fihr, Mālik, an-Naḍr, Kinānah, then are Khuzaymah, Mudrikah, Ilyās, Muḍar, Nizār,

[43] Maʿadd, ʿAdnān, which is his lineage’s extent. Then we must know his mother and then her descent:

[44] His mother she is Āminah, descendent of Wahb, ʿAbdu Manāf, Zuhrah, the Kilāb above.

[45] He was born in and sent in Mecca the Secure. And he left to and passed in Medina the Pure.

[46] The revelation came when forty years had he. And he did pass away when he was sixty-three.

[47] And seven is the number of his progeny. The number of his children who were boys is three.

[48] As for the girls that he had, four is their number. Below are all his children in their birth’s order:

[49] First Qāsim, Zaynab second, then Ruqayyah three, Then Fāṭimah, who then went on to wed ʿAlī,

[50] And through the two of them our masters we did gain: The grandsons of the Prophet, Ḥasan and Ḥusayn.

[51] Then Ummu Kulthūm, ʿAbd Allāh, the Pure, the Good, Then Ibrāhīm. The boys all died in childhood.

[52] All of the Prophet’s children were from Khadījah, But Ibrāhīm, born from the Coptic Māriyah.

[53] Nine were his wives at the end of his noble life. Allah chose each to choose to be the Prophet’s wife.

[54] Their names are ʿAʾishah, and Ḥafṣah, and Sawdah, And then Ṣafiyyah, and Maymūnah, and Ramlah.

[55] Then Hind, and Zaynab, and Juwayriah others. To all believers they, indeed, are like mothers.

[56] Before his emigration was his night journey, From Noble Mecca to Jerusalem Holy.

[57] And then after his night journey was his ascent. He saw his Lord Who spoke to him on that event,

[58] Without any how and without limitation. Ordered five prayers from fifty was his nation.

[59] All of the other well-known matters of Islam. Must be acknowledged by every woman and man.

[60] And thus concludes what the most gracious Lord has eased. So with its author and its reader He be pleased.

[61] I ask Allah sincerity in writing it, And through it for English-speakers much benefit.

[62] By the blessing of every scholar and mentor (Into the pleasure of Allah may they enter).

[63] For its completion the Most High, Allah, we praise.

Then favour and peace to His Messenger always.