Voices of Islam (12 page)

The heavens are almost rent asunder from above them (by His glory), And the angels celebrate the praise of their Lord and pray for forgiveness For all beings on earth. Behold! Verily God is He,

The Oft-forgiving, the Most Merciful.

(Qur’an 42:5)

The Prophet Muhammad had a special connection with the Angel Gabriel that went all the way back to his ancestors, Abraham, Hagar, and Ishmael. When Abraham was instructed by God to leave Hagar and Ishmael in the des- ert, the Angel Gabriel struck the Earth and brought forth water for them. This water was sent by God as a mercy to Hagar and the small child, who was dying of thirst in her arms. This child, Ishmael, survived the desert heat to become the ancestor of the Prophet Muhammad, who would one day hear the voice of Gabriel announcing the revelation of Islam. This is the same angel that sits with Muhammad and questions him about faith in the Hadith of Gabriel.

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The third Pillar of Faith is belief in God’s revealed books. In Islamic theol- ogy, it is noted that humans sometimes become weak in their faith. For this reason, God sends both ‘‘signs’’ and ‘‘reminders’’ to them. Humans are con- stantly surrounded by Signs of God’s mercy and majesty. One simply needs to take the time to contemplate such elements of creation as a leaf, a breeze, or a newborn infant to understand that God is all around us, as well as within us. A ‘‘Reminder,’’ however, can take the form of a messenger, a Prophet, or a sacred text.

The sacred texts that Muslims believe to be inspired by God are the Torah (
al-Tawrat
), the Psalms of David (
al-Zabur
), the Gospel of Jesus (
al-Injil,
‘‘The Evangel’’), and the Qur’an. Muslims believe that God sent a series of sacred texts to humanity. This series culminated with the Qur’an, which God identifies as the final holy writ: a ‘‘Criterion’’ (
Furqan
) through which He makes clear to believers the difference between truth and falsehood:

Thus, (O Prophet) He has revealed to you this book with the Truth— confirm- ing the prophecies that preceded it— and (for the same purpose) He had revealed the Torah and the Evangel before it, as guidance for humankind. He has (now) revealed this Criterion.

(Qur’an 3:3)

Within the Islamic tradition, the Old and New Testaments are not accepted in their entirety. The Arabic word
Tawrat
(Torah), refers to the ‘‘Five Books’’ of the Pentateuch: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. The Arabic word
Injil
(Evangel) refers to the gospel that was revealed to Jesus. This word comes from the Greek
Evangelion,
which can be translated as ‘‘Good Tidings.’’ Because of the special reverence given to these sacred texts, the Qur’an refers to Jews and Christians as
Ahl al- Kitab,
‘‘People of the Book,’’ and accords them special respect.

The fourth Pillar of Faith is belief in God’s Messengers. These messengers include many of the Hebrew prophets of the Torah, as well as Jesus, John the Baptist, and prophets who are specific to the Arab people, such as Hud and Salih. Perhaps the best-known Qur’anic verse in reference to this long line of prophets is the following:

Say: We believe in God and what was revealed unto us,

And what was revealed unto Abraham and Ishmael and Isaac and Jacob And the tribes, and what Moses and Jesus received,

And what other Prophets received from their Lord.

We make no distinction between any of them. Unto Him (alone) we have surrendered.

(Qur’an 2:136)

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Although Muhammad is the most important Prophet for Muslims, he is only mentioned twice by name in the Qur’an. The Prophet who is named most often is Moses, whose primary role is that of a lawgiver. Abraham also holds a central place in Muslim theology as the first monotheist. Abraham’s central place within Islam is also refl in the fact that many rites of the Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca commemorate him.

One difference between the Judeo-Christian and Islamic traditions is the concept of sinlessness when dealing with all the Prophets. According to Muslim belief, the Prophets were selected by God himself to deliver His message to humanity in its pure form. They are incapable of lying, acting immorally, or making a mistake about the revelations that are entrusted to them. This is not only due to their sinless nature but also because the Qur’an makes it clear that if a Prophet were to lie about a revelation, God’s punish- ment would be so severe that nothing could protect him from God’s wrath (Qur’an 69:44–47). Prophets also serve as models for believers to emulate. This does not mean that a Prophet cannot make a minor mistake and then be corrected by God. For example, God admonished the Prophet Muhammad for turning away a blind man who sought religious guidance while the Prophet was busy talking to someone else (Qur’an 80:1–16). How- ever, Prophets do not sin because that would be a willful disobedience of their Lord and an act of arrogance toward God.

