of faith and not as a fact of history. However, the position of Islam in this regard is totally different. Muhammad, the Messenger of Islam, as acknowledged by all wellknown historians of the world, was

preserved just as it was first revealed to the Messenger of Islam. The textual originality and purity of the Qur’an is incomparable and unquestionable. Islam, as a whole, passes the strictest criteria of higher

higher criticism and historical verification. So, when one opts for Islam, one does so as a matter of history, not simply as a matter of faith. One can safely say, therefore, that for a seeker after the truth

worldly action. But this stepping back actually opened up new doors for positive developments in Islamic history. Hasan ibn Ali ibn Abi Talib was born in the year 624 A.D. and passed away in the year 670

solidarity. In this way, Muslims were able to use their strength and resources in the propagation of Islam, which would otherwise have gone to waste in civil war. As this example shows, sometimes stepping

situation also becomes politically wise and necessary. That is also something that Islam teaches us. This is also what we learn from Imam Hasan’s example. Only that person can act successfully who knows

As we know, the pilgrimage to Makkah (hajj), the fourth pillar of Islam, is organized along particular lines, according to the rites and rituals of hajj. But believers are made aware at all times that

throughout the rest of the year. Again it is the spirit of the thing, which counts. The fifth pillar of Islam, fasting (sawm) for the whole of the month of Ramadan, is not concerned merely with abstinence from

(Mishkat al-Masabih). That these are the five fundamentals of Islam has been made quite clear by the Prophet himself. Furthermore, what is desirable in the observance of all of these five pillars is the

the Prophet of Islam, unlike other prophets, would not be an unknown personality. His teachings would be preserved for all time to come. This is a great advantage for the dayees of Islam in modern times

lacking in historical credibility. Here we are in a position to tell the seekers after truth that what they have been questing after has been available with us all along, that is, the Quran and the hadith

pristine form, it is because they have been so carefully and reverentially preserved. The Prophet of Islam may be regarded as the definitive source of divine truth, because his life and teachings have been

of Islam. If iman is a superior ideology, dawah is a superior course of action. Iman purifies one’s mind and soul, while dawah imbues one’s personality with a sublime probity. One who adopts Islam as a

receives from his environment. Islam is thus the natural religion that a child left to itself would develop. A western writer, Lady Cobbold, has rightly described it: Islam is the religion of common sense

sense. When this potential is realized, it results in the emergence of a new man. What kind of character is possessed by this new man is made clear by the following hadith:

asabiyyah, a form of tribal prejudice, which, in Islam, is utterly false and condemnable. The other way to look at the question of riots is the Islamic way. The Islamic way is based on certain principles, and not

not on communal basis. When we analyze the Bhiwandi riots from the Islamic perspective, the first question that arises is: What was the issue or complaint which so angered Muslims that they took to angry

servants: ISLAM. The initial step to be taken is to embrace Islam, which means that one should willingly obey God, leading one’s life within the bounds of God’s commandments. ISLAM (faith). Islam begins really

Almighty. SIDQ (truthfulness) means living an honest, straightforward life in the sense of saying plainly what one is going to do, and then actually doing as one has said. In other words, it means leading a life

Islamic history that Muslim divorced women have been cast adrift, helpless, with no one to look after them. Indian columnist, Khushwant Singh has remarked that we do not hear of Muslim women committing

committing suicide or being tortured like Hindu women, which is a proof that Islam has already given them adequate liberty and has- made enough provision for them to be supported in times of emergencies. A new

make laws which provide for them at the expense of their menfolk. When they are earning like men, what is the point in making such a law? Only in exceptional cases, surely, do they need to be looked after

principle of Islam, that is, in social life when any unpleasant incident takes place, the believers should concentrate on finding a solution to the problem and not just think in terms of what punishment

with even greater intensity. In all situations, Islam gives preference to the former, rather than to the latter approach. This is an eternal principle of Islam, relating to both personal and social life.

and His apostle shall win a greater victory” (33:70-71). This Quranic verse commands mankind to say what is fair. Qaul-e-Sadid means saying the truth and exactly in accordance with the

ownership. What Marx had condemned in one place, he condoned in another. But due to his great antipathy for and antagonism towards the capitalist class, he was unable to see his own contradiction in thought

resources away from capitalists and entrusting it to officials. But, blinded by prejudice, he did not see what he was doing. He gave separate names to two different forms of the very same phenomenon: in the one

say opponents of the Quran. On the one hand, Islam says that men and women are equal, yet at the same time women are allotted an inferior position in Islamic society. They then cite the fact that the testimony