ISLAM FOR CHILDREN | HOW TO BELIEVE IN ALLAH
Lesson One.
FAITH IN ALLAH, THE MOST HIGH
The first foundation of faith is faith in Allah, the Most High. This means recognizing the existence of Allah, the Most High, who possesses all excellent attributes. In other words, you acknowledge that He possesses all the best qualities, has no shortcomings, and is far from them.
The attributes (sifat) of Allah, the Most High, are divided into two groups: attributes of essence (sifat-dhatiya) and attributes of action (sifat-subutiya).
SIFAT-Dhatiya
Allah, the Most High, has six attributes
of essence.
1. Wujud - Being: Allah exists. His non-existence is impossible.
2. Qidam - Existence without beginning: Allah is Eternal and has no beginning. 3. Baqa' - Infinity: Allah will exist forever.
4. Wahdaniya - Unity: He is One in both His essence and His attributes. He has no partners.
5. Mukhalafat lil-hawadis - Distinction from creation: Allah is One and unlike anyone or anything; there is no one or nothing similar to Him.
6. Qiyam bi-nafsih - Self-sufficiency: Allah does not need anyone or anything, and is not dependent on anyone or anything.
Subutiyah-Subjectivity
Allah, the Most High, has eight attributes of action.
1. Hayat - Life: Allah is alive and gives life.
2. Ilm - Knowledge: Allah knows everything that has been and will be, the secret and the manifest, and what is hidden in the hearts of people. 3. As-sam' - Omniscience: Allah hears everything.
4. Basar - Omniscience: Allah sees everything. Even a black ant running across a black stone on a dark night cannot hide from Him, and even the sound of its footsteps cannot be concealed.
5. Irada - Will: Allah's will is all-encompassing. He brings to life whatever He wills as He wills. Everything happens according to His will.
6. Qudrat - Power: Allah is omnipotent, meaning He can do everything.
7. Kalam - Speech: Allah, the Most High, possesses speech; His speech is not letters or sounds. The Holy Quran is the utterance of Allah.
8. Takween - Creation: Allah is the Creator; He created everything from nothing.