islamic character 2

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Islamic Character

Essentials of Islamic Character:

Each culture has its own perception of human being, and each culture distinguishes

individuals character belonging to it with common characteristics shared by all of them.

The Islamic character is formed according to the teachings of Islam and does not take the

correct outward appearance unless the individual has developed an Islamic way of thinking

based on Islams directives. In this, all individuals are equal whether a creative scientist, a

knowledgeable, intellectual, a layperson or even an electrician.

The Believing Character:

Belief is the primary and most important aspect in developing the Islamic character as itprovides the correct answer to persistent fundamental question. The positive consequences of

belief on the personality are:

1. Unity of perception2. Peace of mind and happiness3. Self-judgmentThe Essence of Belief:

To state with the tongue, endorse with the heart (mind) and act on the principles

The Pillars of Belief:

The six principles of belief in Allah, the Angels, the Revealed books, Allahs Messengers, the

Day of Judgment and Providence in its goodness and trials. Allah Almighty says: The

Messenger believes in what has been sent down to him from his Lord, as do the faithful. They

all believe in God, His angels,His scriptures and His messengers. We make no distinction between any of His messengers,

they say, we hear and obey. Grant us Your forgiveness, our Lord. To You we all return!

(Al Baqarah:285)

In Hadith, Omar Bin al-Khattab (MABPWH) said: One day we were in the company of the

Messenger of Allah (PBUH), when a man joined us, he was dressed in bright white clothes,

with dark black hair and no signs of travelling on him. Unknown to anyone of us, he sat just

opposite to the Prophet that their knees touched, he put his hands on the Prophets thighs and

said: O Muhammad, tell me about Islam. The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said: Islam is

to pronounce that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad (PBUH) is the Messenger of

Allah, to pray consistently, to give Zakat, to fast the month of Ramadan and to perform the

pilgrimage to Makkah, if you have the means to do it. The man said: Verily, you tell the

truth. We wonder about the man, how he asked the Prophet (PBUH) and endorses him in the

same time, The man said Then tell me about belief. The Prophet (PBUH) said: That you

belief in Allah, His Angels, His Books, His Messengers, the last Day and providence in itsgoodness and trial. The man said: Verily, you tell the truth. The man said: Tell me about


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distinction in Islam. The Prophet (PBUH) said: that you pray to Allah as if you see him,

because if you do not see Him, He sees you. The man said: Then tell me about the time of

Day of Judgment. The Prophet (PBUH) said: The slave women will give birth to her

mistress and you will see them bare footed, naked, helpless shepherds competing in erecting

tall buildings. Then the man left, Omar (MABPWH) waited a while, then the Prophet(PBUH) said: O Omar, do you know whom my questioner was? Omar (MABPWH) said:

Allah and His Messenger know better. The Prophet (PBUH) said: It was Jibrael (the

archangel); He came amongst you to teach you your religion.

From the preceding Hadith we learn about the grades of religious belief in Islam, namely:

Declaration of Islam Beliefs Distinction (ihsan) with worshipMonotheistic Belief in Allah:

1. Monotheistic Belief in Allahs Lordship:This is the form belief where there is only Allah who is the Creator, Provider, the Giver of

life and death, the Sustainer of all His creation, and He has no partner

a. Substantiation of Monotheistic belief in Allahs Lordship:Allahs Almighty saying: All praise in due to Allah, the Lord of the worlds (Al Fatiha: 2),

and that is Allah, your Lord; blessed then is Allah, the Lord of the worlds (Ghafir: 64)

We have to appreciate that monotheistic belief in Lordship alone is not sufficient if we do not

sincerely and exclusively pray to Allah, thus confirming that only Allah is worthy of worship.

The infidels of Quraysh (Makkahs influential tribe) were monotheists in a way as they

acknowledged Allahs Lordship over creation, but this belief did not deter them from praying

to other Gods represented by idols, [and if you ask them, who created the heavens and the

earth and made sun and the moon subservient, they will certainly say, Allah, Whence are they

then turned away?] Ankaboot: 61. [And if you should ask them, who created them, they

would certainly say: Allah, Whence are they then turned back?]Al-Zukhruf:87

1. Monotheistic Belief in the worship of Allah:This is having the firm belief in the worship of Allah, and only Allah, some of the profs for

this:

Allah Almighty says: Thee (alone) we worship; Thee alone we ask for help (Al-Fatiha:5),

and Say, It is God I serve, dedicating my worship entirely to Him Al Zumar:14


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1. Monotheistic Belief in Allahs name and attributes:This is the firm belief in Allahs names and attributes revealed in the Quran and Hadith, and

affirming the same without any modifications, conditioning on depiction, some of the proofs

for this:Allah Almighty say: Most Gracious, Most Merciful (Al Fatiha: 3) and Say, I am only a

human being, like you, to whom it has been revealed that your God is One. Anyone who fears

to meet his Lord should do good deeds and give no one a share in the worship due to his

Lord. (Al-Isra:110)

2. The belief in the names and attributes of Allah is based on two principles:a. Exaltation of the Creator from similarity with His creationb. Belief in what Allah and His prophet (PBUH) have described Allah in a mannerbefitting His Perfection and Glory without attempting visualize the manner of description.

Almighty Allah says: [Theres nothing whatever like unto Him, and He is the One that Hears

and Sees (all things)] Al Shoura: 11

In the Holy Quran, Surat al-Fatiha and Surat al-Ikhlas have included the three types of belief

described above as well as surat Mariam, [Lord of the heavens and of the earth and of all that

is between them; so worship Him, and be constant and patient in His worship; knowest thou

of any who is worthy of the same Name as He?] Mariam:65

The evidence for the division of belief in the three types discussed above lies in deduction as

explained by Imam Shanqiti. This evidence was also presented in the writing of earlierscholars like Ibn Manda, Ibn Jarir and Al Tabari and it was confirmed by Ibn Taymiyyah and

Ibn al-Qayyim and by Al-Zubaidi in his work titled Taj al-Aroos. The method of deduction

was applied to scriptures in a manner similar to the work of Grammar scholars in dividing the

words spoken by Arabs into nouns, verbs and articles.

Some scholars have divided monotheistic belief into two types:

First Monotheistic belief in knowledge and verification

Second: Monotheistic belief in requirements and intention

According to this division monotheistic belief in Allahs Lordship and His names and His

description is of first type, while belief in Allah as the only God to worship is of the second

type.

Belief in Angels: We believe in Allahs Angels and that they are described in the Quran,

[Nay! They are honored servants They do not precede Him in speech and (only) according to

his commandment do they act] Al Ambiya:26,27

We believe they are creations of Allah in perpetual prayer and obedience,[ Surely those who

are with your Lord are not too proud to serve him, and they declare His glory and prostrate in

humility before Him] Al-Araf:206


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Angels are normally invisible to humans, but may become visible, if Allah ordains, to special

persons as when Jibrael (The archangel Gabriel) was seen in his true form by the Prophet

(PBUH) twice and when he materialized in human form to Mariam (AS) (Mary) and to the

Prophet (PBUH) as narrated in the Hadith,

Angels work:

Angels carry out work assigned to them such as:

1. Jebreelis entrusted with conveying the message of Allah to the Prophets.2. Mikaelis entrusted with rain and plants3. Israfeelis entrusted with blowing the horn on the Day of Judgment4. Izraelis entrusted with withdrawing souls at death.5. Malikis the guardian of Hell6. Redhwan is the guardian of heaven.Angels are in numbers more than what can be counted, it is said that the heavenly erected

house (said to be the counter image of Kabah in heavens) is visited daily by 70,000 Angels

who never return to it again.

Belief in the Revealed Books:

Muslims believe without any doubt that Allah has revealed to each one of His messengers a

book that bears testimony to all the world of the truthfulness of their missions,

[Certainly We sent Our messengers with clear arguments, and sent down with them the

Book and the balance that men may conduct themselves with equality]

Al Hadeed:25

The number of these books is only known to Allah as we do not know the number of all His

messengers,

[And (we sent) messengers We have mentioned to you before and messengers we have not

mentioned to you]

Al Nissa:164

Some of these books have been mentioned briefly in the Holy Quran and some have been

discussed in more detail. Muslims believe in all these books and what Allah has revealed to

us about them whether in detail or in general form.

Some of these books are:

1. Al Torah, which was revealed to Moses (AS) and its the greatest among the books ofthe children of Israel. [Surely We revealed the Torah in which was guidance and light; with it


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the prophets who submitted themselves (to Allah) judged (matters) for those who were Jews,

and the master of divine knowledge and the priests, because they were required to guard

(part) of the Book of Allah, and they were witnesses thereof] Surah Al Maeda:44

2. Al-Enjeel, which has revealed to Jesus (AS), confirming and completing theTorah,[and We gave him the Enjeel in which was guidance and light, and verifying what wasbefore it of Torah and a guidance and an admonition for those who guard (against evil)]

Surah Al Maeda: 46

3. Al-Zaboor, which was revealed to Dawood(AS), [and to David We gave the Psalm]Al-Nissa:163

4. Suhuf Ebrahim, which was revealed to Ibrahim (PBUH), [The scriptures of Ibrahimand Musa] Al Ala:19

5. The Holy Quran, which was revealed to the last of the prophets, Muhammad(PBUH), [Ramadan is the (month) in which was sent down the Quran, as a guide to

mankind, also clear (Signs) for guidance and judgment (Between right and wrong) Al-

Baqara:185

The Holy Quran takes precedence over all the previous books and it is preserved for eternity

as decreed by Allah, [Surely We Have revealed the Remember and We will most surely be its

guardian] (Al-Hejr:9)

Muslims believe that all what is contained in these books in their original revelation is the

truth and guidance for humanity, but that the revelation before the Quran suffered from

omissions, additions and alterations that fundamentally change the message contained in

them, [Of those who are Jews (there are those who) after words from their places] Al-

Nisaa:46

[Say: Who revealed the Book which Musa brought, a light and a guidance to men, which you

make into scattered writings which you show while you conceal much?]

Belief in the Messengers of Allah:

Muslims believe that Allah has sent messengers to humanity, [(We sent) messengers as the

givers of good news and as warners, so that people should not have a plea against Allah after

the (coming of) messengers;

And Allah is Mighty, wise] Al-Nisaa:165

The first being Noah (PBUH) and the last being Muhammad (PBUH),

[Surely We have revealed to you as We revealed to Nuh, and the prophets after him] (Al

Nisaa:163)

[But he is the Messenger of Allah and the Last of the prophets] (Al-Ahzab:40)


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A large number of messengers has been sent and they may be divided into two groups:

1. A group that has been mentioned in the Quran in detail and they number 25 of theseonly five are exalted ones, [He has made plain to you of the religion what he enjoined upon

Nuh and that which We have revealed to you and that which We enjoined upon Ibrahim and

Musa and Isa that keep to obedience and be not divided therein; hard to the unbelievers is

that which you call them to; Allah chooses for himself whom He pleases, and guides to

himself him who turns (to Him), frequently ] (Ash-Shoora:13)

2. A group that was not mentioned in detail but was referred to in general, And (Wesent) messenger We have mentioned to you before and messengers We have not mentioned to

you (Al-Nisaa:164)

In this regard it is essential for Muslims to:

1. Believe in all Messengers and what was revealed to them by Allah and to follow thelast of the Prophets, Muhammad (PBUH), and to live according to the religious law or

Shareeah

2. Believe that the call of Messengers have a common origin and that is the call ofmonotheistic belief in Allah, We sent a messenger to every community, saying, Worship

God and shun false gods.(Al-Nahl:36)

3. Believe that the Messengers are humans created by Allah to convey His messages,Their messenger said to them: We are nothing but mortals like yourselves, but Allahbestows (His) favors on whom He pleases of His servants (Ibrahim:11)

Belief in the Day of Judgment:

Muslims believe in the Last Day or the Day of Judgment, the day for which there is no day

after and believe in the resurrection that is the bringing back to life of the dead, by Allah,

after the angel Israfeel blows the second blow,

then it shall be blown again, then lo! They shall stand up awaiting (Az-Zumar:68)

The belief in the day of Judgment also includes what the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) has

informed us about after death experiences like: the graves ordeal, its reward and punishment

and records as well as the records of human acts. Heavy and light good deeds balances on the

Day of Judgment: Then he whose balance of good deeds will be found heavy will be in a life

of good pleasure and satisfaction (Al Quriah:6)

Besides that the Intercession, the basin, the straight path, leading to Paradise or Hell and

every verse revealed in the Holy Quran or a statement of the Sunnah (The Prophets

Tradition) PBUH, regarding that day.


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Belief in the fate and Providence:

This is the firm belief that every goodness and trial in this world is ordained and imposed by

Allah.

The Levels of fate and Providence:

1. Knowledge, as we belief that Allah is All-Knowing2. Destiny, all what happens to the Day of Judgment is predestined by Allah3. Will, as nothing happens or exists in this universe without Allahs will4. Creation, Allah Almighty says: the Creator of all things, do worship Him (AlAnam:102)

Muslims believe that humans have choices and capabilities that are bounded by Allahs will,for this they will be judged for what they say, do and believe. But this should not lead a

Muslim to disregard cause and effect as these are all parts of fate and providence.

The Worshipping Islamic Character:

True Muslims believe that both their worship of Allah and their behaviour are strongly

linked. They do not consider prayers as simple physical movements to be performed day

and night, the Muslims' prayer exhorts him do virtuous deeds and avoid vice. Consider the

following Quran verses:

"What has brought you into hell?* they shall say: We were notof those who prayed * And

we used not to feed the poor"(Al Muddather 74:42-44)

Thus feeding of destitute people is a consequence of prayers, similarly other forms of

worship like fasting is not only abstaining from food and drink as much as it is an

exercise in self discipline . One hadith states th at "whoever does not leave perjury, it is

meaningless for him to leave his food and drink in fasting".

A Muslim's worship of Allah develops in him a deep sense of belonging to Islam, one can

see the effect of this in his behaviour, in his dealings and speech even in his happiness andsadness and sharing the same with other fellow humans. The real appreciation of worship

makes the Muslim a true representative of the religion of Islam and not just a person with a

Muslim name in his identity card.

Islam has described a balanced and moderate path to be followed in worship that does not

necessary impair other human earthly activities. Below we will elaborate on the meaning of

worship, its types, benefits, principles and conditions :

The meaning of Worship in Language :

To worship Allah, is to submit in humility and to follow His command. Ibn

Manzoor states that "the meaning of worship is to submit and supplicate in humility, andto obey" . Al Farra' says "the meaning of worship in language is obedience with


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submission.Ibn Al Anbari states that: if a person worships his God, he submits to him

and follows his orders", while AlZubaidi opines that "the basis of worship is humility and

submission". Other scholars state that "submission is acceptance of what Allah ordains,

while worship is doing what pleases Allah"

The meaning of Worship in Religious Law:

Ibn Al Qayyem stated that "Submission embraces four echelons of expression by the tongue

and the heart, and deeds by the heart and bodily faculties.

Expression o f the heart is the belief in what Allah has communicated through His

messengers (AS) about Himself, His names, His descriptions, His deeds and the angels.

Expression of the tongue is the articulation of the heart's expressions of belief including the

call to Allah's, verbally opposing wrong creeds, remembrance of Allah in mantras and

delivering his orders.

Deeds of the heart comprise of loving Allah, depending on Him, Fearing him, patience and

sincerity in following his orders and avoiding what He forbade, to make Allah's enemies

ones own enemies, to submit in humility to him and other such deeds of the heart. The

deeds of the bodily faculties are such actions as regular prayers, hajj (pilgrimage to

Mecca), Jihad (holy war), etc.

Types of Servitude (Worship):

Servitude can be divided into two classes, general and exclusive:

a. General servitude is the slavery of coercion and subjugation and this includes a l lcreation whether possessing free will like humans or not, the good and the bad, the

believer and the infidel.b. Exclusive servitude is the slavery to Allah, based on conviction, obedience and love.This servitude is exclusive to worshipers of Allah, who have answered His call through his

messengers.

The Muslim Family:

The family has utmost importance in a Muslim Society and the Quran and Sunnah have left

no occasion on emphasizing this fact

The Muslim and his Children:

Children are the fruit of marital life and a surety for the continuation of life, if they grow up

righteously, live as believers; their good deeds are added to their parents balances on the Day

of Judgment. And if they die young, their mediation is accepted for their parents. The parents

have to provide the right environment for the children to grow by being good themselves

before they are conceived by selecting the right spouse. The Prophet (PBUH) said: a woman

is worthy of her marriage for her wealth, beauty or kin, but the pious one is better for who

seeks happiness


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The rights that should be given to children from their parents are:

The Azan (call to prayers):

Softly reciting the azan (call to prayers) in their right ears after their birth.

Giving them a good name:

Giving the child a good name on the day of birth or after seven days.

Sacrificing on behalf of the child:

Sacrificing a sheep and distributing it on the poor, family and friends. It is preferred that one

sheep is sacrificed for a female and two for a male.

Insuring the availability of good nutrition for the child:

Natural nutrition through breastfeeding. In case the mother is able to breastfeed, alternatives

like a foster mother or commercially prepared milk maybe used. It is important to ensure thatthe foster mothers food or the milk preparations are made from halal and pure ingredients.

Providing Maintenance:

It is the duty of father to provide maintenance for family until a male child can support

himself and a female gets married. It is important to note here that Islam emphasized the

equality in providing for males and females. Neglecting females is considered a grave sin

reminiscent of pre-Islamic (jahelia) behaviour.

Upbringing and education:Parents are entrusted with proper upbringing of children according to the tenants of Islam. It

is the duty of the parents to gradually introduce to the children the principles of their religion

from belief to rituals, worship and dealings. The children have to be taught how to stay clean

and pure and how to perform ablutions and prayers.

Equality between children:

Al Nu'man Bin Bishr narrated that his father came to the Prophet (PBUH) and told him: I

have gifted one of my sons a slave. The Prophet (PBUH) said, And did you give all your

children similarly?. The man said no, the Prophet (PBUH) said Fear Allah and equate

between your children. Take your gift back

Parents Rights in Islam:

Whatever a person can do, he cannot repay his parents, mother or father. Islam considered

pleasing the parents like pleasing Allah and displeasing parents is like displeasing Allah.

Service of parents is a passage to paradise and their neglect is a passage to hell. These

meanings are amply illustrated in many verses of the Quran and hadith.

Good behaviour towards the parents have been second only to belief and worshipping Him,

there is no greater benefactor to a person after Allah but his parents


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Many Quranic verses and hadith covers this fact:

Allah said: [And worship Allah and do not associate anything with him

and be good to the parents] (Al Nisa:36)

Abdullah Bin Omar narrates that the Prophet (PBUH) said: Be good to your parents, then

your children will be good to you, and be chaste to yourself, your women will be chaste

Also Abu Huraira (MABPWH) narrates that a man came to the Prophet and asked: to

whom do I owe the most courteous companionship? The Prophet said: To your mother.The man said: Then to whom? and the Prophet (PBUH) replied: To your mother. Then

the man said: Then to whom? and the Prophet (PBUH) affirmed again: to your mother.

The man said:Then to whom? and the Prophet (PBUH) replied: To your father

This is indicative for the great appreciation and love that is due to the mother.

Al-Qurtubi said: This Hadith indicates that mothers love is three times as that of the fatherbut the cause of difficulty of pregnancy, as well as the delivery and the breast-feeding

(lactation).


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Seeking parents permission to go on Jihad (Holy war):

Abdullah bin Omar narrates that a man came to the Prophet (PBUH) seeking permission to

go on Jihad, the Prophet (PBUH) asked: Are you parents alive? Hearing an affirmation the

Prophet (PBUH) said: It is better that your effort goes for the welfare of your parents

This hadith confirms that when Jihad is not compulsory, taking care of parents becomes more

important than Jihad which becomes compulsory in a few cases as:

1. When an enemy attacks the Muslim country

2. When the Muslim requires additional forces for defending the country or if chosen

specifically by the leader

Showing consideration for parents after death:

After their death, a Muslim can continue to show consideration to his parents by prayers and

supplications to Allah for their forgiveness, acceptance in Paradise, salvation from Hell and

deliverance from punishment in the grave.

Allah said: [O my Lord Bestow your mercy on them, as they brought me up(when I was)

little] Al-Isra:24

The Prophet (PBUH) said: If the son of Adam dies, his good deeds stop but for three

matters: charitable trusts, used knowledge and good offspring praying to Allah and his

favour

Fulfilling departed parents wills, and maintaining the relationships with relatives,

friends and beneficiaries:

Abi Burda (MAPBWH) narrates: I once visited Madinah and Abdullah bin Umar visited

me. He said: Do you know why I visit you? I said, No, he said: I heard the Prophet

PBUH say: If anyone would like to reach out to his parents after their death, he can reach

out to their kin, and our fathers had a good relationship, so I came to you

A Muslim with his kindred of blood and Relatives Rights in Islam:

Kith and Kin: This word denotes kindred of blood and relatives whether they could be heirs

or not and whether their relatives within prohibited degree of marriage or not.

Maintaining good relationships with near of kin and relatives is a virtuous act for which a

Muslim is rewarded by Allah, and similarly serving these relationships is a grave sin, Allah

said:

And give to the near of kin his due and (to) the needy and the wayfarer, and do not squander

wastefully Al-Isra:26

Also Allah said: And those who break the covenant of Allah after its confirmation and cut as

under that which Allah has ordered to be joined and make mischief in the land; (as for) those,upon them shall be curse and they shall have the evil (issue) of the abode Al Rad:25.


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Anas (MABPWH) narrates that the Prophet PBUH said: Those who would like to enhance

their wealth and to be well, remember death, should maintain good relations with their kin.

It is plausible that maintaining good relations with kin contributes to a healthy stress-free life

with sharing and cooperation in good and bad times. This can actually translate into net

material gains. In addition, a person with a good relation network in bound to leave behindmore persons to remember him after death and pray in his favour.

Aisha (MABPWH) narrates that the Prophet (PBUH) said: Kin relationships are personified

in a hanging, at the Throne of Allah that proclaims: those who keep me will be looked after

by Allah, and those who break me will be disregarded by Allah

Abdullah bin Amr Bin al Aas (MABPWH) narrates that the Prophet (AS) said: The reward

will not be for just maintaining kin relationships, but it will be for those who re-establish a

relation after a break.

Abu Huraira (MABPWH) narrates that the Prophet PBUH said: The good deeds of every

human are examined every Thursday and none is recorded for those who break their kin

relationships.

The Pillars of Islam

1- Islam is testifying that there is no true god except Allah, and that Mohammad- peacebe upon him- is the messenger of Allah.2- Performing the payers.3- Paying the poor due (obligatory) charity.4- Observing the fast of the month of Ramadan.5- Performing the pilgrimage to Makkah for whom can afford it.


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The Pillars of Faith

(What is Belief?)

1- Belief in Allah.2- His Angels.3- His Books.4- His Messengers.5- Belief in the Last Day.6- And belief in the Divine preordainment and its good and evil consequences.The Perfection

It is to worship Allah as though you see Him. Although you do not see Him, He sees you.


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The Exegesis of Surat al-Fatiha Opening:

Outline:

This is the first Surah in the Quran in terms of arrangement and not revelation. In otherwords, the Fatiha Opening was not the first surah that was revealed. It is a Makkan surah,

i.e., it was revealed in Makka. The main focus of this surah is tawhid. It affirms faith,

worship, seeking help, and supplication. It is made up of seven ayat whose major focus is to

verify that Allah is worthy of worship, praise, and reliance upon, enjoys all the hallmarks of

perfection, is Master of this world and the Hereafter, and that He is the Creator.

It is called the Opening because it opens the Quran, i.e., it is the starting surah of the Quran.

It is also called the mother or core of the Quran. The Opening is the only surah that it is

compulsory to read in every prayer said by a Muslim whether during the five compulsory

daily prayers or during the optional ones. In fact, no prayer, according to Muslim scholars, is

accepted without reciting the Opening.

According to Muslim commentators, the Opening embodies the whole Quran. It is regarded

as a kind of supplication and it starts off with an expression in praise of Allah praise be to

Allah which signifies total submission to Him and that Allah alone is worthy of praise.

The reason why this surah represents the essence of the Quran is that it summarizes the

major concepts of Islam: the belief in the Oneness of Allah and in His attributes. It

encourages Muslims to beg from no one but Allah and to free themselves from slavery to

man and be attached to their Lord alone. It highlights deanthropomorphism that no one is

associated with Allah, no one is equal or similar to Him, and that one must worship Him

faithfully and sincerely.

This surah seems to be divided into two equal parts: the first part concerns Allah and His

attributes while the second part is about man and his need for his Lord.


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4.2.1.2 Themes

In spite of the brevity of this surah, it contains a number of important and varied themes such

as:

1- praise: In acknowledgement of the infinite bounties of Allah. This signifies obedience on

the part of the Muslim who acknowledges that Allah alone should be praised for everything.

2- Tawhid: Believe in Allah alone, the lord of the universe.

3-Iman: Trust in Allah the lord of the Universe, in His angels, books, messengers, the decree

of good and evil, and in the last Day. It also signifies the oneness of Allah.

4- Mercy: The two attributes Most Gracious, Most Merciful refer to Allahs mercy; it is a

reminder to the Muslim that Allahs mercy is comprehensive; it is everywhere and at all time.

It also signifies that Allah is merciful rather than vengeful and that His mercy precedes his

vengeance.

5-The Day of Judgement: This is an essential part of the Muslims Iman that is also

supplemented by the belief that Allah alone will be the Master on the Day of Judgement.6-Obligation and dependence: This refers to worshipping no other deity but Allah and that

everyone is dependent on Him and helpless without Him. This also signifies seeking refuge

with Him. It also refers to the reciprocal link between man and Allah: worshipping Allah

comes first before help from Allah is bestowed on man.

7- Guidance: Asking Allah for guidance on the straight path of those on whom He bestowed

His grace; this path leads to success in this life and in the Hereafter.

Surah One Hundred and Twelve:

Purity/Sincerity

Outline

This surah belongs to the Makkan period and contains 4 ayat whose major focus is tawhid.

The title word does not occur in an ayah of the surah but is derived from the overall meaning

of the surah. This surah highlights the tawhid and nature of Allah. It stresses pure faith in one

and only one eternal Allah who is free of all needs, Who has no son, father, mother or partner

and on Whom everyone and everything depends.

Themes


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Allah's unity: Keep your faith pure and believe in Allah who is one, eternal and does not

have a son or a partner.

Surah One Hundred and Thirteen: The Dawn

Outline

This surah belongs to the Makkan period and contains 5 ayat whose focus is seeking refuge in

Allah from every evil creature. The title word occurs in 1 ayah. The surah urges the believers

to seek refuge in Allah form evil creatures, evil plot and the envy of people.

Themes

Refuge: Protect yourself from external evil and the plotting of others by seeking refuge in

Allah for He is the One Who can shield you.

Trust: To have complete and unconditional trust in Allah alone.

Envy: Avoid envying others because it is an evil and wrongdoing.

Surah One Hundred and Fourteen: Mankind

Outline

This surah belongs to the Makkan period and contains 6 ayat whose focus is seeking refuge in

Allah from the evil Shaytan. The cue-word of the surah occurs in several ayat of the surahincluding ayah 1. The surah urges the believers to seek refuge in Allah from mischief of

Shaytan, the archenemy of all mankind. It also tells us that Allah is the Lord, the King and

the Cherisher of all mankind. We are told that Shaytan whispers in our chests to undermine

our faith and make us unable to differentiate between right and wrong.

Themes

Refuge: Protect yourself from Shaytan, your archenemy, by seeking refuge in Allah for He

is able to shield you from Shaytan's mischief.

Trust: Put your total trust in Allah alone.

Whisper: Shaytan whispered in our chests to make us blind to the truth and follow him.

Belief and disbelief: Those who disbelief are responsible for the consequence of theirdisbelief and those who do right actions are preparing themselves for Allahs reward and the

Hereafter.


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Surah Thirty One: Luqman

Outline

This surah belongs to the Makkan period and contains 34 ayats whose main focus is tawhid.The surah derives its title from mention of Luqman, a spiritual and wise man, mentioned in

ayat 12. The surah provides a pattern of wisdom and moral law through the advice given by

Luqman to his son. Luqmans subtle thoughts point to the one true God (See themes below)

The Surah starts off with a statement describing the Quran as a wise book which provides

guidance and mercy to the doers of good; This is followed by description of doers of good:

they establish prayer, pay the Zakat, are certain of the Hereafter, are successful, hold on to

guidance, and will have gardens of bliss. A description of the disbelievers is that: They prefer

to engage in idol talk rather than talk about valuable pragmatic matters relating to Allah, try

to mislead others from the path of Allah, mock the revelation, are arrogant, and will face a

shameful doom.

