ISED

AQIDAH ISLAMIYYAH 8.5.2011 DR ISMAIL BIN MAMAT

Tajuk


CiriCiri-ciri Aqidah Islamiyyah Kepentingan dan Tujuan Aqidah Islamiyyah Konsep Kebebasan Dalam Islam Maksud Din al-Islam. al-Islam. Konsep Fitrah Konsep Amanah dan Khilafah. Khilafah. Beriman Kepada al-Qadha dan al-Qadar alalHubungan di Antara qadar dan ikhtiyar; dunia, dan ibtila . ikhtiyar; dunia, Nawaqidh al-Iman (Perkara yang Membatalkan Iman). alIman).

 

  

 

Other Terms for Islamic aqidah

al-Iman al al-Urwat al-wuthqa alal al-Taw^id al Usul al-din al

Ilm al-kalam al al-Tasawwur alalalIslami or Islamic worldview



al-iman (Belief or Conviction) al

The term iman refers to the Hadith of Jibril whereby Jibril comes to the Prophet (SAW), and asks him about Islam, iman Islam, and insan. The Prophet answered that insan. iman is that you believe in Allah and His angels and His Books and His messengers and in the Last Day, and in predestination (qadr), both in its good and (qadr), in its evil. (Nawawi, 1996:4). Nawawi,

In the Qur an: The Messenger believes in what has been sent down to him from his Lord, and (so do) the believers. Each one believes in Allah, His Angels, His Books, and His Messengers. (Q 2:285). Thus, the articles of faith (i.e. the belief in Allah, His angels, His scriptures, His messengers, the Final Day, predestination of good and evil) are formally outlined here.

al-Urwat al-wuthqa (The strong alaland Trustworthy Handhold):

 

It is the testimony (shahadah) there is no god (shahadah) but Allah (Yasin, n.d: 232). Referred to as al-urwat al-wuthqa to show the alalvalue of firmness and surety the word has substantiated. There is no compulsion in religion. Verily, the Right Path has become distinct from the wrong path. Whoever disbelieves in taghut and believes in Allah then he has grasped the most trustworthy handhold that will never break (Q 2:256).

al-Tawhid al  

Oneness or the Conviction and Witnessing that is no god but Allah. It is the main part and the key to the study of Islamic aqidah. aqidah. Say: He is Allah, (the) One. Allah the SelfSelfSufficient Master, Whom all creatures need, (He neither eats nor drinks). He begets not nor was He begotten. And there is none co-equal or cocomparable unto Him. (Q 114: 1-4). 1Al-Tawhid is the basis for believing in angels, Albooks, prophets, the Last Day and predestination.

Usul al-din alRoots or foundation of Religion  The term describes that Islamic aqidah is the basis and foundation of the religion of Islam.  Three main roots: Divinity, prophethood and unseen matters.  To be a Muslim, he must believe and accept Islamic aqidah


Other Terms


Ilm al-kalam al(Speculative theology): It is a rational elaboration of Islamic aqidah and a mechanism of defending it from the doubters.

 

al-Tasawwur al-Islami alal(Islamic worldview) It signifies the vision of reality and truth based on Islam that reveals what existence (wujud) is (wujud) all about. This includes the nature of God, creation, life, and man.

Reference
    

Ajijola, A.D. 1984.The Essence of Faith in Islam. Riyadh 1984.The Islam. Ashqar, Umar Sulayman Dr. 1995. al-Aqidah fi llah. alllah. Amman, Jordan AlAl-Attas, 1995. Prolegomena to the metaphysics of Islam. Kuala Lumpur Azzam, Abdullah, Dr. n.d. al- Aqidah wa-atharu-ha fi l-jil. alwa-atharujil. n.p. AlAl-Buti, Sa id Rama\an. 1402H. al-Kubra al-yaqiniyyat alRama\ alalalkawniyyah. kawniyyah. Damascus; trans. Zayuki Mohamed. 2000. Hakikat Alam Smesta dan Cakerawala menuju Iman yang Teguh. Kuala Lumpur Teguh.

     

Darwish, Darwish, Abd al-Hamid. 1992. al-Falsafah al-I tiqadiyyah al-Hamid. alalfi al-Islam. Cairo al-Islam. Al-Faruqi, Al-Faruqi, 1990. al-Tawhid. Herndon al-Tawhid. Habannakah, alHabannakah, al-Shaykh Abd al-Ra^man. 1983. alal-Ra^man. alAqidah al-Islamiyyah wa-ususu-ha. Damascus alwa-ususu-ha. Ibrahim, Salah Abd al- Alim. 1982. al- Aqidah fi dar alal- Alim. alalQur an al-karm. Cairo al-kar al-Khalidi, Mahmud Dr. 1985. al- Aqidah wa- ilm alal-Khalidi, alwaalkalam. kalam. Amman Nawawi. Nawawi. 1996. Forty Hadth. Kuala Lumpur Hadth.

