ARTICLES OF FAITH

Q) What are the major beliefs in Islam concerning Tauhid/Oneness of Allah?

[10]
A) Tawheed is the first Article of Faith and the first pillar of Islam. It is
necessary to believe in Tawheed as it differentiates between a believer and a
disbeliever. Tawheed or the belief in the Oneness of Allah is the first and the
main principle of Islam. It means that Allah is the only Creator and Sustainer
of the universe. He is ever-living, the first and the last. He is independent
while others are dependent on Him for their existence and survival. He is the
source and support of all life, the only one worthy of worship. Allah is
omnipotent (having unlimited power/authority). He knows everything
hidden and obvious/apparent, he is everywhere and has perfect knowledge of
the past, present and future. In Surah Ikhlas, it is stated: “Say He is Allah, the
one. Allah the eternal. He does not beget nor is He begotten, and there is
none like Him”. Surah Ikhlas is also called one-third of the Qur’an which
means that one-third of the subject matter of the Qur’an revolves around
Tauheed. A person becomes a Muslim just by believing and uttering the
expression: “There is no god but Allah and Muhammad (PBUH) is the
messenger of Allah”. This message occurs throughout the Qur’an for
example in the verse of the Throne it says “There is no god but He…” and the
first Surah of the Qur’an (Surah Al-Fatiha) begins as: “Praise be to Allah, the
lord of the worlds”.

Belief in Allah is important for Muslims because all the prophets of Allah
taught the believers to worship the One Real God and no one else. The
opposite of belief in Oneness Of Allah, Shirk, is the only unpardonable sin.
According to the leading scholars of Islam, there are three kinds of Tauheed.
Tauhid-ar-Rububiyyah (Oneness of lordship of Allah), Tauhid-al-Auluhiya
(Oneness in the worship of Allah) and Tauhid-al-Asma-wa-Sifat (One of the
names and qualities of Allah).

Tauhid-ur-Rabubiya (Oneness of lordship of Allah) refers to the belief that

Allah is Self-Existent; He is Creator and the Sustainer of the universe. It is
stated in Surah Az-Zumar: “Allah is the creator of all things and He is the
Guardian over all things”. Allah is Omnipotent, law giver and the Judge. He
is alone, he does not have a family, a spouse, a father or a son. There is no hint
of plurality about Him. Surah Al-Kahf states: “There is no other guardian of
the creation in the heavens and the earths and he does not associate anyone
with Himself in His authority”. It is also a belief that He is entirely immune
to all forms of human weakness and needs such as hunger, thirst, sleep, etc.
Surah Al-Baqarah states “...no slumber can seize Him nor sleep…”.

Tauhid-al-Auluhiya (Oneness in the worship of Allah) refers to the belief

that since Allah is the creator and cherisher, He is the only one worthy of
worship. All supplication, pleading and begging are only due to Allah. So we
as Muslims, must observe all the religious practices such as prayers, hajj, fast
and giving alms to the poor, etc only for the sake of Allah. Surah Al-Fatiha
states: “You alone we worship and your aid we seek”.

Tauhid-al-Asma-wa-Sifat (One of the names and qualities of Allah) refers to

the belief that Allah is matchless not only in His essence but also in His
names and attributes. This belief includes that we must not name or quality
Allah except with what He and His messenger have named or qualified Him.
None can be named or qualified with the names or qualifications of Allah,
for example Karim, Raheem, Rehman, etc. Surah Al-Mai’dah states: “And
there is none like unto Him”. We must believe in the qualities of Allah which
He has stated in His book or mentioned through His Messenger without
changing, twisting or ignoring their meaning. He is the One and Only,
absolute and eternal, creator and cherisher, most merciful and unique.

The acknowledgement of Tawheed is the fundamental belief in Islam and is

the basis of salvation. The basic message of all the messengers was the same;
there is no god but Allah. All the previous scriptures preached Tauheed as
well however, due to alterations of the texts, the doctrine of Tawheed was
changed. Finally, Allah sent his last Messenger with the Qur’an to set people
to the straight path. We cannot see Allah but his existence is confirmed when
we ponder over the universe and how such an organized and coordinated
world could not have come into existence on its own. Surah Al-Mulk states:
“You will not see any flaw in what the Lord of mercy creates.”

