Question
48: Since
no one has able to see God, and since no dead person was resurrected
to tell us what happened to him after death, how could we believe in
any religion?
Answer
48: This question is
based on the material world, where sense becomes the reference to
determine the facts of the universe. Fundamentally, this basis is a
void one. In this life we believe in many things without being able
to see them or feel them tangibly. We do not know for example the
essence of the soul, its secrets, and where does it inhabit our
bodies? So far this field has been immune to scientists and
scientific laboratories, fine radiology and microscopes, which
biologists and doctors use. We absolutely believe in the presence of
the soul although we do not see it. We also believe in the existence
of many other things like magnetism, electric current, air and many
other things, which we do not touch physically.
All
religions are based on miracles, which God performs on the hands of
the prophets. Ordinary human beings cannot perform these miracles.
Only prophets could carry out these actions in order to confirm the
fact that they are true emissaries of God. All prophets were sent to
people and performed miracles in front of them, so that they believed
them. These are well-known historical facts.
Prophet
Moses (pbuh) performed miracles: his club was transformed into a
snake, the sea was split into two parts through a hit with his club,
and the bursting of the water from the rock in the form of twelve
springs good for drinking.
Prophet
Jesus (pbuh) healed the blind and the leprous, and gave life to the
dead through God’s will.
Prophet
Muhammad also had many miracles including the splitting apart of the
moon, the gushing of water from his hands and the night journey from
Mecca to Jerusalem and his ascension though the heaven. But the most
enduring and challenging miracle revealed through him is the Qur’an.
Belief
in almighty God and in the unseen is therefore an intuitive matter,
without which life cannot be right; without which the human self does
not feel fully contented. People’s lives, both today and land in
the past, testify this if only they are truthful about their
thoughts, feelings, and ideas.
Question
49: Do
people inherit the religion of Islam from their parents?
Answer
49: It has already
been stated above that people are born to be intrinsically God
believing, i.e. Muslims. Islam regards a child before puberty to be
subordinate to his father in terms of religion and belief. Coming of
age, he/she becomes responsible and will be held accountable for
his/her deeds. This requires him/her to embrace the religion of
Islam as a result of conviction, thinking and choice. However, if
the child dies before puberty age (15 years) he/she will be
considered as one of the escapees from Hell even though his parents
are non-believers. This is a prerequisite of the justice of God who
says: “… and no burdens shall bear the burden of another” (Holy
Qur’an: 6: 164).
Question
50: Is Islam to
be imposed on people or do people have to embrace it willingly?
Answer
50: Islam is the
religion of God, He knows human self better than human beings
themselves. He also knows what is good and what is bad for them. It
is to the best interest and righteousness to man of mankind if they
follow the right path revealed by God out of conviction, choice, love
and desire, so that they could be salvaged. Almighty God made this
clear in the holy book: “There is no compulsion in religion.
Verily, the right Path has become distinct from the wrong path.
Whoever disbelieves in Taghut (false deities) and believes in God,
then he has grasped the most trustworthy handhold that will never
break. And God is All-Hearer, All-Knower” (Holy Qur’an: 2: 256).
It has never occurred in history that Muslims compelled anyone to
embrace Islam even when they were at the height of their power.
Question
51: Is
it possible that the whole system of this universe has occurred by
coincidence?
Answer
51: This can never
be the case at all. In fact, no rational person could ever envisage
that this world has come into existence without a wise capable and
knowing creator. With the least contemplation, a rational person can
recognize the invalidity of coincidence in this case. When a person
looks at a beautiful building that is architecturally organized,
wonderful and firm, foe example, he intuitively believes that someone
must have built, organized and planned its plan and designed its
foundations, lounges and balconies. When we look at the watch on our
wrists, we cannot believe that its first maker found it by
coincidence in that shape. So how could we believe that the creation
of man to have come by coincidence? And how could this universe
which runs according to an absolute accurate system (in terms of
night and day, stars, planets and galaxies) how could it have come by
pure coincidence? The idea of coincidence is something obsolete and
has become outside the rational circle in the world of science and
knowledge, and the world of reason and cause.
Question
52: If
a person embraces Islam for mere secular benefits, like marriage, can
he/she be still be regarded as true Muslim?
