Karim Abuzaid – Know Your Lord Audio Book 02 03 – Faith Iman in Our Lord
AI: Summary ©
The speakers discuss the importance of affirming the Lord's manifested potential in faith and belief, and the significance of building a foundation of ecstasy and faith to establish a logical and intellectual evidence. They also discuss the misconceptions of anteheism and the use of conspicuous names and attributes to restore confusion and confusion surrounding his worship. The speakers emphasize the importance of developing a complete and correct understanding of the worship, using "naughty man" and "naughty woman" to describe the same attributes of different people.
AI: Summary ©
Now that we know
what faith Iman is, we can take this
conversation to the next level
which is to analyze what it means to
believe in our Lord.
Faith, iman,
in our lord requires 4 necessities.
The knowledge of which are essential
for invitation
of those who are sincere
in searching for our Lord.
1,
the belief that Allah
exists
with his divine essence
above the throne,
al Arash, in a manner that suits his
majesty.
2,
belief in his actions of lordship
such as he created,
he is the provider,
and he is the absolute ruler
and owner of creation.
3,
affirmation
that no one is equal to him
or like him when it comes to his
divine essence,
names,
attributes,
and actions of lordship.
4,
affirmation
that Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala
as sovereign
has ordained life
for all
of the children of prophet Adam,
will cause death,
will resurrect the death on the day of
judgment
and is the only judge
who will admit whom he chooses into paradise
by his mercy.
The evidence for the above four points is
in chapter
Al Fatiha
and the details
of application of Fatiha
to these 4 points
is in the known interpretation.
Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala said,
in the name of Allah, the entirely merciful,
the especially merciful.
All praise is due to Allah,
lord of the worlds.
They're entirely merciful.
They're especially merciful.
Sovereign
of the day of recompense,
it is you we worship.
In you we ask for help.
Guide us to the straight path,
the path of those upon whom you have
bestowed favor,
not of those who have evoked your anger
or of those who are astray.
Once the heart has developed
concrete belief
upon the above four points,
one must articulate
affirmation
of the shahada
with the limb of the tongue
and then submit
the rest of the bodily limbs and heart
to what entails
of the divine guidance.
The example
of prophet Ibrahim,
Abraham alaihis salam.
Prophet Ibrahim
alaihis salam went through a process
of affirming belief in our lord
while in discourse with his father and people.
In this rendering
of the discourse,
he assimilated
the four necessities of faith in our Lord.
Prophet Ibrahim
alaihis salam
disowned
their association
of other than Allah
in worship
and disassociated
from them in an action called albara,
disavowal
or disassociation.
His story is mentioned in the Quran.
He said,
then do you see what you have been
worshiping,
You and your ancient forefathers?
Indeed,
they are enemies to me. Prophet Ibrahim
alaihis salam negated the worship of false deities.
Then he affirmed his loyalty
and association
to Allah
in another action
called loyalty
or association.
He said,
indeed
they are enemies to me except the lord
of the worlds.'
Then he established
the evidence,
mandating the action by referring to Allah
by actions of his lordship.
Prophet Ibrahim,
Abraham Alaihi Salam affirmed
that it is Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala, the
Lord of the worlds
who created me,
and he it is who guides me, and
it is he who feeds me and gives
me drink, and when I am ill it
is he who cures me,
and who will cause me to die and
then bring me to life, and who I
aspire
that he will forgive me my sin
on the day of recompense.
Finally,
prophet Ibrahim
Alaihi Salam established the worship of Allah Subhanahu
Wa Ta'ala through making supplication
which is the essence of worship.
As the prophet sallallahu alaihi wa sallam mentioned,
prophet Ibrahim
alaihi wa sallam prayed.
My lord,
grant me authority,
and join me with the righteous,
and grant me a mention
of honor among later generations,
and place me among the inheritors of the
garden of pleasure, and forgive my father.
Indeed he has been of those astray, and
do not disgrace me on the day they
are all resurrected,
the day when there will be no benefit,
anyone, wealth or children,
but only one who comes to Allah with
a sound heart.
From this example
is an essential point
that if we invite a doubter or denier
to acknowledge the existence of Allah Subhanahu Wa
Ta'ala
We should establish the logical
and intellectual evidence.
However,
when talking to someone who believes in our
lord
but fails to establish monotheism
such as the Christians,
their cognitive failure
lies
in misattributing
the names
and attributes of Allah
to other than him. For this person
the invitation
needs to begin with the names and the
attributes of Allah
to draw them closer to our Lord
while not becoming distracted
trying to prove how our lord exists.
This is the difference between talking to an
atheist
and talking
to the people of the book,
namely the Christians
and Jews.
Building a foundation
of monotheism,
faith
and monotheism
are synonyms
in some contexts
and differ in others
with semantically
obligated hierarchy.
They are like the cognate terms faith and
Islam
or
obligatory charity
and voluntary
charity.
Hence the Monotheist
is a believer and the believer is a
Monotheist.
The semantically
obligated
hierarchy between faith and monotheism
indicates a need to define monotheism
which means unifying,
making something 1
or asserting oneness.
The word Tawhid comes from the Arabic verb
wahada
which itself means to unite,
unify,
or consolidate.
However, when the term Tawhid is connected to
Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala then this is monotheism
or asserting
the indivisible
and unique solitary essence of our lord
without any partner
or similitude.
Monotheism,
tawhid,
is the concrete belief by believing that 1,
Allah
subhanahu wa ta'ala is 1 in lordship
without a partner in his dominion
and his actions.
2
Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala is 1 without similitude
in his essence and attributes.
3
Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala is 1 without rival
in his divinity
as the only real focus
or conserter of worship.
Conceptual categories of monotheism.
Monotheism
falls into 2 categories.
The first category
is knowledge or information about Allah subhanahu wa
ta'ala
which includes both his actions of lordship
and his names
and attributes.
The second category is monotheism
in worship which includes both intention
and pursuant action.
Derivation
of the meaning of monotheism
into 2 conceptual categories forms
the basis into which the science of monotheism
has been traditionally divided.
We must realize
that conceptually categorizing
monotheism
into 2, 3 or more descriptive classes
does not divide monotheism
or the essence of divinity but rather
organizes our perception of divinity.
The conceptual categories overlap to such a degree
that whoever omits any aspect has failed to
complete the requirements of monotheism
and is guilty of polytheism
which is the opposite of monotheism.
To know our Lord, it is essential
to develop a complete and correct understanding of
them both.
The main mission of the messengers,
despite the broad implications of the first category
of monotheism
of knowledge qualities of Robobia,
correct knowledge
of our Lord is not sufficient to fulfill
our obligatory duty
of establishing monotheism
and eschewing polytheism. The compliments of and
accompany Tawhid
Arububiyah.
Consequently,
the most important aspects of monotheism,
Tawhid, is that
Allah
emphasized the importance of directing worship to him
alone
by pointing out that this was the primary
purpose of the creation of humanity
and the essence of the message brought
by all the prophets.
Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala said, and I did
not create the jinn and mankind
except to worship me. Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala
also said,
we surely sent a messenger
to every community
saying,
worship Allah and shun force gods.
Allah
sent all the messengers to call people to
implement worship
of the one true lord.
Look how much significance
this expression
of monotheism
holds.
Allah
said,
serve Allah and shun false gods.
Then some of them there were whom Allah
guided.
And some of them there were upon whom
error had just hold.
Do but travel in the land and see
the nature of the consequence
for the deniers.
Amun
misconceptions.
There are several misconceptions
Muslims have
regarding the subject of monotheism,
Tawhid.
These misconceptions
manifest delusions,
doubts
and suspicions
resulting in gradual
and orchestrated negligence of teaching the subject
of monotheism
and striving to learn it. Sometimes
the orientalists
generate some of these misconceptions to confuse Muslims
about Islam's most important topic.
1
of the devices
orientalists
use is to portray the Quran
as mere literature
and then valuate
it through anthropological
theories.
Allah
said: And among them are those who listen
to you,
but we have placed over their hearts coverings,
lest they understand it,
and in their ears deafness
And if they should see every sign,
they would not believe in it, even when
they come to you arguing with you.
Those who disbelieve say, this is not but
legends of the former peoples.
Among the misconceptions
of monotheism
are those raised by Christian Polymicists
and some poorly informed Muslim apologist
who claim
that categorizing monotheism
into 3 categories violate the concept around it
and think that it is likened
to the trinitarian
schema in Christianity.
The Christian Trinity speaks of 3 separate entities
Father,
Son and Holy Ghost all of whom express
a share
of the attributes of divinity.
Tawhid
is the purest form of monotheism
in which divinity
is indivisible
and belongs only to the one creator.
Division
of descriptors of monotheism
into 3 classes
clarify the solitary nature
of divinity
as the one and only divine essence of
Allah
Among the critics of the study of monotheism
are modernists
who claim
that since the word Tawhid
was not mentioned literally
in the Quran
it is an unsubstantiated
or innovative reference.
Refute this misconception.
The Quran is replete with monotheism.
Every verse in the Quran has a direct
or indirect reference to it. Ibn Al Qayyim
Rahimahullah
said, For indeed
every verse in the Quran
comprises
of monotheism
or as an attestation of it, a caller
to it. Indeed
the Quran is
1
either information,
news regarding Allah
and of his
names and his attributes
and his actions.
So it is the monotheism
of knowledge and that which is informative
regarding him. 2,
or it is a call to worship him
alone
and not attributing any partners to him, as
well as to reject everything that
people may worship besides him.
So it is monotheism
of intention
and pursuant action.
3,
for it is command
and prohibition
and a requisite
of having obedience to him in his prohibitions
and his commandments.
So it is the rights of monotheism
and fulfillment of it.
4, or
it is information
regarding the dignified esteem of the people of
his monotheism
and obedience to him and that which occurred
with them in the life of this world,
as well as that which Allah
will grant them in the hereafter.
So it is the reward
of having monotheism
concerning him.
5)
Or it is information regarding the people
of polytheism
and that which occurred with them in the
life of this world
by way of exemplary punishment
as well as that which will descend upon
them
in their retribution
by a form of punishment in the hereafter.
So it is information
concerning the one that exited
from the ruling of monotheism.
Hence
all the Koran is about monotheism
and of its rights
and its reward
as well as of the affair of polytheism
and its people
and their recompense.
A model of monotheism
Tawhid
Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala said, say he is
Allah
who is 1.
The above is the opening verse aya
of chapter
Surah Al Ikhlas.
Ibn Taymiyrah
wrote: Despite a small number of its letters,
al Ikhlas
is equivalent
to a third of the Quran
because within
it is monotheism.
Thus now we know that all the verses
of monotheism,
tawhid
and the Quran
are superior
than others.
Also
Ibn Taymiyyah
described monotheism
as a third of the content of the
Quran.
He said it is equivalent
to a third of the Quran
due to it comprising a third which is
monotheism.
Since the Quran's verses
ayaat,
monotheism,
commandments
and stories of past prophets.
Monotheism
Tawhid
is emphasized in the sunnah
as seen in the statement
of the prophet
when he said 'Moaad bin Jabbal radiAllahu anhu
to Yemen.
The prophet sallallahu alaihi wasallam told him, you
are going
to some of the people of the book.
So let the first thing to which you
call them to be the worship of Allah,
the mighty and sublime alone.
If they acknowledge
if they acknowledge Allah as 1, then tell
them that Allah has enjoined upon them 5
prayers
to be offered every day and
night. Categorizing
monotheism,
is
not innovation.
Indeed categorizing
monotheism
into aspects of lordship,
worship and names and attributes
was not done by the prophet
and his companions.
There was no need for such an approach
because even the polytheists
at the time
understood
the nature of monotheism.
Regardless
one will find the foundations
of the categories of Monotheism
implied in the verses,
ayaat of the Quran
and the explanatory statements of the prophet
and his companions.
Scholarly work
is a response to ignorance
and scholars of Islam are mandated to develop
effective
instruction
to shatter ignorance
without establishing innovation in the religion.
It is appropriate for a scholar
to use wisdom to simplify complex concepts of
monotheism.
For the layman provided that the source of
this methodology
is the Quran
an authentic sunnah
according to the understanding
of the first three praise generations.
It should be noted
that there was no original need for the
1st generations
to apply
such a categorization
of monotheism
because the meaning of revelation
was known to those who lived amongst the
prophet sallallahu alaihi wasallam and the monotheistic legacy
of prophet Ibrahim
was
remembered
in the vicinity of the Kaaba. The necessity
for an analytical approach to the principles of
monotheism
arose after Islam spread into Egypt,
Byzantium,
Persia
and India
and absorbed the cultures of these regions. It
was only natural to expect
that when the people of these lands
entered the fold of islam
they would carry some of the remnants of
their previous beliefs.
Therefore
the scholars of Islam taught the Quran
and the fundamentals of monotheism
in a structured manner that could be universally
understood.
This specific categorization
of monotheism
is also vital for the work of inviting
others to Islam.
It is effective
for calling others to monotheism
because
it differentiates
between an atheist
and those who believe in the existence
of some deity or God.
If we call an atheist to Allah
then we exclusively
talk about his existence
which is part of his lordship.
We isolate the evidence that points to Tawhid
Rububia.
However
if we are calling someone who believes
in the existence of a deity like a
Christian or a Jew
we know they have a concept of monotheism
but it has been distorted
and influenced
by cultural interpretations
and philosophical inclusions.
Consequently
we focus on presenting the names
and the attributes of Allah to
restore
the correct understanding
of his characteristics.
This is the approach that will be used
in this book Insha'Allah
if Allah
wills it.