Saturday, August 30, 2014
Shariah - The Crucial Matter!!!
By Shaikh Abu Hamza Al Masri
(may Allah hasten his release-AMEEN!!!)
In this crucial time, the sincere Muslim who wants to help the Ummah
needs to know what action to take. What can he do, how is he to do it and
what methodology should he take in doing this task? What is the
Shari`ah? How to bring the Shari`ah about and how to support the Shari`ah in
our own lives and what type of people can support the struggle is an
important question that needs a decisive answer. All of these things
this book ventures to answer.
This is not just for
the Muslim though. Within it the non-Muslim will find answers to such
crucial questions as; Is there a God? What does God ask of us? Who is
this man Muhammad (saws)? What is the Qur’an? and What is the meaning of life?
These
questions, along with an explanation of what Islam says about
war,oppression and a host of other topics will leave our non-Muslim
reader with a good and informative look at what Islam says about itself
and how it views the world.
"Is it the legislation of ignorance that they seek? And who is better than Allah in legislation for a people who have certainty" [Suratul Ma'ida, ayah 50]
In
a world that is filled with violence and evil, it becomes necessary to
seek the solution to that evil. For far too long, the Earth has been held
hostage and abused by evil powers, both visible and invisible, that
have coveted the planet’s resources and abused the ecosystem so brutally
that the entire creation here is calling for help.
That help
is the Shari`ah. Before all of these trials began, the Earth knew peace
and quiet. The planet had a time when justice reigned and the falsehood
was defeated. These happier times were the result of the laws of God
being the supreme legislation of all nations, with the keys to all the
cities in the hands of the God fearing. Only then could we say that the
earth was able to rest and have the peace and quiet that came with
divine submission.
Chapter on Repentance
Scholars
say that it is s a duty to repent of every wrong action. If it is
disobedience which occurs between a person and Allah and does not
involve the right of another human being, repentance has three
preconditions:
The first is that one divest himself of disobedience.
The second is that he regret doing it.
The third is that he resolve not to ever return to it.
If one of the three is lacking, then his repentance is not sound.
If
it involves to another human being, repentance has four preconditions:
these three and that he discharges his duty to the other person. If it
is money or the like, he pays it to him. If it is a hadd-punishment
because of slander and the like it, he give shim power over him or seeks
his pardon. If it is slander, he undoes it, He must repent of all wrong
actions. If he repents of some of them, the people of truth say that
his repentance of them is sound, but he still has the rest. There is
much evidence in the Book, the Sunna and the consensus of the Community
about the obligation to repent.
Allah Almighty says, “Turn
towards Allah, O believers, every one of you, so that perhaps you will
have success,” (24:31) and the Almighty says, “Ask your Lord for
forgiveness and then turn in repentance to Him,” (11:3) and the Almighty
says, “O you who believe! Turn in sincere repentance to Allah.” (66:8)
- Abu Hurayra said, “I
heard the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace,
say, ‘By Allah, I ask Allah’s forgiveness and turn towards Him in
repentance more than seventy times a day.”
The Dead Hearts...
By: Imam Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyyah
While
thousands of Muslims are killed all over the world, and while tens of
thousands are imprisoned and tortured for calling to the path of Allah
and for enjoining the good and forbidding the evil, most Muslims remain
remarkably silent and have no worry except for the material things of
life. Their hearts have been filled with the love of this life and the
forgetfulness of the Hereafter.
Allah says in the Qur’an:
“You will indeed find them, of all people, most greedy of life, even more than those who do not believe in Resurrection. Each one of them wishes he could be given a life of a thousand years. But the grant of such life will not save him even a little from due punishment. For Allah sees well all that they do” (Al Baqarah, 2:96).
Many Muslims today have become so much attached to their life that their desire is to dwell among their family, house, money and commerce. They have forgotten that matters of the Hereafter should come before matters of this life and that we must strive to follow the orders of Allah, not just those we find easy and convenient to follow. Some Muslims today claim that it is better to perform extra prayers and extra fasting rather than enjoin the good and forbid the evil or defend the lives of weak Muslims. Such people would even blame the Muslims who strive to perform these obligations.
Allah says in the Qur’an:
“You will indeed find them, of all people, most greedy of life, even more than those who do not believe in Resurrection. Each one of them wishes he could be given a life of a thousand years. But the grant of such life will not save him even a little from due punishment. For Allah sees well all that they do” (Al Baqarah, 2:96).
