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THE PII,I,ARS
OF FAITH

BJ
fufrr Sfdkf Idft
 CONTENTS

lntroduction, I

God 2

The Hereafter It

Angels l6

Books l8

'.
N4essengers 20
Qadar 24

Conclusion . . 21

il1
 INTRODUCTION
' l ma n ,
Th e p illar s of F ait h, e n u me ra te d i n ma n y verses
of th e Q ur ' an and s a y i n g so f th e Pro p h e t M u h a m mad,
pe a ce b e upon him , are b e l i e f i n C o d , i n C o d ' s An g el s,H i s
B o o ks, H is M es s enge rs ,i n th e H e re a fte r a n d i n Qadar
( D e s t i n y ) .T h e s e a r e f a m i l i a r t e r m s ; b u t t h e n o n - M u s l i m
r e a d e r w o u l d b e m i s t a k e ni f h e t h o u g h t t h a t t h e l s l a m i c
co n ce p ts des ignat ed b y th e m a re th e s a m e a s th ose of
o t h e r r e l i g i o n s a n d p h i l o s o p h i e s .l t i s h o p e d t h a t t h e
f o l l o w i n g e x p o s i t i o n ,w h i c h i s i t s e l fm a d e i n t h e l i g h t o f t h e
Q u r ' a n a n d t h e s a y i n g so f t h e P r o p h e t ,w i l l m a k e t h i s p o i n t
clear. lt will also make clear the fact that the lslamic
c o n ce p t of f ait h it s elf i s , i n ma n y w a y s ,d i ffe re n t fro m the
popular Western one. In the West faith is usually
c o n tra s t edt o r eas onan d k n o w l e d g e . Bu t a c c o rd i n g to the
Qu r'a n tr ue f ait h is t ha t w h i c h i s b a s e do n k n o w l e d ge and
s u p p o rted by ar gum e n t, An y b e l i e f w h i c h i s n o t s o based
an d su p por t ed is c on s i d e re d b y th e Qu r' a n to b e mere
c a p r i c e a n d w h i m w h i c h a t h i n k i n g p i e r s o nm u s t a v o i d .
Tru e fa i t h c an t her ef or e b e g a i n e d th ro u g h re fl e c ti on and
th e a cq uis it ion of k n o w l e d g e , a n d n o t b y b l i n d and
irra ti o nal c om m it t m en t. A p e rs o n a rme d w i th s u ch an
e n l i g h te ned f ait h c an e n te r w i th g re a t c o n fi d e n c e i nto
ra ti o n a l dis c us s ion wi th p e o p l e w h o d o n o t s h a re hi s
be l i e fsw it h t he hope o f s h o w i n g th e m th e i r m i s ta k esand
w e a kn es s esand winnin g th e m o v e r to tru th . l f th i s paper
he l p s to t ak e t he r ead e r a s te p i n th a t d i re c ti o n i t w i l l have
ach i e ved it s pur pos e, a n d a l l p ra i s e i s d u e to Go d .
-l-
 GOD
Muhammad,peace be upon him, was sent to invite
peopleto Cod and to teachthem how to performthe task
for which they were created,namelyto worshipHim. Many
of the peoplewhom he addressedhad a hazyideaof Cod.
$ome did believein Him, though they associated other
lessergods with Him, but a few of them were downright
atheists,or materialists,whosecreed was,'we lirneand we
die and nothingcausesour deathexceptTime.' [fathiya,
XLV:241Beforeinvitingsuchatheiststo Cod one mustfirst
convincethem that there is suchbeing."What reasondo
you havefor believingthatthereis a Cod?" This,logically,
is the first questionwhich a theisticview of life should
addressitselfto. The Qur'anic answerto it is given in the
foflowing words:
". . . weretheycreatedout of nothing?Or weretheythe
creations (ofthemselves)ordidtheycreatetheheavens rnd
earth."
[ T u r ,L l l : 3 6 J
The Qur'an is here sayingthat for everythinglike man
that hasa beginningin time,thereare only threewaysof
explaininghow it cameto be.
a. Eitherit is created,or made,or causedby nothingat all
i.e. it cameout of nothing.
b. Or it is the creatorof itself.
c. Or it has a creator, cause,or maker, outside itself.
The third possibilityis not mentionedin the quoted verse
but it is understoodbecausethe verse is addressedto
peoplewho deny the existenceof a creatorand it istelling
them that if there is no creatorthen only two possibilities

-2-
remain. But the Qur'an does not go into the detailsof
showingwhy the first two positionsare untenable.Clarity
of expression often convinces peopfe of the truth or
untruth of a statement.Mental seeinghere, more than
physicalseeing,is believing(or rejecting).Thisis borne out
in the caseof these Qur'anic words by a historicalevent.
fubayr lbn Mut'im, until then, a non-Muslimwassent by
Qurayshon a missionto the Muslimsat Madina.He says
that when he arrived he heard the Prophet, who was
leadingthe evening prayer,readingSuratal-turand when
he reachedthe foregoingverses"my heartwasalmostrent
asunder."tShortlyafter that fubayr embracedlslam.

Why did this happento him?Probablybecausethe verse

made things clear to him for the first time. lt is
inconceivablefor somethingto come out of or be madeby
nothing at all, he realized,and it is even more inconceiv-
able that it should bring itselfinto being. Hencethe only
conclusion is that it must have a creator outside itself.

A thesisisthereforuntenableif it meansthe denialofany

maker or cause whatsoever.But admitting that this is
indeedso,one might stillwonderwhy shouldthatcaus€or
maker or creator be the God to whom Muhammadwas
invitingpeople?Why shouldn'tit be one of the manyother
gods in whom people believeor why shouldn'tit evenbe
the "matter" of the materialists?
Almost the entire Qur'an
dealswith this questionbut we shalldo our bestto give a
brief answer which would provide the reader with the
basicsof the Qur'anic position-In a nutshellthe answeris
as follows: to explainthe cbming into being of temporal
things, the creator (or causeor maker) for which we are
-3-
looking, must (logicallymust)havethe attributeof the Cod
to whom Muhammad invites us. How sol
The creator must be of a different naturefrom the things
created because,if he is of the samenature asthey are, he
will have to be temporal and therefore need a maker. lt
follows that "nothing is like Him." [Shura,XLll: 11l.lfthe
maker is not temporal then he must be eternal.But if he is
eternal, he cannot be caused,and if nothing causeshim to
come into existence,nothing causeshim to continue to
exist,which meansthat he must be selfsufficient.And if he
does not depend on anything for the-continuanceof his
existence,then that existencecan haveno end. Thecreator
is therefore eternaland everlasting:"He is thefirstand the
last." [Hadid, [Vlt: 3l "All that dwells upon the earth is
perishingr|€t still abides the Faceof thy [ord, majestic,
splendid." [Rahman,[V: 26-271
There are two ways in which causesproduce their
effects.Eitherthey producethem naturallyor intentionally.
The maker that has the attributeswe haveenumerated
cannot be a naturalcause.Becauseif thingsof this world
flow from Him naturallyand spontaneousfy, they cannot
be but of the samenatureas He is. And if like all natural
causesHe causesonly under certainconditions,then His
po*er is limited.lt followsthat He mustbe a wilful agent.
But intentionimpliesknowledgeand both impty life.5o,
that makermust be a fivingall-knowingagentwith a will
that is absolutelyfree.ThusGod accordingto the Qur'an
doeseverythingwith intentionand for a purpose.

"SurelyWe havecreatedeverything
in {due)measure."
[Qamar,LXIV:a9]
-4-
 "What,did you thinkthatWe createdyou onlyfor sportl"
I M u ' m i n u nX, X l l l :1 1 5 f

He is absolutelyfree to do whateverhe wills IHud, Xl:

1071and is aware of every movementof His creation.

"He knows what is in land and sea;not a leaffalls,but He

knowsit. Not a grainin the earth'sshadow,not a thing fresh
or withered,but it is in a Book Manifest.lt is He who recalls
you by night, and He knows what you work by day."
[An'am, Vl: 59-601

Go d i s a liv ing per s o n w i th a l l th a t th i s i m p l i e s :

"There is no Cod but He, the living, the everlasting.

SlumberseizesHim not, neither sleep;to Him belongsall
that is in the heavensand the earth.Who is therethat shall
intercede with Him saveby His leavel He knows what lies
before them and what is afterthem, and they comprehend
not anything of His knowledgesavesuch as He wills. His
throne comprisesthe heavensand earth; the preservingof
them oppresses Him not; He is the All-high, the All-
glorious."
[Bagara,ll; 255f

Cod is not only willing and powerful, He is also lust in that

H e d o e s not punis h a s i n n e r fo r m o re th a n h i s c ri m e. H e i s
merciful and His mercy, in the words of the Prophet
"overcame his punishment." So He does not punish us for
whatever we do, but forgives and erases our sins, and
magnifies and multiplies our good deeds.

-5-
 "The likenessof those who expend their wealth in the way
of God is asthe likenessof a grainof corn that sproutsseven
ears,in every ear a hundred grains,so God multipliesunto
whom He will; God is All-embracing,All'knowing."
[Baqara,ll: 261f

These, and many others which can be arrived at in a

similar wrlr are the attributes which the true creator must
possess.Any other being or object which is alleged to be a
god or an ultimate cause and which necessarilylacks some
of them cannot in actual fact be what it is believed to be.
Thus, having shown clearly what the true Cod should be
like, the Qur'an goes on to show why there cannot be any
god but He, and reveals the falsity of all alleged gods.
To the worshippers of man-made obieas it says:

"Do you worship what you have carved out and God
creatd you and what you make?"
[Saffat,XXXVII:95]
and
".,. hayethey taken unto themselvesothersbesideHim who
create nothinE, who are themselvescreated,who cannot
protect them, nor can they protect themselves."
['A'rif, Vll: 191-1921
To the worshippers of heavenly bodies it relates as a
reminder the story of Abraham:

When night outspr€adover him he saw a star and said,

'This ir my Lord.' Bui when it ret he said, 'l love not the
rctters.' When he saw the moon rising, he said, 'Thlr ir my
'lf
[ord.' But when it set he raid, my Lorddoesnot guide me
6-
 I sh alls ur elybe of t he p e o p l eto n e a s tra y .' Wh ehne saw the
su n r is ing,he s aid,' T h i si smy L o rd ;th i si sg re a te r!,Butw hen
it set he said,'O my people,surelyI am quit of what you
associatewith Cod. I have turned my face to Him who
originatedthe heavensand the earth,a man of pure faith; I
am not of the idolaters.'
['An'am, Yl:76-791

And when, later on, the Prophet comes into contact with
the Jews and Christians, the Qur'an conftmns their heli€f
in the divine nature of human-beings.

"The lews say,'Ezrais the son of God.' The Christianssay,

'The
Messiahisthe sonof God.'Thatisthe utteranceof their
mouths, conforming with the unbelievers before them.
God assailthem! How they are perverted."
[Tawba,lX:3{ll

It tells them that if everything is creared by God then it

must be His servant and cannot, therefore be his son,
[Maryam, XIX: E&951.
It then goes on to explain to the Christians the real
nature of fesus.
"Truly, the likenessof lesus in God's sight is as Adam,s
likeness;He created him of dust, then said He unto him
'Bet'and he wa'"'
['Arlmran, ill: s9l
For someone to take something as a god, it is not
necessary that he should acknowledge it as such or
worship it in a ritualistic way; it is enough for him tofollow
its dictates obediently, or devote to it acts or have towards
it feef ings which should be devoted to or felt towards God
only. There are many such unacknowledged Eods.

-'7-
 "He!t thou seenhim who hastaken his capriceto be hir
Godl Wilt thou be a guardianover him?"
[Furqan,XXV:{31
"They havetaken their rabbisand theirmonksaslordsaPart
from.God, and the Messiah,Mary'i son,and they wcre
commrndedto serv€but one Cod."
[Tawbr,fX: 31f
Thusto be a Muslim-i.e. to surrenderonerelf to God-
it is necessaryto believe in the uniw of fu in the senseofHis
being the only creator, prservef and nourisher.But this
belief-hter on calledtawhidar-rubu[iyya-is not enough.
In fact many of the idolatersdidknow and believethat it is
the supreme God alone who can do all this. But that was
not enough to make them Muslims. To tawhid a,r'
rububiyya one must edd tawhid al uluhiyyai.e. one must
acknowledgethe fact that it isthisGod alonewho deserves
to be worshipped, and therefore abstainfrom direaing
any of one's actsof worshipto someoneor somethingelse.
fn the Qur'an the argument for tawhid al'uluhiyya is
basedon tawhid ar-rububiyya i.e. if it is God alone who
createsand controlseverythingwhy then and to what end
do you worship others beside Him?
"O you men,serveyour Lordwho createdyou,andthose
thatwerebeforeyou;haplysoyou willbegod-fearint; who
assigned to you the earthfor a couch,and heavenfor an
edifice,and sentdown out of heavenwater,wherewithHe
broughtforth fruitsfor yourprovision;sosetnot up rivals
to God wittingly."
ll: 21-22J
[al-Baqara,
Havingknown the true God, man iscalleduPon to affirm
what he knows i.e. to believe and have faith in Cod, and

