The Religion of Islam

Ohio

Transliteration of Arabic Words

The transliteration system adapted for the e-book format from the standard transliteration system is given below. Due to the limitations of the e-book format in producing some of the diacritical signs, alternative diacritical signs have been used. These changes are indicated by red type.

Consonants

Arabic Letter — Sound — Represented by

hamzah — (sounds like h in hour — a sort of catch in the voice) — ’

ba — (same as b) — b

ta — (the Italian dental, softer than t) — t

tha — (between th in thing and s) — th

jim — (like g in gem) — j

ha — (very sharp but smooth guttural aspirate) — h

kha — (like ch in the Scotch word loch) — kh

dal — (Italian dental, softer than d) — d

dhal — (sounds between z and th in that) — dh

ra — (same as r) — r

za — (same as z) — z

sin — (same as s) — s

shin — (same as sh in she) — sh

sad — (strongly articulated s, like ss in hiss) — s

dad — (aspirated d, between d and z) — dz

ta — (strongly articulated palatal t) — t

za — (strongly articulated palatal z) — z

‘ain — (somewhat like a strong guttural hamzah, not a mere vowel) — ‘

ghain — (guttural g, but soft) — gh

fa — (same as f) — f

qaf — (strongly articulated guttural k) — q

kaf — (same as k) — k

lam — (same as l) — l

mim — (same as m) — m

nun — (same as n) — n

ha — (same as h) — h

waw — (same as w) — w

ya — (same as y) — y

Vowels

The vowels are represented as follows:

Short vowels:

— ’ — fathah, as u in tub — a

— ’ — kasrah, as i in pin — i

Long vowels:

— — long fathah, as a in father — a

— — long kasrah, as ee in deep — i

— ‘ — long dammah, as oo in moot — u

— — fathah before waw — au

— — fathah before ya — ai

Tanwin   ’’   ’’   ‘’ is represented by an, in, un, respectively. The short and long vowels at the end of a word are shown as parts of the words, as qala where the final a stands for the fathah on lam, but the tanwin is shown as a separate syllable, as Muhammad-in.

Proper Names

Biblical proper names are not transliterated, but their Biblical form is adopted; other names are transliterated according to the rules of transliteration. Hence the reader will notice a change in such names as Mecca which should be written as Makkah, Medina which should be written as Madinah, Yemen which should be written as Yaman, and so on.

The following list shows the Biblical names and their Arabic equivalents:

Biblical Names— Arabic Form

Aaron — Harun

Abraham — Ibrahim

Adam — Adam

Amran — ‘Imran

Babel — Babil

David — Dawud

Egypt — Misr

Elias — Ilyas

Ezra — ‘Uzair

Elisha — Al-Yash‘a

Gabriel — Jibril

Gog — Ya’juj

Goliath — Jalut

Gospel — Injil

Isaac — Ishaq

Ishmael — Isma‘il

Jacob — Ya‘qub

Jesus — ‘Isa

Jew — Yahudi

Job — Ayyub

John — Yahya

Jonah — Yunus

Korah — Qarun

Lot — Lut

Magog — Ma’juj

Mary — Maryam

Michael — Mikal

Moses — Musa

Noah — Nuh

Pharaoh — Fir‘aun

Saul — Talut

Sheba — Saba’

Soloman — Sulaiman

Torah — Taurat

Zacharias — Zakariyya

Preface

There could be no better comment on the prevalent Muslim lethargy towards Islam than the fact that non-Muslim contributions to Islamic religious literature in English are by far in excess of the Muslim. It is true that much of this literature draws a distorted picture of Islam, but even here the Muslim is more to blame than the non-Muslim, for it is his duty to place the right kind of material before a world whose thirst for knowledge is insatiable. But whatever may be said as to the superficiality of one part of this literature and the prejudicial tenor of another, it cannot be denied that Europe has made a very valuable contribution to research on the religion of Islam and the history of the Muslims. The Muslims are also turning their attention to the producing of religious literature in English, but the attempt is, as yet, a very weak one, directed more to appealing to the market than to serious efforts based on hard work and critical acumen.

The Religion of Islam is the name of a book written by the Rev. F.A. Klein and published in 1906. It was through the courtesy of a friend that this book fell into my hands in the year 1928. He had read it with pain, he said, on account of the distorted picture of Islam that it contained, and he suggested that I should write a comprehensive work containing a true picture of Islam and dealing in detail with its teachings. More than twenty years before this, and just about the time when this book had been published in London, on the 13th of February 1907 to be exact, the Founder of the Ahmadiyyah Movement, Hadzrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad of Qadian, had charged me with the writing of an English book which should contain all that was necessary for a Muslim, or a non-Muslim, to know about the religion of Islam, and to give a true picture of the religion which was largely misrepresented. The multifarious duties which I had to perform as President of the Ahmadiyyah Anjuman Isha‘at Islam were a great hindrance, but the call of duty overcame these difficulties, and I set to work immediately, after going through Klein’s book, and the work is now being published under the same name.

Had I been able to devote myself entirely to this task, it should not have taken more than three years. But seven years have passed, and still I am not satisfied that the book is as complete a picture as I had wished it to be. It has been my good fortune, from one point of view, to contribute to the literary activities of Islam and to be the head of a society which aims at the propagation of Islam, as the two works are so closely associated, but from another point of view it is a misfortune, since each of these works requires entire devotion to itself, to the exclusion of the other. I turned to the author’s work again and again, amidst the many duties which I was required to perform as the head of a newly established society, but always to be recalled to some other task which the urgency of the moment forced on my attention. An author’s singleness of purpose was not vouchsafed to me, and I have to confess that the work may, perhaps, suffer somewhat from this handicap.

There is yet another circumstance which may detract from the value of the book. I fell ill, rather seriously, in March 1935, and my medical advisers ordered complete rest for some time. Even after convalescence, I was advised to give up hard work, a direction which, to be candid, I have not been able to carry out, since the publication could not be delayed any longer. So I had to hurry the work; and, more than that, I had to relinquish two chapters which I originally intended to include.* Besides, the concluding chapters have not been dealt with as exhaustively as I had wished. I only hope that these and other deficiencies will be removed if I am spared to bring out a second edition.

Islam, as I have pointed out in the Introduction to this book, is a religion which deals not only with the ways of devotion and the means which make man attain communion with God, but also with a vast variety of problems relating to the world around us and questions that pertain to the social and political life of man. In a treatise which aims at giving a true picture of Islam, it was necessary not only to discuss all the laws and regulations of the system but also to throw full light on the principles on which it is based, and even upon the sources from which its teachings, principles and laws are derived. I have, therefore divided this book into three parts. The first part deals with the sources from which the teachings of Islam are drawn, and which can serve the purpose of guiding the Muslim world in its present and future needs; the second describes the creed of Islam or the fundamental doctrines of the religion; while the third treats of the laws and regulations of Islam which govern not only a Muslim’s domestic, social and international relations but also his relations with God, which are the mainspring of the development of his faculties. An introduction has been added dealing with some questions relating to religion in general and Islam in particular.

A work of this nature would have carried little weight if it did not give full references to original authorities, and this had made the work laborious, for it contains over 2,500 references and quotations. The Holy Qur’an, being the original source on which all principles and laws of Islam are based, occupies the first place in this list, and next to it comes Bukhari, the most reliable book of Hadith. It is on these two authorities that the present work is chiefly based, but others, besides these, have been freely quoted and referred to where necessary.

MUHAMMAD ‘ALI

PRESIDENT

Ahmadiyyah Anjuman Isha‘at Islam

Lahore

LAHORE

Ahmadiyyah Buildings

21st November, 1935.

* The Ethics of Islam and The Muslim State.

Preface to The Second Edition

Owing to a heavy demand of the book all of a sudden, I was called upon to send this Second Edition to the press urgently and could not find time for the two chapters which I had promised to add to the second edition. I have, however, dealt with these two subjects, Ethics and State, in a later work, A Manual of Hadith, and have also included a chapter on State in another work of mine, The New World Order, and I would refer the reader to these two books for necessary information on these subjects. The book is therefore going to the press as it was printed first with very insignificant changes only.

MUHAMMAD ‘ALI

PRESIDENT

Ahmadiyyah Anjuman Isha‘at Islam

Lahore

LAHORE

Muslim Town

1949

Preface to The Third Edition

This edition of Maulana Muhammad ‘Ali’s famous book, The Religion of Islam, is the first to appear after the author’s death. The first thought which comes to mind is to acknowledge the very great service which the Maulana has rendered to the cause of Islam. Born in 1876, he acquired three University degrees in Literature and Law and, at a time when the prospects of a bright worldly career were wide open to him, he dedicated his life to the service of Islam. And what a dedication! He took up the pen in that cause in 1901, as a young man in his twenties, wielded it incessantly, untiringly and devotedly for half a century and did not lay it down until it was snatched from him by the hand of death.¹

His English Translation of the Holy Qur’an, a product of seven long years² of laborious and original research, not only marked an epoch in the understanding of Islam by Muslim intelligentsia but also made an impact on Western scholarship, an impact which is noticeable in the changed outlook on Islam and the changed tone of literature about Islam which has since appeared. The popularity and widespread acclaim commanded by this English Translation — the first ever by a Muslim — was due not only to the tremendous research carried out by the Maulana, the tracing of the authentic meaning of words and verses, the detailed references to acknowledged works of lexicology and standard commentaries, the emphasis on the underlying significance of Sections and Chapters and on the continuity of the theme linking them one with another; nor was it due solely to the scrupulously honest and faithful rendering, without literary flourishes and without any attempt to pander to preconceived or popular notions; nor yet was it entirely on account of the enlightened and rational approach and the answers to all criticism against the Holy Qur’an; but also to something much more which no scholarship can offer—the gift of inner purity. Maulana Muhammad ‘Ali wielded a scholar’s pen with a saint’s hand, and therein lay the secret of his Translation becoming a spiritual force for the seeker after the truth. His work was a pioneer venture, breaking altogether new ground, and the pattern set was followed by all subsequent translations of the Holy Qur’an by Muslims. The Maulana’s Translation, which ran into several editions, was extensively revised by him in the closing years of his life.³ Some of his other works are listed elsewhere.

The Religion of Islam, originally published in 1936 with only slight alterations by the author, contains over 2,500 quotations from original sources, most of them from the Holy Qur’an. These quotations followed the translation adopted in the 1917 edition of the author’s English Translation of the Holy Qur’an. All of these have now been revised in accordance with the 1951 (fourth) edition of the Translation which, as already stated, had been extensively revised by the Maulana. In a few cases, explanatory footnotes have been added or amended in accordance with the footnotes given in the revised edition of the English Translation. These changes represent the major revision carried out in this edition of The Religion of Islam. Certain other portions of the book have also been edited and brought up to date. The author intended to add two more chapters to the book on the Muslim State and the Ethics of Islam, but could not do so himself. Both subjects were, however, dealt with by him, though briefly, in two subsequent works, The New World Order and Living Thoughts of the Prophet Muhammad, and the material from these sources, with necessary editing has been included in the two additional chapters at the end of this book The treatment of these subjects is, however, not as detailed as that of the other subjects which originally formed a part of this book.

We are grateful to Mr. Muhammad Ahmad, M.A., son of the author for having undertaken the revision of this book on the above lines, and for having gone through the proofs.

—THE PUBLISHERS

1. 13 October, 1951.

2. 1909-1916.

3. 1946-1951.

Preface to The Third Edition

This edition goes to press with corrections in the Holy Qur’an and Hadith references.

