❞ كتاب Fundamentals of Islam ❝ ⏤ Syed Abul A’la Maududi

Contents

1. Knowledge, the First Step
2. Between Islam and Kufr
3. How Muslims Treat the Qur’an
4. True Meaning of Iman
5. Why is the Kalimah Unique?
6. Why Believe in the Kalimah?
KNOWLEDGE
THE FIRST STEP
Allah’s Greatest Gift
Brothers in Islam! We all as Muslims sincerely believe that Islam is the greatest
blessing that Allah has given us in this world. We find our hearts filled with gratitude
to Him for including us in the Ummah of the Prophet Muhammad, blessings and peace
be on him, and bestowing upon us this unique blessing. Allah Himself describes Islam
as His most invaluable gift to His servants: ‘Today I have perfected your Din way of
life for you, and I have completed My blessing upon you, and I have willed that Islam
be the Way for you’ (al-Ma’idah 5:3).
To be truly grateful for this greatest favour, you must therefore render to Allah His
due. If you do not do so, you are undoubtedly an ungrateful person. And what
ingratitude can be worse than to forget what you owe to your God.
How can we, you may ask, render these dues?
Since Allah has been gracious enough to include you in the Ummah of the Prophet
Muhammed, blessings and peace be on him, the best way of showing gratitude-and
there is no other way-is to become totally committed followers of the Prophet. And,
since He has made you a part of the Muslim Ummah, to become true Muslims. If you
do not, the punishment for your ingratitude will be as great as the original gift was.
May Allah save us all from this great punishment! Amin.
You will now ask: How can we become Muslims in the true sense of the word? This
question I shall answer in considerable detail in my forthcoming addresses; but today
I want to look at a point of fundamental importance, without which we cannot hope to

discover true faith. This, you must understand, is the first essential step on your road
to becoming a true Muslim.
Is Islam a Birthright?
But, first, think for a while: What does the word ‘Muslim’, which we all use so often,
really mean? Can a person a Muslim simply because he is the son or grandson of a
Muslim? Is a Muslim born a Muslim just as a Hindu Brahman’s son is a Brahman, or an
Englishman’s son is born an Englishman, or a white man’s son is born a white man, or
a Negro’s son is born a Negro? Are ‘Muslims’ a race, a nationality or a caste? Do
Muslims belong to the Muslim Ummah like Aryans belong to the Aryan race? And, just
as a Japanese is a Japanese because he is born in Japan, is a Muslim similarly a
Muslim by being born in a Muslim country?
Your answer to these questions will surely be: No. A Muslim does not become truly a
Muslim simply because he is born a Muslim. A Muslim is not a Muslim because he
belongs to any particular race; he is a Muslim because he follows Islam. If he
renounces Islam, he ceases to be a Muslim. Any person, whether a Brahman or a
Rajput, an Englishman or a Japanese, a white or a black, will, on accepting Islam,
become a full member of the Muslim community; while a person born in a Muslim
home may be expelled from the Muslim community if he gives up following Islam,
even though he may be a descendant of the prophet, an Arab or Pathan.
Such will surely be your answer to my question. This establishes that the greatest gift
of Allah which you enjoy-that of being a Muslim-is not something automatically
inherited from your parents, which remains yours for life by right irrespective of your
attitudes and behaviour. It is a gift which you must continually strive to deserve if you
want to retain it; if you are indifferent to it, it may be taken away from you, God
forbid.