In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
Praise be to God, Lord of the Worlds, and prayers and peace be upon our master and our intercessor Muhammad and those who love him.
Among the signs of sincere faith and integrity is a person’s passion for the security of his Islamic ummah, and for maintaining it always as a solid structure (Al-Saff, 61:4), and for the prayer of each member of that ummah to be Our Lord forgive us, and our brethren in faith who were before us, and do not enmity in our hearts against those who believe. Our Lord, indeed You are forgiving, merciful. (Al-Hashr, 59:10)
I feel that sincere vigilance in this splendid volume which has been brought together by our son Prof. Dr. H.R.H. Prince Ghazi bin Muhammad bin Talal, may God protect him.
In this volume trusted scholars have come to a consensus that anyone who testifies that there is no divinity but God and that Muhammad is the Messenger of God, who carries out the duties and responsibilities of the Shari’ah, who respects the Companions of the Prophet (may God bless him and grant him peace), and who does not deny any self-evident tenet of Islam, is a Muslim. We are not permitted to say otherwise, regardless of whether we are in the far north, south, east,or west.
Those who think well of their brethren in their belief are the good and pure people who respond to the word of God, glorified be He, O You who believe: Avoid much of suspicion, for some suspicion is a sin. (Al-Hujarat, 49:12)
As for those who choose to think badly of people instead of thinking well of them, we ask God most high to guide and grace them, and us.
Indeed this splendid volume, Kitab Ihtiram al-Mathahib, which has been compiled and prepared by Prof. Dr. H.R.H. Prince Ghazi bin Muhammad bin Talal, may God keep him, is the best resource for all those who wish to travel along the straight path in their words and their actions, and in their spiritual and religious life.
We ask God most high to place us among those who hear the Word and follow what is best of it.2 They are those whom God guided, and they are the men of understanding.
And the end of our words is Praise be to God, Lord of the Worlds. (Yunus, 10:10)
PROF. DR. MUHAMMAD SAYYID TANTAWI
Shaykh al-Azhar