Message of Thaqalayn
Volume:12 Issue: 2, Summer 2011

Part II of this series offered a description of the implications of Allah’s attributes, such as al-Rahmān and al-Rahim, as well as His coexisting attributes of mercy and power with a connection to Allah’s objective in His creation. In this part, attributes such as His generosity, forgiveness, and kindness are described with further descriptions of His mercy connected to His knowledge and richness. Divine mercy is All-embracing as Allah has made mercy incumbent upon Himself; this mercy cannot be prevented by any source and can save people from divine punishment. Allah greatly emphasizes on His mercy for no other reason than to qualify ourselves to receive more of it and eventually become His vicegerents.

One of the most significant current discussions about Islam is that of peace. What does the Qur’an say about peace and war, and how did the Prophet Muhammad (s) deal with those who did not accept Islam as a way of life? This paper examines the solutions the Qur’an provides to prevent bloodshed and its emphasis on peace towards humankind. According to its teachings, preventing factors that lead to violence such as disputation, unjustified killing, and holding feelings of vengeance are some actions and feelings people are to refrain from. Allah has set worldly punishments as retaliation for those who unjustly kill or injure others. Moreover, the Qur’an sets principles of settling peace, while the Prophet (s) was an exemplar of those standards in assuming the role of the peacemaker with polytheists and atheists, as well as with the People of the Book. Islam highly regards those with a peaceful attitude provided that those who trample on the rights of others are to be firmly resisted in this world, and will face judgment for that act in the afterlife.

Qur’anic descriptions of the prophets and other prominent female personalities reveal the importance of using them as an exemplar in our daily lives. This makes certain that we are given the guidelines as to how to attain proximity to God. Lady Mariam is the most distinguished female mentioned by name in the holy Qur’an, so much so that an entire chapter is named after her. Her titles of being the Masteress of women of her era as well as her qualities of chastity, virtue, and purity qualify her for being the mother of a prophet as well as a model for both men and women to follow. This article studies the portrayal of role models in the Qur’an, several aspects of Lady Mary’s upbringing, and Lady Mariam’s features as seen in the Qur’an and the Bible.

The first journey in the history of Islam was the migration of Muslims to Abyssinia (present-day Ethiopia). This article offers the reasons for this migration, when it occurred, why Prophet Muhammad (s) chose this country over others, and the actions that came about during the Muslims’ stay there. Also, a brief explanation of the Prophet’s contact with the king of Abyssinia after the hijrah is given, along with an analysis concerning the significance of this event. From this migration, we learn that 1) when persecuted, Muslims should migrate when the opportunity is available, and seek a land ruled by a just leader, and 2) Muslims have the responsibility of learning how to interact efficiently in clarifying and enlightening others about Islam.

This article explains the idea of justice as a virtue of the soul and as the supreme virtue in ethics, as opposed to justice as a mere social action. Individual justice takes precedence over social justice since, through training man, the society will naturally include trained individuals; as a result, society will have a healthy political structure. This is discussed in virtue ethics in which virtues are held to have inherent value. Virtue ethics also discusses the ethical characteristics and habits, emphasizing the intrinsic characteristics of the agent of the action. According to the individual justice, justice as a virtue guides us to living a proper life. This paper investigates, explains and compares the theories of Plato, Aristotle and Muslim philosophers including Khajeh Nasir-ul-Din Tusi, Ibn Miskawayh, and the late Naraqi.

This article explains the idea of justice as a virtue of the soul and as the supreme virtue in ethics, as opposed to justice as a mere social action. Individual justice takes precedence over social justice since, through training man, the society will naturally include trained individuals; as a result, society will have a healthy political structure. This is discussed in virtue ethics in which virtues are held to have inherent value. Virtue ethics also discusses the ethical characteristics and habits, emphasizing the intrinsic characteristics of the agent of the action. According to the individual justice, justice as a virtue guides us to living a proper life. This paper investigates, explains and compares the theories of Plato, Aristotle and Muslim philosophers including Khajeh Nasir-ul-Din Tusi, Ibn Miskawayh, and the late Naraqi.

Imamah, the concept of the universal administrator of the Islamic Nation, is one of the five principles of Shi‘i Islam. Although nearly all Muslim theologians agree on the necessity of Imamah, there are different views with respect to its significance, the leader’s role and the characteristics that qualify him to be one. As Prophet Muhammad’s functions were to teach Islam, judge and rule, the Shi‘a hold that a successor to him must also continue his functions with the exception that the Imams did not receive revelation and therefore they taught the same message which was revealed to the Prophet and they gained their religious knowledge through the Prophet. An Imam must have comprehensive knowledge, piety and leadership. On the other hand, Sunnis believe that political leadership suffices as a distinguishing quality of a leader. In this article, the importance of Imamah in Shi‘i Islam will be discussed. In doing so, narrations of the Prophet regarding the necessity of simultaneously holding on to the Qur’an and the Ahl al-Bayt will be presented using both Sunni and Shi’a sources.