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ISLAM
IN
FOCUS
H AMMUDAH ABDALATI
Table of Contents
TABLE OF CONTENTS .......................................................................................................................1
CHAPTER - I ..........................................................................................................................................4
THE IDEOLOGICAL FOUNDATION OF ISLAM ...........................................................................4
Allah (God)......................................................................................................................................4
T HE M EANING OF I SLAM ......................................................................................................................8
T HE F UNDAMENTAL A RTICLES OF F AITH I N I SLAM ............................................................................11
R EMARKS ............................................................................................................................................19
CHAPTER - II ......................................................................................................................................20
THE BASIC CONCEPTS OF ISLAM ..............................................................................................20
The Concept of Faith (Iman) .........................................................................................................20
T HE C ONCEPT OF R IGHTEOUSNESS (B IRR )..........................................................................................22
T HE C ONCEPT OF P IETY (T AQWA ) ......................................................................................................22
T HE C ONCEPT OF P ROPHETHOOD ........................................................................................................23
T HE C ONCEPT OF L IFE ........................................................................................................................24
T HE C ONCEPT OF R ELIGION ................................................................................................................25
T HE C ONCEPT OF S IN ..........................................................................................................................26
T HE C ONCEPT OF F REEDOM ................................................................................................................28
T HE C ONCEPT OF E QUALITY ...............................................................................................................29
T HE C ONCEPT OF B ROTHERHOOD .......................................................................................................30
T HE C ONCEPT OF P EACE .....................................................................................................................30
T HE C ONCEPT OF C OMMUNITY ...........................................................................................................31
T HE C ONCEPT OF M ORALITY ..............................................................................................................33
T HE C ONCEPT OF THE U NIVERSE ........................................................................................................39
CHAPTER 3..........................................................................................................................................43
THE APPLICATION OF FAITH ......................................................................................................43
T HE P URPOSE OF P RAYER ...................................................................................................................44
T HE C ONDITIONS OF P RAYER .............................................................................................................45
T HE K INDS OF P RAYER .......................................................................................................................46
T HE T IMES OF P RAYER .......................................................................................................................46
T HE P ARTIAL A BLUTION (W UDU ’) .....................................................................................................47
N ULLIFICATION OF THE A BLUTION .....................................................................................................48
C OMPLETE S UBSTITUTE FOR THE A BLUTION (T AYAMMUM )...............................................................48
S PECIAL F ACILITIES IN A BLUTION ......................................................................................................49
T HE C OMPLETE A BLUTION (G HUSL /B ATH ) ........................................................................................49
T HE P RAYER C ALL (A DHAN ) ..............................................................................................................49
E NTRANCE I NTO P RAYER (I QAMAH )...................................................................................................50
T HE P ERFORMANCE OF P RAYER .........................................................................................................50
T HE E ARLY M ORNING P RAYER ( SALATU - L -F AJR ) ..............................................................................50
T HE N OON P RAYER (S ALATU - Z -Z UHR ) ..............................................................................................52
T HE M ID -A FTERNOON P RAYER (S ALATU - L -A SR )..............................................................................52
T HE S UNSET P RAYER ( S ALATU - L -M AGHRIB ) ....................................................................................52
T HE E VENING P RAYER (S ALATU - L -‘I SHA ’) ........................................................................................52
T HE C ONGREGATIONAL (J AMA ’ AH ) P RAYERS ....................................................................................54
T HE F RIDAY P RAYER (S ALATU - L -J UMU ’ AH ) ......................................................................................55
T HE H IGHLIGHTS OF THE F RIDAY P RAYER ..........................................................................................55
T HE S IGNIFICANCE OF ‘E ED P RAYERS ................................................................................................56
T HE P ERFORMANCE OF ‘E ED P RAYERS (S ALATU - L -‘E ED ) ..................................................................58
S HORTENING OF THE P RAYER .............................................................................................................60
T IMES W HEN P RAYER IS F ORBIDDEN ..................................................................................................60
M AKING U P F OR D ELAYED P RAYERS .................................................................................................60
T HE T ARAWEEH P RAYERS ..................................................................................................................60
I NVALIDATION OF P RAYERS ................................................................................................................61
T HE F UNERAL P RAYERS (S ALATU - L -J ANAZAH ) .................................................................................61
G ENERAL R EMARKS ON P RAYER ........................................................................................................63
The Fatihah (The Opening or Al-Hamd) .......................................................................................64
T HE F IRST P ART ..................................................................................................................................64
