The
Qur’ān:EssentialTeachings
ABDUR RAHEEM KIDWAI
THE ISLAMIC FOUNDATION
Published by
The Islamic Foundation
Markfield Conference Centre
Ratby Lane, Markfield
Leicestershire, LE67 9SY, United Kingdom
Tel: 01530 244944/5, Fax: 01530 244946
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Quran House, P.O. Box 30611, Nairobi, Kenya
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Copyright © The Islamic Foundation, 2005/1426 H
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the copyright owner.
British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data
Kidwai, Abdur Raheem
The Qur’an: essential teachings
1. Koran – Introductions
I. Title II. Islamic Foundation (Great Britain)
297.1’2261
ISBN 0 86037 410 6 pbk
ISBN 0 86037 415 7 hbk
Cover/Book design & typeset: Nasir Cadir
Contents
Preface
Foreword
Transliteration Table
2. Allah’s Messengers
3. The Prophet Muḥammad (peace and blessings be upon him)
4. Life and Afterlife
5. The Qur’ān
6. al-Ghayb (the Unseen)
7. Creation
8. Mankind
9. Prayer (Ṣalāh)
10. Fasting
11. Charity (Ṣadaqah and Zakāh)
12. Pilgrimage (Ḥajj)
13. Believers
14. The Straight Way
15. Man’s Obligations Towards His Fellow Human Beings
16. Treating Parents
17. Treating Children
18. Treating Husbands/Wives Well
19. Good Social Behaviour
20. Making Supplications to Allah
Index
Preface
The Qur’ān occupies the pride of place in the lives of Muslims. Being Allah’s final and perfect guidance it instructs Muslims in each and every aspect of their personal and public life. Furthermore, the Qur’ān exhorts Muslims to study it and reflect on its meaning and message, which is bound to enlighten and develop them. However, for millions of English-speaking Muslims, some English translations and a few introductory books on the Qur’ān are the only resource for gaining the knowledge of the Qur’ān and deriving Allah’s guidance for their self-development. Generally speaking, the material available in English on the Qur’ān fails to meet these objectives adequately. The English translations of the Qur’ān are addressed mostly to specialized readers, and presuppose some background knowledge on the part of readers of comparative religion, theology, history and Qur’ānic terminology. Those not so equipped tend to be rather put off by the copious, scholarly notes explicating doctrinal, linguistic, legal and historical allusions of the Qur’ān.
Another shortcoming in most of the books on the Qur’ān in English is the authors’ predilection for using freely and frequently Arabic/Qur’ānic terms. The readers not familiar with such terms hazard guesswork which is not acceptable in this serious study.
The present work is addressed to the English-speaking reading public interested in grasping the meaning and message of the Qur’ān. In pursuance of this aim, some basic Qur’ānic terms, concepts and themes are explained in a simple language. The work is intended to help readers get an idea of the Qur’ānic worldview – the articles of faith, particularly the concepts of God, Messengership and the Hereafter. Needless to add, these beliefs lie at the core of Islamic faith and practices. For a better appreciation of the concept of God in Islam, it is followed by discussion on the Unseen, Creation and mankind. This should bring into sharper relief the role of God in the universe, and more importantly, God-man relationship in Islam. Religious duties in Islam – Prayer, Fasting, Zakāh and Ḥajj are elucidated mainly in terms of their rationale, and their all-pervading impact on man’s personal and collective life. This, in turn, throws light on the Qur’ānic value system which is elaborated further by spelling out the traits of believers in the Qur’ān, hallmarks of the Straight Way prescribed by the Qur’ān and the Qur’ānic code of conduct governing social relations. The last section focuses on the Qur’ānic guidance related to treating family members in particular, and fellow human beings in general.
According to the Qur’ān, each and every human action should be permeated with God-consciousness. Therefore, the book concludes with the explanation of the Qur’ānic concept of supplication. According to the Qur’ān, supplication constitutes a direct link between Allah and man, enabling man to lead a God-oriented life.
This account of the message of the Qur’ān, with occasional comparison with major world faiths, should help readers form a clear idea of the Qur’ānic guidance on some major issues faced by them. It is hoped the present book will serve the needs of those new to the study of the Qur’ān. As an introductory work it should familiarize them with basic Qur’ānic terms and concepts which will help them grasp better advanced works on the Qur’ān. May Allah accept this humble effort in the cause of promoting a wider readership of the Qur’ān among English-speaking readers. May Allah pardon the author for any inadvertent lapse in construing and conveying the message of the Qur’ān.
| October 2004 CE | Professor A.R. Kidwai |
| Sha‘bān 1425 H | Aligarh Muslim University, INDIA[email protected] |
Foreword
The Qur’ān: Essential Teachings is intended to complement and supplement the Islamic Foundation’s two earlier publications – (i) The Qur’ān: Basic Teachings by Khurshid Ahmad, T.B. Irving and M.M. Ahsan and (ii) Way to the Qur’ān by Khurram Murad. Like the above mentioned works, the present one too, seeks to prepare the reader mentally for embarking on a sustained, fruitful study of the Qur’ān.
Contained in the present work is a fairly elaborate explanation of twenty Qur’ānic terms and concepts with a view to highlighting the Qur’ānic viewpoint on some major issues of faith, religious obligations and social life. The author, associated for many years with the Foundation’s projects on the Qur’ān, has drawn material from both classical and modern Qur’ānic scholarship. His main objective is to present before readers the Qur’ānic guidance in a simple jargon-free language. So doing, he refrains from indulging in any philosophical or juridical debate. It is