Q) How does belief in Oneness of Allah shape a believer’s character? [4]

OR
Q) Why is it important for Muslims to believe in one God? [4]
A) When a person submits himself to the will of Allah and follows His
commands only, he gives superiority over all other creatures in the universe.
A believer in Tauhid remains away from the evil of pride because he
acknowledges that whatever fortune he possesses is a gift of Allah to him. A
believer in Tauhid fears performing evil acts even in his private life because he
knows that Allah is watching him all the time. A true believer in the Oneness
of Allah never loses hope and patience in the face of difficulties because he
takes them as a test from Allah and believes that Allah will help him
overcome these problems. Belief in Tauhid also makes a person fearless; he
does not give importance to the superstitions and knows that Allah is
guarding and protecting him at all times. He never depends on others for his
needs and prays to Allah for help instead of losing his self respect by begging
in front of people.

Q) Why do Muslims avoid associating other gods with Allah? [4]

A) The Holy Quran tells us in Surah An-Nisa: “Allah doesn’t forgive him
who attaches partners with Him”, so shirk must be avoided to receive the
mercy and forgiveness of Allah on the Day of Judgement. The Holy Prophet
(PBUH) declared shirk the greatest of all sins because when we perform shirk
we also adopt a number of other evils. Shirk is the greatest form of injustice
because it is Allah who has created us and sustains us physically and mentally
and instead of serving Him we choose to serve others. A muslim is supposed
to be grateful to Allah alone because it is Him who is our cherisher. By doing
shirk we become ungrateful to Allah. Muslims avoid associating other gods
with Allah because all the prophets of Allah who are mentioned in the Holy
Quran preached this basic principle of Tauhid.
Q) What are the major beliefs in Islam concerning Prophets? [10]
A) There are two types of Prophets of Allah, “Nabi” and “Rasul”. Nabi is a
person who is very near to Allah through total submission and who receives
revelations from time to time which serve as a source of guidance for human
kind. Rasul is a messenger of Allah who has devoted himself to the will of
Allah and who receives revelations which are in the form of a scripture. Belief
in prophets is one of the fundamental articles of faith. It is stated in Surah
Ar-Ra’d: “For every nation, there was a guide”. This shows that no nation
existed without a Prophet. It is commanded in the Holy Quran to believe in
all the Prophets without any difference as it is stated in Surah Al-Baqarah:
“We make no distinction between any of His messengers”. This shows that
all prophets are to be held in equal respect.

Muslims believe that the long line of the prophets that started from Hazrat
Adam (A.S) ended with Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). According to a
hadith, there were 124, 000 messengers of Allah. Not all of them have been
mentioned in the Holy Quran. The Holy Quran tells us stories of Hazrat
Adam, Hazrat Ibrahim, Hazrat Ismail, Hazrat Nuh, Hazrat Yusuf, Hazrat
Yaqub (A.S) and many others. All of these Prophets taught similar messages;
there is no god but Allah. All the Prophets had some common
characteristics: they were all male, had wives, children and families, truthful,
free from sins and delivered Allah’s message without any changes. They had
the highest order of intelligence and were mortal. They each taught in their
native language.

Allah had sent them for a variety of functions such as to bring the ungodly
world to the right path, to free people from injustice and oppression (Hazrat
Musa A.S was sent to free people from the tyranny of the Pharaoh.), to revive
the forgotten teachings of the previous Prophets, to support each other
(Hazrat Haroon A.S was sent to support Hazrat Moosa A.S at the same
time.), to convey Allah’s message and show a practical demonstration of
Allah’s teachings, to remove evils from the society and to serve as the best
example for humans as all prophets themselves were human beings.