The surah also makes a brief reference to the rising from the dead through a statement about

Allahs omnipotence: the creation of all mankind and the rising from the dead of All mankind

are as simple as the creation and rising from the dead of a single person. The surah appeals to

the mankind to be Allah-conscious, to dread the Day of Judgement, not to be deluded by

worldly life, and not to be deluded by ones own wrong thoughts about Allah which

undervalue and underestimates Him.

Were also told of Allahs unique creative power and omnipotence: Allah creates the heavens

without pillars, he places firm mountains on the earth, he disperses all kind of animals

throughout the earth, He sends down rain from the sky, he harnesses whatever is in the

heavens and on earth for the benefit of mankind, he bestows upon people infinite bounties, he

merges the night into the day and the day into the night, He regulates the sun and the moon,

and He knows what is in the wombs.

Themes:

Behavioural Law: It is for peoples own good to abide by the behavioural law which isa part of Allahs Law:


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o Do not associate anything in your worship of Allah because association or falseworship is a serious wrong-doing

o Look after and show gratitude to your parentso Show gratitude to your Lordo If your parents force you to associate anything in your worship of Allah, do not obeythem but you should keep good company with both of them.

o If you do a minute of good deed Allah appreciates it and you will be rewarded for ito Establish the prayero Bear patiently whatever may afflict youo Do not sneer at other peopleo Do not walk insolently and be moderate in your pace when you walko Lower your voice when you talk Delusion: Do not let the present life deceive you. It is only glitter while the hereafteris the real eternal life to which one should look forward.

Hardship and Ease: Remember Allah and show Him your gratitude whether you areenjoying ease or experiencing hardship

Submission or rejection: If you submit yourself to the worship of Allah it is for yourown good but if you choose to reject faith, you are driving yourself into severe suffering.

Do not dispute about Allah: Avoid any argument about Allah if you are not armedwith knowledge, guidance, and ability to refer to the Quran.


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The Holy Quran

Definition of the Holy Quran:

Scholars of Arabic lexicography have different opinions about the origin of the word

Quran, and it suffice to say here that the word Quran is derived from the verbal noun (

reading), as it has appeared in the Quran structure1:

( ( . "We shall make sure of its safe collection and recitation. When We have recited it, repeat the

recitation" ( al-qiyamah: 17-18.)\

Further, the first surah revealed to Prophet Muhammad starts with the word "read".

As an Islamic term, Quran could be defined as follows:

"The speech or the words of Allah, sent down upon the last Prophet Muhammad, through the

archangel Gabriel, in its precise meaning and precise wording, transmitted to us by numerous

persons (tawatur), both verbally and in writing, inimitable and unique, protected by Allahfrom corruption".

The Most Significant names of the Holy Quran:

The Holy Quran has many names, which were sorted by scholars in independent

classifications. These various names indicate the noble status of the Holy Qur'an.

Quran: The revelation from Allah to the Prophet Muhammad is referred to - in the Quran

itself - by the name Quran (recitation) see:

1. Kitab(scripture, see Q 21:10).2. Furqan (criterion, see Q 25: 1).3. Tanzil(sent down, see Q 26: 192).4. Dhikr(reminder, see Q 15:1 Hussein Abdul-Raof, Quran Translation Discourse, Teture and Exegesis, (Surry: Curzon Press, 2001),


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Other references to the Quran are by such words as nur (light), huda (guidance), rahma

(mercy), majid(glorious), mubarak(blessed), bashir (announcer), nadhir (warner), etc. All

these names reflect one of the various aspects of the revealed word of Allah.

The Content of al-Quran:

The Qur'an is divided into 114 surahs (chapters) of different lengths, content, andcontaining differing admonitions. Each surah is made up of a number of statements. Each

statement is known as an ayah (verse). The total number of ayahs is 6,218 ayahs, with 77,437

words and 321,000 letters.2 The shortest chapter consists of three verses and the longest

consists of 286 verses (excluding Bismillah).

The Quran was revealed in two different periods of the Prophets life, in Makkah andin al-Madinah.

The contents of the Quran are not classified subject-wise. The verses on various topicsappear in unexpected places, and no particular order can be ascertained in the sequence of its

text. Furthermore, the arrangement of the Holy Quran is unique in terms of logical coherence

of the content of each surah and thematic interrelation with the subsequent Surahs. The

content of the Qur'an is numerous which can be grouped as follows:

1 Aqidah: (belief) covering belief in the oneness of Allah, His angels, RevealedBooks, Prophets, the Day of Judgement, and His Decree. Two third of the Holy Qur'an deals

with such issues and the rest deals with the following issues:

2 Akhlaq (Ethics and Moral Behaviour).3 Ibadah (Rituals).4 Mu'amalat(Transactions) and Family law.

Characteristics of al-Quran:

There are several characteristics of Quran, among them are:

It is the actual Word of Allah, not created but revealed for the benefit of allmankind.

2Hussein Abdul-Raof, The Quran Outlined, Theme and Text, (London: Ta-Ha Publishers, 2001), p.vi.


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It is a theoretical and a practical Book, not only moralizing but also definingspecifically the permissible and the forbidden.

It is complete and comprehensive. The Almighty says: "Nothing have Weomitted from the Book." (6.38)

In another place we read: "And We have sent down to thee the Bookexplaining all things." (16.89)

Allah has perfected His religion for all mankind with the revelation of thisBook. He says: "This day have I perfected your religion for you, completed My favor

upon you and have chosen for you Islam as your religion." (5.3)

It is Allah's eternal miracle revealed to the Prophet Muhammad for allsucceeding generations. In response to those who doubt the authorship of the Qur'an,

Allah Almighty has challenged the most articulate Arabs to produce something

similar to al-Quran. The Quran says: "Say, if the whole of mankind and jinns were to

gather together to produce the like of this Qur'an, they could not produce the like

thereof; even if they backed-up each other with help and support." (17.88)

Allah Almighty has taken upon Himself the duty of preserving the Qur'anforever in its entirety, as He says: "We have without doubt sent down the Message,

and We will assuredly guard it (from corruption)." (15.9)

It has been preserved, both in memory and in writing, that the Arabic textwe have today is identical to the text as it was revealed to the Prophet. Not even a

single letter has yielded to corruption during the passage of the centuries. Therefore, it

will remain forever by the will of Allah.

It is a confirmation of previous scriptures & a watcher over them. AlmightyAllah describes the Qur'an (And unto thee have We revealed the Scripture with the

truth, confirming whatever Scripture was before it, and a watcher over it) [Al-

Ma`idah: 48], which means that what is contained in the Quran is more deserving to

be followed because it is the final image of the Divine Revelation. It abrogates all of

the contradictory legislation of the previous Scriptures that had lasted for limited

periods of time and for certain nations. As for the final image, it is the one which is in


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line with the human natural instinct and consistent with the Prophet's mission in

general and with the extension of time & place.

The Written Compilation of the Quran:

The uniqueness of the Holy Quran in comparison to the previous revealed books is that it

was protected by Allah from being altered or corrupted, and therefore, it was preserved both

orally and in a written form. The written phase went through three stages.

The first stage was during the Prophet's life time (609-632 C.E) when the process of

memorizing the Holy text was common amongst the Companions. Furthermore, the Prophet

had, during twenty-three years of revelation, more than thirty scribes who used to write the

revelation once it was revealed to him. They wrote the whole text in fragments of sheets

made from animal skin, stones, animal bones and pieces of wood taken from palm trees.

The Second Stage was during the Era of the First Rightly Guided Caliph Abu Bakr al-

Siddiq (632-634 C.E>.): During this era, the first copy of the Holy Quran was introduced

in one volume for two main reasons:

1-The revelation to the Prophet has ended by his death and therefore the final shape of the

whole Quran was well known to the Muslim Ummah.

2-Many Companions who used to memorize the Quran had died in the Battle of Yamamah,

and there was a fear of more deaths among the Companions in the battles to come which

could result in a partial or a complete loss of the Holy text.

The rightly guided Caliph Abu Bakr al-Siddiq was convinced by the Companion Umar 1 to

engage in the process of collecting the Holy Quran in one single volume. Zaid bin Thabit, a

young, clever, and knowledgeable Companion who used to memorize the Holy Quran and

was the scribe of the Prophet was ordered by the Caliph Abu Bakr to join Umar 1 in this great

process. Before Abu Barks death, the Holy Quran was collected in one volume and thus

protected as it was revealed to the Prophet Muhammad. M. M. al-Asmaa summarises the

work of Abu Baker as follows:

"His contribution, we can summarise, was to collect all first-hand Quran fragments, then

scattered about Medina, and arrange for their transcription into a master volume. At the

conclusion of Aids effort all suras and verses therein were properly arranged, most likely


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penned using the prevalent Amanita script and spelling conventions ( ) as he wasa native son of Medina".3

The Third Stage of the Writing Compilation of the Holy Quran During the Era of the

Third Rightly Guided Caliph Othman (644-656 C.E.):

The third and the last stage of compilation of the Holy Quran took place during this era.

Uthman ordered the recompilation of the Holy Quran and this resulted in a standard copy

known as Mushaf of Uthman.

Uthman's efforts took place after the conquest of Armenia in central Asia. Many Muslims

from various countries met during this conquest, when they used to recite the Holy Quran,

they had different dialects and therefore they criticized each other's way of reading. Reading

the Holy Quran in various ways and dialects were allowed during the Prophet's life. Uthman

feared that if he did not organize the accepted readings of the Holy text this would lead to

confusion among Muslims as had happened with the people of the book (i.e. the Christians

and the Jews). Therefore, Uthman ordered a committee of four Companions, among them

Zaid bin Thabit, to rewrite the Quranic text according to the authentic readings which were

narrated in multiple channels (mutawater) from the Prophet. Uthman sent six similar copies

to be distributed in the main Islamic centres such as Makkah, Madina, Basra, Kufa,

Damascus, and Yemen and he sent a reciter with every copy. "Each of these scholars

recited to the people of his respective city in the manner he had learned it through

authenticated, multiple channels going back to the Prophet, insofar as these channels lay in

complete agreement with each other and fit in the Mushaf's consonantal skeleton. Any mode

of recitation arriving through a single channel (or containing verses that had been abrogated

during the Prophet's lifetime) was discarded. Dispatching reciters with the Mushafs meant

limiting the possibilities that were compatible with the consonantal script to only those that

enjoyed authenticated and multiple backing Sending a scholar with every Mushaf was,

therefore, elucidating that proper recitation was dependent on the learning through direct

contact with teachers whose transmission channels reached to the Prophet, not simply a

product of script or spelling conventions4.

3M. M. al-Azami, The History of the Qur'anic Text, from Revelation to Comilation, A Comparative Study withthe Old and New Testament, (Leicester: UK Islamic Academy, 2003) pp.84-5.4M. M. al-Azami, The History of the Qur'anic Text, from Revelation to Comilation, A Comparative Study withthe Old and New Testament, p.95.


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By accomplishing this task, Uthman did a great and a paramount service for the Muslim

nation as he confined them to the accepted and allowed readings of the Holy Quran. This

action by Uthman eradicated any confusion which could arise between Muslims. Therefore,

Muslims nowadays refer to the Quran as Uthman's Mushaf. M. M. al-Azami summarized

Uthman's efforts in the following statements: " Uthman's main purpose was to eliminate all

occasion for disputes in recitation; sending a Mushaf by itself, or with a reciter at liberty to

device any reading, was contrary to the unity Uthman sought to establish within the populace.

The existence of total unity in the Quranic texts throughout the world for fourteen centuries,

between all countries and all divergent Muslim sects, is proof enough of Uthman's

unparalleled success in gathering all Muslims upon a single text. Furthermore, The span of

fourteen centuries` has not been able to corrupt or dent the skeletal text of this Mushaf. Truly

a manifestation of the Holy Qur'an's miraculous nature".5

Nevertheless, as it had been explained above, it is totally mistaken to think that Uthman's

written compilation was the first written compilation of the Holy Quran.

In addition, Muslim scholars are almost unanimous that the Uthman's Mushaf spelling

conventions is compulsory upon all Muslims to adhere to. For this reason, it is not allowed to

print a copy of the Holy Qur'an without taking into consideration Uthman's Mushaf spelling

conventions. Thus it is not allowed to print a copy of the Holy Qur'an according to modern

spelling conventions.

Translations Of The Holy- Quran Into Other Languages:

The translation of the meanings of the Holy Quran has become one of the main concerns for

Muslims as it helps to convey the message of Islam to other languages of the world. The

translation of the meanings of the holy Quran into English language has also been considered

highly important as English nowadays is regarded as one of the most important languages ofthe world.

What is the meaning of translation?

It is rendering the meaning of a text into another language in the way that the author

intended the text.

5Ibid., p.95, p.107.


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Is the translation of the Holy text permissible?

Yes it is permissible therefore we take the view, then, that translations of the Holy Quran

should be designated as translations of the Meanings of the Quran in English (or in

whatever other language) rather than being called a translation of the Quran: this is

because calling such a product a translation of the Quran implies that most of the possible

meanings of the text are being presented to the reader, while this is not in fact the case.

I take the following view regarding some of the conditions circumscribing the translator. He

should be a Muslim; non-Muslims are prohibited under Islamic Law from doing it, for we

have ample evidence from experience that every non-Muslim who has embarked on this task

has fallen into error.

The history of Quran translation into European languages (into English in particular):

Praise be to Allah that the Meanings of the Holy Quran have now been translated into most

of the worlds languages. Amongst those languages are the European ones. It was the

Europeans who produced the first translation of the Quran into Latin. This was, however, an

ugly, distorted translation done at the instigation and under the supervision of the monk

Pierre le Venerable, the Abbot of Cluny Monastery in southern France. That was in August

1143, and the one who did the translation was an English monk named Robert de Ketton.

Theodor Bibliander printed Kettons translation in Basle, and this was to serve as the basis

for other European translations.

English translation by non-Muslims:

The first English translation of the Holy Quran was that of Alexander Ross in London in

1649. A Scot by birth, he was chaplain to King Charles I. His translation was itself a crib of

the French one done by Andre Du Reyer, which contained major distortions of the meanings

of the Quran.

There are many translations done by Orientalists to mention one of the best

Orientalists's translations of the holy Quran is Arthur J. Arberrys translation, The Koran

Interpreted, came out in 1955.

Translation by Muslims:

From the start of the twentieth century Muslims who were zealous for their faith and

particularly Indian Muslims who had a fine command of English as a result of living under

British colonialism set about the task of translating the meanings of the Holy Quran with the

aim of acquainting non-Muslims with a correct version of Islam and of refuting the false

allegations against Islam that had been propagated by the previous translations done by non-


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Muslims. There was furthermore a need for such translations on the part of those Muslims who

did not know Arabic. The most important of these translations are the following:

The first significant translation produced by a British Muslim was that ofMuhammad Marmaduke William Pickthall, in London in 1930, under the title

The Meaning of the Glorious Quran. Born the son of a priest in 1875, Pickthall

was an orphan before going to school, becoming a clerk and then wandering through

the Islamic world. He subsequently returned to London in 1917 in order to announce

there the fact that he had embraced Islam, and he called himself Muhammad. He

would pray with people in London and preach to them on Fridays. Pickthall later

spent 15 years living in India and acting as the editor of an Islamic journal in both

Bombay and Hyderabad. There it was that he began translating the Quran, and

continued with this task from 1919 to 1928. He published his translation in London in

1930, and then in New York in 1931. Pickthalls translation is considered one of the

sound ones.

The translation by Abdullah Yusuf Ali6, done in Lahore 1934-7, under thetitle The Holy Quran: Translation and Commentary.

Miraculous Aspects of Quran:

The miracle (inimitability) is a fact contrary to general rules, opposed to the normal course of

events, with a cause that escapes human comprehension and this fact is also a challenge to

anyone who doubts it.

Miracles, whether they are material or spiritual in character, are not of human origin,for they fall exclusively within God's domain and competence.

Allah Almighty has sent a prophet to every nation as a warner and a bearer of gladtidings.

) 4 "We have sent you with the Truth as a bearer of good news and warning every communityhas been sent a warner." (35:24).

Different Prophet of Allah have different miracles. The greatest miracles of Prophet Muhammad s.a.w. is the Holy Quran. All otherProphets' books are not part of their miracles

6Abdullah Yusuf Ali belongs to the Batiniyya sect that is known as the Buhra of the Dawoodis.


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Kinds of Quran miracles:

The first type of miracles:

The linguistic inimitability of al-Quran:

This is evident in the high standard of language and linguistic expression of al-Quran Pickthall described the Holy Book, 'the very sounds of which move men to tears andecstasy'

The Second type of miracles:

Miraculous Nature of Telling Unseen News:

1.Unseen Past:Quran included the tales of former people, the news about the previous centuries, the extinctnations.

2. Unseen Present:such as the betrayal of the hypocrites and their intentions, and the sayings of some of themsecretly to their custodians.

3. Unseen Future: The Quran told us about certain people who will die while they are stillunbelievers, for example, Abi Lahab and his wife.

Romans Empire will be defeated (al-Rum 1-5)

)1) (2) (3 () 4 () 5(

1. Alif Lam Mim2. The Byzantines have been defeated

3. in (their) nearest land. They will reverse their defeat with a victory4. in a few years time God is in command, first and last. On that day, the believers will

rejoice5. At Gods help. He helps whoever He pleases: He is the Mighty, the Merciful.

The third type of miracles:

Legislative Miraculous Nature

1. Its Comprehensiveness & Satisfaction of Human Needs e.g prohibition of porkalcohol.

2. Its Unlimited Conceptual Ability.


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The scientific Miraculous Nature

Almighty Allah says to explain the difference between the Muslim and the infidel: (And whoAllah wills to guide, He opens his breast to Islam; and who He wills to send astray, He makeshis breast closed and constricted, as if he is climbing up to the sky ) .

Through discovery, that whoever goes upwards high in the sky his breast will be narrow andhis breathe will be disturbed.

Another example is:

) 13 ( ) 14) (1314( )

Then We made him (the offspring of Adam) as aNutfah (mixed drops of the male and female

sexual discharge) (and lodged it) in a safe lodging (womb of the woman). Then We made the

Nutfah into a clot (a piece of thick coagulated blood), then We made the clot into a little lumpof flesh, then We made bones out of that little lump of flesh, then We clothed the bones with

flesh, and then We brought it forth as another creation. So blessed be Allah, the Best of

creators.

The second source of Islam: The Prophet Tradition (Sunnah)

Truthfulness leads to right action

Lying leads to corruption

Remember Allah in prosperity

He will remember you in adversity

If my slave comes to me walking

I go to Him running

Paradise lies under the feet of mothers

The best of you are those who treat their wives with great kindness


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The definition of Sunnah (Hadith)

The statements, deeds (actions) or acknowledgments of the tradition of the Prophet (PBUH)

1.

Sound Hadith (sahih)2. Approved hadith (hasan)3. Weak hadith4. Forged Hadith5. Sanad: The chain of narrators who transmitted the hadith6. Matn: The text or the body of the hadithHadith: On the authority of Abu Huraira (MABPWH) who said: the Messenger of Allah

(may the blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said:

Part of someones being a good Muslim is his leaving alone that which does not concern

him.

A good Hadith which was related by at-Tirmidhi and others in this form

Hadith: On the authority of Abu Hamzah Anas ibn Malik (MABPWH), the servant of the

Messenger of Allah (may the blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) that the Prophet(May the blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said:

None of you (truly) believes until he wishes for his brother what he wishes for himself.

It was related by Al-Bukhari and Muslim.

The Sunnah:

Its meaning:

The Sunnah is a general name to what was reported to the Prophet (PBUH) to be his speech,

deed, decision, and attribute, in matters related to inspiration and legislation, because some of

his speech or deeds belong to his daily life, thus, not all of his speech or deeds regarded as

Sunnah.

Most of the Sunnah go to his speech, there are many books which conveyed the Prophets

sayings (account), they mainly explain the Quran or add other rules or complete the whole

Message of Islam as we will see in its importance. As for his deeds, they were also reported

to us in Sunnah books and in the books of the Prophets biography, mostly they give the

Prophets application to Islamic principles and duties, particularly those which are not


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detailed in the Quran , another important thing related to his deeds that the Prophet (PBUH)

symbolizes the model for all Muslims to follow and imitate him.

An example for these deeds that he performed prayer, then he said: Perform prayer as

you have seen me performing it,1 also he practiced Pilgrimage deeds, then he said: Take

Pilgrimage deeds from me,

2

which means to imitate and follow him in such deeds, becauseboth prayer and pilgrimage were not explained in details in the Quran, as they are practical

deeds.

Pertaining to his decisions, they can be quite regarded if something happened before the

Prophet (PBUH), then he keeps silent, this means that he agreed on it, because if this thing is

not recommended, then the Prophet cannot be silent, he must correct that thing or at least

comment on it that it is unlawful.

Examples for this sort are plenty, here are some of them:

The Prophet agrees for Habashi (Ethiopians) to play in the mosque, and that he allowed

Aishah to look at them, another example that when the Prophet went to relax after the Battle

of Ahzab, Gabriel came to him asking: the angels did not put their weapons yet, and Allah

ordering you to go to Bani Qurayzah (To punish them because of their bad effect during the

battle), after that the Prophet ordered his Companions to go to bani Qurayzah saying: None

of you perform Asr (afternoon prayer) till he reaches bani Qurayzah, but when the time of

Asr prayer came some of the companions intended to pray and prepared themselves for the

prayer, the others reminded them with what the Prophet has said, after that they told the

prophet about this dispute which happened between them, his answer was nothing but

silence, he didnt comment on any of the parties, which means he agreed on two things: on

their difference and on their reasoning.

His silent approvals on different issues meant that he is not opposing or minding what

he saw, heard or knew of the actions or sayings of his Companions.

As for his attributes, we mostly mean those related to original creation, thus we can

say that the Prophet was so kind, generous, shy, strong, etc

Among what was related regarding his attributes: His face radiant with a

bright glow, not too thin or too fat, elegant and handsome. His eyes had a deep black hue

with long eyelashes. His voice was pleasant and his neck long. He had a thick beard. His long

black eyebrows were beautifully arched and connected to each other. In silence, he remains

dignified, commanding utmost awe and respect. When he spoke his speech was brilliant. Ofall people he was the most handsome and the most pleasant, even when approaching from the

distance, in person, he was unique and most admirable. Graced with eloquent logic, his

speech was moderate. His logical arguments were well organized as if they were string of

gems. He was neither too tall nor too short, but exactly in between. Among three, he appeared

the most radiant and most vibrant. He had companions who affectionately honoured him.

When he spoke, they listened to him attentively. When he gave orders, they were quick to

execute them; they rallied around him guarding him. He never frowned or spoke furiously.

His companions also described his habits and behaviours with people. Once Anas

reported: I served the Prophet (PBUH) for ten years. Never once did he express any bit of


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displeasure nor did he ever ask: Why did you do it? For something I did or: Why didnt you

do it? For something I didnt do.

We should direct attention that the word (Sunnah) has different meanings according to

its main use. The meaning stated above belongs to the sources of Islam. Bit in Islamic

jurisprudence, it means one of the main (5) rules which were put to classify the deeds

legislations: (wajib (obligated), Sunnah or Mandub(encouraged), Mubah(lawful), Makruh(not

encouraged), haram(forbidden)).

Its importance and position from the Qurn:

We can clarify the importance of Sunnah according to the following points:

1. That it is second source of Islam (after the Quran), it is another kind of inspiration, theProphet says: I have been given the Quran and with it another inspiration, meaning the

Sunnah. Also Allah says: Your companion (Muhammad) has neither gone astray nor haserred. Nor does he speak of (his own) desire, (53/2-3), which means that he speaks what is

revealed upon him. Accordingly we realize the importance of Sunnah, that it is the other part

of inspiration.

In this regards we can add what Allah says: What the apostle gives to you, take it, and

what he prohibits you [from taking] , you shall abstain therefore(59/7), this means that we

should fully obey the messenger, he has the full authority by Allah, thats because he does not

speak his own words.

2. That it confirms the Quranic rules, when Allah mentions any ruled of directions forHis slaves, then it may be confirmed by the Prophet, one example for this being that Allah

says (4/59) : O you who belief! Obey Allah and the Messenger and those of you who are in

authority, and at the same time the Messenger says: who obeys me then he obeyed Allah,

and who disobeys me he disobeyed Allah, and who obeys the Amir (who is in authority) he

obeyed me and who disobeyed the Amir, he disobeyed me.13. That it completes the Quran by giving additional rules, because not all legislationswere mentioned in the Quran, for example: the rules which detailed the forbidden kinds of

woman not to be married (Verse:4/23), there is no mentioning for the combination between

the women and her aunt, the Prophet clarified that this combination is forbidden. The same

thing can be said for forbidding the meat of donkeys, forbidding gold rings for men, or

wearing silk by men, and that women after menstruation should act what they missed of

fasting days but not the prayers,etc.

4. That it explains the Quran by detailing rules or removing obscurity among verses, forinstance the prayer was mentioned in the Quran in general words, but the Sunnah detailed it,

the same can be said for giving alms and come deeds of pilgrimage.

Its History and writing:

We should bear in minds that the companions were prohibited to write down the

Prophets sayings for the sake of preserving in the Quran i.e. to avoid any doubt about it that

there is a mixture between both of them. This matter continued even after the Prophetsdeath, therefore, the Sunnah was memorized by the companions in whole, some memorized


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many accounts, and some memorized just a few, this matter depends on their interest and

their company to the Prophet, because they became Muslims in different times.

Meanwhile, some scholars say that this prohibition was at the beginning of Islam and

after distinguishing between Quran and Sunnah style, then the Prophet allowed some of his

companions to write down the Sunnah texts,

but also we should note that this happened to afew companions, the official order was prohibition.

At the beginning of the second century (A.H.), and during the reign of the Caliph

Umar bin Abdul- Aziz. The official writing of Sunnah occurred, this writing was needed to

save Sunnah from forgetting or from lying about the Prophet by claiming accounts and then

attributing them to the Prophet , this happened by different people and for many reasons.

There are many aspects for ordering Sunnah while collecting it and writing it down,

those are the most important aspects of ordering it:

1. The ordering of Sunnah according to subjects, i.e. that the author collects accountswhich refer to one subject in one unit or under one title. Also this way was in two categories:a. Books which collect accounts regarding all Islamic subjects, in Arabic we call them (Al-Jami), such as, Al Jami al-Sahih by Imam al-Bukhari, which is known as: Sahih al-

Bukhari, and al-Jami al Sahih by Imam Muslim, which is also known as: Sahih Muslim, and

Jamial-Tirmidhi.

b. Books which collect accounts related to special subjects, i.e. not a general one, suchas those books known as: al-Sunan, for instance: Sunan Abi Dawud, Sunan Ibn Majah, Sunan

al-Darimi.

2. The ordering of Sunnah according to the Companion who related the account, thosebooks known as (al-Masanid), such as Musnad al-imam Ahmad, Musnad al-Bazzar, MusnadAbi ya'la

As for the kinds of Sunnah according to its authentication, it is divided mainly into two

kinds:

1. The successive accounts (mutawatir), which were related in every step of the chain bymany scholars who are quite recommended in their honesty and memorization, such accounts

described as definite evidence, i.e. no one allowed to disobey it, in authenticity it looks like

the holy Quran.

2. The individual accounts (akhbar al ahad), which are not successive or definite, it hasdifferent sorts according to the reliability of the people of the chain (sanad). The important

sorts under it are:

a. The sound (sahih) account, were all narrators in the chain are rooted in both: honestyand memorization.

b. The weal (daf) account, where we find one or more of the Narrators in less step ofmemorization or honesty.

c. The fabricated (mawdu) account, which was put to be the Prophets words butactually it, is a lie.

It is worth mentioning that weak or fabricated accounts are not valid as evidences forlegislation at all.


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Actually there is another kind of classification to accounts related by the Prophet or

his Companions and their Successors, we call the account which ends by the companion

saying: The Prophet said..., this kind is called (marfu), to mean that the companion ascribes

the words to the Prophet himself.

But if the Companion ascribes the words to himself, i.e. not to the Prophet, then we

call the account (mawquf), to mean it is the Companions words, but if its subject was

related to unseen things, i.e. matters which has no way to know them, then this accounts is

regarded as the (marfu)

And if the account was the Successors words, i.e. the Successor does not ascribe it to

the Companion, then it is called (maqtu).

All these sorts must be subjected to the science of (al-jarh wa al-tadil), which deals

with the narrators case whether he is reliable or not, then we can judge the account is

accepted or not.

It is important to know that not all accounts are in the same step of authenticity.

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