“There is no compulsion in religion. The right way has become distinct from error. Whoever rejects false gods and believes in Allah has grasped the most trustworthy handhold that never breaks. Allah is All-Hearing, All-Knowing.” (2:56)
“And whoever submits his face to Allah while being a doer of good has grasped the most trustworthy handhold. And to Allah belongs the outcome of all matters.” (31:22)

Introduction to the Fourth Edition

This is the introduction to the fourth edition of the book The Second Message of Islam. The first edition of the book was published in January 1967, coinciding with the sacred month of Ramadan in the year 1386 AH. The book has enjoyed significant popularity, and its appeal continues to grow with time as more people come to understand it, accept it, and show interest in it. This book serves as the foundational text for the Republican Mission. Nevertheless, it is highly condensed and requires further explanation, elaboration, and clarification, which is presently not feasible. The opportunity for such clarification will come soon, God willing.
In this introduction, I do not intend to engage in a detailed discussion of the book’s various topics. Rather, my aim is to establish a key premise: Islam comprises two messages - a first message based on the branches of the Qur’an, and a second message that builds upon its fundamentals. The first message has already been elaborated, whereas the second awaits its elaboration. This will occur when its man comes and when its nation comes. And this coming is inevitable: "This is a decree that your Lord has made inevitable." (19:71)

The Most Trustworthy Handhold

The Arabic term al-‘Urwa "handhold" refers to a handle or grip, like the part of a vessel that allows it to be held. It can also refer to a knot at the end of a rope, enabling the one holding it to secure his grasp. Thus, al-‘Uraw al-Wuthqā "the most trustworthy handhold" refers to the grip of the sturdy rope. The rope, in this context, represents religion. Allah says: “And hold firmly to the rope of Allah all together and do not become divided. And remember the favor of Allah upon you: when you were enemies, He brought your hearts together, and you became brothers by His favor. And you were on the edge of a pit of the Fire, and He saved you from it. Thus does Allah make His signs clear to you that you may be guided.” (3:103)
The rope here is Islam, which is the Quran, and they both represent the same meaning. The Infallible (the Prophet) said in a hadith narrated by Ali ibn Abi Talib: “Indeed, there will be a tribulation!' I asked, 'What is the way out of it, O Messenger of Allah?' " He said, "The Book of Allah! In it is the news of what came before you, the information of what will come after you, and the judgment of what happens among you. It is decisive, not jest. Whoever abandons it out of arrogance, Allah will destroy him. Whoever seeks guidance in anything other than it, Allah will lead him astray. It is the sturdy rope of Allah, the Wise Reminder, and the Straight Path. It is the one from which desires do not deviate, tongues do not confuse it, and scholars cannot exhaust its knowledge, repetition does not wear it out, and its wonders never cease. The jinn, when they heard it, could not help but say: ‘Indeed, we have heard an amazing Qur’an guiding to what is right.’ Whoever speaks by it speaks the truth, whoever acts upon it is rewarded, whoever judges by it is just, and whoever calls to it is guided to the Straight Path.” This is the statement of the Infallible (the Prophet).
This "rope" descends from Allah in His absoluteness to the realm of humanity. Its beginning is among us, and its end is with Him in His absoluteness. This imagery is beautifully captured in Allah’s words from the beginning of Surat Az-Zukhruf (chapter 43):
“Ha, Meem. By the clear Book, indeed, We have made it an Arabic Qur’an so that you might understand. And indeed, it is in the Mother of the Book with Us, exalted and wise.” (43:1-2-3-4).
This rope is also referred to as guidance in God’s address to Adam, Eve, and Iblis: “We said, ‘Descend from it, all of you. And when guidance comes to you from Me, whoever follows My guidance - there will be no fear upon them, nor will they grieve” (2:38). Indeed, this guidance was sent down from Allah in His absoluteness to the place where Iblis, Eve, and Adam descended, which is the Earth. Thus, the concepts of guidance and the rope of God signify the same reality - the Qur’an.
The most trustworthy handhold (al-‘Urwat al-Wuthqā), which we described as the grip of the sturdy rope, is actually the end of the rope that has reached the earth - the realm of human existence. This is reflected in the apparent meaning of the Quran, conveyed to us through the Arabic language. God expressed this by saying: “Indeed, We have made it an Arabic Quran so that you may understand.” The phrase 'so that you may understand' signifies its descent to the human level, representing the Shari'ah.
This sturdy rope descended from the realm of absoluteness. Allah described its origin in the absolute by saying: “And indeed, it is in the mother of the Book with US - exalted and wise.” HE also alluded to its point of descent with His words, the Exalted: 'Ha Meem.' This is a mere allusion, yet it is an allusion of profound sublimity. The earlier verse provides an explicit expression, which is marked by supreme eloquence. Between the statement and the allusion lies a difference in degree. However, the essence expressed in words and that conveyed by the allusion is one and the same: the Divine Self. The difference in degree arises only as a necessary step for bringing this knowledge down to the level of human understanding.
The most trustworthy handhold (al-‘Urwat al-Wuthqā), is the Sharia, while the sturdy rope is the religion. The difference between the Sharia and the religion is one of degree, not kind. The Sharia is the portion of religion addressed to the general public according to their understanding. We began this introduction with two verses. The first is: “There is no compulsion in religion. The right way has become distinct from error. Whoever rejects false gods and believes in Allah has grasped the most trustworthy handhold that never breaks. Allah is All-Hearing, All-Knowing.” (2:56) Here, the most trustworthy handhold (al-Urwatul al-Wuthqā) refers to the Sharia, which "never breaks" for those who reject false gods and believe in God. For them, it is a means and a connector. This is the condition for its inseparability from the religion - disbelief in false gods and belief in God. This means that it is disconnected from the faith for those who adhere to it without disbelief in false gods and without belief in God, which reflects the state of Muslims today. This is the first of the two verses.
And the second verse is: “And whoever submits his face to Allah while being a doer of good has grasped the most trustworthy handhold. And to Allah belongs the outcome of all matters.” (31-22) This verse carries a meaning similar to the previous one but goes further in explaining the application of the Shari'ah. In this verse, the phrase ‘whoever submits his face to Allah while being a doer of good’ corresponds to the verse ‘Whoever rejects false gods and believes in God’. The concluding phrase ‘And to God belongs the outcome of all matters' signifies the return to the ascent on the rope descending from the absolute, where man stood, before he stumbled, and expelled due to the misstep, and distanced. “We said: descend from it, all of you, and when guidance comes to you from Me, whoever follows My guidance will have no fear and will not grieve.” (2:38) In the same meaning, Allah says: “We have certainly created man in the best of stature; Then We returned him to the lowest of the low, Except for those who believe and do righteous deeds, for they will have a reward uninterrupted.” (95:4-6) The uninterrupted reward means a reward that is unbroken, and thus, it refers to the 'sturdy handle that is inseparable.’

The Sunnah is the Second Message

The Sunnah is the Sharia with an addition. So, if the most trustworthy handhold (al-‘Urwat al-Wuthqā) represents the Sharia, then the Sunnah stands above it. If the rope of Islam descends from the Absolute to the realm of humanity, where the Sharia exists to address people according to their capacities, then the Sunnah exists at a level above the general populace. The Sunnah is the Prophet’s personal Sharia - his address tailored to his intellectual and spiritual capacity. There is a vast difference between his intellect and that of the general public, and this is precisely the difference between the Sunnah and the Sharia. The Second Message is essentially the revival of this Sunnah to become the Sharia for the general populace. This has become possible, by Allah’s grace, due to the evolution of human society over nearly fourteen centuries. When the Infallible (the Prophet) foretold the revival of Islam, he referred specifically to the revival of the Sunnah, not the Sharia. He said: "Islam began as something strange, and it will return to being strange, just as it began. So, glad tidings to the strangers!" They asked, "Who are the strangers, O Messenger of Allah?" He replied, "They are those who revive my Sunnah after it has been abandoned." It is clear from this statement that he did not mean the revival of the Sharia but rather the revival of the Sunnah. As mentioned earlier, the Sunnah is the Sharia with an addition. The Sunnah is a ṭarīqa "path," and the path is an emphasized Sharia.

The Sunnah is Not Exclusive to the Prophet

It is often said by jurists that certain actions are exclusive to the Prophet. This is a grave misunderstanding that has had negative consequences, discouraging people. Allah, speaking through His Prophet, says: “Say, ‘If you love Allah, follow me, and Allah will love you.” (3:31). From this, the Sharia opens to the Sunnah, and it becomes incumbent upon the diligent worshiper to ascend from the Sharia to the path - the Sunnah. However, this ascent is not an obligatory duty for the general populace but a recommended endeavor. The reason it was not an obligation lies in the dictates of the time. The early phase of the call to Islam was specific to the Ummah al-Mu’minīn "Community of Believers." At that time, the Prophet’s personal actions operated at the level of Muslims, as he was the sole Muslim within the community of believers. Islam represents a higher rank than faith (imān), as detailed in this book, which can be referred to in its appropriate section. What we are concerned to affirm here is that the present era is a time when the earth is preparing for the emergence of the Ummah al-Muslimīn "Community of Muslims." This community is the community of the Second Message, and its Sharia will be the Sunnah of the Prophet, not the Sharia of the previous community in all its details.
This transition is possible, by Allah’s grace, as we said previously, and also due to the development of human society over this extended period, which has made it capable of comprehending the evolving legislation from Sharia to Sunnah. It is as though the realm of humanity has been elevated during this period, and a part of the rope has drawn closer from distance to nearness. The new ‘urwat al-wuthqā is thus closer to the Absolute than the old one, as the level of human understanding has advanced, drawing nearer to the Absolute compared to earlier times.
The Muslim community is what the noble Prophet referred to as al-Ikhwān "the brothers," while the believing community was referred to as al-aṣ-ḥāb "the companions." This distinction is evident in his famous hadith: "Oh, how I long for my brothers who have not yet come! They said: Are we not your brothers, O Messenger of Allah? He said: No, you are my companions. Oh, how I long for my brothers who have not yet come! They said: Are we not your brothers, O Messenger of Allah? He said: No, you are my companions. Oh, how I long for my brothers who have not yet come! They said: Who are your brothers? He said: They are a people who will come at the end of time, each of them will have the reward of seventy of you! They said: Seventy of us or seventy of them? He said: Rather, seventy of you! They said: Why is that? He said: Because you will find helpers in doing good, while they will not find helpers in doing good.”
In another instance, referring to the brothers, the Prophet said: “The prophets are children of one mother,” meaning they are brothers because they all suckle from one breast, which is the breast of “lā ilāha illā Allāh "'There is no god but Allah.' This implies that in the Muslim Community, through their complete knowledge of Allah, would be as if they were prophets, although they are not. The idea that the Sunnah is exclusive to the Prophet is refuted by Allah’s words: “There has certainly come to you a Messenger from among yourselves. Grievous to him is what you suffer; he is concerned for you and to the believers is kind and merciful.” (9:12) The essence of this verse lies in the phrase: "from among yourselves." It signifies that the qualities of perfection exhibited by the Prophet are also attainable for you if you follow his path. He is from your nature, not of an alien essence. The difference between you and him is one of degree, not kind.
And the claim of those who say that this action is a unique attribute of the Prophet misses the wisdom behind sending messengers to humans from among humans, rather than from angels. Today, with humanity possessing immense material power and advanced methods in worldly affairs yet struggling with deep confusion in their hearts and minds, the earth is prepared for the emergence of the Muslim community. It has thus become an obligation upon the inheritors of Islam - the inheritors of the Qur’an - to call for the Second Message, heralding the new era that humanity urgently feels the need for but has not yet found the way to. This path is in the Qur’an, but the Qur’an does not speak for itself - it is spoken for by men. Allah says: “Rather, it is clear verses preserved in the chests of those who have been granted knowledge. And none reject Our signs except the wrongdoers.” (29:49)
One of the truths revealed in the hearts of the knowledgeable is that the path to the new era - the path of Muslims on earth - is charted by the Meccan verses, the verses of the fundamentals, which were initially abrogated by the Medinan verses, the verses of the branches. The verses of the fundamentals were abrogated at that time due to the dictates of the time - an era that belonged to the believing community. The fundamental verses, however, address the Muslim community - a community that had not yet come into existence at that time. Yet the fundamental verses were not abrogated in the sense of being nullified, but rather deferred, their legislative application suspended until the time for their implementation arrives. And that time is the one we live in today, at the dawn of its true illumination. It is for this reason that we have devoted ourselves to proclaiming the Second Message of Islam.

