Msingi wa kinadharia wa Uislamu umefupishwa katika kauli moja aliyoipokea Mtume Muhammad ﷺ. Alisema: "Uislamu umejengwa juu ya nguzo tano."

The theoretical foundation of Islam is summarized in one statement reported by Prophet Mohammad (PBUH). He said, “Islam is constructed upon five tenants”:

Amini kwamba Allah ndiye Mungu pekee, na kwamba Muhammad ﷺ ni Mjumbe wake.

Æ Believe that Allah is the only God and that Mohammad is his Messenger.

Simamisha swala.

Æ Establish prayer.

Lipa zaka inayostahili.

Æ Pay the Zakah dues.

Fungeni mwezi wa Ramadhani.

Æ Fast the month of Ramadan.

Fanya hija kwenda kwenye Nyumba Takatifu huko Makka.

Æ Perform pilgrimage to the Sacred House in Mecca.

Kanuni hii ya kwanza ndiyo inayotoa msingi wa kifikra wa itikadi ya Uislamu. Ndiyo msingi ambao kila kitu kingine katika Uislamu kimejengwa juu yake. Zaidi ya hayo, inatoa kile kinachoitwa uongozi wa kifikra, kwa sababu msingi huu ukishaanzishwa, tabia ya binadamu hutengenezwa kwa kawaida na sheria yoyote inayotokana na msingi huo.

The first of these tenants provides the intellectual foundation of the ideology of Islam. It is the base upon which everything else in Islam is constructed. Furthermore, it provides what is called an intellectual leadership, because once this foundation is established, the human behavior is naturally molded by whatever laws that emanates from this foundation.

Uislamu unahitaji imani ya kuwepo kwa Mungu kuwa msingi wake ni mchakato wa kufikiri kwa akili. Kwa mtazamo huu, Uislamu unapunguza thamani ya imani yoyote ikiwa ni kuiga tu na kuendeleza imani za kizazi cha zamani. Mara nyingi, Qur'an inazidharau imani za watu ambazo zinategemea tu imani za baba zao na vizazi vilivyotangulia. Katika Surat Al-Maidah (sura ya 5, aya ya 104), inasema: "Na inapoambiwa: Njooni kwa yale aliyoyateremsha Mwenyezi Mungu na kwa Mtume. Husema: Yanatutosha yale tuliyowakuta nao baba zetu wakiyafuata, ijapokuwa baba zao hawakuwa na elimu yoyote wala uongofu." Wazo hili linarudiwa katika sehemu nyingine za Qur'an; angalia kwa mfano aya zilizotajwa katika marejeo 161, 162 na 163.

Islam requires the belief in the existence of god to be based upon a mental reasoning process. In this regard, Islam devalues any type of belief if it is a mere imitation and continuation of the beliefs of older generation. In numerous occasions, the Quran belittles the beliefs of people which simply rely on the beliefs of fathers and previous generations. In Surah Al-Maidah (chapter 5, verse 104), it says, “And when it is said to them: Come to what Allah has revealed and unto the Messenger. They say: Enough for us is that which we found our fathers following, even though their fathers had no knowledge whatsoever and no guidance.” This notion is repeated in other places in the Quran; see for example the verses in references.161, 162, and 163

Badala ya kufuata imani iliyorithiwa tu kutoka kwa kizazi cha zamani bila uchunguzi wa makini, Qur'ani inawaalika watu kutafakari na kutumia akili zao ili kuthibitisha imani thabiti katika kuwepo kwa Muumba Mmoja Mwenye Nguvu Zote. Katika Surat Al-Ghashiyah (sura ya 88, aya 17-20), Qur'ani inasema: "Je, hawaangalii ngamia, jinsi walivyoumbwa? Na mbingu, jinsi zilivyoinuliwa? Na milima, jinsi ilivyosimamishwa imara? Na ardhi, jinsi ilivyotandazwa?" Kwa mtindo huu, Qur'ani inatoa marejeo mengi ya matukio ya kiulimwengu na hali halisi za kimwili ili kuchochea fikra za binadamu na kuvuta umakini kwenye kiini cha uumbaji. Kwa mfano, kuna mwaliko wa moja kwa moja wa kutumia akili katika Surat Al-Baqara (sura ya 2, aya 164): "Hakika katika kuumbwa mbingu na ardhi, na kubadilishana usiku na mchana, na merikebu zinazopita baharini kwa yale yenye manufaa kwa watu, na maji (mvua) ambayo Allah anateremsha kutoka mbinguni, na kwayo akaihuisha ardhi baada ya kufa kwake, na viumbe hai vya kila aina alivyovieneza humo, na katika kugeuzwa kwa upepo na mawingu yaliyotiishwa baina ya mbingu na ardhi, bila shaka ziko ishara kwa watu wanaotumia akili." Marejeo mengine kuhusu mazao ya ardhi yanauvuta mtazamo wa akili kutafakari sababu ya tofauti katika aina na ubora wa matunda na mboga zinazokua katika bustani moja.164 Qur'ani ina marejeo zaidi ya mia tatu ya ishara mbalimbali, matukio ya kimwili na mambo ya kimaumbile yanayolazimisha akili kufikiri na kutafakari kuhusu uumbaji, ili kuthibitisha imani thabiti katika kuwepo kwa Muumba Mmoja kwa ajili ya binadamu, maisha, na ulimwengu.165

Instead of following a belief that has been simply inherited from older generation without careful scrutiny, the Quran invites the people to ponder and use their minds to establish a firm belief in the existence of one Almighty Creator. In Surah Al-Ghashiah (chapter 88, verse 17-20), the Quran says, “Do they not look at the camels, how they are created? And at the heaven, how it is raised? And at the mountains, how they are rooted (and fixed firm)? And at the earth, how it is outspread?” Along these lines, the Quran makes numerous references to universal phenomena and physical realities to instigate the human thought and draw the attention to the essence of creation. See for example the direct invitation to mental reasoning in Surah Al-Baqara (chapter 2, verse 164): “Verily! In the creation of the heavens and the earth, and in the alternation of night and day, and the ships which sail through the sea with that which is of use to mankind, and the water (rain) which Allah sends down from the sky and makes the earth alive therewith after its death, and the moving (living) creatures of all kinds that He has scattered therein, and in the veering of winds and clouds which are held between the sky and the earth, are indeed proofs, evidences and signs for people who reason.” Another reference to the products of land draws the attention of the mind to ponder on the reason behind the variation in kind and quality of fruits and vegetables which grow in the same garden.164 There are more than three hundred references in the Quran to various signs, physical phenomena, and natural events which compel the mind to think and ponder about the creation, in order to establish a firm belief in the existence of the one Creator for man, life, and the universe.165

Marejeo mengi katika Qur'ani daima huvuta fikira za akili kwenye ukweli kwamba vitu vyote vilivyopo vina sifa ya kuwa na mipaka katika muda na nafasi, na kutojitosheleza. Hakuna miili iliyopo, iwe katika ulimwengu wa nje au katika nyanja za uhai, inayoweza kujidumisha yenyewe. Viumbe vyote vya kimwili vilivyopo vinategemea mambo ya nje ili viwepo na vidumishwe. Lengo ni kwamba Uislamu unataka watu waithamini dhana ya uumbaji na wawe na imani thabiti na ya kina katika msingi mkuu wa imani.

The numerous references in the Quran always draw the attention of the mind to the fact that all existing materials share the qualities of being limited in time and space, and in being self-insufficient. None of the existing bodies, whether in the outer universe or in the realms of life, can sustain its own existence. All existing material beings depend on external factors to exist and to be sustained. The idea is that Islam wants the people to appreciate the concept of creation and to have a deep and thorough conviction in the core idea of belief.

Kwa kuwa imani katika msingi wa Uislamu imejengwa juu ya akili, Uislamu haulazimishi watu kuamini. Unaiachia suala la imani busara ya kiakili ya binadamu.166 Kuwepo kwa uhakika katika msingi wa imani ni jambo la lazima, kwa sababu juu ya msingi huu Uislamu unajenga mfumo mzima wa maisha. Kujenga na kuendeleza mfumo kama huo kunahitaji nguvu kubwa sana, na nguvu hiyo inaweza kupatikana tu ikiwa akili na moyo wa watu vimeshiriki kikamilifu katika mfumo huu.

Because the belief in the foundation of Islam is based on reason, Islam does not force people into belief. It leaves the matter of belief for the human mental discretion.166 The conviction in the foundation of belief is required because upon this foundation, Islam builds an entire system for life. Building and sustaining such system requires a tremendous amount of energy, which can only be drawn if both the mind and the heart of the people are totally engaged in this system.

Sehemu muhimu ya imani kwa Mungu ni imani katika sifa za Mungu. Sifa kuu, ambayo inaifanya Uislamu kuwa itikadi, ni dhana ya utawala wa Mungu. Kimsingi, sifa hii inamweka Mungu kuwa chanzo pekee cha sheria na kanuni, ambazo huunda mwenendo wa watu binafsi na jamii. Dhana hii imeelezwa wazi katika Qur'ani. Katika aya moja, inasema: "Yeye (Allah) ndiye Mungu pekee anayestahili kuabudiwa mbinguni na Mungu pekee anayestahili kuabudiwa duniani. Naye ndiye Mwenye hekima yote, Mjuzi wa yote."167 Katika aya nyingine, inasema: "Amri (au utawala) ni ya Allah peke yake. Ameamuru kwamba msimwabudu yeyote ila Yeye; hiyo ndiyo dini iliyo nyoofu (ya kweli), lakini watu wengi hawajui."168

An important aspect of the belief in god is the belief in the attributes of god. The main attribute, which qualifies Islam as an ideology, is the notion of sovereignty of god. In essence, this attribute places god as the only source of laws and rules, which shape the behavior of individuals and societies. This notion is clearly stated in the Quran. In one verse, it says, “It is He (Allah) Who is the only God to be worshiped in the heaven and the only God to be worshiped on the earth. And He is the All-Wise, the All-Knower.”167 In another verse, it says, “The command (or the governance) is for none but Allah. He has commanded that you worship none but Him; that is the (true) straight religion, but most men know not.”168

Njia ya kuwafikishia watu mifumo ya Uislamu kutoka kwa Muumba inakuja kwa njia ya wahyi kwa Mtume Muhammad ﷺ. Mara kwa mara, Qur'an inasisitiza kwamba ujumbe uliofunuliwa ndio kanuni pekee inayopaswa kufuatwa na wote, ikiwemo Mtume mwenyewe ﷺ. Tazama kwa mfano Surat Al-A'raf (sura ya 7, aya ya 203), ambapo Qur'an inasema: "Mimi (Muhammad ﷺ) sifuati ila yale yanayofunuliwa kwangu kutoka kwa Mola wangu. Hii (Qur'an) si chochote ila ni dalili kutoka kwa Mola wenu, na mwongozo na rehema kwa watu wanaoamini." Qur'an, kwa upande wake, ilipokea uangalifu wa pekee kiasi kwamba ilikuwa na muundo wa kipekee wa kileksika, kisintaksia na kisemantiki. Upekee huu uliwezesha Qur'an kuhifadhiwa kwa karne nyingi bila kubadilishwa wala kuharibiwa. Zaidi ya hayo, upekee wa Qur'an unachukuliwa kuwa ni ushahidi na uthibitisho kwamba Qur'an imefunuliwa kweli na Mungu. Imetajwa katika Qur'an kwamba hakuna mtu atakayewahi kuweza kuiga Qur'an au sehemu yoyote yake; changamoto hii inaendelea kuwa halali hadi leo. Katika Surat Al-Isra'a (sura ya 17, aya ya 88), Qur'an inasema: "Kama binadamu na majini wangekusanyika pamoja ili kutoa mfano wa Qur'an hii, hawataweza kutoa mfano wake, hata kama watasaidiana." Tangu kufunuliwa kwa Qur'an katika karne ya saba, hakuna nakala ya Qur'an iliyowahi kutengenezwa, na maandishi asilia ya Qur'an yamehifadhiwa. Hadi leo, kuna nakala moja tu ya Qur'an katika lugha ya Kiarabu. Tafsiri za Qur'an katika lugha nyingine ni nyingi, lakini kuna toleo moja tu la Kiarabu.

The delivery of the systems of Islam from the Creator to the people comes in the form of revelation to the messenger Mohammad (PBUH). Repeatedly, the Quran emphasizes that the revealed message is the only code which should be followed by all, including the Prophet himself. See for example Surah Al-Araf (chapter 7, verse 203), where the Quran says, “I (Mohammad) but follow what is revealed to me from my Lord. This (the Quran) is nothing but evidences from your Lord, and a guidance and a mercy for a people who believe.” The Quran, in turn, received special attention such that it had a unique lexical, syntactic, and semantic structure. This uniqueness enabled the preservation of the Quran over time albeit unaltered and unchanged. Besides, the uniqueness of the Quran is perceived as an evidence and proof that the Quran is indeed revealed by god. It is stated in the Quran that no one will ever be able to replicate the Quran or any part of it; this challenge is valid until today. In Surah Al-Isra’a (chapter 17, verse 88), the Quran says, “If the mankind and the jinn were together to produce the like of this Quran, they could not produce the like thereof, even if they helped one another.” Since the revelation of the Quran in the seventh century, no replica of the Quran had ever been made, and the original text of the Quran had been preserved. Until today, there is only one copy of the Quran in the Arabic language. The translations of the Quran into other languages are numerous, but there is only one version in Arabic.

Mbali na Qur'ani, wahyu unajumuisha Sunna ya Nabii Muhammad ﷺ, ambayo inajumuisha wasifu wake na maandiko yaliyopokewa kutoka kwake. Sunna ilikusanywa na kundi la wanazuoni waliobuni mbinu mpya za kuthibitisha na kuhakiki Sunna ya Nabii Muhammad ﷺ.169

Besides the Quran, the revelation includes the Sunnah of Prophet Mohammad which consists of his biography and narrated texts. The Sunnah was compiled by a group of scholars who devised new methods for authentication and validation of the Sunnah of Prophet Mohammad.169

Tangu siku za mwanzo za ufunuo, ilitambuliwa kwamba maandiko yaliyofunuliwa (kwa njia ya Qur'ani na Sunnah) ndiyo msingi wa kupata hukumu na sheria. Maandiko ya Qur'ani yalichambuliwa na kufasiriwa kwa namna ya kuwezesha upatikanaji sahihi zaidi wa hukumu na sheria. Vitabu kadhaa vya ufafanuzi wa Qur'ani, vinavyojulikana kama Tafsiri, vilitungwa tangu siku za mwanzo za Uislamu.170 Kwa kutegemea maandiko asilia ya Qur'ani na Sunnah pamoja na vitabu vya ufafanuzi, wanazuoni wa Kiislamu walijenga msingi wa maarifa ya fiqhi, unaojulikana katika Uislamu kama elimu ya Fiqhi. Kimsingi, msingi huu unajumuisha seti ya kanuni, kanuni za utekelezaji, sheria, maadili, mazoea ya kila siku na mawazo ya jumla yanayotokana na Qur'ani na Sunnah. Katika kipindi kirefu cha muda, mbinu kadhaa za kupata hukumu zilibuniwa. Kwa kutegemea mbinu hizi za kupata hukumu, madhehebu kadhaa ya Fiqhi yalizuka.171 Tangu karne ya saba na katika kipindi chote cha kuchipuka kwa Uislamu hadi mwishoni mwa karne ya kumi na tisa, maelfu ya vitabu katika fani za Tafsiri, ufafanuzi wa Sunnah, sheria za Fiqhi, na itikadi vilitungwa. Vitabu vingi kati ya hivi vilinusurika licha ya hasara kubwa iliyopatikana wakati wa vita vya Mogul na vita vya Msalaba.172, 173

Since the early days of revelation, it was recognized that the revealed text (in the form of Quran or Sunnah) provides a base for deriving rules and laws. The text of the Quran was analyzed and interpreted in a manner to allow more accurate derivation of rules and laws. Several books of the interpretation of the Quran, known as the Tafseer, were authored since the early days of Islam.170 Based on the original texts of the Quran and the Sunnah as well as the books of interpretation, Muslim scholars developed the knowledge base of jurisprudence, known in Islam as the science of Fiqh. Essentially, this base includes the set of rules, regulations, laws, ethics, daily practices, and general ideas derived from the Quran and the Sunnah. Over an extended period of time, several methods of derivation were developed. Based on these methods of derivation, several schools of Fiqh emerged.171 Since the seventh century and throughout the rise of Islam and until the end of the nineteenth century, thousands of books in the areas of Tafseer, Sunnah interpretation, jurisprudence (Fiqh), and creed were authored. Many of these books survived despite the great loss incurred during the Mogul and crusade wars.172, 173

Msingi wa kinadharia wa itikadi ya Kiislamu umeelezwa wazi na bila utata katika kazi kubwa ya fasihi iliyoandikwa katika kipindi cha karne kumi na tatu. Usahihi wa nadharia hiyo umethibitishwa kwa nguvu kupitia mchakato wa hoja uliofafanuliwa vizuri, ambao unatumika katika msingi wa imani: Mwenyezi Mungu, Mtume, na Qur'ani. Usahihi wa mifumo ya sheria na kanuni umethibitishwa kwa msingi wa mbinu sahihi ya kupata hukumu. Nguvu ya wazo hili iko katika dhana kwamba ni msingi ambao uchambuzi unafanywa juu yake tu unaohitaji ushahidi wa asili. Mfumo wa sheria unachukuliwa kuwa sahihi ikiwa msingi unaotokana nao ni sahihi, na mbinu ya kupata mfumo huo ni sahihi. Kwa maneno mengine, haihitajiki kuthibitisha kwamba kuswali sala tano kwa siku ni jambo sahihi. Badala yake, inahitajika kuthibitisha kwamba kuswali sala tano kwa siku kumeteremshwa katika maandiko halali ya Qur'ani au Sunnah, na kwamba mbinu ya kufasiri maandiko hayo inafuata njia sahihi na yenye usahihi. Vivyo hivyo, haihitajiki kuthibitisha usahihi wa sheria inayokataza riba katika miamala ya kifedha. Badala yake, inahitajika kuthibitisha kwamba sheria ya kupinga riba inapatikana katika maandiko ya Qur'ani na Sunnah, na kwamba mbinu ya kutoa sheria hiyo kutoka kwa maandiko hayo ni mbinu halali na sahihi.

The theoretical foundation of the Islamic ideology is intelligibly and without any ambiguity detailed in the vast collection of literature produced over thirteen centuries. The soundness of the theory is vigorously established through a well-defined reasoning process which applies to the foundation of faith: God, Messenger, and the Quran. The correctness of the systems of laws and regulations is established on the basis of a correct derivation methodology. The power of this idea lies in the notion that only the base upon which the derivation is processed needs to have an original proof. The system of laws is deemed correct if the base from which it emanates is correct, and the method of deriving the system is correct. In other words, it is not required to prove that praying five times a day is a correct practice. Rather, it is required to prove that praying five times a day was revealed in a valid Quran or Sunnah text, and the method of interpreting that text follows a sound and correct method. By the same token, it is not required to prove the correctness of the law banning usury in financial transactions. Rather, it is required to prove that the antiusury law is found in the texts of Quran and Sunnah, and the method of generating the law from these texts is a valid and correct method.

Το kwamba Uislamu ulidai fikra ya kiakili katika kuamini kanuni na misingi yake ya msingi unaonyesha kujiamini kwa Uislamu katika usahihi wa msingi wa kifikra wa itikadi yake. Asili ya kimantiki ya msingi wa Kiislamu ilitambuliwa na kukubaliwa na mwanahistoria na msomi Mfaransa Edward Montet.174 Montet anafikia hitimisho lifuatalo: “Uislamu ni dini ya kimantiki kimsingi kwa maana pana zaidi ya neno hili ikichukuliwa kwa mtazamo wa kiethimolojia na kihistoria.” Anaeleza zaidi, “Qur’ani daima imebaki mahali pake kama mwanzo wa msingi, na fundisho la umoja wa Mungu limetangazwa humo kila wakati kwa ukuu na utukufu, usafi usiobadilika, na kwa sauti ya uhakika thabiti, jambo ambalo ni vigumu kulipata likipitwa nje ya mipaka ya Uislamu.” Montet anaelezea mantiki ya imani hii kama “imani sahihi sana, iliyoondolewa ugumu wote wa kitheolojia na hivyo kupatikana kwa urahisi kwa ufahamu wa kawaida, inaweza kutarajiwa, na kwa hakika inayo, nguvu ya ajabu ya kuingia katika dhamiri za watu.” Uthibitisho wa kina wa kanuni za msingi za Uislamu uko nje ya upeo wa kitabu hiki. Hili litashughulikiwa katika chapisho jingine la mwandishi. Kwa sasa, msomaji anaweza kurejea machapisho mengi yanayojadili suala hili kwa undani zaidi.

The fact that Islam demanded a mental reasoning for the belief in its core ideas and principles demonstrates the confidence of Islam in the soundness of the intellectual base of its ideology. The rationalistic nature of the Islamic foundation was recognized and acknowledged by French historian and scholar Edward Montet.174 Montet makes the following conclusion: “Islam is a religion that is essentially rationalistic in the widest sense of this term considered etymologically and historically.” He further explains, “The Qur’an has invariably kept its place as the fundamental starting point, and the dogma of unity of God has always been proclaimed therein with a grandeur a majesty, an invariable purity and with a note of sure conviction, which it is hard to find surpassed outside the pale of Islam.” Montet describes the rationality of the creed as “a creed so precise, so stripped of all theological complexities and consequently so accessible to the ordinary understanding might be expected to possess and does indeed possess a marvelous power of winning its way into the consciences of men.” The extended proofs of the core ideas of Islam are beyond the scope of this book. This will be dealt with in another publication by the author. In the meantime, the reader can refer to numerous publications which address this issue in greater details.