50 Questions
and Answers On Islamic Monotheism
Prepared by: Research
& Conpilation Department
Maktaba Dar-us-Salam
Q. 1. Who is your Rubb? (the Lord, the
Creator etc).
A. My Rubb is Allah Who has
created me and all that exists, He nourishes me and all creatures by His
Bounties.
Q. 2. What is your Religion?
A. My religion is Islam, which
is submission and obedience to the Order of Allah and His Messenger with love,
hope and fear.
Q. 3 . How did you know Allah?
A. I know Him by His signs and
creation like the day and night, the sun and the moon, the heaven and the
earth, and all that is there
in and between them.
4. Where is Allah?
A. Allah is above the heavens, raised over the Throne and separated form His
creatures.
Q. 5. Is Allah with us(in
person)?
A. Allah is settled over His Mighty Throne, but He is with us by His Knowledge,
hearing, seeing and other attributes. As He said: Fear
not, verily! I am with you both, hearing and seeing." 20:46.
Q. 6. Who are the friends of
Allah?
A. Those people are the friends of Allah who are pious and
righteous, fear Him much, abstain from all kinds of sins and perform all kinds
of goods, and hold fast to the Qur'an and Sunna.
Q. 7. How do you worship Allah?
A. I worship Allah in a manner in which all my Ibadah is dedicated to
Him Alone. I do not ascribe anyone with Him in worship.
Q. 8. Why did Allah send Messengers?
A. Allah has sent Messengers so that they call the people to worship Him Alone,
not ascribing any partners with Him:
and in order that mankind should have no plea against Allah.
Q. 9. What is the meaning of Islam?
A. Islam means [arabic] i.e. submission to Allah with Tauhid(Tawheed).
Q. 10. What are the pillars of Islam?
A. 1. Testimony of Faith(There is no true God except Allah and
Muhammad(saw) is the Messenger of Allah).
2. To establish
Salah(prayers).
3. To pay Zakat.
4. To observe Saum(fasting) in
Ramadan.
5. Hajj (pilgrimage to the Sacred
House), if one can afford the journey.
Q. 11. What is Iman?
A. Iman(faith) means to believe in the heart, to confess by the tongue and to
act with the parts of the body.
Q. 12. Can there by any variation in Iman?
A. By some words and deeds it may increase and by some words and deeds it may
decrease.
Q. 13. What so you mean increase and decrease in Iman?
A. Iman(faith) increases by obedience to Allah and good deeds while it
decreases by sins and evil acts.
Q. 14. What are the pillars of Iman?
A. The pillars of Iman are six to believe in:
1. Allah
2. His angels
3. His Messengers
4. His Books
5. The Last Day
6. Divine Preordainment, good or bad.
Q. 15. What is Belief in Allah?
A. Belief in Allah is that you should believe that Allah is the Sole Creator,
Sustainer, Provider and the One in Whose Hand is the disposal of all affairs.
Everything stands in need of Him, but He is the Only One Who is worthy of being
worshipped. He has the Best Names and Perfect Attributes.
Q. 16. Who are the angels?
A. The angels are creature of light. They are Allah's obedient slaves, they do
that which they are commanded and are incapable of disobedience.
Q. 17. What do you mean by Belief in the Book and the
Messengers?
A. It means the Allah sent the Messengers like Moses, Jesus, Abraham, Noah etc
and sent down the books like the Torah, Injeel, Zaboor(Psalms) etc. to call the
people to worship Allah Alone, associating nothing with Him. He
sealed(finished) the Messengers with Prophet Muhammad(saw) and abrogated all
the previous books with the Qur'an. Therefore the worship should be done
according to the Qur'an and Sunnah of the Prophet(saw).
Q. 18. What is meant by Belief in the Last Day?
A. The Belief in the Last Day means to believe that Allah has ordained a fixed
term for everything, and a term for this world. He will assuredly raise the
dead from their graves and will account for everyone their deeds in this world.
On that Day of Resurrection, rewards and punishments will be assigned. Everyone
will be justly rewarded or punished.
