ISLAM - Its Meaning For Modern Man - Ahmadiyya Muslim Community

386 Pages·2007·0.67 MB·English

by  Muhammad Zafrullah Khan

ISLAM
Its Meaning for Modern Man
ISLAM
Its Meaning for Modern Man

by Muhammad Zafrullah Khan

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First published in 1962
By Routledge & Kegan Paul Ltd
39 Store Street,
London WC1 E7DD and
Broadway House,
Newtown Road,
Henley-on-Thames,
Oxon RG9 1EN
Reprinted 1964
Second (paperback) edition 1980
Printed in Great Britain by
Raqeem Printing Press Islamabad, Sheephatch Lane,
Tilford, Surrey, GU10 2AQ
© Muhammad Zafrullah Khan 1962, 1980
No part of this book may be reproduced in
any form without permission from the
publisher, except for the quotation of brief
passages in criticism

British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
Khan, Sir Muhammad Zafrulla
Islam.-2nd ed.
I. Islam
I. Title
297 BP161.2

ISBN 0 7100 0341 2
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CONTENTS

Publisher’s Note 5
Explanatory Note 7
1 Background 11
2 Muhammad: Early Years 19
3 The Prophet at Mecca 29
4 The Prophet at Medina 53
5 The Concluding Years 81
6 The Excellent Exemplar 103
7 Revelation 125
8 The Quran 135
9 Concept of God 151
10 Man and the Universe 161
11 Prayer 169
12 Fasting 191
13 Pilgrimage 201
14 Moral and Spiritual Values 219
15 Social Values 243
16 Economic Values 261
17 Public Affairs 277
18 International Relations: Peace 289
19 International Relations: War 311
20 Life after Death 325
21 The Role of Islam 351
Bibliography 377
Index 379
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Publisher’s Note

HERE IS THE BEST available introduction to the
history, beliefs, and practices of one of the world’s
most widely-held religions. This book provides an
inside view of a faith that commands the devotion of
nearly one-eighth of the world’s population: moulds
the way of life of countries in the vital crescent from
Malaysia to Morocco: competes strongly with the
Christian missions, especially in Africa and is of
increasing importance in America, particularly among
minority groups.
When the book was first published in 1962,
Aziz S. Atiya of the Center for Intercultural Studies,
University of Utah, wrote that it “fulfils a crying need
for a sound work of scholarship which interprets
Islam from within rather than from without. It is
written with a closely-knit plan, in eloquent style, and
with genuine feeling.”
Islam: Its Meaning for Modern Man is lively in
language, describes Islamic religious practices in full,
and presents in a moving style the basic beliefs of
Moslems. Through this book, people of today can
gain a clear appreciation of the faith that has inspired
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millions to follow the Prophet’s teachings for thirteen
centuries.
Sir Muhammad Zafrulla Khan was President of
the 17th session of the General Assembly of the United
Nations. A distinguished scholar in world religions, he
is a member of the Ahmadiyya Movement, a
missionary branch of Islam. He has served as
President and Judge of the International Court of
Justice in The Hague, and as Foreign Minister of
Pakistan. For many years he led the Pakistan
Delegation to the General Assembly of the United
Nations.
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Explanatory Note

THIS BRIEF EXPOSITION OF THE PRINCIPLES
AND teachings of Islam is based upon the Quran, the
Scripture of Islam. The explanations and illustrations
furnished by the Prophet of Islam have also been
drawn upon. Together these constitute the most
authentic source material on Islam.
Except when otherwise indicated, all references
are to the Quran. Every chapter of the Quran, with the
exception of Chapter 9, which is considered a
continuation of Chapter 8, opens with the verse: “In
the name of Allah, Ever Gracious, Most Merciful.”
The verse is, in each case, part of the revelation. In
most translations, however, this opening verse is not
counted in the numbering of the verses of any given
chapter. This incorrect method of numbering has not
been followed in this volume. The system of
numbering used herein starts with the opening verse
and proceeds accordingly.
There are several English translations of the
Quran. No particular translation has been uniformly
followed in this volume. As Professor Arthur J.
Arberry of Cambridge, England, has pointed out in
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the Preface to The Koran Interpreted, the Islamic
Scripture is, strictly speaking, untranslatable. Each
verse, indeed each phrase, is rich in meaning, has
several facets, and must be construed with reference
to the context. A faithful paraphrase in keeping with
the context is the best that can be attempted. In
rendering the Arabic text into English, the author has
followed closely the English translation by Maulavi
Sher Ali published by the Oriental and Religious
Publishing Corporation Ltd., Rabwah, West Pakistan,
under the title The Holy Quran. Incidentally, that
translation follows the correct method of numbering
the verses. It should be noted that in the Quran,
references to Allah often change abruptly from first to
third person, but the context makes the meaning clear.
The events of the Prophet’s life and his
exposition of Islamic values and principles are based
upon authentic and well-recognized original sources.
As, however, English translations of these are not
easily available to the average Western reader, it has
not been considered necessary to add references
which could serve no difficulty in locating the
references in the original biographical works and the
six authoritative collections of Traditions.
In most instances, modern place names have
been used, e.g. Ethiopia, not Abyssinia.
In the author’s treatment of the subject, care has
been taken to avoid doctrinal differences and
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controversies. The writer is a member of the
Ahmadiyya Movement, the most active missionary
movement in Islam today. It is anticipated, however,
that the broad perspective of Islamic teachings here
attempted will be generally endorsed by Muslim
scholars. There is, indeed, little scope for difference or
exception on the topics touched upon. Any such
difference or exception can relate only to matters of
detail or result from niceties of juristic or scholastic
interpretation which would leave the main thesis
unaffected.
M.Z.K.

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