All the prophets received the Divine Revelations, some of them were blessed
with the Divine Books like Hazrat Dawood (A.S) was blessed with Zaboor,
Hazrat Moosa (A.S) was blessed with Taurat, Hazrat Isa (A.S) was blessed
with Injil and the Holy Prophet (PBUH) was blessed with the Holy Quran.
Many of the Prophets were also blessed with miracles like Hazrat Isa (A.S)
gave life to the dead, cure the leper and talk in the cradle and Hazrat Moosa
(A.S)’s stick transforming into a snake. These blessings served as a help from
Allah to the prophets in preaching Islam more easily.

The Holy Prophet (PBUH) is the “seal of the Prophets”. He is the last
prophet of Allah and there will be no prophet after him. He is a universal
Prophet (meant for all times and people of the world, not limited to a
particular nation or time) while other prophets were sent for particular
nations. The Holy Quran states in Surah Al-Anbiyaa: “We sent you as a
mercy for the whole Universe.” He received the most authentic Divine and
comprehensive book which has and will remain unchanged while all the
other scriptures were altered. He is also the only prophet whose life history is
fully recorded for future generations to learn from and act like. The guidance
given to him was complete which was not the case with any other prophet.
All the Prophets preached the same message. They were sent to be obeyed by
the people and must be held in equal respects. The Holy Prophet (PBUH)
did not preach a new message but it was the same message as preached by all
the other prophets before him. This shows that Islam is not a new religion
but a continuation of all the messages conveyed by the previous messengers
of Allah sent to this world.

Q) Why is it important for Muslims to believe in Prophets? [4]

OR
Q) How does belief in Prophets shape a believer’s character? [4]
A) It is fundamental to believe in all prophets. All prophets were given divine
commandments and were sent to be followed. They all preached the same
message. Belief in prophets is very important as these righteous people of
Allah are the best examples of conduct for their believers. Following them is a
key to success in this world and the hereafter. The stories of prophets
mentioned in the Holy Quran help us in daily life as we get to learn that
Allah tests His good people and helps them through Divine Support. This
keeps us hopeful in difficulties. They served as a vital link between Allah and
mankind. Allah chose to speak to the people through them. Belief in
prophets also makes the believers courageous as they don’t surrender in the
face of problems because they know bearing these problems with patience
and courage would get them rewarded by Allah.

Q) Why do you think God gave miracles to his chosen prophets? [4]
A) The main purpose of bestowing miracles upon some of the prophets was
to show humanity that they were divinely appointed messengers without any
doubt and that every miracle was a reflection of Allah’s power. Actual power
lies with Allah, He can bestow these powers to whom He wills as He gave
powers to Hazrat Isa (A.S). The miracles granted to the Prophets were
usually in the fields their nations excelled in as during the time of Hazrat
Moosa (A.S), his nation was expert in magic so Allah gave him miracles to
excel in the power of magic. Magicians threw ropes that became snakes so
Hazrat Musa (A.S) threw his stick that became a serpent and ate all the
snakes. The Holy Prophet (PBUH)’s community was expert in poetry so
Allah gave him the Holy Quran that improved their poetry. This also helped
the prophets convey their message easily by proving to people that they are
the chosen messengers by simply using their miracles.
Q) What are the major beliefs in Islam concerning Revealed Books? [10]
A) The word “revelation” means “wahi” in Arabic which means “the word of
Allah'' which was communicated to the prophet through Angel Jibrael (A.S).
The word “Wahi” (revelation) is derived from “awha”. The revelation can
reach Allah’s chosen individuals via an inspired message, not a word, but an
idea that can enter the heart of the chosen individuals either in the state of
consciousness or in a dream. Revelations are a message from Allah. The
revealed books are the revelations which are also the word of Allah. Belief in
the revealed books is one of the fundamental articles of faith. Muslims
believe that from time to time, Allah sent Divide Guidance in the form of
books to His prophets. Allah used different methods to convey his
commands to the Prophets as described in the Holy Quran in Surah
Ash-Shura: “It is not fitting for a man that Allah should speak to him except
by inspiration, or from behind a veil or by sending the messenger to reveal
with Allah’s permission what He wills”. This shows that revelation came
through different ways. This is a gift from Allah which cannot be acquired by
hard work, wisdom or knowledge.

