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llhe Principles ofIslam

Compiled bySh. Hmoud M. Al-Lahim

Translation and Commentary byMahmoud Ridha Murad

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Al-Lahim, Hanpud bin MoharnrnadThe prirrciples ot lslam translated by Mahmood Murad.88 P., 12 X 17 crn.lsBN 9960 - 798 - 07 - 01- lslam 2- lslamic theology l-Murad,Mahmood (trans) ll- Title

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The Meaning and Essence of Islam

The lexical meaning of Islam issubmission, and adherence to the commandsof Allah without objection. This is ttre trueessence of Islam. By obeying Allah andobserving His commands, the Muslim wouldbe in harmony with the universe in which helives, for everything in this universe abidesby the commands of Allah.

It is an established fact thateverything in this universe follows certainrule, and an unalterable law to which itsubmits; the sun, the moon, the stars, thenight, the day, the land, the trees, and thebeasts; all submit to a rule which Allah, theCreator, has designated for all these things.Even man himself, when you consider hisphys ica l const ruct ion, and b io log ica lcompounds, his need for water andnutrition, heat, air, light, rest, or sleep youwould find him submittins to a law under

which he has no choice, just like othercreatures.

This inclusive law to whicheverything submits, is rhe work of Allah,the Majestic King, ro Whom belong thecreation and the authority. Both of theupp-er and the lower worlds submit willinglyto the Creator, the Capable King.

Due to the fact that the linguisticmeaning of Islam is submission, andadherence without objection, Islam, fromthis point of view, is rhe faith of theuniverse. Man in this sense, does not differfrom the other creatures. Since Allah, is theCreator and the Provider, He has given manthe freedom of choice, and has shown himboth, the path of guidance, and the path ofdeviation through the Messengers that Hesent to mankind throughout the ages; the lastof whom is Muhammad, peace be upon themall. Therefore, he who chooses the path ofguidance of his own free will, and futfillsthe duties with which he is charged, and

refrains from the prohibition, then hebecomes the legitimate Muslim.

As for him who chooses the Path ofdeviation, neglecting the acts of worship,and commining the prohibitions, he is thusan unbeliever. Each of them will receivehis requital on the Day he will meet hisRubbr when the records of deeds will bedisplayed. Allatr says:

So whoever does good equal to the weight ofan ant shall see it and whoever does evil equalto the weight of an ant shall see it.Based on this gift that Allah has granted

man; which is one of the greatest, i.e., thefreedom of choice, and after subjugating forhim the land, the sea, the night and the day,Allah has commanded man to worship Himalone, and has forbidden him to ascribe

1 Sorne ranslate the term "Rubb" into ' lord. buts ince the mean ing o f 'Rubb ' i s f a r morecomprehensive than to be restricted to a single wordsuch as ' lord'. Among other things the term 'Rubb'

means, the Creator, the Cherisher, the Sustainer, orProvider.

partners to Him, and has promised him inreturn great rewards for his obedience.

Among the promised rewards are thefollowing :

l - Allowing man to benefit from thesigns of Allah that are scattered throughoutthe universe proving the fact that Allah isthe true God Who deserves to beworshipped.

2- The ability to lead a fear-free life inthis world, and to render sound his state ofaffairs. The Prophet, peace be upon him,said: "How wonderful is the believer's stateof affairs. All his affairs yield goodconsequences. If he encounters a pleasantsituation, he would show gratitude to Allah,and this response would be good for him,and if he experiences distressing situation,he would endure it patiently, and it wouldbe good for him. This applies only to thebeliever. "

The believer knows that his duty inthis world is to worship Allah alone. Allah,

has created the jinn and man only toworship Him. Allah does not seekprovisions from them, nor does he ask thatttrey should feed Him. It is He Who is theProvider, the Most Powerful.

The believer also knows that he willfinally meet his Rubb on the Day ofRequital. He also knows that he came intoexistence by the word of Allah who createdhim, cherished him, and bestowed upon himHis favors, the seen and the unseen thereof,and He has subjected everything for him.Ailatr says:

Do you not scc that Allah has subjecrcd foryou what is in the heavens and what is in thccarth, and that Hc has bestowcd amply upon youHis apparent and hiddcn graces2

And Allah says:Allah is thc One Who has crcated catrlc for

you so that you may ride on some of them, andeat. thc meat of some of them.3

2 e. 3l:203 q. cO:79

Allah is the One Who has created theheavens and the earth, and Who sends downwater from the sky, and brought forth thercbyfruits as provisions for you; and He has madethe- ships to bc of service to you, that they maysail easily through by His command, and HLhas also made rivers to be of senrice to you.a

And Allah says:Do you nor see that Allah has subjected for youeverything in the earth. 5

3- The Muslim leads his life knowingthat this world is not perrnanent, rather it isa transitory to the etemal life, and a supplystation, and a starting point of a race to winthe pleasure of Allah.

Consequently, the Muslim is contentwith whatever means of subsistence thatbecome available for him in this world,knowing that such means are only atemporal pleasure.

a q.zz:6s5 q. ru:lz-33

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4- The believer will, on the DaY ofResurrection, win the pleasure of his Rubb,the only means of escaping the Fire andentering Jannah. Allah says:

Ho-who is moved awdy from the Fire, andadmitted to Jannah has indecd prospcrcd, andthe lifc of this world is but a dcceivingpleasure.6

After this short introduction, Youmay want to know more Islam, the onlYreligion acceptable to Allah. The Religion inttre sight of Allah is Islam.

If anyone desires a religion other that Islam,ncver will it be accepted of him; and in thehereaftcr he will bc among the losers.T

What is the means of knowingthe commands of Allah, and His laws?

6 q. : :r587 e. 3:85

Regardless how much power, reason,or shrewdness man is given, he can neverknow the statutes of Allah, and His laws,commands, or prohibitions by employingsuch faculties. If man is unable to knowwhat is in the mind of another human being,unless the latter expresses his thoughtsverbally or practically, how would man ,then, be able to know the intention of Allah,the Creator of the universe. Consequently,no one is able to make laws for the creaturesexcept their Creator, the One who knowswhat is in their minds, and what is good forthem, and what renders their affairs arightin the present and in the future.

It is only through the divine revelationconveyed to mankind by the Messengerswho explained to rheir people the purposesof Allah and the means by which they mayattain His pleasure. The last of thoseMessengers is Muhammad, son of Abdullah,the Hashimite, the last of the Messengers,peace be upon him.

KNOWING THE MESSENGERS

You have known that the Messengersare the men responsible for conveying thelaws and commands of Allah. What are themeans of recognizing the Messengers andthe proofs of their veracity'?

Proofs ofveracity

the Messengers '

We have , after that , to recognize theproofs of Prophethood. Among such proofsof the Messengers' veracity are :

1- They do not seek anything for theirpersonal interest, rather they seek things forthe public interest by waming their peopleagainst what may harm them.

2- What the Messengers reported totheir people about the unseen world, no onecan concieve through his intellect, and yetthe realiry always verified their statements.

3- Every Messenger is supported by amiraculous sign that his people could notchallenge or match. Noah, for example,challenged his people to kill him, yer rheywerc unable to do so, although he was livingamongst them without guards, surroundedby the disbelievers hatred. Similarly, neitherthe people of Ibraheem and Hood were ableto harm them. Allah, the Exalted, supportedMusa, peace be upon him, by making hiscane to change into a snake whenever Musawanted it to be so. While Issa, peace beupon him, healed the blind, and the leper,and revived the dead with the permission ofAllah. Muhammad, peace be upon him,received the great Qur'an. Bearing in mindthat he was unlettered, and did not studyunder the instruction of any person, yet hispeople were unable to produce a booksimilar to the Qur'an as a whole, nor werethey able to produce ten chapters the likethereof. Finally, Allah challenged them toproduce a single chapter similar to that in

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the Qur'an, but they failed to meet thechallenge. Never will any one be able to doso.

Allatr says:If mankind and the jinn gathered togcther toproducc thc like of this Qur'an, thcy wouldhever bc able to do so even if they helpe/ eachother.t

AUafr sent a Messenger to every nation,and supported him with a miracle that suitedthe nature of his people. And since Allattsent every Messenger with a Messageconcerning that particular nation, andbecause those Messages were not final norperrnanent, those Messages faded awayalong with the nations to whom they weresent. But the Message with whichMuhammad, peace be upon him, was sent isthe last and perpetual. Hence, the miraclesof the previous Messengers were, generally,of materialistic nature, whereas the Qur'an

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8 q. rZ:88

is an intellectual and scientific Miracle, thusto suit the human intellect throughout theages.

Now that you have known the meansof recognizing the deen of Allah, the Islam,what then is Islam of which Allah approves,and accepts from His slaves? Let us exploreIslam in detail. Islam as you have alieadyknown, means, submitting to the will ofAllah, the Exalred with obedience. It meansworshipping Al lah alone, ascribing nopartners to Him. Islam consists of rites andactions fulfilled by man out of obedience toAllah, and in conformiry with the Messageof the Messengers, the last of whom isMuhammad, peace be upon h im.Muhammad's set of laws conclude al lprevious divine laws. Any other laws thatdisagree with his are null and void, becausethey d isagree wi th A l lah 's f ina l andperrnanent le gislation.

These rites express the iman, (faith)in the heart of the believer, for whatever is

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based on faith and certainty, externally orinrcmally is the true deen of Islam. Islam isthe means by which man acquires thepleasure of his Rubb, his Creator, and themeans of salvation that delivers him fromthe torment of the Day of Resurrection.

Islam is based on five Pillars:

l- The testimony of faith: "Thereis no true god except Allah, and thatMuhammad is the Messenger of Allah.

The requirements of this Testimonyis the submission and declaration that Allahis the true God, and that all other deities arefalse, and are not capable of neitherharming or benefiting, nor do they deserveto be worshipped.

Allah is also the Ruler who has a freehand in the disposal of the affairs of theuniverse. People must rule by His laws andcommands.

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It is only rhe Book of Allah toWhom men should refer their disputes andaffairs. Any judicial decision other tharAllah's is a decision based on ignorance orq're-Istamic era, which entails injustice anddeviation. All legitimate rites of worshipmust be dedicated to Allah alone.

Among other requirements of theTestimony of Faith is that no one shouldbow down, or lower his head humbly toanyone, nor supplicate another humanqt-lilg him to fulfill his needs, for onlyAllah is capable of fulfilling man's needs.

As for the requirements of theTestimony: 'Muhammad is the Messenger ofAllah', it entails recognition of Muhammadas the true Messenger of Allah. ThisTestimony also attests to his veracity,t rustwor th iness and in fa l l ib i l i ry ineverything that he related ro Allah, theExalted, about the past, the future, and the

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unseen world. Because everything herelated is only revelation from Allah.

It is obligatory to obey his commandsand to rcfrain from his prohibitions becauseobeying him is in fact obeying Allah. TheProphet, peace be upon him, is the onecommissioned by Allah to convey Hismessage, laws, and commands. Therefore,it is not permissible to disobey theMessenger, peace be upon him, fordisobeying him means disobeying Allah.

2- As-Salah :As-Salah, or prayer is the second

pil lar of Islam. It begins with thepurification of the body and ends with thepurification of the soul. It is performedfive times in the day and the night. Prayermay be considered as an energizing chargeman needs whenever he tends to be heedlessof the remembrance of his Rubb. In orderto rcnew the contact with his Rubb, the

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first thing man starts off his day with, isprayer. The time of the first prayer of theday begins with the dawn and ends with thesunset. Having spent the first half of the dayworking, heedlessness is apt to befall man;by then the mid-day salah or prayerbecomes due for which the Muslim renewspurification, and his contact with his Rubbasking His help, mercy, and successthroughout this life, and forgiveness in theHereafter to efface his sins and errors.Thus man moves from one prayer toanother until he meets with his Rubb. TheMessenger, peace be upon him, said:

Consider a river running by your door in whichyou wash yourself five times a day. Would thatspare any soiled spot on your body? (Hislisteners) said : "Certainly not" He said : So dothe five daily prayers with which Allah effacesthe sins.Performing prayer in the masjid helps

Muslims maintain strong relation with oneanother in brotherly atmosphere, andpromotes among them love and mercy.

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Prayer deters reprehensible and evil deeds.It also helps the slave in all his affairs.

Allah says :And seek help through patience and prayer.

3- Az-ZakatZakat is the third pillar of Islam. It is

a financial act of worship, which is due onthe wealth kept in possession for one year.A certain percentage is taken from everykind of property to be given out to the poorto enable them meet their needs. Ttte Zakatfulfills the poor's needs, and purifies thedonors from selfishness, a natural tendencyin men.

Allatr says:And you love wealth with exceeding love.

T\e Zakar augments the wealth, andadds barakahe to it. The Prophet, peace beupon him said: "Never wi l l chari tydiminish the wealth, rather it augments it. "

9 Barattah, abundant and continual good.

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Thus the Zakat is a means ofaugmenting the wealth, and purifying thesouls from miserliness, stinginess andselfishness. It is a manifestation of socialmutual responsibility among the Muslims,that the wealthy among them maysympathize with the poor and the pooramong them may love the wealthy.

After all, the zakat is an act ofworship dedicated to Allah and a positiveresponse to His command and a means ofgaining His pleasure.

4- A s-S iyamAs-Siyam, in the month of Ramadan is

the fourth pillar of Islam. Through fasting allaspecB of worship become integrated, and thesense of obedience, and the will to observe isstrengthened. Fasting is an act of worship, anda means of bringing man closer to Allah, re-fining the manners, self-restraint and settingthe behavior aright. It is also a means ofmaintaining the fear of Allah.

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Alatr says:O, you who bclieve fasting is prescribed

to you as it was prcscribed to those before you,that you may anain piety.Fasting was prescribed to previous

nations too as a means of purification andhelp against life's inconveniences, becausefasting requires patience, and patience is oneof the strongest means for acquiring thehappiness in the Hereafter.

AUatr says:

nnd seck Al lah 's he lp throughpcrseverancc and prayer.

s- Hajj :T}lre Hajj is the fifth pillar of Islam.

This pillar has the same objectives like thoseof the other pillars of Islam . The H aj jtrains self-restraint, endurance, resistinghunger, enduring patiently the hardship ofthe journey, leaving the family behind, andother desirous things. The Hajj like the7akat, has a financial aspect. It also shares

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with the prayer many physical aspects suchas Tawaf,Saee,ro and moving from oneritual site to another. It includes as well, thetalbiyah,n the dthikr rz and the like. Hence,the Hajj is act an of worship involving thefinancial, physical, and those aspects relatedto prayer. Like congregational prayer, Hajjalso is an occasion for congregating theMuslims in one place at one time, with onemone distinction, that is , all Muslims thenwear the same outfit regardless of theirheterogeneity, home lands, 'tongues, orclasses. The H a j j , in i ts general

l0 Th" Sa'ee, walking back and forth seven rimesbetwccn the two hills of As-Safa and Marwah. Oncof the rites of Pilgrimage both Umrah and Flajj, andis perfurmcd immediately after the circumambularionof the Ka'bah.I I Thc recitation of the words: LabbaikallahummaLabbaik. etc. meaning: Herc am I. O Allah! Here amI. Hcre am I dcclaring no associates with You.Surely, praise and blessings, and dominion areYours. I associate none with You.

12 Thercmembrance of Attah as an acr of worship.

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manifestation is a convention that comprisesall groups of Muslims who come fromdifferent countries and from differentdescents to attend and participate in thisgreat beneficial function. The Messenger ofAllah, peace be upon him, made his speechin Arafat conveying to the Muslims themessage from his Rzbb, calling on Allah tobe his witness that he has indeed conveyedthe Message. The Muslims have the bestexample in the Messenger of Allah, peace beupon him. The H aj j is performed incompliance to Allah's commands. WhenIbraheem, peace be upon him, hadcompleted erecting the Ka'bah, Allahcommanded him to declare to the people:Allah has enjoined Hajj on you. Thereforeperform it. Allah says:

And proclaim to mankind the Pilgrimage. Thcywill come to you on foot and on every leancamel coming by every distant rrack.13

l3qu/an 22:27

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A Muslim who fulfills the five pillarsof Islam believing that Allah is his Rubb,and Islam is his faith, and Muhammad is hieProphet and Messenger, and dies whileupholding this belief, he will eventually geinthc pleasurc of his Rzbb, and admittance toJannah. But if a person has fulfilled thepillars of Islam without faith, it would notbenefit him nor would it deliver him fromthe punishment promised by his Rubb eventhough he appears to be a Muslim.

THE ARTICLES OF IMAN(frith)

We have already mentioned that thefirst article of iman is the Testimony:"Therc is no true god except Allah and thatMuhammad, is the Messenger of Allah",peace be upon him. The second part of theTestimony necessitates attesting to the tmththat he is sent by Allah to mankind at large,and it is imperative to attest to the veracityof everything he told, to obey him, and

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avoid his prohibitions. And of the things hecommanded is believing in Allah. Hisangels His Scriptures , His Messengers, theI-ast Day , and the Qada' and Qadar.tr

I. THE BELIEF IN ALLAH : ThCfirm belief that Allah is the self-sufficient,who stands in need of none of His creaturcs.Allah is neither an offspring of previousroots, nor does He have offspring. Allahdescribes Himself saying: He neither begets,nor is He begotten. He is far removedfrom having a spouse or a son. He isqualified with all attributes of perfection.

It is imperative to believe that Allahis ever-living, unaffected by cessation orextinction, and that He is ever alert, and Heis the Proprietor of all. It is also incumbentupon us to believe that intercession is validonly after He permits, and that He is the Oneand only, having no partner in His

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Ruboobiyyahrs, nor in H'is divinity, nor isthere anyone to share His names andattributes. He has no intermediaries fromamong His creatures. It is He in Whosehand is the provision, life and death, andharm and benefit. He hears theirsupplications, responds to the distressedwhen they call Him for help. Allah'screatures stand in need of Him, while Hestands in need of none. Believing in all thismakes man expect relief from Allah alone,and fear Him alone, ask Him alone withoutgoing through middlemen or intercessors.Allah's creatures have no power withoutHim to extend benefit, or cause harm toanyone. What some allege that there areintermediaries or intercessors to whosegraves they go seeking help, and whom theycall, awliya, or the favorites of Allah is notonly false allegation, but it is paramount toshirk, or ascribing partners to Allah, the

15 Ruboobryah Inf. of Rubb.

Ever living , the All-knowing, the All-powerful.

2. THE BELIEFANGELS:

IN THE

The angels arc part of the unseen worldabout which Atlah ttre Exalted, has informedHis Messenger Muhammad, peace be uponhim. The angels are honorable slaves ofAllah. Allatr says:

Thcy do not rcbcl against His commands, anddo exactly what they are commanded.

AUah has crcated the angels to worshipHim, and charged them with duties that 0reyfulfill obediently as Allah the Exalted,mentions in the Qur'an rebuffing thus whatsome people falsely believe that the angelsare the intercessors and the daughters ofAllah.

Since it is imperative to believe inthe existence of the angels, it is alsoimperative to believe in what Allah, and

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what Muhammad, peace be upon him, haveinformed about them, including the fact thatJibreel (Gabriel) is one of them, and that hewas the one who brought down revelation tothe Messengers of Allah.

Among the angels also are those whokeep count of man's deeds; the record whichwill be shown to man on the Day ofResurrection when man will be able torecognize his record of deeds, and woulddeny none of its content. Once he deniesany of his deeds, man's own organs willtestify against him.

3- THE BELIEF IN THEDIVINE SCRIPTURES :

Believing in the divine Scriptures isone of the articles of faith. It is mandatoryto believe that they are reVealed and sentdown by Allah. Belief in the Scriptures is oftwo levels; general, and particular. Thegen,:ral entails believing in all Scripture sentdown to any of Allah's Messengers, whether

we know him by name or not. As for theparticular belief, we must believe in everyScripture that is mentioned in rhe Qur'an byname. They are five:

l- The Qur'an, which is in our hands,the Book that was sent down to Muhammad,peace be upon him.

2- \\e Torah, The Old Testament. senrdown to Musa, peace be upon him.

3- The Injeel, The Evangel, or TheNew Testament, sent down to Isa (Jesus),peace be upon him.

4- Az-Zaboor, the Psalms, sent down toDawood, (David), peace be upon him.

5- The Sheets of Ibrahim, peace beupon him.

We know that it is obligatgry ro believein al l those Books. But, do we have tobel ieve in al l of the Scriptures circulatedtoday? Or, are the Scriptures available todaythe sanre as those revealed to the Messengeriof Allah? These are general questions. The

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answer is that although the Scriptures thatpreceded the Qur'an may contain parts ofthe original texts, but they cannot beconsidered as genuine, for the followingreasons:

1- The complete original texts of thoseScriptures are no longer in existence. Whatis available today is only the translation withwhich the opinions of the translators, andthe exegeses are mixed.

2- The original texts of those Bookswere not wri t ten down during theMessengers' lifetime, rather, they werewritten down hundreds of years thereafter.They were collected from reports given bythe Messengers'followers as was the case ofthe Bible. The original text i tselfdisappeared and was compiled for thesecond time from reports and narratives,and so was the case of the Torah.

3- All previous Scriptures were notmeant to address mankind at large, rathereach Book was sent to one particular nation,

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for the divine Message was not completedthen. Every Messenger gave his people thegood news of the Messenger who wouldsucceed him.

4- The languages of those Scripturcshave been altered, or became archaic. Evenif those Scriptures were available today intheir original texts, it is most unlikely thattherc would be any people, who would beable to decode their languages, thus suchScriptures would not be valid to use withoutunderstanding their texts. As for the text ofthe Qur'an, it is still available in its originallanguage in which it was sent down toMuhammad, peace be upon him. The Qur'anmaintains its originality and validity for thefollowing reasons :

l- Allah Himself has promised roprcserve the Qur'an. He said :

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We it is Who sent down the Dlhikr l6and weare preserving it .17

2- The Qur'an was written downduring the lifetime of the Prophet, peace beupon him. Whenever a verse, or a surahwas revealed, the Messenger , peace be uponhim, would dictate it to a scribe, telling himto place it in the order and the surah itbelonged to. Besides, many companions hadcommitted the Qur'an to memory, and knewthe circumstantial events that prompted therevelation of the surahs, or the verses. Allthis information is compiled in authenticworks.

3- Jibreel, used to review the Qur'anwith the Prophet, peace be upon him, once ayear. The year in which the Prophet, peacebe upon him, died , Jibreel reviewed theQur'an with him twice.

l6 Among other meanings,'dthikr ' signif ics, theQu/an. It also signif,res the Prophetic traditions.17 e.

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4- The men around the Prophet, peacebe upon him, committed the Qur'an tomemory. Therefore no one would havebeen able to change anything in the Qur'an,for any supposed alternation would havebeen spotted right away by those whomemorized the Qur'an.

5- The language in which the Qur'anwas revealed is still the same, thereforeanyone who knows Arabic can easilyunderstand the Qur'an and the significationof its text.

6- The exegetes have separated theircommentaries from the main text of theQur'an to keep the letter chaste.

There is another important proof ofthe Qur'an's originality. If samples of theQur'an copies were collected at randomfrom Arab and non-Arab countries andcompared with each other, they would havebeen found identical. Those who havecommitted the whole Qur'an to memory,would have ascertained this fact.

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7 - The Qur'an is the last Book revealedto the last of the Messenges.. The wisdomnecessitates preserving it. Had the Qur'anbeen affected by any change, mankindwould have been left without a chaste Bookas a reference. The infinite wisdom ofAllah and His mercy necessitate that Allahwould not neglect His creatures, or leavethem to the i r own whimsica l op in ionsstaggering in the darkness of ignorance, anddeviation.

4- The Bel ief in the Messengers.Bel ieving in the Messengers is an

art icle of fai th. This does not mean torecognize some of the Messengers and denythe others. Rather it is obligatory to believein all of them in general, whether we knowtheir names or not. Those Messengers whosenames are mentioned in the Qur'an must berecognized in particular. Allah has mademandatory recognizing them al l , for theyare like a chain whose rings are connected

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to one another; everyone of themcompleted the Message of the proceedingMessenger until Allah has sent Mohammed,peace be upon him as the last Messengerwith whom He concluded their line. Peacebe upon them all. A person whoacknowledges some of the Messengers, anddenies the others is as though he has brokentheir chain.

The Qur'an mentions the names ofonly twenty-five Messengers. Allah says:-

And We sent Mcsscngers whom We havealrcady mentioned to you, and someMcssengers whom Wc have not mentioned to

You'18The belief in the Messenger is

indispensable due to the fact that it isimpossible to know the Message of Allahwithout the Messengers, for it is they whoconveyed His message. It is obligatory tobelieve in them indiscriminately.

I t Q.4 :164

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As for the privileges with whichMuhammad, peace be upon him, has beendistinguished, they are as follows:

l- All of the Messengers that precededhim were sent to their own peoples inparticular, where as, Muhammad, peace beupon him, was sent to mankind at large, forhe would be succeeded by no Prophet, orMessenger.

Z- The teachings of the precedingProphets, and the signs of their veracity hadvanished along with them. The proof ofMohammed's veracity, is still and willremain effective until the end of time. Histeachings are preserved in the books that areavailable to public.

3- The Message of Mohammed, peacebe upon him, includes the Messages of thepreceding Messengers. The Message and theteachings of the Messengers are like a palacewhich is erected by the joint efforts of men;each constructed a section thereof. and

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Muhammad, peace be uPon him, hascompleted the whole structure.

5- The belief in the Final daY.This belief necessitates :l- Believing that this world and all that

is in it has an end.2- Allah, the exalted, will resulrect the

creatures once again.3- The people will be held accountable

for their deeds. He who does good, it willbe good for him, and he who errs, willsuffer the consequences. Everyone will beheld responsible for his own deeds.

4- Mankind's deeds are being recordedand will be reviewed by them on the Day ofReckoning.

5- The Muslim wil l eventuallY beadmitted to Jannah, (the heavenly garden),and the unbeliever will be admitted to HellFire.

Hence, it is obvious that death is notthe end of life, rather it is a borderline

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between the short transitional life, and theeternal life. But will all men lead the samelife ? Certainly not! They arc not alike.Those who obey Allah will certainly bercwarded; and those who disobey Him willbe punished. Believing in the I-ast Day is anintellecnral necessity, for man in this worlddo things the resultsof which do not appear,or may not exist. Query! Would this worldterminate in the same manner? Would theoppressor get away with his oppression,while the oppressed to be left unprotected?This surely would have been unwise andunfair. Hence, justice is indispensable, butin a world other than this; the world tocome. The Prophet's authentic traditionspertaining the world to come are sufficientto confirm this fact. The ultimate purposeof believing in the Day of Resurrection isto motivate the believers to make vigorousefforts to achieve good deeds, anddiscourage others from committ ingimperious deeds and acts of disobedience,

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and the results of the tests and afflictions inthis world will become evident in the nextworld.

6- The bel ief in Al-Qadar.Believing in Al-Qadar is one of the

central fundamentals of Islam. Allah doesnot accept any good deed frorn a personuntil he believes in the al-Qadar, even if heobserves fasting, performs prayers, andclaims to be a Muslim, because he did notmaintain sound belief in Allah. He who doesnot believe in al-Qadar, implies that Allahis incapable, unaware of the events takingplace in the universe, and impotent .Such isnot fit to be a god; for among the intrinsicattributes of Allah the Ever-living, the OneWho sustains and maintains the creatures,the Omnipotent, the All-Hearing, All-Seeing, and the rest of the attributes ofperfect ion. Disbel iev ing in a l -Qadarnecessitates denying Allah al l of these

37

attributes of perfection. Far is Allahremoved from every imperfection.

The bel ief in al-Qadar necessiraresbelieving that :

l- Allah has known all things andrecorded them before bringing them intoexistence.

2- When Allah, the Exalted, willssomething to take place, He would only sayto i t : "Be". and i t is. I f Al lah wantssomething to exist, it will exist, and if Hedoes not want it to exist, it will not exist.

3- Every existing thing, other thanAllah is created by Allah, be it good or evil,and that He has brought it into existence forwise purpose known to Him. Therefore,there is nothing in the universe that existswithout a wise purpose. Allah is the All-Knowing, All-Wise.

4- Nothing occurs, or takes place inthis universe withou; the will of Allah, andHis permiss ion. A l lah is capable of

38

preventing what He does not perrnit to takeplace. It should be borne in mind however,that this does not mean that Allah approvesof everything in existence. Allah, forinstance, does not approve of disbelief, nordoes He enjoin mankind the commission ofthe abominable, nor does He lovecorruption. In fact, He does not preventthese things to exist for a wise purposeknown to Him. The purpose of believingrn al-Qadar is

that it provides man with the capabilityof achieving good deeds knowing that lifeand death are in the hand of Allah, theExalted. Hence, no one else can prolong orshorten his life-term by a single second.Once his term is over, there is none towithhold its termination. Allah says:

And when their term has come, they cannotrcmain behind a single moment, nor can theyget ahead of it.l9

19 Q.7 :34

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This belief provides man with thesense of security and contentrnent when heknows that nothing would befall him exceptthat which has already been assigned forhim. If all mankind gather to ward it offhim, they would not be able to do so, norwould they be able to grant him what Allatlhas withheld from him. And because manknows that his duty is to pursue all availablelegal means to earn his living, he alsoknows the results remain in the hand ofAllah. Among the issues discussed earlier, inwhich we are obliged to believe, are thingsthat are neither tangible nor can they bedefined by the senses. What is our attitudetowards these things ?

N

The Belief in al-Ghaib.zoBelieving in al-ghaib is also a central

fundamental in Islam. Allah has endowed uswith the ability to believe in it. Man cannotperceive the essence of Allah, His nature, orattributes with his senses, nor can heimagine them in his mind, and yet he seesthe effects of Allah's existence, and Hisdisposal of the affairs of the universe. Ofthe greatest graces that Allah conferred onman is enabling him to believe submissivelyin the issues of al-ghaib.

Among the issues of cl-g haib inwhich we submissively believe withoutconceiving their nature is the soul. If thebelief in al-ghalib is not acquired, manwould have lost many fundamentals of hisfaith. Man would have lacked the belief in

2O et-Ghafb , the world that is hidden from , orbcyond rhe perception by senses unless by means ofdivine rcvelation with which the Prophet, peace beupon him, has acquainted the Muslims such as thcevents of the Day of Resurrection, and of Jannah andHcll.

4 l

A-[fr, His angels , the Final D.y, and otherghaib matters. Belief in ai-ghalib isimportant enough that Allah considers asone of the most particular characteristics ofthe God-fearing people. Allah savs :

This is the Btiok, wherein there ii no doubt, agu-tlanc.e to those who arc God-fearing. Whobclieve in the glaib, perform prayer, ant spcndout of what We have providcd them.2l

It is good enough reason for us tobelieve in al- ghaib as Allah, the Exalted, isthe One who has informed us about it by ttretongue of His Messenger, peace be uponhim. Consequently, he who does notbelieve in al-ghaib denies Allah and HisMessengers , peace be upon them all.

The Shari'ah and the DeenThe Shari'ah 22 is part of the Deen, or

faith. The application of which is an act of

2 l Q.2 :322The d.ivine laws consisting of ordinances and actsof worship such as fasting, prayer, pilgrimage, and

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ibadah, or worship in itself, for ibadahsignifies obedience to Allah by adhering toHis commands, and refraining from Hisprohibitions.

AUatt has commanded us to adhere towhat He has sent down to us. Allah says:

Adhere to what has been sent down to you fromyorr Rubb.

And He says :And (say) this is My path leading

straight. So follow it, and do not follow otherways lest they lead you away from His way.23AUah has made manifest in His Book

everything mankind need, and has beeninterpreted and expounded perfectly, andsufficiently by His Messenger, peace beupon him. All of which is preserved, andmade available to all at all times and places.The main objective of Islam is to preservethe following basics:

l- The Deen

all the other acts of worship, or thc acts of obedienceto Allah.23 e. 6:153

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Allah has passed the laws andordinances, sent the Messengers, andrevealed His Books to preserve the deen,and guard it against deviation, and todedicate all acts of worship to Allah alone.He has prescribed the Jihad in order to keepHis Word supreme, .and to efface thebarriers that bar men from worshippingtheir Rubb.

2- The IntellectIs lam prohib i ts everyth ing that

incapacitates the intellect whether it is food,drink, or the like. Allah says:

Verily, the liquor, gambling, the idols, anddivining arrows are only abomination ofSatan's work.24

3- The IndividualIslam prohibits too, everything that

destroys the individual. A person is notallowed to inflict any harm upon himself, or

24 Q.5 :9

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to cornmit suicide. Inflicting harm uponothers is also prohibited, and so is killingothers or giving them what may weakenthem physically. Hence requital in the casesof homicide is legitimized for the protectionof man's life. Executing an evil person isbetter than sparing his life to kill morepeople. There is no sense in showingmercy to the murderer, and depriving thevictimized of it, i.e. the victim's family.

+ The PropertyEarning one's own living, and making

money are legitimate quests, and so ispreserving them. Wasting wealth isunlawful, and spending it extravagantly onlawful things is prohibited in Islam. Allahsays:

Eat and drink, and do not be wasteful.It is unlawful for a person to abuse his

own wealth, or abuse the wealth of others.It is not permissible for any one to helphimself to others' properties without theirconsent. It is prohibited to possess people's

45

property illegally. It is for this reason thatthe thief's hand is amputated as apunishment. Similarly, usury is prohibitedto safeguard people's properties againstabusiveness.

5- The HonorIslam protects man's honor, and

prohibits libeling, or abusing the honor, orreputation of the others. Therefore Islampreserves the right of people to protect theirhonor, and renders it inviolable, and theabuse of which is made punitive.

After this review of the five basicnecessit ies that Shari 'ah purposed topreserve, we must know the sources of theShari'ah from which we deduce the laws,and rulings.

THE Shari'as' SourcesThe sources of the Slrari'ah are the

Qur'an, and the Sunnah of the Messenger,

46

peace be upon him, which is the explanationof the Qur'an. The scholars have exertedgreat efforts for the deduction of rulingsfrom these two great sources. Since theIslamic Shari'ah is the last of all divine laws,it is designed to suit every age and place.Hence, the judicial rulings deduced by thejurists are not alike, because such rulingsare based on their understanding of thetexts. The deduced rulings referred to asal-fiqh.2s, or jurisprudence, where latercompiled by different imams. There arefour renowned madthahibsz6, or schools ofthoughts established by different imams orscholars, whose teachings were widespread,and adhered to by large number ofstudents. The four schools of thoughts are:

1- Al-Hanafi madth'hab,by Imam AbuHanifa, @.rson 6'7).

25 The science which deals with observance of theacts of wonhip, transactions, and the like.26 m. of madih,-tab, school of law.

47

2- Ash Shafiee, by Imam Muhammadbin Idrees ash-Shafi'ee (d 2051820).

3- Al-Malikee, by Imam Malik binAnas (d n9n9r.

4- Al-Hanbali, by Imam Ahmad binHanbal (d 2411855).

A person who is incapable ofcomprehending rulings, or deducing themfrom the Book and the Sunnah, he mayconsult any trustworthy man of knowledgewho is known to be adhering to the colrectconvictio n of ahlus - S unnah w al -J ama' ah.

AL-JIHAD

In order to preserve Islam, andconvey it to people at large, and to removethe obstacles in its way, Allah, the Exalted,has decreed jihad as a legitimate institutionor warfare. Jihad also is meant to deliverman from those who enslave them, andfrom submissiveness to men, such as rulers,

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and shai*s, and to stoP them from grave,tree, stone worshipping, and from all otheridols, and make them submit to Allah aloneafter having lived in the darkness ofignorance bercft of the light of the truth. ktother words, jihad is legitimized to helppeople shun worshipping their fellow mento worship the Rubb of men, and replacethem the straitness of this world with theampleness of the world to come.

Having reviewed the principles ofIslam, we realize that it is incumbent uponus, as individuals and community, to aPplythem all.

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The Duties Incumbent on theInd iv idual

Every individual in the community hasrights, and is charged with duties. In brief,the rights that are due on individuals arefour:

l- The rights of Allah.2- The person's own Rights.3- The rights of human beings.4- The rights of the creatures, and all

that is in the possession of man that arelawful to use, or utilize.

It is the duty of every true Muslimto know these four types of rights, and tofulfill them truthfully and sincerely. TheShari'ah has clearly defined each type ofthese rights separately, and has directed manto the methods and ways of fulfilling theserights in such a manner that none of these

50

rights may be neglected within the scope ofman's ability.

THE RIGHTS OF ALLAH:The first of Allah's rights is

believing in Him, as the only true God, Whodeserves to be worshipped alone, associatingno partner with Him, nor taking gods orlords beside, or instead of Him. This rightmay be fulfilled by believing in the Kalimah, meaning: "There is no true god exceptAllah, as explained earlier.

The second of Allah's rights is tosubmit completely to ttre tmth and guidancethat came down from Him by following HisMessenger, Muhammad, peace be upon him,and this is the meaning of "Muhammad isthe Messenger of Allah", the second part ofthe Testimony of Faith.

The third of Allah's rights is that Hemust be obeyed by adhering to His laws thatarc made manifest in the Glorious Book of

5 l

Allah, and expounded by the Sunnah, of theMessenger of Allah, peace be upon him.

The fourth of Allah's rights is thefulfillment by man the above-mentionedduties with which Allah has charged him.One must sacrifice his own as well as therights of his fellow-human beings for thesake of this right. When a Muslim forinstance, performs prayer, or observesfasting, he in fact, sacrifices many of hisparticular requirements. He wakes up earlyin the morning to perform ablution for thedawn prayer. He leaves behind many of hisimportant occupations more than onceduring the day and night to perform hisprayer. He also refrains from eating anddrinking, and restrains himself just toobserve fasting throughout the month ofRamadhan. A Muslim gives preference tothe love of Allah over his love of wealthwhen giving out the Zakah, and he endureshardships of the Pilgrimage trip, leavingbehind his beloved ones, and his business,

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and expends from his wealth to perform thisduty. He also sacrifices his wealth and lifein the jihad for the sake of Allah alone.Besides that, a Muslim sacrifices many ofhis possessions, i.e. slaughtering sacrificialanimals, as well as expending in charity.

Allah , the Exalted, on the otherhand, has put limits to the fulfillment of Hisrights so that He may not overburden Hisslaves. Take prayer for instance, Allahdoes not impose hardship on His slaves forperforming it. If water is not available, orif a person is sick, he may performtayammum.2T A traveling person mayshorten some of the obligatory Prayers. Orif a person is sick, he may perform hisprayer while sitting, or even lying down.The Qur'anic recitation during the course ofprayer, on the other hand, does not have to

27 T\e purification by sand or dust instead of water,rcplacing the customary ablution. the substitution ismade if water is not available or if, for healthrcasons, one cannot use water.

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be long. If a person is not in a hurry, hemay take his time reciting longer chaptersuch as surat al-Baqarah, Aali Imran, an-Nisa, or any other long chapter. It is notpermissible though for an imam, who leadsthe prayer, to prolong praying period byreciting longer chapter, for there may bebehind him those who are sick, or weak ofwhom he must be considerate.

Allah loves that His slaves performsupererogatory prayers fol lowing theobligatory prayers, but not to the point ofdepriving them of sleep and rest, or onaccount of earning one's living, nor to thepoint of neglecting one's own rightsaltogether, or the rights of other slaves ofAllah.

The same applies to fasting. Allahhas made obligatory observing fast of themonth of Ramadhan only. Even then, whena person happens to be sick, or on a journeyduring that month, it is permissible for himto defer observing fast until he is well again,

or when he returns home. He may make upthe number of days that are missed out afterRamadhan. On the other hand, it is notpermissible to add an extra minute to thefasting period of the day, nor to delete aminute there from. The fasting person may,during the night in Ramadhan, eat and drinkuntil the white thread becomes distinct tohim from the black thread of the dawn.Once it is sunset, a person must break hisfast right away.

Although Allah loves His slaves toobserve voluntary fasting, He does not likethem to continue fasting for more than oneday without taking food or drink. Suchobservance dra ins the energY, andincapacitates man.

Islam has imposed as Zakah only afraction percentage to be given out incharity. It is only imposed on those who areliable for Zakah. Although Allah loves thosewho expend in His cause, yet He does notwant His slave to forfeit his rights, or his

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wealth for charity and be left empry handed.Rather a person must keep within thereasonable l imits when i t comes roexpending in charity.

Now consider the fardh of Hajj, orpilgrimage. It is obligarory only on

-thor.

who can afford it financially and health_wise, and can endure the hardship of thejourney. To make it even easier, Allah hasmade this rite obligatory once in a lifetime.Moreover, if a person is worried about hiss-aiety, or does not have ready funds, he maydefer the trip until such time when the tripbecomes affordable.

It is also imperative that the personwho intends to perform pilgrimage that heshould seek his parents' perriissioi lest theymay be inconvenienced by his absence, duLto their old age or disability. It has thus,become c lear that A l lah has g ivenconsideration to many rights of His slaveson account of His Own. Glory be ro Allah.

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The greatest sacrifice man offers is inthe jihad. Man in theiihad, sacrifices his aswell as the others' wealth and lives justseeking the pleasure of Allah, keeping Hisword the supreme. Even then, Allahcommands the muiahid to kill only thosewho must be killed, not to attack the disable,women, children or the wounded. He alsocommands them to fight only those whofight them from the people of falsehood,and not to act injuriously and corruptly inthe enemy's land unnecessar i ly , orinsensibly. Moreover, they must applyjustice in dealing with the enemy if theyconquer their land, and to observe anytreaty they enter with them. If the enemyhas given up fighting and resisting the truth,and cease to support the falsehood, themujahideen must stop fighting them. Allth is s ign i f ies that A l lah, the Exal ted,permitted only this indispensable sacrificeon the part of His slaves in order that theyfulfill His right.

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The Individual's Own Rights

We now discuss the second part ofrights man owes himself. Man may afflictinjustice upon himself more than afflicting itupon others, because every one feels andbelieves that his own self is dearer to himthan anyone else. There is no one whobelieves that he is his own enemy. But ifyou reflect upon this issue, the truthbecomes clear to you.

One of the most distinctive, andinnate point of weakness, is that when manis possessed by a desire, he would entirelysuccumb to it unmindful of whatever harmhe may encounter, whether being aware ofit or not. An alcoholic may suffer greatlyjeopardizing his health, wealth , and

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reputation for the sake of satisfying hisaddiction. Another, has been enslaved by hispsychological desires, doing things that leadhim into destruction. These are onlysamples of many demeritorious social facetsdenoting man's immoderation in this worldthat we encounter every now and then.

Since the Shari'ah is set for man'sprosperity and happiness, it lays, therefore,i strlss on the rule that is laid down by theMessenger of Allah, peace be upon him, thatdictatesJ "Indeed, your own self has a rightupon you." This rule restrains man fromtaking any harmful thing, i.e., l iquor, drugs,and any other intoxicating matters. This rulealso declares as unlawful the consumption ofthe f lesh of dead animal, swine, and theflesh of the wild carnivorous, or venomousanimals. These animals are hazardous toman's health, mental faculty, manners, andspir i t . [n return, the Islamic laws havemade lawful for him every good, pure and

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healthy thing, instructing him not to deprivehimself of such good things., for you oweyour body a right.

The Shari 'ah forbids nudity, andcommands man to enjoy the ornaments thatAl lah has granted in this world, butcommands him too" [o cover his body, andin particular, those parts of his body that areindecent to expose. The Shari'ah, on theother hand, commands man to exert hiseffort to earn his living, not to stay homejobless, or beg for food and other needs,Rather, the Shari'ah encourages man toutil ize the faculties that Allah has grantedh im, to earn h is l i v ing through thelegit imate ways and means that Al lah hascreated in the heavens and the earth for hishappiness, comfort, and nourishment.

The Shari'ah does not demand manto suppress, his desire all the way, rather, itenjoins marriage on him, that he may satisfyhis sexual needs. I t make.s i t unlawful forh im to degrade h imsel f by shunning

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moderate pleasures. The Shari'ah suggeststtrat if man seeks spiritual uplifting, nearnessto Allah, and safety in the Hereafter, he doesnot need to neglect this world. ObeyingAllah while enjoying His graces, refrainingfrom the acts of disobedience, and followingHis laws is the most effective means ofsuccess and prosperity in this world, and inthe world to come.

The Shari 'ah prohibits man fromcommitting suicide, because man's own lifedoes not belong to him. It is Allah whoowns i t . Al lah has entrusted man with i tthat he may use it for a limited period oftime, not to abuse it, or terminate it withhis own hand.

