ISLAMIC
CIVILIZATION
The Essential Mawdudi Series
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Four Key Concepts of the Qur’ān
Islamic Civilization
Let Us Be Muslims
The Islamic Movement
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ISLAMIC
CIVILIZATION
ITS FOUNDATIONAL BELIEFS AND PRINCIPLES
Sayyid Abul Aʿlā Mawdūdī
Translated by
Syed Akif
THE ISLAMIC FOUNDATION
Islamic Civilization: Its Foundational Beliefs and Principles
Published by
THE ISLAMIC FOUNDATION,
Markfield Conference Centre,
Ratby Lane, Markfield, Leicestershire
LE67 9SY, United Kingdom
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All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the copyright owner.
Cataloguing-in-Publication Data is available from the British Library
eISBN: 9780860376958
Typeset by: N.A.Qaddoura
Cover design by: Nasir Cadir
Contents
Translator’s Note (by Syed Akif)
Foreword (by Zafar Ishaq Ansari
Preface (by Sayyid Abul Aʿlā Mawdūdī)
Publisher’s Note (by M. Manazir Ahsan)
1. The Islamic Concept of Temporal Life
Man is subordinate, not the master
The First Precondition for Temporal Success
Engaging in and dealing with a Temporal Life
Responsibility and Accountability for Actions
The Fiṭrī (Primary and Instinctive) Concept of Life
Conceptions of Temporal Life in other Religious Traditions
The Special Significance of the Islamic View
The Essential Characteristics of a True Collective Ideal
Man’s Natural Ideal and Ultimate Aim
A Critical View of Two Popular Collective Ideals
The Ideal of Islamic Civilization and its Characteristics
1. The Harmonization of Physical and Intellectual Aims
2. The Centripetal Force of the Islamic System
3. The Harmony between Thought and Action
4. The Reintegration of a Purely Human Collective
5. The Attainment of All Human Desires through Obedience
6. The Best Motivation for the Virtuous and Pious
7. Determination of the Ideal and Its Impact on distinguishing between various Methods
8. The Role of the Ideal in the Development of Islamic Civilization