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THE PII,I,ARS OF FAITH
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CONTENTS lntroduction,
I
God
2
The Hereafter
It
Angels
l6
Books
l8
'. N4essengers
20
Qadar
24
Conclusion . .
21
il1
INTRODUCTION ' l ma n , Th e p illar s of F ait h, e n u me ra te d i n ma n y verses of th e Q ur ' an and s a y i n g so f th e Pro p h e t M u h a m mad, pe a ce b e upon him , are b e l i e f i n C o d , i n C o d ' s An g el s,H i s B o o ks, H is M es s enge rs ,i n th e H e re a fte r a n d i n Qadar ( D e s t i n y ) .T h e s e a r e f a m i l i a r t e r m s ; b u t t h e n o n - M u s l i m r e a d e r w o u l d b e m i s t a k e ni f h e t h o u g h t t h a t t h e l s l a m i c co n ce p ts des ignat ed b y th e m a re th e s a m e a s th ose of o t h e r r e l i g i o n s a n d p h i l o s o p h i e s .l t i s h o p e d t h a t t h e f o l l o w i n g e x p o s i t i o n ,w h i c h i s i t s e l fm a d e i n t h e l i g h t o f t h e Q u r ' a n a n d t h e s a y i n g so f t h e P r o p h e t ,w i l l m a k e t h i s p o i n t clear. lt will also make clear the fact that the lslamic c o n ce p t of f ait h it s elf i s , i n ma n y w a y s ,d i ffe re n t fro m the popular Western one. In the West faith is usually c o n tra s t edt o r eas onan d k n o w l e d g e . Bu t a c c o rd i n g to the Qu r'a n tr ue f ait h is t ha t w h i c h i s b a s e do n k n o w l e d ge and s u p p o rted by ar gum e n t, An y b e l i e f w h i c h i s n o t s o based an d su p por t ed is c on s i d e re d b y th e Qu r' a n to b e mere c a p r i c e a n d w h i m w h i c h a t h i n k i n g p i e r s o nm u s t a v o i d . Tru e fa i t h c an t her ef or e b e g a i n e d th ro u g h re fl e c ti on and th e a cq uis it ion of k n o w l e d g e , a n d n o t b y b l i n d and irra ti o nal c om m it t m en t. A p e rs o n a rme d w i th s u ch an e n l i g h te ned f ait h c an e n te r w i th g re a t c o n fi d e n c e i nto ra ti o n a l dis c us s ion wi th p e o p l e w h o d o n o t s h a re hi s be l i e fsw it h t he hope o f s h o w i n g th e m th e i r m i s ta k esand w e a kn es s esand winnin g th e m o v e r to tru th . l f th i s paper he l p s to t ak e t he r ead e r a s te p i n th a t d i re c ti o n i t w i l l have ach i e ved it s pur pos e, a n d a l l p ra i s e i s d u e to Go d . -l-
GOD Muhammad,peace be upon him, was sent to invite peopleto Cod and to teachthem how to performthe task for which they were created,namelyto worshipHim. Many of the peoplewhom he addressedhad a hazyideaof Cod. other $ome did believein Him, though they associated lessergods with Him, but a few of them were downright atheists,or materialists,whosecreed was,'we lirneand we die and nothingcausesour deathexceptTime.' [fathiya, XLV:241Beforeinvitingsuchatheiststo Cod one mustfirst convincethem that there is suchbeing."What reasondo you havefor believingthatthereis a Cod?" This,logically, is the first questionwhich a theisticview of life should addressitselfto. The Qur'anic answerto it is given in the foflowing words: ". . . weretheycreatedout of nothing?Or weretheythe (ofthemselves)ordid creations theycreatetheheavens rnd earth." [ T u r ,L l l : 3 6 J The Qur'an is here sayingthat for everythinglike man that hasa beginningin time,thereare only threewaysof explaininghow it cameto be. a. Eitherit is created,or made,or causedby nothingat all i.e. it cameout of nothing. b. Or it is the creatorof itself. c. Or it has a creator, cause,or maker, outside itself. The third possibilityis not mentionedin the quoted verse but it is understoodbecausethe verse is addressedto peoplewho deny the existenceof a creatorand it istelling them that if there is no creatorthen only two possibilities
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remain. But the Qur'an does not go into the detailsof showingwhy the first two positionsare untenable.Clarity of expression often convinces peopfe of the truth or untruth of a statement.Mental seeinghere, more than physicalseeing,is believing(or rejecting).Thisis borne out in the caseof these Qur'anic words by a historicalevent. fubayr lbn Mut'im, until then, a non-Muslimwassent by Qurayshon a missionto the Muslimsat Madina.He says that when he arrived he heard the Prophet, who was leadingthe evening prayer,readingSuratal-turand when he reachedthe foregoingverses"my heartwasalmostrent asunder."tShortlyafter that fubayr embracedlslam. Why did this happento him?Probablybecausethe verse made things clear to him for the first time. lt is inconceivablefor somethingto come out of or be madeby nothing at all, he realized,and it is even more inconceivable that it should bring itselfinto being. Hencethe only conclusion is that it must have a creator outside itself. A thesisisthereforuntenableif it meansthe denialofany maker or cause whatsoever.But admitting that this is indeedso,one might stillwonderwhy shouldthatcaus€or maker or creator be the God to whom Muhammadwas invitingpeople?Why shouldn'tit be one of the manyother gods in whom people believeor why shouldn'tit evenbe the "matter" of the materialists? Almost the entire Qur'an dealswith this questionbut we shalldo our bestto give a brief answer which would provide the reader with the basicsof the Qur'anic position-In a nutshellthe answeris as follows: to explainthe cbming into being of temporal things, the creator (or causeor maker) for which we are
