The Religion of Islām

  • Title Page
  • Copyright Page
  • Certification by Al-Azhar Al-Sharif
  • Foreword by Sheikh Mohammad Tantawi, late Grand Imam of Al-Azhar Al-Sharif
  • Publisher’s Foreword to the fourth edition
  • Foreword to the third edition
  • Preface to the second edition
  • Preface to the first edition
  • Transliteration
  • List of Authorities and key to references
  • Introduction
    • Islām, not Muhammadanism
    • Significance of the name Islām
    • Place of Islam among the religions of the world
    • New meaning introduced into Religion
    • Religion is a force in the moral development of man
    • Islām as the basis of a lasting civilization
    • Islām as the greatest unifying force in the world
    • Islām as the greatest spiritual force of the world
    • Islām offers a solution of the great world-problems
    • Misconceptions underlying anti-religious movement
  • PART ONE: THE SOURCES OF ISLĀM
  • Chapter 1. The Holy Qur’ān
    • How and when the Holy Qur’ān was revealed
    • It is the highest form of revelation
    • It is the highest form of revelation
    • Other forms of Divine revelation to men
    • The Holy Prophet’s experience of revelation
    • Nature of the Holy Prophet’s revelation
    • Arrangement of the Holy Qur’ān
    • Arrangement in oral recitation
    • Complete written copies of the Holy Qur’ān
    • Standardization of the Holy Qur’ān
    • Difference of readings
    • Collective testimony of the purity of the Quranic text
    • The theory of abrogation
    • Ḥadīth on abrogation
    • Use of the word naskh
    • Basis of abrogation
    • Suyūṭī on abrogation
    • Shāh Walī Allāh’s verdict on five verses
    • Interpretation of the Holy Qur’ān
    • Value of Ḥadīth and commentaries in interpreting the Holy Qur’ān
    • Divisions of the Holy Qur’ān
    • Makkah and Madīnah Sūrahs
    • The place of the Holy Qur’ān in world literature
    • European writers on the Holy Qur’ān
    • Translation of the Holy Qur’ān
  • Chapter 2. The Ḥadīth
    • Sunnah and Ḥadīth
    • Transmission of Ḥadīth in Holy Prophet’s lifetime
    • Writing of Ḥadīth in Holy Prophet’s lifetime
    • Why ḥadīth were not generally written
    • Memory could be trusted for preservation of knowledge
    • Collection of Ḥadīth
      • First stage
      • Second stage
      • Third stage
      • Fourth stage
      • Fifth stage
      • Bukhārī
    • Method of counting the number of different reports
    • Reports in biographies and commentaries
    • Story-tellers
    • European criticism of Ḥadīth
    • Canons of criticism of Ḥadīth as accepted by Muslims
    • The Holy Qur’an as the greatest test for judging Ḥadīth
    • How far did the collectors apply these tests
    • Different classes of Ḥadīth
  • Chapter 3. Ijtihād or Exercise of Judgment
    • Value of reason recognized
    • The Holy Prophet allowed exercise of judgment in religious matters
    • Exercise of judgment by the Companions
    • Great jurists:
      • Imām Abu Ḥanīfah
      • Imām Mālik
      • Imām Shāfi‘ī
      • Imām Aḥmad
    • Different methods of formulating new laws
    • Qiyās or reasoning based on analogy
    • Istiḥsān or exercise of Private Judgment and Istiṣlāh or Deduction based on Public Good
    • Istidlāl or inference
    • Ijmā‘ or concensus of opinion
    • Ijmā‘ is only Ijtihād on a wider basis
    • To differ with majority is no sin
    • Three degrees of Ijtihād
    • The door of Ijtihād is still open
    • Independence of thought recognized
  • PART TWO: THE PRINCIPLES OF ISLĀM
  • Chapter 1. Imān or Faith
    • Faith and action
    • Imān in the Holy Qur’ān
    • Imān in Ḥadīth
    • Kufr or unbelief
    • A Muslim cannot be called a Kāfir
    • Imān and Islām
    • No dogmas in Islām
    • Principles of faith
    • Significance of faith
  • Chapter 2. The Divine Being
    • Sec. 1 — The Existence of God
      • Material, inner and spiritual experience of humanity
      • The law of evolution as an evidence of purpose and wisdom
      • One law prevails in the whole universe
      • Guidance afforded by human nature
      • Guidance afforded by Divine revelation
    • Sec. 2 — The Unity of God
      • The Unity of God
      • The gravity of shirk
      • Various forms of shirk
      • Idolatry
      • Nature-worship
      • Trinity
      • Doctrine of sonship
      • Significance underlying the doctrine of Unity
      • Unity of human race underlies Unity of God
    • Sec. 3 — The Attributes of God
      • Nature of the Divine attributes
      • ‘Arsh or throne
      • Proper name of the Divine Being
      • Four chief attributes
      • Ninety-nine names
      • Predominance of love and mercy in Divine nature
      • Divine attributes as the great ideal to be attained
  • Chapter 3. Angels
    • Angels are immaterial beings
    • Can angels be seen?
    • Abraham’s guests
    • Hārūt and Mārūt
    • Nature of angels
    • The angel’s coming to the Holy Prophet
    • Angelic function
    • Angels as intermediaries:
      • in bringing revelation
      • in strengthening believers
      • in carrying out Divine punishment
    • Angels’ intercession and prayers for men
    • Angels’ help in the spiritual progress of man
    • Angels’ promptings to noble deeds
    • Angels’ recording deeds of men
    • Faith in angels
    • Iblīs is not an angel but one of the jinn
    • The jinn
    • The Devil
    • The word jinn as applied to men
    • The jinn have no access to Divine secrets
  • Chapter 4. Revealed Books
    • Revealed books mentioned under three names
    • Revelation to objects and beings other than man
    • Revelation to auliyā’
    • Revelation to man granted in three ways
    • Object of God’s revelation to man
    • Revelation is a universal fact
    • Belief in all sacred scriptures is an article of Muslim faith
    • Revelation brought to perfection
    • The Holy Qur’ān as guardian and judge of previous revelation
    • Defects of earlier scriptures removed
    • Alteration of the text of previous scriptures
    • Door to revelation is not closed
    • Kalām (speaking) is an attribute of the Divine being
  • Chapter 5. Prophets
    • Nabī and rasūl
    • Faith in Divine messengers
    • Universality of the institution of prophethood
    • A Muslim must believe in all the prophets
    • National prophets
    • The world-prophet
    • All prophets are one community
    • Why prophets are raised
    • Sinlessness of prophets
    • Istighfār
    • Dhanb
    • Ḳhaṭa’
    • Individual cases:
      • Noah and Abraham
      • Holy Prophet Muḥammad
      • Moses
      • Adam
    • Conception of miracles in Islām
    • The miracles of Islām
    • Prophecy
    • Prophecy of the triumph of Islām
    • Intercession: God is the real Intercessor
    • Who can intercede?
    • God’s intercession
    • Intercession of the angels
    • Intercession of prophets and believers
    • Intercession on the Judgment Day
    • Finality of prophethood
    • A prophet for all people and all ages
    • Unification of human race based on finality of prophethood
    • Significance underlying Finality
    • Appearance of the Messiah
    • Appearance of reformers
  • Chapter 6. Life after death
    • Al-ākhirah
    • Importance of faith in Future Life
    • Connection between the two lives
    • Barzakh
    • Second stage of the higher life
    • Spiritual experience in the barzakh stage
    • Duration of barzakh
    • Various names of Resurrection
    • A general destruction and a general awakening
    • Three Resurrections
    • Spiritual resurrection and the greater resurrection
    • Life has an aim
    • Good and evil must have their reward
    • Resurrection as a workable principle of life
    • Resurrection is quite consistent with present scientific knowledge
    • Will the Resurrection be corporeal?
