10-05-2005, 01:43 AM
Q. 1 What is the meaning of Islam?
A. Islam means peace. It also means a way of life.
Q. 2 What is the meaning of a Muslim?
A. Someone who submits himself to the will of Allah (God).
Q. 3 What is the need of a religion?
A. God created the universe and gave us a divine constitution contained in the Holy Qur’an. Every society, organisation, institution, etc. has some kind of rules and regulations. The purpose of such rules and regulations is to maintain peace, justice, happiness, harmony, etc. Therefore, this world in which we live must have some kind of law and order. And Islam being a divine constitution is perfect and flawless.
Q. 4 Why can\'t the man made laws be good enough?
A. Man made laws cannot be good enough because we human beings are selfish by nature and our knowledge is inadequate. We witness in our every day life how the constitutions of our country and of others change everyday to suit their requirements.
God is neither selfish nor ignorant. He is the Creator and He Alone knows what is good for us and what is bad for us. Obeying the laws of God is for our benefit rather than God’s benefit.
Q. 5 What are the fundamentals of Islam?
A. There are three fundamentals of Islam. Unity of God (Tawheed). Prophethood (Nabuwwat) and The Day of Judgement (Quiyamat). The Shi’ites also believe in God being Just and also in Imamat (the successorship of Prophet Muhammad (P)) from the progeny of the Holy Prophet (P). Their task was to ensure that the religion of Allah as propagated by the Holy Prophet (P) is correctly presented and preserved.
Q. 6 Am I allowed to ask questions regarding these fundamental beliefs or do I have to simply believe them blindly?
The beauty of Islam is that it is a rare religion which appeals to common sense. It is one of the beauties of Islam that you have to understand these fundamentals of Islam thoroughly well before believing in them. Therefore, you can ask as much as you like to your satisfaction. There is neither blind belief nor dogmatism in Islam.
Q. 7 What is the proof that there is a God?
A. Nothing comes into existence without someone creating it. Every book has an author. Every building has an architect
Q. 8 Is it possible for this world to have come into existence accidentally and that there is nothing like God or a Supreme Being?
A. There is a great difference in something created and something that is the result of an accident. Look at your own self and think. Is it possible for you to be a result of an accident? Was there any better way you could have been created? The fashion in which you have been created says that there is a Creator. There is a difference in a car coming out from a factory and a car involved in an accident. There is a difference in scattered letters and an instruction book.
Q. 9 What is the proof that there is only One God?
A. God sent 124,000 prophets, Adam being the first and Muhammad [peace and blessings be upon them all] being the last. All these prophets had one common message; \"There is no deity except Allah.\" Had there been anybody besides Allah, then surely these prophets would have informed us.
Had there been another God besides Allah then surely he too would have sent his own messengers or prophets’ messengers to inform us about his existence.
Had there been more than One God, then surely there would have been chaos and disorder in the universe. The two gods would become dependants on each other. Allah is independent and does what he pleases.
Q.10 Why can\'t God be seen?
A. God cannot be seen because He has no body, form or shape. He is not conditioned to space or time. He is Omnipresent.
Q.11 How can I believe in something that I cannot see?
A. Aches and pain, air, soul, etc. are invisible and yet they exist.
Q.12 What is the proof that God Almighty is All-Hearing, All - Seeing, All - Knowing, etc.?
A. Look at your own self. Did you create your own self or have you been created? If you have been created, then how is it possible for your Creator Who has created you to be blind, deaf, dumb, etc. when He has given you beautiful eyes to see, ears to hear, mouth to talk, etc. God certainly sees, hears and is aware but not through His physical body.
Q.13 What is the definition of injustice?
A. Injustice means to place something in an inappropriate place. For instance, a cap or a hat is meant to be worn on the head. If one places his hat or a cap under his feet, this will be injustice.
Q.14 What is the meaning of \"Justice of God\"?
Whatever good or bad we do, we alone are responsible for that. God does not hold an innocent person responsible for the wrongdoing of others. Nor can an innocent person suffer for the wrongdoing of others. What you sow, so shall you reap appears to be the motto.
Q.15 Is it true that whatever good or bad we do, is simply because God willed so?
A. If such were the case, then it would be unfair on God\'s part to punish us for the wrongdoing. Likewise, it would also be unfair to reward the virtuous for the good that they do.
Q.16 Is it true that whatever right or wrong we do is because Allah already knows about it?
Allah is most certainly All - Knowing, but this does not in any way mean that He is responsible for what we do. A class teacher can easily predict the results of his students by looking at their performance in the classroom but this does mean that the knowledge of the teacher determines the result of his students.
Q.17 Do others commit me responsible for the sins or evils? Can someone else pay for my wrongdoing and sins?
It is against the justice of Allah to hold you responsible for the evils committed by others. It is also unjust on Allah\'s part to punish an innocent person for the wrongdoing of others.
Q.18 Why are there disabled and handicapped people in this world?
A. Quite often it is through our own wrongdoing and sins that we suffer in this world. We eat wrong food, take wrong drugs, do the forbidden things and when we face the consequences, we blame God for that. Sometimes people suffer from hunger and thirst. God Almighty has given wealth to the rich people to be distributed amongst the needy and the poor. When the wealthy become miser and stingy in their charity, then obviously, the poor will suffer.
At times suffering can constitute a test in this world. Perhaps seeing a disabled person will make an able person appreciate God’s bounties and see one’s duty to help the poor and the needy and extending any such help is very much emphasised in Islam.
There are also times when we are tried and tested by Allah in various ways, e.g. hunger, thirst, illnesses, loss of wealth or dear ones and so on. Allah is testing our worth to see how thankful or unthankful we are to Him.
Q.19 Why doesn\'t God punish the wrongdoers in this world?
A. This world is like an examination hall. Allah sent His prophets, the divine revelations and other guides to show the mankind the Right Path. He also gave them the wisdom and freewill. If God started punishing people for their sins in this world, then He will also need to reward the virtuous people for their good deeds.
If such were the case, then there would be no point to have the Day of Judgement and for that matter, Heaven and Hell.
It is also Allah\'s Mercy that He is giving an opportunity to the sinners to repent and seek Allah\'s forgiveness. Other wise Allah is giving the wrongdoers extra rope to tie round their necks.
Q. 20 Are the unbelievers who do good in this world, going to be rewarded?
A. Allah is Just and Fair to all His creatures. Even an unbeliever who is virtuous in this world will be rewarded. But since Paradise is only for the true believers, they will not enter the Paradise. They will be rewarded for all the good that they have done in this world only.
Q. 21 Why is it important to believe in the Prophets?
A. God Almighty is Wise. He has not created us without any purpose. It was through His prophets and apostles that He conveyed His message and revealed the purpose of creating us. He delivered His divine constitution through these prophets. Prophets are also part of His Mercy. God sent 124,000 prophets in all. Adam was first and Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon them all) was the last.
Q. 22 What are the qualities of a true prophet?
A. There are lots of signs of a true prophet, such as, deep knowledge about things, piety, wisdom, generosity, courage, bravery, truthfulness, honesty, power to show the miracles, etc. Above all, all the prophets were infallible. They never ever committed any sins whatsoever knowingly or unknowingly, in private or in public. A prophet is a prophet from the time he is born to the time he dies.
Q. 23 Why is it important for the prophets to be infallible?
A. To set an example to other human beings. If these prophets were liable to err or sin, then how would ordinary people like you and me be able to judge that what they preached in the name of God was really and truly from God or not? What authority would they have over their followers? How could we know for sure that the divine revelation that they spoke about was really true or their fantasies? It is very important for them to be sinless and infallible because it is through their teachings and preaching that we expect eternal salvation. So if they take one wrong step then what can be expected of their followers!
Above all, if they were of the policy \"do as I say, don\'t do as I do\", then that would be hypocrisy and a true prophet cannot be a hypocrite.
Q. 24 What was the role of the prophets?
A. The role of the prophets was to guide people on the Right Path, to receive the divine revelations, to play role model and also to enjoin good and forbid evil.
Q. 25 What is a miracle?
Miracle is a divine power given by God to His chosen people as their genuine identity. It is a power they used to prove their authority from God. All they did was to use some special type of prayer to achieve their aims.
Q. 26 What is Sunnah?
Sunnah means the Traditions of Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him and his family).
Q. 27 What is Hadith?
A. Hadith means the words uttered by the Prophet Muhammad and his twelve rightful successors (peace and blessings be upon them all).
Q. 28 Did any of these prophets use the power of miracle to revert people into Islam?
A. One of the proofs of the prophethood was their ability to perform miracles which they sparingly used. God has given us the best gift of intelligence as our first prophet (to distinguish truth from falsehood). Using the power of miracle to revert people would mean depriving people of their intelligence and free will to choose.
Q. 29 Why has the word ‘revert’ been used and not ‘convert’ in the above mentioned answer?
A. Prophet Muhammad (pbuhf) had said, “Every child born in this world is a born Muslim. It’s their parents who make them Jews, Christians, etc.
Q. 30 What evidence have you got to substantiate this hadith?
A. When we say that he is a born Muslim, it means that he is born with natural instinct e.g. speaking the truth.
One day a friend of mine came to see me. He rang the door bell and my little son answered the door. My friend asked, “Is daddy there?” My son came running to me and said that a friend of mine has come to see me. I was in no mood to see my friend so I said to him, ‘Tell him “daddy is not at home.”’
My son went back and said to my friend, “My daddy says that he’s not at home”.
This proves that a child by nature tends to speak the truth and is not born as a liar. It’s the parents who misguide him and lead astray.
So when a person embraces Islam, s/he is only returning to his origin to where s/he belongs. Islam is a natural religion into which every human being is born.
Q.31What is a Shahadah?
A. After a person has decided of his freewill to embrace Islam, they need to give a Testimony. This Testimony is called Shahadah.
Shahadah is said as follows: \"I bear witness that there is no deity except Allah, the One Who has no partner or co-existent. I also bear witness that Muhammad is a slave and a Messenger of Allah.\"
Q. 32 After the death of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family), there are no more prophets going to come. If such is the case, then who would be responsible for the guidance of mankind in general and the Muslim community in particular?
A. The Holy Prophet Muhammad (pbuhf) has left behind two most precious things for the guidance of the Muslim community. One is the Book of Allah, the Holy Qur\'an, and the other is his pure and Holy Progeny. After the door of the Prophethood was closed, the series of Imamat started. Ali was the cousin and the son-in-law of the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings be upon them). He was also the first and immediate successor of the Holy Prophet (pbuhf). After him came another eleven successors who were also his descendants. They followed one after the other. The twelfth successor is already born but is at present in occultation.
Q. 33 What are the qualifications of these true Imams?
A. As these Imams were the representatives of the Holy Prophet, it is very important that they too possessed all those noble qualities possessed by the Holy Prophet himself. These qualities are knowledge, piety, wisdom, bravery, courage and the power to show miracles amongst other qualities. Like all the prophets, all the Imams are infallible and never ever committed any sins. Like the prophets, they were born Imams. The prophets and Imams are neither elected nor selected or nominated by the public. They are directly appointed by Allah.
Q. 34 Were the prophets and Imams unable to commit sins or they had the ability to commit sins and yet preferred not to commit sins?
All the prophets and Imams had the potential to commit sins but chose not to commit sins. They had the profound knowledge of the consequences of committing the sins. Had they been committing sins, then their authority would be badly weakened.
Q. 35 Why could not the Muslims choose their own leader after the Holy Prophet (pbuhf) parted this world?
We see in our everyday life that a good and an organised leader appoints or indicates his successor. When a very highly qualified and well-experienced doctor leaves to move elsewhere, then he has two options. One is to appoint someone like him who is fit to carry on the task in the same professional manner. The other option is to gather together all his patients and have an election to choose his replacement. It is natural that the first option is more appropriate and desirable. The successor of a prophet can either be someone who is a prophet himself or someone very similar to him.
Q. 36 On what things is Islam based upon?
A. The teachings of Islam are based upon the Holy Qur\'an, the hadith or the teachings of the Holy Prophet (pbuhf) and the Sunnah or the traditions of the Holy Prophet (pbuhf).
Q. 37 What is the meaning of “The Day of Judgement\"?
The example of this world is like an examination hall. Allah sent His Prophets, Imams, Guides and the divine revelations. He warned us against the hell fire and promised us the Paradise in return for His obedience. The Day of Judgement is the day when we will get our results as to how did we fare in this world.
Q. 38 Why is it important to believe in the Day of Judgement?
A. If one does not believe in the Day of Judgement, then it simply means that there is no purpose of life or creation for that matter. A person who has harmed his own soul and others need to be brought to justice. His victims should be able see the justice being done. Those who have been wronged or oppressed need to know the consequences of their wrongdoing and sins. Likewise, those who have believed in the true prophets and the divine revelations and followed the true teachings, their reward should also be seen by all. The belief in the reward on the Day of Judgement can be quite encouraging to do as much good as we can. The fear of punishment on that Day should discourage us from doing wrong and committing sins. It will be a Day when God Almighty will manifest His Mercy to His servants, to those who truly loved and obeyed His prophets and also those who loved the friends of the prophets.
Likewise, it will be a Day when God will manifest His anger to His enemies, the enemies of His prophets and also the friends of their enemies.
Q. 39 There are old, sick and disabled people dying who have been very good and strong believers. Are they going to enter the Paradise in the same state?
Paradise is a Paradise. It is not a hospital for the sick and old people. All those going to Paradise will be rejuvenated so that they can enjoy all the bounties promised by Allah. It is impossible to grasp what the paradise looks like. And likewise what the Hell-fire looks like. No one can perceive the eternal bliss or eternal punishment either.
