February 16, 2011
Understanding the Spirit of Islam
M. Ali Chaudry
Lecturer, Rutgers University School of Business - Camden
Minutes of the 18th Meeting of the 69th Year
The meeting was called to order at 10:15 AM by President Bob Varrin. The invocation was led by Don Edwards. The minutes of the meeting of February 9, 2011 were read by Eliot Daley.
Bruno Walmsley introduced his guest, Charles Ascher and today’s speaker introduced his guest and co-author, Shaikh Moir Matin.
Membership Chairman Jack Reilly announced the placement at each seat of envelopes containing biographical information and ballots for the election of new members at the next meeting.
Henry King introduced our speaker, Muhammed Ali Chaudry, who was born in Lahore, Pakistan and emigrated to the US forty seven years ago. A graduate of the London School of Economics, he earned both a master’s and doctorate in Economics from Tufts University. Dr. Chaudry enjoyed a long career in strategic planning and business development with AT&T. He earned a place in the history of New Jersey as our first Pakistani-born mayor, having been elected to that office twice in Bernards Township. He is presently a Lecturer at the Rutgers School of Business in Camden. His devotion to both his faith and to his adopted country have placed him in the forefront of prominent Muslims who want to share insights on Islam with their fellow citizens. Doctor Chaudry has written an 882 page book entitled Islam and Muslim now in pre-publication stages. He has compressed his work into a ten-lecture series for collegiate audiences and further compressed it for presentations such as the fascinating one we heard last week. I confess to a certain powerlessness in trying to condense his enthusiastic panorama of Islam into these minutes. Dr. Chaudry began with the traditional greeting: A salaam aleichum!
The expression “Islam” and its cognate, “Muslim,” share a root which is the Arabic word for both peace and submission, and which defines the spirit of the message carried by the angel of Allah, praised be his name, to Mohammed, who in turn, passed on the revelation to all mankind in his role as the last of the Prophets. The message is that peace comes to man only through complete submission to Allah.
Islam is rooted in several concise doctrines:
Islam rests on two primary foundations:
First is the Qu’ran, which contains revelations carried by the Archangel Gabriel to Muhammed during the twenty years before the latter’s death in 632. Originally memorized, Muhammed’s followers wrote down the Suras or sections that are central to the beliefs, traditions and practices of all Muslims. Even among those who do not speak the language, parts of the original elegant Arabic text are still repeated throughout Islam, five times a day at prayer.
Second is the Sunna, literally, the path trodden by the Prophet himself, how he lived, what he did and said, as recorded by his followers. The collections of these biographical details are critical to the interpretation of the Qu’ran.
Dr. Chaudry cited the basic law of Islam, or Sharia, as a natural by-product of the Qu’ran and the Sunna in the same way as the Constitution of our country is derived from the forces which brought the nation into being. In the same section of his discourse he described the levels of authenticity among the interpretations of the Qu’ran, ranging from the highly credible, based on content, to the highly unlikely based on mere fabrication. It is the consensus of scholars that determines the application.
The Pillars of Islam are five basic acts considered obligatory for all believers:
As the clock wound down there was time for only two members from among the many hands raised to question our speaker. One asked about the level of strife between the Sunnis and Shias; the other, about the role of women in Islam. Dr. Chaudry obviously wished for more time to provide a fuller context to his replies, The meeting ended but the members interest remained alive at the coat racks long after a final Shukria.
Respectfully submitted.
James J. Ferry
Bruno Walmsley introduced his guest, Charles Ascher and today’s speaker introduced his guest and co-author, Shaikh Moir Matin.
Membership Chairman Jack Reilly announced the placement at each seat of envelopes containing biographical information and ballots for the election of new members at the next meeting.
Henry King introduced our speaker, Muhammed Ali Chaudry, who was born in Lahore, Pakistan and emigrated to the US forty seven years ago. A graduate of the London School of Economics, he earned both a master’s and doctorate in Economics from Tufts University. Dr. Chaudry enjoyed a long career in strategic planning and business development with AT&T. He earned a place in the history of New Jersey as our first Pakistani-born mayor, having been elected to that office twice in Bernards Township. He is presently a Lecturer at the Rutgers School of Business in Camden. His devotion to both his faith and to his adopted country have placed him in the forefront of prominent Muslims who want to share insights on Islam with their fellow citizens. Doctor Chaudry has written an 882 page book entitled Islam and Muslim now in pre-publication stages. He has compressed his work into a ten-lecture series for collegiate audiences and further compressed it for presentations such as the fascinating one we heard last week. I confess to a certain powerlessness in trying to condense his enthusiastic panorama of Islam into these minutes. Dr. Chaudry began with the traditional greeting: A salaam aleichum!
The expression “Islam” and its cognate, “Muslim,” share a root which is the Arabic word for both peace and submission, and which defines the spirit of the message carried by the angel of Allah, praised be his name, to Mohammed, who in turn, passed on the revelation to all mankind in his role as the last of the Prophets. The message is that peace comes to man only through complete submission to Allah.
Islam is rooted in several concise doctrines:
- Belief in God, Allah, the creator of all.
- Belief in angels, the messengers of Allah. There are many angels including Gabriel, Raphael and Michael.
- Belief in the Prophets, sent by Allah to mankind. These include Abraham, Isaac, Moses and Jesus and finally, Mohammed.
- Belief in the Books of Allah’s revelation, chiefly the Qu’ran, but also those such as the Torah and the Gospels.
- Belief in the Day of Judgment
- Belief in the absolute knowledge and power of Allah.
Islam rests on two primary foundations:
First is the Qu’ran, which contains revelations carried by the Archangel Gabriel to Muhammed during the twenty years before the latter’s death in 632. Originally memorized, Muhammed’s followers wrote down the Suras or sections that are central to the beliefs, traditions and practices of all Muslims. Even among those who do not speak the language, parts of the original elegant Arabic text are still repeated throughout Islam, five times a day at prayer.
Second is the Sunna, literally, the path trodden by the Prophet himself, how he lived, what he did and said, as recorded by his followers. The collections of these biographical details are critical to the interpretation of the Qu’ran.
Dr. Chaudry cited the basic law of Islam, or Sharia, as a natural by-product of the Qu’ran and the Sunna in the same way as the Constitution of our country is derived from the forces which brought the nation into being. In the same section of his discourse he described the levels of authenticity among the interpretations of the Qu’ran, ranging from the highly credible, based on content, to the highly unlikely based on mere fabrication. It is the consensus of scholars that determines the application.
The Pillars of Islam are five basic acts considered obligatory for all believers:
- Shahada or the Declaration of Faith, a formalized, personal testimony that God is alone worthy of worship and that Mohammed is his messenger.
- Salah, or the ritual of prayer five times a day.
- Sawm, or fasting during the month of Ramadan.
- Zakat, or almsgiving of a fixed portion of one’s wealth to the poor and to the spread of Islam.
- Hadj, or the pilgrimage to Mecca, expected once in the lifetime of every able bodied man.
As the clock wound down there was time for only two members from among the many hands raised to question our speaker. One asked about the level of strife between the Sunnis and Shias; the other, about the role of women in Islam. Dr. Chaudry obviously wished for more time to provide a fuller context to his replies, The meeting ended but the members interest remained alive at the coat racks long after a final Shukria.
Respectfully submitted.
James J. Ferry