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Islam
is the religion of those who believe in Allah, the one God of the
whole of universe, and who follow Muhammad (peace be upon him) of
Arabia (571-632 A.D.) the last of the Prophets of God. Islam is
one of the three great monotheistic religions being the youngest
among them. The other two monotheistic religions are Judaism and
Christianity which are predecessors of Islam. On the basis of
numerical strength of its followers, Islam is the second big
religion. Christianity with 30% of total world population is
number one, whereas Islam with 20% of human population is number
two. Today there are more than 55 Muslim countries and there are
more than 1.3 billion Muslims in the world. Although Muslims are
found in every country of the world but majority of them live in
Pakistan, Indonesia, Bangladesh, India, China, Middle East, North
Africa, Central Asian Republics of former Soviet Russia and
Eastern Europe.
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What is Islam and Who are Muslims?
The
name ‘Islam’ is an Arabic word which means ‘peace’,
‘security’, ‘submission’ or ‘surrender’. For humanity, Islam is
‘peace’ and ‘security’. Before God of the universe Islam is
complete surrender and submission of man to His will. Thus Islam
defines true relationship between man and man on the one hand and
between man and God on the other hand. Followers of Islam are
called Muslims as they are those who submit or surrender to the
will of God. The Muslims believe in one God of the whole of the
universe who is Allah beside Whom there is no other God. They
believe in and equally respect all the Prophets sent by God to the
mankind for guidance, right from Adam (the first human and the
first Prophet) to Muhammad (the last Prophet), the other
famous among them being Noah, Abraham, Ismael, Isaac, Jacob,
Moses, David, Solomon and Jesus Christ (may Allah’s peace be upon
all). The Muslims also believe in all revealed books which were
given to the Prophets by God such as Sahifas (scrolls) given to
Prophet Abraham, Torah given to Prophet Moses, Zabur (Psalms)
given to Prophet David, Injeel (Gospel or New Testament) given to
Jesus Christ and the Qur’an given to Prophet Muhammad. They
respect all the religions and also hold in respect the followers
of all religions. Above all, the Muslims consider all the mankind
as members of one human family, being children of one parents –
Adam and Eve – and thus eligible for equal human rights without
any distinctions like race, caste, nationality, blood, colour or
creed.
The
followers of Muhammad (PBUH), however, like to be called ‘Muslims’
and not ‘Muhammadans’ and their religion to be called ‘Islam’ and
not ‘Muhammadanism’. Because the expressions ‘Muhammadans’ and
‘Muhammadanism’ imply as if Muslims worship Muhammad or assign him
some type of divinity while they worship only one God and consider
Muhammad as God’s messenger and a mortal human being. Further
more, the name ‘Islam’ for the religion of Muhammad was chosen by
Almighty God Himself. The Qur’an affirms this fact: “This day have
I perfected your religion for you and completed My favour unto you
and have chosen for you as religion Al-Islam”- (5:3). Similarly it
is God Almighty who gave the name
"Muslims" to the followers of
Muhammad. This fact, the Qur’an tells us when it says: “He hath
named you Muslims of old time and in this (scripture) ….” (22:78)
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Islam the same religion which was given to previous Prophets
According to the Qur’an, Islam is not the new religion and neither
Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) invented or founded this religion. Islam
is in fact the same religion which all the Prophets of God before
Muhammad (PBUH) preached, right from Adam to Jesus, whether
mentioned in the Qur’an or not. God gave to Muhammad the same
religion which He had given to Prophets like Noah, Abraham, Ismael,
Isaac, Jacob, Moses and Jesus. It is the same religion which
Abraham commended to his sons and later on Jacob enjoined upon his
sons saying: “O my sons !Lo! Allah has chosen for you the true
religion; therefore die not save as Muslims” (Al-Qur’an 2:
130-132). The Qur’an tells us that Abraham who was the forefather
of the Prophets like Moses and Jesus and Muhammad, was neither a
Jew nor a Christian but an upright Muslim (3: 67-68). The source
of revelation is the same God who sent messages through Angel
Gabriel to all the Prophets and the mission of all the Prophets
was the same i.e. to proclaim to the mankind Oneness of God and
bring them to the worship of God alone assigning no partners unto
Him. Since religion of every previous Prophet was corrupted either
with the passage of time or deliberately by its followers, so
Muhammad (PBUH) was sent as last Prophet, in whose hands Islam was
completed, to rid Islam of all corruptions and distortions.
These truths have been brought into light by the Holy Qur’an in
many of its verses, some of whom are:
-
Abraham was not a Jew, nor yet a Christian; but he
was an upright man who had surrendered (to Allah), and he was not
of the idolaters. Lo! those of mankind who have the best claim to
Abraham are those who followed him, and this Prophet and those who
believe (with him): and Allah is the Protecting friend of the
believers. (3: Al-Imran: 67-68)
-
Naught is said unto thee (Muhammad) save what was
said unto the messengers before thee. Lo! thy Lord is owner of
forgiveness, and owner (also) of dire punishment. (41:Ha Mim
As-Sajdah:43)
-
He hath ordained for you that religion which He
commended unto Noah, and that which We inspire in thee (Muhammad).
and that which We commended unto Abraham and Moses and Jesus,
saying: Establish the religion, and be not divided therein.
(42:Ash-Shura:13)
The
Qur’an further tells us that even the name given to the followers
of all the previous Prophets was ‘Muslim’:
-
And strive for Allah with the endeavour which is
His right. He hath chosen you and hath not laid upon you in
religion any hardship; the faith of your father Abraham (is
yours). He hath named you Muslims of old time and in this
(Scripture), that the messenger may be a witness against you, and
that ye may be witnesses against mankind. (22:77)
In a
way Islam can be called a new and updated edition or version of
all previous religions and its book al-Qur’an confirms all the
previous revelations. Islam has attained perfection and reached
its pinnacle under Muhammad and it will prevail up to Doomsday as
no other religion will be revealed after it.
The
above mentioned facts have been beautifully highlighted by the
Encyclopedia Americana as under: “The
Qur'an presents Mohammed as
the Seal of the Prophets. According to developed Islamic
theological thought, God in His Mercy bestowed prophecy upon the
first man, Adam, so that he and his descendants might have
guidance for the proper way to live. Sadly, this guidance was
first ignored and then corrupted and lost by successive
generations, so God found it necessary to send other prophets to
renew it. Among the prophets whom the
Qur'an mentions are some
known from the Bible, such as Abraham, David, and Jesus, and
others unknown, such as Salih and Hud. The revelations to Mohammed
were a renewal of the message of the prophets before him and like
theirs, came in the form of a divine book. Mohammed was the last
of this prophetic tradition but also its confirmation, climax, and
proof”.
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No
Priesthood in Islam
There
is no organized church or priesthood in Islam, neither there is
any religious hierarchy even in the ordinary sense. To lead the
prayer service or to recite and interpret the Qur’an is not
monopoly of any individual or group. Any practicing layman with
basic necessary knowledge of Islam can lead the prayers and can
approach the Qur’an and Hadith (traditions of the Prophet) for
guidance. Like Jews and unlike Christians, the Muslims do not
believe in asceticism. Hence there are no monks and nuns.
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Islam to prevail over all other religions
The
Holy Qur’an says:
-
He it is Who hath sent His messenger with the
guidance and the Religion of Truth, that He may cause it to
prevail over all religion, however, much the idolaters may be
averse. (9:At-Taubah:33)
-
And who doth greater wrong than he who inventeth a
lie against Allah when he is summoned unto Al-Islam? And Allah
guideth not wrongdoing folk. Fain would they put out the light of
Allah with their mouths, but Allah will perfect His light however
much the disbelievers are averse. He it is Who hath sent His
messenger with the guidance and the religion of truth, that He may
make it conqueror of all religion however much idolaters may be
averse. (61:As-Saff:7-9)
Al-Islam, the religion of Muhammad (rather of all the earlier
prophets also) will prevail as it is ordained to prevail, over all
the pagan faiths. It is the promise of God and it is the
proclamation of God’s last revealed book, the Qur’an. Islam has
attained its perfection and completion in the reign of Muhammad
(PBUH) the last Prophet of God and it will prevail up to the Last
Day.
