What Are The Principles Of Faith?
What are the principles of faith?
The belief in Tawhid, which is certainty in the Oneness of Allah, is the most distinctive feature of Islam.
The beliefs shaped around Tawhid are belief in:
1- God.
2- Angels.
3- Revealed books.
4- Pophets sent by Allah.
5- The Day of Judgment.
6- Qadar: the concept of divine destiny, encompassing both good and evil.
In the corrupted Torah, considered sacred by the Jews, there was no clear and concise information about what should be believed in. There were no definitive statements about beliefs in prophets, scriptures, the afterlife, resurrection after death, divine decree, or destiny. Therefore, the issue of what to believe became a continuous subject of debate among Jewish scholars, and over time, there arose a need to determine the principles of belief.
In the 12th century, the Spanish Sephardic rabbi and philosopher, Moses Maimonides, formulated the 13 principles of faith present in Jewish prayer books to this day. Although reformist Jews redefined the ‘Jewish credo’ in the 15th and 18th centuries, conservative Jews preferred to adhere to the principles of belief established by Maimonides[1].
In Christianity, the articles of faith were established in successive councils. The ‘Apostles’ Creed,’ or ‘faith of the apostles’ served as the basis for subsequent councils. It consisted of thirteen articles and was established in Rome just two generations after the apostles.
However, the councils of Nicaea and Constantinople, where the doctrine of the Trinity was further elaborated, were held in the 4th century, three centuries after the time of Jesus.
From this we can see that, groups of people decided among themselves the fundamental beliefs of the religion. The belief in Tawhid and the divine laws revealed by Allah were set aside, resulting in the emptying of the religion from its source truths.
[1]. TDV İslâm Ansiklopedisi, Âmentü Maddesi.
Source: Osman Nûri TOPBAŞ, ISLAM IS THE ONLY TRUE RELIGION: A Comparative Study With Christianity and Judaism,
