Praise belongs to God,
the Lord of the world, the Merciful, the All-Merciful, the Master of the Day of
Recompense. Thee only we serve and Thee only we pray for help. Guide us to the Straight
Path, the path of those whom Thou hast blessed. Not of those who incurred wrath, nor of the astray. (1:1-7)
This is a Message
for mankind, that they may be warned by it, that they may know that He is only one God,
and that the wise may take heed. (14:52)
When a community of
them said, 'why do you admonish a people whom God will be destroying or punishing with a
terrible punishment'. They said , 'as an excuse to your Lord, and that they may be
godfearing.' (7:164)
Hast thou not
noticed how God has struck a similitude of a good word; it is like a good tree whose root
is firm and whose branch is in the heaven; it brings forth its fruit all the time by the
leave of its Lord; God strikes similitudes for men that they may pay heed. And the
similitude of an evil word is like an evil tree, uprooted over the earth, having no
stability. (14:24-26)
Call to the way of
thy Lord with wisdom and a handsome sermon and dispute with them in the most handsome
manner; only thy Lord knews best as to who has gone astray from His way, and He knows best
the guided ones. (16:125)
Disorder has
prevailed over the land and the sea, due to what men's hands have earned that He may make
them taste some of their deeds; may be they return. (30:41)
Near to men has
reached their reckoning, but they, in heedlessness, turn away. No reminder comes to them
from their Lord, renewed, but they listen to it playing, their hearts diverted, they
whisper to one another, 'is he not but a mortal like you, will you take to sorcery while
you see.' He says, 'my Lord knows what is in the heaven and the earth, and He is the
Hearing; the Knowing.' No, but they say, ' a Hotch potch of nightmares; no, he has forged
it; no, he is a poet; now let him bring us a Sign as the earlier were sent with.' No
habitation that We destroyed before them ever believed; will they believe? (21:1-6)
We sent
(Messengers) to communities
before thee, then We seized them with misery and hardship that
they may show humility; if only they had shown humility when Our pril came upon them!
Instead their hearts got hardened and the Devil showed fair to them what they were doing.
Then they forgot what they were admonished. Then We opened to them the gates of all things,
until, when they rejoiced in what they were given, We seized them suddenly; then lo, they
were despaired; so the root of the people that did wrong was cut off; and praise belongs to
God, the Lord of the world. (6:42-45)
In the year 1960, I made a search for a small book which
should give a bird's eye-view of Islam, so that a non-Muslim living in the
non-Muslim society with no prior knowledge of Islam, could make a general
conception of Islam, as given in the Quran. I could not find such
a book.
I, therefore, decided to write down the required book with three things
in view. It should show a picture of whole of Islam. Every point should be authenticated
by Quran to show what is the true original Islam and not an Islam of the making of the
author. It should be as brief as possible.
The result was this book. It is a difficult task to authenticate every
point from Holy Quran. Now it is for the learned to judge and know the value and standard
of this work. I desire no personal gains from it. The book may be published and translated
by anybody.
Say, 'O mankind, there has come to you the Truth from your Lord; now
whoso follows guidance follows for himself; and whoso goes astray goes against
himself; I
am no care-taker over you.' (10:108)
MUHAMMAD AYUB KHAN
25 August 1963 - 5 Rabi-us-Sani 1383