Belief in Allah
GCSE Questions:
These are the sort of Questions you will have to answer:
Section 1: Believing in Allah *
1.c) Explain how the religious experience of prayer may support belief in Allah. (8)
d) "Children should be allowed to make up their own minds about whether to believe in God."
Do you agree? Give reasons for your opinions showing that you have considered another point of view.
In your answer you should refer to Islam. (4)
2.c) Explain why a Muslim's experience of the natural world may lead them to believe in God. (8)
(Edexcel GCSE R.S. Specimen questions)
Unit 1: The Nature of God
3 Islam
a)Describe the reasons Muslims might give in support of their belief in God. (8)
b)Explain how believing that the Qur'an is a holy book might affect the lives of Muslims.(7)
c)'There is no way of knowing what Allah might be like.' (5)
Do you agree? Give reasons to support your answer and show that you have thought about different points of view.
You must refer to Islam in your answer.
(OCR, R.S. Philosophy & Ethics Paper 1)
Qur'an:
It is not righteousness that ye turn your faces towards East or West; But it is righteousness to believe in Allah and the Last Day, and the Angels, and the Book, and the Messengers; to spend of your substance out of love for Him, for your kin, for orphans, for the needy, for the wayfarer, for those who ask, and for the ransom of slaves; to be steadfast in prayer, and practice regular charity, to fullfil the contracts which ye have made; and to be firm and patient, in pain and adversity. [2:177]
"The Apostle believeth in what hath been revealed to him from his Lord as do the men of faith. Each one (of them) believeth in Allah, His angels, His books and His Apostles. We make no distinction (they say) between one and another of His Apostles." ( 2:285)
Hadith:
Narrated Abu Huraira: One day while the Prophet, peace be upon him, was sitting in the company of some people, [The angel] Gabriel came [in human form] and asked `What is faith?. Allahs Apostle, peace be upon him, replied, `Faith is to believe in Allah, His angels, (the) meeting with Him, His Apostles, and to believe in Resurrection'.
Narrated Ibn Umar: Allahs Apostle, peace be upon him, said: Islam is based on [the following] five [principles/pillars]: To testify that none has the right to be worshipped but Allah and Mohammed is Allahs Apostle. To offer the Salat (prayer). To pay Zakat (obligatory charity). To perform Hajj (pilgrimage to Makkah). To observe fast during the month of Ramadan.
Islamic Teaching:
1. Imaan (faith) is Simple in Islam:
Imaan (faith) literally means: to verify, to accept, to attest with the heart.
The acceptance by the heart with conviction is termed Imaan in the literal sense. Hence, Imaan is a state or an internal condition.
What do you need to believe to become a Muslim? Islam prides itself on its simplicity compared with other religions in this respect:
The following is the legal formula of the verbal assertion of Imaan (faith):
There is no God but Allah. Muhammad is the Rasool (Prophet) of Allah.
This is Imaan or Islaam in a nutshell in the concise form. The affirmation by the heart of this concise or brief formula (known as Kalimah Tayyibah) and its verbal assertion render the person a Muslim.
(http://www.shariah.net/shariah/aqaid/kitaabul-imaan.html#DEFINITION OF IMAAN)
2. Basic Islamic Beliefs: **
"But it is righteousness to believe in Allah and the Last Day, and the Angels, and the Book, and the Messengers" [from Qur'an 2:177]
"...believeth in Allah, His angels, His books and His Apostles." ( 2:285)
From these Qur'anic words it is clear that there are also fundamental beliefs which Muslims must adhere to. These are usually summed up as follows:
Fundamental Principles of Belief ***
The principles of belief can be summed up in six headings as follows:
1-To believe in the existence and oneness of Allah
2-To believe in the angels of Allah
3-To believe in the holy books of Allah
4-To believe in the prophets of Allah
5-To believe in the resurrection after death
6-To believe in fate and that everything takes place according to Allah's wish
http://www.homestead.com/Islam/how.html
Muslims believe in one unique, incomparable God; in the angels created by Him; in the prophets through whom His revelations were brought to mankind; in the Day of Judgment and individual accountability for actions; in God's complete authority over human destiny and in life after death.Muslims believe in a chain of prophets starting with Adam and including Noah, Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Job, Moses, Aaron, David, Solomon, Elijah, Jonah, John the Baptist, and Jesus, peace be upon them. But God's final message to man, a reconfirmation of the eternal message and a summing-up of all that has gone before was revealed to Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon Him) through Gabriel. ****
http://www.iad.org/Islam/faith.htm
Another more general expression of the basics is :
THE USOOL (PRINCIPLES) OF DEEN
The entire structure of the Deen of Islaam, i.e. of Imaan, is based on THREE fundamental principles which are known as Usool-e-Deen.