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looking, must (logicallymust)havethe attributeof the Cod to whom Muhammad invites us. How sol The creator must be of a different naturefrom the things created because,if he is of the samenature asthey are, he will have to be temporal and therefore need a maker. lt follows that "nothing is like Him." [Shura,XLll: 11l.lfthe maker is not temporal then he must be eternal.But if he is eternal, he cannot be caused,and if nothing causeshim to come into existence,nothing causeshim to continue to exist,which meansthat he must be selfsufficient.And if he does not depend on anything for the-continuanceof his existence,then that existencecan haveno end. Thecreator is therefore eternaland everlasting:"He is thefirstand the last." [Hadid, [Vlt: 3l "All that dwells upon the earth is perishingr|€t still abides the Faceof thy [ord, majestic, splendid." [Rahman,[V: 26-271 There are two ways in which causesproduce their effects.Eitherthey producethem naturallyor intentionally. The maker that has the attributeswe haveenumerated cannot be a naturalcause.Becauseif thingsof this world flow from Him naturallyand spontaneousfy, they cannot be but of the samenatureas He is. And if like all natural causesHe causesonly under certainconditions,then His po*er is limited.lt followsthat He mustbe a wilful agent. But intentionimpliesknowledgeand both impty life.5o, that makermust be a fivingall-knowingagentwith a will that is absolutelyfree.ThusGod accordingto the Qur'an doeseverythingwith intentionand for a purpose. "SurelyWe havecreatedeverything in {due)measure." [Qamar,LXIV:a9]
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"What,did you thinkthatWe createdyou onlyfor sportl" I M u ' m i n u nX, X l l l :1 1 5 f He is absolutelyfree to do whateverhe wills IHud, Xl: 1071and is aware of every movementof His creation. "He knows what is in land and sea;not a leaffalls,but He knowsit. Not a grainin the earth'sshadow,not a thing fresh or withered,but it is in a Book Manifest.lt is He who recalls you by night, and He knows what you work by day." [An'am, Vl: 59-601 Go d i s a liv ing per s o n w i th a l l th a t th i s i m p l i e s : "There is no Cod but He, the living, the everlasting. SlumberseizesHim not, neither sleep;to Him belongsall that is in the heavensand the earth.Who is therethat shall intercede with Him saveby His leavel He knows what lies before them and what is afterthem, and they comprehend not anything of His knowledgesavesuch as He wills. His throne comprisesthe heavensand earth; the preservingof them oppresses Him not; He is the All-high, the Allglorious." [Bagara,ll; 255f Cod is not only willing and powerful, He is also lust in that H e d o e s not punis h a s i n n e r fo r m o re th a n h i s c ri m e. H e i s merciful and His mercy, in the words of the Prophet "overcame his punishment." So He does not punish us for whatever we do, but forgives and erases our sins, and magnifies and multiplies our good deeds.
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"The likenessof those who expend their wealth in the way of God is asthe likenessof a grainof corn that sproutsseven ears,in every ear a hundred grains,so God multipliesunto whom He will; God is All-embracing,All'knowing." [Baqara,ll: 261f These, and many others which can be arrived at in a similar wrlr are the attributes which the true creator must possess.Any other being or object which is alleged to be a god or an ultimate cause and which necessarilylacks some of them cannot in actual fact be what it is believed to be. Thus, having shown clearly what the true Cod should be like, the Qur'an goes on to show why there cannot be any god but He, and reveals the falsity of all alleged gods. To the worshippers of man-made obieas it says: "Do you worship what you have carved out and God creatd you and what you make?" [Saffat,XXXVII:95] and ".,. hayethey taken unto themselvesothersbesideHim who create nothinE, who are themselvescreated,who cannot protect them, nor can they protect themselves." ['A'rif, Vll: 191-1921 To the worshippers of heavenly bodies it relates as a reminder the story of Abraham: When night outspr€adover him he saw a star and said, 'This ir my Lord.' Bui when it ret he said, 'l love not the rctters.' When he saw the moon rising, he said, 'Thlr ir my 'lf [ord.' But when it set he raid, my Lorddoesnot guide me
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I sh alls ur elybe of t he p e o p l eto n e a s tra y .' Wh ehne saw the su n r is ing,he s aid,' T h i si smy L o rd ;th i si sg re a te r!,Butw hen it set he said,'O my people,surelyI am quit of what you associatewith Cod. I have turned my face to Him who originatedthe heavensand the earth,a man of pure faith; I am not of the idolaters.' ['An'am, Yl:76-791 And when, later on, the Prophet comes into contact with the Jews and Christians, the Qur'an conftmns their heli€f in the divine nature of human-beings. "The lews say,'Ezrais the son of God.' The Christianssay, 'The Messiahisthe sonof God.'Thatisthe utteranceof their mouths, conforming with the unbelievers before them. God assailthem! How they are perverted." [Tawba,lX:3{ll It tells them that if everything is creared by God then it must be His servant and cannot, therefore be his son, [Maryam, XIX: E&951. It then goes on to explain to the Christians the real nature of fesus. "Truly, the likenessof lesus in God's sight is as Adam,s likeness;He created him of dust, then said He unto him 'Bet'and he wa'"' ['Arlmran, ill: s9l For someone to take something as a god, it is not necessary that he should acknowledge it as such or worship it in a ritualistic way; it is enough for him tofollow its dictates obediently, or devote to it acts or have towards it feef ings which should be devoted to or felt towards God only. There are many such unacknowledged Eods.
