The Basis of Islam
2013 - 1434
The basis of the religion of Islam is the attestationto two phrases:
(i) None is rightfully worshipped exceptGod (La ilaaha ‘ill-Allah), and
(ii) Muhammad is the Messenger of God (Muhammad-ur-Rasool-ullah).
This phrase is known as the shahaadah, ortestimony of faith. Through the belief and attestation of these two phrasesone enters the fold of Islam. It is the motto of the believers which theymaintain throughout life, and the basis for all their beliefs, worship andexistence. This article will discuss the first part of this testimony.
The Importance of the Statement ‘Laa Ilaaha ill-Allah’
As mentioned earlier, this testimony is by far themost important aspect of the religion of Islam, as it asserts the belief in Tawheed,or the Oneness and uniqueness of God, upon which the whole religion isbuilt. For this reason, it is called, “The declaration of Tawheed”. This uniqueness and oneness necessitates God’s sole right to worship andobedience. The religion of Islam is basically a way of life in which aperson worships and obeys the orders of God and none else. It is the onlytrue monotheistic religion, stressing that no worship should be directed to anyother except God. For this reason, we see that in many narrations, theProphet, may the mercy and blessings of God be upon him, said that whoever saysthis phrase and practices it will enter Paradise for eternity, and whoeveropposes it will doomed to Hellfire for eternity.
This declaration also reiterates the purpose of one’slife, which is the worship of God alone, and obviously, the purpose of one’***istence and being is the most important aspect in one’s life. God saysin the Quran:
“And I have not created neither jinn nor humans, except to worship MeAlone.” (Quran 51:56)
The message of Tawheed found in thisdeclaration is not particular to Islam. Due to the importance, realityand truth of this message, it was the message brought by all prophets. Since the dawn of humanity, God sent messengers to every people and nation,commanding them to worship Him Alone, and to reject all false deities. God says:
“And indeed We have raised amongst every nation a messenger,(commanding them) ‘Worship God, and reject all false deities….” (Quran 16:36)
It is only when this notion of Tawheed isingrained in the heart and minds of a person that they will willingly followthe commandments of God and render all worship to Him Alone. For thisreason, the Prophet called his people for thirteen years in Mecca to Tawheedalone, and only a minimal amount of worship was mandated at that time. Itwas only when this notion became firm in the believers’ hearts and they werewilling to sacrifice even their own lives for it that the majority of the othercommandments of Islam were revealed. If this base is missing, nothingafter it will be of avail.
The Meaning of Laa Ilaaha ill-Allah
La ilaaha ill-Allah, literally means “There is no god (deity) except Allah”. Here, godwith a small case ‘g’ is anything which is worshipped. What thisdeclaration implies is that although there might be other gods and deitiesbeing worshipped by humans in existence, none of them are rightfullyworshipped, meaning that no object considered as a god has any right to thatworship, nor does it deserve it, except the One True God. Thus, laailaaha ill-Allah means, “There is no god rightfully worshipped except Allah.”
La ilaaha… (There is no god rightfully worshipped…)
These two words deny the right of any created being toworship. Muslims reject the worship of everything besides God. Thisrejection extends to all superstitions, ideologies, ways of life, or any authorityfigures who claim divine devotion, love, or absolute obedience. God inthe Quran mentions in many places that all things which people take as objectsof worship besides Himself do not deserve any worship, nor do they have anyright to it, as they themselves are creations and have no power to bring anybenefit.
“Yet they have taken besides Him other gods that created nothing butare themselves created, and possess neither [the power to] harm nor benefit forthemselves, and possess no power [of causing] death, nor [of giving] life, norof raising the dead.” (Quran 25:3)
Some worship another object or being because theybelieve that it has some special power, such as some control over the universe,some power to benefit or harm, or that it deserves worship in and of itself dueto its greatness of being. God negates the notion that these things whichpeople take as objects of worship, whether they be aspects of nature, such asthe wind, trees, stones, wind; or conscious beings, such as humans, prophets,saints, angels, kings, have any power in themselves. They are merecreations like the worshippers themselves and have no power to help even theirown selves, and thus they are not to be worshipped. They are merecreations with deficiencies, subject to the Will of God, and thus they do notdeserve any aspect of worship.
In reality, many believe in the ultimate control andpower of God, but they imagine the Divine Kingdom of God to be like earthlykingdoms. Just as a king has many ministers and trusted associates, theyimagine ‘saints’ and minor deities to be our intercessors to God. Theytake them as agents through whom God is approached, by directing some acts ofworship and service to them. God says:
“And verily, if you ask them: ‘Who created the heavens and the earth?’
Surely, they will say: ‘God.’
Say: ‘Tell me then, the things that you invoke besides God, if Godintended some harm for me, could they remove His harm, or if He intended somemercy for me, could they withhold His Mercy?’
Say : ‘Sufficient for me is God; in Him those who trust (i.e.believers) must put their trust.’” (Quran 39:38)
In truth, there are no intercessors in Islam. Norighteous person is to be venerated, nor is any other being to beworshipped. A Muslim directs all worship directly and exclusively to God.
…Ill-Allah (…Except Allah)
After denying the right of any created being to beworshipped, the shahaadah affirms divinity for God alone, with ‘…exceptGod’. In many places in the Quran, after God negates that anything of thecreation has power to bring benefit and harm, thus deserving no worship, Hestates that He Himself is to be worshipped, as He has control over andownership of the whole universe. It is God Alone who provides for hiscreation; He is in total control. He is the only one who can bringbenefit and harm, and nothing can impede His Will from becoming reality. Thus it is He Himself, through His perfection, through His ultimate powers, dueto his total ownership, and due to His greatness, who deserves all worship,service and veneration exclusively.
“Say: ‘Who is the Lord of the heavens and the earth?’
Say: ‘(It is) God.’
Say: ‘Have you then taken (for worship) deities other than Him, such ashave no power either for benefit or for harm to themselves?’
Say: ‘Is the blind equal to the one who sees? Or darkness equalto light? Or do they assign to God partners who created the like of Hiscreation, so that the creation [which they made and His creation] seemed aliketo them?’
Say: ‘God is the Creator of all things, He is the One, theIrresistible.’” (Quran 13:16)
God alsosays:
“You worship besides God only idols, and you only inventfalsehood. Verily, those whom you worship besides God have no power togive you provision. So seek your provision from God (Alone), and worship Him(Alone), and be grateful to Him. To Him (Alone) you will be broughtback.” (Quran 29:17)
And God says:
“Is not He Who created the heavens and the earth and sends down for youwater (rain) from the sky, whereby We cause to grow wonderful gardens full ofbeauty and delight? It is not in your ability to cause the growth oftheir trees. Is there any ilaah (god) along with Allah? Nay,but they are a people who ascribe equals (to Him)!” (Quran 27:60)
As God is the only being who is deserving of worship,anything worshipped besides or along with Him is done so wrongfully. Allacts of devotion are to be directed towards God alone. All requirementsshould be sought through Him. All fear of the unknown should be fearedfrom Him, and all hope should be placed in Him. All divine love should befelt for him, and all that one hates should be hated for His sake. Alldeeds of good should be done to seek His favor and pleasure, and all wrongshould be avoided for his sake. In these ways do Muslims worship Godalone, and from this, we understand how the whole religion of Islam is basedupon this declaration of Tawheed.
أساسيات الإسلام
[ English - إنجليزي ]
موقع دين الإسلام
2013 - 1434
The basis of the religion of Islam is the attestationto two phrases:
(i) None is rightfully worshipped exceptGod (La ilaaha ‘ill-Allah), and
(ii) Muhammad is the Messenger of God (Muhammad-ur-Rasool-ullah).
This phrase is known as the shahaadah, ortestimony of faith. Through the belief and attestation of these two phrasesone enters the fold of Islam. It is the motto of the believers which theymaintain throughout life, and the basis for all their beliefs, worship andexistence. This article will discuss the first part of this testimony.
The Importance of the Statement ‘Laa Ilaaha ill-Allah’
As mentioned earlier, this testimony is by far themost important aspect of the religion of Islam, as it asserts the belief in Tawheed,or the Oneness and uniqueness of God, upon which the whole religion isbuilt. For this reason, it is called, “The declaration of Tawheed”. This uniqueness and oneness necessitates God’s sole right to worship andobedience. The religion of Islam is basically a way of life in which aperson worships and obeys the orders of God and none else. It is the onlytrue monotheistic religion, stressing that no worship should be directed to anyother except God. For this reason, we see that in many narrations, theProphet, may the mercy and blessings of God be upon him, said that whoever saysthis phrase and practices it will enter Paradise for eternity, and whoeveropposes it will doomed to Hellfire for eternity.
This declaration also reiterates the purpose of one’slife, which is the worship of God alone, and obviously, the purpose of one’***istence and being is the most important aspect in one’s life. God saysin the Quran:
“And I have not created neither jinn nor humans, except to worship MeAlone.” (Quran 51:56)
The message of Tawheed found in thisdeclaration is not particular to Islam. Due to the importance, realityand truth of this message, it was the message brought by all prophets. Since the dawn of humanity, God sent messengers to every people and nation,commanding them to worship Him Alone, and to reject all false deities. God says:
“And indeed We have raised amongst every nation a messenger,(commanding them) ‘Worship God, and reject all false deities….” (Quran 16:36)
It is only when this notion of Tawheed isingrained in the heart and minds of a person that they will willingly followthe commandments of God and render all worship to Him Alone. For thisreason, the Prophet called his people for thirteen years in Mecca to Tawheedalone, and only a minimal amount of worship was mandated at that time. Itwas only when this notion became firm in the believers’ hearts and they werewilling to sacrifice even their own lives for it that the majority of the othercommandments of Islam were revealed. If this base is missing, nothingafter it will be of avail.
