In the name of Allaah, the most Gracious the Most Merciful
All praise is due to Allaah, Lord of all creation
The ‘Allaamah and proof of Islaam Abu Ja’far al-Warraaq’at-Tahaawee said, May Allaah have mercy upon him, in Egypt:
This is an explanation of the ‘aqeedah of Ahlus Sunnaah wa’l Jama’ah, upon the mathhab of the fuqahaa of the religion, Abu Haneefah an-Nu’maan bin Thaabit al-Koofee; Abu Yusuf Ya’qoob bin Ibraheem al-Ansaaree and Abu ‘Abdillah Muhmmad bin Hassan ash-Shaybaanee – may Allaah’s pleasure be upon them all – that which they believe from the fundamentals of the religion and that by which they worship [lit. have their religion for] the Lord of all creation.
The Shaykh Muhammad bin ‘Abdil Azeez bin Maani’, may Allaah have mercy upon him, said:
Know, that that which the author mentions in this ‘aqeedah is not exclusively specific to the Imaams mentioned – for indeed, Ahlus Sunnah wa’l Jama’ah, the predecessors and successors, their ‘aqeedah is uniform as they adhere to the Book and Sunnah. And those who oppose them in their belief become misguided innovators, who are not excused due to their ijtihaad. Ijtihaad is a valid excuse in the branch affairs of the religion, not the fundamentals. The religious belief does not have differing schools of thought within it. Rather, what is correct is the way of Ahlus Sunnah wa’l Jama’ah and that which opposes it is falsehood.
Shaykh ‘Ali al-Halabee comments:
This last sentence is correct but there is some issue in that which preceded. Our Shaykh, the Imaam Muhammad Naasir ud-Deen al-Albaani, may Allaah have mercy upon him, said in his introduction to Raf-ul Astaar by as-San’aanee, p. 32, ‘And it has been repeated in the usool that mistakes are forgiven, even if in knowledge-based matters – as Shaykh al-Islaam Ibn Taymiyyah has established in many of his books and fataawa. See Majmoo’ al-fataawa (19/203-227) and (2019-36). From this is his saying, may Allaah have mercy upon him, in (20/33), ‘And the mistake forgiven in ijtihaad is in the two types of masaa’il – the belief-based [khabariyyah] and knowledge-based, as has been expanded upon in more than one place…’