Lesson 1.
1.4 ISLAM and the REVEALED BOOKS
1.5 MUHAMMAD (s) PROPHET of ISLAM
1.6 KALIMAH ( The formula of Faith):
LESSON 2
2.5 IMAMAT (Leadership or Guidance after the Prophet)
2.6 QIYAMAT (The Day of Judgement)
Lesson 1.
Islam is a religion. Its followers are called Muslims.
Islam means submission to ONE GOD.
Its teachings are broadly based on the following principles:
(a) The fundamentals must satisfy the reason and intellect of Man.
Islam stresses that the principle tenets of faith must be understood by one's own reasoning before acceptance.
Similarly, Islam teaches that all values are rational.
(b) Development of human body, mind and spirit as whole.
The teachings of Islam do not lay too much emphasis on spiritualism, ignoring the body and the mind.
Nor does it attach excessive importance to physical or intellectual advancement.
It helps develop a person as a whole - body, mind and soul, all together.
(c) The dignity of Man.
Islam says that God created for man all that is on Earth and in the Heavens. Man sits high above all.
Therefore, man worships none but one God.
To worship or prostrate before the heavenly bodies, the pictures or states, the animals or the human beings, is to degrade man.
And among men, Islam teaches equality, equity and brotherhood.
No discrimination based on caste, colour or creed is to be tolerated.
The most honourable among men is the one who obeys and worships God most.
It binds its followers by a bond of faith, and exhorts them to treat all human beings as brothers and sisters, and to invite them all lovingly to the dignified life in Islam.
(d) A complete code of life.
Islam considers all aspects of human existence on Earth, and guides man through all his needs.
It guides him in his family life, social commitments, financial contracts and moral or ethical behaviour.
From the cradle to the grave, Islam is man's helpful, caring guide and companion.
(e) Conformity with human nature.
Islam takes into account the urge of human nature and instincts.
It does not, for example, banish mirth and feelings of enjoyment and
happiness.
It sets rules to it and regulates it.
Islam guides man to respect his natural instincts, and to use them lawfully and sensibly.
(f) Man's responsibility for his actions and deeds.
Islam does not shift the responsibility of human needs to God. It says that all the evil doings, tyranny, vices and wickedness are
man's own doing. They are not, in any way, a manifestation of the Will of God.
Thus, Islam allows the oppressed to raise a cry of protest against the overlords and the oppressors.
Islam does not muffle the voice of protest by the oppressed by telling them that whatever has befallen them was predestined or that man is helpless before what has been decreed.
The proper name which Islam uses for God is 'Allah', which means:
"One Who deserves to be loved" and
"In whom everyone seeks refuge".
This word Allah is unique. It has no plural and no feminine. So this name itself reflects light upon the fact that Allah is one and only one; He has neither any partner nor any equal.
It is sometimes improper to translate it into God, because 'God' can be transformed into 'Gods' or 'goddess'.
And there are many other names of Allah, like Rahman, Rahim (Merciful), Karim (Generous), Malik (King), Aziz (Powerful) and so on. These names signify Allahs attributes.
'Allah' is the Proper Name of One and Only God.
God is Wise, Merciful. Benevolent and Gracious.
To save man from falling into vices and other harmful distractions caused by passions, emotions, low desires and selfishness and to support pure reason, He sent prophets to mankind.
The prophets were not gods; they were messengers of one God.
They came to guide and also to warn; and to lead the people to the right path. This was an act of grace by God.
Mankind greatly benefited by the prophets. Prophets brought the divine massage to ensure justice, security and progress in human society.
They led man towards perfection and thus brought them nearer to God.
Prophets were men of virtue. Each prophet, in his time, was the most perfect person, free from all evils and vices. Islam believes that the prophets were sinless. Their lives were clean and impeccable.
They knew the message of God, and themselves practised it before imparting to the people.
Thus setting an example to their nation/tribe.
And in order to distinguish a true prophet from an imposter or a false one, the prophets were blessed with clear signs and miracles.
Islam believes that Prophethood has been a continuous process, beginning with Adam, the first man of this human generation, up to Muhammad (S), the last of the prophets. And the message of One God and total submission to Him, has been constant.
Muhammad (S) is the Prophet of Islam.
He never claimed to be a god; nor a part of godhead. He said he was a slave of God, and His messenger. Similarly, he taught that all the prophets preceding him were the slaves of God and His messengers. None of them had claimed to be god, or a part of godhead, or an incarnation of god.
