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Fasting (Rl-Sawm) Another unique moral and spiritual characteristic of Is- lam is the prescribed institution of Fasting. Literally defined, Fasting means to abstain "completely" from foods, drinks, intimate intercourses and smoking, before the break of the dawn till sunset, during the entire month of Ramadan, the ni- nth rnonth of the Islamic year. But if we restrict the meaning of the Islamic Fasting to this literal sense, we would be sadly mistaken. When Islam introduced this matchless institution, it planted an evergrowing tree of infinite virtue and invaluable products. Here is an explanation of the spiritual meaning of the Islamic Fasting: 1 . It teaches man the principle of sincere love; because when he observes the Fasting he does it out of deep love for God. And the man who loves God truly is a man who really knows what iove is. 2. It equips man with a creative sense of hope and an optimistic outlook on life; because when he fasts he is hop- ing to please God and is seeking His Grace.
3. It imbues man with a genuine virtue of effective devotion, honest dedication and closeness to God; because when he fasts he does so for God and for His Sake alone. 4. It cultivates in man a vigilant and sound conscience; because the fasting person keeps his Fast in secret as well as in public. In Fasting, especially, there is no mundane authority to check man's behavior or compel him to observe the Fasting. He keeps it to please God and satisfy his own conscience by being faithful in secret and in public. There is no better way to cultivate a sound conscience in man. 5. It indoctrinates man in patience and unselfishness; because when he fasts he feels the pains of deprivation but endures patiently. Truly this deprivation may be only tempo- rary, yet there is no doubt that the experience makes him re- alize the severe effects of such pains on others. who might be deprived of essential commodities for days or weeks or probably months together. The meaning of this experience in a social and humanitarian sense is that such a person is much quicker than anybody else in sympathizing with his fellow men and responding to their needs. And that is an eloquent expression of unselfishness and genuine sympathy. 6. It is an effective lesson in applied moderation and willpower. The person who observes his Fasting properly is certainly a man who can discipline his passionate desires and place his self above physical temptations. Such is the
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CONTENTS FOREWORD 1 CHAPTER 1 THE I
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2. The Noon Prayer (Salatu-z-Zuhr)
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5. Other Aspects of the Family Life
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TO t %E < WO ( B
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Along with these indifferent, withd
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convey the Divine Message to the wh
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CHAPTER 1 THE IDEOLOGICAL FOUNDATIO
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every city or town has a mayor; eve
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to keep everything in order. In the
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So glory to God, the Lord of the wo
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Kind to His creatures. If we try to
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Muhammad and the teachings of the G
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impressive marvels of the world are
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Muhammad and that Islam is no more
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freedom. On the contrary, it gives
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every man of good will and conscien
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Finally, the word "Allah" in Islam
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and that which was given to all pro
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or sensory perception alone (16:49-
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Right Path and remind them that the
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and to our fellow human beings. To
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velopment is normal and if he is sa
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action, belief and practice. Faith
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14. The true Muslim believes that F
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come in a state of Iively interacti
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heres to the Qur'an alone and regar
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CHHPTER II THE BASIC CONCEPTS OF IS
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9. Those who love their near and di
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'Three qualities are the sign of so
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y supporting charitable institution
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In these verses we find that piety
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their teachings as consistent and c
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ments Prophet Muhammad wisely advis
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moral nature. It is not to deprive
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Sin One of the major troublesome ar
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His own Spirit (Qur'an, 15:29; 32:9
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able only if the offended pardons t
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induced by force. Furthermore, Isla
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The differences of race, color, or
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The Muslim believes in the unity of
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In another basic sense, a community
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fight what is wrong, and believe in
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conscientiousness and social belong
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More specifically, the Muslim's rel
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5. To make a Pilgrimage to the Holy
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In a remarkable, typical passage, t
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in contempt; (Nor) those who spend
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"Whatever is given to you (here) is
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Your Lord knows best what is iri yo
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(precepts of) wisdom, which your Lo
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lam. These Islamic morals are uniqu
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gives because he knows that he is n
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overemphasis on spirituality and re
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how they may help him to find his w
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was no surprise to the Creator. Nor
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the natural right of man, every man
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ness and motivating power. The only
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daily transactions. The interaction
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only interested in our prosperity a
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1 0. An abundant source of patience
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Prayer. Failure to observe these Pr
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one hour and thirty minutes after s
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Page 132 and 133: Complete Substitute for Ablution [T
Page 134 and 135: It should be pointed out that at th
Page 136 and 137: 6. (Allah is ihe Greatest), (repeat
Page 138 and 139: Wuquf Position Act 2. He then says
Page 140 and 141: This is called Ruku'. After that th
Page 142 and 143: Act 9. Finally he turns his face to
Page 144 and 145: after the third unit, which ends wi
Page 146 and 147: "O God! To You do we pray and prost
Page 148 and 149: 5. The followers should follow the
Page 150 and 151: 3. It is a convention for Muslims t
Page 152 and 153: The earlier and the late Sunna unit
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Page 156 and 157: ethren. A true Muslim would be deep
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Page 160 and 161: t O J i ' *- 4 J. t w < ^ 4 ^ o. t
Page 162 and 163: There is no god but God, and we wor
Page 164 and 165: Making Up for Delaycd Prayers 1 . A
Page 166 and 167: Any Prayer which becomes invalidate
Page 168 and 169: Allahumma- ghfir li hayyina wa mayy
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Page 172 and 173: 8. The time of entering a boat; 9.
Page 174 and 175: c**-*i jjJUI JpIj-^» CD fl—--.^
Page 176 and 177: that Muhammad is His bondman and Hi
Page 178 and 179: Interpretation (b) Lam yolid wa lam
Page 182 and 183: man of personality and character, t
Page 184 and 185: over his passions, disciplines his
Page 186 and 187: ing. However, we may, for the sake
Page 188 and 189: solve but transfuses. It does not d
Page 190 and 191: as forbidden for him as his mother
Page 192 and 193: they can fast even for one day of t
Page 194 and 195: General Recommendations It is stron
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Page 198 and 199: private possessions, yet it does no
Page 200 and 201: cause Zakah is the Legislation of G
Page 202 and 203: ment taxes. However, the Muslims of
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Page 206 and 207: for Prophet Muhammad, who laid the
Page 208 and 209: This interpretation is enlightened
Page 210 and 211: Concluding Remarks Visiting the tom
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Page 214 and 215: name in this context seems an obvio
Page 216 and 217: le, without getting entangled in ph
Page 218 and 219: 1 . True knowledge based on clear p
Page 220 and 221: every aspect of his life. Easy comi
Page 222 and 223: 1. Purity and Cleanliness It is an
Page 224 and 225: of society, and eventually of human
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Page 228 and 229: which build up the enduring physiqu
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Family Life (2) There have been man
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ful survival of the human race. It
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may have acquired prior to or after
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should be well on the way to a happ
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wife has the right to be clothed, f
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With respect to intimacy, the wife
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ties for its kindness to children.
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But if they step out of their prope
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Man is ordained by God to extend hi
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Social Life The social life of the
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and care, should he become disablcd
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state of Islam. And hold fast, all
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O people! Listen to my words and un
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tive Communism never arises. The en
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of all blessing, but will give incr
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not a token of virtuous excellence
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prietors, The economic system of Is
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is not pragmatic or instrumentalist
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mind God for God is Well-Acquainted
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5. The ruler, any ruler, is not a s
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age as such constitute no significa
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tenis and doctrines known to mankin
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Muhammad himself, although wise, "i
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different course, then he is bound
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ing of the Qur'an, the practice of
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International Life The internationa
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not live just for itself and its ow
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3. The Islamic ideology has all the
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Questions of the "Holy War", the "A
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Although realistic in its approach,
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Even in the propagation of Islam a
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Bringing the severe boycott to an e
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organized from Mecca. They were dri
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gain their peace and freedom, to re
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There is still one more trend adopt
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earth. Orders were issued from Rome
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tion. In some areas they were warml
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nomenon that some of the "conquered
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The attempt to interpret the Muslim
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nomic gains and military spoils. Ev
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in any way to belittle his role or
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Be that as it may, the more importa
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neither a father nor a mother. And
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orn, the day that I die, and the da
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your mother. Behold! I strengthened
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and seek His Forgiveness? For God i
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authority. And for their Covenant W
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elief that Jesus was crucified rais
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as Joseph of Armathaea? This Joseph
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tions, the concept of God, the stat
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The nature of this survey does not
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view of Afro-Asian bishops who pref
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ject because it was then a matter o
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The passage vvas revealed after the
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legal and decent way, they never fa
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and wili look for some other kind o
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humanitarian or spiritual or any ot
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dren is fundamental. Besides, it is
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inal parents? Many complications ar
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i s a broken heart here or there, a
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than to be free in committing immor
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2. Muhammad never said that he was
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ages at all. Most o( his marriages
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he was, if the harem life or passio
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Here, aeain, Muhammad carried his s
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4. Marriage and Divorce (3) One of
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take his responsibilities, financia
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In applving divorce to such a diffi
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you live together legaliy and happi
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one's mate in which God has placed
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It is not the tone of Islam that br
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through and acquired her new status
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3. She is equal to man in the pursu
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take it away or disinherit her. Eve
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tvveen we have some property and ai
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the family expenses. She is free to
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12. The Muslim woman is always asso
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"O mankind! reverence your Guardian
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people to teach the whole of mankin
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6. By the time Revelations were com
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to its source, its characteristics
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throughout the ages. The distinctiv
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ious doctrines, a revolution whose
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sights or visions when the qualifie
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nch opponents. His character, his s
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Divine guidance. It is only the beg
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the Qur'an is such that it is unive
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Noon Congregational Prayers which m
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