Praise be to Allāh who has sent us the Qur’ān, and by which He has guided us to the true doctrine of īmān.
He has aided this perfect religion over every other religion; may His blessings and peace descend every moment, and every instant, upon the greatest descendant of Ádnān – the master of all jinn and every man; upon whom Allāh táālā has bestowed knowledge of the unseen; He taught him all that shall happen and everything that has occurred since time began.
And because of him, and along with him, blessings be upon his progeny, upon his Companions, and [upon] his grandson; and upon his group and all those who followed them faithfully. We ask you to raise us among them, O Merciful, O Gracious Lord Almighty, yā Raĥmān, yā Mannān. This mendicant at the door of the Qādirī abode, Abu’l Álā’a Amjad Álī Aáżamī Riđawī saith thus, in all humility:
The need of our time has compelled me to compile a book on Islamic rulings, for the benefit of the laity, written in simple and easy to understand language; Islamic rulings for commonly encountered situations and on matters of everyday life. In spite of my own inadequacy and a lack of time, I began this task, trusting the Divine Aid of Allāh táālā.
After completing the first volume, a thought occurred to me that deeds and actions are valid only when they are accompanied by correct belief; in fact, actions are secondary, and are entirely dependent upon adherence to the correct doctrine of the Ahl al-Sunnah. Many Muslims in our time are unaware of the fundamental precepts of religion and a handbook describing these issues was direly needed.
Particularly, in this age of tribulations, rife with charlatans who call themselves Muslims, and even claim to be scholars, but have no relation to Islām in reality. Many a commoner and uninformed Muslim has damaged his faith and has lost his religion after being ensnared in their web of deceit and misguided ideas.
Therefore, I have now promoted the discussion of doctrine to be the first volume, and the Book on Purity and Purification [ţahārah] will be moved, and will become the second volume in this series. I sincerely hope that my brothers in Islām will read this book and revitalise their faith; pray for the forgiveness and safety of this poor man, in this world and in the next.
And that he leaves this world as a true believer, adherent to the doctrine of Ahl al-Sunnah.
O Allāh, make our hearts steadfast upon true faith and give us death upon faith. Grant us the intercession of the Best of Creation, may salutations and blessings be upon him, and for his sake, make us enter the Abode of Peace. Amen to that we ask thee, O the most Merciful. All praise is due to Allāh; the Lord, Sustainer of all worlds.
Footnotes
Among the ancestors of RasulAllah ﷺ.
Sayyidunā Ábd al-Qādir Jīlānī رضي الله عنه, a descendant of RasūlAllāh ﷺ and the grandshaykh of the eponymous, Qādiriyyah order.
A humble servant of Ghawth al-Aáżam Ábd al-Qādir Jīlānī رضي الله عنه. 1
He had first compiled the Book of Purity and Purification, like other fiqh texts; but after rearrangement, it is now the second volume, as the author has mentioned.
Đarūriyāt al-Dīn
He uses a Persian-Urdu adage, gandhum numā jaw farosh: ‘sells barley that looks like wheat’ or ‘shows barley and parcels wheat’ meaning swindlers.
Dār al-Salām: The Abode of Peace; i.e. Paradise. 2