Muhammad (S) asked Muslims to believe in the prophets who preceded him.
In all, there came 124,000 prophets from God. Many of them were contemporaries, sent to one or many villages, some to a family or even a person. Others went to a larger area, or to a whole tribe.
Muhammad (S) was sent to the whole mankind, upto the end of the world.
Among those who preceded him are Adam, Noah, Abraham, Lot, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Aaron, David, Jonah, John and Jesus. Muhammad (S) said they were the prophets, and men of excellence, virtue and infallibility.
In Arabic they are called: Adam, Nuh, Ibrahim, Lut, Ismail, Ishaq, Yakub, Yusuf, Musa, Haroon, Dawood, Yunus, Yahya and Isa.
Islam teaches that the prophets received revelation from God.
Some of them were given the books and the laws. Muslims must believe that all the heavenly books were true. And so were the laws.
A prophet was given the laws which were suitable to his particular era.
The succeeding prophets either endorsed the preceding laws, or, with the revelation from God, improved upon them or even abrogated them if necessary.*' The succeeding laws were always more elaborate and comprehensive, in conformity to the changing times and condition.
Muhammad (S) came with the last set of laws, abrogating the previous ones.
Islam has the rules for all times, and for all possible situations. With every change, Islam is capable of not only recognising it, but also to supply an applicable law. It guides humankind for ever.
Muhammad (S) is the last prophet sent by God.
1.4 ISLAM and the REVEALED BOOKS:
The Qur'an is the holy Book of Islam.
It contents are the revelation from God to Muhammad (s), the prophet of Islam, by Jibraeel (the Archangel Gabriel).
It is therefore a book of written revelation.
Written revelation.
Whenever a portion of the Qur'an was revelation, the Prophet called some of his companions and dictated it to them, indicating at the same time the exact position of the new verses among what had already been received.
And then he would ask the scribes to re-read to him what had been dictated so that he could correct any deficiencies.
At the same time, Muhammad (S) recommended that the faithful learn the Qur'an by heart. Some of them did this for a part, to be recited during prayers. And there were others who knew the whole of the Qur'an by heart, and spread it abroad. This method of doubly preserving the text both in writing and by memorisation proved extremely precious.
The revelation of Qur'an extended over a period of more than twenty years of the prophets life, beginning with the first verses when he was 40. and then resuming after a three-year break for a long period of twenty years, upto his death at the age of 63 in 630 A. D.
The Qur'an holds a unique place among the books of revelation and the scriptures. It has been handed down to us in the same form as it was revealed Muhammad (S).
There has been no alterations or interpolations in the Qur'an.
There are no two scripts of the Qur'an.
Extremely diverse materials were used for the first recording of the Qur'an parchment, leather, wooden tablets, camels' scapula, soft stone for inscriptions etc. After the death of the Prophet, a final book copy was transcribed in consultation with the scribes and those who had committed the book to memory. Thus an extremely faithful copy of the book was obtained.
Nature is the subject of the Qur'an - and mankind is an integrated part of the nature.
It invites man to the right path and awakens in him the instinctive knowledge and divine teachings.
It talks of the origin of man, the structure of the earth and the heavens, of the universe and history of civilisation. It recalls the beliefs and the conduct of different nations.
The purpose is not only to give lessons in social sciences and natural sciences, but also to convey the knowledge of ultimate reality to man, to make him understand the results which will follow his actions, if those actions come into conflict with the principles underlying the reality of creation.
Thus Qur'anis great literature and it is great instruction.
Qur'an speaks gloriously about all the prophets who preceded
Muhammad (S), and endorses the heavenly Books which were revealed to the prophets.
A Muslim believes in all the Books and Scriptures. Qur'an speaks about:
Tawrat: Revealed to Moses (Musa) Injeel: Revealed to Jesus (Isa)
Zabur: The Psalms revealed to David (Dawood)
Suhuf.- (pages or scriptures) revealed to Abraham (Ibrahim) and the others.
1.5 MUHAMMAD (S) the PROPHET of ISLAM:
Muhammad (S) was born at Mecca in 570 A.D. He was the only son of Abdullah and Aminah. His father died about four months before his birth, and be lost his mother when be was in his sixth year. Now be came under the guardianship of his grandfather Abdul Muttalib. When Muhammad (S) was eight years old, the grandfather died, so be became a ward of his uncle, Abu Talib.
Abu Talib and his wife Fatima Bint Asad loved Muhammad (S) more than their own children. As be later said: "Fatima bint Asad was my mother' who kept her children waiting while she fed me; kept her children cold while she gave me warm clothes".
Thus, despite the death of those he loved most, he was always surrounded with affection and kindness.
He accompanied his uncle on caravan journey to Syria and later on acted as a selling agent for many merchants who were themselves unable to travel. Because of his truthfulness and trustworthiness, be was soon commonly known as As-Sadiq and Al-Amin.
One of those rich merchants of Mecca was a noble widow Khadija bint Khuwailid who, impressed by Mohammeds (S) competence and integrity, employed him to take her merchandise to Syria.
The expedition was completed by him successfully, with profits more than expected. Two months after his return to Mecca, be married Khadija. He was twenty-five, and Khadija was forty.
At the age of 38, a need of solitude possessed him and drove him out of the busy city into the rocky hills and wastelands which surround Mecca.
The cave of Mount Hira was his favourite place where be retired for days and weeks in meditation and remembrance of Allah. No one was allowed to go there except Khadija and Ali, his cousin.
The period of waiting bad come to a close. His forty years of life bad varied experience, and, from world's point of view, bad developed in him maturity of mind and judgement. His heart was filled with profound compassion for mankind and a pressing urge to eradicate wrong beliefs, social evils, cruelty and injustice.
The moment bad arrived when be was to be allowed to declare his prophethood; and one day when be was in the cave of Hira, Angel Gabriel (Jibraeel) came to him and conveyed the following message of Allah:
Created man out of a mere clot of congealed blood;
Read: And your Lord is most Bountiful,
Taught man that which he did not know.
The flow of the Divine message which continued for the next twenty three years had begun and the Prophet had arisen to proclaim the Unity of God, Unity of Mankind, to demolish the edifice of superstition, ignorance and disbelief; to set up a noble conception of life and to lead mankind to the life of faith and eternal bliss.
Islam began as a silent mission. The first to accept his call were those nearest to him. Khadija was the first among ladies; Ali, son of Abu Talib, was the first among males. Slowly the message spread, and during the first three years, he had only thirty believers. After three years, call came from Allah:
This revelation heralded the wider proclamation of Islam.
Then one after another came the commands:
"O, you wrapped in your mantle, Arise and warn,
and purify your raiment,
and flee from abomination,
and show no favour seeking gain, and wait patiently for your Lord.
The method to be employed was:
Call to the way of your Lord with wisdom and fair exhortation; and reason with them the better way. "
As Islam began to spread, the people, mainly from the tribe of Quraish (powerful tribe), reacted violently. The Prophet was not allowed to worship in the Ka'aba, the great place of worship in Mecca. Thorns were strewn in his way, dirt and filth were thrown at him while he prayed and street urchins were incited to follow him, shouting and clapping in derision.
As a last attempt they approached Muhammad (S) himself. They told him:
"If your ambition is to require wealth, we will amass wealth for you as much as you desire; and if you are aspiring for power and honour, we are prepared to accept you as our king and overlord and if you have any fancy for beauty, you shall have the hand of the fairest maiden in the land. "
Mohammeds (S) reply was short and clear:
"Neither l want wealth nor do l want power or beauty. I have been commissioned by Allah as a warner to mankind, I am communicating His message to you. If you accept, you shall have the facility in this life and the life hereafter, and should you reject it, verily, Allah will decide between you and me. "
The bitterest persecution of his followers continued. Finally, the Prophet ordered some eighty Muslims to seek refuge in the Christian country of Abyssinia. They were led by Ja'far, son of Abu Talib, known as Ja'far-e-Tayar. The Quraish sent a deputation with Amr bin Aas, to demand the extradition of the emigrants. The King of Abyssinia, Negus, asked Ja'far-e-Tayar to explain the position. The speech delivered by him in the court of King Negus summarises the message of Muhammad (S) brilliantly. He said:
"O King, we were plunged in the depth of ignorance and barbarism; we adored idols, we lived in unchastely; we ate dead animals, and we spoke abomination; we disregarded every feeling of humanity, and the duties of hospitality and neighbourhood; we knew no law but that of the strong.
At that time, Allah raised among us a man, of whose birth, truthfulness, honesty and purity we were aware; and he called us to the unity of God and taught us not to associate anything with Him; he forbade us the worship of idols and enjoined us to speak the truth, to be faithful to our trusts, to be merciful and to regard the rights of neighbours; he forbade us to speak evil of women, or to cat the substance of orphans; he ordered us to fly from vices, and to abstain from evil; to offer prayers, to render alms, to observe the fast.
"We have believed in him, we have accepted his teachings and injunctions to worship Allah; and not to associate anything with Him. For this reason, our people have risen against us, have persecuted us in order to make us forego the worship of God and return to the worship of idols of wood and stone and other abominations."
King Negus allowed the Muslims his protection, and granted them permission to live in the country for as long as they wished. Thus Africa gave the first shelter to the persecuted Muslims.
Here in Mecca, the atrocities went on.
Quraish decided to boycott Banu-Hashim (the tribe that Muhammad (S) belonged to), the family of Muhammad (S).
Three years of cruel hardships passed before the boycott was relented. As a result of these sufferings, both Abu Talib and Khadija died.
Quraish now had a free hand in dealing with Muhammad (S), for Abu Talib was dead. They decided to kill him. Muhammad (S) decided to leave for Medina, some 280 miles away from Mecca. This epoch making event in the history of Islam marks the beginning of Muslim Era, called Hijra.
People of Mecca did not let Muhammad (S) remain in peace even at Medina. They waged war after war against him. After six years of continued anxiety, be concluded a peace treaty with Meccans. But they violated the treaty within two years. Seeing no alternative, Muhammad (S) marched and made a bloodless entry into Mecca.
Meccans expected a severe reprisal from the Prophet. But they were surprised to hear the memorable words: "There is no reproof against you. May Allah forgive you, for He is Merciful and Loving. Go, you are all free."
The result of this magnanimity and compassion was that those very die-hards, who had relentlessly opposed the Prophet and refused to listen to the message of Islam converged upon him in their multitude and accepted Islam.
Muhammad (S) lived in Medina for 11 years. These years are known as years of Hijra according to Muslim Calendar - which is lunar based.
In the 10th Hijra, the Prophet performed his last pilgrimage.
And three months later, in the beginning of the 11th Hijra, he died at Medina at the age of 63, after a short illness.
This was a very brief sketch of the life of the Prophet sent "as a witness and bringer of glad tidings, and a warner and a summoner to Allah by His Permission and a lamp that gives light", and to serve "as a mercy and blessing to mankind."
1.6 KALIMAH (The formula of Faith):
A Muslim professes his faith in this Kalimah:
Muhammadun Rasoolullah (Muhammad (S) is the Prophet of Allah).
This is the formula one has to pronounce when accepting Islam.
It has got to be willingly accepted. No force or coercion will make a person Muslim.
The far reaching effect of this formula of faith will be explained in the next lessons.
*1 'Intellect' is one of the four basic sources from which laws of Islamic practices (Sharia) are drawn.
1. What is the meaning of Islam? 2. On what principles are the teachings of Islam based?
And what marked difference can be observed between this name and the other names of God?
4. Why does Allah send the prophets? 5. What qualifications are necessary for a prophet? Why are these necessary?
6. Why do we believe Islam is a religion for all times and that Muhammad (S) is the last of the prophets?
7. What is the meaning of a revelation?
8. How was Qur'an preserved in its original form till today?
9. What are the general contents of Qur'an?
10. What does Qur'an say about the preceding scripture?
12. Write 'True' or 'False' as applicable to the following and whenever you find the statement false, please give the correct version. (a) Abu Talib was Mohammeds (S) grandfather
(b) Fatima bint Asad was Mohammeds (S) mother
(c) Khadija was the first among women to believe in his prophethood
(d) Muhammad (S) was born in the cave of Hira
(e) Muhammad (S) declared his prophethood at the age of forty
(f) The angel who brought revelation was named Jibraeel
(g) Ali was Ja'far's cousin
(h) Hijra calendar is calculated from the birth of Prophet Muhammad (S)
(i) Abu Talib and Khadija died at Medina
Lesson 2.
The principle tenets of Islam are called Usool-ud-Deen, the roots of religion.
They are five:
1. Tawheed (Unity of God) 2. Adl (Justice of God)
3. NUBUWWAT (Prophethood)
4. Imamat (Leadership after the Prophet)
5. Qiyamat (Day of Judgement)
These tenets must be understood by all the believers.
