Chapter 12: Islamic faith: Some details

Most of the following is obtainedfrom the book “The Muslim’s Belief” by Shaik Muhammadibn Saleh Al-‘Uthaimin as translated by Maneh Hammad Al-Johani.Some modifications have been made. It contains some of the detailsof the Muslim’s belief. As seen in the previous chapter, thisis the second level of Islamic belief. It builds upon the basicfoundation of “Islam” and is directly below the finallevel of “Ihsan” (excellence). It is ofcourse by no means comprehensive:

1) Our Creed:

Our creed is to believe in Allah, His Angels, HisBooks, His Messengers, the Day of Judgment, and Fate whether goodor bad.

Belief in Allah’s Lordship, Oneness, and Attributes

1. We believe in Allah’s Divinity, that is He isthe Lord, the Creator, the Sovereign, and the Manager of all affairs.
2. We believe in Allah’s Godship; that is, He isthe True God and every other deity is false.
3. We believe in His Names and Attributes, thatis He has the most magnificent Names and the sublime perfectAttributes.
4. We believe in His Oneness in all this, that is,He has no associate in His Divinity, His Godship, His Names, orHis Attributes. Allah says in the Qur’an: “He isthe Lord of the Heavens and the Earth and all that is in betweenthem, so worship Him and be patient in His worship, do you knowany equal to Him” (19:65)
5. We believe that “Allah there is no Godbut He, the Living the Everlasting. Slumber does not seize Him,neither sleep; to Him belongs all that is in the Heavens and theEarth. Who is there that shall intercede with Him except by Hispermission? He knows what is before them and what is behind them,and they do not encompass anything of His knowledge except whatHe wills. His Throne extends over the Heavens and the Earth; thepreservation of them does not burden Him; He is the High, theGreat.” (2:255)
6. We believe that “He is Allah, there isno god but He–the Knower of the Unseen and the Visible, He isthe Most Gracious, Most Merciful. He is Allah, there is no Godbut He, the King, the Holy One, the Source of Peace, the Keeperof Faith, the Guardian, the Almighty, the Subduer, the Sublime.Glory be to Allah above what they associate with Him. He is Allah,the Creator, the Maker, the Shaper, His are the most beautifulNames. All that is in the Heavens and the Earth glorifies Him.He is the Almighty, the Wise”.(59:22-4)
7. We believe that to Him belongs the kingdom ofthe Heavens and the Earth: “He creates what He pleases.He gives, to whom He wills, females, and He gives, to whom Hewills, males, or He couples them, males and females; and He makeswhom He wills barren. Surely, He is the Knowing, the Powerful.”(42:49-50).
8. We believe that “There is nothing whateverlike unto Him, He is the All-Hearing, the All-Seeing. To Him belongsthe keys of the Heavens and the Earth. He enlarges and restrictsprovisions to whom He wills. Surely He has knowledge of everything.”(42:11-12).
9. We believe that “There is no creaturethat moves in the Earth but its provision depends on Allah. Heknows its dwelling and its resting place. All is recorded in aclear Book.” (11:6)
10. We believe that “With Him are the keysof the Unseen; none knows them but He. He knows what is in landand sea; not a leaf falls, but He knows it. Not a grain in thedeep darkness of the Earth, not a thing green or dry but it isin a clear Book.” (6:59).
11. We believe that “Allah alone has theknowledge of the Hour, sends down rain, and knows what is in thewombs. No soul knows what it shall earn tomorrow, and no soulknows in what land it shall die. Surely, Allah is All-knowing,All-aware.” (31:34)
12. We believe that Allah speaks whatever He pleaseswhenever He pleases “And Allah spoke to Mosesdirectly.” (4:164) “And when Moses came at Ourappointed place, and his Lord spoke to him.” (7:143)”We called to him from the right side of the Mount (Sinai),and We brought him near in communion.” (19-52)
13. We believe that “If the ocean becameink for the words of my Lord, the ocean would be finished beforethe words of my Lord came to an end.” (18:109) “Andif all the trees that are in the earth were pens, and the ocean(were ink), with seven oceans swelling it therefore, the wordsof Allah would not be exhausted. Surely, Allah is Mighty, Wise.”(31:27).
14. We believe that Allah’s words are the most truthfulin conveying information, the most just in ruling, and the fairestin conversation. He said, “The word of your Lord has beenfulfilled in truth and justice.” (6:115) “Andwho is more truthful in his word than Allah?” (4:74).
15. We believe that the Qur’an is Allah’s words.He literally spoke it to Gabriel who conveyed itto the Prophet, peace be upon him: “Say (O Muhammad) theHoly Spirit has brought it down from your Lord in truth.”(16:102) “Truly it is the revelation of the Lord of theworlds brought down upon your heart by the Faithful Spirit sothat you may be one of the warners, in a clear Arabic tongue.”(26:192-5)
16. We believe that Allah is well above his creaturesin His person and His Attributes, because He says, “Heis the High, the Great.” (2:255) “He is Supreme overHis servants, and He is the Wise, the All-aware.” (6:18).
17. We believe that He “created the Heavensand the Earth in six days, then He settled Himself on the Throne;He manages everything.” (10:3) His “settlingon the Throne” means that He is sitting in person onHis Throne in a way that is becoming to His Majesty and greatness.Nobody except He knows exactly how He is sitting.
18. We believe that He is with His creatures whileHe is still on His Throne. He knows their conditions, hears theirsayings, sees their deeds and manages their affairs. He providesfor the poor and the broken. He gives sovereignty to whom He pleasesand takes away sovereignty from whom He pleases; He exalts whomHe wills and He abases whom He wills. In His hand is all goodand He is powerful over everything. Whoever possesses these qualitiesis literally with His creatures even if He is literally abovethem on His Throne. “There is nothing whatsoever likeunto Him; He is the All-hearing, the All-seeing.” (42:11)
19. We do not say as the Incarnationists among theJahomites and others say, that is, Allah is living with His creatureson Earth. We consider whoever says this a non-believer or strayingaway because he attributed to Allah that which does not becomeHim (of defects).
20. We believe in what His Messenger told us thatHe descends to the near sky before the last third of every nightand says: “Who shall pray to Me and I will answer hisprayers? Who shall ask Me and I will give him? Who shall ask myforgiveness and I will forgive him?” (Bukhari & Muslim).
21. We believe that He will come at the Day of Judgmentto judge among His people because He said, “No indeed!when the Earth is crushed to powder, and your Lord comes downwith the angels in rows after rows, and Hell is brought out thatday. On that day man will remember, but what will remembranceavail him?” (89:21-23) We believe that He is the Doerof what He wills.

Allah’s Will: Universal and Legal:

We believe that His will is of two kinds:

• Universal will:through which His intention is carried out. It is not necessarythat what is carried out is liked by Him. This type of will means”permission”, as Allah said, “Had Allah willed,they would not have fought one against the other, but Allah doeswhatever He desires,” (2:253) and “If Allah desiresto lead you astray, He is your Lord.” (11:34).

• Legal will:which does not necessarily entail that the execution of His desire.The will, in this case, cannot be but what He likes, as He said,”Allah wants to forgive you.” (4:27)

The example of these two wills is a man who has ason. This man tells his son “do not play with electricity,it will hurt you.” This man does not then tie his son tothe bed-post in order to prevent him from electrocuting himself.If the son then disregards his father’s warning then that is hischoice. It can not then be said that the son only electrocutedhimself because the father “wished” that he do so andhad the father “wished” to prevent him from doing thisthen he could have tied him to the bed post his whole life.

From the above example, we see that it is possiblefor God to “will” that we do good but to not force usto do so even though that is within His power. Whatever we thenchoose to do, either good or evil, is then also only accomplishedthrough God’s “will” since He “allowed” usto do so and did not force us to do that which He commanded usto. In all cases, all things happen through the will of God, however,not all things that He wills are pleasing to Him.

1. We believe that His universal and legal willsare part of His wisdom. Every thing He performs in the universeor requires legally from His creatures is for a good reason andaccording to His wisdom, whether we grasp it or it escapes ourreasons: “Is not Allah the best of Judges?” (95-9),”And who is better than Allah in judgment for a peoplewho have firm faith.” (5:50)
2. We believe that Allah loves His select servantsand they love Him: “Say if you love Allah, follow me andAllah will love you,” (3:31) “Allah will bringa people whom He will love and who will love Him,” (5:45)”Allah loves the steadfast,” (3:146) “Andact justly, surely, Allah loves the just,” (49:9) and”Do good; Allah loves those who do good.” (5:93)
3. We believe that Allah likes what He prescribedof good deeds and sayings and He dislikes what He prohibited ofbad deeds and sayings: “If you disbelieve, surely Allahdoes not need you, yet He does not like disbelief for His servants;if you are thankful, this pleases Him,”(39:7), “ButAllah disliked their marching forth. So He kept them back, andit was said to them: ‘Stay with the weaklings’.” (9:46).
4. We believe that Allah is pleased with those whobelieve in Him and do good deeds: “Allah is well pleasedwith them and they are well pleased with Him. That is for himwho fears his Lord.” (98:8)
5. We believe that Allah is angry with those whodeserve His anger among the non-believers and others: “Andthose who think evil thoughts of Allah, against them shall bethe evil turn of fortune. Allah is angry with them.”(48:6) “But whoever opens his heart to disbelief, on themis Allah’s wrath and they shall have a severe punishment .”(16: 106) .

More of Allah’s Attributes:

We, as Muslims believe that God Almighty possessesattributes. These attributes are the epitome and ultimate in allthat is good and desirous. Although we may use earthly terms todescribe some of these attributes, still, a Muslim does not inany way compare any of these attributes to those of His creation.Some of these are:

1. We believe that Allah has a glorious and dignifiedface: “There will remain the face of your Lord, majesticand splendid.” (55:27)
2. We believe that Allah has two generous hands:”No, both His hands are wide open; He spends how He pleases,”(5:64) “They did not esteem Allah with the esteem thatis due to Him. The whole Earth will be His handful on the Dayof Resurrection, and the Heavens will be rolledup in His right. Glory be to Him! and exalted is He above thatwhich they associate with Him!” (39-67)
3. We believe that Allah possesses real eyes, becauseHe said, “And build the ark under Our eyes as We reveal.”(11:37) The Prophet, peace be upon him, said, “His veilis light. Had He removed it, the sublimity of His countenancewould have burnt all that His sight reached.” (Muslim& Ibn Majah)
4. We believe that “Eyes cannot perceiveHim, but He perceives the eyes, He is the Incomprehensible, theAll-aware.” (6:103)
5. We believe that the believers will see theirLord on the Day of Resurrection: “Uponthat day some faces shall be radiant, gazing upon their Lord.”(75:22)
6. We believe that Allah has no equal because HisAttributes are perfect: “There is nothingwhatsoever like unto Him. He is the All-Hearing, the All-Seeing.”(42:11)
7. We believe that “No slumber or sleepseizes Him,” (2:255) because His life is perfectand eternal.
8. We believe that He does not do injustice to anybodybecause His fairness is perfect.
9. We believe that He is not unaware of His servants’deeds because of His perfect supervision andcomprehensive knowledge.
10. We believe that He is capable of doing anythingin the Heavens or in the Earth because of His perfectknowledge and power: “Indeed His command, when He desiresa thing, is only to say to it ‘Be’ and it is.” (36:82)
11. We believe that He is free from weariness andweakness because of His infinite-power: “Surely, We createdthe Heavens and the Earth and all that is between them in sixdays, and no weariness touched Us.” (50:38).

Describing Allah by His Revelation:

We believe in all that He assigned to Himself orwhat His Messenger described Him with, of names and attributes;but we reject two concepts:

• To say or believe that Allah’s Attributesare similar to those of His creatures; (like saying His hand islike a human hand)
• To say or believe that Allah’s Attributesare like such and such. (like saying His will is like human will)

1. We negate all that He negated about Himself orwhat His Messenger negated about Him. We believe that negationimplies the affirmation of a perfect opposite.We do not discuss what He or His Messenger did not mention aboutHim.

1. We believe that following this approach is amust because what Allah affirmed or negated concerning Himselfis a statement He made about Himself. He knows Himself best, Hiswords are most just and trustful and people cannot know everythingabout Him. What Allah’s Messenger affirmed or negated about Himis a statement he made about Allah. Besides knowing Allah betterthan anyone, he is the most truthful, sincere and eloquent amongpeople. Thus, in what Allah said and what His prophet said concerningHis Names and Attributes is truth, knowledge, and clarification.Therefore, we have no excuse to reject or even hesitate in acceptingit.

2) The Qur’an and Sunnah: Sources of His Attributes:

All that we mentioned about Allah’s Attributeswhether briefly or in detail, affirmatively or negatively, isbased on the Book of our Lord and the traditions of our Prophet.It also agrees with the practice of the previous generations ofMuslims and the rightly guided scholars who came after them.

1. We believe it is obligatory to take the textsof the Qur’an and the Prophetic traditions concerning Allah’sAttributes at their face value and interpretthem in a way that is suitable to Almighty Allah. We reject thepractice of those who twisted the meanings of these texts andunderstood them in a way that was not intended by Allah and Hismessenger.

1. We also reject the practice of those who madethem devoid of their meanings as conveyed by Allah and His Messenger.We finally reject the approach of the exaggerationists who gavethem a physical interpretation that makes Allah similar to someof His creatures.

1. We know for sure that what is revealed in Allah’sBook and in the traditions of His Messenger is the truth. It doesnot contain any contradiction: “Do they not ponder overthe Qur’an? If it had been from other than Allah, surely theywould have found in it much discrepancy.” (4:82)

3) Belief in Angels:

1. We believe in the existence of the angels ofAllah and that they are “honored servants. They do notspeak before He does, and they do as they are commanded.”(21:26) Allah created them and they worship and obey Him. “Thosewho are at His presence do not disdain to worship Him, nor dothey weary.” (21:19)
2. Angels are concealed from us, we cannot see them.Allah may show them to some of His servants. The Prophet Muhammadsaw Gabriel in his real shape with six hundred wingsthat covered the horizons (Bukhari & Muslim). Gabriel alsotook the form of a handsome human being when he met Mary and exchangedconversation with her. He came to the Prophet while he was amonghis companions in the appearance of an unknown man who did notshow any trace of long travel, with very white clothes and veryblack hair. He sat facing the Prophet: his knees to the Prophet’sknees, peace be upon him, and his palms on the Prophet’s thighsand talked with the Prophet. The Prophet later told his companionsthat the man they saw was Gabriel (Bukhari & Muslim).

Angel’s Functions:

1. We believe that the angels are assigned certainfunctions. Among the angels is Gabriel who is entrustedwith revelation. He brings it down from Allah to whomever Allahwishes among His Prophets and Messengers. Among them is Michaelwho is in charge of rain and plantation. Among them also is Israfilwho shall be in charge of blowing the Horn at the time of thefinal Thunderbolting and Resurrection. Amongthem is the Angel of death, who takes away people’s souls at thetime of death. Among the angels is the one who is in charge ofmountains; and Malik, the keeper of Hell.

1. Some angels are in charge of embryos in wombs,others are responsible for protecting the human beings and otherangels are busy in recording men’s deeds: two angels for everyperson, “when the two angels receive (his deeds), onesitting on the right and one on the left, not a word he uttersbut by him is an observer ready.” (50: 18) Some otherangels are in charge of questioning the dead after he is put inhis last abode. Two angels come to him and ask him about his Lord,his Religion, and his Prophet. There “Allah confirms thosewho believe with steadfast speech, in the present life and theHereafter” (14:27)

1. Some of the angels are in charge of the dwellersof Paradise: “The angels enter to them from every gate,saying ‘peace be upon you for that you were patient. How excellentis your final home.” (13:24)

1. The Prophet, peace be upon him, told us that”seventy thousand angels enter or pray in the ‘PopulousHouse’ in Heaven every day. They never come back to it as longas they live.” (because their turn will never come again)(Bukhari & Muslim).

4) Belief in Allah’s Books:

1. We believe that Allah revealed Books to His Messengersas proof against mankind and a guidance for the workers of righteousness.They purified and taught them wisdom by these Books.
2. We believe that Allah sent down a Book with everyMessenger because He says “Indeed We sent down our Messengerswith the clear signs, and We sent down with them the Book andthe Balance so that people may uphold justice.” (57:25)

Known Books of Allah:

Among these Books we know the following:

1. The Torah which was revealed to Moses,peace be upon him. It is the greatest among the Israelites’ books.”Surely, We sent down the Torah, wherein is guidance andlight; by its laws the Jews have been judged by the Prophets whosurrendered themselves to Allah, the rabbis and the doctors oflaw because they were entrusted the protection of Allah’s bookand were witnesses thereto.” (5:44).

1. The Gospel which Allah revealed to Jesus, peacebe upon him. It is a confirmation of the Torah and a complementto it. “And we gave him the Gospel, wherein is guidanceand light and confirming the Torah before it, as a guidance andan admonition to the God-fearing.”(5:46) “Andto make lawful to you certain things that, before, were forbiddento you.” (3:50)

1. The Psalms which Allah gave to David, peace beupon him.

1. Tablets of Abraham and Moses,peace be upon them.

1. The Glorious Qur’an which was revealed to HisProphet Muhammad, the Seal of the Prophets. It is “a guidanceto the people, and clear signs of guidance and criterion betweenright and wrong.” (2:185)

The Qur’an is Protected from Change:

The Qur’an is “confirming the scripture thatwas before it and stands as a guardian over it (rectifying mankind’stampering).” Thus, by the Qur’an Allah abrogated allthe previous books. Allah has also guaranteed its protection fromany play or mischievous distortion. “Indeed, We (God)sent down the ‘Reminder’ (one of the names of the Qur’an) andit is We who will guard it.” (15:9). That is becausethe Qur’an is a proof against mankind till the Day of Judgment.

Previous Scriptures Changed:

The previous scriptures were meant for a limitedperiod (and a specific people) that ended with the revelationof what abrogated them and exposed what had taken place in themof distortion and change. That is why they were not protectedfrom corruption. They underwent distortion, addition and omission”Some of the Jews pervert words from their meanings.”(4:46) “So woe to those who write the Book with theirhands, and then say, ‘This is from Allah,’ that they may purchaseby it a trivial price. So woe to them for what their hands havewritten, and woe to them for their earnings.” (2:79)”Say, who sent down the Book that Moses broughtas a light and a guidance to people? You make it into sheets ofpaper showing some of them and concealing much.” (6:91)”And there is a group among them who twist their tongueswith the Book, that you may think it is a part of the Book, butit is not part of the Book. And they say ‘It is from Allah,’ yetit is not from Allah, and they tell a lie against Allah and theyknow it.” (3:78-70) “O People of the Book! OurMessenger has come to you, making clear to you many things youhad been concealing of the Book and forgiving much. [Indeed!]A light has come to you from Allah and a glorious Book, with whichHe will guide whoever follows His pleasure in the way of peace,and brings them forth from darkness into the light by His will.”(5:15-16).

5) Belief in Messengers;

We believe that Allah has sent to His people messengerswho were “bringing glad tidings and warning, so that mankindmight have no excuse against Allah after the messengers. And Allahis Almighty, All-wise.” (4:165)

The First and Last Messengers:

We believe that the first among the Messengers isNoah and the last is Muhammad, peace be upon them all. “Werevealed to you as We revealed to Noah and the Prophets afterhim.” (4:163) “Muhammad is not the father ofany of your men, but the Messenger of Allah and the Seal of theProphets.” (33:40)

The Best Messengers:

1. We believe that the best among the messengersare Muhammad, Abraham, Moses, Noah andJesus son of Mary. It is they who are meant by the following Qur’anicverse: “And when We took a pact from the Prophets, andfrom you, and from Noah, and Abraham, Moses, and Jesus, son ofMary. We took from them a solemn pact.” (33:7)

1. We believe that Muhammad’s message, peace beupon him. includes all the merits of the messages of those dignifiedmessengers because Allah says, “He ordained for you thatHe enjoined on Noah and what He revealed to you and what He enjoinedon Abraham Moses and Jesus, [namely,]established this faith and be united in it.” (42:13)

Messengers Are Human Beings:

1. We believe that all messengers are created humanbeings who have none of the divine qualities of Allah. ProphetNoah, the first among them, is quoted in the Qur’an as sayingto his people: “neither do I say to you, ‘I possess thetreasures of Allah, ‘ nor do I know the unseen, and I do not say:’I am an angel’.” (11:31) Allah then directed Muhammadwho is the last among them to say the same words to his own people:”Say (O Muhammad): I do not say to you I possess the treasuresof Allah, nor do I know the unseen, and I do not say to you ‘Iam an angel.” (6:50) And to say: “I have no powerto bring benefit nor harm for myself, but only as Allah wills.” (7: 188) And also to say “Say (O Muhammad):I have no power to harm nor benefit you. Say (O Muhammad): nonecan protect me from Allah, nor can I find any refuge besides Him.”(72:21-22)

1. We believe that the messengers are among Allah’sservants. He blessed them with the message and described themas servants, in the context of praising and honoring them. So,He says about Noah, the first among them: “You are thedescendants of those whom We carried with Noah, he was a trulythankful servant.” (17:3). Allah said about the lastamong them, Muhammad, peace be upon him: “Blessed be Hewho sent down the Qur’an to His servant, that he may warn mankind.”(25: 1) He said about some other messengers: “And mentionour servants Abraham, Isaac, and Jacobmen of might and vision.” (38:45) “And rememberour servants David who was a mighty and penitent man.”(38:17) “And to David, we gave Solomon.How excellent a servant [was he]! [Indeed] he was penitent.”(38:30). Allah said about Jesus, son of Mary: “He is onlya servant whom We blessed and We made him an example to the childrenof Israel.” (63:59) We believe that Allah concluded allmessages with the message of Muhammad, peace be upon him, to allpeople because Allah said: “Say, ‘O mankind, I am Allah’smessenger to you all. To Him belongs the Kingdom of the Heavensand the Earth; There is no god but He. He ordains life and death.So believe in Allah and His messenger, the unlettered Prophetwho believes in Allah and His words. Follow him so that you maybe rightly guided.” (7: 158)

Islam: The Universal and Final Message:

1. We believe that the Shari’ah (law) of the ProphetMuhammad, peace be upon him, is the religion of Islam which Allahhas chosen for His servants. After the coming of Muhammad (pbuh),He does not accept from anyone any other religion, because Allah,the Exalted, said, “Surely, the true religion in Allah’ssight is Islam,” (3:19) and He also said, “TodayI have perfected your religion for you and I have completed myfavor upon you, and I have chosen Islam to be your religion.”(5:3) And “whoever desires a religion other than Islam,it will never be accepted from him, and in the Hereafter he willbe among the losers.” (3:85)

1. It is also our belief that whoever rejects theuniversal message of Muhammad, peace be upon him, is rejectingthe message of all messengers, even if he claims that he believesand follows his messenger. Allah the Exalted, said: “Noah’speople rejected the messengers.” (26:105) Thus, Allahconsidered them rejecting all the messengers despite the factthat there was no messenger before Noah. This is also clear fromthe following verses: “Those who disbelieve in Allah andHis messengers, and wish to make division between Allah and Hismessengers, and say: ‘We believe in some and disbelieve in others,’wishing to take a midway course. Those indeed are the disbelievers.And We have prepared for the disbelievers a humiliating punishment.”(4:150-1)

1. We believe that there is no prophet after Muhammad,Allah’s Messenger, peace be upon him. Whoever claims prophethoodafter him, or believes in anyone claiming it, is a disbelieverbecause he is rejecting Allah, His messenger, and the Muslims’consensus.

The Prophet’s Companions:

1. We believe that the best among the Muslim Ummah(community) are the Prophet’s Companions, then their followers,and those who followed them .

1. We also believe that a group of this Ummah willalways remain victorious on the right path, unharmed by thosewho let them down or those who oppose them, until the Day of Judgment.

6) Belief In The Day Of Judgment:

We believe in the Final Day, which is the Day ofJudgment, when people will be resurrected alive to remain in theabode of eternal enjoyment or in the abode of eternal severe punishment.

Belief In Resurrection (for judgment):

We believe in Resurrection whichis Allah’s bringing to life all the dead when the angel Israfilblows the Horn for the second time, “And the Trumpet shallbe blown and all who are in the Heavens and who are in the Earthshall be thunder-stuck except those that Allah shall spare. Then,it shall be blown again and they shall rise gazing around them.”(39:68) People will stand up from their graves, answering thecall of the Lord of the Universe. They are going to be bare-footed,and naked, “As We started the first creation, so We shallbring it back again. This is a promise from Us, We shall assuredlyfulfill it.” (21:104)

Belief in the Records & Scales:

We believe in the records of deeds that will be givento people in their right hands, or behind their backs in the lefthands: “As for him who is given his book in his righthand, he shall surely receive an easy reckoning and he will returnto his family rejoicing. But as for him who is given his bookbehind his back, he shall beg for destruction upon himself andwill burn in a Blazing Fire.” (84:7-12) “Everyman’s work We have fastened on his own neck, and on the Day ofJudgment We shall bring out for him a book which he will see spreadopen, saying, ‘Read your own book! Your own soul suffices thisday as a witness against you.'” (17:13-14)

We believe that scales of deeds will be set up onthe Day of Judgment and no soul shall be wronged. “Whoeverhas done an atom’s weight of good shall see it.” (99:708)”Those whose scales are heavy, they are the successful;but those whose scales are light, they are the ones who have losttheir souls in Hell dwelling forever. The Fire will burn theirfaces, and their countenances are despondent therein.”(23:102-4) “He that does a good deed shall be rewardedten times the like of it, and he that does evil shall only berewarded the like of it, and they shall not be wronged.”(6:160)

The Prophet’s Intercession:

1. We believe in the special great Intercessionof the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him. He will plead withAllah, after His permission and on behalf of mankind, to judgeamong His servants when they suffer from worries and troubleswhich they cannot bear. They will first go to Adam,then Noah, then Abraham, then to Moses,then to Jesus in search of intercession, but all of them willrefuse to provide this intercession due to the tremendous horrorof that day. Finally, they will go to Muhammad, peace be uponhim, and they will find intercession with him.

1. We believe in the intercession which concernssome believers who were to be taken out from the Fire. This mediationis granted to the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, and toothers among the Prophets, the believers, and the angels.

1. We believe also that Allah will save from Hellsome people among the believers without the intercession of anyone, but by His grace and mercy.

The Prophet’s Pool:

We believe in the Pool of the Prophet, peace be uponhim, the water of which is whiter than milk and sweeter than honeyand better in fragrance than musk. Each of its length and widthis the distance of a months travel. Its cups are as stars in beautyand number. The believers among the Prophet’s followers come totake from this great cistern a drink after which they will neveragain be thirsty for all of eternity.

The Straight Path:

1. We believe in the Straight Path(Sirat) set up over Hell. People pass over it according to theirdeeds: the first of them as fast as lighting, then as fast aswind, then as fast as birds, and then as running men. The Prophetwill be standing on the Path, saying, “My Lord, Save! Save!”Some people’s deeds will fall short. Some of them will come crawling.At both sides of the Path there are hooks that are designed totake whom Allah wills: some are saved but bruised; others arethrown into Hell. (Bukhari & Muslim). We believe in all thatis mentioned in the Qur’an or the Prophetic sayings concerningthat day and its horrors, may Allah save us all from them.

1. We believe in the intercession (shafa’ah) ofProphet Muhammad, peace be upon him, for the people of Paradiseto enter therein. This intercession is exclusively limited tothe Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him.

Belief in Paradise & Hell:

1. We believe in Paradise and Hell. Paradise isthe abode of enjoyment which Allah, the Exalted, prepared forthe righteous. The blessing they enjoy there, no eye has everseen, no ear has ever heard of, and no human being has ever imagined:”No soul knows what comfort is kept hidden for them, asa reward for that which they used to do.” (32:17) Hellis the abode of punishment which Allah has prepared for the unbelieversand the evildoers. The torture and horror in it cannot be imagined.”Surely, We have prepared for the unjust a fire, whosepavilion encompasses them. If they call for help, they will behelped with water like molten copper which will scald their faces.How dreadful a drink and how evil a resting-place!” (18:29)

1. Both Paradise and Hell are existing now and theywill never perish. “Whoever believes in Allah and doesrighteousness, He will admit him to Gardens beneath which riversflow, to dwell therein for ever. Allah had indeed made for himan excellent provision.” (65:11) “Certainly,Allah has cursed the unbelievers and prepared for them a blazingFire to dwell therein forever, they shall find neither protectornor helper. On the day when their faces are rotated in the Fire,they shall say “Would that we had obeyed Allah and obeyedthe Messenger!” (33:64-6)

1. We confirm Paradise to whom it is confirmed inthe Qur’an or the Prophetic traditions either by name or description.Among those who are granted Paradise and mentioned by names areAbu Bakr, ‘Umar, ‘Uthman, ‘Ali and others who were specified bythe Prophet, peace be upon him (Bukhari and Muslim).

1. We likewise confirm Hell to whom it is confirmedin the Qur’an and the sayings of the Prophet, whether in nameor description. Among those who are mentioned by names to be inHell are Abu Lahab, ‘Amr Ibn Luhai Al-Khuza’i and others (Bukhari& Muslim). Confirmation of Hell which is based on descriptionincludes every unbeliever, polytheist or hypocrite.

Belief in What Happens in the Grave

1. We believe in the trial of the grave,which is the questioning of the dead person in his grave abouthis Lord, his religion and his Prophet. There “Allah strengthensthose who believe with firm speech, in the present life and theHereafter.” (14:27) The believer will say: “Allahis my Lord, Islam is my religion, and Muhammad is my Prophet.”The unbeliever or the hypocrite will say, “I don’t know,I heard the people saying something and I said it.”

1. We believe in the comfort of the gravefor the believers. “Those whose lives the angels takein state of purity, saying ‘peace be on you; enter Paradise forwhat you used to do.” (16:32)

1. We believe in the punishment of the gravefor the transgressing unbelievers: “If you could onlysee when the evildoers are in the agonies of death and the angelsare stretching out their hands, saying, ‘Give up your souls! Todayyou shall be rewarded with the punishment of humiliation for whatyou used to say untruly about Allah, and for scornfully rejectingHis signs.” (6:93) The sayings of the Prophet are numerousand well-known in this area. A Muslim must believe in all thatis reported in the Qur’an and Prophetic traditions concerningthe unseen matters. He should not contradict it by his worldlyexperience because the affairs of the Hereafter cannot be measuredby the affairs of this life. The difference between them is verygreat. Allah is the source of help.

7) Belief in Fate and Divine Decree:

We believe in Fate, whether good or bad, which Allahhas measured and ordained for all creatures according to His previousknowledge and as deemed suitable by His wisdom.

Levels Of Belief In Fate:

Belief in Fate has four levels:

1. The first level is knowledge: We believe thatAllah, may He be exalted, knows everything. He knew what had happenedand what will happen and how it will happen. His knowledge iseternal. He does not acquire new knowledge nor does he forgetwhat He Knows .

1. The second level is Recording: We believe thatAllah has recorded in the “Secured Tablet” (al-Lawhal-Mahfudh) whatever is going to happen until the Day of Judgment.”Did you not know that Allah knows all that is in Heavenand Earth? Surely that is in a Book. Surely that for Allah isan trivial matter.”(22:70)

1. The third level is Will: We believe that Allahhas willed everything in the Heaven and Earth. Nothing happensexcept by His will; whatever He wills will take place; and whateverHe does not wish will not take place.

1. The fourth level is Creation: We believe that”Allah is the Creator of all things; He is the Guardianover all things, and to Him belong the keys of the Heavens andthe Earth.” (39:62-3)

The fourth level include whatever Allah Himself doesand whatever His creatures do. So, all that people perform ofsayings, deeds, or omissions are known to Allah and He has recordedthem, willed them and created them, “For those among youwho wish to be upright. But you shall not will except as Allahwills, the Lord of the Worlds.” (81:28-29) “Andhad Allah willed they would not have fought one against the other;but Allah does whatever He desires.” (2:253) “HadAllah willed, they would not have done so, but leave them aloneand their false inventions.” (6:137) “And Allahcreated you and what you do.” (37:96)

Men’s Freewill:

We believe, however, that Allah has granted humanitythe power and freewill by which he performs his action. That man’sdeeds are by his power and freewill can be proven by the followingpoints:

1. Firstly, Allah’s saying, “Had they desiredto go forth, they would have made some preparation for it.”(9:46) In this verse Allah affirmed for mankind “a goingforth” by his will and “a preparation” by his desire.

1. Secondly, directing man to do or not to do. Ifman has no freewill and power, these directions mean that Allahis asking man to do that which he cannot. This proposition isrejected by Allah’s wisdom, His mercy and His truthful statementin the verse “Allah does not charge a soul beyond itscapacity.” (2:286)

1. Thirdly, Praising the virtuous for his deedsand blaming the evildoer for his actions and rewarding each ofthem with what he deserves. If the action is not done by the individual’sfreewill, then praising the virtuous is a joke and punishing theevildoer is an injustice, and Allah is, of course, free from jokingand being unjust.

1. Fourthly, Allah has sent messengers who are “bearinggood tidings, and warning, so that mankind might have no excuseagainst Allah after the messengers.” (40:165) If theindividual’s action is not performed by his freewill, his argumentis not invalidated by the sending of messengers.

1. Fifthly, every doer of actions feels that hedoes or does not do a thing without any coercion. He stands upand sits; comes in and goes out; travels and stays by his ownfreewill without feeling anybody forcing him to do any of theseactions. In fact, he clearly distinguishes between doing somethingof his own freewill and someone else forcing him to do that action.The Islamic law also wisely distinguishes between these statesof affairs. It does not punish a wrong-doer for an action doneunder compulsion.

No Excuse in Fate for Sinners:

We believe that the sinner has no excuse in Allah’sDivine Decree because he commits his sin by his freewill, withoutknowing that Allah has decreed it on him. That is, because noone knows Allah’s decree before it takes place: “No soulknows what it will earn tomorrow.” (31: 34) How can itbe possible, then, to present an excuse that is not known to theperson who is advancing it when he commits his offense? Allahinvalidated this type of argument in His saying: “Theidolaters will say ‘Had Allah willed, we would not have been idolaters,neither our fathers, nor would we have forbidden anything.’ Sodid the people before them disbelieve until they tasted our might.Say: ‘Have you any [true] knowledge that you can produce for Us?You follow nothing but assumption, and you are but lying.”(6:148) We say to the sinner who is using Divine Decree as anexcuse: ‘Why did not you perform deeds of obedience assuming thatAllah has decreed them upon you since there is no difference betweenthem and sins in being unknown before they happened from you?That is why when Prophet Muhammad told his companions that everyone’sposition in Paradise or Hell has been assigned, they said: “Shouldnot we rely on this and stop working?” He said: “No,work and every one will be directed to what he is created for.”(Bukhari & Muslim)

We may say to the sinner who is trying to find excusein Divine Decree: “Suppose, you want to travel to Makkah.There are two roads that may take you there. You are told by atruthful person that one of these roads is dangerous and difficult,the other is easy and safe. You will take the second one. Youwill not take the first road and say it is decreed upon me. Ifyou did, people would consider you crazy.

We may also say to him: “If you are offeredtwo jobs, one of them is higher in salary. You will certainlytake the one with the higher salary. Why then do you choose whatis lower in the Hereafter and use Divine Decree as an excuse?”

We may further say to him: “We see you whenyou are inflicted with a disease, you knock every physician’sdoor looking for treatment and bearing whatever pain that mayresult from surgical operations and the bitterness of medicine.Why do you not do the same when your heart is spiritually sickwith sins?”

8) Fruits of Faith

This sublime belief which includes those great principlesbears numerous and useful types of fruits for whoever believesin it.

Virtues of Belief in Allah:

Belief in Allah, His Names and His Attributes instillsin the individual Allah’s love and His glorification that resultin performing Allah’s instructions and avoiding His prohibitionwhich are the means of achieving ultimate happiness in this lifeand the Hereafter for the individual as well as the society. “Whoever,male or female, does righteous deed, while believing, We shallassuredly grant him a goodly life, and We shall reward them accordingto the best of their deeds.” (16:97)

Virtues of Belief in the Angels:

1. Firstly, appreciating the Dignity of Allah, Hismight and His sovereignty.
2. Secondly, gratitude toward Allah because He putssome of the angels in charge of His servants, recording theirdeeds and other things that benefit them.
3. Thirdly, love and admiration for the angels becauseof what they are doing, namely, worshipping Allah in the bestpossible manner and praying for the believers.

Virtues of Belief in the Books:

1. Firstly, appreciating Allah’s mercy and carefor His people in that He sent down a Book to every nation fortheir guidance.
2. Secondly, appreciating Allah’s Wisdom becauseHe revealed in these Books to every nation what suit them. Theglorious Qur’an is the final among these Books and it is suitableto all people at all times until the Day of Judgment.
3. Thirdly, showing gratitude for Allah’s mercyin revealing these Books.

Virtues of Belief in Messengers:

1. Firstly, appreciating Allah’s mercy and carefor His people for sending them those great messengers to guidethem to the straight Path.
2. Secondly, thanking Allah for this great favor.
3. Thirdly, loving and respecting the Prophets andpraising them in what they deserve because they are Allah’s messengersand His choice among His people. They worshipped Allah accordingto the best of their ability, conveyed His message to mankind,gave sincere advise to them and bore patiently whatever hurt theyreceived.

Virtues of Belief in the Day of Judgment:

1. Firstly, endeavoring to obey Allah to get thereward of that day and to avoid His disobedience for fear of Hispunishment.
2. Secondly, a consolation for the believer forwhatever he misses of worldly enjoyment by what he hopes to gainof blessings and reward of the Hereafter.

Virtues of Belief in Fate and Divine Decree:

1. Firstly, dependence on Allah when doing any actionbecause both the cause and effect are the result of Allah’s decree.
2. Secondly, ease of mind and comfort because whenthe individual knows that everything is by Allah’s decree andthat mishaps are going to take place anyway, his soul will beat ease and his heart will be satisfied with Allah’s decree. Noone has more comfortable life, worry-free soul, and stronger confidencethan a believer in Fate.
3. Thirdly, freedom from arrogance when a goal isachieved because this is a blessing from Allah through what Hedecreed of the causes of good and success. The individual shouldthank Allah for that and free himself from arrogance.
4. Fourthly, freedom from worry and boredom in caseof failure or mishap because that is by Allah’s decree who possessesthe Heavens and the Earth. Since that is going to happen anyway,the individual should be patient and hope for the reward fromAllah.

Allah points to the last two virtues by the followingverse: “No misfortune can happen on earth or in yourselvesbut is recorded in a decree before We bring it into existence,that is trivial for Allah; that you may not grieve for what escapesyou, nor rejoice [excessively] in what has come to you. Allahdoes not love any vainglorious boaster.” (57:22-3)

We pray to Allah, the Exalted, to reward us for thisbelief, to realize for us its fruits, to increase our blessings,to keep us on the Right Path to which He has guided us, and tobestow on us a blessing from Him, He is indeed the Giver. Praiseand gratitude be to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds and peace andblessings be on the Prophet Muhammad, his family, his Companions,and those who rightly follow them.

To learn more about the teachings of Islam, pleaseread

1. “Towards Understanding Islam,” by AbulA`la Mawdudi
2. “Concept of Islam,” by Mahmoud Abu-Saud
3. “Islam In Focus,” by Hammudah Abdalati
4. “The Key ot Ultimate Prosperity,” byMuhammad Ameen C. Cave

Muslim-SA@acsu.buffalo.eduLast modified: Mon Nov 18 14:19:24 EST 1996What Did Jesus Really Say ? – The miracle and challenge of the Qur’an