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Fundamentals of Islam
Usool -ad-Deen (Roots of Religion)
- Tawheed - (Oneness of God) - The most fundamental aspect of all beliefs revolves around the total
acceptance of the Absolute and Perfect Creator. Belief in the Originator of all causes and
effects with no effect on Him and that He is One, Everliving, Beneficent and Merciful. He
has neither a colleague nor a partner. He begets not, nor is He begotten, and there is
none like Him. The Almighty God is Unique and is Absolute in the Absolute sense. No entity
in His Universe can ever comprehend His true state and none should even bother to try for
it will lead to futility and insanity. Yet there is no doubt in any sane mind that His
existence precedes all and His presence is Absolutely ubiquitous (everpresent). For anyone
to say that God does not exist is a liar and a fool because such a person can NEVER
disprove His existence, whether scientifically or philosophically, or for that matter in
any method known. Because He is Absolute and none is like Him, no one in the relative
world can ever physically define Him, and thus all idol worshippers and those who ascribe
a shape or a body to Him are wrong. Ascribing a shape to the One who is beyond our limited
perceptions would be tantamount to lying and giving a false appearance and a false
representation. In addition, to believe that one can see God in the physical sense of
sitting on a throne like some mythical being is certainly an untrue statement and should
never be accepted. The Almighty Creator brings to existence everything with utmost
Perfection and nothing in His Universe is imperfect. Thus to state that the Creator has
created imperfect things is certainly a false statement. He is the One and Only and is
Absolutely independent of anything and everything that exists. Glorified be His names, the
Most High!
- 'Adl - (Justice) -
Essentially part of Tawheed. Belief that God is Just. He will reward or punish any person
according to his deeds and thus the notion of predestination (where all decisions are
God's and not any one else's) in one's deeds does not exist. It is absolutely forbidden in
Islam to believe that the Almighty, Merciful Allah planned our destiny and that the good
and the bad are just His Will and there is no choice for us between them (God forbid!).
Those who ascribe to such lies do so because they want to blame their own evils on Allah
and claim the good for themselves! Although the attribute of Allah's Justice is not a
separate entity of Allah for certainly the Almighty God can never be compartmentalized nor
defined in any relative terms, it is nonetheless absolutely compulsory to believe and
fully understand the importance of this attribute in Islam so as not to allow the evil
suggestions of Iblees (curse of Allah be upon him and his progeny) and his companions from
leading us astray.
- Nubuwwat - (Prophethood) - Belief in the Prophets (PBUT) of God who excel all other persons for
whom they are sent for. All prophets of Allah are perfect and sinless (ma'soom). Prophet
Muhammad Mustafa (PBUH&HF) is the last of the prophets sent by God and the sealer of
prophets for NO more are to come, EVER! The total number of prophets (PBUT) that were sent
by God to mankind is 124,000 and every nation on earth was given guidance through them. In
fact, all major religions today on earth can be traced to have these divinely guided
teachers as their original propagators of the Truth of Allah. The best of His messengers
all came from the same tree i.e. family lineage and many of them are mentioned in the Holy
Qur'an which describes who they were and what their mission on earth was. It is important
to note that no prophet on earth ever negated or rejected any of the other divinely
ordained prophets and thus their message was always the same and one in purpose. Each
established the law of the One and Only God and showed the way of life for humans to
observe. From the very first creation of mankind, there was always a prophet on earth
which was Prophet Adam (PBUH). This guidance from the Merciful Allah to establish His
complete laws continued to the last Prophet Muhammad (PBUH&HF) who exemplified the
letters of the law in his most perfect behavior. He completed and perfected the one and
only True religion, Islam. With the revelation of the last Holy Book, the Qur'an, which is
the most protected and perfect book of God with us, he established as part of his mission,
every concievable and practical law for mankind to follow in order to attain spiritual
perfection. Great prophets such as Nuh (Noah), Ibrahim (Abraham), Ismail (Ishmael), Ishaaq
(Isaac), Yaqoob (Jacob), Yusuf (Joseph), Dawood (David), Sulaiman (Solomon), Musa (Moses),
Yahya (John), and Isa (Jesus), - (Peace be upon them all) - all came from the one blessed
lineage of Prophet Adam (PBUH) and ended with the last Messenger, Muhammad (PBUH&HF).
