Volume - III / CHAPTER - 1 / LESSON NO: 1
ISLAMIC BELIEFS
"TAUHEED" (MONOTHEISM)
Q 1: How many fundamental beliefs of Islaam are there?
A. There are three fundamental beliefs of Islaam i.e. Oneness of Allah (Monotheism), Prophethood and the Resurrection Day. The remaining beliefs are subsidiary to these fountain-heads of Islaam.
Q 2: What does Tauheed mean?
A. Tauheed means to believe with all heart and express by the tongue that Allah alone is the Creator of all the worlds and everything therein. He has no partner, neither in His Ownself, in His Attributes, in His Kingdom nor in His worship.
Q 3: What proof about Allah's Existence is there?
A. The Existence of Allah is brighter than the sun. The belief in His Existence is ingrained in everybody's nature which is evident from the fact that even deniers (of Allah) take ultimate recourse to God when afflicted by any distress and disease and spontaneously call God for help on death-bed.
Q 4: Which things of the world are reflective of Allah's Existence?
A. The sky, earth, stars, planets, humanbeings and animals and all other creatures are a cogent proof to convince one of an average sense that all these giant and tiny things have not come into existence at their own but have been created by any "most powerful authority" who is the real Creator (Allah). How convincing are the words of a bedouin who said: droppings of a camel lead one to acknowledge the existence of camel and footprints lead to the existence of a walker.
The creation of the earth, the sky, the sun, the moon and other planets their movement and function and alternation of the night with the day and vice versa in harmony and perfection are the potent proofs of the existence of One Creator i.e. Allah Who is All-powerful, Omnipotent, Supreme and All-wise. Nothing can go out of the control of this Mightiest Controller.
Q 5: What proofs in respect of Tauheed are there?
A. The first proof of the Oneness of God (Allah) is the human sense provided it is inclined to acknowledge the truth. Almost all the prominent scholars and philosophers believe in monotheism. The other proofs to this effect are adduced by the Holy Qur-aan.
Q 6: What Qur-aanic proof of monotheism is there?
A. There are many Qur-aanic verses which prove the Oneness of God (Allah). For example:
1. "Wa Ilaahukum Ilaahun Waahid. Laaa Ilaaha Illaa Huwar Rahmaa-nur-Raheem" (And your God is One God, there is no God but He, the Most Affectionate, the Most Merciful).
2. "Shahidal Laahu Annahu Laaa Ilaaha Illaa Hoo. Wai Malaaa-ikatu wa Ulul-'Ilme Qaaa-Imaam Bilqist" (There is the witness of Allah that there is none to be worshiped but He (Allah) alone and the angels and the men of learning are witness and His dispensation is based on justice).
3. "Lau Kana Feehimaa Aalihatun Illal Laahu Lafasadataa" (If there were other gods on the earth and in the sky than Allah, they would have ruined).
4. "Izal Lazahaba Kullu Uaahin Bimaa Khalaqa Wala'alaa Ba'duhum 'Alaa Ba'd. Subhaanal Laahe 'Ammaa Yasefoon" (If there were many gods, every god would have taken its creature and swooped on the other. Glorified is Allah above all that which they say).
Q 7: What are the cardinal points of Tauheed? A. The cardinal points of Tauheed are four:
1. Allah alone is Eternal.
2. Allah alone is the Creator of all the celestial and terrestrial worlds.
3. Allah alone is the Supreme, Final and Ultimate Sovereign, Master, Fashioner and Controller of the earth, the sky and everything therein.
4. Allah alone is worthy of worship.
Q 8: What is meant by "Waajib-ul-Wujood"?
A. Waajib-ul-Wujood is the entity which is Self-existent, Eternal and Which has no beginning and no end. He has created and creates everything but nobody created Him. This Sublime entity is of Allah alone.
Q 9: What does "Qadeem" mean?
A. Qadeem means eternally existing.
Q10: What is meant by "Baaqi"?
A. Baaqi means eternal in the end. It is also called" Abdi" which means ever-lasting(eternal). All these attributes are the proved ones for Allah.
Q11: What other things are eternal like the Sublime Person of Allah?
A. The attributes of Allah are also eternal in the beginning and in the end like His Sublime Person. All other things are "Haadis" (created ones). The one who considers anything excepting Allah and His Attributes, as eternal and is doubtful about any "Haadis" or considers soul or any other matter as eternal like Aryans, is undoubtedly an infidel and polytheist.
Q12: What does "Haadis" mean?
A. Haadis means a thing which had no existence but was created by anyone. It is also called "Mumkin" (possible to be created).
Q13: What are the Proper (Personal) and Attributive names of Allah?
A. The proper (personal) name of Allah is "Allah" and all other names which indicate His one or the other quality are attributive names.
Q14: How many names of Allah are there?
A. There are innumerable names of Allah. A saying of the Holy Prophet gives a glad tidings of paradise to the believer who memorises ninety-nine names of Allah.
Q15: Can Allah be remembered by other names besides these ones or not?
A. Remembering Allah by the names which are inconsistent with the Holy Qur-aan and Sunnah like "Sakhi" (generous) or "Rafiq" (companion) is not allowed. Similarly those names which have been fixed by other nations for Allah and carry bad meanings like "Raam" or "Parmaatama" are also forbidden.
Q16: Can humanbeings be named by the name of Allah?
A. Some names of Allah can be given to His servants like 'Alee, Rasheed, Kabeer etc: since such names are not taken to mean for man what they signify for Allah. However, such names should not be distorted i.e. to deliberately pronounce them incorrectly.