    • A body prepared from the good and evil deeds of man
    • Spiritualities materialized
    • The book of deeds
    • Balance or mīzān
    • Jannah or Paradise
    • Blessings of Paradise
    • Women in Paradise
    • Ḥūr
    • Ḥūr as a blessing of Paradise
    • Children in paradise
    • Abode of peace
    • Liqā Allāh or the meeting with God
    • Advancement in the higher life
    • Different names of Hell
    • Hell, a manifestation of spiritualities
    • Remedial nature of Hell
  • Chapter 7. Taqdīr or Predestination
    • Creation of good and evil
    • The will of God and the will of man
    • Foreknowledge of God
    • God’s writing of adversities
    • Lauḥ maḥfūz
    • God does not lead astray
    • Idzlāl as ascribed to God
    • God’s sealing of hearts
    • Ḥadīth and predestination
    • Faith in qadar finds no place in the Holy Qur’ān and Bukhārī
    • Faith in qadar is a doctrine of later growth
    • Significance of faith in qadar
    • Ash‘arī’s view
  • PART THREE: LAWS AND REGULATIONS OF ISLAM
  • Chapter 1. Prayer
    • Sec. 1 — Value of Prayer
      • Importance of prayers in Islām
      • Self-development through prayer
      • Prayer as the means of realizing the Divine in man
      • The experience of humanity
      • Prayer, a means of attaining to moral greatness
      • Prayer as the means of purification of heart
      • Unification of the human race through Divine service
      • Regulation of prayer
      • Times of prayer
      • Mode of worship
      • Language of prayer
      • Other advantages of maintaining Arabic in Divine service
      • The Fātiḥah
      • Prayer as index of Muslim mentality
    • Sec. 2 — The Mosque
      • No consecration is necessary
      • The mosque as a religious centre
      • A training ground of equality
      • The mosque as a cultural centre
      • The mosque as a general centre
      • Respect for mosques
      • Mosques should face the Ka’bah
      • Building of the mosque
      • Tribal and sectarian mosques
      • Admission of women to mosque
      • Office-bearers of the mosque
    • Sec. 3 — Purification
      • Outward purification as a prelude to prayer
      • Wudzū
      • The tooth-brush
      • Taking a bath
      • Tayammum
    • Sec. 4 — The Call to Prayer (Adhān)
      • The origin of adhān
      • The delivery of adhān
      • Significance of adhān
    • Sec. 5 — Times of Prayer
      • Regularization of prayer
      • Times of prayer
      • Five obligatory prayers
      • Combining prayers
      • Voluntary prayers
    • Sec. 6 — The Service
      • The form of the prayer
      • The maintenance of the spirit of prayer
      • Parts of Divine service
      • Posture of qiyām
      • Posture of rukū‘
      • Posture of sajdah
      • Posture of qa‘dah
      • Is a departure from these postures allowable
      • Dhikr
      • Dhikr in qiyām
      • Dhikr in rukū‘ and sajdah
      • Dhikr in the sitting posture
      • The qunūt
      • Dhikr after finishing prayers
      • The congregation
      • Iqāmah
      • Congregational prayer
      • Sajdah sahw
      • Late-comers
      • Prayer in the case of one who is on a journey
      • Prayer service in battles
    • Sec. 7 — The Friday Service
      • Friday service specially ordained
      • Preparations for the Friday service
      • The sermon
      • The Friday service
    • Sec. 8 — The ‘Īd Prayers
      • Festivals of Islām
      • Gathering for the ‘Īd
      • The‘Īd service
      • The‘Īd sermon
      • The‘Īd charity
      • The sacrifice
      • Can sacrifice be replaced by charity?
      • The idea underlying sacrifice
    • Sec. 9 — Service on the Dead
      • Preparatory to service
      • The service
      • Patience enjoined under afflictions
    • Sec. 10 — Tahajjud and Tarāwīḥ
      • Tahajjud prayer is voluntary
      • The Holy Prophet’s Tahajjud
      • The Tahajjud prayer
      • Tarāwīḥ
    • Sec. 11 — Miscellaneous Service
      • Service for rain
      • Service during eclipse
  • Chapter 2. Zakāt or Charity
    • Charity as one of the two principal duties
    • Prayer is useless if it does not lead to charity
    • Conception of charity in Islām
    • Voluntary charity
    • Significance of zakāt
    • Importance of zakāt in Islām
    • Zakāt as the basic principle of every religion
    • Problem of the distribution of wealth
    • Islām’s solution of wealth problem
    • Zakāt is a state institution
    • Property on which zakāt is payable
    • Nisāb
    • Rate at which zakāt must be paid
    • Zakāt under modern conditions
    • How zakāt should be spent
    • Zakāt may be spent in defence and propagation of Islām
    • Other national charitable institutions
  • Chapter 3. Ṣaum or Fasting
    • Ṣaum
    • Institution of fasting in Islām
    • A universal institution
    • New meaning introduced by Islām
    • A spiritual discipline
    • A moral discipline
    • Social value of fasting
    • Physical value of fasting
    • The month of Ramadzān
    • Choice of Ramadzān
    • Persons who may not fast
    • Who is bound to fast?
    • Voluntary fasts
    • Restrictions on voluntary fasting
    • Expiatory fasts
    • Compensatory fasts
    • Fasting in fulfilment of a vow
    • Limits of the fast
    • The niyyah
    • What breaks the fast
    • Ethical side of fasting
    • I‘tikāf
    • Lailat al-Qadr
  • Chapter 4. Ḥajj or Pilgrimage
    • European views on adoption of ḥajj by Islām
    • Sacredness of Makkah and the Ka‘bah recognized in earliest revelations
    • Why Ka‘bah was not made qiblah earlier
    • When was ḥajj first instituted
    • Description of the Ka‘bah
    • History of the Ka‘bah
    • Al-Masjid al-Ḥarām
    • Historical evidence of antiquity of Ka‘bah
    • Abrahamic origin of chief features of ḥajj
    • Asceticism combined with secularism
    • Levelling influence of ḥajj
    • A higher spiritual experience
    • On whom is ḥajj obligatory
    • ‘Umrah
    • Iḥrām
    • Mīqāt or Muhill
    • Ṭawāf
    • The Black Stone
    • Significance underlying ṭawāf of the Ka‘bah
    • Significance underlying kissing of the Black Stone
    • The sa‘y
    • The ḥajj proper—march to Minā
    • ‘Arafāt and the wuqūf
    • Muzdalifah
    • Yaum al-naḥr in Minā
    • Ayyām al-tashrīq
    • Ramy al-jimār
    • Other activities allowed in pilgrimage
  • Chapter 5. Jihad
    • Significance of jihād
    • Use of the word jihād in Makkah revelations
    • Jihād in Madīnah revelations
    • Jihād in Ḥadīth
    • Use of the word jihād by jurists
    • The spread of Islam by force
    • Circumstances under which war was permitted
    • So-called “verse of the sword”
    • When shall war cease?
