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We know that Allah has wisdom in all of His creation, even if we are ignorant of it, and the patient’s ignorance of the doctor’s wisdom does not mean that the doctor’s decisions are absurd.
Knowledge of divine wisdom does not require understanding all dimensions of wisdom, but it is sufficient to understand some of them!
It is sufficient for us to know that we are charged with worshiping Allah and know that there is a divine wisdom. This is sufficient for us in general; otherwise, we are like those who disbelieve in all that they do not understand {But they rejected that which they did not comprehend, and its warning has not yet been fulfilled against them.} [Surat Yūnus: 39]
Allah is Wise and He created us for a wise purpose, may He be Exalted.
He alone is the one truly worthy of worship,
no one else deserves to be worshiped except Allah; the Creator who brought us into existence out of nothingness. He said: {O mankind, worship your Lord, who created you and those before you, so that you may become righteous;} [Surat al-Baqarah: 21]
He is the One who guided us, the One who legislated, decreed, commanded and prohibited. {His is the creation and the command} [Surat Al-A’rāf: 54]
It is not just the creation that belongs to Allah, but the command as well belongs to Him. We obey His commands; glory be to Him.
Worship is the right of Allah due upon the slaves. He, The Almighty created us, gave us life, gave us sustenance, guided us and sent His messengers to us so as to test us as to which of us is the best in deeds. So, worship is Allah’s right due upon us. {He is the One Who created death and life to test you as to which of you is best in deeds, and He is the All-Mighty, the Most Forgiving.} [Surat al-Mulk: 2]
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Our worldly life and that of the Hereafter will not be set aright except with worship, nor will our morals be reformed except with it; for worship prevents immorality and evildoing, and with it the worldly life will be reformed. Our Lord, the Almighty said: {Recite [O Prophet] what is revealed to you of the Book, and establish prayer, for indeed prayer restrains one from immoral acts and wickedness.} [Surat al-Ankabūt: 45]
We will attain Paradise only through worship, as it is salvation in the Hereafter and bliss in the worldly life.
Worship is for us and for our own good, and it is obligatory upon us towards Allah Almighty because He is our Creator, and its benefit returns to us only, and negligence affects us only.
Paradise is expensive, so whoever desires Paradise should work for it. We need Allah Almighty...We need to worship Him, whereas He is Free of need for us and for all His creation.
21-How do we know Allah?
Answer: We know Allah by numerous ways, out of which we mention here only four:
First way: We know Allah through the sound natural disposition.
Man is disposed to know that he has a creator. You know by nature that you have a creator who created you in this form, with such organs, fashion and amazing perfection.
Also, man by his nature knows that he is required to resort to his Creator through worship, and also knows that he needs his Creator, Glory be to Him, at all times, and this feeling of need for Allah increases in adversity.
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All mankind is disposed to know Allah by nature, Allah Almighty said: {Adhere sincerely to the true religion in all uprightness. This is the natural disposition with which Allah has created mankind. There is no change in Allah’s creation. This is the straight religion, but most people do not know.}
[Surat ar-Rum: 30]
He also said: {And [remember] when your Lord brought forth from the loins of the children of Adam their offspring and made them testify about themselves [asking], Am I not your Lord? They said, yes; indeed, we testify. [We did so] lest you should say on the Day of Resurrection, “we were unaware of this,} [Surat Al-A’rāf: 172]
Before we were created, we were naturally disposed to know Allah and be His slaves. {and He made them testify about themselves [asking], “Am I not your Lord?” They said, “yes; indeed, we testify.”}
The Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) further said in Hadīth whose authenticity is acknowledged by Al-Bukhāri and Muslim: 'There is no child born except that he is born with a sound natural disposition.' 15
We are all born on that natural disposition, which is sufficient for every person who seeks the truth to guide him to the truth, and that he should submit to that truth once he finds it.
This disposition cannot be denied even by the staunchest people in terms of disbelief, especially in difficult times. In fact, all people resort to Allah in hardships and forget about all what they associate with Him in worship. {When hardship strikes you at sea, you forget all those whom you
15 Sahīh Muslim, Hadīth: 2658.
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invoke besides Him. Then when He brings you safe to the land, you turn away. Mankind is ever ungrateful.} [Surat al-Isrā: 67]
When a person is in severe distress and feels that destruction is imminent, he invokes no one but Allah and forgets about all his polytheistic beliefs. This sincere invocation to all in adversity is prompted by the sound natural disposition every person has within him.
Eisenhower - one of the American presidents - who was a commander of American forces in World War II, said after witnessing how the forces return to the natural disposition at the time of great danger: “There are no atheists in the trenches. 16
In the trench during war, there is no one who denies Allah, they all return to Him. This is the true natural disposition that all mankind admit in times of adversity.
The second way to know Allah is reason: We know Allah by reason.
Allah Almighty said: {Were they created by none, or were they the creators [of themselves]?} [Surat at-Tur: 35]
According to reason, there are three possibilities that have no fourth:
The first possibility: We are created without a creator {Were they created by none} which is impossible, for how can we be created without a creator?
The second possibility: We created ourselves {or were they the creators [of themselves]}, which is impossible as well, for how can I create myself before I am created?
16 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/There_are_no_atheists_in_foxholes
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Then, according to reason, there remains the third possibility, and it is the one that the noble verse did not mention as it is self-evident. It is that we have a creator that created us.
So, we know Allah by reason.
The third way to know Allah is to reflect on His creation:
Contemplating the creation of Allah puts us in front of the greatness of Allah, the Exalted. {Say, look at what is in the heavens and earth.} [Surat Yūnus: 101]
The more we ponder on the subtle creation of Allah and the amazing perfection, the more our knowledge of Him increases.
This is what we have previously mentioned in the context of the proof of bringing into existence and the proof of providence and perfection.
The fourth way to know Allah is through the messengers:
This is the best way through which we know Allah, the Exalted. It is to know Him through His messengers and prophets. The messengers told us about Allah and about His attributes and essence. Through the prophets we get to know Allah with His names and attributes and know how to worship Him and draw close to Him. We know how to be saved from the punishment of Allah on the Day of Reckoning. Messengers called people to worship Allah, in other words, they called them to return to their natural disposition on which they were created, and to worship Allah as He commanded.
Messengers guided the people to the way of truth and salvation: {These messengers were sent as bearers of glad tidings and as warners, so that the people may have no excuse before Allah after [the coming of] the messengers. For Allah is All-Mighty, All-Wise.} [Surat an-Nis?: 165]
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So prophets and messengers informed us about Allah and Allah’s support was given to them through miracles which leaves no one with an excuse with Allah on the Day of Resurrection.
That is because Allah, the Exalted, gave you a natural disposition with which you can know your creator, gave you reason, gave you eyesight, so that you can ponder on His creation, and sent to you messengers. Thus, there is no excuse for you before Allah.
22-There are many religions, so why Islam?
Answer: Islam is not just a religion among other religions.
However, Islam agrees with the creed of all the prophets of the Old Testament.
Islam is a correction of the path of the religions that have deviated, and a restoration of the monotheistic belief of the prophets of the Old Testament.
Allah Almighty says: {He has prescribed for you [believers] the same religion which He enjoined upon Noah, and that which We have revealed to you [O Prophet] and that which We enjoined upon Abraham, Moses, and Jesus: You should uphold the religion and make no divisions therein. What you are calling the polytheists to is very hard for them. Allah chooses for Himself whom He wills, and guides to Himself who turns to Him.} [Surat ash-Shura: 13]
In fact, Islam is not a religion like any other religions; rather, it is the origin of all religions.
23-What is Islam?
Answer: Islam is submission, surrendering and obedience to Allah Almighty.
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Allah, may He be Exalted, said: {Who is better in religion than one who submits himself entirely to Allah, does good, and follows the religion of Abraham, exclusively devoted to Allah? For Allah did take Abraham as a close friend} [Surat an-Nis: 125]
To submit oneself to Allah means: to fully surrender to Him and be devotedly obedient to Him, may He be Exalted. These are the best of people in terms of religion.
Allah also said: {Your God is One God, so submit to Him alone, and give glad tidings to the humble,} [Surat al-Hajj: 34]
Submit to Him alone means submit to His judgment.
These verses indicate that Islam means absolute submission to Allah Almighty, surrendering to Him and compliance with His legislation and methodology with consent and acceptance. This is the essence and reality of Islam.
It is to submit to Allah in His judgment and legislation.
Islam is the religion of Allah for all mankind. He said: {The true religion with Allah is Islam.} [Surat al-Imrān: 19]
Islam is the only religion that Allah accepts out of all other religions. {Anyone who seeks a religion other than Islam, never will it be accepted from him; and in the Hereafter he will be among the losers.} [Surat al-Imrān: 85]
Islam is the religion that Allah sent all the prophets and messengers to preach. The religion of all the prophets is the same, namely Islam. All of them called to monotheism (oneness of Allah), although their laws were different.
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Allah Almighty said: {We never sent before you [O Prophet] any messenger without revealing to him that none has the right to be worshiped except Me, so worship Me.} [Surat al-Anbiyā: 25]
Islam is the only religion that maintained monotheism.
It is the only true monotheistic religion on the earth right now,
whereas all the followers of other laws have had a share of polytheism, whether great or small. After the death of the prophets who left the people on monotheistic belief, people eventually adopted polytheism, and today no religion maintains pure monotheism that the prophets came with except Islam.
Can Islam answer the questions that minds have failed to find answers to, like: Where did we come from? Why are we here in this world? Where is our final destination?
Answer: Islam has answered all these questions in one verse of the Noble Qur'an, as Allah Almighty said: {Why should I not worship the One Who created me and to Whom you will all be brought back?} [Surat Yāsīn: 22]
Where did you come from? Allah created me {the One Who created me}.
Where am I going after death? To my Lord in order to be reckoned for my deeds {and to Whom you will be brought back}.
Why did you come to this world? To worship Allah and to be tested.
Why should I worship Allah? It is natural that I worship Allah Who created me, for this is the nature of the relationship between a servant
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and his Lord: that a servant worships his Lord and his Creator. {Why should I not worship the One Who created me}
It is a single verse that combined the answer to the three most significant questions that mankind find perplexing.{Why should I not worship the One Who created me and to Whom you will all be brought back?} [Surat Yāsīn: 22]
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25-How did you know that Muhammad (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) is a Messenger sent by Allah?
Answer: The abandonment amount of miraculous evidence implies logical persistent proof and full certainty.
In fact, Aristotle is a philosopher by his whole works, not by a sentence he said or a philosophical analysis he made,
and Hippocrates is a physician because of all his medical projects, not by just a surgery he performed.
Similarly, the abandonment amount of miraculous evidence transmitted from the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) provides logical persistent proof and a complete certainty that he is a prophet.
If you ponder on his biography (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) and find him truthful as he was known for being truthful by the admission of the most hostile people to him and was not accused of lying or having immorality. He, also, informs about unseen events that happen exactly as he foretold and, above all, his creed that he called people to from the first day accords with the creed of all the prophets. Then he is the one who gives glad tidings to the prophets of his coming (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) hundreds of years before he came. All this implies logical persistent proof and complete certainty of the validity of his Message.
Then, what about the greatest miracle he brought, which is the Noble Quran?
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The Quran by which Allah challenged the people of rhetoric to come up with the like of it, or even the like of one of its chapters; so, what did they do?
Allah, the Exalted said: {But if you did not do it, and you can never do it} [Surat al-Baqarah: 24]
They neither did it, nor could they do it.
The challenge of the Noble Quran is still stands to the people of rhetoric from among the polytheists as well as the people of eloquence; and in spite of this, they are incapable of conquering the challenge, and have failed to bring the like of it.
Dr. Abdullah Diraz (may Allah have mercy upon him) says: ''Did the Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) not fear that this challenge would provoke their literary fervor?
So, they would rise up to compete it, as they are all on high alert; and what would he do if a group of their rhetoricians committed themselves to produce a word that would match it, even in some aspects!
Then, if his self-persuaded him to pass this ruling on the people of his time, how would he pass it on future generations?
Indeed, this is an adventure that a man who knows his own worth would not dare to make, unless he actually has full trust in the ways the divine decree handles the matters, and in the information he receives from the heaven, and thus he threw the challenge to the whole world, so it was a determined decision; since everyone who attempted to imitate it
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showed total inability and incurred flagrant failure throughout the ages and times.'' 17
These polytheists believed that the assembling of armies and forming of parties to fight the Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him ) was easier than imitating the Quran and accepting the challenge. This was the last thing they could do. {Those who disbelieve say, “do not listen to this Quran, but make noise [when it is recited], so that you may prevail. [Surat Fussilat: 26]
Neither all of the Arabs, nor other nations to which the challenge was conveyed, came up with something in this regard that could comfort the atheists or a means by which they could comfort others.
Al-Al?si (may Allah have mercy upon him) says: ''None of them has uttered a word, up to this day, or mentioned a description or something described.''
Jubayr ibn Mut’im, who was not yet a Muslim then, said: "I heard the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) recite Surat at-Tur in Maghrib Prayer, when he reached this verse: {Were they created by none, or were they the creators [of themselves]?} {Or did they create the heavens and earth? Rather, they are not certain in faith.} {Or do they possess the treasures of your Lord, or do they have full control [of everything]?} [Surat at-Tur: 35-37]
He said: 'my heart was about to fly'.'' 18
The Quran has amazing secrets that can reach the human soul.
17 An-Naba’ Al-‘Azhīm, Dr.Abdullah Dar?z, p.44-45.
18 Sahīh Al-Bukhāri (4854)
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Just reflect on how the polytheist women crowded around the house of Abu Bakr when he recited the Quran due to being excessively fascinated and impressed by it, so much so that the men of Quraysh panicked because of that. 19
Therefore, the Arab delegations agreed that they would not listen to the Quran and not let their families listen to it, as this is the only way to retain their disbelief.
From the inexhaustible wonders of the Noble Quran, is what Dr. Abdullah Dir?z (may Allah have mercy on him) mentioned regarding the revelation of the verses of the Quran at variant times, then the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) points out how some verses are placed in specific places in chapters while other verses are placed in other ones, then finally, each chapter appears as an independent structure. He (may Allah have mercy upon him) says: "At the time of the revelation of the Quran, some topics in the Quran were increasingly apart from other topics, and gradually forming independent units after other verses were revealed after them. Some of them were added to some chapter, and others overlapped with others in another chapter, according to the command of the Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him), which he in turn received from the Holy Spirit.
If we take into account the innumerable dates - the dates of the revelation of the verses of the Noble Quran - and we notice that this revelation was generally related to special circumstances and occasions, this leads us to ask about the time when the process of organizing each chapter into an independent unit took place.
19 Sahīh Al-Bukhāri (3905)
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Its seems as if the Quran were separate and numbered pieces of an ancient building, which was intended to be rebuilt elsewhere in the same form as before; otherwise, how can this immediate and systematic arrangement at the same time be explained in relation to many of the chapters?
However, what historical guarantee can a person obtain when developing such a plan regarding future events, their legislative requirements, and the desired solutions for them, not to mention the linguistic form in which these solutions must be presented, and their stylistic compatibility with a specific chapter apart from the other?
Do we not conclude that the completion of this plan and its realization in the desired form requires the intervention of a great Creator, who has the ability to establish this desired coordination? 20
In fact, the Quran is an independent miracle proving the truthfulness of his prophethood (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him).
His miracles (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) that took place at his hands are numerous, exceeding one thousand by far. They have occurred not too far from now, and their transmitters are the most truthful and the most righteous people.
Those narrators who transmitted these miracles to us did not used to lie even in the simplest issues, let alone lying against the Prophet when they knew that whoever lies against him intentionally, would occupy a seat in the Fire, as he (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) warned.
20 Madkhal il? Al-Qur'an Al-Karm by dr. ‘Abdullah Dirz.
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Some of his miracles (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) were witnessed by thousands of the Companions, and reported by tens of them, so how could they collaborate in lying about all these?
Example of his miracles that were witnessed by multitudes of people is the Hadīth of the moaning of the tree trunk, which is a well-known Mutawātir Hadīth. It reports the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) as delivering a sermon while standing on a tree trunk. When a pulpit was made for him, he mounted it and delivered the sermon, whereupon the tree trunk moaned like a small child. It continued to moan until the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) embraced it, so it calmed down and stopped moaning.
This Hadīth was narrated by a group of the Companions: Anas ibn Mālik, Jābir ibn Abdullah, Abdullah ibn Abbās, Abdullah ibn Umar, Ubayy ibn Ka‘b, Abu Sa‘?d, Sahl ibn Said, ‘?’ishah bint Abu Bakr and Umm Salamah.
Would such a number of the Companions collectively lie in transmitting a report like that one?
Actually, some of his miracles were witnessed by thousands of the Companions, like the incident where water sprang out from between his noble fingers, until one thousand and five hundreds of the Companions made ablution and drank from it, as reported in a Mutawātir Hadīth narrated by Al-Bukhāri and Muslim.
Another incident was that he increased a small amount of food to feed his huge army, which is also reported in multiple narrations of the Companions. Al-Bukhāri alone cited the miracle of increasing the food at
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the hand of the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) in five places in his book of sahih. 21
When the proofs of truthfulness are established, and the miracles confirming his prophethood are abundant (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him), then how can a sane person belie all of this?
Here are other few examples of his miracles (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him):
He (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) told the Muslims during one night that a strong wind was going to blow, and he forbade people from standing up. However, a man stood up and was carried by the wind that cast him at a faraway place. 22
He (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) also informed them about the death of Negus on the same day he actually died. He offered funeral prayer for him, as he made Takbīr four times. 23
Moreover, the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) told about the martyrdom of Umar, Uthmān, Ali, Talhah and Az-Zubayr (may Allah be pleased with them) and that they would not die on their beds like the people do.
One day, the Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) ascended the mount along with Abu Bakr, ‘Umar, ‘Uthmān,
21 Al-Bukhāri (1217), Al-Bukhāri (2618), Al-Bukhāri (3578), Al-Bukhāri (4101), Al-Bukhāri (6452). These are all different events and incidents, which Al-Bukhāri alone have mentioned!
22 Sahīh Muslim (3319).
23 Sahīh Al-Bukhāri (1333).
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‘Ali, Talhah and Az-Zubayr, so a boulder started to shake, so the Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said to a mountain: "Calm down, there is none upon you except a prophet, an affirmer of the truth, or a martyr." 24
He confirmed that he was a prophet, that Abu Bakr was an affirmer of the truth, and that the rest would be martyrs. All what he (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) informed of did actually occur.
Furthermore, there are 150 Hadīths where the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) supplicated to his Lord and was responded to immediately while the people were witnessing! 25
And when the people of Makkah asked the Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) to show them a miracle, he showed them the moon split into two halves, until they saw Hir?’ Mount between them. This Hadīth is Mutawātir, meaning that it is of the highest degree of authenticity.
The Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) used to recite Surat al-Qamar, which contains the miracle of splitting the moon, in major gatherings such as Fridays and Eids, so that the people could hear what it contained of his miracles, and he (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) used it as evidence of the truthfulness of his prophethood.
Also, the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) informed that Adam was the last created living things: "And He created Adam after ‘Asr time (afternoon) on Friday as the last creation." 26
24 Sahīh Muslim (2417).
25 These Hadīths were compiled by Sa‘?d ibn ‘Abdul Qādir Bshanfar in his book Dal?’il Al-Nubuwwah, Dar Ibn Hazm Publications.
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This scientific fact has now become established, so how did he (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) know that Adam (peace be upon him) was the last created being to appear on earth after the appearance of plants and animals?
Consider the saying of Allah Almighty: {We have made the day and night as two signs. We darkened the night and made the day bright} [Surat Al-Isrā: 12]
The verse states that the moon, which is the sign of the night used to be shiny, then its light was effaced.
This is actually the explanation the Companions gave to that noble verse. Imam Ibn Kathīr reported in his Tafsīr that Abdullah ibn Abbās (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "The moon used to shine like the sun, and being the sign of the night, it was darkened."
It is amazing that this is the exact conclusion science has reached now as NASA has published on its official website and official channel: "The first era of the moon's life, as it was shiny and luminous.27
It has been proven by uninterrupted transmission that it is only through the hands of this man (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) that all the signs have occurred, and news of the unseen as well as countless minute secrets of the earth and the heavens were revealed. The Quran was sent down to him, and he came with what the prophets before him came with, and he was supported by Allah and did not die until the Sharia was completed and perfected.
26 Sahih al-Jami' (8188).
27 http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/LRO/news/vid-tour.htmlhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UIKmSQqp8wY
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Therefore, acknowledgement with certitude that he was a prophet is quite rational.
His miracles related to the unseen are more than one thousand,
and those who reported his miracles are his Companions: the most truthful and righteous of the people after him.
What is really amazing is that the senior Companions had embraced Islam before seeing his miracles; they knew that Prophet Muhammad (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) was truthful and that he never lied.
This attitude of the senior Companions is a wise logical attitude. The truthfulness of the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) is sufficient and is an independent evidence to prove the validity of his prophethood... This is because: The person who claims prophethood is either: the most truthful of people, for being a prophet... since a prophet is the most truthful of people.
Or he could be the worst liar among the people because he fabricates lies about the most serious and important matters.
Only the most ignorant of people are unable to distinguish between the most truthful of people from the worst liar. 28
How easy it is for a wise person to distinguish between the most truthful of people and the worst liar.
28 Thābit An-Nubuww?t Aqlan wa Naqlan, Ibn Taymiyyah, Dār Ibn Al-Jawzi, p.573. and with its meaning in the same source, pg. 318. with the same meaning in the same source p.318.
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Since the first day of his mission (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) the polytheists have admitted that he never lied, as they said to him: "We have never found you lying." 29
When Heraclius asked Abu Sufyān before he embraced Islam: "Did you accuse him of lying before he said what he said?"
Abu Sufyān said: "No."
Heraclius said: "He would not have given up lying to people then lie about Allah."
Then Heraclius continued his famous saying: "If I were with him, I would wash his feet."30
The disbelievers were unable to prove even a single incident of lying during his entire life (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) and that is why the Quran criticized them for their disbelief despite their knowledge of his state before his mission. Our Lord, Glory be to Him, said {Or is it that they do not recognize their Messenger, so they deny him?} [Surat al-Mu’minūn: 69]
The character of the Prophet and his conduct are independent proof that he is a prophet
(May Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him).
When the reasons for truthfulness in general are mutually supportive of his prophethood (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him), then how can a rational person deny all this?
29 Sahīh Al-Bukhāri (4971).
30 Sahīh Al-Bukhāri (7).
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26- How do I know that I am required to believe in Allah?
Answer: Look within yourself. You will know that you are tested. Do you not have a feeling inside you telling you to do what is right and not to do what is wrong?
