One Ummah Network

About Islam
Thursday, 21 October 2004

The intent of this page is to introduce Al-Islam to the newcomer and beginner. We pray that it is sufficient in its intent and does not go beyond the bounds of its intentions. Allah guides whomever He chooses.

Have you fully realized what Islam is? It is indeed a religion founded on truth. It is such a fountain-head of learning that several streams of wisdom and knowledge flow from it. It is such a lamp that several lamps will be lit from it. It is a lofty beacon of light, Illuminating the path of Allah. It is such a set of principles and beliefs that will fully satisfy every seeker of truth and reality Know you all that Allah has made Islam, the most sublime path for the attainment of His supreme pleasure and the highest standard, of His worship and obedience. He has favoured it with noble precepts, exalted principles, undoubtable arguments, unchallengeable supremacy, and undeniable wisdom. It is up to you to maintain the eminence and dignity granted to it by the Lord, to follow it sincerely, to do justice to its articles of faith and belief, to obey implicitly its tenets and orders, and to give it the proper place in your lives.

-- Ali ibn Abu Talib

What is Al-Islam?

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"This day have those who reject faith given up all hope of your religion, yet fear them not, but fear Me. This day have I perfected your religion for you, completed my favor upon you, and have chosen for you Al-Islam as your religion." (Qur'an 5:3)

Al-Islam is the definitive form of the Arabic word Islam that is derived from the root word aslama meaning "to submit peacefully." Central to the core of Islam are the concepts of "peace" and "submission." The submission is only to God, the Creator, Fashioner, and Sustainer of all that exists, seen and unseen.

By submitting to God, His will, His commands, and His plan, we inevitably establish peace. Peace surrounds us in our daily lives, in our families, in our communities, in our cities, in our nations, and in our world. When humanity mutually works toward the goal of submitting to God and toward the effect of establishing peace, the world will enjoy justice, equality, and freedom.

Al-Islam, The submission to the will of God, is not a new phenomenon but rather the culmination and perfection of truth that was revealed from God to humanity over the course of humanity's short existence. The path of human development began with the first human being, Adam, and was perfected in the model for all humanity and final Prophet of God, Muhammed (upon both of them be peace).

The truth which we speak of is the first principle of Al-Islam and the key to understanding our existence. This principle, called Tawheed in Arabic, is the oneness, uniqueness, and independence of the one God, called Allah in Arabic. Allah is the One who created all. All are dependent upon Him, and yet He is independent of all. Nothing in creation is similar to Him.

"Say: He, Allah is One. Allah, The Eternal, The Absolute. He begets not, nor is He begotten. And there is nothing like Him." (Qur'an 112:1-4)
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To Allah belongs all that is in the heavens and on earth. All submit to Him, willingly or unwillingly. He created all creatures to be subservient to Him. It is their nature, or fitr in Arabic, to follow His commands and to serve Him obediently.

Humanity, however, was given a special prize possession, which is both its aide and its enemy. The intellect of the human being is unlike other creatures. Unlike animals, plants, or even inanimate objects, human beings have wills, desires, passions, rational thought processes, and emotions. To this degree, humanity has the potential to be disobedient, though its nature is to serve its Creator.

Thus, in order for humanity to not lose its footing in the treacherous and unforgiving wilderness that is our earth, Allah sent prophets and messengers, one after another, to guide people to the truth that is Islam. Every prophet that was sent reminded his people of the One God, warned them of the impending punishment for disobeying their God, and gave them glad tidings of an eternal, blissful afterlife if they submitted and worshipped only the One God.

Inevitably, these prophets, who were only themselves human beings, died, and their people turned away from their Lord and Sustainer returning to their ignorant, godless ways. Many fashioned for themselves false gods and primitive myths. This proved to be their destruction.

Each prophet was sent to a particular nation or community of people, speaking the language of the people, and being from their kindred. Finally, when humanity was most in need, Allah sent a final prophet who would be the seal of prophethood and the bringer of the final Message to all people in all nations.

His name was Muhammed ibn Abdullah (upon whom be peace). He was born in 570 C.E. and died in 632 C.E. Through the angel Jibril (Gabriel), Allah revealed the Qur'an to Muhammed over the course of 23 years. During this time, as with all the prophets before him, he taught the people to
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serve the one and only God, Who had no partners, intermediaries, sons or daughters. One God.

To what extent faith coincides with actions is evident by pillars of Islam, of which there are 5:

- Believing and testifying that there is only One God and that Muhammed is His servant and messenger. (Shahadatain) - Praying 5 times daily facing the ka'ba, the first sacred house of worship built by Abraham, in Makkah. (Salat) - Fasting from food, drink, and marital relations during the daylight hours of the lunar month of Ramadan. (Sawm) - Giving a percentage of one's wealth to the poor every year. (Zakat) - Performing pilgrimage to the sacred house in Makkah at least once in one's life. (Hajj)

While these 5 pillars are the core of Al-Islam and represent the key practices of a Muslim (one who practices Islam), their depth cannot be fully appreciated by merely enumerating them. The degree of a Muslim's faith is measured by his will to serve God in these practices and also in every aspect of his life.

Because of this, Muslims have been given ample source material to guide their living. The Qur'an, in a sense, is a guidebook for human development, and the example, or sunnah, of Muhammed is the personification of the edicts laid out in the Qur'an. Because of this, Al-Islam is rich with principles of Justice (?Adl), Piety (taqwa), Faith (Iman), Purity (Tahaarah), Charity (Sadaqah), Truth (Haqq), struggle (Jihad), Peace (Salaam), Judgment (Ahkaam), and many other well-defined principles. Al-Islam is actually a plethora of divine morals formulated into a simple, "user-friendly" format.

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For the believer, every thought, every action, and every word is for the pleasure and worship of Allah. Al-Islam attempts and succeeds in making remembrance of Allah (Thikr) realistic even in a modern social setting. It is as practical as taking a bite of food and recounting the name of the One who allowed you to receive that food, and is as intricate as reciting numerous verses from the Qur'an in the morning prayer to glorify the Creator and Sustainer of the universe.

So diverse is Al-Islam that it spread from the desert valley city of Makkah as far east as China and as far west as Spain in less than 50 years. So complete is this way of life that people in the mountains of India and in the busy streets of Chicago can practice it and believe in it without finding any discrepancies therein.

So vast is the wisdom poured forth from the Qur'an that countless scientific, philosophical, and intellectual discoveries flowered from it and continue to do so even upon this day. So pure and complete was the life of Muhammed that even those who do not believe in his prophethood have declared him the greatest man to ever live.

This is the way of life chosen for humanity by God. This is the way of life that can remove the shackles of false worship and materialism from the people of the world. This is the way of life that can lift up humanity and bestow upon it greatness in this life and salvation in the life after. This is our way of life. This is Al-Islam.

"It is not righteousness that you turn your faces Towards east or West; but it is righteousness- to believe in Allah and the Last Day, and the Angels, and the Book, and the Messengers; to spend of your substance, out of love for Him, for your kin, for orphans, for the needy, for the wayfarer, for those who ask, and for the ransom of slaves; to be steadfast in prayer, and practice regular charity; to fulfill the contracts which you have made; and to be firm and patient, in pain (or suffering) and adversity, and throughout all periods of panic. Such are the people of truth, the God-fearing." (Qur'an 2:117)

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The Finality of Prophethood

"Muhammad is not the father of any of your men, but (he is) the Messenger of Allah and the Seal of the Prophets: and Allah has full knowledge of all things." -33:40

All praise is due to Allah. We ask his forgiveness and we recognize His Majesty. We bear witness that there is nothing worthy of worshipping besides Allah and there is none like unto Him, and we bear witness that Muhammad is Allah's slave servant and Messenger. He is the last Prophet and the seal of the Prophets. May the peace and blessings be upon him, upon his family, upon his companions, and upon his righteous followers.

Why is Muhammad (saas) the last Prophet? Why will no other Prophet come after him? We, as Muslims, believe that Muhammad (saas) is the Messenger of Allah. In our declarations of Faith (shahadatain), we first witness that Allah is One. Then, we witness that Muhammad is His Messenger. Why don't we mention in our first pillar that he is the last Prophet? How could we ask new Muslims to make a declaration when they do not have to say this? The answer is simple; it goes without saying.

To understand this concept, we need only examine the shahadatain in detail. The first thing a Muslim says is La or "no." Before one says anything else, a person is saying no to anything and everything he/she has ever heard or learned before it. The Muslims then goes on to say La (no) ilaha (god) ila (except) Allah (The God). By this, he is saying that there is One God. His creation is one. His attributes are one. His prophets are one. By recognizing this, the Muslim is stating that he accepts what Allah gives him/her because there is no superior being to provide for him/her

The next part of the two-part declaration states Muhammadar-rasulullah. Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah. By stating the second part, one acknowledges that Muhammad (saas) is a Messenger of God. To truly believe this, one must accept the message. A person cannot separate the Message from the Messenger. The Message sent is from God. If one believes that Muhammad is the Messenger, that person believes his message, which is the Qur'an and states that it has remained
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unchanged.

The Qur'an also states that Muhammad (saas) is the Seal of the Prophets (peace be upon them all). When an envelope is sealed, it is done. No more can be added to it without the seal being broken. Therefore, Muhammad is the closure of the envelope of prophethood. To say that other Prophets will come after him is to attempt to break the seal, but the promise of Allah is true.

"This is because Allah is the Truth and because whatever else they invoke besides Him is Falsehood; and because Allah, He is the Most High, Most Great." -31:30

Some people say that Muhammad (saas) could not be the last Messenger. Their evidence for this is that angels are messengers. This is true, however, the essence of Prophethood is the bringing of fresh, new revelation. Although the message has the same theme each time, the Message is purified with each revelation. The angel Jibreel or Gabriel, (pbuh) in particular, is known for bringing Allah's revelation to prophets throughout history. He has been described as the "Holy Spirit of Revelation." According to the Qur'an, however, there will be no more Prophets. Thus, Jibreel (pbuh) will bring no new revelation to a prophet after Muhammad (saas). Therefore, the last Message from Allah is the Qur'an, and the sender of that message is Muhammad. May Allah bless, guide, and have Mercy upon us all.

WOMEN'S LIBERATION THROUGH ISLAM

Today people think that women are liberated in the West and that the Women's liberation movement began in the 20th century. Actually, the women's liberation movement was not begun by women but was revealed by God to a man in the seventh century by the name of Muhammad (Peace be upon him), who is known as the last Prophet of Islam. The Qur'an and the Traditions of the Prophet (Hadith or Sunnah) are the sources from which every Muslim woman derives her rights and duties.

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I.HUMAN RIGHTS

Islam, fourteen centuries ago, made women equally accountable to God in glorifying and worshipping Him - setting no limits on her moral progress. Also, Islam established a woman's equality in her humanity with men, In the Qur'an, in the first verse of the chapter entitled "Women", God says, "O mankind! Be careful of your duty toward your Lord who created you from a single soul and from it its mate and from them both have spread abroad a multitude of men and women. Be careful of your duty toward Allah in Whom you claim (your rights) of one another, and towards the wombs (that bore you). Lo! Allah has been a Watcher over you." (4:1)

Since men and women both came from the same essence, they are equal in their humanity. Women cannot be by nature evil (as some religions believe) or then men would be evil, also. Similarly, neither gender can be superior because it would be a contradiction to equality.

II.CIVIL RIGHTS

In Islam, a woman has the basic freedoms of choice and expression based on recognition of her individual personality. First, she is free to choose her religion. The Qur'an states: "There is no compulsion in religion. Right has been made distinct from error." (2:256)

Women are encouraged in Islam to contribute their opinions and ideas. There are many traditions of the Prophet(S) which indicate women would pose questions directly to him and offer their opinions concerning religion, economics and social matters.

A Muslim woman chooses her husband and keeps her name after marriage. A Muslim woman's testimony is valid in legal disputes. In fact, where women are more familiar, their evidence is conclusive.

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III.SOCIAL RIGHTS

The Prophet(S) said, "seeking knowledge is a mandate for every Muslim (male and female)". This includes knowledge of the Qur'an and the Hadith as well as other knowledge. Men and women both have the capacity for learning and understanding. Since it is also their obligation to promote good behavior and condemn bad behavior in all spheres of life, Muslim women must acquire the appropriate education to perform this duty in accordance with their own natural talents and interests.

