Emaan

ANSWER:

There are no sacred objects in Islam. The only sacred 'thing' (and God is not a 'thing', either) is GOD himself and He is unseen. Jesus said that GOD is an unseen spirit. Anything that you can see, hear, taste, touch, or smell is not part of GOD. There is no GOD but GOD.

The black stone is not sacred, either. Umar, the second Khalifah of Islam, came to the stone and, in order to safeguard the people's montheism, declared to them that it has no sacredness in it. He knew that himself. Neither does the Ka'abah.

There is no power to begotten from amulets, dead saints, etc. The only true doer, is GOD. The only thing that connects us to God - is what is in our hearts which is also unseen.

Muslims have faith in :

1. Allah (God in English and same God worshiped in Christianity and Judaism) as the one and only one God
2. All God prophets (from Adam, Noah, ..., Abraham, ..., Moses, ..., Jesus, and Muhammad); peace upon them
3. All God angels
4. All God holy books (The Torah, The Bible, The Quran, ...)
5. Day of resurrection and judgement and second eternal life
6. God control on destiny

Refer to question below for more information.

Answer B

Five Pillars of Islam according to shia Muslims are:

1. Monotheism: The Oneness of Allah (tawhid)

2. Divine Justice ('adl)

3. Prophethood (nubuwwa)

4. Succession to Muhammad (imamat)

5. The Day of Judgement and the Resurrection (Qiyama)

Practices of Islam according to shia Muslims:

1- Prayers (salaat) - 5 times a day

2- Fasting (sawm) during Ramadan

3-4. Alms giving (zakaat and khums)

5- Pilgrimage to the city of Makkah (hajj)

6- Holy Defense (Jihad)

7-8. Enjoining good (amr bil-ma'rouf) and forbidding evil (nahiy an al-munkar)

9- Supporting those who walk in the path of Allah (tawalli li awliyaa' Allah)

10- Turning away from the enemies of Allah (tabarri min a'daa Allah)

Five Pillars of Islam according to Sunni Muslims are:

1. professing (Shahadah)

2. Prayer (Salat)

3. Alms-giving (Zakāt)

4. Fasting (Sawm of Ramadan)

5. Pilgrimage to Mecca (Hajj)

also different sects of sunni have differs in five pillars. for example Mu'tazilate Sunni Scholars like shia consider Adl as one pillar. but Ash'arites does not believe Adl is one of Pillars although believing in Adl as an attribute of God but with an interpret of Adl that in view of shia and Mu'tazilate is equal to not having Adl.

According to the "American Muslim Mom" website (refer to the link, below), the surah, or chapter from the Koran/Quran, which may be recited when one is in distress is as follows: "Surah al-Dhuha (The Morning Light) when you are feeling anxious, distressed, uneasy, down-in-the-dumps or just feeling sad & helpless."

It is a short Ayat that Hazrat Younus (AS) recited when he was caught in the belley of the fish. It is also called: A'ayat Kareemah:

It is: La ila ha illa anta subhanaka inni kunto minazzalimeen.

Hazrat Younus gor freedom from the belley of that fish by reciting this a'ayat.

They mean loving someone only for the sake of Allahu ta'âlâ and feeling enmity only for the sake of Him. It is declared in the following hadîth-i sharîfs:

(The most valuable worship is loving for the sake of Allah and disliking for the sake of Allah.) [Abû Dâwud]

(Three things increase the taste of îmân: loving Allahu ta'âlâ and His Prophet ('alaihis-salâm) more than everything else; loving for the sake of Allah a Muslim who does not love you; and disliking enemies of Allahu ta'âlâ.) [Tabarânî]

(In the Hereafter, everybody will be with the people they loved in the world.) [Bukhârî]

(If your acts of worship were equal to those of Jabrâ'îl "alaihis-salâm," neither your acts of worship nor your good deeds would be accepted unless you love Believers for Allah's sake and unless you consider disbelievers to be evils for Allah's sake.)[Ey Oğul İlmihali]

Allahu ta'âlâ asked Hadrat Mûsâ (Moses 'alaihis-salâm):

"O Mûsâ! What have you done for Me?"

"O my Lord! I have performed namâz, fasted, given zakât, and made remembrance (dhikr)."

"O Mûsâ! The namâz you have performed is incumbent on you and a means for your attaining Paradise; the fast you have observed protects you from Hell; the zakât you have given gives you shade during the Judgement Day; and the remembrance (dhikr) you have made gives you light in the darkness of the Day of Reckoning. That is, all of them bring benefits to you alone. What have you done for me?"