The guidance sent by Allah was the same. It talked about the principles of
Islam and basic beliefs like belief in Tauheed, prophets, books, angels and the
day of judgment but some of the guidance was according to the needs of the
people for the particular period. Allah sent revelations to all the prophets like
Hazrat Adam (A.S), Hazrat Ibrahim (A.S) and other prophets, but the
Quran only mentions 4 Divine Books and 114 scriptures (Suhufs). Hazrat
Dawood (A.S) was blessed with the first book, Zaboor, Hazrat Moosa (A.S)
was blessed with Taurat, Hazrat Isa (A.S) was blessed with Injil and the Holy
Prophet (PBUH) was blessed with the Holy Quran.
The books revealed before the Holy Quran were revealed to the particular
community and period but the Quran was revealed as a guide to the whole of
mankind as the verse of the Quran states: “We have sent this book as a guide
to the whole of mankind”. The books revealed before the Quran were altered
and changed and the original teachings were lost but the Quran is and will
remain in the original form till the Day Of Judgement because Allah Himself
took the responsibility to protect this book from corruption. A verse of the
Quran states: “We have without doubt sent down the Quran and We will
assuredly guard it from corruption”. This verse confirms the Quran being in
the same original form in which it was revealed. It is a complete book of
guidance which deals with every aspect of life. It is the last book of Allah and
is the most comprehensive and has the perfect guidance.

All of the revelations were delivered by Angel Jibrael (A.S) to the prophets.
They were sent to provide guidance to the ungodly world, provide laws and
differentiate between the lawful and unlawful, communicate with Allah’s
chosen people and to declare prophet hood upon them, to revive the
previous guidance because it was either forgotten or corrupted, to guide
people according to the need of time, to establish a link between Allah and
mankind and to remove the darkness of ignorance with the light of
knowledge. The books were revealed by Allah to show the principles of
religion relating to the oneness of Allah, His attributes, prayers, belief in
prophethood, the day of judgment and the concept of reward and
punishment for one’s deeds in the life and hereafter.

The revealed books helped enlighten the human mind and give guidance in
those areas in which he is unable to decide matters through his own wisdom
and knowledge. The Holy Quran is the final and complete book of guidance
in all aspects of human life as in social, economic, political and private.
Muslims must put its teachings in their everyday life and should recite the
Quran not only for the reward but also to understand and follow its
teachings.

Q) Why is it important for Muslims to believe in the Revealed Books? [4]

OR
Q) How does belief in the Revealed Books shape a believer’s character? [4]
A) Muslims believe that books were revealed as a guide to humankind so they
must be respected and it is an article of faith to believe in all of them. The
Quran was revealed as a guide to Muslims so they must obey quranic
teachings and follow its commandments. It gives guidance in all aspects of
human life such as social, economic, political and private life, so Muslims
must put its teachings in their every walk of life and should not recite the
Quran only for reward but also to understand its teachings and follow its
guidance. A verse of the Quran states: “Indeed this Quran guides to the path
which is clearer and straighter than any other”. This source of guidance lays
the criteria for what is forbidden and what is prohibited. It helps a muslim
minimize bad deeds while maximizing good deeds.

Q) How is the Quran different from the other revealed books? [4]
A) The Holy Quran is the only book having the title of “Kalamullah” (the
word of Allah). The Quran comes from the highest level of all of Allah’s
names with the title of “Lord of the realms”. Other revealed books do not
have a particular title as their names come from some particular name of
Allah. Other revealed books need to answer the needs of a particular tribe
and that particular period but the Holy Quran is an universal book
addressing to the humans, jinns, as well as past and future generations. The
Holy Quran is the only revealed scripture which has been preserved to the
present time in its exact, original form and language. All copies of the Quran
anywhere in the world are the same while the books revealed earlier have
either had its contents totally lost or altered. The Holy Quran is unique in a
sense that there is an authentic record of its revelation time period as well as
how it was brought into its present form.
Q) What are the major beliefs in Islam concerning Angels? [10]
A) Belief in the existence of angels is a fundamental and the second article of
Islamic faith. In the Holy Quran, angels are spoken of as “messengers”.
Muslims believe that angels are the creation of Allah created out of light and
are heavenly beings who are invisible to the human eye. They are unlike
humans as they do not require food, water or rest and do not get tired of
their duties. They are pure from sins as they have no free will or desire. They
are neither partners nor the objects of worship. They have no knowledge
except what Allah has taught them. Angels can transform into human form
at the will of Allah. They have necessary qualities to perform certain duties.
Angels are the messengers of Divine Revelation to prophets and belief in
them is a fundamental article of faith in Islam. The Quran states: “It is
righteous to believe in Allah, the last day, the angels, the books and the
messengers”.

The angels have many responsibilities and act as Allah’s agents and serve Him
in many ways. They are absolutely obedient to Allah’s commands and are
engaged in continuous worship and service to Him. They are sent to protect
men, to administer Allah’s punishments, to carry His messages and to
perform various other duties. As it is stated in Surah Al-Infitar: “But verily
over you (are appointed angels) to protect you, kind and honorable, writing
down (your deeds).” Angels have been helping the prophets in their mission
and destroyed the previous nations who disobeyed Allah’s messengers.
Angels conveyed the messages of Allah to the pious people (Angel Jibrael A.S
brought the good news of Hazrat Isa A.S to Hazrat Maryam A.S). They used
to appear before the prophets in human form to give them the messages of
Allah. They also helped the Holy Prophet (PBUH) in battles like the battle
of badr.

The angels pray for the forgiveness of believers and descend in the night of
power with Allah’s blessings. They strengthen the hearts of the righteous
believers and are their protectors. They put terror into the hearts of the
unbelievers. Angels are the guardians of the Hell-Fire. They will welcome
those in Heaven who obey Allah’s commands and will throw all the wrong
doers into Hell. They also send blessings upon our Holy Prophet (PBUH)
and the believers as stated in Surah Al-Azhab: “Indeed, Allah and His Angels
send blessings on the Prophet. O believers, you also should ask and send
blessing and peace to him”.

There are millions of angels, some of them are prominent and have been
assigned with important duties such as [1] Hazrat Jibrael (A.S) who is the
chief among the angels. He is the archangel. He revealed the Quran to the
Holy Prophet (PBUH) and other messengers before him. He is also the
messenger through whom Allah speaks to His prophets. [2] Hazrat Izrael
(A.S) is also called the angel of death and he is responsible for taking our
souls upon death. [3] Hazrat Israfel (A.S) is responsible for blowing the
trumpet at the time of the Day Of Judgement. [4] Hazrat Mikael (A.S) who
is charged to look after the universe such as the movement of stars, planets,
galaxies and all forces of nature. He is also responsible for rain and providing
provision to people under the command of Allah. [5] Hazrat Rizwan (A.S)
who is the angel that is incharge of Heaven. [6] Hazrat Malik (A.S) who is
the angel that rules over Hell. [7] Kiraman Katiban are the two angels which
record our every word and deed up to the moment of our deaths. This record
will be presented to humans on the Day Of Judgement. [8] Munkir and
Nakir are the two angels who come to ask questions from the deceased
immediately after he or she is kept in the grave.

Q) Why is it important for Muslims to believe in the Angels? [4]

OR
Q) How does belief in the Angels shape a believer’s character? [4]
A) The belief in the angels is very significant in the life of a believer as the
Quran says: “It is righteous to believe in Allah, the last day, the angels, the
books and the messengers”. It makes him righteous, God fearing and humble
because he believes that the angels record all he does so he remains obedient
to Allah and keeps himself away from sins. It gives us a strong sense of
accountability for our actions as we know that the respected recorders are
continuously recording our deeds so we try to live a righteous life. The angels
Munkir and Nakir remind us that we must prepare before death and Angel
Izrael (A.S) reminds us that death is an absolute certainty which cannot be
ignored. This belief also provides us with hope in face of difficulties. We
know that angels would protect us from all possible sources of harm.

Q) Discuss the importance of Jibra’il A.S in comparison to other angels. [4]

A) Angels have the particular job to perform which is assigned to them by
Allah. Such as Hazrat Israel (A.S) is given responsibility to take out souls,
Hazrat Israfil (A.S) will blow the trumpet on the day of judgment and so on.
However, Hazrat Jibrael (A.S) is the archangel who had the all important
duty. He had been bringing the revelations to all prophets from Hazrat
Adam (A.S) to the Holy Prophet (PBUH). He had the most important task
as he was sent by Allah to announce the birth of Hazrat Isa (A.S) to Hazrat
Maryam (A.S) and to deliver the Holy Quran to the Holy Prophet (PBUH).
Angel Jibrael (A.S) also conducted Miraj as he took the Holy Prophet
(PBUH) to the heavens. The Quran describes Jibrael (A.S) as the Holy Spirit
because of his special duties.
Q) What are the major beliefs in Islam concerning Pre-Desination and
Decree? [10]
A) The word “Taqdir” is from the word Qadir that is one of the attributes of
Allah which means All Knowing and All Powerful. Belief in the
Pre-Destination is one of the fundamental articles of faith. Everything in this
universe has a pre-determined set course ordained before the creation of
mankind. All changes in the system of the universe occur in due measure and
proportion, which facilitates to maintain the balance of nature as stated in
the Holy Quran in the verse of the Moon: “Indeed all things have We made
in proportion and measure”. Nothing happens without Allah’s Will or
Knowledge. Everything which happens, whether good or bad, is determined
by Allah Almighty. He is the creator and the originator of the universe who is
well aware of the nature of His creations. Ultimately it is Allah Almighty
who determines all that happens to His creations and nothing is out of his
bounds.

All the evil forces play their action so that humans may be tested in the life of
this world. Allah has perfect knowledge and determines the choices which
people make. He knows if they are right or wrong as he has given them free
choice and free will. He does not force anyone to commit sin as He Himself
is pure. He has written before the birth of what people would do through
His unlimited knowledge. The Holy Quran states: “No misfortune can
happen on earth or in your souls but is recorded in a decree before We bring
it into existence: that is truly easy for Allah”.

Since Allah Almighty is our Creator, we must only seek protection from
Him from all the evils which are lurking around us. It is not difficult for Him
to grant us anything. There are two types of Taqdir, “Mubram” which can
never be changed, for example a person cannot pray to Allah to give him
eternal life. The other is “Muallaq” which can be changed by praying to
Allah to save him from misfortunes and sins. A hadith states: “Dua can
change predestination”. So Muslims can change their predestination by
praying to their Lord because He is all hearing, all knowing, most gracious
and most merciful.

The main purpose of the Prophetic missions was to guide the people to
distinguish between the right and the wrong path. Humans are bestowed
with two choices, right or wrong. If he selects the evil path and carelessly
walks over it, he is destined to be doomed if Allah does not save him.
However, if he selects the path of virtue, with sincerity and good intentions
then by the grace of Allah, he will enter heaven in the hereafter.

Q) Why is it important for Muslims to believe in Pre-Destination and

Decree? [4]
OR
Q) How does belief in Pre-Destination and Decree shape a believer’s
character? [4]
A) The belief in Pre-destination affects the life of Muslims by making them
realize that Allah is the Supreme Creator, He is all knowing, he knows what
we reveal and what we conceal. So this makes Muslims humble, righteous
and honest. Muslims cannot hide anything from their creator, that’s why
they purify their private life and thoughts because Allah knows everything,
whether public or private. Muslims believe that whatever comes to their life
is from their Lord so whenever they pass a happy moment, they thank Allah
for His blessings and whenever any problems come, he bears it with patience
and asks only Allah for help.