The Complete Meaning of Islam

Islam is the lastly revealed of the divine religions. It is characterized by its simplicity and is easy  to accept by all minds. Its teachings concern human beings in all places and all times.

As soon as any person declares the "Shahada" i.e. that "there is no God but Allah and that  Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah", he becomes a Muslim with specific rights and duties, all  organized in a complete religious, social, and cultural system that takes into consideration the material conditions as well as the spiritual ambitions of groups and individuals.(1)

Because of the widespread misunderstanding or lack of understanding for Islam, it becomes  incumbent upon us to present its complete meaning in its pristine state as well as in terms of the history of its formation, using as a basis its fundamental sources which refer directly to the Holy  Qur'an and the Prophetic Traditions.

Islam has four basic constituents, without which its system could not have been established :  doctrine, rituals, ethics, and legislation.

The place of doctrine is the heart. It involves believing in the oneness of Allah, the Creator of  the universe, the Creator of its order, the One Who Knows its secrets, and the Only One to deserve  worship and all what goes along with it, including supplication, repentance, and the seeking of help,  then the belief in resurrection after death and all what follows this belief, namely judgement,  recompense, and retribution.

The Qur'an and the Traditions have limited the elements of doctrine to believing in Allah, his Angels, His scriptures, His Prophets, and in destiny i.e. in the good and the bad, and in the Day of Judgement.

It is required that the doctrine be indelibly established in the heart of the Muslim and deeply rooted in his mind. In this context, we should note that the Holy Qur'an calls on every human being to  make sure for himself that this doctrine is true by looking at the history and the fate of previous nations,  and by constantly observing the universe and contemplating its natural phenomena, so as to strengthen the faith in the heart through reasoned acceptance.

Doctrine has a fundamental status in the Qur'an, especially that it is the axis around which a Muslim's life revolves and to which it is related. It is common knowledge that the Prophet (mapbuh :  May Allah's Prayer and Peace Be Upon Him) stayed in Mecca for thirteen years, teaching people the  doctrine. Almost half of the Qur'an talks about it and tries to stress its importance. Many of the early  Muslims, men and women, were martyred defending it, after being tortured by Meccan polytheists who  tried by all means to get them change the form of professing the unity of Allah back to idolatry.

The truth is that it is Islamic doctrine which gives meaning and telos to the life of the Muslim. At the time when he shows submission to the Lord of the skies and earth, a Muslim feels that he is under divine providence, and that Allah's mercy protects him from every side. All man's deeds -in the context of a true Islamic doctrine- become oriented toward one goal which is to attain Allah's blessing  and avoid His wrath. Gradually, a sort of moral consciousness gets set up in the heart of a Muslim, a consciousness that is hypersensitive to questions of good and bad, depravity and virtue, all of which are referred to in religious terminology as "taqwa" (godliness).

Islamic rituals are four : prayer, fasting, almsgiving, and pilgrimage.

Prayer is one of the foundations of religion. "Salat" literally means the invocation of Allah. It is  in fact a set of invocations and Qur'anic verses which are recited in parallel to specific acts and movements (upright position, bowing, and prostration). "Salat" is performed either individually or in a group made up of well-organized rows led by an "Imam". Group prayer is better and more rewarding. Muslims are required to pray five times a day: at dawn, midday, mid-afternoon, sunset, and at dinner  time.

On Friday, a special group prayer is held, attended by a large number of people from the neighborhood. It is preceded by a "sermon" in which the Imam discusses one of the issues that are of concern to Muslims and calls upon them to stick to religion and to ask Allah’s forgiveness.(2)

 But is prayer merely a set of invocations and acts which are devoid of spiritual content ? On the contrary, in Islam, it is a form of direct meeting between the Muslim and his God. The Holy Qur'an states that whenever the Muslim prostrates, he is closer to his God : "But bow down in adoration, and bring thyself closer (to God)!" ('Alaq, 19). The Holy Qur'an describes prayer as something that "restrains from shameful and unjust deeds" (Ankabut, 45). This means that the true prayer undertaken by a Muslim in complete consciousness and submissiveness will naturally prevent him from committing big crimes as well as small sins. It is difficult to imagine a man who will finish his meeting with Allah and get ready for another meeting wherein he commits whatever Allah does not like.