The
prophesy of the Qur’an about the victory of Islam against all
other faiths has, in fact, been already fulfilled. Prophet
Muhammad established Islam on strong footing after his migration
from Makkah to Madinah in the year 622 A.D. when he established
the Islamic state. Before his death in 632 A.D., all Arabia had
embraced Islam and the Muslim armies of the powerful Islamic state
of Madinah aided by powerful ideology were knocking at the doors
of Iranian and Roman empires which were two super powers of those
days. Within a decade after the demise of Muhammad (PBUH) his
followers had added Iraq, Syria, Iran, Palestine, Egypt to the
Islamic state founded by the Prophet. No doubt the process stopped
for some time after the death of Umar, the second right guided
caliph of Islam, on account of some internal problems, but it
started again with its full force during the period of Umayyid
caliphs. Very soon all the central Asia, Northern Africa, part of
India and even Spain (a European country) were conquered and
included in the great Islamic empire. Thus within a century of the
death of their prophet, the Muslims had established the biggest
and the most powerful empire of the then world. The Islamic empire
had established its foothold in all the three continents of the
then known world and Islam had under its control not less than one
third area of the glob. The message of Muhammad (PBUH) had reached
almost every nook and corner of the world, almost to every human
being. Although the Muslims are on the decline since the
seventeenth century as they failed to withstand onslaught of
European nations which had awakened during renaissance and which
are equipped with modern knowledge of science and technology, yet
Islam as a religion is keeping its march on the road of progress.
Islam is expanding every day as it is attracting more converts
into its fold than any other faith.
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Islam an easy and practical religion
Islam
is a religion of nature and of humanity. It is very easy to
practice. Whenever there is any difficulty or hardship in
performing any devotional act or any religious duty, Islam removes
that difficulty and hardship to make things easy by relaxing the
rigours of law.
In
Islam, the sanction behind the principle of ease is provided by
the Qur’anic verses which state “Allah desires for you ease; He
does not desire hardship for you” (2:185) and “He has not laid
upon you in religion any hardship” (22:78).
Under
the principle of ease, the Qur’an and the Sunnah provide certain
concessions to the sick, old persons, travelers, persons engaged
in Jihad, etc. in matters of performance of certain obligatory
acts of devotion like performance of ablution for prayer, offering
of prayers, fasting in the month of Ramadan, performance of
certain rituals in pilgrimage, etc. Similarly, certain items of
food which have been strictly forbidden by the Qur’an are allowed
in case of dire necessity when there is imminent danger of death
and life cannot be saved except taking the same. Following few
verses of the Qur’an and Traditions of Prophet Muhammad bring out
this point:
-
He hath forbidden you only carrion, and blood, and
swineflesh, and that which hath been immolated to (the name of)
any other than Allah. But he who is driven by necessity, neither
craving nor transgressing, it is no sin for him. Lo! Allah is
Forgiving, Merciful. (2:Al-Baqarah:173)
-
And whosoever of you is present, let him fast the
month, and whosoever of you is sick or on a journey, (let him fast
the same) number of other days. Allah desireth for you ease; He
desireth not hardship for you; (2:Al-Baqarah:185)
-
Allah tasketh not a soul beyond its scope. For it
(is only) that which it hath earned, and against it (only) that
which it hath deserved. (2:Al-Baqarah:286)
-
Allah would make the burden light for you, for man
was created weak. (4:An-Nisa:28)
-
And when ye go forth in the land, it is not sin for
you to curtail (your) worship if ye fear that those who disbelieve
may attack you. In truth the disbelievers are an open enemy to
you. (4:An-Nisa:101)
-
Ayesha reported: The Apostie of Allah was never
asked to choose between two things except that he chose the easier
of the two so long as it was not sinful. If it was sinful, he used
to keep farther from it than all the people……. (Bukhari, Muslim)
-
Anas reported that the Prophet said: Give ease and
not trouble, give tranquility and not oppression. (Bukhari,
Muslim)
-
Abu Hurairah reported that the Messenger of Allah
said: When one of you leads the prayer for men, let him be short,
because among them there are the sick, the weak and the old; and
when one of you says prayer for himself, let him prolong it as he
please. (Bukhari, Muslim)
-
Abu Hurairah reported that the Messenger of Allah
said: The religion is easy, and nobody must ever make the religion
a rigour except that it will overcome him. So be steadfast and
seek nearness and give good news and seek help at morn and at dusk
and some part of a late night. (Bukhari)
-
Ibn ‘Umar called the adhan for prayer on a cold,
windy night, then added: “Pray in your dwellings.” Then he said:
When it was a cold, rainy night, God’s Messenger used to command
the Mu’adhdhin to say: “Pray in your dwellings.” (Bukhari,
Muslim)
-
Ibn ‘Umar reported God’s Messenger as saying: “When
one of you is served with his supper and the time for prayer
comes, he should first have his supper and not hasten till
finished it.” When Ibn ‘Umar’s food was served and the time for
prayer came, he did not go to the prayer till he finished it; and
he could hear the imam’s recitation. (Bukhari, Muslim)
-
Abdullah b. Arqam said that he heard God’s
Messenger say: “When the time for prayer comes and one of you
needs to relieve himself, he should do that first.” (Tirmizi,
Malik, Abu Daud)
-
Anas said: I never prayed behind an imam who was
more brief or more perfect in his prayer than the Prophet. If he
heard a boy crying he would shorten the prayer for fear that his
mother might be distressed. (Bukhari, Muslim)
Tolerant of other Faiths
The
Qur’an enjoins upon the followers of Islam to be tolerant of other
faiths as there is no compulsion in religion and the basic
principle is “unto you your religion and unto me my religion.” The
Qur’an exhorts:
-
Say: O disbelievers! I worship not that which ye
worship; Nor worship ye that which I worship. And I shall not
worship that which ye worship. Nor will ye worship that which I
worship. Unto you your religion, and unto me my religion.
(109:Al-Kafirun:1-6)
-
There is no compulsion in religion.
(2:Al-Baqarah:256)
The
Qur’an forbad the Prophet (and so his followers) not to say any
harsh word about the faith of the other people even against the
gods of the pagans:
Revile, not those unto whom they pray beside Allah lest they
wrongfully revile Allah through ignorance. Thus unto every nation
have we made their deed seem fair. Then unto their Lord is their
return, and He will tell them what they used to do.
(6:Al-An’am:108)
Acting upon the instructions of the Qur’an the Prophet of Islam
and his followers not only abstained from saying any thing bad
about other religions but also they gave full freedom of religion
to the non-Muslims living among them. It is an
undisputed matter
of record in history that followers of the prophet of Arabia
besides giving religious freedom to the non-Muslim minorities also
protected their places of worship. The non-Muslims living in the
Islamic state are called Zimmis (protected people) as their lives,
honour, and properties are protected by the Islamic state like
those of its Muslim citizens. They are allowed to preserve
their rituals, customs, language, dress, etc. Cultural, social and
judicial autonomy is also given to the people of other faith
living in the Islamic state. The tolerance shown and the kind
treatment given to the adherents of other faiths by the followers
of Muhammad (PBUH) is unparalleled and it forms a golden chapter
in the annals of man.
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Islam a moderate religion and Muslims a nation of middle path
“The best of affairs is their mean” is the golden principle of
Islam. Al-Qur’an, the revealed book of Islam, calls the followers
of Islam a middle nation. The Muslims are middle nation between
other two nations –
the Jews and the Christians – who believe in
revealed religions, because the Muslims avoid extremes and follow
middle path. Let us explain it with some solid examples. The Bible
as well as the Qur’an tells us that the Jews disobeyed their
prophets and even some of them they killed. On the other hand the
Christians raised the status of their prophet to that of God and
started worshipping him as divine. But the Muslims avoid both the
extremes. They hold their prophet, unlike Jews, in high esteem and
unlike Christians, they consider him a human being and the
messenger of God. Take another example. The Jews believe in the
extreme form of retaliation and their principle is “eye for eye
and tooth for tooth”. On the contrary, the Christians remember the
advice of Jesus: “If someone slaps on left side of your face turn
to him your right side also”. But the Muslims avoid both these
extremes. Their religion permits them to take full revenge but
they have been enjoined to show mercy and pardon the offender
because pardoning is much better than taking revenge. Take yet
another example. The Jews are very materialistic and money-minded
while Christians believe in monasticism and indulge in ascetic
practices. But the Muslims avoid both these extremes and follow
middle path. They have been enjoined to abstain from materialism
as well as monasticism. They are directed to give due time to
worldly affairs and also faithfully discharge their religious
obligations. All this justifies the title of
moderate nation bestowed upon
the Muslims by the Qur’an which is the word of God.
Let us explain the
principle
of
moderation and
balance as held by Islam a little further.
Islam enjoins upon its believers to follow middle way and act upon
the principle of moderation and balance. The two extremes of every
thing and every action are bad according to Islam and the
believers should, therefore, strike balance between the two. The
Qur’an, the holy scripture of Islam, and Muhammad (PBUH), the
Prophet of Islam, have recommended the Muslims to follow policy of
moderation and balance in every walk of life, for example:
1.
Islam condemns monasticism and materialism and
exhorts its followers to adopt middle path between these two
extreme ways of life. A monastic lays all the emphasis on moral
and spiritual aspect of life and ignores completely material
aspect. According to him, all economic activity is a sinful act
and acquiring of wealth and comforts of worldly life is a sin. A
materialist is on the other extreme. He lays the entire stress on
the material aspect of life ignoring moral and spiritual aspects.
He devotes all his time and energy to the attainment of material
ends. He justifies every mean – right or wrong – to acquires
wealth and comforts of life. The Qur’an disapproves the actions of
those Christians who adopt monasticism and condemns the Jews who
are very materialistic and greedy for wealth.
2.
The
principle
of moderation carries paramount
importance especially in the economic field. This principle is
followed by the true believers in the production of wealth, as
well as in the consumption and spending of wealth. Although
earning of wealth through permitted (Halal) means is allowed, yet
the piety demands that a Muslim should not become mad after
amassing wealth like a greedy materialist. He should exercise
restraint and earn wealth to meet his lawful needs. Extra wealth,
if at all is earned by him somehow, may be spent in the path of
Allah on charity and relief of the poor. Similarly, in the
consumption and spending of wealth, the believer is recommended to
strike balance avoiding miserliness and extravagance. Miser is he
who does not even provide for the legitimate needs of himself and
his family let alone spending on charitable and noble causes.
Extravagant or spend thrift is a person who squanders his wealth
in luxury, gambling, drinking, and on lavish expenditure, on
festivities, weddings, day to day living. Islam condemns both
miserliness and extravagance and enjoins upon a believer to
exercise moderation. The Qur’an appreciates those who exercise
moderation in spending when it says: “And those who when they
spend, are neither prodigal nor grudging; and there is ever a firm
station between the two;” (25:67)
3.
Islam advises
moderation
in the performance of religious acts also. One
must not be hard on
himself in the matters of worship like prayer, fasting etc. Once
the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) learnt that some companions had taken
a vow to fast during the day, pass the night in worship, abstain
from meat and fat and renounce intercourse with women. Thereupon
he (peace be on him) delivered a sermon in the course of which he
observed: “This is not my creed. Your body has rights over you.
You should fast, but eat and drink also. Pray at night, but sleep
also. Look at me. I sleep and I pray also. I both keep and omit
fasts. I eat both meat and fat. So whoso does not subscribe to my
way, he is not of me”.
He
(peace be on him) then said, “what has happened to people that
they have renounced women, good food, perfume, sleep and worldly
pleasure? I have never taught you to be a monk or a priest. In my
deen (Creed) there is no provision for renunciation of women or
meat nor for abandoning the world. For self-control, I enjoin
fast. All the advantages of asceticism can be had from the jihad
of Islam”.
4.
Even in
matters
of everyday life, Islam calls upon its followers to avoid extremes
and follow principle of balance. In matter of food one should
neither take too much nor too less, rather one should eat and
drink, just according to his bodily needs to keep himself hale and
hearty. In matter of speaking, one should neither speak too loudly
nor too low to be heard. Loud voice has been likened by the Qur’an
to that of an ass. In the matter of walking, one should show
humility and avoid pride. In matter of charity, one should be
neither extravagant so as to squander all wealth nor one should be
miserly so as to hoard wealth out of channel of circulation. In
matter of clothes one must spend according to means.
Let
us now glance through the following Verses of Al-Qur’an and
Traditions of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) which exhort the believers
to adopt principle of moderation and balance in every activity.
-
Thus We have appointed you a middle nation, that ye
may be witnesses against mankind, and that the messenger may be a
witness against you….. (Al-Qur’an 2:143)
-
O ye, who believe! Forbid not the good things,
which Allah hath made lawful for you, and transgress not. Lo,
Allah loveth not transgressors. (Al-Qur’an 5:87)
-
O Children of Adam! Look to your adornment and
every place of worship and eat and drink, but be not prodigal. Lo!
He loveth not the prodigals. (Al-Qur’an 7:31)
-
And let not thy hand be chained to thy neck nor
open it with a complete opening, lest thou sit down rebuked,
denuded. (Al-Qur’an 17:29)
-
...... And thou (Muhammad) be not loud voiced in
thy worship not yet silent therein, but follow a way between.
(Al-Qur’an 17:110)
-
And those who, when they spend, are neither
prodigal nor gruding; and there is ever a firm station between the
two; (Al-Qur’an 25:67)
-
Be modest in thy bearing and subdue thy voice. Lo!
The harshest of all voices is the voice of the ass. (Al-Qur’an
31:19)
-
Good manners, delay and moderation form a part out
of twenty-four parts of Prophethood. (Mishkat-ul-Masabih)
-
Abu Hurairah reported that the messenger of Allah
said: Moderation in expenditure is half of livelihood, and love
for people is half of wisdom, and good questioning is half of
learning. (Bukhari)
-
Matref-b-Abdullah reported that the messenger of
Allah said: The best of affairs is their mean. (Baihaqi)
-
Abdullah-bin-Amr reported that the Messenger of
Allah said: When four things are in you, there is nothing against
you in the world which may cause your loss; guarding of trust,
truthfulness in speech, beauty in conduct, and moderation in food.
(Ahmad, Baihaqi)
-
Anas reported that three persons came to the wives
of the Holy Prophet to enquire about acts
of piety of the Prophet.
When they were informed of them, they considered them little as it
were and said: I fast all the day long and will not break. And
another said: Where are we in comparison with the Holy Prophet
while Allah has forgiven his past sins and what will be in future.
One of them said: as for me, I pray all night long. And another
man said: I keep aloof from women and shall never marry. Then the
Holy Prophet came to them and said: Are you the persons saying
such and such things? Behold! By Allah, I fear Allah more than
your selves and I am most dutiful among you to Him, but still I
keep fast and break it, and keep up prayer and keep awake at night
and take wives, So whoever turns away from my way is not of me.
(Bukhari, Muslim)
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Islam provides complete code of life
Islam, unlike other religions, is not a mere bundle of dogmas and
rituals. It is a perfect religion, and a way (deen) of life. It is
an all-embracing faith, a complete code of life. It provides
divine guidance in all activities of human life, be they
individual or collective, private or public, moral or political,
social or economic, legal or constitutional.
Islam
is perfect and complete religion. The Holy Qur’an says: “…….This
day have I perfected your religion for you and completed My favour
unto you, and have chosen for you religion Al-Islam …….” (5: 3)
Thus
Islam has been perfected by Almighty Allah Himself and this
religion has been completed with the last messenger of Allah.
