This being the case, is it any wonder that, through the mist that has come to surround the precise sense of the four terms in question, more than three-fourths of the teachings of the Qur'ān, or rather, the real spirit thereof, have become obscured, and this is the main cause of the shortcomings that are to be seen in peoples’ beliefs and acts despite the fact that they have not formally given up the faith of Islam but are still in its fold.

It is therefore of utmost importance that in order to have a full and complete understanding of the Qur'ānic teachings and of their central idea, one should know, as a fundamental to being a good Muslim, what these terms really mean. Although I have given explanations of these terms in many earlier writings, they are not enough to remove all the misconceptions in peoples’ minds, nor are they likely to satisfy everybody because, in the absence of full semantic explanations based on recognized Arabic usage, and quotations from the Qur'ān itself, I might be taken as expressing my own opinion only - an opinion which in any case will not appeal to those who differ with me on other issues. I shall therefore endeavour, in the forthcoming discussions, to extensively quote the dictionary sense of the words, and not say anything which I cannot base either on recognized usage, or the Qur'ān.

The order I shall follow will be Ilaah, Rabb, Ibadah, and Deen.