Aqeeda- The Most integral part of Human Life
By Samia Salim
Introduction
Aqeedah linguistically is derived from the term
aqada.
Aqidah according to the scholars of Islam is: the firm creed that one's heart
is fixed upon without any wavering or doubt. It excludes any supposition, doubt
or suspicion.[1] In Islam, Aqeeda was never taught as a
separate subject until people started innovating in the religion &
following their whims & desires. Thus Aqeedas are the basics and the
guiding principles which lead a person towards action and the way in which he
views His creator and His creation.
Purpose
of Creation
It
is very important for a human being to know the purpose of his existence. Allah
(swt) says in the Quran,
“And
I did not create the jinn and mankind except to worship Me” (51:56)[2]
From
this verse we realize that the sole purpose of mans creation was to worship his
Lord according to the laid principles & prescribed practices in the Quran
& Sunnah.
Tawheed
Tawheed
can be expressed by the formula La Illaha Illahlah (there is no god but Allah).[3] One
cannot be a Muslim until he accepts the fact that it is Allah(swt) who created
Him, it is He who is to be worshipped & that He has no partners. Islam is a
purely monotheistic religion unlike other religions that believe in the Oneness
of God yet involve intercessors, mediators and involve themselves in idol
worshipping.
Tawheed
can be best understood if one reads Surah Ikhlas:
Say, "He is Allah, [who is] One,
Allah, the Eternal Refuge.
He neither begets nor is born,
Nor is there to Him any equivalent”[4]
Allah(swt)
is the One & Only creator of all that exists. There are no partners with
Him & the dominion is entirely under His Ownership & control. He is
without a beginning or an end. He is the eternal refuge & we should only supplicate
to Him. He was not born nor does he give birth and there is nothing that is
comparable to Him.
It
is very important to know that we all are subservient to a superior authority.
If we can understand that Allah(swt) is the ultimate authority we will all have
a direction in life. As this would mean submitting ones will & total
obedience to that Superior being. This will keep us on track as total obedience
means to follow the commands of Allah(swt) as has been legislated in the Quran
& Sunnah.
The
concept of Tawheed can be further broken down into 3 categories Tawheed ar
Ruboobeyah, Tawheed as ma Wa sifaat & Tawheed Al Ibadah. Tawheed Ar
Ruboobeyah maintaining the unity of Lordship, affirming that Allah(swt) is One
without partners in his sovereignty. Tawheed Al-Asma-WaSifaat maintaining the
Unity of Allahs names & attributes that is they are incomparable &
unique. Tawheed Al Ibadah maintaining the unity of Allahs worship that is Allah
is alone in His right to worship.[5]
Allah(swt) says in the Quran,
“All
the praises and thanks be to Allah, the Lord of the 'Alamin (mankind, jinns and
all that exists)”[6]
The
above verse explains to us that everything including the men & jinn
function under the Lordship of Allah(swt). The concept of Tawheed Ar
Ruboobebeyah clarifies that He is the creator, sustainer & all-powerful,
owner of all things. One should not become arrogant as to Allah(swt) is in need
of His creation or their worship, for verily Allah is in no need of any of us
or our worship. This concept helps explain to us that whatever happens to us
and around us happens by the will & power of our Lord. This doesn’t by any
way mean that we are not supposed to work hard, but this teaches us that we
should put in all our efforts into everything that we do but we must understand
that the end result will only happen if Allah wills.
We
should realize that we are completely dependent on our Lord & we should not
depend on other human beings on the fulfillment of our supplications.
All
good and harm that touches us only comes to us because of Him. This shows that
a human is not responsible for giving us the good that we get in life & and
harm doesn’t befall us until Allah wills it.
The Prophet (pbuh) said, “Be aware
that if whole of mankind gathered together to do something to help you, they
would only be able to do something for you which Allah had already written for
you. Likewise, if the whole of mankind gathered together to harm you, they
would only be able to do something to harm you which Allah had already written
to happen to you.”[8]
If
one can understand this, then we will face the tests and trials in life with
patience and we will know they are from Allah (swt) & that He always tests
us for a reason.
We
should not consider any human to be equal or similar to the power &
authority of our Lord. Humans should understand that only Allah(swt) is the
sustainer, provider, helper, the all merciful, the giver and taker of life. As
a believer we must only worship Him, by directing all our supplications without
seeking the help of humans or mediation.
Aqeeda
therefore is the building block on which our Emaan stands upon. We must study
our Deen in order to hold firmly to our principles & to avoid the
compromise we make in our Aqeedas everyday of our lives.
[1] http://kalamullah.com/aqeedah.html
,Line 1-2
[2]
Quran (51:56)- www.quran.com (Sahih
International)
[3]
Fundamentals of Tawhid- By Dr Abu Ameenah Bilal Philips page 13
[4]
Surah Ikhlas, Chapter 112, www.quran.com
[5] Fundamentals
of Tawhid- BY Dr Abu Ameenah Bilial Philips Pg 18
[6]
Surah Fatiha (1:2), www.Quran.com
[7]
Quran (39:62)
[8] Fundamental of Tawhid- by Dr Bilal Philips- pg 23
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