Abdur Rahman ibn Yusuf Mangera – Best Way to Explain Islam The five Dimensions of Faith

When you look at Islam, for example, firstly, there's this

aspect of belief, which is very important. Why are we here? What's

the purpose of this life? We hear about creations called Jinn

angels, you know, these words are on what what, what is our belief

about this? Where did we come before this? Where are we going to

go? Is there a paradise? And *? Is there a reckoning? Is there

something beyond this world, all of that is discussed in the

theological aspects of Islam. The way I like to explain Islam is as

being in five dimensions.

Most of us if you're approached by somebody of another faith,

and they'll, if they ask you what Islam is all about, your first

response will probably be Islam is based on five pillars.

And what are these five pillars, you're fasting, your prayer five

times a day, your pilgrimage, to Mecca, which is your post you and

your testimony of faith. And if the person is a discerning person,

and I think well, that all of those five things that you speak

about,

only refer to one aspect of my life, which is the belief, which

is the worship aspect, all of those things are worship. It

doesn't tell me anything about social interaction, right? It

doesn't tell me anything about my transactions in my dealings, which

I have to do as a human being in this world.

Right. So the five pillars of Islam actually are only part of

the second dimension of Islam, they come under the second

dimension of Islam, which is worship. So once you've got your

theology, right, then there's worship. Now, once you've got

worship and theology, that's two, we don't have a whiteboard. But

the third one is, oh, there is.

But then we don't have a mic. Okay, you guys, I'm sure. It's

only five categories, but it's don't worry about it. five

categories, I'm sure there's not too much for you. Right.

So the third one is, the third one is as social beings, we interact

with people on two different levels. Firstly, we interact with

them, whether we like it or not, on a social level. So you've got

neighbors, you've got elders that you have to deal with, you've got

young people that you're going to deal with, you're going to deal

with animals, you're going to deal with the environment. Now Islam

has a very comprehensive, the Prophet Muhammad sallallahu alayhi

wa salam peace be upon him, brought a very comprehensive

system to deal with all of these facets. So I will call this the

more I shot, right the Arabic term is mashallah, which is social

interaction, which includes everything from you're dealing

with animals, to the environment, to other human beings, you know,

to parents, to children to the poor, the widows, the old, the

needy, the disabled, and everything. And believe me, there

are comprehensive guidance for all of this interface, if you just go

to look for it. Then the fourth dimension is where you deal with

people on a transactional level. For example, you're speaking about

buying and selling, you need to buy a car from somebody, just sell

your car, you need to come and you know, sign a contract for

something, sign an agreement, marriage, divorce, custody issues,

judicial issues, all of that comes in more armor a lot. More armor a

lot means dealings, right on more of a transaction level on a

contractual level. And then there's a fifth dimension. Does

anybody know what that fifth dimension is? What I'm leaving

out?

Sorry.

Okay, great. Hamdulillah. That's good, coming back to oneself,

after all of that is coming back to oneself, and purifying our

insight, which holds such a high position in the faith. Right? So

for example, we're talking about how am I going to eradicate my

jealousy? Right? For instance, somebody else has got this nice

BMW SIX series now. Right?

And I'm jealous of them. So you go around with your keys. Right? And

you walk past the car admiring it, and somehow your keys scrape along

it.

Right? Or you're sitting with your friend at a table and she's got

this nice new Louis Vuitton bag. Right? And you're having you take

him out for coffee. I'm talking about a girl doing that to another

girl.

And you kind of spill the coffee over the bag, because you're

jealous. Your jealousy is, you know, expressing itself now.

That's,

I'm sure none of us do that. Right.

It's just that's one of the feelings of the heart. The other

one is excessive hatred.

it right absence of contentment, greed, avarice, just desire,

anger, excessive anger, all of these things have to be culled.

They have to be controlled. They have to be replaced with

compassion, with love, with understanding with with

contentment, prana in Arabic, to suffice with what we have, and do

the best that we have to be good to others. Now see her for others,

as we call it, wishing well for others a care. These are all of

the things that the Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him taught.

Now think about it.

Each one of us are people that we know. And best is the best example

is ourselves. In which of these five faculties are we deficient?

And which one do we focus on more, and the Prophet Muhammad peace be

upon him, he focused on every single one, he was the most well

balanced person that you could have in all of these aspects. So

for instance, there was a woman who used to starve her cat, but

used to pray all day. It's a very famous narration that we know

about. The Prophet Muhammad says she's going to be in the hellfire,

though she is very good at one faculty, which is worship, which

most people think is the most important. And it may be to a

certain level, but this her, her her MA chakra, which is her

interaction, even with a cat that, you know, many people would just

think is redundant, right was so important. The Prophet Muhammad

said that that will take her to hellfire.

And yet, you see other people who say it's all about the heart. So

as long as I'm good to everybody else, and I don't feel bad about

anybody else, I don't need to pray, I don't need to look the

part I don't need to express my faith. You know, it's really about

the heart. As we can see, Islam is a very comprehensive system. And

that's what the Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him brought that it

needs to be comprehensive in every aspect of this otherwise, there's

going to be deficiency and when you have deficiency, that's when

you're going to have problems, right? We strive for hopefully,

for accomplishment in all of these aspects perfection is difficult,

but at least accomplishment to a certain degree, at least to a

level of acceptance that that will make us good beings in this world

good human beings good servants of God. Good people. For others a

believer a Muhammad is somebody who follows Muhammad peace be upon

him is supposed to be like a cool breeze that comes into a room and

people feel oh, there's going to be some things are going to be

nice. Now things are going to be good now. Not that Oh no. Right.

That's what a true believer in God is supposed to be like. Right?

That's what Islam teaches.