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Islamic
beliefs (the Pillars of Islam)
by
Moustafa al-Qazwini
1.
Monotheism: The Oneness of Allah (tawhid)
Allah,
or God, is the center of Muslim belief. Whereas certain
religions focus on individuals, like Christianity focuses on
Jesus (peace be upon him), Islam focuses solely on Allah.
Although Muslims respect the divine prophets, the prophets -
including Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family) -
are still only servants of Allah.
The
Qur'an itself speaks of the oneness of God: "Allah has
borne witness that there is no God but Him - and the angels, and
those with knowledge also witness this. He is always
standing firm on justice. There is no God but Him, the
Mighty, the Wise." (3:18)
The
oneness of Allah is not only a philosophical argument but is an
affirmation that all human beings declared before their souls
came into their bodies:
[Remember]
when your Lord brought forth the children of Adam from their
loins and made them testify over themselves, saying, "Am I
not your Lord?" They said, "Yes! We
testify," lest you should say on the Day of Resurrection,
"Verily, we were unaware of this." (7:172)
Such
was the covenant that Allah made with all people at the time of
creation regardless of whether these same people now claim to
believe in God or not. At that time, they proclaimed His
majesty, His sovereignty, His power, and His absolute oneness
and transcendence.
Likewise,
all people today, regardless of their origins, are naturally
inclined towards the idea that God is one and without partner.
The Qur'an tells Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him):
Set
your face to the true religion [Islamic monotheism], the natural
inclination (fitra) with which Allah has created mankind.
[Let there be] no change in what Allah has made; that is the
straight religion, but most people do not understand.
(30:30)
Describing
God
One
of the shortest chapters of the Qur'an, "The Oneness of
God",[5] summarizes the nature
of God in five verses:
In the name of Allah, the most Gracious, the Most Merciful
Say, He is Allah, the One
Allah, the Eternal
He begets not, nor was He begotten
And there is nothing at all comparable to Him.
The
most fundamental Islamic teachings about God are contained in
these verses, i.e. that there is only one God Who is
eternal, unique, and has no blood relation to any human beings.
Different prophets also gave their own descriptions of God which
are also related in the Qur'an. Prophet Abraham (peace be
upon him) says: "My Lord is He Who gives life and
causes death." (2:258) After him, Moses (peace
be upon him), when confronting the Pharaoh, says:
"Our Lord is He Who gave each thing its form and nature
then guided it aright." (20:50) These two
verses both describe Allah in His relation to human beings, but
of course Allah's being extends far beyond His relation to
mankind.
Imam
'Ali (peace be upon him) has also described Him thus:
He
who assigns to Him different conditions does not believe in His
oneness, nor does he who likens Him grasp His reality. He
who illustrates Him does not signify Him; he who points at Him
and imagines Him does not mean Him. Everything that is
known through itself has been created, and everything that
exists by virtue of other things is the effect of a cause.
He works, but not with the help of instruments; He fixes
measures, but not with the activities of thinking; He is rich,
but not by acquisition. Time does not keep company with
Him, and implements do not help Him. His being precedes
time, His existence precedes non-existence, and His eternity
precedes beginning. By His creating the senses, it is
known that He has no senses. By the contraries in various
matters, it is known that He has no contrary, and by the
similarity between things it is known that there is nothing
similar to Him. He has made light the contrary of
darkness, brightness that of gloom, dryness that of moisture,
and heat that of cold. He produces affection among
inimical things.... He is not confined by limits nor
counted by numbers. Material parts can surround things of
their own kind, and organs can point out things similar to
themselves.... Through them, the Creator manifests Himself
to the intelligence, and through them He is guarded from the
sight of the eyes.... He has not begotten anyone lest He
be regarded as having been born. He has not been begotten,
otherwise He would be contained within limits. He is too
high to have sons.... Understanding cannot think of Him so
as to give Him shape....[6]
Allah
expresses His own eternity and perpetuity Himself:
"Every thing on earth shall perish, but the face of Allah
will remain, full of majesty and honor." (55:26-27)
The
99 Names of Allah
"And to Allah belong the most beautiful names, so call on
Him by them." (7:180) Islamic tradition says
that Allah has many different names representing different
aspects of His being, and 99 of them are commonly recited
together:
English
Arabic
The
Merciful
ar-rahim
The
Beneficent ar-rahmaan
The
Sovereign
al-malik
The
Holy
al-quddus
The
Peace
as-salaam
The
Guardian of Faith al-mu'min
The
Protector
al-muhaymin
The
Mighty
al-'aziz
The
Compellor al-jabbar
The
Majestic
al-mutakabbir
The
Creator
al-khaaliq
The
Evolver
al-baari'
The
Fashioner
al-musawwir
The
Forgiver
al-ghaffar
The
Subduer
al-qahhar
The
Bestower
al-wahhab
The
Provider
ar-razzaq
The
Opener
al-fattah
The
Knowing
al-'alim
The
Constrictor
al-qaabid
The
Abaser
al-khaafid
The
Expander
al-baasit
The
Honorer
al-mu'izz
The
Exalter
ar-raafi'
The
Hearing
as-sami'
The
Dishonorer al-mudhill
The
Judge
al-hakam
The
Seeing
al-basir
The
Subtle
al-latif
The
Kind
al-halim
The
Just
al-'adl
The
Aware
al-khabir
The
All-Forgiving
al-ghafur
The
Great
al-'azim
The
High
al-'aliy
The
Appreciative
ash-shakur
The
Preserver
al-hafiz
The
Immense
al-kabir
The
Reckoner
al-hasib
The
Maintainer al-muqit
The
Generous
al-karim
The
Majestic
al-jalil
The
Responsive
al-mujib
The
Wise
al-hakim
The
Watchful
ar-raqib
The
All-Surrounding al-waasi'
The
Glorious
al-majid
The
Loving
al-wadud
The
Witness
ash-shahid
The
Resurrector
al-baa'ith
The
Truth
al-haqq
The
Trustee
al-wakil
The
Strong
al-qawi
The
Firm
al-matin
The
Praiseworthy
al-hamid
The
Guardian
al-wali
The
Originator
al-mubdi
The
Reckoner
al-muhsi
The
Giver of Life
al-muhyi
The
Restorer
al-mu'id
The
Creator of Death al-mumit
The
Living
al-hayy
The
Self-Subsisting al-qayyum
The
Finder
al-waajid
The
Noble
al-maajid
The
Unique
al-waahid
The
One
al-ahad
The
Eternal
as-samad
The
Able
al-qadir
The
Powerful
al-muqtadir
The
Expediter
al-muqaddim
The
Delayer
al-mu'akhkhir
The
First
al-awwal
The
Last
al-aakhir
The
Manifest
az-zaahir
The
Hidden
al-baatin
The
Governor
al-waali
The
Exalted
al-muta'ali
The
Source of Goodness al-barr
The
Acceptor of Repentance
at-tawwab
The
Avenger
al-muntaqim
The
Pardoner
al-'afuw
The
Compassionate ar-ra'uf
The
Owner of Soverignty maalik al-mulk
The
Lord of Majesty dhul jalaali
wal-ikraam
and Bounty
The
Equitable
al-muqsit
The
Gatherer
al-jaami'
The
Self-Sufficient al-ghani
The
Enricher
al-mughni
The
Preventer
al-mani'
The
Distresser
ad-darr
The
Benefitor
an-naafi'
The
Light
an-nur
The
Guide
al-haadi
The
Incomparable al-badi'
The
Everlasting al-baaqi
The
Inheritor
al-waarith
The
Guide to the Right Path ar-rashid
The
Patient
as-sabur
The
Viewpoints of Islam and Christianity Regarding Allah (God)
The
distinguishing feature of Islam is its insistence on absolute
monotheism and the forbidding of anything, at all, to be
associated with God. This includes the refusal of the idea
that Jesus (peace be upon him), the Messenger of God, was God.
Allah says in the Qur'an:
Surely
they have disbelieved who say that Allah is the Messiah [Jesus],
the son of Mary. But the Messiah said, "O Children of
Israel, worship Allah, my Lord and your Lord. Truly,
whoever sets up partners in worship with Allah, then Allah has
forbidden Paradise for him, and Fire will be his abode.
And for the wrongdoers there are no helpers. Surely, they
have disbelieved who say, "Allah is the third of
three," for there is no God but Allah Who is one. And
if they do not cease what they say, verily, a painful torment
will befall the disbelievers among them.... The Messiah,
the son of Mary, was nothing other than a messenger; many were
the messengers who passed before him. His mother was a
woman of truth.... (5:72-75)
Muslims
believe that neither the Old Testament nor the New Testament had
mentioned in any way that Jesus was the son of God.
According to a contemporary American scholar, Barbara Brown:
The
doctrine of divinity states that Jesus is the Son of God, the
Word of God made flesh. Even though Jesus himself never
claimed to be divine, Paul gave him this attribute for one
reason - to gain converts among the Gentiles. The Gentiles
were pagans who were used to worshipping gods that had wonderful
legends and myths behind them. Several of the pagan
deities of the time such as Mithras, Adonis, Attis, and Osiris
were all the offspring of a supreme ruling god, and each had
died a violent death at a young age, coming back to life a short
time later in order to save their people. Paul took this
into account, giving the pagans something similar in
Christianity. He attributed divinity to Jesus, saying he
was the Son of God, the Supreme, and that he too had died for
their sins. In doing so, Paul compromised the teaching of
Jesus with pagan beliefs in order to make Christianity more
acceptable to the Gentiles.
The
term "son of God" was not something new.
However, it had been used in the Old Testament to refer to David
(Saul 2:7) and his son Solomon (I Chronicles 22:100) and to
refer to Adam (Luke 3:38) in the New Testament. In his
famous Sermon on the Mount, detailed in Matthew 5, Jesus tells
his listeners, "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall
be called sons of God." In all cases, the term
"son of God" was not meant to be applied literally but
to signify love and affection from God to the righteous.
"Son of God" means a special closeness to God, not to
be of God. After all, people are sons of God, and Allah is
the creator of all life.[7]
Christians
who lived during the time of Jesus (peace be upon him) believed
that he was the divine messenger to them, bringing them the
words of God and guiding them. However, after the
ascension of Jesus to heaven, Saint Paul, who was deeply
influenced by Roman paganism, wanted his preaching of
Christianity to be more appealing to the Gentiles, so he
compromised the teachings of Jesus (peace be upon him) by
adopting certain pagan ideas and interpolating them into
Christianity. Thus, the idea of the trinity spread even
though it was not part of the original teachings of Jesus (peace
be upon him).
2.
Divine Justice ('adl)
Anyone
who believes in Islamic monotheism must believe in the
Almighty's justice. Because Allah is just, He never wrongs
His creatures, for injustice is an evil deed while He is far
from doing evil. Because He is omniscient, He does not
neglect anything, and because He is self-sufficient, He has no
cause to wrong others. Since He owns everything, He does
not need the actions of anyone. His wisdom also transcends
the universe. Thus, unlike some human beings, He has no
cause for injustice:
"He is always standing firm on justice. There is no
God but Him, the Mighty, the
Wise."
(3:18)
"And
your Lord does not deal unjustly with anyone."
(18:49)
"We[8]
did not wrong them, but they wronged themselves."
(16:118)
Just
as Allah encourages human beings to emulate some of His
attributes, such as being patient and forgiving, He also tells
us to follow the way of justice. "Say: 'My Lord
has enjoined upon me justice.'" (7:29)
Although common people may falter in this area, none of the
prophets of God or their successors ever committed any act of
injustice.
Allah's
justice embraces the entire universe. Whoever ponders over
the existence of the universe and the order therein will not
only observe the spread of Allah's justice over His entire
creation but also each of its signs apparent in all aspects of
nature -- from the physical world to the biological world, and
from the microcosmos to the macrocosmos. The justice of
God is particularly visible in the fate and destiny of human
beings, and in their freedom of choice.
Although
Allah's justice encompasses everything, people should pray to
Allah to treat them not with His justice but rather with His
mercy, for if He treated people solely with His justice and
punished them immediately for all of their sins, humanity would
have perished a long time ago.
Predestination
or Free Will?
The
question of man's predestination or freedom of choice has
preoccupied mankind throughout the ages and continues to be
discussed by Islamic philosophers and scholars.
Ultimately, two schools of thought regarding this question have
emerged. One, called the Compulsionists, holds that human
beings have no freedom of choice whatsoever in life. Every
decision people make, every word people say has been predestined
since the time of creation. If someone is faithful, it is
not he who decides to embrace the faith; if someone is
unfaithful, it is not he who rejects the faith. All has
been written.
The
second school of thought, the Free Will school, declares that
human beings are masters of their own acts. This notion is
in concordance with the Qur'an, which states: "None
will be wronged in anything, nor will you be requited anything
except that which you used to do," (36:54) as well
as: "The truth is from your Lord. So whomever
wills, let him believe, and whoever wills, let him
disbelieve." (18:29) From these two verses, it is
clear that human beings have the freedom to act but must bear
the moral responsibilities for their own actions. Furthermore,
the acknowledgement of divine justice itself forces people to
accept that their every action is not predestined.
The
beginning of guidance is always from Allah, but the beginning of
man's destruction is in his own erroneous opinions.
"Whatever good reaches you is from Allah, but whatever evil
befalls you is from yourself." (4:79)
3.
Prophethood (nubuwwa)
The
prophets were the people who received divine revelation.
Allah has sent numerous prophets and messengers to humankind
since the dawn of history. These prophets were of two
types: "local" and "universal."
While the local prophets were sent with specific messages to
specific groups of people, the universal prophets were sent with
messages and books for all of humankind. There were only
five universal prophets, and their names were Noah, Abraham,
Moses, Jesus, and Muhammad (may the peace of Allah be upon all
of them).
A
unique characteristic of all the prophets and messengers is that
they were infallible - that is, they never committed any sin.
The easiest way to see this is to consider that these people
were the examples sent for humanity to follow, and so if they
committed errors, people would be obliged to follow their
errors, thereby making the prophets and messengers untrustable.
Infallibility means protection, and, in Islamic terminology,
means the spiritual grace of Allah enabling a person to abstain
from sins by his own free will. This power of
infallibility and sinlessness does not make a person incapable
of committing sins; rather, he refrains from sins and mistakes
by his own power and will.
Infallibility
is essential since the job of the prophets and messengers is not
only to convey the divine scriptures of Allah but also to lead
and guide humanity towards the right path. Therefore, they
have to be role models and perfect examples for mankind.
This has basis in both the Qur'an and conventional wisdom; the
Qur'an mentions infallibility 13 times. Allah says to the
Satan: "Certainly you shall have no authority over My
servants except those who follow you and go astray."
(15:42) The Satan then says to Allah: "By Your
might, then I will surely mislead them all, except Your chosen
servants among them [the messengers and imams]."(38:82)
Not
only did Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family) not
commit any sins, but he was also never harsh to human beings or
animals. Allah says: "And by the mercy of Allah
you dealt with them [people] gently, and had you been severe and
harsh-hearted, they would have broken away from you."
(3:158)
In
most societies, people with bad records would be ineligible to
be presidential, governmental, or mayoral candidates since they
would be expected to lead society and be good examples of
righteousness and honesty. Unfortunately, as a campaign of
distorting the image of the prophets of God, many distorted
stories exist today, such as the stories in the present-day
version of the Old Testament accusing Prophet David (peace be
upon him) of adultery with Baathsheba, Prophet Noah (peace be
upon him) getting drunk, Prophet Lot (peace be upon him)
committing incest, and Prophet Moses (peace be upon him)
committing adultery with the Ethiopian women. These are
examples of the ethical wrongdoings and moral weaknesses that
the enemies of Allah tried to ascribe to His pure messengers.
The
Holy Qur'an[9] speaks of the sins
attributed to certain prophets such as Adam (peace be upon him).
These verses should not be understood literally in the sense
that Adam was committing a sin; allegorical verses are common in
the Qur'an. Adam (peace be upon him) did not disobey the
obligatory commands of Allah; the command that he did not honor
was a recommended command, and, therefore, in the Islamic law,
he cannot be considered to have committed a sin.
Although
Allah preordained who the prophets were going to be, the
prophets nonetheless had to strive for this position. The
foremost example of this testing that the prophets had to endure
can be seen in the life of Prophet Abraham (peace be upon him),
the father of the prophets. Abraham (peace be upon him)
was born into an idolatrous society, but by the purity of his
nature he recognized that the idols his people worshipped were
capable of nothing, neither harm nor good. So one day,
when no one was present, he smashed all of them but the largest,
and when the people came to him and asked who had destroyed
their gods, he told them to ask the remaining statue if they
really believed that their stone idols had power. Although
the people realized at that point that their idols were
powerless, they didn't know how to respond, so out of shame and
anger they cast Abraham (peace be upon him) into a huge fire.
But Allah protected Abraham (peace be upon him) from the fire
and confounded the plots of the polytheists.[10]
After
being tortured for and then saved by his faith in Allah, Abraham
(peace be upon him) still had to undergo the hardest test of
obedience to Allah - the direct order, from Allah, to sacrifice
his son Ishmael.[11] This
order came to him in a dream, and although sadness overwhelmed
him, he was a strong believer in Allah and did not question it.
Ishmael too accepted the command of Allah unquestioningly and
allowed his father to lead him to a mountaintop to be
sacrificed. His only request was that his father place him
face down so that his father would not see his expression as he
was being killed. Abraham (peace be upon him) raised his
blade, still ready to comply with the command of Allah.
But just then came the revelation that this had only been a
test, that God would not order Abraham (peace be upon him) to
sacrifice his son, and that Abraham (peace be upon him) could
sacrifice a sheep in his stead. This event is commemorated
every year on a holiday called the Feast of Sacrifice ('eid
al-adhaa) on which animals are killed and the meat
distributed to the poor.
After
passing these tests, Abraham (peace be upon him) became the
leader of humankind as well as the father of the prophets of the
three main monotheistic religions - Judaism, Christianity, and
Islam.
Although
Allah sent prophets to every group of people on the earth, the
Qur'an only mentions the names of 25 of them. The first of
them was Adam (peace be upon him), the father of humanity, and
the last of them and the seal of the prophets was Prophet
Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family).
Why
did Allah send different prophets and different religions?
The
way of Allah is one, and because the final messenger, Prophet
Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family), has come, there
should be no dispute as to what is the right way to follow.
However, throughout history, different messengers with slightly
different messages were sent to different peoples because the
religious needs of humanity were growing and developing just as
the human race was itself growing and developing, and also
because different civilizations needed different types of
guidance. Nevertheless, the source and basic message
behind them was the same - namely, Allah the Exalted and
Glorious.
Allah
sent Moses (peace be upon him) with the Torah as a light and
guidance for the Children of Israel (the Jews) along with many
other prophets such as David, Solomon, and so on (peace be upon
them). 1,500 years after Moses, Allah sent Jesus (peace be
upon him), the son of Mary (peace be upon her), confirming the
Torah and bringing the Gospel which has also been likened to
guidance and light. Finally, 600 years after Jesus (peace
be upon him), Allah sent Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him and
his family) with the Qur'an to confirm all the messages before
him and to complete the revelation of religion to mankind.
Since
all the Judeo-Christian-Islamic prophets were sent sequentially,
the question arises as to why Judaism, Christianity, and Islam
now exist as separate religions. The answer is that the
followers of these religions, particularly Judaism and
Christianity, corrupted the original teachings given to them and
ended up making sects of their own rather than following the
pure word of God. But as the Qur'an says:
For
each of you, We have made a Law and a clear way. If Allah
had willed, He would have made you one nation but that He may
test you in what He has given you. So strive as a race in
good deeds. Your return is to Allah; then He will inform
you about that which you used to differ. (5:48)
The
Life of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family)[12]
In
6th-century CE Arabia, the majority of people were
pagans. They lived in tribes, each with its own leader.
Some were farmers, others traders, but many reared camels and
raided other tribes for booty. It was into this society,
in CE 570, that Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him and his
family) was born in Makkah. His parents died and he was
looked after first by his grandfather and then by his uncle.
As he grew up, Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him and his
family) became known as Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him and
his family) al-Amin, 'the trustworthy'. He worked for a
wealthy older widow, Khadija, who, impressed with his honesty,
asked him to marry her. He was twenty-five, and they
remained married until her death twenty-five years later.
Prophet
Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family) often used to go
from the bustle of Makkah for periods of reflection in a cave
outside the city. During one such time, when he was forty
years old, he heard the voice of the angel Jibril giving him a
command:
Recite
in the Name of your Lord who creates,
Creates
man from a clot.
Recite!
Your Lord is the Most Bountiful,
Who
taught the use of the pen,
Taught
humankind that which they knew not. (96:1-5)
Prophet
Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family) repeated the words
until he had learned them by heart. He rushed home and
related his experience to his wife, who comforted and reassured
him. Khadija and the Prophet's young cousin 'Ali (peace be
upon him) were the first people to understand and accept that
Allah had chosen 'the trustworthy one' to deliver his final
guidance.
Prophet
Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family) continued to receive
revelations for over twenty years.
As
time passed, it became clear to ever-increasing numbers of
people that Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family)
was indeed a Messenger of Allah. The least receptive were
those powerful Makkans who trafficked in idols and slaves and
benefited most from idol worship and the pilgrim trade.
They treated Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family)
with derision. Despite this, he continued to deliver the
revelations of Allah's mercy and justice, which were welcomed by
the poor and oppressed.
The
Prophet (peace be upon him and his family), his family, and
followers were driven from Makkah. For three years they
sheltered in a valley outside the city in conditions of hardship
and hunger. Narrowly escaping assassination in Makkah, the
Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) traveled to Madina in
CE 622. The migration from Makkah to Madina, known as the Hijrah,
became the starting point of the Muslim calendar.
Prophet
Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family) was very well
received in Madina where he became head of what was to become
the first Islamic state. In CE 630, Prophet Muhammad
(peace be upon him and his family) and his followers entered
Makkah. At the Ka'bah, Prophet Muhammad (peace be
upon him and his family) cleared the hundreds of idols from
inside and proclaimed that truth had come and falsehood had
vanished. He was 63 when he died, and by the time of his
death the majority of people in Arabia had accepted Islam as
their way of life.
The
final verse of the Qur'an to be revealed to Prophet Muhammad
(peace be upon him and his family), a few days before his death,
was this: "Today I [Allah] have perfected for you
your religion, completed my favor upon you, and have chosen for
you Islam as your religion." (5:3)
4.
Succession to the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him and his
family) (imama)
All
of the prophets and messengers of God had successors, and just
as Allah appointed His prophets and messengers for the guidance
of mankind, He also appointed successors to the prophets and
messengers as a matter of necessity. Abraham (peace be
upon him) was succeeded by two of his sons, Isaac and Ishmael
(peace be upon them), while Moses (peace be upon him) was
succeeded by his brother Aaron (peace be upon him) and Jesus
(peace be upon him) by two prophets whom the Qur'an mentions in
the chapter called "Ya Sin". (36:13-14)
Likewise, Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family)
was succeeded by twelve distinguished successors, one after
another. These successors were called imams and
were appointed by Allah, not by humankind. The right to
ordain imams belongs only to Almighty Allah, and the
Qur'an speaks about this in many verses:
"And remember when your Lord said to the angels, 'Verily I
am going to place a successor (khalifa)."
(2:30)
Allah
addressed Prophet David (peace be upon him) as such:
"O David! Verily We have placed you as a successor on
earth." (38:26) "And remember when the
Lord of Abraham tried him with certain commands which he
fulfilled; Allah said to him, 'Verily I am going to make you a
leader (imam) of mankind.'" (2:124)
Allah
also attributes the right of appointing leaders to Himself:
"We made from among them leaders, giving guidance under Our
command." (32:24)
During
his lifetime, Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him and his
family) specifically mentioned the names of the leaders that
would come after him, that there would be twelve of them, and
that all of them would be descended from a particular Arab tribe
called Quraysh.[13]
The
twelve successors to Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him and his
family) are as follows:
Imam
'Ali ibn Abi Talib (600-661) Imam 'Ali (peace be upon
him) was the Prophet's cousin and son-in-law and the one about
whom he said: "I am the city of knowledge and 'Ali is
its gate." He also said, "Whoever considers me
his leader, 'Ali is also his leader." 110,000 people
heard the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) say this at
a place called Ghadir Khum. Muslims and non-Muslims alike
recognized Imam 'Ali (peace be upon him) for his wisdom,
bravery, and justice. Many of his sayings and speeches
have been preserved in a book called The Peak of Eloquence
(Nahj al-Balagha). He was assassinated by members of a
fringe movement while he was praying.
Fatima
az-Zahra (562-580) Although not one of the successors,
Fatima al-Zahra (peace be upon her) is included in this list
because of her high status and importance. Fatima al-Zahra
(peace be upon her) was the daughter of the beloved Prophet of
Islam (peace be upon him and his family) from his respected wife
Khadija. She was born in Makkah on the twentieth day of Jumaada
al-Thaani (the sixth month of the Islamic calendar).
Although he had several children, Fatima was his favorite, for
she was carrying the light of the message of the Prophet (peace
be upon him and his family) to the generations to come through
her offspring. A chapter of the Qur'an[14]
was revealed about her:
Verily
We have granted you [Prophet Muhammad] al-kawthar[15]
Therefore,
turn in prayer to your Lord and sacrifice for Him.
And
he who makes you angry - he will be cut off from offspring.
She
and her father had a mutual attachment; 'Aisha, one of the wives
of the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family), has said:
"I never saw a person who so resembled her father in
speech, movements, and gestures more than Fatima, and once she
goes to visit her father, he stands, takes her hand, kisses it,
and places her in his own seat."[16]
Fatima was so emotionally and spiritually close to her father
that he declared: "Fatima is part of me.
Whoever angers her angers me, and she is the mother of her
father."[17] Fatima
proved to be the best daughter to her father, mother for her
four children (Hasan, Husain, Zaynab, and Um Kalthoum), and the
ideal wife for her husband Imam 'Ali (peace be upon him).
She was the perfect example of a virtuous, righteous lady in
Islam. She set many examples in her social and political
life. As a result of the conflict over power after the
demise of the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him and his family),
Fatima al-Zahra (peace be upon her) died at the age of 18 years.
Imam
Hasan ibn 'Ali (625-670)
Imam
Husain ibn 'Ali (626-680) : Imam Husain (peace be upon him)
revolted against the tyrant of his time, Yazid the son of
Mu'awiyah. He left his hometown of Madina to go to the
city of Makkah and then with 72 of his followers and close
family members to Iraq where he was brutally massacred on the
day of Ashura[18] in the city of
Karbala, 60 miles to the south of Baghdad. Imam Husain
(peace be upon him) stood for truth, sacrificed himself for
truth and justice, and fought corruption and aggression.
The battle of Karbala represents the battle between truth and
falsehood, good versus evil, and justice versus aggression,
oppression, and tyranny. Therefore, he became the beacon
of light for all free people in this universe, shook the
foundations of the Muslim nation with his martyrdom, and steered
the consciousness of the Muslim people at that time.
Hundreds of revolutions and revolts followed his martyrdom until
the corrupt empire of Bani Umayyah collapsed. Imam Husain
(peace be upon him) still plays a very significant role in the
life of the Muslims in their endeavor to fight injustice and
deviation in all societies.
Imam
'Ali ibn al-Husain (659-713)
Imam
Muhammad al-Baqir (676-733)
Imam
Ja'far as-Sadiq (702-765) : Imam Ja'far al-Sadiq
(peace be upon him) was the son of Muhammad al-Baqir (peace be
upon him) and was the sixth imam of the school of the ahl
al-bayt. He was born on the seventeenth day of Rabi'
al-Awwal (the third month of the Islamic calendar) in the
city of Madina. He learned from his father the sciences of
religion and the teachings of Islam and became the authority of
jurisprudents, scholars, and preachers after the martyrdom of
his father. He made the mosque of Madina a university from
which to spread Islamic ideology and graduated hundreds of
scholars versed in Islamic sciences and prophetic traditions.
Scholars and preachers gave their testimonies acknowledging his
great standing and abundant knowledge. One of them, Sibt
al-Jawzi has said, "Never have I seen scholars less
knowledgeable in the presence of a man like al-Sadiq."
The men of knowledge and piety saw in Imam Ja'far al-Sadiq
(peace be upon him) a leader, a scholar, and an unmatched
educator. He was also a great social personality and an
effective political force in the leading political circles.
Imam
al-Sadiq (peace be upon him) taught two of the leaders of the
other Islamic schools of jurisprudence: Abu Hanifa (Nu'man
ibn Thabit) and Malik ibn Anas. Imam al-Sadiq (peace be
upon him) uttered thousands of hadith (Prophetic
traditions) regarding every facet of life. He extensively
discussed Islamic ethics, mannerisms, integrity, goodness of
character, and acts of worship in addition to jurisprudence and
debated with leaders of other schools of thought.
Imam
al-Sadiq (peace be upon him) was poisoned by the caliph of his
time and was buried in the cemetery of al-Baqi' in Madina.
Imam
Musa al-Kazim (746-799)
Imam
'Ali ar-Rida (765-818)
Imam
Muhammad al-Jawad (811-835)
Imam
'Ali al-Hadi (827-868)
Imam
Hasan al-Askari (846-874)
Imam
Muhammad al-Mahdi (869-present) : Imam al-Mahdi is the last
of the imams of the people on earth, and with him the
line of succession to the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him and
his family) ends. Because of the necessity of having a
representative from Allah present on the earth, he still - by
the will of Allah - lives in this world, but he does not live in
public view. He will, however, reappear towards the end of
human civilization at a time when the world has been filled with
evil and injustice to restore order and make justice prevail.
These
imams were the authorities of Allah among mankind.
Like the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him and his family), they
were all special personalities in matters of knowledge,
forbearance, morality, and justice.
The
Family of the Prophet (Ahl al-bayt)
The
ahl al-bayt are the immediately family of the Prophet
Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family), namely: his
daughter Fatima al-Zahra; his cousin, son-in-law, and first
successor Imam 'Ali; and his grandchildren Hasan and Husain
(peace be upon them). The purity of these five is spoken
of in the Qur'an: "Allah only wishes to remove all
uncleanliness from you, O People of the House (ahl al-bayt),
and to make you as pure as possible." (33:33)
Like the prophets and the prophets' successors, these five were
infallible, free from all sin or error.
Near
the end of his life, Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said:
"It is probable that I will be called soon, and I will
respond. So I leave behind me among you two weighty
things: the Book of Allah [the Qur'an], and my Ahl al-Bayt.
Verily, Allah, the Merciful, the Aware, has informed me that
these two will never be separated from each other until they
meet me at the fountain in Heaven called Kawthar."[19]
The Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) has also said:
"The parable of my ahl al-bayt is similar to that of
Noah's ark. Whoever embarks on it will certainly be
rescued, but whoever opposes the boarding of it will surely be
drowned."[20] The necessity
of taking hold of both things that the Prophet (peace be upon
him and his family) left behind cannot be overemphasized; those
who choose to follow the Qur'an but not the guidance of the ahl
al-bayt will invariably go astray.
As
a rule, the prophets of Allah did not ask any reward for the
pain and suffering they endured while attempting to guide
mankind. In fact, this refusal to accept compensation can
be seen as the mark of a prophet: "Obey those who ask
no reward from you and who have themselves received
guidance." (36:21) However, by the
command of Allah, Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him and his
family) made one slight exception; although he refused to accept
anything for himself, he was commanded to say: "I
do not ask you for any reward except love for my relatives [the ahl
al-bayt]." (42:23) Love for the
Prophet's ahl al-bayt does not benefit the Prophet
himself (peace be upon him and his family) so much as it does
the one who approaches them with kindness and loyalty and in
return derives knowledge, guidance, and blessings from Allah.
