From this we learn that conversion according to Islam means a thorough transformation of the person and not just a change of religion in the everyday sense. There is a formal method of religious conversion

ancient Madinah there was the case of about three hundred people having become Muslims by reciting the Islamic creed. To all intents and purposes, they even said their prayers, and fasted, but they did all this

pronouncements. They claimed allegiance to Islam by word of mouth but as regards the state of their hearts, the Islamic spirit was lacking. The Quran branded the ‘Islam’ of such people as a falsity: When the

effectively. Islam does not call for beheadings; it calls rather for saving the head. Islam does not teach us to annihilate life; it teaches us rather to devote our lives to a good cause. Islam is a natural

realism as one of its important teachings. The policy of the Prophet of Islam may well be termed a form of pragmatism. In this matter, Islam grants so many concessions that one can even resort to saying something

between desirable and undesirable actions. Only Islam can provide this kind of ideology. Today the time is ripe for people to open their hearts to Islamic ideology. For one thing, the fall of communism

communism has produced an ideological vacuum, which Islam alone can fill. In the present world, we have countries, which are economic super-powers and military super-powers. But the place of the ideological super-power

potentially, to Islam alone. There is only one obstacle to the realization of this potential and that is Muslim movements having taken a violent course in present times. These movements present Islam to the world

display of resentment could cause matters to escalate to the point of a head-on collision. That is why Islam repeatedly enjoins us to tread the path of patience. The Quran says: “Surely the patient will be paid

war. No one, in Islam, enjoys the right to wage war against another. There are no grounds on which this could be considered justifiable. There is only one kind of war permitted in Islam, and that is a

temporary nature, and subject to humanitarian considerations. To sum up, Islam is a religion of peace. The Arabic root of Islam is ‘silm’ which means peace. The Quran states: ‘... and God calls to the

of it. The truth of Islam had not yet become established in society at large. Yet the Companions donated their wealth for the sake of their religion at that uncertain period of Islamic history: Now, 1400

1400 years later, the greatness of Islam has become an established fact, supported by centuries of history. To spend on a cause which has not consolidated its place in society is of a very different order

‘Abdullah ibn Ubayy’s coronation had been completed when Islam first came to Madinah. The people of Madinah took naturally to the new religion, and Islam won followers in every home. A delegation travelled

just place names, but now they have become symbolic of the two faces of the Islamic coin—two aspects of the process by which Islam has come to the world. On the one hand, Makkah is symbolic of “dawah,” or

power” of Islam was first activated, while Madinah was the place where this power actually achieved supremacy. This verse of the Quran tells the whole story of both Makkan and Madinan Islam: Muhammad

follow divine injunctions of his own free will. When a person adopts Islam, it is first of all his thinking which is shaped by Islam. Subsequently his desires, his feelings, his interests, his relations

daily life – his behaviour and dealings with others are moulded according to the virtues upheld by Islam. In short, both internally and externally he becomes an obedient person. A human being is created

by God, so the right attitude for the believer is to live in submission to God in this world. In Islam, the right way of life is to live in conformity with the will of the Lord. The other kind of life

just place names, but now they have become symbolic of the two faces of the Islamic coin—two aspects of the process by which Islam has come to the world. On the one hand, Makkah is symbolic of “dawah,” or

power” of Islam was first activated, while Madinah was the place where this power actually achieved supremacy. This verse of the Quran tells the whole story of both Makkan and Madinan Islam: Muhammad is

According to the Islamic shariah, peace is the rule in matters of jihad, while war is the least desirable option. In present times groups of Muslims in many countries have launched movements of armed jihad

in the name of Islam. But a movement cannot be a jihad just because its leaders describe it as such. An action can be termed a ‘jihad’ only when it fulfils the conditions set by Islam. Any military action

devotion as prayer and fasting: it is an activity which relates totally to the state. The true Islamic jihad as it relates to the

scale—this hamiyat al-jahiliya, prejudices prevailing in pre-Islamic Arabia (48:28) is being displayed by the other party. In the first phase of Islam its solution lay in Muslims sedulously avoiding an equivalent

Muslims’ homes and other properties, and spared no effort in disseminating negative propaganda against Islam. Given this state of affairs, there were only two options before the believers. One was to attempt

outright war on the other party in the name of securing their rights. Muslims can rewrite the history of Islam provided they make timely use of opportunities.