O Level Islamic Studies by Ahsan Naqvi

Translation God will not show mercy to him who does not show mercy to others. Teachings (a)       Mercy is the attribute of Allah. He is ‘Rehman’ and ‘Rahim’. Since He is merciful to all his creation, we should also be merciful to all. This includes all human beings, Muslims or non-Muslims, even animals and plants. Therefore Allah expects that we should be merciful to His creation in every matter of life. However if we are cruel towards others or we are so insensitive that we are in a position to help others but we do not do so, we should not expect that God will still be happy with us. Allah may put us in a trouble where we need help of others and we do not find any. (b)       The Prophet (saw) was asked by his slave to curse the people of Taif but he said: “I have been sent as a mercy to mankind”. He forgave the prisoners of Badr and the people of Makkah when he conquered the city. He created brotherhood in Madina and the people of Madina showed a real Islamic charac

Translation                                                                                      May God show mercy to a man who is kindly when he sells, when he buys, and when he demands his money back. Teachings (a)       The Prophet (saw) gives us a golden rule that we should behave kindly with the others in our financial dealings. Kindness in selling means that our profit should be reasonable. We should not take advantage of the problems of a buyer and we should not hide the faults of the goods. In buying we should not be obstinate. If we are satisfied that the seller is taking reasonable profit, we should have the spirit of helping our Muslim brother. This is particularly applicable where we deal with the common shopkeepers.  Most of the time, we show a harsh behaviour when we give some money on loan and when it is not paid on time, we lose our temper and do not care about some genuine problem of the borrower. We learn that we should be kind and soft in business d

Translation                                      He who studies the Quran is like the owner of tethered camels. If he attends to them he will keep hold of them, but if he lets them loose they will go away. Teachings (a)       In this example the prophet (saw) teaches us that reading, understanding, applying and giving the message of the Quran to others is important for Muslims. This is only possible when we take Quran seriously as a part of our life. If we are careless about the Quran, we will lose guidance for life and we will adopt the ways of Satan which will put us in trouble because Allah will be angry with us. Therefore studying and understanding Quran regularly and following its way is an essential part of a Muslim’s life. (b)       In a Hadith, the Prophet (saw) says that the one who does not remember any part of the Quran, his heart is like a deserted house. Quran is the book which gives us peace and keeps us out of frustrations. If we quit reading and understand

Translation                                                                                      The Messenger of Allah (May Allah bless him and give him peace) sent Abu Musa and Muadh Bin Jabl to Yemen, and he sent each of them to govern a part. Then he said: ' Be gentle and do not be hard, and cause rejoicing and do not alienate.'                       Teachings (a)       The Prophet (saw) gives us principles of good governance.  A ruler should be gentle and nice with the people and he should not be cruel. At the same time he should be firm in his governance and he must not compromise on principles. The A ruler should also adopt policies which should make the life of people simple and easy and avoid policies which create hatred among people. Since these were the instructions of the Prophet (saw) to the governors, it becomes obligatory for Muslim rulers to adopt the teachings and instructions given in this Hadith or they will be sinners. (b)       Muslim rulers o

Translation                                                                                      'I and the man who brings up an orphan will be in paradise like this' and he pointed with his two fingers, the index finger and the middle finger.                       Teachings                                                                                                                                 (a)      This Hadith teaches us humanity. We will be with the Prophet (saw) in the paradise and we will be in his company if we take care of an orphan. An orphan is a helpless child who is deprived of not only the love of his parents but most of the time, they are also poor. They cannot earn their income due to their young age. In this situation, Muslims should take their responsibility. We can manage their food, clothing, housing, education and even marriages. The reward for this is the company of the Pro