Islamiat

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Islamiat (Compulsory)
Creation of Universe “An Islamic Perspective”
 The Islamic view toward the universe is an intellectual, scientific view that creates the human emotions
and feelings toward the greatness of Allah the creator.
 It also creates emotions and feelings toward the smallness of the human being and his weakness in
front of this universe, which leads to the necessity to submit to Allah (S.W.T).
 According to The Quran, the life containing universe is solely created by the Almighty Allah and He is
the Supreme Ruler of the universe.
 In Islamic ideology it is very unambiguous that whatever exists is created by Allah (swt). As Allah
(swt) speaks in Qur‘an
Surah Rad Chapter # 13 Verse # 16
“Say: (Allah) is the Creator of all things: He is the One, the Supreme and Irresistible."
Surah Az zumar Chapter #39 Verse #62

Allah is the Creator of all things, and He is the Wakil (Trustee, Disposer of affairs, Guardian)
over all things.
 In Qur'an, God repeatedly appeals to people to travel the earth and observe. Why, He wants them to
journey into the outer space too! He encourages them to look into Nature and examine the life forms
and their activities.
 Most of them were discovered in the last two centuries only, whereas they were existing in the Qur'an
since it was revealed some fourteen centuries ago.
 The creation of the universe is explained by astrophysicists in a widely accepted phenomenon,
popularly known as the ‗Big Bang‘.
 According to the ‗Big Bang‘, the whole universe was initially one big mass (Primary Nebula). Then
there was a ‗Big Bang‘ (Secondary Separation) which resulted in the formation of Galaxies. These then
divided to form stars, planets, the sun, the moon, etc.
 The origin of the universe was unique and the probability of it occurring by ‗chance‘ is zero.
 The Qur‘aan contains the following verse, regarding the origin of the universe
Surah Al Ambiya Chapter # 21 Verse # 30

“Do not the Unbelievers see That the heavens and the earth Were joined together (as one Unit of
Creation), before
We clove them asunder?”
 The striking congruence between the Qur‘aanic verse and the ‗Big Bang‘ is inescapable! How could a
book, which first appeared in the deserts of Arabia 1400 years ago, contain this profound scientific
truth? This verse makes unmistakable reference to the fact that Allah created the universe from a single
entity, and He is All-Capable over all things. Allah then ordered this 'single entity' to split, which it did,
and turned into a cloud of smoke. From this cloud of smoke Allah created the heavens and earth. This is
mentioned in the words of Allah
 Scientists say that before the galaxies in the universe were formed, celestial matter was initially in the
formof gaseous matter. In short, huge gaseous matter or clouds were present before the formation of the
galaxies. To describe initial celestial matter, the word ‗smoke‘ is more appropriate than gas. The
following
Qur‘aanic verse refers to this state of the universe by the word dhukhan which means smoke.
Surah Fussilat Chapter # 41 Verse # 11

Composed By Bahawal Khan Baloch
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“Moreover, He Comprehended In His design the sky, And it had been (as) smoke: He said to it
And to the earth: „Come ye together, Willingly or unwillingly.‟ They said: „We do come
(Together), in willing obedience.‟”
 This is scientific fact that the universe is expanding, the idea that the universe is continuing to expand
is available in Qur‘an.
"The heavens, We have built them with power. And verily, We are expanding it" (51:47).
 There has been some historical debate among Muslim scholars about the precise meaning of this verse,
since knowledge of the universe's expansion was only recently discovered.
Purpose of Creation
 The universe as a whole is a creation of Allah (swt) that created it for a purpose. Even everything
which you witnessed today is cratered for a purpose. As Allah Says in Qur‘an
Surah Ad Dukhan Chapter # 44 Verses # 38, 39

"We have not created the heavens and the earth, and all that is between them, for mere play,
We created them not except with truth, but most of the do not know."
Surah Anbiya Chapter #21 Verses # 16, 17

"We have not created the heavens and the earth and all that is between them for mere play. If
We wanted to create aimless things, we would have done it if we were going to do (that)."
 While describing the purpose of creation of universe we can divide it on to two major point of views.
 1. First the purpose of universe from the Creator (Allah) point of view.
 2. Second the purpose of creation of universe from creation (Universe, Human, Animals etc) point of
view. we know that one of the main attribute of Allah (swt) is KHALIQ means Creator so it is the main
ability of God to create. And one of the best creations of Allah (swt) is the creation of universe as
Allah Says in Qur‘an
Surah Ghafir Chapter #40 Verse#57
Assuredly the creation of the heavens and the earth is a greater than the creation of men: Yet
most men understand not.
The Arabic word ―Khalaq‖ which means to create have two aspects one to create something from
something and other is to create something from nothing and that is the only attribute of Allah. It is
mentioned in Qur‘an.
Surah Mariyam Chapter # 19 verse # 9

He said: "So (it will be) thy Lord saith, 'that is easy for Me: I did indeed create thee before,
when thou hadst been nothing!'"
 As we have already discussed that Allah (swt) has not created anything without purpose. Erath, Moon,
Sun Galaxies these all the best creation of Allah (swt) and these all are fully exploit in the wellbeing
for human being. Human is also the beautiful creation of God with a particular purpose as mentioned in
Qur‘an
Surah Adh Dehriyat Chapet#51 Verse#56

And I did not Create the jinn and humans except they should worship Me.
 At another place in Quran purpose of human creation is clearl mentioned

Surah Al Mulk Chapter #67 Verse#02
He Who created Death and Life, that He may test which of you is best in deed: and He is the
Exalted in Might, Oft-Forgiving.

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Conclusion
Now if we compare the Islamic concept of creation of universe appears in The Quran and Current Big
Bang theory, we can see that there are some features of Big Bang theory that are closely similar to the
Islamic concept of Creation of Universe, for example, creation out of nothingness, initial singularity,
concept of formation of galaxies from primordial gases, and uniformity of universe on large scale.
We as Muslims believe that Allah ‫ ﷻ‬created the heavens and the earth in perfect harmony and
balance, and that He continues to reign over His creation. Muslims find no conflict between this belief
and current scientific theories regarding the creation of earth.

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Comparative Study of Religions

Hinduism
Introduction
The most popular among the Aryan religions is Hinduism. ‗Hindu‘ is actually a Persian word that
stands for the inhabitants of the region beyond the Indus Valley. However, in common parlance,
Hinduism is a blanket term for an assortment of religious beliefs, most of which are based on the
Vedas, the Upanishads and the Bhagavad Gita.
Sources (Scriptures)
There are several sacred scriptures of the Hindus. Among these are the Vedas, Upanishads and the
Puranas are the upper most. The word Veda is derived from vid which means to know, knowledge
par excellence or sacred wisdom. There are four principal divisions of the Vedas (Rigveda,
Atharvaveda, Yajurveda, Samveda). After these there is ITIHAAS: The two epics of Hinduism are
the Ramayana and the Mahabharata.
Concept of God in Hinduism
Hinduism is commonly perceived as a polytheistic religion. Indeed, most Hindus would attest to this,
by professing belief in multiple Gods. While some Hindus believe in the existence of three gods
Bhrama, Shiva and Vishnu. Some believe in thousands of gods, and some others in thirty three crore
i.e. 330 million gods. However, learned Hindus, who are well versed in their scriptures, insist that a
Hindu should believe in and worship only one God. The major difference between the Hindu and the
Muslim perception of God is the common Hindus‘ belief in the philosophy of Pantheism. Pantheism
considers everything, living and non-living, to be Divine and Sacred. The common Hindu, therefore,
considers everything as god. He considers the trees as god, the sun as god, the moon as god, the
monkey as god, the snake as god and even human beings as manifestations of god!
Concept of Life after death
Most of the Hindus believe in the cycle of birth, death and rebirth, which is called ‗Samsara‘ or the
doctrine of rebirth is also known as the theory of reincarnation or of transmigration of the soul. This
doctrine is considered to be a basic tenet of Hinduism. According to doctrine of rebirth, differences
between individuals, even at the time of their birth are due to their past karma i.e. actions done in the
past birth. For example if one child is born healthy while another is handicapped or blind, the
differences are attributed to their deeds in their previous lives. Those who believe in this theory reason
that since all actions may not bear fruit in this life, there has to be another life for facing or reaping the
consequences of one‘s actions. The important point worth noting is that the doctrine of rebirth is not
postulated, propounded nor even mentioned anywhere in what are considered to be the most authentic
Hindu scriptures i.e. the Vedas. The Vedas make no mention of the entire concept of transmigration of
souls.
Buddhism
Introduction
Historical criticism has proved that the original teachings of Buddha can never be known. It seems
that Gautama Buddha‘s teachings were memorized by his disciples. After Buddha‘s death a council
was held at Rajagaha so that the words of Buddha could be recited and agreed upon. There were
differences of opinion and conflicting memories in the council. Opinion of Kayshapa and Ananda
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who were prominent disciples of Buddha were given preference. A hundred years later, a second
council at Vesali was held. Only after 400 years, after the death of Buddha were his teachings and
doctrines written down. Little attention was paid regarding its authenticity, genuineness and purity.
Source (Scripture)
The most important of all Buddhist scriptures is the TRI - PITAKA which is in Pali text. It is
supposed to be the earliest recorded Buddhist literature which was written in the 1st Century B.C. The
TRI-PITAKA or Three Baskets of law is composed of 3 books:
1.Vinaya Pitaka: „Rules of Conduct‟ This is a book of discipline and mainly deals with rules of the
order.
2.Sutta Pitaka: „Discourses‟ It is a collection of sermons and discourses of Gautama Buddha and the
incidents in his life. It is the most important Pitaka and consists of five divisions known as Nikayas.
Dhammapada is the most famous Pali literature and contains aphorisms and short statements covering
the truth.
3.Abhidhamma: „Analysis of Doctrine‟ This third basket contains meta physical doctrines and is
known as Buddhist meta physicals. It is an analytical and logical elaboration of the first two pitakas. It
contains analysis and exposition of Buddhist doctrine.
Noble Truths:
The principal teachings of Gautama Buddha can be summarised in what the Buddhists call the ‗Four
Noble Truths‘: First – There is suffering and misery in life . Second – The cause of this suffering and
misery is desire. Third – Suffering and misery can be removed by removing desire. Fourth – Desire
can be removed by following the Eight Fold Path.
B. The Noble Eight Fold Path:
(i) Right Views

(ii) Right Thoughts
(iii) Right Speech
(iv) Right Actions
(v) Right Livelihood
(vi) Right Efforts
(vii) Right Mindfulness
(viii) Right Meditation
Concept of Allah
Buddha was silent about the existence or non-existence of God. It may be that since India was
drowned in idol worship and anthropomorphism that a sudden step to monotheism would have been
drastic and hence Buddha may have chosen to remain silent on the issue of God. He did not deny the
existence of God. Buddha was once asked by a disciple whether God exists? He refused to reply.
When pressed, he said that if you are suffering from a stomach ache would you concentrate on
relieving the pain or studying the prescription of the physician. "It is not my business or yours to find
out whether there is God – our business is to remove the sufferings of the world".
Concept of Life After Death
To Buddhism, however, death is not the end of life, it is merely the end of the body we inhabit in this
life, but our spirit will still remain and seek out through the need of attachment, attachment to a new
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body and new life. Where they will be born is a result of the past and the accumulation of positive and
negative action, and the resultant karma (cause and effect) is a result of ones past actions.
Judaism
Introduction
Judaism is one of the major Semitic religions. Its followers are known as Jews and they believe in the
prophetic mission of Prophet Moses (pbuh).
Sources (Scripture)
The complete Jewish Bible is composed of 24 books called the Tanach (‫)תנ״ך‬. The Tanach is made up
of Torah (5 books of Moshe, the word Torah means 'teachings'), Nevi'im (Prophets), K'tuvim
(Writings).
Concept of God
Unlike other ancient Near Eastern gods, the Hebrew God is portrayed as unitary and solitary;
consequently, the Hebrew God's principal relationships are not with other gods, but with the world,
and more specifically, with the people He created. Judaism thus begins with an ethical monotheism:
the belief that God is one, and concerned with the actions of humankind.
Concept of life after death
Traditional Judaism firmly believes that death is not the end of human existence. However, because
Judaism is primarily focused on life here and now rather than on the afterlife, Judaism does not have
much dogma about the afterlife, • Judaism believes in an afterlife but has little dogma about it • The
Jewish afterlife is called Olam Ha-Ba (The World to Come) • Resurrection and reincarnation are
within the range of traditional Jewish belief • Temporary (but not eternal) punishment after death is
within traditional belief
Christianity
Introduction
Christianity is a Semitic religion, which claims to have nearly 1.2 billion adherents all over the world.
Christianity owes its name to Jesus Christ (peace be on him). The Holy Bible is the sacred scripture of
the Christians. Christianity teaches that Jesus is the Son of God, God having become human and the
savior of humanity. Because of this, Christians commonly refer to Jesus as Christ or Messiah. The
three largest groups in the world of Christianity are the Roman Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox
churches, and the various churches of Protestantism. The Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox
patriarchates split from one another in the East–West Schism of 1054 AD, and Protestantism came
into existence during the Protestant Reformation of the 16th century, splitting from the Roman
Catholic Church.
Source (Scripture)
The Bible is divided into two parts, the Old Testament and the New Testament. The Old Testament is
the Holy Scripture of the Jews and contains records of all the prophets of the Jews that came before
Jesus (pbuh). The New Testament contains records of the life of Jesus (pbuh). The complete Bible, i.e.
the Old Testament and the New Testament put together, contains 73 books. However, the Protestant
Bible i.e. the King James Version, contains only 66 books as they consider 7 books of the Old
Testament to be apocrypha, i.e. of doubtful authority. Therefore the Old Testament of the Catholics,

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contains 46 books and that of the Protestants, 39 books. However the New Testament of both these
sects contains 27 books.
Concept of God
Concept of God in Christianity is as Trinity, it refers to the teaching that the one God comprises three
distinct, eternally co-existing persons; the Father, the Son (incarnate in Jesus Christ), and the Holy
Spirit. Together, these three persons are sometimes called the Godhead, although there is no single
term in use in Scripture to denote the unified Godhead. An early statement of Christian belief, "the
Father is God, the Son is God, and the Holy Spirit is God, and yet there are not three Gods but one
God". They are distinct from another: the Father has no source, the Son is begotten of the Father, and
the Spirit proceeds from the Father. Though distinct, the three persons cannot be divided from one
another in being or in operation.
Concept of Life after death in Christianity
Christian eschatology is concerned with death, an intermediate state, Heaven, Hell, the Second
Coming of Christ, the resurrection of the dead, a rapture, a tribulation, the Millennium, end of the
world, the last judgment, a new heaven and a new earth, and the ultimate consummation of all of
God's purposes. Eschatological passages are found in many places, especially Isaiah, Daniel, Matthew
24, Matthew 25, and the Book of Revelation.

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Creation of Universe An Islamic Perspective

The Islamic view toward the universe is an intellectual, scientific view that creates the human
emotions and feelings toward the greatness of Allah the creator. It also creates emotions and feelings
toward the smallness of the human being and his weakness in front of this universe, which leads to the
necessity to submit to Allah (S.W.T.).
Allah Has created everything
According to The Quran, the life containing universe is solely created by the Almighty Allah and He
is the Supreme Ruler of the universe. In Islamic ideology it is very unambiguous that whatever exists
is created by Allah (swt). As Allah (swt) speaks in Qur‘an


over all things.
There are many other ayahs (verses) which refer to the fact that all that is on the Earth and in the
Heavens is created by Almighty Allah (swt). Second important fact according to The Quran is that
this universe—Earth and Heavens— has definite life period and has some definite objectives like
other creations.
Creation of Universe
Islam is a scientifically inclined religion, perhaps the sole one! In its scripture Qur'an, God repeatedly
appeals to people to travel the earth and observe. Why, He wants them to journey into the outer space
too! He encourages them to look into Nature and examine the life forms and their activities. He
commands them to contemplate upon these matters. That is not all. Qur'an contains in itself a large
number of facts of any array of branches of science. Most of them were discovered in the last two
centuries only, whereas they were existing in the Qur'an since it was revealed some fourteen centuries
ago. That goes to prove that the Scripture of Islam is of Divine origin. Its author is Allah Himself, His
Messenger Muhammad (Pbuh) being its publisher!
The creation of the universe is explained by astrophysicists in a widely accepted phenomenon,

popularly known as the ‗Big Bang‘. It is supported by observational and experimental data gathered
by astronomers and astrophysicists for decades. According to the ‗Big Bang‘, the whole universe was
initially one big mass (Primary Nebula). Then there was a ‗Big Bang‘ (Secondary Separation) which
resulted in the formation of Galaxies. These then divided to form stars, planets, the sun, the moon, etc.
The origin of the universe was unique and the probability of it occurring by ‗chance‘ is zero. The
Qur‘aan contains the following verse, regarding the origin of the universe

Creation), before We clove them asunder?”
The striking congruence between the Qur‘aanic verse and the ‗Big Bang‘ is inescapable! How could a
truth? This verse makes unmistakable reference to the fact that Allah created the universe from a
single entity, and He is All-Capable over all things. Allah then ordered this 'single entity' to split,

9
which it did, and turned into a cloud of smoke. From this cloud of smoke Allah created the heavens
and earth. This is mentioned in the words of Allah
Scientists say that before the galaxies in the universe were formed, celestial matter was initially in the
form of gaseous matter. In short, huge gaseous matter or clouds were present before the formation of
the galaxies. To describe initial celestial matter, the word ‗smoke‘ is more appropriate than gas. The
following Qur‘aanic verse refers to this state of the universe by the word dhukhan which means
smoke.

Again, this fact is a corollary to the ‗Big Bang‘ and was not known to the Arabs during the time of
Prophet Muhammad (pbuh). What then, could have been the source of this knowledge?
The Qur'an further states that Allah created the sun, the moon, and the planets, each with their own
individual courses or orbits.
Surah Ambiya Chapter #21 Verse #33

"It is He Who created the night and the day, and the sun and the moon; all (the celestial bodies)
swim along, each in its rounded course"
This is scientific fact that the universe is expanding, the idea that the universe is continuing to expand
is availbe in Qur‘an. "The heavens, We have built them with power. And verily, We are expanding it"
(51:47). There has been some historical debate among Muslim scholars about the precise meaning of
this verse, since knowledge of the universe's expansion was only recently discovered.
At another place in Quran Allah Discuss about the time period of creation of universe, if you read the
Qur‘an
Surah Al Araf Chapter #7 verse #54

Your Guardian-Lord is Allah, Who created the heavens and the earth in six days, and is firmly
established on the throne (of authority): He draweth the night as a veil o'er the day, each
seeking the other in rapid succession: He created the sun, the moon, and the stars, (all) governed
by laws under His command. Is it not His to create and to govern? Blessed be Allah, the
Cherisher and Sustainer of the worlds!
The verses that mention "six days" use the Arabic word "youm" has two perspective meanings one as
a day and other as a period . The word "youm" is thus understood, within the Qur'an, to be a long
period of time -- an era or eon. Therefore in Qur‘an the description of a "six day" creation as six
distinct periods or eons. The length of these periods is not precisely defined, nor are the specific
developments that took place during each period.
Purpose Of Creation
The universe as a whole is a creation of Allah (swt) that created it for a purpose. Even everything


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While describing the purpose of creation of universe we can divide it on to two major point of views,
first the purpose of universe from the Creator (Allah) point of view and second the purpose of creation
of universe from creation (Universe, Human, Animals etc) point of view.
First we will discuss the purpose of creation of universe from creator point of view, and we know that
one of the main attribute of Allah (swt) is KHALIQ means Creator so it is the main ability of God to
create. And one of the best creations of Allah (swt) is the creation of universe as Allah Says in Qur‘an

mentioned in Qur‘an

As we have already discussed that Allah (swt) has not created anything without purpose. Erath, Moon,
for human being. Human is also the beautiful creation of God with a particular purpose as mentioned
in Qur‘an

At another place in Quran purpose of human creation is clearly mentioned

Conclusion
We as Muslims believe that Allah (swt) created the heavens and the earth in perfect harmony and

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Gender Roles in Islamic Society

Islam does not discriminate against women. But Muslims do. And in my opinion, Muslims do so for
two main reasons:
One reason is the assumption that has become entrenched in Muslim societies over many centuries
that women are intellectually inferior beings and this is why men can make decisions on their behalf.
The second reason is that women were virtually excluded from the public domain a long time ago. As
a result, when women do enter the public domain, they are put under a lot of pressure. Often Muslim
women are afraid to make decisions. Opinion leaders and ulema in Muslim societies have collectively
agreed that women belong inside the house because they make poor decisions under pressure, so this
proves that they should not be making decision related to the public sphere. This reasoning is a self-
fulfilling prophecy: something happens because we expect it to happen, or believe it to be true (see
endnote 1). In organisational behaviour, this is taught as part of staff motivation: how our expectations
of individuals affect their behaviour and performance. Women in Muslim societies make poor
decision because we expect them to make poor decision and don‘t empower them to make better
decisions, not because there is a problem with their intellect.
The Qur‘an tells us that men and women are equal and that gender has nothing to do with faith or
piety. But does that mean they are not different? The beauty of Islam is that it understands perfectly
that gender balance is a complex issue. It also understands that men and women have been created
different. The differences bring harmony to a civilisation, to a household, to a family. In other words,
the differences are complementary: society is at its best when men and women work together, not
against each other. It is important to keep this in mind otherwise the discussion turns ugly as we find
in the writings of angry feminists like Fatima Mernissi, Amina Wadud-Mohsin and Mona Eltahawy,
who tend to give in to the impulse of saying bad things about men (see endnote 2).
Islam, like the other Abrahamic religions, puts marriage at the centre of the gender issue: the progress
of society depends on the family unit and the health of the family unit depends on the marriage. The
Qur‘an offers very few guidelines in this matter and then leaves the rest up to Muslim men and
women to negotiate between themselves. Here are the guidelines, obligations and limits:
Men and women can only have sexual relations in a marriage.
A husband has a degree of superiority over his wife because he has been appointed a guardian for the
household and because he has been given the responsibility to meet the financial needs of a family
(see endnote 3). Notice my use of the word ‗husband‘ because it is important to understand that the
Qur‘an is referring to social roles and not to any gender superiority. The Qur‘an is not saying that men
as a gender are superior to women as a gender. Rather, it is saying that they have different roles to
play. This is exactly how the social role of a mother is superior to the father. These roles have to be
defined clearly for an institution to run smoothly. In a family, the role given to the man is that of a
husband and father who has to provide for his family. In light of this great responsibility he has also
been given the decision making role. This also means that husbands and fathers will be accountable
on the Day of Judgement if they ignore this duty to provide.
Because of the husband‘s role in a family unit, he has also been given the right to pronounce divorce.
This does not mean that a woman has not been given a choice. Islam, in fact, gives women full choice
in this matter and they can request a divorce or annulment (khul). There are plenty of reliable hadith
reports which tell us clearly that the Prophet (SAW) always respected the wishes of women who
wanted to leave their husbands because they were unhappy in the marriage.

