Islam: A Comprehensive Introduction
Publisher: Al Mawrid, A Foundation for Islamic Research and Education
Published: 2009
Place of publication: Lahore, Pakistan
Language: eng
Format: Hardcover
Number of pages: 617
Table of contents: title: CONTENTS; title: Translator’s Note 11; title: Author’s Foreword 15; title: –– Preamble (1) ––; title: Fundamental Principles; title: 1. Principles of Understanding the Qur’an 19; title: i. Appreciation of Classical Arabic 19; title: ii. Eloquence of Language 25; title: iii. Uniqueness of Style 26; title: iv. The Final Authority 28; title: (1) Variant Readings 31; title: (2) Intentionality of the Text 36; title: (3) Muhkam and Mutashabih 37; title: (4) Hadith and the Qur’an 39; title: v. Parallel Verses and Constructions 46; title: vi. The Final Book on Religion 48; title: vii. Subject-Matter of the Qur’an 51; title: viii. Coherence in the Discourse 53; title: ix. Arrangement of the Qur’an 56; title: x. Historical Background 59; title: 2. Principles of Determining the Sunnah 61; title: i. The First Principle 61; title: ii. The Second Principle 62; title: iii. The Third Principle 62; title: iv. The Fourth Principle 63; title: v. The Fifth Principle 63; title: vi. The Sixth Principle 63; title: vii. The Seventh Principle 64; title: 3. Principles of Understanding the Hadith 64; title: i. Literary Appreciation of the Arabic Language 66; title: ii. Interpretation in the Light of the Qur’an 67; title: iii. Understanding the Occasion of the Hadith 67; title: iv. Analysis of all the Variant Texts 68; title: v. Reason and Revelation 68; title: –– Preamble (2) ––; title: The True Religion; title: 1. Essence of Religion 69; title: 2. Definition of Religion 70; title: 3. Contents of Religion 71; title: 4. Prophets and Messengers 72; title: 5. Purpose of Divine Books 74; title: 6. The Responsibility of Indhar 74; title: 7. Islam: The Name of this Religion 75; title: 8. I%man: The Inner Aspect of Religion 76; title: i. Permanent Requirements of I%man 76; title: (1) Righteous Deeds 77; title: (2) Urging one another to the truth and urging one another to remain steadfast on it 77; title: ii. Contingent Requirements of I%man 77; title: (1) Migration for the Cause of Religion (Hijrah) 78; title: (2) Supporting the Cause of Religion (Nusrah) 78; title: (3) Adhering to Justice (Qiyam bi al-Qist) 79; title: 9. The Objective of Religion 80; title: 10. The Correct Religious Attitude 80; title: –– Al-Hikmah ––; title: Chapter 1: Faith and Beliefs; title: 1. Belief in God 90; title: i. Being 94; title: ii. Attributes 96; title: iii. Dealings and Practices 107; title: (1) Tests and Trials 112; title: (2) Guidance and Error 114; title: (3) Beyond-Capacity Directives 117; title: (4) Rise and Fall of Nations 117; title: (5) Divine Help 118; title: (6) Remorse and Repentance 119; title: (7) Reward and Punishment 119; title: 2. Belief in the Angels 121; title: 3. Belief in the Prophets 126; title: i. The Essence of Prophethood 128; title: ii. Need for a Prophet 130; title: iii. Identifying a Prophet (sws) 131; title: iv. Prophets are Human Beings 136; title: v. A Prophet’s Nature 138; title: vi. Innocence of Prophets 138; title: vii. A Prophet’s Diligence in Worship 141; title: viii. Superiority of Prophets 142; title: ix. Obeying the Prophets 144; title: x. Intercession of the Prophets 146; title: xi. Finality of Prophethood 148; title: 4. Belief in Divine Books 150; title: i. The Torah 151; title: ii. The Psalms 151; title: iii. The Gospel 152; title: iv. The Qur’an 152; title: 5. Belief in the Hereafter 155; title: i. The Testimonies 156; title: ii. The Signs 171; title: iii. The Events 175; title: iv. Phases and Abodes 178; title: (1) Barzakh 179; title: (2) Mahshar 180; title: (3) Hell 186; title: (4) Paradise 188; title: Chapter 2: Morals and Morality; title: 1. Basic Issues 192; title: 2. Fundamental Principle 195; title: 3. Moral Standards 197; title: i. Worshipping God 203; title: ii. Treating Parents with Kindness 205; title: (1) Other Relatives 208; title: (2) The Orphan and the Needy 209; title: (3) Neighbour, Traveller and Slave 210; title: iii. Spending in the Way of God 211; title: iv. Chastity and Modesty 216; title: v. Sanctity of Human Life 219; title: vi. Misappropriating the Wealth of Orphans 220; title: vii. Keeping Promises 221; title: viii. Honesty in Weighing 221; title: ix. Following Speculations 222; title: (1) Taking Action without Finding out the Truth 223; title: (2) Abstaining from Excessive Conjecture 223; title: (3) Refraining from Inquisitiveness 224; title: x. Pride and Vanity 224; title: (1) Evading the Truth 226; title: (2) Conceit on One’s Lineage 226; title: (3) Making Fun of Others 227; title: (4) Defaming and Taunting Others 227; title: (5) Backbiting 228; title: 4. Pinnacle of Morality 230; title: i. Islam 231; title: ii. I%man 232; title: iii. Humbling Oneself before God 234; title: iv. Veracity 235; title: v. Patience 235; title: vi. Khushu‘ (Humility) 239; title: vii. Charity 240; title: viii. The Fast 240; title: ix. Guarding the Private Parts 241; title: x. Remembering God in Abundance 241; title: –– Al-Kitab ––; title: Chapter 1: The Shari‘ah of Worship Rituals; title: 1. The Prayer 251; title: i. Importance of the Prayer 251; title: (1) The Foremost Directive 252; title: (2) A Requisite for Muslim Citizenship 254; title: (3) Means of Strong Adherence to Islam 255; title: (4) As Eraser of Sins 256; title: (5) Means of Countering Hardships 257; title: (6) Symbol of True Da‘wah 257; title: (7) Means of Perseverance on the Truth 258; title: (8) As the Nature of every Object of the Universe 259; title: (9) As Real Life 261; title: ii. History of the Prayer 262; title: iii. Objective of the Prayer 268; title: iv. Pre-Requisites of the Prayer 268; title: v. Rituals of the Prayer 274; title: (1) Raf‘ al-Yadayn 274; title: (2) Qiyam 275; title: (3) Ruku‘ 275; title: (4) Qawmah 275; title: (5) Prostration 276; title: (6) Jalsah 276; title: (7) Qa‘dah 277; title: vi. Utterances of the Prayer 277; title: (1) During Qiyam 278; title: (2) While Kneeling 282; title: (3) In the Qawmah 283; title: (4) During Prostrations 284; title: (5) During the Jalsah 285; title: (6) During the Qa‘dah 285; title: (7) After the Prayer 289; title: vii. Prayer Timings 291; title: viii. Rak‘at of the Prayer 294; title: ix. Concession in the Prayer 294; title: x. The Congregational Prayer 297; title: (1) The Adhan 299; title: (2) The Iqamah 301; title: (3) The Imam 302; title: (4) The Followers 303; title: xi. Mosques 304; title: xii. Rectifying Mistakes in the Prayer 305; title: xiii. Etiquette of the Prayer 306; title: xiv. The Friday Prayer 313; title: xv. The ‘Id Prayer 315; title: xvi. The Funeral Prayer 316; title: xvii. The Optional Prayers 318; title: (1) Before the Prayer 318; title: (2) After the Prayer 318; title: (3) At the time of Chasht 319; title: (4) At the time of Eclipse 319; title: (5) To ask for Rain 319; title: (6) In the Solitude of Night 320; title: 2. Zakah 325; title: i. History of Zakah 327; title: ii. Objective of Zakah 328; title: iii. Shari‘ah of Zakah 329; title: 3. The Fast 332; title: i. History of the Fast 336; title: ii. Objective of the Fast 339; title: iii. Shari‘ah of the Fast 345; title: 4. Hajj and ‘Umrah 348; title: i. History of Hajj and ‘Umrah 352; title: ii. Objective of Hajj and ‘Umrah 358; title: iii. Days of Hajj and ‘Umrah 359; title: iv. Sites of Hajj and ‘Umrah 359; title: (1) Mawaqit 359; title: (2) Bayt al-Haram 360; title: (3) Safa and Marwah 362; title: (4) Mina 362; title: (5) ‘Arafat 362; title: (6) Muzdalifah 362; title: (7) Jamarat 362; title: v. Methodology of Hajj and ‘Umrah 362; title: (1) ‘Umrah 362; title: (2) Hajj 364; title: vi. Guidance provided by the Prophet (sws) 369; title: (1) Ihram 370; title: (2) Talbiyah 370; title: (3) Tawaf 371; title: (4) Sa‘i 372; title: (5) Waquf at ‘Arafat 372; title: (6) Stay at Muzdalifah 373; title: (7) Rami 373; title: (8) Animal Sacrifice 373; title: (9) Halq 374; title: 5. Animal Sacrifice 375; title: i. History of Animal Sacrifice 377; title: ii. Objective of Animal Sacrifice 378; title: iii. Shari‘ah of Animal Sacrifice 378; title: Chapter 2: The Social Shari‘ah; title: 1. Nikah (Marriage) 382; title: 2. Relations Prohibited for Marriage 383; title: i. Relationships by Lineage 384; title: ii. Relationships by Fosterage 385; title: iii. Relationships by Marriage 387; title: 3. Bounds and Conditions of Nikah (Marriage) 389; title: 4. Rights and Obligations of the Spouses 392; title: 5. Polygamy 398; title: 6 .Etiquette of Sexual Intimacy 403; title: 7. l %; title: la 406; title: 8. Zihar 407; title: 9. Divorce 409; title: i. Before Divorce 411; title: ii. The Right to Divorce 411; title: iii. Procedure of Divorce 412; title: iv. The Directive of ‘Iddat 423; title: v. After Divorce 427; title: 10. Directives relating to Widows 430; title: 11. Norms of Gender Interaction 432; title: 12. Directives relating to Parents 442; title: 13. Directives relating to Orphans 444; title: 14. Slavery 447; title: Chapter 3: The Political Shari‘ah; title: 1. The Basic Principle 451; title: 2. The Real Responsibility 455; title: 3. Religious Obligations 457; title: 4. Citizenship and the Rights of a Citizens 458; title: 5. The State System 461; title: Chapter 4: The Economic Shari‘ah; title: 1. Sanctity of Ownership 467; title: 2. National Assets 468; title: 3. Usurpation of Wealth 470; title: i. Gambling 472; title: ii. Interest 474; title: 4. Documentation and Evidence 478; title: 5. Distribution of Inheritance 483; title: Chapter 5: The Shari‘ah of Preaching; title: 1. Preaching Obligation of Prophets 500; title: i. Indhar (Warning) 501; title: ii. Indhar-i ‘A%m (Open Warning) 503; title: iii. Itmam-i Hujjah (Conclusive Communication of the Truth) 505; title: iv. Hijrah and Bara’ah (Migration and Acquittal) 506; title: v. Reward and Punishment 507; title: 2. Preaching Obligation of Abraham’s Progeny 513; title: 3. Preaching Obligation of the Scholars 515; title: 4. Preaching Obligation of the Rulers 519; title: 5. Preaching Obligation of an Individual 520; title: 6. Strategy of Preaching 523; title: i. Consideration of Intellectual Ability 525; title: ii. Psychological Considerations 527; title: iii. Style of Preaching 533; title: iv. Style of Reasoning 536; title: v. Methods of Preaching 537; title: Chapter 6: The Shari‘ah of Jihad; title: 1. The Permission for Jihad 541; title: 2. The Directive of Jihad 542; title: i. Nature of the Obligation 544; title: ii. The Driving Force 547; title: iii. Ethical Limits 550; title: iv. The Ultimate Goal 554; title: 3. Divine Help 561; title: 4. Captives of War 563; title: 5. Spoils of War 566; title: Chapter 7: The Penal Shari‘ah; title: 1. Muharabah 570; title: i. Taqtil 571; title: ii. Taslib 571; title: iii. Amputating Limbs from Opposite Sides 572; title: iv. Nafi 572; title: 2. Murder and Injury 575; title: i. Intentional 575; title: ii. Unintentional 579; title: 3. Fornication 581; title: 4. Qadhf 585; title: 5. Theft 586; title: Chapter 8: The Dietary Shari‘ah 589; title: Chapter 9: Islamic Customs and Etiquette 599; title: Chapter 10: Oaths and their Atonement 608; title: Epilogue 611; title: Bibliography 613