Lessons in aqeedah for new Muslims

[فداء الرسول]

The new Muslim needs to study the Islamic aqeedah, the study must be simple and easy.
Through the gradient to explain the basics and rules
Therefore. I collected ideas and lessons in aqeedah
Levels to suit the stage for a New Muslim

[فداء الرسول]

Index الفهرسة
First level
*معنى العقيدة
The meaning aqeedah
*أهمية العقيدة
The importance ofadeedah
*الأسئلة الكبرى الملحة في نفس الانسان
Frequently Asked Questionsfor all people
1- ما الذي اوجدني بعد ان لم اكن شيء مذكورا؟
Who created meout of nowhere?
Statements by physicists which support the existence of Allah and acknowledge His
attributes
A question which puzzles many people
2- ماهي الغاية التى وجدت من أجلها؟
What is the purposeof my existencein this world
3-ماهي النتائج التى تترتب على اعمالي؟
What are theresults related tomy jobinlife
Summary1



The second level
اركان الستة للايمان
The Six Pillars of Faith

1. Allah
2. His Angels
3. His revealed Books
4. His Messengers
5. The Day of Resurrection
6. Al-Qadr; Whatever Allah has ordained must come to pass (In other words, fate and destiny).
Summary2

Level III
أين الله
where is Allah
من اين ياتي الشر
Where does evil come from

هل الانسان مسير او مخير
Are you human trajectory or has the choice
Types of Shirk
انواع الشرك
Shirk
Magic
Astrology
Grave Worship
Sacrificing
Making Haram Things Halal
Showing Off
Omens
Swearing by Other Than Allah
Those who practice black magic
Types of kufr

[فداء الرسول]

The meaning aqeedah

Aqeedah عقيدة refers to those matters which are believed in, with certainty and conviction, in one’s heart and soul. They are not tainted with any doubt or uncertainty.

The Arabic word ‘aqeedah stems from the root ‘aqada, which conveys meanings of certainty, affirmation, confirmation, etc. In the Qur’aan, Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

"Allaah will not punish you for what is unintentional in your oaths, but He will punish you for your deliberate oaths (bimaa ‘aqqadtum al-aymaan)…"

The verb paraphrased here as "deliberate oaths" is ‘aqqada/ta’qeed, which refers to when one has determination in the heart. It may be said in Arabic, ‘aqada’l-habl (the rope was tied), i.e., it was pulled tight together. The word i’tiqaad (belief) is also derived from this root, and has the meaning of tying up and making strong. The phrase a’taqadtu kadhaa (I believe such and such) means: I am convinced of it in my heart; this is a rational conviction.

In Islam, ‘aqeedah is the matter of knowledge. The Muslim must believe in his heart and have faith and conviction, with no doubts or misgivings, because Allaah has told him about ‘aqeedah in His Book and via His Revelations to His Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him).

The principles of ‘aqeedah are those which Allaah has commanded us to believe in, as mentioned in the aayah (interpretation of the meaning):
"The Messenger believes in what has been sent down to him from his Lord, and (so do) the believers. Each one believes in Allaah, His Angels, His Books and His Messengers. They say, ‘We make no distinction between one and another of His Messengers’ – and they say, ‘We hear, and we obey. (We seek) Your forgiveness, our Lord, and to You is the return (of all).’"

- and as defined by the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) in the famous hadeeth which describes how Jibreel came to him and asked him about Islam etc.: "Eemaan (faith) is to believe in Allaah, His angels, His Books, the meeting with Him on the Last Day, His Messengers, and the Day of Resurrection."

So in Islam, ‘aqeedah refers to the matters which are known from the Qur’aan and sound ahaadeeth, and which the Muslim must believe in his heart, in acknowledgement of the truth of Allaah and His Messenger.



(Source: Sharh Lam’ah al-I’tiqaad by Ibn al-Uthaymeen, and al-‘Aqeedah fi-Allaah, by ‘Umar al-Ashqar).

[فداء الرسول]

Oneness of Allah

The entire universe, in the way it is created and the way it is controlled, bears witness to the oneness of Allaah:
“Surely, His is the creation and commandment. Blessed is Allaah, the Lord of the ‘Aalameen (mankind, jinn and all that exists)!
The creation of the heavens and the earth, the alternation of night and day, the different kinds of inanimate objects, plants and fruits, the creation of humans and animals… all of that indicates that the Almighty Creator is One with no partner or associate:
“That is Allaah, your Lord, the Creator of all things, Laa ilaaha illa Huwa (none has the right to be worshipped but He). How then are you turning away (from Allaah, by worshipping others instead of Him)?
The variety and greatness of these created things, the perfect way in which they are formed, the way in which they are maintained and controlled, all indicate that the Creator is One and that He does as He wills and rules and decides as He wants:
“Allaah is the Creator of all things, and He is the Wakeel (Trustee, Disposer of affairs, Guardian) over all things”
All of the above indicate that this universe has a Creator, that this dominion has a Sovereign, that behind these forms is One Who gives them shape:
“He is Allaah, the Creator, the Inventor of all things, the Bestower of forms. To Him belong the Best Names”
The soundness of the heavens and the earth, the order of the universe, the harmony among created things, all indicate that the Creator is One, with no partner or associate:
“Had there been therein (in the heavens and the earth) aalihah (gods) besides Allaah, then verily, both would have been ruined. Glorified be Allaah, the Lord of the Throne, (High is He) above all that (evil) they associate with Him!”
These great created things either created themselves – which is impossible – or man created himself then created them – which is also impossible:
“Were they created by nothing? Or were they themselves the creators? Or did they create the heavens and the earth? Nay, but they have no firm Belief”
Reason, Revelation and the original state of man (fitrah) all indicate that this universe has One Who brought into being, that these created things have a Creator Who is Ever-Living and Eternal, All-Knowing and All-Aware, Powerful and Almighty, Kind and Most Merciful. He has the Most Beautiful Names and Sublime Attributes and He knows all things. Nothing is beyond His control, and there is nothing like unto Him:
“And your Ilaah (God) is One Ilaah (God — Allaah), Laa ilaaha illa Huwa (there is none who has the right to be worshipped but He), the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful

The existence of Allaah is something that is there is no excuse for not knowing. It is the matter of common sense:“Their Messengers said: What! Can there be a doubt about Allaah, the Creator of the heavens and the earth?”

