Chapter: A Detailed Exposition of Faith, Islam, and the Ordinances of the Religion

Muhammad ibn al-Husayn said:

Praise be to Allah, by whose grace righteous deeds are brought to completion, and praise be to Allah in every circumstance.

To proceed: Know—may Allah have mercy on us and you—that Allah Most High sent Muhammad, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, to all humanity so that they would affirm His oneness and say, “There is no deity worthy of worship except Allah, and Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah.” Whoever said this with certainty in his heart and uttered it with his tongue found it sufficient, and whoever died upon this was destined for Paradise.

Once they believed in this and sincerely affirmed His oneness, He made prayer obligatory for them in Mecca. They accepted this as true, believed, and prayed. He then made emigration obligatory for them, so they emigrated and left behind family and homeland. Then, in Medina, He made fasting obligatory for them. They believed, accepted it as true, and fasted the month of Ramadan. He then made zakat obligatory for them. They believed, accepted it as true, and discharged it as they had been commanded. He then made jihad obligatory for them, so they fought those both distant and near, remained steadfast, and accepted it as true. He then made pilgrimage obligatory for them, so they performed the pilgrimage and believed in it.

When they had believed in these obligations and acted upon them—with affirmation in their hearts, words upon their tongues, and deeds performed by their limbs—Allah Most High said:

“Today I have perfected your religion for you, completed My favor upon you, and chosen Islam as your religion.” [al-Mā’idah: 3]

He then informed them that in the Hereafter He would accept no religion other than Islam. He Most High said:

“Whoever seeks a religion other than Islam, it will never be accepted from him, and in the Hereafter he will be among the losers.” [Āl Imrān: 85]

He Most High also said:

“Indeed, the religion in the sight of Allah is Islam.” [Āl Imrān: 19]

The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said:

“Islam is built upon five: testifying that there is no deity worthy of worship except Allah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, establishing prayer, giving zakat, fasting the month of Ramadan, and performing pilgrimage to the Sacred House for whoever is able to make the journey.”

The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, then explained the ordinances of Islam to his nation, one stage after another. We shall mention this, Allah Most High willing.

This—may Allah have mercy on you—is the way of the Muslims. If an objector cites as proof the hadiths that have been narrated—“Whoever says, ‘There is no deity worthy of worship except Allah,’ will enter Paradise”—he is told: These were before the prescribed obligations were revealed, as we have already explained.

This is the position of the Muslim scholars whom Allah Most High benefited through knowledge and who were exemplary imams, with the exception of the Murjiʾah. They departed from the body of teachings upheld by the Companions and those who followed them with excellence, as well as from the position of the imams whose names are familiar in every land. We shall mention whatever of this comes to mind, Allah Most High willing.

Allah—glorified and exalted—is the One who grants success in every right course and assists in following it. There is no power except through Allah.