Islamic Beliefs

Jesus Christ: A Prophet of Islam

Sat, 28 Jun 2008 22:48:26 +0000

Concerning the birth of Jesus (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) and concerning the pregnancy of his blessed Mother Mary (peace and blessings of Allah be upon her) together with matters connected therewith…

Miracles of Jesus, son of Mary

Sat, 28 Jun 2008 22:45:39 +0000

Wahb said that the first miracle of Jesus (upon whom be peace) which the people saw was when his mother was dwelling in the house of a Dihqan (village chief) in the land of Egypt, where Joseph the carpenter had set her down when he went with her to Egypt. Beggars used to resort to the house of the Dihqan, and though goods were being stolen from the Dihqan’s storehouses he did not suspect the beggars. Mary (peace be upon her) was distressed over the Dihqan’s loss, and when Jesus (Allah’s peace and blessings upon him) saw his blessed mother’s grief for the losses of her host, he said to her: “O mother, would you like me to tell him where his property is?” She said: “Yes, my son.” He said to her, “Then tell him to gather the beggars before me in this house.” So Mary (peace be upon her) mentioned that to the Dihqan and he gathered the beggars before him. When they were all gathered together he picked out two men from among them, one of them blind, and the other, a cripple—the cripple being carried on the shoulders of the blind. He said to the latter: “Rise up with him,” but the blind man said, “I am too weak for that.” Then Jesus (Allah’s peace and blessings upon him) said to him: “How was it that you were strong enough for it yesterday?” When they heard him say that, they beat the blind man till he stood up, and when he rose and stood firmly, the cripple was just at the height of the window of the storehouse. Jesus (Allah’s peace and blessings upon him) said to Dihqan, “Thus did they scheme with regard to your goods yesterday, for the blind man gave the aid of his strength and the cripple his eyes.” Thereupon the blind man and the cripple said, “He has told the truth, by Allah,” and they returned to the Dihqan all his property, which the Dihqan took and put in his storehouse. Then he said: “O Mary, take the half of it.” She answered: “I am not that sort of a person.” Said the Dihqan, “Then give it to your son.” She answered: “But he is more noble estate than I am.”

Not long after this, that Dihqan arranged a marriage for his son, and made a feast to which he invited all the people of Egypt, whom he feasted for two months. When this was just ended, there came to visit him a party of the people from Syria about whom the Dihqan had not noticed until they arrived. On that day he had nothing in the house to drink, and when Jesus (Allah’s peace and blessings upon him) saw his solicitude about it, he entered one of the houses of the Dihqan in which were two rows of earthenware jars. Jesus (Allah’s peace and blessings upon him) passed his hand over the mouth of each of them as he was walking and no sooner had he passed his hand over the mouth of a jar than it was filled with drink, until Jesus (Allah’s peace and blessings upon him) came to the last of them. At that time he was twelve years old.

Another miracle… As-Suddi says that Jesus (Allah’s peace and blessings upon him) while he was in the kuttab (school) used to tell the boys what their parents were doing. He would say to a youth: “Run off, for verily your family is eating such and such, and they have set apart for you such and such, and they themselves are eating such and such.” So the boy would run off to his family and weep till they gave him that thing. They they would say to him: “Who told you about that?” And he would say: “Jesus” (Allah’s peace and blessings upon him), so they kept their boys away from him, stating: “Do not play with that sorcerer.” They gathered their children into one house, and when Jesus (Allah’s peace and blessings upon him) came seeking them, they said to him: “They are not here.” Said he: “Then what is in the house?” They said: “Oh, pigs.” “Even so,” said he, and when they opened to them, behold, they were pigs. News of this spread abroad among the Israelites, and the people were in anxiety about it. So when his mother grew afraid for him she put him on a donkey that she had and fled to Egypt.

Another miracle… As-Suddi said that when Jesus and his mother (Peace and blessings of Allah upon both of them) were wandering in the land, they left the Israelites and dwelt in a certain village at a man’s house, where he treated them as guests and was good to them.

