ISLAMIAT LECTURE 6

ARTICLES OF FAITH (2)

• Prophets:

Since the beginning of creation, Allah has sent guidance for mankind through His selected people known as prophets or messengers. Belief in prophets forms the 4th ingredient of faith. Muslims believe in the line of Prophets from Hazrat Adam, who was the first man on earth, to Hazrat Muhammad, who is believed to be the seal of Prophets. However, you must understand here that there is a difference between a messenger and a prophet. A messenger is a prophet who is sent to give a divine message to reform mankind. He is given a divine book and since all prophets did not get books, all prophets were not messengers. According to Hadith, there were 124,000 prophets. The message of all Prophets has been the same. Some of the prophets mentioned in the Quran are:

·        Hazrat Adam

·        Hazrat Nuh

·        Hazrat Ibrahim

·        Hazrat Ismail

·        Hazrat Lut

·        Hazrat Yaqub

·        Hazrat Musa

·        Hazrat Daud

·        Hazrat Isa

·        Hazrat Muhammad

Prophet Hood is a bounty and favor given from Allah to him whom He pleases. The chief objective of sending Prophets is to reform the spoiled society. Islam holds that prophets possess the following characteristics:

·        They are absolutely truthful

·        They are free from all kinds of sins

·        They deliver Allah’s messages with any alteration

Muslims believe in a line of 1, 24,000 prophets sent at different places and times in history for the guidance of humanity. The first prophet was Adam (A.S) and the last one is Hazrat Muhammad (P.B.U.H). He is often referred to as the seal of the Prophets - a seal like that on an envelope such that the envelope cannot be opened again. His message, the Quran, is the eternal source of guidance for all times to come. The message he bought is universal – it is not restricted to any particular nation or era. The Quran says about this:

“We have not sent thee but as a universal (Messenger) to men, giving them glad tidings and warning them (against sin)…” (34:28)

• God’s predestination and decree:

The 5th Article of Islamic Faith is the belied is predestination i.e. faith in destiny and its good and evil. Predestination is known as Qadr, which is a word that has the same root as Qadir, one of Allah’s names meaning All-Powerful. Allah is the creator of the universe and all that is it in it and beyond .he knows His creations and He also knows their nature and all needs. Therefore, He has absolute control and authority over His creations. As mentioned in Surah Fatihah:

“And Allah is the Lord of the Alamin (man, jinn and everything that exists)”

He has created and fashioned the universe and everything contained in it with infinite wisdom and with a definite purpose. He is not only supervising the universe but also directing it to its destined end. Hence, the crux of this article is that Allah is the Supreme power of the universe and he directs it with a rational will.

However, He has also bestowed upon man certain powers; powers which man can exercise with a few limitations and therefore cause good and evil. For example, Allah has given man the ability to speak. Now it’s on man whether he uses for preaching Islam (the good) or uttering abuses (the evil).

Hence, Allah’s knowledge, will and power are absolute. Therefore He knows the results of all events before their occurrence. Humans however are denied access to this knowledge and are expected to act in accordance with a desire from within which makes him responsible for his deeds.

• Resurrection and the last day:

Muslim belief in life after death constitutes the sixth article of faith. The belief revolves around the concept that a man’s life in this world ends with his death. After this another life begins in the state of Barzakh, which is the intermediate stage in which the soul is placed after death till resurrection – which can be taken as the state while the soul is buried in the grave.  It is believed that after Muslims die, they are questioned in the grave for their deeds in life and receive comfort or discomfort in the grave accordingly.

After that, in some point in the future, there is the Day of Resurrection, Yaum-e-Qiyamah, when all people will be bought back to life in their physical bodies. The Quran describes the events of the last day very explicitly and in an awe-inspiring language. It says that at a time, known only to Allah, this world will be bought to an end with a deafening sound. The earth will split apart and become a level stretch; the mountains will crumble and fly here and there like wool. The sun will fold and the moon will be in darkness, the stars will become dim and fall, the oceans will boil and burst forth. All landmarks will be lost.

Then, all the alive humans will die and the souls of the previously dead will be raised from their graves too. All men will stand before Allah to give an account of their worldly deeds. Not even the slightest of deed will be ignored. Kiraman Katibeen will, present the record of man before Allah and all the body organs will speak witness to the deeds. Then all the good and bad deeds would be weighed. If the good deeds outweigh the evil ones, man will be sent to the gardens of heaven, which will be his final abode and where all what a man could wish for would be available. Those whose evil deeds would be greater would be sent to the hell fire and will suffer adversities there. This day, no injustice would be done to any on that day.

FOR FURTHER READING:

Farkhanda Noor Muhammad (pages 221-235)