FAITH AND WORSHIP IN ISLAM (TAWHIID AND ‘IBAADAAT)

PARAMOLE, Kabir Olawale, PhD, FCAI

Introduction

This course, faith and worship in Islam, is an attempt to precisely and succinctly
introduce Islam to a beginner. It discusses definition and origin of Islam; Kalimatu-
sh-shahaadah and its significance; fundamental principles of Islam (‘Ibaadaat);
Islamic sources of Information and Guidance; and, the Articles of Faith in Islam.

The work is divided into five sections each of which deals with an aspect of the
course as mentioned above. The sections are clearly written in agreement with the
course outline on faith and worship (Tawheed and ‘Ibaadaat) of the Department of
Religions and Peace Studies, Faculty of Arts, Lagos State University.

Definition and Origin of Islam

Definition: Islam is an Arabic word which stands for submission, surrender and
obedience. As a religion, it connotes complete subservience to the will of Allah. It
is also described as a religion of peace. Its adherents are expected to be in peace
with their Creator, Allah and with fellow human beings, as well as with other
creatures. The peace of Islam is a signification of one’s ability to achieve real
peace of body and mind through absolute subservience to the will of Allah.

The reference to Islam in some quarters, especially amongst the Orientalists and
the Occidentalists as Mohammadanism is a misnomer. This wrong opinion is
informed by the fact that virtually all the religions hitherto known to them were
named after their founders or communities or nations in which the founders were
born. For instance, Buddhism takes its name from its founder, Gautama Buddha,
Christianity takes its name from its prophet Jesus Christ, Zoroastrianism from its
founder Zoroaster, Confucianism from Confucius, and Judaism from the tribe
Judah (of the country Judea) where it came into existence.

Islam, in contrast to all of the above, is a complete way of life, a religion that
whosoever adheres to it by being subservient to the Absolute Will of Allah
irrespective of the age in which he lives, and the race he belongs, is referred to as a
Muslim. Both the names of Islam (the religion) and Muslims, the adherents of the
religion are divinely given. Qur’an 3:18 says: “Surely the (only) religion
acceptable to Allah is Islam”. It is the religion of all the prophets throughout the
ages and it reached its perfection during the era of the Holy Prophet Muhammad,
hence the Qur’an says: “Today I have perfected for you your religion and have
completed my favours on you and have chosen Islam for you as a religion” (5:3).

The name Muslim was also given to every adherent of this natural religion from
time immemorial. Q.22:78 confirms thus: “It is He (Allah) Who has named you
Muslims, both before (in the previous revelation) and now (in this revelation).”

The above asserts the fact that Islam, a religion which had started with the creation
of man on earth and which became perfected during the Prophethood of
Muhammad (SAW), cannot be correctly referred to as Mohammedanism. It has
equally been asserted that both “Islam” and “Muslim” are names divinely given by
Allah himself. The entire universe, according to Islam, is set in an orderly manner.
Everything in it, is assigned a place in a grand scheme. The moon, the stars and all
other celestial bodies are knit together in a magnificent system.

This is a manifestation of the fact that all these phenomenal bodies follow
unalterable laws and do not deviate in the slightest manner from their ordained
courses. Everything in the world invariably follows its own laws. It is in the same
vain that natural laws are paramount in the human world. Man’s birth, growth and
life are all regulated by a set of biological laws. All the organs of the human body,
from the smallest tissues to the heart and the brain, are governed by the laws
prescribed for them. The powerful all-pervasive law which governs the universe
and all things contained in it is the law of God, the Evolver, and the creator of the
universe.

The very first man created on earth and his progenies also have their entire lives
from the embryonic stages to the moment they were buried follow the course
prescribed by divine natural law. Yet we must recognize that man is so constituted
that there are two distinct spheres of his activity. The first is the sphere in which he
finds himself totally regulated by the Divine law like other creatures. He is
completely caught in the grip of the physical laws of nature and he is bound to
follow them. The other sphere of his activity is that he has been endowed with
reason and intellect. He has the power to think and make decisions, to choose and
reject, to approve and disapprove. He is free to adopt whatever course of life he
chooses. He, unlike other creatures, has been given freedom of thought, choice and
action. It is this that enables him to disbelieve in Allah and to choose part of the
faith which may appeal to his judgment.

Origin of Islam

As can be deducted from the above paragraph Islam is the natural order with which
every man and others submit willingly. But man, due to the nature of freewill
given him, has the choice of disobeying some natural laws given him. After Adam
was sent down (with his wife) from Heaven, Allah promised to provide him with
guidance (2:37-39) and this guidance is al-Islam, thus the first person to practice
the religion of Islam was Adam. All prophets after Adam were made to preach
Islam and call to the faith in the oneness of Allah. Each of them was directed to
say:

… Shall I take for my protector any other than Allah, the

Maker of the heavens and the earth? And He it is that
feeds but is not fed. Say! Nay! But I am commanded to
be first of those who bow to Allah (in Islam) and be not
you of the company of those who join gods with Allah
(6:14).

Prophet Ibrahim was reported to have described his own absolute acceptance of
Islam thus:

Say, truly my prayer and my service of Sacrifice, my life

and my death are (all) for Allah, the Cherisher of the
Worlds. No partner has He, This I am commanded, and I
am first of those who bow to His will. (6:162)

Other prophets were all reported to have called to Islam and lived and died as
Muslims.

It is reported in the Qur’an that when Ya’qub (Jacob) was at the verge of death he
called out onto his children and confirmed that they would ever remain Muslims in
submission to Allah. Qur’an 2:132-134 describes Islam as a legacy left to
succeeding generations by their predecessors. The passage reads:

And this was the legacy that Abraham left to his sons so
did Jacob, Oh my sons, Allah has chosen the faith for
you; then die not except in tin site of submission (to
Allah). Were you witnesses when death appeared before
Jacob? Behold, he said to his sons: “What will you
 worship after me?” They said “We shall worship your
God, and the God of Our Fathers, of Abraham, Ishmael
and Isaac, the One (True) God; to Him, we bow as
Muslims.” That was a people that had passed away. They
shall reap the fruit of what they did, and you shall reap
the fruit of your actions. Of their own merits, there is no
question about them.

Prophet Isa, the precursor of the last prophet was reported to have been
commanded to warn the Israelites thus: “It is Allah, Who is my Lord and your
Lord; then worship Him. This is a way that is straight” (3:51).

It is further reported that Prophet Isa and his disciples had denounced their
disbelieving folk and confessed thus: “We are Allah’s helpers: We believe in Allah
and you (Jesus), and bear witness that we are Muslims” (3:52).

The religion of Islam came to perfection with the Holy Prophet Muhammad at an
age that intellectual development of man had reached its peak, and a period
standard guide can be given to them which will be used for all ages. The perfection
of this natural religion came with the completion and perfection of faith as
contained in Qur’an 5:3 earlier cited.