—THE PUBLISHERS

List of Contents

Page numbers refer to the print edition, available online at www.muslim.org

Preface to the third edition — vii

Preface (by the author) — ix

Preface to the second edition — xii

Transliteration — xxix

List of Authorities and key to references — xxxi

INTRODUCTION

Islam, not Muhammadanism — 3

Significance of the name Islam — 4

Place of Islam among the religions of the world — 4

New meaning introduced into Religion — 6

Religion is a force in the moral development of man — 7

Islam as the basis of a lasting civilization — 7

Islam as the greatest unifying force in the world — 8

Islam as the greatest spiritual force of the world — 9

Islam offers a solution of the great world-problems — 10

Misconceptions underlying anti-religious movement — 11

PART ONE

THE SOURCES OF ISLAM

Chapter I. The Holy Qur’an — 15

How and when the Holy Qur’an was revealed — 15

It is the highest form of revelation — 17

Other forms of Divine revelation to men — 19

The Holy Prophet’s experience of revelation — 19

Nature of the Holy Prophet’s revelation — 21

Arrangement of the Holy Qur’an — 22

Arrangement in oral recitation — 22

Complete written copies of the Holy Qur’an — 23

Standardization of the Holy Qur’an — 24

Difference of readings — 25

Collective testimony of the purity of the Qur’anic text — 26

The theory of abrogation — 27

Hadith on abrogation — 29

Use of the word naskh — 30

Basis of abrogation — 31

Suyuti on abrogation — 32

Shah Wali Allah’s verdict on five verses — 32

Interpretation of the Holy Qur’an — 34

Value of Hadith and commentaries in interpreting the Holy Qur’an — 36

Divisions of the Holy Qur’an — 36

Makkah and Madinah Surahs — 37

The place of the Holy Qur’an in world literature — 38

European writers on the Holy Qur’an — 40

Translation of the Holy Qur’an — 42

Chapter II. The Hadith — 43

Sunnah and Hadith — 43

Transmission of Hadith in Holy Prophet’s lifetime — 44

Writing of Hadith in Holy Prophet’s lifetime — 45

Why hadith were not generally written — 46

Memory could be trusted for preservation of knowledge — 46

Collection of Hadith

— First stage — 47

— Second stage — 49

— Third stage — 51

— Fourth stage — 53

— Fifth stage — 53

— Bukhari — 54

Method of counting the number of different reports — 55

Reports in biographies and commentaries — 56

Story-tellers — 57

European criticism of Hadith — 58

Canons of criticism of Hadith as accepted by Muslims — 61

The Holy Qur’an as the greatest test for judging Hadith — 63

How far did the collectors apply these tests — 64

Different classes of Hadith — 66

Chapter III. Ijtihad or Exercise of Judgement — 68

Value of reason recognized — 68

The Holy Prophet allowed exercise of judgement in religious matters — 69

Exercise of judgement by the Companions — 69

Great jurists:

— Imam Abu Hanifah — 70

— Imam Malik — 71

— Imam Shafi‘i — 72

— Imam Ahmad — 72

Different methods of formulating new laws — 73

Qiyas or reasoning based on analogy — 73

Istihsan or exercise of Private Judgement and Istislah or Deduction based on Public Good — 74

Istidlal or inference — 74

Ijma‘ or concensus of opinion — 75

Ijma‘ is only Ijtihad on a wider basis — 77

To differ with majority is no sin — 77

Three degrees of Ijtihad — 78

The door of Ijtihad is still open — 79

Independence of thought recognized — 81

PART TWO

THE PRINCIPLES OF ISLAM

Chapter I. Iman or Faith — 85

Faith and action — 85

Iman in the Holy Qur’an — 85

Iman in Hadith — 86

Kufr or unbelief — 87

A Muslim cannot be called a Kafir — 88

Iman and Islam — 91

No dogmas in Islam — 92

Principles of faith — 93

Significance of faith — 94

Chapter II. The Divine Being — 95

Sec. I — The Existence of God

Material, inner and spiritual experience of humanity — 95

The law of evolution as an evidence of purpose and wisdom — 95

One law prevails in the whole universe — 97

Guidance afforded by human nature — 98

Guidance afforded by Divine revelation — 99

Sec. 2 — The Unity of God

The Unity of God — 101

The gravity of shirk — 102

Various forms of shirk — 103

Idolatry — 104

Nature-worship — 105

Trinity — 105

Doctrine of sonship — 106

Significance underlying the doctrine of Unity — 107

Unity of human race underlies Unity of God — 107

Sec. 3 — The Attributes of God

Nature of the Divine attributes — 108

‘Arsh or throne — 109

Proper name of the Divine Being — 110

Four chief attributes — 110

Ninety-nine names — 113

Predominance of love and mercy in Divine nature — 116

Divine attributes as the great ideal to be attained — 117

Chapter III. Angels — 119

Angels are immaterial beings — 119

Can angels be seen? — 120

Abraham’s guests — 120

Harut and Marut — 121

Nature of angels — 122

The angel’s coming to the Holy Prophet — 122

Angelic function — 124

Angels as intermediaries:

— in bringing revelation — 125

— in strengthening believers — 126

— in carrying out Divine punishment — 127

Angels’ intercession and prayers for men — 128

Angels’ help in the spiritual progress of man — 129

Angels’ promptings to noble deeds — 130

Angels’ recording deeds of men — 130

Faith in angels — 131

Iblis is not an angel but one of the jinn — 132

The jinn — 133

The Devil — 133

The word jinn as applied to men — 134

The jinn have no access to Divine secrets — 137

Chapter IV. Revealed Books — 142

Revealed books mentioned under three names — 142

Revelation to objects and beings other than man — 142

Revelation to auliya’ — 143

Revelation to man granted in three ways — 144

Object of God’s revelation to man — 145

Revelation is a universal fact — 147

Belief in all sacred scriptures is an article of Muslim faith — 147

Revelation brought to perfection — 148

The Holy Qur’an as guardian and judge of previous revelation — 148

Defects of earlier scriptures removed — 149

Alteration of the text of previous scriptures — 150

Door to revelation is not closed — 151

Kalam (speaking) is an attribute of the Divine being — 152

Chapter V. Prophets — 155

Nabi and rasul — 155

Faith in Divine messengers — 155

Universality of the institution of prophethood — 156

A Muslim must believe in all the prophets — 157

National prophets — 158

The world-prophet — 158

All prophets are one community — 161

Why prophets are raised — 162

Sinlessness of prophets — 164

Istighfar — 166

Dhanb — 167

Khata’ — 167

Individual cases:

