Dars 2 - Dars-e-Hadith by Mufti Zahid Hussain

This lecture details the foundational concepts of Islam, iman, and ihsan as presented in the tradition of the Prophet Muhammad. It explains that Islam consists of the shahada, the five daily prayers, zakat, fasting in Ramadan, and the Hajj for those with the physical and financial means to perform it. Iman is defined as belief in Allah, His angels (mala'ika), His books, His messengers, the final day, and qadr (destiny), including both its good and evil aspects. The work emphasizes that all things are created by Allah, and rejecting the belief in destiny is considered a grave error.

The lecture further explores ihsan as the attainment of ikhlas (sincerity) in worship. It teaches that one should worship Allah as if seeing Him directly, and if that level of consciousness is not achieved, one must remain aware that Allah is constantly watching. This state of awareness is described as a means to transform all aspects of life into worship, provided the intention is to serve Allah. The work also provides guidance on maintaining focus during prayer by visualizing the Kaaba, the Pulsirat, the presence of the Prophet, and the proximity of the angel of death and Allah Himself.

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Key topics & takeaways

Islam

• Definition of Islam — the work defines Islam as testifying to the shahada, establishing the five daily prayers, giving zakat, fasting during Ramadan, and performing Hajj once in a lifetime if able ▸7:18

Iman

• Components of iman — faith requires belief in Allah, His angels, His books, His messengers, the final day, and destiny ▸1:26
• Belief in angels — mala'ika is the plural of malak, meaning angel ▸1:26
• Belief in scriptures — this includes the suhuf-e-ashara revealed to Ibrahim, the Taurat, the Injil, the Zabur, and all other revealed scriptures ▸1:26
• Definition of a messenger — the term rasul includes all ambiya-e-kiram, though the work notes a distinction in the jumhur opinion where every rasul is a nabi but not every nabi is a rasul ▸3:07
• Imam Abu Hanifa’s position — the work notes that Imam Abu Hanifa considers rasul and nabi to be synonymous ▸3:07
• Belief in destiny — qadr means that which has been predetermined by Allah, and it is mandatory to believe that both good and evil are from Him ▸3:07
• The Qadariya sect — the work identifies this group as those who rejected the belief in qadr and claims they were regarded as kafir by the ulama ▸3:07
• Creation of the pen — the first thing Allah created was the qalam from the nur of the Prophet, which was then ordered to write everything that was and would be on the Lauh-e-Mahfuz ▸4:41
• The Quran and destiny — the Quran is described as a brief manifestation of the information written on the Lauh-e-Mahfuz, sent down over 23 years ▸4:41
• Difference from Christian belief — the work distinguishes the Islamic view that both good and evil destiny come from Allah from the Christian view that evil originates from shaitan ▸7:18
• Iman-e-mufassal — the work lists the full declaration of faith: Amantu billahi wa mala'ikatihi wa kutubihi wa rusulihi wal yawmil akhiri wal qadri khairihi wa sharrihi minallahi ta'ala wal ba'thi ba'dal maut ▸8:53

Ihsan

• Definition of ihsan — the work equates ihsan with ikhlas, meaning purity and sincerity of intention in worship ▸10:09
• Nature of worship — worship is an ihsan upon oneself, as Allah is free from the need of His creation ▸10:09
• The standard of sincerity — one should worship Allah as if seeing Him, or at least with the constant awareness that He is watching ▸11:38
• Intention in daily life — every action can become worship if the intention is to serve the command of Allah ▸11:38
• Visualization during prayer — the work suggests imagining the Kaaba in front, standing on the Pulsirat, the presence of the Prophet, the angel of death behind, and the proximity of Allah ▸14:28

The Hour

• Knowledge of the Day of Judgment — the Prophet stated that the one being questioned about the timing of the hour knows no more than the one asking ▸17:04