Many Muslims today have become so much attached to their life that their desire is to dwell among their family, house, money and commerce. They have forgotten that matters of the Hereafter should come before matters of this life and that we must strive to follow the orders of Allah, not just those we find easy and convenient to follow. Some Muslims today claim that it is better to perform extra prayers and extra fasting rather than enjoin the good and forbid the evil or defend the lives of weak Muslims. Such people would even blame the Muslims who strive to perform these obligations.
Taqwaa
All
praise belongs to Allah, Lord of the Worlds. Peace and Blessings of
Allah be upon Muhammad , his family, his Companions and all those who
follow him till the Last Day.
O believers !
Indeed
the advice which Allah has given to His servants from the time of Adam
up until now, has been to have Taqwâ (fear) of Him, Glorified and
Exalted be He.
The Mighty the Majestic says,
“And
we have instructed those who were given the scripture before you and
yourselves to have Taqwâ (fear) of Allah. But if you disbelieve then to
Allah belongs whatever is in the Heavens and whatever is on the Earth.
And ever is Allah free of need and praiseworthy.” [1]
It is also the advice of the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) to his nation:
Abî Umâmah Suddî ibn ‘Ujlân al-Bâhilî reports: I
heard the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) giving a sermon in the farewell
Hajj, saying, “Fear your Lord, pray your five prayers, fast the month of
Ramadan, pay your Zakâh, and obey your leaders, in doing so, you will
enter your Lord‘s Paradise.”[2]
Whenever
the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) sent a leader of a raiding party on a
military expedition, he would advise him, to have a deep rooted Taqwâ
(fear) of Allah and he would also advise the rest of his military party
likewise.
The
Pious Predecessors (salaf) did not stop giving mutual advice for having
Taqwâ (fear) of Allah in their sermons, their letters and their
testaments after the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) passed away.
‘Umar ibn al-Khattâb wrote to his son ‘Abdullâh:
“To
proceed: Verily I advise you to have Taqwâ (fear) of Allah the Mighty
and Majestic, for whoever fears Him, Allah will protect him, and whoever
gives a loan to Him, Allah will reward him, and whoever thanks Him,
Allah will increase him.”
Beware of the Rulers !!!
By Sufyân
ath-Thawrî (rahimahullâh)
The Advice [1] of Sufyân ath-Thawrî
Sufyân ath-Thawrî [2] (rahimahullâh) wrote to ’Abbâd ibn ’Abbâd al-Khawwâs al-Arsûfî [3] (rahimahullâh) saying:
To proceed: You are in a time which the Companions of the Prophet (saws) used
to seek refuge from reaching, and they had the knowledge that we do not
have, and they had precedence which we do no. So how is it for us, when
we reach that, having little knowledge, little patience, few helpers
upon what is good, corruption of the people and pollution of this
world?! So take to the original state of affairs and cling to it. [4]
I advise you to remain unknown, since this is the age for remaining anonymous (khumûl). [5]
And
remain aloof and mix little with the people, since before, when the
people met, they would benefit from each other. But today that has gone
and your safety - in our view - lies in abandoning them. [6]
Beware
of the Rulers. Beware of coming near to them and of mixing with them in
any of the affairs. Beware of being deceived, so that it said to you:
Intercede [for me], so that you help one oppressed, or repel an act of
oppression - because that is from the deception of Iblîs, which the
wicked reciters have taken as a means to attain a favorable position. [7]
It used to be said: Beware of the fitnah (trial)
of the ignorant worshipper and the wicked scholar, because the trial of
these two is indeed a trial for everyone put to trial.
The Strategy of Shaytaan...