— Noah and Abraham — 167

— Holy Prophet Muhammad — 168

— Moses — 169

— Adam — 170

Conception of miracles in Islam — 170

The miracles of Islam — 173

Prophecy — 174

Prophecy of the triumph of Islam — 175

Intercession: God is the real Intercessor — 177

Who can intercede? — 178

God’s intercession — 179

Intercession of the angels — 179

Intercession of prophets and believers — 180

Intercession on the Judgement Day — 181

Finality of prophethood — 182

A prophet for all people and all ages — 183

Unification of human race based on finality of prophethood — 183

Significance underlying Finality — 184

Appearance of the Messiah — 184

Appearance of reformers — 186

Chapter VI. Life after death — 188

Al-akhirah — 188

Importance of faith in Future Life — 188

Connection between the two lives — 189

Barzakh — 190

Second stage of the higher life — 190

Spiritual experience in the barzakh stage — 191

Duration of barzakh — 192

Various names of Resurrection — 193

A general destruction and a general awakening — 194

Three Resurrections — 194

Spiritual resurrection and the greater resurrection — 195

Life has an aim — 197

Good and evil must have their reward — 198

Resurrection as a workable principle of life — 198

Resurrection is quite consistent with present scientific knowledge — 199

Will the Resurrection be corporeal? — 199

A body prepared from the good and evil deeds of man — 200

Spiritualities materialized — 201

The book of deeds — 202

Balance or mizan — 204

Jannah or Paradise — 205

Blessings of Paradise — 206

Women in Paradise — 208

Hur — 209

Hur as a blessing of Paradise — 211

Children in paradise — 211

Abode of peace — 211

Liqa Allah or the meeting with God — 212

Advancement in the higher life — 213

Different names of Hell — 214

Hell, a manifestation of spiritualities — 215

Remedial nature of Hell — 217

Chapter VII. Taqdir or Predestination — 223

Creation of good and evil — 225

The will of God and the will of man — 227

Foreknowledge of God — 229

God’s writing of adversities — 230

Lauh mahfuz — 232

God does not lead astray — 233

Idzlal as ascribed to God — 234

God’s sealing of hearts — 235

Hadith and predestination — 236

Faith in qadar finds no place in the Holy Qur’an and Bukhari — 243

Faith in qadar is a doctrine of later growth — 243

Significance of faith in qadar — 245

Ash‘ari’s view — 246

PART THREE

LAWS AND REGULATIONS OF ISLAM

Chapter I. Prayer — 251

Sec. 1 — Value of Prayer

Importance of prayers in Islam — 251

Self-development through prayer — 251

Prayer as the means of realizing the Divine in man — 252

The experience of humanity — 253

Prayer, a means of attaining to moral greatness — 253

Prayer as the means of purification of heart — 254

Unification of the human race through Divine service — 255

Regulation of prayer — 256

Times of prayer — 257

Mode of worship — 258

Language of prayer — 259

Other advantages of maintaining Arabic in Divine service — 261

The Fatihah — 263

Prayer as index of Muslim mentality — 264

Sec. 2 — The Mosque

No consecration is necessary — 268

The mosque as a religious centre — 268

A training ground of equality — 269

The mosque as a cultural centre — 270

The mosque as a general centre — 270

Respect for mosques — 271

Mosques should face the Ka’bah — 272

Building of the mosque — 273

Tribal and sectarian mosques — 274

Admission of women to mosque — 274

Office-bearers of the mosque — 277

Sec. 3 — Purification

Outward purification as a prelude to prayer — 278

Wudzu — 279

The tooth-brush — 281

Taking a bath — 281

Tayammum — 282

Sec. 4 — The Call to Prayer (Adhan)

