Bismillah
The Three Fundamental Principles - taught by Abu
Abdisalam – Part Five
THE SECOND PRINCIPLE
The author starts
the second principle with Knowledge of the Deen of Islam with the
proofs. It is to submit to Allaah with
Tawheed, and so yield obediently to Him, and to free and disassociate oneself
from shirk and its people. And it is of
three levels: Islam – submission and
obedience to Allaah, Imaan – true belief comprising belief of the heart, speech
of the tongue and action of the limbs, and Ihsaan – perfection of worship. Each level has its pillars.
Islam is used in two
contexts. It has the general and specific meaning. The general Islam is what
all the Prophets and Messengers came with and the specific Islam is that which
was sent to the final messenger.
Islam is of three
levels, as mentioned. It consists of Islam, Imaan and Ihsaan.
FIRST LEVEL
The author mentions
the first level: The pillars of Islam are five: The testification that none has the right to
be worshipped except Allaah, and that
Muhammad is the Messenger of Al; to establish the Prayer; to pay the zakat; to
fast Ramadan; and to make hajj to the sacred House of Allaah.
So the proof for the testification (shahaadah) is the
Saying of Allaah
“Allaah bears a witness that none has the right to be worshipped
but Him; and likewise the angels and the people of knowledge bear witness: He who maintains justice, none has the right
to be worshipped but Him, the All Might, the All Wise.” [Surah Aal “Imraan:
18]. Its meaning is that none has the
right to be worshipped except Allaah:
“Laa Illallah” except Allaah, affirms worship for Allaah alone, and that
there is to be no one given any share of His Dominion and Sovereignty.
It might be worth
noting that when a person gives evidence from the Quran, the masses will accept
them more. When a person gives dawah, he should bring all the evidences he can.
This comes from His wisdom. The Book of Allah is guidance and the criterion
between the right and wrong. Therefore we use evidence from the Quran and then
support it with ahadith.
If we look at the
start of the ayah mentioned – ‘Allah bears witness we just need to look at the
weight of this statement. He, from the Heavens, our Lord, bears witness.
SubhanAllah.
‘People of knowledge
bear witness’, shows the position of these people in the sight of Allah. [Paraphrasing] ‘The
merit of the`alim (the
learned) over the 'abid (the
devout) is like the merit of the moon over the stars on a full-moon night.’
To seek knowledge is a BIG thing. Imam al Bukhari headed a whole chapter in his
book regarding knowledge.
This shahaadah has
conditions and these are the following:
- Knowledge – This shows that one cannot say la illaha illalah, not
knowing its meaning and expect to go to Paradise.
- Certainty – One should have full yaqeen of the truth of this
statement
- Purity of Intentions
- Truthfulness
- Love
- Acceptance
- To submit and comply.
The meaning of la
illaha illalah starts with a negation and then an affirmation.
The explanation which will make it clear is the Saying of
Allaah:
“And (remember) when Ibrahim said to his
father and his people: "Verily, I am innocent of what you worship, Except
Him (I worship none but Allaah Alone) Who did create me, and verily, He will
guide me." And he made it a Word lasting among his offspring, that they
may turn back (to repent to Allaah or receive admonition). [Surah az Zukhruf:
26-28].
Here Ibrahim, alayhis salaam negated worship but to only
Allah alone. This is why the author said that this explanation will make it
clear. Allah made this statement remain in Ibrahim, alayhis salaams progeny.
This is THE Kalimah at Tawheed. Another proof mentioned is
And His Saying
“Say: "O people
of the Scripture (Jews and Christians): Come to a word that is just between us
and you, that we worship none but Allaah, and that we associate no partners
with Him, and that none of us shall take others as lords besides Allaah. Then,
if they turn away, say: "Bear witness that we are Muslims." [Surah
Aal ‘Imraan: 64].
The author then continues to explain the second part of the shahaadah,
the testification of the Messenger.
The proof for the testification that Muhammad is the
Messenger of Allaah is the Saying of Allaah:
“There has indeed
come to you Allah’s Messenger, from amongst yourselves and known to you. It grieves him that you should suffer. He is eager and anxious for the guidance of
those of you who are astray, and that they should repent and return to the
truth, and he is full of compassion and mercy for the Believers” [Surah at
Tawbah: 128]. The meaning of the
testification that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah is: to obey him in whatever he commands; to
believe and testify to the truth of everything he informs of; to avoid whatever
he forbade and prohibit; and that you worship Allaah only with that which he
prescribed.
The conditions of the second part of the statement are as
follows:
- Obeying him and what he came with
- Belief and testify to the truth
- Avoid all that he has prohibited
- Worship Allah with what he has prescribed.
The author then mentions the next three pillars of Islam
The evidence for the
Prayer (as salaam) and the zakat, and the explanation of Tawheed is the Saying
of Allaah:
“And they were not commanded
except that they should worship Allaah alone, making their worship and
obedience purely for Him, upon the true Deen and free from shirk; and that they
should establish the prayer and pay the zakat, and that is the straight and
true Deen” [Surah al Bayyinah: 5]
The evidence for
Fasting (siyaam) is the Saying of Allaah:
“O you who believe Fasting is
prescribed as an obligation for you as it was prescribed as an obligation for
those who came before you, so that you may attain taqwaa, obedience to Allaah
and avoidance of whatever He has forbidden.” [Surah al Baqarah: 183].