The Meaning of Laa Ilaaha ill-Allah
La ilaaha ill-Allah, literally means “There is no god (deity) except Allah”. Here, godwith a small case ‘g’ is anything which is worshipped. What thisdeclaration implies is that although there might be other gods and deitiesbeing worshipped by humans in existence, none of them are rightfullyworshipped, meaning that no object considered as a god has any right to thatworship, nor does it deserve it, except the One True God. Thus, laailaaha ill-Allah means, “There is no god rightfully worshipped except Allah.”
La ilaaha… (There is no god rightfully worshipped…)
These two words deny the right of any created being toworship. Muslims reject the worship of everything besides God. Thisrejection extends to all superstitions, ideologies, ways of life, or any authorityfigures who claim divine devotion, love, or absolute obedience. God inthe Quran mentions in many places that all things which people take as objectsof worship besides Himself do not deserve any worship, nor do they have anyright to it, as they themselves are creations and have no power to bring anybenefit.
“Yet they have taken besides Him other gods that created nothing butare themselves created, and possess neither [the power to] harm nor benefit forthemselves, and possess no power [of causing] death, nor [of giving] life, norof raising the dead.” (Quran 25:3)
Some worship another object or being because theybelieve that it has some special power, such as some control over the universe,some power to benefit or harm, or that it deserves worship in and of itself dueto its greatness of being. God negates the notion that these things whichpeople take as objects of worship, whether they be aspects of nature, such asthe wind, trees, stones, wind; or conscious beings, such as humans, prophets,saints, angels, kings, have any power in themselves. They are merecreations like the worshippers themselves and have no power to help even theirown selves, and thus they are not to be worshipped. They are merecreations with deficiencies, subject to the Will of God, and thus they do notdeserve any aspect of worship.
In reality, many believe in the ultimate control andpower of God, but they imagine the Divine Kingdom of God to be like earthlykingdoms. Just as a king has many ministers and trusted associates, theyimagine ‘saints’ and minor deities to be our intercessors to God. Theytake them as agents through whom God is approached, by directing some acts ofworship and service to them. God says:
“And verily, if you ask them: ‘Who created the heavens and the earth?’
Surely, they will say: ‘God.’
Say: ‘Tell me then, the things that you invoke besides God, if Godintended some harm for me, could they remove His harm, or if He intended somemercy for me, could they withhold His Mercy?’
Say : ‘Sufficient for me is God; in Him those who trust (i.e.believers) must put their trust.’” (Quran 39:38)
In truth, there are no intercessors in Islam. Norighteous person is to be venerated, nor is any other being to beworshipped. A Muslim directs all worship directly and exclusively to God.
…Ill-Allah (…Except Allah)
After denying the right of any created being to beworshipped, the shahaadah affirms divinity for God alone, with ‘…exceptGod’. In many places in the Quran, after God negates that anything of thecreation has power to bring benefit and harm, thus deserving no worship, Hestates that He Himself is to be worshipped, as He has control over andownership of the whole universe. It is God Alone who provides for hiscreation; He is in total control. He is the only one who can bringbenefit and harm, and nothing can impede His Will from becoming reality. Thus it is He Himself, through His perfection, through His ultimate powers, dueto his total ownership, and due to His greatness, who deserves all worship,service and veneration exclusively.
“Say: ‘Who is the Lord of the heavens and the earth?’
Say: ‘(It is) God.’
Say: ‘Have you then taken (for worship) deities other than Him, such ashave no power either for benefit or for harm to themselves?’
Say: ‘Is the blind equal to the one who sees? Or darkness equalto light? Or do they assign to God partners who created the like of Hiscreation, so that the creation [which they made and His creation] seemed aliketo them?’
Say: ‘God is the Creator of all things, He is the One, theIrresistible.’” (Quran 13:16)
God alsosays:
“You worship besides God only idols, and you only inventfalsehood. Verily, those whom you worship besides God have no power togive you provision. So seek your provision from God (Alone), and worship Him(Alone), and be grateful to Him. To Him (Alone) you will be broughtback.” (Quran 29:17)
And God says:
“Is not He Who created the heavens and the earth and sends down for youwater (rain) from the sky, whereby We cause to grow wonderful gardens full ofbeauty and delight? It is not in your ability to cause the growth oftheir trees. Is there any ilaah (god) along with Allah? Nay,but they are a people who ascribe equals (to Him)!” (Quran 27:60)
As God is the only being who is deserving of worship,anything worshipped besides or along with Him is done so wrongfully. Allacts of devotion are to be directed towards God alone. All requirementsshould be sought through Him. All fear of the unknown should be fearedfrom Him, and all hope should be placed in Him. All divine love should befelt for him, and all that one hates should be hated for His sake. Alldeeds of good should be done to seek His favor and pleasure, and all wrongshould be avoided for his sake. In these ways do Muslims worship Godalone, and from this, we understand how the whole religion of Islam is basedupon this declaration of Tawheed.
via منتديات ماجدة http://majdah.maktoob.com/vb/majdah323824/?amp;goto=newpost
ليست هناك تعليقات:
إرسال تعليق