ISLAMIC FAITH & INFIDELITY

Q1.Whatis"Eimaan"(Islamic faith)?

A.BelievinginallfundamentalsofIslaamfromthecoreofheartiscalled"Eimaan"ortobelieve in what the Messenger of Allah, Hadrat Muhammad Mustafa (may Allah's choicest blessings & peace be upon him) brought us from Allah Almighty whether those are commands or news with all heart and consider them all true, is called Eimaan. He who embraces Islaam (believes in all fundamentals of Islaam) is called "Muslim" or Mu'min".

 

Q2.Howmanykindsof"Mu'min"are there?

1. There are two kinds of "Mu'min" i.e. "Mu'min Saaleh" and "Mu'min Faasiq". Mu'min Saaleh or Mu'min Mutee1 is the believer who not only believes in Islaamic faith from the botton of his heart and with the tongue but also follows "Shari'ah" practically and does not transgress "Amr-o- Nahee" (the commands and prohibitions of Allah and His Prophet) and "Mu'min Faasiq" is that believer who firmly believes in all "commands of Shariah" but does not practise them like he believes that "Saum-o-Salaat"(fast and prayer) are obligatory on him but he does not observe them.

 

Q3.Who iscalled "Faasiq-ul-'Aqidah"?

1. "Faasiq-ul-Aqidah" is he who claims to be a Muslim but his beliefs are inimical to "Ahle- Sunnat-wa-Jama'at" creed. Such person is called misguided, transgressor and disbeliever.

 

Q4.Arephysicalactsincludedin"Eimaan"ornot?

1. The real Eimaan is only to believe in "Islaamicfaith" with one's all heart and physical acts are not a part and parcel of Eimaan. However, these are necessary to perfect one's Eimaan.

Some physical acts which totally conflict with the teachings of Islaam like worshipping or prostrating before idols, the moon, the sun or to blaspheme against any Prophet, the Holy Qur- aan, the Holy Ka'bah or to trifle with any Sunnah (practice,saying) of the Holy Prophet, are indeed, "Kufr" (infidelity, disbelief). Similarly some symbols are indicative of infidelity and disbelief like "Zannar" (a sacred thread worn by Hindus round the body cross-wise), "Qashqa" (painting a particular mark on the forehead by Hindus) and a "plait of hair" kept by male Hindus onthehead.IfaMuslimpractisessuchdiabolicalthings,hewillhavetoreaffirmhisEimaanand also renew his "Nikah" (wed-lock), if married.

 

Q5. Does Eimaan increaseand decrease or not?

1. Eimaan (Islaamic faith) neither increases nor decreases since it has no quantity, measurement or number. Eimaan is a 'testification of particular beliefs with one's all heart". However, it is subjecttoweakeningandstrengtheningi.e.theperfectionofEimaanmayonetimebecomeweak and the other time become further consolidated. A Prophetic saying to this effect reads: "Eimaan of Hadrat Abu Bakr Siddique (may Allah be pleased with him) alone overshadows Eimaan of whole Muslim Ummah i.e. collective Eimaan of all believers".

Q6.What isthe differencebetween Islaamand Eimaan?

1. The literal meaning of Islaam is "obedience" and "submission" whereas according toShari'ahh there is no difference between Islaam and Eimaan but both are the same things. HewhoisMu'minisalsoMuslimandlikewiseaMuslimisalsoMu'min.However,testificationof

Islamic faith only by the tongue is not reliable and one does not become Mu'min unless coupled with the testification of the heart.

 

Q7.What istheprerequisite tobecome Muslim?

1. The prerequisite to become Muslim is that one must declare his embracing of Islaam with the tongue so that Muslims consider him Muslim and treat him accordingly. It is also obligatoryupon him not to deny any fundamental of Islaam even by the tongue though he is firm at heart.

No believer can dare blaspheme except the wretched one who does not value Eimaan. In brief, Eimaan is an irrevocable testification of Islaamic faith.

Q8. Whatare called"Kufr" and "Shirk"?

A.DenyinganyofwhattheHolyProphetbroughtusfromAllahAlmightyis"Kufr"(infidelity

,disbelief) and considering anyone or anything "Waajib-ul-Wujood" (Eternal,Self-existant) or worthy of worship save Allah is "Shirk" (polytheism). Associating partners with Allah in His Divinity is the worst kind of "Shirk" otherwise no "Kufr" how bad it may be, is "Shirk".

Sometimes"Shirk"is takenfor"totalinfidelity,disbelief.

 

A stern warning which the Holy Qur-aan has sounded that "Shirk" (polytheism) will not be absolved means: no sort of infidelity, disbelief will indeed be forgiven. He who practises "Kufr" is called "Kaafir"(infidel, disbeliever) and he who practises "Shirk" is called "Mushrik"(polytheist).

 

Q9.Howmanykinds ofinfidels,disbelieversarethere?

A.Infidelsareoftwokindsi.e.theoriginalandthe renegade.