Answer
52: Islam is the
religion of almighty God. It should be embraced exclusively for His
sake. God says: “Surely the religion is for God only” (Holy
Qur’an: 39:3). Almighty God does not accept anyone who converts
for a particular interest while implying infidelity, his Islam.
Prophet Muhammad reported that deeds will be judged by God according
to people’s intentions:
“Deeds
are rated according to the intentions of the people who carry them
out. Each person is to be rewarded according to his/her intention.
Anyone who migrates for the sake of God and His prophet, his
migration will be to them then, and anyone who migrates for worldly
interests, or a woman he wants to marry, his migration will be to
what he has migrated to.”1
There
are, however, some people who embrace Islam for mere personal
interests; but after a while, they become committed and truthful in
their intention of faith. God will forgive this group of people and
grant them salvation.
Muslims
are required to deal with anyone who proclaims Islam publicly
according to his/her actions and/or deeds. Only God can tell about
people’s hearts and motivations. The word Muslims scholars most
use in such likely contexts is: “We have to judge the apparent and
only God judges the actual.” If this fake Muslim continues to be
elusive, then he/she is deceiving the community and God will count
him/her among the hypocrites. If the true character of this
“hypocrite” is revealed to the community, then he/she will be
held responsible and the divine rules of apostasy will apply upon
him/her.
Question
53: Is
person’s intention sufficient for him/her to be a Muslim or does
he/she have to say the two testimonies: that there is no deity but
God and that Muhammad is His messenger?
Answer
53: Intention is not
sufficient. The two testimonies must be proclaimed, as announcing
them is what distinguishes a Muslim from a non-Muslim. It is the
proof of honesty and of being convinced of Islam, because it is
difficult to know that person is a Muslim if he/she does not claim
so? How could a Muslim perform his duties towards other Muslims if
he does not know them and they do not know him? However, there are
cases when intention becomes sufficient, especially if this person is
afraid of being killed in case he/she announces Islam in a fanatic
non-Muslim environment. In this case, he/she may practice Islam
secretly and say the two testimonies privately until he/she could
move to a safer environment and could perform their rituals in
public.
Question
54: Is
it possible for a convert to say the two testimonies in a language
other than Arabic if he/she does not know this language?
Answer
54: Yes, it is
possible to say the two testimonies in any language. Arabic is not
required at this stage. However, once the convert is able to say
the two testimonies in Arabic, it is advisable that he/she does so,
in which case other Muslims could be more acquainted with him/her.
If he cannot do that, it is not obligatory.
Question
55: Is
it obligatory for a sister wanting to embrace Islam to be dictated
the two testimonies by a Muslim female or should only a Muslim male
achieve this?
Answer
55: Islam is the
religion of God, it is an open invitation for everybody to join in.
Anyone who says the two testimonies out of truthful intention has
entered the gate of Islam. A convert does not have to be dictated
how to become a Muslim if he/she knows how to. But in the likely
case he/she does not know what to do, instructions become
indispensable for mere educational purposes.
A
convert is never required to have witnesses testifying his/her Islam.
Embracing Islam starts with saying the two testimonies, which are
followed by manner and conduct: all rites, like prayer, and fasting
must be performed. These acts of worship when are performed well
become enough witness for someone’s faith.
When
need is required that someone proves his/her Islamic faith, like the
cases and matters related to law and religious courts, then witnesses
are rendered necessary in this case.
Question
56: What
is the meaning of polytheism? And why does Islam reject it?
Answer
56: Polytheism means
worshipping something else with God whether this thing is animate
like a prophet, a messenger, a leader, a wealthy man, or a prominent
person; or inanimate, like a stone, a planet and the like. Islam
rejects polytheism altogether. It is regarded as the antithesis of
faith, as there are different reasons that prove this, the most
important of which are:
1. Anyone who really knows God,
through His most beautiful Names, Qualities, Acts and Virtues, will
despise having a peer to God.
2. Polytheism does not go with
the true nature that God gave to man. A God-believing person feels
contented, safe and psychologically settled, while a polytheist
experiences an uneasy kind of life. His/her feelings are mostly
distracted, and psychology unsettled. The least social study will
show the great differences between the Islamic societies and other
ones, the reason being the dogmas that direct each of these
societies.
