Belief in the unseen

Key points of the lesson
1. Belief in the unseen is one of the foundations of Islam.
2. Even the people who think that they only believe in what they can see are not telling the truth. They cannot see the wind but they believe in its existence as they see and feel its effects. They cannot see the cool weather or air but they look at thermometers and believe the number recorded.
3. Logic leads us to know that Allah exists
4. Logic leads us to believe in the unseen world.
5. When we look at all living and non living things, we know that they had to be created by an unseen force i-e Allah.
6. Our feelings tell us that Allah exists. this is called “Fitrah”

Study Question
Question1: What is Fitrah?
Answer: Fitrah is the way Allah created us, inspired us from within to believe in our creator, love and obey Him, Follow His guidance and do good deeds.
Question2: Does everyone have fitrah?
Answer: yes everyone is born with it but some people deviate from the feeling in their hearts and mind that they created by Allah and should worship Him.
Question 3: This world we live in is divided into two dimensions what are they?
Answer: when we look at the living things we learn that there are two dimensions to their existence,
*Material or physical dimension
*Spiritual or meta-physical dimension
Question 4:Define:
a. Al-Ghayb
The Unseen
b. Fitrah
Fitrah is the way Allah created us, inspired us from within to believe in our creator, love and obey Him, Follow His guidance and do good deeds.
c. Ath-Thahir
Ath-Thahir is one of the 99 names of Allah which means “The Obvious” or ”The Evident” .
Question 5: what are some proofs of strong belief in the unseen as shown in the story of Haritha with Prophet Muhammad Peace and blessings upon Him?
Answer: Frail belief is not accepted in matters of religion. True believers carry in their hearts and minds unshakeable belief in Allah and the unseen world. This can be seen very easily in the following story.
“One day, Prophet Muhammad Peace and blessings upon Him was sitting in the masjid when a man called Haritha came. Prophet Muhammad Peace and blessings upon Him asked Haritha,”How are you this morning?”
“I am a true believer, today” Haritha replied.
“This needs to be proved” Prophet Muhammad Peace and blessings upon Him contended.
“Oh Prophet Muhammad Peace and blessings upon Him, I believe in Allah as if I see Him with my own eyes on His throne .I believe in the paradise as if I see people in visiting each other. And I believe in Hell as if I actually see and hear its people fighting in it.”
Then Prophet Muhammad Peace and blessings upon Him said to Haritha “You truly know how to believe [ in the unseen] so keep it up.
Question 6: What is the name of Allah that means “The unseen”? Write one ayah that includes that name in Arabic and English.
Answer: The name of Allah which means “The unseen” is “Al-Batin”
Allah says in Surat-ul-Hadeed,

He is the First and the Last, the Ascendant and the Intimate, and He is, of all things, Knowing.[57:3]

Grade 7
Unit A chapter 2
Learning About Allah

New Words
1. Ayat-ul-Kursi: the greatest verse of the noble Quran
2. Tawheed: Monotheism
3. Tawheed-ul-Khaliq: believing in The One True Creator
4. Tawheed-ul-Ibadah: Worshipping the One True God
5. Tawheed-ul-Asmaa’ Was-Sifaat: Believing in the Unique Attributes of Allah.

Study Questions
Question 1: List three of the special qualities of Allah that make Him so great.
Answer: Ayat -ul-Kursi states many special qualities of Allah that make Him so great.
1. Allah is the Supreme Being and the Great Lord of the Universe.
2. His knowledge covers and encompasses every single thing in the universe.
3. He has no weakness or deficiencies, like getting tired and needing rest.
Question 2: where is Allah?
Answer: Allah is in the Heavens on His Thorne and He reaches everywhere with powers and blessings.
Question 3: If a confused person asked you, “where did you come from?”What would you answer him?
Answer: Many people ask this question, ‘where did we come from? ‘They ask about the maker of the whole human race.The Qur’an answers in Surat As-Sajdah:

That is the Knower of the unseen and the witnessed, the Exalted in Might, the Merciful,

Who perfected everything which He created and began the creation of man from clay.

Question4: why did Allah create us?Support your answer with evidences from Al-Quran.
Answer:Allah answers this question very clearly in Surat-uth-Thariyat:51:56

And I did not create the jinn and mankind except to worship Me.

