Focus on the Fundamentals – Part 3

Islam is a belief system. You enter Islam by believing and declaring that belief. It is equally simple to leave Islam. That is why it is essential to ensure that we never say or do anything that contradicts or denies our belief. That is why knowledge is important and it begins with fundamentals. Which is why systematic study of Islam is so important. Learning Islam is not about randomly reading this or that book, including the Qur’an but about studying the Usool (Principles) of Deen and then the Usool of whichever discipline of Deen you are studying before touching any of the books. Only then can one expect to understand Islam in any depth. Needless to say, a thorough knowledge of classical Arabic is critical to understanding the texts that no translation in any language can do justice to. Then, like in any practice, be it martial arts, medicine, or flying a plane, it is living Islam under the supervision of a teacher which is the foundation of all knowledge. True knowledge comes only and only from practice. Not from reading theory. Anyone who truly wants to learn Islam in depth, must go the whole way starting with becoming proficient in Arabic at a native speaker level and then seeking teachers to learn and practice under, until he or she is certified as being competent to teach or give their opinion on matters. This is the famous system of Ijaaza – on which our modern-day university education and the awarding of degrees is based. It is taken from Islamic scholarly tradition.

To illustrate the matter of entering or leaving Islam with a simple example; Salah is a fundamental principle and one of the five pillars of Islam. If someone doesn’t pray, he is committing a major sin for which he must seek forgiveness. But if a person prays but says that prayer is not Fardh (compulsory) but optional and one can pray or not depending on his wish, that person has left Islam, even though he may pray himself. The same thing applies to everything that Allahﷻ commanded or prohibited. If a Muslim believes and speaks contrary to that, he risks leaving the fold of Islam. It is not just a matter of opinion. If the opinion of a Muslim contradicts or denies what Allahﷻ ordered or His Messengerﷺ taught, it takes the person out of Islam. He will then have to repent, seek Allahﷻ’s forgiveness and re-enter Islam. If not, and he dies, he would have died without Islam, even if he had been doing other prescribed things. Allahﷻ made it clear that selective obedience is disobedience.

يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ ٱدْخُلُوا۟ فِى ٱلسِّلْمِ كَآفَّةً وَلَا تَتَّبِعُوا۟ خُطُوَٰتِ ٱلشَّيْطَـٰنِ إِنَّهُۥ لَكُمْ عَدُوٌّ مُّبِينٌ

Baqara 2: 208    O Believers! Enter Islam completely and do not follow Shaytan’s footsteps. Surely, he is your sworn enemy.

The Ayah is addressed to the Believers who already believe, showing that merely saying that we believe is not enough. Belief must be demonstrated in all aspects of life and not as a matter of personal choice. The word ‘Muslim’ is a verb. It describes someone who is doing something. Someone who has submitted to Allahﷻ. Not someone who knows about Islam no matter how much. A Haaji is someone who has done Hajj, not the bus driver for Hujjaj. A Sa’aim is one who fasting. Not one who knows about fasting. A Musalli is one who is praying. Not someone who knows how to pray but doesn’t pray himself. About selective obedience, Allahﷻ declared very clearly:

أَفَتُؤْمِنُونَ بِبَعْضِ ٱلْكِتَـٰبِ وَتَكْفُرُونَ بِبَعْضٍ فَمَا جَزَآءُ مَن يَفْعَلُ ذَٰلِكَ مِنكُمْ إِلَّا خِزْىٌ فِى ٱلْحَيَوٰةِ ٱلدُّنْيَا وَيَوْمَ ٱلْقِيَـٰمَةِ يُرَدُّونَ إِلَىٰٓ أَشَدِّ ٱلْعَذَابِ وَمَا ٱللَّهُ بِغَـٰفِلٍ عَمَّا تَعْمَلُونَ

Baqara 2: 85    Do you believe in some of the Scripture and reject the rest? Is there any reward for those who do so among you other than disgrace in this worldly life and being subjected to the harshest punishment on the Day of Judgment? For Allah is never unaware of what you do.