Chapter 4

Islam

 Religion preached and practiced by the Prophet Muhammad

 ISLAM – Arabic word for peace; also submission
 A Muslim is one who seeks peace and tries to maintain it throughout his life;
and one who submits to the will of God as indicated in the Quran
 Muslims believe in all the Prophets of God, but the Holy Prophet Muhammad is
regarded as the greatest of all prophets and the best of men.

The mission of the Prophets

- to propagate Islam, disseminate the teachings of Allah and establish the Divine
guidance in this world
- mission of prophets was one and the same: the preaching of Islam
- prophet Muhammed was the last of their line

Historical Antecedents

Pre-Islamic Days
- there was a lack of civilization
- Awful superstitions and idolatry prevailed everywhere; Crimes of infanticide
and human sacrifices were common
- various tribes were in constant and perpetual warfare with each other
- Although Christianity and Judaism were introduced before Islam by the
Christians and the Jews who tried in to Arabia, idolatry still prevailed; preaching of the
two religions was not enough to chance the idolatrous habits and customs
- traditions of Islam refer to the immediate pre-Islamic era, the age preceding the
advent of Islam, as the Age of Ignorance, used in the sense of lawlessness and idolatry

Prophet Mohammed

(i)Prophet Mohammed was born in Mecca on Monday 12th of Rabi (April 20, 511 AD),
though his father had died before he was born.

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(ii) Young Mohammed was nursed in the desert according to the tradition of Arabs by
Halimah.
(iii) In the desert, he was trained on the act of patience and tending of sheep and goats
and at the age of four years old, he was handed out to his mother.
(iv) At the age of six years old, his mother died and he was handed over to his
grandfather, Abdul-Mattalik.
(v) The grandfather also died two years later and Mohammed was put in case of his
uncle Abu-Talibi.
(vi) Abu-Talibi took good care of Mohammed and exposed him to the caravan trade
through which it was revealed that Mohammed would become a great man.
(vii) Mohammed spent his youth in humble circumstance most of the time working as a
shepherd.
(viii) He was called Al-Amin which means the honest and reliable one this virtue
fetched him to become member of the Fudul League in Mecca.
(ix) He married to Khadija, a prominent young widow and a wealthy business woman
who found Mohammed to be a worthy husband.
(x) The marriage was blessed with six children but only Fatima was survived while the
remaining five died in his life time.
(xi) Mohammed was commission as a prophet in 17th of Ramadan (Feb 610 AD) when
Angel Gabriel commissioned him as prophet and the founder of Islam at the cave of
Hijira.
(xii) Khadija supported and favoured Mohammed in his prophethood assignment and
they fought the cause of Islam together between the people of Mecca and Medina.
(xiii) The struggle to Islamized Mecca and Medina brought about religious war called
Hirah, that is forceful migration of Mohammed and his associates from Mecca to
Medina.
(xiv) Mohammed career as the messenger of Islam lasted for twenty years, with ten
years in Mecca before the Hijrah and ten years at Medina before his death.

Islamic Beliefs

1. Belief in Allah - basic belief in Islam is the belief in Allah His existence, His
unity, and His perfection
2. Belief in Angels - Qur’an describes Angels as supernatural and states that such is
their real nature that they do not appear in the material world generally, but only
by divine command

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 3. Belief in Messengers - The wisdom of God required sending messengers to
people to guide them to the straight path. It also required the prophecy of
Muhammad’s last service which covers God’s decrees and guidance through his
messengers and prophets.
4. Belief in the Scriptures - The scriptures are the messages of Allah to mankind.
Therefore, the belief in the scriptures is a more logical consequence of belief in
angels and Messengers. The Scriptures carry to mankind the instructions
concerning the beliefs and the fundamental principles for legislation which guide
man in carrying out his obligations and enjoying his rights.
5. Belief in the Last Day - The Last Day is described in the Qur’an as the Day of
Resurrection, the Day of Judgment, and the Hereafter. It is the life after death.
6. Belief in Destiny for Good and Evil - In the sight of Islam, man chooses either
good or evil by his own free will and is rewarded or punished according to his
deeds. He is only guided and advised by the eases of Allah and by the
messengers but I still completely free to chose as he wishes.

Ancillaries of the Faith

 Salāt (Prayer) A Muslim must perform five prayers a day.

