The Fundamentals of Tawheed

Devotion’ (So worship Allah with devotion to His Religion.). Prophet Muhammad (saw) said ‘Allah Most High only accepts deeds which are solely devoted to Him, and for His sake.’ Thus, devotion is the measure of accepting or refusing all our deeds. By Dr. ‘Umar al-Ashqar and translated to English.

In “Devotion”, Dr. ‘Umar al-Ashqar thoroughly discusses devotion and sincerity in Islam, along with the erroneous concepts which have crept into Muslims’ understanding concerning them.

Readers will find answers to the following questions:

1. What is devotion in Islam?
2. What is Islam’s position concerning devotion in acts of worship?
3. What are the erroneous ideas concerning devotion?
4. What are the difficulties of having sincerity and devotion?
5. Why is Allah the aim and none other than He?
6. Can the worshipper have multiple sincere intentions at one time?
7. What are the elements of ill-intentions?
8. What are the steps to remedy hypocrisy?
9. What is the influence of the intention upon ones deeds?
10. What is the influence of intention in forbidden acts?

Aqidah and Creed

The will and decree of Allah: Is this a matter which is directly relevant to the day-to-day life of the Muslim, or is it an obscure topic best left to the debates of philosophers and theologians? Does it imply that Muslims are ‘fatalists’ who see themselves as helpless in the hands of an indifferent fate? Attitudes towards divine will and predestination have always influenced Muslims’ daily activities. In this final volume of his eight-volume Islamic Creed Series, Dr. ‘Umar al-Ashqar explores this topic in depth, explaining it in clear terms for the ordinary Muslim. Drawing always on the Qur’an and the Sunnah, and on the words of the greatest scholars of Islam such as Ibn Taymiyah, he covers some of the historical debates that took place within the Ummah on this matter. The true Islamic concept of divine will and predestination is an empowering notion. While all that happens takes place within the framework of the divine will, people have freedom of choice within those parameters. This is a matter which is of interest and concern for all Muslims, one which will bring many benefits, both in this world and in the hereafter. This Islamic Creed Series of books has been translated into English by Nasiruddin al-Khattab.

a small excerpt from the book:

“And those who disbelieve say: “Why is not the Quran revealed to him all at once?” Thus (it is sent down in parts), that We may strengthen your heart thereby. And We have revealed it to you gradually, in stages.”[1]”[2]

Al-Zarnooji -rahimahullah- said, “Imam Sharf ul-Din al-Uqayli – rahimahullah- used to say, “My opinion regarding learning knowledge is in agreement with what our teachers taught us. They used to teach beginners level one books because they are understandable, easy to memorize, enjoyable, and common. A beginner should not write down something he does not understand because it numbs the intelligence and is a waste of time. Instead, a beginner should focus on the task of understanding his teacher through deep thinking and repetition. Significantly, the smaller the portion in one class with repetition the more progress in understanding. A famous saying states: Memorizing two letters is better than hearing two loads, and understanding two letters is better than memorizing two loads.”[3]