-8-
not allow any ulteriormotivesto inducehim to deny a fact
which he knowsto be true.
"... that they who havebeen given knowledgemay know it
is the truth from thy Lord and so believein it, and thustheir
heartsbecome humble unto him."
[H a j ,X Xl l : 54]
"But when our signscameto them visibly,they said,"This
i s a manif esst or c er y ;' a n dth e y d e n i e dth e m ,th o u g hthei r
soulsacknowledgedthem, wrongfully and out of pride."
[N a m l ,X XV II:14f

When faith enters a person's heart, it causes therein

certain mental states, which result in certain apparent
actions, both of which are the proof of true faith.
Foremost among those mental states is the feeling of
g ra ti tu de t owar ds Co d , w h i c h c o u l d b e s a i d to be the
essence ol ibada (worshipping or serving God).
Th i s f eeling of g ra ti tu d e i s s o i m p o rta n t that a
n o n b e liev er is c alled ka fi r w h i c h me a n s ,' o n ew h o deni esa
tru th ' and als o ' on e w h o i s u n g ra te fu l .' O ne can
u n d e rst and why t his i s s o w h e n o n e re a d s i n th e Qur' an
th a t th e m ain m ot iv e fo r d e n y i n g th e e x i s te n c eo f God i s
th a t o f u njus t if ied pr id e . S u c h a p ro u d p e rs o n fe e l s that i t
does not become him to be created or governed by a being
wh o m he m us t t hus a c k n o w l e d g e to b e g re a te r than
h i mse l f and t o whom h e mu s t b e g ra te fu l .
"Th o s ewho dis put ec o n c e rn i n gth e s i g n so f C o d w i thout
a n ya u t hor it yc om et o th e m ,i n th e i rh e a rtsi so n l yp ri dethat
th e y s hallnev erat t ai n ."
[C h a fi r,X L: 561
Wi th t he f eeling of g ra ti tu d e g o e s th a t o f l o v e

9-
 "There are some people who take to themselves(for
worship)othersapartfromGodlotingthemastheyshould
loveGod: Butthosewho believe,loveCod moreardently
thantheyloveanythingelse."
[Baqara,ll: 1651
A believerlovesand is gratefufto Cod for His bounties,
but being awar€ of the fact that his good deeds,whether
mentalor physical,are far from beingcommensurate with
Divine favors,he is alwaysanxiouslest becauseof his sins
God should withhold from him some of these favorsor
punish him in the hereafter. He therefor fears Him,
surrendershimself to Hirn, and servesHim with great
humility.
"Your God isoneCod,soto Himsurrender. Andgivethou
good tidings unto the humble who, when God is
m€ntioned,theirheartsquake."
[Anfal, Vll: 2]
One cannot be in such a mental state,without being
almostall the time mindful of God. RememberingGod is
thus the life-force of faith, without which it fades and
might even wither away. 5o,
"The frithful rre thosewho rememberGod,standingand
sitting,andon theirsides."
'lmran,
['Al lll: 191]
The Qur'an thereforeprescribesand describes, in great
detail waysand meansof helping man to rememberCod
and keep his faith alive. All Qur'anic and Prophetic
injunctionsand prohibitionswhich extendto all aspectsof
human life-acts of worship and personalmatters,social
relations,political order, etc., etc.-are designedto put

-10-
man in a $ate which is conduciveto Cod's remembrance.
The detailsof this lslamicway of life were expounded in
the Madina period, and we shall not therefore be
concernedwith them now. But the main principlesof this
new order were alreadylaid down in the Makkan period,
and will be summarizedat the end of thir chapter.
We shallnow Eo on to deal with the other pillarsof faith.
Theseare belief in life after death, in God's angels,His
books,His messengers and His qadar,theargumentsforall
of which are almostentirely basedon the assumptionthat
the audiencebelievesin God.

THE HEREATTER
The Qur'anic argumentsfor the realityof anotherlife after
death are intended to prove that it is possibleand also
desirablethat thereshouldbe sucha life,and that without
believing in it our belief in the true God cannot be
complete.
i. Many of the people whom the Prophetaddressedin
Makkadid believe-as we saidbefore-'in a supremeCod,
but many of them thought that it was impossiblefor their
dead and disintegratedbodies to be resurrected.They
therefore mocked and laughed at the Prophet when he
told them about it. The Qur'anic reply wasthat there was
no reason for such astonishrnentand mockery because
resurrectionis not only logicallybut physicallypossiblefor
the folfowing reasons:
a. lf it is God who created man in the first place,why
should it b€ impossiblefor him to recreatehim when he
dies?Resurrectionshould be easierthan originalcreation.

- ll -
 "He it is He who originates creation, then brings it back
again and this (the latter) is easier for Him."
[Rum,XXX:271
b. lf you think about it carefully,you will come to see
that the bringingof life to the dead is a commonnatural
phenomenon. To believe in the possibilityof the
resurrectionof human beings,a thinking persondoesnot
need to seea personcomingto life again.lt is enoughto
see other dead bodiescoming to life.
"And of His signsis that thou seestthe earth humble; then,
when we send down water upon it, it quivers and swells.
Surefy He who quickens it is He who quickens the dead;
surely He is powerful over everything."
, LI: 391
[ F u s s i l a tX
"Was he not a sperm-drop spilled? Then he was a blood-
clot, and He created and formed and He made of him two
kinds, male and female.What! is He not able to quicken
the dead?"
[Qiyama, LXXV:37-40]

ii. Why is resurrectiondesirable?Simply because

without it, God would not be the lust and Wise and
merciful Cod He is. God created men and made them
responsiblefor their actions; some behaved well but
others did not. lf there is no future life in which the
virtuousare rewardedand the viciousarepunished,there
would be no justiceand the creationof men in that way
and the sending of Prophetsto them would be to no
purposeat all.Butthiskind of behaviourisnot expectedof
a man known to be rationaland just, let alonethe Perfect
Creator.

r2-
 "What! does man reckon he shall be left to roam at will?
What!did you think that we createdyou only for sportand'
that you would not be returned to Usl
[ M u ' m i n u n ,X X l l l : 1 1 5 1
"Surely for the Cod, fearing shall be gardensof blisswith
their Lord.What! shaflwe makethosewho havesurrendered
like to the sinnersl What ails you then, how you judge?
[Qaf, LXV|ll: 34-361
"We have not'cr€ated the heavensand earth, and what is
between them, for vanity; such is the thought of the
unbelievers."
[Sad,XXXVlll:27J
iii. ls the reaf and only motive for denying the reality of
a life after death that which is expressed by the arguments
which the denyers put forward, and to which the Qur'an
replies? By no means, saysthe Qur'an. The real motive i5
often a psychological one. Those who do evif do not wish
to be punished and it is this wishful thinking that leads
them to deny the reality of a time when such punishment
shall take place.
"Does man reckon We shall not gather his bonesl Nay,
but man. desiresto continue on as a libertine, asking,
'When shall be the Day of Resurrection?"
[Qiyima, LXXV:3-6f
"And none crieslies to it (the day of judgement)but eyery
guilty aggressor."
[Mutaffifin,LXXXIll:121
A questionthat isoften raisedin connectionwith reward
and punishmentin the hereafterand which causessome
people to doubt the desirabilityif not the truth of such a
life is, 'Do we do what is good becauseit is good or for fear
_13-
of punishmentand expectationof reward?lf we do it for
the former, then what is the use of believing in the
hereafter,and if we do it for the latterwe will not be acting
morally.'The answerto thisquestiondependson whether
God enjoins usto do an actbecauseit is good, or whether it
is this Divineinjunctionwhich makesthe actiongood.And
it seemsto me to be veryclearthat the goodnessof an act is
logicallyprior to its being an obiectof a Divineiniunction.
Oiheruviieit would be a tautologyto say'Godenioinswhat
is good' becauspit would only meanGod enjoinswhat He
enjoins. But the Qur'an abounds in statementsfike the
former, and it is very clearthat they are not intended tsbe
tautological.
The answerto our original questionthen is that we do
what is good becauseit is good. But sinceto give good for
good is itself good, there is no contradictionin sayingthat
6ne does good becausethe Cod whom he loves and in
Whom he puts his trusttellshim to do it, and becausehe
expectsto be rewardedby Him for doing it.
Accordingto the Qur'an God createdmanof an original
nature-called fitra-which possesses what we mightcalla
moral sense,which enablesman to recognizewithout any
externalaid certainactslike telling the truth and being
Bratefulasgood, and by reasonof which he is inclinedto
to good onte he comesto know it. Truereligionis built on
the- basis of this original human nature. Religion
strengthensnature and-brings to fruition the seedsof
virtuJthatresidein it. Thatiswhy lslamissaidin the Qur'an
to be fitrat-Allahand why the Piophetsaysthat he wassent
only to perfectgood conduct.rTheQur'anpraises thosein
whirm ihis moial sense is sharp and condemns those in
whom it has become so blunt that the uglinessof vice
model.of beauty:
Fecomes.in their eyesthe
tHadith (fabirl
-14-
 '. ButCod hasende a re dto y o u b e l i e f,d e c k i n gi t fa i r i n your
h e ar t s ,and He has ma d e d e te s ta b l eto y o u u n b e l i efand
u n godlines sand di s o b e d i e n c eT. h o s eth e y a re th e ri ght-
mi nded,by Cod' sf a v o u ra n d b l e s s i n gC, o d i sAl l -know i ng,
All-wise"'
[ H u j u r i t ,x u x : z - g ]
"Say : ' S hall
we t ell y o u w h o w i l l b e th e g re a te sltosersi n
their works.'Thosewhosestrivinggoesastrayin the present
l i fe while t hey t hin k th a t th e y a re w o rk i n g g o o d d eeds."
[K a h f,XV l l l : 103-1041
"An d when he t ur n sh i sb a c k ,h e h a s te nas b o u tth e e arth,to
do corruption there, and to destroy the tillage and the
stock; and Cod lovesnot corruption."
[B a q a ral,l : 205J
5o a Muslim does gogd because he is endeared to it, and
eschews vice because it is detestable to him. But since a
Musfim surrenders himself to Cod and loves and fears
Him, and since Cod loves virtue and enjoins it and hates
vice and forbids it, he does the former and avoids the latter
in obedience to his Lord. And since those who do good
shall-in the hereafter-live a life of bliss,the highest type
of which wo,rld be the state of being near to Cod and
e n j o y ing His s ight , w h i l e th o s e w h o l e a d a n e v i l l i fe shal l
suffer all kinds of chastisementthe most terrible of which
shall be the state of being deprived from that sight, a
Mu sl i m would be w i s e to a l w a y s h a v e th a t fu ture and
e te rnal lif e in m ind a n d e n d e a v o u r to d o h e re a ll ki nds of
work that would help to elevate his position there.
"Say:ls thereanyof your associates who guidesto the truth?
Sa y :G od- He guid e sto th e tru th ; a n d w h i c hi sw o rthi erto
b e followed- he wh o g u i d e sto th e tru th ,o r h e w h o gui des

- 1 5-
 notunless he isguidedlwhatthenailsyou,howyouiudgel
[Yunus, X: 351
"Say:lf youloveGod,followme,andGodwilllove you, and
forgiveyou,yoursins;"
[ ' A l ' l m r i nl,l l : 3 1 ]
"surelythe piousshallbe in bliss,uponcouches gazing(at
theirLord);thouknowestin theirfacestheradiancy of bliss
asthey are given to drink of a wine sealed, whose sealis
musk.Soafterthat let the striversstrive."
[Mutaffifun,LXXXI ll : 22-261
Why should one who did good live in such bliss,one
might ask?and the prompt Qur'anic answeris:
"Shall the recompenceof goodnessbe other than
goodness."
[Rahman, LV:60]

ANGETS
Theseare beingsof a differentnaturefrom man.While
man is createdfrom soil they are createdfrom light.tAnd
thus human beings-except Prophets-cannot see.themin
their original naiure, but may see them if they take a
physicalforr. Our knowledgeof them is thereforealmost
eniirely basedon what God and His Prophetstell usabout
'aut
them. why should we bother to know about them?
Becausethey play a very big role in conductingour affair.
To know aboutthem could perhapsbe saidto be usefulto
us in the same manner as irnowledgeof the working of
natural causesand other people's behaviour is useful.
We are told that thesealmostinnumerablebeinggwho
are extremelypowerful are createdin sucha way that they

-16-
 alwaysobey and never go againstDivinecommands,and
continuouslyserve and never tire of servingthe Lord.
[Anbiya,XXl,19-20;Tahrim,LXVI:G]
. But inspiteof this they are-as a species-in a lower
degreethan the humanspecies, and rhisis symbolizedin
the factthatwhen Adamwascreatedthey**iu ordered to
prostratethemselvesbefore him asa signof greetingand
respect.l
Here are some of their activitiesin connectionwith
human beings.
Their main task, the one from which their name is
derived is that of conveyingCod's messages to Hischosen
prophets.This great honor is assignedmainfy to their
leader Gabriel (or fibrif as the name is pronouncedin
Arabic).
"A noble m es s eng ehr a v i n gp o w e r,w i th th e L o rd o f the
Th ro ne,s ec ur e,obey e dth e re (i n h e a v e n )a n d tru s t y."
I T a k w i rL, X X X I 1: 9 - 2 1 J
A me s s agec ar r ied b y b e i n g s o f s u c h a n a tu re i s sure to
re a ch it s des t inat ion i n ta c t.
They attend to and watch over us. They keep a record of
o u r g o od and bad de e d s , a n d n e v e r a w o rd w e m enti on
p a sse s wit hout being re g i s te re d b y th e m e i th e r for or
a g a i n s t us . [ Q af , L: 17 -1 8 1
Th e y play a r ole in th e c a u s a ti o n a n d h a p p e ni ng of
se e mi ngly pur ely natu ra l p h e n o m e n a , l i k e w i n d a nd rai n
a n d d e at h. [ Naz i' it , L X XIX : 1 -5 ]

rThisverse[fsra',XVll: 70Jhasbeengiven (by some)asevidencefor the

fact that the human speciesis better than the speciesof angels.lbn
Kathir in his tafsirof Qur'an al'Azim.

t7-
 And to them is assignedthe role of helpingthe believers
to the extent of fighting on their side in times of war.
1'Af'lmran,ll; 124l,andof protectingthem [Ra'd,Xlll: llf,
and praying for them [Ghifir, XL: 7].

BOOKS
A M u s l i mb e l i e v e tsh a t t h e Q u r ' a ni s t h e w o r d o f G o d .
Butit is not the onlv word.Cod sentman!,prophets before
Muhammadand He spokero themasHe spoketo him.Soa
M u s l i ma l s ob e l i e v e (si n f a c th e n o u l d n o t b e a M u s l i mi f
h e d i d n o t b e l i e l e )i n t h e s ee a r l i e rb o o k s .l i k e t h e T o r a h
a n d t h e C o s p e l ,s i n c et h e t r u e b e l i e v e r sa r e t h o s ew h o
"believein whathasbeensentdon n to thee(Muhammad)
a n dw h a th a sb e e ns e n td o n ' nb e f o r et h e e " [ a l B a q a r al V , :
41.
"Say: We believe in Cod. and tlrat which hasbeen sent down
o n u s , a n d s e n t d o n n o n { b r t h a m a n d l s h m a e l ,l s a a ca n d
l a c o b , a n d t h e T r i b e s ,a n d i n t n a t r v h i c h w a s g i v e n t o . \ l o s e s
a n d f e s u s ,a n d t h e p r o p h e t s , o f t h e i r L o r d ; w e m a k e n o
division between any of thent."
[ a l B a q a r a ,l l : 1 3 5 f
Cod created men so that thev may serve Him. His being a
servant of Cod constitutes the essence of man. Man cannot
th e re f or e at t ain t o hi s tru e h u m a n i ty a n d a c q u i re p eace of
m i n d u n l e s sh e r e a l i s e st h i s a i m f o r w h i c h h e w a s c r e a t e d .
B u t h o w c a n h e d o t h i s l C o d , b e i n g m e r c i f u la n d l u s t , h a s
h e l p ed him in m an y w a y s . H e g ra n te d h i m a s w e sai d
b e f o r e a n o r i g i n a l l yg o o d n a t u r e t h a t i s i n c l i n e d t o k n o w
a n d s er v e it s t r ue L o rd . H e g ra n te d h i m a mi nd that
p o sses s es a m or al s en s ea n d th e a b i l i ty to re a s o n .H e made
th e w hole univ er s ea n a tu ra l b o o k fu l l o f s i g n sth at l ead a

t8
thinkingpersonto cod. Butto makethingsmorespecific,
to give him more detailedknowledgeof his Lord,and to
show him in a more detailedmannerhow to serveHim,
God hasbeen sendingdown verbalmessages through His
prophetschosenf rom amongmen, eversincethe creation
of man. Hence the descriptionof these messages in the
Qur'an as guidance,light,signs,reminders,etc,
All thesebooksadvocatedbasicallythe samemessage,
"Andwesentnevera Mesenger beforetheeexcept thatwe
revealedto him, saying,'thereis no Cod but l; so serve
Me.' "
[ ' A n b i y a 'X, X I :2 5 1
An d t he r eligion w h i c h th e y a l l e x p o u n d e d i s l s l am i .e.
surrender to Cod,
"Th e t r ue r eligionwi th G o d i s l s l a m."
[Al -' l m ri n , l t t: 19f
Th u s N oah ( X : 721A b ra h a m (l l l : 6 7 ), l a c o b a n d hi s sons
(l l : 1 3 3 ) ,t he A pos t le s (V: l l l ), e tc . w e re a l l Mu s l i m s.
lslam in this sense is in fact the religion of the universe.
"What! do they desireanotherreligionthan Cod's and to
Him has surrendered (aslama= became a Muslim)
whatsoeveris in the heavensand the earth, willingly or
u n wi l linglyand
, t o H i m th e y s h a l lb e re tu rn e d ."
[Al -' l m ra -ntlt:
, 83f
lf the religion of all prophets is the same in its essenceand
basic foundation, not so are the ways of life based upon it.
[Ma 'i d a , V : aS J
On e las t im por t ant p o i n t a b o u t b o o k s i s th a t w i th the
exceptaon of the Qur'an they have not been preserved

-19-
intact, but have either been completely lost or else
suffereddistortionand corruption.As to the Qur'an God
has decreed that it shall never be subiectedto such
distortionbut shallbe preservedby Him. IHiir, XV: 9J

MESSENGERS
Messengers are human beingschosenby God who have
the honor of conveying Cod's message to other men and
women.Beingsucha Messenger is not a positionthatone
attainsby any consciously designedeffort.lt isa Sracefrom
God, but God grantsthisgraceto thosewho aredeserving
of it. Messengers are not then, like the rankand file of us.
True,they are men but they are men of an extremelyhigh
moral, spiritualand intellectualstandardthat qualifies
them-in the eyesof Cod-to be the bearersof Hislightto
the world. When God choosesany of them, He supports
'sign'
the messengerwith a clear [t-tadid,LVll: 25] that
provesthe truth of his claim,and distinguishes him from
falseprophets,sorcerers andsoothsayers [Taghibun,LXIV:
41-42l,Tehe, XX:69].None of them betraysthe messageor
falls ihort of being exemplary in practicing what he
preaches.[Hud, Xl: 88J.
A s k e d a b o u t p r o p h e t M u h a m m a d ' sc o n d u c th i s w i f e
A y e s h as a i d , " l t w a s t h e Q u r ' a n , " m e a n i n g t h a t h e
e m b o d i e da l l t h e i d e a l sw h i c h t h e Q u r ' a np r e s e n t s .
Two relatedpointsabout messengers which the Qur'an
stresses, and which thereforedeserve some elaboration
a r et h e h u m a n i t y
o f p r o p h e t s
a n d t h e n a t u r eo f t h e i rt a s k .
D e s p i t e t h e v a s t s p i r i t u a l ,m o r a l a n d i n t e l l e c t u a l
d i f f e r e n c eb e t w e e nt h e m a n d o r d i n a r ym e n ,a n d d e s p i t e
the specialrelationwith Cod that theyenioy,prophetsare

-20-
 nonthelesshumanswith all that this term implies.They
begetand are begotten;rheyeatanddrinkandgo aboutin
marketplaces[Furqin, XXV:201;they sleepand they die
[Anbiyi, XXI:341;they forgerand they err [TEhi,XX:121J.
I K a h f ,X V l l l : 3 4 f .
Their knowledgeis limited;and can thereforerell only
that part of the future which God revealsto them [lin,
LXXfI:26-271. Theycannotintercedewith Cod on behalfof
any personexceptwith His permission[lin, LXXII:26-2T1,
and it is not left to them to causepeople ro go in the rigtrt
path {Qasas, XXV|ll:56J.In short,they haveno partto playin
t h e r u n n i n go f t h e a f f a i r so f t h e u n i v e r s e[ A l - ' l m r a n l,l l :
1281.Many early Muslim scholarshave observedthat to
emphasizethe humanityof the Prophetthe eur'an called
him 'servantof Cod' on the threeoccasions on which he
was honored.
"Blessed
be He who hassenrdownthe Salvation
{eur'anJ
upon His servant."
I F u r q a nX, X V :1 l
"Clory be to Him, who carried His servantby night from
th.e Holy Mosque to the FurthesrMosque the precintsof
which We have blessed,that We might show hirp someof
Ou r si gns . "
'[Bani
t s r a i lX V i l : t f

"when the servantof God stood cailing

on Him, they were
we l l -n i ghupon him in ,* " rrn r.i ,-

[J i n ,L X XtI:l 19l

-21-
A Prophetwhosehumanityisspeciallyernphasized islesus.
He wascreatedin the samemannerasAdamwascreated,
from soil [Al-'lmrin: lll, 59]; he is the son of Mary not of
God [Nisi', lV: 157];he and his mother used to eatfood
[Mi'ida, V: 75]; he is indeedthe word of Cod IBaqara,ll:
a5l but sincehe is a human being in the full senseof the
word, thisshouldnot be interpretedto meanthatthereisa
Divine element in him. He is the word of Cod only in the
'Be' and
sensethat God said he was. But in that sense
everythingis the word of Cod. Why then is he in particular
called the word of God? Because,as many scholarshave,
rightlyexplained,he came more directlyasa resultof this
word. fesus is thus a loyal servant of God who never
claimedthat he was in any sensedivine.
[M5'ida,V: 11&117f.
Messengersare entrusted, w€ said, with the task of
conveyingGod's word to other people. But this is not as
simpleas it looks.lt impliesmanythingswhich are not at
firstsightclear,and which the Qur'an thereforeexpounds
and elaborates.
The most important point of which all Messengers are
reminded,and which is very easyto forget or be heedless
of, is that sincetheir duty is only to conveythe message
they are not responsiblefor peoples'reactionto it, once
they have made it clearto them. God hasgiven man the
power to understandthe difference between truth and
falsehood,especiallyin mattersreligious,once this has
beenexplainedto him.Cod hasalsogivenhim the ability,
by reasonof his free-will, either to acceptor reiect this
truth. And sinceit is only Cod who knowswhat goeson in
people'sminds,it is only He who can iudge who is worthy
of being guidedand who deservesto be left gropingin the
-22-
dark; and it is Cod who accordingto this knowledge
guideswhom He will and withholdsHis guidancefrom
whom He will. A prophethasno suchpower,and cannot,
therefore, guide whom he loves. [Qasas,XXVlll: 56J.
"Thenremindthemthouareonlyonewho reminds, thou
art not chargedto oversee
them."
LXXXVI
[Chashiya, II :. 21-221.
He shouldnot, thereforefeel sadif peopleturn awayfrom
him, or impute {alsehoods to his message[An'am,Vl: 33-
341.But this is a mostdifficult rule to abide by. We love to
be acceptedby the communityin which we live; manyof
us must haveexperiencedthat strangefeelingof sadness,
loneliness, and beinglostwhen we cometo liveasafiensin
a new community.We undergoa similarbut more intense
feeling,when asa resultof our intellectual convictions we
come to hold about life views that are entirelydifferent
from those of our own community.One easyand usual
escapefrom the psychological and other hardships of such
a life is to live in seclusionfrom society.Thosewho, for
somereasoncannotafford sucha withdrawal,more often
than not, sacrificeintelfectualhonestyfor conformitywith
their community. Prophetshave of courseto live in the
midstof the peoplefor whom theyaresentandtheydo not
of coursego to the extent of betrayingtheir message. To
haveto cling tenaciously to the word of Cod, and yet livein
the midstof people,is perhapsthe greatestdifficultythey
haveto put up with. Thisis madeevidentby the factthat
mostof the few occasionson which the Qur'an expresses
Cod's disapprovalof a certainline of behaviourtaken by
the ProphetMuhammadare relatedto hisbeingso keento

-73 -
win adherents as to verge on exceeding the desirable
l i mi ts .

"Yet perchanceif they believe not in this tiding' thgy

wilt consume thyself, following after them of grief"'
IK a h f,X V l l l : 6].