The evidence for hajj
is the Saying of Allaah:
“And hajj to Allah’s sacred
House is an obligation upon those able to perform it; and whoever refuses and rejects
the obligation of hajj to Allah’s House, then Allaah has no need of him or of
any of the creation” [Surah Aal ‘Imraan: 97].
Performing Hajj is a right that only belongs to Allah and
this is shown by using the laam of belonging.
SECOND LEVEL
[The second level] Imaan,
and it has seventy and odd branches, the highest of them is the saying that
‘none has the right to be worshipped except Allaah’ (laa illaha Illallah), the
lowest of them is ‘removal of that which is harmful from the path and a sense
of shame (al hayaa) is a branch of Imaan.’
Its pillars are six: to truly believe in Allaah; His angels; His Books;
His Messengers; The Last Day; and that you truly believe in pre-decree (al Qadr)
its good and its evil. The proof for
these six pillars is the Saying of Allaah:
“It is not righteousness that
you turn your faces to the east or the west, but rather righteousness is the
righteousness of those who truly believe in Allaah, and the Last Day, and the
Angels and the Books and the Prophets.” [Surah al Baqarah: 177] The proof for
pre-decree is the Saying of Allaah:
“We have created all things in
accordance with a pre-decreed measure.” [Surah al Qamar: 49]
Imaan is statement and actions from the heart, tongue and
limbs. You can recap this from this entry. It has 6 pillars that were mentioned
previously here and here but will be mentioned again.
The six pillars are:
- Knowledge of Allah
- Knowledge of the Angels
- Knowledge of the Books
- Knowledge of the Messengers
- Knowledge of the Last Day
- Knowledge of Qadr
The author brings in the evidence in his usual fashion, as
we can see above. Abu Abdisalam used Ibn Uthaymeen’s explanation of these
pillars.
- Knowledge of Allah includes four things
> In the existence of Allah
> Hi Lordship
> His Names and Attributes
> Worship
You can find reference to this here
- Knowledge of Angels encompasses four matters
> Existence
> General belief in the Angels
even if we don’t know their names and specific beliefs in the Angels that we do
know
> We have belief from what we
know from their attributes
> We have belief from what we
know of their deeds and actions. For example, we know there are angels that
make tasbih of Allah. Angels do not disobey Allah. We know that Jibreel’s job
was to send risala to the Prophet, sallalahu alayhi wa sallam; Mikael is in
charge of the rain fall; Israfeel blows the trumpet on the Day of Judgement.
What are the benefits of believing in Angels?
We are aware of Allah’s greatness and power.
- Knowledge of the Books
> Descent of all books are
truly from Allah
> Belief in the books of the
names we know, specifically and those books whose names we don’t know, we have
general belief. We know that the Quran was revealed to the Prophet, sallalahu
alayhi wa sallam; Torah to Musa; Injeel to Esa; Zabur to Dawud.
> We should attest the authenticity of this book.
> We should attest the authenticity of this book.
> We should act with those
things that have not been abrogated. We should stay away from the prohibitions.
What are the benefits from the book?
We can acknowledge Allah’s concern for His creation that He
sent down books to guide them to the truth. We should recognise the wisdom in
His Shari’ah. He legislated for each nation that which suited that particular
nation but the fundamental stayed the same, re, la illaha illalah. We should be
grateful for Allah’s favour.
- Knowledge of the Messengers
> We believe the message they
came with is truly from Allah
> We believe in the names we
know, specifically and the names we don’t know, generally
> We believe in what is
authentically reported from their views
> We act upon the Shari’ah our
Messenger sent to us.
- Knowledge of the Last Day
> We believe that we will be
resurrected
> We believe in the reckoning,
judging and accounting
> We believe in the Hellfire
and Paradise. When we believe in the Hellfire, it should allow us to obey
Allah’s command easier.
- Knowledge in the Qadr of Allah
> We believe that Allah knows
and knew everything, both generally and the details, about the past, present
and the future. His Knowledge encompasses all.
> We believe in the preserved
tablet
> We believe that created
things only came into existence by the Will of Allah
> We believe that all beings
are created by Allah.
We know that Allah knows and believing in Qadr allows us to
depend on Allah.
THE THIRD LEVEL
This third level is Ihsaan and it has one pillar which is "to worship Allaah as if you see Him
and if you do not see him, then He sees you” And the proof is His saying:
"Truly, Allaah
is with those who fear Him and those who are Muhsinoon (good-doers)." (An
Nahl: 128) And His saying:
"And put your trust in the
All-Mighty, the Most Merciful, who sees you when you stand up and your
movements among those who fall prostrate. Verily! He, only He, is the All-Hearer,
the All-Knower." (Ash Shu’ara:217-220)
And His saying:
"Whatever you may be doing,
and whatever portion you may be reciting from the Qur’an, - and whatever deed
you, We are Witness thereof, when you are doing it." (Surah al Yunus: 61)
This is generally Ihsaan. If the Prophet, sallalahu alayhi
wa sallam knocked on our doors, how would we be? We know that there One far
greater than the Prophet, sallalahu alayhi wa sallam and that is Allah – He
Sees us ALL THE TIME. If we could see Allah, can you imagine our prayers?!
With this the author ends the second principle with the hadith of Jibreel that
can be found in this post.
May Allah forgive my shortcomings and anything beneficial you take from this all from Allah, the Most High and all mistakes are from myself.
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