Q. 40 Is one going to suffer the hell fire or enjoy the bounties in Paradise with the same body that we have here or are they going to get a new body altogether? Or is it just going to be their spirits reaping the fruits?
We all are going to be resurrected with the same body as we have here in this world. It is this very body which sacrifices in obeying God. Similarly, it is this very body that enjoys the taste of sins. The soul on its own cannot do anything. Therefore, it is just fair for this body too to enjoy the taste of its deeds.
Q. 41 Do Muslims believe in reincarnation?
No. How is it possible for a human being to be punished and made to suffer poverty, illness, disability, etc. even without knowing the reason for his/her sufferings? Commonsense demands that a person must be made aware of the sins and wrongdoings that he has committed for which he is being punished. If a person is disabled or handicapped, then we must help God in His work by giving some more kicks to such people rather than being sympathetic and helpful. Would such acts please God? Certainly not.
Likewise, the kings, queens, wealthy people or people of high status should be adored because of their virtuous and commendable deeds for which they are being rewarded! Ironically, they too do not know what good did they do in their past life to deserve all that.
It is natural that neither the soul nor the body can do anything good or evil on its own. To perform an act, you need a soul as well as a body. Such being the case, why should soul alone suffer the punishment or enjoy the reward? It would be against the justice of God to act in such a way.
Q. 42 Some people say that there is a Paradise only, but nothing like the hellfire. The reason being, that God is too Kind and Merciful to torture His creatures in such a way. The sinners and evil people will be put to sleep eternally and won’t suffer in any way.
If there was no hellfire and all the sinners and wrongdoers were to be put to sleep, then what is there to stop the oppressors, tyrants and evil mongers from fulfilling their desires and terrorising innocent people? People like Hitler and Saddam may not have the desire to achieve a place in Paradise, but if they know that there is nothing like hellfire in the next life, they’ll be laughing under their collars. They will virtually get away with their crimes and sins.
Q. 43 If Allah knew who is going to heaven and who is going to hell, why did He not send the virtuous people straight to heaven and the evil people in the hellfire?
It is against the justice of Allah not to give His creatures a fair opportunity to see for themselves the reason why they are being rewarded or punished.
Q. 44 So why then did Allah create people He knew were going to be evil?
If everyone was good and virtuous and going to heaven, then there would be no question of free will.
Q. 45 What is the Qur’an?
It is the Book revealed to Prophet Muhammad (pbuhf). It is the word of God (Allah). It is a Divine Constitution for the whole of mankind. It is also a living miracle.
Since it is the word of God revealed to the best of His creatures, it is natural that the Holy Qur’an needs to be read and understood in the light of the authentic commentary. The true interpretation can be taught either by the Holy Prophet (pbuhf) himself or by those rightfully appointed by him.
Q. 46 Is it true that no matter which religion you follow, you will still go to Paradise?
No, this is not true. If you for example want to travel from London to Glasgow, you will first make all the necessary inquiries. You will find out about the fares, timetable, station, departure time, etc. You will not jump on any bus or coach presuming that it will take you straight to your destination.
Similarly, if you want to go to Paradise, then you will first need to make all the necessary inquiries. What are the requirements, which caravan is travelling to Paradise, who is authorised to give you precise information, is the caravan that you are expected to travel with a genuine one or are they bandits pretending to travel and then robe their mates and kill them, etc.
When you buy a new appliance, you also get an instruction book with it. This instruction book tells you everything you need to know about how to get maximum benefit from the appliance.
Sometimes if the appliance is very big and sophisticated, then you also get an expert who knows the true interpretation of the instruction book and can run the appliance quite smoothly.
The example of Islam is like massive and very sophisticated machinery. The example of the Holy Qur\'an is like its instruction Book. The example of the Holy Prophet (pbuhf) is like the interpreter of the Book of Allah.
Before the Holy Prophet of Islam (pbuhf) parted this world, he appointed (with the will of Allah) his twelve successors to make sure that the machinery of Islam ran smoothly, without any kind of disruption or interruption. The Holy Prophet of Islam (peace be upon him and his family) also named all his twelve successors who were to follow one after the other. The first one is Ali, then his eldest son, Hasan, the grandson of the Holy Prophet. After that, Husein, the brother of Hasan and after that the nine sons from the progeny of Husein (peace be upon them all).
Those who follow these twelve successors of the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings be upon them all), are simply following the true interpretation of the Holy Qur\'an and the true teachings of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family). With the others they have their own and different interpretations of the Holy Qur\'an and the teachings of the Holy Prophet of Islam.
