The Second Degree of Islam—Part One

Introduction

Today, we will explore Islamic faith and its six pillars: belief in Allah, His angels, His books, His messengers, belief in the Last Day, and belief in pre-decree.

One: Belief in Allah

You must believe in His Lordship—that He is the Lord, the Creator, the Possessor, and the Controller of all matters. You must also believe in His right to be worshipped, that He is the only true deity, and that all deities besides Him are false. You must believe in His Names and Attributes, that He has beautiful names and perfect, sublime attributes.

You must also believe in His Oneness in all that—that He has no partner in His Lordship, nor in His right to be worshipped, nor in His Names and Attributes. He says, “Lord of the heavens and the earth, and all that is between them, so worship Him and be constant and patient in His worship. Do you know of anyone who is similar to Him?” (Holy Quran 19:65)

You must also believe that neither slumber nor sleep overtakes Him; that He knows all that is hidden and evident; and that to Him belongs the sovereignty of the heavens and the earth. He says, “And with Him are the keys of all that is hidden; none knows them but He. And He knows whatever is on the land and the sea; not a leaf falls but He knows it. There is not a grain in the darkness of the earth, nor is there anything fresh or dry, but it is written in a clear record." (Holy Quran 6:59)

Belief in Allah yields many benefits. Firstly, it enables man to love Allah and glorify Him, and as such, carry out His commandments and abstain from all that He forbids. If man does that, he attains perfect happiness in this world and the Hereafter.

Belief in Allah creates in the mind self-esteem and dignity, for through it, man will know that it is only Allah who is the true possessor of all that is in this universe, that there is no bringer of harm or benefit except Him. This knowledge makes him dispense of all that is besides Allah, and he will hope from no one other than Allah and will fear no one except God alone.

Belief in Allah creates humbleness in the heart, for man will know that whatever favor he has is from God Almighty. Satan will not be able to deceive him, nor will he become overbearing and arrogant or boast about his power and wealth.

Belief in Allah gives man the knowledge that there is no way to success and salvation except through good deeds that please Allah. Some people, however, have the false belief that Allah commanded that His son be crucified as an atonement for the sins of mankind; some have a belief in false deities, believing that these will do for them what they want, while they can neither benefit nor harm; while others are atheists who do not believe in the existence of the Creator at all. All these beliefs are mere wishful thoughts, for when those who hold these beliefs meet Allah on the Day of Resurrection, and they see the reality, they will realize that they have been in clear error.

Finally, belief in Allah creates in man great power of determination, courage, perseverance, steadfastness, and trust in Allah when he struggles in lofty matters in this world to achieve the pleasure of Allah. He will be in perfect certainty that he is putting his trust in the Possessor of the Heavens and the Earth and that He will help him and guide him. He will then be firm like mountains in his patience and steadfastness and his trust in Allah.

Two: Belief in the Angels

“And they say, ‘The Most Gracious (Allah) has begotten a son (children).’ Glory be to Him! They, whom they call children of Allah, i.e., angels, are but honored slaves. They do not speak until He has spoken, and they act on His command. He knows what is before them and what is behind them, and they cannot intercede except for him with Whom He is pleased, and they stand in awe for fear of Him.’ (Holy Quran 21:26-28)

God Almighty also described them as, “They are not too proud to worship Him, nor are they weary (of His worship). They glorify His praises night and day, and they never slacken (to do so).” (Holy Quran 21:19-20)

Allah Almighty conceals them from our eyes so that we do not see them. But Allah sometimes shows some of them to His prophets and messengers. Angels have functions assigned to them. Jibreel (Gabriel) is assigned to Revelations, which he brings from Allah to whomever He wishes of His messengers.

Among them is also an angel assigned to taking souls, among them are those assigned to protecting mankind, and among them are those assigned to recording their deeds. Every person has two angels, “one sitting on the right and one on the left (to note his or her actions); not a word does he (or she) utter, but there is a watcher by him (or her) ready (to record it).” (Holy Quran 50:17-18)

Benefits of Belief in Angels

It purifies the Muslim's belief from the stains of polytheism, for when a Muslim believes in the existence of angels whom Allah assigns to these great functions, he will be free from believing in the existence of imaginary creatures that some people claim have a share in the running of the universe's affairs.

It lets the Muslims know that the angels neither benefit nor harm, but that they are honored slaves who don’t disobey Allah when He commands them, but rather do what they are commanded. He will not worship them, direct his affairs toward them, or depend on them.