- Islamic creed
- /
- Creed from the Quran and Sunnah
Praise be to Allah, the Lord of Creations, and Peace and blessings be upon our prophet Muhammad, the faithful and the honest.
Oh, Allah, we know nothing but what You teach us. You are the All- Knower, the Wise. Oh Allah, teach us what is good for us, and benefit us from what You taught us, and increase our knowledge. Show us the righteous things as righteous and help us to do them, and show us the bad things as bad and help us to keep away from them. make us among those who hear the Word and follow the best thereof, and with Your Mercy let us be among Your righteous servants.
A preface:
Dear Brother, about ten years ago, I delivered many lectures on the Islamic creed in this blessed mosque, and by the Bounty of Allah the Almighty, those lectures had a good impact, then I delivered a series of lectures from the Book of 'Al-'Aqidah At-Tahawiyah' many years ago. Nowadays, I think that there is a desperate need for more lectures about Aqidah (Islamic creed) because Aqidah is one of the bases of Islamic religion, as the religion consists of bases and branches. In fact, Aqidah is the most critical things in Islam, because whoever has a sound Aqidah, his deeds will be accepted, unlike the deeds of the one whose Aqidah is false, which will not be accepted. Also, Aqidah is strongly related to behavior, and if this weren’t the case, then man could adopt any religious creed he wanted, but the creed has a great influence on the behavior.
So, I have relied upon Allah and decided to start a new series of lectures on Islamic creed which are based on the Noble Qur'an and the Sunnah of the Prophet PBUH.
The Prophet PBUH said:
((I have left amongst you two things which, if you hold fast to them, you will never stray: the Book of Allah, and the Sunnah of His Messenger.))
We do not derive our creed from the books of the Greeks, nor from purely logical analogies, rather we derive it from the Noble Book of Allah and the Sunnah of His Messenger PBUH.
So, I'll deliver a series of lectures, and I ask Allah the Almighty to help me explaining the smallest details of the Islamic creed, depending on the Noble Qur'an and the authentic Ahadith of the noble Prophetic Sunnah.
A Quranic proof that man is either a believer or an unbeliever
Dear brother, first of all, although people are of different races, ethnicities, colors, sects and creeds, nevertheless they are no more than one of two types; they are either believers or unbelievers. There are many proofs of that in the Noble Quran, for instance, Allah the Almighty says:
"As for him who gives (in charity) and keeps his duty to Allah and fears Him,*. And believes in Al-Husna.* We will make smooth for him the path of ease (goodness).* But he who is greedy miser and thinks himself self-sufficient.* And gives the lie to Al-Husna * We will make smooth for him the path for evil;"
As if Allah the Almighty has classified people into only two types; the type of a man who believed that he was created for Paradise, so relying on this sound and right creed, he avoided disobeying Allah, and built his life on giving charities as a price for Paradise, then Allah would make smooth for him the path of ease (goodness). Allah the Almighty says:
" As for him who gives (in charity) and keeps his duty to Allah and fears Him,*. And believes in Al-Husna"
Al-Husna is the Paradise, so the most notable thing in the Islamic creed is that we are created for Paradise, and this worldly life is an abode in which we pay the cost of Paradise through getting to know Allah and obeying Him. Allah the Almighty says:"But he who is greedy miser and thinks himself self-sufficient.* And gives the lie to Al-Husna "
While the other type is of man is one who adopted a false creed, he disbelieved in the Paradise and only believed in this worldly life, as Allah the Almighty has described them:"That is what they could reach of knowledge "
"They know only the outside appearance of the life of the world (i.e. the matters of their livelihood, like irrigating or sowing or reaping, etc.)"
As he only believed in this worldly life, and felt no need to obey Allah, and he thought himself self-sufficient, so he based his life on taking rather than giving, therefore Allah the Almighty will make smooth for him the path for evil;"
Human's movement:
Abu Hurayrah narrated that the Prophet PBUH said:
" The believer is honorable and generous while the unabashed is cunning and wicked"
Now there is very clear distinction; i.e. in the past there were hundreds of colors between black and white, but now there are only two striking colors; man is either a believer or an unbeliever, he either performs good deeds or bad deeds, he is either honest or a liar, he either follows the orders of Allah or he follows the orders of Satan, he is either one of the people of the Hereafter or one of the people of this worldly life (who are only interested in this worldly life), and he either fears Allah or he fears sh3er than Him, and he either seeks the Hereafter or he seeks this worldly life. Hence there is huge difference between the two parties which is as clear as the sun.
The Divine Praise to the believer:
Allah the Almighty highly praises the believers in the Noble Qur'an, He says:
"Only those believe in Our Ayat (proofs, evidences, verses, lessons, signs, revelations, etc.), who, when they are reminded of them fall down prostrate, and glorify the Praises of their Lord, and they are not proud."
which means they believe in the Ayaat, furthermore their organs and limbs show that faith in terms of submissiveness, prostrating, repenting, and weeping.
The prerequisites of infidelity and those of faith
Allah the Almighty says:
"Is then he who is a believer like him who is Fasiq (disbeliever and disobedient to Allah)? Not equal are they."
In fact, the opposite to the believer is the infidel (Al-Kafir), but why did Allah not say: Is then he who is a believer like him who is Kafir (infidel) instead of Fasiq (who repels against Allah's Command)? It is because Al-Fusuq (disobedience) is one of the prerequisites of kufr, while uprightness is one of the prerequisites of faith, Allah the Almighty says:"Is then he who is a believer (which means who remains upright upon the Straight Path of Allah) like him who is Fasiq (disbeliever and disobedient to Allah)? Not equal are they."
One of the meanings of Islam
All believers have the same direction, and they belong to their unity, as there is no discrimination in our religion:
"The Messenger (Muhammad PBUH) believes in what has been sent down to him from his Lord, and (so do) the believers. Each one believes in Allah, His Angels, His Books, and His Messengers. They say, "We make no distinction between one another of His Messengers"
In fact, there is only one right religion, and the only acceptable religion in the Sight of Allah is Islam. When you reauthor the Noble Qur'an, you will find that all the Prophets, without exception, were described in the Noble Qur'an as Muslims, because Islam has a wide meaning, and a narrow one: the wide meaning is the submission to Allah the Almighty, and its narrow meaning is to believe in the religion of the Prophet PBUH, in the Noble Qur'an which was revealed to him, and in his noble Sunnah, while the word 'religion' is related to Islam in its wide meaning. Allah the Almighty says:
"Truly, the religion with Allah is Islam."
Consider the people who are restricted in this circle
Allah the Almighty praises the believers, He says:
"Except those who believe (in Islamic Monotheism) and do righteous good deeds, and recommend one another to the truth (i.e. order one another to perform all kinds of good deeds (Al-Ma'ruf) which Allah has ordained, and abstain from all kinds of sins and evil deeds (Al-Munkar) which Allah has forbidden), and recommend one another to patience (for the sufferings, harms, and injuries which one may encounter in Allah's Cause during preaching His religion of Islamic Monotheism or Jihad, etc.)."
Actually, there are different levels of faith; there is a useless faith, a rescuing faith (which rescues the one who adopts it from the Hellfire), and a pleasing faith. Consider the example of a large circle which includes all the people of faith, i.e. whoever believes that this universe has an Existing, One, and Perfect God, then he is included in this circle, but as he does not follow the Order of Allah, he will not benefit from his faith which is just like the faith of Satan. Allah the Almighty says:
"[Iblis (Satan)] said: "By Your Might,"
This Ayah shows that Satan believed in Allah as a God, as Al-Mighty, and as a Creator when he said in another Ayah: You have created me. Also, he has believed in the Day of Resurrection, Allah the Almighty says:
"(Iblis) said: "Allow me respite till the Day they are raised up (i.e. the Day of Resurrection)."
As long as Satan did not obey Allah the Almighty and abstained from His Obedience, his faith was useless. So, it is not enough to just believe that Allah is the Creator of universe, this is not a rescuing faith. Inside that big circle there is another small circle which includes those who believe in Allah and perform good deeds according to their faith, so they believe in Allah and their faith leads them to obey Him. Also, in the center of the second circle there are the infallible Prophets of Allah the Almighty. So, man is either outside the big circle, if he is an infidel or an atheist, or he is inside that big circle but his faith is not enough to rescue him from Hellfire, or he is inside the second circle, which means that he has a rescuing faith, and in its centre there are, as I mentioned earlier, the Prophets and the Messengers of Allah the Almighty who are the peaks of human beings, who are great examples to us all to follow, whom Allah the Almighty has made infallible, and whom Allah has ordered us to follow.Where was the word 'Iman' (faith) derived from?
1-The word 'Iman' is derived from 'Amn' (security)
Dear brother, where is the word 'Iman' (faith) derived from in the Arabic language? It is derived from the word 'Amn' (security) which means that there is no way for you to feel safe, assured, balanced, satisfied, and to be optimistic, except if you try to get closer to Allah through worshipping and remembering Him. Allah the Almighty says:
"Verily, in the remembrance of Allah do hearts find rest."
It is Impossible, or even many thousand times impossible to be happy while you're away from Allah, because Allah the Almighty says:
"But whosoever turns away from My Reminder (i.e. neither believes in this Quran nor acts on its orders, etc.) verily, for him is a life of hardship, and We shall raise him up blind on the Day of Resurrection."
What is well known to every believer
There is no human being on the earth who does not hope for his safety, and his happiness, and when Allah guides him, he will know for sure that the real human safety is in the obedience of Allah, because the Orders of Allah are just like the manufacturer's instructions of a device, which are the worthiest to be followed, because Allah is the All-Knower. Allah the Almighty says:
"And none can inform you (O Muhammad PBUH) like Him Who is the All-Knower (of each and everything)."
Hence, the believer will never feel safe except when he obeys Allah, and he will never be pleased except when he gets closer to Him.Open this file and derive a lesson
This Noble Ayah sums up the human life in brief, Allah the Almighty says:
"But whosoever turns away from My Reminder (i.e. neither believes in this Quran nor acts on its orders, etc.) verily, for him is a life of hardship, and We shall raise him up blind on the Day of Resurrection."
Some commentators of the Noble Qur'an gave the reason why the kings who own wide properties, and the rich people who are extremely wealthy have a life of distress, and feel uneasiness within. This is because the one who is heedless of Allah the Almighty and who disobeys Him, no matter how powerful or rich he is, will feel such uneasiness in his heart that if it were distributed among all the inhabitants of a country, it would be sufficient for them.One of scholars said, he who was a king then he left it to get closer to Allah then he is a kingAnother one said: If the Kings knew the happiness we feel, they would have fought us with swords for it. So the word 'Iman' (Faith) is derived from the word 'Amn' (security).
No one but the believer feels the blessing of security
"(So) which of the two parties has more right to be in security? If you but know.* It is those who believe (in the Oneness of Allah and worship none but Him Alone) "
No one on the surface of the earth has the blessing of security except the believer, because he fully believes that the Creator of the heavens and the earth is with him (by His Knowledge), and that He watches him, Allah the Almighty says:
" Who sees you (O Muhammad PBUH) when you stand up (alone at night for Tahajjud prayers). *And your movements among those who fall prostrate (along with you to Allah in the five compulsory congregational prayers)."
Also, he believes that Allah will reward him, that Allah promises him Paradise which is as wide as the heavens and the earth, and that He will protect him.One of Allah's Blessing upon human being
The word 'Iman" is derived from the word 'Amn' (security), which is the greatest blessing upon man, and the evidence is in this Ayah in which Allah the Almighty says:
"(So) which of the two parties has more right to be in security? If you but know." *It is those who believe (in the Oneness of Allah and worship none but Him Alone) and confuse not their belief with Zulm (wrong i.e. by worshipping sh3er besides Allah), for them (only) there is security and they are the guided. "
2-The word 'Iman' is derived from believing
The word 'Iman" is derived from believing, Allah the Almighty says:
"but you will never believe us even when we speak the truth."
Which means: you will never believe us. So we can either understand faith as security, comfort, balance, stability, happiness, and safety, or we can understand it as believing in what the Prophets and the Messengers came with.
The concept of faith from an Islamic standpoint
Dear brother, The concept of faith from an Islamic point of view is: conviction, confession and acting upon; i.e. you should believe that Allah the Almighty is the Creator of this universe, the Fosterer and the Compeller, believe in His Existence, Perfection and Oneness, believe in His Best Names and Virtue Attributes, believe that He has created man in order to please him, that this world is an abode in which man performs good deeds in order to be worth to enter Paradise which was created for him, that Allah has sent Prophets and Messengers, Books, and has created angels, and to believe that everything happens according to the Divine Decree, this is the reality of faith.
So, Faith is conviction of the heart. Also, faith is confession of the tongue, which is to bear witness that there is none who has the right to be worshipped except Allah and to bear witness that Muhammad PBUH is His Messenger. Also, faith is conduct, which means to perform acts of worship, and to control the limbs, the organs, the income, the spending, the home, etc… Thus, Islam is conviction, confession and conduct, while Kufr (infidelity) is false faith and devious behavior. So there are three types of Kufr; Kufr related to doctrine, Kufr related to words and Kufr related to conduct.
How do we neither go astray nor fall into distress?
Dear brother, Allah the Almighty says:
"then whoever follows My Guidance shall neither go astray, nor fall into distress and misery. "
If there were no Ayah in the Noble Qur'an except for this one, then it would be enough for us, man shall neither go astray, nor fall into distress and misery. Allah the Almighty says:"and whoever follows My Guidance, there shall be no fear on them, nor shall they grieve."
which means whoever follows Allah's Guidance will not fear what will happen in the future, nor will he regret what has happened in the past, so this Ayah encompasses the whole time (the past and the future), you would have no fear of anything in the future, nor will you regret what happened in the past. If you put these two ayaat together, you will find that whoever follows the Guidance of Allah the Almighty will not go astray, he will not fall into distress nor misery, he will not regret what happened in the past, and he will not fear what will happen in the future. Is there anything left from the happiness in this world and in the hereafter?
Where did the facts of faith come from?
Dear brother, the facts of faith came to us through Revelation, so our religion is based on Revelation. Actually, some people describe Islam as heritage, while Islam is not heritage, rather it is the religion of Allah. Also, some people describe the Prophet PBUH as only a genius, while he is a Prophet, and Revelation came down to him. There are fundamental concepts in our religion, it is based on Revelation which was sent down to the infallible Human (the Prophet PBUH), according to the Noble Ahadith in which he explained the details of Revelation, through the Noble Qur'an which was revealed to the heart of infallible Prophet, and the statements of the Prophets explain the Noble Qur'an. This is the origin of Islam, it is neither a mere culture, nor information derived from society, nor thinking of philosophers, and nor teachings of reformers, rather it is Revelation which was sent down from Allah the Almighty, and statements of an infallible Prophet. So, Islam is based on the Noble Qur'an and the Prophetic Sunnah; the Revelation of Allah tackles matters in general, while the Sunnah of the Prophet PBUH provides the details.
The Promises of Allah to the believers
1-Allah will grant him victory over his enemy
Dear brother, the believer is the real winner, he is successful, prosperous, lucky, superior, survivor, healthy, and the one who deserves rewards. What does Allah the Almighty promise the believer? Allah will grant him victory over his enemies, Allah the Almighty says:
"and (as for) the believers it was incumbent upon Us to help (them)."
2-Allah the Almighty will defend him
Also, Allah the Almighty will defend him, He says:
"Truly, Allah defends those who believe. "
3-Allah the Almighty will be his Wali (Protector)
Allah the Almighty will be the Wali (the Protector) of the believer, he says:
"Allah is the Wali (Protector or Guardian) of those who believe."
An Ayah which has a great impact on me
When I listened to the Noble Ayah below it had an indescribable great impact on me, Allah the Almighty says:
"That is because Allah is the Maula (Lord, Master, Helper, Protector, etc.) of those who believe, and the disbelievers have no Maula (lord, master, helper, protector, etc.)."
Compare between a child whose father has a great level of understanding, knowledge, power, wealth, and wisdom, whose father raised him perfectly, he took care of his child's body, mind, inner self, and his culture, so he was a good example for him, and another child who was homeless, who turned from one police station to another, from one place to another, from one prison to another, from failure to another, and from committing one major sin to another. Allah the Almighty promises the believers to grant them victory over their enemies, and to defend them.4-Allah will guide him
Allah the Almighty guides the believer, Allah the Almighty says:
"And verily, Allah is the Guide of those who believe, to the Straight Path."
5-Allah will not grant the infidels authority over them
Allah the Almighty promises the believers that He will not grant the infidels authority over them, He says:
"And never will Allah grant to the disbelievers a way (to triumph) over the believers."
What is wrong with us?
Compare between the believers’ situation and the Promise of Allah the Almighty when He says:
"And never will Allah grant to the disbelievers a way (to triumph) over the believers."
If the infidels have a thousand ways over us, while Allah the Almighty promises us to have victory over them, then that means there is something wrong within us, because Allah the Almighty promises to defend us and to protect us, so if Allah has not fulfilled His Promises, that means we lack faith so we do not deserve that .
6-Allah will grant the believers succession
Allah the Almighty promises the believers to grant them succession on earth, He says:
"Allah has promised those among you who believe, and do righteous good deeds, that He will certainly grant them succession to (the present rulers) in the earth, as He granted it to those before them, "
So, He promises to grant them succession.7-He promises to grant them authority to practice Islam
He says:
"and that He will grant them the authority to practise their religion, that which He has chosen for them (i.e. Islam)."
So, He promises to grant them authority to perform their acts of worship.
8-He promises the believer to feel safe
Allah the Almighty says:
"And He will surely give them in exchange a safe security after their fear"
Allah the Almighty promises the believers to feel secure while the bitter reality of the believer is that there is no succession, no authority to practice their religion, and no assurance which means we lack faith; i.e. our faith is not right enough to deserve the fulfillment of Allah's Promises.
9-Allah promises him to have good sustenance
Allah the Almighty promises to provide the believers with good sustenance, He says:
" And if the people of the towns had believed and had the Taqwa (piety), certainly, We should have opened for them blessings from the heaven and the earth,"
10-Allah promises to grant him glory
Allah the Almighty promises to grant the believer glory, He says:
"But honour, power and glory belong to Allah, His Messenger (Muhammad PBUH), and to the believers,"
While when you see the enemies of Muslims humiliate them, that contradicts with the reality of faith, Allah the Almighty says:
"But honour, power and glory belong to Allah, His Messenger (Muhammad PBUH), and to the believers,"
11-Allah promises to grant him a good life
Allah the Almighty promises the believer to enjoy a good life, He says:
"Whoever works righteousness, whether male or female, while he (or she) is a true believer (of Islamic Monotheism) verily, to him We will give a good life (in this world with respect, contentment and lawful provision),"
The reality of people
In conclusion, man is either a believer or an infidel, and the word Iman (faith) is derived from the word Amn (security) and from believing. also no one but the believer enjoys security, and the believer believes everything that the Prophets and Messengers came with.
Also, faith, in its exact meaning, is conviction, confession, and acting, also I've just mentioned to you the Promises of Allah to His real believers.
This is what Allah prepares for His servants in the Hereafter
What about the promises of Allah the Almighty for the believer in the Hereafter? He says:
"Verily! Those who believe (in the Oneness of Allah Islamic Monotheism) and do righteous deeds, shall have the Gardens of Al-Firdaus (the Paradise) for their entertainment. *"Wherein they shall dwell (forever). No desire will they have to be removed therefrom."
"Verily, those who believe (in Islamic Monotheism) and do righteous good deeds, for them are Gardens of delight (Paradise). * To abide therein. It is a Promise of Allah in truth. And He is the All-Mighty, the All-Wise. "
How does faith increase and decrease?
Dear brother, faith is conviction, and one of the requisites of conviction is to worship Allah, to try to get closer to Him, to put your trust in Him, to maintain submissiveness in Salah, to love Him, to perform your deeds only for His Sake, to abide by His Orders and His Prohibitions, to try to help His slaves, and to be generous and beneficent. So, faith increases and decreases, although facts never change; when you say that it is five o'clock, this is a fixed fact which has just one meaning, but faith increases and decreases, i.e. sometimes you feel a great desire to perform righteous deeds while other times you do not, sometimes you put your trust in Allah while other times you do not, and sometimes you feel a great love for Allah while other times you feel lazy about obeying Him. Thus, faith increases and decreases, and the proof is in this noble Ayah in which Allah the Almighty says:
"and when His Verses (this Quran) are reauthord unto them, they (i.e. the Verses) increase their Faith;"
Of course faith increases and decreases with regards to getting closer to Allah through worshipping Him or not, and according to your knowledge about Allah the Almighty. Actually, everything you know about Allah, Allah is Greater than it and this is one meaning of the statement :Allah is the Greatest. Basically, no one comprehends the reality of Allah except Him, but the more you try to get to know Allah, the more your faith increases, and the more you worship Him the more your faith increases, so faith increases and decreases. it decreases by doubts, and sins, because man's way to get closer to Allah is blocked by sins, wrongdoings, and suspicions (related to the Islamic creed) for which he finds no answer. Hence, faith increases and decreases.The Quranic evidences that faith increases and decreases:
The proofs are the following Ayaat in which Allah the Almighty says:
" And Allah increases in guidance those who walk aright "
" and the believers may increase in Faith "
"He it is Who sent down As-Sakinah (calmness and tranquillity) into the hearts of the believers, that they may grow more in Faith along with their (present) Faith."
"Those (i.e. believers) unto whom the people (hypocrites) said, "Verily, the people (pagans) have gathered against you (a great army), therefore, fear them." But it (only) increased them in Faith,"
This is one of the self-evident truths of faith, it increases whenever you contemplate over one sign of Allah's Greatness, whenever you reflect on one of the secrets of the creation of the universe, and whenever you ponder over the exact creation of Allah the Almighty. So whenever you ponder over one of the signs of the universe, one of the signs of Allah's Creation, and one of the Ayaat in the Noble Qur'an, the more your faith increases, also the more you worship Him the more your faith increases. On the other hand, faith decreases by suspicions for which you find no answer, or which you have not tried to find answers for, also it decreases by sins and wrongdoings. Hence faith increases and decreases.Renew your faith
Faith needs to be renewed from time to time. Abu Hurayra narrated that the Prophet PBUH said:
((Renew your faith by saying there is no God but Allah))
Which means faith Increases and decreases.How do we understand this Hadith?
Anas reported that the Prophet PBUH said:
(('None of you truly believes until I am more beloved to him than his father, his son and all of mankind))
Of course everyone claims that he loves Allah more than his parents, and his son, and all of mankind, however the meaning of this Hadith reveals itself when there is a conflict; i.e. when your interest will not be attained except through a sin, and you prefer your interest to the obedience to Allah then you do not love Allah more that your interest. The Prophet PBUH said:
((None of you truly believes until I am more beloved to him than his father, his son and all of mankind))
If man is proud of his father, while his father is not in the right then there is defect in his faith, also if he wants his son to enjoy a high position at the expense of his religion, there is a defect in his faith as well.
A proof from Sunnah that faith increases and decreases
One of the evidences from the Ahadith of the Prophet PBUH that faith increases and decreases is that the Prophet PBUH said:
(None of you truly believes until he loves for his brother what he loves for himself. )
This is one of the most precise Ahadith which is related to human motivation, his brother means his fellow creature, because Islam is a humane religion. you find some countries which treat their citizens in a sublime way, while other countries brutally suppress them; this has no relation to Islam, as Islam is a humane religion.
((until he loves for his brother what he loves for himself.))
Which means his brother in humanity, as the word ' brother' has a general meaning so we should not restrict its meaning.Omar Bin Adul-Aziz's saying about faith
The caliph Omar Bin Abdul Aziz, may Allah be pleased with him, had a wonderful saying about faith, he said: Faith has ordinances, laws, and virtues, whoever completes them, he has indeedcompleted his faith, and whoever has not completed them, his faith has not been completed yet.So faith is doctrine, worship, dealing with sh3er and virtues. At the top of the pyramid of faith is the creed followed by dealing with sh3er then virtues. So whoever has a sound creed, performs his acts of worship perfectly, treats sh3er in a good way, and has virtues, then he has perfect faith. Thus, faith increases.
Some of the noble companion's sayings about faith
Our master Muath used to say to his companion: let's sit to increase or faith for an hour.
which means attending an Islamic lecture increases your faith, pondering over a universe sign increases your faith, and getting to know the Hadith of the Prophet PBUH increases your faith too.
Ibn Mas'ud said: Faith is certainty, it is definitive information, inconclusive facts, supported by the reality and proven by evidences.
Ibn 'Umar said: Man will not reach the reality of piety until he leaves all suspicions in his heart, so there should be no disorder of ideas, nor hesitating, nor doubts:
"Only those are the believers who have believed in Allah and His Messenger, and afterward doubt not"
Uncertainty, doubt and illusion contradict with faith.
Amar, may Allah be pleased with him, said: There are three signs whoever has them all has a perfect faith: to do justice to sh3er even from himself, to spread peace in this world, and to spend in the way of Allah even if he is not wealthy.
So, the sign of the believer is that he is fair, he gives sh3er their rights even from himself, he apologies when he commits a mistake, he treats sh3er with justice, he spreads the greeting and spends even in poverty. .
The caliph Omar, may Allah be pleased with him, said: let us increase our faith. Which means: let us attend an Islamic lecture about the interpretation of the Noble Qur'an, about the Prophetic Hadith, about the Islamic creed, or about universe signs, let us listen to a sermon, read a book about Islam or listen to a tape (of an Islamic lecture), all these acts increase your faith.
Also, trying to get closer to Allah through worshipping Him, and performing the acts of worship perfectly increase your faith. On the other hand, trying to know the doubts about Islamic creed without trying to find their answers decreases your faith, as well as doubts and suspicions. Also, faith becomes old by time so it needs to be renewed from time to time.
As it was mentioned in some Ahadith:
((Renew your faith))
Our religion is based on Revelation from Allah
Dear brother, as I've said earlier, the source of our faith is the Revelation from Allah the Almighty, so Islam is based on Revelation from Allah to the people on the earth. There are innumerable proofs that the Qur'an which was revealed from Allah the Almighty to the heart of the Prophet PBUH is exactly the same as the Noble Qur'an which we have nowadays, without any increase in a letter or a mark. Actually, the subject of the 10 Qiraat (pronounciation or readings) of the Noble Qur'an is another topic, which is related to the drawing of the Quranic letters without punctuation, while the text which came down through Gabriel to the heart of the honest Prophet Muhammad PBUH is exactly the same as the Qur'an we have in our hands, So our religion is based on Revelation, and there are many details for this research.
Examples which show that Islam is based on Revelation
When people spoke against the chastity of Mrs. Aisha, may Allah be pleased with her, in Hadith Al-Ifk, if the Revelation were from the Prophet PBUH, the Ayah which proved her chastity would have been revealed after just one hour or even 5 minutes, while this accusation remained for 40 days and the Prophet PBUH had no evidence to prove or to deny it until the Revelation was sent down to prove her innocence.
Also, if the revelation were from the Prophet PBUH, there would have been no Ayaat in which Allah blames the Prophet.
Also, had the Revelation come to him while he was asleep, he would have thought that it was just a dream, but Gabriel came to him while he was awake.
In some Ahadith, it was narrated that the Prophet PBUH used to sweat heavily even on the coldest days when the Revelation came to him.,It was also narrated that Gabriel caught the Prophet (forcefully) and pressed him so hard that he could not bear it anymore, so he was not asleep and it was not a dream, rather the angel Gabriel came to him while he was awake.
Dear brother, it was narrated in Saheeh Muslim from Abdullah ibn Umar that his father Umar ibn al-Khattab said:
((Umar bin Al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) said: Once we were sitting in the company of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) when there appeared a man dressed in very white clothes and having extraordinary black hair. No signs of fatigue of journey appeared on him and he was known to none of us. He sat down facing the Prophet leaning his knees against the knees of the Prophet and placing both of his palms over his two thighs and said, “O Muhammad! Tell me about Islam.”
He (the Prophet)replied, “Islam is to testify that none has the right to be worshipped but Allah, and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah; that you observe Salat (prayers), pay Zakat, observe Saum (fasting) of Ramadan and perform Hajj (pilgrimage) of the House, provided you have resources of making journey to it.”
He (the questioner) replied: “You have spoken the truth.” We were surprised to see that he had asked him (the Prophet) and confirmed the correctness of the answers. He then inquired: “Tell me about Iman.”
He (the Prophet) said, “It is to believe in Allah, and His Books, and His Messengers and the Last Day and that you believe in al-Qadar, its consequences both good and bad.”
He (the questioner) said, “You have spoken the truth.”' He then enquired: “Tell me about Ihsan.''
He (the Prophet) said, “It is to worship Allah as if you are seeing Him; and although you do not see Him, He sees you.”
He (the questioner) enquired: “Inform me about the Hour (i.e., the Day of Resurrection).” He (the Prophet) replied, “I have no more knowledge thereof than you.” He (the questioner) said, “Inform me about some of its signs.”
He (the Prophet) said, “They are - that a bondswoman gives birth to her own master, and that you will find the barefooted, naked, poor shepherds competing with one another in the construction of higher buildings.”
Then he (the questioner) departed. The Messenger of Allah kept silent for a while then he said to me, “O Umar! Do you know who the inquirer was?” I replied, “Allah and His Messenger know better.” The Prophet said, “He was Angel Jibril (Gabriel); he came to you to teach you your religion.”
Our religion is revealed from Allah the almighty, there are pillars of faith and pillars of Islam, the pillars of faith, the pillars of Islam, Ihsan is to worship Allah as if you see Him, and one of the Last Day's sign is that a bondswoman gives birth to her own master, it is like when a righteous illiterate woman gives birth to a girl, then this girl becomes educated and describes her mother as an illiterate woman. This is one meaning of this Hadith.
What is the highest level of faith?
There are levels of faith, it was narrated in the two Sahih books of Hadith from Abu Hurayrah that the Prophet PBUH said:
((Faith consists of seventy-odd branches, and modesty is a branch of faith))
The highest level of faith is to believe in the Oneness of Allah, to believe that no one has power except Allah, and to believe that no one has authority over the universe except Him, Allah the Almighty says:" and to Him return all affairs (for decision)"
"The Hand of Allah is over their hands."
"It is He (Allah) Who is the only Ilah (God to be worshipped) in the heaven and the only Ilah (God to be worshipped) on the earth."
They have no Wali (Helper, Disposer of affairs, Protector, etc.) other than Him, and He makes none to share in His Decision and His Rule."
What is the highest and the lowest level of faith
Abu Hurayrah narrated that the prophet PBUH said :
((Faith has sixty-odd, or seventy-odd branches, the highest and best of which is to declare that there is no god but Allah, and the lowest of which is to remove something harmful from a road. Shyness too, is a branch of Faith.))
Consider the example of someone who was walking on the road, then he found a harmful thing in the path, so he removed it aside, why did he do that? It is out of his belief in Allah, also consider the example of one who was riding a vehicle on a travelling road, then he saw a big stone, he stopped his car, and removed that stone to the side of the road, what led him to do that? It is his faith in Allah, those who remove stones from the road are worshipers of Allah the Almighty, because this stone may cause a terrible accident, so he moved it aside.The highest level of faith is to believe in the Oneness of Allah, to believe that the Hand of Allah is above people's hands (Allah has power over them), and that Allah does whatever He wants. While the lowest degree of faith is to feed or give water to a cat, or to remove a harmful thing from the road, this is also from faith. Also, modesty, good manners, kindness and forgiveness are some attributes of the believers.
This is the real faith
Dear brother, faith is to believe in Allah as He has described Himself, without representation, interpretation, or negation, rather you should consider the best Names of Allah and His virtue Attributes high above what does not suit His Majesty. You should believe that Allah the Almighty has Best Names and Virtue Attributes as the Prophet PBUH told us, and the source of all of that is the noble Revelation. Actually, the Prophet PBUH used to find it very hard when the revelation came to him, Allah the Almighty says:
"Verily, We shall send down to you a weighty Word (i.e. obligations, legal laws, etc.)."