Importance of Aqdah
Foundation on which the superstructure of Islam rests, a fortress that keeps a Muslim s religion safe.  The most fundamental mission of all the Prophets. (Anbiya 21:25)  Term of reference for acts of righteousness. (Al-Baqarah 2:217) (Al The criterion for punishment and reward in the hereafter. (Al-Nisa 4:48) (Al

Important topics in Aqdah

  

God - His existence, Names and Attributes Prophets his necessity, attributes, position Eschatology the Last Day, resurrection, judgment, Heaven and Hell Metaphysical issues angeology, reality of existence, nature of man, universe.

THE CHARACTERISTICS OF ISLAMIC AQIDAH

DIVINE ORIGIN
  

Revealed by God, absolute and unchanged. Free from interpolation and additions, and free from mixture of falsehood and truths. In contrast to, (i) philosophical ideas which based purely on reason, or (ii)other religious traditions which developed through historical process. Its content is preserved as promised by God in the Qur an. (al-Hijr 15:9) (al-

DIVINE ORIGIN
Divinity does not mean irrationality. The task of human thought is to receive it, to grasp its significance and translate into action  Everything that comes to a person s previous norms should be corrected through the reference to framework of Islamic Aqidah. Aqidah.  Due to the limitation of human reason, some of the divine aspects of Islamic Aqidah are beyond human mind - nature of divine essence, the time of the Last Hour, the spirit.


PERMANENT REALITIES
Islamic aqidah is based on some permanent realities (thawabit) which serve as its framework. (thawabit)  The permanent realities: i) Objective and Aims(Affirmation of the Oneness of God, the aim of creation to worship God) (ii) Principles and general methods (tawhid, (tawhid, justice, dignity of man, vicegerency, da wah) vicegerency, wah) (iii) Religious and ethical values (iman, taqwa, (iman, taqwa, good to parents.


PERMANENT REALITIES
The flexible and changeable (mutaghayyir) (mutaghayyir) aspects: Forms and mechanism, branches and divisions, worldly affairs and knowledge.  All changes in society must be done in a creative way within the permanent framework ijtihad, fatwa.  Absolute, permanent values provide guidance for humankind to control themselves from following desires. (Mu minun 23:71)  These permanent values of religion produce a deep sense of security and certainty in Muslim.


Comprehensiveness
 

 

Since it is revealed from the Creator of the universe who is All-Knowing. AllIt covers the whole spectrum of realities - the universe, life, man, his origin, his nature, his relationship with the divine. It also explicates the reality beyond this world. It explains the origin of the universe and relates it the Creator and the life before this physical world. It is for all time, place and people.

Comprehensiveness
  

It answers delicate questions about realities - origin of the world, aim of existence, the Hereafter. It offers a complete, harmonious system of life which manifest the perfect and just God who created it. The implication of this comprehensive nature of Islamic Aqdah - Islam regards every part of human life is ibadah since it continuously and finally related to God

Balance
      

balance in terms of its constituent elements and in terms of its teaching. between the known aspects and the unknown aspects. between the freedom of the Divine Will and the constancy of the laws of nature. between the domain of free will and predestination. between man s absolute servitude to Allah and man s honorable position. between the life on this world and the life in the hereafter. between the sources of knowledge in Islam.

Dynamism (Ijabiyyah) (Ijabiyyah)

expressed in the active relationship of Allah the Most High with His creation, the universe, man.  God is continuously involved with the affairs of the creatures (kullu yawm huwa f shan, al-Rahmn 55:29). He is a living alCreator and Administrator, an all-Knowing God who is active alland able to do anything He desires. The universe and all events originate in His will (7:54, 35:44, 6:18)  Through this dynamism, the conscience of man is sharpened, moral feelings are enhanced and standard of behavior are established.  The Quran is full of descriptions of the dynamic and positive relationship of Allah, His intervention with His creations.


Realism
  

 

The existence of objective realities is certain and the effects is positive and concrete. The system of life it produced for mankind is realistic and practical because it is designed by the Creator. Allah is a living God who demonstrates His existence through His creation. He is real, not like an abstract God of the philosophers. He is the God who does what He desires through the movements and changes in the universe through His command, Be, and it was. the universe was created with objective existence,appeal to the minds and hearts. Islamic Aqdah treats human being in the realistic fashion. It views human being as he actually is, as flesh and blood, with all his characteristics.

OBJECTIVES OF ISLAMIC AQIDAH

1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

to preserve the truth and greatness of the religion of Islam to give a proper understanding of the fundamental elements of the religion to the Muslims. to strengthen the believe of a Muslim in God and other metaphysical matters brought by religion. to protect a belief of Muslim from the intrusion of foreign secular ideas which will corrupt his faith. to develop a strong character with a firm and justified belief.

The Freedom of Belief

Discussion:  Are we free to choose our own faith?  Is there any compulsion regarding a belief in religion?  Does the capital punishment of ridds (apostasy) means that we do not have our right to choose our own religion?


The Freedom of Belief



 

Islam enjoins freedom of belief in the sense that it cannot force others to embrace the religion (la ikraha (la fi al-din 2:256) alIt also means that Islam must be practiced by a Muslim with a willing submission. Based on the premise that Islam is a true and the only religion accepted by God, those who have accepted Islam willingly are not allowed to leave the religion

The Freedom of Belief



It is not against the principle of freedom of choice since choosing something false or bad is, to Islam, not a true choice. A choice in its very meaning must be good as expressed by the term ikhtiyar . To let people apostate is tantamount to regarding religion as a matter of taste not a matter of truth. It is also degrading religion to a play thing according to whim and ignorance.

The Freedom of Belief

The punishment of apostasy reflects the truth and consistency reflects the truth and consistency of Islam on his believers.  It also proves that Islam emphasizes on knowledge and evidence before believing in its articles.  To the non-Muslims who questions the noninjustice of the punishment of apostasy, they must first falsify the truth of Islam.


Reference
   

Doi, Abdur Rahman I., Non-Muslims under NonShariah (Islamic Law) (Petaling Jaya, 1990) AlAl-Faruqi, Ismail Raji, Islam and other Faiths (Leicester, 1998) Kamali, M. Hashim, Freedom, Equality and Justice in Islam (Petaling Jaya, 1999) AlAl-Qaradawy, Yusuf, Introduction to Islam (Cairo, 1997)

Religion (al-Dn) (al-Dn)

As pointed out by Prof. al-Attas, based on the alterm al-dn, four primary interrelated al-dn, meanings of religion:  being indebtedness (al-dayn) (al-dayn)  submissiveness (adhalla wa istabada) (adhalla istabada)  judicious power (al-ukm wa al-suln) (alal-suln)  natural inclination (al-dah wa al-shan) (alal-shan)

Indebtedness (al-Dayn) (al-Dayn)



Refers to the condition of man from the very beginning of his existence that he was already indebted to God. Man has acknowledged the Lordship of Allah in his spiritual state before he came to this world: When your Lord drew forth from the children of Adam from their loins their descendents, and made them testify concerning themselves (saying): am I not your Lord? they said: yea! We do testify! (Al-Araf 7:172) (Al-

Indebtedness (al-Dayn) (al-Dayn)

In this world, man is bound to fulfill his covenant with God, for not only he has sealed a contract with God, he is also indebted to God for the gift of his very existence and all other bounties given by God in every minute of his life.  In other words, he is already in the state of loss: Verily man is in loss (laf khusr) (laf khusr) (2:103)


Submissiveness (Ibdah) (Ibdah)



to pay back his debt to God, man has to return his original state of affirming the Oneness of God in the day of Alastu by way of a true submission to God. This is in line with aim of creation: I have only created the jinn and man that they may serve me (Al-Dhriyt 51:56) (Alwhoever enslaves himself, gains (man dna (man nafsahu rabaa) -hadith rabaa) the whole process of worship (ibdah) regulated by (ibdah) religion is the prescriptions on how man should repay back his debt to God.

Judicious Power
Submission to God includes submission to all the judgments, laws and values given by God.  The Prophet as a the bringer of the laws (dayyn). dayyn).  The absolute power of God is reflected in the term yawm al-din manifesting the day where althere is no power except Gods power. It is the day when He is the only determiner for man reward and punishment.


Natural Inclination
To return to the original nature of affirming the oneness of God is indeed to go back to the very purpose of man creation and existence, namely his natural inclination, his fitrah. fitrah.  In Islam, man is born as pure and already accepting the Lordship of Allah.


