Topic
Foundations of Faith
50 entries
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Is La ilaha illallah the best dhikr?
The narrations of the Prophet tell that when La ilaha illallah, "there is no god but Allah", is said sincerely, the doors of the sky are opened until it reaches the Throne, so long as the one who says it avoids major sins; that the one who says it sincerely from his heart will gain the Prophet's intercession; and that it is the highest of faith's seventy-some odd doors. Throughout the daily course of life it is the only way to revive Iman, and a hadith names it the best remembrance. In two of his letters, Mujaddid Alf Thani wrote that one is to remain engaged in the dhikr of Allah until everything except Allah departs from the heart, and that the seeker is to perform the dhikr of La ilaha to the point that the heart is void of everything except Allah.
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What does “Remember Me, and I will remember you” mean?
When a servant remembers Allah, Allah remembers him, and the greatest reward for a lover is that the Beloved remembers him. In this world it is not possible to behold Allah's vision by the eye, but by due remembrance the servant can achieve the perpetual state of ihsan and behold the vision of Allah through his heart; the everlasting reward of the believers, the visage, would be in the hereafter.
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Is dhikr the greatest of deeds?
The Qur'an calls the remembrance of Allah greatest. Acts of obedience increase the light of certainty and Iman in the soul, and dhikr is one of the greatest of them, as a sahih hadith of the Prophet proves.
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What does the Qur’an mean when it says the martyrs are alive?
Everyone who passes away is normally spoken of as having died, yet of the martyrs Allah says that they are alive and that they are not to be called dead. The life given to them is different from that of others in the state of Barzakh, and when the Qur'an tells mankind that they cannot understand, it means that mankind is unable to comprehend the concept of that life after death. The scholars also establish from this verse the life of the Prophet after death.
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Does the Prophet hear the salawat (durood) sent to him?
According to the belief of Ahl as-Sunnah wal-Jama'ah, the salawat of one who stands close to the Prophet's grave is heard by him. He told his Companions to send much blessing upon him on Friday, for their blessings would be presented to him, and when they asked how, when his body is decayed, he said that Allah has prohibited the earth from consuming the bodies of the Prophets. He also said that if anyone greets him, Allah returns his soul to him and he responds to the greeting, and Imam Suyuti explained that the soul is returned permanently.
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Is the Prophet alive in his grave (Hayat un-Nabi)?
The belief that the Prophet lives in his grave, nourished by Allah and performing Salah, is established from the Qur'an, Hadith, the statements of the Companions and the two generations after them, and the pious predecessors. The narrations include that the Prophets are alive in their graves and engaged in praying, that the Prophet saw Musa performing Salah in his grave on the night of Mi'raj, and that Allah has made it unlawful for the earth to destroy the bodies of the Prophets. All the scholars of Ahl as-Sunnah wal-Jama'ah have recorded consensus, Ijma, on this belief.
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If everything is already written, why should we do good deeds?
When the Prophet told his Companions that there was not one of them who had not been allotted his seat in Paradise or Hell, they asked why they should then perform good deeds and not depend upon their destiny. His reply, narrated by Ali in Sahih Muslim, was: "No, do perform good deeds, for everyone is facilitated in that for which he has been created." He then recited verses of Surah al-Layl.
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What is Qadr (divine decree, predestination) in Islam?
Belief in Qadr is the firm attestation that all decrees, general and particular, were recorded beforehand, and that Allah created everything and assigned it a proper measure. It is one of the six articles of faith. Nothing takes place in the heavens or on earth without the will of Allah, and everything is assigned and preserved in the Preserved Tablet.
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What is the Pool of Kauthar (Hawdh e Kauthar)?
Two narrations of the Prophet describe Kauthar. In one it is a river in Paradise with banks of gold, a bed of rubies and pearls, soil more fragrant than musk and water sweeter than honey; in the other he says he will be waiting at it for whoever comes to him, and that some people will be taken away from him.
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What is the Sirat, the bridge over Hell?
The first to cross the Sirat, the Bridge over Hell, will be the Prophet Muhammad and the believers. The Prophet described it, what lines it and how people will cross it: some swiftly, some slowly, some sustaining scratches and cuts, while the rest land in Hell.