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The Elementary Teachings of
Islam
by His Exalted Eminence
Mawlana Mohammed Abdul-Aleem Siddiqui
Part
II
Islam
The Fundamental Principles of Islam
CHAPTER I
The
Declaration of Faith
1.
Q. What is the first
principle of Islam?
A. The first principle
of Islam is to declare: La ilaha ill-Allah, Muhammad-ur-rasool-ullah.
"There is no deity
but Allah and Muhammad is the Apostle of Allah."
2.
Q. Are there any
other forms of the Declaration of Faith?
A. Yes, there are
four other forms, viz.:
(1) kalimatush-shahadat
Declaration or submission
of evidence, viz.,
ashhadu a la ilaha ill-Allahu
wahdahu la sharika lahu wa ashhadu anna Muham- madan 'abduhu wa rasooluh
I bear witness that there
is no deity but Allah, Who is without partner, and I bear witness that
Muhammad is His Servant and Apostle.'
(2) kalimatut-tamjeed 
Declaration of the Glory
of Allah, viz.,
Subhana-Allahi walhamdu
lillahi wa la ilaha ill-Allahu wallahu Akbar, wa la haula wa la quwwata
ilia billahil 'aliyyil-'Azeem.
'Glory be to Allah and praise;
there is no deity but Allah; Allah is Most Great; there is no power, no
might but from Allah, the Most High, the Great.'
3) kalimtut-tauhid
Declaration of the Oneness
of Allah: viz.,
La ilaha ill-Allahu
wahdahu la sharika lahu, lahul mulku wa lahul hamdu, Yuhyi wa Yumeetu,
biyadihil-khairu, wa huwa 'ala kulli shai-in Qadeer.
"There is none worthy of
worship but Allah; He is One and has no partner; His is the Kingdom (of
the whole universe) and unto Him is due all Praise; He gives life and He
causes death; In His hand is all good, and He has power over all things.
(4) kalimatu
raddil-kufr 
Declaration of the Refutation
of Disbelief, viz.,
Allahumma inni
a'oozu bika min an ushrika bika shai'an wa ana a'lamu wa astaghfiruka lima
la a'lamu innaka anta 'Allam ul-ghuyoobi tubtu 'anhu wa tabar- r'atu 'an
kulli deenin siwa deen il-Islami wa aslamtu wa aqoolu la ilaha ill-Allahu
Muhammad-ur-rasool-ullah.
'O Allah! verily do I seek
refuge in Thee from associating any partner with Thee knowingly; I beseech
Thy forgiveness for the sins which I am not aware of; verily, Thou art
the Best Knower of all secrets. I repent for all the sins and make myself
proof against all teachings except the teachings of Islam. I have entered
the fold of Islam, and I hereby declare: There is no deity but Allah and
Muhammad is the Apostle of Allah.
3.
Q. Who was Muhammad?
A. Muhammad was the
Rasool,
i.e., the Messenger and Prophet of Allah who received the Message from
Allah through Divine revelation and conveyed the same to humanity.
4.
Q. Where was the Prophet
Muhammad born?
A. Muhammad, the
Messenger and Prophet of Allah, was born at Mecca in Arabia.
6.
Q. Do you know the genealogy
(lineage or pedigree) of the Prophet Muhammad?
A. Yes. I can name
up to his father's great-grandfather, and know that he is descended from
Prophet Abraham. He was the son of 'Abdullah, who was the son of 'Abdul
Muttalib, who was the son of Hashim, who was the son of 'Abd Manaf.
6.
Q. How was the Prophet
brought up?
A. 'Abdullah, the
Prophet's father died before his birth, and he lost his mother, Amina,
during his infancy. He was then for a short time under the care of his
grandfather, 'Abdul Muttalib, who also expired a few years later. His uncle,
Abu Talib then became his guardian.
7.
Q. How was the Prophet
Muhammad (peace be upon him) educated?
A. He did not receive
any instruction through human agency, and as such, he did not know how
to read or write. His education was solely due to Divine Sources.
8.
Q. When and where was
the Message of Allah first revealed to our Prophet;
A. The Message of
Allah was first revealed to our Prophet through angel Jibreel (Gabriel),
at the age of forty, in the cave at the foot of Mt. Hira in Mecca.
9.
Q. What regard had the
people of Mecca for our Prophet before he announced his Prophethood?
A. The people of
Mecca had a very great regard for him. They honoured and respected him
for his integrity and honesty, and were so much impressed by them and the
nobility and gentleness of his character that thev conferred unon him the
title of  i.e., the
Trustworthy, before he proclaimed his Prophethood.
10.
Q. Did the people of
Mecca in general accept Muhammad as a Prophet when he first delivered to
them the Message from Allah?
A. No. The people
of Mecca in general did not accept Muhammad as a Prophet, when he first
delivered to them the Message of Allah against idols and idolatry. Only
a few embraced Islam. Others persecuted him and his followers so much that
he, along with his followers, was compelled to seek refuge in Medina.
11.
Q. What is the migration
of onr Prophet from Mecca to Medina called?
A. The migration
of our Prophet from Mecca to Medina is called AL HIJRA. The Muslim Calendar
commences from the day of the migration.
12.
Q. How did the people
of Medina receive our Prophet?
A. Most of the people
of Medina received our Prophet with kindness, believed in his teaching
and mission and embraced Islam.
13.
Q. When did our Prophet
die and where was he buried?
A. Our Prophet died
at the age of sixty-three and was buried in Medina, where his tomb now
stands.
14.
Q. Should we visit the
tomb of our Prophet?
A. Yes, we should
visit the tomb of our Prophet at Medina, preferably after the performance
of Hajj (Pilgrimage) to Mecca, for our Prophet has said:  "whoever
(of my followers) visits my tomb it is binding on me to plead for (Mercy
and Forgiveness) on his (or her) behalf (on the Day of Judgment)."
15.
Q. Should you love your
Prophet?
A. Yes, I should
love my Prophet and pay greater respect to him than to any other human
being including my parents.
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