Islamic World View and Civilization -1

GC 301

Allied Material
For
M.A (Education) / M.Ed
Compiled by

Dr. Asad Abbas

Taught by:

Naseer Ahmed Abbasi

Table of Content
1
Course Out line 3

Unit 1 Introduction 5

Unit 2 Islam As Religion 29

Unit 3 Principal of IslamTauheed 42

Unit 4 Principles of Islam Nabowwath 57

Unit 5 concept of Qaimat 67

Unit 6 World View of Islam Basics 73

Unit 7 Islamic World View More Than a Religion 96

Unit 8 The Concept of Ummah 106

Table of Content
2
Unit 1 Introduction

Unit 2 Islam As Religion

Unit 3 Principal of IslamTauheed

Unit 4 Principles of Islam Nabowwath

Unit 5 concept of Qaimat

Unit 6 World View of Islam Basics

Unit 7 Islamic World View More Than a Religion

Unit 8 The Concept of Ummah

Course out line

COURSE TITLE: Islamic World View and Civilization I

Level: MA Education

Course Code: GC 301

3
Credit Hours: 3

INTRODUCTION

This course on Arabic to Islamic World View has been developed for MA-Education two -year
Programme of the University which is being offered to the students with effect from Fall, 2008
semester. The importance of this course cannot be over-emphasized for prospective teachers, and
teacher educators studying at IIU. Starting with a brief introduction to the Islamic Ideology.
Pillars of Islam, it goes to the world view of Islam and its Civilization. The main objective of this
course is to enable teacher to understand and apply these concepts in a global perspective

LEARNING OUTCOMES

After studying this course, the students will be able to:

1. Understand the Concept of religion

2. Have a knowledge of Basic Concepts of Islam
3. Understand the concept Tauheed, Nabowath and Qiamat
4. View Islam as a global religion .

Unit 1 Introduction
1.1 Introduction to Religion
1.2 Basic Characteristics of Religion
1.3 Need of Religion
1.4 Types of Religion (According to Origin, According to gods)
Unit 2 Islam As Religion
2.1 Advent of Islam in Arab
2.2 Conditions of Arab Before Islam
2.3 Arab in 5th Century
2.4 Birth and Life of Holy Prophet
Unit 3 Principal of IslamTauheed
3.1 Meaning of Tauheed
3.2Arguments of Tauheed
3.3 Quranic Concept of Tauheed
3.4 Effect of Touheed on the life of human
Unit 4 Principles of Islam Nabowwath
4.1 Meaning of Nabowwath
4.2Arguments of Nabowwath
4.3 Quranic Concept of Nabowwath
4.4 Effect of Nabowwath on the life of human
Unit 5 Concept of Qaimat
5.1 Meaning of Qaimat
5.2Arguments of Qaimat
5.3 Quranic Concept of Qaimat
5.4 Effect of Qiamat on the life of human
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Unit 6 World View of Islam Basics
6.1 Islamic Concept of World
6.2 Mautazila and Asharties concept of creation of world
6.3 Role of Human in World
6.4 Human as representative of God in world
Unit 7 Islamic World View More than a religion
7.1 Theism
7.2Supernaturalism (Faith and Reason)
7.3 Islamic Ethics Moral Absolutes
7.4 Islam and science Creationism
Unit 8 The concept of Ummah
8.1 Meaning of Ummah
8.2 Characteristics of Ummah
8.3 Iqbal’s concept of Ummah

Books Recommended

1. Aisha Maktu (2009) Islam and family Life , Bilal Muslim Mission, Tanzania
2. Ali, Syed Ameer (1978), The Spirit of Islam: A History of the Evolution and Ideals of Islam,with
a Life of the Prophet. London: Chatto&Windus,.
3. Armstrong, Karen. (2002) Islam A Short History. New York: Modern Library, revised ed.
4. Atiyeh George Nicholas (1995) The Islamic World Suny Press, 1995 –

5. Bloom, Jonathan and Sheila Blair. Islam (2002) A Thousand Years of Faith and Power. New
Haven, CT: Yale University Press.
6. Bowker, John. What Muslims Believe. Oxford, UK: One world,
7. Elias, Jamal J. Islam(1999) Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, USA
8. Gary S (2012), Culture and Identity in Muslim Society Prime Publishers ISBN-10: 0195310039

Harper SanFrancisco,.
9. Nasr, SeyyedHossein (2002) .Islam: Religion, History, and Civilization. San Francisco, CA:
10. Qutub Sayyid Basic (2008) Principles of Islamic World View Amazon
11. Williams, John Alden, (1994). The Word of Islam. Austin, TX: University of Texas Press,.

Unit 1
Introduction

1.1 Introduction to Religion

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 A religion is an organized collection of beliefs, cultural systems, and world views that relate
humanity to an order of existence. Many religions have narratives, symbols, and sacred
histories that aim to explain the meaning of life, the origin of life, or the Universe. From their
beliefs about the cosmos and human nature, people may derive morality, ethics, religious
laws or a preferred lifestyle.
Many religions may have organized behaviors, clergy, a definition of what constitutes
adherence or membership, holy places, and scriptures. The practice of a religion may include
rituals, sermons, commemoration or veneration (of a deity, gods, or goddesses), sacrifices,
festivals, feasts, trances, initiations, funerary services, matrimonial services, meditation,
prayer, music, art, dance, public service, or other aspects of human culture. Religions may
also contain mythology.
The word religion is sometimes used interchangeably with faith or set of duties; however,
in the words of Émile Durkheim, religion differs from private belief in that it is "something
eminently social". A global 2012 poll reports 59% of the world's population as "religious"
and 23% as not religious, including 13% who are atheists, with a 9% decrease in religious
belief from 2005. However, their 2015 poll found that only 22% of the world population is
not religious and only 11% were "convinced atheists". On average, women are "more
religious" than men.[6] Some people follow multiple religions or multiple religious principles
at the same time, regardless of whether or not the religious principles they follow
traditionally allow for syncretism
Peter Mandaville and Paul James define religion as "a relatively-bounded system of
beliefs, symbols and practices that addresses the nature of existence, and in which communion
with others and Otherness is lived as if it both takes in and spiritually transcends socially-
grounded ontologies of time, space, embodiment and knowing". This definition is intended, they
write, to get away from the modernist dualisms or dichotomous understandings of
immanence/transcendence, spirituality/materialism, and sacredness/secularity.
Edward Burnett Tylor defined religion as "the belief in spiritual beings". [28] He argued,
back in 1871, that narrowing the definition to mean the belief in a supreme deity or judgment
after death or idolatry and so on, would exclude many peoples from the category of religious,
and thus "has the fault of identifying religion rather with particular developments than with the

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deeper motive which underlies them". He also argued that the belief in spiritual beings exists in
all known societies.
The anthropologist Clifford Geertz defined religion as a "system of symbols which acts to
establish powerful, pervasive, and long-lasting moods and motivations in men by formulating
conceptions of a general order of existence and clothing these conceptions with such an aura of
factuality that the moods and motivations seem uniquely realistic." Alluding perhaps to Tylor's
"deeper motive", Geertz remarked that "we have very little idea of how, in empirical terms, this
particular miracle is accomplished. We just know that it is done, annually, weekly, daily, for
some people almost hourly; and we have an enormous ethnographic literature to demonstrate it".
The theologian Antoine Vergote also emphasized the "cultural reality" of religion, which he
defined as "the entirety of the linguistic expressions, emotions and, actions and signs that refer to
a supernatural being or supernatural beings"; he took the term "supernatural" simply to mean
whatever transcends the powers of nature or human agency.
1.2 Basic Characteristics of Religion
1.Most religions include belief in the supernatural (spirits, gods, God) or belief in some other
Ultimate Reality beyond, yet connected to, human experience and existence.

2. Religions distinguish between the sacred and profane (or ordinary) in terms of time,
space, objects, and people.

3. Religions strongly encourage for activities for individuals and communities of faith.

4. Religious life engages and incorporates common emotional and intuitive human feelings.

5. Religions both encourage communication and provide ways to communicate or connect

with the divine.
6. Through sacred stories, the religions provide a coherent worldview.

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 7. Religions organize life for individuals--including dress codes, personal sacrifices, and
appropriate occupations--in the context of their respective worldviews.
.
8. Religions require and promote social organization and institutional forms to carry out the
necessary functions of worship and leadership, preserving orthodox teachings and
practices.

