English This is Islam

7/28/2019 English This is Islam

1/54

3

THIS IS ISLAMBy

His Eminence Sheikh

Saleh Ibn Abdu l Aziz Al-Sheikh ,

The Saudi Minister of Islamic Affairs,Endowments, Dawah and Guidance

Printed and Published byThe UnderSecretariat for

Publications and Research

Ministry of Islamic Affairs,

Endowments, Da'wah and Guidance

Kingdom of Saudi Arabia


2/54

4

Table of Contents

INTRODUCTION ............................................ 6

AQEEDAH ..................................................... 8Some Fundamentals ofAqeedah................ 9a. Establishing the Pillars of faith ................... 9b. Belief in the Unseen ................................. 10c. Belief that the Qur'an and the Sunnah are

the main sources of the Islamic Law ........ 10d. Love and loyalty for the believers ............ 11e.Seeking Allahs pleasure (taraddi) for the

Companions ............................................. 12

WORSHIP .................................................... 12

SHARRE'A H ................................................ 13

Some Characteristics of the IslamicSharee'ah ..................................................... 13a. Comprehensiveness ................................ 13b. Consideration of public interest ................ 16c. Ease ......................................................... 18

SYSTEM OF GOVERNMENT ...................... 19System of Government: Somefundamentals of Islam ............................... 20

a. Freedom ................................................... 20


3/54

5

1. Religious freedom ................................... 202. Economic and personal freedom ............. 213. Personal freedom in what one does

at home .................................................... 214. Personal freedom in whatever activities

one engages ............................................. 21b. Justice and equality ................................. 22c. Maintaining unity and power .................... 23d. Counselling the faithful ............................. 23Fundamental principles of government ... 25

MORALS ..................................................... 27Types of good morals ................................ 28a. Good morals towards one's Lord ............. 28b. Good morals towards oneself .................. 28

c. Good morals towards one's parents andother family members .............................. 28d. Good morals towards Muslims ................. 28e. Good morals towards non-Muslims .......... 29f. Good morals in time of war ....................... 29

WEALTH AND ECONOMIC ACTIVITY ....... 31The Islamic view of wealth and economicactivity ......................................................... 31a. Wealth belongs to Allah ........................... 31b. Guaranteeing sufficiency to all members

of the Muslim society ................................ 32c. Respecting private ownership .................. 32


4/54

6

d. Granting economic freedom ..................... 33e. Encouraging development ....................... 33f. Encouraging moderate spending and

forbidding extravagance and prodigality ... 33g. Forbidding all transactions that lead to

individual or communal injustice ............. 34Some of the Fundamental principles ofeconomic activity and wealth in Islam ..... 34a. All transactions are lawful unless there is

evidence that states otherwise ............... 34b. The economic activity must have

everyone's best interests at heart ........... 34

UNITY .......................................................... 36Types of unity and disunity ........................... 36

a. Unity in religion ........................................ 37b. Unity in worldly matters, the state and theruler .............................................................. 37

INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS .................. 38

CIVILIZATION ............................................. 40

DISAGREEMENT AND DIALOGUE ............ 41

MODERATION ............................................ 44


5/54

7

INTRODUCTION

In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, MostMerciful.

All praise belongs to Allah, Lord of all theworlds. I bear witness that there is no godworthy of worship except Allah alone, and Ibear witness that Muhammad is His obedientservant and messenger. May Allah bestow HisPeace and Blessings upon ProphetMuhammad, upon his good and pure family, aswell as upon the noble companions until theDay of Reckoning.

The topic of the present lecture is a long oneindeed, and it would be unfair to claim todiscuss it in all its aspects and at length in onelecture; for the topic in fact requires a lengthydiscussion, which is next to impossible to do inone single lecture; for Islam is allcomprehensive and is also impossible todelineate the comprehensiveness of Islam inone single lecture

I may address it from a personal point of view,

from my personal understanding of this religion,from the influence of the customs and traditions


6/54

8

of my country on me, or from the influence of acertain school of thought. Therefore, I have tostress from the outset that I have tried to be asobjective as possible, without being influencedby anything that is bound to negatively affectthe treatment of the present subject. For doingso is a huge trust, as it is an exposition andexplanation of what Allah the Almighty hasrevealed to His Messenger Muhammad (peaceand blessings of Allah be upon him). In thepresent lecture, I have briefly discussed theview of Islam with reference to a number ofpoints which are as follows:

Aqeedah

WorshipSharee'ahSystem of GovernmentMoralsWealth and Economy ActivityInternational relationsCivilizationDisagreement and dialogueModeration


7/54

9

AQEEDAH

All of Allah's messengers (peace and blessingsof Allah be upon them) observed the essence ofIslam, namely the complete submission toAllah, which can be summarized in therealization of the shahaadah: There is no godworthy of worship except Allah and Muhammadis His messenger. This testimony of faithincorporates pure monotheism.

The meaning of the first part of the shahaadahis that no one deserves to be worshipped inAllah's Kingdom except Allah alone, and thatwhatever and whoever is worshipped besides

Him is a false deity. Allah says, "That isbecause it is Allah He is the Truth (theonly True God of all that exists, Whohas nopartners of rivals with Him) and what the(the polytheists) invoke besides Him, it isBat i l(falsehood)" (22:62)

The meaning of the second part of theshahaadah is to testify and declare in wordsand deeds that Muhammad, son of Abdullahwho belonged to the family of Hashim, which

was the noblest tribe of the Quraish section ofthe Arabian race, is truly the last of Allah's


8/54

10

messengers (peace and blessings of Allah beupon them), that he was sent from his Lord withthe truth to all mankind as a bearer of gladtidings and a warner, that he should be obeyedin whatever he commanded and forbade, andthat Allah is only to be worshipped by what hehimself legislated, not by one's whims, desiresand innovations in religion.

Some Fundamentals of Islam RegardingAqeedah

a. Establishing the Pillars of faith

Islam is a set of beliefs which can be realized in

the six pillars of faith, namely belief in Allah, Hisangels, His Books, His Messengers, the LastDay and the Divine Decree, the good of it andthe bad of it. Allah the Almighty says, "TheMessenger believes in what has beenrevealed to him from his Lord, and so do thebelievers: all of them believe in Allah, HisAngels, His Books and His Messengers,[saying,] 'We make no distinction betweenany of His Messengers;' and they say, 'Wehear and we obey. We implore Your

forgiveness, O our Lord, and to You is thereturning.'" (2:285) He also says, "Verily, We


9/54

11

have created everything with qadar(DivinePreordainments of all things before theircreation, as written in the Book of Decrees.)'(54:49)

Belief in Allah means the belief that He is theonly true God and that He is one and has nopartners at all. He is the only Lord whomanages the affairs of the universe, the onlytrue God who alone is worthy of worship,without any partners, who has the mostbeautiful names and the loftiest perfectattributes which are not likened to any of thoseof His creatures even though some of theattributes may be shared between the Creator

and the created, for there is nothing like Him.

b. Belief in the Unseen

Belief in the unseen is a requisite in Islam andsignifies belief in anything of which Allah theAlmighty or His Messenger (peace andblessings of Allah be upon him) has informedus. Belief in the unseen is not comprehendedby the intellect, reasoning or any form ofanalogy. For matters relating to the Unseen are

to be accepted without questioning as their truenature is known to Allah alone. Therefore, we


10/54

12

believe in them as Allah informed us withoutqualifying them or likening them to anything.That is why Allah describes His obedientservants as those "who believe in theUnseen" (2:3), and so He made this belief aspecial quality of the believers, that is theirbelief in the Unseen of which Allah hasinformed them, for no one who informs of theUnseen knows better than Almighty Allah.

c. Belief that the Qur'an and the Sunnaharethe main sources of the Islamic Law

Another fundamental of Islam with regard toAqeedah is the belief that the Qur'an and theSunnah are revealed by Allah and that theyrepresent the sources of acquiring properknowledge in matters of belief and the revealedlaws of Islam. The sources of the Islamic Lawinclude the Book of Allah (the Qur'an), theProphet's Sunnah, Ijma', or the unanimousagreement of the mujtahidoon of any periodfollowing the demise of the Prophet Muhammadon any matter, and ijtihaad (independentreasoning or analytical thought to be supportedwith textual evidence from the Qur'an, the

Sunnah) and ijma'. (Ijtihaad may involve theinterpretation of the source materials, inference


11/54

13

of rules from them, or giving a legal verdict ordecision on any issue on which there is nospecific guidance in the Qur'an and theSunnah). Such sources as analytical reasoningwithout evidence from the Qur'an and theSunnah, dreams and imagined interests thatcontravene the evidence of the Sharee'ah areall excluded and are to be disregarded.

d. Love and loyalty for the believers

Another Islamic fundamental with regard toAqeedah is to show love, loyalty and support(walaa') for the believers. Allah says, "Thebelievers, men and women, are awliyyaa'(helpers, supporters, friends, protectors) ofone another." (9"71) Given the importance ofthis principle, scholars of Aqeedah haveincluded the principle ofwalaa'for the believersamongst matters relating to Aqeedah and notamongst matters relating to fiqh (jurisprudence)even though it is related to juristic matters.

e. Seeking Allahs pleasure (taraddi) for theCompanions

Another Islamic fundamental with regard toAqeedah is to seek Allah's pleasure for the


12/54

14

Mothers of the Believers (the prophet's wives)as well as all the Prophet's companions whomAllah the Almighty extolled. One should alsohold Muslim devout scholars in high esteem,show loyalty, love and support for Allah'srighteous servants as well as all the believerswith different degrees ofwalaa'according to therequirements of faith.

WORSHIP

As far as worship, or 'ibaadah, is concerned,Islam is based on five pillars: testifying that nogod is worthy of worship except Allah and thatMuhammad is the Messenger of Allah,performing the obligatory prayers, paying thezakat, fasting in the month of Ramadhan andmaking the pilgrimage to the Holy Mosque (inMakkah). The four acts of worship (namelyprayers, zakat, fasting and the pilgrimage)represent the great practical pillars of Islam,and whoever abandons them and refuses toobey Allah's command with regard to them hasin fact left the fold of Islam. Jihadis also one ofthese great pillars of Islam.


13/54

15

SHARRE'AH

Islam is a law (sharee'ah) from Allah theAlmighty, as revealed in His Book (the Qur'an)or in the Sunnah of His Messenger (peace and

blessings of Allah be upon him). All of theProphets received their Message from onesource, which was the wahy (revelation), andthey all had the same 'aqeedah, which was thebelief in Tawheed(absolute unity of Allah) andthe worship of Allah alone, even though therewere differences in the details of their laws.This is confirmed by the Prophet (peace andblessings of Allah be upon him) when he said:"The Prophets are brothers although they havedifferent mothers, and their religion isone."(Narrated by al-Bukhaari and Muslim)Allah says in this connection, "To each amongyou have We prescribed a law (Sharee'ah)and a manifest way." (5:48) He also says,"Then We set you on the right path ofreligion (Sharee'ah); so follow it, and do notfollow the inclinations of those who do notknow." (45:18)


14/54

16

Some Characteristics of the IslamicSharee'ah

a. Comprehensiveness

One of the traits of the Islamic Sharee'ah is thatit is all-comprehensive and includes all thatpeople need in their present and their futuredespite the difference in time and place. Thiscomprehensiveness is realized either throughthe nass (plural: nusoos, a clear textual rulingor injunction from the Qur'an and the Sunnah)or ijthad (independent reasoning). Therefore,the ijtihadwas exercised by scholars among theProphet's companions (may Allah be pleasedwith them), the Tabi'oon (the Successors: thegeneration of Muslims immediately after theCompanions who benefited and derived theirknowledge from the Companions of theProphet) as well as the leading scholars ofIslam. The emergence of the four establishedschools of jurisprudence whose followersfollowed the leaders of these schools followedthe nass or carried out ijtihad in case no nasswas available on a given issue. The reason forthis is that the divine texts are general and

comprehensive whereas the incidents areparticular and diverse. Therefore, the Sharee'ah