3. Polytheism contradicts
reason. Rightful minds do not place the creator and created on equal
grounds. The same applies to learned and ignorant persons, and the
able and disable. When contemplating the world around us, we realize
it inevitable that there exists a great, all-knowing and able creator
of this universe, and all that it includes, according to a very
accurate and meticulous system. Normal minds absolutely believe that
this creator must be single and all alone, because if there were more
than one deity, conflict and difference would have emerged. If there
had been more than one deity, things would have gone wrong, and one
of them would have dominated the other.
Question
57: What
are the qualities of spirit?
Answer
57: Spirit is God’s
most ambiguous and invisible secret. Only Him knows and realizes its
everlasting truth and essence. Almighty God relates: “And they ask
you (O Muhammad, concerning the spirit; say: ‘the spirit is one of
the things, the knowledge of which is only with my Lord. And of
knowledge, you (mankind) have been given only a little’.” (Holy
Qur’an: 17: 85).
Contemporary
scientists have attempted tom make some research on the truth of this
secret. They have held conferences for the same purpose. But their
conclusion was that the spirit is an unknown secret which mankind has
not known its truth yet.
One
of the conferences is the one which was held in New York in 1959,
when six scientists from different parts of the world met at a round
table in an attempt to understand something about the origin and
evolution of life on the surface of this earth. The Russian
scientist Alexander Obarin, a biochemist in he Soviet Academy of
Sciences, and greatly interested in the evolution of life, was among
the participants. The end of the conference was no better than its
beginning. It did not lead to any findings, but confirmed the fact
that the secret of life is unknown, and that there is no hope that
science will reach one day.
We
believe in the existence of the spirit because of its outstanding
effects in a tangible world, which is replete with life and living
creatures. The difference between the life of human beings and that
of animals is that the life of the animal is instinctive and confined
to the world of concrete material of food, drink and desire, while
the life of man is distinguished to be above that, as it belongs to a
world of values, manners, ideals, virtues and noble feelings, and the
life of science, thought, and search for the secrets of the universe
and benefiting from them. If human beings try to do without these
values, they regresses into the world of animals. This fact is
typically portrayed in the Qur’an, God says: “while those who
disbelieve enjoy themselves and eat as cattle eat; and the Fire will
be their abode” and “And surely, We have created many of the jinn
and mankind for Hell. They have hearts wherewith they understand
not, and they have eyes wherewith they see not, and they have ears
wherewith they hear not (the truth). They are like cattle, nay even
more astray; those! They are the heedless ones.” (Holy Qur’an:
7:179)
Question
58: What
is the relationship between life, death and the hereafter?
Answer
58: Almighty God is
the one who created both life and death to see who is better in terms
of deeds. This is the core of the matter “to see who is better in
deeds” (Holy Qur’an: 67: 2). God has created this universe and
showed the wonders of His capability so that His creatures could
really know Him, give Him His due, and observe the system that He
designed for them and live according to His decree. The entire
universe is bound to show true submission due to God’s supreme
power. This worldly life is the experimental setting, God wanted to
see on it the obedient and the disobedient, the deviant and the
straight, the just and the oppressive, the lost and the guided, the
believer and the infidel. This is why God gave man wisdom and
freedom, and granted him the authority and ability to choose between
good and evil, guidance and aberration. He sent messengers and
supported them with miracles in order to warn people and inform them
that they should play the role of His vicegerent on earth, and
implement His law accordingly.
God
has provided man, through His prophets/messengers, with a complete
system for life that goes well with his/her mind and nature.
Almighty
God has announced to all people that this worldly life is an arena,
or a wrestling ring. Reward or punishment is to be delayed to the
hereafter, to which all people will go. This worldly life is limited
and narrow, and cannot be sufficient for obtaining rights according
to God’s criteria. This life is, therefore, a place for work.
Death is only a bridge across which human beings move to the eternal
life so that each could obtain his/her rights in accordance with fair
judgment, which saves nothing, however it is small or big. God said:
“So whosoever does good equal to the weight of an atom (or a small
ant) shall see it. And whosoever does evil equal to the weight of an
atom (or a small ant) shall see it.” (Holy Qur’an: 100: 7-8). A
poet expressed his view about the meaning of life by saying: “Death
is but a journey from this perishing abode to the eternal one.”
Question
59: Will the
other non-human creatures be resurrected beside man?
