The Quranic Foundations and Structure of Muslim Society

http://muslimvillages.
com
THE QUR’ãNIC FOUNDATIONS &

STRUCTURE OF MUSLIM SOCIETY
VOLUME ONE

By Dr. MUHAMMAD FAZL-

FAZL-UR-
UR-RAHMAN ANSARI
B. Th., M.A., Ph.D.
Founder President
WORLD FEDERATION OF ISLAMIC MISSIONS

Obtainable From:
THE WORLD FEDERATION OF ISLAMIC MISSIONS

ISLAMIC CENTRE
NORTH NAZIMABAD B BLOCK
KARACHI-74700 PAKISTAN
http://muslimvillages.com
All rights reserved by the Author
First Edition 1973

Second Impression 1977
Third Impression 1989
Fourth Impression 2008
Printed by
ELITE PUBLISHERS LTD.
D-118, S.I.T.E., Karachi Pakistan
INTRODUCING THE AUTHOR
Maulana Dr. Muhammad Fazl-ur-Rahman Ansari—with ‘al-

Qaderi’ also often affixed to his name, because he is a Shaykh of the
Qaderiyya Order—is, through Shaykh al-Islam Abdullah al-Ansari of
Herat (Afghanistan), a descendant of the Holy Prophet Muhammad’s
Companion, Khalid Abu Ayyub Ansari, who attained martyrdom on
the soil of Europe and was buried at Istanbul. He holds Doctorate in
Philosophy, and is a ×ÉfiÐ of the Qur’Én (i.e., one who remembers the
entire Qur’Én by heart), an Islamic theologian, a scholar of Muslim
and Modern Philosophy, and of Comparative Religion, Psychology
and the Social Sciences.
As a versatile scholar and winner of high academic distinctions,

he was officially hailed at his alma mater, the famous Aligarh Muslim
University of India, as “the best product” and “a new refulgent star on
the firmament of Islamic Learning.”
As an exponent of Islam, he has been the upholder of Dynamic

Orthodoxy, as opposed to Conservatism and Modernism, with the
slogan: “Return to the Qur’Én, and return to Muhammad.”
As a professor, he taught Philosophy of Religion, Moral

Philosophy, Comparative Religion and Islamics to the ‘UlamÉ at the
Academy of Islamic Studies at Quetta, and to post-Graduate students
at the University of Karachi. And at the unique educational institution
that he founded at Karachi, i.e., the Aleemiyah Institute of Islamic
Studies, he guided research in Comparative Religion, Psychology and
THE QUR’ãNIC FOUNDATIONS & STRUCTURE OF MUSLIM SOCIETY
VOLUME ONE
Philosophy. At the same time, he was an honorary Director of

Research at the University of Karachi,
As an author, he had to his credit a large number of publications,

ranging from theology, comparative religion, sociology, education,
biography and socio-economic ideologies, to philosophy.
As a missionary, he travelled round the earth five times—being

the first missionary to have acquired that distinction in Islamic
history,— worked for the spiritual and moral uplift of different
Muslim communities in the Orient and the Occident, and gained a vast
experience of human behaviour and of the merits and deficiencies of
the present-day Muslim society. In the trail of his missionary labours
emerged the World Federation of Islamic Missions, of which he was
the founder.
All in all: he was a multi-dimensional scholar, orator, missionary,

teacher, author, spiritual leader and a very widely-travelled servant of
humanity. As such, his place among the leading Islamic personalities
of the world is unique, and his exposition of the Message of the
Qur’Én in the present book, which may rightfully be claimed to be a
unique attempt of its type in the literary history of Islam, deserves
serious response.
Mohammed Ja’fer Shaikh

IV
BOOKS BY THE SAME AUTHOR
THE BEACON LIGHT

THE CHRISTIAN WORLD IN REVOLUTION
MUHAMMAD: THE GLORY OF THE AGES
ISLAM IN EUROPE AND AMERICA
MUSLIMS AND COMMUNISM
HUMANITY REBORN
ISLAM
TRENDS IN CHRISTIANITY
OUR FUTURE EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMME
ETHICS OF THE QUR’ĂN
MEANING OF PRAYER
COMMUNIST CHALLENGE TO ISLAM
ISLAM VERSUS MARXISM
ISLAM AND CHRISTIANITY IN THE MODERN WORLD
THROUGH SCIENCE AND PHILOSOPHY TO RELIGION
WHICH RELIGION
WHAT IS ISLAM
FOUNDATIONS OF FAITH
BEYOND DEATH
ISLAM AND SLAVERY
WOMAN UNDER ISLAM
PHILOSOPHY OF WORSHIP IN ISLAM
ISLAM AND WESTERN CIVILISATION
ETC: ETC: ETC:
Page vi - Blank
PREFACE TO THE Second IMPRESSION
It is a happy augury that the Publication of the

Second Impression of “The Qur’Énic Foundations and
Structure of Muslim Society” is being undertaken by the
World Federation of Islamic Missions in the month of
Rabi-ul-Awwal so closely and lovingly associated in our
minds and hearts with the Holy Prophet (peace be upon
him).
The book, it appears, is destined to dispel the cloud

of misunderstanding about the true aims and ideals of
Islam prevailing in the West and to illumine the hearts
and souls of the Muslims with wisdom of Truth and
purity of style.
There cannot be a more glowing tribute to its author

than the fact that the first edition of t he book was
exhausted in a very s hort period and the demand for it
continues to grow both from the scholars of repute and
Muslims from many countries.
By the grace of God, and the assistance of friends

and associates it has become possible for the organisation
to reprint the book in a larger number. Their cooperation
is most thankfully acknowledged.
VOLUME ONE
Let us pray to God t hat our humble effort may be

accepted and rewarded by Him here and the Hereafter and
the entire humanity may be blessed with the True
Knowledge and under standing of THE HOLY BOOK and
the ONE to whom it was revealed.
Al-Haj Ikram Siddiqui

President
World Federation of Islamic Missions
Karachi:
12th Rabi-ul-Awwal, 1397-A.H.
(March 3, 1977)

VIII
FOREWORD
“By this book (the Holy Qur’Én) Allah will raise certain people
to (the pinnacle of) glory and cast others down into (the abyss
of) disgrace.”
The above is the translation of a saying of the Holy Prophet

(p.b.u.h.). The truth and wisdom of this saying can be visualized by
casting a cursory glance at the annals of our own history.
In his immortal composition, ‘Rise and Fall of Islam’, Allama

Altaf Husain Hali, describes the Qur’Én as a formula of alchemy. He
says:
“He (the Holy Prophet, p.b.u.h.) descended from Hira and came
to his people, bringing with him a formula of alchemy that
turned the copper-ore into pure gold and separated the noble
from the base. The land of Arabia that was immersed under
ignorance since centuries was suddenly transformed (into a
territory of Knowledge and Light). The fleet had no longer to
fear the destructive waves, for the course of winds was entirely
changed.”
The able author of this book, the renowned expounder and

preacher of Islam, the late Dr. Maulana Muhammad Fazl-ur-Rahman
Al-Ansari Al-Qaderi (R. A.) had devoted many precious years of his
life to the study of the Holy Qur’Én, the only Divine Scripture that has
remained unaltered by man. He made the study not only for the sake
VOLUME ONE
of knowledge but also to find solutions for ever increasing problems

of mankind both in the physical and spiritual realms. Along the course
of his study new vistas were being opened before him ever and anon.
Ultimately, he found in the Holy Qur’Én the panacea for all human
ailments. By this time, he had almost exhausted himself; his health
was at its lowest and he was often heard saying: “How I wish, I was
granted a few more years of life, to be able to produce, the fruit of my
labour in the form of a book.
His prayers were granted and he was able to complete this

memorable book in two volumes. Its first edition was published in
1973 a few months before his demise and the second in 1979. Now the
third edition is under print. It was universally appreciated by scholars
and was warmly greeted. The first two editions were sold out. This
third edition, I am sure, will also be greeted likewise by scholars both
Muslims and non-Muslims throughout the World, as this message is
addressed to all mankind for all times.
May Allah guide us through this book and shower His choicest
blessings on the soul of its noble author. ÓmÊn:
MUHAMMED JA’FER
General Secretary
World Federation of Islamic Missions.

X
Dedicated most respectfully and In the Name of Allah to
g{x [ÉÄç cÜÉÑ{xà `â{tÅÅtw

(ØallAllÉho ‘alaihi wa Sallam),
the Refulgent Sun of Piety, Truth, Justic e, Love,

Sel flessness, Wisdom an d Beauty, who came as the Last
Prophet and Messenger of Allah to entir e Humanity for
teaching the Way whereby to combat all Spiritual,
Moral, Intellec tual, Eco nomic and Politic al Evil s and to
achiev e the Most Glorious and Comprehensiv e Success,
and who accomplished what stands upto this d ay as the
Noblest and the Most Profound Revolution in human
history through the Impact of his Superbly-Dyn amic and
Humanly- Perfect Perso nality and through the Holy
Qur’ân, which was r evealed to him by All ah to function
as the Basic Instrument of his Abiding Mission.
Page xii - BLank

CONTENTS
VOLUME ONE
FOREWORD
PREFACE
INTRODUCTORY OBSERVATIONS
BOOK 1 - FUNDAMENTALS
PART 1
HE TO WHOM THE QUR’ÓN WAS REVEALED
Chapter 1
THE CHRISTIAN-JEWISH CAMPAIGN OF
VILIFICATION
Chapter 2
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH
Chapter 3
MUHAMMAD’S PERSONALITY AND
CHARACTER AND SIDELIGHTS ON SOME
REFORM
PART 2
THE NECESSITY OF DIVINE REVELATION
Chapter 1
PROBLEMS
Chapter 2
SOURCE OF GUIDANCE—WHAT?
PART 3
THE QUR’ÓNIC REVELATION
Chapter 1
VOLUME ONE
THE QUR’ÓN: A REVEALED BOOK
Chapter 2
THE PROCESS OF COMPILATION
Chapter 3
THE PROCESS OF PRESERVATION AND
PROPAGATION
Chapter 4
THE QUR’ÓN AS THE ONLY AUTHENTIC
REVEALED BOOK IN THE WORLD
Chapter 5
THE STYLE AND STRUCTURE OF THE QUR’ÓN
PART 4
ISLAM: THE RELIGION—IN TERMS OF THE
SCOPE AND NATURE OF QUR’ÓNIC GUIDANCE
Chapter 1
ISLAM AMONG RELIGIONS
Chapter 2
STRUCTURAL LOGIC, PRINCIPLE OF
INTEGRATION, SCOPE AND IDEALS OF
GUIDANCE
Chapter 3
VIEW OF RELIGION AND ATTITUDE TOWARDS
EMPIRICAL KNOWLEDGE
Chapter 4
STRUCTURE OF RELIGIOUS CREED AND
CONCEPT OF RELIGIOUS LEADERSHIP
Chapter 5
VIEW OF RELIGIOUS QUEST
Chapter 6
THE PHILOSOPHY OF UNITY
Chapter 7
INTEGRALISTIC MORAL PHILOSOPHY AND
COMPREHENSIVE MORAL CODE
XIV
BOOK 1 - fundamentals
Chapter 8
THE INTEGRATED INDIVIDUAL: BASIC
QUALITIES OF A MUSLIM
Chapter 9
THE INTEGRALISTIC WELFARE SOCIETY
Chapter 10
INTEGRALISTIC CULTURE AND
INTEGRALISTIC CIVILISATION
Chapter 11
GENUINE MORAL IDEALISM: A COMPARATIVE
STUDY IN THE PERSPECTIVE OF CHRISTIAN
ALLEGATIONS AND CHRISTIAN TESTIMONY
PART 5
CONCLUDING OBSERVATIONS
Chapter 1
THE IMMEDIATE ENVIRONMENT FOR THE
QUR’ÓNIC REVOLUTION
Chapter 2
THE HOLY PROPHET’S DIVINE MISSION
BOOK 2 – ETHICO-METAPHYSICAL
FOUNDATIONS
PART 1
THE CRITIQUE AND DYNAMICS OF MORALS
Chapter 1
THEORY OF MORAL JUDGEMENT
Chapter 2
THE MORAL LAW
Chapter 3
ENDS TO WHICH THE MORAL LAW IS
DIRECTED
Chapter 4
PENAL ETHICS
XV
VOLUME ONE
Chapter 5
ETHICO-RELIGIOUS DYNAMICS
PART 2
THE METAPHYSICS OF MORALS
Chapter 1
THE MAN
Chapter 2
THE WORLD
Chapter 3
GOD (ALLAH)
XVI
FOREWORD
Dr. Sir Mohammad Iqbal;

ON THE PREDICAMENT OF MODERN HUMANITY
AND THE WAY OUT
The modern man with his philosophies of criticism and

Scientific specialism finds himself in a strange predicament. His
Naturalism has given him an unprecedented control over the forces of
nature, but has robbed him of faith in his own future. It is strange how
the same idea affects different cultures differently. The formulation of
the theory of evolution in the world of Islam brought into being
Rumi’s tremendous enthusiasm for the biological future of man. No
cultured Muslim can read such passages as the following without a
thrill of joy:
Low in the earth
I lived in realms of or e and stone;
And then I s miled wild and in many-tinted fl owers;
Then roving with the wandering hours,
O’er earth and air and ocean’s zone,
In a new birth,
I dived and flew,
And crept and ran,
And all the secret of my essence drew
Within a form that brought them all to view—
And lo, a Man!
And then my goal,
Beyond the clouds, beyond the sky,
In realms where none may change or die—
VOLUME ONE
In angel form; and then away

Beyond the bounds of night and day,
And Life and Death, unseen or seen,
Where all that is hath ever been,
As One and Whole.
— Rumi: Thadani’s Translation.
On the other hand, the formulation of the same view of evolution

with far greater precision in Europe has led to the belief that ‘there
now appears to be no scientific basis for the idea that the present rich
complexity of human endowment will ever be materially exceeded’.
That is how the modern man’s secret despair hides itself behind the
screen of scientific terminology …
Thus, wholly overshadowed by the results of his intellectual

activity, the modern man has ceased to live soulfully, i.e., from within.
In the domain of thought he is living in open conflict with himself;
and in the domain of economic and political life he is living in open
conflict with others. He finds himself unable to control his ruthless
egoism and his infinite gold-hunger which is gradually killing all
higher striving in him and bringing him nothing but life-weariness.
Absorbed in the ‘fact’, that is to say, the optically present source of
sensation, he is entirely cut off from the unplumbed depths of his own
being. In the wake of his systematic materialism has at last come that
paralysis of energy which Huxley apprehended and deplored. …
Modern atheistic socialism, which possesses all the fervour of a new
religion, has a broader outlook; but having received its philosophical
XVIII
basis from the Hegelians of the left wing, it rises in revolt against the
very source which could have given it strength and purpose. Both
nationalism and atheistic socialism, at least in the of present state of
human adjustments, must draw upon the psychological forces of hate,
suspicion, and resentment which tend to impoverish the soul of man
and close up his hidden sources of spiritual energy. Neither the
technique of medieval mysticism nor nationalism nor atheistic
socialism can cure the ills of a despairing humanity. Surely the present
moment is one of great crisis in the history of modern culture. The
modern world stands in need of biological renewal. And religion,
which in its higher manifestations, is neither dogma, nor priesthood,
nor ritual, can alone ethically prepare the modern man for the burden
of the great responsibility which the advancement of modern science
necessarily involves, and restore to him that attitude of faith which
makes him capable of winning a personality here and retaining it
hereafter. It is only by rising to a fresh vision of his origin and future,
his whence and whither, that man will eventually triumph over a
society motivated by an inhuman competition, and a civilization
which has lost its spiritual unity by its inner conflict of religious and
political values.
— Reconstruction of Religious Thought in Islam
Chapter ‘Is Religion Possible?’, pp. 186-189
Printed by Sh. Muhammad Ashraf, Lahore, 1962

XIX
Page xx - Blank
preface
The basic purpose and function of this book is to state the

Philosophy and the Code of Life as given in the Qur’Én. That Code
has developed, however, with morality as the central theme. And that
should have been so. Because, the value-system which the Holy
Qur’Én has given establishes spirituality as the root, morality as the
trunk, and all other aspects of life: economic, political, etc., as off-
shoots of morality;—whereby it ensures the emergence of the
integrated and progressive individual and the integrated and
progressive social order.
The central importance for morality that has emerged thus should
impress upon the Muslims the central importance of moral struggle.
Viewed in that perspective, the present book forms a basic

contribution in respect of extricating Muslim society from the Crisis
of Character which has overtaken all classes of Muslims, and which is
the deadliest poison that has ever paralysed or killed any human
community.
The method of exposition adopted is simple and direct.

Moreover, personal comments have been kept at the barest minimum,
so that the Qur’Én has stayed in its august position free to explain
itself. In the dynamic orthodoxy that has thus emerged lies, in the
belief of the present writer, the salvation of Muslims and of humanity
at large.

VOLUME ONE
The typescript of the original draft of this book was read on June
30th, 1969, and was even handed over to brother Ghazi Nasir-ud-Din,
Managing Director of Trade and Industry Publications Ltd., who had
come forward with love and devotion to undertake the work of
printing. But subsequently it was considered necessary to expound
certain topics in detail; as a consequence of which very considerable
additions were made, so that the work is being presented finally as a
two-volume publication of more than nine hundred pages.
Certain technical discussions relating to philosophical,

psychological, sociological, economic and political themes had to be
kept out even during the course of the final effort, out of regard for
keeping the book handy, lucid and easy of comprehension by the
average-educated person. Separate volume or volumes are proposed to
be presented on those problems.
The author is conscious of the fact that, although he has availed

the talent of the classical translators of the Holy Qur’Én, there is scope
for improvement in respect of the translation of a number of verses.
That task is intended to be taken up in the second edition.
In his study of the Qur’Én, the author had recourse to the classical
Arabic Qur’Énic commentaries and allied literature. But he has quoted
mainly from the English commentaries by Abdul Majid Daryabadi
and Abdullah Yusuf Ali, because they have projected the best—in
fact, the very essence, of the knowledge enshrined in the Arabic
classics. Moreover, these two orthodox scholars’ commentaries are
accessible to the average English-educated Muslim for further study.
XXII
The author leads a life wherein he has to perform duties of

multifarious types, especially as the President of the World Federation
of Islamic Missions, which has several projects to be looked after.
Besides that, he has touring duties as an international worker for
Islam. It is, therefore, impossible for him to accomplish literary work
leisurely and with the concentration which the research-work of the
type that has been undertaken in the present book demands. As such,
the present task has been accomplished piece-meal by snatching time
forcibly from other duties over a period of time, and in consequence
there is a possibility of the occurrence of oversights and
shortcomings,—even though utmost care has been exercised. The
author, who regards himself only as a humble pursuer of Truth and as
a student of Islam, will, therefore, appreciate all genuine criticism and
advice from the world of scholarship. He requests his readers,
however, not to introduce implications into his statements beyond
what has been categorically and clearly said.

XXIII
VOLUME ONE
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
While presenting this book, I consider it my privilege to express

my deep debt of gratitude to my revered teachers: Prof. Dr. S.Z.
Hasan, M.A., LL.B., D. Phil. (Erl.), D. Phil. (Oxon.), under whose
guidance I learnt to understand the problems of Philosophy; Hadrat
Maulana Saiyid Sulaiman Ashraf, from whom I acquired, at the level
of my higher education, knowledge of the Holy Qur’Én and of the
Islamic theological sciences; and Hadrat Maulana Muhammad Abdul
Aleem al-Siddiqi al-Qaderi, through whom I received the Qaderiyya
Spiritual Discipline and the mission of serving the far-flung Muslim
communities of the globe. The deepest debt of gratitude I owe,
however, to my beloved parents of revered memory: Muhammad
Khalil Ansari and Husn Ara Begum, who, through their noble
character and fruitful teaching and loving concern for my well-being,
built up the foundations of my personality and sponsored and guided
my education at all stages, thereby enabling me to prepare myself for
undertaking this work. I must also acknowledge my debt of gratitude
to my wife, Begum Subhia, who, ever since our marriage, has stood
by me with grace and fortitude in all the ordeals through which I had
to pass in respect of my humble service to the cause of Islam, and
without whose earnest co-operation and sincere encouragement the
present laborious task could not have been accomplished.
I am grateful also to Mr. Muhammad Ja’fer Shaikh and Mr.

Muhammad Ilyas Khan, Joint and Assistant Secretaries respectively of
the World Federation of Islamic Missions, for the invaluable help
rendered especially by the former in the preparation of the typescript;
XXIV
and to my dear pupils: Waffie Muhammad and Imran Nazar Hosein,

both of Trinidad (West Indies), and Siddiq A. Nasir of Guyana (South
America): to Waffie for assistance in reading the proofs, handling the
problem of the Arabic calligraphy, and supervising the printing during
the last stage; to Imran for preparing the list of Contents and checking
the references; to Siddiq for compiling the Indexes. May Allah bless
them all with His choicest Blessings.
Muhammad Fazl-ur-Rahman Ansari

XXV
Page xxvi - Blank

Introductory observations
WHY THE QUR’ÓN ALONE?
The enquiry in the present dissertation has been confined strictly

to the Holy Qur’Én, not because the present writer does not give to the
×adÊth literature its rightful place, but on the following grounds:
Firstly, it alone enjoys the status of being the Scripture of Islam.
Secondly, every word of its text is absolutely authentic as having

been preserved to the very letter in the very words in which it was
delivered by the Holy Prophet Muhammad .
Thirdly, its authority as the basic source-book of Islam has been

universally accepted by all sections of Muslims in all ages.
Fourthly, it is the Book which should form the basis of struggle

for the reform of human society, even as the Holy Prophet has been
commanded therein: “… and strive against them (i.e., the opponents
of the Islamic Way of Life) therewith (i.e., with the Guidance of the
Qur’Én) with utmost strenuousness” (25:52).
Fifthly, it claims about itself that it is: “… an exposition (explicit

and implicit) of everything …” (16:89). Namely: It imparts complete
and eternal guidance concerning all aspects of human life.
Sixthly, it is the only Book of Guidance compiled under the

instruction of the Holy Prophet , authorised by him, and delivered by
him to the Muslims as the abiding, the infallible and the
VOLUME ONE
unchallengeable document of his Teaching for all time,—with no

compeer and no substitute. As such, it is the basic instrument of the
unity of thought and action in respect of the Islamic Way of Life,—
standing in all its uniqueness as totally immune from contradictions
and variations.
This characteristic of the Qur’Én is of tremendous importance in

respect of the Islamic System of Belief, on which rests primarily and
basically the consolidation of Religious Unity and Uniformity among
Muslims,—a fundamental virtue the violation of which has been
equated by the Holy Qur’Én with nothing less than the greatest sin,
i.e., Shirk.
Viewing the ×adÊth literature in the above perspective: All

students of Islam are aware of the sectarian mischief raked up, purely
in the name of Prophetic Traditions (×adÊth), by certain groups in
Muslim history, through the projection of certain allegedly divinely-
inspired and divinely-sanctioned offices like those of an infallible
Imam, a Mujaddid, a Mahdi, a Promised Messiah, or a Mahdi cum-
Messiah, without the slightest regard for the infallible principles:
1. that any doctrine which is included in the Belief System is

ipso facto an inalienable part of the Islamic Creed;
2. that it is not the function of the ×adÊth literature—however

valuable its role otherwise, but only of the Qur’Én, to lay
down the constitutive factors of the Islamic Creed; and
3. that making belief in the claimants to such offices a part of the

Islamic Creed constitutes nothing less than a cruel attack on
XXVIII
the very foundation of ImÉn, being directed to the destruction

of the absoluteness and the indivisibility of a Muslim’s
allegiance and loyalty to the Holy Prophet Muhammad as
Guide, Teacher and Leader.
If the Traditions concerning such a personality as that of the

Mahdi, for instance, are accepted as authentic, that does not make, and
cannot make, the belief in the emergence of a great leader (Mahdi) at
some period of Muslim history a guiding principle of ImÉn. It remains
only a prophecy about a distinguished follower of the Holy Prophet .
Similarly, if the Traditions concerning the Second Advent of

Jesus are accepted as correct, they relate only to a prophecy about
an event of future history, and have nothing to do with the Islamic
Creed,—and, as such, have nothing to do with the ImÉn of a Muslim:
neither in its affirmation nor in its denial. Moreover, to project the
concept of a ‘Promised Messiah’ in the person of some x, y, z and to
substitute it for the person of Jesus —although it is his personality
that has been projected unambiguously in the prophecy—, and to
build a sect on that basis, is to indulge in double violation of the
Divine Guidance given in the Qur’Én.
All in all, accepting the Qur’Én alone as the fundamental basis

for the knowledge of Islamic Guidance is not only the requirement of
reason but also the only road to the salvation of Muslims.
Seventhly, the text of the Qur’Én is grounded in a System of

Meaning, through which it is possible to understand Islam
fundamentally as a system of Philosophy and a Code of Practice,
XXIX
VOLUME ONE
keeping the exercise of understanding confined to the Qur’Én itself;

and the present book is a plain demonstration of this fact. Of course,
there are certain aspects of the Qur’Énic Guidance where the
projection is of an implicit nature. And it is there that recourse to the
×adÊth literature becomes necessary,—but only for further
clarification and not for adding further dimensions to the basic
structure of Islam. Also, it is necessary to know as to how the
Qur’Énic Guidance was put into practice by the Holy Prophet
Muhammad himself . In other words, it is necessary to know not
only the Qur’Én as a Book of Guidance but also the ‘Qur’Én in
Action’, viz., the Holy Prophet’s Sunnah. For that, evidently the
×adÊth literature is the most indispensable instrument.
But here two important facts have to be kept in view:
1. The Qur’Én is the basic instrument for understanding Islam.

Hence, for the value-system of Islam and its entire
fundamental structure, it is necessary to concentrate on the
Qur’Én alone.
2. The knowledge thus obtained forms the fundamental

instrument for obtaining further guidance on Islam from the
×adÊth literature.
It should be so, because:
1. it is the Qur’Én which forms the Criterion of Judgment in

respect of Islam—a status explicitly given to it by itself—and
not the ×adÊth literature; and
XXX
2. the Qur’Én is absolutely authentic, while even the best ×adÊth

literature is only relatively authentic—namely, authentic only
in a qualified manner. And, of course, every student of Islam
knows all the mischief in the field of ×adÊth perpetrated by
the forces of counter-revolution in the very early period of
Muslim history,—a mischief which emerged in the form of
sects and schisms, and which forged the Traditions relating to
certain aspects of Islamic life and history to an extent that the
confusion created thereby has continued to plague the Muslim
society up to the present day.
In fine, it is the function of the Qur’Én to sit in judgment on the

×adÊth, and not vice versa; and, thus, a basic study of Islam in the
perspective of the Qur’Én emerges as the fundamental necessity.

ROLE OF THE QURÓN AS THE BOOK OF GUIDANCE
The QURÓN came:
to obliterate all anthropomorphic notions about God and to

establish perfect Monotheism—not merely as a theological
concept but as a full-fledged philosophy of life;
to inculcate the establishment and maintenance of a living

and dynamic relation with God in order that human beings
may attain the highest spiritual and moral refinement and
greatness;
XXXI
VOLUME ONE
to teach the truth that human beings are basically

theomorphic beings—emphasizing the ‘ascent of Man to
God’ as opposed to the ‘descent of God in Man’,—and that
the goal of every human being is the actualization of his or
her potential vicegerency of God through the imitation of
Divine Attributes;
to give to Woman her rightful place in Society, as basically

the equal of Man;
to resolve the dichotomy;
of Faith and Reason;
of Religion and Science
of Love and Law
of Beauty and Simplicity
of Participation in godliness and Participation in worldly

life;
to establish in the domain of the philosophy of Religion, the

positive concept of Fulfillment in place of the universally-
prevalent negative concept of Salvation;
to extricate Religion from superstitions;
to distinguish Spirituality from Mysticism and Psychicism;
to give a comprehensive Philosophy of Integration, based on

the teaching of Unity-ism, thereby providing sure basis for
the integration of the life of the Individual as well as of
XXXII
Society; and, beyond that, of Humanity at large;
to create an Integralistic Culture and an Integralistic

Civilisation;
to make Morality the basis for Spiritual Development, on the

one hand, and for Social Evolution, on the other;
to inaugurate the era of Scientific Advancement by means of

teaching the requisite fundamental principles;
to highlight the role of Inductive Reasoning as the proper

instrument for the pursuit of Knowledge;
to emphasize the quest for Empirical Knowledge, as well as

the resultant Technological Advancement and Conquest of
Nature, as Exercise in the Worship of God;
to bestow on Religion the role of functioning as Social

Alchemy for the establishment of a Total Welfare Society;
to harmonize Truth and Justice with Love and Mercy;
to make Social Justice the very foundation for healthy

collective life;
to establish the concept of Wealth for Welfare;
to eradicate Poverty, Disease and human Suffering in

general;
to crown Labour with Dignity;
XXXIII
VOLUME ONE
to proclaim the principle that value lies in Labour,

Productivity and Achievement;
to provide the Golden Mean between the extremist

philosophies of Monopoly Capitalism and Communism;
to open the avenues and provide Guidance for human

progress in all healthy directions in general;
to close the doors on all those perversions in religious and

non-religious thought which go to make Religion an opiate
and the Secularistic Philosophies atheistic and immoral;
and
to confer on Humanity many other Blessings, besides.
For that, the Qur’ân gave :
a well-co ordinated System of Belief,
a fully-integrated Philosophy, and
a comprehensive Code of Practice.

THE HOLY PROPHET’S SUNNAH:

Role, Difinition and certain Facets thereof
The Qur’Én has laid fundamental emphasis on the importance
of imitation of the Holy Prophet’s Sunnah as a vital factor in
the practice of Islam, because it begins in accepting him as
the sole human Guide, in the post-Qur’Énic period, in respect
of Divine Guidance, and it develops in imitating him more
XXXIV
and more as the Perfect Practical Model thereof. The

question, therefore, emerges: What does the Sunnah stand
for? We may concisely answer this question by saying that
the Holy Prophet’s Sunnah stands for the dynamic
manifestations of the ethico-religious dimensions of his
personality. Or: Looking at it in the perspective of the
Qur’Én, we may define it by saying that it is the realization
by him of the Qur’Énic value-system in the different
dimensions of his personality;
If the implications of the Sunnah are understood properly by

a Muslim, it saves him from indulgence in bid‘ah, on the one
hand, and inspires him with intense fervour for realizing in
his personality, to his utmost capacity, the ethico-religious
Idealism projected by the Qur’Én.
The present is not the occasion to project the Holy Prophet’s

Sunnah in detail, because it relates to a personality that has
been the richest, the most profound, and the most perfect in
history. We may, however, mention here just a few facets
selected off-hand,—only to provide a basic idea. They are:
1. Utmost devotion to God;
2. Spending every moment of life productively, and with

planning and grace, and not wasting it in frivolities—
and doing all that without the harshness and rigors of
Asceticism, but with positive consciousness of
maintaining life in God-boundness;
XXXV
VOLUME ONE
3. Maintaining highest fortitude, with a cheerful

countenance and a never-failing smile, even in the
most trying and terrifying circumstances;
4. Gentleness and considerateness in dealing with others;
5. Forgiveness—and love—for the worst enemies;
6. Practice of Mercy in all situations,—the conquest of

Makka demonstrating it at its climax;
7. Utmost generosity;
8. Utmost sacrifice for the welfare of others: feeding

others, while himself remaining hungry, clothing
others, while himself wearing coarse garments
patched time and again; not keeping any wealth with
him, in cash or kind, but distributing it to the needy
before sunset every day;
9. Extreme humility together with full dignity;
10. Highest rational tolerance;
11. Good-will for all and ill-will towards none;
12. Eating less; sleeping less; talking less;
13. Total abstinence from quarrelsomeness;
14. Immaculate cleanliness in respect of the body, the

dress and the environment; and
XXXVI
15. Practice of truthfulness, honesty, fidelity and self-

control at their highest.
It is heart-rending to observe that the very notion of the

obligatoriness of imitating the real Sunnah—which has been
fundamentally projected above—has progressively departed
from the Muslims; while love for externalistic formalities in
the name of the Sunnah, and that too with much fuss as to
Juristic hairsplitting, has increasingly taken its place among
the so-called orthodox pursuers of religiosity;—all that
resulting in the creation of large numbers of Islamically-
unbalanced religious personalities.

THE QUR’ÓNIC VIEW OF THE INDIVIDUAL AND THE

SOCIETY
The mission of the Qur’Én in respect of both the Individual
and the Society is vehemently Integralistic—the principle of
Integralism being grounded in the concept of Unity (tawÍÊd),
and expressing itself in the balanced and harmonious
realization of the basic values of Piety, Truth, Justice,
Wisdom, Love, Beauty and Selflessness.
The Ideational religious approach to human life may either

be: (1) ritualistic, or (2) mystical. The ritualistic approach
leads to barren Formalism, or Externalism, which brings into
XXXVII
VOLUME ONE
play juristic hairsplitting and bigotry even in purely

devotional matters. Often falling victim to the cruel disease
of ‘piety-complex’, the adherents of this approach present the
picture of a soldier who has acquired only a uniform but no
soldierly training. The mystical approach leads to inertia, or
to superstitions, or both. As opposed to both of those
approaches, the Qur’Énic approach is Integralistic, i.e.,
directed to the build-up of an integrated life, which is
fundamentally ethico-religious in character. ‘Fundamentally
ethico-religious’ means that the Qur’Én has emphasized the
simultaneous pursuit of both Religion and Morality. Indeed,
religiosity without regard for the moral refinement and
development emerges in the Qur’Énic view as nothing less
than an opiate, because the very concept of ‘godliness’ loses
all meaning without the active pursuit of the highest
Morality.
The mission of a Muslim is: To build up his own personality,

his social environment, and the world in general, as good;
and, for that purpose, to equip himself to possible heights of
perfection in respect of, and to cooperate with others in the
pursuit of, all healthy and constructive human activities.
The external make-up of an Islamic personality is

fundamentally grounded in natural grace, because the Qur’Én
has ordained no sophistications.
XXXVIII
Religious persons of a particular type feel that they should

attach practically all importance to the Law of Grace, and
much less or no importance to the Natural Law. No doubt,
both of those Laws are operative, under the Divine Plan, in
the universe and in the lives of human beings. But, the Holy
Qur’Én demands that a Muslim should function in life with as
much regard for the Natural Law as the wisest Materialist,
because God Himself has made the function of the Natural
Law as fundamental, and that of the Law of Grace as
supererogatory.
The adoption of the atheistic mechanistic view of the

universe and Man is advocated by its adherents as the only
and necessary condition for Scientific progress. That is,
however, fallacious; because the Qur’Énic concept of the
‘Reign of Law’ also ensures it in the same measure, and
without damage to the spiritual and moral values.
The Qur’Én rules out the exploitation of man by man in all

forms, whether in the social sphere in respect of the
economic and the political matters, or in the sphere of
Religion in respect of certain so-called religious practices
whereby superstitions are traded in as a commodity.
Similarly, it is firmly opposed to all forms of tyranny.
Wealthy-ness has been very often wedded to wickedness, and

the Holy Qur’Én has condemned it in that perspective time
and again.
XXXIX
VOLUME ONE
Hence, while Islam permits private enterprise in business and

industry, its permission is not unqualified. Because, it
permits only controlled freedom in respect of both earning
and spending one’s wealth, whereby the emergence of both
Monopoly Capitalism and its child, the luxurious and
aristocratic living, are ruled out, and the possessors of surplus
wealth are stopped from adopting the cult of indulgence in
‘wealth, wine, and woman’, while the Islamic society as a
whole shoulders the responsibility of the provision of basic
needs of life to all with dignity.
We may sum up the Qur’Énic standpoint in respect of

Muslim society by saying in negative terms that, with all the
practice of religious rituals, the Muslim society loses a vital
part of its Islamic character if;
1. any form of exploitation and tyranny is practised, and

economic and political justice is not comprehensively
enforced;
2. the highest moral Idealism is not made the very life-

blood of the social order and the basic pursuit of the
individuals;
3. the mission of the conquest of Nature is forsaken,—a

mission that necessitates the pursuit of Empirical
Knowledge and Technology at the highest level.

XL
PURSUIT AND NON-ASCETIC CHARACTER OF

SPIRITUALITY
The Qur’Énic ethico-religious approach does not lead to

mysticism, but to what might be termed as Dynamic Purism
based on Øidq and ØafÉ. That is the goal and the pride of the
orthodox ØufÊ orders, in history. They pursued the Qur’Énic
ethico-religious quest with grace and sincerity,—a quest that
is the very essence of Islam.
The ultimate goal of the Qur’Énic ethico-religious quest is

God-realization. But, its pursuit is impossible without self-
realization, which, therefore, becomes a Muslim’s primary
obligation.
The struggle for self-realisation emerges in the Qur’Énic

perspective as basically three-dimensional: the religious, the
ethical, and the intellectual.
In spite of the fact, however, that it is to be undertaken

fundamentally as the first step in the exercise of God-
realisation, it leads simultaneously to a knowledge which
might be named as the ‘knowledge of Spiritual Science’.
That knowledge is scientific, because it is based, like
physical science, on observation and verification. The para-
psychologists of today, working at the psychical level alone,
have affirmed the ESP, the astral projection, etc. But,
Spiritual Science, in the hands of genuine ØufÊ teachers, has
XLI
VOLUME ONE
attained immeasurably greater heights. The revelation by

men like Rumi and Ibn al-Arabi of certain higher truths
discovered only recently by physical science, is a case in
point.
Surely, Bid‘ah (i.e., ‘spiritual’ practices that violate Islam)

and superstitions should be condemned by every genuine
Muslim. But, to condemn the Spiritual Science itself is
unwarranted.
Prayer and Fasting play very definite roles in the Qur’Énic

Spiritual Culture.
Prayer is an exercise in respect of the Communion of the

finite with the Infinite. It extricates the finite individual from
servitude to the finite and opens to him the road to infinite
progress. Prayer is thus for progress. Fasting is the exercise
in self-control, which is the key to spiritual progress.
The enemies of Islam have propagated the allegation that,

because of its permission of polygamy, the Qur’Én teaches
sex-indulgence, which does not harmonize with the pursuit
of spiritual refinement and progress. Actually, that allegation
is based on the age-old misconception of Ascetic ethics,
wherein the very fulfillment of the natural biological demand
of sex is considered to be unholy, in contra-distinction to the
Qur’Énic view, which holds it as sacred, because it is in
conformity with the Divine Scheme, and which condemns
only licentiousness as unholy. Thus, the qualified and
XLII
restricted Qur’Énic permission for polygamy has not been

prescribed as a license for sex-indulgence but only as an
alternative to promiscuity and prostitution, which it
eliminates successfully, in sharp contrast with the Ascetic as
well as the Totally-Monogamic social philosophies. As for
the former, one has to read only the history of Christianity in
the Age of Faith to witness the most ugly storm of
licentatiousness that overtook even the pursuers of
saintliness, not to speak of the common folk. (Besides other
literature on the subject, the “History of Sacerdotal
Celibacy in the Christian Church” written by a very
devout Christian scholar named Henry C. Lea, published by
the University Books Inc., U.S.A., 1966, is enough to provide
a correct estimate of the moral disaster perpetrated by that
wrong philosophy). Coming to the latter, the modern Western
civilization has established the most heinous record of
licentiousness,—a record unsurpassed in the history of
human civilizations.
The enemies of Islam extend their allegation to the person of

the Holy Prophet Muhammad also, and that to such an
extent as to deny to him, with all his superbly-great qualities
of character, even basic spiritual goodness and greatness,
simply on the basis of his practice of polygamy. But, what
are the facts? Firstly, his entire personal life was a life of war
against ease, opulence, luxuries, and self-indulgence in
general. Indeed, it was through and through a life of
XLIII
VOLUME ONE
Austerity, wherein, even at the height of his material power,

he lived in a small thatched mud-hut, passed his days in
hunger and toil, and spent his nights for the most part
standing in prayer to God. Secondly, he adopted polygamy
towards the dawn of old age, having led an exemplary
monogamous life from the age of twenty-five to the age of
fifty in the company of a twice-widowed lady who was
fifteen years his senior. Thirdly, during the polygamous
period, while there was a wife like Lady Ayesha, who was a
virgin of seventeen at the time of the consummation of
marriage, there were those who were widows or divorcees,
and there were even those who, at the time of their marriage
with him, were already so old as to have crossed the limit of
fitness for married life. All these facts demolish the very
basis of the aforesaid insinuation completely, and establish,
instead, the truth that the Holy Prophet adopted polygamy
in the Medinite period of his life solely for the sake of his
noble and sacred mission,—and that in the perspective of a
two-fold achievement. Firstly, in the tribal society of Arabia
of those days, wherein one of the fundamental conditions of
the success of his mission lay in the unification of the
mutually-hostile tribes, one of the most potent instrument of
their unification, in accordance with the mentality of the
Arabs of those days, consisted in uniting them through a
kinship centered in his person,—and his marriages did make
a signal contribution in that behalf. Secondly, through those
XLIV
different marriages he was able to build in the persons of his

wives the most accomplished lady-teachers and embodiments
of Islam for the propagation of Islamic knowledge among the
womenfolk.

THE PAST AND THE PRESENT
Muslims rose to greatness through the Qur’Én, which built

them up into a World-Force dedicated to the service of
Humanity, and they led Humanity for a long time in every
phase of human activity; spiritual, moral, intellectual,
aesthetical, economic and political.
But it is a tragedy of human nature that it is easy for human

beings to continue to stick to certain beliefs but difficult to
maintain the tempo of the struggle for executing the Practice.
The same has happened to the Muslims, who have fallen from
their pinnacle of glory because of their progressive digression
from the Qur’Énic Way of Life.
Today;
The old-fashioned as well as the outwardly-westernized

religious-minded Muslims, who form the overwhelming
majority, are demonstrating in their lives a view of Islam
XLV
VOLUME ONE
which confines their obligation to devotional and ceremonial

practices alone—leaving out even morality;—while:
The truly-westernized, secularized, modernized Muslims,

who are emerging as the major controlling force in many
Muslim communities, are groping in the darkness of utter
confusion; and in sheer ignorance they look greedily to
fashionable un-Islamic and anti-Islamic ideologies and
modes of life for imitation and adoption.
Taking Humanity as a whole;
In the ideological war that is raging all over the world

between the Ideational and the Sensate cultural points of
view—between the forces of the other-worldly religions and
this-worldly social philosophies, wherein the Higher Values
of Life are becoming progressively submerged in the
quagmire of Secularism—nay, of rank Materialism, Atheism,
Nihilism and Libertinism, leading to grave imbalance in the
lives of the Individuals and the Communities to the heights of
a Mighty Crisis, a Philosophy and a Code of Life based on
Integralism is needed very urgently—a Philosophy and a
Code that may establish a Culture wherein all human
yearnings, ranging from the Transcendental to the Physical,
may find their fulfillment and whereby Humanity may be
enabled to achieve its true Destiny.
That Philosophy and that Code of Life has been given in the
Holy Qur’Én.
XLVI
And the present work, being a systematic and comprehensive

exposition of the same, forms the need of the hour and
deserves serious study by everyone who possesses a serious
attitude towards the problems of life.

THE FUTURE ROLE OF ISLAM
The general view of mankind concerning Religion is that its

function is confined to the problem of salvation in the next world.
But present-day Humanity has become increasingly interested in

achieving salvation in the present world.
Hence Religion has fallen into disrepute as something incapable

of solving human problems relating to the earthly life;—nay, even as a
definite impediment to human progress.
Here Islam has a unique role to play, because it is definitely,

directly and vehemently committed to the salvation of Humanity in
both the worlds: the present one as well as the next.
Nay, Islam’s role stands at an even higher level, because it

substitutes the positive concept of fulfillment for the negative concept
of salvation. And its concept of fulfillment comprehends the healthy
and harmonious development of the Individual and the Society in all
respects: spiritual, aesthetical, moral, intellectual and physical.
XLVII
VOLUME ONE
All in all, Islam stands in history as Eternal Guidance: the

Guidance for yesterday, today and tomorrow.
The Present may be gloomy because of the wrongs committed by

the Muslims themselves during the different epochs of their history,
including the present. But;
THE FUTURE BELONGS TO ISLAM,

—AND TO ISLAM ALONE! —

XLVIII
BOOK 1 - FUNDAMENTALS
PART 1
HE TO WHOM THE QURÓN WAS REVEALED
PART 2
PART 3
THE QURÓNIC REVELATION
PART 4
ISLAM: THE RELIGION—IN TERMS OF THE SCOPE
AND NATURE OF QURÓNIC GUIDANCE
PART 5
Page 2 - Blank
PART 1
HE TO WHOM THE QURÓN WAS REVEALED
Chapter 1
CHRISTIAN-JEWISH CAMPAIGN OF
VILIFICATION
In projecting the discussion about the Holy Qur’Én it is necessary

to introduce first the personality and the mission of him who was the
recipient of its revelation. To do so with any degree of justice would
require volumes because of the extreme richness of the personality as
well as the mission. The limitations of the present work, however,
permit only the briefest introduction. In that connection, again, it
seems advisable to present only certain facts, and those too in the
words of such Western scholars who, unlike others who were
thoroughly drowned in blinding prejudice, felt hesitant in concealing
or perverting certain very obvious truths, and exerted, with all their
background of inherited prejudice, to adopt fair-mindedness in
whatever degree possible. In their words, because no judgment can be
regarded as more critical than their judgment, and because “the best
testimony is that which comes from the enemy’s camp”, and the
Western scholarship in general,—indeed, Christendom and the
international Jewry, has exhibited, and continues to exhibit, such
limitless cruelty in terms of a planned campaign of misrepresentation
and vilification of Islam and the Holy Prophet that in a very brief
assessment only this course seems to be beneficial for all those who
VOLUME ONE
fall victim to Western propaganda,—such persons existing in large

numbers in all the communities.
The campaign of vilification has, indeed, staggering dimensions.

Because, it is not only the Christian priests of the medieval ages and
the orientalists of the present day,1 but also scholars totally
unconnected with the polemics against Islam, who have continued to
participate in this filthiest and the most degrading job. Just to cite a
few examples selected at random, we may refer to four of them:
1
“During the first few centuries of Mohammadanism,” observes Bosworth
Smith, “Christendom could not afford to criticize or explain, it could only
tremble and obey. But when the Saracens had received their first check in the
heart of France, the nations which had been flying before them faced round
as a herd of cows will sometimes do when the single dog that has put them to
flight is called off; and though they did not yet venture to fight, they could at
least calumniate their retreating foe. Drances-like, they could manufacture
calumnies and victories at pleasure.” (Mohammad and Mohammadanism. p.
63. 3rd ed., London, 1889). After this remark, Bosworth Smith records those
calumnies (pp. 63-72). To say merely that they are vulgar, wild and obscene
would not do justice to their atrocious nature. The Dutch orientalist Snouck
Hurgronje supports Bosworth Smith’s verdict when he says : “The pictures
which our forefathers in the Middle Ages formed of Mohammed’s religion,
appear to be a malignant caricature.” (Mohammedanism, p. 4). But neither
Hurgronje nor the other orientalists could cleanse themselves of the poison
inherited from their medieval forefathers, with the result that the West, even
after the debacle of Christianity, remains on the whole an inveterate enemy of
Islam and Muslims and continues to spread poison against them through all
the available media.
4
1. Dr. J. H. Muirhead of the University of Birmingham has written

a text-book on ethics named “The Elements of Ethics”, where,
just for the sake of insulting Islam, he has irrelevantly inserted
the following false statement: “In the lives of the saints among
the Turks, as Locke reminds us in his celebrated chapter entitled
‘No Innate Practical Principles’, the primary virtue of chastity
seems to have had no place” (p. 231). This allegation applies
actually to Christian monasticism of the Middle Ages. But,
instead of referring to it, both Locke and Muirhead have foisted
a falsehood on Islam!
2. In his book: “The Theory of Good and Evil”, which is

throughout a work of academic interest on ethical philosophy
and which deals only with the western moral theories, Dr.
Hastings Rashdall of New College, Oxford, has, without any
relevance, hurled a slur on Islam with a touch of innocence thus:
“When the Caliph Omar (if the story be not a myth) ordered the
Alexandrian library to be burned,2 it is probable that he knew 3
2
It was Dr. Rashdall’s duty as a scholar, if he was not following Paul’s
principle of “speaking lies for the glory of God”, to be absolutely sure about
the veracity of his statement before falsely insulting a people who brought the
light of learning to Europe. The truth is that the said library was burnt by the
co-religionists of Dr. Rashdall, who did so to promote Christianity. “…
Muslims were friends to learning … It was not Muslims but (Christian)
monks who burnt the Greek library at Alexandria.” (G.D.H. Cole and M.I.
Cole: The Intelligent Man’s Review of Europe Today, London 1933, p. 31).
3
Mark how a second insult has been added to the first!
5
VOLUME ONE
very imperfectly what the Alexandrian library or any other

library really was” (vol. 1, p. 137).
3. Max Weber, who enjoys a very high place among modern

sociologists, has shown a vulgar ignorance of Islam, if not
devilish perversion, in his book: “The Sociology of Religion”
(E. T., Ephraim Fischoff), wherein it was his duty to adopt
scientific objectivity and to acquire a thorough knowledge of
Islam before speaking about it. His entire statement on Islam,
from p. 262 to p. 266, is, to say the least, abusive. Just to quote a
few sentences, picked up off-hand: “… a national Arabic
warrior religion … a religion with very strong class emphasis …
Even the ultimate elements of its economic ethic were purely
feudal … Muhammad’s attitude in opposition to chastity sprang
from personal motivations … the ethical concept of salvation
was actually alien to Islam … An essentially political character
marked all the chief ordinances of Islam … the original Islamic
conception of sin has a similar feudal orientation. The depiction
of the prophet of Islam as devoid of sin is a late theological
construction, scarcely consistent with the actual nature of
Muhammad’s strong sensual passions and his explosion of
wrath over small provocations … he lacked any sort of tragic
sense of sin … unquestioned acceptance of slavery, serfdom,
and polygamy; the disesteem for and subjection of women ….”4
4
A perusal of the present book will reveal even to a casual reader as to how
baseless is Max Weber’s indictment.
6
4. Arnold J. Toynbee, whose academic labours in the field of

history are gigantic, and who was naturally expected to be
objective in his approach to all religions, displays in respect of
Islam the Crusader’s zeal rather than the spirit of intellectual
honesty. Indeed, the distortion of facts in his hands and the
perversion of truth by him is fully reminiscent of the dark minds
of those Christian priests of the Dark Ages for whom the more
flimsy a cock-and-bull story that was invented about Islam the
more spiritually enjoyable it was. Just to quote a few stray
samples of Toynbian rubbish from “A Study of History”, vol.
12: “Hatra had been under the protection of the trinity of
goddesses who, in Muhammad’s day, were the protectresses of
Makka. Their potency was so great that Muhammad almost
succumbed to the temptation to stultify his mission by
proclaiming them to be daughters of the One True God of the
pure religion of Abraham” (p. 466). “In the Arabia of
Muhammad’s day there was a widespread feeling that it was
high time for the Arabs to become ‘People of the Book’,5 such
as the Jews and the Christians were” (p. 467). “Thus. by the
time of Muhammad’s hijrah to Madina, the Arabs already
possessed all the requisites for becoming world-conquerors
except one, and that was political unity” (p. 469). “If the Hijazi
prophet Muhammad had failed, the Najdi prophet Maslamah
might have done the equivalent of Muhammad’s work; and, if
Maslamah, too, had failed, some other prophet would have
5
Mark how a historian of world renown is projecting a myth!
7
VOLUME ONE
arisen, in some other part of Arabia, to step into Maslamah’s

and Muhammad’s shoes” (p. 468).6
However, we may proceed now to the findings and judgments of some

of those Western scholars who could show some fairness in respect of
the different aspects of the Holy Prophet Muhammad’s personality
and mission, to provide a very brief introduction in that behalf.

6
Toynbee’s vituperative concoctions are so baseless as hardly to deserve any
refutation. They are actually based on the old and extremely irrational and
groundless Christian accusation of imposture attributed to the Holy Prophet
. Some of the modern Western scholars have, however, felt ashamed of it
and have controverted and refuted it in strong terms. We will quote later in
that connection Montgomery Watt who, in contrast to Prof. A.J. Toynbee, is
an Arabicist and specialist in Islamic history, though he too is not a friend of
Islam and Muslims.
8
Chapter 2
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH
CONDITION OF THE WORLD AT MUHAMMAD’S ADVENT:
In the fifth and sixth centuries the civilized world stood on the
verge of a chaos. The old emotional cultures that had made
civilization possible, since they had given to men a sense of unity and
of reverence for their rulers, had broken down, and nothing had been
found adequate to take their place …
“It seemed then the great civilization which it had taken four
thousand years to construct was on the verge of disintegration, and
that mankind was likely to return to that condition of barbarism where
every tribe and sect was against the next, and law and order was
unknown … The old tribal sanctions had lost their power … The new
sanctions created by Christianity were working division and
destruction instead of unity and order. It was a time fraught with
tragedy. Civilization, like a gigantic tree whose foliage had
overarched the world and whose branches had borne the golden fruits
of art and science and literature, stood tottering … rotted to the core.
Was there any emotional culture that could be brought in to gather
mankind once more into unity and to save civilization?”7
7
J.H. Denison: Emotion as the Basis of Civilization, London, 1928, pp. 265.
269.
VOLUME ONE
And, then, speaking of the Arabs, Denison says:
“It was among these people that the man (Muhammad) was born
who was to unite the whole known world of the east and south.”8

CONDITION OF ARABIA AND THE STATE OF

CHRISTIANITY (THE PRECURSOR OF ISLAM AMONG
REVEALED RELIGIONS):
“The Arabs believed neither in a future state nor in the creation

of the world, but attributed the formation of the universe to nature, and
its future destruction to time. Debauchery and robbery everywhere
prevailed and since death was regarded as the end, strictly so called, of
existence, so was there neither recompense for virtue nor punishment
for vice. A like moral and religious corruption was to be found among
the Christians and the Jews who, for ages, had established themselves
in the Arabian Peninsula, and had there formed very powerful parties.
The Jews had come to seek in that land of liberty an asylum from the
persecution of the Romans; the Christians had also fled thither in
order to escape the massacres occasioned by the Nestorian
Eutychianism and Arian dissensions. It is not easy to conceive of
anything more deplorable than the condition of Christianity at this
time. The scattered branches of the Christian Church in Asia and
Africa were at variance with each other, and had adopted the wildest
8
Ibid.
10
heresies and superstitions. They were engaged in perpetual

controversies and torn to pieces by the disputes of the Arians,
Sabellians, Nestorians, and Eutychians, whilst the simony, the
incontinence, the general barbarism and ignorance which were to be
found amongst the clergy caused great scandal to the Christian
religion, and introduced universal profligacy of manners among the
people. In Arabia the deserts swarmed with ignorant infatuated
Cenobites, or recluses, wasting their lives in vain but fiery
speculations, and then rushing, often armed, in mobs into the cities,
preaching their fantasies in the churches and enforcing assent to them
by the sword. The grossest idolatry had usurped the place of the
simple worship instituted by Jesus—that of an all-wise, almighty, and
all-beneficent Being, without equal and without similitude: a new
Olympus had been imagined, peopled with a crowd of martyrs, saints,
and angels, in lieu of the ancient gods of paganism. There were found
Christian sects impious enough to invest the wife of Joseph with the
honours and the attributes of a goddess. Relics and carved and painted
images were objects of the most fervid worship on the part of those
whom the word of Christ commanded to address their prayers to the
living God alone. Such were the scenes which the Church of Christ
presented in Alexandria, in Alleppo, and in Damascus. At the time of
Mohammad’s advent all had abandoned the principles of their religion
to indulge in never-ending wrangling upon dogmas of a secondary
importance, and the Arabian people could not but see that they had
lost sight of the most essential point of the religious doctrine—the
pure and true worship of God—and that, as regards the most
11
VOLUME ONE
disgraceful and the grossest superstition, they were upon a par with
their pagan contemporaries.”9
“Their lies, their legends, their saints and their miracles, but
above all, the abandoned behavior of their priesthood, had brought the
churches in Arabia very low.”10
“It has been the fashion”, observes Dr. Emanuel Deutsch, “to
ascribe whatever is good in Mohammedanism to Christianity. We fear
this theory is not compatible with the results of honest investigation.
For, of Arabian Christianity at the time of Muhammad, the less said
perhaps the better … By the side of it … even modern Amharic
Christianity, of which we possess such astounding accounts, appears
pure and exalted.”11

BIRTH OF MUHAMMAD :
“Four years after the death of Justinian, 569 A.D.,12 was born at
Makka, in Arabia, the man who, of all men, has exercised the greatest
influence upon the human race.”13
9
John Davenport: An Apology for Mohammad and the Koran, London 1869.
p. 4
10
Bruce: Travel,. vol. I, p. 501.
11
The Quarterly Review, London. No. 954, p. 315.
12
Rather, 571 A.C.
12

MUHAMMAD’S YOUTH:
“Our authorities”, says Muir, “all agree in ascribing to the youth

of Mohammad a modesty of deportment and purity of manners rare
among the people of Makka … Endowed with a refined mind and
delicate taste, reserved and meditative, he lived much within himself,
and the ponderings of his heart no doubt supplied occupation for
leisure hours spent by others of a lower stamp in rude sports and
profligacy. The fair character and honorable bearing of the
unobtrusive youth won the approbation of his fellow-citizens; and he
received the title, by common consent, of Al-AmÊn, the
14
Trustworthy.”
“… Orphaned at birth, he was always particularly solicitous of

the poor and the needy, the widow and the orphan, the slave and the
downtrodden. At twenty he was already a successful businessman, and
soon became director of camel caravans for a wealthy widow. When
he reached twenty-five, his employer, recognizing his merit, proposed
marriage. Even though she was fifteen years the older, he married her,
and as long as she lived remained a devoted husband.
13
John William Draper: A History of the Intellectual Development of Europe.
London 1875, vol. 1 pp. 329-330.
14
Sir William Muir: Life of Mohammad, London 1903.
13
VOLUME ONE
“By forty this man of the desert had secured for himself a most
satisfying life: a loving wife, fine children and wealth. Then in a series
of dramatic and terrifying events, he began to receive through the
Archangel Gabriel a revelation of God’s word.”15

UNFOLDING OF PROPHETIC CONSCIOUSNESS AND THE

CALL:
“Ah no!” says Carlyle, “this deep-hearted Son of the Wilderness

with his beaming black eyes and open social deep soul, had other
thoughts than ambition. A silent great man; he was one of those who
cannot BUT be in earnest; whom Nature herself has appointed to be
sincere. While others walk in formulas and hearsays, contented
enough to dwell there, this man could not screen himself in formulas:
he was alone with his own soul and the reality of things. The great
mystery of Existence, as I said, glared in upon him, with its terrors,
with its splendors; no hearsays could hide that unspeakable fact. ‘Here
am I’; such SINCERITY as we name it, has in very truth something of
divine. The word of such a man is a Voice direct from Nature’s own
Heart. Men do and must listen to that as to nothing else: all else is
wind in comparison. From of old, a thousand thoughts, in his
pilgrimings and wanderings, had been in this man. What am I? What
15
James A. Michener: Islam: The Misunderstood Religion. Reader’s Digest
(American Edition) May 1955. p. 68.
14
is this unfathomable Thing I live in, which men name Universe? What
is Life; What is Death? What am I to believe? What am I to do? The
grim rocks of Mount Hira, of Mount Sinai, the stern sandy solitudes,
answered not. The great Heaven rolling silent overhead with its blue-
glancing stars, answered not. There was no answer. The man’s own
soul, and what of God’s inspiration dwelt there, had to answer.”16
“Certainly he had two of the most important characteristics of the

prophetic order. He saw truth about God which his fellowmen did not
see, and he had an irresistible inward impulse to publish this truth. In
respect of this latter qualification, Mohammed may stand in
comparison with the most courageous of the heroic prophets of Israel.
For the truth’s sake he risked his life, he suffered daily persecution for
years, and eventually banishment, the loss of property, of the goodwill
of his fellow-citizens, and of the confidence of his friends; he
suffered, in short, as much as any man can suffer short of death, which
he only escaped by flight, and yet he unflinchingly proclaimed his
message. No bribe, threat or inducement, could silence him. ‘Though
they array against me the sun on the right hand and the moon on the
left, I cannot renounce my purpose’. And it was this persistency, this
belief in his call, to proclaim the unity of God, which was the making
of Islam.
“Other men have been monotheists in the midst of idolaters, but

no other man has founded a strong and enduring monotheistic
16
Thomas Carlyle: On Heroes, Hero-Worship and the Heroic in History.
London I888.
15
VOLUME ONE
religion. The distinction in his case was his resolution that other men
should believe. If we ask what it was that made Mohammed
proselytizing where other men had been content to cherish a solitary
faith, we must answer that it was nothing else than the depth and force
of his own conviction of the truth. To himself the difference between
one God and many, between the unseen Creator and those ugly lumps
of stone or wood, was simply infinite. The one creed was death and
darkness to him, the other life and light … Who can doubt the
earnestness of that search after truth and the living God, that drove the
affluent merchant from his comfortable home and his fond wife, to
make his abode for months at a time in the dismal cave of Mount
Hira? If we respect the shrinking of Isaiah or Jeremiah from the heavy
task of proclaiming unwelcome truth, we must also respect the keen
sensitiveness of Mohammed, who was so burdened by this
responsibility…”17
“… we feel that the words which he (Muhammad) speaks are not

the words of an ordinary man. They have their immediate source in
the inner reality of things, since he lives in constant fellowship with
this reality.”18

FIRST CONVERTS :
“It is strongly corroborative of Mohammed’s sincerity that the
17
Dr. Marcus Dods: Mohammed, Buddha and Christ. pp. 17. 18.
18
Tor Andrae: Mohammad, London 1936, p. 247.
16
earliest converts to Islam were his bosom friends and the people of his
household, who, all intimately acquainted with his private life, could
not fail to have detected those discrepancies which more or less
invariably exist between the pretensions of the hypocritical deceiver
and his actions at home.”19

PERSECUTION AND MIGRATION FROM MAKKA:
“Muhammad’s message infuriated those rich Arabs whose faith

required many idols, and he and his new followers were driven from
Makka, his home.”20

AT MADINA:
“In little more than a year he was actually the spiritual, nominal
and temporal ruler of Madina, with his hand on the lever that was to
shake the world.”21
“… he became head of the state and the testimony even of his

enemies is that he administered wisely. The wisdom he displayed in
19
John Davenport: An Apology for Mohammed and the Koran, p. 17.
20
James A. Michener: op. cit.
21
John Austin: Muhammad the Prophet of Allah, in “T. P’s and Cassels’
Weekly” for 24th September, 1927.
17
VOLUME ONE
judging intricate cases became the basis for the religious law that
governs Islam today.”22
“… Forced now to fight in defence of the freedom of conscience

which he preached, he became an accomplished military leader.
Although he repeatedly went into battle outnumbered and outspeared
as much as five to one, he won some spectacular victories.”23

CONQUEST OF MAKKA:
“The day of Mohammad’s greatest triumph over his enemies was

also the day of his grandest victory over himself. He freely forgave the
Koraysh all the years of sorrow and cruel scorn in which they had
afflicted him and gave an amnesty to the whole population of Makka.
Four criminals whom justice condemned made up Mohammad’s
proscription list when he entered as a conqueror to the city of his
bitterest enemies. The army followed his example, and entered quietly
and peacefully; no house was robbed, no women insulted. One thing
alone suffered destruction. Going to the Kaaba, Mohammad stood
before each of the three hundred and sixty idols, and pointed to it with
his staff, saying, ‘Truth is come and falsehood is fled away!’, and at
22
James A. Michener: op. cit.
23
Ibid.
18
these words his attendants hewed them down, and all the idols and
household gods of Mekka and round about were destroyed.”
“It was thus Mohammad entered again his native city. Through
all the annals of conquest there is no triumphant entry
comparable to this one.”24
“… in comparison, for example, with the cruelty of the

Crusaders, who, in 1099, put seventy thousand Muslims, men, women
and helpless children to death when Jerusalem fell into their hands; or
with that of the English army, also fighting under the Cross, which in
the year of grace 1874 burned an African capital, in its war on the
Gold Coast. Muhammad’s victory was in very truth one of religion
and not of politics; he rejected every token of personal homage, and
declined all regal authority; and when the haughty chiefs of the
Koreishites appeared before him he asked:
“What can you expect at my hands?”
“Mercy, O generous brother!”
“Be it so; you are free! he exclaimed.”25

24
Stanley Lane-Poole: The Speeches and Table-Talk of the Prophet
Mohammad, London 1882, Introduction, pp. 46, 47. (Bold lettering are the
present writer’s).
25
Arthur Gilman: The Saracens, London 1887 pp. 184, 185.
19
VOLUME ONE
FAREWELL PILGRIMAGE AND A GREAT SERMON ON

HUMAN RIGHTS:
“A year before his death, at the end of the tenth year of the
Hegira, Muhammad made his last pilgrimage from Madina to Makka.
He made then a great sermon to his people … The reader will note
that the first paragraph sweeps away all plunder and blood feuds
among the followers of Islam. The last makes the believing Negro the
equal of the Caliph … they established in the world a great tradition of
dignified fair dealing, they breathe a spirit of generosity, and they are
human and workable. They created a society more free from
widespread cruelty and social oppression than any society had ever
been in the world before.”26

Return To Companionship on High :
“… this very human prophet of God … had such a remarkable

personal influence over all with whom he was brought into contact
that, neither when a poverty-stricken and hunted fugitive, nor at the
height of his prosperity, did he ever have to complain of treachery
from those who had once embraced his faith. His confidence in
himself, and in his inspiration from on high, was ever greater when he
was suffering under disappointment and defeat than when he was able
26
H.G. Wells: The Outline of History, London 1920, p. 325.
20
to dictate his own terms to his conquered enemies. Muhammad died 27

as he had lived, surrounded by his early followers, friends and
votaries: his death as devoid of mystery as his life of disguise.”28

27
At the age of sixty-three.
28
H. M. Hyndman: The Awakening of Asia, London 1919, p. 9.
21
Page 22 - Blank
Chapter 3
MUHAMMAD’S PERSONALITY AND
CHARACTER AND SIDELIGHTS ON
SOME REFORMS
PERSONALITY AND CHARACTER:
Mohammad was of middle height, rather thin but broad of

shoulder, wide of chest, strong of bone and muscle. His head was
massive, strongly developed. Dark hair, slightly curled, flowed in a
dense mass almost to his shoulders; even in advanced age it was
sprinkled with only about twenty grey hairs, produced by the agonies
of his ‘Revelations’. His face was oval-shaped, slightly tawny of
colour. Fine long arched eye-brows were divided by a vein, which
throbbed visibly in moments of passion. Great black restless eyes
shone out from under long heavy eyelashes. His nose was large,
slightly acquiline. His teeth, upon which he bestowed great care, were
well set, dazzling white. A full beard framed his manly face. His skin
was clear and soft, his complexion ‘red and white’. His hands were as
‘silk and satin’, even as those of a woman. His step was quick and
elastic, yet firm as that of one who steps ‘from a high to a low place’.
In turning his face, he would also turn his whole body. His whole gait
and presence was dignified and imposing. His countenance was mild
and pensive. His laugh was rarely more than a smile.
“In his habits he was extremely simple, although he bestowed

great care on his person. His eating and drinking, his dress and his
VOLUME ONE
furniture retained, even when he had reached the fullness of power,

their almost primitive nature. The only luxuries he indulged in were
arms, which he highly prized, and a pair of yellow boots, a present
from the Negus of Abyssinia. Perfumes, however, he loved
passionately, being most sensitive to smells. Strong drink he abhorred.
“… He was gifted with mighty powers of imagination, elevation

of mind, delicacy and refinement of feeling.” ‘He is more modest than
a virgin behind her curtain’, it was said of him. He was most indulgent
to his inferiors, and would never allow his little page to be scolded
whatever he did. ‘Ten years’, said Anas, his servant, ‘I was about the
Prophet, and he never said as much as ‘uff’ to me’. He was very
affectionate towards his family. One of his boys died on his breast in
the smoky house of the nurse, a blacksmith’s wife. He was very fond
of children; he would stop them in the streets and pat little heads. He
never struck anyone in his life. The worst expression he ever made use
of in conversation was, ‘What has come to him? May his forehead
become darkened with mud!’ When asked to curse someone he
replied, ‘I have not been sent to curse, but to be a mercy to mankind’.
‘He visited the sick, followed any bier he met, accepted the invitation
of a slave to dinner, mended his own clothes, milked the goats, and
waited upon himself,’ relates summarily another tradition. He never
first withdrew his hand thus, out of another man’s palm, and turned
not before the other had turned.
“He was the most faithful protector of those he protected, the

sweetest and most agreeable in conversation. Those who saw him
were suddenly filled with reverence; those who came near him loved
24
him; they who described him would say, ‘I have never seen his like
either before or after’. He was of great taciturnity, but when he spoke
it was with emphasis and deliberation and no one could forget what he
said.
“He lived with his wives in a row of humble cottages separated

from one another by palm-branches, cemented together with mud. He
would kindle the fire, sweep the floor, and milk the goats himself. The
little food he had was always shared with those who dropped in to
partake of it. Indeed outside the Prophet’s house was a bench or a
gallery, on which were always found a number of poor who lived
entirely upon his generosity, and were hence called ‘the people of the
bench’. His ordinary food was dates and water, or barley bread; milk
and honey were luxuries of which he was fond, but which he rarely
allowed himself. The fare of the desert seemed most congenial to him
even when he was sovereign of Arabia.
“There is something so tender and womanly, and withal so

heroic, about the man, that one is in peril of finding the judgment
unconsciously blinded by the feeling of reverence, and well-nigh love,
that such a nature inspires. He who, standing alone, braved for years
the hatred of his people, is the same who was never the first to
withdraw his hand from another’s clasp; the beloved of children, who
never passed a group of little ones without a smile from his wonderful
eyes and kind word for them, sounding all the kinder in that sweet-
toned voice. The frank friendship, the noble generosity, the dauntless
courage and hope of the man, all tend to melt criticism into
admiration.
25
VOLUME ONE
“He was an enthusiast in that noblest sense when enthusiasm

becomes the salt of the earth, the one thing that keep men from rotting
whilst they live. Enthusiasm is often used despitefully, because it is
joined to an unworthy cause, or falls upon barren ground and bears no
fruit. So was it not with Mohammad. He was an enthusiast when
enthusiasm was the one thing needed to set the world aflame, and his
enthusiasm was noble for a noble cause. He was one of those happy
few who have attained the supreme joy of making one great truth their
very life-spring. He was the messenger of the one God, and never to
his life’s end did he forget who he was or the message which was the
marrow of his being. He brought his tidings to his people with a grand
dignity sprung from the consciousness of his high office together with
a most sweet humility …”29
“His (i.e., Muhammad’s) politeness to the great, his affability to

the humble, and his dignified bearing to the presumptuous, procured
him respect, admiration and applause. His talents were equally fitted
for persuasion or command. Deeply read in the volume of nature,
though entirely ignorant of letters, his mind could expand into
controversy with the acutest of his enemies, or contract itself to the
apprehension of the meanest of his disciples. His simple eloquence,
rendered impressive by the expression of a countenance wherein
awfulness of majesty was tempered by an amiable sweetness, excited
emotion of veneration and love; and he was gifted with the
29
Stanley Lane-Poole: The Speeches and Table-Talk of the Prophet
Mohammad, Introduction, pp. 27-30.
26
authoritative air of genius which alike influences the learned and

commands the illiterate. As a friend and a parent, he exhibited the
softest feelings of nature; but, while in possession of the kind and
generous emotions of the heart, and engaged in the discharge of most
of the social and domestic duties, he disgraced not his assumed title of
an apostle of God. With all that simplicity which is so natural to a
great mind, he performed the humblest offices whose homeliness it
would be idle to conceal with pompuous diction, even while Lord of
Arabia, he mended his own shoes and coarse woollen garments,
milked the ewes, swept the hearth, and kindled the fire. Dates and
water were his usual fare and milk and honey his luxuries. When he
travelled he divided his morsel with his servant. The sincerity of his
exhortations to benevolence was justified at his death by the exhausted
state of his coffers.”30
“Mohammed … despised grandeur, and lived on principle an

extremely frugal life, though he was no ascetic… He is reputed to
have behaved very simply, and there is no reason for not supposing
that he did. He performed the most menial tasks with his own hands,
and was essentially puritan, saying the Divine revelation forbade him
to wear either gold or silk .”31
“His deportment, in general, was calm and equable; he … was

grave and dignified, though he is said to have possessed a smile of
30
John Davenport: An Apology for Mohammad and the Koran, pp. 52-53.
31
A. C. Bouquet: Comparative Religion, Penguin Books, Harmondsworth,
Middlesex, 1954, pp. 269-270.
27
VOLUME ONE
captivating sweetness. His complexion was more ruddy than is usual

with Arabs, and in his excited and enthusiastic moments there was a
glow and radiance in his countenance, which his disciples magnified
into the supernatural light of prophecy.
“His intellectual qualities were undoubtedly of an extraordinary

kind. He had a quick apprehension, a retentive memory, a vivid
imagination and an inventive genius.
“He was sober and abstemious in his diet, and a rigorous

observer of fasts. He indulged in no magnificence of apparel, the
ostentation of a petty mind; neither was his simplicity in dress affected
but a result of real disregard for distinction from so trivial a source.
“In his private dealings he was just. He treated friends and

strangers, the rich and the poor, the powerful and the weak, with
equity, and was loved by the common people for the affability with
which he received them, and listened to their complaints.
“His military triumphs awakened no pride nor vain glory, as they

would have done had they been effected for selfish purposes. In the
time of his greatest power he maintained the same simplicity of
manners and appearance as in the days of his adversity. So far from
affecting a regal state, he was displeased if, on entering a room, any
unusual testimonials of respect were shown to him. If he aimed at
universal dominion, it was the dominion of the faith, as to the
28
temporal rule which grew up in his hands, as he used it without

ostentation, so he took no step to perpetuate it in his family.”32
“Mahomet himself, after all that can be said about him, was not a
sensual man … His household was of the frugalest; his common diet
barley-bread and water; sometimes for months there was not a fire
once lighted on his hearth. They record with just pride that he would
mend his own shoes, patch his own cloak … careless of what vulgar
men toil for … something better in him than hunger of any sort, or
these wild Arab men, fighting and jostling three and twenty years at
his hand, in close contact with him always, would not have reverenced
him so! They were wild men, bursting ever and anon with quarrel,
with all kinds of fierce sincerity; without right worth and manhood, no
man could have commanded them … No emperor with his tiaras was
obeyed as this man in a cloak of his own clouting. During three-and-
twenty years of rough actual trial, I find something of a veritable hero
necessary for that myself.”33
“His (i.e., Muhammad’s) memory was capacious and retentive,

his wit easy and social, his imagination sublime, his judgment clear,
rapid and decisive. He possessed the courage of both thought and
32
Washington Irving: Mahomet and his Successors, London 1909; pp. 192-
193, 199.
33
Thomas, Carlyle: On Heroes, Hero-Worship and the Heroic in History, p.
61.
29
VOLUME ONE
action; and … the first idea which he entertained of his divine mission
bears the stamp of an original and superior genius.”34
“Head of the State as well as of the Church”, remarks Bosworth

Smith, “he was Caesar and Pope in one; but he was Pope without
Pope’s pretensions, Caesar without the legions of Caesar. Without a
standing army, without a body-guard, without a palace, without a
fixed revenue, if ever any man had the right to say that he ruled by the
right divine, it was Mohammad, for he had all the power without its
instruments and without its supports. He rose superior to the title and
ceremonies, the solemn trifling, and the proud humility of court
etiquette. To hereditary kings, to princes born in the purple, these
things are naturally enough as the breath of life; but those who ought
to have known better, even self-made rulers, and those the foremost in
the files of time—a Caesar, a Cromwell, a Napolean, have been
unable to resist their tinsel attractions. Mohammad was content with
the reality; he cared not for the dressings of power. The simplicity of
his private life was in keeping with his public life. ‘God’, says Al-
Bokhari, ‘offered him the keys of the treasures of the earth, but he
would not accept them’.”35
“Never has a man set for himself, voluntarily or involuntarily, a

more sublime aim, since this aim was superhuman: to subvert
superstitions which had been interposed between man and his Creator;
34
Edward Gibbon: The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire,
London 1838, vol. V, P. 335.
35
Bosworth Smith: Mohammad and Mohammadanism, p. 92.
30
to render God unto man he and man unto God; to restore the rational
and sacred idea of divinity amidst the chaos of the material and
disfigured gods of idolatry, then existing. Never has a man undertaken
a work so far beyond human power with so feeble means, for he
(Muhammad) had in the conception as well as in the execution of such
a great design no other instrument than himself, and no other aid,
except a handful of men living in a corner of the desert. Finally, never
has a man accomplished such a huge and lasting revolution in the
world, because in less than two centuries after its appearance, Islam in
faith and in arms, reigned over the whole of Arabia, conquered, in
God’s name, Persia, Khorasan, Transoxania, Western India, Syria,
Egypt, Abyssinia, all the known continent of Northern Africa,
numerous islands of the Mediterranean, Spain, and a part of Gaul.
“If greatness of purpose, smallness of means, and astounding

results are the three criteria of human genius, who could dare to
compare any great man in modern history with Muhammad? The most
famous men created arms, laws and empires only. They founded, if
anything at all, no more than material powers which often crumbled
away before their eyes. This man moved not only armies, legislations,
empires, peoples and dynasties, but millions of men in one-third of the
then inhabited world, and more than that, he moved the altars, the
gods, the religions, the ideas, the beliefs and the souls. On the basis of
a Book, every letter of which has become law, he created a spiritual
nationality which blended together peoples of every tongue and of
every race. He has left for us as the indelible characteristic of this
Muslim nationality the hatred of false gods and the passion for the
31
VOLUME ONE
One and Immaterial God. This avenging patriotism against the

profanation of Heaven formed the virtue of the followers of
Muhammad; the conquest of one-third of the earth to his dogma was
his miracle, or rather it was not the miracle of a man but that of
reason. The idea of the Unity of God, proclaimed amidst the
exhaustion of fabulous theogonies, was in itself such a miracle that
upon its utterance from his lips it destroyed all the ancient temples of
idols and set on fire one-third of the world. His life, his meditations,
his heroic revilings against the superstitions of his country, and his
boldness in defying the furies of idolatry, his firmness in enduring
them for fifteen years at Makka, his acceptance of the role of public
scorn and almost of being a victim of his fellow countrymen; all these
and, finally, his flight, his incessant preaching, his wars against odds,
his faith in his success and his superhuman security in fortune, his
forbearance in victory, his ambition, which was entirely devoted to
one idea and in no manner striving for an empire; his endless prayers,
his mystic conversations with God, his death and his triumph after
death: all these attest not to an imposture but to a firm conviction
which gave him the power to restore a dogma. This dogma was two-
fold, the unity of God and the immateriality of God; the former telling
what God is, the latter telling what God is not; the one overthrowing
false gods with the sword, the other starting an idea with the words.
“Philosopher, orator, apostle, legislator, warrior, conqueror of

ideas, restorer of rational dogmas, of a cult without images, the
founder of twenty terrestrial empires and of one spiritual empire, that
is Muhammad. As regards all standards by which human greatness
32
may be measured, we may well ask, is there any man greater than
he?”36
“… These Arabs, the man Mahomet and that one century,—is it

not as if a spark had fallen, one spark, on a world of what seemed
black unnoticeable sand; but lo! the sand proves explosive powder,
blazes heaven-high from Delhi to Grenada; I said the Great Man was
always as lightning out of heaven, the rest of the men waited for him
like fuel, and then they too would aflame.”37
“It is impossible for anyone who studies the life and character of
the great Prophet of Arabia, who knows how he taught and how he
lived, to feel anything but reverence for that mighty Prophet, one of
the great messengers of Supreme.”38

GENUINENESS OF FAITH IN HIS DIVINE MISSION:
“The essential sincerity of Muhammad’s nature cannot be

questioned: and an historical criticism that blinks no fact, yields
nothing to credulity, weighs every testimony, has no partisan interest,
and seeks only the truth, must acknowledge his claim to belong to that
36
Lamartine: Histoire de la Turquie, Paris 1854, Vol. 2, pp. 276-277. (Italics
are the present writer’s).
37
Thomas Carlyle: op. cit., p. 311.
38
Annie Besant: The Life and Teachings of Muhammad, Madras 1932, p. 4.
33
VOLUME ONE
order of prophets who, whatever the nature of their physical

experience may have been, in diverse times, in diverse manners, have
admonished, taught and uttered austere and sublime thoughts, laid
down principles of conduct nobler than those they found, and devoted
themselves fearlessly to their high calling, being irresistibly impelled
to their ministry by a power within.”39
“His readiness to undergo persecutions for his beliefs, the high

moral character of the men who believed in him and looked up to him
as leader, and the greatness of his ultimate achievement—all argue his
fundamental integrity. To suppose Muhammad as impostor raises
more problems than it solves. Moreover, none of the great figures of
history is so poorly appreciated in the West as Muhammad … Thus,
not merely must we credit Muhammad with essential honesty and
integrity of purpose, if we are to understand him at all; if we are to
correct the errors we have inherited from the past, we must in every
particular case hold firmly to the belief in his sincerity until the
opposite is conclusively proved; and we must not forget that
conclusive proof is a much stricter requirement than a show of
plausibility, and in a matter such as this only to be attained with
difficulty.”40

39
Prof. Nathaniel Schmidt: The New International Encyclopaedia, 1916, Vol.
16, p. 72.
40
W. Montgomery Watt: Muhammad at Makka, Oxford 1953, p. 52.
34
A GREAT EXEMPLAR:
“Serious or trivial, his daily behaviour has instituted a canon

which millions observe at this day with conscious memory. No one
regarded by any section of the human race as Perfect Man has been
imitated so minutely. The conduct of the Founder of Christianity has
not so governed the ordinary life of his followers. Moreover, no
founder of a religion has been left on so solitary an eminence as the
Muslim Apostle.”41

PERMANENT IMPACT OF REVOLUTION:
“It is not the propagation but the permanency of his religion that
deserves our wonder; the same pure and perfect impression which he
engraved at Makka and Madina is preserved, after the revolutions of
twelve centuries … The intellectual image of the Deity has never been
degraded by any visible idol; the honours of the prophet have never
transgressed the measure of human virtue; and his living precepts have
restrained the gratitude of his disciples within the bounds of reason
and religion.”42
41
D. G. Hogarth: A History of Arabia, Oxford 1922, p. 52.
42
Edward Gibbon and Simon Ockley: History of the Saracen Empire,
London 1870, p. 54.
35
VOLUME ONE

DEVOTION TO GOD AND TO RIGHTEOUSNESS IN

CONDUCT:
“The ignorance displayed by most Christians regarding the

Muslim religion is appalling … Mohammad alone, among the nations
at that time, believed in one God to the exclusion of all others. He
insisted on righteousness as the source of conduct, of filial duty, and
on frequent prayers to the Everliving God, and of respect to all other
peoples, and of justice and mercy to and moderation in all things, and
to hold in great respect learning of every kind … Most of the
absurdities which Christians would have us believe to exist in the
Qur’Én were never uttered by Mohammad himself, nor are they to be
found in a correct translation of the work.”43

CHARGE OF VOLUPTUOUSNESS REFUTED:
“By the force of his extraordinary personality, Muhammad

revolutionized life in Arabia and throughout the East. With his own
hands he smashed ancient idols and established a religion dedicated to
43
G. Lindsay Johnson, F.R.C.S.: The Two Worlds, Manchester, 9th August,
1940.
36
one God. He lifted women from the bondage in which desert custom
held them and preached general social justice.
“Muslims think it particularly ironic when Muhammad is charged

by Western writers with having established a voluptuous religion.
Among drunkards he abolished alcohol, so that even today all good
Muslims are prohibitionists. Among the lazy he ordained individual
ritual prayers five times each day. In a nation that revelled in feasting
he instituted a most rigorous day-time fast lasting as full month each
year.
“Western writers have based their charges of voluptuousness

mainly on the question of women. Before Muhammad, however, men
were encouraged to take innumerable wives; he limited them to four
only, and the Koran is explicit that husbands who are unable to
maintain strict equality between two or more wives must confine
themselves to one …”44

PROFOUNDLY PRACTICAL AND RATIONAL:
“In all things Muhammad was profoundly practical, When his

beloved son Ibrahim died, an eclipse occurred, and rumours of God’s
personal condolence quickly arose. Whereupon Muhammad is said to
44
James A. Michener, op. cit.
37
VOLUME ONE
have announced, ‘An eclipse is a phenomenon of nature. It is foolish

to attribute such things to the death or birth of a human being’.”45

BROAD, LIBERAL AND UNIVERSALISTIC CREED FOR

THE WHOLE WORLD:
“His creed … necessarily connotes the existence of a universal

empire.”46
“The nobility and broad tolerance of this creed, which accepts as

God-inspired all the real religions of the world, will always be a
glorious heritage for mankind. On it could indeed be built a perfect
world religion.”47
“More pure than the system of Zoroaster, more liberal than the
law of Moses, the religion of Mahomet: might seem less inconsistent
with reason than the creed of mystery and superstition which, in the
seventh century, disgraced the simplicity of the gospels.”48
45
Ibid.
46
Joseph J. Nunan: Islam and European Chivilizaion, Demerara 1912, p. 37.
47
Duncan Greenless: The Gospel of Islam, Adyar 1948, p. 27.
48
Edward Gibbon: The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire,
Vol. 5, p. 487.
38
“Islam had the power of peacefully conquering souls by the

simplicity of its theology, the clearness of its dogma and principles,
and the definite number of the practices which it demands. In contrast
to Christianity which has been undergoing continual transformation
since its origin, Islam has remained identical with itself.”49
“As a religion the Mahomedan religion, it must be confessed, is

more suited to Africa than is the Christian religion: indeed, I would
50
even say that it is more suited to the world as a whole … the
achievement of the Moslem faith enjoys, I maintain, a definite
superiority, in proof of which may be cited Moslem abstinence, sense
of fraternity, take condemnation of usury, and recognition of prophets
other than its own. Its quality may be summed up by saying that it
takes a man as he is, and while it does not pretend to make a god out
of him, seeks to regulate his conduct so that at least he shall become a
good neighbour.”51

WISEST, MOST LEARNED AND MOST ENLIGHTENED

JURISPRUDENCE:
49
Jean L’heureux, Etude sur L’Islamisme. p. 35.
50
Italics are the present writer’s
51
Lancelot Lawton: The Sphere, London, 12th May, 1928.
39
VOLUME ONE
“The Muhammadan law which is binding on all from the

crowned head to the meanest subject is a law interwoven, with a
system of the wisest, the most learned and the most enlightened
jurisprudence that ever existed in the world.”52

NO COLOUR BAR:
“ ‘Take away that black man! I can have no discussion with him’,
exclaimed the Christian Archbishop Cyrus when the Arab conquerors
had sent a deputation of their ablest men to discuss terms of surrender
of the capital of Egypt, headed by Negro Ubadah as the ablest of them
all.
“To the sacred archbishop’s astonishment, he was told that this

man was commissioned by General Amr; that the Moslems held
Negroes and white men in equal respect—judging a man by his
character and not by his colour.
“ ‘Well, if the Negro must lead, he must speak gently’, ordered

the prelate, so as not to frighten his white auditors.
“(Replied Ubadah:) ‘There are a thousand blacks, as black as

myself, amongst our companions. I and they would be ready to meet
and fight a hundred enemies together. We live only to fight for God,
and to follow His will. We care naught for wealth, so long as we have
52
Edmund Burke: in his “Impeachment of Warren Hastings”.
40
the wherewithal to stay our hunger and to clothe our bodies. This
world is naught for us, the next world is all’.
“Such a spirit … can any other appeal stand against that of the
Moslem who, in approaching the pagan, says to him, however obscure
or degraded he may be, ‘Embrace the faith, and you are at once an
equal and a brother’. Islam knows no ‘colour line’.”53

RESTORATION OF DIGNITY OF WOMANHOOD:
“That his (Muhammad’s) reforms enhanced the status of women

in general is universally admitted.”54
“You can find others stating that the religion (Islam) is evil,
because it sanctions a limited polygamy. But you do not hear as a rule
the criticism which I spoke out one day in a London hall where I knew
that the audience was entirely uninstructed. I pointed out to them that
monogamy with blended mass of prostitution was a hypocrisy and
more degrading than a limited polygamy. Naturally a statement like
that gives offence, but it has to be made, because it must be
remembered that the law of Islam in relation to women was until
lately, when parts of it have been imitated in England, the most just
law, as far as women are concerned to be found in the world. Dealing
53
S. S. Leeder: Veiled Mysteries of Egypt, London 1912, pp 332-335.
54
H.A.R. Gibb: Mohammedanism, London 1953. p. 33.
41
VOLUME ONE
with property, dealing with rights of succession and so on, dealing

with cases of divorce, it was far beyond the law of the West, in the
respect that was paid to the rights of women. Those things are
forgotten while people are hypnotised by the words monogamy and
polygamy and do not look at what lies behind it in the West—the
frightful degradation of women who are thrown into the streets when
their first protectors, weary of them, no longer give them any
assistance …
“I often think that woman is more free in Islam than in

Christianity. Woman is more protected by Islam than by the faith
which preaches Monogamy. In Al-Quran the law about woman is
more just and liberal. It is only in the last twenty years that Christian
England has recognized the right of woman to property, while Islam
has, allowed this right from all times … It is a slander to say that
Islam preaches that women have no souls.”55

WAR AGAINST THE INSTITUTION OF SLAVERY:
“According to the Koran, no person can be made a slave except

after the conclusion of a sanguinary battle fought in the conduct of a
religious war (JihÉd) in the country of infidels who try to suppress the
true religion. Indeed, wherever the word slave occurs in Koran it is ‘he
55
Annie Besant: The Life and Teaching of Muhammad, Madras 1932, pp, 25-
26.
42
whom your right hand possesses’, or a special equivalent for neck—

‘he whose neck has been spared’, thus clearly indicating ‘a prisoner of
war’ made by the action of not one man only, but of many … the
Arabian prophet recommended: ‘When the war has ended, restore
them (the slaves or prisoners) to liberty or give them up for ransom’
(Sura 47:57) …
“And elsewhere: ‘Alms (which procure righteousness) are

distined … to the redemption of slaves’ (Sura 9:60). Further (Sura
24:33): ‘If any of your slaves asks for his manumission in writing give
it to him, if you think him worthy of it, and give him also some of the
wealth which God has given you’ … The reconciliation of a separated
married couple should be preceded by the ransom of a slave, and, if
none can be found, the husband should feed sixty poor, or else fast for
two months (Sura 58:4-5). Whenever the sense of happiness,
including that of conjugal felicity, predisposes the heart to gratitude
towards the Creator, or whenever fear of God or a punishment, or the
desire of a blessing, affect, as such motives can and do affect the daily
life of a Mohammadan, the emancipation of a slave, as a most proper
act of charity is recommended. In short, the ‘Cliff’, or narrow path to
salvation, is charity: ‘What is the cliff ? It is to free the captive (or
slave)’ Sura 90:12-13).
“Descending to the second source of the Mohammadan Law, the

authenticated traditions of Hadis, we find Mohammad stating that ‘the
worst of men is he who sells men’: slaves who displeased their
masters were to be forgiven ‘seventy times a day’: no believer can be
made a slave; and ‘in proportion to the number of redeemed slaves
43
VOLUME ONE
will members of the body of the releasing person be rescued from the
(eternal) fire’.”56

CONTRIBUTION TO SCIENCE AND CIVILISATION:
“It is to Mussulman science, to Mussulman art, and to

Mussulman literature that Europe has been in a great measure
indebted for its extrication from the darkness of the Middle Ages.”57
“Europe was darkened at sunset, Cordova shone with public

lamps: Europe was dirty, Cordova built a thousand baths: Europe was
covered with vermin, Cordova changed its undergarments daily:
Europe lay in mud, Cordova’s streets were paved; Europe’s palaces
had smoke-holes in the ceiling, Cordova’s arabesques were exquisite;
Europe’s nobility could not sign its name, Cordova’s children went to
school; Europe’s monks could not read the baptismal service,
Cordova’s teachers created a library of Alexandrian dimensions.”58
56
Dr. G. W. Leitner; Mohammadanism, pp. 17-18. Cf. the observation: “It is
indeed an ‘abuse of words’ to apply the word slavery in the English sense to
any status known to the legislation of Islam.” (Syed Amir Ali : The Spirit of
Islam; p. 262).
57
Marquis of Dufferin and Ava: Speeches Delivered in India. London 1890.
p. 24.
58
Victor Robinson: The Story of Medicine, p. 164.
44
“Our use of the phrase ‘the Dark Ages’ to cover the period from
699 to 1,000 marks our undue concentration on Western Europe …
From India to Spain, the brilliant civilization of Islam flourised. What
was lost to Christendom at this time was not lost to civilization, but
quite the contrary … To us it seems that West-European civilization is
civilization; but this is a narrow view.”59
“… From a new angle and with a fresh vigour it (the Arab mind)
took up that systematic development of positive knowledge which the
Greeks had begun and relinquished … Through the Arabs it was and
not by the Latin route that the modern world received that gift of light
and power.”60

PEACEFUL PROSELYTISATION:
“History makes it clear, however, that the legend of fanatical

Muslims sweeping through the world and forcing Islam at the point of
the sword upon conquered races is one of the most fantastically absurd
myths that historians have ever repeated.”61
“In their wars of conquest, however, the Muslims exhibited a
59
Bertrand Russell: History of Western Philosophy, London 1948, p. 419.
60
H.G. Wells: The Outline of History. p. 327.
61
De Lacy O’Leary: Islam at the Crossroads, London 1923, P. 8.
45
VOLUME ONE
degree of toleration which puts many Christian nations to shame.”62

THE RISE OF ISLAM:
“The rise of Islam is perhaps the most amazing event in human

history. Springing from a land and a people alike previously
negligible, Islam spread within a century over half the earth, shattering
great empires, overthrowing long-established religions, remoulding
the souls of races, and building up a whole new world—the world of
Islam.
“The closer we examine this development the more extraordinary

does it appear. The other great religions won their way slowly, by
painful struggle, and finally triumphed with the aid of powerful
monarchs converted to the new faith. Christianity had its Constantine,
Buddhism its Asoka, and Zoroastrianism its Cyrus, each lending to his
chosen cult the mighty force of secular authority. Not so Islam.
Arising in a desert land sparsely inhabited by a nomad race previously
undistinguished in human annals, Islam sallied forth on its great
adventure with the slenderest human backing and against the heaviest
material odds. Yet Islam triumphed with seemingly miraculous ease,
and a couple of generations saw the Fiery Crescent borne victorious
from the Pyrenees to the Himalayas and from the deserts of Central
62
E. Alexander Powell: The Struggle for Power in Moslem Asia, New York
1923, P. 48.
46
Asia to the deserts of Central Africa … Preaching a simple, austere

monotheism, free from priestcraft or elaborate doctrinal trappings, he
tapped the well-springs of religious zeal always present in the Semitic
heart. Forgetting the chronic rivalries and blood feuds which had
consumed their energies in internecine strife, and welded into a
glowing unity by the fire of their new-found faith, the Arabs poured
forth from their deserts to conquer the earth for Allah, the one true
God …
“They (Arabs) were no blood thirsty savages, bent solely on loot

and destruction. On the contrary, they were an innately gifted race,
eager to learn and appreciative of the cultural gifts which older
civilizations had to bestow. Intermarrying freely and professing a
common belief, conquerors and conquered rapidly fused, and from
this fusion arose a new civilization—the Saracenic civilization, in
which the ancient cultures of Greece, Rome and Persia were
revitalized by the Arab genius and the Islamic spirit. For the first three
centuries of its existence (circ. A.D. 650-1000) the realm of Islam was
the most civilized and progressive portion of the world. Studded with
splendid cities, gracious masjids, and quiet universities where the
wisdom of the ancient world was preserved and appreciated, the
Moslem world offered a striking contrast to the Christian West, then
sunk in the night of the Dark Ages.”63

63
A M. Lothrop Stoddard: The New World of Islam, London 1932, pp. 1-3
47
PART 2
Chapter 1
PROBLEMS
1. PROBLEMS OF HUMAN LIFE
Life means activity and all activity brings with it certain

problems. Those problems have to be solved successfully in order to
make the human life a success.
If we analyse the human problems, we find that they fall under

two categories, viz: (1) Immediate Problems; and (2) Ultimate
Problems.
The immediate problems are the practical day-to-day problems,

such as those which refer to the immediate personal needs of the
individuals and such problems as the administration of the state, the
production, consumption and distribution of wealth, and the relations
between the different nations of the world. There is no human being
living on earth who has not to face these problems one way or the
other during his life. The manner in which they are faced and the
efficiency and practical common sense which is shown in connection
with their solutions forms the measure of human success.
As regards the ultimate problems, every human being who takes

life seriously finds himself face to face with them as soon as he attains
the age of maturity and feels the strains, the burdens and the
intricacies of life. The first question which arises in this connection is:
“What am I?” Every human being is closer to himself than to anyone
else. Hence the first problem which should arise in his mind in
connection with the ultimate problems should naturally be about his
own self.
The question: “What am I?” is a question about the nature of

human beings. But this simple question opens a whole field of
questions which shoot off in a continuous chain and whose links are
forged with the unbreakable bond of necessity. Consideration of this
first question, therefore, leads to the next one, namely: “From where
have the human beings come?” Then a third question arises: “What is
the nature of human life?” And then a fourth question: “What is the
purpose and end of human life?”
All the above-mentioned questions are, so to say, personal. But,

then, no human being lives in a vacuum. He lives in a world which is
infinitely and immeasurably vaster than his physically-infinitesimal
personality, and this world influences his life and his actions at every
step. His fortunes, nay, his very life, is interlinked with and dependent
upon the world around him. For instance, if the sun were to stop its
function, the entire related physical environment would be shattered to
pieces. Or, if the heat of the sun rises above or falls below the average
to certain levels, the very existence of the human beings on the earth
would become impossible.
49
VOLUME ONE
This being the case, the questions about one’s own self lead to
questions about the world. The first question in that connection is:
“What is this world?”, which in other words means: “What is the
nature of this world?” But the nature of a thing cannot be properly
understood unless we have a clear idea about the origin of that thing
and the purpose for which it functions. Therefore, the question about
“what” leads to questions about “when”, “how”, “wherefrom” and
“whereto”. In other words, the enquiry arises: “When did the world
come into being?”; “From what source did the world acquire its life?”;
“What is the end towards which it is moving?”; and “What is its final
goal (destiny)”?
Among the questions about the world, the question: “How did the
world come into being?” brings forth a number of further questions,
namely:—“If this world came into being by itself, how is that
conceivable, i.e., on what ground?” “If this world was brought into
being by some other force, what is that force?” “Is it an impersonal
force like electricity, or is it a person?” “If it is believed to be an
impersonal force, that would mean that it is a blind force like all
impersonal forces; and if it is a blind force, how could intelligence,
foresight, plan, purpose and law come out of it?” “If it is a person,
what is the nature and constitution of that person?” “Is He a person
like us—physical, faltering and subject to the processes of decay and
death, or is He eternal?” “If not physical, what else is He?” “Is He
finite or infinite?” “Is He one in number or two or three or more?”
The above-mentioned questions concerning man, the world and

God, are ultimate questions (or fundamental problems). The questions
50
are so vital that every thinking human being is bound to face them at
one time or the other during his life and they have such a close bearing
on the immediate questions of life that anyone who has any
knowledge of human problems will admit that they cannot be shirked.

2. IMPORTANCE OF ULTIMATE QUESTIONS IN

PRACTICAL LIFE
Some might doubt that these ultimate questions may not after all
be as important as they are said to be. Indeed, the modern secular
civilisation is, for all practical purposes, based on the notion that these
ultimate questions have nothing to do with the immediate practical
problems of mankind and that the interest that can at all be reasonably
taken in them cannot be anything else than academic. In other words,
these questions are meant only for philosophers and no practical
person should waste his time and energy on them. But if we go deep
into the matter, we are bound to come to the conclusion on the basis of
our common sense itself that the ultimate questions are infinitely more
important than the immediate questions.
The problem can be attacked from different angles. But here it

will suffice to quote just one instance of the importance of ultimate
questions in the field of the immediate problems of life. Namely, we
shall discuss the practical consequences of belief and disbelief in the
existence of God.
51
VOLUME ONE
Taking up disbelief in the existence of God first: If there is no

God and the world came into being by itself, it means that it came into
being by chance. In other words, it is a world of chance in which
everything and every event emerges and dies out by chance.
If we consider the nature of “chance” itself, we find that it always

indicates an event which has no pre-conceived cause. In any case, it
cannot be said to be a planned event. Again, if there is no plan in an
event, there can be no purpose, because all purposive activity is
planned, whether the planning is conscious (namely, based on
intellectual appreciation) or merely instinctive. Resuming the
argument, if the world came into being by chance, it is a blind and
lawless world. Indeed, the very word “chance” means the absence of
law.
Now, if the world is lawless in its inherent constitution and if

everything which is born out of it is also in its nature without law, it
means that the formulation of any laws by human beings, whether
those laws are scientific or ethical or political or economic, would be a
violation of human nature and the nature of the world itself. But
human beings cannot exist without law. Therefore, they are bound to
give up the atheistic hypothesis of the existence of the world in order
to live. If they don’t and if they carry the atheistic hypothesis to its
logical consequences, the only law which they can establish for
themselves would be the law of the jungle in political administration
and the rule of expediency in moral life.
52
Speaking from the other side, namely, affirmation of faith in

God’s existence, if we believe that God exists and that He has created
the world, it means that the world came into being through planned
creation, is functioning under a system of law and is moving towards a
purpose. In other words, plan, purpose and law are inherent in the very
constitution of the world. This, in turn, provides the ground for every
branch of human law—ethical, political, economic, and so on.

53
Chapter 2
SOURCE OF GUIDANCE—WHAT?
There are three claimants in the field of guidance and everyone of

them claims that it can guide humanity in the ultimate problems of
life. These claimants are:— (1) Science; (2) Philosophy; (3) Religion.
We might take them up one by one and examine the validity of the
claim of each.

1. SCIENCE
Modern Science entered the field of human thought as the

all-solving branch of knowledge and the rival of religion towards the
middle of the 18th century. The reason of this new attitude of Science
was not that Science had found out some such unerring methods or
instruments of knowledge that could authorise it to make the claim.
Rather, it was purely a sentimental affair.
Science came to the modern West from the world of Islam. It was
the Muslims who, after the conquest of certain parts of Europe,
specially Spain, established the first universities, scientific
observatories, laboratories and libraries on the soil of Europe, and the
first Christian scientists who, after centuries of darkness and
ignorance, lit the torch of scientific knowledge in England, France,
Germany and so on, were pupils of Muslim masters.64 Christianity, as

distinct from the original Message of the Holy Prophet Jesus (Peace
64
The facts referred to are known to all the scholars of history and have been
stated by the most eminent authorities of the West and the East. For instance,
the renowned British Orientalist, Marmaduke Pickthall, says:
“The Qur’ān undoutedly gave a great impetus to learning, especially

in the field of natural science: and, if, as some modern writers have
declared, the inductive method, to which all the practical modern
discoveries are chiefly owing, can be traced to it, then it may be called
the cause of modern scientific and material progress.
“The Muslims set out on their search for learning in the name of God
at a time when Christians were destroying all the learning of the
ancients in the name of Christ. They had destroyed the Library at
Alexandria, they had murdered many philosophers, including the
beautiful Hypatia. Learning was for them a devil’s snare beloved of
the pagans. They had no injunction to ‘seek knowledge even though it
were in China’. The manuscripts of Greek and Roman learning were
publicly burnt by the priests.
“……..the revolving terrestrial globe happened to be part of the

educational equipment of the Spanish Muslim universities at the time
when the learned Bruno was burnt at a slow fire by the Inquisition for
upholding the Corpernican theory of the Earth, and before the even
greater Galileo was forced by persecution to recant and sign a solemn
declaration that the Earth was fixed immovably as the Bible said it
was. He is said to have murmured under his breath, as he put his name
to the lie: E pur se Muov (“And yet it moves”). It was from the
teaching of the Spanish Muslim universities that Columbus got his
notion that the world was round, though he too was forced by
55
VOLUME ONE
persecution to recant it afterwards. When we remember that the

Spanish Muslim universities in the time of the Khalifa Abdur Rahman
III and the Eastern Muslim universities in the time of Al Ma’mun—I
mention these two monarchs because it is specially recorded of their
times—welcomed Christian and Jewish students on equality with
Muslims; not only that, but entertained them at the Government
expense: and that hundreds of Chiristian students from the South of
Europe and the countries of the East took advantage of the chance to
escape from ecclesiastical leading strings; we can easily perceive what
debt of gratitude modern European progress owes to Islam, while it
owes nothing whatsoever to the Christian Church, which persecuted,
tortured, even burnt the learned.” (Islamic Culture. pp. 64, 67, 68).
The learned author of Islam in the World says (pp. 142-149):
“The influence of the powerful movement of Islamic culture in Spain

rapidly made itself felt throughout Europe. Petrus Alfonsi (b. 1602)
who studied at the Arabian medical schools, came to England from
Spain as Physician to King Henri I and, in 1120, collaborated with
Walcher, Prior of Malvern, in the production of a translation of
Alfonsi’s astronomical treatise, based upon Arabian sources. In
England their united effort represents the first impact of Arabian
learning. Its effect was rapid, for immediately afterwards Adelard of
Bath earned the distinction of being the first prominent European man
of science, outside Spain, to come to Toledo and make a special study
of Arabian learning, The cultural links thus formed between England
and Muslim Spain were destined to produce important results. They
stimulated in England the desire for the new philosophical and
scientific learning and led to the achievements of Michael Scot (C.
1175/1232) and Roger Bacon (1214-1294).
56
“Scot proceeded to Toledo in order to gain a knowledge of Arabic and

of Arabian philosophy. At Oxford, Roger Bacon achieved brilliant
success as an exponent of the new Arabian-Aristotelian philosophy. In
the library of the Dean and Chapter of Canterbury Cathedral is a late
thirteenth century illuminated manuscript, ‘Vetus Logica’, the earliest
known commentary on Aristotle’s Logic produced in England
following the Arabian ‘renaissance’ of Aristotelian philosophy.
Amongst those scholars who came to Spain from Britain were Robert
of England (flourished 1143), first translator of the Quran, Dental
Morley (flourished 1170), etc. Roger Bacon’s work ‘Optics’ was
based on Alhazen’s ‘Theraurus opticae’. The alchemical teachings of
Jabir ibn Hayyan (Geber) and other Arabian writers, are apparent in
the work of Albert Magnus, Vincent of Beauvais, etc.
“In a recent study made by the ‘Madrid School of Spanish Arabists’,

(a school which is concerned with the study of Islamic civilisation in
Spain and its influence on Christian civilisation in the Iberian
Peninsula as well as in the rest of Europe), Julian Ribera demonstrates
that many of the institutions of Christian Spain were nothing but a
copy or an imitation of similar institutions of Muslim Spain. He
discovered Arabic sources for the doctrines of certain thinkers and
certain poetic forms of songs of the Middle Ages, and for the
mediaeval Andalusian music and songs of the troubadours, trouveres
and minnesingers. Don Miguel Asin Palacios, in studying the origins
of philosophy in Spain, traces the influences of such Arabian thinkers
as Avempace, Averroes, Abenarabi, Abenmasarra and others. He also
eitablishes the point that, one should seek the key of the Divine
Comedy of Dante in the Islamic legends of the nocturnal voyage of
Muhammad . It is further shown that historiographers,
57
VOLUME ONE
be on him!), had been anti-Science and anti-reason from the very start.
Indeed, it was Christianity which extinguished whatever light of
knowledge was to be found in Greece, Egypt and Syria when it
became politically powerful.65 Besides, as already stated, Science
came to the modern West through Muslims whom the Christians
regarded as their deadliest enemies. Hence, the Christian Church
persecuted the scientists, burnt them at the stake and hanged them on
the gallows.66
That violent persecution made the Western scientists the enemy

not only of the Christian Church but of all Religion, and because
mathematicians and lexicologists, etc., owe much to their Muslim

predecessors of Spain.”
“Emmanuel Deutsch says. ‘By the aid of the Qur’ān the Arabs
conquered a world greater than that of Alexander the Great, greater
than that of Rome and in as many tens of years as the latter had
wanted hundreds to accomplish her conquests; by the aid of which
they, alone of all the Semites, came to Europe as kings, whither the
Phoenicians had come as tradesmen, and the Jews as fugitives or
captives. They came to Europe to hold up the light to Humanity; they
alone, while darkness lay around, to raise up the wisdom and
knowledge of Hellas from the dead, to teach philosophy, medicine,
astronomy and the golden art of song to the West as well as to the
East, to stand at the cradle of modem science, and to cause us late
epigoni for ever to weep over the day when Grenada fell’.”
65
Refer to footnote 64 above.
66
Refer to footnote 64 above.
58
religion concerns itself basically with the ultimate problems of human

life and demands the loyalty of human beings on that score, the
scientists entered the field of ultimate problems and started in the
name of scientific facts to oppose the teachings of Christianity
concerning such problems as the origin of man, the origin of the
world, the existence of the supernatural world and the existence of
God. Thus, for instance Darwin sought to show that man was not a
superior being as taught by religion, that he was not a being created in
the ‘image’ of God, but just an animal among animals—merely a
higher variety of apes! Indeed, he tried to trace the origin of human
beings to the lowest form of life, namely, the amoeba, and said that
the species had evolved through the process of transmutation, and that
the position of man as the strongest of all animals was just due to
chance and not because of any Divine decree. His entire thought was
actually anti-religious, and others who came after him added to the list
of the mistakes of Christian teaching in the name of scientific facts.
But the question remains: “Is Science really capable of answering

the ultimate questions on the basis of sure knowledge?” The answer to
this question lies in the analysis of the Scientific Method.
The scientific method of obtaining knowledge consists in

observation and experiment. We shall have to examine the validity of
observation in order to find out as to how far it can help us in solving
with any certainty the ultimate problems.
Scientifically viewed, every observation is made up of three

factors, namely: (1) the Observer; (2) the Object which is observed;
59
VOLUME ONE
(3) Conditions under which the observation is made. Let us examine

these factors and find out whether they are variable or stable, in order
to understand if we can arrive at sure knowledge of ultimate things on
the basis of Observation.
The first factor is the observer. Now, observation is bound to

vary from observer to observer, because different human beings do
not have similarly sharp and accurate powers of observation either as
regards their physical senses of sight, smelling, hearing, taste and
touch or as regards the intellect which co-ordinates the reports that the
brain gets through the physical senses. For instance, a person may be
colour-blind or myopic and as such his observation will always differ
from the observation of those who have what is called normal
eyesight. Similarly, a person may be hard of hearing, or may have lost
the smelling sense or the discrimination of taste or the sense of touch,
or he may be an idiot or a lunatic. It is thus a well-established fact that
the first factor in every observation is a variable factor, which means
that different observations can vary on the basis of this factor.
The second factor is the object which is observed. It does not

require much deep thought to realise that the more immediate, the
more concrete and the more comprehensible an object is, the more is
the possibility of the observation being correct; and the more remote,
the more subtle and the more ungraspable an object is, the less
possibility is there for anything like correct observation—nay, even
for observation itself. For instance, if we have to find out the chemical
properties of Sodium Chloride or of Calcium Carbonate, it is
something easily available in its standard form. Also, it is something
60
which is concrete and it is something which can be examined in a

test-tube. But even in immediate objects if we turn to Atomic Physics
and try to observe the behaviour of the atom, it is bound to be a most
difficult task, although the atom concerned may be one of Sodium, or
of Calcium, or of Carbon. Going to remote objects and trying to
observe them is a different matter altogether. For instance, if we try to
observe the interplanetary strata, there are bound to be different
opinions, even as they are there already. As a matter of fact, even in
the case of an object like the moon which is observed and enjoyed
even by the child, scientific observation begs for accuracy. For
instance, till sometime back scientists had agreed on a certain
calculation of the distance between the earth and the moon. But now
they say it was a miscalculation and that the real distance is more than
what had been believed in.
Coming now to the third factor, namely, the conditions under

which an observation is made, we find that it also is a variable factor.
For instance, if we take a straight rod and dip a portion of it in water,
thereby placing one part of it in the medium of water and keeping the
other part in the medium of air, we observe that the straight rod
appears tilted at the point where air and water meet, although when we
view it only in one medium, which may be air or water, it always
appears straight. This normal change in the appearance of the shape of
the rod is due only to change of conditions of observation and not due
to any change in the structure of the rod. Another common instance is
that where the distance of an object varies. For instance, when we
view a sandy waste in the sultry heat of the sun from a distance, it
61
VOLUME ONE
appears to us as if it is a huge expanse of water—the common

phenomenon in the deserts known as mirage. The false nature of this
observation becomes known to us only when we approach that
supposed lake of water. This means that if we become contented with
the first observation, we would always remain in misunderstanding
about the supposed lake of water.
We have seen In the foregoing that all the three factors which
constitute a scientific observation, are variable. In other words, any
and every scientific observation liable to vary in its accuracy
according to any one or two or all of these factors. The margin of this
possibility of error in scientific observation becomes wider and wider
as the objects observed become more subtle and more distant. This
means that physical science can be a good guide and source of
knowledge only in our immediate, and mostly physical, problems—
although even there it is not immune from error. Indeed, it has been
making lot of mistakes, as is well known to every student of the
history of science. As regards the ultimate problems, which
comprehend within themselves the entire universe and all aspects of
existence, it should be very plain, even to a person of ordinary
intelligence, that it would be extremely unscientific and even foolish
to expect sure and accurate solutions from physical science.
We have said in the foregoing that physical science cannot give

us sure knowledge in all cases even as regards the immediate physical
objects. We might illustrate this fact by instances. The human body is
the most immediate physical object of observation for a scientific
observer. But, in spite of the fact that physical science is carrying man
62
to the moon, it has not succeeded so far even in mastering thoroughly

the mysteries of the human body. For instance, the Allopathic system
of Medicine and the Homoeopathic system of Medicine are both
virtually equally successful in treating human diseases. But the
conceptions of human nature on which they are respectively founded
are diametrically opposed. This clearly means that neither of them has
yet succeeded in grasping the mysteries of human nature (even in its
physical aspect) truly and comprehensively. Also, we must bear in
mind that if Medical Science, which is a part of Physical Science, had
genuinely succeeded in knowing with certain, accuracy and
thoroughness the physical aspect of human nature and the medicines
needed for the cure of the different human diseases, the margin of
failure in the cure of diseases would have become zero,—which is not
the case at present. As regards the details of the human body, here
again the same lack of accuracy and finality exists. For instance, there
was a time when the scientists of the Allopathic school of medicine
were of the opinion that the appendix and the tonsils were useless
things and that they could be cast out of the body even as a
precautionary measure. The scientific belief about the appendix was
so vehemently stated that it gave rise even to an English proverb,
namely: “as useless as an appendix”. But medical thought is now
directed more and more to keeping the organs intact.
We may also give an instance concerning the ever-changing

character of scientific conclusions as regards the ultimate problems.
We might leave out here the per-Newtonian scientific thought, in
order to be more charitable, and consider only the era starting with
63
VOLUME ONE
Newtonian Physics, which is considered to be the era of the maturity

of Science. But what situation do we find here too? Sir Isaac Newton
affirmed and proclaimed to the world that the universe was three-
dimensional and that Space and Time were two different and
independent entities. The entire scientific progress after him
proceeded on this assumption. It was held by scientists to be an
infallible truth, which they defended and by which they swore day in
day out. But then came Einstein who proved, again scientifically, that
Newtonian physics was all worng in its foundations, that the universe
was not three-dimensional but four-dimensional, that Time was the
fourth dimension of Space and not an independent entity, that instead
of immutability (on which Materialism had thrived) there was
indeterminacy in the universe (which renders the scientific affirmation
of the existence of God possible),—and Science has proceeded since
then to show that Matter itself is unreal. Who knows that tomorrow
another great scientist may come and explode the Physics of Einstein
also?

II. PHILOSOPHY
All Philosophy may be broadly classified into four schools,

namely: one, Formal Rationalism; two, Empiricism; three, Criticism;
and four, Empirical Rationalism. Of these four, two and three do not
deserve consideration in the background of our present problem and
that for very definite reasons. No. two, namely, Empiricism, holds that
the only source of obtaining knowledge is sense-experience. It means
64
that the empirical philosopher cannot even aim at trying to understand

the whole of Reality, because in their very nature the human senses
are very limited in their scope and also liable to error, as we have
already seen in the section on Science. Indeed, the only natural and
logical consequence of Empiricism is Scepticism, namely, that we
cannot know Reality. In other words, the philosophy of the Empiricist
school itself asserts the incompetence and the failure of philosophical
endeavour to answer the ultimate questions. As regards no. three,
namely Criticism, it says that both Reason and Senses are sources of
knowledge but that both are very limited sources. Hence, the
knowledge of the world which we can get through them can only be
very limited in its scope as well as character. In other words,
according to this school of Philosophy, philosophical effort can
succeed only in knowing a part of Reality. This, in its turn, means that
comprehensive and sure knowledge, which is the necessary condition
for solving the ultimate questions successfully, cannot be obtained
from Philosophy. Thus there remain only two schools of Philosophy,
namely, Formal Rationalism and Empirical Rationalism where the
belief is found that Philosophy can discover the Ultimate Truth, which
alone, therefore, deserve our consideration in connection with the
present discussion. Let us examine the validity of their claim.
Formal Rationalism holds that human Reason, unaided by

anything else, is capable of knowing the ultimate facts of life and the
world.
Empirical Rationalism holds that Reason and Sense Experience

should combine to enable human beings to find out the Ultimate Truth
65
VOLUME ONE
and that, through this combination of the sources of knowledge,

Philosophy can solve the ultimate problems and guide humanity in
that behalf.
Formal Rationalism depends wholly on Logic. Its method is to

choose a hypothesis as the starting point of its investigation and on
that hypothesis to build up a whole world of philosophical thought by
using the instrument of Logic.
Empirical Rationalism may be better named as “Philosophy of

Science”. Its method is to collect and arrange the facts discovered by
Science and to endeavour, by using the instrument of Reason, to form
an integrated picture of the world as a whole and thereby to answer
the ultimate questions.
If we evaluate Formal Rationalism, we find that, on the face of it,

it is incapable of giving us any sure and accurate knowledge of the
ultimate problems. This is so, because its starting point is always a
hypothesis, which is nothing more than a supposed idea or at best an
observation based on common sense, and it has always been chosen
by every philosopher arbitrarily. Now, every hypothesis, especially in
the realm of abstract thought, is, in the very nature of the case,
unverifiable. In other words, it is uncertain. And if it is uncertain, the
thought structure built upon it and the conclusions arrived at must also
be uncertain. That is, the knowledge of ultimate problems given by
Formal Rationalism cannot be sure and accurate.
As regards Empirical Rationalism, its starting point consists in

the scientific facts, namely, sensorial observation, and its method is to
66
reason out the ultimate problems on their basis. But, as we have

already seen in the discussion of the Scientific Method, scientific facts
are at best workable hypotheses or working material on the scale of
observation or the system of reference with which they are connected.
Hence, for ultimate problems, they have neither finality, nor perfect
accuracy, nor absolute certainty. This means that if the starting point
and the working material of Empirical Rationalism lack accuracy,
certainty and finality, the conclusions arrived at will also suffer from
the same shortcomings. In other words, a solution of the ultimate
problems on the basis of sure knowledge is impossible even for the
Empirical Rationalist school of Philosophy.
An eminent scientific thinker of modern times admits this truth in

the following words: “Many people wrongly think that logical
mechanisms are ‘standard’ and that logical reasoning, and all the more
so mathematical reasoning, are inevitably ‘true’. This is not always the
case. We must beware of the process of human thought because, in the
first place, the starting point is often a sensorial observation (therefore
of doubtful value) or an observation based on common sense. Now
common sense cannot be trusted. It is common sense that leads us to
think that the earth is flat; that two plumb lines are parallel (they are
both directed toward the centre of the earth and consequently form an
angle); that motion in a straight line exists, which is absolutely false as
we have to take into consideration not only the motion of the earth
around its axis and around the sun, and that of the entire orbit of the
earth, but also the motion of the whole solar system toward the
constellation Hercules, etc. As a result, a bullet or an aeroplane, which
67
VOLUME ONE
seems to move in a straight line with respect to the earth, for a certain
length of time, in reality follows a trajectory more closely resembling
a kind of corkscrew with respect to a vaster system of reference, the
nearest stars for instance. Common sense tells us that the edge of a
razor blade is a continuous straight line, but if we examine it under a
microscope it resembles a wavy line drawn by a child. Common sense
tells us that a piece of steel is solid; X-rays show us that it is porus,
and the modern theories of matter teach us that it is in reality made up
of trillions of animated, miniature universes having extraordinarily
rapid movements and no contact with each other.
“If, therefore, the starting point, the premises of a reasoning is

false, the conclusion will necessarily, logically, be false.
“As we have no other means of knowing and describing nature

but those given us by our senses and our faculties—i.e., by our brain
cells—we must be extremely cautious and never forget the relativity
of the picture which we construct—a relativity with respect to the
recording instrument, man.” (Lecomte du Nouy: Human Destiny, pp.
5, 6).
The competence of Science and Philosophy in unraveling the

mysteries of the ultimate problems can be examined through another
argument also. As stated in the foregoing, the ultimate problems refer
to three main heads, namely: Man, Universe and God. Let us take here
the case of Man himself. Can Science or Philosophy, or both
combined, provide us true and accurate knowledge of the ultimate
problems which refer to Man? If we consider this question cool-
68
mindedly and dispassionately, we find that neither the origin nor the
constitution nor the functioning of man can be reasonably conceived
to exist in a vacuum. The individual human being is a part of the
human race. The human race, in its turn, is part of a larger whole,
namely, the animal world. The animal world, in its turn, is part of a
larger whole, namely, the organic world (which includes plant life).
The organic world, in its turn, is part of a larger whole, namely, the
Earth, (which includes both the organic world and the inorganic
world). The Earth, in its turn, is part of a larger whole, namely, our
solar system. Our solar system, in its turn, is immediately part of a
galaxy of unknown number of solar systems and ultimately a part of
the entire Universe which is unknown to us as a whole thing and
which, according to Modern Science, should be termed as virtually
infinite both in Space and Time, and is, therefore, incapable of being
grasped in knowledge by our finite powers of perception and
reasoning, both logical and mathematical. Thus, the human individual
is ultimately part and parcel of a universe which, in its origin,
constitution and purpose, is unknowable as a whole thing.
Now, if we wish to obtain true, accurate and comprehensive

knowledge of the fundamental laws which govern the existence of the
human individual, we find that just as the human individual does not
exist in a vacuum the laws also which govern his existence do not
exist in a vacuum. For, the system of laws which governs the
existence of the human individual is part of a larger and higher whole,
namely, the system of laws which governs humanity as an entity. This
larger and higher system of laws is, in its turn, part of another system
69
VOLUME ONE
which is higher and larger than it; and this series goes on—the levels
of laws rise higher and higher, tier after tier, until we reach the level
where we are confronted with the laws which govern the entire
universe as an entity and fundamentally.
We are now heading towards the conclusion. To know the nature

and destiny of the part we must know the nature and destiny of the
whole. Hence, to know the nature and destiny of the human individual
we must know the nature and destiny of the whole of which it is a
part. As we have already seen, immediately, it is part of the human
race. But the human race itself is not the final whole. Rather, it is a
part of a larger whole, and that larger whole is part of a still larger
whole, until, if we were to stop even at physical concepts only, we
reach the final whole which is known as the Physical Universe. This
means that unless we know the nature and destiny of the universe, we
cannot know the nature and destiny of anything which forms part of it,
including the human individual.
All the above discussions lead us positively to the conclusion that

neither Science nor Philosophy can ever be capable of giving accurate
answers to our ultimate questions on the basis of sure knowledge. And
those answers which they have been giving, or might give in future,
have been, and shall always be, at best approximations in the nature of
partial truths and, in most instances, what the following verse of the
Holy Qur’Én calls “conjectures”:
“But they have no knowledge thereof. They follow nothing but

conjecture; and conjecture avails nothing against Truth.” (53:28).
70
The question now is: If Science and Philosophy fail in guiding us

on ultimate problems, is that the end of the road, or is there a way out?
The answer is: Yes, there is a way—the way of Religion.

3. DIVINE REVELATION
The plausibility of the claim of Religion to answer our ultimate

questions consists in the source of knowledge. Among the various
religions of the world, Islam agrees with us that the human faculties of
sense and reasoning are, in their very nature, incapable of arriving at
accurate and sure knowledge of the ultimate facts both through logical
reasoning and mathematical reasoning. But side by side with that it
gives us a message of hope and imparts to us a very plain and
convincing guidance in that behalf. That guidance may be stated as
follows:
There are two factors in every act of knowledge, namely, the

Subject and the Object. As regards the process of knowledge, it is
possible in two ways, namely: (1) the subject may embrace the object
with the instruments of knowledge which, in the case of man, are
senses and reason; and (2) the object may reveal itself to the subject.
The usual path of knowledge is the first one, and it is this which
Science and Philosophy employ. And because the finite cannot
embrace the infinite, the attempts of Science and Philosophy at
solving the ultimate problems end in failure.
71
VOLUME ONE
The second path of knowledge is the path of Revealed Religion.

That this path is a matter of experience in the scientific field also is
known to all scientists. For instance, there are planets which are far
away from the farthest horizon that the most advanced instruments of
astronomy have been able to penetrate. Those planets enter that
horizon only for a while after very long periods of time. Thus, instead
of the powers of the astronomical instruments going out, so to say, to
embrace them, they themselves reveal their existence by moving for a
while into their embrace from a position where their existence cannot
be known, and after that revelation they again disappear into the
Unknown. Those whose gaze is fixed and whose instruments of
observation are focussed on that horizon see them and know them,
while others affirm their existence afterwards only on the basis of
authority, because verification through observation does not remain
possible after the disappearance of those planets.
This much about the physical world—the world of sense

experience—the world which in quality as well as quantity is only a
part of the Unknown and Infinite Universe. But it brings home to us
an important fact. The farther removed a thing is qualitatively (i.e., as
regards its difference from us in its nature and constitution and
function) or quantitatively (i.e., in Space or Time), the greater
becomes the necessity for the first path of knowledge to give place to
the second path, i.e., Revelation.
Islam emphasises this all-important fact of Revelation. It affirms

the existence of God and says that He is the Creator and Cherisher of
the Universe. Also, that He is All Powerful, All-Knowing and
72
Omnipresent. He possesses perfect knowledge of the origin, the

constitution and the function of everything, and His knowledge
comprehends the past, the present and the future. And He not only
possesses that knowledge but has also revealed to humanity the
correct guidance on the ultimate and intricate problems which defy
correct and sure solution by means of senses and reason. His
Revelations came, much like the distant planets mentioned in the
foregoing scientific argument, through the Spiritual Luminaries who
appeared on the horizon of humanity from time to time. Those
Spiritual Luminaries included men like Adam, Abraham, Moses,
Jesus, the last among them being Muhammad (Divine Peace and
Blessings be with him and all other Messengers of God); and the last
Revealed Book is the Holy Qur’Én.

73
PART 3
THE QURÓNIC REVELATION
Chapter 1
THE Qur’ân: A REVEALED BOOK
THE CLAIM TO REVELATION:
The Holy Prophet Muhammad (in whom God’s Blessings and

Peace abide!) was un-lettered, not knowing how to read and write,
because he had received no formal education in any degree from
anyone. The historical testimony in this respect is complete and
thorough, even as the Qur’Énic Revelation contains the proclamation
addressed to him and meant to emphasize to his opponents the Divine
source of the profound Wisdom that was flowing from his sacred lips:
“And you (O Muhammad!) did not recite any book before this
(i.e., knew not how to read), nor were you (able) to transcribe
one with your right hand (i.e., knew not the art of writing).
Otherwise, indeed, those who talk baseless things (against your
Divine Mission) could have (some excuse for having) doubted
(the revealed character of the Qur’Én).” (39:48).
The Holy Prophet’s sole teacher was God, and no one else:
“. . . and Allah has revealed to you (O Muhammad!) the Book

and the Wisdom, and has taught you what you knew not; and
Allah’s Grace unto you is immense.” (4:113).
Thus, the Holy Qur’Én is not the product of the Holy Prophet’s
speculation and thinking. Rather, every word of that Book is the Word
of God which was communicated to him through the process of
Revelation:
“(This is) the revelation of the Book (i.e., the Qur’Én in which
there is no (ground for) doubt,—(a Book) from the Lord of the
Worlds. Will they say: ‘he has forged it’? Nay, it is the Truth
from your Lord …” (32:2).
“Blessed is He (i.e., Allah) Who sent down the Criterion (i.e.,

the Qur’Én) to His servant (Muhammad), that he may be a
Warner to all the creatures.” (25:1).
“Say (O Muhammad!): The (Qur’Én) has been sent down by

Him Who knows the Mystery (that is) in the heavens and the
earth…” (25:6).
“But A11ah bears witness that what He has revealed to you (O

Muhammad!) He has revealed from His (own) Knowledge; and
the angels bear witness (also); but enough is Allah for a
witness.” (5:166).67
Indeed, the Holy Qur’Én calls itself the “Speech of God”

(9:6) and the “most excellent Discourse”, “sent down gradually
by Allah” (39:23), communicated to the Holy Prophet
67
We have quoted here just a few verses off-hand. Actually, the Holy Qur’ān
is replete with statements that proclaim explicitly that it is, in its entirety, the
revealed Word of God.
75
VOLUME ONE
Muhammad (Peace be on him!) not as mere ‘inspiration’ but as

the “Arabic Qur’Én” (12:2)—as Recitation “in plain Arabic
language” (24:195), through the process of Prophetic Revelation
(42:7; etc.) which was the same as in the case of the previous
Divine Messengers from Adam to Jesus (Peace be upon nature
them!) (42:3), and which descended upon the “heart” of the
Holy Prophet not metaphorically but literally, namely, in the
form of language in which it was subsequently transcribed by
the Scribes.
Being the revealed Word of God, it imparts knowledge
which is immune from all possibilities of doubt (2:2), all types
of crookedness (17:1), every form of discrepancy (4:82), and the
faintest taint of evil (26:210). On the positive side, it is the
embodiment of Truth and the Balanced Thought together with
the Balanced Way of Life (42:17); it is Blessed (with Holiness)
(6:155), it is the Light that is Manifest (4:174), whose function
is to lead forth humanity from the spiritual and moral darkness
into the light of the achievement of human destiny (14:1), it is
the Healing which cures the very basis of spiritual and bein
moral ailments (10:57); it is Mercy and Glad Tidings to those
who follow it faithfully (16: 89); and it is the Criterion which
distinguishes clearly the right from the wrong, the good from the
evil, the true from the false (2:185); it is the Guide for all
humanity (2:185), which imparts detailed and comprehensive
guidance in all matters wherein human reason can possibly fail
in any measure and in any manner (6:114; 16:89); and,
76
imparting new knowledge as it does (2:151), it emphasises that

all unbiased persons dedicated to knowledge are bound to
uphold its truth at the time of its revelation (34:6), and to attest
it, in later ages, as the horizons of human knowledge expand
further and further (41:53).

THE PHENOMENON OF PROPHETIC REVELATION:
The Prophetic Revelation has nothing to do with the natural

mental processes that relate to the human brain. It does not consist
even of intuitional flashes like those experienced by certain eminent
scientists and thinkers in respect of the discoveries of certain facts of
knowledge. It is not just an inspiration of notions and ideas. Namely,
it is not merely an ‘internal’ and subjective fact with no ‘external’ and
objective dimension. Rather, it is a concrete objective phenomenon—
though, of course, supernatural or metaphysical in character. It is
‘God’s Speech’ communicated at the highest level.
Of course, God’s Speech (kalÉm) is not of the same nature as the

human speech. For, God is Transcendent in His Being, so also in the
nature of His Attributes (30:27). That does not imply, however, the
impossibility of communication between Him and His creatures.
Rather, to the contrary. Because, it is He Who alone is the
Fountainhead: not only of existence but also of guidance for every
particle of the cosmos:—as the One Who, ‘encompasses all things’
77
VOLUME ONE
(41:54), and Who is, in the case of Man, ‘closer to him than his
jugular vein’ (50:16).
God’s Speech is communicated to different things in Creation in

the form suitable to their function, the goal being the guidance of
those things (8:12; 16:68; 41:12; 99:5). Human beings, not belonging
to the category of the Prophets and Messengers, have also been the
beneficiaries of this Divine blessing in the form of a subjective
guidance in terms of inspiration (5:3; 20:38; 28:7). In their case,
however, it was purely a personal affair.
It appears as if the higher the calibre and the function of anything

in the cosmos, the higher, in the sense of more explicit, is the form of
manifestation or expression for God’s Speech, and the lower the
calibre of anything the less its capability to accommodate that
manifestation of the Divine Speech which relates to a higher level.
Thus, the Speech of God may express itself to an inorganic object or a
plant in the form of ‘sensation’ appropriate to it, to an animal in the
form of inner ‘perception’, to a human being not falling under the
category of a Prophet and a Messenger in the form of ‘conception’.
But in the case of those human beings who were chosen by God to be
His Prophets and Messengers and whose function consequently was,
not to obtain stray guidance for themselves, but to be the recipients of
a full-fledged philosophy of life and a comprehensive code of
practical guidance for establishing the Divine Order in the life of
humanity, reason leads us to the truth that the Speech of God should
have expressed itself through the highest medium—the medium of
language, and not through implicit and vague media of inner
78
‘sensation’, ‘perception’ and ‘conception’. Thus, although none of the

human languages is the ‘language of God, the Speech of God has
expressed or manifested itself in all the human languages through the
Divinely-inspired Teachers who arose in all the communities of the
world, in one era or the other, since the time of the Holy Prophet
Adam to the advent of the Holy Prophet Muhammad—who came as
the last and the final—(May God’s Blessings be on all of them!)
(14:4). There is nothing, in fact, in literal Revelation to the Divine
Messengers that may discount it philosophically or scientifically as
impossible or even as improbable, provided we do not reduce that
phenomenon to the category of the natural phenomena.

MODES OF COMMUNICATION OF GOD’S SPEECH TO

HUMAN BEINGS:
To understand the implication further of what we have said: The

word waÍy has been employed by the Holy Qur’Én with reference to
inanimate as well as animate objects; and, among animate objects, to
animals as well as human beings. Then, among human beings, it has
been used for communication with the non-prophets, namely, merely
righteous persons, as well as for the Prophets and Messengers of God.
And it has also been used in connection with the mutual
communication between good as well as evil-minded persons. As
such, it covers different levels of meaning like: creation of an
impression, suggestion of an idea, inspiration, revelation—direct and
79
VOLUME ONE
indirect, expressive of different modes of the basic underlying concept

of ‘communication’.
However, the concept of ‘speech’ emerges in the Qur’Én

explicitly in respect of God’s communication with the human beings
in verse 51 of chapter 42, which we shall shortly quote.
The same verse also leads us to the meaning of the word waÍy as
direct ‘Inspiration’ by God. Elsewhere, however, the entire revelation
of the Qur’Én, which took place through the medium of the
messenger-angel (26:193; etc.), has been affirmed to have taken place
through the process of waÍy (12:3; etc.). Then the employment of the
word, in 42:52, in respect of the multi-modal communication of God
with the Holy Prophet (Peace be on him!) gives to it a most
comprehensive scope of meaning. Hence, as it relates to human
beings, God’s waÍy to a merely righteous person—a non-prophet,
should be taken to signify ‘suggestion or creation of an idea’; while as
‘Prophetic Revelation’—which, in its ultimate aim, relates to the
guidance of humanity at large in a divinely-initiated struggle—it
should be accepted as standing for absolutely clear ‘Inspiration’ and
literal ‘Revelation’.
With these preliminary observations, we may turn to the Qur’Én

for the different dynamic modes of Divine communication with the
human beings. It says:
“And it is not possible (or, fitting) for a human being (in his
80
earthly constitution) that Allah should speak 68 to him otherwise

than by waÍy (—implying direct communication by Allah,
which, in the case of a non-prophet righteous person, is in the
form of the suggestion or infusion of some idea, and, in the case
of a Prophet and a Messenger of Allah, is in terms of absolutely
clear Inspiration),69 or from behind a veil (—implying direct
communication by Allah to His Prophet and Messenger, to the
exclusion of other categories of human beings: a
communication wherein a Voice is heard, as happened in the
case of Moses at Sinai), or (that) he sends a messenger (in the
person of an angel to act as intermediary and) to reveal by His
Command whatsoever He wills. Verily, He is Exalted, Wise.”
(42:51).

MODES OF DIVINE COMMUNICATION WITH THE HOLY

PROPHET :
The above-quoted verse is followed Immediately by the
68
Mark the word “speak” !
69
This implication becomes fully established when we compare the mode of
‘waÍy’ mentioned in the verse with the two other modes that follow, and give
due weight, without any pre-conceived opinion, to the fact that the three
forms of communication are three different types of processes that exclude
one another in respect of their distinct natures.
81
VOLUME ONE
following:
“And thus (i.e., in the comprehensive manner covered in the

different modes of Divine communication presented in 42:51)
have We, by Our Command, sent unto you (O Muhammad) the
Inspiration.70 You knew not (before the establishment of Divine
communication) what the Scripture was, nor what the Faith …”
(42:52).
Accordingly, God’s communication with the Holy Prophet was

normally in three ways: (1) direct communication in the form of what
has been termed in 42:51 as waÍy; (2) direct communication ‘from
behind the veil’; (3) indirect communication through an intermediary
messenger-angel.
The third being the sole mode of communication employed in

respect of the revelation of the Qur’Én, as we shall shortly notice, the
other two modes must be taken to relate to the domain of general
communication. Indeed, the Holy Prophet , being firmly and
absolutely established as ‘abd in the state of harmony with God
(6:162, etc.) and thus in absolute intimacy with, and under the loving
care of, God (52:48: etc.), his communication with God and God’s
communication with him was frequent—the communication from
God not confined to the revelation of the Qur’Én.
70
This word should be taken here to cover in its implication all the levels of
Divine Revelation.
82
The above-mentioned modes of communication relate, however,

to the Holy Prophet’s life in respect of his earthly constitution in
which he normally stayed except—so far as our knowledge goes—on
the occasion of Me‘rÉj (Ascension), which can be understood only in
terms of transcendental transformation of his personality by God.
Hence God’s communication with him on that occasion should be
classed as belonging to a mode different and distinct from the modes
mentioned in 42:52. The reference in the Holy Qur’Én stands thus:
“By the Star when it goes down, your Companion (Muhammad)

does not err, nor is misled; nor does he speak (anything) of (his
own) Desire (or, ratiocination). It is nothing but Revelation that
is revealed (to him). He has been taught by One Mighty in
Power, endued with Wisdom; so he attained completion in
knowledge,71 while he was in the highest horizon (during his
Me‘rÉj or Ascension). Then he (—existing on that occasion, as
deducible, in the transcendental dimension of existence—)
approached and came closer (to AllÉh, in the transcendental
dimension), and it was a distance (in terms of transcendental
dimension) of but two bow-lengths or nearer (—implying
idiomatically extreme nearness—). Thus He (i.e., AllÉh)
revealed to His Devotee (Muhammad) what He revealed. The
71
IstawÉ al-rajul means ‘he became full grown and mature in body and
intellect, or he attained the completion of his make and intellect’. (Lane’s
Lexicon)
83
VOLUME ONE
(Prophet’s) heart lied not in what he saw (it being the direct
Vision of, and communication from, AllÉh).” (53:1-11).72
[Note:- Some scholars who subscribe to no adequate notion either

of the nature of human personality or of the dimensions of the
personality of a Messenger of God—whose view of religious verities
is, for all practical purposes, either ‘formalistic’ or ‘naturalistic’—
consider it necessary to explain away or minimise every super-natural,
or metaphysical, element in the Holy Prophet’s personality. As such,
they deny that the Holy Prophet (Peace be on him!) was blessed with
the vision of God in his Me‘rÉj, saying that the person whom he saw
was the angel JibrÊl (Gabriel). As for the ×adīth literature, both the
views—viz., ‘vision of God’ and ‘vision of JibrÊl’—are deducible.
But, as regards the Qur’Én, it affirms the ‘vision of God’ in the
transcendental dimension of existence, i.e., life in Heaven, even for
the true followers of the Messengers of God—not to speak of the
Messengers of God themselves. The view reported to have been put
forward by Lady Ayesha should be taken to relate basically to the
impossibility of seeing God with the physical vision; and, as such, it
an absolutely correct view. The Holy Prophet’s Me‘rÉj was, however,
an event of unique nature in which it should be accepted that his
sacred personality had been transformed by God from the physical to
72
The translation of these verses and the explanatory remarks inserted within
brackets are based on a critical assessment of ×adīth literature and of the
Qur’ānic philosophy of Religion as upheld by a vast majority of Islamic
scholars in history.
84
the transcendental dimension of existence73—the same dimension in

which his true followers who, in their status, are simply non-entities as
compared with his status as God’s greatest Messenger, will exist in
Heaven, and will, therefore, become capable of being blessed with the
vision of God (75:22-23).
Reverting to 42:52, it was not at all necessary for the Holy

Qur’Én, after explicitly affirming all the three modes of Divine
communication mentioned in 42:51, to pin-point each occasion and
each guidance as it came to the Holy Prophet from God through the
respective modes. Such information can be relevantly sought in the
×adÊth literature, although even there we cannot expect absolute
accuracy in respect of reporting, nor a detailed specification of
occasions and modes, basically because of the personal and secret
nature of Divine communication. However, that being the only way
open to us, we may obtain from there whatever information is in
conformity with the Qur’Én.
There is a consensus of historical reports that the Holy Prophet

Muhammad grew up as superbly-normal in mental, physical and
73
Qualitative transformations are all the time taking place in Nature. Thus the
view presented here is in accordance with the Natural Law. Also: this view
synthesizes the partial views in which one school of thought—the minority
school—emphasises that Me‘rÉj was just a ‘spiritual’ experience like other
spiritual experiences, in which the Holy Prophet’s soul alone was the subject
of experience, while the other school—representing an overwhelming
majority of Muslims in history—gives prominence to the participation of the
Holy Prophet’s body in that entire event.
85
VOLUME ONE
moral health and beauty, but abnormally devoted to truthfulness,

thoughtfulness, and sympathy for and service to fellow-beings. He
passed the greater part of his youth, right from infancy, in the ‘lap of
Nature’, away from the city-life of Makka, where he was born. As a
grown-up young man, he had the occasion to undertake long journeys
in the ‘environment of Nature’ when he crossed time and again, in
connection with commerce, the desolate desert vastnesses of Arabia.
He was born in a community of idol-worshippers; but he never had
anything to do with any idol even unconsciously. He had the mental
grace and the personal beauty of the Holy Prophet Abraham , from
whom he had descended through the Holy Prophet Ishmael . But his
family had lost the teaching of Abraham and Ishmael, and had
preserved only its history.
His contact with the transcendental Reality started crystallising

when he began to see true dreams74—dreams in which he appears to
have seen future events, which happened as he had seen them, or
hidden things of this world, which were exactly what he had seen
during his sleep, or hidden realities of the transcendental world. As
this spiritual state continued, his love for solitude increased until, in
the very prime of his youth, in spite of his marriage with his beloved
wife Khadija (which took place when he was twenty-five years old),
74
The phenomenon of ‘true dreams’ continued all through the Holy Prophet’s
life. The term used by Lady Ayesha is Ru’yÉ ØÉliÍa which means righteous,
sound and healthy dreams. The statement which follows to the end of the
paragraph is based originally on Bukhari’s ØaÍÊÍ; BÉb: Kaifa kÉna bada’al-
WaÍy—reported by Lady Ayesha, wife of the Holy Prophet.
86
he began retiring to the wilderness, where, totally cut off from human,
animal and even plant life, he would stay engaged in meditation, in the
Cave of Hira, which, even to this day, possesses the majesty of the
‘Void’. This retreat to the Cave of Hira continued to repeat itself until,
at the age of forty,75 on the 12th of Rabi‘ al-Awwal,76 the pitch
darkness of the night inside the Cave and the death-like stillness of the
surrounding wilderness was shattered when the Light from God
descended (4:173) and the archangel JibrÊl, the holy and trustworthy
Spirit from God, appeared before him and asked him to read, which
request was made twice, each time the angel pressing him in his
embrace to activate more and more the transcendental dimension of
his personality, to which each time the same reply came, i.e., “I do not
know how to read.” Then the angel recited to him the first revelation
of the Qur’Én, which reads: “Read! (or recite, or proclaim) in the
Name of your Lord and Cherisher Who created (everything in the
universe)—created man out of a (mere) clot of congealed blood:
Read! And your Lord is Most Bountiful,—He Who taught (the
preservation, cultivation and promotion of knowledge) through the
Pen,—taught man that which he knew not.” (96:1-5). Thereby the
Holy Prophet acquired those verses in his memory and returned home
highly excited by that most abnormal experience.
75
Bukhari: ØaÍÊÍ; BÉb: Øifat al-Nabi.
76
lbn Kathir: Al-BidÉyah wa al-NihÉyah, vol. 2, p. 260—on the authority of
Ibn Abbas.
87
VOLUME ONE
Thus came the first revelation of the Qur’Én, which was the
forerunner for all those others that came down over a period of
twenty-three years—the actual period of the Holy Prophet’s
ministry—and constitute, together with that first one, the Qur’Én as it
was completed and as we have it today.
Thus also commenced the period of the Holy Prophet’s life in

which not only the communication through the messenger-angel but
also other modes of Divine communication blessed him very
frequently.
The classical Islamic scholars have listed certain modes of

Revelation on the basis of ×adÊth literature, with slight differences
among themselves. Thus, Suyuti has mentioned five (Al-ItqÉn, vol. 1,
p. 44,), and Ibn Qayyim has listed seven (ZÉd al-Ma‘Éd, vol. 1, pp.
24-25). However, keeping strictly within the bounds prescribed by the
Qur’Énic testimony, as demanded by the nature of the present book,
we will not go beyond the basic implications of the three modes
mentioned in the holy book—which actually reduce themselves to
two, viz., ‘direct communication by God’ and ‘communication by God
through the messenger-angel’.
We need not bring testimony from the ×adÊth literature in respect

of the revelations that constitute the Qur’Én, because the holy book
itself has explicitly stated the mode of its revelation as consisting in
Divine communication through the messenger-angel, JibrÊl:
“Verily this is a Revelation from the Lord of the Worlds: The

Trusted Spirit (i.e., JibrÊl) has brought it down upon your heart
88
(O Muhammad!) that you may be of the warners, in plain

Arabic language.” (26:192-195).
“So verily I call to witness the Planets that recede, moving

swiftly (and) hiding themselves; and the Night as it dissipates
(gradually melting away in the Day); and the Dawn as it
breathes away the darkness;—verily it is a Word (brought) by a
messenger honoured (i.e., JibrÊl), endued with Power (so that no
devilish force can obstruct the path of this powerful messenger),
with rank before the Lord of the Throne (i.e., Allah), with
authority there (i.e., in the heavens), faithful to his trust. And (O
people!) your Companion (Muhammad) is not one possessed
(as the calumniators say). Without doubt he beheld him (i.e.,
JibrÊl) at the Clear Horizon.77 And he (i.e., Muhammad) is not a
77
Cf. the ×ÉdÊth reported and accepted by Bukhari: “Jabir reported that he
heard God’s Messenger telling about the cessation of Revelation (for a short
period after the first one) as follows: ‘(Once) while I was walking I heard a
voice coming from above, and raising my eyes I beheld the angel who had
come to me at Hira seated on a throne between heaven and earth. I felt over-
awed (by the supernatural majesty of the experience,—it being the early stage
of the experience of that type).’ Then I returned to my family and said: ‘Wrap
me up, wrap me up!’ So they wrapped me up. Then Allah Most High sent
down the revelation: ‘O you wrapped up (in a mantle)! arise and deliver your
warning! And preach you the greatness of your Lord (lit., your Lord do you
magnify)! And your garments keep free from stain! and all pollution shun!’
Thereafter the process of Revelation became intensified and continuous.”
(Bukhari: ØaÍÊÍ, KitÉb al-TafsÊr. Cf. Muslim: ØaÍÊÍ).
89
VOLUME ONE
withholder of (the knowledge of) the Unseen (which has been

bestowed on him by Allah).” (81:5-24).
“Say (O Muhammad!): the Holy Spirit78 (i.e., angel JibrÊl) has

brought down the revelation (of the Qur’Én) from your Lord in
Truth …” (16: 102).
Here two important facts may be noted: (1) although even the
dreams of a Prophet are fully meaningful and explicit and are
grounded in absolute truth, all the Qur’Énic revelations came to the
Holy Prophet in the state of waking,—on which fact the authorities are
unanimous, according to KitÉb al-TibyÉn (p. 21); (2) the messenger-
angel seems to have been employed by God for the Qur’Énic
revelations for ensuring their reception by the Holy Prophet in
absolute exactitude of language, the Qur’Én being meant to be a book
of guidance for humanity for all time.
In respect of Divine communication through the messenger-

angel, however, occasions besides those relating to the revelation of
the Messages that constitute the Qur’Én have also been reported in the
×adÊth literature, wherein the angel’s role emerges as very important.
For instance, we know that JibrÊl was commissioned by God to
rehearse the Holy Qur’Én with the Holy Prophet every year during the
nights of the month of Ramadan (Bukhari: ØaÍÊÍ; BÉbs: Kaifa KÉna
78
Or, the Holy Ghost, who rendered the same service to other Divine
Messengers, including Jesus (God bless him!). He is an angel, created by
God, and not the third member of Godhead, as erroneously and
blasphemously conceived by Pauline Christianity.
90
bada’ al-WaÍy and Dhikr al-MalÉ’ikah), and to communicate to him

the method of the five daily obligatory Prayers (Bukhari: ØaÍÊÍ; BÉbs:
Dhikr al-MalÉ’ikah).
In connection with angel JibrÊl, we also come across a ×adÊth

which is to the effect that, in answer to an enquiry, the Holy Prophet
said:
“At times the angel (JibrÊl) assumes the human form for me and
speaks to me, and I retain (in my memory) what be says.”79
What was the exact nature of the appearance of the the angel in
human form, referred to here, cannot be known to us. However, we
find it in the ×adÊth literature to have occurred on a good number of
occasions, and, among them, it also happened a number of times that
even the Holy Prophet’s Companions saw that angel.80
Coming to the mode of Divine communication ‘from behind a

veil’: Such a phenomenon has been reported in the following
×adÊth:81
“(Lady) Ayesha (wife of the Holy Prophet) reported that Harith

ibn Hisham enquired from Allah’s Messenger: ‘How does the
79
Imam Malik: Mu’aÏÏÉ;BÉb MÉ jÉ’a fi al-Qur’ān. Cf. Bukhari and Muslim.
80
In this connection, very definite events, stated in very explicit form, have
been reported, among others, by Imam Bukhari (ØaÍÊÍ: BÉbs: SuwÉlu JibrÊl,
Kaifa nazala al-WaÍy, Marja‘ al-NabÊ min al-AÍzÉb wa Makhrajahu ilÉ Bani
Quraizah, Dhikr a1-MalÉ’ikah, ShuhËd al-MalÉ’ikah Badran).
81
Imam Malik: op. cit.
91
VOLUME ONE
Revelation come to you, O Allah’s Messenger?’ To that he

replied: ‘It comes to me at times in the likeness of an echoing
sound of a bell,82 and that is (the mode) most severe on me;
then it is cut off from me, and I definitely remember thereafter
what the (Communicator from behind the ‘veil’) has spoken’.”83
82
It was in fact a sound very different front physical sounds,—a sound which
is inexplicable in terms of human language (A1-ItqÉn, vol. 1 p. 44). Hence
the description should not be understood in the literal sense.
Further: Suyuti, the author of A1-ItqÉn, puts forward the view that this sound
preceded the communication of Revelation for the sake of withdrawing the
attention of the Holy Prophet from everything else and concentrating it on the
Revelation which was to follow (vol. l, p. 44). Imam Ahmad’s Musnad
corroborates this view.
83
As to the communicator of Revelation referred to here, Imam Ahmad and
Imam Muslim have narrated Traditions that imply that it was God Himself
speaking from behind the ‘veil’. Al-Bazzar’s Musnad brings forth similar
evidence. Imam Bukhari devotes to this fact a separate section entitled Dhikr
al-NabÊ wa riwÉyatihÊ ‘an RabbihÊ, where the narrators are personalities of
the calibre of Anas ibn Malik, Abu Hurairah and Abdullah Ibn Abbas. The
view that the communicator in question was the angel JibrÊl also emerges,
however.
Looking at the problem rationally; The phenomenon of ‘the Bell and the
Message’ appears to bear similarity in form to the present-day
communication through the telephone, wherein a bell rings as a prelude to the
communication of some message. But, in the case of JibrÊl, we learn from the
Qur’ān that he, was sent in person by God—e.g., the relevant verses quoted
in this chapter. Hence, to say, as some have held, that the communicator was
92
For a clear understanding of the implication of the above ×adÊth,

we have to go to the Qur’Énic testimony, which relates to the
affirmation of Divine communication ‘from behind a veil’ with the
Holy Prophet (Peace be on him!) (42:51-52), on the one hand, and
which states that phenomenon in actual terms in respect of certain
other Divine Messengers, on the other. For instance, in the case of the
Holy Prophet Abraham (Peace be on him!): “We called unto him: O
Abraham! you have already fulfilled the vision …” (37:104-105).
Again, in the case of the Holy Prophet Moses (Peace be on him!):
“And when Moses came to Our appointed tryst and his Lord had
spoken to him, he said:
“My Lord! Show me (Yourself), that I may gaze upon You …”

(7:143).
Besides the modes, we come across another aspect of Divine

communication also in the ×adÊth literature, namely, the external
ultra-natural symptoms noticed by the Holy Prophet’s Companions
and reported by them. In that connection, we may first state what Lady
Ayesha (Allah be pleased with her!) is said to have reported:
“Indeed, I saw him while the Revelation came down on him

on a very cold day; then, at the expiry of it (i.e., the state of
JibrÊl, is evidently unreasonable. Moreover, the Qur’ānic testimony in this

respect (42:51-52) is final and decisive. As such, we are compelled to hold to
the view that the communicator in the case under reference was God Himself.
93
VOLUME ONE
the communication of Revelation), sweat poured forth from

his forehead.84
Going to other reports, we find that the Holy Prophet (Peace be

on him!) attained such a profound state of submergence of his
consciousness in the Divine Revelation that those who saw him in that
state felt as if his soul had departed from this world (Kanz al-‘Ummal,
vol. 4, p. 30); and Imam Bukhari reports in his ØaÍÊÍ that the rosy
white colour of his face would change into intense red and his
breathing would become louder (BÉbs: GÍusl al-KhulËq and Nazal al-
Qur’Én bi LisÉn-i-Quraish). Al-Hakim narrates the report from Abu
Hurairah that at the time when the Holy Prophet received the
Revelation, it was impossible for anyone to fix his gaze at his holy
face (Al-Mustadrak, vol. 2, p. 222). This report implies the
establishment of a halo of undescribable majesty and supernatural
character around his face—in fact, around his entire personality. Imam
Ahmad relates in his Musnad on the authority of Abdullah ibn ‘Amr
that: “Sura al-MÉ’idah was revealed to Allah’s Messenger while he
was riding on a she-camel, which showed expressly her inability to
bear (the weight she experienced in physical terms to an extent that)
he had to alight (from its back)” (vol. 2, p. 176). This fact is
corroborated in several other reports also. Zaid ibn Thabit relates that:
“… then Allah, the Possessor of Blessedness and the Most High, sent
down on His Messenger (Muhammad) a Revelation. At that time (I
was sitting so close to him by his side that) his folded leg covered my
84
Imam Malik: op. cit.
94
folded leg, whereby I experienced such a heavy load (as to give me

the feeling) that my folded leg would be crushed to pieces.” (BukhÉrÊ,
ØaÍÊÍ, KitÉb al-TafsÊr).
As to the manifestation of physical effects on the Holy

Prophet’s personality, Ibn Khaldun, the founder of Sociology and of
Philosophy of History, observes in his world-renowned Muqaddimah,
in connection with his scholarly philosophical discourse on the nature
of Prophetic Revelation, that a transformation of the Holy Prophet’s
personality from the human plane to the angelic plane took place on
all such occasions (pp. 98, 99).
However, the phenomenon of ‘severity’ became toned down to

lighter and lighter as time passed; as we find, for instance, in Imam
Ahmad’s Musnad in connection with the revelation of sura Al-
Kauthar (vol. 3, p. 102).
That the Holy Qur’Én is based on literal Inspiration in the form

of Prophetic Revelation and is not the result of the Holy Prophet’s
own intellectual or spiritual awakening as a seer, is borne out also by
the mode of the projection of its teachings, wherein clearly it is God
Who addresses humankind, including the Holy Prophet, and not the
Holy Prophet himself.
Again, anyone who undertakes a comparative study of the

language of the Holy Qur’Én and the language of the ×adÊth literature,
which consists of the utterances of the Holy Prophet on his own
behalf, can easily notice the clear difference in the style of’ expression
in both.
95
VOLUME ONE
Still again, the challenges thrown by the Holy Qur’Én to the

disbelievers in its divine status, as in 10:38, 11:13, 17:88 and 52:34,
bear out that the holy book emphatically affirms about itself that it is
the Word of God and not a product of the Holy Prophet’s mental
effort.
Going into external factors further: Arabic is probably the

richest language in respect of its vocabulary, which means for our
present purpose that if the very words of the Holy Quran had not been
regarded as revealed with the immutable divine sanction behind them,
the verses, as they were revealed from time to time during a long
period, would have easily and naturally undergone changes at least
through the interplay of synonyms;—while it is a well-attested fact
that the addition or elimination of such an unimportant word as ‘and’,
for which there is ‘in Arabic only a single letter, was not permitted
and could not take place.
Then, entering into internal evidence again: The Holy Prophet’s

entire attitude towards the revelations that he received, belies any
assumption as to those revelations being mere ‘inspirations’ that were
projected by him in his own words. For instance, let us consider the
verses wherein he has been commanded by God thus: “Move not your
tongue concerning the (Qur’Én) to make haste therewith (in fear of not
remembering exactly the text that was revealed). Verily upon Us is the
collecting thereof (in your mind) and the reciting thereof (exactly as it
is revealed to you). Wherefore when We recite it follow you the
recital thereof. And thereafter verily upon Us (i.e., under Our
guidance) is the expounding thereof.” (75:16-19). Movement of the
96
tongue relates to the anxiety of remembering the words that he had

heard and not thoughts that could have been infused in his mind
through inspiration.
Before closing this discussion, it is very necessary to emphasise

most vehemently that the nature of Revelation—in fact, of entire
prophetic experience, is such that it is incommunicable to and
incomprehensible for a non-prophet. Hence, it would be the greatest
mistake to view it in terms of the natural laws that relate to the general
or basic human level.