The Second Message of Islam

Islam is one religion - Allah’s religion, with which He is not pleased to have any substitute. Allah says: “So, is it other than the religion of Allah they desire, while to Him have submitted all those within the heavens and the earth, willingly or by compulsion, and to Him they will be returned?” (3:83) In this sense, Islam is the willing surrender to Allah as Lord. All the prophets, from Adam to Muhammad, came with Islam. Allah says:
“He has ordained for you the religion which He enjoined upon Noah and that which We have revealed to you, and what We enjoined upon Abraham and Moses and Jesus - to establish the religion and not be divided therein. Difficult for the polytheists is that to which you call them. Allah chooses for Himself whom HE wills and guides to Himself whoever turns to Him.”(42:13)
The phrase “He has ordained for you the religion” here does not refer to the Shari’a laws but rather to lā ilāha illa Allāh "there is no god but Allah". The laws of nations differ because their levels differ. However, lā ilāha illa Allāh remains constant, though its constancy pertains to its structure, not its meaning, which varies according to the levels of understanding of the messengers. This variation is also a difference of degree, not kind.
The Infallible (the Prophet) referred to the constancy of lā ilāha illa Allāh when he said: "The best thing I and the prophets before me have brought is ‘lā ilāha illa Allāh.’" The variation in the Sharia laws of the prophets, resulting from the differing levels of their peoples, is evident. For instance, the law regarding marriage differed significantly between Adam and Muhammad. During Adam's time, it was lawful for a brother to marry his sister, which was a part of Islamic law then. And when Muhammad came, what was permissible in this law became prohibited. Furthermore, the prohibition extended to circles farther than the circle of the sister. Allah, the Exalted, said regarding that: “Prohibited to you [for marriage] are your mothers, your daughters, your sisters, your father's sisters, your mother's sisters, your brother's daughters, your sister's daughters, your milk mothers who nursed you, your sisters through nursing, your wives' mothers, your stepdaughters under your guardianship [born] of your wives unto whom you have gone in. But if you have not gone in unto them, there is no sin upon you. And [prohibited are] the wives of your sons who are from your own loins, and that you take [in marriage] two sisters simultaneously, except for what has already occurred. Indeed, Allah is ever Forgiving and Merciful.” (4:23).
If the vast difference between the two Shari’as is due to the differing levels of the nations, and without the slightest doubt it is, then it would be a grave mistake for anyone to assume that the Islamic Sharia of the seventh century, with all its details, is entirely suitable for application in the twentieth century. This is because the difference between seventh-century society and twentieth-century society is beyond comparison, and the knower (al-ʿārif) has no need to elaborate on it in detail; it speaks for itself.
Thus, we are faced with one of two possibilities: Either Islam, as conveyed by the infallible (the Prophet) and contained between the covers of the Qur’an, is capable of encompassing the potential of twentieth-century society and guiding it in the fields of legislation and ethics; or its capacity has been exhausted, having stopped at organizing seventh-century society and those similar societies that followed. In that case, twentieth-century humanity would have to abandon it and seek solutions to its problems in other philosophies, and this is something no Muslim would ever accept. Nevertheless, Muslims are unaware of the necessity of developing the Sharia. They assume that the problems of the twentieth century can be addressed and resolved by the same legislation that dealt with the problems of the seventh century, and this is a glaring misconception.
Muslims say that the Islamic Sharia is complete, and this is true. But its completeness lies in its ability to evolve, to absorb the energies of individual and social life, and to guide that life along the paths of continuous progress, no matter how much that individual and social life may attain in activity, vitality, and renewal
When we speak of the development of Islamic Sharia, some Muslims respond by saying:
“Islamic Sharia is complete; it does not need development, as only what is incomplete evolves.” This is entirely incorrect. In truth, only what is complete evolves. The ultimate aspiration of perfected individuals is to embody the attributes that Allah ascribed to Himself:
'Every day He is bringing about a matter.' (55:29). They renew the life of their thought and the life of their feeling every day. For them, the day is the Day of Allah. And here, it is not a twenty-four-hour day, but rather a 'temporal' unit of manifestation - a unit smaller than a minute, smaller than a second, even smaller than a millisecond. It is a temporal unit in which a second can be divided into a billion parts, to the point that it almost escapes the concept of time as the mind perceives it. They set out, or try to set out, with Allah in manifesting His signs to His creation, renewing the life of their thought and their feeling in this continuous manner. This is perfection. Perfection is not the commitment to one fixed form. The small plant that grows on the mountainside, greening, leafing, flowering, bearing fruit, then dropping its seed into the soil, and finally turning into chaff scattered by the winds, is more perfect than the mountain that stands tall above it, defying the storm's rage. This is because that small plant has entered a more advanced stage of evolution – the stage of life and death – which the mountain has not yet experienced. The mountain, however, aspires to it and longs for it.
Similarly, the perfection of Islamic Sharia lies in its being a living, growing, and evolving entity that keeps pace with the development of life - life that is itself living, growing, and evolving. It guides its steps and charts its course on the journey toward closeness to Allah, stage by stage. Life will never cease moving toward God on its path of return, for there is no alternative to that: 'O mankind, indeed you are laboring toward your Lord with exertion and will meet Him.” (84:6) And this meeting is achieved by God's grace, followed by the guidance of Islamic Sharia through its three levels: the Sharia, the Tariqa (path), and the Haqīqa (truth). The development of Sharia, as we previously mentioned, lies in the transition from one text to another: from a text that was timely and suitable in the seventh century and was therefore enforced, to a text that was considered, at that time, greater than its time. Allah says: "Whatever verse We abrogate or cause to be forgotten, We bring forth one better than it or similar to it. Do you not know that Allah is over all things Powerful?" (2:106) His saying: " Whatever verse We abrogate" means: whatever ruling of a verse We nullify and remove. His saying: "or cause it to be forgotten" means: We delay the implementation of its ruling. "We bring forth one better than it" means: one that is easier for people to understand and more suited to the circumstances of their time than the one delayed. "Or similar to it" means: We restore the very same ruling when its time comes. Thus, the verses that were abrogated were abrogated for the dictates of the time, so they are postponed until their time comes. When their time comes, they then become the ones relevant to the time, and they hold authority. Thus, they become the definitive verses, and the verse that was definitive in the seventh century is now abrogated. This is the meaning of the dictates of time.
The seventh century had the verses of the branches, while the twentieth century has the verses of the fundamentals. This is the wisdom behind abrogation. Abrogation, then, is not a complete cancellation, but rather a postponement awaiting its proper time. In this development, we look at the wisdom behind the text. If a verse of the branch, which had abrogated a fundamental verse in the seventh century, has fulfilled its purpose and is no longer sufficient for the new time - the twentieth century - then the time has come to abrogate it. This allows for the revival of the fundamental verse, which had been abrogated in the seventh century, so that it can serve as the ruling verse for the twentieth century and form the basis of new legislation. This is the meaning of the development of legislation. It is a transition from a text that served its purpose until it was exhausted to a text that was reserved for the time when its purpose would arise. Therefore, development is neither a leap into the unknown nor an arbitrary opinion; but rather, it is a transition from one text to another.

Who is Authorized?

The Prophet of Allah has passed on to join the Most High and left behind the abrogated as abrogated and the definitive as definitive. This raises a pressing question in the reader’s mind: Is there anyone authorized to make such a fundamental and essential change - to revive what was abrogated and to abrogate what was definitive? The truth is, many who object to our call for the Second Message of Islam do not object to its content; they may not even give the content much consideration. Rather, they object to the concept itself. They object to the idea of a new "message," which implies a "messenger," necessitating "prophethood." And it is indisputably true that prophethood has been sealed by an explicit, unequivocal text: “Muhammad is not the father of any one of your men, but he is the Messenger of Allah and the Seal of the Prophets. And Allah is ever, of all things, Knowing.” (33:40) It is known that every messenger is a prophet, but not every prophet is a messenger. But what is prophethood?
Prophethood means that a person is informed by Allah and conveys knowledge of Him to others. A prophet receives divine knowledge through revelation and conveys that knowledge to people according to their capacity to understand. By the rank of receiving knowledge from Allah, a man is a prophet, and by the function of delivering it to people, he is a messenger. This is the common understanding known to people. However, there is something new in the matter altogether: understanding the wisdom behind the sealing of prophethood in its conventional sense. Why was prophethood sealed? The first point that must be emphasized is that prophethood was not sealed until everything that Heaven intended to reveal to the people of the earth was firmly established on the earth. This matter continued to be revealed in portions, according to the wisdom of time, from Adam to Muhammad. That matter is the Qur’an. Its establishment on the earth is the reason for the sealing of prophethood.
As for the wisdom behind the sealing of prophethood, it lies in enabling people to receive from Allah without the mediation of the angel, Gabriel - to receive directly from Allah. At first glance, this idea may seem strange, but it is the truth, as affirmed by the intuitive reasoning of minds. This is because the Qur’an is the word of Allah, and whenever we read it, Allah is addressing us directly. However, we fail to comprehend Him. Why? Because we are preoccupied with other things. Allah says regarding this: “No indeed! But their hearts have been stained by what they used to earn * No indeed! On that day they will be veiled from their Lord”. (83-14-15) The Qur'an has come with the methodology of its Shari’ah, its Tariqah (spiritual path), and the proper etiquette in both, in order to lift that veil, so that we can understand what Allah is telling us in the Qur'an. When this understanding is achieved by a person, he is then permitted to speak about the secrets of the Qur'an, to the extent that he has comprehended from Allah.

Who is the Messenger of the Second Message?

He is a man to whom Allah has granted understanding from the Qur’an and authorized to speak.

How Do We Recognize Him?

Well! It was said that Jesus once told his disciples, “Beware of false prophets!” They said, “How can we recognize them?” He said, “By their fruits, you will know them.”