-{/t-lt

-''l-'( '

,'7,,.8;1i'

Ifi- fubr* &i&"aen U.'AtApa;p (lU #i*'vt* @dzt"t,A @M*,fi

0fffidh
7.-,"
f," '!. 1.,^ i,)1.!J-)) t^t--,-,: -!.!..t>>

THE PII,I,ARS OF FAITH

BJ fufrr Sfdkf Idft

CONTENTS lntroduction, God The Hereafter Angels Books '. N4essengers Qadar Conclusion . . I 2 It l6 l8

20
24 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 (Destiny). Theseare familiarterms; but the non-Muslim 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 ge 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 w i l l m a k et h i sp o i n t of the Prophet, Qur'an and the sayings 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 and winnin g th e m o v e r to tru th . l f th i s paper w e a kn es s es 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 had a hazyideaof Cod. of the peoplewhom he addressed other $ome did believein Him, though they associated gods with Him, but a few of them were downright lesser whosecreed was,'we lirne atheists, or materialists, and we our deathexceptTime.' [fathiya, die and nothingcauses XLV:241 Beforeinvitingsuchatheists to Cod one mustfirst convincethem that there is suchbeing."What reasondo you havefor believing thatthereis a Cod?" This, logically, is the first questionwhich a theisticview of life should itselfto. The Qur'anic answerto it is given in the address foflowing words: out of nothing? Or weretheythe ". . . weretheycreated (ofthemselves)ordid creations theycreate theheavens rnd earth." L l l :3 6 J [Tur, like man The Qur'an is here saying that for everything in time,thereare only threewaysof that hasa beginning how it cameto be. explaining by nothingat all or made,or caused a. Eitherit is created, i.e. it cameout of nothing. b. Or it is the creatorof itself. c. Or it has a creator, cause,or maker, outside itself. is not mentionedin the quoted verse The third possibility to but it is understoodbecausethe verse is addressed peoplewho deny the existence of a creatorand it istelling them that if there is no creatorthen only two possibilities

-2-

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 physical seeing,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?Probably because the verse made things clear to him for the first time. lt is for somethingto come out of or be madeby inconceivable and it is even more inconceivnothing at all, he realized, able that it should bring itselfinto being. Hencethe only conclusion is that it must have a creator outside itself. isthereforuntenable if it means A thesis the 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 basics of 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

-3-

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 and if nothing causes him to eternal, he cannot be caused, 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 then that existence can haveno end. Thecreator existence, 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 Eitherthey producethem naturally effects. or intentionally. The maker that has the attributeswe haveenumerated cannot be a naturalcause.Because if thingsof this world flow from Him naturallyand spontaneousfy, they cannot be but of the samenatureas He is. And if like all natural causes He causes only 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 free.ThusGod according that is absolutely to the Qur'an doeseverything with intentionand for a purpose. "Surely We havecreated everything in {due)measure." a9] LXIV: [Qamar,

-4-

"What,did you thinkthatWe created you onlyfor sportl" X IMu'minun , X l l l :1 1 5 f He is absolutely free to do whateverhe wills IHud, Xl: 1071 and 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's not a thing fresh shadow, 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 heavens and 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 heavens and 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.

-5-

"The likenessof those who expend their wealth in the way of a grainof corn that sproutsseven of God is asthe likeness ears,in every ear a hundred grains,so God multipliesunto All'knowing." whom He will; God is All-embracing, ll: 261f [Baqara, 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?" XXXVII:95] [Saffat, and othersbesideHim who ".,. hayethey taken unto themselves created,who cannot create nothinE, who are themselves 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 outspradover 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

6-

I sh all s ur ely be of t he p e o p l eto n e a s tra y .' Wh eh ne saw the 'This su n r is ing, he s aid, i 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 associate with Cod. I have turned my face to Him who originatedthe heavens and 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 helif in the divine nature of human-beings. "The lews say,'Ezrais the son of God.' The Christians say, 'The Messiah isthe sonof God.'Thatisthe utterance of their mouths, conforming with the unbelievers before them. God assail them! 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.