97
Chapter 2
THE PROCESS OF COMPILATION
1. INTERNAL EVIDENCE
Although the Qur’Én was revealed piece-meal, the fact that its
Message was meant to be presented to humanity in the form of a
book—that it was to be al-KitÉb, or, the Book—projected itself in the
very first revelation wherein God mentioned explicitly the role of the
Pen in human history. Indeed, we find the Qur’Én characterising itself
as a book even in the Makkan period of its revelation. Thus, we come
across the verses: “Praise be to Allah, Who has sent down unto His
Servant (Muhammad) the Book …” (18:1). “(This is) a revelation
from (AllÉh) the Compassionate, the Merciful—a Book whereof the
verses are detailed …” (41:2-3). “By (this) luminous Book! verily We
have made it an Arabic Qur’Én that haply you may reflect.” (43:2-3).
“A Messenger (Muhammad) from AllÉh rehearsing (unto them) Writs
(ÎuÍuf) kept pure (from every type of corruption and falsehood) and
holy, wherein are discourses (kutub) eternal.” (98:2-3).
Then, in the portion revealed at Madina the emphasis on the

Qur’Én as to its being a Book comes before us again. For instance:
“This is the Book wherein there is no (ground for) doubt.” (2:2). “…
(the Prophet) teaches them the Book and the Wisdom …” (62:2).
Moreover, we come across the following objection raised by the
opponents: “They say: (These are) tales of the ancients which he (i.e.,
Muhammad) has caused to be written …” (25: 5). This objection too
affirms explicitly that whatever portion of the Qur’Én had been

revealed upto that time existed in written form.
All this means that writing down the revelations according to

some arrangement was the law that was followed, which means that
the Qur’Én must have been put into writing from the beginning of its
revelation to the end according to some principle, —and that writing
and compilation should have been executed not merely on palm-
leaves and shoulder-bones and pieces of wood and stone but also, and
that basically, on paper, or, at least, on parchment, through which
alone the form of a ‘book’ could have emerged after properly
arranging and putting together uniform pieces of paper or parchment.
Indeed, the incontrovertible truth is that the Qur’Én grew up as a
book from the beginning—growing in its contents with the progress in
revelation, and was used as such by the Muslims even at Makka.
Historical facts confirm this fully, as we shall now see.

2. EXTERNAL EVIDENCE
Soon after the commencement of the Revelation, the Holy

Prophet (Peace be upon him!) made definite arrangements for the
preservation of the revealed Messages in writing.85 Among those who
85
It may be emphasised here that quite a number of those who joined the
lslamic fraternity at Makka and Madina were educated persons who knew the
art of reading and writing. Moreover, the Holy Prophet gave such importance
to the formal education of his followers that even many Muslim ladies
received it (Abu Da’ud Sunan, vol. 2, p. 186; etc.), and men like Zaid ibn
99
VOLUME ONE
were entrusted with this task, and whose numbers increased as the
numbers of the adherents of Islam increased, —the first one was Abu
Bakr, the Companion par excellence, the wise and the truthful (al-
Øiddiq), the first adult man to embrace Islam—and that soon after the
coming of the first revelation, and one of the respected elders of
Makka. Besides him we find the names of several other personalities
mentioned in the historical records as the Holy Prophet’s Scribes, who
served as such at Makka and Madina.The famous Traditionist, Ibn
Sayyid al-Nas, has given a list of thirty-eight in the biography of the
Holy Prophet entitled: ‘UyËn al-Athar (vol. 2, pp. 315-316). The
author of al-SÊrah al-×alabiyyah affirms a list of twenty Scribes,
whose names he has selected from variant traditions wherein the
number has gone as high as forty-two, this number having been
recorded by al-Kattani (al-Tartīb al-IdÉriyah, vol. 1, pp. 116-124;
Moroccan edition). A critical examination of all the records places the
number at twenty-eight, the list including the names of the first four
caliphs, namely, Abu Bakr, Omar, Uthman and Ali, and of
Mu’awiyah—the fifth head of the Islamic State after the Holy
Prophet’s demise, and of Zubair ibn al-Awam. Abdullah ibn Masud,
Ubayy ibn Ka’ab, Zaid ibn Thabit, Khalid ibn Walid (the famous
General), ‘Amr ibn al-‘As (later on the governor of Egypt) and
Abdullah ibn ‘Amr ibn al-‘As.
Thabit acquired, under the Holy Prophet’s orders, languages other than
Arabic. e.g., Hebrew and Syriac. (Al-IÎÉbah, p. 561; Al-Tārīkh al-Saghīr, p.
53; Kitāb al-MuÎāÍef. p. 3).
100
Thus the task of writing down every revelation as it came was

instituted by the Holy Prophet in a very organised and systematic
form. Uthman, the third righteous caliph of Islam, and one of the
earliest converts to the faith, bears testimony to it in these words:
“Whenever some revelation came down on him (i.e., the Prophet), he
would call upon some of those who had been appointed to write.”
(Tirmizi: JÉme‘, vol. 2, p. 134). This fact is corroborated by Imam
Bukhari and others. For instance, Bukhari’s ØaÍÊÍ reports: “Zaid ibn
Thabit said that the Prophet dictated to him (the verse:) ‘Not equal are
those believers who sit (at home) and receive no hurt, and those who
strive and fight in the Cause of AllÉh …” (vol. 3, p. 761). Or, the more
comprehensive information contained in the ×adÊth recorded by Ibn
Abi Daud and reported by Sulaiman, the grandson of Zaid ibn Thabit,
on the authority of his father Kharija: “… (Zaid said:) I was a
neighbour of God’s Messenger. So, whenever any revelation came (to
him), it was his practice to call me, whereat I used to write down the
revelation (at his dictation).” (KitÉb al-MuÎÉÍef, p. 3). Darimi’s Sunan
(p. 68) projects the fact that it was not always one person but,
probably as a rule, several persons who wrote the revelations, singly
but in a joint session, as the Holy Prophet dictated to them. In this
connection, the ×adÊth runs like this: “Abdullah ibn ‘Amr said: ‘while
we (the party of Scribes) were engaged in writing in the presence of
God’s Messenger …’.”
The Holy Prophet did not only dictate the revelations to the
Scribes, but also asked them, after they had inscribed, to recite to him
what they had written, for correcting any mistake they might have
101
VOLUME ONE
committed. We read in Majma‘ al-ZawÉ’id (vol. 1, p. 60) that “Zaid

ibn Thabit said: ‘… whenever I had finished (writing down the
revelation dictated to me), he (i.e., God’s Messenger) asked me to
read it out, and accordingly I would recite to him. Then, if there was a
mistake, he corrected it. Then he gave it out to the people (for making
copies for their use and for memorisation by them)’.” (Cf. FatÍ al-
Mughīth, p. 250).
This much about the fact that every revelation was written down
as it came, with the utmost care and by several Scribes at a time. Now
comes the problem relating to the organisation of the discrete
revelations into chapters (sËras) as it is to be found in the Qur’Én
since the Holy Prophet’s time,—only certain chapters having been
revealed complete on single occasions. The verdict of history in this
respect is that the Holy Prophet himself used to instruct on each
occasion concerning the sequence of insertion in a particular chapter
of a particular verse or set of verses revealed on a particular occasion;
and in case a new chapter was to begin with a particular revelation, the
Scribe or Scribes were instructed by him accordingly. Thus, for
instance, it has been stated in Imam Tarmizi’s JÉme‘ (vol. 2, p. 134):
“He (i.e. God’s Messenger) used to instruct (the Scribes) to place such
and such verses in the chapter where such and such had been stated.”
In this way did all the chapters of the Holy Qur’Én—and they are One
Hundred and Fourteen in number—came into existence under the
Holy Prophet’s instruction and under Divine Guidance as
communicated to him continuously. (Majma‘ al-ZawÉ’id, vol. 7, p.
157; Al-ItqÉn, vol. 1, p. 62. Also refer : Imam Ahmad’s Musnad).
102
Now, the chapters in themselves are parts of the Qur’Én. By

putting them together under a certain principle of arrangement, the
Holy Qur’Én assumed the form of a book. The question is : Who gave
the existing arrangement in respect of chapters. Here, again, the
verdict of history 86 is that this was done by no one else but the Holy
Prophet himself. The recorded evidences in this respect are:
1. Abu Da’ud has recorded the ×adÊth in which Hudhaifah

informs us that “he saw the Prophet (serially) reciting in the
prayer at night the chapters al-Baqarah, Ól-i-‘ImrÉn, Al-NisÉ’,
Al-MÉ’īdah and al-An‘Ém.” (Sunan, vol. 1, p. 128). Now, the
order of the chapters stated in this ×adÊth is the same as it has
existed in the Qur’Én all through; which shows that the
arrangement of all the chapters must have been fixed by the
Holy Prophet (Peace be on him!) himself, it being
inconceivable that he arranged only the above-mentioned five
and left out the rest.
2. In Imam Tirmizi’s JÉme‘ (vol. 2, pp. 118,119) there is a

×adÊth which says: “A man enquired: ‘O God’s Messenger!
which action is most liked by God?’ He replied: ‘(the action
of) him who finishes a journey and goes on a journey’.”
Dirimi has added to this ×adÊth, in his Sunan (p. 41), the
following: “It was asked as to what was the meaning of
finishing a journey and undertaking another. (To this) he
86
See in this connection, among others: Al-Zarakshi: KitÉb al-BurhÉn;
Suyūti: Al-ItqÉn; Shaikh Abdul Haq Muhaddith: Ash‘at al-Luma‘Ét.
103
VOLUME ONE
replied: ‘A possessor of the Qur’Én recites it from its

beginning to its end, and when he finishes, he returns to the
beginning (to finish it again), (making it his routine that)
whenever he finishes the journey (of reading and studying the
Qur’Én from beginning to end), he begins the same journey
(afresh)’.” Here, the very notions of a beginning and an
ending for the reading of the Qur’Én as a book imply the
existence of the arrangement of chapters.
The ×adÊth narrated by Imam Tirmizi (JÉme‘, vol. 2, p. 118),

wherein the enquiry submitted by Abdullah ibn ‘Amr to the
Holy Prophet (Peace be upon him!) in respect of the number
of days that was advisable for him to fix for reading the
Qur’Én from the beginning to the end is similar to the above
as regards the logical conclusion to which it leads.
3. Imam Ahmad has recorded in his Musnad a ×adÊth which has

a direct bearing on the problem of the arrangement of
chapters. Therein, Aus ibn Abi Aus Hudhaifa al-Thaqafi
reports that he was a member of a delegation of the Banu
Thaqif tribe that had come to the Holy Prophet at Madina, and
that the Holy Prophet used to visit the delegation every night
after the ‘IshÉ prayer; then, it so happened one night that the
Holy Prophet was late in coming to them and, on enquiry as to
the cause of the delay, he told them: “I had missed the ×izb
(i.e., a definite portion of the Qur’Én fixed for recitation)
meant for today; and I disliked that I should come out without
finishing that (task).” “Then”, Aus adds, “we enquired from
104
the Companions of God’s Messenger in respect of aÍzÉb

(plural of Íizb) of the Qur’Én (namely, in what manner did
they recite the Qur’Én divided into a number of parts: aÍzÉb).
To that they replied that they recited (it according to this
division): three chapters, (beginning with chapter: al-
Baqarah) 87 (on the first day of the week), (the following) five
chapters (on the second day), (the following) seven chapters
(on the third day), (the following) nine chapters (on the fourth
day), (the following) eleven chapters (on the fifth day), (the
following) thirteen chapters (on the sixth day), and from the
chapter named QÉf (numbering 50 in the Qur’Én) to the end of
the Qur’Én (on the seventh day).” (vol. 4 p. 343). This detail
corroborates the arrangement of chapters in the Qur’Én as it is
today, as Hafiz lbn Hajar al-Asqalani emphasises in FatÍ al-
BÉrÊ, vol. 9, p. 39.
4. We learn from Bukhari’s ØaÍÊÍ (vol. 3, p. 141) that a rehearsal

of the entire up-to-date Qur’Én was done by the Holy Prophet
in collaboration with angel JibrÊl, every year during the month
of Ramadan, it having taken place twice in the Ramadan
immediately preceding the Holy Prophet’s demise. It is
87
The first chapter, named Al-FÉtiÍah, has not been taken into account,
because, it being the most basic Qur’Énic prayer, no devotional action is
complete without it. Hence, its recitation has to be repeated every day in
connection with that day’s Íizb—and that in its own right. That seems to be
the reason why it has not been mentioned as a part of the first day’s Íizb.
105
VOLUME ONE
evident that any such thing was impossible to happen if the

Qur’Én had been un-arranged at any stage; which means that
even the arrangement of its chapters in their serial order was
taking place under the Holy Prophet’s guidance from the very
beginning according to the Divine Plan.
5. The greatest proof of the fact that the arrangement of the

chapters, even as that of the verses, took place under the
instruction of the Holy Prophet, who as a result bequeathed
the Qur’Én to humanity is exactly in its present form and
contents, consists of the following truths: (a) the Qur’Én is not
only a Book of Guidance but also a book for recital for all
Muslims. As such, one of the fondest pursuit of the Holy
Prophet’s Companions was its recital to their utmost capacity.
It was obligatory for every Muslim to recite it in the daily
prayers; but every Muslim’s devotion to it was of such
magnitude that he or she tried to go as far beyond the
obligatory recitation as possible. All that would have been
impossible, however, if the Qur’Én had not existed from the
very beginning as a book thoroughly arranged and perfectly
organised internally. (b) If the Qur’Én had not been perfected
in every aspect before the Holy Prophet’s demise, variations at
least in respect of the arrangement of its chapters would have
unavoidably taken place. But no such thing has happened. (c)
Muslim scholars have differed among themselves on different
issues, the differences even assuming sometimes what may be
termed as ‘sectarian dimensions’ and the races and peoples
106
who have been joining the fold of Islam during the past
fourteen centuries came with different backgrounds. But the
Qur’Én has remained what it always was since its completion
in the Holy Prophet’s time. It means that all Muslims have
accepted from the very beginning, and always, that not only
its meaning-structure but also its word-structure, and that not
only its contents but also its form—which consists of the
arrangement of its verses and chapters, is divinely-ordained
and exists as perfected and completed under the direct
instruction of the Holy Prophet (God’s choicest Blessings be
with him!).
Says Ibn Hazm, the versatile Islamic scholar of the fifth century
of the Hijri era: “He who says that the arrangement of the verses and
the chapters (of the Qur’Én) is not Divine through His Prophet, he is
ignorant and a fabricator … Had the people arranged (the verses and
the chapters) themselves, they could not have avoided one of the
(following) three methods (of arrangement): (1) either according to
the order of revelation; (2) or, they would have given priority to the
longer chapters, placing the shorter ones after them: (3) or, vice versa
(i.e., from shorter to longer chapters). But because that is not the case,
it (the present arrangement) is certainly through the Prophet’s own
instruction which could not have clashed with the Divine Order. (In
fact) no alternative remains except this.” (KitÉb al-Fasl, vol. 4, p.
221).
107
VOLUME ONE

108
Page 110- Blank

Chapter 3
THE PROCESS OF preservation
and propagation
The arrangements instituted by the Holy Prophet (Peace be on

him!) were perfect not only in respect of the communication of
Qur’Énic revelations but also concerning their preservation.
In this connection, it should be noted that although paper and

parchment were not available in abundance, all important literary
work was preserved through writing on parchment or on paper. The
concept of writing on parchment or paper has been clearly projected in
the Qur’Én itself when it says: “If We (i.e., God) had sent unto you (O
Muhammad!) a book (or, a writing) on paper (or parchment), so that
they could touch it with their hands …” (6:7).
Supplies of paper, and even of parchment, being very limited, the

initial writing of the revelations was very naturally executed by using
other writing materials of those days, e.g., flat bones, chiselled stems
of palm-leaves and wooden or stone tablets. But, once this initial work
had been executed, the writing of the revelations, in accordance with
their arrangement dictated to the Scribes by the Holy Prophet, on
proper pieces of paper or parchment, which were seemingly in the
form of the leaves of a book, was undertaken without fail. The
evidence in this respect is explicit. For instance, al-Hakim has
recorded the testimony of no less an authority than Zaid ibn Thabit,
under the heading of “Compilation of the Qur’Én during the time of
God’s Messenger”, thus: “He said: ‘We (the Scribes) used to compile
the Qur’Én from the (records of revelations made on) ruqÉ‘ (i.e.,
pieces of paper or of parchment).”88 (Al-Mustadrak, vol. 2, p. 611).89
In this way grew up quite a good number of copies of the Holy

Qur’Én under the direct instruction and supervision of the Holy
90
Prophet (Peace be upon him!). Then, the copies compiled by the
88
Leaves of paper can be stitched together to form a book. Similarly, uniform
pieces of parchment can be used for making a book. Hence, whether the
Arabs of those days used parchment made of the tanned thin membraneous
layer of animal skin, or paper made of rags or reeds, is immaterial; because,
although in their texture paper and parchment are different materials, they are
similar in respect of their function.
We know that Papyrus, manufactured from reed, was used in Egypt as early
as 2500 B.C., while paper made from rags was used by the Chinese since the
2nd Century B.C. The existence of paper in Arabia, together with parchment,
which was in use there since the 2nd century B.C., cannot be ruled out, as we
find in the references to writing materials given, among others, in Suyuti’s
Al-ItqÉn (vol. 1, pp. 58, 59).
89
Cf. KitÉb al-BurhÉn, vol. 1, p. 256; Darimi: Sunan, p. 68.
90
The following ×ÉdÊth indicates that the compiled material was maintained
“between two boards”, namely, in the form of some sort of binding in book-
shape. “Abd al-Aziz ibn Rafi said: I and Shaddad ibn Ma‘qil visited Ibn
Abbas; then Shaddad questioned him: ‘Did the Prophet bequeath anything?’
He replied: ‘No, except what is contained between the two boards (‘i.e., the
Qur’Én)’. Then we visited Muhammad ibn al-Hanafiyyah and put the same
question to him; then he too replied that he (the Prophet) did not leave behind
111
VOLUME ONE
Scribes were handed over to other Companions, as we have already

noted, so that they copied them out in order to possess their own
copies for reading as well as memorisation. The copies compiled by
the Scribes as well as the others continued to grow in content with the
progress in revelation until they were declared to be complete by the
Holy Prophet, who proclaimed in clear terms: “I am leaving in your
midst a thing which (in terms of its importance) is such that you will
never fall into error so long as you hold to it firmly; and it is the Book
of God (i.e., the Qur’Én).” (Abu Da’ud: Sunan, vol. 1, p. 264).
When we attend to the problem of the number of copies of the

Qur’Én that existed during the Holy Prophet’s time and look into the
statements contained in Bukhari’s ØaÍÊÍ (vol. 3, p. 143), Muslim’s
ØaÍÊÍ (vol. 2, p. 252), TahdhÊb al-TahdhÊb (vol. 7, p. 243), IstÊ‘Éb
(vol. 2, p. 565), Usud al-GhÉbah (vol. 2, p. 286), Ibn Sa‘d’s TabaqÉt
(vol. 2, p. 112), etc., we become sure of the existence of at least fifteen
copies.91 Then, when we consider the number of the Scribes appointed
by the Holy Prophet, the number of copies goes further up. Again:
when we consider the total situation in the Muslim community of the
anything except what is contained between the two boards.” (Bukhari: ØaÍÊÍ,
vol. 3, p. 143).
91
In respect of possessors of complete copies, all recorded evidence compels
us to include the first four righteous Caliphs, ‘i.e., Abu Bakr, Omar, Uthman
and Ali,—besides other eminent Companions like Mu‘adh ibn Jabal, Ubayy
ibn Ka‘ab, Zaid ibn Thabit. Abu Darda’, Abu Ayyub Ansari, Abdullah ibn
Mas‘ud, ‘Ubadah ibn al-Samit and Tamim Dari.
112
Holy Prophet’s time with reference to widespread activity of recitation

and memorisation, we are compelled to consider the number of copies
as still higher.
After the demise of the Holy Prophet (Peace be upon him!), the
number of copies multiplied by leaps and bounds under the
compulsion of the law of demand and supply, so much so that before
the commencement of the caliphate of Uthman thousands upon
thousands of copies had come into existence. Ibn Hazm bears
testimony to it thus: “When the Prophet passed away, Islam had
already spread in the whole (Arabian) peninsula from the Red Sea to
the (southern) coast of Yemen and from the Persian Gulf to Euphrates.
There were innumerable townships and villages inside the peninsula
where all the inhabitants had declared allegiance to Islam and had
constructed the masjids. There was no town, village, or quarter, where
the Qur’Én was not recited at the masjids during prayers. Children and
male and female adults, all, learnt it, and it was also copied out in
writing. After the Prophet’s period, Abu Bakr ruled as Caliph for 2½
years … the recitation grew more and more. There was no town where
the copies of the Qur’Én were not available. After that, Omar became
the Caliph and conquered the length and breadth of Persia and the
whole of Syria and Egypt. In those countries also there was no
inhabited place where masjids were not built and new copies of the
Qur’Én were not made.The leaders of congregational prayers recited
it, and the children all over the east and the west (of the Islamic
empire) learnt it. This period lasted for ten years and some months.
113
VOLUME ONE
When Omar died, at least one hundred thousand copies of the Qur’Én
must have been in existence.” (KitÉb al-FaÎl, vol. 2, p. 78).
Since then upto this day, the number of copies that have gone
into circulation is beyond all possibility of counting. But the text of
the Holy Qur’Én has not suffered even the slightest deviation and
variation. Truly had it been proclaimed by God at the time of its
revelation: “We have, without doubt, sent down the Message (i.e., the
Qur’Én), and We are assuredly the guardian thereof.” (15:9).
It is necessary to observe here that the Qur’Én was propagated by

the Holy Prophet not only in written form but also orally, he being not
merely the deliverer of the Divine Message but also its Teacher par
excellence (62:2); and the Muslims were asked by him not only to
read the holy book but also to memorise it. In this way a double
process of preserving the purity of the text of the Holy Qur’Én came to
exist, and a perfect system of teaching it originated with the Holy
Prophet himself.
Thus we find BukhÉrÊ reporting about Abdullah ibn Mas‘ud that

he said: “I learnt directly from the mouth of God’s Messenger about
79 chapters.” (ØaÍÊÍ, vol. 2, p. 141). The same Companion also
reported, according to Muslim’s ØaÍÊÍ (vol. 1, p. 121), that: “God’s
Messenger asked me to recite the Qur’Én before him. Thereupon I
enquired: ‘Should I recite to you while it has been revealed to you?’
He replied: ‘I like to hear it recited by others’. So I recited the chapter
al-NisÉ’.”
114
Thus were the Companions trained by the Holy Prophet as

licensed teachers of the Qur’Én for the masses and they performed this
function, under appointment from the him,92 with utmost diligence.
Just by way of examples: MiftÉÍ al-Sa‘Édah (vol. 1, p. 349) reports:
“Abu ‘Aliyah said: I recited the Qur’Én to Omar four times;” and,
according to Dhahabi’s TabaqÉt al-QurrÉ’ (p. 606): “When Abu
Darda would finish his morning prayer, he would set his students in
batches of ten. Once he counted them, and they were more than
sixteen hundred.”
The system of teaching that developed had the memorisation of

the Qur’Én as its vital part, and a continuous chain of licensed and
authorised teachers grew, and has continued to grow from generation
to generation, not only to propagate the text of the Qur’Én but also to
preserve its purity, in which connection a whole science has
93
developed; and the uniform oral as well as written transmission
down the centuries through successive generations of Qur’Énic
teachers belonging to divers races and countries, has crowned the
92
“‘Ubadah ibn al-Samit reported that if God’s Messenger was engaged and
someone came (to Madina) as immigrant, he entrusted him to one of us to
teach him the Qur’Én.” (Kanz al-‘UmmÉl, vol. 1, p. 231). According to Isti‘Éb
(vol. 1, p. 369) and Tabari’s TÉrīkh (vol. 3, p. 156), the Holy Prophet
appointed several Companions to teach the Qur’Én to the tribes living outside
Madina. The appointment of teachers has also been recorded in Bukhari’s
ØaÍÊÍ (vol. 3, p. 141), Muslim’s ØaÍÊÍ (vol. 2, p. 252), and Tirmizi’s JÉme‘
(vol. 2, p. 222).
93
These two processes have functioned as guards on one another.
115
VOLUME ONE
94
Holy Qur’Én with the merit of tawÉtur to a degree of glory where
even the slightest possibility of doubt in respect of the purity of its text
is totally eliminated.
That is the only reason why even those hostile western scholars,
for whom the highest virtue is to revile Islam on the flimsiest grounds,
had to bow their heads in humility when confronted with the problem
of the authenticity of the Qur’Én and had to grudgingly admit the
purity of its text—scholars, such as: Palmer (The Qur’Én — English
Translation; Introduction, p. 59); Wherry (Commentary on the Kuran,
1, p. 349); Snouck Hurgronje (Mohammedanism, p. 18); William Muir
(Life of Mohammad, Introduction, p. 23); Philip K. Hitti (History of
the Arabs, p. 123); and Torrey (Jewish Foundation of Islam, p. 2). To
quote just the last reference: “The Koran was his (i.e.,Muhammad’s)
own creation; and it lies before us practically unchanged from the
form which he himself gave it.” Had the blinding fire of antagonism to
Islam not burned in the heart of Torrey in the manner it did, he could
have spoken at least in the tone of Bosworth Smith, who said: “In the
Koran we have, beyond all reasonable doubt, the exact words of
Mohammad without substraction and without addition.” (Mohammad
and Mohammadanism, p. 22). And it is not only Bosworth Smith who
says so, but many others. For instance, F.F. Arbuthnot has confessed
that: “… complete text of the Koran … has remained the same,
without any change or alteration by enthusiasts, translators, or
interpolators, upto the present time. It is to be regretted that the same
94
Namely, unbroken transmission with absolute uniformity.
116
cannot be said of all the books of the Old and New Testaments.”
(The Construction of the Bible and the Koran, p. 5).

117
Chapter 4
THE Qur’ân AS THE ONLY AUTHENTIC
REVEALED BOOK IN THE WORLD
Absolute authenticity in respect of the purity of its text forms the

Holy Qur’Én’s distinctive claim—a claim in which it stands unique
among all the sacred books of the world: those based on the concept
of Divine Revelation and others that are not. Among the former, the
Jewish and Christian scriptures stand out most prominently.
As to the Jewish sacred books, from where Christianity derives

its base, the reformed Judaism of today has forsaken completely the
age-old claim, which is the very foundation of the Jewish faith,
namely, the claim relating to their status as divinely-revealed books,
as also their authenticity as records of the teachings of Jewish
Prophets. According to the Jewish Encyclopaedia, the emphasis on
divine origin has given way to the admission of “the human origin of
the Holy Scriptures”, with all their holiness and infallibility shattered,
so much so that “the ancient view of a literal dictation by God must be
surrendered.” Also, “the prophet and the sacred writer were under the
influence of the Divine Spirit while revealing by word or pen … (but)
the human element in them was not extinguished, and consequently, in
regard to their statements, their knowledge, and the form of their
communication, they could only have acted as children of their age.”
(vol. 6, pp. 608-609).
This ugly situation has emerged for Judaism basically because

the Message of God preached and taught by the Jewish Prophets (God
bless them all!) was lost, in respect of its original purity, by the Jewish
people long ago under the strains and stresses of historical
circumstances. What remained was an adulterated and corrupted form
of religious teaching and incorrect history, and on that Judaism has
been fed ever since. As a result, we find today Jewish scholarship
between the devil and the deep sea in respect of the authenticity of the
Jewish religion. While “the ancients regarded the whole mass of the
national religious writings as equally holy,”95 the moderns have
denied completely God’s authorship of any Jewish sacred book. “That
the real authority of the Bible is intrinsic rather than prescriptive”,
says Joseph (Judaism as Creed and Life), “becomes clear as soon as
we think of the circumstances in which the Scriptural canon was
formed. The decision by which certain books were included in the
Bible and others excluded, was a purely human decision. The great
96
teachers sat in judgment upon the claims of various works, and
decided upon those claims by the light of reason 97—in other words,
by the internal merits of the works themselves.98 Nor was the decision
95
Jewish Encyclopaedia, vol. 3, p. 140.
96
And not the Jewish Prophets who had delivered the Message of God! And
these ‘great teachers’ also ‘sat’ long afterwards!!!
97
And not by the light of Revelation!
98
Merits—in what respect?
119
VOLUME ONE
always easy.99 The fate of some books, like Ecclesiastes, and

Centicles, and Esther, was, we learn, trembling in the balance even as
late as the third century of the present era … The Bible, being the
work of godly men, necessarily contains both a Divine and a human
element. But since everything human is imperfect, we must not expect
to find an absolutely perfect representation of Divine truth even in
100
God’s Book … Some of the Biblical stories are clearly legends …
The Pentateuch is the work not of one hand but of many hands 101 …
Similar views prevail among scholars with regard to other books of
the Bible (pp. 18, 20, 22, 23, 24).” Modern scholarship, which has
given birth to reformed Judaism, supports the above views of Joseph
unanimously. For instance: with respect to the infallibility of the
Jewish scripture and its authenticity as the Word of God, Vellentine’s
One Volume Jewish Encyclopaedia tells us: “Jewish tradition … does
not hesitate to admit later elaboration and revision of certain books in
the Bible… As an unimpeachable source of history and chronology
the Bible is often disappointing, exhibiting statements and data which
99
How could it be when there was no standard of judgment?
100
In what sense is it ‘God’s Book’ ?
101
According to the Jewish Encyclopaedia, the contents of the Pentateuch
have been derived from twentyeight different sources, where the authorship
of Moses vanishes into thin air (p. 590). We are also informed that “the many
inconsistencies and seeming contradictions contained in it (‘i.e., Pentateuch)
attracted the attention of the Rabbis. who exercised their ingenuity in
reconciling them (p. 589).”
120
seem either vague or contradictory, or else fail to agree with what is

known of contemporary oriental history and chronology.” (pp. 93, 95).
As to the Christian version: “With the advance in the technique

of textual criticism during the course of the last generation, with a
more searching analysis of the matter of the text, and with the use of
the comparative method in evaluating the tradition embodied in the
narrative, it has become even more patently evident that orthodox
opinion in regard to the authenticity of the Bible cannot be
maintained.”102 One has only to go through the findings of the official
representatives of Christianity, as recorded in the Encyclopaedia
Biblica, to discover the impeachment of the authenticity of the Old
and the New Testaments by the Christendom of today. In the words of
one of the best Biblical apologists, who wrote for the Encyclopaedia
of Religion and Ethics (vol. 7, p. 263): “It is now a common-place of
Biblical learning that God has been at no pains to prevent errors of
103
history and knowledge and defects in the text and its transmission
from finding an entrance into the sacred pages of His Written
102
Sir Richard Gregory: Religion in Science and Civilisation, p. 86.
103
“errors of history and knowledge and defects in the text and its
transmission” are there only because the Old Testament as well as the New
are the products of human brains, where the truth revealed by God has been
perverted and mixed up with falsehood by human ignorance as well as wrong
motives. The Divine Wisdom is absolute and cannot, even in the
understanding of a child, admit of the slightest error or defect.
121
VOLUME ONE
Word.”104 Rev. Bosworth Smith, who seems to be more frank, is more

rational in his confession. Comparing the confirmed claim of the
Qur’Én to absolute authenticity with the baseless orthodox Christian
claim concerning the Bible, he says: “The Bible in particular makes no
such claim… The Bible is the work of a large number of poets,
prophets, statesmen, and lawgivers, extending over a vast period of
time, and incorporates with itself other and earlier, and often
conflicting, documents.” (Mohammad and Mohammadanism, p. 19).
It may be observed here in passing that it is not only the so-called

‘revealed’ religions but also the ‘unrevealed’ ones that suffer from
inauthenticity with regard to their sacred texts. Although our present
discussion does not directly relate to unrevealed religions owing to
their different basis, we may with advantage refer to one such major
religion, namely, Buddhism, to reveal the situation on that side.105 To
quote just one authority: “The truth is that the oldest stratum of the
existing scriptures (of Buddhism) can only be reached by uncertain
inference and conjecture… I confess that I do not know what the
‘original gospel’ of Buddhism was … Buddhism is a body of
traditions in which few names stand out, and in which fewer dates are
104
But, what Written Word from God did Jesus ever give, so far as the
Christian testimony goes?
105
Of course, Hinduism, Jainism, Confucianism, Tao-ism, etc., also suffer
from the same defect.
122
precisely known. It is indeed most exasperating when we try to apply

our current ideas of historical criticism.106
To revert to the scriptures which claim to be revealed, the

following verdict of an English scholar is final: “The truth of the
message is intimately connected with the authenticity of the record,
and a critical theory which assails the one assails the other.”107
With this verdict—and the principle on which it is based is

incontrovertible—Judaism and Christianity, both, are ruled out; while
the absolute authenticity of the Qur’Én proves the genuineness of its
Message, and here the judgment emerges in all its grandeur that if
Divine Revelation alone is the true and valid basis for Religion, then
the Holy the Qur’Én alone gives us the true Religion—the Religion
revealed by the Creator and Sovereign of the universe and man.

106
Edward Conze: Buddhism, its Essence and Development, pp. 27, 29-30.
107
The Church Times, February 10, 1905.
123
Chapter 5
THE STYLE AND STRUCTURE
OF THE Qur’ân
The problem may be viewed in three dimensions, namely, (1)

intonation, (2) diction, and (3) thought, and the Qur’Én is inimitable
and unique in each.

INTONATION:
No other scripture possesses that exquisite and majestic charm of

melody that the Holy Qur’Én has. An English scholar and orientalist of
repute bears testimony to this fact when he says: “… the Glorious
Qur’Én, that inimitable symphony the very sounds of which move men
to tears and ecstasy.”108

DICTION:
As regards diction: The Arabic language itself, which is the

language of the Qur’Én, is an extremely rich language—a fact attested
108
Marmaduke Pickthall: Meaning of the Glorious Qur’Én. Translator’s
Foreword, 1st para.
unanimously by all the Arabicists of the world, Muslim as well as

non-Muslim. Over and above that, there is the style employed in the
Qur’Én, whose depths in the dimension of meaning and heights in
respect of grandeur are simply immeasurable by human genius—a fact
which has given to the language of the Qur’Én the status of “the purest
Arabic”109 and “the standard of the Arabic tongue”110—all that in a
miraculous form. “Whenever Muhammad was asked a miracle as a
proof of the authenticity of his mission”, says the French scholar Paul
Casanova, “he quoted the composition of the Qur’Én and its
incomparable excellence as proof of its Divine origin. And, in fact,
even for those who are non-Muslims nothing is more marvellous than
its language which with such a prehensible plenitude and grasping
sonority with its simple audition ravished with admiration those
111
primitive peoples so fond of eloquence. The ampleness of its
syllables with a grandiose cadence and with a remarkable rhythm have
been of much moment in the conversion of the most hostile and the
most skeptical …”112 And the American scholar, Harry Gaylord
Dorman, says: “It (Qur’Én) is an ever-present miracle witnessing to
109
F.F. Arbuthnot, The Construction of the Bible and the Koran, London, p.5.
110
George Sale: The Koran: The Preliminary Discourse, London and New
York 1891, p. 47.
111
In actual fact, the Arabs of those days were not primitive but highly
civilised in respect of language.
112
“L’Enseignement de I’Arabe au College de France”. in Lecon d’overture
for 26th April, 1909.
125
VOLUME ONE
itself and to Muhammad, the Prophet of God. Its miraculous quality

resides partly in its style, so perfect and lofty that neither men nor jinn
could produce a single chapter to compare with its briefest chapter,
and partly in its content of teachings, prophecies is about the future,
and amazingly accurate information such as the illiterate Muhammad
could never have gathered of so his own accord.”113
It is correct to say that the miraculous quality of the Qur’Én

resides only partly in its literary aspect. Its emphasis on this aspect
was, however, necessitated by the the arrogance of the Arabs of those
days who were proud of their high attainment in literary skill. Thus
the challenge was posed to them on their own terms, when the Holy
Qur’Én proclaimed: “Or do they say: ‘he has forged it’? Say: ‘Bring
you then ten suras forged, like thereunto, and call (to your aid)
whomsoever you can, other than AllÉh!—, if you speak the truth’.”
(11:13). “Say (O Muhammad!): ‘if the whole of mankind and jinns
were to gather together to produce the like of this Qur’Én, they could
not produce of the like thereof, even if they backed up each other with
help and support.” (17:88).114
It is difficult to translate any book written in any language. Much

more so the Qur’Én, whose miraculous language simply defies
113
Towards Understanding Islam, New York 1948. p. 3.
114
It should be observed that both of these verses were revealed at Makka,
which proves that the Qur’Én grew from the very beginning in book-form.
Also: we find this challenge repeated on three other occasions, viz., 2:23;
10:38; 52:34.
126
translation. All honest translators are unanimous in this behalf. “The

Qur’Én”, says Marmaduke Pickthall, “cannot be translated. That is the
belief of old-fashioned Sheykhs and the view of the present writer.”115
“Of all the great works,” writes Abdul Majid Daryabadi, “the Holy
Qur’Én is perhaps the least translatable. Arabic is not at all easy to
translate into a language so widely and radically differing from it in
structure and genius as English, unless it be with the aid of loose
periphrasis and lax paraphrase. Even so the fire of the original is
quenched, its vivacious perspicuity is lost, and the so-called literal
translation looks rugged and dreary. That the language of the Arabs
abounds in nuances and both the noun and the verb are extremely
flexible, is a fact well known to every student of that tongue. The
difficulty is increased hundredfold when one has to render into
English, with any degree of accuracy and precision, a work so rich in
meaning, so pithy in expression, so vigorous in style and so subtle in
implications as the Holy Qur’Én. To reproduce even partially its exotic
beauty, wonderful grandeur and magical vivacity without sacrificing
the requirements of the English idiom and usage, is the despair of the
translator and an ideal impossible of attainment. The result is that
every fresh attempt at translating the Holy Writ brings home, in
varying degrees, the truth of the old saying that nothing is so unlike an
original as its copy.”116 According to Eduard Montet, “… the Coran
115
op. cit.
116
The Holy Qur’Én: English Translation and Commentary, Lahore and
Karachi 1957, Preface, p. 9.
127
VOLUME ONE
(Qur’Én) … its grandeur of form is so sublime that no translation into

any European language can allow us to appreciate it.”117 Even a
Christian clergyman has confessed: “The Qur’Én in its original Arabic
dress has a seductive beauty and charm of its own. Couched in concise
and exalted style, its brief pregnant sentences, often rhymed, possess
an expressive force and explosive energy which it is extremely
difficult to convey by literal word for word translation.”118
The Qur’Énic narration is so unique in its style, and so different

from the writings of the world’s seers and sages, that those who are
accustomed only to read human literary productions based on
commonplace logical sequence and on the finitude in which human
thought expresses itself—the finitude of human perception and
conception having its own finite, and hence more intelligible and more
crystalised, sequential emphasis—are likely to discover that their
minds do not grasp truly the transcendental logic of the Qur’Énic
narration as it flows majestically, starting at sura al-FÉtiha and ending
at sura al-NÉs.
A non-Muslim translator of the Holy Qur’Én views this problem

in his own light and tenders the following advice to the readers of
translations: “In the first place, the Western reader must get rid of the
assumption that the Koran is more or less like the Old Testament. The
misapprehension is natural enough, when the first casual glance picks
117
Traduction Francaise du Coran, Paris 1929, Introduction, p. 53.
118
John Naish, M.A. (Oxon.), D.D: The Wisdom of the Qur’an, Oxford 1937,
Preface, p. 8.
128
out the names of Adam, Abraham, Moses, David, Solomon, Jonah,

119
Joseph, Jacob, Job: the Biblical style of the popular translations
does not furnish exactly a corrective. Misled by these early
impressions, the reader makes the fatal mistake of trying to take it too
much at once; he opens at a likely place, the beginning of a sura, and
is lulled into suspicion by the familiar layout of chapter and verse; he
finishes the first sura and goes on to several more; he is bewildered by
the rapid and seemingly illogical changes of subject, and he quickly
wearies of the frequent repetitions of themes and formulas… The
Koran, like the poetry which it resembles in so many ways, is best
sampled a little at a time; and that little deserves and needs
meditation… He (the reader) will become gradually familiar with the
Koran’s claim to be a confirmation of earlier scriptures. He will
observe how the Koran assumes a knowledge of the contents of those
scriptures, and only later expands the individual narratives into
something like connected stories. He now follows step by step the
gradual unfolding of the full prophetic powers, and when he comes to
the polemic and the legislation he is readier to receive and understand
them … the uninitiated enquirer … is screened from it by the double
veil of a printed page and a foreign idiom. Yes, a foreign idiom, for
the Koran is God’s revelation in Arabic, and the emotive and
evocative qualities of the original disappear almost totally in the
119
The text of the Bible, as we have already noted, has been composed by
eminent human writers, who have very naturally adopted the popular human
style. In the translations that style has become even more human. But all that
has happened at the cost of loss of the Divine Truth.
129
VOLUME ONE
skilfullest translation. When appreciation rests upon these

foundations, the charges of wearisome repetition and jumbled
confusion become meaningless. Truth cannot be dimmed by being
frequently stated, but only gains in clarity and convincingness at every
repetition …”120

THOUGHT:
The Qur’Én says about itself that it was sent down during the
month of Ramadan (2:185), in the Night of Power (97:1), its primary
and eternal existence being in a “Tablet Preserved” (85:21-22), “in the
Mother of the Book, in Our (i.e., God’s) Presence, high (in dignity),
full of wisdom” (43:4).
The question is: Does the coming down of the Qur’Én in the
Night of Power imply the commencement of revelation to the Holy
Prophet (Peace be upon him!), or its revelation to him in its entirety on
that single occasion, or its descent from the ‘Tablet Preserved’ in
some other dimension?
As to the first, we have already recorded in the foregoing that the

first revelation came to the Holy Prophet on the 12th of Rabi‘ al-
120
A. J. Arberry: The Holy Koran, an Introduction with Selections, London
1953, pp. 25-27.
130
Awwal, that being the fact to which a critical study of all the relevant
reports leads us.
Taking up the second alternative: It is denied by the Qur’Én. We

are told therein: “And (this is) a Recitation (lit., Qur’Én) that We have
divided (into parts from time to time), that you (O Muhammad!)
mayest recite it to humankind at intervals, and We have revealed it (to
you) by (successive) revelation.” (17:106).121
Thus we are left only with the third alternative, and here we get
to the correct answer. Abdullah ibn Abbas, whose authority in respect
of the problems relating to the Qur’Én has been held in very high
esteem all through Islamic history, is reported by different authorities,
like Nasai, Baihaqi, al-Hakim, al-Tibrani and al-Bazzar, to have held
that the entire Qur’Én, as we have it today, came down in the Night of
Power from the “Divine Presence” “to the nether heaven” (i.e., the
heaven nearest to the earth), where in the “House of Power, Honour
and Glory (bait al-‘izzat)”, it dwelt, like the stars, by the order of God,
and from where its portions came to the Holy Prophet (Peace be on
him!) as occasions arose, even “as the stars fall from heaven”, under
the Decree of God,—whereafter the revelations were arranged, under
Divine guidance, by the Holy Prophet, through his Scribes, in
accordance with the original eternal Qur’Én and not in their
chronological sequence. The Commentator Ibn Kathir has concurred
with this view in his TafsÊr (vol. 4, p. 529), while the famous Suyuti
proclaims, quoting al-Qurtubi, thus: “The consensus of learned verdict
121
Cf. 25:32; 76:23.
131
VOLUME ONE
is to the effect that the the Qur’Én came down all at one time from the
‘Tablet Preserved’ to the ‘House of Power, Honour and Glory’ in the
nether heaven.” (Al-ItqÉn, vol. 1, p. 40).
The report of Ibn Abbas directs our attention to sura HÉ MÊm

(41), which begins with the claim of the Qur’Én as a revealed book;
then, after reference to those who contested its divine origin and the
Divine Messengership of the bearer of its Message, speaks of the
bounties of God as manifested in the earth and of the waÍy of God to
the seven firmaments in respect of the assignment of their duty and
command,—thereafter emphasising: “And We adorned the nether
heaven with lights, and rendered it inviolable. Such is the Decree of
(Him) the Exalted in Might, Full of Knowledge” (verse 12). Maybe,
the reference in the adornment of the nether heaven with lights and the
establishment of inviolability, is concerned not only with the physical
phenomenon as the human beings know it but also with the spiritual
phenomenon so explicitly spoken of by Ibn Abbas.
Anyhow, the main point to be noted is that the Qur’Én we possess

today existed in ‘Divine Presence’ eternally as a ‘Book’122 and that,
although it was revealed piece-meal as occasions arose,123 the Holy
122
That the Qur’Én calls itself a Book even in the early revelations forms
proof of the fact that it was a ‘Book’ before its revelation to the Holy Prophet
(Peace be on him!).
123
It should be clearly noted that though the revelations came as occasions
arose, the message contained therein was not confined to the exigencies of
the situation.
132
Prophet (Peace be on him!) arranged it in accordance with the eternal

arrangement as revealed to him. It may be emphasised that unless this
fact is accepted, the style of the Qur’Én cannot be properly the
understood.
Now, a collection of haphazard statements cannot be genuinely

named as a book. There should be a sequence and a system inherent in
it, which alone bestows that status properly. Thus, because the Qur’Én
insisted upon designating itself as a Book, much before it acquired the
book-form with the ending of the Revelation, there must be present in
it some definite type of sequence. And that it does possess.
In fact, there are two types of sequence enshrined in the Holy

Qur’Én: one sequence relating to the chronological order of
revelations, the other relating to the order in which the revealed
messages were arranged.
The chronological sequence guides us, not only in respect of the

commencement and progress of the Holy Prophet’s mission, but also
about the future technique concerning the reform and development of
human communities, and of individuals, on the Islamic pattern. Hence
Islamic scholars took the greatest pains in preserving the knowledge
of chronological sequence as best as they could.
What light we receive through the consideration of chronological

sequence may be illustrated here very briefly by way of example. The
first revelation that came to the Holy Prophet (Peace be upon him!)
and formed, thus, the starting point for his mission, consisted of the
first five verses of the sura named al-‘Alaq (96). Now, the basic
133
VOLUME ONE
problem projected in those verses is that of the conflict of Faith and

Reason and the solution thereof. The immense importance of this
problem in human history in respect of the establishment of peace and
harmony between religion, on the one hand, and philosophy and
science, on the other, cannot be over-estimated, especially when we
consider that the Holy Prophet stood at the helm of the modern era of
scientific advancement—of which he himself was to be the
inaugurator, while his basic role was to establish Religion on sound
footing as God Himself had revealed it before him time to time.
Hence, placing the human knowledge cultivated through the pen in the
embrace of a dynamic Faith in God, as those verses do, it was only
logical and natural that they should have been revealed first.
Moreover, the importance given there to the cultivation of knowledge
lend to those verses pre-eminence in view of the fact that it was the
Holy Prophet’s mission to “teach new knowledge” (2:151).
Then, the first verses that were revealed after the short suspense
in Revelation, i.e., 74:1-5, reflect in essence the five Pillars of Islam,
as we find them mentioned in the ×adÊth,124 the first two verses
reflecting the Divine Messengership of Muhammad (Peace be on
him!); the third verse reflecting the belief in God, the fourth reflecting
the concept of purity, for which prayer, compulsory charity and
pilgrimage, have been prescribed as Pillars of Islam;125 the fifth verse
124
For instance: Imam Ahmad: Musnad, vol. 1, p. 27.
125
The expression: “Thy raiments purify” covers, in the widest sense,
physical, moral and spiritual purity,—these three forms of purity bearing
134
reflecting fasting (among the Pillars) in respect of the elimination of

impurities—spiritual, moral and physical.
Thereafter, we come to the following verses which, by general

consent of the authorities, are accepted as having been revealed in the
first year of the Call, forming thus a part of the very earliest
revelations: “And what will make you comprehend what the uphill
road (of virtue) is: (It is:) the setting free of a slave; or the giving of
food in a day of privation to the orphan with claims of relationship, or
to the indigent (down) in the dust; and to be of those who believe, and
enjoin patience, (constancy and self-restraint), and enjoin deeds of
kindness and compassion” (90:12-17). The emphasis in these verses
on the abolition of slavery, which had been one of the greatest curses
of the pre-Islamic civilisations, on service to fellow-beings, and on the
cultivation of a serene personality, has an importance in understanding
the approach of Islam to human problems and its system of priorities
in respect of the role of religion.
As regards the arrangemental sequence, the Holy Qur’Én contains

two levels of understanding Nature, it being the Book of the Religion
of Ideal Human Nature and (al-Din al-FiÏrah) authored by the Author
of Nature.
The two levels that relate to the understanding of Nature are: the
commonsense level and the probe-level. Human commonsense feels
reference to the three pillars of Islam mentioned in that connection. The

words ‘raiment’ and ‘garment’ have been used in the Holy Qur’Én in wider
significance than clothes (2:187; 7:26).
135
VOLUME ONE
the existence of a system—an order, and witnesses the beauty and the
grandeur of the starry heavens, the luminous moon and the blazing
sun, the majestic mountains, the enchanting landscapes, and many
many other parts of Nature besides. It is, however, the scientists who,
through their probe into the depths of the mysteries of Nature, define
the system—though not unerringly in every detail—and discover the
facts that exist below the surface, revealing the knowledge
progressively as they attain level after level.
The two levels that relate to the understanding of the Holy

Qur’Én are: (1) the level of religious consciousness, which is
embraced by unperverted human commonsense; (2) the level of
theoretic consciousness, which necessitates probe and research below
the surface of the Qur’Énic text. The logic of religious consciousness
is the instrument for acquiring understanding at the first level; while
the logic of theoretic consciousness serves the other level.
The logic of religious consciousness witnesses in the Holy

Qur’Én the sequence and the concordance as grounded in the demands
of Religion. The logic of theoretic consciousness observes the
sequence and inter-relatedness as grounded in the requirements of
theoretic Reason.
The Holy Qur’Én has come to guide all human beings, including
the common men and women, and not merely the scholars; and its
primary function is: (1) religious and not speculative; (2) development
of human personality and the social order on the basis of Religion, and
not speculation in terms of the deduction and induction of Reason; (3)
136
exhortation for guidance on the basis of the absolute Knowledge and

Wisdom of God and in the form of direct and categorical statements of
the Truth, and not the presentation for academic interest of any
imperfect findings of the struggling human mind which, if it is to
succeed in its labours in any measure, has perforce to proceed within
the framework of certain fixed categories and under a certain
‘system’.
Thus the primary level of sequence in the Holy Qur’Én is that of

the logic of religious consciousness, and in that respect there exists
126
perfect and multi-dimensional sequence from the beginning to the
end,—a sequence that, has been demonstrated by the classical
commentators. Indeed, even a cursory glance at the Qur’Énic text
bears out this fact. For instance, the very starting point of the the Holy
Qur’Én is: “In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful”—the
quest for God being the highest quest, nay, the very basic quest, of
religious consciousness.127 Then it continues to speak of God, together
126
It should be emphatically noted that a multi-dimensional sequence, which
is richer than the single-dimensional sequence that is found in the literary
works of the greatest human writers, emerges in the Holy Qur’Én primarily in
the order and arrangement that has been given by God through the Holy
Prophet to the verses that constitute its text, as well as to the words of rich
connotation employed therein.
127
The QurÉnic narrative begins with God, both chronologically and
arrangementally, in response to religious consciousness. The Biblical
narrative begins with the story of “Creation”, in response to what? Mark the
contrast.
137
VOLUME ONE
with the emphasis on His relation with the universe and man: “Praise
be to God AllÉh, the Cherisher and Sustainer of the Worlds, the
Beneficent, the Merciful, Ruler of the Day of Judgment” (1:1-3).
Then, because man seeks God primarily in the perspective of his
needs, the 4th verse is: “You (alone) do we worship; and your aid
(alone) we seek.” Then the dimensions, positive and negative, of the
Path that leads to the fulfilment of human destiny, have been crisply
projected in verses 5-7: “Show us the Straight Path, the path of those
on whom you have bestowed your Grace; not (the path) of those
whose portion is Wrath nor of those who stray.”
The first chapter ends here, and the second chapter begins. There,
the opening verse forms the response to the prayer contained in the
first chapter, with the words: “A. L. M. This is the Book; in it is
guidance, with no dubiousness, for the godfearing: who believe in the
Unseen, are steadfast in prayer and spend out of what We have
provided for them; and who believe in the Revelation sent to you (O
Muhammad!), and before your time, and (in their hearts) have the
assurance of the Hereafter. They are on the right path, guided by their
Lord, and they shall prosper” (2:1-5). Here the basic qualifications of
the Acceptors of the Truth, or, the Pursuers of the Straight Path,
mentioned in the first chapter, have been referred to. Immediately
after that comes the reference to the Rejectors of the Truth, and then
of those who swing between Truth and Falsehood, i.e., the
Hypocrites,—and so on the narration proceeds.
Similarly, when we look at the last portion of the Holy Qur’Én,

we find that, after its multi-dimensional and elaboration of the Straight
138
Path, it enters into certain very important and relevant topics. Picking
up the last one dozen chapters for the illustration of sequence, the
picture that emerges in respect of one dimension of sequence is that,
having taught the Islamic Way of Life in detail, the Holy Qur’Én
renders advice to the Muslims with regard to their status as promoters
of the mission for which Islam came. In this perspective, chapter 103
deals with the principles of the rise and fall of nations,—providing to
the Muslims certain positive dimensions of the basic emphasis;
chapters 104 and 105 project the fatal consequences attendant upon
the evils of love of wealth and lust for power; chapter 106 recalls the
principles of devotion to God and trust in His Providence as opposed
to indulgence in worldy aggrandisement; chapter 107 emphasises that
lack of the spirit of human fellowship constitute the very denial of
religion and Divine Judgement; chapter 108 emphasises that the Holy
Prophet, who is the highest embodiment of service to others based on
love for God, is the recipient of unlimited Divine favours—thus
indirectly inviting the Muslims to a life of service to fellowbeing and
devotions to God in conformity with the Ideal that the Holy Prophet’s
life present; chapter 109 highlights toleration, with devotion to Islam,
as the virtue to be pursued, in combination with the virtues
emphasizes positively and negatively in the preceding chapters just
mentioned, by the Muslims in their world-mission relating to the
establishment of all that is good for humanity and the elimination of
all that is evil; chapter 110 directs to the assurance of the triumph of
Truth and emphasises the spirit of humanity and godliness that should
be observed in victory; chapter 111 reflects inevitability of destruction
139
VOLUME ONE
of the forces of evil; chapter 112 lifts up into the appreciation of God
concerning such of His Attributes as are basic for faith in Him,—
establishment of a dynamic and living relation with Him being the
goal towards which entire Islamic activity is directed; chapters 113
and 114, which are the last two, teach the principle that, with all the
positive technique taught by the Holy Qur’Én for the pursuit of
godliness, a Muslim should ever remain vigilant against the impact of
even the slightest evil,—thus to ensure his progress on the path of
godliness and the attainment of the final goal, namely, complete
harmony with God.
Here we must record one of the miracles relating to the holy

book, to which our attention has been drawn thus:
“AllÉh has revealed (from time to time) the most excellent

Message in the form of a Book, consistent with itself and
conformable in its various parts, repeating (its teaching in
various aspects) …”128 (39:23).
The Holy Qur’Én was revealed in portions during a long period of

well-nigh twenty-three years, wherein the Holy Prophet’s life passed
through very complicated and varied circumstances, and events of
very different types took place. Indeed, the situation remained
throughout such as to invite discrepancies in the Holy Prophet’s
conduct and in the projection of principles by him. Had the Holy
128
The reference here is to multi-dimensional sequence mentioned in the
foregoing.
140
Qur’Én been a product of the Holy Prophet’s mind, it was bound to

have registered numerous inconsistencies,129 and those inconsistencies
were bound to have been present in it because its piecemeal revelation
was recorded once for all on all the occasions of revelation and was
preserved as such. But under the circumstances that we have noted,
the presence of consistency in it is a definite and miraculous proof of
the truth of its revelation, as well as of its preservation, by God.
Now, besides consistency, the conformability of the Holy Qur’Én

in its various parts, as mentioned in the above verse, brings us to the
logic of theoretic consciousness, which, too, is inherent in the holy
book, even as the logic of religious consciousness is enshrined therein.
The conformability, however, signifies, in the estimation of the best
Qur’Énic authorities, not only uniformity of teaching but also the
129
Also: if Muhammad (Peace be on him!) had not been truly a Divine
Messenger, living his entire life under the guidance of God, his conduct was
bound to have registered numerous discrepancies. But we find his whole
conduct and his entire career as absolutely self-consistent. Bosworth Smith
confesses this fact in these words: “On the whole the wonder to me is not
how much, but how little, under different circumstances, Muhammad differed
from himself. In the shepherd of the desert, in the Syrian trader, in the
solitary of Mount Hira, in the reformer in the minority of one, in the exile of
Madina, in the acknowledged conqueror, in the equal of the Persian Chosroes
and the Greek Heraclitus, we can still trace a substantial unity. I doubt
whether any other man, whose external conditions changed so much, ever
himself changed less to meet them: the accidents are changed, the essence
seems to be the same in all.” (Mohammad and Mohammadanism, London
1874, p. 93).
141
VOLUME ONE
principle that all the verses of the holy book are inter-related as parts
of an intelligible system—whereby the existence of a system of
meaning in the Holy Qur’Én is positively established, as also the
technique of the exposition of that system. The present work is a
humble attempt towards the presentation of that system, and the
author hopes that he has accomplished that task,—of course, in
accordance with his limitations, and not in accordance with the
greatness of the Holy Qur’Én.
The fulfilment of the demands of theoretic consciousness is

contained so richly and so emphatically in the Qur’Énic Guidance that
even non-Muslim scholars, who are naturally devoid of the eye of
faith, could not fail to notice it. As examples of this appreciation, we
may quote the judgment of two Western scholars.
Eduard Montet observes:
“Islam is a religion that is essentially rationalistic in the widest

sense of this term, considered etymologically and historically. The
definition of rationalism as a system that bases religious beliefs on
principles furnished by the reason, applies to it exactly. It is true that
Muhammad, who was an enthusiast and possessed also the ardour of
faith and the fire of conviction, the precious quality that he transmitted
to so many of his disciples, brought forward his reform as a
revelation; but this kind of revelation is only one form of exposition,
and his religion has all the marks of a collection of doctrines founded
on the data of reason… A creed so precise, so stripped of all
theological complexities and consequently so accessible to the
142
ordinary understanding might be expected to possess and does indeed

possess a marvellous power of winning its way into the consciences of
men.”130
Dr. A. Bertherand remarks:
“‘To seek knowledge is a duty for every Muslim man and

woman’. ‘Seek knowledge even though it be in China’. ‘The savants
are the heirs of the Prophets’. These profound words of the great
reformer (Muhammad) are an indisputable contradiction to those who
seek and exert themselves in putting the responsibility of the
intellectual degradation of Muslims upon the spirit of the Qur’Én. Let
them read and meditate upon this great Book and they will find in it,
at every passage, a constant attack upon idolatry and materialism; they
will read that the Prophet incessantly called the attention and the
meditation of his people to the splendid marvels, to the mysterious
phenomenon of creation. The incredulous, skeptical and un-believing
may convince themselves that the importance of this Book and its
doctrine was not to throw back, eventually, the intellectual and moral
faculties of a whole people. On the contrary, those who have followed
its counsels have been, as we have described in the course of this
study, the creators of a civilization which is astounding unto this
day.”131
130
Eduard Montet: La propagande Chretienne et es adversaires Musulmans,
Paris 1890, pp. 17-18.
131
Dr. A. Bertherand: Contribution des Arabes au Progress des Sciences
Medicales, Paris 1883, p. 6.
143
VOLUME ONE

144
Page 146 - Blank

PART 4
ISLAM: THE RELIGION—IN TERMS OF THE SCOPE
AND NATURE OF THE QURÓNIC GUIDANCE
Chapter 1
ISLAM AMONG RELIGIONS
The Holy Qur’Én claims that all the problems of human life that
relate directly or indirectly to the fulfilment of human destiny, in the
earthly environment as well as in the next world, have been dealt with
therein explicitly or implicitly:
“… And We have revealed unto you (O Muhammad!) the

Book (i. e., the Qur’Én) as an (explicit and implicit) exposition
of everything (requisite in respect of perfect Guidance) …”
(16: 89).
That comprehensive guidance has been projected, however,

under the name of al-IslÉm (‘submission to God’) —termed as ‘Islam’
in popular usage—and on the basis of Faith in God and all that it
implies. As such, it is theocentric, as distinct from the anthropocentric
and the nihilistic.
The terms ‘theocentric’, ‘anthropocentric’ and ‘nihilistic’ refer to

three basic attitudes towards Reality that humanity has entertained in
history. Among the better-known and representative systems—or, we
may call them ‘religions’ in the broadest sense of the word, the broad
132
classification emerges, subject to certain inherent reservations,
thus: systems like Islam, Judaism, Christianity, and certain schools of
thought in Hinduism, stand in the civilised sector, and systems like
Shintoism stand in the primitive sector, of the first category; systems
like Buddhism, Jainism and Confucianism relate to the second; and
systems like Marxist Dialectical Materialism and Atheistic
Existentialism fall under the third.
In the theocentric view at its highest, the Ultimate Reality is

supra-cosmic, personal and divine. It is ‘Being’. It is God. It is the
fountain-head of the highest values and ideals. It reveals itself in the
Cosmic Order, which is its creation. Man is ‘from God and for God’.
He is the pilgrim of eternity with his source of existence and
capabilities in the Ultimate Reality, whose Grace he should seek. His
function is to promote harmony with the Ultimate Reality through
worship, in order to acquire perfection adequate to his nature. His
ideal is to reflect the Divine Attributes in the mirror of his personality,
thereby fulfilling his destiny. His outlook is positive and optimistic,
and is grounded in the concept of ‘affirmation of personality’.133
132
It should be noted that there is a certain amount of intermixing of concepts
and attitudes which damage the logic of structural purity in respect of
classification. Therefore, only a broad classification with reservations is
possible in a summary appraisal.
133
This statement of the theocentric view is genuinely and comprehensively
correct in respect of Islam alone. Because: For instance, Christianity presents
the picture of a mixture of certain elements of the theocentric view with
certain elements of the anthropocentric view.
147
VOLUME ONE
In the anthropocentric view at its highest, the Ultimate Reality is

intra-cosmic and impersonal. It is ‘Becoming’. It is immanent in the
Cosmic Order, which consists of the ‘natural’ and the ‘supra-natural’.
Man is the child of the cosmos. The ‘supra-natural’ element in him is
the source of his power. His function is to renounce the ‘natural’,
which is evil. His ideal is to efface his personality for attaining
freedom from the bondage of the ‘natural’. His outlook is negative,
because salvation lies through Renunciation. His worship bears
reference to ascetic exercises and magical concepts. His ethics is the
ethics of asceticism. His goal is the submergence of his personality in
that Impersonal Reality.
In the nihilistic view at its highest, the Ultimate Reality is

Illusion, and the cosmos is mere accident. Man is an ephemeral speck
of mechanical activity in a chance-order. His power lies in the
cunningness that he may be able to employ for ‘making the best of a
bad bargain’. His ideal is the acquisition of maximum physical
happiness, towards which all human struggle is conceived to be
directed. The outlook that emerges logically for him is incapable of
accommodating any element of hope, because of the notion of double
tragedy in terms of the world being a chance-order as well as hostile.
His approach to the domain of moral behaviour is possible only
through the shifting sands of expediency. His destiny is the
annihilation of his personality in the all-consuming Illusion.134
134
Ref: For instance, Bertrand Russell’s statement in the forthcoming
discussion on ‘Life after Death’.
148
We have distinguished the theocentric from the anthropocentric

and the nihilistic attitudes to Reality, including not only the first but
also the second and the third under the category of ‘religion’. That we
have done on the basis that any system of thought which may bind
anyone to any specific view of life, together with its emotional and
ethical implications, is religion, because the very word ‘religion’
stands etymologically for the idea of being bound or linked to
something. This is how the concept of religion is viewed in the wider
sense. Thus, for instance, Ralph Barton Perry says, referring to
Marxism and Buddhism, in his Realms of Value:135 “Whether one
says that Communism is atheistic or that it has made a god of
Economic Force depends on whether one is thinking in terms of a
particular religion or in terms of religion in general. The god which,
Communism denies is a particular variety of God—such as the
Christian God. The god it affirms is another variety of universal God.
Both gods answer the description of God as Cosmic Power viewed
from the stand-point of what men take to be their paramount good. It
is clear that esoteric Buddhism as well as Marxian Communism
recognises no god in the Christian sense. But Buddhism teaches that
Nirvana is the supreme good and that the constitution of things—the
view of Karma and ultimate illusoriness of existence—permits
Nirvana to be attained. Buddhism is thus a religion in its conjoining of
a heirarchy of values with a cosmology; and it can even be said to
135
Harvard University Press, Cambridge, Massachusetts, 1954.
149
VOLUME ONE
have its god, if by ‘god’ is meant the saving grace of man’s total
environment” (p. 464).
However, taking up the theocentric view alone, vital differences

exist between the different theocentric systems. In the first instance,
these systems are divisible into those which claim to be revealed and
those which do not. Thus, for example, Islam and Christianity and
Judaism lay claim to Divine Revelation as the source of their
guidance, while the theocentric systems of Hinduism make no such
claim. Then, as we have already seen, the Divine Revelation which
Islam projects is unadulterated and authentic, while in the case of
Judaism and Christianity it is adulterated and unauthentic. Again, as
regards the ‘unrevealed’ systems, they are divisible into vulgar (or,
primitive) and civilised. Hence, going from lower to higher levels, we
arrive at four categories: (1) Unrevealed—of the vulgar or primitive
level; (2) Unrevealed—of the civilised level; (3) Revealed but
adulterated and unauthentic; (4) Revealed and existing in
unadulterated and authentic form.
Religions falling under the above categories admit of

comparative normative evaluation in seven dimensions, namely: (1)
Concept of God; (2) Outlook; (3) Stand-point; (4) Ideal; (5) Standard
of Behaviour; (6) Mission; (7) Programme. It is necessary to
undertake this study here in order to establish the nature of Qur’Énic
Guidance in the perspective of theocentric religions. The evaluation of
each category emerges as follows:

150
1. UNREVEALED: PRIMITIVE (SHINTO-ISM, ETC.) :
1. Concept of God: Fetish-worship and Nature-worship,

representing the quest for the metaphysical Reality at a
superstitious level.
2. Outlook: Superstitious, rather than rational.
3. Standpoint: Magical, rather than ethical.
4. Ideal: Satisfaction of immediate wants.
5. Standard of Behaviour: Acquisition of immediate gains.
6. Mission: None.
7. Programme: Performance of rituals.
Japanese Scholars’ Verdicts:
The eminent Japanese scholar, Dr. Genchi Kate, who taught the
Shinto religion for many years at the Imperial University of Tokyo,
evaluates Shintoism in the historical perspective thus:
“Considered in the broadest historical sweep there are three

main cultural stages in the evolution of Shinto. There is, in the
first place, the stage of primitive nature-worship or
polydemonism; secondly, the stage of higher nature worship or
sheer polytheism; and thirdly, Shinto as an advanced cultural
religion wherein beliefs and practices relating to Kami-objects
have come under the influence of ethical and intellectual
151
VOLUME ONE
influences of a high order. It is at this last named stage that

Shinto shows its most definite political pattern.”136
As regards Kami, the key-term of Shintoism, Motoori, another

eminent Japanese scholar, expounds its implications as follows:
“Speaking in general, Kami signifies, in the first place, the

deities of heaven and earth that appear in the ancient records
and also the spirits worshipped in the shrines.
“It seems hardly necessary to add that it also includes human

beings. It also includes such objects as birds, beasts, trees,
plants, seas, mountains, and so forth. In ancient usage, anything
whatsoever, which was outside the ordinary, which possessed
superior power, or which was awe-inspiring, was called Kami.
Eminence here does not refer to the superiority of nobility,
goodness or meritorious deeds. Evil and meritorious things, if
they are extra-ordinary and dreadful, are called Kami.
“It is also evident that among human beings who are called
Kami the successive generations of sacred emperors are all
included. The fact that emperors are called ‘distant Kami’ is
because from the point of view of common people they are far
separated, majestic and worthy of reverence. In a lesser degree
we also find, in the present as well as in ancient times, human
beings who are Kami… Furthermore, among things which are
136
Cited in John Clark Archer’s: The Great Religions of the Modern World,
p. 153.
152
not human, the thunder is always called ‘sounding-Kami’. Such

things as dragons, the echo, and foxes, in as much as they
attract attention and are wonderful and awe-inspiring, are also
Kami …”137

2. UNREVEALED: CIVILISED (HINDUISM) :
[Note: In respect of this category, we shall deal with Hinduism

under two separate headings, viz., (a) Philosophical Hinduism, and (b)
Popular Hinduism. This we shall do because of certain very
fundamental difficulties. Hinduism is popularly believed to be a
consolidated religion and, as such, the oldest among the important
religions of the world. Actually, what passes under the name of
Hinduism is a collection of different systems of religion, and of
different philosophies and mythologies, with a strong colouring of the
human element in the historical experiences of Asiatic section of the
Aryan race. As such, it is a hybrid melange. At best, it is the record of
a rich civilisation of the past—a civilisation that had many elements of
merit and many deficiencies and even ugly aspects. An earnest student
does find there some profound philosophical discussions, which at
times shoot off into the fervour of pure Monotheism—thereby
confirming the Qur’Énic stand as to the advent among the Aryans of
Divine Messengers the light of whose Message glimmers today, even
137
Ibid., pp. 147, 148.
153
VOLUME ONE
as in the case of the Messengers whom Judaism and Christianity

mention, only through the mists of later distortions. And he finds
certain noble moral concepts and words of wisdom and sciences like
the science of Yoga. But, he also finds that, unfortunately, humanity
cannot benefit from all that any more than it can benefit from the
achievements of the philosophers, the psychologists and the
spiritualists of other ancient and modern communities, with all the
respective differences in outlooks and statures notwithstanding;
because: firstly, nothing in Hinduism has any divine sanction, and
consequently no seeker of God—quest for God being the very essence
of a spiritual religion—can place himself under the control of the
subjective findings of the Hindu philosophers and sages (which is the
highest that Hinduism can offer); and, secondly, all that which may be
regarded as worthy of appreciation in any sense is mixed up with an
overwhelming and dominating mass of puerile beliefs, ugly practices
and inhuman social concepts; and it is impossible for even the most
radical among the reformers (who have been appearing since the
impact initially of Islam and later on of Modern Thought) to purge
Hinduism of all objectionable elements in the name of Hinduism itself
without creating a new man-made religion. Moreover, unlike
Christianity which has the Bible, and unlike Islam which has the
Qur’Én, Hinduism has no single consolidated scripture.
The renowned Hindu scholar and leader, Pundit Jawahar Lal

Nehru says (The Discovery of India, p. 37):
“Hinduism as a faith is vague, amorphous, many sided, all

things to all men. It is hardly possible to define it, or indeed to
154
say definitely whether it is religion or not, in the usual sense of

the word. In its present form, and even in the past, it embraces
many beliefs and practices, from the highest to the lowest, often
opposed to or contradicting each other.”
John Clark Archer, the western scholar of Comparative Religion,

observes (The Great Religions of the Modern World, pp. 44-45):
“Hinduism in its vagueness is first of all an item of the Stone

Age. It is so ancient … Hinduism has had no founder to furnish
a basic message, no early leader comparable with Zoroaster,
Jesus or Muhammad … These at least, each in its turn, inspired
a ‘book of wisdom’, a ‘gospel’, and a ‘writing’. Hindus have
had no one even like Confucius to edit fully a long, inherited
tradition. Strictly speaking, they have had for themselves no
such figures as the Jains have in their Vardhaman Mahavira, as
Buddhists have in Gotama Sakyamuni or as the Sikhs have in
Nanak. In a sense, the founders of Hinduism are legion, their
figures as shadowy as ‘cloud messengers’ of changeful
constitution and fitful errand.”
However, taking up Hinduism as one religion, as it is understood

to be, we shall attempt a scientific classification of the basic concepts
that constitute its foundations.]
(a) Philosophical Hinduism:
1. Concept of God: Pantheism with high philosophical fervour,

joined to monotheistic approach, on the one and, and to
philosophised idol-worship, on the other.
155
VOLUME ONE
2. Outlook: More speculative than religious. (at its highest)
3. Standpoint: Mystico-philosophical.
4. Ideal: Individualistic salvation, through meditation and ascetic

exercises as if human life and the world are essentially evil.
5. Standard of Behaviour: Ascetic
6. Mission: Salvation (muktī) of the individual from the evil of

the ever-repeating cycles of earthly existence.
7. Programme: Basically mystico-ascetic exercises.
(b) Popular Hinduism:
1. Concept of God: Nature-worship and Fetish-worship,

representing the approach to the metaphysical Reality and
grounded in rank Polytheism.
2. Outlook: Superstitious-cum-mystical-cum-racial.
3. Standpoint: Ritualistic and magical, rather than ethical.
4. Ideal: Ethically considered: Preservation of the Social

System based on distinctions of race and caste, together with
the sanctity of the metaphysics and the ethics from which the
said Social System derives its sanction.
Religiously considered: Deliverance from the painful and

inexhorable cycle of re-births.
5. Standard of Behaviour: Adherence to caste-based ethics, as

distinct from the universalistic humanistic ethics.
156
6. Mission: Supremacy of the Hindu section of the Aryan race.
7. Programme: Performance of religious rituals and pursuit of

earthly requirements of life within a caste-ridden -cum-
autocratic -cum- feudalistic -cum- capitalistic ethico-politico-
economic framework.

3. REVEALED, BUT ADULTERATED AND UNAUTHENTIC:
(a) Christianity:
1. Concept of God: Monotheistic, with the concept of a

Compound Deity—the Triune God, consisting of three
Persons: the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost.
2. Outlook: Mystical, earthly life being conceived as

incompatible with human yearnings.
3. Standpoint: Mystical.
4. Ideal: Salvation of the individual in the life-after-death.
5. Standard of Behaviour: Ascetic. In fact, no standard of

behaviour or principle of evaluation is needed, because it
would necessitate obedience to Law and thus annul the
efficacy of Atonement.
6. Mission: To lead its followers into Divine Grace through the

mystery of Vicarious Atonement.
157
VOLUME ONE
7. Programme: Ritualistic and Ascetic exercise for the

attainment of ‘saintliness’.
(b) Judaism:
1. Concept of God: Monotheistic, with the concept of a Single

Deity—leaning towards Anthropomorphism and the notion
of a Racial Deity.
2. Outlook: This-worldly, adjusted with the vested interests of

the Israelites.
3. Standpoint: Legalistic and Racialistic.
4. Ideal: Salvation of the Israelite race alone.
5. Standard of Behaviour: Pragmatic and bearing reference to

the interests of the race.
6. Mission: Welfare of the narrow group.
7. Programme: Struggle for making the Israelites the dominant

race in respect of their being the ‘Chosen People of God’.

4. REVEALED: UNADULTERATED AND AUTHENTIC

(ISLAM ALONE):
1. Concept of God: Monotheistic. The Islamic deity is not

merely ‘god’ (ilÉh) but ‘the GOD’ (AllÉh). He is not merely
an object of ritualistic worship, but the Possessor of all the
158
dimensions of Highest Excellence,—indeed, of Absolute

Perfection. He is the Fountainhead of all Values and Ideals.
He is the Omnipotent, the Omniscient, the Omnipresent, the
Infinite, the Absolute, the One and the Indivisible God, Who
neither incarnates nor has any Partner or Son or Compeer. He
is Transcendent in His Being and Immanent in the cosmos
through His Love, Knowledge and Power. He is the Creator,
the Sustainer, the Nourisher and the Evolver of everything
that constitutes the cosmos, equally. He is the Righteous God
Who bestows no special favour on any individual or
community on the basis of such distinctions as those of race
or colour—nay, even in respect of mere formal labels of
‘creed’.
2. Outlook: Universalistic and Integralistic on the basis of

spiritual orientation of human life.
3. Standpoint: Dynamic and Comprehensive.
4. Ideal: Realisation of the status of Vicegerency of God for

entire humanity.
5. Standard of Behaviour: Integralistic and Comprehensive, in

terms of the concept of ‘Fulfilment’ and on the basis of the
Model of Comprehensive Human Perfection enshrined in the
Personality of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (Peace be on
him!).
159
VOLUME ONE
6. Mission: Establishment of all that is good for human beings

and eradication of all that is evil, on the basis of godliness
and unity of humankind.
7. Programme: Constant spiritual, moral and intellectual

struggle (JihÉd) for the fulfilment of the above mission, in
terms of: (1) conquest of the Lower Self by the Higher Self ;
(2) conquest of Evil by Good in respect of Social Order ; (3)
conquest of Nature for the realisation of ‘Vicegerency of
God’.
The foregoing discussion reveals two important facts. Firstly, the

Qur’Énic System of Guidance, or, Islam, is grounded in religious
approach. It is basically religion—religion par excellence, in the
broader sense as well as in the narrower, or, strict, sense—namely, as
implying ‘belief in a higher unseen controlling power, with the
emotion and morality connected with it’.138 Hence, it cannot be
viewed merely in terms of a conceptual philosophy or a social
doctrine. Secondly, it is unique as regards its normative as well as
structural dimensions. In other words, Islam is religion, but at the
same time it stands as a masculine challenge to the generally-
accepted notions of religion. This very basic characteristic of Islam
emerges more and more prominently as we proceed in our study.

138
Chambers’s Twentieth Century Dictionary, section ‘R’.
160
Chapter 2
STRUCTURAL LOGIC, PRINCIPLE OF
INTEGRATION, SCOPE AND IDEAL OF
GUIDANCE
A. STRUCTURAL LOGIC:
As a system of Knowledge, the Qur’Énic Guidance is thoroughly

grounded in the Logic of Knowledge, wherein the different
knowledge-domains emerge inter-related in a logical sequence that
manifests itself thus, starting objectively: Metaphysics, with its
function of providing the world-view and consequently the system of
values, stands at the base. Out of it emerges Moral Philosophy which,
in its practical aspects, assumes the form of the Moral Code.
Expanding into the dimensions of organised society, Moral
Philosophy gives rise to Social Philosophy which, for practical
purposes, crystallises into the different Social Sciences like Politics,
Economics, and Law. Then, from the side of the subject, Psychology
and Aesthetics shoot off to constitute organically-related
complimentaries for the ‘tree of knowledge’ whose roots are in
Metaphysics.
Just by way of illustration:
When we consider the relationship of Metaphysics to Moral

Philosophy, we find that different metaphysical views lead to different
ethical theories under a logical compulsion. Thus, for instance:
VOLUME ONE
Pantheism leads to Perfectionism, Philosophical Materialism to simple

Hedonism, Bio-ism or Vitalism to Evolutionary Hedonism, and
Pragmatism to what might be termed as Opportunism.
Similarly, as regards the relationship of Philosophy and Culture:

Rationalism, which consists in the principle that Reason is the avenue
of the knowledge of Reality and that the rational alone is real, affirms
reality only in the conceptual, the universal, the eternal, the abstract,
the necessary, the absolute and the permanent; and, as such, gives rise
to Ideational Culture. As opposed to it, Empiricism, which consists in
the principle that Sense-experience is the avenue of the knowledge of
Reality and that the empirical alone is real, attributes reality only to
the ‘existent’, the particular, the spatio-temporal, the concrete, the
contingent, the relative and the changing; and, as such, leads, through
skepticism, to Sensate Culture.
A proper understanding of this natural and inherent relationship

and the resultant balanced and comprehensive journey into the realm
of Knowledge leads to a systematic and unitary view of Reality,
wherein the fragmentary and partial view-points are modified in
mutual adjustments, and a comprehensive and balanced understanding
of the human destiny becomes possible.
Then, the higher the point of thought which the human mind may
acquire through its exercise in respect of the struggle for knowledge
the larger in scope is the Unity grasped, and the larger the Unity the
higher is the Principle of Integration acquired, and the higher that
principle the nearer towards the Truth moves the human mind.
162
In this connection, the human difficulty—as it has manifested

itself in human thought—seems to reside basically in the fact that, left
to itself, the human approach is very naturally ‘from below upwards’,
wherein human reason as well as sense-experience find themselves
confronted with Diversity, and consequently become captives of
fragmentary and reactionary views of Reality, to the detriment of
human life in respect of the realisation of human yearnings,—as has
happened often with the modern so-called ‘scientific’ thought.
As opposed to this, the view of Reality in terms of Unity is

possible only in Revealed Guidance which originates ‘Above’—in the
realm of Unity—and thus projects the Whole in its organic
relatedness. That possibility is realised by the Holy Qur’Én in its
Structural Logic, wherein Reality is centred in The One (112:l), Who
is the Living, the Eternal, and from where dimensions shoot off in
organic ‘wholeness’ with the base as also among themselves.

B. PRINCIPLE OF INTEGRATION
Being theo-centric in its approach and comprehensive in its

outlook, as we have already noticed, the mission of the Holy Qur’Én is
to transform the life of this world with all its dimensions into a life of
the ‘Worship of God’ by channelising it into a ‘System of Obedience
to God’ (=al-IslÉm). It does not endorse the dualistic philosophy of
“Give unto God what is God’s and unto Caesar what is Caesar’s”,
because everything belongs to God and nothing— absolutely nothing
163
VOLUME ONE
— belongs to Caesar,—in fact, to any creature. Indeed, it is the height

of irrationality to believe in God, and, at the same time, to deny His
status as the Sovereign of the Cosmos, the Fountainhead of all Values,
and the Source of all Guidance, in Whom alone the loyalty of every
particle of the Cosmos is centred in the very nature of the case; and
consequently the loyalty of those creatures on whom He has bestowed
free-will, i.e., the human beings, should also be centred in Him and
Him alone. And, then, the division of loyalty into parts breeds
conflicts, and conflicts breed perversions, and perversions breed
neurosis and split-personalities and un-balanced social life.
There can be no two opinions about the fact that it is the principle
of integration that ensures power, health and life, while non-
integration brings about the very opposite. Also, the higher the
integration the higher is the measure of the blessings that are obtained
as a result. And the higher the integrating principle in the scale of
existence the higher is the integration. Then, the deeper we go into
Reality, the higher is the integrating principle that emerges before us.
Islam gives the integrating principle in the One True God, AllÉh.
Bentham and Mill and the recent pragmatic philosophies give it in the
concept of Utilitarianism, which is based on the principle of pure
Expediency,—and Expediency is no principle! Hegel and the
Hegelians give it in the State deified. The protagonists of nationalism
and racialism give it in the Nation deified and the Race deified. The
worshippers of the Earth give it in the Motherland or the Fatherland
deified. Karl Marx and the Marxists give it in the Economic Force
deified.
164
Islam’s integrating principle is grounded in Total Reality. The

other integrating principles are founded on discrete parts of Reality.
Islam projects the ‘Principle of principles’, or, the Eternal Principle,
which is related to the integration of Reality at all levels, and forms
therefore the Comprehensive Principle; others put forward at best a
principle which relates to one out of the many dimensions of that
infinitessimally-small part of Reality which relates to the material
aspect of human existence on earth. Islam’s vision is focussed in
absolute depth; the visions of other monistic philosophies are focussed
in a narrow view and on tiny patches of what appears to exist on the
surface in the immediate physical experience of the human beings.
It is not, however, only the materialistic philosophies that are

defective in respect of the principle of integration, but also the
spiritually-orientated religions of the world, though the problem exists
there in a different dimension. Leaving aside the defects in their
conceptions of the Spiritual Value, they do emphasise the value itself
as basic to human life. But, then, they do not integrate it with the other
values, whereby they land themselves in dualism, leaving all the
practical affairs of mankind to human ingenuity. In that
compartmentalisation, spiritual considerations recede into the
background, or stay merely ritualistically, and religion becomes
imbecile in respect of the practical affairs of human life. As a
consequence, the representatives of religion either become the tools of
the secular exploiting forces—as has happened in a very large
measure in human history, or have to engage themselves in a never-
ending conflict with them.
165
VOLUME ONE

C. SCOPE:
Coming to Qur’Énic Guidance in respect of its Scope: Based, as it

is, on the Monistic Principle of Evaluation and the consequent
Comprehensive Principle of Integration, it covers, on the indidualistic
level, the spiritual, the moral, the intellectual, the aesthetical and the
physical dimensions of human personality, and, on the collective
level, the social, the economic, the political—in fact, all the
dimensions of society,—creating thus a theo-centric individual, a
theo-centric social order, a theo-centric culture and a theo-centric
civilization.

D. IDEAL
Thus, in the concept of Religion which the Holy Qur’Én projects,

i.e., the concept of the religion of Islam, the following scheme of life
emerges. Man’s highest merit—nay, his basic function—is the
worship of the One True God, AllÉh (51:56). This worship is to be
undertaken by him, however, not merely as a creature among creatures
but as the Vicegerent of God—as a fully—integrated being committed
to a cosmic mission. Namely, he has to realise the principle of
integration at its highest, because God’s Personality enshrines the
Perfect Ideal of Integration, and he is His vicegerent. As such, his
166
worship should be dynamic, consequential and comprehensive in its

nature; which means that it should not be confined only to the act of
Prayer but also to: (1) the development of his personality in all
dimensions; (2) the establishment of a godly society in which human
beings can live a full and integrated life in love, justice and wisdom;
and (3) the unravelling of the mysteries of Nature for establishing his
status of Vicegerency and for comprehending the majesty and the
glory of God.
It is in this perspective that the Holy Qur’Én makes the pursuit of

physical science,—indeed, of all knowledge, and the active struggle
for the spiritual and moral emancipation of humanity, and the
establishment of social, economic and political justice, acts of
worship.

167
Page 170 - Blank

Chapter 3
VIEW OF RELIGION AND ATTITUDE
TOWARDS EMPIRICAL KNOWLEDGE
A. VIEW OF RELIGION
(1) Fundamental Nature of Religion:
Religion, according to the Qur’Én, is the Law of the Ideal Human

Nature (30:30), which is to be pursued with due regard to the principle
of Balance (55:7-8), i.e., just proportion, correct measure and through
harmony.
(2) Fundamental Form of Religion:
The fundamental form which enshrines the concept of Religion in

the Holy Qur’Én is IslÉm (3:19), which as a religious term means
‘submission to the Divine Will’ (2:207; etc.), in the sense of
conformity to the Divine Plan as enshrined in Nature (3:191; etc.) and
History (7:176; etc.), and as expressed in Divine Revelation (30:8;
etc.),—‘submission to the Divine Will’ being the universal Law of the
Cosmos (3:83).
(3) Fundamental Norm of Religion:
The religion of Islam is based on the fundamental norm of

tawÍÊd, or, Unity. This norm consists of a nucleus at the centre and a
number of unicentric orbits around it on which the principle of Unity
manifests itself at different levels. Thus we have the ‘Unity of God’ as
VOLUME ONE
the Eternal Principle at the centre; with subsidiary unities, which are
the creations of the Eternal Principle, at the orbits—untities like the
Unity of the Cosmos, Unity of Mankind, Unity of Human Personality,
Unity of Faith and Reason, Unity of the Social Order, etc., on which
we shall elaborate in chapter 6.
(4) Fundamental Function of Religion:
Being based on the fundamental norm of tawÍÊd, or Unity, the

fundamental function of Islam, in terms of the human life on earth, is
Integration,—namely: (a) integration of human personality; (b)
integration of social order; (c) integration of units of mankind divided
on the basis of race, colour, language, etc. In other words, that
function consists in: (a) the realisation of the ideal of comprehensive,
harmonious and balanced development of the individual and the
Society; and (b) the realisation of the ideal of Unity of Mankind.
(5) Form of Fundamental Achievement envisaged by Religion:
This problem is originally grounded in the views relating to the

nature of the world and the nature of man. Hence those religions
which teach that the world is evil and that every human being is born
in sin—on the basis of either the dogma of inheritance of the ‘original
sin’ of mankind’s parents or the hypotheses of Karma and
transmigration of souls—conceive the form of fundamental religious
achievement in terms of ‘deliverance from evil’. They stand,
therefore, in the category of Religions of Salvation.
As opposed to them, the Holy Qur’Én teaches that the world is

good (32:7) and that every human being is born sinless (6:164; etc.).
170
Hence it emphasises the form of fundamental religious achievement in

terms of ‘positive acquisition of the Good’, as, besides the entire
139
sweep of its philosophy of life, its emphasis on the terms falÉÍ
140
(actualisation of latent forces) and fauz (success and achievement)
affirms. Islam is, thus, the Religion of Fulfilment,—and of fulfilment
par excellence, because it emphasises the acquisition of the Good both
in the earthly existence of a Muslim and in the life after death (2:201).
It should be noted here in passing that there is a world of

difference between ‘deliverance from evil’ and ‘acquisition of good’.
The former is a negative concept, the latter is positive. The former is
wedded to pessimism, the latter to optimism. The former bestows a
static and effiminate outlook, the latter a dynamic and virile outlook.
The former invites to a life of renunciation and asceticism, the latter
invites to a life of JihÉd, i.e., perpetual struggle against the heaviest
odds for the promotion of good and eradication of evil (3:109; etc).
(6) Path of Religion:
The Holy Qur’Én has emphasised the concept of the ‘Straight

Path’ (1:5), which, in the very nature of the case, denotes the shortest
and the most direct path. Then, this ‘path’ has been defined as the
Pursuit of the law of Ideal Human Nature (30:30), which bears the
glory of the impact of what God calls His ‘spirit’ (rËÍ) (32:9). Divine
guidance, in the form of the Holy Qur’Én and the scriptures that were
139
5:35; etc.
140
33:71; etc.
171
VOLUME ONE
revealed by God for the benefit of the different communities of the

world prior to its revelation, forms the exposition of that Law
undertaken by God out of love for humanity. The path of Religion
consists, therefore, not in mysterious dogmas and magical rites, but in
the fulfilment of human destiny in accordance with the demands of
Ideal Human Nature and the status of the Vicegerency of God. That
necessitates, in its turn, constant exercise in respect of: (a) acquisition
of control by the higher self over the lower (or, the animal) self which
always forms the greatest obstacle in connection with the pursuit of all
idealistic yearnings: spiritual, moral, intellectual, social and aesthetic,
—in order to build up human personality in harmony with the
demands of ideal human nature; (b) understanding human personality,
Nature and History, for the sake of pursuit of harmony in terms of
human society: (c) effort for service to, and reform of, the society for
the practical establishment of harmony in the social order; (d)
subjugation of Nature through the power of knowledge, in order to
bring the natural environment into harmony with ideal human
aspirations; (e) submission to God, Who is the Basis of all Existence,
the Source of all Excellence, and the Fountainhead of all Values,
thereby to establish harmony with Him—which harmony alone
bestows fundamentally the capability to achieve the human destiny in
the true sense.
(7) Goal of Religion:
In the above discussion, the Islamic goal of religion has emerged

in terms of the fulfilment of human destiny, which every individual is
under obligation to realise in the measure of his personal capability
172
only, as clearly set down in the Holy Qur’Én: “AllÉh puts no burden
(of duty) upon any soul beyond what it can bear” (2:268). In concrete
terms, it means the actualisation, in accordance with one’s capacity, of
the potential ‘vicegerency of God’, which has been bestowed on
humanity as a whole by its Creator (2:30).

B. ATTITUDE TOWARDS EMPIRICAL KNOWLEDGE ─

PURSUIT THEREOF: ACT OF WORSHIP
Says a Western scholar of the Qur’Én:
“We must not be surprised to find the Qoran the fountain-head of

the sciences. Every subject connected with heaven or earth, human
life, commerce and various trades is occasionally touched upon, and
this gave rise to the production of numerous monographs forming
commentaries on parts of the Holy Book. In this way the Qoran was
responsible for great discussions, and to it was indirectly due the
marvellous development of all branches of science in the Muslim
world … This again not only affected the Arabs but also induced
Jewish philosophers to treat metaphysical and religious questions after
Arab methods. Finally, the way in which Christian scholasticism was
fertilised by Arabian theosophy need not be further discussed.
“Spiritual activity once aroused within Islamic bounds was not

confined to theological speculations alone. Acquaintance with the
philosophical, mathematical, astronomical and medical writings of the
173
VOLUME ONE
Greeks led to the pursuance of these studies. In the descriptive

revelations Muhammad repeatedly calls attention to the movement of
the heavenly bodies, as parts of the miracles of AllÉh, forced into the
service of man and therefore not to be worshipped. How successfully
Moslem people of all races pursued the study of astronomy is shown
by the fact that for centuries they were its principal supporters. Even
now many Arabic names of stars and technical terms are in use.
Medieval astronomers in Europe were pupils of the Arabs…
“In the same manner the Qoran gave an impetus to medical

studies and recommended the contemplation and study of Nature in
general.”141
Just to speak in respect of the last statement in the above

quotation: the Holy Qur’Én did not merely recommend “the
contemplation and study of Nature in general.” It did much more
when it projected the guidance in respect of the Inductive Method of
enquiry, i.e., the Scientific Method; gave the basic principles on which
alone the quest of physical science could be established, relating, as it
does, to the discovery of Identity in Diversity,—the principles,
namely, of: (1) Unity of Nature, (2) Unity of Mankind, and (3) Unity
of Knowledge; and opened the way to the conquest of Nature through
its emphasis on absolute Monotheism, on the one hand, and on the
Vicegerency of Man, on the other,—thereby causing the Muslims to
141
Dr. Hartwig Hirschfeld: New Researches into the Composition and
Exegesis of the Qoran, London 1902, p. 9.
174
emerge in history as the founders of Modern Science.142 And not only

that. We find therein some very rich scientific concepts, which are of
fundamental importance in relation to scientific knowledge. For
instance: (1) the concept of “expanding universe”,143 as opposed to the
belief in a “block universe” (35:l); (2) the concept of a created but
evolving universe (41:11-12; etc.) ultimately destined to achieve,
through crisis, a new birth (29:19; etc.); (3) the concept of biological
evolution in general (21:30; etc.), evolution of plant life (36:33; etc.),
and evolution in relation to Man (15:26; 22:12-16); (4) the principle of
parity, as for instance, we know it now in physics (51:49); (5) the
concept of the revolutions of planets in their orbits (21:33; 36:40); (6)
142
Ref. Robert Briffault: The Making of Humanity, p. 190: “The debt of our
science to that of the Arabs does not consist in startling discoveries of
revolutionary theories; science owes a great deal more to Arab culture, it
owes its existence. The ancient world was, as we saw, pre-seientific. The
Astronomy and Mathematics of the Greeks were a foreign importation never
thoroughly acclimatized in Greek culture. The Greeks systematized,
generalized, and of theorized, but the patient ways of investigation, the
accumulation of positive knowledge, the minute methods of science, detailed
and prolonged observation and experimental inquiry were altogether alien to
the Greek temperament … What we call science arose in Europe as a result
of a new spirit of inquiry, of new methods of investigation, of the method of
experiment, observation, measurement, of the development of Mathematics
in a form unknown to the Greeks. That spirit and those methods were
introduced into the European world by the Arabs.”
143
This concept has emerged only recently in modern science, as expounded,
among others, by James Jeans (“The Expanding Universe”).
175
VOLUME ONE
the concept of the earth as rotating on its axis (7:137; etc.); (7)
constant movement of the sun towards a goal (36:38); (8) the principle
of pairs in terms of male and female among plants (36:36); (9) the
principle of pairs of opposites in “things” about which it was said in
the Qur’Én for the people of those days that “they have no knowledge”
(36:36),—things discovered in modern times, e.g., the positive and the
negative in electricity, the proton-electron combination in the
constitution of the atom, the ‘particle’ and the ‘anti-particle’, and
matter and anti-matter; (10) the concept of space-travel, with its
difficulties and possibilities (55:33); (11) the emergence of till-then-
inconceived patterns of vehicles in the post-Qur’Énic period (16:8);
(12) the existence of animal life on other planets and its expected
contact in future with the animal life existing on earth (42:29)—so on
and so forth.
Thus, having come to teach “new knowledge” (2:51), the Holy

Qur’Én chartered a new course for the pursuers of science; and in that
its function was to stimulate the scientific outlook and the quest for
scientific knowledge, and to promote the cultivation of the physical
sciences;—and that to an extent that the Scientific Quest has been
made a part of the Worship of God, having been affirmed as an
inseparable complimentary of the Religious Quest (3:189-190). Also,
the confirmation by the scientists of the future of what it had taught
was to form, in respect of its acceptance as Divine Knowledge, its
permanent miracle for the succeeding ages,—even as the proclamation
stands:
176
“In the time to come We (God) will show them (i.e., human
beings) Our Signs in remote regions 144 (of the universe) and in
their (own) selves,145 until it becomes manifest to them that this
(i.e., the Qur’Én) is the Truth …” (41:53).

144
Here the reference is to future discoveries in the fields of astronomy and
astrophysics.
145
Here the reference is to future discoveries relating to the human
personality in terms of Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Physiology and
Psychology.
177
Page 180 - Blank

Chapter 4
Structure of religious creed
and
concept of religious leadership
A. STRUCTURE OF RELIGIOUS CREED
It is a basic requirement of religion, whether primitive or

civilised, and whether ‘revealed’ or ‘unrevealed’, to embody its
fundamental beliefs in a ‘creed’; and the creeds of different religions
are naturally different. Besides the differences relating to
terminologies and historical perspectives, they also differ in respect of
their basic approach to human personality and its relationship with
what each religion regards as the ultimate Reality. Among the
spiritually-orientated religions—and we are concerned basically with
them here—that approach may be fundamentally mythological, or
mystical, or ethico-religious. It is degrading if it is mythological. It is
ennervating if it is mystical. It is dynamic if it is ethico-religious.
The Islamic creed is genuinely, consistently and purely ethico-

religious—covering ‘this-worldly’ as well as the ‘other-worldly’
Good. It is built up, in the form of Articles of Faith, on belief in seven
Qur’Énic verities, namely: (1) AllÉh (God); (2) the Angels; (3) the
Prophets (or, human Messengers of Divine Guidance); (4) Divine
Scriptures; (5) al-Qadr (or, the ‘Law of Measure’ ); (6) Resurrection;
and (7) the Life ‘Hereafter’.
VOLUME ONE
Its rationale is grounded in both of its structural components, i.e.,

(1) the ethical and (2) the religious.
1. Viewed in the basically-Ethical Perspective:
1. AllÉh is the Supra-Cosmic Ideal of Supreme Good, as the

Possessor of Absolute Harmony in all Dimensions of
Perfection.
2. The Angels are the Cosmic Ideal of Supreme Good, as

possessors of perfect harmony with the Divine Being.
3. The Prophets—all the Prophets of humanity—are the Human

Ideal of Supreme Good, as possessors and demonstrators of
humanly-perfect harmony between the human will and the
Divine Will.
4. The Scriptures—all the Books of Guidance which came from

God to humanity—represent Divine Guidance in respect of
the pursuit of harmony between the human will and the
Divine Will for the attainment of Supreme Good by the
human beings.
5. Al-Qadr forms the basic Norm for the technique of pursuing

the Supreme Good.
6. The Resurrection—Revival after death with the self-same

Identity—enshrines the assurance of the attainment of
Supreme Good by the human beings.
180
7. The ‘Hereafter’—its concept enshrines the fulfilment of

human destiny in terms of the acquisition of Supreme Good.
2. Viewed in the basically-Religious Perspective:
1. AllÉh is the Fountainhead of Guidance as well as of Power,

and His personality forms the Monistic Principle of
Evaluation, in respect of the pursuit by humanity of the
fulfillment of its Destiny.
2. Angels (who are neither sub-deities nor ‘sons’ or daughters’

of God), are the executors of Divine Will, and as such the
carriers of Divine Guidance for the entire Cosmos. Their
presence demonstrates the fact that the Cosmos is pervaded
with Intelligence and Purpose and that its control by God is
perpetual. This view is in contrast to the Newtonian view of
the ‘Indifferent God’, the recent view projected in
Christendom of the ‘Dead God’, and the Nihilistic view of a
‘Blind Cosmos’.
3. Prophets are the human transmitters to, and exemplifiers of,

Divine Guidance for humanity.
Here it should be noted that the unique Qur’Énic doctrine

concerning ‘Belief in all the Prophets of Humanity’ is related to the
Qur’Énic teaching that: (1) God being one, and mankind being one,
the Guidance from God has come to all the human communities since
the time of Adam (Peace be on him!) through the Prophets of God that
came to them (13:7; etc.),—and it has not been confined to any
181
VOLUME ONE
‘chosen people’; (2) it has been—as it ought to have been in the very
nature of the case—fundamentally the same, i.e., Islam, or, the
Philosophy and the Way of Submission to the One God (3:19); and (3)
wherever there are resemblances in the teachings of the different
religions, they are the remnants of the original Truth revealed by God.
In these Qur’Énic doctrines of Universal Divine Guidance and the

Unity of Religious Truth emerges a noble and unique dimension in the
religious attitude of a Muslim, which is of tremendous importance for
him as well as for humanity. It is the triune dimension of large-
heartedness, good-will and wisdom. Because: (1) These doctrines
establish in him a rational attitude towards other religions, whereby he
tries to view the original reality beneath the crusts of mythology and
human interpolations; and possessing, as he does, the Divine
Guidance in its pure and authentic revelation, he can undertake a most
rational and meaningful probe and research in the field of
Comparative Religion, can reconstruct the original religion for the
different communities, and can invite them to the same. (2)
Knowing, as he does, through his own religion and through history,
the in-authenticity of the records of all the pre-Qur’Énic religions, he
is duty-bound to refrain, on principle and not just for expediency,
from insulting those personalities of other religions who are
considered to be their founders,—which lays the foundation of
international goodwill on the basis of Religion from his side. He can
criticise, without ill-will and only for upholding and distinguishing the
truth, the wrong teachings of different religions and the wrongs
committed by different religious communities, but he is not permitted
182
by Islam to indulge in insult and abuse of the supreme heads of other

religions.
The final part of ‘Belief in all Prophets’ is the affirmation of

belief in the Holy Prophet Muhammad (Peace be on him!) not only as
one of the Prophets but as the last Messenger of God, who came to
seal the Age of Prophethood and Prophetic Revelation in the history
of mankind (33:40) and to be the Guide for entire humanity in its Age
of Maturity 146 for all time (34:28).
It is essential to note here that the Qur’Én does not speak, even
indirectly, of the appointment after the Holy Prophet Muhammad
(Peace be on him!) of anyone, from within the ranks of its followers or
from without, as Prophet of any calibre and in any sense. Also, it does
not even hint at the emergence from among its followers, at any
period of history, of any divinely-appointed Imam (Religious Leader),
or Mujaddid (Religious Reviver), or Mahdi (the ‘Rightly Guided’
Leader who, according to the ×adÊth literature, will, in his own life-
time and through his personal achievement, totally annihilate the
Jewish Power in Palestine and establish Islam as the Supreme World-
Force after the political decline of the Muslims), or Mahdi-cum-
Messiah (which is a recent innovation)—thus blocking the way to the
creation, with its sanction, of sects and sectarian Movements around
the personalities of claimants to religious Reformership for the
Muslim community.
146
Ref: Discussion on ‘era of maturity’ under the next article of faith.
183
VOLUME ONE
4. Belief in all the Scriptures ever revealed to humanity by God

fulfils the same function, in terms of ‘code of guidance’, as
‘Belief in the Prophets’. Namely: All the Divine Guidance
communicated by God to the Prophets of the world, for the
guidance of human communities, in the form of Scriptures,
since the earliest times—as a result of which Muslims have
existed in all periods of human history—has been directed to
final human success in the Life Hereafter on the basis of
ethico-religious fulfilment during the life lived on earth.
As regards the Holy Qur’Én, it is the last, the final, and the
comprehensive revelation of Divine Guidance. Consequently, it
performs three functions: (1) it restates the Divine Guidance that had
come before its revelation to the different human communities but had
subsequently suffered perversion through the vicissitudes of history
and human interpolation. Thus, its Guidance is fundamentally the
same 147 as that contained originally in the previous Scriptures (87:18-
147
This is the claim of the Qur’Én, in harmony with its distinctive doctrine of
universal Divine Guidance. But, instead of: (a) appreciating the rationale of
certain points of resemblance of the Qur’Énic teachings with the remnants of
the original revealed teachings, or with certain parts of historical facts found
in the Bible, and (b) evaluating that resemblance in the perspective of the
radical differences that explicitly exist between the Qur’Én and the existing
Bible in respect of the basic aspects of their teachings, the orientalists are at
pains to name Islam as the ‘bastard child’ of Judaism and Christianity.
(Refer, among others, to Prof. Snouck Hurgronje’s Mohammedanism).
184
148
19); (2) it corrects all the wrong notions found in the different
religions, as they came to exist after the introduction of changes; (3) it
projects the Divine Guidance in the dimensions that bear reference to
the ‘era of maturity’ in the history of human civilisation, imparting
comprehensive guidance as a result.
As to the ‘era of maturity’: Taking humanity as a whole, the

history of civilisation presents a picture of definite stages in respect of
its evolution, and this evolution has been in the form of the
progressive actualisation of human potentialities in terms of creativity.
In this perspective, the present Scientific Era, which the Holy Qur’Én
initiated, forms definitely the ‘era of maturity’ of human civilisation
because of the emergence of, so to say, limitless possibilities of
human thrust into the empirical aspect of Reality, which clearly stands
out as the ‘maturity’-dimension of human civilisation, providing an
ever-widening vision for understanding the Reality,—ever wider than
148
This is a great service which the Holy Qur’Én has rendered to the cause of
Religion. But, instead of examining the Qur’Énic contribution
dispassionately, the Jewish and the Christian controversialists, in spite of the
absolute inauthenticity of Judaism and Christianity and the indefensible faults
and errors from which they admittedly suffer, name the rational and
consistent stand of the Qur’Én as “corruption”.
Readers of the present book can very well assess as to how absurd and
malicious are the allegations mentioned in footnotes 147 and 148 above. For
further edification, they may refer to the Author’s: Islam and Christianity in
the Modern World, published by the World Federation of Islamic Missions,
Karachi, Pakistan.
185
VOLUME ONE
possessed by humanity in any pre-Qur’Énic period of human history,

and, consequently, necessitating Divine Guidance in comprehensive
measure and directly grounded in the new situation. The same has
been provided in the Qur’Én in terms of the comprehensive projection
and correlation of all the dimensions of life (16: 89).
Then, as the emergence of the new dimension of human quest in

terms of the conquest of Nature beyond the earth constitutes the
completion of the dimensions of civilisation,149 with variations
seemingly possible only in correlations within the structure of the
quest, the Qur’Énic comprehensive guidance has also been made by
God as the last and the final revealed guidance from Him.
It should be clearly noted that the Qur’Én has explicitly qualified

the Muslims as those “who believe in that which has been revealed to
you (Muhammad) and that which was revealed before you” (2:4), and
does not even indirectly hint at belief in any future Prophetic
Revelation (waÍy al-nubËwah).
5. The concept of al-Qadr implies that: (a) the Cosmos as a

whole, as also the tiny universe of human personality, is a
‘Reign of Law’ and not a ‘Reign of Magic’ (54:49); (b)
hence, the religious approach should not be ‘magical’ but in
terms of pursuit of the ‘law of measure’ (65:3) which has
been revealed in the Íudūd-AllÉh, i.e., the limits prescribed
by God (9:112; etc.); (c) as a result, the ethico-religious
149
Cf. The ‘Programme’, according to Islam (p. 111).
186
good—as also other forms of good—consists in conformity

to measure, or, maintaining the balance (55:7-8),—deviation
from the measure towards any extreme being evil, the
commission of which is ‘sin’ in Islamic terminology. Thus
emerges in the belief in al-Qadr the basic technique of
pursuing the ethico-religious struggle.
6. Belief in Resurrection after death: (a) lifts up the human

vision beyond earthly existence and thus crushes the attitude
of earth-rootedness which is the mother of all moral ills; (b)
bestows on human values absoluteness, as opposed to
expediency, and renders the moral struggle worth-while,
meaningful, and genuinely consequential; (c) hence, provides
the enthusiasm for moral struggle, in the face of all
obstructions and frustrating situations; (d) supplies the basis
for the consummation of the reward of moral struggle; (e)
establishes the rational ground for the highest sacrifice in the
service of all that is good,—including the sacrifice of life,
which for a genuine believer in God and the Resurrection is
an aspiration of life.
7. Belief in the ‘Hereafter’ relates to the following basic

Qur’Énic concepts: (a) God is the Moral Sovereign of the
Cosmos; (b) the Cosmos is a Moral Order; (c) Man has to
function on the earth as a moral being with a spiritual base;
(d) he has to submit his credentials to the Moral Sovereign,
Who is actually the Over-All Sovereign, in order to pass to
higher level of existence; (e) hence, he has to face Final
187
VOLUME ONE
Accountability on the Day of Judgment, which will occur

when the ‘heavens and the earth’ have passed through the
portals of ‘death’ into new dimensions of existence (14:48).
Finally, it should be noticed that the Islamic Creed is through and

through universal, and not sectarian, because it demands belief not
only in the Holy Prophet Muhammad (Peace be on him!) and the Holy
Qur’Én but in all the Prophets of God and in all the revealed Scriptures
that came before in any part of the world.
Closely related to this universalism is the Islamic theo-centric

Humanism, which has found its expression, in the sphere of inter-
religious fellowship, in the following Qur’Énic proclamation “Say (O
Muhammad!): O People of the Book! come to common terms as
between us and you: That we shall worship none but the One True
God; that we shall associate no equals with Him; that we shall take
not, from among ourselves, lords and patrons other than God …”
(3:64). The formula of cooperation and fellowship for the promotion
of good and the eradication of evil that is contained in this verse is:
Commitment of absolute and undivided loyalty and devotion to God
and the acceptance of the principle of total elimination of exploitation
of man by man.

B. CONCEPT OF RELIGIOUS LEADERSHIP
188
This problem has a vital bearing on human life; because it is

related to the relationship with God, on the one hand, and to the
character of society, on the other. A religion which endorses the
institution of priesthood,150 establishes what might be termed as
‘spiritual feudalism’, dividing the society into two distinct classes of
religious ‘masters’ and religious ‘serfs’, and opening the road to the
exploitation of the masses by the ‘privileged few’. Besides that, it
creates a barrier between the human beings and God through the
creation of a class of canonised professionals who become the sole
agents for selling the blessings of God, including forgiveness of sins
and salvation in the Hereafter. The history of Religion is replete with
all this and the attendant evils, wherein humanity has been exploited
spiritually, morally and materially—and, wherever possible, even
150
Giving due weight to the basic characteristics that underlie the varied roles
played by the institution of priesthood in human history, among the civilised
and the uncivilised communities, the concept of the priest as it emerges in its
full stature and form is that he is basically a consecrated person, established
in an exalted social status in comparison with the lay adherents of a
religion—a status acquired on the basis of canonisation either through some
ritual or through descent from some particular clan or caste, possessing an
unchallengable authority in religious matters, enjoying in the beliefs of the
people such powers or privileged position as to be capable of obtaining from
the deity the fulfilment of what he may put forward on behalf of anyone, and
therefore the unavoidable instrument of the lay-folk for employment in their
dealings with the deity. (For a historical discussion, see: The Encyclopaedia
of Religion and Ethics, vol. 10; art.: ‘Priest, Priesthood’).
189
VOLUME ONE
politically, through the establishment of theocracy in the form of

government by the priests.151
What a tremendous amount of misery the institution of

priesthood can cause, even in its administrative aspect, to the prestige
of religion itself, emerges clearly in the ecclesiastical history of
mankind. For instance, just to refer to one brief period of Christian
history, Will Durant observes in his The Age of Faith (New York
1950; pp. 538-540):
“… In 897 Pope Stephen VI had the corpse of Pope Formosus

(891-6) exhumed, dressed it in purple robes, and tried before an
Ecclesiastic Council on the charge of violating certain Church Laws;
the corpse was condemned, stripped, mutilated, and plunged into the
Tiber. In the same year a political revolution in Rome overthrew
Stephen, who was strangled in jail. For several years thereafter the
151
Speaking of the Jewish institution of priesthood, H. Hirschfeld writes:
“According to the Levitical code, the Hebrew priest is born, not made … In
order to safeguard the purity of lineage for future generations, the Biblical
laws regulating Priestly marriages were not only strictly enforced, but also
strengthened in various directions… These restrictive regulations, added to
ancestral pride, gradually converted the priestly class into an exalted
theocracy which, from the nature of public affairs, at the same time formed
the social aristocracy. The priestly family of the Hasmonaeans acquired royal
dignity. Later the high priest was the president of the Sanhedrin. Thus power,
both spiritual and temporal, and wealth accumulated in some priestly
families.” (The Encyclopoedia of Religion and Ethics, vol. 10, pp. 322, 323).
190
papal chair was filled by bribery, murder, or the favour of women of

high rank and low morality. For half a century the family of
Theophylect, a chief official of the papal palaces, made and un-made
popes at will. His daughter Marozia secured the election of her lover
as Pope Sergius III (804-11), his wife Theodora procured the election
of Pope John X (914-28). John has been accused of being Theodora’s
paramour, but on inadequate evidence … Marozia after having
enjoyed a succession of lovers married Guido, Duke of Tuscany I;
they conspired to unseat John; they had his brother Peter killed before
his face; the Pope was thrown into prison and died there a few months
later from causes unknown. In 931 Marozia raised to the papacy John
XI (931-5) commonly reputed to be her bastard son by Sergius. In 932
her son Alberic imprisoned John in the Castle of Saint Angelo, but
allowed him to exercise from jail the spiritual function of the papacy.
For twenty-two years Alberic ruled Rome as the dictatorial head of a
‘Roman Republic’. At his death he bequeathed his power to his son
Octavian, and made the clergy and people promise to choose Octavian
pope when Agapetus II should die. It was done as he ordered; in 955
Marozia’s grandson become John XII, and distinguished his
pontificate by orgies of debauchery in the Lateran palace.”
“Otto I of Germany, crowned Emperor by John XII, in 962,

learned the degradation of the papacy at first hand. In 963, with the
support of the Transalpine clergy, Otto returned to Rome, and
summoned John to trial before an ecclesiastical council. Cardinals
charged that John had taken bribes for consecrating bishops, had made
a boy of ten a bishop, had committed adultery with his father’s
191
VOLUME ONE
concubine and incest with his father’s widow and her niece, and had
made the papal palace a very brothel. John refused to attend the
council or to answer the charges; instead he went out hunting. The
council deposed him and unanimously chose Otto’s candidate, a
layman, as Pope Leo VII (963-5). After Otto had returned to
Germany, John seized and mutilated the leaders of the Imperial party
in Rome, and had himself restored by an obedient council to the
papacy (964). When John died (964) the Romans elected Benedict V,
ignoring Leo. Otto came down from Germany, deposed Benedict, and
restored Leo, who thereupon officially recognized the right of Otto
and his Imperial successors to veto the election of any future Pope. On
Leo’s death Otto secured the election of John XIII (965-72). Benedict
VI (973-74) was imprisoned and strangled by a Roman noble,
Bonifazio Francone, who made himself Pope for a month, then fled to
Constantinople with as much papal treasure as he could carry. Nine
years later, he returned, killed Pope John XIV (983-4), again
appropriated the papal office, and died peaceably in bed (985). The
Roman Republic again raised its head, assumed authority, and chose
Crescentius as consul. Otto III descended upon Rome with an
irresistible army, and a commission from the German prelates to end
the chaos by making his Chaplain Pope Gregory V (966-9). The
young Emperor put down the Republic, pardoned Crescentius, and
went back to Germany. Crescentius at once re-established the
Republic, and deposed Gregory (997). Gregory excommunicated him,
but Crescentius laughed, and arranged the election of John XVI as
Pope. Otto returned, deposed John, gouged out his eyes, cut off his
192
tongue and nose, and paraded him through the streets of Rome on an
ass, with his face to the tail. Crescentius and twelve Republican
leaders were beheaded, and their bodies were hung from the
battlements of Saint Angelo (998). Gregory resumed the papacy, and
died, probably of poison, in 999…
“… The counts of Tusculum, in league with the German

Emperors, bought bishops and sold the papacy with hardly an effort at
concealment. Their nominee Benedict VIII (1012-24) was a man of
vigor and intelligence, but Benedict IX (1032-45), made pope at the
age of twelve, led so shameful and riotous a life that the people rose
and drove him out of Rome. Through Tusculan aid he was restored:
but tiring of the papacy he sold it to Gregory VI (1045-6) for one (or
two) thousand pounds of gold. Gregory astonished Rome by being
almost a model pope … The Tusculan house … made Benedict IX
pope again, while a third faction set up Sylvester III. The Italian
clergy appealed to the Emperor Henry III to end this disgrace; he
came to Sutri, near Rome, and convened an ecclesiastical council; it
imprisoned Sylvester, accepted Benedict’s resignation, and deposed
Gregory for admittedly buying the papacy. Henry persuaded the
council that only a foreign pope, protected by the emperor, could
terminate the debasement of the Church.”
The Holy Qur’Én sounds the death-knell to the institution of

priesthood, establishing what might be aptly termed as ‘spiritual
democracy’. All human beings possess equal human dignity as their
birthright (17:70) and enjoy the right of access to God equally,
because He is equally the God of all (1:1). And because He is nearer
193
VOLUME ONE
to every human being than his jugular vein (50:16), no one needs any
priest or priestess in his dealings with Him. He is Himself the
Bestower of all Blessings on whomsoever He considers worthy; He
Himself judges and forgives the sins of whomsoever He seems
deserving; to Him belongs the Absolute Sovereignty and His contact
with everyone is direct and constant;—hence, the very notion of a
priest or a priestess is regarded by the Qur’Én as absurd.152 God’s
unambiguous proclamation runs through the holy book: “Call on Me; I
will answer your (Prayer) …” (40:60).
Congregational Prayer does necessitate a leader of the

congregation. But this necessity has been fulfilled by Islam, not
through the appointment of canonised priests, but on the democratic
principle that anyone who is highest in learning and piety among a
congregation at the time of congregational prayer should lead the
congregation.
Not only is every Muslim man and woman his or her own priest
or priestess, the transmission of the light of Divine Message is also the
obligation of every Muslim, being the collective obligation of the
entire Islamic Community (3:110). Of course, the Holy Qur’Én has
projected the concept of specialised workers who should form the
spearhead for the fulfilment of that collective obligation (3:104). But,
152
Says D.B. Macdonald: “God, Himself, the One, reveals Himself to man
through prophets and otherwise, and man, in prayer, can come directly to
God. This is Muhammad’s great glory. The individual soul and its God are
face to face.” (Religious Attitude and Life in Islam, p. 38).
194
they too have been conceived basically as ‘Inviters to the Good’ and
not as priests.
The religious leadership that emerges thus in the Islamic

Community is that of ‘teachers’ and ‘guides’ and not of ‘priests’.
Every Muslim, without any considerations of colour, race, tribe,
family, sex, and worldly status, can aspire—in fact, should aspire—for
acquiring that status. The qualification he has to acquire for that
purpose consists of sound knowledge of Divine Guidance, sound
wisdom and sound spiritual and moral personality, as emphasised in
connection with the Holy Prophet’s Mission (62:2). In short, he should
be a miniature representatiue of the Holy Prophet’s Personality, and
as such should be a spiritually-morally-and-intellectually-illumined
person. Whoever acquires this qualification will earn the respect and
love of the fellow-Muslims, and even of the fair-minded human
beings in general. Therein lies his leadership, which is obviously
attained through the democratic process of hard-earned merit. As
such, he becomes not only a teacher (mu‘allim) but also a guide
(murshid), capable of helping the people not only intellectually but
also spiritually,—assisting them in emerging from spiritual darkness
into the Light Divine (14:1), himself acting through the Light
bestowed on him by God (6:122).
No other category of religious leadership emerges in the Qur’Énic

Guidance. Those who possess only scholastic information, and are
scholars of Islam in that sense, and do not fulfil the above-mentioned
qualifications, are not entitled to religious leadership. Rather, they
have been denounced by the Qur’Én (61:2-3), even as the Jewish
195
VOLUME ONE
religious leaders of yore have been denounced: “The similitude of

those who were charged with the (obligations of the) Mosaic Law, but
who subsequently failed in (personally acting according to) those
(obligations), is that of a donkey which carries huge tomes (but
understands them not) … (62:5). At best, the scholastics can function
only as formal transmitters of the information they possess, and
nothing more.153
In the end, it is essential to note that no religious leader, not even

the Super-Leader, i.e., the Holy Prophet Muhammad (Peace be on
him!), can function in any way as the substitute for God or as a sub-
deity. Also, no religious leader, however great, can possess any
absolute authority over the Muslims, because absolute authority
resides, among human beings, only in the person of the Holy Prophet,
who alone is the absolute Leader of the Muslims for all time, and no
one else; so that there is no room in Islam for the creation of sects
around personalities.
It is urgent for the Muslim world to pay due heed to the Qur’Énic
Warning: “And be not among those who join gods with AllÉh,—those
who split up their religion and become (mere) sects,—each party
rejoicing in that which is with itself!” (30:31-32)—while the prestige
153
As matters stand in the Muslim world today, it is the decline of religious
leadership from the Islamic standard in a serious measure that constitutes a
major cause of its inability with regard to its emergence from the abyss into
which it has been descending since some time. The remedy for the situation
is obvious!
196
of Islam suffers damage after damage and the millat as a whole courts
defeat after defeat!!!

197
Page 200 - Blank

Chapter 5
VIEW OF RELIGIOUS QUEST
(1) Nature of Religious Quest:
The Religious Quest proceeds in terms of ‘religious experience’.

The Holy Qur’Én centralises it in the ‘Quest for God’ (JihÉd fī-AllÉh)
and tells us that it establishes in the pursuer’s consciousness the
experience of ‘Divine Presence’: “As for those who pursue most
earnestly the Quest in (or, for) Us (AllÉh), We surely guide them in
Our Paths. And certainly Allah is with 154 (i.e., in dynamic reciprocal
155
relationship with) those who practise IÍsÉn” (29:69). That living
and dynamic contact with God, the All-Holy (59:23; etc.) and the All-
Wise (2:32; etc.), brings to the pursuer of the Quest, in proportion to
the intensity of striving built up by him, on the one hand, holiness 156
154
The Arabic word ma‘a used in the text for ‘with’ possesses the emphasis
on ‘togetherness’ and ‘company’. It denotes a distinctive form of relationship
between God and the Devotee, as compared with the universal and general
with-ness of God in reference to everything in Creation.
155
Cf. “Remember Me, I will remember you” (2:152); “Verily, AllÉh helps
one who helps Him” (22:40); “Call unto Me, and I shall answer your prayer”
(40:60).
156
‘Holiness’ attainable by a hunian being is a factual state of human
consciousness, and not a mere Idea—a mere concept of speculative thought;
and because consciousness is the basic element in Personality, holiness forms
the basic achievement in religious quest. This state emerges when the ego, in
VOLUME ONE
adequate to human nature—even as a valley or a territory on which

the blessings of the All-Holy descend becomes holy (20:12; 5:21;
etc.)—, and on the other, experience culminating in baÎÊrah (i.e.,
evidence clear as seeing with one’s eyes) spoken of in the Qur’Én
thus: “Say you (O Muhammad!): This is my Way: I do invite unto
AllÉh,—on evidence clear as the seeing with one’s eyes,—I and
whosoever follows me (practically). Glory to AllÉh! and I am not of
those who join gods with AllÉh.” (12:108). The Religious Quest is
thus basically different from the quests of Philosophy and Science,
which relate to the acquisition of formal discursive knowledge.
In Islamic terminology, the term that emerges for the Religious

Quest is al-IÍsÉn, as laid down explicitly in Bukhari’s SaÍīÍ: “… he
(the enquirer) asked: ‘What is al-IÍsÉn?’ (To that) he (the Holy
Prophet) replied: ‘It is to pursue the System of Obedience to AllÉh as
if you are seeing Him (i.e., with the inner vision of ‘Divine
Presence’); but if it is not possible for you to see Him (inside your
consciousness), then (this reality should remain thoroughly established
in your mind that) He is seeing you’ … (vol. 1, p. 12). In the Holy
Qur’Én we find the command: “Verily, AllÉh enjoins al-‘Adl and al-
IÍsÉn …” (16: 9), —al-IÍsÉn having been related elsewhere in the
holy book not only to acts of well-doing to others but also to attitudes
soaring higher, gets out of the range of the gravitational pull of instinctive
urges and passions (79:40; etc.) and becomes established in the experience of
Divine Presence through total surrender to God (2:112, etc.),—acquiring as a
consequence, the status of waliy-AllÉh (Friend of, in the sense of intimacy
with, God) (10:62).
200
and acts that bear direct reference to the practice of self-negation for
the sake of God and the attendant purity of the heart and godliness
(3:134; 5:13; etc.); and we repeatedly come across the theme that
“AllÉh loves those who are MuÍsin (i.e., pursuers of IÍsÉn)” (2:195;
etc.). Then, the important fact is to be noted that the root from which
IÍsÉn and MuÍsin emerge is ×SN, which enshrines the concept of
‘beauty’. Hence al-IÍsÉn, as Imam Raghib al-Isfahani explains, stands
in one of its two connotations for “the creation of beauty in one’s
conduct, which is achieved through beauty in knowledge and beauty
in action” (MufradÉt al-Qur’Én, section ×SN), —thus denoting, as a
religious term, the beautification of ImÉn (Faith) and IslÉm (Exercise
in Submission to God); or, as Lane states it on the basis of the findings
of other eminent authorities, it relates to the basic Qur’Énic virtue of
al-IkhlÉs (undivided loyalty and purity of devotion to AllÉh—7:29;
98:5; etc.) and “watchfulness and good obedience” (Lexicon, (Section
×SN). All that involves a perpetual conscientious struggle (jihÉd,
mujÉhada) on the path of ‘Devotion to God’ for the sake of
establishing purer and purer and more and more living relation with
Him,—in one word, the Religious Quest,—the struggle being
grounded in the fundamental norm of ‘Love for God’ (Íubb AllÉh)
(2:165) and pursued with utmost regard (taÌarru‘) for God’s infinite
Greatness and Glory (7:55; etc.).
It is necessary to emphasise here with all the force at the present

writer’s command that it is the actualisation and the fulfilment of the
Quest for God alone which equips a Muslim, according to the Qur’Én
(22:78), for becoming capable of ‘bearing witness of the Truth of
201
VOLUME ONE
Islam to humanity’—which is his mission (2:143)—and thus it is an

unavoidably necessary qualification, together with the requisite
intellectual achievement, for an Islamic religious leader.
(2) Standpoint for Religious Quest:
The Qur’Énic standpoint is ethico-religious, as opposed to

magical, mystical, ritualistic and legalistic standpoints given by other
systems. Subjectively, it relates to spiritual and moral transformation
of the individual (91:9); objectively, it is grounded in love for God
manifesting itself in love for fellow-beings (2:177: etc.).
(3) Source of Guidance for Religious Quest:
Religious Quest is to be pursued on the basis of the Qur’Én and

the Sunnah (i.e., the dynamics of the Holy Prophet Muhammad’s
Personality), together with an ever-deepening understanding of Nature
and History as repositories of the Signs of God (3:189-190; 14:5; etc.).
(4) Instruments employed for Religious Quest:157
The Holy Qur’Én projects two instruments in that behalf, namely,

Faith and Reason (58:11).
Vision of Faith guided by Reason leads to the deepening of

Conviction (35:28; etc.), which, in its turn, leads to confident progress
in the Quest.
(5) Standard of Behaviour relating to Religious Quest:
157
For further edification, refer to our discussion on “Ethico-Religious
Dynamics”— (Book 2, Part 1, Chapter 5).
202
Faith begets Love; Reason begets Law. Love and Law have,
however, been considered as antithetical in the pre-Qur’Énic religious
thought. But, according to the Holy Qur’Én, they are complimentary
and should therefore be reconciled (96:1; etc.) in order that a ‘sound
heart’ is built up, which is the demand of Religion (26:89; etc.).
That is so, because: Love relates to motivation; while Law relates

to discipline, which is vitally necessary for human success. But,
discipline cannot be consequentially imposed from without; rather, it
should grow from within. Hence Love should form the basis of
following the Law.
Also: the ethico-religious (spiritual plus moral) approach to life is

grounded in Love, while the juristic approach is grounded in Law.
Hence, because Love forms the basis of following the Law, the
primary emphasis in an ideal religious life should be on the spiritual
and moral aspects of human conduct rather than on juristic formalism.
It means that emphasis on Law should be subordinate to the emphasis
on Love,—not that Law should be discarded. That will ensure healthy
development of human personality: Because the spiritual and the
moral dimensions of conduct belong to the realm of ‘freedom’, which
renders initiative possible and ensures the flowering of human
personality; while the formal, or the juristic, dimension is grounded in
‘compulsion’, which gives rise to inertia and stultifies the personality.
Hence it is that a much greater portion of the Holy Qur’Én is

devoted to spiritual and moral guidance than to juristics (al-fiqh) and
the emphasis through and through is on the primacy of the spirit,
203
VOLUME ONE
which alone makes the pursuit of the Law, fruitful (2:177; 2:263;
22:37; etc.); while legalistic hair-splitting, which is born of formalistic
and externalistic approach to Religion, has been vehemently
denounced (2:67-71; Etc).
(6) Fundamental Ethical Guide-Lights for Religious Quest:
Besides the practice of the entire Qur’Énic ethico-religious

system to the best of opportunity and ability, the pursuer of Religious
Quest has to fix up some fundamental ethical guide-lights on his
spiritual Path. These lights are enshrined in the concepts of: Piety,
Love, Truth, Justice, Beauty, Wisdom, and Selflessness.
Piety:
Religious Quest is the quest focussed in the direction of the All-

Holy. This fact bestows extra-ordinary importance on Piety (taqwÉ).
But Piety has been conceived in the religious practice of mankind in
two ways, viz., as formal piety and as practical piety. The Holy
Qur’Én rejects the former and prescribes the latter (2:177;158 etc.).
Practical Piety originates in the consciousness of the tremendous

seriousness of human life and brings forth unflagging moral
earnestness; and it reflects itself in three dimensions, namely:
158
About this verse a hostile critic of Islam. Rev. E.M. Wherry, is compelled
to remark thus in his Commentary on the Koran: “This is one of the noblest
verses in the Kuran. It clearly distinguishes between formal and practical
piety. Faith in God and benevolence towards men is clearly set forth as the
essence of religion.”
204
1. An ever-deepening Awareness of the Perpetual Presence of

God (57:4), Who, besides His other Attributes, is the ‘Lord
of the worlds’ (1:1) and the Judge to Whom account will
have to be rendered on the Day of Judgment (1:3),—an
awareness which is cultivated through constant and
meaningful rememberance of God (3:190-192; etc.) and
which compels the pursuer of Religious Quest to act as if he
is under constant judgment of the Divine Judge, Whom he
can neither evade nor deceive.
The motto that emerges in this respect is: “Act always as if

you are standing before the Divine Judge and witnessing Him;
or, at least, that He is witnessing you.” (Cf. Bukhari: ØaÍÊÍ,
vol. 1, p. l2—KitÉb-al-ImÉn).
2. Unswerving attitute of Goodwill towards all Fellow-beings,

because the Holy Will of God is in harmony only with the
good will (2:195; 3:76; etc.).
The motto that emerges in this respect is: “Always so act that
your action is guided only by good-will.” In other words, the
guiding-light is: “Goodwill towards all and ill-will towards
none.”
3. Constant vigilance in respect of making and maintaining

one’s self immune from spiritual and moral evil (59:18);
because then alone the human ‘self’ can function as a
receptacle for the Blessings coming from the All-Holy.(Cf.
“… and He loves those who practise purity.” 2:222).
205
VOLUME ONE
The motto that emerges in this respect is: “Always act with
the consciousness that your goal is God.” (53:42; etc). That, it
may be emphasised, demands utmost spiritual and moral
refinement.
Love:
Love is basically directed to God (2:165), Who is the Absolute

Good. On the moral plane, it manifests itself in love for the moral
good, which projects itself in two dimensions: (a) love for fellow-
beings; (b) love for personal goodness, implying that goodness alone
should be permitted to reside in the human self.
Love for the good leads to its appreciation wherever found, even
in one’s enemy.
Thus the motto emerges here: “Appreciate the good wherever

found, without any extraneous consideration.” (Cf. 5:8).
Love for the good also leads to the consciousness of the ugliness
of evil, which is the opposite of good. That, in its turn, brings forth
hatred for evil.
There, the motto emerges: “Hate evil to the extent of fighting

against it.” (35:6).
But, ‘hate for evil’ viewed in the perspective of ‘love for

fellowbeings’ leads to the outlook: “Hate evil, but not the evil-
206
doer.”159 In this outlook, the evil-doer becomes the deserver of

sympathy in terms of the spiritual and moral damage that he does to
himself. This aspect of the problem of evil evokes in the pursuer of
Religious Quest the inspiration and the effort for the spiritual and
moral emancipation of the evil-doer,160 as opposed to the spirit of
hatred. This outlook found its highest expression in the life of the
Holy Prophet Muhammad (Peace be on him!), to which the Holy
Qur’Én bears witness thus: “Haply you (O Muhammad!) are going to
kill yourself with grief, sorrowing after them, if they believe not in
this Message (thereby depriving themselves of its blessings)” (17:6).
It is active sympathy that assumes the form of forgiveness—even

when dealing with an enemy, and of mercy, which both ought to be
practised as the basic principles of conduct (24:22; 41:34-35; 90:17).
Truth:
Truth 161 implies adherence to Reality. As such, it is the very salt

of life, being the constitutive quality of godliness (3:17; etc.). It is the
159
Hating other persons creates spiritual darkness in the moral agent’s
consciousness.
160
He alone who, among other qualities, personifies this outlook in himself,
is entitled to act as a preacher and missionary of religion. according to the
Qur’Én.
161
The Qur’Én projects the concept of Truth comprehensively, employing the
term al-Îidq (truthfulness, veracity) for the subjective aspect, and the term al-
Íaqq (reality) for the objective aspect.
207
VOLUME ONE
light which runs through the cosmos (6:73; etc.). It is the most basic
merit with which God has crowned the Holy Qur’Én, the Holy
Prophet—in fact, all Divine Messengers—, and the religion of Islam
(2:119; 2:176; 7:43; 48:28; etc.). It is the Attribute of the Divine Being
(31:30; etc.). Hence, Truth should be adhered to and pursued without
mixing it with falsehood in the least (2:42).162 From the practical point
of view, it should manifest itself in human life in two dimensions,
namely: (a) personal truthfulness in thought, word and deed; (b)
appreciation of truth wherever found.
The motto that emerges here is: “Maintain always the attitude of
such strict devotion to Truth and Reality that nothing, not even the
fear of death, may have any chance of success in enticing you into
falsehood and un-reality.”
Justice:
Justice may be defined as ‘giving to everyone his due on the

basis of equity’. The Holy Qur’Én views it in terms of absoluteness,
namely, as an imperative which is unconditionally, universally and
162
When this adherence is perfect and Truth captures the sub-conscious state
of mind thoroughly, the adherer begins to see true dreams (al-Ru’yÉ al-
ØÉdiqa) as a manifestation of al-BushrÉ (Glad Tidings) promised by God “in
the life of the Present and in the Hereafter” (10:64). It would be a grave
mistake to believe that such a state can be induced merely through ‘spiritual
recitations’, which are consequential in respect of that purpose only when
undertaken in conjunction with moral and spiritual purification and
integration of the self.
208
absolutely binding—binding on everyone, under all circumstances,

and in all situations; the binding without considerations of sex, caste,
tribe, or race; binding without regard to the distinction of Muslim and
non-Muslim, or of the ruler and the ruled, or of the rich and the poor;
binding even if it hurts one’s personal interests (4:135; 5:9; 6:152;
etc.). It is the virtue nearest to the virtue of Piety (5:9), which is basic
to Religious Quest.
In its widest sense, the pursuit of Justice relates to two levels,

viz., individualistic and collective.
The individualistic level has two dimensions, viz., justice to

one’s self and justice to other individuals. Then, there are two aspects
of the pursuit in each case, viz., positive and negative. Thus, at the
individualistic level, four basic rules of justice emerge in the Qur’Énic
ethics: (a) establish positive devotion to the harmonious development
of your personality; (b) remain constantly on guard against all
negative factors in respect of every aspect of your personality; (c) give
unstintedly to others what is due to them; (d) refrain absolutely from
defrauding others in what belongs to them.
At the collective level, justice takes the following four forms,

which have been projected by the Holy Qur’Én:163 (a) justice in social
relations; (b) justice in respect of the process and enforcement of Law;
(c) economic justice; and (d) political justice. The healthy growth of
163
See vol. 2: “The Structure of Islamic Society” for details and references.
209
VOLUME ONE
society, which influences the growth of the individual seriously,

demands the enforcement of all these forms of justice.
Accordingly, the Qur’Énic motto emerges: “Always adhere to

justice in respect of yourself as well as in the interest of others with
absolute sincerity and in all comprehensiveness.”
Beauty:
The pursuit of spiritual, moral, or any other, Good is good in

itself. It is good intrinsically. But the perfection of form is achieved
only when it is grounded in the simultaneous pursuit of Beauty, which
stands for grace, balance and refinement in conduct. Thus, Beauty
forms the structural component in the Qur’Énic term for virtue itself,
i.e., al-Íasanah (the Good),164 and of course it runs through the entire
structure of the Qur’Énic View of Life.165
In the Islamic Religious Quest, the primary emphasis emerges

naturally in respect of adherence to Beauty in the spiritual, moral and
mental spheres. But, what is most remarkable, the physical dimension
of life also gets its due to the full—of course, controlled by spiritual
166
and moral values and with the emphasis on natural grace as
opposed to unbalanced artificiality and sophistication and vulgar
ostentation,—in sharp contrast with the view of contempt for the
physical in the ideal of ‘saintliness’ in other spiritually-orientated
164
Ref: “The Critique and Dynamics of Morals” (Book 2, Part 1).
165
See vol. 2: “The Structure of Islamic Society”.
166
Ref. vol. 1: “Art and Morality”, and vol. 2: “Duties as Aesthetical Being”.
210
religions, on the one hand, and with the ‘worship’ of the physical
dimension of life in the modern Sensate Culture, on the other.
Here, the motto emerges: “Always and in all things adopt Beauty
as the garb of your behaviour.”
Wisdom:
A human being cannot move forward one step consequentially

without knowledge. Hence, acquisition of knowledge to the maximum
of one’s ability and availability of opportunity, stands forth as the
fundamental human obligation, and this is what the Holy Qur’Én has
taught.167 But, formal knowledge is only information, and does not
assist much beyond the minimum level of human aspirations. Rising
higher in terms of Values and Ideals necessitates the struggle of diving
deeper and with intellectual honesty and sharpness of vision into the
System of Meaning which runs through the Reality. According to the
Holy Qur’Én, this struggle should be undertaken in terms of ‘Religion’
and ‘Science’ both; and having been undertaken in that comprehensive
manner, it transforms ‘information’ into ‘experience’, and the stage is
set for the pursuit of Wisdom, which progressively discovers unity in
diversity and enables the possessor to distinguish between appearance
and reality until he arrives at the Fundamental Unity pervading the
cosmos, which, in its turn, leads him to the experience of Ultimate
Reality (3:190-191). This is the height of wisdom, about which it has
been proclaimed: “… whosoever is vouchsafed Wisdom he of a surety
167
See vol. 2: “Duties as Rational Being”.
211
VOLUME ONE
receives abundant good; and none will (truly) grasp the Truth
(contained in the Divine Message) save the possessors of Wisdom.”
Here, the motto emerges: “Strive for the acquisition of Wisdom,

so that you are able to comprehend the Truth at a level where all doubt
ceases.”
Selflessness:
The concept of Selflessness is thoroughly projected in the very

term employed by the Holy Qur’Én for him who accepts its guidance,
i.e., ‘Muslim’, which means: ‘the human being who: (a) accepts the
ideal of total surrender to God; and (b) pursues that ideal actively’. He
remains a formal Muslim so long as he does not cross from (a) to (b)
(49:14). He starts on the road to be Muslim in the proper sense when
he crosses into (b). He becomes a genuine Muslim only when he
undertakes comprehensively the active pursuit of the ideal of total
surrender to God, which, though it proceeds gradually, definitely
implies the practical affirmation of Faith (ImÉn) through its
translation into requisite Action (al-‘Amal al-ÎÉliÍ), elevating him
finally to the rank of the Mu’min (i.e., the Faithful, or, the Believer in
the true sense) (49:15; etc.).
It implies that the commitment of the ‘genuine Muslim’ is total,

expressed thus in the Qur’Énic Covenant of Faith: “AllÉh has
purchased from the Believers their persons and in their wealth …”
(9:111). This Covenant enshrines total selflessness for the Believer,
which is basically not negative but positive inasmuch as it means, in
the final analysis, ‘affirmation of the self’ in God—in Divine Pleasure.
212
Selflessness being thus a positive state in Islam, adherence to it

even at the basic minimum establishes in the personality of its
possessor humility, sweetness, gentleness, large-heartedness, active
sympathy for all fellow-beings, simplicity in life, unstinted devotion to
labour, fortitude, sincerity and many other virtues.
From the point of view of Religious Quest, selflessness is the

very starting point, being the very basis of Islamic life, subjectively
considered.
Hence, the motto emerges: “Always so behave that not the

pleasure of your self but the ‘Pleasure of God’ is the motivating force
for your action.”
(7) Ultimate Goal of Religious Quest:
Islam is opposed to the doctrine of the Descent of God in Man. It

regards the belief in Incarnation as both irratioal and blasphemous,—
irrational, because it projects the incarnation of the Infinite into the
finite, and blasphemous because it involves an attack on the
transcendent Majesty and Uniqueness of God. The theory of
Incarnation finds its rationale actually in two related dogmas, namely,
the dogma of ‘original sin’, which degrades humanity to the utmost,
and the dogma of the physical reality being evil, which renders the
human effort for spiritual evolution in the earthly environment
illusory. Both of these dogmas are very damaging to the ideal of the
spiritual and the moral progress of humanity. They only create despair
and skepticism, except for the unverifiable hope in respect of the next
life, and there also only for those who may develop faith in
213
VOLUME ONE
Irrationalism and compel themselves to believe in the mysteries of

vicarious atonement, or of salvation through transmigration of souls,
etc.
Rejecting the above-mentioned beliefs, the Holy Qur’Én affirms

the sinless birth of the human beings and the essential goodness of the
world. Going beyond that, it emphasises the ‘vicegerency of God’ as
the status of humanity, and invites human beings to undertake the
pilgrimage of eternity 168 in terms of dynamic movement towards God
(5:35; etc.). Thus it lays down the doctrine of the ‘Ascent of Man to
God’.
The ‘Ascent of Man to God’ consists in a spiritual journey, or,

the Religious Quest. We learn the following from the Holy Qur’Én in
respect of its progress and achievement.
The spiritually un-regenerate person stays in a state of spiritual

inertia (6:122). When his heart is opened to the understanding and
appreciation of the ideal of ‘Surrender to God’ (39:22), and he
undertakes the Religion Quest, he is revived spiritually (6:122) and his
spiritual nearness to God increases (96:19); and as it increases, the
harmony with the Divine Life increases; and as that harmony
increases, God’s Grace bestows upon him ‘a Light with which he
walks among human beings’ (6:122). Then he continues his spiritual
pilgrimage with the help of that Light, acquiring more and more
holiness in terms of harmony between himself and God (89:28),
168
Cf. The concept of ‘journey to God’ in 37:99.
214
maturing more and more in terms of the direct experience of Reality,

and acquiring deeper and deeper Conviction about God (15:99). In
this, the pursuer of Religious Quest attains the realisation of God, on
the one hand, and realizes himself in terms of the vicegerency of God,
on the other; whereby he attains the fulfilment of the highest and the
most ultimate yearning of his soul—which constitutes his essential
personality—in the state of Beatitude and Felicity. That is the highest
possible achievement for the human personality, because of the
realisation in it of the ideals of all forms of human consciousness at
their highest.169

CERTAIN POINTS OF BASIC DISTINCTION BETWEEN

MYSTICISM AND ISLAMIC RELIGIOUS QUEST
[POPULARLY CALLED TASAWWUF IN MUSLIM HISTORY]
Lexicologically, the word ‘mystical’ has two shades of meaning,

viz.: (1) ‘relating to mystery’; ‘mysterious’; sacredly obscure’; (2)
‘involving a sacred or secret meaning hidden from the eyes of the
ordinary person, only revealed to a spiritually-enlightened mind’.
Similarly, the word ‘mysticism’ carries two shades of meaning, viz.:
(1) ‘fogginess and unreality of thought (with suggestion of mist)’;
169
Ref: vol. 1: “The Qur’Énic Conception of Heaven and Hell”.
215
VOLUME ONE
(2) ‘the habit or tendency of religious thought and feeling of those

who seek direct communion with God or the divine’.170
Refined mysticism, as it has emerged in the civilized religions,

conforms to the second shade of meaning. And in this respect some
superficial affinity might be discernible between Mysticism and the
Islamic Religious Quest. But going deeper we find certain very basic
differences which are of immense importance.
These differences exist in terms of: (1) philosophy; (2) technique,

(3) function, (4) outlook; and (5) goal.
1. In terms of philosophy: Islam differs with all the systems of

Mysticism, either largely or wholly, with regard to the
teachings concerning God, the World, and Man; and it is self-
evident that those differences cannot but influence the
structure of the quest most vitally.
2. In terms of technique: All the schools of Mysticism employ

as their instruments meditation, contemplation, recitation and
asceticism; while Islam employs spiritual devotions to God,
and spiritual contact with the Holy Prophet (Peace be on
him!) and with the spiritual world as such—all that involving
recitation of spiritual Truths as one of the instruments—,
intellectual grasp of the Value-System of the Islamic Code of
Guidance, study of Nature and History, practice of social
morality, meditation, contemplation, and periodic seclusion
170
Chambers Twentieth Century Dictionary, section ‘M’.
216
or ‘withdrawal’ (I‘ktikÉf). Again, the element of asceticism in

Mysticism makes its quest possible for only a select few;
while the Islamic principle of the practice of Religion in
social life and its scheme of placing the basic elements of
Religious Quest in the obligatory religious routine of a
Muslim 171 makes it possible for every Muslim to undertake it
in accordance with his capacity and the availability of
opportunity.
3. In terms of function: The function of Mysticism is the

annihilation of the animal self, the development of psychical
powers and self-realisation in terms of its specific
philosophy. The function of Islamic Religious Quest is
spiritual and moral integration and development of the ‘self’
through self-purification, ultimately for reforming the
society.
4. In terms of outlook: In Mysticism, the outlook is pessimistic

as regards earthly existence, and hence it is passive in
relation to it. In the Islamic Religious Quest, the outlook is
optimistic based on faith in the goodness of the Divine Plan
under which everything exists and every event occurs; and it
is dynamic, because the world and worldly life, handled in
accordance with the Divine Guidance, are viewed as means
to the attainment of human destiny,—which outlook directs
the life of the pursuer of Islamic Religious Quest to multi-
171
See: the discussion on “The Integrated Individual” (vol. 1, pp. 179-184).
217
VOLUME ONE
dimensional and virile activity for interference in the process

of history.
The glorious role of genuine ØËfīs 172 in Muslim history bears

historic testimony to this fact. Of all the sections of Muslim
society, only they and their disciples have propagated Islam in
the world; and it is they who have contributed most in respect
of spiritual and moral fervour among Muslims. Also, their
heroic struggles in the field of political reform form a very
important chapter in the history of Islam.
5. In terms of goal: The goal of the mystic is personal salvation.

