towards understanding islam

TOWARDSUNDERSTANDING

ISLAMSayyid Abul A’la Mawdudi

(Book Author)A presentation by Moazzam Shoukat

[email protected]

CONTENTS• The Meaning Of Islam

• Faith And Obedience

• The Prophet Hood

• The Articles Of Faith

• Prayer And Worship

• Din And Shari’ah

• The Principles Of The Shari’ah

THE MEANING OF ISLAM

THE MEANING OF ISLAM

• Islam: What does it Mean?

• The Nature of Disbelief

• The Blessings of Islam

ORIGIN

Christianity

•After Prophet Jesus

Buddhism

•Founder•Gautama Buddha

Zoroast-rianism

•Founder•Zoroaster

Judaism

•Judah•Judea

What About

ISLAM?

• No association with human or place

• Not a product of human mind

• Universal• ISLAM an attributive

title

ORIGIN

ISLAM - WHAT DOES IT MEAN?

Islam is an Arabic word and connotes submission, surrender and obedience. As a religion, Islam stands for complete submission and obedience to ALLAH. 1

SOME FACTS BY ISLAM• Universe obeying laws of ALLAH

• See ordered universe

• Every thing in the world follows its own laws• From electron to mighty nebulae.

• Air, Stones, Water, Trees, Heat, Animals

• Biological Laws• Man’s Birth

• Plant’s growth

• In Sum• Each and everything following its own laws by nature

DIFFERENT SPHERES OF HUMAN ACTIVITY

1st Sphere

• Totally Regulated

• Caught up in the grip of physical laws

• Bound to follow

2nd Sphere

• Embowed with reasoning and intellect

• Power to • Think from judgement

• To choose to reject

• To approve to spurn

• Free to adopt

In short Man is bestowed with free will

DIFFERENT SPHERES OF HUMAN ACTIVITY

Believer

• Born on Islam

• Each and every thing in his life based on Islam

Non Believer

Under 2nd sphere from previous slide

• Free to choose Islam

• Can embrace any faith and live ideology

• May prepare his code of conduct

What Is

Kufr?

KUFR

• Latterly means “To Cover” or “To conceal”• The man who denies ALLAH’s message is called Kafir• Because he/she disbelief with ISLAM• Kufr is the form of ignorance

Is any ignorance is greater then

ignorant of GOD?

BLESSINGS OF ISLAM

• L

FAITH AND OBEDIENCECHAPTER 2

FAITH AND OBEDIENCE

• Faith: What Does it mean?

• How to Acquire the Knowledge of God?

• Faith in the Unknown

FAITH• Unshakeable belief of existence of God

• Without above belief obedience is clearly impossible

• Must know the attributes of God

• Tawheed (Oneness of God)

• God is Omnipresent & Omniscient• How a person could afford disobedience with this faith?

• Required full confidence and conviction in this faith

If a man has no knowledge of the Divine Law, How can he follow

it?

FAITH• If a man has no knowledge of the Divine Law,

• How can he follow it?

• Must know the consequences of• Belief

• Disbelief

• Life after death

FAITHWHATDOES

IT MEAN?

FAITH -WHAT DOES IT MEAN?• Arabic word having meaning

• To know

• To believe

• To be convinced

• Beyond the least shadow of doubt

• Mu’min

The man who knows and reposes unshakable belief in the unity of God, in His attributes, in His law and the revealed guidance, and in the divine Code of reward and punishment is called Mu'min (faithful).

FAITH -WHAT DOES IT MEAN?With the Islam and Iman point of view men may be classified into 4 categories

1. Those who have firm faith

2. Those who do have faith

3. Those who do not possess faith at all

4. Those who neither possess faith nor do good deeds

REMEMBER

• Where there is no

ISLAM• There is

Kufr

HOW TO ACQUIRE THE KNOWLEDGE OF GOD?

FAITH IN UNKNOWN

FAITH IN UNKNOWN• If you don’t know a thing Then?

• You will ask from someone who best knows

• If you are ill• You will move to doctor

• Who best knows/can diagnose

• In Educational matters • You trust in your teachers

• In short, Each matter of life which you don’t know• Requires a person who knows best

FAITH IN UNKNOWN• Who knows best God?

• We need Prophets• Direct Contact with Devine

WhatAboutGOD?

THE PROPHETHOODCHAPTER 3

THE PROPHETHOOD• Prophet hood: Its Nature and Necessity

• Brief History of Prophet hood

• The Prophet hood of Muhammad

• Muhammad’s Prophet hood: A Rational Vindication

• Arabia: The Abyss of darkness

• The Savior is born

• Diamond in a Heap of Stones

• A Revolution Comes

• Why all the Enmity?

• A Changed Man at Forty - Why?

• His All embracing Message

• His Contribution to Human Thought

• The Greatest Revolutionary

• The Final Testimony

• The Finality of the Prophet hood

PROPHET HOODITS NATURE AND NECESSITY

PROPHET HOODITS NATURE AND NECESSITY

• Basic need of Man as Others (To Recognize God)

• Like mother

• Father

• Air

• Each and every thing

BRIEF HISTORY OFPROPHET HOOD

BRIEF HISTORY OFPROPHET HOOD

• Adam and Eve

• Adam• 1st man on earth

• 1st prophet of God

• Religion Islam

• More prophets all peoples

• Fundamental teachings for all religions were same

A MISCONCEPTION

• There is a common misconception, mostly among Western writers. that Islam owes its origin to the Prophet Muhammad (Blessings of Allah and peace be upon him) and some of the writers even go to the extent of calling him ‘the founder of Islam’. This is a travesty of the truth. Islam has been the religion of all the Prophets of God and all of them have brought the same message from Him, Prophets have not been the founders of Islam, they have only been the messengers of it. Islam consists of the Divine Revelation conveyed to mankind by the truthful Prophets.

THE PROPHET HOOD OF

MUHAMMAD (P.B.U.H)

THE PROPHET HOOD OF MUHAMMAD (P.B.U.H)

• Arabia Central Region of the world

• Arabs : More Suited People

• Arabic most powerful language to express

MUHAMMAD’S PROPHET HOOD: A RATIONAL VINDICATION

MUHAMMAD’S PROPHET HOOD: A RATIONAL VINDICATION

• Let Close Your Eyes• Think about 1400 years ago world

• Think differences bwt now and that times

• Think all developments for human being

ARABIA THE ABYSS OF DARKNESS

THE SAVIOUR IS BORN• Orphan

• Completely Illiterate

• Having Few Opportunities to go out of countries• Syria & Nothing more then it

THE SAVIOUR IS BORN• Diamond in a Heap of Stones

• A Revolution Comes

• Why all the Enmity?

• A Changed Man at Forty - Why?

• His All embracing Message

• His Contribution to Human Thought

• The Greatest Revolutionary

• The Final Testimony

• The Finality of the Prophet hood

THE ARTICLES OF FAITHCHAPTER 4

THE ARTICLES OF FAITH• Tawhid: Faith in the Unity of God

• The Meaning of the Kalimah

• Effects of the Tawhid on Human Life

• Belief in God’s Angels

• Faith in the Books of God

• Faith in God’s Prophets

• Belief in Life After Death

• The Need of this Belief

• Life After Death: A Rational Vindication.

THE ARTICLES OF FAITH• Tawhid: Faith in the Unity of God

• Fundamental teaching of Prophet Mohammad (P.B.U.H)

• The Meaning of the Kalimah• Arabic the word “ilah” means ‘one who is

worshipped’

• ALLAH is personal essential name of God

• “La” means ‘Not’

• Means Completely accept by mind and soul …

EFFECTS OF TAWHIDON HUMAN LIFE

EFFECTS OF TAWHID ON HUMAN LIFE• All things created by ALLAH

• This belief produces in man the highest degree of • Self-respect

• Self-esteem

• Generates in man a sense of • Modesty

• Humbleness

• Makes man • Virtuous

• Upright

EFFECTS OF TAWHIDON HUMAN LIFE

EFFECTS OF TAWHID ON HUMAN LIFE1. All things created by ALLAH

2. This belief produces in man the highest degree of 1. Self-respect

2. Self-esteem

3. Generates in man a sense of 1. Modesty

2. Humbleness

4. Makes man 1. Virtuous

2. Upright

5. Believer never becomes despondent

EFFECTS OF TAWHID ON HUMAN LIFE6. This belief produces in man a very strong degree of

1. Determination

2. Patient perseverance

3. Trust in God

7. This declaration inspires bravery in man

8. The belief in La ilaha illallah creates an attitude of1. Peace and contentment

2. Purges the mind of jealousy

3. Envy and greed

4. Keeps away the temptations of resorting to base and unfair means for achieving success

9. The most important effect of La ilaha illallah is that it makes man obey and observe God’s Law

BELIEF IN GOD’S ANGELS

EFFECTS OF TAWHID ON HUMAN LIFE• Prophet Mohammad (P.B.U.H) instructed

• 2nd Article of Faith

FAITH IN THE BOOKS OF GOD• Prophet Mohammad (P.B.U.H) instructed

• 3rd Article of Faith

• 4 Books revealed by God• Taurat

• Zaboor

• Injeel

• Quran Majeed

FAITH IN GOD’S PROPHETS• Prophet Mohammad (P.B.U.H) instructed

• 4th Article of Faith

BELIEF IN LIFE AFTER DEATH• Prophet Mohammad (P.B.U.H) instructed

• 5th Article of Faith

• Last day of this world “Qiyamah”

• The Need of This Belief?

LIFE AFTER DEATHA RATIONAL VINDICATION

• Some people say that there is nothing left of man after death, and that after this life ending event there is no other life.

• Other people maintain that man, in order to bear the consequences of his deeds, is repeatedly regenerated in this world.

PRAYER AND WORSHIPCHAPTER 5

LIFE AFTER DEATHA RATIONAL VINDICATION

• The Spirit of ‘Ibadah’ or Worship

• Salah

• Fasting

• Zakah

• Hajj or Pilgramage

• Defense of Islam - Jihad

THE SPIRIT OF ‘IBADAH’ • ‘Ibadah’ is an Arabic word derived from ‘Abd’ (a slave) and it means

submission

SALAH• Salah is the most fundamental and the

most important of these obligations. Salah are the prescribed daily prayers which consist in repeating and refreshing five times a day the belief in which you repose your faith

FASTING• What prayers seek to do five times a day,

fasting in the month of Ramadan (the ninth month of the lunar year) does once a year. During this period we eat not a grain of food nor drink a drop of water from dawn to dusk, no matter how delicious the dish or how hungry or thirsty we feel.

ZAKAH• The third obligation is Zakah. Every

Muslim whose finances are above a certain specified minimum must pay 2.5 per cent of his cash balance annually2 to a deserving fellow-being, a new convert to Islam, a traveler or a person with debts.3 This is the minimum. The more you pay, the greater the reward that Allah will bestow on you.

HAJJ• The pilgrimage is, in a way, the biggest of

all ‘Ibadah.

• Makkah today stands at the site of a small house that the Prophet Abraham (God’s blessings be upon him) built for the worship of Allah.

JIHAD• Jihad is part of this overall defense of

Islam. Jihad means to struggle to the utmost of one’s capacity. A man who exerts himself physically or mentally or spends his wealth in the way of Allah is indeed engaged in Jihad. But in the language of the Shari’ah this word is used particularly for a war that is waged solely in the name of Allah against those who practice oppression as enemies of Islam.

DIN AND SHARI’AHCHAPTER 6

DIN AND SHARI’AH• Distinction between Din and Shari’ah

• The Source of Shari’ah

• Fiqh• Fiqh Hanafi: - This is the Fiqh compiled by Abu Hanifa Nu’man bin Thabit

• Fiqh Maliki: This Fiqh was derived by Malik bin Anas Asbahi.

• Fiqh Shafi’i: Founded by Muhammad bin ldris al-Shafi’i.

• Fiqh Hanbali: Founded by Ahmad bin Hanbal.

• Tasawwuf

DIN AND SHARI’AHCHAPTER 6

DIN AND SHARI’AH• The Shari’ah: Its nature and Purport

• The Shari’ah: Rights and Obligations • 1. The Rights of God

• 2. The Rights of Ons’s Own Self

• 3. The Rights Of Other Men

• 4. The Rights of All Creatures.

• Shari’ah: The Universal and Eternal Law.

THE END