The Matrix of Proofs

(Umm al-Barahin)

Imam Muhammad b. Yusuf b. ‘Umar b. Shu’ayb al-Sanusi (d. 895 AH)

A
LL PRAISES ARE DUE TO ALLAH, and prayers and salutations upon the Messenger of Allah.
Know that rational judgments are limited to three categories: necessary, impossible, and
possible. The necessary is that whose non-existence the mind cannot conceive; the
impossible is that whose existence the mind cannot conceive; and the possible is that whose
existence and non-existence the mind can [equally] conceive.
According to the Sacred Law, it is obligatory upon every legally responsible person to know what
is necessary for our Master (Exalted and Sublime is He!), as well as what is impossible and possible
[for Him]. It is also obligatory to know these things as they apply to the Messengers (upon them
prayers and salutations).
Some of what is necessary for our Master (Exalted and Sublime is He!) are twenty attributes,
and they are: existence, pre-eternality, endlessness, absolute dissimilarity from all contingent
beings, His self-subsistence (which means He is not in need of a locus or a determiner), and [then]
oneness (which means there is no second [like] Him in His Entity, Attributes, or Actions). These
are six attributes in total. The first one, existence, is self-signifying, and the remaining attributes
are negating.
Furthermore, there are seven [more] necessary attributes for Him (the Exalted), and they are
called qualitative attributes. They are: omnipotence and will (both of which are linked to all
possible things), knowledge (which is linked to all necessary, possible, and impossible things), life
(which is not linked to anything), then hearing and seeing (both of which are linked to all existing
things), and then speech that is neither letter or sound (which is linked to that which knowledge
is linked).
After [these] there are seven attributes called predicative attributes, and they are inherent in the
seven attributes mentioned above. They are: Him being Omnipotent, Him being Willing, Him
being All-Knowing, Him being Living, Him being All-Hearing, Him being All-Seeing, and Him
being Speaking.
And some of what is impossible for Him (Exalted is He!) are twenty attributes, and they are the
opposites of the twenty mentioned earlier. They are: non-existence, contingency, having an end,
having likeness to contingencies (such as being a substance whereby His Exalted Entity takes up
space, or being an accident that subsists within a substance, or being in a direction with respect to
substance, or Him having a direction unto Himself, or Him being restricted to time or space, or
that His Exalted Entity is described with contingencies, or that that He is described with smallness
or largeness, or that [His] actions and rulings are qualified by motives). Likewise, it is impossible
for Him (the Exalted!) to not be self-subsistent (such as Him being an attribute that subsists in a
locus or standing in need of a determiner). It is also impossible for Him (Exalted is He!) to not
be one (such as being composite in His Entity, or there being something that resembles Him in
His Entity and Attributes, or that there be anything besides Him that has independent causation
in actions). It is also impossible for Him (Exalted is He!) to be incapable of affecting any given
possible thing, or to bring into existence in this world something that He detests and does not
want to exist (in other words, something against His will). It is [also impossible for Him to bring
anything into existence] through puzzlement, forgetfulness, cause, or nature. Likewise, it is
impossible for Him (Exalted is He!) to be ignorant or what shares in its meaning with respect to
something that is known, as well as death, deafness, blindness, and dumbness. And the opposites
of the predicative attributes are clear from these.
As for what is possible with respect to Him (Exalted is He!), it is for Him to either do or leave
every possible thing.
With regard to the [rational] proof of His existence (Exalted is He!), it is the contingency of the
world. For if the world did not have an originator and instead it originated itself, that would mean
that one of two things equal to each other is preponderant over the other without an external
cause, which is impossible.
The proof for the world’s contingency is it inseparability from emergent accidents such as
movement and stillness etc., and that which is inseparable from a contingent is contingent as well.
And the proof for the contingency of accidents is the change that is witnessed in them, such as
non-existence to existence, and from existence to non-existence.
As for the proof of the necessity of His pre-eternality (Exalted is He!): were He not Pre-eternal,
He would have been contingent and thus need an originator, and there would be a never-ending
circle or infinite regress.
As for the proof of the necessity of His endlessness (Exalted is He!): if it were possible for Him
to be met with non-existence after His existence, pre-eternality would be negated from Him, for
His existence in that case would be possible, not necessary, and a possible existence cannot be but
contingent. How could this be otherwise when it was just established that His pre-eternality and
endlessness (Exalted is He!) are necessary?
As for the proof of the necessity of His absolute dissimilarity (Exalted is He!) from contingent
beings: had He been similar to anything of them, He too would have been contingent, and that is
impossible since you have learned earlier that His pre-eternality and endlessness are necessary.
As for the proof of the necessity of His self-subsistence (Exalted is He!): had He been in need
of a locus, He would have been an attribute, and an attribute cannot be qualified by either
qualitative or predicative meanings—but our Master (Exalted and Sublime is He!) must be
qualified by these, therefore He is not an attribute. And if He had been in need of a determiner,
He would have been contingent. But how can that be, since the proof of the necessity of His pre-
eternality and endlessness has been established?
 As for the proof of the necessity of His oneness (Exalted is He!): if He was not one, it would
imply that nothing of the world would have existed, for it would imply that He is incapable.
As for the proof of the necessity of His omnipotence, will, knowledge, and life (Exalted is He!):
had any of these been negated, no contingent being would have existed.
As for the proof of the necessity of His hearing, seeing, and speech (Exalted is He!), it is the
Book [Quran], Sunna, and consensus; in addition, had He not been qualified with these, it would
imply that He is qualified by their opposites, which are imperfections, and it is impossible for Him
(Exalted is He!) to have imperfections.
As for the proof that performing or leaving possible things are possible for Him (Exalted is He!),
had any of them been either rationally necessary or impossible, the possible would have turned to
something necessary or impossible, and that is inconceivable.

As for the Messengers (upon them prayers and salutations), what is necessary for them are
truthfulness, faithfulness, and conveyance of what they have been ordered to convey to the
creation. The opposites of these qualities are impossible for them (upon them prayers and
salutations), and they are lying, treachery (by doing anything they forbade, be it unlawful or
detested), or concealment of anything they were ordered to convey to the creation. It is possible
for them (upon them prayers and salutations) to be subject to normal human conditions that do
not lead to a diminishment of their lofty degrees, such as illness and the like.
As for the proof of the necessity of their truthfulness (upon them prayers and salutations): had
they not spoken the truth it would have implied that Allah lied when confirming their truthfulness
via inimitable miracles that take the position of Him saying, “My servant is truthful in everything
he conveys from Me.”
As for the proof of the necessity of their faithfulness (upon them prayers and salutations): had
they behaved treacherously by committing an unlawful or detestable act, the unlawful or detestable
act would have become obedience for them, because Allah (Exalted is He!) ordered us to emulate
them in their statements and actions, and Allah does not order that which is unlawful or detested.
And this in itself constitutes the proof for the third quality.
As for the proof of the permissibility of the Prophets experiencing normal human conditions
(upon them prayers and salutations), it lies in the fact that those conditions have been witnessed
from them, [them receiving them] either to magnify their rewards, or to legislate, or to provide
solace from the material world, or to bring attention to the paltriness of the world in Allah’s sight
(Exalted is He!), or because Allah is not pleased with it as an abode of recompense for His
Prophets and Saints in view of their states therein (upon them prayers and salutations).

