Summary of Sunni concepts | 53- Concepts about the characteristics of religion

0:00 Summary of the Core Concepts of Ahl al-Sunnah

0:09 Comprehensiveness and Perfection

0:12 Religion encompasses the creedal domain,

0:15 the devotional domain,

0:17 and the behavioral domain.

0:19 These domains are intrinsically inseparable,

0:21 because religion emanates from Allah, Almighty and Majestic, the All-Knowing, the All-Aware,

0:26 Who knows what has been and what is to come,

0:29 and Who knows what brings rectitude to His servants in their worldly life and their Hereafter,

0:32 and thus legislates it for them,

0:34 as well as what harms them, and thus forbids them from it.

0:37 This applies across every time and place.

0:40 Therefore, it arrived comprehensive of everything they require,

0:44 giving full consideration to their human nature and capacity.

0:49 Allah Almighty says:

0:50 “There is not an animal in the earth, nor a flying creature flying on two wings, but they are peoples like unto you. We have neglected nothing in the Book (of Our decrees). Then unto their Lord they will be gathered.” (6:38)

0:54 And He, Glorified be He, says:

0:56 “Forbidden unto you (for food) are carrion and blood and swineflesh, and that which hath been dedicated unto any other than Allah, and the strangled, and the dead through beating, and the dead through falling from a height, and that which hath been killed by (the goring of) horns, and the devoured of wild beasts, saving that which ye make lawful (by the death-stroke), and that which hath been immolated unto idols. And (forbidden is it) that ye swear by the divining arrows. This is an abomination. This day are those who disbelieve in despair of (ever harming) your religion; so fear them not, fear Me! This day have I perfected your religion for you and completed My favour unto you, and have chosen for you as religion al-Islam. Whoso is forced by hunger, not by will, to sin: (for him) lo! Allah is Forgiving, Merciful.” (5:3)

1:01 “Forbidden unto you (for food) are carrion and blood and swineflesh, and that which hath been dedicated unto any other than Allah, and the strangled, and the dead through beating, and the dead through falling from a height, and that which hath been killed by (the goring of) horns, and the devoured of wild beasts, saving that which ye make lawful (by the death-stroke), and that which hath been immolated unto idols. And (forbidden is it) that ye swear by the divining arrows. This is an abomination. This day are those who disbelieve in despair of (ever harming) your religion; so fear them not, fear Me! This day have I perfected your religion for you and completed My favour unto you, and have chosen for you as religion al-Islam. Whoso is forced by hunger, not by will, to sin: (for him) lo! Allah is Forgiving, Merciful.” (5:3)

1:04 Islam is an integrated, holistic system.

1:07 Its texts, directives, and legislations all function in unified harmony;

1:12 its constituent parts cannot be taken selectively or piecemeal.

1:15 It establishes its systems so that they operate simultaneously as one,

1:19 integrating and orchestrating in complete harmony.

1:24 Universal Human Scope

1:28 By virtue of being a comprehensive religion emanating from Allah, Almighty and Majestic,

1:31 it addresses all humanity,

1:33 and is not exclusive to one group over another.

1:36 For this reason, Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) was the Seal of the Prophets,

1:41 and there is no prophet after him,

1:43 because he was sent to all people,

1:46 bearing a perfected Law suitable for every time and place.

1:51 Allah Almighty says:

1:53 “We sent thee not save as a mercy for the peoples.” (21:107)

1:57 And He, Almighty and Majestic, says:

1:59 “And We have not sent thee (O Muhammad) save as a bringer of good tidings and a warner unto all mankind; but most of mankind know not.” (34:28)

2:06 "But most of mankind do not know."

2:10 Thus, this religion was ordained to be dominant and manifest over all religions.

2:15 Allah Almighty says:

2:17 “And unto thee have We revealed the Scripture with the truth, confirming whatever Scripture was before it, and a watcher over it. So judge between them by that which Allah hath revealed, and follow not their desires away from the truth which hath come unto thee. For each We have appointed a divine law and a traced-out way. Had Allah willed He could have made you one community. But that He may try you by that which He hath given you (He hath made you as ye are). So vie one with another in good works. Unto Allah ye will all return, and He will then inform you of that wherein ye differ.” (5:48)

2:20 “And unto thee have We revealed the Scripture with the truth, confirming whatever Scripture was before it, and a watcher over it. So judge between them by that which Allah hath revealed, and follow not their desires away from the truth which hath come unto thee. For each We have appointed a divine law and a traced-out way. Had Allah willed He could have made you one community. But that He may try you by that which He hath given you (He hath made you as ye are). So vie one with another in good works. Unto Allah ye will all return, and He will then inform you of that wherein ye differ.” (5:48)

2:25 And He says:

2:26 "That He may make it triumphant over all religions, even though the polytheists dislike it."

2:33 Islam is a complete way of life.

2:37 Islam is a complete way of life.

2:39 Because it is a comprehensive system;

2:41 it did not come merely to regulate a single aspect of human affairs

2:45 while neglecting the rest.

2:48 Rather, it provided a complete system that regulates all of life,

2:52 leaving out no single affair whatsoever.

2:56 In it lies everything humans require in their social, economic, and political systems,

3:03 in states of peace and war,

3:05 and in all other affairs of life.

3:08 Furthermore, Islam is a complete way of life

3:10 because it is a realistic system

3:12 that accommodates, across all the aforementioned regulations,

3:16 the actual reality of human nature and the dispositions of human souls.

3:20 It does not burden people with obligations that contradict their soul and humanity.

3:25 It is likewise a complete way of life

3:28 because it is the sole religion that provides man with the correct world-view regarding existence and life,

3:34 man's true standing within it,

3:36 and his ultimate purpose and destiny.

3:38 It provides him with the framework by which he manages his life's affairs

3:43 with happiness, justice, and balance.

3:48 Justice and balance in this religion

3:52 constitute one of its greatest and most elevated characteristics,

3:56 for it never allows one dimension to overpower another.

4:00 Rather, it is balanced, just, and optimal;

4:03 whoever adheres to it will find their life rectified upon the scales of justice,

4:07 free from both excess and negligence.

4:10 On the contrary, it is balanced and moderate across all its rites and legislations.

4:14 Allah Almighty says:

4:16 “Thus We have appointed you a middle nation, that ye may be witnesses against mankind, and that the messenger may be a witness against you. And We appointed the qiblah which ye formerly observed only that We might know him who followeth the messenger, from him who turneth on his heels. In truth it was a hard (test) save for those whom Allah guided. But it was not Allah's purpose that your faith should be in vain, for Allah is Full of Pity, Merciful toward mankind.” (2:143)

4:20 And He, Glorified be He, says:

4:22 “Allah it is Who hath revealed the Scripture with truth, and the Balance. How canst thou know? It may be that the Hour is nigh.” (42:17)

4:27 And Allah Almighty says:

4:29 "And He has set up the Balance."

4:31 Through this and its other characteristics,

4:34 it elevates and ascends to the absolute peak in creedal concept and morals,

4:39 whereas man-made, ignorant systems descend and plummet to the very bottom,

4:44 their flaws, contradictions, and corruption laid bare,

4:48 because they are severed from the Divine Source that is entirely free from ignorance, injustice, and caprice—

4:54 the All-Knowing, the All-Wise.

4:56 "Does He Who created not know, while He is the Subtle, the All-Aware?"

5:02 Pure Monotheism (Tawhid)

5:05 This is the paramount foundational characteristic.

5:08 Because it rests upon the tawhid of Allah, Almighty and Majestic,

5:11 singling Him out exclusively in worship and in receiving guidance, without any partner,

5:16 all its concepts arrived pure and untainted,

5:19 in which the Muslim finds true comfort and tranquility.

5:22 All this reflects directly upon the purity of one's world-view,

5:26 the purity of one's conduct,

5:28 the soundness of one's criteria and rulings,

5:30 and everything required across life's affairs,

5:34 safeguarding a person from the confusion in which the polytheists and disbelievers flounder—

5:38 worshipping other than Allah Almighty, such as idols and men,

5:43 or adopting man-made systems as lords besides Allah Almighty.

5:50 The True Nature of This Religion

5:53 It is a religion established upon the foundation of absolute, singular Divinity

5:57 across all its rites, legislations, and structural frameworks.

6:01 It is the comprehensive system governing the entirety of life in all its dimensions,

6:06 originating from the principle of Divine Oneness and total servitude to Allah alone.

6:12 Under the shade of this system,

6:14 diverse communities can submit to its general overarching order

6:19 and its framework built upon servitude to Allah alone,

6:24 even if these communities have not personally embraced the creed of Islam.

6:30 The Transformative, Not Piecemeal, Nature of This System

6:33 It is radical and transformative, not compensatory or superficial.

6:36 Islam is a unique, unparalleled framework for life,

6:39 wholly distinct from what the world experienced during periods of tragic secular rupture.

6:44 It is a comprehensive, integrated, and authentic system;

6:48 it did not come merely to make minor adjustments or patch up a few violations.

6:53 It is a foundational world-view and creed

6:55 from which emanates a complete way of life and an all-encompassing system for all human affairs.

7:01 Consequently,

7:02 it alone is qualified for the monumental task of re-establishing human life

7:07 upon the foundation of exclusive servitude to Allah alone, without partner.

7:13 System and Order

7:17 In every system other than the Divine Islamic system,

7:21 human beings inevitably end up worshipping one another in some form or another.

7:25 In the Islamic system alone,

7:28 humanity is liberated from the servitude of man to man

7:31 and elevated to the worship of Allah alone,

7:34 receiving guidance from Him alone,

7:36 and submitting to Him alone.

7:38 Allah Almighty says:

7:40 "Say: Indeed, my prayer, my rites of sacrifice, my living, and my dying are all for Allah, Lord of the worlds."

7:46 "He has no partner."

7:48 “He hath no partner. This am I commanded, and I am first of those who surrender (unto Him).” (6:163)

7:54 The Sacred Law (Sharia) of Allah Almighty

7:58 It signifies everything that Allah, Almighty and Majestic, has ordained

8:01 to regulate human life.

8:03 This manifests in the foundational principles of creed,

8:06 the principles of morals and conduct,

8:09 the principles of governance,

8:10 the principles of economics,

8:12 and the principles of epistemology.

8:14 He, Glorified be He, says:

8:16 “And now have We set thee (O Muhammad) on a clear road of (Our) commandment; so follow it, and follow not the whims of those who know not.” (45:18)

8:21 From this, it becomes clear that defining the Sacred Law

8:24 as merely judicial rulings and prescribed legal punishments

8:27 is an incomplete and deficient definition.

8:29 Rather, the Sharia is the supreme governing framework,

8:31 abrogation of all that preceded it,

8:33 and superior to all else.

8:37 Corruption

8:40 The ultimate head and fountainhead of corruption

8:41 is the worship of other than Allah, Almighty and Majestic,

8:44 and deviation from the Divine system He chose

8:47 to govern and direct human life.

8:50 This is the critical crossroad

8:52 that inevitably leads straight to corruption.

8:55 For the affairs of this earth and those upon it can never be rectified

8:59 so long as Allah's guidance is excluded from directing them,

9:02 and Allah's Sacred Law is sidelined from human life.

9:06 When that occurs, total corruption spreads across souls and circumstances,

9:10 across life and livelihoods,

9:12 and across the entire earth and all the people and things upon it.

9:17 “And if the Truth had followed their desires, verily the heavens and the earth and whosoever is therein had been corrupted. Nay, We have brought them their Reminder, but from their Reminder they now turn away.” (23:71)

9:20 “And if the Truth had followed their desires, verily the heavens and the earth and whosoever is therein had been corrupted. Nay, We have brought them their Reminder, but from their Reminder they now turn away.” (23:71)

9:24 “And if the Truth had followed their desires, verily the heavens and the earth and whosoever is therein had been corrupted. Nay, We have brought them their Reminder, but from their Reminder they now turn away.” (23:71)

9:32 The Dividing Line Between This Religion and All Other Systems

9:37 The fundamental dividing line lies in the fact that in the Islamic order of life,

9:43 people worship a single, unique God,

9:45 singling Him out in His Lordship, His Divinity,

9:48 and His absolute authority in every sense of the word.

9:51 Thus, they derive their concepts, values,

9:55 criteria, laws, systems,

9:58 directives, morals, and manners from Him alone.

10:01 By contrast, in all other man-made systems,

10:04 people worship disparate gods and lords,

10:08 granting them ultimate authority over themselves instead of Allah,

10:12 and deriving from them their concepts, understandings, systems,

10:17 laws, manners, and ethics.

10:20 By so deriving, they effectively grant these lords the right of divinity and lordship,

10:25 even though such rulers are human beings like themselves—

10:27 created servants, just as they are created servants.

10:32 When are people truly living within the religion of Allah Almighty?

10:37 When the overarching system that directs the entirety of people's lives

10:41 is received directly from Allah, Almighty and Majestic,

10:44 and emanates from a Divine creedal world-view,

10:48 then they are truly residing within the religion of Allah.

10:51 But if the system directing their lives

10:54 is manufactured by a king, a president,

10:56 a prince, a tribal chief, or the populace,

11:00 and emanates from a human ideology or concept,

11:04 then they are not living within the religion of Allah;

11:06 rather, they are living within the religion of the king, the religion of the prince,

11:09 the religion of the tribe, or the religion of the populace.

11:13 Allah Almighty says regarding the political system during the era of the king

11:16 under whom Joseph (peace be upon him) served as minister:

11:20 “Then he (Joseph) began the search with their bags before his brother's bag, then he produced it from his brother's bag. Thus did We contrive for Joseph. He could not have taken his brother according to the king's law unless Allah willed. We raise by grades (of mercy) whom We will, and over every lord of knowledge there is one more knowing.” (12:76)

11:24 Meaning: within his political order and law.

11:29 The Unity of the Human Personality and the Unity of Its Methodology

11:34 Indeed, the human personality

11:36 is a single, unified entity in its nature and core existence,

11:41 and all its functions ought to be carried out on this unified basis.

11:45 A personality's actions can never achieve balance,

11:48 nor can its steps proceed in harmony,

11:51 except when it is governed by a single, unified system

11:54 emanating at its core from a single, unified world-view.

11:58 However, when a person's conscience and inner feeling are governed by one law,

12:02 while their external reality and actions are governed by an entirely different law—

12:06 where external reality reflects human concepts,

12:09 while inner conscience reflects Allah's revelation—

12:12 then this personality falls victim to a state akin to schizophrenia.

12:17 It lives in a state of deep psychological conflict,

12:20 torn between its emotional, spiritual reality

12:24 and its practical, real-world application in life.

12:27 This is precisely what we witness today in the most materially advanced nations of Europe and America—

12:32 rampant misery, deep anxiety, and surging suicide rates.

12:35 Such is the tragic fate of anyone who lives under such a disastrous rupture.

12:45 Indeed, the religion of Allah was never meant to serve as a mere servant,

12:48 He stands in the presence of his masters, directed by them wherever they wish.

12:53 They banish him from their presence,

12:55 So he departs and stands behind the door among the servants' quarters,

12:59 At their beck and call, awaiting summons for service whenever they desire,

13:04 Promptly answering the call,

13:06 Just as those who sell their religion from among the claimants to knowledge do.

13:10 Far from it! Indeed, the religion of Allah accepts nothing less than being a dominant, supreme master—

13:16 Mighty, dignified, and authoritative;

13:19 A ruler, not the ruled;

13:22 A leader, not the led.

13:24 It refuses to debase itself to become a mere vessel

13:27 Ridden by tyrants,

13:29 Who employ it to justify their oppression and tyranny.

13:33 And only on that day

13:35 Will it fulfill its role completely, as Allah, Mighty and Majestic, intended:

13:39 The role of the governing master,

13:41 Not the role of the subservient attendant.

13:46 The Relationship of Religion to Science, Reason, and Civilization:

13:51 True religion is by no means an enemy to science, civilization, or reason;

13:56 Rather, it serves as the overarching framework for all of them—

13:59 Their framework and central axis that governs every affair of life.

14:03 Indeed, the religion of Islam was

14:05 The comprehensive declaration of the freedom of the human mind

14:09 Toward the material universe and its physical laws, which Allah, Mighty and Majestic, subjected for this human being.

14:16 As for false religion—

14:18 Such as the religion of the Church and its medieval superstitions,

14:22 Which was indeed an enemy to science and reason—

14:26 It is what caused secularists and atheist communists to overgeneralize

14:32 With the notion that any religion is inherently opposed to science, reason, and civilization.

14:38 Thus, a correct understanding of the relationship between Islam, science, and reason

14:43 Refutes the baseless misconceptions of the hypocrites and secularists,

14:47 In which they falsely attribute every instance of the Ummah's backwardness to its adherence to religion

14:53 And its steadfastness upon the way of the salaf of the Ummah,

14:56 Who held fast to the Divine Law in creed and morals.

15:00 And Allah, Mighty and Majestic, has said regarding the likes of these:

15:05 “Wheresoever ye may be, death will overtake you, even though ye were in lofty towers. Yet if a happy thing befalleth them they say: This is from Allah; and if an evil thing befalleth them they say: This is of thy doing (O Muhammad). Say (unto them): All is from Allah. What is amiss with these people that they come not nigh to understand a happening?” (4:78)

15:10 “Wheresoever ye may be, death will overtake you, even though ye were in lofty towers. Yet if a happy thing befalleth them they say: This is from Allah; and if an evil thing befalleth them they say: This is of thy doing (O Muhammad). Say (unto them): All is from Allah. What is amiss with these people that they come not nigh to understand a happening?” (4:78)

15:13 "What is [wrong] with these people that they can hardly understand any statement?"

15:19 The reality of the Ummah is the exact opposite of what they falsely claim;

15:23 For when it was holding fast to its religion,

15:27 Implementing the Law of its Lord, and striving in His cause,

15:31 It was the most advanced of nations and the greatest in civilization and progress across all fields of life.

15:38 But when it abandoned its religion and turned away from the Law of its Lord and striving in His cause,

15:44 It became underdeveloped and a mere follower of others.

15:48 Thus, the cause of the Ummah's backwardness is its abandonment of religion, not its adherence to it.

15:55 Summary of the Concepts of Ahl al-Sunnah:

Summary of Sunni concepts | 53- Concepts about the characteristics of religion | Concepts (834-848)

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