Chapter 2: Introduction to Faith PDF

# Chapter 2: Introduction to Faith ## Pronounce Testimony of Faith - Iman is the statement of the tongue, conviction of the heart, and the physical action of the body. - Obedience: Action of the heart (shyness, reliance, love, fear, repentance), Action of the tongue (tasbih, takbir, reciting Qu...

# Chapter 2: Introduction to Faith ## Pronounce Testimony of Faith - Iman is the statement of the tongue, conviction of the heart, and the physical action of the body. - Obedience: Action of the heart (shyness, reliance, love, fear, repentance), Action of the tongue (tasbih, takbir, reciting Quran), Action of the body (pray, hajj, jihad, fast). - Disobedience: What the heart and body do not do. ## Video 1: - Do good deeds and refrain from bad. - Pray all 5 prayers on time in the masjid. - Obey parents. - Respect your relatives even if they are rude to you. - Fast without sinning. - Perform involuntary prayers (salatul-janaazah). - Do the involuntary fasts (mon/thurs, ashura, arafat). - Give charity. - Smile at people for the sake of Allah. ## Video 2: Boost Your Imaan - Take care of an orphan (share food, caress hair, sit with them). - Look to those that have less in the dunya to make what you have seem more. - Visiting a sick person. - Praying janazah. - Feeling guilt after sinning proves your heart is alive. - A mu'min finds motivation in the most unmotivating environments. - A sick heart cannot taste ibadah (you have to figure out on your own what's stopping it). - Follow the seasons of mercy as it makes Allah increase our imaan. ## Slide 4 & 6 <br> | | Speech | Action | |---|---|---| | **Iman** | Heart (belief in Allah, Angels, etc) | Limbs (Hajj, Sadaqah) | | **Eemaan (Faith)** | Tongue (Shahada) | Heart (Kushu, Tawakkul) | | | | | | **Speech** | Tongue (Its confirmation and expression of what is in the heart) | Tongue (Remembrance of Allah, Seeking Forgiveness, enjoining good, forbidding evil, etc.) | | **Action** | | Heart (Love, fear, hope, reliance, sincerity, remorse and other actions of the heart) | <br> - Tawheed ur-Ruboobiyyah and Tawheed ul-Asmaa was-Sifaat. - Tawheed ul-Ilm wal-Ma'rifah (The Tawheed of Knowledge and Acquaintance). - Tawheed ul-Uloohiyyah/Ibaadah or Tawheed ul-Qasd wal-Iraadah (The Tawheed of Purpose and Intent). <br> - Iman means what the heart says. - "Statement" of the tongue is to pronounce the testimony of faith. - Action of the heart is when the slave's heart carries out the deeds of faith like bashfulness, reliance on Allah, hope in Him, fear of Him, repentance, love, etc. - Actions of the tongue are glorifying Allah with Tasbih, Takbir, reciting the Quran, enjoining good and forbidding evil, etc. - Actions of the body parts include prayer, fasting, Hajj, Jihad, and similar acts of worship. ## Slide 9 # Pillars of Imaan 1. Belief in Allah: - Belief in His existence. - To whom belong beautiful names and attributes. - One worthy of worship. ## Belief in Allah: - The firm belief in the existence of Allah Almighty and the fact that He is the Lord, the Creator, the Owner, the Planner, to whom belong beautiful names and exalted attributes. - He is the One God with no partner and the only one worthy of worship. <br> # What is Tawheed & its Categories? - Tawheed is to affirm the oneness of Allah in 3 different ways: 1. Have Tawheed in Allah's action. Nobody does what He does except Him. - Allah's actions: Creator, Sustainer, legislates haram & halal, listens, sees, has mercy. 2. Our actions we do only for Allah and to Him. - Our actions: Worship, pray, sujood, bow, sadagan, fast. 3. Allah has perfect names and attributes. - Opposite of tawheed: Shirk. - Kufr - you can disbelieve without committing shirk. ## Belief in His Existence: - " **Tawhid ar-Ruboobiyyah** " (Tawhid of Lordship) is to believe in the existence of Allah Almighty, and that He is unique in His actions. - It involves acknowledging that Allah alone is the Lord and Owner of everything and the Creator and Provider of everything; - He is the One who gives life and causes death; the One who brings about benefit and causes harm, and the only One who answers supplications in distress. - Indeed, to Allah belongs the whole matter of disposing and controlling the affairs with no partner with Him, (10:31): *"Say, Who provides for you from the heaven and the earth? Or who controls hearing and sight and who brings the living out of the dead and brings the dead out of the living and who arranges [every] matter?" They will say, "Allah," so say, "Then will you not fear Him?*" ## Proof of Allah's Existence: - Intellect (Dalaal al-Aql) - Sense (Dalaal al-Hass) - Instinct / Fitrah (Dalaal al-Fitrah) ## Slide 14-15 # Evidence of Fitrah: - Knowing Allah and believing in Him is one of the innate knowledge that Allah created in man. - Allah Almighty said (30:30): *"So direct your face toward the religion, inclining to truth. [Adhere to] the fitrah of Allah upon which He has created [all] people. No change should there be in the creation of Allah. That is the correct religion, but most of the people do not know."* - The Prophet said: *"Everyone is born a Muslim, but his parents make him a Jew, a Christian, or a Magian."* - Adhering to pure nature brings reassurance, comfort, certainty, and peace of mind. - The Companions understood this and expressed it. - Ibn Omar, may Allah be pleased with him, said: *"I have never been happier about anything in Islam than I was when my heart was not influenced by any whims."* - The evidence of human nature is so firmly rooted in the souls of humans that a person may not need any other evidence. - What indicates this is a person's resorting and fear to his Creator, glory be to Him, in times of hardship and need, whether this person is a monotheist or a polytheist. - Allah Almighty said (10:12): *"and when affliction touches man, he calls upon Us, whether lying on his side or sitting or standing."* - Allah also said (17:67): *"When hardship strikes you at sea, you forget all those whom you invoke besides Him."* - **Human nature recognizes the oneness of Allah.** - **When in hardship, people automatically turn to Allah like an instinct.** - **It appears more as a person grows and interacts with the environment.** ## Slide 15 # Non-believers - It is important to know the existence of Allah. - The Fitrah argument provides proof for this. - **No God:** No rule/principle, no fear or accountability, no concept of right/wrong - unjust rulers will take over - **Children are born believing in Allah.** (It is their environment that changes their thinking). - **Close to Fitrah - close to God** - **Like houses have creators, so does this universe.** - **Wounds heal themselves, inside a seed there is a tree, every creature has a unique DNA.** - **All of these complex and unique things prove that it is conceived by an intelligent expert - Allah.** ## The video highlights 2 things: - When in hardship, people turn to Allah. This is called fitrah. - Every design has a designer. ## Video: - What is Fitrah? - The video likened fitrah to a device. - What do you think of this comparison? - How was the comparison between it and fitrah? - What are fitrah's guidances? - Talk about an atheist who wrote a book explaining the chaos of atheists and their problems through 3 things. - Mention them. Did this writer remain atheist or was he guided to Islam? ## Answer: - Fitrah is the impulse in a person's soul. - It appears more as a person grows and interacts with the environment. ## Answer: - The operating system. - It has components that operate and combine which is made by the creator and not on its own. - It shows a clear comparison between Allah and humans - **Ability to recognize right from wrong.** - **Ask about the purpose of His existence and fate after death.** - **Time stamp 40:18- 41:17** - **Awareness, perception, and values; remained atheist.** ## What indicates to us the existence of God? - **Fitrah** - **From when they are born** ## Sense Evidence: - **When a person calls upon Allah Almighty and He answers his call, it is a real proof that testifies to the existence of Allah and His uniqueness in managing the universe.** - **The answer to the prayers of the prophets is one of the most significant pieces of evidence.** As Allah states in the Quran (21:76): *"And Noah, when he called [to Allah] before [that time], so We responded to him and saved him and his family from the great affliction."* - **Also said (21:9): Then We fulfilled Our promise to them, saving them along with whoever We willed and destroying the transgressors."* - **In addition, answering the call of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace.** - *"There was a drought during the time of the Messenger of Allah, While the Messenger of Allah was giving the Khutbah on the minbar one Friday, a Bedouin stood up and said: 'O Messenger of Allah wealth has been destroyed and our children are hungry; pray to Allah for us.' The Messenger of Allah raised his hands, and we could not see even a wisp of a cloud in the sky, he did not lower (his hands) before clouds like mountains appeared, and he did not come down from his minbar before we saw the rain dripping from his beard."* - **The answer to supplication is not specific to the prophets.** - It is seen and felt by whoever supplicates to Allah Almighty with insistence, as Allah Said (40:60): *"And your Lord says, "Call upon Me; I will respond to you."* ## Intellect Evidence - **Creation and Invention** - **We have come to understand with our minds that this universe cannot exist without a Creator.** These creatures cannot create themselves, and neither can other creatures. - **All that remains is the existence of a first influential Creator, who is uncreated, influential, and not influenced.** This Creator is Allah Almighty, (42:11) *"there is nothing like Him, and He is the All-Hearing, All-Seeing."* - **This meaning is mentioned in the Quran as Allah Almighty's said (52:35): "Or were they created by nothing or were they the creators?**."* The evidence here is in denial - **To show that the matter is self-evident, and no one can deny it.** - **Nimrod tried to describe himself as the Creator, Manager, and Disposal of the universe.** - **The Prophet Ibrahim, peace be upon him, debated him.** - **Allah Almighty said (2:258): "Have you not considered the one who argued with Abraham about his Lord [merely] because Allah had given him kingship? When Abraham said, "My Lord is the one who gives life and causes death," he said, "I give life and cause death." Abraham said, "Indeed, Allah brings up the sun from the east, so bring it up from the west. So, the disbeliever was overwhelmed [by astonishment], and Allah does not guide the wrongdoing people."* ## Mastery, Perfection, & Appreciation - **The evidence shows that the perfectly organized and harmonious creation of the universe indicates the existence of a Creator.** - This is based on two necessary matters: - **First, the universe is well-made, perfectly organized, and functions harmoniously.** - **Second, this perfection and mastery cannot be attributed to coincidence or the nature of creation, and therefore must be a result of the perfection of Allah, the All-Knowing, the Almighty.** - **Allah created everything with an appropriate measure, balance, and arrangement for its place and time.** This creates harmony with others, achieving order and eliminating disorder and contradiction. - This balance and integration are evident in the world of animals and plants, towering mountains, soaring birds, and beyond. - Allah Almighty said (27:88): *"The work of Allah, who perfected all things, (32:7): "Who perfected everything He created".* - **[Links to videos about the perfect creation of Allah]** ## Guidance - **First, guidance for the inherent knowledge required by all creatures.** - Allah Almighty said (20:50): *"Moses said, 'Our Lord is He who gave everything its form, then gave it guidance.'"* - **Second, a gift of invitation that Allah sent with His prophets and revealed in His books.** (32:24): *"And We made from among them leaders guiding by Our command"* - **Third, Taking hearts and minds to places of His pleasure through success, inspiration, and protection**, as promised by Allah the Almighty (10:9): *"Indeed, those who have believed and done righteous deeds - their Lord will guide them because of their faith"* - **Scholars have pointed out many of Allah's guidance for His creatures and have written useful books about this.** - **They have spoken about Allah's guidance for the ant, the hoopoe, the bee, and many other of Allah's creatures.** - This is a broad topic (6:30): *"No creature on earth or bird that flies with its wings except that they are communities like you. We have neglected nothing in the Book. Then unto their Lord they will be gathered."* ## Slide 26 # 5 Quranic Evidence Indicating Existence of Allah 1. **Fitrah: Natural born belief in God** - Every child is born Muslim. - It is their parents that make them a Jew or Christian. - If not parents, then the environment based on educational institutions. 2. **Creation : Everything was created by someone.** - Nothing can be created out of nowhere as there is always a creator. - This evidence is innate and self-evident for the minds. 3. **Caring: The human nature to show care and kindness.** - The system that exists among creatures and their harmony with each other, human beings and their care for Him in particular. 4. **Perfection: Everything created was perfect and not a coincidence.** - Every creature indicates the existence of a creator in its beautiful and creative beings. 5. **Measuring and Subjugation: Allah controls everything.** # Kanoot: - **Arabic word which means to believe and worship one God = Tawheed** - **Surah Ikhlas explains the idea of Tawheed** - **Tawheed ul-Khaliq means Allah is our only creator.** - **Tawheed ul-Ibadah means no one and nothing should be worshipped except Allah** - **Names and qualities that belong only to Allah. This is part of Tawheed ul-Asma wa Sifat** - **Reciting the 99 names of Allah puts peace and calm in our hearts.** - **Al-Waliy means Allah provides for us, helps and supports us; He is our guardian.** - **Ar-Raaqeeb means Allah is watchful over us. Nothing escapes Him.** - **Al-Haleem means Allah gives us many chances to ask for forgiveness and does not rush to punish us (forgiving).** - **Al-Hadee means Allah guides us to what will benefit versus all guiding**. - **Surah Mu'min prevents us from committing sins and is called "al-maneah".** - **Sinful - not living our purpose, ungrateful examples of what we are being when committing sins.** - **You can be Rahim but not Al-Rahim, because Al means most.** - **Only Allah can be most merciful.** ## ii) Belief in the name of Allah and His Attributes: - The monotheism of Allah's Names and Attributes is to believe the ultimate perfection, from all aspects, is exclusive to the Lord, believing in His lofty and beautiful attributes which He does not share with anyone at all. - This happens by affirming what Allah affirmed for Himself, or what His Prophet affirmed for Him in terms of Names, Attributes, their meanings, and rulings that are mentioned in the Quran and Sunnah in a manner which that befits His grandeur and glory without negating, misinterpreting, changing, or comparing them to any of His creation, and negating what Allah negated from Himself, or what the Prophet negated such as deficiencies, faults, and anything that contravenes His perfection. # What is the definition of Tawheed ul-Asma wa Sifat? 1. We affirm what Allah affirms to Himself and what the Prophet (SAW) affirms to Him that are mentioned in the Quran and Sunnah. 2. We avoid 4 things to do if we want to affirm that: negating, misinterpreting, changing, or comparing them to other creations. # # Terms to Understand - **Taiteer** (negating the meanings) - Avoid denying the name and its meaning. - **Takyeef** (assigning a manner to any attribute) - Avoid asking how Allah is all of this. - Whatever He told, thanks what we know and that's enough. - **Tahreef** (distorting the meaning) - Avoid changing the meaning of His name - **Thamtheel** (drawing similarities between Allah and His Creation) - Avoid drawing similarities between Allah and his creation. All of His traits are unique to Him. # Position of the Monotheism of Allah's Names and Attributes: 1. **Most honorable form of knowledge** 2. **The way it leads us to know Allah** 3. **Increases Imaan** 4. **The immense reward of knowing all the names of Allah.** # Rulings of the Monotheism of Allah's names and attributes: a) **All of Allah's names are beautiful.** b) **Allah's names are names and description.** c) **Allah's names indicate transitive descriptions.** d) **Allah's names are established only by divine textual evidence.** e) **Prohibition to deviate in Allah's names** # All of Allah’s Names are Beautiful * Allah, the Exalted, said (7:180): *"And (all) the Most Beautiful Names belong to Allah, so call on Him by them."* * This means that Allah has the best Names which indicate His perfect attributes. * Ibn al-Qayyim said: *“All of Allah's Names encompass praise, exaltation, and glorification. Therefore, they are beautiful, and all His attributes are attributes of perfection.”* ## The beauty of Allah's Names is noted from two aspects: 1. **The beauty of each name individually** 2. **The beauty when it is combined with another Name.** Thus, when two of Allah's Names are joined together, it will add more perfection in addition to the perfection of each Name. For example, Allah combines the two Names, 'the Almighty, the All-Wise" in the Quran in many places. Each of these Names represents its own specific perfection i.e., The Almighty entails power, and The All-Wise entails wisdom. - The combination of these two Names indicates another form of perfection which is that Allah's might is combined with wisdom. * **It is not permissible to assign to Allah, a name that does not indicate an attribute of perfection and splendour.