Beliefs of the Ahlus Sunnah Wal Jamaa’ah

Q: Would you please answer the following queries?

1. If someone believes all the aqidas of Ahle sunnath wal jamaah, but he firmly believes that Allah is on his thorn and the printed Qur’an is makhlooq (creation), then what is his condition of Imaan?
2. If someone believes all the aqidas of Ahle sunnath wal jamah, but he does not believe tassawf/kashf/ilham etc. Then what is his condition of Imaan?

A: 

1. Believing in istiwaa `alal `arsh is part of faith. In fact it is the belief of the ahlus sunnah that the kayfiyat of istiwaa is unknown though it is established. So there is nothing wrong in believing in istiwaa. Similar is the wording that is printed.
2. It is not a requisite to believe in kashf. Similarly to believe that a particular person has ilhaam etc. is not a requisite of faith and perhaps such a the person is a jaahil. He does not know what tasawwuf really is all about. Therefore he is denying tasawwuf.

And Allah Ta’ala (الله تعالى) knows best.

وقال ملا علي القاري: “ونِعم ما قال الإمام مالك – رحمه الله – حيث سُئل عن ذلك الاستواء، فقال: الاستواء معلوم، والكيف مجهول، والسؤال عنه بدعة، والإيمان به واجب، وهذه طريقة السلف وهي أسلم، والله أعلم” (الأثر المشهور عن الإمام مالك رحمه الله في صفة الاستواء 1/90)

Answered by:

Mufti Ebrahim Salejee (Isipingo Beach)