A long list of the holy companions of the prophet (pbuh) who wrote on behalf of the prophet (pbuh) is the proof of the fact that literacy and education was common during the period of the prophet (pbuh). These companions are Hadhrat Abu Bakar, Hadhrat Ali and Hadhrat Uthman. According to some traditions, the holy companions also read the Torah. Hadhrat Malik narrates with reference of Hadhrat Umar that Hadhrat Umar said that holy prophet (pbuh) saw a scripture in my hand with its pages torn and asked, ‘what is it?’ I said, ‘A part of the Torah’. He (pbuh) became angry and said, ‘By God, even if Moses were alive, he would have to follow me.’(3) Apart from it, the story of the conversion of Hadhrat Umar is known to all through the narration of Ibn Ishaque, in which he reads the verse and says,’Ma ahsan haza al kalam wa ikrama’. And that was the reason of his conversion to Islam. Not only that, traditions also say that the elder grandfather, Qusay bin Kalam was also literate and his grandfather Abdul Muttalib also was literate. (4) Moreover, a tradition of Ibn Ishaque also says that to fulfil one of his Mannats, Abdul Muttalib, made his ten sons write their names which show that the grandfather and all the uncles of the prophet (pbuh) were educated and literate....

Islam is unlike any other religion because it is not merely a belief to which one adheres, but rather Islam is a complete way of life. Muslims put their beliefs into practice on a daily basis. Islam provides guidance in all the spheres and activities of life. Furthermore, it is unique in that it is not named after any person, tribe, region or culture. Islam is named after a belief in one God, Allah, and submission to His will. In other words, Muslims put Allah’s Will before their own.....

Any faith system based on the unity of God, the Creator of the universe, is preserved in Quran by the phrase al-Kitaabim-maknoon, which says: 56-77, 78“this is honourable Quran in which the Book (the ‘word’) is well-guarded”. Any source book therefore, of a faith-system that proclaims this ideology of unity of God the Creator as its Creed must be the kitab, the word and the idea the message, because the Book is “where in are authoritative scriptures 98-3”affirms that the Creator has “revealed the same message”, not only to the addressee messenger “but to all the previous messengers2-3, 4”, named and un-named therein 40-78,thus constructing the “thought process” of mankind’s unity through series of inspiration-Wahi that Messengers express in their own words....

Just as Shruti texts, according to Hindu belief, are divine words of God because they were "heard" by the ancient sages from God, similarly the Holy Quran is the verbatim speech of Allah heard by His last Prophet Muhammad pbuh through the angel Gabriel. There are high chances that the first sages who heard and taught the Shruti texts or Vedas may have been prophets to whom God had revealed them originally.....

The group now known as Sunnis went for the latter option, and chose Abu Bakr, the prophet’s adviser, to become the first successor, or caliph, to lead the Muslim state. Shi’ites, on the other hand, favoured Ali, Muhammad’s cousin and son-in-law. Ali and his successors are called Imams. They not only lead the Shi’ites, but are considered to be descendants of Muhammad. The two branches of the religion have developed along their chosen paths ever since....

All matters which have not been explicitly and decisively covered by the Qur'an are the proper subject of Ijtihad, and in all such matters the ruler is duty bound to consult the community, since their well-being is tied to these decisions. Eg. Reported words of Abu Bakr upon his election-"You are the people who have put me in power when so willed, and when you so will, it is you who will depose me.... If you see good [in me], help me [in discharging my duties], but if you should find evil [in me], put me right"…

All Ahadith are to be interpreted in the light of the Quran (citing 42:17, 57:25,5 :48). Hadith are a branch and Quran is the root -Hadith can only explicate the themes of the Quran and therefore must be in accordance with it because whatever the Prophet did or said was always in perfect accordance with the Quran. - We should look into the basis of Hadith in the Quran and understand it in the light of it.  ...

Contrary to the general Islamic view, the Qur'an does not accuse Jews and Christians of altering the text of their scriptures but rather of altering the truth which those scriptures contain. The people do this by concealing some of the sacred texts, by misapplying their precepts, or buy altering words from their right position .However this refers more to interpretation rather than to actual addition or deletion of words from the sacred books.....

In fact, al-Ghazali does not even view Bid’ah (“unsanctioned innovation”) as “an act of Unbelief” and goes so far as to say that “not everyone who embraces senseless hallucinations must be branded an Unbeliever, even if his doctrines are clearly absurd”. He also questions whether consensus (Ijma) can be used as the yardstick for judging what is acceptable or not, given the difficulties of defining consensus consensually......

Ignominy and degradation appear to have become the lot of the followers of the Qur'an. Why? Because we no longer read the Qur'an as a living reality. It is a sacred book, but it tells us something of the past concerning Muslims and non-Muslims, Jews and Christians, the faithful and the hypocrites, who, once upon a time, used to be. Can the Qur'an, 1,400 years later, be a living, relevant force, as powerful...

This, of course challenges our ancient philosophical, religious, moral propositions. It certainly violates the freedom of our own behaviour. Islam gives high emphasis on justice:

Valentine’s Day was celebrated enthusiastically in Pakistan recently. From a sociological perspective, it was quite interesting to analyse the celebrations, contradictions and cultural confusion that surrounds the event. While observing the festivities and elaborate preparations for the occasion across the city, it was interesting to come across a pamphlet published and distributed by the Islamist organisation Tanzeem-e-Islami....

To endure and suffer a misfortune patiently is generally considered as a Religious virtue and hence is ‘nearness to God’. That is, to resign to one’s fate and let the course of nature take its time. It is just one’s luck of the draw, as the saying goes. God almighty imposes such conditions and to struggle against it is denying God’s Godliness in imposing willy-nily His wishes....

And yet, the Muslim tradition, like all philosophies and religions, summons the human conscience to concern itself with the meaning of life, with human dignity, with respect for human dignity against a background of dangerous practices such as genetic engineering and the growing legalisation of torture. Muslim spirituality, from the traditional schools of jurisprudence to mystic circles (Sufism), invites the conscience and the hear....

The former head of the banned terrorist outfit of Pakistan, Sipah-e-Sahaba and the present Emir of Punjabi Taliban, Maulana Asmatullah Muawiyah has written an article titled ‘Hamein nizam-e-kufr qubul nahin’(We Do Not Accept This Anti-Islamic System Called Democracy) in the mouthpiece of Taliban, Nawa-e-Afghan Jihad, December 2012. In this article he has likened democracy to non-belief and advocated the establishment of Islamic caliphate. He has also declared the government of Pakistan a government of kafirs and his organization, the Taliban is engaged in an un-Islamic war with the Pakistan government, killing innocent people, ministers and soldiers of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. We strongly condemn his misleading notions about democracy and jihad and present a point by point refutation of his article. The following is part 2 of our refutation. Part 1 can be found at: