Articles of Faith

Q1 What is the first thing we have to believe in?

Q2 What is the meaning of the kalimah?

Q3 What are the effects of Tawheed on human life?

Q4 What is the second thing in Islamic Belief?

Q5 What are angels?

Q6 What is the third thing in Islamic belief?

Q7 Is there any difference between Qur'an and other Books?

Q8 What is the difference between belief in the Qur'an and other books?

Q9 What does Islam say about prophets?

Q10 What are the difference between Muhammad and other Prophets?

Q11 Why should every human follow Muhammad?

Q12 What is after that?

Q13 What is the need of this belief?

Q14 What are the beliefs about life after death on the world?

Q15 But where is the truth?

Q1 What is the first thing we have to believe in?
The most fundamental and important thing taught by the prophet Muhammad (blessings of Allah and peace upon to him) is faith in the unity of God. This is expressed in the primary Kalima of Islam as "There is no deity but Allah" (la ilaha illallah). The acceptance or denial of this phrase produces a world of difference between men. The difference between the believers and the unbelievers lies in the conscious acceptance of this doctrine and complete adherence to it in practical life. Mere repetition of the word 'food' cannot dull hunger; mere chanting of a medical prescription cannot heal the disease. In the same way, if the Kalimah is repeated without any understanding it cannot bring about the desired effect. This can occur only if a person grasps the full meaning of the doctrine, accepts it, and follows it in letter and spirit.

Q2 What is the meaning of the kalimah?
In Arabic the word ilah means 'the one who is worshipped', that is, a being which is considered worthy to be worshipped on account of its greatness and power; to be bowed to in humility and submission. The word Allah, on the other hand, is the essential personal name of God. La ilaha illallah literally means "There is no ilah other than the One Great Being known by the name Allah". It means that in the whole of the uni-verse, there is absolutely no being worthy to be worshipped other than Allah, that it is only toHim that heads should bow in submission and adoration, that is, He is the only one possessing all powers; that we are all in need of His favour; and that we are all obliged to seek His help. He is concealed from our senses and our intellect cannot perceive what He is.

Q3 What are the effects of Tawheed on human life?
1. A believer in this Kalimah can never be narrow in outlook. He believes in a God Who is the Creator of the heavens and the earth, the Master of the East and West and Sustainer of the entire universe. After this belief he does not regard anything in the world as a stranger to himself.

2. This belief produces in person the highest degree of self-respect and self-esteem. The believer knows that Allah alone is the Possessor of all power, and that none besides Him can benefit or harm a person, or provide for his needs, or give and take away life or wield authority or influence.

3. Along with self-respect this belief also generates in a person a sense of modesty and humbleness. It makes him unostentatious and unpretending. A believer never becomes proud, haughty or arrogant.

4. This belief makes man virtuous and upright. He has the conviction that there is no other means of success and salvation for him except purity of soul and righteousness of behavior . He has perfect faith in God who is above all needs, who is related to none and is absolutely just.

5. The believer never becomes despondent. He has a firm faith in God Who is Master of all the treasures of the earth and the heavens, Whose grace and bounty have no limit and whose powers are infinite. This faith imparts to his heart extraordinary consolation, fills it with satisfaction and keeps it filled with hope.

6. This belief produces in man a very strong degree of determination, patient perseverance and trust in God. When he makes up his mind and devotes his resources to fulfilling the Divine Commands in order to secure God's Pleasure, he is sure that he has the support and backing of the Lord of the universe.

7. The belief in 'La ilaha illallah' creates an attitude of peace and contentment, purges the mind of jealousy, envy, greed and keeps away the temptations of resorting to base and unfair means for achieving success.

8. The most important effect of 'La ilaha illallah' is that it makes man obey and observe God's Law. One who has belief in it is sure that God knows every thing hidden or open and is nearer to him than his own jugular vein. If he commits a sin in a secluded corner and in the darkness of night. He knows it. He even knows our thoughts and intentions, bad or good. We can hide from everyone, but we cannot hide anything from God.

Q4 What is the second thing in Islamic Belief?
The Prophet Muhammad (blessing of Allah be peace upon him) has further instructed us to have faith in the existence of God's angels . This is the second article of Islamic faith and is very important, because it obsolves the concept of Tawhid from all impurities and frees it from the danger of every conceivable shadow of Shirk (polytheism).

Q5 What are angels?
Muhammad (blessing of Allah and peace be upon him) has informed us that those imperceptible spiritual beings, whom people believe to be deities of gods or God's children, are really His angels. They have no share in God's divinity; they cannot deviate from His commands even by the slightest fraction of an inch. God employs them to administer His Kingdom and they carry out His orders exactly and accurately. They have no authority to do anything of their own accord; they cannot present to God any scheme conceived by themselves, they are not even authorized to intercede with God for any man.

Q6 What is the third thing in Islamic belief?
The third article of faith which Muhammad (blessing of Allah and peace be upon him) has commanded us to believe is faith in the Books of God; Books which He has sent down to mankind through His Prophets. God had revealed His Books to His Prophets before Muhammad (blessing of Allah and peace be upon him) and these books were sent down in same way as he sent down the Qur'an to Muhammad (blessing of Allah and peace be upon him). We have been informed of the names of some of these books: Books of Abraham, the Torah of Moses, Zabur (Psalms) of David, and the Injeel (Gospel) of Jesus Christ. We have not been informed of the names of Books which were given to other Prophets . Therefore with regard to other existing religious books, we are not in a position to say with certainty whether they were originally revealed books or not.

Q7 Is there any difference between the Qur'an and other Books?
The Qur'an is the last of the Divine Books sent down by God and there are some very pertinent differences between it and the previous Books. These differences may briefly be stated as follow:

1. The original texts of most of the former Divine Books were lost altogether and only their translations exits today. The Qur'an, on the other hand, exists exactly as it was revealed to the Prophet; not a word, nay, not a syllable of it, has been changed. It is available in its original test and the Word of God has been preserved for all time.

2. In the former Divine Books man mixed his words with God's but in the Qur'an we find only the words of God in their pristine purity. This is admitted even by the opponents of Islam.

3. On the basis of authentic historical evidence no other sacred Book can definitely be attributed to a Prophet. In the case of some of them it is not even known in what age and to which Prophet they were revealed. As for the Qur'an, the evidence that it was revealed to Muhammad (blessing of Allah and peace be upon him) is so voluminous, so convincing, so strong and so compelling that even the fiercest critics of Islam cannot cast doubt on it.

4. The former Divine Book were sent down in languages which have become extinct long ago. The language of the Qur'an, on the other hand, is a living language; millions of people speak it, and millions more know and understand it. It is being taught and learnt in nearly every university of the world; every man can learn it, and he who does not have time to learn it can find men everywhere who know this language and can explain the meaning of the Qur'an to him.

5. Each one of the existing sacred Books found among different nations of the world have been addressed to a particular nation. Each one contains a number of commands which seem to have been meant for a particular period of history and which meet the needs of that age only. In contrast to this, the Qur'an is addressed to all mankind; not a single injunction of it can be suspected as having been addressed to a particular nation. In the same manner, all the commands and injunctions in the Qur'an can be acted upon at any place and in any age. This proves that the Qur'an is meant for the whole world, and is an eternal code for human life.

6. There is no denying the fact that the previous divine Books also enshrined good and virtue; they also taught the principles of morality and truthfulness and presented the mode of living which was to God's pleasure. But none of them was comprehensive enough to embrace all that is necessary for a virtuous human life. Some of them excelled in one respect, others in different respects. It is the Qur'an and the Qur'an alone which enshrines not only all that was good in the former Books but also perfects the way of Allah and presents it in its entirety and outlines that code of life which comprehends all that is necessary for man on this earth .

Q8 What is the difference between belief in the Qur'an and other books?
Faith in the earlier divine Books should be limited to the confirmation that they were all from God, were true and were sent down to fulfill, in their time, the same purpose for which the Qur'an has been sent. On the other hand, belief in the Qur'an should be of the nature that it is purely and absolutely God's own words, that it is perfectly true, that every word of it is preserved. that everything mentioned therein is right, that it is the bounden duty of man to carry out in his life each and every command of it and that whatever is against its teachings must be reflected.

Q9 What does Islam say about prophets?
In the last chapter we explained that God's Messengers had been raised amongst every nation, and that they all brought essentially the same religion - Islam, which the Prophet Muhammad (blessing of Allah and peace be upon him) propagated. In this respect all the Messengers of God stand on a par with each other. If a man belies any one of them, he, as it were, belies all, and if a man affirms and believes in one of them, he must and ought to affirm all.

Q10 What are the difference between Muhammad and other Prophets?
There is no difference between Muhammad and other Prophets (blessing of Allah and peace be upon them), and we have been ordered to believe in all of them alike. But in spite of this equality, there are the following three differences between them:

1. The Prophets of the past came to certain people for certain periods of time, while Muhammad (blessing of Allah and peace be upon him) has been sent for the whole world and for all time to come.

