Pathway to Paradise — Page 13
PATHWAY TO P ARADISE 13 spiritual and moral development of all mankind, as well as providing the remedy for its ills. The Holy Qur’an explains the true purpose for man’s existence, which is to worship and serve Allah, his Creator, and to attain nearness to Him. The Holy Qur’an is organized into chapters and verses. There are one hundred and fourteen chapters. A chapter is called a “sura”; each one having a specific name and a varying number of verses. Verses are called “ ayah. ” Quotations from the Holy Qur’an are given as the chapter number followed by the verse number. For the purpose of completing the Qur’an during the holy month of Ramadhan it has been divided into thirty parts. 2. Practice of the Holy Prophet (Sunnah) Sunnah is the transformation of the laws and teachings of the Holy Qur’an into action by the Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be on him). By demonstrating the Word of God in a practical way, he simplified the problems of day to day livin g. He was the perfect exemplar of a true believer’s way of life; a perfect model for his followers and for all mankind. 3. Sayings of the Holy Prophet (Hadith) Hadith means the words actually spoken by the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him), or words that describe an observed incident related to his life. Hadith, which encompass every aspect of Islamic teachings and philosophy, were narrated by his close companions and compiled for the benefit of his followers and posterity. There are many compilations of Hadith. However, six are considered to be the most genuine and authentic. These are the compilations by Bukhari, Muslim,