Volume - IV / CHAPTER - 1 / LESSON NO: 5
ISLAMIC FAITH & INFIDELITY
Q 1. What is "Eimaan"(Islamic faith)?
A. Believing in all fundamentals of Islaam from the core of heart is called "Eimaan" or to believe in what the Messenger of Allah, Hadrat Muhammad Mustafa (may Allah's choicest blessings & peace be upon him) brought us from Allah Almighty whether those are commands or news with all heart and consider them all true, is called Eimaan. He who embraces Islaam (believes in all fundamentals of Islaam) is called "Muslim" or Mu'min".
Q 2. How many kinds of "Mu'min" are there?
A. There are two kinds of "Mu'min" i.e. "Mu'min Saaleh" and "Mu'min Faasiq". Mu'min Saaleh or Mu'min Mutee1 is the believer who not only believes in Islaamic faith from the botton of his heart and with the tongue but also follows "Shari'ah" practically and does not transgress "Amr-o-Nahee" (the commands and prohibitions of Allah and His Prophet) and "Mu'min Faasiq" is that believer who firmly believes in all "commands of Shariah" but does not practise them like he believes that "Saum-o-Salaat"(fast and prayer) are obligatory on him but he does not observe them.
Q 3. Who is called "Faasiq-ul-'Aqidah"?
A. "Faasiq-ul-Aqidah" is he who claims to be a Muslim but his beliefs are inimical to "Ahle-Sunnat-wa-Jama'at" creed. Such person is called misguided, transgressor and disbeliever.
Q 4. Are physical acts included in "Eimaan" or not?
A. The real Eimaan is only to believe in "Islaamic faith" with one's all heart and physical acts are not a part and parcel of Eimaan. However, these are necessary to perfect one's Eimaan.
Some physical acts which totally conflict with the teachings of Islaam like worshipping or prostrating before idols, the moon, the sun or to blaspheme against any Prophet, the Holy Qur-aan, the Holy Ka'bah or to trifle with any Sunnah (practice,saying) of the Holy Prophet, are indeed, "Kufr" (infidelity, disbelief). Similarly some symbols are indicative of infidelity and disbelief like "Zannar" (a sacred thread worn by Hindus round the body cross-wise), "Qashqa" (painting a particular mark on the forehead by Hindus) and a "plait of hair" kept by male Hindus on the head. If a Muslim practises such diabolical things, he will have to reaffirm his Eimaan and also renew his "Nikah" (wed-lock), if married.
Q 5. Does Eimaan increase and decrease or not?
A. Eimaan (Islaamic faith) neither increases nor decreases since it has no quantity, measurement or number. Eimaan is a 'testification of particular beliefs with one's all heart". However, it is subject to weakening and strengthening i.e. the perfection of Eimaan may one time become weak and the other time become further consolidated. A Prophetic saying to this effect reads: "Eimaan of Hadrat Abu Bakr Siddique (may Allah be pleased with him) alone overshadows Eimaan of whole Muslim Ummah i.e. collective Eimaan of all believers".
Q 6. What is the difference between Islaam and Eimaan?
A. The literal meaning of Islaam is "obedience" and "submission" whereas according to Shari'ahh there is no difference between Islaam and Eimaan but both are the same things. He who is Mu'min is also Muslim and likewise a Muslim is also Mu'min. However, testification of Islamic faith only by the tongue is not reliable and one does not become Mu'min unless
coupled with the testification of the heart.
Q 7. What is the prerequisite to become Muslim?
A. The prerequisite to become Muslim is that one must declare his embracing of Islaam with the tongue so that Muslims consider him Muslim and treat him accordingly. It is also obligatory upon him not to deny any fundamental of Islaam even by the tongue though he is firm at heart.
No believer can dare blaspheme except the wretched one who does not value Eimaan. In brief, Eimaan is an irrevocable testification of Islaamic faith.
Q 8. What are called "Kufr" and "Shirk"?
A. Denying any of what the Holy Prophet brought us from Allah Almighty is "Kufr" (infidelity ,disbelief) and considering anyone or anything "Waajib-ul-Wujood" (Eternal,Self-existant) or worthy of worship save Allah is "Shirk" (polytheism). Associating partners with Allah in His Divinity is the worst kind of "Shirk" otherwise no "Kufr" how bad it may be, is "Shirk".
Sometimes "Shirk" is taken for "total infidelity, disbelief.
A stern warning which the Holy Qur-aan has sounded that "Shirk"(polytheism) will not be absolved means: no sort of infidelity,disbelief will indeed be forgiven. He who practises "Kufr" is called "Kaafir"(infidel, disbeliever) and he who practises "Shirk" is called "Mushrik"(polytheist).
Q 9. How many kinds of infidels,disbelievers are there?
