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Articles Complete (Islamiat Olevel Muzammil Mehmood)
Articles Complete (Islamiat Olevel Muzammil Mehmood)
Articles Complete (Islamiat Olevel Muzammil Mehmood)
Articles of Faith
Tauheed, the belief in Oneness of Allah
At the heart of Islam lies belief in Allah as the only deity worthy of worship by his creation. The essence of
Islam is bearing witness to the phrase, ‘There is no god but Allah’. The testimony to this belief, called
tauheed, is the axis around which Islam revolves. Belief in Allah, In Islam, consists of following aspects:
Belief in Allah’s existence
• Tauheed requires belief in Allah’s existence which is reflected in His creation.
• There is a harmonious and systematic arrangement in the universe; in the solar system, the night and
day follow fixed schedule; the Sun, the Moon, and the planets rotate within their set orbits Allah says,
“It is not permitted for the sun to catch-up with the moon nor can night outstrip day each (just)
swims along in (its own) orbit (according to law).” (36:40)
• Allah’s presence can be perceived by His answer to our prayers, the miracles gave some of his
Prophets, and the teachings in the revealed books.
• In fact, every human is born with an instinctive belief in Allah. The Prophet Muhammad (P.B.U.H)
said, “Every child is born in a state of fitrah (a natural belief in Allah) then his parents make him a
Jew, a Christian, or a Magian.”
• As only Allah is perfect, no one else should be named or qualified with names or
qualifications of Allah. Muslims must believe in all the qualities of Allah stated in the Quran
and as mentioned by His Prophet (P.B.U.H); this belief forms an integral part of faith.
• Attributing any of Allah’s qualities to another deity or human is known as shirk and this is
an unforgivable sin in Islam as it goes against the primary belief in Tauheed. The Quran
says, “There is nothing like Him, and He sees and hears all things.” (Quran 42:11)
• The names of Allah indicate His majesty, power and perfection. His attributes are unique and all-
encompassing: He stands in need of none as He is perfect. “And the most beautiful names belong to
Allah, so call on Him by them.”(7:180)
• Muslim start their day and tasks with the name of Allah and remind themselves of His compassion
and mercy every time they eat, drink, or do anything of importance. Forgiveness too is an important
dimension of human relationship with Allah. Human beings are weak and prone to sin, but Allah in
His mercy is willing to forgive those who repent.
Shirk
There is no issue upon which Islam is so strict as the one of Tauheed (monotheism). Therefore, shirk is
considered the greatest violation with which the Lord of the heavens and the earth is defied.
1. Shirk in the Lordship of God would constitute assigning partners to God or saying that there is
more than one Creator or that there are more gods than one. It could also be committed by declaring God
to be the father or son of someone. An example is Christians who believe that Allah is God the Father, God
the Son, and God the Holy Spirit, all at the same time. Quran rejects it by saying,
‘He does not beget, nor is He begotten.’
This is the most unforgivable sin and should never be committed as God has said in several places in the
Qur’an e.g. ‘Allah forgives not that partners should be set up with Him, but He forgives anything else to
whom He pleases.’ (AlNisa 4:48)
This category also includes Atheism (the belief that human beings have no Lord).
Pharaoh denied the existence of Allah and claimed his own self to be the Lord over Moses and the
people of Egypt. He announced to people: “I am your Lord, Most High.” (Quran 79:24). Also, the idea that
nature itself is God, or that God dwells within His creation is also shirk.
2. Shirk in the worship of God can be committed by praying invoking or asking for help from any
other than God and by offering sacrifice or slaughtering in the name of any other than God. Muslims
should therefore only ask God for the fulfillment of their wishes or needs as that power lies only with him.
Only He should be invoked. “You alone we worship and your aid we seek.”
Example of this shirk is held by people who pray to the dead. They believe the souls of the saints and other
people can meddle in the affairs of mortal men, that somehow the departed souls can cause change in the
life of men and women by answering their prayers or in other ways. The truth is that the dead have no
power over the lives of the living; they cannot answer anyone’s prayers, nor protect them, nor grant their
wishes.
3. Shirk in God’s attributes means to ascribe qualities which are unique to God to some other
being. It means to believe that some being other than God has the power to create, or make something
perish or has the same knowledge as God or the same divine power. It can be further classified into two
types:
(i) Humanizing Allah by giving Him attributes similar to humans is shirk. Depictions of God in paintings
and sculpture are of this type. Christianity, the major religion of the West, views God in human terms,
as Jesus is considered God incarnate by them. On the contrary, the Muslim tradition has been clear on
this point because of the Quran’s clear teachings,
“There is nothing like Him, and He sees and hears all things.” (Quran 42:11)
(ii) Another form of this type of shirk is when human beings are deified by giving them divine names or
qualities. For example, the Christians raise Mary, the mother of Jesus, to a divine status by giving her
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some of Allah’s attributes, such as the Merciful. They also call Mary the mother of God, ‘God’ being a
reference to her son Jesus.
Importance of Tauheed
The Belief of Tawheed is the profound base of Islam, yet it is the core of all the Divine messages,.There is
One God Who has created everything, and He is the Lord of everything, to Him creations and matter recur,
and to Him are all destinies, He is The Lord in heaven and earth, and it is only Him Who deserves to be
worshiped so He might not be abjured, thanked. The benefits of tawhid in the life of a Muslim are several.
• It liberates human from all kind of slavery, except for being slave to the One, The Dayyan (The
Judge/Allah), Who has created and honored mankind.
• Tawheed is all about freeing mind from delusions and myths, freeing conscious from giving up and
humiliation, and freeing life from the domination of deified (one who claims Godlike nature) people.
• The faithful believer doesn’t fear but Allah, and because of that, he is secured when people are
frightened, calm when people are worried, and tranquil when people are confused.
• belief in tawhid makes a person virtuous and obedient to God as they know that success and salvation
in this world and the hereafter can only be achieved by piety and righteous deeds.
• A Muslim surrenders completely to the will of God and becomes obedient to Him.
• It instills in them a sense of confidence and self respect as they know that they are dependent on no
one but God so they bow before no one else.
• The belief also makes them humble and modest as they know that all they have is from God;
• it stimulates unity and brotherhood and broadens the outlook of a believer as they realise that God’s
love and sympathy is not confined to any one group of people but to His entire creation.
• Tawhid also gives a Muslim courage as they know that only God is the giver or taker of life so in turn
this belief makes them brave.
• It also creates an attitude of peace and contentment and frees one from jealousy and envy and greed.
“ He does send down His angels with the inspiration of His command to such of His servants as He
pleases.”[al Nahl16:2]
• Angels are heavenly beings not visible to ordinary mortals and belong to the category of
unseen.Theydonot need sleep or other human requirements and never get tired.
• Angels prostrated before Adam when Allah commanded them to do so.Angels also appeared to the
prophet Ibrahim in human from to give him glad tiding of a son An angel was sent to the prophet
Zakariyah and to Maryam to give them tiding of a son..
The most prominent angels are:
1. Angel Gabriel is the one who brought the message of Allah to Muhammad (p.b.u.h.) ad all the
other prophets.
2. Angel Izrael is the angel of death who takes away the life.
3. Angel Mikael provides the provisions to the people; he is also responsible to cause the rainful.
4. Angel Israfeel is the angel who will blow the trumpet, ‘Soor’ on the Day of Judgment when
directed. The first trumpet will be blown to announce the end of the world and the second trumpet
will be sounded to bring all the dead to life again to face Allah’s judgment.
These four angels are regarded amongst the highest ranking for the importance of their duities.