At this juncture, it should be understood that, critics of religion have always based
their antagonism on the following points:

i. that some religions only encourage excessive capitalism, thus killing the
aspirations of masses who are mostly in abject poverty;

ii. that religions subject people to superstitious beliefs, thus hindering the
development of science and erudition in learning;
iii. that religion only teaches prayers for human need and by so doing dissuade
working for means of livelihood thus encouraging indolence.

All the above points, it must dearly be noted, are not peculiar to Islam.

Islam encourages commerce and acquisition of wealth, yet it puts some institutions
such as zakah, sadaqah, ajr, mahr, waqf, hibbah, and wiraatha in place to
redistribute all the excesses from the rich to the poor.

Islam as a religion does not only in many passages appeal to human reason, but
also challenges man on scientific and technological development. It makes
education incumbent on all Muslims, male and female and creates a distinct class
for the learned and lower class for the unlettered.

Lastly, Islam from the onset has discouraged indolence and Qur’an 53:39 directs
that, man shall have nothing except that which he strives for. The dictate in Islam
is that man should first and foremost make efforts through hard work and seek for
blessing and guidance in the efforts being made so as to meet with prosperity.

From the foregoing, the definition and description of Islam have been succinctly
given and it has been established that Islam commenced with man’s creation on
earth and submission to the will of Allah as observed by all beings in the universe,
including man, and that all prophets of Allah practiced and preached Islam.

Kalimat-u-sh-Shahaadah and its Significance

Kalimat-u-sh-Shahaadah means Statement of Testimony. This is the confession

made by every Muslim on his or her faith in Allah. It is the attestation that Allah is
the only Unique Being worthy of worship and that the holy Prophet Muhammad
(SAW) is His Apostle and messenger. The content of the Kalimat-u-sh-Shahaadah
is as follows:
 Ash-hadu an-Laailaaha illa Allahu, wahadahu laa
Sheriika Lahu, wa-ash-hadu anna Muhammadan
‘abduhu wa rasuuluhu.

Meaning: I bear testimony that none is worthy of worship

except Allah. He is Unique and has no partner. I also
testify that the Holy Prophet Muhammad is His servant
and apostle.

The significance of the above kalimah (statement) cannot be overemphasised. It is

the statement of Tawheed (Oneness of Allaah) that distinguishes between a Muslim
and a non-Muslim. Ii is the confession of faith which admits someone into the fold
of Islam. Anyone who does not profess this and admit it in his mind is yet to be
seen as a Muslim and someone without faith.

It should be noted that its declaration goes beyond the verbal one. It has to be
conceived convincingly in mind first and foremost, then confessed with the tongue,
and finally acted upon in accordance with the kalimah (statement). Acting in
accordance with it is to allow every undertaking of one’s life to be in tune with the
contents of the kalimah. If one professes the kalimah and embarks on actions
contrary to it, that person would be seen as a hypocrite. Yet, if one acts righteously
but does not believe in the contents of the kalimah, he would still be regarded as
unfaithful.

Imaam Abu Haamid al-Ghazaali identifies four distinct significances of the

Kalimat-ush-Shahaadah as follows:

1. Dhaatu Llaah – Essence of God

2. Af‘aalu Llaah – Works of God

3. Sifaatu Llaah - Attributes of God

4. Haqqu Muhammad – The true position of Muhammad.

Dhaatu Llaah – The Kalimatu-sh-Shahaadah is seen by the great Imaam as

establishing the Essence of Allah as the Supreme Being, the Alpha and the Omega,
Who has neither deputies nor assistants, nor helpers in His nature. His nature is a
Unique One that is transcendent of all environments, times and climes.

Af‘aalu Llaah – The Kalimah also tacitly establishes the works of Allah as the
creator of all worlds, the Grand Designer who has perfected the orderly manners
which all phenomenal creatures live their lives without commotion He is the Best
Fashioner Who has moulded different creatures in the way He desired. It is from
His actions that people learn how to carry out their works.

Sifaatu Llaah – The Kalimah also provides background for all attributes with
which Allah can be referred to. It posits that only attributes of perfection can be
used in describing Allah and He is far removed from all shortcomings.

Haqqu Muhammad - The second part of the Kalimah also establishes the true
position of Prophet Muhammad. He is a servant and an apostle of Allah. It further
confirms that all previous Prophets at the time of their missions were also not
beyond being men specially appointed as messengers and prophets.

This part also confirms that Prophet Muhammad is the seal of all prophets after
whom no divine prophet would come on earth as the unique message and the
Natural Religion with Allah has reached perfection at his age. Anybody who
directly or indirectly lays claim to prophethood through any name, be it messiah
mahdi or even mujaddid, will be seen as a reprobate and an impostor in Islam.

Fundamental Principles of Islam

The Fundamental principles of Islam are five, namely: Shahadah (profession of

Oneness of Allah - faith), Salaat (canonical prayer), Sawn (fasting), Zakaah
(compulsory charity), and Hajj (holy pilgrimage). In all of the above, the first has
been separately dealt with earlier in this work under the content of Kalimatu-sh-
Shahaadah. The remaining four will be briefly touched in this content. It is the
spirit of each of these four that we shall concern ourselves with as a detailed study
of them is the content of another course.

Salaat is the fundamental and most important of all formal forms of worship
(‘ibaadah) in Islam. Salaat is of three kinds: the obligatory, the supererogatory and
the ceremonial. The one covered by this discussion is the compulsory (obligatory)
prayers. These are five times daily prayers. Each observed at a fixed time. It entails
repetition and refreshment five times daily of the belief which one reposes in one’s
faith in Allah. The various postures that are assumed during the prayers are the
very embodiment of the spirit of submission. The various recitals therein serve as
reminders for one’s commitments to Allah. His guidance is sought, He is asked to
prevent man from His wrath and He is appealed to, to make one steadfast in His
chosen path. Recitations made are from Allah’s Holy Book, belief in the Last Day
and rendering account in His presence is enlivened in man’s memory while saying
these prayers.

Timing of these prayers is such that remembrance of Allah at intervals is instilled

in man and this would always make him conscious of Allah in all his undertakings
on a daily basis.

Prayer strengthens the foundations of faith, prepares man for the observance of life
of virtue and total obedience to Allah and refreshes that belief which springs
courage, sincerity, purposefulness, purity of heart, advancement of soul and
enrichment of morals.

Sawn (fasting): Here we are concerned with the compulsory fasting which is
observed once a year in the lunar month of Ramadan. Other types of fasting are
voluntary and expiatory. Fasting seeks to achieve once a year what prayer brews in
Muslims on a daily basis. It is the keeping away from food, drink and sexual
cohabitation, all in obedience to Allah, not out of sickness or inability to get these
desires fulfilled. A fasting Muslim is expected to increase in other virtuous and
charitable acts during this period in order to maximize the rewards inherent in the
activities of the month.

