Revert Story of Abdul Rahim Green to Islam [Ex Roman Catholic]
Assalam Alaikum warahmatullahe wa barakatuh, Dear brothers and Sisters in Islam
You should know this man.We are proud of him for being a Muslim and as one of the front men in the intellectual battles in spreading the TRUTH about Islam, all over the world. Now let’s cut out all the formalities and lets follow his great journey to Islam..shall we?
“Let me introduce myself and my background. I was born in Tanzania in Dar es Salaam.
My father at the time was a colonial administrator in the now defunct British empire. An empire that stretched once upon a time not that long ago over one third of the earth’s surface. Now the only thing left is some islands in the Falklands and that’s all that’s left there.
How things changed!
How the mighty empire have fallen! This is a lesson that Allah the Almighty tells us in the Qur’an to travel the earth and see the consequence. See what happened to people who came before you, who were mightier in power and strength and see what’s left of them.
So anyway back to my father, a colonial administrator in Tanzania where I was born, and my parents named me Anthony Vatswaf Galvin Green. OK, I thought you were going to laugh! Vatswaf is a Polish name because my mother in fact is Polish.
A Catholic Education
And being Polish she is a Roman Catholic. And she intended that me and my brother Duncan (Duncan Charles Alexander Green) would be raised up good Catholics. So almost from the day we were born we were enrolled in what is a very famous Roman Catholic boarding school. In fact it’s a monastic boarding school. That means it’s also a monastery; a place where monks live and teach. This school is called Ampleforth College. It’s in Yorkshire in the north of England.
So when I was 2 years old we left Dar es Salaam.
My brother was born in London. When he was like 8 and I was like 10 we were sent off to boarding school. So from the age of 10 I was sent to the preparatory school of Ampleforth College. Before they sent us off to that school, I think that my mom decided it’s about time that she taught me some of the prayers of the Catholics and some of the things that they say she better prepare me a little bit for this life in the monastery, although she had married my father who was agnostic, which was not really allowed. She was only supposed to marry a Catholic but she went ahead and married my dad. Anyway, she considered herself not to be a very good Catholic but she was going to make up for it by sending me and my brother to the school.
I remember one night she told me a prayer that’s used by Catholics quite often.
It’s one of the frequently used prayers when they have a rosary on which they count a series of prayers and the main prayer is called “Hail Mary”. It begins like this “Hail Mary mother of God, blessed art thou amongst women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.”
It was the first bit when I was a nine-year child hearing my mother say “Hail Mary mother of God”:
I said to myself “How can God have a mother?”
God is supposed to be without a beginning and without an end. How could God have a mommy? And I sat there thinking about this mother of God and I decided to myself that well if Mary is the mother of God, she should actually be a better God than God. These were the first questions that arose in my mind.
Why Confess?
As I went to school and as I began to think more, study more and research more, I in fact had more and more questions. We used to have to go to confession. I think, as far as I remember, we had to do it a minimum of once a year. And the priest used to say “You have to confess all your sins, if you don’t confess all of them, then confession is no good and none of your sins will be forgiven”.
Can you imagine?
School boys aged 10, 11 and all the way up to 19 or 20, do you think we will be confessing all of our sins?
Moreover confessing our sins to the very people who are our house masters; in other words they are in charge of us? I assumed to figure that this was a huge spike conspiracy in order to control people by going to confess their sins.
And then I used to ask them “Why?
Why do I have to go to you to confess my sins?
Why can’t I just ask God to forgive me?”
After all according to Jesus, according to the Bible Jesus says that the only prayers you need is to our father (God) to forgive our sins so why come to ask a priest?
They said to me “Well, you can ask God too if you want to but you can’t be sure that God will listen to you”.
So I had a real problem with this. I also had a real problem with the doctrines of the church. I think also one of things I had a very very big problem with is the doctrine of incarnation “The idea that God became a man”.
Searching for Answers….
And so I began a quest. It wasn’t like “Today I’m going in a quest to the truth”. It wasn’t like that. It was just I began to think, search and look through other religions, anything that I thought might give me an insight and an understanding of what’s the purpose of life and what’s it all about.
Now, when I was about 19, something very important happened. In the 10 years that I spent on my holidays in Egypt, only one person ever really had a decent conversation with me about Islam.
I had many questions about Catholicism but when it came to anyone challenging me or questioning me, I would vigorously defend. I would become a defender of the faith, even if I didn’t actually believe in it but I suddenly became a defender of it. It was a strange paradox.
I had many questions in my mind especially with this Egyptian, I mean after all what does he know? I’m English, we used to rule this chap’s country some years ago.
“As if Mike Tyson smacked me in the Face”
After this conversation had been going for forty minutes he asked me a few simple questions and they stuck in my head until this day; he said
“So you believe that Jesus is God?”
I said “Yes”.
He said “And you believe Jesus died on the cross?”
I said “Yes”.
He said “So you believe God died?”
When he said that, you know what? It was as if Mike Tyson smacked me in the face with his fist! I mean I was absolutely flabbergasted because I suddenly realized the irrationality and the, I have to say it, the foolishness of what I was believing and inside myself I said “Of course I don’t believe that God died. You can’t kill God”
And I realized that all these years I had been taught something, and I had been indoctrinated with something, and I always felt uncomfortable with it but you know it just took someone to spell it out for me in clear simple terms. If you believe this and you believe this, then you must believe that and I realized that “No, I didn’t believe that” but you know what?
I wasn’t going to admit that to him, I said “Ha, that has been really interesting, I have to go to my cabin now, OK? bye”.
I didn’t want to think about it and I went off and started smoking and having a coffee and writing and doing anything to think about except what the guy had been telling me. But it really had its effect. Because after that stage and as I said it was something I have always been uncomfortable with but that was a big changing point in my life. You can say it was an epiphany. No one if you are in a spiritual journey in quest for truth, you would have never thought or dreamed of looking at Islam.
And I didn’t. I looked at everything so I reached the stage where I was basically a hippie.
So I was now about 19 or 20 years old and I was a hippie and by this stage I invented my own religion. This religion was bits and pieces of all the religions that I had studied and I took them together and I made my own religion.
And therefore I started to develop this philosophy of my own religion. But it didn’t take me long to figure that this was the worst bunch of rubbish that I ever come across. I mean of all the things I’ve been through it that was the worst.
Reading the Quran
So I said to myself “OK, let me think about this; of course, what’s their religion, what’s their holy book, yes the Quran, let me have a look at this Quran, there got to be something interesting there and that was really what motivated me to go down to the bookshop and I took a translation of the Quran and I really believed it had to be that way because I was really just approaching the Quran out of curiosity just to see what I had to say.
I was coming with an open mind. I wasn’t looking for truth, I wasn’t looking for something like that. I was just curious to see what this book had to say. Was there something? That’s all, otherwise I think I would have never looked at it. So I took it down and began reading the Quran.
I’m a pretty fast reader and I remember very clearly I was in a train.
I was going from where I was living across the river Thames to Victoria train station. I remember very distinctly I was sitting in the train next to the window and reading this translation of the Quran. I looked out of the window. I looked back and I said to myself “If I have ever read a book that’s from God, this is it” and that really I could say was the moment that I realized and I believed that the Quran was from God. It was always my habit that I just didn’t read about things but I tried to practice them as well.
You can read all the time like you look at an apple that looks and smells nice but you don’t know how does it taste. You have to taste it…
So that was it. So I used to go home and I used to try to pray, I didn’t really know how to pray. I remember seeing our cook in Egypt I used to remember see him pray. I sort of try to remember what he used to do.
I remember he really used to impress me, this simple man and the beautiful way he used to pray comparing it with the rituals that Catholic church used and I was always impressed by it so I tried to imitate it and this went on for a while.
And then one day I found myself in a bookshop that was part of a mosque with all these books on Muhammad and prayers. I was looking to all this and I thought “Wow fantastic, look at all this stuff” and a guy came and asked me “Excuse me, are you a Muslim?”
I thought “Am I a Muslim? What does he mean by that?”
I said to him “Listen, I believe that there is only one God which is Allah and Muhammad is His messenger”
He said “You are a Muslim!”
I said “Oh, thanks!”
He said “It’s just about time to pray, you want to come and pray?”
It must have been Friday prayer because the mosque was full in the mid of the day and I didn’t know about Friday prayer then but I went and prayed and I was pretty confused and I thought I was doing the moves wrong all that time.
But I remember afterwards that everyone was surrounding me and everyone there wanted to teach me the whole of Islam in 5 minute
I remember walking out of that with a feeling literally like I have been given a shower in the inside, like I was walking on the clouds. It was quite fantastic.
In spite of the fact that I already entered into Islam then, it really took me another two years before I was really able to start practicing properly. It was really actually very hard to give up my former way of life and the things that I used to do. Allah taught me some hard lessons and I don’t regret them. I look back now and learn some very good lessons from these days. But they were the two most miserable years of my life.
Why?
Because I knew the truth and I wasn’t following it. Actually, that’s the worst condition a human being can ever be in, because if you are ignorant, they say ignorance is bless. Actually ignorance itself isn’t bless but it means when you don’t know something you stay in a state of innocence. But when you know something and you don’t live according to what you know you can’t live with yourself. It’s terrible. It’s a horrible condition.
That’s what happened to me for about two years but alhamdulellah I came back to Islam. I would always say that I’m Muslim but people didn’t take me seriously. I was there in a party, drinking wine and telling people about Islam! And they say “Yea? Really? That’s fantastic, tell me more”
And I would say “No, I can’t I’m tired” I was drinking too much and then I would black out. That’s my condition that I was in. But alhamdulellah Allah walked me out of that and guided me.
What really changed me brothers and sisters was a very simple thing: I started to pray five times a day. I promised Allah that I would pray five times a day, even if I don’t know that I would do anything else, but I would do that. And I took it really seriously. The prayer when it’s said properly is something that itself will change your life”.
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Commentary:
* “La ilaha illallahu Muhammadur rasulullah”.
“I bear witness that there is no deity (none truly to be worshipped) but, Allah,
and I bear witness that Mohammad is the Messenger of Allah.
* “Did ye then think that We had created you in jest, and that ye would not be brought back to Us (for account)?”{We/Us-used for Royalty- ALLAAH Suhhanahuu Waa Taa’alah is 1 and ONLY 1 RABB/LORD of ALL Creation}, ALLAH SWT [Noble QURAAN 23/115]
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“If Allah wants to favor someone, He grants him comprehension (understanding) of this religion.”
[Sahih Bukhari vol.1 # 71, Tirmidhi and Musnad Ahmad]
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“It is Allah Who has created me, and it is He Who guides me;And when I am ill, it is He who cures me;“And it is He Who feeds me and gives me to drink…”And Who will cause me to die, and then will bring me to life (again);
“And Who, I hope will forgive me my faults on the Day of Recompense, (the Day of Resurrection)”.
The Noble Quran, ( Surahالشعراء Al Shuara).“And whoever desires other than Islam as religion – never will it be accepted from him, and he, in the Hereafter, will be among the losers.” [The Noble Qur'an 3:85]
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Drinking water on Empty Stomach
1. As you wake up in the morning before brushing teeth, drink 4 x 160ml glasses of water
2. Brush and clean the mouth but do not eat or drink anything for 45 minute
3.. After 45 minutes you may eat and drink as normal.
4. After 15 minutes of breakfast, lunch and dinner do not eat or drink anything for 2 hours
5. Those who are old or sick and are unable to drink 4 glasses of water at the beginning may commence by taking little water and gradually increase it to 4 glasses per day.
6. The above method of treatment will cure diseases of the sick and others can enjoy a healthy life.
1. High Blood Pressure (30 days)
2. Gastric (10 days)
3. Diabetes (30 days)
4. Constipation (10 days)
5. Cancer (180 days)
6. TB (90 days)
7. Arthritis patients should follow the above treatment only for 3 days in the 1st week, and from 2nd week onwards – daily..
It is better if we continue this and make this procedure as a routine work in our life. Drink Water and Stay healthy and Active.
This makes sense .. The Chinese and Japanese drink hot tea with their meals ..not cold water. Maybe it is time we adopt their drinking habit while eating!!! Nothing to lose, everything to gain…
For those who like to drink cold water, this article is applicable to you.
It is nice to have a cup of cold drink after a meal. However, the cold water will solidify the oily stuff that you have just consumed. It will slow down the digestion.
Once this ‘sludge’ reacts with the acid, it will break down and be absorbed by the intestine faster than the solid food. It will line the intestine.
Very soon, this will turn into fats and lead to cancer. It is best to drink hot soup or warm water after a meal.
· Women should know that not every heart attack symptom is going to be the left arm hurting,
· Be aware of intense pain in the jaw line.
· You may never have the first chest pain during the course of a heart attack.
· Nausea and intense sweating are also common symptoms.
· 60% of people who have a heart attack while they are asleep do not wake up.
· Pain in the jaw can wake you from a sound sleep. Let’s be careful and be aware. The more we know, the better chance we could survive…
Seeking Allah’s Forgiveness
Forgiveness is being shielded from the harmful consequences of wrong actions, and the veiling of them. Seeking forgiveness is mentioned again and again in the Qur’an, and in some places it is a command, as in …His saying, Glorious and Exalted is He:
“And seek forgiveness of Allah; surely Allah is Forgiving, Compassionate.”
(Translation of the Holy Qur’an, 73:20)
In other places, Allah praises those who seek his forgiveness, as in the ayat:
“And those who pray for forgiveness in the early hours of the morning.”
(Translation of the Holy Qur’an, 3:17)
In other places, Allah tells us that he forgives those who ask for His forgiveness, as in ayat:
“And whoever does evil, or wrongs his own soul, but afterwards seeks Allah’s forgiveness, will find Allah is Forgiving, Compassionate.” (Translation of the Holy Qur’an 4:110)
Seeking forgiveness is frequently associated with repentance, in which case it takes the form of asking for forgiveness with the tongue. Repentance is turning away from wrong action with both heart and body. Seeking forgiveness is similar to supplication in that Allah, if He so wishes, responds to it and forgives the person who seeks His forgiveness. This is especially true if the du’a (supplication) came directly from a heart troubled by wrong actions, or if it was made during the times most favorable for His response, such as in the early hours of the morning or immediately following the prayer.
It has been transmitted that Luqman once told his son, “O my son, make it a habit for your tongue to utter the words, ‘Forgive me, o Allah’ for there are certain times during which Allah will not disappoint a servant who calls on him.”
Al-Hasan said “Ask for Allah’s forgiveness frequently- in your homes, at your tables, on your roads, in your markets, at your meetings, wherever you are. You never know when you will be granted His forgiveness.
Abu Huraira reported that the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) said:
“I swear by Allah that I supplicate for Allah’s forgiveness and turn to Him in repentance more than seventy times a day.” [Al-Bukhari,kitab ad-Da’awat 11/101]
Abu Huraira (R.A) said, “I heard the Messenger of Allah (saws) say, ‘A servant committed a sin and he said, “O Allah, I have committed a sin, so forgive me.” Allah said, “Does my servant know that he has a Lord who forgives sins and helps him? I forgive my servant.” After some time, the man committed another sin so he said, “O my Lord, I have committed another sin, so forgive me.” His Lord said “Does my servant know that he has a Lord who forgives sins and helps him? I forgive my servant.” After some time the man committed yet another sin so he said. “O my Lord, I have committed another sin, so forgive me.” His Lord said, “Does my servant know that he has a Lord who forgives sins and helps him? O servant do what you like, I have granted you forgiveness.”