Islam, Iman, Ihsan Hadith of Gibril



Umer bin Khattab (Allah be pleased with him) said: One day as we were sitting in the company of Allahs MessengerPbuh, all of a sudden, there appeared before us, a man dressed in very white clothes with very black hair. There was no sign of fatigue on him because of journey and none amongst us ever knew him. He sat close to the ProphetPbuh and placed his knees against the Prophets knees and his palms upon thighs and said: Muhammad inform me about Islam? The ProphetPbuh said:Al-Islam implies that you testify that said:Althere is no God but Allah and Muhammad is His Messenger and that you establish prayer (Salat) and pay Zakat, Observe Fast of Ramadan and perform Pilgrimage (Hajj) to the House (Kaba) in case you have means. The stranger said: you have told the truth.

Hadith of Jibril
It was amazing for us about him that he would ask the question and then he would himself testify the answer to be true. The Stranger then asked: Inform me about Iman (Faith)? The ProphetPbuh said that: You affirm your faith in Allah, His Angels, His books, His Messengers, in the Hereafter, in the Divine Decree to good and evil of life. Again the Stranger said: You have told the truth. He then asked: Inform me about Al-Ihsan? Al-

Hadith of Gibril
ProphetPbuh said: You worship God as if you are seeing Him, and if you are not seeing Him (believe that) He is in-fact inseeing you. Again the Stranger said: You have told the truth. The Stranger asked: Inform me about the Last Hour? The ProphetPbuh Said: The one who is inquired knows no more than the one who is inquiring.

Hadith of Gibril
The ProphetPbuh asked me: Umer, do you know this stranger? I said: Allah and His MessengerPbuh know best. The ProphetPbuh Said: He was Gabriel (Jibril), he came to you, to teach you your religion. (Muslim)

Islam, Iman, Ihsan Hadith of Gibril

Describes the whole content of the religion of Islam by emphasizing the three dimensions of the religion.  Religion comprises of Islam, Iman and Ihsan.  Religion includes belief system, external practices and ethics.


Islam
   

Meaning: Literal: to turn oneself over to something or someone, to surrender, to submit Technical: It can be understood from four aspects: First: Total submission to God or to God s will. This refers to the broader and general meaning, that everything submit and dependant on God. All creatures demonstrate their Creator s glory. (Al Imran 3:83)

Islam: cont.
Second: It implies the religion of tawhid or total submission to the One God brought by all the prophets. (Al Imran 3:84-85). It 3:84is also called Din al-Qayyim or Hanif (alal(alNahl 16:120-121,123) 16:120 Hanif gives the meaning of; belief in one God, absolute submission to this One God, being antithesis of idol worshipping.


Islam:cont
Third: Refers to the religion specifically named by God to the one established by Prophet Muhammad (al(alMa idah 5:3) which manifest the final and the most complete form of the religion of Tawhid brought by the previous Prophets. Islam in this sense means to submit and to practice whatever commanded by God through Prophet Muhammad.  Fourth: Refers to the outward practices and rituals of the religion as distinguished from the inner aspect of the religion. It refers to the five pillars of Islam: Shahadah, prayers, fasting, zakat and hajj.


Iman
Literally means to be safe, secure and tranquil, free from fear.  Technically, it ,means a strong faith to God and other religious matters. Once iman is established, one is secured from any error and fear from uncertainty.  It involves confidence in truth, hence cannot be connected to falsehood.


Iman:cont.


Although iman means faith , it is consistently mentioned together with good deeds ( amal salih) and piety (taqwa) [al[alAnfal 8:2-4, al-Asr:3, al-Furqan 25:63-68, 8:2- alal25:63alal-Rum 30:15-16]. Some scholars 30:15therefore include in the meaning of iman the affirmation of the tongue and the practice of the limbs. Hence it involves believing, speaking and doing.

Iman:cont.
The opposite of Iman is Kufr namely to feel ingratitude or to reject the truth.  The object of faith is the six pillars of Iman. But this objects of faith have been systematized into three: Oneness of God (tawhid), Prophethood (Nubuwwah) and tawhid), (Nubuwwah) Eschatology (ma ad) (ma ad)


Islam and Iman Relationship and Difference

Close relationship: relationship:
  

The Qur an consistently mentions iman together with good deed ( amal salih). salih). The inclusion of faith or the essence in the description of Islam. Iman in this sense is the foundation of the practical aspect of the religion.

Islam and Iman Relationship and Difference

 

The difference: difference: The Bedouins say, We have faith (amanna) (amanna) Say, You do not have faith. Rather say, We have submitted (aslamna), for faith has not yet (aslamna), entered your hearts. (al-Hujurat, 49:14) (alThe separation in hadith Jibril between Islam which refers to the practices of religion and Iman as the belief system.

