FOREWORD
This religious study material is prepared primarily
for the benefit of young Ahmadi Muslims who are living
in countries where English is the primary language of
instruction.
The study of any religion is a fairly demanding task
and the religion of Islam is no exception. An effort,
therefore, has been made to present this religion, its
history and relationship with other faiths, in as
systematic a manner as possible. Wherever possible,
information is supplemented by charts, maps and tables
which are always easier to understand than the written
text. A number of exercises and work sheets are also
included at the end of this book on the premise that one
learns better by writing than by reading only.
This book is divided into six sections.
Section 1 deals with the religion of Islam including
its beliefs, acts of worship and the social and moral
codes. A special feature of this section is the
chronological listing of all Quranic and Biblical
prophets and of prophets and Scriptures of other
religions.
Section 2 is devoted to the study of the Holy Quran
and gives the reader a general knowledge of what the
Holy Quran contains.
Section 3 covers the life of the Prophet Muhammad,
peace and blessings of Allah upon him, from his birth in
570 AD to his death in 632 AD.
Section 4 deals with the Successors of the Holy
Prophet and the various Caliphate dynasties that
followed. A brief account of the development of sects in
Islam is also included here.
Section 5 is on the history of Ahmadiyyat from the
time of Mirza Ghulam Ahmad's birth to the period of the
Fourth Khalifah. This section also deals with the
important differences between Ahmadi and Sunni beliefs.
Section 6 is on the study of Comparative Religions
and covers the various classifications of religions,
their origins, essential beliefs, modes of worship,
religious philosophies, wisdoms and comparisons with the
religion of Islam. The survey covers all major religions
of the world including Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism,
Sikhism, Confucianism, Taoism, Shinto, Zoroastrianism,
Judaism and Christianity.
The purpose of this book is to give the student a
broad outline of the religious knowledge pertaining to
Islam and make available to him, in one volume, all
necessary information which otherwise may have to be
looked up in a number of different books.
For the sake of simplicity, many beliefs and historic
events have been dealt with very briefly; and
consideration of space has caused many details to be
omitted here and there. Nevertheless, the treatment of
the various subjects presented here is quite adequate
for most students. For those who wish to pursue further
reading on these subjects, a selected bibliography is
given at the end of this book.
The writing of this book grew out of the weekly
instruction given to the Ahmadi children of Vancouver in
their Sunday School, over a period of three years. It
was indeed the enthusiasm displayed by these children
and their obvious eagerness to learn more about their
religion, which encouraged the writer to undertake the
preparation of this book. It is for this reason that the
writer dedicates this book to the Ahmadi children of
Vancouver, Canada. May God bless them and ever increase
their appetite for learning. Our children are our most
precious asset and their proper education and upbringing
should not be taken lightly.
Finally, I would like to extend my appreciation and
gratitude to all those persons who read the manuscript
and made valuable comments and suggestions. All
responsibility for any errors or omissions rests solely
with the writer.
Pir Waheed Ahmad
January 1988 Toronto, Canada
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