Islam Rediscovered
13. The Shariah and Its Application
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situations. Thus by discovering the relevant verse of
the Quran, they should follow with unstinting
devotion and dedication. Believers are urged “to
listen to the Quran with attention, holding their
peace.” (7:204)
That is, they must pay full heed to the passage of
the Quran revealed to the Prophet and then
wholeheartedly carry out the command. The latter
day Muslims have been charged with the added
responsibility of inference (see the Quran, 4:83) and
ijtihad
(striving) as mentioned in the
Hadith
. That is,
to reflect with the utmost honesty, sincerity and
God-fearingness as to pinpoint which divine
command is addressed to them in relation to the
state of affairs in which they find themselves at that
point in time, and then to strive to carry out that
command without showing any reluctance.
That is to say, in the first phase of Islam, the
injunction of
da’wah
was revealed at the time when
the performance of
da’wah
was required, the
injunction of patience was revealed when patience
was required and the injunction to do battle was
revealed at the time when battle was required.