-'7-

to be hir "He!t thou seenhim who hastaken his caprice over him?" Godl Wilt thou be a guardian XXV:{31 [Furqan, theirmonksaslordsaPart and their rabbis have taken "They Mary'i son,and they wcre from.God, and the Messiah, commrndedto servbut one Cod." [Tawbr,fX: 31f Thusto be a Muslim-i.e. to surrenderonerelf to Godto believe in the uniw of fu in the senseofHis it is necessary 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 and controlseverythingwhy then and to what end creates do you worship others beside Him? you,andthose your Lordwho created "O you men,serve who willbegod-fearint; haplysoyou thatwerebeforeyou; for an to you the earthfor a couch,and heaven assigned water,wherewithHe edifice,and sentdown out of heaven sosetnot up rivals broughtforth fruitsfor yourprovision; 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

-8-

not allow any ulteriormotives to 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 ess t or c er y ;' a n d th e y d e n i e dth e m ,th o u g hthei r soulsacknowledged them, 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 g th e s i g n s o f C o d w i thout c om et o th e m ,i n th e i rh e a rts a n ya u t hor it y i 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

9-

(for "There are some people who take to themselves worship) apart fromGodlotingthemastheyshould others loveCod moreardently loveGod: Butthosewho believe, else." thantheyloveanything ll: 1651 [Baqara, A believerlovesand is gratefufto Cod for His bounties, but being awar of the fact that his good deeds,whether with are far from beingcommensurate mentalor physical, of his sins Divine favors,he is alwaysanxiouslest because 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 quake." theirhearts mntioned,
[Anfal, Vll: 2]

One cannot be in such a mental state,without being God is almostall the time mindful of God. Remembering which fades it and without faith, of life-force the thus might even wither away. 5o, and God,standing "The frithful rre thosewho remember sitting, andon theirsides."
['Al 'lmran, lll: 191]

in great The Qur'an thereforeprescribes and describes, detail waysand meansof helping man to rememberCod and keep his faith alive. All Qur'anic and Prophetic injunctions of and prohibitions which extendto all aspects human life-acts of worship and personalmatters,social political order, etc., etc.-are designedto put relations,

-10-

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 summarized at 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,thearguments forall of which are almostentirely basedon the assumption that the audiencebelievesin God. THE HEREATTER The Qur'anic arguments for the realityof anotherlife after death are intended to prove that it is possibleand also desirable that 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 Prophetaddressed in Makkadid believe-as we saidbefore-'in a supremeCod, but many of them thought that it was impossible for 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 astonishrnent and mockery because possible is not only logicallybut physically resurrection for 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?Resurrection should be easierthan originalcreation.

- ll -

"He it is He who originates creation, then brings it back again and this (the latter) is easier for Him."

XXX: 271 [Rum, you come you will to see b. lf think about it carefully, that the bringingof life to the dead is a commonnatural phenomenon. To believe in the possibilityof the resurrection a thinking persondoesnot of human beings, 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 there virtuous arepunished, are rewardedand the vicious would be no justiceand the creationof men in that way and the sending of Prophetsto them would be to no purpose isnot expected of at all.Butthiskind of behaviour a man known to be rationaland just, let alonethe Perfect Creator.

r2-

"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 X X l l l :1 1 5 1 [Mu'minun, "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'crated 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 causes some people to doubt the desirability if not the truth of such a life is, 'Do we do what is good because it is good or for fear

_13-

of reward?lf we do it for of punishmentand expectation 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 it is good, or whether it God enjoins usto do an actbecause the actiongood.And is this Divineinjunctionwhich makes of an act is it seems to me to be veryclearthat the goodness prior to its being an obiectof a Divineiniunction. logically to say'Godenioinswhat it would be a tautology Oiheruviie it would only meanGod enjoinswhat He is good' becausp fike the enjoins. But the Qur'an abounds in statements 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 he Whom he puts his trusttellshim to do it, and because expectsto be rewardedby Him for doing it. Accordingto the Qur'an God createdmanof an original what we mightcalla nature-called fitra-which possesses without any man to recognize which enables moral sense, 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 issaidin the Qur'an in it. Thatiswhy lslam virtuJthatreside that he wassent and why the Piophetsays to be fitrat-Allah thosein TheQur'anpraises only to perfectgood conduct.r in those condemns is sharp and moial sense whirm ihis whom it has become so blunt that the uglinessof vice in their eyesthe model.of beauty: Fecomes.
tHadith (fabirl

