Sheikh Muhammad Salih Al-Munajjid
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A question answered by Sheikh Muhammad Salih Al-Munajjid regarding: “There are many religions. Why do Muslims think that Islam is true. Is there any factual basis?”
Praise be to Allah. This is a reasonable
enough question for one who has not entered Islam, but one who believes
in and practices this religion already knows the blessings which are his
because of this religion.
There are many reasons for this, which include the following:
The Muslim worships One God, Who has no
partner, and Who has the most beautiful names and the highest
attributes. Thus the Muslim’s focus and aim is concentrated, focused on
His Lord and Creator; he puts his trust in Him and asks Him for help,
patience and support; he believes that Allah is able to do all things,
and has no need of a wife or son. Allah created the heavens and earth;
He is the One Who gives life and death; He is the Creator and Sustainer
from Whom the slave seeks provision. He is the All-Hearing Who responds
to the supplication of His slave, and from Whom the slave hopes for a
response. He is the All-Merciful and All-Forgiving, to Whom the slave
turns in repentance when he has committed a sin or fallen short in his
worship of Allah. He is the Omniscient and All-Seeing, who knows all
intentions and what is hidden in people’s hearts. The slave feels
ashamed to commit a sin by doing wrong to himself or to others,because
his Lord is watching over him and sees all that he does. He knows that
Allah is All-Wise, the Seer of the Unseen, so he trusts that what Allah
decrees for him is good; he knows that Allah will never be unjust to
him, and that everything that Allah decrees for him is good, even if he
does not understand the wisdom behind it.
The effects of Islamic worship on the soul of the Muslim include the following:
Prayer keeps the slave in contact with
his Lord; if he enters it in a spirit of humiliation and concentration,
he will feel tranquil and secure, because he is seeking a “powerful
support,” which is Allah, may He be glorified and exalted.For this
reason, the Prophet of Islam, Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be
upon him) used to say: “Let us find relaxation and joy in prayer.” If
something distressed him, he would hasten to pray. Everyone who finds
himself faced with disaster and tries prayer finds strength, patience
and consolation, because he is reciting the words of his Lord, which
cannot be compared to the effect of the words of a created being. If the
words of some psychologists can offer a little comfort, what do you
think of the words of the One Who created the psychologist?
Now let us look at Zakat, which is one of
the pillars of Islam. Zakat purifies the soul from stinginess and
miserliness, and accustoms people to being generous and helping the poor
and needy. It will bring a great reward on the Day of Resurrection,
just like other forms of worship. It is not burdensome, like manmade
taxes; it is only 25 in every thousand, which the sincere Muslim pays
willingly and does not try to evade or wait until someone chases him for
it.
Fasting involves refraining from food and
sex. It is a form of worship, and a way in which one can feel the
hunger of those who are deprived. It is also a reminder of the blessings
of the Creator, and it brings rewards beyond measure.
Hajj is the Pilgrimage to the sacred
House of Allah, which was built by Ibrahim (Abraham, upon whom be
peace). By performing Hajj one is obeying the command of Allah and the
call to come and meet Muslims from all over the world.
Islam commands all kinds of good and
forbids all kinds of evil. It encourages good manners and proper
treatment of others. It enjoins good characteristics such as
truthfulness, patience, deliberation, kindness, humility, modesty,
keeping promises, dignity, mercy, justice, courage, patience,
friendliness,
contentment, chastity, good treatment,
tolerance, trustworthiness, gratitude for favours, and self-control in
times of anger. Islaam commands the Muslim to fulfil his duty towards
his parents and to uphold family ties, to help the needy, to treat
neighbours well, to protect and safeguard the wealth of the orphan, to
be gentle with the young and show respect to the old, to be kind to
servants and animals, to remove harmful things from the road, to speak
kind words, to forgive at the time when one has the opportunity to take
revenge, to be sincere towards one’s fellow-Muslims, to meet the needs
of the Muslims, to give the debtor time to repay his debt, to prefer
others over oneself, to console others, to greet people with a smiling
face, to visit the sick, to support the one who is oppressed, to give
gifts to friends, to honour his guest, to treat his wife kindly and
spend on her and her children, to spread the greeting of peace (salaam)
and to seek permission before entering another person’s house, lest one
see something private that the other person does not want one to see.
Some non-Muslims may do these things out
of politeness or good manners, but they are not seeking reward from
Allah or salvation of the Day of Judgement.
If we look at what Islam has prohibited,
we will find that it is in the interests of both the individual and
society as a whole. All these prohibitions serve to safeguard the
relationship between the slave and his Lord, and the relationship of the
individual with himself and with his fellow-man. The following examples
demonstrate this:
Islam forbids the association of anything
in worship with Allah and the worship of anything other than Allah,
because this spells doom and misery. Islam also forbids visiting or
believing soothsayers and fortune-tellers; magic or witchcraft that may
cause a rift between two people or bring them together; belief in the
influence of the stars on events and people’s lives; cursing time,
because Allah is directing its affairs; and superstition, because this
is pessimism.
Islam forbids cancelling out good deeds
by showing off, boasting or reminding others of one’s favours; bowing or
prostrating to anything other than Allah; sitting with hypocrites or
immoral people for the purposes of enjoying their company or keeping
them company; and invoking the curse or wrath of Allah on one another or
damning one another to Hell.
Islam forbids urinating into stagnant
water; defecating on the side of the road or in places where people seek
shade or where they draw water; from facing the qiblah (direction of
prayer) or turning one’s back towards it when passing water or stools;
holding one’s penis in one’s right hand when passing water; giving the
greeting of salaam (peace) to one who is answering the call of nature;
and putting one’s hand into any vessel before washing it, when one has
just woken up.
Islam forbids the offering of any nafl
(supererogatory) prayers when the sun is rising, when it is at its
zenith, and when it is setting, because it rises and sets between the
horns of Shaytaan (Satan); praying when there is food prepared that a
person desires; praying when one urgently needs to pass water, stools or
wind, because that will distract a person from concentrating properly
on his prayer.
Islam forbids the Muslim to raise his
voice in prayer, lest it disturb other believers; to continue offering
supererogatory prayers at night when one feels drowsy – such a person
should sleep then get up; to stay up all night in prayer, especially one
night after another; and to stop praying when there is doubt as to the
validity of one’s wudoo’ – unless one hears a sound or smells an odour.
Islam forbids buying, selling and making
“lost and found” announcements in the mosque – because it is the place
of worship and remembrance of Allah, where worldly affairs have no
place.
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