Understand Islam The Way Of The Salaf

Umar ibn al-Khattab رضى الله عنه (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated:

بَيْنَمَا نَحْنُ عِنْدَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم ذَاتَ يَوْمٍ إِذْ طَلَعَ عَلَيْنَا رَجُلٌ شَدِيدُ بَيَاضِ الثِّيَابِ شَدِيدُ سَوَادِ الشَّعَرِ لاَ يُرَى عَلَيْهِ أَثَرُ السَّفَرِ وَلاَ يَعْرِفُهُ مِنَّا أَحَدٌ حَتَّى جَلَسَ إِلَى النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم فَأَسْنَدَ رُكْبَتَيْهِ إِلَى رُكْبَتَيْهِ وَوَضَعَ كَفَّيْهِ عَلَى فَخِذَيْهِ وَقَالَ يَا مُحَمَّدُ أَخْبِرْنِي عَنِ الإِسْلاَمِ فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم الإِسْلاَمُ أَنْ تَشْهَدَ أَنْ لاَ إِلَهَ إِلاَّ اللَّهُ وَأَنَّ مُحَمَّدًا رَسُولُ اللَّهِ وَتُقِيمَ الصَّلاَةَ وَتُؤْتِيَ الزَّكَاةَ وَتَصُومَ رَمَضَانَ وَتَحُجَّ الْبَيْتَ إِنِ اسْتَطَعْتَ إِلَيْهِ سَبِيلاً قَالَ صَدَقْتَ قَالَ فَعَجِبْنَا لَهُ يَسْأَلُهُ وَيُصَدِّقُهُ قَالَ فَأَخْبِرْنِي عَنِ الإِيمَانِ قَالَ أَنْ تُؤْمِنَ بِاللَّهِ وَمَلاَئِكَتِهِ وَكُتُبِهِ وَرُسُلِهِ وَالْيَوْمِ الآخِرِ وَتُؤْمِنَ بِالْقَدَرِ خَيْرِهِ وَشَرِّهِ قَالَ صَدَقْتَ قَالَ فَأَخْبِرْنِي عَنِ الإِحْسَانِ قَالَ أَنْ تَعْبُدَ اللَّهَ كَأَنَّكَ تَرَاهُ فَإِنْ لَمْ تَكُنْ تَرَاهُ فَإِنَّهُ يَرَاكَ قَالَ فَأَخْبِرْنِي عَنِ السَّاعَةِ ‏.‏ قَالَ مَا الْمَسْئُولُ عَنْهَا بِأَعْلَمَ مِنَ السَّائِلِ قَالَ فَأَخْبِرْنِي عَنْ أَمَارَتِهَا قَالَ أَنْ تَلِدَ الأَمَةُ رَبَّتَهَا وَأَنْ تَرَى الْحُفَاةَ الْعُرَاةَ الْعَالَةَ رِعَاءَ الشَّاءِ يَتَطَاوَلُونَ فِي الْبُنْيَانِ قَالَ ثُمَّ انْطَلَقَ فَلَبِثْتُ مَلِيًّا ثُمَّ قَالَ لِي يَا عُمَرُ أَتَدْرِي مَنِ السَّائِلُ قُلْتُ اللَّهُ وَرَسُولُهُ أَعْلَمُ قَالَ فَإِنَّهُ جِبْرِيلُ أَتَاكُمْ يُعَلِّمُكُمْ دِينَكُمْ

“One day we were sitting in the company of Allah’s Messenger ﷺ (may Allah send Blessings and Peace upon him) when there appeared before us a man dressed in pure white clothes, his hair extraordinarily black. There were no signs of travel on him. None amongst us recognised him. He approached until he sat with the Prophet ﷺ with his knees touching the Prophet’s knees and placed his palms on his thighs and said: ‘O Muhammad, inform me about Islam.’ So the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: ‘Islam is that you bear witness that there is no god except Allah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, and you establish prayer, pay Zakat (obligatory charity), observe the fast of Ramadan, and perform pilgrimage to the House (Ka’bah at Mecca) if you have the means for the journey.’ He (the inquirer) said: ‘You have told the truth.’ (Umar ibn al-Khattab رضى الله عنه said): We were amazed at his asking and verifying the truth at the same time. He (the inquirer) said: ‘Inform me about Iman (Faith).’ He (the Prophet ﷺ) replied: ‘That you believe in Allah, in His angels, in His Books, in His Messengers, in the Last Day, and you believe in the Divine Decree (Preordainment) of all that is good and evil.’ He (the inquirer) said: ‘You have told the truth.’ He (the inquirer) said: ‘Inform me about Ihsan (perfection).’ He (the Prophet ﷺ) said: ‘That you worship Allah as if you see Him, but if you cannot see Him, then verily, He sees you.’ He (the inquirer) said: ‘Inform me about the Hour (Doomsday).’ He (the Prophet ﷺ) said: ‘The one who is asked about it knows no more than the questioner.’ He (the inquirer) said: ‘Tell me about its signs.’ He (the Prophet ﷺ) said: ‘That the slave-girl will give birth to her mistress, and that you will find barefooted, naked, impoverished sheepherders competing with one another in the construction of tall buildings.’ (The narrator, Umar ibn al-Khattab رضى الله عنه said): Then he (the inquirer) left but I stayed with him (the Prophet ﷺ) for quite a while. Then he (the Prophet ﷺ) said to me: ‘O Umar, do you know who the questioner was?’ I replied: ‘Allah and His Messenger knows best.’ He (the Prophet ﷺ) said: ‘Verily, he was Jibril (the angel, Gabriel). He came to you in order to teach you your religion.’” [Sahih Muslim 8a]

The Five Pillars of Islam

قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم بُنِيَ الإِسْلاَمُ عَلَى خَمْسٍ شَهَادَةِ أَنْ لاَ إِلَهَ إِلاَّ اللَّهُ وَأَنَّ مُحَمَّدًا عَبْدُهُ وَرَسُولُهُ وَإِقَامِ الصَّلاَةِ وَإِيتَاءِ الزَّكَاةِ وَحَجِّ الْبَيْتِ وَصَوْمِ رَمَضَانَ

Allah’s Messenger ﷺ said: “Islam is built upon (the following) five (pillars):

1. To bear witness that none has the right to be worshipped except Allah and that Muhammad ﷺ is His servant and His Messenger.

2. To establish (the five daily) prayers.

3. To pay Zakat (i.e. obligatory charity).

4. To perform Hajj to the House (i.e. Pilgrimage to the Ka’bah, Mecca).

5. To observe fast during the month of Ramadan.” [Sahih Muslim 16c]

The Six Pillars of Iman (Faith)

To believe in:

(1) Allah, the only One True God (in His Existence, His Oneness in His Attributes, His deserving to be worshipped and supplicated, and His right to legislate).

(2) His angels (beings created from light for obeying Allah’s Orders).

(3) His Books (the Torah, the Gospel of Jesus, the Psalms of David and the Quran which is the best of them).

(4) His Messengers (the first of them was Noah and the last of them was Muhammad ﷺ, being the last of the Prophets).

(5) The Last Day (the Day of Resurrection for the reckoning of the people according to their deeds, and their appropriate compensation; reward or punishment).

(6) And to believe in Qadar (Divine Preordainment) (that all which occurs of good and evil is by Divine Decree).

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