Q. 19. What is meant by Belief in Preordainment (Qadar)?
A. The Belief in Preordainment (Qadar) means to believe that
everything-good or bad-happens or takes place according to what Allah has ordained
for it. He has created everything in due proportion.
Q. 20. What is the meaning of "There is no God but
Allah"?
A. It means there is no true deity except Allah Alone. Negating all false gods
and affirming that Allah is the only true God.
Q. 21. What is the meaning of "Muhammad(saw) is the
Last Messenger of Allah'?
A. It means total submission to him(saw) in whatever he ordered, and
avoiding what he(saw) forbade and believing in all those matters he(saw)
informed us about.
Q. 22. What are the conditions of the testimony of Faith?
A. There are seven conditions of the testimony of Faith:
1. Knowledge which negates ignorance.
2. Certainty which negates doubt.
3. Sincerity and purity of intent which negates Shirk (worshipping other than
Allah)
4. Truthfulness which negates hypocrisy.
5. Love and devotion which negates disdain of Allah's religion.
6. Submission which negates disobedience.
7. Acceptance which negates rejection or denial.
Q. 23. What is the greatest thing that Allah has
enjoined?
A. The greatest thing Allah has enjoined is Tauhid (Monotheism).
Q. 24. What is Tauhid?
A. Tauhid means declaring Allah to be the only God who deserves to be
worshipped in truth and confirming all attributes which He has qualified
Himself or that are attributed to Him by His Messenger(saw).
Q. 25. What are the aspects of Tauhid?
A. There are three aspects of Tauhid:
1. Tauhid -ar-Rububiya.
2. Tauhid -al- Uluhiya.
3. Tauhid-al-Asma was-Sifat.
Q. 26. What is Tauhid -ar-Rububiya?
A. It is declaring Allah to be One and Unique in His work, like creation,
sustenance bringing to life and causing death etc.
Q. 27. What is Tauhid -al- Uluhiya?
A. It is declaring Allah as the Only God to whom all acts of worship must be
dedicated, such as Salat (prayers), Zakat, Saum(fasting), supplications, vowing
etc.
Q. 28. What is Tauhid-al-Asma was-Sifat?
A. It is an affirmation of all the Divine Names and Attributes of Allah in a
manner that suits His Majesty, as mentions in the Qur'an and the Sunnah.
Q. 29. How would you describe Ibadaah?
A. It is a comprehensive word comprising deeds and words that Allah loves and
is pleased with whether manifested or hidden.
Q. 30. What are the conditions of Ibadaah?
A. There are two conditions of Ibadaah:
1. Sincerity to Allah.
2. Submission to Allah's Messenger(saw) i.e. to act according to his Sunnah.
Q. 31. Write some types of Ibadaah.
A. Some types of Ibadaah are the prayers, the obligatory charity,
fasting, the Hajj, fear of Allah, hope in His Mercy. Seeking His aid, and other
acts of worship which Allah has commanded and enjoined.
Q. 32. What is the greatest thing Allah has forbidden?
A. The greatest thing Allah has forbidden is Shirk(polytheism).
Q. 33. What is polytheism?
A. It means to believe that there is one who shares Allah in His acts i.e.
ascribing partners or setting up rivals to Allah in His rights.
Q. 34. What are the types of polytheism?
A. Ther are three types of polytheism:
1. The greater polytheism (Shrik Akbar).
2. The lesser polytheism (Shrik Asghar).
3. The inconspicuous polytheism (Shirk Khafi).
Q. 35.What is Shirk Akbar?
A. Shirk Akbar is to devote any form of worship to other than Allah,
Allah will never forgive one who dies upon Shirk, nor accept his good deeds,
and he would be out from the folds of Islam.
Q. 36. What are the types of Shirk Akbar?
A. there are four types of Shirk Akbar:
1. The polytheism in invocation i.e. involving supplications to other than
Allah.
2. The polytheism in intentions i.e. purpose and intentions not for the sake of
Allah but directed towards other
deites.
3. The polytheism in obedience i.e. rendering obedience to any authority
against the Order of Allah.
4. The polytheism in love i.e. showing love to others which is due to Allah
Alone.
Q. 37. What is Shrik Asghar?
A. Shrik Asghar is Ar-Riya, that means the acts of worship done to gain praise
or fame rather than to please Allah, this type of Shirk, however, does not cast
the person committing it out of the folds of Islam.
Q.38. What is Shirk Khafi?
A. Shirk Khafi implies being dissatisfied with the conditions ordained by
Allah.
Q. 39. What is the proof of Shirk Khafi?
A. The proof
of the above Shirk is the saying of the Prophet(saw):
"Shirk Khafi is more
hidden among this ummah(nation) than the track of a black ant over a black
stone on a dark
night." Musnad Ahmad.
Q. 40. What are the types of Kufr(disbelief)?
A, There are two types of
Kufr:
1. The major Kufr which cast
its people out of Islam.
2. The lessor or minor Kufr
which does not cast the one who commits it out of Islam. It is Kufr of
ungratefulness.
Q. 41. What are the types of major Kufr?
A. There are five types of major Kufr:
1. The Kufr of denial.
2. The Kufr of arrogance
associated with recognition of the truth.
3. The Kufr of doubt.
4. The Kufr of disregard.
5. The Kufr of hypocrisy.
Q. 42. What are the categories of hypocrisy?
A. There are two categories of
hypocrisy:
1. Hypocrisy in
Belief.
2. Hypocrisy in deeds
and actions.
Q. 43. What is the Hypocrisy in Belief?
A. Hypocrisy in Belief is six
types:
1. Denial of the Messenger(saw).
2. Denial of the thing with
which the Messenger(saw) is sent.
3. Hating the Messenger(saw).
4. Hating the thing with which
the Messenger(saw) is sent.
5. Rejoicing at the disgrace of
Islam.
6. Disliking the prevalence of
Islam.
Q. 44. What is the Hypocrisy in deeds and actions?
A. Hypocrisy in deeds and
actions is of five types:
1. When he promises,
he breaks it.
2. When he speaks, he lies.
3. When he is
entrusted, he betrays.
4. When he disputes,
he acts immorally.
5. When he makes a
pact, he acts treacherously.
Q. 45. Are good deeds accepted(by Allah) with the polytheism?
A. Never! None of the deeds are accepted when mixed with
polytheism. Allah says:
"If they had joined in worship others with Allah
all that they used to do would have been of no benefit to them"
6:88.
"Verily! Allah forgives
not setting up partners in worship with Him, but He forgives whom He pleases
sins other
than that" 4:116.
Q. 46. What are the nullifiers of Islam?
A. The nullifiers of Islam are ten:
1. Polytheism of worship.
2. He who does not
believe that the polytheists are disbelieves, or doubts their infidelity or
holds their belief to
be vaild.
3. He who sets up intermediaries
between one's self and Allah, supplicating them, trusting them and asking
them to intercede on his behalf.
4. He who believes that
the guidance of others is more perfect than the Prophet(saw).
5. He who hates anything that the Prophet(saw) was
sent with.
6. He who denies the
religion of the Prophet(saw) or ridicules its reward or punishment.
7. Sorcery(magic).
8. Supporting the
polytheist against the Muslims.
9. He who believes that
some people are exempted from abiding by the Shari'ah an Khidr was exempted by
the
laws of Musa(as).
10. Turning away from the
religion of Allah by either learning nor applying it.
Q. 47. What are the three
fundamentals that every Muslim must learn?
A. The three fundaments are:
1. Knowing Your Rubb(the Lord, Creator, the Sustainer, and the One in Whose
Hand is the disposal of all affairs).
2. Knowing your religion (Islam).
3. Knowing your Prophet Muhammad(saw).
Q. 48. What is Taghut?
A. Everything that is worshipped, or followed or obeyed other than Allah is
Taghut.
Q. 49. How many Taghut are
there and who are their leaders?
A. They are many but their leaders are five.
Q. 50. Who are the leaders of
Taghut?
A. They are:
1. Satan, may Allah curse him, Ameen.
2. Anyone who is worshipped with his consent.
3. A person who calls the people to be worshipped instead of Allah.
4. A person who claims the knowledge of Ghaib(unseen, hidden, invisible, absent
etc.).
5. The ruler who rules by laws other than law sent down by Allah.