If there is money in front of you and its owner is not paying attention to it, then you may get the feeling of taking this money and benefiting from it, as well as opposite feeling, telling you: Do not do that, for this is forbidden and a crime.
You are tested in every situation of your life.
You have this - do and do not do - feeling within yourself because you are really tested and not left in vain. You are not something worthless.
Allah Almighty said: {Indeed, we showed him the way, whether he is grateful or ungrateful.} [Surat Al-Insān: 3]
Having this feeling of 'do and do not do' means that a human will either be grateful or ungrateful in every aspect of his life.
Rather, in every step of his life, he can either do good or not, i.e. either he can go to the mosque or engage in amusement.
For this reason, Allah, Exalted be He, said: {I have not created the jinn and mankind except to worship Me.} [Surat adh-Dhāriyāt: 56]
In every step, you find a form of servitude to Allah, or disobedience of Him.
So, whoever is guided to do what Allah has commanded has been saved, and whoever disobeys His commands has erred.
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This ability to choose entails that man will be accounted for all his deeds.
The purpose for which we are created is to be tested and to be put to trial, it is the purpose for which Allah sent the messengers and revealed the scriptures: {Indeed, we sent to every community a messenger, [saying], “Worship Allah and shun false gods.} [Surat an-Nahl: 36]
And after the test ends by death, we return to Allah {and to Whom you will all be brought back?} [Surat Yāsīn: 22]
{and that to your Lord is the final return,} [Surat an-Najm: 42]
{Indeed, to your Lord is the return.} [Surat al-Alaq]
We shall return to Allah to be reckoned for what we have done. {and that his efforts will be examined, then he will be recompensed in full,}
[Surat an-Najm: 40-41]
You shall see the deeds you have done and will be reckoned for them. {o whoever does an atoms weight of good will see it, and whoever does an atoms weight of evil will see it.} [Surat az-Zalzalah: 7-8]
27-Is it enough to believe in Allah, while disbelieving in the prophets?
Answer: No.
Believing in the existence of Allah while not believing in the prophets is not enough for a person to be a Muslim. What does it mean to believe that Allah is the Creator, the Provider, the Manager of affairs, and then disbelieve in His revelation and deny His Messengers?
This is major disbelief.
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In fact, there is no greater crime than rejecting Allah’s revelation, Allah Almighty said: {Those who disbelieve in Allah and His messengers and wish to make a distinction between Allah and His messengers, and they say, we believe in some and disbelieve in others, wishing to adopt a way in between. It is they who are true disbelievers, and We have prepared for the disbelievers a humiliating punishment.} [Surat an-Nis: 151]
So, the one who believes in Allah and disbelieves in the prophets is definitely a disbeliever.
Anyone who disbelieves in one of the prophets is in fact, a disbeliever in Allah because he denied the revelation of Allah. Therefore, the People of the Book were disbelievers because they disbelieved in the prophethood of Muhammad ibn Abdullah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him). i {Those who disbelieve from the People of the Book and the polytheists will be in the fire of Hell, abiding therein forever. It is they who are the worst of creatures.} [Surat al-Bayyinah: 6]
Allah’s threaten that they will enter the Fire is true {so My warning was fulfilled.} [Surat Qāf: 14]
Neither would Islam be valid, or salvation be attained by mere acknowledging that Allah is the Creator, the Provider, the One Who gives life and the causes death; rather, it is essential to believe in His Messengers.
Therefore, belief in the existence of Allah and disbelief in the prophets is not sufficient and does not benefit the servant with Allah on the Day of Resurrection, as he must worship Allah and have faith in all his messengers.
If belief in the existence of Allah was sufficient, Allah would not have sent His messengers, nor would He have revealed His Books, because all human beings know Allah by natural disposition.
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Allah, who created you, guided you, and provided you with sustenance, is the only one who deserves to be worshiped as He legislated through His messengers and prophets.
28-Does the disbeliever receive reward from Allah for his good deeds?
Answer: Doing good deeds is a disposition upon which Allah has created people. Therefore, any person may do righteous deeds, even if he is a disbeliever or a polytheist. All people do good deeds due to the disposition they were created upon.
However, the condition for accepting a righteous deed is that it has to be done for the sake of Allah, i.e., for earning its reward from Allah.
For that reason, the one who disbelieves in Allah and worships other gods with Him, we say to him: Go to those to whom you set as partners with Allah in your good deeds and get your reward from them, for you did not seek by your good deeds to please Allah alone.
Imagine a person whose family raised him and spent on him until he became a strong young man, then he went to others to serve them. Does he have the right to go back to his family to say to them: Give me my wage for serving others?
Let him go to those whom he served and get his wage from them.
And for Allah is the highest example.
It is Allah Who created you, gave you provision, and bestowed upon you all your blessings, then you leave his worship and want to receive from him the reward for your deeds? How is that possible?
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That is why Allah said: {We will turn to whatever deeds they did and turn them into scattered dust.} [Surat Al-Furqan: 23]
And He said: {As for those who disbelieve, their deeds are like a mirage in a plain desert, which a thirsty person deems to be water, until when he reaches it, he finds nothing} [Surat an-Nur: 39]
Those who disbelieve do not deserve reward for their deeds, even if they are righteous, because they are disbelievers who did not intend by their righteous deeds to obtain the reward of their Lord, nor did they seek the pleasure of their Creator.
So, it is not just the good deed that counts, for we are all naturally made to do many good deeds. However, the issue is why do you do this good deed and for whom do you do it? Do you do it for your own interest, or you do it out of ostentation, or you do it for someone other than Allah?
All this is not done for the sake of Allah; so, no reward is expected from these good deeds, which is expected from good deeds that are done for the sake of Allah.
29-If Islam is the true religion, then why are there misconceptions?
Answer: A misconception is an issue of the religion that a Muslim does not understand, it may cause him confusion until he finds an answer to it.
Allah Almighty has willed that there be some ambiguous matters in some secondary issues of Islam, so that the people of falsehood would refrain from obeying their Lord on account of such matters.
Allah Almighty said: {It is He Who has sent down to you the Book. In it are definite verses, which are the foundation of the Book, while others are ambiguous. Those with deviant hearts follow the ambiguous verses, seeking
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discord and seeking their [false] interpretation. But no one knows their [true] interpretation except Allah. And those who are well-grounded in knowledge say, “we believe in it. It is all from our Lord. None will take heed except people of understanding.} [Surat Al Imran: 7]
Those with deviant hearts will follow such misconceptions seeking thereby Fitnah and to be away from Allah.
Allah, by His wisdom, has willed that there should be belief and disbelief among people. {some of you are disbelievers and some of you are believers} [Surat Taghābun: 2]
Those who desire disbelief become attached to these misconceptions and become preoccupied by them away from their religion, their prayers, and their faith.
As for the believer, he follows the definite evidence which is (the mother of the Book) on the validity of the religion and the validity of the message. If he finds something that he does not understand, he asks about it, but would never be distracted from his religion or prayer by what he does not understand.
Only those with sickness in their hearts are distracted from their religion by what they do not understand. {and so that those [hypocrites] in whose hearts is sickness and the disbelievers may say, what does Allah mean by this number? Thus Allah causes to stray whom He wills and guides whom He wills} [Surat al-Muddathir: 31]
The wisdom of the existence of such misconceptions is also highlighted in the fact that due to these unclear matters, the people of knowledge and insight are of variant positions, that is, the one who has knowledge knows the answer to such unclear matters and is distinguished because of this from a common person who has no profound knowledge of the religion,
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nor has he studied it. So, Allah will raise in degrees those who have knowledge.
The truth is crystal clear, yet misconceptions are essential, through which the faith of the believers is verified.
The established norm of Allah in His creation is assignment, and His norm in the assignment is the concealment of some wisdom. The person who is successful is the one who uses what he knows to infer what is hidden and subtle, and the unsuccessful is the one who takes his ignorance as a veil that deprives him of making his knowledge a way to infer what he does not know.
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30- Why did Allah create evil? Or in other words: How does a Muslim respond to the dilemma of evil?
The paradox of evil is roughly the major cause for atheism throughout history.
{There are some people who worship Allah on the edge [of faith]: if something good comes to them, they are content; but if they are afflicted with a trial, they turn back, thus losing both this world and the Hereafter. That is the evident loss.} [Surat al-Hajj: 11]
There are those who disbelieve in Allah due to a trial, affliction or a calamity that befalls them.
Here, an atheist may ask: Why does evil exist in the first place?
Simply, the answer is: Because we are under religious assignment.
Because we are in a world of tests.
Our Lord, the Exalted, said: {We test you with bad and good as a trial} [Surat al-Anbiyā: 35]
Good and evil exist because you are bound to religious assignment, which is the purpose of your existence.
Allah Almighty said: {He Who created death and life to test you as to which of you is best in deeds, and He is the All-Mighty, the Most Forgiving.} [Surat al-Mulk: 2]
The existence of evil, trials and calamities, is in itself the greatest evidence of the validity of the issue of religion and the error of atheism.
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If we were the children of the material world, we would not comprehend neither good nor evil.
If the entire universe were meaningless, we would not perceive at all that it is meaningless.31 Because according to the atheistic view, we follow strict material imperatives, and the laws of nature apply to us, and in this context we will not comprehend the essence of evil nor the meaning of the word 'evil'.
So, do the most sophisticated animals perceive the paradox of evil?
In fact, understanding evil means that we are not children of this materialistic world, and that we derive our understanding of the existence of evil from a premise other than the Darwinian materialist premise of existence.
Instead, we belong to a divine premise, not to a materialistic, earthly atheistic model, and this is the only explanation why we comprehend evil.
As long as we are charged with religious assignment, it is natural that there are trials and affliction, and it is natural for us to perceive the meaning of evil.
Evil, some pain, and the ability to commit disobedience is the natural requirement and self-evidence outcome of free will and divine assignment.
The existence of evil, affliction, calamities, and desires disclose the best of a good person and the worst of a corrupt person.
31 C.S. Lewis
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It is astonishing that atheists deny the existence of the Creator because there is evil; they use the following analysis:
1-If the father is benevolent and likes good for his son, then why did he allow him to be given a painful injection against microbes?
2-Does the son suffer pain as a result of the injection?
3-Then, the father does not exist. 32
So, is this a logical analysis?
Moreover, it is natural that we do not understand all the subtleties of divine wisdom in good and evil.
Allah has disclosed the wisdom of Al-Khadirs actions with Moses (peace be upon him), even though they are actions that are apparently disapproved and rejected, but they involve abundant good. Also, the story of Moses and Al-Khadir was not mentioned in the Quran as a form of narrative or storytelling, but as a matter of reflection and acknowledgment of the deficiency of the human soul and its hasty judgment.
What is even more astonishing about the issue of evil is that: If there were no evil in the world, you would not have left the place where you were born!
No civilization would have existed, nor cities, factories, or homes would be built, nor would people need work, nor would people think of resisting a disease, solving a problem, or inventing an idea to bring about convenience!
32 Adapted from the book Usus Gh?’ibah, Eng. Ahmad Hasan, Dal?’il Center.
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Nor would a person need to move from his place of birth in the first place.
For there is no evil, no trouble, no affliction, no fatigue, and no problems for which we should look for solutions!
So why toil, stay up late, think, and work?
Evil is an imperative necessity in this world!
Reflect on this!
And be conscience of Allah, for you have been given an assignment.
Many people go through affliction and evil, then they return to Allah and become righteous. Glory be to Allah, the Greatest, and praise be to Him.
There is a wisdom and good in all Allah’s predestinations.