Imam
'Ali (peace be upon him) has spoken about the ahl al-bayt:
We,
the ahl al-bayt, possess the doors of wisdom and light of
governance. Beware that the paths of religion are one and
its highways are straight. He who follows them achieves
and secures the aim and objective. And he who stands away
from them goes astray and incurs repentance.[21]
The
example of the descendants of Muhammad - peace and blessing of
Allah be upon him and his descendants - is like that of stars in
the sky. When one star sets another one rises.[22]
We
are lights of the heavens and the earth and the ships of
salvation. We are the repository of knowledge, and towards
us is the homecoming of all matters. Through our Mahdi
(the final successor to the Prophet) all arguments shall be
refuted, and he is the seal of the imams, the deliverer
of the ummah (the Muslim nation), and the extremity of
the light. Happy are those who hold onto our handle and
are brought together upon our love.[23]
5.
The Day of Judgement and the Resurrection (qiyama)
Approximately
1,200 verses of the Qur'an speak of life after death and the Day
of Resurrection, as do a vast number of sayings related from
Prophet Muhammad and his successors (peace be upon all of them).
This number reveals the importance and significance of life
after death and emphasizes that the life of the human being does
not end at death but in fact continues afterwards towards a new
life - indeed, its true life. Allah placed human beings on
the earth to test them, and so different people live for
different lengths of time before they die and their souls are
separated from their bodies. Their souls then live on,
facing the grave and the questioning therein. After that,
the souls return to their bodies which will be resurrected on
the Day of Judgement, on which day they will receive whatever
they deserve according to their beliefs and deeds in life.
Some
people will go to Heaven, also called the Garden, or the
Paradise. Others will go to Hell, oftentimes called the
Fire. And a select few will be brought into a state of
nearness to God.
Both
Heaven and Hell have different levels; the worst of people will
be in the lowest depths of Hell, while the best of them will be
in the highest parts of Heaven.
Death
and Life after Death
And
they ask you concerning the spirit. Say: "The
spirit, it is one of the things, the knowledge of which is only
with my Lord, and of knowledge, you mankind have been given only
a little. (17:85)
Although
humanity has been permitted to know only a little about life
after death right now, the Holy Qur'an still reveals some of the
secrets surrounding the soul. The Qur'an says:
It
is Allah who takes away the souls at the time of their death,
and those that die not during their sleep. He keeps those
souls for which He has ordained death and sends the rest for a
term appointed. Verily, in this are signs for people who
think deeply. (39:42)
The
soul will be buried along with the body in the grave. It
could get permission from Allah to depart from the grave, but it
must go back to it again. Each individual, if faithful,
faces two paradises after death, or if he is unfaithful and a
sinner, two hells.[24] One
of them is for the souls before the Day of Judgement, and the
second is the permanent abode.
Once
Prophet Jesus (peace be upon him) sent two messengers to the
city of Antioch to call for monotheism and the worshipping of
Allah. One of the men of that town embraced the faith and
followed them, so the king of the land ordered that righteous
man to be killed. When he died, he said:
"Verily I have believed in your Lord. So listen to
me. It was said to him when the disbelievers killed him,
'Enter paradise.' He said, Would that my people knew what
my Lord Allah has forgiven me for and made me one of the honored
ones.'" (36:25-27) The paradise that he
had entered was of the kind, called barzakh, that the
soul lives in before the Day of Judgement; on the Day of
Judgement everyone will know the fate of everyone else, and
there will be no need, as above, to tell others.
The
descriptions of both types of hellfire are very vivid and
painful: "Evil torment encompassed Pharaoh's people -
the fire: they are exposed to it morning and afternoon,
and on the day when the Hour will be established."
(40:46)
Islam teaches that the parting of the soul is accompanied with
severe pain. The moment of death has been described:
Nay!
When the soul reaches the collarbone, and it will be said,
"Who can cure him and save him from death?" and he,
the dying person, will conclude that it is the time of
departing, and he is shrouded; the drive on that day will be to
your Lord. (75:26-30)
Remember
that the two recording angels receive each human being after
attaining the age of puberty, one sitting on the right and one
on the left, to note his actions. Not a word does he utter
but there is a watcher sitting by him to record it. And
the stupor of death will come in truth; this is what you have
been avoiding. And the trumpet will be blown; that will be
the day whereof warning had been given, and every person will
come forth with an angel to drive him and an angel to bear
witness. It will be said to the sinners:
"Indeed, you were heedless of this. Now We have
removed your covering, and sharp is your sight this day."
(50:17-22)
But
for the true believers, the departure of the soul will be
peaceful:
It
will be said to the pious: "O you in complete rest
and satisfaction, come back to your Lord well-please yourself
and well-pleasing unto Him. Enter then among my honored
servants, and enter my Paradise." (89:27-30)
Repentance
and Forgiveness
Repentance
is the giving up of sin and is the best way of expressing regret
for having committed one. It involves both sincerely
regretting having committed the particular sin and then
resolving never to do it again. Repentance is the source
of and means to success: "Turn to Allah, O Believers,
that you may be successful." (24:31) No
matter how grievous a person's sin may be, the forgiveness of
Allah is greater, and no one should be ashamed to turn towards
Allah in repentance because Allah can erase the sins of whomever
He pleases.
Say:
"O My servants who have transgressed against themselves,
despair not of the mercy of Allah; verily, Allah forgives all
sins. Verily, He is the Forgiving, the Merciful.
