ARTICLES OF FAITH

The Qur’an has described five fundamental articles of faith in the following verse:

“The Messenger believes, and so do the believers, in the guidance sent down upon him from his Lord: each of them believes in Allah, and in His angels, and in His Books, and in His Messengers. They say: We make no distinction between any of His Messengers. We hear and obey. Our Lord! Grant us Your forgiveness; to You we are destined to return.” [The Qur’an 2:285]

This verse outlines what one is required to believe in and what should be the distinguishing characteristics of one's conduct. The beliefs consist of the following: 

1. Belief in God; 

2. His angels; 

3. His books; 

4. All His Messengers; and 

5. The fact that ultimately one will have to stand before God's judgment, hereafter. 

The verse further describes the attitude of a person who accepts these articles of faith. He accepts and follows whatever directives he receives from God. Instead of exulting in his moral excellence he is humble and constantly seeks God's forgiveness and mercy.

Two further points are noteworthy. One is that the faith of the Messenger is same as that of his followers. It depicts universality of the faith and the fact that the articles of faith are true to all, leaving no room for exemption. The basis of faith is the conviction of the Messenger emanating from his personal experience and witness. The followers of the Messenger accept his faith based on his testimony. They accept him to be truthful and his authentication of the facts as final.

Another aspect of the faith is in making no distinction between the Prophets of Allah (May peace and blessings of Allah be to all of them). So there is no room for bias in accepting that all the Prophets were sent by the Almighty Lord. Rejection of any one of them will amount to rejection of the institution of Prophet-hood and the authority of the Lord in choosing whoever He pleased to do so in different times of human life on the planet earth. 

BASIS OF FAITH

The Qur’an elaborates what leads a person to the faith. First of all, he is guided towards it by thinking over the signs of the Lord in His creations.  

“Surely in the creation of the heavens and the earth, and in the alternation of night and day, there are signs for men of understanding. Those who remember Allah while standing, sitting or (reclining) on their backs, and reflect in the creation of the heavens and the earth, (saying): 'Our Lord! You have not created this in vain. Glory to You! Save us, then, from the chastisement of the Fire.” [The Qur’an 3:191-191]

This means that with the help of those signs one can easily arrive at the Truth, provided one is not indifferent to God and looks at the phenomenon of the universe thoughtfully. When people look carefully at the order of the universe, it becomes clear to them that it is an order permeated by wisdom and intelligent purpose. It is altogether inconsistent with wisdom that the man endowed with moral consciousness and freedom of choice, the man gifted with reason and discretion, should not be held answerable for his deeds. This kind of reflection leads people to develop a strong conviction that the After-life is a reality. Thanks to this conviction, they begin to seek God's refuge from His punishment. 

The consciousness raised by reflecting upon the signs of the Lord reaches the stage of conviction when one hears the call of a caller. When the message of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be to him) reaches him, he responds positively because he finds this to be the same as he had himself arrived at on his own pondering over the world around him. 

“Our Lord! Indeed we heard a caller calling to the faith saying: "Believe in your Lord"; so we did believe. Our Lord, forgive us our sins, and wipe out our evil deeds and make us die with the truly pious.” [The Qur’an 3:193]

In addition to reflections on the world around, littered everywhere with the creations of the Creator, the Qur’an, at other places, also invites human beings to self-introspection. Man himself is an extraordinary creation, an ample proof of the Almighty Lord and the Wisdom of Creation.