King Fahd University of Petroleum & Minerals
Department of Islamic and Arabic Studies
IAS 111 – Belief and its Consequences
Course Material for Final Exam
Instructor: Dr Hafiz M. Afzal
IAS-111 ISLAMIC IDEOLOGY
FOR NON-ARABIC STUDENTS
Textbook: 1) The Faith (Written by Ali Al-Tantawi)
2)The Fundamentals of Tawheed (Written by Abu Ameenah Bilal Philips)
Reference Books:
- The fundamentals of Islamic creed
By Abu Jafer Ahmed Salamah al-Azadi, al-Tahawi
- English translation books of Dr. Al-Asqar, Umar Sulaiman.
Grading Policy:
Only the midterm and final exams will be conducted. There will be no first major exam, because the students cannot drop the course with grade of “W”.
1)Textbook weightage80%
2)Memorization of Quran10%
3)Attendance10%
COURSE OUTLINE
Chapter 1 / CODES OF BELIEFFIRST CODE...... 8
SECOND CODE...... 8
THIRD CODE...... 9
FORTH CODE...... 10
FIFTH CODE...... 12
SIXTH CODE...... 13
SEVENTH CODE...... 16
EIGHT CODE...... 17
Chapter 2 / IMAN (FAITH) IN GOD
The Existence of God without him being created...... 18
The Lord Of The Worlds...... 23
The Lord Of The Universe...... 23
The Lord to Be Worshipped...... 24
Chapter 3 / MANIFESTATION OF FAITH
Faith and Action...... 25
Increase in Faith...... 26
Negligence and Belief...... 26
Fruits of Faith...... 26
Chapter 4 / FAITH OF ANGELS
Benefits, gained by belief in Angels...... 41
The Jinn...... 49
Devils...... 51
Devils - as mentioned in the Holy Quran...... 51
Human Devils...... 53
EXAM 1
Chapter 5 / FAITH IN THE BOOKS
Books Known...... 55
The Qur'an Is Protected from Change...... 58
Previous Scriptures Changed...... 58
Chapter 6 / FAITH IN THE PROPHETS
The Prophet - A True Profile...... 59
Many Prophets, One Message...... 62
The Answer to an Important Question...... 63
Islam Does not Differentiate Between the...... 64
Prophets...... 64
Messengers of God Mentioned in the Holy...... 65
Quran...... 65
Supernatural Occurrences...... 66
Miracles and Magic...... 66
Miracles of Muhammad (peace be upon him)...... 67
The First and Last Prophets...... 76
The Best Prophets...... 76
Prophets Are Human Beings...... 77
Islam: The Universal and Final Message...... 77
The Rightly Guided Caliphs...... 78
The Prophet's Companions...... 78
Chapter 7 / BELIEF IN DESTINY
Destiny and Divine Will...... 79
Reward and Punishment...... 80
Freedom of Will...... 80
Predestination of Human Will...... 81
Free Will Within Human Limitations...... 81
Parameters of Justice...... 82
In the Light of the Holy Quran and the...... 83
Traditions :...... 83
A Meaningless Discussion...... 86
Destiny as an Excuse...... 86
Confusing Issues...... 87
Essentiality of the belief in destiny...... 88
The Pre-ordination of things...... 89
Allah knows all...... 90
Difference between Will and Pleasure...... 91
Accepting Destiny with submission...... 91
Justice...... 92
Deeds...... 92
Heretic Sects...... 92
Practical Applications of the Belief in Destiny...... 93
Chapter 8 / BELIEF IN THE DAY OF JUDGEMENT
The Last Hour...... 98
Commencement of the Last Hour...... 99
Celestial Events...... 99
Blowing of the Trumpet...... 100
Resurrection and Congregation...... 100
The Records and Scales...... 103
The Prophet's Intercession...... 103
The Prophet's Pool...... 104
The Straight Path...... 104
Reckoning...... 105
Witness and Proof...... 106
Witness by the Messengers...... 106
The Books and the Scrolls...... 106
Defense followed by Confession...... 107
Plausible Argument...... 108
The Reckoning and its Result...... 109
The Approach to Hell...... 109
Paradise and Hell :...... 110
Access to Heaven...... 111
Life in Paradise...... 113
Hell...... 115
Entry into hell...... 117
Hell as a prison...... 117
Efforts to escape...... 117
Harmony and Disharmony...... 119
Dialogues Between the Inmates of Paradise...... 119
and Hell...... 119
Al-A'raf (The Heights)...... 120
Chapter 9 / BELIEF IN THE UNSEEN
The Unseen...... 122
A Doubt Removed...... 122
Classification of the Unseen...... 122
Another Doubt Removed...... 123
Divine Revelation: Its Possibility and Necessity...... 124
A Doubt Removed...... 125
FINAL EXAM
Note:
1) ThestudentsarealsorequiredtomemorizeSurahWaqiya, Theoralexamof Surahwouldbeheldtwoweeksbeforefinalexam.