In the description of "Salat" in the Qur'an, it is stated that it is, along with endurance, an  important means that helps the Muslim face the daily problems he is exposed to : "O ye who believe! seek help with patient perseverance and prayer" (Baqara, 153). This means that prayer plays a positive  role in the life of the Muslim : while it certainly prepares him for the problems of daily life, it gives him also the opportunity to achieve psychological contentment. That's why the Prophet (MAPBUH) used to  say to Bilal, the muezzin, "Relieve us with it, O Bilal" (reported by Abu Dawud and Darqatani).

The basic condition for prayer is the purity of the body attained through worship or ablutions. It is clear that it comes after bodily cleanliness in order to purify the psyche and the soul.

In this way, the meaning intended by the Prophet (MAPBUH) in a beautiful saying comparing the prayer undertaken by a Muslim five times a day to a man's washing five times a day in a river running in  front of his house. Like this last person who has got his body clean from any dirt, the praying person has got his soul purified and cleansed (reported by Al Bukhari and Muslim).

Finally, because it involves invocations, the seeking of Allah's help, and the orientation of one's heart, mind and body towards Allah, prayer plays an important role in enhancing the doctrine in the psyche of the Muslim, and supplying it with a daily renewable energy.

Fasting consists in refraining from food and drinking (as well as matrimonial sexual intercourse) from dawn to sunset, during the month of Ramadan.(3)

Some went as far as saying that the goal behind fasting is to make the rich feel the pain of hunger endured by the poor. But fasting is required of all Muslims, be they rich or poor. The interpretation that is closest to the nature of this ritual is the one that holds that fasting plays an  important role in changing the habits of a Muslim that may have formed all throughout the year. It is noticed that during the month of Ramadan the lives of all Muslims become organized in a unitary manner, which is different from what happens during the other months.

Therefore, the opportunity is ripe for whoever has got used to bad habits (like coffee drinking, smoking, etc.) to give them up after the month of Ramadan, which requires refraining from necessary activities like eating and drinking.

There are two sorts of wisdom clearly related to fasting : First, it strengthens the Muslim's human will; will here means the ability to take the decision of refraining from all desirable things. A human  being's food could be available, but he refrains from taking it in respect for the teachings of religion  and in execution of Allah's orders. Therefore, if he succeeds in refraining from doing what is halal   (permitted), he will be able to refrain from committing forbidden (haram) acts, such as swindling people's money in an illegal manner and the nurturing of forbidden desires and all that leads to disorder and anarchy.

The second wisdom of fasting consists in reviving religious ethical standards (human conscience). It is clear that fasting, unlike other rites, has a negative character; when a Muslim  performs it, it does not manifest itself on his body like prayer, almsgiving, and pilgrimage. Who can tell  the difference between a person who has had his breakfast in the morning and another who has not had ? It is clear, therefore, that fasting is "a very special form of worship" takig place between the Muslim and  his God, of which no one knows anything except Allah. In fasting, there is no room for showing off,  that is to do something in order to show off and earn the others' esteem. Allah said in a revealed  Prophetic Saying : "Anything that a human being does is his, except fasting, which is for me, and I am  the one to reward it" (reported by Muslim).

This religious standard (or conscience) that fasting sows in the heart of the Muslim is what we referred to as "Taqwa" (godliness). It is a kind of constant and watchful feeling that Allah knows all of what  goes on inside us and not only what we do and say out of people's sight.

After prayer and fasting, come the two other rites, namely almsgiving and pilgrimage. The first is required of wealthy people only and the second concerns whoever can afford it.

Almsgiving (Zakat) in Arabic means well-being and purity. According to jurisprudence, it consists of giving a very small  percentage of what one has earned in one year, and which one does not need for daily expenses. It is doubtless that divine justice is very clear in this context. The person who earns his living on a daily basis should not give alms and the person who has got a lot of wealth but keeps spending from it all throughout the year to a point that nothing is left from it after a year has elapsed should not give alms. He should give only a determined part and on the condition that that wealth remains unchanged for a whole year in the possession of the person concerned. Small percentages of the yearly crops are due on the part of farmers.

Because the objective behind levying Zakat is to deal with the problem of poverty and because people cannot individually supervise the impact of almsgiving on improving poor people’s conditions, it is required that an institution specialized in gathering alms from Muslims and distributing them be set up so as to ensure that Zakat carries out its function in improving the conditions of society. Allah specified in the Holy Qur'an the various aspects of how the money should be spent. All of them revolve around helping the needy and alleviating the misery of the poor. "Alms are for the poor and the needy, and those employed to administer (the funds); for those hearts have been (recently) reconciled (to truth); for those in bondage and in debt; in the cause of god and for the wayfarer" (Thawba, 60). Through this ritual, a sort of social welfare, necessary for the balance of the mobility of Islamic society and its stability is ensured.

But the wealthy Muslim knows well that the alms he is required to give represents only a small  percentage of his general income, his savings, his trade and his harvest. Therefore, he is constantly urged to "give" for the sake of charity and social reform. We see many Muslims who use their own money to build mosques, free schools and hospitals for the needy. After their death, they bequeath "charitable donations", the regular profit of which is used to help the poor and the needy.

If almsgiving is required of every Muslim who can financially afford it, pilgrimage, which is the fourth and last form of worship, is required of those Muslims who can afford it financially and physically, once in a lifetime.

Pilgrimage is a trip to Mecca where Al Ka'bah, Allah's Holy Shrine, which was built by Ibrahim (PBUH), is located. It is the point of direction toward which Muslims turn in their daily prayers. It comprises a set of rituals, the most important of which being to go around Al Ka'bah, to stand on the Mount of Arafat, and to declare the unicity of Allah, and submission to him, as well as to thank Him for His blessings and gifts.

At the time of pilgrimage, Muslims from all over the world, from different nations and  languages, gather together to serve one goal  and carry out unified rituals. They may carry out exchanges among themselves and emphasize their brotherly relationship and renew the basis of cooperation among themselves. It is clear that as part of this big gathering, the Muslim feels proud of the Islam he believes in and which has pushed all of these people around him to respond to the same call  and strive for the same goal. Hence, the circle which starts with the individual and ends with full humanity. Allah's sayings in the Qur'an come true : "We have not sent thee but as a universal  (Messenger)" (Saba', 28), and "Say : 'O men! I am sent unto you all, as the Apostle of God" (A'raf,  158).

Those are Islamic rituals : simple, gradual and interconnected.  It is remarked that it emphasizes in the soul of the Muslim his submission to Allah, his constant fear of Him, as well as His unrelenting attempt to secure His blessing. At the same time it binds the Muslim to his God, it establishes the best relationship between him and the people around him. Prayer is most often performed in the company of people from the neighbourhood; fasting prevents a Muslim form hurting other Muslims with his hands or tongue; almsgiving makes him give and softens his heart vis-a-vis the needy and the poor. Lastly, pilgrimage is a big conference where a Muslim meets his brothers and sisters from different nations;  it is a meeting with human dimensions that transcend differences in race or language.

We see, therefore, that with his strong sense of dogma and his sincere performance of rituals, a Muslim becomes ready to become a useful citizen in a morally upright society. The useful member of society is the one who, urged by his conscience, avoids all forms of malediction and sticks to all forms of benediction, without needing the control of a human boss or a supervisor. We get here to the third basic element in Islam, namely ethics.

Ethics (Akhlaq) in Arabic is the plural of "Khuluq". "Khuluq" means simply a motivation and a behavior. Motivation concerns intention, will and determination. Behavior concerns, however, a man's external acts. It is clear that motivation is the basis of behavior. That is why Islam has always been concerned with promoting the development of this motivation. Development will start with relating it to doctrines and constantly renewing it through rituals. The goal is to make the Muslim whose intention is always to gain Allah's blessing, whose objective is to obey His commands, and who is always feeling that Allah controls his movements aware of the smallest of his thoughts.

But ethics does not appear in behavior only. It cannot be  without the existence of other persons with whom one could carry out mutual transactions. We can say generally that the transactions that constitute the context of a man's behavior are of three main types: the circle of family and neighbours, the circle of friends and colleagues, and the circle of Muslims and others.

In dealing with relatives, the famous Islamic expression, "uterine bonds," (Silat arrahim) which means the perennial character of love, mercy, help and care for all relatives.

First and foremost, care for parents has a special status in Islam. The Prophet (MAPBUH) said to a Muslim who asked him about taking care of his father : "You and what you own belong to your father" (reported by Ibn Majah and Tabarani). The mother deserves all kinds of love and care :  "Paradise is at the heels of mothers" (reported by Qada'i in Musnad Ashshihab and Khatib Baghdadi in Al Jaami'). Obeying parents in Islam is absolute. There is only one exception : when parents urge their  children to renege or to become polytheists.

Maybe, we have not begun to appreciate the value of Islamic teachings on mercy and compassion to parents till modern times when "houses for the elderly" appeared. To these houses old parents are  brought by their sons and daughters for health and cultural care; but these places are devoid of the warm relationship denoted by the Islamic expression, "uterine bonds."

Islam also produces all the conditions propitiate for treating one's wife correctly. Treating her well ranges from satisfying her material needs to honoring her and ensuring respect for her at home by addressing her with love and care. The value of the mode of address differs according to customs and cultures; an example of the good customs in some societies calling the wife with her last name as "the mother of so and so" rather than with her first name.

Islam does not recognize forced marriages. A couple is free to start a marriage and preserve it honoring each other. If living together becomes impossible between them for any kind of reason, divorce becomes a solution. And even then, the husband should be very generous. Allah said : "The parties should either hold together on equitable terms, or separate with kindness" (Baqara, 229). It means that marriage should continue with  honor or be discontinued in a respectful and generous manner.

What we sometimes hear about forcing girls against their will to marry men they don't like, mistreating wives, or using the right to divorce in a harmful manner -all of these spring from uncivilized natures and irresponsible forms of behavior which are at odds with Islam and Islamic  teachings.

Honoring one's neighbour occupies an important place in Islamic ethics as well. It implies a great wisdom not unheeded by human sociologists. The Prophet (MAPBUH) said, "Jibril kept advising me to  take care of one's neighbour to such a point that I thought he would give him the right to inherit [from his neighbour]" (reported by Bukhari, Muslim, Abu Dawud, Tarmidhi, and Ibn Hanbal). This means that  neighbours are an extension of the family. A Muslim is required to visit his sick neighbour and console him when a tragedy befalls him, as well as take part in his celebrations and show his care for him through gifts and invitations. It is certain that respecting this kind of relationship is what has made of the "neighbourhood" in Islamic society an organic and interconnected unit. Foreign tourists always notice this phenomenon when they visit Islamic countries with strong cultural traditions.

If it is true that the city, with its life which is marked by individualism and egocentrism, has broken Islamic relations between neighbours, it is also true that popular quarters and the wide rural areas still preserve many of these links.

Also, in treating his friends and colleagues well, the Muslim is a good model for cooperation :  "The believer is to another believer like a strong building, each part supporting the other" (reported by Bukhari, Muslim, Tarmidhi and Nisa'i).

The same thing goes for all Muslims being brothers in believing in Allah. The Prophetic Saying has it that "A man should desire for his brother [Muslim] what he likes for himself". The Prophet [MAPBUH] also said : "None of you is a true believer until he desires for his brother what he likes for himself" (reported by Bukhari, Muslim, Tarmidhi, Nisa'i, Ibn Majah and Ibn Hanbal). The same is true of sincerity, trustworthiness, keeping promises, giving good counsel, and constantly seeking to help  friends.

In the context of dealing with Muslims in general, we find the Prophetic Saying which defines the Muslim as the one from whose tongue and actions people are safe. The Prophet says : "The Muslim  is the one from whose tongue and hands Muslims are safe" (reported by Bukhari, Muslim, Tarmidhi, Nisa'i, Ibn Majah, and Ibn Hanbal). This means that the good Muslim does not harm others with his words and deeds. That is why it is advisable to clear the road from trash and rocks which may cause  harm to the people using it.

If abstaining from hurting is a negative act which consists of not doing something, there are other acts which are positive : greeting people who are seated or passing, responding to the greetings of others with something equal or better, getting permission before entering other people's homes, avoiding looking at unfamiliar women, debating in  respectful manner, advising in a wise manner. This in addition to being generous to guests, feeding  the hungry, and housing strangers who are homeless, and similar acts of social solidarity. 

Non-Muslims who live among Muslims and who are generally either Jews or Christians, have the  same rights and duties as Muslims. They get from true Muslims all forms of respect for their rituals.  Muslims are permitted to eat their food and marry their women. If one debates them one should do so in a respectful manner. Economic exchange with them is also permitted. When the Prophet (MAPBUH) died,  his shield was still held under mortgage in the possession of a Jew. Among the Prophet's wives, we find  Maria the Coptic, the mother of his son Ibrahim.

'Umar Ibn El Khattab (MABH), the second Caliph gave the poor from among the People of the  Book, money from the Islamic Treasury House. He also gave tax breaks to priests and rabbis. Throughout Islamic history, Caliphs' and rulers' physicians came mostly from among the Jews and Christians. Islamic civilization was for them a land of opportunity where they achieved prosperity and well-being. Persecution happened only at the times of fanaticism and backwardness, at the hands of people  who did not understand the spirit of Islam and who acted out of purely rotten individual interests.

Islamic ethics are not limited to how to deal with people; they extend to animals and nature,  including inanimate things and flora.

According to the Qur'an, earth is a place for sowing grains not for wreaking havoc. Seas are at the service of man, used for transporting people and food, for extracting healthy food and not for nuclear experiments as is the case today. The Prophet (MAPBUH) forbids Muslims, at the time of war, to cut trees except for food. Islam is also very merciful to animals. People should not make them fight (as in cockfights) or use them for things they were not created for (as in bullfights). When the Prophet  (MAPBUH) saw a bird fluttering her wings close to the earth, he told his companions : "Who afflicted  this bird by taking her son away from her ? Give back her son" (Abu Dawud's Sanan).

It is reported that the Prophet (MAPBUH) said : a woman went to hell because she tied a cat, did not feed her and did not let her eat from the grass on earth till she died (reported by Bukhari and  Muslim).

It was also reported that the Prophet (MAPBUH) said that a man felt extremely thirsty; so he went down a well to drink; when he got out, he found a dog lolling its tongue and licking the ground form thirst. He said : "This dog is suffering from the same thirst I was suffering from." He went down, filled  his shoe and gave the dog to drink. God then forgave him.

This is only a brief sketch of some aspects of Islamic ethics, which are numerous and varied. It  is possible to say that Islam is wholly ethical. The Prophet (MAPBUH) used to stress that he was sent  only to complete the noble traits of character (Ibn Hanbal's Musnad and Malik's Muwatta'). He said about himself : "My God is my educator; He has perfected my education" (reported by Ibn Sam'ani in  Adab Al "imla').

When Aisha, the Prophet's wife, was asked about the Prophet's morality, she said : "His ethics is the Qur'an" (reported by Muslim, Abu Dawud and Ibn Hanbal). This means that the Prophet (MAPBUH)  represented in his practical life the most perfect model  for the realization of the ethics and morality preached by the Holy Qur'an. This clearly signifies that Islamic moral principles and value, despite their elevation and ideality, are always realizable in the practical life of people.

 While still a child, El Hassan Ben Ali (MABH) came in on the Prophet at the time he was prostrating in prayer and rode on his back. The Prophet slowed down his prostration till El Hassan  got down. When he finished his prayer, some of his companions asked him : "O! Messenger of Allah. Why was your prostration so long ?" He said : "My son rode and I hated to rush him” (Nisa'i's Sanan and Ibn  Hanbal's Musnad).

The Prophet was once eating fresh dates with his right hand and putting the nuts in his left hand. A sheep passed by and he signalled to her with the nuts in his hands. She then started to eat from his left hand while he was eating from his right hand, till he finished. The sheep then went away (Ibn Hanbal's Musnad). Suffice it that he is the one who said : "Whoever has no mercy on people, Allah will have no mercy on him" (reported by Muslim).

Finally, ethics in Islam organizes almost all aspects of individual behavior. It comes all of it from Allah-fearing godliness, and the strong feeling that He is the Just Referee who harms nobody. Moral life has its basis on which it is founded, namely Divine Justice which punishes for a sin in accordance with its greatness and reward a good deed tenfold its value.

After having dealt with doctrine, rituals and ethics, we get now to the fourth basic element of  Islam, i.e. legislation. Legislation is basically a set of laws and ordinances that organize the life of an individual and the Islamic community and determine the kind of punishment meted against the most  important crimes.

Islamic legislation is very rich and varied. The science of jurisprudence took care of elucidating  its various ordinances concerning worship (and how it is carried out), interactions and exchanges  (financial transactions like selling and buying, mortgage, guarantee etc.) and personal statue (marriage, divorce, and inheritance), as well as the problems, social relations and the new conditions in every time and place.

Jurisprudence scholars and others have noticed how Islamic civilization is just and tolerant, taking people's interests into consideration without embarassing them with difficult or unreasonable expenses. It is true that these were the reasons behind the fast expansion of Islam into countries with authentic civilizations that  had old legal systems.

Islamic legislation covers all apsects of individual, family and social life. It also sets the bases and the principles propitiate for founding a developed social polity and a prosperous and balanced economic activity.

