Islam Rediscovered

they do not do so in the name of their religion. But the violence engaged in by the Muslims is being done in the name of Islam. These violent activities of the Muslims reach the people through the media. As modern media is a “hot news”-based industry, these violent events are flashed in the media. For this reason, people come to regard Islam as a religion of violence. It is only among Muslims that all violent activities are carried out in the name of religion. In practice, only a tiny minority of Muslims is engaged in such violent activities. However, since other Muslims neither condemn these activities, nor disown them outright, it is but natural for people to attribute their violent propensities to their religion. But the scientific way of study is to distinguish Islam from the deeds of Muslims, just as the ideology of democracy is studied by distinguishing it from the acts of democratic countries. The aim of this book is to present Islam as it is enshrined in its sacred scriptures, so that it may be brought before the people in its true form. The authentic source of information about Islam is the Quran. The Quran, according to Muslim belief, was revealed by God to the Arabian Prophet Muhammad. The second source of knowledge about Islam is the sunnah, i.e., the words, deeds and sanctions of the Prophet Muhammad. The lives of the companions of the Prophet provide another later source. Then, there is a full stop in this matter. No other person or historical record enjoys the status of source of Islam. However, this book does not claim to be a comprehensive introduction to Islam. That is something which can be