I would like an understanding on the demands of Imaan?

Question

1.I would like an understanding on the demands of Imaan? We are taught that belief (Imaan) is our salvation and our actions is secondary and can be forgiven or after being punished (ALLAH  saves us).  What is the difference between our belief & the belief of shaytaan? as he was present among the angels, saw jannat knows very well the books and messengers.etc.?

2.Why is seafood halaal without slaughtering? my kafir friends want to know some logical explanation please?

3.I read that prior to Ali ra marriage, he lived with Nabie salalLLAHu alaihi wasalam in the same house?is this authentic? please explain?

Answer

Muhtaram / Muhtaramah

In the Name of Allāh, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

As-salāmu ‘alaykum wa-rahmatullāh wa-barakātuh.

A person enters into the fold of Islam by believing in the shahada and by reciting it. The shahada is the following:

اشهد أن لا اله ألا الله أشهد أن محمدا عبده ورسوله

I bear witness that there is no God but Allah and Muhammad is His servant and messenger.

The word Islam means ‘submission’. A believer who has Iman in his heart summits to the will of Allah and spends his life according to laws of Allah.

The demands of Iman are many. A simplified explanation of Iman is that a person lives his life in accordance with Shari’a and performs those actions which will earn him the pleasure of Allah.  A believer is he who has conviction in all the necessary creeds of Islam.  By denying any essential creed, a person goes out the folds of Islam.  For example, if a person claims he is a believer, but denies a fundamental creed such as Salat being compulsory, then he no longer remains in the fold of Islam and will be considered as an apostate.  However, if a person believes that salat is compulsory, but due to laziness and weakness of Iman, he does not perform it, he will still be a believer even though he will be committing a major sin.

The reason why Shaytan does not have Iman is due to the fact that he rejected a fundamental creed at that time when he was in Jannah.  Allah created Adam and told the Angels to prostrate to Adam.  As Shaytan was living amongst the angels, he was commanded to prostrate upon him also.  He refused to prostrate and objected to the command of Allah which constitutes kufr and disbelief.

2.  Allah is the All-Wise and All-Knowing.  The laws of Shari’a belong to Allah. And there is wisdom in every law.  Sometimes this wisdom is apparent to all and sundry, sometimes only the intellectuals can understand it, and at time times the wisdom is only known to Allah, the All-Wise.  As Muslims, we are not required to search and understand the wisdom behind the laws of Shari’a. In fact, a Muslims is asked to submit himself completely to the laws Shari’a without asking for its wisdoms and reasoning.  This is in fact true submission.

The reason why fish do not have to be slaughtered is not based on logic. Shari’a simply permits us to consume it without slaughtering it.  It is narrated in a hadith:

عن ابن عمر قال قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم أحلت لنا ميتتان ودمان فأما الميتتان فالحوت والجراد وأما الدمان فالكبد والطحال – سنن ابن ماجه ، مسند أحمد

Ibn Umar (Radiyallahu ‘Anhu) narrates that Rasulullah (Sallalahu ‘Alayhi Wasallam) said, “Two dead animals (carrions) and two bloods are made lawful for us.  The two dead animals are the fish and locust and the two bloods are liver and spleen. – (Ibn Majha, Ahmad)

One possible explanation a fish is not slaughtered is that  fish do not have flowing blood.  It is for this reason that if you put a fish in the sun, it does not become black like normal blooded animals, but it turns white.  The purpose of slaughtering an animal is to drain out the blood from the animal.

Fath al-Qadir (1/83) Dar al-Fikr

( قوله وموت ما يعيش في الماء إلخ ) هذه داخلة في المسألة قبلها لأن ما يعيش في الماء لا دم فيه ، ثم لا فرق بين أن يموت في الماء أو خارجه ثم ينقل إليه في الصحيح ، وغير الماء من المائعات كالماء لأن المنجس هو الدم ولا دم للمائي ، ولذا لو شمس دم السمك يبيض ولو كان دما لاسود . –  فتح القدير

3.  Ali (Radiyallahu ‘Anhu) was living with Rasulullah (Sallalahu ‘Alayhi Wasallam) and was under his guardianship before Rasulullah (Sallalahu ‘Alayhi Wasallam) received revelation.  Ibn Kathir writes in his renowned book Al-Bidaya wa al-Nihaya:

قال: وكان مما أنعم الله به على علي [ ومما صنع الله له، وأراده به من الخير ] أن قريشا أصابتهم أزمة شديدة، وكان أبو طالب ذا عيال كثيرة، فقال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم لعمه العباس – وكان من أيسر بني هاشم – ” يا عباس إن أخاك أبا طالب كثير العيال، وقد أصاب الناس ما ترى من هذه الازمة ، فانطلق [ بنا إليه ] حتى نخفف عنه من عياله فأخذ رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم عليا فضمه إليه، فلم يزل مع رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم حتى بعثه الله نبيا، فاتبعه علي وآمن به وصدقه. – البداية والنهاية

From the bounties many Allah had favored upon Ali (Radiyallahu ‘Anhu) one bounty was that the Quraysh were facing a severe crisis and Abu Talib was a man with many children.  Rasulullah (Sallalahu ‘Alayhi Wasallam) said to his uncle Abbas, “O Abbas, your brother Abu Talib is a person with many children and people are afflicted with this crisis that you see.  Come with me and let us help lessen his burden from his children.”  Then Rasulullah (Sallalahu ‘Alayhi Wasallam) chose Ali and joined him with himself.  Ali (Radiyallahu ‘Anhu) stayed with Rasulullah (Sallalahu ‘Alayhi Wasallam) until Allah chose him as a Messenger.  He then followed him and believed in him (become Muslims) and affirmed him. – Al-Bidaya wa al-Nihaya (3/76) Dar al-Hadith)

We could not locate any text stating that he remained with Rasulullah (Sallalahu ‘Alayhi Wasallam) until his marriage.

And Allah knows best
Darul Iftaa

Madrasah Inaa’miyya