Now the king at that time was an obstinate tyrant. One day a man came home anxious and in grief, and entered his house while Mary (peace be upon her) was with his wife. Said Mary (peace be upon her) to her, “What is the matter with your husband whom I see grieving?” She said, “Do not ask me,” but Mary said, “Tell me, for maybe Allah will relieve his distress at my hand.” Said she, “The truth is that we have a king who places on every man among us, in turn, the duty of providing food and wine to drink for him and his armies and punishes whoever fails to do it. Now today is our day and we have no supplies at hand.” Said Mary (peace be upon her), “Tell him not to worry about it, for he did good to us, so I shall bid my son to pray for him, and this will be sufficient.” Then Mary (peace be upon her) spoke to Jesus (peace be upon him) about the matter. “If I do that, evil will come of it.” She answered: Never mind that, for he has treated us well and with honor.” Said Jesus (peace be upon him) “Then tell him, when the king draws near, to fill up the earthen jars and pots with water, and then tell me.” So he did that and called to Jesus (peace be upon him) who changed the water in the earthenware pots into meat and gravy, and the water of the jars into drink, the like of which the people had never seen.

Now when the king came he ate, and when he drank he asked: “From whence is this drink?” He said to him, “From such and such a land.” Said the king, “But my drink too is brought from that land, yet it is never like this.” So he told him that it was from another land, but when the king saw how muddled and confused he was, he said: “Now tell me the truth.” He said: “I will tell you. I have with me a young man who never asks Allah for anything, but He gives it to him. He called on Allah Who made the water into this drink.” Now the king had a son whom he desired to succeed him, but who had died a few days before. Now he was very dear to the king, so he said: “Verily a man who could call on Allah and have Him make water into this drink could urgently supplicate Him till he raise my son to life.” So he called Jesus (peace be upon him) and talked to him about it. Said Jesus (peace be upon him) “Let us not do it, because if he were to come to life again, evil would assuredly come of it.” Said the king, “I care not so long as I see him.” Said Jesus: “If I raise him to life will you let my mother and I go where we desire?” “Most certainly,” said he. So Jesus (peace be upon him) called on Allah (Glory to the Most High), Who made the young man live again. Now when the people of the realm saw that he was alive again, they fell suddenly on them with the sword saying: “This man devoured us till now he draws near to death he wants to appoint over us his son that he may devour us as did his father.” So they began to fight with one another, but Jesus (peace be upon him) and his mother departed.

Another miracle… Wahb says that while Jesus (peace be upon him) was playing with the boys, a youth sprang upon a small boy, kicked him with his foot and killed him. Then he threw him into the arms of Jesus (peace be upon him) who was covered with blood. Then he brought the people to Jesus (peace be upon him) who charged him with it, took him and with him to the Qadi (Judge) of Egypt. To him they said: “This one has killed the other.” Then the Qadi questioned him, and Jesus (peace be upon him) said: “I do not know who killed him, but I am not guilty of it.” They desired to fall upon Jesus (peace be upon him) but he said “Confront me with the boy.” They said to him: “And what do you want with him?” Said he, “I want to ask him who killed him.” They said “And how can he speak with you when he is dead?” Nevertheless, they took him and brought him to the spot where the boy was killed. There Jesus (peace be upon him) set himself to prayer, whereat Allah (Glory be to the Most High) raised him to life. Then Jesus (peace be upon him) asked him, “Who killed you?” He answered: “So and so killed me,” mentioning the one who killed him. Then the Israelites said, “Who is this?” He said, “This is Jesus, son of Mary.” They said: “And who is this with him?” He said, “The Qadi of the children of Israel.” Then the boy died again straightway, and Jesus returned to his mother (on them be peace), a great multitude of the people following him. His mother said to him: “My son, did I not forbid you to act like this?” but he said to her, “Verily Allah is our protector and his is the Most Merciful of those who show mercy.” (Holy Qur’an 12:64)

