Bismillah [IslamCity] Fundamental Principles Part 4

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THE THIRD PRINCIPLE

Knowledge of your Prophet Muhammad (sal-Allaahu 'alayhe wa sallam), and he
was: Muhammad ibn 'Abdullaah ibn 'Abdul-Muttalib ibn Haashim; and Haashim
was from (the tribe of) Quraysh; Quraysh were from the Arabs; and the Arabs
have descended from Ismaa'eel, the son of Ibraaheem - the chosen beloved (*
khaleel*) - may the most excellent blessings and peace be upon him and upon
our Prophet. He lived for sixty-three years: forty years before prophethood,
and twenty-three years as a prophet and a messenger. He was sent as a
prophet with *'iqra'* [i.e. the beginning of *Soorah al-'Alaq*], ans as a
messenger with [*Soorah*] *Muddaththir*. His land was Makkah and he
performed *hijrah* (prescribed migration) to al-Madeenah. Allaah sent him to
warn against *shirk* and to call to *tawheed*.

The proof is the Saying of Allaah, the Most High,

 *"O you (Muhammad sal-Allaahu 'alayhe wa sallam) wrapped in garments! Arise
and warn your people; and venerate and worship your Lord, and purify
yourself, your garments and your deeds; and shun the idols; and do not give
anything in order to receive something more in return; and patiently
persevere for the sake of your Lord in the face of any harm you
encounter."*[Soorah al-Muddaththir (74):1-7]

 The meaning of *"Arise and warn your people"* is that he was to warn
against *shirk* and to call to *tawheed*. *"Venerate and worship your
Lord"*means honour and venerate Him with
*tawheed*. *"Purify yourself, your garments, and your deeds"* means purify
your actions from any *shirk*. *"Shun the idols"*, *ar-rujz* means the
idols, and *hajr* of them means shunning them, and freeing and
disassociating oneself from them and their people.

He carried out this duty for ten years, calling to *tawheed*, and after ten
years he was taken up through the heavens [i.e. the *mi'raaj*]; and the five
Prayers were obligated upon him, and he prayed in Makkah for three years,
and then he was commanded to perform *hijrah* (prescribed migration) to
al-Madeenah.

*Hijrah* is migrating from the land of *shirk* to the land of Islaam. *
Hijrah* from the land of *shirk* to the land of Islaam is an obligation upon
this *ummah* and it continues until the Last Hour, and the proof is the
Saying of Allaah, the Most High,

 *"As for those whose souls the angels take in a state of having earned
Allaah's Anger; then the angels will say to them: 'In what condition were
you regarding your Religion?' They will say: 'We were weakened by the great
numbers and strength of the people of shirk in our land who prevented us
from eemaan and from following the Messenger.' They will reply: 'Was not
Allaah's earth spacious so that you could leave your land and homes where
the people of shirk dominate and go to a land where you could worship Allaah
alone and follow His Prophet?!' So these people will find their abode in
Hell, and what an evil destination that is. Except for the weak ones from
the men, women and children who were unable to migrate or find a way to do
so. As for such, it may be that Allaah will pardon them, and Allaah is ever
One who pardons and forgives the sins of His servants."* [Soorah an-Nisaa'
(4):97-99]

 Also the Saying of Allaah, the Most High,

 *"O My servants who believe in Me and My Messenger Muhammad (sal-Allaahu
'alayhe wa sallam), indeed My earth is spacious, so flee away from whoever
prevents you from obedience to Me, and make your worship and obedience
purely and sincerely for Me, and do not obey anyone in disobedience to
Me."*[Soorah al-'Ankaboot (29):56]

 Al-Baghawee, *rahimahullaah*, said:

 "This *Aayah* was sent down with regard to the Muslims who were in Makkah
who did not migrate; Allaah addressed them with the title of
*eemaan*." [1]

 The proof for the *hijrah* found in the *sunnah* is his (sal-Allaahu
'alayhe wa sallam) saying:

 *"Hijrah will not be discontinued until repentance is discontinued, and
repentance will not be discontinued until the sun rises from its place of
setting."* [2] 

 So when he (sal-Allaahu 'alayhe wa sallam) settled in al-Madeenah he
ordered the rest of the prescribed duties of Islaam, such as: the *zakaat*,
the Prayer, the *hajj*, *jihaad*, the *adhaan*, and commanding good and
forbidding evil, and the rest of the prescribed duties of Islaam. He spent
ten yeats establishing that, after which he passed away, may Allaah extol
and send blessings of peace upon him and his Religion remains, and this is
his Religion: There is no god except that he guided this *ummah* to it, and
no evil except that he warned them against it. So the good that he called
them to was *at-tawheed*, and all that Allaah loves and is pleased with; and
the evil that he warned against was *ash-shirk* and all that Allaah hates
and rejects. Allaah sent him as a Messenger to all of the people, and Allaah
made it obligatory upon all of the *jinn* and mankind to obey him. The proof
is the Saying of Allaah, the Most Hig

