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Basic Beliefs of Islam

Written by Amad al-Marzq al-Mlik (d. 1281AH)

English rendition by Mostafa Azzam

1
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, Al bin Uthman al-Hajweri al-Hasani
wal-Husayni and Baba Fareed Masud 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 Allahs
creation, the most sublime in character, our Master Muhammad , the seal of those who have
passed and the guide to the straight path and upon His pure and noble wives and family,
His Companions and those who have followed the People of the Prophetic Way and the
Majority of Scholars (Ahl as-Sunnah wal-Jamah) with excellence until the Day of Judgement.
The author of the text, Aqdat al-Awmm, is Ab al-Fawz Amad bin Muammad bin al-Sayyid
Raman al-Marzq al-asani wal-usayni al-Mlik. He is al-Marzq because he is a descendent
of the knower of God, Marzq al-Kafff, whose progeny was well-known for having immense
knowledge, piety and scrupulousness. He is al-asani wal-usayni because he traces his lineage
back to the grandsons of our Master Muhammad Sayyidina asan and Sayyidina usayn
from paternal and maternal side. He is al-Mlik because he followed the school of Imm Mlik
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 muaddith (traditionist) and a faqh (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
Muammad al-Marzq, 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 Amad al-Marzqs authored works include: Aqdat al-Awmm and a commentary on it;
a poem on the infallibility of the prophets; a commentary on the Mawlid work of Shaykh Amad
bin Qsim al-Harr al-Mlik; a poem on the science of astronomy; a poem on the principles of
grammar and morphology; a commentary on Ajrmiyyah 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 . This treatise contains the original arabic text of the poem, Aqdat al-Awmm,
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-Jamah), protect us from
misguidance and unite us with our Master Muammad in Paradise. mn

THE REASON FOR THE COMPOSITION OF AQDATUL AWMM:

Shaykh Muammad Nawaw al-Jw mentions a unique story reported from the author regarding
the reason for al-Marzqs 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 and his companions f standing around him.
The Prophet said to him (al-Marzq):
Recite the poem of al-Tawhd (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-Marzq) said to the Prophet :
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 said:
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So he (al-Marzq) repeated after him , whilst the Messenger of Allah was listening to
him:
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until the end of the poem:

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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 a second
time in a dream, on the night of Friday, 28 Dhil-Qadah 1258AH, at the time before dawn. The
Prophet 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 and his
companions standing around him saying: mn after every verse of this poem. When he had
completed his recitation the Prophet said:
May Allah give you success to that which pleases Him, accept that from you, bless you
and the believers, and benefit the slaves by it. mn.
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:
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until the end of the poem.1

Shaykh Muammad Nawaw al-Jw, Tahl Nayl al-Marm li-Bayn Manuma Aqdatul Awmm.
Passage translated by Saleh Malik
1

Aqdat al-Awmm

Basic Beliefs of Islam

What Must Be Known By the Common Woman and Man

Rendition by Mostafa Azzam

Based on Aqdat al-Awmm
[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 Marzuqis Aqdat al-Awmm.
[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 speechall 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] Impossibles opposite to necessary.
So memorising fiftys obligatory.

[19] To everything of the Messengers 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 dam they start, then Idrs, and N and Hd;
Along with li, Ibrhm do they include
[22] The Prophets L and Isml, Isq, Yaqb,
Then Ysuf, beautiful, unwavering Ayyb,
[23] Shuayb, Hrn and then Ms, who are brothers,
Al-Yasa, Dhu l-Kifl, Dwd, Sulaymn others,
[24] Ilys, and Ynus, Zakariyya, then the rest
Are Yay, s, then Muammad, 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 Jibrl,
Mkl, Isrfl, as well as Azrl,
[28] And Munkar and Nakr, Raqb, Atd, and then
Mlik, Riwnwith them are listed all the ten.

[29] Then four specific heavenly books must we know:

The first is the Tawrah to Ms, then also
[30] Dawds Zabr, then the Injl came down upon
Our master s, to Muammad the Qurn.
[31] Know that to Ibrhm and Ms 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 evilis by Allahs destining.
[37] The rest of this rhymes verses are a conclusion
About the noble messenger of this nation.
[38] Our messengers Muammad 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 Abd Allh, Abd al-Mualib he descends,
Listed is up til his established lineage ends:
[41] So Hshim have we, then Abdu Manf, Quayy,
And then Kilb, and Murrah, Kab, and then Luayy,
[42] Ghlib, Fihr, Mlik, an-Nar, Kinnah, then are
Khuzaymah, Mudrikah, Ilys, Muar, Nizr,
[43] Maadd, Adnn, which is his lineages extent.
Then we must know his mother and then her descent:
[44] His mother she is minah, descendent of
Wahb, Abdu Manf, Zuhrah, the Kilb 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 births order:

[49] First Qsim, Zaynab second, then Ruqayyah three,

Then Fimah, who then went on to wed Al,
[50] And through the two of them our masters we did gain:
The grandsons of the Prophet, asan and usayn.
[51] Then Ummu Kulthm, Abd Allh, the Pure, the Good,
Then Ibrhm. The boys all died in childhood.
[52] All of the Prophets children were from Khadjah,
But Ibrhm, born from the Coptic Mriyah.
[53] Nine were his wives at the end of his noble life.
Allah chose each to choose to be the Prophets wife.
[54] Their names are Aishah, and afah, and Sawdah,
And then afiyyah, and Maymnah, 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.