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Fundamentals of Islam
Prepared by Mr. Abdul Jalil. The original draft was reviewd by 15 renowned scholars in USA and aboard. Their contribution and assistance in finalization on the contents is gratefully acknowledged.
The publisher takes sole and entire responsibility for contents of this document
In the name of Allah, The Compassionate,
The Merciful
Islam reaffirms the same beliefs which the previous prophets
including Abraham, Moses and Jesus (peace be on all of them)
propounded, namely submission to and commitment to obey
commandments of the one and only God. All who accept this are
Muslims. But since the advent of Islam only followers of that
religion are called Muslims.
ESSENCE OF THE FUNDAMENTALS
The essence of the Fundamentals of Islam is to be God conscious
in all that we do and out of His love, commit to obey His
commandments in every sphere of our activity. Thus Islam is in
fact as ideology, establishing a way of life which is neither
capitalistic nor socialistic but contains the best of both.
BASIC BELIEFS
I . God created the universe and is the evolver, shaper,
sustainer, owner and sovereign of the Universe and all that is
in it.
2. The reason for the creation was to test who among the humans
would prove himself to be the best as His agent on earth. An
agent can only use, enjoy and improve the resources placed in
his trust and under his control by God.But he has no authority
to deviate from the given directives or to damage or destroy
them.
3. For this purpose God among all His creations granted only the
humans the faculty to learn and acquire knowledge and the power
of thinking, reasoning and making decisions. All other creations
are obliged to act and perform according to a set pattern and
law.
4. Humans were provided guidance from time to time through god's
messengers and the Books revealed through them. But humans are
not forced to follow the edicts contained in these books. They
are however told of the advantages that would accrue in the
Hereafter and in this world to them, to the society and to the
world at large if they followed these and are warned of the
consequences of ignoring or violating these. The decision is
left to each individual.
5. The Quran revealed through the last prophet Muhammad (PBUH)
is the last revelation from God and contains absolute moral
commandments. These are mostly the same as contained in all
other earlier reveled Books. It however also lays down
principles to be observed in every day life and in all affairs,
to help in establishing, preserving and maintaining an Islamic
society. These principles cover all aspects of life and are
stated in such universal terms that there remain valid for all
time and are applicable at all stages of civilizations and for
all different parts of the world.
6. Each individual will have to render account on the day of
Judgement for all his actions in his worldly life. Those that
believed in God and acted in their every day life according to
His commandment as exemplified and amplified by Prophet Muhammad
(PBUH) can expect through His Grace to be granted eternal life
of Bliss, Peace and Comfort. Others will have to face
consequences of their disbelief and/or disobedience.
BASIC FACTS
1. It is a universally accepted fact that the Quran, 1,400 years
later, still remains exactly the same as it was revealed by God
to Prophet Muhammad (PBLJH). It is the only such revealed book
in existence today. It describes itself as the BOOK OF GUIDANCE.
It is in Arabic which even today is the mother tongue of
millions. It is a very rich language and a number of its words
have no equivalent word in any other language that can fully
express their meanings.
For instance, the Arabic word "lbadat" is usually translated as
Worship. The actual meaning is "to commit and act out of love
for Him according to edicts laid down by Him in the Quran." This
full meaning of the word lbadat makes every act of a Muslim in
his everyday life an act of Worship provided he carries it out
in the above spirit and accordance with the Quranic edicts.
2. The prescribed rituals of Prayers, Fasting, Hajj and Zakat
and the ordained greetings, invocations, etc. are all important
parts of worship (lbadat) and one of their purposes is to make
humans GOD CONSCIOUS in all their actions particularly those
effecting or relating to other humans or creation. To
constantly remind them that God is the creator and sovereign,
while they are merely His agent authorized to act only in
accordance with the directions given to them and are accountable
on the Day of Judgement for their actions and deeds. A constant
reminder has to have a benign influence upon the character of
individuals and thus of nations. After all it is the ideals
that form character. As one thinks in his heart, so is he.
3. The Islamic teachings and commandments are essentially no
different from values which human beings have cherished and
striven to maintain throughout history irrespective of cultural,
racial, linguistic and socioeconomic differences. The success
of civilizations and cultures, as study of history and of
current affairs will prove conclusively, is directly related to
the extent of their practicing these. The basic difference is
that Muslims perfonn these as acts of worship and have no
authority to make changes in the Commandments, while others do
so to comply with the prevailing laws and conform to
ever-changing values of their society.
