CHARACTERISTICS OF THE ISLAMIC MESSAGE

1. PERPETUITY: Islam's perpetuity is manifested in its spread across the centuries and the world as long as there are human being on the earth. By force of reason Islam should be perpetual for it is the seal of the divine laws and the consummation of the messages and the expression of Allah's mercy and kindness to His servants. Allah, the Exalted, willed that Islam be a dynamic religion that keeps abreast of mankind throughout the ages and accommodates new developments and consequent growth in the life of this world.

Imam Ja’far al-Sadiq (a descendent of the Prophet's household) said: "The Qur'an is certainly alive and does not die. It moves as the night and the day, and as the sun and moon. Its teachings should be obeyed by the last man on earth as it had been obeyed by the first one."

Imam Muhammad al-Baqir (a descendent of the Prophet's household) said: "The verses of it (Qur'an) are certainly alive and will not die. If the verses that were revealed to the people died when they did, the Qur'an would have died. The verses are alive and valid for the living people."

The secret behind the continuing relevance of the Islamic message can be summarized by the following points:

BROADNESS AND GENERALITY: A key factor that helps the message to remain perpetual is the broadness and generality of its doctrine, laws, systems, views, faith and notions of what is civilized. Islam is an all-encompassing general message. It addresses the questions of doctrine, worship, ethics, family life, rule, politics, international relations, finance, economics, war, peace, land owning and improvement, ideology, culture and education. Individual activities are also addressed in the laws concerning purification, clothing, food, drink, and maintaining one's health.

No lofty testimonies to the grandeur of Islam and its breadth of vision are better than the verses of the Holy Qur'an and the practices of the Holy Prophet.

The Prophet built an Islamic state in Madina and its community and culture have spread to the four corners of the earth. The Prophet was merely a man who conveyed the faith and way of worship to the people. He was a leader and a statesman.

Human life is of two types:

The immutable aspect that covers the constant human needs related to the instinct, human nature and physical development such as food, drink, marriage, medical attention, knowledge, security.

The fluctuating aspect of human needs that is represented in the means and ways that man can employ to respond to his ever existent needs in order to satisfy them. Methods of producing food and clothing, transportation, housing, medical care, ways of gaining knowledge, techniques of defence, preserving security and methods of managing and directing political, social and economic activities.

Islam's way of tackling these dual needs was that it established the bases and general laws to manage the constant aspect of man's needs as they are actually a stable reality in him. Islam moves in conformity with the basic and firm concepts that determine the path for man as his life changes. Islam has therefore kept an open door to growth in human life as long as human interests are secured.

IJTIHAD (deduction of judgements): One of the main factors that makes the laws (shari'ah) accommodating to any development and progress in human life and grants perpetuity is ijtihad. It is naturally clear than any occurrence or novelty may not have a specific and known judgement. So, the judgement must be deduced from the general bases, principles and concepts of Islam. In this way, Islamic thought and laws expand. There is not questions concerning the individual or the community that remains unanswered. The sources of all answers are the Qur'an and the Prophetic practices.

DUTIES WITHIN MAN'S ABILITY:

The second characteristic of the Islamic message is that its duties and laws are simple, easy and within man's ability. There is never a duty or obligation that is beyond man's forebearance. Fasting, prayer, purification, hajj, zakat, jihad, enjoining ood and forbidding evil, expenditure on one's wife, children and parents, are all within man's ability.

The inform, weak and old who cannot fast are exempted from doing so. Whoever is unable to pray normally due to sickness or any other obstacle, can perform his prayers in other ways. If performing ablution with water is harmful, a Muslim may perform tayammum (dry ablution).

HUMANITY

Islam is the message to all mankind. People are of one origin. They are humanly on the same footing. Nobody is preferred to anybody else except through being uprights and kind to others. Nobody is exalted because of his color, race, sex, wealth or power. Outstanding merit springs from faith and conduct.

RATIONALITY AND RESPECT FOR INTELLECT:

Islam is based on logic and rationality. It rescued the mind from illusions and sets it free from the shackles of stagnation, petrification and superstition. It seeks to persuade the mind through judgement, proof and logical evidence.

REALITY AND SYMMETRY:

Islam is certainly a religion of action and a system of life. A message of such calibre should be practical and free from narrow-mindedness and illogical views. It is harmonious with human nature. There is no discordance between man's nature and Islamic principles. All Islamic laws, ethics and worship converge in one channel leading to one sublime target...mankind's happiness.

PAYING HEED TO THE GOAL:

The key target of the Islamic message is to build man and purify him from hypocrisy, self-righteousness, cheating, etc. So, Islam places great weight on intention making it the motive of any action. Accordingly, Islam regards every deed mixed with sanctimoniousness or hypocrisy and devoid of pure intention of being done for the pleasure of Allah as invalid.

TEMPERATENESS AND BALANCE BETWEEN THIS LIFE AND THE HEREAFTER:

Islam strikes a balance between the two lives of man. Islam urges man to seek knowledge, produce, build, enjoy the pleasures of life, and care for his body, instincts and moral urgings. Maintaining the body is an obligation. Man is endeared to marry and in certain cases it become obligatory. Great stress is placed on cleanliness, tidiness, beauty, sports and health.

On the other hand, Islam calls man to be pious and keep up his worship, think of the hereafter and what is in store for him there. The two worlds are not disconnected. The deeds of this world have their results in the next.