The Natural Form of Man

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The Natural Form of Man :
The Basic Practices and Beliefs of Islam, New,
*[A5+] Paperback - 243 pages,
by Abdalhaqq Bewley,
Edited by Abdassamad Clarke,
by Diwan Press.

Back in Stock October 2022

Description :

Far from being a simplistic primer for beginners, although those new to the subject will find it invaluable - The Natural Form of Man, The Basic Practices and Beliefs of Islam is a general introduction to Islam for contemporary man and woman, Muslim and non-Muslim, that locates Islam in the actual world we inhabit today and the circumstances we face daily.

Using as a framework the most famous and authentic of all the classical definitions of Islam - the hadith of Jibril - the author 'Abd 'al-Haqq Bewley takes the reader step by step through all the basic practices and beliefs which make up the daily lives of every Muslim, giving a picture of Islam that is both completely traditional and also excitingly contemporary.

Review :

The Prophet Muhammad, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said that an hour’s reflection is better than a lifetime of worship. This latest book of Hajj Abdalhaqq Bewley is the fruit of a lifetime’s reflection and a catalyst for a lifetime’s reflection. It is also very practical. It deals with actions and the meanings of these actions and the results of these actions, in this world and in the next.

It is a reliable source of knowledge for those who rely on Allah, or who wish that they could rely on Allah. Above all, this book is illuminated by a knowledge which has been transmitted from living heart to living heart. Accordingly it is vast but not encyclopaedic. Since words tether meanings, it is also grounded in the understanding of well known reliable written sources of recorded knowledge which have been studied in depth. Accordingly it is the work of a scholar, but not of an academic.

The Qur’an tells us that:

'' The people of knowledge are those who fear Allah ''
(Qur’an: 35.28).

Since the author, together with his wife Hajja Aisha Bewley, has been deeply involved in the translations from Arabic into English of the Noble Qur’an, Al-Muwatta of Imam Malik and Ash-Shifa of Qadi ’Iyad, as well as many other key Islamic texts, and since it is clear from the quotations he provides that he is well and widely read, it must have been difficult for him at times when writing this book to decide what to include and what to exclude ~ and yet this book is full of abundance and bereft of deficiency. Indeed whenever I thought that an important point had been omitted, I usually found it later on in the book. The author has so much knowledge to impart that it is presented in due measure so that it can be absorbed and retained. ----Hajji Ahmad Thomson.

Table of Contents :

---Introduction,

ISLAM :
---The Two Shahadas:
------1. There is no God but Allah,
------2. Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him & grant him peace,
---Muhammad is The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him & grant him peace,
------His Life,
------His Character,
---Salat / Prayer,
------Purification,
------Prayer Times,
------Doing the Prayer,
--------The Fatiha,
------General Remarks about the Prayer.
---Zakat,
------The Payment of Zakat,
------The Zakat of Livestock,
------The Zakat of Agricultural Produce,
------The Zakat of Monetary Wealth,
------The problem of paper money,
------The nisab for the Zakat of monetary wealth,
------Zakat on Savings,
------Zakat on Trade Goods,
------Debts,
------Business investments,
------Personal property,
------General,
------The recipients of Zakat,
--------The poor,
--------The destitute,
--------The collectors,
--------People whose hearts are to be reconciled,
--------Freeing slaves,
--------Those in debt,
--------In the way of Allah,
--------Travellers,
--------General,
------Zakat al-Fitr,
--------Who pays Zakat al-Fitr,
--------The amount and form of payment of Zakat al-Fitr,
--------The time of payment and distribution of Zakat al-Fitr,
------Jizya,
--------The payment of Jizya,
---Sawm / Fasting,
------The legal rulings concerning fasting,
------General remarks about fasting,
---Hajj / Pilgrimage,
------General remarks about the Hajj,
------The Rites of Hajj,
------The Spiritual Benefits of Hajj.

IMAN :
---Allah Almighty,
------Beliefs regarding Allah,
---The Angels,
---The Divine Books,
------Tawhid - Divine Unity.
------Qasas - Stories,
------Ahkam - Legal Judgements,
------Historical Perspective.
---The Divine Messengers,
------The Nature of Prophethood,
------Belief in the Messengers,
---The Last Day,
------The Events of the Last Day,
---The Decree.

IHSAN :
---The Nafs,
---Shaytan,
---Shahawat - appetites,
---Hawa - subtle desires of the self,
---The need for a Teacher,
---Dhikr - Remembrance of Allah,
---Hubb ad-Dunya - Regarding Love of the World,
---Ma'rifa - Gnosis.

---Glossary of Arabic Terms
---Glossary of Names,
---Prayers in the Text.