Introduction

This is the third book in our introduction to Islam series. It comprises excerpts from the Qur’an, arranged in a special sequence under relevant headings. No interpretation or commentary has been added. It provides an introduction to Islam which is derived directly from the original revealed source.

The name of this book is taken from a verse of the Qur’an, the full text of which is:

Be they men or women those, who believe and do what is right We shall surely endow with a good life: We shall reward them according to their noblest actions (16:97).

The meaning of the “good life” mentioned in this verse is clear from the phrase “according to their noblest actions”. A good life is a life of good actions. The commentator of the Qur’an, ad-Dahhak, has defined it as “being content with an honest living and serving God in one’s life.” This is the meaning that the Companions of the Prophet and their followers generally inferred from the phrase.

To believe in God and implement His commandments is to qualify oneself for His succour. God bestows multiple blessings on a person who lives a life of faith and righteousness. He enables him to experience the joy of closeness to God in his worship; to settle day-to-day problems in a divinely-inspired manner; to deal with friends and foe in an equally honest-to-God way. God guides him on the straight path. He always seeks God’s pleasure and nothing can turn him away from this aim.

The Qur’an has given a clear exposition of the theoretical and practical nature of the good life. The verses which have been selected describe various fundamental aspects of this life in the Qur’an’s inimitable style. These passages thus provide both a description of the good life and an authentic example of how it should be lived.
 

Wahiduddin Khan
October, 1980

The Islamic Centre,
New Delhi