These three Usool are:
TAWHID: (The doctrine of Allah's Unity)
RISAALAT: (The doctrine of believing in the Prophets/Messengers)
AAKHIRAH: (The doctrine of the Hereafter)
(http://www.shariah.net/shariah/aqaid/kitaabul-imaan.html#DEFINITION OF IMAAN)
So what about the 'five pillars' of Islam? Are they not the fundamentals/basics of belief?
The following quote uses a traditional Islamic understanding of the place of the five pillars in Islam and clarifies how they relate to Iman (faith):
Islam is sometimes divided under two heads of "Faith", or "Iman", and "Practical Religion", or "Din". Faith (Iman) includes a belief in one God, omnipotent, omniscient, all-merciful, the author of all good, and in Mohammed as His prophet, expressed in the formula: "There is no God but God, and Mohammed is the Prophet of God." It includes also, belief in the authority and sufficiency of the Koran, in angels, Jinn, and the devil, in the immortality of the soul, the resurrection, the day of judgment, and in the God's absolute decree for good and evil. Practical religion (Din), on the other hand, consists of five observances, viz.: recital of the formula of belief, prayer with ablution, fasting, almsgiving, and the pilgrimage to Mecca.
(Gabriel Oussani)
3. The Five Pillars of Islam :
The five pillars are based on the following famous Hadith:
Narrated Ibn Umar: Allahs Apostle, peace be upon him, said: Islam is based on [the following] five [principles/pillars]: To testify that none has the right to be worshipped but Allah and Mohammed is Allahs Apostle. To offer the Salat (prayer). To pay Zakat (obligatory charity). To perform Hajj (pilgrimage to Makkah). To observe fast during the month of Ramadan.
This is an excellent explanation of the five pillars in detail:
Pillars of Islam and Application of Faith
Islam is built on five pillars (Hadith Sahih Bukhari Vol 1, Book 2, No 7 ), the first of which is a state of faith, the other four are major exercises of faith of which some are daily, some weekly, some monthly, some annually and some are required as a minimum once in a lifetime. These exercises of faith are to serve man's spiritual purposes, satisfy his human needs and to mark his whole life with a Divine touch.