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"He!t thou seenhim who hastaken his capriceto be hir Godl Wilt thou be a guardianover him?" [Furqan,XXV:{31 theirmonksaslordsaPart and their rabbis have taken "They from.God, and the Messiah,Mary'i son,and they wcre commrndedto serv€but one Cod." [Tawbr,fX: 31f Thusto be a Muslim-i.e. to surrenderonerelf to Godit is necessaryto believe in the uniw of fu in the senseofHis being the only creator, prservef and nourisher.But this belief-hter on calledtawhidar-rubu[iyya-is not enough. In fact many of the idolatersdidknow and believethat it is the supreme God alone who can do all this. But that was not enough to make them Muslims. To tawhid a,r' rububiyya one must edd tawhid al uluhiyyai.e. one must acknowledgethe fact that it isthisGod alonewho deserves to be worshipped, and therefore abstainfrom direaing any of one's actsof worshipto someoneor somethingelse. fn the Qur'an the argument for tawhid al'uluhiyya is basedon tawhid ar-rububiyya i.e. if it is God alone who createsand controlseverythingwhy then and to what end do you worship others beside Him? "O you men,serveyour Lordwho createdyou,andthose who willbegod-fearint; thatwerebeforeyou;haplysoyou to you the earthfor a couch,and heavenfor an assigned edifice,and sentdown out of heavenwater,wherewithHe broughtforth fruitsfor yourprovision;sosetnot up rivals to God wittingly." ll: 21-22J [al-Baqara, Havingknown the true God, man iscalleduPon to affirm what he knows i.e. to believe and have faith in Cod, and
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not allow any ulteriormotivesto inducehim to deny a fact which he knowsto be true. "... that they who havebeen given knowledgemay know it is the truth from thy Lord and so believein it, and thustheir heartsbecome humble unto him." [H a j ,X Xl l : 54] "But when our signscameto them visibly,they said,"This i s a manif esst or c er y ;' a n dth e y d e n i e dth e m ,th o u g hthei r soulsacknowledgedthem, wrongfully and out of pride." [N a m l ,X XV II:14f When faith enters a person's heart, it causes therein certain mental states, which result in certain apparent actions, both of which are the proof of true faith. Foremost among those mental states is the feeling of g ra ti tu de t owar ds Co d , w h i c h c o u l d b e s a i d to be the essence ol ibada (worshipping or serving God). Th i s f eeling of g ra ti tu d e i s s o i m p o rta n t that a n o n b e liev er is c alled ka fi r w h i c h me a n s ,' o n ew h o deni esa tru th ' and als o ' on e w h o i s u n g ra te fu l .' O ne can u n d e rst and why t his i s s o w h e n o n e re a d s i n th e Qur' an th a t th e m ain m ot iv e fo r d e n y i n g th e e x i s te n c eo f God i s th a t o f u njus t if ied pr id e . S u c h a p ro u d p e rs o n fe e l s that i t does not become him to be created or governed by a being wh o m he m us t t hus a c k n o w l e d g e to b e g re a te r than h i mse l f and t o whom h e mu s t b e g ra te fu l . "Th o s ewho dis put ec o n c e rn i n gth e s i g n so f C o d w i thout a n ya u t hor it yc om et o th e m ,i n th e i rh e a rtsi so n l yp ri dethat th e y s hallnev erat t ai n ." [C h a fi r,X L: 561 Wi th t he f eeling of g ra ti tu d e g o e s th a t o f l o v e
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"There are some people who take to themselves(for worship) othersapartfromGodlotingthemastheyshould loveGod: Butthosewho believe,loveCod moreardently thantheyloveanythingelse." ll: 1651 [Baqara, A believerlovesand is gratefufto Cod for His bounties, but being awar€ of the fact that his good deeds,whether with mentalor physical,are far from beingcommensurate Divine favors,he is alwaysanxiouslest becauseof his sins God should withhold from him some of these favorsor punish him in the hereafter. He therefor fears Him, surrendershimself to Hirn, and servesHim with great humility. Andgivethou "Your God isoneCod,soto Himsurrender. good tidings unto the humble who, when God is theirheartsquake." m€ntioned, [Anfal, Vll: 2]
One cannot be in such a mental state,without being almostall the time mindful of God. RememberingGod is thus the life-force of faith, without which it fades and might even wither away. 5o, "The frithful rre thosewho rememberGod,standingand sitting,andon theirsides." ['Al
'lmran,
lll: 191]
in great The Qur'an thereforeprescribesand describes, detail waysand meansof helping man to rememberCod and keep his faith alive. All Qur'anic and Prophetic injunctionsand prohibitionswhich extendto all aspectsof human life-acts of worship and personalmatters,social relations,political order, etc., etc.-are designedto put
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man in a $ate which is conduciveto Cod's remembrance. The detailsof this lslamicway of life were expounded in the Madina period, and we shall not therefore be concernedwith them now. But the main principlesof this new order were alreadylaid down in the Makkan period, and will be summarizedat the end of thir chapter. We shallnow Eo on to deal with the other pillarsof faith. Theseare belief in life after death, in God's angels,His books,His messengers and His qadar,theargumentsforall of which are almostentirely basedon the assumptionthat the audiencebelievesin God. THE HEREATTER The Qur'anic argumentsfor the realityof anotherlife after death are intended to prove that it is possibleand also desirablethat thereshouldbe sucha life,and that without believing in it our belief in the true God cannot be complete. i. Many of the people whom the Prophetaddressedin Makkadid believe-as we saidbefore-'in a supremeCod, but many of them thought that it was impossiblefor their dead and disintegratedbodies to be resurrected.They therefore mocked and laughed at the Prophet when he told them about it. The Qur'anic reply wasthat there was no reason for such astonishrnentand mockery because resurrectionis not only logicallybut physicallypossiblefor the folfowing reasons: a. lf it is God who created man in the first place,why should it b€ impossiblefor him to recreatehim when he dies?Resurrectionshould be easierthan originalcreation.
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"He it is He who originates creation, then brings it back again and this (the latter) is easier for Him."
[Rum,XXX:271 you b. lf think about it carefully,you will come to see that the bringingof life to the dead is a commonnatural phenomenon. To believe in the possibilityof the resurrectionof human beings,a thinking persondoesnot need to seea personcomingto life again.lt is enoughto see other dead bodiescoming to life. "And of His signsis that thou seestthe earth humble; then, when we send down water upon it, it quivers and swells. Surefy He who quickens it is He who quickens the dead; surely He is powerful over everything." [ F u s s i l a tX , LI: 391 "Was he not a sperm-drop spilled? Then he was a bloodclot, and He created and formed and He made of him two kinds, male and female.What! is He not able to quicken the dead?" [Qiyama, LXXV:37-40]
ii. Why is resurrectiondesirable?Simply because without it, God would not be the lust and Wise and merciful Cod He is. God created men and made them responsiblefor their actions; some behaved well but others did not. lf there is no future life in which the virtuousare rewardedand the viciousarepunished,there would be no justiceand the creationof men in that way and the sending of Prophetsto them would be to no purposeat all.Butthiskind of behaviourisnot expectedof a man known to be rationaland just, let alonethe Perfect Creator.