15/54


16/54


17/54

19

flexibility of the texts and not to the definitionsfurnished by jurists at a certain point in time,especially if these definitions and conditions arerestrictive, which is the case in many instances.For we find that the definition of a certain issuediffers from one school of jurisprudence toanother. For example, the definition of saleaccording to the Hanbali school of law differsfrom that of shafi'ee, Hanafi and Maliki schoolsof law because their definitions are restrictive.Another example is the definition of hawaala(transfer of a debt from one person to another).This fact necessitates that we leave thedefinitions aside and adhere to the text that iscomprehensive and flexible, for the text

comprehends the time and place in all thatbenefits mankind.

b. Consideration of public interest

One of the salient features of the Sharee'ah isthat the Legislator (Almighty Allah) has takeninto consideration the objectives intended tosecure benefits for mankind by following therules of the Sharee'ah. The Sharee'ah is not arigid set of rules which do not take into account

public interest and lofty goals and objectives ofIslam and its basic principles which the


18/54

20

Legislator intended when He prescribed theIslamic Law. For the Lawgiver has lofty goalsand objectives behind what He commandedand prohibited with regard to dealings and actsof worship; He also has certain lofty objectivesbehind the rulings as to the family. This alsoapplies to other things such as social relationsand donations like the charitable endowment ortrust set up in perpetuity known as waqf,wasaayaa (wills or testaments) and hibah(gifts). In a nutshell, the Sharee'ah has loftygoals and objectives which made it moreflexible. If these goals and objectives aredisregarded with a view to securing benefits formankind, a major goal that the Lawgiver

intended will be missing in looking at the juristicrulings and the flexibility of the Sharee'ah. Inthis connection, imam Ash-Shaatibee writes inAl-Muwaafaqaat, "There is nothing in the entireworld that can be considered pure benefit(maslahah) or pure harm (mafsadah). Theoverall goal of the Sharee'ah is what is morepredominant: if the benefits are predominant,they are permitted, and if the harms arepredominant, they are avoided. This is in linewith the principles established by the leading

learned scholars of Islam which state that theSharee'ah came to secure benefits and perfect


19/54

21

them and to prevent harm and minimize it. Bybenefits is meant benefits in this life by makingpeople's affairs easy, facilitate their livelihoodsand secure their necessities, needs andcomforts; these benefits also include benefits inthe hereafter through Allah's forgiveness fortheir sins and [His Will] to admit His servants toParadise."

c. Ease

One of the fundamentals of the Sharee'ahwhich we can rightly say that it is its distinctivefeature is ease. Allah the Almighty says, "[He]has laid no hardship for you in religion."(22:78) He also says, "Allah does not intendto place you in a difficulty, but He intends topurify you and to complete His favour uponyou, so that you may be grateful." (5:6) It hasbeen related that whenever the Prophet (peaceand blessings of Allah be upon him) was givena choice between two matters, he wouldchoose the easier of the two unless it was a sin.(Saheeh Al-Bukhaaree) He also once said,"The most beloved religion to Allah is theindulgent and tolerant monotheism." He also

said, "The religion [of Islam] is very easy, andwhoever overburdens himself in his religion will


20/54

22

not be able to continue in that way." (Al-Bukhaaree)

The principle of ease in Islam is so importantthat the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allahbe upon him) would always follow easy optionsand recommend them under all circumstances.Indeed, ease pervades all acts of worship andall forms of dealings; Islam is based on ease.Therefore, the learned scholars and those whoascribe a saying, juridical verdicts or rulings toIslam should bear in mind the fact that Islam isbased on ease. In the absence of a cleartextual ruling or injunction from the Qur'an andthe Sunnah on a given matter, the rulings that

observe the principle of ease and thus findappeal amongst people are in fact the ones thatare to be followed. For the Prophet (peace andblessings of Allah be upon him) clearly statedthat Islam is an easy religion and that the mostbeloved religion in the sight of Allah is theindulgent and tolerant monotheism, that isIslam. Therefore, ease and tolerancecharacterize the Islamic Law, and the removalof difficulty and inconvenience are some of thesalient features of Islam.


21/54

23

SYSTEM OF GOVERNMENT

Islam is not only a religion that consists of actsof worship that a Muslim offers to his Lord in themosque. In fact, it is a religion for the individual

and for the community at large. Islam is asystem that regulates man's personal affairs aswell as the affairs of his society. It is also asystem of government. Allah says, "[Allahcommands that] when you judge betweenmen, judge with justice." (4:58) Allah alsosays, "Do they then seek the judgment of[the days of] Ignorance? And who is betterthan Allah as a judge for a people who havefirm faith?" (5:50)

System of Government:Some Islamic fundamentals

a. Freedom

Islam takes into account the fundamentals uponwhich the Muslim society is to be based withregard to the system that governs their affairs.First and foremost, it has taken intoconsideration freedom, which takes a numberof forms including the following:


22/54

24

1. Religious freedomAllah the Almighty says, "There should be nocompulsion in religion. Surely, right hasbecome distinct from wrong." (2:256) Healso commands His messenger thus:"Admonish, therefore, for you are but anadmonisher; you have no authority to[compel] them." (88:21-2) He also addresseshim thus: "Will you then compel mankindagainst their will to believe?" (10:99)

This freedom was implemented during the timeof the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah beupon him) and that of the rightly-guided caliphs.No one was forced to embrace Islam; rather,Islam would be presented to people who thenhad the choice either to embrace it or reject it. Itis a principle in Islam that followers of otherfaiths, such as Christianity and Judaism, shouldnot be forced to leave their religions. TheProphet (peace and blessings of Allah be uponhim) once said in a letter to one of hisgovernors, "Whoever is upon Judaism orChristianity, then he should not be seducedfrom it" [narrated by Abu Ubayd].

The example of the rightly-guided caliphs as totheir tolerance in this regard is self-evident.


23/54

25

2. Economic and personal freedomAlmighty Allah says in this connection, "Allahhas made trade lawful and made usuryunlawful." (2:275) This point will be discussedin detail later on.

3. Personal freedom in what one does athome

4. Personal freedom in whatever activitiesone engages

This is a fundamental established by Islamwhich takes into consideration one's freedom inone's own home. Sahl ibn Sa'd as-Saa'idireported that a person peeped through the hole

of the door of Allah's Messenger (peace andblessings of Allah be upon him) and he had withhim some pointed thing with which he had beenadjusting [the hair of his head]. Allah'sMessenger (peace and blessings of Allah beupon him) said to him, "If I were to know thatyou had been peeping, I would have thrust it inyour eyes. Allah has prescribed seekingpermission because of protection againstglance."

Therefore, Islam has attached great importance


24/54

26

to freedoms, and people cannot achieve anagreement on any matter without any one of thefreedoms that Islam has guaranteed them.

b. Justice and equality

One of the fundamentals of the Islamic systemof government is to establish the rule of justiceand enforce the law of equality in order tosecure benefits for people. People rally behindtheir ruler and uphold their system ofgovernment so that benefits are secured forthem. The most appealing thing to people thatguarantees this is the administration of justiceamong themselves. Scholars have definedjustice as granting each person his or herrights. Those owed rights differ from oneanother, and this principle was observed byCaliph Omar when he made a distinction whenhe granted people certain rights. Justice has tobe established under all circumstances bygiving the rights to their owners withoutdeceiving or oppressing the right-owners.Equality is a requisite for securing the wellbeingof people. As people are equal in terms of thereligious obligations in that there is no

difference between an Arab and a non-Arabexcept in righteousness, so are they in terms of


25/54

27

their worldly needs, benefits and what theyneed to ward off harm in all aspects of life. It isfor this reason that Islam stressed the equalityof people in all their rights and worldly affairs. Italso stressed their equality before the judgeand in anything that is bound to realize theirwellbeing.

c. Maintaining unity and power

One of the fundamental principles of the systemof government in Islam is to maintain thestrength, unity and power of the ruled. One ofthe foremost duties of government in Islam is torealize this objective by implementing the law ofAllah the Almighty.

d. Counselling the faithful

One of the fundamental principles which Islamhas laid down is counselling. The Prophet(peace and blessings of Allah be upon him)once said, "Religion is counselling. Religion iscounselling. Religion is counselling." Thecompanions asked, "To whom?" He replied, "ToAllah and His Book and His Messenger, and tothe leaders of the Muslims and their commonfolk." (related by Muslim) Therefore, giving


26/54

28

counsel to the general populace as well as tothe Muslim leaders is a fundamental principle inIslam. The prophet (peace and blessings ofAllah be upon him) reported about Ubada ibnas-Samit who said: "We pledged ourselves tothe Messenger of Allah to listen and obey inwhatever pleases and displeases us, and thatwe should not dispute the authority of thosewho had been entrusted with it, and to stand foror say the truth wherever we are, fearing noblame of anybody for the sake of Allah." Someother companions pledged themselves to theProphet (peace and blessings of Allah be uponhim) to give counsel to Muslims withoutdistinction. In fact, giving counsel is part and

parcel of the principle of enjoining virtue andforbidding evil. Allah describes the MuslimNation as having such a good trait thus: "Youare the best of people raised for the good ofmankind; you enjoin what is right and forbidwhat is wrong and believe in Allah." (3:110)

Giving good counsel is part and parcel of theprinciple of enjoining virtue and forbidding evil.However, its forms, criteria and generalconditions vary according to time and place. It

is worth mentioning here that new modernsystems such as the Shoura (consultative)


27/54

29

Council and the Ummah Council are forms andmeans of giving counsel whereby Islam hastaken public interest into account. People candevelop these means whenever a need arises;however, when people's relationships becomecomplicated and counsel cannot be givenexcept through a method to be devised by theMuslim ruler, then the matter has to be referredto him so that the counsel is duly given for thegood interest of all members of society.

Criticism and 'the other opinion', or opposition,as it is termed nowadays, is also acceptable butwith its criteria and legal conditions, mostimportant of which is the avoidance of sedition

and political turmoil and disunity of Muslims.Therefore, if the 'other opinion', criticism oropposition is in the best interest of people anddoes not lead to any form of sedition, politicalturmoil or dissention, then it is acceptable.

Fundamental principles of government

Islam has detailed the duties and obligations ofthe ruler, how he should be appointed and howhe should rule his subjects. It has also detailed

the duties and obligations of those charged withauthority, how the Muslim ruler consults them


28/54

30

and monitors their movements and activities toguarantee the realization of the welfare of hissubjects. Consultants at the time of CaliphOmar were well-known and their number wasknown to him. This, however, changesaccording to time, and today we find manycouncils and representatives who represent allstrata of society even in terms of theirdifferences, knowledge, understanding,countries and tribes. It is the shoura councilsthat are entrusted with legislation, the making oflaws and the monitoring of the organs thatexecute these laws.

The administration of justice is a fundamental

principle in Islam, and no civilization or religionhas attached as much care and importance to itas Islam has. The prophet (peace andblessings of Allah be upon him) said, "Judgesare of three types, one will be in Paradise andthe other two in Hell. The type that will be inParadise is a man who knows the truth andjudges accordingly. A man who knows the truthbut judges unjustly will be in Hell, and a manwho judges between people without properknowledge will also be in Hell. (Sunan Abu

Dawood).


