admonition, considering how outrageous his behaviour had been. If, prior to this, his rusticity had been what conditioned his behaviour, now it was his conscience which gained the upper hand. With his conscience

in such a light by the Bedouin, it paved the way for the whole of his tribe to enter the fold of Islam. Only one member of the tribe had come to the mosque and experienced the gentleness of the Prophet

music at high volume; or if there is any other such incident which appears to show disrespect to Islam, Muslims are provoked into fighting. This fighting then develops into riots, and the police resort

experiences in this world what an unbeliever will experience in the next world. An unbeliever will humble himself on seeing God; a believer does so without seeing Him.AUGUST 2 Islam—A Culture of PeaceThe

Model World according to Islam, is a world of peace. Islam in itself means a religion of peace. The Quran says: And God calls to the home of peace. This is the message of Islam to mankind. It means that

a world of peace in your eternal life in the Hereafter.’ Now what are the basic elements of building a culture of peace? According to Islam, to be brief, these are three—compassion, forgiveness and respect

continuation of such inhuman activities. In this regard, Islam lays emphasis on two important precepts. Firstly, violent activism is totally unlawful in Islam. Under no circumstances are Muslims allowed to adopt

goals. They must necessarily remain within a peaceful sphere of action. According to the teachings of Islam, there is nothing that cannot be achieved within this sphere. And if things cannot be immediately

and for no one, can violent struggle ever be lawful. As well as being the essence of Islamic teachings, this is what reason demands. How to put an end to the destructive gun and bomb culture? We can say

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

Sayyidina Imam Al Hassan Peace award for promoting peace in Muslim societies. He has been called ’Islam’s spiritual ambassador to the world’ and is recognized as one of its most influential Muslims . His

present-day so-called Islamic terrorism is the result of an ideology. An ideology can only be countered with another ideology. Muslim militancy has arisen from a political interpretation of Islam. The need now

CHAPTER FOUR War and Peace in IslamTo understand the status of war and peace in Islam, we need to understand what the target of the Islamic mission is. War and peace are two different methods, not goals

goals in themselves. Hence, if we are able to determine what the target of the mission of Islam is, this will itself determine if the method that Islam advocates is war or peace. The Quran gives a very clear

the mission of the Quran is not territorial conquest, but, rather, the moulding of people’s minds. Islam’s target is to bring about an intellectual revolution, not the physical subjugation of people. If

the women of today. There are many such incidents which show that Islam accords equal freedom to a woman and a man. The Prophet of Islam said: Men and women are two equal halves of a single unit. (Sunan

14.AS AN ISLAMIC SCHOLAR, HOW WOULD YOU DEFEND ISLAM AND THE QURAN FROM THE ILL REPUTATION THEY HAVE GARNERED FROM TERRORISTS WHO BASE THEIR ACTIONS IN ISLAM?One does not need to defend Islam. We need

right teachings of Islam to create an understanding of the peaceful message of Islam. Terrorism has no linkage to Islam. It is an undeniable fact that due to wrong interpretations of Islam, some sections of

the women of today. There are many such incidents which show that Islam accords equal freedom to a woman and a man. The Prophet of Islam said: Men and women are two equal halves of a single unit. (Sunan

14.AS AN ISLAMIC SCHOLAR, HOW WOULD YOU DEFEND ISLAM AND THE QURAN FROM THE ILL REPUTATION THEY HAVE GARNERED FROM TERRORISTS WHO BASE THEIR ACTIONS IN ISLAM?One does not need to defend Islam. We need

right teachings of Islam to create an understanding of the peaceful message of Islam. Terrorism has no linkage to Islam. It is an undeniable fact that due to wrong interpretations of Islam, some sections of

grasp a deeper import of what has been said, fathoming what is implicit as well as what has been explicitly stated. When the simple words ‘Speak the truth’ are uttered, what they really mean is: ‘Speak

even if the truth appears harmful to you.’ When the simple words ‘Speak the truth’ are uttered, what they really mean is: ‘Speak the truth, even if the truth appears harmful to you.’ When we are commanded

implies abstaining from food, however much we may desire to eat; prayer is worship of God, no matter what other preoccupations we may have; paying zakat incorporates the fuller meaning: “Pay zakat, however

in his own times, he was branded as heretic, an enemy of the Muslim community and an enemy of Islam. What is the reason for the difference in past and present attitudes? It is simply that those who nowadays

were regularly depicted as the enemies of Islam. In the ‘slave nation,’ as Muslim intellectual would have it, he pointed out that certain freedoms did exist. What did his pointing out of freedom in slavery

had appeared to be one of cowardice and inaction. But its subsequent results showed its wisdom, and what its potential had been for positive action. In fact, it was the only possible strategy to adopt. Had

ASK MAULANAYour Questions Answered What is the role of a Mosque in Islam? Mosque or ‘Masjid’, literally means a place for self-prostration; that is, a place formally designated for the saying of prayers

This means in effect, that it is a centre for the inculcation of reverence, where individuals learn what is meant by piety and are thus prepared for a life of devotion to the Almighty. The Masjid is built

activities is the saying of prayers, a ritual to be carried out five times a day as prescribed by Islam. The mosque, initially intended as a place of worship, has come to be built to serve other related