Home 
Contact 
Profile 
Videos 
Lecture given on 25th January 2005 at the Musolla al Zahrawi as part of the Islamic Awareness Week by Professor Omar Hasan Kasule.
ABSTRACT
Correct ‘aqiidat is the motivation and guidance for all righteous and beneficial attitudes and actions of a Muslim. In this paper because of shortage of time and space, we shall discuss only three manifestations of correct ‘aqiidat: equilibrium (i’itidaal), balance (tawaazun), and moderation (wastiyyat). The three concepts have essentially the same meaning.
Islam is a religion of equilibrium, al islam diin i’itidaal wa al tawazun. All forms of excess in religion, al ghuluwwu fi al ddiin[1] are shunned and are condemned, dhamm al ghuluw fi al ddiin[2] Islam encourages the middle path of moderation and considers extremes of any kind to be unhealthy.
Regarding pre-determination, qadar, Islam rejects the assertion that the human has no free will at all, jabriyyat, and the assertion that the human has complete unrestricted freedom of will and action, qadariyyat. It adopts the moderate position that Allah created humans and their actions[3]. Humans have limited freedom of action but their actions are within the will of Allah.
Regarding sins, dhunuub, and their punishment, Islam rejects the assertion that a believer is not punished for sins, marji iyyat. It also rejects the assertion that major sins are not forgivable, wa’idiyyat. It adopts the moderate position that Allah can forgive any sins except shirk[4]. Islam rejects the position of feeling security from Allah’s wrath, aman min ghadhab al llaah, and loss of hope in the mercy of Allah, ya as. It adopts a moderate position in which fear and hope are finely balanced.
Regarding Allah’s attributes, sifaat, Islam rejects humanizing divine attributes, tashbiih, and nullifying them by saying that Allah is above them, ta’atiil, It adopts the moderate position that Allah has the attributes that He gave Himself. It also affirms that Divine attributes are different from human attributes and that there is no resemblance or comparability between the two. The only comparability, tashaabuh, between divine attributes, sifaat al allah, and human attributes, sifaat al ‘abd, is the name only because the Qur’an teaches that that nothing is like Allah[5]. We as humans do not indulge in the analysis of the sifaat; we just believe and accept them as stated in the Qur’an. We desist from engaging in intellectual analysis that is beyond human capability and is confusing to the human mind. We leave any further interpretation to Allah. This moderate position was stated very clearly and precisely by Anas bins Malik when he said about the sifat of istiwa: ‘al istiwa ma’alum, wa al kaif majhuul, wa al iman bihi waajib, wa al su al ‘anhu bid’at’. We affirm the names and attributes and assert that they are for Allah alone, ithbaat al asma wa al sifaat ma’a al tanziih. We do not engage in interpreting them, ta’awil al asma wa al sifaat.
Moderation on other concepts and practices: Dr Yusuf al Qaradhawi[6] explained that Islam establishes due equilibrium between divinity, rabbaaniyyat and humanity, insaniyyat; between spirituality, ruuhaniyyat and materialism, maadiyyat; between revelation, wahy, and intellect, ‘aql; between the afterlife, akhrawiyyat, and the earthly, duniyawiyyat; between individualism, fardiyyat, and communalism, jamaa’iyyat; between the ideal, al mithaliyyat, and the reality, waaqi’iyyat; between the past, al maadhiyyat and the futuristic, mustaqbaliyyat; between responsibility, al mas uliyyat, and freedom, hurriyyat; between following, al ittiba’u, and innovation, ibtida’u; between duties, al waajibaat, and rights, al huquuq; between stability, al thabaat, and change, al taghyiir; between knowledge, al ‘ilm and belief, imaan; between right, al haqq and might, quwwat; between al ‘aqiidat and action, ‘amal; between religion, al ddiin and state, al dawlat; between control by faith, waazi’u al iman, and control by authority, waazi’u al sultan; between material innovations, al ibada’u al maadi and moral ascendancy, al sumuwu al khulqi; between military power, al quwwat al ‘askariyyat, and morale, al ruuh al ma’anawiyyat.
FOOTNOTE
1 Ahmad 1:215, 347
2 Nisa:171, Maidat:77
3 Safat:96
4 Nisa:48, Nisa:116
5 Shura:11
6 Lecture at the 5th International Conference on Islamic Medicine Kuwait 1988.