Section 1
The Foundation
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Al-Qur'ân is an Arabic word which literally means 'the reading' and 'the
collection.' It is the collection of the essence of revealed scriptures of the
past.
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It is the Word of Allah and a universal message containing final guidance to
mankind for all times.
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It was revealed to the Prophet Muhammad (
- peace be upon him) during some 23
years of his prophetic mission in the Arabian peninsula. It has been preserved
in original Arabic both in writing and in memory throughout the fourteen hundred
years.
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The Qur'ân contains 114 sûrahs (chapters), 6,616
âyât (verses), 77,934
words and 323,671 letters. All schools of thought are unanimous on the text of
the Qur'ân and regard it as an undisputed authority wherefrom springs the law
and ethics and other Islamic concepts.
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It has successfully created a new phase of human thought and greatly affected
the life of millions of Muslims the world over.
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Hardly a generation has passed which has not witnessed a comprehensive
commentary on the Qur'ân highlighting contemporary issues.
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Faith and the performance of righteous deeds are the springboard of the
Qur'ân.
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The Qur'ân categorically lays down that all human beings are born innocent
and are accountable for their deeds.
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The Qur'ân prohibits the roots of evils such as intoxicants, interest,
gambling, adultery, oppression, corruption and many more.
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The Divine mercy encompasses everything: fear, grief, despair, cannot be
associated with the Divine mercy.
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The Qur'ân commands that the followers of other faiths must be tolerated and
treated with kindness.
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Oneness of Allah, life Hereafter, peace, tranquility, and prosperity of
mankind are the ultimate aims of the Qur'ân. |
Over six hundred references have been provided in this work for all themes from
the Qur'ân for further elaboration.
2 The Sunnah:
(B) The Fundamental Concepts:
3 al-Tawhîd, Oneness of Allah:
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Allah, the One true God, occupies a pivotal place in a Muslim's life from the
cradle to the grave.
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Islam is summed up in the Shahâdah.
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Shahâdah: lâ ilâha illallâh, There is no god but Allah, affirming Allah to
be the One, the Absolute Transcendent Creator, the Lord and Master of all.
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The most prominent manifestations of Tawhîd
are:
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(a) Sovereignty belongs only to Allah (2:107; 25:2; 18:26; 57:5; 59:23; 3:26;
7:128).
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(b) Unity of Divine Law.
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(c) Unity of mankind.
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It is al-Tawhîd which breaks the shackles of particularism, ethnocentrism and
racism and opens up the horizons of universalism.
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The identity of Islamic Culture and Civilization lies in
Tawhîd.
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The purpose for the creation of mankind - the viceroy of Allah - is to serve
Allah alone (51:56; 11:61).
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The Ka'bah, the center from where the knowledge of the oneness of Allah
originated, is the heart of the Muslim Ummah and is situated in the center,
enabling Muslims to face it not only in their five daily obligatory Prayers but
for all Prayers the world over.
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All past Prophets invited people towards Tawhîd (7:62; 11:25-26,50,54,61,84;
26:69-76; 6:77-79; 26:23-24,82,126; 37:123-125; 12:37-40; 27:23-26; 43:63-64;
5:17; 3:64; 39:64-67; 57:25; 16:36).
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The Qur'ân lays down certain conditions for the belief in
Tawhîd such as:
knowledge, conviction, sincerity, truthfulness, acceptance, submission and love
(39:11; 3:167; 24:51; 4:59; 2:165; 19:96).
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The Qur'ân mentions many attributes of Allah. Prominent among them are: Life,
Knowledge, Power, Will, Hearing, Seeing and Speech.
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The following verses manifest a few of Allah's attributes:
"He is Allah, than whom there is no other God, the Knower of the invisible
and the visible.
He is the Beneficent, the Merciful. He is Allah, than whom there is no other
God, the Sovereign Lord, the Holy One, Peace, the Keeper of Faith, the Guardian,
the Majestic, the Compeller, the Superb. Glorified be Allah from all that they
ascribe as partner (to Him)!
