Islām: The Concept of Religion and the Foundation of Ethics and Morality — Page-by-Page Notes

Page 1

Theme: Islām as a concept of religion (dīn) and its basis for ethics and morality.
Important distinction: The term din (religion) as used in Islām is not identical to the Western historical notion of religion. In English, Islām is rendered as a religion, but din in Arabic is a broader, coherent unity reflected in the Qur’ān and language.
Etymology and unity of meaning: The root DYN yields multiple primary significations that seem contrary but are conceptually interlinked, forming a unified whole: the Religion of Islām, with its beliefs, practices, and teachings.
Nature of din: In a lived Islamic framework, apparent contradictions among significations reflect human nature itself, not vagueness in din.
Four primary significations of din: (1) indebtedness; (2) submissiveness; (3) judicious power; (4) natural inclination or tendency. These are reduced and then synthesized to denote faith, beliefs, practices, and teachings of Muslims individually and collectively as a community, forming the religion Islām.
Preview of linkage: The author will connect these significations to contexts—secular relations, religious relationship with God, and the collective life of the Muslim community.
Footnote context: The author references Ibn Manzur’s Lisān al-‘Arab (LA) for the connotations of din.

Page 2

The four significations explored in context of human life and religious reality:
- dāna (root dāna): the act of being indebted and its corollaries in debt relations; it carries notions of yielding and obeying law, and of the creditor as dā’in (debtor/creditor roles).
- The debt leads to obligation and judgement: daynūnah, indānah (as cases may be), illustrating the moral and legal dimensions of debt.
- Civilizational and urban analogies: the verb dāna is conceptually linked to life in towns with judges and governors (dayyān) and to the verb maddana (to civilize or found cities), giving rise to terms like madā'in (cities) and tamaddun (civilization, refinement).
- The word din thus expands into: (a) indebtedness and obligation; (b) submission to law; (c) rule and governance; (d) natural habit or disposition, which underpins a custom or traditional pattern.
The change of Yathrib to al-Madinah (City of the Prophet) is significant: It marks the place where true din was realized under the Prophet’s authority, forming the first Muslim community and embodying the socio-political order of Islām. The city also symbolizes the Believer’s body and the rational soul’s authority.
The link to civilization: The process of civilizing and refining social life (to build cities, refine culture) is embedded in din via governances, laws, truth, and justice; din contains the seed of tamaddun (civilization).
Summary takeaway: Din, in its basic form, captures human tendencies to form communities, obey laws, and pursue just governance. In Islamic religious practice, din synthesis becomes the religious-ethical whole, intensifying its spiritual dimension.

Page 3

The four core significations are connected to social life and to religious life:
- The debt signification is tied to a broader logic of law, order, justice, and cultural refinement in social life.
- A cosmopolitan or kingdom-like view of din emerges, highlighting the universal governance and ethical order of God’s creation.
Transition to religious context: While din in secular life is about social relations and duties, in religious terms it refers to the relationship between humans and God, and to what God approves in human relations with others.
The concept of fitrah (natural inclination) is introduced as part of din; din also connotes custom, habit, and disposition, reflecting a natural tendency toward social life and submission to law.
The author signals a forthcoming deeper synthesis: In Islam, the four significations are maintained but intensify and unify when applied to faith, beliefs, and practices—the objective, lived reality of Islām as a community and as an individual.
Rhetorical question introduced: How is the indebtedness to God explained in religious terms? The answer begins with the creation narrative and the Qur’anic claim that God created man from clay and brought him into existence, establishing the sense of indebtedness to the Creator.
The Qur’anic creation sequence is quoted to ground the debt: creation from a quintessence of clay, a series from nutfah to formed man, then other stages, culminating in the statement of God’s creative wonder. The idea is to see the debt as total and originating from God’s ownership of all.
The Qur’anic assertion that man is in loss unless he recognizes this debt and repays it through submission and service to God.
Defining the repayment: returning oneself (khidmah) to God, surrendering to His will and obeying His commands as the means to fulfill creation’s purpose.
The concept that din also connotes fitrah—the natural disposition toward recognizing and submitting to God, which can be understood as a divine pattern (sunnat Allāh) built into creation. People who acknowledge their Lord in pre-existence reflect this covenantal disposition.

Page 4

The Covenant with God as foundational: The Qur’anic passage describing God’s extraction of souls from the Children of Ādam and their being asked to acknowledge Him as Lord, with the admission “Yea, we do testify.” This establishes a perpetual debt and a universal covenant.
The debt of existence is total: man cannot repay with material terms; all that exists is owned by God. Therefore, repayment is through service and submission (khidmah) to God, living under the divine law.
The concept of din as a form of return: returning to one’s inherent nature (fitrah), the spiritual aspect of man, not merely the physical, indicates a redirection toward God.
The admonition that one must enslave the self (dāna nafsahu) to God and that the “intelligent one” is he who enslaves himself and prepares for the life after death (hadith quoted: al-kayisu man dana nafsahu wa-‘amila lima ba’da al-mawt).
The notion of rain as din: din involves recurrence and return, akin to rainfall that brings life and benefits; this metaphor connects to the idea of a beneficial return to God and to one’s own nature.
The hadith about the intelligent person enslaving the self and working for life after death anchors the ethical imperative to align one’s self with God’s purposes.
The Qur’anic image of rain and life is used to illustrate din’s life-giving role for a dead (spiritually) humanity.
The concept that returning to God through appropriate acts of servitude yields a multiplied, good return from God (qarḍhasanan) on a Day of Reckoning; God is the one who dispenses judgment and rewards (yawm al-din, al-dayyān).

Page 5

The distinction between two types of “return”: (i) literal return to God through service and lawful acts; (ii) metaphorical return to the inherent spiritual nature (fitrah) through aligning with the divine pattern.
The Qur’anic notion of repayment via good works: “Who is he who will loan God a beautiful loan” (qarḍan hasanan) and God will double and repay many times. The loan refers to one’s service (ibādāt) rather than a material loan; God is the lender and the taker; the believer’s offered service is the loan that God multiplies.
The terms explained: qarḍan hasanan is a metaphor for good deeds; the concept of dayyān emphasizes God as the ultimate Requiter. The believer remains God’s mamlūk (slave) under His ownership, yet this ownership is rightful and benevolent.
The distinction between abd and khādim: A person who serves God is not merely a servant in a human sense but is literally God’s abīd (slave) and hence in a genuine sense free and master of himself before the Creator, due to God’s ownership and the believer’s voluntary submission.
The Islamic vocabulary: abd (servant/ slave of God), ibadah (acts of worship and service), ibādāt (all acts of service approved by God).
God’s Law (shari’ah) is the form through which submission is enacted; proper ibadah includes worship as well as compliance with divine prohibitions.
The concept that din includes fitrah as a natural propensity to serve and worship God, which, when consciously realized, becomes pure submission (aslama).
The Qur’anic declaration that there is no compulsion in religion (2:256) and the assertion that the only din acceptable to God is Islām (3:19) are recounted to emphasize voluntary and wholehearted submission.
The distinction between willing submission (aslama) and unwilling submission; the latter is considered misbelief (kufr) if it is not from sincere belief and practice.

Page 6

Further elaboration on the meaning of qarḍ and dayn: The loan (qarḍ) is different from debt (dayn). The loan is the return of what belongs originally to God—one’s service and deeds—whereas debt is a burden one owes to God and others.
The term mamlūk (slave) clarifies the owner–owned relationship: the one who serves God is God’s abīd, not simply a servant; the owner is al-Malik, and the subject is the abd; this terminology emphasizes divine sovereignty and human servitude.
The concepts of ibadah and ibādāt become the overarching framework of ethics: human action is meaningful when performed as obedience to God’s commands and as service to Him.
The Qur’ān’s declaration that God created humans to serve Him (ibādat), emphasizing worship as a primary purpose of creation.
The claim that submission to God is a natural inclination (fitrah), tied to both law and custom, which for Islam becomes a conscious and continuous act rather than a one-off occurrence.
The word din, in religious context, also denotes Islām as the ultimate form of submission to God’s will. Other religions involve submission, but Islām is distinguished by the sincerity and totality of submission to God’s law.
The ideal of tawhid (the Unity of God) as the core of din and its implications for how Muslims understand their relationship with God and with each other, as opposed to polytheistic or trinitarian conceptions.
The Qur’anic claim that God alone is the One Reality, and all Islamic values ultimately pertain to Him. This underlines monotheism as the foundation of ethical life.

Page 7

The form of submission: millah, the way or tradition, particularly the millah of Ibrahim (Abraham) and the line of prophets after him; this form is the right religious din al-qayyim (the straight religion).
The ahl al-kitāb (People of the Book) have incorporated their own cultural traditions with revelation, resulting in a mixed religious form that differs from Islām’s pure submission.
The concept of “no compulsion in religion” is reiterated as support for freedom of belief, yet true faith involves wholehearted submission to God’s Will and Law, which is the standard for the Islamic din.
The distinction between willing (unwilling) submission: unwilling submission is associated with arrogance, disobedience, and kufr; true belief requires sincere submission.
The passage asserts that real submission is the model established by the Prophet Muḥammad and is the form of submission approved, revealed, and commanded by God; hence Islām is the best din and the only din acceptable to God.

Page 8

Islām as the form of submission enacted: the millah of Ibrahim, and the prophets that followed, forms the right din; other milal reflect various cultural traditions but are not the millah of Ibrahim.
The text clarifies that although People of the Book may have some revelation, they may mix their own traditions with revelation, leading to a form of submission that is not the perfected millah of Ibrahim. The unwilful (unwilling) submission remains a form of non-ideal din.
The Qur’ān’s assertion that those who seek a religion other than Islām will not have it accepted (3:85) reinforces the exclusive status of Islām as the final and complete submission.
The statement that din at God’s sight is Islām (3:19) establishes Islām as the central, defining form of din in practical and theological terms.
The universal allegiance to God’s Will is stressed: all creatures in the heavens and earth have submitted (aslama) to His Will, willingly or unwillingly, and to God will they all return (2:208-209 style reference).

Page 9

Islām’s scope as a social order: Islām is not merely personal belief but a complete way of life that enacts a social and political order, a Kingdom of God on earth.
The social order in Islām includes all aspects of life: physical, material, and spiritual, balancing the individual and the community; a Muslim is both individual and part of the community (ummah).
The ruler’s authority is framed as khalīfah (vicegerent) of God, entrusted with amānah (trust) to govern according to God’s Will and Pleasure. Ruling is thus a responsibility, not an absolute power.
The notion that rule must align with God’s Law and not simply reflect human interests; self-government is key: governance begins with the self, i.e., the internal rule of rational soul over the animal soul.
The Prophet Muḥammad is presented as the perfect model (al-insān al-kāmil) for 모든 times; Muslims imitate his words (qawl), actions (fi‘l), and silent approvals (taqrir).
The cosmopolis concept: commerce (al-tijārah) is the lifeblood of the cosmopolis; life is a form of trade in which the self is both capital and trader (bay‘ah, ishtara).
The idea of the self as capital, where gains or losses depend on one’s own responsibility and freedom; the believer’s self-trading is a metaphor for ethical action.
The Qur’ān verse about God purchasing the selves of the believers (2:207-209 style reference; 9:111) is cited to illustrate divine ownership and the believer’s devotion in exchange for an eternal reward.
The man of Islām is envisioned as a cosmopolitan in harmony with divine order; the social and spiritual life are integrated rather than separated.

Page 10

Parallel between body and soul: the individual is a microcosm of the macrocosm; the rational soul governs the animal soul and body; the two souls are al-nafs al-nātiqah (rational soul) and al-nafs al-hayawaniyyah (carnal soul).
The Hadith urging Die before you die emphasizes subjugating the lower self to the higher self; the ‘self’ must be returned to its real owner, i.e., God, through the purification of the self via ibadah.
The term al-nafs al-muṭma'innah (the tranquil soul) appears as the ideal spiritual state after mastery of the lower self; this soul returns to its Lord in peace (Qur’an 89:27-30 context).
The concept of ma‘rifah (gnosis/knowledge) is introduced as the knowledge that comes from God through worship and service (ibādāt), not purely speculative rationalism.
Two types of knowledge are introduced:
- First kind (ilm) of prerequisites: knowledge of the core essentials of Islām and tawḥīd; required for every Muslim (farḍ ‘ayn).
- Second kind (ilm) of experiential knowledge: pragmatic and discursive knowledge, useful for social life; required for some Muslims (farḍ kifāyah) and may be delegated to others for communal benefit.
The pilgrim’s path (sirāṭ al-mustaqīm) and the progression from basic knowledge to higher ma‘rifah, with the ultimate attainment of ihsān (excellence) as one who sees God and lives accordingly.
The distinction with Western civilization: Islam’s aim is to produce a good man (a person grounded in faith and justice) rather than merely a good citizen; knowledge in Islam is inseparable from faith and moral transformation.