Allaah has created people with the natural instinct (fitrah) to affirm His Lordship and Oneness, but the shayaateen (devils) came to the sons of Adam and caused them to deviate from their religion. According to a hadeeth qudsi, “I created all My slaves as haneefs (monotheists), but the shayaateen (devils) came to them and made them deviate from their religion, and they forbade them that which I had permitted to them.” (Narrated by Muslim, no. 2865)
Among them are those who deny the existence of Allaah, and those who worship the Shaytaan, and those who worship man. And there are those who worship the dinar , or fire, or genital organs, or animals. And there are some who associate in worship with Him a stone from the earth or a star in the sky.
These things which are worshipped instead of Allaah, cannot create or provide; they cannot hear or see, or bring benefits or cause harm. So how can they worship them instead of Allaah?
“Are many different lords (gods) better or Allaah, the One, the Irresistible?”

Allaah has condemned those who worship these idols which cannot hear, see or think: “Verily, those whom you call upon besides Allaah are slaves like you. So call upon them and let them answer you if you are truthful. Have they feet wherewith they walk? Or have they hands wherewith they hold? Or have they eyes wherewith they see? Or have they ears wherewith they hear?”

“Say (O Muhammad to mankind): ‘How do you worship besides Allaah something which has no power either to harm or benefit you? But it is Allaah Who is the AllHearer, AllKnower”
How ignorant man is of his Lord Who created him and provides for him. How he rejects Him and forgets Him, and worships others instead of Him:
“Verily, it is not the eyes that grow blind, but it is the hearts which are in the breasts that grow blind”
Glorified be Allaah far above that which they associate with Him. Praise be to Allaah the Lord of the Worlds:
“Say (O Muhammad): Praise and thanks be to Allaah, and peace be on His slaves whom He has chosen (for His Message)! Is Allaah better, or (all) that you ascribe as partners (to Him)?” (Of course, Allaah is Better).
Is not He (better than your gods) Who created the heavens and the earth, and sends down for you water (rain) from the sky, whereby We cause to grow wonderful gardens full of beauty and delight? It is not in your ability to cause the growth of their trees. Is there any ilaah (god) with Allaah? Nay, but they are a people who ascribe equals (to Him)!
Is not He (better than your gods) Who has made the earth as a fixed abode, and has placed rivers in its midst, and has placed firm mountains therein, and has set a barrier between the two seas (of salt and sweet water)? Is there any ilaah (god) with Allaah? Nay, but most of them know not!
Is not He (better than your gods) Who responds to the distressed one, when he calls on Him, and Who removes the evil, and makes you inheritors of the earth, generations after generations? Is there any ilaah (god) with Allaah? Little is that you remember!
Is not He (better than your gods) Who guides you in the darkness of the land and the sea, and Who sends the winds as heralds of glad tidings, going before His Mercy (rain)? Is there any ilaah (god) with Allaah? High Exalted be Allaah above all that they associate as partners (to Him)!
Is not He (better than your socalled gods) Who originates creation, and shall thereafter repeat it, and Who provides for you from heaven and earth? Is there any ilaah (god) with Allaah? Say: ‘Bring forth your proofs, if you are truthful’”

From Usool al-Deen al-Islami by Shaykh Muhammad ibn Ibraaheem al-Tuwayjri

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Effects of Tawheed' (Monotheism) On Human

When an individual pronounces the testimony: "Ash-hadu allaa ilaaha illallaah wa ash-hadu anna Muhammadar- Rasullullaah" (I testify that there is no god worthy of worship except Allaah and I testify that Muhammad is His Messenger), believing in it and acting upon it, he experiences a noticeable change in his life.

By understanding who his Lord is as well as the purpose of his creation, he will be able to achieve success in this life and the next. This success emanates from the following points:

1- A believer in this testimony can never be narrow in outlook. He believes in Allaah, Who is the Creator of the heavens and the earth, the Master of the universe and its Sustainer. After this belief, he does not regard anything in the world as a stranger to himself. He looks on everything in the universe as belonging to the same Lord he himself belongs to. Allaah Almighty Says (what means): "Say (O Muhammad): 'To whom belongs all that is in the heavens and on earth?' Say: 'To Allaah.'"

His sympathy, love and service are not confined to any particular sphere or group. His vision is broadened, his intellectual horizon widens, and his outlook becomes as liberal and as boundless as is the Kingdom of Allaah. How can this width of vision and breadth of mind be achieved by an atheist, a polytheist or one who believes in a deity supposed to possess limited and defective powers like a man?

2- This belief produces in man the highest degree of self-respect and self esteem. The believer knows that Allaah Alone is the Possessor of all power, and that none besides Him can benefit or harm a person, or provide for his needs, or give and take away life or wield authority or influence. This conviction makes him indifferent to, independent on, and fearless of all powers other than those of Allaah. He never bows his head in homage to any of Allaah's creatures, nor does he stretch out his hand before anyone else. He is not overawed by anybody's greatness. This attitude of mind cannot be produced by any other belief.

3- Along with self-respect, this belief also generates in man a sense of modesty and humbleness. It makes him unostentatious and unpretending. A believer never becomes proud, haughty or arrogant. The boisterous pride of power, wealth and worth can have no room in his heart, because he knows that whatever he possesses has been given to him by Allaah, and that Allaah can take away just as He can give. In contrast to this, an unbeliever, when he achieves some worldly merit, becomes proud and conceited because he believes that his merit is due to his own worth. In the same way, pride and self-conceit are a necessary outcomes and concomitants of 'Shirk' (association of others with Allaah in worship), because a polytheist believes that he has a particular relation with deities, which does not exist between them and other people.

