tied to perform; nor can any injustice be supposed in him, nor can he
be under any obligation to any person whatsoever. That his creatures,
however, should be bound to serve him, ariseth from his having declared
by the tongues of the prophets that it was due to him from them. The
worship of him is not simply the dictate of the understanding, but he
sent messengers to carry to men his commands, and promises, and threats,
whose veracity he proved by manifest miracles, whereby men are obliged
to give credit to them in those things that they relate.
"_The signification of the second article; that is, the testimony
concerning the Apostle_.] He, the Most High, sent Mahomet, the
illiterate prophet of the family of the Koreish, to deliver his message
to all the Arabians and barbarians and genii and men; and abrogated by
his religion all other religions, except in those things which he
confirmed; and gave him the preeminence over all the rest of the
prophets, and made him lord over all mortal men. Neither is the faith,
according to his will, complete by the testimony of the unity alone;
that is, by simply saying, There is but one God, without the addition of
the testimony of the apostle; _i.e._, without the further testimony,
Mahomet is the apostle of God. And he hath made it necessary to men to
give credit to Mahomet in those things which he hath related, both with
regard to this present world and the life to come. For a man's faith is
not accepted till he is fully persuaded of those things which the
prophet hath affirmed shall be after death. The first of these is the
examination of Munkir and Nakir. These are two angels, of a most
terrible and fearful aspect, who shall place [every] man upright in his
grave, consisting again both of soul and body, and ask him concerning
the unity and the mission [of the apostle], saying, Who is thy Lord?
and, What is thy religion? and, Who is thy prophet? For these are the
searchers of the grave, and their examination the first trial after
death. Everyone must also believe the torment of the sepulchre, and that
it is due and right and just, both upon the body and the soul, being
according to the will of God.
"He shall also believe in the balance with two scales and a beam, that
shall equal the extent of the heavens and the earth; wherein the works
[of men] shall be weighed by the power of God. At which time weights not
heavier than atoms, or mustard-seeds, shall be brought out, that things
may be balanced with the utmost exactness, and perfect justice
administered. Then the books of the good works, beautiful to behold,
shall be cast into the balance of light, by which the balance shall be
depressed according to their degrees, out of the favor of God. But the
books of evil deeds, nasty to look upon, shall be cast into the balance
of darkness, with which the scale shall lightly ascend by the justice of
the most high God.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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