পৃষ্ঠা 119: নবম অধ্যায়: বরযখ জগতে শহীদ, মুমিন ও পাপীদের রুহের অবস্থানস্থল

the creation alone perishes. Nor is it said: 'The worldly life and the Hereafter do not perish,' intending thereby that the worldly life alone perishes; nor: 'Muhammad and Musaylimah are neither truthful nor untruthful,' intending thereby the truthfulness of Muhammad alone and the falsehood of Musaylimah alone. Indeed, all of this is an abhorrent and impermissible usage, and nothing of its kind is known in the speech of anyone who is taken into account.

Ahmad's statement after this: 'We ask Allah for steadfastness, that He does not let our hearts deviate after He has guided us,' indicates that holding the contrary view was, in his sight, misguidance and deviation. This is also evident in what Harb narrated from him. Harb said in his Masa'il: 'This is the creed of the leading scholars of knowledge, the people of Hadith (Ashab al-Athar), and the Ahl al-Sunnah who are recognized by it and emulated therein, among those whom I met of the scholars of the people of Iraq, the Hijaz, and the Levant (al-Sham). Whoever opposes any part of this creed regarding it, attacks it, or faults the one who professes it, is an innovator, an outcast from the main body of Muslims (al-Jama'ah), deviating from the methodology of the Sunnah and the path of truth. This is the creed of Ahmad, Ishaq, Sa'id ibn Mansur, and others among those with whom we sat and from whom we acquired knowledge. Among their sayings was: "Faith is speech and action,"' and he mentioned the creed. Among its tenets, he said: 'Paradise and all that it contains have already been created, and Hellfire and all that it contains have already been created. Allah created them both, and then He created the creation for them. They will never perish, nor will what is inside them ever perish. So if an innovator or a heretic (zindiq) argues using the words of Allah the Exalted: "Everything will perish except His Face" [Al-Qasas: 88], or something similar, say to him: "Everything for which Allah has decreed perishing and destruction will perish, while Paradise and Hellfire were created for permanence, not for annihilation or destruction, and they belong to the Hereafter, not to this worldly life."' And he mentioned the remainder of the creed.

Thus, his statement at the end of his speech: 'They were created for permanence, not for annihilation or destruction,' invalidates any interpretation of the beginning of the speech as meaning that merely both of them combined would not perish.

All of this statement that Harb narrated has been reported explicitly from Ahmad.

It was narrated from him by Abu al-Abbas Ahmad ibn Ja'far al-Istakhri that he said: 'The creed of the people of knowledge, the people of Hadith, and the Ahl al-Sunnah who hold firmly to its roots, are recognized by it, and are followed in it, from the time of the Companions of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) until our present day, and among those whom I met of the scholars of the Hijaz, the people of the Levant, and others: whoever opposes anything from these creeds, or attacks it, or faults the one who professes it, is an opposer, an innovator, outside the main body of Muslims, deviating from the methodology of the Sunnah and the path of truth.' He then mentioned the entire creed, stating: 'Paradise and all that it contains have already been created, and Hellfire and all that it contains have already been created. Allah created them both and created the creation for them, so they will never perish, nor will what is inside them ever perish. So if an innovator or a heretic argues using the words of Allah the Exalted: ...'