A. Infidels are of two kinds i.e. the original and the renegade.
The original infidel is he who is inborn infidel and denies Islaam. No matter whether he openly practises infidelity or he apparently recites "Kalimah"(the Holy Code of Islaam) but is infidel at heart. Renegade is the one who claims to be a Muslim but blasphemes, or he was Muslim but later abandoned Islaam or he still recites "Kalimah" and claims to be a Muslim but blasphemes against Allah Almighty and His Messenger or denies any fundamental of Islaam.
Q10. How many kinds of infidels are there who openly disbelieve?
A. There are four kinds of infidels who openly deny Islaam:
1. Atheist who denies the existance of Allah Almighty, considers the world and creatures self-existant and also denies the Doomsday. "Zindeeq" and "Mulhid" (unbeliever and apostate) are also included among atheists who make mockery of Islaam. No matter whether they believe in the existance of Allah or not.
2. "Mushrik" (polytheist) who considers that some person(s) or object(s) other than Allah are also worthy of worship and are eternal like Hindus who worship idols and Aryans who consider "spirit" and "matter" self-existant and eternal. Hindus and Aryans both are "Mushrik". It is un-Islaamic to take Aryans for "Mohid" (unitarian).
3. "Majoosi" (Zoroastrian) who worship fire.
4. "Ahle Kitaab" (people of the Divine book) like Jews and Christians who believe in the Divine Books but deny and do not believe in the Holy Qur-aan.
Q11. Who is "Munaafiq"?
A. "Munaafiq" is that disbeliever who claims to be a Muslim by the tongue but denies Islaam at heart. Such accursed ones will be consigned to the lowest cadre(the worst torment) of hell. Some people had gained notoriety of being hypocrites during the life time of the Holy Prophet as Allah Almighty and His Messenger had debunked their hypocrisy (disbelief,infidelity at heart) and declared them "Munaafiq"(hypocrites). In the present age, it is difficult to say with certainty about anyone that such and such person is "Munaafiq". However, a branch of it is found which leads to those wretched ones who simultaneously claim to be Muslim and deny one or the other fundamentals of Islaam.
"Munaafiqeen" (pi.of Munaafiq) are the worst of infidels,disbelievers. Keeping company with them is worse than the company of thousands of disbelievers, for, they undermine Islaam disguising themselves as Muslim.
Q12. Is it lawful or not to make "Du'aa" for the forgiveness of an infidel,disbeliever?
A. The one who prays for the forgiveness of any (dead) infidel,disbeliever or considers any (dead) renegade "absolved" or (dead) Hindu "Jannati" (the one who has been entered into paradise), is himself an infidel and disbeliever.
Q13. Can we describe a "Kaafir" as "Kaafir" or not?
A. Describing a Muslim as Muslim and a Kaafir (infidel, disbeliever) as Kaafir is one of the fundamentals of Islaam. However, it can not be claimed whether a certain person died in the state of Eimaan(Islaamic faith) or in disbelief unless his end is proved by Shari'ah, but it does not mean that one should doubt about disbelief,infidelity of an open infidel, disbeliever. Such thing renders doubter "infidel" himself.
The commands of Allah Almighty and His Prophet to this effect are that a disbeliever who died without renouncing his disbelief and embracing Islaam would be considered disbeliever and meted out such treatment that is allowed for infidels and disbelievers by the Shari'ah leaving the matter of his end to Allah Almighty. Similarly, a believer who died without committing any blasphemy would be considered believer though it is not known whether his end was good or not.
The Shari'ahh is applicable to the outward state of a man (not to the inward). Reward and chastisement on the Doomsday will be given on the basis of good and bad end.
Q14. How many misguided sects are there in Muslim Ummah?
A. An "Hadees" in this respect says that Muslim Ummah will be divided into seventy three sects. Of which only one sect will be "Naaji"(deserving paradise) and
the remaining all sects will be cast into hell. The companions asked the Holy Prophet about the "Naaji" sect. He said: that sect which follows me and my companions(i.e.the followers of Sunnah). Another Hadees says: that sect is "Sawaad-e-A'zam"(vast majority of Muslims following Sunnah) and the believer who parted from this sect has actually strayed for hell.
The "Naaji" sect which has been pointed out by the Holy Prophet is, indeed, "Ahle Sunnat wa Jama'at".
Q15. Which things are the basics of Islaamic faith?
A. The basic knowledge of Islaam are those things which all and sundry must know that the Holy Prophet received them from Allah Almighty and taught us like Monotheism (Oneness of Allah), Prophethood, Paradise, Hell, Doomsday and belief in the finAlity of (Hadrat) Muhammad's Prophethood and that no other prophet will follow (succeed) him, all Divine books are true and "Kalaam Allah"(Speech,Word of Allah) and the Holy Qur-aan is protected from being interpolated even if all men in the world help one another to do the evil.