While bearing, raising and teaching of children, providing support to her husband, and maintenance of a home are among the first and very highly regarded roles for a woman, if she has the skills to work outside the home for the good of the community, she may do so as long as her family obligations are met.

Islam recognizes and fosters the natural differences between men and women despite their equality. Some types of work are more suitable for men and other types for women. This in no way diminishes either's efforts or benefits. God will reward both sexes equally for the value of their work, through, it may not necessarily be the same activity.

Concerning motherhood, the Prophet(S) said, "Heaven lies under the feet of mothers". This implies that the success of a society can be traced to the mothers who raised it. The first and greatest influence on a person comes from the sense of security, affection, and training received from the mother. Therefore, a woman having children must be educated and conscientious in order to be a skillful parent.

IV.POLITICAL RIGHTS

A right given to Muslim women by God 1400 years ago is the right to vote. On any public matter, a woman may voice her opinion and
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participate in politics. One example, as narrated in the Qur'an (60:12), Muhammad(S) is told that when the believing women come to him and swear their allegiance to Islam, he must accept their oath. This established the right of women to select their leader and publicly declare so. Finally, Islam does not forbid a woman from holding important positions in government. Abdurrahman Ibn Affan consulted many women before he recommended Uthman Ibn Affan to be the Caliph.

V.ECONOMIC RIGHTS

The Qur'an states: "By the creation of the male and female; Verily, (the ends) ye strive for are diverse." (92:3-4)

In these verses, God declares that He created men and women to be different, with unique roles, functions and skills. As in society, where there is a division of labor, so too in a family, each member has different responsibilities. Generally, Islam upholds that women are entrusted with the nurturing role, and men, with the guardian role. Therefore, women are given the right of financial support.

The Qur'an an states: "Men are the maintainers of women because Allah has made some of them to excel others and because they spend of their wealth (for the support of women)." (4:34)

This guardianship and greater financial responsibility given to men, requires that they provide women with not only monetary support but also physical protection and kind respectful treatment.

Muslim women have the privilege to earn money, the right to own property, to enter into legal contracts and to mange all of her assets in any way she pleases. She can run her own business and no one has any claim on her earnings, including her husband.

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The Qur'an states: "And in no wise covet those things in which Allah hath bestowed His gifts more freely on some of you than on others; to men is allotted what they earn, and to women, what they earn; but ask Allah of His bounty for Allah hath full knowledge of all things." (4:32)

A woman inherits from her relatives. The Qur'an states: "For men there is a share in what parents and relatives leave, and for women there is a share of what parents and relatives leave, whether it be little or much - an ordained share." (4:7)

VI.RIGHTS OF A WIFE

The Qur'an states: "And among His signs is that He created for you mates from among yourselves that you may live in tranquility with them, and He has put love and mercy between you; Verily, in that are signs for people who reflect." (30:21)

Marriage is therefore not just a physical or emotional necessity but, in fact, a sign from God! It is a relationship of mutual rights and obligations based on divine guidance. God created men and women with complimentary natures and, in the Qur'an, He laid out a system of laws to support harmonious interaction between the sexes.

"...They are your garments and you are their garments." (2:187)

Clothing provides physical protection and covers the beauty and faults of the body. Likewise, a spouse is viewed this way. Each protects the other and hides the faults and compliments the characteristics of the spouse. To foster the love and security that comes with marriage, Muslim wives have various rights. The first of the wife's rights is to receive mahr, a gift from the husband, which is part of the marriage contract and required for the legality of the marriage.
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The second right of a wife is maintenance. Despite any wealth she may have, her husband is obligated to provide her with food, shelter and clothing. He is not forced, however, to spend beyond his capability and his wife is not entitled to make unreasonable demands. The Qur'an states "Let the man of means spend according to his means, and the man whose resources are restricted, let him spend according to what Allah has given him. Allah puts no burden on any person beyond what He has given him." (65:7)

God tells us men are guardians over women and are afforded the leadership in the family. His responsibility for obeying God extends to guiding his family to obey God at all times.