2) Midtermexamwillbeheldon8thweek.Theexactdaytimewillbeannouncedaccordingly.
3) TheMidtermweightageis35%.
4) FinalexamwillbeheldasscheduledbytheRegistrar.
5) Allstudentsarerequiredtomeetthecoursecoordinatoratleastonceintwoweeksduring officehours(orwithappointmentiftheofficehoursarenotsuitable),thoughaweeklymeetingisstronglyrecommended.Markswillbedeductedfromthestudent’stotalifhedoesnotshowup.
Coordinator:Dr.HafizMohammedAfzal
Table Of Contents
CODES OF BELIEF
CODES OF BELIEF
FIRST CODE
SECOND CODE
THIRD CODE
FORTH CODE
FIFTH CODE
SIXTH CODE
SEVENTH CODE
EIGHT CODE
IMAN (FAITH) IN GOD
The Existence of God without him being created
The Lord Of The Worlds
The Lord Of The Universe
The Lord to Be Worshipped
MANIFESTATION OF FAITH
Faith and Action
Increase in Faith
Negligence and Belief
Fruits of Faith
FAITH OF ANGELS
Benefits gained by belief in Angels
The Jinn
Devils
Devils - as mentioned in the Holy Quran
Human Devils
FAITH IN THE BOOKS
Books Known
The Qur'an Is Protected from Change
Previous Scriptures Changed
FAITH IN THE PROPHETS
The Prophet - A True Profile
Many Prophets, One Message
The Answer to an Important Question
Islam Does not Differentiate Between the
Prophets
Messengers of God Mentioned in the Holy
Quran
Supernatural Occurrences
Miracles and Magic
Miracles of Muhammad (peace be upon him)
The First and Last Prophets
The Best Prophets
Prophets Are Human Beings
Islam: The Universal and Final Message
The Rightly Guided Caliphs
The Prophet's Companions
BELIEF IN DESTINY
Destiny and Divine Will
Reward and Punishment
Freedom of Will
Predestination of Human Will
Free Will Within Human Limitations
Parameters of Justice
In the Light of the Holy Quran and the
Traditions :
A Meaningless Discussion
Destiny as an Excuse
Confusing Issues
Essentiality of the belief in destiny
The Pre-ordination of things
Allah knows all
Difference between Will and Pleasure
Accepting Destiny with submission
Justice
Deeds
Heretic Sects
Practical Applications of the Belief in Destiny
1. Thankfulness in times of prosperity and well-being
2. Patience in times of calamity
3. Submission to the orders of Allah
4. Using means and precautions, such as medicines and supplications
BELIEF IN THE DAY OF JUDGEMENT
Living with Death
Life After Death
Being prepared for Death
Dying Consciously
A Senseless Doubt
The Day of Judgement
The Last Hour
Commencement of the Last Hour
Celestial Events
Blowing of the Trumpet
Resurrection and Congregation
The Records and Scales
The Prophet's Intercession
The Prophet's Pool
The Straight Path
Reckoning
Witness and Proof
Witness by the Messengers
The Books and the Scrolls
Defense followed by Confession
Plausible Argument
The Reckoning and its Result
The Approach to Hell
Paradise and Hell :
Access to Heaven
Life in Paradise
Hell
Entry into hell
Hell as a prison
Efforts to escape
Harmony and Disharmony
Dialogues Between the Inmates of Paradise
and Hell
Al-A'raf (The Heights)
BELIEF IN THE UNSEEN
The Unseen
A Doubt Removed
Classification of the Unseen
Another Doubt Removed
Divine Revelation: Its Possibility and Necessity
A Doubt Removed
CODES OF BELIEF
These codes are as follows :
FIRST CODE:
I have no doubts about anything that I can perceive through my senses
We all accept this fundamental truth. However, ifI walk through the desert at noon and see a lake in thedistance, but only find sand when I reach that spot,
what appeared to be a lake turned out to be mirage.Likewise if I put a pencil in a glass of water it willlook as if it is broken, though in actual fact it is not,You might go to a party where, as it gets late,you start talking about the supernatural - ghosts,etc., and get so carried away that you feel as if aghost or demon is following you, whereas inreality there is nothing there. It's rather like aconjuring trick. A magician will produce strangeobjects which seem to be real, even though theyare not.