THE OBJECTIVE OF ISLAM
The edicts contained in the Quran as amplified and exemplified
by the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) are meant to guide humans to
develop themselves to be as perfect as possible with maximum
Godly qualities so that a society is established which at the
very least:
a) Comprises of people who fully utilize the faculties of
leaming and reasoning by acquiring knowledge for the
purpose of making the world to be a better place to live in and
not for its destruction.
b) Is peaceful, just and ensures equal justice for all.
c) Cares for the needy and oppressed.
d) Preserves and protects mutual rights and obligations.
e) Ensures that there is no exploitation.
f) Ensures equality of opportunity for all.
g) Ensures that the resources of the universe are employed to
the best advantage and well being of the society equitably and
without harming or damaging the resources but in fact
maintaining a perfect balance.
Such a society is and has been the cherished ideal of all
civilizations and ideologies.
CURRENT SITUATION
People everywhere, under influence of the West in which these
traits are most common, have tended to become materialistic and
selfish. A number of them are imbued with and wedded to
humanism and secularism. They solely depend on human wisdom to
find ways to achieve the ideal society. Divine guidance is
completely ignored.
Muslims are generally trapped into following family, cultural
and sectarian practices.
In the search for the ideal society various ideologies and
systems have been tried without much success. The failure of
finding guidance strictly through human wisdom is manifested in
a plethora of man-made laws which concentrate authority in a few
at the cost of individual freedom. The populace is caught in
mis-management, high taxes, curtailed freedom, high crime rates,
delayed justice which is turning it into "justice for the rich,"
broken families, and, in the technologically developed
societies, unfulfilled prosperity. Completely forgotten is the
fact that human wisdom is not only limited but is invariably
subject to the influence of self, other interests and desires.
Without the Divine Guidance, establishment of an ideal society
remains a mirage.
THE SOLUTION
The only way for humans, who wish to achieve an eternal life of
bliss in the Hereafter and have Peace of Mind and success in
this life, is to accept the existence of one and only GOD with
all the attributes and implement that acceptance by being
righteous in thought and deed as laid down in the Quran and
amplified as well as exemplified by the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).
In order to learn what being righteous means and how he should
live his life and how he can be steadfast in the same, it is
necessary to follow the following Quranic edicts.
1. To know and learn about God's guidance and commandments by
personal study of the Quran and not learning it by hearsay or
assuming somebody to be conveying the Truth. Any assumption
without verification may lead to falsehood.
Those who do not know the Arabic language have access to many
good translations and commentaries. However, no translation or
commentary is perfect. Therefore, if at all possible, more than
one translation or commentary should be studied. Also make use
of the dictionary, "Lughat." The best way however is to learn
the language of the Quran.
2. To know and learn about amplification and the principles
employed for application of the Quranic edicts by Prophet
Muhammad (PBUH) by studying authentic sayings of his (Ahadith)
and books about his life (Seerah). Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) is
the role model for Islamic Way of Life.
3. In every act of everyday life, they should always bear in
mind that they are doing so to please God and in obedience to
His commands.This means being GOD CONSCIOUS (MUTTAQI) at all
times. This would help them to steadfastly stay on the right
path, in the face of stress and temptations, through God's
guidance and help.
4. To excel in knowledge which includes knowledge of own
profession and try to be the best and be a leader and act as a
ROLE MODEL for others in their everyday way of life.
The intention in producing this pamphlet has been to explain
clearly the fundamental principles of Islam.
It is hoped that this pamphlet will serve - by the Grace of God
- to create better understanding of Islam.
For additional information and literature on Islam contact may
be made with:
The Islamic Teaching Center
Post Office Box 38
Plainfield, IN 46168
USA
tel:(317) 839 8157
The Institution of Islamic Information and Education
Post Office Box 41129
Chicago, IL 60641-0129
tel:(312) 777 7443
The Islamic Foundation Markfield Dawah Center
Ratby Lane
Markfield, Leicester LE6 ORN
UK
tel:(0530) 244 944