"lndeed they were n'earto seducing thee from t{ratWe

revealed to thee, that thou mightest, forge against Us
another, and then they would surelyhave taken thee as
a friend. And had We not confirmed thee, surely thou
were near to inclining unto them a very little; then would
We have let thee tastethe double of life and the double
of death; and then thou wouldst havefound none to help
thee againstusr
[rsra,,xvlr: 73-741.

QADAR
The original meaning of the word Qadar is specified
measure or amount whether of quantities or qualities. lt
has many other usageswhich branch out from this core.
Thus yuqad-dir means, among other things, to measureor
decide the quantity, quality, position, etc. of something
before you actually make it. And it is this latter sensewhich
interests us here.
"Cod is the creatorof everything,but whateverHe creates,
He createswith qadar.
[Qamar, LIV: a9]
He knows before creating it, that He is going to create it
and that it shall be of such and such magnitude, quality or
nature etc. and specifiesthe time of its coming into being
and passingaway, and the place of its occurrence. lf so,then

24-
 one who believesin the true God shouldbelievethatthere
are no accidentsin nature. lf something disagreeable
happensto him, he shouldsay,,Godqad-d-ara (or?ained),
and He did what He willed" and noi wastehimselfou*i
wishingthat it had not occurred,or worryingwhy it should
occur. lf on the other handsomethingagreeablihappens
to him he should not boast of it, but thank God for it.
"No afffictionbefallsin the earthor in yourselves,
but it
is in a Book, before We create it; that is easy for God; that
you may not trieve for what escapes you, nor rejoice
(vaingloriously) in what has been given to you, God ioves
not any man proud and boastful.',
[Hadid, tVtt: 23f.
lf 9od yuqad-d_ir(predestines,predetermines etc.)
.
everything,thatincludesour socalledfreeactions.But if so
in what way can they be saidto be free, and how are we
responsibfe for them? This question occasioned the
appearance,at a very early historyof lslam,of two extreme
theolo$icaf sects. One of them, called the eadariya,
assertedman'sfree will and responsibilityto the extenf of
denying God's foreknowledge, and cliiming that God
knowsour free madeactionsonly afterwe haveperformed
them. The other, called the lahriyya,did jusr the opposite
and claimedthat there was no differencebetween the
m o t i o n s o f i n a n i m a t et h i n g s a n d o u r m o v e m e n t si n
performing so-cafledfree actions,and that when we use
intpntional language we speak only metaphorically
Butthereis no needto go to suchextremes, sinceit isnot
difficult to reconcile Divine eadar and human
responsibility. cod decidedro createman as a free agenr,
but He knows(andhow canHe not know?)beforecreating

-25-
every man how he is going to use his free will; what,for
instance,his reactionwould be when a Proph€tclarifies
cod's messageto him. This foreknowledge and its
'Book' 'But if we arefreeto
registeringin i is calledQadar.
'We mayuseit in waysthat
ur; our *Iil' . Qadarimight say,
contradictGod;swill, and in that casewe would not be
right in claimingthat everythingis willed or decreedby
G;d.'The Qur'in answersthis questionby remindingus
that it wasGod who willed that we shallbe wilful, and it is
He who allowsus to use our will.
"Surely,thisis a Reminder; so he who will,takesuntohis
Lorda way, but you will not unlessGod wills'"
flnsan,LXXVI:29-30J.
'lf so', saysa 'He could havepreventedus from
Qadari,
doing evil.' Yesindeed He could.
..Hadcod willed,Hewouldhavebroughtthemalltogether
to the guidance;if thy Lordhadwilledwhoeveris in the
earth iould have believed,all of them, all together."
[Yunus,X: 991.
"Had God willed,they were not idolaters;and we havenot
appointedthee a watcherover them neitherart thou their
g u a r dian. " .
' [An ' a m ,Vl : 1071.
But He had willed that men shall be free especially in
regard to matfers of belief and disbelief.
',The truth is from your Lord; so let whosoeverwill
say:
believe,and let whosoeverwill disbelieve."
[Ka h f,XV l l l : 291.
But men would not be so free if whenever any of them
wills to do evil God prevents him from doing it and

-26-
 compelshim to do good.
" l f o u r a c t i o n sa r e w i l l e db y C o d , " s o m e o n em i g h ts a y ,
"then they are in factHis actions."Thisobjectionii based
on a confusion.cod wills what we wilr in the senseof
g.ranting us the will to chooseand enablingus to execute
thatwill i.e.He createsallthatmakesit posslble for usto do
it. He doesnot will it in the senseof doing.it, otherwiseit
w o u l d b e q u i t e i n o r d e r t o s a y ,w h e n w e d r i n k o r e a t o r
sleepfor instance, that God performedtheseactions.cod
createsthem, He does not do or performthem. Another
objection, basedon another confusion,is that if Cod
allowsus to do evil,then He approvesof it and rikesit. But
to will somethingin the senseof allowinga personto do it
i so n e t h i n g ;a n dt o a p p r o v eo f h i sa c t i o n a n dc o m m e n di t ,
isquiteanorher.Nore*erythingthatcod wiilsHe likes.He
has,as we havejust read in the eur'an, grantedman the
choice betwen belief and disbelief,but He does not, of
course,like men to disbefieve (to be thankless).
" f f y o u a r e u n t h a n k f u fl , c o d i s i n d e p e n d e n t o f y o u . y e t
He
a p p r o v e s n o t u n t h a n k fu l n e s si n H i s s e r v a n t s ;b u t i f y o u
are
thankful, He will approve it in you.,,
[Zumar, XXXIX:71.

coNctustoNs
These in resume are the basic truths to which the
ProphetMuhammadinvitedhispeople.Thebesrproof -
besidesthe foregoingarguments- of their beingtruths,
andveryimportantrruthsfor man,isthe goodeffeit which
they producein man'sinternalstate,and thushisoutward
behaviour.we havealready,in dealingwith beliefin cod,
pointed to some of the feelingstowards Him, brought

