Iman and Takwa

1.0: Objective
The objective of writing this article is to share what I know based on my experience and reading about the two important topics in our religious beliefs. Hopefully readers of this article, especially Muslim, will add some betterment of understanding the spirit of Iman and Takwa.

2.0: Iman
Iman is associated with belief. In Inslam, Muslims must believe in Rukun Iman. There are 6 Pillars of Rukun Iman
2.1: Believe in Allah swt
2.2: Believe in Prophet
2.3: Believe in Quran
2.4. Believe in Doomsday and The Day Of Resurrection
2.5: Believe in Fate
2.6: Believe in Angels

2.2.1: Believe in Allah swt
Muslims must have the believe (iman) that there must be a creator to everything in this universe. Conversely, we must believe that Allah swt is the only and sole creator of in in the uniververse, be it its structure, characteristics, animate and inanimates, hills, water, wind, souls, life and deather are at His will. Allah has only to utter, "Kun Paya Kun" if He wants something to happen. No other being, because He is the Supreme Being, can stop something from happening because Muslims believe,"There is no God except All swt who has the power over anything." Once we believe there is a Creator for everthing form the biggest to the smallest, virus, germs, etc, Muslims must believe that we are being created solely to be obstinated to Him.
There is another Commandments in Islam, i.e. the Rukun Islam. There are five pillars in Islam, the first being to say syahadah, i.e. There is no God except Allah swt and Muhammad is His Messenger. Second is to perform five daily prayers. Third is to fast in the months of Ramadan. Fourth is to pay Zakat and lastly is to perfomred Haj in Mecca to thos who are affordable.

Humans who have pledged his syahadah, must performthe four pillars in Rukun Islam failing which it will be sinful and punishable in hell. Allah swt said'" I didn't create Genes and man but to succumb to me." As Muslims we must adhere to the pillars of Rukun Islam without expecting anything in return because look at what Allah swt has given to us in this world and do we ask for something in return after fulfilling the orders given to you. We must perform our obligations sincerely and consistently. It will be ashamed to ask from your parents something in return for what that done to us.
2.2.2: Believe in Prophets
Muslims must believe that God has cretaed adn apppointed about more than 200000 people to be His messengers. Out of the prophets, only twenty-five were elevated to be higher echelon of the prophets, called Rasul, this included our Beloved Prophets. The lives and the teaching of the prophets can be read through Sunnah. We must inculcate the good values and the teachings of therese prophets without questions. It was the good effort made by these elected human that the people of the yester years embrace a religion Islam.
2.2.3: Believe in Al Quran
Quran is the Allah's Teachings to Mankind passed on via Gabriel who then passed on our Beloved Prophet Muhammad. It Muhammad and his loyal friends who read, intepret, prectised and carried on the dakwah to the people of Mecca, then Medina, then to the Arab world, to Africa, to the west and then to the rest of the world. Every word in the Quran is the word from Allah swt.
Hence Muslim must read the Quran daily, either through reading or praying. Siti Aishah, pbuh, was once asked about Muhammad's personality and her answer was, AlQuran." What she meant was Muhammad had lived according what was written in the Quran verbatimly. Even Muslims are at logged heads, they must turn to the Quran for reference and settlement. Quran is the gem of knowledge, be it in spiritual, economics, politics, sociology, anthropology, astrology, health, medicine, banking and anything or any subjects because He is our creator.
2.2.4: Believe in Doomsday
Muslims must belive nothing in this world is invulnerable. The world is only a temporary place to live in and we will move on to another world called Alam Akhirat. Numerous catastophic happening have destroyed cities, villages, volcanoe, buildings, tsunami, earthquake, fire and many more. These are the will of God, of course with the mankind as its agents, and then it will come to a time, God swt will summon an angel, Izrapil, to blow the final day of the world by blowing his trumpet. That is the day when pregnat mothers would deliver their babies unconsciously, the hills and mountains would be crushed and please refer to Quran and Hadis for the astrocities of the Doomsday.
Everything that is created by God will be demolished and died. The new world, Alam Akhirah, has begun. Good Muslims and Bad Muslim, non-Muslims will face our Creator. We will ony know our final destiny, whether it's going to be heaven or hell, after our meeting with our Supreme Being or Our Creator. Let's us do good and abstain from doing bad thing so that we will be placed in the right place where we belong.
2.2.5: Believe in Fate
The earlier statement of There is no God except Allah swt and He is responsible for anything to happen in this world. therefore, Muslims must believe whatever happen, good or bad to us, is because of Allah.But we must always remeber that Good Things come from Allah swt and the Bad Things come from us. Foor example, people are imprisoned for the bad things they did and they cannot say the bad things he did was from Allah swt. Allah swt has created mankind with mental faculty superior than other inmates and thus how can we say the bad things come from Allah?
2.2.6: Believe in Angels
Allah swt passed on His Teachings, Guidance, Advice about the religion was passed to an angel, rather then directly to the prophet. So we must belive that there angels, besides mankind, co-existed with mankind. These angels are obedient, subservient to Allah swt. They are the opposite of the satan whose mission is to destroy man's faith to Allah swt.
3.0: Takwa
Takwa is to be afraid of Allah swt. Being afraid means to do good and to abstain from doing Bad. Muslims must live according to the two commandants, i.e. Rukan Iman and Rukun Islam. No questions ask because failing to adhere and obey them Muslims must disqualify themselves from being called a Seravant of Allah swt. Take a simple example in performing our daily prayer. Male Muslims are allowed to perform solat by covering their aurah. Does it mean that male Muslima can pay by wearing a sarong? Of course the prayer is acceptable on the other hand will you meet your superior wearing a T-shirt , trousres and slippers. Man will groom themselves before meeting another man but they will wear the bearest minimum when they meet their Supreme Being. This man obviously does not possess takwa. To have takwa means to be afraid (fear) and show respect to Allah swt at all time.
4.0: Conclusion
To conclude this article, may I qoute what Allah swt says, "I don't create genes and man but to succumb to Me,". we, as Muslims, must at all time fear and believe in Allah swt in time of happiness, sadness, life and death. In our prayer we always pledge that Our Prayer, Our Doings, Our Life and Our Death are for Allah swt. So in whatever things we want to act upon must be solely for Him and if it is not, don't do it. We must do good and abstain from bad all our life beacuse we would not Know when the angel of death will come to send us to another world that is pepetual and aeternal.

No comments: