The Islamic Belief System & What it Entails
The
Islamic system of belief is a set of principles pertaining to the Creator, to
prophecy, and to the unseen, which includes such matters as the existence of
angels, the Resurrection, and the Last Day. It deals with anything that the
Messengers have informed us about on the basis of revelation – the teachings
that they commanded us to believe in with certainty while knowing that
everything to the contrary is false.
What is Included in the Islamic Belief System
1. Everything that pertains to Allah and everything that Allah has told us about
himself regarding His essence, His attributes, and His actions.
2. Everything that pertains to the attributes of the noble Messengers who were
sent by Allah to deliver His message to Mankind, as well as what is necessary
for the Messengers, what is possible for them, and what is impossible.
3. Everything pertaining to the Unseen that can only be known by way of
revelation from Allah Almighty, His messengers (upon them be peace), or one of
His revealed books.
Belief in the unseen includes the following:
The angels: It is obligatory for us to have a general believe in all of the
angels. It is also incumbent upon us to believe specifically in the angels who
are mentioned by name.
The revealed books: It is obligatory for us to believe that Allah has books that
He sent down to His Messengers (upon them be peace). We must believe in the
books that are specifically mentioned. Allah says:
“We gave the Zabűr (Psalms) to Dâwűd”
and:
“Verily, we sent down the Tawrât containing guidance and light”
and:
“Let the people of the Injîl (Gospel) judge by what Allah has revealed therein.”
Likewise, we must have a general belief in the existence of books that have not
been mentioned.
The Last Day: We must believe in everything that we have been told about it,
including: when it will occur and what will take place when it does, like the
resurrection, the gathering of mankind, the judgment, and Paradise and Hell.
Creation: We must believe in everything that has been mentioned regarding the
origin of Creation.
The Importance of the Islamic Belief System in a Person’s Life
1. Every structure – whether it be material or abstract – needs to rest upon a
firm foundation. The Islamic faith is a complete structure encompassing the
entire life of a Muslim from the time he is born to the time that he dies and
even to his final destination after his death. This weighty structure rests upon
the firm foundation of the Islamic belief system, which takes as its starting
point the unity of the Creator. The Almighty says:
“Say (O Muhammad): Truly my prayer, my sacrifice, my life, and my death are for
Allah, the Lord of All the Worlds, who is without partner. This is what I have
been commanded and I am the first of the Muslims.”
Islam places great emphasis on its beliefs, whether it be by establishing them
with clear texts, or with respect to the effects these beliefs have on the minds
of those who believe in them. For this reason, we find that Allah’s Messenger
(may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) spent ten years in Mecca with
the Qur’ân being revealed to him. Most of what was revealed during this time
dealt with establishing the edifice of Islamic beliefs. After these beliefs were
firmly entrenched in the souls of his Companions (may Allah be pleased with
them), the legal injunctions began to be revealed. This occurred mainly after
the emigration to Madinah.
2. A belief system, irrespective of which belief system it is, can be counted as
a necessity of human life that no person can dispense with. This is because man,
by his inborn, natural disposition, feels a tendency to take refuge in a higher
power that he believes has a supernatural and absolute dominion over him and
over everything else in Creation. This belief facilitates for him his natural
inclination towards religion and fulfills this need of his. This being the case,
the best way to facilitate this need is with the correct belief that agrees with
human nature and respects both a person’s intellect and his dignified place in
Creation. This is what the Islamic belief system offers. Allah says:
“Those who believe and do not corrupt their belief with transgression, for them
there is security and they are the rightly guided.”
3. Since Islam is a comprehensive structure, including within itself belief,
worship, and behavior, it is necessary that this structure is well coordinated
and harmonious. For this reason, we find that the foundation that this structure
rests upon is the Islamic belief system. It is the belief system of pure
monotheism, of the oneness of Almighty Allah, that is the central factor in the
proper understanding of Islam. All the beliefs, acts of worship, interpersonal
relationships, and behaviors that Islam calls towards are oriented towards one
objective, and that is absolute sincerity to Allah in faith. This unified
orientation is of utmost importance in understanding the Islamic religion. Allah
Almighty says:
“Who is better in faith than he who submits himself to Allah and does right.”
4. Sincerity and exclusive devotion to Allah in one’s religion cannot be fully
realized except through the sincere and exclusive love of Allah, the object of
one’s worship. This love can only be complete when there is complete knowledge.
The Islamic belief system provides man with everything that he needs to know
with respect to Allah. In this way, his love of Allah can attain its fullest
potential. He will then strive to be perfectly sincere to Allah, because he has
proper knowledge of Him. Allah’s Messenger (may the peace and blessings of Allah
be upon him) said: “I have the most knowledge of Allah, and I fear Him the
most.”
5. Man is Allah’s vicegerent on Earth. Allah has appointed man to inhabit it,
just as He has ordered man to worship Him and to call others to His religion.
Throughout his life, a Muslim feels that he fulfills Allah’s mission by
implementing His Law on Earth, so his beliefs compel him to work sincerely and
in earnest, because he knows that he is religiously commanded to do this and
will be rewarded for every good thing that he does, be it is great or small.