    • Peace recommended
    • Ḥadīth on the object of war
    • Jurists’ wrong notion of jihād
    • Dār al-ḥarb and Dāral-Islām
    • Jizyah
    • Jizyah was not a religious tax
    • Incidence of the Jizyah
    • Islām, jizyah or the sword
    • Directions relating to war
    • Prisoners of war
    • Slavery abolished
    • War as a struggle to be carried on honestly
    • Apostasy
    • Apostasy in the Holy Qur’ān
    • Ḥadīth on apostasy
    • Apostasy and Fiqh
  • Chapter 6. Marriage
    • Sec. 1 — Significance of Marriage
      • ‘Ibādāt and mu‘āmalāt
      • Ḥudūd or restrictions
      • Everything is lawful unless prohibited
      • Importance of the marriage institution
      • Marriage as the union of two natures which are one in their essence
      • Multiplication of the human race through marriage
      • Feelings of love and service developed through marriage
      • Marriage and “free love”
    • Sec. 2 — Legal Disabilities
      • Mut’ah or temporary marriage disallowed
      • Prohibitions to marry
      • Marriage relations between Muslims and non-Muslims
    • Sec. 3 — Form and Validity of Marriage
      • Preliminaries of marriage
      • Proposal of marriage
      • Age of marriage
      • Essentials in the contract
      • Mahr or the nuptial gift
      • Shighār
      • Publicity of the marriage
      • Marriage sermon
      • Evidence of marriage
      • Walīmah or marriage feast
      • Guardianship in marriage
      • Marriage in akfā’
      • Conditions imposed at the time of marriage
      • Polygamy
      • Polygamy is an exception
    • Sec. 4 — Rights and obligations of husband and wife
      • Woman’s position in general
      • Woman’s position as wife
      • Mutual relations of husband and wife
      • A division of work
      • Woman not excluded from any activity in sphere of life
      • Rights of husband and wife
      • Stress laid on kind treatment towards wife
      • Sterner measures allowed in case of immoral conduct
      • Seclusion of women
      • The veil
      • Decent dress
      • Privacy
      • Intermingling of the two sexes
    • Sec. 5 — Marriage of Slaves
      • Prostitution abolished and marriage introduced
      • There is no concubinage in Islām
    • Sec. 6 — Divorce
      • Marriage and divorce
      • Divorce is permitted under exceptional circumstances
      • Principle of divorce
      • Wife’s right of divorce
      • Husband’s right of pronouncement of divorce
      • Divorce during menstruation
      • The ‘iddah or waiting period
      • Divorce is revocable
      • Irrevocable divorce
      • Pronouncement of divorce in three forms
      • Subterfuges to make the revocable divorce irrevocable
      • Effect of irrevocable divorce
      • Taḥlīl or ḥalālah
      • Procedure of divorce
      • Īlā’
      • Ziḥār
      • Li‘ān
      • Charitable view of divorce
  • Chapter 7. Acquisition and disposal of property
    • Acquisition of individual property
    • Unlawful means of acquiring wealth
    • The Holy Qur’ān on the exercise of property rights
    • Ḥajr or restrictions on the disposal of property
    • Guardian of minor
    • Honest dealing in Business
    • General directions relating to sale transactions
    • Mortgage
    • Bequest
    • Gift
    • Waqf
  • Chapter 8. Inheritance
    • Reform introduced by Islām
    • Inheritance law as contained in the Holy Qur’ān
    • Hanafī view of inheritance law
    • Debts
    • Bequest
  • Chapter 9. Debts
    • Writing of debts
    • Leniency towards debtors recommended
    • Insistence laid on payment of debts
    • Warning against indebtedness
    • Usury prohibited
    • Reasons for prohibition
    • Ḥadīth on usury
    • Interest
    • Deposits in banks or Government treasuries
    • Bank deposits
    • Co-operative banks
    • Interest on business capital
    • State borrowings
  • Chapter 10. General Regulations
    • Sec. 1 — Foods
      • Islām promotes cleanliness
      • General rules regarding food
      • Moderation recommended
      • Prohibited foods
      • Slaughtering of an animal
      • Invoking the name of God on slaughtered animal
      • Game
      • Prohibitions in Ḥadīth and Jurisprudence
      • Good manners in eating
      • Entertainments
    • Sec. 2 — Drinks
      • Intoxicating liquors
    • Sec. 3 — Toilet
      • Toilet and cleanliness recommended
      • Clothing
  • Chapter 11. Penal Laws
    • Ḥudūd
    • General law of punishment
    • Punishment for murder
    • Murder of a non-Muslim
    • Alleviation of punishment in murder cases
    • Punishment for dacoity
    • Punishment for theft
    • Punishment for adultery
    • Flogging
    • Stoning to death in Jewish law
    • Jewish practice followed by the Holy Prophet at first
    • Accusation of adultery
    • Drunkenness
    • General directions for execution of punishments
  • Chapter 12. The State
  • Chapter 13. Ethics
    • Service of humanity
    • Charity
    • Character building
    • Social conduct
    • Home life
    • Work and Labour
    • Transformation wrought by the Holy Prophet
  • THE RELIGION OF ISLĀM
  • Index of Arabic words and phrases
  • General Index
  • Reviews