And in Surat ulMulk 67:1-2

Blessed is He in whose hand is dominion, and He is over all things competent -

[He] who created death and life to test you [as to] which of you is best in deed - and He is the Exalted in Might, the Forgiving

Question5: What is the Arabic world for believing in One God?
Answer: Tawheed
Question6: what are the three important ways of believing in One God? Explain each of these ways.
Answer:
The types of Tawheed are three: Tawheedar-Ruboobiyyah, Tawheed al- Uloohiyyah and Tawheed al-Asmaa was-Sifaat.
Tawheedar-Ruboobiyyah is singling out Allah the Exalted with (the actions of) creation, providing sustenance, giving life, causing death, and all of the types of regulation and administration of the dominion of the heavens and earth, and (also) singling Him out, the Exalted, with (the right to) judgement and legislation and sending of the Messengers and revealing of Books.
Tawheed al-Uloohiyyah is singling out Allah with worship so that none besides Him is worshipped, so that none besides Him is called upon, so that no one is sought for rescue, or aid except Him. So that no one is sacrificed to or slaughtered for, or made an oath for, except Him. Allah the Exalted said, "Say: My prayer, my sacrifice, my life and my death are for Allah, the Lord of the worlds. He has no partner. This is what I have been commanded with and I am the first of those who submit (to him with Islam and Tawheed)" (al-An'aam 6:162),
Tawheed al-Asmaa was-Sifaat is describing Allah the Most High and naming Him with whatever He described and named Himself with, and with whatever His Messenger (sallAllaahu `alayhiwasallam) described and named Him within the authentic narrations - and to affirm that for Allah without resemblance (to the creation) or likening (to the creation), and without (false) interpretation (of any of that) or negation (of any of that). There is nothing like Him and He is the All-Hearer, the All-Seer. And may Allah send prayers and salutations upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family and his companions.
Question 7: List and define ten of the names of Allah?
Students can choose any 10 AsmaaulHusna and define them.

The Universe SpeaksTawheed

Q.1: Harmony in the creation of the universe leads to the belief in One God. Give two examples.

Ans: 1. In the atmosphere, there is 77% of nitrogen, 21% of oxygen and 1% of carbon dioxide and other gases. For instance, if the amount of oxygen in the air was greater than 21%, we would be affected. This shows that there is perfect harmony and this can be done by only one God.

2. All the planets in the solar system revolve around sun. They never collide with each other and they move in a set pattern. This proves that there has to be a divine Creator who has created this world with perfection.

Q.2: What is the brain made up of?

Ans: The brain is made up of 100 billion nerve cells.

Q.3: How did Allah create our ears in a special way?

Ans: Allah has made our ears in such a unique way that we don’t hear any cracking or hissing sounds like stereos or radios. We can hear very clearly. Moreover, He has made it such that we don’t hear noises that hurt us like the revolving of the Earth.

Q.4: What is the percentage of oxygen, nitrogen and carbon dioxide in the air? Explain what would happen if the gases were in different proportions.

Ans: There is 77% of nitrogen, 21% of oxygen and 1% of carbon dioxide in the air. If these gases where in different proportions, there would be many problems. For instance, if the oxygen increased, the cells in our body would suffer severe damage and so would all the other living things that depend on oxygen.

Q.5: Explain briefly how the water cycle works. Do you think it could just happen by chance?

Ans: The sun heats the water on the surface and this causes evaporation. The warm air filled with this moisture rises up to the sky, then it cools down and forms clouds. Winds normally blow these clouds inland. When the temperature cools off the moisture turns back to water and falls down as rain. After being used by the soil, the rest of the water falls back into the oceans and rivers. Then the cycle begins again. All this surely could not happen by chance!

Q. 6: Infer signs, additional to those presented in this chapter, of the oneness of God from the universe.

Migratory birds travel thousands of kilometers every year and return to the same place, the same year. They never miss the route. There has to be a divine help. And that divine help is Allah’s and Allah’s only.

Suratul Jinn part 1

Answer the following

Q1: what are the jinn?

Answer: The jinn are the part of unseen world. They are creatures of Allah that live and think independently.

Q2: What are they made of?

Answer: The jinn are made from a fire that was very hot and had no smoke.

Q3: Do evil jinn lie? If the answer is yes, what lies do they spread in the world?

Answer: yes, they do lie. Their lies include the following.

  1. There is no god for the universe.
  2. There are many god and goddesses for the world.
  3. God has partner, like a wife, a son and others.
  4. This life is the only life we will live and there is no Day of Judgment and eternal life.
  5. Prophets are liars and they committed lots of different major sins.

Q4: how can a Muslim protect himself and his family from the evil jinn?

Answer: Allah and Prophet Muhammad PBUH taught Muslims how to protect themselves from the harm of evil jinn.

  1. Keep a close relationship with Allah.
  2. Read Al-Quran on daily basis
  3. Practice thikr,or remembrance of Allah, every day.

Suratul jinn part 2

Answer the following questions

  1. Who is the father of all the jinn?

Answer: Iblees is the father of all the jinn.

  1. How in the past, would the jinn get their news about what was going on in the heaven?

Answer: after Iblees was expelled from the heavens, he and his followers would try to sneak into Heavens to learn about what was going on there. They would eavesdrop on the conversation of the angels about upcoming events in the events in the world ordered by Allah.

Abdullah ibn Abbas R.A said “the shayteen used to go up to the sky to peek and listen. If they heard one true thing, they would mix it with nine false things.

Reported in Tirmithi

  1. Why did Allah stop the jinn from sneaking into the Heavens?

Answer: The reason why Allah did this to protect the Quran.

  1. What are the two types of jinn?

Answer: There are two types of jinn.

  1. Muslim jinn
  2. Evil jinn
  1. What is the name we use for evil jinn?

Answer: Shaytaan

  1. Are there Muslim jinn? If the answer is yes, describe how they became Muslims?

Answer: yes there are Muslim jinn. Once Prophet Muhammad PBUH was leading the Fajr prayer at Ukkath market, a group of jinn passed through that way and heard Prophet Muhammad PBUH reciting Al Quran. They were impressed by the beautiful Quran recitation. They came to Prophet Muhammad and embraced Islam.

In the palace of Phir’oun

New words

1.BaniIsra’eel : the decendants of prophet Ya’coub

2.Tawakkul: the dependence upon Allah

3.Thiqah : trust

Answer the following.

Question 1: what type of treatment Did PhiroungiveBanniIsra’eel?

Ans: He made them slaves.

Question 2: why did Phir’oun become fearful?

Ans: He was told that a man from BaniIsra’eel would destroy his kingdom.

Question 3: what did Phir’oun do to escape His future?

Ans: He ordered His soldiers to kill all the new born boys of BaniIsra’eel.

Question 5: How did Allah give Musa a ‘new mother’ to take care of Him?

Ans: Allah (SWT) made someone from Phir’oun’s palace to see the box. He made the wife of Phir’oun fall in love with baby Musa (AS).She kept Him and brought Him up.

Question 6: how did the Tawakkul of Musa’s mother benefit her in this Situation?

Ans: Allah arranged for her to feed her child at the palace of Phir’oun and get paid the salary for doing so.

Question 7: How can we show Tawakkul?

Ans: By relying on Allah but making sure that we are doing our part to the best of our ability.

Musa Leaves Egypt

1. Questions/Answers:

  1. Why did Musa side with the Israelite?

Musa sided with the Israelite because he asked for his help. He sided with him because Egyptians used to oppress and humiliate the Israelites.

  1. Why did Musa decide to leave Egypt after the unintentional blow?

He decided to leave Egypt after the unintentional blow because the punishment for killing an Egyptian was death and Musa feared for his life.

  1. Where did Musa travel to when he was advised to leave Egypt?

He left Egypt and went to Madyan.

  1. What was Musa feeling after he killed the Egyptian man, and how did he happen to kill him?

Musa’s heart was filled with sadness and regret. He begged Allah to forgive him, although he killed the man unintentionally while trying to stop the fight.

  1. What did he experience in Madyan and what did he help out?

When he reached the waters of Madyan, Musa noticed some men watering their sheep. He witnessed two girls standing aloof waiting for their turn to draw water. He offered his help and drew water for them.

  1. Where is Madyan?

Madyan is situated on the North West of Arabia, near Tabook in Saudi Arabia.

  1. Who were Liya and Saffoura and what were they told to do by their father?

They were the two girls whom Musa met at the waters of Madyan. They were told by their father to go and bring Musa to their home to that he could reward him for helping his daughters.

  1. What did the old pious man offer Musa and why?

* He offered Musa a marriage proposal. He said he can marry one of his two daughters and then work for him for 8-10 years.

* The pious old man thought it is wise to make him his son-in-law and then let him stay in his house rather than letting a stranger stay.

  1. What sudden decision did Musa get while at Madyan and why?

Musa suddenly felt that he is missing his family. This was actually the plan of Allah to take Musa out of Madyan so that he can be given the job that he was destined to do in Egypt.

  1. How did Musa prepare himself to become a Prophet?

Musa used to contemplate about the world around him and think of his Creator in seclusion.

2. Related Text. Answer each of the following by writing the translation of an ayah or hadeeth:

  1. Write an ayah or hadeeth that states that modesty is part of Iman.

“Iman has seventy branches. The highest is La ilaahail-lal-laah, and the lowest branch is to remove something harmful from the road. And hayaa is a branch of iman”.

  1. How do we know that Modesty brings only goodness to people?

“Modesty would only bring goodness to people”.

  1. Which ayah in Surah al Qasas mentions that Allah is Most Forgiving?

He prayed, “O my Lord. I have indeed wronged my soul. So forgive me”. Then Allah forgave him; for He is the Ever-forgiving, Most Merciful.

  1. Write the translation of the ayah that relates to the agreement between Musa and the father of the two girls.

“He said: I intend to marry one of my daughters to you on condition that you serve me for eight years but if you complete ten years, it will be (grace) from you. And I would not make the work hard on you. You will find me, if Allah wills, one of the righteous people”.

  1. What is the ethic of Islam?

“Every religion has a special ethic, and the ethic of Islam is Modesty”.