the rightful owners only when they have given to the poor and the needy their share from it. This Islamic teaching makes every human being a servant of his society. He considers it his duty to give to the

According to Islam, serving people with disabilities is not just a social service; rather it entitles one to make themselves worthy of God’s mercy.ALL HUMAN BEINGS ARE EQUALThe Prophet of Islam said, “Listen

of Islam once took a loan from a man in Madinah. Then one day, this man came and used harsh language while demanding the Prophet of Islam to pay off his debt. The companions of the Prophet of Islam wanted

stemmed from differences in environment. The tenets of Islam are based wholly on nature. This is because Islam is the religion of nature. The laws Islam requires us to follow are, in fact, our own instinctive

instinctive human requirements expressed in legal terms. And the teachings of Islam with respect to women are no exception. They too are based on nature. Modern, psychological, biological and anatomical research

delicate as compared to men. It is this fact of nature on which Islamic teachings have been based. Because of women’s delicate constitution, Islam teaches men to be gentle with them. That way they will not

Jamaat-e-Islami came out with a considerable number of writings criticizing it. But the end result of these efforts was only to make even clearer than before that in the entire Jamaat-e-Islami circle, not

possessed even a single convincing bit of evidence in support of the political interpretation of Islam. This is not really the place to repeat my views about Quranic verses and hadith reports which I

of the deen. And that is that this interpretation has completely transformed the understanding of Islamic history. This is clearly evident in two of Maulana Maududi’s key books: Quran ki Char Bunyadi Istilahen

violent methods must now be abandoned in practice, or what in the language of the shariah is called mansukh or ‘abrogated’. Now the followers of Islam are left with only one method to choose—and that, without

rule or norm, while war as a necessity is a very rare exception. An example from recent times of what we have been discussing

is a difference in the arena in which they worked. It does not mean that one of them did more for Islam than the other. Abu Huraira and Khalid were both sincere, dedicated Muslims. But as regards talents

to serve the cause of Islam, while Khalid picked another, equally suitable one, for himself. Before Khalid became a Muslim, he took part in several military campaigns against Islam. He later told of how

continued to haunt him, until shortly before the conquest of Mecca, when he went to Medina and accepted Islam. Khalid was by nature exceptionally brave and courageous. He recognized this quality of his and saw

MankindThe Quran has this to say of the Prophet of Islam: We have only sent you as a mercy to all mankind. (21:106) The advent of the Prophet of Islam made manifest God’s mercy for all mankind. Through

as would turn human society into a peaceful society. For the first time in history, the Prophet of Islam presented a complete ideology based on the concept of peace. He gave us the formula for the building

possible to construct a peaceful society by avoiding war and confrontation. Although the Prophet of Islam was compelled to wage several battles, they were so brief that we might describe them as skirmishes

EID AL-FITR A DAY OF DIVINE REWARDEid al-Fitr is an important annual festival for people of the Islamic faith. The Muslims celebrate it on the first date of Shawwal, that is, the tenth month of the Hijra

their neighbours as a mark of solidarity and brotherhood. It is reported that when the Prophet of Islam saw the new moon at the coming of the month of Shawwal, he said: “O God, make this moon a moon of

Gifts of sweets distributed on the day of Eid represent the true spirit of this Islamic festival. The Prophet of Islam once said that an exchange of gifts promotes love in society. (Al-Mu’ jam al-Awsat

their own case. This was ably done by Jafar ibn Abi Talib, who briefly described the teachings of Islam. At the request of the Negus, he recited certain divine revelations. When the patriarchs heard the

same fountainhead from which the words of our Lord Jesus Christ have sprung.” The Negus then said, “What you have just recited and that which was revealed to Moses must have both issued from the same source

source. Go forth into my kingdom; I shall not extradite you at all.” In the classical literature of Islam, there are many appreciative references to Christ and Christianity. The Quran calls Christ the ‘Spirit

every age, there is a need not only for men but also for women to devote themselves to the mission of Islam. Ideally, they should be individuals who are willing in the way that Khadijah was, to involve themselves

THE IDEAL LIFE COMPANION One of Khadijah’s most significant contributions to the furtherance of Islam was the reassurance which she gave to the Prophet on the occasion of his receiving the first divine

rahib (hermit) who lived near Mecca. On seeing her, the priest asked, “O noble lady of the Quraysh, what has brought you here?” Khadijah replied, “I have come here to ask you about Gabriel.” To this the