HUMAN VALUES IN ISLAMGuidance of God GOD, who created the human being and put him on the earth, endowed him with inborn, or innate knowledge and values. These innate values form a natural moral sense,

which makes a person recognise what is good and beautiful such as telling the truth, keeping promises and being grateful. This same moral sense also makes a person recognise what is bad and morally ugly such

power and His bounty. The inherent moral sense in a human being allows him to recognise what is true and good from what is false and evil. However to make matters clearer and to give man a more detailed knowledge

ISLAM AND THE CHALLENGES OF THE WORLDEmulating the Prophetic Model MAN faces a number of challenges—intellectual, political, economic, etc.—which are universal in the modern world. A major issue confronting

in this baneful sequence of events, the name of Islam has come to be linked with violence. Due to the foolish and imprudent acts of certain Muslims, Islam and violence have come to be regarded as interchangeable

interchangeable terms. Due to the foolish and imprudent acts of certain Muslims, Islam and violence have come to be regarded as interchangeable terms An Indian now living in Europe, was called for an interview

SIMILARTIES BETWEEN SIKHISM ISLAMBenefit from Understanding Islamic scholar Maulana Wahiduddin Khan,  and Giani Harpreet Singh, Jathedar of Takhat Shri Damdama Sahib, discuss Islam and Sikhism. The Jathedar

both beauty and thorns—the wisdom is to live in peaceful coexistence. “That is the spirituality in Islam. The Jathedar continues, “It was a great learning experience. There are many similarities between

do I have to wait?) During this phase I read extensively. The basic teaching of Islam is oneness of God. I studied Islam from the prism of science, not philosophy.  “In The Brief History of Time, Stephen

TRUE ISLAMSubmission to God ISLAM literally means submission. Submission is the essence of Islam. Submission means submission — or surrender — to God. When one discovers the existence of God and makes

sense of the word. When a person Islamizes his thought, his dealings, his actions, he is a Muslim. This is the true spirit of Islam. At the same time there is a ‘form’ of Islam. However, there is a difference

difference between the two. Submission to God is the real part of Islam, while the form is a relative part. Let us take the example of salat, or prayer. The essence of prayer is khushu‘ (THE QURAN 23: 2); that

essence of monotheism. Not only does it tell us of the oneness of God, but it also makes it clear what the oneness of God means. He is one and all depend upon Him. He depends on none. He, in His own being

and its discovery is the actual beginning point and the supreme concern of Islam. What is the goal of Islam? The goal of Islam is to induce man to give up his ungodly ways, so that he may lead a totally

this strict code of ethics is explained in the following teaching of the Prophet of Islam, ‘You should like for others what you like for yourself.’ It means you should treat others just as you want to be treated

THE EDITORIAL DIRECTORDr. Farida Khanam has been a professor at the Department of Islamic Studies at Jamia Millia Islamia in New Delhi. A Study of World's Major Religions, A Simple Guide to Sufism are two

two of the books amongst others, of which she is the author. She has also translated many books on Islam authored by Maulana Wahiduddin Khan. Currently, the chairperson of Centre for Peace and Spirituality

peace-building, countering extremism and conflict resolution. AN INTRODUCTION TO ISLAMIC JURISPRUDENCE Understanding the Basics ISLAMIC JURISPRUDENCE or fiqh literally means an understanding and knowledge of something

sacrifice. And so, they do not follow, although it is the greatest—actually, the only—secret of success. What is simple living? Simple living is need-based living. We all have some needs, and we seek to fulfill

be content. 38 Spirit of Islam Issue 36 December 2015 be fulfilled. Everything other than need is greed. And satisfying greed can give, at best, only temporary pleasure. Islam is a religion of simplicity

simplicity. A believer should lead a simple life. The Prophet of Islam laid great stress on simplicity. There is a hadith, according to which the Prophet said that simplicity is part of faith. Things of comfort

ISLAMIC MESSAGE IN A CHANGING WORLDExplosion of Opportunities THE world we live in has changed tremendously since the close of 20th century. The Soviet empire crumbled, taking down with it the communist

tide that is going against them, as a danger, in fact, to Islam. This kind of thinking is quite wrong and is no doubt against the teachings of Islam. The Quran says: “Surely with every hardship there is ease

although the modern world is witnessing great changes, these changes are going mostly in favour of Islam. This is the most important aspect of the new world. Modern changes have brought problems in their

Wahiduddin Khan, born in 1925, in Azamgarh, Uttar Pradesh, is an Islamic spiritual scholar who is well-versed in both classical Islamic learning and modern disciplines. The mission of his life has been

highest civilian honour in India, and the Demiurgus Peace International Award. He has been called ’Islam’s spiritual ambassador to the world’ and is recognised as one of its most influential Muslims1 . His

present age.  These Muslims are obsessed with the historical glory of Islam. They want to re-establish the political empire of Islam, which according to their notion was successfully established in the

us towards Islam. When I look back we did not have much Islam in our lives. We were only attached to rituals and cultural traditions in the name of Islam. Our practice of ritualistic Islam increased during

Sufi practices such as Na’at (poetry in praise of the Prophet Muhammad), Qawwali (a form of Sufi Islamic devotional singing), and Quran Khawani (collective reading of the Quran in Arabic). I was married

the help of family system. This reality brought me back to studying Islam. I started studying commentaries of the Quran by noted Islamic scholars like Maulana Maududi (d. 1979), Dr Israr Ahmed (d. 2010)