Bismillah Alhamdulillah was Salaatus Salaam alaa’ Rasool Allah sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam
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I found this book (Foundations of the Sunnah) for free on-line, so decided to upload it to my server and provide the Contents and the Brief Note on this book. For those who know who Imaam Ahmed (d. 241 AH), rahimullah, is, then you know the value of this book. Obviously the original book is in Arabic, the following is only a translation with footnotes by the translator or transcriber, the book can be bought here if one wants to have a printed hard copy of it. If you don’t know who Imaam Ahmad rahimullah is, then you should read this article on the Imaam by Abuz Zubair, it has got to be one of the best Biographies and one of the most extensive available on-line. Also a short khutbah that mentions some of the important and moving events from the Imaam‘s life can be found in Muhamamd alShareef’s khutbah on the Imaam or in his CD set on the Four Imaams available through EmanRush or IlmQuest
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Contents
Introduction by Fawwaaz Ahmad az-Zumarlee
Part One: A Brief Note on Usoolus-Sunnah: The Foundations of the Sunnah
Part Two: The Sunnah upon which the Messenger of Allaah died
Part Three: A Description of the Believer from Ahlus-Sunnah wal-Jamaa’ah
Chapter One: The Life and Trials of Imaarn Ahmad
Chapter Two: On the Meaning of Eemaan – A Refutation of the Mu’tazilah of Today
Chapter Three: Some Sayings from the Salaf Concerning Allaah’s Attributes and their Consensus Concerning the Falsehood of Ta’weel – A refutation of the Ash’ariyyah
Chapter Four: Affirming the Attributes of Allaah with their Dhaahir (Apparent) and Haqeeqi (Real) Meaning and a Refutation that the Way of the Salaf was Allegedly Tafweedh – A Refutation of the Mufawwidah
Chapter Five: The Consensus of the Salaf from among the Companions of Allaah’s Messenger on the Prohibition of Reviling the Rulers and Publicizing their Faults, be they Righteous or Sinful – A Refutation of the Khawaarij
Chapter Six: The Distinguishing Signs of Ahlus-Sunnah
Chapter Seven: The Distinguishing Signs of Ahlul-Bid’ah (the People of Innovation)
Chapter Eight: On the Prohibition of Sitting with the People of Innovation; Listening to them, Arguing with them, To Abandon them and those who Associate with them.
Chapter Nine: On the Necessity of Accepting the Ahadeeth Reported by Reliable and Trustworthy Narrators Mentioning the Attributes of Allaah – A Refutation against the Rationalist School of Thought
Chapter Ten: The Ahadeeth of Abul-l-lasan al-Ash’aree and a Refutation of the Ash’ariyyah
Glossary of Arabic Terms
A BRIEF NOTE ON USOOL-US-SUNNAH
This treatise has been mentioned in Tabaqaatul- Hanaabilah (1/241-246) in the biography of ‘Abdoos ibn Maalik, one of the nearest students of Imaam Ahmad.
Another concise summary of his creed can be found in the same work Tabaqaatul-Hanaabilah (1/311-313),
Abul-Husain Muhammad ibn Abee Ya’laa said:
I quoted from Ahmad ash-Shanjee with his isnaad that he said:
I heard from Muhammad ibn ‘Awf saying:
Ahmad ibn Hanbal dictated to me…
and then he mentioned it.
The Imaam al-Laalikaa’ee has also mentioned this creed in his Sharh Usool I‘tiqaad Ahlis-Sunnah wal-Jamaa‘ah (1/156-164) where he said,
‘Alee ibn Muhammad ibn ‘Abdullaah as-Sakaree informed us that
‘Uthmaan ibn Ahmad ibn ‘Abdullaah ibn Bareed (or Yazeed) ad-Daqeeqee narrated to us saying:
Aboo Muhammad al-Hasan ibn ‘Abdul-Wahhaab, Abul-Anbar narrated to us: reading from his book, in the month of Rabee’ul-Awwal,
two hundred and ninety-three (293H), saying:
Aboo Ja’far Muhammad ibn Sulaymaan al-Munqiri, of Tinnees, narrated to us Saying:
‘Abdoos ibn Maalik al-’Attaar narrated to us saying:
I heard Aboo ‘Abdullaah Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Hanbal
saying…,
then he mentioned the creed, all of it.
Also the magazine, al-Mujaahid, published the treatise, ‘Usoolus-Sunnah’ in the Sha’baan edition in 1411H taken from the manuscript which had been put together with the
painstaking efforts of our Shaikh Muhammad Naasirud-Deen al-Albaanee, may Allah protect him.
From the manuscript copy (no. 68, Q. 10-15) which is kept at the Dhaahiriyyah Library in Damascus, Syria.
There are some differences between the manuscripts and I have indicated them in my footnotes to the text of this creed.
Steps in the Verification of this Treatise
(i) I have depended upon the two printings of this creed in my verification of it. The first: the one present in Tabaqaatul. Hanaabilah and the second, the one mentioned in Shark Usool I’tiqaad of the Imaam al-Laalikaa’ee. The first one has been published in the magazine al-Mujaahid and was taken from the manuscript copy of the Muhaddith of the Era, Muhammad Naasir ud-Deen Albaanee, may Allaah protect him, and I have recondled between whatever differences were found in the manuscripts
(ii) I have referenced the Qur’anic aayahs, the ahaadeeth and their sayings wherever I found it possible.
(iii) I have provided biographies of the notable people that have been mentioned in the treatise
I ask Allaah that He gives me success in that which He loves and is eased with from among the sayings, actions and beliefs. That He moves us from falling into mistakes, that He grants us safety from desires and innovations and that he makes this work in the balance my good deeds on the day that I meet Him.
Aboo ‘Abdur-Rahmaan Fawwaaz Ahmad Zumarlee
15th Shawwaal 1411H
Tripoli
Lebanon
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Wa Sallahu Ala Alaalihee wa sahbihee wa sallam