The five pillars of Islam are:
WITNESSING (SHAHADA) THAT ALLAH IS ONE AND MUHAMMAD IS HIS MESSENGER
This statement of faith must be declared publicly. It should be a genuine belief which includes all the above articles of faith. The witnessing of the Oneness of Allah is the rejection of any form of deity other than Allah, and the witnessing that Muhammad is His Messenger is the acceptance of him being chosen by Allah to convey His message of Islam to all humanity and to deliver it from the darkness of ignorance into the light of belief in, and knowledge of, the Creator. The statement of Shahada in arabic is: Ashhadu Alla Ilaha Illa Allah Wa Ashhadu Anna Muhammad Rasulu Allah An English translation would be: I bear witness that there is no God but Allah and I bear witness that Muhammad is His Messenger
PRAYER (SALAH)
Praying to the Creator on a daily basis is the best way to cultivate in a man a sound personality and to actualize his aspiration. Allah does not need man's prayer because He is free of all needs. Prayer is for our immeasurable benefit, and the blessings are beyond imagination. In prayer, every muscle of the body joins the soul and the mind in the worship and glory of Allah. Prayer is an act of worship. It is a matchless and unprecedented formula of intellectual meditation and spiritual devotion, of moral elevation and physical exercise, all combined. Offering of prayers is obligatory upon every Muslim male and female who is sane, mature and in the case of women free from menstruation and confinement due to child birth. Requirements of prayer: performing of ablution (Wudu), purity of the whole body, clothes and ground used for prayer, dressing properly and having the intention and facing the Qiblah (the direction of the Ka'bah at Mecca). Obligatory prayers: Five daily prayers, the Friday's noon congregation prayer and the funeral prayer. Times of obligatory prayers: Early morning: After dawn and before sunrise. Noon: After the sun begins to decline from its zenith until it is about midway on its course to set. Mid-afternoon: After the expiration of the noon prayer time until sunset. Sunset: Immediately after sunset until the red glow in the western horizon disappears. Evening: After the expiration of the sunset prayer until dawn. Highly recommended prayer:Those accompanying the obligatory prayer and the two great festival prayers. Optional prayer:Voluntary prayer during the day and night. Prayer should be offered in its due time, unless there is a reasonable excuse. Delayed obligatory prayers must be made up. In addition to the prescribed prayer, a Muslim expresses gratitude to God and appreciation of His favours and asks for His mercy all the time. Especially at times of, for example, childbirth, marriage, going to or rising from bed, leaving and returning to his home, starting a journey or entering a city, riding or driving, before or after eating or drinking, harvesting, visiting graveyards and at time of distress and sickness.
OBLIGATORY CHARITY (ZAKAH)
Obligatory charity giving is an act of worship and spiritual investment. The literal meaning of Zakah is purity and it refers to the annual amount in kind or coin which a Muslim with means must distribute among the rightful beneficiaries. Zakah does not only purifies the property of the contributor but also purifies his heart from selfishness and greed. It also purifies the heart of the recipient from envy and jealousy, from hatred and uneasiness and it fosters instead good-will and warm wishes for the contributors. Zakah has a deep humanitarian and social-political value; for example, it frees society from class welfare, from ill feelings and distrust and from corruption. Although Islam does not hinder private enterprise or condemn private possession, it does not tolerate selfish and greedy capitalism. Islam adopts a moderate but positive and effective course between individual and society, between the citizen and the state, between capitalism and socialism, between materialism and spiritualism. Zakah is paid on the net balance after paying personal expenses, family expenses, due credits, taxes, etc. Every Muslim male or female who at the end of the year is in possession of the equivalent of 85 grams of gold (approx. $1400 in 1990) or more in cash or articles of trade, must give Zakah at the minimum rate of 2.5%. Taxes paid to government do not substitute for this religious duty. The contributor should not seek pride or fame but if disclosing his name and his contribution is likely to encourage others, it is acceptable to do so. The recipients of Zakah are: the poor, the needy, the new Muslim converts, the Muslim prisoners of war (to liberate them), Muslims in debt, employees appointed to collect Zakah, Muslims in service of research or study or propagation of Islam, and wayfarers who are foreigners in need of help. Note the obligatory nature of Zakah; it is required. Muslims can also go above and beyond what they pay as Zakah, in which case the offering is a strictly voluntary charity (sadaqa).
FASTING (SAWM)
Fasting is abstaining completely from eating, drinking, intimate sexual contacts and smoking from the break of dawn till sunset. It is a matchless Islamic institution which teaches man the principle of sincere love to God. Fasting teaches man a creative sense of hope, devotion, patience, unselfishness, moderation, willpower, wise saving, sound budgeting, mature adaptability, healthy survival, discipline, spirit of social belonging, unity and brotherhood. Obligatory fasting is done once a year for the period of the month of Ramadan; the ninth month of the Islamic year. Recommended fasting includes every Monday and Thursday of every week, three days in the middle of each Islamic month, six days after Ramadan following the Feast Day and a few days of the two months before Ramadan. Fasting of Ramadan is a worship act which is obligatory on every adult Muslim, male or female if he/she is mentally and physically fit and not on a journey. Exceptions: women during their period of menstruation and while nursing their child, and also in case of travel and sickness for both men and women.
THE PILGRIMAGE (HAJJ)
It is a pilgrimage to Mecca, at least once in a lifetime and it is obligatory upon every Muslim male and female who is mentally, physically and financially fit. It is the largest annual convention of faith on earth (in 1989: 2.5 million). Peace is the dominant theme. Peace with Allah, with one's soul, with one another, with all living creatures. To disturb the peace of anyone or any creature in any shape or form is strictly prohibited. Muslims from all walks of life, from every corner of the globe assemble in Mecca in response to the call of Allah. There is no royalty, but there is loyalty of all to Allah, the Creator. It is to commemorate the Divine rituals observed by the Prophet Abraham and his son Ishmael, who were the first pilgrims to the house of Allah on earth: the Ka'bah. It is also to remember the great assembly of the Day of Judgement when people will stand equal before Allah. Muslims go to Mecca to glorify Allah, not to worship a man. The visit to the tomb of Prophet Muhammad at Madena is highly recommended but not essential in making the Hajj valid and complete.
http://www.isgkc.org/pillars_islam.htm
Islam and the Question of God's Existence:
Unlike in the Western Christian tradition, there has never been much questioning of Allah's existence within Islam. Indeed, many Muslims today would also find the very idea blasphemous. The Qur'an, however, does appeal to humankind to use common sense and rational thinking to understand God's existence:
The duty of the prophets of Allah was not so much to inform their people of Allah's existence as to warn them against associating others with Him, and to teach them how to serve Him. "Their messengers said, 'Is there any doubt concerning Allah, the originator of the Heavens and the Earth?'" [Qur'an, 14:10] The early Muslim scholars did not even have to address the issue of the Existence of God, for it was a blatantly obvious fact which nobody questioned. It was only around the fourth century after hijrah, when people's doctrine started being infiltrated with atheism and permeated by unbelief, that the scholars had to address the issue. The existence of Allah is established by various categories of proofs, which may be conveniently classified under these categories.
1. Scriptural evidence
The major religions of the world have scriptures which teach of the existence of the Creator. In particular, the Qur'an establishes the existence of Allah by compelling rational arguments, while at the same time serving as an enduring miracle testifying to His reality. It decisively establishes His uniqueness and non-resemblance to creation, and emphasizes that worship is only for Him.
2. The proof of fitrah
The human being has an inherent and inborn recognition of his Creator. This is a consequence of a pledge which Allah took from the soul of every one of us before we came into this world: "And [remember], when your Lord took from the children of Adam, their children behind them, and made them testify over their own selves, [saying to them], 'Am I not your Lord?' They said, 'Yea.'" [Qur'an, 7:172] Every human being is born with this natural disposition, which is called fitrah
3. Rational proof
Allah appeals to the human mind and rationality in the Qur'an, saying, (translated), "Were they created from nothing, or are they [themselves] the creators?" [Qur'an, 52:35] Quite obviously, we have been created, and brought into existence after being non-existent, and it is also plain that we do not create ourselves Having recognized the necessity of existence of a Creator, one then realizes that there can only be one Creator. "If there were in [the heavens and the earth] gods other than Allah, [the heavens and earth] would surely have been disordered." [Qur'an, 21:22] " . Human reason refuses to accept that such a complex system as the universe can come into existence and run on its own. "Indeed, in the heavens and the earth are signs for the believers." [Qur'an, 45:3]
http://www.care-intl.org/islam/Allah.html
The Kalam Argument:
Some Medieval Muslim thinkers were deeply involved in debate with people of other religions. They contributed greatly to this argument for the existence of God, which is becoming popular again in different circles, mainly because of its beautiful simplicity. It was resurrected by the modern Christian philosopher William Craig Lane.
Originating in the efforts of Christian theologians to refute the Greek doctrine of the eternity of matter, this argument was developed into sophisticated formulations by medieval Islamic and Jewish theologians, who in turn passed it back to the Latin West.
This argument, which can be called the kalam cosmological argument, can be exhibited as follows:
1. Whatever begins to exist has a cause of its existence.
2. The universe began to exist.
3. Therefore, the universe has a cause of its existence.
You can read Craig's own summary of the kalam argument:
"The Existence of God and the Beginning of the Universe"
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Conclusions:
Islam is a simple faith. All that a convert to Islam needs to do is to say with conviction and understanding the confession of faith (shahada): 'There is no god but God and Muhammed is the Prophet of God'. The essence of faith (iman) is therefore to believe in these two simple assertions: there is only One God (monotheism), the God of Abraham, Moses, Jesus and many other Prophets up to Muhammed. This must come with the conviction of the second assertion: that Muhammed is the Messenger/Prophet of God. One cannot be a Muslim and not follow the teachings/traditions of Muhammed (including the five pillars). The Qur'an declares: "Say (O Muhammad!), Obey Allah and the Rasul (Muhammed). And, if you turn away (from this belief), then verily, Allah does not love the kaafireen (unbelievers)." On the other hand, there are certain principles/foundations (usool) which Muslims are called by Qur'an and Tradition to believe in: 'to believe in Allah and the Last Day, and the Angels, and the Book, and the Messengers'. Traditionally these essential beliefs are listed as follows: 1-To believe in the existence and oneness of Allah 2-To believe in the angels of Allah 3-To believe in the holy books of Allah 4-To believe in the prophets of Allah 5-To believe in the resurrection after death 6-To believe in fate and that everything takes place according to Allah's wish. The five pillars of Islam are the essential components of practical religion (Din) for Muslims. They are summed up in the famous Hadith where Muhammed 'Allahs Apostle, peace be upon him, said: Islam is based on [the following] five [principles/pillars]: To testify that none has the right to be worshipped but Allah and Mohammed is Allahs Apostle. To offer the Salat (prayer). To pay Zakat (obligatory charity). To perform Hajj (pilgrimage to Makkah). To observe fast during the month of Ramadan'. There has been little debate in Islam over God's existence. Muhammed in fact preached to people in Mecca who were already aware of the existence of the One God. What is relevant, however, is that the Qur'an appeals many many times to peoples' intelligence and common sense: "Indeed, in the heavens and the earth are signs for the believers." [Qur'an, 45:3] The wonder of the created world is strongest argument for Allah's existence and Oneness. Nature is used by the Qur'an as a demonstration of the unique power and majesty of the one and only God who created and maintains the universe. This ties in with the Islamic belief in fitrah. This is the concept that we are all born with a natural disposition/inclination towards our Creator God. Though cultures or behaviour patterns might guide us away from this recognition of the One God of Islam, the beauty and majesty of the natural world should guide us towards Islam and the true path. However, from a time when there was much inter-religious dialogue among thinkers comes an argument for God's existence to which Muslim thinkers contributed. The Kalam Cosmological Argument asserts the existence of Allah in a simple, logical way: 1. Whatever begins to exist has a cause of its existence. 2. The universe began to exist. 3. Therefore, the universe has a cause of its existence. |
Teacher's Tips:
* Faith in God in Islam, the Nature of Faith, Faith and Action, Belief and Beliefs..? This topic is very deep and important for Muslims and yet is difficult to pin down as it permeates everything. Certainly, key resources almost completely ignore it, interpreting 'belief' only in the sense of the beliefs shown in external religious acts (as in the five pillars). This page offers some insight into the nature of faith in Islam, what beliefs are considered necessary for all Muslims to hold and why questioning God's existence doesn't (usually) quite fit in to Muslim thought and religion.
** This is where the 'five pillars' of Islam comes from.
*** This traditional list of essentials is worth learning.
**** Note that in essence, Islam is an inclusive religion, shown in the Qur'an's acceptance of numerous Jewish and Christian Prophets.