The original infidel is he who is inborn infidel and denies Islaam. No matter whether he openly practises infidelity or he apparently recites "Kalimah"(the Holy Code of Islaam) but is infidel at heart. Renegade is the one who claims to be a Muslim but blasphemes, or he was Muslim but later abandoned Islaam or he still recites "Kalimah" and claims to be a Muslim but blasphemes against Allah Almighty and His Messenger or denies any fundamental of Islaam.

Q10.How many kindsof infidelsarethere who openly disbelieve?

A.There are four kinds of infidels who openly deny Islaam:

1. Atheist who denies the existance of Allah Almighty, considers the world and creatures self- existant and also denies the Doomsday. "Zindeeq" and "Mulhid" (unbeliever and apostate) are also included among atheists who make mockery of Islaam. No matter whether they believe in the existance of Allah or not.
2. "Mushrik" (polytheist) who considers that some person(s) or object(s) other than Allah are also worthy of worship and are eternal like Hindus who worship idols and Aryans who consider "spirit" and "matter" self-existant and eternal. Hindus and Aryans both are "Mushrik". It is un- Islaamic to take Aryans for "Mohid" (unitarian).
3. "Majoosi" (Zoroastrian) who worship
4. "Ahle Kitaab" (people of the Divine book) like Jews and Christians who believe in the Divine Books but deny and do not believe in the Holy Qur-aan.

 

Q11.Whois "Munaafiq"?

1. "Munaafiq" is that disbeliever who claims to be a Muslim by the tongue but denies Islaam at heart.Suchaccursedoneswillbeconsignedtothelowestcadre(theworsttorment)ofhell.Some people hadgainednotorietyofbeinghypocritesduringthelifetimeoftheHolyProphetasAllah

Almighty and His Messenger had debunked their hypocrisy (disbelief,infidelity at heart) and declared them "Munaafiq"(hypocrites). In the present age, it is difficult to say with certainty about anyone that such and such person is "Munaafiq". However, a branch of it is found which leads to those wretched ones who simultaneously claim to be Muslim and deny one or the other fundamentals of Islaam.

 

"Munaafiqeen" (pl.of Munaafiq) are the worst of infidels,disbelievers. Keeping company with them is worse than the company of thousands of disbelievers, for, they undermine Islaam disguising themselves as Muslim.

Q12.Is it lawfulor not to make"Du'aa" fortheforgivenessofaninfidel,disbeliever?

1. The one who prays for the forgiveness of any (dead) infidel, disbeliever or considers any (dead) renegade "absolved" or (dead) Hindu "Jannati" (the one who has been entered into paradise), is himself an infidel and disbeliever.

 

Q13.Canwedescribea"Kaafir"as"Kaafir"ornot?

1. Describing a Muslim as Muslim and a Kaafir (infidel, disbeliever) as Kaafir is one of the fundamentalsofIslaam.However,itcannotbeclaimedwhetheracertainpersondiedinthestate of Eimaan(Islaamic faith) or in disbelief unless his end is proved by Shari'ah, but it does not mean that one should doubt about disbelief,infidelity of an open infidel, disbeliever. Such thing renders doubter "infidel" himself.

 

The commands of Allah Almighty and His Prophet to this effect are that a disbeliever who died without renouncing his disbelief and embracing Islaam would be considered disbeliever and meted out such treatment that is allowed for infidels and disbelievers by the Shari'ah leaving the matter of his end to Allah Almighty. Similarly, a believer who died without committing any blasphemy would be considered believer though it is not known whether his end was good ornot.

The Shari'ahh is applicable to the outward state of a man (not to the inward). Reward and chastisement on the Doomsday will be given on the basis of good and bad end.

 

Q14.HowmanymisguidedsectsarethereinMuslimUmmah?

1. An"Hadees"inthisrespectsaysthatMuslimUmmahwillbedividedintoseventythreesects. Of which only one sect will be "Naaji"(deserving paradise) and the remaining all sects will be cast into hell. The companions asked the Holy Prophet about the "Naaji" sect. He said: that sect which follows me and my companions(i.e.the followers of Sunnah). Another Hadees says: that sect is "Sawaad-e-A'zam"(vast majority of Muslims following Sunnah) and the believer who parted from this sect has actually strayed for hell.

 

The "Naaji" sect which has been pointed out by the Holy Prophet is, indeed, "Ahle Sunnat wa Jama'at".

 

Q15.Whichthings arethebasics ofIslaamic faith?

1. ThebasicknowledgeofIslaamarethosethingswhichallandsundrymustknowthattheHoly Prophet received them from Allah Almighty and taught us like Monotheism (Oneness of Allah), Prophethood, Paradise, Hell, Doomsday and belief in the finAlity of (Hadrat) Muhammad's Prophethoodandthatnootherprophetwillfollow(succeed)him,allDivinebooksaretrueand

"KalaamAllah"(Speech,WordofAllah)andtheHolyQur-aanisprotectedfrombeing interpolated even if all men in the world help one another to do the evil.