The origin of adhan — 283

The delivery of adhan — 284

Significance of adhan — 285

Sec. 5 — Times of Prayer

Regularization of prayer — 286

Times of prayer — 286

Five obligatory prayers — 287

Combining prayers — 287

Voluntary prayers — 288

Sec. 6 — The Service

The form of the prayer — 289

The maintenance of the spirit of prayer — 289

Parts of Divine service — 290

Posture of qiyam — 291

Posture of ruku‘ — 291

Posture of sajdah — 291

Posture of qa‘dah — 292

Is a departure from these postures allowable — 292

Dhikr — 294

Dhikr in qiyam — 294

Dhikr in ruku‘ and sajdah — 297

Dhikr in the sitting posture — 297

The qunut — 299

Dhikr after finishing prayers — 300

The congregation — 301

Iqamah — 302

Congregational prayer — 302

Sajdah sahw — 303

Late-comers — 303

Prayer in the case of one who is on a journey — 303

Prayer service in battles — 304

Sec. 7 — The Friday Service

Friday service specially ordained — 304

Preparations for the Friday service — 305

The sermon — 305

The Friday service — 307

Sec. 8 — The ‘Id Prayers

Festivals of Islam — 307

Gathering for the ‘Id — 308

The ‘Id service — 308

The ‘Id sermon — 309

The ‘Id charity — 309

The sacrifice — 310

Can sacrifice be replaced by charity? — 311

The idea underlying sacrifice — 311

Sec. 9 — Service on the Dead

Preparatory to service — 313

The service — 313

Patience enjoined under afflictions — 316

Sec. 10 — Tahajjud and Tarawih

Tahajjud prayer is voluntary — 317

The Holy Prophet’s Tahajjud — 318

The Tahajjud prayer — 318

Tarawih — 320

Sec. 11 — Miscellaneous Service

Service for rain — 320

Service during eclipse — 321

Chapter II. Zakat or Charity — 322

Charity as one of the two principal duties — 322

Prayer is useless if it does not lead to charity — 323

Conception of charity in Islam — 323

Voluntary charity — 324

Significance of zakat — 325

Importance of zakat in Islam — 326

Zakat as the basic principle of every religion — 327

Problem of the distribution of wealth — 327

Islam’s solution of wealth problem — 328

Zakat is a state institution — 329

Property on which zakat is payable — 330

Nisab — 331

Rate at which zakat must be paid — 331

Zakat under modern conditions — 332

How zakat should be spent — 333

Zakat may be spent in defence and propagation of Islam — 334

Other national charitable institutions — 335

Chapter III. Saum or Fasting — 336

Saum — 336

Institution of fasting in Islam — 336

A universal institution — 336

New meaning introduced by Islam — 337

A spiritual discipline — 339

A moral discipline — 340

Social value of fasting — 340

Physical value of fasting — 341

The month of Ramadzan — 341

Choice of Ramadzan — 342

Persons who may not fast — 343

Who is bound to fast? — 345

Voluntary fasts — 346

Restrictions on voluntary fasting — 347

Expiatory fasts — 348

Compensatory fasts — 349

Fasting in fulfilment of a vow — 349

Limits of the fast — 349

The niyyah — 351

What breaks the fast — 352

Ethical side of fasting — 353

I‘tikaf — 355

Lailat al-Qadr — 355

Chapter IV. Hajj or Pilgrimage — 357

European views on adoption of hajj by Islam — 357

Sacredness of Makkah and the Ka‘bah recognized in earliest revelations — 358

Why Ka‘bah was not made qiblah earlier — 359

When was hajj first instituted — 360

Description of the Ka‘bah — 362

History of the Ka‘bah — 363

Al-Masjid al-Haram — 365

Historical evidence of antiquity of Ka‘bah — 365

Abrahamic origin of chief features of hajj — 365

Asceticism combined with secularism — 367

Levelling influence of hajj — 367

A higher spiritual experience — 368

On whom is hajj obligatory — 369

‘Umrah — 370

Ihram — 372

Miqat or Muhill — 373

Tawaf — 374

The Black Stone — 375

Significance underlying tawaf of the Ka‘bah — 377

Significance underlying kissing of the Black Stone — 377

The sa‘y — 378

The hajj proper—march to Mina — 379

‘Arafat and the wuquf — 379

Muzdalifah — 380

Yaum al-nahr in Mina — 380

Ayyam al-tashriq — 381

Ramy al-jimar — 381

Other activities allowed in pilgrimage — 382

Chapter V. Jihad — 384

Significance of jihad — 384

Use of the word jihad in Makkah revelations — 385

Jihad in Madinah revelations — 386

Jihad in Hadith — 387

Use of the word jihad by jurists — 388

The spread of Islam by force — 388

Circumstances under which war was permitted — 389

So-called verse of the sword — 392

When shall war cease? — 393

Peace recommended — 393

Hadith on the object of war — 396

Jurists’ wrong notion of jihad — 401

Dar al-harb and Dar al-Islam — 403

Jizyah — 404

Jizyah was not a religious tax — 405

Incidence of the Jizyah — 407

Islam, jizyah or the sword — 408

Directions relating to war — 410

Prisoners of war — 411

Slavery abolished — 412

War as a struggle to be carried on honestly — 413

Apostasy — 414

Apostasy in the Holy Qur’an — 415

Hadith on apostasy — 417

Apostasy and Fiqh — 419