The individual has the right to preserve his life, his religion, his honor and his money. The family has also its own coherent entity that should be respected; women deserve to be honored and respected. This respect involves giving her absolute freedom in choosing a husband, guaranteeing her civil rights during marriage and respecting her real desire for separation when there is a reason for that.

Politics in an Islamic society has got its specific goals, the most important of which is to ensure justice and equality among all members of society and to achieve security and stability, as well as preserve the teachings of religion from the oddities of frivolous people from inside and the perfidy of its enemies from outside. The meaning of politics is shura (consultation) which denotes the participation of everyone.

The basis of economy is respect for private property and ensuring loyal competition for the sake of the common good. Its regulations include forbidding usury, monopoly, and fighting corruption. If we add to this the resources coming through almsgiving and charity that could be used toward bettering the situation of the needy and the victims of disasters, we will notice that the economic system in Islam is a state-of-the-art social and moral system as well.

A few words on the punishment for crimes in Islam. These are retributions meant to fend off those who allow themselves to harm Muslims in their bodies, wealth or honor. It should be noted that Islam contented itself in this context with determining retribution for crimes universally known to be of grave consequences on the building of an ideal society; it left other crimes to the discretion of governments and rulers to find the punishment that is most appropriate to each environment.

The crimes for which the Holy Qur'an defined punishments are five : killing (deliberate and by accident), highway robbery and brigandage, theft, fornication, and abusive language.

We have two remarks to make on Islamic forms of punishment. The first concerns establishing with certainty and beyond reasonable doubt that the person under question has intentionally committed the crime. The Prophet (MAPBUH) said : "Try as much as you can to ward off legal punishments if there are doubts" (reported by Ibn 'Adi and Sama'ani)(4). This means that when in doubt, one should not punish.

In fact, this means that the circle of punishment is rendered as narrow as possible.

The second remark concerns the apparent severity of punishment. Islam weighs the form of punishment in relation to the size of the sin committed and the extent of its corrupting impact on the desirable ideal society it tries to establish. If we look at these crimes, we will find that they represent a clear infringement on the rights of society and contempt for its rules and systems.

Experience has shown that meeting Islamic retributions against the perpetrators of those crimes has given good results : it was a very effective means of warding off crimes and reducing the rate of violence. This should not prevent judges and rulers from taking into account attenuating circumstances surrounding the commitment of these crimes; this is required by law because it implies an objective and deep view of the concept of justice.

Finally, it should be noted that crimes and punishments take only a small part of Islamic legislation. A large part of Islamic legislation is concerned with establishing a set of political, economic and social systems based on ethical standards that set Islamic society off from other  societies.

We should also mention here that in addition to the specific ordinances determined in the Qur'an  and the Prophetic Tradition, Islamic legislation comprises also a set of variables that give Muslims the  opportunity throughout ages and in different contexts to deduce, in the light of those unchanging laws, ordinances that fit their interests. This gives Islamic Shari'a a great sense of flexibility, making  of it a canon that is alive, progressive and applicable to all ages and all periods.(5)

In conclusion, we should emphasize the fact that Islam, which had assimilated all the teachings of previous divine religions, represents a doctrine that transcends the others; it does not seek to establish a state that fights other states. It is a total and universal religion that came to save humanity as a whole both in this world and in the hereafter. It addresses all human beings. Allah addressed Muhammad (MAPBUH) saying : "We have not sent thee but as a universal (Messenger) to men, giving them glad tidings, and warning them (against sin), but most men understand not" (Saba', 28). He also said : "We sent thee not, but as a Mercy for all creatures" (Anbiyya, 107).

1. Acceptable is the Islam of whoever believes in the oneness of Allah and the fact that Muhammad was his messenger, whose heart is full of faith, but who does not declare his belief, out of consideration for social pressures, on the condition that he does not take part in any action against Muslims.

2. Friday Prayer is mandatory for men but not for women.

3. The fasting person does not reach the highest degrees of penitence except if he controls himself and opts for forgiveness, sympathy and altruism, refraining from hurting others or insulting them, forgiving them as much as possible.

4. Those in charge have passed laws related to crimes not referred to in the Qur’an and the Prophetic Tradition and have worked on retributions related to crimes, but the conditions of which are not yet complete if with the criminal remaining a danger on society. Religious scholars call this phenomenon as “concentration”.

5. Those in charge set up organizational laws for society in civil, commercial, administrative and international domains … Religious scholars include under the general rubric of “legislative policy”.