Answer
59: On the Doom’s
Day almighty God will resurrect all living creatures and then will
rule justly among them all. He will obtain the right of the
oppressed from the oppressor, even the animals. Then He dignifies
his honest worshippers by allowing them into Paradise and granting
them eternal stay in it. He will punish the infidels and polytheists
by forcing them into Hell and granting them eternal stay in it.
What
indicates the resurrection of animals on the doom’s day is the
prophet’s saying: “(On the doom’s day) everybody will get
his/her due, even the hornless goat will be redressed from the one
with horns.”
Question
60: Is
man by nature sinful?
Answer
60: God created man
and granted him an intrinsic nature of belief in the true religion.
He provided him with a potential to do good or evil, right or wrong.
He gave him talents and abilities, which enable him to do all of that
completely at his own free will. God then sent messengers for man’s
guidance, to follow the straight path, and warn people of the grave
consequences in case they strayed off. With this perception, test
and examination become fair, and man eventually may either succeed
this test or fail it; hence, gain reward or punishment. If man had
been born to be good and infallible only, how does he/she deserve
reward then? On the other hand, if people were created to be evil
only, how could they deserve punishment for something they themselves
did not choose to do?
Question
61: If
man dies as a non-Muslim, will he/she eternally stay in paradise or
hell?
Answer:
61: God’s true
religion is Islam; all previous religions were no more than
preparations for this final and eternal religion, Islam. Before the
advent of Islam, religions were limited to a certain time and place,
and they were deemed to prepare people for the acceptance of the
final divine religion embodied in the message of the last and seal of
prophets, Muhammad (pbuh). God almighty says: “And whosoever seeks
a religion other than Islam it will never be accepted of him, and in
the hereafter he will be one of the losers” (Holy Qur’an: 3: 85).
Question
62: What
does make man eligible to enter Paradise?
Answer
62: Paradise, in the
concept of Islam, is a delightful abode prepared for the believers to
enter in the Hereafter. Every true Muslim that dies will ultimately
enter paradise. This means that if a Muslim commits sins but who
repents before his death, will be granted forgiveness by almighty
God. God said: “And He it is who accepts repentance from His
slaves, and forgives sins, and He knows that you do” (Holy Qur’an:
42: 25). If, however, a sinful Muslim dies before repenting, it will
be up to God, whether He punishes or forgives him/her. Prophet
Muhammad reported that no single Muslim would eternally stay in hell,
so long as he/she has the slightest amount of faith in his/her heart.
The un-committed Muslims in this case will have to be tortured in
Hell for a period God knows; then they come out to enter Heaven so
that it could be their everlasting abode if God wills. Muslims
believe that people would be admitted into paradise not because of
their good deeds as much as the mercy of almighty God.
It
is reported that prophet Muhammad (pbuh) said: “None of you will
enter Paradise owing to his good deeds”. They asked: “Not even
you, Messenger of God?” He said: “Not even me, unless God has
bestowed mercy and blessing upon me.”2
However, the prophet confirmed the fact that God does not neglect
the good deeds of anyone—the ultimate goal being to encourage
Muslims to keep in touch with God, to resort to Him and plead Him.
This helps to improve the conduct of Muslims in both their private
and public lives.
Question
63: Is
the reciting of the Holy Qur’an without understanding its meanings
considered to be a kind of worship?
Answer
63: Reciting the
Qur’an is indeed some kind of worship. However, there is a big
difference between the one who recites it passively, and/or the one
who deeply contemplates its meaning while reciting it. God rewards
both types, but on varying level. The happy life in the shadows of
the Noble Qur’an is difficult to achieve, except for one who
contemplates ponder it when he reads or listens to it. The Holy
Qur’an, has a great influences on man’s life and can easily
change the course of people’s history. It did have its great
influence on the prophet’s companions when it was being revealed
upon the prophet.
Question
64: What
is the wisdom behind each of Islam’s five pillars?
Answer
64: The
pillars of Islam are five in number, they are:
1. The testimony that there is
no deity except God and that Muhammad is His messenger,
2. Performing prayer,
3.
Paying zakat,
4. Fasting the month of
Ramadhan, and
5. Performing greater
pilgrimage to Mecca for the one who can afford it.
It
is on these foundations that Islam is built. The question cited
above is too wide to handle in a limited period of time. Besides, it
requires a comprehensive knowledge of this religion, its fundamentals
and branches. This, however, does not prevent us from mentioning
some part of the wisdom of these fundamentals and branches in
accordance with God’s will and help.
