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What Is Imaan & Kufr
Articles In English >>
Belief
Index.............
1:
PREFACE
2:
WHAT ASPECTS MAKES A PERSON A MUSLIM
3: THE VALUE OF
IMAAN
4: THE VALIDITY OF
IMAAN DEPENDS ON TWO IMPORTANT POINTS
5: STEADFASTNESS
IN BELIEF
6: WHAT IS SHIRK -
POLYTHEISM
7: THE ORDER OF
SOMEONE ASKING FOR FORGIVENESS FOR AN INFIDEL
PREFACE
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1. Imaan is to
accept every word of Sayyiduna Rasoolullah (sallal laahu alaihi wasallam)
as the absolute truth and to testify whole-heartedly the reality and truth of
Sayyiduna Rasoolullah (sallal laahu alaihi wasallam).
2. One who
observes the above would be called a Muslim, that is, if any of his words,
actions or conditions does not reject, insult or falsify Allah Ta’ala and His
Rasool (sallal laahu alaihi wasallam).
3. If you reject
one aspect, which you know that to believe is part of Islam, then this is Kufr.
For example, to reject Qiyamat, Angels, Jannat, Dozakh, Hisab, or not to believe
that Salaah, Saum, Zakaah or Hajj is Fardh (obligatory) would make one out of
the folds of Islam.
4. It is also Kufr
not to believe that the Holy Quran is the Words of Allah Ta'ala.
5. To insult the
Holy Ka'aba, the Holy Quran, or any of the Prophets or Angels is also Kufr.
6. To degrade any
of the Sunnats (actions of the Holy Prophet sallal laahu alaihi wasallam),
to make jokes of the orders of Shari'ah (Islamic law) or to reject or suspect it
untrue any known and recognised aspects of Islam is also definitely Kufr.
7. To be a Muslim
you have to, together with faith and belief, also pledge your status as a
Muslim.
8. One must pledge
his faith unless there is a difficulty, for example, you cannot speak, or to
speak would mean to lose your life or would lose a part of the body, then it is
not necessary to pledge your faith with your tongue. However, it is always best
and a means of great reward not to say anything against Islam even to save your
life.
9. To perform
actions that are signs of Kufr and if you perform them you will be recognised as
a Kaafir. For example, to wear a "Janeo" (a sacred thread worn by
Hindus), or to have a lock of hair (plats for men) the same as Buddhists have,
or to wear a cross are all actions of Kufr.
WHAT ASPECTS MAKES A PERSON A MUSLIM
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1. For a person to
become a Muslim it is necessary for him or her to believe Islam as the true
religion and not to reject any of it's necessary aspects. A person should also
not have beliefs contradictory or against the religion's necessary aspects (Zaroriyaat-e-Deen).
2. A Muslim must
love and respect all those who are the beloved of Allah Ta’ala and His Rasool
(sallal laahu alaihi wasallam) even though that person may be his enemy.
3. He must
disrespect and hate all those who disrespect and hate Allah Ta’ala and His
Rasool (sallal laahu alaihi wasallam) even if that person may be his
beloved son.
4. Sayyiduna
Rasoolullah (sallal laahu alaihi wasallam) states: "One who loves for
Allah, hates anyone because of Allah, spends for Allah and holds back for Allah,
then, indeed, he has completed his Imaan."
5. If the person
does not have the knowledge about all the religion's necessary aspect, i.e. even
if he is a complete and utter illiterate, he must believe in Islam and in the
Messenger of Islam (sallal laahu alaihi wasallam) and not have any
beliefs against the necessary aspects of Islam (Zarooriyat-e-Deen).
6. Whether he
cannot pray the Kalima (submission into Islam) properly he is still a Muslim and
not a Kaafir. Therefore, if he misses Salaah, Saum, Hajj, etc. he will be a
grave sinner, but will remain a Muslim. This is because deeds are not a part of
faith.
