Spirit of Islam, Jul-Aug 2024

FROM THE EDITOR-IN-CHIEF’S DESK Prof Farida Khanam is an author, editor, translator, public speaker and former professor of Islamic Studies at Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi. Among her books are ‘A Simple Guide to Islam’ and ‘A Study of World’s Major Religions’. She has translated into English many books authored by Maulana Wahiduddin Khan. Currently the chairperson of CPS International, she is a regular contributor of articles to various publications. Prof Khanam has edited Maulana’s English translation of the Quran and has also translated his Urdu commentary on the Quran into English. She can be reached at spiritofislamperiodical@gmail.com SPIRITUAL COMMITMENT OF THE COMPANIONS I have seen people among the Prophet’s Companions to whom the world meant less than the dust under their feet. Thus spoke Hasan Basri, the great 8th century religious scholar, to his awed contemporaries. He was well qualified to judge, for he had met a large number of them, seventy of whom had fought at Badr. He told them of how they wore simple homespun camel hair garments and were so preoccupied with righteous living that they seemed lost to the world. “Were they to see the best among you, they would think: ‘These people have no connection with Islam.’ And if they saw the worst among you, they would say, ‘These people do not believe in the Day of Judgement.” The Companions of the Prophet Muhammad displayed unparalleled commitment to the faith. Their lives were a testament to the Quranic verses and Prophetic teachings that emphasize the transient nature of this world and the importance of the Hereafter. The Quran frequently reminds believers of the fleeting nature of worldly life and the importance of focusing on the Hereafter. The Quran says: Never forget that the life of this world is only a game and a passing delight, a show, and mutual boasting and trying to outrival each other in riches and children. It is like the growth of vegetation after the rain, which delights the planter, but which then withers away, turns yellow