Lesson 2: Belief in Allah The Most High
The meaning of belief and Imaan
- Linguistic defintion – Confirming and accepting something as true.
- Shari’ah definition – To accept as true everything that Muhammad (SAW) came with.
- Six pillars of faith - Belief in Allah, the angels, the books, the messengers, the last day and destiny.
- The Messenger has believed in what was revealed to him from his Lord, and [so have] the believers. All of them have believed in Allah and His angels and His books and His messengers, [saying], "We make no distinction between any of His messengers." And they say, "We hear and we obey. [We seek] Your forgiveness, our Lord, and to You is the [final] destination."
This verse from Surah Baqarah has great virtue because it affirms our belief as well as the attitude of the believer; also our commitment and neediness to Allah (SWT)
- They key to paradise is “La Ilaha IllAllah’
Belief in Allah
- Attributes of Allah. There are a number of definitions of God. To look at what Allah has said about himself, we need to look at the attributes of Allah (SWT)
- There are three categories:
1) Personal – That Allah exists; the attribute of being.
2) Negational – Meanings that are unbecoming of the divine. These attributes negate meanings that are absurd (‘impossible’) for Allah. Allah is the creator of all things.
- Beginningless and Endlessness
- Oneness
- In Entity
- In Attributes
- In Actions
- Self Subsistence
- Absolute Dissimilarity
3) Affirmative – Meanings that Allah is necessarily categorized by.
- Life
- Knowledge
- Will
- Power
- Hearing
- Sight
- Speech
- In general, we affirm every perfection of Allah (SWT) but when we look at the Quran and Sunnah, we see a pattern of three attributes.
1) That Allah exists. (Fillahi Shaq –Is there any doubt?)
2) Certain meanings that are negated from the divine (Any beginning/end to Allah; any similarity to creation as well as any dependency on another or a partner) A negation of that is a characteristics that Allah is categorized by.
3) Affirmative. I.e. life, knowledge.
Let’s look at each in detail:
- Personal – Being. That Allah (SWT) is, must be and cannot can’t be.
- Everything that is in our frame of reference is bound by contingency, time, space and limited. Anything that we can imagine, He is absolutely distinct from it. Allah is absolutely distinct from anything that could come to one’s mind.
- Every attribute of Allah is absolute and beyond limit whereas everything that can be affirmed for Allah’s creation is contingent and limited.
- Negational - To maintain our understanding of Allah. There are certain things we have to rid our understanding of.
- ‘Not possible’.
- There are five meanings:
1) Beginningless – No starting point to the existence of Allah. Allah exists beyond time. Time is Allah’s creation. His creation is conditioned by time, He is not.
2) Endlessness – Allah exists beyond Time. (‘He is the first without beginning and he is the last without an end’)
3) Oneness – Negates any multiplicity of Allah. It is the central theme of the Qur’an. ‘Qul Huwallau Ahad – Say He is the One and Only’ Oneness is entailed. By Allah being the Creator and Sustainer.
- In entity – None is like Allah (SWT)
- In Attributes – None shares attributes of Allah (SWT)
- In Actions
4) Self Subsistence – Al Qayyum – He needs none to sustain him nor does He need any place to exists.
5) Absolute Dissimilarity – Uniqueness – ‘Nothing like unto him.’
There is no point of comparison between creator and the creation. ‘Laysa ka mislihi shay’.
- The above negational attributes are emphasized because these preserve for us the sound understanding of the divine.
- Affirmative – In general, Allah is characterized by all perfections and we affirm every meaning that Allah (SWT) has affirmed for himself in the Quran or by those affirmed by the Sunnah of the Prophet (SAW).
- How do we get a good understanding of His attributes? The Quran emphasizes certain attributes. Every attribute that Allah affirms returns back to these central meanings. Example: Mercy. Allah affirms that He has the attribute of mercy but what is mercy other than willing the good of another (will) or granting the good of another (power).
- Similarly every attribute return in meanings to the seven below.
1) Life (Hayyul Qayyum) – This is the condition for the other attributes to follow. Not everything that exists has the attribute of life. i.e. stone. It exists but we don’t say its alive. Lacks knowledge/will.
2) Knowledge – Allah has knowledge over everything. Allah’s knowledge relates to all things and extends that that which is possible, impossible – absolute – ‘He knows everything about everything.’ Allah’s knowledge is not acquired. i.e., it is complete and encompassing in eternity.
3) Will – Allah does whatever He wills. Nothing happens until He wills. Allah’s will specifies things as He chooses them to be. (He says Be and it is)
- Anything that could be, Allah can will it to be and Allah’s ill is unrestricted in that there is nothing that He has to do. We do not impose conditions upon God.
- Allah is the standard for what is good and bad. Good and bad relates to the creation and not the creator. Allah is not limited by anything. i.e. example of the firewood and how the owner uses it (dining table, toilet seat, or just burns it) Owner can do what they wish with their wood.
- Allah can do what He wishes as we are his property.
- The act of creation itself is an act of mercy and debt which is un-payable.
- Good follows the act of God. When evil happens in the world it is because of the creation. We look at the sight of this world and the next so the oppressor who oppressed in this life will be liable for his doings in the next and the one who was oppresses will get everlasting reward and gardens in Jannah (inshaa’Allah)
4) Power
5) Hearing
6) Sight
7) Speech
- Allah hears and sees us even knows the whisperings of our soul.
- Allah’s speech indicates meaning (Qur’an)
- This Quran indicates meaning. What is indicated by the Quran? Same that which is indicated by Allah’s attributes of speech and this is very significant in when you read the Quran. The most important thing taking place is not that you are reading the Qur’an or earning reward but rather that Allah (SWT) is addressing you.
- ‘Allah has manifested himself to creation through the Qur’an but most of them are heedless’ (Imam Jafar as Sadiq)
- Allah (SWT) cannot be grasped by our intellects.
- Ayatul Kursi has great virtue and it is from the Sunnah to read it (when scared and at night) as well as Surah Ikhlas frequently because it summarized our understanding of Allah.
Live with the deen in our lives.
Various means of the remembrance of Allah the most High
- Dhikr is an important aspect of deen. Utterings of ‘La illaha IlAllah’ ‘Alhamdulillah’ Allahu Akbar’ ‘SubhanAllah’ – Each of these is a statement of faith. Every time you say these adhkar, you are shining a ray of light in your heart and it illuminates your heart.
Remembrance of Allah is so great because the very essence of worship is to remember Allah (SWT). The ROA has many benefits:
- 1) Instills the conscious of Allah.
- 2) Deepens one’s faith.
- 3) Propels one towards piety because one would be mindful of one’s limits and the limits of Allah set by the Shari’ah.
- 4) Brings our worship and worldly deeds to life.
- Engage in the remembrance of Allah and you will grow in your faith. (Verily in the Remembrance of Allah do the hearts find rest)
- “Surely God’s friends – no fear shall be on them, neither shall they sorrow. Those who believe, and are god-fearing – for them is good tidings in the present life and in the world to come. There is not changing the words of God; that is mighty triumph.” (Qur’an 10:62-65)
- Strive in the remembrance of Allah and submit.
Allahuma Taqabbal Minna Innaka Antas Samee’ul ‘Aleem!