5. KiramannKatibin record every deed of a person, Allah says, “ But verily over you (are appointed
angels) to protect you, kind and honorable writing down(your deeds).”(Al-Infitar82:10)
6. Munkar and Nakir question the dead grave, the Prophet (p.b.u.h.) said, “ When a faithful believer
is made to sit in his grave, then (the angels) come to him and he testifies that none has the right
to be worshipped but Allah and Muhammad is Allah’s Apostle .....” (Sahih Bukhari)
7. Rizwan the gatekeeper of Paradise; Malik the gatekeeper of Hell.
“They change the words from their(right)places and forget agood part of the message that was
sent.”(Al-Maidah 5:13)
2. The Zabur was revealed to Daud. It was also lost and corrupted.
3.The Injil(bible)was sent to Isa (p.b.u.h)The Christians distorted Bible and introduced the doctrine of
“trinity” and redemption through crucifixion, although Isa (peace be upon him)had clearly told his
followers that Allah was his Lord and their lord and that they should worship Allah alone. According
to the Quran Injil confirms the Torah.The prophet (P.B.U.H) is mentioned in both the Injil and the
Torah. Allah says,”And remember Jesus the son of Mary said:
“O children of Israel I am the apostle of Allah (sent)to you confirming the Law(which came)before
me and giving glad Tidings of an Apostle to come after me whose name shall be Ahmad.” (As-Saff
61:6)
4.The Quranwas revealed to Muhammad(P.B.U.H). Itis the last and the most perfect Book of Allah.It
is a comprehensive book.It deals with every aspect of human life,e.g.sociol, economic, legal, moral and
political etc.
The Qu’ran is the only book which is unchanged, Allah promised to safeguard it,
“We have, without; doubt revealed the reminder and we will guard it(from corruption)”(Al Hijr
15:9)
The Qur’an is a universal book, sent to the entire mankind for all ages. God says, ‘This day I have
perfected your religion for you and completed my favours upon you and chosen for you Islam as
your religion’. (Al Maidah 5:3).
• All the messengers should be respected equally because they are equal in status. The Quran says,
“And We make no distinction between one and other of His messengers.” [Ch2:V285]
• Prophet Muhammad pbuh was the last in the line of prophetic messengers, therefore, he is also
known as “Seal of the Prophets”. The Holy Quran says, “Muhammad is not the father of any of
your men but the Messenger of Allah and the seal of prophets.” [Ch33:V40]. Prophet pbuh
himself said, “I am the seal of prophets and there will be no prophet after me.” His message was
the same as the previous ones but it was sent for all mankind and for all times to come. (Universal
and Eternal). God himself has taken the responsibility of protecting His message from any change
or corruption. God says, “This is a Glorious Quran in a Tablet preserved.” [Ch85:V21-22]
told that a Bedouin had sold this saddle to him in fifty dirhams. Hazrat Ali smiled and said that how
unlucky was the Bedouin who turned his Halal (lawful) into Haram (Unlawful) out of his free will. This
event shows that Man is not a helpless creature borne along by destiny. Rather, each person is
responsible for his acts. Man is bound to obey the moral law; and he will receive merited punishment
or reward as he violates or observes that law. However, if such is so, man must have within his power
the ability to break or keep the law. God would not hold us responsible for something unless we were
capable of doing it: "God does not burden any human being with more than he is well able to bear’’.
(Quran 2:286)
Those who emerge successful in this judgment will go to paradise Allah says, “Then he whose
Scales are heavy shall be in state of bliss and he whose scales are light shall have a deep pit for
his dwelling.” (Al Qariah 101:9-10)
Paradise and hell are described in the Quran and Hadith with concrete and material thing of this world.
This is to give an idea to human mind about the intensity of pleasure in paradise and severity of the
punishment in Hell.
4 (a) Give an account of Muslim belief in prophets and the messages they preached. [10]
O/N 2016
4 (a) Belief in all the prophets is one of the articles of faith in Islam. Write about this Muslim
belief in detail [10]
M/J 2011
4 (a) What does the statement ‘There is no ability or power except through Allah’ tell you
about Muslim belief in Allah’s predestination and decree? [10]
O/N 2017 (21)
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5(a) Write an account about the relationship between belief in God’s divine decree and
human responsibility. [10]
M/J 2015 (22)
4(a) What do Muslims believe about the Day of Resurrection and Judgment? [10]
M/J 2018 (22)
4(a) Write in detail about Muslim belief in Life after Death and the Day of Judgement. [10]
5.(b) All revealed books were sent by God. What in your opinion makes the Qur’an
unique?[4]
• Qur’an is different from other revealed books as it is the only book revealed to all humanity for all
times.
• God Himself has promised to protect its message.
• the language of the Qur’an is very much alive today and spoken by millions unlike those of the other
revealed books.
• it message is universal and eternal
4.(b) How is the message brought by these prophets important for Muslims today? [4]
• the message brought by all the prophets was of belief in the one God; good conduct and
belief in resurrection and the Day of Judgment.
• This message is important to Muslims today just as it was important to Muslims of the past
ages and will be to those of the future because it reiterates tawhid and accountability which
if a person bears in mind will lead to good conduct and prosperity in this world and the next.
• It teaches Muslims tolerance for other revealed faiths and makes them realise that Islam is a
continuation and culmination of the other revealed faiths.
• The unity of the message will foster better relations between Muslims and other believers
etc.
3(b) Give reasons to support the statement that without tawhid there is no faith. [4]
▪ belief in the oneness of God is the first article of Islam and all forms of ibadah revolve around it.
▪ because Muslims believe in the one God they offer salat five times a day to glorify Him and seek
His aid;
▪ they fast in the month of Ramadan, give zakat and perform hajj which are all actions to glorify God,
to follow His commands, to please Him and to seek His mercy.
▪ If the belief in tawhid was absent there would be no need to act upon the Pillars of faith or the
teachings of Islam as they are all done to please the one God.
5(b) Why has God repeatedly warned Muslims against committing shirk? [4]
All three kinds of shirk should never be committed . The severity of shirk can be understood through
the following :
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Shirk makes the Creator like His creation, Therefore, Allah declares shirk to be the greatest wrong,
“Indeed to ascribe partners (unto Him) is a tremendous wrong.” (Quran 31:13)
Allah has forbidden Paradise to those who do not repent from committing shirk, condemning him to Hell
for eternity,
“Surely whoever associates (others) with Allah, Allah has forbidden to him Paradise and
his abode is the Fire.” (Quran 5:72)
All the good works a person may have done are lost, become worthless, and are rendered vain if a person
dies unrepentant of shirk,
“And certainly, it has been revealed to you and to those before you: if you should
associate (anything) with Allah, your work would surely become worthless, and you
would surely be among the losers.” (Quran 39:65)
4.(b) Why is the belief in resurrection important to Muslims in their daily living? [4]
Belief in the Hereafter, resurrection the Day of Judgment and accountability before Allah is at the heart of
Islam as this stress the purpose of human creation. This belief shows the direct relation between a person’s
conduct on earth and the life beyond i.e the present life is a preparation for the next, which will be one of
rewards and punishments, depending on one’s conduct on earth.
Rejection of this belief makes all other beliefs meaningless. If a person does not believe in accountability to
his Creator for all his deeds, there is nothing to stop him from wrongdoing. It is fear of accountability that
keeps a person in check; faith in life after death urges people to do right and stay away from sin. In this
world, we sometimes see the pious suffer whilst the impious live enjoyable lives. What needs to be
remembered is that all shall be judged one day and justice will be meted out. The acceptance or rejection of
life after death is perhaps the greatest factor in determining the course of an individual’s life.
5(b) How does this belief in God’s divine decree affect the day to day life of Muslims? [4]
• Belief in divine decree strengthens one’s belief in God.
• A person realises that God alone controls everything, so he trusts and relies on Him.
• Even though a person tries his best, at the same time he relies on God for the final outcome.
• His hard work or intelligence does not make him arrogant, for God is the source of all that comes his
way.
• Finally, a person attains peace of mind in the realisation that God is the Wise and His actions are
dictated by wisdom.
• Things don’t happen without a purpose. If something reached him, he realises it could never have
escaped him.
• If something misses him, he realises it was never meant to be. A person achieves an inner peace, and
is inwardly at rest with this realisation.