Zakaat, which is another fundamental pillar of Islam, stands for compulsory alms-
giving, required from those who are wealthy and distributed among those who are
wretched. The wealth of an individual required to pay must have reached a certain
level called nisaab and he is expected to give 2½ percent of his gross profit once a
year as Zakaat. Besides Zakaat, Islam also enjoins voluntary alms which is
optional to be given willingly at any period of the year without time limit. It
requires no nisaab and can be given by or to anybody.

Hajj - The last fundamental principle of Islam stands for pilgrimage to Makkah and
Madinah. It is a rite expected to be performed by a Muslim at least once in life
time. It becomes incumbent on a Muslim when he has the means, when there is
security on the route leading to Makkah and he has the health to perform the
journey. The exercise involves four basic rites, including Ihram, Tawwaaf, Sa’y
and Wuquuf Bil-‘Arafah.

Ihram - This is the assumption of the special clothing for the rites of Hajj; for men
these are two seamless white clothes, and for women it can he any long gown and a
pair of long and short trousers, under wears, caps, scarves, preferably white. Men
do not cover their heads while in Ihram and women do not cover their faces. Some
ordinarily lawful acts become unlawful while in this dress. The dress (which can
be replaced or washed) remains the uniform of pilgrims until the rites of Hajj are
completed.
Tawwaaf - This is the circumambulation round the holy precinct of Kaa‘bah. There
are three major types tawwaaf: tawwaaful-Quduum - done on arrival at Makkah for
the rite of Hajj; tawwaaful-Ifaadah - done after leaving Munaa and it is called Hajj
Tawwaaf, and tawwaful-wadaa’ – farewell circumambulation done while one is
about to depart on completion of the exercise.

Sa‘y – This is the hastening between Mounts Safa and Marwa. This is done
regularly (or as time permits) during the rites of hajj. It is historically significant to
the Muslims in relation to the birth of Prophet Ismail.

Wuquuf bil-‘Arafah: This is the standing on the plains of ‘Arafah on the ninth day
of Dhul Hijjah. Whoever does not participate in this is not regarded as having
performed the rites of Hajj.

There are other corollary exercises such as rajm - stoning of the devil’s edifices,
visit to Madinah, an-nahr – killing of ram at Munaa, but all of these are only
complementary to the four rites of Hajj enumerated above.

Islamic Sources of Guidance

Qur’an: The primary source of guidance in Islam is the Holy Qur’an. All others
are complementary to it. The Qur’an can be described as the original source from
which all ordinances, principles, guidance and information on Islam are drawn:
This fact is summarily established in Q.2:2, which reads: “. . . that is the Book
whereof there is no doubt a guidance unto those who ward off evil.”

The word Qur’an is an infinitive noun from the root qara’a, which signifies
primarily “The Collected Things” It can also be translated as “he read” or “he
recited.” A school of thought has it that the name Al-Qur’an was informed by the
fact that the Qur’an gathers together in itself the fruits of all world sciences. The
Qur’an is equally seen in another quarter as “that Book which should be read”
because it is the most widely read book on the earth.

The Qur’an has various other names as we can deduce from the Book itself. The
names include: (a) al-Kitaab (Q2:2), al-Furqaan (Q25:1), adh-Dhikr at-Tadhkirah
(Q15:9), at-Tanzil (Q26:102), al-Hukhm (Q13:37), al-Hikmah (Q17:39), ash-
Shifaa’ (Q10:57), al-Hudaa (Q72:13), ar-Rahmah (Q17:82), among other names.

The Qur’an, unlike other revealed books before it, is of medium size. Revealed
Books before it were either too short like the Buddhist Book, or too long like the
Bible. The Qur’an is divided into 114 chapters, each of which is called a surah.
Each surah has a number of verses, each of which is also called an aayah (a verse).
It is further divided into 30 divisions, each of which is called a juz‘u, and 60 parts
each of which is called hizb. 93 of the 114 chapters were revealed in Makkah and
21 in Madinah.

The Qur’an discusses the principles of religious beliefs including the pillars of
Islam, eschatological issues including reward and punishments in the hereafter; it
speaks of the heaven, the hell and the roles of the Angels. The Qur’an also contains
lessons on such institutions as marriage, divorce, and care for orphans and widows.
It touches issues such as prohibited degrees of relationship and inheritance. The
Qur’an further gives guidance on good conduct, ethics, neighbourliness, welfare of
wayfarers, the poor and the needy in every given community.

The Qur’an lays great emphasis on justice in every maker. It enjoins traders to be
just while taking measurement of things; judges to be firm in giving judgments,
and fair play by all and sundry in their various dealings. It stresses the need for
accountability in everything as this should always remind individuals of accounts
that will be rendered in the hereafter.
The Qur’an also contains information on the people of the past and their various
virtuous and vicious activities; so that people may learn from their history. Such
people include the ‘Aad, the Thamud, individuals like Qarun, Fir’awn and Aasiyya
are also not left out. The most striking purpose of the Qur’an described above is its
inimitable nature. The likes of the Qur’an since its revelation has not been
produced and itself contains challenges asking people to produce it’s like.

Sunnah/Hadith: The next Source of guidance after the Qur’an is the Sunnah.
Sunnah literally means the path but technically means following the path of the
Prophet. This is synonymously used with Hadith, which is the record of the actions
and sayings of the Prophet. The Sunnah/Hadith is said to be of three kinds,
namely:

Sunnatu qawli (the expressed sunnah) this has to do with the expressions made by
the prophet; Sunnatu fi’ili (this contains the actions carried out by the Prophet);
Sunnatu taqrir (tacit Sunnah), which includes various tacit approvals given to
expressions and actions carried out by others in the presence of the Prophet.

Sunnah/Hadith, which is the next source of guidance after the Qur’an, derives its
authority from the Qur’an, The Qur’an says: “Whatever the Prophet gives you,
take it.” It also says: “Say (O Muhammad), if you really love Allah, then follow
me. Allah will love you and forgive your shortcomings.” The Prophet himself said
“Whoever ignores my Sunnah is not of me.”

The Sunnah of the Prophet consists of the practical explanation of the contents of
the Qur’an. He was himself described by one of his wives, Aisha as the Qur’an
personified. When in response to a question about his character, she said: “His
character is (the teachings contained in the) Qur’an.”
Ijma‘: This is also used as one of the secondary sources of guidance in Islam. It
derives its name from jama‘a, which means gathering together. It technically
means consensus of opinion of learned scholars. This consensus must however
agree with the Qur’an and the Sunnah/Hadith. This derives authority mainly from
the sayings of the Prophet that, “my ‘Ummah (community) will not agree on an
error.”

