The Fundamentals of Islam

Question: Could you explain briefly Islams basic tenets of belief that every Muslim has to know?
ANSWER
Islams basic tenets of belief to be known are the fundamentals of îmân
and Islam. We have gathered them briefly below. For detailed
information, you can refer to the subject concerning the fundamentals
of Âmantu.

The fundamentals of îmân are as follows:

1- Belief in Allah
Allahu taâlâ is the Wâjib al-wujûd [the Necessary Existence] and the
Real Mabûd [the One worshipped] and the Creator of all things. There is
no ilâh (being to be worshipped) except Him. He is not with time or
with place. He does not resemble anything.

As-Sifât [Attributes] adh-Dhâtiyya of Allahu taâlâ are six:
al-Wujûd,
al-Qidam,
al-Baqâ,
al-Wahdâniyya,
al-Mukhâlafatu li-l-hawâdith,
al-Qiyâmu bi nafsihî.

[al-Wujûd: existence; al-Qidam: being without beginning, and eternal
in the past; al-Baqâ: being without end, and eternal in the future;
al-Wahdâniyya: having no partner or match; al-Mukhâlafatu
li-l-hawâdith: being dissimilar to every creature in every respect;
al-Qiyâmu bi nafsihî: self existence, being unneedy of anything for His
existence.]

The Sifât [Attributes] ath-Thubûtiyya of Allahu taâlâ are eight:
Hayât,
Ilm,
Sam,
Basar,
Qudrat,
Irâda,
Kalâm,
Takwîn.
[Hayât: Life, Ever-Living; Ilm: Omniscience; Sam: Hearing; Basar:
Seeing; Qudrat: Omnipotence; Irâda: Will; Kalâm: Speech, Word; Takwîn:
Creativeness.] These Attributes of His are eternal in the past (being
without beginning).

2- Belief in His angels
Angels are alive; that is, they have life. They are nûrânî [luminous,
spiritual] creatures that have reason [aql]. They are beloved and dear
slaves of Allahu taâlâ. They are not His partners, nor are they His
daughters. They obey His commands, and they never react in disobedience
to the commands, nor do they commit sins. They do not engage in duties
other than what they are commanded. They are neither male nor female.
They do not get married, do not give birth, do not reproduce, and do
not have children. They do not eat or drink. They have wings but we do
not know how they are.

The angels that record all actions of human beings are called
Kirâman Kâtibîn. The questioning angels are called Munkar and Nakîr.
The most superior angels are the four archangels, namely, Jabrâîl
(alaihis-salâm), Isrâfîl (alaihis-salâm), Mikâîl (alaihis-salâm) and
Azrâîl (alaihis-salâm).

3- Belief in Divine Books
Allahu taâlâ sent many Books. However, only 104 of them are mentioned
in our religious books. 100 of them are little Books called suhuf [pl.
of sahîfa].

These 100 suhuf were revealed to the following Prophets:

10 suhuf to Âdam (alaihis-salâm),
50 suhuf to Shît (alaihis-salâm),
30 suhuf to Idrîs (alaihis-salâm),
10 suhuf to Ibrâhîm (Abraham alaihis-salâm).

The other four big Books were revealed to the following Prophets:

The Tawrât (Torah) to Mûsâ (Moses alaihis-salâm),
The Zabûr (the original Psalms) to Dâwud (alaihis-salâm),
The Injîl (Latin Evangelium) to Îsâ (Jesus alaihis-salâm),
The Qurân al-karîm to our Master, the Prophet Muhammad (alaihis-salâm).

The Qurân al-karîm replaced all the Divine Books, abolished the
validity of their rules, and included all these rules in itself. Today
all people have to obey the commandments of the Qurân al-karîm.
Accordingly, it is declared in the Qurân al-karîm: Obey My Prophet! In
this case, we also have to obey the rules stated in hadîth-i sharîfs.
Today, there is not the original Tawrât or Injîl in any country. There
are defiled Injîls available. These Divine Books were distorted and
altered by people. If they had not been defiled, they still wouldt have
had validity because all of them are abrogated, that is, invalidated by
Allahu taâlâ.

The revelation of the Qurân al-karîm was made âyat by âyat and
completed in 23 years. It will remain valid up to the Day of Judgement.
It is kept secure from invalidity and distortions. One who claims that
there are reductions or additions in the Qurân al-karîm will not have
believed in Allahu taâlâ.

It is purported in âyat-i karîmas:
(We revealed the Qurân, and surely We are its Guardian.) [Sûrat-ul-Hijr 9]

(The Quran is a unique, unmatched Book. Falsehood [reductions or
additions] cannot approach it from before or behind [in no way, in no
respect] it. [Because] It is sent down by Allah who is the All-Wise,
Worthy of all Praise.) [Sûrat-u Fussilat 41-42]

4- Belief in prophets
The first of the prophets is Âdam (alaihis-salâm) and the last one is
Muhammad (alaihis-salâm). So many prophets were sent between these two,
but we do not know their exact number. It is well-known that they are
more than 124,000.

Having belief in prophets means believing in the fact that all
prophets, without exception, were devoted, truthful people who were
selected by Allahu taâlâ. One who does not believe in even one of them
regarded as not believing in any.

All prophets, from Âdam (alaihis-salâm) to Muhammad (alaihis-salâm),
communicated the same îmân and ordered their ummats to believe in the
same things. Jews believe in Mûsâ (Moses alaihis-salâm) but do not
believe in Îsâ (alaihis-salâm) and Muhammad (alaihis-salâm). Christians
believe in Îsâ (alaihis-salâm) but do not believe in Muhammad
(alaihis-salâm). As for Muslims, they believe in and accept all
prophets.

All prophets have these peculiarities:

Amâna [trustworthiness],
Sidq [their all deeds are true; they never lie],
Tabligh [they communicate the religion precisely],
Adâla [justness],
Isma [they never commit sins],
Fatâna [superintelligence],
Amn al-azl [security against dismissal from prophethood].

Just from the time of Âdam (alaihis-salâm), who was the first human
being created and who was the first Prophet to come, Allahu taâlâ sent
mankind a religion by means of a prophet every thousand years. Through
the medium of religions, He prescribed the way which leads people to
serenity and happiness in this world and to endless bliss in the
Hereafter. A prophet who brought a new religion is called a rasûl.
Rasûls who have a higher degree than the others are called Ulul-azm.
These are: Âdam, Nûh (Noah), Ibrâhîm (Abraham), Mûsâ (Moses), Îsâ
(Jesus), Muhammad (alaihimus-salâtu was-salâm).

A prophet who did not bring a new religion but invited people to the previous religion is called a nabî.

Muhammad (alaihis-salâm) is the Last Prophet; that is, no prophet will succeed him.

It is purported in the Qurân al-karîm:

(Muhammad (alaihis-salâm) is the Messenger of Allah and the Last of the prophets.) [Sûrat-ul-Ahzâb 40]

5- Belief in the Last Day
After death, everybody will be resurrected and will go to Paradise or
Hell after questioning and settlement of accounts on every action.
Paradise and Hell exist now, and both of them are eternal. Paradise for
Muslims and Hell for disbelievers will be eternal abode.

It is not made known when Doomsday will occur. Neverthless, our
Master, the Prophet pointed out many of its harbingers and precedents:

Hadrat al-Mahdî will come; Îsâ (alaihis-salâm) will descend from
Heaven; ad-Dajjal (who is called Antichrist by Christians) will appear;
people called Yajûj and Majûj will put the whole world into turmoil;
the sun will rise in the west; violent earthquakes will occur;
religious knowledge will be forgotten; vice and evil will increase.

6- Belief in qadar and that good (khair) and evil (sharr) are from Allahu taâlâ
Good and evil, advantage and harm coming upon human beings are all by Allahu taâlâs Will.

Qadar means Allahu taâlâs knowing (with His Eternal Knowledge) and
willing all deeds of human beings and other creatures that they will
do. Qadâ means the [instance] creation of anything just compatibly with
qadar. Both are termed qadâ and qadar.

Though everything, good or evil deeds of human beings, are created
by Allahu taâlâ, He has bestowed irâda-i juziyya [partial will] upon
people. Using this partial will, if one wants a good deed created, then
one gains thawâb. But, if one wants an evil deed created, then one will
have committed a sin. If people commit sins, they will be meted out
punisments. On the other hand, if they earn thawâb, then they will be
awarded in the Hereafter. In other words, Allahu taâlâ does not compel
his born slaves to commit sins.

The fundamentals of Islam

1- To say the Kalima-i shahâdat
To say: Ashhadu an lâ ilâha ill-Allah wa ash-hadu anna Muhammadan abduhû wa rasûluh.

(I bear witness [that is, I know and confirm by word of mouth as if
I saw] that there is no ilâh save Allah and again I bear witness that
Muhammad (alaihis-salâm) is His human slave and Messenger.) [Having
belief in the Messenger of Allah means accepting, believing, and loving
all of what he communicated.]

2- To perform namâzes [ritual prayers]
It is fard [obligatory] for every Muslim who is sane and has reached
the age of puberty to perform the five daily namâzes. Namâz is the
pillar of religion and not to perform it is one of the grave sins. If
people do not perform namâzes, it is very difficult for them to keep
their credal state at their last breath. It is stated in a hadîth-i
sharîf:
(A person who performs namâz will be saved in the Hereafter, but a
person who does not perform it will be in a miserable state.) [Tabarânî]

3- To give the zakât of ones property
For a person who has money or commercial property at a certain amount
termed nisâb [that is, after one has subtracted ones debts from the
total of what one has of gold or commercial property, if the remainder,
including ones dues that are to be received, is the amount of or equal
to nisâb [96 g], it is fard to give one-fortieth of it as zakât. It is
also fard to give one-tenth of the crop harvested from ones land to the
poor. This one-tenth of zakât is termed ushr.
(Allahu taâlâ curses he who does not give the zakât of his property.) [Nasâî]

4- To fast
It is fard to fast every day of the month of Ramadân. It is a grave sin to omit it.

5- To perform the hajj [pilgrimage]
For an able person who has money enough to go to and come back from the
city of Mecca besides the property sufficient for the subsistence of
ones family one leaves behind until one comes back, it is fard to
perform tawâf around the Kaba and to perform waqfa on the plain of
Arafât.

Does it suffice to say I believe?
Question: It is declared in hadîth-i sharîfs that every person who says
the Kalima-i shahâdat becomes a Muslim. If a person says the Kalima-i
shahâdat without believing in its tenets of belief, or if a person
believes it without having belief in the fundamental principles of
Âmantu, is such a person still a Muslim?
ANSWER
Îmân is defined as certifying it with the heart and confirming it by
word of mouth. One is not a Muslim as long as one does not certify it
with ones heart.

The Kalima-i shahâdat necessitates believing in Allahu taâlâs
existence, His Oneness and there being no ilâh except Him, also
believing that Muhammad (alaihis-salâm) is His Messenger and His Last
Prophet, and having faith in and loving all of what he communicated.
Indeed, saying, like narrating a historical event There was such a
Prophet does not constitute îmân. Îmân must be as follows, I believe,
accept and love that exalted Prophet and all of what he communicated.
Every word he said is true. There is not even a shadow of doubt that it
may be wrong. As is seen, one has to believe in all the six tenets of
belief in the Âmantu. One is not a Muslim as long as one does not
believe in them; what is more, one still isnt a Muslim if one does not
love them after believing. Likewise, one who does not accept any of the
six fundamentals of îmân or who does not accept and love any of the
commonly-known fards, sunnats and harâms in the religion is not a
Muslim. You have to accept and love Islam as a whole.

In their endeavors to understand the meanings of hadîth-i sharifs,
if people read them without taking notice of Islamic scholars
expounding on them, this act of theirs will be very dangerous and may
result in disbelief. For example, we should understand the meaning of
the following hadîth-i sharîf in light of the foregoing:

(He who believes in Allahu taâlâ and pleased with Him as his Rab,
who believes in Islam and pleased with it as his religion, and who
believes in Muhammad [alaihis-salâm, all of what he communicated] and
pleased with him as his [Last] Prophet [such a person is a Muslim and
if he keeps this credal state at his last breath] will be awarded
Paradise.) [Muslim, Nasâî]