‘Umar Ibn Al-Khattaab said, “One day we were sitting with Allah’s Prophet (peace be upon him) when a man appeared before us dressed in pure white clothes and his hair was pure black … The man sat in front of the Prophet (peace be upon him), placed his palms on his thighs and said, ‘Muhammad, inform me about Islam.’… The man said, ‘Inform me about Iman (faith). The Prophet (peace be upon him) replied, ‘That you affirm your faith in Allah, in His angels,in His Books, in His Messengers, in the Day of Judgment and you affirm your faith in Qadar both the good and the bad of it.’ The man said, ‘You have told the truth… The man again said, ‘Inform me about the hour of Judgment.’ The Prophet (peace be upon him) remarked, ‘The one who is asked knows no more than the one who is asking.’ Then the man went away… The Prophet (peace be upon him) then said to me ” ’Umar, do you know who that man was? ” I replied, “Allah and His Prophet know best.” The Prophet (peace be upon him) remarked, ‘He was Jibreel. He came to teach you your religion.”
(Muslim)
According to Ibn Hajar, this incident took place at a time close to the deathbof the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) The questions asked by the Angel Jibreel.
summarized the mission of the Prophet (peace be upon him) namely,
To spread the message that only Allah should be worshipped and to spread the other pillars of Islam. To teach the people that they should have belief in certain things even though the human eye cannot see them.
The hadeeth shows the difference between a Muslim and a non-Muslim.
The first Pillar of Iman (Faith) : Belief in Allah
Belief in Allah means Tawheed. The linguistic meaning of Tawheed is ‘unifying’. However when using the word Tawheed in reference to Allah, it means to believe that He is One, without any partners and that He is the Creator and Provider of everything. It also means that Allah has unique Names and Attributes.Tawheed means to worship Allah alone.
Belief in Allah is the first Pillar of Iman. The name ‘Allah’ has been attributed by Allah to Himself. Allah says in the Qur’aan:
“Indeed, I am Allah. There is no deity except Me, so worship Me and establish prayer for my remembrance.”
(Soorat Taa Haa:14)
The word ‘deity’ means something worthy of worship. So when Allah says “There is no deity except Me” then this means that there is nothing worthy of worship except Allah.
Believing in Allah means to believe that He has no children, no wives and no equals. He does not eat, sleep or get tired. He is the only Creator, Sustainer and Provider. Allah is the First, with no beginning, which means Allah was not born. He is the Last, with no end, which means He will never die. Allah sees, hears and knows everything. There is nothing like Him and He is perfect in every way.
It is important for us to understand the Names and Attributes of Allah in the same way as the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and his Companions understood them.
The Companions NEVER asked the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) ‘HOW?’ Not once did they ask, ‘HOW does Allah see?’ or ‘HOW does Allah hear?’ There is no hadeeth talking about HOW. The Companions accepted the fact that Allah sees, hears and knows everything without discussing things like ‘HOW’ or ‘WHY’.
The Companions accepted the verse in the Qur’aan:
“There is nothing like unto Him, and He is the Ever-Hearing, the Ever-Seeing.”
(Soorat ash-Shooraa:11)
The second pillar of Iman : Belief in the Angels
Belief in the angels is the second pillar of Iman. Muslims believe that angels exist, and are created from light. Various angels have been allocated specific tasks. When Allah orders the angels to do something, they carry out His order to perfection.
Allah describes the angels that He has placed in charge of Jahannam by saying:
“O you who have believed, protect yourselves and your families from a Fire whose fuel is people and stones, over which are… angels, harsh and severe; they do not disobey Allah in what He commands them, but do what they are commanded.”
(Soorat at-Tahreem:6)
There are many angels and only Allah knows their exact number. The hadeeth of Maalik ibn Sa’saa provides a general idea of the huge number of angels. He says:
“The Prophet (peace be upon him) said “I was shown Al-Bayt Al-Ma‘moor. I asked Jibreel about it and he said ‘This is Al-Bayt Al-Ma‘moor where 70,000 angels perform prayers everyday, and when they leave they never return to it.”
(Bukhaari)
Al-Bayt Al-Ma’moor is the house in the heavens directly above the Ka’bah in Makkah. According to ibn Katheer, Al-Bayt Al-Ma’moor is where the angels worship Allah and they perform tawaaf around it just like the people on earth perform tawaaf around the Ka‘bah in Makkah.
Angels have names, but only a few of them are known to us. Some of the names of angels that we know are: Jibreel, Mikaeel, Israafeel, and Maalik, and each one has a specific task. The angels were given their names by Allah.
There are many names of angels that we do not know and we should not think of names for them. Allah mentions in the Qur’aan some of the incorrect beliefs that people have with regard to the angels. Angels are neither male nor female; however, some people think that the angels are females. Allah says:
“And they have made the angels, who are servants of the Most-Merciful, females. Did they witness their creation?”
(Soorat az-Zukhruf:19)
Some people worship angels. Allah says:
“And [mention] the Day when He will gather them all and then say to the angels, “Did these [people] used to worship you?”
(Soorat Saba:40)
Others say that angels are the daughters of Allah. Allah says:
“Then, has your Lord chosen you for (having) sons and taken from among the angels daughters? Indeed, you say a grave saying.”
(Soorat al-Israa:40)
All these beliefs are incorrect and are not Islamic. Muslims do not accept these views. Instead they believe in the angels in the exact way that Allah mentions them in the Qur’aan and as they are described in the Sunnah of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him).
The third pillar of Iman: Belief in Allah’s Books
Belief in Allah’s Books is the third pillar of Iman. Muslims firmly believe in all of the Divine Books that Allah revealed to His Messengers and Prophets. In the Qur’aan, Allah instructs the believers:
“Say , “We have believed in Allah and what has been revealed to us and what has been revealed to Abraham and Ishmael and Isaac and Jacob and the Descendants [Al-Asbaat] and what was given to Moses and Jesus and what was given to the prophets from their Lord. We make no distinction between any of them, and we are Muslims… to Him.”
(Soorat al-Baqarah:136)
Muslims believe in the revealed books that are mentioned by name in the Qur‘aan, they are,
- At-Tawraah
- Al-Injeel
- Az-Zaboor
- Suhuf Ibraaheem
- Suhuf Moosaa
They also believe that there are other revealed books that are not mentioned in the Qur‘aan. The names of those of those books and the Prophets to whom they were sent are unknown. These revealed books were altered after the demise of the respective prophets to whom they were given.
Not a single word has been deleted or added to the Qur‘aan ever since it was revealed, because Allah promised to preserve it forever. Allah says,
“Indeed, it is We who sent down the message, and indeed, We will be its guardian.”
(Soorat al-Hijr :9 )
The Qur‘aan and other revealed Books
The Qur‘aan is the last Book that was revealed by Allah and there will never be any other divine book after it. The laws contained in the Qur‘aan have abrogated the laws in all other divine books.
Believing in the Qur’aan means believing that it is the Word of Allah revealed to the Prophet (peace be upon him) over a period of 23 years and that everything it contains is truth. It has no spelling mistakes, no grammatical errors and there are no contradictions in it. Muslims do not deny even a single letter of the Qur’aan.
If anyone thinks that the Qur’aan has mistakes or errors, then such a person cannot be a Muslim. Allah says in the Qur’aan:
“Then do they not reflect upon the Qur’aan? If it had been from other than Allah, they would have found within it much contradiction.”
(Soorat an-Nisaa:82)
The fourth Pillar of Iman: Belief in Allah’s Messengers
The fourth pillar of Iman is belief in all of Allah’s Messengers. Allah sent Messengers and Prophets to teach people about Tawheed. Muslims believe in all of Allah’s Messengers and Prophets. Allah says:
“The Messenger has believed in what was revealed to him from his Lord, and the believers. All of them have believed in Allah and His angels and His books and His messengers,“We make no distinction between any of His messengers.”
(Soorat al-Baqarah:285)
Muslims believe in the 25 Prophets and Messengers mentioned by name in the Qur‘aan. They also believe in all the other Prophets and Messengers that are not mentioned in the Qur‘aan.
Their names, the people to whom they were sent, and their stories are unknown.
“And We certainly sent into every nation a messenger, [saying], “Worship Allah and avoid Taaghoot.”
(Soorat al-Nahl:36)
Allah has sent a Messenger to every nation to invite them towards worshipping him alone and to abstain from associating partners with him. Allah says.
“And [We sent] messengers about whom We have related [their stories] to you before and messengers about whom We have not related to you.”
(Soorat an-Nisaa:164)
All the Messengers were trustworthy men who were chosen by Allah to guide people away from falsehood towards the truth. Belief in the Messengers means accepting that they conveyed the Message perfectly.
Muhammad is the last Messenger of Allah, there will be no other messenger after him. Allah says,
“Muhammad is not the father of [any] one of your men, but [he is] the Messenger of Allah and seal [i.e., last] of the prophets. And ever is Allah, of all things, Knowing.”
(Soorat al-Ahzaab:40)
The fifth Pillar of Iman: Belief in the Day of Judgment
The fifth Pillar of Iman is belief in the Day of Judgment. Apart from Allah, everything will come to an end and then mankind will be resurrected and made to account for whatever they did. Allah says:
“And the Horn will be blown, and whoever is in the heavens and whoever is on the earth will fall dead except whom Allah wills. Then it will be blown again, and at once they will be standing, looking on.”
(Soorat az-Zumar:68)
The Day of Judgment will be fifty thousand years long and will include many tests such as the actual judgment, the weighing of deeds and crossing the bridge over the Hellfire.
