Introduction
For some time now there has been a need for an introduction to Islam, presented in simple and concise language, which might provide children with fundamental religious instruction and also be useful to adults who want to understand the teachings of Islam.
By the grace of God, a book of this nature has now been compiled. It consists of five parts, the names of which are as follows: The Way to Find God, The Teachings of Islam, The Good Life, The Garden of Paradise and The Fire of Hell.
The Way to Find God
The title of the first part is self-explanatory. Man requires guidance in his search for God. The universe provides man with such guidance in visual form. The whole universe seems to be beckoning man to join it in its inexorable progress towards the Lord. So dazzling is the sun’s radiance that it seems to wish to convey a message to man but cannot do so before setting. Trees extend their branches. Rivers flow on in their pulsating motion. All these things and many others have something to say, but men pass them by without ever realizing what that something is. All celestial heights and terrestrial panoramas seem to join in a massive yet silent congregation, which addresses itself to man visually, though never audibly.
But is the universe really no more than a vast museum of inarticulate masterpieces? Not at all. Everything in it bears a divine message, communicated in the language of eternity. So immersed is man in other worldly affairs, however, that he fails to hear this silent message.
The Prophet’s role is to put this divine message into words that we can understand. He demonstrates the kind of life that God expects man and the whole of creation to lead.
The Quran—the word of God in Arabic—is the foundation of this inspired path. The sunnah—the life and teachings of the Prophet Muhammad, (on whom be peace and God’s blessings), collected in several volumes—provides clarification of the Holy Book. Whoever seriously wishes to understand Islam should study these books, for they are the authentic source of God’s religion. Here is a comprehensive course for those who do not have time to study them all:
- The Holy Quran
- Sirat ibn Kathir (Biography of the Prophet) by Ibn Kathir
- Hadith, Mishkat al-Masabih
- Hayat as-Sahabah (Life of the Companions) by Muhammad Yusuf Kandhalvi
These are well-known and easily obtainable books. Though originally written in Arabic, they have been translated and published in several languages. They can be acquired and read in the language of one’s choice.
This essay has been prepared with a general and fundamental understanding of the divine way in mind. If it imbues the reader with a desire to study religion in more detail and delve deeper into reality, then it will have been worthwhile.
The Teaching of Islam
Islam is not just a system; it is a means of becoming acquainted with the Lord of the Universe. A study of Islam should move one as proximity to God does. To understand Islam, one should read a book which does not just deal with creeds but also explains how one should establish one’s relationship with the Creator; which does not just describe conditions which will prevail in the next life, but also instills one with fear and apprehension about what is to be one’s lot in the hereafter; which penetrates to the spirit of worship and does not merely concern itself with the way it should be performed; which does not simply explain one’s obligations to one’s fellow-men, but also encourages one to fulfill these obligations and refrain from injustice.
This is an attempt to provide such a treatise on Islam. May God accept it.
The Good Life
This is the third part of this book. It comprises excerpts from the Quran, arranged in a special sequence under relevant headings. No interpretation or commentary has been added. It provides an introduction to Islam which is derived directly from the original revealed source.
The name of this book is taken from a verse of the Quran, the full text of which is:
Be they men or women those, who believe and do what is right We shall surely endow with a good life: We shall reward them according to their noblest actions. (16:97)
The meaning of the “good life” mentioned in this verse is clear from the phrase “according to their noblest actions”. A good life is a life of good actions. The commentator of the Quran, ad-Dahhak, has defined it as “being content with an honest living and serving God in one’s life.” This is the meaning that the Companions of the Prophet and their followers generally inferred from the phrase.
To believe in God and implement His commandments is to qualify oneself for His succour. God bestows multiple blessings on a person who lives a life of faith and righteousness. He enables him to experience the joy of closeness to God in his worship; to settle day-to-day problems in a divinely inspired manner; to deal with friends and foe in an equally honest-to-God way. God guides him on the straight path. He always seeks God’s pleasure, and nothing can turn him away from this aim.
The Quran has given a clear exposition of the theoretical and practical nature of the good life. The verses which have been selected describe various fundamental aspects of this life in the Quran’s inimitable style. These passages thus provide both a description of the good life and an authentic example of how it should be lived.
The Garden of Paradise
God has created an ideal world called paradise. It is a world of everlasting joy and bliss. No turmoil or pain mars its delight. One is never beset there by anguish or calamity. It is a trouble-free world of infinite blessings, where one will experience neither death, boredom nor grief.
The search for such an ideal world is an instinctive urge in man. Everybody is searching for an invisible paradise; but none is able to find a paradise of such infinite blessings in the present finite world. God has reserved it for the next world.
None can earn paradise automatically; only those who perform heavenly actions on earth will be deserving of it. God has divided our lives into two parts: a short period on earth, and the rest in the hereafter. This world is for action. The next world is for reaping the rewards of our actions.
Man is free to do as he wishes on earth, but his free will is no more than a test. He should treat it as such. He should not revel in his power. Those who are not deluded by their temporary power, and never lose sight of their true position, will be accommodated in paradise. Those who rebel on the basis of their worldly power will abide in hell.
All real power in this world belongs to God alone. He is the Lord of all things. No one can escape from His control for an instant. Those who recognise this fact will submit to God of their own accord. They are the ones who are worthy of paradise. Those who deny this fact and proceed in whatever direction their impulse takes them, are offenders in God’s sight. They will have no share in the blessings of the life-hereafter.
The Fire of Hell
The most powerful motivating force in our lives is fear. Consciously or subconsciously, everyone’s actions are the result of some kind of fear. It could be of financial ruin, worldly disgrace, a powerful enemy, or some superior power. Each and every person function because of some real or imaginary fear.
Yet there is no substance to the actions which people perform on the basis of such fear, for there is no substance to the objects which they fear. The only fear which is of any value is fear of God, and sincere actions can result only from true awe and apprehension of one God.
God has created man: He controls the vast universe and has complete power over man’s destiny. Anyone who truly believes this will certainly fear God. But there is more to the matter than this: God will raise us up after death and will judge us according to our words and deeds on earth. We are responsible to Him for our actions.
One has to think seriously about life when one considers it from this point of view. If we keep in mind our eternal destiny, we shall then have no choice but to submit to the Lord who created us, and who will judge us after death.
We must do our utmost to protect ourselves and others from the torment of hell fire. God’s Prophets taught man the reality of life. According to their teachings the real issue facing us in life is how to avoid God’s punishment in the next world. We must prepare ourselves for meeting God and must exhort others to do the same. As Muslims, this is the basic task that lies before us. Other things that we desire in life can be ours only if we perform this fundamental task.
Wahiduddin Khan
October 1980
New Delhi, India