A Muslim must believe in all Allah’s predestinations. The Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said: "If you had as much gold as equivalent to Mount ’Uhud which you spent in the cause of Allah, that would not be accepted from you until you believe in the Divine Decree and you know that whatever has befallen you, could not have missed you; and whatever didn't happen to you, could not have befallen you; and that if you were to die believing anything other than this, you would enter Hell." 33
A Muslim is required to accept the predestination of Allah, with its good and evil aspects.
33 Sahīh Sunan Abu Dāwūd (4699).
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In fact, all of Allah's predestination is good, even if some of it seems outwardly to be evil, distressful, or harmful, but in the end they include great good and extensive divine wisdom.
31- Was religion the cause of all the religious wars that dominated the world at some time in the past?
Answer: Humanity has lived with the laws of monotheism for thousands of years, and with the three great Abrahamic laws for four thousand years, and religion did not represent a direct threat to the human race, rather, it presented to humanity supreme moral values ??that both the believer and atheist agree upon, and further established genuine civilizations. We may argue that all good that exists on earth is one of the effects of those prophethoods! Religion has relieved the courts of thousands of cases, and above all that religion laid the foundation of knowledge, behavior and values ??for the purpose of human existence on earth! The countries that embraced monotheistic laws still have cultural diversity that retained the opponents and provided them with a roof of protection under the monotheistic laws themselves. On the other hand, as soon as some countries approached atheism, all humanity was on the verge of destruction within just one century! now come the atheists who talk to us about the danger of religion to humanity! Human history has not yet known a more dangerous methodology than atheism. The Gulag Massacres in the former Soviet Union by the atheist Lenin, the extermination of ethnic minorities in Nazi Germany, the emptying of a quarter of the Cambodian population by the atheist Pol Pot, the murder of 52 million Chinese in the Great Cultural Revolution At the hands of the atheist Mao Zedong, and the emergence of the League of Militant Atheists in Europe, which officially closed 42 thousand religious institutions -
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churches and mosques -, and killed tens of thousands of religious people, all this was the natural consequences and results of the emergence of atheism.34 Rather, the first and second world wars were atheistic wars governed by atheistic perceptions of human races and ideas of striving for racial purity. The result was the extermination of about 5% of the world's population. World wars caused the deterioration of both the victorious and the defeated a third of a century back, and philosophers put a urinal in the middle of Paris as a metaphor for the end of civilization. Atheistic battles have left arsenals of nuclear weapons sufficient to exterminate the entire human race multiple times over. Actually, a simple reading of the wars of the twentieth century shows how miserable atheism is. Atheism has left behind a concept that the extinction of the human race in any future battle is a valid idea, and such is the expected atheistic output.
32-Why have the Muslims been afflicted with backwardness despite their monotheistic religion while the West is so advanced?
Answer: This is a question of civilization!
The prophets have suffered a lot in the face of this question,
and it caused many followers to abandon them.
The question of civilization is the origin of the nations' disbelief throughout the ages.
Allah Almighty said: {When Our verses are recited to them in all their clarity, the disbelievers say to the believers, "Which of the two parties is better in terms of dwellings and superior in social gatherings?"} [Surat Maryam: 73]
34 - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/League_of_Militant_Atheists
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When the verses that include proofs and evidence of the correctness of the religion were recited, the disbelievers used the advancement of the disbelieving nations as argument to oppose such verses. { "Which of the two parties is better in terms of dwellings and superior in social gatherings?"
Researcher Ibrāhim as-Sakr?n (may Allah preserve him) says: "This is historically true and a norm. It does not cease to amaze how it continues throughout the eras. The majority of those who were informed of Allah since the dawn of the prophethood up until today. Islamic preaching always faces "material forces" that seek to surpass them and tempt people from following the revelation they came with.
Look at the experiences of the prophets, you will find that almost all of them represent a story that speaks about the conflict between the caller to "divine revelation" and the temptation of "material forces." You will find that all those who work for the religion suffer great hardships due to people's infatuation with material manifestations. The people of the first prophet, Noah (peace be upon him) told him with all material frankness: {and we do not see those who follow you except the lowest among us}
[Surat Hud: 27]
Then, as soon as the Prophet of Allah, Moses, appeared, a series of tyranny and arrogance from the civil power was orchestrated against the revelation. {Moses said, "Our Lord, you have given Pharaoh and his chiefs splendor and wealth in the life of this world. Our Lord, they may lead people astray from Your way."} [Surat Yūnus: 88]
The situation was nothing new for our Prophet Muhammad (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him), as those who rejected his prophethood and the revelation, were trying to justify his material
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weakness as a pretext to turn away from him. {And they said, "Why was this Qur'an not sent down to a great man from one of the two towns?"}
[Surat az-Zukhruf: 31]"
End of the words of Ibrāhim as-Sakran?.
Throughout the ages and history of prophethood, humanity has not been afflicted with an affliction greater than the fascination by the material power of the disbelievers,
although there is no relationship between progress and the truth in the first place.
In fact, material progress and backwardness have nothing to do with who is right and who is wrong.
For a person to be virtuous and righteous, he does not necessarily have to be civilized.
A person could be a devout Muslim, yet poor and simple, and it could be the other way around.
Many are those nations that were advanced in civilization, but they were the most distant people from Allah's law, religion, and revelation. {Have they not traveled through the land to see how was the end of those who came before them? They were more powerful than them, and they tilled the land and built it more than these people have ever built.} [Surat Ar-Rum: 9]
Material progress and financial wealth are not a criterion for defining who adheres to the truth. {When their messengers came to them with clear proofs, they exulted in whatever knowledge they had, and they were overwhelmed by what they used to ridicule.} [Surat Ghāfir: 83]
So, material progress is not praised in itself, nor is it dispraised. Rather, it is praised in as much as it is credited by the divine revelation, and
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according to the extent to which religion is applied in it, and how you benefit from it in your religion, and how you use it to benefit people and improve their conditions for the sake of Allah.