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A wife‘s primary responsibility is to look after the household, to carefully spend from her husband‘s
wealth, and to look after the children. This is an extremely powerful role: a mother has immense
influence on the moral upbringing of her children and she can play a crucial part in their education.
Women often underestimate the importance of this role but Islam doesn‘t. In sound Hadith reports, we
find the role of a mother is much superior to the role of a father.
Some rules of modesty have been put in place to regulate social interaction. These include the
following: that men and women should not leer at each other or flirt, that they should guard their
honour; in addition, women should cover their adornments and wear an outer cloak. There is no
prescriptive dress code and there is plenty of room for cultural and personal preferences. There is no
right or wrong, jaiz (‫ )جائز‬or Na-jaiz (‫)ناجائز‬, Halaal or haraam about articles of clothing likes jeans or
skirts, as long as they meet the definition of decency.
The only duties or obligations listed in the Qur‘an have been given in the list above; the rest is
flexible.
There are now two things for us to consider:
Are the above guidelines rigid?
Are the above guidelines discriminatory against women?
The answer to the first one is no, they are not rigid. Whilst husbands have the responsibility to earn,
wives have the choice to earn. In other words, if a wife is able to look after the household, if she is
organised and has the time and energy to build her own career, then she can do so. In fact, by doing so
her contribution to society will be two-fold: she will not only be doing the commendable job of
raising children, she will be actively involved in social matters that affect the wider society. If she
chooses to spend her wages on her children and household, then her contribution is three-fold.
But if a woman wishes to have a career, she may need some help in running the household and it is
here that Qur‘anic teachings are once again flexible. Husbands have the choice to help with household
chores and they have been taught to be kind and caring to their wives and children. In other words, the
Qur‘an leaves it up to the husband and wife to negotiate their other responsibilities and it will only be
kind to share each other‘s burdens and to support the wife in building a career or to undertake
volunteer work. There is no ideal ‗sharing formula‘ and it depends on the marital relationship how a
husband and wife decide on who will cook and who will clean.
Men and women are different. Treating them equally will create injustices; one only has to look to the
West to see what injustices can result from this. But it is amusing that the West also makes some
concessions. I often think of Wimbledon tennis tournaments where women play 3-set games and men
play 5-set games; or the different gymnastic events in Olympics.
Allah is the Creator of men and women and understands them the best. In His Infinite Wisdom, He
has given excellent guidelines to write a social contract between men and women. This is why the
gender roles have been identified so clearly in the Qur‘an. The Qur‘an would be discriminatory only if
it assigned superiority to the gender and not to the role. It would be discriminatory if it held a man‘s
emaan to be superior to that of a woman. But it doesn‘t. In fact, the Qur‘an creates perfect equality in
matters of faith and then plays to the strengths of both men and women in social matters. I honestly
can‘t think of a better solution to the complex problem of gender balance in society.
When the Prophet of Islam implemented these guidelines, he effectively empowered women by
treating them as living and breathing human beings with thoughts, feelings and ambitions of their
own. His wife Zainab (RA) used to tan leather and sell it and then give the sales revenues in charity.
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His wife Aisha (RA) became the most respected jurist of her time, with the Rashidun caliphs regularly
consulting her on political matters. Muslim women looked after the injured in battles. Umm e Darda
(RA) took the sword and fought valiantly. Women demanded their right to education and the Prophet
granted it to them by setting aside a day a week to answer their questions about Deen. Allah revealed
Surah An-Nisa which explicitly set out the rights granted to women to enable them to become full-
fledged citizens. It is a shame that political and cultural influences took over a couple of centuries
after the Prophet‘s death and Muslim society was unable to create a social environment which would
truly empower women whilst also guaranteeing dignity and respect to both genders.
In a nutshell, the religion of Islam is flexible and in perfect harmony with the needs of the human
civilisation. It creates an atmosphere where both men and women can achieve well. It creates a culture
of respect and understanding and sharing of each other‘s burdens. I can‘t imagine how this can be
labelled as discriminatory. Both men and women can be political advisors, heads of organisations,
doctors, nurses, dentists, chefs, accountants, entrepreneurs, tailors, builders and warriors. Men will
often prefer some professions over others; so will women. They have been given the right to choose.
The only limitations are the ones listed above.

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HUMAN RIGHTS IN ISLAM

Since God is the absolute and the sole master of men and the universe, and since He has given
each man human dignity and honor, and breathed into him of His own spirit, it follows that
men are essentially the same. In fact, the only differences between them are such artificial ones as
nationality, color, or race. Thus, all human beings are equal and form one universal community
that is united in its submission and obedience to God. And at the center of this universal
brotherhood is the Islamic confession of the oneness of God that, by extension, includes the
oneness and brotherhood of humanity
An Islamic state may be established anywhere. While the state is geographically limited, the human
rights and privileges granted to humanity by God are not. The Qur'an states that these are universal
and fundamental, and that all individuals are to enjoy and observe them under all circumstances-
including war-regardless of whether he is living in the geographical confines of an Islamic state or
not:
O believers, tee you securers of justice, witness for God. Let not detestation for a people move
you not to be equitable; be equitable-that is nearer to God-fearing. (5:8)
Human blood is sacred in any case and cannot be spilled without justification. Violating this rule is
equivalent to killing all of humanity:
Whose slays a soul not to retaliate for a soul slain, nor for corruption done in the land,
should be as if he had slain mankind altogether.
It is not permissible to oppress women, children, old people, the sick or the wounded. Women's honor
and chastity are to be respected under all circumstances. The hungry must be fed, the naked clothed,
and the wounded or diseased given medical treatment regardless of their pro- or anti-Muslim
sentiments and activities.
In Islam, human rights are granted by God, not by kings or legislative assemblies, and
therefore they can never be taken away or changed, even temporarily, for any reason. They are meant
to be put into practice and lived, not to stay on paper or in the realm of unenforceable philosophical
concepts or United Nation declarations. Every Muslim is required to accept them and recognize the
people's right to have them enforced and obeyed. The Qur'an states that: Those who do not judge
by what God has sent down are the disbelievers (5:44).
Human Rights in an Islamic State
The Security of Life and Property:
In the Prophet's address during his final pilgrimage, he said: "Your lives and properties are forbidden
to one another till you meet your Lord on the Day of Resurrection." He also said: "One who kills a
man under covenant (i.e., a non Muslim citizen of a Muslim land) will not even smell the fragrance of
Paradise."
The Protection of Honor:
The Qur'an does not allow one's personal honor to be abused: O You who believe, do not let one
set of people make fun of another set. Do not defame one another Do not insult by using
nicknames. Do not backbite or spear? ill of one another (49: 1 1-121.

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Sanctity and Security of Private Life:
The Qur'an guarantees privacy Do not spy on one another and Do not enter any houses unless you are
sure of their occupant's consent.
The Security of Personal Freedom:
Islam prohibits the imprisonment of any individual before his guilt has been proven before a public
court. This means that the accused has the right to defend himself and to expect fair and
impartial treatment from the court.
The Right to Protest against Tyranny:
This is mentioned clearly in the Qur'an: God does not love evil talk in public unless it is by some one
who has been injured thereby. In Islam, as has been stated earlier, an individual's power and
authority is a trust from God. This is an awesome responsibility for a person, for he must use this
trust in a way that is acceptable to God or else suffer the consequences. This was acknowledged by
Abu Bakr, who said in his very first address: "Cooperate with me when I am right, and correct me
when I commit error. Obey me so long as I follow the commandments of Allah and His Prophet, but
turn away from me when I deviate."
Freedom of Expression:
Islam allows complete freedom of thought and expression, provided that it does not involve
spreading that which is harmful to individuals and the society at large. For example, the use of
abusive or offensive language in the name of criticism is not allowed. In the days of the Prophet,
the Muslims used to ask him about certain matters. If he had received no revelation on that
particular issue, they were free to express their personal opinions.
Freedom of Association:
The formation of associations, parties, and organizations is allowed, on the understanding that they
abide by certain general rules.
Freedom of Conscience and Conviction:
The Qur'an states: There should be no coercion in the matter of faith. Totalitarian societies of all ages
have tried to deprive individuals of their freedom by subordinating them to state authority This
condition is equivalent to slavery, the only difference being that physical slavery has been
replaced by mechanisms of control that allow the individual no freedom of choice Islam forbids
such a practice.
Protection of Religious Sentiments:
Along with the freedom of conviction and freedom of conscience, Islam guarantees to the individual
that his religious sentiments will be given due respect and the nothing will be said or done which may
encroach upon his right.
Protection from Arbitrary Imprisonment:
Islam states that each individual is responsible only for his own actions. Therefore, he cannot be
arrested and imprisoned for the offenses of someone else. We read in the Qur'an: No bearer of
burdens shall be made to bear the burden of another.
The Right to Basic Necessities of Life:

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Islam recognizes the right of the needy to demand help from those who are more fortunate: And in
their wealth there is acknowledge right for the needy and the destitute.
Equality Before the Law:
Islam gives its citizens the right to absolute and complete equality in the eyes of the law.
Rulers Are Not Above the Law:
According to the Islamic concept of justice, absolutely no one is above the law, for all men are
equal. This point was made in a very dramatic fashion by the Prophet himself. One day, a woman
belonging to a high and noble family was arrested in connection with a theft. The case was
brought to the Prophet with the recommendation that she be spared the mandated punishment
for theft (amputation of the hand). The Prophet replied: "The nations that lived before you were
destroyed by God because they punished the common man for their offenses and let their
dignitaries go unpunished for their crimes. I swear by Him Who holds my life in His hand that
even if Fatima, the daughter of Muhammad, had committed this crime, I would have amputated
her hand."
The Right to Participate in the Affairs of State:
In the Qur'an, we find the statement And their business is (conducted) through consultation
among themselves (42:38). This procedure is known as shura, which is usually translated as
"consultation." In practice, it means that the executive head of the government and the members of the
assembly should be elected by free and independent choice of the people. However, the leader is not
bound to follow the decision that results from this deliberation.
Lastly, Islam seeks to achieve the above-mentioned human rights and many others through the
provision of certain legal safeguards, but primarily through calling upon individuals to transcend
their lower animal-like instincts so that they can go beyond mere ties fostered by the kinship
of blood, racial superiority, linguistic arrogance, and economic privilege Islam urges man to move
on to a plane of existence where, by reason of his inner excellence, he can realize the ideal of the
brotherhood of man.

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IJTIHAD
Ijtihad literally means ‗to exert‘. In the Islamic terminology it means to exert with a view to form an
independent judgment on a legal question. It has its origin in the well-known verse of the Qur‘an
‗And to those who exert we show our path.‘
While defining Ijtihad Shatibi writes, “A process in which one exerts one‟s efforts to one‟s full
capacity in order to acquire exact or probable knowledge or reach judgment in a given case.”
Ijtihad and Holy Prophet (Pbuh)
The Prophet Muhammad (Pbuh), while sending Ma‟ad Ibn Jabal to Yemen as its governor, is
reported to have asked him as to how he would decide matters coming up before him. ‗I will judge
matters according to the Book of Allah,‘ said Ma‘ad. But if the book of Allah contains nothing to
guide you‘ then I will act on the precedents of the Prophet of Allah. But if the precedent fails? ―Then I
will exert to form my own judgment‖. The Prophet (Pbuh) approved his answers.
The Qur‘anic verse ‗their affairs are (conducted) by mutual counsel‘ was applied to its fullest extent
by the Prophet (Pbuh) in his private and public life and was fully acted upon by the Caliphs.
Why did the necessity of Ijtihad arise?
During the life of the Prophet, he got the divine message from God, and his life itself is an attempt to
concretely apply what the text means. It is of course in a metaphorical sense. There was not much gap
between the message and the meaning. When he died the question as to the meaning of texts arose.
Each human being look at things differently, so differences get resolved through discourse. Al-Iftilah
or divergence of opinion occurs among scholars. If there was only one interpretation, there would
result a dictatorship, Dogmatism, monism. So divergence is a mercy from God. It gives room for
human beings to interpret the Quran and adapt, and apply to different situations, various problems,
and questions as they come up.
Ijtihad is an intellectual endeavor to seek the solutions of day to day matters. Ijtihad has been much
emphasized in Islam. It is a rational and analytical approach, based on the Quran and on the teachings
of the Sunnah, for interpreting religious matters. Time and again the Quran says that its verses are for
thinkers. It stresses the exercise of the rational mind. In Sura The Heifer the Quran says: ―Do not treat
Allah‘s signs as a jest, but solemnly rehearse Allah‘s favors to you, and the fact that He sent down to
you the Book and wisdom, for your instruction.‖ (2:231).This verse shows that Book and wisdom are
prerequisites to keep society on track and a progressive and right path. God has put our brain in our
skull not in our ankle. The place of the brain at the top of the human body signifies the value and
importance of the mind. The Book has laid down
the foundations, but we have to be wise in taking steps to build our lives upon it through the course of
time.
Definition of a Mujtahid?
The work of the interpreter of the text is to ascertain the authenticity of the source(s) and then
1. Discover the laws through the interpretation of the sources;
2. Extend the laws to new cases that may be similar to the cases mentioned in the sources for Which
the laws cannot be discovered through literal interpretation (this is called the method of analogy, or
Qiyas)

18
3. Extend the laws to new cases that have not been covered by the previous two methods by looking at
the general principles and objectives of the Sharia (this method is known as Istihsan or Istislah—
general interests of the community).
Qualifications of a Mujtahid:
The basic role of the Mujtahid is to explain and articulate the law of God in a particular situation. The
Mujtahid takes on the considerable responsibility of explaining the will of God to individuals and
communities.
The qualifications for a Mujtahid were set out by Abu‘l Husayn al-Basri in ―al Mu‘tamad fi Usul al-
Fiqh‖ and accepted by later Sunni scholars, including al-Ghazali. These qualifications can be summed
up as
(i) An understanding of the objectives of the Sharia

(ii) Knowledge of its sources and methods of deduction. They include
1. A competence in the Arabic language which allows him to have a correct understanding of the
Qur‘an. That is, he must appreciate the subtleties of the language so as to be able to draw accurate
deductions from the ―clear and un-crooked Arabic‖ of this infallible source, and that of the Sunnah.
2. An adequate knowledge of the Meccan and Medinese contents of the Qu'ran, the events
surrounding their revelation and the incidences of abrogation (suspending or repealing a ruling)
revealed therein. He must be fully acquainted with its legal contents (the Ayat al-Ahkam) - some 500
verses, according to al-Ghazali. He need not have a detailed knowledge the narratives and parables,
nor of the sections relating to the hereafter, but he must be able to use these to infer a legal rule. He
needs to acquainted with all the classical commentaries on the ayat al-ahkam, especially the views of
the Companions of the Prophet.
3. An adequate knowledge of the Sunnah, especially those related to his specialisation. He needs to
know the relative reliability of the narrators of the Hadith, and be able to distinguish between the
reliable from the weak. He needs to have a thorough knowledge of incidences of abrogation,
distinguish between the general and specific, the absolute and the qualified. One estimate (by Ahmad
ibn Hanbal) suggests that 1,200 hadith need to be known.
4. He should be able to verifiy the consensus Ijma of the Companions of the Prophet, the successors
and the leading imams and Mujtahidim of the past, especially with regard to his specialisation.
Complementary to this, he should be familiar with the issues on which there is no consensus.
5. He should have a thorough knowledge of the the rules and procedures for reasoning by analogy
(Qiyas) so he can apply revealed law to an unprecedented case.
6. He should understand the revealed purposes of Sharia, which relate to "considerations of public
interest", including the Five Pillars protection of "life, religion, intellect, lineage" and property. He
should also understand the general maxims for the interpretation of Sharia, which include the
"removal of hardship", that "certainty must prevail over doubt", and the achievement of a balance
between unnecessary rigidity and too free an interpretation.
7. He must practice what he preaches, that is he must be an upright person whose judgement people
can trust.
Some Islamic traditions consider that these high conditions cannot be met by anyone nowadays, while
for others - especially the Shi‘ite tradition - they are met in every generation.

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How Might Ijtihad Be Revived?
One of the gravest mistakes Muslims have committed, according to Qazwini, is closing the doors of
ijtihad. They have limited legal interpretation to only four prominent scholars: Malik Ibn Anas, Abu
Hanifa al-No'man, Muhammad Ibn Idris al-Shafi'i, and Ahmad Ibn Hambal—the heads of the Maliki,
Hanafi, Shafi'i, and Hambali schools of thought. The motivation for this was political.
During the Abbasid Dynasty (750–1258 CE), the Abbasids decided to outlaw all other sects in order
to strictly control religion and worship, as well as political matters. Closing the doors of Ijtihad has
had extremely detrimental ramifications for the Muslim world. According to Qazwini, this decision
has resulted in chronic intellectual stagnation, as thousands of potential Mujtahids and scholars have
been prohibited from offering workable solutions to newly emerging problems. Muslim thinkers have
become captive to rules that were made long ago, leaving little scope for liberal or innovative thought.
Governments in Muslim countries today, many of which are corrupt, greatly benefit from the absence
of Ijtihad. Moreover, these governments help keep the doors of Ijtihad closed in order to control the
religious establishment. Since religious bodies in Muslim countries rely on government financing, this
makes them captive to government policies. The domination of the religious establishments by secular
governments has been so powerful that it has often made religious authorities look inept.
1. The first step toward opening the door of ijtihad, should be the liberation of religious
establishments from the influence of political regimes. Religious authorities should dissociate
themselves from political regimes so that they can independently issue and interpret religious law.
2. There cannot be true ijtihad, Siddiqi pointed out, unless scholars are free to express their opinions
and other scholars are free to criticize them if they make errors. Freedom of expression is inherent in
the concept and practice of ijtihad. This means that the democratization of Muslim societies and basic
freedom for scholars is sine qua non for this process to work.
3. Reforming Muslim educational systems is also essential, including revising the curricula of
religious schools and seminaries. Instead of learning about only a single school of interpretation,
which is common practice, students should be exposed to all such schools. Instead of studying only
the rulings and interpretations of the schools, students should also learn about the evidence used to
arrive at these interpretations, as well as other methods of interpretation.
4. Students should also study comparative religion, modern logic, philosophy, psychology, and
history, as well as economics and political theory as background for improved interpretation.
5. Islamic schools and seminaries should also pay more attention to the great Islamic literature on the
objectives of sharia.
6. Ijtihad should be a collective endeavor. There are currently several national and international fiqh
councils (councils of jurisprudence and interpretation of sharia), but they need to be better organized
and they should work together collaboratively.
7. Sharia experts, both men and women, should be members of these councils. Membership should
not be limited to sharia scholars; experts from the fields of medicine, astronomy, economics, social
and political sciences, and law should also be included as consultants and advisers. Even non-Muslim
scholars who are sympathetic and objective should be invited to contribute. These councils should not
only issue rulings but also provide the evidence and methodologies behind their rulings. They should
also strive to build consensus as much as possible.

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What Issues Should Be Subjected to Ijtihad?
Many issues facing Muslims today require Ijtihad, and urgent attention can be listed below as: The
role of women. The role of women in Islam needs to be reviewed by carefully examining the original
texts. Sunnis and Shiites. The gap in doctrine between various Islamic Madhahib (schools and
Sectarian positions) should be narrowed. The spirit of globalization. Using modern ijtihad, Muslims
should reinterpret the classical division of the world into Darul Islam (the world of Islam) and Darul
Harb (the world of non- Muslims). Emphasis should be placed on a one-world view and responsible
citizenship in our global village. Ijtihad should also be used to foster better relations between people
of diverse faiths and cultures by promoting dialogue among various groups rather than encouraging
the notion of a clash of cultures and civilizations. Economics. There is a need to radically rethink
Islamic economic theories, in the process incorporating elements of modern economic theories. Why
is the Muslim world impoverished and how can this be changed? What kind of collaboration is
possible between Muslims and world economic bodies without compromising authentic Islamic
values and principles of justice, equity, and fairness? Unity among Muslim States. Islamic political
thinking and statecraft should also be reviewed. How can Muslim states be brought together to
collaborate more closely, and what new structures are needed to promote unity among Muslim states?
Ethical and moral standards of the Islamic state need to be examined, as does the promotion of
individual freedom, especially that of religious minorities. Muslims in non-Muslim countries. Ijtihad
should be used to guide the almost one-third of the Umma (the worldwide Muslim community) that is
living as minorities in non-Muslim countries. What Islamic rules and guidelines should these Muslims
follow to be good citizens of their native or adopted land? How can they become active and
responsible participants in the life of these countries while not neglecting their Islamic beliefs and
values?
Other major obstacles facing Muslims and the practice of Ijtihad today include prejudice, intellectual
stagnation, political dictatorship, rejection of others, lack of democracy and freedom, factionalism,
and extremism. Regrettably, these illnesses pervasive in Muslim societies are worsening, reaching a
point where they may spiral out of control.

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ISLAM - IDEOLOGY OF THE FUTURE?

Murad Hoffman
1. Any objective study of the history of mankind will show that man cannot but pose the questions:
Where do we come from? Why am I here? Where do I go from here? These unavoidable questions
make a philosopher of each of us, whether we know it or not.
The search for the answers to these fundamental issues have produced many different myths,
foundational legends, and other visions. In the end, these visions attempt at interpreting the world -
developed into religions proper. The oldest surviving ones we know as Taoism, Hinduism, and
Buddhism, not to forget different forms of Shamanism.
Polytheism arose when people associated supernatural forces with individual aspects of nature -
thunder and lightning, sun and fire, fertility and death. In a way, such polytheism is peaceful because
it has no universalist aspirations; everybody is content with his particular Family of divinities.
Nevertheless, in polytheism there is a built-in trend toward monotheism. When one tribe conquers his
neighboring tribe, the victor imports his deity and relegates the local deities to a tower rank. We had
such a situation in pre-Islamic Arabia where secondary goddesses - al-Lat Manat and ‗Uzza - were
worshiped in addition to al-ilah, the supreme deity whom the Muslims address as Allah Ta‘ala.
Religious history entered a new stage when monotheism appeared, first for a very short period in
Egypt during the reign of Echna-tun and later with the Banu lsrail. The‘ Jewish idea that there is only
one God Who is their tribal God, is of course a contradiction in itself. If there is one single God, it
must be everybody‘s, not God of a particular Chosen People.
At that moment, with the advent of religious universalism mankind entered one of the bloodiest
phases of its history. The Christians thought in terms of One God and One Church, outside of which
there is no salvation. To this dogma called in Latin extra ecclesiam nulla salus the Catholic Church
hung on for 1900 years, until the 2nd Vatican Council in 1965/66. On the basis of this dogma,
Christianity Supposedly a religion of love - became aggressively virulent it engaged in the physical
suppression and elimination of any other denomination or religion be they Christian in outlook,
Jewish, or Muslim. Thus moroc tribes were massacred for Christ; Muslims were slaughtered in al-
Quds during the Crusades witches and so-called heretics were burned. Orthodox Eastern Christians
were outlawed and all the Muslims and Jews in Spain expelled.
It is obvious that during this painful phase, lasting beyond the 17th century, the Christian religion was
first used as an ideology, i.e. as a political instrument for the legitimating and motivation of power
projection. To some extent the same thing happened to Islam. It too, became a power-conscious
empire.Expanding in all directions from Al-Madinah, Damascus, Baghdad, Marrakesh, and Istanbul.
True, there was a religious basis for these wars which led Muslims all the way to Southern France and
the suburbs of Vienna. Therefore, for that period only, it is not entirely wrong to project on to Islam
the Christian no lion of ―holy war‖ (sacrum bellum) for what we call lesser jihad (al-jihad assaghir)
Whether we like it or not Islam, too, was used as an ideology, an instrument for power projection.
2. But only from the 18th century onwards, following the proclamation of the Age of Reason and the
project Modernity, do we enter the real ideological era. To the extent that religion disappeared from
public consciousness and view after the Enlightenment, ideologies functionally replaced them.
Secular ideologies divorced from religion, now became pseudo-religions. This was as well true of
19th century romanticism as it was of positivism, also called scienticism. Nevertheless Marxism - as

22
developed by Karl Marx, Friedrich Engels, and Vladimir lijich Lenin - may be considered as the first
modern ideology, as its very prototype.
Marxism posed as a complete world view, a monistic, materialist ―Weltanschauung‖ which through
its Dialectical Materialism (Diamat) explained the functioning of nature and through its Historical
Materialism (Histomal) explained the functioning of society. Marxism, like a religion, tried to engage
and control its adherents totally, with a moral commitment worthy of any cause clearly there were
many religious overtones within an otherwise atheistic environment. The Communist Manifesto and
"Das Kapi‘ became holy script: Marx. Engels, Lenin, and Stalin turned into Apostles of the socialist
faith. The Communist Party acted like an infallible church, and Politbureau members as its priests.
Heaven was replaced by the wonderful vision of a classless future where everyone will receive
according to his requirements and work will turn into fun.
The different branches of Fascism in Italy, Germany, Spain, Portugal, and Greece simply repackaged
this socialist vision with strong doses of racist chauvinism - justifying and motivating the most
atrocious crimes against hated outsiders, be they Jews, Gypsies, or Eastern European Slaves. Again
religion was ever present. "Mein Kampf‖ became holy scripture in Germany and Adolf Hitler a savior
who would lead the country into a prosperous future an empire lasting 1000 years. Again it was the
Nazi Party, which, like a church, determined what was right, and what was wrong, and SS-troupers
were organized like religious orders.
In reaction to Marxism and Fascism counter-ideologies grew up strongly. I am referring here to

Western liberalism, incorporating capitalism and French type laicism - the complete elimination of
religion from public life. In the post-colonialist Arab world every One of the Western Ideologies
mentioned was tried:
Nationalism, liberalism, fascism socialism - and all failed miserably.
In view of all this, the 20th century can be called the ideological century.
II
1. We should now focus on one common element typical for all 19th and 20th century ideologies:
They were all materialistic, secular in outlook, without any transcendental vision. Therefore, none of
them could answer the basic human questions of wherefrom? Why, and whereto?
During and shortly after the Enlightenment thinkers like Immanuel Kant, Augusto Comte, and George
Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel believed that man, liberated from religion, could master his world with his
rational faculties atone. Rationalism would guarantee in the end a prosperous, peaceful, humanitarian
world.
We know better now, and are not surprised. We know that the project Modernity failed miserably in
its endeavor to tame destructive human instincts by reason alone. Instead of a post-religious paradise
on earth we had the most incredibly savage World Wars, chemical and nuclear warfare, the holocaust
and ethnic ―cleansing‖ to name only a few disasters.
We are not surprised because it is obvious that only religions can motivate people to such an extent
that they can overcome their base instincts, their sexual passion, their monumental egotism. When
man became the measure of all things, dethroning God, all laws were at man‘s disposal. In the
process, all the very Idea of divine law was discarded, but all efforts finding a binding ‗natural law‖
failed.
Shrewd Western observers already a generation ago came to the bitter conclusion that mankind will
destroy itself, and the globe with it, unless it rediscovers religion. Daniel Bell, Harvard professor of
23
sociology, already in 1976 discovered that capitalism In the long run is self-destructive because its
very economic success poisons the virtues on which the economy is built. In his book ―The Cultural
Contradictions of Capitalism‖ Bell therefore pleaded for the re-adoption of some sort of religion, even
if one had to invent a new one for the purpose of re-establishing morality.
Equally perceptive was another devastating critique of Western civilization, written by the American
ex-diplomat William Ophuls. In his ―Requiem for Modern Politics - The Tragedy of the
Enlightenment and the Challenges of the new Millennium‖ in 1997 he predicted that the Occident will
collapse, like Communism before it, as a result of its lack of a compelling vision.
Both observers rediscovered what is a Banality: That no human civilization ever survived without
spirituality.
2. Against this background it is of the highest significance that Islam made an unexpected, spectacular
comeback as from the 7O‘es of the 20th century.
What could one expect from a religion which had slumbered in a state of stagnation for the last 400
years, personalities like al-Sirhindi, Shah Walli'ullah and Muhammad lbn at- Wahhab not
withstanding? What could one expect from a religion virtually all of whose adherents had been
colonized by European powers? Western orientalists could not be blamed when they studied Islam
just as biologists do when studying a disappearing species threatened to become defunct. Islam was of
merely historical Interest for them. Max Henning, when issuing his translation of the Qur‘an into
German wrote as late as 1901 that "Islam has obviously played out its political role."
This was everybody's view. Nobody considered Al-Afghani and Muhammad Abduh as harbingers of
a new Islamic spring. Nobody foresaw the impact people like Muhammad, Hassan al-Banna, Sayid
Qutb, or Abu'l 'ala Al-Maududi and Muhammad Asad might have for a world-wide Islamic sahwa and
nahda.
But today, unbelievably, there is not a single country on this globe in which one does not find active
Muslims, from Korea to Columbia, from Iceland to New Zealand, Muslims - 1/7th of mankind 100
years ago - now make up 1/5th of the world population. There are now representative mosques in
places like London, Paris, Rome, Vienna, Lisbon, Zagreb, New York and Los Angles. More
importantly: Thanks to labor migration and the attraction of Western universities, there are now many
millions of Muslims active in Europe and the United States; everywhere Islam is becoming the second
biggest religious community. You cannot open a newspaper or turn on a TV - program today without
running into Islamic issues. Now, and now only. The wealth of the classical Islamic literature is
available is all major European languages. The Qur'an has become the most frequently translated and
most often recited book on this earth.
Since all this happened during the ideological 20th Century, since some Islamic movements are
primarily pursuing political aims, and since some Muslims out of sheer desperation are driven to use
violence - for all these reasons Islam, too, is often now referred to as an ideology. This is true in as
much Islam offers a set of ideas, also for running affairs in ad-dunya. But we should avoid referring
to our faith as an ideology because that term now smacks of politics and this worldliness.
III
Be that as it may, what counts is the fact that at the beginning of the 3rd Millennium there are only
tow worldviews left which compete for the hearts and minds of Western man; post-modern
Secularism and Islam. This is the alternative, and there are no other option is sight, even though
Buddhism attracts a few occidental intellectuals here and there who would like to have another chance
in another life.
24
This we have arrived at the one-hundred thousand dollar question: Those whom belongs the future?
The outcome will be determined by the answer given to another question will the 21st century become
a religions one or not?
Currently, it looks as if religions were on their way out. More so in Europe though, than in the United
States. People are leaving the Christian Churches in droves. And these churches even help speed up
their demise by entering one compromise after the other with the spirit and fashions of our time. Thus
you have homosexuals priest, abortion of children as and when you like, female bishops and virtually
no period of fasting any longer. Believe me, the Churches are selling out that way. No wonder that a
near- majority of the "faithful" (and even some Protestant clergy) no longer believe in the divinity of
Jesus or lifer after death.
However, this is not the entire picture because there is still much vagabonding and privatized religion
around. Religion is seeking new niches for its existence away from the established churches. Go into
any occidental bookshop and you will see that the Esoteric section is by far larger that the one of
Religion. People still want to know their future, be introduces to all secrets, and become happy.
These basically religious desires have mad whole industries. Boom. People experiment with
anything: Shamanism, Celtic Priestesses. Satanic Cults, drug induces ego-trips, Indian gurus,
fantastic diets and health fads, and even ecstatic Tango dancing.
Many diagnosis is that these people, mostly from younger generations. Are seekers of religion in
transit. They are sick f the meaninglessness. The spiritual vacuum in their lives, and looking for
certainly in a world in which anything others." They have been raised without restrictions and are
carving for leadership, real values. And reliable norms. In short: these people represent an enormous
religious potentials. They may turn the 21th century into a religious one.
2. The question therefore is: Will Islam be perceived as a better choice than Christianity before?
And will worshipping together be preferred tot he private type of religion now so prevalent?
As for the first question, it is my considered opinion that Christianity in Europe is beyond repair. I am
equally convinced that that Occident cannot get its act together through an artificial new religion, an
eclectic Esperanto religion. It wont work because religion presupposes authority beyond doubt. Only
a religion built on revelation can qualify.
As for the latter question I am rather positive because the young generation is again cherishing
togetherness and getting increasingly worried about the fate of "sin…" as they grow older. It is
indeed one of the major assets of the young that Islam comes together with a family, the ummah, and
that brotherhood and sisterhood in the Islamic community is more real, more touchable, than the idea
of loving thy neighbor is among occidental
Christians. If the emotional cooling of Western societies (not promised "Greening of American) is a
fact, as I think it is, then the Islamic Ummah in offering warmth and compassion fulfills a basic need
of contemporary Western kids.
The autistic nature of cyberspace, the sexuality over-heated atmosphere in which Westerners live, and
the brutal competitiveness of life in the West - from school to job, from job to sexual relations - with
the constant pressure to over achieved have led to a situation where the average American is
consulting at least one psychiatrist, their so- called "shrink". Such people cannot fail to be impressed
by the obvious fact that most Muslims are self-content, unstressed, not under undue time pressure, in
short: in harmony with God, themselves and their environment. For all these reason I feel that many
people, tired of their daily rat race routine, will be eager to discover more about Islam.

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1. Whether people will in fact discover this religion. Depends a lot on how the Muslims present their
Islam, or misrepresent it. True, it is Allah ta'ala Who guides those on the right path whom He wills.
And many a convert - like Jeffrey Lang in San Francisco. - has been sucked into the fold without any
previous contact with Muslims, exclusively by reading the Qur'an. But on the whole it is Muslims
whom Allah uses as He da'awa instruments.
Let me first address what the Muslims should to in order to propagate Islam. This
recommendation can be summed up in one sentence. Present Islam as a major contribution to the
healing of Western society and civilization, as a precious medication for the most crucial woes which
are about to destroy the Occident. I am calling for assertiveness and pro-active measures, not for an
apologetic posture and defensive reactions. Not to appear as someone who is asking for something but
as someone who has to offer something. And to offer we have a lot beyond what I mentioned already.
The Muslim concept of God - the incomparable One and Unique Divinity, both immanent, and
transcendent, beyond time and space, the only being that has real Being - is the only concept which
will satisfy educated modern man. Tawhid, pristine monotheism without any frills is our major asset.
No civilization can survive for long the break-down of family structures as we observe it currently.
The family is virtually under assault, even by the State who does everything to promote extra-marital
relationships. The divorce rates are appalling high. Half of households in major towns are now run
by "singles", including women who want a child but no husband. A large sector of children is
growing up without a father. How unbalanced many kids are shows in their growing propensity to
violence. Their respect for elders and the family is so low that now it is even possible in America for
children to sue for divorce from their unloved parents.
It is obvious that Muslim families are also under strain, given the impact of globalization, economic
pressures and the influence of television. Still, however, Muslim families in general are much more
tightly knit and provide much more security than the average Western one. This asset Muslims must
bring to bear.
The second existential danger to Western society is posed by the spread of all sorts of addictions -
to cigarettes, alcohol, cocaine, LSD and other drugs, but also to TV and the INTERNET. One can
say without overstating the case that the West is structurally addicted. It is so sad to see people who
cannot cope with life without that glass that pill or that cigarette. Such people are in fact practicing a
modern form of shirk. They are slaves to something else but God - and that would become even more
glaringly clear if they attempted to abide by the rules of Ramadan they can't because they are no
longer their own boss.
They are thrilled to learn that there are no more emancipated believers than Muslims since they do
not tolerate any intercession, be it by priest or saints, when they face Allah, fully individually, in their
prayer. They are likely to be as impressed when learning that each and every Muslims regardless of
rank, is qualified and hoc to serve as Imam.
You may be surprised to hear that Muslims discipline in matters of sex strikes a positive note with
many young people nowadays who lean towards by men in the street as a mere sex object admires
Muslimat whose dress and composure send the clear signal that they are not cheap game. Given the
on going exploitation of women in pornography, fashion shows, beauty contests, and sexuality
explicit commercials, many Western women, partisans of women‘s emancipation, now understand
that their Muslim sisters pursue the same aim - female dignity - but do so more successfully.
In this context, the strict Muslim position on abortion - ruling it out except if the mother‘s life is in
clear and present danger - commands more and more respect in ―pro life‖ western circles who deplore

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that even Catholic bishops nowadays permit abortion for all kinds of reason. Islam is seen as taking a
clear-cut pro life position in favor of the child.
The Muslim position on homosexuality also commands respect with the silent majority in the west
who condemns the new Occidental policy of treating same- gender relations as an optional life style,
one ―orientation‖ among others. Many a Western observer fears that the whole-sale public up-grading
of homosexuality, including homosexual marriages, is a symptom of decadence, indicative of a
declining civilization. Such people are scandalized by the existence of two entirely homosexual city
quarters in San Francisco. No wonder that they sympathize with
the Muslim attitude: to show compassion with seemingly ―born‖ homosexuals while refusing to treat
homosexuality as such as a normal affair in public.
In the Occident the pendulum constantly seems to swing back and forth between a puritanical
demonization of sex (and even marriages) and sexual licentiousness, without limits of taboos.
Thoughtful Western people are therefore impressed by the more balanced and sober Muslim approach
to the sexual nature and needs of man. Islam does not sanctify marriages by raising it to the level of
Christian ―sacrament‖ but, with common sense, treats this union rather as a possibly non- permanent
contract. At the same time, however, Islam considers the sexual life between married partners as
ibada, i.e. an act of devotion and compassion.
People who have been able to maintain a sense for what is natural for man -for his fitra- may well
realize that Islam‘s approach to sexuality makes good sense.
Even in the field of economics Islam might be perceived as a saving grace at first sight, the
prohibition of riba is likely to be considered naïve and highly unpractical. But then people may have
second thoughts when realizing that this prohibition may help defend the very spirit of
entrepreneurship on which capitalism is build. How is that? By insisting on profit and loss sharing
financial arrangements Islam fights the saturation and stagnation which sets in when capital is
mainly used in a risk-free modalities. There are quite a few other features of Islam which might attract
Western people to this faith, including the health aspects of Ramadan fasting.
But all these aspects in the end boil down to the most basic difference between Occident and Orient:
the quality of life symbolized in different attitudes towards quantity and quality: The occident
obviously cherishes quantitative aspects to a point where nothing is of real value, i.e. money value,
that cannot be quantified, i.e. digitalized. In fact, there is a general denial of non-quantifiable values
and merely spiritual truths seen from this stand point. Western man‘s life is more oriented towards
having while the Muslim‘s life is more dedicated to being.
The orient, including the Islamic world, is certainly sensitive to the pleasures of consumption,
transported through globalization. But in this religion quantitative aspects of life-composure, leisure,
contemplation, friendship, hospitality is a specifically Islamic concern should ring a bell with many
Westerners frightened by class materialism.
1. As we have seen there are a lot of reasons why Islam should, and could, be perceived as anti-dote
against most Western short comings. Thus, Islam might become the leading ideology of the 21st
century.
But there are also factors working in the opposite direction. The Muslims have not yet realized
anywhere a true Muslim economic system. Their position on the decisive questions of democracy ,
human rights, and women‘s rights are still too vague to be convincing. And their education systems in
several respects are still medieval.

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2. In addition, Muslim behavior is frequently counteracting their dawa efforts in the West Muslim
many immigrants, especially if illiterate, are hardly able to project their faith. They naturally tend to
form tightly knit ethnic groups, there by causing a sort of ghettoization. By defending the civilization
of their home country - its food, dress, music, social mores, and languages - they turn Islam into
something of folkloristic interest only for their environment.
Worse, many immigrants seem only interested in their countries of origin, to which they want to
return at the earliest. A turk in Germany who wants to Islamize Turkey is of course pretty much lost
for da‘wa in his guest country.
In as much as some do try to propagate Islam in the west, they frequently give it such a grid,
legalistic, even talmudic appearance that western people are startled about the absence of spirituality.
So much form seems to be valued over substance, and so often marginal issues to be treated like
central ones.
For all those reasons the mere presence of Muslim guest workers in terms of religion is making too
little impact on their Western neighbors.
3. And there is one more factor that may keep Islam becoming dominant. The human talent to avoid
issues by conveniently looking the other way. A sick man and the Occidental is sick - must not only
admit to being sick; he must swallow the prescribed pills rather than leaving them on his night table
insight is one thing, acting upon it another, As the former German State President Roman Herzog put
it: ―Our problem is not cognitive but one of application.‖
The Qur‘an abounds with stories of old who failed to read the signs on the wall, rejecting all warnings
until their civilizations collapsed in tragedy it is well possible that the contemporary Western word, it
too, will not have the courage and determination to change direction in mid-course and opt for the
Islamic way of life. If so, after having triumphed over Communism only recently, the occident, too,
may go down in an orgy of self-destruction: as a victim of its internal contradictions of which the
most destructive one is the defecation of man. This is bound to happen unless the West re-admits the
Sacred, transcendental Reality, Allah that is, and starts all over to live in accordance with the absolute
values and divine norms as revealed in the Qur‘an and reinforced by the Sunnah of Allah‘s last and
final Prophet.

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Islamiat (Compulsory)
Creation of Universe “An Islamic Perspective”
 The Islamic view toward the universe is an intellectual, scientific view that creates the human emotions
and feelings toward the greatness of Allah the creator.
 It also creates emotions and feelings toward the smallness of the human being and his weakness in
front of this universe, which leads to the necessity to submit to Allah (S.W.T).
 According to The Quran, the life containing universe is solely created by the Almighty Allah and He is
the Supreme Ruler of the universe.
 In Islamic ideology it is very unambiguous that whatever exists is created by Allah (swt). As Allah
(swt) speaks in Qur‘an

over all things.
 In Qur'an, God repeatedly appeals to people to travel the earth and observe. Why, He wants them to
journey into the outer space too! He encourages them to look into Nature and examine the life forms
and their activities.
 Most of them were discovered in the last two centuries only, whereas they were existing in the Qur'an
since it was revealed some fourteen centuries ago.
 The creation of the universe is explained by astrophysicists in a widely accepted phenomenon,
popularly known as the ‗Big Bang‘.
 According to the ‗Big Bang‘, the whole universe was initially one big mass (Primary Nebula). Then
there was a ‗Big Bang‘ (Secondary Separation) which resulted in the formation of Galaxies. These then
divided to form stars, planets, the sun, the moon, etc.
 The origin of the universe was unique and the probability of it occurring by ‗chance‘ is zero.
 The Qur‘aan contains the following verse, regarding the origin of the universe

Creation), before
We clove them asunder?”
 The striking congruence between the Qur‘aanic verse and the ‗Big Bang‘ is inescapable! How could a
truth? This verse makes unmistakable reference to the fact that Allah created the universe from a single
entity, and He is All-Capable over all things. Allah then ordered this 'single entity' to split, which it did,
and turned into a cloud of smoke. From this cloud of smoke Allah created the heavens and earth. This is
mentioned in the words of Allah
 Scientists say that before the galaxies in the universe were formed, celestial matter was initially in the
formof gaseous matter. In short, huge gaseous matter or clouds were present before the formation of the
galaxies. To describe initial celestial matter, the word ‗smoke‘ is more appropriate than gas. The
following
Qur‘aanic verse refers to this state of the universe by the word dhukhan which means smoke.

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 This is scientific fact that the universe is expanding, the idea that the universe is continuing to expand
is available in Qur‘an.
"The heavens, We have built them with power. And verily, We are expanding it" (51:47).
 There has been some historical debate among Muslim scholars about the precise meaning of this verse,
since knowledge of the universe's expansion was only recently discovered.
Purpose of Creation
 The universe as a whole is a creation of Allah (swt) that created it for a purpose. Even everything


 While describing the purpose of creation of universe we can divide it on to two major point of views.
 1. First the purpose of universe from the Creator (Allah) point of view.
 2. Second the purpose of creation of universe from creation (Universe, Human, Animals etc) point of
view. we know that one of the main attribute of Allah (swt) is KHALIQ means Creator so it is the main
ability of God to create. And one of the best creations of Allah (swt) is the creation of universe as
mentioned in Qur‘an.

 As we have already discussed that Allah (swt) has not created anything without purpose. Erath, Moon,
for human being. Human is also the beautiful creation of God with a particular purpose as mentioned in
Qur‘an

 At another place in Quran purpose of human creation is clearl mentioned


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Conclusion
We as Muslims believe that Allah (swt) created the heavens and the earth in perfect harmony and

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ISLAMIC PRACTICES
Different Branches of the Worship
1. Namaz 2.
2. Roza
3. Zakat
4. Hajj
After this general discussion on faith, we will talk at some length, on the four obligatory modes of worship,
Namaz, Roza, Zakat and Hajj: These items are included among the basic fundamentals of Islam and are of
exceptional importance to the religion.
These are the pillars on which the whole edifice of faith is raised.
Namaz
Definition of Namaz
Salah, (Namaz) is a particular way of worshipping Allah and offering devotions to Him which Allah and
His Prophet (S.A.W) have taught us.
Among them the most outstanding is the Namaz, The value of an article depends on the need it serves. The
price of a motor car is judged not by its color or shape but by the capacity to fulfill the purpose for which it
is meants,nor is a buffalo sheep or deer according to the way it walks --- it is the milk it yields that decides
.So is Namaz pre –eminent because it plays the most effective role in the realization of the objectives
associated with worship .This will also explain the numerous conditions that are attached to it e.g., the
cleanliness of body , the cleanliness of dress, the cleanliness of the ground on which it is offered and Wazu.
Further some forms of worship are representative in particular of the Sovereignty and the Omnipotent
Power of God. By carrying them out the worshipper pays tribute to these qualities of the Divine, making at
the same time a confession of his own surrender and servility. Zakat is a classical instance. And then there
are other forms that are related more specially to the lovable adorable aspect of divinity .They serve to
symbolize the deep love and devotion of the adorer for the Adored, his earnest yearning from Him, that He
is his heart, soul and everything. The fasts offer an excellent expression to this side of relationship between
man and his Creator by calling upon him to shun food and drink in the style of a dejected love ,and so is the
Haj a true symbol of love‗s frenzy __ the strange dress , the curious rituals ,the walking round the House of
Ka, aba with someone‗s thought delightfully embedded in the heart and the frantic kissing of a slab of stone
fixed in a corner of that beloved building, the wandering out into the wilderness and staying there for days
and nights __ all these things are there but to portray the divine ecstasy, the sweet madness of love which in
truth, constitutes the real spirit of this unique pilgrimage. But , Namaz is comprehensive of both of these
aspects .The dignified, yet respectful , presence before the Almighty ,the disciplined falling in line of the
devotes , like lowly slaves ,and the carrying out by them of fixed monuments in an orderly , systematic
manner demonstrate exquisitely the Over lordship ,the Power the sovereignty of God and man‗s total
helplessness ,while the state of the heart , the feelings of expectancy , of ardent hope and sublime devotion
that work themselves up within it during the prayers ,is typical of the tender emotion of love for the Divine
,The Prophet words ‗ In Namaz lies the coolness of my eyes ― are richly expressive of the later aspect of
the Namaz Often ,when the prayer time came the Prophet would address his Muezzin Bilal in this loving
manner : O Bilal ! Bring comfort to my heart s soothe the agony that is rising with in is by giving the call to
prayer, It has been remarked by Hazrat Mujaddid Alf- Sani in one of his letters that , Namaz is the balm for
the aching beards . Bring me comfort O Bilal! Conveys this truth and, the coolness of my eyes lies in
Namaz, imparts this secret.
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It is reported that one day Hazrat Abdul Wahid Lahori,a Khilafah , of Hazrat Mujaddid asked, Will there be
Namaz in the heaven ,The heaven is not the house of action , said someone ,It is the house of recompense ,
Why should Namaz be there then ,On hearing it the Hazrat b\observed with great anguish , How will it then
be possible to live in the heaven .
The tranquility and joy which people whose Name is a real ,genuine one derive from it can further be
imagined from the following utterance of Hazrat Mujaddid , what Royat is in the Hereafter Namaz is here in
this world: there is great nearness unto the Beloved in the world in Namaz as there is in the Royat in the
Hereafter.
The distinctive merit of the Namaz, hence lies in this that it reflects fully the Sovereignty and Over lordship
of God as well as His lovability and Elegance, In its form it portrays the complete submission of man to his
Master, in its spirit it is filled altogether with the essence of the joy, the tenderness and the rich melancholy
of love .It is Namaz alone which unites in itself so successfully the two seemingly apposite aspects. And
this fact, on its won should be enough t lift is above the other modes of worship.
Zakat
Definition of Zakat
Zakat is the name given in Islam to that portion of money or wealth which, as per Allah‗s command is given
to the poor and the needy so that they become the owners of it. In other words, fasting and prayers are forms
of bodily worship while Zakat is a form of worship which is pecuniary in nature.
After the Namaz, the next in order of preference among the fundamentals comes the Zakat. The basic
function of Zakat is the same as the of any other form of worship It is the seeking of God, s pleasure and the
cleansing and purification of the self. It is a patent fact that , more frequently than not , sins and crimes have
their origin in the lust for wealth and the lust for power __ and between the tow ,the former is a more
common malady.
Zakat is a means for breaking the force an the malignancy of the malady of lust for wealth , In the Quran
Zakat is often mentioned simultaneously with Namaz which shows that it is almost equal to the latter in
importance in the Islamic organic station of worship , When after the death of the Prophet some of the Arab
tribes refused to pay the Zakat, the Caliph ,Hazrat.
 The Namaz consist of a number of cyclic parts each ending with two sajdas (touching of the
ground with the forehead) these parts is known as Rakatas- Translator.
 The middle hour between sunrise and the meridian- translator.
 Tirmizi
 Ibid
 Abubakar, felt compelled to declare war upon them and in taking that extreme step, he had the
full support of the holy companions. Sueh, in the word, is the importance of Zakat in Islam.
 The financial demands of the faith from its followers do not end with Zakat, they extend further
and assume many other forms, it is clearly stated in a tradition that ―Besides Zakat there are some
other claims too, on wealth‖ these other claims have been thoroughly enumerated by the theological
doctors at their proper place.
The manner in which the virtues of spending in the way of god are extolled in the Quran and the various
styles of expressions that have been employed for the purpose go to confirm that it is an indispensable
constituent of faith. Yet universal as the indifference of Muslims to their religion has come to be no where it
is more evident than in this particular sphere. people have become so selfish these days and the love of
money has grown so enormously among them that the practice of sharing one‗s wealth with a needy an
indigent brother is disappearing fast from their midst and even these who do so, a majority of them are
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guilty of gross carelessness with respect to eth laws and regulations Divinely laid down for it, with the
consequence that they do not drive the full benefit from it as promised in the Quran.
When Zakat is a fundamental obligation like the Namaz, the desire should, naturally, be to discharge it with
equal care and ardency. A Zakat that is paid in an off-hand manner, without the urge to make the most of it
by paying scrupulous regard to all the relevant rules and requirements, is akin to Namaz which is offered
up in haste and without proper attention lacking in both ,life and luster. Some of the ways of vesting the
Zakat with a greater inner content can be:
First, to get to know all the rules and principles of Zakat and cultivate sincerity of purpose.
Second, to take good care to spend it on what seem to be the most deserving and legitimate parties and
objects, that is, parties and objects in spending on which there is the hope of the greatest reward from God.
Third, to hate the idea of having bestowed any favour on the person to whom it is given away, nor to look
down upon him in any way on that account, but on the other hand, to feel genuinely obliged to him because
it was through his agency that one was enabled to acquit oneself of the duty properly and well, and to
acknowledge it ungrudgingly by word and deed.
Fourth, to call up the convictions to the mind, while giving away the Zakat, as in the case of Namaz, that
God is present here, there and everywhere, seeing all and observing everything: He is watching this act of
mine, as well as the intent that is operating behind it, and it is in His presence and by His command that I
am doing this little service to a servant of His.
If the Zakat begins to be paid in the manner and spirit indicated above, its beneficial results can be
experienced in this very existence; such abundance and prosperity will be witnessed in trade and agriculture
that men will be astounded.
Roza
Definition of Fasting (Roza)
Fasting means willing abstention from eating, drinking and satisfaction of certain demands of the flash,
from predawn to sunset.
Arabic equivalents for fasting are Saum and Siam. The breaking of the fast is known as If tar.
The third practical plank is the Roza (or the fast). It is a most excellent means for the development of the
celestial element in our nature. It purges the self and is especially beneficial for cultivating Divine virtues
like contentment, alms endurance, and piety. During the fast a person forges a special link with the Celestial
World by crushing down the animal appetites. but these results can be achieved only when it is undertaken
with all the solemnity of an aot of worship, the instruction laid down in its context are sincerely obeyed and
nothing is done that may militate against the sanctity of the deed. The first thing in this regard is to leave all
sinful conduct strictly alone, more particularly that which operation to the mouth and the tongue. if this is
not done, the fast will be bereft of all the spiritual consequences. we say 5this on the authority of the
tradition that ―if a person does not abstain from falsehood, deceit and perfidy while fasting, it is immaterial
to God that he goes without food and drink, and does hunger and thirst‖ another tradition to the same effect
reads, ―Many are there among those who keep the fasts that gain nothing from them except hunger and
thirst‖. It follows, therefore, that our ambition should be to obtain the maximum advantage from the fasts
as from Namaz and Zakat, in terms of our spiritual progress and evolution. What is required for this, first
and foremost, is to refrain from every thing that is forbidden, including the Makroohat. The sins emanations
from the mouth are particularly to be guarded against, so much so that it is prohibited in the Tradition even
to shout or to talk in a loud voice during a fast. Conversely, the endeavor ought to be to practice greater

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goodness and pay more attention to the deeds of virtue during the period of fasting, especially to those that
are associated with the mouth. E.g. Zikr and Tilawat.
Hajj
Concept of Hajj
There exists a special relationship, a peculiar affinity, between the Prophet—and, through him, between His
Ummah—and Hazrat Abraham. The Hajj, in truth, constitutes both in its form and essence, the
symbolization of the latter‗s supreme devoutness and matchless submission to the Will of God.
And the idea underlying its ordainment is that every Muslim who can afford to undertake the pilgrimage
should, at least, once in his life, betake himself to the place where the most glorious episode of Hazrat
Abraham‗s life of utter dedication to his Creator had taken place, and cast himself, for the time being, in the
role of that superbly self—effacing, all—sacrificing Friend of the Lord. He should give a practical proof of
his attachment to the path of that true friend, slave and devotee of the Devine, and of his respectful devotion
to the distinctive practices the Lord has ordained for the occasion and create within himself the sincere urge
to dye his entire existence, inwardly as well as outwardly, in the hue of that august patriarch and give his
soul a chance to take in its share of the magnificent spiritual glories of the place.
I shall dwell no further on the essential beauty and richness of the Hajj because these can be understood
properly only when one experiences them personally during the course of the pilgrimage. This much,
however, I will certainly say that when, by the Grace of God, you may decide to undertake the pilgrimage
concentrate more on preparing yourself inwardly and spiritually for it than on anything else. Sadly enough,
people bestow the greatest thought on the material comforts of the journey, they even want to take with
them such trivial articles as salt, pepper and pickles and equip themselves with as many as ten suits of
clothes—; they get occupied with these preparations for months in advance but do nothing by way of
making themselves fit spiritually for the great occasion. The result is that they gain nothing from it, and
come back as they had gone. It is not that a pilgrim is not allowed to furnish himself with material
necessities before he sets out for the pilgrimage—within a proper limit it is essential to do so—, but these
things do not make the real equipment for the Hajj. The real equipment lies in getting oneself ready with all
the information needed for the carrying out of the duty and in the acquirement of that inner fitness which
enable one to receive the rich spiritual benefits accruing from it. An important part of the endeavor to
establish Hajj must be to create in the people‗s minds an awareness of this fact, without it, the Hajj will
remain a soulless form and an empty ceremony.

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Islamic Sharia
Definition Of Sharia:
The word Sharia literally means “open bright, straight and clean path.” But in religious sense it is
meant for those laws and orders which present code for obedience to one God, one prophet.
Shariah is the Divine Law which was pronounced through the Holy Prophet to mankind. The
technical definition of ―Sharia‖ is “That Divine Law which establishes common beliefs, corrects
line of actions, teaches good character, brings welfare to family life and strengthens state affairs
and finally is approved by a prophet.”
Purpose Of Sharia:
The purpose of Sharia is to see that ―the great workshop of Allah should go on functioning regularly
and gloriously and that the man should make full use of all his powers, make everything in this world
serve him, make full use of all the means provided for him in the earth and in the Heavens, but should
not use intentionally or in ignorance to harm himself or to harm others.‖
Its objective is to show the best way to man. The violation of it amounts to sin. Sharia deals with all
aspects of life of a Muslim both religious and secular. The religious and secular rights and duties have
been divided under four heads:
(1) The rights of God

(2) The rights of man
(3) The rights of other individuals
(4) The rights of all creatures
The technical term of Sharia is referred to in the Holy Quran, thus:
“We gave thee a Sharia in religion; follow in and do not follow those who do not know.”
(Al-Jathiya: 18)
And again:
“To everyone (people) of you, We have given a Shra; and minhadj (a clear path).”
Sources Of Sharia:
There are four sources of Sharia:
(1) The Holy Quran

(2) The Sunnah or practices of the Holy Prophet (Hadith)
(3) The Ijma iv) The Qiyas
These four sources also constitute Islamic jurisprudence or Fiqah. Sharia is the Law of Allah.It is
binding upon Muslims and man has to accept it without question.
The Holy Quran:
The first authentic origin of Islamic Law is the Holy Quran which is voice of God.
“This is a scripture that We have revealed unto thee, full of blessing that they may ponder its
revelation, and that men of understanding may reflect.” (Sad: 29)

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In fact, the Quran is the real fount of Islamic Law. All the basic Islamic Laws „Sharia‟ is given in it.
The detail about worshipping and human rights is described in it. In Islamic law Quran enjoys the
same status as the constitution may have in state laws.
In the Quran it is said for mankind: Say; I follow only that is inspired in me from my Lord. This
(Quran) is insight for your Lord, and guidance, and a mercy for people who believe.
“Lo! We revealed thee the scripture with the truth, Allah thou mayst judge, between mankind
by that which Allah showeth thee.”
That‟s why Quran is considered the main source of Sharia. At another place in Quran it is said:
“Lo! This Quran gives the guidance of that way which is straightest.” (Al-Isra: 9)
The value of Quran among human life affairs is like an order. It means a Muslim is that man whose all
affairs are dealt under the light of Quran. It said:
“Who so judgeth not by that which Allah, has revealed such are disbelievers.” (Al-Ma‟ida)
Hadith Or Sunnah:
The Hadith or Sunnah is the secondary source of Muslim Law. The Hadith literally means „saying‟
and Sunnah means “a way or rule or manner of acting or mode of life.” Sunnah, we mean
“actions of the Holy Prophet and Hadith is the record of Sunnah. Sunnah of the Holy Prophet
comprises “his deeds, utterance and unspoken approval.”
We know that the Quran deals with the broad principals and instructions of religion going in details in
a very rare case. “The details were generally supplied by the Holy Prophet, either by showing in
his practice how an injunction shall be carried out or giving an explanation in words.”
The Holy Prophet had to pass through different grades and conditions in his life with a view to
furnish instructions to misguided people of the world. “His trials and difficulties, struggles and
battles, his happiness and enjoyments and everything which occurred during his Apostolistic
career, were not but dictations from the Almighty; so that these things may be so many torch-
lights for the guidance of all classes of men who were groping in utter spiritual darkness.”
The Holy Quran says:
―Certainly, you have got in the Apostle of Allah an excellent example for him, who hopes in Allah
and the latter days and remembers Allah much.‖
The chief characteristic of the Holy Prophet was that, he not only gave practical rules for guidance but
also gave practical illustrations of all those rules.
All those rules are collectively called the Sunnah of the Holy Prophet recorded in the Hadith which is
the secondary source of Muslim Law. It is narrated in Sahih Muslim that:
―Allah is connected with the community by His Quran and Muhammad (PBUH) by his Sunnah.‖
In Sahih Bukhari it appears:
―He who is tired of my Prophet‟s Sunnah, does not belong to me.‖
Therefore every Muslim requires, in addition to the Quran, guidance of the Sunnah and Hadith in life.

37
Ijma
Ijma constitutes the third source of Muslim Law. It is defined as “the consensus of opinion of the
companions of the Holy Prophet or of the Muslim jurists on a quest of Law.”
According to some jurists Ijma is the consensus of opinion of the companion of the Holy Prophet
only; while some other maintains that it is an agreement of the Muslim jurists on any matter of the
faith. A third group holds that Ijma is the agreed opinion of the Muslim jurists of the First three
centuries of Hijra.
Ijma literally means “agreeing upon” or “uniting in opinion”. Ijma is inferred in three ways, Firstly,
by Qaul or word i.e. when the Mujtahids express their opinion on the point in question; secondly, by
F‟al or deed i.e. when there is unanimity in practice and, thirdly, by Sukut or silence, i.e. when the
Mujtahid do not agree with the opinion expressed by one or more of them.
Ijma came into existence after the death of the Holy Prophet. During his life every question whatever
might have been its nature, was decided by the Holy Prophet. But after his demise and with expansion
of Islam and growing interests of theological and juristic speculations; there arose complexities in
various matters for which there were no clear directions or decision in the Holy Quran and the
Sunnah. Therefore, there was the necessity of finding out new rules and regulations to decide those
matters. To find out new rules on the basis of Quran and Hadith there were mutual consultations
among the companions of the Holy Prophet.
After the death of the Holy Prophet when there was any dispute on any question for which there were
no directions in the Quran the Sunnah, then the companions of the Holy Prophet or the Muslim jurists
of that age exercising their individual judgment gave their decision in accordance with the Quran and
Sunnah. The decision on which all the companions or Muslim jurists or majority of them agreed is
called Ijma.
The authority od Ijma is bases on the verse of the Holy Quran and the traditions of the Holy Prophet.
The Holy Quran says:
―Do not like those who separated and divided after they had received the clear proofs.‖
And again:
―Obey the Prophet and those who have authority among you………….‖
Hadith Sharif refers:
―It is incumbent upon you to follow the most numerous body.‖
―Whoever separates himself from the main body will go to the Hell.‖
―He who opposes the people‟s decision will die the death of man who died in the days of
ignorance…..‖
―If anything comes to you for decision, decide according to the book of Allah, if anything come to
you which is not in the Book of Allah, then look into the Sunnah of The Holy Prophet, if anything
comes to you is not in the Sunnah of the Holy Prophet, then look to what the people unanimously
agreed upon.‖

38
Ijma is of two kinds, Ijma-i-Azimah and Ijma-e-Rukhsah. When the Mujtahids give their consent
on particular point is Ijma-i-Azimah. When the Mujtahids do not agree upon any point but the
community as a whole accepts the decision given by some Mujtahids is called Ijma-e- Rukhsah.
Qiyas:
Qiyas is the fourth important source of Islamic Law. Qiyas literally means “comparing with” or
“judging by comparing with a thing.”
Qiyas is generally described as analogical deduction. It is an analogical deduction from the three
sources of law, namely the Quran, the Sunnah and Ijma. Abu Hanifa, one of the four great Imams
used to make profuse use of Qiyas.
Qiyas is used in those cases which are not discussed in the Quran, or the Ijma or the Sunnah. For
instance, when the Holy Prophet was sending Muaz bin Jabal as a Governor, he asked him, what he
should do if any new problem arose. He said that he would follow the Quran, if it is not clear in the
Quran, he would follow the Sunnah of the Holy Prophet and if it failed to satisfy him, he would use
his own judgement. The Holy Prophet appreciated his reply and encouragement to exercise his own
judgement.
Besides the Quran and the Hadith, Ijma and Qiyas are the two important sources of Islamic law. The
basis of these two sources is the Quran, the Sunnah and the individual judgement.
Important sections of Muslim Laws such as rules regarding the caliphate, administrative measures etc.
are based on Ijma and Qiyas.
Conclusion:
Total and unqualified submission to the will of Allah is the fundamental tenet of Islam. Islamic law is
therefore the expression of Allah‟s command for Muslim society and, in application, constitutes a
system of duties that are incumbent upon a Muslim by virtue of his religious belief. Known as the
Shari‟ah (literally, the path), the law constitutes a divinely ordained path of conduct that guides the
Muslim towards a practical expression of his religious conviction in this world and the goal of divine
favour in the world to come.

39
Islamic Sheria
Introduction to Sharia
 The word Sharia literally means “open bright, straight and clean path.” But in religious sense it is meant
for those laws and orders which present code for obedience to one God, one prophet.
Shariah is the Divine Law which was pronounced through the Holy Prophet to mankind. The technical
definition of ―Sharia‖ is “That Divine Law which establishes common beliefs, corrects line of actions,
teaches good character, brings welfare to family life and strengthens state affairs and finally is
approved by a prophet.”
Purpose Of Sharia:
 The purpose of Sharia is to see that ―the great workshop of Allah should go on functioning regularly and
gloriously and that the man should make full use of all his powers, make everything in this world serve him,
make full use of all the means provided for him in the earth and in the Heavens, but should not use
intentionally or in ignorance to harm himself or to harm others.‖
 Its objective is to show the best way to man.
 The violation of it amounts to sin.
 Sharia deals with all aspects of life of a Muslim both religious and other affairs  The religious and world
affair‟s rights and duties have been divided under four heads:
 i) The rights of God
 ii) The rights of man
 iii) The rights of other individuals
 iv) The rights of all creatures
Sources Of Sharia:
There are Five sources of Sharia:
 The Holy Quran

 ii) The Sunnah or practices of the Holy Prophet (Hadith)
 iii) The Ijma
 iv) The Qiyas
 V) Ijtehad
The Holy Quran:

The first authentic origin of Islamic Law is the Holy Quran which is voice of God.
“This is a scripture that We have revealed unto thee, full of blessing that they may ponde its
revelation, and that men of understanding may reflect. (Sad: 29)
 In fact, the Quran is the real fount of Islamic Law. All the basic Islamic Laws „Sharia‟ is given in it. The
detail about worshipping and human rights is described in it. In Islamic law Quran enjoys the same status as
the constitution may have in state laws.
Hadith Or Sunnah:
 The Hadith or Sunnah is the secondary source of Muslim Law.

 The Hadith literally means „saying‟ and Sunnah means “a way or rule or manner of acting or mode
of life.”
 Sunnah, we mean “actions of the Holy Prophet and Hadith is the record of Sunnah.

40
 Sunnah of the Holy Prophet comprises “his deeds, utterance and unspoken approval.”
 We know that the Quran deals with the broad principals and instructions of religion going in details in a
very rare case. “The details were generally supplied by the Holy Prophet, either by showing in his
practice how an injunction shall be carried out or giving an explanation in words.” Ijma
Ijma
Constitutes the third source of Muslim Law. It is defined as “the consensus of opinion of the companions of
the Holy Prophet or of the Muslim jurists on a quest of Law.”
 According to some jurists Ijma is the consensus of opinion of the companion of the Holy Prophet only
 While some other maintains that it is an agreement of the Muslim jurists on any matter of the faith.
 A third group holds that Ijma is the agreed opinion of the Muslim jurists of the First three centuries of Hijra.
 Ijma literally means “agreeing upon” or “uniting in opinion”.
 Ijma is inferred in three ways,
1. Firstly, by Qaul or word i.e. when the Mujtahids express their opinion on the point in question
2. secondly, by F‟al or deed i.e. when there is unanimity in practice
3. thirdly, by Sukut or silence, i.e. when the Mujtahid do not agree with the opinion expressed by one or more
of them.
Qiyas:
 Qiyas is the fourth important source of Islamic Law. Qiyas literally means “comparing with” or “judging
by comparing with a thing.”
 Qiyas is generally described as analogical deduction. It is an analogical deduction from the three sources of
law, namely the Quran, the Sunnah and Ijma. Abu Hanifa, one of the four great Imams used to make profuse
use of Qiyas.
 Qiyas is used in those cases which are not discussed in the Quran, or the Ijma or the Sunnah. For instance,
when the Holy Prophet was sending Muaz bin Jabal as a Governor, he asked him, what he should do if any
new problem arose. He said that he would follow the Quran, if it is not clear in the Quran, he would follow
the Sunnah of the Holy Prophet and if it failed to satisfy him, he would use his own judgement. The Holy
Prophet appreciated his reply and encouragement to exercise his own judgement.

41
MORAL SYSTEM OF ISLAM

Islam has laid down some universal fundamental rights for humanity as a whole, which are to be
observed and respected under all circumstances. To achieve these rights Islam provides not only legal
safeguards but also a very effective moral system. Thus whatever leads to the welfare of the
individual or the society is morally good in Islam and whatever is injurious is morally bad. Islam
attaches so much importance to the love of God and love of man that it warns against too much of
formalism. We read in the Quran:
"It is not righteousness that you turn your faces towards East or West; but it is righteousness to
believe in God and the Last Day and the Angels, and the Book, and the Messengers; to spend of
your substance, out of love for Him, for your kin, for orphans for the needy, for the wayfarer,
for those who ask; and for the freeing of captives; to be steadfast in prayers, and practice
regular charity; to fulfill the contracts which you made; and to be firm and patient in pain (or
suffering) and adversity and throughout all periods of panic. Such are the people of truth, the
God-conscious." (2:177)
We are given a beautiful description of the righteous and God-conscious man in these verses. He
should obey salutary regulations, but he should fix his gaze on the love of God and the love of his
fellow men.
We are given four heads: Our faith should be true and sincere, We must be prepared to show it in
deeds of charity to our fellow-men, We must be good citizens, supporting social organizations, and
Our own individual soul must be firm and unshaken in all circumstances.
This is the standard by which a particular mode of conduct is judged and classified as good or bad.
This standard of judgment provides the nucleus around which the whole moral conduct should
revolve. Before laying down any moral injunctions Islam seeks to firmly implant in man's heart the
conviction that his dealings are with God who sees him at all times and in all places; that he may hide
himself from the whole world but not from Him; that he may deceive everyone but cannot deceive
God; that he can flee from the clutches of anyone else but not from God.
Thus, by setting God's pleasure as the objective of man's life, Islam has furnished the highest possible
standard of morality. This is bound to provide limitless avenues for the moral evolution of humanity.
By making Divine revelations as the primary source of knowledge it gives permanence and stability to
the moral standards which afford reasonable scope for genuine adjustments, adaptations and
innovations, though not for perversions, wild variation, atomistic relativism or moral fluidity. It
provides a sanction to morality in the love and fear of God, which will impel man to obey the moral
law even without any external pressure. Through belief in God and the Day of Judgment it furnishes a
force which enables a person to adopt the moral conduct with earnestness and sincerity, with all the
devotion of heart and soul.
It does not, through a false sense of originality and innovation, provide any novel moral virtues nor
does it seek to minimize the importance of the well-known moral norms, nor does it give exaggerated
importance to some and neglect others without cause. It takes up all the commonly known moral
virtues and with a sense of balance and proportion it assigns a suitable place and function to each one
of them in the total scheme of life. It widens the scope of man's individual and collective life - his
domestic associations, his civic conduct, and his activities in the political, economic, legal,
educational, and social realms. It covers his life from home to society, from the dining-table to the
battlefield and peace conferences, literally from the cradle to the grave. In short, no sphere of life is
exempt from the universal and comprehensive application of the moral principles of Islam. It makes

42
morality reign supreme and ensures that the affairs of life, instead of dominated by selfish desires and
petty interests, should be regulated by norms of morality.
It stipulates for man a system of life which is based on all good and is free from all evil. It invokes
the people, not only to practice virtue, but also to establish virtue and eradicate vice, to bid good and
to forbid wrong. It wants that the verdict of conscience should prevail and virtue must not be subdued
to play second fiddle to evil. Those who respond to this call are gathered together into a community
and given the name "Muslim". And the singular object underlying the formation of this community
("Ummah") is that it should make an organized effort to establish and enforce goodness and suppress
and eradicate evil.
Here we furnish some basic moral teachings of Islam for various aspects of a Muslim's life. They
cover the broad spectrum of personal moral conduct of a Muslim as well as his social responsibilities.
GOD-CONSCIOUSNESS
The Quran mentions it as the highest quality of a Muslim: "The most honorable among you in
the sight of God is the one who is most God-conscious." (49:13)
Humility, modesty, control of passions and desires, truthfulness, integrity, patience,

steadfastness, and fulfilling one's promises are moral values which are emphasized again and
again in the Quran. We read in the Quran: "And God loves those who are firm and steadfast."
(3:146)
"And vie with one another to attain to your Sustainer's forgiveness and to a Paradise as vast as
the heavens and the earth, which awaits the God-conscious, who spend for charity in time of
plenty and in time of hardship, and restrain their anger, and pardon their fellow men, for God
loves those who do good." (3:133- 134)
"Establish regular prayer, enjoin what is just, and forbid what is wrong; and bear patiently
whatever may befall you; for this is true constancy. And do not swell your cheek (with pride) at
men, nor walk in insolence on the earth, for God does not love any man proud and boastful.
And be moderate in your pace and lower your voice; for the harshest of sounds, indeed, is the
braying of the ass." (31:18-19)
In a way which summarizes the moral behavior of a Muslim, the Prophet (PBUH) said: "My
Sustainer has given me nine commands: to remain conscious of God, whether in private or in public;
to speak justly, whether angry or pleased; to show moderation both when poor and when rich, to
reunite friendship with those who have broken off with me; to give to him who refuses me; that my
silence should be occupied with thought; that my looking should be an admonition; and that I should
command what is right."
SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITIES
The teachings of Islam concerning social responsibilities are based on kindness and consideration of
others. Since a broad injunction to be kind is likely to be ignored in specific situations, Islam lays
emphasis on specific acts of kindness and defines the responsibilities and rights of various
relationships. In a widening circle of relationship, then, our first obligation is to our immediate family
- parents, husband or wife and children, then to other relatives, neighbors, friends and acquaintances,
orphans and widows, the needy of the community, our fellow Muslims, all our fellow human beings
and animals.