Page 11

The two kinds of knowledge elaborated: prerequisites (farḍ ‘ayn) and second-level knowledge (farḍ kifayah) and how they relate to ethics and education.
The role of knowledge in ethics: knowledge should lead to justice and moral development; high knowledge cannot be decoupled from virtue.
The practical implications: the two types of knowledge reflect a just distribution of epistemic duties—those who seek higher knowledge for the good of the community should be mindful of the moral prerequisites (taqwa, sincerity).
The contrast with Western epistemology: Western justice often centers on the individual as citizen; Islamic justice centers on the self, with the Covenant guiding moral evaluation.
The Covenant’s central place: the soul’s Covenant with God anchors freedom, responsibility, justice, knowledge, virtue, and brotherhood; it binds individuals and the ummah in shared purpose.

Page 12

The Covenant as the foundation of Islamic brotherhood (ukhuwwah): souls bound in a common spiritual bond transcend race, nation, and time; a bond stronger than earthly kinship.
The Covenant also grounds Islamic political and social organization: even within the state, the individual’s contract with God remains primary; earthly social contracts are subordinate to this soul-level covenant.
The ethical end of Islam: the aim is the individual’s salvation and ethical perfection; the state or society serves this end when aligned with the Covenant, not as the ultimate telos of life.
Emphasis on the unity between belief (īmān) and submission (islām): true Islam integrates belief, faith, and action; there should be no separation between inward belief and outward deeds.
The Prophet Muḥammad as the exemplar whose life and teachings express Islām fully; Muslims replicate his model in everyday life, ensuring continuity of identity across generations.
The covenant creates a universal sense of brotherhood that enables a cosmopolitan, truly global community that transcends geographical and temporal boundaries.

Page 13

The Islamic polity and family of the Covenant: the community (ummah) and its leadership are grounded in the soul’s Covenant with God rather than a secular social contract.
The individual’s loyalty is ultimately owed to God; one’s political and social duties arise from alignment with the Covenant rather than from the state’s prerogatives alone.
The concept of a single, unified Islām that binds individuals and communities together; the Prophet’s life provides a universal model for all times.
The unity of Islām manifests in the mutual responsibility of every Muslim to uphold justice, knowledge, virtue, and brotherhood; no true believer stands outside this Covenant.
The text emphasizes that this Covenant is both personal and communal, creating a seamless blend of individual moral responsibility and collective social order.

Page 14

The concept of justice in Islām: justice is a harmonious condition where things are in their rightful place; not merely relational justice between two parties but a holistic balance within the self.
The Qur’anic stress on justice as a self-relative concept: the self’s relation to its own true place determines justice with others; injustice (zulm) begins with the self.
The three levels of injustice: unjust to God, to others, and most fundamentally to one’s own self due to misalignment with divine law and covenant.
The soul’s Covenant anchors moral knowledge: knowledge must be anchored in the recognition of God’s Lordship and the Covenant; hence knowledge is twofold: prerequisites (belief, tawhid, creed) and experiential (action-guiding) knowledge.
The nature of knowledge and wisdom: knowledge (al-’ilm) has two kinds, and wisdom (hikmah) is the ability to place knowledge in the right place for harmony with the self and universe.
The Qur’anic emphasis on knowledge: over 800 references to knowledge in the Qur’an highlight its central role in ethics and the self’s relation to God.
The self-justification problem: when a believer harms his own self, he violates his Covenant with God, which is a form of injustice—this is seen as the root of all ethical transgressions.

Page 15

The two kinds of knowledge revisited with further nuance:
- First kind (prerequisites): knowledge that directs the heart (qalb) toward God; essential for every Muslim (farḍ ‘ayn), including the basics of Islām and tawhid.
- Second kind (discursive knowledge): knowledge gained through experience and observation, relevant to worldly life; farḍ kifayah (obligatory for some) and potentially transferable to others for communal benefit.
The purpose of seeking knowledge in Islām is not merely producing a good citizen, but producing a good man (insān), who is righteous toward himself and others, and who thereby benefits the community and the state.
The distinction from Western civilization: Islam’s knowledge aims to nurture faith (īmān) and virtue, ensuring the individual’s inner transformation while contributing to the social good; Western knowledge is often geared toward secular citizenship and pragmatic utility.
The claim that the dual aims of knowledge in Islām—faith and practical knowledge—are integrated, making the seeker a good man first and a good citizen second, aligning personal virtue with societal ethics.

Page 16

The following sections illustrate two kinds of knowledge through a rich analogy of knowledge exchange with a neighbor, highlighting stages of relationship and trust.
God’s revelation of Himself to man: the Hadith Qudsī (“I was a Hidden Treasure, and I desired to be known, so I created Creation that I might be known”) explains why God reveals Himself to the rational soul and through spiritual faculties like the heart (al-qalb), spirit (al-ruh), and the innermost ground (al-sirr).
The conditions for God to reveal Himself: (1) the desire of the seeker to know Him, (2) a sharing of the same level of being, (3) approaching God through sincere submission and obeying His commands, (4) the trust that grows through proximity and divine grace.
The Hadith about drawing near to God with supererogatory acts until God loves the worshipper; when God loves him, He becomes the ear, eye, tongue, and hand through whom the worshipper perceives, speaks, and acts.
The unity of knowledge and practice: the first knowledge reveals the relationship between self and God; the second knowledge arises from direct experience, enabling governance of daily life; the prerequisites for the first knowledge are essential for ethical action.
The two-tier approach to knowledge aligns with the aim to create a just, impeccable self that honors the Covenant and serves God with sincerity.
The text notes the two kinds of knowledge relate to human capacity and ethical purpose, and warns against pursuing the second kind to the detriment of spiritual integrity.

Page 17

The Hadith-based framework supports a structured approach to knowledge: the first kind is obligatory for all Muslims (farḍ ‘ayn); the second kind is obligatory for the community to perform collectively (farḍ kifayah) and can be delegated if others take up the responsibility.
Islam’s emphasis on knowledge as a means to moral development, rather than mere accumulation of facts; the aim is to cultivate a person who embodies justice (adl) and truth (haqq).
The two kinds of knowledge are contrasted with Western secular knowledge, which tends to foreground civilizational progress and citizenship rather than the transformation of the self; Islamic knowledge seeks to form the good man who also serves society.
The author continues to emphasize that Islam ties epistemology to spirituality and ethics, rather than fragmenting knowledge from the moral dimension.

Page 18

The Islamic worldview on Being (wujud) vs. becoming (tanāw). Islam emphasizes Being as permanent and unchanging, grounded in revealed truth; progress and development should be understood as return to the original Islamic reality (the Straight Path) rather than mere becoming.
Change and development in Islam are framed as movement back toward genuine Islām as articulated by Muḥammad and his Companions; progress is the return to true Islam, not continuous alteration.
The One Reality: Islam posits a single Reality that underlies all existence; change and development should align with this Reality rather than diverge away from it.
The Qur’ânic notion that the world is unchanging in its essence and that the faith is a fixed, revealed truth; thus true development is internal spiritual reform, not external revolution of dogma.
The concept of progress is thus a direction toward final purpose: toward the re-establishment of the divine order and the Straight Path (sirāṭ al-mustaqīm).

Page 19

Reality and being in Islamic metaphysics: the ontology centers on Being (wujud), Unity (waḥdah), and the distinction between subsistence (baqā) and vanishing (fanā).
Reality is grounded in revelation and the certainty (yaqin) of that knowledge; Islām is an absolute reflection of the Object’s ontological nature (permanent, unchanging).
The claim that Islām, like its Object, is unchanging and complete; progress and development map onto the human capacity to return to the original Islām through adherence to the Prophetic pattern.
The significance of the Prophet Muḥammad: the Seal of the Prophets; a universal model for all times; his life provides the ultimate exemplar of Islām in practice and belief; the Prophet and the Qur’ān together provide a complete guide for human life.
The Western tendency toward relativism and constant change is criticized for lacking a single, established Reality to fix its vision; Islam presents a fixed Truth and a lasting moral order anchored in God’s revelation.

Page 20

The Prophet Muḥammad’s life and the Qur’ān as the source of the Islamic worldview: the Qur’ān is the unchanging Word of God; the Prophet’s life embodies that revelation in practice.
The loneliness of the self is not observed by a believer who has confirmed the Covenant with God, engaged in dhikr (remembrance), munājāt (private supplication), and ongoing ibadah; the heart becomes intimate with God.
The Qur’ān is presented as the ultimate source of guidance and the source of the ideal to be emulated; Muḥammad’s life is the perfect model to guide Muslims in embodying Islām.
The identity of the Muslim is forged by the Prophet’s example and teaching, ensuring continuity of faith across generations and preventing crises of identity.
The Western critique of youth-dominated culture and generational gaps is contrasted with Islam’s enduring, universal model of identity anchored in the Prophet and the Qur’ān.

Page 21

The Prophet as ultimate exemplar: Muḥammad’s life is the perfect model for all people, across time and space; Muslims emulate his sayings (qawl), actions (fi‘l), and tacit approvals (taqrir).
The Prophet’s role as a universal guide contrasts with Western relativism, which denies a single, fixed model for all humanity; Islam provides a stable anchor of identity and meaning.
The unity of Islam is emphasized: there is not subjective vs objective Islām; experience of Islām by each believer is the same Islām in essence, though understanding and practice may vary in degree (iḥsān aspect).
The Prophet’s central place in guiding ethical life, as the source of practice and the model for the community’s behavior and beliefs.
The narrative reinforces that Islam is a complete system of belief and practice that integrates heart, mind, and deeds into a single coherent whole, with Muḥammad as the perfect example.

Page 22

A critique of Western civilization’s concept of identity and generational crisis: youth, middle-aged, and old each seek meaning and identity; each generation questions its own values and looks for guidance, leading to a perennial instability.
The Western emphasis on youth worship and the crisis of identity across generations reflects a lack of stable universal model; Islam offers a stable, divine standard of identity and destiny through the Covenant and Qur’ān.
The text argues that Western society’s emphasis on secular, materialistic values distorts the sense of meaning and life’s purpose, and creates intergenerational and gender-based identity struggles.
In contrast, Islamic society offers a pre-existing, clear model of identity and destiny anchored in the Covenant with God; this identity remains stable across generations.
The Prophet Muḥammad is reaffirmed as the perfect model not only for one generation but for all times; his life provides the continuity needed to prevent identity crises.

Page 23

Closing emphasis: The unity of belief, submission, and practice as the core of Islām; the perfect model Muḥammad serves as the linchpin for all Muslims.
Islam’s emphasis on a holistic life—personal faith and public life—ensures that ethical conduct and religious practice reinforce each other, producing a coherent and resilient moral community.
The text closes by reiterating that the Prophet’s example guarantees the continuity of Islamic identity and ethical guidance across generations, preserving unity and preventing the crises of identity seen in secular Western societies.

// Key definitions and formulas (for quick reference)

din: religion, faith, and the total system of beliefs, practices, and laws in Islām; a unity of meaning reflecting cosmic order.
dāna: indebtedness; the sense of being under obligation to God, which implies submission and service.
dayn: debt in a social/legal sense; corresponding to obligations and reckonings.
dāna (as service): (abd) and (ibādāt) framing the believer as God’s property under God’s ownership.
qarḍan hasanan: a beautiful loan; metaphor for good deeds and service to God, to be repaid manifold by God (the Requiter).
abd: helpless servant/slave of God; the correct term for one who serves God in Islām.
ʿibādāt: acts of worship; the comprehensive service to God.
fitrah: natural disposition toward recognizing and submitting to God; the inherent orientation built into creation.
millah: form or mode of submission; the divine path exemplified by the Prophet Ibrahim and the prophets after him.
tawḥīd: the Unity of God; central to din and ethical life.
ummah: the Muslim community bound by the Covenant with God.
khalīfah: vicegerent of God on earth; the trustee responsible for governance according to God’sWill.
adl: justice; a holistic balance of self, others, and cosmos; justice begins with the self.
ihsān: excellence; the state of acting with constancy as if one sees God.
ḥisāb and dayyān: the concept of reckoning and God as the ultimate judge.
ḥaqq: truth; real knowledge aligns with ultimate truth and divine guidance.
yaqin: certainty; the sure knowledge gained from revelation and guided practice.
sirāṭ al-mustaqīm: the Straight Path; the path of righteousness and divine guidance.
UKHUWWAH: brotherhood among Muslims; a spiritual bond stronger than earthly ties.
qawl, fi‘l, taqrir: the Prophet’s guidance through words, actions, and tacit approvals.