This is the required progress.
The true criterion for excellence between human beings is not in their material progress, but in their variant degrees of piety and righteous deeds. Material progress comes as a means and not as an end... It comes as a means of serving and benefiting people for the sake of Allah.
Thus, it is the only required material progress, for it is praised by divine revelation.
This is the real succession on earth: succession that is based on servitude to Allah, and the succession of faith-related purification of all aspects of life. {It is those who, if We give them power in the land, they establish prayer and give Zakah, and enjoin what is right and forbid what is wrong. And to Allah belongs the outcome of all matters.} [Surat al-Hajj: 41]
And know that if a Muslim does what he is required to do, Allah will facilitate for him means to all good, happiness, progress in this world, salvation and an elevation of degree in the Hereafter. {Allah has promised those among you who believe and do righteous deeds that He will make them successors in the land, as He made those who came before them, and He will surely establish for them their religion which He has chosen for them, and He will surely change their state of fear into security; that they worship Me, not associating anything with Me.} [Surat an-Nur: 55]
When the Muslims used to apply their religion, they were leaders in religious and worldly affairs.
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By their hands Islam as a civilization spanned 1200 years, the longest civilization that continued without interruption or cessation for all this period.
Islam was the founder of the Islamic civilization.
Thus, it is the only religion that established a civilization,
whereas other religions were embraced by civilizations.
For instance, western civilization embraced Christianity and the Indian civilization embraced Hinduism.
However, the only religion that established a civilization is: Islam.
When Muslims were aware of what they are required to do regarding their religion, they led the world materially and spiritually.
When Islam entered Constantinople in 1453 AD, the Dark Middle Ages of Europe came to an end.
Actually, the date of the end of the Dark Ages is 1453 AD, the same year that Islam entered Europe.
As soon as Islam entered the heart of Europe, the light of knowledge shone in it.
In the Library of Congress, circles on the ceiling of the main hall of the library are engraved indicating the sources of the progress of Western civilization, and Islam is the only religion mentioned in the seven circles.
Islam is the only religion mentioned, as related to natural sciences.
ISLAM: PHYSICS
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While the rest of the circles mention names of countries, and what these countries have contributed are literary, artistic, or linguistic progress!
However, Islam introduced science, and for seven hundred years the international language of science in the world was: Arabic.35
If Muslims set right their religion, their worldly life will be set right (as well).
33-What are the benefits of worshiping Allah, the Almighty and Exalted?
Answer: Man, by nature, cannot recognize his own self, relish peacefulness of the soul nor can his heart be reassured except by worshiping Allah. {those who believe and whose hearts find tranquility in the remembrance of Allah, for indeed in the remembrance of Allah do hearts find tranquility.} [Surat ar-Ra’d: 28]
Worship gives tranquility to the soul: {We know that you are distressed by what they say. Glorify your Lord with praise and be among those who prostrate [to Him], and worship your Lord} [Surat al-Hijr: 97-98]
Worship your Lord so that your heart is reassured.
That is why offering two rak’ahs with devotion and submissiveness do to the human soul what hours of psychological calming sessions fail to do.
Verily, worship inspires tranquility to the human soul, and anyone who is distant from the remembrance of Allah, suffers restlessness; you will
35 https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/science/science-news/3323462/Science-Islams-forgotten-geniuses.html
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find him always longing for worldly gains, yet he is neither satiated nor reassured. {But whoever turns away from My Reminder will have a miserable life} [Surat Taha: 124]
No matter how well-off a person may be; without faith, he will have a life of distress, and he will engage in an unending frantic race with the unknown, so you will always see him anxious.
The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Whoever is focused only on the worldly life, Allah will confound his affairs and make him fear poverty constantly, and he will not get anything of this world except that which has been decreed for him. But whoever is focused on the Hereafter, Allah will settle his affairs for him and make his heart rich and worldly gains will come to him in subjection." 36
Worship liberates a Muslim from submission to the worldly life and makes him free.
Therefore, a Muslim who truly worships Allah is a person who understands the meaning of life, the value of this world, the purpose of his existence in this world, and understands that he is in this world to be tested and to worship his Lord as due, and not to live in anxiety uselessly. Our Lord, the Almighty, said: {It is He Who created death and life to test you as to which of you is best in deeds} [Surat al-Mulk: 2]
36 Sahīh Sunan At-Tirmidhi (2465).
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34-What are the manifestations of submission to Allah Almighty? Or in other words: How do you know that you are completely submitting to Allah?
Answer: There are four signs for submission to Allah Almighty:
First: Showing servitude to Allah in every small or big matter in your life. Allah Almighty said: {Say, "Indeed, my prayer, my sacrifice, my living and my dying are all for Allah, Lord of the worlds. He has no partner. This is what I have been commanded, and I am the first to submit to Allah.}
[Surat Al-An’ām: 162-163]
My prayer, my sacrifice, my living and my dying are all for Allah: All what I do is for Allah; I pray to Allah, obey my parents for Allah, study and learn in order to benefit people for Allah. I sleep so that I have energy in the morning to do what Allah has commanded me to do.
It is servitude to Allah represented in every deed. This is the first manifestation and sign of submission to Allah.
The second sign: For you to be fully submissive to Allah, you have to comply with what Allah has commanded and avoid what He has forbidden. Our Lord, the Exalted, said: {O you who believe, obey Allah and His Messenger, and do not turn away from him after hearing [his command]. [Surat al-Anfal: 20]
Allah Almighty also said: {O you who believe, enter into Islam completely} [Surat al-Baqarah: 208]
Enter into Islam completely:
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Comply with all what Allah has commanded and refrain from what he has forbidden.
When Allah commands me to do something, I should do it, when He forbids me from doing something, I refrain. This is a complete submission and surrender to Allah.