29/54

31

Justice guarantees that everyone is treatedfairly and equally and no one has authority overit. The Muslim judge must convey Allah's lawsand rulings, and his statements in this regardare binding. The judiciary can be of one level ormore levels, as we have here in Saudi Arabia:at the base of the hierarchy of the ShariaCourts are the Limited Courts, which areempowered to hear civil and criminal cases inwhich the maximum penalty is limited. At thesecond level are the General Courts, which arethe courts of first instance for all matters fallingoutside of the jurisdiction of the Limited Courts.At the apex of the structure sits the SupremeJudiciary Council (SJC). In addition to its

administrative authority, the SJC also serves ina limited capacity as a final court of appeal forthe Sharia Courts. In any case, no one,whether ruler or ruled, should have authorityover the function of the judiciary in the Islamicstate because it rules by the law of Allah, andwhoever interferes in it has in fact interfered inthe law of Allah the Almighty which He made tosettle people's disputes. If people, however,interfere in the judiciary, justice will be removedand inequity will set in. This will undoubtedly

lead to conflict and dissension, for Islam hastaken care of all the means whereby Muslims'


30/54

32

strength and unity can be safeguarded.Members of the executive organs such as theministries and the various government agenciesand councils are to execute Allah's commandsand laws. Therefore, they should duly dischargethe duties entrusted upon them by the Muslimruler. Indeed, such duties represent a trust thatthey should safeguard. Allah the Almighty says,"Verily, Allah commands you to make overthe trusts to those entitled to them, and thatwhen you judge between men you judgewith justice; and surely excellent are thatwith which Allah admonishes you. Allah isAll-Hearing, All-seeing." (4:58)

MORALS

Allah describes the best morals ever withreference to His Messenger (peace andblessings be upon him) when He addresseshim thus: "And you surely possess sublimemorals." (68:4) The prophet also said, "I havebeen sent only for the purpose of perfectinggood morals." (Al-Muwatta') This traditionmakes indicates the main reason behind theProphet's mission, which is the perfection of

sublime morals. Good moral, therefore, covereverything covered by Islam.


31/54

33

Man has an outward side and an inward side.The outward side is his physical appearance,and the inward side, represented by his innerqualities, refer to the inner image of his soul.Because man naturally cares about his outwardappearance, for which he is not subject toaccount on the Day of Judgment, he must alsocare about his inner qualities for which he issubject to account because it is related to thesoul; whims and base desires, however,dissuade it from perfecting them.

Types of good morals

Islam has called to different types of goodmorals including the following:

a. Good morals towards one's Lord

A Muslim must observe the highest forms ofmorals towards his Lord in whatever is relatedto his soul. Love for Him, fear of Him, invokingHim alone, humbling oneself before Him,relying on Him and having a high opinion of Himare some of the great obligatory morals thatman must observe towards his Lord. His goodmorals towards his Lord also include being.


32/54

34

sincere to Him in religion and not intending anyact of worship except for Him alone.

b. Good morals towardsoneself

c. Good morals towards one's parents andother family members

d. Good morals towards Muslims

A Muslim must observe truthfulness andhonesty when dealing with other Muslims; heshould love for them what he loves for himselfand avoid anything that may cause him to holdgrudges against them, and vice versa.Addressing the Prophet (peace and blessings

of Allah be upon him), Allah the Almighty saysin this regard, "And say to My servants thatthey should speak that which is best.Surely, Satan stirs up discord among them."(17:53) Morals can only be improved throughgood words and deeds; conversely, theybecome worse as a result of bad words anddeeds. Therefore, when a person improves hiswords and deeds when dealing with otherpeople and loves for them what he actuallyloves for himself, his morals become better andthus commendable. Other good morals that


33/54

35

Islam encourages are truthfulness,safeguarding trusts, fulfilling the covenants,discharging one's obligations upon others,telling the truth at all costs and avoiding lyingand deception and observing uprightness underall circumstances.

e. Good morals towards non-Muslims

It does not befit a Muslim to be rough and hard-hearted towards non-Muslims just because theydo not follow his faith; rather, he should observegood morals towards them in both words anddeeds. Concerning words, Allah says, "Andspeak to people kindly." (2:83) He also sayswith regard to deeds, "Allah does not forbidyou, concerning those who have not foughtagainst you on account of [your] religion,and who have not driven you forth fromyour homes, that you be kind to them andact equitably towards them; surely Allahloves those who are equitable." (60:8)Hence, Allah does not forbid us from dealingkindly and justly with those who do not fight uson account of our faith, for kindness and justice,as forms of sublime morals, are essential in all

forms of dealings with non-Muslims. Nor doesHe forbid us from being charitable to them and


34/54

36

speaking kindly to those who do not displayhatred towards Islam and Muslims.

f. Good morals in times of war

Islam is the first legislation that has excludedcivilians from war and has only directed theattention of Muslim fighters to combatants andbelligerents. The prophet (peace and blessingsbe upon him) always commanded Muslimfighters not to kill women, minors, the elderlyand monks. He also forbade them from cuttingdown trees or destroying homes. For, in Islam,war is to be waged only on those who fightagainst Muslims and not on civilians. In Islam,war with all its forms does not mean destroyingeverything and killing people for the sake ofvictory.

In summary, Islam encourages man to makehis whims and desires to follow the commandsof Almighty Allah in order to realize sublimemorals; the person with noble morals is onewho observes kindness in words and deeds.Whims, habits and one's upbringing alwaysinfluence one's morals.


35/54

37

WEALTH AND ECONOMIC ACTIVITY

Islam attaches great importance to wealth andeconomic activity because they representpower and strength for Muslims. The more

powerful Muslims' wealth and economic activityis, the more importance and prestige Muslimsgain, the more internal solidarity they achieveand the stronger and the more invincible theybecome in the sight of their enemies. Thepower of the Islamic state and that of Muslimsemanates from a number of factors includingstrong financial and economic power, hence theimportance Islam attaches to them.

The Islamic view of wealth and economicactivity

Islam observes a number of fundamentalprinciples in this regard including the following:

a. Wealth belongs to AllahAllah the Almighty says, "And give them outof the wealth of Allah which He hasbestowed upon you." (24:33) In the words ofthe Qur'an, people are 'heirs to wealth', whichthey should employ in accordance with Allah'scommands and laws. Allah the Almighty says,


36/54

38

"Believe in Allah and His Messenger andspend [in the way of Allah] out of that towhich He has made you heirs." (57:7) Here,spending of wealth is realized by spending it inlawful ways. Allah has made us heirs to wealthin all its forms, and thus we should spend it inways that are pleasing to Him. Scholars make aclear distinction between the words 'spending'and 'wasting'. They define 'wasting' as spendingwealth in ways Allah has not commanded; thusspending in unlawful matters is a form ofwasting wealth. Conversely, spending inaccordance with the injunctions of Islam is infact spending in that to which Allah has madeus heirs, for in this case wealth is spent in ways

that are pleasing to Him.

b. Guaranteeing sufficiency to all membersof the Muslim society

Islam attaches great importance to the fact thatsufficiency is to be guaranteed for all membersof the Muslim society and families dependingon their needs. This could be realized throughthe treasury of the Islamic state, as the Prophet(peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) did

by allocating some money to the needy fromthe treasury. The rightly-guided caliphs Abu


37/54

39

Bakr and Omar also followed suit. This couldalso be attained through the Islamic legislationssuch as zakah, charity, the obligation ofspending on one's relatives.

c. Respecting private ownership

Islam respects private ownership and instructsthat small private ownerships be developedbefore the big private ownerships. Islam attendsto small capital owners before big capitalowners, as opposed to capitalism and otherunjust economic systems which either deprivethe rich or place them in positions of completeauthority. Islam encourages small businessowners to work and be more productive so theycan stand on their own feet. Allah does notapprove wealth being circulated only among thewealthy. Allah says, "that it may notcirculate [only] among those of you who arerich." (59:7)

d. Granting economic freedom

The economic activity or power cannot berealised without a form of freedom. To this end,Islam encouraged lawful economic activitiesand limited many transactions and dealings


38/54

40

which were prevalent before the advent ofIslam. People in the pre-Islamic period, orJahiliyah, used to engage in a large number oftransactions; however, when Islam came itprohibited many of these transactions andconsidered the rest permissible.

e. Encouraging development

One of the fundamental principles of the Islamiceconomic system is that it encourageseconomic development, estate development,agricultural development and productivedevelopment. There is ample evidence that theProphet (peace and blessings be upon him) aswell as the rightly-guided caliphs engaged ineach of these developments.

f. Encouraging moderate spending andforbidding extravagance and prodigality

g. Forbidding all transactions that lead toindividual or communal injustice

Some businessmen my abuse their economicfreedom and thus and thus act unjustly towardsindividuals or groups. That is why Islam has

forbidden all forms of transactions that may


39/54

41

lead to injustice and declared that justice beadministered in all transactions when dealingwith either individuals or groups. Islam has alsoencouraged the growing of capital for bothsmall business owners and large businessowners.

Some of the Fundamental principles ofeconomic activity and wealth in Islam

a. All transactions are lawful unless thereis evidence that states otherwise

Muslim jurists are unanimously agreed that allacts of worship are assumed to be forbiddenexcept where there is evidence from the Qur'an

or the Sunnah stipulating that they arepermitted. The reason for this is that reason oropinion cannot be used in matters of worship.Transactions, on the other hand, are assumedto be permitted except where there is evidencefrom the Qur'an or the Sunnah stipulating thatthey are forbidden. Because transactionsgenerally pertain to worldly affairs, people canuse whatever forms of transactions and chooseany financial and economic conditions theywish on the condition that they do not getinvolved in five forbidden acts, namely (1)


40/54

42

usury, orriba, (2) gambling, (3) foolishness thatgenerally leads to arguments and disputes, (4)deception and swindling and (5) inequity.

Once transactions are free from any of these

forbidden acts, people are allowed, and evenencouraged, in Islam to engage in any form oftransaction and choose any financial andeconomic conditions or financial and economicinstitutions they wish.

b. The economic activity must haveeveryone's best interests at heart

The form of economic activity which Islamcommands and encourages must realize theinterests of the individual, those of the group aswell as those of the state, and not the interestsof certain individuals or a certain party. Allahthe Almighty says, "that it may not circulate[only] among those of you who are rich."(59:7) When the prices became high in theProphet's time and people asked him to fixprices for them, he replied, "Allah is the OneWho fixes prices, Who withholds, Who giveslavishly, and Who provides, and I hope thatwhen I meet Him none of you will have a claim

against me for any injustice with regard to bloodor property." (Reported by Ahmad, Abu Daoud,


41/54

43

al-Tirmidhi and Ibn Majah) Thus, he createdopportunities for everyone to benefit from andwarned against controlling prices for personalbenefits or creating an economic power insociety that controls everything at the expenseof other businesses.

UNITY

Islam commands unity and warns againstdisunity. Almighty Allah says, "And hold fast,all together, to the Rope of Allah (i.e. thisQur'an) and be not divided." (3:103); "Andbe not like those who became divided andwho disagreed [among themselves] afterclear proofs had come to them; and it isthey for whom there shall be a greatpunishment." (3:105); "He had prescribedfor you the religion which He enjoined onNoah, and which We have revealed to you,and which We enjoined on Abraham andMoses and Jesus, [saying,] 'Remainsteadfast and be not divided therein.'"(42:13) The Prophet (peace and blessings beupon him) also said in this regard, "Unity ismercy, while disunity is punishment."

It is clear, then, that Islam encourages unity andstrongly opposes disunity and dissension.


