Lesson Five

The Qualities of a Muslim

Bismillah, Elhamdulillah, Vessalatu Vesselamu Ala Rasulillah,

Most dear and honoured viewers! Today I shall try to explain to you what faith, Islam, the believer and the Muslim are: how a person should be, what the qualities of a Muslim are, and what he should do.

So, what is the origin of the word Muslim? Let us look at it. The word Muslim goes back to the root s-l-m. Silm means peace; it means calm and tranquillity. The word teslim, submission, also derives from this same root s-l-m. Within the meaning of the word Muslim there is also submission.

Submission means devotion to a thought, a belief, a cause or a conviction. So the word Muslim carries both the meaning of silm — that is, peace, calm and serenity — and the meaning of submission and devotion.

The first step to becoming a Muslim is to say the phrase 'La ilahe illallah'. As you know, we call this phrase the word of tevhid. Tevhid means to affirm the oneness of Allah and to know Allah as One. This is the word of faith; it is the word that carries a person to Paradise and is the very key to Paradise.

The meaning of 'La ilahe illallah' is: there is no deity except Allah. A deity is that which is worshipped, whose command is never overstepped, for whose sake one dies, and whose every word is carried out.

Lesson Five

The Qualities of a Muslim (continued)

People's deities can differ. For a person devoted to money, who does anything for its sake the moment he sees it, money is his deity. For a person devoted to women, who does anything at the mention of a woman, woman is his deity. For one who does anything to be applauded, applause is his deity. And for a person who sacrifices everything for the sake of rank, rank has been turned into a deity.

When a Muslim says 'La ilahe illallah', he is in effect saying: apart from Allah I bow to no power, no rank, neither to money nor to any other might. I say la, I say no, to everything. I submit to Allah alone. I have become a servant of Allah; I have believed in Him, trusted in Him, followed His command and surrendered to Him.

Because the phrase 'La ilahe illallah' frees a person from every other attachment and binds him to Allah, it grants him freedom in the truest sense. Whoever says these words, affirms their meaning with his heart, believes inwardly and speaks with his tongue, is truly free and at peace — for he fears no one but Allah, surrenders to no evil, and shrinks back from nothing.

The Muslim, then, is the person who, after affirming and accepting the meanings of this word with his heart and believing in it, speaks his belief with his tongue and reflects it outwardly through his conduct.

Lesson Five

The Qualities of a Muslim (continued)

The Muslim is a person who has attained inner peace, who is at peace with Allah and has surrendered to Him. He has found that peace and reached happiness. He carries this happiness within him out to others; he teaches it to people and becomes an example for them.

'La ilahe illallah' is an exceedingly beautiful and precious word. It is so beautiful that Musa aleyhisselam — who was honoured with the direct speech of Allah, who is called Kelimullah and who is among the great prophets known as the ulü'l-azm — once turned to his Lord with a request.

Musa aleyhisselam prayed to Cenab-ı Hak thus: O my Lord, You chose me as a prophet and made me Kelimullah. Grant me a word that You have given to no one, a word most beloved to You, that I may remember You with it night and day. Allahü Zülcelal commanded: O Musa, say 'La ilahe illallah'.

When Musa aleyhisselam said: O my Lord, every believing servant of Yours says this; I had asked for the word most precious in Your sight, which You have given to no one — Allahü Teala replied: Even so, O Musa, in My sight there is no word more precious than 'La ilahe illallah'.

So you see, 'La ilahe illallah' is the word most beloved and most precious to Allah. Elhamdulillah, we are able to say it with ease. In truth, saying 'La ilahe illallah' is not so easy. It comes easily to us because we say it constantly; yet there are many people who cannot say it at all.

Lesson Five

The Qualities of a Muslim (continued)

As I tried to mention at the outset, there are people who have submitted to their lower self, who have fallen into certain fixations and become captives of their desires. Those who could not say la to these things, who could not tear themselves away from their influence, cannot say 'La ilahe illallah, Muhammedün Resulullah'.

As you know, Ebu Cehil was among the geniuses of the Arabs. He was truly a man of brilliance. There are people of great intellect and superior mind whom we call the duhat of the Arabs. Yet Ebu Cehil could not bring himself to believe in our Prophet and in Allah; he could not say 'La ilahe illallah, Muhammedün Resulullah'. Why? Because he would not set his mind to work.

Ebu Cehil fell victim to his own pride and envy. Because he was among the richest, most intelligent and most powerful men of his time, he had grown used to exploiting the weak and having his every word obeyed.

Our Prophet sallallahu aleyhi ve sellem says: in Islam people are equal like the teeth of a comb. In the sight of Allah all people are equal in respect of being His servants. Ebu Cehil could not accept this; his arrogance could not stomach it. He said: am I to stand side by side, as an equal, with the man I hire and pay to work for me? I will never accept it. He was defeated by his arrogance and would not set his mind to work.

Lesson Five

The Qualities of a Muslim (continued)

In the same way, Ebu Leheb — although he was our Prophet's uncle and was reckoned a man of genius — when our Prophet declared his prophethood and that he had been appointed by Allah, said: my nephew, I raised you on my knee, in my lap; am I now to believe in a child as a prophet and follow him? He too could not swallow it in his pride, became a captive of his emotion, would not set his mind to work, and could not say 'La ilahe illallah, Muhammedün Resulullah'.

Elhamdulillah, even though we have not so much as seen the miracles of our Prophet aleyhisselam, we are able to say this word with ease. How fortunate we are! May Allah never part us from this word.

May Allah make us among those who attain the honour and blessing of saying this word in our life, in our death, in our grave, on the way to the Gathering, at the Gathering, and everywhere.

