Page 73 - Seekers Guide Book

The Seeker’s Guide
had fulfilled his responsibility of dawah (conveying the
message of God) with respect to the Quraysh.

It is commonly held by scholars that if a community
persists in its denial of the messenger, it shall suffer
consequences. However, in my opinion, this verse of the
Quran was in the language of ‘divine hammering.’ Its
purpose is to invoke in the reader a sense of seriousness
towards the message and to make him ponder over its
meaning. As we learn from the history of Islam, the
Makkans who had become dire opponents of the Prophet
(and also the immediate reference of this verse) eventually
embraced Islam.

I derive an extended meaning from the words of the
above verse, which pertains to peaceful co-existence. The
verse means that a believer must follow one and respect
all religions.

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5 What is ijtihad in today s world?

jtihad is a principle to be followed in every age. It was
Iused even at the time of the Prophet. Ijtihad means to
reapply the teachings of Islam to a new situation. We
have an example of this during the life of the Prophet.

Once, the Prophet sent a group of his Companions to
the tribe of Banu Qurayzah. Before sending them off, he
advised them:

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