The meanings of all of these beliefs are gathered in the statement There is no god but Allah and
Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah. That is because the meaning of divinity is for God to be free of
needing anything besides Him, while everything besides Him stands in need of Him. Therefore,
the meaning of the phrase There is no god but Allah is: There is no one free of needing anything but himself, while
everything else stands in need of him—except Allah (Exalted is He!).
As for Him (Exalted and Sublime is He!) being free of needing anything else besides Him, it
necessitates existence, pre-eternality, endlessness, absolute dissimilarity from contingent beings,
self-subsistence, and transcendence above imperfections. This also includes the necessity of His
hearing, seeing, and speech (Exalted is He!), for if these attributes were not necessary, He would
have been in need of an originator or locus, or one who could avert from Him imperfections. It is
also inferred from this phrase that Allah is transcendent above motives in His actions and rulings,
for if not [negated], it would imply that He stands in need of that which will fulfill His motive.
But how can that be when He (Exalted and Sublime is He!) is free of needing anything else besides
Him?
From this phrase it is also inferred that it is not necessary for Allah to do or leave a possible act,
for if anything of that nature were rationally necessary for Him (Exalted is He!), such as [the
bestowal of] reward, He (Exalted and Sublime is He!) would have been in need of that thing to
complete His objective – hence nothing is necessary for Him except that which entails a
perfection for Him. And how can that be, when He (Exalted and Sublime is He!) is free of needing
anything else besides Him?
As for all else standing in need of Him (Exalted and Sublime is He!), it necessitates for Him
(Exalted is He!) life, general omnipotence, will, and knowledge. For if any of these were negated
it would not have been possible for any contingent thing to exist, as nothing would stand in need
of Him. But how can that be, when everything stands in need of Him?
Oneness is also necessary for Him (Exalted is He!), for if He had a second in divinity nothing
would stand in need of Him because with that it implies that both are incapable. But how can that
be, when everything stands in need of Him?
From this phrase it is also inferred that the entire world is contingent, for had any part of it been
pre-eternal that part would be free of needing Him (Exalted is He!). But how can that be, when
it is necessary that everything stands in need of Him?
From this phrase it is also inferred that there is no independent causation for any created thing
in its action, for had that been so it would have implied that the action is free of needing our
Master (Exalted and Sublime is He!). But how can that be, when everything stands in need of
Him generally? In any case, this is if you assumed that something of created things can bring an
effect via its inherent nature; on the other hand, if you assumed that its efficacy is through a power
that Allah has deposited within it—as many ignorant folk claim—that is also impossible, because
in that case our Master (Exalted and Sublime is He) would stand in need of an intermediary in
order to bring about certain actions, and that is false since you have come to learn that it is
necessary that He (Exalted and Sublime is He!) is free of needing anything besides Himself.
Therefore, it has now become clear to you how the phrase There is no god but Allah comprises the
three categories that each responsible person must acknowledge with respect to the Master
(Exalted and Sublime is He!): what is necessary for Him (Exalted is He!), what is impossible, and
what is possible.
As for our saying Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah s, it includes belief in all of the other
Prophets, as well as the angels and heavenly revealed Scriptures, and belief in the Last Day. That
is because he s came to confirm belief in all of these things.
 From this phrase it is also inferred that truthfulness is necessary for the Messengers (upon them
prayers and salutations) and that lying is impossible for them, for otherwise they would not have
been messengers and trusted envoys of our Master, the Knower of all hidden things (Exalted and
Sublime is He!). [It is also inferred from this phrase] that it is impossible for [them] to commit
any forbidden actions, because they were sent in order to instruct people through their words,
actions, and silent [approvals], which necessitates that none of them contravened the commands
of our Master (Exalted and Sublime is He!) Who choose them over the rest of His creation and
entrusted them with the secret of His revelation.
From this phrase it is also inferred that it is permissible for [the Messengers to experience]
normal human conditions, for they do not detract from their lofty station with Allah (Exalted is
He!); rather, they increase them in it.
Therefore, it has now become clear to you how the two phrases of the testimony of faith
comprise – despite their limited number of letters – everything that a legally responsible person
must acknowledge with regards to the tenets of faith as they pertain to Allah (Exalted is He!) and
His Messengers (upon them prayers and salutations). And perhaps it is on account of its brevity
and the fact that it includes all that we have mentioned that the Sacred Law has made it an
expression for what is of Islam in the heart, and has not accepted faith from anyone without it.
Therefore, it behooves the intelligent person to be frequent in his mention of it, bringing to mind
the tenets of faith included within it, until its meanings mix with his flesh and blood. For if he
does so he will witness of its secrets and marvels, Allah willing, what cannot be delimited.
With Allah is enabling grace. There is no Lord or object of worship besides Him. We ask Him,
the Glorified and Exalted, to make us and our loved ones among those who say – with true
knowledge – the testimony of faith at the time of our death. May Allah send prayers upon our
master Muhammad each time he is mentioned by those who engage in remembrance, and each
time he is not mentioned by the heedless. May Allah be pleased with all of the Companions of the
Messenger as well as the Followers, and those who followed them with excellence until the Last
Day. Peace be upon all of the Messengers, and all praise belongs to Allah, the Lord of the worlds!