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A Magazine Of Islam For Muslims And Non-Muslims

A Magazine Of Islam For Muslims And Non-Muslims

A Magazine Of Islam For Muslims And Non-Muslims

A Magazine Of Islam For Muslims And Non-Muslims


 Pure delight without pain and
suffering

While people in this world experience some
delight, they also face much toil and
suffering. If one was to scrutinize the life
which they live, they will find that the
amount of hardship they face is much more
than the ease and comfort they enjoy. As
for the life of the Hereafter, there will be
neither hardship nor suffering in it, and
people will live therein in pure joy and
delight. All the causes of sorrow, pain and
suffering which people experience in this

Al-Jannah is a place people will never be life will be absent in the Hereafter. Let‟s
take a look at some of these causes.
able to understand it‟s reality until they
actually enter it, though Allah (SWT) has  Wealth
shown us glimpses of it in the Quran. Allah
described it as a place essentially different
to the life of this world, both in the very When one thinks of success in this life, they
usually conjure the image of big houses,
nature and purpose of life, as well as the fine jewelleries and clothes, and expensive
types of delights which people will enjoy
therein. The Quran tells people about cars; financial stability is seen to be the key
Paradise, which Allah offers to them, to a happy life. To most people, success is
describes its great blessings, and proclaims inseparably related to wealth, even though
this is far from the truth. How many times
its beauties to everyone. It informs people have we seen the wealthiest of people
that Paradise is one of two ways of life
prepared for them in the hereafter, and living such miserable lives, that it
that every good thing will be theirs in sometimes even leads them to commit
Paradise to a degree that surpasses our suicide! Wealth is something which
humans in their very nature desire at any
present ability to imagine. It also shows cost, and this desire has been created for a
that it is a place where all blessings have
been created perfectly and where people great and wise purpose. When this desire
will be offered everything their souls and is not satiated, it causes some extent of
hearts will desire, and that people will be grief in a person. For this reason, Allah has
promised the inhabitants of Paradise that
far removed from want and need, anxiety they will have all that they imagined as far
or sadness, sorrow and regret. Every kind
of beauty and blessing exists in Paradise as wealth and belongings are concerned,
and will be revealed with a perfection never both for those who were extremely poor,
seen or known before. Allah (SWT) has experiencing even hunger and thirst, to
those well-to-do but who desired even
prepared such blessings there as a gift, and more. Allah gives us a glimpse of this
these will be offered only to people with
whom He is pleased. when he says:
But what is the nature of these delights in
Paradise, and how will it be different from “...there will be there all that the souls
the delights of this world? Let‟s try to could desire, all that the eyes could
highlight a few of these differences. delight in …” (Quran 43:71)“

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“Eat and drink at ease for that which There will be neither enmity between
you have sent forth (good deeds) in people nor ill-feelings:
days past!” (Quran 69:24)
“And We shall remove from their breasts
“… They will be adorned therein with any (mutual) hatred or sense of injury
bracelets of gold, and they will wear (which they had, if at all, in the life of
green garments of fine silk and heavy this world)…” (Quran 7:43)
brocade. They will recline therein on
raised thrones. How good [is] the
recompense! How beautiful a couch [is The Prophet (SAW) said:
there] to recline on!” (Quran 18:31)
“There will be no hatred or resentment
among them, their hearts will be as
 Disease and Death one, and they will glorify Allah, morning
and evening.” (Saheeh Al-Bukhari)
Another cause of pain and suffering in this
life is the death of a loved one or disease,
which are both non-existent in
Paradise. None will feel any sickness or People will have the best of companions in
pain in Paradise. Prophet Muhammad the Hereafter, who were also the best
(SAW) said about the people of Paradise: people in the world:

“They will never fall ill, blow their noses “And whoever obeys Allah and the
or spit.” (Saheeh Al-Bukhari) Messenger – those will be with the ones
upon whom God has bestowed favour –
None will die in Paradise. All shall live of the prophets, the steadfast affirmers
eternally, enjoying the pleasures in of truth, the martyrs and the
Paradise. Prophet Muhammad (SAW) said righteous. And excellent are those as
that a caller will call out in Paradise when companions!” (Quran 4:69)
people enter it:
The hearts of the people of Paradise will be
“Indeed may you be healthy and never pure, their speech will be good, their deeds
be sick again, may you live and never righteous. There will be no hurtful,
die again, may you be young and never upsetting, offensive or provocative talk
grow feeble again, may you enjoy, and there, for Paradise is free of all worthless
never feel sorrow and regret again.” words and deeds. If we were to discuss all
(Saheeh Muslim) the causes for anguish in this life, we
would surely find its absence or opposite to
be true in Paradise.
 Social Relationships

As for the remorse felt due to a rift in  The Eternity of the Hereafter
personal relationships, people will never
hear any evil or hurting comments or The Pleasures of this world are transient
speech in Al-Jannah. They will only hear whilst the joys of the hereafter are lasting
good words and words of peace. Allah and eternal. In this life when a person
says: enjoys something, it is only a short while
before they get bored with it and proceeds
“They will not hear therein ill speech or to search for something they feel is better,
commission of sin. But only the saying or they may not feel a need for it
of: Peace! Peace!” (Quran 56:25-26) altogether.

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As for the delights of Al-Jannah, a person  Free from all Impurities
will never feel bored with anything, but
rather, its goodness will increase each time Paradise is free from all the impurities of
they indulge in it. this world. Eating and drinking in this life
Also, the life of this world is very results in the need for excretion and its
short. Humans only live on this earth for a associated unpleasant odours. If a person
short while, and very few people reach the drinks wine in this world, he loses his
age of seventy. mind. Women in this world menstruate and
give birth, which are sources of pain and
“…Say: Short is the enjoyment of this hurt. Paradise is free from all of these
world. The Hereafter is (far) better for discomforts: its people will not urinate,
him who fears Allah...” (Quran 4:77) defecate, spit or suffer from catarrh. The
wine of Paradise, as described by its
Creator, is:
As for Al-Jannah, people will live
forever. Allah (SWT) says: “Crystal-white, delicious to those who
drink (thereof), free from intoxication,
“...its provision is eternal and so is its nor will they suffer intoxication
shade…” (Quran 13:35) therefrom” (Quran 37:46-47)


“What is with you must vanish, and The water of Paradise does not become
what is with Allah will endure …” (Quran brackish, and its milk never changes in
16:96) flavour:

“...rivers of water incorruptible; rivers of
“(It will be said to them): This is Our milk of which the taste never
Provision, which will never finish” changes...” (Quran 47:15)
(Quran 38:54)
The women of Paradise are pure and free
from menstruation, postnatal bleeding and
 Superior Delights all the other impurities suffered by women
in this world, and all are free from stool
The delights of the people of Paradise, such and feces. God says:
as their clothing, food, drink, jewellery and
palaces, will be far superior to their
counterparts in this world. There is in fact “...and they shall have therein purified
no room for comparison, as even the mates…” (Quran 2:25)
smallest space in Paradise is better than
this world and all that is in it. The Prophet The Prophet (SAW) answered a person when
(SAW) said: they asked how the people of Paradise will
relieve themselves:
“The space of the bow of any one of you
in Paradise is better than all that the “They relieve themselves by perspiring
sun rises upon” (Mishkaat al- through their skins, and its fragrance
Masaabeeh 3/85, no. 5615) will be that of musk, and all stomachs
will have become lean.” (ibn Hibbaan)

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What we have mentioned has been a mere What Allah (SWT) has kept hidden from
comparison in order to understand the us in the delights of Paradise is beyond
nature of Paradise, but as Allah said, its our ability to comprehend.
delights are truly hidden:
The Prophet (SAW) said that Allah (SWT)
“No person knows what is kept hidden said:
for them of joy, as a reward for what
they used to do.” (Quran 32:17) “I have prepared for My slaves what no
eye has seen, no ear has heard and no
human heart can imagine.” Recite if
 Paradise: There is Nothing Like It
you wish:
The delights of Al-Jannah surpass the “No person knows what is kept hidden
imagination and defy description. They are for them of joy as a reward for what
like nothing known to the people of this they used to do.” (Quran 32:17)
world; no matter how advanced we may
become, what we achieve is as nothing in
comparison with the joys of the In another report:
Hereafter. As is mentioned in several
reports, there is nothing like Paradise: “Never mind what Allah has told you;
what He has not told you is even
“It is sparkling light, aromatic plants, a greater.” (Saheeh Muslim).
lofty palace, a flowing river, ripe fruit, a
beautiful wife and abundant clothing, in
an eternal abode of radiant joy, in
beautiful soundly-constructed high
houses”. (Ibn Maajah, Ibn Hibbaan)


The Sahabah asked the Prophet about the
buildings of Paradise and he replied with a
wonderful description:

“Bricks of gold and silver, and mortar of
fragrant musk, pebbles of pearl and
sapphire, and soil of saffron. Whoever
enters it is filled with joy and will never
feel miserable; he will live there forever
and never die; their clothes will never
wear out and their youth will never
fade.” (Ahmad, at-Tirmidhi, ad-
Daarimee)

Allah (SWT) says:

“And when you look there (Al-Jannah)
you will see a delight (that cannot be
imagined), and a great dominion.”
(Quran 76:20)

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A Magazine Of Islam For Muslims And Non-Muslims

This is chapter 112, which reads:

"In the name of Allah, the Merciful, the
Compassionate." "Say (O Muhammad),
He is Allah, the One God, the Self-
Sufficient, who has not begotten, nor
has been begotten, and equal to Him is
not anyone."

Some non-Muslims allege that God in Islam
is a stern and cruel God who demands to
be obeyed fully and is, consequently, not
loving and kind. Nothing could be farther
from the truth than this allegation. It is
enough to know that, with the exception of
one, each of the 114 chapters of the Quran
begins with the verse, "In the name of
Allah, the Merciful; the Compassionate."
There is no gainsaying that every In one of the sayings of Prophet
language has one or more terms that Muhammad (SAW) we were told that:
are used to refer to God (The creator)
and sometimes to lesser deities at the “Allah is more loving and kind than a
same time. This is not the case with mother to her dear child."
Allah. Allah is the personal name of the
One true God. Nothing else can be On the other hand, Allah is also Just.
called Allah. The term has no plural or Hence, evildoers and sinners must have
gender. This shows its uniqueness their share of punishment, and the virtuous
when compared with the word "god," must have God's bounties and favours.
which can be made plural, as in "gods," Actually, Allah's attribute of Mercy has full
or made feminine, as in "goddess." It is manifestation in His attribute of Justice.
People suffering throughout their lives for
interesting to note that Allah is the His sake should not receive similar
personal name of God in Aramaic, the treatment from their Lord as people who
language of Jesus and a sister language oppress and exploit others their whole
of Arabic. lives. Expecting similar treatment for them
would amount to negating the very belief in
The One true God is a reflection of the the accountability of man in the Hereafter
unique concept that Islam associates and thereby negate all the incentives for a
with Allah. To a Muslim, Allah is the moral and virtuous life in this world. The
Almighty Creator and Sustainer of the following Quranic verses are very clear and
Universe, who is similar to nothing, and straightforward in this respect.
nothing is comparable to Him. The "Verily, for the Righteous are gardens of
Prophet Muhammad was asked by his Delight, in the Presence of their Lord.
contemporaries about Allah; the answer Shall We then treat the people of Faith
came directly from Allah Himself in the like the people of Sin? What is the
form of a short chapter of the Quran, matter with you? How judge you?"
which is considered to be the essence (Quran 68:34-36)
of the unity or the motto of
monotheism.

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Islam rejects characterizing God in any The Creator does not create only in the
human form or depicting Him as sense of bringing things into being, He
favouring certain individuals or nations also preserves them and takes them out
on the basis of wealth, power or race. of existence and is the ultimate cause
He created human-beings as equals. of whatever happens to them.
They may distinguish themselves and
get His favour through virtue and piety "God is the Creator of everything. He is
only. the guardian over everything. Unto Him
belong the keys of the heavens and the
The concepts, such as God resting on earth..." (Quran 39:62-63)
the seventh day of creation, God
wrestling with one of His soldiers, God
being an envious plotter against And Allah says:
mankind, or God being incarnate in any
human being, are considered "No creature is there crawling on the
blasphemy from the Islamic point of earth, but its provision rests on God. He
view. knows its lodging place and its
The unique usage of Allah as a personal repository..." (Quran 11:16)
name of God is a reflection of Islam's
emphasis on the purity of the belief in
God that is the essence of the message
of all God's messengers. Because of
this, Islam considers associating any
deity or personality with God as a Allah's Attributes
deadly sin that God will never forgive,
despite the fact that He may forgive all
other sins. If Allah (The Creator) is Eternal and
The Creator must be of a different Everlasting, then His attributes must
nature from the things created because, also be eternal and everlasting. If this is
if He is of the same nature as they are, so, then his attributes are absolute.
He will be temporal and will therefore Can there be more than one Creator
need a maker. It follows, therefore, that with such absolute attributes? Can there
nothing is like Him. Furthermore, if the be, for example, two absolutely
Maker is not temporal, then He must be powerful Creators? A moment's thought
eternal. If He is eternal, however, He shows that this is not feasible.
cannot be caused, and if nothing
caused Him to come into existence, The Quran summarizes this argument
nothing outside Him causes Him to in the following verses:
continue to exist, which means that He
must be self-sufficient. And if He does "God has not taken to Himself any son,
not depend on anything for the nor is there any god with Him: for then
continuance of His own existence, then each god would have taken of that
this existence can have no end, so the which he created and some of them
Creator is, therefore, eternal and would have risen up over others."
everlasting. Al-Qayyum: "He is the First (Quran 23:91)
and the Last."

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Also, The Believer's Attitude

"And why, were there gods on earth and In order to be a Muslim, that is, to
heaven other than God, they (heaven surrender one to Allah, it is necessary
and earth) would surely go to ruin." to believe in the oneness of Allah, in the
(Quran 21:22) sense of His being the only Creator,
Preserver, Nourisher, etc. But this belief
is not enough. Many of the idolaters
The Oneness of God knew and believed that only the
Supreme God could do all these. But
The Quran reminds us of the falsity of this was not enough to make them
all alleged gods. To the worshippers of Muslims. In addition to this belief, one
Man-made objects it asks: must acknowledge the fact that it is
Allah alone who deserves to be
"Do you worship what you have carved worshipped, and thus abstains from
yourself?" (Quran 37:95) worshipping any other thing or being.

Also, Having achieved this knowledge of the

one true God, man should constantly
"...Or have you taken unto yourself have faith in Him, and should allow
others beside Him to be your nothing to induce him to deny the
protectors, even such as have no power truth. What this means is that, if one
either for good or for harm to submits knowingly to Allah without
themselves?..." (Quran 13:16) reservations, and admits He is the only

one worthy of your worship, one must
consequently worship Him.
To the worshippers of heavenly bodies
it cites the story of Abraham: That is, knowing we owe Him obedience
means putting into practice what we
"When night outspread over him, he acknowledge in our hearts.
saw a star and said, 'This is my Lord.'
But when it set, he said, 'I love not the God asks, rhetorically:
setters.' When he saw the moon rising,
he said, 'This is my Lord.' But when it "Did you think that We had created you
set, he said, 'If my Lord does not guide in without purpose, and that you would
me, I shall surely be of the people gone not be brought back to Us?" (Quran
astray.' When he saw the sun rising, he 23:115)
said, 'This is my Lord; this is
greater.' But when it set, he said, 'O my
people, surely I quit that which you
associate, I have turned my face to Him He also states categorically:
who originated the heavens and the
earth; a man of pure faith, I am not one "I did not create Mankind and Jinn
of the idolaters.'" (Quran 6:76-79) except that they should worship me."
(Quran 51:56)

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Hence, when faith enters a person's "He is Allah; there is no god but He. He
heart, it causes certain mental states is the Knower of the unseen and the
that result in certain actions. Taken visible; He is the All-Merciful, the All-
together, these mental states and Compassionate. He is God; there is no
actions are the proof for the true faith. god but He. He is the King, the All-
The Prophet, (SAW) said: Holy, the All-Peace, the Guardian of the
Faith, the All-Preserver, the All-Mighty,
"Faith is that which resides firmly in the the All-Compeller, the All-Sublime.
heart and which is proved by deeds." Glory be to God, above that they
associate! He is God, the Creator, the
Foremost among these mental states is Maker, the Shaper. To Him belong the
the feeling of gratitude towards God, Names Most Beautiful. All that is in the
which could be said to be the essence heavens and the earth magnifies Him;
of worship. He is the Almighty, the All-Wise."
(Quran 59:22-24)
Foremost among these mental states is
the feeling of gratitude towards Allah, Also,
which could be said to be the essence
of worship. "There is no god but He, the Living, the
Everlasting. Slumber seizes Him not,
The feeling of gratitude is so important nor sleep. To Him belongs all that is in
that a non-believer is called 'kaafir', the heavens and the earth. Who is there
which means 'one who denies the truth' that shall intercede with Him save by
and also 'one who is ungrateful'. His leave? He knows what lies before
A believer loves, and is grateful to Allah them, and what is after them, and they
for the bounties He has bestowed upon comprehend not anything of His
him, but being aware of the fact that his knowledge save such as He wills. His
good deeds, whether mental or footstool extends over the heavens and
physical, are far from being the earth. The preserving of them
commensurate with Divine favours, he oppresses Him not; He is the All-High,
is always anxious lest Allah should the All-Glorious." (Quran 2:255)
punish him, here or in the Hereafter. He
therefore fears Him, surrenders himself
to Him and serves Him with great Also,
humility. One cannot be in such a
mental state without being almost all "People of the Book, go not beyond the
the time mindful of Allah. Remembering bounds in your religion, and say not as
Allah is thus the life force of faith, to God but the truth. The Messiah,
without which it fades and withers Jesus, son of Mary, was only the
away. Messenger of God, and His Word that
The Quran tries to promote this feeling He laded on Mary, and a Spirit from
of gratitude by repeating the attributes Him. So believe in God and His
of Allah very frequently. We find most Messengers, and say not "Three".
of these attributes mentioned together Refrain; better it is for you. God is only
in the following verses of the Quran: one God. Glory be to Him - (He is)
above having a son." (Quran 4:171)

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Thus we have three parts to our
acknowledgement of Allah as the Only
True God.

We must believe he is the ultimate
Creator, Controller and Judge of the
universe and everything in it; we must
refrain from the worship of anything
except Him, and then actually direct our
Worship to Him; and we must know that
He alone has all the divine attributes
and names, and we cannot apply them
to any other being, no matter who they
are. If one merely acknowledges with
one's lips these necessities, even should
we refrain from applying them to other
gods, it is not enough. They must be
sincerely directed to the One you
acknowledge as well.

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A Magazine Of Islam For Muslims And Non-Muslims

If a person dies of cancer, some of the
scholars are of the view that he is included
among the types of martyr mentioned in
the hadeeth, on the basis that the word
mabtoon (the one who dies of a disease in
the abdomen) is general and includes
everyone who dies of a disease in his
abdomen and that this does not apply to
any one specific disease.

Al-Nawawi (may Allah have mercy on him)
said:
The word mabtoon means the one with a
disease in the abdomen, which is
diarrhoea. Al-Qaadi said: And it was said
that he is the one who suffers from dropsy
Does a person who died of cancer or oedema and swelling of the abdomen.
as a result of smoking attain the And it was said that it refers to the one who
status of a martyr?. suffers some disease in his abdomen. And
it was said that it refers to anyone who dies
from a disease in the abdomen in general.
Praise be to Allaah End quote from Sharh Muslim by al-
Nawawi.
It is proven in the saheeh Sunnah that there
are various kinds of martyrs who will attain But it should be noted that this suggestion
the status of martyrdom in the Hereafter; is connected to two conditions:
this is by the grace and mercy of Allah.
(i) that the site of the cancer be in the
It was narrated from Abu Hurayrah (may abdomen so that he may truly be said
Allah be pleased with him) that the to be mabtoon.
Messenger of Allah (SAW) said: “The
martyrs are five: the one who dies of the Shaykh „Abd al-Muhsin al-„Abbaad (may
plague, the one who dies of a stomach Allah preserve him) was asked:
disease, the one who drowns, the one who Does a person who dies of cancer come
is crushed beneath a falling wall, and the under the heading of mabtoon?
martyr who is killed for the sake of Allaah.”
He replied: No, because cancer is not
Al-Haafiz Ibn Hajar (may Allah have mercy always in the stomach; it may be
on him) said: somewhere other than the stomach.
Sharh Sunan Abi Dawood (tape no. 230)
Ibn al-Teen said: All of these are deaths
which involve hardship. Allah has bestowed As the site of your friend‟s cancer was in
His grace upon the ummah of Muhammad the throat, he is not included among any of
(blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) the groups who are regarded as martyrs.
by making them means of erasing their
sins and increasing their rewards, and (ii) that the disease should not have been
enabling them to attain the status of caused by smoking, taking drugs or
martyrdom. drinking alcohol, or other haraam things,
Fath al-Baari, 6/44 unless he has repented sincerely from that
and has given up consuming those haraam
things.

