CORRECT BELIEFS IN ISLAM

It is essential to hold correct beliefs in Islam. If you have recently reverted to Islam, you may still be a bit bewildered by what you should and shouldn’t believe.

Because I am not a qualified scholar, for example I’m not a Mufti or a Maulana, an Imam (I don’t lead the prayers anywhere) or an Alim of any description, I can only quote from authoritative sources.

I cannot give my own opinions about the teachings of Islam. There are Ahadith (traditions attributed to the Prophet Muhammad (sall-Allahu alayhi wa-sallam - may the blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) warning against doing so.

Some of those Ahadith can be found in Jami’ At-Tirmidhi [1], which is one of the six authentic books of Ahadith recognized by the Muslims. The six are collectively called Sahih Sitta or Kutub-al Sittah. In Arabic the word ‘sahih’ means ‘authentic’ or ‘sound’ and ‘sittah’ means six.

In citing the Ahadith below I am quoting from Volume 5 of Jami’ At-Tirmidhi published by Darussalam in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Pages 274-275.

"What Has Been Related About The One Who Interprets The Qur'an According To His Own Opinion

"Hadith 2950. Ibn 'Abbas narrated that the Messenger of Allah (sall-Allahu alayhi wa-sallam - may the blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: "Whoever says (something) about the Qur'ãn without knowledge, then let him take his seat in the Fire."

"(Da'if) [Abu 'Eisa said:] This Hadith is Hasan Sahih.

"Hadith 2951. Ibn 'Abbas narrated that the Prophet (sall-Allahu alayhi wa-sallam - may the blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: "Beware of narrating from me except what I taught you, for whoever lies about me on purpose, then let him take his seat in the Fire. And whoever says (something) about the Qur'an according to his (own) opinion, then let him take his seat in the Fire."

"(Da'if) [Abu 'Eisa said:] This Hadith is Hasan."

Please note that the word ‘Da’if’ means ‘weak’. It is one of the classifications of Ahadith. A comprehensive list of the classifications can be found in the Glossary of Islamic Terms that Darussalam publishes at the end of the final volume of each collection of their Sahih Sitta.

Abu ‘Eisa is the kunyah, the surname for Imam Hafiz Abu Eisa Mohammad Ibn ‘Eisa At-Tirmidhi, who compiled Jami ‘At-Tirmidhi.

CRITERIA FOR BEING A MUSLIM

To be a Muslim you need to firstly believe that there is only one God, Allah (Subhanahu wa ta’ala - Glory be to Him, the Most High) and that there is no other god but Him.

I know that the latter words ‘that there is no other god but Him’ are a tautology, but I have intentionally added them for emphasis because the matter of His Unity, His Oneness cannot be emphasised enough.

One reason why there is a need for such emphasis is that you can meet Christians who will say that there is only one god – they won’t describe him as Allah because they don’t believe in Him - but they will say that there is only one god and you will be left baffled, wondering just what they believe, what they mean.

But, pressed hard enough, you will find that most of them believe in the Trinity, which is belief in the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost (also known as the Holy Spirit), and that basically they then see those three as being rolled into one – that is what their beliefs mean.

That is how they justify saying that there’s only one god.

However, people can indulge in all the semantics they like, but the reality is that the core Christian belief of the Trinity is utterly wrong and Allah (Subhanahu wa ta’ala - Glory be to Him, the Most High) says so in the Holy Qur’an.

I want to stress that all the mainstream churches uphold belief in the Trinity – whether they be from the Roman Catholic side, which is headed by the Pope in the Vatican, Rome, or whether they be one of the Protestant churches such as the Anglicans, Baptists, Lutherans, Methodists and Presbyterians.

Some of the churches are more relaxed on the subject than others, but in the Roman Catholic church if you are from a Roman Catholic family and you reject the Trinity you can be excommunicated.

And if you are from a practising Roman Catholic family that is serious.

Excommunication means you are banned from taking part in any of the church’s sacraments and depending on where you live – for example in some parts of Italy and Sicily - it could mean that you would be severely ostracized.

No ‘good’ Catholic girl would marry you and you if lived in some of the villages you could be driven out of town.

The same applies in Greece, where most of the people are Greek Orthodox Christians, a mainstream Christian religion that is independent of the Roman Catholic Church and the Protestant churches in the west.

They too practise excommunication, and it can be imposed for various reasons including heresy and immoral behaviour. Once again, excommunicates can face ostracism and pressure to recant any 'heretical beliefs' or repent of any 'misconduct'.

NICENE CREED

I have noted above that most Christians will say there is only one god and that this can cause confusion in the minds of some as to what exactly they mean and what they believe in.

The issue is exemplified in the Nicene Crede which is an affirmation of belief. Its recitation is compulsory for members of both the Roman Catholic Church and many of the Protestant churches.

I was raised in an Anglican family. It was known as the Church of England when I was a boy, but officially changed its name to the Anglican Church of Australia in August 1981. It is regarded as one of the mainstream Protestant churches.

In the Anglican Church you are expected to be able to recite the Nicene Creed by heart.

As part of my upbringing, I had to attend Communion classes at St John’s Camberwell in Melbourne to learn the church’s teachings and we were given a small book that included the Nicene Creed.

We had to learn it and during a service in the church we were required to stand and recite it. It reads:

We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all that is, seen and unseen.

We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father,
God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made,
of one Being with the Father.

Through him all things were made. For us and for our salvation he came down from heaven:
by the power of the Holy Spirit he became incarnate from the Virgin Mary, and was made man.

For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate; he suffered death and was buried.
On the third day he rose again in accordance with the Scriptures;
he ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father.

He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead,
and his kingdom will have no end.

We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son.
With the Father and the Son he is worshiped and glorified.
He has spoken through the Prophets.
We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church.
We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.
We look for the resurrection of the dead,
and the life of the world to come.

Amen.

Now, you will note that the affirmation opens with the statement:

“We believe in one God,
the Father, the Almighty,
maker of heaven and earth,
of all that is, seen and unseen.”

At first sight this suggests they believe in one god, but they don’t!

No matter which way they twist it they are basically saying that ‘god’ not only embodies the ‘Father’, by which they mean the Almighty – the creator of heaven and earth and all things seen and unseen – but also Jesus (alayhi as-salam – may the peace of Allah be upon him) and the Holy Ghost, but I reject that and I believe my rejection is fully supported by Allah’s statement in the Holy Qur’an in Surah Al-Ma’idah.

In ayat (verse) 72, Allah (Subhanahu wa ta’ala - Glory be to Him, the Most High) rejects the Trinity. The relevant verse from Tafseer Ibn Kathir [2] reads:

“Surely, they have disbelieved who say: ‘Allah is the Messiah ['Isa (ED: Jesus)], son of Maryam.’ But the Messiah said: ‘O Children of Israel! Worship Allah, my Lord and your Lord.’ Verily, whosoever sets up partners (in worship) with Allah, then Allah has forbidden Paradise for him, and the Fire will be his abode. And for the wrongdoers there are no helpers.”

I have gone into further detail below about Allah’s rejection of the Trinity in the Holy Qur’an.

There is one point I would like to add and that is that as Anglicans we also saw ourselves as being ‘Catholics’. In the Nicene Creed there is a statement that reads:

“We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church” and the word catholic is used there in the sense that the Anglican church is in “continuity with the original universal church founded by the Apostles”.

The Wikipedia article on the use of the word is very good and makes it clear that not only can it be used in an ecclesiastical sense, but the word ‘catholic’ also has the secular meaning of “including a wide variety of things, or all-embracing; universal or of general interest; having broad interests, or wide sympathies . . .” The link is Catholic Wikipedia.

That is why many Protestants use the words Roman Catholics when referring to followers of the Church of Rome – it is used to distinguish the latter from the Protestant churches.

So, if you are from a Muslim background don’t go thinking that rejection of the Trinity by a practising Christian is a lightweight matter, it’s not and for those who still believe in God – but are grappling with their beliefs – it can have far-reaching consequences.

To the best of my knowledge the only extant Christian church of any size that rejects the Trinity is the Unitarian Church. The best way to learn about them is to read the Wikipedia article on the subject. The link is Unitarian Church.

If , as a Muslim you encounter such a person, a Christian who has rejected the Trinity but is still grappling with their beliefs – unsure of which way to turn - remind them of what Allah (Subhanahu wa ta’ala - Glory be to Him, the Most High) says in the Qur’an about the Trinity and how He emphatically rejects it.

And remember that if you are going to invite someone to Islam to speak softly. I know that the vast majority of Muslims are mindful of this, but it does not hurt to remind people of Allah’s (Subhanahu wa ta’ala - Glory be to Him, the Most High) command to Hazrat Musa (alayhi as-salam – may the peace of Allah be upon him) when He ordered him to go to the Pharoah and preach Islam:

In Surah Ta-Ha, ayats 43-44 Allah said:

43. Go, both of you, to Pharaoh, for he has truly transgressed ˹all bounds˺.

44. Speak to him gently, so perhaps he may be mindful ˹of Me˺ or fearful ˹of My punishment˺.” - quran.com

ALLAH REJECTS THE TRINITY

In Islam belief in the Trinity is strictly forbidden. It is seen as associating partners with Allah (Subhanahu wa ta’ala - Glory be to Him, the Most High) – it is a rejection of His Unity, His Oneness.

Associating partners with Allah (Subhanahu wa ta’ala - Glory be to Him, the Most High) is called shirk in Islam.

The ayat (verse) in the Holy Qur’an in which Allah (Subhanahu wa ta’ala - Glory be to Him, the Most High) rejects the Trinity is ayat 72 in Surah Al-Ma’idah (Surah No. 5).

The relevant verse from Tafseer Ibn Kathir [2] reads:

“Surely, they have disbelieved who say: ‘Allah is the Messiah ['Isa (ED: Jesus)], son of Maryam.’ But the Messiah said: ‘O Children of Israel! Worship Allah, my Lord and your Lord.’ Verily, whosoever sets up partners (in worship) with Allah, then Allah has forbidden Paradise for him, and the Fire will be his abode. And for the wrongdoers there are no helpers.”

In verses 73 and 74 Allah (Subhanahu wa ta’ala - Glory be to Him, the Most High) continues:

“Surely, they have disbelieved who say: ‘Allah is the third of three’. And there is no god but One God (Allah). And if they cease not from what they say, verily, a painful torment will befall the disbelievers among them.

“Will they not repent to Allah and ask His Forgiveness? For Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.”

In verse 75 Allah (Subhanahu wa ta’ala - Glory be to Him, the Most High) emphasizes that ‘Isa (Jesus) (alayhi as-salam – may the peace of Allah be upon him) was a man: He says:

“The Messiah ['Isa], son of Maryam, was no more than a Messenger; many were the Messengers that passed away before him. His mother [Maryam] was a Siddiqah. They both used to eat food. Look how We make the Ayat clear to them; yet look how they are deluded away (from the truth).” (Ibn Kathir, 2003, p. 234) [1]

Commenting on the above verses Ibn Kathir wrote under the heading:

"The Disbelief of the Christians; 'Isa Only called to Tawhid

“Allah states that the Christians, such sects as Monarchite, Jacobite and Nestorite, are disbelievers, those among them who say that ‘Isa is Allah.

“Allah is far holier than what they attribute to Him. They made this claim in spite of the fact that ‘Isa made it known that he was the servant of Allah and His Messenger.

“The first words that ‘Isa uttered when he was still a baby in the cradle were, ‘I am Abdullah (the servant of Allah)’. He did not say, ‘I am Allah’ or ‘I am the son of Allah’. Rather he said,

‘Verily, I am a servant of Allah, He has given me the Scripture and made me a Prophet.’

“Until he said,

‘And verily Allah is my Lord and your Lord. So worship Him (Alone). That is the straight path.’ ” (Ibn Kathir, 2003, pp. 234-235) [2]

The above verses quoted by Ibn Kathir, namely:

‘Verily, I am a servant of Allah, He has given me the Scripture and made me a Prophet’
‘And verily Allah is my Lord and your Lord. So worship Him (Alone). That is the straight path’

are from Surah Maryam (Surah No. 19), verses 30 and 36 respectively.

TO BE CONTINUED

WEBCOPY 05 AUG 25

WEBCOPY 07 AUG 25 EXPANDED - TRINITY

WEBCOPY 09 AUG 25 1ST EXPANDED - NICENE CREED

WEBCOPY 09 AUG 25 – 2ND

WEBCOPY 09 AUG 25 - 3RD CORRECTIONS

[1] Jami’ at-Tirmidhi by Imam Hafiz Abu Eisa Mohammad Ibn ‘Eisa At-Tirmidhi, Volume 5, First Edition: November 2007, published by Darussalam, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

[2] Tafsir Ibn Kathir (Abridged) by Imam Abu Al-Fida Ismail Ibn Kathir, Volume 3, Second Edition: July 2003. published by Darussalam, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.