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"What! does man reckon he shall be left to roam at will? What!did you think that we createdyou only for sportand' that you would not be returned to Usl [ M u ' m i n u n ,X X l l l : 1 1 5 1 "Surely for the Cod, fearing shall be gardensof blisswith their Lord.What! shaflwe makethosewho havesurrendered like to the sinnersl What ails you then, how you judge? [Qaf, LXV|ll: 34-361 "We have not'cr€ated the heavensand earth, and what is between them, for vanity; such is the thought of the unbelievers." [Sad,XXXVlll:27J iii. ls the reaf and only motive for denying the reality of a life after death that which is expressed by the arguments which the denyers put forward, and to which the Qur'an replies? By no means, saysthe Qur'an. The real motive i5 often a psychological one. Those who do evif do not wish to be punished and it is this wishful thinking that leads them to deny the reality of a time when such punishment shall take place. "Does man reckon We shall not gather his bonesl Nay, but man. desiresto continue on as a libertine, asking, 'When shall be the Day of Resurrection?" [Qiyima, LXXV:3-6f "And none crieslies to it (the day of judgement)but eyery guilty aggressor." [Mutaffifin,LXXXIll:121
A questionthat isoften raisedin connectionwith reward and punishmentin the hereafterand which causessome people to doubt the desirabilityif not the truth of such a life is, 'Do we do what is good becauseit is good or for fear
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of punishmentand expectationof reward?lf we do it for the former, then what is the use of believing in the hereafter,and if we do it for the latterwe will not be acting morally.'The answerto thisquestiondependson whether God enjoins usto do an actbecauseit is good, or whether it is this Divineinjunctionwhich makesthe actiongood.And it seemsto me to be veryclearthat the goodnessof an act is logicallyprior to its being an obiectof a Divineiniunction. Oiheruviieit would be a tautologyto say'Godenioinswhat is good' becauspit would only meanGod enjoinswhat He enjoins. But the Qur'an abounds in statementsfike the former, and it is very clearthat they are not intended tsbe tautological. The answerto our original questionthen is that we do what is good becauseit is good. But sinceto give good for good is itself good, there is no contradictionin sayingthat 6ne does good becausethe Cod whom he loves and in Whom he puts his trusttellshim to do it, and becausehe expectsto be rewardedby Him for doing it. Accordingto the Qur'an God createdmanof an original what we mightcalla nature-called fitra-which possesses moral sense,which enablesman to recognizewithout any externalaid certainactslike telling the truth and being Bratefulasgood, and by reasonof which he is inclinedto to good onte he comesto know it. Truereligionis built on the- basis of this original human nature. Religion strengthensnature and-brings to fruition the seedsof virtuJthatresidein it. Thatiswhy lslamissaidin the Qur'an to be fitrat-Allahand why the Piophetsaysthat he wassent thosein only to perfectgood conduct.rTheQur'anpraises in those condemns is sharp and moial sense whirm ihis whom it has become so blunt that the uglinessof vice model.of beauty: Fecomes.in their eyesthe tHadith (fabirl
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'. ButCod hasende a re dto y o u b e l i e f,d e c k i n gi t fa i r i n your h e ar t s ,and He has ma d e d e te s ta b l eto y o u u n b e l i efand u n godlines sand di s o b e d i e n c eT. h o s eth e y a re th e ri ghtmi nded,by Cod' sf a v o u ra n d b l e s s i n gC, o d i sAl l -know i ng, All-wise"' [ H u j u r i t ,x u x : z - g ] ' S hall "Say : we t ell y o u w h o w i l l b e th e g re a te sltosersi n their works.'Thosewhosestrivinggoesastrayin the present l i fe while t hey t hin k th a t th e y a re w o rk i n g g o o d d eeds." [K a h f,XV l l l : 103-1041 "An d when he t ur n sh i sb a c k ,h e h a s te nas b o u tth e e arth,to do corruption there, and to destroy the tillage and the stock; and Cod lovesnot corruption." [B a q a ral,l : 205J 5o a Muslim does gogd because he is endeared to it, and eschews vice because it is detestable to him. But since a Musfim surrenders himself to Cod and loves and fears Him, and since Cod loves virtue and enjoins it and hates vice and forbids it, he does the former and avoids the latter in obedience to his Lord. And since those who do good shall-in the hereafter-live a life of bliss,the highest type of which wo,rld be the state of being near to Cod and e n j o y ing His s ight , w h i l e th o s e w h o l e a d a n e v i l l i fe shal l suffer all kinds of chastisementthe most terrible of which shall be the state of being deprived from that sight, a Mu sl i m would be w i s e to a l w a y s h a v e th a t fu ture and e te rnal lif e in m ind a n d e n d e a v o u r to d o h e re a ll ki nds of work that would help to elevate his position there. who guidesto the truth? "Say:ls thereanyof your associates Sa y :G od- He guid e sto th e tru th ; a n d w h i c hi sw o rthi erto b e followed- he wh o g u i d e sto th e tru th ,o r h e w h o gui des
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he isguidedlwhatthenailsyou,howyouiudgel notunless X: 351 [Yunus, you, and "Say:lf youloveGod,followme,andGodwilllove forgiveyou,yoursins;" [ ' A l ' l m r i nl,l l : 3 1 ] gazing(at "surelythe piousshallbe in bliss,uponcouches of bliss theirLord);thouknowestin theirfacestheradiancy sealis whose sealed, wine a of drink given to asthey are musk.Soafterthat let the striversstrive." ll : 22-261 [Mutaffifun,LXXXI Why should one who did good live in such bliss,one might ask?and the prompt Qur'anic answeris: "Shall the recompenceof goodnessbe other than goodness." LV:60] [Rahman, ANGETS Theseare beingsof a differentnaturefrom man.While man is createdfrom soil they are createdfrom light.tAnd thus human beings-except Prophets-cannot see.themin their original naiure, but may see them if they take a physicalforr. Our knowledgeof them is thereforealmost basedon what God and His Prophetstell usabout eniirely 'aut why should we bother to know about them? them. Becausethey play a very big role in conductingour affair. To know aboutthem could perhapsbe saidto be usefulto us in the same manner as irnowledgeof the working of natural causesand other people's behaviour is useful. We are told that thesealmostinnumerablebeinggwho are extremelypowerful are createdin sucha way that they
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alwaysobey and never go againstDivinecommands,and continuouslyserve and never tire of servingthe Lord. [Anbiya,XXl,19-20;Tahrim,LXVI:G] . But inspiteof this they are-as a species-in a lower degreethan the humanspecies, and rhisis symbolizedin the factthatwhen Adamwascreatedthey**iu ordered to prostratethemselvesbefore him asa signof greetingand respect.l Here are some of their activitiesin connectionwith human beings. Their main task, the one from which their name is derived is that of conveyingCod's messages to Hischosen prophets.This great honor is assignedmainfy to their leader Gabriel (or fibrif as the name is pronouncedin Arabic). "A noble m es s eng ehr a v i n gp o w e r,w i th th e L o rd o f the Th ro ne,s ec ur e,obey e dth e re (i n h e a v e n )a n d tru s t y." I T a k w i rL, X X X I 1: 9 - 2 1 J A me s s agec ar r ied b y b e i n g s o f s u c h a n a tu re i s sure to re a ch it s des t inat ion i n ta c t. They attend to and watch over us. They keep a record of o u r g o od and bad de e d s , a n d n e v e r a w o rd w e m enti on p a sse s wit hout being re g i s te re d b y th e m e i th e r for or a g a i n s t us . [ Q af , L: 17 -1 8 1 Th e y play a r ole in th e c a u s a ti o n a n d h a p p e ni ng of se e mi ngly pur ely natu ra l p h e n o m e n a , l i k e w i n d a nd rai n a n d d e at h. [ Naz i' it , L X XIX : 1 -5 ] rThisverse[fsra',XVll: 70Jhasbeengiven (by some)asevidencefor the fact that the human speciesis better than the speciesof angels.lbn Kathir in his tafsirof Qur'an al'Azim.
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And to them is assignedthe role of helpingthe believers to the extent of fighting on their side in times of war. 1'Af'lmran,ll; 124l,andof protectingthem [Ra'd,Xlll: llf, and praying for them [Ghifir, XL: 7]. BOOKS A M u s l i mb e l i e v e tsh a t t h e Q u r ' a ni s t h e w o r d o f G o d . Butit is not the onlv word.Cod sentman!,prophets before Muhammadand He spokero themasHe spoketo him.Soa M u s l i ma l s ob e l i e v e (si n f a c th e n o u l d n o t b e a M u s l i mi f h e d i d n o t b e l i e l e )i n t h e s ee a r l i e rb o o k s .l i k e t h e T o r a h a n d t h e C o s p e l ,s i n c et h e t r u e b e l i e v e r sa r e t h o s ew h o "believein whathasbeensentdon n to thee(Muhammad) a n dw h a th a sb e e ns e n td o n ' nb e f o r et h e e " [ a l B a q a r al V , : 41. "Say: We believe in Cod. and tlrat which hasbeen sent down o n u s , a n d s e n t d o n n o n { b r t h a m a n d l s h m a e l ,l s a a ca n d l a c o b , a n d t h e T r i b e s ,a n d i n t n a t r v h i c h w a s g i v e n t o . \ l o s e s a n d f e s u s ,a n d t h e p r o p h e t s , o f t h e i r L o r d ; w e m a k e n o division between any of thent." [ a l B a q a r a ,l l : 1 3 5 f Cod created men so that thev may serve Him. His being a servant of Cod constitutes the essence of man. Man cannot
th e re f or e at t ain t o hi s tru e h u m a n i ty a n d a c q u i re p eace of m i n d u n l e s sh e r e a l i s e st h i s a i m f o r w h i c h h e w a s c r e a t e d . B u t h o w c a n h e d o t h i s l C o d , b e i n g m e r c i f u la n d l u s t , h a s h e l p ed him in m an y w a y s . H e g ra n te d h i m a s w e sai d b e f o r e a n o r i g i n a l l yg o o d n a t u r e t h a t i s i n c l i n e d t o k n o w a n d s er v e it s t r ue L o rd . H e g ra n te d h i m a mi nd that p o sses s es a m or al s en s ea n d th e a b i l i ty to re a s o n .H e made th e w hole univ er s ea n a tu ra l b o o k fu l l o f s i g n sth at l ead a
t8
thinkingpersonto cod. Butto makethingsmorespecific, to give him more detailedknowledgeof his Lord,and to show him in a more detailedmannerhow to serveHim, God hasbeen sendingdown verbalmessages through His prophetschosenf rom amongmen, eversincethe creation of man. Hence the descriptionof these messages in the Qur'an as guidance,light,signs,reminders,etc, All thesebooksadvocatedbasically the samemessage, "Andwesentnevera Mesenger beforetheeexcept thatwe revealedto him, saying,'thereis no Cod but l; so serve Me.' "
[ ' A n b i y a 'X, X I :2 5 1 An d t he r eligion w h i c h th e y a l l e x p o u n d e d i s l s l am i .e. surrender to Cod, "Th e t r ue r eligionwi th G o d i s l s l a m." [Al -' l m ri n , l t t: 19f Th u s N oah ( X : 721A b ra h a m (l l l : 6 7 ), l a c o b a n d hi s sons (l l : 1 3 3 ) ,t he A pos t le s (V: l l l ), e tc . w e re a l l Mu s l i m s. lslam in this sense is in fact the religion of the universe. "What! do they desireanotherreligionthan Cod's and to Him has surrendered (aslama= became a Muslim) whatsoeveris in the heavensand the earth, willingly or t o H i m th e y s h a l lb e re tu rn e d ." u n wi l linglyand , [Al -' l m ra -ntlt: , 83f lf the religion of all prophets is the same in its essenceand basic foundation, not so are the ways of life based upon it. [Ma 'i d a , V : aS J On e las t im por t ant p o i n t a b o u t b o o k s i s th a t w i th the exceptaon of the Qur'an they have not been preserved
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intact, but have either been completely lost or else suffereddistortionand corruption.As to the Qur'an God has decreed that it shall never be subiectedto such distortionbut shallbe preservedby Him. IHiir, XV: 9J MESSENGERS are human beingschosenby God who have Messengers to other men and Cod's message conveying the honor of is not a positionthatone women.Beingsucha Messenger designedeffort.lt isa Sracefrom attainsby any consciously God, but God grantsthisgraceto thosewho aredeserving are not then, like the rankand file of us. of it. Messengers True,they are men but they are men of an extremelyhigh moral, spiritualand intellectualstandardthat qualifies them-in the eyesof Cod-to be the bearersof Hislightto the world. When God choosesany of them, He supports 'sign' the messengerwith a clear [t-tadid,LVll: 25] that him from provesthe truth of his claim,and distinguishes andsoothsayers falseprophets,sorcerers [Taghibun,LXIV: XX:69].None of them betraysthe messageor 41-42l,Tehe, falls ihort of being exemplary in practicing what he preaches.[Hud, Xl: 88J. A s k e d a b o u t p r o p h e t M u h a m m a d ' sc o n d u c th i s w i f e A y e s h as a i d , " l t w a s t h e Q u r ' a n , " m e a n i n g t h a t h e e m b o d i e da l l t h e i d e a l sw h i c h t h e Q u r ' a np r e s e n t s . which the Qur'an Two relatedpointsabout messengers elaboration some and which thereforedeserve stresses, o f t h e i rt a s k . n a t u r e p r o p h e t s t h e a n d h u m a n i t y o f a r et h e D e s p i t e t h e v a s t s p i r i t u a l ,m o r a l a n d i n t e l l e c t u a l d i f f e r e n c eb e t w e e nt h e m a n d o r d i n a r ym e n ,a n d d e s p i t e the specialrelationwith Cod that theyenioy,prophetsare
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nonthelesshumanswith all that this term implies.They begetand are begotten;rheyeatanddrinkandgo aboutin marketplaces[Furqin, XXV:201;they sleepand they die [Anbiyi, XXI:341;they forgerand they err [TEhi,XX:121J. I K a h f ,X V l l l : 3 4 f . Their knowledgeis limited;and can thereforerell only that part of the future which God revealsto them [lin, LXXfI:26-271. Theycannotintercedewith Cod on behalfof any personexceptwith His permission[lin, LXXII:26-2T1, and it is not left to them to causepeople ro go in the rigtrt path {Qasas, XXV|ll:56J.In short,they haveno partto playin t h e r u n n i n go f t h e a f f a i r so f t h e u n i v e r s e[ A l - ' l m r a n l,l l : 1281.Many early Muslim scholarshave observedthat to emphasizethe humanityof the Prophetthe eur'an called him 'servantof Cod' on the threeoccasions on which he was honored. "Blessed be He who hassenrdownthe Salvation {eur'anJ