9. Religions promise an inner peace and harmony despite the vicissitudes of life.
.
10. Suffering and Compassion: Suffering and compassion are common themes in most
religions
11. Religions typically offer a future hope through the coming of a new age or a better
existence in the afterlife.
.
12. Religions must propagate themselves through the recruitment of new members and
procreation within the community of faith.
.
http://donsnotes.com/religion/common-characteristics.html

Beside These most of the religions have following general characteristics

1. Salvations (having to do with salvation): Post-archaic religions are schemes of salvation,
concerned with the source, nature, and appropriate methods of removal of some evil
believed to afflict humans. Most religions are equally concerned with the achievement of
blessedness, release, or fulfillment that transcends evil, in either this world or the next, or
possibly both. Salvation is one of the basic concerns of post-archaic religion.
2. Theological. (the rationalization of religion): Theology deals with the nature of supreme
being, or whatever functions in the religion as the source of supreme validity. Gods are
objects of religious devotion and practice, and only secondarily are re- garded as
conceptions or hypothetical entities to be treated with speculative interest. To understand

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 a particular religious outlook calls for knowledge and appreciation of the way its
adherents relate belief and practice to supremely important beings. To deal properly with
theology, one must look at the manner in which adherents understand their relation to the
objects of devotion, and at the systems of thought in which this relationship is expressed.
3. Anthropological. (nature and possibilities of human being): This aspect of religion is
intertwined with the soteriological as- pect, since in many religious systems (Christianity,
Hinduism, and Buddhism, for example), images of human nature define the problem of
evil and the ways adherents try to escape from evil. In orthodox Christianity, sin is
characteristic of human nature. This belief sets the stage for salvation by divine grace
through God forgiving sin. In Buddhism, suffering is deeply embedded in the human
psyche, and this belief sets the stage for salvation through intellectual growth. So for each
religion, the problem of evil, the conceptions of human nature, and the methods of
salvation are interrelated.
4. Epistemology (How do we know?): Epistemology refers generally to the problem of
knowledge. In a religious context, this means how adherents believe themselves able to
communicate with their deities, and how the deities make known their will to humans.
The problem of knowledge is related to the nature of truth as conceived by adherents.
Religious knowledge must be reconciled with profane knowledge. This gives rise to a
religious doctrine of truth that settles such conflicts by granting religious knowledge a
superior epistemological status over profane knowledge. Religious knowledge comes to
adherents through various combinations of revelation, prayer, vision, sacred literature,
and communication with other adherents.
5. Ethics (relations between humans): Religion defines appropriate forms of conduct
between people. Ethics are institutionalized as informal norms, or formal codes and laws.
From the point of view of many social scientists, the ethical function is religion's most
important contribution to society

6. Cultic Practices (symbolic behavior): Religion confers meaning on acts. Ritual is the
means by which religion is publicly embodied. Ritual involves:
1) social organization of the religious community

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 2) the functions of types of religious personnel set apart for various religious duties
3) the modes of behavior by which adherents approach the sacred dimension
4) the devices used to guarantee proper group and individual conduct
7. Ritual acts are often themselves regarded as sacred , or at least as necessary steps to the goal
of salvation. This leads to a consideration of:
1) the place of symbols in the religion
2) characteristic gestures, forms of speech, and movement
3) the effects of religious belief on art and architecture
8. Temporal (having to do with the meaning of time): Religious myths provide an imaginary
time scale of important events, including the origins, repetitions, and endings of religiously
significant eras. The end of time is an especially significant era for religions that posit a
progressive history of religious meaning, such as Christianity. Other religions, such as Hinduism,
see time as cyclical, a process of birth, growth, decay, and death, beginning again with birth,
ad infinitum .
9. Cosmology (having to do with the meaning of the universe): Cosmology refers to theories
and visions of the creation, nature, meaning, and form of the universe, and the place of humanity
init. A "cosmos" is a portrayal of the universe as a meaningful structure. Science studies a
meaningless "universe." Religion portrays our existence as unfolding within a meaningful
universe called a "cosmos." Cosmologies link human nature and the structure of society to an
imaginary structure of the universe in order to endow human existence and society with
meaning.
10. Categories of Religious Behavior
1) addressing the sacred
2) music
3) poetry
4) physiological alteration through drugs, deprivation, self-
mortification, and isolation
5) exhortation — addressing others as a representative of a divine being
6) recitation of the code — the use of sacred, written and oral statements to state doctrine
7) sympathetic ritual — imitation of sacred beings and events

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8) wielding sacred power (mana) — touching objects containing sacred power, including laying
on of hands
9) taboos — rules specifying avoidance of contact and action to prevent activating unwanted
manifestations of sacred power
10) feasts — sacred meals
sacrifice — ritual killing, often as part of a feast
12) congregation — meetings, processions, and other forms
of coming together
13) symbolism — using objects symbolizing the sacred
14) inspiration — the pursuit of visions and revelation
15) extension and modification of the code
16) extended consequences — the results of applying religious values outside of f the context of
specifically ritual occasions
11 Persistent functions of religion
Positive Functions
1) Close the gap between hope and reality (e.g., the final victory over death, evil, etc., is in
heaven).
2) Make virtue out of social necessity (encouraging and requiring the individual to sacrifice for
others, ego surrender where the functioning of society conflicts with the functioning of the
individual).
3) Support and console individuals and groups.
4) Enhance social stability through projecting sacredness upon social norms, and through the
creation of authoritative sources of opinion regarding moral matters--the "priestly function" of
religion.
5) Promote social change when religion is in conflict with the prevailing order of society,
through social criticism and prophecy--the "prophetic function" of religion.
6) Provide a source of personal identity in pluralistic societies afflicted with anomie.
7) Facilitate personal growth and maturation, as they are conceptualized by the religion.
8) Adjust individuals to the life cycle of changing social status.
9) Rationalize social, political, and economic inequality, reducing conflict in stratified societies.

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Negative Functions
1) Excessive guilt and repression—causing individuals to suffer emotionally for failure to live up
to religious ideals.
2) Authoritarianism—supporting oppressive authority in society.
3) Self-mortification—inducing people to endure physical suffering unnecessarily or to cause
themselves to suffer deliberately for religious reasons.
4) Ethnocentrism—causing people to have narrow, culturally centered perceptions of other
groups, arming them with absolute convictions that can justify repression and violence toward
them.
5) Promotes intergroup conflict—by causing individuals to feel urgent about exporting their
religion, and to feel offended by the religions of other peoples.
6) Rationalizes social, political, and economic inequality, pre- venting social change necessary to
reduce social conflict
(http://faculty.smcm.edu/ccraney/restricted/PDF/Basic_Characteristics_Relig.pdf)

1.3 Need of Religion

There is always a debate about religion that is it necessary or any reaction. Here we are placing
the answer of Hazrat Maulana Ghulam Rasul Rajeki, in response to this question. The following
is a translated excerpt from an article entitled, Four Important Questions about Religion and the
Answers thereto.)
Religion is the path that takes human beings to their ultimate destination. Logic demands that
whatever one’s goal in life, there should be a means for reaching that goal. Man is dependent on
so many things for the maintenance and preservation of his life. The body and all its constituents,
the soul and all its strengths and sensitivities were not created by humans. Similarly, those things
which are essential for the preservation and maintenance of life were neither created nor
purchased by him as they came into existence long before he was born. Careful observation will
reveal that there is a deep and strong inter-connection between man’s abilities and the system of
the universe. For example, the eye has a relationship with the sun, the ear with the atmosphere.
Without light the eye cannot see. Sound is carried through the air to reach the ear. Oxygen is
essential for maintaining all bodily functions.

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Such a complete and perfect system that requires knowledge and absolute authority proves the
need for a Being Who possesses complete knowledge and absolute power and Whose glory is
unparalleled and unique.
Man was not born through his own volition or at his own behest. Hence, he does not have the
right to determine the purpose of his life. That right belongs to his Creator. One of the Creator’s
countless gifts to him is that every particle of the universe has been pressed into his service. This
shows that man’s Creator is indeed a great benefactor. It is only natural that one’s heart should
be inclined towards one’s benefactor. To respect and love the Benefactor is the natural religion.
Man is endowed with a great capacity to attain knowledge and wisdom. For his physical
develop-ment and upbringing, he is dependent on his parents and other factors. To gain worldly
knowledge – be it medicine or philosophy, botany or history – he needs guidance and teaching.
He could conceivably educate himself without the aid of tutors, but that is very difficult. And
even then, he would still need someone to teach him a language. So at the very least he needs
someone who can teach him the rudiments of a language. Is it possible then that he could do
without a spiritual guide when it comes to spiritual and godly matters?
The mind, like the eye, is no doubt very useful. But in the dark, the eye sees nothing. Without an
external source of light, no eye has the power of sight. In the dark it is like the eye of a blind
person. Similar is the case of the mind. Without religious and spiritual knowledge conveyed
through divine revelation and containing various degrees of light, it cannot reach the true
knowledge. If the mind is compared to the eye, then divine light and religion can be compared to
the lens of a telescope. Using microscopes and telescopes, man can examine minute particles and
far away objects. He cannot see these same things with the naked eye. Similar is the case of the
light of prophet hood.
The insight that Prophets and Messengers achieve through the light of divine visions
cannot be achieved by otherwise learned men. Nor, in uncovering the truth, can they reach the
stage of absolute certainty; this can only be acquired through the light of prophet hood. God’s
Messengers and Prophets have been sent, and are still being sent, in different eras, to different
countries and to various nations. Each and every one of them came armed with logical
arguments. Prophets always preached that Allah alone should be worshipped and that false idols
be discarded. They all came with the teaching of the Unity of God. Each presented his nation

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with the message, ‘There is no God but Allah’. But whenever the human mind perverted the
truth, the message of the Unity of God became distorted. Some people took to worshipping two
gods – Ahriman and Yazdan. Others adopted the false ideology of trinity and were led into the
depths of ignomy. Some nations took to worshipping the elements, others the heavenly bodies or
earthly objects. No two idolatrous nations share the same ideals. Such divisions arose because
the human mind was taken as guide. It is the teachings of the Prophets that bring the world
together under the banner of the Unity of God.
The laws devised by the human mind are far less than perfect. The nations of this world
then have to live with the consequences of these deficient laws. These laws regularly need
modification. What man requires is a comprehensive legal code which meets the needs of all
human beings and is free of narrow-mindedness and short-sightedness. Human laws have failed
to prevent man from falling into evil and immorality. But spiritual laws have proven successful
in keeping man away from wrongdoing. This proves the need for a religion.
The answers to some questions generally raised about religion are given below:
First Question: Does religion make the mind dull?
Answer:
The mind is like the eye. Does light improve sight? Do telescopes and microscopes
improve vision or make it worse? Just as microscopes and tele-scopes and external sources of
light help to us see things clearly, similarly religion and revelation are beneficial to the mind.
Prophecies made by the Prophet(saw) of Islam are, to this day, still being fulfilled. Against all
odds, events foretold by the Prophet(saw) have come to pass, word for word and letter for letter.
The human mind could never have conceived such things. This proves that divine revelation
sharpens the mind. Human deduction and reasoning is limited to evidence and experimentation.
The light of revelation of the true religion goes beyond the laws of nature; the source of
revelation is the knowledge and word of the Omniscient God.
Before the advent of a prophet, people tend to be in a state of decadence and disarray. The unity
and oneness and the true compassion that is born in a community through the prophet is nowhere
to be found. Unity cannot be born of human schemes and plans. It can only be engendered
through religious teachings and spiritual guidance. All prophets were bitterly opposed by
powerful forces and yet they were successful in creating a spiritual community in this world. The

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relatively weak prophet always overcomes his opponents. He eventually is victorious over those
who rely on the human mind and the schemes it devises. Does this not prove that the light of
revelation is far superior to the human mind?
When the Prophet Moses(as) and his spiritual counterpart (i.e. the Prophet (saw) of Islam)
came into this world they were powerless, helpless and without material resources. They
declared that they were God’s Messengers. Now, using worldly logic and reasoning to study the
events of their lives, one could never conclude that such apparently weak and helpless people
would be successful in establishing religious communities. On the one hand we have the
opponents of the prophets – resourceful, powerful, mighty, grandiose and with the most awe-
inspiring and fear-inspiring armies and legions. On the other we have the Prophet Moses (as). Who
would believe that Moses(as) could be victorious over Pharaoh and his legions? Or that Moses’
spiritual counterpart, i.e. the Prophet (saw) of Arabia, could become so powerful as to overcome not
only the whole of Arabia, but the governments of Caesar too? These victories were not merely
coincidental. While still weak and without resource, the prophets proclaimed the Unity of God
and foretold the defeat and destruction of their enemies. Is it not then patently obvious that
religious teachings and the light of revelation is far, far superior to anything that the human mind
can devise? Religion does not dull the mind; rather it sharpens it and improves its vision and
discernment.

Second Question: Does religion cause war and strife?

Answer:
Peace cannot be attained without adhering to the teachings of the true religion. Do the books of
the prophets, for example the Torah or the Bible, advocate war and strife? The Bible goes so far
as to exhort its followers to ‘turn the other cheek’. And then there are the holy teachings of the
Qur’an with which no culture or political system can compete. As an example, only one verse of
the Holy Qur’an is presented:
Verily, Allah enjoins justice, and the doing of good to others; and giving like kindred; and
forbids indecency and manifest evil and transgression. (Ch.16:V.91)
If the admonitions in the above verse are heeded, every country and every nation would know
nothing but peace. Allah exhorts us to:

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  abide by justice;
 be benevolent;
 show compassion to others as though they were our kith and kin;
 refrain from, and admonish others to refrain from, such vices as can be harmful and are
known as blatant evil;
 not transgress against good, beneficent, peace-loving governments and to exhort others
likewise.
In other words we should be just, benevolent and compassionate; we should avoid indecency,
blatant evil and transgression and we should save others from falling prey to these evils. These
are the six basic commandments for the establishment of peace. If these six do’s and do not’s
were put into practice, every country and every nation would see nothing but peace. Should
hundreds and thousands of learned people deliberate with one another and finally come up with
some laws aimed at establishing peace, they will not be able to produce anything over and above
this succinct, complete and comprehensive teaching of the Qur’an.
Strife in this world comes about when justice is contravened, or when the beneficence of
a bene-factor is denied or when we fail to show compassion to others as though they were our
kith and kin. If these contraventions are removed, peace will certainly be established.
It can be said that strife and disorder in the world is created by the negation of justice, i.e.
injustice. Or it is created by ingratitude to the benefactor, which is the opposite of benevolence.
Or it comes about as a result of transgression against one’s parents or against a benevolent
government, which is the opposite of Ita’i Dhil Qurba or human compassion. If these negative
factors are removed from society peace can certainly be established. If we look at the same verse
from a different angle, we can say that indecency is the opposite of justice, blatant evil the
opposite of benevolence and transgression the opposite of human compassion. Whenever and
wherever peace was truly established it was through God’s Messengers and Prophets. In what
state did the Prophet(saw) of Arabia find his people? Were they in a state of peace or strife? Then
the community the Holy Prophet(saw) created enjoyed the highest order of peace. It is the way of
God that He does not punish a people until after the advent of a prophet; then God destroys the
mischief-makers.

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 Religion and the practice of religion have never led to war and violence. Not even one
example can be presented where this has happened. We accept that wars have taken place in the
name of religion, but these have been the result of forsaking the faith and because its teachings
were discarded. The wars that were undertaken for the establishment of peace cannot be objected
to; in fact they should be applauded. In every age, small communities consisting of only a
handful of people took their lives in their hands and without any reserve fought against the most
powerful armies. Their only aim was to establish peace and to save the oppressed from the
cruelties of the enemy.
Critics should give consideration to the following questions: If a few selfishly motivated people
smear the name of religion with their unjust acts, does this call on one to turn one’s back on
religion? After all, wars are undertaken for worldly reasons too. Does this mean we should
forsake this world?

Third Question: Is there a need for religion in the modern age?

