Since the 1970s, Islam has been undergoing a tremendous resurgence throughout the world. This resurgence has often been
178 19 6MB
English Pages 240 Year 2012
T H E W O R D OF
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ISLAM
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Cover and title page calligraphy by Mohamed Zakariya: the Islamic profession of faith, "There is no god but God, and Muhammad is the Messenger of God."
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THE WORD OF
ISLAM
Edited by John Alden Williams
UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS PRESS AUSTIN
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Copyright © 1994 by the University of Texas Press All rights reserved Printed in the United States of America Seventh paperback printing, 2011 Requests for permission to reproduce material from this work should be sent to: Permissions University of Texas Press P.O. Box 7819 Austin, TX 78713-7819 www.utexas.edu/utpress/about/bpermission.html ® The paper used in this book meets the minimum requirements of ANSI/NISO Z39.48-1992 (R1997) (Permanence of Paper). Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data The word of Islam / edited by John Alden Williams. — 1st ed. p. cm. Includes index. ISBN 978-0-292-79076-6 (pbk.) 1. Islam I. Williams, John Alden. BP161.2.W67 1994 297—dc2o
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93-4676
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For Emily, Hilary, and Felicity
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THE OPENER
In the Name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate. Praise be to God, The Lord of the Worlds, The Merciful One, the Compassionate One, The Master of the Day of Doom. You alone we worship, to You alone we call for help. Guide us in the straight path, The path of those You have blessed, Not of those with whom You are angry, Nor of those who go astray. The Fdtiha, the opening sura of the Qur'an, the Sura of Praise, is recited every time Muslims begin their prayer and when any new thing is to be undertaken. It properly begins The Word of Islam.
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CONTENTS
Introduction
i
Guide to Pronunciation of Arabic Terms
5
1. The Word of God: The Qur'an
7
God Speaks to Humankind
8
He Speaks through the Prophets
14
God Reveals Himself
23
He Commands
26
He Rewards and Punishes
31
2. The News of God's Messenger: The Hadtth
36
The Beginnings of the Revelation
37
The Founding of the Community
46
Muhammad as Legislator and Founder
56
Muhammad as Model and Guide
59
The Science of Hadtth
63
3. The Law of God: Shari'a and Fiqh
66
The Acts of Servanthood
6j
Family Law
87
Government of the Community
92
Ritual Slaughter and Animal Sacrifice
96
Things Disliked and Things Forbidden
177, 187, 194 'Uthman, 41, 141, 151, 1721., 177, 190,
103, 104, 107 Shl'a, 36, 90, 93, 141, i5of., 163, 170,
191
173, 178, 187-210 Sin, 26, 28, 31, 33, 34, 57, n o , 147,
Wahhabls, 67, 131, 164, 217, 219
148, Sufism, 163, Sultan, Sunna,
150, 153, 182, 186, 194, 197 Sufis, 109-139, 154, 157, 159, 167, 196, 207, 211, 217 96, 154L, 157, 163 59, 62, 63ft., 69, 70, 87, 98, 105,
145, Sunnls, 162, 202,
164ft., !74> I75> 176 36, 67, 93, 145, 151, 154, 157, 170, 173, 188, 191, 195, 197, 216, 217, 218
Wills, 92
Wine, 28, 127, 128, 134, 135, 177, 180, 218 Zakat (poor-tax), 27, 42, 55, 57, 79-83, 95, 177, 180, 183, 200, 202, 209
Zayd b. 'All Zayn al-'Abidin, 188, 190 ZaydlShl'Is, 151, 187-192, 193, 197 Zoroastrian, 89, 97, 133, 146, 183, 191
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