"O my Lord! What should I have done for You?"

"Have you had love for My friends and have you stayed away from My enemies only for My sake?"

Thereupon, Hadrat Mûsâ understood that the best of all good deeds and worships performed for Allah was loving for the sake of Allah (hubb-i fillah) and feeling hostility (bughd-i fillah) for the sake of Him. (Maktûbât-i Ma'thûmiyya)

Allahu ta'âlâ declared to Hadrat 'Îsâ (Jesus "alaihis-salâm"): (Even if you do acts of worship that equal those done by all creatures on the earth and in heavens, it will be of no value unless you love whom I love and unless you feel hostility towards My enemies.) [Kimyâ-i sa'âdat]

Hadrat Imâm-i Rabbânî writes:

For adapting oneself to Muhammad "alaihis-salâm" completely and flawlessly, one needs to love him completely and without defect. The symptom of complete and perfect love is to bear hostility against his enemies and to dislike those who dislike him. Love cannot include sloth. The love for two opposites cannot settle in the same heart together. To love one of two opposites entails enmity towards the other. (First Volume, 165th Letter)

The symbol of true îmân's existence in the heart is to bear hostility against disbelievers and to annihilate the things that are peculiar to them and that are the symptoms of disbelief. For Islam and kufr are opposites, antonyms of each other. To esteem one of them means to insult, to blame the other. Allahu ta'âlâ commands Hadrat Muhammad, His beloved Prophet (sall-Allahu 'alaihi WA sallam), to perform jihâd, to wage war against disbelievers and to treat them severely. Allahu ta'âlâ declares that disbelievers are His and His Prophet's (sall-Allahu 'alaihi WA sallam) enemies. To love the enemies of Allahu ta'âlâ and to cooperate with them draws one towards being hostile against Allahu ta'âlâ and His Prophet. One thinks of oneself as a Muslim, expresses the word tawhîd, and says "I believe" and performs namâz and every kind of worship, but on the other hand, cooperates with disbelievers. Yet one does not know that these loathsome actions of one's (for example, not loving the friends of Allah or loving the enemies of Allah saying "They have such and such good deeds") will extirpate one's being a Muslim and îmân. (First Volume, 163rd Letter)

Hadrat Muhammad Ma'thûm writes:

Love necessitates that you love the friends of your darling and be at odds with the enemies of the darling. This love and this enmity are not within the power of faithful lovers; they cannot help themselves. This happens by itself without striving, without taking pains. The friend's friends seem beautiful, and His enemies seem ugly and evil. Also, the love that occurs within those who are seized by the pretty appearance of the world requires this same process. Unless people who say that they love keep away from the enemies of their darlings, they are not regarded as people of their word. They are called liars. Love necessitates that you love all things of the darling. Our superiors declared, "If you are not offended by the one who offends your master, a dog is better than you are." It causes one to be away from Allahu ta'âlâ if one loves the enemies of Allahu ta'âlâ. Unless there is enmity, there will be no love. Not to love disbelievers is commanded clearly in the Qur'ân al-karîm, and it is fard for us to obey the Holy Qur'ân. (First Volume, 29th Letter)

Some âyat-i karîmas making it harâm to love disbelievers purport as follows:

(Those who believe in Allahu ta'âlâ and the Day of Resurrection do not like the enemies of Allahu ta'âlâ and His Prophet, even if those disbelievers are the fathers, brothers, and other close relatives of Muslims.) [Sûrat-ul-Mujâdala 22]

(Whoever takes disbelievers for his friends has cut himself off from the friendship of Allah.) [Sûrat-u Âl-i 'Imrân 28]

(O you who believe! Do not take Jews and Christians for friends; they are friends of each other (in their animosity towards Islam). He who takes them for friends is one [a kâfir] of them. Allahu ta'âlâ does not guide the (ones who have become) unjust (to themselves by taking disbelievers for friends) people.) [Sûrat-ul-Mâida 51]

(O you who believe! Do not take My enemies and yours for friends!) [Sûrat-ul-Mumtahina 1]

Allahu ta'âlâ praises the Ashâb-i kirâm in His Book as in the following: "They are hard against disbelievers but compassionate among themselves" (Sûrat-ul-Fath 29).

It addition to them, the following is declared in hadîth-i sharîfs:

(If a person does not love Allahu ta'âlâ and does not know enemies of Allahu ta'âlâ as his enemies, his îmân will not be true. If he loves Believers for Allah's sake and knows disbelievers as enemies, he will attain the love of Allahu ta'âlâ.) [I. Ahmad]

(If a person loves Allah's friends and dislikes His enemies, his îmân will be perfect.) [Abû Dâwud]

(Become close to Allahu ta'âlâ by doing hostility towards the disobedient!) [Daylamî]

(In the Hereafter, a person will be resurrected with the people he loves and makes friends with.) [Tabarânî]

One day, some people said to Khalîfa 'Umar (radiy-Allahu ta'âlâ anh): "There is a Christian from the people of Hîra here. He has a very strong memory and beautiful handwriting. He will be very useful for you if you employ him as a secretary for yourself." He refused and said, "I cannot make friends with a non-Believer," quoting the âyat-i-karîma below.

Hadrat Abû Mûsa al-Ash'arî narrates:

One day I said to Hadrat 'Umar: "I have a Christian secretary. He is a great hand."

The Khalîfa chided me saying, "Why don't you employ a Muslim secretary? Haven't you heard the âyat 'O Believers! Do not like Jews and Christians'"?

"His religion is his and his service as a secretary is mine," I said.

Upon this, the Khalîfa retorted, "Do not honour a person degraded by Allahu ta'âlâ! Do not cherish a person scorned by Allahu ta'âlâ! Do not get close to a person repelled by Allahu ta'âlâ!"

"I am administering (official matters of) Basra with his

help," I explained.

The Khalîfa commanded, "Now do what you would do if the Christian died! Replace him immediately!"

Our religion commands us not to love disbelievers, but at the same time, Islam makes it harâm [prohibited] to harass them and hurt their feelings. In fact, disliking them and hurting them are two different things. We can conduct commerce with them, but we cannot deceive them or do any harm. It is necessary to treat them well as it is necessary to treat all people well. What is more, it is permissible to invoke du'âs upon them in order for them to find the right path and become Muslims.

In Islam, there is no superiority of one race over the other. As a matter of fact, a hadîth-i sharîf says, "All people are equal (in being a human) like the teeth of a comb" (Ibni Lâl).

For this reason, it is not permissible to deem yourself to be superior to others, be they disbelievers. For a disbeliever may become a Muslim and thus attain endless bliss. As for a Muslim on the other hand, (s)he may fall into disbelief and consequently go to Hell. May Allah protect us against being so!

Answer:

"Truly Allah forgives NOT that partners be ascribed unto Him, but He forgives other than that, to whom He wills (to forgive). Truly, he who ascribes partners to Allah has gone far astray (from the truth)" Qur'an, Chapter 4 Verse 116

However, if one repented from shirk and intended to worship Allah as the one and only one God, then Allah may forgive him/her as promised in Quran (meaning English translation):

" Say: "O creatures of God, those of you who have acted against your own interests should not be disheartened of the mercy of God. Surely God forgives all sins. He is all-forgiving and all-merciful. (53)"

(Quran, chapter 39, verse 53)

The Five Pillars of Islam are:

1. Shahadat: [testimony that there is no god except Allah (God) the One and Only One, having No Partner whatsoever. And Muhammad is His servant and Messenger],

2. Salah: (praying five times a day)

3. Zakah: (specific compulsory charity-2,5% of annual savings),

4. Saum: (fasting during Ramadan)

5. Hajj: (pilgrimage) for each Muslim once in lifetime those who can afford it.

The major beliefs on which the Muslim traditions are based are:

Eemaan Mujmal: Translation: I believe in Almighty Allah, as are His beautiful Names and Attributes, I accept all His Commands, I declare from my tongue, and testify by my heart.

Eeman Mufassal: Translation: I believe in Almighty Allah. The Angels, all heavenly Books, all Prophets, in the Day of Judgment, and this that Good or Bad Destiny is from Him, and that there will be life after death and then No death (Eternal life in heaven or hell).

1. Belief in Almighty Allah (God): God- Allah is ONE Allah. There is no god but He. He and He alone deserves worship. He is All-Knowing, All-Seeing. All power lies in His Hands. He will punish the sinners and reward the Good. He is Eternal, Unique, and incorporeal. There is nothing like Him.

2. Belief in Angels Created by Almighty God- Allah Karim from light. They are obedient to Allah Karim. Carry out His commands. The Jews and Christians also believe in the Angels.

3. The Muslims believe in all heavenly books, including Tora, Zaboor, the Bible, the last one being the Qur'an. .

4. The Muslims believe in all the Messengers (Prophets May peace be upon them all) of Almighty Allah- No distinction among them. Hazrat Muhammad (SAW) being the last Prophet of Islam. NO Prophet after him.