T HE S ECOND P ART .............................................................................................................................65
S HORT P ASSAGES OF T HE Q UR ’ AN .....................................................................................................65
T HE F ASTING (S AWM ) ........................................................................................................................66
F ASTING IN C OMPARATIVE P ERSPECTIVE ...........................................................................................68
T HE P ERIOD OF F ASTING .....................................................................................................................69
W HO M UST F AST ? ..............................................................................................................................70
E XEMPTION F ROM F ASTING ................................................................................................................70
G ENERAL R ECOMMENDATIONS ..........................................................................................................71
T HE A LMS (Z AKAH )............................................................................................................................72
T HE R ATE OF Z AKAH ..........................................................................................................................73
T HE D UE R ECIPIENTS OF Z AKAH ........................................................................................................74
T HE P ILGRIMAGE (H AJJ ).....................................................................................................................75
C ONCLUDING R EMARKS ABOUT THE H AJJ ..........................................................................................77
F INAL R EMARKS C ONCERNING T HE A PPLICATION OF F AITH ..............................................................78
CHAPTER 4..........................................................................................................................................79
THE APPLICATION OF ISLAM TO DAILY LIFE ........................................................................79
T HE S PIRITUAL L IFE ...........................................................................................................................79
T HE I NTELLECTUAL L IFE ....................................................................................................................79
THE EXTERNAL NATURE.............................................................................................................81
T HE P ERSONAL L IFE ...........................................................................................................................81
Purity and Cleanliness ..................................................................................................................81
Diet ................................................................................................................................................81
Clothing and Adornment ...............................................................................................................82
Sports and Amusements.................................................................................................................83
T HE F AMILY L IFE ...............................................................................................................................84
The Meaning of Marriage .............................................................................................................85
T HE P ERMANENCE OF M ARRIAGE .......................................................................................................86
T HE H USBAND – W IFE R ELATIONSHIP ................................................................................................87
T HE W IFE ’ S R IGHTS : T HE H USBAND ’ S O BLIGATIONS ........................................................................87
C OMPONENTS OF M AINTENANCE ........................................................................................................87
N ON -M ATERIAL R IGHTS .....................................................................................................................88
T HE W IFE ’ S O BLIGATIONS : T HE H USBAND ’ S R IGHTS ........................................................................88
T HE C HILD ’ S R IGHTS : T HE P ARENTS D UTIES ....................................................................................88
T HE C HILD ’ S R IGHTS : T HE P ARENTS D UTIES ....................................................................................89
T HE C HILD ’ S D UTIES : T HE P ARENTS R IGHTS .....................................................................................90
O THER A SPECTS OF THE F AMILY L IFE ................................................................................................91
T HE S OCIAL L IFE ................................................................................................................................92
T HE E CONOMIC L IFE ...........................................................................................................................95
T HE P OLITICAL L IFE ...........................................................................................................................98
T HE I NTERNATIONAL L IFE ................................................................................................................104
CHAPTER 5........................................................................................................................................107
DISTORTIONS ABOUT ISLAM ...................................................................................................107
T HE H OLY W AR ( J IHAD ) .................................................................................................................107
J ESUS , S ON OF M ARY .......................................................................................................................117
P OLYGAMY (P LURALITY OF W IVES ) .................................................................................................125
M ARRIAGE AND D IVORCE .................................................................................................................137
T HE S TATUS OF W OMAN IN I SLAM ...................................................................................................141
Chapter - I
THE IDEOLOGICAL FOUNDATION OF ISLAM
Allah (God)
Knowledge of God and belief in Him constitute the very foundation of Islam. The
question of God’ s existence has preoccupied the great minds for many centuries.
Those who believe in God seem to agree that the limited finite human intelligence
cannot prove the existence of the infinite Boundless God Who is. It can only illustrate
or demonstrate His existence to the satisfaction of the curious human mind. Those
who deny God claim to rely on science, philosophy, or special theories of knowledge.
Their arguments are sometimes inapplicable, sometimes irrelevant, always complex,
and often incomprehensible. However, the developed free mind will find its way to
God. Failure to find the way does not mean that there is no way. Denial of reality does
not make it unreal. The subject is so vital that it calls for a thorough and clear
discussion. For the purpose of clarity some simple demonstration will be used. This
may sound boring or too simple for those who already know something about the
subject. Such informed persons are invited to have patience and show appreciation of
the importance of the matter.