Answer:
Although people of every day and age needed religion, yet in my opinion, that need is far
greater today than it has ever been before. The true and essential aim of religion is to guide man
into becoming a servant and a manifestation of God. God’s attributes should become the
touchstone for our moral values and should be imbibed in every aspect of our lives. The situation
of the world today is not hidden to the wise and learned people. Not only are God’s attributes
and virtues ignored, His very existence is denied. The need for, and the glorious teachings of
religion are swept aside by those who would have mankind follow only the deceptions of the
human mind.
What human nature has been seeking since time immemorial is nowhere to be found in
the world today. People of the present age regard their intellectual contrivances as the touchstone
for virtue. The end result is patently obvious. Promiscuous behaviour is in their estimation, noble
and cultured. The existence of nudist colonies and the support given to people who produce
children outside the confines of wedlock are regarded by some as the hallmarks of civilisation
and morality. And then there are governments who consider it lawful to forcefully
misappropriate the fruits of others, thereby keeping their countrymen in virtual slavery. When

17
great and small have sunk to such low standards of morality, when immorality is regarded as
virtue and when transgression is equated to justice – that is when the need for religion is most
acute.
In this day and age, every nation and every individual yearns for peace and tranquility in
human life. But nations that reject religion and take human reasoning as their only guide are
witnessing that such guidance has destroyed entire nations, has left whole countries in desolation
and turned cities into ruins. When a weaker government tries to make peace with a stronger one,
the powerful and victorious governments insist on the unconditional surrender of the defeated
one. They do not stop to consider that had they been the defeated party, they would not have
wanted to surrender unconditionally. If circumstances render one nation defeated today, is it not
possible that it may be victorious tomorrow? And is it not possible that today’s victorious nation
is tomorrow’s vanquished one? Being ignorant of the waxing and waning of human fortunes they
fail to realise that neither day nor night lasts forever. Who has been able to check the march of
revolution? It is quite possible that a future revolution may catapult the vanquished into power.
The oppressive laws that find so much favour with the stronger governments may one
day become the noose around their own necks, only with much greater severity. Keeping such an
eventuality in view, and bearing in mind one’s national and individual interests, could one’s
instincts ever favour such an oppressive political stranglehold and destructive laws? To the
contrary, one would feel hatred and aversion to them and would look for ways of removing them.
Nothing ever stays the same. So at the time of victory, the victorious should show mercy to the
vanquished, and this is the natural thing to do.
To treat others with belligerence and cruelty in preference to mercy and kindness is akin
to inviting one’s own destruction. At the very least the triumphant nations should accept the
terms of peace proffered by the vanquished nations. The Qur’anic teaching in this regard is full
of wisdom and is conducive to the establishment of peace, i.e. if the enemy is prepared to make
peace then you should do likewise.
In the face of these calamities and afflictions is it not easy for a wise person to ascertain
the true roots of peace on earth? Is it difficult to see the differences between the outcome of
following human intellect and the outcome of taking religion as a guide? The results are there for
all to see. Hence, this present age is peerless in that it highlights clearly the deficiencies of the

18
human intellect and the benefits of religion. Blessed are they who try to understand this clear and
evident difference and hence feel the need for religion.
Fourth Question: What guidance have past religious leaders provided for the world?
Answer:
The missions of God’s Prophets and Messengers were always in accordance with the prevailing
needs and conditions. Every Prophet and every Messenger lays the foundation of a new religion
under the guidance of divine visions and revelations. With religious teachings, each Prophet and
Messenger creates a balance in the beliefs, deeds and values of his followers; his own morals and
conduct are exemplary. He removes excesses and deficiencies and establishes his community on
the path of moderation.
The filth of idolatry and impiety are removed somewhat by the shining example set by
the religious community and some-what by God’s wrath which destroys the idolaters. Thus the
land becomes pure and clean. In the past eras and times, the followers of every Prophet and
every Messenger achieved, through religion, the best of this world and the hereafter. They
enjoyed peace while the opponents of true religion and divine teachings always tasted the bitter
fruits of their opposition. Apart from divine retribution, destruction, desolation and ruin they
achieved naught. They them-selves were destroyed and they led others to destruction too. This
demonstrates the outcome of the leadership of past Prophets and Messengers. It demonstrates the
outcome of the leadership provided by dictators and opponents of the Prophets and Messengers.
The Qur’an presents the dictatorship of Pharaoh and the democracy of the people of
Thamud as examples of the unhappy endings of those who rebelled against religion.
It is easy to deceive materialistic people with the incorrect and worldly views of philosophers. In
contrast the Messengers and Prophets traverse the wilderness and deserts of despair, armed only
with their holy powers and divine guidance. Then, with the glad tidings conveyed to them by
God, the Prophets and Messengers and their followers reach the destination of victory. Can
anything like this be found amongst the worldly people?
The divine teachings put forward by God’s Messengers and Prophets explain fully the rights due
to Allah and the rights due to His servants. In other words, the notions of reverence for the divine
law and kindness towards Allah’s creation are fully expounded upon.

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See more at: http://reviewofreligions.org/173/the-need-for-religion-and-its-importance/
#sthash.9yYH0G4b.dpuf
http://reviewofreligions.org/173/the-need-for-religion-and-its-importance/

Divine
1.3Types of Religion
Some scholars classify religions as either universal religions that seek worldwide
acceptance and actively look for new converts, or ethnic religions that are identified with a
particular ethnic group and do not seek converts. Others reject the distinction, pointing out that
all religious practices, whatever their philosophical origin, are ethnic because they come from a
particular culture.
In the 19th and 20th centuries, the academic practice of comparative religion divided religious
belief into philosophically defined categories called "world religions." However, some recent
scholarship has argued that not all types of religion are necessarily separated by mutually
exclusive philosophies, and furthermore that the utility of ascribing a practice to a certain
philosophy, or even calling a given practice religious, rather than cultural, political, or social in
nature, is limited. The current state of psychological study about the nature of religiousness
suggests that it is better to refer to religion as a largely invariant phenomenon that should be
distinguished from cultural norms (i.e. "religions").[68]
Some academics studying the subject have divided religions into three broad categories:
1. world religions, a term which refers to transcultural , international faiths;
2. indigenous religions, which refers to smaller, culture-specific or nation-specific religious
groups; and
3. new religious movements, which refers to recently developed faiths
Famous religions of the world
The list of still-active religious movements given here is an attempt to summarize the most
important regional and philosophical influences on local communities, but it is by no means a
complete description of every religious community, nor does it explain the most important
elements of individual religiousness.
The five largest religious groups by world population, estimated to account for 5.8 billion people
and 84% of the population, are Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism (with the relative

20
numbers for Buddhism and Hinduism dependent on the extent of syncretism) and traditional folk
religion.

Five largest
2010 (billion)[ 2010 (%) 2000 (billion) 2000 (%)
religions
Christianity 2.2 32% 2.0 33%
Islam 1.6 23% 1.2 19.6%
Hinduism 1.0 15% 0.811 13.4%
Buddhism 0.5 7% 0.360 5.9%
Folk religion 0.4 6% 0.385 6.4%
Total 5.8 84% 4.8 78.3%

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religion
1.4.1 Ten Most Common Religions of the World (Alphabetical Order)
This list is Sourced from the Encyclopedia Britannica, Wikipedia, Belief net, and Adherents.com
(a collection of 43,870 adherent statistics and religious geography citations). The list is based on
number of members. For a complete list (which also includes atheism and agnosticism, see the
Wikipedia article or the Encyclopedia Britannica chart).
http://listverse.com/2007/07/31/top-10-organized-religions-and-their-core-beliefs/
1. Christianity [Abrahamic, 27 AD] 2.1 billion adherents [Wikipedia | Britannica | Beliefnet]
Christianity is a monotheistic religion which is based on the teachings of the Old Testament and
Jesus of Nazareth. Christians believe that Jesus, as the Son of God is part of the Trinity (God as
three persons in one), the others being God the Father and God the Holy Spirit. Christians
believe that Christianity fulfils Judaism. Most Christians believe that the death and resurrection
of Jesus to be the cornerstone of their faith. Protestant of shoots of Christianity believe that
salvation comes from the belief in God alone, whereas Catholic and Orthodox Christians belief
that faith, combined with good works is required for salvation.

