Q & A regarding Islamic Beliefs

1. Define the term Tawheed linguistically and Islamically and explain why some of the aspects of linguistics meaning is not appropriate.

• Tawhid literally means ‘unification’ or ‘asserting oneness’. Islamically it means realizing and maintaining of Allah’s unity in all of man’s actions which directly or indirectly relate to Him. It is the belief that Allah is One without partner in His dominion, One without similitude in His essence and attributes, One without rival in His divinity and in worship.
  Whys some of the linguistics meaning is not appropriate.

2. Explain the term wahdatul wujood, identify its originator and its relationship to Tawheed.

• Wahdatul wujood means that the creator and creation is one. In other words it means that Allah is all and all is Allah, there is only one existence which is Allah.

3. Discuss why the division of Tawheed into the three categories was not done by the Companions of the Prophet sallallaahu alaihi wa sallam.

• Because there was no necessity to analyze such basic principle of faith in this fashion. It became necessary when Islam spread into areas where the people who became Muslims carried their pre Islamic beliefs with them. Usually, it was the duty of Caliph to implement punishments to the heretics. However with the regime of later Umayyad Caliphs who are more corrupt and cared little care about religious issues, the task of opposing heretic beliefs fell upon the shoulders of the scholars who rose to meet the challenge intellectually.

4. Identify the issue of Tawheed which Haroon Yahya is noted for violating.

• To be answered

5. Explain the meaning of Tawheed ar Ruboobeeyah

• It means that Allah alone cause all things to exist when there was nothing. It also means that Allah is the only source of power and movement in the universe. It also means that He is the sole Lord of the universe and its inhabitants without any real challenge to His lordship. He maintains and sustains the creation without any need from it or for it.

6. Mention the reason given in the hadeeth narrated by ‘Uqbah in which the Prophet sallallaahu alaihi wa sallam refused to accept the oath of allegiance from one man out of a group of ten and explain its significance to the study of Tawheed.

• Because the man was wearing an amulet. Its significance to the study of Tawheed is it proves that

7. Explain the correct position regarding the use of Qur’aanic charms and support your explanation with evidence.

• The correct position is that it is bid’ah. Some verses of the Qur’an like the Muwaddhatain was specifically revealed for exorcism but it was meant to be read not hung around the neck etc. Therefore to use verses of the Qur’an other than the prescribed way is bid’ah due to the hadeeth:

Whoever innovates in Islam something which does not belong to it will have it rejected. (Bukhari, Abu Dawud)

8. Identify two Qur’aanic chapters revealed for removing evil spells and explain the circumstances in which they were revealed.

• Sooratul Falaq and an Nas. A spell was cast on the Prophet sallallaahu alaihi wa sallam. He told Ali to recite the two chapters verse by verse, when he became ill he used to recite them on himself. (Bukhari and Muslim)

9. Give a brief but clear explanation of the term Tawheed al Asmaa was Sifaat.

• It is to maintain Allah’s Names and Attributes without explaining away His names and attributes by giving them meanings other than their obvious meanings. It means to refer Him by what He and His Messenger referred Him by, without giving any new names or attributes, without giving Him the attributes of the creations or His attributes given to the creation.

10. Explain whether anger is one of Allah’s attributes, support your explanation with evidence and explain how this attribute is to be understood.

• Anger is one of Allah’s attributes the evidence of which is in Soorah al Fath verse 6:
  

That He may punish the munafiqoon, men and women, and the mushrikoon, men and women, who have an evil opinion of Allah. A circle of evil is around them; Allah is angry with them, curses them and has prepared for them an evil end. (48:6)

• Allah’s anger is not like human anger because humans become angry due to weakness and lack of patience, while Allah’s anger is based on justice.
  

11. Discuss whether it can be said that there are any similarity between God’s attributes and those of humankind with at least two examples.

• The similarity would only be in name but not in degrees. God’s attributes are to be taken in absolute sense free from human deficiencies.
• Allah has a face and humans have face. But they are not similar in any way. The face of the horse is different from the face human beings. If there exist a difference of attributes of face in the creation, then how much more between the creation and the Creator

12. Can the name al Ghaadib (be used) in reference to Allah and why or why not?

• No we cannot call Allah by the name al Ghaadib because neither He nor His Messenger called Him by this name.

13. Explain how most Shi’ites destroy Tawheed al Asmaa was Sifaat relative to their belief in Imaamate.

• They have given their Imams attributes of infallibility, knowledge of the future, past and the unseen and the ability to change destiny.

14. Briefly explain the meaning of Tawheed al Ibaadah

• It means that all forms of worship must be directed only to Allah because He alone deserves to be worshipped and He alone can grant benefit to man as a result of His worship.

15. Discuss the ruling on praying through or to Prophet Muhammad with regard to the principle of Tawheed.

• It is haram to pray through or to the Prophet Muhammad because it is a form of shirk. It violates Tawheed Ibaadah because praying is an essential part of worship and praying should only be directed to Allah. It is also giving some of the attributes of Allah to Prophet Muhammad such as the ability to grant request or repulse harm.
• Praying through the Prophet as an intercessor is also not allowed because he is already dead. We can ask a religious person to pray for us while he is alive. Further, the Shafa’ah of the Prophet only happens on the Day of judgment.

16. Mention the literal and Islamic meaning of shirk

• Shirk literally means partnership, sharing or associating.
• Islamically it refers to the act of assigning partners to Allah in whatever form it may take.
  Explain briefly the two ways of shirk may take place in Tawheed ar Ruboobeeyah.
  Shirk by association means that Allah’s powers are shared by the creation or lesser gods.
  Shirk by negation means denying the existence of Allah.

17. Discuss how Tawheed is violated by the belief that (E=MC²)

• It means that matter can neither be created nor destroyed. It violates Tawheed by giving creation the attributes of Allah who alone is without beginning or end.

18. Identify the aspect of Tawheed which is destroyed by those who claim that Alee was God in person or claim that Jesus was God.

• It destroys Tawheed al Asmaa was Sifaat by deification of Alee or Jesus

19. Mention with a brief explanation how and why drawing, painting or carving images of God violates principle of Tawheed

• It violates Tawheed al Asmaa was Sifaat by humanizing Allah by assigning attributes of the creation to Him.

Abu Khalid