‫أصول السنة لإلمام أحمد رحمه للا‬

Usul-as-sunnah ~ Explanation of foundation of the Sunnah

By Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal

Chains of narration: Abū ‘Abdullāh Yahyā ibn Abū Al-Hassan ibn Al-Bannā narrated to us and said: My father
Abū ‘Alī Al-Hasan ibn Ahmad ibn ‘Abdullāh ibn Al-Bannā informed us and said: Abū AlHusayn ‘Alī ibn Muhammad ibn
‘Abdullāh ibn Bishrān Al-Mu’addal informed us and said: ‘Uthmān ibn Ahmad ibn As-Sammāk informed and us and said: Abū
Muhammad Al-Hasan ibn ‘Abdul-Wahhāb ibn Abū Al-‘Anbār narrated to us while reading it from his book, in the month of
Rabī’ Al-Awwal in the year 293 (after hijrah), and said: Abū Ja’far Muhammad ibn Sulaymān Al-Minqarī Al-Basrī Bitinnīs who
said: ‘Abdūs ibn Mālik Al‘Attār narrated to me and said: I heard Abū ‘Abdullāh Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Hanbal (radiAllāhu
‘anhu)
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﷽
In the name of Allah, most gracious most merciful

Key points/ Lessons derived from this chapter

● The importance of adhering strictly to the teachings and practices of the Companions of
the Prophet Muhammad (‫)ﷺ‬, as they are seen as the most authentic representation of
Islamic guidance.

● Any form of innovation in religious matters (referred to as bid’ah) is strongly discouraged,

● Avoid engaging in religious debates or arguments, as these can create unnecessary

● Steer clear of individuals or groups who follow desires or ideas that deviate from
traditional islamic teachings- do not sit with people of innovation.

● The call to uphold the authenticity of the faith by relying on established and proven
sources.

● The Sunnah serves as the interpretation and clarification of the Qur'an.

● It should be approached through emulation and submission, not intellectual reasoning or

● Belief in al-Qadar (The Divine Decree), including its good and bad aspects, is an
essential part of the Sunnah. - Such as the hadīth of ‚As-Sādiq Al-Masdūq‛, and what is

Notes: Hermana_Salafiyah
 similar to it regarding the Qadar. And like all of the ahādīth regarding the Ruyah (seeing
Allāh)

● Prophetic reports must be accepted without questioning "why" or "how."

● Ahadith should be affirmed and accepted, even if its explanation is not fully understood
by the laymen.

● Believers should accept and believe in the Divine Decree and prophetic narrations
without questioning or debating them.

● The hadith of "as-Sadiq al-Masdaq" is referenced, describing the Divine Decree.

● Debating or arguing about topics such as the Divine Decree, the Qur'an, and other
aspects of Islamic Creed is discouraged and seen as disliked or prohibited.

● The Qur'an is described as the Uncreated Speech of Allah, intrinsically part of Him.

● None of Allah's Attributes or His Speech are considered created.

● Avoid debating innovators: Don't argue with those who alter Islamic beliefs; affirm the
Qur'an as the uncreated Words of Allah.

● Belief in seeing Allah: Accept that believers will see Allah on the Day of Judgment, as
narrated in authentic traditions.

● The Prophet saw his Lord: Believe that the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him)
saw Allah, without speculating beyond the narrations.

● Belief in the Scale (Mīzān): Accept that deeds and individuals will be weighed on the
Day of Resurrection.

● Allah will speak directly: Believe that Allah will speak to people directly on the Day of
Judgment without intermediaries.

● Belief in the Basin (Hawd): The Prophet (peace be upon him) will have a Basin for his
followers on the Day of Resurrection.

● Punishment of the grave: Accept that people will be questioned in their graves about
their faith.

Notes: Hermana_Salafiyah
 ● Intercession of the Prophet: Believe the Prophet will intercede for believers, and some
will be saved from Hellfire.

● Emergence of the Dajjāl: Believe in the appearance of the Antichrist and his defeat by
Jesus (peace be upon him).

● Faith (Īmān): Faith includes speech and deeds, which can grow or diminish; abandoning
prayer is disbelief.

● Prayer is crucial: Neglecting prayer is considered kufr (disbelief) with severe

● Best of the Ummah: After the Prophet, Abū Bakr, ‘Umar, and ‘Uthmān are the best
individuals of the Muslim community.

● After Abū Bakr, ‘Umar, and ‘Uthmān, ‘Alī, Talhah, Az-Zubayr, ‘Abdur-Rahmān ibn ‘Awf,
and Sa’d are suitable for leadership and considered Imāms.

● The companions of Badr from the Muhājirūn and Ansār hold precedence based on their
early contributions and hijrah.

● Those who saw, heard, or accompanied the Prophet (peace be upon him), even briefly,
are superior to later generations.

● Muslims must listen to and obey their leaders, whether righteous or sinful, as long as
they hold authority.

● Participating in battles under the leader's command continues until the Day of
Resurrection.

● Paying zakāh to the leader is valid, regardless of their character.

● Leaders are responsible for dividing spoils and enforcing Islamic punishments; their
authority in these matters must not be challenged.

● Praying behind the leader or their appointee is valid; rejecting this is considered
innovation.

● Rebelling against a leader divides the Muslim community and goes against Islamic
teachings.

● It is forbidden to fight or rebel against a leader, and those who do are considered
deviants.

Notes: Hermana_Salafiyah
 ● Fighting thieves and the khawārij is permitted only in self-defense when they threaten a
person’s life or wealth.

● If attackers retreat or stop, it is forbidden to pursue or follow them; only the Imām or
Muslim leaders have the authority to act further.

● Self-defense must aim to protect without the intention to kill; if the attacker dies during
defense, Allah has dealt with him.

● If the defender dies while protecting life or wealth, it is hoped he attains shahādah
(martyrdom).

● It is not allowed to hasten to kill, attack a surrendered or wounded individual, or apply

● Judgment and punishment must be carried out by those in authority, not by individuals.

● We do not declare anyone from Ahlul-Qibla (those who pray towards the Kaaba)
destined for Paradise or Hell based on their deeds.

● For the righteous, we hope for Allah’s mercy, and for wrongdoers, we fear Allah’s
punishment while still hoping for His forgiveness.

● If someone repents from a sin and does not persist, Allah will forgive them and accept
their repentance.

● Punishments carried out in the worldly life act as expiation for sins, as narrated in hadīth.

● For those who meet Allah with unrepented sins, their matter rests with Allah’s will to
punish or forgive.

● Disbelievers meeting Allah will not be forgiven but will face punishment.

● A married person committing zinā (adultery) and proven guilty (through admission or
evidence) deserves stoning as carried out by the Prophet (peace be upon him) and the
rightly guided Caliphs.

● Criticizing, hating, or mentioning the faults of the Prophet’s companions makes one an
innovator unless one seeks mercy for them and harbors no ill feelings.

● Nifāq (hypocrisy) is kufr (disbelief), where one inwardly disbelieves but outwardly
displays Islam, as seen among the hypocrites in the Prophet’s time.

Notes: Hermana_Salafiyah
 ● Hadīth statements regarding hypocrisy, conflict among Muslims, and kufr (like fighting,
cursing, or severing ties) are accepted as narrated without interpretation or unnecessary
debate.

● Paradise and Hell are creations already in existence, as evidenced by the Prophet’s
descriptions in authentic narrations. Denying this goes against the Qur’an and hadīth.

● Any muwahhid (believer in the oneness of Allah) from Ahlul-Qiblah who dies is prayed
for, regardless of their sins, whether minor or major. Their ultimate judgment lies with
Allah.

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Note: These notes are a summary of the book ‘Usul-as-Sunnah’, refer to the book to gain further
explanation, or read the explanation by Shaykh Dr Rabee al Madkhalee.

Further explanation of: The Qur'an is described as the Uncreated Speech of Allah, intrinsically part of
Him.

Imam Ahmad ‫ َرحِ َم للاه‬said:

And the Quran is the Words of Allah, and it is not created. And he should not be too weak to say: 'It is not
created'. Because verily the Words of Allah are not separated from Him, and nothing from Him is created.

We will clarify the matter of in great detail. The Quran is from the speech of Allah. Many people fall into
this error and think by speech of Allah it is referring to the attribute of Allah’s essence (I.e. His self) but
when we say the Quran is the speech of Allah, we refer it that Allah spoke the Quran (as he willed) to
Jibril, and Jibril heard it and brought it down to the prophet ‫ﷺ‬. It came from the ‘action’ of Allah speaking
and expressing his attribute of speech (which is related to his essence), Allah’s attribute of speech falls
under two subcategories. One that’s related to his essence (sifaat al dhaatiyah) and one that’s related to
his action (sifaat al fi’liyah).

Allah’s speech in relation to his essence (sifaat dhaatiyah) is eternal, Allah has and always will be able to
speak and there was never a time he was never not able to speak, he always had his attribute of speech
since eternity and for eternity.

Regarding his action, this means that Allah speaks whenever he wills, he speaks as he wills, whenever
he wants, however he wants, this action happens in relation to time. From this we can say the Qur’an is
not eternal, why? Because Allah spoke at a specific time, which is when Jibril came down and revealed it,
and the Quran will return to Allah near the end of time as it leaves the heart of men and nobody will
remember it. So, in this sense the Quran is not eternal, however Allah’s attributes of speech in relation to
his essence is essence.

Now when we say the Qur’an is uncreated. The Qur’an consists of letters, sounds, and meaning. In
whatever form we have the Qur’an in it is uncreated whether it’s by recitation of man, written in the books
etc. it is uncreated.

