Islamic Fundamentalism
Islamic Fundamentalism
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These then are the fundamental principles, or pillars
of Islam. The rest of the teachings fall into the
category of detailed explanations of and
elaborations upon the five basic principles. Holding
any other precept besides these to form part of the
basic tenets of Islam is misguided and unacceptable.
On further investigation, we find that these five
basic teachings have a spirit as well as a form and,
what is of real significance is that the true essence of
Islam resides not in its outward forms but in its
inner spirit. That is why our actions, according to a
hadith
, must be judged by their intentions alone.
(
Sahih al-Bukhari
)
Let us take the first of the above principles, which is
the article of faith (
kalima
). The form it takes is the
utterance of certain words, expressing one’s faith.
But this verbal expression is not in itself sufficient. It
is essential that at the same time, the concerned
person should be imbued with the actual spirit of
the words he utters. As we find in the Qur’an: “The
Arabs of the desert declare: ‘We believe,’ ‘You do
not.’ Say rather: ‘We profess Islam,’ for faith has not
yet found its way into your hearts’ (49:4). This