4- This belief makes man virtuous and upright. He has the conviction that there is no other means of success and salvation for him except purity of soul and righteousness of behavior. He has perfect faith in Allaah Who is Above all needs, is related to none and is absolutely Just. This belief creates in him the consciousness that unless he lives rightly and acts justly, he cannot succeed. No influence or underhand activity can save him from ruin.

As to those who do not believe that there is any Being having power over them, to whom they should be responsible for their good or bad actions; therefore, they consider themselves independent to act in whatever way they like. Their own fancies become their gods and they live like slaves of their wishes and desires. Allaah states in the Quran (what means): "Have you seen he who has taken as his god his desire, and Allaah, knowing (him as such), left him astray, and has set a seal upon his hearing and his heart, and put over his vision a veil? So who will guide him after Allaah? Will you not then remember?"

5- The believer never becomes despondent. He has a firm faith in Allaah Who is The Master of all the treasures of the earth and the heavens, Whose grace and bounty have no limit and Whose power is infinite. This faith imparts to his heart extraordinary consolation, fills it with satisfaction and keeps it filled with hope. Although he may be met with rejection from all sides in this world, faith in and dependence on Allaah never leave him, and on that strength he goes on struggling. Such profound confidence can result from no other belief than belief in Allaah Alone.

Atheists have small hearts; in the sense that they depend on limited abilities; therefore, in times of trouble they are soon overwhelmed by despair and, frequently, they commit suicide.

The testimony of Prof. Joad is also very explicit on this point. He writes about the West: "For the first time in history there is coming to maturity a generation of men and women who have no religion, and feel no need for one. They are content to ignore it. Also they are very unhappy, and the suicide rate is abnormally high."

As to the world of Islam, let the views of a non-Muslim historian, not in any way being sympathetic to Islam, be read with profit:

"In this uncompromising monotheism, with its simple and enthusiastic faith in the supreme rule of a transcendent being, lies the chief strength of Islam. Its adherents enjoy a consciousness of contentment and resignation unknown among followers of most creeds." (Phillip K. Hitti, History of the Arabs, 1951, p.129)

6- This testimony of faith inspires bravery in man. There are two things which make a man cowardly:

(a) fear of death and love of safety,
and (b) the idea that there is someone else besides Allaah who can take away life, and that man- by adopting certain devices- can ward off death. Belief in 'Laa ilaaha illallaah'' blocks and drives away both these ideas.
The first idea goes out of his mind because he knows that his life and his property and everything else really belong to Allaah, and he becomes ready to sacrifice his all for the pleasure of Allaah. He gets rid of the second idea because he knows that no weapon, no man or animal has the power of taking away his life; Allaah alone has the power to do so. A time has been ordained for him, and all the forces of the world combined cannot take away anyone's life before that time.

It is for this reason that no one is braver than the one who has faith in Allaah. Nothing can daunt him: not even the strongest tempest of adversity and the mightiest of armies.

7- The belief in 'Laa ilaaha illallaah' creates an attitude of peace and contentment, purges the mind of jealousy, envy and greed, and keeps away the temptations of resorting to base and unfair means for achieving success.The believer understands that wealth is in Allaah's hands, and He apportions it out as He Wills; that honor, power, reputation and authority - everything - is also subjected to His Will, and He bestows them as He Wills; and that man's duty is only to endeavor and to struggle fairly

[فداء الرسول]

Who created me out of nowhere?

Virtually every human being has pondered this question. Some answered by saying that the formation of the universe was merely a coincidence. Others felt there must be an unseen Creator. In what will follow, we will try to assist you in answering this question. Our approach will depend primarily on the text of the Qur'an (the Word of Allah (i.e. God), inspired to Prophet Muhammad (saws)). We request only that you open your mind and read.
Allah asks in the Qur'an:
35. Were they created out of nothing? Or were they themselves the creators?
36. Or did they create the heavens and the earth? Nay, but they are sure of nothing!
(Qur'an 52:35-36)
Most deny or ignore the existence of The Creator because they cannot see Him. However, there are many things which we do not see, but yet we believe in their existence. Further, most of us believe in creatures which exist yet undiscovered and undocumented.
Many reject the existence of The Creator, believing only in science and data gathered and confirmed by its canonical methods. But, on any given day, the same person might find himself in love, deep remorse or sadness. And while contriving the most complex and personal thoughts, he does not, at the time, suppose that his feelings are a random product of firing neurons. How can he then believe that the only distinction between a corpse and a living person is the absence of organ functionality. That we need only revive his physical body to restore him to normality.
The Scientific Proof

Let us imagine ourselves standing in a laboratory stocked with beakers and test tubes containing all sorts of chemical compounds. Then suppose an earthquake has just occurred upsetting the shelved vessels, sending their contents spilling onto the laboratory floor. It would be a very strange coincidence indeed to find new life forms generating themselves where none had existed before.

You might say, 'Your analogy didn't account for time - these organisms need time to evolve.' We ask, 'How much time should we have allowed? Was there enough time since the beginning of the universe to allow for their self-induced formation?'

Let's hear from Swiss mathematician Charles Eugene Jai. In an experiment aimed at answering this very question, Jai set out to calculate the probability of the random formation of a single protein molecule. Jai 'helped' the situation by assuming the existence of formative elements, and by selecting a protein consisting of only 2,000 atoms (An average protein might consist of 32,000 atoms or more). Jai also assumed that the protein would consist of only 2 unique formative atoms.