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This condition is general and applies to all In al-Mawsoo„ah al-Fiqhiyyah (26/273,
those mentioned in the hadeeth. If a 274) it says:
woman is pregnant as the result of zina An exception is made in the case of one
(adultery and fornication) and dies in who travels for the purpose of sin and dies
labour, she is not regarded as one of the away from home. Another exception is
martyrs. If a person who drowned had made in the case of one who drowns but
boarded the boat or ship in order to was sinning by boarding the ship when he
commit sin or some immoral activity, and knew that it was most likely not to be safe
dies as a result of drowning, he is not one for him to do so, or he boarded it for the
of the martyrs. A person who is killed by a purpose of committing sin. Another
falling wall when he is committing zina exception is made in the case of a woman
(adultery and fornication) or drinking who is pregnant as a result of zina
alcohol is not one of the martyrs. (adultery and fornication) and dies in
childbirth. End quote.
A person who dies as the result of a car
accident when he was inside the car comes If the person who is slain in battle was
under the same heading as one who was fighting for the sake of tribalism or to show
killed by a falling wall, so he is a martyr, by off, he does not attain the virtue or status
Allah‟s leave. But this cannot be applied to of martyrdom, and it is more likely that
those foolish young men to whom this such people will not attain that great
happens when they are racing in their cars, reward.
or to those who compete in difficult
circumstances in the mountains or in the Summary:
snow (“extreme sports”).
Cancer in and of itself does not mean that
Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah said that if a the person who dies of it is one of the
person drowns after boarding a ship for types of martyrs, unless the disease was in
sinful purposes, he is not a martyr. his abdomen. That is not what is stated in
the hadeeth; rather it is the ijtihaad
And elsewhere he said: (opinion) of some scholars with regard to
Whoever wants to follow a path where the the meaning of mabtoon. If a person‟s
possibilities of being safe or being killed disease was caused by smoking and the
are equal has to refrain from following it; if like, and he dies of it before repenting,
he does not refrain, then he is aiding in his then he is not a martyr, even if the disease
own destruction so he is not a martyr. was in his abdomen. But if the disease in
Al-Fataawa al-Kubra, 5/381 his abdomen was not the result of a
haraam action, we hope that he will attain
Al-Suyooti (may Allah have mercy on him) the status of the martyrs in the Hereafter,
said: in sha Allah.
Al-Qurtubi said: This and the previous one
-- i.e., those who are killed by a falling wall And Allaah knows best.
or drowning -- if they did not take risks
and did not fail to take precautions, (then (Source: https://islamqa.info/en/)
they are martyrs). But if they did not take
precautions and died as a result of that,
then they are sinners.
Al-Deebaaj „ala Muslim (4/508)

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A Magazine Of Islam For Muslims And Non-Muslims

3. To safeguard human welfare and
oppose corruption and evil. Thus,
everything that safeguards faith, life,
reason, wealth and lineage are part of this
human welfare that religion protects. On
the other hand, anything that endangers
these five universal needs is a form of
corruption that religion opposes and
prohibits.

4. To invite the people to the highest
level of virtue, moral values, and noble
The Core of Islam customs.

The ultimate goal of every Divine Message
Allah (SWT) has bestowed numerous has always been the same: to guide the
blessings and favours upon humanity and people to God, to make them aware of Him,
among them is that He endowed them with and to have them worship Him alone. Each
an innate ability to recognize and Divine Message came to strengthen this
acknowledge His existence. He placed this meaning, and the following words were
awareness deep in their hearts as a natural repeated on the tongues of all the
disposition that has not changed since Messengers: “Worship God, you have no
human beings were first created. Again, He god other than Him.” This message was
reinforced this natural disposition with the conveyed to humanity by prophets and
signs that he placed in creation that testify messengers which God sent to every
to His existence. However, since it is not nation. All of these messengers came with
possible for human beings to have a this same message, the message of Islam.
detailed knowledge of Allah (SWT) except
through revelation from Himself, Allah All the Divine Messages came to bring the
(SWT) sent His Messengers to teach the life of the people into willing submission to
people about their Creator Who they must God. For this reason, they all share the
worship. These Messengers also brought name of “Islam”, or “submission” derived
with them the details of how to worship from the same word as “Salam”, or “peace”,
Allah (SWT), because such details cannot be in Arabic. Islam, in this sense, was the
known except by way of revelation. These religion of all the prophets, but why does
two fundamentals were the most important one see different variations of the religion
things that the Messengers of all the divine of God if they all emanated from the same
revelations brought with them from source? The answer is twofold.
God. On this basis, all the divine
revelations have had the same lofty The first reason is that as a result of the
objectives, which are: passage of time, and due to the fact that
previous religions were not under the
1. To affirm the Oneness of God - the Divine protection of God, they underwent
praised and glorified Creator – in His much change and variation. As a result, we
essence and His attributes. see that the fundamental truths which were
brought by all messengers now differ from
2. To affirm that God alone should be one religion to another, the most apparent
worshipped and that no other being should being the strict tenet of the belief and
be worshipped along with Him or instead of worship of God and God alone.
Him.

