BASIC QURANIC CONCEPTS OF EMAAN & KUFAR

BASIC QURANIC CONCEPTS OF EMAAN & KUFAR

There are many misconceptions surrounding key Islamic concepts and key Quranic vocabulary, such as the following

• Basic Concept of Emaan & Kufar
• The Concept of Shirk & Why it is not ONLY idol-worshipping
• The Five Fundamentals of Emaan- Amanu with
• Allah
• Allah’s Kitaab
• Allah’s Malaik
• Allah’s Nabiyeen & Rusul
• Youm-AL-Akhira
• The Concept of Emaan on Qadar as per Quran
• Mercy in Deen- Raham, Rahmat; Allah as Rahman, Raheem, Afw’an Ghafoor.
• The Concept of S’alat as per Quran
• The Concept of Zakat as per Quran
• The Concept of Hajj o Umra.

 

EMAAN HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH FAITH OR BELIEF

Common Misconception: Emaan means belief and faith, do not ask questions- just accept!

As per Quran. It is not a blind faith, and has nothing to do with belief or faith at all. The word Emaan has to do with being at Aman – آمَن. Aman means safety, security, peace, contend and tranquility, which is devoid of concerns or doubts.  Emaan basically means ‘Being at Aman’- to be convinced of something, being in a state of Aman after having knowledge or personally experiencing something, in a state of being protected from fear, without any doubt or concern, having complete trust and confidence. Being at Aman w.r.t. the five fundamentals of Emaan- Ayah 4:136

 

Emaan means- being at Aman w.r.t. 5 fundamentals

• to seek knowledge and to accept truthfully,
• to be convinced with strong conviction and verification that comes after something has been verified through personal experience, reasoning, arguments, evidence, logic and seeking of information
• to have strong and utter conviction on something after due verification and conviction that comes out of knowledge, that results from full mental acceptance and intellectual satisfaction;
• to have utter and deep conviction

Emaan Also means-

• being at Aman, peace, security, goodwill & harmony

This is one set of meanings of the concept of Emaan- based on ‘being at Aman’

 

Quran- 16:91 “And fulfill your covenant with Allah when you have taken it, and do not break the Aimana after their confirmation…”.

 

The word A’eman- الْإِيمَان- also means oath, promises, vows, pledges or undertakings for instance, in Ayah 2:224-225. In ayah

 

Thus, Emaan has three broad meanings, with Momin as someone who Amanu- w.r.t. All these

1. Being at Aman w..r.t. five fundamentals of Emaan and
2. Being at Aman, safety, security, good will & harmony with others
3. Upholders of one’s promise, with everyone and especially with Allah’- Meesaq- Whenever a person enters into the ambit of Islam, the person basically enters into a covenant a contract with Allah, which is referred many a times in Quran as Ahad, A’emaan and Meesaq.

 

KAAFIR DOES NOT MEAN NON-BELIEVER

Misconception: it means not to believe whatever you’re being told, and then a non-believer is assumed to mean Kaafir

 

Quran 3:193 “…. ‏Our Rabb, So Aghfir, for us our sins and Kaffir from us our Sayyatina….“

How does Allah Kufar one’s Sayyiat if it means disbelieve or lack of belief- Reference Ayah 3:193

 

Kufr means to conceal, hide or to cover.

Examples of Kaafir

• Night is called Kaafir, as its darkness covers everything;
• A farmer is called Kaafir as he hides seed under soil &
• A grave is also called al-kafiro as it hides the dead body

 

Quran 2:217 “S’adda from Sabeel of Allah and Kafaru Behi…”

 

Meanings of Kufar- As opposed to Amanu, Kufar means

• Not seeking knowledge and/or not utilizing one’s faculties especially intellect & reasoning
• Concealing and hiding Allah’s Ayaat and/or concealing & hiding one’s faculties and abilities
• Hiding & withholding Allah’s Fazal, include knowledge, Rizq, Amwaal, wealth etc. which Allah has created for the good of all the mankind and wants to be made freely available for the benefit of others
• Concealing, hiding, not abiding by Allah’s Meesaq as per Quran
• Not being at Aman, peace, harmony or goodwill for others

 

The meaning of Kufr is applicable w.r.t. all the Allah’s Ayaat, either or Both types of Ayaat

• Amanu on Kalam of Allah the Kitaab but not the other? – example- Quran teacher
• Amanu on Creations of Allah scattered all around us in science and the universe, but not the other- example-scientist

Can Read or download the Power Point presentation HERE in PDF- Basic Quranic Concepts of Emaan & Kufar

You can also watch the video of this presentation HERE