42/54

44

Types of unity and disunity

Islam calls to unity and forbids disunity withregard to two types of unity and disunity.

a. Unity, not disunity, in religionPeople are not allowed to introduce any form ofinnovation into religion, be they words,practices or rites. Rather they should be unitedin religion and follow the true religion in itsentirety, in its creed, acts of devotion anddealings; they should not exceed the limits setby the Legislator and leave legislation toAlmighty Allah alone in all affairs: "Have they[such false] associates [of Allah] as havemade lawful for them in religion that whichAllah has not allowed? And had it not beenfor a decisive Word [gone forth already], thematter would have been decided betweenthem." (42:21)

b. Unity, not disunity, regarding worldlymatters, the state and the rulerAllah the Almighty commands Muslims toobserve unity by supporting the Muslim ruler,giving him good counsel and should under nocircumstances be betrayed. He also warnsagainst opposing him and becoming disunited.


43/54

45

To stay united and give support to the ruler istantamount to supporting religion even if thereis some neglect on his part or if he commitssome mistakes or holds opinions on whichothers do not agree with him. When ijtihad, orindependent reasoning, on any issue isrequired, people must give support to the rulerin any matter that requires ijtihaad to avoiddisunity. Observing unity with regard to thestate and ruler will doubtless keep Muslimsunited; conversely, becoming divided into sectsas to the state and the ruler will doubtless leadto disunity and anarchy. Allah the Almightysays, "If your Lord had so willed, he couldhave made mankind one people, but they

will not cease to differ save those on whomyour Lord has had mercy, and for this hashe created them." (11:118-119)

INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

The relation between states is either that ofpeace or war. In case of war, Islam does notencourage war; rather, it considers it anecessity. And if there is an opportunity to callto the path of Allah and convey His Message,

jihad is not required. In a response to theChristians regarding this point, Imam Ibn


44/54

46

Taymiyyah writes, "except to protect themission of calling to Islam. If it is possible toadvance the true faith, then [offensive] jihad isnot permitted." He also provided ampleevidence in support of this. In times of war,therefore, only defensive war is required. TheMuslim ruler as well as the entire Muslimcommunity must repel the enemy to the best oftheir ability. If this is not possible, then theyshould opt for the lesser of two evils. For theProphet's companions had been wronged andsubjected to oppression and were not allowedto fight in self-defence until later. Almighty Allahsays, "Sanction is given unto those whofight because they have been wronged; and

Allah is indeed Able to give them victory;those who have been driven from theirhomes unjustly only because they said: OurLord is Allah." (22:39 -40)

Therefore, defensivejihadis required accordingto ability and the general situation and with thepermission of the Muslim ruler.

In case of peace, the relation between theMuslim state and non-Muslims can be based

either on mithaaq and 'ahd(treaties) oramaan,which Muslim scholars refer to as the status of


45/54

47

mu'aahad (one who has signed a pre-determined accord with the Muslims in order tostop the bloodshed between them, whether it isa peace accord or an armistice agreement withthe non-Muslims who do not reside in Muslimterritories) or musta'man (a non-Muslim whohas sought peaceful asylum in Muslim lands).

With regard to the state of treaties, Islamcommands that treaties be honoured. Allah theAlmighty says, "O you who believe! Fulfilyour compacts." (5:1) "And fulfil thecovenant; for the covenant shall bequestioned about." (17:34) Addressing HisMessenger (peace and blessings be upon him),He says, "But if they (the believers) seekyour help in religion, then it is your duty tohelp them, except against a people betweenwhom and yourselves there is a treaty."(8:72)If there is a treaty between the Muslim stateand non-Muslim states and some Muslims aretransgressed against, the Muslim ruler and theMuslim government have two options, either toviolate the agreement and engage in war orhonour the agreement, depending on whatever

option will be beneficial to the Muslims and helpsafeguard their unity and strength.


46/54

48

There are many and various types of treaties,and Muslims are allowed to establishinternational relations with other states if theseare bound to bring about benefits to Muslims.The Prophet (peace and blessings be uponhim) received messengers and delegationsfrom other countries, honoured them, receivedthe messages they came with and sentmessages to the rulers of the countries in histime.

CIVILIZATION

Civilization in its widest sense was establishedduring the Islamic period because Muslimsrealised that Islam encourages anything that isbound to bring about their welfare.

The internal civil structure, with regard to eitherthe building of cities, legislations or regulations,cannot be realised without cooperation betweenthe legislative system, the public at large andthe executive bodies. That is why Islamattached great importance to the civil system inall its forms and thus established civiljurisdiction, set up councils and the executive

bodies and urged Muslims to cooperate with aview to realizing whatever would be of service


47/54

49

and benefit to them.

Establishing civil conditions in the building ofthe economy, the increasing of wealth and theenacting of the various legislations is self-

evident. Islam even organized the publictreasury of the Muslim state (baytul-maal) anddecided that qualified people be appointed tosafeguard wealth and dispose of it inaccordance with the Islamic injunctions. Islamalso urged charitable endowments or trusts tobe set up in perpetuity (waqf) and the variouskinds of donations. Indeed, waqf is acharacteristic of civil diversity and the wideningof international concerns. For this reason, waqfwas utilized during the period of the Islamiccivilization to cover all aspects of life. It wasemployed for mosques, education, health,hospitals, books, libraries, roads, water, to toattend to the needs of widows, the needy andthe homeless, to mention only a few examples.This is one aspect of Islam's interest in urgingpeople to make contributions in this area andnot to rely on the public treasury of the Muslimstate. Islam also urged cooperation in thisregard through zakah, voluntary charity and

social solidarity.


48/54

50

DISAGREEMENT AND DIALOGUE

It is a truism that disagreement among peopleis inevitable; however, this being the case, theyshould enter into constructive dialogue. Allah

the Almighty calls the believers to speak kindlyto one another when they engage in dialogue.Allah says, "And say to My servants that theyshould speak that which is best. Surely,Satan stirs up discord among them." (17:53)When people disagree on certain matters anddo not use kind words in their talks with oneanother, they will certainly end up havingarguments and disputes. Islam commands itsadherents to use kind words in addressingothers. Even when calling others to Islam, Allahcommands the believers to use wisdom andgoodly exhortation. Allah says, "Call to theway of your Lord with wisdom and goodlyexhortation, and argue with them in a waythat is best." (16:125) Observing such sublimeetiquette applies when addressing bothMuslims and non-Muslims. The superlative form'best' in the verse indicates that one should doone's best to achieve the goal behind suchconstructive argument.