43
PARENTS
Respect and care for parents is very much stressed in the Islamic teaching and is a very important part
of a Muslim's expression of faith.
"Your Sustainer has decreed that you worship none but Him, and that you be kind to parents. Whether
one or both of them attain old age in your lifetime, do not say to them a word of contempt nor repel
them, but address them in terms of honor. And, out of kindness, lower to them the wing of humility
and say: My Sustainer! Bestow on them Your mercy, even as they cherished me in childhood."
(17:23-24)
OTHER RELATIVES
"And render to the relatives their due rights, as (also) to those in need, and to the traveler; and
do not squander your wealth in the manner of a spendthrift." (17:26)
NEIGHBORS
The Prophet (PBUH) has said: "He is not a believer who eats his fill when his neighbor beside him is
hungry"; and: "He does not believe whose neighbors are not safe from his injurious conduct."
Actually, according to the Quran and Sunnah, a Muslim has to discharge his moral responsibility not
only to his parents, relatives and neighbors but to the entire mankind, animals and trees and plants.
For example, hunting of birds and animals for the sake of game is not permitted. Similarly, cutting
trees and plants which yield fruit is forbidden unless there is a very pressing need for it.
Thus, on the basic moral characteristics, Islam builds a higher system of morality by virtue of which
mankind can realize its greatest potential. Islam purifies the soul from self-seeking egotism, tyranny,
wantonness and indiscipline. It creates God-conscious men, devoted to their ideals, possessed of piety,
abstinence and discipline and uncompromising with falsehood, It induces feelings of moral
responsibility and fosters the capacity for self control. Islam generates kindness, generosity, mercy,
sympathy, peace, disinterested goodwill, scrupulous fairness and truthfulness towards all creation in
all situations. It nourishes noble qualities from which only good may be expected.

44
RIGHTS OF MINORITIES IN ISLAM

Introduction
Under the Islamic law, non-Muslim minorities received rights and privileges that other minorities did
not have under any other law in any other country. The relationship between the Muslim community
and the non-Muslim minority is based on Allah's rule that says: {Allah forbids you not, with regard to
those who fight you not for (your) Faith nor drive you out of your homes, from dealing kindly and
justly with them: for Allah loveth those who are just.}[Al-Mumtahanah: 9]. This verse has identified
the ethical and legal basis, with which Muslims must treat non-Muslims, namely kindness and justice
with all those who do not have enmity against them. The humanity did not know these rules before
Islam. It lived for centuries after Islam, but suffered the horrors of lacking them. It still looks forward
to the day when it can apply these rules in modern societies but to no avail due to passion, fanaticism
and racism.
Minorities' right to freedom of belief
The Islamic law has ensured several rights and privileges for non-Muslim minorities. Perhaps the
most important of which is the freedom of belief, which is stated in Allah's saying: {There is no
coercion in religion}
There shall be no compulsion in [acceptance of] the religion. The right course has become clear
from the wrong. So whoever disbelieves in Taghut and believes in Allah has grasped the most
trustworthy handhold with no break in it. And Allah is Hearing and Knowing. [Al- Baqarah:
256].
This was also reflected in the Prophet's (peace be upon him) letter to the People of the Scripture in
Yemen where he invited them to Islam. He (peace be upon him) said: "…and a Jew or a Christian
who embraces Islam becomes one of the believers, having their rights and duties; and the one who
remains Jewish or Christian should not be forced to disband his religion.." As the Islamic law
allowed non-Muslims to enjoy the freedom of belief, it enacted rules to preserve their lives, on the
ground that they are human beings who have the right to life and existence. In this regard, the Prophet
(peace be upon him) says: "whoever kills a contracting man(a non-Muslim protected by the state or an
agreement) he will not smell the Paradise".
Warning against doing non-Muslims injustice
The Prophet (peace be upon him) warned against commitment of injustice against non-Muslims and
diminishment of their rights. He vowed to be the opponent of their aggressors. He said: "Beware, if
anyone wrongs a contracting man, or diminishes his right, or forces him to work beyond his capacity,
or takes from him anything without his consent, I shall plead for him on the Day of Judgment." One
of the good stances of the Prophet (peace be upon him) in this regard is what happened with Al-Ansar
in Khaybar, as Abdullah ibn Sahl Al-Ansari (May Allah be pleased with him) was killed in the lands
of the Jews. It was mostly expected that one of the Jews killed him. However, there was no evidence.
Therefore, the Prophet (peace be upon him) did not punish the Jews, but he asked them to take an
oath. Sahl ibn Abu Hathma (May Allah be pleased with him) narrated that a number of people from
his tribe went to Khaybar and dispersed, and then they found one of them murdered. They said to the
people with whom the corpse had been found, "You have killed our companion!" Those people said,
"Neither have we killed him, nor do we know his killer." The bereaved group went to the Prophet and
said, "O Allah's Messenger! We went to Khaybar and found one of us murdered." The Prophet said,
"Let the older among you come forward and speak."Then the Prophet said, to them, "Bring your proof
against the killer."They said "We have no proof." The Prophet said, "Then they(the defendants) will
45
take an oath."They said, "We do not accept the oaths of the Jews." Allah's Messenger did not like that
the blood-money of the killed one be lost without compensation, so he paid one-hundred camels out
of the camels of Zakat (to the relatives of the deceased) as Diya (blood-money). Here, the Prophet
(peace be upon him) did what no one even imagined, as he himself paid the blood-money from the
funds of Muslims in order to calm down the anxiety of Al-Ansar without committing an injustice
against the Jews. So, the Islamic state assumed the burden so that a suspicious rule would not be
applied to a Jew!
Protection of non-Muslims' funds
The Islamic law has guaranteed the right to protect the funds of non- Muslims. It prohibited taking or
seizing these funds unjustly through theft, usurpation, damage or any form of injustice. This was
practically applied the Prophet's (peace be upon him) promise to the people of Najran, as he said:
"The people of Najran and their surrounding areas would be under the protection of Allah and His
Prophet Muhammad; their funds, religion, trade and everything small or big would be also safe…"
Moreover, a non-Muslim minority has the right to be guaranteed by the Islamic state from the state
treasury – Bayt Al-Mal (House of funding) – in case of inability, old age or poverty, as the Prophet
(peace be upon him) says: "Everyone of you is a guardian and is responsible for his charge"[6], on the
consideration that they are citizens just like Muslims, and the state is responsible for all of them
before Allah (be He Exalted). In this regard, Abu Ubayd7 narrated in his book Al-Amwal (funds) on
the authority of Sa'id ibn Al-Musayib[8]that he said: "The Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him)
gave alms to a Jewish family, so alms could be given to them." What expresses the greatness of
Islam and the humanity of the Islamic civilization in this regard is the story mentioned in the Sunnah
(Prophet's traditions) books. The story says a funeral procession passed in front of the Prophet (peace
be upon him) and he stood up. When he was told that it was a funeral of a Jew, he said, "Is it not a
living being (soul)?" These were the rights of non-Muslim minorities in Islam and the Islamic
civilization. The rule is to respect every human being as long as he/she does not commit injustice or
enmity.

46
ROLE OF WOMEN IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF ISLAMIC

CIVILIZATION
ABSTRACT
Fundamental aims of Islamic culture include welfare, happiness and progress of human society.
Human being was created as the representative of Allah. Both man and woman are required to
play an imperative role for the cause of serving humanity in a better way. No progress in the
field of culture can be possible unless and until woman plays her divergent role in the society.
Islam raised the status of woman to a great extent. She has been given rights to property, rights
to take part in economic activities, rights to choose life partner, rights to determine his financial
requirements and to overcome these and an honorable social status which was not given by the
prior and other contemporary cultures and societies. It is a matter of fact that woman occupied
an important place during the Islamic Era and played an active role for the uplift of Society.
In this article, I have tried to bring out the importance of the role of woman for the development of
Islamic Culture and improvement of an Islamic Society.
Key words:
Islamic culture; Purpose of creation; Status of women; Right and duties of women; Distinction of
Islam
Women in ancient civilization
There had not been a single civilization in ancient world which did not inflict various forms of pains
and cruelties to woman. Study of history reveals that that during different era, women had lost their
recognition in their respective civilizations.
Not only had she lost her capabilities but also her freedom. Moreover, she had to lose her worth and
status. She was maltreated in each society and every part of the world. As far as her moral and lawful
rights concerned, she had fallen to the lowest level. In different nations of the world, she was living
her life in miserable and terrible conditions. She was forced to marry and sometimes into adultery.
Other became heirs of her wealth irrespective of the intensity of her financial needs. She could not
even consider herself the owner of her own life. She was treated as secondary to her husband and
father or any male member of her family. Her husband used to become the owner of her wealth even
before her death and also became her master. It all happened when the nature was changed. It all
happened when nations left the way of God and followed the path of Satan. However, a moderate
way, which harmonized with nature, wisdom and human interest, existed there. And this way is Islam
which is established by God himself.
Women in Greek civilization:
Despite the fact that Greek civilization was the most modern civilization among the ancient nations,
the Greeks considered woman the essential inconveniences and fountain head of all problems. She
was cut-off from society. She had only one job to do i.e., to give birth to children. There were many
women who were compelled to do adultery. Mothers were also forced to do adultery. Furthermore,
sisters were forced to marry against their will. She was looked down up in the society; she was treated
as a servant; she was maltreated. Their concept of woman was faulty.1 Famous writer Demosthenes
1
Ibrahim al-Najjar, Women's rights in Islamic law, the Dar lsqafa Egypt, (1415 AH) , p. 2, & Saad Sadiq Mohammed, The Ignorance of women and
Islam, Dawa Al Haq Macca, (1408 AH) p: 7
47
says, "Women were used to quench the thirst of sex and men had them as girl friends. They had wives
to produce children and girl friend to enjoy their physical contact with them".2
Women in the Roman civilization:
In Rome, the status of women was not better than her sister in Greek. Roman law deprived the woman
of her civil rights; hence, her legal personality was not acknowledged at all. It considered woman a
cause of all ills and rid her off all rights3.
Women in the Persian civilization:
The Persian nation was basically a military nation. Man is considered a pillar of the fighting lot, i.e.,
they have much significance 4. Therefore, they preferred man to woman, because woman was created
for the benefit of others; besides parents. Resultantly, woman, in Persian civilization, also seem to
5
have lost their rights .
Women in Indian's Civilization:
Women had the status of a slave in Hindu civilization. People lost them in gambling; they did not
even consider a woman as human being, so much so Hindu law disgrace woman and recognizes her
below bad air, death, hell, poison, snakes and fire, etc. therefore, they made the law that woman could
do nothing her own will. She was a property of her father and later on belonged to her husband. Thus
it was her utmost responsibility to treat/serve her husband like God. They considered husband a
6
representative of God. If her husband died before her, they used to burn her alive with him.
Women in Chinese Civilization:
Chinese people disliked girls. Whenever the father got the news of her berth, he used to take her to
market to sell. If no one bought her there, he used to leave her in a deserted area, or strangled her to
death or throw her in water, or buried her alive. Sometimes, he left her in the open fields so that the
cold frost could kill her of predators could eat her. Muslim explorer Ibne Batuta (‫ )انبوطبطتہ‬has
7
mentioned in his travelogue that the Chinese people sold their daughters and did not consider it bad .
The Chinese recognized women as fool and non-sense. She did not possess any ability to resolve any
issue related to her life without the guidance and help of a man. She was a miserable creature and was
maltreated. Neither did she have any light nor could she demand any. As soon as she got married, they
8
called her 'Fu', i.e., ―obedient‖ .
Women in Judaism:
Jews held the woman responsible in evicting Adam form Heaven, so it was one of the reasons for her
decline. Satan tricked Adam through her and resultantly man was deceived by Satan. The first thing
9
which tempted human being and took him out of heaven was she.
2
Mustafa Sibai, Women between Law & Jurisprudence, Almqtab Al tawani, (1414AH) P:8
3 Bhi Khuli, Islam and women's issues,Dar Al-Qalam (1414 AH), p:11
4 Muhammad bin Abdal -Karim Al-Shahristani, Almilal Wal Nihal Dar ulKutab Alelmia, (1413AH). Volume 2 p: 8
5 Samia Moneisi, Women in Islam, Darolfekr. (1416AH) p. 22
6 Abdalmtaal-Jabri, The Perception of women in Islamic, Dar ularobh, Kero(1408 AH ) p: 156
7 Lowell Durant, translated by Mohammed Badran, The Story of Civilization, Al Qahira, Volume, 4, p: 272
8 The same source, p: 275
9 Bible (Old Testament) Genesis, chapter 3 (verse 1-24)

48
In Jewish society, woman was in the possession of their fathers before marriage and fathers had the
right to sell them before they were fully mature if they did not have money and were poor. Hence he
had full command to marry her when he liked and will of a woman was not taken into account. She
was bought at the time of marriage, and dowry was given to her father or brother. Later, she became
in the possession of her husband who was her absolute owner. Even Old Testament (‫ )وترات‬did not
raise the status of woman. Torah says, ―Woman introduced the sin in the world and she is the cause of
10
our destruction‖ .
It is mentioned in Talmud (‫)تلمود‬, ―when a few praises a non-Jewish woman, they are not to be blamed,
for his marriage with her is not valid. They consider a non-Jewish woman an animal and hence can't
make any matrimonial contract with them‖ 11.
Women in Christianity:
In the Old Testament ―Eve was responsible for the heinous crime‖ so this belief was transferred to
Christianity. It is mentioned in the New Testament (‫― )الیجن‬Adam did not go astray rather woman went
astray and thus this incident happened‖ 12.
Christianity, in its earlier era, tried its level best for the betterment of woman and blessed her with
many prizes so that she could be saved from defame, but failed to do so. The opportunities offered by
Christianity were very less, and hence could not elevate the status of woman and would not free her
from man's ditches. She was neither protected from cruelties, hatred, nor was she given any right.
Gospel gives significance to man and not women.
The priests called woman the root-cause and fountain head of all sins, and consider her lawful rotation
of between man and woman unsacred which must be avoided. From this, it became common among
people that remaining single are better than being married. Saul has said in this connection: ―one who
marries one's daughter, does a wonderful job, and one who does not get one's daughter married, does a
13
far better job‖ .
So it can be summarized as the reality of women in ancient civilizations and religions prior to the
Islam as under:
1. Lack of humanity, did not value the man, and did not have a role in this life.
2. Lack of equality between male and female; for boys as well as girls; between husband and
wife as the Arabs and Indians.
3. Subordination of women to contempt and humiliation, and forced into menial work, such as
prostitution and entertainment for men, as in the most ancient civilizations.
4. Did not have anything to do with religion, understanding and application has been prevented
from so as to Jews, Christians and others.
5. Depriving them of their personal rights and economic, as is happening to most nations and
religions.
10
Exodus, chapter 21 (verse 7-12)
11
Genesis, chapter 18 (verse 12)
12
Ecclesiastes, chapter 7 (verse 26 -29) Leviticus, chapter 15 (verse 19-24)
13
Leviticus chapter 11 (verse 3) Chapter 5 (verse 22.23)
49
Women in Islam:
In the pre-Islamic period, woman had lost all the rights in Arabia. The birth of a girl was considered
ominous. They treated her like stayed or buried them alive. Her birth was not an occasion of rejoicing
but humiliation 14.
Allah Almighty stated the position of woman in the Holy Quran prior to Islam.
(Whenever the news of a female child is announced to any one of them, his face darkens and he
15
chokes with inward gloom).
Hence, when one study history, he find woman as surrounded in problems and was exploited, it also
exposes the injustice meted out to her. Moreover, there was no system or belief which could have
saved woman from cruelties, problems and injustices. However, with the advent of Islam, the
distinction between man and woman regarding fundamental human rights was ended. In fact, Islam
bestows all those rights on woman that she was deprived of in the pre-Islamic era or Period of
Darkness. Islam gives woman all those rights which man enjoys such as legal, social, economic,
spiritual rights, etc. In this way, she can play her role in society and she can take part in preaching
Islam, resultantly; she can participate and play a constructive role in Islamic civilization.
There are many women who became famous and their names will remain alive in Islamic society, for
they played a significant role in education, civilization, literature, art, travelling, self-Independence,
Government, religion, and piety, and their influence will also be felt in every walk of life.
RIGHTS OF WOMEN IN ISLAM
The woman in the ancient civilizations that preceded the Islamic civilization was considered an abject
creature. She was despised not having the dignity of humanity as is the dignity of the Islamic
civilization, which designed her rights, made her a human being; woman began to be called not only
half society but an organic whole society under the shadow of Islam. She has her contributions in the
formulation of civilization and society. The main components of society and as sister of man, she
acquired such rights which she could not gain in any other civilization or religion, in the past or
contemporary society, and these rights gained legitimacy, and humanity. The role of women is not
only an extension of the man as some critics consider. We may judge the role of women in building
society, reform and its role in the integrity of the family and its role in the upbringing of generations
and their role in education and politics, and its role in the advisory and even save the inheritance of
the Islamic itself. This is our history of civilization. We must be proud of it and give it right value
16
undiminished.
Legitimate (Shariah) Rights of women
In the era of ignorance, women had no rights of inheritance, but it is Islam who conferred the rights of
inheritance to women. Likewise, opinion of woman was not considered; but Islam declares it
obligatory to seek woman's consent in marriage. Islam equalizes the punishment of adultery between
women and men, unlike the laws that the people framed, putting the difference in the crime of
adultery. In the same manners, the rights of man and woman are equal. Consequently, men were given
the right to divorce and women were also bestowed to take the right of divorce.
Rights of a woman in Islamic Sharia:

14
Shoukry Alusi, Balogh Alarab , Darul baan, Kero (1414 AH) Volume, 3 p: 43
15
Al-Nahl: 58
16
Mohammed bin Saleh'Uthaymeen, Women's Role in Reforming Society, Maqtab Al Dawa wal Irshad , (1414 AH),
p: 32
50
Public Rights
 Right of Life
 Right of Liberty
 Right of Education
 Right of Equality
Special Rights
 Rights as a mother,
 Rights as a daughter,
 Rights as a sister,
 Rights as a life-partner (wife)
 Rights as a divorced and widowed
 Rights as a neighbor
Aspects of equality of women in Islam
 Equality in ritual worship (prayer, and the rituals of Hajj & Umrah)
 Equality before the law
 Equality in rights and duties
Some other instances of equality of between man and woman in Islam are:
 Equality at the origin of creation

 Equality in the field of liability and penalty
 Equality in civil matters
 Equality in the public rights
Human and Civil Rights of Woman:

Islam has also determined human and civil rights of woman as under:
 Right of equality in creation

 Right of equality in succession in domestic affairs.
 Right of equality in human values.
 Equality in responsibility and rewards.
 Equality in rights and duties.
 Equality of life and care in family.
 Equality in the pursuit of knowledge
Social and Marital Rights of Woman:

Among the prominent social rights mandated by Islam to women include:
 Right to choose a life partner

 Right to the dowry and ownership
 Right at the earnings of the spouse
 Right to claim divorce
 Right in the foster 17
Political Rights of Woman:

17
Dr. Fatima Nassif, Women's Rights and Duties, Maqtaba Dar Jeddah,( 1417 )AH p: 89& Abdul Hamid Alshoraby.,
The Political Rights of Women in Islam, Mansh Al Maarif , Askadiria ( 1414 AH) p: 55
51
The political status of Umul-Almomineen Hazrat Aisha )‫ (دیسۃاعئشہ‬is not hidden to anyone. She is truly a
role model for any political leader. For example, when she stood on the side of opponents of Hazrat
‫ت انباا بل‬
Ali bin Abi Talib ( ‫اط‬ ) after the martyr of the third Caliph, Hazrat Uthman-bin-Affan
18
(‫تامثعننبافعن‬ ) she led the people on her side in an efficient political way . Another, political role
model we find in the history is Madam Razia Sultna [1236 – 1240], daughter of Iltutmush. She was
the first female Muslim ruler of South Asia. She was a talented, wise, just and generous woman 19.
So we may summarize the political rights of woman in Islam as:
 Right to advise the guardian

 Right to advise the ruler
 Right to denounce the unjust ruler
 Right to shelter
 Right to monitor current events
 Right to claim her political rights and defend them
 Judicial Rights
 Right to pledge allegiance
 Right to participate in Jihad.
Financial and Economic Rights of women
Islam has bestowed a Muslim woman such financial and economical rights, which no other society,
culture or religion bestowed to her. Islam has given equal rights to Muslim male and female to
possess, mortgage and perform all types of contracts. She has sole right of her possession and men in
any relation or in any form cannot interfere her rights. Therefore, a Muslim woman can perform her
financial and economic affairs without any hindrance and restriction. She can dispose of her funds
with full discretion. She has the right to sell, purchase, lease and entrepreneurship, speculation and
other financial contracts as well as donation, charity, devotion and dedication which are performed to
seek the will of Almighty Allah.
Most prominent financial rights recognized by Islam for Women are outlined as under:
 Guaranty to the right to work according to Islamic guidelines.

 Economic eligibility.
 The right to alimony, dowry.
 The right to inheritance.
 Right to buy and sell.
 Right to dispose-of
 Right to own property
There are various other manifold rights of woman that are awarded by Islam. One cannot be fully
capable to elaborate these rights here. But today, the so called torch bearer of modern civilization
want to take woman to the pre-Islamic condition and culture which were the society of stagnant and
deprivation. These are intellectually deviated or unaware of the vision of Islam, they consider a
woman just a commodity by which woman has become a marketable and they are promoting their
18
Ibn Jarir al-Tabari ,Atarkh,Dar Al marif, 4 p: 456
19
Abdel Moneim Al Namar - The History of Islam in India - University Institute for Studies and Publishing - Beirut
-( 1401 AH) p: 11
52
trade through the advertisement of women. They reduce the role and importance of women given by
20
Islam and interpret and present the wrong picture of the rights of women given by Islam .
Checks on the legitimacy of woman‟s work
Islamic law does not prohibit woman from working, but it sets the limits and controls which suit and
benefit the community and its members:
 The work of woman creates a negative impact on family life

 To match their work to the nature of the female.
 Should not operate in accordance with the forbidden and illegal ways
Work Areas allowed for a Muslim woman
 In the call to Allah Almighty to perform religion duties

 The areas of science and public education
 In telemedicine for the treatment and woman‘s diseases and pregnancy and childbirth and
other.
In the area of household home economics
The Role of Woman in the establishment of Islamic civilization
No other religion but Islam has honored and dignified the role and importance of women. Islam has
declared the woman a counterpart of man. Islam says that one is the best who is more compassionate
to her family. Muslim woman have given the rights to foster, look after and best upbringing. She is
the delight of eyes, fruit of the heart of parents and brothers. When she grows up, she becomes
respectable and honorable. She is married with the recitation of the Verses of Almighty Allah and a
promise. The abode of her husband is the dearest and safest sanctuary for her. The husband is required
to look after her, respect her, and honor her and to solve all her problems. When she gives birth to a
child, the husband is ordained to treat her well. Almighty Allah has connected her right with His right
and declared her disobedient His own disobedient. When she is a sister, it is ordered to treat and
respect her well. When she is aunt, it is equal with mother in respect and reverence. When she is a
grandmother and aged one, her status and importance is increased in her sons, grandsons and in all her
relative. Neither her opinion is rejected nor denied. When she is away from kith and kin, Islam has
ordered to respect her, help her, guide her, not to trouble her and ask the Muslims men to lower their
eyes. Muslim society has always considered these rights fully. Owing to which the status and
importance of Muslim women has been restored. Whereas the non Muslim society is deprived of such
privileges.
Educational Role of Muslim woman
There is no doubt that the woman plays an important role in the upbringing of the child. Any teacher
or anyone else cannot replace them; the teacher can provide the child the outcome of the information
and knowledge through which an encyclopedia of knowledge may be prepared, but the effect a
women can give that a teacher or anybody else cannot produce. That is why the Islamic scholars have
urged to choose a woman who can play her role to upbringing the child. Moreover, it is necessary to
choose such a woman before marriage. Stressing upon the same point, they says that the upbringing of
a child should be before birth by choosing good mothers 21.
20
Muhammad Rashid Rida, the Rights of Women in Islam, Dar Al Turas (1405 AH)
p: 76 & Ahmad Husayn, Challenges for Muslim Women, Darul Al-Bukhari, Qassim, (1407 AH) p: 87
21
Abdullah Alwan, Raising children in Islam (401 AH), Darus Salaam PO: 65
53
Abu Aswad ad dualee ( ‫ )اوباالوسدادلویل‬said to his sons: ―I did well to you before your birth, in your
childhood, in your boyhood‖. His sons replied: ―How good was done to us before we were born‖? He
22
said: ―I chose best mother for you, due to whom you cannot be ridiculed in the society‖ .
This is one of the parent's first right on their children to choose such mother who are pious, chaste,
generous and can up bring their child well. They can resolve their affairs, they can have an eye upon
their religious affairs because a child inherits mother's individual, moral and spiritual qualities and
these qualities remain in his whole life.
It is necessary for a mother that she should equipped herself with educational and moral weapons to
up bring her child.
Physical Training:
This training begins in the womb of woman when she is pregnant. She fully diverts her attention
towards her child; she takes care of her nutrition. This exercise keeps going on till the birth of child.
The woman is held responsible in Islamic system to foster her child and other necessary affairs of new
born baby 23.
Mental Training
The concept of this training is to realize the reality of mental health. This is a fact that a constant
check is necessary upon the children to keep them healthy mentally. Neither they should be rebuked
too much nor should they be spared. In this way, the children are looked after and they enjoy good
health.24
Educational Training:
The mother is considered to be the first training institute of the children. She not only takes care of her
kids including physical and mental growth but also the moral and ethical training as well. Narated By
25
Abdullah ibn Amr ibn al-‘As: The Apostle of Allah (saw) said: Command your children to pray
when they become seven years old, and beat them for it (prayer) when they become ten years old; and
arrange their beds (to sleep) separately.
Mother is the only influencing factor of the children in early five years. She trains them to sit, to eat,
to drink and to behave in well mannered way. These habits remain with individual almost throughout
26
their lives.
CONCLUSION
With the down of Islam the position of Women was considerably enhanced. The ill treated and
degraded member of society was raised to a higher status. Islam does not differentiate between man
and woman in religious and legal matters. No doubt man and women have different roles to play in
society for which they are physically well equipped. Women have played an important role in Muslim
society where they trained their children as true Muslim. They trained their children to enjoin virtue
and to forbid from doing evil. Women played an important role in defending the shariat and taking
22
Al Jahiz, Alban waltebeen Darul Nashar Egypt, p. 2 / 89
23
Fouad Abdul Karim, women's issues at international conferences in the light of the critical study of Islam, a doctor
from the Faculty of Sharia, Riyadh, Jamia Al-Imam p: 489
24
Bahi Mohamed Al-Kholi, Islam and the modern woman, Dar ul Qalam. (1404 AH) p: 12
25
Abu Dawood, Hadith No:968,Dar us Salaam, Riyadh
26
Abu Dawood, Hadith No:968,Dar us Salaam, Riyadh
54
part in Jihad. Women have proved to be remarkable teachers of Shasiat and working for the welfare of
downtrodden.

55
SAUM
(FASTING)
Introduction
After Imaan, Salaah and Zakaah, the most important pillar of Islaam is Saum (Fasting) during the month of
Ramadhaan (the 9th month of the Islaamic calendar). Fasting in the month of Ramadhaan is amongst the
fundamentals of Islaam; one who denies its obligation goes out of the fold of Islaam. One who does not fast
during this month is a faasiq (an immoral and flagrant transgressor) of the highest degree. Such a faasiq
completely destroys his spirituality and morality.
"Saum" in Arabic, means to restrain and keep silence. The Holy Qur-aan defines "Saum" as "patience" too
which means "self-control, perseverance and determination". Thus Saum stands, according to Islam, for
guarding oneself against selfishness, sensual and carnal desires and protecting one's instinctive restraint and
perseverance. Food, drink and sexual relation between man and woman play very important role in human
life that usually destroys human values and merits if not checked. Regulating and keeping oneself away
from such human needs for a certain period is Saum. But according to Shar'ee terminology "Saum" means
conscious abstinence (of a Muslim) from food, drink and sexual intercourse from dawn to dusk with the
sole intention of worship. It is conditional for woman to be free from "Haiz-o-Nifaas" (menstruation and
discharge of blood of the child-birth) for the observance of fast.
The fasts of Ramadaan were made compulsory in the 2nd year of Hijrat when the believers had become
accustomed to the belief of "Tauheed" (monotheism), prayer and other Quranic injunctions. Ramadan is
fasting is a pious activity which is not only fard on the Ummah of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) but it was
also compulsory before prophet Muhammad (pbuh).
Allah Says in Quran: Surah Al-Baqrah Chapter#2 verse# 183

“O‟ ye who believe! Fasting is prescribed for you , As it was prescribed for those who preceded you,
That you may be reverent. (2:183)
The month of Ramzan has been fixed for fasting-this month being the month of revelation of the Holy
Quran. The word ‗Ramzan‘ has been derived from ―Ramz‖ meaning ―to burn‖ (to burn selfish desires).
There are also many other fastings in addition to fasting during Ramzan, but the Ramzan fasting is
obligatory and is of the highest importance.
Allah Says in Quran Surah Al-Baqarah Chapter#02 Verse#185

Ramadan is the (month) in which was sent down the Qur'an, as a guide to mankind, also clear (Signs)
for guidance and judgment (Between right and wrong). So every one of you who is present (at his
home) during that month should spend it in fasting, but if anyone is ill, or on a journey, the
prescribed period (Should be made up) by days later. Allah intends every facility for you; He does not
want to put to difficulties. (He wants you) to complete the prescribed period, and to glorify Him in
that He has guided you; and perchance ye shall be grateful.
Fasting means to abstain from eating, drinking, smoking and sexual intercourse from dawn to sunset. It is
fard (compulsory) on every Muslim who has reached puberty (i.e. has become baligh) to fast during the
month of Ramadan. Allah has made fasting Fard on us in the month of Ramadan because it keeps us away
from sins. Apart from many other advantages, fasting is extremely good for your health.
Significance of fasting
Fasting is an act of worship. Through it a person can learn a great deal and can discover many things about
him or her and others. During fasting a person will remember Allah all through the fasting day. A fasting
56
person will undergo a certain feeling inside; since abstaining from food and drink will make him or her
continually aware that he or she is obeying Allah through an injunction, an Islamic duty. This subtle form
of continuous remembrance of Allah is a manner of compliance to the order of Allah, a manner to
remember obedience to Him. In itself, this awareness is a manner of worship. Through fasting a person
develops a sense of peace and serenity inside, an assertive feeling of spirituality, and a positive feeling of
spiritual elevation. Through fasting a person also develops a feeling of closeness to Allah.
Fasting also enables a person to develop his capacity of self-control and self-denial whereby he learns to
master himself to a considerable extent. It is a form of self-denial whereby a person controls and masters
many of his wishes and desires, not only of eating and drinking, but many others. By so doing, a person
will discover many dormant powers within himself. He will discover that he does not have to be the slave
of the dictates of self, that his will is mightier than his desires and wishes. His will, therefore, is the one in
command.
Sahih Hadith
Narated By Abu Huraira : The Prophet said, “Whoever fasts in the month of Ramadan out of sincere
faith, and hoping for a reward from Allah, then all his previous sins will be forgiven." Volumn 003,
Book 031, Hadith Number 125. Sahih Bukhari
Through fasting we willingly and obediently sacrifice ourselves, since during the daytime we forego eating,
drinking, smoking, and sexual contact between the spouses. Fasting teaches us self-discipline, and in the
process we become the masters of ourselves for the love of Allah and out of obedience to Him:
Therefore, we learn patience, we feel calm, good, and pure inside. Not only that but during Ramadan we
become especially careful about our manners and conduct. We watch ourselves and try to reach the ideal of
being good. Ramadan is a great teacher, it teaches us to be good and helpful, to act and behave very well,
to be nice to people and not to talk behind their backs, to be accepting and not accusing, to be people of
patience, and to be very considerate.
One of the imperative factors of fasting is to restrain yourself not only from the eating and drinking but
from all the evil deed from minor to major.
There is a Sahih Hadith

Narated By Abu Huraira : The Prophet said, "Whoever does not give up forged speech and evil
actions, Allah is not in need of his leaving his food and drink (i.e. Allah will not accept his fasting.)"
Volumn 003, Book 031, Hadith Number 127. Sahih Bukhari
Objective of Fasting in Quran
The Holy Qur-aan has expounded the aims and objectives of the fast in three brief sentences:
1. That the believers should praise His (Allah's) "Kibriyaai" (Magnificence, Grandeur) and "Azmat"
(Greatness).
2. Be thankful to Him (Allah) on receiving Divine guidance that He lifted up the mankind to the
height of "Rif at-o- 'Izzat" (eminence and honour) from the depth of ignominy and disgrace.
3. That the believers may eschew evil deeds and "Taqvaa" (fear of Allah, piety) may develop in them.
Advantages of Fasting
Individual Advantages
(a) Sense of Worship
The first benefit of fasting is that acceptance and confession of Allah‘s sovereignty is ingrained in the
conscience of man. Person during the fasting submit his will/desires to Allah Almighty and for him
believing in GOD will not anymore metaphysical concept for him but it became the part of his life.
57
Allah Says in Quran in Surah Al-Baqrah Chapter # 02 Verse # 183

“O‟ ye who believe! Fasting is prescribed for you, As it was prescribed for those who preceded you,
That you may be reverent (gaining Taqwa-the fearness of God or the Righteousness of God).
Allah Says in Quran Surajh Al-Hujrat Chapter # 49 Verse # 13

“Verily, the most honorable of you with Allâh is that (believer) who has At-taqwa [i.e. he is one of the
Muttaqûn. Verily, Allâh is All-Knowing, All-Aware.”
From the above verse it is crystal clear that Allah will not judge the people by dress, by color or by race; it
is just Taqwa which lead a beliver very close to Allah Almighty. And fasting is one of the best religious act
to get Tqawa and be closer to God.
(b) Obedience of Commands
Fasting in the month of Ramadan will lead the believer very close to Almighty Allah, as believer restraining
his all desires and obeying the commandments of Allah. At whatever situation as u being hungry or thirsty,
you keep yourself away from all the needs of time only for the sake of Allah.
Allah has clearly described in the Quran that the month of Ramadan is a very merciful month for all
Muslims who obey the commands of Allah and keep fasting for the prescribed time, Fasting is not for make
you in the difficulties. If we read the Quran in Surah Al-Baqrah Chapter # 02 verse # 185
Allah Says “So every one of you who is present (at his home) during that month should spend it in
fasting, but if anyone is ill, or on a journey, the prescribed period (Should be made up) by days later.
Allah intends every facility for you; He does not want to put to difficulties. (He wants you) to
complete the prescribed period, and to glorify Him in that He has guided you; and perchance ye shall
be grateful.”
(c) Character Building
The third benefit of fasting is character building of a person on ideal lines. As we have mentioned above
that it has point out in Quran that fasting transport the whole life of man to the Fear of Allah—abstinence.
The basis of fasting is the feeling of subordination to Allah and a sense of responsibility. As we know that
fasting does not only means to give-up eating or drinking, fasting in complete whole it means to restrain
from all evil deeds. Nevertheless this practice influence the person to carry on avoiding the evil deeds even
after the month Ramadan that will really help us to improve in all sense morally, ethically and socially.
(d) Self Discipline
The system of Fasting has gained control over the most weaken desires of man like food and sex
indulgence. Fasting will become the primary practice to groom internally by your soul and gained control
upon your nafs.
Collective Benefits of fasting
(a) An Aura of Piety and Purity

The special benefit of fasting is the psychological state of mind of people which actually uplift the soul. It is
very common that if a person is following the any norm in society being acknowledged that he is the only
person subsequent to that particular action than but naturally will deprive for his action but in case whole
society is performing the same action at the same time will uplift the moral of people and they start help
each other. This is the same case with fasting, when whole society follows the same action fasting at the
same time this support all the people morally, ethically and socially and the persons those are not fasting
would also be attract to this noble act.

58
Month of Ramdhan is the month of virtue abstinence and purity in which virtue flourish and evil
suppressed. Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) has said same thing in hadith
Narated By Abu Huraira : Allah's Apostle said, "When the month of Ramadan starts, the gates of the
heaven are opened and the gates of Hell are closed and the devils are chained."
Volume 003, Book 031, Hadith Number 123. Sahih Bukhari
(b) Social Consciousness of Virtue
Second benefit of public ritual is that the natural and real unity is inculcated among the people, where
differences of language, race, tribe, caste and country cease to exist. These are the difference which causes
the homicide, war and roits are removed by universality of fasting. Fasting produce unity on the basis of
basis which is the superior over the unity by langue, race or location. In the month of Ramadan all Muslim
whether rich or porr, white or black they come together fast together, pray together Iftar together and
naturally bounding themselves in a unity of faith which lead tem to the success in this world as well as in
the hereafter.
(c) Mutual help
Love of Allah (swt) bound people to obey and fast in the month of Ramadan, as we have previously
depicted that month of Ramadan is the month of virtue, mercy and purity that brings people closer to each
other, by understanding the nature and basic problems of people around us.
It is mention in the Quran in Surah Al-Baqrah Chapter # 02 Verse # 184

“For those who can do it but with hardship, is a ransom, the feeding of the one that is in need; But he
that will give more, of his own free will, it is better of him.”
The gap stuck between rich and poor became fade, and to gain the mercy of Allah people spend in the way
of Allah especially to feed the poor and help them financially and morally.

59
Tawheed
(Oneness of God)
Introduction
Tawheed means to believe that Allah is the one and only God worthy of worship. It is sometimes
referred to as monotheism; however; in the purest sense in that no other entity can in any way have
the attributes or be equivalent or even in competition with Allah. All acts of worship that a person
does should be to Allah or for Allah Alone. For example, the prayer should only be to Allah etc.
Surah Al Anbiya Chapter #21 Verse #25

"And we did not send any Messenger before you (O Muhammad) but We inspired him (saying):
'There is none who has the right to be worshipped but I (Allah), so worship Me (Alone and none
else)."
Tawheed is the essence of Islam, it is the core of Islam, it is what Islam stands for, and it is the reason
why Allah created us. All prophets and messengers were sent with the message of Tawheed, the
Quran itself is a book of Taweed, and those who have a firm and correct belief in Tawheed will
indeed be the saved ones.
The Qur`an declares that “Nothing is like Him” (42:11). Allah is omniscient and all-powerful. All of
Allah‘s attributes belong to Him exclusively. He is the first and there is no last but His oneness. He is
the First without anything before Him. He is the Last without anything after Him. The end is with
Him alone, and He is the End. He is All-Existing: with him there is no end. Allah is now as He was
before. He is Eternal.
Significance of Tawheed
Tawheed is the essence of Islam and the mainspring of its strength. All other laws, beliefs and
commands of Islam stand firm on this foundation. Take it away, and there is nothing left of Islam.
Tawheed is the call of all the prophets to their people, it is mentioned in Qur‘an
Surah An Nahl Chapter#16 Verse #36

And verily, We have sent among every Ummah (community, nation) a Messenger
(proclaiming): "Worship Allah (Alone), and avoid (or keep away from) Taghut (all false deities
i.e. do not worship Taghut besides Allah)."
Tawheed is the only reason for the world's creation as Allah Says in Qu‘ran
Surah Adh Dheryat Chapter #51 Verse #56

And I (Allah) created not the jinn and mankind except that they should worship Me (Alone).
By declaring sincere belief in Tawheed, a disbeliever will become a Muslim. Conversely, a Muslim
will become a disbeliever (kafir) if he rejects any aspect of it. By Tawheed we achieve salvation from
Eternal punishment in the Hereafter, right guidance in this world, and forgiveness for sins. Tawheed is
only belief in Islamic ideology which does not have forgiveness of its rejection, means Allah will
never forgive that person who associate partner with Allah. Allah states in the Qur'an:
Surah Nisa Chapter #04 verse #48

Verily, Allah forgives not that partners should be set up with Him (in worship), but He forgives
except that (anything else) to whom He wills;

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There is a Sahih Hadith of Prohet Muhammad (‫)ﷺ‬
Volumn 009, Book 093, Hadith Number 470. Sahih Bukhari

------------------------------------------------------------------------
Narated By Mu'adh bin Jabal : The Prophet said,
"O Mu'adh! Do you know what Allah's Right upon His slaves is?"
I said, "Allah and His Apostle know best." The Prophet said,
"To worship Him (Allah) Alone and to join none in worship with Him (Allah).
Whoever fulfills Tawheed will be admitted to the Garden (Al-Jannah) in the Hereafter. The Prophet
Muhammad has stated: Verily Allah has promised that whosoever does not commit shirk shall enter
Al-Jannah (the Garden in the Heaven)
[Al-Bukhari)].
It is the reason for solving peoples' sadness because true happiness will be achieved if persons realize
Tawheed within their heart. They will also never feel psychologically enslaved even if physically
captive. It is the only reason for Allah's pleasure and rewards. In another aayah (verse) in the Qur'an
Allah says:
Surah Az Zumar Chapter#39 verse#7

If you disbelieve, then verily, Allah is not in need of you; He likes not disbelief for His slaves.
Disbelief is nothing but a manifestation of shirk which is the opposite of Tawheed. The acceptance of
all of one's religious deeds is based upon Tawheed. Allah states:
Surah Al-Imran Chapter #03 Verse #85

"Whoever accepts a religion other than Islam it shall be rejected by Allah and in the Hereafter
he will be among the losers"
Islam is nothing if not an embodiment of the belief in Tawheed. Tawheed prevents man from eternally
remaining in the Hellfire. The Prophet Muhammad stated in an authentic report: Whoever dies and
has so much as a mustard seed of faith in his heart shall enter Al-Jannah.
Effects of Tawheed on Personal Life (Individuals)
When an individual pronounces the testimony: "Ash-hadu allaa ilaaha illAllah wa ash-hadu anna
Muhammadar- Rasullullaah" (I testify that there is no god worthy of worship except Allah and
I testify that Muhammad‫ ﷺ‬is His Messenger), believing in it and acting upon it, he experiences a
noticeable change in his life. By understanding who his Lord is as well as the purpose of his creation,
he will be able to achieve success in this life and the next. This success emanates from the following
points:
(1) A believer in this testimony can never be narrow in outlook. He believes in Allah, Who is
the Creator of the heavens and the earth, the Master of the universe and its Sustainer. After
this belief, he does not regard anything in the world as a stranger to himself. He looks on
everything in the universe as belonging to the same Lord he himself belongs.
(2) This belief produces in man the highest degree of self-respect and self esteem. The
believer knows that Allah Alone is the Possessor of all power, and that none besides Him can
benefit or harm a person, or provide for his needs, or give and take away life or wield
authority or influence. This conviction makes him indifferent to, independent on, and fearless
of all powers other than those of Allah. He never bows his head in homage to any of Allah's

61
creatures, nor does he stretch out his hand before anyone else. He is not overawed by
anybody's greatness. This attitude of mind cannot be produced by any other belief.
(3) Along with self-respect, this belief also generates in man a sense of modesty and
humbleness. It makes him unostentatious and unpretending. A believer never becomes proud,
haughty or arrogant. The boisterous pride of power, wealth and worth can have no room in his
heart, because he knows that whatever he possesses has been given to him by Allah, and that
Allah can take away just as He can give. In contrast to this, an unbeliever, when he achieves
some worldly merit, becomes proud and conceited because he believes that his merit is due to
his own worth. In the same way, pride and self-conceit are a necessary outcomes and
concomitants of 'Shirk' (association of others with Allah in worship), because a polytheist
believes that he has a particular relation with deities, which does not exist between them and
other people.
(4) This belief makes man virtuous and upright. He has the conviction that there is no other
means of success and salvation for him except purity of soul and righteousness of
behavior. He has perfect faith in Allah Who is Above all needs, is related to none and is
absolutely Just. This belief creates in him the consciousness that unless he lives rightly and
acts justly, he cannot succeed. No influence or underhand activity can save him from ruin.
(5) The believer never becomes despondent. He has a firm faith in Allah Who is The Master of
all the treasures of the earth and the heavens, Whose grace and bounty have no limit and
Whose power is infinite. This faith imparts to his heart extraordinary consolation, fills it with
satisfaction and keeps it filled with hope. Although he may be met with rejection from all
sides in this world, faith in and dependence on Allah never leave him, and on that strength he
goes on struggling. Such profound confidence can result from no other belief than belief in
Allah Alone.
(6) This testimony of faith inspires bravery in man. There are two things which make a man
cowardly:
(a) Fear of death and love of safety, and
(b) The idea that there is someone else besides Allah who can take away life, and that man-
by adopting certain devices- can ward off death. Belief in 'Laa ilaaha illAllah'' blocks and
drives away both these ideas. The first idea goes out of his mind because he knows that
his life and his property and everything else really belong to Allah, and he becomes ready
to sacrifice his all for the pleasure of Allah. He gets rid of the second idea because he
knows that no weapon, no man or animal has the power of taking away his life; Allah
alone has the power to do so. A time has been ordained for him, and all the forces of the
world combined cannot take away anyone's life before that time. It is for this reason that
no one is braver than the one who has faith in Allah. Nothing can daunt him: not even the
strongest tempest of adversity and the mightiest of armies.
(c) The belief in 'Laa ilaaha illAllah' creates an attitude of peace and contentment,
purges the mind of jealousy, envy and greed, and keeps away the temptations of resorting
to base and unfair means for achieving success. The believer understands that wealth is in
Allah's hands, and He apportions it out as He Wills; that honor, power, reputation and
authority - everything - is also subjected to His Will, and He bestows them as He Wills;
and that man's duty is only to endeavor and to struggle fairly.
Effects of Tawheed on Collective Life (Social)
Belief in one God has deep impact on the social life of man. This is certain that the basis of social and
collective life is based on justice and equality, and perfect justice and equality is not possible without
the concept of one God and unity of mankind.