Because of Islam’s strict adherence to the principle of
Tawhid,
the absolute oneness of God, Muslims are forbidden to worship anything other than God. For this reason, the nature of Jesus within Islamic theology is that of a Prophet of God, a Sign of God, and a Mercy sent to the believers. The words of Jesus himself, as quoted in the Qur’an, best summarizes the Islamic con- cept of his nature:

He said: ‘‘Behold, I am a servant of God. He has vouchsafed unto me revelation and made me a Prophet,

And made me blessed wherever I may be; and He has enjoined upon me prayer and charity as long as I live,

And has endowed me with dutifulness toward my mother; and He has not made me haughty or bereft of grace.

Peace was upon me the day I was born, and on the day of my death, and on the day when I shall be raised to life again.

(Qur’an 19:30–33)

Muslims likewise are forbidden to worship Muhammad. Although he was selected by God to receive and pass on revelation, they are reminded of his humanity in the Qur’an (Qur’an 3:144). He is referred to as the ‘‘Seal of the Prophets,’’ indicating that he is the last in a long line of prophets through whom God has sent a universal message to His creation. ‘‘Muhammad is not the father of any of your men; he is the Messenger of God and the Seal of the

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Prophets and God has knowledge of all things’’ (Qur’an 33:40). Muhammad was a humble and unlettered man who never learned to read or to write. He was pious from an early age and devoted much of his time to contemplation and prayer. He lived in poverty without complaint, always trusting in God’s provision. He also had a reputation for being very kind to children, to the point where they enjoyed playing with him. The Qur’an presents Muhammad as a role model whose conduct serves as an inspiration for Mus- lims, both male and female: ‘‘You indeed have in the Messenger of God a beautiful pattern of conduct for any one whose hope is in God and the Final Day, and for those who engage much in the praise of God’’ (Qur’an 33:22). The fifth Pillar of Faith is belief in the Last Day (
al-Yawm al-Akhir,
also known in Arabic as
Yawm al-Qiyama,
the Day of Judgment). Islamic tradi- tions about the Day of Judgment are very close to those of Christianity and even include a role for Jesus as an intercessor before God. Many Muslims also believe in a quasi-prophetic fi re called the
Mahdi,
‘‘The Guided One,’’ who will come after Jesus and bring a period of peace and justice that will last until the Day of Judgment. This figure does not appear in the Qur’an, but is a

later addition from the Hadith.

Like the Christians, Muslims believe that people will be taken to account for their actions, both good and evil. They will either be rewarded with a place in the gardens of Paradise or be punished by the tribulations of hell. The primary moral question that one needs to ask oneself is really about time: Did I use my time here on earth to sow peace and kindness, or did I use my time to sow disharmony and grief? The duality of God’s nature—He is a God of mercy and forgiveness and at the same time He is a God of power and revenge—plays an important role in the Islamic concept of Judgment Day. Islam is a strict religion, in that it lacks the idea of vicarious atonement such as one finds in Christianity. In Islamic theology, believers are held com- pletely responsible for their thoughts and actions. Since no human being is perfect, one can only pray for God’s mercy when she needs it the most. In the Qur’an, God tells the Prophet Muhammad to remind believers of His merciful nature: ‘‘When those come to you who believe in Our Signs, say: ‘Peace be upon you. Your Lord has inscribed for Himself the rule of Mercy. If any of you does evil out of ignorance, and afterward repents and amends his conduct, [God] is oft-forgiving, Most Merciful’’’ (Qur’an 6:54). We are clearly told in the Qur’an that we are the ones who wrong our own souls through the actions and deeds that we commit. Therefore, if we feel a sense of doom on Judgment Day, there is only one person to blame for it— ourselves. This is made clear in a very well-known hadith in which the Prophet Muhammad commented that the greatest
jihad,
or Struggle, that a

believer must confront is the struggle against oneself.