-27
about by belief in His existence and His attributes of
perfection.
si n c e m an' s at t it u d e i n re l a ti o n to h i s fe l l o w-human
beings is very much connected with his attitude towards
Godithat befief in God with resulting feelings towards the
Divine,is bound to produce in man's heart feelings towards
other men that aie appropriate to it. And since man's
outward behaviour regarding God and other men is
i b o u t a n d f e e l i n g st o w a r d s
S*i"L,.d, by his real b-"tiets
i n * . , i t i s o n i y t o b e e x p e c t e do f t r u e r e l i g i o n t o c a l l f o r a
se t o f behav iour t hat i s b o th a n a tu ra lo u tc o me o f i ts set of
b e l i e f sa n d a f a c t o r o f s t r e n g t h e n i n gt h e m . T h e i n' tl m ernal
in'
s t a t et o w h i c h M u h a m m a d i n v i t e d m e n i s c a l l e d
( f a i t ho r b e l i e f) . T h e e x t e r n a lb e h a v i o u rb a s e do n i t i s c a l l e d
i sl a m. A t t he M ak k a n p e ri o d h e c o n c e n tra te d m ostl y on
t h e f i r s t ,w i t h o u t e n t i r e l yn e g l e c t i n gt h e s e c o n d ,w h i c h h e
e l a b o r a t e da t M a d i n a w h e n t h e f i r s t M u s l i m i n d e p e n d e n t
community was formed. Even at Makka the Prophet
Mu h am m jd *. r dire c te d b y Go d to i n v i te p e o pl e to the
fo l l o w ing ac t s of wo rs h i p a n d m o ra l b e h a v i o u r'
1 . T o k e e p t h e i r f a i t h a l i v e a n d s t r e n g t h e ni t M u s l i m s
w e r e t o l d t o r e c i t e t h e Q u r ' a n a n d s t u d y i t c a r e f u l l y ,t o
l e a rn f r om t he P r op h e t a n d s a y a s o fte n a s p o s s i bl e,and
sp e ciallyon s om e s p e c i fi e do c c a s i o n s c, e rta i n p rayers'and
to p*r f or r n pr ay e r i n th e ma n n e r w h i c h C abri el
d e mons t r at edio in" P ro p h e t. Al l th i s i s s a l a ti n i ts w i dest
se n se.
2 . A f t er s alat ,t he s e rv i n go f c o d , c o me s z a k i t w hi ch i n
i ts b ro ades ts ens ein c l u d e sa n y a c t o f s e rv i c eto o t her men'
Be i n g good t o m en i s th e fru i t a n d th e re fo re th e proof of
th e tiee of f ait h. He i s n o t tru th fu l w h o h a rm s men and yet

28-
 c l a i m st o b e l i e v e i n a n d l o v e C o d .
"H as t t hou s eenhim w h o d o e sn o t b e l i € v ei n re tri buti on
( i n t h e h e r e a f t e r )t ?
h a t i s h e w h o r e p u l s etsh e o r p h a na n d
u rg esnot t he f eed i n go f th e n e e d y .s o w o e to th osethat
p ra y and ar e heedl e sos f th e i r p ra y e rsto , th o s ew h o make
d i splayand r ef us ec h a ri ty ."
[ M a ' u n ,C V l l J .
Th e f ir s t t hr ee v er s e so f th i ss u ra w e re re v e a l e da t Makka
a n d th e r es t at M adi n a . T h e Ma d i n a n v e rs e ss p e ak about
the hypocrites who perform outward acts of worship that
d o n o t or iginat ef r om a n y s i n c e refa i th . Bu t th e i r b e havi our
b e tra y st hem , s inc e i t i s th e s a m e a s th a t o f th e Makkan
professed unbelievers.
Fo l lowingar e a f ew e x a mp l e so f Z a k i t w h i c h th e eur,an
a d vo c at edat t his earl y p e ri o d .
Acquis it ion of wea l th fo r i ts o w n s a k e o r s o th at i t may
i n cre a s e t he wor t h o f i ts c o l l e c to r i s c o n d e mn ed. Mere
a c q u i s i t i o no f w e a l t h c o u n t sn o t h i n g i n t h e s i g h to f c o d . l t
d o e s n ot giv e m an a n y m e ri t w h e th e r h e re o r i n the
h e re a f t er .
"Wh o gat her edr ic h e sa n d c o u n te d th e m o v e r th i nki ng
th a t h is r ic heshav em a d eh i m i m m o rta l ."
[ H u m a z aC, I V : 2 - 3 J .
Th o s e " who am as s e da n d h o a rd e d " w e a l th i n th i s l i fe are
to b e c alled in t he here a fte rb y a fu rn a c e th a t' s c a th esaw ay
th e scalp' [ M u' ar ij, L XX : 1 5 -1 8 ].W e a l th fo r i ts o w n sakei s
a mo n g t he v ic es of m e n w h i c h c a n b e e ra d i c a te donl y by
th e ki nd of belief and p ra c ti c e sw h i c h Mu h a mma d taught.
[Ma 'a rij, LX X : 19- 27] .
Ma n s hould ac qu i re w e a l th w i th th e i n te nti on of
sp e n d i ng it on his ow n n e e d s , a n d th e n e e d s o f others.

-29-
 'My wealth!My wealth!'
"Man, the Prophettellsus,says:
Haveyou anywealthexceptthat which you wearand tear,
eat and coniu.e up, give as alms and thus preserve?"
Wealthshould be spenton the needy(specially-if they are
parentsor relatives), on orphansand thosewho askowing
to poverty, on the freeing of slavesetc. The following
verseswere among the earliestthatwere addressed to the
Prophet.
"As for the orphan,do not opPress him,asfor the beggar,
scoldhim not."
[Dhuha,x.lll: 9-10]
Among the qualitiesthat characterize a true beliewr is
the luali-ty of giving the negdy and the outcast'as their
right, a specifiJd pdrtion of his wealth. [Ma'irii, LXX:24-
251.
th*r" is on the way to successin the hereafter a steep
path that can be attempted only by one who performs
the following deeds:
"The freeingof a slave,or givingfood upon a dayof hunger
to an orphJn near of kin or a needy man in misery"
And then
,,b e c om eof t hos ewh o b e l i e v ea n dc o u n c i l e a c ho th e rto be
ste adf as and t , c oun s e e l a c ho th e r to b e me rc i fu l " '
I B a l a dX, C : 1 3 - 1 7 J .
Be si deshelping his fe l l o w m e n i n th i s w a y m a n shoul d
also b e t r u t h f u l a n d h o n e s t w i t h t h e m and fulfil his
p ro mi s es t o t hem . I M a ' a ri j , L XX : 3 2 -3 3 ] H q s h o ul d not
i n f ri n g e upon r heir r i g h ts e s p e c i a l l yth o s e o f l i fe IL X X X :8-
1 ,a n
9 'Th adt o f d e c e n c y . -I M a ' i r i j , L X X : 2 9 - 3 1 ] '
br ief ly , is th e me s s a g e w h i c h Mu hammad
a d d re s s edt o his M akk a n a u d i e n c e .
-30-
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