What does a good future for Muslims look like? The Qur'an and the example of the Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) give a clear answer. Be united. Be peaceful. Learn your faith, and learn about the world. Serve the people around you, help one another, keep your word and the law, and show Islam by the way you live. This guide takes each of these in turn, with the verses of the Qur'an, the hadith (the Prophet's (ﷺ) sayings) and the history behind them. In Islam, faith and daily life are not two things: belief, worship, work, family and society are one way of life.
At a glance
- United: one community, no labels. Just call yourself a Muslim.
- Peaceful: gentle in word and deed, and a good neighbour to everyone.
- Able to read, every one of us, and learned in the faith: understand your prayers and the Qur'an.
- Learned in the world: science, study and useful skills.
- Useful to everyone: doctors, judges, teachers, public servants and politicians who serve all people with justice.
- Active in your society: neighbours, schools, volunteering and the life of your town and country, keeping your faith and character.
- Honest in business: help your brothers and sisters, and deal honestly with everyone.
- Law-abiding: keep your agreements and the law of the land.
- An example: good character, the best invitation to Islam.
Unity first
The first need of Muslims is unity. Allah (﷾) tells the believers to hold on to His rope together and not to split apart. In the same verse He reminds them that they were once enemies, and He joined their hearts until they became brothers.
And hold fast, all together, by the rope which Allah (stretches out for you), and be not divided among yourselves
The Qur'an calls the believers one brotherhood, and tells them to make peace between each other when they fall out. It warns against splitting the religion into sects, and against falling into quarrels after the clear signs have come. Qur’an 21:92Qur’an 6:159Qur’an 3:105
The Believers are but a single Brotherhood: So make peace and reconciliation between your two (contending) brothers
The Prophet (ﷺ) said the believers, in their love, mercy and kindness to each other, are like one body. When one part of the body hurts, the whole body shares its sleeplessness and fever. Sahih al-Bukhari 6011Sahih Muslim 2586
So what should a Muslim call himself or herself? The Qur'an has already answered: Allah (﷾) named us Muslims. No sect names, no labels: just call yourself a Muslim.
It is He Who has named you Muslims, both before and in this (Revelation)
Unity does not mean agreeing on every small detail. It means praying together, working together and caring for each other, and never letting a difference of opinion turn brothers and sisters into strangers.
Peace, not violence
The word Islam comes from the same Arabic root as salam, which means peace, and Muslims greet each other with "peace be upon you". The Qur'an teaches Muslims to answer harm with good:
Repel (Evil) with what is better: Then will he between whom and thee was hatred become as it were thy friend and intimate!
And it describes the servants of the Most Merciful like this:
the servants of (Allah) Most Gracious are those who walk on the earth in humility, and when the ignorant address them, they say, “Peace!”
Faith cannot be forced on anyone. The Qur'an says there is no compulsion in religion, and it tells Muslims to invite others with wisdom and kind words. Qur’an 2:256Qur’an 16:125
The Prophet (ﷺ) said that Allah (﷾) is gentle and loves gentleness, and that He gives for gentleness what He does not give for harshness. He also said that a true Muslim is one whose words and hands people are safe from, and a true believer is one with whom people's lives and property are safe. Sahih Muslim 2593Sunan an-Nasa'i 4995
History: the Treaty of Hudaybiyya
In the year 628 the Prophet (ﷺ) set out with his companions to make Umrah, the lesser pilgrimage, at Mecca. The Quraysh, the tribe that ruled Mecca, stood in the way. He sent them word: we have not come to fight anyone, only to make Umrah. Then he agreed to hard terms for the sake of peace. His title, "the Messenger of Allah", was left out of the treaty, and he turned back without making the pilgrimage that year. Many of his companions were upset. Sahih al-Bukhari 2731, 2732
Soon afterwards Allah (﷾) revealed a chapter of the Qur'an that begins, "Verily We have granted thee a manifest Victory". When Umar asked whether the treaty was really a victory, the Prophet (ﷺ) said yes. The peace held until allies of the Quraysh attacked allies of the Muslims. In 630 the Prophet (ﷺ) entered Mecca with little fighting, and he declared an amnesty: a pardon for the people of the city. Qur’an 48:1Sahih al-Bukhari 3182Encyclopaedia Britannica
Knowledge: read, and understand your faith
Islam began with one word. The very first word of the Qur'an to be revealed was a command: "Proclaim!", or "Read!" The first verses go on to praise Allah (﷾), who taught by the pen. So let no Muslim be left unable to read. Today, not being able to read holds people back: from reading the Qur'an for themselves, from good work, from serving others. It must be ended. Every Muslim, man or woman, young or old, should learn to read and write, and help others to learn. Qur’an 96:1Sahih al-Bukhari 3
He Who taught (the use of) the pen,- Taught man that which he knew not.
Allah (﷾) told the Prophet (ﷺ) to pray for more knowledge, and He asks: are those who know equal to those who do not know? Qur’an 39:9
“O my Lord! advance me in knowledge.”
Start with your own prayer. You say the same words many times every day, so learn what each one means, and your salah (prayer) will change. Then read the Qur'an with its meaning, a little every day, and think about what you read. Allah (﷾) asks:
Do they not then earnestly seek to understand the Qur'an, or are their hearts locked up by them?
The Prophet (ﷺ) said that the best of you are those who learn the Qur'an and teach it. He also said that whoever follows a path in search of knowledge, Allah (﷾) makes easy for him a path to Paradise. Sahih al-Bukhari 5027Sahih Muslim 2699
Knowledge: science and study
Again and again, the Qur'an asks people to look at the world and think. It praises those who reflect on the creation of the heavens and the earth. It says Allah (﷾) raises by degrees those who believe and have been given knowledge, and that among His servants it is those with knowledge who truly stand in awe of Him. Qur’an 3:191Qur’an 58:11Qur’an 35:28
in the creation of the heavens and the earth, and the alternation of night and day,- there are indeed Signs for men of understanding
Muslims took this to heart. For centuries Muslim scholars were among the world's leaders in mathematics, science and medicine, and Europe learned from their books.
- 800s
The House of Wisdom in Baghdad: a royal library and translation centre where the caliphs (the Muslim rulers of the time) supported scholars to translate and study books of science and philosophy. Encyclopaedia Britannica
- c. 780–c. 850
Al-Khwarizmi, a mathematician linked to the House of Wisdom. The word algebra comes from the title of his book, and the word algorithm from his name. Encyclopaedia Britannica
- 859
Fatima al-Fihri, a Muslim woman, founds the Qarawiyyin mosque in Fez, Morocco. It grew into a place of learning that still teaches today, and it is often called the oldest existing university in the world. Encyclopaedia BritannicaGuinness World Records
- c. 936–c. 1013
Al-Zahrawi (known in Europe as Albucasis), a surgeon in Córdoba, Spain, writes a great medical encyclopedia with a section on surgery and its instruments. It shaped surgery in Europe for about five hundred years. Encyclopaedia Britannica
- c. 965–c. 1040
Ibn al-Haytham explains in his Book of Optics how we see: light reflected from objects enters the eye. He tested ideas with experiments. Encyclopaedia Britannica
- 980–1037
Ibn Sina (known in Europe as Avicenna) writes the Canon of Medicine. Europe used it as a medical textbook for centuries, into the 1600s. Encyclopaedia Britannica
"c." means about: the exact years are not known.
The same call is for you today. Study hard, whatever your field. Become scientists, engineers, doctors and researchers. The Qur'an praises those who think about Allah's (﷾) creation, and useful knowledge benefits everyone. Qur’an 3:191
Be a benefit to your society
Islam asks Muslims to do good to everyone around them, Muslim or not. Allah (﷾) commands Muslims to give back what they are trusted with, and to judge between people with justice.
Allah doth command you to render back your Trusts to those to whom they are due; And when ye judge between man and man, that ye judge with justice
Justice in Islam is for everyone. Muslims must stand firm for justice, even against themselves or their own families, rich or poor. And they must never let dislike of any people turn them away from being fair. Qur’an 4:135
let not the hatred of others to you make you swerve to wrong and depart from justice. Be just: that is next to piety
So become doctors who treat every patient with the same care, judges and lawyers who apply the law fairly to everyone, teachers who bring out the best in every child, and scientists whose work helps everyone. Become public servants and politicians who serve the whole community, Muslim and non-Muslim alike, under the law of the land. In Islam, influence means being useful to people. It is a responsibility to carry out fairly for everyone, not a prize.
The Prophet (ﷺ) said that none of you truly believes until he wants for his brother what he wants for himself. Sahih al-Bukhari 13
History: Joseph in Egypt
The Qur'an tells how the prophet Joseph (Yusuf) served in the government of the king of Egypt. He had explained the king's dream: seven years of plenty would be followed by seven hard years. So he asked to be put in charge of the land's storehouses, to keep food safe for everyone through the hard years. When the famine came, people came to him from other lands too, and he gave them full measure. Qur’an 12:47–49Qur’an 12:54Qur’an 12:58–59
Set me over the store-houses of the land: I will indeed guard them, as one that knows (their importance).
Take part in your society
Become active members of your society. Take part in the life of your neighbourhood and your country: volunteer, join local groups, help at your children's schools, get to know your neighbours, and vote. Integrate, and keep your faith and your good character as you do. Allah (﷾) made people into nations and tribes so that they would get to know one another.
O mankind! We created you from a single (pair) of a male and a female, and made you into nations and tribes, that ye may know each other
Start with the people next door. The Qur'an asks Muslims to do good to neighbours who are near and to neighbours who are strangers. The Prophet (ﷺ) said the angel Jibril (Gabriel) kept urging him to treat neighbours well, so often that he thought neighbours would be made heirs. He also said that whoever believes in Allah (﷾) and the Last Day should not harm his neighbour. Qur’an 4:36Sahih al-Bukhari 6014Sahih al-Bukhari 6015Sahih al-Bukhari 6018
History: the first Muslims in Abyssinia
From about the year 615, groups of the first Muslims, some eighty in all, treated harshly in Mecca, moved to Abyssinia (in today's Ethiopia). It was ruled by a just Christian king, the Negus, who let them live there in peace. The Prophet (ﷺ) had sent them there, and some of them stayed more than ten years, until 628. The Negus himself later accepted Islam. When he died, the Prophet (ﷺ) called him a righteous man and "your brother", and told the Muslims to offer the funeral prayer for him. Encyclopaedia BritannicaSahih al-Bukhari 3136Sahih al-Bukhari 3877
Help one another in business
The Prophet (ﷺ) was a businessman before he was a prophet, and an honest one. Khadijah, a respected merchant of Mecca, employed him to lead her trading caravan to Syria, and later offered him marriage. The early biographies record that the people of Mecca called him al-Amin, "the trustworthy". Even the people who later opposed him said they had never known him to lie. Encyclopaedia Britannica Ibn Ishaq, The Life of Muhammad Sahih al-Bukhari 4770 Sahih al-Bukhari 7
So follow his example: help your brothers and sisters in business, and deal with the same honesty with everyone, whatever their faith. Share your skills, give good advice and recommend honest work. The Qur'an says: help one another in good, never in wrong.
Help ye one another in righteousness and piety, but help ye not one another in sin and rancour
Helping one another never means shutting anyone out. The Qur'an asks that trade be by free and fair agreement, and it condemns cheating people in weights and measures. Qur’an 4:29Qur’an 83:1–3
Give full measure when ye measure, and weigh with a balance that is straight
The Prophet (ﷺ) said that when the buyer and the seller tell the truth and make clear any fault in the goods, their sale is blessed; when they lie or hide something, the blessing is lost. And he prayed for Allah's (﷾) mercy on the one who is easy-going when he buys, when he sells and when he asks for what he is owed. Sahih al-Bukhari 2079Sahih al-Bukhari 2076
Keep the law where you live
A Muslim keeps his word. The Qur'an says it plainly: fulfil your agreements and your promises, because every promise will be asked about on the Day of Judgment. Qur’an 5:1Qur’an 16:91
fulfil (every) engagement, for (every) engagement will be enquired into (on the Day of Reckoning).
Living in a country is an agreement too: you live there under its laws. So keep the law of the land. Pay your taxes, drive with care, tell the truth in business and in court, and be the honest, reliable neighbour that everyone is glad to have.
Be an example of Islam
The best way to show people Islam is to live it. Your character can be the best form of dawah, the best invitation to Islam: people often judge Islam by the Muslims they meet. Allah (﷾) made the Prophet (ﷺ) the finest example to follow, and He praised his character. Qur’an 68:4
Ye have indeed in the Messenger of Allah a beautiful pattern (of conduct)
Allah (﷾) made the Muslims a justly balanced community, one that stays away from extremes. And He describes them as raised up for the good of mankind: they call people to what is right, turn them from what is wrong, and believe in Allah (﷾). This is not a boast. It is a duty, and the honour lasts only as long as the good work does. Qur’an 2:143Qur’an 3:110
Allah commands justice, the doing of good, and liberality to kith and kin, and He forbids all shameful deeds, and injustice and rebellion
The Prophet (ﷺ) used to say that the best of you are those with the best character. Sahih al-Bukhari 3559
History: Islam in Indonesia and Malaysia
Indonesia, the country with the most Muslims on earth, and Malaysia were never conquered by a foreign Muslim army. From about the 1200s, Islam reached them mostly through Muslim merchants and teachers who lived among the people. People came to know Islam through the Muslims they traded and lived with, how they dealt with others and how they lived, and local rulers and peoples chose to become Muslim. In the early 1400s the ruler of Malacca, the great trading port of the Malay lands, became a Muslim. Was Islam spread by the sword? M. C. Ricklefs, A History of Modern Indonesia (2008) Encyclopaedia Britannica Encyclopaedia Britannica
A hopeful future
A bright future is open to every Muslim who is united, peaceful, learned and useful to the people around them, and it is a future that is good for everyone. None of it has to wait. It starts with you: stand together with your brothers and sisters, learn the meaning of your prayers, read the Qur'an, study hard, do your work well, keep your word, and treat everyone with kindness and justice.
Above all, do this together, as one community of Muslims, and people will see Islam in the way you live.