laid the basic teachings of Islam before them this is how they reacted to his message: Muhammad, you know well that there is no country poorer or drier than ours. You know how hard it is for us to make

fertile and make rivers, like those of Syria and Iraq, flow in its valleys.9 In order to understand what made the leaders of the Quraysh speak to the Prophet in this manner, one has to understand the geographical

direction of the Ka’bah at prayer time. How could believers in monotheism turn their faces towards what was, in effect, a structure strongly associated with polytheism? It is significant that along with

Mecca (630) when the Ka’bah was cleared of idols. This establishes a very important principle of Islam which may be termed as Al-fasl bayn al-qaziyatayn, that is, the separation of two different facets

god who can quench the thirst of his haunting soul. Search of One God Except for the believers in Islam, the majority of other communities have, in some or the other ways, been involved in polytheism. Zoroastrians

theory of polytheism doubtful for the modem man. The latest and decisive blow to polytheism came from what is called Superstring Theory. Prior to it, scientists conventionally believed that there were four

other is the conscience called respectively nafs ammara and nafs lawwama. (The Quran, 12:53; 75:26) What the violent method invariably does is to awaken the ego which necessarily results in a breakdown of

non-violence. Success Through the Non-violent Method All the great successes of the first phase of Islam as well as the succeeding periods were achieved by non-

the given status quo. This second approach is what I call ‘positive status quoism’. This is in accordance both with reason and with the teachings of Islam. The Quran enjoins: “Reconciliation is the best

Adherents of this belief can be unitarians from the philosophic standpoint but cannot be unitarians in Islam. The fact that God is one is not just a matter of numbers; it is, in fact, the basis for an explanation

world or the next, will defy comprehension unless we see in them a conceptual unity and discover in what way they relate to the unity of God. Discovery of the oneness of God is the discovery of the central

This brought to an end 1000 years of their political supremacy. People in general tend to accept what they see on the surface, so that Muslims all over the world came to hold that, in the break-up of

world war. Now, I should like to identify and analyze the origin of the present extremist aspect of Islamic fundamentalism, which has made such a rapid descent into violence. The principal reason for it having

greatest check of war is war. In this connection the Prophet observed: “God grants to non-violence what he does not grant to violence.” (Al-Tirmidhi) In the conditions prevailing fifteen hundred years

inspired rather by some higher source of knowledge. Both the initial as well as the later period of Islam testify completely to the principle of inspiration. During the life of Prophet Muhammad, the Quraysh

was able to utilize all the opportunities for da’wah work offered by the situation. This resulted in what the Quran called an ‘open victory.’ (48:24) 5. Positive Status Quoism in Post Related Affairs: Throughout

amongst the Quraysh.” Ostensibly, it was an unusual injunction, for, according to the teachings of Islam, all human beings are equal. None

letter reads: “The word God was nothing more than the expression and product of human weaknesses.” What Einstein had termed ‘human weakness’ is not really a matter of weakness, rather it is a great attribute

entire modern civilization would have been left undiscovered to this day. The Majesty of God Faith in Islam is based on realization of God. The greater the realization, the greater the faith. This faith is