7. Whatever is
without doubt Haraam (forbidden) and to believe it as Halaal (allowed), and to
believe something Haraam, which is no doubt Halaal, is Kufr, when there is no
suspicion of a particular thing being Halaal or Haraam or the person knows this.
THE VALUE OF IMAAN
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1. Until such a
time a person does not love and respect the exalted Prophet (sallal laahu
alaihi wasallam), even though that person worships all his life, his worship
is fruitless and rejected.
2. Numerous Jogees,
Monks and Hermits take to seclusion and spend their lives in the Remembrance of
Allah Ta’ala. Some of them even indulge in the Zikr of "La ilaha illal lah"
(There is no god but Allah), but they do not respect and love Rasoolullah (sallal
laahu alaihi wasallam). What benefit is such Ibaadah? Allah Ta’ala states in
the Holy Quran: "Whatever deeds they have performed, I have destroyed them
all." (Para 19: Ruku 1)
THE VALIDITY OF IMAAN DEPENDS ON TWO
IMPORTANT POINTS
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1. The validity of
Imaan depends on two important points:
1.1 Respect for
Rasoolullah (sallal laahu alaihi wasallam), and
1.2 To love him
above all creation within the universe.
2. If, at any
time, anybody shows the slightest disrespect for the station of Sayyiduna
Muhammadur Rasoolullah (sallal laahu alaihi wasallam), then there must
not remain an atom of love and respect for that person in your heart. It can be
anybody whom you love and respect, for example, father, Ustaaz (teacher),
children, brother, Murshid (Spiritual Guide), Molvi, Mufti, Hafez, lecturer,
Imam, or friends, etc.
3. Such a person
should be totally severed from family and community. His name should cause great
discomfort to you. His knowledge or status should be absolutely rejected and
discarded.
4. If you accepted
or observed silence to his insult to Rasoolullah (sallal laahu alaihi
wasallam), kept good friends with him, did not regard him as a wretched and
mean-spirited person, you should check where you stand in the test of Imaan!
STEADFASTNESS IN BELIEF
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1. Salvation
depends on the fact that every single belief of the Ahle Sunnah Wa Jamaah be so
firm that one will remain firm even if the sky and the earth vanishes.
2. One must have
great fear for his belief at all times. The Ulema of Islam state that: "One
who does not fear that his Imaan may be taken away, would be stripped of his
Imaan at the time of death."
3. Sayyiduna Umar
Faruq (radi Allahu anhu) states: "If a voice calls out from the sky
that all the people of the earth are forgiven but one, I would fear that the one
would be me, and if the voice calls out that all the people on earth are
dwellers of Hell but one, I will hope that the one be me." The status of
"Khouf" (Fear) and "Raja" (Hope) must have a balance as displayed by
Sayyiduna Umar Faruq (radi Allahu anhu).
WHAT IS SHIRK - POLYTHEISM
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1. Shirk
(Polytheism) is to believe someone else as lord except Allah Ta'ala or to
believe someone else worthy of worship except Allah Ta'ala. This is the worst
type of Kufr.
2. Except for Kufr,
all other sins are at the will of Allah Ta'ala. Whatever He wishes, He will
forgive.
3. A Muslim does
not become a Kaafir if he commits a large sin, but remains a Muslim. If he dies
without performing repentance then he will still obtain Jannah, whether it will
be after fulfilling his punishment or gaining forgiveness. This forgiveness may
be obtained at the Mercy of Allah Ta’ala’s will or from the intercession of the
Holy Prophet (sallal laahu alaihi wasallam).
THE ORDER OF SOMEONE ASKING FOR
FORGIVENESS FOR AN INFIDEL
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1. Whoever
performs a prayer of forgiveness for a dead Kaafir, or calls a Kaafir as one who
is forgiven or a Jannatee, or if someone calls a dead Hindu a "Bekanth Baashi"
(Jannatee), are themselves Kaafirs.
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