Islam: The Complete, Functional and Practical Guide to Life

Abstract

People say developed countries became developed by following secularism while Muslim countries became backward by following Islam. This is false perception. In fact developed countries are following Islamic principles unknowingly in all the areas of development; Islamic principles of rule of law, justice, honesty, integrity, research and knowledge learning, development and application. Developed countries and corruption ridden Muslim countries are self harming in all those areas where they are not following Islamic principles; resource intensive hedonism, predatory economic and financial policies, corruption, fraud, injustice, prejudice and selective exploitation of people. Latest development in many developed countries is adoption of prohibition of smoking in public places and this is also based on Islamic principle of avoiding greater harm. So Islam is an essential aspect of humanity’s existence. It teaches us how to conduct ourselves in all aspects of life in a morally and legally upright manner. Islam created a well-defined system of laws governing moral behavior, civil and political rights, social issues and rights, marriage and divorce laws, inheritance rights, and all other matters we deal with daily. It serves as a guide to life in all its facets and is not just for the mosque. Since Islam is logical and rational, it keeps a Muslim free from confusion of any kind. These are some of the main points raised in the paper regarding how Islam is a comprehensive, functional, and practical code of life. Nine major relevant and significant fields have been discussed: the Islamic political system, law and legal system, Jihad, economic system, education system, marriage and family, Islamic society, the mindset, and the hijab. The discussion is analytical and comparative addressing secular ideologies based on Islamic texts and social sciences. The paper establishes that the Islamic system is the alternative system that can replace secular ideologies. This paper has been summarized from a broader and larger discussion of the same topic.