The Creed of the Raziyayn Workbook

Imam Abu Muhammad ‘Abdur-Rahman ibn Abi Hatim (died 327 AH) said: “I asked my father (Abu Hatim) and Abu Zur’ah about the beliefs of Ahlus-Sunnah in the foundations of the religion—and what the two of them found the scholars to be upon in all the various lands—and what they held as their Creed from what they acquired. So, they answered: ‘We met the scholars of all the lands: the Hijaz, Iraq, Egypt, Sham (Syria, Jordan and Palestine) and Yemen.’” — and then they proceeded to inform him of the points of belief that all of the great scholars of those lands in that ancient time held on to.

So if we as Muslims and as adherents to the Qur’an and Sunnah, upon the understanding of the Salaf, wish to know how to navigate all the various sects and parties and ideologies that have become widespread under the name of Islam, and we want to escape confusion and be upon clarity, then it is a must that we return to the likes of these books — the books of the Imams of the early Salaf.

It is through these books that we can understand what the early generations of scholars were upon, and what they took from the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them all), who took it from the Messenger Muhammad himself (صلى الله عليه وسلم); free of adulteration and free of the innovations that have crept into the Ummah over the centuries.