Chapter VI. Marriage — 421

Sec. 1 — Significance of Marriage

‘Ibadat and mu‘amalat — 421

Hudud or restrictions — 421

Everything is lawful unless prohibited — 422

Importance of the marriage institution — 422

Marriage as the union of two natures which are one in their essence — 423

Multiplication of the human race through marriage — 424

Feelings of love and service developed through marriage — 424

Marriage and free love — 425

Sec. 2 — Legal Disabilities

Mut’ah or temporary marriage disallowed — 426

Prohibitions to marry — 429

Marriage relations between Muslims and non-Muslims — 431

Sec. 3 — Form and Validity of Marriage

Preliminaries of marriage — 432

Proposal of marriage — 433

Age of marriage — 434

Essentials in the contract — 435

Mahr or the nuptial gift — 436

Shighar — 438

Publicity of the marriage — 439

Marriage sermon — 439

Evidence of marriage — 441

Walimah or marriage feast — 442

Guardianship in marriage — 442

Marriage in akfa’ — 445

Conditions imposed at the time of marriage — 446

Polygamy — 447

Polygamy is an exception — 447

Sec. 4 — Rights and obligations of husband and wife

Woman’s position in general — 451

Woman’s position as wife — 451

Mutual relations of husband and wife — 452

A division of work — 453

Woman not excluded from any activity in sphere of life — 453

Rights of husband and wife — 454

Stress laid on kind treatment towards wife — 455

Sterner measures allowed in case of immoral conduct — 456

Seclusion of women — 458

The veil — 458

Decent dress — 460

Privacy — 461

Intermingling of the two sexes — 462

Sec. 5 — Marriage of Slaves

Prostitution abolished and marriage introduced — 462

There is no concubinage in Islam — 463

Sec. 6 — Divorce

Marriage and divorce — 468

Divorce is permitted under exceptional circumstances — 469

Principle of divorce — 469

Wife’s right of divorce — 471

Husband’s right of pronouncement of divorce — 473

Divorce during menstruation — 473

The ‘iddah or waiting period — 474

Divorce is revocable — 474

Irrevocable divorce — 475

Pronouncement of divorce in three forms — 475

Subterfuges to make the revocable divorce irrevocable — 476

Effect of irrevocable divorce — 477

Tahlil or halalah — 477

Procedure of divorce — 478

Ila’ — 479

Zihar — 479

Li‘an — 480

Charitable view of divorce — 480

Chapter VII. Acquisition and disposal of property — 482

Acquisition of individual property — 482

Unlawful means of acquiring wealth — 482

The Holy Qur’an on the exercise of property rights — 483

Hajr or restrictions on the disposal of property — 484

Guardian of minor — 485

Honest dealing in Business — 485

General directions relating to sale transactions — 486

Mortgage — 487

Bequest — 487

Gift — 488

Waqf — 488

Chapter VIII. Inheritance — 490

Reform introduced by Islam — 490

Inheritance law as contained in the Holy Qur’an — 491

Hanafi view of inheritance law — 496

Debts — 498

Bequest — 498

Chapter IX. Debts — 500

Writing of debts — 500

Leniency towards debtors recommended — 500

Insistence laid on payment of debts — 501

Warning against indebtedness — 501

Usury prohibited — 502

Reasons for prohibition — 502

Hadith on usury — 503

Interest — 503

Deposits in banks or Government treasuries — 504

Bank deposits — 505

Co-operative banks — 506

Interest on business capital — 506

State borrowings — 507

Chapter X. General Regulations — 508

Sec. 1 — Foods

Islam promotes cleanliness — 508

General rules regarding food — 508

Moderation recommended — 509

Prohibited foods — 509

Slaughtering of an animal — 510

Invoking the name of God on slaughtered animal — 511

Game — 512

Prohibitions in Hadith and Jurisprudence — 513

Good manners in eating — 513

Entertainments — 514

Sec. 2 — Drinks

Intoxicating liquors — 515

Sec. 3 — Toilet

Toilet and cleanliness recommended — 517

Clothing — 518

Chapter XI. Penal Laws — 520

Hudud — 520

General law of punishment — 520

Punishment for murder — 521

Murder of a non-Muslim — 523

Alleviation of punishment in murder cases — 523

Punishment for dacoity — 524

Punishment for theft — 524

Punishment for adultery — 526

Flogging — 527

Stoning to death in Jewish law — 527

Jewish practice followed by the Holy Prophet at first — 528

Accusation of adultery — 530

Drunkenness — 530

General directions for execution of punishments — 531

Chapter XII. The State — 532

Chapter XIII. Ethics — 541

Service of humanity — 541

Charity — 542

Character building — 544

Social conduct — 548

Home life — 551

Work and Labour — 553

Transformation wrought by the Holy Prophet — 554

Index of Arabic words and phrases — 556

General Index — 561

Reviews — 585

List of Authorities and Key to References

The Holy Qur’an. — All references given without an indication of name are to the Holy Book, the first figure representing the number of the chapter, and the second figure the number of the verse.