Qur’anic descriptions of the Last Day paint a picture of the utter destruc- tion of the world as we know it. A great trumpet will be blown and moun- tains will crumble to dust. The sky will be like molten brass, and the Earth

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will be thrown into convulsions. At that time, all people both living and dead will be raised and questioned about what they did, and nothing will be hid- den. The Qur’an presents a graphic description of what will happen to those of us who have devoted our lives to the violent pursuit of power and wealth:

By the steeds that run, with panting breath, and strike sparks of fire,

And press home the charge in the morning, and raise the dust in clouds, And penetrate into the midst of the foe en masse,

Truly, man is ungrateful to his Lord,

And to that fact he bears witness by his deeds, for violent is his love of wealth! Does he not know— When what is in the graves is scattered abroad,

And what is locked in human breasts is made clear,

That their Lord has been well acquainted with them, even to that day?

(Qur’an 100:1–11)

On that day, the two angels that have recorded all the deeds of the Muslims will testify either for or against them. The angels Nakir and Munkar will question everyone in their grave, and a Time of Reckoning will come when the veil of denial is removed and people will see before them a scroll with a summary of their life. ‘‘Then shall each soul know what it has sent forward and what it has kept back’’ (Qur’an 82:5). Unique to Islam is the belief that when the souls are sorted out on the Day of Judgment, the tongues, hands, and feet of human beings will give testimony to the good that they have done. They will bear witness against human beings if they used their limbs and their faculty of speech for the pursuit of evil.

Qur’anic descriptions of hell bring forth images of utter agony in both the physical and the spiritual realms, for it is believed that the worst punishment one can experience is to be far from God. Those who submit to God’s will and live a life of piety and grace are promised the garden of Paradise fi with flowing rivers, thrones of dignity, and an abundance of water and food. However, the finest reward of all is nearness to the Lord:

Thus then, if he be of those nearest to God,

There is for him rest and satisfaction, and a Garden of Delights.

And if he be of the Companions of the Right Hand, (those who did good) For him is a salutation: Peace unto thee.

Celebrate with praises the name of your Lord, the Supreme.

(Qur’an 56:88–91, 96)

The sixth Pillar of Faith is the belief in God’s determination of affairs, whether it involves fortune or misfortune. This Pillar of Faith affi ms the concept of God’s determination of the affairs of all creatures, which is a basic principle of Islamic theology. The Arabic word for this concept is

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qadar.
This word is sometimes translated as ‘‘predestination,’’ but it is better understood when it is considered along with the idea of God’s Oneness (
Tawhid
) as manifested in His omniscient presence and power. According to Islamic belief, nothing happens without God’s knowledge and permission:

With Him are the keys of the Unseen, the treasures that no one knows but He. He knows whatever there is on the earth and in the sea.

Not a leaf falls, but with His knowledge.

There is not a grain in the darkness of the earth, Nor anything green or withered,

But that it is inscribed in a Record Clear.

(Qur’an 6:59)

Related to the concept of God’s omniscient power is the belief that He measures out our destinies, whether good or evil, joyous or sad. This applies to us both on a personal scale and on a grander, cosmic scale. For example, it was not my choice to decide when or where I would be born, what color my skin would be, or whom my parents would be. This was determined for me. On a larger scale, God has already determined whether I will wake up tomor- row to a sunny day or die in an earthquake. A true believer must recognize the impossibility for each one of us to determine what will happen in the grand scheme of things. Part of a Muslim’s submission to the will of God is to accept the fact that our next breath may be our last.
Allahu a’lam,
as we say: God alone knows. We can only live each moment as if it is our last, and pray that it is not.

Another aspect of submission to God’s will is to accept the fact that some people have more material wealth or may seem to have more blessings than others. This does not mean that people are not encouraged to better their lot. On the contrary: God measures out intelligence, sight, hearing, and the ability to reason. We show our gratitude for these faculties by using them, but only if we use them to do works of goodness, to do God’s work. Using them to gain power over others or to accumulate an excess of material goods is a misuse of God’s gifts, and will be dealt with on the Day of Judgment. God measures out our destinies, and we do the best we can with whatever we are given. In this sense, one who complains because other people receive more than he has, shows ingratitude. On the other hand, because money and other forms of wealth are literally gifts from God and are looked upon as something ‘‘on loan’’ to us, a Muslim who has been blessed with abun- dance is required to share his wealth. Taking on an air of superiority because of material wealth would imply that the wealthy individual assumes that his blessings are to be credited only to his efforts. This is also an example of ingratitude and arrogance toward one’s Lord. In this way, God’s reward or bounty can be a test. As the Qur’an reminds us, the person who fails this test creates her own misery: