course of action is universally desirable. It is a basic requirement to lead the Islamic life. The first principle of Islam is imaan (faith), but before imaan there is a preparatory step—marefat, or realization

realization. Narrating the story of a group of believers, the Quran says: When they listen to what has been sent down to the Messenger, you see their eyes overflowing with tears, because of the Truth they

a very important principle of Islam, that is, before belief (imaan), realization (marefat) is required. When an individual accepts Islam, he recites the kalimah of Islam but, before doing so, he must discover

been given to them—he who denies God’s signs should know that God is swift in His reckoning. WORSHIP: What God most earnestly desires from human beings is worship. The Quran says: ‘I have not created jinn2

for worship in his own country, he is enjoined to leave it for some other place (4: 97). In the Islamic Shariah the word worship is used to express a condition of extreme love coupled with extreme humility

is used in relation to God, it also includes the concept of love. In the Islamic Shariah (moral code and religious law of Islam) the word worship is used to express a condition of extreme love coupled

Islam and InfidelityIslam is acknowledgement and infidelity is denial. Man may seem to be free to do or say what he likes in the world, but, in reality, everything belongs to God. Whatever anybody has

is His gift. Nobody, save God, has any power. God is always in a position to seize and punish man. Islam is acknowledgement of this fact and believers live in accordance with it. Infidelity is denial and

to God. If one accepts God’s divinity and bases one’s life on reality, then one has truly embraced Islam and can enjoy God’s everlasting blessings. If one denies this reality and refuses to accept God as

world hereafter, while politics is basically a worldly affair. Drawing the line between what is spiritual and what is purely political is essential and it should be borne in mind that spirituality is a

calls for it. If there is a society that is ready for its affairs to be administered according to Islamic teachings, then believers can go into politics. In other words, spirituality is a matter for the

only when society is prepared for this, i.e. when society itself wants to be governed according to Islamic teachings. Spirituality is a vast subject, covering almost all the nonpolitical affairs of life

political power. Through their actions, these people have made Islam seem like a religion of hatred and violence, although, in actual fact, the Islam sent by God is a religion of peace and concern for the welfare

is at war with humanity. Islamic Jihad If someone were to sit somewhere and move his hands about and stand up and then claim that he was offering his prayers in the Islamic way, his actions would not

not represent the Islamic form of prayer. The Islamic form of prayer has certain clearly defined conditions or requisites. Only if an action observes these conditions or requisites can it be said to constitute

any activity whatsoever, no matter how damaging to humanity or contrary to religion it might be. What made matters worse—as a direct result of this negative psychology—was the emergence of certain Muslim

political interpretation of Islam, according to which Islam was a complete system of State and Muslims had been appointed by God to fulfill the mission of establishing this Islamic state throughout the world

Egypt, Ayatullah Khomeini in Iran and Syed Abul Ala Maududi in Pakistan. This political view of Islam, in spite of being a grave misinterpretation, spread rapidly among Muslims. The only reason for this

is the book of God. It has been preserved in its entirety since its revelation to the Prophet of Islam between AD 610 and 632. It is a book that brings glad tidings to humankind, along with divine admonition

but the frailest of all structures is the house of the spider, if they but knew it. God surely knows what they invoke besides Him. He is the Mighty, the Wise One. Such are the comparisons We make for people

‘knowledge with intense realization of God,’ then it is called by its other name: faith or iman. Recite what has been revealed to you of the book, and pray regularly. Surely prayer restrains one from indecency

The Five Pillars of IslamIslam, according to the Prophet, was built upon five tenets: “The sworn testimony that none is worthy of being served besides God and that Mohammad is His servant and Apostle;

8) A building, when looked at in the mass, appears to be the sum of its many intricate parts. But what is it which bears aloft the entire soaring edifice? One comes inevitably to the pillars, the underpinnings

the above-cited articles of faith, are, figuratively speaking, the “pillars” of Islam, without which the entire Islamic edifice would come crashing to the ground. Human individuals are like pieces of land

prayer from the Kabah in Makkah towards Jerusalem for a temporary period while he was in Madinah. What bridges the gap between followers of these faiths is that they have common prophets. Hence, from a

Kingdom of Solomon and the birthplace of Jesus Christ are indirectly significant for Muslims3.WHAT IS SUFISM?Islamic spiritualism has come to have two schools of thought. One may be called the Quranic school

as Sufism or Tasawwuf, or the form which mysticism has taken in Islam. The term ‘Sufism’ embraces the philosophy and practices in Islam that aim at direct communion between God and man. The book Sufism:

prayer from the Kabah in Makkah towards Jerusalem for a temporary period while he was in Madinah. What bridges the gap between followers of these faiths is that they have common prophets. Hence, from a

Kingdom of Solomon and the birthplace of Jesus Christ are indirectly significant for Muslims3.WHAT IS SUFISM?Islamic spiritualism has come to have two schools of thought. One may be called the Quranic school

as Sufism or Tasawwuf, or the form which mysticism has taken in Islam. The term ‘Sufism’ embraces the philosophy and practices in Islam that aim at direct communion between God and man. The book Sufism: