Islam Rediscovered

A. Individual

Islam Rediscovered — Maulana Wahiduddin Khan

Badges mark quoted or attributed material (Qur'an, hadith, another author, an opposing view). Unbadged passages are Maulana Wahiduddin Khan's own words.

Contents (113 chapters)
  1. Preface
  2. Search for Truth
  3. Philosophy
  4. Science
  5. Mysticism
  6. Faith and Reason
  7. Natural Argument
  8. Philosophical Argument
  9. Spiritual Argument
  10. Scientific Argument
  11. The Concept of God
  12. One God versus many gods
  13. A Personal God versus an impersonal God
  14. Religion
  15. Religions Other than Islam
  16. Islam in Brief
  17. True Guidance
  18. A. Individual
  19. B. Society
  20. C. State
  21. The Creation Plan of God
  22. Discovery of Islam
  23. Why Islam Alone
  24. Prophetic Perspective
  25. Separation of Spirit and Form
  26. Communalization of the Religion
  27. The Veil of Interpretation
  28. The Obsession with Historical Glory
  29. The Man Islam Builds
  30. Internal Development
  31. External Activities
  32. Intellectual Development
  33. (Razin)
  34. The Islamic Way of Life
  35. Iman (faith)
  36. Ibadah (worship)
  37. Akhlaq (morality)
  38. The Quran portrays Muslims as individuals who “repel evil with good.” (28:54)
  39. “One who is not grateful to man cannot be grateful to God either.” (Al-Bayhaqi)
  40. Social Relations
  41. A. Individual Responsibility
  42. B. Family Life
  43. C. Legitimate Livelihood
  44. Islam As It Is
  45. Non-Violence and Islam
  46. Peaceful Beginning
  47. Success Throgh the Non-violent Method
  48. Political Revolt Unlawful
  49. The Command of War in Islam
  50. The Modern Age and Non-Violence
  51. The Manifestation of Religion
  52. A Great Opportunity
  53. Islam in the Present Age
  54. Dawah Activism
  55. Through dawah even the direst of enemy turns into a dearest friend. (41:34)
  56. Muslims Displaced
  57. Peace and Justice
  58. Conclusion
  59. Islamic Fundamentalism
  60. On Islam and Jihad
  61. Ideological Hatred
  62. Terrorism in the Name of Islam
  63. Fundamental Principles of Islam
  64. Islam and Politics
  65. The Challenge of Fundamentalism
  66. The Shariah and Its Application
  67. Lead all men to the path of your Lord with wisdom and mild exhortation. (16:25)
  68. Bear up then with patience, as did the steadfast Apostles before you. (46:35)
  69. Fight for the sake of God those that fight against you. (2:190)
  70. The Secret of Guidance and Ignorance
  71. Spirituality in Islam
  72. The Universe—a Source of Divine Inspiration
  73. A Personal Experience
  74. “God plants wisdom in the heart of one who shows disinclination for the world.”
  75. Preservation, Updating, Dawah
  76. (c) Process of dawah
  77. Contribution of Muhaddithin (Scholars of Hadith)
  78. Religious Institutions
  79. Updating
  80. Updating: Reapplication of Shariah
  81. Dawah
  82. Islam Stands the Test of History
  83. Prophetic Vision
  84. Envisioning the Future
  85. Seeing an Advantage Amidst Disadvantages
  86. Introducing Peace as the Most Powerful Weapon
  87. His Words Determine the Course of History
  88. Islamic Activism
  89. 1. Positive Status Quoism in Religious Affairs
  90. Unlimited Scope of Patience
  91. The Islamic Concept of History
  92. Creation Plan of God
  93. The Age of Perversion
  94. The Reasons for Perversion
  95. The Problem of Evil
  96. The Revolutionary Role of Islam
  97. Historical Revolution
  98. (This kind of persecution has been mentioned in the Quran as ‘fitna’). (8:39)
  99. Freedom of Choice
  100. The End of the Superstitious Era
  101. Truth Unveiled
  102. Islam in History
  103. The Eradication of Fitna
  104. The Age of Religious Freedom
  105. The Peaceful Propagation of Islam
  106. The Role of Non-Muslims in Islamic Development
  107. Conversion: An Intellectual Transformation
  108. Islam and Conversion
  109. Conversion—A universal principle
  110. The reality of Conversion
  111. Conversion—A healthy historical process
  112. A Case of Discovery
  113. Conclusion

A. Individual

Islam is the religion of the universe. The Quran says:

Are they seeking a religion other than God’s when every soul in heaven and on earth have, willingly or by compulsion, bowed to His will? (3:83)

This means that submission to God is the only true religion for both man and the universe. All the things on the earth or in space are following God’s commands to the letter. The revolution of the stars, the flowing of water, the growing of trees, in short, all things following the same course which was determined for them by God. Nothing is allowed to deviate from the divine path. The Quran says:

The sun is not allowed to overtake the moon, nor does the night outpace the day. Each swims along in its own orbit. (36:40)

The same is required of all human beings. Everyone should strictly obey the commands of God without any deviation or alteration. The Prophet Muhammad has declared:

A believer with his faith is like a horse with its tether. The movement of the horse is restricted to the length of its tether. So is the case with the believer. His words and deeds are all restricted by the limitations set by his faith. (Mishkat al-Masabih, vol. 2/1226)

The true Muslim leads a highly disciplined life, always adhering to the set of dos and don’ts ordained by God Almighty. He is entirely pure in speech, and even subordinates his intention and thinking to the will of God. He always feels himself to be a servant of his Lord. The Quran depicts the true Muslim thus:

And the servants of the Beneficent God are they who walk on the earth in humbleness, and when the ignorant address them, they say: “Peace.” And they who pass the night standing and prostrating themselves before their Lord. And they who say: O our Lord! Ward off from us the punishment of hell, for surely its punishment is everlasting. Surely it is an evil abode and (evil) place to stay. And they who, when they spend, are neither extravagant nor parsimonious, but keep the golden mean. And they who do not call upon any other god besides God and do not kill, which God has forbidden, except in the requirements of justice, and (who) do not commit fornication and he who does this shall meet with evil; his punishment shall be doubled on the Day of Resurrection, and he shall abide in abasement forever; unless he repents and believes and does good deeds; for them God will change his evil deeds to good ones; and God is Forgiving, Merciful. And whoever repents and does good shall surely return to God. And they who do not bear witness to what is false, and when they hear what is profane they maintain their dignity. And they who, when reminded of the signs of their Lord, do not fall down thereat deaf and blind. And they who say: ‘O our Lord! Grant us in our wives and our offspring the joy of our eyes, and make us examples to those who fear you.’ These shall be rewarded with lofty places in paradise because they were patient, and shall be met therein with greetings and salutations. There they shall abide forever: a blessed dwelling and blessed resting place. Say (to the unbelievers): Little cares my Lord for you if you do not invoke Him. But Now that you have indeed rejected (the truth), His punishment is bound to overtake you. (25:63-77)