A Muslim’s Creed: PART I

Introduction
Muslim holds firm belief in the pillar of eeman which are a part of unseen. These
tenets should be submitted to without doubt, with firm conviction as they are
founded upon the authentic texts of Qur’an and Sunnah.
The pillars of eeman include the belief in Allah, belief in the angels, belief in the
scriptures of Allah, belief in Allah’s Messenger, Belief in the Last Day and Belief in
the Divine Decree and Predestination
Pillars of eeman in detail:
I. Belief in Allah:
The belief in Allah is to have firm faith that Allah is the Absolute creator of all
things , the Owner and alone is the creator of the entire universe. Moreover,
since He alone created everything, He alone deserves to be worshipped and all
other deities ae falsely created by mankind.

َُ ِ‫ّللَهُوَٱ ۡلع ِليََٱ ۡلكب‬

َ َ٦٢َ‫ير‬ َُ ‫َمنَدُونِ َِهۦَ ُهوَٱ ۡل َٰب ِط‬
ََّ ‫لَوأ َّنَٱ‬ ََّ ‫َٰذ ِلكََبِأ َّنَٱ‬
ُ ‫ّللَ ُهوَٱ ۡلحقََوأ َّنَماَي ۡد‬
ِ ‫عون‬
62. That is because Allah is the Truth, and that what they call upon besides Him-- that is
the falsehood, and because Allah is the High, the Great. Surah Hajj 22:62
Belief in Allah is constitutes the three kinds of tawheed : Tawheed Ruboobiyyah, Tawheed
Asma was Sifaat and Tawheed Uloohiyyah or tawheed Ibadah.

A. Tawheed Ruboobiyyah

It is to believe that Allah alone created and sustains the universe, the giver of life
and death and He alone is the provider. Tawheed Ruboobiyyah also entails that
one believes that Allah has power and Might over all things. This belief in inherent
in man’s nature, although people may act contrary to this belief. the quran explains
this inherent nature of man’s belief. (Saleh Al Fawzan)

َ َ٩َ‫يزَٱ ۡلع ِلي َُم‬

َُ ‫تَوَٱ ۡۡل ۡرضََليقُولُ َّنَخلق ُه َّنَٱ ۡلع ِز‬ َّ ‫ولئِنَسأ ۡلت ُهمَ َّم ۡنَخلقَٱل‬
َِ ‫س َٰم َٰو‬
9. And if you should ask them, Who created the heavens and the earth? they would
most certainly say: The Mighty, the Knowing One, has created them;
 Surah Zukhruf 43:9

َِ ‫شَٱ ۡلع ِظ‬

َ َ٨٦َ‫يم‬ َ ِ ‫س ۡب َعَِوربَٱ ۡلع ۡر‬ َِ ‫س َٰم َٰو‬
َّ ‫تَٱل‬ َّ ‫نَربَٱل‬ َۡ ُ‫ق‬
َّ ‫لَم‬
86. Say: Who is the Lord of the seven heavens and the Lord of the mighty
dominion?
ِۚ َّ ِ ‫َسيقُولُون‬
َ َ٨٧َ‫َّللَِقُ ۡلَأفَلَتتَّقُون‬
87. They will say: (This is) Allah´s. Say: Will you not then guard (against evil)?
Surah Mu’minoon 23:86-87

A minority of humanity like atheists and others like the nation of Islam deny this
tawheed attributing creation to nothingness like the atheists.
َ َ٣٥ََ‫َم ۡنَغ ۡي ِرَش ۡيءٍ َأ ۡمَ ُه ُمَٱ ۡل َٰخ ِلقُون‬
ِ ْ‫َأ ۡمَ ُخ ِلقُوا‬
35. Or were they created without there being anything, or are they the creators?
َ َ٣٦َ‫لََّلَيُوقِنُون‬ َ ِۚ ‫تَوَٱ ۡۡل ۡر‬
َّ ‫ضَب‬ َّ ‫أ َۡمَخلقُواَْٱل‬
َِ ‫س َٰم َٰو‬
36. Or did they create the heavens and the earth? Nay! they have no certainty.
Surah Toor :35

The denial of this tawheed is plainly out of arrogance and haughtiness.

َ َ١٤ََ‫َع ِقبةَُٱ ۡل ُم ۡف ِسدِين‬
َٰ ‫ظرََۡك ۡيفَكان‬ ُ ‫ظ ۡل ٗماَو‬
ُ ‫علُ ٗو ِۚاَفَٱن‬ ُ ُ‫وجحدُوَاَْ ِبهاَوَٱ ۡست ۡيقن ۡتهاََأنف‬
ُ َ‫س ُه ۡم‬
14. And they denied them unjustly and proudly while their soul had been convinced
of them; consider, then how was the end of the mischief-makers.
Surah Naml :14

Atheists who deny the existence of Allah are uncertain on the creation of universe. Due
to their denial of existence of Allah they even deny creation, claiming that the whole
universe was created by chance. However, pure reason repels the idea of even a mobile
or a table being created out of chance without a creator, let alone the creation of the entire
universe.
Moreover, the entire universe is a created entity and requires an uncreated being to create
it. Henceforth, we understand that Allah alone is uncreated being, independent of His
creation and everything else is created and dependent on the creator.
II. Tawhid Uloohiyyah
Linguistic Definition
 The Arabic word uloohiyyah means ‘worship’ and ilah means the ‘Worshipped
One’
 This kind of tawheed is also called tawheed al Ibadah
Technical definition
  Belief that none deserves to be worshipped except Allah.
Concept of Worship(Ibadah) in Islam
Scholars have various definitions of ‘Ibadah’ in Islam, although all agree to the same
meaning. The most comprehensive and complete definition can be attributed to sheikh ul
Islam Ibn Taymiyyah who defines Ibadah as all that Allah loves and is pleased with be it
actions, speech of actions of the heart. Some other scholar define Ibadah as perfect and
complete love for Allah ,which implies submission and complete obedience to Him.
Worship is based on three pillars :Love, mercy and fear of Allah. All of these are
complimentary . A complete and true worship comprises all of these in totality. Worship
of Allah with isolation of either one or both of these aspects leads to deviation from the
sole purpose of worship.
The Sufi ascetics worship Allah by loving him only, while the Murjia worship him based
on mercy alone and the Khawarij worship him based on fear alone, each one treading a
path of misguidance.
Worship of Allah: The purpose of Life

ََّ ‫وماَخل ۡقتُ َٱ ۡل ِج‬

ِ ‫نَوَٱ ۡ ِۡلنسََإِ ََّّلَ ِليعۡ بُد‬
َ َ٥٦َ‫ُون‬
56. And I have not created the jinn and the men except that they should serve Me.
Surah Adhariyaat 51:56
There are many kinds of acts of worship some are pure acts of worshipped like salah,
zakah, fasting , Hajj and others. However, other commandments of Allah which are to do
with dealing with creation are also acts of worship since they earn the pleasure of Allah
and draw closer to him like goodness to parents, kindness to spouses , being charitable
to the animals etc.
Moreover, other forms of worship are purely deal with ‘actions of the heart’ like loving
Allah and His messenger, repentance fear of Allah, hating His disobedience and that
which has being prohibited.
The conditions of worship to be accepted is that it should be for the sake of Allah alone
and should be in accordance with the sunnah of the messenger of Allah. Moreover
worship which violates any of these conditions, becomes a sin rejected and abominable
in the eyes of Allah. If either of these conditions are not fulfilled then the act of worship is
void and null. Henceforth, is one goes to graves in order to make supplication or for
seeking closeness to Allah by performing acts of worship over there, will not have any of
his deeds accepted, instead be a sinner as they were not commanded by Allah nor
sanctioned by the sunnah of Messenger of Allah.
Asking from anyone other than Allah is associating partners from Him and worshipping
other beside Him since Allah alone deserves to be asked of supplication which He alone
 can grant. Worship directed to other than Allah constitutes Shirk which is the only
unforgiveable sin in the after-life.

