What is Islam?

To understand Islam, we need to know what it actually is, for this reason one must be familiar with the “Jibreel hadith”. This hadith is called Umm ul hadith or Mother of All Hadithes. Islam is founded upon this hadith.
On the authority of 'Umar, radiyallahu 'anhu, who said:
"While we were one day sitting with the Messenger of Allah, sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam, there appeared before us a man dressed in extremely white clothes and with very black hair. No traces of journeying were visible on him, and none of us knew him.
He sat down close by the Prophet, sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam, rested his knee against his thighs, and said, O Muhammad! Inform me about Islam." Said the Messenger of Allah, sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam, "Islam is that you should testify that there is no deity save Allah and that Muhammad is His Messenger, that you should perform salah (ritual prayer), pay the zakah, fast during Ramadan, and perform Hajj (pilgrimage) to the House (the Ka'bah at Makkah), if you can find a way to it (or find the means for making the journey to it)." Said he (the man), "You have spoken truly."
We were astonished at his thus questioning him and telling him that he was right, but he went on to say, "Inform me about iman (faith)." He (the Messenger of Allah) answered, "It is that you believe in Allah and His angels and His Books and His Messengers and in the Last Day, and in fate (qadar), both in its good and in its evil aspects." He said, "You have spoken truly."
Then he (the man) said, "Inform me about Ihsan." He (the Messenger of Allah) answered, " It is that you should serve Allah as though you could see Him, for though you cannot see Him yet He sees you." He said, "Inform me about the Hour." He (the Messenger of Allah) said, "About that the one questioned knows no more than the questioner." So he said, "Well, inform me about the signs thereof (i.e. of its coming)." Said he, "They are that the slave-girl will give birth to her mistress, that you will see the barefooted ones, the naked, the destitute, the herdsmen of the sheep (competing with each other) in raising lofty buildings." Thereupon the man went off.
I waited a while, and then he (the Messenger of Allah) said, "O 'Umar, do you know who that questioner was?" I replied, "Allah and His Messenger know better." He said, "That was Jibril. He came to teach you your religion.""
(Muslim hadith)
Now to understand this hadith fully one needs to understand the following concepts too.

Islam is made up of 4 components:

•    Aqaaid - (Scholastic Theology/Dogma/Fundamental Beliefs) Aqeedah is the singular whereas Aqaaid is plural.
•    Fiqh/Muaamilath (Jurisprudence/Legal matters/External law/dealings)
•    Akhlaaq (Spirituality/Ihsaan/tasawwuf/purification of the self/ self rectification)
•    Ibadaath (Worships)

If you imagine a pie chart of Islam, then:
-    Aqeedah (Beliefs) would make up about 2% of the Islam. Though its only 2%, it is a VERY important component, since if the Belief system is wrong, it can lead one to Hell and paths of Kufr (disbelief).
-    Fiqh would make up about 60% of the total Islam. Fiqh means Islam. Fiqh is the deep and subtle understanding and interpretation of     the Primary sources of law- i.e. Quran and Sunnah. It covers laws, e.g. Marriage, divorce, business dealings, international law, crime and punishment, inheritance and so on. It’s the letter of the law.
-    Akhlaaq covers about 23% of the total pie chart. This is the spiritual aspect of Islam that deals with self rectification and purifying our hearts. It’s the spirit of the law. It’s also called Ihsaan and Tasawwuf or Sufism. Ihsaan is worshipping Allah as if you see Him, surely if you don’t see Him, He sees you.
-    Ibadaath covers the remaining 15% of the total.

Although on surface they may look separate, but they are all intertwined. For example a hadith states that “Actions are based in Intentions”. It means the intention determines the value of any action. So anything that we do the intention has to be for the pleasure of Allah. Example: If a person learns islam and becomes a big scholar, but the intention are that people call him great and knowledgeable, then that action has gone to waste, since that intention is not to learn islam to spread the Truth for the Pleasure of Allah, but rather its for self glory. So instead of being rewarded by Allah, such a person is actually punished.
Hence the concept of Worship in Islam is that anything that a person does for the pleasure of Allah is considered as worship. That is the concept of worship in Islam. Example if a person is working and earning his rizq (sustenance) in a halal way then that work is also considered as Ibadah (worship). Looking after your family is worship, kind words to someone is worship, even picking up a thorn from the road so it doesn’t hurt others is considered worship if the intention is to please Allah. So following the commands of God with the intention to please Him and to be obedient to Him is worship. Following any laws of Shariah (Divine Law) is worship, weather it be marriage, business, divorce, charity, zakat, prayers etc etc.
Sincerity for Allah is they key.

Having covered the concept of worship, we now focus on the 3 major components that make up Islam.
Each of these has some Schools of Thought in them.