62
Tawheed in Islam is that it implies the equity and unity of all people in their relation with Allah. Thus,
people of different social strata were not created by separate deities with varying levels of power,
since this would violate Tawheed by putting barriers between them. Instead, social dimension of
Tawheed states that the same Allah created everyone, and so all people have the same fundamental
essence. In fact, the noblest person in Allah‘s Sight is the one who is most Allah-conscious. It is
mentioned in Quran
Surah Al Hujrat Chapter #49 Verse #13

O mankind! We created you from a single (pair) of a male and a female, and made you into
nations and tribes, that ye may know each other (not that ye may despise (each other). Verily
the most honoured of you in the sight of Allah is (he who is) the most righteous of you. And
Allah has full knowledge and is well acquainted (with all things).
Prophet Muhammad (pbuh )said: ―Your Lord is One. You are from Aadam and Aadam was created
from dust. An Arab is not superior to a non-Arab, nor a white person over a black person, except for
his/her piety and righteousness.‖
We know that all religions in the world preach peace, but even we witnessed violence, destruction of
civilization and values human society. It is just because of that nations in the world are not united on
one base, they have their own different religion, different God, that is the most focal point which
serve as the basic block of violence and destruction. Tawheed is only solution for the whole humanity
to bring and maintain peace in the world.
Past Paper CSS Questions on Tawheed
Q: Define Tawheed in a scholarly manner describing its significance and effects on human life.
(2001)
Q: Explain the belief of Tawheed in scholarly manner describing its effects on human life.
(2004)
Q: Identify the importance of the concept of "Tawheed" and explain the practical results of this
principle on the private as well as public aspects of the human life. (2007)

63
The way forward for the Muslim Ummah

Current Situation
The Muslim World, as its stands today, is characterized by paradoxes and contradictions. We have Muslim
nations that are resource rich but economically poor and weak. Despite the bounty of Allah SWT, the majority of
the Muslim masses live in poverty, amidst plenty for a selected few.
In the last 100 years, we saw the Muslim Ummah tumble from the heights of the Ottoman Empire to, at one stage,
becoming colonial servants of non-Muslim masters. Towards the end of the last century, we did witness the
liberation of Muslim countries, one by one, from the shackles of colonialism, culminating in the independence of
the Central Asian Muslim Nations. We have seen the gradual economic improvement of some of the Muslim
countries, and the dependence of the world on the mineral and natural resources of Muslim nations.
And yet, despite our newfound independence, and despite our divinely blessed resources and natural abundance,
we continue to be a disparate assortment of third world countries.
Some comparative figures will indicate how really weak we are. Latin America and Asia have shifted away from
reliance on exporting natural resources towards manufacturing and services. The Middle East, however, still
depends on oil. Today, the United States imports about US$5 billion worth of manufactured goods and farm
products from the twenty two members of the Arab League, Afghanistan and Iran combined. This amount is
equivalent to 50% of the imports of the United States from Hong Kong alone. The combined non-oil exports of
Middle Eastern and North African countries is about US$40 billion per year, which is lower than that of Finland.
For all the talk of diversifying away from oil, Saudi Arabia has only two main exports: crude oil and related gas
based petro- chemicals. Together, they comprise 80% of the total annual revenue of the country.
The population of Middle East is young and growing, having doubled to 300 million from 170 million in 1990.
Meanwhile, its place in the world economy has shrunk. In 1980, Muslim countries in the Middle East controlled
13% of world exports and received almost 5% of direct investments. Today the figures are barely 3% of world
exports and 1.5% of investment. In short, the Middle East has a growing share of the world's population and a
shrinking share of its economy. The unemployment in the Middle East averages about 20%, and young people are
entering the labour force faster than jobs are being created. During the 1990s, the sluggish economy and
joblessness also led to an increase in poverty. Some 30% of the population lives on less then US$2 a day.
Economic prosperity and development go hand-in-hand with a certain amount of individual freedom. It is about
creating an environment where people can participate in deciding their economic and social futures. It is about
creating opportunities for everyone to pursue their hopes and dreams. Unfortunately, in much of the Muslim
World, the people generally do not have a voice in the development process that touches their lives. This is true
particularly for women.
Knowledge-related economic activity is an important measure of development. The Middle East and North
African countries have the lowest score in the world with regard to the number of web sites and Internet users, the
most basic indicators in the global knowledge economy. A recent survey also revealed that the Middle Eastern
countries have one of the worst scores with regard to the reading habit. Apart from religious books, a large section
of the people do not read any knowledge-based books or articles at all.
Since the early 1980s, much of the Muslim world is suffering a crisis of identity, as the crumbling of the Islamic
Civilization in the modern age has left Muslims with a profound sense of alienation and injury. Challenges
confronting many Muslim nations - failures of development projects and the inability to respond effectively to the
Israeli belligerence have induced deep-seated frustration.
A Possible Hikmah

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The present dire state of the Ummah, undoubtedly a tragedy, could, however, also turn out to be a hikmah for the
Ummah, if it can renew, once again, our search for a New Order based on Islam. The renewed quest for our
destiny should make us more conscious of our ideological and historical identity, and should bring us back to the
original source of our success â€― Islamic beliefs and values. Deriving spiritual and intellectual strength from our
rich Islamic traditions, we have the potential to climb out of the dark abyss that we now find ourselves in.
We have seen in history that periods of crises often blossom into periods of creative thinking. Today, as the post-
1945 world order appears to be crumbling, we could be again in such a period of crisis and creativity. To move
forward in unity towards a period of peace and prosperity, as well as physical and spiritual well-being,
particularly in the vastly complicated world of today, with its inherently anti- Islamic bias, we need to think
outside the box and initiate changes, some of which would be more in the nature of revolutionary rather than
evolutionary. The task at hand is, undoubtedly, difficulty, but if we set our minds and hearts to it, and display a
new freshness in our thinking, we should be able to meet the challenge.
We have only to look back into our own past, where a small group of people in Medina who, despite being
surrounded to the North, West, and East, by mighty superpowers, were able to courageously spread Islamic
influence across three continents. Surely, our task is much easier compared to challenges, which the early
Muslims in Medina faced. We still have with us today the same source of inspiration and wisdom that launched
the Muslim Empire. While we are materially and physically poor, our moral principles and spiritual strength are
fairly intact. What we need now is the will to unite and act decisively to regain our dignity.
It is clear that we the Muslim Ummah must once again rely on ourselves. Many attempts in the past have been
made to unite the Muslims politically. We have formed the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC) as a forum
and platform to have a common voice. Yet, when one of OIC members is attacked by some external force, we can
only watch helplessly. Indeed, the OIC has not been able to move beyond being a talking-shop because the
Muslim Ummah is not united and does not appear to have the political will or the mechanism to strengthen itself.
Trade
One solution to our predicament is trade, which was always the cementing factor between Muslim countries even
from the earliest days of the Rightly Guided Caliphs. While the armies opened the way through military and
political conquest, it was the traders and trade routes that maintained and bound the ties between nations.
Furthermore, the Muslim Empire was self-sufficient in every respect, spices from the Malay Archipelago, textiles
from India, musk from the Middle East. Practically anything that was needed could be sourced from within the
Islamic Empire.
To disable the Muslim Empire, the West knew that it had to begin a systematic process of disintermediation.
Instead of going through Constantinople and the Middle-East, Europe started to trade on its own with the Far East
and India by sailing around the Cape of Good Hope. The British, Dutch and Portuguese "trading" ships sailed into
the region, heavily guarded by warships to "trade" with the East, as an early manifestation of gunboat diplomacy.
In so doing, they achieved a double success. Firstly, they disrupted the trade relations between the Far-East and
the Middle-East, and secondly reduced the wealth, importance and significance of the Middle East as the centre of
a vibrant trading system, strategically located on all the major trading routes. This strategy of course extended to
other parts of the Muslim World, as well as the Non- Muslim World, such as Africa and China.
Education
As the West grew in material wealth, they also grew in military might. They used the new found scientific
methodologies not for peace but to build better ships and more destructive weaponry in order to dominate
unsuspecting weaker nations. Through the oppressive force of colonisation, they also dealt a deadly blow to the
Islamic education system.

65
The balanced and creative approach of Islamic education was killed off. The spirit of Islamic learning was
replaced by a sanitised "non-threatening" approach. Gone was the inquisitiveness to learn of God's creation and
sciences; gone was the boldness to create and innovate for the betterment of mankind. Since the soul of Islam
itself had been extracted out the equation, the study of the physical sciences was soon equated with materialism
by colonised Muslims, resulting in a general aversion to the sciences.
Through systematic propaganda and disinformation, the Muslim's respect for his own religion and brotherhood
was destroyed. All references to Islam's glorious and rich historical and cultural heritage were replaced with
Western Civilisation's historical successes, with the objective of creating a sense of inferiority among the
colonised Muslims. To confuse and distort the true unity of the Ummah, multiple names were created for
Muslims: Moors, Moghuls, Saracens, Mohammedans. Where possible, the colonisers sowed seeds of discord
among Muslim groups. They exaggerated differences between different schools of thought in Islam. They fanned
the flames of animosity and provided us with the necessary arms to kill each other.
Through this systematic dismemberment of Muslim countries, the unity and the potency of the Muslim Ummah
had been weakened. By the turn of the 20th century, Muslims had been materially and spiritually weakened, cut
from each other both economically and militarily. Muslims were powerless to help each other.
In summary, the Muslim Ummah has been weakened through four major fronts:
- Economic weakening through the intermediation and control of trade;

- Destruction of the balanced approach of the Islamic education system, which had always stressed on the
indistinguishable blend of both material and spiritual knowledge;
-Weakening of Muslim confidence in Islam and the brotherhood of Islam through propaganda and
misinformation; and
-Militarily weakening the Muslims by discouraging Muslim military alliances and instead creating artificial
enemies among each other.
Halt the decline
Having identified the method in which the Ummah was systematically divided and weakened, it is quite possible
that we can reverse the process and once again reunite and strengthen the Ummah through a rebuilding process.
This process would include re-establishing trade and Islamic financial and economic systems; restructuring the
current education system by infusing it with Islamic pedagogical or learning methods that encourage creativity
and curiosity; rebuilding morale among the Ummah and reconstructuring a Muslim view of the world; and
rediscovering the legendary Muslim military genius. We need to keep reminding ourselves self-sufficiency is not
impossible. In terms of labour, the 1.3 billion Muslims account for at least 20% of the world's population. The
Ummah live in a compact and contiguous block stretching from the Atlantic to the Pacific Oceans (The Muslims
occupy a strategic geographical position occupying the central regions of the earth with some of the most fertile
and resource rich lands. Major air, sea and trading routes pass through Muslim territories. Certainly, the Muslim
world can once again be self reliant. All we need is the will to do it and the commitment and stamina to see it
through.
Increase trade among Muslim nations
In Islamic history, we have seen that trade not only united Muslims, it was also a very important means of
spreading Islam. It was perhaps no accident that the Holy Prophet s.a.w. was born in Makkah, a major centre of
trade in the Arabian Peninsula at that time. When Islam took root in the Arabian Peninsular, trade was the main
vehicle for dakwah activities for the spread of Islam from Andalusia in Spain to the Cape of Good Hope in Africa
and to the Malay Peninsula. The volume of trade among Islamic countries, before the Western colonization began,
was indeed at a very healthy level.

66
It was through traders that Yathrib learnt of the new faith called Islam, thereby opening the way for the Hjira and
establishment of Medina. During the Caliphate era, apart from conquered lands, Islam was spread by the good
words and deeds of the trader, or by mubalighs that the traders brought with them. So strong was the bond
between trade and Islam that when the Ming emperor of China wanted to establish trading relations with this
region, he sent a Muslim, Admiral Muhammad Cheng Ho, to open the way.
While it is true that, at a political and strategic level, having a central Caliphate was a point of unity for the
Muslims, on an everyday and business level, it was trade that mainly formed the bonds of unity between Muslim
communities. And the backbone behind the ease and continuance of trade was a common currency, based on gold
and silver, the dinar and dirham. We had, in fact, a powerful de facto trading block.
Thus, today, although many people may associate the lack of political unity with the lack of unity among the
Muslim communities, one may also point out that the lack of unity among the Muslim communities is due to the
fact that we have stopped trading with each other as much as we used to during the zenith of our Muslim
Civilization.
The total exports of the OIC countries in 2000 was US$50.7 billion of which US$52 billion (10%) was to other
OIC countries. The total imports of the OIC countries in 2000 was US$406 billion, of which US$ 56 billion
(13%) was from other OIC countries. In terms of total trade, the figures imply that we trade about 8 times more
with non-OIC countries than with OIC countries.
As a result of the hurdles left by our colonial invaders and masters, we find ourselves today trading through
Europe or through some third non-Muslim country. We note that for much of history, the Middle East was the
commercial and intellectual bridge between Asia and Europe. It was among the most cosmopolitan regions of the
world, the birthplace of religions and alphabets and the repository and laboratory for knowledge of all fields.
Today it is painfully clear that the main roads of international trade have by-passed the Muslim Middle East.
If we can begin to trade among ourselves, without using the Western countries as intermediaries, we can bring
about greater prosperity to the Muslim nations.
Gold Dinar Proposal
One effective way of increasing intra-OIC trade is by way of the gold dinar mechanism, that has been proposed
by Malaysia, and discussed in a number of international forums. Under the proposed gold dinar mechanism, the
domestic currencies will not be replaced, at least not initially. The domestic currencies (e.g. Ringgit) will continue
to be used for domestic transactions in the respective countries. The gold dinar will be used only for external trade
among the participating countries.
Initially, the gold dinar may not exist in physical form. It will merely be defined in terms of gold. For example, if
one gold dinar is equivalent to one ounce of gold, and the price of one ounce of gold is say at US $300, then the
value of one gold dinar will be US$300 or equivalent in other currencies, on the basis of the prevailing exchange
rates.
The actual settlement for trade can be by way of the transfer of equivalent amount of gold. It will not be a
physical transfer of gold from one country to another, but a transfer of beneficial ownership in the gold
custodian's account. Where it is not possible to transfer the gold, payment can be made by way of an equivalent
amount in other acceptable currencies, but this should be the exception rather than the rule.
Encourage grater capital flows
According to conservative estimates, there are at least USD 1 trillion of Middle Eastern, mostly Muslim-owned,
funds sitting in Western financial centres (New York, London and Switzerland). There is about US$700 billion of
Saudi money in the United States alone. Some of the Middle Eastern funds in the United States have now been

67
frozen. The Muslim world has within it countries with large capital surpluses as well as countries which face
acute capital deficit. It is, therefore, our collective duty to build bridges to intermediate the flow of funds among
the Muslim nations.
As part of our effort to attract at least some of the funds that are sitting in Western banks to be invested in the
Muslim countries for productive purposes, we need first to analyse the mobility of these funds, i.e. we need to
understand the pull and push factors that motivated these funds to be move to the West in the first place. The pull
factors are quite clear: the West provided a better infrastructure for investment, in terms of rule of law, level
playing field, ease of doing business, investment opportunities, range and sophistication of products, privacy and
security and freedom in lifestyle.
The push factor was that the Muslims with surplus funds did not have confidence in their own countries or regions
in terms of the safety (let alone profitability) of their investments.
Some of the previous pull factors have now been reserved. Some funds, identified as charities for example, are
most vulnerable to asset freezing. Others, however, are already well integrated and entrenched, such as
investments by Al Walid and Al Fayed, and would most likely not be mobile. Most investments would be
somewhere in between.
To organize the flow of capital from surplus to deficit countries within the OIC, we need to find a formula, which
would ensure that the investors will have the confidence that their investments are safe and profitable. In order to
do this, we need a few centres within the OIC to act as a point of intermediation between the investors and the
potential recipients of investments. The investors' risk will be against the intermediaries only.
The countries, within the OIC, which can start-off as intermediaries are Malaysia, Bahrain and Dubai (United
Arab Emirates).Other OIC countries will be included as they develop their financial system. The following factors
are necessary for any country to qualify for the role of intermediaries: -
(1) Wide range of products to meet varying risk-return appetite - from very conservative to high risk
(2) A good system of rule of law
(3) Adequate infrastructure - physical and business
(4) Competitive cost of doing business
(5) Good business ethics
(6) Protection of privacy and secrecy
(7) Allow freedom in lifestyle and culture
To facilitate and accelerate the process of investment and capital flows from surplus Muslim countries to deficit
Muslim countries, an important element would be the development of a viable Islamic financial system. This is
because the Western financial system of maximizing short term profit is, in the long run, crises-prone and results
in unnecessary social pain and destruction of wealth during the boom and bust cycles.
External Reserves Management
Consider this: the economy of the United States has significant structural imbalances and yet it continues to be
considered a strong economy. The answer to this paradox lies in the role of the US dollar as a reserve currency
and as a petro-currency. The role as a reserve currency and the role as a petro-currency do overlap to some extent,
but for purposes of clarity, we will explain them separately.
Role of US dollar as a reserve currency
World trade is now a game in which the US produces dollars and the rest of the world produces things that the US
dollars can buy. The world's interlinked economies no longer trade to capture a comparative advantage; they
compete in exports to capture needed dollars to service dollar- denominated foreign debts and to accumulate

68
dollar reserves to sustain the exchange value of their domestic currencies. To prevent speculative and
manipulative attacks on their currencies, the world's central banks must acquire and hold dollar reserves in
corresponding amounts to their currencies in circulation. The higher the market pressure to devalue a particular
currency, the more dollar reserves its central bank must hold. This creates a built-in support for a strong US
dollar, which in turn forces the world's central banks to acquire and hold more dollar reserves, making it even
stronger. This phenomenon is known as the dollar hegemony.
Role of US dollar as a petro-currency
As the international reserve currency, the US dollar has assumed the role of fiat currency for global oil
transactions (i.e. petro-dollars). The United States prints hundreds of billions of these fiat petro- dollars, by
issuing Treasury bills and bonds without any backing of wealth, made possible by its unilateral departure in 1973
from the Gold Standard of the Bretton Woods System. These dollars are then used by nation states to purchase
oil/energy from OPEC producers (and other non-OPEC producers as well). These petro-dollars are then recycled
from OPEC back into the United States, via Treasury bills or other US dollar denominated assets. In essence,
global oil consumption provides a subsidy to the economy of the United States.
The US dollar's dominance as a reserve currency, as well as currency for world trade, particularly oil trade, is all
that permits the US Treasury to sustain the nation's massive deficit, as it can print inflation free money for global
circulation.
Proposed Strategy
We need to formulate a strategy to remove the role of the dollar as the international reserve currency, as well as its
role as the petro-currency. The following is suggested: -
(i) Muslim nations must instruct their central banks and large corporations to convert the bulk of their US$
holdings into assets denominated in Euro, and perhaps even yen.
(ii) The OPEC countries must take action to denominate the oil trade in Euro, instead of denominating it in US
dollars.
(iii) The Muslim nations must attempt to use Euro as the currency of denomination when they trade among
themselves.
(iv) The Muslim nations must persuade Europe to denominate its trade with Muslim nations in Euro, and persuade
Japan to denominate its trade with Muslim nations in yen.
Review concept of external reserves
The four measures suggested above could serve as effective short-term measure but, in the longer run, we need to
evaluate the whole concept of the management of external reserves. In the context of the present international
financial architecture, the way the instrument of external reserves functions is extremely unjust to all nations,
except for the countries whose currencies qualify as external reserves. This system has a strong bias toward
instability and is crisis prone. It forces countries, other than the reserve currency countries (mainly United States)
to accumulate increasingly large amounts of foreign exchange reserves. This money, which is mainly invested in
US Treasury Bills, finances the over- consumption of the United States.
The US Treasury bills currently offer a yield of less than 3% p.a. while the return on the investment by many
developing countries in their own economy could be between 10% to 20% p.a.
We have a very peculiar system in place - the theory is that rich countries should be sending capital to poor
countries, but under the current system, it is the poor countries that are sending capital to the rich countries.

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On a macro-level, this system of external reserves results in a deflationary bias, given that the income that is not
spent increases by US$ 150 to 200 billion a year. The only offset to that deflationary bias is the progressively
higher consumption of the American consumers.
Let us look at this mechanism from the view point of developing countries. The central banks in these countries
are the custodians of external reserves. An important factor that leads to the accumulation of external reserves in
the central banks is what is known as a favourable balance of payments. However, if we think carefully we will
realize that a favourable balance of payments is not necessarily favourable! This is due to the fact that, by
definition, a favourable balance means that the country has exported or given away more in real goods and
services than it has imported or received. The so-called surplus is represented by payment in foreign exchange,
i.e. money held in some foreign country. In other words, the external reserves representing our national savings
also represent a form of lending money to the countries in which the savings are deposited, whether in the form of
bank balances or some other financial instruments. And the country which is the biggest depository of the external
reserves of nations is the United States.
By so lending, we have not only allowed the rich, developed, reserve currency countries to enjoy the fruits of our
labour , talent, intellectual capital, natural resources, and sacrificed consumption - we have also provided the
depository countries with the resources to finance the expansion of their own companies (including companies
that produce weapons used to kill Muslims) and the growth of their own economies. We welcome investments
from abroad, with sometimes undue and abject gratitude, when, ironically, some, at least, of the foreign funds
would have been recycled from our own savings.
The national savings of the Muslim countries provide a significant portion of the pool of funds which constitute
the foundation of the international capital markets centred in the currency countries. The more we retain our
savings in those reserve currency countries, the more we empower them to wield their financial muscle, often
with arrogance and disrespect and insensitivity.
We need to be vigilant that, when we accept payment from foreign buyers of our goods and services and then put
the money back with their bankers, the foreigners as a whole would not have paid us anything. These indirect
credits mean that they, as a group, could continue ad infinitum to take more real goods and services from us than
we from them. We are effectively helping to maintain and even enhance their standard of living, while holding
back on the living standards of our developing countries.
How do we get out of this inequitable system of external reserves? We need to do the following:
· Remove substantially the factors that requires nations to hold high levels of external reserves; and
· For that minimum amount of external reserves that need to be held, we should hold them mainly in liquid
financial assets of Muslim nations.
Reduction of external reserves to minimum level
There are two main reasons why nations hold external reserves, namely:-
· To finance their imports of goods and services;

· To ensure stability of their currencies i.e. to prevent volatile movements in the value of their currencies due to
seasonal demand or speculative attack.
Regarding the first point of financing imports and services, countries which consistently have favourable balances
of payments would not, by definition, require to hold a large amount of external reserves. On the other hand,
countries which do not ordinarily have favourable balances of payments would have to build up external reserves
(even by way of borrowing foreign currency denominated loans) to fund their imports.

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We need to structure the international trade of Muslim countries in such a way that the need to hold external
reserves for trade purposes is minimized. The proposed Gold Dinar mechanism would achieve this objective, as
an important objectives of the Gold Dinar proposal is to bring about trade between countries.
Regarding the second point on the need to hold external reserves to support domestic currencies against volatile
fluctuations, a possible solution is to set up a monetary fund among Muslim nations along the lines of the Asian
Monetary Fund that was proposed in 1997/1998, but squashed by the US Treasury.
Investment of external reserves
Irrespective of the actions taken to reduce the holding of external reserves by Muslim countries, some external
reserves will certainly need to be held for prudential purposes. A portion of these reserves can be invested in
Muslim countries themselves. For this purpose, we need to structure a regional bond market among Muslim
countries which would have depth and liquidity.
Conclusion
We need to restructure the system of external reserves management in such a way as to enable Muslim nations to
achieve a higher standard of living, social justice and greater economic and political stability.
Promote education
Investment in education, along with basic health services, offers the highest potential returns on development
spending. A large part of the continued weakness of the Ummah lies in our low literacy and low educational
achievement rates. The illiteracy rate in Afghanistan in 1998 for example was a massive 65%. This obviously
contributes to the failure of the Ummah to master science and technology and makes it difficult to be
economically competitive. Among the areas which we can pursue are as follows: -
(a) Basic education: As part of development finance, the poorest Muslim countries need to build basic educational
facilities that will be provided free of charge to its population. This will cover primary and secondary education,
not unlike Malaysia's experience in building its basic educational infrastructure in the 1960s and 1970s.
(b) Reach of education: There is a need to extend educational facilities to girls as a large part of the illiteracy in
the Ummah is among women. Over and above the role of women in Muslim societies as economic agents (i.e. as
workers, and consumers), they are also the nurturers of the next generation, and hence they themselves need to be
educated first. Educating girls and women also removes an inherent injustice in our societies today.
(c) Content of education: Our educational thinkers need to sit down and come to a broad consensus as to what is
the body of knowledge that we Muslims require for not just the next world but just as important to redeem
ourselves in this world. Hence, in addition to the study of the religious texts and values, we need to master science
and technology, medicine, English language, economics and finance.
(d) Tertiary education and centers of excellence: In tertiary education, the centers of excellence are currently in
the West. We need to take a multi-pronged strategy in this regards as follows: -
(i) Continue to send our best students abroad to these centers. These graduates should be encouraged to live and
learn in the West, while keeping close to the tenets of Islam.
(ii) Developing centers of excellence within the Muslim world. For example, the International Islamic University
in Malaysia UIA could be the designated center of excellence for the study of Islamic economics, Indonesia for
development finance and Saudi Arabia for oil studies.
(iii) Promote close cooperation between and within (i) and (ii) above. Among the mechanisms could be
professional networks, research grants, visiting fellowships, specific research and applied research projects.

