Teachings of the Prophet 3

The Truthful Conveyer and the Sunni Belief

Before the Messengership of Prophet Muhammad, the Arabs in the Arabian Peninsula at that time were scattered tribes, dispersed throughout the land, fighting and plundering each other. The intensity of their wars drove some of them to bury their daughters alive, fearing scandal if their daughters were captured by the enemy.

The strong did injustice to the weak. Women were considered worthless just because they were female. Drinking alcohol was prevalent. Some had dozens of wives. People unjustly worshipped stones and idols. Some even worshipped idols made from dates, and when they felt hungry, they would eat them. Many buried their daughters out of fear of poverty. Immorality, including prostitution, became widespread. Unjust tribal solidarity (^asabiyyah) prevailed. People blindly adhered to their tribal judgments, even when they were unjust. People were living in ignorance and darkness.

Prophet Muhammad, the final and greatest Prophet, came and renewed the call of Islam after it had become extinct among communities. He revived and illuminated the hearts of his followers through the teachings of Islam. He called for the abandonment of worshipping idols and embracing Islam. He came and taught that no one is worshipped rightfully except Allah and that he (Muhammad) is the Messenger of Allah.

He called for a belief as well as a just way of life. He taught people the matters of belief and jurisprudence (fiqh), among the matters he taught are:

Seeing Allah, the Exalted, with the eye in the Hereafter, unlike the way a creation is seen:

This topic is a very well-known element of the creed of Muslims and is a point of difference between Ahlus-Sunnah and some deviant factions. Scholars of Islam said that which means: "Allah, the Creator, exists; therefore, it is possible for Him to be seen."

We have clearly explained before that Allah doesn't resemble His creation in any way. Allah is seen unlike creations are seen. Allah will empower the people of Paradise to see Him, while they are in Paradise, and Allah is not in a direction or place. When they see Him, they would immediately know that what they saw is God (Allah); they won't have any doubt in their hearts regarding that.

Abu Hanifah, the great scholar, said in Al-Fiqh Al-Akbar, as did other scholars, that Allah is seen unlike the creation is seen. 

Seeing Allah is the greatest enjoyment the occupants of Paradise will experience.

When the Prophet was asked about Faith (Iman), he said: “Faith is to believe in Allah (correctly), His Angels, His Books, His Messengers, The Day of Judgment, and Destiny - The Predestination of Allah, and the destined (the created matters) - what is good and what is evil of it - this refers to the destined”.

The aforementioned matters are to be explained briefly below:

1. Believing in Allah is essential for a person to be a Muslim. It is also essential to know that Allah is the only Creator, in the sense that He is the only One Who brings things from non-existence to existence.

2. Believing in the honorable Angels is also among the essentials of Islamic Belief. The Angels are honorable slaves of Allah. They never disobey Allah.

3. Believing in the Books Allah revealed. The most famous books are: Al-Qur’an, Al-Injeel, At-Tawrah, and Az-Zabur. Only one authentic book is present between us today, the Torah and the Injeel have been perverted, yet we believe Allah revealed several books.

4. Believing in the Messengers includes believing that Allah sent Messengers and that all are truthful in what they convey from Allah. It is also obligatory to believe in their aforementioned attributes, and to know what is impossible for them to be attributed with.

5. Believing in The Day of Judgment, which is the day that people will rise from their graves and ends when the people of Paradise enter Paradise and the people of Hellfire enter Hellfire.

6. Believing in Destiny. Everything that happens in this world—whether good or evil—occurs according to Allah’s Predestining. It is obligatory to believe this and not object to Allah’s Will and Predestining. As for what has been destined - the creation - our judgment depends on its nature: if it is something good, like the Prophets, Angels, or righteous deeds, we love, and if it is something bad, like Satan, sins, or disbelief, we hate.

The Prophets of Allah are the greatest teachers ever sent to humans. Prophets have been hurt and inflicted with hardships, yet all of them were patient. Patience (Sabr) will be our next topic.

In our next blog, we will be mentioning some of the hardships some Prophets faced, and then we will delve into explaining the three types of Sabr. 

Stay Tuned...