•    FIQH
Fiqh means Islam. Fiqh is the deep and subtle understanding and interpretation of     the Primary sources of law- i.e. Quran and Sunnah. It is the letter of the law. The     4 schools are collectively known as Ahlus Sunnah wal Jammah- also known as     SUNNI muslims. There are 4 main schools of thought in Fiqh. They are:

1.    Hanafi
2.    Shafi
3.    Maliki
4.    Hanbali

The Ahlus Sunnah wal jamaah is like ONE highway with many lanes. Different lanes but still one highway and one direction. It has watertight borders. Anyone within the lanes are all fine, but anyone outside it would be called Ahl e Bidah (People of Innovation).

The difference between a sect and a school of thought is that sects say that ONLY we are right and others wrong. The Sunnis say that the 4 schools of thought are ALL correct and don’t contradict each other. How do we know what is right if everyone says they are right? Answer is: Prophet (sa) said that the majority of my Ummah will never collectively agree to something that is wrong (batil). Ahlus Sunnah wal Jammah makes up the majority of muslims.
The ones that fall outside this main highway body are salafis, wahabis, some shias and many other sects.

•    AQAID/AQEEDAH means basic fundamental principles. The proper name is Ilm ul Qalam (Scholastic theology). It is the belief system of what a Muslim SHOUD believe in. It’s the dogma.
In Aqeeda there are 3 main schools of thought:

- Salaf as saliheen (the first 3 generations)
- Maturudi
- Ashari

The Maturudi and Ashari both follow the Salaf as Saliheen, as that is the base. There is not a major difference between the Ashari and Maturudi.
The Hanafis follow the Maturidi, whereas the Shafi, Maliki and Hanbali follow the Ashari School of thought of Aqeedah.

Most Pakistanis are Hanafis in fiqh, so they follow the Maturudi school of thought in Aqeedah. Imam Abu Hanifa wrote Fiqh Al Akbar. Here is the link that is helpful in understanding what Hanafi Aqeedah is.
http://www.islamawareness.net/Madhab/Hanafi/al_akbar.html

It is extremely important to get the Aqeedah right…as a wrong belief or even a doubt in some aspects of our belief can lead one to Kufr and therefore Hell. Aqeedah comprises of about 2% of Islam, but it is a fundamental and extremely important 2% of it.

•    AKHLAQ/TASAWWUF

Just like there are schools of thoughts in fiqh (law) and Aqeedah (beliefs), similarly there are also schools of thought in Tasawwuf or Sufism.
The major ones are:
-    Naqshbandi
-    Shadiliya
-    Qadiriya
-    Chishtia
-    And some others.

The subject matter dealt with by Tasawwuf is Tahzeeb-e Akhlaaq or the adornment of character while the motive of this branch of the Shari'at is the attainment of Divine Pleasure. The method of acquisition of this Divine Pleasure is total obedience to the commands of the Shari'at.

Tasawwuf in fact is the rooh (soul) and state of perfection of the Deen. Its function is to purify the Baatin (the heart) of man from the lowly bestial attributes of lust, calamities of the tongue, anger, malice, jealousy, love of the world, love for fame, niggardliness, greed, ostentation, vanity, deception, etc. At the same time it (Tasawwuf) aims at the adornment of the heart with the lofty attributes of repentance, perseverance, gratefulness, fear of Allah, hope, abstention, Tauheed, trust, love sincerity, truth, meditation, reckoning, contemplation, etc. In this way, attention towards Allah Ta'ala is inculcated in man. This is in fact the purpose of life. Tasawwuf or Tareeqat is therefore not at all negatory of the Deen and Shari'at. On the contrary it is incumbent for every Muslim to become a Sufi (one who follows the path of Tasawwuf). Minus Tasawwuf, a Muslim cannot truly be described as a perfect Muslim.

For more info check out the link:
http://www.islaam.org/Tasawwuf/Tas_con.htm

HOW DOES IT ALL LINK TO THE JIBRIL HADITH?

We mentioned the Jibreel hadith in the start of the notes. How do all this Fiqh, Aqeedah, and Akhlaaq fit into the Jibreel hadith?

Well, the:

-    The ISLAM part of the hadith corresponds to the FIQH aspect of Islam.
-    The IMAN part of the hadith corresponds to the AQEEDAH aspect of Islam.
-    The IHSAAN part of hadith corresponds to the TASAWWUF aspect of Islam.

Since Islam is the external Ibadath, the Fiqh or legal side of things deal with those aspects of Shairah. Those who follow Islam (i.e. the 5 pillars) are called Muslims. Note that the 5 pillars are all physical acts.
The Iman is the belief system hence dealt with the Aqeedah issues of what a person should believe in. Note that those who follow IMAN are called Momins. Iman is the belief in the Unseen aspect of things (ie 6 pillars of faith- Belief in Allah, the angels, the messengers, the books, destiny both good and bad come from Allah, and Day of Judgement).
The Ihsaan side of hadith deals with Tasawwuf. It is being God conscious all the time. Those who follow Ihsaan are called Mohsins.

THEREFORE, that hadith as set the foundations of Islam thus proving that all the 3 elements- FIQH, AQEEDAH and TASAWWUF, are necessary in practising and understanding Islam-

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