Category: Faith

4a – The Messengers

Prelude: Human Messengers

Allah, in His wisdom and mercy, sent us messengers to direct us to what is beneficial.  These messengers were men at various times and in various communities whom Allah inspired with guidance for their people.  It is a blessing that they were human beings, like us, such that people could relate to them and interact with them. If the prophets and messengers had instead been angels (see: Qur’an, 6:9, 17:95), the same benefit could not have been accomplished.

“Certainly did Allah confer [great] favor upon the believers when He sent among them a Messenger from themselves, reciting to them His verses and purifying them and teaching them the Book and wisdom, although they had been before in manifest error.” [Qur’an, 3:164]

Messengers direct us to what is beneficial, remind us, and provide a basis for regulating public life. They convey and explain, guide and warn, and typically also cultivate and lead a society. (Q[4:165]) One who wishes to draw nearer to Allah should therefore follow the prophets and those who emulate their way.  In general, all the messengers are examples for us to follow[1]:

“They (the prophets) are those whom Allah has guided, so follow their guidance.” [Qur’an, 6:91] Continue reading “4a – The Messengers” →

5f – Heaven and Hell

Heaven and Hell

Heaven and Hell have both been created and are currently in existence, as evidenced by verses of the Qur’an.

“It (Heaven) has been prepared for the pious.” [Qur’an, 3:133]

“Guard yourselves against the fire which has been prepared for the disbelievers.”  [Qur’an, 3:131]

Heaven

There are different levels in Heaven.

“And for each, there are ranks based on what they did.”  [Qur’an, 6:132]

“Those who believe, and whose offspring follow them in faith, We shall unite their offspring with them, and We shall not cause decrease the reward of their deeds at all.” [Qur’an, 52:21]  Ibn `Abbas said, “Allah will elevate the offspring of the believer, even if they were beneath him in deeds, in order that his eye might delight in them.” [Narrated by Tabari and Bazzar] Continue reading “5f – Heaven and Hell” →

5e – Judgment

JUDGEMENT

The process of judgement on the Last Day can be conveniently discussed under four subheadings, corresponding to different aspects of the judgment:

1. Presentation of the Deeds (`Ard): each person’s deeds are presented before Allah, and thus they are exposed to their records, and to their Lord. This stage may therefore also be called the Exposing.

2. Questioning (Su’al): people are questioned about their deeds

3. Accounting or Reckoning (Hisab): people are held accountable, or brought to account, for their wrongs.

4. Judgement (Qada’) : judgement is given; the person comes to know whether he is destined to Heaven or to Hell. Continue reading “5e – Judgment” →

5d – The Resurrection Plain

Creatures of the Resurrection Plain

Mankind and jinn will be gathered there in their entirety, including even the rebellious devils.

“Then, by your Lord!  We shall surely gather them, and the devils, and then We shall bring them around Hell on their knees.” [Qur’an, 19:68.  See also 6:128]  Also, “the days will be gathered in their forms.” [Tabarani] The earth shall be gathered there.  “On that day, [the earth] shall relate its news, because your Lord shall have inspired it.” [Qur’an, 99:4-5]  On the authority of Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be well pleased with him) : The Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) recited these verses, then asked, “Do you know what its news is?”  The Companions replied, “Allah and His Messenger know best.” He said, “Its news is that it testifies over every male and female concerning that which he/she did on its surface; that it says, ‘He did such-and-such on such-and-such day.  That is its news.” [Ahmad, Tirmidhi, Nasa’i]  Animals will also be resurrected.  “There is no animal upon the earth, nor any bird which flies with its two wings, except that they are nations like you.  We have not neglected anything in the Record.  Then, to their Lord shall they be gathered.” [Qur’an, 6:38]  `Abdur-Razzaq has reported that Abu Hurayrah said that Allah will judge between the animals, and then after they have been given their justice, they will be turned to dust.  At this point, the disbeliever will wish that he, too, would have been turned to dust.  [See: Qur’an, 78:40.] Continue reading “5d – The Resurrection Plain” →

5c – Resurrection

After the intermediate realm of forty years, Allah will again command the angel Israfil to blow the Horn.

