INTRODUCTION

Introduction ~ 16 ~ branches. Rivers flow on in their pulsating motion. All these things and many others have something to say, but men pass them by without ever realizing what that something is. All celestial heights and terrestrial panoramas seem to join in a massive yet silent congregation, which addresses itself to man visually, though never audibly. But is the universe really no more than a vast museum of inarticulate masterpieces? Not at all. Everything in it bears a divine message, communicated in the language of eternity. So immersed is man in other worldly affairs, however, that he fails to hear this silent message. The Prophet’s role is to put this divine message into words that we can understand. He demonstrates the kind of life that God expects man and the whole of creation to lead. The Qur’an—the word of God in Arabic—is the foundation of this inspired path. The sunnah—the life and teachings of the Prophet Muhammad, (on whom be peace and God’s blessings), collected in several volumes—provides clarification of the Holy Book. Whoever seriously wishes to understand