Each prophet or messenger that was appointed by God possessed qualities and miracles that gave them distinction among their people. These men of God are known to be truthful and innocent of any major sin. They possess high moral character and convey the message of God in full. In Arabic, the use of ‘We’ is a common literary tool to refer to the self, and the Qur’an is written in very formal classical Arabic, so the use of ‘We’ to refer to one being, namely ‘God’ is not outside of Arabic convention. This is often referred to as the “Royal We.” Why does God allow there to be evil in the world? Brydon, Lynne and Sylvia Chant. Women in the Third World. London: Edward Elgar Publishing Ltd, 1989.

Essential Islam - Reviving the Sunnah

In theology, the basic conception that there is only one God is referred to as “monotheism,” a term that implies that God alone has power over all realms of the seen and the unseen world. New York: St. Martin’s Press, 1979. Engineer, Asghar Ali. (ed.)The Shah Bano Controversy. Hyderabad, India: Orient Longman, 1987. And who shuns the creed of Abraham, but a foolish soul? We chose him in the world and in the Hereafter he shall be among the righteous. And when his Lord said unto him, “Submit!” he said, ‘I submit to the Lord of the worlds.” And Abraham enjoined the same upon his children, as did Jacob, “O my children, God has chosen for you the religion, so die not except in submission.” Or were you witnesses when death came to Jacob, when he said to his children, “What will you worship after I am gone?” They said, “We shall worship your God and the God of your fathers, Abraham, Ishmael, and Isaac: one God, and unto Him we submit” (Qur’an 2:130—133). And, just a few verses later, the Prophet Muhammad and his followers are commanded to Say, God is compassionate in ways that we may not even consider, as evident in the following verses from the Qur’an: “It is He who brought you into being, and made ears and eyes and hearts for you” (67:23) and “Have you not seen that God sends down water from the sky; guides it to form springs in the earth, and then, with it, brings forth vegetation of various colors, which later wither, turns yellow before your eyes, and then He makes it crumble away? There is truly a reminder in this for those who possess understanding” (39:21).The Cambridge Companion to Classical Islamic Theology (Cambridge Companions to Religion) , Tim Winter After the dissolution of the marriage, the widow or the divorced wife is under an obligation to observe the Iddat, during which she cannot remarry. The conflicts over the rights of minority women are best dealt with by creating new representative bodies which have special provisions to ensure that women are sufficiently represented. In the Shah Bano case, this would have meant creating a new mechanism to administer Muslim personal law instead of simply recognizing the Muslim Personal Law Board as the legitimate representative of the Muslim community. Creating a new mechanism is more sensitive to the political reality of Muslims in India, which is that they consist of widely dispersed groups characterized by significant differences. It would also make some provision to ensure that Muslim women have some access to the institutions which make the rules which govern their lives. References It should be noted that there are two other ways Muslims pray to God outside of salah that are less formal: Dhikr – spiritual invocations that can be recited just about anytime and anywhere – and Dua’ – asking God for spiritual and material blessings for this world and the hereafter. Both can and are done individually as well as collectively. Zakat – Almsgiving

Islam: The Essentials (Pelican Books) : Ramadan, Tariq

In Muslim history, numerous spiritual paths ( sing. Tariqa; pl. Turuq) developed which offered distinct, yet mostly similar, teachings – based on the Qur’an, hadith and teachings of mystic-scholars – as to how a seeker of a pure heart goes about lifting these veils to arrive at internal states that are pleasing to God. Specific spiritual medicines are prescribed for specific spiritual ailments. Daily invocations, night vigils, fasting, constant charity, simple living, and keeping company with the righteous are all examples of commonly prescribed spiritual disciplines on the path.Each of the five pillars work in tandem with one another to bring the essence of Islam as a religion of peace and submission to Allah SWT, into the lifestyle of every Muslim: Muslims are required to visit the holy city of Mecca to perform the great pilgrimage at least once in their lifetime if they are physically and financially able to do so. The pilgrimage consists of a series of rituals performed in different sacred locations throughout Mecca that remind them of the footsteps of Abraham, Hagar and Ishmael and their devotion to God. Muslims begin their pilgrimage by purifying their intentions, entering the city in a clean state, and don simple clothing that does not distinguish them from any other individual. This condition symbolizes that the believer is only worthy based on their faith and status with God as opposed to physical appearance, socioeconomic status, family linage, or ethnicity. Women and Society in India. Delhi: Ajanta Publications, 1987. Everett, Jana M. Woman and Social Change in India. Signature or thumb impression of the bridegroom/Vakil/ Guardian according as the Nikah was performed in person by the bridegroom or through his Vakil or Guardian