The goal of the pursuer of Islamic Religious Quest—of the
true ØËfÊ—is personal fulfilment at three levels, viz., in his
inner being, in human society, and finally in God. Thus, it
becomes his vital obligation to undertake ceaseless struggle
for transforming human society in terms of godliness.
172
With the awful degeneration of Muslim society, due to certain historical
factors, well-known to students of Islamic history, the understanding as well
as the practice of TaÎawwuf also has degenerated in more dimensions than
one. Also its name has been misused for certain wrong notions and ideas in
certain quarters. In spite of that, however, the denial to the Islamic Religious
Quest of its rightful place amounts to the very negation of Islam. Also,
interpreting TaÎawwuf in terms of the forms of Mysticism projected by other
religions is a flagrant violation of Truth.
218
Before closing this discussion, we may refer to the four terms

which have become famous in respect of the ‘Way of classical
orthodox Øūfī Teachers’—namely: al-Sharī‘ah, al-Ùarīqah,
al-Ma‘rifah and al-×aqīqah; and we may emphasize that all these
terms are firmly grounded in the teachings of the Qur’Én.
To begin with: They do not imply four different philosophies or

ways of life, but only four stages in the life and experience of a
genuine pursuer of IslÉm.
Thus:
a. The stage of al-Sharī‘ah relates to the acquisition of

knowledge of the Islamic system of Beliefs and the code of
Conduct relating to the Path of Islam; and it emerges in
response to the primary question: ‘What is Islam?’—or, in
other words, ‘What does Islam demand of a human being?’.
The answer to the above question has emerged in the QurÉn in all
its fullness; and it forms a major part of the present book.
b. The stage of al-Tarīqah refers to the method for persuing

IslÉm, ‘i.e., for travelling on the ‘Path of Islam’ meaningfully
and purposefully, rather than formalistically and
ritualistically; and it emerges in response to very vital
question: ‘How to be a Muslim?’—namely, ‘What is the
method of becoming, living and developing as a Muslim in the
true sense?’
219
VOLUME ONE
The Qur’Én supplies the method which is enshrined in the verse:

“he attains falÉÍ who subjects it (i.e., the soul) to tazkÊyyah” (91:9).
As such, it consist in the pursuit of tazkÊyyah—i.e., eradication of the
positive and the negative evils that obstruct or keep in abeyance the
development of human personality in the spiritual dimension, and
consequently in the moral dimension,—thereby ensuring healthy
spiritual growth under the impact of IslÉm—which operates on the
wheels of Zikr (‘Remembrance of God’) and Fikr (‘Probe into the
mysteries of Creation’) (3:190-191), and which ends in the
establishment of falÉÍ in one’s personality (i.e., spiritual development
in terms of the harmonius and comprehensive actualization of the
latent capabilities that relate to the transcendental dimension of the
personality) (87:14). This method is employed in strict adherence to
the ‘Straight Path’ projected in al-Sharī‘ah.
c. The stage of al-Ma‘rifah (or, ‘the Realisation’, as opposed to

the possession of ‘formal knowledge’) bears references to the
fruits of the strenuous labour (JihÉd) undertaken in respect of
al-Tarīqah.
That stage consist in the progressive realization in one’s

Consciousness, through the ‘Light from AllÉh’ (39:22), of the Glory
of God, the nature and status of the cosmos, and the true function and
destiny of the human being (3:191),— in short, of the Truth of Islam
and all that it stands for. In other words, it consists in achieving
baÎīrah spoken of in 12:108; thereby rising to the most meritorious
status, with reference to this world’s life, becoming the ‘bearer of
witness’ of the Truth of Islam to humanity (2:143).
220
d. The stage of al-×aqīqah (or, ‘the Reality’) forms actually the

highest level of al-Ma‘rifah.
That stage is said to be attained when the Light that God

establishes in His Devotee (‘abd) (39:22) illumines all the dimensions
of his Consciousness to an extent that he lives and moves only under
the impact of that Light (6:123), and not through his Desire (79:40).
At that level of experience, his ego transcends, in terms of its
approach to the reality of Existence, the phemenological level of
‘Diversity’ and becomes focussed in the realm of ‘Unity’,—‘Unity’
being the ÍaqÊqah (reality) of Existence.
The above facts may be briefly stated in other words thus: The
basic function of Islam is to transform the human personality on the
basis of ImÉn bi AllÉh (Faith in God). That transformation is, in the
very nature of the case, an internal process. As regards al-Sharī‘ah, it
is the Law relating to the ‘Straight Path’ of Islam. But that Path, like
every path as such, is meant for undertaking a journey to a goal—the
goal in its case being God (2:156). Now, travelling voluntarily
towards the goal, which Islam emphasises, necessitates: (a) travelling
with vigilance and personal enthusiasm and pleasure, which alone
enables a person to face the hazards and hardships of journey with
equanimity and steadfastness; and (b) proceeding in the journey
meaningfully and consequentially. It is, however, in the very nature of
formal Law, even though it may have divine sanction, that, in respect
of transformation of personality, it can, by itself, bring about only
superficial results, which do not endure under the strains and stresses
of human life. Then, being externally-imposed, it imparts the
221
VOLUME ONE
impression of being a ‘burden’ rather than a ‘pleasure’. Also, the

Instinctive Self—which, unless fixed in subjection to the Higher Self,
acts normally as the dominating force in human life—always tries to
evade the ‘Law’ in numerous ways. Hence, it is necessary that al-
Sharī‘ah should be internalised. Namely, it should be assimilated in
personal experience as best as possible in every individual case—
rather than remaining an imposition ‘from outside’—,any meaningful
transformation of personality being impossible in the latter case.
Internalisation, in its turn, demands the adoption of a method (al-
Ùarīqah) and actual meaningful journey (sulūk) in the realm of
experience. Then, as the transformation proceeds, the appreciation of
the Truths that Islam has taught begins to deepen in terms of personal
realisation (al-Ma‘rifah)—realisation with total Consciousness and
not merely rationalistic appreciation through discursive thought,
which can never provide unshakeable ImÉn (Faith), and realisation not
only in respect of the physical problems of human life but, moreso—
and that is important—in respect of the metaphysical problems, which
are of the most basic importance in the Islamic scheme of Guidance.
That realisation brings the earnest Muslim progressively closer and
closer to the understanding of the Reality (al-×aqīqah). That
understanding attains in due course a standard level when a Muslim’s
Consciousness becomes fixed on AllÉh, the Really-Real.
Finally, it may be emphasised that a religion without Religious

Quest is like a body without a soul; and, as a modem psychologist has
remarked: “A man with a religion purely of the rational type would be
222
in a worse position than the devils.” (Thouless: Psychology of

Religion, p. 90).

223
Page 226 - Blank

Chapter 6
THE PHILOSOPHY OF UNITY
The Holy Qur’Én has laid the greatest emphasis on the concept of
Unity (TawÍÊd). It is not found there, however, merely as a concept
among concepts but as an all-pervading principle which governs all
the fundamental domains of human faith and action. As such, it is
vitally necessary to understand it in all its dimensions for the sake of
understanding the basic Qur’Énic approach to the vital human
problems.
(1) Unity of God:
The Qur’Énic view of life is grounded in the purest

monotheism—the doctrine of the Unity of God. God is One. He is
indivisible, and He has no partner in the godhead. He is the Reality.
He is all-in-all. Belief in Him demands indivisible loyalty and
devotion to Him. This emancipates the human beings from every
cosmic and earthly bondage and elevates them to the highest pinnacle
of glory.
(2) Unity of the Universe:
The universe has come into existence through creation, and God
alone is its Creator. Therefore, it is a unity—in existence as well as in
purpose. And, as such, it is a cosmos and not a chaos. It is a Reign of
Law and not a Chance Order. Moreover, it is a Moral Order and not an
amoral conglomeration of wayward particles.
VOLUME ONE
Subjectively pitched on the denial of the existence of God by

hook or by crook, the materialistic philosophies assume,—assume
only, because they have no proof—the origin of the world in chance—
a ghostly and meaningless term in that respect. Postulation of chance
shuts the door to the affirmation of any Meaning, or of the necessary
existence of a Monistic Principle as the starting point. But the
affirmation of a Meaningful Monistic Principle is the condition of
believing in the universe as a cosmos, as opposed to chaos; and the
affirmation of the universe as a cosmos is necessary for regarding the
human life as meaningful. Then, unless human life is meaningful, all
talk of philosophy, science, economics, politics, social improvement,
justice and truth is, to say the least, beside the point.
The principle of Evolution may be presented by the Materialists

as the monistic principle underlying the working of the cosmos. But,
how, where, why and by whom was that process originated? Evolution
remains devoid of any genuine meaningfulness without satisfactory
answers to those questions? Indeed, it remains a blind process, even
though we may notice some method in it. The difficulties inherent in
the hypothesis of Evolution have been commented upon by an
eminent French scientist thus:
“One of the greatest successes of modern science was to link the

fundamental Carnot Clausius law (also called the second law of
226
thermodynamics),173 key-stone of our actual interpretation of the

inorganic world, with the calculus of probabilities. Indeed, the great
physicist Boltzmann proved that the inorganic, irreversible evolution
imposed by this law corresponded to an evolution toward more and
more ‘probable’ states, characterized by an ever increasing symmetry,
a levelling of energy. The universe, therefore, tends towards an
equilibrium where all the dissymmetries existing today will be
flattened out, where all motion will have stopped and where total
obscurity and absolute cold will reign. Such will be the end of the
world—theoretically.
“Now, we men at the surface of the earth are witnesses to another

kind of evolution: that of living things. We have already seen that the
laws of chance, in their actual state cannot account for the birth of life.
But now we find that they forbid any evolution other than which leads
to less and less dissymmetrical states, while the history of the
evolution of life reveals a systematic increase in dissymmetries, both
structural and functional. Furthermore, this trend can hardly be
attributed to a ‘rare fluctuation’ destined to be ironed out statistically,
as it has manifested itself steadily for over one thousand million years
(probable age of life on this globe), and as the dissymmetries,
gloriously unconcerned about the law set by man, became greater as
eons passed by until they culminated in the brain of man.
173
This law can be worded as follows: An isolated material system can never
pass twice identically through the same state. Every successive state entails a
definite decrease in its available energy. Hence its irreversibility.
227
VOLUME ONE
“Once more we repeat that there is not a single fact or a single

hypothesis, today, which gives an explanation of the birth of life or of
natural evolution. As far as the origin of life is concerned, we have
briefly studied the problem in the first part of this book. Willy-nilly,
we are, therefore, obliged either to admit the idea of a transcendent
intervention, which the scientist may as well call God as anti-chance,
or to simply recognize that we know nothing of these questions
outside of a small number of mechanisms. This is not an act of faith,
but an undisputed scientific statement.”174
In the hypothesis of the Dialectical Process also the Materialists

fail to see that the emphasis should lie not on the process as such but
on the monistic principle inherent in it. If the world-process is
conceived to have started with the simultaneous emergence, through
chance, of the thesis and the anti-thesis, leading through their
interaction to synthesis, that would explain nothing. If it is said that
only a thesis emerged first and the anti-thesis was born out of it, that
would give us a monistic principle at the start. But the emergence of
the original thesis by chance makes the entire process blind and does
not provide any sanction for any meaningful philosophy of life. The
fact is that if it is inferred on the basis of certain phenomena that the
world-process consists in repitition ad-infinitum of a triad in terms of
‘thesis—anti-thesis—synthesis’, then we are compelled to accept the
monistic principle as the controlling force running through the
process, because of the culmination of the interaction of the ‘thesis’
174
Le Comte du Nouy: Human Destiny, pp. 41, 134.
228
and the ‘anti-thesis’ in ‘synthesis’ everytime that the cycle is

conceived to be repeated,—the repitition giving to the world-process
the form of a chain wherein every new ‘synthesis’ assumes the form
of two prongs in terms of ‘thesis’ and ‘anti-thesis’ that finally merge
themselves into a ‘synthesis’. In other words, dualism is repeatedly
reducing itself into monism. This gives the clue to the existence of a
monistic principle as the starting point and of the spirit of ‘monism’
pervading twice the dialectic.
The Qur’Én also speaks explicitly, and not just implicitly, of the
presence of the dialectic in the world-process in terms of the perpetual
conflict of the ‘Reality’ and the ‘un-reality’, or of Truth and Falsehood
(21:18; etc.), and it emphasises its importance for human beings in its
ethico-religious dimensions. It affirms its origin and starting point,
however, not in chance, nor in a blind monistic principle, but in the
Will of the Supreme Being Who possesses all the attributes of
Perfection.
It may also be observed in passing that while the so-called

Scientific Materialism emphasises the transformation of Quantity into
Quality as the mode of the world-process, the Qur’Én emphasises the
transformation of Quality into Quantity. The former view was actually
built on certain wrong scientific notions of the nineteenth century in
respect of Matter, which have now undergone radical change—
lending ever-growing support to the Qur’Énic view.
We might state the Qur’Énic view thus: Because God is the

Absolutely Transcendental Being, His fundamental Attribute is
229
VOLUME ONE
‘Absolute Quality’. The cosmos has emerged in existence, in terms of

evolutionary creation—as opposed to ‘spontaneous’ creation—
through the activity of His Will. Quality is ‘intangible’. Quantity
relates to tangibility. The world-process is the progressive
crystallisation of in-tangibility into tangibility. The intangible is
space-less and time-less,—we may call it ‘Idea’ in the fundamental
sense. The tangible is spatio-temporal. We know that we proceed
progressively towards intangibility as we move from ‘appearance’ to
‘reality’ in the physical analysis of Matter, which means that
intangibility, or space-lessness and time-lessness, or Qualitativeness,
is the basis of the existence of Matter.
(3) Principle of ‘Unity’ in respect of the relation of God with the

Cosmos:
According to the Qur’Én: God is Eternal and Absolute, and the

cosmos is Transient and Relative. Now, the Relative is not the
Absolute. But it has originated in the Will of the Absolute and is
sustained by the Absolute. Thus, the Relative has no independent
existence of its own, while the Absolute neither excludes nor includes
the Relative. (Cf. the philosophical doctrine of the “Ahl-as-Sunnah
wal JamÉ ‘ah”: LÉ ‘ain wa lÉ ghair).
(4) Unity of Life:
Taking ‘life’ in the universe as a whole, or ‘life’ as such, all ‘life’

forms a unity. In other words: Because the Holy Qur’Én projects the
universe as an organic whole which has come into existence through
the unitary action of the Divine Will, all the projections and
230
manifestations of ‘life’ exist within a single unitary evolutionary

principle—human life being distinguished as unique and over-
powering because it functions within the framework of Personality.
With respect to the human being, as such, his life before his birth
on the earth, his earthly life, and his life after death—all these three
phases form a unity. Indeed, life is tied to a continuous evolutionary
process.
(5) Unity of the ‘Natural’ and the ‘Super-Natural’:
The Basis of Existence for all phenomena and things in the entire
universe being one, and the Source of all laws pertaining to every
aspect and every part of the universe being one, the ‘natural’ and the
‘super-natural’ are only two levels of the activity pervading the
cosmos, involving no contradiction. The distinction is actually
grounded only in the human framework of reference.
(6) Unity of Knowledge:
Because the universe is a unity, knowledge should be pursued in

terms of ‘unity’ in the sense that it should form one ‘Whole’. The
different branches of knowledge should be viewed in the relationship
of inter-dependence. This leaves no ground in the Qur’Énic view of
knowledge for the time-honoured division in terms of ‘religious’ and
‘secular’.
(vii) Unity of Faith and Reason:
It is not, however, only the different branches of knowledge that

are complimentary among themselves. The time-honoured dichotomy
231
VOLUME ONE
of Faith and Reason, which has played havoc in the history of

Christian West, is also a false notion. Cognition (knowing) and
conation (feeling) are not anti-thetic, both being the dimensions of the
same human Consciousness. Faith and Reason have also, therefore, to
go together: to function in unity. Faith without Reason lands human
beings in superstition. Reason without Faith deprives humanity of the
highest values. Taking up this problem in the very first Revelation, the
Holy Qur’Én has emphasised the unity of Faith and Reason and has
projected the ideal of Rationally-orientated Faith.
(8) Unity of Truth:
God has stated the basic Truth in His Revealed Guidance, and
has invited His vicegerents, the human beings, to experience the Truth
through their observation. Truth does not have different facets; it is
one-sided. But its observation through the finitude of human senses
and reason gives only partial views which relate to infinitesimally
small portions of the whole and are, in the very nature of the case,
discrete. However, even the minute and partial views, if interpreted in
the scientific spirit, i.e., objectively and without the distortion of the
image through the intrusion of subjectivity, are bound to corroborate
the Revealed Truth. In other words, true Religion and true Scientific
Approach to Truth stand in the relation of unity.
(9) Unity of Religion:
The Holy Qur’Én teaches that, God being One and humanity
being one, Divine Guidance in terms of Religion has not been
confined to any particular chosen race. Rather, entire humanity has
232
been blessed with it during the course of human history (13:7; etc).
Nor could it be different for different communities. This gives the
principle of unity in respect of Divine Revelation. Also, this teaching
provides the venue of appeal to the religions of the world for casting
off the shells of later accretions, perversions and distortions brought
into existence by human ignorance, ingenuity, or vested interests, and
returning to the original Message in the light of reason and with the
assistance of the Qur’Énic Revelation,—finally bringing about the
unification of religions in the Divine Truth and paving the way to the
unity of mankind.
(10) Unity of ‘Love’ and ‘Law’:
‘Love’ functions as the ‘soul’ and ‘Law’ functions as the ‘body’

of the human code of Conduct; and, in the Qur’Énic view, genuine
flowering of the human personality is possible only when ‘Love’ and
‘Law’ function in organic unity in the life of a person.
(11) Unity of Mankind:
Coming to human beings: God, the One, has created them all;
and He originated the existence of the human species on the earth
through one original pair of man and woman. This gives us the
Qur’Énic principle of the Unity of Mankind, in which all prejudices of
race, colour, caste and sex are obliterated and the only principle of
distinction in respect of status is achievement in terms of spiritual and
moral character and knowledge. As regards respect for human dignity,
it is, in the Qur’Énic view, the birthright of every human being.
(12) Principle of Unity in respect of the Sexes:

233
VOLUME ONE
Although man and woman are different in respect of some of

their functions, and consequently in some of their organs, they have
emerged, according to the Holy Qur’Én, from a single primeval Self.
In their basic human nature and status, therefore, they are united in the
bond of humanity:—they are one and the same, and even in their
functions they stand out as complimentaries and not as the negation of
one another. Consequently both possess, equal human dignity.
(13) Unity of Human Personality :
With reference to the human personality, the Holy Qur’Én

emphasises its organic wholeness. The human being is a unitary
being, with the soul, the mind and the body and their different
dimensions of existence and behaviour, forming an integrated organic
Whole—a Unity. This Qur’Énic view gives rise to the Qur’Énic ideal
of the integration, wherein all the dimensions of human personality:
the physical, the moral, the rational, the aesthetical and the spiritual,
have to be developed comprehensively and harmoniously in order to
achieve the Divine Purpose with regard to human destiny.
It may be emphasised here that, similar to what we have noticed

in the case of the cosmos, the human being also emerges, in the
Qur’Énic view, as a being who is ‘space-less’ and ‘time-less’ in his
origin and constitution. Namely, he originated in a dimension of
existence which transcends ‘space’ and ‘time’, or, in other words, in
the transcendental dimension—a dimension akin to the fifth
dimension of the five-dimensional continuum in which we find an
electron during its jump from one orbit to the other. And his essential
234
constitution is in terms of what is called ‘soul’ in popular language.

As for the birth and the death of the human being on the earth, the
Qur’Énic view may be stated in scientific terms thus. In respect of
birth : The soul projects itself, under the Will of God, in the ‘dimen-
sion of time’, bringing about the existence of the mind, which is
temporal. Then, beyond that, it projects itself into the ‘dimension of
space’, bringing about the existence of the body, which is spatio-
temporal. At the time of death, the soul resumes its purely
transcendental state of existence,—of course, carrying within itself the
effects of its earthly career.
(14) Unity in respect of ‘Freedom’ and ‘Determinism’:
According to the Holy Qur’Én, man is neither the abject slave of

inexhorable Fate, as the ancient oriental philosophy would have it,
nor completely self-determined—the sole maker of his destiny, as the
atheistic existentialism of the modern West teaches. Affirmation of
inexhorable Fate bars the way to all moral struggle,—in fact, to all
struggle for improvement, because every sentiment and every idea and
every desire of every human being is conceived to be predestined. On
the other hand, the view that man is completely free plunges him in
the terror and the agony of being infinitely lonely—and that with all
the human weaknesses—in what is regarded as an alien and hostile
world. Both of these views end in the philosophy, of Pessimism,
which is pure poison in relation to human happiness and progress.
The Holy Qur’Én steers clear of both the above-mentioned stand-

points and gives us a view whereby it harmonises the concepts of
235
VOLUME ONE
Freedom and Determinism. It teaches that when God created man, He

endowed him with personality as well as freedom—a freedom which,
though not absolute, is, nevertheless, adequate to human nature. Then
it teaches that God has not abandoned man to himself. Man has been
made the vicegerent to function in harmony with God, Who is the real
Architect of man’s destiny. As such, God is man’s constant
‘companion’, and God and man both participate in the making of
man’s destiny. This ‘Mutual Participation’ forms the medium wherein
Freedom and Determinism stand out in unity.175
(15) Unity in Basic Social Life:
The distinctions of the clergy and the laity, of the wealthy and the
poor, of the superior caste and the inferior caste, and of the superior
race and the inferior race (based on the inhuman dogmas of the
‘chosen people’ or of the supremacy of one colour of human skin over
another), have plagued the life of human communities—and that not
only among those who have believed in the plurality of gods, like the
Hindus, but also among those who have been the so-called upholders
of Monotheism, like the Jews and the Christians. Negatively, through
the abolition of the institution of priesthood, and positively through
the creation of a classless, casteless and non-racial society, the Holy
Qur’Én has sounded the death-knell to all such evil distinctions. It has
envisaged a society dedicated to godliness, and it has laid down a
value-system wherein the only criteria of superiority are greater
175
Cf. The position of Ahl-as-Sunnah wal-JamÉ’ah in terms of ‘bain al-Jabr
wa al-IkhtiyÉr’.
236
spiritual refinement, moral goodness and knowledge. This value-

system reduces all the conflicting material distinctions into unity.
(16) Unity in terms of Politics:
The establishment of the state is rooted in organisation, and

organisation necessitates the emergence of the super-ordinate, on the
one hand, and the sub-ordinate, on the other. The super-ordinate is the
repository of the coercive authority and its function is to command—
to rule. As opposed to it, the function of the sub-ordinate is to obey—
to be ruled. This gives rise to a situation of conflict if supremacy is
vested in the state-authority. The ancient thinkers have believed for
long in the Divine Right of Kings. They have conceived the kings as
above Law. Among the moderns, Hegel has idolised the State to the
extent of its being infallible, unquestionable and unaccountable.
Again, the Marxist state, through its iron regimentation, reduces the
sub-ordinates to mere automatons. There, the politbureau is all-in-all.
The Holy Qur’Én resolves this ugly and painful situation, by

uniting the super-ordinate and the sub-ordinate in subjection to the
principle of the Supremacy of the Law. No human being has a right to
rule over another human being. It is the authority of Law—the Law of
God, Who alone is the Sovereign—that should reign supreme.
It was this unifying principle which was proclaimed in his

inaugural address by the first Caliph of Islam, Abu Bakr the Illustrious
(in whom God’s Pleasure abides!). He said: “Obey me so long as I
obey AllÉh and His Messenger (Muhammad). But if I deviate from
obedience to AllÉh and His Messenger, obedience to me remains
237
VOLUME ONE
binding on you no more.” (Ref: Dr. M.S. Jung: The Administration of

Justice in Muslim Law, p. 6).
(17) Unity of ‘Church’ and’State’:
A state which functions without any idealistic foundations is only

an expediency-based crude ‘police organization’; and a state which
concerns itself only with the physical needs of its citizens, leaving the
spiritual and moral needs to a parallel organisation, calling it the
‘Church’, damages the cause of its citizens. Because, it either breeds a
state of the conflict of ideals or promotes the relegation of the
fulfilment of spiritual and moral needs to a position of no importance.
Being firmly committed to the principle of Unity, the Qur’Én projects
the concept of the state in terms of the organised effort of the people
for a comprehensive and integrated fulfilment of all the requirements
and needs of healthy, progressive and vibrant collective existence.
Hence, the Islamic state functions in terms of the unification of the
‘Church’ and the ‘State’ and shoulders the responsibility of protecting
and promoting not only the physical interests but also the spiritual and
the moral interests of its citizens.
(18) Unity in terms of Economics:
All human systems and institutions aim at realising some human

value or values. Thus capitalism is grounded in the value of Freedom.
It was this value which emerged as the highest, by way of reaction to
the authoritarianism of the Christian Church, when Europe was
blessed with the Renaissance and the Industrial Revolution. The effort
to realise this value brought about revolutionary changes in the fields
238
of general social life, politics and economics. In the general social life
emerged the phenomenon of increasing respect for anti-
authoritarianism leading to disrespect for all authority, including that
of the parents, the teachers and the Church. This disrespect has
assumed enormous proportions today, leading almost to anarchy. In
the political field, autocracy gave way to democracy, which became a
tremendous source of strength for those Western communities wherein
it had the proper opportunity for flourishing in a healthy manner. In
the field of economics, the value of Freedom was realised in terms of
‘free enterprise’—the laissez-faire, which finally built up the giant of
Monopoly Capitalism. This process gave tremendous economic power
to the advanced states of Europe and America. At the same time,
however, it helped to undermine a very important human value, i.e.,
the value of Equality. Such a result was inherent in the philosophy of
Capitalism and could not be avoided.
However, it is human nature to yearn for the realisation not only

of the value of Freedom but also of the value of Equality, and of
several other values besides. Hence a severe reaction came, and the
child of this reaction was Communism, or, the Scientific Socialism of
Karl Marx. But, very unfortunately, this reaction was a blind reaction.
It was even a crude reaction. Because, without challenging the
sincerity and the academic attainments of Karl Marx, it is evident that
his mind could not penetrate the true nature of the evil which he
wanted to eradicate, and, in his reactionary mood, he just picked up
the value of Equality, as a superficial person would do, and made it
the foundation of his social philosophy. But with what result? There
239
VOLUME ONE
are so many states in the world today who have adopted the Marxist-
Leninist ideology. Everywhere the effort to realise the value of
Equality in terms of Scientific Socialism has invariably resulted in
depriving the people of the value of Freedom—and that completely.
This tragedy, again, like the tragedy of Capitalism, was inherent in the
situation.
The truth of the matter is: If a society adopts Freedom as the

fundamental value, there will be no Equality. Similarly, if a society
adopts Equality as the fundamental value, the value of Freedom will
vanish into thin air.
But the realisation of both the values: Freedom and Equality, is

necessary for the proper development of the human communities. The
question is: how to bring this about?
The Holy Qur’Én has supplied the answer in its philosophy of

Unity, wherein it teaches the establishment of harmonious union
between the values of Freedom and Equality through the adoption of
the value of Justice as the fundamental value on which the human
social order should be founded. It is evident that if this is done, the
dichotomy of Freedom and Equality will be resolved, and it will be
possible to realise both of these values in due proportion and without
sacrificing either. As a conesquence, a synthesis of the merits of free
enterprise and controlled economy, will emerge, making it possible to
establish a welfare society, which will function on the principles, not
of class-war or of exploitation of the working class by the moneyed
class, but of love, harmony, human fellowship, moral excellence and
240
justice, will ensure a just distribution of wealth on the basis of just

reward for labour, talent and achievement, and will guarantee to every
citizen the basic needs of life in terms of food, clothing, shelter,
medical assistance and education. Therein, no one, to whatever station
in life he may belong, will be wronged in any manner, and slavery of
all types between man and man will vanish—freedom and equality in
respect of human dignity being accepted as the birthrights of every
human being.
This is what the Qur’Énic philosophy of Unity envisages in

respect of the economic structure of society, and this is what it
actually achieved during the Righteous Period of Muslim history,
when the Qur’Énic orthodoxy had not yet been tampered with.
(19) Unity of Classes:
It is in the very nature of every human society to undertake and

promote diversified activity. Diversification of activity, in its turn,
creates diversified groups who contribute to the life and growth of the
community through the pursuit, at different levels of execution, of
different types of tasks. Then, each type enjoys a status of its own.
Thus different types of tasks become graded as of superior or inferior
status in respect of their superior or inferior role in terms of their
utility to the community, conferring ipso facto superiority or
inferiority on the executors of those tasks. Thus groups of people
become diversified and differentiated and emerge in terms of their
professional superiority or inferiority.
241
VOLUME ONE
Then, it is in the very nature of organised activity that there is

someone who commands, and there are others who obey. That, in
itself, creates superiority and inferiority among the members of a
society.
Thus, the emergence of classes with positive differentiations is

the very condition of the existence of a human society. And those
classes emerge on different bases. Administratively, the society
becomes divided into the ruling class and the class of people who are
ruled. Activistically, it gets divided into classes according to
professions or types of work, on the one hand, and in respect of the
quality of labour, on the other. Then, the factors of ‘type of work’ and
‘quality of labour’ are related to the talent which, certain persons
possess while others do not, to the labours put in by certain persons
for cultivating those talents, and to the measure of the merits acquired
by them through sincere labour. Even if it is said that every member of
a society owes all his merits and achievements totally to the society,
that the society makes him what he is, and that therefore he should
submerge his individuality in the society,—even then, on principle,
the society has to pay more regard, and take more care of, him on
whom it spends more in order that he may be more useful to it. Thus
even making the concept of ‘labour’ as the only standard of
evaluation, the emergence of classes with differences in respect of
status in social, political and economic terms is unavoidable. The
unskilled manual labourer cannot be put on par with the skilled
manual labourer. Then, a manual labourer cannot be put on par with
an intellectual labourer. Again: Among intellectual labourers, a
242
creative scholar or scientist cannot be put on par with an office-worker

or even with a journalistic writer,—nay, even with a teacher. Still
again: The head of the state, elected by the people for his exceptional
learning, wisdom and sagacity, cannot be put on par with the citizens
of his state.
The above situation emerges whether the society is capitalistic or

communistic, and whether it is autocratic or democratic.
The real fault with the feudalistic and the capitalistic societies
lies in their materialistic approach to life and the consequent
exploitation, injustice and want of human sympathy—all these evils
being inherent in the feudalistic and the capitalistic social philosophy.
“Every man unto himself, and devil take the hindmost”, as they say.
Or, as the Darwinian atheism formulates it: “Survival of the Fittest.”
Human inequalities and qualitative and quantitative gradations

are natural to the social life of humanity. But exploitation and injustice
and want of human feeling are not natural. What the Holy Qur’Én
does, therefore, is: (1) it emphasises the human basis of social life, as
opposed to class-distinctions. It does not believe that different
professions should unavoidably divide the human beings into
mutually-hostile classes. (2) It destroys the spirit of estrangement, to
which the engagement of different groups of the people in different
professions might give rise, through its fundamental unifying
institution of Brotherhood. (3) It destroys the very foundations of, and
the spirit behind, Feudalism and Monopoly Capitalism. (4) It gives a
firm teaching and sound laws to keep away exploitation, injustice and
243
VOLUME ONE
tyranny from the society which practices the Guidance it gives. (5) On
the positive side, it establishes Welfare Society based on Piety, Truth,
Justice, Love, Wisdom, Beauty and Selflessness,—thereby eliminating
all possibilities of the emergence of any type of class-conflicts and the
consequent disturbance of the principle of human unity.
(20) Principle of ‘Unity’ as the basis of Culture:
The emphasis on ‘other-worldliness’ creates ideational culture.

The emphasis on ‘this-worldliness’ leads to sensate culture. The
Qur’Én stands for human fulfilment in ‘this’ world as well as in the
‘other’ world, unifies the Good of this world with the Good of the
other world,176 and gives to both the spiritual and the physical values
their full due—synthesising them within its unitary ideal of human
fulfilment. Thus it projects the unified integralistic Culture.
(21) Unity in terms of the ‘Ideal of Single Goal’:
All human activity proceeds under the impact of different

yearnings: the yearning for holiness, the yearning for moral
achievement, the yearning for aesthetic refinement, the yearning for
knowledge, the yearning for physical happiness, etc. Thus activity
becomes diversified, at the individual as well as the collective level,
into spiritual, moral, aesthetical, intellectual, physical, social,
economic, political, etc. Now, what happens in actual life is that the
superficial and un-balanced mind views each of these activities as if it
176
Cf. Along with other references, the prayer: “Our Lord ! Give us Good in
this world and Good in the Hereafter” (2:201).
244
exists independently of the others and believes that it should be

pursued as such. Then, because of a diversification of human
temperaments and environmental settings, different human beings
acquire special interest in different types of activity and finally land
themselves in the evil of fixing up the goal relating to one particular
activity as the only or, at least, the basic goal of life. Then they go
beyond that and transform their personal inclination into philosophy.
The errors thus committed infect the minds of even great thinkers. To
give just a few examples. In respect of the function of the State: Hegel
says that it is moral, while Marx says that it is economic. As regards
Man: Aristotle says that he is a social being. Plato emphasises that he
is a rational being. Marx asserts that he is an economic being. Then,
coming to Culture: the upholders of the ideational school of sociology
maintain the view that the spiritual alone is real and consequently hold
to the ideal of an other-worldly culture; while the materialistic
sociologists believe that the physical alone is real and, as a result,
stand as protagonists of sensate culture. Thus, different individuals,
different thinkers and different human groups adopt and emphasise
different goals, and the pursuit of those different goals leads to endless
disharmony and perpetual conflicts within the personalities of the
individuals, and between different classes that go to constitute a
community, as also between the different nations and races.
The Qur’Énic concept of unity which, at the level of the

psychological, the moral and the social phenomena, assumes the form
of the principle of integration, provides the guidance which can save
mankind from disaster in this behalf. Because God has created all the
245
VOLUME ONE
human beings with a plan and a purpose, and has endowed them with
the status of His vicegerency, and has created the world such that the
human beings can act in it in accordance with their status, the only
goal worth the name which every human being should by his very
nature pursue is the fulfilment of his destiny as the vicegerent of God,
—wherein he attains harmony with God, Who is the Source of all life,
light, power, happiness and beatitude. This only goal is, in fact, the
comprehensive goal to which the pursuit of all the partial goals should
bear reference; and for that purpose all the immediate goals of human
activity (—and every healthy activity must be included in the empire
of Human Action—) should be pursued in an integrated and balanced
manner, harmonising everyone of them with the rest, and all together
with the comprehensive goal, or, the ultimate goal.

246
Chapter 7
INTEGRALISTIC MORAL PHILOSOPHY
AND COMPREHENSIVE MORAL CODE
We have noticed in the foregoing that the Holy Qur’Én gives a

monistic principle of evaluation in its concept of God. That principle
plays a vital role in the Qur’Énic moral philosophy, so that the
Qur’Énic ethical norms are established in what might be named as
Divine Ethics.
The Divine Ethics emerges in the Qur’Énic concept of God as

‘ethical Being’ Who behaves towards human beings in the ethical
way. As for the human being, he has to imitate the Divine Ethics as
the vicegerent of God—as best as he can.
177
God is the Possessor of the Best Attributes (7:180; 17:110;
59:24), and “all that is in the heavens and the earth is devoted to His
tasbÊÍ (i.e., proclaims His absolute freedom from every type of evil
and attests His glory in respect of His absolute perfection).178 (59:24).
Elsewhere, the act of tasbīÍ has been distinguished from the act
of prayer: “Behold you not that it is AllÉh Whose tasbīÍ is the
function of all (beings that are) in the heavens and the earth, and the
birds (in flight) with wings outspread? Surely each one knows its
177
al-ÍusnÉ: the Best (Lane’s Lexicon).
178
Meaning of tasbīÍ according to Lane’s Lexicon.
VOLUME ONE
(own mode of) prayer and its (own mode of) tasbīÍ. And AllÉh is
Aware of what they do” (24:41).
Then, among the human beings, those who do not ignore the
Signs of God—which form the keys to the understanding of the
meaning of human life and the nature of human destiny—and
establish such a living faith in God that they become capable of
appreciating those Signs, surrender of their whole self and tasbīÍ
enshrined in the realisation of God’s absolute Perfection become the
guiding lights of their lives: “Only those (human beings) are
(genuine) believers in Our Signs, who, when they obtain admonition
therewith, fall down prostrate (in adoration of AllÉh’s Glory) and
engage in tasbīÍ celebrating the praise of their Lord; and they are
never arrogant (in respect of the acceptance of their total dependence
on AllÉh)” (31:15).
TasbīÍ has been made a regular daily routine for the Believers:
“O you who believe! Remember AllÉh with much remembrance and
engage in His tasbīÍ morning and evening” (33:41-42).
According to Imam Raghib al-Isfahani, the act of tasbīÍ stands

for worship in thought, word and deed.179
Thus: As it relates to thought and word, tasbīÍ is a process of

active realisation in one’s consciousness of the infinite glory of the
Divine Attributes, and thereby of the infinite purity and perfection of
the Personality of God; and, as it relates to deed, it is a process of
179
MufradÉt al-Qur’Én, sec: SBH.
248
active assimilation of the ethical value-system of those Attributes in

one’s personality on the basis of a dynamic understanding of the
privileged status that God has conferred on him through the infusion
of what He calls ‘My spirit’ (15:29)—the goal being the realisation of
the human vicegerency of God, which starts actualising only when the
human personality begins to project the reflection of the Divine
Attributes.
The ethical implications of this Qur’Énic teaching are:
God Himself is the ethical ideal, and the proper ethical function
of the human being is to imitate Him.180 This teaching forms the
fundamental base of the Qur’Énic moral philosophy, and it has been
repeatedly brought into focus in explicit terms in the Qur’Én. For
instance:
1. The mercy, compassion and loving kindness of God is the

ever-recurring theme of the holy book. Its very first verse
projects it with full emphasis in terms of raÍmah. Hence the
observance of compassionate kindness (marÍamah) has been
made one of the governing principles of Islamic life (90:17),
along with its different dimensions projected in different
contexts at different places,—for instance, love and mercy
spoken of in respect of their observance by the husband and
the wife (30:21).
180
Cf. The Qur’Énic verse: “(We take our) colour from AllÉh, and who is
better than AllÉh at colouring ? It is He whom we worship” (2:138).
249
VOLUME ONE
2. God is al-Barr (52:28). Hence, a human being has to act as

barr through practising birr comprehensively (2:177), with
special emphasis on social good (3:92). In fact, birr has been
made one of the governing principles of human life (5:2), and
to be from among the abrÉr (pl. of barr) has been made the
ideal (3:193).
The words barr and birr, which emerge from the same root,
are untranslatable because of the richness of their meanings.
The basic connotation is: kindness, affection, gentleness,
justice, righteousness, honesty, veracity, considerateness,
extensive beneficence.181
3. God is Forgiving (Ghafūr) and Merciful (RaÍīm). Human

beings should also be forgiving and merciful in their
behaviour towards one another (24:22).
4. God is the Bestower of Good. A human being should also do

good to his fellow-beings (28:77).
5. God does not wrong any human being even in the slightest
measure (10:44; 4:40). The human beings also should not
wrong either others or themselves (2:279; etc.).
One important aspect of this ideal is that it has not been laid
down only theoretically, but has also been projected in practical terms
in the moral personalities of all the Prophets of mankind, who came to
exemplify the Divine Ethics,—and, finally, in the exemplary moral
181
Lane’s Lexicon, Sec: ‘BR’.
250
character of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (Peace be on him!), which

enshrines comprehensively the Divine Ethics in terms of human
perfection and thus forms the perfect human Model for imitation
(33:21).182
As to the implications of the ideal of “imitation of Divine Ethics”

for moral philosophy, they may be stated thus :
1. This ideal is the highest—the most sublime, the noblest and

the most consequential—ideal conceivable for humanity,
because of its basis in God’s Personality.
2. This ideal imparts a dynamic approach to human life,

because God’s Personality is dynamic.
3. This ideal makes creativity the fundamental mode of human

struggle, because God’s Personality is committed to
continuous creation.
4. This ideal supplies an objective moral standard, because it

places the standard totally outside of human subjectivity;—
and thus it ensures the absolutely-pure moral behaviour.
5. This ideal provides the highest motivation for morality.

Because, on the positive side, the entire human moral
182
All the Divine Messengers of the world have been, as mentioned above,
the embodiments of the ideal. But, because history has not preserved any
authentic records of their lives, while historical records are available for a
critical assessment of the Holy Prophet Muhammad’s imitation of the Divine
Ethics, he alone is to be followed as the Exemplar.
251
VOLUME ONE
behaviour has been conceived therein as based on ‘love for

God’ (2:177; etc.); and, on the negative side, the devotee of
God is to remain perpetually in a state of ‘fear of God’, Who
is always present with him (57:4), is always watching him
as to whether he is fulfilling his role of vicegerency (49:18;
etc.), and will recompense him after death, i.e., at the
termination of his earthly sojourn, as the Lord of the Day of
Judgment (1:3; 99:6-8; etc.).
6. This ideal enshrines infinite possibilities for human evolution,

because the levels of imitation of the infinite perfection of the
Divine Personality are infinite.
7. This ideal projects an integrated and comprehensive view of

human struggle and destiny, because God’s Personality
possesses the highest integration and comprehensiveness; and,
consequently, the Qur’Énic moral philosophy runs into all the
dimensions of human activity and functions as a philosophy
governing total human behaviour.183
As such, the Moral Code which the Qur’Én has given is the most
comprehensive code possessed by humanity.184
183
The Holy Qur’Én integrates the life of humanity both horizontally and
vertically. The integration mentioned here is horizontal integration; while,
through its teaching concerning the role of the Prophets and their genuine
followers, it establishes vertical integration in human moral history.
184
The entire volume on the “Structure of Islamic Society” forms the
Qur’Énic moral code.
252

253
Page 256 - Blank

Chapter 8
THE INTEGRATED INDIVIDUAL:
BASIC QUALITIES OF A MUSLIM
Man’s status and function has been differently viewed in the

different schools of moral thought,—the differences emerging
basically in the emphasis laid by each on the different aspects of
human nature and activity. Thus: for some, man is only an animal
among animals; while, for others, he is something more, and as such
should be referred to as a ‘being’. Then, his function has been
emphasised variously in terms of a ‘social animal’, a ‘rational animal’,
an ‘economic animal’, a ‘moral being’, and a ‘spiritual being’.
In the Qur’Énic view, the essential attribute of the human being is

personality, which consists in the possession of self-consciousness,
self-directed will and creative intellect. As such, he is unique among
all the creatures living on earth. Nay, his superiority is acknowledged
even by the holy celestial creatures known as angels (2:34; etc.).
Moreover, he stands in a special relation with God in terms of the
attribute of ‘personality’, which both possess—; and, in consequence,
his status among God’s creatures is that of the vicegerent of God
(2:30). He carries a responsibility on his shoulders which “the heavens
and the earth and the mountains” found themselves unable to bear
(33:72). He has a cosmic mission, because “whatever is in the heavens
and the earth has been made subservient” to him (45:13). Nay, his
mission is even beyond that. It is supra-cosmic. For, he belongs to
VOLUME ONE
God and unto Him he is journeying (2:156). Indeed, God is his final
destination (53:43). As such, he is a theocentric being functioning on
earth in a spatio-temporal framework of activity and a physical
environment; and his vicegerency of God implies that he should
function as an integrated being, namely, comprehensively,
harmoniously and creatively, in all the dimensions of his personality:
physical, spiritual, moral, intellectual, and aesthetical.
It is with this view of status and function of the individual that

the Qur’Én prescribes a comprehensive moral code for him. That
moral code is grounded in a value-system which is comprised of the
same norms as the ethical guidelights for the Religious Quest,
mentioned already, namely; Piety, Selflessness, Truth, Justice, Love,
Wisdom and Beauty.
The existence of this similarity is due to the fact that the Qur’Énic
integralistic philosophy of life aims at integrating not only the
individual but also the society. The integration in the former case is
achieved horizontally, while in the latter case it is vertical, wherein the
individuals at all the levels of human development in terms of that
philosophy—from the beginners to the highly-developed—
automatically follow the same value-system and the same dynamics,
being thus distinguishable from one another only in quantitative terms
and not qualitatively. The ‘path’ is the same, and the ‘goal’ is the
same. Hence the path is open to all, and the goal is open to all. The
role of the more-developed is not to consider themselves as a special
privileged class but to inspire and assist the less-developed towards
256
ever-greater effort. Thus a true co-operative spiritual, social, political

and economic democracy comes into existence.
Here the Qur’Énic philosophy differs radically with those

religions which create a distinct class of ‘pursuers of saintliness’, on
the one hand, and a vast mass of ‘religious proletariat’, on the other,
—with principles and ideals and modes of life different for each class.
However, to return to the basic norms that should govern the life
of every Qur’Énic individual, i.e., of every Muslim: The acceptance of
each of these norms as a guidelight brings into activity certain very
basic moral principles 185 even at the minimum level, which might be
named as the level of the Basic Moral Quest.
[Note: It should be understood that the difference between the

Religious Quest, which we have already discussed, and the Basic
Moral Quest, which we shall discuss now, is, strictly speaking, not of
kind but of degree. They are focussed in the same direction, but differ
as to the respective levels of achievement enshrined in them,—the
emphasis in the latter case being on the building up of a sound moral
life through ethico-religious, exercise grounded in ‘Faith in God’, and
in the former case on the achievement of sound experience of nearness
(taqarrub) to God, and the consequent ‘holiness’ in walÉyah, basically
through the exercise of ‘Love for God’ in its progressive
185
The full-fledged moral code which governs human life Islamically has
been presented in vol. 2: “The Structure of Islamic Society”, to which the
readers should turn to for the Qur’Énic references relating to the basic moral
principles projected here.
257
VOLUME ONE
intensification. It will thus be noticed that while the two Quests are
distinguishable, the latter forms actually an inseparable part of the
former; or, we might term the latter as the preliminary level of the
former.]
To proceed briefly:
Piety: in the basic sense, has three fundamental dimensions in the

Qur’Énic philosophy, namely: ‘faith in God’, ‘love for God’, and ‘fear
of God’. Adherence to faith in God in the form of the Islamic formula:
“There is none worthy of worship except AllÉh” establishes humility
and moral courage and optimism in one’s moral behaviour at the very
start. Love for God supplies positive motivation for the highest ideals.
Its cultivation establishes unfailing love for doing good to humanity as
well as for one’s betterment, and ‘fills’ the human life so perfectly as
to keep away the psychical ailment of the feeling of ‘emptiness’ of life
for good. Cultivation of fear of God, which is, according to the
Qur’Én, actually fear of Accountability and Divine Judgment, brings
about the establishment of conscientiousness, sense of responsibility
and moral earnestnest.
Sefflessness: which, according to the Qur’Énic philosophy,

consists in ‘absence of evils relating to the animal self’, imparts
genuine dignity to the pursuer’s personality through the exercise of
self-control, which is its vital base, and ensures temperance and true
chivalry and the pursuit of all the social virtues in the highest
measure. (It is the urges of animal self that form the source of all
moral evils. Hence, the Holy Qur’Én teaches that the impelling force
258
of the animal self should be kept in abeyance through the constant

cultivation of the basic Qur’Énic ideal of ‘surrender to God’,—that
being the very function of a Muslim, as contained in the word
‘Muslim’ itself.)
Truth: Its pursuit, according to the Qur’Én, is three dimensional,

namely: in thought, in word, and in deed. Adherence to ‘truth in
thought’ establishes a person in adherence to reality, or, a realistic
approach to life, and in sincerity—as opposed to hypocrisy, and in
single-mindedness. Adherence to ‘truth in word’ ensures veracity and
integrity. Adherence to ‘truth in deed’ establishes honesty and effort
for eficiency in one’s life.
Justice: functions in respect of others as well as in regard to one’s

self. (1) Adherence to absolute justice in respect of others, as
commanded by the Qur’Én, ensures the avoidance of doing any
undeserved injury to anyone, even though one’s own interests or the
interests of one’s relatives and friends are injured thereby. (2)
Adherence to justice in respect of one’s self ensures utmost effort for
promoting a natural, healthy and vigorous life, as demanded by the
Qur’Én: (2.1) The ideal of promotion of life as natural commits a
person to simplicity—as opposed to luxurious and vain sophistication.
(2.2) The ideal of promotion of life as healthy consists, in accordance
with the Qur’Énic philosophy, in the effort for the establishment of
sound physical health, sound moral health, sound spiritual health,
sound economic outlook and sound social demeanour; and the duties
that emerge are: (a) in respect of physical health: negatively, to avoid
unhealthy foods and drinks and to refrain from gluttony; and,
259
VOLUME ONE
positively, to stick to healthy foods and drinks only—and that in

balanced quantities, with recurrent fasting, besides the obligatory one
month’s fasting during Ramadan—, and to physical exercise in the
form of sports and otherwise, healthy recreation and proper rest; (b)
in respect of moral health: to maintain purity of conscience and the
effort for achieving soundness in moral behaviour; (c) in respect of
spiritual health: positively, to cultivate more and more a living and
dynamic relationship with God,186—the minimum basic obligatory
institutional exercises prescribed by the Qur’Én in that connection
being the five daily obligatory Prayers (ØalÉt), fasting during
Ramadan (Øaum), and the payment annually of a fixed portion of
one’s surplus wealth for the benefit of others, solely out of love for
God (zakÉt); and, negatively, to avoid all that which hinders or
damages the devotion to God, including all superstitions; (d) in
respect of economic outlook: to undertake utmost sincere effort for
earning one’s livelihood by lawful means and with dignity, and to
avoid all waste of possibilities for economic production; (e) in respect
of social demeanour: to maintain one’s dignity in society through
adherence to moral integrity, for which, in addition to its moral
teachings, an exercise in the religious perspective has been provided
by the Qur’Én in the institution of the ×ajj.187 (2.3) The ideal of
186
The combination of (a), (b) and (c) ensures what is called ‘mental health’.
187
In respect of the wisdom enshrined in the institutions of ØalÉt; Øaum,
ZakÉt and ×ajj, readers may refer to the Author’s: “Philosophy of Worship in
Islam”, published by the World Federation of Islamic Missions, Karachi,
Pakistan.
260
vigorous life commits a person to: (a) pursuance of earnestness,

purposiveness, hard balour and a progressive outlook; and (b)
avoidance of waste of time and energy in idleness or in vain pursuits.
Love: projects itself in two dimensions, namely, love for one’s

self, and love for other creatures of God. The former demands: (a)
doing all that lies in one’s power for making one’s self sound
physically, spiritually, morally, intellectually and economically; (b)
avoiding to the utmost what harms ones self in any way. The latter
brings into action such virtues as sympathy, mercy, compassion,
kindness, respect, generosity—in fact, doing good to others in every
way and abstaining from injuring them and their lawful interests in
any way.
Wisdom: as an ideal of life, commits a person to growth in

knowledge and attainment of more and more insight into the reality of
phenomena and things. The Qur’Én wants this pursuit to proceed
through a critical study of Divine Revelation, Nature and History,
along with the consequential outlook of promoting good and
eradicating evil in one’s self and in society,—whereby, through JihÉd,
i.e., ceaseless and vigorous effort, the individual as well as the society
attain power, peace and progress.
Beauty: as an ideal of Qur’Énic philosophy, commits the pursuer

to gracefulness and beautification in every aspect of life. Thus:
sweetness, gentleness and gracefulness emerge in morals and
manners; cleanliness becomes the watchword in respect of all actions
and things, including the body, the dress and the environment: natural
261
VOLUME ONE
beautification in conformity with the ideals of Piety and Wisdom is

pursued in respect of one’s self, one’s productions and one’s
environment.188

188
For Qur’Énic references relating to the details projected in this chapter,
refer to vol. 2, relevant sections.
262
Chapter 9
THE INTEGRALISTIC WELFARE SOCIETY
BASICALLY GROUNDED IN THE PURSUIT OF PIETY,

TRUTH, JUSTICE, LOVE, WISDOM, BEAUTY AND
SELFLESSNESS
The Qur’Énic Guidance lays such vehement emphasis on Social

Good that its social gospel emerges as the very kernel of the religion
of Islam, as the unfriendly Canadian orientalist, Wilfred Cantwell
Smith, also admits: “While Christianity in recent years has moved
towards a social gospel,189 Islam has been a social gospel from the
very start.”190
This is due to the fact that Islam is opposed to the mystico-ascetic

approach to life and regards society as the natural framework of
activity for human fulfilment.
Islam’s social gospel is, however, based on religion and morality,

as opposed to the secular social philosophies which are earth-rooted
and materialistic in their approach and built up on Expediency as the
ground-work of their value-systems. Hence, as regards its foundations,
189
Mark the movement of Christianity towards the philosophy of Islam, and
assess the Christian allegation that Islam has borrowed its humanitarian
philosophy from the teachings of Christianity.
190
Islam in the Modern World, London 1946, p. 22.
VOLUME ONE
the Islamic society is theo-centric and ethico-religious, nourished by

the pursuit of godliness.
As Theocentric Society, its social philosophy is grounded in the

highest and the most meaningful value-system, because belief in and
devotion to God provides the perfect and the comprehensive principle
for the highest values and ideals. Indeed, it alone projects the genuine
and meaningful sanction for the pursuit of Truth, Justice, Love,
Beauty, Austerity and Selfless Service to Fellow-beings.
As Ethico-Religious Society, it is based on the theocentric ethical

Idealism, which rests upon: (a) the ‘love for God’ as manifesting itself
in the love for humanity, and (b) the ‘fear of God’ as manifesting itself
in the fear of Divine Judgment; which provides, in its concept of
God—wherein the ethical aspect of His Personality has been
thoroughly emphasised—and the concept of Survival-after Death in
terms of a dynamic concept of human destiny, the only genuine and
absolute sanction for morality; and which enshrines the assurance of
the realisation of its Social Ideal in its Exemplar, the Holy Prophet
Muhammad (Peace be on him!) and in the society established by him
at Madina.
In terms of spiritual activity, it is committed to spiritual

illumination. Because: God is the ‘Light of the heavens and the earth’
(24:35); the Holy Prophet (Peace be on him!) is ‘Light’ (5:15) and the
‘Illuminating Lamp’ (33:46); the Holy Qur’Én is ‘Light Manifest’
(4:174); Faith (ImÉn) is ‘Light’ (39:22); the function of Qur’Énic
Guidance, or, Islam, is to bring humanity out of Darkness into Light
264
(14:l); a genuine member of the Islamic society is one who receives a

Light from God, which shines forth in dealings with fellow-beings
(6:122); and, in the heavenly life, the Light of the Faithful “will run
before them and on their right hands, while they say: Our Lord!
Perfect our Light for us …” (66:8). Thus, the Islamic society is a
Spiritually – Illumined Society.
In respect of its ethical outlook in terms of human dignity, it

invites its members beyond goodness to nobleness. Because: (1) God
is Most Noble (96:3); the Prophet is noble (69:40); the Qur’Én is noble
(56:77); the messenger-angel of the Qur’Én is noble (81:19); the
human race is noble (16:70); the norm governing Islamic conduct is to
behave nobly (17:23; 25:72; 89:17), so that the members of Islamic
society are to be regarded as more or less noble, and hence deserving
more or less honour, in proportion to the nobility in their character
(49:13); genuine pursuers of Islam have been promised ‘noble
provision’ (8:4) and ‘noble (final) reward’ (33:44); and it is the
mission of Islam to lead its followers into the ‘noble gate’ (4:31) for
the attainment of all the dimensions of human nobility. Hence, the
Islamic society is a Noble Society.191
In its structural aspect, it lays emphasis on the family as the unit

of society (35:54; etc.). In fact, the family plays a very important role
191
The root-word Karuma, employed in all the verses quoted, means ‘to be
noble’, i.e., ‘to be noble-hearted, high-minded, magnanimous, generous,
liberal, munificent’. (Ref: A Dictionary of Modern Written Arabic, edited by
J. Milton Cowan, p. 821) Mark here the Qur’Énic dimensions of nobility!
265
VOLUME ONE
in Islam’s social ethics (26:214; etc.). Because, providing, as it does,

the first and the basic social environment to the individual, it is
emphasised by Islam as the original field for social morality wherein a
person has to engage himself in a constant socio-moral exercise, and it
is the moral discipline which he acquires there that plays a vital role in
respect of his moral behaviour relating to his community, country and
humanity at large. The institution of the family is thus the corner-stone
of Islamic society; and Islam has provided, for its proper functioning
and stability, a code of familial ethics which is built upon: (a) marital
piety, (b) parental piety, and (c) filial piety,—namely:
uncompromising emphasis on: (a) chastity of the husband and the
wife, (b) comprehensive parental benevolence, and (c) unflinching
goodwill, devotion and respect of the children for their parents and all
elders. It should be noted here that Islam’s emphasis on chastity is
absolute, because without that no healthy family life is conceivable.
This fact accounts for: (a) the special rules of modesty which Islam
has laid down for the women folk, with which is connected its
prohibition of promiscuous intermingling of sexes; and (b) Islam’s
conditional permission for polygamy. The former is in
acknowledgement of the woman’s basic role as mother, wherein “the
hand that rocks the cradle rules the world”;—indeed, the possibilities
of the spiritual and moral survival of a community can exist only so
long as the womenfolk remain conscientious custodians of the
community’s spiritual and moral values. As to (b), the qualified
permission for polygamy is for warding off prostitution, besides
266
providing for the orphans, in a society having a surplus of women

folk.192 All in all, the Islamic society is a Family-Based Society.
Being based on the affirmation of the unity of human kind and

the ideal of human brotherhood (4:1), Islam regards racialism,
tribalism, caste-ism, class-ism and dynasty-ism as nothing less than
infidelity to God and treachery against humanity. All the members of
the Islamic society, therefore,—whatever their race, or tribe, or
dynasty, or colour, or language, are equal members and possess,
originally and basically, equal fundamental rights. The Islamic society
is thus a Non-Racial, Non-Tribal, Casteless, Classless Society (49:13).
It may also be termed as an Egalitarian Society.
The rights which the members of the Islamic society possess

fundamentally in equal measure are, however, subject to modification,
on individual basis—and not on the basis of race, tribe, etc.—in terms
of practical demonstration of respect for the discipline of the society
and the contribution to the welfare of the society. This must be so,
because, in the first instance, up-grading the merit of and degrading
the demerit is the very essence of justice and the only way to avoid the
frustration of virtue; and, in the second instance, the emergence of
gradation among individuals is the unavoidable condition of the
functioning of a society, and the existence of the spirit of competition
is the necessary prerequisite for progress. Thus, the Islamic society is
an Open Society, wherein merit is based on achievement alone and not
192
For Qur’Énic references relating to the facts mentioned in this discussion,
see vol. 2: “The Structure of Islamic Society.”
267
VOLUME ONE
on considerations of physical distinctions in terms of race, or tribe, or

family, or colour, or language, or sex (6:132).
Coming to the ideological structure: it is integralistic, ‘religion’

being the integrating factor. Thus, morality is indissolubly joined to
‘religion’ (2:25; etc.), while economics (3:91;193 etc.), politics (2:38;
5:8;194 etc.), and law (4:135;195 etc.), are related to ‘religion’ through
morality in an unbreakable bond. Thus, ideologically, the Islamic
society is an Integrated Society.
Then, besides the principle of integration, its structural aspect is

also governed by the principle of ‘the Balance’ (55:7-8), which
implies the realisation of all the values of human life in a balanced
manner—namely, giving to every value its due,—in contrast with the
ideational philosophy which emphasises only the spiritual pursuit, and
with the materialistic philosophy which confines the human struggle
within the bounds of physical needs. Thus, the Islamic society is a
Balanced Society.
193
The Qur’Énic ethico-religious basis of economics is the economic welfare
of humankind, as emphasised in the verse referred to.
194
The Qur’Énic ethico-religious basis of politics is the elimination of ‘fear
and sorrow’ and the establishment of justice, as emphasised in the verses
referred to.
195
The Qur’Énic ethico-religious basis of law is equity, as emphasised in the
verse referred to.
268
In its functional aspect: Being theo-centric, ethicoreligious,

integrated and balanced, its vision is not confined to the day-to-day
issues of human life—to which it gives their due—but extends beyond
them to the ultimate problems of human destiny. It, therefore,
commits itself to the most comprehensive and the highest human
ideals, in contradistinction to the materialistic approach which has
actually no room for ideals because of its affirmation of the cosmos as
‘blind’, the human life as a ‘gamble’, and the human destiny as an
‘illusion’.
Then, being the trustee of the mission of humanity for the

realisation of the vicegerency of God, it has to imitate God’s
Attributes, among which is His Attribute of Creativity (23:14). As
such, it has to function progressively in its adoption of means for the
improvement of human welfare in all aspects of life, through the
pursuit of Wisdom and through the conquest of the terrestrial and the
celestical environment. The Islamic society is thus an Idealistic,
Dynamic and Progressive Society.
We have already noted that, structurally, the Islamic society is an

egalitarian society. That being so, it functions democratically. Indeed,
the Holy Qur’Én establishes spiritual democracy, social democracy,
political democracy, and economic democracy. It establishes spiritual
democracy, as we have already noted, by abolishing priesthood and
‘spiritual feudalism’ completely and by making the acquisition of
knowledge the prerogative and the obligation of everyone, including
the womenfolk, tearing into shreds the very notion of privileged
families and special classes and castes. It establishes social
269
VOLUME ONE
democracy, as already noticed, by abolishing all criteria of tribal,

racial and colour distinctions, affirming only the superiority of good
character. It establishes political democracy by abolishing theocracy
as well as all those secular views of government in which any human
being may have the opportunity of tyrannising over and exploiting
other human beings,—both of these principles forming basic
constituents of the Qur’Énic social philosophy, as already noticed. It
establishes economic democracy—through, among other principles
and laws, the basic principle that ‘wealth should not be permitted to
circulate among the wealthy only’ (59:7), which makes it imperative
that the economic system should be such as to provide a fair measure
of equality of opportunity to all the members of the society for
securing decent means of livelihood, and thereby sharing in the
national wealth honourably through honest labour and sincere
achievement, whereas the disabled secure their basic needs
honourably through the social-welfare tax imposed by Islam on the
well-to-do on members of the society (9:60; etc.). Thus, the Islamic
society is a Democratic Society.
The guiding light of the Islamic social ethics is justice, which has
been enjoined by the Holy Qur’Én in terms of absoluteness and
comprehensiveness (5:8; etc.),—whereby the establishment of all
forms of social justice, i.e., moral, legal, economic and political, has
been enshrined in the Islamic code of life.196 Thus, the Islamic society
is a Just Society.
196
For references, see vol. 2: “The Structure of Islamic Society.”
270
The concept of Mercy enjoys a basic importance in the Qur’Én.

Because: God is the ‘Most Merciful of the merciful’ (7:151; etc.),
Whose Mercy ‘comprehends everything’197 (7:156; etc.); the Holy
Prophet (Peace be on him!) is ‘Mercy unto the worlds’198 (21:107); the
Holy Qur’Én is ‘Mercy to the Doers of Good’ (31:3); God will cause
the Faithful to enter His Mercy after death (76:31); and the practice of
Mercy in human relations has been explicitly emphasised (17:24;
30:21; 48:29; 90:17). Thus, the Islamic society is a Merciful Society.
The very basis of the Qur’Énic philosophy of life is the negation

of all forms of selfishness and the affirmation of love for humanity on
the basis of love for God. Moreover, the Holy Qur’Én has emphasised
the principle of ‘prefering the good of others to one’s own comforts’
as a basic characteristic of Islamic life (59:9). Hence, the Islamic
society is an Altruistic Society.
The Qur’Én has made knowledge one of the two most

fundamental pillars of the pursuit of greatness by human communities
197
Imitation of Divine Attributes’ being the function of the Muslims, they are
under obligation, on this basis itself, to make the practice of Mercy one of the
guiding principles of their lives.
198
Imitation of the Holy Prophet’s moral character being the very basis of
Islam life, all Muslims are under obligation to practise Mercy towards all
creatures, even as the Holy Prophet (Peace be on him!) has commanded: “It
is the merciful people on whom the Merciful (God) bestows Mercy. Be
merciful to those who are on the earth. (Then) He Who is Above will bestow
Mercy on you.” (Tirmizi : JÉme‘, vol. 2, “al-Birr wa al-Øilah”).
271
VOLUME ONE
(58:11), and the Holy Prophet (Peace be on him!) has made the pursuit
of education for the acquisition of knowledge obligatory for every
Muslim, man and woman. Hence, the Islamic society is an Educated
Society.
The Qur’Én has laid down the ‘Limits prescribed by AllÉh’ and
has commanded the members of the Islamic society to adhere to the
requirements of those ‘limits’ (2:187; etc.). It has thus channelised
human life, and thereby subjected it to discipline. Again: It has
emphasised consequential activity (59:18). But a truly consequential
activity is not possible without proper planning, which, in its turn,
necessitates disciplined undertaking. Moreover, the principle of
‘discipline’ forms the very soul of Islamic conduct (24:51; etc.). The
Islamic society is thus a Disciplined Society.
The Qur’Én stresses the ‘Brotherhood of the Believers’ along

with all its implications (49:10). Hence, the Islamic society is a
Fraternal Society.
The Qur’Énic laws relating to international relations between

Muslims and non-Muslims and the Qur’Énic ethics of war are based
on absolute justice and regard for humanity.199 Similarly, the Qur’Én
forbids the Muslims from persecuting the non-Muslims for compelling
them to change their religion, allowing them thus the right to freedom
of conscience (2:256). Also, the Qur’Én emphasises that Muslims
should not abstain from doing good to the non-Muslims, unless they
199
For references, see vol. 2: “The Structure of Islamic Society”,
272
are in a state of active enmity (60:8-9). Thus, the Islamic society is a

Humanitarian Society.
The Qur’Én has made JihÉd, i.e., relentless effort through hard
labour to one’s utmost capacity, one of the highest and the most
unavoidable virtues of a Muslim (22:78; etc.), and has stressed that
value lies in labour (53:39) and achievement (59:18; etc.). The Islamic
society is, therefore, an Industrious Society.
The Qur’Én condemns ‘love of this world’s life’ (79:38-39; etc.),

invites repeated attention to the emptiness of the pleasures of worldly
life (3:185; etc.), forbids all vain spending and waste (7:31; etc.)
which is the basis of luxurious living, castigates the infidels for
‘loving wealth’ (89:20), commands the Muslims not to follow the
behests of their animal self (4:135; etc.), and finally invites them to a
life dedicated to the love for values (3:15-17)—the highest value
being the love for God (2:165), which should manifest itself in the
love for fellow-beings (2:177; etc.). This makes austerity the ideal in
respect of Islamic life, as exemplified at its highest in the life of the
Holy Prophet (Peace be on him!), and practised by all those who have
walked in his footsteps. The Islamic society is thus an Austere Society.
Finally, the goal to be achieved through the realisation of the

values that govern the Islamic society has been enshrined by the Holy
Qur’Én in the concept of falÉÍ,200 i.e., welfare, which has been related
200
3:104; 3:130; 59:9; 62:10; etc.
273
VOLUME ONE
201
explicitly and directly both to the society and to the individual.202
Then, the concept of collective welfare has been presented in all
dimensions: spiritual, moral, physical, economic, political, etc., in
contrast with the emphasis on economic welfare alone,—as we find in
the Marxist Scientific Socialism. This makes the Islamic society a
Total Welfare Society.
The above twentyone basic dimensions emerge in respect of the

society which it is the mission of the Qur’Én to establish,—a mission
that was not only preached but realised unambiguously and concretely
by the Holy Prophet Muhammad (in whom God’s choicest Blessings
abide!) in the Islamic society founded by him.
When this society assumes the form of the state, as it did in the
state of Madina, a theo-centric, democratic, welfare state, or, a theo-
democratic welfare state, comes into being. Defining it a little more
elaborately, it is the ‘Government of God, through the Rule of Divine
Law, by the Trustees of the Mission of Islam, who function on the
basis of their election by persons of character and wisdom among
Muslims and administer the state, within the limits prescribed by God,
as Servants of the People, for the attainment by the People of their
Comprehensive Welfare.’
201
Ibid.
202
87:14; etc.
274
We might briefly clarify certain basic concepts involved here.203
‘Government of God’ implies that sovereignty in the Islamic state

belongs to God and not to the people. The concept of the ‘sovereignty
of God’, in its turn, ensures political equality for all—the rulers and
the ruled, and provides the basis for immunising the society from
political tyranny. The sovereignty of God can be challenged and
denied only by the atheists. But even in secular political philosophy,
which projects the concept of the ‘sovereignty of the people’, the term
‘people’ stands for a Corporation and a conceptual entity as it
embraces the past, the present and the future generations of the people
of a nation-state, bound all the time by the fundamental principles of
Constitution established by the ‘founding fathers’.204 Thus, there too,
it is a ‘transcendental’ entity in which sovereignty is affirmed.
However, the antinomy that emerges in affirming that the people are
‘sovereign’ and ‘subject’ at the same time creates difficulties, which
are avoided most rationally in affirming God as sovereign and the
people as subjects.
‘Rule by Divine Law’ implies that the fundamental structure of

political norms, principles and laws has been given by God, and is
therefore eternal and unchangeable. This characteristic of the law
203
A separate treatise is intended to be presented by the author on the Islamic
state, wherein elaboration and comparative evaluation of Islam’s political and
economic philosophies shall be undertaken.
204
Refer, among other books on political philosophy, to Walter Lippmann’s
‘The Public Philosophy’, London 1955.
275
VOLUME ONE
governing the Islamic state ensures stability in political life and the
consequent stability in the total life of the community, and establishes
the principle of ‘supremacy of law’205 on firm grounds wherein no
body, not even the head of the state, stands above the law.
‘Government by the Trustees of the Mission of Islam’ implies

that because the entire Islamic millat is under obligation to promote
that mission, which consists in the effort directed to the establishment
of all that is good and the eradication of all that is evil,—and all that
keeping the ideal of service to entire humanity in view (4:110), those
who administer the Islamic state have, in the very nature of the case,
to function primarily and positively as the ‘trustees of the mission of
Islam’, and not merely as good administrators of a political
machinery.
The condition that the administrative hierarchy shall come into

power through the ‘will of the people’ and not through hereditary
monarchy is clearly laid down by the Qur’Én,—as, for instance, when
it asks the Faithful to delegate the trust of administration to those
worthy of it (4:58), or when it makes mutual consultation the basic
principle in respect of the administration of their affairs (42:38)—and
in the Holy Prophet’s Sunnah, wherein we find that, with all his
absolute authority and wisdom, he did not nominate anyone from
205
Islam establishes ‘supremacy of law’ through the separation of the
executive and the judiciary also.
276
among his descendents 206 to be his successor in office as head of the

Islamic state but left that office open, as a consequence of which Abu
Bakr was subsequently elected.
The condition that the electors should be ‘persons of character

and wisdom’ is the most rational condition in respect of an ideological
state. If the persons who are to wield authority in an Islamic state are
necessarily to be those who are the best available embodiments of
Islamic character and wisdom, very naturally they should be elected
by those who are themselves practically dedicated to Islam and can
understand properly the comparative merits of the different persons
for whom they have to cast their votes. Otherwise, democracy is likely
to degenerate into mobocracy, as it is progressively becoming
nowadays under the spell of adult franchise, and to end in disaster. As
Walter Lippmann remarks in The Public Philosophy (p. 21) “Where
mass opinion dominates the government, there is a morbid
derangement of the true functions of power. The derangement brings
about the enfeeblement, verging on paralysis, of the capacity to
govern. The breakdown in the constitutional order is the cause of the
precipitate and catastrophic decline of Western society. It may, if it
cannot be arrested and reversed, bring about the fall of the West. “It is
this realistic approach in Islam that accounts for the fact that, in the
206
In fact, he did not nominate anyone at all. As regards nomination from
among his descendents, had he established the institution of hereditary rule in
Islam, he would have nominated his elder grandson, the illustrious Imam
Hasan, who was the son of his daughter, Lady Fatimah (AllÉh be pleased
with her!)
277
VOLUME ONE
election of Abu Bakr, it was only the Muslims of Madina, and not the
Muslims of the outlying areas, that participated. It is well-known that
the former were the people who had assimilated and imbibed Islamic
character and wisdom, because of the blessing of long and continuous
contact with and training under, the Holy Prophet (Peace be on him!),
much more than the latter. Notwithstanding that, however, it is
desirable, and even necessary, in an Islamic state to evolve a system
whereby the entire population becomes finally the participant in the
elective machinery, —the only condition for the adoption of universal
adult franchise being the universal basic education of the people and
their training in Islamic living: both of which have been enjoined by
Islam. What is of importance in this connection, however, is the
acquisition of the real benefits of democracy, and not the technique of
democracy. And for obtaining of the benefits of democracy,
importance lies, in the final analysis, in the spiritual character, moral
integrity and statesmanly wisdom of those who are elected to govern.
In respect of collective welfare, Islam lays emphasis, as we have

already noted, on comprehensive approach,—that being the demand of
its philosophy of Unity. It means that, side by side with spiritual and
moral welfare, the Islamic state is under obligation to give to the
economic welfare of the people its due; and in that respect the
teachings of the Qur’Én are directed through all the channels of
economic activity to one goal, namely: the achievement of not only
economic justice but of positive economic welfare for every member
of the society, so that everyone is enabled to live with honour and
dignity.
278
Such a goal is actually very difficult to achieve, until and unless

all the dimensions of human activity are trimmed and fashioned to
assist in that achievement. And this is what Islam has done.
In the first instance, it goes to the root of the problem of human

suffering when it lays stress on the spiritual and moral reform of the
people side by side with the establishment of a healthy economic
order. It is self-evident that the dependents of a wage-earner are bound
to starve, however much the level of his income is raised within
rational limits, if he is addicted to harmful pleasures or wasteful
pursuits. Indeed, his own health will starve and he will be crippled.
And not only an ordinary wage earner. Even a wealthy man is bound
to suffer through spiritual and moral evils, and so too his family.
Hence, Islam has positively commanded that the life of a Muslim
should be a life of spiritual grace, moral earnestness and material
simplicity. It means that in the godly, austere and industrious society
which Islam creates, all types of luxuries are totally banned,—as
historically exemplified in the society established by the Holy Prophet
(Peace be on him!). Indeed, ‘simple and industrious living and high
thinking’ is incontrovertibly the only Way of life found in the Qur’Én
and the Sunnah, while luxurious living and wasteful pursuits are the
dopes needed in the pagan way of life because of its spiritual
bankruptcy and materialistic sensuous demands,—and by no stretch of
imagination can they be traced in the Qur’Én and the Sunnah, and by
no amount of sophistry can they be combined rationally with the lives
of the worshippers of AllÉh.
The prime motive in the production of commodities may either

279
VOLUME ONE
be mounting monetary profit for the producer with selfish disregard

for the interests of fellowbeings, which is the very soul of industrial
capitalism; or, it may be the service of fellowbeings through the
supply of their basic needs. The former is anti-God and anti-human,
and therefore completely ruled out in Islam. The latter is godly and
humanitarian, and therefore becomes an obligation in the Islamic
ethico-religious economic philosophy.
Indeed, the Islamic state is under obligation, in respect of its

ethico-religious philosophy, to ordain regimentation of production and
consumption both, so that, with the establishment of maximum
beneficial production relating to the necessities of human life and a
rational austerity in consumption—as distinct from ascetic austerity,
the material resources of the community are deployed and employed
for the widest and unhampered flow of economic blessings, and the
possibilities of the emergence of moral corruption and economic
exploitation are eliminated.
Secondly, in the Qur’Énic principles of widest possible

distribution of wealth and of reward on the basis of labour and
achievement, on the one hand, and of cooperation, on the other, the
principle of peasant-proprietorship emerges in the domain of
agriculture—as opposed to the institutions of feudalism and absentee-
landlordship—with the creation of co-operatives in farming.
Thirdly, the Holy Qur’Én blocks the roads to monopoly

capitalism through its anti-monopolistic laws in general and the
abolition of all form and all rates of interest in particular.
280
However, neither private enterprise nor private ownership of

property has been banned. Rather, the latter is protected under the
Qur’Énic law. Indeed, the Qur’Énic economic philosophy stands in
definite opposition to the Marxist Scientific Socialism which
establishes ‘state capitalism’, as much as it is opposed to
individualistic monopoly capitalism. But the fundamental Qur’Énic
ideals relating to the maintenance of Islamic society as spiritually-
illumined, morally healthy and economically dedicated to the welfare
of all members, make it imperative for the Islamic state to establish a
form of economy wherein private sector does not give birth to
business magnates and industrial lords, and the state remains in a
position to ensure the provision of basic needs to all.
The provision of basic needs to all has to be in the Islamic state

fundamentally on the basis of full employment. However, Islam has
provided a social welfare tax through ZakÉt for ensuring basic needs
to the disabled and the unemployed. Then, because all that belongs to
a Muslim is held by him as ‘trust’ from God (9:111), Islam has also
commended generosity in terms of voluntary economic well-doing to
those in need, to the utmost of one’s capacity and considering one’s
action as a fulfilment of the right of the other person—and not merely
as ritualistic religious ‘charity to a beggar’.
This last fact deserves repeated and vehement emphasis in view

of the colossal ignorance concerning Islam’s economic philosophy.
For the achievement of its goal of ensuring economic welfare for all,
the Holy Qur’Én does not confine itself to emphasis merely on
281
VOLUME ONE
voluntary charity,207 as other religions do, but adopts a methodical

approach to the problem of the economic sufferings of humanity and
its solution. These sufferings emerge, in its view, when wealth
becomes concentrated in a few hands, bringing in its wake insatiable
lust for luxuries, creating the cult of ‘wealth, wine and woman’, and
giving rise to the need of greater and greater exploitation of the
weaker members of society. The lust for exploitation, grounded as it
always is in a spiritually-hardened heart, is directed to the enjoyment
of vulgar pleasures and to exercise in megalomania. When it continues
unchecked in a society, moral, economic and political corruption
attains progressively such virulence as to act as a dynamite for
blowing up the entire spiritual and moral fabric of the community,
finally bringing about its destruction. The pithy warning has gone
forth in the Qur’Én: “And how many a community have We (God)
destroyed that became reckless in respect of (its structure of)
livelihood! …” (28:58).

207
It should be clearly noted that un-organised voluntary religious charity
does not achieve much; and its adverse effect is the creation of the institution
of beggary, which is highly degrading and which Islam has vehemently
condemned. The fact is that greed for possession of wealth is rooted in the
animal self of the human beings, and not many people are capable of helping
their fellowbeings with any amount of grace and large-heartedness.
282
Chapter 10
INTEGRALISTIC CULTURE AND
INTEGRALISTIC CIVILISATION
A. CULTURE
Because of its comprehensive and integralistic approach—which

is the demand of its unique Philosophy of Unity, the Holy Qur’Én
reconciles the elements of value in Rationalism and Empiricism,208
affirms the reality of both the rational and the empirical (22:62; 6:73;
etc.)—of course, in accordance with the status of each, demands belief
in the Unseen (2:3) as well as in the Seen (2:190; etc.), i.e., in the
supra-sensible as well as in the sensible, and synthesises the Ideational
and the Sensate, projecting thereby a perfect and sound Integralistic
or Idealistic Culture.

B. CIVILISATION
As already pointed out, the Holy Qur’Én came not to add one
more to the list of the world’s religions, or to merely correct certain
notions taught by the different religions in respect of the religious
aspect of human life; but—and that is extremely important for our
notice—it came to impart a correct philosophy of Culture and, beyond
208
Ref. p. 114.
VOLUME ONE
that, to lay the foundations of a new Civilisation. The existence of

socio-political dimension in the Holy Prophet Muhammad’s spiritual
struggle, in contrast to the other-worldly character of the spiritual
struggle said to have been waged by Holy Prophet Jesus (Peace be on
him!), was in response to the demands of the former’s all-
comprehending Message and Mission, whose range covered the entire
area of human thought and behaviour: from the problems of the
individual to the problems of the healthy growth of human
civilisation.
And a new civilisation did come into existence—a balanced

civilisation conceived in terms of the realization of Piety, Truth,
Justice, Love, Beauty, Wisdom and Service to Humanity, and based
on the concept of integralistic or idealistic culture, as distinct from the
pre-Qur’Énic ideational and the modern sensate cultures, of the East
and the West respectively—as already noticed.
Just to give an idea of what type of civilization emerged in

history under the impact of Islam, we may give here only its briefest
account, and that too qualified by the following considerations:
1. Because of what we shall emphasize later about the intimate

relation between the Islamic and the modern Western
civilisation, we shall confine ourselves to that period wherein
the Islamic civilisation matured in its different dimensions and
we shall lay greater emphasis on its, what might be called,
sensate aspects.209 Of course, their Islamic ethico-religious
209
Some of the ethical aspects shall be dealt with in the next chapter.
284
foundations as well as the concomitant high spiritual and

moral tone of the Muslims in general—in spite of the
deviations of certain members of the aristocracy—are
unchallengeable.
2. We shall state the facts on the authority of a non-Muslim

historian, Will Durant, who is one of the most recent writers
on the subject, as also a devout Christian and fanatically anti-
Islam,—the latter qualification standing guarantee against any
misgiving as to the authenticity of the account in respect of the
merits of Islamic civilisation.
3. It is impossible to make the account in any degree

comprehensive because of the extreme dearth of source-
materials, as Will Durant himself admits:
“It is a pity that we know these three centuries (750-1050) of

Arabic efflorescence so imperfectly. Thousands of Arabic
manuscripts in science, literature, and philosophy, lie hidden in
the libraries of the Moslem world; in Constantinople alone there
are thirty mosque libraries whose wealth has been merely
scratched; in Cairo, Damascus, Mosul, Baghdad, Delhi are great
collections not even catalogued; an immense library in the
Escorial near Madrid has hardly completed the listing of its
Islamic manuscripts in science, literature, jurisprudence, and
philosophy. What we know of Moslem thought in those
centuries is a fragment of what survives; what survives is a
285
VOLUME ONE
fragment of what was produced; what appears in these pages is

a morsel of a fraction of a fragment.” (The Age of Faith, p.
257).

THE ISLAMIC CIVILISATION IN IT’S AGE OF GLORY
Will Durant observes (The Age of Faith, pp. 179-343):
“In the Koran … are rules not only for manners and hygiene,
marriage and divorce, and the treatment of children, slaves, and
animals, but also for commerce and politics, interest and debts,
contracts and wills, industry and finance, crime and
punishment, war and peace. Mohammed did not disdain
commerce … He threatened hell to lying or cheating merchants;
denounced monopolists and speculators who ‘keep back grain
to sell at a high rate’; and bade the employer ‘give the laborer
his wage before his perspiration dries’. He prohibited the taking
or giving of interest (2:275; 3:130). No reformer ever more
actively taxed the rich to help the poor. Every will was expected
to leave something to the poor; if a man died intestate his
natural heirs were directed to give a part of their inheritance to
charity (4:8) … he improved the position of woman…
“Mohammed’s ethic transcended the limits of the tribe …

Distinction of rank or race, so strong among the tribes, was
diminished by similarity of belief. ‘If a negro slave is appointed
286
to rule you, hear and obey him, though his head be like a dried
grape’. It was a noble conception that made one people of
diverse nations scattered over the continents … Mohammed
(taught) … ‘Let there be no violence in religion’. ‘If they
embrace Islam they are surely directed; but if they turn their
backs, verily to you belongs preaching only’. ‘Give a respite to
the disbelievers. Deal you gently with them’ … ‘Kill not the old
man who cannot fight, nor young children, nor women’ …
‘Fight in the way of Allah against those who fight against you,
but begin not hostilities. Allah loveth not aggressors’.
“… the Koran … gave to simple souls the simplest, least

mystical, least ritualistic, of all creeds, free from idolatry and
sacerdotalism. Its message raised the moral and cultural level of
its followers, promoted social order and unity, inculcated
hygiene, lessened superstition and cruelty, bettered the
condition of slaves, lifted the lowly to dignity and pride, and
produced among Moslems (barring the revels of some caliphs)
a degree of sobriety and temperance unequaled elsewhere in the
white man’s world. It gave men an uncomplaining acceptance
of the hardships and limitations of life, and at the same time
stimulated them to the most astonishing expansion in history.
“Civilisation is a union of soil and soul—the resources of the

earth transformed by the desire and discipline of men … All
these were busy in Islam … The orange tree … the Arabs
introduced it to Syria, Asia Minor, Palestine, Egypt, and Spain,
from which countries it pervaded southern Europe. The
287
VOLUME ONE
cultivation of sugar-cane and the refining of sugar were

likewise spread by the Arabs … and were brought by Crusaders
to their European states. Cotton was first cultivated in Europe
by the Arabs.
“These achievements on lands largely arid were made possible

by organized irrigation; here the caliphs made an exception to
their principle of leaving the economy to free enterprise; the
government directed and financed the maintenance of the
greater canals.
“… Under Moslem rule western Asia attained a pitch of

industrial and commercial prosperity unmatched by western
Europe before the sixteenth century.
“The state left industry and commerce free, and aided it with a
relatively stable currency. Ibn Hawqal (c. 975) describes a kind
of promissory note … from the Arabic word sakk for this form
of credit is derive our word check. Investors shared in financing
commercial voyages or caravans … Monopolies were illegal …
“… in general the Moslem seems to have excelled the Christian

in commercial morality, fidelity to his word, and loyalty to
treaties signed normally, the Moslem was the soul of courtesy,
humanity, and tolerance … In general Moslem society was one
of excellent manners …
“If we may believe the traditions, Mohammed, unlike most

religious reformers, admired and urged the pursuit of
knowledge … Education began as soon as the child could speak
288
… At the age of six some slave children, some girls, and nearly
all boys except the rich (who had private tutors) entered an
elementary school … Tuition was normally free … Elementary
education aimed to form character, secondary education to
transmit knowledge … Tuition in these colleges was free, and
in some cases government or philanthropy paid both the salaries
of the professors and the expenses of the students … students
would travel from one end of the Moslem world to another to
meet the mind of a famous teacher … When a visitor entered a
Moslem city he took it for granted that he could hear a scholarly
lecture at the principal mosque at almost any hour of the day.
“… The first paper-manufacturing plant in Islam was opened at

Baghdad in 794 by al-Fadl, son of Harun’s vizier. The craft was
brought by the Arabs to Sicily and Spain, and thence passed
into Italy and France … The invention facilitated the making of
books wherever it went. Yaqubi tells us that in his time (891)
Baghdad had over a hundred booksellers.
“Most mosques had libraries, and some cities had public

libraries of considerable content and generous accessibility.
About 950 Mosul had a library, established by private
philanthropy, where students were supplied with paper as well
as books. Ten large catalogues were required to list the volumes
in the public library at Rayy. Basra’s library gave stipends to
scholars working in it … When Baghdad was destroyed by the
Mongols it had thirty-six public libraries. Private libraries were
numberless; it was a fashion among the rich to have an ample
289
VOLUME ONE
collection of books … princes like Sahib ibn Abbas in the tenth

century might own as many books as could then be found in all
the libraries of Europe combined … In a thousand mosques
from Cordova to Samarkand scholars were as numerous as
pillars, and made the cloisters tremble with their eloquence; the
roads for of the realm were disturbed by innumerable
geographers, historians, and theologians seeking knowledge and
wisdom … the conquerors showed such tolerance that of the
poets, scientists, and philosophers who now made Arabic the
most learned and literary tongue in the world only a small
minority were of Arab blood.
“… Ibn Qutaiba (828-89) was one of many Moslems, who

attempted to write a history of the world … Muhammad al-
Nadim produced in 987 an Index of the Sciences (Fihrist al-
‘ulum), a bibliography of all books in Arabic, original or
translated, on any branch of knowledge … we may estimate the
wealth of Moslem literature in his time by noting that not one in
a thousand of the volumes that he named is known to exist
today.
“… Abu-l-Hasan Ali al-Masudi, an Arab of Baghdad, traveled

… He gathered his gleanings into a thirty-volume encyclopedia
…Al-Masudi surveyed omnivorously the geography, biology,
history, customs, religion, science, philosophy, and literature of
all lands from China to France … he summarized his views on
science, history, and philosophy in a Book of Information, in
290
which he suggested an evolution ‘from mineral to plant, from

plant to animal and from animal to man’.
“Algebra … owes its name to the Arabs, who extensively

developed this detective science … Al-Khwarizmi contributed
effectively to five sciences: he wrote on the Hindu numerals;
compiled astronomical tables which, as revised in Moslem
Spain, were for centuries standard among astronomers from
Cordova to Chang-an; formulated the oldest trigonometrical
tables known; collaborated with sixty-nine other scholars in
drawing up for al-Mamun a geographical encyclopedia; and in
his Calculation of Integration and Equation gave analytical and
geometrical solutions of quadratic equations. This work, now
lost in its Arabic form, was translated by Gerard of Cremona in
the twelfth century, was used as a principal text in European
universities until the sixteenth century, and introduced to the
West the word algebra (al-jabr—‘restitution’, ‘completion’).
Thabit ibn Qurra (826-901) … achieved fame in astronomy and
medicine, and became the greatest of Moslem geometers …
“The Caliph al-Mamun engaged a staff of astronomers to make

observations and records, to test the findings of Ptolemy, and to
study the spots on the sun. Taking for granted the sphericity of
the earth, they measured a terrestrial degree by simultaneously
taking the position of the sun from both Palmyra and the plain
Sinjar; their measurement gave 56²/³ miles—half a mile more
than our present calculation; and from their results they
estimated the earth’s circumference to approximate 20,000
291
VOLUME ONE
miles. These astronomers proceeded on completely scientific

principles: they accepted nothing as true which was not
confirmed by experience or experiment. One of them, Abu’l-
Farghani, of Transoxiana, wrote (c.860) an astronomical text
which remained in authority in Europe and Western Asia for
700 years. Even more renowned was al-Battani; his
astronomical observations, continued for forty-one years, were
remarkable for their range and accuracy; he determined many
astronomical coefficients with remarkable approximation to
modern calculations—the precession of the equinoxes at 54.5”
a year, and the inclination of the ecliptic at 23º55’. Working
under the patronage of the early Buwayhid ruler of Baghdad,
Abu’l-Wafa … discovered the third lunar vartiation 600 years
before Tycho Brahe. Costly instruments were built for the
Moslem astronomers: not only astrolabes and armillary spheres,
and known to the Greeks, but quadrants with a radius of thirty
feet, and sextants with a radius of eighty. The astrolabe, much
improved by the Moslems reached Europe in the tenth century,
and was widely used by mariners till the seventeenth. The Arabs
designed and constructed it with aesthetic passion, making it at
once an instrument of science and a work of art.
“Even more important than the charting of the skies was

mapping of the earth … Suleiman al-Tajir —i.e., the merchant
—about 840 carried his wares to the Far East; an anonymous
author (851) wrote a narrative of Suleiman’s journey; this
oldest Arabic account of China antedated Marco Polo’s Travels
292
by 425 years. In the same century Ibn Khordadhbeh wrote a

description of India, Ceylon, the East Indies, and China,
apparently from direct observation; and Ibn Hawqal described
India and Africa. Ahmad al-Yaqubi, of Armenia and Khurasan,
wrote in 891 a Book of the Countries, giving a reliable account
of Islamic provinces and cities and of many foreign states.
Muhammad al-Muqaddasi visited all the lands of Islam except
Spain, suffered by countless vicissitudes, and in 985 wrote his
Description of the Moslem Empire—the greatest work of
Arabic geography before al-Biruni’s India.
“Abu al-Rayhan Muhammad ibn Ahmad al-Biruni (973-1048)

shows the Moslem scholar at his best. Philosopher, historian,
traveler, geographer, linguist, mathematician, astronomer, poet,
and physicist—and doing major and original work in all these
fields … His first major work (c.1000) was a highly technical
treatise—Vestiges of the Past … his attitude was that of the
objective scholar, assiduous in research, critical in the scrutiny
of traditions and texts (including the Gospels), precise and
conscientious in statement, frequently admitting his ignorance,
and promising to pursue his inquiries till the truth should
emerge. In the preface to the Vestiges he wrote like Francis
Bacon: ‘We must clear our minds … from all causes that blind
people to the truth—old custom, party spirit, personal rivalry or
passion, the desire for influence’ … In 1030 he published his
masterpiece, History of India … His interest extended to nearly
all the sciences. He gave the best medieval account of the
293
VOLUME ONE
Hindu numerals. He wrote treatises on the astrolable, the

planisphere, the armillary sphere; and formulated astronomical
tables for Sultan Masud. He took it for granted that the earth is
round, noted ‘the attraction of all things towards the centre of
the earth’, and remarked that astronomic data can be explained
as well by supposing that the earth turns daily on its axis and
annually around the sun, as by the reverse hypothesis. He
speculated on the possibility that the Indus valley had been once
the bottom of a sea. He composed an extensive lapidary,
describing a great number of stones and metals from the
natural, commercial, and medical points of view. He
determined the specific gravity of eighteen precious stones, and
laid down the principle that the specific gravity of an object
corresponds to the volume of water it displaces. He found a
method of calculating, without laborious additions, the result of
the repeated doubling of a number … He contributed to
geometry the solution of theorems that thereafter bore his name.
He composed an encyclopedia of astronomy, a treatise on
geography, and an epitome of astronomy, astrology, and
mathematics. He explained the workings of natural springs and
artesian wells by the hydrostatic principle of communicating
vessels.
“Chemistry as a science was almost created by the Moslems …

the Saracens introduced precise observation, controlled
experiment, and careful records. They invented and named the
alembic (al-anbiq), chemically analyzed innumerable
294
substances, composed lapidaries, distinguished alkalis and

acids, investigated their affinities, studied and manufactured
hundreds of drugs … The most famous of the alchemists was
Jabir ibn Hayyan (702-65), known to Europe as Gebir … The
hundred or more works attributed to him … were translated into
Latin, and strongly stimulated the development of European
chemistry …
“… (Moslems) developed in alchemy that experimental method

which is the greatest pride and tool of the modern mind. When
Roger Bacon proclaimed that method to Europe, five hundred
years after Jabir, he owed his illumination to the Moors of
Spain, whose light had come from the Moslem East.
“The remains of Moslem biology in this period are scant. Abu

Hanifa al-Dinawari (815-95) wrote a Book of Plants … adding
many plants to pharmacology. Mohammedan botanists knew
how to produce new fruits by grafting … Othman Amr al-Jahiz
(d.869) propounded a theory of evolution like al-Masudi’s: life
had climbed ‘from mineral to plant, from plant to animal, from
animal to man’. The mystic poet Jalal ud-din (Rumi) accepted
the theory …
“… The Moslems established the first apothecary shops and

dispensaries, founded the first medieval school of pharmacy,
and wrote great treatises on pharmacology. Moslem physicians
were enthusiastic advocates of the bath, especially in fevers and
in the form of the steam bath. Their directions for the treatment
295
VOLUME ONE
of smallpox and measles could scarcely be bettered today.

Anaesthesia by inhalation was practised in some surgical
operations; hashish and other drugs were used to induce deep
sleep … Medical instruction was given chiefly at the hospitals.
No man could legally practice medicine without passing an
examination and receiving a state diploma; druggists, barbers,
and orthopedists were likewise subject to state regulation and
inspection, The physician-vizier Ali ibn Isa organized a staff of
doctors to go from place to place to tend the sick (931), certain
physicians made daily visits to jails; there was an especially
humane treatment of the insane.
“… Ali ibn Isa, greatest of Moslem oculists, whose Manual for

Oculists was used as a text in Europe till the eighteenth century.
“The outstanding figure in this humane dynasty of healers was

Abu Bekr Muhammad al Razi (844-926), famous in Europe as
Rhazes … he … wrote some 131 books, half of them on
medicine, most of them lost. His Kitab al-Hawi
(Comprehensive Book) covered in twenty volumes every branch
of medicine. Translated into Latin as Liber continens, it was
probably the most highly respected and frequently used medical
text book in the white world for several centuries; it was one of
the nine books that composed the whole library of the medical
faculty at the University of Paris in 1395. His Treatise on
Smallpox and Measles was a masterpiece of direct observation
and clinical analysis; it was the first accurate study of infectious
diseases, the first effort to distinguish the two ailments. We
296
may judge its influence and repute by the forty English editions
printed between 1498 and 1866. The most famous of al-Razi’s
works was a ten-volume survey of medicine, the Kitab al-
Mansuri … Gerard of Cremona translated it into Latin: the
ninth volume of this translation, the Nonus Almonsoris, was a
popular text in Europe till the sixteenth century.
“… Islam knew its greatest philosopher and most famous

physician as Abu Ali al-Husein ibn Sina (980-1037) … he
found time … to write a hundred books, covering nearly every
field of science and philosophy … He translated Euclid, made
astronomical observations, and devised an instrument like our
vernier. He made original studies of motion, force, vacuum,
light, heat and specific gravity. His treatise on minerals was a
main source of European geology until the thirteenth century.
His remark on the formation of mountains is a model of clarity:
‘Mountains may be due to two different causes. Either they
result from upheavals of the earth’s crust, such as might occur
in violent earthquake; or they are the effect of water, which,
cutting for itself a new route, has denuded the valleys. The
strata are of different kinds, some soft, some hard; the winds
and waters disintegrate the first kind, but leave the other intact.
It would require a long period of time for all such changes to be
accomplished … but that water has been the main cause of
these effects is proved by the existence of fossil remains of
acquatic animals on many mountains’.
297
VOLUME ONE
“Two gigantic productions contain Avicenna’s teaching: the

Kitab in al-Shifa … an eighteen-volume encyclopedia of
mathematics, physics, metaphysics, theology, economics,
politics, and music; and the Qanun-fi-l-Tibb, or Canon of
Medicine, a gigantic survey of physiology, hygiene, therapy,
and pharmacology, with sundry excursions into philosophy …
He conceives medicine as the art of removing an impediment to
the normal functioning of nature … The Qanun, translated into
Latin in the twelfth century, dethroned al-Razi, and even
Galen, as the chief text in European medical schools; it held its
place as required reading in the universities of Montpellier and
Louvain till the middle of the seventeenth century.
“… Avicenna … His influence was immense: it reached out to

Spain to mold Averroes and Maimonides, and into Latin
Christendom to help the great Scholastics; it is astonishing how
much of Albertus Magnus and Thomas Aquinas goes back to
Avicenna. Roger Bacon called him ‘the chief authority in
philosophy after Aristotle’; and Aquinas was not merely
practicing his customary courtesy in speaking of him with as
much respect as of Plato.
“… Abu Yusuf Ibn Ishaq al-Kindi was born in Kufa about 803
… studying everything, writing 265 treatises about everything
—arithmatic, geometry, astronomy, meteorology, geography,
physics, politics, music, medicine, philosophy … he struggled
to reduce health, medicine, and music to mathematical
relations. He studied the tides, sought the laws that determine
298
the speed of a falling body, and investigated the phenomena of

light in a book on Optics which influenced Roger Bacon.
“Thirty-nine works of al-Farabi survive … One work … strikes

us with its original force: Al-Madina al-Fadila—The Ideal City.
… the only right is might. Al-Farabi counters this view with an
appeal to his fellow men to build a society not upon envy,
power, and strife, but upon reason, devotion, and love.
“… From the Alhambra in Spain to the Taj Mahal in India,

Islamic art overrode all limits of place and time, laughed at
distinctions of race and blood, developed a unique and yet
varied character, and expressed the human spirit with a profuse
delicacy never surpassed.
“Moslem architecture, like most architecture in the Age of

Faith, was almost entirely religious … Nevertheless, though the
remains are scant, we hear of bridges, aqueducts, fountains,
reservoirs, public baths, fortresses, and turreted walls built by
engineer-architects … The Crusaders found excellent military
architecture at Aleppo, Baalbek, and else where in the Islamic
East, learned there the uses of machicolated walls, and took
from their foes many an idea for their own incomparable castles
and forts. The Alcazar at Seville and the Alhambra at Granada
were fortresses and palaces combined.
“We probably owe this splendor of ornament to the Semitic

prohibition of human or animal forms in art: as if in
compensation, the Moslem artist invented or adopted an
299
VOLUME ONE
overflowing abundance of non-representational forms. He

sought an outlet first in geometrical figures—line, angle,
square, cube, polygon, cone, spiral, ellipse, circle, sphere; he
repeated these in a hundred combinations, and developed them
into swirls, guilloches, reticulations, entrelacs, and stars;
passing to floral forms, he designed, in many materials,
wreaths, vines, or rosettes of lotus, acanthus, or palm tendrils or
leaves; in the tenth century he merged all these in the arabes-
que; and to them all, as a unique and major ornament, he added
the Arabic script.
“The brightest name of Moslem Egyptian science is that of

Muhammad ibn al-Haitham, known to medieval Europe as
Alhazen … We know al-Haitham chiefly by his Kitab al-
Manazir, or Book of Optics; of all medieval productions this is
probably the most thoroughly scientific in its method and
thought. Al-Haitham studied the refraction of light through
transparent mediums like air and water, and came so close to
discovering the magnifying lens that Roger Bacon, Witelo, and
other Europeans three centuries later based upon his work their
own advances toward the microscope and the telescope. He
rejected the theory of Euclid and Ptolemy that vision results
from a ray leaving the eye and reaching the object; rather ‘the
form of the perceived object passes into the eye, and is
transmitted there by the transparent body—the lens. He
remarked the effect of the atmosphere in increasing the
apparent size of sun or moon when near the horizon; showed
300
that through atmospheric refraction the light of the sun reaches

us even when the sun is as much as nineteen degrees below the
horizon; and on this basis he calculated the height of the
atmosphere at ten (English) miles. He analyzed the correlation
between the weight and the density of the atmosphere, and the
effect of atmospheric density upon the weight of objects. He
studied with complex mathematical formulas the action of light
on spherical or parabolic mirrors, and through the burning
glass. He observed the half-moon shape of the image, during
eclipses, on the wall opposite a small hole made in the window
shutters; this is the first known mention of the camera obscura,
or dark chamber, on which all photography depends. We could
hardly exaggerate the influence of al-Haitham on European
science. Without him Roger Bacon might never have been heard
of; Bacon quotes him or refers to him at almost every step in
that part of the Opus maius which deals with optics; and Part VI
rests almost entirely on the findings of the Cairene physicist. As
late as Kepler and Leonardo European studies of light were
based upon al-Haitham’s work.
“‘Never was Andalusia so mildly, justly, and wisely governed

as by her Arab conquerors’. It is the judgment of a great
Christian Orientalist, whose Faith, enthusiasm may require
some discounting of his praise; but after due deduction his
verdict stands … al-Maqqari gives a hundred examples of the
justice, liberality, and refinement of the Umayyad rulers of
Spain … they were certainly an improvement upon the illiberal
301
VOLUME ONE
Visigothic regime that had preceded them. Their management

of public affairs was the most competent in the Western world
of that age. Laws were rational and humane, and were
administered by a well-organized judiciary. For the most part
the conquered, in their iternal affairs, were governed by their
own laws and their own officials. Towns were well policed;
markets, weights and measures were effectively supervised. A
regular census recorded population and property. Taxation was
reasonable compared with the imposts of Rome or Byzantium.
The revenues of the Cordovan caliphate under Abd-er-Rahman
III reached the 12,045,000 gold dinars ($57,213,750)—
probably more than the united governmental revenues of Latin
Christendom; but these receipts were due not so much to high
taxes as to well-governed and progressive agriculture, industry,
and trade.
“… The Arabs for the most part left the actual work of
agriculture to the conquered; however, they used the latest
manuals of agronomy, and under their direction agricultural
science developed in Spain far in advance of Christian Europe.
“… Christians and Moslems intermarried freely; now and then

they joined in celebrating a Christian or Moslem holiday, or
used the some building as church and mosque … Clerics and
laymen from Christian Europe came in safety and freedom to
Cordova, Toledo, or Seville as students, visitors, travelers.
302
“… Cordova … extraordinary general prosperity … streets

were paved, had raised side walks, and were lighted at night;
one could travel for ten miles by the light of street lamps, and
along an uninterrupted series of buildings … was the focus and
summit of Spanish intellectual life, though Toledo, Granada,
and Seville shared actively in the mental exhilaration of the
time. Moslem historians picture the Moorish cities as beehives
of poets, scholars, jurists, physicians, and scientists; al-Maqqari
fills sixty pages with their names. Primary schools were
numerous, but charged tuition; Hakam II added twenty-seven
schools for the free instruction of the poor. Girls as well as boys
went to school; several Moorish ladies became prominent in
literature or art. Higher education was provided by independent
lecturers in the mosques; their courses constituted the loosely
organized University of Cordova, which in the tenth and
eleventh centuries was second in renown only to similar
institutions in Cairo and Baghdad. Colleges were established
also at Granada, Toledo, Seville, Murcia, Almeria, Valencia,
Cadiz. The technique of paper-making was brought in from
Baghdad, and books increased and multiplied. Moslem Spain
had seventy libraries; rich men displayed their Morocco
bindings, and bibliophiles collected rare or beautifully
illuminated books … Scholars were held in awesome repute in
Moslem Spain, and were consulted in simple faith that learning
and wisdom are one.
303
VOLUME ONE
“… Abu Muhammad Ali ibn Hazm (994-1064), besides serving

as vizier to the last Umayyads, was a theologian and historian of
great erudition. His Book of Religions and Sects, discussing
Judaism, Zoroastrianism, Christianity, and the principal
varieties of Mohammedanism, is one of the world’s earliest
essays in comparative religion … Maslama ibn Ahmad
(d.1007), of Madrid and Cordova, adapted the astronomic tables
of Khwarizmi to Spain … Ibrahim al-Zarqali (c.1029-87) of
Toledo made an international name by improving astronomical
instruments; Copernicus quoted his treatise on the astrolabe;
his astronomical observations were the best of his age, and
enabled him to prove for the first time the motion of the solar
apogee with reference to the stars; his ‘Toledan Tables’ of
planetary movements were used throughout Europe. Abul
Qasim al-Zahrawi (936-1013), physician to Abd-er-Rahman III,
was honored in Christendom as Abulcasis; he stands at the top
of Moslem surgeons; his medical encyclopedia, al-Tasrif
included three books on surgery which, translated into Latin,
became the standard text of surgery for many centuries.
Cordova was in this period the favorite resort of Europeans for
surgical operations.
“… Cairo, Alexandria, Jerusalem, Baalbek, Aleppo, Damascus,

Mosul, Emesa, Tus, Nishapur, and many other cities boasted of
colleges; Baghdad alone had thirty in 1064. A year later Nizam
al-Mulk added another: the Nizamiya; in 1234 the Caliph
Mustansir founded still another, which in size, architecture, and
304
equipment surpassed all the rest; one traveler called it the most
beautiful building in the city. It contained four distinct law
schools, in which qualified students received free tuition, food,
and medical care, and a monthly gold dinar for other expenses;
it contained a hospital, a bath-house, and a library freely open
to students and staff. Women probably attended college in some
cases, for we hear of a Shaikha—a lady professor—whose
lectures … drew large audiences (c.1178) … Muhammad al-
Shahrastani, in a Book of Religions and Sects (1128) analyzed
the leading faiths and philosophies of the world, and
summarized their history; no contemporary Christian could
have written so learned and impartial a work.
“Europe knows Persian Poetry chiefly through Omar Khayyam.

… His Algebra, translated into French in 1857, made
significant advances both on al-Khwarizmi and on the Greeks;
its partial solution of cubic equations has been judged ‘perhaps
the very highest peak of medieval mathematics’. Another of his
works on algebra (a manuscript in the Leiden Library) studied
critically the postulates and definitions of Euclid. In 1074 the
Sultan Malik Shah commissioned him and others to reform the
Persian calendar. The outcome was a calendar that required a
day’s correction every 3770 years—slightly more accurate than
ours …
“Jalal-ud-Din Rumi (1201-73) … wrote several hundred poems.

The shorter ones, collected in his Divan or Book of Odes, are
marked by such depth of feeling sincerity, and richness, yet
305
VOLUME ONE
naturalness, of imagery as place them at the top of all religious

poetry composed since the Psalms. Jalal’s main work, the
Mathnawi-i-Ma‘nawi (Spiritual Couplets), is a … religious epic
outweighing in bulk all the legacy of ‘Homer’.
“The Moslems continued, in this period (1057-1258), their

unchallenged ascendancy in science. In mathematics the most
signal advances were made in Morocco and Azerbaijan; we see
here again the range of Islamic civilization. In 1229 Hasan al-
Marraqushi (i.e., of Marraqesh) published tables of sines for
each degree, and tables of versed sines, arc sines, and arc
cotangents. A generation later Nasir ul-Din al-Tusi (i.e., of Tus)
issued the first treatise in which trigonometry was considered as
an independent science rather than an appendage to astronomy;
his Kitab shakl al-qatta remained without a rival in its field
until the De Triangulis of Regiomontanus two centuries later.
Perhaps Chinese trigonometry, which appears in the second
half of the thirteenth century, was of Arabic origin.
“The outstanding work of physical science in this age was the

Kitab Mizan al-hikmah … written about 1122 by … Abu’l Fath
al-Khuzini. It gave a history of physics, formulated the laws of
the lever, compiled tables of specific gravity for many liquids
and solids, and proposed a theory of gravitation as a universal
force drawing all things towards the centre of the earth. Water
wheels … were improved by the Moslems; the Crusaders …
introduced them into Germany.
306
“In 1081 Ibrahim al-Sahdi of Valencia constructed the oldest

known celestial globe, a brass sphere 209 millimeters (81.5
inches) in diameter; upon its surface, in forty-seven
constellations, were engraved 1015 stars in their respective
magnitudes. The Giralda of Seville (1190) was an observatory
as well as a minaret; there Jabir ibn Aflah made the
observations for his Islah al-Majisti, or Correction of the
Almagest (1240). The same reaction against Ptolemaic
astronomy marked the works of Abu Ishaq al-Bitruji
(Alpetragius) of Cordova, who paved the way for Copernicus
by destructively criticizing the theory of epicycles and
eccentrics through which Ptolemy had sought to explain the
paths and motions of the stars.
“The age produced two geographers of universal medieval

renown. Abu Abdallah Muhammad al-ldrisi was born at Ceuta
(1100), studied at Cordova, and wrote in Palermo, at the behest
of King Roger II of Sicily, his Kitab al-Rujari (Roger’s Book).
It divided the earth into seven climatic zones, and each zone
into ten parts; each of the seventy parts was illustrated by a
detailed map; these maps were the crowning achievement of
medieval cartography, uprecedented in fullness, accuracy, and
scope. Al-ldrisi, like most Moslem scientists, took for granted
the sphericity of the earth. Rivaling him for the honor of being
the greatest medieval geographer was Abu Abdallah Yaqut
(1179-1229) … he completed his Mu‘jam al-Buldan (1228)—a
vast geographical encyclopedia which summed up nearly all
307
VOLUME ONE
medieval knowledge of the globe. Yaqut included almost

everything—astronomy, physics, archaeology, ethnography,
history, giving the co-ordinates of the cities and the lives and
works of their famous men. Seldom has any man so loved the
earth.
“Botany, almost forgotten since Theophrastus, revived with the

Moslems of this age. Al-ldrisi wrote a herbal, but stressed the
botanical rather than merely the medicinal interest of 360
plants. Abu’l Abbas of Seville (1216) earned the surname of al-
Nabati, the Botanist, by his studies of plant life from the
Atlantic to the Red Sea. Abu Muhammad ibn Baitar of Malaga
(1190-1248) gathered all Islamic botany into a vast work of
extraordinary erudition, which remained the standard botanical
authority till the sixteenth century, and marked him as the
greatest botanist and pharmacist of the Middle Ages. Ibn al-
Awan of Seville (1190) won a like pre-eminence in agronomy;
his Kitab al-Falaha (Book of the Peasant) analyzed soils and
manures, described the cultivation of 585 plants and fifty fruit
trees, explained methods of grafting, and discussed the
symptoms and cures of plant diseases. This was the most
complete treatment of agricultural science in the whole
medieval period.
“In this as in the preceding age the Moslems produced the

leading physicians; of Asia, Africa, and Europe. They excelled
especially in ophthalmology … Operations for cataract were
numerous. Khalifah ibn abi-Mahasin of Aleppo (1256) was so
308
confident of his skill that he operated for cataract on a one-eyed

man. Ibn Baitar’s Kitab al-Jami’ made medicinal-botanical
history; it listed 1400 plants, foods, and drugs, 300 of them
new; analyzed their chemical constitution and healing power;
and added acute observations on their use in therapy. But the
greatest name in this acme of Moslem medicine is Abu Marwan
ibn Zuhr (1091-1162) of Seville, known to the European
medical world as Avenzoar. He was the third in six generations
of famous physicians, all of one family line, and each at the top
of his profession. His Kitab al-Tasir, or Book of Simplification
of Therapeutics and Diet, was written at the request of his
friend Averroes, who (himself the greatest philosopher of the
age) considered him the greatest physician since Galen. Ibn
Zuhr’s forte was clinical description; he left classical analyses
of mediastinal tumors, pericarditis, intestinal tuberculosis, and
pharyngeal paralysis. Translation of the Tasir into Hebrew and
Latin deeply influenced European medicine.
“Islam led the world also in the equipment and competence of

its hospitals. One founded by Nur-ud-din at Damascus in 1160
gave free treatment and drugs during three centuries: for 267
years, we are told, its fires were never extinguished. Ibn Jubayr,
coming to Baghdad in 1184, marvelled at the great Bimaristan
Adadi, a hospital rising like some royal palace along the bank
of the Tigris: here food and drugs were given to the patients
without charge. In Cairo, in 1285, Sultan Qalaun began the
Maristan al-Mansur, the greatest hospital of the Middle Ages.
309
VOLUME ONE
Within a spacious quadrangular enclosure four buildings rose

around a courtyard adorned with arcades and cooled with
fountains and brooks. There were separate wards for diverse
diseases and for convalescents; laboratories, a dispensary, out-
patient clinics, diet kitchens, baths, a library, a chapel, a lecture
hall, and particularly pleasant accommodation for the insane.
Treatment was given gratis to men and women, rich and poor,
slave and free; and a sum of money was disbursed to each
convalescent on his departure, so that he need not at once return
to work. The sleepless were provided with soft music,
professional story-tellers, and perhaps books of history.
Asylums for the care of the insane existed in all the major cities
of Islam.
“… Mohammedanism produced its greatest theologian, the

Augustine and the Kant of Islam. Abu Hamid al-Ghazali was
born at Tus in 1058 … wrote his most influential book—
Tahafut at-Filasifa (The Destruction of Philosophy). All the arts
of reason were turned against reason. By a ‘transcendental
dialectic’ as subtle as Kant’s … seven centuries before Hume,
al-Ghazali reduced reason to the principle of causality, and
causality to mere sequence … In his Ihya Ulum al-Din (Revival
of the Sciences of Religion) he expounded and defended his
renovated orthodoxy with all the eloquence and fervour of his
prime; never in Islam the sceptics and the philosophers
encountered so vigorous a foe …
310
“Abu Bekr (Europe’s Abubacer) ibn Tufail (1107-1185) …

found time to write, among more technical works, the most
remarkable philosophical romance in medieval literature (Hayy
ibn Yaqzan). It took its title from Ibn Sina, and (through
Ockley’s English translation in 1708) may have suggested
Robinson Crusoe to Defoe.
“… known to Islam as Abu al-Walid Muhammad ibn Rushd

(1126-98), and to medieval Europe as Averroes—the most
influential figure in Islamic Philosophy … In 1169 Averroes
was appointed chief justice of Seville; in 1172 of Cordova …
His work in medicine has been almost forgotten in his fame as a
philosopher: he was, however, ‘one of the greatest physicians of
his time’, the first to explain the function of the retina, and to
recognize that an attack of smallpox confers subsequent
immunity. His encyclopedia of medicine (Kitab al-Kulliyat fil
tibb), translated into Latin, was widely used as a text in
Christian universities … he added several works of his own on
logic, physics, psychology, metaphysics, theology, law,
astronomy and grammar … Maimonides followed in Averroes’
steps in seeking to reconcile religion and philosophy. In
Christendom the Commentaries (of Averroes), translated into
Latin from Hebrew, fed the heresies of Siger de Brabant, and
the rationalism of the School of Padua, and threatened the
foundations of Christian belief. St. Thomas Aquinas wrote his
Summae to stem this Averroistic tide; but he followed Averroes
in the method of his Commentaries, in divers interpretations of
311
VOLUME ONE
Aristotle … Roger Bacon marked Averroes next to Aristotle and

Avicenna, and added … ‘The philosophy of Averroes today
(c.1270) obtains the unanimous suffrage of wise men’.
“The influence of Islam on Europe was varied and immense.”

(All italics, present writer’s).

MODERN CIVILISATION:
A CONTINUATION OF ARABIC-ISLAMIC CIVILISATION
The present civilisation is, in respect of its merits, the

continuation of the Islamic civilisation, with the difference that
theocentricism, integralism and comprehensiveness have dropped off
under the stress of certain well-known historical circumstances,
culminating in its transformation into a purely sensate civilisation.
However, its tragic inadequacy and diseased condition is now taken
notice of by all sane-thinking Westerners, together with the necessity
of adopting the Islamic philosophy of civilisation for restoring the
balanced accommodation of all the values and thereby reverting to the
original Islamic civilization from which it sprang up. The thick curtain
of hatred against Islam, nurtured assiduously for centuries by a
scheming priesthood, is the only obstacle. But the goodness of human
nature is bound to win the day, and the yearnings of the human soul
for Truth and Beauty and Justice are bound to attain realisation. The
light of reality has already begun to shine forth, as manifested in the
312
following considered judgment of Prof. H.A.R. Gibb, the famous

British orientalist:
“… in its foundations we have seen that Islam belongs to and is

an integral part of the larger Western society. It is the
complement and counterbalance to European civilisation,
nourished at the same springs, breathing the same air. In the
broadest aspect of history, what is now happening between
Europe and Islam is the reintegration of western civilization,
artificially sundered at the Renaissance and now reasserting its
unity with overwhelming force. The student of history, though
fearfully conscious of the pitfalls of analogy, cannot help
recalling two earlier (though even then not the earliest)
moments in this secular process of creative interaction between
the two halves of the western world. It was the glory and the
greatness of the Roman Empire that it united them under its
imperium and that from that unity were born the spiritual forces
which have governed the course of Western history ever since.
Halfway between that age and ours occurred the first great
intellectual adventure of Islam, when it absorbed the heritage of
Hellenism and brought it to a new flowering, the seeds from
which contributed to the Renaissance in Europe.
“The process could not end there. It is going on before our very
eyes, on a wider and vaster scale, though the contrast offered by
the Islamic world as a whole to the amazing technical progress
of Europe may still blind us to it: and it may be that the sequel
will be the same, that we must wait upon the Islamic society to
313
VOLUME ONE
restore the balance of Western civilization upset by the

onesided nature of that progress … At all events Islam stands
side by side with Europe in distinction from the true Oriental
societies of India and the Far East … for the fullest development
of its cultural life, particularly of its spiritual life, Europe
cannot do without the forces and capacities which lie within
Islamic society…
“Within the Western world Islam still maintains the balance

between exaggerated opposites. Opposed equally to the
anarchy of European nationalism and the regimentation of
Russian communism, it has not yet succumbed to that obsession
with the economic side of life which is characteristic of present
day Europe and present-day Russia alike. Its social ethic has
been admirably summed up by Professor Massignon: ‘Islam
has the merit of standing for a very equalitarian conception of
the contribution of each citizen by the tithe to the resources of
the community; it is hostile to unrestricted exchange, to banking
capital, to state loans, to indirect taxes on objects of prime
necessity, but it holds to the rights of the father and the
husband, to private property, and to commercial capital. Here
again it occupies an intermediate position between the
doctrines of bourgeois capitalism and Bolshevist communism’.
“But Islam has a still further service to render to the cause of

humanity. It stands after all nearer to the real East than Europe
does, and it possesses a magnificent tradition of inter-racial
understanding and co-operation. No other society has such a
314
record of success in uniting in an equality of status, of

opportunity, and of endeavour so many and so various races of
mankind … Islam has still the power to reconcile apparently
irreconcilable elements of race and tradition. If ever the
opposition of the great societies of East and West is to be
replaced by co-operation, the mediation of Islam is an
indispensable condition. In its hands lies very largely the
solution of the problem with which Europe is faced in its
relation with the East. If they unite, the hope of a peaceful issue
is immeasurably enhanced. But if Europe, by rejecting the co-
operation of Islam, throws it into the arms of its rivals, the issue
can only be disastrous for both.”210
Besides the above judgment of H.A.R. Gibb, the verdict of

Arnold J. Toynbee, the fanatical crusader against Islam and zealous
upholder of Christian cause, is also worthy of note. He says
(Civilisation on Trial, London, 1957; pp. 87, 88, 205-209):
“What value are we to place on Islam ourselves? … Islam’s

creative gift to mankind is monotheism and we surely dare not
throw this gift away … Islam remains, with a mighty spiritual
mission still to carry out … (italics, present writer’s).
“Two conspicuous sources of danger—one psychological and

the other material—in the present relations of this cosmopolitan
210
Whither Islam?, London 1932, pp. 376-379. (Italics, present writer’s).
315
VOLUME ONE
proletariat (—i.e, westernised humanity—) with the dominant

element in our modern Western society are race consciousness
and alcohol; and in the struggle with each of these evils the
Islamic spirit has a service to render which might prove, if it
were accepted, to be of high moral and social value.
“The extinction of race consciousness as between Muslims is

one of the outstanding moral achievements of Islam, and in the
contemporary world there is, as it happens, a crying need for
the propagation of this Islamic virtue … It is conceivable that
the spirit of Islam might be the timely reinforcement which
would decide this issue in favour of tolerance and peace.
“As for the evil of alcohol, it is at its worst among primitive

populations in tropical regions which have been ‘opened up’ by
Western enterprise … the fact remains that even the most
statesmanlike preventive measures imposed by external
authority are incapable of liberating a community from a social
vice unless a desire for liberation and a will to carry this desire
into voluntary action on its own part are awakened in the hearts
of the people concerned. Now Western administrators, at any
rate those of ‘Anglo-Saxon’ origin, are spiritually isolated from
their ‘native’ wards by the physical ‘colour bar’ which their
race-consciousness sets up; the conversion of the natives’ souls
is a task to which their competence can hardly be expected to
extend; and it is at this point that Islam may have a part to play.
316
“In these recently and rapidly ‘opened up’ tropical territories,

the Western civilization has produced an economic and political
plenum and, in the same breath, a social and spiritual void…
“Here, then, in the foreground of the future, we can remark two

valueable influences which Islam may exert upon the
cosmopolitan proletariat of a Western society that has cast its
net round the world and embraced the the whole mankind;
while in the more distant future we may speculate on the
possible contributions of Islam to some new manifestation of
religion.”

APPENDIX
CHRISTIAN CIVILISATION IN ITS AGE OF FAITH
Before closing this discussion, it is necessary to attend to the

Jewish-Christian allegation, referred to in the present work on
different occasions, that, as one Orientalist has worded it, “Islam is the
bastard child of Judaism and Christianity”, and hence whatever is
good in the value-system of the Islamic civilisation is in bondage to
the Biblical civilisation. In that connection we may give here a brief
review of the civilisation nurtured on an international level by
Christianity, under the Biblical civilisational value-system, since its
coming to power and until the Renaissance in western Europe brought
about by the Islamic civilisation,—whereafter the West adopted a
secularistic and free-thought approach. We shall present here its basic
317
VOLUME ONE
characteristic features, leaving out certain, vital facts for being dealt
with in the next chapter under different headings; and our review, here
again for avoiding all possibilities of doubt as to accuracy and
authenticity, will be submitted in the words of a devout and eminent
Christian historian of that civilisation, i.e., Will Durant. Projecting it
as ‘Civilisation in the Age of Faith’, he says (The Age of Faith, pp. 44-
843):
“The foster mother of the new civilisation was the Church …

There is an epic grandeur, sullied with superstition and cruelty,
in the struggle of the new religion to capture, tame and inspire
the minds … to forge a uniting empire of faith…
“… In paganism the family had been the social and religious

unit; it was a loss that in medieval Christianity this unit became
the individual.
“… the status of woman was hurt by the doctrine … that

woman was the origin of sin and the instrument of Satan.
“The Church did not condemn slavery. Orthodox and heretic,

Roman and barbarian alike assumed the institution to be natural
and indestructible … slavery continued throughout the Middle
Ages,211 and died without benefit of clergy.
“Next to determination of faith, the greatest power of the

Church lay in the administration of sacraments—ceremonies
211
And it continued in Christendom with greater virulence and unspeakable
cruelty the thereafter also, as we shall notice in the next chapter.
318
symbolising the conferment of divine grace … More Important

was the sacrament of penance … According to the Gospel
(Matthew, 16:19; 18:18), Christ had forgiven sins, and had
endowed the apostles with a similar power to ‘bind and loose’.
This power, said the Church, had descended by apostolic
succession from the apostles to the early bishops, from Peter to
the popes; and in the late twelfth century the ‘power of the
keys’ was extended by bishops to the priests … Absolution in
confession removed from sin the guilt that would have
condemned the sinner to hell … The Church claimed the right
to remit such punishments … The Church commissioned
certain ecclesiastics, usually friars, as quaestiarii to raise funds
by offering indulgences in return for gifts, repentance, and
prayer. These solicitors … developed a competitive zeal … they
exhibited real or false relics to stimulate contributions and they
kept for themselves a due or undue part of their receipts.
“The official prayers of the Church were often addressed to

God the Father; a few appealed to the Holy Ghost; but the
prayers of the people were addressed mostly to Jesus, Mary,
and the saints. The Almighty was feared … Jesus was closer,
but He too was God, and one hardly ventured to speak to Him
face to face … It seemed wiser to lay one’s prayer before a
saint certified by canonization to be in heaven, and to beg his or
her intercession with Christ … Every nation, city, abbey,
church, craft, soul, and crisis of life had its patron Saint, as in
pagan Rome it had a god … The Church arranged an
319
VOLUME ONE
ecclesiastical calendar in which every day celebrated a saint;

but the year did not find room for the 25,000 saints that had
been canonized by the tenth century. The calendar of saints was
so familiar to the people that the almanac divided the
agricultural year by their names … Many saints received
canonization through the insistent worship of their memory by
the people or the locality, sometimes against ecclesiastical
resistance. Images of the saints were set up in churches and
public squares, on buildings and received a spontaneous
worship … With so many saints there had to be many relics—
their bones, hair, clothing, and anything that they had used.
Every altar was expected to cover one or more such sacred
memorials … The churches of Constantinople, before 1204,
were especially rich in relics; they had the lance that had
pierced Christ and was still red with His blood, the rod that had
scourged Him, many pieces of the True Cross enshrined in
gold, the ‘sop of bread’ given to Judas at the Last Supper, some
hairs of the Lord’s beard, the left arm of John the Baptist … In
the sack of Constantinople many of these relics were stolen,
some were bought, and they were peddled in the West from
church to church to find the highest bidder. All relics were
credited with supernatural powers, and a hundred thousand tales
were told of their miracles. Men and women eagerly sought
even the slightest relic, or relic of a relic, to wear as a magic
talisman—a thread from a saint’s robe, some dust from a
reliquary, a drop of oil from a sanctuary lamp in the shrine.
320
Monasteries vied and disputed with one another in gathering

relics and exhibiting them to generous worshipers, for the
possession of famous relics made the fortune of an abbey or a
church. The ‘translation’ of the bones of Thomas á Becket to a
new chapel in the cathedral of Canterbury (1220) drew from the
attending worshipers a collection valued at $300,000 today. So
profitable a business enlisted many practitioners; thousands of
spurious relics were sold to churches and individuals; and
monasteries were tempted to ‘discover’ new relics when in need
of funds. The culmination of abuse was the dismemberment of
dead saints so that several places might enjoy their patronage
and power … The worship of God as Lord of Hosts and King of
Kings inherited Semitic and Roman ways of approach,
veneration, and address; the incense burnt before altar or clergy
recalled the old burnt offerings; aspersion with holy water was
an ancient form of exorcism; processions and lustrations
continued immemorial rites; the vestments of the clergy and the
papal title of pontifex maximus were legacies from pagan Rome.
The Church found that rural converts still revered certain
springs, wells, trees, and stones; she thought it wiser to bless
these to Christian use than to break too sharply the customs of
sentiment … So a dolmen at Plouaret was consecrated as the
chapel of the Seven Saints, and the worship of the oak was
sterilized by hanging images of Christian saints upon the trees.
Pagan festivals dear to the people, or necessary as cathartic
moratoriums on morality, reappeared as Christian feasts, and
321
VOLUME ONE
pagan vegetation rites were transformed into Christian liturgy.

The people continued to light midsummer fires on St. John’s
Eve, and the celebration of Christ’s resurrection took the pagan
name of Eostre, the old Teutonic goddess of the spring. The
Christian calendar of the saints replaced the Roman fasti;
ancient divinities dear to the people were allowed to revive
under the names of Christian saints; the Dea Victoria of the
Basses-Alpes became St. Victoire, and Castor and Pollux were
reborn as Sts. Cosmas and Damian … The finest triumph of this
tolerant spirit of adaptation was the sublimation of the pagan
mother-goddess cults in the worship of Mary. Here too the
people took the initiative. In 431 Cyril, Archbishop of
Alexandria, in a famous sermon at Ephesus, applied to Mary
many of the terms fondly ascribed by the pagans of Ephesus to
their ‘great goddess’ Artemis-Diana; and the Council of
Ephesus in the year, over the protests of Nestorius, sanctioned
for Mary the title ‘Mother of God’. Gradually the tenderest
features of Astarte, Cybele, Artemis, Diana, and Isis were
gathered together in the worship of Mary. In the sixth century
the Church established the Feast of the Assumption of the
Virgin into heaven, and assigned it to August 13, the date of
ancient festivals of Isis and Artemis. Mary became the patron
saint of Constantinople and the imperial family; her picture was
carried at the head of every great procession, and was (and is )
hung in every church and home in Greek Christendom.
Probably it was the Crusades that brought from the East to the
322
West a more intimate and colourful worship of the Virgin …

Just as the sternness of Yahveh had necessitated Christ, so the
justice of Christ needed Mary’s mercy to temper it. In effect the
Mother—the oldest figure in religious worship—became … the
third person of a new Trinity … knights vowed themselves to
her service, and cities gave her their keys … The Church …
made great festivals of the events in Mary’s life—the
Annunciation, the Visitation, the Purification (Candlemas), the
Assumption.
“… In Christian theory the whole human race had been tainted

by the sin of Adam and Eve. Said Gratian’s Decretum (c. 1150),
unofficially accepted by the Church as her teaching, ‘Every
human being who is conceived by the coition of a man with a
woman is born with original sin, subject to impiety and death,
and therefore a child of wrath’; and only divine grace, and the
atoning death of Christ, could save him from wickedness and
damnation … The preaching of this doctrine … gave many
medieval Christians a sense of inborn impurity, depravity, and
guilt, which colored much of their literature before 1200.
“… by the age of sixteen the medieval youth had probably

sampled a variety of sexual experiences. Pederasty …
reappeared … In 1177 Henry, Abbot of Clairvaux, wrote of
France that ‘ancient Sodom is springing up from her ashes’ …
The Penitential—ecclesiastical manuals prescribing penances
for sins—mention the usual enormities, including bestiality; an
astonishing variety of beasts received such attentions … Cases
323
VOLUME ONE
of incest were numerous. Premarital and extramarital relations

were apparently as widespread as at any time between antiquity
and the twentieth century … Rape was common … Knights
who served highborn dames or damoiselles for a kiss or a touch
of the hand might console themselves with the lady’s maids;
some ladies could not sleep with a good conscience until they
had arranged this courtesy. The Knight of La Tour-Landry … if
we were to believe him, some men of his class fornicated in
church, nay, ‘on the altar’; and he tells of ‘two queens which in
Lent, on Holy Thursday … took their foul delight and pleasance
within the church during divine service’. William of
Malmesbury described the Norman nobility as ‘given over to
gluttony and lechery’, and exchanging concubines with one
another lest fidelity should dull the edge of husbandry.
Illegitimate children littered Christendom, and gave a plot to a
thousand tales. The heroes of several medieval sagas were
bastards—Cuchulain, Arthur, Gawain, Roland, William the
Conqueror, and many a knight in Froissart’s Chronicles.
“Prostitution adjusted itself to the times. Some women in

pilgrimage, according to Bishop Boniface, earned their passage
by selling themselves in the towns on their route. Every army
was followed with another army, as dangerous as the enemy.
‘The Crusaders’, reports Albert of Aix, ‘had in their ranks a
crowd of women wearing the habit of men; they traveled
together without distinction of sex, trusting to the chances of a
frightful promiscuity’ … The university students, particularly at
324
Paris, developed urgent or imitative needs, and filles established

centres of accommodation … In Rome, according to Bishop
Durand II of Mende (1311), there were brothels near the
Vatican, and the pope’s marshals permitted them for a
consideration. The Church showed a humane spirit toward
prostitutes … A council at Rouen, in the eighth century, invited
women who had secretly borne children to deposit them at the
door of the church, which would undertake to provide for them;
such orphans were brought up as serfs on ecclesiastical
properties. A law of Charlemagne decreed that exposed
children should be the slaves of those who rescued and reared
212
them … Penalties for adultery were severe; Saxon law, for
example, condemned the unfaithful wife at least to lose her
nose and ears, and empowered her husband to kill her. Adultery
was common notwithstanding.
“… Feudal masters seduced female serfs at the cost of a modest

fine; he who ‘covered’ a maid ‘without her thanks’—against
her will—paid the court three shillings. The eleventh century,
said Freeman, ‘was a profligate age’, and he marveled at the
apparent marital fidelity of William the Conqueror, who could
not say as much for his father. ‘Medieval society’, said the
212
Mark the tone of Christian charity towards the orphans!
325
VOLUME ONE
learned and judicious Thomas Wright, ‘was profoundly

immoral and licentious’.213
“… In the Middle Ages … men, good and bad, lied to their

children, mates, congregations, enemies, friends, governments,
and God. Medieval man had a special fondness for forging
documents. He forged apocryphal gospels … he forged
decretals as weapons in ecclesiastical politics; loyal monks
forged charters to win royal grants for their monasteries;
Archbishop Lanfranc of Canterbury, according to the papal
Curia, forged a charter to prove the antiquity of his see;
schoolmasters forged charters to endow some colleges at
Cambridge with a false antiquity; and ‘pious frauds’ corrupted
texts and invented a thousand edifying miracles. Bribery was
general in education, trade, war, religion, government, law.
Schoolboys sent pies to their examiners; politicians paid for
appointments to public office, and collected the necessary sums
from their friends; witnesses could be bribed to swear to
anything; litigants gave presents to jurors and judges … perjury
was so frequent that trial by combat was sometimes resorted to
in the hope that God would identify the greater liar. Despite a
thousand guild and municipal statutes and penalties, medieval
craftsmen often deceived purchasers with shoddy products,
false measures, and crafty substitutes. Some bakers stole small
213
Is the society in Christendom in any way less immoral and licentious
today!
326
portions of dough under their customers’ eyes by means of a

trap door in the kneading board; cheap cloths were secretly put
in the place of better cloths promised and paid for; inferior
leather was ‘doctored’ to look like the best; stones were
concealed in sacks of hay or wool sold by weight; the meat
packers of Norwich were accused of buying measly pigs, and
making from them sausages and puddings unfit for human
bodies, Berthold of Regensburg (c.1220) described the different
forms of cheating used in the various trades, and the tricks
played upon country folk by merchants at the fairs.
“… Once at war, Christians were no gentler to the defeated, no

more loyal to pledges and treaties, than the warriors of other
faiths 214 and times. Cruelty and brutality were apparently more
frequent in the Middle Ages than in any civilization before our
own.
“… In all classes men and women were hearty and sensual;

their festivals were feasts of drinking, gambling, dancing, and
sexual relaxation: their jokes were of a candor hardly rivaled
today; their speech was freer, their oaths vaster and more
numerous. Hardly a man in France, says Joinville, could open
his mouth without mentioning the Devil.
214
On Will Durant’s own admission elsewhere in his book under reference,
Islam stands excluded here from ‘other faiths’.
327
VOLUME ONE
“… begging flourished … Mendicancy reached … a scope and

pertinacity unequalled today except in the poorest areas of the
Far East.
“Cleanliness, in the Middle Ages, was not next to godliness.

Early Christianity had denounced the Roman baths … and its
general disapproval of the body had put no premium on
hygiene. The modern use of the handkerchief was unknown …
One result of the Crusades was the introduction into Europe of
public steam baths in the Moslem style.
“… In the thirteenth century the chamber pots of Paris were

freely emptied from windows into the street … People eased
themselves in courtyards, on stairways and balconies, even in
the palace of the Louvre.
“… The commonest meat was pork. Pigs ate the refuse in the
streets, and people ate the pigs.
“… Drunkenness was a favourite vice of the Middle Ages, in all

classes ond sexes. Taverns were numerous, ale was cheap. Beer
was the regular drink of the poor, even at breakfast.
Monasteries and hospitals north of the Alps were normally
allowed a gallon of ale or beer per person per day … A
customal of the abbey of St. Peter in the Black Forest includes
some tender clauses: ‘When the peasants have unladen the
wine, they shall be brought into the monastery, and shall have
meat and drink in abundance. A great tub shall be set there and
filled with wine … and each shall drink … and if they wax
328
drunken and smite the cellarman or the cook, they shall pay no
fine for this deed; and they shall drink so that two of them
cannot beat the third to the wagon’.
“… Gambling was not always forbidden by law; Siena provided

booths it in the public square.
“… The French and Germans in particular were fond of the

dance … Dancing could become an epidemic: in 1237 a band of
German children danced all the way from Erfurt to Arnstadt;
many died en route; and some survivors suffered to the end of
their lives from St. Vitus’ dance, or other nervous disorders.
“… Several persons, of any age or sex, might sleep in the same

room. In England and France all classes slept nude.
“Does the general picture of medieval Europe support the

belief that religion makes for morality? Our general impression
suggests a wider gap between moral theory and practice in the
Middle Ages than in other epochs of civilization. Medieval
Christendom was apparently as rich as our own irreligious age
in sensuality, violence, drunkenness, cruelty, coarseness,
profanity, greed, robbery, dishonesty, and fraud. It seems to
have outdone our time in the enslavement of individuals … It
surpassed us in the subjection of women; it hardly equalled us
in immodesty, fornication, and adultery, in the immensity and
murderousness of war. Compared with the Roman Empire from
Nerva to Aurelius, medieval Christendom was a moral setback.
329
VOLUME ONE
“… The intellectual virtues naturally declined in the Age of

Faith; intellectual conscience (fairness with the facts) and the
search for truth were replaced by zeal and admiration for
sanctity, and a sometimes unscrupulous piety … The civic
virtues suffered from concentration on the afterlife … Perhaps
hypocrisy, so indispensable to civilization, increased in the
Middle Ages as compared with the frank secularism of
antiquity, or the unabashed corporate brutality of our time.”
(All italics, present writer’s).

330
Chapter 11
GENUINE MORAL IDEALISM
A COMPARATIVE STUDY IN THE PERSPECTIVE OF

CHRISTIAN ALLEGATIONS AND CHRISTIAN TESTIMONY
Preliminary Observations:
Every religion possesses a certain type of moral Idealism. Of

course, there are differences among religions in respect of the form
and the content of that idealism. But noble ideas and ideals are
nevertheless found, however defective in individual cases their setting,
their projection, or their range. Going, however, beyond theoretical
assessment into the practical aspect of those ideals, we may consider
their worth in the light of the question: ‘How far have those ideas and
ideals influenced the respective followers of those religions and
brought blessings to humanity in practical terms?’
If we compare Islam and other religions in this perspective of

evaluation, it will be possible to assess the nature and worth of the
Qur’Énic moral Idealism. For that purpose, we may place Islam and
Christianity in the scale of comparison, especially because the
Christian propagandists have been, in the past and in the present,
foremost in attacking Islam on that ground—others being only their
imitators or camp-followers. And those attacks have continued from
their side during the past millennium ceaselessly and violently without
VOLUME ONE
regard for either Justice or Truth. We have already made certain

references to Christian misrepresentations in Chapter 1 of Part 1 of
this volume. We may quote here one more—one, which is more recent
and which comes from an eminent Christian religious dignitary who
has been acclaimed as “one of the greatest missionary-statesmen of
the twentieth century”, viz., Rev. Dr. Glover. In chap. 4 of his
publication: Progress of Worldwide Missions (Harper & Bros., New
York, 1960), he makes the following observations:
“He (Muhammad) was an Oriental and a Potentate … He was

nurtured in the faith that his hand must be against every man.
His Arabian armies were possessed by a wild fanaticism and a
thirst for plunder and conquest. The Prophet’s injunction to
them was to exterminate all heathens …
“The sword of Mohammad and the Koran are the most stubborn
enemies of civilization, liberty and truth, which the world has
yet known.”
We have already quoted Max Weber’s statement on page 3. His

allegations relate to the establishment of feudalism, serfdom, slavery
and subjection of women by Islam.
The above and other similar calumnies have been actually

repeated ad nauseam, because Western orientalists, historians,
religious writers, missionaries, journalists, and others have been
ceaselessly working under a planned effort to malign Islam and the
Holy Prophet Muhammad (Peace be on him!)—seemingly convinced
that, through widespread and continuous repetition, even totally false
332
statements can accomplish the alienation of humanity at large from

goodwill for Islam and the demoralisation of the rising generations of
Muslim intelligentsia. The latter, because of persistent westernisation
during the past one and-a-half century of Western domination of the
world of Islam and the impoverishment of the agencies of Islamic
knowledge and inspiration, are more under the intellectual and cultural
influences of the West than of Islam. Hence, the adversaries of Islam
hope that, side by side with political and military intrigues, thrusts and
assaults, which, engineered by them, have continued unabated to this
day—though changing their forms according to circumstances, their
anti-Islamic propaganda might finally succeed in weakening Islam to
an extent that it may no more be able to challenge their faults and the
evils which they endorse.
In his Age of Faith, Will Durant has tried, as a good Christian, to

tender a lame apology for all that cruelty and blatant dishonesty,
though he himself could not escape it on numerous occasions. But, the
very term ‘religion’ loses all grace if there is no adherence to
principles of truth and justice by its upholders. Hence, the entire anti-
Islamic Christian-Jewish propaganda is a standing disgrace for the
very name of Religion.
In our discussion here, we shall confine ourselves only to the

testimony of believing Christian scholars, although their appreciation
of Islam can in the very nature of the case be only very meagre, and in
certain respects very defective, while in others even non-existent. As
for Islam’s own stand, the present work has projected it on the basis of
Islam’s scripture itself in all its basic dimensions.
333
VOLUME ONE
Confining ourselves to Dr. Glover’s and Max Weber’s

allegations, we shall project the realization in history of the values of
mercy, tolerance, regard for freedom of conscience and respect for
human dignity in such of their dimensions as bear reference to the
allegations made; and because the said allegations have been projected
in the perspective of the supposed superiority and sublimity of
Christianity, we shall present a comparative evaluation in terms of’
Muslim as well as Christian history. (Dr. Glover’s allegation that
Islam is the enemy of civilisation has been already dealt with in the
previous chapter). As for the complete rebuttal, it emerges at relevant
places in the present work in connection with the exposition of the
Qur’Énic philosophy and code of life. Hence, the statements that
follow should be read in conjunction with it.

