TAWHEED - Introduction to the Pillars of Iman'

Introductions to Imaan


Introduction
All praise is due to Allah. We praise Him and seek His assistance. We ask for his forgiveness and
take refuge in Him from the evil within ourselves and from the evil of our deeds. He whom Allah
guides will never be diverted yet whomever He sends astray will never find his way. I bear witness
that there is no god but Allah, alone, He has no partner, and I bear witness that Muhammad is His
Servant and Messenger.

The source of all evil is the deviation from truth and its straight path. The goodness of all matters is
the following of truth and adherence to its right way. Truth is the fixed state in which Allah has
created His creation. No created being in the world has been created by other than Allah. He, Alone,
has created everything in this world. Allah has created every creature in a particular way and
managed its affair in a certain manner. Allah is perfect and exempt from any deficiency or error. -
Goodness is in His Creation and Management. Anything which deviates from Allah's way and
management is bound to be ruined. Allah has created the heavens and the earth with truth and
wisdom. They are both useful by His creation and management.

Allah says
Had there been therein (in the heavens and the earth) gods besides Allah, then verily both
would have been ruined (Anbiya,22)
Man is one of Allah's creatures. The goodness of his life depends on his knowledge of truth and on
following this truth. Its corruption is the result of his ignorance of the truth, or his disobedience to it,
though he may know it.

Allah is the Truth, from Him comes the truth and His commands and management are the truth. The
cause of the corruption of humanity originates from disbelief in Allah, the Creator, from disbelief in
His commands and management and from disbelief in the Truth which He revealed. The cause of
the goodness of this life originates from the belief in Allah , the belief in the Qur'an and obedience of
His commands and will.

Allah says:
Whoever follows My Guidance shall neither go astray, nor fall into distress and misery. But
whoever turns away from My Reminder (That is, neither believes in this Qur'an nor acts on its
orders) verily, for him is a life of hardship, and We shall raise him up blind on the Day of
Resurrection) (Ta Ha,123-124)
Nobody follows Allah's guidance except those who believe in Him, remember Him, feel His
presence, attributes and His Greatness. Those who forget to remember Allah are misguided. Man is
tried in this world by two things. First, remembering Allah and following His guidance. Second,
forgetting Him and going astray. Man is at a crossroads. A road of belief, guidance and happiness in
this world and in the Hereafter. A road of disbelief, misguidance and misery in this world and in the
Hereafter.

Accordingly, the most noble knowledge a man can learn and teach to others is the basis of belief
(Eemaan) and its requirements. The best precautionary measures he can protect himself with is the
knowledge of the characteristics of disbelief (Kufr), its causes and exigencies. If man has insight into
these two important things, he will know the way of his happiness and follow it, and avoid the way of
his misery.

we hope to elucidate the pillars of Eemaan and the characteristics of Kufr and its causes. Allah is
the One who guides us to truth. If we do right, it is only from Allah, the Truth. If we err, its only from
ourselves and from Satan. We ask Allah to forgive us.


Part One: The Basis of Faith (Imaan)

Allah the Glorious & Exalted, said:
{The messenger believes in what has been revealed to him from his Lord, and (so do) the
believers; they all believe in Allah and His angels and His books and His messengers; We
make no difference between any of His messengers; and they say: We hear and obey, our
Lord! Thy forgiveness (do we crave), and to Thee is the eventual course.}(2: 285)
Allah also says:
{O you who believe! believe in Allah and His Messenger and the Book which He has revealed
to His Messenger and the Book which He revealed before; and whoever disbelieves in Allah
and His angels and His messengers and the last day, he indeed strays off into a remote
error.}(4: 136)
{It is not righteousness that you turn your faces towards the East and the West, but
righteousness is this that one should believe in Allah and the last day and the angels and the
Book and the prophets,..}(2: 177)
When the Angel Jibreel came to the Prophet (S.A.W.) disguised as a Bedouin and asked him about
Islam, Eemaan (Faith) & Ihsaan, the Prophet (S.A.W.) said about faith: (It means) the belief in
Allah, His Angels, His Books, His Messengers & the Last Day; and belief in Al-Qadaa wal Qadar
(Divine Preordainment) good or bad.
(Narrated by Imam Muslim on the authority of Umar Ibnu al-Khattaab, in Sahih Muslim)
(Al- Bukhari narrated the same Hadith on the authority of Abu Hurayrah, in Sahih Bukhari)


So there are 6 pillars of Imaan-
1. To believe in Allah.
2. His Angels
3. His Books
4. His messengers
5. The Last Day &
6. Qadar (Preordainment)