Our scholars include the concept of the descent of Jesus (PBUH) in articles of faith. In their view, this is an article of faith, just like the belief in the oneness of God (Monotheism), Messengership, and the Hereafter, and it is obligatory for every believer to adopt it. Their intention is to force Muslims to believe that Jesus (PBUH) was taken up alive to the heavens and that he will descend directly from the heavens near the Day of Judgment, will kill the Dajjal, establish the dominance of Islam in the world, and then pass away.
According to Javed Ahmed Ghamidi, even if the narratives of the ascension, descent, life, and death of Jesus (PBUH) are considered authentic, it is correct to mention them as signs of the Day of Judgment or as predictions of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), and on that basis, believing in them can also be considered a demand of faith in the Prophet. However, it cannot be deemed as the essence of belief and faith. Doing so is against the well-established conventions of the religion.
Faith means to believe in something with complete certainty of heart. Its foundation is belief in Allah, but in terms of specifics, it comprises the following five things:
Allah Almighty says in the Holy Qur’an:
اٰمَنَ الرَّسُوْلُ بِمَا٘ اُنْزِلَ اِلَيْهِ مِنْ رَّبِّهٖ وَالْمُؤْمِنُوْنَ كُلٌّ اٰمَنَ بِاللّٰهِ وَمَلٰٓئِكَتِهٖ وَكُتُبِهٖ وَرُسُلِهٖ لَا نُفَرِّقُ بَيْنَ اَحَدٍ مِّنْ رُّسُلِهٖ وَقَالُوْا سَمِعْنَا وَاَطَعْنَا غُفْرَانَكَ رَبَّنَا وَاِلَيْكَ الْمَصِيْرُ.
Our Messenger has professed faith in what has been revealed to him by His Lord, and so have his followers. All these professed faith in God and His angels and His books and His messengers. [They affirm:] ‘We do not discriminate between any of God’s messengers,’ and they have said: ‘We listened and obeyed. Lord! We seek Your forgiveness, and [know that] to You shall we return’ (2:285)
The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) included a branch of faith in Allah — the belief in the good and bad of destiny — and explained it in the following manner:
الإيمان أن تؤمن باللّٰه، وملٰئكته، وكتبه، ورسله، واليوم الاٰخر، و تؤمن بالقدر خيره وشره.
Faith implies that you believe in Allah, His angels, His books, His messengers, the Day of Judgment, and that every good and evil is from your Lord[121]. (Sahih Muslim, 102)
It is clear from the above verse and the narrative that in religion, only the above five things are deemed articles of faith. It is not correct to describe other parts of the religion as articles of faith. When Allah and His Messenger have determined the subjects of the articles of faith, we have no right to change or add anything to them.
Hence, for instance, we will include prayers, alms-giving, fasting, pilgrimage, and animal sacrifice within the category of worship; adopt interpretations of the law and Shariah for jihad and penalties; consider the destruction of Aad and Thamud, the companions of the cave, and the events of Dhul-Qarnayn as accounts of the past; consider the victory of Mecca and the victories of the Romans as prophecies; and call the emergence of Gog and Magog as signs of the Day of Judgment. All of these are realities, their attribution to the Prophet is beyond doubt. We will accept them and consider their denial to be against faith, but we will not use the term ‘articles of faith’ for them.
Another important aspect associated with this issue is that the teachings of the Qur’an requiring contemplation and leaving room for difference of opinion should not be included in the category of articles of faith as they may lead to two academic complications.
From one perspective, the scope of articles of faith (Īmānīyāt) becomes a matter of debate because they are the foundations of the faith, and allowing room for discussion and disagreement in these matters is akin to placing the very foundations of religion in a state of contention. Hence, if differing reports and narratives are included within the domain of articles of faith, it would essentially open the door to disputes and controversies on the core tenets of faith. For instance, the concept of the Finality of Prophethood is an integral part of belief in Prophethood. It is obligatory to accept this without any reservations. To deviate from it is to deviate from faith itself. There is no room for debate or dispute on this matter while maintaining one’s faith. However, if, for example, the signs of the Day of Judgment—such as a slave girl giving birth to her mistress, Arabs competing in constructing tall buildings, the sun rising from the west, or a particular creature emerging from the earth—are included in the list of articles of faith, which are subject to interpretation, then essential doctrinal beliefs like Prophethood and the Finality of Prophethood would also start being considered open to interpretation.
On the other hand, if viewed from another perspective, elevating the status of reports and narratives to that of Īmānīyāt would eliminate the possibility of reflection and difference of opinion regarding them. Consequently, if a hadith scholar or commentator does not accept them or offers a different interpretation, it would cast doubt on his belief and faith.
Conversely, giving the status of article of faith to debatable issues will cease the possibility of deliberation and difference of opinion about them. It means that if a hadith expert or an exegete does not accept them or offers a different interpretation of such issues, he will make his faith questionable.
It can be understood with the help of a few examples. The question of who are the ghayril-maghḍūbi ‘alayhim wa lā ad-dāllīn in the Qur’an or which tree is meant by the shajaratun from which Prophet Adam (PBUH) was prohibited can be subject to discussion and examination. Such questionable issues lead to differences of opinion among scholars. The same is the case of Dhul-Qarnayn and Khidr. The word Dhul-Qarnayn semantically means ‘the one with two horns,’ but the Qur’an is silent on who this term refers to. Some scholars interpret it as Alexander the Great, some think he was a king from Yemen, and others believe he was the Persian King Khosrow. Regarding Khidr, there are three prominent opinions: some believe he was an angel, others think he was a prophet, and some view him as a saint. Such scholarly differences clearly do not affect articles of faith, but if we classify these kinds of reports among articles of faith, then in the first case, discussion about them will be closed off, and in the second case, interpreters and commentators with differing views might face accusations of denying articles of faith. Consequently, this could lead to a situation where separate lists of articles of faith by learned individuals start to emerge, compromising the acknowledged status and rank of agreed-upon articles of faith.
Therefore, it is essential that articles of faith be kept entirely above such debates and disputes.