If he cannot manage to deceive people into committing Shirk and Kufr, he does not give up. He causes people to follow biddah (innovations) and take them as their religion like celebrating Mawlid, celebrating the night of Isra wal-Miraj, celebrating 15th Shabaan by fasting and praying and as Sufyan ath-Thawri said, 'Biddah is more dearer to the Shaytan than sin, for, one may repent from sin, but not from biddah.' Because when one sins, he knows that he is disobeying Allah and some time, he may turn to Allah and seek forgiveness and be pardoned. But one, who practices Biddah, deems his actions to be a form of worship to Allah and thus never even thinks of repentance. 'Say (O Muhammad), 'Shall We tell you the greatest losers in respect of (their) deeds? Those whose efforts have been wasted in this life while they thought that they were acquiring good by their deeds!' [al-Kahf (18): 104] meaning, 'they performed deeds that do not count, deeds that are not in accordance with the prescribed way that is acceptable to Allah' and 'they thought that there was some basis for their deeds and that they were accepted and loved.' [See, Tafseer Ibn Katheer]
If Shaytaan fails at causing people to following innovations, he will move on to calling them to major sins like abandoning prayers - particularly if the person is well educated or respected, because a lot of people will follow his example. It is mentioned in the Qur'aan, 'Shaytaan wants only to excite enmity and hatred between you with intoxicants (alcoholic drinks) and gambling, and hinder you from the remembrance of Allah and from As-Salaat (the prayer).' [al-Maidah (5): 91]
Friday, August 22, 2014
Islamic views on Types of Muslims who say that the Khilafah is Invalid...
Below are some Points by Dai'ee Abu Baraa' (HafidhUllah) as a direct Student
of Shaykh Omar Bakri Muhammad (May Allah hasten his release-AMEEN)
A. THOSE WHO REJECT BUT DO NOT FIGHT THE KHILAFAH:
(1) those who do not know or have not heard of him and so assume the preceding state of affairs is continuing (al istishaab al haal) that there has been no khilafah for many decades.
These are not sinful or accountable as they are not accountable for something that the news of it did not reach them.
(2) Those who were far away and heard of the khilafah but were unsure of the news because of conflicting reports and either (a) was unsure if the declaration was true or just rumours (b) was unsure if it met the conditions of the khilafah such as the existence of security, full control and authority, implementation of the Islamic rulings system etc ... and so he/she held back from affirming a decision on the matter before he could verify as he had certainty (yaqeen) that there was no khilafah until now and nothing can negate that yaqeen except yaqeen that the situation has changed.
These are not sinful either, rather that is part of their ijtihad and they are exhausting utmost effort.
(3) Those who made ijtihad based on the information available to them about the reality (this can mean that they had misleading information, or lack of important information, or that they had information others did not have etc) and concluded that one of the binding conditions of the khilafah was absent and therefore they considered it invalid as a khilafah but he considered it an Imaarah Khaassah like Talibaan, Shabaab etc... e.g. if they thought that they did not really have security/control in the region but were just members of the public living in insecurity like any other resident.
Such a person is not sinful rather they will still be rewarded for their ijtihad and if they are correct they will get two rewards. However it is incumbent on him to advise them about what they can do to complete their project.
(1) those who do not know or have not heard of him and so assume the preceding state of affairs is continuing (al istishaab al haal) that there has been no khilafah for many decades.
These are not sinful or accountable as they are not accountable for something that the news of it did not reach them.
(2) Those who were far away and heard of the khilafah but were unsure of the news because of conflicting reports and either (a) was unsure if the declaration was true or just rumours (b) was unsure if it met the conditions of the khilafah such as the existence of security, full control and authority, implementation of the Islamic rulings system etc ... and so he/she held back from affirming a decision on the matter before he could verify as he had certainty (yaqeen) that there was no khilafah until now and nothing can negate that yaqeen except yaqeen that the situation has changed.
These are not sinful either, rather that is part of their ijtihad and they are exhausting utmost effort.
(3) Those who made ijtihad based on the information available to them about the reality (this can mean that they had misleading information, or lack of important information, or that they had information others did not have etc) and concluded that one of the binding conditions of the khilafah was absent and therefore they considered it invalid as a khilafah but he considered it an Imaarah Khaassah like Talibaan, Shabaab etc... e.g. if they thought that they did not really have security/control in the region but were just members of the public living in insecurity like any other resident.
Such a person is not sinful rather they will still be rewarded for their ijtihad and if they are correct they will get two rewards. However it is incumbent on him to advise them about what they can do to complete their project.
The Evil of Craving for Wealth AND Status !!!
By: Imam Ibn Rajab al-Hanbali
The
first type of craving for wealth is that a person has extreme love for
wealth and also relentlessly exerts efforts to attain it - via means
which are lawful - being excessive in that, striving hard and making
painstaking efforts and toiling in order to attain it.
