In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful
We seek help from Allah, and there is no power or strength except through Him.
Praise be to Allah as is due to the majesty of His countenance and the greatness of His dominion. I bear witness that none is worthy of being worshiped but Allah, alone, with no partner; to Him belongs the dominion and all praise, and He has power over all things. And I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and Messenger; may Allah's abundant peace and blessings be upon him!
In this book we mention what a Muslim should believe in, as stated in the Qur’an and the Sunnah. We may also report some statements by the Companions and the succeeding generation and their followers with regard to explaining a certain verse or Hadīth or clarifying the intended meaning thereof. We have divided it into books and chapters and adopted brevity as much as possible, restricting the content to essential issues and keeping away from discussing such terms that do not occur in the Qur'an or the Sunnah, as the later scholars do. Allah Almighty urges us to follow His religion, hold onto His rope, and adhere to the example of His Messenger; He says: {And hold fast to the rope of Allah all together and do not be divided. Remember the favor of Allah upon you when you were enemies, then He reconciled your hearts, making you brethren by His grace. And you were on the brink of a fiery pit and He delivered you from it. This is how Allah makes His verses clear to you, so that you may be guided.} [Surat Āl ‘Imrān: 103] He also says: {Follow the best of what has been sent down to you all from your Lord, before the punishment comes upon you by surprise while you are unaware.} [Surat az-Zumar: 55]
Here we begin, asking Allah for help and success: