Islam is Your Birthright (IIPH)

Written by a number of Islamic religious authorities and Muslim scholars, this work presents the views and teachings of mainstream Sunni and Shi’i Islam on the subject of jihad. It authoritatively presents jihad as it is understood by the majority of the world’s 1.7 billion Muslims in the world today, and supports this understanding with extensive detail and scholarship. No word in English evokes more fear and misunderstanding than “jihad.” To date the books that have appeared on the subject in English by Western scholars have been either openly partisan and polemical or subtly traumatized by so many acts and images of terrorism in the name of jihad and by the historical memory of nearly 1,400 years of confrontation between Islam and Christianity. Though jihad is the central concern of War and Peace in Islam: The Uses and Abuses of Jihad, the range of the essays is not confined exclusively to the study of jihad. The work is divided into three parts: War and Its Practice, Peace and Its Practice, and Beyond Peace: The Practice of Forbearance, Mercy, Compassion and Love. The book aims to reveal the real meaning of jihad and to rectify many of the misunderstandings that surround both it and Islam’s relation with the “Other.”

Reviews:

“A dynamic myth-busting clarification of the real position of mainstream orthodox Islam on the whole question of violence and jihad.” —T. J. Winter, University of Cambridge

“This is the best book on the subject in English. It will be of inestimable value.” —Shaykh Mustafa Ceric, Grand Mufti Emeritus of Bosnia

The Salah is the most crucial affair in a Muslim’s life. To preserve one’s religion, one has to observe it consistently; otherwise, one would be negligent of the Salah, let alone other acts of worship. It is the pillar of Islam, as it is soundly reported from the Prophet (May Allah elevate his rank & grant him peace). At the same time, the remaining deeds serve as the axis of support. Similarly, a tent without a pillar is useless. The Salah is the criterion for accepting all other deeds; if it is rejected [by Allah], all other deeds will be rejected. It is the first obligation ever in Islam and the last act of worship to wither. So, if one is negligent to the first and the last thing in Islam, then one will lose everything in-between.

Inadequate observance of the Salah that lacks adherence to its prescribed form in the manner performed by the Messenger of Allah (May Allah elevate his rank & grant him peace) will derail one’s religion. It will invalidate all deeds, cause misconduct in one’s religious and worldly affairs.