Reading material for students –Subject-Islamic

Jurisprudence -1

UNIT-V

Topic-WHO IS A MUSLIM?
For the purpose of application of laws in country like India as guaranteed by the legal system of the
Country. It is important to know the meaning of the term “Muslim”. Therefore the criteria laid down
by Islam for a person to be known as, identified as and treated as a Muslim so far as matters of civil
law and his social relations with other Muslims are concerned.

Who is a Muslim? 
In simple terms a Muslim is a follower of a religion Islam.  The word "Muslim" means one who
submits to the will of God. This is done by declaring that "there is no god except one God
and Muhammad is the messenger of God." In a broader sense, anyone who willingly submits to the
will of God is a Muslim. Thus, all the prophets preceding the prophet Muhammad are considered
Muslims. The Quran specifically mentions Hazrat Abraham who lived long before Hazrat Moses and
Jesus Christ that, "he was not a Jew or a Christian but a Muslim," because, he had submitted to the
will of God. Thus there are Muslims who are not submitting at all to the will of God and there are
Muslims who are doing their best to live an Islamic life. One cannot judge Islam by looking at those
individuals who have a Muslim name but in their actions, they are not living or behaving as Muslims.
The extent of being a Muslim can be according to the degree to which one is submitting to the will of
God, in his beliefs and his actions.

A Muslim is one who freely and willingly accepts the supreme power of God(Allah) and

The evidence on this point is divided under:

(1) From the Glorious  Quran, extracts showing that belief in God and His messenger makes a person
a 'Muslim' means believing in the Kalima –e-Tauheed.which means Onness of God and His last
Messenger.

(2) From the Hadith and Sunnah, incidents showing that during the life-time of the Noble Prophet
Muhammad people embraced Islam by reciting the Kalima Shahadah.

(3) Opinion of Muslim authorities, throughout the history of Islam, again showing that to be known as
a Muslim and included in the Islamic community, a person has only to profess the Kalima.

(4) Sayings of the Noble Prophet Muhammad, giving certain outward signs of a Muslim, so that a
person showing those signs must be treated as a Muslim.
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Imam Ghazali (d. 1111 C.E.): One of Islam's greatest philosophers Imam Ghazali, wrote in his Book
Ihya al-Ulum as :

"He who says, 'There is no god but Allah, and Muhammad is His messenger', with the
tongue but does not confirm it in his heart, there is no doubt that in the Hereafter he
shall be included among the unbelievers, and shall enter hell. But there is also no
doubt that, so far as affairs of this world are concerned, the religious and secular
authorities shall include him among the Muslims because it is not known what is in
his heart, and we are obliged to accept what is on his tongue.''

Lisan al-Hukam: The author of the classical Lisan al-Hukam wrote:

"It is written that if an atheist, or an idol worshipper, or one who believes in gods
besides the One God, were to merely say, There is no god but Allah, he enters Islam.
Or if he were to say, I believe Muhammad to be the messenger of God, he enters
Islam. This is because the deniers of Islam refrain from saying these two formulae.
Hence if he were to declare even one of these two commandments, he would be taken
out of the category called non-Muslim, and would be considered as a
Muslim.''                     
Imam Shafi`i: Shafi`i, founder of one of the four Schools of Jurisprudence in Islam, related the
following:
"It was reported to Umar, the second Caliph, regarding a certain man that he was not
a believer at heart, but merely a Muslim in the outward sense. Umar asked him: `Is it
not true that you are only outwardly a Muslim, and not really a Muslim, and your
only reason for embracing Islam is to gain Islamic rights?' He asked Umar: `Sir, does
Islam deprive those people of their rights who follow Islam only in the outward sense,
and does it leave no way for them?' Umar said: `Islam has left a way for them', and
then said nothing further.''                       (Kitab al-Um, vol. vi)

Maulana Abul Kalam Azad (d. 1958): He was a Muslim theologian, scholar and author of
20th century in India, who also held high political and ministerial posts in the republic of India. In his
well-known Urdu commentary of the Quran (Tarjuman al-Quran, Delhi, 1931, vol. i), he writes:

"Here we draw attention to just one thing. What Islam has made as the basic
expression of its teaching is known to everyone --- Ashhadu an la ilaha ill Allah, wa
Ashhadu anna Muhammad-an abdu-hu wa rasulu-hu. That is, I confess that there is
none to be worshipped besides God and I confess that Muhammad is the servant of
God and His messenger.''                                                                                         

Dr. Sir Muhammad Iqbal (d. 1938 C.E.): This great poet-philosopher of Muslim India, and a
national hero of Pakistan in his book (Khilafat Islamia, Lahore, 1923), writes:

``Once, under the influence of some spiritual urge, the Holy Prophet Muhammad told
one of his companions: `Go and tell people that whoever in his life even once says
with his tongue, there is no god but Allah, he should know that he shall enter
paradise.' The Holy Prophet purposely omitted the second constituent of the Kalima,
i.e. Muhammad is the messenger of Allah, without professing which a person cannot
be a Muslim, and he considered just the confession of the Unity of God to be
sufficient.''                
 