[Sahih Al-Bukhari, kitab at-Tawhid, 13/488; Muslim]
Allah Exalted is He, said this three times.
This means that the man was granted forgiveness because he continued to seek Allah’s forgiveness each time he committed a sin. It appears that this is applied so long as his seeking forgiveness was not accompanied by the intention to repeat the sin again afterwards.
Aisha, May Allah be pleased with her, said:
“It is a fortunate person who (on the Day of Judgement) finds in his record many du’as (supplications) for forgiveness.”
In other words, seeking Allah’s forgiveness is a cure for all wrong actions.
Qatada said:
“This Qur’an guides you to the recognition of your illnesses and to their remedies. Your illnesses are your sins and your medicine is seeking Allah’s forgiveness.”
Ali ibn Abi Talib, may Allah be pleased with him, said:
“Allah does not inspire seeking forgiveness in any servant whom he wishes to punish.”
Reference: The Purification of the Soul
Faith…
“Those who have believed and whose hearts are assured by the remembrance of Allah . Unquestionably, by the remembrance of Allah hearts are assured.” (Translation of the Noble Qur’an, 13:28)
[Virtues of ‘Subahanallahi Wabihamdihi’ - Light on the Tongue But Heavy on the Scales]
■ “There are two statements that are light for the tongue to remember, heavy in the Scales and are dear to the Merciful: `Subhan-Allahi wa bihamdihi, Subhan-Allahil-Azim [Glory be to Allah and His is the praise, (and) Allah, the Greatest is free from imperfection)'.''Abu Hurairah (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Messenger of Allah (SW) said, recorded in [Al-Bukhari and Muslim].
Commentary:
This Hadith affirms that man’s actions carry weight. On the Day of Judgement, his actions will be cast into the Balance. At that time Allah will endow these actions with weight, or according to some scholars, those records which register man’s actions will be weighed. This is quite possible for the reason that Almighty Allah is Capable of weighing things without even their physical form. This discussion apart, when actions will be cast into the Balance, the formula mentioned in the Hadith, the utterance of which is very easy, will prove weighty. Every Muslim should make it a practice to repeat them frequently.
Juwairiyah bint Al-Harith (May Allah be pleased with her) reported, the Mother of the Believers: The Prophet (peace be upon him) came out from my apartment in the morning as I was busy in performing the dawn prayer. He came back in the forenoon and found me sitting there. The Prophet (peace be upon him said, “Are you still in the same position as I left you.” I replied in the affirmative. Thereupon the Prophet said, “I recited four words three times after I had left you. If these are to be weighed against all you have recited since morning, these will be heavier. These are: Subhan-Allahi wa bihamdihi, `adada khalqihi, wa rida nafsihi, wa zinatah `arshihi, wa midada kalimatihi [Allah is free from imperfection and I begin with His praise, as many times as the number of His creatures, in accordance with His Good Pleasure, equal to the weight of His Throne and equal to the ink that may be used in recording the words (for His Praise)].”[Sahih Muslim].
Commentary:
The recitation of the words quoted in this Hadith is highly meritorious and rewarding because they are full of Praise and Glorification of Allah.
Expression that is most loved by Allah
Abu Dharr (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said to me, “Shall I tell you the expression that is most loved by Allah?” It is `Subhan-Allahi wa bihamdihi’ (Allah is free from imperfection and His is the praise)’.”[Sahih Muslim].
Obliterating Sins of the extent of the foam of the oceanAbu Hurairah (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said, “And he who utters: `Subhan-Allahi wa bihamdihi (Allah is free from imperfection and His is the praise)’ one hundred times a day, his sins will be obliterated even if they are equal to the extent of the foam of the ocean.’‘[Al-Bukhari and Muslim]. Commentary: Here sins mean minor sins and those which do not relate to the rights of people.
A Palm-tree will be planted in Jannah
Jabir (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, “For him who says: `Subhan-Allahi wa bi hamdihi (Allah is free from imperfection, and I begin with praising Him, and to Him),’ a palm-tree will be planted in Jannah.”[At-Tirmidhi].
Commentary:
Jannah is so vast that we cannot even imagine its vastness. The planting of trees in return for the Praise and Glorification of Allah is, therefore, neither something difficult nor surprising. So, there should not be any hesitation in accepting it as a fact. Some people take it is as a metaphor for a plentiful reward.
Hanged for the “Crime” of The Establishment of Deen!!
This man is ADNAN MANDERES, prime minister of turkey between 1950 n 1960, won 3 consecutive general elections in 1950, 1954 n 1957,and was hanged by turkish army in 1960 because he allowed AZZAN in arabic (that was banned by mustafa kamal) and gave a statement that shriat may be adopted as the law of the state if turkish parliament wants to do so. MEN give their lives for the cause, he is dead but his name is alive, thousands of schools roads and hospitals in turkey have been named after him including many international turkish universities.
When to worry about the spiritual health of ones heart?
d you will find a way out. Consider the following advice by Ibn Al-Qayyim:
What must we know about Allah?
Allah Swt – the Supreme Being of this universe – revealed the message of truth through the Quran to enable us to live meaningful lives and to help us succeed in the hereafter. Reflecting on that message with an open mind and heart has allowed many from mankind to recognize and believe in Allah as the sole deity of this universe. Once our minds clearly know Allah as our creator and sustainer, we can better understand Allah’s rights over us and can also help us to worship Him the way we ought to worship Him as our creator.
The prophet Muhammad (PBUH) said: “Allah’s right over His servants is that they worship Him without associating any partner with Him in worship, and their right over Him is that He does not punish anyone who worships Him without associating any partner with Him in worship.” [Sahîh al-Bukhârî and Sahîh Muslim]
For us to worship Allah, we must, therefore, strive to learn about His rights over us. We can know more about Allah by properly understanding the concepts of Tawheed and to inculcate those principles in our hearts. The principles of Tawheed should never be taken lightly because they mark the boundaries of entering Islam. Believing in those concepts brings one in the fold of Islam and denying them puts one out of Islam.
The book ‘Sharh Hadeeth Jibra’eel’ by Shaikh ibn Saleh al-Uthaimeen (with additional quotes from Shaikh Salih ibn Fawzan ibn Abdullah al-Fawzan) highlight and summarize the various aspects of Tawheed that are held by Ahlus-Sunnah (Followers of Sunnah). They are summarized in the following.
Eeman (belief/faith) in Allah comprises of the following distinct concepts:
- Faith (Eeman) in the Existence of Allah: This refers to believing in Allah – not just any God – but specifically Allah as the supreme being of this universe and all that exists in this universe.
- Faith (Eeman) in the Rububiyah (Lordship) of Allah – This refers to believing in Allah as the true Lord of this universe and as the controller of all aspects of this universe.
- Faith (Eeman) in the Uluhiyyah (Worship) of Allah – This refers to singling out only Allah as the One who is worthy of any worship.
- Faith (Eeman) in al-Asma was-Sifat (the Names and Attributes) of Allah – This refers to belief in Allah’s names and attributes.
The following summarizes the above concepts.
Faith in Allah’s Existence
Allah proclaims His existence in the Quran by presenting multiple proofs and arguments, some of which are as follows:
- Recognizing Allah’s existence through the use of human intellect
- Recognizing Allah’s existence through ones fitrah (natural human instinct)
- Proof through other (Divine) Religions (Judaism and Christianity)
- Intellectual Proof for the Existence of Allah:
The creation of this universe and the order held therein forces one to think about the originator of this miracle. On pondering, one realizes that this universe couldn’t have started from nothing and the order with which it is held is a miracle in its own right. Even more astounding is the manner in which Allah assertively proclaims Himself in the Quran as the originator of this creation and maintainer of this order. This eloquent description of the various aspects of this universe’s creation can only be found in the Quran. Consider the following verses in the Quran:
“Were they created by nothing or were they themselves the creators?” [Translation of the Holy Quran, Surrah, At-Tur 52 : 35]
“It is not for the sun to overtake the moon, nor does the night outstrip the day. They all float, each in an orbit.” [Translation of the Holy Quran, Surrah, Ya-Sin 36:40]
“This is the creation of Allah. So, show Me that which those (whom you worship) besides Him have created.” [Translation of the Holy Quran, Surrah Luqman, 31 : 11]
“Verily! Those whom you call upon besides Allah, cannot create (even) a fly, even if they combine together for the purpose.” [Translation of the Holy Quran, Surrah Al-Hajj 22 : 73]
The proclamation and confident assertion in these verses about Allah’s creation of this universe gives credence to the deity and existence of Allah.
2. The Fitrah (natural human instinct) proves the Existence of Allah
When faced with calamities, man has the instinct to call upon “God”. This is because as humans we are created to be as such and most agree that a person’s “self” calling upon a “supreme being” in extreme situations is part of man’s nature. Allah reminds us in the Quran that this natural instinct (fitrah) of us calling upon Allah is part of Adam’s creation. He says in the Quran:
“(Remember) when your Lord brought forth from the Children of Adam, from their loins, their seed and made them testify as to themselves (saying), “Am I not your Lord?” They said, “Yes! We testify.” (Translation of the Holy Quran, Surrah Al-A’raf:172)
He also says:
“(Remember) Ayub (Job), when he cried to his Lord, “Verily, distress has seized me, and You are the Most Merciful of all those who show mercy. So We answered his call. We removed the distress that was on him. We restored his family to him and the like thereof along with them as a mercy from Ourselves and a Reminder for all who worship Us.” (Translation of the Holy Quran, Surah Al-Anbiya:83-84)
Shaikh Fawzan writes in Aqeedah at-Tawheed that “even Firawn (Pharaoh), who is famous for his pretence of denying the (existence of) Lord, was convinced about it inwardly. Allah says in the Quran about Firawn and his people:
“they belied them (those verses and signs) wrongfully and arrogantly, though their own selves were convinced thereof.”(Translation of the Holy Quran, Surah An-Naml:14)
Again, not only we sense our instincts to call upon Allah in extreme situations, Allah’s reminding us of this facet of our nature in the Quran is another proof of His existence and as our Creator.
3. Proof through other (Divine) Religions (Judaism and Christianity)
Pondering over the Quran shows us how Allah refers to the earlier scriptures that He had revealed on the Jews and Christians and His message to them to now embrace Allah’s words in the Quran. That’s because Allah’s message in earlier scriptures was changed. Consider what Allah says in the Quran:
And (remember) when We gave Musa (Moses) the scripture [the Taurat (Torah)] and the criterion (of right and wrong) so that you may be guided aright.” (Translation of the Holy Quran, Surah Al-Baqara:53)
O people of the scripture (Christians)! Do not exceed the limits in your religion, nor say of Allah aught but the truth. The Messiah ‘Îsa (Jesus), son of Maryam (Mary), was (no more than) a Messenger of Allah and His Word, (“Be!” – and he was) which He bestowed on Maryam (Mary) and a spirit (Ruh ) created by Him; so believe in Allah and His Messengers. Say not: “Three (trinity)!” Cease! (it is) better for you. For Allah is (the only) One Ilah (God), glory be to Him (Far Exalted is He) above having a son. To Him belongs all that is in the heavens and all that is in the earth. And Allah is All-Sufficient as a Disposer of affairs. (Translation of the Holy Quran, Surah An-Nisa:171)
O people of the scripture (Jews and Christians)! Now has come to you Our Messenger (Muhammad (S) making (things) clear unto you, after a break in (the series of) Messengers, lest you say: “There came unto us no bringer of glad tidings and no warner.” But now has come unto you a bringer of glad tidings and a warner. And Allah is Able to do all things. (Translation of the Holy Quran, Surah Al-Maeda:19)
For those doubting Quran as the word of the God, Allah challenges mankind to read and ponder over its verses. Unfortunately, the critics of Quran are usually those who have neither pondered over the Quran nor try to understand its verses in the context in which they were revealed and addressed to mankind. As a result, they only see what their ignorance leads them to see. Allah challenges those people by asking them:
“Do they not then consider the Quran carefully? Had it been from other than Allah they would surely have found therein much contradictions.” (Translation of the Holy Quran, Surah An-Nisa 4:82)
Faith in the Oneness of Allah’s Lordship
Allah has reminded us numerous times through the Quran that faith in His Lordship is one of the prerequisites to enter Islam. The meaning ofRabb (Lord) means (i) the Creator, (ii) the Owner, and (iii) the One in Control of all affairs. The Quran has numerous verses attesting to that fact. Again, along with pondering over the meaning of the verses, let us also observe the assertiveness and confident proclamation that attest to the deity of Allah. As an example, consider the following:
“The Originator of the heavens and the earth.” (Translation of the Holy Quran, Surah Al-Baqarah:117)
“All the praises and thanks be to Allah, the (Only) Originator of the heavens and the earth.” (Translation of the Holy Quran, Surah Fatir:1)
“Maalik of the Day of Recompense.” (Translation of the Holy Quran, Surah al-Fatihah)
“He (Allah) arranges (every) affair from the heavens to the earth.” (Translation of the Holy Quran, Surah As-Sajdah:5)
We see the proof of His Lordship in our lives where we can sense His unseen presence in running the affairs of our lives and how He has attributed that power onto Himself through the various verses of the Quran. As humans, we know that our power is deficient and we possess limited control over our affairs. Allah reminds us in the Quran that He, as our sustainer, governs our affairs such as giving life and death, causing sickness and providing cure, blessing His creation with richness and afflicting them with poverty, and so on.
Faith in the Oneness of Allah’s Worship
We should recognize that Tawheed Rububiyah by itself is not enough to admit one into the fold of Islam. Another important facet of our faith is therefore to also believe in the “oneness of Allah’s worship.” Allah reminds us in the Quran that even the kuffar, the mushrikeen andiblees affirmed the Lordship of Allah. Shaikh Salih al-Fawzan writes in Mujmal Aqeedah as-Salaf, that “…even Iblees (Satan), who is the head of Kufr said (as stated in the Quran),
“O my Lord! Because you misled me…” (Translation of the Holy Quran, Surah Al-Hijr:39)
and
“By Your Might, then I will surely mislead them all.” (Translation of the Holy Quran, Surah As-Saad:82).
So, Iblees confessed the Lordship of Allah and took an oath by Allah’s Might. Similarly, by reading history we come to know that while the disbelievers such as Abu Jahl, Abu Lahab, and others confessed the Lordship of Allah, they did not believe in worshipping only Allah as the Lord of the universe. Allah says in the Quran:
“If you ask them who created them, they will surely say, ‘Allah’(Translation of the Holy Quran, Surah Zukhruf:87)
The next step, therefore, after accepting and declaring Tawheed Rububiyah is establishment of Tawheed al-Uluhiyyah. This was the Message of all the Messengers. Shaikh Saleh ibn Fawzan al-Fawzan writes in Aqeedah at-Tawheed that “Tawheed ar-Rububiyah necessitates Tawheed al-Uluhiyah i.e., once we have declared Tawheed ar-Rububiyah and affirmed that there is no Creator, Provider or Controller of the Universe except Allah, we need to proclaim Tawheed al-Uluhiyah – i.e., no one deserves any form of worship except Allah, none is to be invoked and sought help from except Allah, none is to be relied upon except Allah, none is to be offered sacrifices and avowed to except Allah and no worship is performed except for Allah alone.’
Allah reminds us in the Quran:
“O mankind! Worship your Lord (Allah) Who created you and those who were before you so that you may become pious. Who has made the earth a resting place for you and the sky as a canopy and sent down water (rain) from the sky and brought forth therewith fruits as a provision for you. Then do not set up rivals unto Allah (in worship) while you know (that He Alone has the right to be worshiped).” (Translation of the Holy Quran, Surah Al-Baqarah:21-22)
Allah thus ordered Tawheed al-Uluhiyah, which is His worship and He presented Tawheed ar-Rububiyah as a proof and reason for that. That is because we know that Allah created the sky and the earth and all that is between them; the blowing of the wind, sending down of the rain, the growing of the plants, the production of fruits which is the provision of the slaves. So it is not befitting for man to associate partners with Allah. Allah says in the Quran:
Say, ‘In Whose Hand is the sovereignty of everything (i.e. treasures of each and everything)? And He protects (all), while against Whom there is no protector, if you know.’ They will say, ‘(All that belongs) to Allah.’ Say, ‘How then are you deceived and turn away from the truth?” (Translation of the Holy Quran, Surah Al-Mu’minoon:84]
“Such is Allah, your Lord! None deserves worship but He, the Creator of all things. So worship Him (Alone).” (Translation of the Holy Quran, Surah Al-An’aam:102)
Many similar verses can be found in the Quran where Allah has reminded us that He is the true ilah (the one who deserves to be worshipped) and that no one shares with Him this right (of being worshipped), be it an Angel or a Prophet. It is for this reason that Allah tells us that the call of all the Prophets from the first of them to the last of them was, “La ilaha illa Allah. (there is no ilah except Allah.)”
“Verily, We have sent among every nation, a Messenger (proclaiming), “Worship Allah (Alone), and avoid Taghoot (false deities).” (Translation of the Holy Quran, Surah An-Nahl:36)
So, therefore, if someone believes in the existence of Allah and believes in the Rububiyah of Allah but worships others alongside Allah then he is not a believer in Allah until he singles out Allah in His Uluhiyyah.
“That is because Allah, He is the Truth and what they (the polytheist) invoke besides Him, it is Batil (false).” (Translation of the Holy Quran, Surah Al-Hajj:62)
It is therefore unfortunate to see many who have been misguided from Tawheed al-Uluhiyyah and returned to the Deen of the Mushrikeen by worshiping the graves and tombs, venerating saints and associating with them attributes of Lordship. Again, let’s not forget that only Allah is worthy of worship and let’s be wary of any acts directed to others that may take the form of worship.
In his book “Tawheed First”, Sheikh Muhammad Al-Albanee clarified that to translate the verse “La Ilaha IllAllah” as “there is no god but God or Allah” is incorrect because it masks certain aspects of Tawheed. In his explanation about the importance of Tawheed and its relevance to all aspects of a Muslim’s life, he stated that this is important because in the days of Jahilyaah, although people understood the meaning of “La Ilaha IllAllah” (“there is no god worthy of worship except Allah”), yet they took partners with Allah and called upon others than Allah, and accordingly sought help from others, made vows to other than Allah and so on. So, the closest translation and interpretation for “La Ilaha IllAllah” should be “there is no deity worthy of worship except Allah.”
So, to summarize the concept of “Tawheed al-Uluhiyyah”, let’s not forget that as part of their beliefs, Muslims should believe what Allah has reminded the entire humanity, which is:
“Know, that indeed there is no god worthy of worship except Allah…” (Translation of the Holy Quran, Surah Muhammad:19)
Faith in Names and Attributes of Allah
The fourth aspect of a Muslim faith is to believe in both the names and attributes of Allah. This may seem a trivial issue to some but there are many so called philosophers and theologians amongst Muslims who have disputed the concept of names and attributes of Allah. For example, there are some who would say that “Allah is Samee (All-Hearing) without a Hearing, He is Baseer (All-Seeing) without sight.’ This was especially well-known in the Mu’tazilah Madhhab.
Allah says in the Quran:
“(all) the Most Beautiful Names belong to Allah, so call on Him by them,”
(Translation of the Holy Quran, Surah al-A’raf:180)
Scholars have noted a notable difference between the names and attributes of Allah. The names of Allah refer to His essence. So, his names al-Qadeer (the Powerful), al-‘Aleem (The All-Knowing), al-‘Azeez (the Almighty), al-Hakeem (the Wise) – for example – all point to one Essence, which is the holy Essence of Allah. Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah said: “we know that all the names agree in that they refer to the Essence of Allah. Even though they have different meanings, they are in agreement and are the same with regard to His Essence, different with regard to His Attributes.” [Majmoo‘ al-Fataawa, 3/59].
Shaykh Muhammad ibn Saalih al-‘Uthaymeen (may Allah have mercy on him) said: “The names and attributes of Allah, may He be exalted, are names in that they refer to His Essence and they are attributes with regard to the meanings contained in these words. In the first regard they are the same because they refer to one Essence, namely Allah, may He be exalted and glorified, and in the second regard they are different because each one has a different meaning.
So al-Hayy (the Ever-Living), al-‘Aleem (the All-Knowing), al-Qadeer (the Powerful), as-Samee‘ (the All-Hearing), al-Baseer (the All-Seeing), ar-Rahmaan (the Most Merciful), ar-Raheem (the Most Compassionate), al-‘Azeez (the Almighty), al-Hakeem (the All Wise) are all names of one named entity, who is Allah, may He be exalted, but the meaning of al-Hayy (the Ever-Living) is different from the meaning of al-‘Aleem (the All-Knowing), and the meaning of al-‘Aleem (the All-Knowing) is different from the meaning of al-Qadeer (the Powerful), and so on.
When we consider the names and attributes of Allah, we should be wary of not equating that to any of the attributes of the creation. According to the scholars of sunnah, in affirming the names and attributes of Allah, we should be wary of the two great prohibitions, which are (1) Tamtheel (resembling Allah to His creation), and (2) Takyeef (asking how the Names and Attributes are). These two prohibitions are proven by the text (of the Quran and the Sunnah) and also by the intellect. Allah says in the Quran:
“There is nothing like unto Him.” (Translation of the Holy Quran, Surah ash-Shura:11)
“So put not forward similitude for Allah.” (Translation of the Holy Quran, Surah an-Nahl:74)
“Do you know of any who is similar to Him?” (Translation of the Holy Quran, Surah Maryam:65)
The rational proof according to scholars is that the creator can never be like His creation and that the creation will be destroyed. As Allah says in the Quran:
“Whatsoever is on it (the earth) will perish. And the Face of your Lord full of Majesty and Honor will abide forever.” (Translation of the Holy Quran, Surah ar-Rahman:26-27)
To conclude, let’s remind ourselves that the Muslim faith requires affirmation of the existence of Allah as the God and supreme being of this universe, beliefs in the concepts of Tawheed Rububiyah (Lordship), Tawheed Uluhiyyah (Worship), and belief in Allah’s names and attributes (al-Asmaa was-Sifaat).
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References:
- What you must Believe about your Creator (This booklet is a translation of ‘Faith in Allah’ from the book, ‘Sharh Hadeeth Jibra’eel’ by Shaikh ibn Saleh al-Uthaimeen with additional quotes from ‘Aqeedah at-Tawheed’ and ‘Mujmal Aqeedah as-Salaf’ by Shaikh Salih ibn Fawzan ibn Abdullah al-Fawzan)
- www.islamqa.info
Taqwa;the Provision of Believers
FIRST SECTION:
- Guidance, because of His words “guidance for the muttaqeen (the people of taqwa)”;
- Help because of His words “Truly, Allah is with the people who have taqwa”;
- Close friendship [with Allah] because of His words, “Allah is the close friend of the muttaqeen”;
- Love because of His words, “Truly Allah loves the muttaqeen”;
- Covering over [of wrong actions] because of His words, “If you have taqwa of Allah He will make for you a discrimination and He will cover over for you your wrong actions”;
- A way out from unhappiness, and provision from where one does not expect because of His words, “Whoever has taqwa of Allah He will make a way out for him and provide him from where he does not expect”;
- Facilitation of affairs because of His words, “Whoever has taqwa of Allah He will make ease for him in his affair”;
- Full covering over of wrong actions and magnification of rewards because of His words, “Whoever has taqwa of Allah He will cover over his wrong actions and magnify a reward for him”;
- Acceptance of actions because of His words, “Allah only accepts from the people of taqwa”;
- Success because of His words, “Have taqwa of Allah in order that you might succeed”;
- Good news because of His words “For them there is good news in this world and in the next”;
- Entrance into the Garden because of His words “Truly, there are for the people of taqwa with their Lord Gardens of bliss”;
- Salvation from the Fire because of His words “Then We will save the ones who had taqwa”.
SECOND SECTION:
- Fear of punishment in the next life;
- Fear [of punishment in] this life;
- Hope of worldly reward;
- Hope of the reward of the next world;
- Fear of the reckoning;
- Shyness and bashfulness before the gaze of Allah, and this is the station of fearful watchfulness (muraqabah);
- Showing gratuide for His blessings by obeying Him;
- Knowledge, because of His words, “They only fear Allah, of His slaves, the ones who have knowledge”;
- Exalting and honouring His majesty, and it is the station of awe;
- Sincerity in love because of the words of the one who said:
THE THIRD SECTION:
- That the slave should protect himself from kufr (covering over the truth), and that is the station of Islam;
- That he should protect himself from acts of disobedience and forbidden things, and it is the station of turning or repentance (tawbah);
- That he should protects himself from doubtful matters, and that is the station of caution or carefulness (wara’);
- That he should protect himself from even those things that are permitted, and that is the station of doing without (zuhd);
- That he should protect himself from the presence of other than Allah in his heart, and it is the presence of witnessing (mushahadah).