(39:53)
Tell
My servants that I am the Forgiving, the Merciful. (15:49)
Will
they not turn to Allah and ask His forgiveness? Allah is
the Forgiving, the Merciful. (5:74)
Your
Lord is full of forgiveness for mankind in spite of their
wrongdoing. (13:6)
Despite
His ability to destroy mankind if he so willed, the main
characteristics of Allah are forgiveness and mercifulness, and
for this reason Muslims begin nearly every action, speech, or
endeavor with the words, "In the name of Allah, the most
Merciful, the most Compassionate."[25]
Repentance
is of benefit both now and during the Hereafter. Prophet
Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family) has narrated that
repenting brings an increase of wealth, protection from danger,
and an easing of hardships and difficulties. Furthermore,
it has been said that the fastest way to attain nearness to
Allah is to humble the self before Allah and admit to
wrongdoing. The benefits of repentance for the next life
are obvious - entrance into Paradise and safety from the
Hellfire.
Repentance
will be accepted up until the moment of death. Prophet
Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family) once said that if a
person seeks repentance one year before dying, Allah will accept
it. Even if a person seeks repentance one day before
dying, Allah will accept it. Then he pointed to his throat
and said that even if someone seeks repentance before his soul
reaches here, Allah will accept it.
Nonetheless,
repentance should be done as soon as possible and should not be
delayed; this point has been emphasized again and again in the
Islamic tradition. Imam 'Ali says: "How
numerous are the procrastinators who postpone [repenting and
doing good deeds] until death overtakes them!"[26]
Repentance
should be done in secrecy and privacy. People can
establish a direct link to Allah while seeking repentance
without the necessity of a third person interfering and in fact
should not let others know about their sins. Prophet
Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family) once told Imam 'Ali
(peace be upon him): "O 'Ali, blessed is he whom
Allah looks upon while he is weeping for the sin that none is
aware of except Allah."[27]
In
addition to not revealing his own sins, every person must
conceal the faults of his brother or sister in religion to
preserve that person's honor and society. That person's
faults may be dealt with personally and privately but must not
be spread among society.
A
person who sincerely repents is loved by Allah and is as if he
or she had never committed any sins at all. Imam al-Baqir
(peace be upon him) has said: "He who repents of his
sins is as one who has not any burden of sin."[28]
But repentance must be sincere; Allah knows who sincerely
regrets misdeeds and who is just saying words. A person
came to Imam 'Ali (peace be upon him) and said, "Astaghfirullah,
I seek Allah's forgiveness," and the Imam (peace be upon
him) replied:
Do
you know what asking Allah's forgiveness is? It is a word
that stands on six supports. The first is to repent over
the past. The second is to make a firm determination never
to revert to it. The third is to discharge all the rights
of people so that you may meet Allah quite clean with nothing to
account for. The fourth is to fulfill every obligation
which you ignored in the past so that you may now be just with
it. The fifth is to aim at the flesh grown as a result of
unlawful earning so that you may melt it by grief of repentance
till the skin touches the bone and a new flesh grows between
them. And the sixth is to make the body taste the pain of
obedience as you previously made it taste the sweetness of
disobedience. On such an occasion, you may say, "I
seek Allah's forgiveness."[29]
Notes
:
[5]
Al-tawhid/Chapter 112
[6]
Nahj al-Balagha (The Peak of Eloquence), sermon #186
[7]
Barbara Brown, A Closer Look at Christianity
[8]
"We" refers to Allah. Sometimes "We"
is used instead of "I" or "Allah" in the
Qur'an to refer to Allah the Glorious.
[9]
See Qur'an 20:121
[10]
This story is mentioned in the Qur'an 21:51-68
[11]
This same story is mentioned in the Old Testament with the only
difference being that the Old Testament says that Abraham (peace
be upon him) was supposed to sacrifice his son Issac.
[12]
Include the name of what author wrote this
[13]
Bukhari, The Book of Ahkam (Laws), vol. 1 p. 101;
Muslim, Kitab al-Imaara (The Book of Leadership), vol. 1
narrations 4-6, et al.
[14]
Al-Kawthar/Chapter 108
[15]
Kawthar is one of the names of Fatima al-Zahra (peace be
upon her) as well as the name of a river in Paradise.
[16]
Feiruz Abadi, Fadhaail al-Khamsa, vol.3 p. 127
[17]
Bukhari, vol. 2 p. 185; Usud al-Ghaaba, vol. 5 p. 520
[18]
The tenth day of the Muharram (the first month in the Islamic
calendar)
[19]
Sahih Muslim, vol. 2 p. 238; Sahih Tirmithi, vol.
II p. 220, et. al.
[20]
Ahmad ibn Hanbal, Mishkaat al-masaabih, p. 523; Faraa'id
al-Simtayn, vol. 2 p. 242, et. al.
[21]
Nahj al-Balagha (The Peak of Eloquence), sermon 120
[22]
Nahj al-Balagha (The Peak of Eloquence), sermon 100
[23]
Sibt ibn al-Jawzi, Tadhkirat al-Khawass, p. 138
[24]
Qur'an 36:27
[25]
bismillah al-rahman al-rahim
[26]
Ghurar al-Hikm, p. 240
[27]
Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 77 p. 63
[28]
Wasaa'il ash-Shi'a, vol. 16 p. 74
[29]
Nahj al-Balagha (The Peak of Eloquence), saying #426
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