Notes: Hermana_Salafiyah
What is intended by this is the actual words of Allah revealed, not the paper and ink used to write the
Quran, or the actions of the servant and movement of the limbs of the servant used to recite the Quran,
but what is written and what is recited is uncreated. So, we can see a distinguish between what is recited
/ written (the words of Allah) and the created aspect one may say which is the actions of servant which is
created and the paper and ink used to write down the Quran, this is without a doubt created.

Allah spoke the Qur’an to Jibril in Arabic with sounds and letters: how do we know this? There is a
narration in the sahihayn of Allah’s speech having a sound resembling a chain dragging on a rock (this is
of course an analogy and not how it is as nothing is like Allah). As for letters, we can see letters, Allah
says alif lam meem, ta ha, nun and so on. From this we can affirm his speech consists of letters too. And
all of this from him is uncreated.

Allah distinguished in surah 7:54 between the creation and the command, and he mentions in surah 65:5
that the Quran he sent down is his command. And if something is not created then it is either non existed,
or it is uncreated so we can establish from the Qur’an that it is uncreated as Allah himself distinguished
between creation and his command

Imam Ahmad ‫للا‬

And beware of debating the one who innovates in this issue. And whoever says al- lafdh or something
else than this, or he stops regarding it, so he says: 'I don't know whether it is created or not created, but it
is verily the Words of Allah', then he is an innovator, just like the one who says: 'It is created'. Verily it is
the words of Allah and not created.

And this is a shubuhat (doubt) which the jahmiyyah brought to make people affirm the Quran is created.
We mentioned earlier above of distinguishing between what is recited and the actions of the reciter which
Is created as Allah says he created us and what we do (surah 37:96)

What they jahmiyyah intended was by saying our recitation (lafdh) is created. They wanted to make us
affirm the Quran is created. How? The recitation is both what is recited (Quran) and the action of the
servant. So recitation consists of both together. So, by saying; The recitation is created it was to confuse
people into admitting the Quran is created.

Now the Salaf knew this was intended and that’s why they didn’t affirm the lafdh was created, if they did
what they will say is:

The action = created

And imam Ahmad said which can be found in kitab as sunnah by al khallal; the one who says the
recitation (lafdh) is created is a jahmi, and the one who says it is uncreated is a mubtadi (innovator). Now
you may ask, why will someone he an innovator if they say it’s uncreated.

Because from before we know that the recitation consists of two things; what is recited and the actions of
recitation. If we affirm that the lafdh is uncreated then we will be saying the following.

Actions of servant = uncreated

Notes: Hermana_Salafiyah
And again, this is incorrect as we know by the principle of surah 37:96 that our actions are created. So,
we can now see the distinction even more, the actions of the servant and what is being recited are two
different things, the actions being created. And the recited thing I.e the Quran is uncreated

Imam Ahmad ‫ َرحِ َم للاه‬said:

“And that the Prophet () verily saw his Lord. Because verily has this been correctly reported from the
Messenger of Allah (‫سلَّ َم‬ َ ‫صلَّى للاه‬
َ ‫علَ ْي ِه َو‬ َ ). Qatādah narrated it, from 'Ikrimah, from Ibn 'Abbās. And Al-Hakam
ibn Abān narrated it from 'Ikrimah, from Ibn 'Abbās. And 'Alī ibn Zayd narrated it, from Yūsuf ibn Mihran,
from Ibn 'Abbās. And the hadith for us is in accordance with its apparent meaning, just as it has been
narrated from the Prophet (‫سلَّ َم‬ َ ‫صلَّى للاه‬
َ ‫علَ ْي ِه َو‬ َ ). And speaking about that is bid'ah. Rather we believe in it, just
as it has been narrated according to its apparent meaning and we do not debate anyone regarding it.

And this is something which had some disagreement within the Salaf. With some affirming the prophet ‫ﷺ‬
seeing Allah with his eyes. And some affirming it was with his heart. And the correct opinion is the latter. I
did explain it in my telegram but I’ll reshare here so it’s clear.

What is intended by seeing in the heart, is more of a symbolic dream. this is established when Ibn Abbas
mentioned the prophet ‫ ﷺ‬saw Allah twice in his heart (Muslim 176) and then we have the narrations of
Isra wal Miraj that the prophet ‫ ﷺ‬didn’t see Allah meaning with his Eyes and all he saw was light (Muslim
177-178). And here we can see a clear distinction which he saw Allah with his heart but not his eyes as
seeing with the eyes is for the hereafter and not in this life.

The believers will indeed only See and Look at Allah in his true form in the hereafter (as mentioned in
Bukhari 7435) and the disbelievers will be veiled from Him.

‫َّللاه أَ ْع َل هم‬
َّ ‫َو‬
And Allah knows best.

Notes: Hermana_Salafiyah