Qura’anic Principles and the role of new Generation

Qura’anic Principles and the role of new Generation	Course :Islamic Thoughts Submitted To Syed Muhammad Usman
Shahzaib Shamim [ 2958 ] Paf Kiet KARACHI

Table Of Content

1. The Meaning of Islam:                                                                                                3
2. Articles of Faith:                                                                                                         4

1. Allah, the One and Only God
2. Messengers and Prophets of God

1. Revelations and the Quran:                                                                                        5-11
   1. The Angels of Allah
   2. The Day of Judgement
   3. Qadaa and Qadar
   4. The Purpose of Life
   5. Status of Human Being
   6. Salvation
   7. Acceptance of Faith
   8. Application of Faith
   9. Prayer (Salah)
   10. Fasting
   11. Charity Giving (Zakah)
   12. The Pilgrimmage (Hajj)
   13. Islam is a Code of Life

1. ReveLation of  Quran:                                                                                                12-16
2. The Preaching of Islam                                                                                               17-23
3. Role of Young Generation in Islam                                                                            24-26

1. i.      Living for Islam
2. ii.      Essential Knowledge
3. iii.      The Characteristics of People who live for Islam
4. iv.      The Compulsory Nature of Islamic Activism

1. The Requirements of Bai‘ah and Brotherhood                                                           27

1. The Responsibilities of Brotherhood

The Meaning of Islam:

ISLAM is derived from the Arabic root “SALEMA”: peace, purity, submission and obedience. In the religious sense, Islam means submission to the will of God and obedience to His law.

Everything and every phenomenon in the world, other than man is administered TOTALLY by God-made laws i.e. they are obedient to God and submissive to His laws i.e. they are in the STATE OF ISLAM. Man possesses the quality of intelligence and choice, thus he is invited to submit to the good will of God and obey His law ie. become a Muslim. Submission to the good will of God, together with obedience to His beneficial law, i.e. becoming a Muslim is the best safeguard for man’s peace and harmony.

Islam dates back to the edge of Adam and its message has been conveyed to man by God’s Prophets and Messengers including Abrahim, Moses, Jesus and Muhammad. Islam’s message has been restored and enforced in the last stage of the religious evolution by God’s last Prophet and Messenger Muhammad.

The word Allah in the Arabic language means God, or more accurately The One and Only Eternal God, Creator of theUniverse, Lord of all lords, King of all kings, MostCompassionate, Most Merciful. The word Allah to mean God is also used by Arabic speaking Jews and Christians.

Articles of Faith:

Allah, the One and Only God

A muslim believes in ONE GOD, Supreme and Eternal, Infinite and Mighty, Merciful and Compassionate, Creator and Provider. God has no father nor mother, no sons nor was He fathered. None equal to Him. He is God of all mankind, not of a special tribe or race.

God is High and Supreme but He is very near to the pious thoughtful believers; He answers their prayers and help them. He loves the people who love Him and forgives their sins. He gives them peace, happiness, knowledge and success. God is the Loving and the Provider, the Generous, and the Benevolent, the Rich and the Independent the Forgiving and the Clement, the Patient and the Appreciative, the Unique and the Protector, the Judge and the Peace. God’s attributes are mentioned in the Quran.

God creates in man the mind to understand, the soul and conscience to be good and righteous, the feelings and sentiments to be kind and humane. If we try to count His favours upon us, we cannot, because they are countless. In return for all the great favours and mercy, God does not need anything from us, because He is Needless and Independent. God asks us to know Him, to love Him and to enforce His law for our benefit and our own benefit and our own good.

Messengers and Prophets of God

A Muslim believes in all the Messengers and Prophets of God without any discrimination. All messengers were mortals, human beings, endowed with Divine revelations and appointed by God to teach mankind. The Holy Quran mentions the names of 25 messengers and prophets and states that there are others. These include Noah, Abrahim, Ishmael, Isaac, Moses, Jesus and Muhammad. Their message is the same and it is Islam and it came from One and the Same Source; God, and it is to submit to His will and to obey His law; i.e., to become a Muslim.

Revelations and the Quran:

A Muslim believes in all scriptures and revelations of God, as they were complete and in their original versions. Allah, the Creator, has not left man without guidance for the conduct of his life. Revelations were given to guide the people to the right path of Allah and sent down to selected people, the prophet and messengers, to convey it to their fellow men.

The message of all the prophet and messengers is the same. They all asked the people of their time to obey and worship Allah and none other. Abrahim, Moses, David, Jesus and Muhammad who were revealed their own book of Allah, were sent at different times to bring back straying human being from deviation to Right Course.

The Quran is the sacred book of the Muslims. It is the last book of guidance from Allah, sent down to Muhammad, peace be upon him, through the angel Jibraeel (Gabriel). Every word of it is the word of Allah. It was revealed over a period of 23 years in the Arabic language. It contains 114 Surahs (chapters) and over 6000 verses.

The Quran deals with man and his ultimate goal in life. Its teachings cover all areas of this life and the life after death. It contains principles, doctrines and directions for every sphere of human life. The theme of the Quran broadly consists of three fundamental ideas: Oneness of Allah, Prophethood and life after death. The success of human beings on this earth and in the life hereafter depends on obedience to the Quranic teaching.

The Quran is unrivalled in its recording and prservation. The astonishing fact about this book of Allah is that it has remained unchanged even to a dot over the past fourteen hundred years. No scholar has questioned the fact that the Quran today is the same as it was revealed. Muslims till today memorize the Quran word by word as a whole or in part. Today, the Quran is the only authentic and complete book of Allah. Allah is protecting it from being lost, corrupted or concealed.

The Angels of Allah

There are purely spiritual and splendid beings created by Allah. They require no food or drink or sleep. They have no physical desires nor material needs. Angels spend their time in the service of Allah. Each charged with a certain duty. Angels cannot be seen by the naked eyes. Knowledge and the truth are not entirely confined to sensory knowledge or sensory perception alone.

The Day of Judgement

A Muslim believes in the Day of the Judgement. This world as we know it will come to an end and the dead will rise to stand for their final and fair trial. On that day, all men and women from Adam to the last person will be resurrected from the state of death for judgement. Everything we do, say, make, intend and think are accounted for and kept in accurate records. They are brought up on the Day of Judgement. One who believe in life after death is not expected to behave against the Will of Allah. He will always bear in mind that Allah is watching all his actions and the angels are recording them.

People with good records will be generously rewarded and warmly welcomed to Allah’s Heaven. People with bad records will be fairly punished and cast into Hell. The real nature of Heaven and Hell are known to Allah only, but they are described by Allah in man’s familiar terms in the Quran.

If some good deeds are seen not to get full appreciation and credit in this life, they will receive full compensation and be widely acknowledged on the Day of Judgement. If some people who commit sins, neglect Allah and indulge in immoral activities, seem SUPERFICIALLY successful and prosperous in this life, absolute justice will be done to them on the Day of Judgement. The time of the Day of Judgement is only known to Allah and Allah alone.

Qadaa and Qadar

A Muslim believes in Qadaa and Qadar which related to the ultimate power of Allah. Qadaa and Qadar means the Timeless Knowledge of Allah and His power to plan and execute His plans. Allah is not indifferent to this world nor is He neutral to it. It implies that everything on this earth originates from the one and only creator who is also the Sustainer and the sole source of guidance.

Allah is Wise, Just and Loving and whatever He does must have a good motive, although we may fail sometimes to understand it fully. We should have strong faith in Allah and accept whatever He does because our knowledge is limited and our thinking is based on individual consideration, whereas His knowledge is limitless and He plans on a universal basis. Man should think, plan and make sound choice, but if things do not happen the way he wants, he should not lose faith and surrender himself to mental strains or shattering worries.

The Purpose of Life

A Muslim believe that the purpose of life is to worship Allah. Worshipping Allah does not mean we spend our entire lives in constant seclusion and absolute meditation. To worship Allah is to live life according to His commands, not to run away from it. To worship Allah is to know Him, to love Him, to obey His commands, to enforce His laws in every aspect of life, to serve His cause by doing right and shunning evil and to be just to Him, to ourselves and to our fellow human beings.

Status of Human Being

A Muslim believes that human being enjoys an especially high ranking status in the hierarchy of all known creatures. Man occupies this distinguished position because he alone is gifted with rational faculties and spiritual aspirations as well as powers of action. Man is not a condemned race from birth to death, but a dignified being potentially capable of good and noble achievements. A Muslim also believes that every person is born muslim. Every person is endowed by Allah with spiritual potential and intellectual inclination that can make him a good Muslim. Every person’s birth takes place according to the will of Allah in realization of His plans and in submission to His commands. Every person is born FREE FROM SIN. When the person reaches the age of maturity and if he is sane, he become accountable for all his deeds and intentions. Man is free from sin until he commits sin. There is no inherited sin, no original sin. Adam committed the first sin, he prayed to Allah for pardon and Allah granted Adam pardon.

Salvation

A Muslim believes that man must work out his salvation through the guidance of Allah. No one can act on behalf of another or intercede between him and Allah. In order to obtain salvation, a person must combine faith and action, belief and practice. Faith without doing good deeds is as insufficient as doing good deeds without faith. Also, a Muslim believes that Allah does not hold any person responsible until he has shown him the Right Way. If people do not know and have no way of knowing about Islam, they will not be responsible for failing to be Muslim. Every Muslim must preach Islam in words and action.

Acceptance of Faith

A Muslim believes that faith is not complete when it is followed blindly or accepted unquestioningly. Man must build his faith on well-grounded convictions beyond any reasonable doubt and above uncertainty. Islam insures freedom to believe and forbids compulsion in religion (one of the oldest synagogues and one of the oldest churches in the worlds is in Muslim countries).

A Muslim believes that the Quran is the word of Allah revealed to prophet Muhammad through the Angel Gabriel. The Quran was revealed from revealed from

Allah on various occasions to answer questions, solve problems, settle dbe man’s best guide to the truth. The Quran was revealed in Arabic and it is still in its original and complete Arabic version until today. It is memorized by millions. A Muslim also believes in a clear distinction between the Quran and the Traditions (called Hadits) of the Prophet Muhammad. Whereas, the Quran is the word of Allah, the Traditions of Prophet Muhammad (hadits i.e.: his teachings, sayings, and actions) are the practical interpretations of the Quran. Both the Quran and the Hadits of Prophet Muhammad are the primary sources of knowledge in Islam.

Application of Faith

God has laid down for a Muslim four major exercises of faith, some are daily, some weekly, some monthly, some annually and some are required as a minimum of once in a lifetime. These exercises of faith are to serve man’s spiritual purposes, satisfy his human needs and to mark his whole life with a Divine touch. These major exercises of faith are:

Prayer (Salah)

Praying, to the Creator on a daily basis, is the best way to cultivate in a man a sound personality and to actualize his aspiration. Allah does not need man’s prayer because He is free of all needs. Salah is for our benefit which are immeasurable and the blessings are beyond imagination.

In salah, every muscle of the body joins the soul and the mind in the worship and glory of Allah. Salah is an act of worship. It is a matchless and unprecedented formula of intellectual meditation and spiritual devotion, of moral elevation and physical exercise, all combined.

Offering of salah is obligatory upon every Muslim male and female who is sane, mature and in case of women free from menstruation and confinement due to child birth. Requirements of salah: performing of ablution (Wudu), purity of the whole body, clothes and ground used for prayer, dressing properly and having (or declaring) the intention and facing the Qiblah; the direction of the Ka’bah at Mecca.

Obligatory Salah: Five daily salahs, the Friday’s noon congregation salah and the funeral salah.

Highly recommended salah: Those accompanying the obligatory salah and the two great festival salahs.

Optional salah: Voluntary salah during the day and night.

Times of Obligatory Salah:

1. Early Morning – after dawn and before sunrise.

2. Noon – after the sun begins to decline from its zenith until it is about midway on its course to set.

3. Mid-afternoon – after the expiration of the noon salah time until sunset.

4. Sunset – immediately after sunset until the red glow in the western horizon disappears.

5. Evening – after the expiration of the sunset salah until dawn. Salah should be offered in its due time, unless there is a reasonable excuse. Delayed obligatory salah must be made up. In addition to the prescribed salah, a Muslim expressed gratitude to God and appreciation of His favours and asks for His mercy all the time. Especially at times of, for example: childbirth, marriage, going to or rising from bed, leaving and returning to his home, starting a journey or entering a city, riding or driving, before or after eating or drinking, harvesting, visiting graveyards and at time of distress and sickness.

Fasting

Fasting is abstaining completely from eating, drinking, intimate sexual contacts and smoking from the break of dawn till sunset. It is a matchless Islamic institution which teaches man the principle of sincere love to God. Fasting teaches man a creative sense of hope, devotion, patience, unselfishness, moderation, willpower, wise saving, sound budgeting, mature adaptability, healthy survival, discipline, spirit of social belonging, unity and brotherhood. Obligatory fasting is done once a year for the period of the month of Ramadan; the ninth month of the Islamic year. Recommended fasting every Monday and Thursday of every week, three days in the middle of each Islamic month, six days after Ramadan following the Feast Day and a few days of the two months before Ramadan. Fasting of Ramadan is a worship act which is obligatory on every adult Muslim, male or female if he/she mentally and physically fit and not on a journey. Exception: women during their period of menstruation and while nursing their child and also in case of travel and sickness.

Charity Giving (Zakah)

Charity giving is an act of worship and spiritual investment. The lateral meaning of Zakah is purity and it refers to the annual amount in kind or coin which a Muslim with means must distribute among the rightful beneficiaries. Zakah does not only purifies the property of the contributor but also purifies his heart from selfishness and greed. It also purifies the heart of the recipient from envy and jealousy, from hatred and uneasiness and it fosters instead good-will and warm wishes for the contributors.

Zakah has a deep humanitarian and social-political value; for example, it frees society from class welfare, from ill feelings and distrust and from corruption. Although Islam does not hinder private enterprise or condemn private possession, it does not tolerate selfish and greedy capitalism. Islam adopts a moderate but positive and effective course between individual and society, between the citizen and the state, between capitalism and socialism, between materialism and spiritualism. Zakah is paid on the net balance after paying personal expenses, family expenses, due credits, taxes, etc. Every Muslim, male or female who at the end of the year is in possession of the equivalent of 85 g of gold (approx. $1400 in 1990) or more in cash or articles of trade, must give Zakah at minimum rate of 2.5%. Taxes paid to government do not substitute for this religious duty. Contributor should not seek pride or fame but if disclosing his name and his contribution is likely to encourage others, it is acceptable to do so. The recipient of Zakah are: the poor, the needy, the new Muslim converts, the Muslim prisoners of war (to liberate them), Muslim in debt. Also employees appointed to collect Zakah, Muslim in service of research or study or propagation of Islam, wayfarers who are foreigners in need of help.

The Pilgrimmage (Hajj)

It is a pilgrimage to Mecca, at least once in a lifetime and it is obligatory upon every Muslim male and female who is mentally, physically and financially fit. It is the largest annual convention of faith on earth (in 1989: 2.5 million). Peace is the dominant theme. Peace with Allah, with one’s soul, with one another, with all living creatures. To disturb the peace of anyone or any creature in any shape or form is strictly prohibited.

Muslim from all walks of life, from every corner of the globe assemble in Mecca in response to the call of Allah. There is no royalty but loyalty of all to Allah, the Creator. It is to commemorate the Divine rituals observed by the Prophet Abrahim and his son Ishmael, who are the first pilgrim to the house of Allah on earth; the Ka’bah. It is also to remember the grad assembly of the Day of Judgement when people will stand equal before Allah.

Muslims go to Mecca in glory of Allah, not to worship a man. The visit to the tomb of Prophet Muhammad at Madena is highly recommended but not essential in making the Hajj valid and complete.

Islam is a Code of Life

It is a Muslim belief that Muhammad’s mission was for the whole world and for all the time; because:

Its universality has been clearly confirmed by the Quran (Surah 7: verse 158, 6:19, 34:28, 81:27).

It is a logical consequences of the finality of his prophethood. He had to be the guide and the leader for all men and for all ages.

Allah has provided, through him, a complete code which is to be followed, and this in itself supports the concept of finality, because without completeness, the need for other prophets would remain.

It is a fact that during the last 1400 years no man has arisen whose life and works bear even the slightest resemblance to that of a prophet. Nor has anyone presented a book which could be remotely considered a divine communication. Still less has there been a man to claim legitimate authority as a law-giver fro mankind. The mission of Muhammad, as well as of other prophets who brought the universal message of Islam, does not end with the announcement of the message. He has to guide the people by explaining to them the implications of the Islamic creed, the morale code, the divine injunctions and commandment, and the form of worship that sustains the whole system. He has to exemplify the faith so others can pattern their participation in the evolution of Islamic culture and civilization. The believers must grow under his guidance into an organized community so that Allah’s word will prevail over all other words.

1. Spiritual Life: prayer (salah), fasting, charity giving (zakah), pilgrimage (hajj), love for Allah and His Messenger, love for truth and humanity for the sake of Allah, hope and trust in Allah at all times and doing good for the sake of Allah.

2. Intellectual Life: True knowledge based on clear proof and indisputable evidence acquired by experience or experiment or by both. The Quran points to the rich sources of knowledge in the whole universe. Islam demands faith in Allah on the basis of knowledge and research and leaves wide open all field of thought before the intellect to penetrate as far it can reach.

3. Personal Life: purity and cleanliness, a healthy diet, proper clothing, proper behaviour, and good healthy sexual relations within marriage.

4. Family Life: A family is a human social group whose members are bound together by the bond of blood ties and/or marital relationship and nothing else (adoption, mutual alliance, common law, trial marriage…etc.). Marriage is a religious duty on all who are capable of meeting its responsibilities. Each member of the family has rights and obligations.

5. Social Life: Man is ordained by Allah to extend his utmost help and kindness to other family members, relations, servants and neighbours. No superiority on account of class, colour, origin or wealth. Humanity represents one family springing from the one and the same father and mother. The unity of the humanity is not only in its origin but also in its ultimate aims.

6. Economical Life: Earning one’s living through decent labour is not only a duty but a great virtue as well. Earning is man’s private possession. The individual is responsible for the prosperity of the state and the state is responsible for the security of the individual. The Islamic economic system is not based on arithmetical calculations alne but also on moral and principles. Man comes to this world empty-handed and departs empty-handed. The real owner of things is Allah alone. Man is simply a trustee.

7. Political Life: The sovereignty in the Islamic State belongs to Allah; the people exercise it by trust from Him to enforce His laws. The ruler is only an acting executive chosen by the people to serve them according to Allah’s law. The State is to administer justice and provide security for all citizens. Rulers and administrators must be chosen from the best qualified citizens. If an administration betrays the trust of Allah and the people, it has to be replaced. Non-Muslim can administer their personal life of marriage, divorce, foods and inheritance according to the Islamic law or to their own religious teachings. They may pay Zakah or a different tax tributes “Jizyah”. They are entitled to full protection and security of the State including freedom of religion.

8. International Life: Man has a common origin, human status and aim. Other people’s interests and right to life, honour and property are respected as long as the right of Muslim are in tact. Transgression is forbidden. War is only justified if the state security is endangered. During war, destruction of crops, animals and homes, killing non-fighting women, children and aged people are forbidden.

ReveLation of  Quran:

Well before God’s revelation marked him as a Prophet, Mohammad(p) had rejected the religion of Arabia. This religion called on the worship of several gods, and Mohammad felt that these idols were not responsible for life or creation. Questioning the religion that he was born into, Mohammad (p) found peace in reflection, meditation, and contemplation; however, these acts of private worship did not give Mohammad the answers that he was searching for. In his late thirties Mohammad began a practice of retirement, where he would seclude himself from his family and relations and spend several days in a cave on top of a mountain two miles outside of Makkah. He continued this for many years: during the month of Ramadan, Mohammad would often spend the entire month in seclusion, for some instinct must have told him that in this holiest month he would find the answers to his questions. So, it was in his fortieth year that Mohammad (p) received the revelation from God.

While engaged in worship in a corner of the cave of Hira in the heart of the night, the orphan son of Abdullah who had never studied or attended a school, was suddenly shaken by the summons, “O Muhammad!” followed by the command to recite, this being the beginning of revelation. A wave arose from the limitless ocean of Divinity, rent the breast of the Prophet, bewildered and anxious, and filled to the brim the cup of his spirit.
Mohammad was shocked and afraid. How could there be another voice in the cave when he was all alone? Nevertheless, he replied: “I am not one of those who can read”. After his answer, he was taken up, and violently hugged and then set free: the voice repeated, “Read”. Mohammad could only give the same answer: “I am not one of those who can read”. The being repeated the same action, hugging him again. Once again it commanded him to “Read”. This time Mohammad gave a different answer: he said, “What shall I read?”, and the voice said:

“Read! In the Name of your Lord, who has created you! He created man from a clot of blood. Read, and your Lord is the Most Gracious, He who has taught by the pen, Taught man what he did not know.”
[Al-Quran: 96:1-4]

The shining of a light from the realm of the unseen covered and enveloped his being and shone forth on his fair features, giving rise to new and bright life in the darkness of the night. Then, with a painful tumult in his heart and bearing on his shoulders the heaviest responsibility conceivable, he set out for home from the cave of Hira, destined to become the teacher of all human beings and to assume the leadership of humanity on its long march forward.

What force was it that had disquieted him despite his infinite patience, made him anxious despite all his tranquil courage, and plunged his whole being into painful turmoil? Thereafter the envoy of revelation came repeatedly, reciting verses to him, profound and astounding verses that bore no resemblance from the point of view of style and content either to the words of the Prophet himself, eloquent as they were, or to the conventional prose and poetry of the age.

Although the Arabs of the Age of Ignorance knew neither how to read nor how to write and had no historians, philosophers or scholars, they were famed for the excellence of their poetry and the eloquence of their speech. The Prophet, however, had never participated before the beginning of his mission in the cultivation of the arts of poetry and eloquence.
His conduct, on the one hand, and the verses of the Quran, on the other, both testify that he made no compromises in conveying his message. He conveyed the message that he had been ordered to deliver clearly, unambiguously and in utter contradiction both with the beliefs and inclinations of the people and with his own immediate interests. He loudly proclaimed the revelation he had received to the evil and the ignorant, to a people made degenerate and corrupt by the worship of the idols they had fashioned themselves, and he informed them that their sole salvation lay in the worship of the One God.

The new factor that appeared at a particular time in the life of the Prophet and caused him to engage in unprecedented forms of activity was the wondrous phenomenon of revelation, the heavenly message which he as the most lofty and qualified of men had been chosen to receive. Before then, no preliminary effort or particular inclination had been seen on his part that might have led to the bringing about of the sudden and remarkable transformation of the world he was now about to accomplish.

The factor that had this profound effect on Muhammad, that changed that quiet and reflective man into an explosive source of revolutionary energy and enabled him to bring about such a profound transformation of humanity, from within the intense darkness of the Arabs’ Age of Ignorance, was nothing other than revelation. It was a call that penetrated the very depths of the souls of human beings that melted the marrow of their bones, and directed all their strivings to the attainment of perfection.

The command of revelation negated all the false and lying criteria which human beings had regarded as the measure of goodness and considered the sole means of evaluating human characteristics and habits, while, in fact, clothing falsehood in the garment of truth. It brought into operation new and clear criteria which showed human beings the goals to which they should strive to advance and brought about creativity in their lives. The veil of ignorance and silence was torn apart, the human beings’ energies were set to work, the power of thought within them was aroused, and their spirits were borne aloft toward the infinite summit of being.

A people who in their ignorance and lowliness would tear each apart on account of the most insignificant things and had lost all virtue, thanks to their various forms of enslavement, now became, through Islam and its great concept of monotheism – the true pillar of humanity and the breaker of idols – so elevated of spirit and so self-sacrificing that they happily abandoned both their lives and their property. The remarkable stories of self-sacrifice on the part of those early Muslims will stand eternally as examples of true nobility.
The Prophet of Islam had the vision and belief of a world leader, but he began to proclaim his Divine summons to monotheism in a relatively restricted sphere, a closed environment where tribal institutions exercised great influence and idols were counted as the most sacred and beloved of objects. It was an environment that was not in any way prepared to accept the message of Divine unity.

The heavenly teachings of Islam and the culture to which they gave rise were superior not only to the intellectual atmosphere prevailing in the idolatrous society of the Arabs but also to all the religious doctrines and cultures of that age.

The program for reforming systems of thought and culture that had become corrupt was laid down by a man who had never studied, who was unlettered, and who knew nothing of the religious books or the civilization of his age.

At first he invited his relatives to worship the Creator, and then the people of Mecca and the Arabian Peninsula. Finally he proclaimed to the entire world his mission as the last of the Prophets.

The Prophet had been born into an environment where human beings engaged in empty boasting out of their shortsightedness and tribal mentality, where privileges were based on unjust social conditions and prejudices. Now he arose and swept aside all those false privileges. He established new values and concepts with respect to labor, life and social relations, in the framework of a series of rules and ordinances, and strove to concentrate all the goals and thoughts of the human being on a program for liberating peoples from slavery, and delivering the oppressed from the tyranny of emperors and kings. Even for those who do not regard these exalted aims as having a heavenly origin will admit that they are among the most exalted and previous values observable in human history.

What is significant about the Revelation, the Message of God, is that it was an act for which the Prophet (pbuh) was ready. Meaning, that he had already forsaken the beliefs of his people and his culture. Mohammad (pbuh) had proved himself ready for prophethood through his pious actions and behavior. Among his people he had already earned the name Al-Amin, The Trustworthy. Moreover, Mohammad (pbuh) was a mature man, one who had lived the majority of his life, and could devote the next twenty-three years of that life to the service of God.
Since different verses of the Qur’an were being revealed as and when appropriate, it was not possible from the very beginning to write and preserve it in a book form. So, during the initial stage of Islam, major emphasis was laid on memory as a means of preserving the Qur’an.

When a revelation used to come in the very beginning, the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wasallam) would tend to repeat its words instantly so that they would be memorized well enough. Thereupon, Allah Almighty directed him through the verses of Soorah Qiyaamah that he need not repeat words in a hurry immediately as revelation came. Allah Almighty would himself endow him with a memory that he will be unable to forget the words of the revelation once its descent has been completed. So it was that the moment the Qur’anic verses would come to him, they would be committed to his memory the next moment. Thus, the blessed chest of the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wasallam), was the most protected vault of the Qur’an, in which there was no chance of even some common mistake, editing or alteration. Moreover, as a matter of additional precaution, he used to recite the Qur’an before angel Jibra’eel every year during the month of Ramadhaan; and the year he left this mortal world he completed a cumulative review of Qur’anic recitation twice with Jibra’eel. (Saheeh Bukhaari with Fat’hul Baari)

Again, as it was, he would not restrict his teachings of the Sahaabah (Companions) to just the meaning of the Qur’an, but had them memorize its words as well. Then, the revered Companions were themselves so enamored with a desire to learn and remember the Qur’an that every one of them was anxious to get ahead of the other. There were women who claimed no dowry from their husbands except that they would teach the Qur’an.

Hundreds of Companions, freeing themselves from all other concerns, had devoted their whole lives for this purpose. Not only did they memorize the Qur’an but also went on repeating it within the nightly prayers. “When someone migrated from Makkah and came to Madeenah”, says Ubaadah Ibne Saamit, “the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wasallam) would entrust him to one of us Ansaar so that he could teach Qur’an to the new comer.” The mosque of the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wasallam) was so filled with voices generated by learners and teachers of the Qur’an that the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wasallam) had to ask them to lower their voices so that mistakes are not made. (Manaahilul ‘Irfaan)

Thus memorisation of the Qur’an was given more emphasis in early Islam as this was the only protected and trustworthy method given the conditions of that time. The reason is that the number of people who could read or write was very limited in those days. The means of publishing books, such as printing press, etc., were not there. Therefore, in that situation, if writing was taken to be sufficient, it would have neither been possible to spread the Qur’an on an extensive scale nor to protect it reliably. In its place, Allah Almighty had blessed the people of Arabia with a memory of such dimensions that thousands of poetic lines would normally rest in the memory of one person after another. Common ordinary villagers would remember by heart their genealogies and those of their families and unbelievably enough – even those of their horses! Therefore, this power of memory was well utilized for the conservation and protection of the Qur’an and it was through it that the verses and chapters of the Qur’an reached all over in to the far corners of Arabia.
Besides having the Qur’an committed to memory, the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wasallam) made special arrangements to have the Qur’an committed to writing as well. Zayd Ibne Thaabit says: “I used to write down the words of wahee for him. When wahee came to him he felt burning with heat and the drops of perspiration would start rolling down on his body like pearls. When this state would go away from him, I would present myself before him with shoulder-bone or a piece (of something else). He would go on dictating and I would go on writing. When I would be finished with writing, the shear weight of copying the Qur’an would give me the feeling that my leg is going to break and that I will never be able to walk. In any case, when I would be finished with writing, he would say: ‘Read.’ I would read it back to him if there was a shortcoming, he would have it corrected and then let it be known to people. (Majma’uz Zawaa’id with reference to Tabraani)

Thus, there existed, during the time of the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wasallam), a copy of the Noble Qur’aan which he had arranged to be committed to writing under his supervision. Although, it was not there as a formally prepared book, but it certainly was there in the form of various units of available writing materials. Along with it, it was also the practice of some revered Companions that they would make copies of the Qur’anic verses and keep them for personal recollection. This practice was common since the very early period of Islam. Accordingly, much before Umar embraced Islaam, his sister and brother-in-law had in their possession verses of the Qur’aan which they had written and kept in a book form. (Seerah Ibne Hishaam)

After reading about the Revelation of the Holy Qur’an, you might find the following of interest:
How the Holy Qur’an was preserved:  Zayd Ibne Thaabit says: “I used to write down the words of wahee for him. When wahee came to him he felt burning with heat and the drops of perspiration would start rolling down on his body like pearls. When this state would go away from him, I would present myself before him with shoulder-bone or a piece (of something else). He would go on dictating and I would go on writing. When I would be finished with writing, the shear weight of copying the Qur’an would give me the feeling that my leg is going to break and that I will never be able to walk. In any case, when I would be finished with writing, he would say: ‘Read.’ I would read it back to him and if there was a shortcoming, he would have it corrected and then let it be known to people.
The Demand of the Qur’an for a Direct Confrontation: From the very first day that the Prophet began preaching his message of monotheism, he summoned people also to a realistic vision of the world. When inviting them to faith, he addressed their wisdom and intelligence and called on them to use their eyes and their ears to perceive the truth.
Do we deserve the Qur’an ? The student of the Qur’an will find out that, Qur’an is telling us that the messengers of Allah will lead the people from darkness into the light and that nowhere in the Qur’an does Allah tell us a story of a community misled by its messenger or given the wrong teachings by him.

The Preaching of Islam:

1 When every method of persuasion (over 13 years of preaching) had failed, the Prophetsa took to the sword… that sword removed evil and mischief, the impurities of the heart and the filth of the soul. The sword did something more. It removed their blindness—they could see the light of truth—and it also cured them of their arrogance; arrogance which prevents people from accepting the truth… stiff necks and proud heads bowed with humility.                                                                          —Maulana Abul Ala Maududi

Muhammad preached Islam with a sword in one hand and the Quran in the other.

—Prof. Wilfred Cantwell Smith

2 The critics are blind. They cannot see that the only sword Muhammad wielded was the sword of mercy, compassion, friendship and forgiveness—the sword that conquers enemies and purifies hearts. His sword was sharper than the sword of steel.

—Gyanandra Dev Sharma Shastri

These are two conflicting views about the way in which the message of Islam was conveyed to the world. Critics, especially orientalists, claim that the wars the Prophet of Islamsa fought were offensive wars and that people were converted by force. According to objective historians, however, this view is not upheld by the facts. The Prophetsa did not use force to preach and all the battles he fought were defensive. The expansion of Islam was due to the Prophet’ssa spiritual and moral power.

Nevertheless, the view that Islam was spread by force is, unfortunately, held by some Muslim leaders. They, like the orientalists, divide the life of the Prophetsa into Meccan and Medinite periods. They maintain that at Mecca he was weak and powerless, hence that compromising and submissive attitude of peaceful co-existence. Then, having gained some power at Medina, he resorted to the sword, according to this school of thought.

Had he not done so there would have been no spiritual revolution in Arabia and Islam would not have spread. The late Maulana Abul Ala Maududi was a leading proponent of this view. In his book, Al-Jihad fil Islam, the Maulana says:

The Messenger of Allahsa invited the Arabs to accept Islam for 13 years. He used every possible means of persuasion, gave them incontrovertible arguments and proofs, showed them miracles and put before them his life as an example of piety and morality. In short, he used every possible means of communication, but his people refused to accept Islam.

It grieves my heart to quote the rest of this passage but it needs to be set out.

When every method of persuasion had failed, the Prophet took to the sword.

That sword removed evil mischief, the impurities of evil and the filth of the soul. The sword did something more—it removed their blindness so that they could see the light of truth, and also cured them of their arrogance; arrogance which prevents people from accepting the truth, stiff necks and proud heads bowed with humility.

As in Arabia and other countries, Islam’s expansion was so fast that within a century a quarter of the world accepted it. This conversion took place because the sword of Islam tore away the veils which had covered men’s hearts2

The above statement is doubly unfortunate because it was made by a Muslim scholar who claimed to be mizaj-shanasi-Rasul, the one who found himself in complete harmony with the mind and heart of the Prophetsa, so much so that he acquires a measure of authority in explaining the true meanings of the words and deeds of the Prophetsa—a claim which, if accepted, would give the claimant as much or more right to represent than the Holy Prophetsa enjoyed vis-à-vis his understanding of the Word of God. This means that the Maulana’s understanding is tragic beyond words—it has been made by a Muslim leader and repeats a baseless assertion of Islam’s enemies. It is the biased orientalists who accused the Prophetsa of converting people by force. The Maulana’s phraseology appears to glorify Islam, but in reality it endorses the accusation of the European critics of Islam. R. Dozy said: ‘Muhammad’s generals preached Islam with a sword in one hand and the Quran in the other.’ Smith asserted that it was not the generals but the Prophetsa himself who ‘preached with a sword in one hand and the Quran in the other’. George Sale wrote: ‘When the followers of the Prophet increased in number he claimed that God had allowed him to attack the unbelievers so that idolatry be destroyed and true religion be established.’

The Revd Dr C. G. Pfander, who was actively engaged in missionary work among Indian Muslims during the latter part of the nineteenth century, provoked great unrest by writing controversial tracts to expose, as he put it, ‘The false Prophet of Islam’. In one such tract he said:

1. For 13 years Muhammad preached his new religion in conciliatory terms and with great patience.

2. Now (in Medina) he became Al-Nabiyyussaif, ‘The sword-wielding Prophet’, and since then Islam’s strongest argument has been the sword.

3. If we study the behavior of Muhammad’s followers we notice that they thought it was not necessary for them to follow a religious and moral code. God demanded from them only one thing: that they should fight for God with swords, arrows, daggers and sabres to continue to kill3

And after this introduction the Revd Dr Pfander concluded: ‘You have to choose between Jesus, Word of God, and Hazrat Muhammad, son of Abdullah; between one who devoted his life to acts of piety and one who dedicated his life to the sword.4

Aloy Spranger, Henry Copey and many other critics of Islam followed the same line of attack on both Islam and the Prophetssa. Washington Irving went a step further; printed on the title page of one of his books is an imaginary painting of the Prophetsa with a sword in one hand and the Quran in the other.5

If one compares all that has been quoted above with the opening quotation of Maulana Maududi’s AI-Jihad fil Islam, one finds the Prophet’ssa critics in agreement. Both the Maulana and the orientalists maintained that Islam had a violent nature. Yet, despite this belief, the Maulana believed in Islam while they rejected it. Apart from the wording, there is no difference between paragraphs 1, 2 and 3 of the quotation from Maulana Maududi above and the quotation from Dr Pfander above. But one shows the respect of a Muslim; the other, the sarcasm of a bitter critic.

The snide remarks of the orientalists about the Prophet of Islamsa are as unsurprising as they are hurtful. They are sometimes made out of ignorance, but mostly out of malice. The hostility towards Islam colors the objectivity of even the most balanced historian. But most hurtful of all are the writings of Muslims who claim devoutly to follow the Prophetsa, yet present him, either through ignorance or arrogance, as a barbarian who wielded the sword to convert and conquer.