IN TERMS OF MERCY, TOLERATION AND REGARD FOR

HUMAN CONSCIENCE
1. WITH REFERENCE TO WAR
In connection with the comparative evaluation of Islamic and

Christian moral Idealism in terms of the ethics of war, we may take up
the most difficult virtue, namely, magnanimity and forgiveness in
respect of the enemy. As such, we may refer to the practical effects of
334
the Christian teaching in that behalf and the parallel Qur’Énic

teaching, as recorded in history. Such a comparison will fix the merit
of Islam’s moral Idealism in the perspective of history, and will at the
same time expose the baselessness of Christian propaganda against
Islam.
Who have been more tolerant, more humane, more forgiving,

more just and more chivalrous in history—the believers in the Bible or
the believers in the Qur’Én? Just one pair of events contrasting
Christian and Muslim behaviour will suffice—the one relating to the
conquest of Jerusalem by the Crusaders on July 15, 1099 A.C and
later on its conquest by Ghazi Salah al-Din Al-Ayyubi (named Saladin
in European history) in November 1187 A.C, wherein Christendom
and Islamdom demonstrated their ethico-religious Idealism because
both fought a holy war—a war in the name of religion; and for the
Christians it was a war initiated by them right in their Holy Land
where Christ had delivered his message of Mercy.
We will quote here only the reputed Christian authorities whose

accounts are based on eye-witness reports and first-hand information.
Charles Mills says about the Crusaders and the Crusade:
“They abandoned themselves to every grossness and

libertinism. Neither public treasures nor private possessions
were spared. Virgin modesty was no protection, conjugal virtue
no safeguard … Among the Crusaders, particularly
distinguished for ferocity, were two thousand Normans or
French. That they destroyed children at the breast and scattered
335
VOLUME ONE
their quivering limbs in the air … that their crimes were

enormous, is the general confession of the Latin writers … The
Christians dragged the corpses from the sepulchre and
despoiled them of their dress and ornaments. They severed the
heads from the trunks, and 15 hundred of them were exposed on
pikes to the weeping Turks; and some were sent to the Caliph of
Egypt in proof of victory. The dignity of age, the helplessness
of youth and the beauty of weaker sex were disregarded by the
Latin savages. Houses were no sanctuaries, and the sight of
mosque added new virulence to cruelty … the attendants and
followers of the camp pillaged the houses of Antioch as soon as
the gates had been thrown open; but the soldiers did not for a
while suffer their rapacity to check their thirst for blood; when
however, every species of habitation, from the market place to
the meanest hovels, had been covered into a scene of slaughter,
when the narrow streets and the spacious squares were all alike
disfigured with human gore, and crowded with mangled
carcasses, then the assasins turned robbers, and became as
mercenary as they had been merciless … They were soon
reduced to their old resources of dog’s flesh and human
carcasses. They broke open the tombs of the Musalmans; ripped
up the bellies of the dead for gold, and then dressed and ate
fragments of the flesh … Their cruelty could not be appeased
by a bloodless conquest; extermination, not clemency, marked
their victory … Such was the carnage in the mosque of Omar
that the mutilated carcasses were hurried by the torrents of
336
blood into the courts; severed arms and hands floated into the
current that carried into contact with bodies to which they had
not belonged. Ten thousand people were murdered in this
sanctuary. It was not only the lacerated and headless trunks
which shocked the sight, but the figures of the victors
themselves reckoning with the blood of their slaughtered
enemies. No place of refuge remained to the vanquished, so
indiscriminately did the insatiable fanaticism of the conquerors
disregarded alike supplication and resistance. Some were slain,
others were thrown from the tops of the churches and of the
citadel … It was resolved that no pity should be shown to the
Musalmans … the subjected people were, therefore, dragged
into the public places, and slain as victims; women with
children at breast, girls and boys, all were slaughtered. The
squares, the streets and even the uninhabited places of
Jerusalem were stewed with dead bodies of men and women
and the mangled limbs of children. No heart melted into
compassion or expanded into benevolence.”215
Referring to the occasion when the Muslims, fighting under

Saladin, recovered Palestine from the Crusaders and re-occupied
Jerusalem, the same author observes:
“In solemn procession the clergy, the queen, and her retinue of
ladies followed. Saladin advanced to meet them and his heart
215
Charles Mills: The History of Crusades (2 vols), London 1821, vol. 1, pp.
68, 71, 185, 228-229, 254, 260.
337
VOLUME ONE
melted with compassion, when they approached him in this

attitude and with the air of suppliants. The softened warriors
uttered some words of pity … with courteous clemency he
released all the prisoners when the women requested, and
loaded them with presents.”216
In the same context, Stanley Lane-Poole remarks :
“After that he (Saladin) commanded that to the dames and

damsels whose lords were dead there should be handsomely
distributed from his own treasure, to some more and to others
less, according to their state, and he gave them so much that
they gave praise to God and published abroad the kindness and
honour which Saladin had done to them … Islam in its essence
and as professed by such a man as Saladin is a religion of noble
simplicity and austere self-sacrifice.”217
Edward Gibbon has the same tale to tell:
“Instead of a rigorous exaction of his debt he (Saladin) accepted

a sum of thirty thousand byzants for the ransom of 7 thousand
poor; two or three thousand more were dismissed by his
gratuitous clemency … In his interview with the queen (Sybilla
of Jerusalem) and her captive husband his words and even his
tears suggested the kindest consolations … Thus did the
216
op. cit., pp. 330, 441.
217
Stanley Lane-Poole: Saladin and the Fall of the Kingdom of Jerusalem.
London 1906 pp. 232-233, 373.
338
Saracens show the mercy to the fallen city. One recalls the
savage conquest by the first crusaders in 1099, when Godfrey
and Tancred rode through streets choked with the dead and
dying, when defenceless Moslems were tortured, burnt and shot
down in cold blood on the towers and root of the temple, when
the blood of wanton massacre defiled the honour of
Christendom and stained the scene where once the gospel of
love and mercy had been preached. ‘Blessed are the merciful,
for they shall obtain mercy’ was a forgotten beatitude, when the
Christians made shambles of the Holy City. Fortunate were the
merciless, for they obtained mercy at the hands of the Moslem
Sultan. If the taking of Jerusalem were the only fact known
about Saladin, it was enough to prove him the most chivalrous
and great-hearted conqueror of his own, and perhaps of any
age.218
Before concluding this discussion, we regard it necessary to

make certain observations:
1. In respect of the history of Islam, we have purposely avoided

reference to its early period which, being truly idealistic, is
naturally expected to enshrine Islamic moral Idealism at its
highest. Instead, we have referred to the period in which
Muslims had deviated considerably, in the natural historical
218
Edward Gibbon: Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, London 1922
vol. 6, pp.116. 233.
339
VOLUME ONE
process, from the Islamic Idealism as such. This we have

done to be just to Christianity.
2. In respect of Christianity: Most unfortunately, the heart-

rending record of cruelty and absolute absence of human
feeling that has been presented in the foregoing does not
stand in history as a solitary lapse. Rather, the political
history of Christianity—and even its religious history—,
since the acquisition of political power under Constantine,
reveals an amazing record of violation without mercy of the
Sermon on the Mount and of all the other noble moral
teachings given by the Holy Prophet Jesus (Peace be on
him!). The injustice, the cruelty, the wanton barbarism which
the Christian nations have practised throughout, and continue
to practise without blush till today, in international politics
and warfare both, forms—as recorded by Christian historians
themselves—an amazing example of revolt against God as
well as human goodness.
And, then, they have practised utmost cruelty and injustice

not only against their political opponents but also against the
other people by imposing the most cruel form of slavery
upon, and uprooting, defenceless populations, as they did in
respect of the Blacks of Africa, and by staging mass murder
340
of indigenous populations, as they did in the Americas and

Australasia;—all this for their material power and glory!219
3. A student of history is, indeed, amazed to find that with all

their emphasis on religiosity and on certain basic moral
principles, none of the existing religions except Islam
possesses any record, in its history of inter-national and inter-
religious relations, of practising the ideal of ‘respect for
humanity’. Even the Jews with all their ‘worship of the One
God’, whom their centuries-long persecution by the
Christians should have made exceptionally conscious of the
evils of international cruelty and injustice, are indulging,
after acquiring political power, in the same evils—and that,
against their own cousins, the Arabs, and against those who
gave them asylum when their present friends persecuted
them, i.e., the Muslims.
What, then, is the difference in practical terms between

‘religion’ and ‘irreligion’?
219
Even for filthy lucre!!! For instance, in respect of what has been termed in
Christian history as ‘trade’ and which “at all times was little distinguished
from piracy”: “the first voyage of 1562 of John Hawkins left him the
wealthiest man in Plymouth, his second voyage of 1564 left him the
wealthiest man in England, and his third voyage of 1567, led to open naval
warfare between England and Spain.” (The New Cambridge Modern History,
1961, vol. 1, p. 457).
341
VOLUME ONE
The basic cause seems to lie in the fact that religions other than
Islam have, either not given any ethics of war, or have given a wrong
one; while Islam has given it in a full-fledged manner, on the one
hand, and based it on sound humanitarianism,220 on the other. Then,
that ethics has been properly exemplified for practical guidance by the
Holy Prophet Muhammad (Peace be on him!).
Thus: The merit of Saladin is not basically his personal merit, but
the merit of the Islamic ethics of war and of the Ideal set by the Holy
Prophet of Islam 221—at its highest in his conquest of Makka. And, the
brutality demonstrated by the Christian nations in Palestine and
elsewhere in their history, before and after, is due to the absence of
ethics of war in Christianity and of its practical model; whereby the
Sermon on the Mount alone could not do the job of saving them from
220
Ref: vol. 2: “The Structure of Islamic Society”.
221
Lest it be understood that Saladin’s is a solitary example, we may refer to
another. Says Will Durant (The Age of Faith, p. 308):
“… Alp Arslan lived up to his name—‘the lion-hearted hero’—by

conquering Heart, Armenia, Georgia, and Syria … Emperor Romanus IV
collected 100,000 … troops to meet Arslan’s 15,000 … warriors. The Seljuq
leader offered a reasonable peace; Romanus rejected it scornfully, gave battle
at Manzikert in Armenia (1071), fought bravely … was defeated and
captured, and was led before the Sultan. ‘What would have been your
behaviour’, asked Arslan, ‘had fortune smiled upon your arms?’ ‘I would
have inflicted upon your body many a stripe’, answered Romanus. Arslan
treated him with all courtesy, released him on the promise of a royal ransom,
and dismissed him with rich gifts.”
342
committing crimes against humanity in their holy wars. Indeed,

sermons do not achieve much by themselves! Because, the human
nature is so constituted that, unless it has been properly disciplined
spiritually and morally, the human being is always inclined to follow
the behest of his instinctive self and to indulge in unbriddled
vengeance. And, for that spiritual and moral discipline, the first pre-
requisite is the possession of a sound moral code and a source of
inspiration in the personality of him whom a person loves and respects
above all as his guide and benefactor,—though, that in itself is only a
pre-requisite. For, what is finally needed is the achievement of the
requisite spiritual and moral discipline. It means that not only the
followers of other religions and philosophies but even those who are
members of the Muslim community in a formal sense, and are thereby
related nominally to a humanitarian ethics of war and the highest
source of humanitarian inspiration in the Holy Prophet’s personality,
but have not achieved the requisite spiritual and moral discipline, are
likely to behave merely as ‘human animals’.
Anyhow, in the final analysis, in respect of teaching as well as

inspiration and its practical realisation in history, even today Islam
alone provides humanity with what it needs in this behalf; and, those
who insult the Holy Prophet Muhammad (Peace be on him!) for his
permission of, and participation in, war, and adore the ascetic-pacifist
Ideal, would do well to revise their opinion in the interest of
humanity;—as also in their own interest, because by insulting him and
depriving themselves of the appreciation of his merit, they only insult
themselves.
343
VOLUME ONE

2. WITH REFERENCE TO POST-CONQUEST TREATMENT OF

THE SUBJECTED COMMUNITIES
A. CHRISTIAN TESTIMONY ON CHRISTIAN CONQUESTS
Arnold J. Toynbee says in his Study of History (London, New

York, Toronto 1962), vol. I, pp. 211, 212, 225:
“The race-feeling which is thus aroused in our Western Society

by the present situation and temper of our settlers overseas also
springs naturally from the religious background … This has
been a misfortune for Mankind; for the Protestant temper and
attitude and conduct in regard to Race, as in many other vital
issues, is inspired largely by the Old Testament … Under this
inspiration, the English-speaking Protestant settlers in the New
World exterminated the North American Indian, as well as the
bison, from coast to coast of the Continent, whereas the Spanish
Catholics only exterminated the Indian in the Caribbean
Islands and were content, on the Continent, to step into the
shoes of the Aztecs and the Incas—sparing the conquered in
order to rule them as subject populations, converting their
subjects to their own religion, and inter-breeding with their
converts … The sense of religious solidarity and fraternity did
not, however, restrain the Spaniards and the Portuguese in
South America, a century and a half ago, from cold-bloodedly
and brutally destroying—out of sheer greed for (non-existent)
344
gold and for (to them, unutilizable) land—the wonderful society

which had been conjured into existence, by the genius of the
Jesuit missionaries, among the primitive peoples of Paraguay.”
(Italics, present writer’s).
The Spaniards might not have employed bullets for wiping out
the conquered ‘natives’ on the American mainland, as Toynbee says.
But the decimation of the indigenous population occurred nevertheless
as a blessing of the Spanish conquest. The New Cambridge Modern
History, vol. 2, p. 583, (1958), gives the following figures for Central
Mexico:
“A recent and well documented study gives the following

approximate figures of the indigenous (Indian) population on
different dates in Central Mexico (then known as New Spain):
1519………………………………………. 11 Million.
1540………………………………………. 6,427,466.
1565………………………………………. 4,409,180.
1597………………………………………. 2,500,000.
(vide S.F. Cook and L.B. Simpson: The Population of Central

Mexico in the Sixteenth Century, Berkeley, California, 1948).”
That the intolerance practised by Christendom has always gone to

the highest level of barbarism in the form of mass murder of human
populations, wherever they could carry it out, is fully borne out by
345
VOLUME ONE
history. For instance, in the Sudan, the extensive blood-bath

undertaken by the crusading Lord Kitchener against the Muslims
reduced the population, estimated by the British authorities in 1880 at
ten million souls, to less than two million—actually 1,853,000. (Ref:
Encyclopaedia Britannica, X, XI, and XII editions; 1902, 1911,
1923).
As to those conquests wherein mass murder did not take place,

Toynbee, the ardent lover of Christianity attributes to expediency and
not to any Christian moral idealism. Citing the example of India, he
says:
“Finally, in Continental India, where the English could not

think of supplanting the conquered ‘Natives’ as they had
supplanted them in North America, but could only impose their
rule on them as the Spaniards had imposed theirs on the
‘Natives’ of Mexico and Peru, the sequel was not the same as it
had been in the Spanish Indies … The reasons are almost too
obvious to need mentioning. In the first place, Europeans could
not hope to make themselves at home in the Indian climate,
even if they had found, or made, the soil of India free from
other human occupants. In the second place, the existing
‘Native’ population of India was too numerous and too far
advanced in civilisation to be exterminated, even if our British
Israelites had ever contemplated treating the Canaanite in India
as they treated him in America.” (op. cit., p. 212).
346
Indeed, Toynbee, with all his subjective devotion to Christianity,

is so deeply convinced of the Bible being responsible for all the most
amazing and the most callous barbarism and ferocity demonstrated by
Christendom in history that he finds himself forced to advocate the
subjection of the Christian sacred scripture, which Christendom has
adored as the Word of God, to the amputator’s knife. He says:
“When the first translation of the Bible into a Teutonic

language was made by Ulfilas, the Apostle of the Goths, in the
fourth century of our era, the translator wisely omitted the
Books of Samuel and Kings, on the ground that war and
bloodshed were too much in the minds of the Goths as it was,
without their proclivity in this direction being consecrated and
confirmed by the authority of the sacred book of their new
religion. It is a pity that Luther and the English translators did
not follow Ulfilas’ example—or, indeed, improve on it by
omitting Joshua and Judges as well! King James I’s English
Authorized Version of the Bible, which presents the Old
Testament complete and unexpurgated, was published in A.D.
1611. A book called The New English Canaan, by Thomas
Morton, was published in 1637!” (op. cit., p. 212).
That sheer barbarism was employed as an instrument for

converting the heathen 222 is also borne out by Christian history. And
222
In respect of conversion. the law of Islam stands radically opposed to the
use of force, because of the Qur’Én’s categorical prohibition (2:256). Hence,
Muslim history presents a radical contrast to Christian history in this respect.
347
VOLUME ONE
it was employed from the very beginning of the acquisition of political

power by Christianity; as, among others, Will Durant testifies:
“Christians divided on almost every point but one—that the

pagan temples should be closed, their property confiscated …
Constantine had discouraged, but not forbidden pagan sacrifices
and ceremonies; Constans forbade them on pain of death;
Constantius ordered all pagan temples in the Empire closed, and
all pagan rituals to cease. Those who disobeyed were to forefeit
their property and their lives; and these penalties were extended
to provincial governors neglecting to enforce the decree.” (The
Age of Faith, p. 8).
We may also notice in this connection that the unparalleled

barbarisrn which Christendom inflicted on the black races of Africa,
to which we shall refer shortly, was also conceived by the Christian
proselytisers as the instrument for their Christianisation. A brief
remark by an eminent Christian scholar may suffice here:
“The Church also supported the slave trade. The Spaniards saw
in it an opportunity of converting the heathen, and the Jesuits,
Dominicans and Franciscans were heavily involved in sugar
cultivation which meant slave-holding, The story is told of an
old elder of the Church in Newport who would invariably, the
Sunday following the arrival of a slaver from the coast, thank
Christian testimony in this behalf has been provided in Thomas Arnold’s

Preaching of Islam (latest edition: Sh. Muhammad Ashraf; Lahore, Pakistan).
348
God that ‘another cargo of benighted beings had been brought

to a land where they could have the benefit of a gospel
dispensation’.” (Dr. Eric Williams: Capitalism and Slavery,
London 1964, p.42).
B. CHRISTIAN TESTIMONY ON MUSLIM CONQUESTS

223
Says Will Durant in The Age of Faith (pp. 187-190, 218-219,
227):
“Mohammed had appointed no successor to his power, but he

had chosen Abu Bekr (573-624) to conduct the prayers in the
Madina mosque … this mark of preference persuaded the
Moslem leaders to elect Abu Bekr the first Caliph of Islam …
Abu Bekr was … simple and abstemious, kindly but resolute;
attending personally to details of administration and judgment,
and never resting till justice was done; serving without pay till
his people overruled his austerity; and then, in his will,
returning to the new state the stipends it had paid him … the
Moslem leaders were passionate disciples of Mohammed,
prayed even more than they fought … The Arab troops were
more rigorously disciplined and more ably led; they were
inured to leadership … could fight on empty stomachs … ‘Be
223
It may be remembered here that, as a good Christian, Will Durant is
always ready to attack and insult Islam and its promulgator on the flimsiest
grounds.
349
VOLUME ONE
just’, ran Abu Bekr’s proclamation, ‘be valiant; die rather than
yield; be merciful; slay neither old men, nor women, nor
children. Destroy no fruit trees, grain, or cattle. Keep your
word, even to your enemies. Molest not those religious persons
who live retired from the world’ … Omar (the second Caliph)
… Having beaten a Bedouin unjustly, he begged the Bedouin—
in vain—to inflict an equal number of strokes upon him. He
was a severe puritan, demanding strict virtue of every Moslem
… Moslem historians tell us that he owned but one shirt and
one mantle, patched and repatched; that he lived on barley
bread and dates, and drank nothing but water; that he slept on a
bed of palm leaves, hardly better than a hair shirt; and that his
sole concern was the propagation of the faith by letters and by
arms. When a Persian satrap came to pay homage to Omar he
found the conqueror of the East asleep among beggars on the
steps of the Madina mosque … The Patriarch Sophronius
agreed to surrender Jerusalem if the Caliph would come in
person to ratify the terms of capitulation. Omar consented, and
traveled from Madina in stately simplicity, armed with a sack of
corn, a bag of dates, a gourd of water, and a wooden dish … He
received Sophronius with kindness and courtesy, imposed an
easy tribute on the vanquished, and confirmed the Christians in
the peaceful possession of all their shrines … Omar forbade the
conquerors to buy or till land…
“The Jews of the Near East had welcomed the Arabs as

liberators … they stood on equal terms with Christians, were
350
free once more to live and worship in Jerusalem, and prospered

under Islam in Asia, Egypt, and Spain as never under Christian
rule. Outside of Arabia the Christians of western Asia usually
practised their religion unhindered; Syria remained
predominantly Christian until the third Moslem century; in the
reign of Mamun (813-33) we hear of 11,000 Christian churches
in Islam—as well as hundreds of synagogues and fire temples.
Christian festivals were freely and openly celebrated; Christian
pilgrims came in safety to visit Christian shrines in Palestine;
the Crusaders found large numbers of Christians in the Near
East in the twelfth century; and Christian communities have
survived there to this day. Christian heretics persecuted by the
patriarchs of Constantinople, Jerusalem, Alexandria, or Antioch
were now free and safe under a Moslem rule that found their
disputes quite unintelligible. In the ninth century the Moslem
governor of Antioch appointed a special guard to keep Christian
sects from massacring one another at church. Monasteries and
nunneries flourished … relations between the two religions
were so genial that Christians wearing crosses on their breasts
conversed in mosques with Moslem friends. The Mohammedan
administrative bureaucracy had hundreds of Christian
employees … Sergius, father of St. John of Damascus, was
chief finance minister to Abd-al-Malik, and John himself, last
of the Greek Fathers of the Church, headed the council that
governed Damascus. The Christians of the East in general
351
VOLUME ONE
regarded Islamic rule as a lesser evil than that of the Byzantine

government and Church.
“Despite or because of this policy of tolerance in early Islam,

the new faith won over to itself in time most of the Christians,
nearly all the Zoroastrians and pagans, and many of the Jews,
of Asia, Egypt, and North Africa … Gradually the non-Moslem
populations adopted the Arabic language and dress, the laws
and faith of the Koran. Where Hellenism, after a thousand years
of mastery, had failed to take root, and Roman arms had left the
native gods unconquered, and Byzantine orthodoxy had raised
rebellious heresies, Mohammedanism had secured, almost
without proselytism, not only belief and worship, but a
tenacious fidelity that quite forgot the superseded gods. From
China, Indonesia, and India through Persia, Syria, Arabia, and
Egypt to Morocco and Spain, the Mohammedan faith touched
the hearts and fancies of a hundred peoples, governed their
morals and molded their lives, gave them consoling hopes and a
strengthening pride …
“… We must concede that the early Caliphs, from Abu Bekr to

al-Mamun, gave successful organization to human life over a
wide area, and may be counted among the ablest rulers in
history. They might have devasted or confiscated everything,
like the Mongols or the Magyars of the raiding Norse; instead
they merely taxed. When Omar conquered Egypt he rejected the
advice of Zobeir to divide the land among his followers, and the
Caliph confirmed his judgment: ‘Leave it’, said Omar, ‘in the
352
people’s hands to nurse and fructify’. Under the caliphal

government lands were measured, records were systematically
kept, roads and canals were multiplied or maintained, rivers
were banked to prevent floods; Iraq, now half desert, was again
a garden of Eden; Palestine, recently so rich in sand and stones,
was fertile, wealthy, and populous … the caliphs gave
reasonable protection to life and labor, kept career open to
talent, promoted for three to six centuries the prosperity of
areas never so prosperous again, and stimulated and supported
such a flourishing of education, literature, science, philosophy,
and art as made western Asia, for five centuries, the most
civilized region in the world.”

3. WITH REFERENCE TO TREATMENT OF DISSENTERS WITHIN

THE FOLD
In the age of Islam’s glory, religious fanaticism in respect of

differences within the fold did exhibit itself there occasionally,224 as
224
This phenomenon should actually be traced to Jewish-Christian influence,
which came through the very large number of converts from Judaism and
Christianity, including the priests of those faiths, entering the fold in the very
early days of Islamic history and forming a part of the Muslim community
larger than that of the descendants of the original Muslims. As for Islam, it is
committed to positive struggle for the triumph of Truth on the basis of
353
VOLUME ONE
was natural in the case of a community for whom religion was the be-
all and end-all of life. But it exhibited itself basically in the issuance
of academic condemnatory-verdicts by the jurists, and went on a few
occasions to the height of public burning of what was regarded as
unorthodox religious literature. But the dimensions of mass barbarism
and indescribable tortures which culminated in burning the dissenters
at the stake forms the ‘pride’ of Christianity alone!
Starting from the beginning of Christian political power, and then

proceeding straight to Inquisition, we may project here very brief
references just to give an idea of the brutality practised in respect of
violation of the values of mercy and toleration in Christian history of
the ages of Faith and Orthodoxy.
With all his determined endeavour to minimise or explain away

the evils that emerged in Christendom under the impact of the Church,
Will Durant has been forced to say as follows (The Age of Faith, pp.
8, 46, 610, 735-784):
“… Once triumphant, the Church ceased to preach toleration…
“Constantius took theology more seriously than his father …

ecclesiastics loyal to the Nicene Creed were removed from their
churches, sometimes by the violence of mobs; for half a century
it seemed that Christianity would be Unitarian, and abandon the
sublime spiritual and moral principles and does not countenance the negative
attitude of persecution.
354
225
divinity of Christ … when Constantius ordered the
replacement of the orthodox patriot Paul by the Arian
Macedonius, a crowd of Paul’s supporters resisted the soldiery,
and three thousand persons lost their lives. Probably more
Christians were slaughtered by Christians in these two years
(342-343) than by all the persecutions of Christians by pagans
in the history of Rome.
“… We hear of many heretics, but most of these admitted the

basic tenets of the Christian creed…
“The Old Testament laid down a simple code for dealing with
heretics: they were to be carefully examined; and if three
reputable witnesses testified to their having ‘gone and served
other gods’, the heretics were to be led out from the city and
‘stoned with stones till they die’ (Deut. 17:25) … According to
the Gospel of St. John (15:6), Jesus accepted this tradition: ‘If
anyone abide not in me he shall be cast forth as a branch, and
shall wither; and they shall gather him up, and cast him into the
fire, and he burneth.’…
225
Mark the confession, in support of what the Qur’Én has proclaimed, that
the original monotheistic religion preached by Jesus was replaced with its
paganised version by the Christian Church—and that through the force of
arms ! In respect of paganisation, readers may also refer to pages 216, 217 in
the foregoing.
355
VOLUME ONE
“… The Templars … aroused the envy, fear, and wrath of King

Philip IV the Fair … A tribunal of prelates and monks loyal to
the King examined the prisoners; they denied the royal charges,
and were put to the torture to induce them to confess. Some,
suspended by the wrists, were repeatedly drawn up and
suddenly let down; some had their bare feet held over flames;
some had sharp splinters driven under their fingernails; some
had a tooth wrenched out day after day; some had heavy
weights hung from their genitals; some were slowly starved. In
many cases all these devices were used, so that most of the
prisoners, when examined again, were weak to the point of
death. One showed the bones that had fallen from his roasted
feet … Several of them died in Jail; some killed themselves;
fifty-nine were burned at the stake (1310), protesting their
innocence to the end…
“The most powerful of the heretical sects was variously named

Cathari … Bulgari … and Albigenses, from the French town of
Albi, where they were especially numerous … Innocent … gave
him (Arnaud, head of Cistercian monks) extraordinary powers
to make Inquisition throughout France, and commissioned him
to offer a plenary indulgence to the king and nobles of France
for aid … Philip Augustus allowed many barons of his realm to
enlist … the same plenary indulgence was promised as to those
who took the cross for Palestine … When the crusaders
approached Beziers (in their heresy-hunt) … scaled the walls,
captured the town, and slew 20,000 men, women and children
356
in indiscriminate massacre; even those who had sought asylum

in the church … when Arnaud, the papal legate, was asked
should Catholics be spared, he answered, ‘Kill them all, for
God knows His Own’ … Simon de Montfort … For four years
Simon continued his campaigns, devastating nearly all the
territory…
“… Compared with the persecution of heresy in Europe from

1227 to 1492, the persecution of Christians by Romans in the
first three centuries after Christ was mild and humane
procedure. Making every allowance required of an historian
and permitted to a Christian, we must rank the Inquisition,
along with the wars and persecutions of our time, as among the
darkest blots on the record of mankind, revealing a ferocity
unknown in any beast.”226

IN TERMS OF RESPECT FOR HUMAN DIGNITY
226
To quote Will Durant: Besides “burning at the stake”, which was the
mode of killing the condemned persons (op. cit., p. 783), “the worst tragedies
of the Inquisition were concealed in the dungeons rather than brought to light
at the stake” (op. cit., p. 783). In crushing one dissident movement alone, i.e.,
the Albigensian ‘heresy’ one million men, women and children were
massacred. (vide Newsweek, “Massacre of the Pure”).
357
VOLUME ONE
1 . WITH REFERENCE TO THE STATUS OF WOMAN
We shall confine ourselves here only to brief confessions by a

Christian scholar, and shall leave out elaborate discussion—both
theological and historical. (Elaborate presentation of the Qur’Énic
teaching in this behalf has been given in vol. 2).
A. CHRISTIAN TESTIMONY ON THE ROLE OF CHRISTIANITY
Will Durant says (The Age of Faith, pp. 825-826):
“The theories of churchmen were generally hostile to woman;

some laws of the Church enhanced her subjection … To priests
and theologians woman was still in these centuries what she
had seemed to Chrysostom—‘a necessary evil, a natural
temptation, a desirable calamity, a domestic peril, a deadly
fascination, a painted ill’. She was still the ubiquitous
reincarnation of the Eve who had lost Eden for mankind, still
the favored instrument of Satan in leading men to hell. St.
Thomas Aquinas, usually the soul of kindness … placed her in
some ways below the slave: ‘The woman is subject to the man
on account of the weakness of her nature, both of mind and of
body … Man is the beginning of woman and her end, just as
God is the beginning and end of every creature … Woman is in
subjection according to the law of nature, but a slave is not …
Children ought to love their father more than their mother’ …
Man, but not woman, was made in the image of God; ‘it is plain
from this’, argued the canonist, ‘that wives should be subject to
their husbands, and should almost be servants’ …
358
“Civil law was more hostile to her than canon law. Both codes
permitted wife-beatings … Civil law ruled that the word of
women could not be admitted in court … it excluded even the
most high-born ladies from representing their own estates in the
Parliament of England or the Estates-General of France.
Marriage gave the husband full authority over the use and
usufruct of any property that his wife owned at marriage.”
B. CHRISTIAN TESTIMONY ON THE ROLE OF ISLAM
Will Durant states (The Age of Faith, pp. 180-181, 183):
“In like manner He (Muhammad) improved the position of

woman … He allowed women to come to the mosque, but
believed that ‘their homes are better for them’; yet when they
came to his services he treated them kindly even if they brought
suckling babes: if, says an amiable tradition, he heard a child
cry, he would shorten his sermon lest the mother be
inconvenienced. He put an end to the Arab practice of
(feminine) infanticide (17:31). He placed woman on the some
footing with man in legal processes and in financial
independence; she might follow any legitimate profession, keep
her earnings, inherit property, and dispose of her belongings, at
will (4:4, 32). He abolished the Arab custom of transmitting
women as property from father to son. Women were to inherit
half as much as the male heirs, and were not to be disposed of
359
VOLUME ONE
against their will … a tradition quotes the Prophet as saying to

women, ‘It is permitted to you to go out for your needs’ … we
find Moslem women moving about freely and unveiled in the
Islam of his time, and a century thereafter.
“Morals are in part a function of climate: probably the heat of

Arabia intensified sexual passion and precocity, and some
allowance should be made for men in perpetual heat. Moslem
laws were designed to reduce temptation outside of marriage,
and increase opportunity within. Premarital continence was
strictly enjoined (24:33), and fasting was recommended as an
aid. The consent of both parties was required for marriage …
Mohammed accepted polygamy to balance a high death rate in
both sexes, the length of maternal nursing, and the early waning
of reproductive powers in hot climes … He forbade
concubinage (70:29-31).
“… the ethic of the Koran is sternly puritan as Cromwell’s;

only the uninformed think of Mohammedanism as a morally
easy creed.” (Italics, present writer’s).

2. WITH REFERENCE TO SERFDOM AND SLAVERY
360
A. CHRISTIAN TESTIMONY 227 RELATING TO MUSLIM

HISTORY
Being the uncompromising upholder of human dignity and

liberty, an institution like serfdom had no sanction to emerge under
the law of Islam. Will Durant admits it, even as Islam’s adversary,
when he observes: “The Caliphs gave reasonable protection to life and
labour” (op. cit., p. 227). And the irreverent critic, H.G. Wells,
confesses that “Islam established in the world a great tradition of
dignified fair-dealing” and “created a society more free from
widespread cruelty and social oppression than any society had been in
the world before.” (Outline of History, p. 325). (Italics, present
writer’s).
In respect of the institution of Slavery, Will Durant admits that

the Holy Prophet (Peace be on him!) “did what he could do to mitigate
its burdens and its sting” (p. 180), and observes: “The Koran
recognised the capture of non-Muslims in war, and the birth of
children to slave-parents, as the sole legitimate sources of slavery; no
Moslem (just as in Christendom no Christian) was to be enslaved” (p.
209). As such, it was mostly and basically the unransomed prisoners
of war,228 the exaggeration of whose numbers is discounted by Will
227
For the Qur’Énic stand in respect of the abolition of these evils, readers
should refer to the relevant sections of the present book, especially in vol. 2.
228
If there were ‘slaves’ of any other category, they must be taken to have
come in reprisals against the continuous mischief of the neighbouring non-
Muslim communities. For instance, Will Durant says, referring to Christian
361
VOLUME ONE
Durant himself (p. 209), that formed in the Muslim world what has
been wrongly termed as slave class. However, with all his want of
love and respect for Islam, he finds himself forced to say:
“The Moslem … handled them (slaves) with a genial humanity

that made their lot no worse—perhaps better, as more secure—
than that of a factory worker in nineteenth-century Europe …
The offspring of a female slave by her master, of a free woman
by her slave, was free from birth. Slaves were allowed to
marry; and their children, if talented, might receive an
education. It is astonishing how many sons of slaves rose to
high place in the intellectual and political world of Islam, how
many, like Mahmud and the early Mamluks, become kings.” (p.
209). (Italics, present writer’s).
B. CHRISTIAN TESTIMONY RELATING TO CHRISTIAN HISTORY
Serfdom:
Will Durant observes (The Age of Faith, pp. 552-564):
slave-trade: “Moslems and Greeks were kidnapped by (Christian) slave

traders along the shores of the Black Sea, western Asia, or northern Africa
for sale as farm hands, domestic servants, eunuchs, concubines or prostitutes
… The slave trade flourished in Italy, probably due to the nearness of
Moslem countries which could be preyed upon with a good conscience …”
(op. cit., p. 554).
362
“The same factors that paved the way for feudalism between the
third century and the sixth established it between the sixth and
the ninth …
“An institution that had lasted throughout known history

appeared inevitable and eternal, even to honest moralists …
Pope Gregory I … continued to use hundreds of slaves on the
papal estates, and approved laws forbidding slaves to become
clerics or marry free Christians. The Church … permitted the
enslavement of Moslems and of Europeans not yet converted to
Christianity. Thousands of captured Slavs and Saracens were
distributed among monasteries as slaves; and slavery on church
lands and papal estates continued till the eleventh century.
Canon law sometimes estimated the wealth of church lands in
slaves rather than in money; like secular law, it considered the
slave as a chattel; it forbade church slaves to make wills, and
decreed that any peculium or savings of which they died
possessed should belong to the Church. The archbishop of
Narbonne, in his will of 1149, left his Saracen slaves to the
bishop of Beziers. St. Thomas interpreted slavery as one
consequence of Adam’s sin … emancipation sometimes proved
more difficult on ecclesiastical than on secular properties.
“The decline of slavery was due not to moral progress but to

economic change … Servitude continued…
“Typically the serf tilled a plot of land owned by a lord or baron

… He could be evicted at the owner’s will … it is impossible to
363
VOLUME ONE
calculate the total of serf’s obligations. For late medieval

Germany it has been reckoned at two-thirds of produce …
stories told how Satan excluded serfs from hell because he
could not bear their smell … His (i.e., serf’s) manners were
rough and hearty, perhaps gross … he had to survive by being a
good animal … He was greedy because poor, cruel because
fearful, violent because repressed, churlish because treated as a
churl. He was the mainstay of the Church…
“… the Church became the largest landholder in Europe, the

greatest of feudal suzerains … her ‘feudalities’, or feudal rights
and obligations, became a scandal … Feudalism feudalized the
Church.” (Italics, present writer’s).
White Slavery:
Speaking of this institution, assiduously cultivated in

Christendom through the beneficence of the Church, Dr. Eric Willams
makes the following observations in his Capitalism and Slavery (pp.
12-18):
“The political and civil disturbances in England between 1640

and 1740 augmented the supply of white servants. Political and
religious nonconformists paid for their unorthodoxy by
transportation, most to the sugar islands … Religious
intolerance sent more workers to the plantations. In 1661
Quakers refusing to take the oath for the third time were to be
transported; in 1664 transportation … was decreed for the third
offence for persons over sixteen assembling in groups of five or
364
more under pretence of religion … The prisoners were granted

in batches to favourite courtiers, who made handsome profits
from the traffic in which, it is alleged, even the Queen shared.
A similar policy was resorted to after the Jacobite rising of the
eighteenth century.
“The status of these servants became progressively worse in the

plantation colonies. Servitude … tended to pass into a property
relation which asserted a control of varying extent over the
bodies and liberties of the person during service as if he were a
thing. Eddis, writing on the eve of the Revolution, found the
servants groaning ‘beneath a worse than Egyptian bondage’ …
Defoe bluntly stated that the white servant was a slave.”
Black Slavery:
In his valuable historical document entitled African Glory (Wett

& Co., London 1955), Mr. J.C. Degroft Johnson projects the
beginnings of the Negro slave trade thus:
“In 1441-42 Antonio Gonsalves and Nuno Tristan passed Cape

Blanco on the Saharan coast, and on the return journey called at
Rio d’Ouru, or, River of Gold, whence they brought back some
gold dust and the slaves. These slaves having been sent by
229
Prince Henry to Pope Martin V, the latter conferred on
229
What a gift, and what a reward, and what a holiness!
365
VOLUME ONE
Portugal the right of possession and sovereignty over all lands

that might be discovered between Cape Blanco and India.
“Prince Henry the Navigator, having now received the support

of the Church,230 carried horses on his ships to enable his sailors
to hunt down their human prey on the Saharan coast. Great was
the rejoicing in Catholic Christian Lisbon as each succeeding
batch of African slaves arrived.” (p. 127). (Italics, present
writer’s).
In his highly-scholarly work, Capitalism and Slavery, the

Christian scholar-statesman of the West Indies, Dr. Eric Williams,
projects a historical record which, though it deals mainly with the
British slave trade, brings into broad relief the fact that rejoicing in the
Negro slave trade was shared by all the Christian Powers capable of
participating in the Rape of Black Africa. He says (pp. 35-48, 192,
209):
“With free trade and the increasing demands of the sugar

plantations, the volume of the British slave trade rose
enormously … The importation into Jamaica from 1700 to 1786
was 610,000, and it has been estimated that the total import of
slaves into all the British colonies between 1680 and 1786 was
over two million.
“Mutinies and suicides were obviously far more common on

slave ships than on other vessels, and the brutal treatment and
230
Mark the role of the Church in blessing the Rape of Black Africa!
366
greater restrictions on the movements of the slaves would

doubtless have tended to increase their mortality … The sole
aim of the slave merchants was to have their decks ‘well
covered with black ones’. It is not uncommon to read of a
vessel of 90 tons carrying 414 … The space allotted to each
slave on the Atlantic crossing (called the ‘Middle Passage’)
measured five feet in length by sixteen inches in breadth.
Packed like ‘rows of books on shelves’, as Clarkson said,
chained two by two, right leg and left leg, right hand and left
hand, each slave had less room than a man in a coffin. It was
like the transportation of black cattle, and where sufficient
Negroes were not available cattle were taken on. The slave
trader’s aim was profit and not the comfort of his victims…
“Prior to 1783, however, all classes in English society

presented a united front with regard to the slave trade. The
monarchy, the government, the church, and public opinion in
general, supported the slave trade…
“The (Christian) Spanish monarchy set the fashion which

European royalty followed to the very last. The palace-
fortresses of Madrid and Toledo were built out of the payment
to the Spanish Crown for licences to transport Negroes. One
meeting of the two sovereigns of Spain and Portugal was held
in 1701 to discuss the arithmetical problem posed by a contract
for ten thousand ‘tons’ of Negroes granted the Portuguese. The
Spanish queen, Christina, in the middle of the nineteenth
century, openly participated in the slave trade to Cuba. The
367
VOLUME ONE
royal court of Portugal, when it moved to Brazil to avoid

capture by Napoleon, did not find the slave atmosphere of its
colonial territory uncongenial. Louis XIV fully appreciated the
importance of the trade to metropolitan France and France
overseas. The plans of the Great Elector for Prussian
aggrandizement included the African slave trade.
“Hawkins’ slave trading expedition was launched under the

patronage of Queen Elizabeth … slave traders held high offices
in England. Of The Royal Adventurers trading to Africa in
1667, a list headed by royalty included two eldermen, three
dukes, eight earls, seven lords, one countess, and twenty-seven
knights.
“The Church also supported slave-trade … Sherlock, later

Bishop of London assured the planters that ‘Christianity and the
embracing of the Gospel does not make the least difference in
civil property’. Neither did it impose any barriers to clerical
activity; for his labors with regard to the Asiento, which he
helped to draw up as a British plenipotentiary at Utrecht,
Bishop Robinson of Bristol was promoted to the see of London.
The bells of the Bristol churches pealed merrily on the news of
the rejection by Parliament of Wilberforce’s bill for the
abolition of the slave trade. The slave trader, John Newton,
gave thanks in the Liverpool churches for the success of his last
venture before his conversion and implored God’s blessing on
his next. He established public worship twice every day on his
slaver, not for the slaves but for the crew. ‘I never knew’, he
368
confessed, ‘sweeter or more frequent hours of divine

communion than in the last two voyages to Guinea’. The
famous Cardinal Manning of the nineteenth century was the son
of a rich West Indian merchant dealing in slave-grown produce.
Many missionaries found it profitable to drive out Beelzebub by
Beelzebub. According to the most recent English writer on the
slave trade, they ‘considered that the best way in which to
remedy abuse of negro slaves was to set the plantation owners a
good example by keeping slaves and estates themselves,
accomplishing in this practical manner the salvation of the
planters and the advancement of their foundations’. The
Moravian missionaries in the islands held slaves without
hesitation; the Baptists, one historian writes with charming
delicacy, would not allow their earlier missionaries to deprecate
ownership of slaves. To the very end the Bishop of Exeter
retained his 655 slaves, for whom he received over £12,700
compensation in 1833 … Quaker nonconformity did not extend
to the slave trade. In 1756 there were eighty-four Quakers listed
as members of the Company trading to Africa, among them the
Barclay and Baring families. Slave dealing was one of the most
lucrative investments of English as of American Quakers, and
the name of a slaver, The Willing Quaker, reported from Boston
at Sierra Leone in 1793, symbolizes the approval with which
the slave trade was regarded in Quaker circles … An inscription
to Foster Cunliffe (a Liverpool slave trader) in St. Peter’s
Church describes him thus: ‘a Christian devout and exemplary
369
VOLUME ONE
in the exercise of every private and public duty, friend to

mercy, patron to distress, an enemy only to vice and sloth, he
lived esteemed by all who knew him … and died lamented by
the wise and good’…
“… It was held in 1677 that ‘Negroes being usually bought and

sold among merchants, so merchandise, and also being infidels,
there might be property in them’. In 1729 the Attorney General
ruled that baptism did not bestow freedom or make any
alteration in the temporal condition of the slaves; in addition the
slave did not become free by being brought to England … So
eminent an authority as Sir William Blackstone held that ‘with
respect to any right the master may have lawfully acquired to
the perpetual service of John or Thomas, this will remain
exactly in the same state of subjection for life’, in England or
elsewhere.
“The barbarous removal of the Negroes from Africa continued

for at least twenty-five years after 1833, to the sugar plantations
of Brazil and Cuba.
“… What was characteristic of British capitalism was typical

also of capitalism in France. Gaston-Martin writes: ‘There was
not a single great shipowner at Nantes who, between 1714 and
1789, did not buy and sell slaves … it is almost as certain that
none would have become what he was if he had not sold
slaves’.” (Italics, present writer’s).
370
We may close this most brutal tale of heinous crimes against

humanity with the observations of Professor Emil Torday who,
lecturing at Geneva in 1931 under the auspices of the ‘Society for the
Protection of Children of Africa’, said:231
“This, too, is an age of propaganda. We excel our ancestors

only in system and organisation; they lied as fluently and as
brazenly. Central Africa was a territory of peace and happy
civilisation. Traders travelled hundreds and sometimes
thousands of miles from one side of the vast continent to the
other without molestation; the stranger was always an honoured
guest to the African. The tribal wars from which the European
pirates claimed to deliver the people were mere sham-fights; it
was a great battle when half a dozen men perished on a
battlefield. Some may question the use of the word ‘pirates’ but
it must be admitted that even the mode employed by Sir John
Hawkins to procure his first stock of slaves for the new world
was worse than that of an accredited pirate.
“Pierre de Vaissiers gives us the incident of a captain who

poisoned his human cargo when held up by calms or adverse
winds. Another killed some of his slaves to feed the others with
the flesh of their slaughtered friends.
“It is little wonder, then, that slaves died not only from physical
ill-treatment, but also from grief, rage, and despair. Some
231
Quoted by J. C. Degroft Johnson, op. cit., pp. 153-165.
371
VOLUME ONE
undertook hunger strikes; some undid their chains and hurled

themselves on the crew in futile attempts at insurrection. In
order to combat the grief and melancholy among the slaves it
became the custom to have them on deck once a day and force
them to dance, but even in these cases many a slave took the
opportunity to jump overboard, uttering cries of triumph as he
cleared the vessel and disappeared below the surface. There are
indeed limits to the degradation which the human spirit will
endure.
“… The slaves were forced into crowded canoes and taken to

the ships, where the use of whips and spears compelled them to
climb reeling and trembling up the swaying rope-ladders…
“… It is difficult to determine accurately the extent of the de-

population of Africa occasioned by the slave trade. One French
historian quoted by Utting says it is not exaggeration to say that
100,000,000 people were lost to Africa as a result of it. Dr.
W.E.B. Du Bois, the eminent Afro-Asian historian, also
believes that Africa lost about 100,000,000 souls as a result of
the slave trade.
“Next it must be stressed that many died in the slave wars …

Whitened skeletons littered the slave routes as if to blaze a trail
for others to follow. Such was the carnage. Between 1690 and
1820 Jamaica alone received no fewer than 800,000 slaves; yet
in 1820 only 340,000 slaved existed in the island. Think of the
numerous West Indies islands, under the domination of so many
372
European countries, think of the United States of America, of

Canada, of Mexico and of the South American Republics, which
have large Negro populations even today, and then picture
those blacks who perished in Africa before the journey to the
new world had really begun; think of those who perished during
the Middle Passage; then again consider of those who fell dead
as a result of the slave whips; and let us reflect on the lot of
those sick, injured, and aged slaves who were cast adrift to die
of hunger and starvation. Finally, let us remember that band of
brave Negro men and women, particularly the Koromantee
Negroes, who found the state of bondage insufferable and who
died at the stake in the cause of liberty.” (Italics, present
writer’s).

CONCLUSION
Finally, may we be permitted to emphasise that the role of the

Christian civilisation in the ages of faith being what has been recorded
in the foregoing, the following judgment of Bertrand Russell, in his
well-known book: Why I am not a Christian? (London, 1967), stands
unchallenged for all time:
“In the so-called ages of faith, when men really did believe the
Christian religion in all its completeness, there was the Inquisition,
with its tortures, there were millions of unfortunate women burnt as
373
VOLUME ONE
witches, and there was every kind of cruelty, practised upon all sorts
of people in the name of religion.
“You find as you look around the world that every single bit of
progress in human feeling, every improvement in the criminal law,
every step towards the diminution of war, every step towards better
treatment of the coloured races, every mitigation of slavery, every
moral progress that there has been in the world, has been consistently
opposed by the organized Churches of the world. I say quite
deliberately that the Christian religion, as organized in its Churches,
has been and still is the principal enemy of moral progress in the
world.” (p. 25).

APPENDIX
ISLAM’S ROLE IN AFRICA

IN THE BACKGROUND OF THE ROLE OF CHRISTIANITY
Virulent missionary propaganda has been carried on in respect of

Africa in which, in order to hide the crimes of Christendom against
Africa’s black populations, the name of Islam has been most falsely
dragged in respect of Negro slavery. Hence, a brief discussion in
respect of Islam’s role among the black races of Africa has become
absolutely necessary. In this connection we will bring forward the
testimony of the Afro-American Christian scholar Dr. Blyden.
Combining eminence in scholarship with a first-hand knowledge of
374
Africa, he wrote thus, towards the end of the nineteenth century, in his
book: Christianity, Islam and the Negro Race (London, 1887):232
“After the first conquests of the Muslims in North Africa, their

religion advanced southward into the continent not by arms, but
by schools and books and mosques, by trade and inter-
marriage. They could not have brought a force sufficient to
subjugate the people, for they had to deal with large, powerful
and energetic tribes. The Nigritian and Soudanic tribes have
never been subdued by a foreign foe, but they have over and
over again driven back both Arabs and Europeans.” (p. 256).
“You can understand why it is then that Islam has such a hold
upon the African tribes who have embraced it. They gather
under the beams of the Crescent not only for religious but for
patriotic reasons, till they are not only swayed with one idea but
act as one individual. The faith becomes a part of their
nationality, and is entwined with their affections. Arguments
from outsiders have no weight with them. There are names and
phrases which have such effect upon their minds and so thrill
them as supersede and transcend all argument … That theory
which attributes the success of Islam in Africa to what are
frequently denounced as the sensual aspects of the religion is
based upon ignorance, not only of the system but of the
elementary facts of human nature. No religion could exert so
232
Italics in all quotations, present writer’s.
375
VOLUME ONE
powerful a sway over two hundred millions 233 of people of all

races and climes for more than a thousand years which appealed
chiefly to the lower passions.” (p. 266).
“It is not too much to say that the popular literature of the
Christian world since the discovery of America, or at least for
the last 200 years, has been anti-Negro. The Muhammadan
Negro has felt nothing of the withering power of caste. There is
nothing in his colour or race to debar him from the highest
privileges, social or political, to which any other Muslim can
attain. The slave who becomes a Mohammadan is free.” (p. 18).
“With every wish, no doubt, to the contrary, the European

seldom or never gets over the feeling of distance, if not of
repulsion, which he experiences on first seeing the Negro.
While he joyfully admits the Negro to be his brother having the
same nature in all its essential attributes, still owing to the
diversity in type and colour he naturally concludes that the
inferiority which to him appears on the surface must extend
deeper than the skin, and affect the soul. Therefore very often in
spite of himself he stands off from his African convert even
when under his training he has made considerable advance in
civilization and the arts … And the (European) missionary
looking from a comfortable social distance surveys the
Europeonised native, sometimes with pity, sometimes with
dismay, seldom with thorough sympathy.” (p. 34).
233
Now seven hundred million.
376
“Mohammadanism and learning to the Negro were coeval. No

sooner was he converted than he was taught to read, and the
importance of knowledge was impressed upon him. The
Christian Negro came in contact with mental and physical
proscription and the religion of Christ contemporaneously. If
the Mohammadan Negro had at any time to choose between the
Quran and the sword, when he chose the former, he was
allowed to wield the latter as the equal of any other Muslim; but
no amount of allegience to the Gospel relieved the Christian
Negro from the the degradation of wearing the chain which he
received with it, or rescued him from the political, and in a
measure ecclesiastical, proscription which he still undergoes in
all the countries of his exile. Everywhere in Christian lands he
plays at the present moment the part of the slave, ape, or
puppet.” (pp, 15, 16).
“The Mohammadan Negro is a much better Mohommodan than

the Christian Negro is a Christian, because the Muslim Negro
as a learner is a disciple, not an imitator … With the disciple
progress is from within; the imitator grows by accretion from
without. The learning acquired by a disciple gives him capacity;
that gained by an imitator terminates in itself. The one becomes
a capable man; the other a mere sciolist. This explains the
difference between the Mohammadan and the Christian Negro.”
(p. 44).
377
VOLUME ONE
“The introduction of Islam into central and west Africa has

been the most important, if not the sole preservative, against the
desolations of the slave trade.” (p. 78).
“Mungo Park, in his travels seventy years ago, everywhere

remarked the contrast between the pagan and the Mohammadan
tribes of interior Africa. One very important improvement
noticed by him was abstinence from intoxicating drinks …
Thus throughout Central Africa there has been established a
vast Total Abstinence Society; and such is the influence of this
Society that where there are Muslim inhabitants even in Pagan
towns it is a very rare thing to see a person intoxicated. They
thus present an almost impenetrable barrier to the desolating
flood of ardent spirits with which traders from Europe and
America inundate the coast … The abstemiousness of Islam is
one of its good qualities which we should like Africans to
retain, whatever may be the future fortunes of that faith on this
continent. The Negro race in their debilitating climate do not
possess the hardihood of the North American Indian or of the
New Zealander; and under the influence of that apparently
inseparable concomitant of European civilization, they would in
a much shorter time than it has taken the last-named races,
reach the deplorable distinction of being ‘civilized off the face
of the earth’.” (pp. 79, 80).
378
Dr. Blyden’s book created a big stir in the British press. Among
those who boldly came forward to espouse the cause of truth and to
confirm the learned doctor’s verdicts on the roles of Islam and
Christianity in Africa were Bosworth Smith, who wrote a long article
in the Nineteenth Century for December 1887, and an eminent
Englishman who had travelled widely in Africa, Mr. Joseph Thomson
by name, who wrote in high praise of Islam’s role in the London
Times (November10, 1887). We may quote here the latter’s verdict on
the allegation of Islam’s association with slave trade in Africa. He
said:
“It has been argued by some of your correspondents that in

Eastern Africa and the Nile basin you see Islam in its true
colour in congenial association with the slave trade and all
forms of degradation and violence. A more baseless statement
could not be conceived. I unhesitatingly affirm—and I speak
from a wider experience of Eastern Central Africa than any of
your correspondents possess—that if the slave trade thrives, it is
because Islam has not been introduced to those regions, and for
the strongest of all reasons, that the spread of Mohammadanism
would have meant the concomitant suppression of the slave
trade.”

379
PART 5
Chapter 1
THE IMMEDIATE ENVIRONMENT FOR
THE Qur’ânIC REVOLUTION
The Holy Qur’Én emerged in Arabia and, though it claimed to be

the Message of God for entire humanity, very naturally its immediate
encounter was with the Arabs, who possessed a religious philosophy,
a system of religious rituals, a social structure, an ethical outlook and
a moral code; along with the Ka‘bah at Makka—which had been
established in hoary antiquity as the House of Worship for the One
True God—still enjoying the status of Arabia’s central holy place
under the control of the descendants of Abraham through Ishmael,
though no longer for monotheism but only for idolatry.
In that encounter, Arab paganism, with all its material resources,

fought against Islam tooth and nail until, tottering step by step in the
process, it finally vanished lock, stock and barrel.
One of the aspects of that bloody conflict was that, even in the
worst crisis—and crises were many, Islam did not compromise in the
slightest measure,—and in this its reform movement stands in human
history as radically different from other known reform movements
which crystallised into distinct religions, as they exist today; because
the latter built on the existing material, some of which alone was
discarded for projecting new dimensions. This is what we find, for

instance, in the teachings of Gautama Buddha, who came forward to
reform Hinduism—as a result of which Buddhism came into
existence; and in the teachings of Christ, who stood up to reform
Judaism—as a result of which the Christian religion was born.
Thus, Islam is neither a reaction brought about by the theoretical

or the practical dimensions of Arab life, nor is it in any way a product
of Arab environment.
Hence it cannot be called Arab religion. Nor can it be called

Muhammadanism, because unlike Gautama Buddha, for instance,
Muhammad has not claimed to be the author of Islam. Rather, he has
emphatically renounced all such claim, proclaiming God as its Author.
To come to the religion, social structure and ethics of the pagan

Arabs:
As accepted on all hands, the Arab ‘cult of worship’ was a

magical cult based on sheer polydaemonism. and fetish-worship,
possessing not even the faintest semblance of any civilised features.
The Qur’Én confronted it with the purest form of Monotheism and
wiped it out completely.
The outlook in respect of human life was based on a thorough-

going Pessimism. The present world was regarded as the only world
that existed, and Time was considered to be the great Destroyer. The
existence of human beings was believed to be confined to the span of
earthly life commencing with birth and terminating in death. Thus, the
worldly relations were ephemeral, life was an empty dream, and
381
VOLUME ONE
struggle for anything idealistic was vanity. This crude materialistic

view of the world and human life led to the establishment of Nihilism
as the ‘religious philosophy’.234 As for the Qur’Én, it agreed in respect
of the transient character of the worldly joys, which forms an
incontrovertible truth. But, then, it gave a philosophy which was the
very opposite of the Arab pagan view. It taught: (a) the earthly life
possesses reality—as opposed to vanity, and meaningfulness—as
opposed to ‘emptiness’; (b) only to regard it as the be-all and end-all
of human existence is wrong, because (c) it is actually a means to a
higher end,—the end being evolution of the human personality, and it
being only a stage in the stages of that evolution; (d) as means,
however, it has to be pursued and cared for with all earnestness; and,
therefore, (e) Pessimism is a false view, and Optimism alone deserves
to be adopted.
In respect of social structure, the most ferocious and inhuman

235
form of tribalism constituted its foundation—a tribalism that had
led to prolonged internecine wars and tremendous social mischief. The
Holy Qur’Én challenged it and uprooted it on the basis of its principles
of Human Unity and Brotherhood of the Believers, which cuts right
across all ties of tribal and racial kinship and establishes the social
structure on ethico-religious foundations.
234
Ref: The Holy Qur’Én, 6:29; 23:84-85; 45:23-24; 50:2-3; etc. Also: ‘Abid
b. al-Abras: DiwÉn; and the Seven Mu‘allaqÉt.
235
Dozy names it as ‘a violent and terrible passion’ (Histoire des Musulmans
d’Espagne, 1,7. Leiden, 1932).
382
The pessimistic nihilistic outlook had very naturally led the

pagan Arabs to full-blooded Hedonism in the domain of morality. For
them, it was a bad world, and life was a ‘bad bargain’. The pursuit of
‘wealth, wine and woman’ had, therefore, become their greatest
passion, to which the praises of voluptuousness in pre-Islamic poetry
bear full testimony.236 Indeed, the pagan Arabs were a godless,
thoughtless, reckless people, whom only a miracle could change,—
and the miracle came in the person of the Holy Prophet Muhammad
(Peace be on him!) who, with his unique personality and his unique
236
For this purpose, even the reference to the famous Seven Mu‘allaqÉt alone
is enough.
In his Literary History of the Arabs (p. 136), Prof. R. A. Nicholson has
projected the pagan hedonistic conception of life in the words of a pre-
Islamic poet thus:
Roast meat and wine, the swinging ride

On a camel sure and tried,
Which her master speeds amain
Over low dales and level plain:
Women marble-white and fair
Trailing gold-fringed raiments rare:
Opulence, luxurious ease,
With lute’s soft melodies—
Such delights hath our brief span;
Time is change, Time’s fool is man:
Wealth or want, great store or small,
All is one, since death’s are all !
383
VOLUME ONE
message in the form of the Qur’Én, as his weapons, blew up the sands
of pagan morality and built up the edifice of the morals of godliness.
To revert to Arab morality: Along with hedonism as their basic

moral philosophy, the pagan Arabs possessed certain moral concepts
like loyalty, generosity, courage, patience, veracity and regard for
honour. Unfortunately for them, however, they possessed no refined
moral sense. nor did they have any idea of ethical norms and
principles. Hence, their notions of those virtues were either defective
or positively vicious. A brief examination will suffice.
Loyalty:
The pagan virtue of loyalty was grounded purely in materialistic

considerations, with absolutely no idea of anything higher. It was
rooted in tribalism—in kinship by blood, and as such it could induce
the pagan Arabs to demonstrate the highest self-sacrifice and to
undergo the worst sufferings in upholding it, whether the cause was
morally right or wrong. In consequence: Based on the outlook: ‘My
tribe, right or wrong’, it was no more than an irrational and immoral
passion; as we find plainly expressed, for instance, by Durayd b. al-
Simmah, in a verse quoted by Nicholson: “I am of Ghaziyya: if she be
in error, then I will err; and if Ghaziyya be guided right, I go with
her.”237 To enter into a solemn covenant with someone outside one’s
tribe, for safeguarding any of his specific interests, was rare. Such a
covenant was, however, honoured with full loyalty. But, the pagan
237
op. cit., p, 83.
384
spirit being one of overbearing haughtiness and show of vulgar

‘manliness’, the practice of loyalty in this respect also was not based
on any considerations of humanitarian moral obligation but on crude
self-esteem.
As opposed to the above pagan view, the Holy Qur’Én establishes

the virtue of loyalty on principles: spiritual and moral. A Muslim
should be loyal to God and to the Holy Prophet Muhammad (Peace be
on him!)—a bond of loyalty which exists in the form of an explicit
and solemn Covenant that comes into being simultaneously with the
acceptance of Islam (48:10). Besides that, he has to practise loyalty in
the entire sweep of social relations on the principle of upholding all
that is good and striving against all that is evil for humanity (3:110),—
on the basis of the universalistic Divine Law and not on petty
tribalism or racialism.
Generosity:
It was intimately related to the pagan view of ‘honour’, as Zuhair

b. Abi SulmÉ projects it in terms of ‘a shield for his personal
honour’.238 It was more a demonstration of self-projection than of
benevolence. In other words, it was motivated purely by the spirit of
ostentation and vainglory, the notion of its role as a moral virtue being
conspicuously absent from the pagan consciousness. This fact
becomes evident when we find the pre-Islamic poets boasting of even
their excessive drinking of wine as a hall-mark of generosity! Thus
238
Mu‘allaqah, 5:51.
385
VOLUME ONE
Arab paganism stood not for generosity as such, but for thoughtless
prodigality.
The Holy Qur’Én, too, gives a high place to generosity in its

moral code. But it denounces vehemently the pagan notions connected
with it, namely: lavish wasteful spending (17:27), and spending for
ostentation and vainglory (2:264). Indeed, thoughtless extravagancy is
regarded as no less a vice than niggardliness (4:36-37; 17:27,29; etc.);
and Muslims have been commanded to practise disciplined generosity
(25:67; etc.), and that with the purest of motives, i.e., love of God
(2:177; etc.). Hence, generosity is a purely moral act in Islam—well-
balanced and consequential for its executor as well as of for its
recipient.
Courage:
Military prowess was the demand of the vicissitudes attendant on

the cult of tribalism, wherein reckless courage constituted the very
means of survival; and it was meant to be practised indiscriminately
and without any ethical considerations, namely, as a brute passion—as
an uncontrolled and irresistible animal impulse, employed for plunder
or for destroying the members of a rival tribe. Indeed, the sages of
paganism preached openly that the courage of an Arab consisted not
merely in striking dauntlessly at the enemy who had committed
aggression, but basically in the attitude whereby ‘he should rather take
the initiative (of murdering people) and perpetrate aggression (even)
when no one does him any wrong’.239 Thus, for Arab paganism
239
Zuhair b. Abi SulmÉ: Mu‘allaqah, 5:38-39,
386
bravery was only another name for the practice of brute and barbaric
ferocity.
The Holy Qur’Én, too, commends and commands courage (8:45;

etc.) and deprecates cowardice (8:15; etc.). But therein courage has
been projected as a noble and thoroughly-disciplined trait of human
character; and it has been emphasised in both of its aspects, namely,
physical courage and moral courage. As physical courage, or, military
prowess, it has been firmly grounded in justice (5:8), mercy (90:17)
and peace (8:61), on the one hand, and in the highest ideals of fighting
in the ‘Way of God’ (4:73; etc.) and of attaining the sublime blessing
of martyrdom (2:154; etc.), on the other—which makes a Muslim
absolutely fearless of death. As Moral courage, it has been affirmed
as an inseparable part of Islamic character (5:54).
Patience:
The rough and difficult conditions of life, with scarcity,

pestilence, famine and fratricidal wars always haunting them, had
made extraordinary endurance and patience eminent virtues in the
sight of the desert Arabs, for whom it was essentially a vital part of
courage to face hardships dauntlessly on the battlefield and elsewhere.
As such, it was not actually a moral virtue with an idealistic content
but a bare necessity relating to their physical existence and survival.
As compared with that view, the Holy Qur’Én has filled the
concept of patience (sabr) with a rich spirituo-moral content (2:153,
155; etc.), elevating it to the status of a high moral principle and an
eminent constituent of godliness (2:177), whereby the promotion of
387
VOLUME ONE
the best in man as well as the advancement of the cause of Truth and
Goodness in the life of humanity are ensured (2:156; 3:146-148).
Veracity:
The qualities of rugged straightforwardness, courage and vigour

which the desert life breeds, establish an appreciation of the virtue of
veracity, or, truthfulness, as a manly trait of character. Moreover,
simple truthfulness is a virtue which has been appreciated throughout
human history, among the most primitive as well as the civilized
communities, as an admirable mode of human expression. Thus, the
pagan Arabs also regarded veracity, or, truthfulness, as an eminent
virtue.
As compared with the simple Arab pagan view, the Holy Qur’Én
has projected the concept of ‘Truth’ comprehensively in terms of, so
to say, both of its poles: subjective and objective, namely, as Îidq and
Íaqq, and has presented an elaborate philosophy of Truth with its
spiritual, moral, social, cosmic and supra-cosmic dimensions.240
Similarly, it has given an elaborate exposition of the concept of
Falsehood (BÉÏil).
Regard for Honour:
The pagan Arabs possessed a deep sense of honour. Its entire

concept revolved, however, around their philosophy of tribalism. It
was embedded in the notion of exultation in ancestral virtues (Íasab),
which formed the criterion of the excellence to which the tribes laid
240
We have dealt with it elaborately in our “Dynamics of Moral Revolution”.
388
their claim, as also the real source of personal glory for every member
of a tribe. The honour of the tribe was thus the honour of every
individual, and the greatest virtue of the individual was to cultivate
and maintain a violent and blind passion for defending and promoting
it, and finally bequeathing it to posterity,—regarding no sacrifice and
no suffering as too great in that regard.241
It was this peculiar sense of honour that had created in the pagan
Arabs the spirit of violent arrogance (ibÉ’),—a spirit that caused them
to regard submission to the authority of man,242 or even of God,243 as
highly dishonourable for themselves.
Also, it was this vulgar sense of honor that had given birth to, and
nourished for centuries, the spirit of blind and persistent vengeance,
which Nicholson calls “a tormenting thirst which nothing could
quench except blood, a disease of honour which might be described as
madness”.244
Again, it was this blind sense of honour that was responsible for
the practice of female infanticide,245 the womenfolk being regarded as
nothing more than chattels in the pagan Arab society.
241
Ref: MufaÌÌaliyÉt and the Seven Mu‘allaqÉt.
242
‘Abid b. al-Abras: DiwÉn: 4:20; etc.
243
The Holy Qur’Én, 2:206; 97:6-7; 16:22; etc.
244
op. cit., p. 93.
245
The Holy Qur’Én, 81:8-9; etc.
389
VOLUME ONE
Still again, it was this irrational sense of honour which was

responsible for the existence of a feudalistic aristocratic social order in
which honour belonged only to those of noble descent (nasab),
namely, the aristocracy, and not to the ‘base-born’, i.e., those who
could not trace their lineage to any heroic person: the serfs and the
slaves.246
As compared with all that, the Holy Qur’Én, based as its

teachings are on a genuine notion of moral good and evil and on
universalistic ethical ideals, has counteracted, in a radical and
revolutionary manner, the pagan concept of ‘honour’ as well as its
different practical ethical implications. In its view, all human beings,
irrespective of their tribe or sex, are equally honourable in respect of
their humanity (17:70); while, in terms of achievement, it is neither
hasab (ancestral glory) nor nasab (pedigree) that can confer greater
honour on a human being, but only sound godly moral character
(49:13). The only division of humanity which it endorses is that of
upholders of Truth and Goodness and the upholders of Falsehood and
Evil (64:2; etc.), and the only conflict which it consequently permits is
for the establishment of Truth and Goodness in, and the eradication of
Falsehood and Evil from, the life of mankind (3:110; 4:76; etc.). As
opposed to pagan arrogance, it preaches the practice of humility in
respect of both: human beings (25:63; etc.) and God (57:16; etc.), and
projects the virtue of honour in terms of self-respect (63:8) in the light
of that humility; and it teaches self-restraint in anger, forgiveness
246
For references, see Ibn Ishaq: Sirat al-NabÊ.
390
(3:134), and compassionate kindness (90:17; etc.), as laws of life. It

kills the spirit of vengeance by asking the Muslims to meet evil with
good (41:34), and to leave the matter of punishment to God, Who is
the ‘Lord of Vengeance’ on behalf of the oppressed (3:4). Even in
respect of murder, which was the source of immense and never-ending
cruelty in the pagan ‘cult of Honour’, it teaches the law of equity as
based not only on absolute justice but also on mercy (2:178). It
elevates the woman to the status of the twin-half of man,—equal to
him spiritually, morally and legally (4:1; 33:35; etc.).

391
Chapter 2
THE HOLY PROPHET’S DIVINE MISSION
The Holy Prophet was born and brought up among the pagan
Arabs whose spiritual, moral and social outlooks we have discussed in
the previous chapter. But, how different, radically different, from their
philosophy of life is the revolutionary Message of the Qur’Én?
There was a sprinkling of Jewish and Christian groups also

present in that country since some centuries, who were as backward in
terms of culture as the pagan Arabs. Even so, however, they possessed
better religious philosophy and ethical teachings. But, how different,
radically different, from their philosophies of life is the Qur’Énic
philosophy?
Indeed, the Qur’Én emerged in history with a philosophy which

in its structure, dimensions and outlook differed vitally from all the
existing religions and philosophies, adding new dimensions even
where it agreed and correcting the wrongs wherever they existed in
any religion—not only in respect of Arab paganism but also with
reference to other religions of the world. And, no wonder, the Holy
Prophet Muhammad (Peace be on him!) claimed the Qur’Én as the
greatest of the miracles bestowed on him by God.
And, then, another important fact, to which we have made a

passing reference in the foregoing, deserves full notice—the fact,
namely, that the departure of the Qur’Én from the prevalent thought in
religion or ethics or social structure is not of a re-actionary character

but positive in its nature. In other words, the Qur’Énic Message
emerges in a positive, original, constructive, and comprehensive
principle which contains within it potentially the entire system of its
philosophy,247 like the seed of a tree which is said to contain the tree
within it potentially,—even as the holy book says: “Seest you not how
AllÉh sets forth a parable ?—A Goodly Word (i.e., the Divine
Message) (is) like a goodly tree, whose root (is) firmly fixed and its
branches (reach) to the heavens, (and) it brings forth its fruit at all
times, by the leave of its Lord …” (14:24). Thus, it did not grow out
of something pre-existing through re-adjustments and pruning but
emerged as an exclusive and self-subsisting reality, which supplied the
sound model of thought and action in every sphere of life, so that any
belief or any principle of action which had affinity with it to any
extent—even if only in name—became transformed by coming into
contact with it, casting off its wrong dimensions and the wrong
approach to reality contained in it.
It is this we find in the case of the pre-Qur’Énic Arab virtues of

generosity, courage, loyalty, veracity, patience, etc. In that connection,
it may be observed, beyond what we have already noticed, that certain
noble moral concepts—noble in terms of their nomenclature—have
been possessed by all human communities, including the most
primitive. It is, however, not the names of those concepts but their
contents that are important. Otherwise, to possess the basic notion of
247
Ref : “The Philosophy of Unit”, pp. 157-172 (vol. 1).
393
VOLUME ONE
generosity, or courage, or loyalty, etc., is the very demand of human

nature. Indeed, it is the very condition of human existence.
In the final analysis, the fact cannot be denied that what could not
be achieved upto this day in terms of comprehensive and balanced
Wisdom by the greatest thinkers of the world—Aristotle, Plato, Kant,
Hegel, Marx, etc.,—and by the greatest religions, was achieved
through the Qur’Én by an unlettered person who had no access to any
wisdom of the world and who was born and brought up in a
community whose highest intellectual achievement was nihilistic and
hedonistic poetry. Yes, he was unlettered and enjoyed not the slightest
advantage of any Wisdom in his environment,—unlike Jesus Christ,
who was born and brought up in the prophetic lore of the Israelites,
unlike Gautama Buddha, who received the highest education as a
prince and whose environment was saturated with the accumulated
learning of the Hindu sages, and unlike Aristotle, Plato, Hegel, Karl
Marx, and others, who had drunk deep at the fountains of knowledge
that existed through the labours of previous thinkers. And, then, he
gave that Wisdom not through any academic process of research and
creation and polishing up of thought from inside academies and
libraries, but in an extempore manner—orally and in bits, whose
collection under his guidance assumed the form of a Book that
contains a thoroughly consistent and comprehensive philosophy and
code of life. If, therefore, the Qur’Én is not the greatest existing
miracle of history—what else it is? And how could such a super-
human achievement take place without a superhuman basis of
394
achievement? Indeed, there is no way but to accept the Qur’Én as the

Word of God. And that it claims to be from the beginning to the end.
Those who believe in the existence of God and in the

genuineness of the phenomenon of Divine Revelation, and yet refuse
to accept the Holy Prophet Muhammad (Peace be on him!) as the
Messenger of God and the Holy Qur’Én as a divinely-revealed Book,
land themselves in the quagmire of absolute irrationality. And the
same can be said about the other categories of the Unbelievers also.
This irrationality becomes evident when we examine the attitudes

adopted in respect of his claim by his opponents, their judgments
emerging in the following terms: (1) it was an act on his part of
downright lying, forgery and imposture; (2) it was a case of self-
deception under the influence of some serious and peculiar form of
madness.
As to the first: Human nature being what it is: He who never

spoke a lie in his dealings with human beings,—nay, he who
conspicuously shone out as the very personification of Truth and
Integrity (al-ØÉdiq and al-AmÊn) from the very beginning of his life,
how could he indulge day in and day out, for twenty-three years, in
forging lies in the name of God? Then, who can possibly forge lies
deliberately and consciously in the name of God? Only a diehard
atheist with a firm devilish mind; because a simple philosophical
atheist with any degree of human character would regard any such
thing as obnoxious. But, what do we find in his case? Practice of the
highest human virtues of truth, justice, mercy, forgiveness, sweetness,
395
VOLUME ONE
sympathy, generosity, selfless service to and suffering for the cause of

humanity, etc.,248 on the one hand, and the total submergence of his
personality in a living and positive devotion to God and the utmost
sacrifice in His Way, on the other.249 Then, had he been an adventurer,
employing the name of God as a subterfuge, why should he have
insisted on belittling himself by attributing all his merits not to himself
but to God, and by confining his status to that of a human being and a
Servant of God?—while it was easy for him, with all his dynamic
personality and with all the primitive and vulgar superstitiousness of
his countrymen, to claim some form of divinity for himself. All of us
know that a human being like Jesus has been elevated to the status of
the Son of God and has been accepted as such by a large section of
mankind inspite of the monotheism projected by the Bible, and
Gautama Buddha has been worshipped by his followers very much as
a god inspite of the atheistic foundations of Buddhism. Moreover, if
his mission would have been based merely on political adventurism,
248
Even the tributes paid by the non-Muslim scholars, which we have quoted
elsewhere, are enough to give some idea as to what type of character and
personality he possessed.
249
Both the Qur’Én and the Sunnah bear irrefutable evidence to the fact that,
with all the super-human labour that he had to undertake for building up the
multi-dimensional spiritual, moral, social, economic and political Revolution
that he accomplished in history and with all his self-imposed rigours and
sufferings of poverty, he would regularly pass a large part of the night, when
others would sleep, in standing in prayer before God, until sometimes the
skin of his feet would crack and bleed.
396
what need was there for him to antagonise his countrymen by

confronting them with the challenge of a radically-different religion
and undertaking, as a consequence, the most poignant sufferings and
the greatest risks? Therefore, only a person who has been totally
blinded by prejudice can even think of bringing forward the allegation
of imposture.
As to the second: The foundations of human behaviour being

what they are: What do we really find? The records of his life are in
existence. And what do they reveal? Only one thing: that he possessed
a most sound physical health and a most sound mind that any human
being ever possessed. And the fact that, even under the stress and
strain of the greatest adversity, he never lost his equanimity of mind
but greeted the worst crisis always with super-human fortitude and
forbearance and an unfailing smile, as also the fact that he combined
in his personality utmost mercy with the utmost bravery, speak
volumes not only of his spiritual, moral and mental grace and
greatness but also of the extraordinary soundness of his nerves.
Indeed, only a mentalIy-diseased person can think about him that he
could ever be mentally diseased.
In the final analysis: If Truth has any reality and Reason any
value, and both of them any meaning: The Holy Prophet Muhammad
(in whom God’s greatest Blessings abide!) is, by all canons of Truth
and Reason, the Messenger of God to humanity.

397
BOOK 2
ETHICO-METAPHYSICAL
FOUNDATIONS
PART 1
PART 2
Page 2 - Blank
FUNDAMENTAL CLASSIFICATION
Laws stated in the Qur’Énic Moral Code, the presentation of

which has been undertaken in the second volume of the present book,
are actually ethical judgments. But there are certain principles which
form the theoretical core of all moral philosophy, because they deal
with the nature of Morality. We may call them ‘basic ethical
principles’, and state them under the following fundamental
classification:
1. Theory of Moral Judgment.

2. Then, if the standard of moral judgment is Law, discussion
relating to the Moral Law with regard to:
a. its nature
b. the spirit according to which it is to be practised;—and
also:
3. Ends to which the moral law is directed:

a. The Immediate End or Ends to which the Moral Law is
directed.
b. The Ultimate End, if any, which morality—although it is to
be practised within its domain as an absolute value—
should serve.
4. Penal Ethics, or, Theory of Punishment.

5. Moral, or, in the Qur’Énic perspective, Ethico-Religious,
Dynamics.
Page ? - Blank
PART 1
Chapter 1.
THEORY OF MORAL JUDGEMENT
The Moral Judgment is the judgment, from the point of view of

morality, of approval or condemnation of a mode of conduct. It relates
to the following factors:
1. The Object of Moral Judgment, i.e., that which is approved or

disapproved as good or bad. It can be conceived either as the
motive of a performed voluntary action or as the consequence
thereof.
2. The Subject of Moral Judgment, i.e., that which sits in

judgment over the modes of conduct of the moral
agent.
3. The Predicate of Moral Judgment, i.e., the term of

moral approval or condemnation.
4. The Standard involved in the Moral Judgment, with

reference to which the value of a mode of conduct is assessed.
It can be conceived either as Law or as End.
Now, as to the Qur’Énic teaching in that behalf:
1. Object of Moral Judgment :

VOLUME ONE
The object of moral judgment is, in the first instance, voluntary

action which involves will, as opposed to reflex action which lacks
will. Thus it has been affirmed:
“Allah will not call you to account for that which is

unintentional in your oaths, but He will take you to task for that
which your hearts have garnered …” (2:223).
Again:
“… But if one is forced by necessity, without willful (i.e.,

voluntary) disobedience, nor transgressing the limits, then he is
guiltless …” (2:173).
The voluntary action comprises within it such elements as:
a. The conflict between two motives, the motive of the

performance of Duty (i.e., the consciousness of an obligatory
Law) and the motive of the fulfilment of Desire (i.e., the
instinctive urge in defiance of the moral law).
Duty is constituted of:
1. the consciousness of an obligatory Law;
2. the feeling of reverence associated with it;
3. the consciousness of want of moral value in the idea of

failing in duty.
Desire is constituted of:
1. the idea of the end;
406
BOOK 2 – ETHICO-METAPHYSICAL FOUNDATIONS
2. the feeling of pleasantness associated with the idea;
3. present state of uneasiness from want of something.
b. Besides the conflict, there is involved deliberation, i.e., the

weighing and balancing of each of the two conflicting factors
in the voluntary action.
c. Deliberation is followed by choice of either of the two

conflicting motives of Duty and Desire, which is a free choice
and every morally-conscious agent knows that it is free.
d. Finally, there is resolution to fulfil either the Desire or the

Duty, thereby passing beyond mere intention.
e. The resolution is followed by the execution or the actual

performance of the action.
f. The performance of the action brings in the consequences, or

the result of the performance, which is causally determined by
numerous factors not in control of the agent without taufīq.1
1
This is the verdict of the Qur’ān (11:88). The question arises: what is the
significance of taufīq? Taufīq means: ‘conformation’. As a Qur’Énic term it
implies the existence of harmony between the effort of the moral agent and
the extraneous factors through Divine Grace. The occasion for Divine Grace,
in its turn, arises, according to the Holy Qur’ān, only when the moral agent
takes the initiative (13:11)—which initiative, again, should be in consonance
with the Law that governs the cosmological process and is reflected in
history. We have discussed that Law in our “Dynamics of Moral Revolution”.
407
VOLUME ONE
The analysis of voluntary action brings out and the Holy Qur’Én
affirms that man is responsible only to the extent of the freedom he
possesses:
“Allah does not hold anyone responsible except to the limit of

his capability.” (2:286).
Now, because this capability is confined to the freedom of choice

in respect of conflicting motives, the real object of moral judgment is
the motive,2 as the following verses confirm:
“… And there is no blame on you in the mistakes that you make

unintentionally, but (what counts is) that which your hearts
intend purposely …” (33:5).
2
The Holy Prophet (Peace be on him!) says:
“Verily the value of actions lies in the motives (by which they are
prompted).” (Bukhārī: ØaÍÊÍ; vol. 1, p. 2.).
It should also be noted that motives not translated into action (i.e., lamam) do
not form the object of moral judgment, as we have been told:
“… those who avoid great sins and abominations, save the slight and
unwilled deviations from virtue …” (52:32).
This is the Qur’Énic view of the object of moral judgment. But there is a view
opposed to it which regards ‘consequence’ as the object. That view is,
however, unacceptable; because, in the first instance, consequence is
determined not by the human will but by casual nexus. Secondly, morality is
reduced thereby to expediency. Thirdly, because vice too is an expediency,
virtue can hardly be separated from vice.
408
“… save him who is compelled thereto (i.e., unto the

declaration of unbelief), while his heart is still contented with
Faith …” (16:106).
Namely, if his motive is not to defy the truth, the transgression

committed by him under duress will not be condemned.
“… When the Hypocrites come to you (O Prophet!), they say,

‘we bear witness that you are indeed the Messenger of Allah’.
Yes, Allah knows that you are indeed His Messenger. But Allah
bears witness that the Hypocrites are indeed liars (in respect of
their motive).” (62:1).
“It is not their (i.e., the sacrificial animals’) meat, nor their
blood, that reaches Allah: it is your (motive for) piety that
reaches Him …” (22:37).
Viewing the problem from another angle, it is the conflict

between Desire and Duty that gives rise to the moral situation,
wherein emerges the question: what is really binding as moral
obligation? Now, the Qur’Énic verse: “Oh you who believe! Stand out
firmly for justice, as witnesses to Allah, even as against yourselves, or
your parents, or your kin, and whether it be (against) rich or poor …”
(4:135), implies that the moral imperative expressed in the words
“stand out firmly for justice” is the standard to be adhered to without
regard to any other consideration whatsoever, which means that an
action is morally approvable only when it is performed in obedience
to the imperative, and condemnable if performed in defiance of it. The
value resides thus in the motive of the performed action, which relates
409
VOLUME ONE
to the performance of Duty 3 in the case of virtue, and to the defiance

of Duty and obedience to Desire 4 in the case of vice, and is subjected
as such to moral approval and disapproval.
Note on Desire:
It should be clearly noted that it is not desire as such, nor the

higher desires that relate to high and noble ends, but only the desires
relating to the instintive urges, called hawā’ in Qur’Énic terminology,
obedience to which, in defiance of the sense of duty, is what is meant
here by ‘obedience to Desire’, as the verses quoted in footnote 2
signify.
The correctness of this Qur’Énic view is self-evident even though

certain great religions like Buddhism,5 and certain great moral
3
Cf. the verses:
“And for such as had entertained the fear of standing before their
Lord’s (tribunal) and had restrained (their) soul from the lust of the
instinctive urges, or evil Desire, (out of respect for Duty), their abode
will be the Garden.” (79:40-41).
4
Cf. the verses:
“Then, for such as had rebelled (against Duty) and chose the life of
this world (—the life of following Desire in the sense of slavery to the
lust of instinctive urges); lo! Hell will be his home”. (79:37-39).
5
For a critical appraisal of the Buddhist point of view relating to the present
discussion, as also to other philosophical and ethical problems, and its
comparison with the Islamic point of view, readers should refer to the
penetrating and masterly exposition presented by the young Muslim thinker
410
philosophers like Kant are opposed to it. For instance, maintaining

that all desire is bad, Kant says: “The inclinations themselves being
sources of want, are so far from having an absolute worth for which
they should be desired, that on the contrary it must be the universal
wish of every rational being to be wholly free from them”.
(Grundlegung, 2; E.T., Abbot, p. 46). Schopenhauer terms Kant’s
view as the ‘apotheosis of lovelessness’. (Ueber die Grundlage der
Moral; E. T., Bullock, 1903, p. 49); because, in Kant’s estimation,
even the most unselfish acts of benevolence towards, and love for,
other human beings lose all their moral worth unless inspired by pure
sense of duty and unless emptied of all desire to be benevolent
towards fellow-beings.
If we take into consideration the facts of human psychology in

reference to the proper realisation of the moral ideal, we are bound to
hold to the Qur’Énic view that some desires deserve to be suppressed,
some to be moderated, and some to be encouraged and enhanced,
ultimately subordinating all to the spiritual yearning of obtaining
Divine Pleasure,—keeping the sense of duty always dynamically alive
and the action entrenched in the purest motivation.
However, Kant’s deification of Duty acquires meaning in the

Qur’Én itself, in the idea of Absolute Duty to God, because the Divine
Will is directed absolutely to all that is good—including the supreme
from the West Indies, Imran Nazar Hosein, in his brilliant book: “Islam and
Buddhism in the Modern World” (published by the World Federation of
Islamic Missions, Karachi, Pakistan.).
411
VOLUME ONE
good of humanity—and to good and good alone, and the negation of

all Desire relating to this world at that level, except the inspiration of
fellowship with the Absolute Ideal that is also absolutely Real, would
be permissible, because it leads ipso facto to perfection above all the
perfections that might be aimed at in relation to earthly life.]

2. Subject of Moral Judgment :
The Qur’Énic view with regard to the subject of moral judgment

is that it is the Conscience, or, Moral Reason, of the moral agent,
because it maintains:
“Oh, but the human being (in his Conscience,6 or, Moral
Reason) is endowed with discernment concerning himself.”
(75:14).
6
In respect of the nature of Conscience, there are two views in modern moral
philosophy. One of them holds that it is ‘Moral Sense’,—that is, it is based
on Feeling. The other maintains that it is Reason,—that is, its basis is
Knowing. According to the Holy Qur’ān, it may best be termed as ‘Moral
Reason’. This view we obtain from the word basīrah in the Arabic original of
the word.
As regards the function of Conscience, again, there are two schools of

thought. One, which Sidgwick names as ‘unphilosophical Intuitionism’,
maintains that Conscience is a dictator, dictating all the time and in all acts as
to the course of moral action. The other school, which is called ‘philosophical
Intuitionism’, holds that Conscience is a legislator, legislating in respect of
the morality of human actions. According to the Holy Qur’ān, Conscience is
412
And this is possible because of the duality of human nature:
“By the Soul, and Him Who gave it proportion and order, and
inspired it (with the conscience of) what is wrong for it and
(what is) right for it.” (91:7-8).
Verse 8 implies that the human self is capable of wickedness

(fujūr), which is the urge of the lower self, or, the “Impelling Self”
(12:53), and also of virtue (taqwā), which is the urge of the higher
self, or, the Moral Reason named as the “Reproaching Self” (75:2).
But the urge of the lower self should be made subordinate to the urge
of the higher self in order that it becomes finally powerless in respect
of compelling the individual to follow the path of Desire in defiance
of the call of Duty,—the human self at attaining finally the stage of
the Beatified Self (89:27).

3. Predicate of Moral Judgment :
In respect of the predicate of moral judgment, which is

constituted of the terms of moral approval and disapproval, it is
necessary to have in view the nature of the Qur’Énic value-system
the judge (or, the evaluator)—as basīrah, whose function is to judge whether
a certain action is morally approvable or disapprovable in the light of the
standard laid down by the Divine Law, that standard having reference to
consequences also, as we shall shortly see.
Thus the Holy Qur’ān steers clear of the mistakes committed by the modern
intuitionist thinkers in respect of the nature and function of Conscience.
413
VOLUME ONE
wherein morality does not stand in isolation from the other values,
especially the spiritual.7 Consequently, the Holy Qur’Én has not
employed just one set of terms, like ‘right’ and ‘wrong’ and ‘good’
and ‘bad’, to denote the moral virtues and vices. Rather it has used
different sets, and even single words, in different contexts, with the
basic notions of moral goodness and evil running through them. Thus
we find the following sets of opposites:
1. ÎāliÍāt and sayyi’āt: (45:20);
2. khayr and sharr: (99:7-8; etc.);
3. birr and ithm: (5:3);
4. Íasanah and sayyi’ah: (27:91-92);
5. ma‘rūf and munkar: (3:106; etc.);
6. Íalāl and Íarām: (10:59; etc.);
7. taiyyib and khabīth: (2:267; etc.).
As for single words, they, along with their connotations (all

relating to evil in different gradations and categories), are:
7
Cf. Rashdall: “If, finally, we ask what is the relation of the idea of value to
the idea of ‘moral’ value, I should answer that all that has value has moral
value, in the sense that it must be moral, in due proportion to the amount of
that value, to promote it; but by moral value we generally mean the particular
kind of value which we assign to a good character.” (Theory of Good and
Evil, vol. 1, p. 138).
414
1. fasād (2:205; etc.): corruption—a word capableof denoting all

types of evil action.
2. ‘udwān (2:85; etc.): disobedience.
3. junāÍ, (2:158; etc.): sin.
4. fāÍishah (3:125; etc.): anything abominable beyond measure.
5. khaÏi’ah (4:112; etc.): mistake, fault in small or large measure,

and intentional or unintentional.
6. rijs (5:90; etc.): something intensely filthy and unclean.
7. najas (9:28): something that is unclean according to Reason or

Law.
8. jurm (11:35; etc.): sin—the Qur’Énic use almost invariably

with reference to kufr.
9. lamam (52:32): slight and unwilled deviation from virtue—

possibly in thought alone.
10. ma‘Îiyah (58:8-9): disobedience.
11. dhanb (60:3; etc.): slip, lapse; trespassing correct boundaries

of action intentionally or un-intentionally (Mark that dhanb is
related to dhanab which means tail).
We are, however, really concerned with the seven sets of

opposites that we have mentioned.
In that connection, the first fact to be noted is that the terms used
in these sets fall into three categories, namely: evaluative,
415
VOLUME ONE
classificatory and descriptive; and among these categories it is only

the first that is of value to us in the present discussion. This becomes
clear when we examine the semantic structure of each term and fix up
its connotation. For this purpose we will take up here the positive
terms contained in the sets.
1. Îālihāt: Good deeds. The word Îālih means sound, good,

righteous, and its semantic constitution contains emphatic
reference to belief in God, prayer, and goodwill and love for
humanity. However, the practice of Îālihāt is repeatedly
joined to Faith. Thus this term connotes ‘faith expressed in
outward conduct’.
It may also be noted that this term has not been used in the
Qur’Én in its singular form, Îālihāh, which seems to be one of
the necessary conditions for choosing a term for our purpose.
2. khayr: Good. It has been used in the Qur’Én as a

comprehensive term for ‘good’, covering religious belief,
worldly happiness and good in general.
3. birr: Godliness, righteousness, probity, kindness, charitable

gift. The semantic constitution of this term seems to be similar
to that of Îālih.
4. ×asanah: Good deed, benefaction, charity. Its masculine

form, Íasan, means: beautiful, nice, good, agreeable,
exquisite; while the word Íusn means: beauty, excellence,
perfection. In its semantic constitution, it covers not only the
‘good’ in respect of both the worldly and the religious spheres
416
of life, as we find in the case of khayr, but also a powerful

emphasis on moral goodness and on beauty, or, grace in
conduct.
5. ma‘rūf: It seems to express a very general and comprehensive

idea of religious goodness in the sense of compliance with the
Divine Law. Literally, it means ‘known’, ‘familiar’, and hence
‘approved’. Thus in the Qur’Énic usage, al-ma‘rūf should be
taken to mean: ‘that which is known to ideal human nature’
and hence familiar to and in harmony with it, whereby any act
which is ma‘rūf is a good act in the light of what the Qur’Én
teaches as to the goodness of all that is in conformity with
ideal human nature (30:30). However, it should be noted that
the application of this term in the Qur’Én bears reference more
vitally to the legal aspect of human relations than to morality.
6. Íalāl: Lawful. It is a legal term. So too is Íarām, its opposite.
7. Ïayyib: Good, pleasant, agreeable, delicious. The Qur’Én has

employed it to denote religious goodness as well as goodness
pertaining to worldly things.
Among these seven terms, the first four are evaluative; the next
two classificatory; and the last is descriptive. Again, among the
evaluative terms, Íasanah emerges as the term related to the Qur’Énic
predicate of moral judgment, which may be defined as ‘moral Good 8
8
In respect of the predicate of moral judgment Kant has adopted the term
‘right’ in keeping with his ethical system; while others have chosen the term
‘good’ whereby moral judgments can be reasonably considered as judgments
417
VOLUME ONE
joined to spiritual purity and aesthetic grace’. This selection is

confirmed by the Divine Command:
“Verily Allah commands (observance of absolute) Justice and

adherence to the Íasanah …” (16:90).

4. Standard of Moral Judgment:
Coming now to the standard of moral judgment, it is Law, as has

been clearly set down, among others, in the following verses:
“And those who do not judge on the standard of what Allah has
revealed, verily they are transgressors.” (5:50).
revealed, verily they are unjust.” (5:48).
revealed, verily they are infidels.” (5:47).
This means that only actions performed in obedience to ‘Law’—

the Law grounded in the transcendental value of Divine Pleasure—are
of value containing at the same time the idea of ‘ought’ or obligation. Now, it
is evident that the term ‘good’ is more appropriate—more correct—than the
term ‘right’. In respect of ‘good’, again, the concept of ‘good’ is bound to
vary in different ethical systems in accordance with the nature or scope of the
‘good’ conceived. In this respect, the Qur’ānic concept of the predicate is
most perfect.
418
morally approvable or virtuous,9 and those performed in defiance of

‘Law’ and obedience to ‘Desire’ are morally condemnable or
vicious.10

9
Cf. the verses:
“Say: ‘Truly, my prayer and my (service of) sacrifice, my life and my

death are (all) for Allah, the Cherisher of the Worlds: No partner has
He: This am I taught, and I am the first of those who bow to His
Will”. (6:162-163).
10
Cf. the verse:
“… and follow not the lusts (of the instinctive urges), for they will
mislead you from the Path of Allah …” (38:26).
419
Page ? - Blank
Chapter 2.
THE MORAL LAW
1. Nature of the Moral Law:
The Qur’Én affirms the following characteristics in respect of the

nature of Moral Law:
1. Besides the regard for the transcendental value of Divine

Pleasure—which in itself makes the action most highly
disinterested from the practical human point of view—it
should not be conditioned by any interest other than
morality. We are told:
“O you who believe! Stand out firmly for Allah (i.e., act solely
out of respect for the Moral Law given by Allah) as witnesses
to fair dealing, and let not the hatred of others to you make you
swerve to wrong and depart from justice. Be just …” (5:9).
Again:
“And among mankind is he who would sell his ‘Self’ to the

seeking of Allah’s Pleasure (alone) (i.e., seeking no other end
but only the intrinsic good contained in the observance of the
divinely-ordained Moral Law) …” (2:207).
VOLUME ONE
2. The Moral Law has been conceived as universally binding,

i.e., binding on all rational beings—a principle contained in
the following Qur’Énic affirmation:11
“Do they seek for other than the Divine Law?—while all
(creatures) in the heavens and on the earth have, willing or
unwilling, bowed to His Will (i.e., accepted the Divine Law),
and to Him shall they all return.” (3:83).
3. The Moral Law is to be obeyed as unconditionally and

absolutely binding:12
“They (i.e., the human beings) have never any choice (but to
obey the Divine Law).” (28:68).
Again, as regards Muslims:
11
Cf. the Holy Prophet’s verdict:
“None of you can have (real) belief (in Islam) until he loves for all
human beings what he loves for himself.” (Ahmad: Musnad, vol. 3, p.
272).
12
Because it emanates from the Absolute Good Will and is directed to the
establishment of good will among human beings. As to the merit of good
will, Kant expresses it beautifully thus: “If with its greatest efforts (the good
will) should yet achieve nothing and there should remain only the good will
(not to be sure a mere wish but the summoning of all means in our power),
then, like a jewel, it would still shine by its own light, as a thing which has its
whole value in itself.” (Kant: Fundamental Principles of the Metaphysics of
Morals, Sec. 1, E. T., Abbot, p. 10).
422
“The answer of the Believers, when summoned to Allah and

His Messenger (Muhammad) in order that he (Muhammad)
may judge between them, is no other than this: They say, ‘We
hear and we obey’: It is such as these that will attain felicity.”
(24:51).
[Note on Kant’s Categorical Imperative: Before we proceed to

the next section, it is necessary to discuss Kant’s famous Categorical
Imperative.
Among eminent moral thinkers of the modern age, Kant enjoys

the distinction of not only being the most eminent but also of
presenting an ethical philosophy which is nearer to the Qur’Énic
ethical view than any other, so near in fact that in certain aspects the
stand-points of the Holy Qur’Én and of Kant appear to be identical.
This necessitates that while we have stated the Qur’Énic view
concerning the ‘standard as Law’, we should have a clear
understanding of the Kantian Categorical Imperative.
To begin with: Kant names the normative laws as ‘imperatives’

and says that they are of three kinds, namely: (1) the hypothetical
imperative, which is not universally applicable and holds only under
certain conditions; (2) the assertorial imperative, which can be
conceived as universally applicable, but only in respect of the
attainment of certain ends; and (3) the categorical imperative, which
holds universally as well as unconditionally. He further says that the
Moral Law is the only law that falls under the category of the
categorical imperative; and he lays down the rule: “There is nothing
423
VOLUME ONE
good without qualification except the good will”, thus denying all
teleology in morals whereby action is conceived to be morally good in
respect of its being conducive to certain desirable consequences.
(Kant: Fundamental Principles of the Metaphysics of Morals, Sec. 2,
E.T., Abbot, pp. 31-33).
Trying to understand Kant’s view of the Categorical Imperative

critically, the very first criticism that emerges is that, as defined by
him, it is a ‘form without content’; or, it is the ‘ideal’ divorced from
the ‘real’. Hence it cannot enjoy as such the status which Kant gives to
it in his philosophy. To put it concretely: ‘To will always what is
good’ ought to be accepted as a valid principle, but that does not as
such provide any guidance in respect of ‘willing the good’ in
particular situations.
As regards the Holy Qur’Én, it also prescribes a categorical

imperative with regard to the maintenance of the good will. But in the
Qur’Énic view, what is unconditionally and universally binding is
strictly the obligation of Obedience to the Moral Law, which derives
its authority, not from any utopian transcendental deduction—as in
Kant, but from the absolute authority of the Absolute Good Will of the
Moral Ruler of the universe, i.e., God. Moreover, it does not stop at
the ‘form’ of the Categorical Imperative but also teaches its practical
application in the concrete situations of moral action.
Kant lays down three laws in respect of the application of the

Categorical Imperative, viz., (1) ‘Act only on that maxim which you
can at the same time will to become universal law’; (2) ‘Treat every
424
rational being including yourself always as an end and never as a

means’; (3) ‘A principle of moral conduct is morally binding on me if,
and only if, I can regard it as a law which I impose on myself’.
As to the first law, it stands challenged on different counts.

Firstly, numerous situations in practical human life are conceivable
where this law cannot be validly applied; for instance, becoming a
teacher of a particular branch of knowledge, which is morally good
but cannot be universalised. Secondly, Kant has bestowed on an
unreal abstraction of one condition (i.e., obedience to a universal law)
the status of being the essential condition for good will. Thirdly, he
has confused the merit of performing an action with its goodness.
Fourthly, he has erred in holding, as Professor Broad has pointed out
(Five Types of Ethical Theory, p. 124 f), that a right action—right in
respect of the factor of universality—must always be right, no matter
what the inclinations of the agent are. For instance, if a man and a
woman are married on considerations of Pure Reason, where alone the
principle of universality resides, and no consideration is given to their
respective inclinations and their unique circumstances, that marriage
may prove to be evil for both of them, and not good in any sense of
the word. Thus, the mere formal consistency which Kant has
emphasised—i.e., that the rule of an action should be willed to be the
rule of every person—can never by itself make an action good in
terms of morality.
As to the second law, its validity may be said to have been

challenged by Kant himself, inasmuch as his ethical philosophy makes
425
VOLUME ONE
every human being, in respect of the realisation of the moral law, a

mere means, so that he no more remains ‘an end’!
As to the third law, it is correct in the sense that moral law, as

distinguished from the political law, is surely a law that our own
moral consciousness—our own conscience, and not any other factor,
should make us incline to obey. It should form the behest of our
higher self. Yet moral law should not be accepted as merely self-
imposed, because the self can also dispense with it even as it can
impose. Consequently it should be combined with the element of
absolute authority, and such an authority can only be the authority of
God.]

2. The Spirit according to which the Moral Law is to he practised:
The law is meant to be pursued as if it is self-imposed, i.e., it

should form the behest of the higher self of the moral agent. But here
would arise the difficulty: how to regard the Divine Law, which is
externally-imposed, as a ‘Law self-imposed’. This difficulty arises,
however, in the want of understanding with respect to the expression
‘divine origin’. Being of divine origin should not be taken to mean,
according to the Qur’Énic teaching, that the Divine Law is foreign to
the nature of man and is merely thrust from outside on him by God to
be obeyed. Rather, it is simultaneously the ‘Divine Law’ as well as the
‘Law of ideal Human Nature’, and constitutes, therefore, the very
behest of the higher human self.
426
The identity of the ‘Divine Law’ and the ‘Law of ideal Human
Nature’ has been explicitly proclaimed thus:
13
“So set your purpose for religion as by nature upright—the
nature (framed) of Allah in which He has created the human
beings.14 There is no altering the laws of Allah’s creation. That
is the right religion, but most men know not.”15 (30:30).
Here it should be noted that the ‘ideal nature’ is the same, and
has always been the same, in all human beings, of whatever race or
tribe or country. In the Holy Qur’Én, this is implied in the fact that
Divine Law relating to the ‘ideal nature’ has been revealed to all the
communities of the world at one or the other period of human history
(13:7). In history, it is confirmed by the fact that basic moral concepts
13
The nature conceived by the Holy Qur’Én is governed by a universal law
which is fundamentally rational.
14
Here the Holy Qur’Én refers to ideal human nature, i.e., the nature
bestowed on humanity by God at the dawn of creation. It is not the same
thing as Rousseau and some other moralists speak of in terms of ‘primitive’
or ‘original’ nature, because their view does not go beyond the spatio-
temporal dimensions, wherein the modifications of the ‘ideal’ in respect of its
manifestations must be presumed to have commenced at the very early period
of human history—as we notice in the Holy Qur’Én in connection with “the
story of the two descendants of Adam.” (5:27).
15
Cf. Cicero: “True law is right reason in agreement with nature; it is of
universal application, unchanging and everlasting; it summons to duty by its
demands and averts from wrongdoing by its prohibitions.” (Republic, 3.22).
427
VOLUME ONE
have been the same in different civilisations and different ages—their

differences consisting basically in the imperfect understanding of
those concepts, or in their application to concrete problems of life. Mr.
C.S. Lewis has put forward this truth ably thus: “Think of a country
where people were admired for running away in battle, or where a
man felt proud of double-crossing all the people who had been kindest
to him. You might just as well try to imagine a country where two and
two made five. Men have differed as regards what people you ought to
be unselfish to—whether it was your own family or your fellow-
citizen or everyone. But they have always agreed that you oughtn’t to
put yourself first. Selfishness has never been admired. Men have
differed as to whether you should have one wife or four. But they have
always agreed that you mustn’t simply have any woman you liked.”
(Broadcast Talks, p. 11). It means that we should affirm the existence
of an absolute universal law, based on ideal human nature and
underlying the moral judgments of human beings.

428
Chapter 3
ENDS TO WHICH THE MORAL LAW IS
DIRECTED
1. The Immediate Ends:
Morality being an action determined by Law, the difficulty

arises: how to accommodate the purposive character of human activity
in the scheme of moral life. It is, however, resolved when we find in
the Holy Qur’Én that the Law is directed to a four-dimensional End,
those dimensions being:
1. Moral and Spiritual Well-being of the Moral Agent.
The Holy Qur’Én says:
“Oh you who believe! if you are careful of your duty to

Allah (i.e., if you obey the Divine Law), He will grant you
a Criterion (to judge between right and wrong), remove
from you your (moral and spiritual) ills, and bestow on
you forgiveness …” (8:29).
2. Moral and Spiritual Well-being of Others.
“You are the best group, evolved for the service of

humanity, enjoining what is right, forbidding what is
wrong …” (3:110).
VOLUME ONE
3. Material Well-being of Others,
“… and do you good (to others) as Allah has been good to

you …” (28:77).
4. Material Well-being of the Moral Agent:
“… and forget not your portion (of Happiness) in this

world …” (28:77).
The Law is directed to the above four-dimensional End, without

either the Law or the End becoming subservient to each other.
Because the very act in obedience to the Law is at the same time the
immediate fulfilment of the End. Thus the Holy Qur’Én harmonises
the concepts of the ‘Law’ and the ‘End’, and establishes the principle
that virtue should be regarded as consequential activity and not merely
as ‘Duty for the sake of Duty’.
Here it should be properly understood that the End is to be

conceived as an organic whole, and its four dimensions are to be
realised in harmony, namely, on the principle of balance enunciated
and emphasised in the Holy Qur’Én (55:7-9). Otherwise, they are
capable of coming into clash with one another, thereby thwarting the
goals of integrated development of the individual and the creation of a
social order based on the concept of integralistic culture—both being
the Qur’Énic goals of morality.
430
It may be observed in passing that this Qur’Énic view of the four-

dimensional End is richer and more sound than Kant’s formula
wherein two dimensions of the End alone emerge explicitly, viz. (1)
the moral perfection of the agent (or, the morally-struggling
individual), in the sense of the attainment of a perfectly good will, and
(2) the happiness of others. (Kant: Preface to the Metaphysical
Elements of Ethics, E.T., Abbot, pp. 296-302).
In this connection Prof. Lillie observes:
“… this double standard of morality is surely a strange one for

the philosopher who emphasised consistency and denied the relevancy
of pleasant consequences to the rightness of actions. If perfection or
the good will is the only good or the highest good for ourselves, it
surely must also be the highest good for other people and, however
little we can do for other people’s perfection, to do that little is far
more important morally than to seek their happiness. And if happiness
be a good for other people, it surely must also be a good for our
selves.” (Introduction to Ethics, p. 175).

2. The Ultimate End:
While the Holy Qur’Én is definitely committed to the view that

the moral value has to be pursued at its own level as an absolute value,
in order that the purity of motive and consequently the purity of moral
action is not damaged, it does not subscribe to Kant’s barren
431
VOLUME ONE
philosophical stand point which regards morality as the Supreme

Good. Rather, it views morality in the perspective of spirituality, or,
the transcendental dimension of the human personality, and hence it
prescribes a spiritual end as the ultimate end for which a Muslim
should always aspire, regarding it as the Supreme Good. That end is
the absolute harmonisation of the human will with the Divine Will
through the Qur’Énic technique of the spiritualisation of morality.16
Says the Holy Qur’Én:
“But the most righteous shall be removed far from it (i.e., the
Fire),—he who spends his wealth for increase in self-
purification, and has in his mind no favour from anyone for
which a reward is expected in return, but only the desire to seek
the Countenance of his Lord Most High; and soon will he attain
(complete) satisfaction.” (92:17-21).

16
It may be pointed out here that this is the actual pursuit of Tasawwuf,
which is a vital dimension of Islamic orthodoxy; and this is also the actual
implication of the Sufi doctrine of fanā.
432
Chapter 4
PENAL ETHICS
As in the case of every organised society, it is the function of the

Islamic Social Order to ensure the preservation of the values that it
upholds through a Criminal Code which, though built up on spiritual
and moral foundations, is to be enforced by the state-authority.
Indeed, the Holy Qur’Én does not confine itself to mere sermonising
on morals and does not want the upholders of its message and mission
to be mere passive spectators or imbecile critics with respect to evil
and evil-doers. Rather, it commissions them to control the incentives
to crime and to combat the forces of moral evil and social ill-health
actively and with masculine grace.17
Among the Western thinkers who, in modern times, have devoted

their attention to a philosophical assessment of the problem of
punishment, two stand out prominent, viz., Kant and Bentham. The
former, who is famous for his categorical imperative and moral
purism, holds to the retributive character of punishment, while the
latter, who is famous for his utilitarianism, has projected utility as the
basic consideration in respect of punishing criminals. But neither the
absolute standard of Kant nor the utilitarian view of Bentham have
satisfied the later legal thinkers when they have found themselves
confronted with complicated legal situations. As a consequence,
17
3:110; 22:41.
VOLUME ONE
different other theories, which are ‘dubious mixtures’18 of the above-

mentioned two, have come into existence—of course, with the
Benthamian bias, making confusion worse confounded, because
crime, which it is the aim of all these theorists to control, has
continued to increase in the Western society and in those others that
are its camp-followers.
Coming to the Holy Qur’Én, there the obligation of punishment

is, besides being legal, also moral and even spiritual, whereas it is
only a legal obligation in the secular systems. It being so, the Qur’Énic
outlook on the nature of punishment is that the values, which form the
life-blood of the social order, should be preserved, if need be, even at
the cost of mutilating, or taking the life of, the criminal, and no
softness should be observed because that would degenerate finally
into the adoption of expediency, the condoning of crimes, and the
consequent deterioration of the moral standards.19
The ultimate end is the spiritual purification of the criminal

through subjection to an ordeal and of the society through the
18
Professor K.O. Shatwell, Dean of the Faculty of Law at the University of
Sydney, Australia, names them as “unproven theories” and deplores “that
crime like the ever rolling stream with which we are all familiar is today not
only in danger of over-flowing its banks but to some extent has already done
so”. (See, his paper on “Crime and the Punishment of Crime” read at the
Third Commonwealth and Empire Law Conference held at Sydney, and
reported in the Pakistan Legal Decisions, Lahore, 1966, p. 103).
19
This is what is happening in the West today, as we shall shortly see.
434
establishment of the correct moral and spiritual tone by means of

creating genuine fear of evil consequences of crimes among the
would-be criminals and thus restraining them from deviating from the
right path—the path of virtue. This end is contained in the principle of
comprehensive spiritual purification, which has been declared by the
Holy Qur’Én to be the mission of the Holy Prophet (Peace be on him!)
(62:5).
As regards the gradation of punishment, the Qur’Énic principle

that emerges is that the higher the value that is violated, the severer
the punishment, and the lower in grade the violated value, the
lighter—comparatively speaking—the punishment. Thus the Qur’Énic
evaluatory scale of crimes stands, from above downwards in the
following order : Fornication, Theft, Murder.
Now: Fornication is a crime against honour, as also against the

healthy existence of family life, and thus against the very foundations
of human society—because, as the Holy Qur’Én teaches (4:1), it is the
family and not the individual which forms the basic unit of human
society; theft is a crime against property; and murder is a crime
against life.
The outlook of the Holy Qur’Én in respect of the punishment of

these crimes is not the same in each case. It is the most severe in the
case of fornication, because it has been commanded that Muslims
should not show the slightest compassion in inflicting the punishment,
or else they will land nothing less than their Faith itself in jeopardy
(24:2). As for theft, robbery and treason, once they fall in the
435
VOLUME ONE
punishable category and have been detected, there remains absolutely

no possibility of condonement. Coming to murder: although the Holy
Qur’Én prescribes retribution, it also permits payment of ransom if the
aggrieved party agrees. This seems to be due to the fact that the
inducement to commit murder is mostly rooted in the crimes against
honour and property. Hence, once the crimes against honour and
property have been dealt with more severely, as the Holy Qur’Én does,
the crime of murder can be dealt with less severely, provided there
exists a genuine ground for it, without damaging the social health.
Viewing the Qur’Énic punishments in the light of ethics, the

punishments relating to fornication, adultery and homosexuality are
reformative in the sense that they imply the spiritual purification of
the offenders; the punishments prescribed for theft, robbery and
treason are of deterrent character; and the punishment in respect of
murder is based on retribution which is tempered with mercy (2:178).
The guiding light in all cases, however, is the procurement of spiritual
good 20 of the individuals concerned and of the society.
20
Note the observations of Rashdall: “… the moment we insist upon the
effect produced on the sufferer’s soul by his punishment, the retributive
theory is deserted by the reformatory or the deterrent … If it be urged that
avenging of the Moral Law (in the infliction of physical punishment) is right
because it is the expression of the avenger’s indignation (—as Kant would
have it—) that is an intelligible answer; … though this can be hardly
regarded as an ultimate end but rather a means to further end—the spiritual
good of the man himself and of society at large.” (Theory of Good and Evil,
pp. 285,301).
436
As for the principle of severity in respect of punishments, it is

grounded in the following facts:
a. The Qur’Énic view of the human being is that he is essentially

a spiritual being and the Vicegerent of God, and not just an
animal among animals. In consequence, the crimes in question
acquire extraordinary gravity as forming fundamental
violations of the human status.
b. Like every criminal code which emerges on the basis of an

over-all philosophy and code of life and is rationally
enforceable in that perspective alone, the Qur’Énic penal code
is meant to be enforced in a specific form of society—the
Islamic society.
c. The Islamic society, i.e., the society based positively in both

theory and practice on the Qur’Énic Guidance and constituted
of morally-struggling and spiritually-orientated individuals, is,
in its turn, a society which is dedicated to the ever-active
realisation of moral, legal, economic and political justice,
which functions positively and devotedly for the eradication
In contrast stands the defective and rigid view of Kant, who is one of the
greatest of modern philosophers: “Juridical punishment can never be
administered merely as a means for promoting another good, either with
regard to the criminal himself or to civil society, but must in all cases be
imposed only because the individual on whom it is inflicted has committed a
crime … The penal law is a Categorical Imperative (Kant’s Philosophy of
Law, E.T. by Hastie, 1887, p. 195).
437
VOLUME ONE
of the incentives to crime, and whose ultimate goal is through

and through spiritual.21
Considered in terms of efficiency in respect of the eradication of

crime, the success of the Qur’Énic penal code stands at the highest in
human history.
Coming to the modern Western outlook, it is radically opposed to

the Qur’Énic gradation of values. There, the highest in the scale is the
crime against life, and after that comes the crime against property. As
regards crimes relating to sex, chastity is not considered to be a value
worthy of being protected with the arm of law! Rather, it is the sex-
crimes that receive legal and, in some quarters, even ecclessiastical
protection. How horrifying is the situation in this respect can be seen
in the published proceedings of the legislative bodies in certain
Western countries and in the facts and reports broadcast in the
respectable journals of Europe and America. And, as already stated, it
is not only the laity but also the clergy (!) of the Christian Church who
have fallen victim to an absolutely immoral point of view in respect of
sex-crimes. In evidence thereof, we may quote from a book entitled
“God speaks out on New Morality”22 (pp. 104, 105). Giving the
heading: “Shocking Homosexuality in the Ministry”, the authors of
the book have reported:
21
Ref : Discussion on the nature of Islamic society in chapter 9 of Part 4 (vol.
1, Book 1).
22
Compiled by Faculty Members and published by the Graduate School of
Theology, Ambassador College, Pasadena, California, U.S.A. (1964).
438
“Here is a London newspaper report: ‘The archbishop of

Canterbury, Dr. Geoffrey Fisher, spoke in the House of Lords
in support of a change in British Law to the make homosexual
acts between consenting adults in private no longer a criminal
offence. The Archbishop said: the right to decide one’s own
moral code and obey it, even to a man’s hurt, was a
‘fundamental right of man given to him by God, and to be
strictly respected by society and by a criminal code.’ That from
the head Minister of the Church of England! …
“A Congregationalist minister, Pastor Robert W. Wood, wrote a

book, Christ and the Homosexual. A newspaper review of his
book in a Pasadena paper said: Mr. Wood seems … interested
in proving that ‘homosexuality is the creation of God (since
God is to the Creator of everything); and as such it is just as
good and as any other creation of God’. He says further that
homosexual love’—he means lust—‘can be truly sacramental,
or holy, in the eyes of God. He has seriously discussed the
desirability of performing marriages between two persons of the
same sex.”
“ ‘A homosexual’, he says, ‘can be a successful clergyman’ …

Mr. Wood maintains that the rate of homosexuality in the
clergy is higher than in most other professions. The author even
suggests that this perversion may one day be useful in solving
the problem of over-population.’ (It certainly did solve the
‘over-population’ of Sodom and Gomorrah!!!). ‘He says that
439
VOLUME ONE
homosexuality is not a sin, and that under certain conditions in

certain ways it may even be morally right.’
“I have much, much more evidence … many more such reports.

Theological seminaries—several of them—are known to have,
as students being trained to become pastors of churches, a high
percentage of homosexuals. I have reports that homosexuals are
organised—and that there is a determined campaign to seek out,
seduce, and ‘convert’ to this loathsome perversion child
‘converts’ …
“Some men who profess to be the ministers of Jesus Christ

argue that the Bible nowhere condemns fornication or
homosexuality.”
If ministers of the Christian Church, like the Archbishop of

Canterbury and Pastor Robert W. Wood and many others, regard the
unnatural crime of homosexuality as ‘holy in the eyes of God’, very
naturally the Western civilisation of today accepts the natural crime of
fornication much holier, and consequently the Western societies have
gone forward to an unimaginable extent in that respect. This fact is so
well known that it hardly requires any documentation.
Viewing the situation in respect of crimes in general, it seems as

if the Western society 23 finds itself helpless in facing the challenge of
crime. And this helplessness has reached a point where what was once
regarded with utmost seriousness of conviction as an offence is now
23
and so, too, its camp-followers in Asia and Africa!
440
being legalised only because that offence is being widely committed,

having received licence from a wrong philosophy of punishment for a
long period of time.
It should not be too much to emphasise here that the whole fault
lies with the West’s legal philosophy, which in its turn is based on
certain perverted concepts in the realm of moral philosophy.
The following observations of a former Chief Justice of Pakistan,

Mr. A. R. Cornelius (a Christian), in respect of the consequences for
morality of the legal procedures and punishments awarded under the
present-day westernised Criminal Law, are worthy of note by those
who object to the severity of punishments prescribed by the Holy
Qur’Én. He says:24
“… As for criminal cases, it is probably correct to say that

under the present system every decision has the quality of
breeding more cases of the same kind … cases in which guilty
persons are acquitted probably form the majority. On the other
hand, there are a number of cases in which innocent persons are
convicted on the basis of oral evidence, and even suffer death.
“Cases are common enough where 10 or 15 persons have

jointly slaughtered 3 or 4 of their enemies, and carried their
heads in triumph aloft on spears through the village. One
supposes that when they are acquitted, as they often are, the
village lives in a state of terror from these persons when they
24
Pakistan Legal Decisions, Lahore, 1965, pp. 157-158.
441
VOLUME ONE
return and the whole balance of life is upset once again, as it

was when the murder took place and during the ensuing Police
Investigation. By the inscrutable working of the judicial system,
a situation has been created, to which under the necessities of
life the people have to adapt themselves, and, at the cost of a
part of their true character, they do so. Unfortunately, what is
damaged in the process is that part of their character which is
the distinguishing feature of the strong and noble human being.
Belief in truth diminishes. Denial of the strength of evil
becomes impossible …”
Elsewhere, Mr. Cornelius observes:25
“I may appropriately end this paper by stating my doubts

regarding the utility of imprisonment 26 in all cases as a mode of
punishment for a crime. At a time when the common person all
over the world is finding it increasingly difficult to provide
subsistence for himself, there is something of an absurdity
involved in the consideration that he can procure such
subsistence and a good many amenities and facilities besides
(such as medical care) by simply committing a crime … the
ever-increasing burden of maintaining prisons and highly-paid
staff to provide accommodation, care, proper food and other
amenities for persons of proved anti-social quality is one from
25
Pakistan Legal Decisions, 1956, p. 149.
26
Italics, present writer’s .
442
which an intelligent citizenry may justifiably seek to be relieved

if alternative methods, cheaper and not less effective, can be
found to create the desired effects of punishment, retribution
and reformation.”

443
Page ? - Blank
Chapter 5
ETHICO-RELIGIOUS DYNAMICS
Morality, according to the Holy Qur’Én, is conscientious action in

accordance with the Moral Law. But conscientious action is not
possible without the possession of purity of motive by the moral
agent, which, in its turn, necessitates a continuous psychological
effort, named in Islamic terminology as tazkiyah:
“By the Soul and the proportion and order given to it; and its
enlightenment as to its wrong and its right;—truly he succeeds
(in his spirituo-moral struggle) who subjects it successfully to
tazkiyah (or, purifies it), and he fails who corrupts it.” (91:7-
10).
The word tazkiyah means literally the removal of undesirable

growths and impurities. As a spirituo-moral term it denotes the self-
imposed effort of the moral agent for eradicating those tendencies
within the human self which form obstacles in the path of moral
development,—the eradication consisting in resolving the conflict
between good and evil that rages in the human breast.
This internal conflict is, however, closely influenced by the

conflict of good and evil existing in the society.
Thus, the Qur’Énic view is that, for the realisation of morality,

evil must be subdued and good must be made to prevail at both the
levels: the individual and the collective. Namely, it is not only the
VOLUME ONE
internal conflict which should be resolved but also the external

conflict. This is in keeping with the Qur’Énic integralistic outlook as
opposed to the ideational outlook of Christianity, Hinduism,
Buddhism, etc. Hence we may discuss briefly 27 with the techniques of
both.

1. TECHNIQUE OF RESOLVING THE INTERNAL

CONFLICT:
The Holy Qur’Én affirms, as we shall notice more fully in the

“Metaphysics of Morals”, the existence of two aspects of human
28
nature, namely, al-Nafs al-Ammārah (the Impelling or Carnal Self)
and al-Nafs al-Lawwāmah (the Reproaching or Moral Self),29 and of
the conflict between them. Moreover, it affirms that this situation of
conflict has to be resolved through discarding the behests of the
Carnal Self at the instance of the Moral Self, thereby enabling the self
to be transformed into al-Nafs al-Mutma’innah (the Self-at-Peace, or,
the Beatified Self).30 It is through undertaking this process that an
individual can avoid neurosis, develop as an integrated personality,
and become capable of acting with due respect for the Moral Law.
27
Elaborate treatment necessitates a separate monograph, which the present
author intends to present later.
28
12:53.
29
75:2
30
79:27.
446
This leads us to the question: What are the conditions that are
required to be fulfilled for bringing about this transformation?
Those conditions are: (1) there must be such a comprehensive

and sound Moral Code that may ensure to an individual the moral
perfection adequate to human nature; (2) there must be a Model,31 or
Exemplar, of moral perfection, who may impart the assurance that
moral values can be realised and moral norms can be actualised; (3)
Acquisition of tazkiyah should be a historical fact and not a mere
theoretical possibility.
The Qur’Énic Guidance fulfils all these conditions:
Firstly, it imparts a comprehensive Moral Code, as we shall

shortly see in volume 2.
Secondly, it gives a Model of moral perfection in the person of

the subject of Qur’Énic Revelation, viz., the Holy Prophet Muhammad
(Peace be on him!):
31
Professor Muirhead observes: “As Professor Mackenzie puts it, ‘For the
communication of the art of conduct example is better than precept, and
experience is better than either; so that even if it were the business of ethics
to lay down precepts, these precepts would still not suffice for instruction in
the art of life’.” (The Elements of Ethics, p. 28).
According to Prof. William Lillie: “ … the example of good men’s lives and
the training of practical experience are likely to be more effective influence
in producing good conduct.” (Introduction to Ethics, p. 20).
447
VOLUME ONE
“You have indeed in the Messenger of Allah an Excellent

Model (i.e., Pattern of Conduct) for him who looks to Allah and
the Last Day, and remembers Allah much.” (33:21).
Thirdly, it affirms the transformation of the human personality

through tazkiyah not merely as a possibility but as an established
historical fact:
“Assuredly Allah has shown grace to the Believers when He

raised up unto them a Messenger from among themselves, who
rehearses unto them His Signs, purifies them (of spiritual and
moral evils), and teaches them the Scripture and the Wisdom
32
(—thereby imparting comprehensive knowledge of, among
other things, the moral dynamics and the moral code); although
afore they were in flagrant error.” (3:164).
Coming to the technique of tazkiyah, the Qur’Énic Guidance

bestows certain powerful feelings that reside in a true Muslim’s soul.
They are: intense love for God and fear of the Displeasure of God, on
the one hand, and intense love for the Holy Prophet (Peace be on
him!) and absolute loyalty to him, on the other. It is these which, in
the emotional life of a Muslim, are meant to subdue the force of
feeling associated with Desire (or, the feeling that leads to the
32
16:89.
448
defiance of the Moral Law) and make tazkiyah possible.33 Thus says
the Holy Qur’Én:
Love for God and Fear of God’s Displeasure:
“… and those who believe are most intense in their love for
Allah.” (2: 165).
“O you who believe! fear Allah (in respect of His Displeasure)

with fear due to Him, and die not except you be Muslims (i.e.,
in a state of submission to Allah).” (3:102).
Love and Respect for the Prophet:
“The Prophet is nearer to the Believers than themselves (i.e.,

entitled to their utmost love and respect).” (30:6).
Love for God is based on:
1. His Absolute Perfection:
“(He is) Allah, the Possessor of Absolute Perfection.” (112:2).
And;
2. His concern for us, as detailed in the discussion on

“God.”34 Indeed, He is al-Wadūd, “the Loving One.” (85:14).
33
The view that tazkiyah can be brought about through the Consciousness of
Law seems to be untenable, because an abstract law or idea can never be so
effective in moulding the human personality as the impact of another
personality. Thus, the cultivation of love for the Holy Prophet (in whom
God’s Blessings abide!) assumes supreme importance.
449
VOLUME ONE
Love for the Prophet (Peace be on him!) is based on:
1. the grandeur of his spiritual and moral personality:
“And you (O Muhammad!) are (established) on an exalted

standard of character.” (68:4).
“O Prophet! We have sent you as … Illuminating Lamp (par

excellence—a lamp that illumines for humanity the path of
righteousness leading to God).” (33:46).
And;
2. his concern and function for us:
“Assuredly there has come unto you a Messenger from among

yourselves: anything that harasses you grieves him: full of
concern (is he) for you (in respect of your acquisition of the
Good): to the Believers he is most kind and merciful.” (9:128).
“… and he (Muhammad) relieves them of the burdens and the

shackles that have been upon them.” (7:157).
Love for God should express itself basically in following the

Holy Prophet (Peace be on him!) both as Teacher of Godliness and as
Model of Human Perfection:
“Say: If you (O Muslims!) love Allah, follow me (practically,

as your ideal of human perfection): Allah will love you and
34
See “Metaphysics of Morals” ( vol 1, Part 2).
450
forgive you your sins: For Allah is Forgiving, Most Merciful.”

(3:31).
Love for the Holy Prophet (Peace be on him!) should express

itself in unrestricted and unqualified loyalty to him—a loyalty which
should be practical as distinct from being merely emotional:
“But no, by your Lord, they can have no (real) Faith until they
make you judge in all disputes between them, and find in their
souls no resistance against your decisions, accepting them with
the fullest submission.” (4:65).
In connection with the function of the Holy Prophet (Peace be on

him!) for his followers, we may also note:
1. it is the spiritual impact of his personality that has been

prescribed by God as the most powerful instrument of
tazkiyah in the life of a Muslim;
2. the Holy Prophet’s basic function of bringing about tazkiyah

in his followers—a function for which his other functions (as
Teacher) are a means—transcends the limitations of space and
time;
3. the Holy Prophet’s spiritual impact was available not only to

the Muslims of the period of his physical existence but has
remained available ever since and will remain available upto
the Last Day.
These facts are contained in the following Qur’Énic verses:
451
VOLUME ONE
“It is He Who has sent amongst the non-possessors of Revealed

35
Truth a Messenger from among themselves, to rehearse to
them His Signs, to purify them, and to instruct them in the
Scripture and the Wisdom,—although they had been, before, in
manifest error—as well as (to confer those benefits upon)
others of them (i.e., of the Believers) who have not yet joined
them (but will do so in future upto the Last Day): And He is
Exalted in Might, Wise. Such is the Bounty of Allah which He
35
This should be accepted as the correct connotation of the term ‘al-
Ummiyyun’ employed in the Arabic text. No doubt, the word ‘ummi’ stands,
amongst its different connotations, for an ‘unlettered’ person also. But to
translate ‘al-Ummiyun’ as ‘the unlettered’ creates more difficulties in
understanding the Qur’Én than it solves,—indeed, irresolvable difficulties.
However, once we employ the semantic approach and turn to the Qur’Én
itself for guidance, the problem of connotation is solved unambiguously and
without difficulty. For instance, this term has been used in 3:20 in
contradistinction to the category of ‘those who have received the Scripture’.
Then, in verses 78 and 79 of sura 2, emerges the emphasis on the ‘non-
possession of Revealed Truth’ in spite of the formal possession of a scripture,
because there it bears reference to the Jews who are definitely among ‘those
who have received the Scripture’. All this means that the term ‘al-
Ummiyyun’, as employed in the verse under discussion, should be translated
as ‘the non-possessors of the Revealed Truth’. And, might we also say that,
although the primary reference is to the Arabs of those days, the secondary
reference covers virtually entire humanity, because even those who claimed
to possess a Scripture did not possess the Revealed Truth in its unadulterated
form. (The view propounded here is supported by the verdict of Abdullah ibn
Abbas. —Refer, among others, to Ibn Jarir al-Tabari’s TafsÊr, Vol. 2, p. 258).
452
bestows on whom He will (—and He has bestowed it on

Muhammad). And Allah is the Lord of Grace Unbounded.” (62:
2, 3, 4).
What is needed most for tazkiyah, therefore, is the cultivation of

love and reverence for God and the Holy Prophet (Peace be on him!)
to a point of intensity where it may become possible for the moral
agent to absorb the Divine blessings through the Holy Prophet’s
spiritual personality, thereby acquiring that spiritual refinement and
that moral force which may enable him to overcome all evil
propensities and to act according to the highest demands of morality
with pleasure and ease.
For this purpose, the Remembrance of God (Zikr-Allah) and

offering Îalāt and salām (i.e., invocation of God’s Blessings and
salutation) to the Holy Prophet, the Beloved of God, as often and as
much as possible, and with devotion and concentration of thought,
form a basic practice, as enjoined by the Holy Qur’Én (33:41,56).
Now, development of intimate and living relation with God is

fundamental to tazkiyah. But intimacy can be cultivated only through
love. Love, in its turn, demands obedience to the beloved without
demur. Indeed, the richer the exercise in obedience the greater the
stabilisation of love in richness and depth.
However, love originates in appreciation, and appreciation is not

possible without knowledge. The Muslim begins his quest for God the
Unknown with faith—a faith which, though basically innate, is
acquired in its proper dimensions from the Messenger of God, who
453
VOLUME ONE
stands thus as the axis around which the entire structure of the Faith
moves. Or, we might say, the Messenger of God is the ‘door’ through
which alone the seeker of God can enter upon the Straight Path that
leads to God; and this Straight Path, again, is nothing else than what is
revealed in the personality of the Messenger of God. Thus the
Messenger of God is the unavoidable Medium, the wasÊlah spoken of
in 5:35; while God is the Goal (53:42).
This being so, the exercise in love for and obedience to God
begins with the cultivation of love for and obedience to the Messenger
of God—the Holy Prophet Muhammad (in whom abide God’s
Choicest Blessings!). The Messenger of God being human, no human
being can have difficulty in knowing him, which is the pre-requisite
for loving him and obeying him.
Now, because the Messenger of God is not merely a wise man

and a social reformer, and because the transcendental dimension of his
personality—his intensely intimate relation with God—is its most
vital aspect, approach with respect of knowing him must of necessity
be two-fold, namely: intellectual and spiritual.
In respect of the intellectual approach, again, the avennues are

two, viz., the Qur’Én and the Sunnah. The Qur’Én enshrines his
Prophetic Consciousness and is the Mirror of his Personality, as Lady
Ayesha, with her extraordinary wisdom and piety, emphasises.36 The
36
She says: “The character of the Prophet (in whorn Allah’s Blessings and
His Peace abide!) is (enshrined in) the Qur’Én. (MishkÉt al-MaÎÉbÊÍ, BÉb al-
Witr, al-FaÎl al-Awwal, p. 111; Cf. Muslim: ØaÍÊÍ)
454
Sunnah, critically assessed, is the human record of his behaviour as

the Perfect Man and as the Witness to God and the Vital Proof of
God’s existence (33:45).
Both the above sources of knowledge should be constantly

studied as a serious exercise, until all the dimensions of the excellence
and the greatness of his personality are assimilated in one’s
consciousness and they entrench themselves in memory as guiding
refulgent stars. Such a knowledge will grow in depth as the study
continues, and with that will grow the love which it automatically
begets,—and, along with love, will grow the inspiration to imitate him
and to obey him without hesitation. Then, because obedience to God
consists in obedience to the Messenger of God (4:80), obedience to
God will be simultaneously achieved—even though only functionally.
The goal, however, being the establishment of a living, vibrant

and dynamic relation with God, Who is transcendent in His Being, a
powerful exercise in spiritual approach to, and realisation of, the Holy
Prophet’s Personality is also vitally necessary, in order to build up the
affinity for the Pursuit of that highest goal, as also to obtain the
strength, through the blessings of the spiritual impact of the Holy
Prophet’s Personality, for the pilgrimage to God. It is for this end that
God has commanded the Muslims, as mentioned above, to engage in
ÎalÉt and salÉm, wherein the greater the devotion the richer is the
spiritual purification, and the richer the spiritual purification the
sublimer is the purity of motive in moral action—of course, only when
that exercise is combined with conscientious and wholehearted
practical devotion to the Holy Prophet as Teacher and as Exemplar.
455
VOLUME ONE
Cultivation of love for and obedience to the Holy Prophet paves

the way for the love of God and obedience to Him. Indeed, love and
obedience develop simultaneously in both respects, not only because
attention focussed on the Messenger of God gets concurrently fixed up
on God, but more so because in the spiritual quest of a Muslim the
remembrance of God forms the fundamental exercise with which the
exercise of ÎalÉt and salÉm is combined as complimentary.
Remembrance of God, as the fundamental exercise, is directed to

seeking the Nearness to God (96:19), and cannot therefore be
something formal. As such, firstly, it should be undertaken in a state
of ‘withdrawal’ (73:8), withdrawing attention from everything else
and concentrating it solely on God. Secondly, it should be undertaken
abundantly (3:41; 8:45; 33:41; 62:10: etc,)—nay, under all conditions
and at all times (3:191). Thirdly, it should be joined to contemplation
of the Signs of God which pervade the entire universe (3:191, etc.).
Fourthly, it should be combined with a study of Divine Guidance as
contained in the Holy Qur’Én (38:29), and with a serious exercise in
moulding one’s life in accordance with it to the fullest extent possible,
(2:206; etc.). Fifthly, this entire exercise should proceed, most
conscientiously as well as most intelligently (7:205; etc.), in order that
the practical results and the tangible fruits of all this labour of love
may be grasped at every step for enabling the pilgrim of eternity to
undertake his spiritual flights and moral development at higher and
higher levels with the attainment of ever-increasing refinement of the
soul, on the one hand, and purity of will for moral action, on the other.
456
Indeed, this intellectual-cum-spiritual struggle in the domain of

tazkiyah continues in the life of the conscientious struggling Muslim,
until he becomes capable of establishing a living and abiding
Communion with God, thereby attaining finally the realisation of God
to an extent that establishes him firmly in submission to the Divine
Will (which is the very meaning of the word ‘Islam’) and bestows
upon him purity of motive in moral life, with perfection adequate to
human nature,—even as we are told in the Qur’Én:
“O you who believe! If you keep your duty to Allah, He will

grant you a Criterion (for judging by its light the rightness and
wrongness of motives), will rid you of your evil propensities
and deeds, and will bestow on you forgiveness (in respect of
your natural shortcomings and past sins): For Allah is the Lord
of Grace Unbounded.” (8:9).
It should be noted here that, because Islam is not just Moralism,

moral purification is only the immediate goal, while spiritual
purification the ultimate goal, for which the former forms the
organically-necessary basis. Spiritual purification or refinement,
again, is not an end-in-itself but only a means to the development of
the transcendental dimension of Personality.37 It is this activisation
37
We may recall here what we have already recorded in our discussion
relating to the “Unity of Human Personality” in chapter 6 of Part 4. The
QurÉnic concept of human personality includes three dimensions: the
physical, the psychical, and the transcendental. The physical is spatio-
temporal; the psychical is temporal; and the transcendental is spaceless and
timeless, or, beyond space and time. It is the transcendental dimension which
457
VOLUME ONE
which leads through tazkiyah to ‘holiness’, and ‘holiness’ is the

distinctive quest of religion as opposed to the quests of philosophy
and the physical sciences—nay, even of the normative and the social
sciences, as we have already noticed in our discussion on the
Religious Quest. The acquisition of ‘holiness’, in its turn, brings the
seeker of God, at different levels of attainment, progressively nearer
and nearer to God, the All-Holy, in respect of earning His Pleasure,—
which is the highest ideal in Islam:
“But the greatest (achievement) is the Good Pleasure of Allah:

That is the Felicity Supreme.” (9:72).
“But ah! O you the Soul-at-peace, return to your Lord well-

pleased (yourself) and well-pleasing unto Him! Enter you, then,
among My Devotees! Yes, enter you My Heaven!” (89:27-30).
Thus, the fact cannot be over-emphasised that Faith in God is

meant in the Holy Qur’Én to be lived and not merely to be held, and it
is impossible to live it without passing through the rigorous discipline
of tazkiyah.
And it is not only Faith in God but also Faith in the Messenger of
God which should be lived, and lived dynamically; because it is the
forms the channel of Communion with God, on the one hand, and the
substratum of human personality on the other,—substratum for the
progressive emergence out of it of the temporal and the spatio-temporal
dimensions of personality at the beginning of earthly career, and substratum
for the survival of personality with the self-same Identity after the earthly
death.
458
Messenger of God who has been appointed by God as the Divine

Instrument of tazkiyah for all time (62:2-4; etc.).
There are some for whom, because of superficiality of thought or

because of some temperamental prejudice, the reality of all that is
nonphysical or metaphysical is, for all practical purposes, nothing
more than that of a ‘regulative idea’ with which human beings are not
practically concerned. Such an outlook gives birth to a virtually
materialistic view of religion with all the inherent contradiction. In
such a view, the religious verities become restricted and confined to a
formal belief (‘aqÊda), on which Dialectical Theology thrives with all
its barrenness, to the detriment of a consequential and dynamic faith
(ImÉn).
It is in the above perspective that the question emerges: God is

Eternal, Ever-Living and Omnipresent; hence communion with Him is
possible. But the Messenger of God was a human being who died long
ago. How can communication and establishment of intimate spiritual
relation with him be possible?
The Qur’Énic answer to this misgiving is very clear and

unambiguous. Firstly, the human personality is not annihilated at
death; it is only transferred from one level of existence to another with
its Identity intact,—the life after death being a new life. Secondly, the
levels of existence after death are qualitatively different in the case of
each category of human beings, including the Muslims. Thus, about
the martyrs it has been said: “And call not those who are slain in the
way of Allah ‘dead’. Nay, they are alive; only you perceive not.”
459
VOLUME ONE
(2:54). And again: “Think not of those who are slain in the way of
Allah, as dead. Nay, they are living. With their Lord they have
provision: Jubilant (are they) because of that which Allah has
bestowed upon them of His bounty, rejoicing for the sake of those
who have not joined them but are left behind: that there shall no fear
come upon them, neither shall they grieve. They rejoice because of
favour from Allah and kindness, and that Allah wastes not the wage of
the Believers” (3:169-171). Here the qualitative distinction between
the life of the ordinary Muslim and the life of the martyr, after death,
is very clear. The martyr’s life after death is not just life, but it is a full
life of enjoyment and activity and of attachment to those Muslims
whom he has left behind in their earthly existence.
Now, who are these martyrs that have been spoken of? They are
the spiritual children of the Messenger of God,—and, in that respect,
they are not in the highest category, but are next in rank to those
others who acquire the status of ØiddÊq. The status of the life-after-
death of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (Peace be on him!), who is not
only superior to his followers but, as the Leader of all the Messengers
of God (3:81), is supreme in entire Creation, should be in all justice
accepted as immeasurable,—not to speak of accepting him as the
Living Spiritual Medium for the Blessings of God that relate to the
transcendental dimension of human personality.
The fact is that the goal of Islamic life is the establishment of a

‘fellowship’ of unique type at the transcendental plane, right here on
earth, which is possible only if activity at the transcendental level of
460
existence is absolutely real and genuine. The Holy Qur’Én affirms the
acquisition of that fellowship thus :
“Those who submit to Allah and the Messenger (establishing

harmony with them), they are (blessed) with (the spiritual
fellowship of) the Prophets, the Intensely Truthful and Sincere
(Servants of Allah), the Martyrs (who are Witnesses to Allah),
and the Possessors of Sound Godliness in general. Ah! What a
beautiful Fellowship! Such is the Bounty of Allah, and Allah
suffices as Knower (and because He affirms it, the factual
character of that fellowship should not be questioned by
anyone).” (4:69).
That fellowship is spiritual fellowship—fellowship in the

transcendental dimension of existence. It is a living and consequential
fellowship, and not a mere idea. It is a dynamic fellowship, like that of
the sun, the moon and the earth, wherein the sun is the source of light
and life created by God for everything existing on the earth and
elsewhere, and the moon is the reflector of sun’s light and energy for
the earthly creatures and other things. Then, just as water always
flows through a channel from the higher to the lower level, spiritual
blessings also flow similarly on the invisible transcendental beam. To
receive them, however, it is necessary to rise to the spiritual level
where fellowship becomes possible with the spiritual luminaries,
among whom the greatest and the central luminary is Muhammad, the
Beloved of God par excellence in whom God’s Choicest Blessings
461
VOLUME ONE
abide in abounding measure.38 Indeed, just as iron is transformed into

a magnet in its fellowship with the magnet, and just as a perfumeless
thing becomes perfumed simply through fellowship with the perfume
embodied in a rose or a jasmine, so does the pursuer of tazkiyah
acquire holiness at higher and higher levels in the fellowship of those
on whom God has bestowed holiness.
One further important problem may also be examined here. The

question may be raised: If tazkiyah involves such a high-level and
rigorous discipline, together with an intellectual effort, how is it
possible for the common man and woman to acquire the purity of
motive demanded by the Qur’Én?
The answer is: The Islamic society has been conceived to be

composed of individuals who are dedicated to the ideal of being
spiritually progressive, morally integrated, the intellectually awakened
and economically and politically, emancipated. This ideal is to be
pursued by the Islamic community on a collective scale, with fanatical
enthusiasm and rigorous discipline. Such a process imparts the impact
of the virtues of better-talented individuals to those of lesser calibre
through contagion of personality. This is the law of social psychology
which has always governed all ideological societies, whether theistic
or atheistic, including the early Islamic society and the present-day
idealistic Communist society of China.
38
The Holy Quran, (108:1)
462
The fact is that there are natural gradations in respect of calibre

and achievement in every society. All human beings are not gifted
with every quality in equal measure. Hence what really counts is the
spritual, moral and intellectual achievements of those who can rise
above the common level in any measure. The ideal is basically
pursued in all its dimensions by them alone. And this brings us to the
problem of Islamic leadership.

Tazkiyah and Islamic Leadership:
The foundations of Islamic society are basically ethico-religious.

Hence, anyone who honestly comes forward to lead the Muslims to
the Goal prescribed for them in the Holy Qur’Én should possess a
personality refulgent in its spiritual, moral and intellectual
dimensions.39 This is the verdict of the Qur’Én, and this is the verdict
of Islamic history.
39
Let it he noted that these three dimensions are so essential for leadership
that they bear reference not only to God-affirming societies but also to
Godless societies, such as the Communist, where an effort is made to forge
an idealism—even though with materialistic bias. Under that idealism
emerges a ‘cult of the spirit’ and a moral discipline of a certain type suited to
the requirements of the ideology.
Again. rigorous discipline for Communist leadership, and even for the rank
and file, is a vital element in Communist idealism.
And it is all this, more than anything else, which has bestowed success on
Communist revolutions.
463
VOLUME ONE
But how can such a personality be built up? By mere

emotionalism? By mere mysticism? By mere intellectualism? By mere
ritualism? By mere formal puritanism? By mere externalism and
legalism? By mere ritualistic missionary-ism? By mere political
agitationism in the name of Islam? No. A thousand times, No!
The only alchemy which can transform the human personality

into ‘pure gold’ is the alchemy of the rigorous discipline of tazkiyah,
with its rigours enhanced in the measure of the height of achievement
desired. This is what has been taught and demonstrated by the Holy
Prophet (in whom abide God’s choicest Blessings!), and this is what
has been practised throughout Islamic history by those who had truly
grasped the dynamics of leadership in Islam and were consequently
able to achieve historic success. One such personality was Saiyyid
Abd al-Qadir al-Jilani of Baghdad, the Ghaus al-A‘zam (Grand
Master) of the Qadiriyyah Spiritual Discipline, who built up, with the
spiritual dynamism of his personality and without any political power,
the forces that crushed the menace of the Assassins for good, on the
one hand, and the might of the Crusaders’ barbaric hordes entrenched
in Palestine at that time, on the other.
The Holy Prophet was born as Messenger of God, having been

ordained by God as such at the dawn of Creation (3:81). Hence, he
needed no spiritual exercise for earning that office. But we find him
withdrawing from the life of the world to the Cave of Hira, in the stark
solitude of wilderness, for fifteen years before he proclaimed his
divine mission. Then, throughout his ministry, his exercise in the
transcendental dimension with its spending of nights in prayers and
464
the days in fasting and prayers both, in the midst of handling the
multifarious duties relating to the most glorious and comprehensive
revolution of human history; with its majestic austerity enshrining
extreme selflessness; with its flowering in the moral domain at the
highest level; and with the flood of multi-dimensional blessings for
humanity surging from his august personality—that exercise is the
most conspicuous trait of his character. In that he established the
Sunnah for every future Islamic leader.
There were in history many of his followers who realised the

obligatoriness of this Sunnah, in opposition to other leaders whose
personal limitations kept them away. One of the glorious products of
this Sunnah was the great Saiyyid Abd al-Qadir al-Jilani, to whom we
have referred. It is recorded in history that, in imitation of the Holy
Prophet’s exercise of retreat to Hira, he was accustomed to retreat to
the forest every evening during the course of his formal education, and
after the completion of that education be withdrew to the wilderness
and stayed there in solitude for many years in total devotion to God,
any finally acquiring through an extremely rigorous discipline that
high level of tazkiyah which not only elevated him to great eminence
in godliness but enabled him to change the course of history.
The history of Islam is studded with a host of other spiritual

luminaries, commonly called Sufis, on whom the rigorous discipline
of tazkiyah bestowed greatness in their achievements for the cause of
humanity. Among them was Khwaja Mu‘in al-Din of Sanjar (later of
Ajmer) who, alone with his spiritual dynamism and without any army
or political thrust, pitched the banner of Islam in the heart of an
465
VOLUME ONE
inimical and alien population, changing the course of history in the

South-Asian sub-continent permanently. Among them was Shaykh al-
Islam Abdullah al-Ansari of Herat who fought with his spiritual
armour alone against the corruptions of the tyrants and brought them
down to their knees with masculine grace. Among them were the Sufis
of the Naqshbandiyya Order who, under the most adverse
circumstances when the prestige of the Muslims was at its lowest ebb,
conquered, without any material means and purely through the power
of their spiritual personalities, the hearts of the haughty enemies of
Islam who had destroyed the political power of the Muslims under
Halaku Khan—defeating at the same time the Buddhist and the
Christian religious forces that were fully entrenched in the field. And,
among them were a host of others who, through their tazkiyah and in
contradistinction to those Muslim religious leaders who were devoid
of tazkiyah, acquired the glorious distinction of becoming the sole
pioneers in respect of the most difficult task of converting vast and
widespread human communities to Islam.
Alas, the Islamic leaders of today have turned their backs on

tazkiyah, with the result that they cannot benefit even the Muslims,
not to speak of humanity at large. And the world of Islam presents a
scene of unspeakable mass destruction of Islamic values, with the
forces of the newfangled secular ‘isms’ pouncing upon the Muslim
communities like vultures.
The world of Islam will have to revive the pursuit of

comprehensive tazkiyah in accordance with the norms and principles
laid down in the Qur’Én and the Sunnah, in order that genuine Islamic
466
leadership of the Muhammadan Pattern emerges on a high level and in

a large measure and acts fruitfully for the fulfilment of the mission of
Islam.
As matters stand in respect of the Muslim religious leadership of

the present bay, neither those who are popularly known as Sufis nor
those who have become anti-Tasawwuf, and neither the political
agitators among the ‘Ulama nor the professional preachers and writers
among them, seem to possess any chances of achieving success in
defeating the forces of evil that sway the world.

2. TECHNIQUE OF RESOLVING THE EXTERNAL

CONFLICT:40
The conflict between good and evil rages not only within the
inner world of the human personality but also in the external world of
social phenomena. That conflict also has to be resolved if the moral
development of the human beings in general has to be ensured. This is
so, because man is a social being, and he is born and grows in society,
whose good and evil influences have a potent influence on the
formation of his character in either direction, i.e., good and evil.The
social order has to be, therefore, of necessity transformed into, and
maintained as, a moral order, if the individual is to attain his true
moral stature. That is why the Holy Qur’Én has commissioned the
40
For a comprehensive understanding of this problem, readers are referred to
the author’s: “Dynamics of Moral Revolution.”
467
VOLUME ONE
Muslim Fraternity to strive for transforming the human society into a

moral order (3:110).
The transformation of the society into moral order, however,

presents a challenge to all morally-struggling individuals. Hence,
every Muslim has been commanded and commissioned to meet this
challenge with all his might and to wage a determined struggle
without respite all his life to defeat the forces of evil and to enthrone
the forces of good. The Holy Qur’Én calls it JihÉd 41 and says:
“O you who believe! Keep your duty to Allah, seek the Medium
of Approach (al-WasÊlah)42 unto Him, and strive with might
41
The word JihÉd means: the act of exerting one’s utmost for achieving an
end. As a Qur’Énic term it stands for waging relentless war against evil,
whether it exists in the personality of the moral agent—in his inner self—or
in his societal environment. Islam evaluates the former as ‘Greater JihÉd’ and
the latter as ‘Lesser JihÉd’, evidently because the former is the very basis for
the latter.
42
According to the Holy Qur’Én, God is All-Seeing, All-Knowing,
Everywhere-Present, and Above all need of the least dependence in anything
or anyone. But just as he has created the angels to act as the Medium for the
execution of His Will in the universe, He has created the Holy Prophet
Muhammad (Peace be on him!) to act as that Medium for the Muslims
through which they can acquire the spiritual capacity for meaningful and
consequential approach to Him—an approach which should, assume the level
of contact in the transcendental dimension, flowering finally into the
establishment of genuine and living intimacy, with God. In both cases, the
Medium is there, not because of any deficiency in God’s Power, but because
468
and main (jÉhidË) in His Way (which comprehends spiritual

and moral tazkiyah at individual and collective levels): that you
may succeed.” (5:35).
Again:
“And strive hard for Allah (which includes eradication of vice

and establishment of virtue on earth)—as is due unto Him hard
striving (jihÉd). He has chosen you (for this striving), and has
not placed upon you any narrowness in religion.” (22:78).
In human nature we find that there are only two incentives which
bring out the best in man and lift him up in the scale of personality,
namely, ambition and danger. JihÉd provides both. Now, the greater
and the more difficult of achievement the ambition,—and what social
ambition can be greater than the transformation of human society into
a moral order—, the greater the dangers that are involved. And the
greater the dangers involved, the greater the incentive for the
maintenance of disciplined struggle and integrity of character; and the
greater the said incentive, the greater the tazkiyah.

of the demands placed in the constitutions of the universe and Man by God
for the execution of His Plan.
469
APPENDIX 1
ART AND MORALITY
Vulgar aestheticism, with its base in erotic art, forms a very

serious obstacle in the way of moral progress. Coming into conflict
with the genuinely-moral yearnings, it exerts a profound immoral
influence if it is permitted to hold sway, even as it is exerting on a
progressively more and more damaging scale among the Westernised
human societies—especially in the countries of origin, where vulgar
pursuit of aestheticism is assuming alarming proportions day by day
leading the affected communities headlong to ultimate spiritual and
moral destruction.
Now, while the Holy Qur’Én itself affirms the aesthetical value
and prescribes aesthetical duties, as we have recorded elsewhere in
this book,43 it is with the same vehemence opposed to the
immoralisation of the aesthetical pursuit. Indeed, it lends the entire
weight of its philosophy of life firmly to the principle that the
aesthetical value cannot stay pure unless it is wedded to the highest
spiritual and moral considerations. It is convinced that aestheticism
based on sensuousness is the mother of all moral ills and spiritual
perversions.
Behind this attitude of the Qur’Én, which has withstood the test
of history, there is its scheme of values wherein the gradation is: (1)
43
Ref : Volume 2, pp. 49-59.
Religion; (2) Morality; (3) Knowledge; (4) Art.44
This gradation of values emerges when we consider, in the first

instance, the oft-repeated Qur’Énic expression:
“those who possess Faith and practise the Virtues.” (2:25;

etc.—mentioned 49 times).
Here ‘religion’ forms the highest value, and next to it stands

‘morality’.
Then, in the following verse, ‘religion’ stands first and

‘knowledge’ stands second:
“… Allah will exalt those of you who possess Faith and those
who are endowed with Knowledge …” (58:11).
However, because, according to the Qur’Énic philosophy of life,

Faith is meaningless without the possession of sound Morality, which
makes religion and morality twins, as in the previously-quoted verse,
the gradation finaly deducible from the above verses is: Religion,
Morality, Knowledge.
44
Only such cultures as are pessimistic in outlook and stand consequently in
need of dopes, can reasonably idolise Art and give it a status higher than that
of Morality or Religion or Knowledge in their gradation of values. Indeed,
they are in need of employing momentary ‘contemplation of the beautiful’ as
an escape from the sense the of misery and the consequent agony to which
the pessimistic outlook on life gives rise. This cannot be possible in the case
of the Qur’Énic philosophy of life which upholds vigorously an optimistic
outlook and regards pessimism as nothing less than Infidelity: Kufr (12:87).
471
VOLUME ONE
As for the pursuit of the Beautiful, the Qur’Énic standpoint is:
a. That pursuit can be undertaken both ways: good and evil; and
hence it should always be treated in terms of morality. Thus
we are told:
“Lo! We have made that which is on the earth an ornament

(i.e., source of beauty) thereof (i.e., with reference to the
life on it, which is related to sensuous pleasure—both
refined and vulgar) that We may try them (i.e.,the human
beings): which of them is best in conduct (with respect to
their aesthetical pursuit wherein the test is whether they
indulge in vulgarity and indecency or adopt in that respect
the highest moral standards).” (18:7).
b. All sensuous vulgar pursuit in the aesthetical domain is from

the Devil and should, therefore, be avoided:45
“Lo! he (i.e., the Devil) commands indecency and

abomination …” (24:21).
And the holy Book has reminded us that it is the mission of the
Devil to employ beauty for misleading mankind, inasmuch as he had
proclaimed at the dawn of Creation:
“… I verily shall employ Beauty for them (i.e., the human

beings) in the earth (i.e., based on the earthly environment,
45
For certain direct commands relating to this problem, refer to 24:31, 60;
etc.
472
inducing them to the love of sensuous pleasure and to the

adoption, for that purpose, of the materialistic and hedonistic
approach to Art), and shall mislead them all,—except such as
are your perfectly devoted servants.” (15:39-40).
Thus, the aesthetical pursuit has, in the very nature of the case, to
be subordinated always to the demands of morality, whereby alone the
moral tone and social health of the human beings can be ensured.

473
APPENDIX 2
THE PROBLEM OF DESPAIR AND THE GOSPEL OF

EMANCIPATION
In many human beings the consciousness of past sinfulness

creates a sense of despair—sometimes involving great severity—as to
the possibility of their moral emancipation; and it can actually damage
their prospects with respect to moral reformation, unless they are
offered some principle that may ensure to them that the evil spiritual
consequences of their past sins could be washed away, enabling them
to build up a healthy moral life with hope and confidence and serenity,
and without any lurking sense of past guilt that may disturb their
moral enthusiasm.
The Holy Qur’Én has supplied that principle in its teaching that
sincere repentance (taubah)46 brings immediate forgiveness from God
which washes away the spiritual stains of guilt. It says:
“O you who believe! Turn to Allah with sincere repentence:

Belike your Lord will expiate from you your misdeeds …” (66:8).
46
The act of taubah is actually three-dimensional, because it consists of: (1)
sincere acknowledgment in one’s heart of the wrong committed; (2) firm
establishment in one’s consciousness of a proper estimate of the evil nature
of that wrong and the consequent dissociation from it; (3) firm resolve in
respect of avoiding its commission in the future. As such, it might be termed
as a ‘contract with the future’.
The fact is that doubtlessly the commission of sins leads a person

farther and farther away from moral purity. But once a person
performs taubah, i.e., repents truly and with all the force of his
personality, his latent will for the good is revived and activised,
reinforcing his moral fibre. This is what we learn from the story of
Adam, the father of humanity. The Holy Qur’Én attributes his
entanglement in the Devil’s deception not to deficiency in knowledge
but to deficiency in will.
It says :
“And verily We made a covenant of old with Adam, but he

forgot: and We found in him no firm resolve 47 (in that affair).”
(20:115).
The wrong which Adam had committed was of an innocent type,

consisting, as it did, not in moral turpitude but only in error of
judgment. But even so, it did not repeat itself, because his repentance
brought about the tazkiyah, i.e., purified him of the deficiency in his
will, as we read in the Holy Qur’Én:
“Then Adam learnt from his Lord words (of penitence), and He
relented towards him; for He is Oft-Returning, Most Merciful.”
(2:37).
47
“wa lam najid lahË ‘azmÉ” in the Arabic text may also mean: “and We did
not find in him determination (to disobey) “—implying that Adam’s act of
eating from the forbidden tree was not voluntary, and, consequently, Adam’s
sinlessness was not impaired in spite of that act.
475
VOLUME ONE
The Attribute of God as ‘Oft-Returning’ (TawwÉb) in the above

verse is expressive of the Islamic teaching that God’s attitude towards
the sinners is one of continued mercy and compassion. Persons with
weak will but a good heart may relapse time and again from their
commitment in respect of taubah. But they should not lose heart.
Rather, they should re-affirm their taubah with greater determination,
each time they fail, and keep up the exercise for their firm
establishment on the path of virtue. For that they will have to return
again and again to the seeking of God’s mercy; and they will not fail
to get it, because God is Oft-returning, Most Merciful.
Besides inviting to Repentance, the Holy Qur’Én has also stated

the law:
“Lo! good deeds annul ill deeds: Be that the word of

remembrance to those who remember (their Lord).” (11:114).
However, the following proclamation forms the greatest Message

of Hope even for the worst sinners, provided they repent truly and
start their life in conformity with the Divine Law:
“Say: ‘O My Servants who have transgressed against their

souls! despair not of the Mercy of Allah: for Allah forgives all
sins: verily, He is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful. Turn you to
your Lord (in repentance) and bow to His (Will), before the
Penalty comes on you after that you shall not be helped.”
(39:53-54).
476
Indeed, evils already committed can be blotted out, with regard to

the spiritual effects on the human personality, if: (a) an evil-doer
repents truly, and (b) wages a determined struggle for pursuing Good
in Submission to God.

477
RELEVANT METAPHYSICAL PROBLEMS
Moral consciousness seeks not only the Moral Good but also the
realisation of the Moral Ideal, which consists in the triumph of moral
good and the defeat of moral evil.
Both of these problems are ethical in character. But their

solutions necessitate a metaphysics. Because they cannot be solved
without a proper solution of the relevant problems concerning the
nature, function and purpose of man and of the world, and the
existence and Attributes of God, and the bearing of those Attributes on
the working of the world and the life of man.
Now, in respect of the realisation of the moral ideal, the question

emerges: what are the conditions that make it possible?
The answer that presents itself to the human reason is: The
foremost condition is that man ought to be free to realise that ideal.
But even if he is free, he cannot realise such a grand ideal in his short
span of earthly life and with the obstacles that he has to face within
and around him. He must, therefore, be immortal. But even if he is
immortal, the realisation of the ideal remains inconceivable unless the
world is so constituted as to admit of success in his moral struggle.
But that it can be only if it has been created for that very purpose. The
duality in human nature, however, which forms the internal obstacle in
the realisation of the moral ideal, and the existence of insurmountablc
difficulties which seem to be embedded in the life of the world, both
give the impression of incompatibility with it. Hence the need from
the moral point of view for an all-Perfect Being, Who could, out of
sheer Grace, remove this disharmony and incompatibility. That is, the
realisation of the moral ideal would be possible only if God exists.
Thus: Freedom of the Will, Immortality of Man, Creation of the

World, its Harmony with the Moral Struggle, and the Existence of
God and His Gracious Interference to lead Man to success, are the
metaphysical implications of the realisation of the moral ideal, and
form, therefore, the Metaphysical Basis of the Moral Code,—or, in
other words, the Metaphysics of Morals.
In the discussion of these verities, we shall proceed, on the basis

of the Holy Qur’Én, under the basic classification of Man, World and
God.

479
PART 2
Chapter 1
THE MAN
1. BASIC PRINCIPLES
The following observations seem relevant in connection with our

present discussion concerning the origin, function, nature, purpose and
destiny of man:
1. Man should be a created being. Namely, he should possess

no aboriginal nature independent of the Creator’s design. In
other words, his nature should only be that which has been
conferred on him by his Creator in conformity with the
purpose of his creation—the realisation of the moral ideal
forming a vital part of that purpose.
2. Man should be a purposive being and an evolutionary being,

in order that struggle for some serious purpose and capability
to rise higher and higher may form the very essence of his
personality.
3. Man should be a moral being, in order to be capable of

leading moral life and pursuing moral struggle.
4. Man should be supreme in Creation, in order to be able to

mould the forces of the world around him for the realisation
of the moral ideal.
5. But even if man is supreme in Creation, he is a finite being—

an imperfect being—and his powers cannot be unlimited; and
as such he must suffer from definite shortcomings and
weaknesses. Moreover, he is a created being and, as such,
dependent on his Creator. He, therefore, needs help from the
Creator, Who, with all His Attributes of Perfection and
through His Grace, should be prepared to help him in the
realisation of the moral ideal. To obtain this Divine Help and
Grace and to save himself from pessimism, despair and
frustration, man should by nature be a worshipping being—
namely, faith in God and quest for God should be ingrained
in his nature.
6. Morality cannot be realised except in society. Man should,

therefore, be a social being.
7. Man’s nature should be essentially good in order that his

struggle for the realisation of virtue in his life and in the life
of mankind should form the natural demand of his nature and
be thereby rational (= reasonable) for him.
8. Man’s personality should contain within it the conflict

between Duty and Desire in order to provide the moral
situation.
9. Man should possess Freedom of Will, without which moral

struggle would be absolutely inconceivable.
481
VOLUME ONE
10. Imperfect as the world and the human personality are, Man
should survive his earthly existence with the selfsame
Identity and should be subject to Resurrection and Final
Accountability for his moral actions in this world—it being a
necessary condition for the realisation of the moral ideal
wherein virtue should be adequately rewarded and vice
adequately punished.
11. The consequences of the realisation of the moral ideal should

be such as to be capable of forming the highest aspiration of
Man in order to provide the highest incentive for moral
struggle in the face of hardships, sufferings and trials, which
must always form vital concomitants of that struggle and
which can sometimes assume the most poignant forms.