The
fact that Islam is an organized religion and it provides guidance
to its followers in every conceivable activity of human beings has
been beautifully brought home by the authors of the famous book
“Great Religions by which men live” as under:
“Most
modern world religions became organized religions by an accident
of history. In many cases, their roots are buried so deep in time
that we cannot know the incidents that helped them to develop. But
Islam was distinguished by two facts from the start. First, it
became a religion as the result of deliberate planning and
well-considered efforts. Second, its whole development took place
after world history had begun to be carefully recorded.
In a short span of
years, Mohammed had
lifted himself to a unique position of leadership among his
people. He had the time and the opportunity to plan thoroughly to
meet all the social and spiritual needs of his fellow men.
Mohammed, convinced that he spoke for Allah, had given rules for
beliefs, for religious duties, and for proper conduct. As a
result, Muslims found themselves with a guide to almost every
activity or situation undertaken by human beings.”
In
this book you would see for yourself how great religion of Allah,
al-Islam, provides adequate guidance to the mankind in various
fields of life.
Since
the religion has been completed and made way of life in the form
of Islam, so there is no need for any other religion. That is why,
the Qur’an tells us that religion with God is only Islam (3:19)
and whoso seeks as religion other than Islam, it will not be
accepted from him and he will be a loser in the Hereafter (3:85).
It further tells us whomsoever it is Allah’s will to guide, He
expands his bosom unto Islam (6:125).
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Islam spread through preaching not
through sword
The
Qur’an declares in unequivocal terms that there is no compulsion
or coercion in religion (2:256) and has laid down the principle,
“unto you your religion and unto me my religion (109:6). Thus
there is full freedom of faith and none can be forced to accept
Islam. Islam cannot be thrust upon any body as forced conversion
is not the rule.
The
Qur’an also emphasizes this fact that Muhammad (PBUH) was sent by
Allah as His messenger to show right path to the mankind. He was a
mercy for the mankind and was charged to convey message of God to
the people. It was not his duty to convert the people forcibly to
Islam. He was a messenger and a warner and not a warder over men.
Following are some of the verses of the Holy Book which plainly
highlight this fact:
-
The duty of the messenger is only to convey (the
message). Allah knoweth what ye proclaim and what ye hide.
(5:Al-Ma’idah:99)
-
And if thy Lord willed, all who are in the earth
would have believed together. Wouldst thou (Muhammad) compel men
until they are believers? (10:Yunus:99)
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Say: (It is) the truth from the lord of you (all).
Then whosoever will, let him believe, and whosoever will, let him
disbelieve. Lo! We have prepared for disbelievers Fire. Its tent
encloseth them. If they ask for showers, they will be showered
with water like to molten lead which burneth the faces. Calamitous
the drink and ill the resting-place! (18:Al-Kahf:29)
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We are best aware of what they say, and thou (O
Muhammad) art in no wise a compeller over them. But warn by the
Qur’an him who feareth My threat. (50:Qaf:45)
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Remind them, for thou art but a remembrances, Thou
art not at all a warder over them. (88:al-Ghashiyah:21-22)
Instead of compelling or coercing the people into Islam, the
Prophet and his companions were rather enjoined to preach the
religion of truth to others through wisdom and fair exhortation.
Thus says the Holy Qur’an:
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Ye are the best community that hath been raised up
for mankind. Ye enjoin right conduct and forbid indecency; and ye
believe in Allah. And if the people of the scripture had believed
it had been better for them. Some of them are believers; but most
of them are evil-livers. (3:Al-Imran:110)
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Call unto the way of thy Lord with wisdom and fair
exhortation, and reason with them in the better way. Lo! thy Lord
is best aware of him who strayeth from His way, and He is best
aware of those who go aright. (16:An-Nahl:125)
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And argue not with the people of the Scripture
unless it be in (a way) that is better, save with such of them as
do wrong; and say: We believe in that which hath been revealed
unto us and revealed unto you; our God and your God is One, and
unto Him we surrender. (29:Al-Ankabut:46)
The
Prophet of Islam and his followers have faithfully acted upon the
advice of the Qur’an. There have been no forced conversions to
Islam. Muhammad Asad, a great
scholar and commentator of the Qur’an while explaining the meaning of verse 256 of chapter 3 of
the Qur’an, speaks for the Muslim community when he dispels the
false impression that Islam spread through sword. The great
scholar says: “On the strength of the above categorical
prohibition of coercion (ikrah) in anything that pertains to faith
or religion, all Islamic jurists (fuqaha), without any exception,
hold that forcible conversion is under all circumstances null and
void, and that any attempt at coercing a non-believer to accept
the faith of Islam is a grievous sin: a verdict which disposes of
the widespread fallacy that Islam places before the unbelievers
the alternative of “conversion or the sword.” “The other great
religions,” writes Lothrope in his book ‘New World of Islam’ “won
their way slowly, by painful struggle, and finally triumphed with
the aid of powerful monarchs converted to the new Faith.
Christianity had its Constantine, Buddhism its Ashoka and
Zoroastrianism its Cyrus, each lending to his chosen cult the
mighty force of secular authority. Not so Islam. Arising in a
desert land sparsely inhabited by a nomad race, previously
undistinguished in human annals, Islam sallied forth on its great
adventure with the slenderest human backing and against the
heaviest material odds. Yet, Islam triumphed with seemingly
miraculous ease”.
History bears witness to the truth that Islam spread through
propagation and preaching and not through the use of force or
sword. Muslims ruled India for more than seven long centuries but
at the time of partition of the sub continent in the year 1947,
the Muslim population was not more than 20%. Hindus and other
non-Muslim communities always remained in majority and the rulers
of the country, the Muslims, always in minority. Had the Muslims
used force there would have been not even a single Hindu left in
the country. Look at Spain. Muslims conquered this country in 711
A.D. and remained its rulers for more than 700 years up to 1492
A.D. They remained in minority and never tried to convert the
Christians forcibly into Islam. The Christians overthrew their
rule in 1492 A.D. The Muslims were mostly put to sword. Very few
could escape to North Africa. Those who remained behind had no
choice but to embrace death or Christianity. Today there is hardly
any Muslim in that country.
[Back
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Sources of Islamic Teachings
The
Qur’an which is the Holy Scripture of Islam, and the Sunnah or
Hadith which comprises sayings and traditions of Prophet Muhammad
(PBUH) are the basic sources of the Islamic teachings. The Qur’an
is composed of manifest revelations as were made to Muhammad in
the very words of God, but the Sunnah (comprising precepts and
practices) of the Prophet of Islam is mainly composed of internal
revelations or hints from Gabriel or by inspiration
The importance of the Qur’an and the Sunnah as the primary sources
of Islamic teachings has been underlined by the following verses
of the Qur’an and the traditions of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH):
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O Ye who believe! Obey Allah, and obey the
messenger and those of you who are in authority; and if ye have a
dispute, refer it to Allah and the messenger if ye are (in truth)
believers in Allah and the Last Day. (Qur’an 4:59)
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And it becometh not a believing man or a believing
woman, where Allah and His messenger have decided an affair (for
them), that they should (after that) claim any say in their
affair……. (Qur’an 33:35)
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Jaber reported that the Messenger of Allah said: As
for what follows next, the best discourse is the Book of Allah and
the best guidance is the guidance of Muhammad. The worst of
affairs is their innovations and every innovation is misleading.
(Muslim)
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Jaber reported that the Messenger of Allah said in
the Farewell Pilgrimage: And I have left among you a thing which
if you adhere to, you will never be misguided after this- The Book
of Allah and what you get from me by questions (Hadith). (Muslim)
[Back
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Five Articles of Islamic Faith
The
edifice of Islam is built upon five pillars called five
fundamental articles of Islamic faith. First is the profession of
belief in God, in Muhammad (PBUH) the prophet of Islam, in all
other Prophets of God, in all the revealed books of God including
Al-Qur’an the last such book, in the Angels of God, in the Day of
Judgment and the Destiny (Taqdir). Second is the establishing of
prayers, third is the paying of Zakat, fourth is keeping of fast
for the month of Ramadan and last is the performance of pilgrimage
to Makkah.
These
articles of Islamic faith would be discussed in detail in a
separate chapter in this book.
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