It is not righteousness that ye turn your faces Towards east or West; but it is righteousness- to believe in Allah and the Last Day, and the Angels, and the Book, and the Messengers… (2/177)
Faith is belief in the unity of God. “There is no god but God” is the motto of Islam. Faith, which connotes intuition, is innate in man; it is a God's blessing. " But Allah has endeared the Faith to you, and has made it beautiful in your hearts …" (49/7) A man can perceive the mystery of faith in him which is beyond his logical grasp through his heart. Once that sentiment is sparkled he receives a reaction by the Supreme Being. "No soul can believe, except by the will of Allah, and He will place doubt (or obscurity) on those who will not understand" (10/100). God's servant who takes refuge in God with feelings of gratitude and thankfulness will experience faith which lies in his essence; he owes this experience to his innate consciousness of God. This is the beginning of his divine wisdom that will lead him eventually to salvation. " For, Believers are those who, when Allah is mentioned, feel a tremor in their hearts, and when they hear His signs rehearsed, find their faith strengthened, and put (all) their trust in their Lord" (8/2)
The confession of faith in Islam is the following: God, Angels, revealed Books, prophets, Hereafter, and Fate are the six tenets.
BELIEF IN GOD
Allah. There is no god but He,-the Living, the Self-subsisting, Eternal. No slumber can seize Him nor sleep. His are all things in the heavens and on earth. Who is there can intercede in His presence except as He permitteth? He knoweth what (appeareth to His creatures as) before or after or behind them. Nor shall they compass aught of His knowledge except as He willeth. His Throne doth extend over the heavens and the earth, and He feeleth no fatigue in guarding and preserving them for He is the Most High, the Supreme (in glory). (2/255)
The Creating Power behind the limitless space and forces of nature is called Allah by the Qur'an. He is the only and unique entity that has created the universe. The word 'Allah' has no plural in Arabic." I was a hidden treasure; I wanted to be known and created the beings' says a tradition". The Absolute Being is in continuous motion and evolution. His boundless love and beauty embraces the universe. He projects upon his creatures his characteristics and contemplates himself in his creation. Many theories have been propounded as to His whereabouts in the Universe. Some say that after he created the world he hid himself in the universe and vanished. This may be true. Others claim that after he created the universe he established himself in a corner of the space and began ruling over the world through his angels. This is surely absurd. Simply because God is omnipresent.
It is a plain fact that God cannot be encompassed by man's intellect. We can intuit his existence through his attributes or the names of God. "The most beautiful names belong to Allah, so call on him by them" (7/180) By al-asma' al-husna are meant names expressing the most excellent attributes of the Divine Being. By calling on Him therewith is meant that man should always keep the Divine attributes before his mind, endeavoring to possess those attributes, for only thus can he attain to perfection. We are conscious of the fact that the universe is the manifestation of the Lord of Creation. Whatever exists, both visible and invisible, i.e. human beings, beasts, plants, angels, mountains, etc. are but the embodiment of God. "To Allah belong the east and the West: Whithersoever ye turn, there is the presence of Allah. For Allah is all-Pervading, all-Knowing. "(2/115) According to Hacý Bayram Veli God has two faces; namely, an inner, esoteric and intrinsic one, in His attribute of 'The Absolute, the Thing-in-itself', His wisdom being the source of everything; and an exterior one, His manifestations and actions. The latter is the world where we witness His expansion that we contemplate. In the formation of the worlds and creation of the creatures, the attributes or names of the Supreme Being find their representations. It should be born in mind that the thing-in-itself cannot be limited and that e is,isisiiiiih
He is not confined by his representations. He is the Only One and the Unique Being unlike anything else. Say: He is Allah, the One and Only; Allah, the Eternal, Absolute; He begetteth not, nor is He begotten; And there is none like unto Him. (112/1-4) . (When this message was delivered), (Pharaoh) said: "Who, then, O Moses, is the Lord of you two?" He said: "Our Lord is He Who gave to each (created) thing its form and nature, and further, gave (it) guidance." (20/49-50)
He is the First and the Last, the Evident and the Immanent: and He has full knowledge of all things. (57/3)
We can have an insight into the Supreme Being by the knowledge provided in the Qur'an. In the foregoing verse God discloses some of his attributes. He is the First and the Last, the Alpha and the Omega. He has no beginning, nor end. He is the Creator of everything.
The Eternal One. Everything will cease to exist but He. All that is on earth will perish: But will abide (for ever) the Face of thy Lord,- full of Majesty, Bounty and Honour. 55/26-27)
The Manifest One. Everything testifies His presence. Of Him seeks (its need) every creature in the heavens and on earth: every day in (new) Splendour doth He (shine)! (55/29) Should anyone ask where our Lord is, say that He is ever in a new garb; gracious God, not visible to the eye. Our intellect is expected to grasp it through the manifestation of His Divine attributes.
The Inner One. Despite the fact that His presence is manifest everywhere, He cannot be seen, nor can He be apprehended That is Allah, your Lord! there is no god but He, the Creator of all things: then worship ye Him: and He hath power to dispose of all affairs. No vision can grasp Him, but His grasp is over all vision: He is above all comprehension, yet is acquainted with all things. (6/102-103)
The Omniscient. He knows everything. Every phenomenon and every created thing is within the concealed ken of the Divine Being, and operates according to His prescience. The entire universe and the process of evolution come within his boundless purview.
The True Path. The path that may eventually lead to His knowledge lies in our hearts. He is deep buried in the depths of our hearts and nearer to us than our jugular vein. . It was We Who created man, and We know what dark suggestions his soul makes to him: for We are nearer to him than (his) jugular vein. (50/16)
BELIEF IN ANGELS
And they say: "((Allah)) Most Gracious has begotten offspring." Glory to Him! they are (but) servants raised to honour. They speak not before He speaks, and they act (in all things) by His Command. (21/26-27)
According to the Qur'an, angels are invisible to the human eye; they are living beings who have consciousness. It is believed that they are created by light. They keep praying and praising God and fulfill the tasks they are given. Prophets have risen also among them. They are not like human beings; they do not eat, sleep; they are asexual. They move very fast according to the Qur'an. Their number is known to God only. The archangels are Gabriel, Michael, Israfel, and Azrael.
( See The present book, Laws of Creation, Angel)
BELIEF IN REVEALED BOOKS
To thee We sent the Scripture in truth, confirming the scripture that came before it, and guarding it in safety: so judge between them by what Allah hath revealed, and follow not their vain desires, diverging from the Truth that hath come to thee. To each among you have we prescribed a law and an open way. If Allah had so willed, He would have made you a single people, but (His plan is) to test you in what He hath given you: so strive as in a race in all virtues. The goal of you all is to Allah. it is He that will show you the truth of the matters in which ye dispute. (5/48)
( See The present book, The Divine Design, Revealed Books)
The revealed Books contain God's words: these are the Torah sent to Moses, the Psalms given to David, the Gospel revealed to Jesus and the Qur'an sent to Muhammad.
BELIEF IN PROPHETS
… For We assuredly sent amongst every People an apostle, (with the Command), "Serve Allah, and eschew Evil"… (16/36)
To make Himself known to men and to enable them to follow the true path, God sent prophets of exemplary lifestyle to whom he entrusted a piece of His Wisdom and the rules that his followers should observe. The Qur'an, in which it is said that every community had had its own prophet, contains the names and the life stories of 27 prophets. Although according to certain exegetes thousands of prophets are said to have been sent their number is known to God only.
( See The present book, The Divine Design, The Prophets)
BELIEF IN THE HEREAFTER
Every soul shall have a taste of death: And only on the Day of Judgment shall you be paid your full recompense. Only he who is saved far from the Fire and admitted to the Garden will have attained the object (of Life): For the life of this world is but goods and chattels of deception. (3/185)
The Hereafter: The life after death, in which a Muslim must believe, will be a reckoning term wherein rewards or punishments will be awaiting them. Death does not connote the annihilation of man, created in the image of God; his mortal body undergoes transformation and change of dimensions. It is a sort of immigration from one world to another. Muhammad said: “Your bodies are but your saddle horses” God Almighty expressed this fact in many verses of the Qur'an: “Thou shalt be returned to us.” In other words, man will not disappear or vanish into this air. "And verily the Hereafter will be better for thee than the present." (93/4) … to Him be Praise in the Hereafter: (34/1) The Hereafter will be a far better life than the actual life on earth; there man's maturation will continue.
The Hereafter has two stages: The world of the departed and the world after the Judgment Day. A man whose life term on earth has expired returns to the earth; his soul is separated from his body which dissolves. But his immortal soul that maintains all his features departs to the Hereafter. Then He causeth him to die, and putteth him in his grave; Then, when it is His Will, He will raise him up (again). (80/21-22) But verily, it will be but a single (Compelling) Cry, When, behold, they will be in the (full) awakening (to Judgment). (79/13-14) The mortal will remain in the Hereafter as though in sleep and will be visited by dreams. The Muslim scholars claim that development will continue; while the life after resurrection in human garb will also be a transitory phase. The individual will receive its reward or be subjected to punishment according to his deeds during his life on earth. (In Falsehood will they be) Until, when death comes to one of them, he says: "O my Lord! send me back (to life),- "In order that I may work righteousness in the things I neglected." - "By no means! It is but a word he says."- Before them is a Partition till the Day they are raised up. (23/99-100) But whosoever turns away from My Message, verily for him is a life narrowed down, and We shall raise him up blind on the Day of Judgment." He will say: "O my Lord! why hast Thou raised me up blind, while I had sight (before)?" (20/124-125) The word 'blind' used here refers to the man blindfolded to spiritual truths. It appears that this blindness will continue even in the Hereafter. The term to be spent in the Hereafter will appear to the mortal as a very brief space of time since the concept of time will be no more. It will be on a Day when He will call you, and ye will answer (His call) with (words of) His praise, and ye will think that ye tarried but a little while!" (17/52)
Period after the Judgment Day: This period will start on the Judgment Day to last forever. Our world will be no more; a new globe and new stars will form: One day the earth will be changed to a different earth, and so will be the heavens, and (men) will be marshalled forth, before Allah, the One, the Irresistible; (14/8) The daily newspaper Sabah of 22/10/1997 published the pictures of the collision of two galaxies 63 million light year distant from our world that the Hubble telescope had observed, with the caption 'The Doomsday'. The collision had taken place millions of years before but the image arrived. These crystal-clear photographs reveal important truths for the future of our earth. Two galaxies formed by billions of stars having completed their term collide with each other with a big bang giving birth to new stars and a new galaxy with a trail of hydrogen that extends to several hundred miles. The astronomers said that they had obtained extremely valuable information which gave clues about the Bing Bang. They say that billions of years had to pass before the news stars took their final shape. A day will come when the sun, the planets and the galaxy, of which our earth is a part, will collide with another galaxy. According to the expectations and calculation of astronomers this event will not occur before five billion years.
In the new world to form, our spirit will, according to the Qur'an assume a new garb, the shape of an individual 30-32 years old. . We have created (their Companions) of special creation. And made them virgin - pure (and undefiled), - Beloved (by nature), equal in age,- For the Companions of the Right Hand. A (goodly) number from those of old, And a (goodly (56/35-38) . We have created (their Companions) of special creation. And made them virgin - pure (and undefiled), - Beloved (by nature), equal in age,- For the Companions of the Right Hand. (18-48) That Day will every soul be requited for what it earned; no injustice will there be that Day, for Allah is Swift in taking account. (40/17) The day it arrives, no soul shall speak except by His leave: of those (gathered) some will be wretched and some will be blessed. Those who are wretched shall be in the Fire: There will be for them therein (nothing but) the heaving of sighs and sobs: They will dwell therein for all the time that the heavens and the earth endure, except as thy Lord willeth: for thy Lord is the (sure) accomplisher of what He planneth. And those who are blessed shall be in the Garden: They will dwell therein for all the time that the heavens and the earth endure, except as thy Lord willeth: a gift without break. (11/105-108)
BELIEF IN FATE
With his prescience He to whom belongs the dominion of the heavens and the earth: no son has He begotten, nor has He a partner in His dominion: it is He who created all things, and ordered them in due proportions. (25/2)
God is omniscient and prescient; He knows not only the past but what is going to take place in future in the universe. It is an outcome of His wisdom. Predestination is the doctrine that all events throughout eternity have been foreordained by divine decree or purpose; especially, the foreordination by God of each individual's ultimate destiny particularly to eternal life. With Him are the keys of the unseen, the treasures that none knoweth but He. He knoweth whatever there is on the earth and in the sea. Not a leaf doth fall but with His knowledge: there is not a grain in the darkness (or depths) of the earth, nor anything fresh or dry (green or withered), but is (inscribed) in a record clear (to those who can read). (6/59) Lifetime of every living thing has also been determined in advance. Nor can a soul die except by Allah.s leave, the term being fixed as by writing. (3/145) No kind of calamity can occur, except by the leave of Allah. and if any one believes in Allah, ((Allah)) guides his heart (aright): for Allah knows all things. Sickness, death, accident, disasters take place by leave of God. If we take cognizance of this fact, we shall be at rest and resign to our fate. Who say, when afflicted with calamity: "To Allah We belong, and to Him is our return". (2/156)
The universe is but the manifestation of God. All that is created are but His representations. His ways may not be grasped by our intellects. …. But it is possible that ye dislike a thing which is good for you, and that ye love a thing which is bad for you. But Allah knoweth, and ye know not. (2/216) The disaster that afflicts an individual may eventually be to his benefit. But ye will not, except as Allah wills… (76/30) Whatever happens is within the ken and permission of God. . Nor say of anything, "I shall be sure to do so and so tomorrow"- Without adding, "So please Allah." and call thy Lord to mind when thou forgettest, and say, "I hope that my Lord will guide me ever closer (even) than this to the right road… (18/23-24). This means that a servant can never trespass the border that God has delineated. If the Truth had been in accord with their desires, truly the heavens and the earth, and all beings therein would have been in confusion and corruption!... (23-71) In whatever Form He wills, does He put thee together. (82/8)
God Almighty makes a dough, blending His attributes and shapes every being in its own garb endowing him with original talents. This inborn aptitude decides that being's destiny. It is the genius that man is endowed with bestowed by God and comprises such merits as ability, intelligence and perception. Some are more intelligent than others, some more sympathetic, some stronger, some with a greater artistic gift. We must thank Him in full cognizance of this fact and resign to our fate with patience thinking that every event conceals a mystery behind it of which we may not be aware. On no soul do We place a burden greater than it can bear…(23/62)
… If some good befalls them, they say, "This is from Allah.; but if evil, they say, "This is from thee" (O Prophet). Say: "All things are from Allah." But what hath come to these people, that they fail to understand a single fact? …. Whatever good, (O man!) happens to thee, is from Allah. but whatever evil happens to thee, is from thy (own) soul. (4/78-79)
Whatever happens has a secret cause. To carry out acts of charity, to have schools built, to make donations to children and charitable foundations and to the poor may be such meritorious acts as are executed by pious and beneficent souls actually assigned by God. Again, other acts that may seem odious now may have in the end laudable results which we are unable to foresee. “God knows, and you do not know” is said in he Qur'an. On the other hand, bedeviled corrupt souls may serve God's purpose as a means or intermediary determining or leading to an evil end; the said soul being an instrument that functions in the promotion of some end or purpose. The concrete ill advised happening will necessarily be recorded on the negative side of the perpetrator's book of reckoning. Although both good and bad deeds are in God's store, the offender will bear the responsibility of his act, as he has been given a will of his own to enable him to discriminate between good and bad and he cannot escape the consequences of his doings claiming that it was not his fault, but that it was fated that he should act in that particular way. There is in Islam an absolute destiny and a yet unrealized fate. The former is sure to happen while the latter is to be determined if actualized by the person in question. God has provided man with a beacon: a monumental indication often serving as a source of light and inspiration. So he who gives (in charity) and fears ((Allah)), And (in all sincerity) testifies to the best,- We will indeed make smooth for him the path to Bliss. But he who is a greedy miser and thinks himself self-sufficient, And gives the lie to the best, We will indeed make smooth for him the path to Misery. (92/5-10)
According to the Qur'an in order to be saved one must realize three conditions: 1) A person should share his possessions with others; namely, he must give alms and donations for the sake of God; 2) He must be pious, namely, he must perform the religious duties foreseen in the Qur'an; 3) He must extol beauty, the beauty the author of which is God to whom praise be due. Those who abide by these rules will not suffer but attain bliss. Piety and philanthropy are two things specially mentioned by the Prophet likely to dispel disasters and even to prolong one's life. There is also a counter-current; the evil acts that a man will perform will affect his future adversely, as may be seen in the above verses. On the other hand, stinginess, boastfulness, ingratitude to God, are among the negative behavior causing the individual's condemnation.
We must try to abide by God's injunctions to the best of our ability and leave the final decision to Him. Follow thou the inspiration sent unto thee, and be patient and constant, till Allah do decide: for He is the best to decide. (10/109) Despite the fact that they are sometimes accused of lethargy, communities, who have put their trust in fate, live contented. Those who believe otherwise, thinking that they themselves are the authors of their destiny thanks to their intelligence and will, are not aware that they are in grievous error. These disbelievers, in defiance of God's design, can decide neither on their own destiny nor on the destiny of their communities. Have they found a remedy for mortality, can they know what the future will bring!
TEN FUNDAMENTAL PRAYERS IN PIETY