'La ilahe illallah' is so blessed a word that our Prophet sallallahu aleyhi ve sellem gives us this news: when a person says 'La ilahe illallah' with heartfelt feeling and sincere belief, this word rises to the Throne. Tearing open the gates of the seven heavens, it reaches the Throne and recognises no obstacle.

It comes before Allah and begins to tremble. Cenab-ı Hak asks it: why do you tremble, what do you fear? That word replies: how should I not tremble, how should I not fear, until I hear that You have forgiven the servant who uttered me? Look at this glad tiding! According to what our Prophet sallallahu aleyhi ve sellem relates, Allah celle celaluhu says: I have forgiven him.

Lesson Five

The Qualities of a Muslim (continued)

In the life of our Prophet sallallahu aleyhi ve sellem there are many events connected with this.

One of the brilliant commanders who greatly tormented Islam and the Muslims was Halid bin Velid. At the Battle of Uhud he was a brilliant idolater commander who caused the martyrdom of many Muslims and brought great hardship upon them. In that battle, in which Hz. Hamza too was martyred, how he tormented the Muslims. Before that as well he had been a hard-hearted idolater commander who dealt with the Muslims most harshly.

One day he saw that they possessed every material means: superiority in numbers, wealth and strength. Yet although only the poor and destitute gathered around our Prophet aleyhisselam, our Prophet kept growing, while they stayed where they were.

He sat and pondered: there is something wrong here. Although we possess everything, we are falling back, and Muhammed is advancing. There is something wrong in this. Then he decided: I too shall join him.

In the same way there was another great man among the geniuses of the Arabs, Amr bin As. A thoroughly shrewd man was Amr bin As. He reasoned in the very same way.

Both of them had been among those who tormented our Prophet the most. And now both said: let us go to Medina and become Muslims. They set out in the heat of noon, for the Meccans would sleep in the noonday heat and rise when the air grew cool. They chose this hour so that no one would see them, for they themselves were foremost among those who incited people against our Prophet.

Lesson Five

The Qualities of a Muslim (continued)

They resolved to go to Medina to believe in our Prophet. Both left Mecca in the noonday heat. Outside Mecca, on the road to Medina, they rested in the shade of a rock and waited for the heat to pass.

Halid bin Velid found that Amr bin As was lying in the shade of the very rock where he had thought to rest. Amr had arrived earlier and was resting. He asked: Amr, what is this state of yours? Then they said to one another: I have come for the very same purpose as you. Being men of insight and superior intelligence, they grasped one another's intent from their conduct. They came to Medina together.

Before reaching Medine-i Münevvere, Halid bin Velid said to Amr bin As: Amr! We are going into the presence of so exalted a man, the Prophet Muhammed Mustafa sallallahu aleyhi ve sellem. Come, let us wash and purify ourselves, and go to him thus.

When they came into his presence, Amr bin As said: if my past is forgiven, I shall become a Muslim. Our Prophet then said:

أَلَمْ تَعْلَمْ يَا عَمْرُو أَنَّ الْإِسْلَامَ يَهْدِمُ مَا كَانَ قَبْلَهُ

Do you not know, O Amr? Islam demolishes whatever came before it.

Once you have said 'La ilahe illallah, Muhammedün Resulullah', we do not ask about the past. We do not busy ourselves with the past or with backwardness. We shall move forward and look ahead.

Lesson Five

The Qualities of a Muslim (continued)

Halid bin Velid embraced Islam and became one of its most valued figures.

Let us never let this word fall from our tongues; let us say it knowing its meaning. Let us say it in our grave as well. Let us say it on the way to the Gathering too. Our Prophet says: I see the believers rising at the resurrection, shaking the dust from upon them, saying 'La ilahe illallah'.

May Allah grant us to be resurrected with this word, to surrender our souls at the end of our lives saying it, to rise from our graves in this way, and to attain Allah's favour by saying this word throughout our lives.

Farewell. May you be entrusted to Allah, dear listeners.

The Noble Qur'an

Qur'anic Verses

The Prophetic Sunnah

Hadîth

Glossary

Concepts in This Lesson

Faith (iman)

heartfelt affirmation and acceptance of what Allah has commanded us to believe.

Islam

submission to Allah; being at peace with Him and surrendering to His command.

Believer (mümin)

one who affirms the truths of faith with the heart and lives by them.

Muslim

one who affirms belief with the heart, speaks it with the tongue and reflects it in conduct.

Silm

the root sense of the word Muslim — peace, soundness, calm and reconciliation.

Submission (teslimiyet)

devotion and self-surrender to Allah and His command.

Word of tevhid

the phrase 'La ilahe illallah', declaring that there is no deity except Allah.

Tevhid

affirming the oneness of Allah and knowing Him as One.

Glossary

Concepts in This Lesson (continued)

Deity (ilah)

that which is worshipped and obeyed absolutely; anything a person sets in the place of Allah.

Kelimullah

the title of Musa aleyhisselam, meaning the one to whom Allah spoke directly.

Ulü'l-azm

the great prophets of firm resolve and steadfastness.

Ebu Cehil

a leader of the Quraysh who, out of pride and envy, rejected faith in the Prophet.

Ebu Leheb

an uncle of the Prophet who, out of arrogance, refused to believe in him.

Halid bin Velid

at first an idolater commander who fought the Muslims at Uhud, later a celebrated Companion after embracing Islam.

Amr bin As

a shrewd figure of the Quraysh who embraced Islam and made the forgiveness of his past a condition.

Duhat of the Arabs

the men of exceptional intellect and brilliance among the Arabs.

Glossary

Concepts in This Lesson (continued)

Uhud

the battle in which Hz. Hamza was martyred and the Muslims suffered heavy losses.

The Throne (arş)

used here to express the presence of Allah, to which the word of tevhid is said to ascend.