2. IN THE LIGHT OF THE QUR’ÓN
1. MAN—A CREATED BEING:
“But does not Man call to mind that We (God) created him
before, when he was naught.” (19:67).

2. MAN—A PURPOSIVE BEING AND AN EVOLUTIONARY BEING:
Purposiveness has been affirmed thus:
482
“Deem you that We have created you (O humankind!) in vain

(i.e., with no serious purpose) and that unto Us you are not to be
returned (for account). So exalted be Allah, the True King …”
(23:115-116).
As for the evolutionary character of the human personality, it has

been affirmed, among other verses, in the following:
“Man We did create (at the earthly stage) from a quintessence

of clay; then We placed him as (a drop of) sperm in a place of
rest, firmly fixed; then We made the sperm into a clot of
congealed blood; then of that clot We made a (foetus) lump;
then We made out of that lump bones and clothed the bones
with flesh; then We developed out of it another creature (—a
creature who is not a mere animal but a being endowed with
spiritual, moral, aesthetic and intellectual faculties and capable
of pursuing ideals). So blessed is Allah, the Best to create!
After that, at length you will die. Again, on the Day of
Judgment, will you be raised up.” (23:12-16).
“Verily, We created Man from a drop of mingled sperm, in

order to try him: So We gave him (the gifts of) Hearing and
Sight (i.e., endowed him with responsibility). We showed him
the Way (of Right and Wrong): whether he be grateful or
ungrateful (rests on his will).” (76:2-3).
“And surely He has created you by stages (i.e., by various steps

or changes from the original form till you acquired the full
stature of human personality).” (71:14).
483
VOLUME ONE

3. MAN—A MORAL BEING:
That Man has been created with the purpose of pursuing moral
struggle has been affirmed thus:48
“… (Allah) created Death and Life, that He may try you as to

who among you is best in conduct.” (67:2).
Elsewhere, the very purpose of creation of the world itself has

been stated to be the pursuit of moral struggle by Man:
“He it is Who created the heavens and the earth in six (Cosmic)
Days—and His Throne (of Authority) was on the Waters (from
where life evolved)—that He might try you (as to) which of you
is best in conduct,” (11:7).

4. MAN—SUPREME IN CREATION
a. Man is a creature honoured and honourable:
“And assuredly We have honoured the Children of Adam

(i.e., humankind).” (17:70).
48
Cf. also the verse 76:3, quoted above, where the existence of moral
Consciousness in Man has been clearly affirmed. That Man is a being created
for struggle has been directly emphasised in the following verse: “Verily We
have created Man into toil and struggle” (90:4).
484
b. Man has been made the vicegerent of God on earth and, as

such, supreme among all the creatures on the earth:
“Behold ! your Lord said to the angels: verily I am going

to place a vicegerent on the earth.” (2:30).
c. The angels made obeisance to Adam, thus acknowledging

Man’s superiority in Creation:
“And recall that time We said unto the angels: prostrate

yourselves before Adam, they prostrated themselves …”
(2:34).
d. Everything on the earth has been created for Man:
“He it is Who created for you (i.e., for your service, O

humankind!) all that is on the earth.” (2:29).
e. Everything in the heavens and on the earth has been made

subservient to Man:
“And He has subjected to you (O humankind!), as from

Him, all that is in the heavens and on the earth. Behold! in
that are Signs indeed for those who reflect.” (45:13).

5. MAN—A WORSHIPPING BEING:
Man’s need for God arises in his weaknesses and shortcomings,

which are found in him as definite facts of his life. The Holy Qur’Én
says:
a. Man is weak and susceptible to error:
485
VOLUME ONE
“Allah intends to lighten your (difficulties): For Man has

been created weak (i.e., weak in flesh, weak in judgment
and weak in respect of overpowering desire).” (4:28).
In this respect, Man needs Divine Grace.
As regards the initial weakness of the human will, the

reference to Adam’s lapse is significant (20:115). The Holy
Qur’Én mentions elsewhere that immediately after that lapse,
Adam acquired perfect firmness of resolve (20:122) through
repentance (6:23). There is guidance in this for all human
beings that they have to train their will by committing
themselves to higher ideals, by cultivating patience and
constancy in that respect, and through communion with God.
“Oh you who believe! seek help with patient Perseverance

and Prayer (Communion with Allah): verily Allah is with
those who patiently persevere.” (2:153).
b. Man is given to impatience, i.e., desires easy success
“Man is a creature of haste.”49 (21:37).50
c. Man suffers from sentimentalism:
49
The word ‘Ajal’, translated as ‘haste’, signifies “the seeking, and pursuing,
or endeavouring after, a thing before its proper time, or season.” (Lane’s
Lexicon).
50
Cf: also 17:11
486
“And if We let Man taste mercy from Us, and thereafter

withdraw it from him, verily he is despairing,
blaspheming.”
“And if We let him taste favour after harm has touched

him, he says: the ills have departed from me; verily he
becomes elated, boastful. Not so do those who practise
patience and constancy, and work righteousness; for them
is forgiveness (of sins) and a great reward.” (11:9-11).
In respect of (b) and (c) above, the human personality needs

tuning to submission to the Divine Will in order to avoid
failure, as expressed in verse 2 above.
d. Man is a contentious creature:
“… Man is in most things contentious.” (18:54).
In respect of this weakness, Man needs a Moral Code based on

universal laws and given by the Supreme Authority, i.e., God, in order
to provide true arbitration and the consequent harmony and peace in
human relations.
We have pointed out above that the situation arising out of

human weaknesses and shortcomings can be remedied through Divine
Guidance and Grace. The Holy Qur’Én has affirmed it repeatedly. In
fact, it forms the keynote of its teaching. We may quote here just one
verse:
“Oh you who believe! If you are careful of (your duty to) Allah,
He will grant you a Criterion (to judge between right and
487
VOLUME ONE
wrong), remove from you (all) evils (that may afflict) you
(including your weaknesses and shortcomings), and forgive
you: for Allah is the Lord of Grace Unbounded.” (8:29).
Now Divine Guidance and Grace cannot come to Man without

his belief in the existence of God. And this belief should not be a mere
logical necessity for him, as Kant would have it, but embedded in his
very nature—in what is called his Unconscious. The Holy Qur’Én
mentions this fact in terms of the ‘Covenant of Monotheism’ which all
human beings made in the world of spirits at the time of Creation. It
says:
“And when your Lord brought forth from the children of Adam
their posterity from their backs, and (after endowing them with
sufficient intelligence and understanding) made them to testify
as to themselves (saying): am I not your Lord? They said: Yes!
we do testify. (Thus was the belief in God inscribed upon the
soul of Man). (That was) lest you should say on the Day of
Resurrection (by way of excuse for atheism, polytheism or
idolatry): verily of this we have been unaware.” (7:172).
We are also told that seeking Divine Help in times of need is

ingrained in human nature:
“When harm touches human beings, they cry to their Lord,

turning to Him in repentance. (30:33).
“When a wave covers them (i.e., those who are unmindful of

Allah otherwise) like the canopy (of clouds) (i.e., a storm
488
overtakes them at sea), they call to Allah, offering Him sincere

devotion.” (31:32).
We are further told that the human beings with healthy minds
remember God at all times:
“… possessors of understanding, namely, those who remember

Allah standing, sitting and lying on their sides …” (3:190-191).
Then the Holy Qur’Én proceeds to emphasise that the human

heart finds its true peace only through confidence in Divine Help
which comes to him by establishing the relation of intimacy with God
through Remembrance (al-Zikr):
“Lo! in the remembrance of Allah hearts do find rest (i.e.,

serene tranquillity and steady peace of mind).” (13:28).
As for God Himself and his role for man, the holy Qur’Én
proclaims that He is Beneficent, Merciful, Forgiving, Loving and
Bestower of grace, and is always ready to help him. We shall deal
with this aspect of the problem in the discussion about God.
But, the facts of human nature and human life being what they
are, the Holy Qur’Én exhorts Man to cultivate the worshipping aspect
of his nature through communion with God and to maintain a constant
worshipful attitude towards Him, thereby ensuring optimism and hope
and success in his moral struggle. Some of the verses having a
bearing on this read:
489
VOLUME ONE
“And your lord has said: call unto Me, and I shall answer your
prayer. Verily those who are stiff-necked against My worship,
anon they will enter Hell abject.” (40:60).
“And when My devotees ask you regarding me, then verily I am

Nigh; I answer the call of the caller when he calls unto Me; so
let them answer me and believe in Me, haply they may be
rightly guided.” (2:186)
“And remember Allah much that you may prosper (in the health
of the mind and the spirit, and thus attain true success in life,
including moral life).” (62:10).
“ Verily I! I am Allah! No God there is but I; so worship Me,

and establish prayer for My rememberance.” (20:14)

6. MAN—A SOCIAL BEING :
It has been proclaimed:
“Your creation (in the past) and your resurrection (in the future)
are only as though of one soul.” (31:28).
This statement implies that all the individuals constituting

humanity in the past, the present and the future, possess among
themselves such an intimate bond of unity that the benefits and the
sufferings of one individual should be conceived morally to be the
benefits and sufferings of every other individual. In other words, Man
is a social creature in his origin, nature, purpose and destiny.
490
Of similar import is the following verse:
“Oh humankind! fear your Lord (in your dealings with one
another), Who created you from a single primeval Self, created,
of like nature, the spouse thereof, and from them twain
scattered (like seeds) countless men and women:—fear Allah,
through Whom you demand your mutual (rights), and be careful
of your duty to Allah and (in respect of) the wombs (i.e., the
ties of family relationship); verily Allah ever watches over
you.” (4:1).
We have also been told:
“And He it is Who has made you (His) agents, inheritors of the

earth, and has raised some of you over others in degrees, that
He may try you in the gifts you receive. Verily your lord is
swift in punishing : yet he is indeed oft-Forgiving, Most
Merciful.” (6:165).
This verse indicates that the very structure of human society,

built up as it is on human inequality in respect of talents and functions,
has been made by God, in its very nature, of such a type as to form the
ground for moral struggle by the individuals, in whatever degree they
may have received the different Divine gifts. Morality and social life
have been thus affirmed by the Holy Qur’Én to be interdependent. And
because Man is a moral being in his very creation, he has been made a
social being also by God.

491
VOLUME ONE
7. ESSENTIAL GOODNESS OF MAN’S NATURE:

51
“Assuredly We have created Man in the best make (having
the goodliest nature).” (95:4).
This verse establishes the essential goodness of human nature in

contradistinction to ideational culture where Man, has been conceived
to have been born either with the stigma of sin or fettered to the chains
of re-incarnation; and it proves human competence for pursuing good
successfully and fighting evil on individual and collective levels.
The story of Adam may also be mentioned in the present context.

That the angels, who are holy and pure, prostrated before him, while
IblÊs, the embodiment of evil, refused to do so, indicates that, in his
very creation, Man has affinity with the angels and thereby with
goodness, while evil is set in disharmony with him and, consequently,
with his nature.
In short, Man is the goodliest specimen of God’s handiwork,

born sinless and with essentially good nature.

8. CONFLICT IN HUMAN NATURE:
However, essentially good though human nature is, Man has been
created to pursue moral struggle and, therefore, while he is capable of
51
Note that taqwÊm means: make, mould, symmetry, form, nature,
constitution.
492
scaling the loftiest heights of perfection adequate to his nature, he can

also sink to the lowest of the low in Creation, as it has been said:
“Thereafter (i.e., in consequence of wrong use of his

opportunities and misuse of his free-will by Man) We (as the
Author of the Universal Scheme) abase him (to be) the lowest
of the low (—he himself having destroyed his original purity
and goodness),—save those who believe and practise
righteousness. Theirs shall be a reward unfailing.” (95:5-6).
This double capacity—for moral success and for moral failure—

is grounded in the conflict with which human nature has been
endowed, as the Holy Qur’Én says:
“By the Sun and his (glorious) splendour, by the Moon as she
follows him, by the Day as it shows up (the Sun’s) glory, by the
Night as it conceals it, by the Firmament and its (wonderful)
structure, by the Earth and its (wide) expanse, by the Soul and
Him Who gave it proportion and order, and inspired it with the
wickedness thereof (which comes through the devil and is
developed to a responsible human act by Man’s own free-will)
and the piety thereof (which comes through the angels and is
developed to a responsible human act by Man’s own free-will),
truly he succeeds that keeps it pure and he fails that corrupts it.”
(91:1-10).
The conflict between wickedness and piety in the human soul,

mentioned above, is there;—and it must have been so, because the
493
VOLUME ONE
moral situation can arise only in a situation of conflict. That conflict

develops in the following way:
On the one side, there is excessive love of instinctive desires in

human nature, the reality of which has been emphasised in these
words:
“Fair-seeming in the eyes of human beings is the love of things

they covet (under the impact of instinctive urges): women and
sons, heaped up hoards of gold and silver, horses branded (for
blood and excellence), and (wealth of) cattle and well-tilled
land. All that is the enjoyment of the life of the world: but in
nearness to God is the best of goals.” (3:14).
On the other side, there is ingrained in the human soul the pursuit
of ideals—the highest among them being the ideal of attaining
nearness to God, referred to at the end of the above verse. Leading
one’s life in the pursuit of noble ideals has been beautifully
emphasised in the verses which immediately follow. There, it has been
said:
“Say (O Muhammad!): shall I give you glad tidings of things

far better than those (i.e. objects of instinctive desires recounted
in 3:14)? For the righteous are Gardens in nearness to their
Lord with rivers flowing beneath; therein is their eternal home;
with companions pure (and holy); and the Good Pleasure of
Allah. For in Allah’s sight are all His servants,—(namely) those
who say: ‘Our Lord! we have indeed believed, wherefore
forgive us our sins and protect us from the agony of the Fire’:
494
those who practise Îabr (i.e., patience, perseverance and self-

control), who are truthful, who worship devoutly, who spend
(for their fellow-beings), and who pray for forgiveness in the
early hours of the morning.” (3:15-17).
It may be observed that, according to the Holy Qur’Én, the

attraction for the objects of instincts is neither condemnable in itself
nor irrelevant to the requirements of the “best make” in which Man
has been created. The Qur’Énic moral guidance aims at the balanced,
appropriate and just satisfaction of both the aspects of human nature—
the sentient and the rational 52—that have been bestowed upon it by its
Creator, to which the following verse bears reference through the
emphasis on ideal human nature :
“So set your purpose for religion as one by nature upright—the

nature (framed) of Allah, in which He has created Man. There
is no altering (the laws of) Allah’s creation. That is the right
religion (containing the philosophy of human conduct), but
most men know not.” (30:30).
It should be noted, however, that, according to the Holy Qur’Én,

the human self has, as already stated, three stages of, and states in,
development:
52
The conflict between these two aspects of human nature may present a
difficult situation only to those—like the Christians, the Buddhists and the
Hindus—according to whom not the wrong manner of fulfilling the
instinctive wants but the instinctive wants themselves are evil.
495
VOLUME ONE
1. the nafs-al-ammÉrah,
2. the nafs-al-lawwÉmah,
3. the nafs-al-muÏma’innah,
Now, what renders the pursuit of the instinctive demands

questionable is the nafs-al-ammÉrah,53 or the Impelling Self, which
impels the moral agent to satisfy these demands unchecked, and thus
to commit evil, as the Holy Qur’Én says:
“… Verily the Self impels to evil, unless my Lord do bestow

His Mercy, but surely my Lord is Oft-Forgiving, Most
Then there is the stage, and the state, of nafs-al-lawwÉmah or the

Reproaching Self, which reproaches when the instinctive demands are
fulfilled under the impact of nafs-al-ammÉrah. The Holy Qur’Én
refers to nafs-al-lawwÉmah in the following verse:
“And I do call to witness the Reproaching Self.” (75:2).
Therefore, the healthy development of the human self lies in

counteracting the evil force of the Impelling Self and conquering it.
Once it is conquered, the human self outgrows the torture of self-
reproach and becomes nafs-al-muÏma’innah or the Beatified Self.54
The Holy Qur’Én refers to the Beatified Self and its reward thus:
53
“AmmÉrah” signifies : prone, impelling, headstrong, passionate.
54
Lit, Self-at-Peace: the self in complete satisfaction and free from all pain
and sorrow.
496
“O you Beatified Soul! return unto your Lord well pleased

(yourself) and well pleasing (unto Him). Enter you among My
Devotees and enter you My Garden.” (89:27-30).
Reverting to the excessive attraction for the objects of instincts, it

may be said that the instinctive urges have their respective goals
which can be achieved through much less instinctive exertion than
what is required by the disproportionately-excessive demand that
afflicts an un-balanced personality. Thus, if personality is integrated
through tazkiyah, and the necessary minimum fulfilment of—instead
of excessive indulgence in—the instinctive urges becomes the guiding
light of human conduct, the surplus energy available thereby can be
utilised in the pursuit of higher values—that being necessary for all
cultural development and progress.

9. MAN POSSESSES FREE WILL:
Viewing the conflict and the urge for moral betterment in human
nature we are led to the conclusion that for realising morality and the
moral ideal it is essential that Man should be free.
For realising morality, he should be free to choose between the

two conflicting motives within his inner self, i.e., the motive of the
fulfilment of Desire (command of nafs-al-ammÉrah) and the motive
of the fulfilment of Duty (behest of nafs-al-lawwÉmah).
For realising the moral ideal, he should be free not only to

choose between the above-mentioned conflicting motives within his
497
VOLUME ONE
own self but also to struggle in the social situation for transforming
the world of human relations into a moral order in the face of the
conflict that rages there.
We are, therefore, confronted now with the questions:
1. what is Freedom of Will?
2. how is Freedom of Will conceivable?
3. does the Holy Qur’Én affirm Freedom of Will?
1. What is Freedom of Will?
Freedom of Will consists in the independence of the will of the

moral agent from all internal restraint and external constraint in the
choice of motive in the situation of moral conflict.
2. How is Freedom of Will conceivable?
The question ‘how is Freedom conceivable?’ can be answered in

this way. If, in the act of Creation, “being” (wajud) has been bestowed
as an act of Grace on the shai’, i.e. the aimed-at-Idea, and Personality
and Freedom of Will have been conferred upon Man as acts of Grace
by the fiat of the Divine Will, the concept of necessity is eliminated
with reference to human will and freedom becomes conceivable as a
final and ultimate fact.
However, as emphasised earlier, the proper attitude in response to

the question: how is human Freedom of Will possible?, is: somehow it
is a fact; we may or may not be able to explain ‘how’ in the manner of
498
exact sciences.55 Indeed, it is only the speculative consciousness that

stumbles; while moral consciousness affirms it as vehemently as the
speculative consciousness stumbles.
That Freedom of Will is a fact is known to us intuitively. Indeed,

it is deeply ingrained in our consciousness, on account of which we
insist on moral responsibility and believe in the validity of moral
approval and condemnation.
It may be emphasised that human freedom is restricted to the

choice of the motive and does not extend to the consequence, which
follows as necessity. It should, however never mean that the
consequence is necessarily against the yearning of the moral agent.
3. Does the Holy Qur’Én affirm Freedom of Will?
55
The observation of the famous English philosopher, Locke, in respect of
intuitive judgments is worthy of note. He says: “But God has not been so
sparing to men to make them barely two-legged creatures and left it to
Aristotle to make them rational … He has given them a mind that can reason
without being instructed in syllogizing.” (Concerning Human Understanding,
Book 4, Ch. 17).
Among the scholars of Moral Philosophy in the present time, Prof. William
Lillie judges the same problem thus: “… it is certainly the case that direct or
intuitive judgment plays a far larger part in normative sciences, and
especially in ethics, than it does in the physical descriptive sciences”, (An
Introduction to Ethics, p. 18).
499
VOLUME ONE
It may be observed at the very outset that the Holy Qur’Én

affirms the human Freedom of Will in clear terms. Its basic statement
in this connection is:
“We (God) did indeed offer the Trust to the heavens and the
earth and the mountains; but they refused to undertake it, being
afraid thereof: but Man undertook it,56—he 57
is indeed very
unjust (to himself in not fulfilling his responsibility in respect
thereof) and very ignorant (in respect of the evil consequences
of not fulfilling his responsibility),—(with the result) that Allah
has to punish the Hypocrites, men and women, and the
Unbelievers (lit., polytheists), men and women; and Allah turns
in Mercy to the Believers, men and women: For Allah is ever
Forgiving, Merciful.” (30:72-73).
According to the Commentators of the Holy Qur’Én, “Trust”

stands here for “moral responsibility, which is human sense of
56
Speaking of the acceptance of the Trust by Man, Sir Muhammad lqbal
observes: “In the case of man in whom individuality deepens into personality,
opening up possibilities of wrong-doing, the sense of the tragedy of life
becomes much more acute. But the acceptance of self-hood as a form of life
involves the acceptance of all the imperfections that flow from the finitude of
selfhood. The Qur’Én represents man as having accepted at his peril the trust
of personality which the heavens, the earth, and the mountains refused to
bear.” (Reconstruction of Religious Thought in Islam, London 1934, pp. 121,
122).
57
The word “he” actually stands here for those among humankind who are
unfaithful to the Trust.
500
answerableness for all acts of thought and conduct. Its first and
foremost pre-requisite is freedom of choice, which is the real function
of a human being as a moral agent. The ‘trust’ referred to is obviously
the trust of free choice or accountability.” (English Translation and
Commentary of the Holy Qur’Én by Maulana Abdul Majid Daryabadi,
p. 680, n. 136).
We may now quote other important verses which clearly and

directly affirm and proclaim the possession of freedom of will by
Man,—namely:
“Do what you will (i.e. act as you choose in accordance with
your free-will). Verily He (God) sees (clearly) all that you do.”
(41:40).
“We have shown him (i.e., Man) the Way (of Right and
Wrong); (now it rests on his will) whether to be grateful (by
using the gift of free-will in the service of Good) or ungrateful
(by serving Evil through his free-will).” (76:3).
“Say: The Truth is from your Lord; let him who will, believe,
and let him who will, reject it.”58 (18:29).
58
“Thus”, says Iqbal (op. cit., p. 151), “the element of guidance and directive
control in the ego’s activity clearly shows that the ego is a free, personal
causality. He shares in the life and freedom of the Ultimate Ego, who, by
permitting the emergence of a finite ego, capable of private initiative, has
limited this freedom of His own free-will.”
501
VOLUME ONE
“That is the Day of Certainty. Whosoever therefore wills, let

him betake unto his Lord a resort.” (78:39).
“… a warning to humankind,—to any of you that chooses

(through his will) to go forward (towards Good) or to lag
behind.” (74:36-37).
Man is, however, a created being. As such he cannot be

independent of his Creator in anything. Even free-will is not possessed
by him of his own right, unlike his Creator Who owns it in His own
right. Man’s freedom of will has been conferred on him by his Creator
as an element of Personality. Hence the human will functions as a
‘State within State’.
In other words, Man’s limited freedom functions within the

absolute Freedom of the Creator’s Will. We will see later in this
discussion that the Creator’s Will is not, and can never be, capricious,
irrational, arbitrary and unjust, and does never interfere in the freedom
of human will. How the human free-will functions as free-will while
remaining within the Will of God?—this question relates to an
ultimate fact which is beyond the powers of human reason to
comprehend fully.59 But logically it is valid, because, on the one hand,
human reason demands that Man must possess free-will in order to be
a moral all being, and moral consciousness affirms vehemently that he
59
What we can understand frorn the Holy Qur’Én is that the human will is
sustained by the Divine Will and the Divine Will assists the human beings in
the light of the motive chosen by the human will, whether the motive is for
good or for evil.
502
does possess free-will; and, on the other hand, if there is a Creator of

the cosmos—as He is there, His existence being affirmed by reason
and Revelation both—everything in the cosmos, including human will
60
and its freedom, must be encompassed by Him and cannot ever be
conceivable as independent of Him.
It is this fact, and not the negation of human freedom of will, that
has been emphasised in the following verses:
“Nay, verily this (Qur’Én) is an Admonition: so let him who

will (i.e., has the will to do so), heed it. But they shall not heed
except as Allah wills (in His infinite Wisdom and that in
accordance with His Universal Scheme): He is the Lord of
Righteousness and the Lord of Forgiveness.”61 (74:55-56).
“This is an Admonition: then whosoever (shall exert his) will,

may choose a way unto his Lord. But you will not except as
62
Allah wills (in His infinite Wisdom and in accordance with
60
Cf. the Holy Qur’Én: 4:126.
61
Commenting on this verse, A. Yusuf Ali says: “Righteousness as well as
Forgiveness have their source in God’s Will. Man’s righteousness has no
meaning except in relation to the Universal Will.” (The Holy Qur’Én: English
Translation and Commentary, p. 1647, n. 5808).
62
“Man in himself is weak; he must seek God’s Grace, without it he can do
nothing; with it he can do all. For God knows all things. and His Wisdom
comprehends the good of all.” (A. Yusuf Ali, op. cit., p. 1660, n. 5861).
503
VOLUME ONE
63
His Universal Scheme); for Allah is full of Knowledge and
64 65
Wisdom. He will admit to His Mercy whom He will (in
accordance with the requirements of His Gracious Nature and
of the demands of Absolute and Universal Divine Justice); but
the wrongdoers,—for them He has prepared a grievous Penalty
(in accordance with the misuse of their free-will).” (76:29-31).
“Verily this (i.e., the Qur’Én) is no less. than a Message to (all)

the Worlds (i.e., it is universal)—unto whomsoever among you
wills to go straight:66 but you shall not will except as Allah, the
Cherisher of the Worlds, wills67.” (81:27-29).
63
i.e., “His supreme knowledge comprehends all conditions and
circumstances”—a knowledge which He employs for the benefit of mankind.
64
i.e., “His Wisdom surpasses the insight of all finite beings”—a wisdom
used to rectify the evils of the deviations of human will.
65
A. Yusuf Ali says: “That is, according to His Just and Wise Plan. If the will
is of the right, it obtains God’s Grace and Mercy. If the will of man rejects
God, man suffer Penalty,” (op. cit., p. 1661, n. 5862).
66
“i.e., such alone can profit by it. This repudiates the doctrine of Karma and
determinism, in all its forms and varieties.” (Maulana Abdul Majid
Daryabadi, op. cit., p. 938, n. 167).
67
Commenting on this verse, A. Yusuf Ali says: “Cf. 74:55-56.God is the
Cherisher of the Worlds, Lord of Grace and Mercy, and His guidance is open
to all who have the will to profit by it. But that will must be exercised in
conformity with God’s Will (verse 29). Such conformity is Islam. Verse 28
points to human free-will and responsibility; verse 29 to its limitations. Both
504
extremes, viz: cast-iron Determinism and the idea of Chaotic Free-will are
condemned.” (op. cit., p. 1697, n. 5996).
An important point to be noted here is that the expression ‘but you shall not
will except as Allah wills’ is to be found in the Holy Qur’Én only in the three
verses quoted above. Another important point to be noted is that in all these
verses, there is reference only to the acceptance of Spiritual Truth—to Good
and not to Evil. This is so, because Good and Good alone has its source in
God; and hence the pursuit of Good is not possible except when there is
identity between the human will for Good and the Divine Will. Also, these
verses mean that the acceptance of the Divine Faith can be possible only for
those who possess, as moral beings, the good will. And because the will of
Man cannot bear fruit without the assistance of the Divine Will—its freedom
being limited to the choice of the motive alone,—no one as a spiritual being
will receive the strength from the Divine Will to accept the True Faith unless
he possesses good-will already as a moral being.
Here we may take notice of a verse wherein Divine Will has been mentioned
with reference to the existence of evil. The verse is: “If’ Allah had willed
(i.e., if it had been God’s Plan), they would not have taken false gods.”
(6:107). But this verse does not say that God assists evil. It only says that, on
the one hand, He has the power to eliminate evil, and that, on the other hand,
He does not interfere when the wrong-doers adopt evil through their free-
will. This point has been made clear emphatically in another verse which
reads: “And they say: if it had been the Will of (God) Most Gracious, we
would not have worshipped these (idols). They have no knowledge thereof;
they are only guessing.” (43:20).
As for the Divine Plan in permitting the existence of evil, it relates to the
provision of those conditions whereby alone can the moral and spiritual
struggle be pursued, which, in its turn, form’s the foundation on which alone
505
VOLUME ONE
We said in the foregoing that God’s Will is not, and can never be,
capricious, irrational, arbitrary and unjust. There are numerous verses
in the Holy Qur’Én which emphasise this fact vehemently. For
instance, the following:
“Verily Allah deals not unjustly with Man in anything. It is

(actually) Man that wrongs his own soul.” (10:44)68
This is a general statement which covers the human life. As for

the Day of Judgment specially—the Day of final reward and
punishment, the Holy Qur’Én proclaims in unambiguous terms thus:
“Then, on that Day, not a soul will be wronged in the least, and
you shall but be repaid the meeds of your past Deeds.”
(36:54).69
Having negated injustice on the part of God, we may now quote

the verse which affirms the law of Absolute Justice in God’s dealings
with man:
“Never will I (God) suffer to be lost the work of any of you,

whether male or female.” (3:195)
the evolution of human personality to greater and greater heights is possible.

More of it on some other occasion. (In this connection see the author’s book
on the Dynamics of Moral Revolution, to be published shortly).
68
Other (similar verses are: 2:57; 3:117; 7:160; 9:70; 9:80; 16:30; 16:118;
29:40; 30:9.)
69
Cf. 21:47.
506
The Holy Qur’Én affirms positively that no action of God can

ever be irrational and arbitrary. It says:
“Verily, my Lord (Allah) is on the Straight Path.”70 (11:56).
Further, the Holy Qur’Én negates capriciousness absolutely when

it speaks of the Perfect Knowledge and Wisdom of God on page after
page. It proclaims:
“Verily Allah is Perfect in Knowledge and Perfect in Wisdom.”

(76:30).
Then, besides perfection in knowledge and wisdom, God is

71
Rabb-ul-‘Ólameen (the Cherisher of everything in the cosmos), al-
72
RaÍmÉn (Most Gracious), al-RaÍeem 73 (Most Merciful), al-Ra’Ëf 74
75 76
(Full of Kindness), al-WadËd (Loving), al-GhaffÉr (Most
77
Forgiving), Al-×afeez (the Protector). And He is even more than all
70
According to A. Yusuf Ali, “the standard of virtue and righteousness is in
the Will of God, the Universal Will that controls all things in goodness and
justice.” (op. cit., p. 539, n. 1552).
71
1:2.
72
1:3.
73
1:3.
74
3:30.
75
11:90.
76
20:82.
77
11:57.
507
VOLUME ONE
78
that, because He is Zul-FaÌl-il-‘AÐeem (the Lord of Abounding
Grace) Who gives to man more than he deserves.
There are, however, certain verses in the Holy Qur’Én which, if

read unintelligently and without full reference to other connected
verses, might give the wrong impression to the superficial reader that
God guides and leads astray, and rewards and punishes, human beings
arbitrarily and that, therefore, the human will enjoys no freedom
whatsoever. But if we understand the meanings and implications of all
such verses properly, we find that they nowhere negate the freedom of
human will in the manner and in the measure that it has been
conferred on Man by God. We give herein below some such typical
verses, along with their proper connotation and explanation.
God says in the very early part of the Holy Qur’Én:
“As to those who reject Faith (deliberately), it is all the same to

them. Whether you warn them or do not warn them, they will not
79
believe (because they have no will to believe). Allah has set a seal
on their hearts (by their being inured to disobedience and disbelief).
and on their hearing and on their eyes is a veil ; and unto them shall be
78
57:29.
79
It may be noted that the Holy Qur’Én refers all actions to God, because,
according to it, nothing can occur outside His Knowledge and Power.
It is also important to note that the sealing of the hearts, by God is not the
cause of disbelief but follows the deliberate rejection of Faith.
508
a torment mighty (as a just retribution for the misuse of the free-will
conferred on them by God).”80 (2:6-7).
At another place, we have been told:
“If Allah so willed (i.e., if it had been the Divine Plan), He

could make you all one People.81 But He leaves straying 82
whom He pleases, and He guides whom He pleases: and you
80
Commenting on this Verse, Abdullah Yusuf Ali says: “Kafara, Kufr, Kafir
and other derivative forms of the word, imply a deliberate rejection of Faith
as opposed to a mistaken idea of God or faith, which is not inconsistent with
an earnest desire to see the truth. Where there is such desire, the grace and
mercy of God gives the guidance. But that guidance is not efficacious, when
it is deliberately rejected, and the possibility of rejection follows from the
grant of free-will. The consequence of rejection is that the spiritual faculties
become dead or impervious to better influences.” (op. cit., p. 18, n. 30).
81
For the Divine Wisdom in not willing it, refer to the author’s forthcoming
book on according the “Dynamics of Moral Revolution”.
82
Some translators have wrongly translated the word as “leads astray”.
Commenting on this verse, Abdullah Yusuf Ali says: “God’s Will and Plan,
in allowing limited free-will to man, is, not to force man’s will, but to give all
guidance, and leave alone those who reject the guidance, in case they should
repent and come back into Grace. But in all cases, in so far as we are given
the choice, we shall be called to account for all our actions. ‘Leaving to stray’
does not mean that we can do what we please. Our personal responsibility
remains.” (op. cit., p. 682, n. 2133).
509
VOLUME ONE
shall certainly be called to account for all your actions.”

(16:93).83
In understanding this verse, some people fall into the error of

believing that human beings adopt the right and wrong paths, not on
the basis of their free-will but because it is so willed for them by God.
This means pure Determinism. But when we read the above verse, or
any other verse of similar import, in conjunction with other relevant
verses, we find that to deduce determinism from such verses is
absolutely baseless.
The question is: Does God leave straying anyone for no fault of
his, and does He guide anyone for no merit on his part? The Qur’Énic
answer is: No. It says clearly:
“And Allah will leave to stray the wrong-doers (in consequence

of their misuse of free-will); and Allah does what He wills (i.e.,
His Will is not in subjection to the will of any body).” (14:27).84
It means that, inspite of being All-Powerful, God leaves straying

only those who earn it through their transgression, which is based on
their free-will.
Then we are told:
83
There are some other verses of similar import, e.g., 6:88; 14:4; 24:35;
74:31.
84
Cf. 42:13.
510
“And He (i.e., Allah) guides unto Himself (i.e., to the Right

Path) those who turn to Him in penitence.” (13:27).
Coming now to forgiveness and punishment by God, We are told

thus:
“And Allah’s is the dominion of the heavens and the earth. He

forgives whomsoever He will and torments whom He will; and
Allah is ever Forgiving, Merciful.” (48:14).85
Now God’s will to forgive is for the righteous: the Believers:86
“Allah has promised those who believe and practice

righteousness that for them shall be forgiveness and a mighty
reward.” (5:9).
“Oh you who believe! if you are careful of your duty to Allah
(of which righteousness is an integral part), He will bless you
with a Criterion (to judge between right and wrong), and will
rid you of your evil thoughts and deeds, and will forgive you.
For Allah is the Lord of Abounding Grace.” (8:29).
And God’s will to punish is for the wrong-doers: i.e., those who
commit Úulm, whether spiritually or morally:
“Verily the wrong-doers! for them is grieveous Penalty.”

(14:22).87
85
There are several other verses also of the same import.
86
There are numerous verses in the Holy Qur’Én which bear out this fact. We
have quoted here only two.
511
VOLUME ONE
“… and unto the Rejectors of Truth shall be grievous Penalty.”

(2:104).
It means that reward and punishment come to human beings on

the basis of their own free-will and not because of any arbitrary
attitude on the part of God.
It is Man’s nature, however, that he would like to avoid the

responsibility for evil, unless his will has been purified. That is why
the idol-worshippers of Arabia said:
“… If it had been the Will of (God) Most Gracious, we would

not have worshipped these (idols).” (42:20).
But God refused to accept this plea, because inspite the of the
supremacy of Divine Will, He does not force the will of anyone into
any channel—i.e., He does not interfere with anyone’s free-will.
Hence, in the next part of the above-quoted verse, it has been said:
“They have no knowledge thereof (i.e., of the working of the

Divine Will in the universe); they are only guessing. Have We
88
vouchsafed to them any Book before this, so that they are
holding fast thereto?” (43:21).
87
Ref: several other verses of similar import.
Consider also the verse: “… nor is Allah going to punish them while they ask
forgiveness,” (8:33).
88
Here the emphasis is on the truth that the knowledge of the ultimate facts,
of which the relation between God’s Will and the human will is one, belongs
only to God, Who alone can enlighten human beings about them; and as for
512
In other words, they have neither rational nor scriptural basis for
the denial of their free-will and responsibility.
The upshot of the entire foregoing discussion is that the Holy

Qur’Én affirms freedom of will for Man in the moral domain. It is
limited freedom, of course,—namely, it is limited to the choice of the
motive and does not extend to the consequences of an action; but it is
freedom all the same. And the Divine Will, which is supreme in the
universe, sustains the human will but does not interfere in its working.
The Divine Knowledge and Power arranges the consequences in the
earthly life of Man in accordance with the Divine Plan, wherein the
world is a Moral Order. Man shall, however, be rewarded and
punished on the Day of Judgment (or, Final Accountability) in the
measure and on the basis of his freedom of will. Says the Holy
Qur’Én:
“On no soul does Allah place a burden except according to its

capacity. For it shall be the Good it earns (through the exercise
of free-will) and against it the evil it earns (—again through
free-will) (—all non-voluntary states of mind and actions being
excluded from accountability).”89 (2:286).
the human efforts, even of philosophers, to unveil them through speculative

endeavour, their resultant opinions can never consistently claim the status of
knowledge, and should, therefore, be rightfully termed as conjectures.
89
Mark that this verse repudiates ‘original sin’, ‘universal redemption’ and
determinism and it proclaims that every individual must, through the exercise
513
VOLUME ONE

10. LIFE AFTFR DEATH :
We have seen that Freedom of Will is a necessary condition for

the realisation of morality and the moral ideal. We have also seen that
the Holy Qur’Én affirms Freedom of Will.
But, although affirmation of the Freedom of Will, taken by itself,

may render morality possible, the realisation of the moral ideal
remains inconceivable without, among other verities,90 belief in Life-
after-Death, or Life-Hereafter.
This is so, because it is common experience that virtue is not

adequately rewarded during the short period of human life on earth.
Nay, quite often the virtuous actually suffer. And in many cases it is
observed that the evil minded persons do not suffer the consequences
of their evil acts.
Now, the appearance of incompatibility with the moral ideal

which the world thus gives, especially in those instances where even
the most disinterested moral efforts are frustrated by persons who
possess violently devilish motives, is likely to unhinge the moral faith.
But moral consciousness revolts against the very idea of virtue
of freedom of will conferred on him by God, work out himself the

possibilities of his spiritual success.
90
The other verities are: belief in the creation of the world essentially as
moral order, and belief in the existence of God.
514
remaining frustrated or inadequately rewarded and evil and crime

escaping their nemesis wholly or partly.
Therefore, to meet the consummation of the moral struggle and to

realise the reciprocity of virtue and success, and of vice and
punishment, the moral consciousness demands that man must survive
after his death.91
Moreover, utmost effort for the realisation of the moral ideal

cannot be invited from the human beings without faith in life-after-
death. If survival after death is believed in, it will be easier not only to
preserve the morals but also to lay down one’s life for the sake of the
ideal.
Life-after-death is also the requirement of human nature from

four other angles:
91
It may be observed here that life-after-death, or immortality, is not the
condition of the realisation of the moral ideal alone but of all spiritual ideals,
as affirmed by the Holy Qur’Én. For instance, the ideal of art consists in the
beautification of the self and the surroundings. According to the Holy
Qur’Én, this ideal will be realised in the form of Heavenly Bliss in the next
world, as a reward of righteous life in this world. Again, the actual fact of
religion consists in faith in a metaphysical outlook on the testimony of
Prophetic Revelation. But there is also involved the ideal of intimate
experience of religious verities, including the direct Vision of God. This ideal
is to be realised, according to the Holy Qur’Én, as a reward in the Life-
Hereafter. (see: forthcoming discussion on “Heaven”).
515
VOLUME ONE
Firstly, the love of life 92 and the yearning for self-preservation,

which are ingrained in human nature, refuse to admit the cessation of
life in death.
Secondly, denial of life after death engenders nihilistic attitude,

and nihilism is wedded to despair.
Thirdly, confining the reward or punishment of actions to

immediate execution in this life amounts to a negation of the world
being a moral order, because the individual is deprived of the chance
of exhausting the possibilities of improving himself. And if the world
is not accepted as a perfect moral order, moral struggle becomes a
meaningless idea.
Fourthly, no human action—good or evil—can mature as regards

its consequences until the present human world endures, because
every action gives rise to an endless chain reaction. This renders the
fulfilment of the principle of just and adequate reward and punishment
in the present life impossible.
Hence final and full reward and punishment should be conceived

to be deferred to the Life-Hereafter, where, according to the Holy
Qur’Én, Heaven and Hell exist for this purpose;93 though, in this life
92
This love may have roots in what is called the Unconscious and may be
representative of the urge of human ego to survive to witness the
transformation of the world as moral order.
93
Here we should keep in mind the distinction in the belief of life-after-death
imparted by the Holy Qur’Én and the notion of Immortality presented by
Kant. Kant’s notion originates in despair, which seems to be based on the
516
also, virtue does bear fruit, even if not adequately and in all cases,
and, as regards evil, the individuals cannot escape in acute cases the
nemesis of their evil actions.
It may be observed here in passing that it is only in the nihilistic

attitude, which emerges in the present-day conjectures of materialistic
approach to human life, that we come across a denial of life-after-
death. Modern Materialism objects, without any conclusive proof, to
the concept of Personality, and teaches, again, without any conclusive
proof, that the human being is only an embodiment of the interplay of
mechanical forces—emerging as an accident and dissolving finally
into oblivion. This is a subjective and fallacious judgment born of
temperamental despair, and it is a challenge to human nature as well
as to human history, wherein belief in survival after death has been
held by almost all the human communities in one form or the other.
One of the most brilliant exponents of the philosophy of Nihilism

is Bertrand Russell, who, with all his academic genius, has spoken
more as a poet than as a scientific thinker. In his Essay on “Free
Man’s Worship”, he projects his belief about Man thus:
Christian dogma of sinful beginning of human life and the evil character of
the earthly environment. This despair leads to the view, that the present life is
basically unamenable to success in the realisation of the moral ideal, and that
there ought to be a Life-Hereafter in order that the said ideal may be realised.
The Qur’Énic point of view is based on the other hand, on hope which is
enshrined in the Qur’Énic concept of Evolution.
517
VOLUME ONE
“… Man is the product of the causes which had no pre-

vision of the end they were achieving, that his origin, his
growth, his hopes and his fears, his loves and his beliefs are
but the outcome of accidental collection of atoms; that no
fire, no heroism, no intensity of thought and feeling can
preserve an individual life beyond the grave, that all the
labours of ages, all the devotion, all the inspiration, all the
noonday brightness of human genius are destined to
extinction in the vast death of solar system, and that the
whole temple of Man’s achievement must inevitably be
buried under a debris of ruins …”94
Then, side by side with that arbitrary verdict, he lands himself in

contradiction when he proceeds to project, with all his poetic fancy
and with passionate idealistic fervour, all the grace and beauty of
freedom for the ‘slave of blind forces’ that Man is in his estimation!
He says:
“The life of Man, viewed outwardly, is but a small thing

compared with the forces of Nature. The slave is doomed to
worship Time and Fate and Death, because they are greater
than anything he finds himself, and because all his thoughts
are of things which they devour. But, great as they are, to
think of them greatly, to feel their passionless splendour, is
greater still. And such thought makes us free men; we no
longer bow before the inevitable in Oriental subjection but
94
Bertrand Russell : Mysticism and Logic (London 1969), p. 4 1.
518
we absorb it, and make it a part of ourselves. To abandon the

struggle of private happiness, to expel all eagerness of
temporary desire, to burn with passion for eternal things—
this is emancipation, and this is free man’s worship. And
this liberation is effected by a contemplation of Fate; for
Fate itself is subdued by the mind which leaves nothing to
be purged by the purifying fire of Time.
“United with his fellow-men by the strongest of all ties, the

tie of a common doom, the free man finds that a new vision
is with him always, shedding over every daily task the light
of love. The life of Man is a long march through the night,
surrounded by invisible foes, tortured by weariness and pain,
towards a goal that few can hope to reach, and where none
may tarry long. One by one, as they march, our comrades
vanish from our sight, seized by the silent orders of
omnipotent Death. Very brief is the time in which we can
help them, in which their happiness or misery is decided …
“Brief and powerless is Man’s life; on him and on all his

race the slow, sure doom falls pitiless and dark. Blind to
good and evil, reckless of destruction, omnipotent matter
rolls on its relentless way; for Man, condemned today to lose
his dearest, tomorrow himself to pass through the gates of
darkness, it remains only to cherish, ere yet the blow falls,
the lofty thoughts that ennoble his little day; disdaining the
coward terrors of the slave of Fate, to worship at the shrine
that his own hands have built; undismayed by the empire of
519
VOLUME ONE
chance, to preserve a mind free from the wanton tyranny that

rules his outward life; proudly defiant of the irresistible
forces that tolerate, for a moment, his knowledge and his
condemnation, to sustain alone, a weary but unyielding
Atlas, the world that his own ideals have fashioned despite
the trampling march of unconscious power.”95
With the above preliminary discussion, we may turn to the

guidance of the Holy Qur’Én.
Belief in Life-Hereafter—an Article of Islamic Creed:
We may start by noting that belief in the Life-Hereafter forms an

article of Islamic Creed in the Holy Qur’Én. Namely, it is a basic truth
without active belief in which it is impossible for anyone to be a
Muslim. Indeed, the Qur’Énic Guidance can benefit only him who,
among other religious verities, believes in the Life-Hereafter, as, for
instance, the following verse, which is to be found in the very early
part of the holy book, clearly proclaims:
“This Book, whereof there is no doubt, is a guidance unto the

god-fearing (or, Pursuers of Righteousness with Faith in
God)—(namely, those) who believe in the Unseen (Reality),
and establish prayer, and out of what We have provided for
them spend (for the well-being of others); and who believe in
the Revelation sent to you (O Muhammad!), and (sent) before
95
op. cit., pp. 46-47.
520
your time, and of the (life-) Hereafter they have firm conviction.
These are on the right path guided by their Lord, and these are
the successful (in this life as well as in the next).” (2:2-5).
Indeed, belief in the Life-Hereafter is so important in the

estimation of the Holy Qur’Én that it has been mentioned therein at
many places conjoined with belief in God96, which indicates that,
according to the Qur’Énic evaluation, it stands immediately next to
belief in God in importance for human success, which depends, in its
turn, on proper approach to life.
For those who do not believe in the Life-Hereafter, the Holy

Qur’Én has emphasised the wrongfulness of their attitude and its
consequences thus:
“Verily you call them unto a Straight Way (—the Way of

Balanced Life). And verily those who believe not in the
Hereafter are deviators from that Way (and cannot, therefore,
enjoy balanced life and, as a result, cannot attain genuine
success). And though We have mercy on them and We may
remove the distress which is on them, they would obstinately
persist in their transgression, wandering perplexed. We inflicted
torment on them, but they humbled not themselves to their
Lord, nor do they submissively entreat (Him)!—until We open
96
E.g.: in the following verses: 2:228, 2:264, 3:114, 4:59, 9:29, 9:44, 9:45,
9:99. 65:2.
521
VOLUME ONE
on them a gate leading to a severe torment: then lo! they will be

plunged in despair 97 therein.”98 (33:73-77).
The following verses are also of similar import:
“Nay, it is those who believe not in the Hereafter, they are in a

torment and error far-reaching.
“Behold they not 99 that which is before them and that which is
behind them of the heaven and the earth.” (34:8-9).
Qur’Énic Arguments in favour of Life-Hereafter:
The error (referred to in verse 8 above), whose evil consequences

are far-reaching in so far as it deprives human beings of genuine
success in this life and brings them grievous failure in the Hereafter, is
rooted in a wrong philosophy which has been referred to in the Holy
Qur’Én thus:
“And they (i.e., the deniers of Life-Hereafter) say: there is

nothing (i.e., no other life) but our life of the world, we die and
97
Cf. our remark earlier: “… denial of life-after-death engenders nihilistic
attitude, and nihilism is wedded to despair.”
98
The verses portray the psychology of the person who disbelieves in the
Life-Hereafter and the evil consequences of such disbelief.
99
Commencing on it, A. Yusuf Ali says: “The men who walk in spiritual
darkness and laugh at a Hereafter, have but to observe the power of God in
the nature around them. He who created the heavens and the earth and
sustains them can surely make a new Creation (op. cit., p. 1135, n. 3796).
522
we live (of ourselves, with no reference to the Creator);100 and

nothing destroys us save Time.101 And they have no knowledge
thereof: they do but guess (i.e., their denial is not based on any
sound logical argument or any rational facts, but on mere
superstition). And when Our Clear Signs (which affirm Life
Hereafter) are rehearsed to them, their argument is nothing but
this: they say: ‘Bring (back) our forefathers, if what you say is
true’.” (45:24-25).102
100
As to the pagan Arabs’ materialistic outlook and indifference to spiritual
values Hitti observes: “The hedonistic Arabian character was too much
absorbed in the immediate issues of life to devote much thought to the
Hereafter. In the words of an old bard:
‘We spin about, whirl our own way through life, then, rich and poor
alike, at last seek rest below the ground in hollow pits slate-covered, and
there do we abide’. (History of the Arabs, p. 102).
101
We may quote here the Encyclopaedia of Religion and Ethics: “Time in
the abstract was popularly imagined to be the cause of all earthly happiness,
and especially of all earthly misery … The poets are continually alluding to
Time (dahr, ZamÉn), for which they often substitute ‘the days’, or ‘the
nights’. Time is represented as bringing misfortune, causing perpetual
change, as biting, weaning down, shooting arrows that never miss the mark,
blowing stones and so forth. In such cases we are often obliged to render
‘time’ by ‘fate’ which is not quite correct, since time is here conceived as the
determining factor, not as being itself determined by some other power, least
of all by a conscious agent.” (vol. 1; pp. 661, 662).
102
Cf. 23:37.
523
VOLUME ONE
Verse 9 of chapter 34, quoted prior to the above verses, gives an

argument against disbelief in the Life-Hereafter which is sound; but it
may not be properly graspable by the common folk. On other
occasions, however, the argument has been stated in simpler terms.
For instance, in reply to the argument of the disbelievers in the
Hereafter, in 45:24-25, the holy book proceeds to state the counter-
argument thus:
“Say! ‘It is Allah Who gives you life, then gives you death;
then He will gather you for the Day of Judgment about which
there is no doubt’: but most of humankind know not.”
(45:26).103
At another place, the argument has been stated in terms of

Evolution. Thus we read:
“Does man think that he will be left uncontrolled (without

purpose and without moral responsibility)? Was he not a drop
of sperm emitted (in lowly from)? Then did he become a leech-
like clot; then did (Allah) make and fashion (him) in due
proportion. And of him He made two sexes, male and female. Is
not That One then able to quicken the dead?” (75:36-40).104
103
Other verses with similar wordings and the same import are: 2:28; 22:66;
30:40.
104
Cf. 23:12-16, and other similar verses.
524
Another form of the Qur’Énic argument in support of the

Hereafter is in terms of the revival of the dead earth. For instance, we
read:
“Know that Allah quickens the earth after its death. We have
made clear Our Signs to you, that haply you may be able to
understand rationally (the phenomenon of future
Resurrection).” (57:17).
“And We send down from the sky rain charged with blessings,
and We produce therewith gardens and grain for harvest; and
tall (and stately) palm-trees, with shoots of fruit-stalks, piled
one over another;—as sustenance for (Our) servants;—and We
give new life therewith to a land that is dead: thus will be the
Resurrection. Before them (i.e., pagan Arabs) was denied (the
Hereafter) by the people of Noah, the Companions of the Russ,
the Thamud, the ‘Ód, Pharoah, the Brethren of Lot, the
Companions of the Wood, and the People of Tubba‘; each one
of them rejected the Messengers, and My warning was duly
fulfilled (in them). Are We then weary with the first Creation,
that they should be in confusion about a new Creation (in the
Hereafter)?” (50: 9-15).105
The Qur’Énic conception of Life Hereafter related in all its steps to

the concept of the World being a Moral Order:
105
Cf. 30:50.
525
VOLUME ONE
Having seen that the Qur’Én affirms the Life-Hereafter, we may

now proceed to note that, in the Qur’Énic system of meaning, Life-
Hereafter is grounded in the Qur’Énic teaching that the world is a
Moral Order, wherein every action of man, however insignificant, is
accountable and must meet its reward or punishment.
The first point that has been emphasised in this connection is that
all our actions, including our most hidden thoughts and motives, are
known to God at all times, and that instead of becoming relegated to
oblivion—as might be thought by the ignorant, every human action,
whether virtuous or vicious, is recorded and preserved by Divine
Arrangement. We are told:
“He (i.e., Allah) knows the unseen and that which is open: He is
the Great, the Most High. It is the same (to Him) whether any
of you conceal his speech or declare it openly; whether he lie
hid by night or walk forth freely by day. For each (one) there
are angels in succession, before and behind them: they guard
him with Allah’s command.” (13:9-11).
“And assuredly We have created Man and We know

whatsoever his soul whispers unto him, and We are nearer to
him than his jugular vein.” (50:16).
“Verily We shall give life to the dead (on the Day of

Resurrection), and We record that which they send before (i.e.,
their own deeds, good or bad), and of all things have We taken
account in a clear Book (of evidence).” (36:12).
526
The recording and preservation of human words and deeds is

106
done by the angels appointed by God for this purpose. Thus says
the Qur’Én:
“By no means! But, you belie the Requital. But verily over you
are appointed (angels) to protect you,—kind and honourable—
writing down (your deeds). They know whatsoever you do.”
(82:9-12).
“Behold, two (guardian angels) appointed to learn (human

doings) (and note them), one sitting on the right and one on the
107
left. Not a word does he utter but there is a sentinel by him
ready (to note it).” (50:17-18).
Man’s deeds, good or evil, are not only recorded by the angels,
but they also hang round his neck. Thus “are his actions inseparable
from him; and it is they that make or mar a man’s fortune.”108 The
Holy Qur’Én says:
“Every man’s deeds We have fastened on his own neck: and on

the Day of Judgment We shall bring out for him a scroll
(containing the record of all his thoughts and actions), which he
will see spread open. And it will be said (to him) ‘Read your
106
The personality of an angel should not be understood in the
anthropomorphic sense.
107
The three together seem to constitute the honourable Recorders, KirÉman
KÉtibÊn (plural, not dual number), mentioned in 82:11.
108
Abdul Majid Daryabadi (op. cit., p, 460, n. 46.),
527
VOLUME ONE
(own) record. Sufficient is your soul this day to make out an

account against you’.” (17:13-14).
Verse 14 points out that the recording of actions is done in order

to produce evidence before every human being on the Day of Final
Accountability on which Day God will pronounce the Judgment in
order that every human action, having matured, reaches its full reward
or punishment:
“Verily the Hour (of Final Accountability) is coming—My

design is to keep it hidden—in order that everyone may be
requitted according to that which he has endeavoured.”109
(20:15).
That every action must reach its reward or punishment is the

immutable Law of God, ingrained, so to say, in the very constitution
of the universe and in the very destiny of Man:
“Yes, to Allah belongs all that is in the heavens and on the

earth: so that He may recompense those who do evil according
to their deeds, and He may reward those who do good with
‘what is best’.” (53:31).110
The good and evil fruits of human deeds become manifest, in

accordance with the limitations of man’s earthly life, even in this
world. The Holy Qur’Én affirms this fact when it says:
109
Mark the word ‘endeavoured’.
110
There are numerous other verses also of the same import, e.g.: 10:4;
14:48-50; 30:45; etc.
528
“Verily, your endeavour is (directed to) diverse (ends) (which

may be broadly classified as good and evil). Then as for him
who gives (in charity) and keeps his duty to God, and (in all
sincerity) testifies to the Good,—We will indeed make for him
smooth the path to ease (by way of reward).
“And as for him who is a greedy miser and thinks himself self-
sufficient (not believing in accountability in the Hereafter), and
belies the Good,—We will indeed make smooth for him the
path to hardship (by way of punishment).” (92:4-10).
On the Day of Judgment in the Life-Hereafter, however, every

human action, however insignificant it might appear to us in this life,
shall meet its full and complete recompense:
“When the earth is shaken to her (utmost) convulsion, and she

throws up her burdens (from within), and Man cries
(distressed): ‘What is the matter with her’,—on that Day will
she declare her tidings (i.e., will declare all the events that ever
took place on her): for that your Lord will have given her
inspiration. On that Day will humankind proceed in companies
sorted out, that they may be shown their Deeds. Then
whosoever has worked good of an atom’s weight shall behold
it; and whosoever has worked evil of an atom’s weight shall
behold it (—i.e., the subtlest form of good and evil will then be
brought to account).” (94:1-8).111
111
Cf. 39:67.
529
VOLUME ONE
Virtue might give the appearance of being frustrated in this life,

and vice might appear in certain circumstances to gain the upper hand,
and this may cause suffering to the virtuous; but on the Day of Final
Accountability in the Life-Hereafter, the virtuous shall be more than
fully rewarded for their righteous life, and they shall have the upper
hand. So says the Holy Qur’Én:
“Those who are god-fearing (i.e., cultivate and practise

righteousness out of respect for Divine Pleasure) shall be
(triumphant) above them (i.e., the Unbelievers in Submission to
God, or the unrighteous) on the Day of Resurrection.” (2:212).
As we remarked before, the moral ideal consists in adequate, nay,

full reward of virtue and vice. We have now seen that the Holy Qur’Én
ensures it through the affirmation of the Life Hereafter and Final
Accountability, and for that purpose it affirms the existence of Heaven
for the former and of Hell for the latter:
“Then, when there comes the great, overwhelming Event,—the

Day when Man shall remember (all) that he strove for, and
Hell-Fire shall be placed in view for (all) to see,—then, for such
as had transgressed all bounds (in rebellion against Truth and
Goodness) and had preferred the life of this world (in respect of
indulgence in the satisfaction of their lower Desires), his abode
shall be Hell-Fire. And for such as had entertained the fear of
standing before their Lord’s (tribunal) and had restrained (their)
soul from (the sway of) lower Desires, their abode will be the
Garden.” (79:34-41).
530
[Note : Basic Principle no: 11, mentioned in the beginning of this

chapter, shall be taken up in chapter 2 under ‘Heaven and Hell’.]

531
Page ? – Blank
Chapter 2
THE WORLD
COMPATIBILITY OF THE WORLD WITH SUCCESS IN THE

REALISATION OF THE MORAL IDEAL
We have seen that the Holy Qur’Én affirms Freedom of Will and
Life-after-Death. But, along with the affirmation of these two verities,
it is also necessary, for the realisation of the moral ideal, to affirm that
the world is compatible in its origin, constitution and destiny with
success in the moral struggle.

1. BASIC QUESTIONS:
Now, the questions that emerge in that respect, and their

implications, are:
A. With regard to Origin:
a. Did the world have an origin? Namely, is the existence of the

world based on creation?
b. If the world had an origin, did it originate essentially as a

moral order?
VOLUME ONE
It is a necessary requirement of the realisation of the moral ideal

that the answers to both the above questions should be in the
affirmative.
a. Affirmation of creation is necessary, because:
1. The concept of creation alone involves the necessary

existence of an All-Wise, All-Powerful, All-Controlling
Creator. And His Wisdom, Power and Control are also
proved in respect of being evident in the very
constitution of the world as it exists.
2. The existence of an All-Wise, All-Powerfull, All-

Controlling Creator involves, in its turn, the necessary
existence of a Plan and a Purpose in the working of the
world.
In brief, affirmation of creation implies the existence of Plan

and Purpose.
b. Existence of Plan and Purpose is, however, not enough as

such for ensuring the realisation of the moral ideal. What is
needed is that, side by side with being a physical order, the
world should also be in its Plan a moral order; and, as for its
Purpose, it should refer directly to the realisation of the moral
ideal.
B. With regard to Constitution :
a. Is the world real?
b. Is the world essentially good, and is it the best possible world?
534
c. Is the basis for struggle ingrained in the very constitution of

the world; and, if so, how?
It is a necessary condition of the realisation of the moral ideal

that the answers to the above questions should be in the affirmative,
because :
a. The affirmation of the existence of the world independently of

the percipient being, which is ingrained in the realistic
consciousness of man, is indispensable for the idealistic
attitude, because, unless the world exists, neither morality, nor
the unification of knowledge under systematic categories, nor
the possibility of turning the ugly into beautiful, nor the need
for belief in the existence of God, can ever come into being,
because dissatisfaction with what exists and the aspiration to
transform it according to the demands of human yearnings
will lose all validity. Hence it has to be affirmed, as the
necessary requirement of the realisation of the moral ideal,
that human beings, society and environment do exist with
reference to which the moral agent has to adopt a particular
attitude and has to wage a successful struggle within his
domain.
b. The essential goodness of the world implies that it is so

constituted since its very origin that it is compatible with
success in the struggle for the realisation of man’s ideals,
including the moral ideal.
535
VOLUME ONE
That this world is the best possible world implies the highest
degree of its goodness.
This is in contradistinction to the world-view entertained by

pagan cultures, e.g., Hellenism, that the forces of nature are pitched in
conspiracy against humanity for bringing about frustration in human
struggles.
Thus, affirmation of the essential goodness of the world is a

necessary condition for the realisation of the moral ideal.
c. Affirmation of the existence of a basis for struggle in the very

constitution of the world is a necessary requirement in that
behalf, because, man being a part of the world, that alone will
provide valid ground for the moral struggle. Again, that basis
should be in the form of two opposing principles—one
possessing positive character, the other possessing negative
character; one representing the Good, the other representing
Evil, existing in a state of perpetual conflict with one
another—each one dominating the other by turns.
C. With regard to Destiny:
Is it enshrined in the very destiny of the world, in that, come

what may, the realisation of the moral ideal—the final and total
triumph of virtue over vice—is irrevocably assured?
The fact is that while the affirmative answers with respect to the
previous questions envisage merely the possibility of the realisation of
the moral ideal, that possibility is transformed into a guarantee
536
through the affirmative answer to this last question—which thus forms

a vital condition in that regard.

2. IN THE LIGHT OF THE QUR’ÓN:
Turning to the Holy Qur’Én, we find that the different

requirements affirmed in the foregoing with regard to the realisation
of the moral ideal are contained explicitly in the guidance it offers. It
says:
1. The world is not eternal but has been created by God:
“To Him is due the primal origin of the heavens and the
earth: when He decrees a matter, He says to it: ‘Be’, and it
is.” (2:117).
He (i.e., Prophet Abraham) said: ‘Nay, your Lord is the

Lord of the heavens and the earth, He Who brought them
into existence: and I am a witness to this (truth).” (21:56).
“Allah originates the creation (—nothing existing of its

own accord or fortuitously) …” (30:11).112
112
As to the words bada‘a, faÏara, bada’a used for the act of creation in the
above verses: Bada‘a stands for the very primal beginning; FaÏara implies,
like bada‘a, the creating of a thing out of nothing and after no pre-existing
similitude, or, the creation of primeval matter to which further processes
were applied later; Bada’a (without the ‘ain) denotes beginning the process
of creation. (Ref: Lane’s Arabic English Lexicon).
537
VOLUME ONE
2. The world has been created by the All-Wise, All-Powerful,

All-Controlling God with exquisite Plan and Design:
“Blessed is He Who sent down the Criterion to His Servant

(Muhammad), that he may be unto all nations a Warner—
He to Whom belongs the dominion of the heavens and the
earth: no son has He begotten, nor has He a partner in His
dominion: It is He Who created every thing, and ordained
for it a measure (establishing thereby exquisite Plan and
Design).” (25:1-2).
“No want of proportion will you see in the Creation of

(Allah) Most Gracious. So turn your vision again. See you
any flaw?” (67:3).
3. The world created for a serious and definite Purpose:
“We created not the heavens, the earth, and all between
them, merely in (idle) sport: We created them not except
for just ends, But most of them do not understand.” (44:38-
39).
4. Creation of the world is for a moral end—the world is a

Moral Order:
“And Allah has created the heavens and the earth with
purpose (and for just ends) and in order that every soul
may find the recompense of what it has earned, and none
of them be wronged.” (45:22).
538
“Blessed is He in Whose hands (i.e., possession) is the

Dominion, and He over all things has Power;—He Who
created Death and Life, that He may try which of you is
best in deeds: and He is the Exalted in Might, Oft-
Forgiving.” (67:1-2).
5. The world is real:
“And it is He Who has created the heavens and the earth in

Truth (or, as real).” (6:73).
“Not falsely and without purpose did We create the

heavens and the earth and all between! That were the
thought of the Rejectors of Truth.” (38:27).
“Behold! in the constitution of the heavens and the earth,

and the alternation of the Day and the Night, there are
indeed Signs for those who possess and employ
understanding. (They are those) who remember Allah
standing, sitting and lying on their sides, and contemplate
the (wonders of) Creation in the heavens and the earth (and
say): ‘Our Lord! You have created not all this falsely (and
in vain).113 Glory be to You! Preserve us from the doom of
the Fire’.” (3:191).
Also, we have been told:
113
Here the Hindu doctrine of Maya, which regards the whole universe as an
illusion, has been repudiated, affirming the reality of the world as we
perceive it by our senses.
539
VOLUME ONE
“(O Man!) pursue not that of which you have no

knowledge (i.e., entertain no such opinion for which you
have no sound reason to believe to be true). Verily, the
hearing and the sight and the heart—each of these is
accountable in respect of it.” (17:36).
It should be noted here that if the contents of sense experience

be unreal, the accountability of the senses would become
meaningless. Hence, the world, according to this verse also, is
real.
6. The world is essentially Good and it is the Best Possible

World:
“… He Who has made every thing which He has created

Most Good …” (33:7).
7. Basis for struggle in the form of pairs of conflicting forces

functioning under the Law of Opposites,114 is ingrained in the
very constitution of the world:
“And in all things We have created pairs (—pairs of

opposites and pairs of complimentaries—): that haply you
may reflect (and obtain the guidance involved).” (51:49).
8. Realisation of the Moral Ideal enshrined in the very Destiny

of the world:
114
This Law has been discussed in detail in the Author’s forthcoming book
on the “Dynamics of Moral Revolution”.
540
This point has been discussed and affirmed in detail in the

section on “Life-after-Death”. Here we may quote just two
verses:
The following verse refers to the success of the forces of the

Good and the defeat of the forces of Evil, both in the earthly
career of humanity and the Life Hereafter:
“Yes, to Allah belongs all that is in the heavens and on the

earth: so that He may recompense those who do evil
according to their deeds, and He may reward those who do
good with what is best.” (53:31).
The following verse speaks specially of the final and total

triumph of the forces of the Good in the Life-Hereafter:
“Those who are god-fearing (i.e., cultivate and practise

righteousness out of respect for Divine Pleasure) shall be
(triumphant) above them (i.e., the Unbelievers in the principle
of Submission to God—or, the unrighteous) on the Day of the
Resurrection.” (2:212).

CONCEPTION OF HEAVEN AND HELL AS RELATED

DIRECTLY TO THE MORAL IDEAL:
Having discussed ‘the Man’ and ‘the World’ in their different

relevant dimensions, we are now confronted with the question: What
is the Qur’Énic conception of Heaven and Hell.
541
VOLUME ONE
In that connection, we may consider the disparity that exists, in

the earthly life of Man, between the Actual and the Ideal,—and exists
as an irresolvable difficulty and an unsolvable problem, while the
human heart is in dead earnest for the way out.
To elaborate:
1. Nature of Physical 1. Ideal of Physical Happiness:

Happiness:
Only ‘pleasure mixed with Posession of healthy and

pain’ possible. abiding Pleasure along with
total absence of pain.
2. Nature of Moral Life: 2. Ideal of Morality:
Performance of Duty under a. Posession of absolute purity

the stress of a two-fold of the Will.
limitation:
a. want of absolute purity of b. Realisation of the perfect

the will; Moral Order.
b. moral effort constantly

frustrated by others.
3. Nature of the Pursuit of Art: 3. Ideal of Art:
Beautification of a very Comprehensive

minute portion of Reality, beautification of the Self
and that too in imperfect and the Environment
manner and measure, alone
542
possible.
4. Nature of the Pursuit of 4. Ideal of Knowledge:

Knowledge:
Knowledge of only an Possession of complete and

infinitesimally small portion direct knowledge of Reality.
of Reality, alone possible.
5. Nature of the Pursuit of 5. Ideal of Religion:

Religion:
a. Indirect faith in religious a. Acquiring direct and

verities on the testimony of intimate experience of
the Prophet, or at best religious verities, including
imperfect experience of the Vision of God, the
those verities and Really Real and the Source
communion with God from of all Grace.
behind the veil: alone
possible.
b. Holiness acquirable only in b. Acquiring perfect holiness in

limited measure because of accordance with human
the continuous existence of status.
devilish forces in the
environment.
Now:
Heaven is the realisation of the above ideals; while:
543
VOLUME ONE
Hell bears reference to Evil Will, Ugliness, Deprivation of

Communion with God, and Torture of different types, in consequence
of the denial of the Source of Grace and of the conditions necessary
for the realisation of the above-mentioned ideals.
115
The following verses of the Holy Qur’Én concerning Heaven
and Hell bear out the above statement:
THE HEAVEN:
a. Heaven as the reward of righteous life; Peace, Security, Eternal

Life—nay, the realisation of all Positive human yearnings and
ideals (mentioned above)—and even more:
“And the Garden will be brought nigh to the righteous,—no

more a thing distant. (Any they will be told:) ‘This is what was
promised for you,—for everyone who turned (to Allah) in
sincere repentance, who kept (His Law), who feared (the
Displeasure of Allah) Most Gracious unseen, and brought a
heart turned in devotion (to Him)—: Enter you therein in
Peace and Security. This is the Day of Eternal Life!’ There
will be for them therein all that they yearn,116—and more
besides in Our Presence.” (50:31-35).
b. Abode of Peace:
115
Only representative verses, which depict different aspects, have been
quoted.
116
Cf. 42:22.
544
“But Allah invites (humanity through the Holy Qur’Én) to the

Abode of Peace (in which there shall be no fear, frustration or
sorrow, but only perfect security from evil of all types).”
(10:25).
“For them (i.e., the god-fearing righteous) there will be an

Abode of Peace in the Presence of their Lord: He will be their
Patron and Friend, because they practised (righteousness).”
(6:127).
“Their salutation on the Day they meet Him will be ‘Peace !’;
and He has prepared for them a generous reward.” (33:44).
c. Absolute Purity of Will—Social Harmony and Love:
The spirit of rancour and jealousy will be totally obliterated from

the hearts of the righteous, giving place to absolute purity of will,
on the one hand, and to love and harmony, on the other, and
establishing genuine fraternal relations wherein each member of
the fraternity of the righteous will enjoy his or her own dignity
and will deal with others with joy and confidence. Also, the
delights of Heaven will be perfect, for there will be absolute
freedom from fear, frustration and sorrow and from toil and
fatigue:
“The righteous (will be) amidst Gardens and springs. (And the
greeting to them of the angels will be:) ‘Enter you here in
peace and security’. And We shall have removed whatsoever of
rancour and jealousy and sense of injury may be in their
hearts. (They will be) in fraternal relationship, (joyfully)
545
VOLUME ONE
facing each other on thrones (of dignity). There no sense of toil

and fatigue shall touch them, nor shall they (ever) be asked to
leave.” (15:45-48).
In the perfect felicity of the righteous all lurking memories of

disappointments in earthly life shall be blotted out:
“And those who believe and work righteousness,—no burden

do We place on any soul, but that which it can bear,—they will
be companions of the Garden, therein to dwell (for ever).
“And We shall remove from their hearts whatsoever lurking

sense of disappointment and injury there may have been, rivers
flowing beneath them; and they will say: ‘all praise unto Allah
Who has guided us to this (felicity) …” (7:42-43).
d. Company of the Blessed Servants of God:
“And whosoever obeys Allah and the Messenger

(Muhammad), then those shall be in the company of those
whom Allah has blessed,—of the Prophets (who teach the
Truth), the Sincere (who are lovers of Truth), the Witnesses
(who testify to Truth through martyrdom), and the Righteous
(who do good normally). Ah! what an Excellent (and Exalted)
Fellowship! That is the Grace from Allah, and Allah suffices
as Knower.” (4:69-70).117
117
This verse refers to spiritual fellowship with members of the Righteous
Hierarchy of four types of the Blessed Servants of God in the earthly life
also. That fellowship will assume concrete shape in the Life Hereafter as
546
e. Light will run before the inmates of Heaven and by their right
hands:
“(Mention the) Day whereon you (O Prophet!) shall see the

believing men and the believing women, their Light running
before them and by their right hand …” (57:12).
f. Light of Beauty and Blissful Joy:
“But Allah will deliver them from the evil of that Day, and will
shed over them a Light of Beauty and a (Blissful) Joy.”
(76:11).
g. Assembly of Truth in the Presence of God:
“As to the god-fearing righteous, they will be in the midst of

Gardens and Rivers, in an Assembly of Truth, in the Presence
of the Sovereign Omnipotent.” (54:54-55).
h. Direct Knowledge of the Cosmos:
“Truly the Pious will be in Bliss: on thrones (of Dignity) will

they command a sight (of all things): You will recognise in
their faces the brightness of Bliss (as a result of the attainment
of complete satisfaction at the realisation, among other ideals,
of the ideal of Knowledge).” (88:22-24).
i. Stabilisation in the state of Absolute Purity of the Will; Acquisition

of Holiness; Attainment of complete peace and satisfaction; well-
Grace from God, (Hierarchy = a body classified in successively subordinate

grades. Ref: Chambers’s Twentieth Century Dictionary, section ‘H’).
547
VOLUME ONE
pleased with and well-pleasing to God; company of the righteous

servants of the Lord;118 entry into God’s ‘own’ Heaven—the
highest stage of Bliss:
“(God will address the righteous thus:) O (you) soul that has
attained complete peace and satisfaction! Come back you to
your Lord,—well-pleased (yourself) and well-pleasing unto
Him! Enter you, then, among My Devotees! Yes, enter you My
Heaven!” (89:27-30).119
“Allah will say: This is a Day whereon their truthfulness will

benefit the truthful. Theirs are Gardens beneath which rivers
flow; (they shall be) abiders therein for ever: Allah well-
pleased with them and they well-pleased with Him: that is the
achievement supreme.” (5:122).
j. Angels’ salutation of Peace to the entrants; thanks-giving to God

by the inmates; angels hymning praise of the Lord:
118
Cf. 4:69-70.
119
Cf. 98:7-8.
Mark that this verse states the stabilisation of harmony between the human
will and the perfectly Holy Will, i.e., the Will of God. It is this harmony
whereby alone Man attains absolute and abiding purity of the will and
genuine human holiness. This state of blessed life is fed perennially through
constant communion with God and is stabilised through direct Vision of Him.
That has been mentioned in the verses that follow.
548
“And those who were careful of duty to their Lord will be led
to the Garden in troops till, when they arrive there, and the
portals thereof will be opened, the keepers thereof will say
unto them: ‘peace be unto you! well have you done! enter you
here to dwell therein for ever’.120 They will say: ‘Praise be
unto Allah, Who has truly fulfilled His promise to us, and has
given us (this) land in heritage for (eternity), so that we may
dwell in the Garden wherever we will: how excellent a reward
for those who work (righteousness)’. And you (O Prophet!)
will see the angels surrounding the Throne (Divine) on all
sides, singing Glory and Praise to their Lord. The Decision
between them (at Judgment) will be in (perfect) justice, and the
cry (on all sides) will be: ‘Praise be to Allah, Cherisher and
Sustainer of the Worlds’.” (39:73-75).
k. Realisation of the highest Ideal in obtaining the Supreme Blessing

of the Vision of God:
“Faces (of the Righteous Servants of God) will, on that Day,

beam (in brightness and beauty),—looking towards their
Lord.” (75:22-23).
l. Peace with God, Peace with Fellowbeings, Peace with the rest of
God’s Creation, will be attained in the highest degree:
“Those who believe and work righteousness,—their Lord will

guide them because of their Faith: beneath them will flow
120
Cf. 16:32.
549
VOLUME ONE
rivers in Gardens of Bliss. Their cry (of adoration to God, i.e.,

their loud chanting of hymn of prayer) therein will be ‘Glory to
You, O Allah!’ and ‘Peace’ will be their greeting therein! and
the close of their cry will be: ‘Praise be to Allah, the Cherisher
and Sustainer of the Worlds’.” (10:9-10).
m. Garden in nearness to God; eternal home; companions pure and

holy; cool shades; highest satisfaction of the sentient aspect of the
self in its transcendental transformation:
“For the righteous are Gardens in nearness to their Lord …”

(3:15).
“But give glad tidings to those who believe and work

righteousness, that their portion is Gardens, beneath which
rivers flow. Everytime they are fed with fruits therefrom, they
say: ‘Why, this is what we were fed with before’. For they are
given things in similitude: and they have therein companions
pure (and holy)121 and they abide therein (for ever).” (2:25).
n. Happily employed, with the highest enjoyment suited to the

heavenly life of the righteous; Greeting of ‘Peace’ from God:
121
The participants in this ‘companionship’ will be men as well as women,
and, as emphasised in this verse, this companionship will be based on purity
and holiness and without any earthly grossness. Also, all objects of beauty
and enjoyment, which have been mentioned symbolically in connection with
the heavenly life, here and at different other places in the Qur’Én, will belong
equally to men and women: both. (33:35).
550
“Verily the Companions of the Garden shall that Day be

happily employed. They and their spouses will be in groves of
122
(cool) shade, reclining on thrones (of dignity); every fruit
(i.e., highest enjoyment) will be there for them; and they shall
have whatever they call for;123 ‘Peace’—a Word (of greeting)
from the Lord Merciful.”124 (36:55-58).
o. Enduring delights:
“Their Lord gives them glad tidings of Mercy from Himself, of

His Good Pleasure, and of Gardens for them, wherein are
122
As to the word fÉkihatun, employed in the Arabic original of the Qur’Énic
text for the word ‘fruit’, it refers actually to an inner quality of heavenly life,
because its root-word stands for: ‘to rejoice greatly’, ‘to be full of
merriment’. Thus, what it actually emphasises is the notion of the ‘highest
enjoyment’. Even in its literal sense, it should be taken to mean ‘fruit’ as
possessing not earthly but transcendental nature.
123
According to A. Yusuf Ali, “using the language of this life, the musician’s
heaven will be full of music; the mathematician’s will be full of mathematical
symmetry and perfection; the artist’s will be full of beauty of form, and so
on.” (op. cit., p. 1183, n. 4003). The fact that heavenly life will not be a static
life—a life of idle duration, but a dynamic life—a life full of activity and
achievement, as the statement in the verse under comment about being
“happily employed” affirms, should be given due importance in this
connection. (It will be a ‘life of achievement’ with reference to itself, and a
‘life of reward’ with reference to the earthly life lived previously).
124
Cf. LXXVI : 14.
551
VOLUME ONE
Delights that endure: they will dwell therein forever. Verily in

Allah’s Presence is a reward, the greatest (of all).” (4:21-22).
p. Beautiful Mansions in Gardens:
“Allah has promised to the Believers, men and women,

Gardens under which rivers flow, to dwell therein, and
125
beautiful mansions in Gardens of everlasting bliss. But the
greatest bliss is the Good Pleasure of Allah. That is the
achievement supreme.”126 (4:72).
q. Costly adornments:
“As to those who believe and work righteousness, verily We

shall not suffer to perish the reward of any who do a (single)
righteous deed.
125
Cf. “lofty mansions one above another”, in description of Heaven in
39:20.
126
Mark that the blessing of “Beautiful Mansions in Gardens” has been
contrasted in this verse with the “Good Pleasure of Allah”, emphasising
about the latter that it is “the achievement supreme”. Thus, it is plain that not
only is the Qur’Énic ideal of heavenly life not anthropomorphic, as we shall
discuss later, but even such enjoyments which bear affinity with the earthly
enjoyments—of course, only nominally—do not constitute the real ideal but
are only ancillary. In other words, holiness permeates the entire Qur’Énic
concept of Heaven.
552
“For them will be Gardens of Eternity,127 beneath which rivers

128
flow: they will be adorned therein with bracelets of gold
129
and they will wear green garments of fine silk and heavy
brocade: they will recline therein on raised thrones.130 How
good the recompense! How beautiful a couch to recline on!”
(18:30-31).131
r. Hospitable homes:
“For those who believe and work righteousness, are Gardens

as hospitable homes (where they will be entertained as
honourable guests), for their (good) deeds.” (32:19).
s. No sorrow, no dull happiness:
“Gardens of Eternity will they enter: therein will they be

adorned with bracelets of gold and pearls; and their garments
there will be of silk. And they will say: ‘Praise to Allah, Who
has removed us from (all) sorrow: for our Lord is indeed Oft-
127
and not the gardens of this world.
128
Cf. “bracelets of gold and pearls” in 22:23.
129
Cf. 76:12.
130
Cf. 76:13.
131
All the blessings mentioned in verse 31 should be understood only in
respect of their transcendental nature and form. The “Garden” as well as the
adornments signify comfort, dignity and beauty. So also the things mentioned
in the forthcoming verses.
553
VOLUME ONE
Forgiving, ready to appreciate (service): Who has, out of His

Bounty, settled us in the abode of permanence: no toil nor
sense of monotony and weariness (in the enjoyment of
perpetual happiness) shall touch us in it’.” (35:33-35).
t. Enjoyment of honour and dignity; passing round of the social cup;

company of chaste women:
“But the sincere servants of Allah,—for them is a sustenance

determined, fruits (or Delights); and they (shall enjoy) honour
and dignity, in Gardens of Felicity, facing each other on
132
thrones (of dignity); around will be passed to them a Cup
from a clear-flowing fountain, crystal-white, of a taste
delicious to those who drink (thereof), free from headiness, nor
will they suffer intoxication therefrom.133 And besides them
shall be chaste women, restraining their glances,134 with large
eyes (having grace and beauty) as though they were delicate
eggs closely guarded.”135 (37:40-49).136
132
Cf. “vessels of silver and goblets of crystal” (76:15-16). Also: “a Cup (full
to the brim)” (78:34)
133
Mark that the evil accompaniments of earthly sensate pleasures have been
negated here totally, although such pleasures have been mentioned here as
types.
134
Mark the emphasis on chastity and lack of boldness. These characteristics
relate to moral purity. which is an integral part of holiness.
135
The implication is of natural beauty, innocence and grace.
554
u. Complete happiness and perfect realisation of spiritual and

aesthetic ideals:
“It will be said unto the righteous:) ‘Enter you the Garden, and
your spouses, in (beauty and) rejoicing. To them will be passed
round dishes and goblets of gold:137 and therein will be
whatsoever souls desire and eyes delight in; and you will be
therein abiders. Such will be the Garden of which you are
made heirs for your (good) deeds (in earthly life). you shall
136
Cf. 37:49-54; 6:46-77; 56:10-12, 22-24, 32-40; 88:12-16.
137
A very important fact is worthy of notice here. The Islamic view of
righteousness is built up on the concept of simplicity—nay, even austerity, in
life. Thus, self-control and self-sacrifice are its watch words, and the Path of
Righteousness cannot be travelled, according to the Holy Quran, without
avoiding indulgence in luxuries (79:40-41). This fact is thoroughly
exemplified in the personality of the Holy Prophet Muhammad and of every
other Prophet of God—Jesus, Moses, Abraham, etc., and in the personalities
of all the exemplary followers of Islam, like the Righteous Caliphs, the
illustrious Imams, and the great Sufis.
Now, the heavenly ideal consists in the attainment of perfection adequate to

human personality in respect of the rational, moral and spiritual values. The
luxuries denied to themselves by the righteous in the earthly life will,
however, be compensated in a transcendental and hallowed form, in keeping
with the holiness of Heaven, as a further reward implying the perfection also
of the sentient dimension of human personality which it lived in its earthly
life.
555
VOLUME ONE
have therein abundance of fruit, from which you shall have

satisfaction.” (43:70-73).
v. No further death.
“As to the Righteous (they will be) in a position of Security,

among Gardens and Springs; dressed in fine silk and in rich
brocade,138 they will face each other. Thus it shall be; and We
shall join them to Companions with beautiful and lustrous eyes
139
(×Ër ‘Êin). They will call therein for every kind of fruit in
peace and security;140 and they will not taste Death therein,
except the first death (which removed them from their earthly
life); and He will preserve them from the torments of the
Flaming Fire,—as Bounty of Grace from your Lord! That
(Bounty of Grace) will be the Supreme Achievement!” (44:51-
57).
w. Delicious drinks; Grace from the Lord; no vain discourse;

Salutations of Peace; Sustenance:
138
Cf. 75:21.
139
The word ×Ër implies the following ideas: “(1) purity; possibly the word
×awÉriyyËn, as applied to the first Disciples of Jesus, is connected with this
root; (2) beauty, especially of eyes, where the intense white of the eye-balls
stands out against the intense black of the pupil, thus giving the appearance
of lustre, and intense feeling, as opposed to dullness or want of expression;
and (3) truth and good will.” ( A.Yusuf Ali, op.cit.,p.1352, n.4729 )
140
Cf. 69:21-24.
556
“(Here is) a Parable 141 of the Garden which the (god-fearing)

righteous are promised: in it are rivers of water incorruptible;
rivers of milk of which the taste never changes; rivers of wine,
a joy to those who drink; and rivers of honey pure and clear. In
it there are for them all kinds of fruits; and Grace from their
Lord.”142 (47:15).
“Gardens of Eternity, those which the Most Gracious (Allah)

has promised to His servants in the Unseen; for His promise
must (necessarily) come to pass.”
“They will not hear any vain discourse therein,143 but only
144
salutations of Peace and therein they will have their
141
Note the word ‘parable’. The water, the milk, the wine, the honey, the
fruits, as also all other things which bear reference to earthly life but have
been mentioned in connection with the life in Heaven, are symbolisms,
whose true nature is known to God alone, and the words used denote the
heavenly blessings metaphorically only; and they are meant to convey to us
the truth that the heavenly blessings are real and meaningful.
Thus, the four drinks mentioned in this verse refer to those heavenly
blessings which will refresh the spirits, nourish the personalities, warm up the
hearts and sweeten the lives of the righteous.
142
Mark the mention of bestowal of ‘Grace from the Lord’, which represents
all spiritual delights, after the mention of such blessings as bear reference to
earthly life—in this verse, as well as in other verses of the Holy Qur’Én.
143
Cf. “No vanity shall they hear therein, nor untruth.” (78:35). Also: 88:11.
557
VOLUME ONE
sustenance,145 morning and evening (i.e., always).146 Such is

the Garden which We will give as an inheritance to those of
Our servants who guard against evil.”147 (19:61-62).148
x. Social bliss; Family re-union; Fruits and meat; No frivolity, nor

taint of ill; Service:
144
“SalÉm, translated ‘Peace’, has a much wider signification. It includes: (1)
a sense of security and permanence, which is unknown in this life; (2)
soundness, freedom from defects, perfection, as in the word sÉlim; (3)
preservation, salvation, deliverance, as in the word sallama; (4) salutation.
accorded with those around us; (5) resignation, in the sense that we are
satisfied and not discontented; beside (6) the ordinary meaning of Peace, i.e.,
freedom from any jarring element. All these shades of meaning are implied in
the word Islam. Heaven therefore is the perfection of Islam.” (A.Yusuf Ali,
op. cit., p.780. n. 2512).
145
Namely, provision of all the requirements for the fulfilment of human
destiny in the transcendental dimension of existence in Heaven.
146
According to Abdul Majid Daryabadi “… ‘morning’ and ‘evening’ are
only used in relative sense, so as to be comprehended by us, as there will be
no actual sunset in the Paradise.” (op.cit., p. 500). But, in the view of the
present writer, there is a possibility of some phenomena of transcendental or
metaphysical nature in Heaven akin in some sense to morning and evening in
our present dimension of existence.
147
Note the emphasis on all such occasions on moral merit, which should, of
course, be combined with true relationship with God.
148
Cf. 56:25-33.
558
“As to the god-fearing righteous, they will be in Gardens and

in Happiness,—enjoying the (Bliss) which their Lord has
bestowed on them, and their Lord shall deliver them from the
torment of the Fire. (To them will be said:) ‘Eat and drink with
profit and health, because of your good deeds’. They will
recline (in comfort) on thrones (of dignity) arranged in ranks,
and We shall join them to Companions with beautiful, big and
lustrous eyes. And those who believe and whose families follow
them in Faith,—to them We shall join their families: nor shall
We deprive them (of the fruit) of anything of their works: (yet)
is each individual in pledge for his deeds. And We shall
bestow on them of fruit and meat—anything they shall desire.
They shall there exchange, one with another, a (loving) cup 149
free of frivolity, free of all taint of ill. Round about will serve,
149
Cf. “As to the abrÉr (i.e., those perfect in Piety), they shall drink of a cup
whereof the admixture (or, odour) is (like unto) camphor.” (76:5).
Also: “And they will be given therein to drink of a cup the admixture (or,
odour) whereof is (like unto) ginger,—from a fountain therein named
salsabÊl” (76:17-18).
Also: “Their thirst will be slaked with Pure Wine sealed: the seal thereof will
be Musk: and for this (i.e., the blessings of heaven described in verses 22-24
and in this verse) let those aspire, who have aspiration (for eternal
happiness): with it will be given a mixture of TasnÊm: a spring from (the
waters) whereof drink those Nearest to God (muqarrabËn).” (83:25-28).
559
VOLUME ONE
(devoted) to them, youths (handsome) as pearls well-guarded

(i.e., of exquisite beauty).”150 (52:17-24).
y. Fragrance for the ‘Nearest-to-God’ and mutual greetings of Peace

among the Companions of the Right Hand:
“Thus, then, if he be of the ‘Nearest-to-God’ (muqarrabËn),

(there is for him) comfort and fragrance and a Garden of
Delights. And if he be of the Companions of the Right Hand,
(for him is the salutation:) ‘Peace be unto you’, from the
Companions of the Right Hand.” (56:88-91).
z. Realm magnificent:
“And when you look (at the Heaven), it is there you will see a
Bliss and a Realm Magnificent.” (76:20).
Two Important Points :
There are two important points which must be kept in view while
considering the Qur’Énic conception of Heaven and trying to
understand the real implication of the verses relating thereto. The
points are:
1. Before the Day of Judgment, the world will be destroyed and

re-created in a new form:
“One day the earth will be changed into a different earth,

and so will be the heavens …” (14:48).
150
Cf. 76:19.
560
As for the human beings, they also will be re-created in a new

form:
“We have decreed death to be your common lot, and We

are not to be frustrated from changing your forms and
creating you (again) in (forms) that you know not. And
you certainly know already the first form of (your)
creation. Why then you heed not?” (56:60-62).
Thus the conditions of life and nature of experience, in the

next world will be so different from what we know and
experience now in the phenomenal world that presently we
can only imagine it and must find it impossible to comprehend
it truly:
151
“Now no person knows what delights of the eyes are,
kept hidden (in reserve) for them (in Heaven)—as a
reward for their (good) Deeds.” (32:17).
2. Now life and experience in Heaven (as also in Hell) being on

a different plane, it can be described to us here only by
symbols and metaphors. And this is what the Holy Qur’Én
has plainly affirmed; as, for instance, when it gives the
description of delicious drinks in Heaven, it starts that
description with the words:
151
“delights of the eyes” is an idiom for that which gives the highest
satisfaction. It should not be taken to mean sensuous pleasure.
561
VOLUME ONE
“(Here is) a parable of the Garden which the righteous are

promised.” (47:15).
Thus the entire Qur’Énic description of Heaven and Hell is

symbolical, and it would be the greatest intellectual dishonesty on the
part of anyone to try to understand it in the literal sense.
The critics of Islam have stumbled especially in connection with

the description of the delights of Heaven. But, as explained, the
description there has been given through the medium of symbols and
metaphors which actually have very profound and rich spiritual
connotation.
Recapitulation:
Having made the above clarification, we may now state that the
description of Heaven in the Holy Qur’Én contains the following basic
elements:
1. Immortality;
2. Peace ;
3. Absolute Purity of the Will enjoyed by all;
4. Social Harmony and Love;
5. Companionship of the Blessed Servants of God;
6. Light;
7. Beauty;
8. Truth;
562
9. Direct Experience of Reality;
10. Holiness;
11. Happiness.
No. 1 forms the basic human yearning in connection with the

realisation of all human ideals.
Nos. 2 to 5 form the ideal of Morality.
Nos. 6 and 7 form the ideal of Aesthetic Enjoyment.
Nos. 8 and 9 form the ideal of Knowledge.
No. 10 forms the ideal of Religion.
No. 11 forms the ideal of the Sentient Self.
Thus the realisation of all healthy human yearnings and ideals

has been affirmed in the Qur’Énic conception of Heaven.
Re-stating this fact in other words: The form of human

personality—its constitution—will be changed in the next world. It
will exist in a different dimension—on a different plane,—with all the
grossness and carnality of its earthly physical existence removed.
Thus the individual will enjoy all that he desires here in respect of
physical happiness, but he will enjoy it in a sublimated form, i.e.,
without the grossness and other limitations of physical existence. It
will not be physical happiness but beatitude, i.e., heavenly
happiness—happiness of the highest kind, all spiritual delights, having
been figured forth from parallel experiences in our present life.
563
VOLUME ONE
He will also enjoy the aesthetic pleasures, but those pleasures

shall be free of all morbidity and grossness, experienced as they will
be on the non-physical plane.
Thus the ideals of physical happiness and aesthetic enjoyment

will be realised in Heaven to the full but on a higher level—the level
of holiness,—and all that as a reward of moral effort and the
maintenance of true relationship with God in this earthly life.152
And not only that. Man’s moral effort and his trials and
sufferings in the Way of God—in the Path of God-orientated
Righteousness—shall culminate in Heaven in the perfect realisation of
the moral ideal, i.e., the attainment of Moral Bliss and Social Bliss.
The reward, however, will not end there. The recipients of

heavenly life shall be blessed with the direct knowledge of the Reality
of the Cosmos. Then, even beyond that: they will be blessed with the
direct Vision of God, the Really-Real, the Source of all that exists.
And they will be blessed not only with the direct Vision of God,
but will live in Divine Presence and will be fed by Divine Pleasure
eternally—increasing qualitatively in holiness and employed happily
all the time, each individual in accordance with his individual taste,
calibre and destiny.153
152
The Holy Qur’Én has stated this fact clearly and beautifully in verses 3:14-
17.
153
That there are numerous degrees in good and evil, in respect of the deeds
and motives of human beings, and that, consequently, there will be degrees in
564
THE HELL:
As regards Hell, it has been mentioned in the Holy Qur’Én as

punishment for the rejectors of Truth (2:24; etc.) and the wrong-doers
(50:25; etc.), wherever Heaven has been mentioned as a reward for the
righteous,—and it has been described as a contrast of Heaven. Its
symbol is the Fire (2:24; etc.), in contrast to the Garden, which is the
symbol of Heaven. “(It is) the Fire of God (namely, having come into
existence under the command of God) kindled (to a blaze), which
rises above the hearts: It shall be made into a vault over them, in
columns outstretched” (104:7-9). In other words, the hell-fire
originates within the hearts of those who reject the Source of
Goodness, namely, God, and the Pattern of Goodness, namely, the
Prophet of God, and nurture evil in their breasts. They will be those
“to whom God will not speak, nor will He look at them on the Day of
Judgment; nor will He purify them (on that Day)” (2:77). And because
on the hearts of those who earn Hell in this life “is the stain of the
(evil) which they do, verily, from (the Light of) their Lord, that Day,
will they be veiled” (83:14-15), becoming thus deprived of all the
Blessings which will flow to the inmates of Heaven from the Bounties
of God. The life of the inmates of Hell will, indeed, be a life of
roasting in agony (4:56; 14:17; 25:13-14; 25:55; 32:20). They will be
respect of rewards and the respective spiritual positions of the recipients of

heavenly life, has been affirmed in the following verse of the Holy Qur’Én:
“For all (morally-responsible beings) will be degrees (of rewards) in
accordance with that which they did.” (6:132).
565
VOLUME ONE
held in bondage to the punishment brought on them by their evil

beliefs and evil deeds (32:19-22; 69:30-37). Their faces will be
covered with humiliation (88:23-26), and their surroundings will be
pervaded by ugliness and darkness “in the shades of Black Smoke:
nothing will there be to refresh, nor to please: for that they were wont
to indulge, before that, in wealth (and luxury), and persisted
obstinately in wickedness supreme!” (56:43-46). Their life will be a
life of horrible misery, even in respect of their “foods” and “drinks”
which will be of the most painful type (14:17; 14:49-50; 37:62-67;
44:43-48; 55:43-44; 56:52-55; 78:21-25). In short, the conditions of
life in Hell shall be the exact opposite of those we have described in
detail in connection with Heaven. Life in Heaven being the life of
Fulfilment, life in Hell will reflect the Agony attendant on Frustration,
in the onward march towards the realisation of Human Destiny. The
nature and the measure of punishment will vary in respect of the
denizens of Hell, even as reward will vary in the case of the inmates
of Heaven (6:132).

566
Page ? – Blank
Chapter 3
THE GOD (ALLÓH)
Although morality may be regarded as conceivable inspite of

disbelief in God’s existence, moral consciousness is denuded of all
enthusiasm for moral struggle without a dynamic faith in God.
Moreover, the appearance of incompatibility with the realisation

of the moral ideal which the world gives, and the imperfections from
which Man suffers, on the one hand, and Man’s state of dis-
satisfaction with the Actual and his yearning to transform it into the
Ideal, on the other, form a source of agony for him; and the human
soul yearns for an all-Perfect Being Who, through His interference,
and out of sheer Grace, may guide him on the straight path to success
in the realisation of his ideal, inspite of the internal and external
obstacles.154
154
Cf. The prayer that the Holy Qur’Én has taught—a prayer for beseeching
Divine Guidance, a prayer obligatory for a Muslim to recite in all the
institutional Prayers that he has been commanded to offer: “Guide us (O
Lord!) unto the Straight Path—the path of those on whom You have
bestowed your Grace, not of those whose portion is Wrath nor of those who
go astray” (1:6-7).
Through this prayer a Muslim aspires for guidance in order to bring about,
preserve and promote the Islamic social order—a social order which is meant
to be constituted of spiritually and morally integrated individuals. Such
individuals, it may be emphasised, cannot be evolved except through
Also: Creation, which has been already proved to be the

necessary requirement of the realisation of the moral ideal, implies
necessarily the existence of an All-Powerful, All-Wise, All-
Controlling Creator, Who is also the Moral Ruler of the universe.
Thus the affirmation of the existence of God from the point of

view of moral consciousness is a necessity.
The question now arises: It being so, what are the Divine
Attributes that are indispensable in respect of Man’s success in his
moral struggle?
Such Attributes are:
1. God should be the Creator of everything in the world, in

order that the world and everything belonging to it may be
amenable to His interference.
2. He should be Eternal, in order to be capable of functioning

and interfering at all stages in the life of the universe.
3. He should be Omnipotent (Almighty), and
4. Omnipresent, and
5. Omniscient, in order to have perfect control not only over

the universe as a system but also over discreet events and
objects.
intensive and extensive moral struggle, wherein success can be possible only
through Divine Guidance and Grace: “And whosoever has faith in Allah, He
guides his heart (to the path of success).” (64:11).
569
VOLUME ONE
6. He should be the Possessor of Perfect Wisdom, in order that

He may be capable of acting unerringly in guiding Man in
his struggles, including the moral struggle.
7. He should be the Guide, i.e., the possessor of the Will to

guide human beings in their moral struggle.
8. He should be the Possessor of Mercy and Love, in order that

help to human beings may be the inherent demand of His
nature.
9. He should be Capable of Response, in order that human

beings may approach Him with confidence in times of need
and may commune with Him.
10. &
11. Since it is possible that Man may remain, at some stage of

his life, indifferent to the demands of his moral nature and
subsequently he may have the despair that the wrongs and
the evil deeds committed by him cannot be undone, and that
therefore their evil effects cannot be avoided—a despair that
must kill the enthusiasm to lead a morally-good life,—God
should be the Forgiver of sins and the Acceptor of
Repentance; thereby ensuring the possibility of acquiring
enthusiasm for participation in the moral struggle even for
the worst evil-doer.
12. The duality of human nature and the conflict thereof form a
hinderance in respect of Man’s rising to his full moral
570
stature, and it is difficult for him to stick in his actions to the

purest moral standard as regards the motive.
Hence, God should be the possessor of the Will to remove

the deficiencies in the consequences of the morally-good
actions through His unbounded Grace. In other words, he
should be the Possessor of Unbounded Grace.
13. He should be the Debaser of Evil and the Avenger of

Wrongs in order to assist the righteous in their moral
struggle.
14. Since the consequences of good and evil do not mature

during the earthly life of the individual, He should be the
Sovereign of the Day of Judgment, in order to act as the
Judge Supreme for recompensing good and evil in the
requisite measure, whereby alone the moral ideal can be
realised.
15. He should be ‘Above-every-want’, i.e., independent of

everyone else and everything, and, also, He should be
capable of fulfilling every conceivable need of every one.
16. He should not suffer ftom any infirmities, in order that His
relation with the world and Man remains immune from all
deviational defects.
17. He should be al-Rabb (i.e., the Evolver and the Perfector),

in order that human beings can be successful with certainty,
571
VOLUME ONE
through Him, in their struggle for moral and spiritual

perfection.
18. He should be positively Righteous in all His actions, in

order to be the Helper of the righteous unflinchingly.
19. He should be Perfectly Holy, i.e., Possessor of Absolute

Good, in order that His relationship with His creatures may
not be tainted with evil even in the smallest measure.
20. He should be the One and the Unique, with no compeer

who may challenge His authority in any manner and in any
respect whatsoever.
21. He should be the Perfect Being, in order that human beings

may be able to attain perfection adequate to their nature,
including moral perfection—through His Grace.
The Holy Qur’Én affirms all the above-mentioned Attributes of

God:
1. He is the Creator of everything, having originated the

existence of everything:
“The Originator (BadÊ‘) of the heavens and the earth.”

(2:177).
“Say: O Allah! Creator (FÉÏir) of the heavens and the earth

(ab novo)! …” (39:46).
572
“Allah is the Creator (KhÉliq) of all things, and He is the

Guardian and Disposer of all affairs.” (39:62).
“He is Allah, the Creator (KhÉliq), the Evolver (BÉrÊ), the

Bestower of Forms (MuÎawwir). To Him belong the Most
Excellent Names.” (59:24).
2. He is the Self-Existent, the Eternal:
“Allah! There is no God save He,—the Ever-Living, the Self-

Existent, the Eternal. No slumber can seize Him nor sleep.
Unto Him belongs whatsoever is in the heavens and
whatsoever is in the earth. Who is he that can intercede with
Him save by His leave? He knows what (appears to His
creatures as) Before or After or Behind. Nor shall they
encompass of His knowledge except as He wills. His Throne
does extend over the heavens and the earth, and the guarding
of the twain wears Him not. For He is the Sublime, the
Supreme.” (2:255).
3. He is Omnipotent, and
4. He is Omnipresent, and
5. He is Omniscient:
a. As to His Omnipotence:155
155
Besides the Attributes contained in 3:189 and 85:16, there are, in the Holy
Qur’Én, several others also which bear reference to God’s Greatness, Majesty
and Omnipotence. For instance: the Sublime, the Most High, the Exalted, the
573
VOLUME ONE
“To Allah belongs the dominion of the heavens and the

earth; and Allah has Power over all things.” (3:189).
“(Allah is) the Doer of all that He intends.” (85:16).
b. As to His Omnipresence:
“… and He it is that encompasses all things.” (4:126).
“… and whithersoever you turn, there is Allah’s

countenance. Lo! Allah is All-Embracing, All-Knowing.”
(2:115).
“He is with you wheresoever you may be. And Allah is Seer
of what you do.” (57:4).
c. As to Omniscience:
“… and He is All-Hearing, All-Seeing.” (42:11).
“Verily Allah has perfect knowledge of all things.” (29: 62).
“(Allah is) Knower of the Invisible 156 and the Visible,157 and
He is All-Wise (and) the Perfectly-Informed (of all events
and things).” (6:73).
Supreme, the Great, the Most Great, the Exalted in Might, the Strong, the
Prevailer, the Irresistible, the Almighty, the Lord of Majesty and Honour.
156
i.e., whatever is kept secret, whatever has happened in the past or is to
happen in future.
157
i.e., whatever is open and public, whatever is happening at a given
moment.
574
“And Allah is ever Watcher over all things.” (33:52).
“Verily Allah is over everything a Witness.”158 (22:17).
“… and that Allah comprehends all things in (His)

Knowledge.” (65:12).
6. He is the Possessor of Perfect Wisdom:
“And unto Him (alone) belongs Majesty in the heavens and

on the earth; and He is Exalted in Power, Possessor of
Perfect Wisdom.” (45:37).
7. He possesses the Will to guide:
“And your Lord suffices as Guide and Helper.” (25:31).
“… for verily Allah is the Guide of those who believe (in His
guidance), to the Straight Way.” (22:54).
“Glorify the name of your Guardian-Lord Most High, Who

created, and bestowed order and proportion; Who has
ordained laws and has guided (all things to their goal) …”
(87:1-3).
8. He is the Possessor of Mercy and Love:
“All Praise unto Allah, the Cherisher, Sustainer, Evolver and

Perfector of (all) the Worlds, the Compassionate, the
Merciful.”159 (1:1-2).
158
(so He will requite everyone according to his deeds).
575
VOLUME ONE
“He is the One that sends down the saving rain after they
have despaired, and scatters His Mercy (far and wide). He is
the Protecting Friend, the Praiseworthy.” (42:28).
“… and He is the Forgiving, the Loving.” (85:14).
9. He is Responsive to Supplications:
“(Says Allah:) When My servants ask you (O Muhammad!)

concerning Me, then surely I am near (to them). I answer the
prayer of the suppliant when he cries unto Me …” (2:186).
“… then ask forgiveness of Him, and turn to Him (in

repentance): for my Lord is (always) near, Responsive (unto
those who supplicate Him).” (11:61).
10. &,
11. He is the Forgiver of Sins and Acceptor of Repentance:
159
Commenting on Allah’s Attribute of Mercy, Abdul Majid Daryabadi says:
“Both words RaÍmÉn and RaÍÊm are derived from RaÍmah which signifies
tenderness, requiring the exercise of beneficence and thus comprising the
idea of love and mercy. Both are intensive forms. The former denotes
tenderness towards all His creatures in general, and the latter towards His
worshippers in particular. The Divine attribute of RaÍmah may on analysis be
found to have the following as its components:—(1) His provision of
everything beforehand that could be needed by man in the world: (2) His
concern for the well-being of man, both in life and death; (3) His tenderness
for man’s helplessness; and (4) a disposition on His part to deal kindly and
generously with man.” (op.cit., p. 2, n. 15).
576
a. As Forgiver of Sins
“And Allah knows (all) that is in your hearts: and Allah is

All-knowing, Most Forbearing.” (33:51).
“Verily He is the Benign (or Beneficent), the Merciful.”

(52:28).
“Verily, Allah is Most Kind and Most Merciful to human

beings.” (22:65).
“Verily, Allah is One that blots out (sins) and forgives again
and again.” (22:60).
“… the Lord of the heavens and the earth, and all

between,—the Exalted in Might, Able to enforce His Will,
Most Forgiving.” (38:66).
b. As Acceptor of Repentance:
“Know they not that Allah does accept repentance from his
votaries and receives their gifts of charity, and that Allah is
surely Oft-Returning (in accepting repentance), Most
12. He is the Possessor of Unbounded Grace:
“… and Allah is the Possessor of Unbounded Grace.” (8:29).
13. He is the Debaser of Evil and the Avenger of wrongs:
“And those who earn evil deeds, (for them) the requital of
each evil deed is by the like thereof; and ignominy overtakes
them …” (25:19).
577
VOLUME ONE
“And who among you does wrong, We shall make him taste
great torment (unless he repents and adopts the path of
Righteousness).” (10:28).
14. He is the Sovereign of the Day of Judgment and the Judge

Supreme:
“(All) Praise unto Allah, the Evolver and the Perfector of

(all) the Worlds; the Compassionate, the Merciful; Sovereign
of the Day of Judgment.” (1:1-3).
“And He is the Supreme over His creatures, and He sends

guardians over you until when death comes unto (any) one
of you, Our messengers (i.e., angels) take his soul, and they
fail not. Then they all shall be taken back unto Allah, their
true Master. Lo! His shall be the judgment. And He is Most
Swift in taking account.” (6:61-62).
15. He is ‘Above-every-want’, while all depend on him:
“O you men! It is you that have the need of Allah: but Allah
is the One Free of all wants, Worthy of all praise.” (35:15).
“And whosoever disbelieves, (let him know that) lo! Allah is

Independent of (all) the creatures.” (3:97).
16. He does not suffer from any infirmities, emotional or

otherwise:
“Verily Allah! He is the Great Provider of Sustenance, Lord

of Power, Steadfast (for ever).” (51:58).
578
17. He is al-Rabb, i.e., the Evolver and the Perfector:
“All praise is due to Allah, the Rabb, i.e., the Sustainer, the
Nourisher, the Evolver, the Perfector, of all the Worlds.” (1:1).
“Say: shall I seek for my Rabb other than Allah, while He is the
Rabb of all things (that exist).” (6:164).
“(Allah is the) Rabb of the heavens and the earth, and of all that
is between them: so worship Him, and be constant and patient in
His worship: Know you of any who is worthy of the same Name
(and status) as He?” (19:65).
18. He is positively Righteous :
“Lo! my Lord is on the Straight Path.” (11:56).
19. He is perfectly Holy and the Possessor of all Good:
“Allah is He, than Whom there is no other God;—He the

Sovereign, the all-Holy, the Source of Peace (and
Perfection), the Guardian of Faith, the Protector, the Exalted
in Might, the Irresistible, the Supreme. Glory to Allah! (High
is He) above all that they associate (with Him).” (59:23).
“… O Allah! … In your hand is all Good.” (3:26).
20. He is the One and the Unique:
“… And He is the one (or, the sole God), the Almighty.”

(13:16).
“Say: He is Allah, the One! Allah, the Absolute, the Perfect.

He begets not, nor was He begotten. And there has never
579
VOLUME ONE
been co-equal with Him anyone (and, as such, He is the

Unique).” (112:1-4).
“… Not like unto Him is aught …” (42:11).
21. He is the Absolute, the Perfect:
“Allah (is) the Absolute, the Perfect.” (112:2).


580
THE QUR’ãNIC FOUNDATIONS &

STRUCTURE OF MUSLIM SOCIETY
VOLUME TWO

Dr. MUHAMMAD FAZL-

FAZL-UR-
UR-RAHMAN ANSARI
B. Th., M.A., Ph.D.
Founder President
WORLD FEDERATION OF ISLAMIC MISSIONS

Obtainable From:
THE WORLD FEDERATION OF ISLAMIC MISSIONS

ISLAMIC CENTRE
NORTH NAZIMABAD B BLOCK
KARACHI-74700 PAKISTAN
All rights reserved
First Edition 1973

Second Impression 1977
Third Impression 1989
Fourth Impression 2008
Printed by
ELITE PUBLISHERS LTD.
D-118, S.I.T.E., Karachi Pakistan
CONTENTS
Preamble
Chapter 1.
THE MORAL CODE: WHY AND HOW?
Chapter 2.
CLASSIFICATION OF DUTIES
BOOK ONE - DUTIES TO SELF

Part 1. Duties as Spiritual Being
Chapter 1.
DUTIES WITH REFERENCE TO GOD
Chapter 2.
DUTIES TO THE HOLY PROPHET
Chapter 3.
DUTIES TO THE ANGELS
Part 2. Duties as Physical Being
EXPOSITION
Part 3. Duties as Rational Being

EXPOSITION
Part 4. Duties as Aesthetical Being
Chapter 1.
PRELIMINARY OBSERVATIONS
Chapter 2.
DUTIES
Part 5. Duties as Moral Being
Chapter 1.
DUTIES OF OMISSION
Chapter 2.
DUTIES OF COMMISSION
Appendix: Duties to Animals and Things
VOLUME TWO
BOOK TWO – DUTIES TO other

individuals
Part 1. Fundamental Duties Towards All Human
Beings
Chapter 1.
DUTIES RELATING TO THE HAPPINESS OF OTHERS
Chapter 2.
DUTIES OF THE MORAL PERFECTION OF OTHERS
Part 2. Duties of Conditions Towards Other
Individuals
Chapter 1.
DUTIES TO RELATIVES AND TO NON-RELATIVES
BELONGING TO ONE’S HOME
Chapter 2.
DUTIES IN RESPECT OF AGE AND RANK
Chapter 3.
DUTIES TO PARTICULAR CATEGORIES OF NON-
RELATIVES
Chapter 4.
DUTIES TOWARDS MUSLIMS AS MUSLIMS
Chapter 5.
DUTIES TOWARDS NON-MUSLIMS AS NON-
MUSLIMS
Part 3. Duties in Respect of Manners
Chapter 1.
RELIGIOUS MANNERS
Chapter 2.
PERSONAL AND SOCIAL MANNERS
4
CONTENTS
BOOK THREE – DUTIES RELATING TO

THE SOCIETAL WHOLE
Part I. Duties of the Individual Towards the
Muslim Society
Chapter 1.
PREAMBLE: SOCIETY VIS-À-VIS THE INDIVIDUAL
Chapter 2.
DUTIES
Part 2. Duties of the Muslim Society Towards the
Individual
Chapter 1.
FUNDAMENTAL PRINCIPLES GOVERNING THE
MUSLIM SOCIETY AND THE ISLAMIC STATE
Chapter 2.
DUTIES
Part 3. The Penal Code
Chapter 1.
PUNISHMENTS PERTAINING TO THE INTERESTS OF
THE INDIVIDUAL
Chapter 2.
PUNISHMENTS RELATING TO THE INTERESTS OF
THE STATE
5
PAGE 6 - BLANK

“… and We have revealed unto you (O Muhammad)
the Book as an exposition of all things, and as a Guide,
a Mercy and Glad Tidings to the Muslims”.
(16:89)

PAGE 8 – BLANK
PREAMBLE
Chapter 1.
Chapter 2.
PAGE 10 – BLANK
PREAMBLE
Chapter 1.
1. NEED FOR A COMPREHENSIVE CODE OF LIFE:
Human life moves under the impact of different types of

conflicts. To start with: there exists a conflict between the individual’s
theoretical yearnings and that to an extent that the fulfillment of one
implies the frustration of another. For instance, in the field of Ethics,
the yearning for Knowledge implies ‘causality’ and ‘necessity’, while
the yearning for Morality affirms ‘freedom’; and, in the domain of
Metaphysics, the yearning for Knowledge demands the affirmation of
the principles of ‘unfolding’ and ‘immanence’, while the yearning for
Religion insists on accepting the validity of the principles of ‘creation’
and ‘transcendence’. Secondly, there is the problem of the emergence
of conflicts in the life of the individual at the instinctive level. For
instance, the parental instinct which forces the parents to behave
tenderly and affectionately towards the offspring stands in direct
conflict with the instinct of self-assertion which requires the adoption
of a stern attitude when the offspring commits an act of disobedience.
Thirdly, the instinctive nature of the individual comes into conflict
with his rational nature. Fourthly, the ideals embedded in the
individual’s rational nature may—and, its fact, do—come into conflict
VOLUME TWO
with one another. Fifthly, every individual is unique in respect of his

or her past experiences and environmental factors, and this uniqueness
becomes the breeding ground of conflicts between individual and
individual. Then, beyond the individual level, existence of conflicts
between the individual and the society is a fact of human life. Lastly,
the narrow racial, territorial and ideological loyalties and economic
interests of different communities and nations become sources of
conflicts which threaten the very existence of humanity, as they are
doing nowadays,—not to speak of the realization of the spiritual and
moral ideals.
In such a situation of manifold conflicts and of the dangers

involved in respect of realization of the highest human ideals, the
question emerges in the mind of every thoughtful and conscientious
person: “How ought I to behave to realize my ideals?” In other words:
“What should be the Code for determining my conduct?”
The Holy Qur’Én provides the answer to that all-important

question by imparting sure1 and complete2 guidance in all the different
problems of human life, including the metaphysical and ethical
problems with which philosophy deals, and a comprehensive and
genuine Moral Code.
Viewing the problem of the need for a Code from another angle:
It is the Code which imparts uniform pattern of behavior and the bond
of community to the group. It also creates optimistic outlook on life
and forms the sure ground for progress. Because, if the individuals
who constitute a group have a Code to govern their modes of
4
PREAMBLE
behavior, they will always have a genuine and firm basis for
reciprocal social responses.3 On the contrary, if a human group is
devoid of a Code with social reference, as we find in respect of the
Christian and the Greek pagan outlooks, the consequence shall be the
emergence of a pessimistic view of life along with all its resultant
evils.

2. BASIS OF SYSTEMATISATION OF THE QUR’ÓNIC

MORAL CODE ─ THE QUR’ÓNIC IDEAL:
The effort to systematize the Moral Code has passed through
several stages in the history of human thought. Among the ancients, it
was Aristotle who gave a classification that is based on the main
psychological aspects of human nature, viz., Knowing, Feeling and
Willing. The highest virtue pertaining to Knowing is Wisdom,
pertaining to Feeling is Temperance, and pertaining to willing is
Courage, while Justice governs them all. But the Greek mind does not
seem to have developed its moral consciousness properly,4 and that
because of the fact that, as the historical account of Greek civilization
available today shows, it was pagan in character and possessed no
proper conception of ‘personality’; whereas morality is inseparably
related to ‘personality’ and seems to have developed under the impact
of the teachings of revealed religions and not otherwise.5
Among the philosophers of the modern age, it was Kant who

made an important contribution. But his emphasis on the form of the
Moral Law as the standard of morality and his attitude of leaving the
5
VOLUME TWO
contents of that Law to be traced from the established morality and the
moral situation did not provide much lead in respect of the Moral
Code, though the importance of his contribution to Moral Philosophy
cannot be denied without injustice. Kent did furnish us with a
classification of duties in order to complete his ethical system. But,
the Code prescribed by him is through and through ideational and
individualistic in character, because it does not attach importance to
the duties of the moral agent towards the societal whole, nor is there
any reference to the duties of the societal whole to its parts. This
appears to be due to his limitation that he was born and lived in
Christian environment,—the Christian point of view being that man’s
socio-cultural yearnings are inherently incompatible with his
spirituao-moral yearnings.
What, then, is the basis of systematization of the Qur’Énic Moral

Code? Answer to this question necessitates the statement of the
Qur’Énic Ideal, which emerges in the following terms:
The Qur’Én places equal emphasis on the sensate and the

transcendental yearnings of man6 and harmonizes them; and thus it
lays down for humanity a comprehensive Ideal, which consists in the
cultivation of: (1) Holiness based on a dynamic, vibrant and living
faith in God, an earnest and courageous pursuit of Truth, and an ever
present consciousness of Final Accountability; (2) sound and
comprehensive Morality; (3) social, economic and political Justice;
(4) Knowledge in all its dimensions; and (5) Aesthetic Grace,—all of
these resulting in the conquest of harmful propensities within the
individual, the conquest of evil within the society, and the conquest of
6
PREAMBLE
the physical environment, or, Nature. In the pursuit of this Ideal,

Holiness, Love for Humanity, Truth, Justice, Beauty, Discipline and
Progress are the watchwords, while the concept of Unity7 permeates
the entire movement towards the Ideal, and the motto of ‘simple
living, hard labour and high thinking’ forms the wheel of progress.

7
PREAMBLE
Chapter 2.
1. PRELIMINARY OBSERVATIONS
The function of the Code should be the realization of the Ideal

and the actualization of the norms that it implies.
Before we proceed to the structural constituents of

systematization, however, it is necessary to establish the Qur’Énic
point of view with respect to the concepts of ‘Duty’ and ‘Right’.
Duty and Right:
The Qur’Énic moral code is based on the emphasis on

‘obligation’ or ‘duty’ in contrast to the emphasis on ‘right’ (5:48;
etc.). Now, the implications of the emphasis respectively on duty and
right are:
Right is a right against someone. Duty is a duty towards

someone. Right means that someone else owes something to us. For,
when we say: ‘it is our right’, it means that someone has to perform a
duty to us. On the contrary when we say; ‘it is our duty’, it means that
someone has a right against us.
The emphasis on duty creates harmony in social life, because if

everyone were to concentrate on his or her duty, the emphasis on
PREAMBLE
grumbling for rights will naturally vanish. On the contrary, the

emphasis on rights creates strife, because if everyone were to think
about his rights on others, he would hardly have the mind to think of
his duties towards others. The immense increase in quarrels and strifes
between the different classes of human beings, as for instance,
between laborers and capitalists, and between races and nations,
which we find in the world today, is the direct outcome of the
emphasis on rights. As regards the political life in different countries,
the subjects or citizens clamor for their rights more than taking pains
for fulfilling their duties towards their fellow-beings, the state and the
country. Everyone tries thus to transfer blame to the shoulders of
others, and the confusion gets worse confounded. This state of affairs
will not improve unless the world adopts the Qur’Énic emphasis on
duty.
Then, the emphasis on duty creates unity among human beings,

because it is built up on the idea and the sentiment of sympathy,—
sympathy in the sense that in fulfilling our duty we have always to do
some positive good to someone in the world. On the contrary, the
emphasis on rights is conducive to disintegration and disunity among
human beings, because it is based on the idea of demanding some
thing from others. We all know that we feel happy when anyone gives
something to us, and most people feel unhappy and miserable when
anyone demands anything from them.
The Empire of Duties:
As to the classification of Duties: Since, according to the Holy
9
VOLUME TWO
Qur’Én, man is not merely a moral being but also a spiritual, physical,
rational and aesthetical being, as we shall shortly see, the fulfillment
of duties relating to all those aspects of the human personality is
necessary for the realisation of the Qur’Énic moral Ideal.
Now, since morality originates in the attitude that man takes

towards personality in his own being or in the being of others, the
moral duties should be classified basically as: (1) Duties to Self, and
(2) Duties to Others. And since the person who is nearest to the moral
agent is his own person, Duties to Self should come first and the
Duties to Others thereafter.
The question may now be raised: What is the relationship

between Duties to Self and Duties to Others?
If the problem is viewed in the light of the ideational cultural

philosophy, the two duties remain unconnected; because the point of
view there is individualistic. Their relationship can be affirmed only
on the basis of the Qur’Énic philosophy of idealistic, or integralistic,
culture which is based on the synthesis of the ideational and the
sensate, and which, consequently, stands for interdependent
relationship between morality and social life. Thus moral perfection of
the moral agent is conceived there with reference to the happiness of
others, which, in its turn, is possible only in terms of social welfare.

10
PREAMBLE
2. DUTIES TO SELF
Human Personality and its Functions:
According to the Holy Qur’Én, humanity emerged in Creation

primarily in the transcendental dimension of existence:
“We (God) said: ‘O Adam! Dwell you and your wife in the
Garden; and eat of the bountiful things therein as you wish; but
approach not this tree, or else you run into harm and transgression.”
(2:35).8
At that stage of existence itself, they possessed not only the

spiritual but also the rational and the aesthetical dimensions of
personality.
The spiritual dimension was there because of the very fact of the
transcendental nature of their existence.
The existence of the rational dimension has been affirmed thus:
“And He (i.e., God) taught Adam the nature of all things.” (2:
31).
The existence of the aesthetical dimension is established in the

very concept of the “Garden” where Adam and Eve lived in innocent
enjoyment.
Subsequently they fell victim to the Devil’s Deception. After that

they appeared in the physical world, which is spatio-temporal, as
physical and moral beings:
11
VOLUME TWO
“Then Satan caused them both (i.e., Adam and Eve) to deflect
therefrom and got them expelled from that in which they had been.
We (God) said: ‘Get you down all (i.e., let entire humanity commence
its descent from the then transcendental stage towards the spatio-
temporal, or, the physical, stage of existence),9 with the spirit of clash
between yourselves (that being the condition of all struggle, including
the moral). On earth (where you will stay with physical qualities
required for a physical environment) will be your dwelling place and
provision for a time (i.e., for the duration of each individual’s earthly
sojourn)’.” (2:36).
Hence, the human personality and its functions are to be

understood in the following terms:
1. The real human personality is spiritual in nature.
Besides 2:35, this fact is also corroborated by the following

verse, which speaks, not only of the existence of all human beings—
from the first to the last—at the dawn of Creation, but also of the
possession of Consciousness—self-consciousness as well as
consciousness of the Personality of God—and hence of personality,
which is based and built up on conscious, appreciative and non-
mechanical response to other personality or personalities:
“And recall that time (at the dawn of Creation and in the ‘world
of spirits’) when your Lord took from the children of Adam10 their
posterity from their back11, and made them testify as to themselves,
saying: ‘am I not your Lord?’ They said: ‘Yes we testify’12. (Thus was
the Covenant of Monotheism inscribed on every human Soul). That
12
PREAMBLE
was lest you should say on the Day of Resurrection: verily of this we
have been unaware.” (7:172).
Thus, because this event relates to the transcendental world and

conditions of transcendental existence, the transcendental, or spiritual
nature of the original, i.e., the real, human personality is thereby
established.
This fact is further affirmed by the following verses:
“And they ask you regarding the (human) Soul. Say: the Soul
proceeds from my Lord’s Amr, or, Command, created by Him, like
other things); and of knowledge you have been vouchsafed but little.
(Therefore, in spite of its intangibility, or non-physical character, do
not doubt its reality).” (17:85).
“Surely there came over Man a period of Time when he was not a
thing that could he spoken of (i.e., a thing tangible).” (76:1).
2. The earthly existence of every human being commences when

the human Soul, whose original abode is the transcendental world,
projects itself into spatio-temporal dimensions and takes on the
physical form, even as the personalities of Adam and Eve were
projected into the material world (2:36).13
The assumption, under the Command of God, of tangibility, i.e.,

physical form and function, after passing through different stages of
evolution, has been directly referred to thus:
“O Man! What has made you careless concerning your Lord, the
Bountiful?—Him Who created you, then fashioned you in due
13
VOLUME TWO
proportion, then wrought you in symmetry; (then) into whatever form

(or, figure) He willed, He constituted you.”14 (82:6-8).
3. Then, the human Soul, while retaining its transcendental

dimension, viz., function and activity, and centered in devotion to its
Source of Existence and Capabilities, namely, God, of Whom it is the
vicegerent (2:30), functions in four other dimensions also : namely,
physical, rational, moral and aesthetical.
4. Thus: the spiritual, the physical, the rational, the moral and the
aesthetical constitute the five dimensions of human personality, and
activity relating to all these five should be pursued in a balanced and
integrated manner, in order that the human personality may evolve
and function in a healthy form on the basis of healthy activity (al-
‘amal al-ÎÉleÍ)
“O you who believe! Enter into Submission wholly (i.e., adopt

the Way of Life consisting of total submission to the Will of God with
the totality of your life).” (2:208).
“For those who believe and practice al-ÎÉliÍÉt (i.e., engage in

healthy activity according to God’s Law and with comprehensiveness
and integration) is a reward that will never fail.” (41:8).
“… and healthy (or, righteous) activity does He exalt (thereby

raising the practiser of healthy activity, or, righteousness, to higher
and higher levels of his personality).” (35:10).15
5. Moral activity being thus a part of an empire of Activity,

which forms an organic Whole, it cannot be taken up with genuine
14
PREAMBLE
and rational enthusiasm, and cannot be pursued consequentially—

namely, cannot lead to the proper enrichment of the human
personality,—unless it is grounded in the very foundation of human
personality, which is spiritual in nature and transcendental in its reach
and scope, and also unless all the other aspects of human activity are
properly coordinated with it.
Such being the Qur’Énic view, it is necessary that the Qur’Énic

Moral Code should be viewed not only in the essentially moral
perspective but also in the background of those spiritual, physical,
intellectual and aesthetical duties that have a direct or indirect bearing
on the moral life of a human being—moral life as it is conceived in
the strict sense.
Categories of Duties to Self.
The above discussion leads us to the following five categories of

Duties to Self:
A. Duties as Spiritual Being:
1. Duties with reference to God:
• Duties of Commission;
• Duties of Omission.
2. Duties with reference to the Holy Prophet, (in whom God’s

Blessings and Peace abide!)
15
VOLUME TWO
3. Duties with reference to the Angels:
B. Duties as Physical Being:
C. Duties as Rational Being:
D. Duties as Aesthetical Being:
E. Duties as Moral Being:
The Spirituo-Moral Duties—Some Vital Facts:
Among the Duties to Self, besides the duties based on the earthly
environment of Man, the Holy Qur’Én has explicitly prescribed certain
duties which bear reference to the transcendental dimension of his
16
PREAMBLE
personality and may, therefore, be termed as spirituo-moral, or,

ethico-religious, duties. It says, for instance:
“Virtue does not consist in turning your faces towards the east
and the west (in direction-worship, which has formed part of the
practices of superstitious nations, including the Greeks, the Hindus
and the Christians), but virtue is of him who believes in Allah and the
Last Day and the Angels and the Book (i.e., the Divine Scripture) and
the Prophets; and gives of his wealth, for love of Him (i.e., from the
purest self-less motive), unto kindred and orphans and the needy and
the wayfarer and those who ask and for the emancipation of slaves;
and establishes Prayer; and pays the Poor-rate; and is of those who
perform their covenants when they have covenanted; and is of the
patient in adversity and affliction and time of violence. Such are those
who have proved themselves true (in their Faith). Such are the God-
fearing” (2:177).
Besides the essentially moral duties, this verse bears reference to

the spirituo-moral duties also; which, though they appear to stand in
the category of duties to others, are actually duties to Self—as we
shall shortly observe.
The function of such duties is to nourish the faith that the world
is a Moral Order, thereby continuously reinforcing the moral fibre of
human beings and furnishing the ground for moral struggle—indeed,
the sure ground; and they are to three types of personalities, viz., (1)
God, (2) the Holy Prophet Muhammad (Peace be on him!)16 and, (3)
17
VOLUME TWO
the Angels. With them may also be mentioned the duties of belief in
Divine Guidance and in the Life Hereafter.
Now, since the Holy Qur’Én affirms the existence of the personal
God, Who is the Possessor of all Perfection and Who undertakes to
lead His creatures to perfection adequate to them, duties to Him
become the foremost duties. However, those duties are, in the final
analysis, duties to Self because God being al-Îamad (112:2), He does
not stand in need of anything from anyone while the entire Creation
depends on Him for everything. Moreover, God being the ultimate
condition of the realisation of Man’s moral ideal, every duty to God is
really duty to Self.
Duties to the Holy Prophet Muhammad (the Divinely-Blessed)

originate, like the duties to God, in the Islamic Article of Faith itself;
and they have been laid down by the Qur’Én in the interest of the
Muslims themselves, because :
Firstly, he alone is the Leader who is to be followed

unconditionally. Thus the bond of loyalty to him is the bond of
integrity of the Islamic world-community.
[In that connection, it is necessary to emphasize that the ‘bond of

loyalty’ to the Holy Prophet Muhammad (Peace be on him!) resides in
absolute allegiance to him, which means that the association of
anyone else in that allegiance as a condition of faith in Islam—in
terms of conferring upon anyone, or accepting anyone’s claim to,
divinely-bestowed Authority, on the basis of prophetic status or any
status akin to it, in any sense whatsoever, is disbelief in the Prophet’s
18
PREAMBLE
status, and is regarded as disbelief in Islam itself, and that in spite of

otherwise absolute allegiance to the Holy Prophet Muhammad (Peace
be on him!)—expels a person from the fold of Islam in the same way
as when he associates anyone in any manner in the Godhood of
Allah.]
Secondly, he is the Model of Perfection whom every Muslim is

under obligation to imitate for advancement in his spiritual and moral
life. But to imitate him consequentially is not possible without
practicing love and respect for him, which has been prescribed as
duty.
Thirdly, he is the Medium through whom Divine Grace flows to

his followers17 in respect of their spiritual and moral purification
(62:3-4).
These facts necessitate the maintenance of a constant dutiful

attitude in terms of love and respect for him.
However, just as duties to God are really duties to Self, because

they involve the self-perfection of the moral agent, in the same
manner duties to the Holy Prophet (Peace be on him!) are really duties
to Self, because of the benefits that accrue to the person who fulfils
them.
As regards the Angels, they are, according to the Holy Qur’Én,

possessors of the attribute of personality18 (3:39, etc.). Also, they are
sinless (i.e., holy) beings and function as executors of Divine Will in
the universe (66:6). Thus, duties towards them19 appear to stand under
three categories, viz., (1) duty of belief in their existence; (2) duty of
19
VOLUME TWO
love for their sinless-ness; and (3) duty of respect for them as
functionaries of the Divine Order.
The duty of belief in the existence of the Angels forms a part of

the Islamic Creed, which means that it has a basic significance in the
Islamic system. The question might arise here, however, that moral
duty is duty of action and not of belief, and hence the duty of belief
should not be included here. But the fact is that the duty of belief in
the Angels is a duty of attitude and is actually a necessary pre-
requisite to the cultivation of purity in moral outlook on the basis of
which alone moral life can be Islamically pursued. Thus it comes
under the duty of the Moral Perfection of the Self. Also, this duty has
a reference to Divine Control in the life of humanity, which highlights
God’s function as the Moral Ruler of the world.
We learn from the Holy Qur’Én about two functions of the

Angels which bear a direct reference to our moral life, viz., bringing
the Revelations to the Prophets from God for the guidance of man—
Archangel Jibreel (Peace be on him!) being the chief functionary in
this respect (22:75; 2:97); and recording the deeds of human beings
for presentation to them on the Day of Judgment (82:10-12), when
virtue and vice shall be finally and comprehensively recompensed by
God.
It may be observed here in passing that belief in the Divine

Messengers and the Divine Scriptures, mentioned in the above-quoted
verse (2:177), and forming part of the Islamic Creed, bears reference
to the existence of the Law concerning the Guidance of Man as a
20
PREAMBLE
spiritual and moral being. Similarly, belief in the Life Hereafter has a
bearing on the moral life of man, as also on his spiritual life, being the
pre-requisite to the performance of the moral action with the purest
motive wherein all earthly considerations are transcended.
Before closing the discussion on the spirituo-moral duties, we

might discuss the question, which can possibly arise in certain minds:
Are those duties real and meaningful?
At the very outset, the answer is: They are, because, in the
Qur’Énic view of the cosmos, the transcendental plane of existence,
or, the Spiritual Realm of the Cosmos, is not a fantasy, or just a
regulative Idea, but a fact—and, for that matter, the basic fact.
The materialists hold to a naturalistic view of the universe. The

idealists affirm what might be termed as a psychicalistic view. The
Holy Qur’Én, in harmony with its integralistic approach and its
philosophy of Unity, affirms the reality of both the realms of the
cosmos, namely: (1) the realm governed by the Natural Law, or, the
Spatio-Temporal level of Reality;—we may also call it the
phenomenological level; and (2) the realm governed by the
Metaphysical Law, or, the Spaceless-Timeless level of Reality. And it
integrates both through the bond of the Unitary Divine Plan and
Purpose, which has brought into existence both of them and maintains
them within the framework of Unity.
Without going into the details of Qur’Énic cosmology: God’s

relationship with the cosmos as its Creator emerges in the Qur’Én at
two levels, i.e., the levels of al-Amr and al-Khalq,—both established
21
VOLUME TWO
and united under that Attribute of God which relates to cherishing,

nourishing, evolving and perfecting, i.e., al-Rabb: “… Lo! His is al-
Khalq and al-Amr. Blessed is Allah the Rabb of the worlds (i.e., the
entire cosmos).” (7:54).
Thus, the Creation began with God’s Amr: “The Originator of the
heavens and the earth; and whensoever He decrees an affair (Amr), He
only says to it ‘Be’ and it becomes. (Hence the origination of the
cosmos also took place as a result of Allah’s Command ‘Be’)”
(2:117). “His Amr (i.e., law of bringing something into existence) is
that when He intends a thing, He only says to it (by way of Command,
or, Amr): ‘Be’; and it becomes.” (36:82).
Hence, the first stage in the creation of the cosmos should be

affirmed in terms of ‘Becoming’. We may also call it the stage of
subtle existence, intangibility (as opposed to the tangibility of Matter),
and spacelessness-cum-timelessness.
Looking at the process of creation in the background of the

concept of evolution projected explicitly in the Qur’Én, we arrive at
the view of evolutionary creation, wherein—like the evolutionary
hypothesis in modern Science—we are led to the affirmation of the
‘Primeval Atom’ as the starting point, which functioned as the nucleus
and out of which grew the entire cosmos through an evolutionary
process;—even as we find it mentioned in the hadÊth quoted in the
foregoing footnote 17, wherein the concept of the ‘First Created Light
functioning as Nucleus’ has been projected.
22
PREAMBLE
As for the nature of the evolutionary process, it should be

conceived in the very nature of the case, in terms of progressive
decrease in subtle, refinement, intangibility and qualitative-ness, and
progressive increase in respect of concreteness, crystallization,
tangibility and quantitative-ness: on the basis of a progressive
crystallization of the process of al-Khalq, which implies the creation
of new objects from the existing materials. In other words, it must
have been a progress towards more and more profound ‘expression’.
This is what we understand from the Qur’Én as well as from Science.
Indeed, different things appear in the Qur’Én to have emerged

into dynamic existence at different stages of the evolutionary process.
Thus, there existed the Angels, the jinns and the human beings in that
pre-physical, or, transcendental, dimension of existence; and, among
them, the Angels and the jinns were there prior to the existence of the
human beings, as the Holy Qur’Én testifies (2:30-34). Then, according
to what we read in the holy book in plain terms, humanity was made
to appear before God in her transcendental, or, pre-earthly, dimension
of existence, to proclaim the Covenant of Monotheism (7:172),—
which means that human beings existed at that stage of Creation.
Similarly, the event of the ‘Covenant of the Prophets’ has been
mentioned therein to have occurred in that stage of Creation (3:81),—
which proves the existence of the Prophets at that stage.
All this means that a Realm of Created Beings and Things

became gradually established in respect of their essential or ideal
nature, even in the first stage of creation. But evolution was to
continue, and has continued, according to God’s Plan. However,
23
VOLUME TWO
because “Allah has set a measure (or, a scale of growth and

maturity—which enshrines its destiny) for every thing” (65:3), certain
things that had emerged from potentiality into actuality, had to stay in
the state they had acquired:—the Angels, for instance; while others
had to continue their evolutionary journey, finally emerging in the
Spatio-Temporal Order of Existence:—the human beings, for
instance.
However, we are not actually concerned here with the elaboration

of the Qur’Énic cosmology. Rather, the above discussion has been
undertaken to emphasize the following facts:
1. For the formalistic religious outlook, the worldview consists of

certain dogmas, which are there to be believed in dogmatically,
rather than to provide a dynamic, meaningful and comprehensive
approach to the Spiritual Reality. Such an outlook is barren, and
the Qur’Én does not endorse it.
2. The naturalistic outlook confines itself to the Physical Reality,

and it leads, even in the case of a believer in religion, to a
materialistic approach to life and its problems—at least, for all
practical purposes. The Qur’Én also affirms the Physical Reality,
giving a coherent and illuminating view of it—a view which is
receiving increasing support from the world of Science as
knowledge is advancing. However, it is conjoined therein to a
clear-cut view of the Transcendental Reality—both the views
forming thus one organic Whole.
24
PREAMBLE
3. The Qur’Énic view that emerges thereby is an Integralistic

Spiritual View of the Universe, wherein the spiritual, or, the
transcendental, has primacy over the physical, or, the spatio-
temporal, and which provides not merely a formal ground for
religious life but a sound vision as well as philosophy for
meaningfully cultivating a life dedicated to God and directed to
the realisation of the ultimate human destiny, which is essentially
spiritual,—that being the mission of Islam.
4. The essential human personality (al-RËÍ), called ‘the Soul’ in

common usage, belongs originally and basically to the
Transcendental Realm of Existence.
The human being is, therefore, essentially a spiritual being, and

should behave as such for his success.
5. Not only God, but the entire spiritual world created by Him, is
responsive to human spiritual quest. The spiritual quest, in its
turn, is of vital importance for the human being because of the
fact that he is essentially a spiritual being and, as such, can build
up his essential personality only through exercise in that
response.
6. The spiritual world plays the same role in the preservation and
development of the essential human personality (which has been
already emphasized time and again to be spiritual) as the physical
world plays in respect of the physical aspect of human existence.
There are numerous things in the physical environment of the

human being which contribute to his physical preservation and
25
VOLUME TWO
development,—they being of different grades, with the Sun at the

centre of the planets fulfilling the most basic role, and the others
standing next in importance in a descending order of merit.
Human beings have to remain in a state of contact and
communication with them in order to benefit from them, or, in
other words, to obtain the physical blessings placed in them by
God.
Similarly, there are things of different grades in the spiritual

world, or the Transcendental Realm, out of which the physical
world has emerged and through which it is controlled by God.
Those things contribute to the spiritual preservation and
development of the human being,—and, because the spiritual is
the essential, to his essential preservation and development.
Among them, the role of the Holy Prophet’s personality is most
basic in respect of a Muslim’s spiritual preservation and
development; while the roles of the Angels and the other spiritual
things in Creation stand thereafter. Contact with the spiritual
Blessings placed by God in the Holy Prophet’s personality is
obtained through the imitation of his Sunnah with the ideal of
acquiring greater and greater spiritual and moral purity, and the
exercise in ØalÉt and SalÉm with intense devotion; while contact
with the Spiritual Blessings placed by God in the Angels is
obtained through leading a life of spiritual and moral purity and
recitation of the Qur’Én.
Then, just as in the physical world there are forces of physical

destruction, or, forces of physical evil, similarly there are forces of
26
PREAMBLE
spiritual destruction, or, forces of spiritual evil, that influence the

spiritual life of human beings. The Qur’Én has commanded the
Muslims to avoid the former in the interest of their physical
preservation, and to shun the latter for ensuring their spiritual
preservation.
It is to be vehemently emphasized that Allah—and none else—is

the Creator and the Bestower of all Blessings, whether physical or
spiritual. But, His Blessings flow to the human beings, not in a
vacuum, but through the physical and the spiritual objects that He
has created for that purpose.
To confer divinity on any of those objects, even indirectly, is the

worst form of infidelity to God; while to refuse to benefit from
them is the worst form of ungratefulness to Him.
7. Communion with God, and communication, in terms of the

establishment of spiritual contact, with the Holy Prophet (Peace
be on him!), with the Angels and with the spiritual verities in
general, emerge, in the final analysis, as active sources of light
and energy for the meaningful pursuit of Religion, in contrast to
adherence to religious verities in lifeless formalism. In
consequence, ‘Duties to the Holy Prophet’ and ‘Duties to the
Angels’ assume vital importance for the spiritual development of
a Muslim’s personality.
Finally, we may recall what Dr. Sir Muhammad Iqbal, the Rumi
of the modern age and the greatest Islamic thinker of the present
century of Islamic era, said more than four decades ago: “Humanity
27
VOLUME TWO
needs three things today—a spiritual interpretation of the universe,

spiritual emancipation of the individual, and basic principles of a
universal import directing the evolution of human society on a
spiritual basis. Modern Europe has, no doubt, built idealistic systems
on these lines; but experience shows that truth revealed through pure
reason is incapable of bringing that fire of living conviction which
personal revelation alone can bring. This is the reason why pure
thought has so little influenced men while religion has always elevated
individuals, and transformed whole societies. The idealism of Europe
never became a living factor in her life, and the result is a perverted
ego seeking itself through mutually intolerant democracies whose sole
function is to exploit the poor in the interests of the rich. Believe me,
Europe to-day is the greatest hindrance in the way of man’s ethical
development.”
Unfortunately, the formalistic religious outlook that has emerged

among the Muslims in the present age of their spiritual, moral and
overall degeneration, has been progressively leading to the
unconscious acceptance of the naturalistic and, for all practical
purposes, materialistic, view of the human being as a mere ‘superior
animals’, to the forgetfulness of the fact that he is essentially—i.e., in
his origin, being and destiny—a ‘spiritual being’ whose nature was
created by God, according to the explicit and unambiguous verdict of
the Qur’Én, in terms of His vicegerency, through the infusion of what
He names as ‘My spirit’ (RËÍ) (15:29; etc.), and to the view of the
Angels as mere “forces of Nature”—in the sense of naturalistic forces.
In such a view of the human being and of the Angels, very naturally
28
PREAMBLE
the Holy Prophet is also regarded as nothing more than a ‘good man’,
a ‘great leader’ and a ‘divine postman’; and any description of the
transcendental dimension of his august personality appears to the
upholders of that view as nothing less than superstition, even though
they overthrow in this process of thinking the spiritual foundations of
the Qur’Énic world-view which the profoundest Islamic theological
thinkers down to Shah Waliullah took the greatest pains to preserve
during the ages that have elapsed since the Qur’Énic Revelation.
Duties to Animals, Plants and Things-as Duties to Self:
We may also refer here to duties towards animals, plants, and

things, to which the Holy Qur’Én has referred implicitly, while in the
×adÊth they have been mentioned explicitly. They seem to fall under
the category of duties to Others. But they are basically duties to Self in
so far as they relate to the maintenance of the purity of our moral tone.
They have, therefore, been dealt with in the Appendix to the ‘Duties to
Self’.

3. DUTIES TO OTHERS
The obligatoriness of duties to Others is to be conceived in their

two-fold origin: (1) in human shortcomings at the different stages of
life, which necessitate assistance by other human beings; and (2) in
the inherent social nature of human life.20 Indeed, the individual and
the society are mutually related and interdependent, and the
individual’s realisation of moral good is not conceivable, according to
the Qur’Énic view, without reference to the societal whole.
29
VOLUME TWO
Now, viewing the human personality in its two basic aspects, i.e.,
the empirical and the rational, duties to Others split up into two
categories with regards to the ends that they should serve,—namely:
(1) Duties relating to ‘Happiness’, or, Material Well-being; (2) Duties
relating to ‘Moral Perfection’—meant actually to ensure Spiritual and
Moral Preservation and Advancement.
Viewed with reference to those who are to be served by these

duties, two basic categories emerge, namely: (1) Individualistic duties,
or, duties to other individuals as individuals; (2) Collectivistic duties,
or, duties relating to the Societal Whole.
As regards ‘Duties to Other Individuals’, they may be viewed

basically in two perspectives: (1) other individuals in general, and (2)
other individuals as related to the moral agent through specified
functional relationships. Then, the other individuals may be
Muslims—and that would form the primary reference,—and as such
they have to be treated as members of the Islamic social order. Also,
there may be—in fact, there are—the non-Muslims who, in the first
instance, cannot be regarded properly as members of the Islamic
social order, even though they may be living in an Islamic state; and,
secondly, there may be among them persons belonging to different
categories: for example: (1) non-Muslims who are friendly towards
Muslims and tolerant towards Islam; (2) non-Muslims who are simply
indifferent to Muslims and Islam; and (3) non-Muslims who are
hostile to Muslims and Islam.
30
PREAMBLE
Islam prescribes duties towards all the above categories of other

individuals, laying down certain duties that are based on the concept
that all human beings have certain inviolable rights as human beings
and that absolute justice must be practised towards all; and giving
another set of duties, in addition, relating to the specified areas of
relationships.

4. DUTIES RELATING TO THE SOCIETAL WHOLE
Duties relating to the Societal Whole split up into two categories,

namely: (1) Duties to the Societal Whole; and (2) Duties of the
Societal Whole.
With reference to Duties to the Societal Whole, the Holy Qur’Én

has commanded thus:
“And hold fast, all together, by the Covenant of Allah (Íabl-

AllÉh), and be not split up among yourselves.” (3:102).
The word Íabl, translated here as Covenant, means primarily a

rope or a cord, and hence a cause of union or a Covenant which
renders one responsible for the safety of a person or a thing. (Lane’s
Lexicon).
The Íabl-AllÉh (Covenant with God) is, abstractly, allegiance to

the objectives of al-DÊn, or, the Way of Collective Obedience to God,
and, concretely, loyalty to the Islamic Society through loyalty and
devotion to its Founder and Leader, the Holy Prophet Muhammad
31
VOLUME TWO
(Peace be on him!), which loyalty should manifest itself basically in

doing utmost to preserve the unity, the solidarity and the social, moral
and spiritual health of the Islamic society. Hence the Duties to the
Societal Whole.
Similarly, the Duties of the Societal Whole towards the Individual

have been emphasized in the Holy Qur’Én; for instance, in the
following verse which bears comprehensive reference to the spiritual,
economic, moral and social welfare of the individuals:
“(Muslims are) those who, if We establish them in the land, set

up regular Prayer and give regular charity, enjoin what is right and
forbid what is wrong …” (22:41).
Now, every organized Societal Whole takes, whenever and

wherever possible, the form of the State, which, as an institution, is an
indispensable means for the realisation of the social ideal. As regards
its structural ethics, the following observations may be made.
Organisation of the Societal Whole as a state gives rise to sub-

ordination and super-ordination, wherein the foremost duty of the sub-
ordinate becomes obedience to the super-ordinate (4:59) and of the
super-ordinate to administer the state through coercive authority, or,
al-AmÉrah (mentioned in 4:59),—and that in the interest of the sub-
ordinate.21 Besides the multifarious dimensions of positive
administration, the duty of punishing offenders for all cognizable
offences against life, honor, property, and ensuring the spiritual, moral
and economic well-being of the people, also devolves on the super-
ordinate. Then, a further duty of the super-ordinate is that of
32
PREAMBLE
preserving or reclaiming, as the case may be, the autonomy of the

state against internal turmoil and external aggression, and for that
purpose to wage war against all hostile forces.
An important fact should be noted here with respect to the State-

Authority. The Holy Prophet Muhammad (Peace be on him!) is the
founder of the Islamic society, as also of the Islamic state. As such,
and as the Medium of Obedience to God—indeed, as the
representative par excellence of the Authority of God on earth, he is
the Super- Leader of the Islamic state for all time (4:80; etc.). Hence
no State-Authority can claim Islamically the right of obedience to
itself except as the representative of the Holy Prophet (Peace be on
him!).22
Note on Penal Code:
In the perspective of the super-ordinate’s duty of punishing

offenders of the Law, mentioned in the foregoing, emerges the Penal
Code, to which we have devoted a separate section. As to the Qur’Énic
Philosophy of Punishment, readers should refer to Volume 1, Book II,
Chapter IV of the present book, where we have come to the following
conclusion:
“Viewing the Qur’Énic punishments in the light of ethics, the

punishments relating to fornication, adultery and homosexuality are
reformative in the sense that they imply the spiritual purification of
the offenders; the punishments prescribed for theft, robbery and
treason are of deterrent character; and the punishment in respect of
murder is based on retribution which is tempered with mercy (2:178).
33
VOLUME TWO
The guiding light in all cases, however, is the procurement of spiritual

good of the individuals concerned and of the society.”
Note on Tabligh23:
The word tabligh means ‘to reach out the Message’. As a term it
means ‘propagation of the Message of Islam’.
The Holy Qur’Én has given to it the status of an institution

(3:104, etc.) and has ordained it as an important societal duty.
This duty has been conceived to function at two levels, i.e.,

within the Islamic social order, and outside the Islamic social order,
where entire humanity comes under its purview.
The ends it serves are: (1) preservation, (2) development, and (3)
perpetuation of the Islamic Community—and that in service to the
cause of humanity (3:110).
The dimensions of this duty are:
1. education of new generations of Muslims in Islam;
2. improvement in Islamic knowledge and inspiration of the

grown-up Muslims;
3. dissemination of the knowledge of Islam among non-

Muslims—all the non-Muslims of the world wherever they
may be found—in order that they may know the Divine
Message that has come for them, and those among them
who are seriously dedicated to Truth may accept it for their
own good; while, in the case of others, correct knowledge
34
PREAMBLE
about Islam may dissipate their ignorance and the

consequent misunderstandings, finally bringing about
among them goodwill for Islam—which, in itself, forms
a genuine contribution to the promotion of inter-communal
and international goodwill.
Thus, tabligh stands out as a duty towards other individuals in

respect of their spiritual and moral progress.
Also, it contributes simultaneously to the spiritual and moral

development of the persons who undertake it, and thus it becomes a
duty to Self.
Its role, however, as a collectivistic or societal duty, remains

supreme. Indeed, from that point of view, it stands out as the foremost
duty without which the very existence of Islam becomes jeopardized.
As the Holy Qur’Én affirms, the Islamic Community is meant to

continue to exist for all time—up to the Last Day. This is in the very
nature of the case, because the Holy Prophet Muhammad (Peace be on
him!) is the last and final Divine Messenger, and the Muslims are the
last divinely-raised religious Group. As such, disappearance of the
Islamic Community at any time in human history is not conceivable.
But, the dissipation of the energies of communities and nations—both
ideological and non-ideological—being the Law of History, one of the
most important instruments for keeping the Islamic community alive
and functioning genuinely and truly is the repeated infusion of fresh
blood into the body-politic of Islam. This has already happened in
Islamic history, as, for instance, when towards the end of the Abbaside
35
VOLUME TWO
period, the Muslim world began to show signs of lassitude and

weakness, the conversion of the Turko-Tartars revitalized the Islamic
community to an extent that it could maintain its glory for several
centuries more. The same seems to be the crying need today. But this
need cannot be fulfilled without resort to an enlightened, dynamic and
multi-dimensional movement in the field of tabligh, and not just a
ritualistic or professional performance.

5. MANNERS24
Manners may be defined as apparent modes of behavior in

relation to others, and may be evaluated as small coins of virtue.
The Qur’Énic point of view; as emphasized already, is social.

Consequently, in the Qur’Énic moral code we find as much emphasis
on manners as on morals; perhaps more, because indifference to
manners may nullify a virtue itself.
This is evident from the Qur’Énic emphasis on the manners to be

observed in the performance of one of the highest virtues in relation to
others, viz., charity:
“O you who believe! Make not your charity worthless by laying

an obligation and by hurt…” (3:264).
It is also evident from what has been said in connection with the
manners to be observed in the presence of the Holy Prophet
Muhammad (Peace be on him!):
36
PREAMBLE
“O you who believe! Raise not your voices above the voice of the
Prophet, nor speak aloud to him in talk as you may speak aloud to one
another, lest your (good) deeds become vain and you perceive not.”
(49:2).
Coming to classification: In conformity with the comprehensive

nature of the Qur’Énic moral code, the Qur’Énic duties in respect of
manners belong to two categories: (1) those relating to religious
manners, and (2) those relating to social manners.

37
BOOK ONE - DUTIES TO SELF

Part 1. Duties as Spiritual Being
Chapter 1.
DUTIES WITH REFERENCE TO GOD
Chapter 2.
DUTIES TO THE HOLY PROPHET
Chapter 3.
DUTIES TO THE ANGELS
Part 2. Duties as Physical Being
EXPOSITION
Part 3. Duties as Rational Being

EXPOSITION
Part 4. Duties as Aesthetical Being
Chapter 1.
PRELIMINARY OBSERVATIONS
Chapter 2.
DUTIES
Part 5. Duties as Moral Being
Chapter 1.
DUTIES OF OMISSION
Chapter 2.
DUTIES OF COMMISSION
PART 1. DUTIES AS SPIRITUAL BEING
Chapter 1.
Duties with reference to god
1. Duties of Respect;
2. Duties of Love.
ENDS:
(a) Objective:
Maintenance of a constant attitude of Respect and Love towards

God for acquiring the Blessings of Divine Pleasure (RiÌwÉn
AllÉh) and Divine Love (×ubb AllÉh),
As it has been said in the Holy Qur’Én:
Arabic text
“… seeking Grace from Allah and (His) Good Pleasure …”

(48:29).
Also:
Arabic text
“… whom He will love, and they will love Him …” (5:57).
(b) Subjective:
Creating in the moral agent:

VOLUME TWO
1. Purity of will, leading to possible ‘holiness’ in the measure it

may relate to human personality, as it has been said:
Arabic text
“And whosoever believes in Allah, He guides his heart

(aright).” (64:11).
2. Stability in, and enthusiasm for, the pursuit of moral struggle,

as we are told:
Arabic text
“… And he who rejects false deities and believes in Allah has

grasped a firm handhold which will never break. Allah is
Hearer, Knower.” (2:256).

(l) DUTIES OF RESPECT
(a) Duties of Commission
(1) Cultivation of genuine and complete Faith in God and its

inner realisation enjoined:
Arabic text
“O you who believe! Believe (with all the richness of belief) in

Allah25 and His Messenger, and the Scripture which He has sent
to His Messenger and the Scripture which He sent to those
before (him). Any who denies Allah, His Angels, His Books,
40
BOOK I. - DUTIES TO SELF
His Messengers and the Day of Judgment, has gone far far
astray.”26 (4:136).
(2) Faith in the Unity of God—perfect monotheism—implying

indivisible loyalty to Him, enjoined:
Arabic text
“That is Allah, your Lord! There is no God but He, the Creator
of all things: then worship Him (alone).” (6:102).
Arabic text
“… and your God is One God, so unto Him submit (wholly and
solely).” (22:34).
(3) Maintenance of the attitude of respect for God enjoined:
Arabic text
“Verily those who believe and work righteousness, and humble

themselves before their Lord, they will be Companions of the
Garden, to dwell therein for ever.” (11:23).
(4) Cultivation of the fear of Displeasure of God and of the

Final Accountability by Him, enjoined:
Arabic text
“O you who believe! Fear Allah27 as He should be feared, and

die not save as those who have surrendered (unto Him).”
(3:102).
Arabic text
41
VOLUME TWO
“It is only the devil that suggests to you the fear of his votaries:
Be not afraid of them, but fear Me, if you have faith.” (3:175).
Arabic text
“… except those that are bent on wickedness; so fear them not,

but fear Me…” (2:150).
Arabic text
“And for such as had entertained the fear of standing before

their Lord’s (tribunal) (on the Day of Judgment)28 and had
restrained (their) souls from lower Desires, their Abode will be
the Garden.” (79:40-41).
(5) Cultivation of Obedience to God enjoined:
Arabic text
“O you who believe! Obey Allah…”29 (4:59).
Arabic text
“O you who believe! Give your response to (i.e., obey) Allah

and His Messenger, when He calls you to that which will give
you life;… ”30 (8:24).
Arabic text
“… and stand before Allah in a devout (frame of mind).”31

(2:238).
Arabic text
42
“Turn unto your Lord repentant, and surrender unto Him,

before there comes unto you the torment, and then you shall not
be helped.”32 (39:54).
Arabic text
“O mankind! worship your Lord,33 Who has created you and

those before you, so that you may ward off (evil).”34 (2:21).
(6) Cultivation of trust in God’s goodness, mercy and help

enjoined:
Arabic text
“Is one who worships devoutly during the hours of night

prostrating himself or standing (in adoration), who takes heed
of the Hereafter, and who places his hope in the Mercy of his
Lord—(like one who does not)? Say: ‘Are those equal, those
who know and those who do not know? It is those who are
endued with understanding that receive admonition.” (39:9).
Arabic text
“Lo! those who believe and those who suffer exile (in defense
of Truth) and strive and struggle in the path of Allah, they (i.e.,
such true Muslims) have hope of Allah’s mercy; and Allah is
Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.” (2:218).
Then there is the command:
Arabic text
“… and on Allah (i.e., in Allah’s goodness, mercy and help) put
43
VOLUME TWO
your trust if you are believers.” (5:26).
(7) Affirmation of one’s dependence on God: Prayer to Him,

enjoined:
Arabic text
“And your Lord has said: Call on Me, I will answer your
prayer. Verily those who are stiff-necked against My worship
(i.e., against acknowledging Me as their Lord and Benefactor),
will enter hell in humiliation.” (40:60).
Arabic text
“Call on your Lord with humility and in secret: Lo! Allah loves
not those who trespass beyond (rational and respectful) limits.”
(7:55).
Arabic text
“… and call on Him with fear and longing (in your hearts): for
the Mercy of Allah is (always) near to those who do good (to
others).” (7:56).
(8) Seeking Help and Grace from God, the Possessor and the
Source of all Power, enjoined:
Says the Holy Qur’Én:
Arabic text
“… seek help from Allah… ” (7:128).
44
Now, help should be sought basically from God alone. Muslims

have been commanded to pray to God in these words:
Arabic text
“You (alone) do we worship, and of You (alone) do we seek

help.” (1:4).
Again:
Arabic text
“and ask Allah of His Grace … ” (4:32).
And this seeking of Grace from God is a constant attribute of the

life of a Muslim:
Arabic text
“You will see them bow and prostrate themselves (in prayer)
seeking Grace from Allah and (His) Good pleasure…” (48:29).
(9) Seeking Guidance from God, the Possessor and Source of

all Knowledge, enjoined:
It is a duty of every Muslim to pray to God for guidance in the

following words:
Arabic text
“Guide us (O Allah) unto the path straight…” (1:5).
(10) Following the Divine Guidance revealed in the Holy

Qur’Én, enjoined:
Arabic text
45
VOLUME TWO
“Follow the Revelation given unto you (in the Holy Qur’Én)
from your Lord …” (7:3).
(11) Showing respect to God by believing in all the Messengers

and all the Scriptures sent by Him for the guidance of man,
enjoined:
Arabic text
“So believe in Allah and (all) His Messengers,” (3:179).
Arabic text
“(Muslims are those) who believe in the Revelation sent to you

(O Muhammad), and that which was sent before you…” (2:4).
(b) Duties of Omission :
(1) Attributing any quality to God which is profane and

blasphemous, prohibited:
Arabic text
“The most excellent Names belong to Allah: so call on Him by

them; and shun the company35 (and the blasphemies) of those
who use profanity in His names. They will be repaid for what
they do.” (7:180).
(2) Associating any partner with God and limiting His

uniqueness and supremacy in any manner, prohibited:
Arabic text
46
“And worship Allah and associate not anything with Him

(either in His Person or in His Attributes).” (4:36).
Arabic text
“And call not, besides Allah, on another god. There is no god

but He …” (28:88).
(3) Saying anything concerning God without the authority of

Revelation, prohibited:
Arabic text
“Say: The things that my Lord has indeed forbidden are:

shameful deeds, whether open or secret; sins and trespasses
against truth or reason; assigning of partners to Allah, for which
you are given no authority; and saying about Allah of which you
have no knowledge.” (7:33)
(4) Disobedience to and arrogance in respect of God,

prohibited:
Arabic text
“… and they (i.e., the Believers) are not arrogant (in respect of
worshipping Allah).” (32:15).
Arabic text
“But he who is greedy miser and deems himself free from need
(of Allah), and gives the lie to the Best (i.e., dishonors Truth),
We will indeed make for him smooth the Path to Misery.”
(92:8-10).
47
VOLUME TWO
Again:
Arabic text
“If anyone disobeys (the Commands of) Allah and His

Messenger, he is indeed on a clearly wrong Path.” (33:36).
(5) Despairing of the Mercy of God prohibited:
Arabic text
“…and never give up hope of Allah’s Soothing Mercy: truly no

one despairs of Allah’s Soothing Mercy except those who have
no Faith.” (12:87).
Arabic text
“Say: O My Servants who have transgressed against their souls!

despair not of the Mercy of Allah, for Allah forgives all sins:
verily He is Oft-Returning, Most Merciful.” (39:53).
(6) Believing in superstitions and seeking help from

superstitious objects, thereby indirectly insulting God,36
prohibited:
Arabic text
“… so shun the abomination of idols (i.e., evils of idolatrous

practices).” (22:30).
Arabic text
“O you who believe! Intoxicants and games of chance (i.e., all

forms of gambling), and stone altars37 and (divination by)
48
arrows,38 are an abomination,—of Satan’s handiwork: shun it

therefore, that you may prosper.” (5:93).
Arabic text
“It is not Allah Who has instituted (superstitions like those of) a
slit-ear she-camel, or a she-camel let loose for free pasture, or
idol sacrifices for twin-births in animals, or stallion-camels
freed from work. It was blasphemers who invented a lie against
Allah, and most of them lack wisdom.”39 (5:103).
(7) Magic, being evil practice and opposed to godliness,

condemned: hence to abstain from it is duty:
Speaking of the practice of magic by the Jews, the Holy Qur’Én

says:
Arabic text
“… and they could harm none thereby (i.e., with their Magic)
save by Allah’s Will (i.e., in accordance with His laws). And
they (i.e., the Jews) have learnt that which harms them
(spiritually and morally), and profits them not; and assuredly
they knew (from their Scripture) that the buyers of Magic
would have no share in the happiness of the Hereafter.” (2:102).

(2) DUTIES OF LOVE
49
VOLUME TWO
(a) Duties of Commission:
(1) Seeking in all actions the Pleasure of God, Who is the

Moral Sovereign of the Universe, enjoined:
Arabic text
“And of mankind is he (i.e., the true Muslim) who would sell

(even) his life to earn the Pleasure of Allah. And Allah is full of
kindness to His devotees.” (2:207).
Nay: a true Muslim, in his highest spiritual effort, goes even

beyond, and seeks God Himself;
Arabic text
“… and (the righteous) have in their minds no favor from

anyone for which a reward is expected in return, but only the
yearning to seek the Countenance of their Lord Most High.”
(92:19-20).
(2) Cultivation of Gratefulness to God enjoined:
Arabic text
“… and express gratefulness to Allah, if it is (indeed) He

Whom you worship.” (2:172).
Arabic text
“… and be grateful for the favor of Allah …” (16:114).
(3) Cultivation of sincere devotion to God enjoined:
Arabic text
50
“… so serve Allah offering Him sincere devotion;…” (39:2).
(4) Steadfastness in devotion to God enjoined:
Arabic text
“… and hold fast by Allah (without swerving)! He is your

Patron: an excellent Patron and an excellent Helper.” (22:78).
Arabic text
“… Your God is One God: so stand true to Him…” (41:6).
Arabic text
“Verily those who say: ‘Our Lord is Allah’, and remain

steadfast thereto, on them shall be no fear, nor shall they
grieve.” (46:13).
(5) Seeking nearness to God, the Source of all Goodness and

Holiness, enjoined:
(a) through turning penitently unto Him:
Arabic text
“And turn penitently unto your Lord and submit unto Him
before there comes unto you the torment, and then you shall not
be succored.”40 (39:54).
(b) through seeking ardently the means of approach:
Arabic text
51
VOLUME TWO
“O you who believe! fear Allah and seek the means of approach
unto Him and strive with might and main in His cause: that you
may prosper.”41 (5:38).
(c) through detaching from worldly things and engaging in

remembrance of and communion with Him:
Arabic text
“And remember the name of your Lord, and devote yourself to

Him with an exclusive devotion.42 Lord of the East and the
West! No God is there but He. Take Him therefore for (your)
Disposer of Affairs.” (73:8-9).
Arabic text
“Therefore remember Me, I will remember you …” (2:152).
Arabic text
“O you who believe! Remember Allah with much remembrance

and glorify Him early and late.” (33:41-42).
Arabic text
“… and celebrate His praise.” (25:58).
Arabic text
“And remember your Lord in your (very) soul, with humility

and in reverence, without loudness in word, in the mornings and
evenings; and be not of those who are neglectful (of Allah’s
remembrance).”43 (7:205).
52
This remembrance should take the form of regular prayers also:
Arabic text
“Verily I! I am Allah! no God there is but I; so worship Me and

establish regular prayer for My remembrance.” (20:14).
These regular, or, obligatory, prayers should be performed

punctually at the appointed times:44
Arabic text
“Verily regular prayers are enjoined on the Believers at fixed

times.” (4:103).
The regular prayers are to be followed (and preceded) by as much

remembrance of God as possible and practicable:
Arabic text
“Then when you have finished the prayer, remember Allah,

standing and sitting and lying on your sides …” (4:103).
Also, besides the regular and repeated daily communion and

constant remembrance of Allah during the normal waking hours of the
day and the night, devoted Muslims should sacrifice their comfort
during the sleeping hours of the night, according to their individual
capacity, for communion with their Lord:
Arabic text
“Only those believe in Our revelations who, when they (i.e. the
revelations) are recited to them, fall down in adoration and
celebrate the praises of their Lord, and they are not puffed up
53
VOLUME TWO
with pride. Their limbs do forsake their beds of sleep (while yet
there is night), the while they call on their Lord, in Fear and
Hope, and of that wherewith We have provided them they
spend (for the welfare of others).” (32:15-16).
Indeed, the ‘Servants of God’ are:
Arabic text
“… those who spend the night in adoration of their Lord,

prostrate and standing …” (25:64).
(6) Cultivation of Love45 for God enjoined:
Allah is the Loving One (al-WadËd)46 and the cultivation of, and
absorption in, His love forms the highest pursuit of a Muslim. The
Holy Qur’Én speaks of the true Believers as “a people whom Allah
loves and they love Him.” (5:54).
It is a relationship which is cultivated through right belief and

right conduct:
Arabic text
“Verily those who believe and work deeds of righteousness, for

them (Allah) Most Gracious will appoint (in this world as well
as in the next) Love (i.e., His own love and the love of fellow-
creatures).” (19:96).
This relationship is consciously and assiduously cultivated at a

level where it surpasses a Muslim’s love for everything else:
Arabic text
54
“… but the Believers are strongest in love for Allah.” (2:165).
It forms the highest achievement for a Muslim, gives the

direction to his will, and functions as the motivating force—equally
with ‘fear of God’—for all the actions of his life.
(b) Duties of Omission
(1) Following lusts of the heart, thereby incurring God’s

Displeasure, prohibited:
Arabic text
“… and follow not the lusts (of your heart) that it beguile you
from the Way of Allah. Lo! those who wander from the Way of
Allah have an awful doom, for as much as they forgot the Day
of Reckoning.” (38:26).
(2) Ungratefulness to God, prohibited:
Arabic text
“… and unto Me give thanks, and be not ungrateful to Me.”

(2:152).
(3) Behaving disloyally (as opposed to, sincere devotion) to

God, prohibited:
Arabic text
“O you who believe! be not disloyal to (or, betray not the trust
of) Allah …” (8:27).
55
VOLUME TWO
(4) Worshipping false gods, whether those of the polytheists

and idol-worshippers or those that reside within the human
self, prohibited:
Arabic text
“And assuredly We sent among every people a Messenger (with

the Command:) ‘Serve God, and eschew Evil and shun false
gods’47.” (16:36).
(5) Fickle-mindedness in respect of faith in God’s Goodness,

condemned: hence to abstain from it is duty:
Arabic text
“And of mankind is he who worships Allah, as it were, on the

verge: if there befalleth him good, he is contented therewith;
but if there befalls him a trial, he turns round on his face; he
loses the world and the Hereafter: that indeed is a loss
manifest.” (22:11).
(6) Allowing pre-occupation with and engrossment in worldly

things to stand in the way of God’s remembrance,
prohibited:
Arabic text
“O you who believe! let not your riches or your children—the

two worldly things having a wide range of engrossment—divert
you from the remembrance of Allah. And whosoever does that,
the loss is their own”. (63:9).
56
(7) Lack of earnestness in prayers and in the remembrance of

God in general, condemned as the way of the Hypocrites:
hence abstinence from it is duty:
Arabic text
“… (The Hypocrites) when they stand up in prayer, stand

without earnestness, making a show to the people, and they
remember not Allah but little.” (4:142).
(8) Befriending the forces of evil, thereby violating our duty of

love for God, condemned:
Arabic text
“Whosoever befriends Satan (who represents all the forces of

evil), instead of Allah, has of a surety suffered a loss that is
manifest.” (4:119).
This is so because:
Arabic text
“… Satan’s wish is to lead them astray far away (from the

Right).” (4:60).
(9) Loving any object of worldly life in preference to love for

God, severely condemned: hence abstinence from it is duty:
Arabic text
“Say (O Muhammad! to the Muslims): If your fathers, and your

sons, and your brothers, and your mates, and your kindred, and
the wealth you have acquired, and the commerce in which you
57
VOLUME TWO
fear a decline, and the dwellings in which you delight—(these)

are dearer to you than Allah, or His Messenger, or the striving
in His cause: then wait until Allah brings about His decision:
and Allah guides not the rebellious.” (9:24).

58
Chapter 2.
Duties TO THE HOLY PROPHET 48
1. Duties of Respect;
2. Duties of Love.
ENDS:
(a) Objective
Maintenance of the attitude of obedience and loyalty through the

constant cultivation of respect and love for the Teacher and Exemplar
of Qur’Énic morals, in order to be able to act enthusiastically on the
Qur’Énic Moral Code.
(b) Subjective
Maintenance of assurance, through the remembrance of the

Example of the Holy Prophet (Peace be on him), in respect of his
personal conduct and his achievements in the moral domain, so that
the moral ideal set forth by the Holy Qur’Én is realizable.
We have seen in the foregoing that Love for God is a Muslim’s

highest pursuit and the highest duty. In that connection, the Holy
Qur’Én states further that this love should manifest itself in loyally
following and imitating the communicator and exemplar of God’s
Guidance for mankind, namely, the Holy Prophet Muhammad (Peace
be on him). It says:
Arabic text
VOLUME TWO
“Say (O Muhammad)! If you do love Allah, follow me (and

build up your moral and spiritual life on my model): Allah will
love you and forgive you your sins: For Allah is Oft-Forgiving,
Most Merciful.” (3:31).
Following and imitating the Holy Prophet (Peace be on him) is

not possible, however, without maintaining the attitudes of respect and
love towards him,—these, in their turn, giving rise respectively to
obedience and absolute loyalty. Thus we arrive at four duties relating
to our relation with the Holy Prophet (Peace be on him), namely:
1) to respect him above all created beings;
2) to love him above all created beings;
3) to obey him without demur;
4) to be absolutely loyal to him.
Starting from the side of man, these four duties form the essential
condition of the moral agent’s Moral Perfection and of the Moral
Perfection and Happiness of others—humanity at large, because true
Guidance in that connection is available only through the Holy
Prophet (Peace be on him) and that Guidance cannot be truly accepted
and enthusiastically followed without maintaining the attitude implied
in those duties.
We may now state the duties in the language of the Qur’Én:

60
(1) DUTIES OF RESPECT
(a) Subjective :
To regard the Holy Prophet with respect;
(1) Duty of Commission:
Maintaining the attitude of positive respect enjoined:
Arabic text
“… So it is those who believe in him (i.e., Muhammad), and

honor him, and help him, and follow the Light which is sent
down with him,—it is they who will prosper.” (7:157).
(2) Duty of Omission:
Directly or indirectly insulting the Holy Prophet prohibited:
Arabic text
“And it is not right for you to insult49 Allah’s Messenger

(Muhammad) …” (33:53).
Worthy of note in this respect is the following stern command of

God given to the Muslims of the Holy Prophet’s time:
Arabic text
“O you who believe! Put not yourselves forward50 before Allah

and His Messenger; and fear Allah: for Allah hears and knows
all things.
“O you who believe! raise not your voice above the voice of the
Prophet (Muhammad), nor speak aloud to him in talk as you
61
VOLUME TWO
may speak aloud to one another, lest your deeds (of

righteousness) be rendered vain (thereby) and you perceive not
(the loss).
“Verily those who lower their voice in the presence of Allah’s

Messenger—these are they whose hearts Allah has disposed
unto piety: For them is Forgiveness and a great Reward.” (49:1-
3).
Also: the following guidance to the socially uncouth people of

those days:
Arabic text
“Verily those who shout out to you (O Muhammad) from

outside the inner apartments—most of them lack a path proper
sense. If only they had patience until you could come out to
them, it would be best for them: but Allah is Oft-Forgiving,
Most Merciful.” (49:4-5).
(b) Objective:
To obey the Holy Prophet without demur.
Practicing positive obedience enjoined:
Arabic text
“… and obey the Messenger (Muhammad)… ” (4:59).
Arabic text
62
“The answer of the Believers, when summoned to Allah and

His Messenger, in order that He may judge between them, is no
other than this: they say, ‘we hear and we obey’: It is such as
these that will attain felicity.” (24:51).
Disobedience in any manner whatsoever, prohibited:
Arabic text
“… and whosoever disobeys Allah and His Messenger, he

verily goes astray in error manifest.” (33:36).
Arabic text
“And whosoever opposes the Messenger even after Guidance

has been plainly conveyed unto him, and follows a path other
than that of the men of Faith, We shall leave him in the path he
has chosen, and land him in Hell,—what an evil refuge!”
(4:115).

(2) DUTIES OF LOVE
(a) Subjective:
To regard the Holy Prophet with love.
63
VOLUME TWO
Maintaining the attitude of positive love—a love which

transcends the love for any other created being, emphasized; hence it
is duty:
Arabic text
“The Prophet is closer to the Believers than their own selves

(—this spiritual relationship entitling him to more love and
respect from the Believers than for any created being related in
any way).”51 (33:6).
This personal spiritual love for the Holy Prophet (on whom be
Peace and the Blessings of Allah) is to be cultivated, besides obeying
him in all things with overflowing love, through forming spiritual
contact with him by reciting ÎalÉt and salÉm, as commanded by God
in the following verse:
Arabic text
“Lo! Allah and His Angels shower blessings on the Prophet. O

you who believe! send your benedictions on him (i.e., ask Allah
for His blessings on him) and salute him with a worthy
salutation (i.e., with respect and love).”52 (33:56).
(a) Objective:
To foster absolute loyalty to the Holy Prophet (Peace be on him).
To be positively loyal to him emphasized as a condition of Faith;

hence it is duty:
64
Arabic text
“But nay, by your Lord, they can have no (real) Faith, until they
make you judge in all disputes between them, and find in their
souls no resistance against your decisions, but accept them with
the fullest submission.” (4:65).
Arabic text
“And it is unbecoming of a believing man or a believing

woman, when Allah and His Messenger have decided an affair
(for them), that they should (after that) claim any say in their
affair;…” (33:36).
Being disloyal to him in any manner, prohibited:
Arabic text
“O you who believe! be not disloyal to Allah and His

Messenger…” (8:27).

65
Chapter 3.
Duties TO THE ANGELS
ENDS
(a) Objective:
Maintenance of the attitude of respect and love for purity of will

and holiness wherever found in God’s creatures.
(b) Subjective:
Constant consciousness of the fact that the world is a moral

order, the Angels being the functionaries of God’s moral scheme.
(1) NATURE AND FUNCTIONS OF THE ANGELS:
The Angels, according to the Holy Qur’Én, are neither impersonal

forces in the sense of physical science, nor gods or demi-gods or sons
or daughters of God, as some of the old mythologies conceived them
to be. They are celestial beings endowed with personality53 having
been created54 by God to act as His functionaries in the universe.55
The establishment of relation with the spiritual world, which is a

vital condition of the spiritual development of a human being, is not
conceivable without faith in the existence of the Angels (—which,
therefore, forms one of the cardinal articles of Islamic Belief—) and
without a proper attitude towards them.
The Angels are sinless beings—incapable of committing any

sin—and as such possessors of purity, because their function is only to
behave as God’s absolutely obedient servants:
Arabic text
“… and the Angels; they are not arrogant (before their Lord).
(Rather,) they fear their Lord, High above them, and they do
whatever they are commanded.” (16:49-50).
They are honored servants of God:
Arabic text
“They (i.e., the Angels) are (but) servants raised to honor. They
precede Him not in word, and they act (in all things) by His
command.” (21:26-27).
Besides their numerous functions mentioned in the Holy Qur’Én,

they, out of love for the Believers, ask for God’s blessings on them:
Arabic text
“He it is Who sends blessings on you, as do His Angels, that He

may bring you out from the depths of Darkness into Light: and
He is Full of Mercy for the Believers.” (xxxiii: 43).
Also, they pray to God for forgiveness for all beings on the earth:
Arabic text
“… and the Angels celebrate the praises of their Lord, and ask
forgiveness for those on the earth.” (42:5).
67
VOLUME TWO
(2) DUTIES
Thus, because they are honored beings, they deserve respect; and
because they are noble and pure, they deserve love. They deserve love
and respect specially from the Believers, whom they love and for
whom their solicitude is great.

68
Part 2. DUTIES AS PHYSICAL BEING
exposition
1. Duties of Omission
(or, Duties of Respect for the Self ).
END:
Natural Self-Preservation ─ as the Holy Qur’Én commands:
Arabic text
“… and make not your own hands contribute to (your)

destruction …”56 (2:195).
(1) All things which harm physical health, prohibited:
Arabic text
“O mankind! eat of whatsoever is on the earth, lawful and

wholesome, and follow not the footsteps of Satan (by using
unlawfully-acquired and unclean and unwholesome foods57). Lo! he is
to you an avowed enemy”. (2:168).
(2) Self-stupefaction, gluttony and intoxication, prohibited:
Arabic text
“O you who believe! Make not unlawful the good things

(whether they be foods or drinks or any other lawful pleasures)
VOLUME TWO
which Allah has made lawful for you, nor transgress (in respect
of your physical, mental, moral, spiritual and social health by
making lawful for yourselves harmful foods, drinks, etc.);
verily Allah loves not the transgressors.”58 (5:87).
Arabic text
“… and eat and drink, but be not immoderate and intemperate:

verily He loves not those who are immoderate and
intemperate.” (7:31).
Arabic text
“Eat of the good things We have provided for your sustenance,

but commit no excess therein, lest My wrath should justly
descend on you; and those on whom descends My wrath do
perish indeed.” (20:81).
Arabic text
“O you who believe! Intoxicants59 and gambling, (dedication

of) stones, and divination by arrows, (all these) are an
abomination, —of Satan’s handiwork: shun such (abomination),
therefore, that you may prosper.” (5:93).
(3) Considering lawful pleasures relating to natural appetites

as illegitimate, prohibited:60
Arabic text
70
“O you who believe! Make not unlawful (for yourselves) the

good things (relating to lawful pleasures) which Allah has made
lawful for you …” (5:87).
(4) Abusing or damaging any limb of one’s body, including

Castration, prohibited:
The Holy Qur’an says:
Arabic text
“… and defraud not your trust…” (8:27).
The various limbs of the body, and the talents of a Muslim, are
the “property” of God and he possesses them in “trust” for Him. A
Muslim should not, therefore, abuse or damage any limb of his body.61
(5) Committing suicide prohibited:
Arabic text
“And kill not (or, destroy not) yourselves; verily Allah is unto
you ever Merciful.”62 (4:29).

(2) Duties of Commission:
(or, Duties of Love for the Self).
END:
Happiness of the moral agent through the maintenance and

promotion of his physical well-being:
71
VOLUME TWO
(1) Proper satisfaction of natural appetites enjoined:
(a) Satisfaction of Hunger and Thirst:
Arabic text
“… and eat and drink, but be not immoderate and

intemperate…” (7:31).
Arabic text
“They ask you (O Muhammad!) what is lawful to them (as

food). Say: Lawful unto you are all things good and pure.”
(5:5).
(b) Satisfaction of sexual appetite:
Satisfaction of sexual appetite has been permitted by the Holy

Qur’Én through lawful marriage only, and marriage has been enjoined:
Arabic text
“Marry those among you who are single.”63 (24:32).
A very important point should be noted here. Although the union

of man and woman in marriage involves the satisfaction of sexual
appetite, it is not, in the view of the Qur’Én, the end of marriage,—the
end being spiritual companionship and mutual love, to which the
sexual union itself should contribute, but which is marked off
distinctly from mere sexual pleasure. The Holy Qur’Én says
Arabic text
72
“And among His signs is this, that He created for you mates
from yourselves, that you might obtain tranquility and solace in
them, and He has ordained between you love and mercy. Verily
in that are signs for those who reflect.” (30:21).
(c) Rest and sleep
Arabic Text
“It is of His Mercy that He has made for you Night and Day,
that therein (i.e., in the night) you may enjoy rest, and that you
may seek of His Grace (during the day);—and in order that you
may be grateful (to Him).” (38:73).
(2) Physical cleanliness64 enjoined:
Arabic text
“… then purify (yourselves) (with physical cleanliness)…”

(5:6).
Arabic text
“Allah intends not to lay upon you a hardship, but intends to

purify you (with physical cleanliness) and to complete His
favor to you, that you may be grateful (for His bounties).” (5:6).
Arabic text
“… and He sent down water upon you from heaven that He

might cleanse you thereby and remove from you the stain of
Satan (—dirt being physically a symbol of evil)…” (8:11).
Arabic text
73
VOLUME TWO
“Verily Allah loves those who turn to him constantly, and He

loves those who practice cleanliness (in body, mind and
spirit).’’ (2:222).
Arabic text
“And Allah loves those who always keep themselves clean.”

(9:108).
(3) Physical development enjoined:
Arabic text
“Against them (i.e., the enemies of Islam, or, the forces of evil)
prepare your Power (as individuals and as a community) to the
utmost of your capacity…” (8:60).
Development of power by an individual includes the building up

of a powerful physique. Hence, the command for the physical
development of the individual is contained in the above
comprehensive verse. This fact is corroborated by a ×adÊth of the
Holy Prophet (Peace be on him), reported by Muslim in his ØaÍÊÍ in
the following words:
Arabic text
“A physically-strong Believer is better and more loved by Allah

than a physically-weak Believer. And there is good in either of
them. Be enthusiastic for everything which brings you good,
and seek therein Divine Help, and do not lose heart in your
endeavor…” (KitÉb al-Qadr).
74

75
VOLUME TWO
Part 3. DUTIES AS RATIONAL BEING
exposition
ENDS:
(1) Subjective:
Balanced and healthy development of human knowledge in all

dimensions.
(2) Objective:
Service to humanity in terms of correct and comprehensive

Guidance.
(1) Duty of Commission
Pursuit of knowledge enjoined, with emphasis on:
1. its sublimity and unavoidable necessity—basically and for

proper moral life;
2. its importance for spiritual development;
3. its role in conferring greatness on individuals and

communities;
4. its compatibility with Faith;
76
5. the principles of observation and research;
6. the principle of continuous and ceaseless endeavor for

rising to higher and higher levels of knowledge;
7. the principle of Objectivity;
8. the principle of Comprehensiveness;
9. the attainment of the stage of al-×ikmah, or, the Wisdom;
10. the technique of attaining all Higher Knowledge.
Thus:
(1) Sublimity of the pursuit of Knowledge and its unavoidable

necessity—basically as also for proper moral life,
emphasized:
Arabic text
“And He imparted to Adam knowledge of the nature of all

things…” (2:31).
The story of Adam given in the Holy Qur’Én (2:30-39) reveals

that knowledge was imparted to him by God:
a. at the transcendental or spiritual stage of his existence,—when

his life was sublime because of the innocence and the serene
tranquility that he enjoyed, together with his wife, in the
“Presence of God”;
77
VOLUME TWO
b. before he embarked on his earthly career, i.e., before he had

the occasion to engage himself in worldly pursuits,—nay,
before he had acquired any worldly interests;
c. before he was confronted with the moral struggle.
All this means that, in the estimation of the Holy Qur’Én:
a. Acquisition of knowledge is a sublime and a spiritual pursuit:
b. Cultivation of knowledge is one of the most basic needs and,

hence, one of the most basic duties, of a human being:
c. Proper knowledge forms one of the most basic requirements

of proper moral life.
(2) Spiritual achievement through Knowledge, especially of

empirical Reality, emphasized:
Arabic text
“… Those only among His Servants who are learned (i.e.,

possessors and pursuers of knowledge) truly fear Allah.”
(35:28).
Here possession and pursuit of knowledge—all true

65
knowledge —has been mentioned as the condition for true fear of
God, which, in its turn, is, together with the love for God, the
motivating force in the life of every true Muslim. Thus pursuit of
knowledge becomes a duty from the point of view of leading a good
spiritual and moral life.
78
(3) Acquisition of greatness through Knowledge, emphasized:
Arabic text
“Allah will exalt those who have Faith among you, and those
who have knowledge, to high ranks.”66 (58:11).
According to this verse, the basis for exaltation in the estimation

of God is not only Faith in God and all spiritual verities, which is the
highest theme of Religion, but also Knowledge, which forms as high a
theme in the religion presented by the Holy Qur’Én. This honored
place given to knowledge makes it obligatory for a Muslim to devote
himself to it whole-heartedly.
(4) Compatibility of Knowledge and Faith emphasized:
A very important point should be noted here. Faith and

Knowledge, in the view of the Holy Qur’Én, are compatible with each
other. Indeed they are complementary—wedded to one another, as
another verse clearly establishes:
Arabic text
“And those who are firmly grounded in knowledge say: ‘We

believe in the Book; the whole of it is from our Lord’: and none
will grasp the Message except men of understanding.” (3:7).
This is a unique feature of the Qur’Énic philosophy.
79
VOLUME TWO
Thus, the Holy Qur’Én demands acceptance and adherence to its

teachings on rational basis. It proclaims most emphatically:
Arabic text
“So that he who perishes (spiritually) should perish by

indisputable (rational) evidence (or, proof) and he who survives
(spiritually) should survive by indisputable (rational) evidence
(or, proof).” (8:42).
It challenges its opponents on the basis of reason and knowledge

in these words
Arabic text
“Say: ‘Have you any (certain) knowledge? If so, produce it

before us. Lo! you follow nothing but opinion. Lo! you do but
guess’. Say: ‘With Allah is the argument that reaches home’.”
(6:148-149).
Again
Arabic text
“Will they not then ponder on the Qur’Én (i.e., examine its
teachings rationally).” (4:82; 47:24).
In fact, the Holy Qur’Én appeals to humanity not less than forty-
eight times—and at numerous places on the basis of the physical, the
psychical and the social phenomena—to employ reason, emphasizing
regarding the truth of its teaching that:
Arabic text
80
“And these similitudes We set forth for mankind. But their

import is grasped by the reason of only those who possess
knowledge.” (29:43).
(5) Observation and Research emphasized:
Similarly, the Holy Qur’Én appeals not less than seventeen times
to contemplate and meditate on the natural phenomena as well as on
the truth of its own teaching. In that connection, it emphasizes also the
joint exploration of truth:
Arabic text
“Say: I admonish you on one point: that you stand up, for
Allah’s sake, by twos and singly, and then contemplate.”
(34:46).
This contemplation is to be pursued in the form of search and

research for arriving at the truth:
Arabic text
“You will not see any want of proportion in the Creation of

(Allah) Most Gracious. So turn your vision again: do you see
any flaw? Then repeat your look twice over…” (67:3-4).
(6) Endeavour to rise higher and higher in knowledge,

emphasized:
The Holy Qur’Én has taught the prayer:
Arabic text
81
VOLUME TWO
“… and say: O my Lord! advance me in knowledge.” (20:114).
It is evident that to pray for advance in knowledge and not to

strive for it with might and main would be the height of irrationality.
Therefore, this prayer implies the Divine Command for striving after
knowledge. Hence, the duty to strive with a devoted and sincere heart
for continuous progress in knowledge.
(7) Objectivity in Knowledge emphasized:
But this duty has to be pursued, as the wordings of the above

verse establish clearly, with reference to God, Who is the Source of all
Truth. In other words, quest for knowledge should be based on
unflinching faith in God and in His Guidance, and should be inspired
purely by the motive of search for Reality and love for Truth. All pre-
conceived notions, superficial opinions and conjectures should be
avoided. In other words, the pursuit should be based on objectivity.
Persons undertaking this pursuit should strive to be, as the Holy
Qur’Én states:
Arabic text
“Those possessing knowledge with devotion to justice (or,

objectivity in knowledge)”—in other words, “the learned who
are balanced (in their view of Reality)”, being spiritually as
well as rationally illumined.” (3:18).
According to the Holy Qur’Én this is rationally possible only for

a devotee of God, Who is the Source of all Knowledge. It says:
82
Arabic text
“Behold! in the constitution of the heavens and the earth, and in

the alternation of the Day and the Night,—there are indeed
Signs for the possessors of understanding (i.e., the wise),—such
as celebrate the praises of Allah, standing, sitting, and reclining,
and reflect on (the problems relating to) the constitution of the
heavens and the earth (finally acquiring that stage of
understanding the Reality where the conviction bursts out from
them): ‘Our Lord! you did not create (all) this in vain? Glory be
to You! Give us salvation from the Penalty of the Fire’.”
(3:190-191).
Thus the pursuit of knowledge should have, as its technique, non-

capricious penetrating observation of the universe and man.
(8) Comprehensive pursuit of Knowledge emphasized:
Observation relating to the Universe as a whole has been

emphasized, among other verses, in 3:191 quoted above. Observation
of man’s immediate environment—natural as well as social—and of
his inner self has been emphasized in the following verses:
Arabic text
“On the earth are Signs for those who have sure faith (in the
meaningfulness of all things), as also (there are Signs) in your
own selves: will you not, then, observe?” (51:20-21).
(9) Quest for the stage of ‘Wisdom’ emphasized:
83
VOLUME TWO
Such quest for knowledge will bear the fruit of al-×ikmah, or the
Wisdom, about which the Holy Qur’Én says:
Arabic text
“… and whoso is granted the Wisdom, receives indeed

abundant Good, but none receives admonition save those
possessing understanding.” (2:269).
They will finally be blessed with guiding mankind aright on the

basis of sure knowledge contained in the Divine Guidance, even as the
Holy Prophet (Peace be on him) has been asked by God to declare:
Arabic text
“Say: ‘This is my Way. I call to Allah with sure knowledge, I

and whoever follows after me. To Allah be glory! And I am not
among the idolators’.” (12:108).
(10) The correct technique of attaining Higher Knowledge:
The process of education for acquiring higher knowledge,

deducible from the Holy Qur’Én, may also be mentioned here for
further edification. Speaking of the functions of the Holy Prophet
(Peace be on him) as Divine Teacher, the holy book informs us:
Arabic text
“It is He Who has sent among the Unlettered a Messenger

(Muhammad) from among them, to rehearse His revelations to
them, to purify them, and to teach them the Book and the
Wisdom…” (62:2).
84
Thus, we are given three stages of education for the acquisition

of higher knowledge:
1. The stage of basic and general education, represented in the

Holy Prophet’s mission by communicating Divine
Revelations to the people;
2. The stage of spiritual and moral purification for the sake of

eradicating all subjective perversions and acquiring absolute
devotion to truth, even as it was ordained in the Holy
Prophet’s mission;
3. The stage of pursuing knowledge at the higher level where

research is undertaken on the different facets of Reality and
direct conviction is acquired on the basis of personal
observation and insight, represented in the Holy Prophet’s
mission by ‘teaching the Book and the Wisdom’.
To sum up: Cultivation of all knowledge, employing the method

laid down for ensuring the service to truth, is a duty, according to the
Holy Qur’Én, commanded by the Holy Prophet Muhammad (Peace be
on him) in the following words:
Arabic text
“Quest for knowledge is a duty for every Muslim man and

woman.” (Muslim’s ØaÍÊÍ, KitÉb al-‘Ilm, p. 34).

85
VOLUME TWO
(2) Duty of Omission
Subjectivity and capriciousness in the pursuit of knowledge, as

also lack of the spirit of observation and open-minded understanding
of Truth, condemned:
According to the Holy Qur’Én, those who employ subjectivity

and caprice in the domain of knowledge remain misguided, in spite of
the apparent scholarly tone of their endeavor:
Arabic text
“Have you seen him who has taken his caprice to be his god,
and Allah has left him astray despite his knowledge, and has
sealed up his hearing and his heart (and understanding), and has
set on his sight a covering? Who, then, will guide him after
Allah (has withdrawn guidance)? Will you not receive
admonition?” (45:23).
This is so because:
Arabic text
“… they have no knowledge therein. They follow nothing but

conjecture; and conjecture avails nothing against Truth.”
(53:38).
86
As to those who lack the spirit of observation and open-minded

understanding of the Truth, they are led to, or remain in, nothing less
than infidelity. We are told:
Arabic text
“How many a Sign there is in the heavens and in the earth that
they pass by, turning away from it. And most of them believe
not in God without associating other gods with Him!” (12:105-
106).
This is so, because:
Arabic text
“… They have hearts, but understand not with them (i.e., do not
exert their will to understand); they have eyes, but perceive not
with them; they have ears, but hear not with them. They are like
cattle; nay, they are worse (in their listlessness). They are
heedless.” (7:179).

87
Part 4. DUTIES AS AESTHETICAL BEING
Chapter 1.
Preliminary observations
The Holy Qur’Én has given to humanity a theory of Aesthetics of

its own. The present is not, however, the proper occasion to expound
it. Only the following five points may be mentioned here:
1. The Qur’Énic concept of Beauty is wedded to spirituality or

godliness.
2. According to the Qur’Énic teaching, the essential attributes of

Beauty are:
Piety, Purity, Sublimity, Harmony, Balance, Proportion, Order

and Perfection.
3. The Holy Qur’Én upholds only that Art which is noble and
sublime, both in its conception and its goal, and it regards as
vulgar and inadmissible all those forms of Art which do not
enshrine the essential attributes of Beauty, as it understands
and acknowledges.
4. According to the Holy Qur’Én, the spiritual value, or, religion,

is the highest, and below it stand in serial order the moral, the
intellectual and the physical values.
5. As regards the aesthetic value, it should permeate and pervade

all the aspects of human life: physical, intellectual, moral,
spiritual, and social.
Our concern in the present discourse being the duties of man as

the possessor of aesthetic consciousness, we may first of all observe
with advantage the emphasis on aesthetic value found in the Holy
Qur’Én in respect of God, universe and man.
We find in the Holy Writ as follows:—
(1) GOD:
God is the Possessor of Absolute Beauty:
Arabic text
“Allah is the Light of the heavens and the earth.” (24:35).
This is one of the most profound verses, endowed with depths of

meaning that are unfathomable. In understanding its implication from
the point of view of the problem before us, however, the guidance for
us lies in the fact that, according to the Holy Qur’Én, darkness is
ugliness, as the following verse denotes:
Arabic text
“But those who have earned evil will have a reward (in the
Hereafter) of like evil: ignominy will cover them: no protector
they shall have from (the wrath of) Allah: (ugliness will be their
89
VOLUME TWO
lot) as if their faces had been covered with a cloak of darkest

night. Such are the companions of the Fire; they will abide
therein.” (10:27).
Now, if darkness relates to ugliness, light relates to beauty,—and

thus the transcendental Light of God implies the possession of
transcendental Beauty by Him.
Again, God is the Absolute, as we have seen elsewhere. Hence

His beauty is Absolute Beauty.
The Holy Prophet (Peace be on him) has, as the expounder of the

Holy Qur’Én par excellence, made a very explicit and direct statement
in this regard. He says:
Arabic text
“Allah is Beautiful and He loves Beauty.” (Muslim’s ØaÍÊÍ,

BÉb TaÍrÊm al-Kibr, p. 65).

(2) UNIVERSE:
Being the Possessor of Absolute Beauty, God has very naturally

created everything of the world in the frame of beauty, as the
following verse says
Arabic text
“… He Who has created has made everything most Good and

Beautiful.” (32:7).
90
This is a statement about the universe as a whole and covers all

things in the heavens and on the earth.
The Holy Qur’Én goes, however, beyond this universal statement

and embarks, in order to emphasize the existence of beauty further, on
certain details with reference to: (1) the earth, its plant life and animal
life, (2) the heavenly bodies that surround the earth, and (3) Heaven in
the World Hereafter, or, what is called, the next world.
(1) The earth, its plant life and animal life:
(a) in respect of all things:
Arabic text
“That which is on the earth We have made but as an

adornment67 for it …” (18:7).
(b) in respect of minerals and plants:
Arabic text
“… and We produced therein (i.e., in the earth) all kinds of

things in due balance.”68 (15:19).
(c) in respect of plants only:
Arabic text
“(vegetation grows) till the earth is clad with its golden

ornaments and is decked out in beauty…” (10:24).
(d) in respect of animals:
91
VOLUME TWO
Arabic text
“And cattle He has created for you (O mankind): from them

you derive warmth, and numerous benefits, and of their (meat)
you eat. And therein is beauty for you as you drive them home
in evening, and as you lead them forth to pasture in the
morning.” (16:5-6).
Arabic text
“And (God has created) horses, mules, and donkeys, that you
may ride them, and as adornment; and He will create (in future,
through the mind and ingenuity of man, other vehicles) that you
know not (at the time of the revelation of the Qur’Én).” (16:8).
Arabic text
“(The sacrificial cow, ordered by Moses, was to be) bright in

her color, providing pleasure to the beholders.” (2:69).
(2) The heavenly bodies that surround the earth:
In this respect, the Holy Qur’Én says:
Arabic text
“And assuredly We have set constellations in the heaven and We

have beautified it for beholders.” (15:16).
Arabic text
“We have indeed decked the lower heaven with beauty (in) the
stars…” (37:6).
92
(3) Heaven in the World Hereafter:
The Holy Qur’Én says about Heaven
Arabic text
“… how beautiful an abode and place of rest!” (25:76).
Arabic text
“… beautiful Place of (final) Return.” (38:25).
Arabic text
“Now no person knows what delight of the eyes (—what

aesthetic satisfaction—) is kept hidden (in reserve) for them (in
Heaven)—as a reward for their (good) deeds.” (32:l7).
Arabic text
“But Allah will deliver them from the evil of that Day, and will
shed over them a Light of Beauty and a (blissful) Joy.” (76:11).
Arabic text
“Some faces, that Day, will beam (in brightness and beauty),
looking towards their Lord (Who is the Source of all Beauty
and the Bestower of all Blessings).” (75:22-23).

(3) MAN:
93
VOLUME TWO
According to the Holy Qur’Én, human beings are possessors of

Beauty, both outwardly and inwardly. It says:
Arabic text
“We have indeed created man in the best and the most
beautiful69 constitution.70” 71 (95:4).
Arabic text
“And (it is Allah Who has) given you shape (O mankind!),

and made your shapes beautiful…” (40:64).
Arabic text
“By the Soul and Him Who endowed it with proportion and
order72…” (91:7).
The above discussion proves that the Holy Qur’Én is vehemently

emphatic on the aesthetic value, affirming as it does, beauty in God,
universe and man.

94
Chapter II.
DUTIES
The facts stated in the preceding chapter being what they are, the
question is: Has the Holy Qur’Én prescribed any duties relating to the
aesthetic aspect of human life?
The answer is: yes.
Let us look into the details.
1. The Holy Qur’Én wants its followers to beautify their Faith and
their actions, and strive to obtain beautiful reward from God, as the
following verses reveal:
Arabic text
“Who can be more beautiful in religion—Faith and Action—

than one who surrenders his whole self to Allah while doing
good (to mankind)…” (4:125).
Arabic text
“… and that, seek the forgiveness of your Lord, and turn to Him
in repentance, He will grant you enjoyment, good and beautiful,
for a term appointed.” (11:3).
Arabic text
“Those who do good (beautifying their deeds) obtain a (like)

beautiful (reward)—and more (through Divine Grace). No
darkness (of ugliness and sorrow) nor shame shall cover their
95
VOLUME TWO
faces (on the Day of Judgment)! They are Companions of the

Garden: therein they will abide.” (10:26).
Arabic text
“And if anyone earns any good, We shall give him an increase

in beauty (or, of good) in respect thereof.” (42:23).
Arabic text
“But if any have done wrong and have thereafter substituted

beauty (in conduct) to take the place of evil, truly, I am Oft-
Forgiving, Most Merciful.” (27:11).
2. In respect of beauty in conduct, the Qur’Énic verses bear

reference in the form of command to certain specific situations also.
For instance
a. Beauty in speech:
Arabic text
“Speak to people employing beauty (in your speech).” (2:83).
b. Beauty in behavior towards Parents:
Arabic text
“We have enjoined on man beauty (in conduct) in respect of his

parents.” (29:8).
c. Beauty in preaching and argument:
Arabic text
96
“Invite (all) to the Way of your Lord with wisdom and beautiful
preaching; and argue with them in ways that are best and most
beautiful.” (16:125).
3. As regards physical life, the following emphatic verse refers to

the duty of beautifying it in all manner, of course, in harmony with the
Qur’Énic norms and principles:
Arabic text
“Say: Who has forbidden73 things of beauty which Allah has

brought forth for His servants, and the things, clean and pure,
which He bath provided for sustenance? Say: They are, in the
life of this world, for those who believe (and) purely for them
on the Day of Judgment. Thus do We explain the Signs in detail
for those who have knowledge.” (7:32).
4. In respect of dress, we are told first that one of the functions of

dress is beautification of the human personality:
Arabic text
“O children of Adam! We have bestowed upon you raiment to

cover your shame74 and as a means of beautification;75 and the
raiment of piety (which covers and beautifies the inner self) is
the best76 That is of the Signs of Allah that haply they may be
admonished.” (7:26).
Then, as if to emphasize the element of sanctity in beautification

through dress, and to emphasize it for rectifying the wrong notion
preached by certain other religions, it says, referring to worship, and,
97
VOLUME TWO
because a Muslim must compulsorily pray five times during the day
and the night, referring actually to all the twenty-four hours of one’s
daily life, as follows
Arabic text
“O Children of Adam! look to your adornment77 at every time

and place of prayer: eat and drink: (Enjoy) but waste not by
excess;78 for Allah loves not the wasters.” (7:31).
5. To conclude: The Holy Qur’Én demands and commands

positive beautification of every aspect of human life: spiritual, moral,
intellectual and physical. Its teaching in this respect has been
beautifully summed up by the Holy Prophet (Peace be on him) in
these words:
Arabic text
“Verily Allah has made obligatory the employment of beauty in

respect of everything.”79 (ØaÍÊh al-Muslim). (MishkÉt al-
MaÎÉbÊÍ, KitÉb al-Øaid, al-FaÎl al-awwal, p. 357).
And let every Muslim artist and artisan remember the following
Prophetic exhortation:
Arabic text
“Verily, when a servant (of Allah) executes any task, Allah

loves that he executes it with thorough skill and for stability and
perfection.”80 (Kanz al-’UmmÉl).

98
Part 5. DUTIES AS moral BEING

(or, Duties to Self relating strictly to Morality)
1. Duties of omission, (Duties of respect for the Self).
2. Duties of commission, (Duties of love for the Self).
Chapter 1.
DUTIES of omission
END:
Moral Self-Preservation.
(1) Lying, or False Speech, prohibited:
Arabic text
“.... and shun the word that is false.” (22:30).
Arabic text
“Verily Allah guides not those who are false and ungrateful.”
(39:3)
Arabic text
“Shall I inform you (O people!), on whom it is that the evil ones

descend? They descend on every sinful liar.”81 (26:221-222).
(2) Mixing up truth with falsehood prohibited:
99
VOLUME TWO
Arabic text
“And confound not truth with falsehood.” (2:44).
(3) Concealing truth prohibited:
Arabic text
“and conceal not the truth while you know (it).” (2:44).
(4) Concealing evidence prohibited:
Arabic text
“Conceal not evidence; for whoever conceals it,—his heart is

tainted with sin. And Allah knows all that you do.” (2:283).
(5) Aversion to truth (—a state of mental perversion—a moral

disease—) condemned:
Arabic text
“Verily We have brought the Truth to you: But most of you

have hatred for truth (—truth being always bitter for those who
become accustomed to living on and benefiting from
falsehoods).” (43:78).
(6) Assisting falsehood or fraud, and giving false evidence,

ruled out from Islamic conduct: hence abstinence from it is
duty:
Arabic text
“… and (the servants of the Most Gracious are those) who

witness no falsehood.” (25:72).
100
Note: ‘Witnessing no falsehood’ implies in the wordings of the

Arabic text: (1) ‘do not give false evidence’; and (2) ‘do not assist
falsehood or fraud’.
(7) Spirit of Hypocrisy condemned: hence abstinence from it is

duty:
Arabic text
“And of the people there are some who say: ‘We believe in
Allah and the Last Day’; but they do not (really) believe. Fain
would they deceive Allah and those who believe, but they only
deceive themselves, and how little they perceive! In their hearts
is a disease, so Allah has increased unto them (that) disease;
and grievous is the penalty they (incur), because they have been
lying.” (2:8-10).
These verses speak of the Hypocrites of the Holy Prophet’s time,

who were practicing deception in respect of the Muslims. They,
however, lay down the moral principle that practicing deception in
human relations is strongly condemnable, and he who practices it
becomes morally diseased. Thus, it is duty not only to others, but also
to one’s own self, to abstain from adopting hypocritical attitude in any
matter whatsoever.
(8) Deeds not conforming to words condemned: hence

abstinence from the same is duty:
Arabic text
101
VOLUME TWO
“O you who believe! why say that which you do not do?
Grievously odious is it in the sight of Allah that you say that
which you do not do.” (51:2-3).
Disparity between word and deed of a person may bring harm to

others who may repose confidence in him in any matter, but it
damages that person also, because: (1) he loses the capacity to stick to
truth; and (2) he loses the confidence of his fellow-beings and, hence,
his prestige.
(9) The Spirit of Duplicity condemned: hence abstinence from it

is duty:
Arabic text
“When they (i.e., the Hypocrites) meet those who believe, they
say: ‘We believe’; but when they are alone with their evil ones,
they say: ‘We are really with you: we were only jesting’. Allah
will throw back their mockery on them and give them rope in
their trespasses; so they will wander like blind ones (to and fro).
These are they who have bartered guidance for error: But their
traffic is profitless, and they have lost true direction.” (2:14-6).
Although these verses refer to the Hypocrites of Medina, they lay

down a universal principle, namely, that duplicity, which is a deeper
phase of hypocrisy, corrupts a person’s moral tone, on the one hand,
and brings loss of face to him, on the other. Thus, side by side with
being unjust to others, he who practices duplicity also damages
himself. Hence it is a ‘duty to self’ to abstain from it completely.
102
(10) Making a show of hollow acts of goodness, devotion and

charity, condemned; hence abstinence from that is duty:
Making a show of hollow acts of goodness, devotion and charity

is a form of hypocrisy and, as such, has been condemned by the Holy
Qur’Én:
Arabic text
“So woe to the worshippers who are neglectful of their Prayers,

those who do (good) to be seen, but refuse (to supply) (even)
small kindnesses (or, neighborly needs).” (107:4-7).
(11) Oath-mongering condemned; hence abstinence from it is

duty:
All habitual liars lose the faith of their fellow-beings and hence
resort to habitual and false swearing in order to create belief and
confidence in their word: while “the true man’s word is as good as his
bond”. Oath-mongering is thus related to evil character and a false
personality, and is disapproved by the Holy Qur’Én:
Arabic text
“Heed not the type of despicable man, —ready with oaths …”

(68:10).
(12) Following one’s lusts of the heart prohibited:
The Holy Qur’Én enjoins:
Arabic text
103
VOLUME TWO
“So follow not lusts of the heart82 lest you lapse (from truth)
…” (4:135).
(13) Desiring false appreciation and being pleased with flattery

condemned; hence abstinence from it is duty:
Arabic text
“Think not that those who exult in what they have brought
about, and love to be praised for what they have not done,—
think not that they can escape the penalty. For them is a penalty
grievous indeed.” (3:188).
(14) Flattery, as embodying self-debasement of the flatterer83

ruled out in Islamic conduct; hence abstinence from it is
duty:
Arabic text
“O you who believe! Guard your duty to Allah and speak a

straight speech: He will (on that account) make your conduct
whole and sound …” (33:70).
The Arabic word SadÊd, used in this verse, when applied to

speech, means84 ‘true’ and ‘directed to the right point’. Now true
speech is ‘statement according to fact’, as also ‘sincere speech’.
Moreover, a speech which is according to fact and sincere shall be a
dignified speech. As for ‘directed to the right point’, it connotes a
104
‘speech which has no exaggeration or its opposite’. It also contains the

sense of straightforwardness’.85
The English word ‘flattery’ means: ‘treating with insincere and

exaggerated praise and servile attentions’.86
Flattery is, therefore, the very opposite of the ‘straight speech’

mentioned in the above verse.
Moreover, according to the above verse, ‘straight speech’ renders

one’s conduct whole and sound, which means that flattery renders
conduct unsound.
Therefore, viewing it in the light of the Qur’Énic teaching,

flattery is immoral, and a Muslim should abstain from it totally.
Condemning this vice, the Holy Prophet (Peace be on him) says:
Arabic text
“When you meet the flatterers, throw dust into their mouths.”
(Muslim’s ØaÍÊÍ; AbË DÉ’Ëd’s Sunan, Chap. on “Disapprobation of
Flattery”).
(15) Love for pomp and show—Ostentation87, prohibited:
Arabic text
“And be not like those who started from their homes insolently
and to be seen of men (i.e., in vainglory and ostentation).”
(8:47).
Referring to the unseemly conduct of the enemies of Islam at the

battle of Badr, this verse lays down the moral injunction that a Muslim
105
VOLUME TWO
should always abstain from vainglory and ostentation.
(16) Conceit condemned: hence abstinence from it is duty:
The Holy Qur’Én disapproves conceit in the following reference:
Arabic text
“… and on the day of (the battle of) Hunain: Behold! your

superiority in numbers elated you; then it availed you nothing,
and the earth, for all that it is wide, straitened unto you; then
you turned back in retreat.” (9:25).
This verse relates to the battle of Hunain, in which for the first
time the Muslim army outnumbered the enemy forces; yet it was in
this battle that the Muslim forces suffered a severe set-back first,
which has been ascribed to the spirit of elation, as opposed to the spirit
of faith in God, which overtook the minds of a part of them, i.e., the
new converts and the less-disciplined.
The moral principle contained in that event is that God

disapproves and punishes conceit and self-elation. Hence the duty to
abstain from the same.
(17) Exultation in one’s achievements condemned; hence

abstinence from it is duty:
Arabic text
“Think not that those who exult in what they have brought
about, and love to be praised for what they have not done,—
106
think not that they can escape the penalty. For them is a penalty
grievous indeed.” (3:188).
Exultation in one’s achievements has been condemned here

because it breeds pride which leads to a person’s ruin at least in
damaging his character. In fact, it also blocks further progress.
A Muslim should always attribute his achievements to the favor

of God and maintain the state of mind known as humility.
(18) Self-goodness—self-piousness (piety-complex) condemned;

The Holy Qur’Én lays down the rule:
Arabic text
“Therefore ascribe not purity (i.e., goodness and righteousness)

unto yourselves. He is Best Aware of him who wards off
evil.”88 (53:32).
Many of those who are strict in conformity to external religious

behaviour, without imbibing thoroughly the inner spirit of religious
life, develop consciously or unconsciously, what may be termed as
‘piety-complex’, which is actually a form of self-esteem culminating
in contempt for others.
Many others who strive to be morally-good develop a feeling of

self-esteem in that respect.
Both of these wrong attitudes have been disapproved by the Holy

Qur’Én and should be shunned by every Muslim.
107
VOLUME TWO
(19) Haughtiness prohibited.
Haughtiness in all forms has been regarded as a basic evil by the

Holy Qur’Én. IblÊs, who enjoyed the prerogative of the holy company
of Angels, became Devil because he compared himself with Adam
and said:
Arabic text
“… I am better than he.” (38:76).
and thus:
Arabic text
“he was haughty, and became one of those who reject Faith (—
indeed, became the Devil).” (38:74).
As regards mankind:
Arabic text
“Verily He (i.e., God) loves not those who are haughty.”

(16:23).
and:
Arabic text
“… evil indeed is the abode of those who are haughty.” (16:29).
Hence, it is a Qur’Énic moral duty to abstain from haughtiness in

all forms. It should be shunned in thought, word and deed. The Holy
Qur’Én lays down the rules:
Arabic text
108
“Swell not your cheek (for pride) at the people, and walk not in
insolence through the earth89; for Allah loves not any
vainglorious90 boastful91 (person). And be modest in your gait,
and lower your voice (in humility)92; for the harshest of sounds
without doubt is the braying of an ass.” (31:18-19).
Another verse which condemns the demonstration of haughtiness

in very strong terms may also be quoted:
Arabic text
“And walk not in insolence through the earth. Verily, you will
by no means rend the earth, nor can you attain to the mountains
in stature.” (17:37).
(20) Obstinacy, Perverseness, Self-righteousness ruled out;

hence abstinence from the same is duty:
In emphasizing the qualities of the righteous, the Holy Qur’Én

says:—
Arabic text
“…and they are never obstinate in persisting knowingly in (the

wrong) they have done.” (3:135).
It is thus a duty to abstain from obstinacy, perverseness and self-

righteousness in all the situations of life.
(21) Quarrelsomeness prohibited.
The Holy Qur’Én has mentioned quarrelsomeness as the opposite

of righteousness:—
109
VOLUME TWO
Arabic text
“So have We made the (Qur’Én) easy in your own tongue, that
with it you may give glad tidings to the righteous, and warn
therewith the vehemently quarrelsome folk.” (19:97).
The holy book also says about true Muslims:—
Arabic text
“… and when the ignorant address them (in arrogance and lack
of culture), they say, ‘Peace!’ (avoiding thus all quarrel with
them)…” (25:63).
Finally, there is the command, given to the Holy Prophet (Peace

be on him), but meant to be obeyed by all Muslims, according to their
situation:
Arabic text
“… and keep away from the (disputations raked up by the)

ignorant.”93 (7:199).
It is, therefore, a duty for everyone who aims at righteousness,

i.e., every true follower of the Qur’Én, to abstain completely from
quarrelsomeness.
(22) Being over-powered by wrath ruled out; hence abstinence

from it is duty:
In emphasizing the qualities of the righteous, the Holy Qur’Én

says:—
Arabic text
110
“… and (those) who control their wrath” (3:135).
Hence, it is a Qur’Énic duty of omission not to permit oneself

under any circumstance to be over-powered by wrath.
(23) Light-heartedness prohibited:
Arabic text
“…and (in order that) you may not (lose the balance of your
mind in) joy because of that (worldly good) which has been
given (to you)…” (57:23).
Exultation over the good things of the world is wedded to light-

heartedness. The man of God should regard all worldly good fortune
as illusory (57:20)94. Hence he should not suffer from emotional
disturbance on such occasions, and should maintain his serenity,
knowing, as he does, its true value. In other words, he should avoid
light-heartedness.
(24) Pessimism, i.e., being over-powered by despair, prohibited:
Arabic text
“That you may not despair over matters which have escaped
you …” (57:23).
Elsewhere, the exhortation is in the form of the emphatic

command:
111
VOLUME TWO
Arabic text
“… and never give up hope of Allah’s Soothing Mercy: Truly

no one despairs of Allah’s Soothing Mercy except those who
have no faith.” (12:87).
This should be so, because every true Muslim is a man of God

and devotion to Him is the be-all and end-all of his life:
Arabic text
“Say: ‘Truly, my prayer and my service of sacrifice, my life and

my death are (all) for Allah, the Cherisher of the Worlds: No
partner has He.” (6:162-163).
It is through this intense devotion that the light of Faith and Hope
continues to burn constantly in his heart, and despair can never
overtake him. Indeed, he is, in his religious make-up, out and out an
optimist, and pessimism is the very negation of his Faith.
Hence the Qur’Énic duty of shunning Pessimism completely and

thoroughly.
(25) Being over-powered by fear ruled out; hence the effort to

eradicate it is duty:
Fear is one of the greatest scourge of human life, and he who can
overcome it is really a fortunate man.
The Holy Qur’Én has given a teaching which ensures this merit
thoroughly.
112
According to the holy book, a true Muslim is he who has absolute

faith in God and cultivates true devotion to Him (6:162).95 This faith
and this devotion lend strength to his will, a balance to his emotions
and a grace to his personality which never fail him in life, because
God’s help and protection is unfailingly and always available to him:
Arabic text
“So whoever rejects Evil and believes in Allah has grasped the
most trustworthy hand-hold that never breaks.” (3:256).
Thus a true Muslim is never afraid of anything of this world. He

leads a life free of fear in proportion to the strength of his faith and
trust in God:
Arabic text
“Behold! verily on the friends of Allah there is no fear, nor

shall they grieve; those who believe and (constantly) guard
against evil; for them are Glad Tidings in the life of the Present
and in the Hereafter: No change can there be in the Words of
Allah. This is indeed the supreme Felicity.” (10:62-64).
For them, the Comforting Message and the Command is:
Arabic text
“Entertain no fear!” (41:30).
Because: all things and the consequences of all events, are under
the control and command of the All-Powerful, the All-Just and the
Most Merciful God:
113
VOLUME TWO
Arabic text
“Blessed be He in Whose hands is Dominion; and He over all

things has Power…” (67:1).
Arabic text
“… and with Allah rests the end of (all) affairs.” (22:41).
It is thus the duty of a Muslim not to allow himself to be over-

powered by fear.
(26) Cowardice on the battlefield prohibited:
A true Muslim develops the strength of his heart through a

dynamic and vibrant faith in God to such an extent that cowardice on
the battlefield is inconceivable in his case:
Arabic text
“… and those who are firm and patient, in pain (or suffering)
and adversity, and throughout all periods of panic and
violence.96 These are they who are proven true (in their faith in
God); and these are they who are (truly) righteous.” (2:177).
Therefore, the Holy Qur’Én lays down the command:
Arabic text
“O you who believe! When you meet the Unbelievers97 in

hostile array, never turn your backs to them.
“If any do turn his back to them on such a day, unless it be in a

stratagem of war or to retreat to a troop (of his own), he draws
114
on himself the wrath of Allah, and his abode is Hell, —an evil
refuge (indeed)!” (8:15-16).
Thus, to abstain from cowardice is a duty.
(27) Fear of opponents of truth and justice ruled out;

The Holy Qur’Én mentions it as one of the essential qualities of a

true Muslim that, in upholding truth and justice, he is never afraid of
those who may be opposed to him:
Arabic text
“and (they are) never afraid of the reproaches of such as find

fault…” (5:57).
Thus, to abstain from fear of opposition in respect of upholding

truth and justice is a duty.
(28) Cultivation of sadness, anxiety and worry in respect of

worldly events and things prohibited:
A true Muslim is, as we have already noted, a man of God, and

his motto in life is to commit all his affairs to His care:
Arabic text
“(He said:) and I commit my affair to Allah: for Allah (ever)

watches over His Servants.” (40:44).
This motto, taught by the Holy Qur’Én, cuts at the very root of
that attitude of mind which subjects a person to indulge irrationally in
sadness, anxiety and worry, thereby damaging him in many ways.
115
VOLUME TWO
Speaking directly of the problem, the holy book says:
Arabic text
“… that (He might teach) you not to grieve for that which you
missed or for that which befell you…” (3:153).
Thus it is the duty of every true Muslim not to cultivate sadness,

anxiety and worry in respect of what happens to him in his life.
(29) (a) Capriciousness,
(b) indulgence in fancies and phantasms divorced from the

realities of life, and
(c) harboring evil thoughts,
—all ruled out in Islamic conduct; hence abstinence

from them is duty:
The Holy Qur’Én regards waswÉs as a great evil, so much so that

it teaches a definite prayer for seeking God’s protection against it. The
prayer is:
Arabic text
“Say: I seek refuge with the Lord and Cherisher of Mankind,

the King (or Ruler) of Mankind, the God (or Judge) of Mankind
from the evil of the waswÉs of (or caused by) the slinking
(devil), who whispers in the hearts of Mankind, —among jinns
and among men.” (Sura 114).
116
The word ‘waswÉs’ which has been left un-translated by the

present writer comprehends within it several meanings that relate to
different aspects of evil in the thoughts and feelings of human beings.
The “Dictionary of Modern Written Arabic” gives the following
meanings:
“devilish insinuation, temptation, wicked thoughts, doubt,

misgiving, suspicion; delusion, fixed idea; uneasiness, anxiety,
concern, melancholy.”
The word ‘waswÉs’ covers, therefore: (1) depression of spirits

through thoughts of sadness (—melancholy); (2) anxiety; worry (—
uneasiness and concern); (3) capriciousness (—doubt, misgiving,
suspicion); (4) indulgence in delusions; (5) harboring of evil thoughts.
Thus, the above prayer, while it emphasizes the duty of

abstaining from cultivation of sadness, anxiety and worry—stated in
the immediately preceding section, also emphasizes the duty of (1)
shunning of capriciousness, and (2)98 abstaining from indulgence in
delusions, namely, in fancies and phantasms divorced from the
realities of life and consequently living in an imaginary world of one’s
own making, and (3) guarding oneself against harboring evil thoughts.
(30) Perversion—straying, and leading others, into evil courses

The Holy Qur’Én condemns perversion in all its forms in the

following verses:
Arabic text
117
VOLUME TWO
“And relate to them the story99 of the man to whom We sent

Our Signs, but he passed them by: So Satan followed him up,
and he became of the perverted.” (7:175).
Arabic text
“And the Fierce Fire shall be placed in full view before the
perverted ones.” (26:91).
Hence, it is a duty to abstain from perversion in all its forms.
(31) Indulgence in everything vain ruled out; hence abstinence

from it is duty:
Emphasizing certain essential attributes of Islamic conduct, the

Arabic text
“… and those (Believers) who from (everything) vain keep away

. . . .” (23:3).
At another place, the same trait of Muslim character has been

mentioned in these words:
Arabic text
“… and when they pass by some vanity (like vain random talk,
unedifying jokes, vain ‘recreations’, etc.), they pass by it with
dignified (avoidance).”100 (25:72).
(32) Idle discourse disapproved; hence abstinence from it is

duty:
118
The following verse of the Holy Qur’Én, though it relates to a

particular event, also lays down a general rule of conduct:
Arabic text
“And of mankind are those who purchase (i.e., are occupied

with) idle discourse101, to mislead (men) from Allah’s Way (—
which is the way of beneficial spending of time and energy)
without knowledge (i.e., on the basis of vain fanciful stories),
and throw ridicule on it: for such there will be a humiliating
Penalty.” (31:6).
It is, therefore, duty to abstain from wasting time and energy in

vain talks, frivolous discourses and idle tales.
(33) Recklessness prohibited:
One of the attributes of the unrighteous mentioned by the Holy

Qur’Én is that of being ‘musrif’ (40:28), which word comprehends
‘recklessness’ in its meanings.
Also, the injunction has been laid down:
Arabic text
“… Do not practice recklessness …” (7:31).
(34) Abstinence enjoined in respect of:
a. Idle curiosity;
b. Believing in unfounded reports;
c. Spreading unfounded reports;
119
VOLUME TWO
d. Entering into discussions without correct knowledge of the

problem;
e. Entertaining opinions for which no strong reason to believe

exists;
f. Proffering uncertain opinion;
g. Tendering uncertain advice.
In the following pithy verse, whose Arabic text can be but poorly
translated into English, the Holy Qur’Én lays down a comprehensive
duty of omission which covers all the above vices:
Arabic text
“Pursue not and follow not that whereof you have no

knowledge”. (17:36).
(35) Idleness ruled out; hence abstinence from it is duty.
The Holy Qur’Én commands the Muslims in these words:
Arabic text
“O you who believe! persevere, and excel in perseverance, and

be (always) in a state of readiness, and observe your duty to
Allah that haply you may prosper.” (3:200).
Idleness, or aversion to labour, is possible in a physically normal

person only when: (a) he has no serious end in view, and (b) he
120
possesses a tone of mind whereby he suffers from lack of

perseverance.
The Holy Qur’Én cuts at the root of both of these short-comings

when it commands the Muslims, in the above verse, to develop the
very opposite character, namely, maximum of perseverance and the
most serious end, i.e., making observance of the duty to God the goal
of life.
Thus, idleness is definitely a vice in the Qur’Énic moral system

and should, as such, be shunned by every Muslim.
Expounding this Qur’Énic teaching, the Holy Prophet (Peace be

on him) has taught the Muslims to seek God’s refuge from idleness.
The wordings of the prayer are:
Arabic text
“O Allah! I seek refuge with you from worry and grief and
incompetence (in the performance of duties) and idleness and
cowardice and miserliness and the burden of debt and the
tyranny of the people.” (BukhÉrÊ’s ØaÍÊÍ).
(36) Abstinence enjoined in respect of false endeavour in

earning livelihood:
a. through beggary;
b. through acquiring money falsely by religious pretences and

superstitious practices;
c. through gambling.
121
VOLUME TWO
(a) Through Beggary:
The qualities of the needy person who deserves financial help

have been laid down thus:
Arabic text
“(Voluntary financial help is102) for those in need, ( who, in

Allah’s cause103, are restricted, and cannot move about in the
land (seeking for trade or work). The ignorant man thinks
because of their modesty (in respect of asking for help), that
they are free from want. You will know them from their
(unfailing) mark. They beg not importunately from all and
sundry…” (2:273).
Thus: the person who deserves help should fulfill the following
conditions:
• his need for money should be genuine;
• it should arise from some honorable or acceptable cause,

including inability to work due to physical ailments or non-
availability of employment;
• he should be respectable in his demeanor;
• he should not beg from all and sundry, namely, should not
adopt beggary as a profession.
122
Professional beggary, which is a debasing form of acquiring easy

money, is, therefore, completely ruled out by the Holy Qur’Én. Indeed,
it has no place in Muslim society.104
(b) Acquiring money falsely through religious pretences and

superstitious practices:
The Holy Qur’Én points out condemningly another false means of

earning money which damages both the recipient and the giver of
money,—the means, namely, of employing religious pretences and
superstitions, or, so-called “spiritual” practices. It says:
Arabic text
“O you who believe! verily many of the priests and the monks
devour the substances of the people in falsehood (i.e., on false
pretences) …” (9:34).
This verse refers to the Jewish priests and divines and the
Christian monks and clergy. The false pretences consisted in that the
Jewish priests used to misinterpret the law for the benefit of obtaining
money from the interested parties,105 and the Christian monks and
clergy used to issue indulgences and dispensations and had made the
shrines of their saints a source of revenue for themselves.106
The condemnation by the Holy Qur’Én means that it is the duty

of a Muslim to abstain from acquiring money from all types of false
pretences and practices in the name of spirituality and religion.
(c) Gambling, as embodying the spirit of earning wealth without

labour, prohibited:
123
VOLUME TWO
Another way of acquiring easy money is through the different

forms of gambling. The Holy Qur’Én commands the Muslims to shun
all those forms of false-earning, when it says:
Arabic text
“O you who believe! Intoxicants and gambling107, (dedication

of) stones, and (divination by) arrows, are an abomination—of
Satan’s handwork: Shun it, therefore, that you may prosper.”108
(5:89).
Thus, it is a duty to abstain totally from all forms of gambling.
(37) Love of wealth for its own sake109 vehemently condemned;

The Holy Qur’Én, while condemning unrighteousness, recounts

love of wealth as one of the vices:
Arabic text
“… and you love wealth with inordinate love.” (89:20).
Arabic text
“and lo! in the love of wealth he (i.e., the unregenerate man who
is ungrateful to God) is violent.” (100:8).
Arabic text
“The emulous desire for abundance and increase (in wealth,

status and other worldly possessions) distracts you (from the
more serious and higher things), until you visit the graves (i.e.,
you die).” (102:1-2).
124
Arabic text
“Woe to every kind of scandal-monger and backbiter, who

amasses wealth and counts it (often out of love for it), thinking
his wealth would make him last for ever. By no means! He will
surely be thrown into that (Hell) which breaks to pieces.”
(104:1-4).
It is, therefore, the duty of a Muslim to shun love for wealth

totally, regarding wealth only as a means to virtue.
(38) Abstinence enjoined in respect of Covetousness110 or, the

spirit of Greed, which expresses itself in:
a. Covetous Selfishness, or, withholding from others the goods

possessed by one’s own self (i.e. miserliness); and
b. Coveting other’s goods.
(a) Covetous Selfishness:
The Holy Qur’Én has laid down the rule:
Arabic text
“And those saved from the covetousness111 of their own

souls,—they are the ones that achieve prosperity.” (59:9;
64:16).
Thus it is a duty to abstain from harbouring the spirit of

covetousness—covetous selfishness—in all things that we possess.
125
VOLUME TWO
(b) Coveting others’ goods prohibited:
By coveting others’ goods:
• one damages his spirit of contentment and, as a

consequence, his peace of mind; and
• he cultivates the spirit of jealousy.
Both of these are vices.
The Holy Qur’Én, therefore, says:
Arabic text
“And in no wise covet those things in which Allah has made

some of you excel others.” (4:32).
It is, thus, a duty to abstain from coveting the goods that others
possess.
(39) Permitting oneself the very Spirit of Miserliness, prohibited.
The Holy Qur’Én commands:
Arabic text
“Make not your hand tied (in miserliness) to your neck…”

(17:29).
Because, the true Muslims are those who:
Arabic text
“are not niggardly.” (25:67).
126
And every Muslim should always remember that:
Arabic text
“… there are those who bury gold and silver and spend it not in
the Way of Allah: announce unto them a most grievous
penalty—on the Day when heat will be produced out of that
(wealth) in the fire of Hell, and with it will be branded their
foreheads, their flanks, and their backs: (And it will be said to
them:) ‘This is the (treasure) which you buried for yourselves:
taste you, then, the (treasure) you buried’.” (9:34-35).
and:
Arabic text
“Let not those who are niggardly in respect of the gifts which
Allah has given of His Grace, think it is good for them: nay! it
is bad for them. Soon shall the things withheld in niggardliness
be tied to their necks like a collar (—the collar of agonizing
misery—) on the Day of Judgment. To Allah belongs the
heritage of the heavens and earth; and Allah is well-acquainted
with what you do.” (3:180).
It is, therefore, a duty to self to keep one’s heart absolutely clear

of the spirit of miserliness.
(40) Practicing miserliness in respect of one’s self specifically

condemned; hence abstinence from it is duty.
People are generally miserly in respect of others. But there are

those also who are miserly, not only towards others, but even towards
127
VOLUME TWO
themselves. Namely, they deprive themselves of rationally and justly

benefiting from those means of healthy living which God bestows on
them. Such persons have been condemned by the Holy Qur’Én:
Arabic text
“Verily, Allah loves not the arrogant, the vainglorious;—nor

those who are niggardly and command mankind to
niggardliness and hide the bounties which Allah has bestowed
on them; and We have prepared for the ungrateful a punishment
that steeps them in contempt…” (4:36-37).
“Hiding the bounties which Allah has bestowed on them”

implies:
a. withholding bounties from others;
b. Disallowing those bounties from manifesting themselves on

one’s person and in the different aspects of one’s personal
life.
There is a ×adÊth which clarifies the duty in respect of the second

implication directly:
Arabic text
“Allah loves to see the effects of His bounties on the person of

His Servant.” (Tirmizi).
It is, therefore, the duty of a Muslim to abstain from practicing

miserliness towards his own self.
128
(41) (a) Squandering—Vain Spending, prohibited:
Arabic text
“… but squander not (your wealth) in the manner of a

spendthrift. Verily spendthrifts are associates of (i.e. of the same
family as) the Evil Ones; and the Evil One is to his Lord (Himself)
ungrateful112.”113 (17:26-27).
It is, therefore, a duty to abstain totally from squandering one’s

wealth, whether for one’s own self and dependants or for others.
(b) Insincerity in acts seemingly of charity and spending

one’s wealth for show in general, condemned:
Arabic text
“Verily Allah loves not the arrogant, the vainglorious … those

who expend their substance to show off to men . . . ” (4:36-38).
(42) Impatience, or want of calm endurance and perseverance,

disapproved; hence abstinence from it is duty:
Arabic text
“If only they had patience until you (O Prophet) could come out
to them, it would have been good for them. (That they behaved
impatiently was bad for them).” (49:5).
This verse indicates that impatience, namely, want of calm

endurance and perseverance, is bad for one’s self. Hence to abstain
from it is duty to self.
129
VOLUME TWO
(43) Spirit of Ungratefulness condemned; hence abstinence from

it is duty:
Arabic text
“Verily, Allah loves not any treacherous, ungrateful (person).”

(22:38).
This verse emphasizes basically the spirit of ungratefulness. Of

course, active ungratefulness, whether towards God or towards fellow-
beings, is also definitely included.
It is, therefore, duty to eschew the spirit of ungratefulness and to

abstain from being ungrateful to anyone, whereby the moral purity of
one’s own inner personality is damaged.
(44) Indecency, lewdness and everything abominable in thought

and word and deed, prohibited:
The Holy Qur’Én has commanded:
Arabic text
“… and draw not nigh to indecencies, whether open or

secret…”114 (6:151).
Again:
Arabic text
“… and He forbids lewdness and abomination and

115
wickedness…” (16:90).
130
It is, thus, duty to abstain totally from indecency, lewdness and

everything abominable in thought, in speech and in action.
(45) The very Spirit of Sexual Immodesty prohibited:
Arabic text
“And come not nigh to adultery: for it is a shameful (deed) and

an evil, opening the road (to other evils).” (17:32).
The words “come not nigh to” imply abstinence from the very
spirit of sexual immodesty, as also the attitude and the behaviour in
which it manifests itself. Thus it is a duty to shun116, the very spirit of
sexual immodesty, as also the immodest attitudes and behaviour that
cause temptation in relations between the sexes.
(46) Defiling one’s spiritual and moral purity through illicit

sexual gratification, including homosexuality and self-
abuse, prohibited:
Abstinence from lewdness has already been included in the duty

mentioned in the previous section. Here we may quote the verses
where the command has been given with particular reference to sexual
appetite. The Holy Qur’Én says:
Arabic text
“Say (O Prophet!) to the believing men that they should lower

their gaze (in the spirit of sexual modesty) and guard their
131
VOLUME TWO
private parts (against misuse): that will make for greater purity
for them. And Allah is well-acquainted with all that you do.
“And say to the believing women that they should lower their
gaze and guard their private parts (against misuse).” (24:30-31.)
These verses lay down the duty of abstaining from defiling one’s
purity by illicit sexual relations and sexual self-abuse.117
(47) Indifference to self-reform condemned; hence abstinence

from it is duty:
The greatest of moral diseases consists in the attitude of

indifference to self-reform. The Holy Qur’Én takes full cognizance of
it and, in order to warn the Muslims of its evil implications and
consequences, condemns the presence of this disease among the
clergy and the people of a previous religious community.
Addressing their clergy, it says:
Arabic text
“Do you enjoin right conduct on the people, and forget (to
practice it) yourselves, and yet you study the Scripture? Will
you not understand?” (2:44.).
Arabic text
“Thenceforth your hearts hardened: they became like a rock and

even worse in hardness. For among rocks there are some from
which rivers gush forth; others there are which when split
132
asunder send forth water; and others which sink for fear of
Allah: and Allah is not unmindful of your actions.” (2:74).
It is, therefore, the duty of a Muslim to abstain from cultivating

or retaining an attitude which may disable him from reforming himself
in respect of his weaknesses and deficiencies.

133
Chapter 2.
DUTIES of Commission
END:
Moral Development ensuring Moral Perfection.
(1) Cultivation and practice of Truthfulness enjoined:
The Holy Qur’Én lays down the command in the following two
verses:
Arabic text
“O you who believe! Guard your duty to Allah (in respect of

truthfulness) and be with those who are true (in thought, word
and deed).” (9:119).
Arabic text
“O you who believe! Guard your duty to Allah and speak words
(that are) true and directed to the right point: that He may make
your conduct whole and sound and forgive you your sins. He
that obeys Allah and His Messenger, has indeed attained the
highest achievement.” (33:70-71).
The first verse commands the Muslims:
a. to be most conscientiously truthful, namely, through guarding

their duty of obedience to God Who is all time a witness even
to their innermost thoughts and feelings, not to speak of

speech and action;
b. to be comprehensively truthful, because conscientious

truthfulness means truthfulness in every respect, namely, in
thought, word and deed;
c. to develop the spirit and activity of truthfulness by upholding

the cause of truthfulness and by loving the company of those
who are genuinely truthful.
The second verse commands, not only conscientious truthfulness

in speech, but also guarding against even unconscious slip from truth
by making the speech “directed to the right point.”118
Truthfulness in thought, word and deed is, therefore, a duty.

Indeed, it is such an important duty that it forms one of the essential
attributes of righteousness (3:14-6), and Heaven has been promised to
those who uphold truth in their hearts and practice it in their actions
(33:35). In Heaven itself, the righteous will enjoy their blissful life in
“an Assembly of Truth in the Presence of the Sovereign Omnipotent.”
(54:55).
(2) Guarding of Oaths enjoined:
Taking lightly one’s oaths is the quality of the person who is

deficient in moral earnestness and lacks in true devotion to
truthfulness. Hence, in order to maintain sound moral outlook and
135
VOLUME TWO
character, it is a duty to guard one’s oaths, i.e., to be true to one’s

oaths; and this is what the Holy Qur’Én has commanded:
Arabic text
“… and guard your oaths.” (5:89).
(3) Cultivation of the spirit of Sincerity and Uprightness

enjoined:
Sincerity means freedom from pretence. Uprightness (or,

honesty) means freedom from fraud. Both these qualities are actually
forms of truthfulness, implying that there should be sameness in
reality as in appearance. In other words, what we express in words
should be the same as we feel in our hearts, and in no way should we
do injustice to our speech by making it immoral through making it
discordant with what we believe to be true. The Holy Qur’Én has thus
commanded sincerity and uprightness (side by side with truthfulness
in giving evidence and with justice in pronouncing judgment), in the
following verse:
Arabic text
“… and when you utter a word, do justice there unto…”

(6:152).
(4) Steadfastness in everything good and true enjoined:
The Holy Qur’Én has commanded the Muslims to be steadfast in

the cause of Truth:
Arabic text
136
“… and be ever ready (i.e., fixed in your resolve)…” (3:200).
Again:
Arabic text
“O you who believe! when you meet a (hostile) force, stay

firm…” (8:45).
This should be so, because firmness is one of the basic qualities

of true Believers:
Arabic text
“Allah keeps firm those who believe, with the Word that stands
firm, in this world and in the Hereafter …” (14:27).
Hence, steadfastness in all that is good and true is duty.
(5) Modesty enjoined:
Modesty, which means “restraint by a sense of seemliness” and

which implies spiritual purity and moral decency in one’s inner
attitudes and outward behaviour in respect of moral decorum, has
been emphasized in a beautiful manner in the following Qur’Énic
verses:
Arabic text
“O children of Adam! We have bestowed raiment upon you to

conceal your shame, and as an adornment. But the raiment of
piety, that is the best. Such are among the Signs of Allah, that
you may be admonished.
137
VOLUME TWO
“O children of Adam! Let not Satan seduce you, in the same

manner as he got your parents out of the Garden (of felicity),
stripping them of the raiment (of innocence and purity), that he
might manifest their shame to them …” (7:26-27).
‘Raiment of piety’, in verse 26, emphasizes the observance of

modesty in the inner attitude as well as outward behaviour; while the
words: ‘let not Satan seduce you’ in verse 27, proclaim the duty of the
observance of modesty.119
(6) Marriage enjoined for providing the protection of the moral

fortress of married life to the individual:
The law has been laid down:
Arabic text
Marry those among you who are single, or the virtuous ones
among your slaves, male or female: If they are in poverty Allah
will give them Means out of His Grace: for Allah encompasses
all, and He knows all things.” (24:32).
That marriage provides a moral fortress, a fortress of chastity, has

been emphasized by the Holy Qur’Én in the word muÍÎin—ÍiÎn
meaning fortress—employed in the verse which points out the true
motive with which a Muslim should marry:
Arabic text
“… desiring chastity, not lust …” (4:24).
138
(7) Chastity under all conditions: Preservation of sexual

sanctity enjoined:
Chastity implies maintenance of purity in thought, word and

deed, in respect of the sexual passion. The Holy Qur’Én makes it a
duty when it commands:
Arabic text
“Those who find not the wherewithal of marriage shall keep

themselves chaste (in thought, word and deed)…” (24:33).
Elsewhere, the womenfolk have been specifically commanded:
Arabic text
“… and that they shall observe the principle of chastity (even in

respect of the most distantly related aspects of attitude and
behaviour), that is best for them…” (24:60).
(8) Laboring for earning one’s livelihood enjoined:
The Holy Qur’Én has commanded:
Arabic text
“… and seek of (i.e., strive and labour for) Allah’s Bounty (i.e.,
means of livelihood): and remember Allah much, that you may
prosper.” (62:10).
The above command to strive and labour for earning one’s

livelihood has actually been given in the context of the observance of
special weekly congregational worship on Fridays. This does not
mean, however, that the command is confined only to Fridays. On the
139
VOLUME TWO
contrary, the Holy Qur’Én has emphasized the virtue of laboring for
earning one’s livelihood by repudiating the Jewish-Christian notion of
the Sabbath—of the false belief as to the sanctity of idleness and
abstinence from work—and asserting that labour for honest earning is
most definitely a part of worship.
Expounding the Qur’Énic view, the Holy Prophet (Peace be on

him) says:
Arabic text
“To engage in labour for honest livelihood is duty…” (MishkÉt

al-MaÎÉbÊÍ, vol. 2, p. 7).
(9) Earning livelihood through honest means enjoined.
The verse quoted in the preceding injunction120 implies one more

command: namely, to earn one’s livelihood by honest means and in
honest manner, because it has to be earned as “God’s Bounty” and not
as Satan’s favor. Moreover, the command to earn has been combined
with the command to “remember Allah much, that you may prosper”,
thereby commanding spiritualization of the effort for earning, which
alone can truly guarantee the maintenance of one’s conscience as
sound and unblemished.
(10) Benefiting oneself from only that which has been lawfully
acquired, enjoined:
The most basic need of man is food, and hence it is hunger in

respect of which it is most difficult to observe lawfulness. Even an
honest person finds it most difficult to abstain from employing
140
debasing or illegitimate means, like theft, when he is confronted with

death by starvation. Hence, the Holy Qur’Én has mentioned food when
laying down the duty of benefiting oneself from only that which has
been lawfully acquired. It says:
Arabic text
“O mankind! eat of whatsoever is on the earth (provided it is)

lawfully acquired, and good (i.e., lawful for your health) …”
(2:168).
Then the Holy Qur’Én goes beyond food and lays down the
general law:
Arabic text
“O you who believe! Spend out of the good things which you
have lawfully earned and out of that which we have brought
forth for you from the earth . . .” (2:267).
According to Qur’Énic commentators, this verse relates to

spending in charity for others121, from which a person benefits
spiritually. But, spending on one’s personal needs should all the more
strictly be based on what one has lawfully earned, because in that way
alone can the spiritual health—the integrity of personality—be
properly maintained.
(11) Virtue of industry enjoined:
To lead a hard life, to engage in perpetual endeavor for the

flowering up of one’s talents and faculties, to struggle incessantly
through honest labour for higher and higher achievement: that is the
141
VOLUME TWO
law of life in Islam, emphasized time and again in the Holy Qur’Én
and enshrined in the life of the Holy Prophet (Peace be on him).
Emphasizing this law, the Holy Qur’Én says:
Arabic text
“… and that for man shall be nothing (i.e., no man deserves)

save that wherefor he makes effort, and that (the fruit of) his
effort will soon come in sight.” (52:39-40).
Again:
Arabic text
“For each (human being) is a rank according to the deeds which

he does: for your Lord is not unaware of what they do.” (6:132).
The first verse says that no human being deserves any success in
life except what he labours for. The second verse emphasizes progress
on the basis of genuine, practical endeavor.
Industry is, therefore, an important duty to self, according to the

Holy Qur’Én.
(12) Virtue of pursuing stable and sound Progress life, through:
a. Planning one’s life and activity soundly;
b. Aiming at consequential (as opposed to wasteful) activity.
c. Aiming at the highest and the soundest productivity in one’s

activity,
enjoined:
142
The Holy Qur’Én commands:
Arabic text
“O you who believe! Fear Allah (in wasting your life and
talents in vain or wrong pursuits and through unsound planning
and execution), and (in all types of actions) let every soul look
to what (resulting good and worthiness for success and
progress) he has sent forth for the morrow. And fear Allah (for
making your activity positive, planned, consequential and
progressive, thereby manifesting your true and active
thankfulness to Him for His bounties): for Allah is well-
acquainted with (all) that you do.” (59:18).
That the human outlook should be progressive, which

necessitates aiming at the highest and the soundest productivity, is
borne out by the fact that man, according to the Holy Qur’Én, is an
evolutionary being and the character of human life is evolutionary:122
Arabic text
“So I do call to witness the ruddy glow of Sunset; the Night and
its Homing; and the Moon in her Fullness: you shall surely
travel from stage to stage.” (84:16-19).
(13) Cultivation and maintenance of Optimism enjoined:
Optimism, or maintaining an unflinching attitude of hope, is

based, in a Muslim’s life, on his unswerving faith in and sincere
143
VOLUME TWO
reliance on God, and has been mentioned in the Holy Qur’Én as an

essential attribute of Islamic life:123
Arabic text
“Is one who worships devoutly during the hours of the night
prostrating himself and standing (in adoration), who takes heed
of the Hereafter, and who places his hope in the Mercy of his
Lord (like one who does not)? …” (39:9).
To maintain optimistic attitude in life is, therefore, duty.
(14) Cultivation and maintenance of the spirit and the attitude of

Generosity (or, Spirit of Benevolence) enjoined:
Actual generosity is a duty to others. But the cultivation and

maintenance of the spirit and the attitude of generosity is a duty
towards self because of the purity and enrichment that it acquires
thereby. It is this spirit and this attitude that have been emphasized
together with actual generosity, as essential attributes of
righteousness, in the following verses:
Arabic text
“And vie with one another, hastening to forgiveness from your

Lord, and to a Garden whose breadth is that (of the whole) of
the heavens and of the earth, prepared for the righteous, —those
who spend (freely), whether in prosperity or in adversity…”
(3:133-134).
Arabic text
144
“Those who spend (in Charity) of their goods by night and by

day, in secret and in public, have their reward with their Lord;
on them shall be no fear, nor shall they grieve.” (2:274).
(15) Constancy in Life commanded; hence its observance is

duty:
Success and productivity in life demands constancy in our effort,

and hence devotion to the principle of constancy is a duty to self. The
Holy Qur’Én enjoins it in respect of Prayer, saying that life is truly and
ultimately successful of those “who,” besides possessing other virtues,
“are constant at their worship.”124 (70:23).
Now, Prayer being the most basic character-building exercise

according to the Holy Qur’Én, the above verse refers indirectly to the
merit of cultivation and maintenance of the principle of constancy in
respect of all virtues. This fact has been directly emphasized by the
Holy Prophet (Peace be on him) when he says:
Arabic text
“The action (of goodness) most loved by God is that in which

the principle of Constancy is observed most.” (BukhÉrÊ: ØaÍÊÍ,
Vol. 2, p. 957).
(16) Punctuality and Regularity in life enjoined:
The Holy Qur’Én has enjoined punctuality in respect of Prayer:
Arabic text
145
VOLUME TWO
“Verily the Prayer is prescribed unto the Believers at definite

times (or, at appointed hours).” (4:103).
In this manner the Holy Qur’Én trains and accustoms the

Muslims to punctuality in all the affairs of life.
Moreover, the holy book appeals repeatedly to the Believers to

observe the principle of regularity found in Nature and within their
own selves, and take lesson from it all. For instance:
Arabic text
“On the earth are Signs for those of assured Faith, as also in
your own selves: will you not then observe?” (51:20-21).
Arabic text
“Behold! In the constitution of the heavenly bodies and the

earth, and the alternation of the Day and the Night, there are
indeed Signs for the possessors of understanding …” (3:190).
Such being the importance of punctuality and regularity

according to the Holy Qur’Én, it is a duty to observe them in life to the
best of one’s ability.
(17) Observance of the principle of Moderation enjoined:
According to the Holy Qur’Én, conformity to the just mean in all

things of life is one of the basic distinguishing marks of Islamic
conduct. God says:
Arabic text
146
“Thus We have exalted you as a community (ummah)

conforming to the just mean …” (2:143).
Having laid down the principle basically and for universal

application in life, the holy book also refers to certain concrete
instances of its application. For instance:
(a) Concerning prayer:
Arabic text
“Neither be too loud in your Prayer nor be too quiet in it, but
seek a middle course between.” (17:110).
(b) Concerning spending:
The true servants of God are:
Arabic text
“those who, when they spend125 (their wealth, talents, time,

energy, etc.), are neither extravagant nor sparing, but hold, a
just (balance) between those (extremes).” (25:67).
(c) Concerning walking;
Arabic text
“And be moderate in your pace…” (31:19).
Thus, observance of the principle of moderation in all things

is a duty.
(18) Observance and maintenance of Discipline enjoined:
147
VOLUME TWO
A true Muslim’s life is a disciplined life. It is hedged in by

principles, rules and laws from all sides, named by the Holy Qur’Én as
‘limits ordained by God’, and it is a duty to maintain life strictly
within those limits. Discipline is thus the hall-mark of Islamic life.
Speaking of the true Believers the Holy Qur’Én says:
Arabic text
“And those who keep the limits ordained by Allah. So proclaim

the glad tidings to the Believers.” (9:112).
As regards those who are undisciplined and violate those limits,

we are told:
Arabic text
“These are the limits (ordained by) Allah. Transgress them not.
For whoso transgresses Allah’s limits: such are wrong-doers.”
(2:229).
Again:
Arabic text
“… and any who transgresses the limits ordained by Allah, does

verily wrong his own soul …” (65:1).
Observance of strict discipline in life is, therefore, duty to self.
(19) Cultivation and practice of Moral Courage enjoined:
Moral courage consists in upholding and advocating truth

without fear.
148
According to the Holy Qur’Én, it forms one of the essential

attributes of Islamic conduct. For, the true Believers are those who
are:
Arabic text
“… never afraid (in upholding Truth) of the reproaches of such

as find fault.” (5:57).
Hence, cultivation and maintenance of moral courage is duty.
(20) Remaining pitched in battle against the forces of evil

enjoined:
A true Muslim is a man of God and, as such, his function is to

enjoin what is right and to forbid what is wrong.126 He cannot perform
this function, however, unless he remains pitched in battle against the
forces of evil. And this he has been commanded by the Holy Qur’Én:
Arabic text
“Verily Satan is an enemy to you: so treat him (constantly) as

an enemy (remaining engaged in perpetual fight with him).”
(35:6).
ShaiÏÉn, or, Satan, is, according to Lane’s Arabic-English

Lexicon, not only ‘the devil’, but ‘any that is exceedingly, or
inordinately, proud or corrupt or unbelieving or rebellious.’ As such,
Satan represents all evils, whatever their form, wherever they are
found, and whenever they manifest themselves. Used as a proper
noun, i.e., as ‘the Satan’, the word signifies the personification of Evil.
In any case, the promptings to evil are there all the time: the forces of
149
VOLUME TWO
evil, in their multifarious forms, are perpetually at work. Those who

do not treat evil as their enemy fall a victim to it. But every Muslim is,
so to say, born to destroy evil and to establish the good. He cannot
treat evil even with indifference, not to speak of befriending it. He
must fight, fight continuously and with all his might, against evil,
wherever it is within his reach and whatever its form. It is his
unavoidable duty.
Expounding this duty, the Holy Prophet (Peace be on him) says:
Arabic text
“Whoever observes evil it is his duty to eradicate it with his

hand (or, power of authority). But he who is unable to do that,
let him employ (the power of) his tongue. In case there is one
who is unable even to do that, let him (at least detest it) with his
heart. This last, however, is the weakest degree of Faith.”
(Muslim: ØaÍÊÍ, vol. 1, p. 51).
(21) Cultivation and practice of Bravery enjoined:
True Muslims, according to the Holy Qur’Én, are those who face
all hardships and trials, and the forces of the enemy at the battlefield,
bravely:
Arabic text
“… and those who observe firmness and calmness in pain (or

suffering) and adversity, and throughout all periods of panic
and violence (i.e., in war): Such are they who are true (in their
Faith).127 Such are the God-fearing.” (2:177).
150
Muslims have been, therefore, commanded:
Arabic text
“O you who believe! When you meet a force (of the enemy on
the battlefield), hold firm (i.e., face the enemy bravely), and call
Allah in remembrance much128 (and often), that you may be
successful.” (8:45).
Again :
Arabic text
“O you who believe! When you meet the Unbelievers in battle,

never turn your back to them …” (8:15).
(22) Observance of Self-Respect, Magnanimity and Sobriety

enjoined:
It is the duty of every Muslim to cultivate and observe self-

respect, side by side with humility; because the very fact that he is a
Muslim make every true follower of Islam honorable. The Holy
Qur’Én says:
Arabic text
“Ye are the best community (in respect of your ideology and
your mission)…” (3:110).
Arabic text
“Honor belong to Allah and His Messenger (Muhammad) and

the (true) Believers; …” (63:8).
151
VOLUME TWO
That is why God has commanded the self-respecting attitude of

the AÎhÉb-uÎ-Øuffah (People of the Platform) in 2:273, already
quoted129, and has referred to the virtues of self-respect, magnanimity
and sobriety as the virtues which should be practiced by all of His true
Servants:
Arabic text
“… and when they pass by what is nonsense, they pass by it

observing self-respect, magnanimity and sobriety.” (25:72).
(23) Self-defense against wrong enjoined:
Self-respect makes self-defense necessary, wherever required. Of

course, all mischief is to be avoided (7:56; 28:77, etc.) and nothing
should be done which violates any of the virtues that have been
enjoined (2:208).
With these precautions, self-defense is a duty, because it has been

mentioned by the Holy Qur’Én as a quality of the Believer’s conduct:
Arabic text
“… and those who, when an oppressive wrong is inflicted on

them, help and defend themselves.”130 (42:39).
(24) Observance of the spirit of Contentment enjoined:
Discontentment can be in respect of:
(a) one’s resources, or, (b) one’s possessions.
a. As to the first: one may feel that if he is able to acquire the

patronage of the high-ups, he can increase his resourcefulness
152
for increasing his possessions : wealth, prestige, power, etc.

Such an ambition leads almost always to debasement of the
self, and consequently to the violation of the virtue of self-
respect. Hence, a Muslim has been commanded to direct all
his needs and all his ambitions to God and God alone, as, for
instance, in the basic Muslim prayer:
Arabic text
“You alone (O Allah) do we worship and Your help alone we

seek.” (1:5).
The Holy Qur’Én wants a Muslim to be absolutely contented with

the Patronage of God, Who is the Source of all Good, when it asks
emphatically:
Arabic text
“Is not Allah enough for His servant?” (39:36).
b. The usual form of discontentment is in respect of what one

possesses, and it becomes more damaging morally when one
starts cultivating jealousy in relation to what others possess.
The Holy Qur’Én has forbidden it outright:
Arabic Text
“And covet not the thing in which Allah has made some of you
excel others ( but cultivate the spirit of contentment). Unto men
a fortune from that which they have earned and unto women
from that which they have earned. (Be not jealous of one
another ) but ask Allah of his bounty (through positive, rational
153
VOLUME TWO
effort and the fulfillment of your genuine needs). Lo! Allah is

ever Knower of all things (including your innermost feelings;
so be careful).” (4:32).
Cultivation and maintenance of the spirit of contentment131 is,

therefore, a duty to self for keeping it morally healthy.
(25) Practice of Selflessness in doing good enjoined:
The Prophets of God, who have embodied service to humanity at

its highest, were asked by God to proclaim in unequivocal terms that
they did not want any reward for it. The Holy Qur’Én has mentioned
this time and again,132 thus laying down the principle that it is a duty
to observe selflessness in doing a duty to others.
In fact, all good to others should be done purely out of love for
God,133 and therefore, never for any selfish end. Or else, the merit of
the otherwise virtuous deed will become null and void, as the Holy
Qur’Én warns:
Arabic text
“O you who believe! Render not vain your charity by reminders

of your generosity or by injury…” (2:264).
On the positive side, the following motto of selflessness has been

laid down as the guiding light for all true Muslims. Their attitude,
whenever they do any good to others, should invariably be:
Arabic text
“… No reward do we desire from you, nor thanks.” (76:9).
154
(26) Soft-heartedness, Gentleness and Kindness enjoined:
A Muslim, while he has been commanded to be stiff and mighty

against evil,134 has to be, in his basic character, soft-hearted. This is
what the Holy Qur’Én has taught. A Muslim should practice humility
(33:35) which means showing respect to others. That makes it
impossible for him to be of harsh temperament. Then, he is to be the
pursuer of “compassion and kindness” (90:17). Taking both of these
qualities into consideration, the basic tone of his character should not
but be that of soft-heartedness, gentleness and kindness, unless any
exceptional situation justly demands otherwise.
Moreover, he has to follow the examples of the Prophets whose

conduct has been set for him as a pattern. Now, the Holy Qur’Én says,
on the one hand, that: “there is for you an excellent pattern (of
conduct) in Abraham and those with him...” (60:4); and on the other
hand, it informs us: “Lo! Abraham was softhearted, long-suffering”
(9:114). Therefore, to cultivate and maintain soft-heartedness is duty.
Concerning the Holy Prophet Muhammad (Peace be on him) the

Holy Qur’Én emphasizes his soft-heartedness in these words:
Arabic text
“It is part of the Mercy of Allah that you do deal soft-heartedly

with them…” (3:159).
Indeed, he is:
Arabic text
“Mercy (and Blessing) unto all the worlds.” (21:107).
155
VOLUME TWO
And:
Arabic text
“… To the Believers he is most kind, merciful.” (9:128).
To follow the Holy Prophet Muhammad (Peace be on him) is

duty.135 To cultivate and maintain soft-heartedness, gentleness and
kindness is, therefore, also duty,
(27) Patience, Forbearance, Perseverance, Composure,

Equanimity, Steadfastness, Self-control and Hardiness
enjoined.
The virtues mentioned above are very closely related to one

another and are included in the Arabic word sabr136, which has been
repeatedly emphasized by the Holy Qur’Én in different contexts and
has been enjoined forcefully.
The holy book says.
Arabic text
“O you who believe! seek help in Îabr and prayer; verily Allah
is with those who practice Îabr …
“Be sure We shall test you with something of fear and hunger,
some loss in goods or lives or the fruits (of your toil), but give
glad tidings to those who practice Îabr, who say, when afflicted
with calamity: ‘To Allah we belong and to Him is our return’:
They are those on whom (descend) the Blessings and the Mercy
of Allah and they are the rightly-guided.” (2:153, 155-157).
156
Arabic text
“… and those who practice Îabr in pain (or suffering) and

adversity, and throughout all periods of panic and violence.
Such are the people of truth, the God-fearing.” (2:177).
Arabic text
“… and Allah loves those who practice Îabr.” (3:146).
Arabic text
“… the men and the women who practice Îabr,…for them

Allah has prepared forgiveness and great reward.” (33:35).
Arabic text
“Those who observe Îabr, seeking their Lord’s Countenance

(i.e., Divine Pleasure) … for such there is the final attainment
of the (Eternal) Home.” (13:22).
It is, therefore, the duty of every Muslim to practice Îabr with a

view to attain perfection in it:
Arabic text
“O you who believe! practice Îabr, vie in the practice of Îabr

and be (ever) ready (in the cause of Truth); and be careful of
your duty to Allah; that you may succeed and prosper.” (3:200).
(28) Cultivating the spirit of Humility and Modesty enjoined:
157
VOLUME TWO
The Holy Qur’Én refers to, and enjoins the duty of, cultivating
and observing humility and modesty in the following verses:
Arabic text
“… the men and the women who possess the spirit of humility
… for them Allah has prepared forgiveness and mighty
reward.” (33:35).
Arabic text
“And the servants of (God) Most Gracious are those who walk
on the earth with humility, and when the ignorant address them
(in arrogance), they (do not insult them or engage with them,
but) say (or, wish them) ‘Peace!’ (separating themselves from
them calmly).137 (25:63).
Arabic text
“And swell not your cheek (for pride) at the fellow beings,138
nor walk in insolence through the earth139; for Allah loves not
any arrogant boaster. And be moderate in your pace, and lower
your voice140; for the harshest of sounds without doubt is the
braying of the ass.” (31:18-19).
(29) Observance of the spirit of Thankfulness141 enjoined:
The Holy Qur’Én contains the command, originally given by God

to the Holy Prophet Moses (Peace be on him) but meant to be obeyed
by every Muslim:
Arabic text
158
“… and be of those who are thankful.” (7:144).
Speaking directly to its addressees, the holy book has

commanded:
Arabic text
“… and be thankful for the favors of Allah, if it is He Whom

you serve.” (16:114).
It should be noted here that all the goods that a man receives in
his life, through whatever medium they might be delivered to him, are
God’s favors according to the Qur’Énic teaching. When a person
bestows his favors on anyone, not only the thing that he bestows, but
he himself, becomes for him God’s favor in that respect. It is thus a
duty to thank God for every good that one receives, as also to thank
him who acts as the agency for obtaining that good.142
(30) Struggle to achieve Self-Purification, along with its

Qur’Énic technique, enjoined:
(A) According to the Holy Qur’Én, the servants of God, namely,

true Muslims, are those who not only practice righteousness but
constantly yearn for perfection in it:
Arabic text
“And those who pray, ‘Our Lord! bestow on us coolness of eyes

from our wives and our offspring, and make us (so perfect in
virtue that we may be) unto the righteous a pattern (to be
followed)’.” (25:74).
159
VOLUME TWO
And this yearning becomes a reality in the case of those who

strive for it truly:
Arabic text
“… and among them (i.e., the followers of the Qur’Én) there are
those who, by Allah’s leave, are foremost in virtues. That is the
great Grace (i.e., the most honorable achievement).” (35:32).
For that achievement, however, it is necessary to purify the self.

Hence, true Muslims are those who:
Arabic text
“act aiming at (self-) purification.” (23:4).
And, thereby they develop:
Arabic text
“a sound heart.” (26:89).
Hence, Self-purification and development of Conscientiousness

is duty.
(B) But the human heart cannot be developed into a morally-

sound heart without:
a. constant self-examination; and
b. the consequent struggle directed at abstaining from evil of

every type and practising good in every way.
The Holy Qur’Én commands its followers in respect of both:
(a) As to constant self-examination:
160
Arabic text
“O you who believe! Fear Allah, and let every soul look to (i.e.,
examine) what it has sent forth for the morrow. And fear Allah:
for Allah is well-acquainted with what you do.” (59:18).
(b) As regards the struggle:
• against all evil within and without the self:
Arabic text
“Verily Satan (who represents and prompts all evils within and
without the self) is an enemy to you: so treat him constantly) as
an enemy (remaining engaged in perpetual fight with him).”
(35:6).
• in favor of all that is good;
Arabic text
“And strive for Allah (i.e., for the establishment of the highest
good within and without the self) as is due unto Him, hard
striving. He has chosen you (for it).” (22:78).
Thus, constant Self-examination and the Struggle to destroy evil

and to establish the good are Qur’Énic duties to self.
(C) But the Struggle (JihÉd) mentioned above is not possible

without a living and dynamic faith in God and devotion143 to Him, i.e.,
without maintaining the heart as:
Arabic text
161
VOLUME TWO
“a heart turned in devotion to God.” (50:33).
For that, however, it is necessary:
(a) to conscientiously and devotedly practise:
■ Communion with God;
As to communion with God, it has prescribed three forms

and has enjoined their observance:
• Constant remembrance of God:
Arabic text
“O you who believe! Celebrate the remembrance of Allah,

remembering (Him) much (in word and in thought), and glorify
Him morning and evening.” (33:41-42).
• Observance of Regular Prayer, in congregation and

otherwise:
Arabic text
“And establish regular prayer…”144 (2:110).
• Congregational worship at the highest level:
Arabic text
“And pilgrimage to the House (i.e., the Ka’bah at the Mecca)

(for congregational worship at world-level) is a duty unto Allah
for mankind,—for him who can afford the journey…” (3:97).
162
■ Fasting;
As to fasting, which is the most potent exercise for the

practice of self-control, the Holy Qur’Én orders it in these
words:
Arabic text
“ O you who believe! Fasting is prescribed to you, even as it

was prescribed to those before you, that you may (learn) self-
restraint.” (2:183).
■ Charity;
As to charity, the Holy Qur’Én enjoins:
• compulsory charity (ZakÉt, etc.), as well as
• optional charity.
It says:
Arabic text
“… and pay the poor-due…”145 (2:110).
Arabic text
“O you who believe! Spend (for helping those in need) out of

the good things which you have (honorably) earned, and of that
which We bring forth from the earth for you…”146 (2:267).
163
VOLUME TWO
(b) to fulfill all duties rigorously, whether they are to self or to

others.
As regards fulfillment of all duties rigorously, whether they are to

self or to others, the Holy Qur’Én lays down the command:
Arabic text
“O you who believe! Enter into Islam wholly (i.e., fulfill all the
duties prescribed by Islam, including those related to apparently
inconsequential issues of life).” (2:208).
The Holy Qur’Én has enjoined all the above as duty.

164
APPENDIX
DUTIES TO ANIMALS AND THINGS
Note: Duties to animals and things are really duties to Self,

because in the final analysis, they form part of “duty of
Conscientiousness”. Hence they have been included as appendix to
“Duties to Self.”
God says in the Holy Qur’Én:
(1)
Arabic text
“… and do good to parents … and to what your right hands

own…” (4:36).
According to the celebrated commentator Imam Fakhr al-Din al-

147
Razi , the expression “what your right hands own,” stands for all
those that have no civil rights, including the dumb animals. Thus this
verse lays down the duty148 of being good towards, and doing good to,
the animals.
(2)
Arabic text
“It is He Who has created for you all things that are on the
earth…” (2:29).
VOLUME TWO
All things having been created for our benefit, it becomes our
natural duty:
• to protect everything from damage;
• to employ it for our benefit in keeping with its dignity as

God’s creation;
• to promote its well-being, as far as possible, thereby

establishing our thankfulness to God for His Blessing in a
practical manner.

166
ENDNOTES
1
16:9.
2
16:89.
3
It may be remarked here in passing that it is the radical conflict in
outlooks because of which (Islam does not permit marriage between a
Believer and a mushrikah (pagan woman), while it allows marriage
between a Believer and a KitÉbiyah (i.e., a woman professing faith in
some revealed religion), because the KitÉbiyah has an avenue, however
imperfect, through which an appeal can be made to her personality. (See:
The Holy Qur’Én, 2:221; 5:5).
4
Speaking of that period in the life of humanity as a whole, Illingworth
observes: “… as a rule it is beyond dispute that neither the universality
nor the unity of personality, its two most important features were
adequately understood” (Personality: Human and Divine, p. 8).
Commenting on the deficiencies in Greek moral thought, D.M.

Donaldson says: “As evidence of Aristotle’s unwillingness to grant the
benefits of his conception of personality universally we may instance the
facts that he was ready to rule out some men on the ground that they
were of barbarous origin, others because they were of slave origin, and
women he regarded ‘as nature’s failures in the attempt to produce men’.
That he was likewise unable to unify human nature is clear from his
‘unsolved dualism between the soul and its organism’, and from the fact
that he had ‘no clear conception of the will, and hardly any of the
conscience’.” (Studies in Muslim Ethics, p. 274).
VOLUME TWO
5
Cf. The role of religions which claim to be revealed, i.e., Judaism.
Christianity and Islam; as also of other and earlier religions of the world,
including those of primitive peoples, in which the idea of ‘personality’
with reference to the Supreme Being has found emphasis,—their
monotheism providing the clue to their revealed origin. (Ref: among
other works, Wilhelm Schmidt’s book, entitled: Der Ursprung der
Gottesidee: Eine historisch—Kritische und positive Studie. 12 vols.
Munster in Westfalen, Germany, 1912-1955).
6
Cf. Along with other references, the prayer taught by the Qur’Én in
2:201.
7
Ref: Vol 1, Book 1, Part 4, Chapter 6: “The Philosophy of Unity”.
8
That the “Garden” did not belong to the earth is borne out by the next
verse which tells us unambiguously that the Divine decree in respect of
“getting down” and “dwelling on the earth” was pronounced afterwards,
i.e., after Adam’s and Eve’s Deception.
9
The emergence of individual human beings on the earth seems to have
been designed to take place through a process of evolution covering
countless stages of transformation and in the form of a series spread over
a vast span of time, as different Qur’Énic verses and the verdict of
Muslim thinkers like Rumi affirms. (See: Iqbal’s Reconstruction of
Religious Thought in Islam, p 115).
10
Adam and Eve have not been mentioned here, because they had already
experienced intimate relation with God (2:31, ff).
11
The word ‘backs’ should be understood in terms of transcendental
existence.
168
ENDNOTES
12
Here, the fact should be kept in mind that in the Qur’Énic view of life, it
is the Soul, and not any physiological mechanism, which is the real
repository of Consciousness and the dynamo for Activity, Hence, in
respect of the verse under reference, the postulation of any thing beside
the Soul stands ruled out.
13
Quoted already.
14
There is a Qur’Énic statement: “When I have made him and have
breathed into him of My spirit …” (15:29). It should he noted that the
spirit mentioned here is ‘God’s spirit’, and not the human soul; and
consequently this verse should not be understood as saying that God
perfected first a soul-less physical structure and then placed the soul in it.
And ‘the breathing of God’s spirit’ seems to stand for the bestowal of
those extraordinary qualities that relate to the earthly and the cosmic
mission of the human being in terms of the vicegerency of God.
15
Cf. Other Qur’Énic verses relating to the importance of healthy activity.
16
The Holy Qur’Én has ordained that Muslims should affirm the Blessings
of God on the Holy Prophet and should salute him (33:56). Hence, while
mentioning his sacred name, a Muslim may proclaim the affirmation as,
for instance, has been done on page 11, or may salute him—the standard
form of Islamic salutation being in terms of the prayerful expression:
‘Peace be on you!’, or, ‘Peace be on him!’, etc.
17
In fact, as “Mercy unto the worlds” (21:107), he has been exalted by God
to be the Medium of His Blessings in an immeasurably wider
perspective. The unique position which he holds among all creatures, has
been unambiguously affirmed also in a ×adÊth reported by the Holy
Prophet’s Companion JÉbir and upheld as authentic in Islamic history by
eminent authorities, among whom may be mentioned, by way of
169
VOLUME TWO
example, one of the classical Qur’Énic commentators, AllÉma Alusi

(vide his classical TafsÊr, the RËÍ al-Ma’ÉnÊ, vol. 1, p. 51). It is to the
effect: “JÉbir (Allah be pleased with him!) reports: I said ‘O Messenger
of Allah! Inform me about the thing which Allah created before all
(other) things’. He replied: ‘Verily, Allah, the Almighty, created before
all (other) things the Light of your Prophet through His Light…”
(Quoted on the authority of muÍaddith’ Abd al-RazzÉq (the eminent
forerunner of Imam BukhÉrÊ and author of Al-MuÎannaf) by AllÉma
Yusuf b. IsmÉil al-NabhÉni, in Al-AnwÉr al-MuÍammadiyyah min
MawÉhib al-Ludunniyah, p. 12, Beirut, 1310 A.H.]. The ×adÊth then
proceeds to inform that the entire universe was created by God from that
original created Light, which the luminaries of Islam have named as the
‘Light of Muhammad’. It may be pointed out that the statement made on
the basis of the Qur’Én on p. 289 (footnote) of the present volume, is
corroborated by this ×adÊth. (Relevant discussions in volume 1 in
respect of the Holy Prophet’s personality may also be referred to).
18
Mark that this bears reference to moral relationship, because morality
consists in the attitude of one personality towards another. Also, it
should be noted that the affirmation of personality in the Angels does not
imply anthropomorphism.
19
It may be emphasized that they are basically duties of attitude, and are
not meant to be institutionalized.
20
Says Aristotle: “He who is unable to live in society, or who has no need
because he is sufficient for himself, must be either a beast or a god.”
(Politics. Bk. 1, Ch. 2).
21
It may be emphasized here that the greater the selflessness and sacrifice
which the super-ordinate imposes on itself, the stronger will it be in
wielding its authority; and the more the vested interests it creates, the
170
ENDNOTES
weaker will be its authority. The Holy Prophet (Peace be upon him!) set
a perfect example of selflessness and the elimination of all forms of
vested interests by: (1) banning the payment of ZakÉt to his progeny; (2)
avoiding the giving of key posts to his kith and kin during his regime as
head of the Islamic state; and (3) keeping open to all Muslims the office
of the head of the state for all time after his demise.
22
This truth is borne out by the fact that the first Caliph, Abu Bakr, and all
other Caliphs after him, have called themselves KhalÊfatur-RasËlullÉh
(Vicegerent of the Messenger of God) and not KhalifatullÉh (Vicegerent
of God).
23
Also written as ‘tablÊgh’.
24
“Conduct may include inward activities like motives and desires as well
as outward activities like speech and movements of the doer’s limbs, and
so these also will fall within the sphere of ethics. We so commonly think
of these as causing outward bodily movements that we forget that they
too are activities and liable to be judged good or bad even apart from the
outward movements they produce.” (W. Lillie: Introduction to Ethics, p.
4).
25
The word “Allah”, which is employed for the ‘One True God’ in Islamic
terminology, is regarded untranslatable in orthodox Muslim thought.
Hence, while using the word God normally, I have avoided substituting
it for “Allah” in quoting the Qur’Énic verses.
26
Mark that belief in God is meaningless without:
a. having faith in Him in accordance with what He has revealed about

His essence and His Attributes; and
b. having faith in all the verities implied by the belief in Him.
171
VOLUME TWO
It may also be noted that, according to the Holy Qur’Én, belief in

religious verities mentioned in the above verse is fruitless unless the
possessor of that belief earns good by performing deeds of righteousness.
(6:158).
27
Fear of God is a necessary condition of our spiritual and moral
development because fear is a vital element of respect. Again, fear of
God does not relate to any inimical revenge from His side, but it is fear
of being disowned by Him, as we read in the Holy Qur’Én:
Arabic text
“It will be said (on the Day of Judgment): ‘This Day We will forget you
as you forgot the meeting of this Day of yours!” (45:34).
Still again, it is the fear of Him who is ‘Most Beneficent’ and ‘Most
Merciful’ (1:1, etc., etc.).
28
This is connected with the Islamic article of faith relating to belief in the
Last Day—the Day of Final Reckoning and of receiving final reward and
punishment—emphasized over and over again in the Holy Qur’Én.
29
The word tÉ’ah and istijÉbah and qanËt used in the first, second and
third verse respectively—all of them denote obedience. But tÉ’ah and
istijÉbah seem to emphasize external conformity to God’s commands,
qanËt seems to emphasize the inwardness, the purity of the heart—the
Will—in submission to God.
Mark also that the “devout frame of mind” should be externally maintained
by every Muslim (3:17; 33:35).
30
See previous note.
31
See previous note.
172
ENDNOTES
32
In another verse total submission to Allah has been emphasized:
Arabic text
“Nay,—whoever submits his whole self to Allah and is a doer of good, he

will get the reward with his Lord; on such shall be no fear nor shall
they grieve.” (2:112).
33
and Him alone:
Arabic text
“Your Lord has decreed that you worship none but Him…” (17:23).
34
The Holy Qur’Én demands not merely formal obedience but obedience
with all one’s heart and it demands not obedience in certain matters
only—as is demanded in the Christian maxim: “Give unto God what is
God’s and unto Caesar what is Caesar’s—but total surrender, surrender
of the whole self and surrender with indivisible loyalty to God. Indeed, a
Muslim’s attitude towards God should be that of worship, in which his
role is that of a humble slave only.
35
Mark here that not only their blasphemies but even their company is to
be shunned.
36
It may be noted that anyone who indulges in superstitions insults also his
own dignity as a human being.
37
The stone altars were objects of superstitious worship in pre-Islamic
Arabia. Oil was poured on them for consecration. They were also used
for sacrifices to idols. Says Robertson Smith: “In Arabia, where sacrifice
by fire is almost unknown, we find no proper altar, but in its place a rude
pillar or heap of stones, besides which the victim is slain, the blood being
poured out over the stone or its base … The sacred stones … are called
anÎÉb, i.e., stones set up, pillars.” (Religion of the Semites, p. 281).
173
VOLUME TWO
38
Divination by arrows was a superstitious practice prevalent among the
pre-Islamic Arabs. Zalam is “an arrow without a head and without
feather: plural AzlÉm, which was applied to those arrows by means of
which the Arabs in the Time of Ignorance sought to know that which
was allotted to them; … and they put them in a receptacle, and when any
of them desired to make a journey, or to accomplish a want, or when he
desired to perform some affairs. he put his hand into that receptacle, and
took forth an arrow: and if the arrow upon which was ‘Command’ came
forth, he went to accomplish his purpose, but if that upon which was
‘Prohibition’ came forth, he refrained; and if the blank came forth, they
shuffled them a second time.” (Lane’s Lexicon).
39
This verse condemns four superstitions that were prevalent among the
pagan Arabs. There are other superstitious notions and practices of the
pagan Arabs also which have been condemned by the Holy Prophet
Muhammad (Peace be on him) in his Sayings. Thus Islam has actually
condemned all types of superstitions.
40
Cf, the Qur’Énic verse:
Arabic text
“… who fears (Allah) Most Gracious in secret and comes with a heart
penitent (turned to Him): enter it (i.e., Heaven) in Peace and Security.
This is the Day of Eternal Life.” (50:33-34).
41
Mark that God is such an object of fear that, instead of being avoided,
He is to be approached by us with all our Love. ‘Fear of Allah’ is thus
the fear of our own deprivation of Divine Blessings which occurs when
we remove ourselves away from Him.
Also mark that the way of approach lies in striving with might and main
in His cause, something which even the pious Muslims of today seem to
174
ENDNOTES
have forgotten, and hence the degeneration of the Muslim community

everywhere.
42
tabattala ilallÉh means: “He detached himself from worldly things and
devoted himself to God; … or he forsook every other thing, and applied
himself to the service of God.” (Lane’s Lexicon).
43
Indeed, God’s remembrance should be constant. Cf. the Qur’Énic verse
which says that the wise are “those who remember Allah standing,
sitting and reclining” (3:191), because: “lo! in the remembrance of Allah
hearts do find serene tranquility and steady peace.” (13:28).
44
Five times a day: at dawn, immediately after noon, late afternoon,
immediately after sunset, and before retirement to bed (in the first
quarter of the night).
45
The Qur’Énic concept of love for God has no affinity whatsoever with
sensuous love. God is Most Sublime, according to the Holy Qur’Én. As
such, love for Him should be of sublime nature—namely, love modified
by extreme respect. That is why the Qur’Énic teaching combines ‘Love
for Allah’ with ‘fear of Allah’
46
85:14.
47
ijtanibË al-tÉgËt implies both meanings. Abdullah Yusuf Ali’s version
is: ‘eschew evil’,’ while Marmaduke Pickthall’s version is: ‘shun false
gods’.
Al-tÉgËt is “whatever is worshipped instead, or to the exclusion, of

God”. (Lane’s Lexicon).
48
According to the Holy Qur’Én, the status of the Holy Prophet
Muhammad (Peace be on him) is that of nabÊ and rasËl. Unfortunately,
there is no English word capable of conveying the connotation of these
175
VOLUME TWO
terms properly. As regards the word “Prophet”, it means, according to

English lexicon, “a spokesman of the deity, one who proclaims a divine
message, a preacher, a foreteller whether claiming to be inspired or not.”
Thus it can be adopted as an Islamic term only in a qualified manner—
signifying there: “a spokesman of the One True God, who receives the
Message from Him through Revelation, and proclaims and preaches it as
a divinely-appointed Teacher and as the possessor of a flawless, sublime
and extraordinary spiritual and moral personality”.
In the Qur’Énic verses quoted in this book, the words nabÊ and rasËl
have been translated as “Prophet” and “Messenger” respectively.
49
Insult: ’AzÉ, the Arabic word used here, may equally mean: to annoy, to
vex, to cause hurt or injury, to ill-treat by slander or unseemly conduct,
or hurt the feelings.
50
i.e., do not attempt to give your advice in any matter before you are
asked to do so by the Holy Prophet himself.
51
Cf. the Saying of the Holy Prophet (Peace be on him):
Arabic text
“None of you can have Faith unless I become to him dearer than his
parents, his off-springs and (in fact) all human beings.” (BukhÉrÊ:
ØahÊÍ; Chapter on: ×ubb al RasËl min al-ImÉn).
52
The shortest formula in this connection is:
Arabic text
i.e., “Allah has bestowed on him His Blessings and Peace”. This formula has
been further condensed in the form: “Peace is with him”, and is
employed in the form of prayer: “Peace be on him.”
176
ENDNOTES
These words should be repeated whenever a Muslim hears or mentions

his sacred name.
53
35:1.
54
35:1.
55
35:1.
56
This verse has the context of participation in collective welfare. But it
also lays down a general principle which covers all situations and aspects
of life.
57
Some of the unclean and unwholesome foods expressly mentioned in the
Holy Qur’Én are:
Arabic text
“Forbidden unto you (for food) are carrion, and blood, and swine flesh,
and that over which is invoked the name of other than Allah, and the
strangled, the felled (i.e. killed by a blow), and the dead through
falling from a height, and that which has been killed by (the goring
of) horns, and that which has been (partly) eaten by wild beasts—
saving that which you make lawful (by the death-stroke), and that
which has been slaughtered on the altars (according to the custom of
pagan Arabs). . .” (5:4).
Arabic text
“And eat not of that whereon Allah’s name has not been mentioned, for
lo! It is abomination.” (6:121).
58
This verse forbids:—(i) self-mortification, upheld by asceticism; (2) self-
indulgence, and the consequent self-stupefaction, upheld by the
hedonistic attitude.
177
VOLUME TWO
59
The word Khamr used in the Arabic text stands, according to Lane, for
“any intoxicating thing that clouds or obscures (lit. covers) the intellect.”
(Arabic-English Lexicon). Thus the prohibition here relates to all
intoxicants.
Of course, the most immediate reference here is to alcohol, or, wine,

which was used as an intoxicant by the Arabs of those days and which is
the scourge of the modern civilization also.
The total prohibition of wine by the Qur’Én is a fact of history, to which

all historians of Islam, including its worst critics, have borne testimony.
For instance, D.S. Margoliouth says: “When the revelation came, zealous
followers went round the houses of the Moslems and emptied their
vessels of all liquor which was supposed to be intoxicating, in many
cases breaking the vessels themselves . . . The prohibition was extended
to vinegar made of wine and a categorical denial was given to the
suggestion that wine had medicinal value.” (Mohammad, p. 283).
Still there are some “Muslims” today who, under the impact of the
irreligious and the hedonistic influences of Western culture, not only
drink wine but try to believe themselves and make others believe that,
according to the Holy Qur’Én, wine is not something totally evil,—
wrongly taking shelter in the Qur’Énic verse which says:
Arabic text
“They ask you (O Prophet) about wine and gambling. Tell (them): in both
is a great sin, and some benefits for men, but the sin of them is (far)
greater than their benefit …” (2:219).
The vehement condemnation of wine even in this verse is very definite.

However, coming to the words ‘some benefits’, what has been really
affirmed is not any benefit in respect of human consumption but the
178
ENDNOTES
other benefits to which a scientist refers thus: “Alcohol’s most useful

sphere of action is as a solvent in industrial concerns It has also some
uses as an external application.” (Dastur, Alcohol: Its Use and Misuse, p.
109).
The truth, based on all available evidence, is that all intoxicants,

including alcohol, are among the greatest enemies of mankind. As the
medical scientist whom we have just quoted says: “Alcohol belongs to a
family of poisonous chemicals. Its theoretic food-value is of no value in
practical dietics. It is never a stimulant. It has a sedative drug-action in
moderate doses, and a narcotic poison-action in excess . . . Its use as a
beverage is physiologically unsound, economically disastrous, socially
disruptive, and materially poisonous.” (op. cit., pp. 108, 109). As regards
the social evils promoted by alcohol, the Encyclopedia of Religion and
Ethics pronounces the verdict that “There is universal testimony as to the
close relationship between excessive drinking and breaches of the moral
law and the laws of the State. This is a direct consequence of the
paralysis of the higher faculties, intellectual and moral, and the resulting
free-play given to the lower inclinations.” (vol. 1, p. 301) This verdict is
confirmed by the Jewish Encyclopedia, which says (I: p. 333): “… the
statistics of Baer, Kurella, Gallavandis, and Sichart show that from 25 to
85 per cent of all malefactors are drunkards.”
We may observe here in passing the very unfortunate fact that certain
religious groups, which have wielded a tremendous influence in human
history, should have been responsible for patronizing an evil that has
engulfed a large part of mankind today. We may refer, for instance, to
the Jews and the Christians. In the estimation of the Bible, wine
‘cheereth God and man’. (Judg. 9:14). As for the Jewish religious
practice, Friendlier says in The Jewish Religion that: “it has been ordered
179
VOLUME TWO
(in the Jewish religion) that our meal on the eve of Sabbath and Festival
should begin with a cup of wine in the honor of the day … The kidduah
consists of two blessings: one over the wine, and one that refers to the
holiness of the day.” (p. 341). Coming to the Christian Church and
clergy, the use of alcohol “was never absent from the Church nor from
its clergy.” (Smith and Cheetam’s Dictionary of Christian Antiquities, p.
585). According to Cheyne and Black’s Encyclopedia Biblica (c. 1569),
in the case of fire on the Sabbath day, only three necessaries of life are to
be rescued by the good Christians, viz., “a basket of loaves, a cake of
dried figs and a jar of wine.”
60
The following verse is more explicit in disapproving Asceticism as a
philosophy of life:
Arabic text
“But (the institution of) Asceticism (Monasticism) which they (i.e., the
early Christians) invented for themselves, We prescribed it not for
them: (We commanded) only the seeking of Divine Pleasure; but that
they did not foster as they should have done. Yet We bestowed, on
those among them who believed, their (due) reward, but many of
them are transgressors.” (57:27).
That the unnatural suppression of sexual appetite by the institution of

Asceticism promotes sexual vice, rather than curbing it, is borne out by
the history of Christianity. As Scott says: “With the passing of the
concubine, the nuns in the convents provided the ‘holy men’ with the
means of satisfying their sexual cravings.” (History of Prostitution, p.
112).
61
Those spiritualists who have regarded the body as an impediment in the
way of their so-called spiritual progress have practiced, as among a sect
180
ENDNOTES
of the Hindus, the “drying up”, or deliberate emaciation, of the limbs.

Similarly, castration has been considered a means of curbing the sexual
appetite and thereby acquiring the freedom to pursue “spirituality”.
62
Speaking of this Qur’Énic injunction, which prohibits suicide in all its
forms, Professor Lecky says: “Suicide, which is never expressly
condemned in the Bible, is more than once forbidden in the Koran.”
(History of European Morals, II, p. 23).
63
i.e., not in the bond of wedlock: they may be those who are unmarried,
or those who have been lawfully divorced, or those who have been
widowed.
64
The Holy Qur’Én’s emphasis on physical cleanliness stands in sharp
contrast with the “merit of uncleanliness” emphasized in the life of the
followers of certain other religions, e.g., Christianity. Writing of the
medieval Christian aspirants of holiness, Professor Lecky says: “The
cleanliness of the body was regarded as a pollution of the soul, and the
saints who were most admired had become one hideous mass of clotted
filth. St. Athanasius relates with enthusiasm how St. Anthony, the
patriarch of monarchism, had never, to extreme old age, been guilty of
washing his feet . . . St. Euphraxia joined a convent of one hundred and
thirty nuns, who never washed their feet, and who shuddered at the
mention of a bath.” (op. cit. 11, p. 47). Of a Christian pilgrim of the 4th
century, the Encyclopedia Britannica informs: “(she) boasted that she
had not washed her face for 18 years for fear of removing the baptismal
chrism.” (I, p. 49).
“Dirt and disease became (in Christendom) the honorable insignia of

saint-ship; loathsome fakirs exhibited their filth and their sores for the
veneration of the faithful.’” (Hammerton: Universal History of the
World., IV, p. 2333).
181
VOLUME TWO
“Certainly,” says another Western scholar, “the maxim which places

cleanliness next to godliness, has no place in the biographies of the saints
and heroes of monasticism even in climates where bathing would seem
almost one of the necessities of life. Jerome warns ascetics against warm
bath as morally enervating, and in a letter to one of his female disciples
denounces every sort of bathing for women. Augustine allows a bath
once a month only.” (Dictionary of Christian Antiquities. II, p. 939).
65
It is necessary to note here that the theme which is sealed by this verse,
being contained in the verses immediately preceding and joining it,
relates to the study of natural phenomena—the theme of physical
science—,which means that the knowledge which has been commended
here so highly comprehends within itself the cultivation of knowledge of
God’s creation and through that the realization of the greatness and the
majesty of God. The immediately preceding verses are:
Arabic text
“See you not that Allah sends down rain from the sky? With it We then
bring out produce of various colors. And in the mountains are tracts
white and red, of various shades of color, and black intense in hue.
And so amongst men and crawling creatures and cattle, are they of
various colors” (35:27-28).
66
This verse lays down clearly the Divine law for all human communities
that one of the major factors which can make them great and powerful in
the world is the cultivation of knowledge.
67
Mark that ‘adorn’ means ‘add beauty to’.
68
Mark that ‘balance’ is an essential attribute of beauty.
69
AÍsan means: the best, the most beautiful.
182
ENDNOTES
70
TaqwÊm means: constitution, mould, form, nature, symmetry.
71
Man is, therefore, “the comeliest specimen of God’s handiwork”,
according to Maulana Abdul Majid Daryabadi (English Translation and
Commentary of the Holy Qur’Én, p. 956, n. 438); and according to
Allama Abdullah Yusuf Ali (English Translation and Commentary of the
Holy Qur’Én, p. 1759, n. 6199), “to man God gave the purest and the
best nature.” Mark here that symmetry and purity are the attributes of
beauty.
72
Mark that proportion and order are attributes of Beauty. Hence this verse
refers definitely to the beauty of the inner personality of the human
being.
73
The religious view of life has often been based on ascetism which stands
for the negation of beauty. According to the Holy Qur’Én, it is a wrong
view of sanctity.
74
Here the Holy Qur’Én condemns the cult of nudism, which is a product
of the psychological perversions of modern times.
75
(a) Note here a relevant ×adÊth The Holy Prophet (Peace be on him)
used to praise God when putting on a new dress in these words:
Arabic text
“Praise be to Allah who gave me to wear that which covers the part of the
body that should remain hidden, and whereby I acquire beauty in my
life.” (TirmizÊ JÉme’). (AI-TÉj al-Jéme‘ li al-UÎËl, fÊ AÍÉdÊth al
RasËl, KitÉb al-LibÉs, p. 174).
(b) Dress, according to Westermarck, “owes its origin, at least in great

many cases, to the desire of men and women to make themselves
mutually attractive”. (Quoted in Encyclopedia. Br. VII, p. 649).
183
VOLUME TWO
76
Here we obtain the principle that the garments we wear should never
transgress the bounds of piety; otherwise, they will become source of
ugliness.
Thus, the Holy Qur’Én voices a masculine protest against those

perversions in dress which have plagued modern womanhood in the
West and in the countries coming under the influence of the West.
77
It means not only dressing for grace and piety but also keeping the hair
in proper form, and toilet and cleanliness.
The following incident of the Holy Prophet’s time may be quoted here
with advantage, as it reveals the attitude of Islam in practice:
“The Prophet (Peace be on him) was in the masjid, when a person came
there with the hair of his head and beard in a disheveled condition. The
Prophet (Peace be on him) made a sign towards him which implied that
he was ordering him to set his hair in order. That person (left the masjid),
obeyed the command and returned. Then the Prophet (Peace be on him)
remarked: ‘Is it not better than that someone among you comes with
disheveled hair as if he is Satan.’.” (MishkÉt al-MaÎÉbÊÍ, vol. 1, p. 384).
78
Mark that the Holy Qur’Én allows aesthetic fulfillment but not luxury,
which is vice.
79
The Holy Prophet (Peace be on him) has commanded Muslims to fulfill
aesthetic requirements even in respect of such matters as putting on the
clothing over the dead body, preparing a grave, slaughtering an animal
and killing an enemy soldier on the battlefield. (See: MishkÉt al-
MaÎÉbÊÍ, BÉb Ghusl- al-Mayyit, p. 143; and KitÉb al-Øaid, p. 357).
80
Mark that ‘perfection’ is the attribute of beauty.
81
Cf. 45:7.
184
ENDNOTES
82
The word HawÉ used in the Arabic text does not mean simple desire but
“blameable or evil inclination”. (Lane’s Arabic-English Lexicon). It is
“lusts of the heart” when related to morality, and “caprice” when related
to knowledge.
83
It damages morally the other party also. We shall deal with it in “Duties
to others”.
84
Lane’s Lexicon. It also means: correct, right, relevant, pertinent.
85
The other implications of ‘straight speech’ shall be dealt with in
connection with the duty of truthfulness.
86
See Chambers’ Twentieth Century Dictionary.
87
i.e., display to draw attention or admiration.
88
zÉkÉ-un, i.e., purity, goodness, righteousness … and zakÉ nafsahu: “He
praised himself.” (Lane’s Lexicon).
89
These injunctions relate to behaviour in general.
90
Vainglorious, i.e., proud in the heart. This emphasizes condemnation of
haughtiness as it is to be found in the haughty person’s thought.
91
The reference here is to abstain from employing haughty tone in talk.
92
The reference here is to abstain from employing haughty tone in talk.
93
It should be noted that in its relation to the Holy Prophet (Peace be on
him), which forms its real context, this command has a more
comprehensive implication. He was commanded not to engage in
fruitless controversies with his ignorant strong-headed opponents, nor to
conciliate them, but to ignore them; “holding to forgiveness and
commanding what was right.” (7:199, first part of the verse).
94
The verse reads:
185
VOLUME TWO
Arabic text
“What is the life of this world but a matter of illusion.”

95
Quoted above.
96
i.e., in war.
97
War between Muslim states is inconceivable in Islam.
98
With regard to this duty, refer also to 26:225 where the word wahm has
been employed.
99
“The story is preferably to be taken in a general sense, and not with
reference to any particular individual.” (Abdul Majid Daryabadi, op. cit.,
p. 298, n. 295.)
100
i.e., neither indulging in it nor being fussy about it.
101
“Life is taken seriously by men who realize the issues that hang upon it,
But there are men of a frivolous turn of mind who prefer idle tales to true
Realities and they are justly rebuked here”. (A. Yusuf Ali, op. cit., p.
1080).
102
(primarily).
103
All genuine service to mankind, specially religious service, is included
here.
104
This fact is affirmed further by the uncompromising verdict of the Holy
Prophet (Peace be on him) against beggary. (See: e.g. AbË DÉ’Ëd:
Sunan, vol. 1. pp. 232, 247).
105
Cf. Is. 1:23; Je. 6:13; Mi. 3:11.
106
See: Prof. Lecky’s History of European Morals.
186
ENDNOTES
107
Gambling: The word maisir, used in the Arabic text, denotes literally: a
means of getting something too easily—getting profit without labour and
on the basis of chance. Finally, it is ‘any game of hazard, or play of
stakes, or wagers, so that even the game of children with walnut is
included under this name by Mujahid’. (Lane’s Arabic- English
Lexicon). The most familiar form of gambling among the Arabs was
based on the principle of lottery through the employment of arrows. The
Greeks used knuckle-bones. The Roman children employed ‘head-or-
tail’ system with the coins. The Israelites used to draw lots. Certain
other communities like the Aryans, used dice. (Encyclopedia of Religion
and Ethics, VI, pp. 163, 164).
108
The total abolition of this evil practice in Muslim society by the Holy
Prophet (Peace be on him) has been admitted even by his worst critics as
one of the “most celebrated” reforms accomplished by him. (See: D.S.
Margoliouth in: Encyclopedia Brit., XVII, p. 407, 11th Ed.). As for the
non-Muslim communities, even of the present ‘age of enlightenment’:
“The extent to which gambling prevails at the present time is difficult to
assess … Most of it is centered in the horse-racing … on the whole, it
may safely be asserted that little short of £100,000,000 changes hands
every year in England in connection with gambling transactions … Side
by side with the betting odds and betting tips, the newspapers record the
tragic results on those who yield to the temptation. In 13 years (1895-96
to 1906-7) there were 156 suicides in England assigned to this cause, as
well as 719 cases of theft or embezzlement, and 442 bankruptcies”.
(Encyclopedia of Religion and Ethics, VI, pp. 164, 168). Indeed, the
close relationship between gambling and crime, including sexual crime
and crime against life and property, is an established fact of human
history and can be perused in the cultural histories of the different
communities who have indulged in this devastating vice.
187
VOLUME TWO
109
It should be noted that the verses which voice condemnation of love for
wealth are all to be found in the closing part of the Holy Qur’Én. This
fact seems to emphasize that love for wealth may damage even an
otherwise virtuous life. Hence, the greatest caution is necessary in that
respect.
110
Synonymous words are; Avarice, avidity, cupidity, greed, greediness.
111
The word used here in the Arabic text is shuÍÍ, which means
‘covetousness combined with stinginess’. We may call it ‘covetous
selfishness’.
112
Hence those who squander their wealth commit no less a sin than that of
being grateful to God by misusing His bounty.
113
Cf. another verse:
Arabic text
“… nor open it (i.e., the hand) with a complete opening lest you become
blameworthy and destitute.” (17:29).
114
The words fawÉÍish and faÍshÉ used in the above verses for shameful
things are very rich in their meanings and cannot be translated into
English.
115
The words fawÉÍish and faÍshÉ used in the above verses for shameful
things are very rich in their meanings and cannot be translated into
English.
116
This stern moral attitude of Islam may be compared with the spirit, the
attitude, and the consequent behaviour, nurtured in the Western
communities, where, because of freedom of promiscuity, adultery “has
become fashionable in both England and America” and elsewhere.
(Scott: History of Prostitution, p. 226). Indeed, because of the absence of
188
ENDNOTES
the spirit of sexual modesty and of the cultivation of general license in

respect of sexual manners, sexual morality has been damaged to such an
extent that: “The old type of prostitute who pranced about gaudily and
drunkenly in the Strand, Leicester Square, Piccadilly and Regent Street,
is a thing of the past… There has been a huge increase in promiscuity
among men and even greater increase among women ... The results are
that more and more every year is man turning to so-called girls of
respectability in order to satisfy his sexual appetite … Virginity among
women is becoming something to sneer at ... Where all are practicing
what is virtually prostitution there can be no such thing as prostitution.”
(Ibid., pp. 224, 225, 228). There is a lesson in this for all those Muslims
who advocate the adoption of western culture. Alas! the social evils of
the West are only too fast penetrating the Muslim communities also
under the spell of modernization!
117
The only way of satisfying the sexual appetite recognised by the Holy
Qur’Én as legitimate and chaste is that of marriage between man and
woman duly solemnized. (23:5-7; 70:29-31). All other ways are totally
prohibited.
118
“directed to the right point” also means employing accuracy in
expression, which is a part of wisdom—another great excellence upheld
by the Holy Qur’Én. (2:269).
119
The Holy Qur’Én has not only laid down this duty in fundamental terms,
but has also given certain rules in that respect. We shall state those rules
in the section on “Manners”.
120
62:10.
121
Actually speaking, there is nothing in the wordings of the verse whereby
personal expenditure should be excluded.
189
VOLUME TWO
122
A critical study of the Holy Qur’Én reveals that it is not only the human
personality which is evolutionary but also the universe wherein humanity
originated and has to fulfill its destiny.
123
That Pessimism, as mentioned before, amounts to infidelity (Kufr) also
shows that, according to the Holy Qur’Én, the Faithful is he for whom
Optimism is an inseparable quality of character.
124
Arabic text
125
Here there is no specific mention of wealth. Hence the reference is
general.
126
3:110; 9:71; 9:112; etc.
127
Mark that bravery belongs to the heart and not to the body. It is the true
faith and the true spirit (i.e., true devotion to an ideal) that makes a man
brave. In the case of a Muslim, it is Faith in God in all its aspects which
is the only motivating force in his life; and Faith in God is the highest
and the most unfailing source of strength.
128
Mark that bravery is cultivated at higher and higher levels through
devotion to God.
129
See page ??
130
This verse relates to individual as well as collective action, according to
the form of the wrong inflicted.
131
Contentment should be clearly distinguished from want of effort for
improving one’s life in all those things which have been approved or
commended by God, including rational possessions of the goods of this
world.
190
ENDNOTES
132
6:90; 11:29; 11:51; 25:57; 26:109; 26:127; 26:145; 26:164; 26:180;
38:86; 42:23; etc. The words mentioned in connection with the Holy
Prophet Muhammad (Peace be on him) are :
Arabic text
“… Say: No reward for this (i.e., my service to humanity as Prophet of

God) do I ask of you…” (4:90).
133
2:177; etc.
134
See page ???. Also: 48:29.
135
33:21; 3:31.
136
See: A Dictionary of Modern Written Arabic, published by Cornell
University Press, U.S.A.
137
i.e., “Peace, and Good-bye; let me leave you.” (Abdullah Yusuf Ali, op.
cit., p. 941, n. 3123).
138
This is the command to observe humility in one’s behavior in general.
139
This is the command to observe humility in walking.
140
This is the command to observe humility in the tone of one’s talk.
141
Thankfulness comes into operation with regard to others, and as such it
is a duty to others. But the spirit of thankfulness enriches the inner
personality of the moral agent himself. Hence it forms a duty to self also.
142
This has been emphasized in direct terms by the Holy Prophet (Peace be
on him) when he says:—
Arabic text
“He who does not express thankfulness to human beings is not (really)
thankful to Allah (also).” (BukhÉrÊ: Adab al-Mufrad, p. 34).
191
VOLUME TWO
143
Duty in this respect has been mentioned on pp. 33-38.
144
This command has been repeated at numerous places in the Holy Qur’Én.
145
This command has been repeated at numerous places in the Holy Qur’Én.
It shall be properly referred to in the “Duties to Others”.
146
This command has been repeated at numerous places in the holy book.
147
See al-Tafsir al-Kabir, vol. III p. 323.
148
This duty has been taught in an elaborate form in the ×adÊth.
192
BOOK TWO - DUTIES TO OTHER

INDIVIDUALS
PART 1. Fundamental Duties Towards All

Human Beings
Chapter 1.
DUTIES RELATING TO THE HAPPINESS OF OTHERS
Chapter 2.
DUTIES OF THE MORAL PERFECTION OF OTHERS
PART 2. Duties of Condition Towards Other
Individuals
Chapter 1.
DUTIES TO RELATIVES AND TO NON-RELATIVES
Chapter 2.
DUTIES IN RESPECT OF AGE AND RANK
Chapter 3.
DUTIES TO PARTICULAR CATEGORIES OF NON-
RELATIVES
Chapter 4.
DUTIES TOWARDS MUSLIMS AS MUSLIMS
Chapter 5.
DUTIES TOWARDS NON-MUSLIMS AS NON-
MUSLIMS
PART 3. DUTIES IN RESPECT OF MANNERS
Chapter 1.
RELIGIOUS MANNERS
Chapter 2.
PERSONAL AND SOCIAL MANNERS
PART 1. FUNDAMENTAL DUTIES

TOWARDS ALL HUMAN BEINGS
I. Duties relating to the Happiness of Others.
II. Duties relating to the Moral Perfection of Others.
Chapter 1.
DUTIES RELATING TO
THE HAPPINESS OF OTHERS
(1) DUTIES OF OMISSION
END: Abstinence from ill-wishing and ill-doing to fellow-beings:—
A. Comprehensive Commands;
B. Specific Command:
1. Duties of Love.
2. Duties of Respect
A. Comprehensive Commands relating to the duty of abstaining

from all evil against fellow-beings:
(1) With regard to the duties of omission pertaining to the

happiness of other individuals, in their capacity basically
BOOK 2 - DUTIES TO OTHER INDIVIDUALS
and purely as human beings, the Holy Qur’Én has laid down
certain comprehensive commands through which Muslims
have been ordered to abstain from committing every
conceivable form of evil against them. For instance:
Arabic text
“… and He (i.e., God) forbids lewdness and wickedness (i.e.,

all evil conduct) and infringement (of the rights of others). He
exhorts you that haply you may be admonished.” (16:90).
Arabic text
“… and wrong not mankind in their things1 …” (7:85).
Arabic text
“And those who break the Covenant of Allah after having

pledged their word thereto, and sever that which Allah has
2
commanded should be joined and work mischief (i.e., cause
moral corruption and material disorder) in the land: on them is
the Curse and for them is the terrible Abode (i.e. Hell)” (13:25).
Arabic text
“Say (O Muhammad): my Lord forbids only indecencies, such

of them as are open and such as are secret, and sin, and
infringement (of the rights of others) without justice…” (7:33).
Arabic text
197
VOLUME TWO
“Work not confusion in the earth after the fair ordering

(thereof), and call on Him in fear and hope. Lo! the Mercy of
Allah is (always) near to those who do right,” (7:56).
Arabic text
“… and He has set up the Balance, that you transgress not the
balance (of justice in your actions).” (55:7-8).
Arabic text
“… you shall neither wrong nor be wronged.” (2:279).
(ii) Wrong-doing has not been allowed even against worst

enemies:
Arabic text
“… and let not the hatred of others to you make you swerve to
wrong and depart from justice…” (5:9).
(iii) Wrong-doing to anyone is so severely abhorred that even

befriending the wrong-doer is most severely condemned:
Arabic text
“And incline not to those who do wrong, or else the Fire will
seize you—and you have no protectors other than Allah,—nor
you would then be succored.” (11:113).
B. Specific Commands relating to specific Duties of Omission:
1. DUTIES OF LOVE:
198
(1) Violating others’ right to life prohibited:
(a) The Holy Qur’Én commands the Muslims never to commit

murder:
Arabic text
“… Take not life, which Allah has made sacred, except by way
of justice and law: Thus does He command you, that you may
learn wisdom.” (6:151).
Arabic text
“And take not life, which Allah has made sacred, except by way
of justice and law. And if anyone is slain wrongfully, We have
given his heir authority (to demand redress through law or to
forgive): but let him not exceed bounds in the matter of taking
life; for he is helped (by the law)3” (17:33).
(b) The following verse stresses the gravity of the crime of murder
in the strongest possible terms:
Arabic text
“… if anyone kills a human being—unless it be for murder or

for spreading mischief in the land—it shall be as if he killed all
mankind…” (5:35).
(c) The Holy Qur’Én condemns not only murder in general but
also human sacrifice to idols and false deities, and the custom
of female infanticide, practised by the pagan communities,
including pre-Islamic Arabs:4
199
VOLUME TWO
Arabic text
“Even so, in the eyes of many of the Pagans, their (so-called)

‘partners’ (of God) made alluring the slaughter of their
offspring, in order to lead them to their own destruction, and
cause confusion in their religion.” (6:137).
Arabic text
“Kill not your children for fear of want: We shall provide

sustenance for them as well as for you. Verily killing of them is
a great sin.” (17:31).
(2) Violating the rights of Others in respect of wealth prohibited:
(a) The Holy Qur’Én forbids all illegal methods, including

dishonesty, theft, dacoity, etc., in acquiring what belongs to
others:
Arabic text
“… and wrong not mankind in their goods …” (7:85).
Arabic text
“O you who believe! Devour not your property among

yourselves (i.e., consume not one anothers’ belongings)
unlawfully…” (4:29).
It is generally the demands of one’s family for higher standard of

living which induce a person to acquire wealth by unlawful means.
The Holy Qur’Én makes a pointed reference to it and asks the Muslims
not to succumb to their wives’ and children’s wrong requests or
200
desires—though treating them with affection—and to stick to absolute

honesty in respect of one’s earnings:
Arabic text
“O you who believe! Truly, among your wives and children are
(some that are) enemies to yourselves: so beware of them! But
if you forgive and overlook and cover up (their faults), verily
Allah is Forgiving, Merciful. Your wealth and your children
may be but a trial, whereas Allah! with Him is an immense
Reward. So keep your duty to Allah as best as you can …”
(64:14-16).
(b) Loot and arson have been specifically condemned and

prohibited:
Arabic text
“And when he (i.e., the enemy of Truth) turns away, he speeds

through the land that he may act corruptly therein and destroy
the crops and the cattle. And Allah approves not mischief.”
(2:205).
Arabic text
“Beset not the highways menacing (wayfarers)…” (7:86).
(c) With regard to theft, its prohibition is covered fully in 4:29. It

has, however, been specifically prohibited also in the
following verse:
Arabic text
201
VOLUME TWO
“(that) … they will not steal …”5 (60:12).
The stern view that the Holy Qur’Én takes in respect of theft is
evident from the punishment it has prescribed in 5:38. We shall
mention it at its suitable place.
(d) Depriving other persons of their inheritance condemned :
In counting the vices which shall lead human beings to Hell, the
Arabic text
“And you devour Inheritance (of the weak), devouring

greedily.” (89:19).
(e) To take by deceit more than one’s share out of a thing jointly
deserved or owned by several persons, condemned:
Arabic text
“… whosoever is false to his trust (as a co-sharer), he shall

restore on the Day of Resurrection (and Judgment) what he
misappropriated. Then every soul will receive its due, whatever
(good or evil) it earned, and none shall be dealt with unjustly.”
(3:161).
(f) Defrauding in general in mutual relations of business

prohibited:
Arabic text
“… and make not deficient the balance (by diminishing what is

due to the buyer).” (55:9).
202
Arabic text
“… and cause no loss (to others in trade through fraud).”

(26:81).
Arabic text
“… And give not short measure or weight …” (11:84).
Arabic text
“Woe to those that deal in fraud, —those who when they have
to receive by measure from men, exact full measure, but when
they have to give by measure or weight to men, give less than
due.” (83:1-3).
(g) Misappropriating things entrusted, prohibited:
Arabic text
“O you who believe! Betray not the trust of Allah and the
Messenger, nor misappropriate knowingly things entrusted to
you.” (8:27).
Also, favoring and supporting the misappropriator is prohibited:
Arabic text
“… and be not you an advocate for those who betray their trust
…” (4:105).
(h) Hoarding commodities and withholding them from free

circulation for exploiting fellow-beings through the creation
203
VOLUME TWO
of artificial scarcity and the consequent shooting up of prices,

condemned:
In counting the vices that will lead human beings to Hell, the
Arabic text
“He hoarded and withheld it (from circulations).” (70:18).

6
(i) Exploiting the needs of others by lending money on interest
vehemently condemned and prohibited:
Arabic text
“Those who devour ribÉ 7 (usury and interest) will not stand (on
the Day of Resurrection) except as stands one whom the Evil
One by his touch has driven to madness. That is because they
say: ‘Trade is like ribÉ’. But Allah has permitted trade and
forbidden ribÉ. Those who after receiving direction from their
Lord, desist, shall be pardoned for the past; their case is for
Allah (to judge); but those who repeat the offense are
Companions of the Fire: they will abide therein.
“Allah will deprive ribÉ of all blessings, but will give increase
for deeds of charity: For He loves not creatures ungrateful and
wicked.” (2:275-276).
Arabic text
“Oh you who believe! Devour not ribÉ, doubled and multiplied;
but fear Allah, that you may (really) prosper.” (3:130).
204
(3) Corrupting others in respect of wealth, prohibited:
(a) through Bribery:
Arabic text
“Do not consume your property among yourselves iniquitously;

neither proffer it to the judges, that you may sinfully consume a
portion of other men’s goods, and that wittingly.” (2:188).
In the ×adÊth we find that the Holy Prophet (Peace be on him)

has very strongly condemned the acceptor of bribe, the giver of bribe
and the middleman. (See MishkÉt al-MaÎÉbÊÍ, BÉb al-Rizq al-WulÉt,
p. 326).
(b) through Gambling:
Arabic text
“Oh you who believe! Intoxicants and Gambling, and

(dedication of) stones, and divination by arrows, are an
abomination,—of Satan’s handiwork: Eschew such
(abomination), that you may prosper.” (5:93).
(4) Want of Helpfulness and Charitableness towards others

(a) Hoarding gold and silver, thereby keeping it out of circulation

and thus damaging collective economy, on the one hand, and
abstaining from rendering economic assistance in deserving
individual cases, on the other, vehemently condemned:
Arabic text
205
VOLUME TWO
“… those who hoard up gold and silver and spend it not in the
Way of Allah (i.e., for the welfare of fellow-beings), announce
to them (O Muhammad) a most grievous penalty—on the day
when heat will be produced out of that (wealth) in the fire of
Hell, and with it will be branded their foreheads (representing
human thinking) and their flanks (which support the seat of
greed, i.e., the stomach) and their backs (as symbolizing
stability and strength)—(and it will be said unto them:) Here is
that which you hoarded for yourselves. Now taste of what you
used to hoard.” (9:34-35).
(b) Practising niggardliness and promoting it as a creed

condemned:
Arabic text
“Make not your hand tied (in niggardliness) to your neck …”

(17:29).
Arabic text
“…Verily Allah loves not such as are vainglorious

boasters—those who are niggardly and command mankind to
niggardliness and hide that which Allah has vouchsafed to them
of His Bounty; and We have prepared for the infidels torment
ignominious.” (4:36-37).8
(c) Refusing small kindnesses to others condemned:
Arabic text
206
“Ah, woe unto the worshippers, who are heedless of their

Prayers; who would be seen (at worship) yet refuse small
kindnesses to (others).” (107:4-7).
(d) Well-doing to Others with a view to getting more in return

disapproved as worthless act of goodness:
Arabic text
“And whatsoever you give in gift9 in order that it may

increase among the substance of men (and return to you
augmented) increases not with Allah (i.e., is not accepted as
virtue and blessed by Allah); but that which you give out for
charity, seeking the Countenance (i.e., Pleasure) of Allah. (will
increase): it is these who will get a recompense multiplied.”
(30:39).
(e) Charity with laying obligation on the recipient and/or, hurting

him in any way, prohibited:
Arabic text
“O you who believe! Render not vain your charity by reminders

of your generosity or by injury …” (2:264).
(5) Want of Goodwill towards Others prohibited:
(a) Breaking promises, pledges and covenants and violating oaths

taken in mutual dealings prohibited:
Arabic text
207
VOLUME TWO
“… And break not your oaths (when you pledge your word in
any matter) …” (16:91-92).
Arabic text
“… It is those who are endued with understanding that receive

admonition;—those who fulfill the Covenant of Allah and fail
not in the word they pledged.” (13:19-20).
(b) Abstaining from giving false evidence made a condition of

Faith, and thereby a duty:
Recounting the fundamental virtues of true Muslims, the Holy

Qur’Én says:
Arabic text
“… and those who witness no falsehood (i.e., do not give false

evidence)10 …” (25:72).
(c) Concealing evidence prohibited:
Arabic text
“Conceal not evidence; for whoever conceals it, his heart is

(d) Treachery condemned; hence abstinence from it is duty:
Arabic text
“Verily, Allah loves not any that is treacherous, or shows

ingratitude.” (22:38).
208
Also;
Arabic text
“(The servants of God are) … those who witness no falsehood

(i.e., deal not falsely or treacherously with anyone) …” (25:72).
(e) Ingratitude for the good received from others condemned;

Arabic text
“Verily, Allah loves not any that is treacherous, or shows

ingratitude.” (22:38).

2. DUTIES OF RESPECT:
(1) (a) Showing contempt for others; and
(b) Oppressing others, prohibited.
Arabic text
“And swell not your cheek at human beings (i.e., do not treat
others contemptuously and do not oppress them), nor walk in
insolence through the earth; for Allah loves not any
vainglorious, boaster.” (31:18).
209
VOLUME TWO
Arrogance and oppression are such grave vices that the hearts of
those who indulge in them are sealed up to influences for good:
Arabic text
“Thus does Allah seal up every heart—of (him who is) stiff-
necked, oppressor.” (40:35).
Indeed, they alone who abstain from belittling and oppressing

others will go to Heaven:
Arabic text
“That Home of the Hereafter We shall give to those who intend

not high-handedness or mischief (i.e., evil in general) on earth:
And the End is (best) for the righteous.” (28:83).
(2) Damaging the honour of Others through defaming them in

any way, even though the defamatory remarks are based on
truth, prohibited:
(a) Defamation in general forbidden:
Arabic text
“… and defame not (nor be sarcastic to) each other …” (49:11).
The only exception in speaking ill of others is where a person has

been wronged mischievously and he has to defend his honour by
exposing his wicked enemy. Even in that case, however, such a
wronged person has been advised to practise forgiveness and to
abstain from exposing the evils of his enemy—leaving the affair to
210
God and hoping for His Reward—because God is ‘Forgiving,

Powerful’.
Arabic text
“Allah approves not the utterance of evil speech (directed at

defaming others), unless by one who has been wronged; and
Allah is ever Hearing, Knowing.
“If you do good openly or keep it secret, or cover evil with

pardon, lo! Allah is ever Forgiving, Powerful.” (4:148-149).
(b) Scandal-mongering specifically condemned; hence abstinence

from it is duty:
Arabic text
“Woe to every (kind of) scandal-monger11, back-biter …”

(104:1).
Arabic text
“Heed not any (who is) ready with oaths, (is) a slanderer, (and)
goes about with calumnies …” (68:10-11).
(c) Fabrication of lies against Others condemned; hence

Arabic text
“Woe to every sinful fabricator of falsehoods.” (45:7).
211
VOLUME TWO
(d) Transferring one’s guilt to Others condemned; hence

abstinence from it is duty
Arabic text
“But if any one earns a fault or a sin and throws it on to one that
is innocent, he carries (on himself) (both) a falsehood and a
flagrant sin.” (4:112).
(e) Attacking the honour of chavee women through slandering

them condemned vehemently hence abstinence from it is duty:
Arabic text
“Those who slander chavee women, indiscreet but believing,

are cursed in this life and in the Hereafter. for them is a
grievous Penalty,—on the day when their tongues, their hands,
and their feet will bear witness against them as to their actions.
On that Day Allah will pay them back (all) their just dues, and
they will realize that Allah is the (very) Truth that makes all
things manifest.” (24:23-25).
(3) Backbiting Others prohibited:
Arabic text
“… and speak not ill of each other behind their backs. Would
any of you like to eat the flesh of his dead brother? Nay, you
would abhor it. So fear Allah. Verily, Allah is Relenting,
(4) Using obscene language against anyone prohibited:
212
Arabic text
“… and (God) forbids all shameful, abominable deeds …”

(16:90).
Using obscene language is in itself shameful. To use it for

insulting another person is all the more shameful, and it is, therefore,
absolutely forbidden to a Muslim.
(5) Cultivation of rancor against anyone ruled out; hence

The Holy Qur’Én commands in relation to the worst ideological

enemies of the Muslims who were in a state of perpetual war with
them, thus:
Arabic text
“And if they (i.e., the enemies at war) incline to peace, incline

you also to it, and trust in Allah. Lo! He is the Hearer, the
Knower.” (8:61).
This command implies that a Muslim should not cultivate rancor

against anyone, but should always be ready to establish peace even
with his worst ideological enemies, not to speak of enemies at lower
level, namely, the level of simple social relations.
(6) Jealousy prohibited in its very basis:
Jealousy is a widely-prevalent moral shortcoming of the human

beings. Its goal is the deprivation of others of the good things that they
may have in excess of what one may possess, and it emerges and
213
VOLUME TWO
entrenches itself in the character of those who are not blessed with
true faith in God and genuine moral refinement. Its roots lie in
covetousness. Consequently, those who do not efface covetousness
from their lives fall victim to it.
The Holy Qur’Én mentions its evil and teaches the prayer for
protection from it. (113:5). Then going to its root, it lays down the
command that it is the duty of a Muslim to abstain from covetousness
and the consequent jealousy under all circumstances:
Arabic text
“And in no wise covet those things in which Allah has

bestowed His gifts more freely on some of you than on others.
Unto men a fortune from that which they have earned, and unto
women a fortune from that which they have earned. (All this is
with Allah’s permission. Therefore, never wish or try that the
good things which others have may be diminished for them),
but ask Allah (for yourselves) of His Bounty (with a positive
healthy outlook). Lo! Allah is ever Knower of all things.”
(4:32).
(7) Observance of Duplicity12 condemned; hence abstinence from

it is duty:
Duplicity is a deeper phase of insincerity, which has its roots in

hypocrisy. The Holy Qur’Én condemns it in very strong terms:
Arabic text
214
“When they meet those who believe, they say ‘We believe’. But
when they are alone with their evil ones, they say: ‘We are
really with you; we were only jesting’.
“Allah will throw back their mockery on them, and give them
rope in their trespasses; so they will wander like blind ones (to
and fro).
“These are they who bartered Guidance for error; but their
traffic is profitless, and they have lost true direction.” (2:14-16).
It should be noted that, though the particular reference in these

verses is to the Hypocrites of Medina, they contain the general law
that duplicity, wherever practised, is a grave vice, and it is the duty of
a Muslim to abstain from it totally if he has to be true to his Faith.
(8) Cultivating the habit of suspecting the motives of Others,

prohibited:
Arabic text
“O you who believe! Shun as much suspicion (as possible); for

lo! some suspicion is a crime (because it involves cruel injustice
to innocent and well-meaning people) …” (49:12).
(9) Spying, i.e., probing into the affairs of Others, prohibited:
Arabic text
“… and spy not (into the affairs of others for fault-finding) …”

(49:12).
(10) Deriding and ridiculing Others prohibited:
215
VOLUME TWO
Arabic text
“O you who believe! let not a folk deride a folk …” (49:11).
(11) Giving offensive nicknames to Others prohibited:
Arabic text
“and call not others by nicknames …” (49:11).
(12) Corrupting Others through flattery to be avoided:
The Holy Qur’Én condemns those who love to be flattered and

warns them of grievous consequences. (3:188). Now, to be the cause
of the commission of sin by someone else is also a sin. Thus to flatter
anyone and thereby corrupt his mentality is a sin, and hence to abstain
from it is duty.

(2) DUTIES OF COMMISSION
END: Positive well-wishing and well-doing to fellow-beings.
A. Comprehensive command relating to the Duty of Practising

well-wishing and well-doing towards fellow-beings, enjoined:
The Holy Qur’Én says
Arabic text
216
“O you who believe! Bow down, prostrate yourselves and adore

your Lord, and (always) do good (to others), that you may
prosper.” (22:77).
B. Specific Commands relating to specific Duties of Commission
(1) Duties of Love;
(2) Duties of Respect.
(1) DUTIES OF LOVE:
(1) Duties relating to life:
(a) Protecting and preserving human life: an act of sublime

goodness; hence, an important duty:
Arabic text
“… and whoso saves (i.e., protects and preserves) the life of

one, it shall be as if he had saved the life of all mankind …”
(5:35).
(b) The Qur’Énic law of Equality, combining permission for

blood-wit, in cases of murder, also directed to saving of
human lives as far as equitable:
Arabic text
217
VOLUME TWO
“O you who believe! The Law of Equality is prescribed to you

in cases of murder: the free for the free, the slave for the slave,
the woman for the woman. But if any remission is made by the
brother (i.e., the heirs of the murdered person), then grant any
reasonable demand, and compensate him (in the form of blood-
money) with handsome gratitude …” (2:178).13
c) Active sympathy with Others for the amelioration and removal

of their sufferings in respect of their health—as also in other
respects—, enjoined:
Recounting the moral qualities of true Muslims, the Holy Qur’Én

says:
Arabic text
“Then will he be of those who believe, and enjoin patience (i.e.,

constancy and self-restraint), and enjoin compassion and active
sympathy (with others for the amelioration and removal of their
sufferings and misfortunes).” (90:17).
Thus visiting the sick, not as a mere formality but for active
sympathy in their suffering, and participation, according to one’s
capacity, in all collective efforts directed at the preservation and
promotion of human health is a duty, without the fulfillment of which
no one can aspire to be a true Muslim.
(2) Duties in respect of the wealth of Others:
To regard the wealth of others as absolutely inviolable, enjoined:
218
(a) Only that which has been acquired by a Muslim lawfully can
be owned and utilized by him:
Arabic text
“O humankind! consume, out of that which is (found) on the

earth, (only) that which is lawful and good; and do not follow
the footsteps of the devil, for he is to you an avowed enemy. He
enjoins upon you only the evil and the foul …”14 (2:168-169).
(b) Protecting the wealth of Others entrusted to one’s custody,

enjoined:
Arabic text
“Lo ! Allah commands you to render back your Trusts to those

to whom they are due …” (4:58).15
(c) Complete honesty in commercial transactions enjoined:
“Give full measure when you measure, and weigh with an even
balance, (in short, be fully honest in all your commercial
dealings): That is most fitting and most advantageous in the
final determination.” (17:35).
Arabic text
“… Give measure and weigh with full justice …” (6:152).16
(3) Duty in respect of spending one’s wealth for Others:
A. Charitableness and generosity towards Others enjoined:
219
VOLUME TWO
(a) All that belongs to a Muslim belongs actually to God and is,
therefore, meant to be generously spent for the benefit of
God’s creatures:
Arabic text
“Allah has purchased of the Believers their persons and their

wealth because the Garden (of Paradise) will be theirs.”
(9:111).
(b) The basis of a Muslim’s charity and generosity is purely “love

for God” and “fear of the Hereafter” and hence the economic
assistance which he renders to anyone is to be from the
highest motive and without the least tinge of worldliness:
Arabic text
“… (but it is righteousness) … to spend wealth (in charity) out

of love for Him (i.e., God) (alone) …” (2:177).
Arabic text
“… (the righteous) who spend their wealth (on others) for

increase in self-purification, and have in their minds no favor
from anyone for which a reward is expected in return, but only
the desire to seek for the countenance of their Lord Most High;
and soon will they attain (complete) satisfaction.” (92: 18-21).
Arabic text
“And those who dispense their charity with their hearts full of
fear, because they will return to their Lord; —it is these who
220
haveen in every good work, and these who are foremost in

them.” (23: 60-61).
(c) Charity—a Basic Virtue:
Arabic text
“By no means shall you attain righteousness unless you give

(freely) of that which you love; and whatever you give, of a
truth Allah knows it well.” (3:92).
(d) Measure of charity defined: To spend what is superfluous

from one’s rational needs:
Arabic text
“They ask you (O Muhammad!) how much they are to spend;

say: ‘What is beyond your needs.’ Thus Allah makes clear to
you His signs: in order that you may consider (their bearings)
on this life and the Hereafter.” (2:219-220).
(e) Mode of giving charity defined:
Arabic text
“If you disclose (acts of) charity, even so it is well, but if you
conceal them, and make them reach those (really) in need, that
is best for you. It will atone for some of your evil deeds. And
Allah is well-acquainted with what you do.” (2:271).
(f) Blessings of charity emphasized through parables:
Arabic text
221
VOLUME TWO
“The parable of those who spend their substance in the Way of

Allah is that of a grain of corn: it grows seven ears, and each
ear has a hundred grains. Allah givs manifold increase to whom
He pleases: for Allah cares for all, and He knows all things.
Those who spend their substance in the cause of Allah, and
follow not up their gifts with reminders of their generosity or
with injury, —their reward is with their Lord: on them shall be
no fear, nor shall they grieve.” (2:261-262).
Arabic text
“And the likeness of those who spend their substance, seeking

to please Allah and to strengthen their souls, is as a garden, high
and fertile: heavy rain makes it yield a double increase of
harvest, and if it receives not heavy rain, light moisture suffices
it. Allah sees well whatever you do.” (2:265).
(g) Charity should be practised at all times and under all

circumstances:
Arabic text
“Those who (in charity) spend of their goods by night and by

day, in secret and in public, have their reward with their Lord:
on them shall be no fear, nor shall they grieve.” (2:274).
Arabic text
“Be quick in race for forgiveness from your Lord, and for a
Garden whose width is that (of the whole) of the heavens and of
the earth, prepared for the righteous,—those who spend
222
(freely), whether in prosperity, or in adversity; who restrain

anger, and pardon (all) men;—for Allah loves those who do
good.” (3:133-134).
(h) A very forceful appeal made for practising charity:
Arabic text
“Does any of you wish that he should have a garden with date-
palms and vines and streams flowing underneath, and all kinds
of fruit, while he is stricken with old age, and his children are
not strong (enough to look after themselves)—that it should be
caught in a whirlwind with fire therein, and be burnt up? Thus
does Allah make clear to you His Signs (in respect of possible
economic misery and the way to remedy it through the
universal practice of economic well-doing to others), that they
may consider.” (2:266).
(i) Specific categories of those who deserve charitable economic

assistance, mentioned:
The following categories have been specified:
The kinsfolk, the orphans; the needy; ‘those who ask’; the
poverty-stricken persons in general; those in bondage (as slaves or as
prisoners of war), (including the task of their emancipation through
payment of ransom); those suffering from the burden of debt (and
have to be relieved through the payment of that debt); the wayfarers;
and recent converts to Islam. (2:177; 9:60).
223
VOLUME TWO
(j) Command given to use one’s talents and possessions for, and
practise assistance of all kinds to, all:
Arabic text
“Oh you who believe! spend out of (the bounties) We have

provided for you, before the Day comes when no bargaining
(will avail), nor friendship nor intercession. Those who reject
Faith injure (only themselves).”17 (2:254).
B. Charitableness towards one’s debtor enjoined:
Arabic text
“If the debtor is in a difficulty, grant him time till it is easy for
him to repay. But if you remit it by way of charity, that is best
for you if you only knew.” (2:280).
C. Giving of free gifts to cultivate generosity and to enhance love

enjoined:
Arabic text
“… and do not forget grace amongst yourselves …” (2:237).
The Arabic word used here for ‘grace’ means, according to

Lane’s Lexicon, “a free gift, or favor, a benefit, and bounty.” Thus this
verse includes the command of giving free gifts for cultivating
generosity and for enhancing love.
(4) Maintenance of goodwill towards Others:
224
(a) Absolute justice enjoined, even though it means any amount of

personal suffering for the moral agent, or the interests of
those nearest and dearest to him are sacrificed, and even
though the other party is his or Islam’s worst enemy:
Arabic text
“Verily Allah enjoins justice (to all and under all

circumstances)…” (16:90).
Arabic text
“O you who believe! Be you staunch in justice, witnesses for

Allah, even though it be against yourselves or (your) parents or
(your) kindred, whether (the case be of ) a rich man or a poor
man, for Allah is nearer unto both (than you are). So follow not
passion lest you lapse (from truth); and if you lapse or fall
away, then lo! Allah is ever informed as to what you do.”
(4:135).
Arabic text
“O you who believe! Be steadfast witnesses for Allah in equity,

and let not the hatred of any people seduce you that you deal
not justly. Deal justly, that is nearer to your duty. Observe your
duty to Allah. Lo! Allah is informed of what you do.” (5:8).
(b) Bearing witness firmly and without fear or favor and thereby
assisting those who are in the right made a basic virtue and,
hence, duty:
Arabic text
225
VOLUME TWO
“And those who stand firm in their testimonies.” (70:33).
(c) Fulfilling all promises, agreements, pledges, covenants,

contracts, engagements and treaties, enjoined:
Arabic text
“… and fulfill (every) promise (and engagement); for (every)

promise (and engagement) will be enquired into (on the Day of
Reckoning).” (17:34).
Arabic text
“Oh you who believe! Fulfill (all) obligations (or compacts).”18

(5:1).
(d) Sincerity and straightforwardness in general towards Others

enjoined:
As we have already seen, a Muslim is required to do good to

others purely for the sake of God, which alone is virtue according to
the Holy Qur’Én. But that is impossible without cultivating and
maintaining absolute sincerity for God, as demanded in the Holy
Qur’Én:
Arabic text
“… and call upon Him, making your devotion sincere as in His

sight …” (7:29).
But genuine sincerity for God is impossible to maintain unless

one possesses sincerity essentially. Hence cultivation and maintenance
226
of essential sincerity, one channel of which is sincerity towards

fellow-beings, is duty.
Thus the Holy Qur’Én commands the Muslims to be sincere and

straightforward in all their dealings with everyone:
Arabic text
“And (He commands you, saying): This is My straight Way (—

the Way of Truth, Justice, Sincerity and Straightforwardness—
): follow it …” (6:153).
(e) Cultivating and maintaining the attitude of compassionate

kindness towards others emphasized as one of the basic
qualities of a true Muslim’s character:
Arabic text
“… and enjoin on each other practice of compassionate

kindness (towards all) …” (90:17).
(f) Gracefulness and liberality in dealing with Others enjoined:
Arabic text
“… and forget not gracefulness and liberality in your mutual

dealings.” (2:237).
(g) Positive effort for the creation and maintenance of harmony

and peace among human beings, emphasized as a great virtue
which should never be avoided:
Arabic text
227
VOLUME TWO
“In most of their secret talks there is no good; but if one exhorts
to a deed of charity or justice or conciliation between human
beings, (secrecy is permissible). To him who does this, seeking
the good pleasure of Allah, We shall soon give a reward of the
highest (value).” (4:114).
Arabic text
“And make not Allah’s (name) an excuse in your oaths against

doing good, or acting rightly, or making peace between human
beings; for Allah is He Who hears and knows all things.”
(2:224).
Arabic text
“… never shall We suffer the reward of the reformers to

perish.” (7:170).
(h) Judging Others’ motives in the best light, except when a

definite reasonable cause exists, enjoined:
As we have already seen, the Holy. Qur’Én forbids guessing

about others’ motives:
Arabic text
“O you who believe! Shun as much suspicion as possible; for

lo! Some suspicion is a crime …” (49:12).
It means a Muslim should cultivate basically the attitude of

initially judging others’ motives in the best light, except when a
definite reasonable cause exists to the contrary.
228
(i) Speaking good of Others, while paying due regard to truth

and justice, enjoined:
Arabic text
“Say to My servants that they should (only) say (in general and
about others) those things that are best; for Satan does sow
dissensions among them: lo! Satan is to man an avowed
enemy.” (17:53).
(j) Speaking to Others with courtesy and politeness enjoined:
Arabic text
“… and speak unto mankind with courtesy and politeness

(according to best standards of human speech) …” (2:83).
(k) Gratefulness to Others for any good that one may receive
from them, enjoined:
In asking the question:
Arabic text
“Is the reward of goodness anything other than goodness!”

(55:60); the Holy Qur’Én emphasizes the principle that a
Muslim should always reward goodness with goodness, and the
least that he can do is to sincerely thank him who does him any
good. And gratefulness brings reward from God:
Arabic text
229
VOLUME TWO
“We (i.e., God) shall reward the thankful.” (3:145).
(l) The most rational behavior upheld and the highest moral
standard enjoined in respect of evil emanating from Others:
(1) The Holy Qur’Én permits equal redress of wrongs done to

a Muslim by Others, at the same time commending
forgiveness:
Arabic text
“If you punish (him who has wronged you) then punish with the
like of that wherewith you were afflicted. But if you show
patience, that is indeed the best (course) for those who are
patient.” (16:126).
Arabic text
“The recompense for an injury is an injury equal (in degree)

thereto; (i.e., when anyone is wronged and he stands up for his
rights, the most he can claim is equal redress): but if a person
(prefers the saintly character to that of the worldly-wise man,
and) forgives (the offender) and makes re-conciliation (in the
interests of morality), his reward is due from Allah: Lo! He
loves not those who do wrong. And whosoever vindicates
himself (without transgressing limits of justice) after he has
suffered wrong—for such there is no way (of blame) against
them. The way (of blame) is only against those who oppress
mankind and insolently transgress beyond bounds through the
land, defying right and justice. For such there will be a painful
230
doom. And verily whoso shows patience and forgiveth—lo!

That (voluntary forbearance and clemency) would truly be an
exercise of courageous will and resolution in the conduct of
affairs.” (42:40-43).
(2) Nay, the Holy Qur’Én goes further. It enjoins repelling evil
with goodness as the highest moral ideal—as a necessary
condition of moral perfection:
Arabic text
“Nor can Goodness and Evil be equal. Repel (Evil) with what is
better (i.e., Goodness): Then will he between whom and you
was hatred become as it were your friend and intimate! And no
one will be granted such goodness except those who exercise
patience and self-restraint,—none but persons of the greatest
good fortune. And if (at any time) an incitement to discord is
made to you by the Evil One, seek refuge in Allah. He is the
One Who hears and knows all things.” (41:34-36).
Arabic text
“And the Hour (of Final Accountability and Divine Judgment)

is surely coming. So overlook (any human faults) with gracious
forgiveness.” (15:85).
Arabic text
“… Let them forgive (those who do any injury to them) and let
them overlook (the offenders’ faults). Do you not wish that
231
VOLUME TWO
Allah should forgive you? For Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most

Arabic text
“… But forgive (the enemies of Islam) and overlook (their

hostility) till Allah accomplishes His purpose; for Allah has
power over all things.” (2:109).

(2) DUTIES OF RESPECT
(1) Treating with respect all human beings in their fundamental

rights as fellow-beings—irrespective of differences of sex, race,
color, etc., enjoined:
According to the Holy Qur’Én every human being deserves

respect in his capacity as a human being:
Arabic text
“Verily We have honored the Children of Adam …” (17:70).
This aspect of the Qur’Énic moral teaching includes :
a. Respecting the rights of all human beings with regard to life,

honour and property.
Also:
232
b. respecting every human being’s equality of status as a human

being;
and, as a consequence :
c. respecting his right to freedom,
d. and the right to fraternize with all other human beings,
— except when a just moral cause intervenes.
The following verse of the Holy Qur’Én prescribes it, in

conjunction with other numerous relevant and connected verses that
have been quoted in different contexts in the present dissertation, as a
duty of all human beings to protect and promote the above human
rights:
Arabic text
“O humankind! fear (in respect of the rights of fellow-beings)

your Guardian-Lord (i.e., Allah Who created you from a single
soul, and created, of like nature, his mate, and from them twain
has spread abroad countless men and women (everyone of
whom is thus bound up in one fraternity—the human family—
and possesses the birth right of basic human equality with his
fellow-beings to have the freedom of equal opportunity for
enjoying the blessings of life on earth). Reverence Allah,
through Whom you claim your mutual (rights) (and, therefore,
respect your fellow-beings’ rights to life, honour, and property,
as also those relating to liberty, equality and fraternity), and
233
VOLUME TWO
(reverence) the wombs (that bore you): for Allah ever watches
over you.” (4:1).
Here we may also quote with advantage another important related

verse which specifically repudiates the erroneous notion of inequality
of human beings on physical bases—tribal, racial, etc.—and lays
down the basic and the most just principle on the basis of which one
human being earns more honour than another. God proclaims in the
Holy Qur’Én
Arabic text
“O humankind! We created you from a single (pair) of a male

and female, and made you into nations and tribes, that you may
know each other (not that you may despise each other). Verily
the most honored of you in the sight of Allah is (he who is) the
most righteous of you and Allah has full knowledge and is well
acquainted (with all things).” (49:13).
(2) Humility, forbearance and Peacefulness have been mentioned

in the Holy Qur’Én as basic virtues; hence to practise them is
duty:
Arabic text
“And the servants of (Allah) Most Gracious are those who walk
on the earth in humility, and when the ignorant address them,
they say, ‘Peace!’” (25:63).
Arabic text
234
“… for men and women who humble themselves, for men and
women who give in charity, for men and women who fast (and
deny themselves), for men and women who guard their chastity,
and for men and women who engage much in Allah’s
remembrance—, for them has Allah prepared forgiveness and
great reward.” (33:35).
The most important occasion when a person’s spirit of humility is

put to test is when he speaks to another person. Hence, humility in talk
with others has been enjoined specifically also:
Arabic text
“… and lower your voice (in humility) for the harshest of sounds
without doubt is the braying of an ass.” (31:19).

235
Chapter 2.
DUTIES of the
MORAL PERFECTION OF OTHERS
END:
Moral Perfection of Others.
1. Duties of Omission;
2. Duties of Commission.
(1) DUTIES OF OMISSION
END:
Abstinence from all forms of activity that might be conducive to

the creation of, or might directly create, conditions of immorality.
a. Duties of Love;
b. Duties of Respect.
(a) DUTIES OF LOVE:
(1) Creating conditions of moral corruption prohibited:
Arabic text
“Do no mischief (moral or material) on the earth, after it has

been set in order, but call on Him with fear and hope: For the
Mercy of Allah is always near to those who practise virtue.”
(7:56).
(2) Obstructing the path of morality, as also other paths of

goodness, prohibited:
Arabic text
“And be not like those who started from their homes insolently
and to be seen of men, and to hinder (men) from the Way of
Allah (i.e., the perfect System of Goodness which alone leads to
God).” (8:47).
Arabic text
“(The sentence will be:) throw, throw into Hell every

contumacious Rejecter (of God)!—hinderer of good …”
(50:24,52).
Arabic text
“Heed not the type of despicable man,—ready with oaths, a

slanderer, going about with calumnies, hinderer of good …”
(68:10-12).
(3) Co-operating with others in sin and transgression prohibited:
Arabic text
“… and help you not one another in sin and transgression: Fear
Allah: Lo! Allah is strict in punishment.” (5:3).
237
VOLUME TWO
(4) Spreading lewdness in any form, and thereby enticing others

in vice, prohibited:
Arabic text
“Say: the things that my Lord has indeed forbidden are:

(indulging in and spreading,19 at any level and any type of)
shameful deeds (or lewdness), whether open or secret …”
(7:33).
Arabic text
“… and He forbids (indulging in and spreading, at any level and

any type of) shameful deeds (or lewdness) …” (16:90).
(b) DUTIES OF RESPECT
Duties in respect of illegitimate and immoral sexual relations

whereby, side by side with one’s own chastity, the chastity and honour
of others as well as the sanctity of the institution of family,20 is
violated:
(1) Adultery and Fornication prohibited:21
Arabic text
“And come not nigh to fornication and adultery: For it is a

shameful (deed) and an evil, opening the road (to other evils).”
(17:32).
238
Arabic text
“(The true servants of God are those who) … do not commit

adultery (nor fornication) …” (25:68).
Arabic text
“… that they will not commit adultery (nor fornication) …”

(60:12).
(2) Homosexuality vehemently condemned; hence abstinence from

it is duty:
Speaking of the Sodomites, the Holy Qur’Én says:
Arabic text
“We also (sent) Lut: He said to his people ‘Do you commit
lewdness such as no people in creation (ever) committed before
you? For you practise your lusts on men in preference to
women: you are indeed a people transgressing beyond bounds’
… And We rained down on them a shower (of brimstone): then
see what was the end of those who indulged in sin and crime?”
(7:80-81, 84).
(3) The institution of Prostitution condemned:
Speaking of the women prisoners of war, the Holy Qur’Én lays

down the following rule, thus promulgating the law condemning the
business of prostitution in all its aspects:
Arabic text
239
VOLUME TWO
“… and force not your maids to prostitution (—a custom

prevalent among the pagan Arabs in respect of their slave-girls—)
their desire being for chastity, in order that you may make a gain in
the goods of this life …” (24:33).

(II) DUTIES OF COMMISSON
END:
Arabic text
Active struggle for creating an atmosphere conducive to morality

and awakening the moral consciousness of one’s fellow-beings by
word and deed.
Preliminary:
Arabic text
“By Time (as it has unfolded through the ages, recording man’s
successes and failures), verily man is in a state of loss, but not
those who have Faith and do (constantly) righteous deeds, and
exhort one another to Truth, and exhort one another to
endurance (in the service of Truth).” (103:1-3).
240
The Holy Qur’Én further warns that evasion of this active

struggle leads to calamities of the highest magnitude, which afflict the
innocent and the guilty alike:
Arabic text
“And fear the chaveisement that shall not afflict those alone
who among you do wrong; and know that verily Allah is Severe
in Chaveising.” (8:25).
DUTIES:
a. Duty of Love;
b. Duty of Respect.
(a) DUTY OF LOVE:
Active struggle for the fullest establishment of morality enjoined:
(1) The mission which has been entrusted by God to the Muslim
community is the establishment of moral order in the world as a whole
—a mission the fulfillment of which is the duty of every Muslim, man
and woman:
Arabic text
“(O Muslims!) You are the best (ideological) community that

has been raised up for mankind. You enjoin right conduct and
241
VOLUME TWO
forbid all that is wrong (i.e., evil); and you believe in Allah …”
(3:110).
(2) This mission entails, however, certain difficult conditions.

Hence, it is not possible for every Muslim to fulfill this mission.
Consequently, while it is the duty of every Muslim to co-operate22 in it
to the best of his capacity and in the manner best suited to him, it is
necessary that there should be a trained, disciplined and devoted band
of Muslims who should lead the struggle. And this is what the Holy
Qur’Én has enjoined:
Arabic text
“Let there arise out of you a band of people inviting to all that is
good, enjoining what is right, and forbidding what is wrong:
They are the ones who attain felicity.” (3:104).
(3) The basic struggle consists, thus, in propagating among

mankind the Divine Teachings which form the very foundation and
the life-blood of the moral order. This struggle has, however, to be
pursued in the sublimest manner. The Holy Qur’Én says:
Arabic text
gracious: For your Lord knows best who have strayed from His
Path and who receive guidance.” (16:125).
242
(4) The establishment of the moral order necessitates finally the

employment of state-authority for this purpose. The Holy Qur’Én
enjoins this function on the Islamic State:
Arabic text
“… Allah will certainly aid those who aid His (cause)—for

verily Allah is Full of Strength, exalted in Might, (able to
enforce His Will). (Muslims are) those who, if We give them
authority in the land, establish regular prayer and give regular
charity, enjoin the right and forbid wrong; and with Allah rests
the end (and decision) of (all) affairs.” (22:40-41).
(5) The Holy Qur’Én condemns the establishment of secret

societies for evil ends. But it permits secret activity, if absolutely
necessary, for the promotion of virtue:
Arabic text
“In most of their secret talks there is no good, but if one exhorts
to a deed of charity or justice or conciliation between human
beings, (secrecy is permissible): to him who does this, seeking
the good pleasure of Allah, We shall soon give a reward of the
highest (value).” (4:114).
(b) DUTY OF RESPECT:
243
VOLUME TWO
Marriage permitted as the only means of fulfilling sexual need

and made obligatory for preserving the moral health of society:
Arabic text
“Marry those among you who are single, or the virtuous ones
among your slaves, male or female: if they are in poverty, Allah
will give them means out of His Grace: for Allah encompasses
all, and He knows all things. Let those who find not the
wherewithal for marriage keep themselves chavee, until Allah
gives them means out of His Grace.” (24:32).

244
PART 2. DUTIES OF CONDITION

TOWARDS OTHER INDIVIDUALS
A. Duties to Relatives and to the non-Relatives belonging to

one’s home;
B. Duties with respect to Age and Rank;
C. Duties to Particular Categories of non-Relatives;
D. Duties to Muslims as Muslims;
E. Duties to non-Muslims as non-Muslims.
In part I of the “Duties to Others”, we have covered those duties

of omission and commission which the Holy Qur’Én has prescribed in
respect of our dealings with our fellow-beings without consideration
of the nature of our relationship with them. They are duties which,
according to the Holy Qur’Én, we owe to every human being in his
capacity as human being. In other words, they are duties which relate
to fundamental human rights.
The Holy Qur’Én has prescribed, however, another set of duties

also, which we owe to others in consideration of their specific
relations with us. They may be called: “Duties of condition.” We shall
deal with them now, classifying them first into five broad sections: A,
B, C, D, and E, as given above. Of course, these sections are further
sub-divisible, as we shall see.

VOLUME TWO
Chapter 1.
DUTIES TO RELATIVES AND
TO THE NON-RELATIVES
1. Duties towards one’s Parents.
2. Duties towards one’s Offspring.
3. Respective duties of Husband and Wife.
4. Duties towards Relatives in general.
5. Duties towards Domestic Servants.
(1) DUTIES TOWARDS ONE’S PARENTS
(1) As the following verses show, the Holy Qur’Én enjoins:
a. doing good to parents in every way;
b. obeying them without demur in everything good;
c. behaving respectfully towards them;
d. maintaining attitude of thankfulness towards them;
e. caring for them with mercy—with special regard for the

mother.23
246
Arabic text
“Thy Lord has decreed that you worship none but Him, and that
you be kind to parents. Whether one or both of them attain old
age in your life, say not to them a word of contempt, nor repel
them, but address them in terms of honour. And, out of
kindness, lower to them the wing of humility; and say, ‘My
Lord! bestow on them your Mercy even as they cherished me in
childhood’. Your Lord knows best what is in your hearts: if you
do deeds of righteousness, verily He is Most Forgiving to those
who turn to Him again and again (in true penitence).” (17:23-
25).
Arabic text
“We have enjoined on man kindness to his parents: In pain did

his mother bear him, and in pain did she give him birth. The
carrying of the (child) to his weaning is (a period of) thirty
months. At length, when he reaches the age of full strength and
attains forty years, he says, ‘O my Lord! grant me that I may be
grateful for your favor which you have bestowed upon me, and
upon both my parents, and that I may work righteousness such
as you may approve; and be gracious to me in my issue. Truly
have I turned to You and truly do I bow (to You) in Islam’.
Such are they from whom We shall accept the best of their
deeds and pass by their ill deeds (they shall be) among the
247
VOLUME TWO
companions of the Gardens a promise of truth, which was made

to them (in this life).” (46:15-16).
(2) Doing good to parents even if they are non-Muslims,

regardless of their attitude to Islam, enjoined:
Arabic text
“And We have enjoined on man (to be good) to his parents: In

travail upon travail did his mother bear him, and in years twain
was his weaning : (hear the command), ‘Show gratitude to Me
and to your parents’: to Me is (your final) Goal. But if they
strive to make you join in worship with Me things of which you
have no knowledge, obey them not; yet bear them company in
this life with justice (and consideration), and follow the way of
those who turn to Me (in love): In the end the return of you all
is to Me, and I will tell you (the truth and meaning of) all that
you did.” (31:14-15).
(b) Duty of Omission:
Abstinence from obeying non-Muslim parents in their anti-Islamic

religious beliefs and practices, enjoined:
Arabic text
“We enjoined on man kindness to parents but if they (either of

them) strive (to force) you to join with Me (in worship)
anything of which you have no knowledge, obey them not. You
248
have (all) to return to Me, and I will tell you (the truth) of all
that you did.” (29:8).

(2) DUTIES TOWARDS ONE’S OFFSPRING
A. Social and Spiritual Status of the Child:
(1) The. Holy Qur’Én teaches that the child is a respectable being:
(a) because of his humanity, concerning which it has been said:
Arabic text
“Verily We have honored the Children of Adam …” (17:70).
(b) because of his sinlessness, as it has been said:
Arabic text
“Assuredly We have created man in the goodliest constitution

(i.e., pure and individually perfect).” (95:4).
Arabic text
“… Every soul draws the mead of its acts on none but itself: no
bearer of burden can bear the burden of another …” (6:164).
Thus the child is born sinless, without inheriting the sins of his
ancestors. And it is classed as innocent up to the age of discretion, as
it has been said:
Arabic text
249
VOLUME TWO
“On no soul does Allah place a responsibility but to the extent

of its ability …” (2:286).
And its categorization as innocent makes it logically immune

from receiving those punishments which are meant for adults in
respect of commission of wrongs.
(2) In its condemnation of infanticide, the Holy Qur’Én teaches that

the child is a ‘gift from God’—a ‘trust’24 of God placed in the
care of the child’s elders, and should, therefore, be treated with
love, understanding and extreme care:
Arabic text
Lost are those who besottedly have murdered their children

without knowledge, and forbidden (to themselves) that which
Allah bestowed upon them (as gift), inventing a lie against
Allah. They have indeed gone astray and heeded no guidance.”
(6:140).

B. Duties:
(1) Duties of Omission:
Infanticide had been practised by different communities of the

world, including the pagan Arabs, the Hindus, the Greeks and the
Romans, in the pre-Qur’Énic era of human history.25 When the Holy
Qur’Én came, it voiced its condemnation of that evil and inhuman
250
practice in strong terms and forbade it totally, as we have seen in verse

6:140 quoted above, and as we find in the following:
(a) Killing of offspring for fear of poverty—before their birth: in

the form of abortion, or after their birth: in the form of
murder—forbidden:
Arabic text
“Kill not your children for fear of want: We shall provide

sustenance for them as well as for you. Verily the killing of
them is a great sin.” (17:31).26
(b) Killing of daughters for extra fear of dishonor specially

condemned:
Arabic text
“When news is brought to one of them, of (the birth of) a

female (child), his face darkens, and he is filled with inward
grief! With shame does he hide himself from his people,
because of the bad news he has had! Shall he retain it on
(sufferance and) contempt, or bury it in the dust! Ah! What an
evil (choice) they decide on!” (16:58-59).
Arabic text
“When the female (infant), buried alive, is questioned (by God

on the Day of Judgment)—for what crime she was killed!”
(81:8-9).
(c) Infanticide with ‘religious’ motives condemned:
251
VOLUME TWO
Arabic text
“Even so, in the eyes of most of the Pagans, their ‘partners’

made alluring the slaughter of their children, to lead them to
their own destruction, and cause confusion in their religion. If
Allah had willed, they would not have done so: But leave alone
them and their inventions.” (6:137).

(2) Duties of Commission
Condemning contempt for one’s children, forbidding their

treatment as a burden, and teaching respect and love for them, the
Holy Qur’Én refers to their upbringing by their parents,—a function
which all parents, including the animal parents, perform basically and
naturally under the urge of the parental instinct, but wherein the
outlook requires to be refined and enlightened in the interest of human
well-being. In this connection:
(a) The Holy Qur’Én commands the safeguarding of the interest

of the child, in the most delicate period of his life, in respect of
suckling him, which is specially jeopardized in case the parents are
unfortunately separated from each other through divorce:
Arabic text
“The mothers shall give suck to their offspring for two whole
years, if the father desires to complete the term. But he shall
252
bear the cost of their food and clothing on equitable terms …”

(2:233).
(b) Then it refers to the unselfish upbringing of the child by the

parents up to the time of his maturity27 as a virtue, in the following
prayer which Muslim children are taught to make for their parents:
Arabic text
“… and say: ‘My Lord bestow on them your Mercy even as

they (tenderly) cherished me (when I was) young.” (17:24).
This verse refers to the fact that the parents have to look after the
needs of the child until he is mature. It has been mentioned as a
universal fact which occurs in a natural course,—namely, everyone
whose outlook in respect of his children is rational and not perverted
and whose circumstances do not force him to act against the true
dictates of human nature,28 is bound to do it. However, although
natural, it should be treated as a specific duty in the light of the
general command of “doing good to all” and “taking special care of
those who are related to one in blood” (16:90), in the interest of the
moral health of human society.
(c) The Holy Qur’Én teaches prayers which are highly instructive
in guiding us to the parents’ duties towards their children. The prayers
are:
Arabic text
253
VOLUME TWO
“… and be You good unto me in my progeny (O Lord !) (i.e.,

cause my progeny to be good and accomplished in every way)
…” (46:15).
Arabic text
“… Our Lord! Grant unto us the comfort of our eyes from our
wives and our offspring, and give us (the grace) to lead the
righteous.” (25:74).
Now, for the offspring to be “comfort of one’s eyes” it is

necessary that they should be good in every way; and they would not
be normally so unless the parents exert to their full for building up
their children in all aspects of their lives and to the highest stature
possible.
We know that mere yearning expressed in prayer and left at that

means nothing more than sheer idiocy and insult to God. Hence this
verse refers to the duty of doing everything in the power of the parents
to bring up their children healthy and strong physically, intellectually,
morally, spiritually and economically. Of course, that would mean
sacrifice for the parents. But, according to the Holy Qur’Én, self-
sacrifice is an essential quality of Muslim character (59:9), and it
becomes a duty in the case of one’s children.
(d) Finally, the Holy Qur’Én lays down the command:
Arabic text
“O you who believe ! protect yourselves and your wives and

children from a (spiritual) Fire whose fuel (unlike the fuel of
254
physical fire) is human beings (who lead wrong lives) and

stones (which have been worshipped as false deities by ancient
communities) over which are (appointed) Angels stern (and)
severe, who flinch not (from executing) the Commands they
receive from Allah, but do (precisely) what they are
commanded.” (66:6).
In order to understand the implications of the above command

truly and comprehensively, it is necessary to grasp deeply the
constitution of the human personality and the dynamics of human
activity. The fact is that the different aspects of the human personality
are interrelated and, according to the Qur’Énic concept of tawÍÊd, they
form an organic unity,—their inter-relationship and inter-dependence
being expressible as follows:
Sound mind resides in a sound body.
Sound morality is possible only for a person of sound mind.
Sound spirituality is attainable only by a person of sound morals.
Sound economic pursuit requires at least the soundness of body

and mind both.
Thus, saving one’s children from the fire of Hell necessitates not
only giving them formal teaching of certain religious beliefs and
practices—which, if not integrated with other aspects of life, amounts
for all practical purposes to a defective attempt—but taking all those
steps which will make them good in every way, as taught by the Holy
Qur’Én and expounded in the present dissertation, in respect of human
255
VOLUME TWO
life, namely : physically, intellectually, morally, spiritually and

economically : the comprehensive program and the manner in which
the Holy Prophet (Peace be on him) built up the despicable pagan
Arabs into a community of righteous and progressive super-humans.29
This means that the verse quoted above envisages the following
rights of the child and their fulfillment:
1. establishment of an atmosphere of love and understanding for

the child’s proper growth;
2. protection against all evils: neglect, cruelty and exploitation;
3. provision of adequate nutrition, proper housing, recreation,

and medical service;
4. provision of opportunities and facilities for the child’s

balanced development in freedom and dignity, according to
the Qur’Énic code of life;
5. provision of the best available formal education, in keeping

with the child’s aptitude and capabilities;
6. provision of comprehensive moral education and training;
7. Above all, and running through every phase of the child’s

life, there should be the provision of spiritual education and
training—of as high an order as possible—for making him
truly God-fearing: which is the most basic and the highest
virtue that a Muslim should possess.

256
(3) RESPECTIVE DUTIES OF THE HUSBAND

AND THE WIFE
For a proper understanding of the mutual rights and duties of the

husband and the wife as taught by the Holy Qur’Én, it is necessary to
begin with a basic evaluation of woman’s position in that teaching.30
(A) BASIC GUIDANCE CONSTITUTING THE BACKGROUND OF

DUTIES
1. Position of Woman:
We have already seen that the Holy Qur’Én makes no distinction

between man and woman as regards the fundamental human rights.
Here we may specifically state that:
Woman, like man, is the possessor of free personality, and enjoys

equality with man, in respect of:
(a) Her spiritual and moral status:
Arabic text
“… Unto men the benefit of what they earn (of virtue), and unto
women the benefit of what they earn (of virtue) (i.e., in matters
of spiritual grace both, man and woman, enjoy equal status and
are independent of one another).” (4:32).
Arabic text
257
VOLUME TWO
“Lo! men who surrender (unto Allah) and women who

surrender, and men who believe and women who believe, and
men who obey and women who obey, and men who speak the
truth and women who speak the truth, and men who persevere
(in righteousness) and women who persevere, and men who are
humble and women who are humble, and men who give alms
and women who give alms, and men who fast and women who
fast, and men who guard their modesty and women who guard
(their modesty), and men who remember Allah much and
women who remember—Allah has prepared for them
forgiveness and a vast reward.” (33:35).
(b) Her economic rights:
Arabic text
“… Unto men a fortune from what they have earned (of

wealth), and unto women a fortune from what they have earned
(of wealth) (both being free and equal with regard to the
possession of their economic rights) …” (4:32).31
Arabic text
“Unto the men (of a family) belongs a share of that which

parents and near kindred leave, and unto the women a share of
that which the parents and near kindred leave, whether it be
little or much—a legal share.” (4:7).
(c) Her legal rights:
Arabic text
258
“… And they (women) have rights similar to those (of men)

over them, according to what is equitable …” (2:228).
Arabic text
“A mother should not be made to suffer because of her child,

nor he to whom the child is born (be made to suffer) because of
his child (because both are equal before the law) …” (2:233).
2. Inequalities of Condition:
Indeed, as a human being, woman enjoys equality of status with

man. With this, however, there are also “inequalities of condition”
which have been necessitated by the differences in her physical
constitution, mental make-up and her distinct roles in society as
mother and as wife. Thus:
(a) as mother:
In the verses we have quoted concerning the duties to parents we

find that the Holy Qur’Én lays special emphasis on the role of the
mother, thereby pointing to the superiority of her role in respect of the
child—as a consequence of which she deserves devotion greater, and
honour higher, than the father.32
(b) as wife:
As a wife, side by side with enjoying equal fundamental human

rights, she has been placed one degree below the husband in the
matter of administering the affairs of the family:
259
VOLUME TWO
Arabic text
“… but men have a degree (of advantage) over them33 …”

(2:228).
It should, however, be clearly kept in mind that, in the Qur’Énic

teaching, the husband and the wife stand in complementary relation to
each other, and never in the relation of the ruler and the ruled, (2:187).
In the presence of the husband, the Holy Qur’Én has not chosen
her to function as the head of the family, because owing to his
masculine constitution and appropriate mental make-up, the husband
is better equipped to earn livelihood for the family, to bear the
physical strains, and to avert dangers to the family in general. The
Holy Qur’Én refers to these functions of the husband when, speaking
of his role for the wife, it says:
Arabic text
“Men are the protectors and maintainers of women, because

Allah has given the one more (strength) than the other, and
because they spend of their wealth (for supporting them and
other members of the family) …” (4:34).
Of course, the husband has to administer the family jointly with

the wife, according to the Qur’Énic law:
Arabic text
“… (Believers are those) who conduct their affairs by mutual

consultation (and not arbitrarily)…” (42:38).
260
As a follower of the Qur’Én, it is only in extreme cases that the

husband may differ irreconcilably with the wife. But then too he
cannot transgress the bounds of justice and mercy; for the Holy
Qur’Én commands him to be always just, merciful and considerate.34
The second position of the wife as administrator is, thus, not a

source of suffering for her but a source of strength and a blessing.
(c) as sharer in inheritance:
In respect of inheritance, the Holy Qur’Én has laid down the law:
Arabic text
“… Allah (thus) directs you as regards your children’s

inheritance: to the male a portion equal to that of two females
…” (4:11).
This, however, has nothing to do with the inferiority of woman,

the real reason behind this inequality in share being that the male has
been given the role of the breadwinner for the family and, as such,
entrusted with the financial burden of himself and his wife and
children, while the female has not been given the role of bread-winner
and, as such, has not been entrusted with any financial obligations
towards anyone, including her husband and children; indeed, not even
her own, because that has been made the obligation of the husband.
Thus, although getting half of the male’s share, she, in most cases,
remains at an advantage as compared with the male, rather than
suffering loss.
(d) as giver of evidence in law-suits:
261
VOLUME TWO
In its law of evidence, the Holy Qur’Én had laid down:
Arabic text
“… and get two witnesses out of your own men, and if there are
not two men, then a man and two women, such as you choose
for witnesses, so that if one of them errs (in her judgment or in
her memory), the other can remind her …” (2:292).
This law is based on the fact that unlike man, whose sphere of
activity is mostly outside the home and who thereby gains a rich
experience of and a sharp judgment about, men and things, the natural
sphere of activity for the woman is the home, which does not allow
her to acquire the same richness of experience and sharpness of
judgment regarding the affairs of the outside world. Hence, she is not
likely to hold her own under the severe strain of cross-examination,
because of which any possible shortcoming on her part as a witness to
a case is required to be made up through a second woman’s evidence.
This is the Muslim point of view, deducible from the above verse
itself. And it bears no insult for womanhood.
The non-Muslim point of view with respect to woman’s evidence

is, however, harsh and insulting to her.
In the Judaic law, woman is completely debarred from giving

evidence. We are told in the Jewish Encyclopaedia, (V, p. 177) that:
“The witness must be a man and not woman.” Indeed, “let not the
testimony of women be admitted, on account of the levity and
boldness of their sex.” (Josephus: Antiquities of the Jews, v, 8:15).
262
The verdict of the sages of the modern age of enlightenment—of

a civilization that is referred to as “Christian”, is:
“The fact that women are difficult to deal with under cross-
examination is well-known among lawyers, and their skill in drawing
red-herrings across the path of any enquiry directed against
themselves, makes them stubborn and evasive witnesses at all times
when they have anything to conceal.” (Ludovici: Woman, p. 320).
“We are again and again forced to admit”, says Bauer, “that a
woman is not in a position to judge objectively, without being
influenced by her emotions.” (Woman and Love, I, p. 289).
In the view of Havelock Ellis: “In women deception is almost

physiological … in some countries it has led to the legal testimony of
women being placed on a lower footing than that of men.” (Man and
Woman, p. 196).
3. The Institution of Marriage:
The Qur’Énic point of view with regard to the institution of

Marriage is based on the following principles and laws:
(1) Interdependence of man and woman in ensuring fullness of

life for each other through mutual affection, mutual confidence and
mutual protection as husband and wife has been stressed by using a
metaphor of profound beauty:
Arabic text
263
VOLUME TWO
“… They are a garment unto you, and you are a garment unto
them …” (2:187).
(2) For those who can afford it, marriage is an obligation:
Arabic text
“Marry35 those among you who are single, and the pious among
your slaves, male or female: if they are in poverty, Allah will
give them means out of His grace: Allah is of ample means, and
He knows all things.” (24:32).36
(3) Marriage is a social contract:
The word nikÉÍ, used for marriage in the Holy Qur’Én, originally
means ‘aqd, according to Imam Raghib (vide MufradÉt al-Qur’Én);
and ‘aqd means contract. Thus the very word nikÉÍ implies that
marriage is a social contract, and not a sacrament, although it is a
sacred contract. Moreover, the Qur’Énic permission to terminate the
relation of marriage, if it becomes absolutely impossible for the
husband and the wife to continue that relation, proves that the Qur’Én
regards marriage as a social contract only.
(iv) Women are not to be treated as chattels:
Arabic text
“O you who believe! You are forbidden to inherit (as chattels)

the women against their will . . .” (4:19).
(v) Marriage with persons of certain categories has been

prohibited:
264
The Holy Qur’Én has prohibited marriage with all those who may
stand in the relations of consanguinity, or affinity, or fosterage, in
4:23. Abdur Rahim explains that Qur’Énic law thus: “By reason of
consanguinity a man cannot marry any female ascendant or
descendant of his or the daughter of any ascendant, how high soever,
or of any descendant, how low soever, or the daughter of his brother
or sister or the daughter of a brother’s or sister’s daughter, and so on.
On the ground of affinity he is debarred from marrying a woman who
has been the wife of any ascendant of his, and any ascendant or
descendant of the wife if marriage has been consummated, or of any
woman with whom he has had unlawful connection and any woman
who has been the wife of his son or grandson. Generally speaking,
fosterage induces the same limits of relationship prohibitive of
marriage as consanguinity.” (Muhammadan Jurisprudence, p.329).
(vi) Relations between husband and wife have been conceived as

based on mutual co-operation, love and compassion:
Arabic text
“And among His Signs is this, that He created your mates from
among yourselves, that you may dwell in tranquility with them,
and He has put love and mercy between your (hearts); verily in
that are Signs for those who reflect.” (30:21).
It means that:
a. marriage is essentially a spiritual bond of union, rather than a

mere physical relationship;
265
VOLUME TWO
b. marriage should be contracted with the firm resolve of

maintaining that relation for life;
c. monogamy should be the ideal,37 because that is the ideal

condition in which mutual co-operation, harmony and love
can be practised normally and smoothly by the common man.
(vii) Polygamy permitted with severe restrictions:
The only Qur’Énic verse which contains the permission for

polygamous marriage, says:
Arabic text
“And if you fear that you shall not be able to deal justly with
the orphans, marry of the women who seem good to you, two
and three and four; and if you fear that (in case of having more
wives than one) you shall not be able to deal justly (with them)
then (marry) only one (free woman) or (a captive) that your
right hands possess. That will be more suitable to prevent you
from doing injustice.” (4:3).
Important points, worthy of being carefully noted, are:
a. This verse does not enjoin polygamy, but only permits it.
b. Unrestricted polygamy, which had been rampant among the

pre-Qur’Énic Arabs and many other nations of the world,38 has
been restricted to the maximum of four.39
c. The permission relates to situations of emergency,40 and not to

normal conditions of life and society.
266
d. The permission is based, not on considerations of lust, nor on

any benefit accruing to the marrying male, but on the
principle of sacrifice—of providing protection and support to
orphans, while undergoing a severe tension of dealing with all
the wives.
e. The permission is conditioned by one’s ability to deal

equitably with his wives, which even at the formal level is an
extremely difficult condition to fulfill except for those who
are thoroughly disciplined, stick to spiritual and moral values
above everything else, and enter into marriage for spiritual
considerations—for the sake of obtaining Divine Pleasure.
f. Thus this verse, instead of inducing the men to practice

polygamy, recommends to them monogamy.
g. Finally, looking at the Qur’Énic permission for polygamy with

an unbiased mind, every rational person is bound to be
convinced that in situations of emergency, namely, whenever
there is a preponderance of females—as it happens after the
wars—and wherever there is the problem of the uncared for
and unsolicited widows and orphans, it becomes a moral duty
of God-fearing people to practise polygamy, whereby alone
the individuals can be saved from disaster and the community
can escape the horrors of prostitution.
The verdict of human history in this behalf, coming down to the

year 1970, is indisputable.
The Natal Mercury (Durban, Sept. 10, 1970) reports thus:—
267
VOLUME TWO
“The people of a strongly Christian town near Calabar, capital of

Nigeria’s South-Eastern State, have agreed to relax the one-man-one-
wife rule. At a mass meeting recently they decided that every man was
free to marry from two to six women at the drastically reduced price
of R 10 a wife. Bride price in the area used to be between R 100 and R
300.
“The reason for the move is that the town has been swarming
with unmarried girls and widows since the end of the Nigerian civil
war. The town’s elders believe that a general return to polygamy will
help to keep women from turning to prostitution for a living.
“The decision, almost certain to be approved by the State’s

military Government, highlights one of the serious social problems
now confronting Nigeria in the aftermath of the 30-month civil war.
“Japan and most of Europe faced similar situations after World

War II …
“West Germany, which suffered most and made the most rapid
post-war economic recovery, is still faced with the problem of surplus
women. And the same is true today of Japan and Italy.
“For Nigeria the problem will be especially difficult to solve. The

country is still underdeveloped. The surplus women are mostly
illiterate.
“The matter is further complicated by the fact that most ex-

soldiers now joining the ranks of the unemployed have no other
professional training or skills.
268
“Federal and State leaders agree that a ‘liberalization of marriage

law’ will go a long way to minimizing the problem.
“The main difficulty is the attitude of the Church, still a very

powerful influence in the three states in former Eastern Nigeria where
the problem is most acute. More than 75 per cent of the population is
Christian.
“An Ibo leader told me: ‘We would like our people to follow the
example of the Calabar people because the problem is really serious in
our area. One difficulty, of course, will be economic … But our main
difficulty may be with the Christian missions, especially the Roman
Catholic Church which still exercises a strong influence on our
people. But we hope the Church will close its eyes, so that Christians
can marry as many wives as they can afford just as the Muslims and
pagans do. I can see no other way out’.”
“There is”, wrote Dr. Mrs. Annie Besant, the renowned English
leader of the Theosophical Movement, “pretended monogamy in the
West, but there is really polygamy without responsibility; the
‘mistress’ is cast out to be the ‘woman of the street’, for the first lover
has no responsibility for her future and she is a hundred times worse
off than the sheltered wife and mother in the polygamous home. When
we see thousands of miserable women who crowd the streets of
Western towns during the night, we must surely feel that it does not lie
in the Western mouth to reproach Islam for polygamy. It is better for
woman, happier for woman, more respectable for woman, to live in
polygamy, united to one man only, with the legitimate child in her
269
VOLUME TWO
arms, and surrounded with respect, than to be seduced, cast out into
the street—perhaps with an illegitimate child outside the pale of law—
unsheltered and uncared for, to become the victim of any passerby,
night after night, rendered incapable of motherhood, despised by all.”
(Annie Beasant, The Life and Teachings of Muhammad, p. 3).
(viii) Polyandry and Neoga ruled out:
Recounting the categories of women with whom marriage is

forbidden, the Holy Qur’Én says:
Arabic text
“… and (forbidden also) are wedded women (i.e., women

having husbands)…” (4:24).
Thus the holy book repudiates polyandry (or, plurality of

husbands) and the Hindu custom of Neoga (or, loaning the wife to
another person for getting an issue), and the custom of exchanging
wives practised by certain savage tribes.41
(ix) Temporary and ‘companionate’ marriage prohibited:
Temporary conjugal relations are prompted purely by lust, and in

no case for establishing that sublime spiritual relation between man
and woman which alone can form the basis for building up the family.
Therefore, the Holy Qur’Én disallows temporary and ‘companionate’
marriages, it says:
Arabic text
270
“… Except for these (prohibited relations), all others (i.e., other

women) are lawful, provided you seek (them in marriage) with
gifts from your property (as dower-money), desiring chastity (in
permanent companionship), not lust (in any form of temporary
marriage) …”42 (4:24).
(x) Dowry enjoined out of regard for woman’s dignity43 and her
economic interest:
Arabic text
“And give the women44 (on marriage) their dower as a free

gift…” (4:4).
(B) DUTIES OF HUSBAND AND WIFE TOWARDS ONE ANOTHER
1. Duties of the Husband
Preliminary:
The Holy Qur’Én stresses the extra-ordinary importance of, and

hence the duty of extreme carefulness about, the relationship of
marriage:
Arabic text
“… and be careful of your duty to Allah, through Whom you

demand (your mutual rights), and to the wombs. Verily Allah
ever watches over you.” (4:1).
It should be noted here that in the Arabic text the word ‘womb’
has been coupled grammatically with the word ‘Allah’ in respect of
271
VOLUME TWO
the observance of carefulness in duty, thus highlighting the position of

the mother and the wife in the Qur’Énic teaching.
(a) Protecting and maintaining the wife stressed as an

unavoidable function of the husband; hence fulfillment of this
function is duty:
Arabic text
“Men are the protectors and maintainers of women, because

Allah has given the one more (strength) than the other, and
because they support them from their means …” (4:34).
(b) Treating the wife with kindness and equity enjoined:
Arabic text
“… and (O Believers!) live with them (i.e., the wives) on a

footing of kindness and equity …” (4:19).
(c) Toleration of the faults and the shortcomings45 of the wife,

enjoined:
Arabic text
“… If you take a dislike to them (i.e., the wives), it may be that

you dislike a thing, and Allah brings about through it a great
good.” (4:19).
272
(d) Spiritualization of physical relation, abstaining from

damaging wife’s dignity through unnatural offence, and
keeping the duty of parenthood in view with due regard to
wife’s health enjoined.
Arabic text
“Your wives are a tilth unto you (like the soil which accepts the
seed and brings forth the plants). So go in unto your tilth (and
not anywhere else) when and in what manner you like; but send
(good deeds) before you for your souls; and fear Allah (in
respect of your moral and spiritual obligations towards your
wife, towards yourselves and towards the offspring that you
may beget as a consequence): and know that you will (one day)
meet Him. And give (O Muhammad) glad tidings to the
Believers (i.e., those who, as believers in the Qur’Énic
Guidance, remain devoted to spiritual and moral values even in
carnal pleasures).” (2:223).
A commentator of the Holy Qur’Én comments on this verse

thus:—
“Sex is not a thing to be ashamed of, or to be treated lightly, or to

be indulged to excess. It is as solemn a fact as any in life. It is
compared to a husbandman’s tilth; it is a serious affair to him: he sows
the seed in order to reap the harvest. But he chooses his own time and
mode of cultivation. He does not sow out of season nor cultivate in a
manner which will injure or exhaust the soil. He is wise and
considerate and does not run riot. Coming from the simile to human
273
VOLUME TWO
beings, every kind of mutual consideration is required, but above all,

we must remember that even in these matters there is a spiritual
aspect. We must never forget our souls, and that we are responsible to
God.
“It was carnal-minded men who invented the doctrine of original

sin: ‘Behold’, says the Psalmist, ‘I was shapen in iniquity, and in sin
did my mother conceive me’ (Psalms, 51:5). This is entirely
repudiated by Islam, in which the office of father and mother is held in
the highest veneration. Every child of pure love is born pure. Celibacy
is not necessarily a virtue, and may be a vice.” (A. Yusuf Ali, op. cit.,
note 249).
(e) Concern for the welfare of the wife in all respects, specially
the spiritual, stressed, and hence looking after the physical,
mental, moral, spiritual and economic welfare of the wife is
duty:
The Holy Qur’Én has taught the prayer:
Arabic text
“… Our Lord! Grant to us the comfort of our eyes from our

wives and our offspring, and give us (the grace) to lead the
righteous.” (25:74).
Moreover, the Muslim husbands and fathers have been entrusted

with the following duty:
Arabic text
274
“O you who believe! protect yourselves and your wives and

children from a (spiritual) Fire …” (66:6).
While expounding the teaching contained in these verses with

respect to “duties”, in the section on “Duties to the Offspring”, we
have already seen that these verses relate to the duty of ensuring the
physical, mental, moral, spiritual and economic welfare.
There are several duties of omission which are directly and

indirectly contained in the foregoing as well as the forthcoming
discussions relating to the “Position of Woman” and the “Husband-
Wife relation.” One specific duty, which is not contained there, may,
however, be mentioned here.
Accusing the wife falsely, or without proper evidence, has been

regarded as a heinous crime; hence to abstain from it is duty:46
Arabic text
“And those who accuse clean women (of unchastity) and then
produce not four (eye-) witnesses, scourge them with eighty
stripes and accept not their testimony for ever. And these! they
are the transgressors.” (24:4).47
275
VOLUME TWO
2. DUTIES OF THE WIFE
Of Commission and Omission:
(a) Submissiveness to the husband as the head of the family—not

in servile manner but with the spirit of dignified maintenance
of harmony;
(b) guarding the conjugal rights of the husband through

abstaining from doing anything that may, in the least
measure, violate her chastity;
(c) protecting the prestige and the property of her husband:
The above three virtues form the unavoidable functions of the

righteous wife, according to the Holy Qur’Én; and hence constitute the
basic duties of the wife.
Arabic text
“… So the righteous women are obedient (to God and

submissive to their husbands), and guard in (the husband’s)
absence what Allah would have them guard (i.e., their chastity
and the prestige and property of the husband) …” (4:34).
(C) LAWS RELATING TO ABNORMAL SITUATIONS AND THE

RESPECTIVE DUTIES:
1. Efforts of the husband, in case of wife’s refractoriness and

fear of desertion, to bring her to the path of rectitude:
276
Arabic text
“… As to those (wives) on whose part you fear rebellion and

desertion admonish them (first); (in case that does not reform
their conduct) banish them to beds apart; (lastly, if they still
prove to be incorrigible, you are permitted to) beat them (with a
tooth-brush or something like it, in order to awaken in them the
sentiment of self-respect and the consciousness of the
seriousness of their guilt in itself and in respect of its
consequences for the family-life, and in a manner which causes
no injury or pain to them). Then if they obey you (by returning
to the path of rectitude), seek not a way (of harassment or ill-
treatment) against them. Verily, Allah is Most High, Great
(wherefore it does not behove you to tyrannize over your
wives).” (4:34).
This verse speaks of serious breach in loyalty to the marital bond

on the part of the wife. Now, there can be three ways: (1) to divorce
the wife off-hand; (2) to take the matter to a court of law; (3) to deal
with it at personal level. The Holy Qur’Én prefers the last, and that for
obvious reasons. The first is an extreme measure, and its
consequences may be very damaging for the wife or for the family as
a whole. The second alternative is scandalous and means ‘washing
dirty linen’ in public. It invites accusations and counter-accusations,
and it is specially damaging for the wife. It is the third alternative
only, the one prescribed by the Holy Qur’Én, which is the best in the
interest of the wife and of public morality.
277
VOLUME TWO
In connection with beating the rebellious wife, there are certain

important facts which should be borne in mind:
Firstly, to resort to it as a last remedy has been merely permitted,

and not made obligatory.
Secondly, although permitted in theory, it has been positively

discouraged in practice, as, for instance, the Holy Prophet (Peace be
on him), who alone has the original right to interpret the teachings of
the Qur’Én and whose interpretation alone can be absolutely correct,
says: “You will not find these men (who beat their wives) as the good
ones among you.”48 Again: “No one should ever beat his wife with a
whip like a slave (who was beaten with the whip by non-Muslim
masters).”49 Still again: “The best of you is he who is best to his
wife.”50
Thirdly, it has been made absolutely clear by the Holy Prophet

(Peace be on him) that the beating should be of a symbolic or nominal
type. It should be “striking without injury or pain,”51 and it should be
“with a tooth-brush or something like it.”52
Fourthly, the function of the Holy Qur’Én is to provide guidance

to human beings belonging to all stages of social evolution.
Consequently, this remedy, while it may be unthinkable in respect of
people belonging to the higher stages of social evolution, may yet
form the only proper and ‘natural’ corrective instrument in the case of
those who stand at the lower ladders of social and psychological
refinement. In fact, it has not only formed a vital part of marital life
but has been regarded as a positive contribution to marital success
278
among many a community of the world, who have believed in the

eminent philosopher Nietzsche’s verdict: “When you go to a woman
forget not your whip.” And the testimony in this behalf is irrefutable.
Krafft-Ebing says: “Among peoples of a lower class of culture

the subjection of woman is extended even to brutality. This flagrant
proof of dependence is felt by woman even with sexual pleasure and
accepted as a token of love.” (Psychopathia Sexualis, p. 211).
“Among the Slavs of the lower class the wives feel hurt if they
are not beaten by their husbands; the peasant women in some parts of
Hungary do not think they are loved by their husbands until they have
received the first box on the ear; among the Italian community a wife,
if not beaten by her husband, regards him as a fool.” (Encyclopaedia
of Religion and Ethics, VIII, p. 156).
“The Englishman’s privilege of beating his wife with a stick not

thicker than his thumb has become rather favorite.” (Ludovici:
Woman, p. 13).
According to the school of thought founded by Freud, the

scientist, the father of Psychoanalysis, and the idol of the rebels
against religion: “Helene Dentach has elaborated Freud’s assumption
and generalized it in calling masochism the elemental power in
feminine mental life. She contends that what woman ultimately wants
in intercourse is to be raped and violated, what she wants in mental
life is to be humiliated: menstruation is significant to woman because
it feeds masochistic fantasies: childbirth represents the climax of
279
VOLUME TWO
masochistic satisfaction.” (Horney: New Ways in Psychoanalysis, p.

110).
2. Procedure in case of serious disagreement and conflict

between the husband and the wife:
(1) Effort at reconciliation through arbitration by a Family Council

composed of one representative from each side,53 enjoined:
Arabic text
“And if you (O Muslims) fear a breach between them twain

(i.e., the husband and the wife), appoint two arbiters, one from
his family, and the other from hers (—the two knowing the
mentalities, the faults and the merits of both—); then if the two
(arbiters) wish for rectification (i.e., strive for reconciliation
earnestly and justly), Allah shall bring about harmony between
the twain: For Allah has full knowledge, and is acquainted with
all things.” (4:35).
(2) (a) While lending its weight to the sanctity of the marriage-
relation, the Holy Qur’Én gives due consideration to the weaknesses
and aberrations of human nature. Therefore, it allows divorce as a
necessary evil,54 when that becomes the only remedy for rectifying a
situation of irreconcilable incompatibility.
(b) In allowing the divorce, however, the Holy Qur’Én prescribes

a procedure which aims at eliminating the evils of idiosyncrasy and
availing every possible opportunity and means for reconciliation
before the final rupture,—the procedure consisting in abstention from
280
pronouncing divorce during the menstrual period, which is the period

of least mutual husband-wife attraction, and pronouncing it in three
stages at intervals of one month each, thereby preventing hasty step
and providing the parties repeated opportunity for cool deliberation.
(c) Though pronouncement of divorce has been placed in the

hands of the husband, the wife has also been given the right to sue for,
and obtain, divorce.55
(d) In case of divorce, again, the Holy Qur’Én emphasizes with

full force the safeguarding of the welfare of the wife and treatment of
the wife with generosity.
(e) The Qur’Énic teaching is also emphatic in safeguarding the

welfare of the unborn child, if that may be the case.
(f) When the marriage tie has been finally dissolved, the husband
is not permitted to take back his wife, until she has married someone
else sincerely and has thereafter become a widow or a divorcee. This
injunction is meant to check husbands from making fun of marriage,
which is a serious affair according to the Holy Qur’Én.
(g) A period of waiting, or probation, has been prescribed for the

divorced women as a healthy gap in their sexual life, and for saving
them from taking any hasty step in connection with their next
marriage (which is necessary after the emotional disturbance caused
by the shock of divorce), and for safeguarding the interests of the
unborn child, if any.
281
VOLUME TWO
(h) Cessation of relations with the wife without freeing her from
the marriage-tie has been prohibited.
The following verses of the Holy Qur’Én contain injunctions in

respect of the above:
Arabic text
“O Prophet! When you (the Muslims) do divorce women,

divorce them at their prescribed periods, and count (accurately)
their prescribed periods; and fear Allah your Lord: and turn
them not out of their houses, nor shall they (themselves) leave,
except in case they are guilty of some open lewdness; those are
the limits set by Allah: and any who transgresses the limits of
Allah, does verily wrong his (own) soul: you know not if
perchance Allah will bring about thereafter some new situation.
“Thus when they fulfill their term appointed, either take them
back on equitable terms or part with them on equitable terms;
and take for witness two persons from among you, endued with
justice, and establish the evidence (as) before Allah. Such is the
admonition given to him who believes in Allah and the Last
Day. And for those who fear Allah, He (ever) prepares a way
out.
“And He provides for him from (sources) he never could

imagine. And if anyone puts his trust in Allah, sufficient is
(Allah) for him. For Allah will surely accomplish His purpose.
Verily, for all things has Allah appointed a due proportion.
282
“Such of your women as have passed the age of monthly

courses, for them the prescribed period, if you have any doubt,
is three months, and for those who have no courses (it is the
same): For those who carry (life within their wombs), their
period is until they deliver their burdens : and for those who
fear Allah, He will make their path easy.
“That is the Command of Allah, which He has sent down to you

: and if anyone fears Allah, He will remove his ills from him
and will enlarge his reward.
“Let the women live (in ‘Iddah), in the same style as you live,
according to your means: Annoy them not, so as to restrict
them. And if they carry (life in their wombs), then spend (your
substance) on them until they deliver their burden : and if they
suckle your (offspring), give them their recompense: And take
mutual counsel together, according to what is just and
reasonable, And if you find yourselves in difficulties, let
another woman suckle (the child) on the (father’s) behalf.
“Let the man of means spend according to his means: and the
man whose resources are restricted, let him spend according to
what Allah has given him. Allah puts no burden on any person
beyond what He has given him. After a difficulty, Allah will
soon grant relief.” (65:1-7).
Arabic text
“Divorced women shall wait concerning themselves for three

monthly periods. Nor is it lawful for them to hide what Allah
283
VOLUME TWO
has created in their wombs, if they have faith in Allah and the
Last Day. And their husbands have the better right to take them
back in that period, if they wish for reconciliation. And women
shall have rights similar to the rights against them, according to
what is equitable; but men have a degree (of advantage) over
them. And Allah is Exalted, Wise.
“A divorce is only permissible twice: After that, the parties

should either hold together on equitable terms, or separate with
kindness. It is not lawful for you (men) to take back any of your
gifts (from your wives), except when both parties fear that they
would be unable to keep the limits ordained by Allah. If you
(judges) do indeed fear that they would be unable to keep the
limits ordained by Allah, there is no blame on either of them if
she gives something for her freedom. These are the limits
ordained by Allah; so do not transgress them. If any do
transgress the limits ordained by Allah, such persons wrong
(themselves as well as others).
“So if a husband divorces his wife (irrevocably), he cannot,

after that, re-marry her until after she has married another
husband and he has divorced her. In that case there is no blame
on either of them if they re-unite, provided they feel that they
can keep the limits ordained by Allah. Such are the limits
ordained by Allah, which He makes plain to those who
understand.
284
“When you divorce women, and they fulfill their term, either
take them back on equitable terms or set them free with
kindness; but do not take them back to injure them, or to take
undue advantage; if anyone does that, he wrongs his own soul.
Do not treat Allah’s Signs as a jest, but solemnly rehearse
Allah’s favors on you, and the fact that He sent down to you the
Book and the Wisdom for your instruction. And fear Allah, and
know that Allah is well-acquainted with all things.
“When you divorce women, and they fulfill their term, do not
prevent them from marrying their (former) husbands, if they
mutually agree on equitable terms. This instruction is for all
amongst you, who believe in Allah and the Last Day. That is
(the course making for) most virtue and purity amongst you.
And Allah knows, and you know not.” (2:228-232).
Arabic text
“For divorced women maintenance (should be provided) on a

reasonable (scale). This is a duty on the righteous.” (2:241).
Arabic text
“There is no blame on you if you divorce women before

consummation or the fixation of their dower; but bestow on
them (a suitable gift), the wealthy according to his means, and
the poor according to his means;—a gift of a reasonable amount
is due from those who wish to do the right thing.
285
VOLUME TWO
“And if you divorce them before consummation, but after the

fixation of a dower for them, then the half of the dower (is due
to them), unless they remit it or the man’s half is remitted by
him in whose hands is the marriage tie; and the remission (of
the man’s half) is nearest to righteousness. And do not forget
liberality between yourselves. For Allah sees well all that you
do.” (2:236-237).
Arabic text
“But if you decide to take one wife in place of another, even if

you had given the latter a whole treasure for dower, take not the
least bit back: would you take it by slander and a manifest
wrong?
“And how could you take it when you have gone in unto each
other, and they have taken (from you) a solemn covenant?”
(4:20-21).
Arabic text
“If a wife fears cruelty or desertion on her husband’s part, there

is no blame on them if they arrange an amicable settlement
between themselves; and such settlement is best; even though
men’s souls are swayed by greed. And if you do good and
practise self-restraint, Allah is well-acquainted with all that you
do.
“Ye are never able to be fair and just as between women even if
it is your ardent desire: But turn not away (from a woman)
286
altogether, so as to leave her (as it were) hanging (in the air).56

If you come to a friendly understanding and practise self-
restraint, Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.
“If they disagree (and must part), Allah will provide abundance
for all from His all-reaching bounty: For Allah cares for all and
is Wise.” (4:128-130).

(4) DUTIES TOWARDS RELATIVES IN GENERAL
(1) Duties of Commission
The Holy Qur’Én has enjoined looking after the well-being of

one’s relatives—sisters, brothers, aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces,
nephews, grandparents, grandsons, granddaughters, etc.—and
rendering to them all possible assistance with the purest of motives. In
that connection:
(a) It emphasizes thorough conscientiousness in respect of the

ties of kinship:
Arabic text
“… and reverence Allah in Whom you claim (your rights) and

(reverence) the wombs (i.e., the ties of kinship) …” (4:1).
(b) It places the duty of doing good to one’s kith and kin
immediately next to the duty of doing good to parents—which stands
287
VOLUME TWO
at the highest in the category of social duties,—thus highlighting the

great importance of the duty to kith and kin :
Arabic text
“… and do good to parents and to the kinsfolk …” (4:36).
(c) It makes economic assistance to the kinsfolk, with the noblest

motive, one of the basic ingredients of practical piety:
Arabic text
“… (it is true righteousness) to spend of your substance, out of

love for Him (i.e., God), for your kith and kin …” (2:177).
(d) And not only that. Doing good to one’s relatives and assisting
them in their needs, is not just an optional act of goodness but an
unavoidable duty; because the relatives have a definite right whose
fulfillment a Muslim owes to them:
Arabic text
“So give what is due to kindred57…” (30:38).
Again:
Arabic text
“Verily Allah enjoins justice, the doing of good (to others in

general), and giving to kinsfolk (their due) …” (16:90).
Thus: Duties of Commission towards the kinsfolk may be broadly

classified into:
288
a. Maintaining cordial relations with them, and cultivating love

for them;
b. Rendering economic assistance to them, whenever necessary;
c. Doing good to them in every other way.
The Holy Qur’Én condemns in strong terms the damaging of the

ties of relationship with one’s kith and kin; hence to abstain from it is
duty:
Arabic text
“… The transgressors, who break the Covenant of Allah after

ratifying it, and sever that which Allah ordered to be joined
(i.e., damage the relationship with, and violate the duties they
owe to, among others, the kinsfolk), and act corruptly on the
earth, these are they who are the losers.”58 (2:26-27).

(5) DUTIES TOWARDS DOMESTIC SERVANTS
The Qur’Énic doctrine of love for God and man is so thorough

and comprehensive in its scope that it transforms the formal, and often
temporary, relationship of “give and take” between the employer and
the servant into a relationship of liberality and love, giving to the
domestic servant virtually the role of a part and parcel of the family.59
289
VOLUME TWO
In any case, the Holy Qur’Én has made it a duty for every Muslim to
do good to all those who are under his control and in subjection to
him, including the domestic servants,—and to treat it as one of his
basic duties:
Arabic text
“… and do good to parents … and to those whom your right

hands possess (i.e., those who are subject to your authority) …”
(4:36).

290
Chapter 2.
Duties in respect of age and rank
The Holy Qur’Én says
Arabic text
“He it is Who has placed you as vicegerents on the earth and

has raised some of you above others in degrees that He may try
you by (the test of) that (position and rank) which He has given
you. Lo! your Lord is swift in prosecution: yet He is Oft-
Forgiving, Most Merciful.” (6:165).
This verse refers to the fact that there have always existed and
will always exist gradations in human society in respect of seniority
and superiority, giving rise to:
1. Seniors in age, on the one hand, and juniors in age, on the

other;
2. Superiors in talents and accomplishments (with respect to

piety, knowledge, etc.,), on the one hand, and those inferior to
them, on the other;
3. Employers and officers, on the one hand, and the employees

and the subordinates, on the other.
This social phenomenon has, however, a moral implication

according to this verse, as is clearly affirmed by the words: “that He
may try you by (the test of) that (position and rank) which He has
291
VOLUME TWO
given you.” This trial consists in the proper and improper moral
behavior in the situations contained in this phenomenon.
There are two attitudes which seem to be ingrained in every

healthy and balanced human personality—as is evident from a study
of classical morally-elevated human personalities in history, to whom
the Holy Qur’Én refers—the attitudes, namely, of:
1. Respect for everyone who excels in anything of life as

compared to one’s self; and
2. compassionate kindness towards everyone who is deficient in

anything of life.
In this respect, the Holy Qur’Én has commanded its followers to

behave in requisite goodness and beauty towards fellow-beings
(16:90). Moreover, it has enjoined respect for one’s parents (17:23),
on the one hand, and compassionate kindness as a general rule of life,
on the other (90:17).
Thus, the duty towards those who are one’s senior in age, or
superior in talents or accomplishments, or one’s employers or officers,
would be that of showing respect to them; while the duty to those who
are one’s juniors in age, or inferior to him in talents or
accomplishments, or they are one’s employees or subordinates, would
be that of compassionate kindness.
We find these duties specified in the following words in the Holy

Prophet’s exposition of the Qur’Énic Teaching:
Arabic text
292
“Whoever does not show compassionate kindness to him who is

small (as compared to him in age or rank), or does not observe
respect towards him who is big (as compared to him in age or
rank), is not one of us (i.e., is not a Muslim)” (TirmizÊ: Jéme‘,
vol. 2., p. 14).

293
Chapter 3.
Duties to particular categories
of non-relatives
1. Duty towards Neighbors.
2. Duty towards Friends and Associates.
3. Duties towards Orphans.
4. Duties towards Widows.
5. Duties towards the Needy and the Destitute.
6. Duties towards Guests and Wayfarers.
7. Duties towards Slaves.
(1) DUTY TOWARDS NEIGHBORS
Concerning one’s neighbors, the Holy Qur’Én has classified them

into two categories, namely:
(a) Neighbors who are near. Nearness includes here nearness in

residence as well as nearness in relationship,—the relationship may be
of any sort: family ties, religion, etc. Those who enjoy nearness in
both ways have a double right on a Muslim.
(b) Neighbors who are strangers, i.e., those with whom we have
no relationship, and those who reside at some distance from us, and
those who belong to a different religion. Their rights would be

naturally less than the rights of category (a).
For all of them, the comprehensive duty of doing good has been
enjoined, as the following verse says:
Arabic text
“Serve Allah, and join not equals with Him and do good—to
parents, kinsfolk, orphans, those in need, neighbors who are
near, neighbors who are strangers, the companion by your side,
the wayfarer (you meet), and what your right hands possess: for
Allah loves not the arrogant, the vainglorious; …” (4:36).60

(2) DUTY TOWARDS FRIENDS AND ASSOCIATES
Doing good to friends and associates enjoined:
The verse quoted in connection with ‘duty to neighbors’ (4:36)

speaks of the ‘companion by your side’ and enjoins the duty of doing
good to him.
The words ‘companion by your side’ mean;
a. a close friend, and
b. he with whom one may be associated in any sphere of

activity, e.g., a fellow-worker.

295
VOLUME TWO
(3) DUTIES TOWARDS ORPHANS
The Holy Qur’Én assigns an important place in its system of

duties to the doing of good to orphans, so much so that caring for the
orphans has assumed the form of a sacred institution in Islam—and
that for the first time in the known history of mankind.
The holy book divides the orphans into two categories, namely,
(1) those who are destitute; and (2) those who inherit means of
subsistence and are under one’s care; and it condemns the
malpractices of the people in respect of both, and lays down duties of
omission and commission with regard to both.
1. DUTIES RELATING TO THOSE ORPHANS WHO ARE

DE5TITUTE AND TO ORPHANS IN GENERAL:
(a) Duty of Omission
Treating the orphan with harshness prohibited:
Arabic text
“Therefore, treat not the orphan with harshness.” (93:9).
Because, treating the orphans with harshness should be possible

only for him who belies religion and not for a believer in Divine
Guidance:
Arabic text
296
“Have you observed him who belies religion? That is he who

repells the orphan (with harshness).” (107:1-2).
(b) Duties of Commission
(1) Doing good to the orphan in every way, enjoined:
Arabic text
“Serve Allah, and join not equals with Him; and do good—to
parents, kinsfolk, orphans …” (4:36).61
(2) Spending one’s wealth with the highest motive for the welfare
of the orphans emphasized as an act of true righteousness and as one
of the acid tests of one’s Faith hence its observance is duty:
Arabic text
“It is not righteousness that you turn your faces towards East or
West ; But it is righteousness—to believe in Allah and the Last
Day, and the Angels, and the Book, and the Messengers; to
spend of your substance, out of love for Him, for your kin, for
orphans …” (2:177).
(3) The difficult path of duty which brings the highest rewards
from God emphasized, among other things, in terms of feeding the
orphans in times of distress:
Arabic text
297
VOLUME TWO
“Ah, what will convey unto you what the Ascent is:—(it is) to
free a slave, and to feed in a day of privation an orphan near of
kin, or some poor wretch in misery.” (90:12-16).62
It may be noted here that, besides the ‘orphan near of kin’ who
has naturally a special claim, orphans in general are included in the
category of ‘some poor wretch in misery’.
(4) To set aside a portion of one’s wealth for the benefit of

orphans when inheritance is divided, enjoined:
Arabic text
“But if, at the time of division, other relatives, or orphans, or

the poor are present, give them something also, and speak to
them words of kindness and justice.” (4:8).
(5) Besides voluntary help from the Muslims, making the orphans
beneficiaries in the spoils of war and in enemy property acquired
otherwise by the Islamic State, enjoined:
Arabic text
“And know that of all the booty that you may acquire (in war),
a fifth share is assigned to Allah,—and to the Messenger, and to
near relatives, (and to) the orphans, the needy, and the
wayfarer,—if you do believe in Allah and in the revelation We
sent down to Our Servant on the Day of Testing,—the Day of
the meeting of the two forces; for Allah has power over all
things.” (8:41).
Arabic text
298
“What Allah has bestowed on His Messenger (and taken away)

from the people of the townships,—belongs to Allah,—to His
Messenger and to kindred and orphans, the needy and the
wayfarer; in order that it may not (merely) make a circuit
between the wealthy among you. So take what the Messenger
assigns to you, and deny yourselves that which he withholds
from you. And fear Allah; for Allah is strict in Punishment.”
(59:7).
2. DUTIES RELATING TO THOSE ORPHANS WHO INHERIT

MEANS OF SUBSISTENCE AND ARE UNDER ONE’S CARE:
(a) Duties of Omission
To start with: the Holy Qur’Én condemns very strongly the

practice of the pagan Arabs who used to misappropriate the helpless
orphan’s inheritance.
Taking up the problem of the orphans who may come under a

Muslim’s care, and for whose property he may be the custodian, the
holy book prohibits all such acts whereby even the slightest injustice
may accrue to an orphan—and that in the following terms:
(1) It enjoins abstinence from interfering with—nay, even coming

near—the orphan’s property except when it becomes necessary in the
interest of the latter’s welfare:
Arabic text
299
VOLUME TWO
“Come not nigh to the orphan’s property except to improve it,

until he attains the age of full strength; and fulfill (every)
engagement, for (every) engagement will be enquired into (on
the Day of Reckoning).” (17:34).
Arabic text
“Those who unjustly eat up the property of orphans, eat up a

Fire into their own bellies: they will soon be enduring a blazing
Fire!” (4:10).
(2) It enjoins abstinence from employing deceptive measures for

misappropriating the orphan’s property:
Arabic text
“To orphans restore their property (when they reach their age),
and do not substitute (your) worthless things for (their) good
ones; and devour not their substance (by mixing it up) with
your own. For this is indeed a great sin.” (4:2).
(3) It enjoins abstinence from marrying the orphan girls with the
motive of exploiting their wealth thereby:
Arabic text
“And if you apprehend that you may not deal justly with the
orphan-girls, then marry such as please you, of other women,
by twos and threes or fours; but if you apprehend that you shall
not act justly, then marry one only, or that which your right
hands own, that will be more suitable that you may swerve
not.” (4:3).63
300
(4) It enjoins abstinence from wasteful spending of the orphan’s

property out of dishonest selfish consideration:
Arabic text
“… And consume it not wastefully, nor in haste against their

growing up …” (4:6).
(5) It enjoins abstinence from carelessness in safeguarding the

interests of the orphans in respect of restoration of the orphan’s
property to them:
Arabic text
“And give not unto the weak of understanding (what is in) your
(keeping of their) wealth, which Allah has given you to
maintain, but feed and clothe them out of it, and speak to them
words of kindness and justice.” (4:5).
(6) Finally, it makes a touching appeal and registers a stern

warning in these words:
Arabic text
“Let those (disposing of an estate) have the same fear in their

minds as they would have for their own if they had left a
helpless family behind: Let them fear Allah, and speak words of
appropriate (comfort). Those who unjustly eat up the property
of orphans, eat up a Fire into their bellies; they will soon be
enduring a blazing Fire!” (4:9-10).
301
VOLUME TWO
(b) Duties of Commission
(1) Loving care for, and conscientious service to, the orphans
living under one’s guardianship, and honest protection of their
property, with permission for reasonable remuneration to the
manager of orphan’s property, in case of his poverty, enjoined:
Arabic text
“And test the orphans (in respect of their capacity to handle

their affairs independently) until they reach the marriageable
age (i.e., age of majority);64 then if you find them of sound
judgment, hand over unto them their property; and consume it
not wastefully, nor in haste against their growing up. If the
guardian is well-off, let him claim no remuneration (for service
to an orphan). But if he is poor, let him have for himself (as
remuneration) what is just and equitable. When you release
their property to them, take witness in their presence. But all-
sufficient is Allah in taking account.” (4:6).
(2) Co-partnership with the orphans, for better management of

their property and their affairs, permitted:
Arabic text
“They ask you concerning the orphans, Say: The best thing to
do is what is for their good: if you mix their (financial) affairs
with yours (as co-partners), they are your brethren (and as such
entitled to all generosity and love). But Allah knows the man
who means mischief from the man who means good. And if
302
Allah had wished, He could have put you into difficulties: He is

indeed Exalted, Wise.” (2:220).
(3) The principle of the Court of Wards for protecting people of

“weak understanding”, including minor orphans, through the
institution of guardianship, laid down. Also, permission given to invest
the capital of the orphans in trade with a view to benefit them:
Arabic text
“Give not unto the weak of understanding (what is in) your

(keeping of their) wealth,65 which Allah has given you to
maintain; but feed and clothe them out of (the profits of) it,66
and speak to them words of kindness and justice.” (4:5).
(4) Finally, the Holy Qur’Én enjoins absolute justice in all

respects towards the orphans:
Arabic text
“They ask you concerning the Women. Say: Allah does instruct
you about them: and (remember) what has been rehearsed unto
you in the Book, concerning (justice to) the orphans of women
to whom you give not the portions prescribed, and yet whom
you desire to marry, as also concerning the children who are
weak and oppressed: that you shall stand firm for justice to
orphans. There is not a good deed which you do, but Allah is
well-acquainted therewith.” (4:127).

303
VOLUME TWO
(4) DUTIES TOWARDS WIDOWS
Basic Observations:
The position of the widows had been miserable even in certain

advanced and civilized communities of the world before the advent of
the Holy Qur’Én. Among the Jews and the Christians, they enjoyed no
prerogatives, because of the Biblical dogma which affirms woman’s
responsibility for the Original Sin,67 so much so that she could not
even benefit from her husband’s wealth as an inheritor.68 Among the
Hindus, it was not considered appropriate for her even to remain
alive,—it being a virtue for the widow to burn herself alive in the
funeral pyre of the husband; and, even when she chose to abstain from
suicide, it was her most sacred duty to regard all her remaining life as
a period of mourning and to pass it, therefore, in wretchedness and
misery—as a mark of devotion to her deceased husband: remarriage
being considered a heinous crime. This was so, because “widowhood,
according to Hindu doctrine, is the penalty incurred for the sins
committed in a previous incarnation, entailing hopeless drudgery for
the rest of life.”69 In the Greco-Roman culture, “the dying husband
could leave her by will to a friend, with his goods and by the same
title.”70
As regards the pagan Arabs themselves, who were the first

addressees of the Holy Qur’Én: “The widows … were regarded as part
of the estate, and as such passed ordinarily into the hands of their
husband’s heirs.”71
304
Of course, the widow’s right to property was unthinkable in any

community of the world, because “women appear to have been
universally and in every respect regarded as minors so far as rights of
property went … Only sons, not daughters, still less wives, can
inherit.”72
It was in this background that the Holy Qur’Én introduced the

following thorough-going reforms in respect of the widows, and made
it an obligation on the Muslims to practise them:
1. The period of mourning has been restricted to four months

and ten days. It has been actually called ‘period of waiting’,
and, as such, it is not a period for imposing wretchedness and
misery on the widow but a period prescribed in the interest of
her biological preparation for re-marriage and in the interest
of finding out if she is with an unborn child by her deceased
husband,—all this being for the promotion of human welfare.
Arabic text
“If any of you die and leave widows behind, they (the widows)
shall, wait, keeping themselves apart (i.e., in restricted social
intercourse), four months and ten days. Then when they have
fulfilled their (prescribed) terms, there is no blame on you if
they (as independent dispensers of their future) dispose of
themselves in a just and reasonable manner (in the enjoyment of
social life and in connection with their re-marriage).73 And
Allah is well-acquainted with what you do.” (2:234).
305
VOLUME TWO
(2) In case the dower-money has not been already paid by the
husband, or has not been written off by the wife, it shall be
treated as debt and shall be paid to the wife after the death of
her husband before any share is delivered to any inheritor,—
this, according to the Qur’Énic law:
Arabic text
“… (The distribution of inheritance in all cases is) after the

payment of legacies and debts …” (4:11).
(3) The widow shall receive her fixed share in inheritance from
her husband’s estate, according to circumstances:
Arabic text
“… In what you leave, their (i.e., the wives’) share is a fourth, if

you leave no child; but if you leave a child, they get an eighth;
after payment of legacies and debts …” (4:12).
(4) Re-marriage of widows has been strongly advocated for

providing them enjoyment of fullness of life:
Arabic text
“(O Muslims!) Wed those among you who are single (i.e., those
who are not already in the bond of wedlock, whether they are
unmarried, or lawfully divorced, or widowed).74 (24:32).
(5) Abstinence from treating the widow as a chattel, enjoined:
306
Arabic text
“O you who believe! It is not lawful for you forcibly to inherit

the women (of your deceased kinsmen) …” (4:19).
Among the above injunctions, numbers 1 to 4 relate serially to

the following three duties of commission:
1. Duty of permitting a period of consolation and readjustment

to the widow:
2. Duty of strengthening the widow financially;
3. Duty of encouraging the widow to re-enjoy fullness of life

through suitable remarriage, in case she desires it and
considers it conducive to her overall welfare.
Injunction 5, on the other hand, relates to the duty of omission—

the duty, namely, of abstaining from damaging her personality and
her human dignity.
Indeed, according to the Qur’Énic teaching, a widow possesses a

free and independent personality, and anyone who subjects her to
humiliation or loss is a sinner.

307
VOLUME TWO
(5) DUTIES TOWARDS THE DESTITUTE AND THE NEEDY
As we have already noticed in the sections on “duties to self” and

“duties to others—I (general)”, the Holy Qur’Én lays great emphasis
on the cultivation of fellow feeling and maximum assistance to fellow-
beings for ensuring their welfare and happiness in all respects, and it
regards the economic welfare of the people as a thing of vital import.
Here we may take note of such Qur’Énic statements and injunctions as
deal with the service of fellow-beings with specific reference to the
destitute and the needy,—statements and injunctions which relate not
only to economic assistance but to help in all possible respects.
(1) Food being the most primary and most basic physical need of
a human being, feeding the indigent has been classed as one of the
outstanding virtues; hence it is duty:
Arabic text
“(As to the righteous) they feed, for the love of Allah, the
indigent, the orphan, and the captive, — (saying), ‘We feed you
for the sake of Allah alone: no reward do we desire from you,
nor thanks’.” (76:5-9).
Arabic text
“And what will explain to you the path that is steep?—(It is)
freeing the bondman; or the giving of food in a day of privation
308
to the orphan with claims of relationship, or to the indigent

(down) in the dust.” (90:11-16).
(2) a. Again, not only feeding those who need it, but all economic
assistance to the economically-distressed people has been enjoined as
the duty of a Muslim, emphasizing that it is the fulfillment of a right:
Arabic text
“So give what is due to kindred, the needy, and the wayfarer.
That is best for those who seek the Countenance of Allah, and it
is they who will prosper.” (30:38).
Arabic text
“And in their wealth and possessions (was remembered) the

right of the (needy), him who asked, and him who (for some
reason) was prevented (from asking).” (51:19).75
b. Continuing economic assistance to a needy person, even

though he gives cause for personal anger through some misbehaviour,
enjoined:
Arabic text
“Let not those among you who are endued with grace and
amplitude of means resolve by oath against helping their
kinsmen, those in want, and those who have left their homes in
Allah’s cause: let them forgive and overlook; do you not wish
that Allah should forgive you? For Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most
309
VOLUME TWO
c. Kind treatment of the needy person, in case of one’s inability

in rendering economic assistance, enjoined:
Arabic text
“And even if you have to turn away from them in pursuit of the
Mercy of your Lord which you do expect, yet speak to them a
word of easy kindness.” (17:28).
(3) The above refers to economic assistance by individuals. The

Holy Qur’Én takes care, however, to make it also a collective
obligation of the Muslims to provide for the economic needs of the
economically-distressed people out of compulsory charitable taxes:
Arabic text
“… and those in whose wealth is a recognized right for the

(needy) who asks and him who is prevented (for some reason
from asking); …” (70:24-25).
Arabic text
“Alms are for the poor and the needy …” (9:60).76
(4) The Holy Qur’Én then goes beyond mere economic assistance
and enjoins the comprehensive duty of doing good to the needy in all
respects:
Arabic text
“… and do good to the parents … and to those in need …”

(4:36).
310
(5) In case a Muslim is not in a position to help someone in need,

the Holy Qur’Én has advocated indirect assistance through
recommending and pleading the needy person’s case with those who
may be capable of solving his difficulty. Such indirect assistance also
is meritorious in the sight of God and to render it, therefore, is duty.77
Arabic text
“Whoever recommends and helps a good cause becomes a

partner therein: and whoever recommends and helps an evil
cause, shares in its burden: and Allah has power over all
things.” (4:85).
(b) Duties of Omission:
(1) Not feeding the poverty-stricken people, if one possesses the

means to do so, is a grave sin according to the Holy Qur’Én, to avoid
which is a duty for all those who wish to escape the terrible
punishment mentioned therein:
Condemning the evils of the pagan Arabs, the holy book says:
Arabic text
“Nay, nay! But you honour not the orphans! Nor do you urge
upon one another to feed the poor!” (89:17-18).
Arabic text
311
VOLUME TWO
“Have you observed him who belies religion (or, Requital)?

That is he who repells the orphan, and urges not the feeding of
the needy.” (107:1-3).
Arabic text
“Lo! he (i.e., the one condemned to Hell) used not to believe in

Allah the Mighty, and urged not on the feeding of the indigent;
wherefore has he no friend here this day …” (69:33-35).
Arabic text
“… They (i.e., those condemned to Hell) will say, ‘We were not
of those who prayed, nor were we of those who fed the
indigent’.” (74:43-45).
(2) Abstinence from ill-treating anyone who asks for help,

enjoined:
Arabic text
“And as to him who solicits help (of any type), scold him not.”
(93:10).

(6) DUTIES OF HOSPITALITY
1. Duties relating to:
a. the Guest; and
b. the Host.
312
2. Duties relating to the Stranded Stranger (Wayfarer).
(1) DUTIES RELATING TO THE GUEST AND THE HOST:
The basic duties towards others which the Holy Qur’Én has
taught and which we have expounded in the foregoing are fully
exhaustive for guidance in respect of the highest principles concerning
the duties of the guest and the host. These duties have, however, been
mentioned explicitly and specifically by the Holy Prophet (Peace be
on him) in his Sayings; and because those Sayings form an exposition
and explanation of the Qur’Énic code of life itself, it is necessary to
trace them in the Holy Qur’Én. In doing so we find the subject of
guest-host duties contained in the stories of two Prophets, Abraham
and LËt (Peace be on them), whose conduct is the standard for a
Muslim, and to follow whom is a duty.
Speaking of the guests of Prophet Abraham (Peace be on him),

the Holy Qur’Én says:
Arabic text
“Has the story reached you, of the honored guests of Abraham

(who were angels). Behold, they entered his presence, and said:
‘Peace!’ He said: ‘Peace!’ (and thought, ‘These seem) unusual
people’. Then he (remarked nothing at their being unusual
strangers and) turned quickly to his household (to arrange for
hospitality), and brought out a calf fatted (and roasted) (to
honour them with the best food). And he set it before them, and
313
VOLUME TWO
(seeing that they touched it not) said: ‘Will you not eat? (When
they did not eat and thus appeared to refuse his hospitality,) he
conceived a fear of them. They said: ‘Fear not’ and they gave
him glad tidings of a son endowed with knowledge.” (51:24-
28).
Again, the holy book says in respect of the guests of Prophet LËt
(Peace be on him):
Arabic text
“The inhabitants of the City (who were addicted to unnatural

crime) came in (mad) joy (at the news of the arrival of
handsome young guests, who were actually angels). LËt said (to
them): ‘These are my guests: disgrace me not: fear Allah, and
shame me not’.” (15:67-69).
(a) Duties of the host deducible from the above are:
1. He should wish Peace to his guests, even though they are

strangers.
2. He should make haste with a generous and loving heart to

provide comfort for them.
3. He should defend and protect them against all wrongs.
(b) Duties of the guest deducible from the above are:
1. He should wish Peace to the host.
2. He should demonstrate his goodwill towards the host.
3. He should behave considerately towards the host.
314
(2) DUTIES TOWARDS THE STRANDED STRANGER

(WAYFARER).
The stranded strangers constitute actually a category of guests,—

of course, guests of the community or the country as a whole.
The general attitude of the human beings is that they regard their
relatives and friends only as deserving their altruistic courtesy and
hospitality. For, it is innate in man to bestow courtesy without effort
on those for whom he cultivates love. But very few are those who may
have the same feelings and attitude towards strangers that may be in
need of their help and hospitality, although moral goodness manifests
itself more positively and more strongly in their case.
The Holy Qur’Én has taken up their cause, affirming service to

them as their right, and has prescribed duties whereby their welfare
and comfort has been genuinely and comprehensively ensured.
(1) Concerning economic assistance to them, it has prescribed

duties on the individual as well as on the collective level:
(a) Individual level:
Arabic text
“…So give what is due to kindred, the needy, and the wayfarer.
That is best for those who seek the Countenance of Allah, and it
is they who will prosper.” (30:38).
Arabic text
315
VOLUME TWO
“They ask you what they should spend (in charity). Say:
‘Whatever you spend that is good, is for parents and kindred
and orphans and those in want and for wayfarers. And whatever
you do that is good,—Allah knows it well.’” (2:215).78
(b) Collective level, namely, on the basis of charitable taxes:
One of the fixed items on which the Compulsory Welfare Tax

(ZakÉt) is to be spent is the welfare of the stranded stranger:
Arabic text
“Alms are only for the poor and the needy … and (for) the
wayfarers …” (9:60).
Also, one of the items on which a fixed portion of war booty and
of enemy property acquired otherwise by the Islamic state, is the
welfare of the stranded stranger. (Ref: 8:41 and 59:7).
In this connection, the Muslim jurists have made it clear that

besides personal help to the stranded stranger, or the wayfarer, in
respect of his needs, the Islamic state may also, if need arises, spend a
part of the amount meant for the welfare of the wayfarers on the
construction and repairs of roads and highways, bridges and rest-
houses.79
(2) Then, going beyond economic assistance and physical

comfort, the Holy Qur’Én has enjoined doing of good to the stranded
strangers in all respects. It says:
Arabic text
316
“…and do good—to parents, the kinsfolk … and (to) the

wayfarer …” (4:36).

(7) DUTIES TOWARDS SLAVES
(A) THE QUR’ÓNIC STAND CONCERNING SLAVERY AND

PRISONERSHIP OF WAR:
We have seen in the section on basic duties towards others that

the Holy Qur’Én promulgates and upholds most ardently and without
reserve the ideals of human equality, liberty and fraternity, and
bestows a most comprehensive system of rights and duties based not
only on absolute justice but, beyond that, on liberality, graciousness
and compassion.
All rights are, however, always subject to curtailment if the

interests of human society or even of the individual so demand,
because of the unhealthy and injurious attitude or action on the part of
anyone. This is a principle which has been universally accepted by
mankind, and its validity is ingrained in the very concept of social
justice. As such, it has received sanction in the Qur’Énic moral code
also.
Viewing this principle in the perspective of human freedom, we

find that the mission of the Holy Qur’Én is to establish and promote
conditions in which the ideal of human freedom thrives and prospers
and all forms of cruel subjection and exploitation of man by man and
317
VOLUME TWO
all types of misery which a human being may be capable of bringing

about for any of his fellow-beings, are eliminated.
Thus the Holy Qur’Én refuses to endorse the different forms of

genuine slavery and serfdom practised unblushingly by the ancient
primitive communities as well as by such civilized communities as the
Greeks, the Romans, the Christians and the Hindus,80 recognizing only
prisonership of war, and that too under unavoidable circumstances.
It is essential for every student of the Qur’Énic teaching to

remember that the Holy Qur’Én came into a world wherein slavery
had been practised as a normal pursuit of the powerful since times
immemorial; and consequently it had taken deep roots in the socio-
economic life of numerous human communities spread all over the
world, including the Arabs.
The Holy Qur’Én had, therefore, to tackle not only a time-

honored evil custom but also a deep-rooted economic institution. As
such, it adopted a gradual program for its total abolition, in the
meantime laying down moral principles and statutory laws whereby
the evils connected with slavery were totally eliminated from the
Muslim society during the period of its revelation itself.
We may now examine the Qur’Énic teachings concerning male

and female slaves and the problem of prisonership of war and evaluate
them:—
1. The first great truth that reveals itself to a student of the Holy
Qur’Én is that making slaves of human beings has not been
318
enjoined anywhere even indirectly. And not only is there no

command, even an indirect recommendation does not exist.
2. Taking prisoners of war as a war-strategy has been, of course,

permitted in conformity with the practice of all the nations of
the world. The Holy Qur’Én says:
Arabic text
“Therefore, when you meet in battle the Unbelievers (i.e., non-

Muslim enemies), then it is smiting of the necks; at length when
you have thoroughly routed them, bind a bond firmly (ie., make
them prisoners of war): . . .” (47:4).
Again:
Arabic text
“It is not for a Prophet (and similarly for any of his followers)
to have captives unless he has fought and triumphed in the
land.” (8:67).
This verse goes on further, however, to condemn worldly motives

in respect of prisoners of war—the motive of benefiting from their
services, or the motive of acquiring money in case they are ransomed,
—a Muslim’s motive for fighting in a war being only the triumph of
the Divine Order of Truth and Justice: thus discouraging even
retaining prisoners of war:
Arabic text
319
VOLUME TWO
“(O Muslims) You desire the temporal goods of this world,81

while Allah desires (for you) the (blessings of the) Hereafter
(which are attainable only through rising above worldly
passions): and Allah is Mighty, Wise.” (8:67).
3. As to slavery proper, namely, acquiring men and women in

bondage without a just war, there is not even a permission.
Rather, the above quoted verse (8:67) makes it positively
illegal.
4. As we have already noted, the institution of slavery formed a

vital part of Arab life, with all its economic implications, at the
time of the advent of the Holy Qur’Én. The Qur’Énic method of
reform in respect of such complicated evil institutions being
their gradual elimination,82 the Holy Qur’Én began with
emphasizing the evil nature of that institution through
exhortations to Muslims to emancipate the slaves, placing that
act in the list of the highest virtues and announcing for it the
highest reward to which a Muslim can and should aspire,
namely, earning the Divine Pleasure. In the very earliest
revelations belonging to the first year of the Call, we find the
following historic declaration:—
Arabic text
“Ah, what will convey to you what the Ascent (i.e., the high
and difficult path of Duty) is! (It is) to free a slave.” (90:12-13).
The exhortation was repeated at Medina in the following words:
320
Arabic text
“… but righteous is he who … gives his wealth for love of Him

(i.e., God) … to set free slaves …” (2:77).83
5. When the Holy Prophet (Peace be on him) had established the

Islamic state at Medina, the problem of the prisoners of war
arose in consequence of the battles waged by the enemies of
Islam, giving birth to another category of bondmen and
bondwomen,—the only category permitted by the Holy
Qur’Én, as we have seen above.
Prisonership of war is, like war, a necessary evil, and humanity

has never been and can never be immune from it. The Holy Qur’Én
has, however, tried to mitigate this evil to the utmost rational limit.
We have seen above that it has condemned coveting prisoners of

war. It being, however, unavoidable to have prisoners of war, the holy
book has laid down most humane laws in that respect, giving due
weight at the same time to avoidance of positive harm to the Muslims
through any politically—unrealistic approach—specially in the case
when the enemy has also acquired Muslim prisoners of war, takes up
an unjust stand concerning them and closes doors on the Islamic state
in respect of awarding freedom to the prisoners of war in its hands.
For, the Holy Qur’Én, while preaching forgiveness and compassion,
has also permitted the Muslims to retaliate if the enemy continues to
stick to mischief and injustice:
Arabic text
321
VOLUME TWO
“If you punish, then punish with the like of that wherefore you
were afflicted (by the enemies of Islam). But if you endure
patiently, verily it is better for the patient.” (16:126).
Thus, the Qur’Énic teaching is fundamentally aimed at the

elimination of this form of bondage also, and the Islamic state has
been exhorted by the Holy Qur’Én to adopt, according to the
exigencies of the situation, either of the following courses for setting
free the prisoners of war:—
a. setting free as a favor and out of sheer grace;
b. setting free in return for ransom.
The injunction reads:—
Arabic text
“Therefore, when you meet in battle the Unbelievers (i.e., non-

Muslim enemies), then it is smiting of necks; at length when
you have thoroughly routed them, bind a bond firmly (i.e.,
make them prisoners of war); thereafter either (setting them free
as a matter of) grace84 or (freeing them in return for) ransom;
until the war lays down its burdens (i.e., peace returns, after
which no one can be made captive). That (is the ordinance) …”
(47:4).
In case, however, the Islamic state does not find itself

strategically in a position where it may adopt the first alternative with
justice to the Cause of Truth, nor are the prisoners in a position to take
322
benefit of the permission to ransom themselves, they must naturally

remain captives.
But, then, the Holy Qur’Én lays down the third ordinance
whereby the captives can obtain their freedom in due course. It says:
Arabic text
“And if any of those whom your right hands possess ask for a
deed in writing (to enable them to earn their freedom for a
certain sum) give them (as your bounden duty) such a deed if
you know in them any good (i.e., fitness for earning their
livelihood through some work and thus bettering their position),
and (for helping them to freedom) bestow upon them of the
wealth of Allah which He has bestowed upon you …” (24:33).
This actually terminates, from the side of the Holy Qur’Én, that
form of bondage which is incidental to prisonership of war and which
concerns Islam’s bloodthirsty enemies. Of course, the very creation of
every other form of bondage is out of the question, as we have already
seen. Thus, there should be no bondsmen and bondswomen of any
category in an Islamic state.
Indeed the Holy Qur’Én is so vehemently opposed to slavery in

all its forms that it has ordained redemption of prisoners of war and
emancipation of slaves as a collective duty of the Muslims in respect
of the definite and permanent functions of the perpetual compulsory
Welfare Tax, i.e., ZakÉt which every Muslim of means has been
ordered to pay yearly for planned spending on welfare projects. The
holy book says:
323
VOLUME TWO
Arabic text
“Alms (i.e., compulsory Welfare Tax meant to be collected and

spent by the communal treasury or by the Islamic state) are for
the poor, and the needy (and) … for those in bondage …”
(9:60).
Thus: (a) prisoners of war should be redeemed, and (b) slaves

should be helped to freedom. This injunction forms, indeed, a charter
for the Muslims to eradicate slavery from the world on an organized
scale.
Here we may refer also to another channel adopted by the Holy

Qur’Én for the emancipation of slaves. That is the channel of
recommending to, or commanding, the Muslims to expiate for certain
sins through setting slaves free or purchasing for them their freedom.
Thus:
(1) if a Muslim killed another Muslim by mistake, it was made

obligatory for him to emancipate a slave:
Arabic text
“He who kills a Believer by mistake must set free a believing

slave . . .” (4:92).
(2) It was, however, not only in case the person killed was a
Muslim, but also when he was a non-Muslim and belonged to a
community with whom Muslims had a treaty of mutual alliance:—
Arabic text
324
“… If he belonged to a people with whom you have a treaty of

mutual alliance, compensation should be paid to his family, and
a believing slave be freed …” (4:92).
(3) For those who had separated from their wives through ÚihÉr,
to which a reference has already been made,85 and desired reunion, the
first alternative given to them in respect of expiation was that of
setting free a slave:—
Arabic text
“As to those who divorce their wives by ÚihÉr, then wish to go

back on the words uttered,—(it is ordained that such a one)
should free a slave before they touch each other. This are you
admonished to perform and Allah is well-acquainted with (all)
that you do.” (58:3).
(4) Failure in keeping to one’s solemn oath was ordained to be

expiated, among other alternatives, by freeing a slave:—
Arabic text
“Allah will not take you to task for that which is unintentional
in your oaths, but He will take you to task for the oaths which
you swear in earnest. The expiation thereof is the feeding of ten
of the needy with the average of that wherewith you feed your
own folk, or the clothing of them, or the emancipation of a
slave …”86 (5:89).87
We should now take note of those verses of the Holy Qur’Én

which speak of the relations of Muslims with slaves and prisoners of
325
VOLUME TWO
war. The question may be asked: If the Holy Qur’Én stands firmly for
the abolition of bondage and slavery in all its forms, why those
injunctions? The plain reply is: The Holy Qur’Én, as we have already
noted, came into a world wherein slavery was so deep-rooted that to
uproot it at a stroke was to bring into existence some other intolerable
evils. Hence, while giving that ethical teaching and laying down those
laws whereby this institution was to completely wither away in due
course, it tolerated the presence of the pre-existing slaves and of the
prisoners of war who could not tread the paths of freedom opened out
for them by it and chose to stay in the Muslim community,—laying
down, however, definite laws for the eradication of the tortures of
slavery. In fact, there have been prisoners of war even afterwards who
did not avail of the opportunity for freedom offered by the Holy
Qur’Én. And the same situation can repeat itself in the future. That,
however, has been and would be, not because the Holy Qur’Én enjoins
it or desires it but because of the failures on the side of Islam’s
enemies.
We may now consider this part of the Qur’Énic teaching.
(B) DUTIES:
(1) Doing good to slaves and prisoners of war enjoined:
The first and foremost teaching of the Holy Qur’Én in this

connection is the promulgation of the duty of doing good in all
326
respects to “those whom the right hands possess”,—doing good

positively as well as negatively; positively, in the sense of doing all
positive good possible; and, negatively, in the sense of refraining from
all injury:—
Arabic text
“… and do good to parents … and to those whom your right

hands own.88 Lo! Allah approves not the arrogant, the
vainglorious.” (4:36).
(2) Enabling the male and female slaves to enjoy healthy, married
life, enjoined:
Arabic text
“And wed the single among you and the fit ones among your
male and female slaves (both of whom to become free by
marriage); if they be poor, Allah will give them means out of
His grace. For Allah encompasses all, and He knows all
things.” (24:32).
(3) Marriage with female slaves advocated and recommended:
Arabic text
“… But if you fear that you shall not be able to deal justly (with
wives more than one), then (marry) only one (free woman), or
(marry) what your right hands possess (i.e., a prisoner of war or
a slave). That will be more suitable, to prevent you from
injustice.” (4:3).
327
VOLUME TWO
(1) Compelling slave-girls to prostitution, prohibited:
Arabic text
“And compel not your slave-girls to prostitution (—a custom

practised by the pagan Arabs and certain other pagan
communities—), they being desirous of keeping chaste, in order
that you may seek the frail goods of this world’s life…”
(24:33).
(2) Promiscuous relations with female slaves, prohibited:
Arabic text
“Also (forbidden unto you for marriage are) women already in

wedlock, except89 those whom your right hands possess. Thus
has Allah ordained (prohibitions) against you. Except for these,
all others (including those whom your right hands possess) are
lawful (for marriage), so that you seek them with your wealth in
honest wedlock, not debauchery. Seeing that you derive benefit
from them, give them their dowers (at least) as prescribed; but
there is no blame on you, if, after a dower is prescribed, you
agree mutually on anything (more). Lo! Allah is ever Knower,
Wise.
“And whoso is not able to afford to marry free, believing

women, let them marry from the believing maids whom your
right hands possess. Allah knows best (concerning) your faith.
You (i.e., the free and those in bondage) are the same in this
328
respect (i.e., equals in human status). So (without entertaining

the false notion of loss of dignity) wed them by permission of
their folk, and give unto them their dowers in kindness (as
properly) wedded women, not (as) fornicatresses, nor as those
taking to themselves secret paramours. When they are taken
into wedlock, if they fall into lewdness, their punishment is half
that for free women. This (permission to marry female captives
and slaves) is for those among you who fear sin. But it is better
for you that you practise self-restraint. And Allah is Oft-
Forgiving, Most Merciful.” (4:24-25).
The above discussion shows that prisonership of war, as also the

“slavery” of those whom the early converts to Islam possessed as a
pre-Islamic legacy and whom they retained thereafter, is actually
“controlled freedom”,—the basic human rights, i.e., rights to proper
food, clothing, shelter, health, marriage, education, etc., having been
ensured with the exception of what falls under the proprietary rights of
the guardian in the services of the prisoner of war or of his so-called
slave. And these proprietary rights in services have been retained, in
respect of the prisoner of war, as atonement for his or her crime in
engaging in war against the Cause of God, and the restrictions on
freedom that have been prescribed are solely with reference to the
protection of the Islamic state and of the Muslim community from the
harm that he may likely inflict otherwise as an active enemy. It is,
thus, not slavery in the sense in which, for instance, the Greeks, the
Romans, the Hindus and the Christians have practised it by treating
their slaves as something sub-human or even non-human. The Holy
329
VOLUME TWO
Qur’Én, and its exposition: the ×adÊth, have commanded the Muslims
to treat them just like servants and that too with affection and full
regard for their welfare.
(C) THE PROBLEM OF CONCUBINAGE:
Concubinage may be defined as the establishment and

maintenance of sexual relations between a man and a woman outside
the marriage bond. As such, it has been widely practised by human
communities, which include not only primitive tribal groups90 but also
civilized peoples like the Japanese, the Chinese, the Hindus, the
Greeks, the Romans, the Jews and the Christians.91 As for the Arabs,
they lagged behind none in that respect when the Holy Qur’Én came.
We have already noted that the Qur’Énic reform in respect of

slavery was of a gradual nature. But the question is: Does the Holy
Qur’Én sanction concubinage?
The reply to this question necessitates certain observations:—
1. We have already noted that the Holy Qur’Én prohibits

promiscuity and debauchery in relations with those “whom the
right hands possess”.
2. We have also noted that the holy book upholds, advocates and
enjoins marriage with them.
3. If it is said that marriage with polytheists has been forbidden

by the Holy Qur’Én (2:221), and most of the female captives of
war obtained during the period of Qur’Énic revelation were
330
polytheists, and that, therefore, the Qur’Énic injunction

concerning marriage with female captives does not include
them; and if the inference is made that the Holy Qur’Én sets
aside that category for being used as concubines, it would be,
in the first instance, a fallacious inference, and secondly, it
would go against the explicit Qur’Énic injunction which
forbids extra-marital relations in an unqualified manner
(17:32).92
Moreover, as we have already noted,93 the Holy Qur’Én forbids

Muslims from employing their female captives for prostitution.
Can it be conceivable that a Muslim would be free to establish
extra-marital relations with her himself?
4. There are certain verses in the Holy Qur’Én wherein those with
whom a Muslim can have legitimate sexual relations have been
classed separately as ‘spouses’ and ‘those whom the right
hands possess’.94 But this distinction does not imply, even
according to the most anti-modernistic, conservative and
literalistic exponents of the Holy Qur’Én,95 that the expression
“those whom the right hands possess” refer to concubines.
Rather, the word “spouses” denotes “free women joined to
them by regular marriage bond”96 and the expression: “those
whom the right hands possess” stands for “women taken as
captives in war and raised to the status of wives”.97
5. There is no doubt that, although “those whom the right hands

possess” enjoy all the rights as wives, they are distinguishable
331
VOLUME TWO
from those wives who are from among the free women, and
hence their separate mention as wives. This distinction of the
‘free’ and the ‘captive’ is there even when they are not wives
of anyone but merely servants in the household. And this
distinction has a natural and rational basis. For, the captive
belongs originally to the enemy camp where her original
mission was to destroy Islam and Muslims, while the free
woman belongs solely to the fold of Islam. The loyalty to
Islam and to the Islamic state of the latter cannot be normally
doubtful; while in respect of the former’s loyalty great
precautions are necessary; because even when a captive
embraces Islam, it is possible that he or she may have done so
to be able to do greater injury to the Muslim community under
the mask of conversion. Of course, if he or she is sincere, the
devotion from the Muslim community is bound to come to him
or her gradually but definitely, to which Muslim history bears
ample testimony.
That distinction is there not only with regard to their position in

society but also in respect of punishment for crimes, wherein they
have been placed at an advantage out of regard for their lesser infusion
into Islamic culture. Their punishment is half of that of a free
person:98—
Arabic text
332
“… When they (i.e., “those whom the right hands possess”) are
taken in wedlock, if they fall into shame, their punishment is
half that of free women …” (4:25).
To sum up: a critical study of the relevant verses proves that the
Holy Qur’Én does not sanction the institution of Concubinage.

333
VOLUME TWO
Chapter 4.
Duties towards Muslims as
Muslims
1. Duties of Commission;
2. Duties of Omission.
END:
Promotion of the Happiness and Moral Perfection of the

Muslims.
(1) Respecting the sanctity of life, honour and property of other

Muslims, enjoined:
This duty is contained in the following directives:
(a) Cultivation and maintenance of genuine brotherly relations

have been enjoined:
Arabic text
“The Believers are but a single Brotherhood:99 So make peace

and reconciliation between your two (contending) brothers; and
be careful of your duty towards Allah (in respect of
safeguarding these brotherly relations), that you may receive
Mercy.” (49:10).
334
To maintain the integrity of this world Brotherhood100 forms one

of the highest duties of a Muslim, as we shall note elsewhere.
That cannot be possible, however, without constantly maintaining

the attitude of respecting the sanctity of the life, honour and property
of individual Muslims. Hence the same is duty.
(b) Mercifulness towards Muslims has been proclaimed as one of

the basic virtues of Islamic life:
Arabic text
“Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah; and those who are with

him are strong against (hostile) Disbelievers, and merciful
amongst each other …” (48:29).
(c) Observing respectfulness towards other Muslims has been

proclaimed as one of the basic virtues which should be possessed by
every Muslim:
Arabic text
“… humble (or, respectful) toward Believers …” (5:57).
(d) Absolute honesty in respect of other Muslims’ trusts has been

enjoined:
Arabic text
“… And if one of you deposits a thing on trust with another, let

the trustee (faithfully) discharge his trust, and let him fear his
Lord …” (2:283).
335
VOLUME TWO
(e) Finally: keeping straight the relations with other Muslims, has
been enjoined:
Arabic text
“… so fear Allah, and keep straight the relations between

yourselves (i.e., preserve the sanctity of life, honour and
property between yourselves) …” (8:1).
(2) Endeavour to ensure peace and justice among Muslims,

whether the moral agent is involved in it or not, enjoined:
This duty is contained in the following directives:
a. In case quarrel or fight takes place between two Muslim

parties, all possible effort for bringing about just peace
between them, and, in case of failure, assisting the wronged
party, has been commanded:
Arabic text
“If two parties among the Believers fall into a quarrel, make
you peace between them: But if one of them transgresses
beyond bounds against the other, then fight you against the one
that transgresses until it complies with the command of Allah;
but if it complies, then make peace between them with justice,
and be fair. For Allah loves those who are just.” (49:9).
b. In case of one’s personal dispute, rising above self and

settling all differences with brother Muslims on the basis of
Divine Guidance given in the Holy Qur’Én and in the Sunnah
(Way of the Prophet), has been enjoined:
336
Arabic text
“… and if you dispute in aught (do not try to settle your dispute
on the basis of any subjective considerations but purely on the
objective grounds of justice, and for that) refer to Allah and His
Messenger (Muhammad), if you (indeed) believe in Allah and
the Last Day. That is the best and fairest (course) for final
determination.” (4:59).
c. Such an attitude being impossible without the spirit of

absolute selflessness, sacrificing personal interests and
comforts for other Muslims has been commended and
emphasized as one of the virtues of true Muslims:
Arabic text
“… and they give preference to (the interests and the needs of

others) above themselves, though poverty become their lot …”
(59:9).
d. The spirit of selflessness cannot be maintained without the

constant cultivation of the attitude of goodwill towards all
Muslims. This has been taught in the following prayer:
Arabic text
“… Our Lord! forgive us and our brethren who have preceded

us in the Faith, and permit not in our hearts rancor towards the
Believers. Our Lord! verily You are Kind, Merciful.” (59:10).
337
VOLUME TWO
(3) Ensuring and promoting the moral and spiritual welfare of

Muslims, enjoined:
Enjoining right conduct and forbidding all evil ways has been
proclaimed as the mission of every Muslim:
Also: constantly exhorting one another to truth, perseverance in

the way of truth, and the practice of compassion, have been declared
as the basic conditions for the spiritual and moral progress of the
Muslims:
Hence to strive for the moral and spiritual perfection of other

Muslims in the above ways, is duty.
Arabic text
“… you are the best community that has been raised up for
mankind. you enjoin right conduct and forbid what is wrong:
and you believe in Allah …” (3:110).
Arabic text
“… and (those who) exhort one another to truth and exhort one
another to perseverance (in the cause of truth).” (103:3).
Arabic text
“… and (those who) exhort one another to compassion …”

(90:17).
338
(2) Duties of Omission:
END:
Preservation of the Happiness and the Moral Health of the

Muslims.
(1) Killing a Muslim most severely condemned and prohibited:
Arabic text
“It is not for a Believer to kill a Believer unless (it be) by

mistake....”
“Whoso slays a Believer of set purpose, his reward is Hell for

ever. Allah is angry with him and He has cursed him and
prepared for him an awful doom.” (4:92-93).
(2) Damaging the honour of other Muslims in any form,

prohibited:
a. Insulting in any manner, defaming and backbiting has been

ruled out:
Arabic text
“O you who believe! Let not a folk deride a folk, belike they
may be better than they are, nor let (some) women (deride)
(other) women, belike they may be better than they are; neither
defame one another, nor insult one another by nicknames. Ill-
seeming is a name connoting sin after belief. And whoso turns
not in repentance, such are evil-doers.
339
VOLUME TWO
“… nor backbite one another. Would anyone of you love to eat

the flesh of his dead brother? You abhor that (so abhor the
other)! And keep your duty to Allah. Lo! Allah is Relenting,
Merciful.” (49:11-12).
b. Slandering the Muslims has been very severely condemned:
Arabic text
“And those who hurt (through slander) the believing men and
the believing women undeservedly, they bear the guilt of
slander and manifest sin.” (33:58).
(3) Raking up disputes with other Muslims prohibited, with

warning of very serious consequences:
Arabic text
“(O you who believe!) … rake up no disputes (with one

another), lest you lose heart and your power depart …” (8:46).
One of the factors which lends ugliness to disputes is rancor. The

Holy Qur’Én censures rancor also, and teaches the following prayer:
Arabic text
“(The true Muslims pray:101 Our Lord!) … permit not our hearts
to suffer from rancor against the Believers. Our Lord! you are
indeed Kind, Merciful.” (59:10).
(4) Damaging the just interests of other Muslims, prohibited:
a. In respect of defrauding them in matters pertaining to wealth:
340
Arabic text
“O you who believe! Eat up not your wealth among yourselves

(i.e., do not consume one another’s wealth) unlawfully …”
(4:29).
b. In respect of concealing evidence:
Arabic text
“… Conceal not evidence; for whoever conceals it, his heart is

(5) Damaging the moral tone of the social environment of

Muslims prohibited:
Propagating indecencies, including scandalous gossip, among the

Muslims has been condemned very severely; hence, abstinence from
the same is duty.
Arabic text
“Verily those who love that indecency (and scandalous gossip)

should be propagated among, and regarding, those who believe,
for them shall be a torment afflictive in the (present) world and
the Hereafter. And Allah knows (what terrible harm accrues to
human society through such acts), and you know not.” (24:19).

341
Chapter 5.
Duties towards
non-Muslims102 as non-Muslims
1. Duties towards all non-Muslims irrespective of their being

friendly or inimical.
2. Particular attitude towards those non-Muslims who are either

friendly or neutral.
3. Particular attitude towards those non-Muslims who are active

enemies of Islam and Muslims.
(1) DUTIES TOWARDS ALL NON-MUSLIMS

IRRESPECTIVE OF THEIR BEING FRIENDLY OR
INIMICAL
ENDS:
1. Ensuring justice to and co-operation in goodness with, the

non-Muslims;
2. Active sympathy with non-Muslims in rescuing them from

spiritual and moral evils.
(1) ENSURING JUSTICE TO AND CO-OPERATION IN GOODNESS

WITH, THE NON-MUSLIMS:
(1) Absolute justice under all circumstances enjoined:
Arabic text
“O you who believe! be you the maintainers of your pact with

Allah (stand out firmly for Allah), as witnesses to fair dealing,
and let not the hatred of others to you make you swerve to
wrong and depart from justice. Be just: that is nearer to Duty:
and fear Allah. For Allah is well-acquainted with all that you
do.” (5:9).
(2) Fulfillment of pacts, contracts and treaties enjoined:
Arabic text
“O you who believe! Fulfill the contracts (with whomsoever

you may make them) . . .” (5:1).
(3) Forgiveness, in case of personal injuries from non-Muslims,

enjoined:
Arabic text
“Tell those who believe, to forgive those who do not look

forward to the Days of Allah (i.e., the non-Muslims); it is for
Him to recompense (for good or ill) each People according to
what they have earned.” (14:14).
(4) Granting protection to non-Muslims, even from amongst

enemies, if they so desire, enjoined:
Arabic text
343
VOLUME TWO
“If one amongst the Pagans asks you for asylum, grant it to him,
so that he may hear the Word of Allah; and then escort him to
where he can be secure. That is because they are men without
knowledge.” (9:6).
(1) Transgressing the limits of justice in respect of non-Muslims

and persecuting even the enemies of Islam among them, prohibited:
Arabic text
“… And let not the hatred of some people—because they shut

you out from the Sacred Mosque—incite you to transgress (the
limits of justice and humanity in respect of them) …” (5:3).
(2) Co-operation in sin and transgression prohibited:
Arabic text
“… and co-operate not in sin and transgression, but keep your

duty to Allah. Lo! Allah is strict in punishment.” (5:3).
(2) ACTIVE SYMPATHY WITH NON-MUSLIMS IN RESCUING

THEM FROM SPIRITUAL AND MORAL EVILS, ENJOINED:
(1) Duty of reaching out the Message of Islam to non-Muslims

enjoined:
344
Inviting fellow-beings to Truth, and, for that purpose, the

dissemination and propagation of the eternal Message of Islam,
constitutes one of the noblest tasks, as the Holy Qur’Én says:
Arabic text
“Who is better in speech than one who calls (men) to Allah,

works righteousness, and says: ‘I am of those who bow in
Islam’?” (41:33).
This task has been made the obligation of every Muslim, because
it has been delegated to the Muslim community as a whole:
Arabic text
“Ye are the best of Peoples, evolved for (the service of)
mankind, enjoining what is right, forbidding what is wrong, and
believing in Allah …” (3:110).
Reaching out the Message of Islam successfully is, however, a

difficult and highly specialized task—a task for which God raised the
Prophets. It, therefore, necessitates high-class organization and highly
qualified and superbly trained missionaries. The Holy Qur’Én is fully
alive to it and makes it a duty of the Muslims to provide both:
Arabic text
“Let there arise out of you (O Muslims!) a band (of

missionaries) inviting to all that is good, enjoining what is right,
and forbidding what is wrong: They are the ones to attain
felicity.” (3:104).
345
VOLUME TWO
The necessity of the creation of a high-class missionary

organization as well as of superb accomplishments of those who might
undertake to serve as missionaries of Islam, have both been
emphasized in the following verse—the former in the word “wisdom”,
the latter in the verse as a whole:
Arabic text
gracious: For your Lord knows best, who have strayed from His
Path, and who receive guidance.”103 (16:125).
All in all, reaching out the Message of the Holy Qur’Én—the

Message of Islam—to every human being, and to exert to the utmost
in that way, is the bounden duty of the Muslims towards God, towards
themselves and towards the non-Muslims.
The Holy Qur’Én enjoins:
Arabic text
“And strive hard for (the Cause of) Allah (i.e., reaching out to
all mankind the Religion of Allah and consolidating it all over
the earth)104 with the (sincere, disciplined and hard) striving
which is His right.
“He has chosen you (for this), and has not laid upon you in
Religion any hardship (but only blessing): it is the Faith of your
father Abraham. It is He Who has named you Muslims (lit.
‘those who have surrendered to God’); both (in the Revelation
346
that came) before (since the time of Adam) and in this

(Revelation), that the Messenger (Muhammad) may be a
witness for you, and you be (by word and deed) witnesses (of
the truth of Islam) for (all) mankind.” (22:78).
(2) Co-operation in deeds of righteousness enjoined:
Arabic text
“… and co-operate in righteousness and pious duty.” (5:3).
(1) Forced conversion of non-Muslims prohibited:
Arabic text
“Let there be no compulsion in (respect of adoption of the)

religion (of Islam): Truth stands out clear from error105 …”
(2:256).
NOTE: This verse also rules out persecution of non-Muslims on

religious basis.
(2) Hurting the religious feelings through hurtful language, even

when it relates to pure and simple superstitions, prohibited:
Arabic text
347
VOLUME TWO
“Revile not (O Muslims!) those (false deities) whom they call

upon besides Allah …” (6:108).
It may, however, be noted that, in controversies with the non-

Muslims, if they attack Islam maliciously, a Muslim has been
permitted to retort but with the condition of sticking to strictest equity.
At the same time, however, the Holy Qur’Én wants the Muslim
debater and controversialist to restrain himself, not losing temper and
not forgetting his religion’s sublime principles of conduct. We are
told:
Arabic text
“And if you catch them out (in a controversy), catch them out
no worse than they catch you out: But if you show forbearance
that is indeed the best (i.e., the most appropriate course) of
those who are forbearing.” (16:126).

(2) PARTICULAR ATTITUDE TOWARDS THOSE NON-

MUSLIMS WHO ARE EITHER FRIENDLY OR NEUTRAL
(a) Duty of Commission:
Social Intercourse and Benevolence permitted:
(1) The Holy Qur’Én says:
Arabic text
348
“Allah forbids you not that you should deal benevolently and
equitably with those who fought not against you on account of
religion nor drove you out from your homes; verily Allah loves
those who are just.” (60:8).
(2) The Holy Qur’Én permits the extension of social relations

with non-Muslims in proportion to the affinity which they may have
with the Qur’Énic moral and spiritual values. Thus, it permits marriage
with the women who follow some revealed religion and have thus
affinity with Islam. It also allows partaking of their lawful food:
Arabic text
“This day are (all) good things made lawful for you. The food
of those who have received the Scripture is lawful for you
(provided it consists of lawful things), and your food is lawful
for them. And so are the virtuous women of the believers and
the virtuous women of those who received the Scripture before
you (lawful for you) when you give them their marriage
portions and live with them in honor, not in fornication, nor
taking them as secret concubines. Whoso denies the faith, his
work is vain and he will be among the losers in the Hereafter.”
(5:5).106
349
VOLUME TWO
Marriages with: (a) polytheistic and idolatrous women or men,

or (b) men belonging to the ‘People of the Book’, even when they are
friendly or neutral, prohibited:
As to (a):
Arabic text
“And do not marry the idolatresses until they believe, and

certainly a believing slave woman is better than an idolatress
woman, even though she should please you; and do not give
(believing women) in marriage to idolaters until they believe,
and certainly a believing male slave is better than an idolater
even though he should please you; these invite to the Fire, and
Allah invites to the Garden (of Bliss) and forgiveness by His
will, and makes clear His Signs to human beings, that they
might be mindful.” (2:221).
As to (b):
Verse 5 of Sura 5, quoted above, confines the permission of

marriage with the ‘People of the Book’ to their women only, thus
definitely excluding their males whom, therefore, a Muslim woman is
not allowed to marry.

350
(3) PARTICULAR ATTITUDE TOWARDS THOSE NON-

MUSLIMS WHO ARE ACTIVE ENEMIES OF ISLAM AND
MUSLIMS:
(a) Duties of Omission:
END:
Preservation of Islam and Muslims.
1. Befriending active enemies, who are devoted to the

destruction of Islam and Muslims, and establishing with them
intimate relations, even though they are near relatives,
prohibited:
There are several verses in the Holy Qur’Én which bear reference
to this problem. We quote all the important ones herein below: Every
such verse relates, without exception, only to those non-Muslims of
the days of Qur’Énic Revelation—Pagans, Jews and Christians—who
were sworn enemies of Islam and whose active hostility towards
Muslims had reached the highest limits.107 They had it as their
permanent mission to do all in their power for destroying and
annihilating Islam and Muslims. It was, thus, for protecting Islam and
Muslims against their enemies and not out of spite for non-Muslims as
such, that the following verses were revealed, and they hold good
wherever and whenever similar situation arises. The rationality and
justice of laying down this duty is obvious and must be accepted by
every reasonable human being.
351
VOLUME TWO
Arabic text
“Let not the Believers take for friends or helpers infidels108

rather than believers: if you do that, in nothing will there be
help from Allah: except (entering into some no-war pact with
them) by way of precaution, that you may guard yourselves
from them …” (3:28).
Arabic text
“Oh you who believe! take not into your intimacy those outside
your ranks: they will not fail to corrupt you. They only desire
your ruin: Rank hatred has already appeared from their
mouths: Something far worse is hidden in their hearts. We have
made plain to you the Signs, if you have wisdom. Ah! you are
those who love them, but they love you not,—though you
believe in the whole of the Book. When they meet you, they
say, ‘We believe’; but when they are alone, they bite off the
very tips of their fingers at you in their rage. Say: ‘Perish In
your rage; Allah knows well all the secrets of the heart’. If
anything that is good befalls you, it grieves them; but if some
misfortune overtakes you, they rejoice at it. But if you are
constant and do right, not the least harm will their cunning do to
you, for Allah compasses round about all that they do.” (3:118-
120).
Arabic text
352
“They but wish that you should reject Faith, as they do, and be
on the same footing (as they); but take not friends from their
ranks until they flee in the Way of Allah (from what is
forbidden). But if they turn renegades seize them and slay them,
and (in any case) take no friends or helpers from their ranks:
…” (4:89).
Arabic text
“Already have We Sent you word in the Book, that when you
hear the Signs of Allah held in defiance and ridicule, you are
not to sit with them unless they turn to a different theme; if you
did, you would be like them. For Allah will collect the
Hypocrites and those who defy Faith—all in Hell; …” (4:140).
Arabic text
“Oh you who believe! take not the Jews and the Christians for
your friends and protectors: They are but friends and protectors
to each other.109 And he amongst you that turn to them (for
friendship) is of them. Verily Allah guides not a people unjust.”
(5:54).
Arabic text
“Oh you who believe! take not for friends and protectors those
who take your religion for a mockery or sport,—whether among
those who received the Scripture before you, or among those
who reject Faith; But fear Allah, if you have Faith (indeed).”
(5:60).
353
VOLUME TWO
Arabic text
“When you see men engaged in vain discourse about Our Signs,
turn away from them unless they turn to a different theme. If
Satan ever makes you forget, then after recollection, sit not in
the company of the ungodly.” (6:68).
Arabic text
“But when the forbidden months are past, then fight and slay
the Pagans110 wherever you find them, or seize them, beleaguer
them, and lie in wait for them in every stratagem (of war); but if
they repent, and establish regular prayers and practise regular
charity, then open the way for them; for Allah is Oft-Forgiving,
Most Merciful.” (9:5).
Arabic text
“Oh you who believe! Take not for protectors your fathers and
your brothers if they love infidelity above Faith: If any of you
do so, they do wrong.” (9:23).
Arabic text
“Oh Prophet! Strive hard against the Rejecters and the

Hypocrites (to combat the evils of their hostility). And be firm
against them. Their abode is Hell,—an evil refuge indeed.”
(9:73).
Arabic text
354
“They (i.e., the Hypocrites) swear by Allah that they said

nothing (evil), but indeed they uttered blasphemy, and they did
it after accepting Islam; and they meditated a plot which they
were unable to carry out: this revenge of theirs was (their) only
return for the bounty with which Allah and His Messenger had
enriched them! If they repent, it will be best for them. But if
they turn back (to their evil ways), Allah will punish them with
a grievous penalty in this life and in the Hereafter: they shall
have none on earth to protect or help them.” (9:74).
Arabic text
“O you who believe! Fight the (hostile) infidels who gird you
about, and let them find firmness in you: and know that Allah is
with those who fear Him.” (9:123).
Arabic text
“You will not find any people who believe in Allah and the Last
Day, befriending those who oppose Allah and His Messenger,
even though they were their fathers or their sons, or their
brothers, or their kindred …” (58:22).
Arabic text
“O you who believe! take not My enemies and yours as friends

(or protectors),—offering them (your) love, even though they
have rejected the Truth that has come to you, and have driven
out the Prophet and yourselves (from your homes), (simply)
because you believe in Allah your Lord! If you have come out
355
VOLUME TWO
to strive in My Way and to seek My Good Pleasure (take them

not as friends), holding secret converse of love (and friendship)
with them: for I know full well all that you reveal. And any of
you that does this has strayed from the Straight Path. If they
were to get the better of you, they would behave to you as
enemies, and stretch forth their hands and their tongues against
you for evil, and they desire that you should reject the Truth. Of
no profit to you will be your relatives and your children on the
Day of Judgment: He will judge between you; For Allah sees
well all that you do.” (60:1-3).
Arabic text
“Allah only forbids you with regard to those who fight you for
(your) Faith, and drive you out of your homes, and support
(others) in driving you out, from turning to them (for friendship
and protection). It is such as turn to them (in the
circumstances), that do wrong.” (9:9).
2. Firmness against the enemies of Islam enjoined:
Arabic text
“Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah; and those who are with

him are strong against (the evils of) the Rejecters …” (48:29).
3. Mightiness against the enemies of Islam enjoined:
Arabic text
“… (The quality of true Muslims should be that they should be)

mighty against the (hostile) Rejecters …” (5:57).
356
4. Building up military strength in the highest possible measure,

as a safeguard against dangers from the side of the enemies
of Islam, enjoined:
Arabic text
“Against them (i.e., your enemies) make ready your Power to

the utmost of your strength, including steeds of war, to strike
terror into (the hearts of) the enemies of Allah and your
enemies, and others besides, whom you know not, but whom
Allah does know. Whatever you shall spend in the Cause of
Allah, shall be repaid unto you, and you shall not be treated
unjustly.” (8:60).
5. Fighting against the enemies with the fullest enthusiasm, and

to the finish, in order to defend Islam and Muslims and make
them safe, in case the non-Muslims create a state of war,
enjoined:
Arabic text
“Oh Messenger! rouse the Believers to the fight. If there are

twenty amongst you, patient and persevering, they will conquer
two hundred : if a hundred, they will conquer a thousand of the
Rejecters: for these are a people without understanding.” (8:65).
Arabic text
“To those against whom war is made, permission is given (to

fight), because they are wronged;—and verily Allah is Most
Powerful for their aid;—(they are) those who have been
357
VOLUME TWO
expelled from their homes in defiance of right,—(for no cause)

except that they say, ‘Our Lord is Allah’. Had not Allah check
one set of people by means of another, monasteries, churches,
synagogues, and masjids, in which the name of Allah is
commemorated in abundant measure, would surely have been
pulled down …” (22:39-40).111
END:
Promotion of Peace, Justice and Goodwill among mankind.
1. Maintaining the attitude of readiness for making peace with

the enemies of Islam in the interest of human welfare,
enjoined:
Arabic text
“But if the enemy incline towards peace, you too incline

towards peace, and trust in Allah: for He is the One who hears
and knows (all things). Should they intend to deceive you,—
verily Allah suffices you …” (8:61-62).
2. Finally, observing absolute justice in all respects and in all

dealings with the enemies of Islam enjoined as bounden
duty:
Arabic text
358
“Oh you who believe! be maintainers of your pact with Allah

(i.e., stand out firmly for Allah) as witnesses to fair dealing, and
let not the hatred of others to you make you swerve to wrong
and depart from justice. Be just: that is nearer to Duty: and fear
Allah. For Allah is well-acquainted with all that you do.” (5:9).
3. In the case of non-Muslim parents, continued service to

them enjoined, even when they exert to turn a Muslim away
from Islam:
Arabic text
“But if they (i.e., the non-Muslim parents) strive to make you

join in worship with Me things of which you have no
knowledge, obey them not; yet bear them company in this life
with justice (and consideration) and follow the way of those
who turn to Me (in love). In the end the return of you all is to
Me, and I will tell you the truth (and meaning) of all that you
did.” (31:15).

359
PART 3. DUTIES IN RESPECT OF

MANNERS
END:
Practical demonstration, in terms of etiquette, of the Qur’Énic

spiritual, moral and social ideals in life, with a view to refinement of
culture.
1. Religious Manners.
2. Personal and Social Manners.
Chapter 1
RELIGIOUS MANNERS
(1) IN RESPECT OF BEGINNING AN ACT: TO SAY AT THE

BEGINNING OF EVERY ACT:
Arabic text
BismillÉhir-RaÍmÉnir-RaÍÊm
“In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.”112
This ‘manner’ is contained in the following Qur’Énic references:
(1) in respect of seeking knowledge and guidance:

Arabic text
“Read in the name of your Lord and Cherisher Who created.”

(96:1).
(2) in respect of beginning a communication or discourse:
Arabic text
“It (i.e., this communication) is from Solomon, and is (as

follows): ‘In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most
Merciful’.” (27:30).
(3) in respect of riding a vehicle and beginning a journey:
Arabic text
“So he (Noah) said: ‘Embark you thereon (i.e., on the Ark)!’ ‘In
the name of Allah be its course and its mooring’.” (11:41).
(4) in respect of slaughtering animals:
Arabic text
“To every people did We appoint rites (of sacrifice), that they
might celebrate the name of Allah113 over the sustenance He
gave them from animals (fit for food) …” (22:34).

(2) IN RESPECT OF PRAISE TO GOD: THE HOLY QUR’ÉN’S

FIRST CHAPTER OPENS WITH THE WORDS:
Arabic text
361
VOLUME TWO
Al-Íamdo-lillÉh
“Praise be to Allah.” (1:2).
Muslim writings and speeches may begin with these words.
Also, a Muslim should utter them whenever he is delivered from

evil (23:28) or sorrow (35:34), or he is blessed with God’s Grace in
any way (27:18).
Indeed, the accomplishment of every good and beneficial act

should be followed by these words as expression of thankfulness, as it
has been commanded:
Arabic text
“Say: ‘Praise be to Allah’ …” (17:111).
Thus, these words should be uttered after enjoying food or drink

and when putting on new clothes.

(3) IN RESPECT OF AFFIRMING THE GLORY OF GOD:
Arabic text
“Glorify the name of your Lord, Most High.” (87:1).
Hence, on all occasions when God’s Glory is to be proclaimed, a

Muslim should say:
362
Arabic text
SubÍÉn-AllÉh
“Glory to Allah.” (12:108).
OR,
Arabic text
SubÍÉna-RabbÊ
“Glory to my Lord!” (17:93).


(4) IN RESPECT OF AFFIRMING THE GREATNESS OF

GOD:
A Muslim derives all his strength from faith in God. Hence, he

has been commanded to affirm constantly, through his attitude, and
through words, whenever occasion arises, the greatness of God, as the
Arabic text
“And magnify Him for His Greatness and Glory.” (17:111).
The standard expression in this respect is:
Arabic text
AllÉho-Akbar
“Allah is Possessor of all Greatness.”
363
VOLUME TWO

(5) IN RESPECT OF AFFIRMING GOD’S EXCELLENCE AS
CREATOR:
Admiring anything in God’s creation, a Muslim should say:
Arabic text
Fa tabÉrak-AllÉho aÍsan-ul-KhÉliqÊn
“So blessed be Allah, the Best to create!” (23:14).


(6) IN RESPECT OF GOD’S FORGIVENESS AND MERCY:
On occasions of consciousness of one’s error or guilt, a Muslim

should say:
Arabic text
AstaghfirullÉh
“I ask the forgiveness of Allah.”
Because, the Holy Qur’Én says:
Arabic text
“And those who, having done something to be ashamed of, or

having wronged their own souls, earnestly bring Allah to mind,
and ask for forgiveness for their sins,—and who can forgive
sins except Allah?— …” (3:135).
364
He may also say, when the consciousness of the violation of

Divine Law deepens:
Arabic text
LÉ ilÉha illÉ anta SubÍÉnaka innÊ kuntu min-aÐ-ÚÉlimÊn
“… There is no god but You: Glory to You: I was indeed

wrong!” (21:87).114

(7) IN RESPECT OF GUARDING AGAINST EVIL IN

GENERAL:
When an evil is imputed to a Muslim, or he is invited to evil, he

should say:
Arabic text
Ma‘Édh-A1lÉh
“I seek refuge in Allah.” (12:23).


(8) IN RESPECT OF GUARDING AGAINST SATAN:
For keeping evil thoughts away, or for casting them off, a

Muslim has been commanded:
Arabic text
365
VOLUME TWO
“If a suggestion from Satan assail your (mind), seek refuge with
Allah; for He hears and knows all things.” (7:200).
Its usual form, based on this verse, is:
Arabic text
A’Ëdho billÉhi min-ash-ShaiÏÉn-ir-RajÊm
“I seek refuge in Allah from the accursed Devil.”
Its other form, mentioned in the Holy Qur’Én, is:
Arabic text
Rabbe a‘Ëdho bika min hamazÉt-ish ShayÉÏine wa a’Ëdho bika

Rabbe unyyaÍÌurËn
“O my Lord! I seek refuge with You from the suggestions of

the Evil Ones. And I seek refuge with You O my Lord! lest they
should come near me.” (23:97-98).115

(9) IN RESPECT OF GUARDING SERENITY IN

AFFLICTIONS:
When confronted with any calamity or saddening news, a

Muslim has been guided thus:
Arabic text
“They say, when afflicted with calamity: ‘To Allah we belong,

and to Him is our return’.”116 (2:156).
366

(10) IN RESPECT OF THOUGHTS OF ELATION AND PRIDE:
When there is occasion for elation and pride, in respect of oneself

or someone else, a Muslim, suppressing pride and attributing all
achievements to the Power of God, should say:
Arabic text
MÉshÉ-AllÉh LÉ quwwata illÉ billÉh
“… ‘Allah’s Will (be done)! There is no power but with

Allah!’ …” (18:39).

(11) IN RESPECT OF MAKING A PROMISE:
When a Muslim makes a promise, he should on the one hand

make a firm resolve to carry out his promise at all cost, and on the
other hand say, seeking the help of God:
Arabic text
InshÉ-AllÉh
“If Allah wills.” (48:27).117
Similarly, he should say these words when he anticipates

something. Because, the Holy Qur’Én has commanded the Muslims to
do so:
367
VOLUME TWO
Arabic text
“Nor say of anything, I shall be sure to do so and so tomorrow

without adding, ‘So please Allah!’ …” (18:23).

(12) IN RESPECT OF RECALLING SOMETHING

FORGOTTEN:
Arabic text
“… and call your Lord to mind when you forget, and say, ‘I
hope that my Lord will guide me ever closer (even) than this to
the right road.”118 (18:24).

(13) IN RESPECT OF SAFEGUARDING DEVOTION TO THE

HOLY PROPHET (PEACE BE ON HIM):
Affirming, and invoking increase in Divine Blessings and Peace

on the Holy Prophet Muhammad (Divinely Blessed is he and in
eternal Peace), whenever his name is mentioned,—doing this with all
respect and as a mark of gratitude for his suffering in the cause of the
service of mankind, and in obedience to the command of God given in
the Holy Qur’Én:
368
Arabic text
“Lo! Allah and His angels shower Blessings (always) on the

Prophet. O you who believe! Ask blessings on him and salute
him with a worthy salutation (i.e., with all respect).” (33:56).119
The shortest and the most generally used expression for affirming
Divine Blessings and Peace on him is:
Arabic text
SallallÉho ‘alaihe wa sallam
“Allah has bestowed upon him His Blessings and Peace.” 120
The shortest comprehensive expression for invoking increase121

—infinite increase—in God’s Blessings and Peace for him, is:
Arabic text
AllÉhumma Øalle ‘alÉ Muhammadin wa bÉrik wa sallim
“O Allah! shower Your Mercy, Thine Benediction and Your

Peace on Muhammad.”
In English, the words “Peace be on him” have been used by

Muslim writers. These words form the translation of:
Arabic text
‘Alaihis-SalÉm
That expression, however, also means:
“He is blessed with Peace.”
369
VOLUME TWO

(14) IN RESPECT OF REVERING THE HOLY PROPHET’S

MEMORY, AND HENCE, HIS GRAVE AT MEDINA:
Arabic text
“… in order that you (O mankind) may believe in Allah and His

Messenger (Muhammad) and may assist and honour him …”
(48:9).
Moreover, the Holy Qur’Én lays down:
Arabic text
“Verily the most honorable among you is he who excels in

Piety.” (49:13).
And the Holy Prophet, according to Islamic theology, excels all

human beings in Piety. He is, therefore, not only honorable but the
most honorable in entire creation.
Besides that, he is the first Muslim among God’s creatures

(4:163); hence he deserves honour foremost in God’s creation.122
Thus, when a Muslim visits Medina, he should treat the Holy

Prophet’s Mausoleum with deep and unstinted reverence, stand before
his grave most respectfully while paying homage to him and seeking
God’s Blessings for himself.
370

(15) IN RESPECT OF REVERING THE HOLY KA‘BAH AT

MAKKA:
The holy Ka‘bah is one of the ‘Symbols of God’; and the Holy
Qur’Én teaches:
Arabic text
“… whoever holds in honour the Symbols of Allah, it surely is

from piety of the hearts.” (22:32).
Hence, when a Muslim visits the holy Ka‘bah and looks at it, he
should do so with a deep reverential attitude and even his formal
behavior there should be such as to be entirely based on its sacredness.

(16) IN RESPECT OF REVERING THE HOLY QUR’ÓN:
(a) The Holy Qur’Én says about itself:
Arabic text
“which none shall touch but those who are clean.” (56:79).
Hence, a Muslim should handle it only when he is in a state of

formal purity with wuÌË and his total personality is in a state of
communion with God.
(b) We are also told:
371
VOLUME TWO
Arabic text
“When the Qur’Én is read, listen to it with attention, and hold

your peace: that you may receive Mercy.” (7:204).
Hence, when the Holy Qur’Én is read loudly, a Muslim should

not only concentrate his mind on it but should also adopt the attitude
of reverence.

(17) IN RESPECT OF VENERATING THE MASJID:
Arabic text
“O Children of Adam! Wear your beautiful apparel (adornment)

at every (time and) place of prayer: …” (7:31).
Hence, when a Muslim visits the masjid, he should go there

properly dressed and with respectful attitude.
And as long as he stays there, he should observe the most

dignified manners, in accordance with the advice given in 22:32,
quoted in the text of “manner 15”.

372
PART 3. DUTIES IN RESPECT OF

MANNERS
Chapter 2.
Personal and social MANNERS
(1) IN RESPECT OF EMPLOYING THE CONCEPT OF

“RIGHTISM”:
The Holy Qur’Én designates the Muslims as “the Companions of

the Right Hand”, and “those on the right hand” (56:8). From here
emerges the concept of “Rightism” which projects itself in the domain
of manners and is employed in all acts involving cleanliness,
beneficiality, sanctity, and the like.
The ×adÊth supplies the details in this respect, which have been
incorporated in the books of Fiqh (Islamic Law).123

(2) IN RESPECT OF GREETING ONE ANOTHER:
Arabic text
“When a (courteous) greeting is offered to you, meet it with a

greeting still more courteous, or (at least) of equal courtesy,
Allah takes careful account of all things.” (4:86).
VOLUME TWO
The basic form of greeting has been given in the Holy Qur’Én at
several places, as for instance in the following verse:
Arabic text
“When those come to you who believe in Our Signs, say:

‘Peace be on you’: your Lord has prescribed for Himself (the
rule of) Mercy: …” (6:54).
Arabic text
“Peace unto you for that you persevered in patience! Now how
excellent is the final Home!” (13:24).
Arabic text
“… and peace to all who follow the Guidance.” (20:47).
The Islamic SharÊ’ah has prescribed the following standard form:
Arabic text
AssalÉmo ‘alaikum
“Peace be on (or, with) you”,
which, as a reply, takes the form:
Arabic text
Wa’alaikum-as-SalÉm
“and on you (also) be Peace.”
To it can be added:
Arabic text
374
Wa RaÍmatullÉh
“and the Mercy of Allah.”
And after that, also:
Arabic text
Wa BarakÉtuhË
“and His Blessings.”
These additions are meant to raise the standard of greeting in the

expression of love.

(3) IN RESPECT OF DIGNIFIED BEARING IN LIFE:
A Muslim should keep aloof from all unedifying things in word

and deed, not to speak of indulging in them. (23:3). In spite of that,
however, if he is ever confronted with an unedifying situation or
thing, it is his duty to withdraw in an honorable and dignified manner.
Arabic text
“… and when they pass by any senseless thing, they pass by it

with dignified (avoidance).” (25:72).

375
VOLUME TWO
(4) IN RESPECT OF DEALING WITH UNREASONABLE

PEOPLE:
With aggressive, unreasonable people who dispute merely for the

sake of disputing, a Muslim should deal in a dignified manner,
courteously withdrawing from their wrangling. The Holy Qur’Én says:
Arabic text
“… and when the ignorant address them, they say, ‘Peace’.”

(25:63).

(5) IN RESPECT OF TALKING TO PEOPLE:
A Muslim’s manner of talk should contain the elements of

courtesy, serenity, and dignity.
Arabic text
“… and speak in goodly (i.e., courteous and dignified) manner

to mankind …” (2:83).
Arabic text
“… and lower your voice (i.e., speak to people with serenity)

…” (31:19).

376
(6) IN RESPECT OF AVOIDANCE OF OSTENTATION AND

HAUGHTINESS AND OBSERVANCE OF HUMILITY:
A Muslim’s manners should always reflect the above virtues, The

Arabic text
“Nor walk on the earth with insolence : For you cannot rend the
earth asunder, nor reach the mountains in height.” (17:37).
Arabic text
“And be moderate in your pace, and lower your voice; for the
harshest of sounds without doubt is the braying of the ass.”
(31:19).
Arabic text
“And the servants of (Allah) Most Gracious are those who walk
on the earth in humility …” (25:63).

(7) IN RESPECT OF AVOIDANCE OF LIGHT-

HEARTEDNESS:
A Muslim’s manners should always be based on avoidance of

light-heartedness and vainglory and should reflect dignified bearing,
because, according to the Holy Qur’Én:
Arabic text
377
VOLUME TWO
“Verily Allah approves not those who exult in vanity.” (28:76).


(8) IN RESPECT OF BEING THANKFUL:
The Holy Qur’Én has repeatedly emphasized thankfulness as one

of the basic qualities of Islamic character and has condemned
ungratefulness,124—thankfulness benefiting not only the personality of
the moral agent in respect of its harmonious build-up but also bringing
reward from God in the Hereafter:
Arabic text
“… and Allah will reward those who give thanks (to God and
man).” (3:144).
Hence, a Muslim should always thank in suitable words everyone

who does any good to him.

(9) IN REGARD TO DEMONSTRATION OF RESPECT

TOWARDS THE ELDERS:
A Muslim should always maintain a respectful attitude towards

his elders and demonstrate this attitude even in his manners, as it has
been commanded in the case of one’s parents:
Arabic text
378
“And, out of kindness, lower unto them the wing of humility.”

(17:24).

(10) IN RESPECT OF COMPASSION:
A Muslim should not only maintain in his heart but also

demonstrate through his manners compassionate kindness for all those
who are weaker than him in any way or junior to him in age or rank,
because the Holy Qur’Én has laid down this virtue as one of the
qualities of Muslim character. It says:—
Arabic text
“… and to be of those who believe and exhort one another to

perseverance and exhort one another to compassionate
kindness.” (90:17).

(11) IN RESPECT OF TREATING THOSE WHO SEEK HELP:
A Muslim should treat politely and not rudely everyone who asks
for his help, because the Holy Qur’Én says:
Arabic text
“And as to one who asks (for your help) scold (him) not.”
(93:10).
379
VOLUME TWO

(12) IN RESPECT OF VISITING THE PEOPLE:
1. Respect for each other’s privacy with a view to maintain

personal and family privacy and to avoid social scandal to
which its non-observance is likely to give rise, enjoined:
Arabic text
“O you who believe! let those whom your right hands own and
those of you who have not attained puberty ask leave of you
three times before the dawn-prayer, and when you lay aside
your garments at noonday, and after the night-prayer: three
times of privacy for you. No fault there is upon them beyond
these times going round upon you, some of you upon some
other. In this wise Allah expounds unto you the
commandments: and Allah is All-Knowing, Wise.
“And when the children among you attain puberty, then let
them ask leave even as those before them asked leave. In this
wise Allah expounds unto you His commandments; and Allah
is Knowing, Wise.
“And past child-bearing women who have no hope of

wedlock—upon them it is no fault that they lay aside their outer
garments, not flaunting their adornment. And that they should
restrain themselves is better for them; Allah is Hearing,
Knowing.” (24:58-60).
380
2. Soliciting permission before entering another person’s

house, enjoined;
3. Respect for the inmate’s decision in refusing permission,

enjoined:
In connection with these two manners, the Holy Qur’Én says:
Arabic text
“O you who believe enter not houses other than your own until
you have asked leave and invoked peace on the inmates thereof.
That is better for you, haply you may take heed.
“Then if you find no one therein, enter not until leave has been
given you. And if it is said unto you, go back, then go back. It is
cleaner for you, and Allah is of that which you work Knower.
“No fault it is upon you that you enter houses uninhabited

wherein there is some property for you, and Allah knows that
which you disclose and that which you hide.” (24:27-29).
4. Greeting the inmates on entering a house, enjoined:
Arabic text
“… Then when you enter houses, salute one another with a

greeting from Allah, blessed and sweet.” (24:61).
5. Obtaining permission from the host before leaving him,

enjoined:
381
VOLUME TWO
Arabic text
“The Believers are those alone who have believed in Allah and
His Messenger, and when they are with him on (some) affair
collecting (people together) they depart not until they have
asked his leave …” (24:62).
This verse, although particular in its reference, contains the

general principle of Muslim conduct and manners.

(13) IN RESPECT OF DINING AT OTHER PERSONS’

HOMES:
1. Coming to dine without invitation deplored.
2. Coming to dine before the appointed time deplored.
3. Seeking to stay after dining for indulging in idle talk deplored.
All these three injunctions are contained in the following verse,

in its general application:—
Arabic text
“O you who believe! enter not the Prophet’s houses,—until leave

is given you,—for a meal, (and then) not (so early as) to wait for its
preparation; but when you are invited, enter; and when you have taken
your meal, disperse …” (33:53).
382

(14) IN RESPECT OF ASSEMBLIES:
1. Considerateness for others in accommodating them,

enjoined:
Arabic text
“O you who believe! When it is said, make room! in

assemblies, then make room; Allah will make way for you
(hereafter). And when it is said, Come up higher! go up higher.”
(58:11)
2. Engaging in whispers with someone to the annoyance of

others while participating in an assembly, deplored:
Arabic text
“Secret counsels are from Satan that he may cause grief to the
Believers.” (58:10).

(15) IN RESPECT OF MODESTY IN RELATIONS WITH

MEMBERS OF THE OPPOSITE SEX:
Note.— Injunctions under this head, together with those relating to

privacy (quoted in the foregoing), lay down the basis of domestic
peace and happiness and form a preventive measure against sexual
383
VOLUME TWO
vices and slander. They are meant to promote purity of the heart
and chastity.
These injunctions may be divided into two categories, namely:
a. those relating to men; and
b. those relating to women.
(a) relating to men:
When meeting those women who are categorized as strangers by

Islam:—
1. Lowering the gaze out of respect for modesty, enjoined:
2. Guarding modesty through proper covering of the body125

enjoined:
Arabic text
“Say to the believing men that they should lower their gaze and
guard their modesty: that will make for greater purity for them:
and Allah is well-acquainted with all that they do.” (24:30).
(b) relating to women:
384
When meeting those men who are categorized as strangers by

Islam:
1. Lowering the gaze out of modesty, enjoined:
2. Guarding modesty through proper covering of the body,

enjoined:
3. Use, in public appearance, of long gowns covering the whole

body, enjoined:
4. Display of beauty and ornaments, except what must appear

thereof, prohibited:
5. Tinkling the ankle ornaments, thereby attracting the attention

of male passers by,126 prohibited:
All these injunctions are covered by the following two verses:—
Arabic text
“And say to the believing women that they should lower their
gaze and guard their modesty; that they should not display their
beauty and ornaments except what (must ordinarily) appear
thereof; that they should draw their scarves over their bosoms.”
(24:31).
Arabic text
“O Prophet! Tell your wives and daughters, and the believing

women, that they should cast their outer garments over their
persons (when abroad); that is better, that they should be known
385
VOLUME TWO
(as such) and not molested. And Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most


386
ENDNOTES
1
According to Baidawi, things imply ‘rights’ of human beings. (See his
TafsÊr, p.300).
2
According to the commentators of the Holy Qur’Én, it refers to the non-
fulfillment of duties which men owe to God and to parents, family,
neighbors, community, country and fellow-creatures in general. (See Abdul
Majid Daryabadi, op. cit. Vol. 1., n. 118).
3
In this respect there is no discrimination in Islam. “According to Hanafis,
the life of a slave stands on equal footing with that of a free-man, of a woman
with that of a man, of a non-Muslim with that of a Muslim.” (Abdur Rahim:
Muhammadan Jurisprudence, p.359)
4
For the wide-spread practice of infanticide among different ancient nations,
including the Greeks and the Romans, see Encyclopaedia Britannica, XII, p.
322. The Qur’Énic law in respect of this almost universal evil is actually a
world-reform.
5
This verse forms part of the pledge which the women converts from
paganism took at the hands of the Holy Prophet (Peace be on him). It applies,
however, equally to men. (Ref: Tafsir al-JalÉlain, p. 458).
6
The economy which Islam offers is interest-free economy, and, therefore,
Islam condemns not only usury but all forms of interest-bearing transactions.
7
RibÉ means “any addition, however slight, over and above the principal,”
and thus includes both usury and interest. (See: Lane’s Arabic-English
Lexicon)
8
Cf. 57: 23-24.
VOLUME TWO
9
This is the rendering of the word ribÉ here by Maulana Abdul Majid
Daryabadi (See his English Translation of the Holy Qur’Én, p. 651).
10
The other meaning of this verse has been quoted on page 142.
11
The vice of scandal-mongering covers “talking or suggesting evil of men
or women by word, or innuendo, or behavior, or mimicry, or sarcasm, or
insult”.
12
We have mentioned this vice in connection with ‘Duties to Self’ also. This
is so because duplicity is a two-edged vice. It injures, on the one hand, the
moral tone of him who indulges in it; and, on the other hand, the interests of
him against whom it is practised.
13
The legal implications of this verse have been discussed in Penal Ethics.
14
Cf. 16:90; 7:65.
15
Cf. 2:283.
16
Cf. 26:181-182.
17
Besides this verse, there are numerous other verses where the merit of
helping others has been mentioned e.g., 56:7, 63:10.
18
The Arabic word ‘aqd, used here, means literally: a contract, a compact, a
covenant, and an engagement. Finally, it comprehends all duties towards God
and man. (See: Lane’s Arabic-English Lexicon).
19
Cf. 24:19.
20
It should be noted that one of the ends of “sexual duties” is the preservation
and promotion of the “family” as the basic unit of society—a point which is
basic to the Qur’Énic social philosophy and which is of immense value in
respect of its bearing on the moral health of human society.
388
ENDNOTES
21
“Polyandry” and “Neoga” also come under this category. They are,
therefore, prohibited. See p.199.
22
Co-operation is also participation according to the Holy Qur’Én:
Arabic text
“Whoever recommends and helps a good cause becomes a partner

therein: and whoever recommends and helps an evil cause shares in its
burden: and Allah has power over all things.” (4:85).
23
Ref: Footnote on p. 189.
24
A Muslim holds everything—his life, property, position, children, etc—as
trust from God. (9:111).
25
See: Encyclopedia of Religion and Ethics and Encyclopedia Britannica
(relevant portions).
26
There is another verse also of the same import, i.e., 6:151.
27
The obligation of maintenance of the offspring up to the age of maturity is
borne out by the law laid down for transferring to the orphans living in one’s
charge the administration of their properties. (See 4:6).
28
In case of adverse circumstances the Qur’Énic social philosophy makes it
the duty of the state to look after the proper upbringing and development of
the child, as we shall see later.
29
Indeed, the Holy Prophet (Peace be on him) built up his followers in a most
comprehensive way, as would be evident even from a perusal of the present
dissertation. The same comprehensiveness should grace the program of the
parents for their children.
30
It may be observed at the very outset that the Qur’Énic teaching on this
problem is in sharp contrast with the point of view of other religions. We
389
VOLUME TWO
may mention here the teaching of the Bible. “According to the Old
Testament, woman is responsible for the fall of man, and this became the
cornerstone of Christian teaching … It is a remarkable fact that the gospels
(barring divorce, Matt. 19:9) contain not a word in favor of woman … The
epistles of St. Paul definitely insist that no change can be permitted in the
position of woman … St Jerome has anything but good to say of woman ...
‘Woman is the gate of the devil, the road of evil, the sting of the scorpion’.
Canon law declares: ‘Man only is created to the image of God, not woman:
therefore woman shall serve him and be his hand-maid’. The Provincial
Council of Macon (sixth century) seriously discussed the question ‘whether
woman had a soul at all’.” (Krafft-Ebing: Psychopathia Sexualis, p. 4. n).
As regards the point of view of other religions, primitive as well as civilized,

reference may be made to: Encyclopedia of Religion and Ethics.
31
It should be noted that this verse applies to worldly wealth as well as to
virtue.
32
This implication has been stated by the Holy Prophet (Peace be on him) in
concrete terms when he singles out the mother and says:
Arabic text
“Verily Paradise is by the side of her feet.” (MishkÉt al-MaÎÉbÊh, p.

421).
Also in the ×ÉdÊth where he (Peace be on him) emphasized service to the

mother thrice and thereafter mentioned service to the father. (RiyÉÌ al-
ØÉliÍÊn, p.163)
33
Compare this with the following verdicts of the exponents of modern
scientific thought on this problem:
390
ENDNOTES
Says Nemilov: “Man, perhaps even down to the protein molecules of his
tissue cells, is biologically different from woman. From the very moment of
sex formation in the embryo, the biological ducting of the sexes develops
along entirely divergent paths…. We must recognize the unquestionable
existence of the biological inequality of the sexes. It goes deeper and is of far
greater import than it would appear to those not familiar with natural
science.” (Biological Tragedy of Woman, pp. 75-78).
“The desires and conduct of the two sexes”, says Mercier, “are not similar
but are complementary and reciprocal. In courtship the male is active: his
role is to court, to pursue, to possess, to control, to protect, to love. The role
of the female is passive … Consequent on this fundamental difference are
certain others. For pursuit, greater ardor is necessary than for mere reception;
and the courting activity of the male is, throughout the whole animal
kingdom, more ardent than that of the female; and this greater ardor is
connected with certain other differences.” (Conduct and its Disorders
Biologically Considered, pp. 289-290).
Julian Huxley observes: “I venture to prophesy not only that the inherent
differences between the sexes will not tend to diminish in the course of
evolution but that man will continue, as now and in the past, to emphasize
them by custom and convention.” (Essays in Popular Science, p. 63).
34
See references on absolute justice to all and mercifulness towards all (pp.
156, 118).
35
As to those who cannot afford married life, they have been commanded to
observe absolute chastity:
Arabic text
“Let those who find not the wherewithal for marriage keep themselves
chaste, until Allah gives them means out of His grace …” (24:33).
391
VOLUME TWO
36
Contrast it with the attitude of those religions which advocate celibacy and
idolize it as the ideal of perfection, considering sexual satisfaction even in the
bond of marriage as positive evil from the spiritual point of view. Thus, in
Christianity: “As an institution, Jesus regards marriage as essentially physical
and intended only for the present age. Those who were to share in the
blessings of the eschatological kingdom would neither marry nor be given in
marriage but would be possessed of the non-physical body in the
resurrection.” (Hastings’ Dictionary of the Bible, 11, p. 138). “It was this
outlook on sex which led to the rule that no man or woman, married or
unmarried, who had performed the sex act the previous night, should take
part in a Church festival or in the Eucharist,” (Scott: History of Prostitution.
pp. 72, 73). “Christianity”, writes the sociologist Ludovici, “… preaches that
sex is to be deplored, to be avoided, and, if possible, negatived. And the
Puritan, who may be regarded as the extreme Christian, is notorious for his
implacable loathing of sex.” (Woman, p. 5). It may be observed here in
passing that it is this attitude of Christianity that has been responsible for the
very dirty crusade of Western writers against Islam’s affirmative attitude
towards sex.
37
Polygamy has been permitted by the Holy Qur’Én on humanitarian
grounds, under exceptional circumstances, and with severe restrictive
conditions, as we shall see later.
38
“Polygamy”, says Roberts, “was the rule among the Eastern peoples before
Mohammad’s time.” (Social Laws of the Qur’Én, p. 8). As for a
comprehensive discussion of the history of this institution among different
nations of the world, see: Encyclopedia of Religion and Ethics.
39
Fixing the maximum at four seems to be based on the natural law relating
to monthly courses, whereby the husband can do justice in respect of
conjugal relations even if he has the maximum of four wives.
392
ENDNOTES
40
This verse was revealed after the battle of Uhud, which gave rise to a
situation of emergency. Appreciable number of Muslim men were killed in
the battle, leaving behind orphans and widows, and giving rise to the
preponderance of adult females. Also, there were some women captives of
war. Polygamy was prescribed for those who were God-fearing and whose
sole mission in life was spiritual refinement and pursuit of Divine Pleasure.
A. Yusuf Ali says: “Notice the conditional clause about orphans, introducing
the rules about marriage. This reminds us of the immediate occasion of the
promulgation of this verse. It was after Uhud, when the Muslim community
was left with many orphans and widows, and some captives of war. Their
treatment was to be governed by principles of the greatest humanity and
equity, The occasion is past, but the principles remain. Marry the orphans if
you are quite sure that you will in that way protect their interests and their
property, with perfect justice to them and to your own dependants, if you
have any. If not, make other arrangements for the orphans.” (op. cit., n. 508).
41
Refer to Encyclopedia of Religion and Ethics, Vol. 1., p. 125.
42
“Real satisfaction”, says Pollens, “comes not from mere sexual experience
but from a relationship which is lasting and continuous and which is built on
feelings of affection, devotion and tenderness.” (The Sex Criminal, p. 196).
43
Says Abdur Rahim: “It is not a consideration proceeding from the husband
for the contract of marriage, but it is an obligation imposed by the law on the
husband as a mark of respect for the wife, as is evident from the fact that the
non-specification of the dower at the time of marriage does not affect the
validity of the marriage.” (Muhammadan Jurisprudence, p. 334).
44
This should be clearly distinguished from the evil custom of paying the
price of the bride to her parents, a custom widely prevalent in ancient times
393
VOLUME TWO
in many communities of the world, for which refer to Westermarck’s Short

History of Marriage, pp. 166-169.
45
According to Nemilov: “Anyone familiar with the physiology and biology
of woman will be less annoyed and irritated at her sudden change of mood,
allegedly unreasonable flares of temper, her unmotivated acts. Understanding
this, man will deeply sympathize with the bearers of the egg cells who,
having the same aspirations and claims upon life, are burdened with more
difficult biological tasks.” (Biological Tragedy of Woman: pp. 187,188).
46
It is also a duty of all men towards all women.
47
The procedure of law in case of accusation of the wife by the husband of
adultery, has been mentioned in the verses that follow. We shall deal with it
when discussing punishments.
48
AbË DÉ’Ëd: Sunan, vol. 1, p. 292; etc.
49
BukhÉrÊ: ØaÍÊÍ, vol. 2, p. 784.
50
Ibn MÉjah: Sunan; BÉb ×usn ma‘Éshrat al-NisÉ, p. 142.
51
Ibn MÉjah: Sunan, p. 133. Muslim: ØaÍÊÍ, vol. 1, p. 291.
52
See ÙabarÊ’s TafsÊr, vol. 5 , p. 41, Egyptian edition.
53
Mark the healthy nature of this prescription, wherein scandal as well as
clever manipulations of the law have been avoided and the sanctity of the
husband-wife relation has been fully maintained.
54
Cf. The Holy Prophet’s exposition of the Qur’Énic standpoint: “Of all
things permitted by law, divorce is the most hateful in the sight of God.”
(AbË DÉ’Ëd: Sunan, 13:3).
55
Marriage being a social contract, the Islamic law gives to the wife also the
right to deprive the husband of the prerogative of pronouncing the divorce at
394
ENDNOTES
his will. Says Abdur Rahim: “it is open to a woman at the time of marriage or
subsequently thereto to stipulate for their (i.e., husband’s rights’) curtailment
or to get some of them transferred to herself, such as the right to dissolve the
marriage.” (Muhammadan Jurisprudence, p. 328).
56
We may refer here also to the customs of ‘IlÉ and ÚihÉr, mentioned in the
Holy Qur’Én in 2:226 and in 23:4; 58:2-4 respectively. They were practiced
by the pagan Arabs and were repudiated by Islam.
‘IlÉ is the ‘vow of abstinence from one’s wife’. “It was a recognized pre-
Islamic form of repudiating one’s wife and a denial of her rights for a period,
definite or indefinite. In Islam the legal effect of such conduct amounts to a
single irrevocable divorce.” (Abdul Majid Daryabadi, op. cit., p. 71).
ÚihÉr “was an evil Arab custom, by which the husband selfishly deprived his
wife of her conjugal rights and yet kept her tied to himself like a slave
without freeing her to remarry. He pronounced words importing that she was
like his mother. After that she could not demand conjugal rights but was not
free from his control and could not contract another marriage. See also 58:1-
5, where this is condemned in the strongest terms and punishment is provided
for him. A man sometimes said such words in a fit of anger: they did not
affect him, but they degraded her position.” (A. Yusuf Ali, op. cit., n. 3670).
57
Cf. Similar command in 17:26.
58
Ref. also: 13:25.
59
This aspect of relationship has been explicitly propounded by the Holy
Prophet (Peace be on him). He says in connection with the prisoners of war,
who, so long as they do not obtain their freedom, are to be distributed in
Muslim families to serve them and who stand below the ordinary free
domestic servants and, as enemies, hardly deserve any privilege according to
395
VOLUME TWO
the canons of pre-Qur’Énic laws and, for all practical purposes, of the post-
Qur’Énic laws:
“… Whoever has his brother (human being) under him, he should feed him
with the food that he himself eats, and clothe him with such clothing as he
himself wears. And do not impose upon him a duty which is beyond his
power to perform; if, however, you command them to do what they are
unable to do, assist them in that affair.” (BukhÉrÊ: ØaÍÊÍ, vol. 2, KitÉb al-
ÓdÉb).
60
In respect of this duty, the Holy Prophet (Peace be on him) has given the
following stern warning:—
Arabic text
“None of you will be (counted) a Believer unless he loves for his

neighbor what he loves for himself.” (TirmizÊ: Jéme‘, vol. 2, p. 16)..
61
Cf. 2:83; 2:215.
62
Cf. 76:8.
63
This verse embraces two implications. One of them has been mentioned in
connection with “polygamy”. The other one has been given here.
64
According to the Hanafi school of Islamic Law, the age of majority is 18
years for boys and 17 years for girls. (See: MuÎÏafÉ AÍmad al-ZarqÉ: al-
Madkhal al-Fiqhi al-‘Óm, vol. 2, p. 779).
65
Here the verse lays down the rule of guardianship for all those owners of
property who are weak of understanding, thereby establishing the institution
of Court of Wards.
66
According to the Qur’Énic commentary, BaÍr al-MuÍÊt, it means: “Make it
a means of maintaining them so that you invest it in trade and earn profit, and
396
ENDNOTES
so that you may be able to meet their expenses from the profit and not from
the capital.” (vol. 3, p. 179).
67
According to Lecky, the havoc that this dogma created for a woman among
the Jews and the Christians was that “Woman was represented as the door of
hell, as the mother of all human ills. She should be ashamed at the very
thought that she is a woman.” (History of European Morals, II, p. 142).
68
Letourneau: Evolution of Marriage, p. 261.
69
Hammerton’s Encyclopedia of Modern Knowledge, IV, p. 1927.
70
Letourneau: Evolution of Marriage, p. 261.
71
Roberts: Social Laws of the Qur’Én, pp. 62, 63.
72
Cheyne and Black’s; Encyclopedia Biblical, cc. 2724, 2728.
73
In case it is proved that there is unborn issue, a widow will not re-marry
until it is born and for a reasonable time thereafter—in which case the term
may be more or less than four months and ten days; and during the entire
period her maintenance is the liability of her late husband and shall be
chargeable to whatever assets he leaves behind. (See: al-HedÉya, vol. 2, pp.
33, 34., Egyptian edition).
74
See for this denotation of the Arabic word for ‘single’: RÉghib IsfahÉnÊ
MufradÉt al-Qur’Én, p. 31; and ‘AlËsÊ’s RËÍ-al-Ma‘ÉnÊ. vol. 6, p. 147.
75
Cf. 17:26; 2:177; 2:215; 4:8.
76
Cf. 8:41; 59:7. It may be noted that in these verses the duty of helping the
destitute and the needy has been placed on the Islamic State.
77
It becomes duty under the general duty of “doing good” referred to in the
foregoing.
397
VOLUME TWO
78
Cf. 17:26; 2:177.
79
See: QÉdi AbË YËsuf’s KitÉb al-KharÉj, BÉb al-ØadaqÉt.
80
For details of the cruel principles and practices of these communities
concerning slavery refer, among other scholarly works, to Encyclopedia of
Religion and Ethics, vol. II, Art. “Slavery”, pp. 595-631.
81
This reference is not to Muslims as such but to some of the Muslims of the
time when the Qur’Énic guidance had not yet been completely revealed.
82
Cf. the gradual Qur’Énic reform in respect of intoxicants.
83
This clarion call did not go unheeded. Rather, the response was most
enthusiastic. According to a conservative estimate, the number of slaves who
received their freedom at the hands of the Companions of the Holy Prophet
(Peace be on him) reached a total of thirty-nine thousand, two hundred and
fifty-nine. (FatÍ al-‘AllÉm, commentary on BulËgh al-MarÉm, p. 332). It
may also be pointed out that this estimate does not include many more whose
references are found in other books.
As regards the Holy Prophet himself, it has been recorded that he

emancipated sixty-three slaves. (Ibid).
84
It is worthy of being remembered that in most cases when the Muslim
army captured prisoners of war in the battles fought during the regime of the
Holy Prophet (Peace be on him), those captives were awarded their freedom
as a mark of sheer grace, in conformity with the alternative permitted in this
verse, Thus, several of those who had been taken prisoners after the first
battle of Islam, namely, the battle of Badr, were granted freedom without
ransom. Similarly, the six thousand prisoners connected with the BanË
MusÏÉlaq expedition, the inveterate enemies of Islam captured after the fall of
Makka, the captives obtained after the siege of TÉ’if, and the prisoners
398
ENDNOTES
captured on some other occasions of warfare, were set free by the Holy
Prophet (Peace be on him) by way of grace. (See: Muslim: ØaÍÊÍ, vol. 2, p.
93; BukhÉrÊ: ØaÍÊÍ, vol. 2, pp. 376, 593; Ibn AthÊr: al-TÉrÊkh, vol. 2, p. 92).
85
See page 214.
86
In the ×adÊth we find that if any Muslim terminates his fast deliberately
before time, one of the alternatives laid down for him by the Holy Prophet
(Peace be on him) for expiating his sin is to free a slave. (BukhÉrÊ: ØaÍÊÍ: vol.
1, p. 259. Similarly, if a person slaps or beats his slave, the expiation of that
sin is to free the slave. (AbË DÉ’Ëd: Sunan, vol. 1, p. 466).
87
Besides the channel of expiation of sins, another channel, which has been
mentioned in the ×adÊth, has also been fixed. The Holy Prophet (Peace be on
him) enjoined at Medina that, on the occasion of the solar eclipse, Muslims
of means should not only engage in extra devotions like other Muslims, but
should also emancipate slaves, (Muslim: ØaÍÊÍ; vol. 1, p. 291).
88
“What your right hands own.” This includes prisoners of war, slaves,
people in one’s power and the animals which might belong to a person. (See
A. Yusuf Ali. op. cit. n. 553).
89
The reason for this exception is that the Holy Qur’Én places a married
female prisoner of war whose husband has not been captured along with her,
and who is therefore alone, in the category of a divorced woman. Marriage
with her in case her husband has also been captured, is illegal. (See Abdul
Majid Daryabadi, op. cit., p. 154, n. 3).
90
Encyclopedia of Religion and Ethics, vol. 3, pp. 809 -811, 813.
91
Ibid., pp. 812-814, 817-820
We might note here the verdict of a modern English Sociologist also:

“Wherever possible, the man should, of course, have a concubine of some
399
VOLUME TWO
sort.” (Ludovici: Woman, p. 172).

92
Also note 4:24-25, quoted on p.251.
93
See p.250.
94
23:5-6; 23:50; 33:52; 70:30.
95
See Abdul Majid Daryabadi, op. cit., vol. 4, p.477.
96
See Ibid., Commentary notes on verses 5 and 6 of Sura 23.
97
See Ibid., Commentary notes on verses 5 and 6 of Sura 23.
98
Contrast it with the outlook of non-Qur’Énic ideologies where the
punishment of those in bondage was higher, often to a most cruel extent, than
that of the free persons. (See: Encyclopedia of Religion and Ethics. Art.,
“Slavery”).
99
It is a Brotherhood in which:
a. the odious distinctions of caste and color, and of tribe and race, have
been totally eliminated. (See 49:13. quoted on p. 164).
b. even the worst enemy of Islam is accepted as a full brother, if he

chooses genuinely to be a Muslim:
Arabic text
“In a Believer they (i.e., the enemies of Islam) respect not either the
ties of kinship or of covenant! It is they who have transgressed all
bounds. But (even so), if they repent, establish regular prayers, and
practice regular charity,—they are your brethren in Faith: Thus do We
explain the Signs in detail for those who understand.” (9:10-11).
400
ENDNOTES
c. even a human being with practically no social standing, including the

humblest slave, who may belong to any race or color or country, can
enter as a full brother by mere acceptance of Islam:
Arabic text
“… But if you know not their fathers, they are your Brothers in Faith
and your friends …” (33:5).
100
Having a membership today of one billion souls.
101
“They pray”, says A. Yusuf Ali, “not only for themselves, but for all their
brethren, and above all, they pray that their hearts may be purified of any
desire or tendency to disparage the work or virtues of other Muslims or to
feel any jealousy on account of their success or good fortune.” (Op. cit., n.
5384).
102
Refer also to Duties to Human Beings in general, from page 127 onwards.
103
The comments of Abdullah Yusuf Ali on this verse are very edifying. He
says:
“In this wonderful passage are laid down principles of religious teaching,
which, are good for all time. But where are the Teachers with such
qualifications? We must invite all to the Way of God, and expound His
Universal Will; we must do it with wisdom and discretion, meeting people on
their own knowledge and experience, which may be very narrow, or very
wide. Our preaching must be, not dogmatic, not self-regarding, not offensive,
but gentle, considerate, and such as would attract their attention. Our manner
and arguments should not be acrimonious, but modelled on the most
courteous and the most gracious example, so that the hearer may say to
himself; ‘This man is not dealing merely with dialectics; he is not trying to
401
VOLUME TWO
get a rise out of me; he is sincerely expounding the faith that is in him, and
his motive is the love of man and love of God’” (Op cit., n. 2161).
104
Ref:
Arabic text
“It is He Who has sent His Messenger with Guidance and the Religion
of Truth that He may proclaim it (make it triumph) (as the supreme
spiritual force) over all religion (i.e. over all systems of belief and
action), even though the Pagans may detest (it).” (61:9).
105
Cf. 8:42: —
Arabic text
“… so that he who was to perish (spiritually), should perish by a clear

proof (of the Truth of Islam); and he who was to remain alive
(spiritually) may remain alive by a clear proof …”
106
“The question is for food generally, such as is ordinarily ‘good and pure’:
in the matter of meat it should be killed with some sort of solemnity
analogous to that of the Kalima. The rules of Islam in this respect being
analogous to those of the People of the Book, there is no objection to mutual
recognition, as opposed to meat killed by Pagans with superstitious rites. In
this respect the Christian rule is the same: ‘That you abstain from meats
offered to idols, and from blood, and from things strangled, and from
fornication.’ (Acts, XV: 29). Notice the bracketing of fornication with things
unlawful to eat.” (A. Yusuf Ali, op. cit., n. 699).
“Islam is not exclusive. Social intercourse, including inter-marriage, is

permitted with the People of the Book. A Muslim man may marry a woman
from their ranks on the same terms as he would marry a Muslim woman, i.e.,
he must give her an economic and moral status, and must not be actuated
402
ENDNOTES
merely by motives of lust or physical desire. A Muslim woman may not

marry a non-Muslim man, because her Muslim status would be affected: the
wife ordinarily takes the nationality and status given by her husband’s law. A
non-Muslim woman marrying a Muslim husband would be expected
eventually to accept Islam. Any man or woman, of any race or faith, may, on
accepting Islam, freely marry any Muslim woman or man, provided it be
from motives of purity and chastity and not of lewdness.” (A. Yusuf Ali, op.
cit., n. 700).
107
This can be verified from the historical records, for which any detailed
and proper book on Islamic history will suffice.
108
(actively hostile to Islam).
109
The Holy Qur’Én refers here to a well-attested historical fact.
110
(of Arabia, who were in a state of pitched war with Islam and Muslims).
111
“Several translators have failed to notice that yuqÉtalËna (in the best-
approved texts) is in the passive voice, ‘against whom war is made’, …not
‘who take arms against the unbelievers’ as Sale translates it. The clause ‘and
verily their aid’ is parenthetical. Verse 40 connects on with ‘they are
wronged’. The wrong is indicated: ‘driven by persecution from their home,
for no other reason than that they worshipped the One True God’. This was
the first occasion on which fighting—in self-defence—was permitted. This
passage therefore undoubtedly dates from Medina.” (Abdullah Yusuf Ali. op.
cit., n. 2816).
112
All the chapters of the Holy Qur’Én, except one, begin with this spiritual
formula, which fact highlights its importance in Muslim life.
113
A Muslim should say: “BismillÉhe AllÉho-akbar” (“In the of name of
Allah: Allah is Possessor of all Greatness”).
403
VOLUME TWO
114
He should pray to God in these words:
Arabic text
Rabbighfir warÍam wa anta khair-ur-RÉÍimÊn
“O my Lord! Grant your forgiveness and mercy! For you are the best of those
who show mercy!” (23:118).
115
Prayers contained in the last two Suras (113 and 114) are also recited on
such occasions.
116
InnÉ lillÉhi wa innÉ ilaihi rÉje‘Ën.
117
These words have been used not only by the Holy Prophet Muhammad
(Peace be on him), as in this verse, but by other Prophets also. Ref: 12:99;
18:69; 28:27; 36:102.
118
‘AsÉ anyyahdiyane RabbÊ li-aqraba min hÉdhÉ rashadÉ
119
This verse has a profound spiritual implication. We are, however,
concerned here only with its implication in respect of manners.
120
It is necessary to point out here the grave mischief of those non-Muslim
scholars who translate the expression in question as: “God bless him and
grant him salvation.” (A Dictionary of Modern Written Arabic, edited by J.
Milton Cowan, p. 425). As regards salvation, every Prophet of God was born
with his salvation ensured, because he was the Messenger of God and, as
such, remained all his life, under Divine Protection, immune from sins. And
this is perfectly logical, because he came to lead others into salvation. With
reference to Muhammad, this fact has been clearly affirmed by the Qur’Én in
several contexts, e.g., in 48:2. My rendering is according to the classical
commentators of the Qur’Én. (See TafsÊr al-JalÉlain, p. 357).
404
ENDNOTES
121
The Holy Prophet’s entire life, since the very first day of his existence, has
been, and is, and will be, under Divine Blessings and Peace. It is, therefore,
increase which is invoked, and not mere bestowal. And this invoking for
increase, again, is actually for getting blessings ourselves and not because the
Holy Prophet needs it from us, —the continuous and abiding evolution of his
personality in Beauty, Grace and Perfection having been already ensured by
God. (93:4-5).
122
He is the first also in Creation. This is borne out by the facts that:
(1) everything in the universe is Muslim (3:83); and
(2) the Holy Prophet is the first Muslim (4:163).

123
Such laws relating to Manners are:
The right hand should be used for: (a) eating and drinking, (b) putting on
clothes on the upper part of the body, and (c) giving and receiving gifts and
washing hands.
The left hand should be used for (a) cleansing the nose and (b) washing
soiled part of the body after the call of nature.
The right foot should be: (a) Placed first in entering the masjid, (b) used in
putting on trousers, pants, sock, and shoes, (c) employed in coming out of the
toilet; and (d) handled first when washing the feet.
The left foot should be: (a) employed in coming out of the masjid, (b) entered
first into the toilet, and (c) used in putting off clothes, etc., from the lower
part of the body.
When a person lies down to take rest, he should rest on his right side first.
These manners are not based on any superstition, but are meant to form the
symbolic reminders of the fact that a Muslim has to build up his life as one of
405
VOLUME TWO
the “Companions of the Right Hand.” The other end is the creation of the
sense of discipline and of uniformity of behavior among Muslims. (For
references, see: KitÉb al-ÓdÉb in the Compendiums of ×adÊth and the
relevant sections in the books on Islamic Law).
124
As recorded in the foregoing.
125
This rules out nudism, and even semi-nudism.
126
Such actions are possible only for those who are inclined to unchastity.
406
BOOK 3 - DUTIES RELATING TO THE

SOCIETAL WHOLE
Part 1. Duties of the Individual Towards the

Muslim Society
Chapter 1.
PREAMBLE: SOCIETY VIS-À-VIS THE INDIVIDUAL
Chapter 2.
DUTIES
Part 2. Duties of the Muslim Society Towards the
Individual
Chapter 1.
FUNDAMENTAL PRINCIPLES GOVERNING THE
MUSLIM SOCIETY AND THE ISLAMIC STATE
Chapter 2.
DUTIES
Part 3. The Penal Code
Chapter 1.
PUNISHMENTS PERTAINING TO THE INTERESTS OF
THE INDIVIDUAL
Chapter 2.
PUNISHMENTS RELATING TO THE INTERESTS OF
THE STATE
VOLUME TWO
PART 1. DUTIES OF THE INDIVIDUAL

TOWARDS THE MUSLIM SOCIETY
END:
Creation, Preservation and Promotion of Collective Life in a

manner which ensures the Spiritual, Moral and Social Progress of
the Individual in a healthy manner and eliminates the contrary.
1. PREAMBLE:
Society vis-a-vis the Individual.
2. DUTIES:
1. Duty relating to active struggle for the Spiritual and Moral

Perfection of the Muslim society.
2. Duties relating to active struggle for ensuring and promoting

the economic soundness of the Muslim society.
3. Duties relating to active struggle for ensuring and promoting

the political stability of the Muslim society.
2
BOOK 3 - DUTIES RELATING TO THE SOCIETAL WHOLE
Chapter 1
PREAMBLE: SOCIETY VIS-A-VIS
THE INDIVIDUAL
(1) The organic nature of human society:
Arabic text
“Oh mankind! reverence your Guardian-Lord, Who created you

from a single soul, created, of like nature, his mate, and from
them twain scattered (like seeds) countless men and women;—
Reverence Allah through Whom you demand your mutual
(rights), and (reverence) the wombs (that bore you): for Allah
ever watches over you.” (4:1).
Arabic text
“O mankind! We created you from a single (pair) of a male and

a female, and made you into nations and tribes, that you may
know each other (not that you may despise each other). Verily
the most honored of you in the sight of Allah is (he who is) the
most righteous of you. And Allah has full knowledge and is
well-acquainted (with all things).” (49:13).
Arabic text
“And your creation and your resurrection is in no wise but as an

individual soul: for Allah is He Who hears and sees (all
things).” (21:28).
VOLUME TWO
(2) The organic nature of Muslim society as coming into existence

by a “Contract”:
Arabic text

goods; for theirs (in return) is the Garden (of Paradise): They
fight in His Cause, and slay and are slain: a promise binding on
Him in Truth, through the TaurÉt, the InjÊl, and the Qur’Én: and
who is more faithful to his Covenant than Allah? Then rejoice
in the bargain which you have concluded: That is the
achievement supreme.” (9:111)
(3) The manifoldness of social life as the natural condition of the

progress of human civilization:
Arabic text
“By the Night as it conceals (the light); by the Day as it appears

in glory; by (the mystery of) the creation of male and female;—
verily, (the ends) you strive for are diverse.” (92:1-4).
(4) The importance of social environment for the development of

the individual:
Arabic text
“And fear tumult (or oppression), which affects not in particular

(only) those of you who do wrong: and know that Allah is strict
in punishment.” (8:25).
4
(v) Treating the demands of society above the demands of self,

i.e., subordinating personal interests to the interests of the Social
Whole created by Islam, enjoined:
Arabic text
“Say: if it be that your fathers, your sons, your brothers, your

mates, or your kindred; the wealth that you have gained; the
commerce in which you fear a decline; or the dwellings in
which you delight—are dearer to you than Allah, or His
Messenger, or the striving in His cause;—then wait until Allah
brings about His decision: and Allah guides not the rebellious.”
(9:24).

Chapter 2
duties
1. DUTY RELATING TO ACTIVE STRUGGLE FOR THE

SPIRITUAL AND MORAL PERFECTION OF THE
MUSLIM SOCIETY
Active struggle for the spiritual and moral perfection of humanity

in general, and of their own community in particular, is the very
mission of the Muslims:
Arabic text
“You are the best of People, evolved for (the service of)
mankind, enjoining what is right, forbidding what is wrong, and
believing in Allah …” (3:110).
Indeed, it is the inseparable quality of Muslim character:
Arabic text
“… (it is their character that) they (always) enjoin good and

(always) forbid evil …” (9:112).
Hence, Muslims have been commanded to set aright their affairs:
Arabic text
“… So be careful of your duty to Allah and set aright matters

among you (in respect of your mutual duties) …” (8:1).
Nay, the Holy Qur’Én goes beyond that. It orders all Muslims to
engage in an unceasing struggle for the promotion of the Cause of
spiritual and moral perfection of Muslim society in particular and of
humanity in general. It says:
Arabic text
“O you who believe! Be you helpers (in the Cause) of Allah

(the Cause of helping human beings to spiritual and moral
perfection) …” (61:14).
While laying down that duty, however, the Holy Qur’Én also
guarantees success, if the struggle is pursued with the fulfillment of all
the prescribed conditions:
Arabic text
“… Allah will certainly aid those who aid His (Cause);— for
verily Allah is Full of Strength, Exalted in Might, (able to
enforce His Will).” (22:40).
Arabic text
“… O you who believe! If you will aid (the Cause of) Allah, He
will aid you and make your foothold firm.” (47:71).
One of those conditions is that the struggle has to be pursued not

only as an individual responsibility but also co-operatively and
collectively:
Arabic text
VOLUME TWO
“… Help you one another in righteousness and piety, but help

not one another in sin and enmity …” (5:3).

2. DUTIES1 RELATING TO ACTIVE STRUGGLE FOR

ENSURING AND PROMOTING THE ECONOMIC
SOUNDNESS OF THE MUSLIM SOCIETY
1. THE PRINCIPLE OF ‘WEALTH FOR WELFARE’:
The Holy Qur’Én denounces inordinate love of wealth as an anti-

Islamic quality of character, which leads to hell:
Arabic text
“Woe to every (kind of) scandal-monger and backbiter, who

piles up wealth and lays it by, thinking that his wealth would
make him last for ever! By no means! he will be surely thrown
into ‘That which Breaks to Pieces’.” (104:1-4).
Similarly, it condemns those who amass wealth, make it idle, and

do not spend freely for the good of their fellow-beings:
Arabic text
“… And there are those who bury gold and silver and spend it
not in the Way of Allah: announce unto them a most grievous
penalty—On the Day when heat will be produced out of that
(wealth) in the fire of Hell, and with it will be branded their
foreheads, their flanks, and their backs.— ‘This is the (treasure)
8
which you buried for yourselves: taste you, then, the (treasure)
you buried!’.” (9:34-35).
Abstaining from spending for the promotion of truth and

righteousness and the welfare of fellow-beings leads to the ruin
(moral, spiritual and economic) of the individual and the community:
Arabic text
“And spend of your substance in the cause of Allah, and make

not your own hands contribute to your destruction; but do good;
for Allah loves those who do good.” (2:195).
Its consequences are, indeed, grave, as exemplified in the story of

QÉrËn (or, Korah):
Arabic text
“QÉrËn was, doubtless, of the people of Moses; but he acted

insolently towards them: Such were the treasures We had
bestowed on him, that their very keys would have been a
burden to a body of strong men. Behold, his people said to him:
‘Exult not, for Allah loves not those who exult (in riches). But
seek, with the (wealth) which Allah has bestowed on you, the
Home of the Hereafter, nor forget your portion in this world:
but do good, as Allah has been good to you, and seek not
(occasions for) mischief in the land: for Allah loves not those
who do mischief.’ He said: ‘This has been given to me because
of a certain knowledge which I have.’ Did he not know that
Allah had destroyed before him (whole) generations,—which
VOLUME TWO
were superior to him in strength and greater in the amount (of

riches) they had collected? But the wicked are not called
(immediately) to account for their sins. So he went forth among
his people in the (pride of his worldly) glitter. Said those whose
aim is the Life of this World: ‘Oh! that we had the like of what
QÉrËn has got! for he is truly a lord of mighty good fortune!’
But those who had been granted (true) knowledge said: ‘Alas
for you! The reward of Allah (in the Hereafter) is best for those
who believe and work righteousness: but this none shall attain,
save those who steadfastly persevere (in good). Then, We
caused the earth to swallow up him and his house; and he had
not (the least little) party to help him against Allah, nor could
he defend himself.” (28:76-81).
Viewing the problem from the other side, we find that, according
to the Holy Qur’Én, spending freely in the service of fellow-beings2
forms a sure guarantee for the prosperity of the individual as well as
of the community. We are told:
Arabic text
“The parable of those who spend their substance in the Way of

Allah is that of a grain of corn: it grows seven ears, and each
ear has a hundred grains. Allah gives manifold increase to
whom He pleases: for Allah cares for all, and He knows all
things.” (2:261).
Arabic text
10
“Lo! those who believe and do good works and establish

worship and pay the poor-due, their reward is with their Lord
and there shall no fear come upon them, neither shall they
grieve.” (2:277).
2. DUTIES:
The Holy Qur’Én does not, however, confine itself to mere

exhortation, but lays down economic duties of the individual towards
the Muslim Society in concrete terms.
In this respect, there are:
a. Duties of Commission; and
b. Duties of Omission;
We may now take up these duties.
(1) An annual Welfare Tax, called al-ZakÉh (ZakÉt)3, enjoined:
Arabic text
“And establish (regular) Prayer and pay al-ZakÉh (i.e., the

obligatory annual poor-rate, or, welfare tax).4 And whatever
good you send forth for your souls before you, you will find it
with Allah. Lo! Allah is the Seer of all that you do.” (2:110).5
VOLUME TWO
Note 1:—There is another annual welfare tax also, which is very

much like al-ZakÉh, i.e., the Øadaqah al-FiÏr. It becomes due every
year at the end of the fasting month, i.e., RamaÌÉn, and is to be
compulsorily paid, for the benefit of the poor, by every Muslim of
means, on his behalf as well as on behalf of everyone of his
dependants. Its rate has been fixed in terms of four pounds of wheat
flour per head, and payment can be made according to its market-
price. It has been expressly prescribed by the Holy Prophet (peace be
on him)6 and not by the Holy Qur’Én. It is however, directly covered
by the following Qur’Énic injunction:
Arabic text
“And render to the kindred their due rights, as (also) to those in

want …” (17:26).
Note 2:—There is still another tax prescribed by the Holy Qur’Én

in 6:141. It is called ‘Ushr in Islamic Law, and is levied as 1/20th of
the agricultural produce on artificially-irrigated land, and 1/10th of
agricultural produce on land benefiting from rain or natural spring
only. It gives the appearance of being a tax like al-ZakÉh,7 but it has
been regarded in Islamic Law as land-revenue, pure and simple.
(2) Paying honestly and cheerfully any other taxes imposed by

the Islamic State on the wealthy—for the welfare of the
people and defence of the state, enjoined:
When we study the scheme of taxation given by the Holy Qur’Én,

it is revealed to us that its outlook in that respect is rational and aimed
at taxing the common man as lightly as possible. Indeed, that cruel
12
type of heavy taxation which sucks the blood out of the common man
is absolutely foreign to the spirit and the letter of the holy book.
The economic ideal of the Holy Qur’Én being, however, the

eradication of poverty and of the multi-faced evils to which the
possession of excessive wealth by individuals leads, spending of
wealth by the wealthy freely8 and at the highest level9 for the benefit
of their unfortunate fellow-beings has been proclaimed as the
characteristic and unavoidable virtue of every wealthy Muslim.10
Indeed, the holy book regards it as the duty of a Muslim to spend all
that he can save from his basic needs for the welfare of others:
Arabic text
“They ask you how much they are to spend (for the welfare of
others). Say: ‘What is beyond your needs’. Thus does Allah
make clear to you His Signs: in order that you may consider …”
(2:219).
This is so, because a Muslim is only a trustee of the wealth that

he possesses, and not its “owner” in the sense of having the right to do
with it whatever he likes:
Arabic text

goods; for theirs (in return) is the Garden (of Paradise): …”
(9:111).
VOLUME TWO
Moreover, the Holy Qur’Én has emphasized that the have-nots

have an inalienable right in the wealth of those who possess beyond
their needs:
Arabic text
“And render to the kindred their due rights as (also) to those in

want, and to the wayfarer: …” (17:26).
This Qur’Énic right of the economically-distressed has led

eminent exponents of Islam, like Caliph ‘Ali, ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Umar,
Mujahid, Taoos, Ibn Hazm, etc., to lay down the rule that there are
economic duties on the wealthy Muslims, in respect of those who may
be in economic distress, beyond the payment of the welfare taxes
prescribed by the Holy Qur’Én,11 and that the Islamic state12 has the
right—nay, it is its duty, to impose further taxes on the wealthy, if it
finds that with its normal scheme of taxation it is unable to meet the
challenge of expenditure on the welfare of the people and the state.13
(3) Voluntary economic assistance to others, subject to one’s

ability, enjoined:
The Holy Qur’Én has exhorted the Muslims at numerous places

and in different ways and contexts to render voluntary economic
assistance to their fellow-beings.14 The following verse, however,
proclaims that virtue in the form of command:
Arabic text
“… And establish regular Prayer and give regular Charity; and

loan to Allah a Beautiful Loan. And whatever good you send
14
forth for your souls, you shall find it in Allah’s Presence, as

something better and greater in Reward. And seek the Grace of
Allah: for Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.” (73:20).
Now, voluntary economic assistance to others can assume the

following forms:
1. Casual assistance:
a. Casual Gifts and Donations;
b. Repayable interest-free monetary loans;
c. Returnable rent-free loans of things.
2. Permanent assistance:
a. Bequests for individuals or for welfare projects

(orphanages, homes of the destitute, hospitals, hostels,
educational institutions, etc.).
b. Donating funds and creating charitable Trusts for the

above purposes in one’s own life-time.
All the above forms are comprehended by the above verse and
have found their due place in the Holy Prophet’s exposition of the
Qur’Énic teaching. They have been included in the Islamic Law under
the names, respectively, of: Hibah; QarÌ al-×asanah, ‘Óriyah and
Waqf; and rules and regulations relating to them have been laid down
in full-fledged form.15
VOLUME TWO
(4) Research in agricultural production and cattle-breeding

with a view to proper utilization and advancement in those
fields and for promoting the welfare of mankind, advocated;
hence a duty:
Arabic text
“Behold! In the constitution of the heavens and the earth; in the

alternation of the Day and the Night; in the sailing of the ships
through the Ocean for the profit of mankind; in the rain which
Allah sends down from the skies, and the life which it gives to
an earth that is dead: in the beasts of all kinds that He scatters
through the earth; in the change of the winds, and the clouds
which they trail like their slaves between the sky and the
earth;—here indeed are Signs for (study, observation and
research by) those who employ reason.” (2:164).
Arabic text
“And cattle He has created for you (O mankind): from them

you derive warmth, and numerous benefits, and of their meat
you eat. And you have a sense of pride and beauty in them as
you drive them home in the evening, and as you lead them forth
to pasture in the morning. And they carry your heavy loads to
lands that you could not otherwise reach except with souls
distressed: for your Lord is indeed Most Kind, Most Merciful.
And (He has created) horses, mules, and donkeys, for you to
ride and as an adornment; and He will create (in future, other
16
vehicles, through the ingenuity of Man) of which you have no

knowledge.” (16:5-8).
Arabic text
“It is He Who sends down rain from the sky: from it you drink,
and out of it grows the vegetation on which you, feed your
cattle. With it He produces for you corn, olives, date-palms,
grapes, and every kind of fruit: verily in this is a Sign for
(observation, study and research by) those who reflect (on the
nature, constitution and functions of things).” (16:10-11).
Arabic text
“And verily in the cattle will you find an instructive Sign. From
what is within their bodies, between excretions and blood, We
produce, for your drink, milk, pure and agreeable to those who
drink it. And from the fruit of the date-palm and the vine, you
get out wholesome drink and food: behold! in this also is a Sign
for those who employ reason. And your Lord taught the Bee to
build its cells in the hills, on trees and in (Men’s) habitations;
then to eat of all the produce (of the earth), and find with skill
the spacious Paths of its Lord: there issues from within their
bodies a drink of varying colors, wherein is healing for men:
verily in this is a Sign for (observation, study and research by)
those who reflect (on the nature, constitution and function of
things).” (16:66-69).
Arabic text
VOLUME TWO
“(he said:)… ‘He Who has made for you the earth as a bed, and
has enabled you to go about therein by roads (and channels);
and has sent down water from the sky’. With it have We
produced divers pairs of plants, each separate from the others.
Eat (for yourselves) and pasture your cattle; verily in this are
Signs for (observation, study and research by) the intellectuals.”
(20:53-54).
(5) Pursuit and promotion of commerce in general and

international commerce in particular, advocated: hence a duty:
(a) legalizing commerce:
Arabic text
“… and Allah has permitted (i.e., has made lawful) trade …”

(2:275).
(b) defining the basis of commercial morality:16
Arabic text
“… let there be amongst you traffic and trade by mutual

goodwill …” (4:29).
(c) referring to the benefits of inland commerce:
Arabic text
“And there are other advantages in them (i.e., the cattle) for
you; that you may through them attain to any need in your
hearts (in respect of the provision of transport for human
18
necessities); and on them and in the boats you are carried (to
distant places for the fulfillment of your needs).” (40:80).
(d) advocating advancement in commerce through technological

advance based on the pursuit of physical sciences, and
referring to international trade in terms of Divine Bounty:
Arabic text
“It is Allah Who has subjected the sea to you, that ships may
sail through it by His Command, that you may seek of His
Bounty, and that you may show gratefulness (to God by
developing those bounties further through the conquest of
Nature spoken of in the following verse).”
“And He has subjected to you, as from Him, all that is in the

heavens and on the earth: behold! in that indeed are Signs for
those who reflect (on the nature, constitution and utility of
things).” (45:12-13).
(6) Pursuit and promotion of industrial technology based on steel

industry prescribed as the basic material means of maintaining
and advancing the mission of the Holy Qur’Én, hence a duty:
The Holy Qur’Én refers to ship-building by the Holy Prophet

Noah (Peace be on him)17 and the steel industry pursued by the Holy
Prophet David (Peace be on him),18 thus placing industrial technology
among holy pursuits and making its acquisition and cultivation one of
the sacred duties of a Muslim.
VOLUME TWO
The holy book does not stop at that, however. It emphasizes the
importance of iron and steel industry directly—an industry whose
development led to the Industrial Revolution and which forms the
foundation of power and prosperity of the advanced nations of
today—and projects it as the deciding factor in respect of the
dominance of Islam in the industrial age as a world-force. The
Qur’Énic statement has already proved prophetic to the core. The
verse reads:
Arabic text
“We verily sent Our Messengers (to different communities of

the world) with clear proofs, and revealed with them the
Scripture and the Balance that mankind may observe right
measure (in all their affairs); and We sent down Iron,19 wherein
is (material for) mighty war, as well as many (industrial)
benefits for mankind, that Allah may test who it is that will help
(the Religion of) Him and His Messengers though unseen:20 Lo!
Allah is full of Strength, Exalted in Might (and able to make
Muslims triumphant against all odds; and promises to do so if
they follow His Guidance honestly).” (57:25).
It may be emphasized with regard to (4), (5) and (6) above that a
categorical command is explicitly contained in the following verse in
respect thereof:
Arabic text

the utmost of your capacity, including steeds of war, to strike
20
enemies, and others (i.e., enemies of the future) besides, whom
you know not, but whom Allah does know.” (8:60).
Mark how clearly God had warned the followers of Islam of

those formidable enemies who rose against them after the Industrial
Revolution and whose might the Muslims were, and have been so far,
unable to counteract mainly because of their backwardness in respect
of physical sciences and technology.
(1) Wasting money in luxuries and unproductive pursuits,

prohibited:
Arabic text
“And act not wastefully (i.e., unproductively). Lo! He approves

not the wasters.” (6:141).
Arabic text
“… and squander not (your wealth) in wantonness. Lo! the

squanderers were ever brothers of the devil, and the devil was
ever an ingrate to his Lord.” (17:26-27).
(2) Withholding money from expenditure in doing good to others

and in productive pursuits, prohibited:
Arabic text
VOLUME TWO
“And let not your hand be chained to the neck (in respect of
wealth) …” (17:29).
(3) Hoarding wealth and withholding it from circulation and

expenditure in good causes, most vehemently condemned:
hence abstinence from the same is duty:
Arabic text
“… And there are those who bury gold and silver and spend it
not in the Way of Allah: announce unto them a most grievous
penalty—” (9:34).
(4) Economic exploitation of others condemned; hence abstinence

from it is duty:
The Holy Qur’Én says, condemning the Jews of those days:
Arabic text
“And you shall see many of them hastening toward sin and
transgression and their devouring of ill-gotten wealth (obtained
through the exploitation of others). Vile indeed is that which
they have been doing.” (5:62).
(5) All types and forms of interest totally banned and abstinence
from interest-bearing transactions enjoined:
Arabic text
“Those who devour ribÉ (usury and interest) will not stand
except as stands one whom the satan has confounded with his
22
touch. That is because they say: ‘Trade is like ribÉ’. But Allah
has permitted trade and has forbidden ribÉ …” (2:275-276).
Arabic text
“O you who believe! Devour not usury, doubling and

quadrupling (the sum lent). Observe your duty to Allah that you
may be successful.” (3:130).
Two important points are worthy of being noted here:
(a) While banning ribÉ, the Holy Qur’Én has forbidden not only
usury but also interest in other forms. Because, according to the best
authorities,21 the word ribÉ, which means literally ‘an excess or
addition’, denotes as a term of economics ‘any addition, however
slight, over and above the principal sum lent’; and, as such, ribÉ
includes both ‘usury’ and ‘interest’.
(b) Because ribÉ is generally translated as usury, and because in

modern parlance ‘usury’ signifies only an ‘exorbitant rate of interest’,
some people have fallen into the error that what the Holy Qur’Én has
really forbidden is an excessive rate of interest. In truth, it is only a
misinterpretation of the term ribÉ and a perversion of the Qur’Énic
teaching. That the holy book does not distinguish between ‘exorbitant’
and ‘reasonable’ rates of interest is clear from the following:
Arabic text
“Oh you who believe! Fear Allah, and give up what remains of
your demand for ribÉ, if you are indeed believers. If you do it
not, take notice of war from Allah and His Messenger: But if
VOLUME TWO
you turn back (from charging interest), you shall have your
capital sums: deal not unjustly, and you shall not be dealt with
unjustly. If the debtor is in a difficulty, grant him time till it is
easy for him to repay (the capital sum). But if you remit it by
way of charity, that is best for you if you only know.” (2:278-
280).
Mark the words in verse 279: “you shall have your capital sums”.
The Holy Qur’Én does not say: “You shall have your capital sums plus
interest at a reasonable rate.”
(6) Creation of monopolies in trade and industry prohibited:
When the Holy Qur’Én lays down the basic principle concerning
wealth that “it may not (merely) make a circuit between the wealthy
among you”22 (59:7), it negates the legality of all those means and
methods whereby wealth becomes concentrated in the hands of a few,
making the rich richer. The aim of the creation of monopoly being
nothing else than the concentration of wealth in the hands of the
bigger business magnates and industrial barons, who either buy out
the lesser fry or create mergers and trusts or enter into private
agreements—all with a view to charging higher prices for their goods
and thus exploiting and fleecing the consumers, its prohibition is
directly contained in that verse.
Islam stands for the common man and not for the privileged few.
It is thus that the Holy Prophet (Peace be on him) condemned the
monopolist trader and forbade the hoarding of grain and its
withholding from sale in times of scarcity;23 and, in Islamic Law, the
24
Hanafi jurists have explicitly ruled against the monopoly in food-

stuffs.24
(7) Speculative deals classed as gambling are prohibited:
Speculative deals in trade are actually a form of gambling, and

about gambling the Holy Qur’Én says:
Arabic text
“Oh you who believe! Intoxicants and gambling … are an

abomination,—of Satan’s handiwork: eschew such
(abomination), that you may prosper.” (5:93).
Expounding this detail of the Qur’Énic teaching, the Holy

Prophet (Peace be on him) has laid down positive injunctions. For
instance:
“It is related by Ibn ‘Umar that the Messenger of Allah (Peace be

on him) prohibited the sale of commodity not in stock with another
commodity also not in stock.”25
“It is related on the authority of Hakim ibn Hizam, who said:

‘The Messenger of Allah (Peace be on him) prohibited me bargaining
about anything which I did not possess’. In another account, he (is
reported to have) said, ‘I said, O Messenger of Allah, a person comes
to me and wishes me to bargain about a thing which I do not possess.
May I purchase for him from the market? The Prophet replied-,
‘Bargain not about that which is not with you’.”26
“It is related on the authority of Anas (may Allah be pleased with

him!) that the Prophet (Peace be on him) prohibited dealings in fruits,
VOLUME TWO
as long as they were not ripe. It was asked: ‘How to know their
ripeness?’ He said, ‘Until they grow red’. Then he said, ‘Do you think
that any one of you would be able to take the property of his brother if
Allah were to stop fruit from ripening?’ In the account given by Ibn
‘Umar, it is stated that the Prophet (Peace be on him) prohibited the
purchase and sale of date trees until the dates ripened, and from
dealings in ears of corn until they grew (ripe and) white, or they were
safe from calamities. He prohibited both the seller and the purchaser
from such transactions.”27
The speculation market has unfortunately become a part and

parcel of the present-day commerce. It is, however, nothing better
than a gambling den. An economist says:
“In the speculation market, the person who gains most is the
broker. His role is that of the managing committee of a race course or
the keeper of a gambling den. The operators buy and sell through him
and he goes on charging his brokerage on each purchase and sale, just
as the punters or the card players gain or lose among themselves and
the race committee or the den keeper go on deducting their
commission at the finish of each event. Money that ought to have been
invested in industry or commerce finds its way into the speculative
market, where it is feeding disguised and parasitical workers like
brokers and shrewd operators. In a world clamoring for capital
formation in, and capital diversion into, the under-developed
countries, a futures market is a regressive step.”
(8) Betting in races prohibited:
26
In the Qur’Énic verse quoted above in respect of speculative

deals, the word used for ‘gambling’ is maisir, which means ‘getting
something too easily’: hence getting a profit without proper labor. In
its wider acceptance, it means any game of hazard, or play or stakes,
or wagers’.28
As ‘game of hazard’, it refers to speculative deals.
As ‘play of stakes or wagers’, it refers to forms of gambling like

betting in races—an evil which is quite old but which has assumed
devastating proportions in the present age in the form of the Derby
horse-race in England and of the Preakness and the Kentucky Derby
races in the United States.
(9) Lottery or Raffle, prohibited:
Let us refer to verse 5:90 again. Commenting on this verse

Abdullah Yusuf Ali says:
“The form most familiar to the Arabs was gambling by casting

lots by means of arrows, on the principle of a lottery: the arrows were
marked, and served the same purpose as a modern lottery ticket.
Something, e.g., the carcass of a slaughtered animal, was divided into
unequal parts. The marked arrows were drawn from a bag. Some were
blank and those who drew them got nothing. Others indicated prizes,
which were big or small. Whether you got a big share or a small share,
or nothing, depended on pure luck, unless there was fraud also on the
part of some persons concerned. The principle on which the objection
is based is: that, even if there is no fraud, you gain what you have not
VOLUME TWO
earned, or lose on a mere chance. Dice and wagering are rightly held
to be within the definition of gambling …” (op. cit., n. 241).

3. DUTIES RELATING TO ACTIVE STRUGGLE FOR

ENSURING AND PROMOTING THE POLITICAL
STABILITY OF THE MUSLIM SOCIETY
(1) Collective discipline enjoined:
Arabic text
“… and strengthen you one another …” (3:200).
Arabic text
“And obey Allah and His Messenger; and dispute not one with
another, lest you lose heart and your power depart; and be
patient and persevering: for Allah is with those who patiently
persevere.” (8:46).
(2) Disciplined obedience to the Leader, in so far as he leads

according to, and in the best interests of Islam, enjoined:
Arabic text
28
“So keep your duty to Allah as best as you can, and listen
(obediently to the Divine Call that comes through the Leader),
and spend (in the Way of Allah) for the benefit of your own
souls. And those saved from the covetousness of their own
souls (i.e., those who rise above personal interests)—they are
the ones that attain felicity.” (64:16).
Arabic text
“O you who believe! obey Allah and obey the Messenger

(Muhammad) and owners of authority from amongst you (as
leaders and administrators or as leaders only);29 then if you
differ in anything, refer it to Allah and His Messenger, if you do
believe in Allah and the Last Day. That is best, and most
suitable for final determination.” (4:59).
(3) Constant effort for the consolidation of Muslim Brotherhood,

enjoined:
Arabic text
“And hold fast, all together, by the Rope which Allah (stretches
out for you) …” (3:103).
(4) Active, profound, ceaseless and balanced struggle for making

the Muslim community immune from all internal and external
evils in order to promote piety, progress and peace, enjoined:
Arabic text
“… If any one slew a person—unless it be for murder or for

spreading mischief in the land—it would be as if he slew the
VOLUME TWO
whole people: and if any one saved a life, it would be as if he

saved the life of the whole people …” (5:36).
Arabic text
“And strive in His cause as you ought to strive (with sincerity

and under discipline). He has chosen you, and has imposed no
difficulties on you in religion; it is the Faith of your father
Abraham. It is He Who has named you Muslims, both before
and in this (Revelation); that the Messenger may be a witness
for you, and you be witnesses for mankind! So establish regular
Prayer, give regular charity, and hold fast to Allah! He is your
Protector—the best to protect and the best to help!” (22:78).
Arabic text
“O you who believe! shall I lead you to a bargain that will save
you from a grievous penalty?—that you believe in Allah and
His Messenger, and that you strive (your utmost) in the Cause
of Allah with your property and your persons: that will be best
for you, if you but knew! He will forgive you your sins, and
admit you to a Garden beneath which rivers flow, and to
beautiful Mansions in Gardens of Eternity: that is indeed the
supreme Achievement. And another (favor will He bestow),
which you do love,—help from Allah and a speedy victory. So
give the Glad Tidings to the Believers.” (61:10-13).
(5) Fighting against the enemies of Islam in defence of truth,

justice and righteousness and for making Islam and Muslims
safe against all aggression, enjoined:
30
Arabic text
“Fight in the Cause of Allah those who fight you, but do not
transgress limits; for Allah loves not transgressors.” (2:190).
Arabic text
“And fight them on until there is no more tumult or oppression,

and there prevail justice and faith in Allah; but if they cease, let
there be no hostility except to those who practice oppression.”
(2:193).
Arabic text

fight), because they are wronged:—and verily, Allah is Most
Powerful for their aid: …” (22:39).
(6) Migrating from such places where Islam is persecuted and

suppressed, thus saving one’s own faith and strengthening the
Cause of Islam and the Muslim community elsewhere, even
though it involves losses from the material point of view,
enjoined:
Arabic text
“When angels take the souls of those who die in sin against
their souls, they say: ‘In what (fight) were you? They reply:
‘Weak and oppressed were we in the earth.’ They say: ‘Was not
the earth of Allah spacious enough for you to move yourselves
away (from evil)?” Such men will find their abode in Hell,—
what an evil refuge!—Except those who are (really) weak and
VOLUME TWO
oppressed—men, women, and children—who have no means in

their power, nor a guide-post to direct their way. For these,
there is hope that Allah will forgive: for Allah does blot out
(sins) and forgive again and again. He who forsakes his home in
the Cause of Allah, finds in the earth many a refuge, wide and
spacious: should he die as a refugee from home for Allah and
His Messenger, his reward becomes due and sure with Allah:
and Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.” (4:97-100).
(1) Doing anything which might create disruption and disunity

among the Muslim community, prohibited:
Arabic text
“… and be not divided among yourselves; and remember with

gratitude Allah’s favor on you; for you were enemies and He
joined your hearts in love, so that by His Grace you became
brethren; and yet you were on the brink of the Pit of Fire, and
He saved you from it. Thus does He make His Signs clear to
you: that you may be guided.” (3:103).
Arabic text
“… and dispute not one with another …” (8:46).
(2) Creating religious sects and thus dividing the Muslim

community into hostile sections, prohibited:
32
Arabic text
“Be not like those who are divided among themselves and fall
into disputations after receiving Clear Signs: for them is a
dreadful Penalty …” (3:185).
Arabic text
“Turn you back in repentance to Him, and fear Him: establish

regular prayers, and be not you among those who join gods with
Allah,—those who split up their Religion, and become (mere)
Sects,—each party rejoicing in that which is with itself!” (30:
31-32).
(3) Tyrannizing over other Muslims prohibited:
Arabic text
“Say: ‘My Lord forbids only indecencies, such of them as are

apparent and such as are within, and sin and wrongful
oppression, and that you associate with Allah that for which no
warrant has been revealed, and that you tell concerning Allah
that which you know not.” (7:33).
(4) Creation of and participation in secret societies whose object

is destruction of truth and justice, prohibited:
Arabic text
“O you who believe! When you conspire together, conspire not

together for crime and wrongdoing and disobedience toward the
Messenger …” (58:9).
VOLUME TWO

34
PART 2: DUTIES OF Muslim society

towards the individual
END:
Collective effort by the Muslim society (Millat) for:
a. Moral perfection of the individual;
b. Happiness of the individual.
1. FUNDAMENTAL PRINCIPLES GOVERNING THE

MUSLIM SOCIETY AND THE ISLAMIC STATE.
2. DUTIES:
1. Duty of ensuring the spiritual welfare of the people.
2. Duty of ensuring the moral welfare of the people.
3. Duty relating to the intellectual development of the people.
4. Duties relating to the political and social welfare of the

people.
5. Duties relating to the economic welfare of the people.


VOLUME TWO
Chapter 1
FUNDAMENTAL PRINCIPLES
GOVERNING THE MUSLIM SOCIETY
AND THE ISLAMIC STATE
1. INDIVIDUAL VIS-A-VIS THE SOCIETY
(1) As we have already seen in the foregoing,30 the Holy Qur’Én

has emphasized the importance of social life and its demands.
Here we may emphasize that simultaneously it recognizes the
worth of the individual and the development of individual
personality. The holy book says:
Arabic text
“… whosoever kills a human being for other than man-

slaughter or corruption in the earth, it shall be as if he had killed
all mankind …” (5:32).
Again, it says:
Arabic text
“… Their affairs are by mutual Consultation.” (42:38).
Mark that in this verse the principle of consultation is founded on

the concept of the importance of the individual.
(2) The Holy Qur’Én makes it the obligation of the Millat to look
after and promote the spiritual, moral and general welfare of
36
the individual. Collective effort for establishing what is right

and eradicating what is wrong for the individual, and the
creation of conditions wherein truth, perseverance in truth and
mutual compassion and well-doing prevail for the benefit of
the individual, has been directly affirmed and emphasized.
The holy book says:
Arabic text
“… you enjoin what is right and forbid what is wrong …”

(3:110).
Arabic text
“… and exhort one another to compassion.” (90:17).
Arabic text
“… Save those who believe and do good works, and exhort one
another to truth and exhort one another to endurance (in the
cause of truth) …” (103:3).
(3) Side by side with that, the concept of collectivism is the very
warp and woof of Islam, and it has to be cultivated in Muslim
society to the extent that even in his prescribed prayers a
Muslim has to pray using the plural “we”.31

VOLUME TWO
2. OBLIGATION OF ORGANISING COLLECTIVE WELFARE

OF MUSLIMS EVEN WHERE THEY ARE A SMALL
GROUP ONLY
This necessitates the establishment of the Islamic state. That does

not mean, however, that Muslim minorities living in non-Muslim
states have no obligation with respect to their collective life. Because
Islam insists on collective duties to such an extent as to make it
imperative for the Muslims, even when they do not possess a state of
their own, to organize themselves into a well-knit community which
should function under one leader. That leader should be elected by the
Muslims on the basis of his piety, knowledge and other merits of
leadership; and, united under him, they should employ every means
and strive in every way to build up their lives, individually as well as
collectively, in a manner whereby they may be able to imbibe and
assimilate the spiritual, moral and social blessings of Islam in as wide
a range and on as high a level as possible.
All this is borne out by the organisation of the Muslim

community under the direction of, and according to the instructions
given in, the Holy Qur’Én, during the Makkan period of the Holy
Prophet’s career. In addition to that, the following among several
verses, have a direct bearing on the above-mentioned obligation:
Arabic text
“Oh you who believe! Enter into Islam (i.e., its comprehensive
discipline) all you together …” (2:208).
Arabic text
38
“And hold fast, all together, by the Rope which Allah (stretches
out for you) and be not divided among yourselves …” (3:103).
Arabic text
“Oh you who believe! obey Allah, and obey the Messenger, and
those charged with authority among you …” (4:59).

3. OBLIGATION OF ESTABLISHING THE ISLAMIC STATE
The collective effort of the Millat for the moral perfection and
happiness of the individual cannot, however, gain its ends truly and
comprehensively unless it transforms itself into a free theo-democratic
state, whose function should be to enforce the Islamic Way of Life in
its totality and to act as a condition for the natural flowering of the
ideals of Islam. Hence the establishment of the Islamic State,
whenever and wherever possible, forms, according to the Holy
Qur’Én, the duty of the Millat, not only towards Islam but also
towards the individual.
That it is an unavoidable duty, in case of ability, is borne out by

the fact that the Holy Prophet (Peace be on him) established the state
at Medina at the very first opportunity.
Further, this duty is contained and emphasized in the following

verse:
Arabic text
VOLUME TWO
“He it is Who has sent His Messenger with the Guidance and
the Religion of Truth, that He may cause it to prevail over all
religion, however much the idolaters may be averse.” (9:33).
It should be noted that the domination of Islam as a Way of Life

is not possible without the establishment of the Islamic State. Hence it
is the collective duty of the Muslims to strive for it with might and
main.
Again, the Muslims have been commanded:
Arabic text

the utmost …” (8:60).
This injunction makes it an obligation to establish the Islamic

State, because without that it is impossible to carry it out truly and
comprehensively.

4. THE CONSTITUTION OF THE ISLAMIC STATE
The Qur’Énic Constitution of the State rests on the following

principles:
(1) Sovereignty:
Sovereignty belongs to God:
Arabic text
40
“….Authority and control belong to Allah only.32 He has

commanded that you serve none save Him: that is the right
religion, but most human beings understand not.” (12:40).
Arabic text
“Is not His the Command? And He is the Swiftest in taking

account.” (6:62).
Arabic text
“To Him belongs the kingdom of the heavens and the earth.”
(43:85).
Arabic text
“He does not share His Command with any person

whatsoever.” (18:26).
Besides the above verses, the following Excellent Names also

bear reference to Divine Sovereignty:
Arabic text Lord of the worlds (1:2).
Arabic text Lord of the Throne (of Glory)

Supreme (9:129);
Arabic text Lord of Power and Rule (3:26);
Arabic text Ruler of rulers, or, Greatest of rulers

(11:45);
Arabic text the Sovereign (59:23);

VOLUME TWO
Arabic text the King (i.e., Ruler and Legislator)

of mankind (114:2).
(2) The right to legislate:
(a) The right to legislate belongs basically to God:
In the Holy Qur’Én we read:
Arabic text
“Lo! We (God) have revealed unto you (O Muhammad) the

Scripture with truth, that you may judge between mankind by
that (Law) which Allah has shown (i.e., has revealed unto)
you.” (4:105).
Arabic text
“We (God) sent aforetime Our Messengers with clear Signs and
sent down with them the Book and the Balance, that human-
beings may conduct themselves with equity.” (57:25).
These verses affirm direct Divine legislation.
(b) However, the laws given by the Holy Prophet Muhammad

(Peace be on him), in addition to the Qur’Énic Laws, also fall
under the category of what “Allah has revealed”, because:
Arabic text
“Nor does he (i.e., Muhammad) say (aught) of (his own) Desire.

It is not less than Inspiration sent down to him.” (53:3-4).
42
Hence: it has been commanded:
Arabic text
“And whatever the Messenger (Muhammad) gives you, accept

it, and from whatever he forbids you, keep back.” (59:7).
(c) Having been given the Divine Law it is not permitted to the
Muslims to adopt, when they have their own State, any law
which is repugnant to it. The following verses emphasize this
fact very vehemently:
Arabic text
“If any do fail to judge and command by (the light of) what
Allah has revealed, they are Unbelievers.” (5:47).
Arabic text
Allah has revealed, they are committers of severe wrong.”
(5:48).
Arabic text
Allah has revealed, they are the transgressors.” (5:50).
(d) It should be noted that the Holy Qur’Én prohibits only the
violation of “what Allah has revealed”. But, it does not lay
down, either in the verses just quoted or anywhere else, that
Muslims are forbidden from following any laws which Allah
has not revealed, thus leaving it open to frame new Laws for
VOLUME TWO
meeting the exigencies of new situations. Of course, all such

laws should be in conformity with the Divine Guidance, as the
holy book says:
Arabic text
“Seek they then the judgment of Paganism? And who is better

in judgment than Allah unto a people whose faith is assured?”
(5:53).
Thus, a controlled and limited, but positive, freedom has been

given to the Muslims in respect of legislation.
(3) Status of Governmental Authority:
Human beings are vicegerents of God: Hence, governmental

authority can be held by them only as a delegated function and as a
trust under the sovereignty of God:
Arabic text
“Behold, your Lord said to the angels: ‘verily I am going to

place a vicegerent on the earth’.” (2:30).
(4) Objectives of the Islamic State:
The objectives of the Islamic State are:
(a) To maintain internal order and ward off external aggression:
44
In respect of maintenance of internal order, the Holy Qur’Én says:
Arabic text
“… And if Allah had not repelled some men by others, the earth
would have been filled with mischief. But Allah is Lord of
kindness to (His) creatures.” (2:251).
Commenting on this verse, a learned commentator of the Holy

Qur’Én remarks: “This verse emphasizes the importance of the State
and establishes the fact that but for the existence of organized
government, human society would have been destroyed. On truth is
based the maxim that Religion and State are twins.” (RËÍ al-Ma‘ÉnÊ,
vol. 2, p. 173).
As regards warding off external aggression, we are told:
Arabic text

fight), because they are wronged;—and verily, Allah is Most
Powerful for their aid.” (22:39).
(b) To establish absolute justice for all citizens:
Arabic text
“Allah does command you to render back your Trusts to those

to whom they are due; and when you judge between man and
man (whether Muslims or non-Muslims), that you judge with
VOLUME TWO
justice: Lo! comely is the teaching which He gives you! Lo!

Allah is He Who hears and sees all things.” (4:58).
Arabic text
“Oh you who believe! stand out firmly for justice, as witnesses
to Allah, even as against yourselves, or your parents, or your
kin, and whether it be (against) rich or poor: For Allah can best
protect both. Follow not the lusts of your hearts, lest you
swerve, and if you distort (justice) or decline to do justice,
verily Allah is well-acquainted with all that you do.” (4:135).
(c) To do all that lies in its power and to employ all means and
media, including tablÊgh,33 for the establishment of “all that is
right” (al-ma‘rËf) and the elimination of “all that is wrong”
(al-munkar);
(d) To organize institutions for spiritual and social welfare:
In respect of (c) and (d) above, the Holy Qur’Én says:
Arabic text
“(Muslims are) those who, if we bestow on them (authority) in

the land, establish regular prayer (—pursue spiritual welfare)
and give regular charity (—pursue economic welfare), enjoin
(all) that which is right and forbid (all) that which is wrong (—
pursue moral and political welfare). And unto Allah is the end
of (all) affairs.” (22:41).
Again:
46
Arabic text
“In most of their secret conferences there is no good: but if one

commands a deed of economic well-doing or justice or ‘iÎlÉÍ
(i.e., establishment of peace, happiness and order) among
human beings: to him who does this, seeking the good pleasure
of Allah, We shall soon give a reward of the highest value.”
(4:114).
Moreover, from the social and economic point of view, the

function of the Islamic State is to transform the Muslim community
into a community of middle-roaders—of the middle-class standard—
with the elimination of the evils of poverty, on the one hand, and the
evils of riches, on the other, as the Holy Qur’Én proclaims:
Arabic text
“Thus We have appointed you (O Muslims) a middle nation (or,

a nation conforming to the just mean),34 that you may be
witnesses against mankind, and that the Messenger
(Muhammad) may be in regard to you a witness.” (2:143).
Islam steers the middle course between Capitalism and

Communism and bears witness to the evil of their extremism—an evil
from which they themselves are trying to recede gradually, thus
proving the truth of Islam. The famous philosopher of history, Prof.
Arnold Toynbee admits: “If Russia has moved to ‘the right’ her
neighbors have moved to ‘the left’ … the apparently irresistible
encroachment of planning on the once unregimented economies of the
democratic countries suggests that the social structure of all countries
VOLUME TWO
in the near future is likely to be both national and socialist. Not only
do the Capitalist and Communist regimes seem likely to continue side
by side; it may well be that Capitalism and Communism … are
becoming different names for very much the same things.”35
(e) To actively endeavor for making Islam the supreme

ideological force on the world-front:
Arabic text
“It is He Who has sent His Messenger with Guidance and the
Religion of Truth, that He may proclaim it (as the supreme
ideological force) over all religion (namely, over all systems of
belief and action), even though the Pagans may detest (it).”
(61:9).
Again:
Arabic text

the utmost …” (8:60).
(5) Democratic Rights of the People:
People are to be free and in possession of democratic rights:
People in the Islamic State are to be free from subjection to any

human being, because their government is the government of Law and
they are subjects of God alone.
We have been told:
48
Arabic text
“The authority and control belong to Allah only. He has

commanded that you serve none save Him. That is the right
religion but most human beings understand not.” (12:40).
Then, the Holy Qur’Én lays down the following principle in

respect of the collective life of Muslims:
Arabic text
“… Who (conduct) their affairs (or, government) by mutual

consultation …” (42:38).
It is evident that the administration of the State on the basis of

mutual consultation is impossible and unthinkable without the citizens
enjoying freedom and full democratic rights.
Moreover, it is the essential condition and consequence of the

establishment of absolute justice enjoined vehemently by the Holy
Qur’Én36 that the people should be in possession of freedom and
equality of opportunity—in other words, full democratic rights: and
this has actually been realized in the Islamic State.
(6) Qualifications, status and functions of the Head of the Islamic

State (AmÊr al-Mu’minÊn):
1. He must be a Muslim, endowed with a high standard of piety,

knowledge, wisdom and physical qualities, including bravery:
VOLUME TWO
That he must be a Muslim is borne out by the words “from

amongst you” in the following Qur’Énic verse:
Arabic text
“O you who believe! obey Allah and obey the Messenger and
those who wield authority from amongst you …” (4:59).
Even from the purely rational point of view, the head of an

ideological state can reasonably be only he who believes in and
represents that ideology.
As regards the high standard of piety, the Holy Qur’Én lays down
the law:
Arabic text
“… Verily, the most honored of you with Allah is (he who is)
the most pious of you …” (49:13).
Knowledge, wisdom and physical merits have been affirmed in

the following verses:
Arabic text
“Their Prophet said to them: ‘Allah has appointed Talut as king

over you’. They said: ‘How can he exercise authority over us
when we are better fitted than he to exercise authority, and he is
not even gifted with wealth in abundance? He said: ‘Allah has
chosen him above you, and has gifted him abundantly with
knowledge and physique (i.e., physical merits): Allah bestows
50
His power on whom He pleases. Allah cares for all, and He

knows all things’.” (2:247).
Arabic text
“And David slew Goliath; and Allah gave him power and
wisdom and taught him whatever (else) He willed.” (2:251).
Arabic text
2. His status is that of: (a) the Vicegerent of God; (b) the
Successor to the Holy Prophet Muhammad (Peace be on him)
(c) the Representative of the People who delegate their
Authority to him:
(a) He is the vicegerent of God: as it has been said about David

(Peace be on him):
Arabic text
“O David, We did indeed make you a vicegerent on earth …”

(38:27).
(This is his cosmic status, or status in relation to God).
(b) He is the successor to the Holy Prophet Muhammad (Peace

be on him):
The Holy Prophet being the founder and the first head of the
Islamic State, every other head of the Islamic State who comes after
him is naturally his successor.
(This is his historical status, or status in relation to the Holy

Prophet, Peace be on him).
VOLUME TWO
(c) He is the representative of the people, who, as vicegerents of

God, delegate their authority, out of organizational and
administrative necessity, to him.
The administration of the Islamic State being based on “mutual

consultation”, as seen in the foregoing,37 no one can impose himself as
a despotic ruler on the Muslims. Rather, he is to be elected by them;
and, as such, he is to be their representative.
(This is his political status, or status in relation to the people).
3. His functions are:
a. As vicegerent of God, his natural function is to live for God,

to carry out Divine commands and to surrender his ego
completely to Divine Pleasure.
b. As Successor to the Holy Prophet (Peace be on him), his

natural function is to imitate the Holy Prophet as a Muslim
and as head of the state, as best as he can.
c. As representative of the people, his natural function is to be

the servant of the people and not their master.
Hence he should lead a life of austerity and self-negation. It has

been said about good Muslims that they sacrifice their own interests
and comforts for the sake of other Muslim.38 The head of the Islamic
State is, therefore, duty-bound, more than any other Muslim, to base
his life on self-sacrifice.
52
Thus, his life must be exemplary for the people in respect of the
Islamic Way of Life.
4. His relationship with his people:
(a) Parliament:
He should rule the State in consultation with the people. Thus,

there should be a parliament.
According to the Holy Qur’Én, the Holy Prophet (Peace be on

him) was commanded by God, in spite of his unique position as God’s
Messenger, to administer the State in consultation with the people,
who were his followers. The command reads:
Arabic text
“… And consult with them upon the conduct of affairs.”

(3:159).
Thus, as Successor to the Holy Prophet (Peace be on him), the

head of the Islamic State cannot assume the position of an autocrat or
a dictator and cannot disturb the democratic rights of the people.
(b) People’s Right to differ:
The citizens of the Islamic State have the right to differ with the
head of the State; and when such a situation arises, the dispute is to be
referred to the Holy Qur’Én and the Prophetic Guidance (Sunnah) for
arbitration.
VOLUME TWO
The right to differ is directly contained in the right to give

opinion,39 while the principle for settlement of differences has been
given in the following verse:
Arabic text
“If you differ in anything among yourselves, refer it to Allah

and His Messenger, if you do believe in Allah and the Last
Day: That is best, and most suitable for final determination.”
(4:59).
(c) Supremacy of the Law:
The above brings out that the head of the Islamic State is not
above Law, his function being not to administer the State arbitrarily
and at will but positively on the basis of Truth and Justice as given in
the Divine Law, as the following verse establishes:
Arabic text
“… So judge between mankind with truth, and follow not

caprice and lust of the heart, lest it cause you to err from the
path of Allah (i.e., do not subordinate the welfare of the people
to your personal inclinations and interests, because that would
lead you away from absolute obedience to the Divine Law and
from upholding it as supreme).” (38:26).
However, as long as he administers in conformity with the

Guidance given by God and His Messenger Muhammad (Peace be on
him), he should be implicitly obeyed by all, as it has been
commanded:
54
Arabic text
“Oh you who believe! Obey Allah, and obey the Messenger and
those charged with authority among you.” (4:59).
(7) Separation of the Executive and the Judiciary:
If as we have noted, the head of the Islamic State is subordinate

to the Law given by God and His Messenger (Peace be on him), the
principle of the Supremacy of Law is established. Now, the only way
to ensure the Supremacy of Law is the keeping of the judiciary
independent of the executive and the total avoidance by the head of
the State of tampering with the functioning of the judiciary.
(8) Qualifications of State’s Functionaries:
Functionaries of the State are to be appointed on no other

consideration but genuine merits like knowledge, practical wisdom,
efficiency, honesty and integrity.
Arabic text
“Verily Allah does command you to make over Trusts to those

to whom they are due (or to those who are worthy of them).”
(4:58).
We have already seen that those in authority hold the State and
all that it stands for as a trust from God. All the offices of the State,
from the highest to the lowest, are thus trusts; and one of the
VOLUME TWO
implications of above command, according to orthodox authoritative

thought, is that which relates to the appointments to governmental
services only of persons who are worthy of those jobs.40
(9) Obedience in People’s own interest:
Obedience to the head of the state has been imposed as a duty

upon the citizens for:
a. the coordination of their democratic rights;
b. the establishment and maintenance of collective discipline;
c. the establishment and maintenance of a unitary policy for the

State.
These three principles are contained in “enjoining what is right”,

which is one of the functions of the Islamic State, and, among other
verses, in the following verse which lays down the command:
Arabic text
“Establish happiness, peace and order among yourselves.”

(8:1).

56
Chapter 2
duties
“Enjoining what is right and forbidding what is wrong”41

assumes, as instrument of the state, the form of:
a. the actual establishment of conditions and requirements which

preserve and promote human good;
b. the active obliteration of such conditions as destroy human

good.
Now, Good, being a comprehensive term, includes all goods,

namely, spiritual, moral, intellectual, political and economic.
In other words, the function of the Islamic State should be the

spiritual, moral, intellectual, physical and social preservation and
development of the individuals, with a view to the establishment of a
righteous society, i.e., a society which is healthy in all respects.
In this connection, besides those duties which shall be shortly

mentioned, a basic duty of the Islamic State is the education and
training of the experts of Islam42 belonging to all the required levels of
learning. The following verses bear reference to this duty:
Arabic text
VOLUME TWO
“Let there arise out of you a band of people inviting to all that is
good, enjoining what is right, and forbidding what is wrong:
They are the ones to attain felicity.” (3:104).
Arabic text
“… If a contingent from every expedition remained behind,

they could devote themselves to studies in religion, and
admonish the people when they return to them,—that thus they
(may learn) to guard themselves (against evil).” (9:122).

(1) DUTY OF ENSURING THE SPIRITUAL WELFARE OF

THE PEOPLE
The Holy Qur’Én proclaims “exhortation to Truth” as one of the

essential conditions of human success (103:3). Hence, it is the duty of
the Islamic State as the vicegerent of God, Successor to the Holy
Prophet (God’s blessings be on him), and representative of the people,
to uphold, propagate and ensure the functioning of Truth, and
consequently, the spiritual values—which form the basic content of
Truth in the lives of the Muslims.
Arabic text
“(Muslims are) those who, if We establish them (in authority

and power) in the land, establish regular prayer and give regular
58
charity, enjoin the right and forbid the wrong: With Allah rests
the end (and decision) of (all) affairs.” (22:41).
As a duty of the Islamic State, “establishment of regular prayer”

and “enjoining what is right and forbidding what is wrong” in
spiritual affairs, mean:—
a. the construction and maintenance of masjids;
b. appointment and maintenance of the requisite staff for the

proper functioning of the masjids;
c. organisation of spiritual education at the highest level as well

as at the level of the general masses, and making it
compulsory for every Muslim citizen of the state to acquire
that education;
d. enforcement of laws whereby the above is ensured;
e. curbing and eliminating all those forces, customs and

institutions which are opposed to, or are capable of hindering,
the proper functioning of the Islamic spiritual values.

(2) DUTY OF ENSURING THE MORAL WELFARE OF THE

PEOPLE
Taking up the verse just quoted (i.e., 22:41), it lays down

“enjoining what is right and forbidding what is wrong” as one of the
functions of the Islamic State. Viewing this function in the perspective
VOLUME TWO
of morals, the fact stands out as self-evident that it is the duty of the
Islamic State:
1. to organize and institute the moral education of the people,

and to do in that behalf all that is necessary;
2. to take all positive steps, including the enactment and

enforcement of laws, for ensuring the proper practice of
Islamic morals with a view to preserve and promote moral
welfare;
3. to adopt all measures necessary, including the enactment and

enforcement of laws, for combating all tendencies, acts and
forces that are detrimental to the cause of moral welfare, and
for punishing the actual offenders.
In fact, the Holy Qur’Én demands severe punishments for those

who promote what is detrimental to the maintenance of the proper
moral tone of society:
Arabic text
“Verily those who love that immorality is propagated among

the Believers, for them is a grievous penalty in this life43 and in
the Hereafter: and Allah knows (its far reaching evil effects)
and you know (or discern) not.”44 (24:19).

60
(3) DUTY RELATING TO THE INTELLECTUAL

DEVELOPMENT OF THE PEOPLE
When we study the attitude of the Holy Qur’Én regarding the

intellectual development of human beings, we find that:
1. it classifies humanity distinctly into two groups: the

possessors of knowledge and the ignorant, and emphasizes
clearly the superiority of the former over the latter:
Arabic text
“Are the possessors of knowledge equal with those who possess

not knowledge? It is the possessors of understanding that are
mindful.” (39:9).
2. Nay, it goes beyond that. Because, while emphasizing most

vehemently the importance of intellectual development in
human life, it makes the quest of knowledge a duty of
paramount importance for an individual. We have noticed
that in detail already in Book 1, chapter on “Duties to Self”
(section: ‘Duties as Rational Being’).
The problem with which we are concerned here is: Has the
Islamic State any duty towards the citizens in respect of their
intellectual development? The plain answer is: Yes, as the following
observations bear out:
1. According to the Holy Qur’Én, God educated Adam, the

progenitor of the human race:
VOLUME TWO
Arabic text
“And He imparted to Adam the knowledge of the nature of all

things.”45 (2:31).
Then, the Holy Qur’Én lays down the law that Divine Blessings
are meant to be transmitted to others:
Arabic text
“… and do good (to others) as Allah has been good to you…”

(28:77).
Thus, the knowledge imparted by God to Adam was meant to be

transmitted to mankind, generation after generation, and to be
developed further and further by them.
Now: who can organize this difficult and great pursuit better than
the possessor of the powers of collective vicegerency of God?
Thus, it is the duty of the Islamic State to organise universal

education for the intellectual development of its citizens.
2. The Holy Qur’Én has taught the prayer:
Arabic text
“… O my Lord! advance me in knowledge.” (20:114).
This shows that it is God who advances the human beings in

knowledge. He does so, however, through human beings, of which the
institution of prophethood is the proof.
62
All the prophets, from Adam to Muhammad (Allah bless them

all) were the vicegerents of God par excellence and, as such, the
teachers of mankind.
Every State is also the vicegerent of God, the Islamic State being
supremely so, because besides its status as “State”, it is also the
inheritor of the blessings conferred on mankind by God through His
Messengers.
This vicegerency makes it incumbent on the Islamic State to

undertake the development of knowledge to higher and higher levels
and to organize and enforce the education of all its citizens with a
view to their intellectual advancement, with all the resources at its
command.
3. The Holy Qur’Én refers to the establishment of justice and

balanced life among human beings as the objective of Divine
Guidance and, consequently, as the objective of the Islamic
State:
Arabic text
“We sent aforetime Our Messengers with Clear Signs and sent
down with them the Book and the Balance (of Right and
Wrong), that men may stand forth in justice …” (57:25).
This objective cannot, however, be achieved without a universal

dissemination among the people of the knowledge of Islamic Way of
Life, as a compulsory measure.
VOLUME TWO
The Islamic Way of Life is, in its turn, built upon Divine
Guidance, which is the highest knowledge, and as such necessitates
the acquisition of all knowledge for its proper understanding.
Thus free, compulsory and universal education, based on Divine

Guidance, having the promotion of the Islamic Way of Life as its
objective, and being widest in its scope, stands out as one of the
foremost duties of the Islamic State.
4. The Holy Qur’Én commands the Muslims to build up their

power to the utmost and in all respects (8:60).46 That
objective is only achievable, among other things,47 through:
a. universal and basic religious and general48 education of the

people, and
b. the highest theological, philosophical, scientific and

technological education of those who possess the proper
aptitude;
Thereby building up a community of intellectuals which should

endeavor ceaselessly to attain the highest level in every field of
knowledge.
All that education should, of course, be inspired by the ideal of

making Truth and Justice reign supreme in the world, whereby alone
the mission of Islam is fulfilled.49
The crux of the above discussion is that:—
64
In respect of intellectual development, it is the duty of the Islamic

State:
a. to organize, establish and enforce free compulsory basic

universal education;
b. to devise ways and means whereby all branches of knowledge

are cultivated at the highest level; and
c. to harness all intellectual endeavor in the cause of the

advancement of Truth and Justice.

(4) DUTIES RELATING TO THE POLITICAL AND SOCIAL

WELFARE OF THE PEOPLE
(1) Establishment of happiness, peace and order for ensuring

healthy existence and development of the individuals,
enjoined:
Arabic text
“… So fear Allah and pursue iÎlÉÍ (i.e., happiness, peace and

order) between yourselves …” (8:1).
(2) Administering justice without discrimination and without any

extraneous consideration, for the preservation of life, honor
and property of the individuals, enjoined:
VOLUME TWO
Arabic text
“Oh you who believe! stand out firmly for justice, as witnesses
to Allah, even as against yourselves, or your parents, or your
kin, and whether it be (against) rich or poor; for Allah can best
protect both. Follow not the lusts of your hearts, lest you
swerve, and if you distort (justice) or decline to do justice,
verily Allah is well-acquainted with all that you do.” (4:135).
Again:
Arabic text
“Oh you who believe! be maintainers of your pact with Allah,

as witnesses to fair dealing, and let not the hatred of others to
you make you swerve to wrong and depart from justice. Be just:
that is nearest to Piety: and fear Allah. For Allah is well-
acquainted with all that you do.” (5:9).
(3) Ensuring the democratic rights of the people, enjoined:
Arabic text
“Allah does command you to render back your Trusts (i.e., all
obligations towards God and fellow-beings)50 to those to whom
they are due …” (4:58).
(4) Honoring all human beings as human beings: Hence no law,

whereby the human dignity of any citizen is jeopardized
unjustly, is to he adopted:
66
Arabic text
“We have honored the children of Adam.” (17:70).
(5) Punishing the violators of law and those who endanger the
security of the State made a function of the State: Hence
State’s duty:,
Arabic text
“(Muslims are) those who, if We establish them (in authority

and power) in the land, establish regular prayer and give regular
charity, enjoin the right and forbid what is wrong …” (22:41).
In this verse, “forbidding (or, restraining from) what is wrong”

relates to the function of the Islamic State with regard to the
punishment of offenders against Law.
Also: punishing the criminals51 is a positive demand of justice;

and the Holy Qur’Én enjoins:
Arabic text
“… And that when you judge between human beings (whether

Muslims or non-Muslims), you judge with justice.” (4:58).
(6) Defence of Islam and Muslims against internal disruption:
In this connection, it should be noted that:

VOLUME TWO
a. Damaging Islam through the creation of mutually hostile

religious groups has been condemned and prohibited by the
Holy Qur’Én:
Arabic text
“… And be not among those who join gods with Allah,—those

who split up their Religion, and become (mere) Sects, each party
rejoicing in that which is with itself.” (30:31-32).
It is, therefore, the duty of the Islamic State as the defender of

Islam, to foster religious unity among Muslims and to put down all
attempts at religious disruption and disputes with an iron hand,
leaving no place for religious adventurers.
b. Damaging Muslim unity and solidarity socially and

politically, through the formation of mutually hostile political,
tribal, regional or racial 52 groups, has been condemned, and
the duty of punishing those who are guilty of such offence, and
enforcing unity with justice, has been enjoined by the Holy
Qur’Én:
Arabic text
“If two parties among the Believers fight (against one another),
make you peace between them: but if one of them transgresses
beyond bounds against the other, then fight you (all) against the
one that transgresses until it complies with the command of
Allah: but if it complies, then make peace between them with
justice and be fair: for Allah loves those who are fair (and just).
68
The Believers are but a single Brotherhood: so make peace and

reconciliation between your two (contending) brothers; and fear
Allah, that you may receive Mercy.” (49:9-10).
It is, therefore, the duty of the Islamic State to combat and

eliminate all such tendencies in the community on the basis of truth
and justice.
(7) Defence of Islam and Muslims against external aggression,

enjoined:
Arabic text

fight) because they are wronged …” (22:39).
Again:
Arabic text

the utmost of your capacity, including steeds of war, to strike
enemies, and others besides, whom you know not, but whom
Allah does know. Whatever you shall spend in the Cause of
Allah, shall be repaid unto you, and you shall not be treated
unjustly.” (8:60).

VOLUME TWO
(5) DUTIES RELATING TO THE ECONOMIC WELFARE OF

THE PEOPLE
1. Harmonizing different interests to end exploitation and the

creation of a classless society, enjoined:
In this respect:
1. The Holy Qur’Én establishes the Brotherhood of Muslims:
Arabic text
“The Believers are but a single Brotherhood. Therefore,

establish happiness, peace and order among two (contending)
members of your Brotherhood, and observe your duty to Allah
that haply you may obtain mercy.” (49:10).
It should be noted that:
a. the concept of the Brotherhood of Believers is outright the

concept of a classless society;
b. the establishment of happiness, peace and order in that

Brotherhood refers to the preservation of the Brotherhood as a
classless society through the requisite principles and laws:
social, political and economic;
c. the establishment of happiness, peace and order is truly

possible only for the state which controls the life of the people
comprehensively and with coercive authority. Hence, this
verse relates primarily and essentially to the duties of the
Islamic State.
70
2. The Holy Qur’Én lays down the law for ending exploitation
at all levels and in all respects:
Arabic text
“You shall neither wrong, nor be wronged.” (2:279).
Again:
Arabic text
“The blame is only against those who oppress men with wrong-
doing and insolently transgress beyond bounds through the
land, denying right and justice: For such there will be a penalty
grievous.” (42:42).
3. The Holy Qur’Én enjoins active steps, through coercive

authority, for ending exploitation:
Arabic text
“If two parties among the Believers fall into a quarrel, make
you peace between them: but if one of them transgresses
beyond bounds against the other then fight you (all) against the
one that transgresses until it complies with the command of
Allah …” (49:9).
The first implication of this verse is that which has been given in
the previous section.
VOLUME TWO
In its general bearing, it provides also the principle that if a group

of Muslims tries to exploit another group, it is the duty of the Islamic
State to restrain the exploiters by force.
Prohibition of usury and interest,53 whereby the rich exploit the

poor, is a part of Qur’Énic legislation in this regard.
2. Ensuring the economic characteristics of the Muslim society in

terms of its being the “balanced community”54 by eliminating the
evils of poverty as well as the evils of riches,55 enjoined:
The means which the Holy Qur’Én prescribes, for adoption by the
Islamic State, are:
1. It propounds the principle that all human beings have equal

right to the means of sustenance found on earth,—and that,
consequently, the citizens of the Islamic State have equal
right to the means of sustenance found in the State:
Arabic text
“He (Allah) it is Who created for you (i.e., for the benefit of all
of you, O mankind!) all that is on the earth.” (2:29).
Mark that, according to this verse, no human being has originally

any exclusive and absolute right to anything found on the earth.
Again:
Arabic text
72
“And We have provided therein (i.e., in the earth) means of

subsistence,—for you and for those for whom you provide not.”
(15:20).
Still again:
Arabic text
“… and (Allah) ordained in due proportion therein (i.e., in the

earth) the sustenance thereof (for the purpose of fulfilling the
requirements of its inhabitants) in four Days: equal for those
who seek (to fulfill their needs).” (41:10).
2. It lays down the law that value lies in labor:
Arabic text
“That man can have nothing but what he strives for (through
labor).” (53:39).
3. It teaches that God rewards man’s labor in full. Hence, it is

the duty of the Islamic State, as the vicegerent of God, to
establish an economic order wherein the labor of every citizen
is fully rewarded:
Arabic text
“And that his (man’s) effort will be seen; then he will be repaid
for it with fullest payment.” (53:40-41).
4. It sets forth the principle that all human beings are equally
honorable in respect of their humanity: It has been
proclaimed:
VOLUME TWO
Arabic text
“Verily We have honored the children of Adam.” (17:70).
Hence, it is the duty of the Islamic State, as God’s vicegerent, to

organize, ensure and promote honorable living and livelihood for all
of its citizens.
5. It approves 56 the right to private property:
Arabic text
“From what is left by parents and those nearest related there is a

share for men (to own) and there is a share for women (to own),
whether the property be small or large,—a determinate share.”
(4:7).
Again:
Arabic text
“… To men the benefit of what they earn and to women the

benefit of what they earn …” (4:32).
6. It protects the rights of the owner of private property against

violations by others:
Arabic text
“… and wrong not mankind in their goods (i.e., possessions)57

…” (7:85).
7. It does not, however, permit the institution of private property

to promote the evil of concentration of wealth. Rather, among
74
other measures to which references have been made in the

foregoing, it lays down the principle for the division of
property among inheritors on a wide scale, by taking into
consideration all the male and female categories of near
relatives and permitting bequest of one-third property for the
welfare of the non-inheritors, so that the Muslim community
may remain essentially a community of middle-roaders from
the economic point of view.
(See 4:11-12, etc., where the shares of the different beneficiaries

in a Muslim’s property have been given).58
The foregoing makes it evident that the Qur’Énic point of view

steers clear of both: free economy (capitalist) and controlled economy
(communist), and prescribes a partially-free and partially-controlled
economy.
In that respect:—
a. it sanctions the right of private ownership:
b. its principle that value lies in labor envisages peasant-

proprietorship of agricultural land and forms a condemnation
of absentee land-lordship;
c. it advocates wages for the laborer commensurate with

honorable living;
d. its emphasis on the gifts of nature being meant for all human
beings, the right to own mines, water, perennial forests, etc.,
should belong only to people as a whole, namely, to the State.
VOLUME TWO
e. its emphasis on the principle that wealth should not be

permitted to become concentrated in a few hands makes it
incumbent that the economic order should be such as to have
no room for monopolists of wealth—the industrial barons and
the business lords.
Besides these principles, however:
8. It emphasizes the Brotherhood of Muslims, as already noted.
This makes the provision of social security a duty, because a

Brotherhood without social security for its members is hardly worth
the name.
Provision of social security will have no meaning, however, if the

Islamic State does not, side by side with eliminating exploitation in all
its forms,59 ensure:
a. the right to work and employment;
b. the right to free choice of profession;
c. the right to decent wages for labor, and the consequent

decent living.
These rights are directly traceable in the Holy Prophet’s practice

in respect of Qur’Énic Guidance.60
76
9. It:
a. ensures economic assistance to those who, for any reason, are

incapable of earning their livelihood, through the Welfare
Taxes which we have discussed already.61
62
b. It lays down the principle of spending profusely for public
good, thereby creating, in the case of the Islamic State, public
works,—thus warding off unemployment.
3. Provision of basic necessities of life to all the citizens, enjoined:
This problem has been covered indirectly and in different details

in the foregoing. It is a problem of such vital importance, however,
that the statement of its positive and direct affirmation by the Holy
Qur’Én is necessary.
In this connection, we have to consider:
a. the Qur’Énic concept of God;
b. the Qur’Énic description of the life of Adam and Eve—

the parents of humanity—in the Heavenly Garden;
c. the Qur’Énic promise, given by God, after the

Repentance by Adam and Eve, concerning the
elimination of fear and sorrow from the lives of human
beings, during their sojourn on earth, and the condition
thereof.
As to (a), the Holy Qur’Én says:

VOLUME TWO
Arabic text
“Praise to Allah, the Cherisher and Sustainer of the Worlds.”

(1:2).
Thus God is the Cherisher and Sustainer of all human beings.
Indeed, He has taken upon Himself the obligation of providing

the livelihood, or, basic necessities of life, to all living beings:
Arabic text
“There is no moving creature on earth but upon Allah is the

livelihood thereof.” (11:6).
As to (b), the Holy Qur’Én refers to the basic necessities,

provided by God to Adam and Eve in their heavenly Abode, as: food,
clothing, health, shelter and education. The holy book says:
Arabic text
“And We said: ‘Oh Adam! dwell you and your wife in the
Garden (in health and happiness); and eat of the bountiful
things therein (in healthy enjoyment) as you wish.” (2:35).
Again:
Arabic text
“Then We said: ‘O Adam! verily, this is an enemy to you and

your wife: so let him not get you both out of the Garden, so that
you are landed in misery (in many ways, including the problem
of suffering in respect of health). There is therein (enough
provision) for you not to go hungry (—food) nor to go naked
78
(—clothing) nor to suffer from thirst (—drink) nor from the

sun’s heat (—shelter).” (20:117-119).
Still again:
Arabic text
“And He imparted to Adam the knowledge of all things.”

(2:31).
As to (c), God says:
Arabic text
“We said: ‘Get you down all together; and if, as is sure, there
comes to you Guidance from Me, whosoever follows My
Guidance, on them shall be no fear, nor shall they grieve!”
(2:38).
This verse denotes that proper enforcement of Divine Guidance,

which is possible only through State Authority, ensures, to the limit
possible under the conditions obtaining on earth, freedom from all
fears and sorrows, including the economic fear and sorrow.
This whole discussion brings out that:
The Islamic State, as functioning under the Sovereignty of God,

and in the capacity of His vicegerent, and as governed by the Divine
Law, is duty-bound to arrange and organize the economics of the state
63
in such a way that every citizen obtains the basic necessities of
life—those necessities being: food, clothing, health, shelter, and
VOLUME TWO
education, thereby obtaining all possible immunity from economic

fear and sorrow.

80
PART 3. The penal code
There are certain offences against the honor, property and life of
the citizens, and against the security of the state, with respect to which
64
the Holy Qur’Én has ordained punishments that are to be executed
by the government of the Islamic State.
The punishments specifically mentioned in the Holy Qur’Én are:
1. Punishments pertaining to the interests of the Individuals:
(1) Punishments relating to Honor—in respect of:
(a) Slandering of chaste women;
(b) Fornication and adultery;
(c) Homosexuality.
(2) Punishments relating to Property—in respect of:
(a) Theft;
(b) Robbery.
(3) Punishments relating to Life—in respect of:
(a) Murder;
(b) Mutilation.
2. Punishments pertaining to the interests of the State:
Treason.

VOLUME TWO
Chapter 1.
Punishments pertaining to the
interests of the individual
1. PUNISHMENTS RELATING TO HONOUR
(a) In Respect of Slandering of Chaste Women:
Arabic text
“And those who accuse chaste women (of unchastity), and

produce not four witnesses (to support their allegations), flog
them with eighty stripes; and reject their evidence ever after; for
such men are wicked transgressors;—unless they repent
thereafter and mend (their conduct); for Allah is Oft-Forgiving,
Thus, the punishment prescribed is that of:
1. flogging the offender with eighty stripes;
2. deprivation of the civic right of giving evidence—

appearing as witness—in a court of law.
As for the effects of repentance, “Abu Hanifa (the Imam of

Hanafi school of Law) considers that neither the stripes nor the
82
incompetence for giving further evidence is cancelled by repentance,

but only the spiritual stigma of being ‘wicked transgressor’. This of
course is the more serious punishment, though it cannot be enforced in
the Courts.” (A. Yusuf Ali, op. cit., n. 2959).
In case the accusation of unchastity is brought by the husband

against his wife, the Holy Qur’Én lays down the following procedure
to be observed in a court of law;
Arabic text
“And for those who launch a charge (of unchastity) against their
spouses, and have (in support) no evidence but their own, their
solitary evidence (can be received) if they bear witness four
times (with an oath) by Allah that they are solemnly telling the
truth; and the fifth (oath) should be that they solemnly invoke
the curse of Allah on themselves if they tell a lie. But it would
avert the punishment from the wife, if she bears witness four
times (with an oath) by Allah, that (her husband) is telling a lie;
and the fifth (oath) should be that she solemnly invokes the
wrath of Allah on herself if (her accuser) is telling the truth.”
(24:6-9).
Commenting on this Qur’Énic ordinance, A. Yusuf Ali says: “The

case of married persons is different from that of outsiders. If one of
them accuses the other of unchastity, the accusation partly reflects on
the accuser as well. Moreover, the link which unites married people,
even where differences supervene, is sure to act as a steadying
influence against the concoction of false charges of unchastity,
VOLUME TWO
particularly where divorce is allowed (as in Islam) for reasons other

than unchastity. Suppose a husband catches a wife in adultery. In the
nature of things four witnesses—or even one outside witness—would
be impossible. Yet after such an experience it is against human nature
that he can live a normal married life. The matter is then left to the
honor of the two spouses. If the husband can solemnly swear four
times to the fact, and in addition invoke a curse on himself if he lies,
that is prima facie evidence of the wife’s guilt. But if the wife swears
similarly four times and similarly invokes a curse on herself, she is in
law acquitted of the guilt. If she does not take this step, the charge is
held proved and the punishment follows. In either case the marriage is
dissolved, as it is against human nature that the parties can live
together happily after such an incident.” (op. cit., n.2960).
(b) In Respect of Adultery and Fornication:
As for illicit sexual relations between man and woman, i.e.,

adultery and fornication, which are very wide-spread and devastating
evils of the Western civilization, the Holy Qur’Én ordains:
Arabic text
“The woman and the man guilty of adultery or fornication, flog

each of them with a hundred stripes: Let not compassion move
you in their case, in a matter prescribed by Allah, if you believe
in Allah and the Last Day: and let a party of the Believers
witness their punishment. Let no man guilty of adultery or
fornication marry any but a woman similarly guilty, or an
Unbeliever; nor let any but such a man or an Unbeliever marry
84
such a woman; to the Believers such a thing is forbidden.”

(24:2-3).65
Thus, the punishment prescribed for adultery and fornication is

public flogging of the offenders with a hundred stripes.
Verse 3 speaks of further punishment of debarring those guilty of

sexual immorality from establishing the marriage-tie in the circle of
the chaste.
(c) In Respect of Homosexuality:66
Arabic text
“If any of your women are guilty of lewdness, take the evidence
of four (reliable) witnesses from amongst you against them; and
if they testify, confine them to houses until death do claim
them, or Allah ordains for them some (other) way. If two men
among you are guilty of lewdness, punish them both. If they
repent and amend, leave them alone; for Allah is Oft-returning,
Commenting on verse 15, A. Yusuf Ali says: “Most

commentators understand this to refer to adultery or fornication; in
that case they consider that the punishment was altered to 100 stripes
by the later verse 24:2. But I think it refers to unnatural crime between
women, analogous to unnatural crime between men in verse 16 below;
because: (1) no punishment is specified here for the man, as would be
the case where a man was involved in the crime; (2) the word al-lÉti,
VOLUME TWO
the purely feminine form of al-lati, is used for the parties to the crime;
(3) the punishment is indefinite … If we understand the crime to be
unnatural crime, we might presume, in the absence of any definite
order (“some other way”) that the punishment would be similar to that
for men in the next verse. That is itself indefinite, and perhaps
intentionally so, as the crime is most shameful, and should be
unknown in a well-regulated society. The maximum punishment
would of course be imprisonment for life.” (op. cit., nn. 523, 525).

2. PUNISHMENTS RELATING TO PROPERTY
(a) In Respect of Theft:
Arabic text
“As to the thief, male or female, cut off (O men of authority)

his or her hands,67 a meed for that which they have earned,—an
exemplary punishment from Allah; and Allah is Mighty, Wise.
Then whosoever repents after his wrongdoing (i.e., returns the
stolen goods to, or is forgiven by the owner) and amends (his
criminal attitude of stealing), verily Allah shall relent towards
him. Verily Allah is Forgiving, Merciful.” (5:38-39).68
(b) In Respect of Robbery and Bloodshed:
86
Arabic text
“The punishment of those who wage war against Allah and His
Messenger (by violating public security for the establishment of
which the Divine law has come) and go about in the land
causing corruption (in terms of robbery and bloodshed) is
execution (in case they are guilty of murder), or crucifixion (in
case they commit murder and robbery both), or the cutting off
of hands and feet from opposite sides (if they commit robbery
only), or exile from the land (if the murder or robbery has not
yet been committed, but the persons concerned are arrested
while on the point of doing so). That is their disgrace in this
world, and a heavy punishment awaits them in the Hereafter;
except for those who repent before they fall into your power
(i.e., prior to their arrest); in that case, know that Allah is Oft-
Forgiving, Most Merciful. (He will condone their guilt in
respect of the punishment which is to be received in the
Hereafter).” (5:36-37).
Thus, the punishments are:
1. Slaying the offenders, in case murder only has been

committed and no robbery has taken place.
2. Cutting off of the opposite hand and foot of the offender, in

case robbery alone has been committed,
3. Crucifying the offenders, in case both robbery and murder

have been committed.
VOLUME TWO
4. Exiling the offenders, in case they are arrested in the situation

of crime before the actual commission.

3. PUNISHMENTS RELATING TO LIFE
(a) In Respect of Murder:
Arabic text
“O you who believe! The Law of Equality is prescribed to you

in cases of murder: the free for the free, the slave for the slave,
the woman for the woman.69 But if any remission is made70 by
the brother (i.e., the heirs of the murdered person), then grant
any reasonable demand, and compensate him (in the form of
blood-money) with handsome gratitude. This is a concession71
and a Mercy72 from your Lord. After this, whoever exceeds the
limits shall be in grave penalty. In the Law of Equality there is
(saving of) Life to you (as it cuts the roots of endless blood-
feuds) oh you men of understanding, that you may restrain
yourselves.” (2:178-179).
There are two points contained in these verses:
a. Punishment for murder is the taking of the murderer’s

life.
88
b. If, however, the heirs of the murdered person agree

without any compulsion, the law of mercy can be
allowed to operate on the basis of reasonable monetary
compensation to the heirs,—that with a view to ward off
worse evils; —and the government will allow it.
(b) In Respect of Mutilation:
Arabic text
“We ordained therein for them: ‘Life for life, eye for eye, nose
for nose, ear for ear, tooth for tooth, and wounds equal for
equal’. But if any one remits the retaliation by way of charity, it
is an act of atonement for himself. And if any fail to judge by
(the light of) what Allah has revealed, they are (no better than)
wrongdoers.” (5:48).73
This verse prescribes the Law of Equality in connection with

murder as well as in respect to loss of, or damage to, the limbs of the
human body caused by one person to another.
However, as in the case of murder, the permission of foregoing,

in the interest of moral excellence, the right of demanding the
enforcement of the Law of Equality has been given to the aggrieved
party.

Chapter 2
Punishments pertaining to the
interests of the state
TREASON
Concerning the crime of treason, the Holy Qur’Én says:
Arabic text
“The punishment of those who wage war against Allah and His
Messenger (in respect of endangering the security of the State
established under the Divine Law) and strive with might and
main for mischief through the land, is: execution, or crucifixion,
or the cutting off of hands and feet from opposite sides, or exile
from the land: that is their disgrace in this world, and a heavy
punishment is theirs in the Hereafter; except for those who
repent before they fall into your power: in that case, know that
Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.” (5:36-37).
A. Yusuf Ali comments on this verse thus: “For the double crime
of treason against the State, combined with treason against Allah, as
shown by overt crimes, four alternative punishments are mentioned,
any one of which is to be applied according to circumstances: viz.,
execution (cutting off of the head), crucifixion, maiming, or exile.
These were features of the Criminal Law then and for centuries
afterwards, except that tortures such as ‘hanging, drawing, and
quartering’ in English Law, and piercing of eyes and leaving the
unfortunate victim exposed to a tropical sun, which was practised in

Arabia, and all such tortures, were abolished. In any case sincere
repentance before it was too late was recognized as a ground of
mercy.”74 (op. cit., n. 738).

ENDNOTES
1
All those duties which relate to economic matters and which have been
listed in the previous sections are also directly related here.
2
Exhortations to this effect have been repeatedly and emphatically made in
the Holy Qur’Én, both in the form of injunctions and otherwise, and have
been quoted in detail on pp.234-236.
3
According to Islamic Law, al-ZakÉh is leviable annually on all Muslims of
means, at the rate of 2½% on all un-invested wealth like silver, gold,
jewellery (in the view of Hanafi Law), cash, commercial goods and debts
receivable. It is not imposed on the value of built-up houses, tools of the
artisan—including industrial machinery, and agricultural implements. (For
detailed laws concerning this tax, reference may be made to FatÍ al-BÉrÊ, the
Commentary on BukhÉrÊ’s ØaÍÊÍ, vol. 4 in ×adÊth literature, and to HedÉya
in Hanafi law: chapters on al-ZakÉh).
It may be noted here that the institution of al-ZakÉh, as it exists today, is in
urgent need of recasting and re-evaluation.
4
That al-ZakÉh is a welfare-tax is borne out explicitly by verse 9:60, quoted
elsewhere.
The Holy Qur’Én further mentions the aim of this tax in terms of the
“eradication of economic fear and sorrow.” It says:
Arabic text
“Lo! those who believe and do deeds of righteousness and establish
(regular) Prayer and pay al-ZakÉh, their reward is with their Lord. On
them (as a community) shall be no fear, nor shall they grieve (i.e.,
they shall not suffer from fear and sorrow, either in respect of their
Salvation in the Hereafter as individuals, or in respect of their
collective economic life on the earth).” (2:277).
5
Other verses on al-ZakÉh, where the command has been repeated, are:
22:78; 24:56; 33:33; 73:20.
ENDNOTES
That this has been God’s Law since all time, and forms one of the bases of
economic welfare, has been affirmed in the following verses: 2:43; 2:83;
19:13; 19:31; 19:55; 21:73; 98:5.
6
See: Fath al-BÉrÊ, vol. 4, p.117.
7
See: BukhÉrÊ’s ØaÍÊÍ, BÉb al-ZakÉh.
8
Cf:
Arabic text
“Those who spend (freely), whether in prosperity, or in adversity;”
(3:133)
9
Cf:
Arabic text
“By no means shall you attain righteousness unless you give (freely)
of that which you love; …” (3:92).
10
Arabic text
“… but it is (true) righteousness … to spend of your wealth, out of
love for Him … Such are they who are sincere (in their Faith); such
are the God-fearing.” (2:177).
11
For references, see: Ibn Hazm’s al-MoÍallÉ, vol. 6, p. 156.
12
It should be clearly noted that an ‘Islamic State’ is only that state which is
dedicated to the mission of Islam and is governed solely and
comprehensively by the Islamic norms, principles and laws.
13
Ibn Hazm: al-MoÍallÉ, vol. 6, p. 158.
14
Such verses have been already quoted. See pp. 234-236; etc.
15
For the ×adÊth, refer to: Tirmizi, Sunan, vol. 2, p. 345; BukhÉrÊ: ØaÍÊÍ, vol.
2, pp. 243, 541; AbË DÉ’Ëd: Sunan, vol. 2, p. 501 . For Islamic Law, refer to
such books as al-HedÉya, vol. 2, p. 289, etc.
16
It may also be noted that the Holy Qur’Én lays down the law of commercial
morality in 2:282.
17
11:38.
VOLUME TWO
18
21:80; 34:10.
19
“Sending down” of iron may have reference to the meteoric origin of this
metal in ages gone by.
20
God is unseen. But the Messengers of God also having been referred to as
“unseen”, the verse seems to refer to the present industrial age which began
after the last Messenger (Muhammad) had departed and had become
“unseen”, and which saw the enemies of Islam in such power through
industrialization that industrialization and technological advancement on a
higher scale alone could have saved the Muslims from the defeat and decline
which they suffered during the nineteenth and the early twentieth centuries
and which has been the source of the ruin of Islam and Muslims up to this
day. Indeed, if the Muslims had maintained their lead in physical sciences
and technology as wise followers of the Holy Qur’Én, they would never have
fallen on evil days and would have continued to maintain their international
supremacy. Their failure, however, spelled their destruction as a world-power
and led ultimately to those servile conditions which have progressively
assisted in the de-Islamisation of the rising generations of Muslims, until
non-Islamic and even anti-Islamic ideologies are now being foisted on free
Muslim countries.
21
MufradÉt al-Qur’Én by ImÉm RÉghib; TÉj al-‘Órus; Lane’s Arabic-English
Lexicon.
22
Arabic text
23
Muslim: ØaÍÊÍ, vol. 2, p. 31.
24
HedÉya, vol. 4, p. 47.
25
MishkÉt al-MaÎÉbÊÍ, vol. 1., pp. 247, 248.
26
Ibid., vol. 1., p. 248.
27
Ibid., vol. 1., p. 247.
28
Lane’s Arabic-English Lexicon.
29
According to Lane’s Lexicon:
“In general, those who are termed Ulu al-Amr of the Muslims, are those who
superintend the affairs of such with respect of religion, and everything
conducing to the right disposal of their affairs.”
94
ENDNOTES
30
See pages 305-307.
31
See Sura al-FÉtiÍaÍ (Chapter 1) and other prayers taught by the Holy
Qur’Én.
32
Cf. 6:57, 12:67; etc.
33
i.e., dissemination and propagation of the teachings of Islam, from the
pulpit and the platform and through the press, the radio and the television,
with a view to persuading and inspiring the people in respect of the Islamic
Way of Life.
34
Lane’s Lexicon.
35
Arnold Toynbee: A Study of History, Abridgement of Volumes I-VI by
D.C Somervell, ed., 1946, p. 400.
36
See (4) (b), as also other references on this topic.
37
See p. 352.
38
59:9.
39
42:38, quoted on p. 352.
40
“The concept of ‘trusts’ covers the principle that offices should go only to
the really deserving.” (RuÍ al-Ma‘ÉnÊ, vol. 5, p. 64).
41
3:110; 22:41.
42
Basic education in Islam shall have to be provided to every Muslim citizen
of the State, as we shall see shortly.
43
This refers to the punishment of the offenders by the Islamic State.
44
The punishments prescribed by the Holy Qur’Én for different offences have
been given in Part 3.
45
The Arabic word is asma’, plural of “ism”. The commentators of the Holy
Qur’Én explain this word to mean: “the attributes of things and their
descriptions and their characteristics, the attributes of a thing being indicative
of its nature”. (See: Saiyid Qutb’s Commentary named FÊ-ÚilÉl il-Qur’Én, p.
126).
46
Already quoted on p. 351.
VOLUME TWO
47
The eminent MuÍaddith Daw’oodi has deduced the necessity of the
development of agriculture from the verse under reference (See: ‘AinÊ:
Commentary on BukhÉrÊ’s ØaÍÊÍ vol. 5, p. 712).
48
It may be emphasized here that Islam being the religion of Unity, it does
not recognize any distinction between the “religious” and the “secular”. The
distinction made here is purely nominal, and not functional.
49
It maybe remarked here that the present-day Islamic theological education
is unbalanced, defective and narrow in conception; while the secular
education that is being imparted in the Muslim countries is breeding, because
of its wrong orientation, aimlessness and even un-Islamic and anti-Islamic
bias. (For a detailed discussion, see the author’s: The Present Crisis in Islam
and Our Future Educational Programme).
50
Ref: comments on this verse in RuÍ al-Ma‘ÉnÊ, vol. 1. It should also be
noted that every government which wields authority as a delegated privilege,
is, in the very nature of the case, a trustee of the democratic rights of the
people.
51
Punishments shall be stated shortly. See pp. 381-394.
52
The Holy Qur’Én recognizes no tribal, racial, linguistic or regional
distinctions as a basis for political divisions. (49:13).
53
See pp. 327-328.
54
Qur’Én 2:143, quoted on p. 350.
55
That this is a necessary condition for every social order for being healthy
and strong has been referred to in the following verse which emphasizes that
deviation of the economic order of a community from the “just mean” leads
to disaster as regards the very existence of that community. God says:
Arabic text
“And how many populations We destroyed, whose way of life and
livelihood became reckless (leading to corruption) …” (28:58).
56
Let it be noted that the Holy Qur’Én does not make ownership of private
property an obligation.
57
Cf. Prescription of punishments for theft, robbery, etc. (pp 387- 388).
96
ENDNOTES
58
Speaking of the Qur’Énic law of inheritance, Macknaughten observes in the
‘Preliminary Remarks’ to his “Principles and Precedents of Mohammedan
Law”; “… indeed it is difficult to conceive any system containing rules more
strictly just and equitable.”
59
Reference has been made to this duty on p. 372.
60
See: BukhÉrÊ: ØaÍÊÍ, vol. 1, p. 275; MishkÉt al-MaÎÉbÊÍ vol. 1., pp. 242,
290,
61
See: pp. 314, et foll.
62
See: 2:274.
63
The provision of basic necessities to every citizen forms such an important
part of the Qur’Énic teaching that even the right of the individual to private
ownership of wealth and of private enterprise can be curtailed by the State
Authority in case there is no other way to meet that objective, as the eminent
jurist Ibn Hazm affirms. (See: al-MoÍallÉ, vol. 6, p. 156).
64
Punishments for other offences. prescribed by the Islamic Code of Law, are
traceable to the ×adÊth or to the deductions of the Muslim Jurists. (See: al-
TÉj al-JÉme‘ li al-UÎËl).
65
The Holy Qur’Én takes a very strong view of fornication and adultery,
because they seriously damage the social health and because the Qur’Énic
Guidance has already provided such conditions of life as totally nullify the
normal incentives to commit such crimes.
66
Mark the severe condemnation of sodomy in 7:81-84, 29:28, etc.
67
“The Canon Law jurists are not unanimous as to the value of the property
stolen, which would involve the penalty of the cutting off of the hand. The
majority hold that petty thefts are exempt from this punishment. The general
opinion is that only one hand should be cut off for the first theft, on the
principle that ‘if your hand or your foot offend you, cut them off, and cast
them from you’ (Matt. 18:8). Apparently in the age of Jesus thieves were
crucified (Matt. 27:38).” (A. Yusuf Ali, op. cit., n. 742).
According to Hanafi school of Islamic Law: a thief’s hand shall not be cut off
if the value of the thing stolen is less than one dinar, and if two male
witnesses of good character are not available for testimony. (Hedaya al-
awwalain, p. 539). Also it “shall not be cut off for the theft of what cannot be
VOLUME TWO
guarded, or is not worth guarding, being found in the land in great quantity,
such as dry wood, hay grass, reeds, game, fish, lime, etc.; also such articles of
food as are quickly perishable, as milk, meat, fresh fruit, etc … Finally, a
thief’s hand shall not be cut off if the thing stolen has no conventional value,
even though it be otherwise regarded as of great worth.” (Roberts: Social
Laws of the Qur’Én. p. 93).
68
We might compare this Qur’Énic ordinance with the Biblical law. There we
find that: “If a thief be found breaking up, and be smitten that he die, there
shall no blood be shed for him.” (Exodus, 22:2). “If a man be found stealing
any of his brethren of the children of Israel, and makes merchandise of him,
or sells him; then that thief shall die.” (Deuteronomy, 24:7).
In the Hammurabi, the Greek and the Roman codes, as also in the common
law of England until recently, theft has been classed as a capital crime of
grave nature. (See: Encyclopedia Britannica, 13, p. 721).
It should be noted that the deterrent effect of this mode of punishment has
been very remarkable in all the Muslim lands where it has been enforced,
e.g., in Arabia.
It should also be noted that this severe punishment has been prescribed for
the members of a society which ensures the provision of the basic human
needs to every individual.
69
“Our law of equality only takes account of three conditions of civil society:
free for free, slave for slave, woman for woman. Among free men or women,
all are equal: you cannot ask that because a wealthy, or high-born, or
influential man is killed, his life is equal to two or three lives among the poor
or the lowly. Nor, in cases of murder, can you go into the value or abilities of
a slave. A woman is mentioned separately because her position as a mother
or an economic worker is different. She does not form a third class but a
division of the other two classes. One life having been lost, do not waste
many lives in retaliation: at most, let the Law take one life under strictly
prescribed conditions, and shut the door to private vengeance or tribal
retaliation. But if the aggrieved party consents (and this condition of consent
is laid down to prevent worse evils), forgiveness and brotherly love is better,
and the door of Mercy is kept open.” (Abdullah Yusuf Ali, op. cit., n. 182).
“According to the Hanafis”, says Abdur Rahim, “the life of a slave stands on
equal footing with that of a free-man, of woman with that of a man, of a non-
98
ENDNOTES
Muslim subject with that of a Muslim.” (Muhamnadan Jurisprudence, p.

359).
70
“Islam while recognizing retaliation as the basic principle of remedial
right, favors compensation as being a principle which is most consistent with
the peace and progress of society, and lays down rules for the purpose of
confining retaliation within the narrowest possible limit.” (Abdur Rahim, op.
cit., p. 359).
71
“Retaliation being the right of the person injured or of his heirs, they can
compound with the offender for money, or, if they choose, pardon him.
Wherever retaliation for murder or hurt is compounded, the money payable
as consideration can be realized only from the offender himself. So also when
compensation is ordered in cases where there is a doubt as to the willful
nature of the homicide. Similarly when the hurt caused has not resulted in
death, the wrong-doer alone can be called upon to pay compensation. But
when death has been caused by negligence or mistake, the offender’s Akilas,
that is his tribe or regiment, or the inhabitants of the town to which he
belongs, are to pay the blood-money to the heirs of the deceased. The reason
is that it is the duty of a person’s Akilas to watch over his conduct and the
law presumes that the wrong-doer would not have acted in the way he did
unless they neglected their duty.” (Abdur Rahim, op. cit., p. 359).
72
“The law, though it recognizes retaliation in theory, discourages this form
of remedy in every possible way. For example, if there be the least doubt as
to the willful character of the offence or the proof, retaliation will not be
ordered.” (Abdur Rahim, op. cit., p, 359).
73
We may note with advantage the comments of A. Yusuf Ali on this verse.
He says: “The retaliation is prescribed in three places in the Pentateuch, viz.,
Exodus, 21:23-25; Leviticus 24:8-21, and Deuteronomy, 19:21. The wording
in the three quotations is different, but in none of them is found the additional
rider for mercy, as here. Note that in Matthew, 5:38, Jesus quotes the Old
Law ‘eye for eye’, etc., and modifies it in the direction of forgiveness, but the
Qur’Énic injunction is more practical. This appeal for Mercy is as between
man and man in the spiritual world. Even where the injured one forgives, the
State or Ruler is competent to take such action as is necessary for the
preservation of law and order in Society. For crime has a bearing that goes
beyond the interests of the person injured: the Community is affected (See
Qur’Én, 5:35),” (op. cit., n. 754).
VOLUME TWO
74
It may be noted that the law of treason must, in the very nature of the case,
be of a severe type. As to ‘drawing and quartering’, prescribed in the English
Criminal Code of the past and mentioned by A. Yusuf Ali, such punishment
was “inflicted on those found guilty of high treason touching the king’s
person or government. The person committed was usually drawn on a sledge
to the place of execution: there he was hung by the neck from a scaffold,
being cut down and disemboweled, while still alive: his head then was cut
from his body and his corpse divided into four quarters … In the reign of
Henry III and Edward I there is abundant evidence that death was the
common punishment for felony; and this continued to be the law of the land
as to treason and as to all felonies, except petty larceny, down to the year
1826.” (Stephen: History of the Criminal Law of England, vol 1, p. 458).
100

The Quranic Foundations and Structure of Muslim Society

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

The Quranic Foundations and Structure of Muslim Society

Uploaded by

Document Information

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

The Quranic Foundations and Structure of Muslim Society

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

http://muslimvillages.

THE QUR’ãNIC FOUNDATIONS &

By Dr. MUHAMMAD FAZL-

All rights reserved by the Author

First Edition 1973

INTRODUCING THE AUTHOR

Maulana Dr. Muhammad Fazl-ur-Rahman Ansari—with ‘al-

As a versatile scholar and winner of high academic distinctions,

As an exponent of Islam, he has been the upholder of Dynamic

As a professor, he taught Philosophy of Religion, Moral

Philosophy. At the same time, he was an honorary Director of

As an author, he had to his credit a large number of publications,

As a missionary, he travelled round the earth five times—being

All in all: he was a multi-dimensional scholar, orator, missionary,

Mohammed Ja’fer Shaikh

BOOKS BY THE SAME AUTHOR

THE BEACON LIGHT

PREFACE TO THE Second IMPRESSION

It is a happy augury that the Publication of the

The book, it appears, is destined to dispel the cloud

There cannot be a more glowing tribute to its author

By the grace of God, and the assistance of friends

Let us pray to God t hat our humble effort may be

Al-Haj Ikram Siddiqui

The above is the translation of a saying of the Holy Prophet

In his immortal composition, ‘Rise and Fall of Islam’, Allama

The able author of this book, the renowned expounder and

of knowledge but also to find solutions for ever increasing problems

His prayers were granted and he was able to complete this

Dedicated most respectfully and In the Name of Allah to

g{x [ÉÄç cÜÉÑ{xà `â{tÅÅtw

the Refulgent Sun of Piety, Truth, Justic e, Love,

Page xii - BLank

THE QUR’ÓN: A REVEALED BOOK

Dr. Sir Mohammad Iqbal;

The modern man with his philosophies of criticism and

In angel form; and then away

— Rumi: Thadani’s Translation.

On the other hand, the formulation of the same view of evolution

Thus, wholly overshadowed by the results of his intellectual

The basic purpose and function of this book is to state the

Viewed in that perspective, the present book forms a basic

The method of exposition adopted is simple and direct.

Certain technical discussions relating to philosophical,

The author is conscious of the fact that, although he has availed

The author leads a life wherein he has to perform duties of

While presenting this book, I consider it my privilege to express

I am grateful also to Mr. Muhammad Ja’fer Shaikh and Mr.

and to my dear pupils: Waffie Muhammad and Imran Nazar Hosein,

Muhammad Fazl-ur-Rahman Ansari

Page xxvi - Blank

WHY THE QUR’ÓN ALONE?

The enquiry in the present dissertation has been confined strictly

Firstly, it alone enjoys the status of being the Scripture of Islam.

Secondly, every word of its text is absolutely authentic as having

Thirdly, its authority as the basic source-book of Islam has been

Fourthly, it is the Book which should form the basis of struggle

Fifthly, it claims about itself that it is: “… an exposition (explicit

Sixthly, it is the only Book of Guidance compiled under the

unchallengeable document of his Teaching for all time,—with no