Articles of Faith

(Handled in two sections first in features then in past paper answers)

Unity and Oneness of Allah

Muslim belief in Allah is also known as Tawhid Tawhid regulates the entire course of a Muslims life because if a person has belief in the concept he will be aware that Allah is watching him and he wont commit any sins Only a person who beliefs this will be safe from Shirk because he wont submit to any other false deities It is the belief of Allahs omnipotence Best Explanation of Tawhid in Surah Al-Ikhlas Say He is Allah the one and the only Allah the eternal absolute He does not beget nor is he begotten And there is none like him Belief in oneness of Allah is the core of Islam All creation has to acknowledge Allah and obey him This in brief is the essence of Islam Allahs greatness and majesty is too great for us to comprehend and an idea about him is given in the Quran He is the first, He is the last He is the manifest, He is the hidden The basic belief of Muslims is La ilaha illa Allah this means that there is no God except Allah The greatness of Allah and it is such that everything except Allah is bound by existence but existence itself is dependant upon Allah Not only existence but every thing that make us humans weak or less powerful do not affect Allah in any way. He doesnt need to sleep, eat and do other worldly tasks which are necessary for us All His creations fulfill his commands no matter what if he pleases He has not only created the Universe but also sustains it The harmony in which everything is existing shows that there is only one God as there are no contradictions in nature It is said in the Quran If there were in the heavens and the Earth other gods than Allah then there would be confusion Allah is the creator and only the person who surrenders to his will can gain superiority

Angels
Belief in angels is a part of Muslim belief Angels are created from light and are heavenly beings They are Allahs creations and not an object of worship There knowledge is limited to what Allah tells them They live forever They follow Allahs commands and orders and have no free will(they prostrated in front of Adam without question) Angels glorify and praise Allah They never get tired They dont need food They dont need to sleep They plead forgiveness for the believers but can not intercede on their behalf They are guardians of the hell fire and the keepers of the gates to heaven They are usually invisible but can become visible if their task requires They have different powers given to them by Allah, to complete their duties They have the ability to change form as Hazrat Lut was warned about the fate of his people by angels in human form They are sent for different tasks like protecting men, administrating punishment granting rewards Angels often have particular missions to perform like Hazrat Jibrails Main task is to bring down Allahs messages Brought revelations to all Prophets(angels are also referred to as divine messengers and the Quran says) He does send down His angels with inspirations of His commands to such of His servants as he pleases Announced the birth of Hazrat Isa to Hazrat Maryam Delivered the Quran to Hazrat Muhammad and also conducted the Mihraj of Hazrat Muhammad Hazrat Mikael Provides nourishment for the body Hazrat Izrael The angle of death Takes sprits of the dead Hazrat Israfel Has to blow the trumpet on the Day of Judgment Kiraman(honorable) Katibayn(writing down your deeds) Record all deeds of a man It is said in the Quran Verily, over you are appointed angels in charge of mankind, to watch you. Kiraman (honorable) Katibayn (writing down your deeds)

Divine Books
Other Books A source of guidance to mankind All are a word of Allah All these books have been delivered by Prophets They are all meant for a particular community because humanity was not ready for a complete guide The message is mainly based on Tawhid The names of a few of these books are given in the Quran Shuf Hazrat Ibrahim Tawrat Hazrat Musa Zabur Hazrat Daud Inji Hazrat Isa Muslims believe in all these books Muslims also believe that they have been either lost or corrupted (except the Quran) All these books were sent for a particular community for a particular time period Allah has conveyed spiritual guidance through these books It is not fitting for a man that Allah should speak to him except by inspiration or from behind a veil or by sending of a messenger to reveal with Allahs permission what Allah wills All these books contained the same principle i.e. Tauheed The Quran A word of Allah The Quran is heavenly and divine The Quran was revealed to the Last Prophet and is the Last book The Quran is also the best book among all others Quran is the only scripture sent for the whole of humanity Quran is the only book in its true form and Allah has taken responsibility for its protection This is the glorious Quran in a tablet preserved Quran is a universal book and complete code of life The Quran lays down spiritual and worldly principals as well The Quran also narrated the accounts of previous Prophets and their followers so that the Muslims can benefit from that guidance as well and learn from the mistakes of those followers The Quran is also recited in prayers

