What is the first duty of a person? How many attributes does Allah have? What are the dhati attributes of Allah? What are the thubuti attributes of Allah? How should a Muslim believe in Allah?
Topics:
- The existence and oneness of Allah
- The attributes of Allah
- The love for Allah
- A faithful young girl (Reading)
THE EXISTENCE AND ONENESS OF ALLAH
The first of the six conditions of faith is to believe in Allah. The first and most important duty of a rational and pubescent is to believe in the existence and oneness of Allah.
When we look around us, we see that nothing happens by itself. A beautiful work of art illustrates the existence of a craftsman who created it. For example, is there not a craftsman who makes the watch we use, an artist who makes the paintings that decorate the walls in our rooms, an architect of the buildings that we live in? Undoubtedly, there is.
In that case, the universe is founded on a delicate scale that operates on a perfect system and there is a creator of human, being the most beautiful work of art. This creator is Allah, the owner of endless strength and force. The harmony and the perfect order of the universe show the existence and oneness of Allah.
Our first duty is to genuinely believe in Allah, our creator who allows us to live.
We must learn the attributes of Allah in order to believe in Him correctly and know our supreme creator in the best manner possible.
THE ATTRIBUTES OF ALLAH
Allah has 14 attributes. Six of these are called dhati (inherent) attributes and eight of them are called thubuti ( personal) attributes.
Sifat al-Dhatiyyah (Essential Attributes):
1) Wujud: To exist. Allah exists and His absence is unthinkable.
2) Qidam: There is no beginning to Allah’s existence. Allah is not a being that came into existence later. He was there when there was nothing else.
3) Baqa: There is no end to the existence of Allah. Allah’s existence will continue after everything else.
4) Wahdaniyyah: It means the oneness of Allah. Allah is one. He has no replicas, equivalents or partners.
5) Mukhalafatun lil-hawadith: Allah does not resemble things created afterwards. He does not look like any of His creations.
6) Qiyam bi nafsihi: The existence of Allah is through Himself. Allah is not in need of anything, everything is in need of Him.
Sifat al-Thubutiyyah (Positive Attributes):
1) Hayat: To be alive. Allah is always alive.
2) ‘Ilm: Knowledge. Allah knows everything that is secret and open, past and present. He also knows what passes through the heart.
3) Sami’: To hear. Allah hears everything.
4) Basar: To see. Allah sees everything.
5) Iradah: To will. Allah wills and does what He wills.
6) Qudrah: Unlimited Power. Allah is the owner of endless force; His power is enough for everything.
7) Kalam: To say. Allah is the owner of words; He has announced His word to the prophets. The Qur’an is Allah’s word.
8) Takwin: To create. Allah is the creator. He is the creator of everything in the universe. If Allah wills to create something, He says for it to be, and then it happens spontaneously. He can also eradicate anything that exists whenever He wills.
A Muslim believes in Allah as follows:
– Allah exists and is one. The existence of Allah has no beginning or end. Allah does not resemble any of His creations. Allah’s existence is through Him. Allah is not in need of anything, everything is in need of Him.
– Allah is always alive. Allah knows everything, hears everything and sees everything.
– Allah wills, does what He wills and no one can interfere with His doings.
– Allah is the owner of strength and power. His power is enough for everything.
– Allah is the creator. He creates what He wishes from nothing and eradicates what He wishes. Everything in the universe is through His creation. There is a reason in all His creations.
– Allah’s word exists. He announced His word to the prophets and informed them of His commandments. The supreme book of our religion, the Qur’an is Allah’s word.
– A person who truly believes in Allah in such a manner attains his/her true value by taking his/her honorable place amongst all creations. This belief cleanses a person’s heart from bad thoughts while decorating it with good thoughts and beautiful habits.
– Even though a person may be in a place where no one else can see him/her, he/she should not engage in any immoral and inappropriate behavior that is immoral or inappropriate. This is because we believe that Allah sees and knows everything all the time. Faith in Allah is the source of all goodness.
THE LOVE FOR ALLAH
We have been created in a position much more superior to other creations. Allah has provided us with eyes to see, ears to hear, a tongue to speak, hands that can do various jobs and feet to walk, and our bodies are equipped with wisdom and intelligence.
Allah has equipped the earth with various blessings for us to live healthily and happily and has fulfilled all of our needs from the air we breathe to the water we drink. A person without breatheven in a very short while, they lose their lives. If we think about all these blessings that we are in need of, we understand how great the blessings of Allah, granted to us.
Allah the Almighty commands:
“And if you should count the blessings of Allah, you could not count them.” [3]
People love those doing favors themselves. In that case, Allah is the one whom we must love most. This is because His goodness towards us is so much that we could not even count it. Therefore, we must love Allah a lot. Love cannot be shown just by words. People show respect to the ones they love; they do not do anything annoying to them. The love of Allah develops by remembering His sacred name with respect, willingly carrying out the worship duties commanded and refraining from the things He has prohibited (haram).
If we do these, if we prove that we truly love Him, Allah will in return love us and bestow upon us much more blessings in the Hereafter than in this world.
The greatest happiness for a person is to be one of the people whom Allah loves.
READING:
A faithful young girl
Milkmen were prohibited from mixing milk with water by the Caliph Umar during his reign and this order was announced everywhere. One night, while walking around and patrolling in Madinah, the Caliph got tired. He leaned on the wall of a house to rest. He heard the following conversation coming from the house between a mother and a daughter:
Mother:
Come, my daughter: get up and mix the milk with some water.
Girl:
Do you not know that the Caliph prohibited adding water to milk?
Mother:
Yes, I know.
Girl:
In that case, how can I do something that has been prohibited by the Caliph?
Mother:
Get up and mix the milk with some water. How is Umar going to see you?
Girl:
Umar may not see but my Lord will. I swear that I will not do something in a place that cannot be seen if I cannot do it in a place that can be seen.
After hearing this discussion, the Caliph Umar returned his home. He then married this well-mannered poor girl with high morals to his son Asim.
This is the positive influence of faith in Allah in the actions of a person.
Source: Presidency Of Religious Affairs The Turkey, Basics of Islam, Seyfettin Yazıcı
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