So our senses can delude and deceive us. Butdoes this mean that I should doubt the existenceof something I can feel? Quite the reverse -because if I doubt what I see, hear and feel, therewill be a conflict between fact and fantasy thatwill eventually drive me crazy.
But I would like to add another condition hereabout obtaining knowledge - meaning 'certaintyregarding the existence of what I sense'.The mind may misjudge something the firsttime it perceives it. For example, it may think amirage is a lake, but the second time it sees it willnot make the mistake. Similarly it will soonrealize that even though the pencil on the glass of
water looks as if it is broken, in fact it is not.The various ways in which the senses deludeus are limited and easy to recognize. This includesthe tricks that Pharaoh's magicians used toperform in the past, and the circus tricks weenjoy in this day and age .
SECOND CODE :
Certainty about past and present events receivedthrough a reliable source is as reliable as the certaintywe would have had if we had been present.
There are certain facts about which we are sure,even though we may not have direct experience ofthem. For example, we all know that India and Brazilare countries that exist though we may not have visitedthem. We also know for a fact that Alexander theGreat conquered Persia, even though we did notwitness the battles in which he fought.In fact, if we all looked inward, we would soonrealize that the number of facts about which we aresure even though we cannot perceive or experiencethem directly, far surpass those we have actuallyexperienced, such as countries we have not visited andevents, both past and present, that we have notwitnessed directly.
What evidence, then, do we have of theirexistence? Of course we draw certain conclusionsfrom what we have always been told throughouthistory and our own lives. It would be absurd to thinkthat each generation has fabricated events and ideas topass on to the next.
THIRD CODE :
How much knowledge can we perceive through our senses? Can our senses comprehend everything thatexists?
We can compare the human mind in relation tothe senses as follows. Imagine that orders have beengiven to shut us up in a tower. All the windows anddoors are shut, so that all we can see of the outsideworld is through cracks in the wall.If we peep through one crack facing east, we cansee a river, looking west through another crack, wecan see amountain. In a northerly direction we can see alarge house, and in the south a playground.The human mind is the prisoner and the bodythe tower, with the cracks representing the senses.The sense of sight sees colors, the sense ofhearing picks up sounds, the sense of tasteawakens our appetite for food, the sense of smellintroduces us to the world of fragrances, and thesense of touch makes us aware of physical bodiesand objects.
At this point we can ask certain questions :
I - Can each sense perceive everything thatexists in this universe? Does the river a prisonersees through a crack in the tower wall representthe entire river? Of course not He only sees a partof it. Similarly thesense of sight cannot perceivethe whole spectrum of colors.The fact that I cannot see an ant crawlingthree miles away from where I am does not ruleout its existence. In the same way we are unableto see all the tiny bacteria in a glass of water.Neither are we able to observe the electronsrevolving in an atom, or the planets in their orbits,with the naked eye.
The vibrations of an ant's voice are outsidethe range of our auditory sense, which is fromfive to twenty thousand whatever is less than fivevibrations or beyond twenty thousan is outsideour hearing range. Nor can we pick up the scentof sugar that attracts ants and flies.All this proves that we are only able toperceive a part of what is around us.
2 - Is it not possible that another world existsbetween the world of colour and sound, whichwe are unable to observe because we are notequipped with the particular sense ofPerception?
The prisoner in the tower may not haveactually been able to see a beautiful gardenbetween the river and the mountain, but this doesnot rule out its existence.
Again we have the example of someonewho is born blind and is only able to learn bywhat he is told, that the sea is blue and the grass isgreen. Yet physically he is unable to see theappearance of these colours. In the same way,someone who is deaf, though he may learn aboutmusical notes, he cannot actually hear them. Butthis does not mean that a blind or deaf persondenies the existence of color or sound.The room where you are sitting may seemto be free of all sound though, in actual fact, itcontains all the sounds that are being broadcast inthe air from various radio stations. You are onlyunable to hear them because they are outside therange of your sense of hearing. They arevibrations which can only be picked up by a radio.And there are other things going on in theatmosphere that humans are unable to perceive.For example, we cannot pick up the slightvariations in atmospheric pressure though abarometer can do this. Likewise, a radar picks upmild tremors we cannot feel. So, there are manythings which exist outside the range of our senses,but not perceiving them does not mean denyingtheir presence.
3 - The next question we need to look at iswhether our lenses are all pervading andcomplete. Until recently it was thought that weonly had five senses. Now a few more have beendiscovered, and it seems there can be more.Therefore, anything that can be increased, can bedescribed as being incomplete.
I may do things which I do not perceive, butI am aware of , for example, if I shut my eyes andopen or close my hand I am aware that it is openor closed without actually seeing it.And do we perceive our moods of happinessor unhappiness, weakness or sickness through ourfive senses? Of course not. We perceive themwith an inner sense.Similarly, I do not sway from left to rightwhen I am walking because an inner sense infusesme with a sense of balance. The same goes for acyclist or a trapeze artist who performs amazingbalancing acts. This means that there must be aneighth sensethe sense of balance. And it has beendiscoveredthat God created this sense in theform of liquidmatter in the inner ear.
Experiments carried out on rabbits show theylose their balance if this liquid is removed, andtotter around as if they were drunk.
The third code therefore shows that wecannot deny the existence of factors beyond oursense .
FORTH CODE :
The human imagination can onlyperceive what the senses are able toperceive .
We have already discussed the limitations ofour senses: we cannot see every visible objectwith our eyes. But God has granted us withthe power of imagination to serve as asupplementary tool , for example, I cannot actually see my home in London if I am in New York - though I can picture it in my mind's eye. The power ofimagination therefore complements our sense ofperception. But is this power limited - or is itimmeasurable? Can I imagine something I haven'tactually seen?
Psychologists classify imagination in twocategories: imagination based on reality , andcreative imagination. The example of imaginingmy house in London when I am in NewYork illustrates the former. The latter is the fertile groundpoets, writers, painters and other artists use to createfrom.
Look at what they have achieved. Have they producedanything not based on reality? For example, did the sculptor who sculpted the statue of Venus depict someone in real life? No-he did not , however, Lt is not a totally new image but a synthesis of severalimages. We can trace the end result back to varioussources and say that the sculptor used the best physicalfeatures from different women to produce his art form .the nose andmouth represent the perfect female form in reallife and so on. As a result the end product though 'new' represents different partsalready in existence.In the case of the Winged Assyrian Bull, foundin a museum in Paris, the sculptor created apatchwork of a human face and the body of a bullto which he attached the wings of a bird. Again,the result is a new kind of image compiled ofexisting forms.
Poets illustrate their mental images through the useof metaphors, similes, metonyms and, sometimes,deliberate exaggeration. Various strands of theirimagination come together to form the poetry theyproduce.
If we were to delve more deeply into suchfantasies, However, we would find they have theirlimitations and that it is not possible to piece togethercomponents which are mutually incompatible. Forexample, we cannot say that a song smells like a roseor that the fragrance of a perfume is red. If youvisualize such illustrations you will not be able torelatethe image to anything concrete which is alreadyin existence.
We are only able to see three dimensionswith our eyes namely, length, breadth and height.We cannot imagine circle without acircumference any more than we can imaginetriangle without angles. So how can we possiblyimagine the 'other world' and everything that is tobe found in it? It is different from ours, andcomparing it with this world is like comparingthis world to a mother's womb. If we were able tomake contact with a fetus and ask it about itsidea of what our world is like, he or she wouldreply "The universe is the membrane anddarkness which surround me." Even if the fetuswere able to understand our description of the sunand the moon, day and night, land and sea,beautiful gardens and fields, etc., he or she wouldnot be able to imagine them. This is why Ibn Abbas, one of the companions of theProphet, peace be upon him, said "Things of this worldhave no similarity to those in the next - except in name". Thismeans that the wine and women in the next worldwill bedifferent from the wine and women in this world.Likewise, the fire of hell will not be like the fire we know,and thestraight path will not resemble the bridges that span across rivers and valley in this world.
FIFTH CODE :
The mind rejects anything that does not fall within the framework of time and space.
Even though the eye observes that apencil in a glass of water looks as if it isbroken, the mind is not deluded, in the sameway that it realizes the mirage in the desert isnothing but sand . When we see a magician takehandkerchief out of his mouth and twentyrabbits from his sleeve, our mind being moreaccurate than our sight, alerts us to the fact thatit is a trick. Does this mean that the mind can rule over matters that fall beyond its scope?
The mind rejects anything that does not fall within theframework of time and space. If a history teacher were totell you that a war between the Arabs and the Persians tookplace neither before nor after the advent of Islam-yet itstill took place, your mind would reject this statement as beingcompletely contradictory. Or if a geography teacher toldyou that a country existed but was not situated on land orsea, or in the earth or the sky your mind would take this asa contradiction in terms.