** # By Allah's Names are Names & Description - They are names since they refer to Allah’s Essence. - And they are descriptions since they indicate meanings. - According to the first one, they are synonyms because they all refer to one being – that is being Allah, the Exalted. - However, according to the second one, they are different because each of them indicates a specific meaning. The Names, 'the Ever-Living, the All-Knowing, the All-powerful, the All-Hearing, the All-Seeing, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful, the Almighty, and All-Wise' are all Names for One Being who is Allah, the Exalted, but the meaning of 'the Ever-Living' differs from 'the All-Knowing', and the meaning of the 'All-Knowing' differs from the 'All-Powerful', and so on. - Al-HAKEEM (The All-Wise) is a name for Allah, and wisdom is His attribute. Al-AZEEZ (The All-Mighty) is a name for Allah, and glory is His attribute. Al-QAHHAR (The Subduer) is a name for Allah, and subjugation is His attribute, and so on. - **Atheists believe in Allah’s name, but they deny the descriptions. ** ## c) Allah’s Names Indicate Transitive Description They will entail the following: 1. **Establishment of the Name for Allah.** 2. **Establishment of the attribute incorporated by the Name.** 3. **Establishment of the ruling of the Name and what it necessitates.** An example of that is the name 'the All-Hearing' which establishes 'the All-Hearing' as a Name of Allah, acknowledges hearing as Allah's attribute, and establishes the ruling of the Name, which is that Allah hears all secret and confidential talk. This is as Allah said (58:1): *"And Allah hears your dialogue; indeed, Allah is All-Hearing and All-Seeing."* - **Basically, the three rules are:** - We confirm the name. - We confirm the attribute. - We confirm the rule of the name and attribute. ## d) Allah’s Names are Established Only by Divine Textual Evidence - Allah's Names and Attributes are only taken from that which is revealed in the Quran and the Sunnah; thus, no addition or omission should be made. - This is because our intellect cannot fathom the Names that Allah deserves; therefore, we should restrict ourselves to the divine texts. - Allah, the Exalted, said (17:36): *"Do not follow blindly what you do not know to be true: ears, eyes, and heart, you will be questioned about all these."* Moreover, calling Allah by what He did not call Himself or denying what He called Himself with is a transgression against His rights. For this reason, proper manners should be observed in that regard, and only accept that which is mentioned in the divine texts. ## e) Prohibition to Deviate in Allah's Names - Allah stated (7:180): *"Allah has the Most Beautiful Names, So call upon Him by them and keep away from those who abuse His Names. They will be punished for what they used to do."* ## There are different types of deviation in Allah’s Names: 1. **Calling idols by any of the Names of Allah** as polytheists called their idol al-Laat which was from the name al-Ilaah (God) and al-'Uzza from the name al-'Azeez (the Almighty). 2. **Calling Allah by what is inappropriate to His splendour** like how the Christians called Him father, or how the philosophers called Him 'the effector and so on. 3. **Describing Allah**, exalted and blessed be He, with defects like the statement of the Jews that Allah is poor, and their statement that he rested after creating the creation, and their statement: "The hand of Allah is chained." 4. **Removing the meanings of the names and rejecting main realities** like the statement of the Jahmiyyah and their followers that Allah's Names are mere words that do not incorporate attributes and meanings. So, they refer to Allah as "the All-Hearing, the All-Seeing, the Ever-Living, the Most Merciful, the Speaker, and the One who wants." Then they say, "He has no life, no hearing, no sight, no speech, and no will within Him." This is the worst form of deviation in Allah's Name in terms of the intellect, the Law of the religion, language, and the Fitrah. This is opposite to the deviation of the polytheists who gave Allah's Names and Attributes to their gods, and they divested him of His attributes of perfection, denied them, and misinterpreted them. - **Both parties deviated in Allah’s Name.** 5. Compare His attributes to those of His creation. May Allah be far removed by what was stated by those who compare Him to others. ## 99 Names of Allah Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated: *"The Messenger of Allah said: “Allah has ninety-nine names, one hundred minus one, and whoever (memorises/counts/knows/commits) them will go to Paradise".* - **إحصاء** - In this hadith, the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, informs us that Allah Almighty has ninety-nine names. - Whoever counts them, memorizes them in their heart, and knows them, will enter Paradise as a reward for this memorization and counting. - **memorises/counts/knows/commits the Names of Allah means:** 1- Having knowledge of Allah's Names in terms of the words and meanings. 2- Supplicating to Allah by these Names (*Allah, the Exalted, said: "So invoke Him by them" and Use this as a means for your supplications. So, you say, for example, *“O the Owner of Majesty and Generosity,”* and *“O Ever-Living One”* Etc.*) 3- To worship Allah by what they necessitate. (*So, if you know that He is Most Merciful, you will turn to His mercy, and if you know that He is The-Forgiving, you will turn to His forgiveness, and if you know that he is All-Hearing, you will avoid saying what angers Him, and if you know that He is All-Seeing, you will desist from doing what he does not like."* - **The faith based effect of names and attributes:** - Love of Allah - Humility and Magnification - Fear and awe - Certainty, tranquillity, and reassurance - Satisfaction - Trust - Sincerity - Supplication - Delight in worship <br> - **As-Sa’dee said, “The Names of grandeur, magnificence, glory, sublimity, and awe fill the heart with glorification and exaltation of Allah. The Names of honour, goodness, bestowing favours, mercy, and generosity make the heart love and long for Allah, filled with praise and gratitude for Him.** - **The Names of power, wisdom, knowledge, and capability make the heart submit and stand in humility before Allah. The Names of knowledge, knowing, cognizance, observance, and seeing make the heart mindful of Allah in all our movements and idleness, and keep the mind away from evil notions, thoughts, and bad intentions.** - **The Names of self-sufficiency and beneficence make the heart acknowledge that it requires Allah and His help; thus, always turn towards Him. This knowledge, attained through learning about Allah's Names and Attributes, and worshipping Allah through them, is indeed the best gift and most precious perfect favour that Allah has bestowed upon His servants in this world. All that represents the essence of monotheism, and once this door is opened for a person, it will lead him to pure monotheism and complete Imaan.** ## iii) Belief that Allah is the only one worthy of worship (AKA Monotheism of Divinity) - **Monotheism of Divinity means dedicating all acts of worship to Allah alone.** - Allah said (1:163): *"Your God is the one God: there is no god except Him, the Lord of Mercy, the Giver of Mercy."* - **Ex: fast, pray, sujood, sadaqah** - **The validity and acceptance of our worship requires fulfilling the following two conditions:** - **It should be truthful and sincere to Allah, Exalted be He, alone.** - **It should conform to what was brought by the Messenger of Allah.** - **Monotheism is given a different name depending on the one it is linked to i.e., monotheism of divinity is given when it is used with reference to Allah, Most High. However, when it is used while referring to the creation, it is called monotheism of worship, monotheism of action, monotheism of intent, and monotheism of desire and requesting.** ## Significance of the Monotheism of Divinity a) **Actualization of the 2 testimonies (La ilaha illa Allah Mohammadun Rasullallah)** b) **Worshipping Allah is the purpose of creation.** c) **All the messengers called their people to believe in Allah and to worship Him sincerely** d) **Monotheism involves believing in the oneness of Allah and His attributes** e) **Actualizing it allows us to enter Paradise and be saved from Hellfire** <br> - **Ibn al-Qayyim said "All of Allah's names encompass praise, exautaion & glorification...." (slide 7, 2nd part, 2nd chapter)** - **As-sadee said "ine names of grande-ur, magnificence, glory, sublimiry, and awe Fill our heart wirm glorification and exaltion of Auan..." (slide 22, 2nd part, 2nd chapter).** - **Abu Hurayran "Auah has 99 names, 100 minus 1..." (slide 20, 2nd part 2nd chapter)**