He who kneels before Allah can stand before anyone.
A. Islam means peace. It also means a way of life.
Q. 2 What is the meaning of a Muslim?
A. Someone who submits himself to the will of Allah (God).
Q. 3 What is the need of a religion?
A. God created the universe and gave us a divine constitution contained in the Holy Qur’an. Every society, organisation, institution, etc. has some kind of rules and regulations. The purpose of such rules and regulations is to maintain peace, justice, happiness, harmony, etc. Therefore, this world in which we live must have some kind of law and order. And Islam being a divine constitution is perfect and flawless.
Q. 4 Why can\'t the man made laws be good enough?
A. Man made laws cannot be good enough because we human beings are selfish by nature and our knowledge is inadequate. We witness in our every day life how the constitutions of our country and of others change everyday to suit their requirements.
God is neither selfish nor ignorant. He is the Creator and He Alone knows what is good for us and what is bad for us. Obeying the laws of God is for our benefit rather than God’s benefit.
Q. 5 What are the fundamentals of Islam?
A. There are three fundamentals of Islam. Unity of God (Tawheed). Prophethood (Nabuwwat) and The Day of Judgement (Quiyamat). The Shi’ites also believe in God being Just and also in Imamat (the successorship of Prophet Muhammad (P)) from the progeny of the Holy Prophet (P). Their task was to ensure that the religion of Allah as propagated by the Holy Prophet (P) is correctly presented and preserved.
Q. 6 Am I allowed to ask questions regarding these fundamental beliefs or do I have to simply believe them blindly?
The beauty of Islam is that it is a rare religion which appeals to common sense. It is one of the beauties of Islam that you have to understand these fundamentals of Islam thoroughly well before believing in them. Therefore, you can ask as much as you like to your satisfaction. There is neither blind belief nor dogmatism in Islam.
Q. 7 What is the proof that there is a God?
A. Nothing comes into existence without someone creating it. Every book has an author. Every building has an architect
Q. 8 Is it possible for this world to have come into existence accidentally and that there is nothing like God or a Supreme Being?
A. There is a great difference in something created and something that is the result of an accident. Look at your own self and think. Is it possible for you to be a result of an accident? Was there any better way you could have been created? The fashion in which you have been created says that there is a Creator. There is a difference in a car coming out from a factory and a car involved in an accident. There is a difference in scattered letters and an instruction book.
Q. 9 What is the proof that there is only One God?
A. God sent 124,000 prophets, Adam being the first and Muhammad [peace and blessings be upon them all] being the last. All these prophets had one common message; \"There is no deity except Allah.\" Had there been anybody besides Allah, then surely these prophets would have informed us.
Had there been another God besides Allah then surely he too would have sent his own messengers or prophets’ messengers to inform us about his existence.
Had there been more than One God, then surely there would have been chaos and disorder in the universe. The two gods would become dependants on each other. Allah is independent and does what he pleases.
Q.10 Why can\'t God be seen?
A. God cannot be seen because He has no body, form or shape. He is not conditioned to space or time. He is Omnipresent.
Q.11 How can I believe in something that I cannot see?
A. Aches and pain, air, soul, etc. are invisible and yet they exist.
Q.12 What is the proof that God Almighty is All-Hearing, All - Seeing, All - Knowing, etc.?
A. Look at your own self. Did you create your own self or have you been created? If you have been created, then how is it possible for your Creator Who has created you to be blind, deaf, dumb, etc. when He has given you beautiful eyes to see, ears to hear, mouth to talk, etc. God certainly sees, hears and is aware but not through His physical body.
Q.13 What is the definition of injustice?
A. Injustice means to place something in an inappropriate place. For instance, a cap or a hat is meant to be worn on the head. If one places his hat or a cap under his feet, this will be injustice.
Q.14 What is the meaning of \"Justice of God\"?
Whatever good or bad we do, we alone are responsible for that. God does not hold an innocent person responsible for the wrongdoing of others. Nor can an innocent person suffer for the wrongdoing of others. What you sow, so shall you reap appears to be the motto.
Q.15 Is it true that whatever good or bad we do, is simply because God willed so?
A. If such were the case, then it would be unfair on God\'s part to punish us for the wrongdoing. Likewise, it would also be unfair to reward the virtuous for the good that they do.
Q.16 Is it true that whatever right or wrong we do is because Allah already knows about it?
Allah is most certainly All - Knowing, but this does not in any way mean that He is responsible for what we do. A class teacher can easily predict the results of his students by looking at their performance in the classroom but this does mean that the knowledge of the teacher determines the result of his students.
Q.17 Do others commit me responsible for the sins or evils? Can someone else pay for my wrongdoing and sins?