Given that disagreement is unavoidable, society


49/54

51

will certainly be divided into different groupsand hatred will pervade it unless we observethe etiquette of conversing with others, asclearly stated in the Qur'an. Allah also says inthis connection, "And do not argue withPeople of the Book except in a way that isbest, except for those who commit injusticeamong them." (29:46)

It is in the very nature of things that any societymay have some sectarian tendencies, includingethnic, tribal and indigenous affiliations. As amatter of fact, these tendencies emerged duringthe time of the Prophet (peace and blessings beupon him), but he nipped them in the bud.Muslims at this time either belonged to themuhajiroon (immigrants) or the ansar(helpers).These names were legal and even mentionedin the Qur'an itself. However, it happened oncethat during a military expedition, a youth fromthe ansarhad an argument with another youthfrom the muhajiroon as a result of some sort ofincitement by the Jews. The youth from theansar called the ansar for support, while theyouth from the muhajiroon called themuhajiroon for support. As a result there was a

call to arms. When the news reached theMessenger of Allah (peace and blessings be


50/54

52

upon him), he became furious and said, "OMuslims, remember Allah, remember Allah. Willyou act as pagans while I am present with youafter Allah has guided you to Islam, andhonoured you thereby and made a clear breakwith paganism, delivered you from disbelief,made you friends thereby?" When they heardthis they wept and embraced each other. ThenAllah revealed verses 102 and 103 ofSurah Al-Imran.

Even though the ansarand the muhajiroon areapproved names, when the principle of love andhate was established on the basis ofsectarianism and racism, not on that of Islam,the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him)immediately voiced his disapproval of it thus,"Will you act as pagans while I am present withyou after Allah has guided you to Islam?"

With the different and various patterns ofunderstanding, sectarian and factionaldifferences do occur, as do affiliations andnarrow-minded opinions. This is absolutelynatural to happen, but Islam's opinion on anymatter should be consulted first and foremost;

the principle of love and hate should beestablished for the sake of Allah alone, and


51/54

53

unity should be established on the basis ofIslam under the banner of the Muslim ruler.When the Muslim society is divided into sectsand parties that fight against one another andoppose the ruler's opinion, the Muslimcommunity becomes weak and disunited. Therewere hypocrites during the time of the Prophet(peace and blessings be upon him), and hewould treat them as Muslims withoutquestioning the disbelief that they concealed intheir hearts, for he left this to Allah alone tojudge. Although he knew the identities of thetreacherous hypocrites living in his midst those whom Allah declared to be destined forthe lowest depths of the Hellfire he did

nothing against them. When some of hiscompanions suggested to him to kill some ofthe hypocrites, he said, "I will not have it saidthat Muhammad kills his companions."

MODERATION

Islam is a religion of moderation that fights allforms of immoderation and extremism. Allah thealmighty says, "Thus have We made you anation justly balanced, that you might be

witnesses over the nations, and themessenger a witness over you." (2:143)


52/54

54

This moderation is self-evident in all of Islam'screed and legislations. The Islamic creedfollows a middle course, and so do itslegislations. Therefore, moderation should beobserved in everything, in our words and ouropinions. Even our thinking and our view ofeach other should follow a middle course,without excess or negligence. We should followonly this course because it is the foundation ofIslam.

Islam warns against excess and extravagance.Addressing the People of the Book, Allah theAlmighty says, "O People of the Book, do notexceed the limits in your religion and do notsay of Allah anything but the truth." (4:171)The Prophet (peace and blessings be uponhim) also said in this regard, "Beware ofexcess, beware of excess, beware of excess."

Exceeding the limits in religion is objectionablein Islam, and those who follow an extremistcourse do not in fact act in accordance with thedictates of the Prophet's Sunnah. Sects andinnovations that crept into religion emerged onlywhen the extremist course was adopted. The

Khariji sect emerged only when its followersrejected the middle course, and the misguided


53/54

55

sects also appeared as a result of the extremistcourse its adherents adopted. The afflictionsthat Muslims have suffered in their long historyoccurred because of excess and extravagancewithout any evidence whatsoever from theQur'an or the Sunnah. It could have been thatextremists had some evidence, but thedeviation and extreme tendencies in theirhearts had already been there to influence thembefore searching for evidence. Allah theAlmighty says, "It is He Who has sent downto you the Book; in it; are verses that areclear [in meaning]they are the basis of theBookand there are others that aresusceptible of different interpretations."

(3:7) Therefore, there are verses that are clearand others that are not entirely clear and thusopen to different interpretations. "But those inwhose hearts is perversity pursue suchthereof as are susceptible of differentinterpretations, seeking discord and seeking[wrong] interpretation of it." (3:7) That is,those with extremist tendencies and in whosehearts there is deviation from the truth followthe parts thereof that are not entirely clear.Therefore, deviation from the truth has made

some misguided people follow the Qur'anicverses or the prophetic traditions that are not


54/54

56

entirely clear to convince themselves that theyare in the right. "And none knows its hiddenmeanings except Allah. And those who arefirmly grounded in knowledge say: 'Webelieve in it; the whole of it (clear andunclear) is from our Lord.'" (3:7)

I pray to Almighty Allah to forgive me my mistakes

and make what I have discussed in the present

lecture the right approach to Islam. I pray to Allah to

make me and you among the guided who guide

others, to spare us the hidden and obvious trials and

tribulations, to grant strength and victory to this

nation over its enemies. Indeed, he is Most

Generous, Most Gracious.

Documents

English This is Islam