The weighing of deeds is where a person’s deeds will be weighed on a pair of scales. All the good deeds will be put on one side and the bad deeds will be placed on the other. If the good deeds are heavier, then the person has passed the test. If the bad deeds are heavier, then the person has failed the test and will be punished in Hellfire.
The bridge over Hellfire has been described in many ahaadeeth. Aboo Sa’eed Al-Khudri said that the Prophet (peace be upon him) described the bridge in the following way:
It will be a very hard time for people, except those who followed Islam. It will be easy for them because they were patient in life.
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said,
“It is a slippery (bridge) on which there are clamps and (hooks like) a thorny seed that is wide at one side and narrow at the other and has thorns on it with bent ends. Such a thorny seed is found in Najd and is called As-Sa’daan. some of the believers will cross the bridge as quickly as the blink of an eye, and others as quick as lightning, a strong wind, fast horses or she-camels. Therefore, some will be safe without coming to any harm, others will be safe after receiving some scratches, and some will fall down into Hell. The last person will be dragged across.”
(Al-Bukhaari)
Allah will reward them for their patience and obedience by making the Day of Judgment easy for them.
The first thing that people will be questioned about on the Day of Judgment will be their Salah. If a person is successful regarding this deed, then the rest of the person’s judgment will be made easy.
It is important for Muslims to judge themselves before judging others, because Allah will ask each individual about what he/she did first. Some of the things that Allah will ask people about are their worship, how they treated their parents and how they spent their money.
Belief in Qadar (Divine Pre-Ordainment): The Good and the Bad of it
The sixth and final pillar of Iman is belief in Qadar, The good of it and the bad of it. Correct belief in Qadar consists of 4 components in the following order.
1. Allah has prior knowledge of everything that is going to happen.
2. Everything that will happen is written in Al-Lawh Al-Mahfoodh.
3. Allah wills whatever is going to happen.
4. Allah creates everything that is going to happen.
Al-Lawh Al-Mahfoodh is where everything that has and is going to happen is written down.’Abdullaah Ibn ‘Abbaas states that Al-Lawh Al-Mahfoodh is a tablet of white pearl, its length is the distance between heaven and earth, its edges are lined with pearls and sapphires and its sides with rubies.
A fundamental part of belief in Qadar is to accept things that happen whatever the outcome may be. In a hadeeth reported in Saheeh Muslim, the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said that if believers have a good experience, they should thank Allah and if they have a bad experience, they should be patient. If a person does not accept a consequence of Qadar, in fact he/she rejects what Allah has planned for him/her.
Qadar is based on the wisdom of Allah. Things do not happen by chance or accident. This means that Muslims should be patient when something bad happens and ask Allah for help. A person should not ask ‘Why’ it happened or to question Allah in what He has planned. Allah Says in the Qur’aan:
“He is not questioned about what He does, but they will be questioned.”
(Soorat al-Anbiyaa:23)
Qadar (Divine Pre-Ordainment) should not be used as an excuse to do bad deeds.
A person cannot commit sins and say it was because of Qadar. At the time, the person had the choice to do the action or not. A thief used this excuse with ‘Umar ibn Al-Khattaab. The thief said, “I stole because of Qadar!” ‘Umar replied, “You stole because of Qadar and we punish you with Qadar !”
Denying the Pillars of Iman
A fundamental part of the faith of a Muslim is to believe in the pillars of Iman. Many of the pillars of Iman are classified as ghayb. In English this means the ‘unseen’. Allah describes those who believe in ghayb as being ‘believers’.
Allah says:
“Who believe in the unseen, establish prayer, and spend out of what We have provided for them, and who believe in what has been revealed to you, and what was revealed before you, and of the Hereafter they are certain…”
(Soorat al-Baqarah:3- 4)
In order to be a Muslim, a person must believe in all of the pillars of Iman. If somebody denies one or more of the pillars, he is a disbeliever. It is reported in Saheeh Muslim that ‘Abdullaah Ibn ‘Umar said that if anyone denies a pillar of Iman he has nothing to do with it and it has nothing to do with him. By this, he meant that whoever denies a pillar of Iman is not a Muslim.
Many aspects of Islam also involve believing in the ghayb (unseen). Some people try to use their intellect to explain the unseen and ignore the information given in the Qur’aan and the Sunnah. Muslims believe that they can only know about the ghayb from what Allah says in the Qur’aan and what He has taught His Messenger.
The human mind is not perfect and cannot be relied upon all the time.
There are some parts of the ghayb that cannot be fully understood by the human mind. Examples are Paradise and the angels. Just because the human eye cannot see them, does not mean that they do not exist. For this reason, Muslims accept all aspects of the ghayb that have been mentioned in the Qur’aan and the authentic Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad.
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ICO’s Publications – Islamic Studies curriculum – Grade 5/ Part1