Ihsan


 

Meaning: Active form from the root hasuna to Meaning: be beautiful. Hence, ihsan means to make something beautiful. Technically, it means to accomplish what is beautiful and good, to do something well and perfect, to gain virtuous qualities. It also refers to the refinement of Iman and Islam. It is the complementary aspect of religion which makes religion more perfect and refined.

Ihsan: cont.
It concerns with the inner attitude that accompany activity and thought the continuous awareness of the presence of God.  It implies that one must have a state of soul in conformity with works and faith.  The details of this aspect are given and explained in the fields of akhlaq and tasawwuf. tasawwuf.


Islam, Iman and Ihsan Conclusion

The religion is divided into three important dimensions: works, faith and perfection; Islam, Iman and Ihsan; aqidah, ibadah and akhlak; usuluddin, fiqh/shari ah and tasawwuf.  The more harmonious the three dimensions are integrated, the closer the person approaches to a perfect human personality


Islam, Iman, Ihsan: Further Readings

Syed Muhammad Naquib al-Attas, Islam aland Secularism  William Chittick, Faith and Practice of Islam  Toshihiko Izutsu, Ethico-Religious EthicoConcepts in the Qur an  Sachiko Murata and William Chittick, The Vision of Islam


Amanah, Ibadah & Khilafah



  

Man was created by God with two kinds of trusts (amanah): submission (Ibadah) and (amanah): (Ibadah) vicegerency (Khilafah). (Khilafah). Ibadah to submit himself to the power of God as intended by the word din. din. ibadah (true submission) is the aim of man s creation. I have only created the jinn and man that they may serve me (Al-Dhariyat (Al51:56)

First Amanah: Ibadah



Ibadah is the original state of man before his existence in this world : When your Lord drew forth from the children of Adam from their loins their descendents, and made them testify concerning themselves (saying): Am I not your Lord? they said: yea! We do testify! (Al-A raf (Al7:172)

Second Amanah: Khilafah Amanah:

  

 

Khilafah: Khilafah: Vicegerent of God on earth (al-Baqarah 2:30). (alTo undertake this amanah, God has subjected to amanah, man (taskhir) all that is in this earth (al-Hajj (taskhir) (al22:65) Man is given amanah to govern this world with justice and good manner. This trust had already been offered to other creations but they refused due to the difficulty to bear this amanah (Al-Ahzab 33:72). (Al-

Khilafah


Khilafah takes place in two dimensions: Macrocosmic: the governance of the external Macrocosmic: world by man; Microcosmic: man s soul must Microcosmic: govern his body in a just and good manner (relationship with ibadah) To be a vicegerent on earth, human beings have to submit themselves to God s power by following whatever instructions specifically given to human beings through the Prophets messages.

Khilafah: cont.


For man to carry out this trust of khilafah, he is khilafah, also given by God both reason ( aql) and desire aql) (shahwah), making him higher in status than the shahwah), angels and other creations. As the best creation, man was also taught by Allah the names of all things (asma kullaha) (asma kullaha) which will further equip him in his carrying out his amanah. amanah. Man is, therefore, given more power by God compared to other creations in order for him to be a vicegerent on earth.

Khilafah: cont.
 

Two kinds of khilafah: Natural : everyone as human being is created by God as khalifah on earth. Nobody can escape this notion of khilafah. Political: refers to the administration of the Political: ummah by the Prophets which ended by Prophet Muhammad. Those who came after Muhammad carrying out this duty were called khalifat alalRasul. Rasul.

Free choice (Ikhtiyar)

By the gift of both reason and desire above other creations, man will have the free choice by God to carry out the trust of khalifah.  Those who succeeded in carrying out this task will be rewarded with goodness while those who failed (due to their injustice and ignorance (zaluman jahula Al-Ahzab 33:72) will be Alpunished.


Free choice (Ikhtiyar): cont.

A true choice, according to Islam must be done toward good and true aims.  It is undesirable for man to choose falsehood and to leave the truth under the name of free choice.  The word ikhtiyar, which represent the true choice in ikhtiyar, Islam and which derived from the word khayr (goodness) must be based on something which is good.  Knowledge, therefore, plays important role in choosing something good. For without knowledge man will be ignorant of good and bad.


Fitrah and its Relationship with Khilafah and Ikhtiyar

 

Islam conceives man as originally good/pure and already submitted to the Lordship of Allah. Externally man is commanded by God to submit to God through the religious practices and rituals. Internally, the bodily or animalistic nature of man must submit to his soul as the king and khalifah in his self. Man must continuously struggle to return himself to his original nature namely to submit to the Oneness of Allah.

Conclusion


The whole idea of amanah, khalifah and ikhtiyar is therefore, in accordance with the fitrah of man.