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(iv) Promote greater linkages between academia, industry and knowledge management. A common weakness
among our tertiary institutions is a disconnect with the real world. We should consciously combine efforts on
other fronts (say Islamic finance or food security) by working through with designated tertiary institutions of
higher learning and think tanks and consulting companies specializing in the specific areas.
Since the failure of the education system was one of the significant causes of the fall of the Ummah, we need to
redouble our efforts to provide good education to the younger generation of the Ummah. Such an education
should emphasize the sciences and mathematics and the learning of international languages and the development
of critical minds. The old emphasis of merely concentrating on religious studies and forsaking the sciences has
resulted in weakening the Ummah, and we need to quickly abandon such an approach.
Islamic Union to replace OIC
Given recent world developments, it has become a matter of urgency for the Ummah to consolidate and tighten its
bonds of cooperation. While the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC) in its original structure was a good
organisation to share views and discuss matters of common interest, it is clear that the needs of the Ummah now
go beyond discussions and ad-hoc actions. From being a talk-shop the OIC must transform itself into a work-
shop.
The United Nations, while having supposedly noble intentions, has often acted chauvinistically and failed
miserably to defend the rights of not just the Palestinians but Muslims in general throughout the world. With the
invasion of Iraq, the U.S. and Britain have betrayed the world and revived the vices of colonialism and military
aggression for economic gain.
It is, therefore, a matter of urgency for the Ummah to restructure the OIC and in the process create its own
Commonwealth, its own United Nations of Islam, not as a loose discussion forum, but as a cohesive union, bound
by trade and economics. It should not be run as a country club with an easy- going atmosphere. Instead it must
have a sense of urgency and mission. It must be run as a professional organisation with clear objectives and time-
frames. It should be proactive rather than reactive; it must facilitate rather than hinder. The new organisation must
be nimble and fast moving; what the OIC achieved in a year, the new organisation must achieve in a few months.
And above all, it must have the full support, cooperation and participation of each and every Muslim nation.
The broad objectives of the Islamic Union must be to bring about self reliance among the Ummah in various
fields, including economics, trade and capital flows, as well as to strengthen the Ummah economically, socially
and intellectually. With a united and economically strong Ummah, we can resist the imperialistic agendas of our
enemies.
Summary and Conclusion
There is undoubtedly a need for the Ummah to reorganize itself urgently to meet the challenges of the emerging
New World Order. Doing nothing in the face of the imminent threats is no longer an option. The following
measures are, therefore, recommended: -
(i) Restructure the OIC into an Islamic Union so that we would have an effective platform for the implementation
of an action oriented program to strengthen the Ummah.
(ii) Strengthen the mechanism of trade among Muslim nations to ensure greater self-reliance and self-sufficiency
of the Ummah. The Gold Dinar proposal is an important element in this strategy.
(iii) Promote greater investment and capital flow from surplus Muslim countries to deficit Muslim countries. Use
the Islamic financial system to achieve this objective.
(iv) Emphasize education as a core activity in our Agenda for the strengthening of the Ummah.

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Given the imminent and multiple threats facing the Ummah, there needs to be a sense of urgency in implementing
the necessary measures to unite and strengthen the Ummah.
Essay-Pakistan Affairs-Islamiat

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WHAT IS RELIGION?
Religion has always been with us. Throughout history, it has expressed the deepest questions human
beings can ask, and it has taken a central place in the lives of virtually all civilizations and cultures.
As we think all the way back to the dawn of human consciousness, we find religion everywhere we
turn.
Religion has been defined in different ways by different philosophical thinkers. The following
definition seems to be nearest to truth: "Religion includes a world-vision, a daring belief, a set of
absolute obligations, a range of imaginative, emotional and practical experience that is denied to the
non- religious mind. It is an interpretation of the universe, of both Nature and history; it is an
answer in ultimate terms to the torturing difficulties which we compendiously call problems of life;
and it is a way of living which with that interpretation is both noble and rational and both theoretical
and practical. How theoretical it can be is evident from the volume and difficulty of theology. How
practical it can be is evident from History."
Viewing the problem from the side of the practical aspects of human life, the function of religion is
integration. It integrates the different aspects of the life of the individual. It integrates the life of the
individual with the lives of other individuals. It integrates the life of the individual with the life of
the cosmos. It integrates the life of the individual and the society with the Divine Scheme of
Creation.
Revealed and Non Revealed Religion
One distinction between revealed Religion and man-made Philosophy is that the former supplies
sure knowledge of the ultimate values, while the latter does not and cannot. The other distinction is
that the former orientates life in spiritual values (which refer to God and our personal relation with
Him) while the latter stops, and must necessarily stop, at the level of reasons, keeping us totally at a
loss as regards the vaster and more fundamental domain of the spirit. The third distinction is that
while the outlook of philosophy is essentially theoretical, the outlook of Religion is essentially
practical.
Why We Need Religion
Religion gives us moral values and answers the questions that cannot be addressed by science.
Religion has been an important place in the history of civilization. It gives a meaning and purpose to
human life and satisfies man's longing for peace and salvation. Religion has been defined as ―the
relationship between man and the super Natural power (GOD) he believes in and depends upon‖.
The goal of religion is getting in tune with the infinite. Moreover, the philosophy of religion is
neither ceremony, nor ritual, nor going to the temple, but an inner experience to submit his will to
God. Religion consists of a number of beliefs relating to reality which cannot be proved by science,
such as, does God exit? What happens after death? How did we come into existence? Why are we
here? What is the purpose of life? Religion helps to extend the view of an individual beyond our
dimensions.
There was a discussion about the need of Religion? Some argue that why we have to follow a
religion? Why not to follow good things focusing on humanism. A counter question can be the reply
of this question that who is going to define what is good and what is bad for human? We know that
in different countries we have different level of modesty for instance in USA wearing mini squirts is
modest but here in Pakistan it would be consider immodest, same like the pardah system in Islam is
modest here in Pakistan but and considerable good in USA. That means human cannot be lay

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themselves on one platform and will bring their own laws which in reality are dangerous for
mankind like for example Alcohol is one of the most fatal drink in world but still common and legal
to use in most of countries. The only way to know what is wrong and what is right is to know from
the Creator, Who Has created us He knows better than any human beings on the earth, so why not
follow that Divine authority which knows and provide everything which is in welfare of human
beings.
Social effects of Religion
Religion explains individual suffering
Man does not live by knowledge alone. He is an emotional creature. Religion serves to the emotions
of man in times of his sufferings and disappointment. On God religion puts faith and entertains the
belief that some unseen power moves in mysterious ways to make even his loss meaningful. In this
way religion gives release from sorrow and release from fear. It helps man to bear his frustration
and integrate his personality.
Religion enhances self-importance
Religion expands one's self to infinite proportions. Man unites himself with the Infinite and feels
ennobled. Society also gains from the self-flattery provided by religious belief. Religion assures a
greater reward in the afterlife to worldly failures than to successful life. Such kind of assurance
encourages members to continue to play their part in society.
Religion comes as a source of social cohesion
Religion is the ultimate source of social cohesion. The primary requirement of society is the
possession of social values by which individuals control the action of self and others and through
which society is perpetuated. Science and technology cannot create this value. Religion is the
foundation upon which these values rest. Children should obey their parents, should not tell lie,
women should be faithful to men, people should be honest and Virtuous, are some of the social
values which maintain social cohesion.
Religion encourages social welfare
Religion has also performed some other services to humanity like the provision of work. The many
religious organization lays the foundation of medicine. It also fulfils the functions of scholars and
scientists. Religion has served humanity through spreading of education and also creating the habit
of charity (Zakat) among the people who open many charitable institutions like hospitals, rest
houses, mosques and to help the poor.
Religion is the agency of social control
Religion provides a model for living. It upholds certain ideals and values. The believer imbibes
these ideals and values in his life. Religion can help youth generation to become moral, disciplined
and socialized citizens of society.
Religion controls economic life
Max Weber was of the view that religion also controls the economic life. To Weber, capitalism
grew in the Protestant nations like England, U.S.A. It did not grow in Italy and Spain where the
people are Catholic. The Muslims lay great stress on spiritual progress and worldly affairs at a time
which creates a fine balance between these two and support healthy economic life.

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ZAKAT
Zakat is one of the major religious duties in Islam. Literally, Zakat means to "purify". It refers to the
purification of believers' wealth and soul. Wealth purification denotes the mobilization of assets for
the purpose of financial growth and justified distribution. Purification of the soul implies freedom
from hatred, jealousy, selfishness, uneasiness and greed. Other Quranic connotations also include the
purification of sin.
Zakat is a fixed proportion collected from the surplus wealth and earnings of a believer. It is then
distributed to prescribed beneficiaries and for the welfare as well as the infrastructure of a society in
general. This contribution is made payable by a Muslim once every year.
Zakat is paid on the net balance after a Muslim has spent on basic necessities, family expenses, due
credits, donations and taxes. Every Muslim male or female who at the end of the Hijri year is in
possession of the equivalent of 85 grams of gold (7.5 Tola) or more in cash or articles of trade, must
pay his or her zakat at the minimum rate of 2.5 percent.
Zakat has a deep humanitarian and social-political value. This religious act prevents the hoarding of
wealth and advocates solidarity with humanity because excessive wealth is distributed amongst the
poor. The paying of zakat also helps purify one's soul and encourages a person to have gratitude
towards God's bounties.
Zakat is among the major matters of Islam. During the second year after the migration (2nd Hijri),
Allah made it obligatory. Zakat is mentioned along with Salat (prayer) in 20 verses of the Quran.
It was first revealed in Surah Al-Muzammil (73:20)

".... and establish regular prayers and give regular charity; and loan to God a beautiful loan.
And whatever good ye send forth for your souls, ye shall find it in God's presence, Yea, better
and greater in reward and seek ye the grace of God: for God is oft-forgiving, Most Merciful."
God says in the Quran: Surah Al-Bayyina (98:05)

"They were enjoined only to worship God, sincere in their faith in Him alone - and of upright
religion - and to establish the Salat and the Zakat. Such is the upright religion, (98:5)
Surah Toubah (09:34-35)

"Those who lay up treasures of gold and silver and spend them not in the way of God; give
them the news of a painful punishment, on the Day when that (wealth) will be heated in hellfire,
and their foreheads and their sides and their backs branded therewith: "This is the treasure
which you laid up for yourselves! Taste, then, your hoarded treasure!" (9:34-35).
Conditions for Zakat
Several conditions must be fulfilled before zakat can be paid. Zakat is the amount of money that every
adult, mentally stable, free, and financially able Muslim, male and female, has to pay to support
specific categories people. These conditions are necessary as zakat can only be applied on those who
are of legal age and who own enough assets. These conditions are categorized into two broad
categories, namely performer and asset. Every Muslim who is of a certain age and owns enough
assets is required to pay zakat.
Zakat Asset
Full Ownership A Muslim will only be required to pay zakat if he or she has full and legal ownership
of an asset. Zakat is payable only on those assets that are acquired for the purpose of creating or
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generating wealth. Some examples of this type of assets are livestock or crops that are traded or sold,
inventory of goods used for trading, and investments such as gold or securities that have potential for
appreciation in value.
Assets that exceed a minimum value
Zakat need only be paid on those assets that exceed a minimum value. This minimum value is
calculated based on the market price of 85 grams of gold (7.5 Tola) or 595 grams of pure silver (52.5
Tola). This minimum value is termed Nisab. The Islamic Fiqh and Research Councils, as well as
Jumhur (majority) of Ulama' recommend that gold be used as the basis for the calculation of nisab.
Amount of Zakat
Amount of zakat can vary from product to product. All items can be included those can perform the
role of source of earning money. Normaly we take the nisab level to calculate the amount for zakat. If
a person has surplus wealth like 85 gm of Gold (7.5 Tola) or 595 gm of Silver (52.5 Tola) or
equivalent Cash than he should pay 2.5% of excessive amount as zakat. Zakat on agriculture produce
is 5% if water is brought there manually and if land watered naturally than amount is raised to 10%.
On minerals or buried wealth the prescribed amount is 20%.
Completion of Haul
Haul is defined as the completion period for a zakat asset. The length of time for haul is one Islamic
or Hijri year (1 year Hijri = 354.5 days, 1 year Solar = 365.25 days). Zakat is only payable on assets
that have been held for at least this period.
Beneficiaries of Zakat
The Holy Quran (Surah Toubah 9:60) classifies the due recipients of zakat under the following eight
categories.
"As-Sadaqat (here it means Zakat ) are only for the Fuqara' (poor), and Al-Masakin (the poor)
and those employed to collect (the funds), and to attract the hearts of those who have been
inclined (towards Islam), and to free the captives, and for those in debt, and for Allah's Cause
(i.e. for Mujahidun - those fighting in the way of Allah), and for the wayfarer (a traveller who is
cut off from everything); a duty imposed by Allah. And Allah is All-Knower, All- Wise.".
Zakat can only be distributed to any of the eight eligible beneficiaries (asnaf) that are mentioned in the
Quran in Surah Taubah:60. However, priority should be given to the poor and needy. Where there is
no central authority to administer zakat, it can be paid directly to the needy.
 The poor (Faqir/Fuqara) o Those without any means of livelihood and material possessions.
 The needy (Miskeen)
o Those without sufficient means of livelihood to meet their basic necessities. For
instance, those who, although may have a job, a house and a car, but whose income is below
the minimum requirement.
 The administrators of zakat (Amil)
o Those appointed to manage and administer zakat.
 The sympathizers (Muallaf-at-Quloobuhum)
o Those whose hearts are inclined towards or have accepted Islam.
 To free slaves (Riqab)

o Zakat can also be used to free slaves or captives.

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 Those who are in debt (Gharimin)

o Zakat can be used to pay off the debts of a person who has borrowed to pay for
basic necessities so that he/she can lead a normal life. Zakat can also be distributed to those in
financial difficulties e.g. bankruptcy due to the loss of employment and heavy debt.
 For the cause of God (Fisabillillah)
o Zakat can be used to finance any form of struggle or work for the love of God. The
following examples fall under this category, e.g. Da'wah; building & developing society's
infrastructure; defending Muslims, who are being oppressed; assisting poor travelers and
sponsoring a student's educational expenses.
 Those who are stranded during a journey (Ibnus Sabil) o Zakat can also be used to help a
traveler facing difficulties in continuing his journey due to reasons such as loss of money or
the break down of his vehicles, the repair of which he cannot afford.
Function of Zakat
(a) A religious function: In this respect zakat is a manifestation of the faith that affirms that God
is the sole owner of everything in the universe, and what men hold is a trust in their hand over
which God made them trustees to discharge it as He has laid down:
Al-Quran Surah Al-Hadid (57:7) "Believe in Allah and His Messenger and spend of that over
which He made you trustees" It is also an expression of gratitude towards the Bestower Who said:
"If you give thanks, I will give you more." (Quran 14:7) In this respect zakat is an act of devotion
which, like prayer, brings the believer nearer to his Lord, and being one of the pillars of religion,
avoidance of payment is a manifestation of shirk (serving other gods besides God).
(b) An economic function: Its economic function is revealed in many ways: firstly, zakat gives a
strong incentive for investing wealth for the benefit of society and makes us refrain from
hoarding it. When the amount reaches the taxable minimum and has been possessed for a
whole year, zakat falls due on it whether it has been invested or not. Those who do not invest
their wealth expose it to continuous reduction of at least 2.5% annually. Gradually it will be
removed from their possession to be used for the benefit of society.
(c) A social function: Zakat makes a fair contribution to social stability. By purging the soul of
the rich of selfishness and the soul of the poor of envy and resentment against society, it stops
up the channels leading to class hatred and makes it possible for the springs of brotherhood
and solidarity to gush forth. Such stability is not merely based on the personal feelings of the
rich: it stands on a firmly established right, which, if the rich denied it, would be exacted by
force if necessary.
Advantages of Zakat
It is obligatory upon every Muslim, in possession of wealth above a prescribed limit, to pay Zakat.
There are many advantages of which some are mentioned below: 1-It meets the needs of the poor of
the society 2-It strengthens the good relation between the rich and the poor 3-It cleanse and purify the
wealth 4-It promotes open-handedness, generosity and sympathy in a Muslim towards the needy
person 5-It draws Allah‘s blessing; causes increase in wealth and replacement of spent wealth as
promised in the Quran ―And whatsoever you spend of anything(in Allah‘s cause), He will replace it.
He is the Best of those who grant Sustenance.‖(34:39)

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Salah (Prayer)
Introduction
This word as used in the Holy Quran and Hadith is formed from the word „Salat‟ and „Tasliat‟ and in
the Arabic dictionary it means ―To pray.‖ But in Islamic terminology it conveys the way of expressing
worship by man to his real Creator and object of worship in the special manner taught by God to the
people by His Apostles.
Surah Adh Dhriyat Chapter #51 Verse#56

And I (Allah) created not the jinn and mankind except that they should worship Me (Alone).
Salah is the ritual prayer practiced by Muslims in supplication to Allah (SWT). The term is
commonly used to refer to the five daily prayers, which are compulsory upon all mature Muslims.
Salah is considered the most important act of worship in Islam and its importance is such that under
very few circumstances it can be omitted.
Surah Al Ankaboot Chapter# 29 Verse# 45

Recite what is sent of the Book by inspiration to thee, and establish regular Prayer: for Prayer
restrains from shameful and unjust deeds;
Salah strengthens the foundations of our faith. It prepares a person to live the life of goodness and
obedience to Allah (SWT), and it builds courage and determination. Every time we perform Salah, we
renew our commitments to Allah (SWT) and we rid ourselves from worldly pressures five times a
day.
According to a Hadith a companion of Holy Prophet Mohammad (pbuh) came to him one day and
asked him "What is the thing that Allah (SWT) loves most?" Holy Prophet Mohammad (pbuh) replied
"The thing that Allah (SWT) loves most is when his people pray Salah on time."
Significance of Salah
Salah (Salat, Namaz) is a practical sign of obedience to the commands of Allah (SWT). Its importance
has been emphasized more than 500 times in the Noble Qur'an.
Surah Al- Baqrah Chapte#02 verse #03

Who believe in the Unseen, are steadfast in prayer, and spend out of what We have provided for
them;

Nay, seek (Allah's) help with patient perseverance and prayer:

Guard strictly your (habit of) prayers….
Surah An Nur Chapter# 24 Verse# 56

“And keep up the prayer………….”

Establish regular Prayer: for Prayer restrains from shameful and unjust deeds;
Once Holy Prophet Mohammad (pbuh) shook a dry branch of a tree so that all of the leaves of the
branch fell off than the Holy Prophet Mohammad (pbuh) said "The sins of those who pray Salah, drop
off as the leaves of this branch fell off." Person who regularly offers Salah is one who getting the
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maximum benefit in all means. Salah is the spiritual communication between The Lord and His Salve,
between Creator and His Creation and this is main reason that mankind get internal satisfaction that
their Lord. Their God is with them.
The Prophet pbuh says that: Salaat is the pillar of deen and the foundation of Islam. He who upholds
salah has upheld Islam and he who leaves salah has left behind religion. (al-baihaqi). The daily
prayers are a way for us to keep a close connection to our Creator. It is through salah that we can get
our suplications answered and our needs fulfilled. When the companions of the Prophet (pbuh) were
in need, they would turn to Allah in prayer. Salah is a way for us to show a commitment to our faith.
Every time we pray salah, we renew our commitment to Allah and relieve ourselves from the
pressures of our daily lives.
Salah is thus the main path towards spiritual purification. It is through salah that we can gain self-
discipline and good qualities. For example, in prostration we submit our will to Allah in all
humbleness. We also purify our hearts. The prophet (pbuh) once asked his companions ―Tell me if
there was a river at the door step of one of you in which you washed 5 times a day would any of your
dirt remain?‖ When he received the reply that none of it would remain he then said ―That is like the 5
daily prayers, with which Allah wipes out our sins.‖
Benefits of Salah
1. The Personal befits of Salah (Individual)

(a) To Remind Us The Purpose of Life
To remind us the purpose of life. To transfer the whole life of mankind in to prayers – obedience to
Allah. It is necessary to underline that man is the creature of Allah and for constant remembrance of
this fact we should regularly offer Salah and this is also the main fact that the prayers have been
prescribed.

Establish regular Prayer: for Prayer restrains from shameful and unjust deeds;
It follows naturally that the effect of prayer is to pass a clean life full of wellbeing and peace.
(b) Salah Brings Peace in Hearts
According to The Holy Qur‟an
Surah Ar Rad Chapter #13 verse #28

For without doubt in the remembrance of Allah do hearts find satisfaction.
This is the greatest desire of mankind to possess peace and rest in their hearts which is above all
worldly riches. To achieve such peace man makes every kind of efforts, but more the worldly gains, a
man acquires, a further peace recedes from him and instead of peace man is surrendered by worries
and sorrows. Only prayers are such a blessings, that can bring solace and peace to man. When man
stand in prayer he fells the blessings of Allah and he assures that all his prayers are only for One true
God to whom everything belongs this is that fact which bring peace in to mind and hearts of the man.
(c) Sense of obligation
If a person has no sense of obligations his life will be spent flippantly and this flippancy eventually
cause him misery. Salah has been Divinely ordained to in calculate a sense of discipline and
responsibility in men. To perform Salah regularly will become his second nature. This will give him
insight to his own qualities, and he will be ever prepared for achieving his objects. Since Salah is
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measure of man and differentiate between good and evil, The Holy Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) has
said ―Between the virtuous slaves of Allah and infidelity stan discarding of prayers‖
(d) Character Building
Another most imperative benefit of offering Salah on the life of an individual is that the character of
that person is developed along certain well defined lines. This mode of life is beneficial to man for its
chalks out such a path for them, treading on which they achieve success and happiness in every part of
their life. A person who offers Salah daily on times, it ensures the softness and humbleness in his
character as it shows every time when he bows down to his Creator. It also brings the sense of
responsibility in an individual when he tried his level best to offer Salah on time that results in
punctual. Salah develops in Muslims another quality of good character. This is patience, which is the
source of strength needed to face the hardships of life. The Qur‟an repeatedly encourages Muslims to
get help and strength from regularly praying in any kind of stress or trouble.
Surah Al Baqrah Chapter #02 verse #45

“…Seek God‟s help through patience and prayer.”
Surah Al Baqrah Chapter #02 verse #153

“O you who believe. Seek help with patience, perseverance and prayer; for God is with those
who patiently persevere.”
(e) Self Discipline
Self-discipline can be learnt from the regularity of performing prayers at the proper times as well as
the ablution, which precedes the prayer. Getting up in the early morning to perform dawn prayer when
one is still drowsy and during the day when one is busy with work and at night when one is
preoccupied with family and other activities is a good example of self-discipline.
Muslims are obliged to offer their prayer under all circumstances. It is a religious duty that Salah can
be performed even if one is ill or on a journey. Simply, the Salah can be performed in a sitting
position if one cannot get up or in a lying position if one cannot sit or even by signs if one cannot
move hands or other parts of the body. In all cases, Muslims have to fulfill their obligation of Salah
because God made it easy for everyone as the Qur‟an says:
Surah Baqrah Chapter #02 verse #185

Allah intends every facility for you; He does not want to put to difficulties.
2. Collective Benefits (Social)
It is apparent that mere individual benefits are not sufficient for mankind, but collective or social
benefits are also necessary, because individual traits alone cannot bring any meaningful results, unless
the society in which he lives, does not also share those same traits. Man cannot live in isolation, his
brothers, his relatives, his neighbors all have interaction with him. Prayer fulfill the need of social life,
and structures society and brings it to life to five times a day. It is therefore we have Divinely
ordained to offer 5 times Salah in congregational.
Muslims are provided with many opportunities for gathering in various occasions. The mosque is
open for individuals to pray voluntary the daily prayers and obligatory for Friday prayer and annual
prayers at the two Feasts. Muslims assemble in the mosque and meet each other in these occasions
with the feeling of unity and brotherhood regardless of their social or economic status. It is an
opportunity to know each other and to share their opinion and to co-operate to solve their problems.
They can help one another by supporting whoever is in need and give generously out of their wealth

81
to the less fortunate people in their community. This is to develop in them a sense of co-operation and
a habit of doing things together.
The congregational Salah on Friday and the two Feasts is a sign of brotherhood and equality, where
Muslims stand before God as equal. They all stand together in straight rows shoulder to shoulder to
offer their prayer to God. The first row is not reserved for anyone but for the one who comes first. The
worshippers who come later occupy the following rows. In congregational Salah it sis also enjoyed
on us to obey the Imam readily. From this is derived the rule to obey the Ameer in social life and also
he is to be obeyed.
Conclusion
So as to say that structure of religion is raised on this (Salah) piller. The jurist of islam have ruled that
faith and neglect of Salah are mutually exclusive. Salah is the most effective means of developing the
humans soul and bring man closer to Allah Almighty. Salah has been describes as the coolant of the
eyes.

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