1.1.1 FUNDAMENTALS OF THE DIIN:

The three fundamentals of ddiin, usul al ddiin, are: Islam, Iman, and Ihsan. These three concepts taken together constitute the creed of Islam, al aqidat al Islamiyyat. There is a gradation. Islam is the beginning. Iman is a higher level. Ihsan is the highest level. Islam is outward manifestation, dhaahir. Iman is in the heart, baatin. Ihsan applies to both Islam and iman. Every muhsin is a mu umin. Every mu umin is a Muslim. Not every mu umin is a muhsin. Not every Muslim is a mu umin. Iman is a higher level of spiritual progress than Islam. Islam is a pre-requisite for iman. You can not have iman without having Islam. It is however possible to be a Muslim who has not yet attained the level of a mu’umin. Iman is knowledge, ‘ilm; testament, qawl; and action, ‘amal. It is acceptance in the heart, tasdiiq bi al qalb; affirmation by the tongue, iqraar bi al lisaan; and work performance by the body, ‘amal bi al jawarih. Ihsan is excellence and is the highest level of din. Ihsan was defined in the sunnat as perfection of action. It represents perfection in both Islam and Iman. It is excellence in worship, work, and in any social action. It is worship of Allah in the full knowledge that He is seeing you even if you cannot see Him. No activity goes by without being observed by Allah. The concept of excellence extends from prescribed acts of ibadat to all human endeavors and activities.

1.1.2 BASIC CHARACTERISTICS OF ISLAM

Islam is built on 5 pillars: shahadat, salat, zakat, saum Ramadhan, and hajj. Islam is oral testament, belief, performance of righteous acts, and following the straight path. A person becomes a Muslim by testifying that there is only one creator and that Muhammad is His messenger. Carrying out the four prescribed duties of worship mentioned above is a practical manifestation of the 2 testaments. A person does not cease to be a Muslim because of a sin as long he does not dispute that his action is a sin. A sinner remains a Muslim but of weak faith. Faith is removed from him for the duration of committing the sin. Those who commit major sins will be punished in hell for a time and will be forgiven to go to paradise because Allah forgives everything except polytheism. Islam is comprehensive, unitary, indivisible, action-orientation, easy to practice, universal, and is final message. It is rational and understandable. It establishes freedom of belief and freedom of thought. It is societal, reformist, and revivalistic. It is a ddiin of equilibrium, balance, and moderation between divinity & humanity, spirituality & materialism, revelation & intellect, the afterlife & the earthly, individualism & communalism, ideal & reality, past & future, responsibility & freedom, following & innovation, duties & rights, stability & change, knowledge & belief, right & might, ‘aqiidat & action, ddiin & state, control by faith & control by authority, material innovations & moral ascendancy, military power & morale. 

1.1.3 THE SOCIAL CULTURE OF ISLAM

Imaam al Nawawi listed 23 hadiths that he called madaar al Islam because they define the social culture of Islam. They can be considered under groups: aqidat, personal conduct, and social intercourse. The fundamentals of the ddiin, usul al ddiin, are Islam, iman, and ihsan. A Muslim rejects Innovation in religion, upholds certainty, rejects doubt, believes in qadar, relies on Allah, and repents from sins. Muslim personal conduct is characterized by purity of intention, good conduct, modesty, following the right path, observing rules of halaal and haram, renouncing materialism, consulting his conscience, quality work performance, starting with the most important work, and fulfilling the 5 pillars of Islam. In dealing with others the Muslim leaves alone what does not concern him, loves good for the others, hurts nobody, sincere advice for others, calling to Islam, honoring the neighbor and the guest, suppressing anger, and respecting the sanctity of human life. Misunderstanding of Islam arises due to deliberate distortion by enemies of Muslims or by misbehavior by Muslims ignorant of their religion.

1.1.4 IMAN

Iman has 6 pillars: belief in Allah, belief in angels, as creations from light for the purpose of executing Allah’s commands; belief in the revelations, the major ones being the Qur’an, Injil, Zabuur, and Taurat; belief in messengers, from Adam to Muhammad (PBUH); belief in the last day, al iman  bi yawm al qiyamat; and belief in qadar, and accepting Allah’s judgment whether perceived as favorable or favorable in the full belief that all is from Allah while at the same time basing human action on empirical evidence. Iman has many types and manifestations. There are over 72 types of iman. The highest grade of iman is the testament of la ilaaha illa al llaah and the lowest is removing an annoyance from a public road. Modesty is part of iman. Iman can be weak or strong. The prophet explained the characteristics of the weakest iman. Even the smallest amount of iman protects from hell-fire. Work is part of iman. Iman can increase or decrease according to whether the person is performing good or bad acts. Iman increases with performance of good work. It decreases with performance of bad work. Iman disappears completely for the duration of the period that a major sin like theft or adultery is being committed. It returns as soon as the sin is stopped. There are clear differences between iman and Islam. Iman manifests through practical actions because Islam is a practical religion that has to be lived in society. It is not in any way a metaphysical or esoteric experience. Iman manifests as good deeds, and worship of the creator. It also includes, inter alia, living in harmony with other humans as well as with the social and physical environment. Iman is an inner motivator of externally visible human action and behavior. True believers acquire some recognizable traits and characteristics described by the Qur’an. Iman is associated with excellence in many areas. It is associated with good performance. The believers are tested. Iman has many advantages for the human: honor, brotherhood, firmness, jihad; success, victory, rewards, light. Iman is associated with happiness because a believer knows himself, his position, his relation with the creator, his relation with the other humans and his relation with the physical environment. He can also situate himself in the time dimension; he knows where he came from and where he is going. This sense of firmness removes the normal tensions of uncertainty and anxiety that humans experience and leave the believer a happy and contented person.

1.1.5 IHSAN IS THE CULTURE OF ISLAM

Islam requires quality work and excellent performance. Allah accepts and rewards the best of work. He loves quality everything so Muslims must perfect their work. Humans in their earthly life are tested to see who performs the best. The Qur’an and sunnat have emphasized quality, ihsan, and quality performers, muhsinuun.