Maulana Mandudi was not convinced of the inherent beauty of Islam or that it could conquer hearts by its spiritual force alone, either in the past or present. He said:

Human relations and associations are so integrated that no state can have complete freedom of action within its own principles, unless those same principles are in force in a neighboring country. Therefore, Muslim groups will not be content with the establishment of an Islamic state in one area alone. Depending on their resources, they should try to expand in all directions. On one hand, they will spread their ideology and on the other they will invite people of all nations to accept their creed, for salvation lies only in it. If their Islamic state has power and resources it will fight and destroy non Islamic governments and establish Islamic states in their place.6

Maulana Maududi supports Sir William Muir’s twisted views of the Prophetsa and of Islam. In his biography of the Prophetsa, which he wrote to expose ‘the false Prophet of Islam’ 7 at the request of Dr Pfander, Sir William Muir said: ‘The sword of Mahomet, and the Coran are the most fatal enemies of civilization, liberty and truth which the world has yet known.’ 8

The great Hindu leader, Gandhi ji, in his earlier days, must have been influenced by a distorted picture of Islam such as this when he said: ‘Islam was born in an atmosphere of violence. At that time its determining force was the sword and even today it is the sword.’ But Gandhi ji was an observer of great insight and subsequently he corrected himself and wrote in Young India: ‘The more I study the more I discover that the strength of Islam does not lie in the sword.’

Other Hindus—even Arya Samajists, who made an objective study of Islam—followed Gandhi ji in his ‘discovery’. Pandit Gyanandra Dev Sharma Shastri said:

Biased critics of Islam and especially those who want to provoke Hindu-Muslim riots in the country say that Hazrat Muhammad after acquiring power in Medina could not maintain his facade of mercy and kindness.There he used force and violence and became a murderous prophet to achieve his life-long aim of power, status and wealth. He fell short of his own ideal of patience, moderation and endurance. But this is the view of those observers who are prejudicial and partisan, who are narrow minded and whose eyes are covered by a veil of ignorance. They see fire instead of light, ugliness instead of beauty and evil instead of good. They distort and present every good quality as a great vice. It reflects their own depravity…

The critics are blind. They cannot see that the only ‘sword’ Muhammad wielded was the sword of mercy, compassion, friendship and forgiveness—the sword that conquers enemies and purifies their hearts. His sword was sharper than the sword of steel.9

No comment! One only wishes that Maulana Maududi, a follower of the Prophet Muhammadsa, had been as fair to the Prophetsa as a follower of Krishnaas had been. Non-Muslims who have studied the history of Islam have had to admit that the Prophetsa was not only magnanimous and kind, but also a paragon of human virtues. Another Hindu, the editor of the Sat Updaish, wrote:

Some people say that Islam was preached by the sword, but we cannot agree with this view. What is forced on people is soon rejected. Had Islam been imposed on people through oppression, there would have been no Islam today. Why? Because the Prophet of Islam had spiritual power, he loved humanity and he was guided by the ideal of ultimate good.10

The anti-Muslim stance of the Arya Samaj movement is well known. Its founder, Swami Dayanand, was highly critical of Islam and its Prophetsa and yet the following statement was made by a Hindu at a meeting sponsored by the Arya Samaj in Lahore. The editor of the Vedic Magazine and a former professor of Gurukul, Kangri Ram Dev, said:

Sitting in Medina, Muhammad Sahib (peace be to him) held the Arabs spellbound; he filled them with spiritual strength; strength that makes devtas [gods] out of men… it is incorrect to say that Islam spread with the force of the sword. It is a fact that the sword was never wielded to propagate Islam. If religion can be spread by force then let anyone try it today.11

The last sentence of the above passage is a challenge no one would ever accept—not even Maulana Maududi. No sword can change a heart and turn belief into disbelief. There was a long chain of prophets before the Prophet of Islamsa and it is an historical truth that every prophet was opposed by force. Every time a prophet taught the true religion he was opposed by the sword and yet true religion spread and the sword failed to cut it back. If all past prophets and their followers could stand against the sword’s might, how is it possible that Muhammadsa could have adopted a different approach and taken to the sword—the instrument of oppression, not truth? There is no greater injustice than to accuse him of using force to change people’s beliefs.

Another non-Muslim scholar, Dr D. W. Leitz, in rebutting this false charge, based his argument on the Quran itself. He said:

All these arguments, advanced to prove that the purpose of jihad was to spread Islam by force, are contradicted by the Quran. The Quran says that the purpose of jihad is to protect mosques, churches, synagogues and cloisters.12

After such a clear defense of the Prophetssa, let so-called Muslims who accuse him of wielding the sword answer this Quranic question: ‘Do they not ponder over the Quran, or is it that their hearts are locked up from within? (47.25) Maulana Maududi, the author of the voluminous commentary on the Quran, Tafhim-ul-Quran, must have read this verse many times. Did it not occur to him that interpreting the Quran for political purposes might lead the commentator astray? The Maulana then says:

This was the policy which was adopted by the Prophetsa and his rightly guided caliphs. Arabia, where the Muslim Party was first formed, was the first to be put down. After this, the Prophetsa sent invitations to all neighboring countries, but did not wait to see whether these invitations were accepted. As soon as he acquired power, he started the conflict with the Roman Empire. Abu Bakr became the leader of the Party after the Prophetsa and attacked both the Roman and Persian Empires and Umar finally won the war.13

This is virtually a declaration of war against all non-Muslim neighboring states—they are safe only as long as the Muslim state is weak. Had the above passage been written by a Marxist historian from the Communist Party, one would not have given it a second glance. But it is the considered opinion of a Muslim leader of Maulana Maududi’s stature. As such, it is certainly far more insulting to the Prophetsa than all that Muir, Pfander, Smith and other critics of Islam have written. The above passage was translated from the Maulana’s original Urdu. The words: ‘Muslim Party’ were used deliberately by Maududi. He was degrading the Muslim umma to the status of a political party. He was well aware of the difference between the two words, for in another book he said: ‘The other word the Quran has used for “party” is umma.14 Having dubbed Muslims a political party, the Maulana either subconsciously or, more likely, deliberately, equates the Prophetsa with a political party leader, assigning to him the morals of a politician. How else can one explain the following passage written by the Maulana?

After this the Prophetsa sent invitations to all the neighboring countries, but he did not wait to see whether these invitations were accepted or not. As soon as he acquired more power he started the conflict with the Roman Empire.

It is amazing that a Muslim scholar could even by implication suggest that the Prophet was guilty of a Hitler-style invasion—Naaudhu billah.15 The Prophetsa was the Prince of Peace, not an invader. Maulana Maududi loved political power and, unfortunately, this colors his interpretation of Islamic history. But Islam does not need politics to prop it up. In Bengal, now Bangladesh, Muslims were an infinitesimal minority in the middle of the eighteenth century when the British took over the administration from the Mughals. By the time Bengal became independent in 1947 it had a Muslim majority. Muslims had no political control of the area nor was there any migration of Muslims from northern India during British rule. This increase in Bengal’s Muslim population was owing to peaceful conversion by traveling sufis, the roving Muslim missionaries and the Imams of the village mosques.

Thomas Arnold’s observation on the subject is significant. He said: ‘Islam has gained its greatest and most lasting missionary triumphs in times and places in which its political power has been weakest.”16 Maulana Maududi probably never read the history of Islam in Bengal, Malaysia or Indonesia. He was so enthralled by the Turko-Afghan and Mughal conquests that he never had time to note that the largest Muslim country in the world, Indonesia, never had a Muslim conqueror—that there was no fighting nor any violence there. That was the case also in Malaysia.

The Prophetsa was obviously innocent. He took up the sword only in self-defense and only when oppression became unbearable. Here is what an objective Sikh has to say on the subject:

In the beginning the Prophet’ssa enemies made life difficult for him and his followers. So the Prophetsa asked his followers to leave their homes and migrate to Medina. He preferred migration to fighting his own people, but when oppression went beyond the pale of tolerance he took up his sword in self-defense. Those who believe religion can be spread by force are fools who neither know the ways of religion nor the ways of the world. They are proud of this belief because they are a long, long way away from the Truth.17

Role of Young Generation in Islam:

Living for Islam

Commitment to Islam requires proper creed, worship,and morals and observance of the Islamic guidelines for family life and personal self-discipline, as elaborated in Part One of this book. In addition, true commitment requires every Muslim to dedicate his or her life in a jihad to establish and maintain a system of Islamic governance. Three Types of People There are three broad categories of people:

1) The Materialists The first group is secular in both ideology and practice. Regarding these people the Qur’an says:  And they say: ”There is nothing beyond our life in this world, for we shall not be raised from the dead.” [ Qur’an 6:29] And they say: ”What is there but our life in this world?We shall die as we come to life, and nothing but Time can destroy us.” But of that they have no knowledge; they

merely conjecture. [Qur’an 45:24] The secular humanists including the Communists and the existentialists (or post-modernists), all are products of this materialist ideology. A philosopher once said: ”This universe was not created by either God or man. It has existed in the past and will be a torch of life that burns and dies in the future in accordance with the governing laws of nature.” Lenin commented laconically, ”This is a pleasant description of dialectical materialism.” When mankind ignores the existence of life after death, where all the deeds are accountable, the material world will he man’s greatest goal and have the highest priority in his drive for knowledge They will work for it and drown in

their desires for its delights without limit.

2) The Functional Atheists These people claim to he Believers but are captives of materialism. They believe formally in Allah and the afterlife,and even think they are doing good, but their belief, worship (if any), and morals are pretentious and have no practical effect in life. Basically this type of people are

materialists even though they may perform spiritual acts. Functionally, these people are atheists.

According to Imam Hasan Al-Banna there are three such groups of people. [Hasan Al-Banna, Toward the

Future of Man] He writes, ”The Qur’an has established the purpose of our life and the reason for our creation. First, the Qur’an refers to a group of people who live only for eating and enjoyment: Verily Allah will admit those who believe and do righteous deeds to Gardens beneath which river flow; while those who reject Allah will enjoy (this world) and eat as cattle eat; and the fire will be their abode [Qur’an 47:12]

Second, the Qur’an describes a group of people who bye for the glitter of worldly wealth: Fair in the eyes of men is the love of things they covet: women and sons; heaped-up hoards of gold and silver; horses branded (for blood and excellence); and (wealth of) cattle and well-tilled land. Such are the possessions of this world’s life. But nearness to Allah is the best of the goals. [Qur’an 3:14] Thirdly, the Qur’an designates a group of people who live only to slander and find fault with others and to encourage

mischief and destruction in these word: There is the type of man whose speech about this world’s life may dazzle you, and he calls Allah to witness what is in his heart. Yet he is the most contentious of enemies. When he turns his back, his aim everywhere is to spread mischief throughout the world and destroy crops

and cattle. But Allah does not love mischief. These three goals in life Allah has bid us to avoid, because

He has assigned the believers a higher purpose, which is to guide mankind to the divine path, and to illuminate the universe with the brightness of Islam

3) The Sojourners These people, who view themselves as living only temporarily in the world, are the true believers. They understand the real meaning of life and the value of this world

compared to the hereafter. The Qur’an says” What is the life of this world but play and amusement?

But best is the home in the hereafter for those who are righteous. Will you not then understand. [Qur’an 6:32] This worldly life can not deter them from pursuing the purpose of their creation in this life. Allah says in the Qur’an: I have created jinns and men only that they may serve Me. [Qur’an 51:56] The True Believer conceives the world as a field of struggle. His life, knowledge, business, wealth, home, thoughts are devoted to obeying Allah and fulfilling His will. In contrast, the materialist uses the same capabilities

to fulfill his selfish desires. This is evident in most of the achievements of modern civilization. The goal of this civilization is to maximize human pleasure and not to develop man and the universe toward peace and harmony. Most of the human inventions, such as the automobile, aeroplane, refrigerator, dryer, washer, furniture, clothes, music, and thousands of industrial products are designed to fulfill the

Essential Knowledge

In order to live entirely for Islam and follow the Islamic path, one must master some basic elements of knowledge, among which the following five should be highlighted: 1. The Divine Purpose of Life – to serve and worship Allah only. [Qur’an 51:56] He it is Who created the heavens and the earth in six days – and His Throne was over the waters – that He might try you to determine who is best in conduct. [Qur’an 11:7]

2. The Value of the World Allah tells us: Do you prefer the life of this world to the Hereafter? But little is the comfort of this life as compared with the Life to Come. [Qur’an 9:38] Such are the possessions of this world’s life; but the nearness toAllah is the best of the goals. [Qur’an 3:14]

And in the hadith we read: It has been narrated that one day the Prophet (s) was standing beside a garbage dump and he called to the companions and said: ”Pursue the world.” Then he took a smelly piece of garbage and a rotten bone and said: ”This is the world.” On another day, the Prophet (s) saw the cadaver of a young sheep that had been thrown away by the owner. Then the Prophet (s) turned towards his companions and said: ”Have you ever thought how worthless is this cadaver to the owner. By Allah, the world is more worthless in the eyes of Allah than this cadaver in the eyes of its owner. If the world were equal in value to a mosquito’s wing, surely Allah would not have given the unbelievers even a sip of water.” Then the Prophet (s) said: ”Doomsday is around the corner, but humans are still lusting for the  orld and are distant from Allah.” Then he added. ”The world is a prison for the believers and paradise for the unbelievers.” [Muslim]3. The Certainty of Death Allah tells us: All that is on earth will perish, but the  ace of your Lord will abide for ever – Full of Majesty, Bounty and Honor. [Qur’an 55:26-27] The Difference Between Right and Wrong In order to live for Islam one must learn the essentials of Islam jurisprudence, which is foundation of Islam and of all Knowledge. Allah the Almighty, has said: Do not approach the  ur’an in Haste, before it has been revealed to you in full, but say, ”O my Sustainer, make me grow in  nowledge.” [Qur’an 20:114] The Prophet (s) said: Verily, knowledge is obtained by learning while  nderstanding is obtained by experience. Whenever Allah wants to benefit a person, He gives him  nderstanding of the din. [Tabrani] Verily, the prophets did not want dinars of dirhams, but knowledge.   oever will accept it, will receive a real wealth. [Abu Da’ud and Tabrani] 5. The Fallacies of Ignorant The wise man should learn to know his enemies. He should understand their way of thinking, their factional divisions, and their way of fighting. Moreover, should study their defects and shortcomings.

The Characteristics of People who live for Islam

Those who live by Islam and for Islam must follow the teachings of Islam, so that its patterns is their lives  are distinguishable form the non-Islamic patterns of others. A life committed to Islam is: Action-Oriented Commitment to practical action is essential because faith is not mere idea by it is rooted in your heart so that its truthfulness can be proved by action. Allah, the Almighty, has said: Verily man is loss, except such as have faith and do good works. [Qur’an 103:2-3] Do you enjoin right conduct on people, and forget (to

practice it) yourselves, and yet you study the Book? Will you not understand? [Qur’an 3:44] Grievously odious is it in the sight of Allah that you do not practice what you preach. [Qur’an 61:3] Al-Ghazali said: ”Two men bring disaster to me, a virtuous man with his falsehood and an ignorance man with

his adoration. The latter dupes people with his adoration and the former dupes people with his falsehood.” The prophet (s) reminded the believers: Be a person who practices wisdom and not one  ho merely talks about it. Problem-Oriented A committed activist is aware of problems encountered by other Muslims and joins them in seeking solution. The Prophet (s) said: Move together with the book of Allah wherever it takes (You).Whoever does not pay special attention to the problems of Muslims, is not one of us.

You are a corner of the corners of Islam, so don’t let it be attacked from your corner. In the battle of Uhud, Saad Ibn Al-Rabie died with 70 wounds on his body. Just before he died, he said to Zaid ibn Thabit: ”Verily, I have smelt the aroma of Paradise. Tell the Ansar that Allah will honor His promises to those

who are sincere toward the Prophet (s) and are able to catch his attention.” Then Allah took his soul. Honorable in the Defense of Truth Pride in one’s faith is one of the characteristics of the Believers. Allah, the Almighty, has said: But honor belongs to Allah and His Messenger, and to the Believers. [Qur’an 63:8]

So lose not heart, nor fall into despair, for you must gain mastery if you are true in faith. [Qur’an 3:139]

The Compulsory Nature of Islamic Activism

Working for Islam means to reform oneself so that one’s life teaches others true belief and Islamic  ehaviour. Working for Islam equally means to form a society that is committed to the Islamic way of thinking and Islamic way of life, which means to form a government that implements principles of justice embodied in the shariah to guard the rights of every person and community, and establish truth

and justice, and at the same time call others toward Islam – truth, peace, and justice. These three responsibilities are obligatory not merely for the entire Muslim community but for every individual

Muslim until we have established a system of governance adequate to the task. Until the nations of the world have functionally Islamic governments, every individual who is careless or lazy in working for Islam is sinful. These sins of omission will not be forgiven until they take a quick action to carry out all their responsibilities and Islamic duties.

The Requirements of Bai‘ah and Brotherhood

Every Muslim has the ability to help the Islamic movement in its course of Islamic work, but only by disciplining disciplining himself or herself as a member of the movement in the characteristics described in previous chapters of this book. This character-building can also be accomplished simply by experiencing the hardships faced by the Muslim community and other communities in society.  onstructive

action requires the members of the movement to rise above these hardships by understanding their  causes and putting faith in the power of Islam (submission to Allah) to save mankind. Men and women can be asset to the Islamic Movement only when they have developed a balanced personality, i.e. developed a high level of humanity and internalized the rules of good character, so that they can submit fully to the principles and laws of Islam throughout their lives.

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The Responsibilities of Brotherhood

In Islam, faith or aqidah is the core of brotherhood. It keeps Muslims close to each other in a fraternal relationship. This relationship is based on each brother’s submission to the Lord, the Almighty, and on their mutual efforts to be closer to Him. Islamic brotherhood is a bond of faith as mentioned in the following saying of the Prophet (s): The strongest relationship is built on loving for the sake of Allah and becoming angry for the sake of Allah. [Narrated by Ahmad] Brotherhood in Islam strengthens the process of building a Muslim community and keeps Muslims close to each other. An Islamic movement based on true brotherhood is as solid as concrete and functions with organic unity as a body that feels the pain when any of its part suffers. In order to ensure that brotherhood can play this role in the Muslim Movement, Islam has laid down specific duties and rights of practicing brotherhood. These are given

below to show that these duties and rights are not theoretical but are real and true duties and responsibilities:

1. Brotherhood must be able to help each brother obey Allah, the Almighty, and accept the teachings of the Prophet (s), who said: Those whom Allah wishes to be given good deeds, Allah will sustain them by a pious Muslim friend. If he forgets, (to do good deeds] his friend will remind him, and when his friend reminds him, he will help his friend. ’Umar AI Khattab, said: ”Seek out trustworthy brothers and live in their community, because they are the embellishers during happiness and suppliers in hardship.”

2. Brotherhood is a spiritual bond that helps a person feel the needs of his brother and cooperate with him

in fulfilling those needs, as indicated by the Prophet (s): If one of you goes with your brother to help him fulfill his duty, and then the Prophet (s), made a sign with his fingers, added: ’That is better for him than

making i’tikaf [staying in the mosque for worship] in my mosque for two months. [Narrated by AI Hakim]

3. Brotherhood gives rise to cooperation also in a material sense, as the Prophet (s) said: Those who help a Muslim in hardship in this world, will be protected by Allah from suffering hardship in the Hereafter. Those who help the unfortunate, Allah will help them both in this world and in the Hereafter. Those who keep the secrets of a Muslim in this world, will have their secrets kept by Allah in this world and in the Hereafter. Allah will help His servants as long as they help their fellow Muslim brothers.[Narrated by Muslim, Abu Dawud, Tirmidhi, Nasa’i, and Ibn Majah]

4. Brotherhood is a communal responsibility with many duties. The most important of these is referted to in the following baditb: There are six duties of a Muslim to another Muslim: When you meet him, you should say salaam (give salutations). When he invites you, you should accept his invitation. When he advises you, you should also advise him. When he sneezes and says, ”Alhamdulillah,” [All praise to Allah], you should say, ”Yarbamukallah”. When he is sick, you should visit him. And when he passes away, you should accompany his dead body to the cemetery. [Narrated by Muslim]

5. Brotherhood in Islam means caring, loving, and cooperating with one another. In this context, the

Prophet (s), said: Do not end a friendship, do not turn your back, do not hate each other, and do not envy each other. As a servant of Allah, maintain brotherhood. Two Muslims may not remain on non-speaking terms with each other for more than three days. [Narrated by Malik, Bulchari, Abu Da’ud, Tirmidhi, and Nasa’i] In another tradition, the Prophet said: Do not downgrade a good deed. Even (an apparently

insignificant thing like) looking at your (Muslim) brother with a pleasant smile, is a good deed.

[Narrated by Muslim] The Prophet (s) said: Every good deed is a charity and indeed charity is

meeting your brother with a pleasant smile and pouring water from a kettle into his glass. [Narrated by

Tirmidhi] The Prophet (s), also said: Exchange gifts, so that you will love each other and the enmity between you and others will vanish. [Bukhari & Muslim]

6. Brotherhood in Islam implies loyalty and truthfulness. The Prophet (s) said in one of his traditions:

If one defends the honor of his fellow Muslim brother, Allah, the Almighty, will keep the Hellfire away from

his face in the Hereafter. [Narrated by Tirmidhi] The Prophet, peace be upon him, also said: The supplication of a Muslim for his brother without his knowledge is an accepted supplication and will be

rewarded by the presence of an angel at his side. Every time he supplicates for his brother, the angel will

say: Amen, and the same for you too. [Narrated by Muslim]