FOREWORD

For Newcomers to Islam

Every time they come to you with an argument, We bring you the truth and
the best of explanations.
(Surat al-Furqan, 33)

FOREWORD

There are considerable differences between believers, who truly believe in Allah and adhere to the Qur'an and the Prophet, peace be upon him (pbuh), as a guide to the righteous path, and unbelievers, who have no faith in Allah. These two groups are people of different worlds, for as the Qur'an informs us, just as they are separated here, they will be separated in the Hereafter: One group will be sent to Paradise while the other group will be sent to Hell.

However, this great gap can be bridged, for some unbelievers may, at some time in their life, comprehend the facts and, by Allah's guidance, seek forgiveness and repent of their errors. Mostly, what makes this possible is the believers' communication of Allah's message, which is an act of worship incumbent upon them. They do their best to inform all others, especially those who are ignorant of religion as well as those who have been deceived by the life of this world, of Allah's existence, unity, and His right way (the commandments of the Qur'an and the Sunnah of the Prophet [pbuh]). People who have grown up in a society that is ignorant of religion, and yet posses wisdom and conscience, come to have faith in Allah thanks to believers' efforts and Allah's guidance.

However, this does not mean that people who confirm Allah's existence and the Qur'an as a guide to the true path can overcome their ignorant habits, erroneous value judgements and point of view right away. Until they truly understand the Qur'an and begin to judge everything from the Qur'anic stance, they may well retain some mistaken ideas. Furthermore, their former ignorance may make it hard for them to understand some of the attributes displayed by the believers with whom they have recently become acquainted.

Therefore, it is quite likely for new believers, who are doing their best to learn all they can about Islamic morality, to ask questions when confronted with certain matters. As the Word of Allah, the Qur'an defeats all distorted views and behaviors based upon ignorance, provides explicit answers, and brings the truth.

This book seeks to provide answers from the Qur'anic verses and the Sunnah of the beloved Prophet (pbuh) to those questions and doubts that may be raised by new believers, and to remind believers of the correct behaviors and attitudes shown in the Qur'an.