” . . . then [the Horn] will be blown another time, and behold! they shall be standing, looking.” [Qur;an, 39:68]

Allah will cause a special rain, called “The Water of Life”, to fall, and will thereby cause the bodies to grow from `ajb al-dhanab (a small bone at the end of the spine), in the same way as plants grow.

It is essential to believe in the bodily resurrection.  Just as both the body and soul participated in either obeying or disobeying Allah in this world, so it is only fitting that they should both receive the appropriate recompense of punishment and/or reward. A bodily resurrection is not rationally inconceivable, and furthermore, the texts of the Qur’an and authentic ahadith are quite explicit in their mention of physical pleasures and punishments in the Hereafter, such that there is no room left for doubt.  It was only some deviant individuals and groups, who, under the influence of the corrupt ideas of people of other religions and of the pagan philosophers, started to deny this fact, claiming that the Hereafter is purely spiritual, or that Heaven and Hell are mere states of mind which are consequential upon a person’s worldly conduct.  To persist upon such beliefs after receiving the message of the Qur’an is unacceptable, for it displays an obstinacy in accepting that which Allah has conveyed to us. Such beliefs might then be the fruits of baseless imaginings and Satanic whisperings that afflict those who are not content with clearly-stated, obvious truths.  Imam Ghazzali pronounced a verdict of disbelief on the philosphers on three counts : their claim that the universe is eternal, their denial of the bodily resurrection, and their denial that Allah knows the minute details of things. Continue reading “5c – Resurrection” →

5b – The End of This World

THE LAST DAY

The Last Day is so named because there is no day (of this world) after it.  On that day, Allah will cause this world to perish, and will replace it with another wherein people will be given the dues of their worldly actions.

The Time of Occurrence of the Last Day

Its exact time is known only to Allah.  “They ask you about the Hour, when will its coming be?  Say : its knowledge is only with my Lord.  None will reveal it at its time save Him.  [Its knowledge] is weighty upon the [inhabitants of the] heavens and the earth.  It will not come to you except suddenly.  They ask you as if you are well-informed about it.  Say : Its knowledge is only with Allah, but most of mankind do not know.” [Qur’an, 7:187]  At the end of the Jibreel hadith, the angel Gabriel asked the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace), “When is the Hour?”  He replied, “The questioned is not more knowledgeable about it than the questioner,” and then recited a verse of the Qur’an.  “Indeed, with Allah is the knowledge of the Hour.” [Qur’an, 31:34]

Thus, it is totally forbidden to engage in speculation or calculation in order to try to predict the end of the world.  Anyone who believes that a psychic or fortune-teller shares in Allah’s knowledge of the Hidden, has left Islam.  On the authority of Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be well pleased with him) : “Whoever came to a diviner, or a fortune-teller, and affirmed him in that which he said, has disbelieved in that which was revealed to Muhammad (may Allah bless him and grant him peace).” [Nasa’i, Abu Dawud, Tirmidhi, Ibn Majah and Al-Hakim]   Nor is it permissible to visit psychics and the like for fun, and the person who does risks losing his prayers for forty days.  “Whoever came to a fortune-teller, and asked him about something and then affirmed him , the salah of forty days will not be accepted from him.” [Narrated by Muslim] Continue reading “5b – The End of This World” →

5a – The Hereafter – Prelude

“O mankind!  Indeed, Allah’s promise is true, so do not let the life of the world delude you, nor let the Deluder (Satan) delude you from Allah.” [Qur’an, 35:5]

“And they inquire from you, ‘Is it (the Day of Judgement) true?’  Say, ‘Yea.  By my Lord!  Indeed, it is true.  And you shall not escape.” [Qur’an, 10:53]

This world, with the precise and well-defined roles of its constituents, indicates the existence of a wise, knowing and powerful Creator.  (See: [Qur’an, 50:4,16,18, 34:3 and 46:33, 50:15, 36:82]) Yet, we sometimes see people around us getting other than what they deserve.  Very good people might suffer greatly, while evil, dishonest individuals might escape the hand of the law, and live in luxury and wealth that they have amassed by illicit and immoral means.  It would be wishful thinking to imagine that human free-will, with its accompanying conscience, carries no accountability or consequences. There must be another life, in which all will receive their just reward or punishment.  [See: Qur’an, 3:190, 23:115-116, 68:35-36, 45:21, 75:36-40, 44:34-40] Continue reading “5a – The Hereafter – Prelude” →

3b – The Qur’an

The Qur’an is the speech of Allah, sent down upon the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him and his Household), conveyed to us by mass-transmission, the very recitation of it constitutes worship, and the smallest surah of it constitutes a challenge. (see: Q[9:6, 26:192-5, …])

Preservation of the Qur’an
The Prophet memorized the Qur’an as he received it, as did many of his companions, and it was also written down during his lifetime. The tradition of memorizing the entire Qur’an has continued in every generation, such that the Qur’an has been preserved through dual means: through writing as well as orally. Every year, during the recommended extra night prayers in the Islamic month of Ramadan, it is customary for the Huffaz (those who have memorized the Qur’an) to complete recitation of the entire Qur’an from memory. This massive coordination of human effort over history, which has today continued and extended further into new forms of media, is the illustration of Allah’s having undertaken the Qur’an’s preservation.
“Verily, it is We who have revealed the Reminder (i.e. the Qur’an), and it is We who shall guard it.” [Qur’an, 15:9] Continue reading “3b – The Qur’an” →

3a – Belief in Scriptures

Prelude: Divine Guidance

Islam teaches that Allah sent communication to mankind at various times in history. This communication was through human messengers (prophets), who were directly inspired by Allah, and commanded to convey to their people the truth and guidance received through this revelation. Every true prophet of Allah must show people at least one miracle: something that is beyond human capability, a sign from God. A miracle (along with other factors, as we discuss later) is what proves that the prophet is indeed conveying a divine message, and that he is not just a philosopher, social reformer or charismatic leader.

Our knowledge is limited, subject to change, and confined to our experience in and of this world. Since we cannot directly perceive anything outside this life, we cannot know exactly how our conduct here impacts our fate after death. Human reason and experience might, arguably, be able to reach some realizations (about God, morality and divine justice) independently of divine revelation. But it is only by means of communication from outside this world that we could ever receive detailed knowledge of ultimate realities about the universe and our role in it. Individual spiritual experiences and human moral judgments can vary drastically between different people, especially in different cultures and time periods. This subjectivity makes these two sources unsuitable for the collective guidance of humanity. It makes sense for there to be some core of absolute values, corresponding to the essential, shared nature of humanity, and such common values can provide a basis for the smooth conduct of society. Continue reading “3a – Belief in Scriptures” →

1b – Attributes Of Allah

Mere profession of faith in one god is not sufficient for one to be a believer. In fact, many people may claim to profess such a belief, and yet their conceptions of the One God are often strikingly different. The prophets, and in particular Muhammad (may Allah bless him and grant him peace), were sent to eradicate idolatry, and describing Allah as resembling creatures is nothing but a manifestation of idolatry. Allah is transcendent, above the limitations of created things, beyond our sensory perception, and can be recognized only through His attributes. An important principle, which follows from Allah’s transcendence, is that we may only describe Him by those names and attributes by which He describes Himself, or by which His Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) has described Him.

It is important to stress that Allah’s non-resemblance to creatures does not make Him unreachable or incomprehensible.

“And when My servants ask you concerning Me, indeed I am near. I respond to the invocation of the supplicant when he calls upon Me. So let them respond to Me [by obedience] and believe in Me that they may be [rightly] guided.” [Qur’an, 2:186]

Indeed, we can sense or comprehend the effects of many of Allah’s attributes. An example is the attribute of mercy.

“So observe the effects of the mercy of Allah – how He gives life to the earth after its lifelessness.” [(30) Al-Rum, 50] Continue reading “1b – Attributes Of Allah” →