Not All Who Face the Qiblah Are Muslims — 15 Essential Conditions for Entering Islam

Source: Fatāwā ʿIlmiyyah, Volume 3 – Issues of Tawḥīd and Sunnah, p. 27

Question​

Are all those who face the Qiblah in prayer considered Muslims? Please answer in the light of the Qurʾān and Sunnah.
— Muḥammad Fayāḍ Dāmānwī, Bradford, England

Answer​

Al-ḥamdu lillāh, waṣ-ṣalātu wa-salāmu ʿalā Rasūlillāh, ʾammā baʿd:


Facing the Qiblah (the Kaʿbah) in prayer and calling oneself “Muslim” does not automatically make one a Muslim.
Among such people may be those who deny Khatm al-Nubuwwah (finality of prophethood), such as the Qādiyānīs and Bahāʾīs, or other groups whose beliefs are clear disbelief (kufr). These are disbelievers and outside the fold of Islam.

Essential Beliefs Required for Being a Muslim​

A true Muslim must have complete, correct, and sincere faith in the following:

① Faith in the Qurʾān​

• Believing it to be the Speech of Allah, true, and uncreated.
• Anyone who believes the Qurʾān to be altered or created is a disbeliever.

② Faith in Authentic Aḥādīth​

• Complete belief in the authentic sayings of the Messenger ﷺ.

③ Faith in Established Doctrines​

• Such as:
  ❀ The life of ʿĪsā عليه السلام
  ❀ His return
  ❀ The coming of the Dajjāl
  ❀ And other proven matters of creed.

④ Faith in the Finality of Prophethood​

• Believing firmly that the Messenger ﷺ is the last Prophet.

⑤ Belief in the Three Categories of Tawḥīd​

• Tawḥīd al-Rubūbiyyah (Oneness in Lordship)
• Tawḥīd al-Ulūhiyyah (Oneness in Worship)
• Tawḥīd al-Asmāʾ wa’l-Ṣifāt (Oneness in Names and Attributes)

⑥ Reverence for the Symbols of Allah​

• Such as:
  ❀ The Messenger ﷺ
  ❀ The Kaʿbah
  ❀ The Book of Allah
  ❀ Authentic ḥadīth
• Showing love, respect, and avoiding all forms of direct or indirect disrespect.

⑦ Faith in the Necessities of the Religion​

• Acceptance of the fundamental doctrines and rulings of Islam.

⑧ Faith in the Consensus of the Ummah​

• Believing in all matters established by the unanimous agreement of the Muslim Ummah.

⑨ Faith in Qadar (Divine Decree)​

• Believing in Allah’s decree — the good and the bad of it.

⑩ Faith in the Angels​

• Belief in Allah’s angels.

⑪ Faith in All Revealed Scriptures​

• Such as:
  ❀ The Torah
  ❀ The Zabūr
  ❀ The Injīl
  ❀ The Scrolls of Ibrāhīm and Mūsā عليهما السلام
• Believing they were revealed by Allah, and that Jews and Christians altered them.

⑫ Faith in All Prophets and Messengers​

• Belief in the prophethood and messengership of all of them.

⑬ Complete Faith in Tawḥīd​

• Avoiding shirk entirely.

⑭ Disavowal of Shayāṭīn, Ṭawāghīt, and Their Followers​

• Declaring innocence and separation from them.

Important Note​

These core beliefs are so fundamental that denying even one of them removes a person from the fold of Islam.

Further Guidance​

• For detailed explanations, see:
  ❀ Kitāb al-Īmān in Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī and Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim
  ❀ al-Sharīʿah by Imām al-Ājurī
• Consult reliable scholars of sound creed in your locality.
• Also recommended: the translated work Sharḥ Ḥadīth Jibrīl ʿalayhi al-salām by the same author.

ھٰذا ما عندي، والله أعلم بالصواب