Table Of ContentTHE ELEMENTS OF
ISLAM
THE ELEMENTS OF ISLAM
Shaykh Fadhlalla Haeri was born and raised in the ancient
Holy City of Karbala, Iraq, and was educated in Europe and
the United States. His professional background included
the founding of companies in the oil industry as well
as in international business. The rediscovery of the full
Islamic heritage of his birth and its prophetic perfection
came about through an awakening to the inner meanings
of its outer teachings and practices.
Since the 1970s, Shaykh Haeri has given discourses
and taught extensively throughout his travels, both in the
East and the West. He currently resides in England and
continues to travel and lecture widely, and is the author
of many books.
The Elements Of is a series designed to present high quality
introductions to a broad range of essential subjects.
The books are commissioned specifically from experts in their
fields. They provide readable and often unique views of the
various topics covered, and are therefore of interest both to
those who have some knowledge of the subject, as well as
those who are approaching it for the first time.
Many of these concise yet comprehensive books have practical
suggestions and exercises which allow personal experience as
well as theoretical understanding, and offer a valuable source
of information on many important themes.
In the same series
The Aborigine Tradition The Greek Tradition
Alchemy Herbalism
The Arthurian Tradition Human Potential
Astrology Meditation
The Baha’i Faith Mysticism
Buddhism Native American Traditions
Celtic Christianity Natural Magic
The Celtic Tradition Pendulum Dowsing
The Chakras Prophecy
Christian Symbolism Psychosynthesis
Creation Myth The Qabalah
Dreamwork Shamanism
The Druid Tradition Sufism
Earth Mysteries Tai Chi
Feng Shui Taoism
The Goddess Visualisation
The Grail Tradition Zen
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THE ELEMENTS OF
ISLAM
Shaykh Fadhlalla Haeri
EE VE NT
Shaftesbury, Dorset Rockport, Massachusetts
Brisbane, Queensland
© Zahra Trust 1993
Published in association with Zahra Publications
Published in Great Britain in 1993 by
Element Books Limited
Longmead, Shaftesbury, Dorset
Published in the USA in 1993 by
Element, Inc.
42 Broadway, Rockport, MA 01966
Published in Australia in 1993 by
Element Books Limited for
Jacaranda Wiley Limited
33 Park Road, Milton, Brisbane, 4064
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be
reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means,
electronic or mechanical, without permission
in writing from the Publisher.
Cover design by Max Fairbrother
Typeset by The Electronic Book Factory, Fife, Scotland
Printed and bound in Great Britain by
Biddles Ltd, Guildford & King’s Lynn
British Library Cataloguing in Publication
data available
Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication
data available
ISBN 1—85230-—-382—4
CONTENTS
Acknowledgements
vi
Foreword
vii
Introduction
A. The Rise of Islam
2 . Faith and Path 21
3 . The Fundamentals of Islam 35
4. The History and Development of the Religion 45
5 . The History of the Muslims 71
6 . The Life of Muslims 119
Epilogue 147
Appendix: Outstanding Muslims 149
Glossary 157
Bibliography 161
Index 165
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Zainab Hussain Haeri has been an invaluable help in the wri-
ting of this book. Without her discipline, perseverance, loyalty
and hard work this book would not have been produced.
Special thanks are also due to Muna Bilgrami for her superb
editing, and to Dr Ya’qub Zaki for his valuable comments and
corrections on the history section.
Encouragement and help also came from many friends and
well-wishers. I offer my thanks to them all.
am
FOREWORD
Human beings are the veil of God, and Muslims are the veil
of Islam. This book tries to lift the veil without prejudice,
condemnation or bitterness.
Islam — submission — is easy. Witnessing and affirming that
there is only One God isa reality accessible to everyone. This
truth is encapsulated in the first phrase of the Muslim creed:
‘I witness that there is no god but God.’ The translation of the
complementary second half of this testimony of belief, that
‘Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah’, is harder to decode.
This is because through time its misapplication has clouded
over its transformational dynamism.
The reader is strongly urged to read this book more than
once and with patience, for not until he or she has imbibed all
the tessellating parts touched upon in this brief introduction
to the reality of Islam will it be possible to break through
the distraction of form to arrive at the transformation of
meaning.
