What is Islam?

Our dîn, Islâm is a system of divine law. If a person of sound mind chooses it as a way of life using their free will, it will lead them the way to happiness and success both in this world and the hereafter.

Beginning with Adam (ʿAlayhi as-Salām), the first man and the first Prophet, Allâh (Taʿâlâ) has revealed His divine religions to mankind through His prophets. Allâh (Taʿâlâ) perfected our religion, Islâm, through His Prophet Muhammad Mustafâ ﷺ.

One who has entered into the fold of Islâm is called a Muslim. We should thank Allâh with praise (Alhamdulillâh) for the fact that we are Muslims.

SHARÎ’AH (ISLÂMIC RELIGIOUS LAW)

Sharî’ah literally means ‘Religion’. The rules regarding Al-ʿibâdah (worship) and Al-Muʿâmalah (conduct) are also called Sharî’ah. In other words, Dîn is Sharî’ah and vice versa.

ÎMÂN (FAITH)

Îmân is the acceptance and heartful affirmation of all the beliefs and orders that Muhammad ﷺ passed on to us as had been revealed to him by Allâh (Taʿâlâ). Îmân is the confirmation of the faith in one’s heart.

However, it is necessary for a person to recite Kalimah Al-Shahâdah with the tongue and to believe it in the heart, during his/her life and at the time of death in order to be treated as a Muslim.

The principles of Îmân are six. They are explained below through the original Arabic text (transliterated) and translation of “Âmantu”:

Âmantu (Transliteration)

Āmantu billâhi wa malâʾikatihî wa kutubihî wa rusulihî wa-l yawm-il âkhiri wa bi-l qadari khayrihî wa sharrihî minallâhi Taʿâlâ wa-l baʿthu baʿdal mawti, haqqun ash-hadu an lâ ilâha illallâh wa ash-hadu anna Muhammadan ʿAbduhû wa Rasûluhû.

Translation

I believe in Allâh (Taʿâlâ), in His angels, in His books, in His prophets, in the Day of Judgment, in divine decree and in the fact that both good and evil occur through the will of Allâh (Taʿâlâ), and that there will be life after death.

I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allâh (Taʿâlâ), and I testify that Muhammad ﷺ is His servant and prophet.

Kalimah al-Shahâdah (Note)

Ash-hadu an lâ ilâha illAllâhu wa ash-hadu anna Muhammadan ʿAbduhû wa Rasûluhû
(I bear witness that there is none worthy of worship except Allâh and I bear witness that Muhammad ﷺ is His servant and prophet.)-

ARKÂN AL-ÎMÂN (ARTICLES OF FAITH)

1. To believe in Allâh Taʿâlâ
2. To believe in His angels
3. To believe in His books
4. To believe in His prophets
5. To believe in the Day of Judgment
6. To believe in divine decree; namely that both good and evil are from Allâh and that we shall have a life after death.

One who does not accept any one of the above-mentioned articles of faith is regarded as having denied them all. For instance, one who has accepted the first five conditions but has rejected belief in life after death cannot be considered a Muslim.

The first of the six articles of Îmân (faith) is to believe in Allâh Taʿâlâ. This faith is explained as follows: Allâh Taʿâlâ Exists. His divine being possesses all the divine attributes each respectively in its perfect and unique form and furthermore His divine being is free from all defects.

The first of the six articles of Îmân (faith) is to believe in the Existence of Allâh Taʿâlâ, to believe also that He is the owner of all the divine qualities in their perfect forms and also, that He is free from all faults and defects.

The divine attributes of Allâh Taʿâlâ are classified in two groups:

• Sifât al-Dhâtiyyah (the Personal Attributes of Allâh Taʿâlâ)
• Sifât al-Thubûtiyyah (the Immutable Attributes of Allâh Taʿâlâ)

SIFÂT AL-DHÂTIYYAH (THE PERSONAL ATTRIBUTES OF ALLÂH TAʿÂLÂ)

Sifât al-Dhâtiyyah, the Personal Attributes of Allâh Taʿâlâ, are six. They are as follows:

1. Al-Wujûd: To exist, Allâh Taʿâlâ is Existent.
2. Al-Qidam: He is Pre-Eternal; His existence is without a beginning.
3. Al-Baqâ: He is Everlasting; His existence is without an end.
4. Al-Wahdâniyyah: He is unique; He has no partner or match in His Essence and Attributes.
5. Al-Mukhâlafatun lil Hawâdith: He is unlike the created; He does not resemble any of the creation. Minds cannot perceive Him.
6. Al-Qiyâm bi-nafsihî: He is not in need of anyone or anything in His Existence.

SIFÂT AL-THUBÛTIYYAH (THE IMMUTABLE ATTRIBUTES OF ALLÂH TAʿÂLÂ)

Sifât al-Thubûtiyyah, the Immutable Attributes of Allâh Taʿâlâ, are eight. They are as follows:

1. Al-Hayât: Life, Allâh Taʿâlâ Lives and Resurrects.
2. Al-ʿIlm: Knowledge, He Knows everything to such an extent that He even knows the secret intentions of the hearts.
3. Al-Samîʿ: Hearing, He Hears everything.
4. Al-Basar: Sight, He Sees everything. Allâh Taʿâlâ can see a black ant crawling on a black rock in the dark of night and He can hear the sound of its moving limbs.
5. Al-Irâdah: Will, He Has Absolute Will. He Does whatever He wishes and in whatever manner He wishes.
6. Al-Qudrah: Power, He is the Omnipotent. He Has power over all things.
7. Al-Kalâm: Speech, He Speaks without need of letters or sounds. Qur’ân is the speech of Allâh Taʿâlâ.
8. Al-Takwîn: Creation, He is the Creator of all things and beings.

BELIEF IN THE ANGELS

The second article of Îmân (faith) is to believe in the angels. The angels are created from nûr (light). They are gentle, spiritual beings that can take any form they wish. They are neither male nor female. They don’t disobey Allâh Taʿâlâ in carrying out His orders. They do not need to eat or drink and they do not get tired.

Some angels are charged with tasks in the heavens, some on the earth and some at al-ʿArsh (the divine throne). Only Allâh Taʿâlâ knows the exact number of the angels. Four high-ranking angels (the archangels) are the prophets of the angels.

The Four Archangels

1. Jibrâʾîl (ʿAlayhi as-Salâm): He was charged with the task of conveying the revelations of the divine scriptures to the prophets (ʿAlayhim as-Salâm). This angel acted as a messenger between Allâh Taʿâlâ and His prophets by revelation.
2. Mîkâʾîl (ʿAlayhi as-Salâm): He is charged with the formation of some natural events such as the wind, the rain, the snow, and the growth of the vegetation.
3. Isrâfîl (ʿAlayhi as-Salâm): He is charged with the task of blowing the Thûr (trumpet) to start the Day of Qiyâmah (Judgement) and again with the second blowing, to resurrect the humanity and the jinn.
4. Azrâʾîl (ʿAlayhi as-Salâm): He is charged with the task of taking the souls at the time of death.

Besides these, there are 384 other angels appointed for each and every human being. Among them, Kirâman Kâtibîn are charged with recording everyone’s actions.

BELIEF IN THE BOOKS

The third article of Îmân (faith) is to believe in al-Suhuf (the pages) and al-Kutub (the books).

From time to time, Allâh Taʿâlâ revealed divine books to His servants through His prophets (ʿAlayhim as-Salâm). Thus, He could communicate to humankind His wishes, His commands, His prohibitions and in general His divine wisdom.

The total number of al-Kutub (books) and al-Suhuf (pages) that were revealed to the prophets (ʿAlayhim as-Salâm) by means of Jibrâʾîl (ʿAlayhi as-Salâm) is one hundred and four.

Al-Suhuf (The Pages)

The total number of al-Suhuf (pages) is one hundred. They are as follows:

• Ten pages to Âdam (ʿAlayhi as-Salâm)
• Fifty pages to Shîth (ʿAlayhi as-Salâm)
• Thirty pages to Idrîs (ʿAlayhi as-Salâm)
• Ten pages to Ibrâhîm (ʿAlayhi as-Salâm)

Al-Kutub (The Books)

1. Tawrâh to Mûsâ (ʿAlayhi as-Salâm)
2. Zabûr to Dâwûd (ʿAlayhi as-Salâm)
3. Injîl to ʿÎsâ (ʿAlayhi as-Salâm)
4. Qur’ân al-Karîm to our Prophet, Muhammad Mustafâ ﷺ

With the revelation of the Glorious Qur’ân, the ahkâm (rules) of the first three books were abrogated.

The Noble Qur’ân consists of 6666 Âyât (verses) and 114 Sûrahs (chapters). Not a single letter of the Glorious Qur’ân has been changed and all copies of the Noble Qur’ân in the world are the same. The Noble Qur’ân is under the protection of Allâh Taʿâlâ forever and it will never change.

BELIEF IN THE ANBIYÂ (PROPHETS, ALAYHIM AS-SALÂM)

The fourth article of Îmân (faith) is to believe in the prophets (ʿAlayhim as-Salâm). The prophets were selected individuals who were sent by Allâh Taʿâlâ to convey His dîn, commands, prohibitions, and tidings to His servants.

They acted as a means of turning man away from corruptions like associating partners with Allâh Taʿâlâ or worshipping idols and guiding true believers to happiness both in this world and the Hereafter.

As the intelligence of man is insufficient by itself to find the right way to salvation, Allâh Taʿâlâ sent prophets (ʿAlayhim as-Salâm) for His servants to guide them to the eternal bliss and the right path.

The prophets were supported by Allâh Taʿâlâ with miracles in which many extraordinary events were easily performed in their hands through His divine grace and permission.

The first man and the first Prophet was Âdam (ʿAlayhi as-Salâm). The origin of man, the honourable creation, can be traced to a man only and not an ape like certain people claimed.

The Qualities of the Prophets (ʿAlayhim as-Salâm)

1. Al-Sidq (Truthfulness): They were truthful and never lied.
2. Al-Amânah (Trustworthiness): They were trustworthy and could be relied on in all situations.
3. Al-Tablîgh (Communication): They communicated to people Allâh’s commands and prohibitions without any hesitation.
4. Al-Fatânah (Intelligence): They had the highest level of intelligence.
5. Al-ʿIsmah (Innocence): They were innocent of any wrongdoing and far from committing sins.

The Unique Qualities of Muhammad Mustafâ ﷺ

1. He was superior to all other Prophets (ʿAlayhim as-Salâm).
2. He was sent to the whole of humanity and jinn.
3. He was Khâtam al-Anbiyâ, the Seal of the Prophets (the Last Prophet). No other Prophet shall come after him.
4. He has been sent as a mercy to all worlds.
5. His Sharîʿah (religion) shall remain in effect until the Day of Judgment.

The Names of the Prophets Mentioned in the Noble Qur’ân

Allâh Taʿâlâ sent many prophets beginning from Âdam (ʿAlayhi as-Salâm) and completing with our Prophet ﷺ. However, only 28 prophets (ʿAlayhim as-Salâm), knowledge of whom is compulsory upon all Muslims, have been mentioned in the Glorious Qur’ân. Their names are:

1. Âdam (ʿAlayhi as-Salâm)
2. Idrîs (ʿAlayhi as-Salâm)
3. Nûh (ʿAlayhi as-Salâm)
4. Hûd (ʿAlayhi as-Salâm)
5. Sâlih (ʿAlayhi as-Salâm)
6. Ibrâhîm (ʿAlayhi as-Salâm)
7. Lût (ʿAlayhi as-Salâm)
8. Ismâʿîl (ʿAlayhi as-Salâm)
9. Ishâq (ʿAlayhi as-Salâm)
10. Yaʿqûb (ʿAlayhi as-Salâm)
11. Yûsuf (ʿAlayhi as-Salâm)
12. Ayyûb (ʿAlayhi as-Salâm)
13. Shuʿayb (ʿAlayhi as-Salâm)
14. Mûsâ (ʿAlayhi as-Salâm)
15. Hârûn (ʿAlayhi as-Salâm)
16. Dâwûd (ʿAlayhi as-Salâm)
17. Sulaymân (ʿAlayhi as-Salâm)
18. Yûnus (ʿAlayhi as-Salâm)
19. Ilyâs (ʿAlayhi as-Salâm)
20. Al-Yasaʿ (ʿAlayhi as-Salâm)
21. Dhul-Kifl (ʿAlayhi as-Salâm)
22. Zakariyyâ (ʿAlayhi as-Salâm)
23. Yahyâ (ʿAlayhi as-Salâm)
24. ʿÎsâ (ʿAlayhi as-Salâm)
25. Uzayr* (ʿAlayhi as-Salâm)
26. Luqmân* (ʿAlayhi as-Salâm)
27. Dhul-Qarnayn*
28. Muhammad ﷺ

* Some ʿUlamâ (scholars) stated that these three blessed personalities were Awliyâ (friends of Allâh) and not prophets.