َ‫ّللِ َقُ ۡل‬

ََِّۚ ‫شف َٰعؤُناَ ِعند َٱ‬ َٰ ‫ضر ُه ۡم َوَّل َينفعُ ُه ۡم َويقُولُون‬
ُ َ ‫َهؤَُّل ِء‬ ُ ‫ّللِ َماََّل َي‬ ََّ ‫ُون َٱ‬
ِ ‫ويعۡ بُدُونَ َ ِمنَد‬
َ َ١٨َ‫س ۡب َٰحن َهۥَُوت َٰعل َٰىَع َّماَيُ ۡش ِر ُكون‬ َ ِۚ ِ ‫تَوَّلَفِيَٱ ۡۡل ۡر‬
ُ َ‫ض‬ َِ ‫س َٰم َٰو‬ ََّ ‫أتُنبَِونَٱ‬
َّ ‫ّللَبِماََّلَيعۡ ل ُمَفِيَٱل‬
18. And they serve beside Allah what can neither harm them nor profit them, and they
say: These are our intercessors with Allah. Say: Do you (presume to) inform Allah of what
He knows not in the heavens and the earth? Glory be to Him, and supremely exalted is
He above what they set up (with Him). Surah Yunus 10:18

ََٰ ‫ّللِ َفق ِد َٱ ۡفتر‬

َ‫ى‬ َۡ ُ‫ّلل ََّل َي ۡغ ِف ُر َأنَيُ ۡشرك َ ِب َِهۦ َوي ۡغ ِف ُر َماَدُون ََٰذ ِلك َ ِلمنَيشا ِۚ ُء َومنَي‬
ََّ ‫ش ِر ۡك ََِبٱ‬ ََّ ‫ِإ‬
ََّ ‫ن َٱ‬
َ َ٤٨َ‫إِ ۡث ًماَع ِظي ًما‬
48. Surely Allah does not forgive that anything should be associated with Him, and
forgives what is besides that to whomsoever He pleases; and whoever associates
anything with Allah, he devises indeed a great sin. Surah Nisaa 4:48
Dua or supplication is also a form of worship. Like any other act of worship to be
acceptable and not rejected it should earn the pleasure of Allah and be according to His
Sha’riah. Henceforth, supplication directed to anyone besides Allah, even for intercession
without any legal proof from Shar’ee texts is rejected in Islam.

."‫ "الدعاء هو العبادة‬:‫وعن النعمان بن بشير رضي هللا عنهما عن النبي صلى هللا عليه وسلم قال‬
An-Nu'man bin Bashir (May Allah be pleased with them) reported:

The Prophet (‫ )ﷺ‬said, "Du'a (supplication) is worship.”

[Abu Dawud].
Epilogue
Faith is built on six pillars the first amongst which is the belief in allah. Belief in Allah
requires one to have knowledge of Allah and implies worshipping Him as He has
prescribed in the authentic texts. The belief in Allah constitutes three types of Tawheed
or Unification: tawheed Ruboobiyyah which affirms that Allah alone is the creator and
sustainer of Universe, tawheed Uloohiyyah or Ibadah or affirmation that Allah alone
deserves to be worshipped without association of partners with Him. Worship comprises
of belief, speech and actions which earn the pleasure of Allah and are sanctioned by His
Sha’riah. The worship or violating the rules of Sha’riah, are censured, blameworthy and
sinful. Moreover the worship directed to other than Allah or done for other intentions than
pleasing Allah is also rejected and condemned as sin.
Works Cited
al-Birqivial-Hanafi, M. M. (n.d.). Ziyaratul quboor. In Ziyaratul quboor (p. 58). Retrieved from
http://www.systemoflife.com/articles/aqeedah/284-imam-abu-haneefa-and-asking-help-from-
prophet-pbuh#axzz4qxixUr4k

Baghdadi, K. A. (n.d.). Tarikh Al Baghdadi.

Saleh Al Fawzan. (n.d.). Tawheed ruboobiyyah. In A Guide to Sound Creed (p. 22).