Allah (SWT) said:” Alif Lam Min. This is the Book. In it is guidance sure, without doubt, to those who fear Allah; who believe in the unseen, are steadfast in prayer, spend out of what We have provided for them; and who believe in the Revelation sent to you (Muhammad) and sent before your time, and in their hearts have the assurance of the Hereafter. They are on (true guidance) from their Lord, and it is these who will prosper.” (Al-Baqarah: 1-5)
What makes a person a Muslim is his faith (iman), and subsequently, his feelings, thoughts, and deeds conform to the teachings of Islam, and thus, the person feels, thinks, and acts like a Muslim. In Islam, Faith (iman) is the conviction, the compliance, and the commitment to the religion, and with that, the internal living and external living of Islam, the total religious experience.
Thus, in Islam, faith (iman) is more than just a matter of believing; it is a belief based on firm conviction, a certitude. Conviction requires both knowledge and understanding. In Islam, it is the revelations that provide the knowledge, and the mind develops the understanding; thus, in Islam, both revelation and human thinking are necessary for true, authentic faith (iman). Indeed, the scripture, the Holy Qur’an, in particular, and the religion, in general, give serious attention to the nurturing of the mind and the development of the thought of man to help promote his intellectual submission, as elaborated earlier.
Upon this intellectual submission, spiritual submission grows and develops, is strengthened and promoted. Hence, faith (iman) in Islam involves both the dynamics of the mind and the dynamics of the spirit, encompassing thought and feeling. As such, blind beliefs, superstition, myth, and fantasies have no place in Islam.
Therefore, faith (iman) in Islam is not a matter of coincidences of birth, of sentimental attachments, of fraternity, let alone willy–nilly. Indeed, in Islam, faith (iman) is well-defined, structured, formulated, and institutionalized. At the level of the conceptual, it is called al-aqidah; at the level of the experience, it is called al-iman. As such, aqidah is the knowledge and the understanding of the religion, and iman is the experience and the living of the religion. Nonetheless, the two terms are sometimes used interchangeably. A Muslim should therefore be well-grounded in knowledge about religion and aqidah, so that this faith (iman) can grow properly. He cannot have one without the other; having only aqidah without iman means there is no living up to the religion, while having any iman without aqidah is tantamount to blind belief.
The scope and essence of aqidah and iman are beautifully encapsulated in the very first chapter of the Holy Qur’an, “The Opening” (Al-Fatiha), which is recited many times in Muslim life, in the daily formal prayers (Salah), as well as on many occasions, formal and informal.
In this very first chapter of the Holy Qur’an, Allah in all His Majesty and Might is invoked, praised, and glorified. His Sovereignty, Supremacy, and Authority as the Creator of all the worlds and realms are endorsed, and His Kindness, Mercy, and Generosity are celebrated. Al-Fatiha, therefore, establishes Allah Almighty in His Position as the Creator, Lord of all the worlds, of every body and everything, and therewith also establishes the person in his place as a creature among the creatures and creations of Allah Almighty. As such, this verse is also embraces all the links there are in the superstructure of Allah’s grand universe and of man’s part and connection to them, namely, his vertical link with Allah the Creator Almighty, as well as his horizontal link with fellow creatures and creations.
In this chapter (Al-Fatiha), the future destiny is also acknowledged when the Day of Judgment is mentioned, thereby reminding the person to be mindful of his future life. With that thought, a prayer (du’a) is invoked in the verse for Allah’s guidance, to guide the person consistently on the straight path. With this, too, the person’s lineal link to the past, the present, and the future is thereby appreciated. Along with that, through the verse, he beseeches the Almighty not to be angry with him, as He had been with some others. Above all, through this verse, the person renews his endorsement and vows of commitment to Allah the Lord Supreme – “You do we worship and Your aid we seek”. At the same time, this vow is also a proclamation of the person’s acknowledgement of his dependency upon Allah, the Supreme Lord Almighty, as well as an acknowledgement of his shortcomings as a human being.
Such is the comprehensiveness of this chapter of the Qur’an (Al-Fatiha), about the essence of the religion and faith that it is so aptly placed as the first chapter of the Holy Scripture and is recited so very often by the Muslims, in both sad and happy occasions, alone or in congregation, while sitting, standing, lying down, or moving about, anytime and anywhere, as long as it is recited decently and with the proper decorum. Indeed, no other verses and no other chapter of the Holy Qur’an are as often recited as Al-Fatiha.
Kamar Oniah Kamaruzaman