There are individuals who like to doubt the concept of God in the name of science, or
because of a lack of experience and understanding. The attitude of such people
reflects an uneasy mentality, although they claim to be learned intellectuals. My
concern will not be with their claim; rather it will be with their true position. This will
explain why a great deal of the discussion is designed in a simple shape as if it were
directed mainly to children, and not to adults. On the other hand, a major objective of
this work is to convey the true concept of God in Islam to the young Muslims.
Another consideration here is that the concept of God in Islam is distorted in the
minds of many non-Muslims who are so-called believers in God and advocates of
religion.
For these reasons some simple and perhaps elementary demonstrations are used in this
presentation. Yet the simplicity of some arguments here may provoke profound
thinking in many adults. If it does so, it will prove to be a desirable and creative
simplicity, which itself is a distinct characteristic of Islam.
As we look around in our environments, we see that every family has a head; every
school has a principal; every city or town has a mayor; every province state has a
premier governor; and every nation has a head of state. Moreover, we know beyond
doubt that every product is the work of a certain producer, and that every beautiful art
is the creation of some great artist. All this is obvious, yet it does not satisfy the
hunger for knowledge and the curiosity of man about the great things in the world.
One often wonders at the beauties of nature with its scenic charms and marvels; the
almost endless horizon in the sky and their far-reaching expansions; the ceaseless
succession of day and night in the most orderly manner; the course of the sun, the
moon, and the great stars; the world of animate and inanimate objects, the continuous
process and evolution of man generation after generation. One often wonders because
one would like to know the maker and maintainer of all these things with which we
live and which we immensely enjoy.
Can we find an explanation of the great universe? Is there any convincing
interpretation of the secret of existence? We realize that no family can function
properly without a responsible head, that no city can prosperously exist without sound
administration, and that no state can survive without a chief of some kind. We also
realize that nothing comes into being on its own. Moreover, we observe that the
universe exists and functions in the most orderly manner, and that it has survived for
hundreds of thousands of years. Can we, then, say that all this is accidental and
haphazard? Or can we attribute the existence of man and the whole world to mere
chance?
If man were to come into being by accident or by sheer chance, his entire life would
be based on chance, and his whole existence would be meaningless. But no sensible
man can conceive of his life as meaningless, and no rational being would leave his
existence at the mercy of fluctuating chance. Every reasonable human being tries to
make his life as meaningful as possible and set for himself a model of conduct
according to some design. Individuals, groups and nations do plan their course of
action, and every careful plan produces some desired effects. The fact of the matter is
that man does engage in planning of one sort or another, and can appreciate the merits
of good planning.
Yet man represents only a very small portion of the great universe. And if he can
make plans and appreciate the merits of planning, then his own existence and the
survival of the universe must also be based on a planned policy. This means that there
is a Designing Will behind our material existence, and that there is a Unique Mind in
the world to bring things into being and keep them moving in order. The marvellous
wonders of our world and the secrets of life are too great to be but the product of
random accident or mere chance.
In the world, then, there must be a Great Force in action to keep everything in order.
In the beautiful nature there must be a Great Artist who creates the most charming
pieces of art and produces everything for a special purpose in life. This Force is the
strongest of all forces, and this Artist is the greatest of all artists. The true believers
and deeply enlightened people recognize this Artist and call Him Allah or God. They
call Him God because He is the Creator and the Chief Architect of the world, the
Originator of life and the Provider of all things in existence. He is not a man because
no man can create or make another man. He is not an animal, nor is He a plant. He is
neither an idol nor is He a statue of any kind because none of these things can make
itself or create anything else. He is not a machine. He is neither the sun nor is He the
moon or any other star, because these things are controlled by a great system, and are
themselves made by someone else. He is different from all these things, because He is
the Maker and Keeper of them all. The maker of anything must be different from and
greater than the thing which he makes. We also know that nothing can come to life on
its own, and that the marvellous world did not create itself or come into existence by
accident. The continuous changes in the world prove that it is made, and everything
which is made must have a maker of some sort.
The Maker and Sustainer of the world, the Creator of and Provider for man, the
Active Force and Effective Power in nature are all one and the same, and that is
known to be Allah or God. This is the Secret of all secrets and the Most Supreme of
all beings. The Holy Qur’an, the True Book of God says:

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