In matters of fundamental beliefs, Islam does not encourage blind following.
The belief in the unity of God is the foundation stone of Islam. It governs the religious faith, designs the social pattern and gives meaning to the moral codes.
The first sentence of Kalimah, i.e. 'There is no God but Allah' guides a Muslim in religious matters and in social behaviour, also.
The first part, i.e. 'There is no God' tells a Muslim that neither stone nor trees, neither animals nor human beings, neither the Sun nor the Moon nor the Stars be worshipped. It instructs him to reject all falsehood and all ideas of nature-worship, idol-worship or human worship. For these are all creations, most of them created by himself or for his own benefit.
He is now ready to believe in the positive truth of One God. So a second part is added: that there is no god '..... except Allah'.
The whole sentence has a negative as well as positive aspect. Both are instrumental in creating the belief that all men are equal. None is superior, so none is inferior. Thus, the belief in the unity of God promotes the spirit of brotherhood, equality and equity - an important feature of Islam.
God is one. He has no beginning, no end. He knows everything, even our unspoken intention and desires. He has no partner, no advisor, no helper. He has no son, no daughter, no wife. He has no body, and has no need. He docs not incarnate, because incarnation needs body and space. He cannot be seen.
His attributes are not different from His Person. Thus, He is Power Himself, Mercy Himself, Truth Himself, Justice Himself, and so on.
Further detailed treatment of this important subject wll be given in future lessons.
This is explained in four different stages:
(a) All values are rational. Good and Evil have their own merit and demerit respectively. God commands us to do good because it is in essence good; and forbids the evil because it is essentially bad.
(b) God never acts aimlessly. In His Wisdom, He has purpose and design, and all His actions are based on intelligent purpose, though we may not know the purpose.
(c) It is the design of Allah that He does all acts of Grace related to mankind. He helps to bring His creatures nearer to His devotion and obedience, and facilitates their moral correction.
He requites a good act with a good reward, and an evil act with a punishment.
(d) Our actions are from our power, will and intention. They are our acts and cannot be attributed to God.
The summary below gives a succinct but comprehensive meaning of Adl, Justice of God.
'ADL' means:
God is Kind, Graceful and Wise. Those who do good will be given a good reward, and those who commit evil acts will be punished. God does not force men to commit any acts. He has guided man to the right path; and has amply warned against the evils.
All events taking place in the world follow the design of cause and effect. No evil can be ascribed to Allah.
It is inconceivable that He would punish the virtuous and reward the vicious. Similarly, it is inconceivable that He compels man to do good or commit evil acts; for if that was so, the question of reward or retribution becomes redundant.
Allah sends the prophets, as He cannot be seen. He does not Himself appear before human beings to give them His law.
He appoints somebody to represent Him on earth.
The person appointed is a human being, slave of Allah.
Take an example of a mirror. It has a bright side to receive light and another side to reflect that light; so a prophet has the highest spiritual purity which enables him to receive the divine message, and also has a human body to communicate the message to his fellow beings.
Prophet brings the laws. Laws which would preserve peace and justice in our society. And no laws can be free from inequities except those given by Allah, the Creator, Himself.
Islam says that all prophets sent out to various people in various parts of the world had the same basic faith to preach. The basic faith was that 'There is only One God'. People were guided to believe in One God; to believe in equality, equity and justice among men, and to follow the divine laws brought by their prophet.
Islam teaches that all the prophets were infallible and sinless.
Allah wants mankind to believe in His emissaries at all times. If the emissaries who are the prophets, were as sinful as any other human being, it would be extremely difficult or rather impossible to discern when they spoke the truth and when they lied. It would be difficult to judge which of their acts should be followed or discarded.
The prophets were given miracles as their credentials.
Miracles are such performances which are not impossible feats, but at the same time, they are worked without an apparent cause, instrument, apparatus, medicine or practice. Miracles are worked by the permission of Allah alone.
For example, curing the blind or the lepers may not be impossible. But Jesus (AS) according to, Quran, cured them without any medicine. That was a miracle granted to him by Allah. Similarly, Muhammad (S) had innumerable miracles. His greatest living miracle is the Qur'an.
The purpose of propbethood can be summarised into two groups:
First, to guide mankind towards fulfilling the duties to Allah, and thus be nearer to Him;
Second, to guide towards duties to mankind and thus establish peace happiness on earth.
2.5 IMAMAT (Leadership or Guidance after the Prophet)
Islam teaches that twelve leaders succeeding the Prophet of Islam, Muhammad (S), were men of purity, excellence and were equally sinless and infallible. They were not the prophets, for Muhammad (S) was the last of the prophets. They were known as Imams.
Imam is a successor of the Prophet, and has the right to absolute command of the Muslims in all religious and worldly affairs.
However, it must be noted that this authority vested in Imam comes to him as a successor of the Prophet. This means, that an Imam does not change the commands of Qur'an or concepts of religion. He is the defender of Faith. He works, after the Prophet, to preserve it, not to change it.
Imams were appointed by Allah through Prophet Muhammad (S).
Imam cannot be elected by a popular vote. For a thousand blinds voting for a blind to lead would not make him see. Similarly, sinners cannot elect an infallible man. Allah alone makes the choice.
The Prophet of Islam appointed Ali, son of Abu Talib, as his successor. Therefore Ali is the first Imam. There were twelve Imams in all, each succeeding the other. The divine appointment was carried through by each preceding Imam appointing the successor.
The twelve Imams are:
1. Ali, son of Abu Talib. 2. Hasan, son of Ali b. Abu Talib.
3. Husein, son of Ali b. Abu Talib.
4. Ali, son of Husein. (Zainul Abedeen).
5. Muhammad, son of Ali son of Husein (al-Baqir).
6. Ja'fer, son of Muhammad (as-Sadiq).
7. Musa, son of Ja'fer (al-Kadhim).
8. Ali, son of Musa (ar-Redha).
9. Muhammad, son of Ali (at-Taqi).
10. Ali, son of Muhammad (an-Naqi).
11. Hasan, son of Ali (al-Askari).
12. Muhammad, son of Hasan (al-Mahdi).
These twelve lmams succeeded each other, and over a period of three centuries after the Prophet's death, worked tirelessly to preserve and spread true Islam, and to save the message from all impurities trying to creep into it.
The twelfth Imam went into concealment. He will reappear when Allah commands him to do so. Details about the Imams and about the concealment will be explained in future lessons.
2.6 QIYAMAT (The Day of Judgement)
Islam teaches that there is a day of reckoning when Allah will bring every human being back to life so that he or she may give account of his or her belief and action.
For those with true faith and good deeds, there will be a reward of eternal bliss
and contentment. And for the people with wrong belief and evil acts, there will be punishment and retribution. It will be a day of divine Grace, when many with true faith but wrong actions may be forgiven by Allah. This act of Grace is Allahs Mercy.
The necessity of Qiyamat is easy to understand.
The laws of Allah are not as deficient as the man-made laws.
For example, a thief enters an unoccupied house in a remote village at night to steal. He knows that there is no representative of the government for many miles around. He feels perfectly safe from being detected. Is there any law of government which can stop him from committing the crime? The answer is, certainly 'No'.
But Islam says: "There is a God, Who knows everything. He is Just and wants us to be just and virtuous. We are responsible for our acts, and we have to give account of our deeds to Him on the Day of Qiyamat (Judgement).
If a person believes in Qiyamat, then and only then be restrains from doing that which is sinful and unjust.
If you observe carefully, you will find that Qiyamat is the rational result of the preceding Articles of faith or the roots:
2. He is just.
3. He sent the prophets to warn us and to guide us.
4. He commissioned the lmams to continue and preserve the teachings of the Prophet.
5. So that on the Day of Judgement, we may rise to earn His Pleasure and Grace.
1. What is the meaning of Usool ud Deen
2. Name the Usool with their English equivalents?
3. What is the foundation stone of Islam?
4. What guides a Muslim in religious matters and social behaviour? How many aspects are there in the Kalimah and what does it create in a believer?
6. Describe the conception of God in Islam?
7. Are His attributes different from His person?
8. In how many stages can Adl be explained?
9. Write in brief about each stage
10. What can not be ascribed to Allah?
11. What is inconceivable of Him?
12. Who is a Prophet '?
13. What did the Prophets teach?
14. Are the Prophets sinful?
15. If not, Why not
16. What is a miracle?
17. Give examples of some of the miracles of the Prophets?
18. What is the differnce between a Prophet and Imam?
19. Who appointed the Imams?
20. How many Imams are there after Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W.)?
21. Name the Imams?
22. Where is the twelfth Imam?
23. What is Oiyamat?