It
has been reported that this hadeeth was in response to the appearance
of some elements of this, as at-Tabaranee reports from Aasim ibn Adiyy
(ra), who said, `I bought a hundred shares from the shares of Khaybar
and that reached the Prophet (pbuh) so he said, “Two
ravenous wolves remaining amongst sheep whose owner has lost them will
not be more harmful than a Muslim`s seeking after wealth and status is
to his Deen.” [It is quoted by al-Haithumee in Majma` uz-Zawaa`id
(10/250) and he attributed it to at-Tabaranee in al-Awsat and said, "Its
isnaad is hasan (good)."]
There
is nothing more to chasing after wealth than the wastage of a person’s
noble life for that which has no value. Instead he could have earned a
high rank (in Paradise) and everlasting bliss, but he lost this due to
his craving after provision - which had already been assured to him and
allotted to him, and it was not possible for anything to come to him
except what was decreed for him - then on top of this he does not
benefit from that, but rather abandons it and leaves it for someone
else.
He
departs from that and leaves it behind so that he will be the one held
accountable for it, yet someone else benefits from it. So in reality he
is only gathering it for someone who will not praise him for that,
whilst he himself goes on to One who will not excuse him for that - this
itself would indeed be enough to show the blameworthiness of this
craving.
The person who has this craving wastes his valuable time and engages himself in that which is of no benefit to himself - in journeying and exposing himself to dangers in order to amass that which will only benefit someone else, so it is as is said:
The person who has this craving wastes his valuable time and engages himself in that which is of no benefit to himself - in journeying and exposing himself to dangers in order to amass that which will only benefit someone else, so it is as is said:
“So one who spends his days in gathering wealth
Out of fear of poverty - then he has achieved only poverty.”
Allah’s Attributes & the Mistake of Changing Their Meanings!!!
Ibn al-Qayyim once wrote that love
for a beloved originates in the beauty and perfection of the beloved.
Hence, by knowing and becoming familiar with Allah’s names,
attributes and actions, one will love Him more and his Iman (faith
and acceptance) will become stronger.
When Ibn Taymiyyah explained what the most precious and beneficial knowledge is, the first matter he mentioned was the knowledge of Allah’s Names, Attributes, and Actions, which plants in the heart the love, hope, fear and glorification of Him (swt). No one would deny that knowing the One we worship improves our `Ibadah and that not knowing who Allah is makes our `Ibadah almost meaningless. Allah (swt) said Himself:
To understand Tawheed correctly, we need to have an understanding of Allah’s Names and Attributes. The question is, how are we to understand these names and attributes? Should we rely on our minds and speculative theology, or should we refer to the Qur’an, Sunnah and the understanding of the early predecessors? Many have strayed based on this point and, if Allah permits, we shall try to clarify some misconceptions related to tahreef (interpretation and changing the meanings) of Allah’s Attributes in particular.
The scholars say, the correct Faith in Allah’s attributes means believing in them without denying them or their meanings (ta`teel), without interpreting them and changing their meanings (tahreef), without explaining how they are (takyeef) or likening Allah’s attributes to those of the creation (tamtheel). Although a few scholars have slightly differed on this point, it is known that the consensus of the predecessors and leaders of this Ummah is as stated above. There is an overwhelming amount of evidence to support this, but we shall, by Allah’s will, quote several renowned scholars who wrote about this matter.
When Ibn Taymiyyah explained what the most precious and beneficial knowledge is, the first matter he mentioned was the knowledge of Allah’s Names, Attributes, and Actions, which plants in the heart the love, hope, fear and glorification of Him (swt). No one would deny that knowing the One we worship improves our `Ibadah and that not knowing who Allah is makes our `Ibadah almost meaningless. Allah (swt) said Himself:
"So know that
Laa ilaaha ill Allah (there is nothing worthy of worship but Allah)..." (Qur’an 47:19)
To understand Tawheed correctly, we need to have an understanding of Allah’s Names and Attributes. The question is, how are we to understand these names and attributes? Should we rely on our minds and speculative theology, or should we refer to the Qur’an, Sunnah and the understanding of the early predecessors? Many have strayed based on this point and, if Allah permits, we shall try to clarify some misconceptions related to tahreef (interpretation and changing the meanings) of Allah’s Attributes in particular.