Prophets
Previous Prophets Muslims believe in the line of Prophets from Hazrat Adam to Hazrat Muhammad The Quran says that there were many prophets. A Hadith concurs that there may have been 124,000 prophets Only a few are mentioned in the Quran The message of all the Prophets was the same (Tawhid or Oneness of Allah) They are not sinners They do not disobey Allah They are always truthful They are mortal and ordinary men with wives, children and jobs (they only hold distinction due to their surrender to Allah) They were guided and Allah imposed his grace upon them They were steadfast during the hardships they faced They will be questioned on the Day of Judgment on the response of the people to their message They were not universal and were for a particular community No one is better than the other, as it is said in the Quran We make no distinction between one and another of his messengers Prophet Muhammad Prophet Muhammad is the Seal of the Prophets (Khatam al-nabiyyin) There are no Prophets after him He is a universal Prophet and a guidance for all mankind He received the last and universal book the Quran His Hadith is also a source of guidance to Muslims He is the best example for human beings as it is said in the Quran We have indeed in the Messenger of Allah a beautiful pattern (of conduct) for anyone whose hope is in Allah and the Final day, and who engages much in the praise of Allah He was close to Allah He lived a complete and normal life He was a mortal He worked for a living, had a wife and had children He fulfilled both his worldly and spiritual obligations He is the best model in all aspect and he is the conveyer of the Divine guidance to mankind Imam of the prophets Foretold by previous prophets

Predestination and decree

Allah has created the Universe and it the absolute Controller and Lord Everything in the World has a predetermined course set by Allahs Sublime Knowledge called Al-Qadr(the set course) All creation in person, action and attributes is brought into being and regulated by Allah, as said in the Quran And he created everything and determined its pre-destination Allah has qualitative and quantitative knowledge of the whole of the universe from begging to end By believing in the fact that Allah knows our pasts and our futures infinitely more than any other entity we testify his position as Supreme Regulator and Sustainer. It is in the Quran He knows what is before them and what is behind them Allah had written down the fates of all things in the Book of Destinies the Lohe-Mehfuz as the Prophet said: Fifty thousand years before the creation of the Heavens and the Earth Allah had written down the pre-destination of all of his creation The entire Universe is subservient to Allah, so no one has the ability to interface with Allahs Rule in the World o r his decrees their will is futile without Allahs consent as it occurs in the Quran. And your will amounts to nothing except when Allah so wills Every incident in the world is a result of Allahs planning Sometimes we are unable to justify why something took place but it was Allahs will and we cant impose ours in this situation as Allah knows better Allah does as he wills Nothing happens by chance even if a tree sheds its leaves or an earthquake comes The supremacy of His Qadr is explained as And your Lord creates what he wills. They (his creation) have never any choice In the final decision of heaven and hell we are dependant upon his decision And if we had so willed, we could have guided every soul to the right path. But my word had to be completed that I would fill hell with Jinn and Men. Allah orders us to follow divine revelation which is a calculated path to salvation but still we end up on his mercy However man still has free will as he is free to accept or reject Allahs guidance To blame sins on predestination is illogical We are free to choose the course of our lives and if Allah knows our fate it doesnt mean we can do whatever we like and we would still end up the same way We have to follow Allahs instructions for achieving Paradise The freedom of action does not clash with freedom of action as the Prophet said: The abode of each one of you has been decreed as either heaven or hell Upon asking of a companion in regard to leaving everything to predestination he replied: No, but work hard

Allah had told the Prophet And say: This is the Truth from your Lord, so let them believe who want to and let them deny it who wants to verify, we have prepared a fire for those who perform evil deeds. Allahs justice is beyond laws and any thing which happens to us in this life or the hereafter is a direct result of our own actions as it is said in the Quran And Allah does not burden a soul beyond its scope. It has earned ---is pleasant on it, and deserved what is unpleasant on it We should be steadfast when difficult times come upon us and we should not be too proud when Allah has bestowed his mercy upon us So you do not become overly anguished on a calamity, nor overly boastful of what is bestowed on you

Life after Death (Al-Akhira)

Muslims belief in life after death In the afterlife we will be rewarded for our obedience to Allah and punished for our disobedience This word is temporary and the behavior of a person in this world will determine his fate in the afterlife. The Holy Prophet said: Abstain from what is in this world and Allah will love you and abstain from what people have and people will love you And The world is a cultivating ground for the hereafter To differentiate between right and wrong Allah has given us the Quran and the Sunnah of the Prophet is another importance resource It is believed that upon death people will be questioned in the grave and receive comfort or punishment There will also be a Day of Resurrection( Yaum al-Qiyama) on which all people will be brought back into their physical forms The day of judgment will be the most difficult day for all mankind All actions of a person will come forward on this day Mountains will crumble and all worldly monuments and wonders will no longer exist All decisions on this day will be just and nothing will be overlooked Each and every person will be held accountable for their actions on this day as the Prophet said Each and everyone of you is the caretaker and is responsible for his or her actions Not a single soul will suffer injustice on this day They will be judged by Allah and will either receive Heaven or Hell as it is said in the Quran Those whose balance of good deeds will be heavy will be in a life of pleasure and satisfaction and those whose balance of good deeds will be light will have his home in a bottomless pit The states of heaven and hell are not spiritual they are physical and the pain of the punishment and the pleasure of the rewards will be real It is Allah who will be omnipotent in making this decision and it is Allah upon whom our fates will rest

Authors: Ali Moeen Compiled By Muzammil Abdul Rauf