-14-

'. ButCod hasende a re d i t fa i r i n your decking to y o u b e l i e f, to y o u u n b e l i efand h e ar t s ,and He has ma d e d e te s ta b l e . h o s eth e y a re th e ri ghtu n godlines s and di s o b e d i e n c eT mi nded,by Cod' sf a v o u ra n d b l e s s i n g C , o d i sAl l -know i ng, All-wise"' [ H u j u r i t ,x u x : z - g ] ' S hall in "Say : we t ell y o u w h o w i l l b e th e g re a te sltosers goesastray in the present their works.'Thosewhosestriving 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 to s b o u tth e e arth, "An d when he t ur n sh i sb a c k ,h e h a s te na 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 guides to the truth? "Say:ls thereanyof your associates to th e tru th ; a n d w h i c hi sw o rthi erto Sa y : G od- He guid e s b e followed- he wh o g u i d e s to th e tru th ,o r h e w h o gui des

- 1 5-

you,howyou whatthenails he isguidedl iudgel notunless X: 351 [Yunus, you, and followme,andGodwilllove lf youloveGod, "Say: you,yoursins;" forgive [ ' A l ' l m r i nl,l l : 3 1 ] (at gazing uponcouches be in bliss, shall the pious "surely of bliss theradiancy in theirfaces thouknowest theirLord); whosesealis asthey are givento drink of a wine sealed, strive." musk.Soafterthat let the strivers ll : 22-261 LXXXI [Mutaffifun, Why should one who did good live in such bliss,one might ask?and the prompt Qur'anic answeris: of goodnessbe other than "Shall the recompence goodness." LV:60] [Rahman, ANGETS Theseare beingsof a differentnaturefrom man.While man is createdfrom soil they are createdfrom light.tAnd in thus human beings-except Prophets-cannot see.them their original naiure, but may see them if they take a forr. Our knowledgeof them is thereforealmost physical tell usabout on what God and His Prophets based eniirely 'aut them? about know why should we bother to them. affair. our conducting in role they play a very big Because usefulto be to said be perhaps them could To know about us in the same manner as irnowledgeof the working of and other people's behaviour is useful. natural causes who beingg that thesealmostinnumerable told We are are extremelypowerful are createdin sucha way that they

-16-

always obey and never go against Divinecommands, and continuouslyserve and never tire of servingthe Lord. Tahrim,LXVI:G] [Anbiya,XXl,19-20; . But inspiteof this they are-as a species-in a lower degreethan the humanspecies, and rhisis symbolized in the factthatwhen Adamwascreated they**iu ordered to prostrate themselves before him asa signof greetingand respect.l Here are some of their activities in 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 assigned mainfy to their leader Gabriel (or fibrif as the name is pronouncedin Arabic).
"A noble m es s eng eh r 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." : 9-21J I T a k w i rL , X X X I1 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: 70J hasbeengiven (by some)asevidencefor the fact that the human speciesis better than the speciesof angels.lbn Kathir in his tafsirof Qur'an al'Azim.

t7-

And to them is assigned the role of helpingthe believers to the extent of fighting on their side in times of war. ll; 124l,andof protectingthem [Ra'd,Xlll: llf, 1'Af'lmran, and praying for them [Ghifir, XL: 7]. BOOKS A M u s l i mb e l i e v e t sh 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 Muhammad and He spokero themasHe spoke to 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 r b o o k s .l i k e t h e T o r a h and the Cospel, s i n c et h e t r u e b e l i e v e r s a r e t h o s ew h o "believein whathasbeensentdon n to thee(Muhammad) thee"[al Baqara lV a n dw h a th a sb e e ns e n td o n ' nb e f o r e , : 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." ll: 135f [al Baqara, 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 s t h i s a i m f o r w h i c h h e w a sc 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 light,signs, reminders, Qur'an as guidance, etc, All thesebooksadvocated basically the same message, "Andwesentnever a Mesenger before theeexcept thatwe 'thereis no Cod revealed to him, saying, 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) whatsoever is 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 , tlt: [Al -' l m ra -n , 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

-19-

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 by Him. IHiir, XV: 9J distortionbut shallbe preserved MESSENGERS chosenby God who have are human beings Messengers message to other men and Cod's conveying the honor of thatone is not a position women.Beingsucha Messenger from designed effort.lt isa Srace by any consciously attains God, but God grantsthisgraceto thosewho aredeserving are not then, like the rankand file of us. of it. Messengers high True,they are men but they are men of an extremely qualifies that intellectual standard moral, spiritualand of Hislightto them-in the eyesof Cod-to be the bearers them, He supports of chooses any God When world. the 'sign' LVll: 25] that with a clear the messenger [t-tadid, him from provesthe truth of his claim,and distinguishes andsoothsayers sorcerers falseprophets, [Taghibun,LXIV: the messageor XX:69].None of them betrays 41-42l,Tehe, practicing what he in exemplary falls ihort of being preaches. [Hud, Xl: 88J. c o n d u c th i s w i f e A s k e da b o u t p r o p h e tM u h a m m a d ' s 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 w h i c h t h e Q u r ' a np r e s e n t s . all the ideals embodied which the Qur'an pointsabout messengers Two related 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 t 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 difference between are relation with Cod that theyenioy,prophets the special

