Islam is the religion Allah chose for mankind, preached by every prophet and messenger He sent through the ages. It appeals to two faculties at once: the soul, which recognizes the truth in it, and the intellect, which can examine it. Most books address the first. Shaykh Abdur-Rahman ibn Nasir As-Sa'di addresses the second.
The Invitation
His method is to call the reader to reflect — deliberately, using his own reasoning — on the benefits and virtues of Islam. Not to accept a conclusion because it is asserted, but to examine what the religion actually contains and judge whether it holds together.
His confidence is that anyone who does this honestly reaches the same result: the superiority of Islam over other systems becomes clear on its own, as does the extent of the blessing it represents for all mankind.
Why This Approach Persuades
A reader who has been argued into a position tends to argue his way back out of it. A reader who worked it out himself does not. That is the practical advantage of Shaykh As-Sa'di's method, and it explains why this small book works on audiences that resist more forceful treatments.
It also serves Muslims who have never articulated why they hold what they hold — and who discover, when asked, that inherited conviction and examined conviction are not the same thing.
The Author
Shaykh Abdur-Rahman ibn Nasir As-Sa'di (1307–1376 AH) was among the most respected scholars of his era and the teacher of Shaykh Ibn Al-'Uthaimin. His tafsir, Taysir Al-Karim Ar-Rahman, remains one of the most widely used commentaries on the Qur'an. He wrote plainly and with a consistent focus on making meaning accessible.
Who It Is For
Non-Muslims who respond to reasoning rather than exhortation. Muslims wanting to understand their own religion's coherence. Da'wah workers, students and campus societies. Short and inexpensive enough to give away.
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