A Magazine Of Islam For Muslims And Non-Muslims

The second reason for this variation is that The Origins of Islam
God, in His infinite Wisdom and eternal Will,
decreed that all the divine missions prior to
the final message of Islam brought by But where does the message of
Muhammad, may the mercy and blessings Muhammad (SAW) fit in with the previous
of God be upon him, be limited to a specific messages revealed by God? A brief history
time frame. As a result, their laws and of the prophets might clear this point.
methodologies dealt with the specific
conditions of the people whom they had The first human, Adam, followed Islam, in
been sent to address. that he directed worship to God alone and
none else and abided by His
Humanity has passed through numerous commandments. But through the passage
periods of guidance, misguidance, of time and the dispersal of humanity
integrity, and deviation, from the most throughout the earth, people strayed from
primitive age to the heights of this message and began directing worship
civilization. Divine guidance accompanied to others instead of or along with
humanity through all of this, always God. Some took to worshipping the pious
providing the appropriate solutions and who passed away amongst them, while
remedies. others took to worshipping spirits and
forces of nature. It was then that God
This was the essence of the disparity that started to send messengers to humanity
existed between the different steering them back to the worship of God
religions. This disagreement never went Alone, which accorded to their true nature,
beyond the particulars of the Divine and warning them of the grave
Law. Each manifestation of the Law consequences of directing any type of
addressed the particular problems of the worship to others besides Him.
people it was meant for. However, the
areas of agreement were significant and The first of these messengers was Noah,
many, such as fundamentals of faith; the who was sent to preach this message of
basic principles and objectives of the Divine Islam to his people, after they had started
Law, such as protecting faith, life, reason, to direct worship to their pious forefathers
wealth, and lineage and establishing justice along with God. Noah called his people to
in the land; and certain fundamental leave the worship of their idols, and
prohibitions, some of the most important ordered them to return to the worship of
of these being idolatry, fornication, murder, God Alone. Some of them followed the
theft, and giving false witness. Moreover, teachings of Noah, while the majority
they also agreed upon moral virtues like disbelieved in him. Those who followed
honesty, justice, charity, kindness, chastity, Noah were followers of Islam, or Muslims,
righteousness, and mercy. These while those that did not, remained in their
principles as well as others are permanent disbelief and were seized with a
and lasting; they are the essence of all the punishment for doing so.
Divine Messages and bind them all
together. After Noah, God sent messengers to every
nation who had strayed from the Truth, to
steer them back to it. This Truth was the
same throughout time: to reject all objects
of worship and to direct all worship without
exception to God and none else, the
Creator and Lord of all, and to abide by His
commandments. But as we mentioned
before, because each nation differed in