AA — Amir ‘Ali’s Muhammadan Law.

‘Abd al-Aziz,

— Shah, of Delhi — ‘Ujala Nafi‘a.

AD.¹ — Sunan, of Abu Dawud.

AH. — Tafsir al-Bahr al-Muhit,by Abu ‘Abd Allah Muhammad ibn Yusuf, generally known as Abu Hayyan, according to the edition published by the Sa‘ada Press, Cairo, in 4 volumes.

Ah. — Musnad, of al-lmam Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Hanbal, according to the edition printed at al-Maimana Press, Cairo, 6 volumes, 1306 A.H.

Ai. — ‘Umdat al-Qari by Badr al-Din Mahmud ibn Ahmad, Al-‘Aini, Hanafi, according to the edition printed at al-‘Amira Press, Cairo.

AM-AD. — ‘Aun al-Ma‘bud ‘ala Sunani Abi Dawud, by Abu ‘Abd al-Rahman Sharf al-Haq, commonly known as Muhammad Ashraf, according to the edition printed at Ansari Press, Delhi, 4 volumes, 1318 A.H.

Amir ‘Ali — The Spirit of Islam, published by S.K. Lahiri & Co., Calcutta, 1902 A. D.

AR — The Principles of the Muhammadan Jurisprudence, by (Sir) ‘Abd al-Rahim, printed at the S.P.C.K. Press, Madras, 1911.

ASh — The Muhammadan Law of Marriage and Divorce, by Ahmad Shukri.

Bai — Tafsir al-Baidzawi, by Qadzi Baidzawi, according to the edition of Mujtaba’i Press, Delhi, 2 volumes, 1326 A.H.

Bible — the Holy, references to different books are indicated in the usual way.

Bosworth — Mohammed and Mohammedanism, 3rd edition,

Smith, R. — printed and published by John Murray, Albemarle Street, London, 1889.

Bq.² — Kitab al-Sunan of Abu Bakr Ahmad ibn al-Husain commonly known as Baihaqi.

Bu. — al-Sahih al-Bukhari by al-Hafiz, Abu ‘Abd Allah Muhammad ibn Isma‘il al-Bukhari.

D. — Al-Musnad, of Abu Muhammad ‘Abd Allah ibn ‘Abd al-Rahman, commonly known as al-Darimi.

Denison, J.H. — Emotion as the Basis of Civilization, New York, London, 1928 A.D.

Dl. — Hughes’ Dictionary of Islam.

Dm — The One Volume Bible Commentary, edited by J.R. Dummelow, printed by Macmillan and Co. Ltd., 1913 A.D.

En. Br. — Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th edition.

En. Is. — The Encyclopaedia of Islam, printed and published by E.T. Brill Leyden, Luzac & Co. London.

En. J. — The Jewish Encyclopaedia, published by Funk & Wagnalls Co. (New York and London), 1904 A.D.

FA — Fiqh Akbar, by al-lmam al-A‘zam Abu Hanifah al-Nu‘man ibn Thabit al-Kufi, published by the Dar al-Kutub al-‘Arabiyyat al-Kubra, Cairo.

FB. — Fath al-Bari, by al-Hafiz, Abu-l-Fadzl Shahab al-Din Ahmad ibn ‘Ali, according to the edition printed at al-Miriya Press, Cairo, 13 vols.

FBn. — Fath al-Bayan fi Maqasid al-Qur’an, by Siddiq ibn Hasan ibn ‘Ali al-Bukhari according to the edition printed at al-Miriya Press, Cairo, 10 vols., 1301 A.H.

Ft. A. — Fatawa ‘Alamgiri, printed at the Nawal Kishore Press, Cawnpore, in 4 volumes.

Gibb. — Prof. H.A.R. — Whither Islam? London, 1932

H. — al-Hidaya, by Abu al-Hasan ‘Ali ibn Abi Bakr al-Marghinani, according to the edition printed, vol. I at the Curzon Press, Delhi, and vol. II at the Mujtaba’i Press, Delhi, 2 vols., 1914 A.D.

Hirschfeld, H. — New Researches into the Composition and Exegesis of the Qoran, published by the Royal Asiatic Society, London, 1902.

Hj. — Hujjat-Allah al-Balighah, by Shah Wali Allah, Muhaddath, Dehlvi, Siddiqi Press, Brailey, 1286 A.H.

Ibn Hajar — Nazhat al-Nazar Sharh Nukhbat al-Fikr.

Ibn Jauzi — Fath al-Mughith.