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Imam MuhammadShirazi

What is Islam?;

Beliefs, Principles and a Way of Life

Translated byAbdelmalik Badruddin Eagle

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Second English edition, 2002

Third edition, 2003

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Table of Contents

Translator’s note 7

Grand Ayatollah Sayyid Muhammad al-Husayni al-Shirazi (1928-2001) 8

A biographical sketch 8

Foreword by the Author 11

1-The Islamic Faith - an Introduction 12

2-THE BASIC BELIEFS OF ISLAM 16

THE ONENESS and UNITY of GOD (TAWHID) 16

1-Oneness of Essence: 16

2-Oneness of Attributes: 16

3-Oneness of His Works: 16

4-Oneness of Worship: 16

PROPHETHOOD 16

RESURRECTION 18

PARADISE 20

HELL 20

TH 21

TH 21

IMAMATE 21

3-ISLAMIC MORAL QUALITIES, ETHICS AND IDEALS 25

1-Honesty in Word and Deed: 26

2-Trustworthiness in Speech and Character: 26

3-Courage: 27

4-Generosity: 27

5-A Sense of Honour: 27

6-Cooperation in Good Works: 27

7-Effort and Joy: 28

8-Organization: 28

9-Reform: 28

10-Cleanliness: 28

11- Moderation: 28

12-Justice: 29

13-Prudence: 29

14-Affability and Amiable Conduct: 29

15-Piety: 29

16-Knowledge: 29

17-Fondness and Friendship: 29

18-High-mindedness: 30

19-Perseverance: 30

20-Adherence to the Highest Standards in the Treatment of Others: 30

4-AN ISLAMIC LIFE-STYLE 31

5-WHAT IS FORBIDDEN IN ISLAM 34

6-ISLAMIC ACTS OF WORSHIP 37

PRAYING 37

FASTING 39

KHUMS and ZAKAT 40

JIHAD 42

HAJJ 43

2-Economic Benefits: 45

3-Psychological Benefits: 45

4-Social benefits: 45

5-Spiritual benefits: 45

7- SOME ASPECTS OF THE SHARI‘A 46

PURIFICATION IN ISLAM: 46

ABLUTIONS (WUDU’) 46

COMPLETE WASH (GHUSL) 47

TAYAMMUM 47

PLACES for WORSHIP 48

HOLY SHRINES 48

SUPPLICATION 50

CONGREGATIONAL PRAYER (SALAT AL-JAMA’A) 51

ENJOINING WHAT IS GOOD and FORBIDDING WHAT IS REPREHENSIBLE 52

I‘TIKAF 53

PROPAGATING GOOD 54

COMMEMORATIONS 54

TAWALLI and TABARRI 56

8-Freedom in Islam 58

THE LIMITS TO FREEDOM 58

KINDS OF FREEDOM 58

9- ISLAMIC ECONOMICS 61

10-PEACE IN ISLAM 64

11-POLITICS IN ISLAM 66

12-SOCIETY IN ISLAM 70

13-ISLAMIC RULINGS 72

14-A LIFE OF HAPPINESS UNDER THE BANNER OF ISLAM 74

Other Publications by fountain books 76

Teachings of Islam 79

Notes 80

Translator’s note

(a) This is a translation of Ma-huwa ’l-Islam?from its 3rd printing in Beirut in 1414/1993. The book was first published in mid 1960’s.

(b) In the transliteration of Arabic words I have generally followed current academic usage but I have, however, deliberately avoided macrons and diacritics which might only confuse the non-specialist, (hence al-Rida , without a dot beneath the d, which would indicate one of the letters which have no parallel in English). Also, the Arabic letter (written like the emphaticta ’ with a dot), I have rendered asdh but solely as a compromise: henceKadhim ,dhuhr (noon), ‘adhim (great), sinceKazim ,zuhr and ‘azim without diacritics give little idea of the correct pronunciation.

Theta ’marbuta at the end of a word is rendered byan a not ah, as, for instance,balagha notbalaghah , except in a construct when it is written as a t, e.g.ma‘rifat Allah. The Arabic lettershamza and ‘ayn throughout are rendered by (’) and (‘) respectively.

(c) The holy cities of Mecca and Medina are rendered according to their original Arabic:Makka and al-Madina , respectively.

(d) The Arabic text has a few footnotes. These were not the work of the author. I have revised them, sometimes adding to them as well as adding new footnotes of my own.