The Rights of human beings

Shari 'ah has commanded man to fulf i l lh is own r ights, on one hand, whi le, on the

6 l

other, it has commanded him to do sowithout encroaching on the rights of others.I f a person ful f i l ls h is desires in rhismanner, he would defile and injure himself.It is for this reason the Shari 'ah has madeun lawfu l robb ing , s tea l ing , b r ibe ry ,treachery, forgery, treason, usury, and thelike. Any profit or interest accrued throughsuch methods would be accrued on accountof others. Shari 'ah prohibits all games ofchance, because whatever gain a gamblermay make out of gambl ing, or lot tery, i twould be based on the losses of thousands ofpeople. Prohibi ted too are al l forms ofbar te r ing tha t invo lve chea t ing , o rdece iv ing , and a l l o ther f i nanc ia lt ransact ions that may entai l in just ice to oneof the two parties.

Homic ide , p romot ing cor rup t ion onearth, and transgression are al l prohibi ted.No one is al lowed to k i l l or hurt another, orembezzle his property, for the sake ofsa t i s fy ing h is th i r s t fo r revenge .

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Fornication is prohibited along with otherevil deeds, that endanger the health and theconduct, and lead to promiscuity, flippancy'and recklessness in society. Such acts alsocause fa ta l d iseases, damage humanrelations, and rock the bases of civilization.

These are restrictions that the IslamicShari'aft has imposed on man so that aperson may not plunder the rights of others,or diminish them in the course of securinghis own.

Encroaching on the rights of othersdoes not help reaching the objective of theadvancement of human civilization. It israther important that human relations bebased on mutual cooperation on issues ofcommon social interests to reach thatobjective.

The following synopsis include excerptsof the Shari'ah's laws for this pulpose.

A . Human relations begin with thefamily which should be considered beforeanything else. The family, in fact, is the

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unit comprising two spouses and theirchildren. The foundation upon which Islambases the family is the fact rhat thehusband's duty is to earn the family's living,meet its needs, and defend it. While thewife's duty is to manage the domestic affairsof the family, to provide all means ofcomfort for her husband and children, andto look after the children. The children'sdut!, on the other hand, is to obey theirparents, respect them, and to be in theirservice when they reach old age.

In order to keep the family systemon the right direction, Islam has opted twomeasures:

The first, the husband, or the father asthe head of the family, and the manager ofits affairs. It is impossible to render thefamily's system sound without having thefather as its ruler and manager. Chaoi anddisorder would definitely prevail in a familyof which each member imposes his ownopinion, on the rest of the family members,

&

being irresponsible about theconsequences of his actions. Such familywould definitely lack the sense of security,and happiness. In order to eliminate thiscomlptn;ss, the family must have a head torun iis affairs. It is only man who can beresponsible for looking after the family andprotecting it.-

The second measure, having chargedman with the duty of handling the externalaffain of the family, the Shari'aft commandswoman to stay home, not to go outunnecessari ly. Woman, accordingly, isrelieved of the exterior duties to enable herto fulfill the internal duties peacefully sothat the home order may not be disturbed byher outing.

This of course, does not mean that itis not permissible for woman to go out. Shemay do so whenever there is a need for it.Thus to keep home as the naturalenvironment of her duties utilizing herenergy and intelligence in raising her

65

children to become good Muslim, capable ofenduring life's burdens.

The family circle grows wider byblood relat ions and intermarriages. Inorder that the members of this circlemaintain cooperation and support amongthemselves, the Shari'qh has provided themwith wise rules, of which are:

1- It is unlawful for the members ofthe same family to marry each other i.e.,the siblings, the mother and her son, thefather and his daughter, the step-father andthe step-daughter, the step-mother and herstep-son, and the brother and sister, and hermilk-brother, and the uncle and his niece.and the aunt and her nephew, and themother-in-law and her son-in-law, and thefather-in-law and his daughrer-in-law.

Among the o ther pu rpose s o fi l legal is ing such matr imonia l re la t ionsbetween sibl ings is helping the familymembers to re ta in pure, and natura lrelationship. Intermingling with each orher,

66

the siblings exchange mutual love ands incer i ty w i thout susPic ions orinconvenience.

2- Islam has legalized matrimonialrclations between the other members of thefamily circles to strengthen their ties andlove. Those who understand each other'spreferences, and customs would usuallyhave more successful marriages than thosewho do not. It is for this reason Islamrecommends the guardians to give theirdaughten in marriage to competent men.

3- The family circle may comprise therich and the poor. Hence, of al l humanrights, Islam considers as most outstandingttre right of kinship. Such right is referredto in the Shari'ah as 'silat ar-rahm' , that ismaintaining good relat ions with one's ownkin. This kinship is emphasized in manyplaces in the Qur 'an, and the Sunnah"Severing this relation is one of the gravestsins. I f a poor member of the familysuffers a misfortune, it becomes incumbent

67

upon the well-off members of his familv tohelp, and support him. One's own relatlves,deserve his charity more than the outsiders.

4- Islam has organized the laws ofinheritance division. When a person diesleaving behind an estate, the ownership ofthis estate rransfers to rhe legal heirs of thedeceased. The esrare left behind by thedeceased must nor remain within the hind ofa single heir. Rather each heir is entitled toa share of that estate, in accordance with theQur'anic guidel ine of inheri tance division.The estate, thus is distributed among manyheirs of the deceased relatives.

The Is lamic law of inher i tancediv is ion is second to none in the wor ld 'sancient or modem man-made laws. Thereare some nat ions, in th is age that havestar ted app ly ing the Is lamic laws o finheritance.

Some Musl im have, unfortun_ arelybegun to disregard the laws of inheri tancedue to the i r ignorance, and s imple_

68

mindedness. The ntalaise of depriving gir lsfrom their rightful share of inheritance hasbegun to be felt. It is abhorrent injustice,and a rebel l ion against the pert inentconspicuous statutes of the Qur'an.

Beyond the familY relat ions, aperson comes in contact with his friends,neighbors, people in his district, and town,as well as those with whom he may deal inhis daily life. Islam enjoins dealing withsuch people on the basis of truthfulness,faimess, and good behavior. In other words,he must treat others in the same manner hewould like them to treat him. A personshould keep his mischief away from them ashe likes them to keep theirs away from himout of cooperating on righteous deeds andfine manners.

There is, of course Priorities withrespect to man's relations with others. Theclosest to him are his immediate kinshipmembers, followed by his neighbors. It ismentioned in the authentic, Prophetic

69

t radit ions that Jibreel persisted innecommending to the Prophet, peace beupon him, treating neighbors with comelymanner until he thought that Jibreel wouldassign a share from the inheritance to theneighbor. This only signifies the greatnessof the neighbors' right even if he happens tobe non-Muslim. The Prophet, peace beupon hirn, visited a neighbor of his who wasa Jew. There are other duties upon theMuslim, that is to give food and clothing tothe poor among the Muslims, help theirhandicapped, and console their lessfortunate, visit their sick, help out theneedy, earn living for his family, and teachthe misguided. The Prophet, peace be uponhim, said: "The Muslim is the brother of theMuslim. He neither oppresses him, nor doeshe let him down. Allah says :

And help one another in righteousness, andpiety; but do not help one another in erring andtransglcssion.2s

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28 q. s:2

And He says:Vcrily, only thc belicvers are brothers.D

There are many other kinds ofrelations between Muslim and those towhom a Muslim feels obliged , such as thosereferred to in the words of Allah :

And if anyone of the idolaters seek yourprotcction, then grant him protection, so that hemay hear the words of Allah (the Qu/an) , andthcn escort him to his securc place.rc

From this limited circle we move intothe universal circle which comprises allMuslims of the world. Islam has constitutedlaws and regulations to make the Muslimssupport each other, and help one another inrighteousness and piety thus to provide forthemselves an environment in which theirlives and honor are protected within certainregulations:

l - Is lam prohibits indiscriminateintermingling of non-sibling, men and

29 e.49:1030 q. e:6

7 l

women to restrain the behavior andsafeguard the Muslim's reputation. Allahcommands his slaves to avoid looking atthings that are unlawful to look at, i.e., mento avoid looking at stranger women, andwomen at stranger men, because eye-con&actis the first step of establishing relation.Allatr says:

And tcll the believers to lower their gazc andguard their private parts (of their Mles fromillegal sexual acts.) That is purer for them.

Allah has designated duties for women thatare hard for men to observe, and hasdesignated for men duties that are hard forwomen to observe. He commands women tostay home to maintain tranquill ity andcomfort in it. Allah has made the wife agannent for her husband, and an abode ofrest. Man, on the other hand, toils outsidehome to earn the family's living, and whenhe returns home, he needs rest and comfortthat he finds available with his wife who

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stays home preparing food, and lookingafter the domestic duties.

On the opposite side, the wife whoworks in shops, restaurants, factories, orother occupations, returns home at the endof the day to be just like her husband, tooexhausted to be able to combine between herown comfort and her husband's.

2- Islam has forbidden women tobeautify themselves, and display their beautyin public. Doing so would cause harm tomen by exciting their desires, and luringthem into illicit acts. This prohibitionprotects women against any consequences ofsuch behavior. Both sexes are commandedto wear the garment which suites it in a waythat does not excite the other.

3- Islam abhors singing and musicalentertainment, because they degeneratepeoples' morals, and arouse their lowerdesires, waste their time and money, andaffect their health.

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4- As a means of preserving the theMuslims' unity, and their harmony, Allahhas commanded them to avoid discordamongst themselves, and shun all means ofconflict. If they have any dispute, they mustrefer it to the Book of Allah, and theSunnah of His Messenger, peace be uponhim, and commit their affairs to Allahalone. The Muslims are commanded tosupport each other in order to achievesuccess, and harmony. They must obey theirauthority, and ostracize those among themwho create commotion, and strife in thecommunity, lest their power falters, andexpose tJreir own nation to enemy whilewarring against themselves.

5- The Muslims are permitted to studyscience, and other human arts, and to learnbeneficial methods from the non-Muslims.They are forbidden, however, fromimitating the unbelievers' way of life. Onlythe nat ion that admi ts defeat , andhumiliation tries to copy what is believed to

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be a superior nation. This imitation reflectsthe lowest form of slavery. Degradation isan open recognit ion of the inevitableconsequences of imitation. It is for thisreason the Prophet, peace be upon him,vehemently forbade copying the foreignnations, or adopting their way of life. It isquite understandable that the Musl imnation's power does not depend on the dresscode, nor on the life style of the foriegnnations. Rather it depends on the strongfaith in the Oneness of Allah, and theadherence to the Book of Allah and theSunnah of the Messenger of Allah, peace beupon him. The nation's power also dependson i ts weal th o f knowledge, andorganization. Therefore, he who seekspower, and perfection, must avoid imitatingthe Kafir (unbelievers) nations.

The Muslims are also forbidden totreat the non-Muslim through the parochialmentality, and fanaticism. The Muslims areeven forbidden to abuse the gods of the

75

unbelievers or insult their denominations sothat the latter would not revile Allahignorantly. The Musl ims are alsoprohibited to initiate disputes with the non-Muslims. Rather the Muslims should invitethem to Islam instead, as long as theunbelievers are seeking reconciliation, andpeace with Muslims. They should offer themthe chance of discovering the religion ofAllah.

Our Islamic manners dictate that weshould invite the non-Muslims to thercligion of Allah of which He approves. TheMuslim must set himself to be a goodexample for others to follow. The Muslimsmust show the non-belligerent un-believersthe fine Islamic manners. It is un-Islamicto treat others harshly, because the Muslimis supposed to be a model of refinedmanners and pertinence, that he may attractothers into the folds of Islam withouthumiliation nor indifference. Furthennore,the Muslim are commanded to extend

76

protection to those who seek it among theunbelievers.Allah says :

And if anyone of the idolaters seek yourprotection, thcn grant him protection, so thlt hcmay hear the words of Allah (thc eu/an) , andthen cscort him to his sccure place.Thus Allah has commanded the Muslim

to give protection to an unbeliever who asksfor it, and invite him to the truth beforeescorting him to safety.

The Rights of the Rest of CreationAllah has distinguished man over many

of His creatures, and permitted him t;util ize them as he chooses after havingsubjecting them to him. This is a part olman's legitimate right, being the best ofcreatures on earth. In return, Allah hascharged man with certain obl igat ionstowards these creatures. Of suchobligations; man must not abuse, harm, orendanger these creatures unnecessarily,unless there is no alternative. Man muit

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choose the best way of util izing thesecreatures, and enjoy them in the bestpossible way.

There are many rulings in the Shari'ahthat deal with this issue. Man is permittedto kill animals only for food, or forprotecting himself from their danger.There is a stern warning against killinganimals senselessly, or for the fun of doingso. As for animal that are killed for humanconsumption, there is a designated methodfor slaughtering them. It is the best methodfor util izing their meat for food. Anymethod other than the Islamic one,regardless how humane it may appear,would only lessen the benefit of the animalsmeat, and if it is less humane, it wouldsubject the animal to more torture. Islamrecommends neither methods.

Kill ing animals in a harsh waY isstrictly forbidden in Islam. Exterminatingdangerous, and venomous animals ispermissible only because human life is more

78

precious than such animals' life. Even then,Islam forbids subjecting these animal totorture. Starving animals that are used forhauling and toiling, overburdening them, orbeating them harshly is prohibited in Islam.So is trapping birds without valid rcason.Islam does not allow destroying treessenselessly, let alone harming animals. Wemay harvest the fruits off the trees, or theflowers, but not to destroy them or uprootthem unnecessarily. wasting lifeless thingssuch as water, or the like is not permissibleeither.

The Perpetual Universal Shari'ahThe foregoing is just a synopsis of the

laws, and regulations of the chaste Shari'ahwith which our Prophet, Muhammad, peacebe upon him, is sent to mankind at large.

Only the correct creed, and deed arethe criteria for distinguishing one man overanother in Islam. In fact, man-made laws,and religions that distinguish between oneman and another on the basis of lineage,

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country of origin, color, and wealth are notfit to be universal religion, because, in suchreligions, it is impossible for a member ofone race to excel over another from a lowerrace. Such denominations may be restrictedto one particular nation only. In the face ofa l l these denominat ions, Is lam hasintroduced the universal Shari'ah which isopen to anyone who upholds its creed, i.e.,the Testimony of Faith that signif ies:(The i r i s no t rue god excep t A l l ah ,Muhammad is the Messenger of Al lah), andenjoy, as a result the same rights that allother Mus l ims do. There is noconsideration given in the Islamic Shari'ahto l ineage, language, country of or igin,color, or wealth.

Besides, the Is lamic Shar i 'ah isperpetual. Its laws are not based on norrnsof a certain nation, or one particular age.Rather it is assigned to fulfill man's needs inevery age and everywhere, for the One Whohas legislated it is the One Who created

80

man. He knows what suits man's nature bestat all ages and everywhere.

The last of our supplications is:"All praise is due to the Rubb of the

wor lds . "

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