THE ISLAMIC WAY OF LIFE — Worshipping God and Doing Good to Man

begins to see all of humanity as his family and the entire universe as his abode. Such a discoverer becomes a maker of history, rather than a product of it. This is the stuff of iman. And it was this iman which enabled the Prophet and his companions to produce, as one historian remarked on the expansion of Islam, "the most miraculous of all miracles”. IBADAH (Worship) Ibadah, or worship, is not simply the observation of a set of rituals. It is a profound kind of religious experience. In fact, it is the physical and spiritual expression of the human personality on a higher plane of consciousness. Islamic morality is based on the formula of unilateral and unconditional positive conduct: 'Do good to others, even if they are not doing good to you.’ Addressing man, the Quran says, "Prostrate yourself in adoration and bring yourself closer (to God)" (THE QURAN 96: 19). The Prophet Muhammad was once asked ‘What is the essence of ibadah?’ He replied: ‘The worship of God as though you are seeing Him. Or if you are not seeing Him, He is seeing you.’ There are two kinds of worship in Islam. The first kind of worship has been prescribed at specified times — these include the five daily prayers, fasting during Ramadan and pilgrimage or Haj. These forms of devotion are among what are called the ‘pillars of Islam’. Then there are other forms of worship, consisting of dhikr and fikr (THE QURAN 3: 191), which means to remember God with feelings of fear and love. This second form of worship aims at mental activation of the human soul so that one may be enabled to see God's signs in everything one comes across in one’s daily life. This is the worship which is obligatory for every Muslim at all times. MORALITY What is morality? It is to live among one's fellow men according to the moral teachings of Islam. The essence of Islamic morality is set forth in a Hadith report as follows: "Behave with others as you would like them to behave towards you" (Al-Bukhari). By nature, everyone knows of what