 Sawm (Fast) A Muslim must fast during the month of Ramadhan. It says in the
Qur'an 2:183) "O you who believe, fasting is prescribed for you, as it was prescribed for
those before you, so that you may guard (against evil).
 Hajj (Pilgrimage) A Muslim must perform the pilgrimage (Hajj) to Mecca at least
once in his or her lifetime if he is able.
 Zakāh (Charity) Paying the poor-tax. A Muslim must perform his or her duty in
charity by giving to the poor. 2.5% of a Muslim's wealth every year should go to
the poor.
 Khums (One-fifth) A Muslim must pay a tax of 20%, levied on untaxed, from
annual profit. Khums is tax paid to the Imam (‫ )سهم امام‬and poor/deserving people.
 Jihād (Struggle) Struggling to please God. There are many types of Jihad.
 Amr-Bil-Ma'rūf (Commanding what is good) Amr-bil-ma'rūf is a Qur'anic
commandment to enjoin what is good. This is done through living by the rules of
God from the Qur'an and hadith. The command to "enjoin what is good" is given
in several Qur'anic verses.
 Nahi-Anil-Munkar (Forbid what is evil) Nahi-anil-munkar is a Qur'anic
commandment to "forbid what is evil". This can be done by refraining from the
sins mentioned by Allah in the Qur'an and the sins which the Prophet
Muhammad stated in hadith. Al-munkar means "the rejected". The following
verses from the Qur'an are said to command the believers to forbid what is evil:

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  Tawalla (Expressing love towards Good ) Expressing love towards the friends of
Allah and his prophets, those who desire truth, righteous people and supporters
of truth and justice.
 Tabarra (Expressing disassociation from Evil) Showing disassociation from the
evildoers, oppressors, enemies of Allah and His Prophet and humanity.

Practices (Five Pillars/ Fundamental Principles of Islam

1. The declaration of faith

“There is none worthy of worship except Allah, Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah.”
2. Salat: to offer 5 daily prayers at their appointed times
3. Zakat (Religious Tax): To contribute a certain percentage of one’s wealth for the
benefit of the poor and for some other noble causes; significance: Worship through
the giving of Zakat is the best means of promoting the welfare of the society,
planting compassion, and spreading throughout the people a feeling of love and
co-operation.
4. *Fasting in the month of Ramadan - abstinence from eating, drinking, smoking
and sexual intercourse all the day from dawn to sunset during the whole month
of Ramadan each year with the intention to showing submission to God’s
command
5. Haj: Pilgrimage to the Ka’aba in Arabia at least once in one’s lifetime, is
physically and financially possible and if the journey is safe.

Practices (Prayers)

Prayers
- Of all the religious obligations of a Muslim, the most important is Prayer of Salat.
It is compulsory for all Muslims, men and women, equally.
- Prayer, under no circumstances, should ever be omitted
- There is no excuse to omit prayer
5 Daily Prayers:
Fajr – offered before sunrise
Zuhr – offered at noon when the sun begins to decline
Asr – offered in the afternoon
Maghrib – offered just after sunset
Isha – offered in the evening
Other Prayers:

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Taraveeh – prayer during Ramadan
Tahaj-Jud – early morning prayer

Philosophy of Man
Acknowledgement that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad is His
Messenger.
A man announces his acceptance of the beliefs of Islam and his commitment to its
regulations; he manifests the existence of Islamic beliefs in his heart, when he proclaims
the word of acknowledgement: I acknowledge that there is no god but Allah and that
Muhammad is His Messenger.

NOTE: The belief in Unity and the Sovereignty of Allah

- foundation of the social and moral system propounded by the prophets
-the very starting point of the Islamic political philosophy

Social Philosophy (Purpose and Characteristic of Islamic State)

 Purpose of the Islamic State - purpose of the state that may be formed on the
basis of the Quran and the *Sunnah has also been laid down by God.
 the mission of the prophets is to create conditions in which the
mass of people will be assured of social justice in accordance with
the standards enunciated by God in His Book which gives explicit
instructions for a well-disciplined mode of life.
 the purpose of the state visualized by the Holy Quran is not
negative but positive; not only to prevent people from exploiting
each other, to safeguard their liberty and to protect its subjects
from foreign invasion, but also aims at evolving and developing a
well-balanced system of social justice which has been set forth by
God in His Holy Book
 Purpose of the Islamic State *Social Philosophy of Islam
 Its object is to eradicate all forms of evil and to encourage all
types of virtue and excellence expressly mentioned by God in the
Quran
 *Political Power will be made use of as and when the occasion
demands; all means of propaganda and peaceful persuasion will be
employed; the moral education of the people will also be

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 undertaken; and social influence as well as the force of public
opinion will be harnessed to the task.

Notes on Jihad

Jihad - Jihad means "to struggle in the way of Allah". Jihad appears 41 times in the
Quran and frequently in the idiomatic expression "striving in the way of God (al-jihad fi
sabil Allah)". A person engaged in jihad is called a mujahid; the plural is mujahideen.

 Jihad is an important religious duty for Muslims. A minority

among the Sunni scholars sometimes refer to this duty as the
sixth pillar of Islam, though it occupies no such official status.
There are two commonly accepted meanings of jihad: an inner spiritual struggle and
an outer physical struggle.

 The "greater jihad" is the inner struggle by a believer to fulfill his

religious duties. This non-violent meaning is stressed by both
Muslim and non-Muslim authors. However, there is consensus
amongst Islamic scholars that the concept of jihad will always
include armed struggle against persecution and oppression.

 The "lesser jihad" is the physical struggle against the enemies of

Islam. This physical struggle can take a violent form or a non-
violent form. The proponents of the violent form translate jihad as
"holy war", although some Islamic studies scholars disagree. Some
scholars maintain non-violent ways to struggle against the
enemies of Islam. An example of this is written debate, often
characterized as "jihad of the pen".

 third meaning of jihad is the struggle to build a good society. “One

of the collective duties of the community as a whole (fard kifaya) is
to lodge a valid protest, to solve problems of religion, to have
knowledge of Divine Law, to command what is right and forbid
wrong conduct.

 Muslim jurists explained that there are four kinds of jihad fi

sabilillah (struggle in the cause of God)

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  Jihad of the heart (jihad bil qalb/nafs) is concerned with combatting
the devil and in the attempt to escape his persuasion to evil. This
type of Jihad was regarded as the greater jihad (al-jihad al-akbar).

 Jihad by the tongue (jihad bil lisan) is concerned with speaking the
truth and spreading the word of Islam with one's tongue.

 Jihad by the hand (jihad bil yad) refers to choosing to do what is

right and to combat injustice and what is wrong with action.

 Jihad by the sword (jihad bis saif) refers to qital fi sabilillah (armed
fighting in the way of God, or holy war), the most common usage
by Salafi Muslims and offshoots of the Muslim Brotherhood.

Characteristics of Islamic State

Universal and All-Embracing
 its sphere of activity is coextensive with the whole of human life
 it seeks to mold every aspect of life and activity in consonance with its moral
norms and programs of social reform
 no one can regard any field of his affairs as personal and private – Islamic state
bears a kind of resemblance to the Fascist and Communist states. BUT
individual liberty is not suppressed nor is there any trace of dictatorship in it
 Balance – It represents the middle course and embodies the best that the human
society has ever evolved. The excellent balance and moderation that characterize
the Islamic system of government and the precise distinctions made in it
between right and wrong elicit from all men of honesty and intelligence the
admiration and the admission that such a balanced system could not have been
framed by anyone but the Omniscient and All-Wise God.
An Ideological State
 from Quran and Sunnah – the state in Islam is based on an ideology and its
objective is to establish that ideology
 Islamic State should be run only by those who believe in the ideology on which
it is based and in the Divine Law.
 The administrators of Islamic State must be those whose whole life is devoted
to the observance and enforcement of this Law, who not only agree with its
reformatory programme and fully believe in it but thoroughly comprehend its
spirit and are acquainted with its details.
 Islam does not recognize any geographical, linguistic or color bars. It puts
forward its code of guidance and the scheme of its reform before all men.

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 Whoever accepts this programme, no matter to what race, nation or country he
may belong, can join the community that runs the Islamic State. But those who
do not accept it are not entitled to have any hand in shaping the fundamental
policy of the State. They will not be allowed to influence the basic policy of the
ideological state.
 Resemblance with Communist States – the difference is that Islam does not
impose its social principles by force, nor does it confiscate their properties or
unleash a reign of terror. Islam does not want to eliminate its minorities, it
wants to protect them and give them the freedom to live according to their own
culture.
 The generous and just treatment which Islam has accorded to non-Muslims in
an Islamic State and the fine distinction drawn by it between justice and injustice
and good and evil will convince all those who are not prejudiced against it that
the prophets sent by God accomplish their task in an altogether different manner.

Summary of Social Philosophy

PURPOSE OF ISLAMIC STATE

 To assure social justice in accordance with the standards enunciated by God in
His Book
 To evolve and develop a well-balanced system of social justice which has been
set forth by God in His Holy Book
 to eradicate all forms of evil and to encourage all types of virtue and excellence
expressly mentioned by God in the Quran

CHARACTERISTICS OF ISLAMIC STATE

 Universal and All-Embracing - seeks to mold every aspect of life and activity in
consonance with its moral norms and programs of social reform; no one can
regard any field of his affairs as personal and private
 An Ideological State - Islamic State should be run only by those who believe in
the ideology on which it is based and in the Divine Law; administrators of
Islamic State must be those whose whole life is devoted to the observance and
enforcement of this Law; resemblance with Communist States

Political Philosophy

The belief in Unity and Sovereignty of Allah

- the foundation of the social and moral system propounded by the prophets
- the very starting point of the Islamic political philosophy

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basic principle of Islam: human beings must, individually and collectively surrender
all rights of overlordship, legislation and exercising of authority over others
 no one should be allowed to pass orders or make commands on his
own right; no one is ought to accept the obligation to carry out such
commands and obey such orders
 none is entitled to make laws on his own authority and non is
obligated to abide them – the right vests in Allah alone

Core of Islamic Political Thought: Sovereignty belongs to Allah

 he alone is the law giver
 no man (even prophets) has the right to order others in his own right to do or not
to do certain things
 the Prophet himself is subject to God’s commands
 people are required to obey the Prophet only because he enunciates not his
own, but God’s commands
 God alone is the real sovereign; all others are merely his subjects God is the real
law-giver and the authority of absolute legislation vests in Him
 an Islamic state must be founded upon the law laid down by God through his
Prophet; if the government disregards the law revealed by God, its commands
will not be binding on the believers

Nature of Islamic State

(Nature): Anti-thesis of western democracy
 western democracy: popular sovereignty - foundation is the
sovereignty of the people = powers of legislation rest in the hands
of the people; law making is their prerogative and legislation must
correspond to the mood and temper of their opinion
 Islam: Islamic polity is founded on the sovereignty of God
 Islamic Polity = kingdom of God (theocracy); not ruled by any
religious class, but by the whole community of Muslims
including the rank and file
 the entire Muslim population runs the state in accordance with
the Book of God and the practice of His Prophet
Theodemocracy: a divine democratic government
 the executive: constituted by the general will of the Muslims who
have also the right to depose it; all administrative matters; all
questions about which no explicit injunction in the *Sharia are
settled by the consensus of opinion among the Muslims

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  any Muslim who is capable and qualified to give a sound opinion
on matters of Islamic law is entitled to interpret the law of God
(democracy)
 (theocracy) in the sense that where an explicit command of God or
His Prophet already exists, no Muslim leader or legislature or any
religious scholar can form an independent judgment, not even all
the Muslims of the world put together have any right to make the
least alteration in it
 why? God retained the right of legislation in His own hand not in
order to deprive man of his natural freedom but to safeguard that
very freedom. His purpose is to save man from going astray and
inviting his own ruin.

Divine Limits (Hadud-Allah) – consists of principles, checks and balances and specific
injunctions in different spheres of life and activity

 man’s economic life: right to property is recognized, but qualified

by the obligation to pay dues (zakat)
 man’s family life: purdah recognized man’s guardianship of
woman, and clearly defined the rights and duties of husband, wife
and children; laws of divorce and separation have been clearly set
forth; conditional polygamy has been permitted and penalties for
fornication and false accusations of adultery have been prescribed;
thus the limits to stabilize family life and make it a haven of peace
and happiness
 preservation of human culture and society of God – by
formulating the laws of Qisas (Retaliation) – commanding to cut
off the hands for theft, prohibiting wine-drinking, placing
limitations on uncovering of one’s private parts and by laying
down a few similar permanent rules and regulations
 Restrictions (Hudud) – laid down by God in His revealed Code;
meant to protect man from destruction, to warn him at every bend
of the dangers ahead, to show him the path leading to his
destination; these limits determine what direction man should take
in life’s journey
 Code enacted by God is unchangeable. You can rebel against it,
but you cannot alter it. It has its own avenues of growth and
evolution, but no human being has any right to tamper with it.

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  Whenever an Islamic State comes into existence, this code would
form its fundamental law and will constitute the mainspring of
all its legislation.
 Everyone who desires to remain a Muslim is under an obligation
to follow the Quran and the Sunnah which must constitute the
basic law of an Islamic State.

The Caliphate and the Nature of Democracy in Islam

Structure of the Islamic State
 Cardinal Principle: God alone is the real sovereign.
 caliphate – an Islamic state led by a supreme religious and
political leader
 persons who set out to enforce God’s law on earth are regarded as
representatives of the Supreme Ruler
 “Allah has promised to those among you who believed and do
righteous deeds that He will assuredly make them to succeed (the
present rulers) and grant them vicegerency in the land, just as He
made those before them to succeed (others).”
 (1) Islam uses the term “vicegerency” (khilafat) instead of
sovereignty. Since sovereignty belongs to God alone, anyone who
holds power and rules in accordance with the laws of God would
undoubtedly be the vicegerent of the Supreme Ruler and will not
be authorized to exercise any powers other than those delegated
to him.
 (2) The power to rule over the earth has been promised to the
whole community of believers; it has not been stated that any
particular person or class among them will be raised to that
position.

Who can be a vicegerent? All believers are repositories of the caliphate, the popular
vicegerency and not a limited one. There is no reservation in favor of any family, class
or race. Every believer is a Caliph of God in his individual capacity. One Caliph is in
no way inferior to another. And that is the real foundation of democracy in Islam.
Democracy in Islam
a. A society in which everyone is a caliph of God and an equal participant in this
caliphate, cannot tolerate any class divisions based on distinctions of birth and social
position. All men enjoy equal status and position in such a society.

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b. In such a society, no individual or group of individuals will suffer any disability on
account of birth, social status, or profession that may in any way impede the growth of
his faculties or hamper the development of his personality. Everyone would enjoy
equal opportunities of progress. Unrestricted scope of personal achievements has
always been the hallmark of Islamic society.
c. There is no room for the dictatorship of any person or group of persons since
everyone is a caliph of God. No person or group of persons is entitled to become an
absolute ruler by depriving the rank and file of their inherent right of caliphate.
d. Every saint and adult Muslim, male or female, is entitled to express his/her opinion,
for each one of them is the repository of the caliphate. God has made this caliphate
conditional not upon any particular standard of wealth or competence but only upon
faith and good conduct. Therefore, all Muslims have equal freedom to express their
opinions.

Features of Islamic Political Setup

a. The leader (*Amir) will be selected on the principle enunciated in the Quran “The most
respectable among you in the sight of Allah is he who is the most pious.”
Meaning – only such a person who enjoys the full confidence of the Muslim public on the
basis of piety and good conduct will be elected.
b. The leader will not be above criticism. Every Muslim man or woman will be entitled to
criticize not only his public activities but also his private life. In the eyes of the law, his
status will be the same as that of an ordinary citizen. He can be sued in a court of law and
will not be entitled to any special privileged treatment.
c. The leader will have to work in consultation with an advisory council which must be
such as trusted by the common Muslims.
d. The decisions of the council will generally be taken by majority of votes. But Islam does
not regard the mere number of votes as criterion of truth and rectitude. Hence the leader
has the right to concur either with the majority or the minority, according to his own
judgment. But in any case, ordinary Muslims will have to watch whether the leader exercises
his power in a pious and God-fearing manner or in a selfish way. Public opinion can depose
him.
e. No person shall be elected to the leadership, the membership of the advisory council, or
any other responsible post, who puts himself forward as a candidate for any of these posts
or makes an attempt to secure them. There is no room in Islam for candidature and electoral
propaganda.

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f. The judiciary has been made entirely independent of the executive. The task of the
judge is to implement and enforce God’s laws among His servants. He does not sit on the
seat of justice in the capacity of a caliph or the leader but as a representative of God.
Therefore, even the caliph does not have any special importance before the judge in a law-
court.

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Thought Papers for Chapter 4

1. Discuss the significance of the following to the social and political thought of
Islam:

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 Allah
Mohammed
Theodemocracy
Islamic State
Caliphate
Jihad
Vicegerency

2 . Relate how Islamic philosophy directly/indirectly contributed to how society today

recognizes democracy.

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