Combining Action With Faith In Islam.

[Abu Hafsat]

As-Salaam alaikum, 

"Whatsoever the Messenger gives (ordered) you (then) take it and whatsoever he prohibits you from, (then) refrain from it" (Hashar, 59:7).

Islam is all about obedience and worship: to obey what the Prophet, Sallallahu alaihi Wasallam, ordered us and to worship Allah Ta'ala. The Prophet gave us Islam with its 5 pillars, namely :-

(1) The Shahada 

(2) As-Sallah (5 times daily) 

(3) Zakkat 

(4) Ramadan Fasting 

(5) Hajj. 

What is common among these 5 pillars is that they are all physical activity. With Shahada, you recite it and say, 'Ash-hadu an Laa ilaha illallah, Wa ash-hadu anna Muhammadu - r-Rasulullah'. 

With Sallah, there is what you can see: Iqaamu's-salaat, which is a physical activity that you have to do.. the ruku'u, the Sujud.. 

With Zakkat, you are to give a donation to the needy. You have to work to make money and then you part some of it to the poor, and that is a physical activity. 

Then sawmu Ramadan, that is to fast... another physical activity. Here, we prohibit ourselves from eating and drinking from dawn to sunset, you get tired and exhausted. Your body is not like when you are eating and drinking - - you feel less power. So it is an action of physical activity. 

Then Hajj, in which you go to the Ka'aba in Makkah and make Tawaaf, make Sa'ayee between Safa and Marwa, the stay at Mina, and the plains of Arafat.. physical activities. 

For us to reach maqaamul (station of) Ihsaan, the Station of worshipping Allah as if we see Him, the above activities are significant steps but not enough. For this, in addition to Islam as defined in the above 5 pillars, we also need to have and/or inculcate Imaan (faith) in our life. Imaan.. Faith is largely/mainly about belief in the unseen... that is to say we must believe in :-

(1).Allah Ta'ala 

(2) His Angels

(3) His Books

(4) His Prophets

(5) The Last Day of Judgement 

(6) In Destiny, its good and its bad, from Allah Ta'ala. 

We cannot see Allah, the Creator, but we can see His creation and from that we know He is there! That is maqaamul Tawheed.. We see His Oneness in everything. 

When Islam's physical activities and Imaan, as subtle part of the religion, connect or combine together, they produce something called IHSAAN: Included in the station of Ihsaan are:

(a) Muraqabah : Observation/meditation and 

(b) Mushahada : Witnessing/Vision. 

Where (a) and (b) above synchronize, you will then be able to comtemplate on the creation of Heavens and Earth. When you remember Allah, Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala, you remember Him in your Islam, in your obedience, in your praying to Him, you remember Him in your state of Ihsaan... In other words, be of

"those who remember Allah (always, and in prayers) standing, sitting and lying on their sides, and comtemplating the creation of the Heavens and Earth, (saying), 'Our Lord! You have not created (all) this without purpose! Glory to You! Give us salvation from the torment of the Fire"(Aali Imran, 3:190/191).

After Sheikh Hisham Kabbani. 

Ramadan Series Lectures, 2014, 1st July, 2014.Fenton Zawiya, Michigan.