Another miracle… ‘Ata says that Mary (peace be upon her) after she had withdrawn Jesus (peace be upon him) from the Kuttab (school), set him at various jobs, and finally put him with the dyers, indeed with the chief of them, that he might learn his trade from him. There were assembled at his place different kinds of garments to be dyed. It became necessary for the man to go on a journey, so he said to Jesus, “Now you have learned this profession, and I am about to go off on a journey from which I shall not return for ten days. Here are these garments of different colors, and you know the color that each one of them should be dyed. I want you to be finished with them by the time I come back.” Then he departed and Jesus (peace be upon him) heated up the vat of one color, and throwing into it all of garments, said: “Be, by permission of Allah, whatever I want you to be.” Presently the dyer came back, and behold, the clothes were all in one vat. Said he: “Oh Jesus (peace be upon him) what have you done?” He said: “I have finished with them.” Said the dyer: “Where are they?” He answered: “In the vat.” “What! All of them?” “Yes,” said he. “And how is that all of them are in the one vat? You have ruined the garments.” Said Jesus (peace be upon him) “Come and see.” So he came, while Jesus (peace be upon him) drew out a yellow garment, a green garment, a red, and so on till he had drawn them all out according to the color he had desired. The dyer was amazed but he understood that this thing was from Allah (Glory be to the Most High). The dyer said to the people, “Come! See what Jesus (peace be upon him) has done.” Then he and his friends believed in him, and they became the Huwariyun (disciples). But Allah (Great and Majestic is He) knows best.

The Second Coming of Jesus

Sat, 28 Jun 2008 22:41:05 +0000

Allah (exalted be He) has said: “Verily he is a sign of the hour, so be no doubt about it.” (Holy Qur’an 43:61)

Abu Salih Shu’aib bin Muhammad al-Baihaqi has informed us in his isnad from Abu Huraira, how this latter related that the Rasulullah (on whom be Allah’s blessings and peace) said: “The Ambiya (Prophets) are brothers, though of different mothers, and their religion is One and the same. I am the nearest of mankind to Jesus, Son of Mary (on both of them be peace) because there has been no Nabi (Prophet) between him and myself. It will come to pass that the son of Mary will descend among you as a just ruler. He will be a man symmetrical in stature, of reddish-white (complexion), lank haired, as though his hair were dripping perfume though it has not been moistened. He will come down in a greenish-yellow garment, will break crosses and kill swine, will put an end to the poll tax, and will make wealth to abound. He will come for the pilgrimage and the Umra (visitation), undertaking them both with zeal. He will make war on behalf of Islam, until in his time, he destroys all ways, save that of Islam, and there will be thence forward but one single prostration of obeisance, namely that to Allah, Lord of the Worlds. Also, in his time Allah will destroy the Antichrist, the lying Ad-Dajjal. There will be such security on earth that lines will pasture freely with the camels, tigers with cattle, wolves with sheep, children will play with serpents and no one will do harm to anyone else. Jesus (upon him be peace) will remain on earth for forty years, will get married and will have children. Then he will die, and the Muslims will pray over him and bury him in Madinah beside the grave of Umar.”

Allah says: “There are none of the people of the Book but will believe in him before his death, and on the day of Resurrection he will be a witness against them.” (Holy Qur’an 4:159), i.e. before the death of Jesus (upon him be peace). Abu Huraira repeats this three times.

Muhammad ibn al-Qasim has informed us with the chain of authority from Abu Huraira, how he related that the Rasulullah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said:

“When Allah sends down the Messiah Jesus (peace be upon him) he will live in his community a certain time, and will then die in this city of mine, and will be buried beside the grave of Umar. How blessed are Abu Bakr and Umar, who will be thus resurrected between two Nabis (Prophets). My father informed me saying: Al Husain ibn Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Ali related to me, with an isnad from Ibn Abbas, that this latter related how the Rasulullah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “How can Allah destroy a community at whose beginning I am, at whose end is Jesus, and in the middle of which is the Mahdi of the people of my house?” (Ahlul-Bayt).