A wife's rights also extend beyond material needs. She has the right to kind treatment. The Prophet(S) said, "The most perfect believers are the best in conduct. And the best of you are those who are the best to their wives." God tells us He created mates and put love, mercy and tranquility between them.

Both men and women have a need for companionship and sexual needs and marriage is designed to fulfill those needs. For one spouse to deny this satisfaction to the other, the temptation exists to seek it elsewhere.

VII.DUTIES OF WIFE

With rights come responsibilities. Therefore, wives have certain obligations to their husbands. The Qur'an states: "The good women in the absence of their husbands guard their rights as Allah has enjoined upon them to be guarded."(4:34)

A wife is to keep her husband's secrets and protect their marital privacy. Issues of intimacy of faults of his that would
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dishonor him, are not to be shared by the wife, just as he is expected to guard her honor.

A wife must also guard her husband's property. She must safeguard his home and possessions, to the best of her ability, from theft or damage. She should manage the household affairs wisely so as to prevent loss or waste. She should not allow anyone to enter the house whom her husband dislikes nor incur any expenses of which her husband disapproves.

A Muslim woman must cooperate and coordinate with her husband. There cannot, however, be cooperation with a man who is disobedient to God. She should not fulfill his requests if he wants her to do something unlawful. A husband also should not take advantage of his wife, but be considerate of her needs and happiness.

VIII. CONCLUSION

The Qur'an states: "And it becomes not a believing man or a believing woman, when Allah and His Messenger, Muhammad (P) have decided on an affair (for them), that they should (after that) claim any say in their affair; and whoso is rebellious to Allah and His Messenger, he verily goes astray in error manifest," (33:36)

The Muslim woman was given a role, duties and rights 1400 years ago that most women do not enjoy today, even in the West. These are from God and are designed to keep balance in society; what may seem unjust or missing in one place is compensated for or explained in another place. Islam is a complete way of life.

Mary Ali & Anjum Ali

INTRODUCTION OF III & E

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The Institute of Islamic information and Education (III&E) is dedicated to the cause Islam in North America through striving to elevate the image of Islam and Muslim by providing the correct information about Islamic beliefs, history and civilization from the authentic sources. Inquiries are welcome.

E-mail: iiie@cssn.net

Prayer: An Obligation (from a sermon delivered at an Islamic Center) Opening: All praise be to Allah, we seek His aid and we seek His forgiveness. We bear witness that there is but one God, Allah, and there is none like unto Him. We bear witness that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah and the seal of the Prophets sent as a mercy to humanity. May the peace and blessings of Allah forever be upon him, upon his pure and righteous household, upon his companions, and upon his righteous followers all over the world. Dear Muslims, Allah says in the Qur'an in sura 24:41 Do you not see that Allah is He whom do glorify all those who are in the heavens and the earth, and the (very) birds with expanded wings? He knows the prayer of each one and its glorification, and Allah is cognizant of what they do.

Every creature on earth and in the heavens worships Allah in its own way. This is the natural way of life: Deen-al-fitr. Human beings are no exception. Allah has ordained for us fixed times at which we are to make our obligatory prayers.

Again Allah says in sura 13:15And unto Allah falls in prostration whoever is in the heavens and the earth, willingly or unwillingly, and so do their shadows in the mornings and afternoons.

Allah has made prayer an obligation for us not because he needs us. Allah is Self-sufficient. He has ordained prayer for us because it is better for us. Allah says in sura 29:45
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Recite that which has been revealed to you of the Book and keep up prayer; surely prayer keeps (one) away from indecency and evil, and certainly the remembrance of Allah is greatest, and Allah knows what you do Everything in the universe is consistent. It is the way Allah created it to be. In order for us to maintain consistency and not go astray during our daily lives, we must remember, at fixed times, the one who Created us. On this issue, Allah says in sura 4:103 Verily the prayers at fixed hours have been prescribed for the believers We must not underestimate the importance of this obligation. Prayer is addressed directly and indirectly in the Qur'an over 100 times. It is the second pillar of our religion, and it has been agreed upon that one must pray the obligatory 5 prayers each day in order to be Muslim.

It is reported that The Messenger of Allah, upon whom be peace, stated that:

"The covenant (which distinguished) between us and them is Prayer, so whoever abandoned it committed an act of disbelief." And Allah says in the Qur'an in sura 19:59

But after them followed a posterity who missed prayers and followed after lusts soon, then, will they face destruction

And in sura 107: 4 and 5

So, woe to the worshipers who are neglectful of their prayers Among what we can draw from these verses and sayings are the following: Prayer is required from Muslims at fixed times Prayer is an obligation in order to be considered Muslim. It is what separates us from the non-muslims Prayer protects a human being from the evils of this life and keeps him or her focused on serving Allah and entering Paradise. Brothers and sisters in Al-Islam, be mindful of your duty to Allah. The Qur'an has called you the best of people from mankind. In order to live up to this title, you must worship Allah and avoid going astray. He has provided you with prayers as a discipline and a reminder that we are to be
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humble before our Lord. Therefore, pray at the stated times and remember Allah often.

ISLAM, THE WAY OF LIFE

by Steven Malik Shelton

Essentially, religion is a set of beliefs that regulate and give meaning to one's life. It is a set of ideals which answer the age old questions of the human soul, ''Why am I here, and what is the part I play in relation to my Creator and to His creation.'' Life is a very complicated and often mysterious journey. There are ,of course, numerous perils and pitfalls. There are also countless decisions and evaluations, which must be made constantly. When the correct decision is made, it not only benefits the individual but is also beneficial to the society as a whole. Likewise, if the wrong choice is made, there can be adverse consequences for not only those directly involved , but for the society in general. With this in mind, it is important that a religion or way of life provide for it's adherents a

structure for felicity and a blue print for success. It must provide a ''Light'' which will allow the individual and consequently the society to share in the knowledge and the guidance which will equip them to make the right choice and to choose the correct path. Of course, there are many who think that they can find the correct way on their own, without any help or direction from the Divine Source. It is certain that the way of life that Allah formulated for his creation would remain intact, for as long as those ideals were vital and relevant. And it would stand to reason that any way of life which was not intended for human guidance and growth; would run it's course with no Divine protection and thus, either weaken, dissipate or die. In other words, any religion that Allah designed for His creation would
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remain vital and pure, without alteration or interpolation. Before the ascendancy of Islam, the theme that ran through much of the religious and philosophical ideas of human consciousness was one of fragmentation. In these other worldly mindsets, the universe is ruled by conflicting

mutually antagonistic forces. All natural phenomenon is given a particular deity or ''god'' which has power and authority over some realm or aspect of the creation. There is a ''god'' that controls the wind. There is another which

has domain over the oceans and the seas. There are others that rule over a certain planet or star. Islam takes the position that to worship anything or anyone other than one's Creator, is the gravest of sins. The Creator [Allah] fashioned the human being from the earth and breathed into him ''of his spirit''. Thus, making him the

crown of creation. It should be mentioned that Shaitan, the arch enemy of man, is ever diligent in his quest to seduce and delude the human being away from the worship of Allah. And it is every human beings struggle [jihad] to seek refuge with Allah and to strive with might and main to worship Him and to give the glad tidings and to relate the merciful revelations of Al Quran. Allah appeals to human intellect, when He reveals that if there were more than one Creator, the universe would be in total chaos. And He obliterates the falsehoods of ''other gods'' by revealing that He is One, Eternal Being. Who is completely Unique and Incomparable. Islam provides the believer with true guidance and direction. It sustains him with patience, and fortifies him with perseverance. The Muslim is like a captain of a ship who embarks on a journey. He doesn't' just take off in any direction that suits his fancy; He has a definitive pathway which he is under the highest obligation to pursue. He also has a plan. He has charts and various kinds of instruments to guide him on his voyage. He may hire a navigator to chart a course, or he may utilize other methods to guide him and direct him. Yet it all
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springs from the same source. During his journey he may encounter turbulence. Thunderstorms and rough and rocky seas may come and go; But he does not panic and jump overboard at the first taste of trouble. Neither does he abandon ship because it rains. Nor does he fret and abandon plans and change course into dangerous and uncharted waters. He knows that if he remains steadfast and stays on course. If he believes and follows the guidance that he has been given-- then he will arrive safely at his destination.

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