#DastarkhwaneRamzan
To understand the essence of Islam it is important to understand the Hadith of Jibraeel, also known as Umm-e Hadith or the mother of all hadiths, narrated by Umar ibn al-Khattab, the second Caliph:
One day the Prophet was sitting in the mosque with a few of his companions when a man appeared and questioned him on his din (faith).
The man was wearing pristine white clothes, without any signs of travel on them. He sat down so close to the Prophet that their knees pressed against each other.
With his hands resting on his lap, he asked the Prophet five questions.
They were about Islam (submission to God), iman (faith in God) and ihsan (doing the beautiful), the Day of Judgment and its signs. The companions were surprised but kept silent as the questioning continued.
The Prophet, known for his eloquence and beauty of succinct speech, defined submission as bearing witness that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad is His messenger,performing daily prayers, paying zakat (alms tax), fasting during Ramzan and performing the hajj if one can find the means to do so.(These are the five pillars of Islam.)
Faith, he said, was to believe in Allah, His angels, His scriptures, His messengers and the Last Day, and to have faith that no good or evil comes without His providence.
On being asked what ihsan is,the Prophet Muhammad said,‘Ihsan is to worship Allah as if you see Him, and if you do not achieve this state of devotion, then (take it for granted that) Allah sees you.’
The stranger asked two more questions on the Day of Judgment and satisfied with the answers, he left. Then the Prophet identified him as Jibraeel to his companion Umar ibn al-Khattab and said that the angel had come ‘to teach unto you your religion’.