Qiyaas (personal deductions): This is another secondary source of guidance in

Islam. It is a result of personal analogical reasoning based on self-effort derived
from ground knowledge of the Qur’an, the Sunnah and various consensus earlier
agreed upon. The basic background for this source is premised on the discussion
between the prophet and Mu‘adh bn Jabal when the latter was being deputed to
Yemen as a governor. The prophet, while escorting him out of Madinah, had a
duologue with him as follows;

The Prophet: Mua’dh, with what will you judge at Yemen?

Mua’dh: With the Qur’an, the book of Allah.

The Prophet: What of if you cannot find an (explicit) decision there?

Mua’dh; I shall use your Sunnah/Hadith.

The Prophet: What if the Sunnah/Hadith is not detailed on the issue?

Mua’dh: I shall then resort to my personal analogy.

The Prophet: Praise be to Allah for guiding the messenger of his Prophet.

The above conclusion by the Prophet stands to sanction the use of analogy based
on the basic background of detailed knowledge of the Qur’an, the Sunnah/Hadith
and even ijma‘. There are other sources of guidance such as Istihsaan, Saalihat-al-
Mursal and Ra’y, but they are only other forms of ijma and Qiyaas as used by
various schools of Islamic jurisprudence.

Articles of Faith in Islam

These articles are generally classified as six in number; they are treated in details
below:

(A) Belief in Allah

As Imaan is the first pillar of Islam, so is faith in Allah as the first in the articles.
To have faith in Allah is to belief that He was not created, but that He created all
things, and that He exists everywhere and in all things, yet He transcends time and
space. Most of the recognised world religions recognise the fact that Allah is one
and that He has no helper nor partner. Islam, Christianity, Zoroastrianism,
Hinduism, Judaism, etc. subscribe to this view. Islam lays an emphatic stress on
this unity of Allah as it is the main theme of the messages of all Prophets. Qur’an
40:16 stresses the uniqueness of Allah, so also does Suratul al-Ikhlas Q112 verses
1-4 which read as follow: “Say, He Allah is one. Allah is He on whom all depend.
He begets not nor is He begotten. And, there is none like Him.” Allah cannot be
imagined as having any equal, this is emphasized in the following Qur’anic verse:

Allah, there is no God but He, the Living, the Self-

subsistent, slumber overtakes him not nor sleep, His is
what is in the heavens and what is in the earth, who is he
that will intercede with Him except with His permission?
He knows what is before and what is behind (them) and
they comprehend none of His knowledge, except what
He pleases, His throne extends over the heavens and the
 earth and the supervision of them both tires Him not. For
He is Most High and the Great. (2:255)

Allah is the first, the last and He who exists in all things. There is nothing His eyes
cannot perceive, yet nothing perceives Him and He has power over all things. A
believer has to worship Him alone and attribute no partner to Him; for there is no
other god or goddess who can provide what Allah provides or does not provide.
The Holy Prophet made it clear in the same Hadith where he enumerates the
articles of faith that Allah should be worshipped as if He is seen, for if He is not
seen, He sees all. That Prophetic saying lays a great emphasis on the belief in the
unseen. Allah is above perception but signs created by Him are enough to believe
in Him. Among His signs are the systematic rotation of both the night and day.
Allah does this for human benefits, but only those who can think and reflect will
gain from these notices of His existence. Qur’an 25 verses 61 - 62 say:

Blessed is He (Allah) who made constellations in the

skies and placed there in a lamp and a moon giving light.
And it is He who made the night and the day to follow
each other for such who have the will to celebrate His
praises or show their gratitude.

The signs enumerated above manifest Allah’s works so that people may reflect and
be grateful, but instead due to lack of faith and inability of people to reflect, these
objects were seen to be worthy of worship, forgetting that none of them is ever
permanent. The stars shine in the Night and in the morning the sun overtakes them.
Both night and day are made vicegerent of each other so that people may think of
He who created all these things. But for lack of understanding many people fall
astray by worshipping all these phenomenal objects and other objects such as
mountains, stones and rivers. Qur’an 7 verses 191 - 192 query those who
associated partners with Allah in the following verse!

They indeed ascribe to Him as partners, things that can

create nothing but are themselves created? No aids can
they give them nor can they aid themselves?

Among the signs given by Allah are the creation of water, the sun, the moon, the
stars, plants, human beings and animals. These are just like fingers, all pointing to
Allah as their creator and He is the architect of the universe and from this those
who can reason are bound to be convinced that the reality behind the world
phenomena is nothing but Allah.

Faith in Allah is supposed to be wholesome. Associating partners with Him is

shirk. The learned Imam Abu Hanifah says: “Imaan consists of confessing with the
tongue believing with the mind and acknowledging with the heart. Confession
alone is not faith, for were that faith, all hypocrites would be true believers; nor is
knowledge alone faith, for were it faith, all the people of the Books would be true
believers”. (Sharh Wasiyat Abu Hanifah, 1321 AH).

From the words of this scholar; one is convinced that it is not only the
proclamation of the kalimatu-sh-Shahaadah that makes a Muslim, but by allowing
the declared faith to penetrate into all parts of one’s body. One has to worship
Allah wholeheartedly, but to do this he is bound to have a deep knowledge of Him
(Allah). Islam is not against searching for knowledge as we can see that the first
revelation commences with “Read” and another chapter of the Qur’an has its
theme as “The Pen”. Both are signs of education and learning. More importantly,
Allah commands the search for Him intellectually when He addresses the Prophet
in a Hadith al Qudsi (inspired tradition) as follows: “Seek for Me before you
worship Me, for how would he who knows Me not worship Me?”
The above expression shows that Allah deserves nothing but to be worshipped. In
fact, that essence of His creating man and jinn was to worship Him, so a Muslim
should obey Allah and follow His commands. A Muslim should be such a person
as described in the following Qur’anic verses:

Say: Truly my prayer and my service of sacrifice, my life

and my death are all for Allah, the cherisher of the
worlds. No partner has He, this I am demanded and I am
the first of those who bow to His will. (6:162-163)

Islam lays much emphasis on Oneness of Allah and His attributes and if one
follows the dictates of the attributes and emulates them, he will not go astray.
Abdul Rahman I. Doi is of the opinion that:

The reason given for this large number of names is that

God may always be addressed by a Name suited to the
need of His petitioner. This is to say that if one needs
sustenance, He would have to approach Allah by the
name Ar-Razaaq, if he needs mercy he addresses Him
with the name Ar-Rahmaan and whoever recites them
shall enter paradise.

From Allah’s attributes we can see unity in relation to Himself alone, we can also
see His unity in relation to Man and His unity in relation to the creatures in
general. As for the first one, the name Ahad is peculiar to Him alone; for the
second one, an example of the name Rahman shows that Allah’s blessing is for
man, while for the third one Khaaliq is an example that He is the Creator, He
creates all things.
All attributes of Allah rest on four other attributes mentioned in Suuratul-Faatihah.
These are:

1. Ar-Rabb - The Sustainer

2. Ar-Rahmaan - The Munificent

3. Ar-Rahiim - The Merciful

4. Maalik Yawmid-Diin - The Master (King) of the Day of Judgment

Few of the rest attributes include: Al-Hafiiz - the Protector; Al Hakiim - the Wise;
Al- Aliim-The Knower (of all); Ar-Razaaq- the Provider, Al-Kabiir - The Great; Al-
Latiif - The Subtle, etc.

The essence of all these attributes is a man’s ability to emulate those worthy of
emulation, so that the related Hadiith by Abu Hurayrah could be effective in him.
For example, if a man showers mercy on a fellow man, he has emulated the
attribute which describes Allah as merciful and has done a good work which can
earn him paradise.

Belief in Existence of the Angels

It is noteworthy that the first two articles of faith are the beliefs in the unseen. The
belief in the Angels being the second of the two. The first is the belief in Allah
who cannot be perceived by any being, be it man or jinn (spirits). He is above
perception even with supernatural powers. The first creatures were the Angels.
However, another school of thought had it that the Angels and jinn (spirits) were
created simultaneously. This agreement was built on the fact that Azaziil (shaytan)
was a jinn (spirit) and was once a notable member of the Angelic world until when
he defied Allah’s order and he became accursed.
The Arabic word for angel is malak which has its plural as malaaikah. They are
created from light, they do not eat, neither do they drink nor do they sleep. They
are all devoted to Allah and they never defy His order. In support of their creation
from light, Aisha related that the Holy Prophet said: “Jinns were created from fire
while the Angels were created from light”. By their nature, the Angels are known
to be immaterial, they do not possess material bodies but they can assume any form
to deliver Allah’s messages to mankind. It should also be noted that the Angels do
not have spouses (wives or husbands), they do not have gender-distinction so they
do not give birth to young ones but were all created by Allah.

The Angels are sinless because they do not possess the freedom of will, they do not
exceed what Allah permits them. This is confirmed in the Qur’an when Allah is
explaining the role to be played by Angels in the hereafter and for believers to be
mindful of their duties thus:

O ye who believe, save yourselves and your families

from a fire whose fuel is men and stones over which are
appointed Angels, stern-looking, severe, who fail not
(from executing the commands they receive from Allah,
but do precisely what they are commanded. (66:6)

The above verse makes it abundantly clear that the Angels will not defy Allah’s
orders for they do not have the power to do so. They are numerous that not all of
them engage in specific duties, the work of some of them is just to celebrate the
praises of Allah in different postures and manners while others are engaged in
specific duties. The Qur’an speaks in regard of their numbers as follows:

Praise be to Allah, who created out of nothing the heaven

and the earth, who made the Angels (messengers) with
 wings, two, three or four (pairs). He adds to creation as
He wishes, for, Allah has power over all things. (35:1)

The above verse manifests the fact that the Angels are serving Allah as
messengers. Each of them has his function and that they are created with wings
which connotes power. Wing is used in different ways in Arabic translation. In a
bird, wings mean what it uses for flying, that is, its power to fly, while in man, it
means his hand, which also shows an ability to do work. So in an Angel it means
the power with which they carry out their functions with a high degree of speeds.

The angels, as messengers of Allah, could not bring down messages to laymen
directly because man is unlikely to endure waiting and listening, to supernatural
beings.

All the angels, as it has earlier been established, have their functions, the first being
a general function of celebrating Allah’s praises. Some of them bear the throne of
Allah which stands for divine control of the universe. They serve as intermediaries
through whom the universe is controlled. The Archangel Gabriel (Jubril) appeared
to the Prophet in human form to deliver messages, so also did he appear to other
prophets except Musa who used to speak to Allah directly. All these prophets did
see and hear, the Angels who brought messages to them. Jubril was also the angel
that brought messages to Muhammad. This was mentioned in the Holy Qur’an and
that Angels were also sent to other Prophets; the Qur’an says:

He does send down His Angels with inspiration of His

commands, to such of His Servants He pleases (saying)
warn (Man) that there is no God but I, so do your duty
unto Me. (16:2)
The angels serve in strengthening believer’s faith, this they do in the following
words of the Qur’an: “For such He has written faith in their hearts and
strengthened them with a spirit from Himself.” They serve in executing divine
punishment to the wicked ones. They also pray for spiritual progress of man, they
do not intend seeing human beings stray, they activate men spiritually against
devils who entice men to evil. They as well join Allah in incurring blessings on
men. In this regard the Qur’an says:

He it is who sends blessings on you as do His Angels,

that He may bring you out from the depths of darkness
into light and He is full of Mercy to believers. (33:43)

There are also the honourable recorders who record man’s deeds on earth, they are
known as the kiraaman kaatibiin. Each man has two of them on both his sides;
they are called Raqib and Atid. These angels would also intercede for men on
judgment day. There are some Angels for specified duties such as Archangel Jubril
who revealed the truth (Qur’an), Angel Israfiil will sound the last trumpet, which
will announce the death of all things and advent of resurrection. Angel Isra’iil is in
charge of death. Angel Mikail is in charge of rain. Other prominent ones include:
Malik, who is in charge of hell, and Ridwan, in charge of paradise. It is also
believed that everyman is attended to by two Angels, who interrogate him in the
grave immediately after burial. They are called Munkar and Nakir.

Belief in the Divine Books

Muslims are commanded to have faith in all the revealed Books of Allah and the
numbers of revealed books are one hundred and four. Ten were sent to Adam,
Prophet Shi’th had fifty, while Idris received thirty, and ten were also revealed to
Ibrahim. Others were Zabur revealed to Prophet Daud, Tawrah to Prophet Musa,
Injiil to Prophet ‘lsa, and the Qur’an to Prophet Muhammad (SAW).
These Books served as guidance to all the prophets and their people. They were
always revealed when Allah saw the need to provide guidance for humans on the
right path. These sacred scripts are called by many names in the Holy Qur’an.
They include Al-kitaab (pl. kutub), meaning The Book; Al-Hudaa - the Guidance;
As-Sahifa (pl. suhuf) - the Sheets.

All these revealed Books were sent to respective prophets to be used in warning
their peoples before Allah’s chastisement are rained on them. The Qur’an says:

When we decide to destroy a population, we (first) send a

definite order to those among them who are given the
good things of this life and yet transgress so that the word
is proved true against them (it is then), We destroy them
utterly. (17:16)

Despite man being low spiritually compared to God, He (God) still has to
communicate with him (man). And this is done in one of the following ways as
described in Qur’an 42:57 that:

It is not befitting 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 God’s permission
what God wills, for He is most High, Most Wise.

From the above verse, three modes of revelation are identified. The first one is
through inspiration, this can be termed as mere suggestion thrown into the heart of
man by which he understands the substance of a message, whether it is a
commandment, a prohibition, an explanation or a solution of great matter.
Revelation through this way is common to every man, it can even be a hasty
suggestion in one’s mind. Such a hasty suggestion, however, may come from other
than Allah. Hence, a need to assess it with the guidance contained in the Shari’ah.

The second form of revelation from the above verse is that which occurs behind a
veil, this is neither a material veil nor a purdah. Revelation through veil can come
through a dream, vision or a trance. These stages follow themselves in ascending
order. Revelation through a dream is common to every man, while a vision is like
what was revealed to Prophet Ibrahim, as regards Ismail’s case (i.e., the order that
he should be slaughtered). The third stage is a trance, an example of which is
experienced by the saints.

The third mode of revelation is sending of a message through the Archangel Jubril,
which brought messages to the Prophets. This mode had come to an end after the
revelation of the Qur’an to the Holy Prophet Muhammad (SAW). It is called
wahyun matiluwun (recited revelation) and it is mostly restricted to the Prophet.

References are made to the books of Ibrahim, Daud, Musa, and Isa in Holy Qur’an
but they had been corrupted before the emergence of the Qur’an. The Qur’an
comes as the mother of all the revealed Books, which summarizes all the previous
books and modified Allah’s revelation.

In Islam, it is believed that both scriptures and prophets were sent to the world by
Allah in accordance with the needs of the time as well as the relative developments
of the peoples concerned. Revealed Books reflected the maturity of the minds of
the recipients and this maturity continued progressively until the time when the
Qur’an was revealed. At that time the maturity of man’s mind had been perfected,
hence the Qur’an was revealed as the mother of the Books which contained
messages for all time. It does not restrict itself to the time of Prophet Muhammad
alone. It is adequate for both moral and spiritual development of man at all times
and there is no other revealed Book that will come after it. Man was challenged by
Allah to bring the likes of the Qur’an if they can and this they cannot do for it is a
perfect Book revealed by Allah.

Though other Books were corrupted as time went by, but the Qur’an had been
shielded against this for the fact that Allah has promised to safeguard it. The
Qur’an speaks of its guidance thus: “We have without doubt sent down the
message and we will assuredly guard it from corruption.” (Q.15:9) Another verse
of the Qur’an speaks of how securely the Qur’an is preserved and that no
corruption can intrude into it, when it reads thus: “No falsehood can approach it
from before or behind it, it is sent down by One full of wisdom, worthy of all
praise.”

Besides these Qur’anic references showing divine guidance over the Qur’an, early
Muslims had also tried their best to see that portions of the Qur’an were not lost by
memorising the whole of it and by revising it out of hand in their prayers or at
leisure time. There are still a good number of people who still maintain the glory
earned by those people by keeping in their memories the whole of the Qur’an,

Belief in the Prophets

After the faith in Allah, the Angels and Scriptures, the next is the belief in the
Prophets. These are men like ourselves, they are numerous in number. They are the
pious ones chosen by Allah within a community to serve as guards to their
respective people. Prophets were sent to villages, cities and communities at large.
Each of these prophets is called nabiy, and amongst these anbiyaau (pI. nabiy) we
have the Apostles. These were the messengers given divine messages not only to
themselves and their households alone, but also to guide a particular community
with it. This is to say every nabiy is not a rasul, but every rasul is a nabiy.
A nabiy is given a divine inspiration orally while a rasul receives a divine Book or
Books. Both of them have the spiritual power of a saint and are not morally lacking
in any form. Allah sends an apostle to every nation so that warnings and glad
tidings could be given to the people and in order not to wrong them. The Qur’an
has this to say in this regard:

To every people (was sent) an apostle, when their apostle

comes (before them) the matter will be judged between
them with justice and they will not he wronged. (1O:47)

The above verse shows that prophets were sent to people with messages. The
prophets were followed or otherwise justice would always be meted our
accordingly by Allah.

It is no doubt that all prophets were men with modest example of good conducts,
they process all human fortune and free from all bad attitudes, including
associating partners with Allah. There is an essence behind man’s creation; it is
these prophets that guide their fellow men towards the part of what they were
created for. This essence of creation is as follows in the following verse: “And I
created man and jinn not except that they worship Me.” (51:56)

This shows how important the functions of the prophets were. Man is bound to
learn how to worship Allah for it is compulsory that he should worship Him. The
Prophets are the teachers towards the path of Allah, who lead man out of darkness
and into light. Upon all these deeds of the Prophets, people still persecuted and
maltreated them. They attended to them harshly and made them seek for Allah’s
wrath upon them in anger. Due to unkindness of their people, most of the Prophets
could not complete their messages before punishments were meted out to their
people. But the Holy Prophet Muhammad (SAW), the last of all Prophets,
completed the message which had started during the time of Adam, Ibrahim,
Yaqub, Musa and Isa to mention a few. All the Prophets’ messages had their theme
as the teachings of the oneness of Allah and enlightenment as regards moral
transactions between man and man.

People, especially the chiefs and merchants, went against them because they found
it uneasy to leave oppression, hence they persecuted the prophets. The same was
done to Muhammad (SAW) but he patiently persevered and with help and guidance
from Allah he accomplished his mission and announced to his community on
fulfilling his mission that: “This day have I perfected for you your religion,
completed My favour upon you and I have chosen for you Islam as a
religion.”(5:3)

As it has been said earlier, before the message of Allah was finally completed by
Muhammad, the number of the previous prophets is said to be 124,000. Another
school of thought says it is 313, but only twenty-five are mentioned in the Qur’an
and they are:

1. Adam - Adam; 2. Shi’th - Shem; 3. Nuh - Noah; 4. Hud - Heber;

5. Salih - Saleh / Methuselah; 6. Lut - Lot; 7. Idris - Enoch; 8. Ibrahim - Abraham;

9. Isma’il- Ishmael; 10. Ishaq – Isaac; 11. Yaqub-Jacob; 12. Yusuf - Joseph;

13. Musa -Moses; 14. Dawud -David; 15. Shuayb- Jethro; 16. Sulayman- Solomon;
17. Yunus- Jonah; 18. Dhul-kifl- Isaiah / Ezekiel; 19. Ilyas- Elias; 20. Al-Yasa’
Elisha; 21. Zakariya- Zachariah; 22. Yahya- John the Baptist; 23. Harun- Aron;
24. Isa- Jesus, and 25. Muhammad (SAW) - Mohammed.

Out of these 25 prophets, five of them were also exalted to a praised position and
are known by the name Uulul-‘Azm. They are: Nuh, Ibrahim, Musa, Isa and
Muhammad (SAW). All of them devoted and dedicated themselves to the service of
Allah; and that special examples could be learned from their histories.
Characters of the Prophets

As it had earlier been mentioned, prophets were those people with special
characters that made them the modest examples for their various people. They
were men with exceptional ability to hold to virtue. They were the best of men on
earth and it was for this character that they were made prophets. All Prophets must
possess the following four qualities, plus their virtuousness, before they are
recognised as prophets. The qualities are:

1. Truthfulness - The prophets were always trustworthy, they do not tell lies,
and anything in relation to falsehood is not part of them.

2. Sincerity - Prophets were always sincere and faithful to both their Lord
(Allah) and their people. They were always away from sins, for if they were
to be insincere and we are to follow their footsteps, sin would become a
virtue.

3. Transmitting - Deliverance of message to the level of understanding of the

people was also a character of the prophets. They explained and made their
people understand the ways of Allah. A prophet would be unjust if he kept
part of Allah’s messages to himself and do not release it to the benefits of
man.

4. Intelligence - All prophets are sensible and logical. If they were

inexperienced, the questions and attitudes of their people could have
falsified their messages and render them as impostors.

So also must a Muslim have faith that prophets were free from telling lies,
committing unkind acts and that they were pure and honourable, never did they go
against Allah in His injunctions and orders to them.

Belief in the Last Day

Before the faith of a Muslim becomes perfected, he is bound to have faith in the
last Day. That is the Day he would be brought back to life after death. The Day
man would be made to account for all his deeds. Ideologically, one is bound to
believe in this, for even in human life, there are man-made laws, those who obey
the laws are the eminent and respected ones, while those who violate the rules are
the ones that are sentenced to prison or death on an appointed day by the Court. So
also does Allah give the judgment on those who have faith and follow His
injunctions are blessed with paradise, while those who disobey Allah dwell in
Hellfire.

Every creature is created for a purpose, the star, the moon, the sun and all other
creatures were all created for purposes so it should be known that man is Allah’s
vicegerent on earth and who enjoys the services of all other creatures must also be
created for a purpose. An argument in support of this is advanced in the Qur’an as
follows: “Does Man think that he will he left uncontrolled” (without purpose)?
(Q35:36). Another verse also supports this when it reads: “Did you then think that
we had created you in jest and that you would not he brought back to us (for
account)?” (Q23:1 15)

The above verses show that man would be brought back to his Lord (Allah) to
account for all he did on earth, for he was not just being created, but to serve his
Lord. Man is endowed with all right senses of thinking and of acting, so if he fails
to justify these natural gifts from Allah, he must severely pay for it in the hereafter.

Based on extractions from the Qur’an, some scholars have concluded that belief in
Allah and the Last Day alone constitute the Articles of faith as we can see from the
following verses of the Qur’an: “And there are some people who say, we believe in
Allah and the Last Day and they are not at all believers.” (Q2:8). Another one is,
“Whoever believes in Allah and the last day and does good, he shall have reward
from Allah.” (Q2:62)

The belief in the Day of Judgment purifies the motives with which a deed is done.
It takes a man who upholds a faith work selflessly, with the fear of God in his heart
towards the attainment of nobler ends.

The Suratul-Faatihah which is the opening chapter and is read by Muslims more
than 17 times in their obligatory prayers daily also reminds one of the day of
judgment when it describes Allah as: “Master of the Day of Judgment”. (Q1:4)

The Day of Judgment (Yawmu-d-Diin) has other names beside this and each of the
names carry a sensible notion as regard the day. These are:

1. Yawmul-Aakhir - The Last Day

2. Yawmus-Saa‘ah - The Hour

3. Yawmul-Hisaab - The Day of Reckoning

4. Yawmul-Qiyaamah - The Day of Rising.

5. Yawmul-Aakhirah - The Hereafter

All of these names are pointing to the fact that the day is coming when judgment
would hold and man would be made to account for whatever he does on earth. It
should be noted that one does not resurrect immediately according to the following
verse of the Qur’an: “Before them is partition till the day they are raised up.”
(Q23:100)

Islamic theologians have interpreted Barzakh to mean a bridge over which every
deceased person must pass before the judgement day. It is from Barzakh that a
person will have the taste of what type of judgment awaits him.
On the day of resurrection, every man shall be at a crowded assembly which will
he hot, except for those who do good during their lifetime. This place is called
Hashr (the gathering place). The deeds of the people would be weighed and
assessed, this is called wazn. Then, everyone would be asked to account for his
deeds, this is called hisaab. Those who are successful will go to al-Jannah
(Paradise), while those who fail will surely go to hell (Jahannom).

From the above statements we have indirectly spoken of what life after death
would look like. So there would be two abodes after the judgment. One is al-
Jannah (paradise), which is an abode of those who do good, and they will dwell
therein forever. Descriptions of what Jannah looks like are in the Qur’an, while
that of hell the second abode in the hereafter; an abode for the disbelievers and evil
doers, very strict and uncomfortable, as a station or an abode is also in the Qur’an.
Some of the inhabitants the hell-fire shall also dwell in it forever.

Jahannom has other names with which it is identified for its severity. They are:

• Haawiyah - A deep place where no one can stay

• Jahiim - A Blazing fire.

• Sa‘iir - The kindling of fire

• Saqor - The fire which scorched man

• Laza - The flaming fire

• Hutomah - A vehement fire

Belief in Qaddar

Taqdir or qaddar is the last article of faith as initially enumerated. The word has
been misconceived to be predestination or destiny, with the notion that whatever a
man does or whatever happens to him during his lifetime has been irrevocably
predetermined for him by God. It is generally believed that whatever he does, be it
good or otherwise (evil), he does not do it freely, that it has been predetermined by
God.

It is sure that if this type of notion is held by people, it reduces a man into a mere
automaton, a machinery without a mind, no self- will, no personality, then man
would just be like a mere puppet. The above conception cannot only he misleading
but is most definitely detrimental to the Islamic way of life and the needs be
erased. Commonsense will tell us that it does not befit Allah, the All-
comprehending and the Creator of all minds, to create things, make them commit
sins and then punish them for the sins committed, if such a situation sounds
unreasonable and ridiculous to man, it is sure that Almighty Allah must have
known better about it too.

It should he noted that it was in man’s ignorance that he has cultivated this
misconception in his heart that whatever is done or happens to him is from Allah,
be it good or evil. The attributive qualities of mercilessness, callousness and cruel
indiscriminate Creator by propounding this theory of predestination in the manner
of which it is being used over the centuries. This definitely is a theory of fatalism.
In disproving this misconception, the Qur’an says 17 verse 15:

Whoever goes aright, for his own soul does he do aright,

and whoever goes astray to its detriment, does he go
astray, nor can the bearer of the burden bear the burden
of another, nor do We chastise, until We raise an apostle.

Now to start with, taqdiir as an article of faith is not the unpopularly propounded
fatalism but pre-measurement. Some scholars say: “taqdiir means the making
manifest of the measure of a thing,” or simply measurement. It is therefore more
suitable and acceptable to refer to taqdiir as pre-measurement and not
predestination which may be misunderstood. There is a word known as qadaa,
which is inappropriately used with qaddar of Allah. Islamic scholars distinguish
between the two by explaining qaddar as the measure and qadaa as the decision or
the bringing of this qaddar into action. Thus, when Khalifah Umar ordered Abu-
Ubaydah to give up a plague-stricken place and to remove his troops to a better
spot, he was met with the objection which goes thus: “Do you fly from the qaddar
of Allah”.

Umar replied: “I flew from the qadaa of Allah to the qaddar of Allah”.

This is to say that Umar meant that if Allah exercised His qadaa at a place, another
place was free from it and that qaddar is that they should move to a peaceful and
healthy atmosphere.

Qadaa is therefore the ordering of a thing to come to pass, while qaddar signifies
the creating of a thing, subject to a certain law. Taqdiir is therefore the law or
measure which is working through the creation and this is an example of how the
Qur’an exactly uses it. The following can serve as examples of Qur’anic
injunctions on qaddar:

“Who created everything then ordained for it a measure” (Q25:1)

Glorify the Name of your Lord, the most High Who

creates, then makes complete, and Who makes things
according to a measure, then guides them to their goal
(Q87:1-3)

The laws according to which food grows from earth, as regards the appearance of
the sun, the vicegerency of day and night, the falling of rain, are all called taqdiir
(or qaddar). Man is also created according to a proportion and therefore also has
his taqdiir. Besides the taqdiir of his life, there is also that similar to the law of
growth and development in other things for man, the Qur’an speaks of this thus:

Of what things did He create him? Of a small life-germ

He created him; then He made him according to a
measure. (80:18-19)

According to the above definition everything has its taqdir. Man’s taqdiir is that he
will have legs, mouth, eyes, and hands, and will eat and drink. That of a bird is that
it will fly with wings, and that of animals is that it walks with four legs, of
amphibian is to dwell in water, while the reptiles are to crawl. It should be known
that the taqdiir of different creatures are bound to be different. A man is given
birth to by a man, and a gorilla by a gorilla, the taqdir of fire is to burn, of stars are
to shine, etc.

Taqdiir, however, can on a broader sense be divided into two. They are: taqdiir al-
haqiqii and taqdiir al-maaliki. In taqdiir al-haqiqii, man has no say as regards his
shape being different from that of other creatures. Man’s life depends on food,
water, sleep and other necessary things without which man will not be able to live.
Men are born with different capacities, capabilities, degrees of vision and genius,
even wisdom, all these are under taqdiir al-haqiqii. On them man has no power.

Taqdiir al-maaliki, on the other hand, is one which man has control over all what
he does, the freedom of action and speech is vested in him. He does and does not at
his own discretion. The English proverb, “Every man is the architect of his own
fortunes” is derived from the Qur’anic verse which says: “Who does a good (work)
does it for his own soul, and who does an evil work does it against his (soul), and
your Lord is never unjust to His servants.” (41:46) Another verse in support of this
is when Allah says: “Have We not created for him two eyes, a tongue and two legs
and a guide (to show) him as regard the two ways?” (90:7-8)
From the above injunctions, we have seen that man has freewill over most of the
things he does and that he would be accountable for his deeds on earth. The Holy
Qur’an, the Prophets and promises of the rewards for virtues and punishment for
evil would be meaningless if man is not given this freewill to act as he wishes on
earth.

In order not to confuse these two branches of taqdiir example may be tenable: A
goat is tied to a stake with a long rope in a field within the prescribed circle of its
rope, with the stake at its centre but cannot go beyond. If it does not move freely
within the given circle and feed on the grass, it will shape its own fate and suffer.
Similarly, man has been given the opportunity to move, to think in a limited way,
in a limited circle of this world with the strong stake in the hand of Allah. Man
possesses freedom of action in this sense.

The holy Prophet of Islam (SAW) had asked his companions to argue less on
taqdiir because of a lot of contradictions it causes. This is due to the manner in
which some Qur’anic verses are misconceived. And such misconception may lead
to fatalism. In fact, Muslim scholars with fatalistic ideologies use some Qur’anic
verses to support their fatalism. These verses include:

• There is no guide for one who Allah misguides,

and none can misguide who Allah guides.
(Q39:36-37)

Another is:

• And if Allah afflicts you with harm, there is none

to remove it, and if He intends good to you, there
is none to repel His grace. (Q10:107)
To the best of our knowledge the above two verses and the likes are just to
establish Allah’s complete mastery and omnipotence. In them, He shows that He
has power over all things and that He can control them as He wishes, no matter
how illogical it seems to be but we must quickly remember that Allah being a God
of Love, Mercy and Justice does not wilfully misguide anyone but if He chooses to
do so who can stop Him? There lies His mastery.

In the start, Allah sets all of us on the right path then leaves us to our direction,
while discussing the process-of birth development in Suuratul-Ihsaan, Allah says:
“And we have guided him on the ways, if (he wishes), be he thankful and if (he
wishes) he rejects.” (Q76:3)

After leaving man to his discretion most people often abuse it and come near
destruction which is always to man’s advantage.

And then do we try some of them by others so that they say:

Are there they upon whom Allah has conferred benefit

from among us? Does not Allah best know the grateful?
(Q6:33)

Allah may do this to correct man or may leave him to misguidance if the type
involved are the sort that have been yielding not to Allah’s word. To this sort of
people, Allah adds in the Qur’an thus: “But whoever repents after his iniquity and
reforms himself, then surely Allah will turn to him mercifully; surely Allah is
Forgiving, Merciful.” (Q5:39)

If man respects words of guidance from Allah, he is usually guided and being
made firm on the right path, but if he refuses the guidance and disobeys Allah,
Allah leaves him to misguidance, and when he passes this stage and still fails to
use his discretion to return to Allah in repentance. This act some regard as fatalism,
but to some it sounds as a warning.

In conclusion, it must be emphasized that on most occasion it is individual

discretion that determines his fate and when good happens to him, he is the cause
as he is also the cause if it is evil. On this the Qur’an says: “Whatever affliction
befalls you, it is on account of what your hands have brought.” (Q42:30)

It further says that: “No bearer of burden shall bear the burden of another, and
there is nothing for man except what he strives for’ (Q. 53:38-39).

To explain the above two verses, the laws of light and darkness working in nature
may be applied, the sun is the source of all light, but if a man closes his windows
and doors and puts off the light, definitely every place becomes dark (within the
room), and if he chooses to remain in it for a considerable time; he suffers the
misfortune. This will occur to him under the working of the divine laws, but he
himself is the real cause of the darkness (or the misfortune).

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Abdul Rauf Muhammad, Islam: Faith and Devotion, (Islamic Publication Bureau,
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Ali, Abdullah Yusuf, The Holy Quran Text, Translation and Commentary, (New
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Ali, M. M. The Religion of Islam, (Taj Co., New Delhi, 1986 Revised edition)
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