… away from the worship of creation to the worship of the Creator; from the narrowness of this world to its vastness and the vastness of the world after; and from the tyranny of man to the justice of Islam.
What is Islam?
Islam is not named after an individual as in Christianity after Jesus Christ or Buddhism after Gautama Buddha where human beings and their images are raised to God-like status and worshipped. Neither is Islam a tribal religion as is Hinduism or Judaism (named after the Hindu and Judaic tribes respectively) where salvation is birthright and nationalism a virtue. And nor does Islam take its name after a political ideology like Socialism or Capitalism; both of which continue to oppress the weak, rape the Earth’s resources and destroy her environment. ‘Islam’ actually means ‘Submission to the Will of Allah (the One True God)’ and anyone who does so is a Muslim. Islam implies ‘peace’, which is the natural consequence of submitting oneself to Allah.
This day I have perfected your religion for you, completed My favour upon you, and have chosen for you Islam as your religion. [Qur’an, 5:3]
Hence while all other religions were developed and named by men, Islam is the re-expression of the same religion espoused by all the prophets sent throughout the ages to guide humanity. As Allah states in the Qur’an, unchanged since its revelation to His Final Prophet and Messenger, Muhammad, over 1400 years ago:
Allah has ordained for you the same religion which He ordained for Noah; and that which We have inspired in you (O Muhammad) and that which We ordained for Abraham, Moses and Jesus. [Qur’an, 42:13]
The greatest oppression and the only unforgivable sin is to worship, directly or indirectly, any person, place or thing other than Allah. This is because every soul was created with an inborn inclination to worship Him alone. So to embrace Islam is to simply to revert back to a natural state of submission to the Creator. And to affirm that He is One, distinct from the transcendent above His creation is to acknowledge His unchallenged mastery over the entire universe and His unique rights over its inhabitants.
Say: “He is Allah, The One. Allah, the Self-Sufficient Master. He does not beget, nor was He begotten. And there is non like unto Him.” [Qur’an, 112:1-4]
As the highest created intelligence, we humans are responsible for our actions and will inevitably be held to account for them. Our natural urges and desires are not evil in themselves, but need to be controlled and expressed within the limits set by Allah so that we do not harm ourselves or others.
Salvation must itself be universally attainable and not confined to any people, place or time. Eternal happiness cannot be obstructed by reincarnation or the mediation of priests and so-called ‘holy men’.
Islam is simple, rational and practical. Not just a religion, but a truly complete way of life in which the relation of the individual to society and the material to spiritual are balanced into perfect harmony. Islam offers certainty and security of faith unlike other religions that are continuously changing to suit the culture they are in. Thus, only through the righteous guidance of Islam, the Qur’an and the Sunna (example) of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), can all of humanity be saved now … and till the end of time.
For Muslim men and women, or believing men and women,
For devout men and women, for truthful men and women,
For patient men and women, for humble men and women,
For charitable men and women, for fasting men and women,
For men and women who guard their chastity,
And for men and women who engage much in Allah’s praise;
For them has Allah prepared forgiveness and great reward. [Qur’an 33:35]
Source: The Call to Islam, PO Box 168, Middlesbrough, TS5 7YE, UK
“No leaf falls except that He knows of it, and no rain drop forms except that He has willed it.”