5. The Muslims believe in the life after death, resurrection and the Day of Judgment. Almighty Allah Karim is the Sole Ruler/Master of that Day. He enjoys the absolute authority to send people to Heaven or Hell. .

6. The Muslims believe that good and bad Destiny being in the Hands of Almighty Allah. No One can change his destiny.

7. Life hereafter: All the dead will be raised again and judged according to their good or bad deeds. There will be no death to them.

8. Hell and Heaven (Paradise)

9. The Muslims believe that Nobody can take the responsibility of some other person's deeds.

10. All thehirk.

What is shirk? Why is it wrong?

Let us first decide what shirk is:

Shirk means to associate Partners with Almighty Allah (God). It is of two kinds

1. Shirk in Person. To say that there are two or more gods along with Almighty Allah. These gods also deserve worship. They enjoy equal powers to Almighty Allah.

2. Shirk in the Attributes (Qualities/capabilities) of Allah. To accept that there only One Almighty Allah, yet there are some pious people/peers/aulias/ deities/ who can work in the scheme of universe and can exercise their powers to give benefit or to do harm to people against the Will of Almighty Allah. People call upon these personalities (dead or alive) for help. This is also Shirk.

The opposite of Shirk is Tauheed. To believe that there is no god except ONE and ONLY Almighty Allah. He has no Son, No Parents, No Partner and No Associate what so ever. He and He alone deserves Worship.

Shirk is wrong for many reasons. As Almighty Allah is the Sole Creator, Sustainer, Provider, and Ruler of all worlds, Only He deserves worship. It is the most hateful Injustice to associate Partners, Off-spring, Parents etc. to Him. He may forgive any other sin, but He shall NEVER forgive Shirk, it's the Greatest Injustice.

All that has been declared illegal (Haram) by Almighty Allah in the holy Qur'an or by Prophet (SAW) in his doings or sayings. For example:

1. Attributing any Partner or Associate whatsoever with Almighty Allah.

2. Killing any innocent human (irrespective of his caste, creed, color, country, religion)

3. 3. Even halal animals or birds attributed to any idol, holy man, any Deity.

4. Worshiping anything else than Almighty Allah.

5. Adultery

6. Usury

7. Usurping the property/belongings of others

8. Backbiting, theft, robbery/rebellion etc.

9. Disrespect of any of the Prophets (May peace be upon them all)

10. Falsehood, fraud, cheating, defaming others

11. Eating flesh of dead animals/birds. Eating flesh of animals/birds declared Haram.

12. Performing any act of prayers against the teachings of the Holy Prophet (SAW)

13. (Bida'at) Inventing or adding any act of prayer not mentioned by the holy Prophet or Khulafai Rashidoon

14. (Bida'at) Deleting/subtracting any act of worship from the actions of the Holy Prophet (SAW).

The major beliefs of Islam can be summed up in the Five Pillars. 1: There is no God but Allah and Muhammad is His Prophet (Shahadah) 2: Prayer five times a day. (Salah) 3:The Giving of Alms. (Zakah) 4: Fasting during Ramadan (Sawm) 5: Making the pilgrimage to Mecca (Hajj) In addition to these practices, Shi'a Muslims often add three additional practices which they consider essential to the religion of Islam. The first is jihad, which is also important to the Sunni, but not considered a pillar. The Most important Jihad is defined as the 'struggle with the self.' With others being;

The Jihad of the tongue,
The Jihad of the hand,
and the Jihad of the sword. The second is called Amr-Bil-Ma'rūf, or "Enjoining to Do Good", and it asks every Muslim to live a virtuous life and to encourage others to do the same. The third is Nahi-Anil-Munkar, which is the "Exhortation to Desist from Evil", this asks Muslims to refrain from vice and from evil actions and to encourage others to do the same. The major beliefs of Islam are the following: 1: Islam is Monotheistic, that is, it believes in only ONE God. God (whose name in Arabic is Allah) is not a trinity in Muslim belief. 2: Allah sends Prophets to guide humankind. There have been many prophets one of whom was Jesus and another of whom was Muhammad. Muhammad is also God's last prophet in Islamic belief. 3: The Qur'an is Allah's inerrant, infallible scripture (ONLY in the Arabic.) All translations in other tongues are both capable of error and fallibility. The Qur'an was brought to Muhammad by the Angel Gabriel. 4: Everyone will be brought to the day of Judgement by Allah and assigned a place in either heaven or hell.