upon His servant."
I F u r q a nX, X V :1 l "Clory be to Him, who carried His servantby night from th.e Holy Mosque to the FurthesrMosque the precintsof which We have blessed,that We might show hirp someof Ou r si gns . " '[Bani t s r a i lX V i l : t f "when the servantof God stood cailing on Him, they were we l l -n i ghupon him in ,* " rrn r.i ,[J i n ,L X XtI:l 19l
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islesus. A Prophetwhosehumanityisspeciallyernphasized He wascreatedin the samemannerasAdamwascreated, from soil [Al-'lmrin: lll, 59]; he is the son of Mary not of God [Nisi', lV: 157];he and his mother used to eatfood [Mi'ida, V: 75]; he is indeedthe word of Cod IBaqara,ll: a5l but sincehe is a human being in the full senseof the word, thisshouldnot be interpretedto meanthatthereisa Divine element in him. He is the word of Cod only in the 'Be' and he was. But in that sense sensethat God said everythingis the word of Cod. Why then is he in particular called the word of God? Because,as many scholarshave, rightlyexplained,he came more directlyasa resultof this word. fesus is thus a loyal servant of God who never claimedthat he was in any sensedivine. [M5'ida,V: 11&117f. Messengersare entrusted, w€ said, with the task of conveyingGod's word to other people. But this is not as simpleas it looks.lt impliesmanythingswhich are not at firstsightclear,and which the Qur'an thereforeexpounds and elaborates. are The most important point of which all Messengers reminded,and which is very easyto forget or be heedless of, is that sincetheir duty is only to conveythe message they are not responsiblefor peoples'reactionto it, once they have made it clearto them. God hasgiven man the power to understandthe difference between truth and falsehood,especiallyin mattersreligious,once this has beenexplainedto him.Cod hasalsogivenhim the ability, by reasonof his free-will, either to acceptor reiect this truth. And sinceit is only Cod who knowswhat goeson in people'sminds,it is only He who can iudge who is worthy of being guidedand who deservesto be left gropingin the
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dark; and it is Cod who accordingto this knowledge guideswhom He will and withholdsHis guidancefrom whom He will. A prophethasno suchpower,and cannot, therefore, guide whom he loves. [Qasas,XXVlll: 56J. "Thenremindthemthouareonlyonewho reminds, thou art not chargedto oversee them." LXXXVI II :. 21-221. [Chashiya, He shouldnot, thereforefeel sadif peopleturn awayfrom him, or impute {alsehoods to his message[An'am,Vl: 33341.But this is a mostdifficult rule to abide by. We love to be acceptedby the communityin which we live; manyof us must haveexperiencedthat strangefeelingof sadness, loneliness, and beinglostwhen we cometo liveasafiensin a new community.We undergoa similarbut more intense feeling,when asa resultof our intellectual convictions we come to hold about life views that are entirelydifferent from those of our own community.One easyand usual escapefrom the psychological and other hardships of such a life is to live in seclusionfrom society.Thosewho, for somereasoncannotafford sucha withdrawal,more often than not, sacrificeintelfectualhonestyfor conformitywith their community. Prophetshave of courseto live in the midstof the peoplefor whom theyaresentandtheydo not of coursego to the extent of betrayingtheir message. To haveto cling tenaciously to the word of Cod, and yet livein the midstof people,is perhapsthe greatestdifficultythey haveto put up with. Thisis madeevidentby the factthat mostof the few occasionson which the Qur'an expresses Cod's disapprovalof a certainline of behaviourtaken by the ProphetMuhammadare relatedto hisbeingso keento
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win adherents as to verge on exceeding the desirable l i mi ts . "Yet perchanceif they believe not in this tiding' thgy wilt consume thyself, following after them of grief"' IK a h f,X V l l l : 6]. "lndeed they were n'earto seducing thee from t{ratWe revealed to thee, that thou mightest, forge against Us another, and then they would surelyhave taken thee as a friend. And had We not confirmed thee, surely thou were near to inclining unto them a very little; then would We have let thee tastethe double of life and the double of death; and then thou wouldst havefound none to help thee againstusr [rsra,,xvlr: 73-741. QADAR The original meaning of the word Qadar is specified measure or amount whether of quantities or qualities. lt has many other usageswhich branch out from this core. Thus yuqad-dir means, among other things, to measureor decide the quantity, quality, position, etc. of something before you actually make it. And it is this latter sensewhich interests us here. "Cod is the creatorof everything,but whateverHe creates, He createswith qadar. [Qamar, LIV: a9] He knows before creating it, that He is going to create it and that it shall be of such and such magnitude, quality or nature etc. and specifiesthe time of its coming into being and passingaway, and the place of its occurrence. lf so,then
24-
one who believesin the true God shouldbelievethatthere are no accidentsin nature. lf something disagreeable happensto him, he shouldsay,,Godqad-d-ara (or?ained), and He did what He willed" and noi wastehimselfou*i wishingthat it had not occurred,or worryingwhy it should occur. lf on the other handsomethingagreeablihappens to him he should not boast of it, but thank God for it. "No afffictionbefallsin the earthor in yourselves, but it is in a Book, before We create it; that is easy for God; that you may not trieve for what escapes you, nor rejoice (vaingloriously) in what has been given to you, God ioves not any man proud and boastful.',
[Hadid, tVtt: 23f.
lf 9od yuqad-d_ir(predestines,predetermines etc.) . everything,thatincludesour socalledfreeactions.But if so in what way can they be saidto be free, and how are we responsibfe for them? This question occasioned the appearance,at a very early historyof lslam,of two extreme theolo$icaf sects. One of them, called the eadariya, assertedman'sfree will and responsibilityto the extenf of denying God's foreknowledge, and cliiming that God knowsour free madeactionsonly afterwe haveperformed them. The other, called the lahriyya,did jusr the opposite and claimedthat there was no differencebetween the m o t i o n s o f i n a n i m a t et h i n g s a n d o u r m o v e m e n t si n performing so-cafledfree actions,and that when we use intpntional language we speak only metaphorically Butthereis no needto go to suchextremes, sinceit isnot difficult to reconcile Divine eadar and human responsibility. cod decidedro createman as a free agenr, but He knows(andhow canHe not know?)beforecreating
-25-
every man how he is going to use his free will; what,for instance,his reactionwould be when a Proph€tclarifies and its cod's messageto him. This foreknowledge 'But if we arefreeto 'Book' is calledQadar. registeringin i 'We mayuseit in waysthat ur; our *Iil' . Qadarimight say, contradictGod;swill, and in that casewe would not be right in claimingthat everythingis willed or decreedby G;d.'The Qur'in answersthis questionby remindingus that it wasGod who willed that we shallbe wilful, and it is He who allowsus to use our will. so he who will,takesuntohis "Surely,thisis a Reminder; unlessGod wills'" not you will way, but Lorda flnsan,LXXVI:29-30J. 'He could havepreventedus from 'lf so', saysa Qadari, doing evil.' Yesindeed He could. ..Hadcod willed,Hewouldhavebroughtthemalltogether to the guidance;if thy Lordhadwilledwhoeveris in the earth iould have believed,all of them, all together." [Yunus,X: 991. "Had God willed,they were not idolaters;and we havenot appointedthee a watcherover them neitherart thou their g u a r dian. " . ' [An ' a m ,Vl : 1071. But He had willed that men shall be free especially in regard to matfers of belief and disbelief. ',The truth is from your Lord; so let whosoeverwill say: believe,and let whosoeverwill disbelieve." [Ka h f,XV l l l : 291. But men would not be so free if whenever any of them wills to do evil God prevents him from doing it and
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compelshim to do good. " l f o u r a c t i o n sa r e w i l l e db y C o d , " s o m e o n em i g h ts a y , "then they are in factHis actions."Thisobjectionii based on a confusion.cod wills what we wilr in the senseof g.ranting us the will to chooseand enablingus to execute thatwill i.e.He createsallthatmakesit posslble for usto do it. He doesnot will it in the senseof doing.it, otherwiseit w o u l d b e q u i t e i n o r d e r t o s a y ,w h e n w e d r i n k o r e a t o r sleepfor instance, that God performedtheseactions.cod createsthem, He does not do or performthem. Another objection, basedon another confusion,is that if Cod allowsus to do evil,then He approvesof it and rikesit. But to will somethingin the senseof allowinga personto do it i so n e t h i n g ;a n dt o a p p r o v eo f h i sa c t i o n a n dc o m m e n di t , isquiteanorher.Nore*erythingthatcod wiilsHe likes.He has,as we havejust read in the eur'an, grantedman the choice betwen belief and disbelief,but He does not, of course,like men to disbefieve (to be thankless). " f f y o u a r e u n t h a n k f u fl , c o d i s i n d e p e n d e n t o f y o u . y e t He a p p r o v e s n o t u n t h a n k fu l n e s si n H i s s e r v a n t s ;b u t i f y o u are thankful, He will approve it in you.,, [Zumar, XXXIX:71.
coNctustoNs These in resume are the basic truths to which the ProphetMuhammadinvitedhispeople.Thebesrproof besidesthe foregoingarguments- of their beingtruths, andveryimportantrruthsfor man,isthe goodeffeit which they producein man'sinternalstate,and thushisoutward behaviour.we havealready,in dealingwith beliefin cod, pointed to some of the feelingstowards Him, brought
-27
about by belief in His existence and His attributes of perfection. si n c e m an' s at t it u d e i n re l a ti o n to h i s fe l l o w-human beings is very much connected with his attitude towards Godithat befief in God with resulting feelings towards the Divine,is bound to produce in man's heart feelings towards other men that aie appropriate to it. And since man's outward behaviour regarding God and other men is i b o u t a n d f e e l i n g st o w a r d s S*i"L,.d, by his real b-"tiets i n * . , i t i s o n i y t o b e e x p e c t e do f t r u e r e l i g i o n t o c a l l f o r a se t o f behav iour t hat i s b o th a n a tu ra lo u tc o me o f i ts set of ernal b e l i e f sa n d a f a c t o r o f s t r e n g t h e n i n gt h e m . T h e i n' tl m in' s t a t et o w h i c h M u h a m m a d i n v i t e d m e n i s c a l l e d ( f a i t ho r b e l i e f) . T h e e x t e r n a lb e h a v i o u rb a s e do n i t i s c a l l e d i sl a m. A t t he M ak k a n p e ri o d h e c o n c e n tra te d m ostl y on t h e f i r s t ,w i t h o u t e n t i r e l yn e g l e c t i n gt h e s e c o n d ,w h i c h h e e l a b o r a t e da t M a d i n a w h e n t h e f i r s t M u s l i m i n d e p e n d e n t community was formed. Even at Makka the Prophet Mu h am m jd *. r dire c te d b y Go d to i n v i te p e o pl e to the fo l l o w ing ac t s of wo rs h i p a n d m o ra l b e h a v i o u r' 1 . T o k e e p t h e i r f a i t h a l i v e a n d s t r e n g t h e ni t M u s l i m s w e r e t o l d t o r e c i t e t h e Q u r ' a n a n d s t u d y i t c a r e f u l l y ,t o l e a rn f r om t he P r op h e t a n d s a y a s o fte n a s p o s s i bl e,and sp e ciallyon s om e s p e c i fi e do c c a s i o n s c, e rta i n p rayers'and to p*r f or r n pr ay e r i n th e ma n n e r w h i c h C abri el d e mons t r at edio in" P ro p h e t. Al l th i s i s s a l a ti n i ts w i dest se n se. 2 . A f t er s alat ,t he s e rv i n go f c o d , c o me s z a k i t w hi ch i n i ts b ro ades ts ens ein c l u d e sa n y a c t o f s e rv i c eto o t her men' Be i n g good t o m en i s th e fru i t a n d th e re fo re th e proof of th e tiee of f ait h. He i s n o t tru th fu l w h o h a rm s men and yet
28-
c l a i m st o b e l i e v e i n a n d l o v e C o d . "H as t t hou s eenhim w h o d o e sn o t b e l i € v ei n re tri buti on ( i n t h e h e r e a f t e r )t ? h a t i s h e w h o r e p u l s etsh e o r p h a na n d u rg esnot t he f eed i n go f th e n e e d y .s o w o e to th osethat p ra y and ar e heedl e sos f th e i r p ra y e rsto , th o s ew h o make d i splayand r ef us ec h a ri ty ." [ M a ' u n ,C V l l J . Th e f ir s t t hr ee v er s e so f th i ss u ra w e re re v e a l e da t Makka a n d th e r es t at M adi n a . T h e Ma d i n a n v e rs e ss p e ak about the hypocrites who perform outward acts of worship that d o n o t or iginat ef r om a n y s i n c e refa i th . Bu t th e i r b e havi our b e tra y st hem , s inc e i t i s th e s a m e a s th a t o f th e Makkan professed unbelievers. Fo l lowingar e a f ew e x a mp l e so f Z a k i t w h i c h th e eur,an a d vo c at edat t his earl y p e ri o d . Acquis it ion of wea l th fo r i ts o w n s a k e o r s o th at i t may i n cre a s e t he wor t h o f i ts c o l l e c to r i s c o n d e mn ed. Mere a c q u i s i t i o no f w e a l t h c o u n t sn o t h i n g i n t h e s i g h to f c o d . l t d o e s n ot giv e m an a n y m e ri t w h e th e r h e re o r i n the h e re a f t er . "Wh o gat her edr ic h e sa n d c o u n te d th e m o v e r th i nki ng th a t h is r ic heshav em a d eh i m i m m o rta l ." [ H u m a z aC, I V : 2 - 3 J . Th o s e " who am as s e da n d h o a rd e d " w e a l th i n th i s l i fe are to b e c alled in t he here a fte rb y a fu rn a c e th a t' s c a th esaw ay th e scalp' [ M u' ar ij, L XX : 1 5 -1 8 ].W e a l th fo r i ts o w n sakei s a mo n g t he v ic es of m e n w h i c h c a n b e e ra d i c a te donl y by th e ki nd of belief and p ra c ti c e sw h i c h Mu h a mma d taught. [Ma 'a rij, LX X : 19- 27] . Ma n s hould ac qu i re w e a l th w i th th e i n te nti on of sp e n d i ng it on his ow n n e e d s , a n d th e n e e d s o f others.
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'My wealth!My wealth!' "Man, the Prophettellsus,says: Haveyou anywealthexceptthat which you wearand tear, eat and coniu.e up, give as alms and thus preserve?" they are Wealthshould be spenton the needy(specially-if on orphansand thosewho askowing parentsor relatives), to poverty, on the freeing of slavesetc. The following to the verseswere among the earliestthatwere addressed Prophet. him,asfor the beggar, "As for the orphan,do not opPress scoldhim not." [Dhuha,x.lll: 9-10] a true beliewr is Among the qualitiesthat characterize outcast'as their the and negdy giving the the luali-ty of LXX:24wealth. his of pdrtion [Ma'irii, right, a specifiJd
251.
th*r" is on the way to successin the hereafter a steep path that can be attempted only by one who performs the following deeds: "The freeingof a slave,or givingfood upon a dayof hunger to an orphJn near of kin or a needy man in misery" And then ,,b e c om eof t hos ewh o b e l i e v ea n dc o u n c i l e a c ho th e rto be l a c ho th e r to b e me rc i fu l " ' ste adf as and t , c oun s e e I B a l a dX, C : 1 3 - 1 7 J . th i s w a y m a n shoul d i n fe l l o w m e n his Be si deshelping t h e m and fulfil his w i t h h o n e s t a n d t r u t h f u l b e also p ro mi s es t o t hem . I M a ' a ri j , L XX : 3 2 -3 3 ] H q s h o ul d not i n f ri n g e upon r heir r i g h ts e s p e c i a l l yth o s e o f l i fe IL X X X :89 'Th 1 ,a n ad t o f d e c e n c y . -I M a ' i r i j , L X X : 2 9 - 3 1 ] ' br ief ly , is th e me s s a g e w h i c h Mu hammad a d d re s s edt o his M akk a n a u d i e n c e .
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