A Thinking Person’s Guide to Islam
Prince Ghazi bin Muhammad
Paperback
Third Edition (October 2023)
9781933764214
The Essence of Islam in 12 Verses from the Qur’an
Contents:
1. What is Religion?
- What does the word ‘religion’ mean?
- Why is it important to know all this?
2. What is Islam?
- The meaning of the word ‘Islam’
- Islam as a civilisation
- Islam as a religion
- The inner meaning of the rites of Islam
- Why is it important to know all this?
3. ‘Who is Your Lord?’
- Mercy
- Love
- Why is it important to know all this?
4. Why Did God Create People?
- Kindness to others
- Why is it important to know all this?
5. What Are Heaven and Hell?
- Why is it important to know all this?
6. What is The Qur’an?
- The Qur’an as revelation
- The Arabic Language
- The Arabic Language of the Qur’an
- The obstacles in reading the Qur’an
- The subjects of the Qur’an
- The Qur’an as a mirror
- The importance of the Qur’an
- The influence of the Qur’an on Islamic thought
- The interpretation of the Qur’an
- The Preservation of the Qur’an
- Why is it important to know all this?
7. Who is The Prophet Muhammad s.a.w.?
- Who is the Prophet Muhammad s.a.w. to Muslims?
- Human virtue
- Spiritual perfection
- The mission of the Prophet
- Love for the Prophet Muhammad
- The sayings of the Prophet Muhammad
- Imitation of the Prophet Muhammad
- Why is it important to know all this?
8. What is ‘The Heart’?
- What are human beings?
- What is ‘the heart’?
- Self-knowledge
- Rust on the heart
- Polishing the rust off the heart
- Why is important to know all this?
9. What is Worldly Life?
- Why is it important to know all this?
10. What is The ‘Shari’ah’?
- The meaning of the word ‘shari’ah’
- The schools of Islamic jurisprudence
- Ibn Taymiyyah and the beginning of the anti-usul Sunni movement
- Logic
- The anti-usul movement up to the present day
- Sunni schools of thought in 2016 and in 1900
- The Shi’i madhahib
- Other madhahib
- Capital and corporal punishment
- Taking it easy
- Why is it important to know all this?
11. What is ‘Jihad’?
- The meaning of the term ‘jihad’
- The two kinds of jihad: the ‘greatest jihad’ and the ‘lesser jihad’
- The ‘greatest jihad’ as such
- The ‘lesser jihad’ as such
- The reasons behind - and conditions necessary for - the ‘lesser jihad’
- The goal of the ‘lesser jihad’
- Is the ‘lesser jihad’ offensive or defensive?
- The intention behind the ‘lesser jihad’
- The rules of conduct during the ‘lesser jihad’
- Relations with non-Muslims outside of the ‘lesser jihad’
- Why is it important to know all this?
12. What is Government?
- The importance of justice
- The ‘excellence’ of justice
- What is justice?
- The ecology of justice?
- What is government?
- Popular consensus and government legitimacy
- Temporal state
- Citizenship
- Why is it important to know all this?
Postscript: What is Happiness?
- Happiness or misery?
- Defining happiness
- Enjoyment
- Joy
- Contentment
- Happiness
- Why is it necessary to know all this?
Appendix 1: The Big Tent of Islam
- The different kinds of Muslims
- The Amman Message (2004-2006)
- The Benefit of the ‘Three Articles’ of the Amman Message
Appendix 2: Three Questions For Every Muslim
Index of Ahadith Cited
Index of Qur’anic Verses Cited
Index of Poetry