Islamic Textbooks

(Fragment from Textbook
Grade 5)

~ Pillars of Islam ~

::: Imaan :::

The Miracle of Imaan

Mus'ab bin Umayr (radhi Allahu 'anhu) was brought up with great love and affection by his well-to-do parents. He lived in luxury and comfort. It is said that he was the most well-dressed youth of Makkah. His parents would buy clothes for him worth two hundred dirhams.

He embraced Islam during its early days without the knowledge of his parents. When they came to know about it they tied him with a rope and forced him to stay at home.

When he got a chance to escape, he emigrated to Abyssinia. When he returned from Abyssinia, he again emigrated to Madina.

So a person like Mus'ab (RA), who was brought up in luxury and comfort was now living a simple and hard life. Once Rasulullah (sollallahu 'alayhi wa sallam) was sitting when Mus'ab t passed in front of him. He had only one sheet of cloth to clothe his body and this cloth bore a number of patches including one of leather. The Nabi of Allah (sollallahu 'alayhi wa sallam) mentioned Mus'ab's t life of luxury before Islam with tears in his eyes.

In the Battle of Uhud, Mus'ab (radhi Allahu 'anhu) held the flag of Islam. When an enemy cut his hand he took the flag in his other hand. The enemy then cut the other hand as well. He then held the flag to his bosom with the help of his bleeding arms. The enemy at last pierced his body with an arrow. He fell dead. Another Muslim took over the flag which Mus'ab t did not allow to fall while he was alive.

At the time of his burial, he had only one sheet to cover his body. This sheet was too short for his size. When it was drawn to cover his head, his feet would be uncovered, and when it was drawn to cover his feet, his head would become uncovered. Rasulullah (sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam) said, "Cover his head with the sheet and his feet with the leaves."

This is the miracle of Imaan! Once Imaan gets into a person, it makes him forget everything else, whether wealth, luxury or life itself!

Exercise:

1. Why did Mus'ab's parents ill-treat him?

2. What was it that made Mus'ab (RA) lead a simple life?

3. Why did he fight for Islam so bravely?

4. What changes did Imaan bring about in Mus'ab's (RA) life?

5. Would you agree that Mus'ab's (RA) Imaan was strong?

6. Would you say Mus'ab's (RA) deeds were good and strong?

::: Shahaadah :::

The first Pillar in Islam is to believe in the Oneness of Allah and that Nabi Muhammad (sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam) is the Messenger of Allah. As Muslims we have to say the Shahaadah and we must believe in it with all our heart.

The following is a Surah from the Holy Qur'aan. This Surah explains Allah's Unity / Oneness to us:
Say: He is the one God,
God the Eternal, Absolute
He begets not, (He has no children)
Nor is He begotten (He was not born)
And there is nothing that could be compared with Him.
(Surah Ikhlaas)

Allah tells us very clearly in this Surah that there is only One Allah, that He has no children or parents. We must remember that Allah is also the All-Mighty and therefore He does not need any parents to look after Him. He does not need any children to look after Him, because Allah does not grow old. Allah is One. Allah is alone and has no need for a partner. Therefore we can only worship One Allah. We show our belief by being obedient to Allah and living a righteous life by following the example of the Prophet (sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam).

Exercise:

1. Do you recall the story of Nabi Ibrahim ('alayhis-salam)? Why did he break the idols?

2. Write out Surah Ikhlaas in Arabic.

::: Qualities of Imaan :::

When we come to school every morning, we carry along our books, lunch packs, etc. yet, the most important thing which we carry on us all the time is an open mind which allows us to concentrate upon what is taught to us in class. It is only when we concentrate that we begin to reflect on the lessons which in turn allows us to understand the lesson. This understanding is later tested at times of homework and examinations. Hence we learn that in life, whatever we do requires effort and that with each effort, we become better persons and our understanding becomes greater.

We have already studied last year that as Muslims, we all possess Imaan; yet it is not sufficient for us simply to say that we believe in Allah.

We have to do good acts and with each act, we should become better Muslims. In order to do this, we have to have sincere faith in Allah and display it through:
1. Remembrance of Allah
2. Fear and Hope of Allah

::: Remembrance of Allah :::

Keep Allah in mind at all times if you want to develop the character of a person who remembers Allah. Whatever the circumstances or conditions, you must remember Allah and it will help you keep away from that which is forbidden. If we do something which is permitted it should be only in order to please Allah. If we do something wrong and we later realise our error, we pray to Him for forgiveness and promise not to commit the wrong again.

::: Fear and Hope of Allah :::

If we constantly remember Allah, then what follows will be the next level of Imaan, namely fear and hope in Allah. A Muslim with a strong Imaan develops a fear for the punishment of Allah should he commit any bad deeds.

We must always remember that Allah will punish us for our bad deeds as Allah is the Master of the Day of Judgement. Fearing Allah is not like fearing a fierce-looking lion. We fear Allah out of respect and love for Allah. If Allah punishes us then we know that Allah has done justly as Allah is the Just.

Although we live in fear of the punishment of Allah, we must also hope that Allah will forgive us our sins.

Our fear for Allah has to be greater than our hope for forgiveness as it will help to keep us away from doing evil deeds in the first place.
1. Trust in Allah
2. Gratitude to Allah
3. Submission to Allah
4. Patience

Fragment from Textbook (Grade 5)

Fragment from Workbook (Grade 5)

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