Islam, Iman, Ihsan

WHAT IS ISLAM?

Islam is the way of the Prophets. It contains the message that all the Prophets have brought to mankind from the first man and first prophet, Adam, Peace be upon him, to the last of them, and Seal of Prophethood, Muhammad, whom Allah bless and save. It implies the recognition of divine oneness and living accordingly.

At the root of the word Islam, whose meaning is submission, is also the meaning of peace, which indicates the nature of its condition: Islam seeks to be at peace with oneself and with the surrounding social environment. It is a universal message, addressed to humanity as a whole, regardless of race, language or nationality, because Islam “is not an Arabic message, but in Arabic”. And it is not a religion but a Din, or Practice of Worship. It is a set of personal and social norms, which also includes commercial transactions, as well as those of government.

The Din of Islam is made up of three elements:
ISLAM (Submission), IMAM (Faith) and IHSAN (Excellence).

ISLAM (Submission)

It consists of Five Pillars: The testimony of faith(Shahada). The preceptive prayer(Salat). The fasting of the month of Ramadan(Saum). The purification of wealth(Zakat) and the Pilgrimage to Mecca(Hajj).

We acknowledge and attest in the first place that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah.

Then, we assume the obligation to perform the preceptive prayer(Salat), five times a day.

Together with this, we give the Zakat, the purification of wealth, which is a requirement, when the conditions are met, for the prayer to be accepted, and which consists of giving 2.5% of the goods accumulated during one year.

We fast in the month of Ramadan. We abstain from eating, drinking and sexual intercourse from dawn to sunset.

And we make pilgrimage to Allah’s House in Makkah, the Ka’ba, at least once in our lifetime and whenever we have the means and ability to do so.

IMAN (Belief)

*SHAHADA (double witnessing) is the basis of Belief and consists of verbally declaring and believing from the heart that there is nothing and no one worthy of worship except Allah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, being the last of the Prophets.

The Prophet, may Allah bless and save him, defined Belief or Faith as: “Belief in Allah, in His Angels, in His Revealed Books, in His Messengers, in the Last Day and in the Divine Decree, both the good and the bad it contains.

*ALLAH, may he be exalted, possesses seven Attributes: Power, Will, Knowledge, Life, Hearing, Sight and Speech.

*THE ANGELS. They are noble servants of Allah, created of light. They worship and glorify Him incessantly, obey Him and never disobey Him, and act at His command. Among them are those who bear the Throne of Allah; those who protect human beings; those who take care of the rains and the plants; those who take care of what gestate in the wombs; those who seek the meetings of remembrance and invocation of Allah… And only Allah knows their number.

*THE REVEALED BOOKS. They are the divine revelations that descended upon the Messengers. The Qur’an is the last and final divine revelation and was revealed to the Prophet Muhammad, whom Allah bless and save, through the angel Jibril (Gabriel) over a period of 23 years. Previously were revealed the Inyil (Gospel), which descended upon Jesus, son of Mary; the Torah, which descended upon Moses; the Psalms, which descended upon David; the Pages of Abraham… And other revelations descended upon the Prophets.

THE MESSENGERS. Allah sent the Prophets and Messengers as bearers of glad tidings and warners, some of them are mentioned in the Qur’an and some are not. Muslims believe in all of them. The first was Adam, the father of mankind, and the last was Muhammad, may Allah bless and save him.

IAUMUD DIN. The Day of Retribution. This day, also called the Last Day, will take place without anything or anyone being able to prevent it. On that Day Allah will make us stand before Him to see the result of our deeds.

AL QADAR. The Divine Decree. We believe in it, whether it is sweet or bitter, good or bad, easy or difficult. We believe that what Allah has decreed will happen and what He has not decreed will not happen. Therefore, the good and the bad that happens in Creation is by Divine Decree.

AL BA’Z. The Resurrection. Believing in the resurrection after death to account for our deeds as a reality that will undoubtedly happen, and that after this, and after the Judgment, there will be people who will enter the Garden and others in the Fire.

The Prophet, whom Allah bless and save said, “None of you truly believes until he wants for his brother what he wants for himself.”

Prophet Muhammad
-Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him- said:

“Whoever believes in Allah and the Last Day,
let him speak good or be silent.
And whoever believes in Allah and
on the Last Day, let him be generous to his neighbor.
And whoever believes in Allah and the Last Day, let him be
generous to his guest.”

IHSAN (Excellency)

The definition of Ihsan in the words of the Messenger of Allah whom Allah bless and save is: “May you worship Allah as if you see Him, for if you do not see Him, He sees you”.

Its meaning is to execute correctly, in their external and internal sense, the acts of worship, endowing them with sincerity, humility and total concentration. This perfection of worship is what allows the human being to develop his highest qualities of character.

And its result is that the worshipper’s heart becomes aware of Allah’s presence to the extent that it is as if he sees Him with his own eyes.