Some Jews were sent to arrest Jesus the Messiah, the son of Mary (peace be upon him) and severely punish him, and crucify him that others might fear and dare not embrace his creed. Allah (exalted is He) consoled the Messiah (peace be upon him) that he would destroy all their plotting against him. They were planning to set at naught the glorious purpose that was designed by his birth and Nubuwwat (Prophethood) and thus devalue the bounty in his person. But the Jews would not succeed in their wicked scheme. They wanted to arrest, punish, and put him on the cross, while Allah was planning to put him in the heavens far above their reach. They wanted to punish and humiliate Jesus the Messiah (peace be upon him) and prevent the people from his obedience. But their wicked hands never reached him and Allah would give him greater dignity by his heavenly ascension, and would produce from amongst mankind millions of his followers would always be set above his disbelievers till the moment before the doom. It means the believers of Jesus the Messiah, the son of Mary (peace be upon him), whether Muslims or Christians, shall always be predominant over the disbelievers of Jesus (peace be upon him)—Jews, Hindus, Communists, etc., in the world. Afterwards a time will come when the two groups of believers and unbelievers will turn to His Command. At that time all their differences will be settled and all dissentions shall be extirpated. All the infidels (Jews, Hindus, Communists) shall be under a very severe chastisement. No power shall come to their help. On the contrary, the believers will be in peace and they would be recompensed fairly in this world and in the next world. The infidels will be totally exterminated.

It is a unanimous belief of the Muslims that when the Jews fully prepared their wicked scheme, Allah took up Jesus the Messiah (peace be upon him) in the heaven. According to the repeated traditions of the Holy Last Messenger Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), when the world will be filled with Kufr (unbelief) and Satanism before the Doom (Qiyamat), Allah shall send the Holy Messiah Jesus, the son of Mary (peace be upon him) again in this world as a great Loyal General of the last Nabi Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) to show the intimate relation of the past Nabi with the last Nabi. Hazrat Messiah (peace be upon him) shall slay the Dajjal and his followers, the Jews. All Jews will get no protection whatsoever. Even the trees and rocks shall call, “This is the Jew standing behind us, slay him!” The Holy Messiah (peace be upon him) shall break the cross and rectify the wrong and preposterous beliefs of some people and lead the world on the path of faith and Islam. At that time all religions’ differences shall be settled and extirpated. (Shabbir Usmani, Tafseer-e-Usmani)

The unanimous belief of the Muslims is that Jesus the Messiah (peace be upon him) was drawn to heaven with the “Living Body.” On this all of the great Sunni Scholars of the past have this opinion.

The miracles that were demonstrated at his hand have a close resemblance with his heavenly ascension. If he could make a mud-bird fly merely by the force of his breath, why could he not fly into heaven by the order of Allah (Exalted is He)? When he could heal the lepers and cause a dead body to live again, it is no wonder he himself lives thousands of years with the angels in the heaven, to come down again on earth to defeat the evil forces and to defeat the victories of matter and the achievements of science as he had done before. This is the belief of the Muslims about the son of Mary, Jesus the Messiah.

Beliefs of a Muslim

Sat, 28 Jun 2008 21:09:30 +0000

Question: What is 'Imaan Mufassal (elaborate Belief)?
Answer:

aa-man-tu bil-laa-hi wa ma-laa-i-ka-ti-hi wa ku-tu-bi-hi wa ru-su-li-hi wal-yaw-mil aakhi-ri wal-qad-ri khai-ri-ji wa shar-ri-hi minal-laa-hi ta'aa-la wal-ba'thi ba'dal mawt.

I believe in Allah, His Angels, His Books, His Messengers, in the Day of Judgement, and that good and evil is ordained by Allah, and the life after death.

Belief of Muslims regarding Allah
Question: What is the Muslim's belief about Allah (God, in Arabic)?
Answer: A Muslim's belief is that:
1. Allah is one.
2. None is worthy of worship but Allah.
3. He has no partner.
4. He knows everything and nothing is hidden from Him.
5. He is the Fountainhead of all strength and power.
6. He has created the earth, the sky, the sun, the moon, the stars, the angels, human beings, jinns, and in fact created the whole universe out of nothingness. He is the Master of all.
7. He creates and destroys. Everything in creation is born or brought to an end by His orders.
8. He feeds all His creation.
9. He neither eats, nor drinks, nor sleeps.
10. He Himself exists from eternity and will exist to eternity.
11. Nobody gave birth to Him.
12. He has no father, no son, no daughter, nor has He any relations. He is free from all these relations.
13. Everybody depends on Him. He does not depend upon anyone. Nor is he in need of anything.
14. He is peerless. Nothing is like Him, nothing resembles Him.
15. He is above all weaknesses and free from all defects and shortcomings.
16. He has no hands, feet, nose, ears, or face like human beings.
17. He has made angels to look after certain affairs of the world.
18. He sent prophets for the guidance of His creatures. They taught them the true religion, instructed them in what is good, and tried to keep them away from evil.
Angels
Question: What are the angels?
Answer: They are Allah's creatures born of light (Nur). They are not corporeal beings and thus invisible to the human eye. They do not disobey Allah nor commit any sin. They keep on doing readily the work assigned to them by Allah.
Question: How many angels are there?
Answer: Nobody except Allah knows their exact number. This much is know that there are many angels and four of them stand out prominently in respect of their nearness to Allah.
Question: Who are those four angels?
Answer: The first one is Hadrat Jibraa'eel (Gabriel) who brought Allah's books, commands and messages to His prophets. The second is Hadrat Israafeel who will blow the trumpet on the Day of Judgement. The third is Hadrat Makaa'eel whose work is to bring rains and give sustenance to Allah's creatures. The fourth is Hadrat Izraa'eel who is deputed to take the life out of a living creature.