He is Allah, the Creator, the Shaper out of nothing, the Fashioner, His are the
most beautiful names. All that is in the heavens and the earth glorifies Him,
and He is the Mighty, the Wise" (59: 22 -24).
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(For the other attributes of Allah, see the Qur'ân: 1:2;
2:117,129,143,158,244,247,255,257,263; 3:2,8,9,15,38,51; 4:6, 79, 81, 85, 149;
5:109; 6:18, 65, 103; 8:40; 9:104; 11:57, 61, 73, 90; 12:21, 64; 13:9, 16;
15:23, 86; 16:70, 91; 17:44; 19:47; 21:112; 22:6, 64, 74; 24:25, 35; 25:31;
30:50; 33:52; 34:1, 23, 26; 35:34; 39:36; 40:15, 43; 41:54; 42:11, 23; 51:58;
52:28; 54:42,55; 55:27; 57:3; 71:10; 82:6; 85:13; 96:3; 112:2.)
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And on the closeness of Allah to mankind:
"We verily created man and We know what his soul whispers to him, and We
are nearer to him than his jugular vein" (50:16).
"...and He is with you wheresoever you may be..." (57:4).
"He knows the treachery of the eyes, and that which the bosoms hide"
(40:19).
(See also: 2:33, 77, 235, 284; 3:29, 119, 154; 5:7, 99, 154; 6:3; 8:43; 9:78;
11:5; 16:19, 23; 17:25; 20:7; 21:110; 24:29, 39; 27:25, 74; 28:69; 31:23; 33:5,
51, 54; 35:8, 38; 36:76; 39:7; 42:24; 57:6; 64:4; 67:13.) |
4 al-Risâlah, Prophethood:
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For the sake of human guidance, Allah sent hundreds of Prophets in the past
who promulgated Divine guidance.
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The fundamental aim of the Prophets was to establish a proper relationship
between man and Allah (16: 36).
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Allah blessed all people in the past with Prophets (10: 47; 38: 4; 40: 78) who
communicated Allah's message in the language of their people (14: 4). They were
human beings (25: 20; 21: 7-8; 14: 11-12) chosen by Allah for human guidance (6:
124; 22: 75; 72: 26, 27; 3: 179). They were blessed with wisdom and knowledge
(12: 21). They were the best of creatures and were granted the best of human
capabilities and strength. They were righteous models, guides, and leaders of
humanity (19: 12-14, 30-32, 49-51, 54-58; 21: 72-73, 85, 90; 38: 45-47; 7: 68;
26: 107). They were the well-wishers of their people (7: 61-63).
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Obedience to the Prophets is obligatory (7: 35-36; 8: 20, 24, 46; 9: 71; 24:
51; 47: 33; 48: 17).
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Faith is incomplete without obedience to the Prophets (24: 47).
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The Prophet Muhammad (
- peace be upon him) was the last Universal Prophet (33:
40, 45; 22: 49; 7: 158; 34: 28; 21: 107). |
5 al-Âkhirah, Life Hereafter:
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The Qur'ân emphasizes the paramount importance of life Hereafter for mankind.
It creates in a person the awareness of his/her duty to Allah and fellow
creatures in the temporary worldly life and unfolds the realities of the eternal
life, the Hereafter, which includes the Day of resurrection, the Day of
Judgment, Paradise and Hell. It inculcates the concept of accountability both in
the private and public life of a person (3: 25; 7: 18; 11: 18; 15: 92; 17: 13;
18: 49; 21: 1; 29: 13; 30: 78; 34: 3; 37: 24; 39: 69; 45: 27; 58: 6; 69: 18; 75:
13; 81: 7; 82: 5; 88: 26; 99: 6; 100: 10; 102: 8). |
Death:
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Death closes the file on this temporary worldly life and from this point
begins the journey to life Hereafter ( 3: 144, 145, 154, 185; 4: 78; 21:
34-35; 23: 15; 39: 30; 50: 19; 55: 26; 56: 60; 62: 8; 10: 49; 15: 13; 16: 61;
17: 58; 35: 45; 36: 44). |
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