A Living Branch of Islam: Ismailis of the Mountains of Hunza
2004; Brill; Volume: 84; Issue: 1 Linguagem: Inglês
10.1163/22138617-08401010
ISSN2213-8617
Autores Tópico(s)Islamic Finance and Banking Studies
ResumoIslam is one of the major religions of the world. The QuPan (30:30) com pares Religion to nature (fitrah). A tree is one of the best examples in nature. It grows from a single seed that potentially contains the entire tree: its roots, trunk, branches, leaves, buds, flowers, raw fruit, ripe fruit and finally the seed, which again contains the entire tree. However, in the process of growth all these features do not appear all at once, rather they manifest at various stages of the tree's growth. The same is true of the evolution of religion. It starts with the teach ings of a Divinely inspired messenger or teacher. In his lifetime, the followers re main united as a single community, but after his demise they become divided into different groups and branches. Islam is not an exception to this law of nature. According to the Qur3an (2:213; 3:19; 42:13), Islam is a continuation of God's message to humankind, which started with Adam and continued through Noah, Abraham, Moses, Jesus and finally Muhammad. In this sense, His relig ion is also compared to a week that consists of seven days six of which are for humankind to work in and the seventh is the day of retribution. According to this, the religion of God has been preached by six ndtiqs or law-giving Prophets, each of whom brings a new law (sarf ah) and a Book. They are the six days or cycles in which God created the world of religion. The seventh day or cycle represents the retributor or the qa*im (Qur^an: 7:54; 10:3; 22:47; 25:59). Thus, according to the Qur3an, subsequent to the sixth day of the world of religion, namely Prophet Muhammad, no room is left for any other Prophet and after him starts the day or the cycle of qiydmah in the line of Imamate and continues until the advent of the qd? im} about whom the Prophet said: Even if there re mains of time but a single day, God will prolong it until there comes a man, a descendant of mine, who will fill the earth with equity and justice as it is filled with oppression and injustice.3
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