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CHAPTER 4
THE APPLICATION OF ISLAM TO DAILY LIFE
The Muslims rightfully maintain that Islam is not simply an abstract ideal conceived
just for nominal adoration or a stagnant idol to be frequented by admirers every now
and then. Islam is a code of life, a living force manifest in every aspect of human Life.
The Muslims also maintain that the individual is the center of gravity and is the
launching instrument which can put Islam, or any other system for that matter, into
full action on a full scale. And this is why Islam always begins with the individual and
invariably prefers quality to quantity
Let us begin, where Islam when begins, with the individual. Let us examine the nature
of the individual and find out how Islam views this nature. To clarify things as much
as possible, without getting entangled in philosophical disputes or abstract
controversy, we can define man as having two complementary natures, very
intimately interrelated and continually interacting upon each other. These are the inner
nature and the outer nature. Or one might say that man has one nature only with two
bridged sections hardly separable from each other. One is internal and another
external. The internal nature of man refers to the Ruh (soul or self or heart) and Aql
(mind or power of reasoning or intelligence)
In our illustration of the internal nature of man we shall have to deal with two aspects:
(1) the spiritual or moral aspect and (2) the intellectual aspect. The rest of man’ s
activities and transactions will have to be classified as the external or outer nature of
man. After all, it is a universally admitted fact that man does not live by bread alone
The Spiritual Life
Islam organizes the spiritual or moral life of man in such a way as to provide him with
all the spiritual nourishment needed for piety and righteousness, for safety and peace.
The Islamic prescription for the spiritual life of man grants, when faithfully applied,
maximum positive results as far as man’ s spiritual growth and maturity are concerned.
The main items in this Islamic prescription are:
1. Prayers (Salah);
2. Zakah or Alms – giving;
3. Fasting (Sawm);
4. Pilgrimage (Hajj);
5. Love for God and His Messenger, love for truth and humanity for the sake of God;
6. Hope and trust in God at all times; and
7. Sacrifice for the sake of God by virtue of actual unselfishness
Various aspects of these items have already been discussed in some detail, and here
we have only to add that without these fundamental elements there can be no true
Faith as far as Islam is concerned. The reader is advised to refer to the previous
sections of this work.
The Intellectual Life
The intellectual nature of man is made up, as already mentioned, of mind or
intelligence or reasoning power. To this aspect Islam pays extraordinary attention and
builds the intellectual structure of man on most sound foundations which may be
classified as follows:
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