He determined the value of probability by considering the size of the material and the time necessary for the random formation to occur. He calculated that the probability of forming even a simplified protein molecule was approximately 1 in 5 x 10 e+320 !

The size of the material necessary to produce that almost zero probability would have been a sphere with a diameter of approximately 6 x 10 e+176 miles - about 10 e+63 times bigger than the imagined size of the universe. Finally, the time necessary for the molecule to form was 10 e+243 billion years. This was far greater than the supposed age of the universe - only about 2 billion years.
He concluded that the universe was neither old enough, nor big enough to allow for the random formation of even a simple protein molecule. It was impossible for the universe to have created itself, and for life to randomly form. We must then consider another course. There is a Creator who created the universe.





He is Allah

[فداء الرسول]

A question which puzzles many people

It was narrated in a hadith by Abu Hurairah, may Allah be pleased with him, that the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be with him, said:

Some people will keep asking questions until they ask: ‘Allah created the creation but who created Allah?’ Whoever is asked this question, let him (simply) say ‘I believe in Allah’. (Narrated by Muslim)

Imam Mazrewy commented on this hadith and said that the Prophet seems to be enjoining Muslims to refrain from trying to respond to such questions about Allah. However, Imam Mazrewy explained, such questions are of two types: those which are not troubling the mind and did not arise because of some misconception. Those can simply be ignored. It seems that the above mentioned hadith is referring to this type of questions which are referred to as waswasah (whisperings of Satan). Since they are not persistently occurring to the mind, they can be set aside without consideration of evidence, because there is no benefit in dwelling on them. As to the persistent questions which arise as a result of some misconception, they can be tackled only with arguments and evidence. Allah knows best!

This question is wrong in the first place because we have been commanded by the Prophet, may the peace and blessing of Allah be with Him, not to ponder over the essence of Allah (SWT), because our weak minds are incapable of conceiving the true nature even of themselves. So how can they possibly understand the true nature of Allah (SWT). However, this question comes to the minds of some people and I would like to explain the answer to them through an example which, God willing, will satisfy their questions.

I would say the following:
If you place a book on your desk and then go out of the room and come back a short while later and find that the book which you had left on the desk had been removed and placed in the drawer, you would in this situation, be firmly convinced that someone must have put it in the drawer, this is because you know very well that among the attributes of this book is that it cannot move by itself. Remember this point and let us now move to the next point.

If there is someone sitting on a chair in your office, and you go out and come back and find him sitting on the carpet, for example, you would not ask about the reason for his movement, and you would not believe that someone moved him from his earlier position, because you know that among the attributes of this person is that he can move by himself and that he does not need anyone to move him. Now bear this second point in mind and listen to what I am going to say next.

Human beings came into existence at a certain point in time, and we know that they do not come into existence by themselves, but they must have a Creator. From that we conclude that their Creator is Allah (SWT). Now since perfect divinity presupposes that the deity does not need any other but is necessarily self-sufficient, we conclude that Allah (SWT) exists by Himself and does not need anyone to create Him.

If you place the first two points next to what I have just said, the answer will become clear to you. This is as far as the human mind can go. I ask Allah to protect us from error for He is indeed Kind and Merciful.

Now I would like to quote to you some statements of some European scholars which support the existence of Allah (SWT) and acknowledge His perfect attributes, and Allah alone I trust to help me succeed in my endeavor.

[فداء الرسول]

Why were we Created?

All praise is due to Allah. May His prayers and blessings be upon his Last Messenger and on all those who follow the path of righteousness until the Last Day.

Not just Muslims, but every single human being has to answer the most fundamental question at some point in his or her lifetime:

"Why was I created? Why am I here? What am I doing in this world? Why did God create me?"

These questions are questions which each and everyone of us reflects on at some point during their life. We have some answers, which are given generally but usually these answers don't satisfy us - seeming somewhat simplistic. So, we still wonder: "Why me? Why here?" I know all of you (Muslims), are saying, "To worship Allah, khallas (finish). What more is there to say? Why do we need to have a big long talk on why we were created when we all know it is to worship Allah?!"

But wait. If this is presented to a non-Muslim, the next logical question would be, "Why does Allah want us to worship Him?" Then your stuck, which can only mean that in our own minds it is not really clear. Why did Allah create us to worship Him?

Addressing the question, "Why did Allah create us?", we have to understand how to deal with those people we live with (in the West). Those who don't consider there to be any purpose in man's creation, firmly believing that they are just a product of evolution and that the forces of nature. Just as we don't have apes, dogs or cows thinking about why they are here, then we also don't have to think about it either. Following from this belief being the basis of the philosophy of Western society (that man is without purpose), the whole issue of government, morality, etc. has no basis for them in Revelation. The product of this attitude is, of course, the corruption that we are living in.

When a Muslim addresses this topic, we have to find our understanding from Divine Revelation and not human speculation. Because human speculation has no bounds; we can imagine all kinds of things and if any of you has studied philosophy of religion, you will know how many opinions there are about the creation of man and existence. Because of the variety of philosophies which are out there, no one can say this one is correct or that one is incorrect, because there is no guidance behind it. No Divine Revelation. It is only from Divine Revelation that we can determine the reality of our creation, because it is Allah who has created us and so He knows the purpose of our creation. We can hardly understand it ourselves, much less trying to understand the essence of things. So it is for Allah to inform us through the revelation in the Qur'an and the sunnah (the Prophetic traditions) which were brought to us by His Last Messenger and the Messengers before him.

Now if we are to look initially into revelation, to determine why was man created, there is a deeper question that we should be asking before that: "Why did God create?" This before we even get to man because man is not the greatest act of creation. Allah says:

"The creation of the Heavens and the Earth is indeed greater then the creation of mankind; yet, most of mankind know not."
[Al-Qur'an 40:57]
Man is not the greatest act of creation, this universe is far more complex and far more magnificent than man. So the issue of creation should then go to, "Why did God create?", as opposed to simply, "Why create man?"

Fundamentally, we can say that the creation is the natural consequence of the attribute of creator. Allah is the creator. That is one of his attributes. That is what he has informed us. That being his attribute, the creator, the natural consequence or the product of this attribute is his creation.

A painter, if we are to draw a similitude on a lower level, who tells you that he is a painter, if you ask him where are his paintings and he replies I don't have any. What kind of painter is this? The concept of a painter who doesn't paint, there is some thing not quite gelling together here, of course Allah is beyond this. But if we are to understand on the simplest level, the two go together. The perfection of a painter lies in his paintings. His quality and his ability to paint, is manifest in his paintings. And Allah, beyond all that, as creator, this quality of creation is manifest in the creation itself. Allah didn't create out of a need. No, the fact that he is the creator, is manifest in the creation.

Furthermore, consider the act of creation, this act, with regards to Allah is unique. Though we use the term i.e. So and so created a table etc, actually it is in a limited sense. Human beings don't really create, they manipulate, because they can only "create" what already exists. When we make a chair or a table, we didn't create the wood, we had to take it from a tree, we didn't create the metal, which makes the screws etc, we had to melt down rocks and take the metal out. So we are not creating from nothing. We are manipulating things which Allah has already created in to different shapes and forms which are useful to us. We call it "creation" but the real act of creation, is creation from nothing, and this is unique to Allah alone.

This is a concept, which many people in ignorance, because they couldn't grasp the idea of creation from nothingness, it lead them to conclude that the world is Allah. Those who say "inside of each and every atom is Allah." And you have people, who call themselves Muslims saying this. Non-Muslims have said this before and there are Muslims who claim this. That Allah is inside each and everything, because Allah is the reality and everything else is fake in their interpretation. That means then, that the creation is Allah, and Allah is the creation. Very, very dangerous concept, which leads some of those who make this claim to say that you don't have to worship outside of yourself. Ibn Arabi, was famous for this statement, he is considered to be one of the saints, amongst the so called Sufi religion. Ibn Arabi said, "There is no need to worship one outside yourself, you are Allah. It is sufficient to worship yourself." This is shirk.

This concept of Allah being within his creation, no distinction the creation and Allah, it leads them to this shirk. Because they are unable to accept the uniqueness of Allah's creation, they compare the act of creation by Allah to human creation. That is, just as we manipulate, Allah took pieces of himself and made the earth and the universe. Others will say that all human beings have inside of themselves Allah, that there is a part of Allah inside each and everyone of us. The whole essence, the purpose of life is for us to realize that we have part of Allah inside of ourselves, remove the material blocks which keep us from Allah and again become one with Allah in what they call "fana". This is again a teaching of the Sufi religion.

Becoming one with Allah, returning back to Allah in this sense. But this is in fact part of the teachings of shirk. Shaytan (Satan) has deluded man into this imagination. It is part of the belief of the Hindus. Nirvana, the concept that when you die, you are reborn again, and you move up in stages, each time, if you are a good boy or good girl, you go up higher and higher, until you get to the top. You know you have reached the peak, because when you die the next time you become one with the universal soul, Nirvana. That is the end of rebirth. So your whole purpose is to return and become one with God again. This is all, as I said, a product of the inability to understand the concept of creation from nothingness, which is unique to Allah. Allah says:

"There is nothing like him, and he is the hearer and seer of all."
So when we try to interpret Allah's creation like the way we create, then we have made Him like his creation and it leads us ultimately to those aspects of shirk which I have mentioned. This is quite common amongst the Muslim world today, because when you look into the various branches of the Sufi religion, where they have prescribed various acts of purification, they call it dhikr, exercises to torture the body through spinning and dancing. What is the purpose of this? They will tell you, to liberate the soul from this earthly body and to achieve that state of "fana" or "i'tihad", a variety of names they have for it.

It is this concept, which lead al-Hallaj, many centuries ago, when he was promoting this idea, and he was put before a panel of judges questioning these concepts, which he was expressing. When they asked him to recant, to take this stuff back, he stood up, opened up his cloak and said "There is nothing inside this cloak except Allah". So they executed him. And of course, those in the Sufi religion, they have stories that when they cut his head off, it rolled around saying "Allah, Allah, Allahu Akbar etc". It might have, that is Shaytan may have entered and said these things, as happened with the calf of the Isrealites, when the Prophet Musa (Moses) let Egypt and the people, after crossing the red sea, had a desire to have a god that they could see, so they made a golden calf which they began to worship. This calf was saying "moo" like the calves do. This is what convinced them that this was the real thing. We know it wasn't the calf saying this. The evil jinn can enter the in to physical entities, make sounds and give these impressions. So there is no problem for us to say ok, maybe when they cut of al-Hallaj's head that it said these things, because this was part of a test. If we are clear in terms of creator and creation, this is no problem for us.

Allah is the creator and everything besides Him is His creation, which He created from nothing. It is not Him, nor is He it. This is the pure concept as taught by the Prophet sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam, his companions, and the early generations of righteous scholars, the students of the companions and those who came after them. The best of generations. That is how they understood this matter. There was no confusion in their minds. It wasn't until Islam spread to areas like Egypt, India and Persia, areas where the Christians had already gotten into deep philosophies, trying to explain how Jesus was a man and god at the same time. When they came in to Islam they brought it with them. This is the reality. It is not something we should necessarily condemn them for or feel is unusual. It is natural, when a person reverts to Islam, that they will carry with them what they believed before. What has been clarified for them, of the basic principles, they accept, and they reject things, which obviously contradict. But it doesn't mean that every last thought that they have, and everything that was wrong in their philosophies, ideology and concepts will be erased. They will carry these things in with them. This is why in the later part of the Prophet's sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam life, prior to his death, when he was coming back from one of the battles, his companions asked him to set aside a tree for them, that they could hang their weapons on, like the way the pagans would hang their weapons on trees, believing that when they hung the weapons, it became super-powerful, as if some power was coming from the tree, that their shields would now block steel and their swords would cut through the enemy. Some of the companions who had newly accepted Islam, asked the Prophet sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam to designate one for them, a special one, an Islamic one. They understood that what the pagans had, this was wrong. These were the companions of the Prophet sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam and he had to clarify it for them. He said:

"You are like the companions of Musa who asked to have the calf built."
And he clarified for them that all of this is shirk and there is no place for it in Islam. So if it could happen to some of the companions, then we cannot blame the generations who have come after them, who come into Islam and carry with them some of their old ideas. What it is for us to do is to clarify.

So what we have in front of us then, is that Allah created this universe out of nothing, and everything that is in it was created. For example:

"Allah created all things, and he is the agent, upon which, all things depend."
[Al-Qur'an 39:62]
This is the reality. This is stressed for us, in order for us to realize that ultimately, all good, all evil, that takes place in the world, only takes place by the permission of Allah. Therefore we should not seek any other channels to protect ourselves from evil, or to gather for ourselves good, as people commonly do today. They will go to fortunetellers, this is big business today, all the magazines have various forms of fortunetellers like dial a horoscope etc. in a society that has lost touch with Allah, this is what is open to them. Allah has stressed for us that no calamity will befall us except by Allah's permission:

"Nothing is taking place in this world except by the permission of Allah."
And the Prophet sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam further emphasized this principle by saying:

"If the whole of mankind gathered to do some thing to help us, they could not help in anything which Allah had not already written for us. And if the whole of mankind gathered together to harm us, then they would not be able to harm with anything which Allah had not already written for us."

[فداء الرسول]

Therefore what is required of us is to depend on Allah, put our trust in Allah. This is what we have to draw out of this attribute of Allah being the creator. This creation exists because of that attribute. Its practical significance to us lies in putting our trust in Allah.

There is another aspect, besides the fact that the creation exists because Allah is the creator. We can also see from what the Prophet sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam has informed us, that in the creation there is manifestation of Allah's attributes of mercy, forgiveness, kindness etc etc. Allah created man in paradise, they disobeyed Allah, but Allah had taught them how to repent, how to turn back to him and seek his forgiveness, then he would forgive them. Having done that, they were forgiven, Adam became the first prophet, and mankind was absolved of that sin. The story of Adam and Eve is the story of human existence. Human beings are given a consciousness of Allah. When Allah created all human beings, as he states in the Qur'an, he took from Adam all of his descendents, and made them all bear witness that Allah is their Lord. So we are all born with that consciousness. He has also given us a consciousness of what is right and what is wrong.

"We have inspired each and every soul to an awareness of corruption and righteousness."
Allah gave revelation through his commandments, not to eat of the tree. However, human beings forget. And when they forget Allah then they fall into sin. We can absolve ourselves of that sin by means of repentance, and Allah forgives us when we repent sincerely. The Prophet sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam said:

"The one who repents is like the one without sin."

"If you did not commit sins and turn to Allah seeking his forgiveness, then he would replace you with another people who would sin, ask Allah's forgiveness and he would forgive them."

So in our sinning and asking Allah's forgiveness, the attribute of Allah's mercy and forgiveness becomes manifest. Allah knew what we were going to do before he created us, he knew that he was creating a species who would sin. If he didn't wan t them to sin, if it was not his intention to permit them to sin, then he could have created angels, more angels. But the had already created angels, so he chose to create a being, that would disobey his commandments through forgetfulness or just simple disobedience, but would turn back to him in repentance, and his attribute of forgiveness would become manifest. Similarly, his mercy.

The Prophet sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam is quoted as saying that when Allah created the universe, He made an obligation on Himself, recorded in a document, kept by Him, that "My mercy precedes my wrath." He sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam also was reported as saying:

"Allah created mercy with a hundred parts. One of which was sent down upon the jinn and human beings and other living creatures. It is out of this one part that they love each other, show kindness to one another, and even the animals treat their offspring with affection. Allah has reserved the remaining ninety-nine parts for his true worshippers on the Day of Judgment."
This is the mercy of Allah manifest in his creation. What is also manifest in creation, in the act of creation, the creation of man, is his attribute of justice, fairness, which comes out as the judgment at the end of this world. I am sure we have all read the ahadith in which the Prophet sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam said:

"Allah created some people for hell and some people for paradise."
For a lot of people, this is something very heavy. And the companions, they asked the Prophet sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam then what is the point in doing good deeds? If Allah created some for heaven and some for hell then what is the pin in doing anything? It has already been decided. The Prophet sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam said:

"Each one of you will find it easy to do what he was created for."
So if you choose the evil way, you find it easy and you carry on in that way, then that was what you were created for. But ultimately it is your choice. You choose hell. The fact hat Allah has recorded, before anything was created, who would be in hell and who would be in heaven does not change the fact that it is we who choose. The judgment is only to manifest to those who go to hell, that they deserve to be in hell. It is only for them basically. Because if Allah created you, and put you in paradise, with all that is in paradise, and you see those people in hell suffering, are you going to ask Allah, why did you put me in paradise? No, you're going to say "all praise be to Allah!", you don't want to question or to wonder, all you will be is ecstatic that you are of those in paradise. So the judgment is not for you, it is for those who are going to hell. If you happen to be amongst those who were created for and put in hell, you would say, why me? Why did you put me in hell? And Allah would say because you would have done so and so in your life. But you would say no, no I wouldn't. If you give me a chance I would do good deeds. You would not give up arguing.

So Allah has allowed us to live out our lives. So when we stand before him, our book of deeds is spread before us, we know without a shadow of a doubt, that we chose hell. That Allah's judgment is just. There is no injustice in it, in any way shape or form. Allah says he oppresses no one. We will know that we chose hell.