-20-

nontheless humanswith all that this term implies.They begetand are begotten; rheyeatanddrinkandgo aboutin marketplaces XXV: 201; they sleepand they die [Furqin, they forgerand they err [TEhi,XX:121J. [Anbiyi, XXI:341; I K a h f ,X V l l l : 3 4 f . Their knowledgeis limited;and can therefore rell only that part of the future which God reveals to them [lin, LXXf I:26-271. Theycannotintercede with Cod on behalf of 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 s of the universe [ A l - ' l m r a n l,l l : 1281. Many early Muslim scholars have observedthat to emphasize the humanity of the Prophet the eur'an called him 'servant of Cod' on the threeoccasions on which he was honored.
upon His servant."

"Blessed be He who hassenr downthe Salvation {eur'anJ

X IFurqan , X V :1 l

"Clory be to Him, who carried His servantby night from th.e Holy Mosque to the Furthesr Mosque the precintsof which We have blessed, that We might show hirp someof Ou r si gns . " '[Bani tsrail XVil:tf "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

-21-

whosehumanityisspecially ernphasized islesus. A Prophet 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 ll: [Mi'ida, V: 75]; he is indeedthe word of Cod IBaqara, a5l but sincehe is a human being in the full sense of the to meanthatthereisa word, thisshouldnot be interpreted Divine element in him. He is the word of Cod only in the 'Be' and he was. But in that sense sensethat God said is the word of Cod. Why then is he in particular everything have, called the word of God? Because, as many scholars he came more directlyasa resultof this rightlyexplained, word. fesus is thus a loyal servant of God who never claimedthat he was in any sensedivine. [M5'ida,V: 11&117f. Messengers are 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 for peoples'reactionto it, once they are not responsible they have made it clearto them. God hasgiven man the power to understandthe difference between truth and in mattersreligious,once this has falsehood,especially to him.Cod hasalsogivenhim the ability, beenexplained 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 to be left gropingin the of being guidedand who deserves

-22-

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. "Thenremind themthouareonlyonewho reminds, thou art not charged to oversee them." LXXXVI II :. 21-221. [Chashiya, He shouldnot, thereforefeel sadif peopleturn awayfrom him, or impute {alsehoods to his message [An'am,Vl: 33But this is a mostdifficult rule to abide by. We love to 341. be acceptedby the communityin which we live; manyof us must haveexperienced feelingof sadness, that strange loneliness, and beinglostwhen we cometo liveasafiensin a new community. We undergo a similar but more intense feeling, when asa result convictions of our intellectual we come to hold about life views that are entirelydifferent from those of our own community.One easyand usual from the psychological escape and other hardships of such a life is to live in seclusion from society.Thosewho, for somereasoncannotafford sucha withdrawal, more often than not, sacrifice intelfectual honesty for conformitywith their community. Prophetshave of courseto live in the midstof the peoplefor whom theyaresentandtheydo not of coursego to the extent of betraying their message. To haveto cling tenaciously to the word of Cod, and yet livein the midstof people,is perhaps the greatest difficultythey haveto put up with. Thisis madeevidentby the factthat mostof the few occasions on which the Qur'an expresses Cod's disapproval of a certainline of behaviourtaken by to hisbeingso keento the ProphetMuhammadare related