It is also important to note that anyone who ascribes imperfections or mistakes to these
divinely guided personalities is ascribing it directly to Allah who is certainly free from
such. Acceptance of such ideas is also rejection of the message of Allah entirely. Thus
with prophethood, a believer has to accept in their complete message without any
reservations of possible errors or mistakes.
- Imamat - (Guidance)
- Belief in the divinely appointed leadership after the death of the Holy Prophet
(PBUH&HF) to protect and guide mankind with the revealed Truth, the Holy Qur'an and
the true practices of the Holy Prophet himself. The roles of these leaders is an integral
part in the protection of all the Messengers and their divine Messages. The Almighty Allah
appointed through the Holy Prophet himself, twelve Guides (Imams) to protect mankind from
misrepresenting and misinterpreting the Truth. Belief in this is most important in Islam
and no doubts about their positions should be allowed. They are indeed sinless (ma'soom)
and perfect in the highest sense of the word. The Imams have direct knowledge from God,
and their verdict is the verdict of God. After the Holy Prophet, only they can interpret
and guide mankind in every aspect of life and death and all believers must acquire
guidance from them or else they will certainly be lost. They do NOT bring any new laws nor
do they ever innovate their own laws. They always exempliy and elucidate the practical
(Sunnah) and the written (the Holy Qur'an). It is also important to note that they NEVER
disagree with each other in their manners and duties nor in their representations of the
Divine Laws. They are from the best and the most blessed and purified lineage of the last
Holy Prophet Muhammad (PBUT) and their names are as follows: (1) Imam Ali ibn Abu Talib,
the cousin and son-in-law of the Holy Prophet who called him his only brother in this
world and in the next, (2) Imam Hasan son of Ali, (3) Imam Husain son of Ali, (4) Imam Ali
son of Husain, (5) Imam Muhammad son of Ali, (6) Imam Ja'far son of Muhammad, (7) Imam
Musa son of Ja'far, (8) Imam Ali son of Musa, (9) Imam Muhammad son of Ali, (10) Imam Ali
son of Muhammad, (11) Imam Hasan son of Ali, and the last and living Imam Muhammad son of
Hasan, the establisher of the Truth till the end of this world (PBUT). There is no
successor to the Twelfth Holy Imam Muhammad ibnul Hassan (PBUH) and he is LIVING today but
is in occultation and appears only to those who are most in need and to those who are most
virtuous and pious. By the Command of Allah, he will reappear to all when he will
establish true justice on earth and will rule mankind compassionately with utmost
perfection as is the Will of the Almighty Allah. He will abolish the evil establishments
on earth and mankind will live under true guidance as should have been many centuries ago!
- Qiyaamat - (Resurrection) - Belief in the Day of Judgement when all human beings shall be raised
from the dead and all their good and bad deeds shall be ultimately judged and recompensed
accordingly. This belief is most essential WITH the belief in the One True God. The Day of
Judgement will prove to all in this Universe that the Almighty Allah is the Creator of all
from nothing and is the Absolute Master. His divine presence shall be most apparent on
this important Day for all to witness. It is a judgement Dayfor His creatures to know
themselves and their relationship to the Creator Allah. Just as pursuit for justice is
inseperable in any society on earth, so is the Ultimate Day of Justice inseparable for
mankind.
Furoo-ad-Deen (Branches of Religion)
- Salat (Prayers)
- Saum (Fasting)
- Hajj (Pilgrimage)
- Zakat (Poor Rate)
- Khums (Wealth Tax)
- Jihad (Striving)
- Amr-Bil-Ma'roof (Enjoin what is good)
- Nahi-Anil-Munkar (Forbid what is wrong)
- Tawalla (To love and respect the Ahl-ul-Bait and their
friends)
- Tabarra (To disassociate from the enemies of the
Ahl-ul-Bait)
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