The scholars say, the correct Faith in Allah’s attributes means believing in them without denying them or their meanings (ta`teel), without interpreting them and changing their meanings (tahreef), without explaining how they are (takyeef) or likening Allah’s attributes to those of the creation (tamtheel). Although a few scholars have slightly differed on this point, it is known that the consensus of the predecessors and leaders of this Ummah is as stated above. There is an overwhelming amount of evidence to support this, but we shall, by Allah’s will, quote several renowned scholars who wrote about this matter.
Explanation of: 'and we do not do Takfeer of anyone due to a sin, as long as he does not do Istihlaal.'
And
this is a popular saying, narrated and attributed authentically to
many of the Salaf, and there are slight variants in the wording:
sometimes it was 'and we do not do takfeer of anyone due to a sin, as
long as he does not do Istihlaal,' and at other times it was, 'and we
do not do takfeer of any Muslim due to a sin that that he does not
do istihlaal of' and similar to it.
The saying mentioned in the subtitle, is the most popular, wallahu a'lam, and the one found in at-Tahawi's 'aqeedah. Nevertheless, we say that this saying is true, although it is not found in the Qur'aan, nor Sunnah, but it is an established saying amongst the people of knowledge, as al-Lalikaa`ee mentions in his book of 'aqeedah, Sharh Usool I’tiqaad Ahl as-Sunnah; but unfortunately many contemporary people who attribute themselves to knowledge have misunderstood this statement to mean that a person does not become a kaafir, even if he does all the mukaffiraat (things that make one a kaafir), as long as he does not do istihlaal of them. And it was for this 'aqeedah, that the Salaf announced the holder of to be a kaafir, as Shaykh al-Islaam mentions in his Fatawaa, voume 7/209; and see also as-Sunnah for Abu Bakr al-Khalaal, page 587, Daar ar-Raayah print, 1410 AH). Know, oh fellow Muwahhid, that is is nothing but the 'aqeedah of the extreme murji'ah, who have unfortunately arisen and become rampant in this day and age.
The saying mentioned in the subtitle, is the most popular, wallahu a'lam, and the one found in at-Tahawi's 'aqeedah. Nevertheless, we say that this saying is true, although it is not found in the Qur'aan, nor Sunnah, but it is an established saying amongst the people of knowledge, as al-Lalikaa`ee mentions in his book of 'aqeedah, Sharh Usool I’tiqaad Ahl as-Sunnah; but unfortunately many contemporary people who attribute themselves to knowledge have misunderstood this statement to mean that a person does not become a kaafir, even if he does all the mukaffiraat (things that make one a kaafir), as long as he does not do istihlaal of them. And it was for this 'aqeedah, that the Salaf announced the holder of to be a kaafir, as Shaykh al-Islaam mentions in his Fatawaa, voume 7/209; and see also as-Sunnah for Abu Bakr al-Khalaal, page 587, Daar ar-Raayah print, 1410 AH). Know, oh fellow Muwahhid, that is is nothing but the 'aqeedah of the extreme murji'ah, who have unfortunately arisen and become rampant in this day and age.
The Effects of Sins...
Excerpt from Imam Ibn Qayyims “Al-Jawaab al-Kaafee”
1. The Prevention of Knowledge: Knowledge is a light which Allah throws into the heart and disobedience extinguishes this light.
Imaam Shaafi’ee said: “I complained to Wakee’ about the weakness of my memory, so he ordered me to abandon disobedience. And informed me that the knowledge is light. And that the light of Allah is not given to the disobedient ”
2. The Prevention of Sustenance: Just as Taqwaa brings about sustenance, the abandonment of Taqwaa causes poverty. There is nothing which can bring about sustenance like the abandonment of disobedience.
3. The prevention of obedience (to Allah). If there was no other punishment for sin other than that it prevents one from obedience to Allah then this would be sufficient.
4. Disobedience weakens the heart and the body. Its weakening the heart is something which is clear. Disobedience does not stop weakening it until the life of the heart ceases completely.
5. Disobedience reduces the lifespan and destroys any blessings. Just as righteousness increases the lifespan, sinning reduces it.
6. Disobedience sows its own seeds and gives birth to itself until separating from it and coming out of it becomes difficult for the servant.
7. Sins weaken the hearts will and resolve so that the desire for disobedience becomes strong and the desire to repent becomes weak bit by bit until the desire to repent is removed from the heart completely.
