BASIC BELIEFS OF ISLAM

What Must Be Known By the Common Woman and Man

Mostafa Azzam
Based on
`AQIDAT AL-`AWAMM
By the Great Scholar
Maliki Mufti of Mecca
Imam Ahmad Marzuqi
(d. 1262 AH)

1 In the name of Allah, the most compassionate,

2 Who's the most merciful and most beneficent.
3 And to Allah, the pre-eternal, is all praise,
4 The everlasting, last, Who's subject to no change.
5 Then followed by favour forever, also peace
6 To the noble Prophet, best of monotheists,
7 And then his family, companions, and nation
8 That are on the true creed without innovation.
9 Know this is a brief epitome in faith, simple,
10 To be for memorization a vehicle.
11 By the needy of his Lord Mostafa Azzam,
12 Though based on Marzuqis `Aqidat al-`Awamm.
13 The name of it is Basic Beliefs of Islam:
14 What Must Be Known By the Common Woman and Man.
15 Then afterwards, the following we all must know:
16 That twenty traits are necessary for Him, so
17 He is existent, ancient, also permanent,
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18 And from all else is absolutely different.

19 And self-subsistent, also He is one alone,
20 And living, able, willing, knowing all the known,
21 And hearing, seeing everything and speaking, so
22 He has the seven attributes listed below:
23 They are His life, ability, and will, knowledge,
24 And hearing, sight, and speechall must we acknowledge.
25 The proof of that is in the origination
26 Of this so changing (as is witnessed) creation.
27 And by His grace and justice is it possible
28 For Him to do or not do any potential.
29 To guide the world the messengers Allah has sent,
30 Truthful, loyal, conveying, and intelligent.
31 And human states are possible in their nature,
32 Including illness not decreasing their stature.
33 And they, like angels, are divinely safeguarded;
34 And they are by Allah more highly regarded.
35 Impossibles opposite to necessary.
36 So memorizing fiftys obligatory.
37 To everything of the Messengers transmission
38 We must have acceptance along with submission.
39 Of messengers all those accountable must know
40 The twenty-five whose names are all listed below:
41 With Adam they start, then Idris, and Nuh and Hud;
42 Along with Salih, Ibrahim do they include
43 The Prophets Lut and Isma`il, Ishaq, Ya`qub,
44 Then Yusuf, beautiful, unwavering Ayyub,
45 Shu`ayb, Harun and then Musa, who are brothers,
46 Al-Yasa`, Dhu l-Kifl, Dawud, Sulayman others,
47 Ilyas, and Yunus, Zakariyya, then the rest
48 Are Yahya, `Isa, then Muhammad, who is best.

49 Upon them and their families favour and peace

50 Eternal favour and peace that will never cease.
51 And then the angels have no father or mother.
52 They do not eat or drink and do not sleep, either.
53 We must know ten specific ones: they are Jibril,
54 Mikail, Israfil, as well as `Azrail,
55 And Munkar and Nakir, Raqib, `Atid, and then
56 Malik, Ridwanwith them are listed all the ten.
57 Then four specific heavenly books must we know:
58 The first is the Tawrah to Musa, then also
59 Dawuds Zabur, then the Injil came down upon
60 Our master `Isa, to Muhammad the Quran.
61 Know that to Ibrahim and Musa scrolls were sent,
62 Containing words of the Judge, the Omniscient.
63 We must have faith in that the Last Day will occur,
64 Along with all related matters of wonder:
65 Its signs, and death, and then questioning in the grave,
66 Then bliss and torment as one in life did behave,
67 Then resurrection, gathering, and reckoning,
68 The balance, bridge, pool, rewarding and punishing.
69 And Hell and Heaven, also the intercession,
70 And for believers is the ultimate vision.
71 We must have faith in destiny, that everything
72 Both good and evilis by Allahs destining.
73 The rest of this rhymes verses are a conclusion
74 About the noble messenger of this nation.
75 Our messengers Muhammad sent to all the world
76 As a mercy, and above all he is preferred.
77 In character, he is the best of all people
78 And of them in appearance the most beautiful.

79 From `Abd Allah, `Abd al-Muttalib he descends,

80 Listed is up til his established lineage ends:
81 So Hashim have we, then `Abdu Manaf, Qusayy,
82 And then Kilab, and Murrah, Ka`b, and then Luayy,
83 Ghalib, Fihr, Malik, an-Nadr, Kinanah, then are
84 Khuzaymah, Mudrikah, Ilyas, Mudar, Nizar,
85 Ma`add, `Adnan, which is his lineages extent.
86 Then we must know his mother and then her descent:
87 His mother she is Aminah, descendent of
88 Wahb, `Abdu Manaf, Zuhrah, the Kilab above.
89 He was born in and sent in Mecca the Secure.
90 And he left to and died in Medina the Pure.
91 The revelation came when forty years had he.
92 And he did pass away when he was sixty-three.
93 And seven was the number of his progeny.
94 The number of his children who were boys is three.
95 As for the girls that he had, four is their number.
96 Below are all his children in their births order:
97 First Qasim, Zaynab second, then Ruqayyah three,
98 Then Fatimah, who then went on to wed `Ali,
99 Then Ummu Kulthum, `Abd Allah, the Pure, the Good,
100 Then Ibrahim. The boys all died in childhood.
101 All of the Prophets children were from Khadijah,
102 But Ibrahim, born from the Coptic Mariyah.
103 Nine were his wives at the end of his noble life.
104 Allah chose each to choose to be the Prophets wife.
105 Their names are `Aishah, and Hafsah, and Sawdah,
106 And then Safiyyah, and Maymunah, and Ramlah.
107 Then Hind, and Zaynab, and Juwayriah others.
108 To all believers they, indeed, are like mothers.
109 Before his emigration was his night journey,

110 From Noble Mecca to Jerusalem Holy.

111 And then after his night journey was his ascent.
112 He saw his Lord Who spoke to him on that event,
113 Without any how and without limitation.
114 Ordered five prayers from fifty was his nation.
115 All of the other well-known matters of Islam.
116 Must be acknowledged by every woman and man.
117 And thus concludes what the most gracious Lord has eased.
118 So with its author and its reader He be pleased.
119 I ask Allah sincerity in writing it,
120 And through it for English-speakers much benefit.
121 By the blessing of every scholar and mentor
122 (Into the pleasure of Allah may they enter).
123 For its completion the Most High, Allah, we praise.
124 Then favour and peace to His Messenger always.