A Magazine Of Islam For Muslims And Non-Muslims

regards to their way of life, language, and and messengers – to direct all worship to
culture, specific messengers were sent to God Alone and none else and to obey His
specific nations for a specific time period. commandments – in which the followers of
the previous prophets went astray.
God sent messengers to all nations, and to
the Kingdom of Babylon He sent Ibraheem – So as we see, the Prophet Muhammad was
one of the earliest and greatest prophets – not the founder of a new religion, as many
who called his people to reject the worship people mistakenly think, but he was sent as
of the idols to which they were devoted. He the Final Prophet of Islam. By revealing His
called them to Islam, but they rejected him final message to Muhammad, which is an
and even tried to kill him. God put eternal and universal message for all of
Abraham through many tests, and he mankind, God finally fulfilled the covenant
proved true to all of them. For his many that He made with Abraham.
sacrifices, God proclaimed that he would
raise from amongst his progeny a great Just as it was incumbent upon the those
nation and choose prophets from amongst who were alive to follow the message of the
them. Whenever people from his progeny last of the succession of prophets which
started to stray away from the Truth, which was sent to them, it becomes incumbent
was to worship none but God alone and to upon all of humanity to follow the message
obey His commandments, God sent them of Muhammad. God promised that this
another messenger steering them back to message would remain unchanged and fit
it. for all times and places. Suffice is it to say
that the way of Islam is the same as the
Consequently, we see that many prophets way of the prophet Abraham, because both
were sent amongst the progeny of the Bible and the Quran portray Abraham
Abraham, such as his two sons Isaac and as a towering example of someone who
Ishmael, along with Jacob (Israel), Joseph, submitted himself completely to God and
David, Solomon, Moses, and of course, directed worship to Him alone and none
Jesus, to mention a few, may the peace and else, and without any intermediaries. Once
blessings of God be upon them all. Each this is realized, it should be clear that Islam
prophet was sent to the Children of Israel has the most continuous and universal
(the Jews) when they went astray from the message of any religion, because all
true religion of God, and it became prophets and messengers were “Muslims”,
obligatory upon them to follow the i.e. those who submitted to God‟s will, and
messenger which was sent to them and they preached “Islam”, i.e. submission to
obey their commandments. All of the the will of Almighty God by worshipping
messengers came with the same message, Him Alone and obeying His
to reject worship of all other beings except commandments.
God Alone and to obey His
commandments. Some disbelieved in the So we see that those who call themselves
prophets, while others believed. Those Muslims today do not follow a new religion;
that believed were followers of Islam, or rather they follow the religion and message
Muslims. of all prophets and messengers which were
sent to humanity by God‟s command, also
From amongst the messengers was known as Islam. The word “Islam” is an
Muhammad (SAW) from the progeny of Arabic word which literally means
Ishmael, the son of Abraham, may the “submission to God”, and Muslims are
mercy and blessings of God be upon him, those who wilfully submit to and actively
who was sent as a messenger in succession obey God, living in accordance with His
to Jesus. Muhammad preached the same message.
message of Islam as the previous prophets

A Magazine Of Islam For Muslims And Non-Muslims

The Essential Beliefs of Islam rather He sent prophets to all nations in the
world with one central message: worship
There are many aspects of belief in which God alone. Muslims must believe in all
one who adheres to Islam must have firm prophets sent by God mentioned in the
conviction. From those aspects, the most Quran, without making any distinction
important are six, known as the “Six between them. Muhammad was sent with
Articles of Belief”. the final message, and there is no prophet
to come after him. His message is final
 Belief in God and eternal, and through him God
completed His Message to humanity.
Islam upholds strict monotheism and belief
in God forms the heart of their faith. Islam As Christians view the New Testament to
teaches belief in one God who neither gives fulfil and complete the Old Testament,
birth nor was born Himself, and has no Muslims believe that the Prophet
share in His caretaking of the world. He Muhammad received revelations from God
alone gives life, causes death, brings good, through the angel Gabriel to correct human
causes affliction, and provides sustenance error that had entered into the scriptures
for His creation. God in Islam is the sole and doctrine of Judaism, Christianity and all
Creator, Lord, Sustainer, Ruler, Judge, and other religions. This revelation is the
Saviour of the universe. He has no equal in Quran, revealed in the Arabic language,
His qualities and abilities, such as and found today in its pristine form. It
knowledge and power. All worship, seeks to guide mankind in all walks of life;
veneration and homage is to be directed to spiritual, temporal, individual and
God and none else. Any breach of these collective. It contains directions for the
concepts negates the basis of Islam. conduct of life, relates stories and parables,
describes the attributes of God, and speaks
 Belief in the Angels of the best rules to govern social life. It
has directions for everybody, every place,
Adherents to Islam must believe in the and for all time. Millions of people today
Unseen world as mentioned in the have memorized the Quran, and all copies
Quran. From this world are the angels‟ of the Quran found today and in the past
emissaries of God, each assigned with a are identical. God has promised that He
specific task. They have no free-will or will guard the Quran from change until the
ability to disobey; it is their very nature to end of times, so that Guidance be clear to
be God's faithful servants. Angels are not humanity and the message of all the
to be taken as demigods or objects of prophets be available for those who seek it.
praise or veneration; they are mere
servants of God obeying His every  Belief in Life after Death
command.
Muslims believe that a day will come when
 Belief in the Prophets and Messengers all of creation will perish and resurrected in
order to be judged for their deeds: The Day
Islam is a universal and inclusive of Judgment. On this day, all will gather in
religion. Muslims believe in the prophets, the presence of God and each individual
not just the Prophet Muhammad, may the will be questioned about their life in the
mercy and blessings of God be upon him, world and how they lived it. Those who
but the Hebrew prophets, including held correct beliefs about God and life, and
Abraham and Moses, as well as the followed their belief with righteous deeds
prophets of the New Testament, Jesus, and will enter Paradise, even though they may
John the Baptist. Islam teaches God did not pay for some of their sins in Hell if God out
send prophets to Jews and Christians alone, of His Infinite Justice chooses not to forgive
them.

A Magazine Of Islam For Muslims And Non-Muslims

As for those who fell into polytheism in Islamic Worship
its many faces, they will enter Hellfire,
never to leave therefrom. There are five simple but essential

 Belief in the Divine Decree observances that all practicing Muslims
accept and follow. These “Pillars of Islam”
represent the core that unites all Muslims.
Islam asserts that God has full power
and knowledge of all things, and that  The „Declaration of Faith‟
nothing happens except by His Will and
with His full knowledge. What is known A Muslim is one who testifies that “none
as divine decree, fate, or "destiny" is deserves worship but Allah, and
known in Arabic as al-Qadr. The Muhammad is the messenger of Allah.”
destiny of every creature is already This declaration is known as the
known to God. “Shahaada” (witness, testimony). Allah is
the Arabic name for God, just as Yahweh is
This belief however does not contradict the Hebrew name for God. By making this
with the idea of man's free will to simple proclamation one becomes a
Muslim. The proclamation affirms Islam‟s
choose his course of action. God does absolute belief in the oneness of God, His
not force us to do anything; we can exclusive right to be worshipped, as well as
choose whether to obey or disobey the doctrine that associating anything else
Him. Our choice is known to God with God is the one unforgivable sin as we
before we even do it. We do not know read in the Koran:
what our destiny is; but God knows the
fate of all things. “God does not forgive anyone for
associating something with Him, while
Therefore, we should have firm faith He does forgive whomever He wishes to
that whatever befalls us, it is according for anything else. Anyone who gives
to God's will and with His full God partners has invented an awful
knowledge. There may be things that sin.” (Quran 4:48)
happen in this world that we do not
understand, but we should trust that The second part of the testimony of faith
God has wisdom in all things. states that Muhammad, may the mercy and
blessings of God be upon him, is a prophet
of God like Abraham, Moses and Jesus
before him. Muhammad brought the last
and final revelation. In accepting
Muhammad as the “seal of the prophets,”
Muslims believe that his prophecy confirms
and fulfils all of the revealed messages,
beginning with Adam‟s. In addition,
Muhammad serves as the role model
through his exemplary life. A believer‟s
effort to follow Muhammad‟s example
reflects the emphasis of Islam on practice
and action.

A Magazine Of Islam For Muslims And Non-Muslims

 The Prayer (Salah) fortunate. A special evening prayer is also
held in mosques in which recitations of the
Muslims worship five times a day: at daybreak, Quran are heard. Families rise before dawn
noon, mid-afternoon, sunset, and evening. It to take their first meal of the day to sustain
helps keep believers mindful of God in the them till sunset. The month of Ramadan ends
stress of work and family. It resets the spiritual with one of the two major Islamic
focus, reaffirms total dependence on God, and celebrations, the Feast of the Breaking of the
puts worldly concerns within the perspective of Fast, called Eid al-Fitr, which is marked by
the last judgment and the afterlife. The prayers joyfulness, family visits, and exchanging of
consist of standing, bowing, kneeling, putting gifts.
the forehead on the ground, and sitting. The
Prayer is a means in which a relationship
between God and His creation is maintained. It  The Pilgrimage or Hajj to Makkah

includes recitations from the Quran, praises of At least once in a lifetime, every adult Muslim
God, prayers for forgiveness and other various who is physically and financially able is required
supplications. The prayer is an expression of to sacrifice time, wealth, status, and ordinary
submission, humility, and adoration of comforts of life to make the Hajj pilgrimage,
God. Prayers can be offered in any clean place, putting himself totally at God‟s service. Every
alone or together, in a mosque or at home, at year over two million believers from a diversity
work or on the road, indoors or out. It is of cultures and languages travel from all over
preferable to pray with others as one body the world to the sacred city of Makkah to
united in the worship of God, demonstrating respond to God‟s call.
discipline, brotherhood, equality, and
solidarity. As they pray, Muslims face Mecca,
the holy city centered around the Kaaba - the Who are Muslims?
house of God built by Ibraheem and his son
Ismaheel.
The Arabic word “Muslim” literally means
 The Compulsory Charity (Zakah) “someone who is in a state of Islam (submission
to the will and law of God)”. The message of
Islam is meant for the entire world, and anyone
In Islam, the true owner of everything is God, who accepts this message becomes a
not man. People are given wealth as a trust Muslim. There are over a billion Muslims
from God. Zakah is worship and thanksgiving worldwide. Muslims represent the majority
to God by supporting the poor, and through it population in fifty-six countries. Many people
one‟s wealth is purified. It requires an annual are surprised to know that the majority of
contribution of 2.5 per cent of an individual‟s Muslims are not Arab. Even though most Arabs
wealth and assets. Therefore, Zakah is not are Muslims, there are Arabs who are
mere “charity”, it is an obligation on those who Christians, Jews and atheists. Only 20 per cent
have received their wealth from God to meet the of the world‟s 1.2 billion Muslims come from
needs of less fortunate members of the Arab countries. There are significant Muslim
community. Zakah is used to support the poor populations in India, China, Central Asian
and the needy, help those in debt, and, in olden Republics, Russia, Europe, and America. If one
times, to free slaves. just takes a look at the various peoples who live
in the Muslim World - from Nigeria to Bosnia
 The Fast of Ramadan (Sawm) and from Morocco to Indonesia - it is easy
enough to see that Muslims come from all
Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic lunar different races, ethnic groups, cultures and
calendar which is spent in fasting. Healthy nationalities. Islam has always been a universal
Muslims abstain from dawn to sunset from message for all people. Islam is the second
food, drink, and sexual activity. Fasting largest religion in the world and will soon be
develops spirituality, dependence upon God, the second largest religion in America. Yet, few
and brings identification with the less people know what Islam is.