Imaam Shaafi’ee said: “I complained to Wakee’ about the weakness of my memory, so he ordered me to abandon disobedience. And informed me that the knowledge is light. And that the light of Allah is not given to the disobedient ”
2. The Prevention of Sustenance: Just as Taqwaa brings about sustenance, the abandonment of Taqwaa causes poverty. There is nothing which can bring about sustenance like the abandonment of disobedience.
3. The prevention of obedience (to Allah). If there was no other punishment for sin other than that it prevents one from obedience to Allah then this would be sufficient.
4. Disobedience weakens the heart and the body. Its weakening the heart is something which is clear. Disobedience does not stop weakening it until the life of the heart ceases completely.
5. Disobedience reduces the lifespan and destroys any blessings. Just as righteousness increases the lifespan, sinning reduces it.
6. Disobedience sows its own seeds and gives birth to itself until separating from it and coming out of it becomes difficult for the servant.
7. Sins weaken the hearts will and resolve so that the desire for disobedience becomes strong and the desire to repent becomes weak bit by bit until the desire to repent is removed from the heart completely.
A Principle concerning Unity AND Splitting
Al-Imaam Ibn Taymiyyah
Allah said,
“those who were given the Scriptures did not differ except out of
mutual jealousy and hatred (bagyan) after knowledge had come to them.”
Informing that their differing arose after the coming of knowledge that made clear to them as to what they should steer clear of – for indeed Allah does not let a people become misguided after He guided them except after telling them what they should steer clear of. And informing that they differed only due to the reason of mutual jealousy and hatred. Al-Bagy means to exceed the proper bounds as was indicated by ibn Umar (in his commentary to the verse): ‘arrogance and jealousy’ – this arising due to differing ijtihaads that were not based upon knowledge. What is not meant by al-Bagy is the permissible difference that arises between the scholars for al-Bagy is either the neglect or omission of the truth, or exceeding the proper bounds. Exceeding the proper bounds either by leaving an obligatory action or by performing a forbidden action and it is known that splitting and disunity is the outcome of this.
An example of this lies in what He said about the People of the Book, “and from those who call themselves Christians, We took their covenant but they abandoned (or forgot) a portion of the Message that was sent to them. So we planted enmity and hatred till the Day of Resurrection.” (5:14) So He informed us that in their forgetting/abandoning a portion of the Message – meaning leaving a portion of that which they were commanded with – lay the reason for their enmity and hatred.
This is what is occurring amongst the adherents of our religion and it can be found amongst the various parties that differ with regards to their principles and many subsidiary matters – found amongst the scholars and the worshipers – to the point that one finds a resemblance to the two nations about whom one says about the other: ‘They are upon nothing.’
Source: ‘Majmoo Fataawaa ‘ (1/14 -17)
Allah said,
“those who were given the Scriptures did not differ except out of
mutual jealousy and hatred (bagyan) after knowledge had come to them.” Informing that their differing arose after the coming of knowledge that made clear to them as to what they should steer clear of – for indeed Allah does not let a people become misguided after He guided them except after telling them what they should steer clear of. And informing that they differed only due to the reason of mutual jealousy and hatred. Al-Bagy means to exceed the proper bounds as was indicated by ibn Umar (in his commentary to the verse): ‘arrogance and jealousy’ – this arising due to differing ijtihaads that were not based upon knowledge. What is not meant by al-Bagy is the permissible difference that arises between the scholars for al-Bagy is either the neglect or omission of the truth, or exceeding the proper bounds. Exceeding the proper bounds either by leaving an obligatory action or by performing a forbidden action and it is known that splitting and disunity is the outcome of this.
An example of this lies in what He said about the People of the Book, “and from those who call themselves Christians, We took their covenant but they abandoned (or forgot) a portion of the Message that was sent to them. So we planted enmity and hatred till the Day of Resurrection.” (5:14) So He informed us that in their forgetting/abandoning a portion of the Message – meaning leaving a portion of that which they were commanded with – lay the reason for their enmity and hatred.
This is what is occurring amongst the adherents of our religion and it can be found amongst the various parties that differ with regards to their principles and many subsidiary matters – found amongst the scholars and the worshipers – to the point that one finds a resemblance to the two nations about whom one says about the other: ‘They are upon nothing.’