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Sayyid Abul Ala Maudoodi (d. 1979 C.E.): Maulana Maudoodi is the best-known religious leader
of Pakistan, and founder of the powerful Jama`at-i Islami political party. In a compilation of his
sermons (Khutbut-i Maudoodi, Pathankot, India, 1940, he wrote:
"Brothers-in-Islam! You know that a man enters the pale of Islam by reciting a
certain sentence. And even that sentence is not very long but a few words: There is no
god but Allah, Muhammad is the messenger of Allah. Expressing these words by
tongue, a person changes altogether. He was akafir, and is now a Muslim. He was
impure and is now pure.''                       

A Muslim's Character and Behaviour 

Islam is a true religion because it teaches a person everything including how to act and behave, how to
sit and talk and how to care and share. A Muslim is sure of himself both in this world and in the
Akhirah (the Hereafter). He/she is always striving towards "falaah" (success, prosperity) and freedom
from anxiety and is not troubled with doubts and conflicts. A Muslim family eats its meals together
with Bismillah-ir Rahman-ir-Rahim and ends its meals together with Al-Hamdulillah. Everyone
recites the Qur'an and prays at the appropriate times. Most importantly the children respect their
elders and listen to their parents.

Muslims should be good role models and should set a good example to the non-believers so that when
they look at a Muslim's character and behaviour and see how great it is, they would want to be
Muslims too. Muslims have to project the right image especially when they're a minority in countries
such as Canada and U.S.A. They should be honest, truthful, trustworthy, modest, patient, tolerant,
punctual, kind, generous, forgiving, brave and hard working. They should be good to people even if
those people are not good to them. Allah has said in the Glorious Qur'an "Tolerate patiently what they
(the unbeliever) say and part from them in a polite manner" (73:10). Muslims should also practice
forgiving people because Allah is always forgiving them. They should use the Noble Prophet
Muhammad's (Sallallahu 'alayhi wa Sallam) example when the people of Taif threw stones at him and
he forgave them.

Tawhid or belief in the Oneness of Allah helps the Muslim character a lot. Anyone who believes in
Tawhid, surrenders himself/herself completely to the Will of Allah and becomes a true servant of
Allah. Tawhid gives a person a lot of respect and confidence because he/she knows that Allah has
Power over everything and he/she is in His loving care. It also makes a person humble and modest.
The Noble Prophet Muhammad (Sallallahu 'alayhi wa Sallam) has said "Modesty is part of faith"
(Bukhari and Muslim). The person is never arrogant or rude because he/she knows that everything on
earth belongs to Allah and he/she knows that everything one has is from Allah, so there's no reason to
be proud and boastful.

Allah says in the Glorious  Qur'an that Nabi Musa ('alayhissalam) advised his people: "...Seek help
from Allah and be patient, the earth belongs to Allah. Anyone He wishes from among His servants
shall inherit it..." (7:128). The most important effect on the Muslim's character from Tawhid is that it
makes a person  to obey and observe Allah's Commands. The person knows that Allah is always
watching him/her and one can't escape Allah's watchful eye even for a single moment. Tawhid
produces strong determination, patience and perseverance.

Believing in Allah makes a person brave and courageous. He/she will not be afraid of death because
the person knows that it is no one but Allah who will cause death at the appointed time. So, unless the
person disobeyed Allah's Commands he/she has nothing to worry about and can go on doing his or
her duty without any fear.
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You can think of this as a boat. A boat has a rudder, which guides the boat's movement. When the
rudder is under control, the boat moves forward proudly over the waves, but if the rudder does not
control the boat, it is tossed by every wave in the sea. It is the same thing with a person. When one
surrenders oneself to Allah, one can face the problems of life without any fear. But if one does not
surrender to Allah alone, one has to obey false gods like the fear of danger or the fear of hunger. Allah
has said in the Noble Qur'an: "If Allah helps you, then none can overcome you and if He forsakes
you, then who is there to help you after Him? And the believers should rely only on Allah" (3:160)

Luqman Hakim has been mentioned in the Qur'an as an intelligent and wise man. He told his son: "O
my son! Do not associate anyone with Allah. Truly, polytheism is a tremendous wrong" (31:13). He
also said: "O my son! Establish Salah and command the right and forbid the evil and bear patiently
whatever may befall you, for this is firmness (of purpose) in (the conduct of) affairs. Do not turn your
face away in disgust from people, nor walk arrogantly in the land. Surely, Allah does not love any
arrogant boaster. Be moderate in your pace and lower your voice. Truly the harshest of all voices is
the voice of the ass" (31:17, 18, 19).

Muslims should read the Glorious Qur'an and Hadiths about a Muslim's character and behaviour so
that they could improve. Everyone makes mistakes but that does not mean that we can't improve
ourselves. We should learn from our mistakes and improve. Muslims should help other Muslims by
encouragement and not by exploiting their mistakes. A Muslim should think of himself as a mirror for
his brother.

Hadrat Abu Hurairah (Rady Allahu Anhu) narrates that the Noble Prophet Muhammad (Sallallahu
'alayhi wa Sallam) said: "Let him who believes in Allah and the Last day, either speak good or keep
silent, and let him who believes in Allah and the Last Day be generous to his neighbour, and let him
who believes in Allah and the Last Day be generous to his guest (Bukhari and Muslim). In another
Hadith, Hadrat Abu Hurairah narrates that the Noble Prophet Muhammad ( Sallallahu 'alayhi wa
Sallam) said: "Do not envy one another; do not inflate prices to one another; do not hate one another,
do not turn away from one another; and do not undercut one another, but be brothers, O slaves of
Allah. A Muslim is the brother of a Muslim: he neither oppresses him nor disgraces him, he neither
lies to him nor does he hold him in contempt. Piety and righteousness is here - and he pointed to his
breast three times. It is evil enough for a man to hold his brother Muslim in contempt. The whole of a
Muslim for another Muslim is inviolable; his blood, his property, and his honour (Muslim).

The more we help others, the better we will become as well because we mature through helping
others. Islam shows how an ideal Muslim's character should be and we should act upon that so that we
might save ourselves from Hell-fire and attain Paradise.

CHARACTERISTICS OF A GOOD MUSLIM 

Muslim is one who is willing to give up pleasure for long-term gains (Aakhirah).

Muslim is one who has the ability to settle differences without resentment or anger

Muslim is one who perseveres despite setbacks.

Muslim is one who knows life is too short to waste in idle activities.

Muslim is one who has no prejudice, intolerance, hatred or revenge.

Muslim is one who has the capacity to face disappointments and adversity without becoming bitter.
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Muslim is one who accepts his mistakes and who does not complain that the rose bush has thorns but
rejoices that it bears roses.

Muslim is one whose needs conform to the Qur'anic commands and those of Prophet Muhammad
(peace be upon him).

Muslim is one who makes Jihad (struggle) to change things, which he can and who lives in peace with
things that he cannot change.

Muslim is one who gently and constantly questions himself/herself "AM I A MUSLIM?"

A Muslim meets his brother with a smiling face (he restrains from anger and is forgiving). The
Prophet said: "Do not think little of any good deed even if it is just greeting your brother with a
cheerful countenance [face] {MUSLIM}. The Prophet said: "Your smiling at your brother is an act of
charity {Sadaqah}" {al-TIRMIDHI who said it is Hasan gharib}. 

The Muslim should always be pure of heart and should have a cheerful and friendly face. He should
meet his brother with warmth and smiles. There's no excuse--Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) always
had a warm smile on his face even though he went through hardships, torture, and suffering in this
life. 

"... [those] who restrain anger and pardon {all} men- for Allah loves 
those who do good."  [Translation of the Qur'an-Al-Imran 3:134] 

The true Muslim restrains his anger and is forgiving. He does not see any shame in doing so, rather he
sees it as a good deed which will bring him closer to Allah (SWT). 

He has a good attitude towards others and treats them well. Anas (RA) said: "I served the Messenger
of Allah (SAWS) for ten years, and he never said to me 'UFF!'. If I did something, he never said,
"Why did you do that?" And if I did not do something, he never 
said, "Why did you not do such-and-such? [Agreed Upon] 

The Prophet said: "Among the best of you are those who have the best attitude (towards others)".
[Agreed upon] 

He (SAWS) also said: "Nothing will weigh more heavily in the balance of the believing servant on the
Day of Resurrection than a good attitude (towards others). Verily Allah hates those who utter vile
words and obscene speech." [Al-Tirmidhi, Hasan Sahih hadith] 

The true Muslim has a good attitude. He is humble and soft and gentle in his speech. He does not use
bad language or insult others. He is patient, gentle, forgiving, tolerant, cheerful, and sincere towards
others.