Bismillah [IslamCity] Fundamental Principles Part 3

[yunus ali]

*THE SECOND PRINCIPLE*

Knowledge of the Religion (*Deen*) of Islaam with the proofs. It is to
submit to Allaah with *tawheed*, and to yield obediently to Him, and to free
and disassociate oneself from *shirk* and its people. And its is of three
levels: Islaam (submission and obedience to Allaah), *eemaan* (true faith
comprising belief in the heart, speech of the tongue and action of the
limbs), and *ihsaan* (perfection of worship). Each level has its pillars.


*THE FIRST LEVEL*

The pillars of Islaam are five: The testification that none has the right to
be worshipped except Allaah, and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allaah;
to establish the Prayer; to pay the *zakaat*; to fast Ramadaan; and to make
*hajj* to the sacred House of Allaah.

So the proof for the testification (*shahaadah*) is the Saying of Allaah,
the Most High,

 *"Allaah bears witness that none has the right to be worshpped but Him; and
likewise the angels and the people of knowledge bear witness: He Who
maintains justics, none has the right to be worshipped but Him, the
All-Mighty, the All-Wise."* [Soorah Aal-'Imraan (3):18]

 Its meaning is that none has the right to be worshipped except Allaah: *"laa
ilaaha"* (Nothing has the right to be worshipped besides Allaah), and *
"illallaah"* (except Allaah) affirms worship for Allaah alone, and that
there is to be no one given any share of His Dominion and Sovereignty.

The explanation which will make it clear is the Saying of Allaah, the Most
High,

 *"And remember when Ibraaheem said to his father and his people: 'I am
totally free from everything that you worship except for the one who created
me. He will guide me upon the true Religion and the way of right-guidance.'
And Allaah made this saying, that none has the right to be worshipped except
Allaah, to persist amongst Ibraaheem's progeny, so that they might remember
and return to obedience to their Lord, and to worshipping Him alone, and
repent from their unbelief and their sins."* [Soorah az-Zukhruf (43):26-28]

 And His Saying:

 *"Say: O People of the Book, come to a word of justice between us, that we
will single Allaah out with all worship and will not worship anything
besides Him, and will disassociate ourselves from everything that is
worshipped besides Him. Nor will we take one another as Lords besides Allaah
by obeying one another in that which involves disobedience to Allaah. So if
they turn away, then say: 'Bear witness that we are Muslims, submitting to
Allaah and making our worship purely and sincerely for Him, and not
worshipped anything else besides Him.'"* [Soorah Aal-'Imraan (3):64]

 The proof for the testification that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allaah,
is the Saying of Allaah, the Most High,

 *"There has indeed come to you Allaah's Messenger, from amongst yourselves
and known to you. It grieves him that you should suffer. He is eager and
anxious for the guidance of those of you who are astray, and that they
should repent and return to the truth, and he is full of compassion and
mercy for the Believers."* [Soorah at-Tawbah (9):128]

 The meaning of the testification that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allaah
is: to obey him in whatever he commands; to believe and testify to the truth
of everything he informs of; to avoid whatever he forbade and prohibited;
and that you worship Allaah only with that which he prescribed.

The evidence for the Prayer (*as-salaat*) and the *zakaat*, and the
explanation of *tawheed* is the Saying of Allaah, the Most High,

 *"And they were not commanded except that they should worship Allaah alone,
making their worship and obedience purely for Him, upon the true Religion
and free from shirk; and that they should establish the prayer, and pay the
zakaat - and that is the straight and true religion."* [Soorah al-Bayyinah
(98):5]

 The evidence for Fasting (*siyaam* is the Saying of Allaah, the Most High,

 *"O you who believe Fasting is prescribed as an obligation for you as it
was prescribed as an obligation to those who came before you, so that you
may attain taqwaa (obedience to Allaah and avoidance of whatever He has
forbidden)."* [Soorah al-Baqarah (2):183[

 The evidence for *hajj* is the Saying of Allaah, the Most High,

 *"And hajj to Allaah's sacred Hous is an obligation upon those who are able
to perform it; and whoever refuses and rejects the obligation of hajj to
Allaah's House, then Allaah has no need of him or of any of the
creation."*[Soorah Aal-'Imraan (3):97]


The Second Level

*Eemaan* - and it has seventy and odd branches, the highest of them is the
saying that 'none has the right to be worshipped except Allaah' (*laa ilaaha
illallaah*), the lowest of them is removal of that which is harmful from the
path, and a sense of shame (*al-hayaa*) is a branch of *eemaan*. Its pillars
are six: to truly believe in Allaah; His Angels; His Books; His Messengers;
the Last Day; and that you truly believe in pre-decree (*al-qadar*) its good
and evil. The proof for these six pillars is 

Bismillah [IslamCity] To seek Refuge in other than Allah is a part of Shirk Part 13

[yunus ali]

Surah 72. Al-jinn verse 6 And verily, there were men among mankind who took
shelter with the male jinns, but they (jinns) increased them (mankind) in
sin and disbelief.

Muslim reports that Khawlah bint Hakim ((May Allah be pleased with
him)*) *said,
I heard Allah's (May the peace and blessing of Allah be upon him) say:
"Whoever goes into a dwelling and says (while entering it): 'I seek refuge
in Allah's perfect words from the evil (of those creatures) which He
created', no harm shall befall him until he departs from that place."
(Muslim)


--
Surah 2. Al-Baqara verse 28: 28. How can you disbelieve in Allâh? Seeing
that you were dead and He gave you life. Then He will give you death, then
again will bring you to life (on the Day of Resurrection) and then unto Him
you will return.

Bismillah [IslamCity] To vow to other than Allah is an act of Shirk Part 12

[yunus ali]

Surah *76. Al-Insan verse 7 They (are those who) fulfill (their) vows, and
they fear a Day whose evil will be widespreading.*

Surah *2. Al-Baqara verse 270 And whatever you spend for spendings
(e.g. in Sadaqah
charity etc. for Allah's cause) or whatever vow you make, be sure Allah
knows it all.*


Narrated 'Aishah (May Allah be pleased with him) that Allah's Messenger (May
the peace and blessing of Allah be upon him) said: "Whoever vows that he
will be obedient to Allah, he should be obedient to Him; and whoever made a
vow that he will disobey Allah, he should not disobey Him". (Al-Bukhari)

Bismillah [IslamCity] The superiority of Tawheed and what it removes of sins Part 2

[yunus ali]

*

Surah 6. Al-Anaam verse 82 "It is those who believe (in the Oneness of Allah
and worship none but Him Alone) and confuse not their belief with Zulm (wrong
i.e. by worshipping other besides Allah), for them (only) there is security
and they are guided ones."
  Narrated Ubadah bin As-Samit (May Allah be pleased with him), that Allah's
Messenger (May the peace and blessing of Allah be upon him) said: "Whoever
testifies that there is nothing worthy of worship in truth (no God) except
Allah Alone, Who is without (peer or) partner, and that Muhammad is His
slave and Messenger, and that 'Iesa (Jesus) is the slave of Allah, His
Messenger, and His Word which He bestowed in Maryam (Mary) and a spirit
(created) from Him, and that Paradise & Hell-fire are realities, Allah will
admit him into Paradise, whatever his deeds might be." (Sahih Al-Bukhari,
Hadith No. 3252)


'Itban (May Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the Prophet (May the
peace and blessing of Allah be upon him) said: "Indeed Allah has forbidden
for Hell the person who testifies: 'There is nothing worthy of worship in
truth (no true God) but Allah', seeking thereby nothing but Allah's Face
(pleasure)." (Al-Bukhari, Muslim).

Abu Sa'id Al-Khudri (May Allah be pleased with him) narrated that Allah's
Messenger (May the peace and blessing of Allah be upon him) said: "Musa
(Moses) (May the peace and blessing of Allah be upon him) said: 'O my
Rabb, teach
me something through which I can remember You and supplicate to You.' Allah
answered: 'Say, O Musa, La ilaha ilIa-Allah'. Musa said: 'O my Rabb, all
your slaves say these words'. Allah said: 'O Musa, if the seven heavens and
all they contain other than Me (Ghairy) and the seven earths as well, were
all put in one side of a scale and La ilaha ilIa-Allah put in the other the
latter would overweigh them.'" [This Hadith has been reported by Ibn Hibban,
and Al-Hakim declared it Sahih].
   Anas (May Allah be pleased with him): He heard Allah's Messenger (May the
peace and blessing of Allah be upon him) saying: "Allah the Most Exalted
said: 'O son of Adam, were you to come to Me with the world full of sins,
and meet Me without making anything partner to Me (Shirk), I would come to
you with a similar amount of forgiveness.' " reported by At-Tirmidhi
*

-- 
Ibn Abee Shaybah narrated in Al Musanaf: 13/496, with his isnaad up until
Abu Qelaabah, 'Abdullah Ibn Zayd that he said:

"The 'ulemah are like the stars that people are guided by, and the signposts
that people follow. If they disappear the people will become confused, and
if they leave them they will be lead astray."