There
is no deity except
God and Muhammad is His messenger:
This is the testimony of truth and the foundation of Islamic faith,
as there is no deity except God to be worshipped, to be surrendered
to and resorted to in all times especially in crisis. This is the
monotheistic creed, which guarantees tranquility and safety that is
homogeneous to human nature. If there were two deities in heaven and
earth, they would have been corrupted, and one of would have
dominated the other. Muhammad is the messenger of God. He is the
guide to God, and the conveyor of His system and rules of life
according to which God runs life. The prophet is the one who guides
people to their God and acquaints them with the methods of virtuous
and happy life.
Through
this testimony the sources of slavery to God and the revelation from
Him are unified. Beyond it, no man lives a lost or uneasy life.
Through this testimony, man becomes able to know where he is going
and to whom to surrender. With the testimony man cannot be confused
as to the path he is leading in his life. It is drawn clearly as it
was shown by the messenger who received revelation from God in the
form of a complete and integrated system, which is lenient and easy
in terms of perception and conduct, and as a method of public and
private life.
Performance
of prayer: It is the
link between man and God. It implies submission to God and
surrendering to Him. It is man’s address to the creator,
supplication and request to Him for guidance in this world, which is
the footstep to the hereafter. It is expressive of man’s
willingness to follow God’s commands and avoid what He prohibits.
Prayer is the food for spirit, it plants in the human soul emotions,
love for purity, and order. A performance of prayer five times a day
refreshes the feelings and purifies the soul every now and then. No
sooner than man surrenders to life and its worldly affairs, which
distract his/her spirit and overwhelm his/her mind and thought, than
prayer is called for. When the prayer is called for, the Muslim
promptly stands up to prepare himself/herself for the prayer (by
cleaning up and/or making ablution). Then men (it is preferable that
women perform their prayers at home) move to the mosque to stand in
one respectable row addressing the Lord through reading
supplications, invocations, and recitation of the Qur’anic verses.
The Muslim’s attention in this context is revived and enlivened,
his/her heart and conscience are awakened; and all are to be
reflected on his/her personal qualities, manners and dealings with
the society surrounding him/her, starting with the family and ending
up with the society.
There
is a huge difference between the life of a committed Muslim and a
non-committed one in terms of hygiene, psychology, personality,
society, and even private and public life.
Paying
Zakat:
Paying zakat in Islam is the basis of social solidarity in the Muslim
community. It is the guarantor of the rights of the poor, set to
them by God in order to sustain communication and mutual mercy among
the various classes of society; and to nourish the feelings of love
and cooperation among them. It is also meant to put an end to the
incentives of grudge and vanity amongst the believers. Zakat
is a symbol of an integrated economic structure in Islam, and a clear
indication of the fact that this religion is not merely emotions
inside the human self; rather a comprehensive system of life; in
addition to being a dogma strong and alive in the human self. Islam
is a religion that lives up to people’s demands and concerns, and
tries to solve whatever problems Muslims face. As such, it paves the
way to respectable and virtuous life; eventually makes everybody
happy. By this, zakat
is deemed to
achieves security and stability to the community.
Fasting
the month of Ramadhan:
Fasting is abstaining from food, drink, and sexual desire for the
from dawn to sunset in accordance with almighty God commandment.
There is strength in fasting for both man self and will so that it
goes above the captivity of necessities and desire and rises to
transcendental horizons, and it implies control and order which
should be familiar to Muslims in their lives. Thus he does not become
negligent or careless.
Fasting
makes Muslims accustomed to fasting at a specific time, to abstain
from food and drink and at the same time to break their fast at a
specific time. When the month of Ramadhan ends, the Muslims become
God’s guests on the occasion of the Feast and he is prohibited from
fasting that day after fasting was obligatory the day before. It is
order, obedience, and noble education of the magnanimous selves.
Fasting
in Islam is deemed to remind the rich and healthy of the concerns of
the poor, the sick and the weak. When a wealthy person feels hungry,
he/she will mostly remember the needy who might always be hungry.
This will make the rich sympathize with them and takes interest in
their affairs. Thus, a fasting person may conclude from his fast
great spiritual, psychological and social lessons.
1
Cited in all canonical books of hadith.
2
Cited in Bukhari.