How did the Revelation come to the Prophet PBUH
Imam Al-Bukhari reported from the mother of the believers, Mrs. Aisha, may Allah be Pleased with her, that Al-Harith bin Hisham asked Allah’s Messenger “O Allah’s Messenger! How does the Revelation come to you?” Allah’s Messenger replied: “At times, it comes to me like the ringing of a bell, this form of revelation is the hardest upon me and then it stops when I have taken hold of what he said (the angel). Sometimes the angel comes in the form of a man and talks to me and I take what he says".”Mrs. Aisha, may Allah be Pleased with her said: And indeed I saw the Prophet PBUH when the Revelation was coming down on him on a very cold day, and when it ended sweat was dripping from his forehead
((Which is the hardest Inspiration I have grasped what he said))
This thing is crystal clear.Al-Bukhari reported in the Book of commencement of the revelation, that the wife of the Prophet PBUH Mrs. Aisha said:
((The beginning of the revelation to Allah’s messenger, PBUH was in the form of good dreams in his sleep. There was not a dream that he saw that did not come true (as clear) as the morning light. Then he was bestowed with the love of seclusion. He used to go into seclusion in the cave of Hira and do “tahannuth” in it- which means worshipping for many nights- before returning to his family. He used to take with him his provision for that (retreat) and then come back to (his wife) Khadija and then again would prepare his provisions for another similar (retreat) until the truth descended upon him while he was in the cave of Hira. The angel came to him and said: “Read”!. The Prophet replied, “I cannot read”. The Prophet added, “The angel grabbed me and pressed me so hard that I could not bear it any more. He then released me and again asked me to read and I replied, ‘I cannot read.’ Thereupon he grabbed me again and pressed me a second time until I couldn’t bear it any more. He then released me and again asked me to read but again I replied, ‘I can’t read’ Thereupon he grabbed me for the third time and pressed me, and then released me and said,
"‘Read! In the Name of your Lord, Who has created (all that exists),* Has created man from a clot (a piece of thick coagulated blood).* Read! And your Lord is the Most Generous,* Who has taught (the writing) by the pen [the first person to write was Prophet Idrees (Enoch)],* Has taught man that which he knew not..))
Mrs. Khadijah's attitude when she knew about the Prophet's mission
Dear brother, after the Revelation came to the Prophet PBUH, he came back to his home and told his wife Khadijah what happened. You should ponder over this: the best of mankind told his wife what happened to him, while you see many people who never care for their wives and never tell them anything. So he told his wife about this most critical event in his life. likewise, man should tell his wife about his matters, and should consider her as his companion on the way to Allah the Almighty, should he not? So the Prophet PBUH told her about what had happened.
The incredible thing about this great woman is that at the conquest of Mecca (many years after her death), many people invited him to stay at their houses, but he asked them to erect a tent for him near the tomb of Mrs. Khadija, and he planted the flag of victory in front of her grave, to make it known to all people that this lady had a share of that victory, because she was an example of the ideal wife who helped him in his call to Allah, and gave up all her rights for the sake of his mission.
This woman, when the Revelation had come down as only the Ayah (Read!) , said:
"By Allah, Allah will never disgrace you. You keep good relations with your Kith and kin, help the poor and the destitute, serve your guests generously and assist the deserving calamity-afflicted ones."
Where did she get this principle from? Although the Revelation had not come to the Prophet except with one verse “ read! In the Name of your Lord. Who has created.” , but she knew that by her Fitrah (natural inborn instinct).Glad tidings for the believing young man
Dear brother, with regards to the young believing man who remains upright upon the Straight Path of Allah, who is honest, trustworthy, chaste, who lowers his gaze from what Allah prohibited, who never lies, and who helps sh3er in times of calamities, you should know for sure that Allah the Almighty will never disgrace him. No matter whether he is poor or rich, no matter whether he owns a house or not, and no matter whether he has a job or not, as long as he is righteous, honest, trustworthy, chaste, as long as he seeks the Mercy of Allah the Almighty, then the demise of the whole universe is less important in the Sight of Allah than to disappoint this believing young man. You should consider this as a rule.
Mrs. Khadijah, may Allah be pleased with her said:
"By Allah, Allah will never disgrace you. You keep good relations with your Kith and kin, help the poor and the destitute, serve your guests generously and assist the deserving calamity-afflicted ones."
You should be assured because Allah the Almighty says:"Or do those who earn evil deeds think that We shall hold them equal with those who believe (in the Oneness of Allah Islamic Monotheism) and do righteous good deeds, in their present life and after their death? Worst is the judgement that they make."
It is impossible, and even a thousand times impossible that you obey Allah then you lose, or to disobey Him then you win, also it is impossible that Allah treats the believing, straight, chaste, pure, honest, trustworthy young man like the one who disobeys Allah, who commits sins, and who is quite overwhelmed with his illicit lusts and desires.
An imitation:
Where did Mrs. Khadijah derive these facts from? It is from her Fitrah. In imitation of her attitude, I want to say to you that if you see a young man who remains upright upon the Straight Path, who fears Allah, and who tries to help sh3er, I want to bring him glad tidings that Allah will honor him, although there is no proof of that but this is out of thinking good of Allah. So, Allah will never disgrace you as long as you remain upright upon the Straight Path, as long as you fear him, as long as you do good to His servants, and as long as you believe in His Oneness.
We should ponder over this statement
We should ponder over this statement deeply:
"By Allah, Allah will never disgrace you. You keep good relations with your Kith and kin, help the poor and the destitute, serve your guests generously and assist the deserving calamity-afflicted ones."
We will continue tomorrow Insha-Allah
Dear brother, we will continue this subject in other lectures Insha-Allah, and I ask Allah the Almighty that this series of faith will be based on the Ayaat of the Quran and the authentic Sunnah of the Prophet PBUH, and I hope to describe it accurately in detail, because when the creed is sound then the deeds are accepted, while when it is false, then the deeds will be false too.