Allah's Books
Question: How many Books of Allah are there?
Answer: There are many Books of Allah, small and big, which were revealed to the prophets of Allah. The comprehensive books are known as Kutb (singular Kitaab) and the smaller ones are well known.
Question: What are those four heavenly books, and who are the prophets upon whom were those revealed?
Answer:
1. Taurait (The Old Testament) which came to Hadrat Musa (Moses) (peace be upon him).
2. Zabur (Psalm) on Hadrat Daood (David) (peace be upon him).
3. Injeel (The New Testament) on Hadrat 'Isa (Jesus) (peace be upon him).
4. Qur'an al-Karim to Prophet Muhammad .
Messengers of Allah (peace be upon them)
Question: Who are the Rusal (prophets)?
Answer: Rusal are Allah's bondsmen and human beings. Allah commissions them to convey His commands to other human beings. They are truthful. They never tell lies. They perform miracles by the order of Allah. They do not commit sins. They are infallible. They deliver Allah's command in all completeness. They neither add anything to it nor do they drop any part of that nor do they conceal any portion of it.
Question: What is meant by Nabi?
Answer: Nabi is synonymous with prophet. They are Allah's bondsmen and His beings. They deliver Allah's commands to other human beings. They are truthful. They never tell lies. They do not commit sins. They are infallible. They deliver Allah's command in all completeness. They neither add anything to it nor do they drop any part of that nor do they conceal any portion of it.
Question: Is there any difference between Nabi and Rasul or both bear the same meaning?
Answer: There is a minor difference between a Nabi and Rasul. Every prophet is a Nabi. But a Rasul is the prophet who is given a new Shari'at (Divine Law) and a Book. Nabi follows the Shari'at that was given to another prophet preceding them. Nabi is not given a new Shari'at and a new Book.
Question: Can anyone become a Nabi by his own efforts and devotions?
Answer: No. A Nabi is appointed only by Allah. This rank is entirely bestowed by Allah. Man's personal efforts or his own desire do not count in the least in this respect.
Question: How many Awliya, and Rasul were there?
Answer: Many Awliya, and Rasul came to the world. But only Allah knows their exact number. We should express our Imaan (belief) in all prophets sent by Allah and testify all of them and believe that they are prophets.
Question: Who was the first prophet?
Answer: Hadrat Adam (peace be upon him) is the first of all the prophets.
Question: Who is the last of all prophets?
Answer: Hadrat Muhammad bin Abdullah is the last of all the prophets.
Question: Will more prophets come after Hadrat Muhammad bin Abdullah?
Answer: No. Because the appointment of prophets and messengers was finalized with Hadrat Muhammad bin Abdullah (peace be upon him). After him, no new Nabi will come until the Day of Judgement. One who says that he is Allah's messenger after Prophet Muhammad bin Abdullah, is a liar.
Question: Who is the greatest among prophets?
Answer: Our prophet, Hadrat Muhammad bin Abdullah stands above all as regards respect and rank amongst the prophets, but he is also the bondsman of Allah.

The Day of Judgement
Question: What is the Day of Judgement?
Answer: The Day of Judgement or Qiyaamat is the day when all creatures will die and the whole universe will be destroyed. Mountains will fly like flakes of cotton, stars will break down. Everything will be shattered and destroyed.
Question: How will all the creatures die on the Day of Judgement?
Answer: Hadrat Israafil (peace be upon him) will blow the Sur (trumpet). Its sound will be so dreadful and so strong that its shock will kill every living being and everything will be shattered and destroyed.
Question: When will Qiyaamat come?
Answer: Qiyaamat is to come. But none except Allah knows its exact time. Our Prophet (peace be upon him) has given some of the signs of Qiyaamat. Observing these signs the nearness of Qiyaamat may be known.
Question: What are the signs?
Answer: Prophet Muhammad has said that: When sins begin to increase in the world. People will begin to disobey their parents and treat them harshly, begin to breach trust and abuse confidence, music and dance prevail in excess, and new generation begins to abuse its ancestors, the illiterate and people with little education become leaders, mean and ordinary people begin to construct high buildings and the unworthy begin to get high posts; it may be taken that the Qiyaamat is approaching near.

Fate
Question: What is Taqdir (fate)?
Answer: In Allah's knowledge there is an estimate and appraisal for everything good and bad. Allah knew this about every creature even before anything was created. This knowledge and the estimates of Allah is called Taqdir. Nothing, good or bad, is beyond Allah's knowledge and estimate.

Life After Death
Question: What is meant by life after death?
Answer: Everything will be destroyed in Qiyaamat but when Hadrat Israafeel will blow the Sur for the second time, everything will come to life once again. Human beings will also come to life. All will assemble before Allah in Maidaan-I-hashr (Field of Resurrection). There an Account of Deeds will be exchanged. The day on which this will be done is called Yaw-mul-Hashr or the Day of Resurrection, Yaw-mul Ja-za, and Yaw-mid-Deen (the Day of Exchange) or Yaw-mul-Hisaab (the Day of Reckoning).
Question: Is a person entitled to be called a Muslim who does not accept one or two things out of the seven things mentioned in the Imaan Mufassal?
Answer: Not at all. Unless one believes fully in the Oneness of Allah, in the prophethood of all the prophets, in Allah's Books and angels, Taqdir (fate) decreed by Allah, and Qiyaamat (Day of Judgement) and the Life after Death, he or she cannot be called Muslim.
Question: Prophet Muhammad has named five things as basis of Islam. But there is no mention of angels, Allah's Books, Qiyaamat, Taqdir, etc. Why?
Answer: Among these five things there is a mention of expressing Imaan on Hadrat Muhammad (peace be upon him) and when one believes in the Holy Prophet, he has to accept all what the Holy Prophet had said. It will also be necessary to believe in Allah's Book revealed unto Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and express ones Imaan in it. All these things are mentioned in Imaan Mufassal and are proved to be proved to be true by the Holy Qur'an and by the traditions of the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him).
Question: Will one remain a Muslim if one does believe in all these heartily, and testifies them orally, but does not perform Salaat nor give Zakaat, nor keep Fasts, nor perform the Hajj?
Answer: Yes, he or she is Muslim but he or she is sinful and disobedient to Allah. Such a person is called Fasiq (sinner). These people will be punished for their sins but will be pardoned in the end.

Islam--The Beautiful Truth

Fri, 28 Jun 2002 20:47:25 +0000

So much has been written distorting Islam by non-Muslim writers, that its essential characteristics of Truth and Beauty have been obscured. A few supposed Muslim writers have also contributed to this process by their apologetic “defense” of Islam.

Islamic Beliefs

Jesus Christ: A Prophet of Islam

Miracles of Jesus, son of Mary

The Second Coming of Jesus

Beliefs of a Muslim

aa-man-tu bil-laa-hi wa ma-laa-i-ka-ti-hi wa ku-tu-bi-hi wa ru-su-li-hi wal-yaw-mil aakhi-ri wal-qad-ri khai-ri-ji wa shar-ri-hi minal-laa-hi ta'aa-la wal-ba'thi ba'dal mawt.

Belief of Muslims regarding Allah

Angels

Allah's Books

Messengers of Allah (peace be upon them)

The Day of Judgement

Fate

Life After Death

Islam--The Beautiful Truth