Believers, shall I point out to you a profitable course that will save you from a painful doom? Believe in God and His Messenger and strive for His cause with your wealth and your lives. That would be best for

desire: help from God and a speedy victory. Give the good news to the faithful. Believers, be God’s helpers. When Jesus, the son of Mary, said to his disciples: “Who will help me on the way to God?” They replied:

replied: “We are God’s helpers.” Then some of the Israelites believed in him while others did not. We helped the believers against their enemies and they triumphed over them. (61:10-14)

religion. (AL-BIDAYAH WA AL-NIHAYAH) God’s mercy for the merciful The Prophet said: “God will not show mercy to one who does not show mercy to his fellow men.” With God’s help a handful can conquer a multitude

is lying,” said Umar. “The truth is, I have accepted Islam, bearing witness that there is no god besides God, and Muhammad is His messenger.” On hearing this, people closed in on Umar and he fought with

capabilities to recognize the Truth conveyed through the prophets, and live a God-oriented life so that he may receive God’s eternal blessings. Chapter 95 of the Quran states: “By the Fig and the Olive

the Last Judgement? Is not God the greatest of the judges?” (95:1-8) Fig (tin) and olive (zaytun) are the names of two hills in the vicinity of Jerusalem where Jesus did God’s work. Mount Sinai (Tur Sinin)

Sinin) refers to that hill where God made His revelations to Moses. The ‘secure land’ (al-baladul amin) refers to Makkah where the Prophet Muhammad was born.

the Quran: Say, ‘People of Book, let us come to a word common to us that we shall worship none but God. (3: 64) Whenever common grounds for agreement between two or more parties cannot be arrived at

time came when it became a part of a world movement. Now, if the course of events is any indication, God willing, that day too will dawn when the world is no more ridden with religious disputes, and we are

scientific alternative to God. The scientists, however, did not for their part interpret this law of nature in that way. For instance, to Newton, that was simply the way that God worked. He believed that

that it was through cause and effect that God made manifest His will throughout the universe. But those who were building up their philosophy in the light of scientific discoveries found in it a ‘proof ’

invisible beings who were the lords of this Universe. And that a number of mini-gods were running the machine, under one great God. Still, many hold such beliefs. But in the academic (scientific) world this

would have been quite different. The Call to God is the sacred mission of the Muslim community. This mission basically entails conveying the message of God to non-Muslim nations. This is the same mission

Now the Muslims have to perform the same task of conveying the message of God to non-Muslims for which the prophets were sent by God to the world. ‘Dawah’, or the propagation of Islam among nonMuslims, gives

crusading spirit is then optimally exercised. The accomplishment of the mission of calling people to God by Muslims brings divine grace to them and develops in the community all those exalted qualities that

giving birth to this modem concept. Toynbee writes: It is, in fact, difficult to imagine that a God whose mind and will govern the whole course of the Universe would compromise the conduct of His government

that an individual or group following divine revelation will be considered ‘chosen’ in the eyes of God irrespective of family, race or nationality. The former interpretation of religion, from the religious

with no relation to other human beings, recognizing as its fountainhead not a living and conscious God, but man’s own mind and consciousness, (or even the unconscious) can only be described as fallacious

Paradise is basically one, and that is, that they should not have misused the freedom given to them by God Almighty. There are some dos and don’ts about the uses of freedom, and these are clearly mentioned

up to these criteria who will be selected for entry into Paradise in the post-death period of life. God has divided human life into two parts -— the pre-death period and the post-death period. The pre-death

life is being recorded day and night. At the end, this record will be produced before God and, on the basis of this, God Almighty will decide the fate of every man and woman. Those who fail to pass the test

(Jami’ al-Usool by Ibn al-Athir, Hadith No. 9409) On another, similar occasion, the Prophet said: “God does not look at how you appear, but at your actual deeds.” (Sahih Muslim, Hadith No. 2564) An Islamic

but earn whatever they receive. They never think of snatching things away from others but use their God-given faculties to provide themselves with the necessities of life. Abu Abd al-Rahman Auf ibn Malik

allegiance to the Prophet of God?” Since they had already sworn their allegiance not so very long beforehand, they replied: “We have just sworn allegiance, O Messenger of God.” But the Prophet said to them