-73 -

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 usr thee against xvlr: 73-741. [rsra,, 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. but whateverHe creates, "Cod is the creatorof everything, with qadar. He creates [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 believes in the true God shouldbelievethatthere are no accidentsin nature. lf something disagreeable happens to 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 handsomething agreeablihappens to him he should not boast of it, but thank God for it. "No afffiction befalls in 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, thatincludes our 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, asserted man'sfree will and responsibility to the extenf of denying God's foreknowledge, and cliiming that God knowsour free madeactions only 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-cafled free actions,and that when we use intpntional language we speak only metaphorically Butthereis no needto go to suchextremes, since it 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 his reactionwould be when a Prophtclarifies instance, and its cod's messageto him. This foreknowledge 'But if we arefreeto 'Book' is calledQadar. in i registering '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 this questionby remindingus G;d.'The Qur'in answers that it wasGod who willed that we shallbe wilful, and it is He who allowsus to use our will. untohis so he who will,takes thisis a Reminder; "Surely, wills'" God unless not you will way, but Lorda 29-30J. LXXVI: flnsan, 'He could havepreventedus from 'lf so', says a Qadari, doing evil.' Yesindeed He could. ..Had themalltogether brought Hewouldhave cod willed, is in the if thy Lordhadwilledwhoever to the guidance; together." all them, of all earth iould have believed, X: 991. [Yunus,
and we havenot "Had God willed,they were not idolaters; art thou their neither them watcher over appointedthee a 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

-26-

compelshim to do good. "lf our actions a r e w i l l e db y C o d , " s o m e o n e m i g h ts a y , "then they are in factHis actions." Thisobjection ii based on a confusion.cod wills what we wilr in the sense of g.ranting us the will to chooseand enablingus to execute thatwill i.e.He creates allthatmakes it posslble for usto do it. He doesnot will it in the sense of doing. it, otherwise it 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 performed theseactions. cod creates them, He does not do or performthem. Another objection, basedon another confusion,is that if Cod allowsus to do evil,then He approves of it and rikes it. But to will something in the sense of allowing a personto do it i so n e t h i n g ;a n dt o a p p r o v e o f h i sa c t i o n a n d commend it, isquiteanorher. Nore*erything thatcod 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 disbef ieve (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 - of their beingtruths, besides the foregoingarguments andveryimportant rruthsfor man,isthe goodeffeit which they producein man'sinternal state, and thushisoutward behaviour. we havealready, in dealing with 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' t lmin' 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 s e c o n d ,w h i c h h e 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 g Muslim independent f i r s t t h e w h e n e l a b o r a t e da t M a d i n a Makka the Prophet a t E v e n f o r m e d . w a s community 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 , e rta i n p rayers'and sp e ciallyon s om e s p e c i fi e do c c a s i o n s c ma n n e r w h i c h C abri el to p*r f or r n pr ay e r i n th e i s s a l a ti n i ts w i dest th i s Al l P ro p h e t. in" io d e mons t r at ed 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 (inthe hereafter) t? h a t i s h e w h o r e p u l s ets h 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 so s f th e i r p ra y e rsto , th o s ew h o make d i splay and r ef us e c h a ri ty ." CVllJ. [Ma'un, Th e f ir s t t hr ee v er s e s o 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 acquisition o f w e a l t h c o u n t s n 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 , IV:2-3J. Th o s e " who am as s e d a 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 es aw 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 w h i c h Mu h a mma d taught. th e ki nd of belief and p ra c ti c e s [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.

-29-

'My wealth!My wealth!' tellsus,says: "Man, the Prophet 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 and thosewho askowing on orphans parents or relatives), etc. The following to poverty, on the freeing of slaves to the addressed were that were among the earliest verses Prophet. him,asfor the beggar, do not opPress "As for the orphan, him not." scold x.lll: 9-10] [Dhuha, a true beliewr is that characterize Among the qualities 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: or givingfood upon a dayof hunger "The freeingof a slave, to an orphJn near of kin or a needy man in misery" And then ,,b e c om e o th e rto be a n dc o u n c i l e a c h wh o b e l i e v e of t hos e me rc i fu l"' b e to o th e r e a c h ste adf as and t , c oun s e l I B a l a dX , C:13-17J. Be si deshelping his fe l l o w m e n i n th i s w a y m a n shoul d also be truthful and honest with them and fulfil his 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 th o s e o f l i fe IL X X X :8i n f ri n g e upon r heir r i g h ts e s p e c i a l l y 9 'Th 1 ,a n IMa'irij, LXX:29-31]' ad t o f d e c e n c y .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 .

-30-

Ot-{Tt dLot
-ilir gJt iL'i

,r,r'Jr! tt .tr

.:'.\,..
../ / .. . . :. -4iLj'-t,',:

' Jq -,+--,r-' !.|' j jF r '-i ;\L: Jt')t|:f

|''' 7\\ 'j

'\'':\ I ;++ :i;.i . --i )-\

ff t
r.t t rv

t?'-6

,"nk\iX0 \)F ' rd[ss

.':.''|..'..''''

t.'tL;'',,:,i)1)l)

!r^r^1r s , ris.rr - +! JIJalL