2. The teachings of those Prophets have either disappeared altogether from the world, or whatever of them remains is intermingled with many erroneous and fictitious statements. For this reason, even if anyone wishes to follow their teachings, he cannot do so. In contrast to this, the teachings of Muhammad (blessing of Allah and peace be upon him), his biography, his discourses, his way of living, his morals, habits and virtues, in short, all the details of his life and work, are preserved. Muhammad (blessing of Allah and peace be upon him), therefore, is the only one of the whole line of Prophets whom a person can follow - correctly and confidently.

Q11 Why should every human follow Muhammad?
To become a true Muslim (a follower of the Prophet's way of life) it is necessary to have complete faith in Muhammad (blessing of Allah and peace be upon him) and to affirm that:
a) He is a true Prophet of God
b) His teachings are absolutely perfect, free from any defect or error
c) He is the Last prophet of God. After him no Prophet will appear among any nation till the Day of Judgment, nor is any person going to appear in whom it would be essential for a Muslim to believe.

Q12 What is after that?
The fifth article of Islamic Faith is belief in life after death. The prophet Muhammad (blessing of Allah and peace be upon him) has directed us to believe in resurrection after death and in the Day of Judgment. The essential ingredients of this belief, as taught to us by him, are as follows:

That the life of this world and of all that is in it will come to an end on an appointed day.
That all the human beings who have lived in the world since its inception will then be restored to life and will be presented before God who will sit in judgment on that day. This is call Hashr (Resurrection).
That the entire record of every man and woman - of all their doings and misdoingings - will be presented before God for final judgment.
That one who excels in goodness will be rewarded; one whose evils and wrongs outweigh his good deeds will be punished.
That those who emerge successful in this judgment will go to Paradise and the doors of eternal bliss will be opened to them; those who are condemned and deserve punishment will be sent to Hell - the abode of eternal fire and torture .

Q13 What is the need of this belief?
Belief in life after death has always been an integral part of the teachings of the Prophets. Every Prophet asked his followers to believe in it , in the same way as the last of the Prophets, Muhammad (blessing of Allah and peace be upon him), has asked us to do. This has always been an essential condition of being a Muslim. All Prophets have categorically declared that one who does not believe in it, or casts doubts on it , is a Kafir. This is so because denial of life after death makes all other beliefs meaningless. This denial also destroys the very sanction for a good life and man is driven to a life of ignorance and disbelief. A little reflection makes this fact quite clear.

Q14 What are the beliefs about life after death on the world?
The following viewpoints are found about life after death:

Some people say that there is nothing left of man after death, and that after this life- ending event there is no other life . According to these people belief in life after death has no reality. They say it is scientifically impossible. This is the view of the atheists who also claim to be scientific in their approach and bring in Western science to support their arguments
Other people maintain that man, in order to bear the consequences of his deeds, is repeatedly regenerated in this world . If he lives a bad life, he will assume in the next generation the shape of some animal, such as a dog or a cat, or some tree or some lower kind of man. If his acts have been good, he will be reborn as a man into a higher class. This viewpoint is found in some Eastern religions.
There is a third viewpoint which calls for belief in the Day of Judgment, the Resurrection, man's presence in the Divine Court, and the meting out of reward and punishment. This is the common belief of all the prophets.

Q15 But where is the truth?
Consider the third viewpoint. Its first proposition is that:

" this world will one day come to an end. God will destroy and annihilate the universe, and in its place will evolve another higher and far superior cosmos."

This statement is undeniably true. No doubt can be cast on it. The more we reflect on the nature of the cosmos, the more clearly it is proved that the existing system is not permanent and everlasting; all the forces working in it are limited in their nature, and will one day be exhausted. That is why the scientists agree that one day the sun will become cold and will give up all its energy, stars will collide with one another and the whole system of the universe will be upset and destroyed.

The second proposition of this belief is that:

" Man will again be given life."

Is it impossible? If so, how did the present life of man become possible? It is evident that God who created man in this world can do so in the next. Not only is it a possibility, it is also a positive necessity, as will be shown later.

The third proposition is that:

"On the Day of Resurrection, God will hold His Court and, with just judgement, reward or punish man for his good and bad deeds".

What is unreasonable about this? Reason itself demands that God should hold His court and pronounce judgement. We see men doing good deeds and gaining nothing in this world. We see other men doing bad deeds and not suffering for it. Not only this, we see thousands of cases of good acts bringing trouble on the doer, and of bad deeds resulting in the happiness and gratification of the guilty person.

The last proposition of this belief is the existence of Paradise and Hell, which is also not impossible. If God can make the sun, the moon, the stars and the earth, why should he not be able to make Paradise and Hell? When He holds His court, and pronounces just judgments, rewarding the meritorious and punishing the guilty, there must be a place where the meritorious may enjoy their reward,honour, happiness and gratification of all kinds - and another place where the condemned may feel debasement, pain and misery.