21
 The Christian scriptures are called the Bible – comprising two books, the Old Testament
(based on the Septuagint) and the New Testament. Protestants and Catholics have the same
books in the New Testament, but Martin Luther removed 7 books from the Old Testament during
the Protestant reformation, considering them to be apocryphal. He also removed four books from
the New Testament but was later persuaded to put them back – they were Hebrews, James, Jude,
and Revelation.
Christians believe in Sacraments (Catholics and Orthodox and some Anglicans believe in 7:
Baptism, Confirmation, Holy Communion, Confession, Last Rites, Holy Orders, and Matrimony;
some Protestants (following Martin Luther) believe in the sacramental nature of Baptism and
Holy Communion, while others reject outright the concept of sacramental theology.
Christianity is generally broken into three branches: Roman Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy,
and Protestantism. Catholicism is the largest with over 1 billion adherents. The Orthodox and
Catholic Churches split in the 11th century in an event called the Great Schism. Protestantism
split from Roman Catholicism in in the 16th century in an event called the Protestant
Reformation.
2. Islam [Abrahamic, 610 AD] 1.3 billion adherents [Wikipedia | Britannica | Beliefnet]

Islam is a monotheistic religion originating with the teachings of Muhammad, a 7th-century Arab
religious and political figure. Muslims believe that God revealed the Qur’an to Muhammad,
God’s final prophet, and regard the Qur’an and the Sunnah (the words and deeds of Muhammad)
as the fundamental sources of Islam. They do not regard Muhammad as the founder of a new
religion, but as the restorer of the original monotheistic faith of Abraham, Moses, Jesus, and
other prophets. Islamic tradition holds that Judaism and Christianity distorted the messages of
these prophets over time either in interpretation, in text, or both.
Almost all Muslims belong to one of two major denominations, the Sunni and Shi’a. The schism
developed in the late 7th century following disagreements over the religious and political
leadership of the Muslim community. Roughly 85 percent of Muslims are Sunni and 15 percent
are Shi’a. Muslims consider the Qur’an to be the literal word of God; it is the central religious

22
text of Islam. Muslims believe that the verses of the Qur’an were revealed to Muhammad by God
through the angel Gabriel on many occasions between the years 610 and his death on July 6, 632.
Islam considers itself to be the supreme religion and therefore Muslims must not place
themselves in a position inferior to that of the followers of other religions. Pursuant to this
principle, Muslim women may not marry non-Muslim men, non-Muslims may not inherit from
their Muslim relatives, and a testimony of a non-Muslim is inadmissible against a Muslim. A
non-Muslim who insults Islam must be put to death, according to most schools of Islamic
jurisprudence, or flogged and imprisoned, according to others.
3. Hinduism [Dharmic, 1500 BC] 1 billion adherents [Wikipedia | Britannica | Beliefnet]

Hinduism has no founder, being itself a conglomerate of diverse beliefs and traditions. It
is the world’s oldest existent religion, and has approximately a billion adherents, of whom about
905 million live in India and Nepal. Hinduism contains a vast body of scriptures. Divided as
revealed and remembered and developed over millennia, these scriptures expound on theology,
philosophy and mythology, providing spiritual insights and guidance on the practice of dharma
(religious living). Among such texts, the Vedas and the Upanishads are the foremost in authority,
importance and antiquity. Other major scriptures include the Tantras, the sectarian Agamas, the
Pur??as and the epics Mah?bh?rata and R?m?ya?a. The Bhagavad G?t?, a treatise excerpted
from the Mah?bh?rata, is sometimes called a summary of the spiritual teachings of the Vedas.
Prominent themes in Hindu beliefs include Dharma (ethics/duties), Sams?ra (The
continuing cycle of birth, life, death and rebirth), Karma (action and subsequent reaction),
Moksha (liberation from samsara), and the various yogas (paths or practices). Hinduism is a
diverse system of thought with beliefs spanning monotheism, polytheism, pantheism, monism
and even atheism. It is sometimes considered as henotheistic (devotion to a single “God” while
accepting the existence of other gods), but such a view may be considered an oversimplification
of the complexities and variations of belief.
4. Buddhism [Dharmic, 600 BC] 376 million adherents [Wikipedia | Britannica | Beliefnet]

23
 Buddhism is also known as Buddha Dharma or Dhamma, which means roughly the
“teachings of the Awakened One” in Sanskrit and Pali, languages of ancient Buddhist texts.
Buddhism was founded around the fifth century BCE by Siddhartha Gautama – most commonly
referred to as The Buddha. In Buddhism, any person who has awakened from the “sleep of
ignorance” (by directly realizing the true nature of reality), without instruction, and teaches it to
others is called a buddha. All traditional Buddhists agree that Shakyamuni or Gotama Buddha
was not the only Buddha: it is generally taught that there have been many past Buddhas and that
there will be future Buddhas too.
While there are now many sects of Buddhism, they all hold to four fundamental points: 1,
All accept the Buddha as their teacher; 2, all accept the Middle Way (non-extremism),
Dependent Origination, the Four Noble Truths, and the Noble Eightfold Path; 3, all accept that
both monks and the laity can pursue the path to enlightenment; and 4, all consider Buddhahood
to be the highest attainment.

5. Sikhism [Dharmic, 1469 AD] 23 million adherents [Wikipedia | Britannica | Beliefnet]

Sikhism was founded by Guru Nanak (1469-1539 AD) who was the first of Sikhism’s 10
Gurus, a lineage of holy teachers that continued until the end of the 17th century. The Gurus are
understood to be the mediators of divine grace. Sikhism originated in the Punjab region of
northwest India, where it drew on elements from Bhakti Hinduism and Islamic Sufism to
develop into a distinctive religious tradition in its own right. Sikhs believe that liberation from
the karmic cycle of rebirths occurs in the merging of the human spirit with the all-embracing
24
spirit of God. Sikh males are recognisable by their long beards and turbans – worn to cover the
hair that traditional says they should not cut.
Their religious worship involves contemplation of the divine Name. The ultimate deity is
known by several names: Sat (truth), Sat Guru (true Guru), Akal Purakh (timeless being), Kartar
(creator), and Wahi-Guru (“praise to the Guru”). By concentrating on God’s Name (or many
titles), Sikhs believe that one conquers the ego and unites with God.
The compilation of the Sikh scriptures, the Adi Granth, was begun in 1604 by the Fifth
Guru. The last of the ten Gurus, Guru Gobind Singh, announced that he would be the last
personal Guru and that thereafter, Sikhs were to regard the Adi Granth (Guru Granth Sahib) as
their teacher. This sacred book is considered the living embodiment of all ten Gurus and is
therefore the focus of worship in all Sikh temples and local gurudwaras, or sanctuaries.

6. Judaism [Abrahamic, 1300 BC] 14 million adherents [Wikipedia | Britannica | Beliefnet]

Judaism is the religion of the Jewish people, based on principles and ethics embodied in
the Bible (Tanakh) and the Talmud (Rabbinical discussions on ethics, customs, and law).
According to Jewish tradition, the history of Judaism begins with the Covenant between God and
Abraham, the patriarch and progenitor of the Jewish people. Judaism is among the oldest
religious traditions still in practice today.
Throughout the ages, Judaism has clung to a number of religious principles, the most important
of which is the belief in a single, omniscient, omnipotent, benevolent, transcendent God, who
created the universe and continues to govern it. Originally Judaism had priests and a temple in
which sacrifices were made to God. The priesthood is an inherited position, and although priests
no longer have any but ceremonial duties, they are still honored in many Jewish communities.

25
Many Orthodox Jewish communities believe that they will be needed again for a future Third
Temple and need to remain in readiness for future duty.
Following the destruction of Jerusalem and the expulsion of the Jews, Jewish worship
stopped being centrally organized around the Temple, prayer took the place of sacrifice, and
worship was rebuilt around rabbis who acted as teachers and leaders of individual communities.
Modern Judaism is generally split into three groups: Orthodox, Conservative, and Liberal.

7. Baha’i Faith [Abrahamic, 1900 AD] 7 million adherents [Wikipedia | Britannica |

Beliefnet]

Baha’i was founded in Iran in the mid-nineteenth century by Mirza Husayn Ali (1817-
1892). Better known as Baha’ullah, he believed that he was the prophet foretold by the Bab, a
religious leader who was believed to be a direct descendent of the prophet Muhammad.
Baha’ullah was persecuted and banished several times during his life, and he died as a prisoner
in Palestine. Babism (from which Baha’i originates) was a breakaway from shi’a Islam.
Important Baha’i prophets include Adam, the Jewish prophets, Jesus, and Muhammed, all
of whom have been succeeded by Baha’ullah. The closest thing to a religious text the Baha’i
have is Baha’ullah’s Kitab al-Aqdas (The Most Holy Book) which contains detailed instructions
for Baha’i living.
The Baha’i believe that all religions teach the same truth. They therefore reject prejudice–
racial, political, or otherwise–and stress ethical teachings such as world peace, education, and
sexual equality. Although they believe that God is completely unknowable, they hold that God’s
presence and works are evident in the creation of the world and the existence of the prophets,
among other things.
8. Confucianism [Taoic, 600 BC] 6.4 million adherents [Wikipedia | Britannica | Beliefnet]

26
 Confucianism is a Chinese set of philosphical and ethical beliefs that were taught by the
sage Confucius. It has had a tremendous effect on East Asia right up to the 21st century. Debated
during the Warring States Period and forbidden during the short-lived Qin Dynasty,
Confucianism was chosen by Emperor Wu of Han for use as a political system to govern the
Chinese state. There is a large body of Confucian texts which includes the I Ching (a series of
divinations) and a series of books on poetry, rituals, music, and more. You can view a complete
list of these texts on Wikipedia.
Confucianist doctrine remained a mainstream Chinese orthodoxy for two millennia until
the 20th century, when it was attacked by radical Chinese thinkers as a vanguard of a pre-modern
system and an obstacle to China’s modernization, eventually culminating in its repression during
the Cultural Revolution in the People’s Republic of China.
Confucianism aims at making not simply the man of virtue, but the man of learning and of good
manners. The perfect man must combine the qualities of saint, scholar, and gentleman.
Confucianism is a religion without positive revelation, with a minimum of dogmatic teaching,
whose popular worship is centered in offerings to the dead, in which the notion of duty is
extended beyond the sphere of morals proper so as to embrace almost every detail of daily life.
9. Jainism [Dharmic, 600 BC] 4.2 million adherents [Wikipedia | Britannica | Beliefnet]

Jainism is one of the oldest religions in India and it has co-existed alongside Hinduism
despite being a minority of less than 1% of the population. The religion was founded by
Mahavira (“The Great Hero”) who is considered to be the most recent in a long line of 24
teachers who have brought Jainism to the world during various epochs. These teachers preach a
belief in enlightenment through austerity and rejection of the world. Jains do not believe in a god
and they seek release from endless reincarnations through strict self-denial.

27
 Jainism also places a great emphasis on non-harm of living things and will often have
their mouths covered with muslin to prevent accidentally swallowing insects. Many Jains also
use a small brush to sweep the ground in front of them while travelling so they don’t accidentally
step on a creature.
The main religious text of Jainism is called Agamas. An agama is an ancient Jain
textbook. There were many agamas in ancient times, but as time passed, many of them were lost
or destroyed. At present, 45 agamas are available. Agamas are written in the Prakrit language.
These are read and studied by Jain monks (sadhus) only. The sacred literature was not written
down until 500 AD.
There are two main types of Jain, the Digambaras and the Shvetambaras. The Digambaras have
much simpler rituals and disdain earthly belongings to a point that the male monks live
completely naked.
10. Shinto [Taoic, 300 BC] 4 million adherents [Wikipedia | Britannica | Beliefnet]

Shinto is a religious system that originates in Japan which has influences from Buddhism and
other Chinese religions. Shinto recognizes no all-powerful deity and is a diverse set of traditional
rituals and ceremonies, rather than a system of dogmatic beliefs or ethics. Shinto recognises a
variety of gods (kami) which are the powers of nature primarily associated with such things as
animals, trees, mountains, springs, boulders, the sun, and sometimes ancestors. Offerings are
made to these gods and they are later eaten.
Shinto rituals involve dance and Shinto priests bless the offerings to the gods with branches from
the sacred sakaki tree dipped in holy water. In some parts of Japan, women Shamans fall into a
trance and speak for the gods.
Shinto does not have a founder or canon of religious texts, but a written Shinto mythology
appears in the early sections of the eighth-century books “Kojiki” (“Records of Ancient
Matters,” completed in 712 AD) and “Nihon Shoki” (“Chronicles of Japan,” completed in 720
AD), which record the role of the kami in creating Japan and the Japanese imperial lineage

28
References
Geertz, C. (1993) Religion as a cultural system. In: The interpretation of cultures: selected
essays, Geertz, Clifford, pp.87-125. Fontana Press.
Tylor, E.B. (1871) Primitive Culture: Researches Into the Development of Mythology,
Philosophy, Religion, Art, and Custom. Vol. 1. London: John Murray; (p.424).

Vergote, A. (1996) Religion, belief and unbelief. A Psychological Study, Leuven University
Press. (p. 16)

Paul James and Peter Mandaville (2010).Globalization and Culture, Vol. 2: Globalizing
Religions. London: Sage Publications

Unit 2
Islam As A Religion
2.1 Advent of Islam in Arab
To know the conditions prevailing in Arabia before the advent of Islam we can avail ourselves of
the following sources:
1. The Old Testament (notwithstanding all the alterations that have been made in it),
2. Writings of the Greeks and the Romans during the Middle Ages.
3. Islamic history as recorded by Muslim scholars, and

29
4. Ancient relics, which have been obtained through excavations conducted by the orientalists,
which reveal facts to some extent.
Not with standing the above-mentioned sources, numerous matters relating to the history
of Arabia have not yet become fully clear and continue to remain an insoluble enigma. However,
as the study of the conditions of Arabia before the advent of Islam constitutes a preamble to our
discourse; but our real aim is the analysis of the life of the Holy Prophet of Islam, therefore we
give below a condensed account of some particular and well known aspects of the life of pre-
Islamic Arabs.
It is an admitted fact that since times immemorial the Arabian Peninsula has been
inhabited by many tribes, some of which have become extinct in the course of time. However, in
the history of this land, the following three tribes, which were later sub-divided into different
clans, have attained greater fame than others:
1. The Ba'idah: Ba'idah means extinct and these people are so named, because, owing to their
continuous disobedience, they were obliterated from the face of the earth, as a consequence of
celestial and terrestrial calamities. Possibly these were the very tribes of 'Ad and Thamud which
have been mentioned time and again in the Holy Qur'an.
2. The Qehtaniyans: They are the descendants of Ya'rab bin Qehtan. They inhabited Yemen and
other parts of southern Arabia and are called the full-blooded Arabs. The Yemenites of today and
the tribes of Aus and Khazraj, which constituted two big tribes of Madina in the early days of
Islam, are of Qehtaniyan descent. The Qehtaniyans possessed many states. They made strenuous
efforts for the development of Yemen and have left a number of civilizations as their memorial.
Their inscriptions are being studied now, according to scientific methods, the Qehtaniyan history
has thus been revealed to some extent. Whatever is said about pre-lslamic culture and civilisation
of Arabia is totally related to this group of the Arabs and is confined to the region of Yemen.
3. The Adnaniyans: They are the descendants of Isma'il, son of the Prophet Ibrahim. A detailed
account of the genealogy of this tribe will be given at a later stage, but, briefly speaking, the
position is this: Prophet Ibrahim was ordained by Allah to settle his son Isma'il and his mother
Hajar in the land of Makkah.
He, therefore, moved them from Palestine to a deep valley (Makkah) which was absolutely
barren. Almighty Allah was kind to them and favoured them with the spring of Zamzam. Isma'il

30
married in a tribe named Jarham, who had pitched their tents at a place near Makkah. His
offspring were numerous. One of them was Adnan, who was removed a few generations from
Ismai'l. The descendants of Adnan were sub-divided into many tribes. The tribe which acquired
fame from amongst them was that of Quraysh, and Bani Hashim formed a part of it.
2.2 Conditions of Arab Before Islam
What we mean by this are the social morals and manners which prevailed amongst the Arabs
before Islam. Some of these customs were usually followed by all Arabs. The common and
praiseworthy qualities of the Arabs may generally be summarized thus in a few sentences :-
1. The Arabs of the Age of Ignorance (period before the advent of Islam) and especially the
descendants of Adnan were generous and hospitable by nature. They seldom committed
breach of trust. They considered violation of promise to be an unpardonable sin. They
were very much devoted to their faith and were fully endowed with the quality of
eloquence.
2. They possessed remarkably sharp memory. They could easily learn verses and speeches
by heart. In the art of versification and poetry they excelled all others. Their bravery was
proverbial. They possessed great skill in horsemanship and archery. They considered
fleeing from the enemy to be very odious and abominable.
3. We could also perhaps recount some more good qualities of theirs. However, as opposed
to this, a series of their immoral and mean habits which had, to some extent, assumed the
shape of second nature with them, obliterated the splendor of all their achievements and,
if a window had not been opened for them from the invisible, the scroll of their human
life would have been rolled up and they would have fallen precipitately into the dreadful
abyss of non-existence. In other words, if the soul-nourishing sun of Islam had not shone
on their hearts in the middle of the 6th century of the Christian era, you would not have
seen any trace of the Arabs today and the story of Baidah Arabs would have been
repeated.
4. This anarchy, lack of law and order and absence of an authoritative government which
might control the situation and deal properly with the rebels, became the reason for the
Arabs leading a nomadic life and for their migrating every year along with their animals
to places in the deserts where water and fodder could be found. Whenever they came