And the only thing that remains for us, and I pray that it is not in fact us, who are going to hell, is to beg Allah for another chance. Allah says:

"If you could only see when the sinners will bow their heads before their lord, saying; O Lord, we have now seen and heard, so send us back and we will do righteous deeds. Verily, we now believe with certainty."
This is the only response, which will be left for them. Or as Allah said:

"And those whose light scales of good deeds, they ruined themselves and they will be in hell eternally. The fire will burn their faces, and they will grin with disfigured lips, I will say to them; Were My Verses not recited to you, and you rejected them? They will reply; Our Lord, our misery overcame us and we were a people astray. Our Lord, bring us out of this, and if we ever return we will truly be unjust."
When we die, there remains behind us a barrier, the barzakh, none of us will come back, it is a one-way ticket. Those poor individuals who think they will get another chance, this is the new age religion, they think it is new, but it is just plain old Hindu delusion, that when you die, you get another chance to come back again. The effects of this actually, among Hindus, where I am in the UAE, there are a lot of Hindus here, everyday in the news paper you read about a Hindu man or woman who ties a rope to a ceiling fan, which is found in many of the homes, put it around their neck, kicked away the chair and passed out of this world. Suicide is common amongst them. Why? Because they think they have another chance. It will be a rude awakening for them when they meet the angel of death and find themselves in the next life, realizing that there is no coming back.

In the creation of man is manifest the grace of Allah. This is a particular point which all of us should reflect on and be thankful to Allah for. His grace, and Christians, they like to refer to us Muslims as those who don't believe in the grace of God, we are those who look at God's judgment and it is just about deeds, you do good then you go to heaven, you do bad and you go to hell, that is it, no grace there at all. For them the grace of God is there for all those who accept that he became a man, and was crucified by man, to provide salvation for human beings who's sins had become so great that they could not remove that sin through any act themselves. So it was with the spilling of the "Blood of God" that we could be absolved of our sins. For them, if you accept that God spilt his blood for mankind's salvation, then you have earned the grace of God. Does not matter what you do as long as you have accepted this belief in the grace of God.

Muslims also believe in the grace of God. Actually it plays a major and significant role. Often it is not stressed but it is important for us to realize how the grace of Allah is manifest in our creation. The Prophet sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam said: "Observe moderation, but if you fail, try to do as much as you can moderately and be happy. For none of you will enter Paradise only because of his deeds." Of course when the companions heard that they said, "O Messenger of Allah, not even you?" And the Prophet sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam said: "Not even me. Were it not that Allah wrapped me in his mercy. And bear in mind that the deed most loved by Allah is one done constantly even if it is small."

What does this mean? It means that God's grace is manifest in our lives in that were He to call us to account, one good deed, one evil deed, equal to each other, then we would not enter paradise, not even the prophets of Allah. But Allah through his grace and mercy has multiplied the value of the good deeds. Allah says:

"Whoever brings a good deed, shall the value of ten like it. And whoever brings an evil deed will be punished with one like it. And they will not be wronged."
[Al-Qur'an 3:160]
This is Allah's grace. Good deeds erase evil deeds. One good deed will erase at least ten evil deeds. Allah's grace is not arbitrary, simply because you say I believe you have his grace, no matter what you do, no. The more good you do, the more of his grace is manifest in you. If you chose evil and reject the good, then you don't receive His grace, it doesn't matter what you say. If you say, I am a Muslim, I believe, but really you don't believe, it is just some words you are saying, them you will not be subject to the grace of Allah.

So the creation is a manifestation of Allah's attribute of being the creator. In the creation of man within the scheme of things, there is manifest Allah's attribute of mercy, his attribute of justice and this is the reason for the creation of man from the point of view of Allah. From human perspective, why did God create man in terms of for what purpose? Then this is the one we all know and are familiar with:

"We did not create the jinn and men except to worship us."
[Al-Qur'an 51:56]
So relative to Allah, we were created in a means or a way in which Allah has chosen to manifest his attributes of creation, mercy, grace etc and he could have chosen another one. But relative to us as human beings, we know that our purpose is to worship Allah. As we said, Allah does not need our worship, a Allah didn't need to create. When he created us to worship him, he didn't create us, out of a need for our worship, because Allah has no needs. In a famous hadith qudsi in which Allah says:

"If all of you, jinn and mankind, were to worship like the most righteous amongst you, it would not increase the dominion of Allah in any way shape or form. And if all of us, jinn and mankind ... "
Therefore when we look for the purpose of worship, we have to look into man. Allah created us to worship him, because we need to worship him. It is something he has given us as a means of benefiting ourselves. We are the ones who benefit from it. Worship has been established, fundamentally for the growth, the spiritual growth of man. This growth takes place through the remembrance of Allah. When you look at all the different aspects of worship, you will see the core of it is focused on the remembrance of Allah.

"Establish the prayer for My remembrance."
This is the essence for the consciousness of God. Allah says that he has:

" ... prescribed for us fasting, as he prescribed it for those before us, so that we may fear him."
Worship is there for us to remember Allah. And it is in the remembrance of Allah, that we achieve that consciousness. Because it is when we forget Allah, that Shaytan causes us to disobey Allah and fall into sin. So it is only in His remembrance that we can attain salvation. All of the various acts of worship from saying "Bismillah" when we eat is to help us remember Allah in order to grow spiritually.

Allah has said that he has created us to test us, to see which of us is best in deeds. He is not testing us to know, in the sense that he doesn't already know, but this world is a test for us in order again that we can grow spiritually.

We cannot develop this spiritual characteristic of generosity unless some of us have more then others and then we are required to give of the wealth we have. When we give, we grow. Similarly, if we were not in a position where others had more then us then we wouldn't have the ability to develop the higher spiritual quality of contentment, patience, satisfaction in what Allah has given us.

So it is all there in order to bring out the higher spiritual qualities, which enable us to attain the state, which makes us suitable and eligible to return to paradise. The paradise from which we were created, we were created in paradise and for paradise. Through our choices we have left, in this life, a field of testing, where we can grow to a state where we deserve paradise.

The purpose of this life is the worship of Allah, this life is a test. A test for us, will we worship Allah, or will we forget Him. This is where our focus has to begin.

[فداء الرسول]

What are the results related to my job in life

As justice is the main concern of Islam it is necessary that people should get justice in this world and the world hereafter. It sounds natural and logical that everyone should reap what he has sown. One should receive the fruit of his deeds. If one has sown flowers he should pluck flowers. If one has sown thorns he should pick thorns. Virtues breed virtues and vices breed vices. The Day of Judgment in the Quran has been also named as the Day of Reckoning, the Day of Resurrection, the Dooms day or the Day of Accountability. The account of the deeds of everyone is being maintained. Islamic concept of two angels maintaining the record of ever word and movement is scientific. The video has solved this mystery. The alpha and beta rays have special role in photographic process. The Gamma rays play their own part. It is a great lesson. If through material rays we can preserve activities there should be no doubt about our record preserved by the special divine agencies. The Quran in Sura “The Friday Prayers” announces: “The death from which you flee will truly overtake you; then will you be sent back to the knower of the things secret and open; and He will tell you (the truth) of the things you did.”(62:8)

Everybody’s record is being maintained during his life period. It is very accurate record. The day of judgement is the day of justice. No body will be wronged. His limbs will be his witness. He will see his record and his video film will be shown to him. Everyone will be rewarded or punished according to his deeds. The Quran in Sura “The Israelite” says; “Everyman’s fate we have fastened on his own neck. On the Day of Judgment we shall bring out for him a scroll, which he will see spread open. Read thine record sufficient is thy soul this day to make out an account against thee”. (17:13-14).

As the literal meaning of Arabic word used for the Day of Judgment “Qayamah” is to raise up, hence the question arise as to why they should be raised up after demise. There are three reasons for “Qayamah”.

(a) It is the demand of natural and divine justice that everyone should get the result of his life examination. As in academies one is given result of his tests, similarly everyone must get the result whether he passes or fails. About the examination of Life in Sura “The Bee” the Quran says: “Whoever works righteousness, man or woman, and has Faith, verily to him we will give a new life, a life that is good and pure, and we will bestow on such their reward according to the best of their actions.” (16:97).

(b) Had there been no concept of the Day of Judgment there would have been no human morality. Might is right would have become the law of the day. Atheists are of two types. The ideological atheist and the practical atheist. The practical atheist is the one who claims to have a religious faith but in practical life he acts otherwise. It is my considered opinion that the man who believes in God and fears God can never be a sinner or a transgressor. Hence to maintain the supremacy of Right over Might we must believe in the concept of the Day of Judgment. The concepts of Hell and Heaven are very essential to keep balance in human conduct. The tyrants, the oppressors, the murderers and the aggressors must be punished. If they escape in this world because of their power, pelf and influence they must be punished on Doomsday. Abraham must be rewarded and Nimrod must be chastised. Moses must be rewarded and Pharaoh be punished. Hussain be rewarded and Yazid be punished. It is divine justice and God promises that. In the Quran in Sura “Abraham” about the virtuous and righteous people God says; “But those who believe and work righteousness be admitted to gardens beneath which rivers flow. To dwell therein for aye with the permission of their lord.”(14:23).

(c) All the prophets have promised this day. They were sooth – sayers. They were divinely appointed. They were not liars. They were the messengers and warners sent from God. We must believe in their words and vows. We have no reason to reject or refute them. They valiantly, patiently and boldly bore the inflictions and excesses. They were tortured. They were persecuted. They were executed. But they never bowed before tyrants and vicious forces. Their steadfastness and perseverance testifies the truth of their mission when such truthful people believed in the Doomsday, we have no reason to disbelieve in which they believed. Now let us briefly discuss the Quranic logic about the Day of Judgment. The Quran refutes the plea of the unbelievers who say that how it can happen. After death when we will be turned into dust, then how can we resurrect? The Quran in Sura “Yasin” announces; “Does not man realize that we created him from a seed of fluid? Yet he does not believe and forgets even his own creation. He says as to who could revive the decayed bones back to life from nonentity.” (36:79). After giving the argument of first birth the Quran gives the second argument. It says: “one of the clear divine signs is that you see the earth dead and motionless, but as soon as Allah pours rain on it, it comes to life and becomes fertile and green. Allah who revives the dead earth to life will also revive the dead man to life. Allah is able to do all things: (41:39). Then in Sura “Saad” the Quran gives third argument on the basis of Justice. It is related to the Islamic concept of Good and Bad. The Quran says: “We have not created the heavens and the earth and all that is between them in vain, though this is the belief of the infidels. Woe to the disbelievers; they will suffer the torment of the Hellfire. Do we consider the righteously striving believers equal to the evil doers in the earth? Are the pious ones equal to those who openly commit sins?” (38:27-28).

These are the Quranic arguments about the Day of Judgment which no same person can reject. In verse 20 of Sura The Iron, in verse 20 of Sura Winding Sand Tracts and in verse 200 of Sura The Heifer the necessity of the Day of Judgement is mentioned. In Sura Mominun in verse 100 about ‘Barzakh’ (purgatory) the Quran says: “After death people will be behind Barzakh until the day of their resurrection. (23:100). According to the Quran it will be a great blast and earthquake. On the Day of Judgment people will emerge from their graves and congregate. The unbelievers will be raised with black faces and the righteous one with bright faces. The virtuous will be given the book, result sheet in to their right hands and the evil doers will be given in to their left hands. It will be an eternal life. May Allah grant us guidance to do good deeds and abstain from evil deeds!