It is against the justice of Allah to hold you responsible for the evils committed by others. It is also unjust on Allah\'s part to punish an innocent person for the wrongdoing of others.
Q.18 Why are there disabled and handicapped people in this world?
A. Quite often it is through our own wrongdoing and sins that we suffer in this world. We eat wrong food, take wrong drugs, do the forbidden things and when we face the consequences, we blame God for that. Sometimes people suffer from hunger and thirst. God Almighty has given wealth to the rich people to be distributed amongst the needy and the poor. When the wealthy become miser and stingy in their charity, then obviously, the poor will suffer.
At times suffering can constitute a test in this world. Perhaps seeing a disabled person will make an able person appreciate God’s bounties and see one’s duty to help the poor and the needy and extending any such help is very much emphasised in Islam.
There are also times when we are tried and tested by Allah in various ways, e.g. hunger, thirst, illnesses, loss of wealth or dear ones and so on. Allah is testing our worth to see how thankful or unthankful we are to Him.
Q.19 Why doesn\'t God punish the wrongdoers in this world?
A. This world is like an examination hall. Allah sent His prophets, the divine revelations and other guides to show the mankind the Right Path. He also gave them the wisdom and freewill. If God started punishing people for their sins in this world, then He will also need to reward the virtuous people for their good deeds.
If such were the case, then there would be no point to have the Day of Judgement and for that matter, Heaven and Hell.
It is also Allah\'s Mercy that He is giving an opportunity to the sinners to repent and seek Allah\'s forgiveness. Other wise Allah is giving the wrongdoers extra rope to tie round their necks.
Q. 20 Are the unbelievers who do good in this world, going to be rewarded?
A. Allah is Just and Fair to all His creatures. Even an unbeliever who is virtuous in this world will be rewarded. But since Paradise is only for the true believers, they will not enter the Paradise. They will be rewarded for all the good that they have done in this world only.
Q. 21 Why is it important to believe in the Prophets?
A. God Almighty is Wise. He has not created us without any purpose. It was through His prophets and apostles that He conveyed His message and revealed the purpose of creating us. He delivered His divine constitution through these prophets. Prophets are also part of His Mercy. God sent 124,000 prophets in all. Adam was first and Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon them all) was the last.
Q. 22 What are the qualities of a true prophet?
A. There are lots of signs of a true prophet, such as, deep knowledge about things, piety, wisdom, generosity, courage, bravery, truthfulness, honesty, power to show the miracles, etc. Above all, all the prophets were infallible. They never ever committed any sins whatsoever knowingly or unknowingly, in private or in public. A prophet is a prophet from the time he is born to the time he dies.
Q. 23 Why is it important for the prophets to be infallible?
A. To set an example to other human beings. If these prophets were liable to err or sin, then how would ordinary people like you and me be able to judge that what they preached in the name of God was really and truly from God or not? What authority would they have over their followers? How could we know for sure that the divine revelation that they spoke about was really true or their fantasies? It is very important for them to be sinless and infallible because it is through their teachings and preaching that we expect eternal salvation. So if they take one wrong step then what can be expected of their followers!
Above all, if they were of the policy \"do as I say, don\'t do as I do\", then that would be hypocrisy and a true prophet cannot be a hypocrite.
Q. 24 What was the role of the prophets?
A. The role of the prophets was to guide people on the Right Path, to receive the divine revelations, to play role model and also to enjoin good and forbid evil.
Q. 25 What is a miracle?
Miracle is a divine power given by God to His chosen people as their genuine identity. It is a power they used to prove their authority from God. All they did was to use some special type of prayer to achieve their aims.
Q. 26 What is Sunnah?
Sunnah means the Traditions of Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him and his family).
Q. 27 What is Hadith?
A. Hadith means the words uttered by the Prophet Muhammad and his twelve rightful successors (peace and blessings be upon them all).
Q. 28 Did any of these prophets use the power of miracle to revert people into Islam?
A. One of the proofs of the prophethood was their ability to perform miracles which they sparingly used. God has given us the best gift of intelligence as our first prophet (to distinguish truth from falsehood). Using the power of miracle to revert people would mean depriving people of their intelligence and free will to choose.
Q. 29 Why has the word ‘revert’ been used and not ‘convert’ in the above mentioned answer?
A. Prophet Muhammad (pbuhf) had said, “Every child born in this world is a born Muslim. It’s their parents who make them Jews, Christians, etc.