31
 across water and greenery at any place they pitched their tents round it. However, as soon
as they could locate a better place, they resumed their wanderings in the desert.
5. These wanderings and the state of homelessness were occasioned by two things; first of
them being the unwholesome geographical conditions of the area and the other being
their indulging in excessive bloodshed which obliged them to undertake constant
travelling and migration.
2.2.1 Quranic View of Arabs before Islam
Given below the contents of those verses with very brief explanation:
1. I have been sent on my Prophetic Mission to obliterate polytheism and idol-worship.
2. Goodness to parents occupies the top-most place in my message.
3. According to my sacred law, killing of children due to fear of poverty is the worst possible
deed.
4. I have been appointed to restrain human beings from doing bad deeds and to keep them away
from every uncleanliness, whether it be open or hidden.
5. My law provides that man-slaughter and bloodshed, without just cause, are absolutely
forbidden.
6. Misappropriation of property belonging to orphans is prohibited.
7. My law is based on justice. Hence, according to it, selling under-weight is unlawful.
8. I do not charge anyone with more than he can bear.
9. The tongue and speech of man, which are a resplendent mirror reflecting his mentality, should
be utilized in support of truth and reality and a person should speak nothing but the truth, even
though it may cause him loss.
10. Be true to the covenants which you have made with Allah. This has been ordained by your
Lord and it is essential for you to follow it.4
From the contents of these two verses and the manner in which the Holy Prophet conversed with
As'ad, it can very well be realized that the Arabs had developed all these base qualities and for
this very reason the Holy Prophet read but, at the very outset, these two verses for As'ad, as the
aim of his mission. In the circumstances is it possible to agree to the claim made by some
persons that an expansive civilization existed for ages in all parts of Arabia?
2.3 Arab in 5th Century

32
 When Prophet Ibrahim hoisted the standard of the worship of Almighty Allah and raised
the foundations of the Holy Ka'bah with the assistance of his son Isma'il some people gathered
round him and the rays of his sun-like personality illuminated their hearts. However, the extent
to which this great soul could combat with idol-worship and form compressed rows of the
worshippers of Allah, is not known for certain.
During many periods, and especially amongst the Arabs, belief in the worship of God was
mostly accompanied by polytheism and by the faith that idols were manifestations of the Deity.
Out of their various beliefs the Holy Qur'an has mentioned one such belief saying,
If you ask them who created the heavens and the earth they are bound to answer: "TheAlmighty
the All-knowing, created them,"(Surah al-Zukhruf, 43:9).
We serve them (i.e. idols etc.) only that they may bring us nearer to God.(Surah al-Zumar, 39:3 )
2.5.1Thinking of The Arabs about Man After Death
The Arabs explained away this difficult philosophical problem in this manner: After the
death of a person his soul comes out of his body in the shape of a bird called `Hamah wa Sada'
which resembles an owl and it laments continuously by the side of the corpse, its lamentations
being very dreadful and frightening.
When the dead person is buried, his soul takes up its abode, in the aforesaid manner, by his grave
and stays there for ever. At times it goes and sits on the roof of the house of his children to get
itself acquainted with their conditions.
If a person dies an unnatural death the said bird incessantly cries "Asquni Asquni" (i.e. quench
my thirst with the blood of my murderer) and does not become quiet till revenge is taken on the
murderer.

2.5.2 Literature or The Stereoscope of The Mentality of a Nation

The best means of analyzing the spirit and intellect of a nation is the literary works and stories
inherited by it. The literature, poetry and stories of every community represent its beliefs, serve
as criteria for its culture, and display its way of thinking. Literature of every nation is like a
painted tableau which makes us visualize the life of a family as well as a chain of natural scenes
and tumultuous multitudes or theatres of war and plunder.

33
The poetry of the Arabs and the proverbs current amongst them can, more than anything else,
show the real character of their history. A historian desirous of becoming fully acquainted with
the real spirit of a nation should not, as far as possible, ignore its various intellectual monuments
like poetry, prose, proverbs, stories etc. Fortunately the Muslim scholars have, as far as possible,
recorded the literature of the Arabs pertaining to the age of ignorance.
2.5.3 Position of Women amongst The Arabs
The tenth section of the above-mentioned book makes it abundantly clear that women were
subjected to a peculiar degradation amongst these people and led the most tragic life. In the Holy
Qur'an also verses have been revealed condemning the actions of the Arabs, and throwing light
on their moral degradation. It mentions their loathsome practice of killing the girls, and says
When the infant girl, buried alive, is asked for what crime she was slain. (Surah al-Takwir,
81:8).i.e. the girls buried alive will be asked this question on the Day of Judgement. Evidently it
is the height of moral debasement that when one's own child has grown up or has just arrived in
the world one should bury it under tons of dust and should not be moved in the least by its cries
and lamentations.
The first people who resorted to this practice were the tribe named Bani Tamim. No'man
bin Munzir, the ruler of Iraq, attacked his enemies (including Bani Tamim) at the head of a big
army and routed them. He confiscated their properties and took their girls as captives.
Representatives of Bani Tamim approached him and requested for the return of their girls.

2.5.4 Social Position of Women Amongs The Arabs

Amongst the Arabs, woman was just like merchandise which could be bought and sold and did
not possess any individual or social rights - not even the right of inheritance. The enlightened
persons among them put woman under the category of animals and for this very reason
considered her to be one of the chattels and necessities of life. On account of this belief the
proverb: 'Mothers are only as good as vessels and have been created to serve as receptacles for
sperm' was fully current amongst them.
Usually on account of fear of famine and occasionally dreading embarrassment they
beheaded their daughters on the very first day of their birth or hurled them down from a high
mountain into a deep valley or, at times, drowned them in water. The Holy Qur'an the great

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heavenly Book which is admitted even by non-Muslim orientalists at least to be a historical and
instructive document which has not been tampered with contains a strange narrative on the
subject. It says
When the birth of a girl was announced to one of them, his face grew dark and he apparently
swallowed his anger. Because of the bad news he hid himself from his kinsmen and did not know
whether he should keep the new-born with disgrace or bury her under dust? How ill they judge?
(Surah al-Nahl, 16:60).
2.5.5 A Brief Comparison
If the esteemed reader takes notice of the rights of woman in Islam and ignores the
quarrels and disputes which at times crop up all of a sudden, he will certainly acknowledge that
the rules and regulations and the effective steps for the improvement and normalization of the
rights of woman, which were taken through the Holy Prophet of Islam, are themselves a glaring
testimony of his truthfulness and communication with the world of revelation.
For what sympathy and good treatment could be greater than that (besides proclaiming the rights
of women in various verses of the Holy Qur'an and in Ahadith (traditions) and also setting
practical examples in this behalf for his followers to act upon) in the sermon of the last Haj
performed by him, whereby, as ordained by God Almighty, he reiterated his message in a
concise form, nominated his successor and at that very time also recommended women to men in
the following words:
"O people! You have rights over your women and they too have rights over you. Enjoin them to
do good, for they aid and assist you. Give them to eat such as you eat yourself and give them to
wear such as you wear yourself".
2.7 Arabs as Warriors
There is no doubt about the fact that the Arabs possessed extraordinary martial spirit and
excelled many other nations in the art of warfare. This spirit was certainly commendable and
worthy of appreciation, so much so that even Islam made wide use of this tendency of theirs after
harmonizing it. And it is a matter of great honor for Islam that after making proper adjustments
in the tendencies of various nations it utilised them for the achievement of very noble aims and
objects.

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 However, before the appearance of Islam, this spirit of the Arabs was always put into
action to destroy the structure of life of different tribes and did not produce any result except
bloodshed, murder and plunder.
The Arabs had developed the habit of bloodshed and pillage to such an extent that at the time of
self-glorification they counted plunder as one of their honors. This fact is quite evident from their
poetry and literature.
One of the poets of the Age of Ignorance, while observing the lowly condition and
humbleness of his tribe in the matter of murder and plunder, felt very much aggrieved and
expressed his aspirations in these words: "O' that instead of belonging to this weak and worthless
tribe I had been the member of a tribe, whose men, whether mounted or on foot, always indulged
in pillage and plunder, and put an end to the lives of others".
Conclusion
We have now acquired a general idea of the civilization of the Arabs of the Age of
Ignorance. In the meanwhile it has also become clear that no just and well-informed person can
accept the view that the social conditions of the Hijaz, with all the chaos, savagery and general
moral degradation, could give birth to such a great universal movement which should assimilate
all the apparent intellectual powers of the world of that time and should restore peace and order
in that troubled area by means of a sublime programme.
And it has also become evident that the assertion made by some short-sighted persons
that Islam was a natural outcome of that society is really surprising. Such a view would, of
course, have been justified if this great movement had made its debut in some civilised regions,
but it would be mere wishful thinking to make such a claim about the Hijaz.
Now with a view to complete our discussion on the subject we give below an account of the
beliefs and thinking of the Arabs of the Age of Ignorance about different matters.
This is a brief account of the innumerable superstitions which had darkened the lives of the
Arabs of the Age of Ignorance and had restrained their intellects from flying high.

2.4 The Birth of Holy Prophet

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 The dark clouds of ignorance had completely enveloped the Arabian Peninsula.
Abominable and unlawful deeds bloody campaigns wide-spread plundering and infanticide had
obliterated all moral virtues and placed the Arab society in a strange dclivity. The distance
between their life and death had become very short.
Just at this time the morning star of prosperity made its appearance and that dark
atmosphere was illuminated with the auspicious birth of the Holy Prophet. Thus the preliminary
step towards the foundation of the civilization and the advancement and prosperity of a backward
nation was taken.
Soon the beams of this light lit up the entire world and the foundation of learning wisdom and
civilization was laid.Every chapter of the lives of great men is worthy of study and scrutiny. At
times the personality of an individual becomes so great and grand that all phases of his life even
his infancy and childhood are mysterious. The lives of the geniuses leaders of the society and the
forerunners of the caravan of civilization are usually attractive and contain sensitive and
wonderful phases.

From the cradle to the grave their lives are replete with mysteries. We read about the
great men that the periods of their childhood and youth are admirable and miraculous. And if we
accept this proposition about the great men of the world the acceptance of something similar to
that about the Prophets and saints becomes quite easy.

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 The Taurat and the Qur'an depict the childhood of Prophet Musa as very mysterious and
say "Hundreds of innocent children were beheaded with the object so that Musa should not be
born.

However as Allah had willed that he should make his appearance in the world it so
happened that not only could his enemies not harm him but Firaun his greatest enemy himself
became his guardian and supporter". The Holy Qur'an says: We revealed Our Will to Musa's
mother saying: Put your child in the box arid let him be carried away by the river. The river will
cast him on the bank safely and he will be taken up by an enemy of his and Mine. I lavished my
love on you so that you might be reared under My watchful eye.

The sister of Musa went to the palace of Fir'aun and said Shall I bring you one who will nurse
him? Then the mother of Musa was hired to nurse the child and her son was thus restored to her.
(Surah Taha 20: 41 - 43 ).

The period of pregnancy birth and nurture of Prophet 'Isa was even en more wonderful
than that of Prophet Musa. The Holy Qur'an narrates the period of growth of 'Isa in this manner:
We sent to her (i.e. Maryam) Our spirit (i.e. Archangel Jibril) in the semblance of a full-grown
man. And when she saw him she said "May the Merciful defend me from you! If you fear the
Lord leave me and go your way". "I am the messenger of your Lord" he replied and have come
to give you a holy son". "How shall I bear a child " she answered "when I am a virgin untouched
by man"? "Such is the Will of your Lord" he replied "that is no difficult thing for Him. He shall
be a sign to mankind" says the Lord "and a blessing from Ourself. This is Our decree".

We learn from the books on history and ahadith (reports) that at the time of the birth of
the Holy Prophet the walls of the palace of Khosroes split and some of its turrets collapsed. The
fire of the fire-temple of Persia extinguished. The lake of Sawah became dry. The idols in the
temple of Makkah were turned upside down.

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 A light ascended from the Holy Prophet's body towards heaven and illuminated a
distance of many leagues along its path. Anushirwan and the Zoroastrian priests dreamt very
horrible dreams. When the Holy Prophet was born he was already circumcised and his navel too
had been cut. On coming into the world he said "Allah is Great and all praise is due to Him and
He is to be praised day and night"

All these details are given in authentic historical documents and in the collections of
ahadith[1] and keeping in view the facts regarding Prophet Musa and Prophet 'Isa which have
been mentioned above there is no justification for hesitation in the acceptance of these events.

2.4.2 Year Month And Date Of Birth Of The Prophet Of Islam

The writers of "Seerah" (biographies of the Prophet) generally agree that the Prophet of Islam
was born in the "Year of the Elephant" in 570 A.D. As it is definite that he breathed his last in
632 A.D. when he was 62-63 years old the year of his birth must have been 570 A.D.

Almost all the traditionalists and historians are unanimous that the Prophet was born in the
month of Rabi'ul Awwal but they differ about the date of his birth. It is well-known among the
Sh'iah traditionalists that he was born after sunrise on 12th of Rabi'ul Awwal whereas it is
believed by the Sunni scholars that his birth took place on the 12th of that month on Monday.[2]

The Holy Prophet departed from amongst the people and left behind himself his family
and children. These relatives of the Holy Prophet say If the Messenger of Allah is our revered
father and we have been brought up in his house and under his patronage, we say that the head of
our family came into this world on such and such
date and departed from it on such and such date.

In the circumstances is it permissible for us to ignore the statement of his children and rely on the

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version of other people?

The Holy Qur'an mentions two names of the Prophet.[5]

In the 138th 2nd 29th and 40th verses respectively of the Surah Ale Imran Muhammad al-Fath
and al-Ahzab he has been called 'Muhammad' and in Surah al-Saff he has been called 'Ahmad'.
The reason for this difference is that as mentioned in history the Holy Prophet's mother had
named him 'Ahmad' before his grandfather gave him the name 'Muhammad'

2.4.3The Infancy Of The Prophet

The Prophet was suckled by his mother for three days only. Thereafter two other women had the
honour of being his foster-mothers.
1.Suwaybah: She was a female slave of Abu Lahab. She nursed the Prophet for four
months and remained the object of appreciation by the Prophet himself as well as of his virtuous
wife (Khadijah) throughout her life. Earlier she had also nursed Hamzah uncle of the Prophet.
After his appointment to the prophetic mission the Prophet intended to purchase her and sent
someone to Abu Lahab to arrange the transaction but he refused to sell her.

However she received assistance from the Prophet throughout her life. When the Prophet
returned from the battle of Khaybar he came to know about her death and signs of grief appeared
in his face. He made enquires about her son so that he might do some good to him but was
informed that he had died earlier than his mother.
2.Halimah: She was the daughter of Abi Zuwayb and belonged to the tribe of Said bin
Bakr bin Hawazan. She had three children named Abdullah Anisah and Shima'. The last of them
also attended upon the Prophet. It was customary with the noble families amongst the Arabs that
they entrusted their children to wet nurses.
The nurses who belonged to the tribe of Bani Sa'd were famous in this area. They visited
Makkah at a particular time of the year and every one of them took a new-born baby along with
her. When four months had passed since the birth of the Prophet the nurses of the Bani Sa'd tribe
visited Makkah. That year they were in the grip of a severe famine and were therefore in great

40
need of help from the noble families.

The new-born baby of Quraysh did not suck the breast of any wet-nurse. Eventually
Halimah came and the child sucked her breast. At this moment the family of Abdul Muttalib
became very jubilant

Abdul Muttalib turned to Halimah and said "To which tribe do you belong?" She replied that she
belonged to the tribe of Bani Said Then he enquired about her name and she told him that it was
Halimah. Abdul Muttalib was very much pleased to learn her own name and that of her tribe and
said "Very good! Very good! Two good habits and two decent qualities. One of them is
happiness and prosperity and the other is meekness and forbearance".

Notes :

Tarikh-i Ya'qubi vol. II page 5; Biharul Anwar vol. XV chapter 3 pp. 231 - 248 and Seerah-i
Halabi vol. I page 64.
Miqrizi has collected all the statements with regard to the day month and year of the birth of the
Prophet in al-Amta' (page 3).
Seerah-i Halabi vol. I page 93.
Mudrak Pesh vol. I page 97.
As regards the words 'Taha' and 'Yasin' some scholars believe that they are the 'moqatta' Ietters
of the Holy Qur'an and not the names of the Prophet.
Seerah-i Halabi vol. I page 93.

Biharul Anwar vol. XV page 442.

Seerah-i Halabi vol. I page 106.
taken from: THE MESSAGE , Ayatullah Ja'far Subhani, Ansarian Publication
http://www.sibtayn.com/en/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=5990:birth-of-the-
prophet-p-b-u-h&catid=606&Itemid=702

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