(e) In references from the Holy Qur’an, the number of thesura (chapter), in italics, precedes that of theaya (verse).

(f) Whenever the author mentions Imam Amir al-Mu’minin , he is referring always to ‘Aliibn Abi Talib .

(g) Where two dates are given, theHijri (Islamic) date precedes the CE (Common Era) one: i.e. the current year would be rendered 1422/2002.

NB Throughout this book, man and the pronoun herefer to mankind in general (men and women) and frequently translates the Arabicinsan . This is to avoid the tedious repetition ofhe/she and so on. Similarly Muslim/the Muslims, as in Arabic, refers to Muslim men and women in general.

Grand AyatollahSayyid Muhammad al-Husayni al-Shirazi (1928-2001)

A biographical sketch

Grand Ayatollah Muhammad al-Shirazi , who died in Qum on 17 December 2001 at the age of 73, was one of the most prominent Muslim scholars and spiritual authorities (maraji ‘, sing.marja ‘) of modern times.

He was a direct descendant of the Prophet Muhammad (God's blessings and peace be upon him and his progeny) and his genealogy can be traced back throughZayd "al-Shahid ", a son of the fourth imam of theAhl al-Bayt , Imam ‘AliZayn al-‘Abidin . For more than a century and a quarter theShirazi family, so called because of the long association of their ancestors with the city of Shiraz in south-western Iran, have played an outstanding role as religious scholars (‘ulama ’, sing.‘alim ) jurists andmaraji ‘. A famous member of the family isMirza MuhammadHasan Shirazi , known as al-Mujaddid ("therenewer ") because of his outstanding learning, who played a leading role in the so-called "Tobacco Rebellion" of 1890-1. His sonMirza ‘AliAgha was also amarja ‘. AnotherShirazi and a leadingmarja ‘Mirza MuhammadTaqi , the maternal uncle of AyatollahShirazi’s father, was, along with his son MuhammadRida , in the vanguard of the revolt of 1920 against the British occupation of Iraq. A brother-in-law of AyatollahShirazi's father,Mirza ‘Abd al-Hadi al-Shirazi , was an ‘alim and well-known poet who became amarja ‘ briefly after the demise of Grand AyatollahSayyid Burujirdi in 1961.

Sayyid Muhammad was born in Najaf in Iraq in 1928. He was the son of the renownedmarja ‘ Grand AyatollahMirza Mahdi al-Shirazi . His mother wasAlawiyya Halima, a distant cousin.At the age of nine, the family moved to Karbala’, 50 miles to the north. There at theHawza (Religious Academy,plur .hawzat ) he went through the various stages of the traditional education necessary in order to become amujtahid (one competent to make independent juridical decisions). Among his principal teachers at the highest stage calledBahth al-Kharij numbered his own father, and the Grand AyatollahsSayyid MuhammadHadi al-Milani (the future renownedmarja ‘ of Mashhad in Iran),Shaykh MuhammadRida al-Isfahani ,Shaykh Muhammad al-Khatib andSayyid Zayn al-‘Abidin al-Kashani . The youngSayyid Muhammad excelled in his studies to such an extent that before he had reached the age of 20 he had become amujtahid (one competent to make independent juridical decisions) and, not yet 30, he began to teachBahth al-Kharij . After his father’s death, in February 1961, he published his own collection of juridical edicts (hisrisala ‘amaliyya ), a necessary step if one wishes to be amarja ‘, and soon afterwards he wasrecognised as one. Not long after theBa‘th Party had gained supreme power in Iraq, the first of the ‘ulama ’ to be arrested for their outspoken criticism of the regime wasShirazi’s brother AyatollahSayyid Hasan who, in the spring of 1969, was imprisoned in Baghdad and savagely tortured. After his releaseSayyid Hasan fled to Lebanon (where a decade later he was assassinated by the Iraqi regime) andSayyid Muhammad, forced into exile, left Karbala’ along with his family for Kuwait. In 1979 he moved to Qum in Iran.

Shirazi has written more than 1000 works. These deal with every branch of Islamic studies. His greatest scholarly contribution is perhaps in the field offiqh (jurisprudence). Up to his time the most popular work onfiqh in thehawzat wasNajafi’s Jawahir al-Kalam in 44 volumes which dates from the early 19th century.Shirazi’s monumentalencyclopaedic work onfiqh , which he commenced when only 25, amounts to 150 volumes, all of which have been published. For the first time subjects like the environment, economics, politics, freedom, the system of government in Islam have been studied using strictly the criteria of jurisprudence.Shirazi believed in the concept of an Islamic State governed by a consultative system of leadership (shura ). Since he also encouraged freedom of expression andfavoured political pluralism he was against a one-party state. He eschewed violence and coercion calling vehemently for a policy of non-violence to be exercised in every aspect of life: private and public.

Shirazi maintained that Islam was essentially a message of peace and tolerance to all mankind, stressing that it was better to forgive one's enemy rather than vilify him or seek revenge.Shirazi promoted the institution of marriage and traditional family values; was concerned for human rights and the dignity of the individual, whether Muslim or non-Muslim; emphasized the concept of justice, which is a fundamental one in Islam, and the need to have special care for the environment. His house in Qum became in effect aHawza where ‘ulama ’ and students alike would come to attend his lectures inBahth al-Kharij .Shirazi had followers throughout the world, especially in Kuwait, the Gulf States, the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia, Europe, the UK and North America.

AyatollahShirazi was buried in the mausoleum of FatimaMa‘suma (a sister of the eighth Imam, ‘AliRida ) in Qum. He is survived by his wife who bore him 6 sons and 6 daughters.

Shirazi had always encouraged outstandingmujtahids to publish their ownrisala ‘amaliyya . Among thesemujtahids figured his own brother,Sayyid Sadiq . During his lifetimeShirazi , both orally and in writing, had urged the believers to have recourse toSayyid Sadiq and to profit from his knowledge in all aspects of jurisprudence but the latter had declined to publish hisrisala out of deference to his elder brother. However, now after the demise ofSayyid Muhammad it has surprised no one thatSayyid Sadiq should berecognised as amarja ‘, bearing in mind that his late brother had made it clear that he was eminently qualified for this great task.

Grand AyatollahSayyid Sadiq al-Shirazi was born in Karbala’ in January 1942 and among his teachers were the Grand Ayatollahs, his own fatherMirza Mahdi , his brotherSayyid Muhammad,Sayyid MuhammadHadi al-Milani andShaykh MuhammadRida al-Isfahani . He became amujtahid in his early twenties and for over 20 years he has taughtBahth al-Kharij and many well-knownmujtahids of the present-day had attended his lectures.

Sayyid Sadiq has already written more than 80 compilations among which figure his commentary on the monumental work onfiqh , al-‘Urwa alwuthqa , by the late 19th century/early 20th centurymarja ‘Sayyid Tabataba’i Yazdi . He began to write it in Karbala’ 35 years ago and the first volume onijtihad andtaqlid , published in Beirut in the 1970s, illustrates admirably both the depth ofSayyid Sadiq’s learning and his deductive powers. The remaining 20 volumes, on prayer, have yet to be published. HisBayan al-usul on the fundamentals of jurisprudence runs into 10 volumes and its fifth volume (la-darar wa -la-dirar : which is the Islamic principle that “one must do no harm or receive harm”) has been published and has been printed at least three times. Grand AyatollahSadiq resides in the holy city of Qum from where he directs the affairs of theMarja‘iyya and of course is in constant touch with his representatives worldwide. He is also busy teachingBahth al-Kharij (higher studies) both inusul al-fiqh (fundamentals of jurisprudence) andfiqh and also gives public lectures on a whole range of topics. Daily, sitting in the same office that his brother used, he receives visitors who come to Qum to seek his advice and spiritual guidance or who ask for a fatwa in a particular juridical matter.

Abdelmalik Badruddin Eagle

London

August 2002

Foreword by the Author

Praisebe to God the Lord of the Worlds and peace and blessings be upon Muhammad and his pure progeny and may God curse their enemies until the Day ofJudgement .

In today’s world we see that materialism has rushed in from all sides and spurious values prevail in every quarter and peace of mind andtranquillity now barely exist. Revolution and wars throughout the world have caused everyone to be apprehensive and people feel that they have been robbed of their security and sense of stability. Many are beginning now to seek a way-out from this state of anxiety and alarm which would bring them contentment and inner peace and are looking for a cure to thisallpervasive disease and a way to rid themselves of mental and spiritual pain and disquiet.

For a long time I have been thinking that if people only lived according to Islam as it has been revealed by the God of the Universe, they would find therein a complete cure which would remove every anxiety and unease and quench this thirsting for inner serenity. Islam is indeed a way of life, a religion of light, equanimity and peace, for the Almighty says in the Holy Qur’an:“ … … when He calls you to that which gives you life” [8: 24] and speaks of those who follow “the light which has been sent down” [7: 157].

God Almighty also says: “surely by remembering God, hearts find rest” [13: 28] and in anothersura (chapter), “With it [the Qur’an] God guideswhomsoever follows His pleasure into the ways of peace” [5: 16].

Moreover Islam can cope with all the problems of life and indeed the Almighty says “He [Prophet Muhammad] makes lawful for them the good things and makes unlawful for them things which are bad and rids them of their burden and the fetters that were upon them” [7: 157].

However large numbers of Muslims are not aware of these things (and so what must be the case with those who are not Muslims?) and therefore suffer all this distress just like someone who lives on top of treasure but does not realize it and is in a state of hunger, misery and nakedness.

Thus it is essential to introduce people to Islam and perhaps this will lead them to accept it which means happiness in this world and the reward of paradise, whose breadth is the heavens and the earth, in the hereafter.

This is what induced me to write this little bookWhat is Islam? (ma-huwa ’l-Islam?)and since my aim was merely to introduce Islam I have been succinct and concise throughout so that it can be easily read by all.

I pray God Almighty that it will meet His pleasure and that He will make it a means through which people are guided, for He it is who grants success and upon Him do we call for help.

The holy city of Karbala’,

Muhammad

1-The Islamic Faith - an Introduction

Question:

What is Islam?

Answer:

Islam is both a faith and a legal system (shari‘a ) which provides for all the needs of a human being at every stage of his or her life.

Question:

Who established Islam?

Answer:

Islam did not come into being through human deliberation. On the contrary, it has been revealed by God Almighty as something perfect and complete without any defect.

Question:

Can Islam survive forever and is it valid for every time, place and nation?

Answer:

God Almighty has revealed Islam to be the faith of all mankind forever, relevant in every age, place and nation.

Question:

Onwhom was Islam revealed?

Answer:

God Almighty revealed Islam to the last of his prophets, the Prophet Mohammad (sallallahu ‘alayhi wa-alihi wa-sallam , God’s blessings and peace be upon him and his progeny).1

Question:

At what time did the Prophet of Islam live?

Answer:

He lived fourteen centuries ago, that is nearly five centuries after Jesus Christ (peace be upon him), and this present year, which is 1387/1967, one thousand and four hundred years have passed since Islam was established.

Question:

What is the difference between the Islamic faith, and the Christian, Jewish and other faiths?

Answer:

Religious systems that have been revealed by God Almighty aremany, each of them being suitable for its own time, and whenever a new religion came the older faith would be abrogated. So is the case with Islam which is the last religion revealed by God for the guidance and leadership ofmankind. It can be said that the difference between religions is similar to the difference between today’s educational institutions: elementary school, secondary school and university in that as mankind advanced a new religious system would be revealed appropriate to the stage which had been reached, until the time came when Islam was proclaimed as the religion of mankind for all time.

All religions share the same common essence and their difference lies in details and certain characteristics which have developed according to the advancement of the human race.

Question:

Does Islam develop or not?

Answer:

Islam has two aspects:

1. The fixed and unchanging aspect of Islam in which there is no place for development, and in which if changes were to take place there would only be insanity and confusion. In this category falls the exhortation to the telling of the truth and trustworthiness; finding repugnant oppression and miserliness; the prohibition of hoarding and murder; the obligation to pray and fast and to seek the consent of both parties in a sale or purchase and so on.

2. The second aspect of Islam is where change and alteration are legitimate. Islam has enunciated overall principles that can be applied to matters that undergo development. For example, means of transport have changed fromfourlegged animals to carriages and have then developed further to motorcars and trains, and then toaeroplanes and missiles. The means of lighting have gone from candle to oil lamps and from there to electricity and nuclear power.

Islam allows such developments and in fact encourages them in all these spheres.

Question:

Is Islam sufficient for all man’s needs? And how are those needs fulfilled?

Answer:

Islam is sufficient for all man’s needs because it is a faith that God has revealed in such a manner that it can be applied to all aspects of life.

You ask, how can Islam be all sufficient? This is because the Holy Qur’an and the sunna2 have set out two types of laws:

1. Laws which relate particularly to a specific issue such as forbidding the drinking of wine.

2. Laws which establish a general principle such as the one forbidding the imbibing of anything that intoxicates.

Question:

How can you say that Islam is sufficient for all man’s needs seeing that now new matters and problems have arisen which are not mentioned in the Qur’an orSunna such as banks or insurance? Such things did not exist at the time of the advent of Islam?

Answer:

Since Islam is the Faith revealed by God for the guidance of mankind for all time and God is omniscient, Islam therefore enters into all man’s affairs even those of recent manifestation.

The two examples that you mentioned are also covered by general principles enunciated in Islamic Law.

Banking operations consist of various matters which have been dealt with by theShari‘a as, for instance, borrowing money, security on a loan and a transference transaction. Insurance is covered by theQur’anic verse: “… except that it be trading by your mutual consent”[ 4: 29]. Elsewhere it is stated: “… fulfill [your] contracts”[ 5: 1]. These orders depend upon conditions that have been described in the books on Islamic jurisprudence (fiqh ).

Question:

Why do we need Islam?

Answer:

Islam, as mentioned before, is a faith andshari‘a .

Islamic faith is firstly the unchanging reality: one who does not believe in it has believed in something that is based on a fiction.

Secondly, a great loss in the hereafter will be the lot of one who does not believe in Islam. Moreover, anyone not bound by the IslamicShari‘a , will not obtain true happiness in this world to say nothing of the punishments of the hereafter. Indeed the IslamicShari‘a is the best of all legal systems, better than man-made laws which also seek to improve man’s lot at every stage of his life. In brief, the happiness of man in this world and the hereafter is conditional upon whether or not he has believed in IslamQuestion:

Firstly, how do we know that after this life there is another existence called the hereafter and that the happiness of man depends upon whether or not he is a Muslim? Moreover, what is your proof that the IslamicShari‘a is superior to all laws and codifications and thus is able to deal best with man’s condition, whereas other religions do not possess such capability?

Answer:

The proof of the existence of the hereafter after this world can be obtained from the arguments set out in the books of Islamic Philosophy (kalam ). Similarly modern psychological fields of knowledge like magnetic hypnosis, hypnotism, spiritualism (recalling the spirits of the dead) and so on prove that after death the spirit remains eternal.3

Moreover, proof of the superiority of the IslamicShari‘a and its being better than all other laws and codifications can be seen by comparing how Islamic laws and all man-made legal systems deal with man's various needs.4

Question:

What is the total number of Muslims today in the world?

Answer:

The exact figure is not known, but according to statistics found in certain books and journals this figure is as high as “800 million”.5

Question:

Where do Muslims live?

Answer:

There are Muslims in nearly all the countries of the world but themajority of them live in Asia and Africa.6

Question:

Are Muslims of the belief that their religion will finally become the religion of all the people on earth?

Answer:

Yes, Muslims are of the belief that their religion will become the religion of all those on earth and the time will come when there will no longer be even one non-Muslim. The Qur’an has also promised the same and proclaims “that He may make it (Islam)

prevail over all the religions”[48: 28].

In several hadiths7 that have been quoted from the Prophet and the pure Imams, it has been made clear that at the end of time a man from the Prophet’s descendants by the name of “Imam al-Mahdi ” (peace be upon him) will appear and will consequently spread Islam throughout the whole world.8

Question:

How does Islam see this life? Is Islam a religion concerned for the material life or just about the spiritual life, or about both?

Answer:

The Islamic viewpoint about this life and the material and spiritual aspects of man's existence are summed up in the Almighty’s words in the Qur’an where He says:

“And among them is he who says: ‘O Our Lord! Give us in this world that which is good and in the hereafter that which is good, and save us from the torment of the Fire’”[ 2: 201].

The Prophet Muhammad (God’s blessings and peace be upon him and his progeny) says: “One who renounces his worldly affairs for the life of the hereafter is not from among us, and one who renounces the life of the hereafter for his worldly affairs is also not from among us”.9

He also says: “Strive for your world in such a manner as if you will livefor ever and for the life of the hereafter act in such a way as if you will die tomorrow”10 .

Question:

What were the boundaries of the Islamic World in the previous centuries and what are they at the present time? How did Islam spread?

Answer:

Information about these two topics requires extensive study of various books but a summary can be found by a perusal of the study of a map of the Islamic World and the book “Invitation towards Islam”.