In the Islamic context, Al-Ghaib (غيب) is unseen and unknown. To believe in the unseen is a fundamental constituent of a Muslim’s belief. The Quran states that man (mankind) is unable to see God and his attributes. It is an important concept in Islam, surrounding not only the empire of the divine, including angels, paradise, and hell but also future events that only Allah, the Almighty alone knows. So, Belief in the unseen (articles of belief) is considered an important Muslim characteristic. The word Al Ghaib (unseen) is based on –

Seven Articles of Belief:

1. Belief in Allah

The first and foremost thing in belief is to believe in Allah, the Almighty. The great Allah is one and unique. He has no partner, did not give birth to anyone, nor did anyone give birth to Him. He is our lord, owner, protector, creator, helper, and owner of birth and death alone indeed. Allah is infinite. He is and will always be with His servants. He is a holy, forgiving, omniscient, wise, omnipotent, and most powerful entity indeed. The only ruler of the universe is the knower of seen and unseen, known and unknown. He is the highest, the greatest. The ever-living Allah is the one who sustains and protects all that exists.Allah has revealed His identity in different ways in different verses of the Holy Qur’an. for example,

“Allah! none has the right to be worshipped but He, the Ever Living, the One Who sustains and protects all that exists”…….And He is the Most High, Most Great.” – Al Baqarah: 255

“He is Allah, noe has the right to be worshipped but He, the All-Knower of the unseen and seen, He is the Most Benificent, the Most Merciful. ..the King, the Holy, the One Free from all defects, the Giver of security, the Watcher over His creatures, the All-Mighty, the Compller, the Supreme. ..The Creator, the inventor of all things, the Bestower of forms. To Him belong the Best Names. All that is in the heavens and the earth glorify Him. And He is the All-Mighty, the All-Wise.” -Al Hashar:(22-24)

2. Belief in the Angels

One of the main articles of belief in Islam is the belief in the angels. Angels are believed to be heavenly beings created by Allah intended to praise Him, interact with humans in ordinary life, defend against devils, and carry-on natural phenomena. Believing in angels means believing in their existence. To believe that, they are the honorable servants of Allah. Allah, the Almighty has created them to worship and carry out His commands. It also must believe that there are different types of angels and they have different qualities. To believe in the virtue and dignity of angels is also necessary for a Muslim. However, Allah is explaining the angels in the Qur’an-

“All the praise and thanks to Allah, the only creator of the heavens and earth, who made the angels messengers with wings,-two or three or four”. -Al Fatir:01

3. Belief in Divine Books

The divine books are the books that Muslims believe to be books given by Allah as guidance for human beings from the beginning of their travel to this earth. One of the six things that Islam has asked us to believe in is obviously in these divine books which are revealed directly from Allah, the Almighty. It is said that a total of 104 heavenly books have been sent since the creation of the earth although the number of the divine books is not mentioned in the Quran and major Hadith books. For example, the Qur’an, the Injeel, the Tawrat, and the Jabber are the most famous divine books.

4. Belief in the Prophets

Allah, the Almighty has sent his messengers and prophets as guidance for the misguided mankind throughout the eras. The individuals who received revelation from Allah and conveyed it to the people are the prophets in truth. Allah has chosen them as messengers for the liberation of mankind and to show people the way to light from the darkness. Allah has chosen them to spread the great message of monotheism (Tawhid) in the world and to make people surrender to Him. All of the Prophets and Messengers sent by Allah, a Muslim must believe in. Allah has mentioned some of them in the Qur’an like Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, Jesus, and Muhammad. (Peace be upon them all)

5. Belief in God’s predestination (Taqdeer)

Predestination is also one of six articles of belief in Islam. The word predestination means fate, divine fore-ordainment, Divine Decree, or divine destiny. Everything that happens in the universe is determined by Allah, the Almighty according to His foreknowledge and wisdom- this belief is called destiny in Islam. Believing in destiny includes believing in the lordship of Allah in Islam. By believing in predestination a Muslim finds every purpose in things that are happening in his life. Qur’an is the evidence of believing in Taqdeer:

“Indeed, all things I created with predestination”. Al Qamar:49

6. Belief in the Hereafter

Belief in the hereafter is one of the most important fundamentals of the faith. Belief in the Hereafter motivates people to do good deeds. Belief in the afterlife means eternal life again after death. A thorough trial of all the actions of this life and receiving the appropriate good or bad results and enjoying heaven and hell as a consequence. Belief in the Hereafter is an important characteristic of believers.

 Akhirah means hereafter or future. Belief in akhirah or the afterlife regulates and consolidates human life. Because it involves judgment and karma. Heaven and hell are related to it. To say that belief in the Hereafter is the most important aspect of Iman. Hadith Sharif states, ‘Iman resides between hope and fear.’ And hope and fear are related to the Hereafter. Indeed the afterlife is eternal, infinite, and imperishable. The Qur’an states-

“Indeed, the abode of the Hereafter is eternal, if only they knew.” (Surah-29 Ankabut, verse 64)

“Indeed, the Hereafter is a stable abode.” (Sura-40 Momin, verse: 39).

7. Belief in the Day of Judgement

This worldly life is not just meaningless. After death, we all must meet another life. In the hereafter, every human being will have to face the Day of Judgement in exchange for all the deeds of this worldly life. The reward for good deeds will be Paradise and the reward for bad deeds will be Hell finally. So, every Muslim must cherish this belief in his heart. It is important to realize that there is no way to avoid this concept to be a true believer. We can have many examples from the Holy Qur’an in the existance of the day of judgment. For example,

“The Lord of the day of judgment”. Al Fatiha:04

 

So, belief in the unseen (articles of belief) is the first virtue of a Muslim. That’s why in the Quran Allah says, “This is the book whereof there is no doubt, a guidance to those who fear Allah much. Those who believe in the ghaib (unseen), perform As-Salat, and spend out what I have provided for them.” – Surah Al Baqarah: 1-2