Q. 30 What evidence have you got to substantiate this hadith?
A. When we say that he is a born Muslim, it means that he is born with natural instinct e.g. speaking the truth.
One day a friend of mine came to see me. He rang the door bell and my little son answered the door. My friend asked, “Is daddy there?” My son came running to me and said that a friend of mine has come to see me. I was in no mood to see my friend so I said to him, ‘Tell him “daddy is not at home.”’
My son went back and said to my friend, “My daddy says that he’s not at home”.
This proves that a child by nature tends to speak the truth and is not born as a liar. It’s the parents who misguide him and lead astray.
So when a person embraces Islam, s/he is only returning to his origin to where s/he belongs. Islam is a natural religion into which every human being is born.
Q.31What is a Shahadah?
A. After a person has decided of his freewill to embrace Islam, they need to give a Testimony. This Testimony is called Shahadah.
Shahadah is said as follows: \"I bear witness that there is no deity except Allah, the One Who has no partner or co-existent. I also bear witness that Muhammad is a slave and a Messenger of Allah.\"
Q. 32 After the death of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family), there are no more prophets going to come. If such is the case, then who would be responsible for the guidance of mankind in general and the Muslim community in particular?
A. The Holy Prophet Muhammad (pbuhf) has left behind two most precious things for the guidance of the Muslim community. One is the Book of Allah, the Holy Qur\'an, and the other is his pure and Holy Progeny. After the door of the Prophethood was closed, the series of Imamat started. Ali was the cousin and the son-in-law of the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings be upon them). He was also the first and immediate successor of the Holy Prophet (pbuhf). After him came another eleven successors who were also his descendants. They followed one after the other. The twelfth successor is already born but is at present in occultation.
Q. 33 What are the qualifications of these true Imams?
A. As these Imams were the representatives of the Holy Prophet, it is very important that they too possessed all those noble qualities possessed by the Holy Prophet himself. These qualities are knowledge, piety, wisdom, bravery, courage and the power to show miracles amongst other qualities. Like all the prophets, all the Imams are infallible and never ever committed any sins. Like the prophets, they were born Imams. The prophets and Imams are neither elected nor selected or nominated by the public. They are directly appointed by Allah.
Q. 34 Were the prophets and Imams unable to commit sins or they had the ability to commit sins and yet preferred not to commit sins?
All the prophets and Imams had the potential to commit sins but chose not to commit sins. They had the profound knowledge of the consequences of committing the sins. Had they been committing sins, then their authority would be badly weakened.
Q. 35 Why could not the Muslims choose their own leader after the Holy Prophet (pbuhf) parted this world?
We see in our everyday life that a good and an organised leader appoints or indicates his successor. When a very highly qualified and well-experienced doctor leaves to move elsewhere, then he has two options. One is to appoint someone like him who is fit to carry on the task in the same professional manner. The other option is to gather together all his patients and have an election to choose his replacement. It is natural that the first option is more appropriate and desirable. The successor of a prophet can either be someone who is a prophet himself or someone very similar to him.
Q. 36 On what things is Islam based upon?
A. The teachings of Islam are based upon the Holy Qur\'an, the hadith or the teachings of the Holy Prophet (pbuhf) and the Sunnah or the traditions of the Holy Prophet (pbuhf).
Q. 37 What is the meaning of “The Day of Judgement\"?
The example of this world is like an examination hall. Allah sent His Prophets, Imams, Guides and the divine revelations. He warned us against the hell fire and promised us the Paradise in return for His obedience. The Day of Judgement is the day when we will get our results as to how did we fare in this world.
Q. 38 Why is it important to believe in the Day of Judgement?
A. If one does not believe in the Day of Judgement, then it simply means that there is no purpose of life or creation for that matter. A person who has harmed his own soul and others need to be brought to justice. His victims should be able see the justice being done. Those who have been wronged or oppressed need to know the consequences of their wrongdoing and sins. Likewise, those who have believed in the true prophets and the divine revelations and followed the true teachings, their reward should also be seen by all. The belief in the reward on the Day of Judgement can be quite encouraging to do as much good as we can. The fear of punishment on that Day should discourage us from doing wrong and committing sins. It will be a Day when God Almighty will manifest His Mercy to His servants, to those who truly loved and obeyed His prophets and also those who loved the friends of the prophets.
Likewise, it will be a Day when God will manifest His anger to His enemies, the enemies of His prophets and also the friends of their enemies.
Q. 39 There are old, sick and disabled people dying who have been very good and strong believers. Are they going to enter the Paradise in the same state?
Paradise is a Paradise. It is not a hospital for the sick and old people. All those going to Paradise will be rejuvenated so that they can enjoy all the bounties promised by Allah. It is impossible to grasp what the paradise looks like. And likewise what the Hell-fire looks like. No one can perceive the eternal bliss or eternal punishment either.
Q. 40 Is one going to suffer the hell fire or enjoy the bounties in Paradise with the same body that we have here or are they going to get a new body altogether? Or is it just going to be their spirits reaping the fruits?
We all are going to be resurrected with the same body as we have here in this world. It is this very body which sacrifices in obeying God. Similarly, it is this very body that enjoys the taste of sins. The soul on its own cannot do anything. Therefore, it is just fair for this body too to enjoy the taste of its deeds.
Q. 41 Do Muslims believe in reincarnation?
No. How is it possible for a human being to be punished and made to suffer poverty, illness, disability, etc. even without knowing the reason for his/her sufferings? Commonsense demands that a person must be made aware of the sins and wrongdoings that he has committed for which he is being punished. If a person is disabled or handicapped, then we must help God in His work by giving some more kicks to such people rather than being sympathetic and helpful. Would such acts please God? Certainly not.
Likewise, the kings, queens, wealthy people or people of high status should be adored because of their virtuous and commendable deeds for which they are being rewarded! Ironically, they too do not know what good did they do in their past life to deserve all that.
It is natural that neither the soul nor the body can do anything good or evil on its own. To perform an act, you need a soul as well as a body. Such being the case, why should soul alone suffer the punishment or enjoy the reward? It would be against the justice of God to act in such a way.
Q. 42 Some people say that there is a Paradise only, but nothing like the hellfire. The reason being, that God is too Kind and Merciful to torture His creatures in such a way. The sinners and evil people will be put to sleep eternally and won’t suffer in any way.
If there was no hellfire and all the sinners and wrongdoers were to be put to sleep, then what is there to stop the oppressors, tyrants and evil mongers from fulfilling their desires and terrorising innocent people? People like Hitler and Saddam may not have the desire to achieve a place in Paradise, but if they know that there is nothing like hellfire in the next life, they’ll be laughing under their collars. They will virtually get away with their crimes and sins.
Q. 43 If Allah knew who is going to heaven and who is going to hell, why did He not send the virtuous people straight to heaven and the evil people in the hellfire?
It is against the justice of Allah not to give His creatures a fair opportunity to see for themselves the reason why they are being rewarded or punished.
Q. 44 So why then did Allah create people He knew were going to be evil?
If everyone was good and virtuous and going to heaven, then there would be no question of free will.
Q. 45 What is the Qur’an?
It is the Book revealed to Prophet Muhammad (pbuhf). It is the word of God (Allah). It is a Divine Constitution for the whole of mankind. It is also a living miracle.
Since it is the word of God revealed to the best of His creatures, it is natural that the Holy Qur’an needs to be read and understood in the light of the authentic commentary. The true interpretation can be taught either by the Holy Prophet (pbuhf) himself or by those rightfully appointed by him.
Q. 46 Is it true that no matter which religion you follow, you will still go to Paradise?
No, this is not true. If you for example want to travel from London to Glasgow, you will first make all the necessary inquiries. You will find out about the fares, timetable, station, departure time, etc. You will not jump on any bus or coach presuming that it will take you straight to your destination.
Similarly, if you want to go to Paradise, then you will first need to make all the necessary inquiries. What are the requirements, which caravan is travelling to Paradise, who is authorised to give you precise information, is the caravan that you are expected to travel with a genuine one or are they bandits pretending to travel and then robe their mates and kill them, etc.
When you buy a new appliance, you also get an instruction book with it. This instruction book tells you everything you need to know about how to get maximum benefit from the appliance.
Sometimes if the appliance is very big and sophisticated, then you also get an expert who knows the true interpretation of the instruction book and can run the appliance quite smoothly.
The example of Islam is like massive and very sophisticated machinery. The example of the Holy Qur\'an is like its instruction Book. The example of the Holy Prophet (pbuhf) is like the interpreter of the Book of Allah.
Before the Holy Prophet of Islam (pbuhf) parted this world, he appointed (with the will of Allah) his twelve successors to make sure that the machinery of Islam ran smoothly, without any kind of disruption or interruption. The Holy Prophet of Islam (peace be upon him and his family) also named all his twelve successors who were to follow one after the other. The first one is Ali, then his eldest son, Hasan, the grandson of the Holy Prophet. After that, Husein, the brother of Hasan and after that the nine sons from the progeny of Husein (peace be upon them all).
Those who follow these twelve successors of the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings be upon them all), are simply following the true interpretation of the Holy Qur\'an and the true teachings of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family). With the others they have their own and different interpretations of the Holy Qur\'an and the teachings of the Holy Prophet of Islam.
He who kneels before Allah can stand before anyone.