Transcription
Welcome to the Think Revert YouTube channel, where we talk about the religion of Islam from a revert's perspective. In this video, I will be providing an overview of the six articles of faith in Islam. This is absolutely essential information for everyone to know, and it should be cemented in your heart.
Of course, this is just an overview, and I've linked further resources in the description, so please make sure you take the time to go through those. There are a few channels that are dedicated to helping new Muslims learn the basics of their religion, as well as sharing experiences and stories. So, if you wish to support this cause for the sake of Allah, then please go ahead and like and share the video, as well as subscribe. Insha Allah, this will help the channel spread to a wider audience and therefore be more likely to pop up as a suggestion to anyone who is interested in or new to Islam.
So, the six articles of faith in Islam are as follows: belief in Allah, belief in the Angels, belief in the Prophets and Messengers, the revealed books, the Day of Judgment, and the Divine Decree. So, let's begin with number one, which is belief in Allah.
Muslims believe in one God, in pure monotheism, which is called Tawheed in Arabic, and the name of this Supreme Being is Allah. Muslims believe that mankind has been created for the purpose of worshiping God alone, and we do not associate any partner with Almighty God. This first article of faith is the single most important concept in Islam. As Muslims, we believe that no act of worship or devotion has any meaning if the concept of monotheism, of Tawheed, is compromised in any way. Monotheism is central to all of the Abrahamic faiths and is the first of the Ten Commandments. It is sometimes believed that Muslims worship a different God from the Jews and the Christians. However, the pure monotheism of Islam calls us to worship the God of all of the prophets, including Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, and Jesus, peace be upon them all.
So, the belief in Allah can be defined into three categories: belief in the lordship of Allah, in His divinity, and in His names and attributes. So, let's break this down and look at a quick overview.
Number one is the belief in the lordship of Allah. Muslims believe that Allah alone is Lord, with no partner or associate, the One who has the power of dominion, control, and creation. There is no Creator, Sovereign, or Controller of affairs except for Allah.
The second part is belief in His divinity, meaning that we believe that He is the one true God, with no partner or associate, that there is none rightfully worthy of worship except for Allah. Everything that has been worshiped alongside Almighty God is false in its divinity. No one has the right to be worshiped or to be singled out for worship except Almighty God, and this was the call of all of the prophets, all of the messengers, from the first to the last of them, and they would say.
The third part is belief in the names and attributes of Allah. Allah has revealed to us through His Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, ninety-nine of His names. Some of these names are Ar-Rahman, which means the Most Merciful; Ar-Rahim, which means the Bestower of Mercy; Al-Malik, which means the King and Owner of Dominion. As Muslims, we affirm the names and attributes of God which He has affirmed for Himself in His Book and the Sunnah of the Prophet Muhammad, sallallahu alaihi wasallam, in a manner that befits Him, without distorting or denying the meanings, asking how, or likening Him to His creation. We take the texts of the Quran and the Sunnah at face value, and we believe in them as the companions of the Prophet, peace be upon him, used to, as they are the best and most knowledgeable of this Ummah. May Allah be pleased with all of them.
Now, there are four things to be avoided regarding the names and attributes of Allah. Number one is distorting, which means changing the texts of the Quran and Sunnah from their true meaning to another meaning which was not intended by Allah or His Messenger, peace be upon him. Number two is denying, denying the beautiful names and sublime attributes and saying that Allah does not possess some of them or all of them. Number three is likening Almighty God to His creation, for example, saying that Allah hears like a man hears. And number four is discussing how, which means attempting to imagine or putting into words how Allah's attributes are.
The second Article of Faith is belief in the Angels. Almighty God has created an unseen realm which includes angels and jinn. Angels are beings of a different nature from humans. Man is described in the Quran as originally being created from clay, whereas angels have been created from light. Angels have been created in such a way that they always obey their Lord and they never go against His commandments, and they are not considered intermediaries between humans and Almighty God, as some religions believe. Every individual human being has them as constant companions. They keep a record of everyone's deeds, both good and bad, and not a word is uttered without it being written.
The Third Article of Faith is belief in the Prophets and Messengers. We believe that prophets and messengers were sent by Almighty God to warn the people and to bring them back to the religion of monotheism. A messenger is a man sent by God with a new message to affirm the message that was already delivered by a previous messenger. Hence, every messenger was a prophet, but not every prophet was a messenger. Muslims believe that the first of the prophets was the Prophet Adam, peace be upon him, and Adam was followed by a long line of prophets. Some of these prophets are called Musa, peace be upon them all, and the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, is considered to be the last and final prophet sent by Almighty God, hence the title, "The Seal of the Prophets." All of the prophets and messengers led righteous lives and served as practical examples for how to submit to God's will. They guided people to the path of salvation. They were all created as human beings, and none of them share any part in Almighty God's divinity.
The Fourth Article of Faith is belief in the revealed books. The Quran is the last and final book which was revealed by Almighty God to mankind, and it was revealed to the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, by the Angel Gabriel. Though the Quran is regarded as the direct word of God and has been protected by God from any corruption or distortion, and hence it has been preserved letter by letter to this very day. The Quran also mentions some of the other scriptures which were revealed to previous messengers, namely the original scrolls which were revealed to Prophet Abraham, the original Torah which was revealed to Prophet Moses, the original Psalms which were revealed to Prophet David, and the original Gospel which was revealed to Prophet Jesus, peace be upon them all. Muslims do not consider the scriptures that were revealed before the Quran, which are currently in circulation, as being accurate representations of the originally revealed form.
The fifth Article of Faith is belief in the Day of Judgment. Muslims regard this present life as being a test and a preparation for the life to come. On the Day of Judgment, this world will come to an end, and all of mankind, from the first to the last, will be resurrected and gathered together before Almighty God. Muslims consider that every single human being will be ultimately judged by God according to their beliefs and actions. In judging human beings, Almighty God will be both merciful and just, and the people will be judged according to their capabilities. Muslims believe that this life is a test wherein sincere belief in the Hereafter is the key to leading a well-balanced and moral life. The Day of Judgment will mark the beginning of a life that will never end. Those who died as believers and acted upon their belief will be rewarded on that day and admitted to Paradise forever.
And the final Article of Faith is belief in the Divine Decree, which is called Qadar in Arabic, and this includes belief in the following four: Allah knows everything that has happened in the past and everything that will happen in the future. Almighty God has recorded all that has ever happened and all that will ever happen in a book. Whatever Almighty God wills to happen, happens, and whatever He does not decree to happen, can never happen. Allah is the Creator, and there is no Creator besides Him. Belief in the Divine Decree does not mean that human beings do not have free will. Rather, Muslims believe that Almighty God has given every human being the ability to choose between right and wrong. This is a gift, but it comes with a heavy responsibility. On the Day of Judgment, we will be held accountable for our use of this gift.
And these are the six articles of faith in Islam. I hope that by the will of Almighty God, you found this information useful, and if so, I look forward to seeing you in the next video, insha Allah. If you have any questions, please leave them down in the comments, and I will try my very best to read them and get back to you if I can. Allahu Alam, and I'll see you in the next video. [Music]