Friday, July 29, 2011

Darood–O– Salaam

The basic beliefs are best described by the famous hadith (Prophetic narration) of Angel Gabriel (Jibril) and also from Omar, may Allah be pleased with him, there is that he said, "While we were sitting with the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless with him and grant him peace, one day a man came up to us whose clothes were extremely white, whose hair was extremely black, upon whom traces of traveling could not be seen, and whom none of us knew, until he sat down close to the Prophet, may Allah bless with him and grant him peace, so that he rested his knees upon his knees and placed his two hands upon his thighs and said, 'Muhammad, tell me about Islam.' The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless with him and grant him peace, said, 'Islam is that you witness that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, and you establish the prayer, and you give the Zakat, and you fast Ramadan, and you perform the hajj of the House if you are able to take a way to it.' He said, 'You have told the truth,' and we were amazed at him asking him and [then] telling him that he told the truth. He said, 'Tell me about eeman.' He said, 'That you affirm Allah, His angels, His books, His messengers, and the Last Day, and that you affirm the Decree, the good of it and the bad of it.' He said, 'You have told the truth.' He said, 'Tell me about ihsan.' He said, 'That you worship Allah as if you see Him, for if you don't see Him then truly He sees you.' He said, 'Tell me about the Hour.' He said, 'The one asked about it knows no more than the one asking.' He said, 'Then tell me about its tokens.' He said, 'That the female slave should give birth to her mistress, and you see poor, naked, barefoot shepherds of sheep and goats competing in making tall buildings.' He went away, and I remained some time. Then he asked, 'Umar, do you know who the questioner was?' I said, 'Allah and His Messenger know best.' He said, 'He was Jibril (Gabriel) who came to you to teach you your deen'." Muslim narrated it.
Beyond this the beliefs of Islam have been systematically organized and explained in detail by the Muslim Scholars. This is referred to as the science of Aqidah (or faith).
For more information about main principles of Islam, refer to the related questions listed below.

Answer
Islam is (composed of) three (main) areas: Utterance, faith, and deeds.

The utterance: to witness that no God except one and only one God and that prophet Muhammad (PBUH) is His messenger.
Faith is to believe in Allah, the Angels, the Heavenly Scriptures, Prophets, the last Day and in the ability of Allah to will the existence of good or bad.
Deeds are: Salat (Prayers), Zakat (Alms-giving), Siyam (Fasting), and Hajj (Pilgrimage).

FAITH IN ALLAH

We believe that Allah is one God, our Lord and the Lord of everything,
Allah is the Creator of everything,
All other than Him are created, and are servants who share nothing with Allah.
Even Angels and Prophets are merely created servants submitting to Allah.
Among them are Jesus and Muhammad (Peace be upon them); both have no trace of deity (godhood).
Allah is the Living Self-Subsisting, Eternal, the First without a beginning and the Last without an end.
He hears everything and sees everything.
He is Most Gracious, Most Merciful, All-Dominating,
He has the Most beautiful Names and the Noblest Attributes.
He has created us out of nothing,
And made us in the best form.
He has given us all graces and bounties.
Hence we are not permitted to worship or submit to any other than Him, whether a favorite Angel or a chosen Prophet!
Whoever directs his prayers, bows or prostrates (in worship), or offers sacrifice to any other than Allah, he is an infidel! and not a Muslim even if he declares that he is a Muslim:

Allah says: "Say: Truly my prayer and my service of sacrifice, my life and my death, are (all) for Allah, the Cherisher of the Worlds. No partner has He. This I am commanded and I am the first of those who submit to His Will". [The Qur'an 6:162 -163]
Islam is the religion of Monotheism: it denies the Dualism of Magians and the Trinity of Christians. Islam teaches that Allah is One and only One. No one shares with Him, His Dominion or His Command. He has the Most beautiful Names and the Noblest Attributes:
Allah says: "Say! He is Allah, the One. He is the Most Unique, the Eternal,the Absolute. He neither gives birth, nor is He born. And there is none like unto Him. " [Al Qur'an 112).

FAITH IN ANGELS

Allah has created Angels to worship Him, to carry out His commands and to be His messengers to His Prophets.
One of the angels is Gabriel who used to bring down Revelation to our Prophet Muhammad 'Alayhis-Salatu was-Salamu (peace be upon him).
Another Angel is Michael who is in charge of rain falling.
A third one is the "Angel of Death" who is in charge of taking the souls of people whose death is due.
Angels are but servants honored by Allah.
Hence we honor them and speak of them respectfully.
But we worship none of them, nor do we take them as Allah's sons or daughters (as infidels claim).
We worship only Allah who created them in this wonderful kind of creation.

Allah (Glory be to Him) says: "And they say: The Most Gracious has begotten a son, Glory be to Him! They are but servants raised to honor. They do not speak before He speaks, and they act (in all things) by His command. He knows what is before them and what is behind them, and they offer no intercession except for those whom He accepted, and they stand in awe and reverence of Him. If any of them should say, 'I am a God besides Him', such one We should reward with Hell. Thus do We reward those who do wrong". [The Qur'an 21:26-29]

FAITH IN HOLY SCRIPTURES

Allah has sent down to a number of Messengers, Books in order to proclaim them to mankind.
These Books contain the Words of Allah.
Among them are the Sheets of Ibrahim (Abraham), Taurat revealed to Moosa (Moses), Az-Zabour (psalms) revealed to Dawood (David), The Injil (Gospel) revealed to Isa (Jesus), And The Qur'an sent down to Muhammad, (Peace be upon them all).
Jews and Christians distorted some parts of their Books (Taurat and Injil).
Being the last Book assuredly guarded from corruption, The Qur'an confirms the truth in the previous Books and guards it.
Whatever, in those Books, differs from The Qur'an is corrupted or abrogated.
Allah (Glory be to Him) says: "To you We sent the scripture in truth Confirming the scriptures that came before it, And guarding it..." [The Qur'an 5:48].
Allah revealed The Qur'an in Arabic and has firmly promised to protect. His last Message from all corruption; He says about The Qur'an: "We have, without doubt, sent down the Message, and We will assuredly guard it (from corruption)" [The Qur'an 15:9]

FAITH IN PROPHETS

We believe that: Allah chose from among mankind some Prophets to deliver His Guidance.
From among those Prophets He selected Some Messengers.
He sent to the Messengers Laws and commanded them to proclaim these laws and to clarify them to their people.
Some of the great Messengers of Allah were Nooh (Noah), Ibrahim (Abraham), Moosa (Moses), Isa (Jesus), and Muhammad (peace be upon them all).
Embracing Islam does not mean to disbelieve in Moosa, Isa, or any other prophet.
Islam teaches you how to believe correctly in all Prophets.
Allah (Glory be to Him) says in The Qur'an: "To you We sent the Scripture in Truth, Confirming the scriptures that came before it, And guarding it..." [The Qur'an 5:48]. Meaning: Clarifying the Truth they distorted.
Allah mentioned' names of a number of Prophets, He says: "Say you (Muslims): We believe in Allah, and the revelation given to us, and to Ibrahim, lsma'il, Isaac, Ya'qoob (Jacob) and the Tribes, and that which was given to Moosa (Moses), and Isa (Jesus), and that which was given to all Prophets from their Lord. We make no difference between one and another of them, and we submit to Allah (in Islam)" [The Qur'an 2:136]
The first Prophet was Adam, father of mankind, Alayhis-Salam (Peace be upon him).
Muhammad, the Prophet of Islam 'Alayhis-Salatu was-Salamu (Peace be upon him) is the Seal (the last) of the prophets. No prophet is to come after him up to the end of this world.
Hence the fact that Islam is the only true religion to remain up to the Last Day.
He is Muhammad son of Abdullah son of Abdul-Muttalib. He is an Arab from (the famous tribe) of The Quraysh, a descendant of Ibrahim (Abraham) and Isma'il (Ishmael) - Alayhimus-salatu was-salamu - (Peace, and prayers of Allah be upon them).
He was born in Makkah (Mecca) in 571 AD (Known as the Year of the Elephant).
Allah sent Revelation to him when he was 40 years old.
He stayed in Makkah 13 years calling people to (believe in) Allah.
Only a limited number of people believed in him.
After that he emigrated to Al-Madinah and invited its people to believe in Allah, and they accepted.
He became the leader of Makkah in the year 8 AH He died at the age of 63 after the whole of The Qur'an was revealed, and all Arabs embraced Islam.

FAITH IN THE LAST DAY

We believe that there will be another life after this life.
When the determined term of this life comes to an end, Allah will command an Angel to sound the Trumpet and all mankind and all other creatures will die.
Then he (Angel) will sound it again, when, behold, all dead since Adam will stand out of their graves.
Then, Allah will gather all people to account them for what they did:
Those who believed (in Allah), accepted the Messengers (as truthful) and did good deeds (commanded by Allah), Allah will put them in Paradise.
In Paradise, they will enjoy eternal Bliss.
But those who rejected the Messengers and disobeyed Allah's commands, will be put in Hell.
In Hell Fire, they will be in continuous eternal punishment.
O Allah! We ask Your Paradise and seek refuge with You from Fire of Hell! Aameen!
Allah (Glory be to Him) says: "As for those who had transgressed all bounds; and had preferred the life of this world; the Abode will be Hell-Fire. And for those who had feared of standing in front of their Lord's (Tribunal); and had restrained (their) souls from lower desires; their Abode will be Paradise." (The Qur'an 79:37-41)

Islamic Beliefs

1) Belief in God:

Muslims believe in one, unique, incomparable God, Who has no son nor partner, and that none has the right to be worshipped but Him alone. He is the true God, and every other deity is false. He has the most magnificent names and sublime perfect attributes. No one shares His divinity, nor His attributes. In the Quran, God describes Himself:

Say, “He is God, the One. God, to Whom the creatures turn for their needs. He begets not, nor was He begotten, and there is none like Him.” (Quran, 112:1-4)

Chapter 112 of the Quran written in Arabic calligraphy

Chapter 112 of the Quran written in Arabic calligraphy.

No one has the right to be invoked, supplicated, prayed to, or shown any act of worship, but God alone.

God alone is the Almighty, the Creator, the Sovereign, and the Sustainer of everything in the whole universe. He manages all affairs. He stands in need of none of His creatures, and all His creatures depend on Him for all that they need. He is the All-Hearing, the All-Seeing, and the All-Knowing. In a perfect manner, His knowledge encompasses all things, the open and the secret, and the public and the private. He knows what has happened, what will happen, and how it will happen. No affair occurs in the whole world except by His will. Whatever He wills is, and whatever He does not will is not and will never be. His will is above the will of all the creatures. He has power over all things, and He is able to do everything. He is the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful, and the Most Beneficent. In one of the sayings of the Prophet Muhammad , we are told that God is more merciful to His creatures than a mother to her child.¹ God is far removed from injustice and tyranny. He is All-Wise in all of His actions and decrees. If someone wants something from God, he or she can ask God directly without asking anyone else to intercede with God for him or her.

God is not Jesus, and Jesus is not God.² Even Jesus himself rejected this. God has said in the Quran:

Indeed, they have disbelieved who have said, “God is the Messiah (Jesus), son of Mary.” The Messiah said, “Children of Israel, worship God, my Lord and your Lord. Whoever associates partners in worship with God, then God has forbidden Paradise for him, and his home is the Fire (Hell). For the wrongdoers,³ there will be no helpers.” (Quran, 5:72)

God is not a trinity. God has said in the Quran:

Indeed, they disbelieve who say, “God is the third of three (in a trinity),” when there is no god but one God. If they desist not from what they say, truly, a painful punishment will befall the disbelievers among them. Would they not rather repent to God and ask His forgiveness? For God is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful. The Messiah (Jesus), son of Mary, was no more than a messenger... (Quran, 5:73-75)

Islam rejects that God rested on the seventh day of the creation, that He wrestled with one of His angels, that He is an envious plotter against mankind, or that He is incarnate in any human being. Islam also rejects the attribution of any human form to God. All of these are considered blasphemous. God is the Exalted. He is far removed from every imperfection. He never becomes weary. He does not become drowsy nor does he sleep.

The Arabic word Allah means God (the one and only true God who created the whole universe). This word Allah is a name for God, which is used by Arabic speakers, both Arab Muslims and Arab Christians. This word cannot be used to designate anything other than the one true God. The Arabic word Allah occurs in the Quran about 2700 times. In Aramaic, a language related closely to Arabic and the language that Jesus habitually spoke,⁴ God is also referred to as Allah.

2) Belief in the Angels:

Muslims believe in the existence of the angels and that they are honored creatures. The angels worship God alone, obey Him, and act only by His command. Among the angels is Gabriel, who brought down the Quran to Muhammad .

3) Belief in God’s Revealed Books:

Muslims believe that God revealed books to His messengers as proof for mankind and as guidance for them. Among these books is the Quran, which God revealed to the Prophet Muhammad . God has guaranteed the Quran’s protection from any corruption or distortion. God has said:

Indeed, We have sent down the Quran, and surely We will guard it (from corruption). (Quran, 15:9)

4) Belief in the Prophets and Messengers of God:

Muslims believe in the prophets and messengers of God, starting with Adam, including Noah, Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, and Jesus (peace be upon them). But God’s final message to man, a reconfirmation of the eternal message, was revealed to the Prophet Muhammad . Muslims believe that Muhammad is the last prophet sent by God, as God has said:

Muhammad is not the father of any one of your men, but he is the Messenger of God and the last of the prophets... (Quran, 33:40)

Muslims believe that all the prophets and messengers were created human beings who had none of the divine qualities of God.

5) Belief in the Day of Judgment:

Muslims believe in the Day of Judgment (the Day of Resurrection) when all people will be resurrected for God’s judgment according to their beliefs and deeds.

6) Belief in Al-Qadar:

Muslims believe in Al-Qadar, which is Divine Predestination, but this belief in Divine Predestination does not mean that human beings do not have freewill. Rather, Muslims believe that God has given human beings freewill. This means that they can choose right or wrong and that they are responsible for their choices.

The belief in Divine Predestination includes belief in four things: 1) God knows everything. He knows what has happened and what will happen. 2) God has recorded all that has happened and all that will happen. 3) Whatever God wills to happen happens, and whatever He wills not to happen does not happen. 4) God is the Creator of everything.