AlMaghrib Institute: A Life Changing Experience

One of the most commonly cited narratives on the character of Muhammad that offers a summary of who the Prophet was and continues to be for millions is the following: The Qur’an is the primary religious text of Islam. Muslims consider the Qur’an to be the precise, unchanged Word of God and God’s final testament to humanity. The Qur’an was conveyed to the Prophet Muhammad via the arch angel Gabriel, who then conveyed it purely without adulteration to the masses. It has been preserved since through memorization, recitation and in the written form. This is what Muslims believe about the Qur’an.According to the Qur’an, God sent all communities divinely inspired prophets or messengers to teach submission to God’s will ( islam). Messengers were those who received revelation; while Prophets are those who received divine instructions and came to reinforce what the Messengers taught. All Messengers were also Prophets; not all Prophets were Messengers. When the chain and content have a serious enough flaw then the hadith is considered to be fabricated. Hadith were, historically, often fabricated by ill-intentioned politicians who sought an upper hand or even well-intentioned but misguided individuals who sought to put the Prophet’s stamp of approval on their spiritual or ethical saying or teaching. Interestingly, the Qur’an literally means “that which is recited” or more simply “the recital.” As such, the Qur’an has been and continues to be experienced first and foremost as an oral tradition through the beautiful human voice of recitation. To this day, thousands of Muslims memorize the Qur’an in its entirety. Every Muslim must memorize at least a little to carry out devotional acts. When the Qur’an is recited as it ought to be, there is nothing that comes close to its aural harmony even for non-Arabic speaking listeners. Every aya flows into the next aya to form one ocean. Listening to a professional reciter can be a very enchanting experience. So, despite the Qur’an’s shifting narratives, those who listen to the Qur’an experience it as an extraordinarily harmonious text. Content of the Qur’an Muslim mystics, meaning those whose foremost concern is with matters of the spiritual heart, teach – based on the Qur’anic verse 50:22 – that human souls are separated from God by metaphorical veils and that the spiritual goal is to one-by-one lift these veils ( kashf) to experience the reality of God. These metaphorical veils are lifted through consistent and methodical purification of the heart ( tazkiya), which the Qur’an often mentions as being the key to spiritual success (91:9, for example) and even salvation (26:89). Hadith also contain hundreds of traditions about the spiritual heart. The veils that are most often mentioned are undesirable inward and outward traits such as excessive anger, hatred, envy, arrogance, and so on.

Marriage under Muslim Law : All you need to know - iPleaders Blog Marriage under Muslim Law : All you need to know - iPleaders Blog

As the prophets passed on, the content and understanding of the scripture would eventually become distorted by their followers. As a result, Muslims believe that God sent down a final scripture to humanity through Prophet Muhammad and promised to preserve the Qur’an until the end of times. Prior to the Qur’an, revelations that Muslims believe were divinely revealed include the Torah ( Tawrat) given to Prophet Moses, the Psalms ( Zabur) given to Prophet David, and Gospel ( Injil) given to Prophet Jesus. The Scrolls of Abraham are also mentioned in the Qur’an.

Muslims Today

Islam also emphasizes the importance of taking care of oneself and soul. Muslims are granted such an opportunity during the Islamic month of Ramadan – the 9 th month of the Islamic lunar calendar in which the Prophet Muhammad received his first revelation from the Holy Qur’an. The Qur’an serves as the primary guide and moral compass for Muslims and the month of Ramadan encourages reflection and appreciation of the revelation. The shahadah is a statement of conviction in the heart proclaimed on the tongue by a believer bearing witness to the reality of one God and accepting Muhammad as the final Messenger of God: The concept of God in Islam is of the most important areas in Islamic theology. There is an abundance of knowledge revealed in the Qur’an regarding the attributes of God. Muslims believe in the basic creed that “there is no deity worthy of worship except God,” which can also be stated as, “there is no god but God.” When all the legal requirements are fulfilled and there are no prohibitions affecting the parties, then the marriage is correct or ‘sahih’. The prohibitions can be permanent as well as temporary, in case of permanent prohibitions: the marriage will be void and if the prohibitions are temporary then the marriage is irregular. Effects of a valid marriage