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Islam is a religion centred on worshipping one God and living responsibly before Him. The word Islam expresses submission to God. A Muslim is someone who follows this faith. Its teachings connect belief with prayer, family life, work and theâŠ
Islam describes human life as a relationship with a Creator who gives guidance and holds people responsible. Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) â Sahih Muslim 8a â describes six foundations of faith. They concern God, angels, revealed books, messengers,âŠ
Allah is the Arabic name for God. In Islamic teaching, this is the Creator of every person and the whole universe, not a deity limited to one race or country. The Arabic word ilah can refer to a deity; Allah functions as the name of the oneâŠ
Du'a means calling upon God. It may express gratitude, ask for help or seek forgiveness. Unlike the prescribed daily prayer, a personal request does not require a fixed script. A Muslim may speak in Urdu, Telugu, Hindi, English or anotherâŠ
The names describe qualities of the one God, not different gods. The Qur'an speaks of Godâs most beautiful names. Saying of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) â Sahih al-Bukhari 2736 â gives special importance to knowing ninety-nine names. The reportâŠ
The Qur'an addresses people who have wronged themselves and tells them not to despair of God's mercy. The next verse calls them to return to God. Read together, these passages offer hope and invite change. They do not suggest that harmingâŠ
A prophet is a human being chosen by God to communicate revelation. In Islamic teaching, prophets show how guidance can be lived amid family duties, hardship and public responsibility. Their humanity makes their example relevant to otherâŠ
Islam teaches one earthly life, followed by death, an intermediate state, resurrection and judgment. The intermediate state is often called barzakh, a barrier or interval before resurrection. God then raises people and judges them. Paradise andâŠ
Illness, poverty, disability and bereavement can affect anyone. Islamic teaching does not give observers the right to look at a person's suffering and announce that the person deserves it. The Qur'an says that no one carries another person'sâŠ
Ibadah is often translated as worship. It includes prescribed practices such as prayer, but its wider meaning covers living in willing obedience to God. Honest work, care for family and helping a neighbour can have religious value when theâŠ
The five pillars are central acts through which Muslim faith is expressed. Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) â Sahih al-Bukhari 8 â lists these five practices. They give worship a regular place in life, while also connecting it with generosity andâŠ
The adhaan, often called azaan in India, announces a time for prescribed prayer. A caller known as a muezzin recites it. Its words affirm God's greatness, declare faith in God and His messenger, and invite people to prayer and spiritualâŠ
Salah is the prescribed form of Muslim prayer, commonly called namaz in India. Its five daily periods are dawn, midday, afternoon, sunset and night. Prayer includes recitation, standing, bowing and prostration, with adaptations for people whoâŠ
A mosque, or masjid, is a place for Muslim worship. An imam leads congregational prayer. Men commonly attend congregational prayers there, while Muslims can also pray in clean and suitable places such as a home, an office space or a safe placeâŠ
Ramadan is a month in the Islamic lunar calendar. During its daily fast, Muslims who are required and able to fast abstain from food, drink and sexual relations from dawn until sunset. Food and drink are permitted at night. The fast begins atâŠ
Zakat is obligatory giving from qualifying wealth to specified recipients. It is one of Islam's five pillars. Its religious purpose includes recognising responsibility towards people in need and resisting the idea that wealth carries no duties.âŠ
Indian organisations apply zakat through education support, food assistance and opportunities to earn. Their reports provide examples of what donors fund. These are organisation-reported activities, sometimes described through press reports,âŠ
Hajj is the pilgrimage to Makkah and nearby sacred sites during appointed days of the lunar month of Dhul-Hijjah. It involves prescribed rites and is required once in a lifetime for Muslims who meet its conditions of ability. Financial meansâŠ
The Qur'an brings worship of God together with care for parents, relatives, orphans, people in need and neighbours. Verse Qur'an 2 : 177 explains righteousness through belief, giving, prayer, keeping commitments and endurance. ReligiousâŠ
The Qur'an calls for trusts to be returned to their rightful owners and for people to be truthful. A trust may be money, a borrowed item, confidential information or responsibility for someone else's work. These duties apply in ordinaryâŠ
Qur'an 4 : 135 calls for justice even when truthful testimony goes against oneself, parents or relatives. Qur'an 5 : 8 warns that hostility towards a group must not lead to injustice. Taken together, these passages challenge two common sourcesâŠ
Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) â Sahih al-Bukhari 6013 â connects receiving mercy with showing mercy to others. Kindness is therefore not merely a pleasant feeling. It can involve listening to a distressed person, being gentle with children orâŠ
Islam permits earning through useful work, trade and investment that meet its ethical requirements. It does not require everyone to possess the same amount of wealth. It does ask how money was acquired, what obligations accompany it and whetherâŠ
The Qur'an permits trade and prohibits riba. Riba covers prohibited increases in specified transactions. In the mainstream position represented by the International Islamic Fiqh Academy, a stipulated increase on a money loan is prohibited,âŠ
Halal means permitted in Islam. Haram means prohibited. Although these words often appear in discussions about meat, they also apply to earning, trade and conduct. Honest income can be described as halal; theft and bribery are prohibited. TheâŠ
Halal certification is a process through which a certifying organisation assesses whether a product or process meets the requirements of its scheme. Depending on the product, checks may include ingredients, animal sources, processing aids,âŠ
Islam permits meat from certain animals subject to requirements about the animal and slaughter. God's name is invoked, and the process follows religious rules. The permission to eat meat does not mean that every way of transporting, holding orâŠ
Eid al-Adha, commonly called Bakrid in India, is a Muslim festival associated with Abraham's willingness to obey God. In the Qur'anic account, Abraham and his son submit to the test, and the son is ransomed with a great sacrifice. The passageâŠ
Demand around Bakrid connects livestock rearers, traders, transport workers, fodder sellers and other services. This is a practical economic relationship alongside the festival's religious meaning. The people involved can come from differentâŠ
Shariah refers to the path of guidance understood to come from God. It concerns worship, ethics and relationships as well as legal matters. Prayer, giving, family responsibilities and fair trade all belong within its scope. Reducing it toâŠ
The Qur'an first tells believing men to lower their gaze and guard their chastity, then addresses women with related duties and instructions about dress. Modesty therefore concerns how people look, act and dress. It is not a duty placed only onâŠ
Qur'an 49 : 13 addresses humanity and describes peoples and tribes as an opportunity to know one another. It rejects inherited status as the measure of worth before God. This does not mean that religions have no differences. It means thatâŠ
The way âJIHADâ meaning is portrayed in mainstream media, TV shows, news channels, etc., for many people, including those Muslims who are not regular readers of Islamic literature, it means armed conflict, striking civilians or military attackâŠ
Any discussion of jihad must inevitably include armed struggle. The questions that need to be answered in this regard are:
UN Security Council Resolution 1566 (2004) defines Terrorism as the deliberate killing, serious harming, or hostage-taking of civilians in order to terrorize people or force a government to act, in a way terrorists want.
The Quran is the literal, final revelation from God that has shaped a vast global civilization and has been memorized and practiced by billions for over a millennium
Without revelation, philosophers have proposed numerous meanings of life:
The Qur'an describes itself as a revealed and recited message rather than as a book initially delivered in a single bound volume.
The Qurâan was revealed to Prophet Muhammad ï·ș in the Arabian Peninsula, mainly in two cities:
The early Muslim community therefore preserved the revelation through extensive memorization and recitation.
The Qurâan is unique not merely because Muslims regard it as sacred, but because of a combination of features concerning its message, preservation, language, structure, historical transmission, and influence.
The Qurâan repeatedly challenges its opponents to produce something comparable.
The Qurâan provides comprehensive guidance for every aspect of human life, including specific instructions concerning situations of war. To understand these rulings accurately, it is essential to examine the historical context, circumstances of revelation, and the inten
The Qurâan does not present itself as the first revelation from God.
Claims concerning âscientific miraclesâ in the Qurâan have become extremely popular in modern Muslim apologetics.
The Qurâan addresses Muhammad ï·ș directly but is not a biography. Details of his life come from hadith (reports of his words and actions) and sira (biographical literature). The earliest surviving full biography is by Ibn Ishaq (d. c. 767 CE), preserved mainly in Ibn His
The Qurâan uses two Arabic words, nabi (prophet) and rasul (messenger). Every messenger is a prophet, and a messenger is one who brings a scripture or a law to a community. In everyday Muslim usage both describe people chosen by God to guide humanity.
The Qurâan presents itself as revelation brought to Muhammadâs heart by the âTrustworthy Spiritâ in clear Arabic (26:192â195). Tradition identifies Gabriel as that angel. Revelation came in portions, sometimes a few verses and sometimes a whole chapter, in response to e
Even in Makkah some people said that a human being was teaching him (16:103) or that he had invented the Qurâan with help (25:4â5). The Qurâan answered each charge, and the Makkans, who had known him for forty years, never found in his earlier life any sign of poetry, p
At the heart of the mission is tawhid, the oneness of God. The Qurâan presents the Prophetâs first task as calling people away from idols and from reliance on tribe, ancestry or wealth, to worship God alone (e.g. 112:1â4). From that principle follow equal worth of all h
Makkah was a sanctuary town centred on the Kaâbah, which the Quraysh tended. Tradition says the sanctuary held many idols; Ibn al-Kalbiâs Book of Idols gives the traditional count of 360 around the Kaâbah. Pilgrims brought prestige and trade to the Quraysh. Arabia was n
The first response of the Quraysh was mockery and pressure on his protector, Abu Talib, to silence him. They offered, according to tradition, wealth and leadership if he would stop. He is reported to have declined. Physical hostility followed. Ibn Abbas and Urwa report
Facing persecution, the Prophet ï·ș advised some followers to go to Abyssinia, saying that its king would not wrong anyone (Ibn Ishaq). Traditional accounts give a first group of about eleven men and four women, including Uthman ibn Affan and his wife Ruqayyah, the Prophe
Three pressures converged. First, the deaths of Khadijah and Abu Talib in 619 removed his support at home and his clan protection. Second, after Taâif rejected him he sought a new base. Third, Yathrib, an oasis about 350 km north, was divided between the Aws and Khazraj
The text, called Sahifat al-Madina or Kitab al-Umma, survives in quotations in Ibn Ishaqâs biography (via Ibn Hisham) and in Abu âUbaydâs Kitab al-Amwal, with other citations in later works. It lays out obligations in some forty-odd clauses, depending on how modern edit
The Qurâanâs core demand was tawhid. By the end of the Prophetâs life most of the Arabian Peninsula had accepted his leadership, with delegations arriving in 630â631 (the âYear of Delegationsâ). Jews and Christians who kept their faith were given treaty protection (for
Most of what is known about his home life comes from Aisha (RA) and other wives, and from Companions who visited. These accounts are found in the Sahih collections of Bukhari and Muslim and in Sunan and Musnad works. These accounts are preserved with chains of narration
For about 25 years, from around 595 until her death in 619, Muhammad ï·ș had one wife, Khadijah, a businesswoman who, by tradition, was older than he. She supported him in the first revelations, and he remembered her fondly for the rest of his life.
Aâishah (RA) (c. 614â678 CE), daughter of Abu Bakr (RA), grew up in a Muslim household and became known for her memory, eloquence and judgement. She is credited with 2,210 hadith, of which about 174 are agreed upon by Bukhari and Muslim. Prominent successors such as Urw
The emigrants had left Makkah and lost their property there, and the Quraysh remained at war with them. The Qurâan gives permission to fight those who have been wronged and driven from their homes (22:39â40). The tradition understands the early expeditions against Quray
The first permission to fight was given to those who had been wronged (22:39). The Qurâan commands Muslims to fight those who fight them âbut do not transgressâ (2:190), and to incline to peace when the enemy does (8:61). It encourages kindness and justice towards non-M
Among the traits of the righteous is that they give food, though they love it, to the poor, the orphan and the captive (76:8). Qurâan 47:4 says that after the fighting is over captives are to be released either as a favour or for ransom. The verse does not mention execu
Two years into the Hudaybiyyah truce, a clan allied with the Quraysh attacked Khuzaâa, an ally of the Prophet ï·ș. The Prophet ï·ș regarded the truce as broken and marched on Makkah in Ramadan, 8 AH (January 630) with about 10,000 men.
The figure of 1,018 deaths, 259 Muslims and 759 opponents, is a widely cited total obtained by adding the casualty figures that the classical sira literature gives for each battle and expedition. Estimates run from about 900 to 1,600 depending on which expeditions are c
The Prophet ï·ș performed his farewell pilgrimage in the tenth year after the Hijrah. Traditional accounts say that more than 100,000 people were present. He spoke from his camel at Arafah, and the sermon was repeated for the crowd by Rabiâa ibn Umayya. He died about thre
His rooms beside the Prophetâsï·ș Mosque (Masjid e Nabwi) in Madinah were small, built of mud brick and palm trunks with roofs of palm branches, and low enough that a man could touch the ceiling (Ibn Saâd, al-Tabaqat). There was no palace, throne or guard.
In Young India (1924), Gandhi wrote that, having read the Prophetâs ï·ș life, he was more convinced than ever that Islam did not win its place in the world by the sword. He pointed instead to the Prophetâs ï·ș rigid simplicity, self-effacement, regard for his pledges, devot
Naât (from Arabic, âdescriptionâ) is poetry in praise of the Prophet ï·ș. Its origins are linked to early poets such as Hassan ibn Thabit and Kaâb ibn Zuhayr, who recited before him. In South Asia it became a major genre in Persian and Urdu, from Amir Khusrau onward, and
European writing about Muhammad ï·ș changed over the centuries. The Enlightenment brought fairer treatments, such as Henri de Boulainvilliersâ La Vie de Mahomed (1730) and George Saleâs English translation of the Qurâan (1734), and the tributes below belong to that curren
Hate is not only an extreme act. It can begin in a familiar label, an unexamined assumption or a message passed on without checking. This knowledge hub explores how those processes work and what can interrupt them. It connects the Anti HateâŠ
Prejudice is a judgement about people that gives their group identity more weight than fair consideration of their circumstances or conduct. Stereotypes are beliefs about groups; prejudice involves evaluation or feeling; discrimination concernsâŠ
An automatic association is a quick mental connection that may influence what we notice or how we interpret an event. It is not a reliable verdict on someone's character. The Implicit Association Test measures relative response speeds whenâŠ
Fear becomes socially dangerous when an uncertain threat is attributed to an entire community and repetition makes that attribution seem established. A concern about jobs, safety or cultural change deserves evidence appropriate to the claim. ItâŠ
Escalation models help people notice exclusion before it develops into more serious harm. They are teaching tools, not laws of human behaviour. The gallery's pyramid combines classification, symbolisation, discrimination, dehumanisation andâŠ
The Holocaust, the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda, the Srebrenica genocide and India's 1984 anti-Sikh violence have distinct histories. Comparing them responsibly means examining mechanisms such as dehumanisation, organisedâŠ
A rumour can damage a livelihood or reputation before anyone verifies it. Repetition makes a message familiar, while sharing by a trusted person may make it appear credible. Neither establishes truth. Research on Twitter between 2006 and 2017âŠ
A frame gives prominence to some aspects of an event while leaving others in the background. Calling people âencroachersâ directs attention towards an alleged land violation; calling them âfamiliesâ directs attention towards human consequences.âŠ
Misleading information takes different forms. A story may invent an event, distort a genuine finding or attach a false explanation to real footage. Each requires a slightly different check. Find the original claim, examine its date and context,âŠ
AI can generate or alter images, video and voices so that an invented scene appears plausible. It can also support legitimate translation, creativity and accessibility. The important questions are what the media claims to show, how it wasâŠ
Forwarding a message can have legal consequences when the facts satisfy a relevant offence. Under Section 353(2) of India's Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, certain false information, rumours or alarming reports intended or likely to promote hostilityâŠ
A prison population is not a count of people proven guilty, and an individual's crime does not establish the character of a religious community. India's prison data distinguish convicted prisoners from undertrials and other categories. ReadingâŠ
Halal means permissible within Islamic teaching. In food, it concerns ingredients and preparation; commercial certification is a system for checking specified requirements. A halal label is not evidence of a political project, and halal food isâŠ
Population change is explained through births, deaths, migration and the age structure of communities. It cannot establish a collective political intention. India's fertility has fallen substantially, including among Hindus and Muslims, whileâŠ
Freedom of conscience protects a person's capacity to hold and consider beliefs. It also requires attention to coercion: threats, deception and violence cannot be dismissed as religious freedom. India's constitutional framework and courtâŠ
An interfaith relationship is not evidence of a conspiracy. Adults may choose partners across religious boundaries, while any allegation of coercion or deception must be assessed on its own evidence. The expression âlove jihadâ is a politicalâŠ
National belonging does not require every citizen to express affection for the country in the same way. Religious identity, conscientious belief and Indian citizenship can coexist. The Constitution protects equality, expression and conscienceâŠ
Exclusion can occur without spectacular violence. A child repeatedly mocked, a qualified applicant dismissed because of identity or a family shut out of housing loses more than one opportunity. Such experiences can narrow participation inâŠ
Sri Lanka's civil war, conventionally dated from 1983 to 2009, shows how prolonged conflict can damage lives, institutions and economic possibilities. Its causes and conduct cannot be reduced to a simple story of neighbours disliking oneâŠ
The gallery highlights five Qur'anic passages concerning human dignity, freedom from religious compulsion, justice the gravity of killing and verifying information. These are religious teachings, not scientific findings or a complete account ofâŠ
Different religious and secular traditions can support care, justice and restraint without becoming the same tradition. Their ideas arise from distinct texts, histories and practices, and their followers debate how to apply them. Ashoka'sâŠ
The gallery presents Rabindranath Tagoreâs vision of a society in which people can learn, act and belong without fear. This article places his poem alongside the wider historical examples of Abdul Ghaffar Khan and A. P. J. Abdul Kalam. TagoreâŠ
Meeting someone from another community can challenge a stereotype, but proximity alone does not guarantee trust. Research on intergroup contact highlights the value of cooperation, shared goals, equal standing within the encounter andâŠ
Dialogue becomes useful when people can ask real questions, hear different experiences and return to a relationship after disagreement. It is sustained by institutions, local associations and practical cooperation, not only public ceremonies.âŠ
Care can take the form of immediate protection, practical assistance, teaching or sustained legal work. The gallery places these different actions beside one another to show that responsibility is not confined to public officials or religiousâŠ
An open mind is a willingness to revise a belief when better evidence appears. It does not mean accepting every claim or giving equal weight to reliable research and unsupported assertions. The gallery uses Joram van Klaveren's account ofâŠ
Hope becomes practical through actions that reduce harm and make cooperation possible. The gallery offers five: pause, verify, connect, speak respectfully and volunteer. These are habits, not a promise that individual goodwill can replaceâŠ
Peace can make education, investment and ordinary planning more secure, but it does not automatically produce prosperity. Mauritius and Northern Ireland illustrate different relationships between institutions, cooperation and economicâŠ
Acts of protection interrupt the idea that a religious boundary must become a boundary of care. The gallery brings together neighbours who resisted violence and people who responded to fire or floods. These accounts concern identifiable peopleâŠ
Shelter is more than a roof: it gives people displaced by danger a place to pause, find support and decide what comes next. The gallery follows examples from Kerala, Agartala, Prayagraj, Kathua and Hyderabad. Families and religious institutionsâŠ
The gallery's health-related stories concern people and institutions making resources available during periods of need. Shahnawaz Shaikh supported oxygen assistance in Mumbai; an attached mosque building became a COVID isolation centre inâŠ
Assistance can respect a family's beliefs without requiring helpers to share them. The gallery's examples include funeral support during the pandemic, neighbours finding burial space, a temple hall hosting Eid prayers and help with travel toâŠ
A disaster's effects continue after the immediate rescue. The gallery follows volunteers cleaning flood-hit temples, workers organising food assistance, support for a bereaved family's travel and homes provided after the Wayanad landslides.âŠ
Before Islam, Arab society often treated women as property. Newborn girls were sometimes killed by burial or abandonment, and women had few legal rights. Islam condemned female infanticide and proclaimed that women are full human beings entitled to l
The Quran repeatedly affirms that men and women are accountable for their faith and deeds. Quran 4:124 states that whoever does righteous deeds, male or female, while believing, will enter Paradise and will not be wronged. See also Quran 16:97 and 33
Classical Islamic jurists developed rules for custody and financial support after divorce. Mothers are often given priority in caring for young children, subject to conditions and differing school rules, while fathers generally have financial obligat
Hijab is commonly understood as the head-covering worn by many Muslim women, but its meaning reaches beyond a piece of clothing. For many women, hijab is connected with faith in Allah, worship, modesty, obedience, taqwa (awareness of Allah), dignity
In Islam, modesty is not limited to clothing. It also includes how people look at others, speak, behave and treat one another. The Qurâan addresses believing men and women in its guidance on lowering the gaze and guarding chastity. This makes modest
For many Muslim women, hijab is a visible expression of faith, personal identity and religious commitment. Some describe it as a source of confidence and a way to express their beliefs, while others experience social pressure or discrimination becaus
Head-covering and modest dress are found in several religious traditions, although their meanings, forms and requirements differ. In Islam, discussions of hijab draw on Qurâanic teachings about modesty and dress. Some Christian communities practise h
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Muslim women have contributed to Indiaâs social, educational, political, cultural and economic life across generations. Their stories include resistance to colonial rule, the creation of educational opportunities, public leadership, scientific and pr
Islamic Parenting: Raising Children with Faith, Love, and Wisdom
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Triple Talaq, Khula and Halala: The Qurâanic Ethics of Separation
Polygyny in Islam: Between Human Complexity, Moral Responsibility and the Ethics of Family
Imagine a Muslim man reflecting on his wealth and earnings. Before asking, âWhat can I buy for myself?â Islam encourages him to ask: âWhose rights are attached to the wealth and earnings Allah has placed in my hands?â In Islam, wealth is a blessingâb
Dignity Beyond a Single Role: Understanding the Worth of Women in Islam
