|
Learn More!
Each person is born
in a religious environment that is not of his/her own choice. From the
very beginning of human existence in this world, they are assigned the
religion of their family or the ideology of the state. By the time
individuals reach their teens they usually accept the beliefs of their
parents or that of their particular society.
However, when some
people mature and are exposed to other beliefs and ideologies, they
begin to question the validity of their own beliefs.
Seekers of truth
often reach a point of confusion upon realizing that believers of
every religion, sect, ideology and philosophy all claim to have the
one and only correct religion or ideology. There are only three
possibilities. They are either all correct; all wrong or only one is
correct and the rest are wrong. They cannot all be right since all
religions are different from each other in their fundamentals.
Furthermore, the majority claim that they alone are correct and the
rest are wrong. On the other hand, to claim that they are all wrong is
to deny that God revealed His will to humankind.
This proposition is
absurd to those who believe in a Wise Creator. So, which religion is
the right one and how can the seeker of truth know it? This is the
subject we are going to discuss hereunder.
In beginning one’s
search for which religion is true, one should keep in mind four things
in mind:
First, God gave us
abilities and intellects to make the crucial decision: WHAT IS THE
TRUE RELIGION?
Second, God, the Most
Compassionate, did not leave us to go astray without any guidance.
Indeed, He sent us prophets with scriptures to show us the right path.
Third, seeking the
true religion should be the most important thing in one’s life because
the everlasting life to come depends on it.[1]
Fourth, one can
determine the true path and make a rational and correct decision only
if emotions and prejudices, which often blind one to reality, are put
aside.
I. PURPOSE FOR
CREATION
Have you ever
wondered about the reason of our existence? Have you ever wondered why
we die, and where we go after death? What will happen to us in the
end? Have you ever asked yourself why God made the earth and all that
is in it under man’s dominion? Why were the night and the day, and the
sun and the moon created? What are we supposed to do during our
lifetime? Were we created just to eat, drink, and enjoy ourselves
before we die?
Allah has emphasized
in many verses of the Qur’an[2] that He did not create us without
purpose. He said: “What! Do you think that I created you simply in
jest ? And that you would not be returned to Me?”[3] (23:115) He also
said: “What! Does man think that he will be left to roam at his will?”
(75:36)In addition, He said: “Do people think that they will be left
to say: “We believe,” and they will not be held accountable?” (29:2)
Indeed, Allah (The
God) Has created human beings for a purpose and with a purpose:
TO WORSHIP HIM ALONE
(Monotheism). He said: “I have not created the Jinn and humankind
except only to worship Me. I don't require provision or feeding from
them. Surely Allah[4]is the All-provider, the Possessor of all
strength, the Firm.” (51:56-58)In fact, all prophets told their people
to worship God alone (Monotheism) and shun worshipping His creation
(Paganism). God said: “I assuredly sent among every people a messenger
with the command: Worship Allah and avoid worshipping false gods.”
(16:36)
Prophet Abraham, for
example, believed in One God, who had no partner.
Anyone who holds a
different understanding of God than this has contradicted the religion
of Abraham and follows falsehood. Allah (The God) says in the Qur’an:
“Those who reject the religion of Abraham make fools of themselves.”
(2:130)
Prophet Jesus was
reported in the Gospels to have said: “It is written: ‘Worship the
Lord your God and serve Him only’.” (Luke 4:8)
Prophet Jacob also
said (in the Quran) to his people: “Indeed, those which you worship
besides Allah are only names that you and your forefathers have
established, for which Allah has sent down no authority. The command
belongs only to Allah. He has commanded that you worship none but Him.
That is the right religion, but most people do not understand.” (12:40)
II. THE BASIC
MESSAGE OF ISLAM
The basic message of
Islam is the same message of all the previous prophets: worship God
alone and avoid worshipping anything besides Him, whether it is a
person, place or thing, directly or indirectly. This basic principle
of Monotheism is contained in the opening chapter of the Qur’an, known
as Soorat al-Faatihah, verse 4: “You alone we worship and from you
alone we do seek help.” In (4:37), God also said: “Worship Allah and
do not associate partners with Him. ”Muhammad, the last Prophet (mercy
and peace of God be upon him) is reported to have said: “Anyone who
says: There is no god worthy of worship but Allah, and dies holding
that belief will be granted paradise.”[5]
III. PROOFS FOR
GOD'S RIGHT OF WORSHIP
Only Allah (The God)
should be worshipped because He is the Creator and sustainer of all
that exists. This Great Universe and everything that is in it cannot
be the product of chance, and could not have created itself. Signs
testifying that God is the only Creator can be seen throughout the
earth and in the very soul of each person. God said in the Qur’an: “It
is Allah who created the sky and the earth, and sent down from the sky
water by which He brought forth fruits for your sustenance. He
subjected for you the ships to sail upon the sea at His command, and
He subjected for you the rivers. And He subjected for you the sun and
moon in continuous cycles, and He subjected for you the night and day.
And He gave you all you asked Him for .” (14:32-34)
In the Qur’an, God
mentions Prophet Abraham’s search for truth as an example of how those
who follow God’s signs will be rightly guided to the worship of Him
alone; God said: “In this way I showed Abraham the kingdom of the
heavens and the earth so that he would have faith with understanding
and certainty. When the night covered him with darkness, he saw a star
and said: ‘This is my Lord’, but when it set, he said: ‘I don’t like
those that set.’ When he saw the moon rising up, he said: ‘This is my
Lord’, but when it set, he said: ‘Unless my Lord guides me, I will
certainly be among the people who went astray.’ When he saw the sun
rising up he said: ‘This is my Lord, this is the greatest of all.’ But
when it set, he said: ‘O my people! I am indeed free from what you
join as partners with Allah. Verily, I have turned my face towards
Allah who created the heavens and the earth and I reject those who
associate partners with Allah (in worship).”(6:75-79) Actually, in the
Qur’an God calls people to continuously look at the Universe, as this
will affirm the divine truth of His existence, His greatness and that
He alone should be worshipped.
Allah (The God) alone
deserves our worship because only He can answer our prayers. God says
in the Qur’an: “And your Lord says: Call on Me and I will answer your
prayer.” (40:60)Hence, if a human being prays to an idol and his
prayers are answered, it is not the idol which actually answered his
prayers but God. Similarly, prayers to Jesus Christ, Buddha, Krishna,
Saint Christopher, Saint Jude or to Prophet
Muhammad, are not answered by them, but are answered by God.
Consequently, prayer is an act of worship which should be directed to
God alone.
Indeed, prophets who
are worshipped besides Him did not tell people to worship them.
Instead, the prophets warned their people against doing just that. For
example, Islam teaches that Prophet Jesus (mercy and peace of God be
upon him) was a human being who was created by God in a miraculous
way. He was born of a mother, Mary, without a father and he worshipped God. He was not God, nor was he
the son of God. He was neither one of three manifestations of God as
Christians say, nor was he the son of a prostitute as the Jews say. He
told his people (the tribes of
Israel) to worship God
alone. He did not tell people to worship either himself or his mother.
Furthermore, Prophet Jesus
(mercy and peace of God be upon him) did not worship himself when he
worshipped, rather he worshipped God.
However, those who
claim to be the followers of Jesus Christ today worship Jesus himself,
claiming that he is God, and others also worship his mother calling
her ‘the mother of God.’! Allah (The only God) says in the Qur’an that
He will ask Prophet
Jesus (mercy and peace of
God be upon him) on the Day of Judgment: “O Jesus, son of Mary! Did you tell people: Take me and my mother as gods
besides Allah? Then he will say: Glory to you, I could never say what
I had no right to say. If I had said it, You would have known it, You
know what is within myself, but I do not know what is within Yourself.
Verily, You alone are the Knower of the unseen. I did not say to them
except what You commanded me; to worship Allah, my Lord and your Lord,
and I was a witness over them as long as I was among them, but when
You raised me up, You were the observer over them, and You are the
witness over all things.” (5:116 - 117)
Allah (The only God)
emphasizes in the Qur’an that
Prophet
Jesus (mercy and peace of Allah be upon him) was
neither killed nor crucified, but God raised him up into the heavens
in body and spirit and he will be returned to the earth before the end
of the world. Prophet Muhammad (mercy and peace of Allah be upon him)
stated that Prophet Jesus would rule the earth according to the
Islamic law, then he will die on earth like other human beings and
will be buried and resurrected like them on the Day of Judgment.
Hence, Prophet Jesus who was given life, was born from a woman’s womb
and circumcised, ate, slept, went to the toilet, grew up, prayed, and
will die, should never be taken as God as all these characteristics
are not the attributes of God, but of His creatures.
The New Testament
states that Jesus Christ taught his followers to pray to God saying:
“Our Father [6] who art in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom
come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” (Luke 11:2 / Matthew
6:9-10)Also, he taught that only those who submit to God would inherit
paradise: “None of those who call me ‘Lord’ will enter the Kingdom of
God, except one who does the
will of my Father in heaven.”(Matthew 7:21) Prophet
Jesus also pointed out that
he himself submitted to the will of God: “I cannot do anything of
myself. I judge as I hear and my judgment is honest because I am not
seeking my own will but the will of Him who sent me.” (John 5:23)
In fact, there are
many reports in the Gospels that show that Prophet
Jesus
made it clear to his followers that he was not God. For example, when
speaking about the final hour, he said: “No one knows about that day
or hour, not even the angels in heaven, not the Son [7], but only the
Father.” (Mark 13:32)
Buddha, was a
reformer who introduced a number of humanistic principles in the Hindu
religion practiced in India. He did not claim to be God, nor did he
suggest to his followers that he be worshipped. Yet, today most
Buddhists have made him their God and they prostrate themselves before
idols representing his likeness. In brief, from the perspective of the
object worshipped, all religions today [except Islam] invite people to
the worship of creation!
Allah’s attributes
point to the fact that He (The only God) alone deserves worship. He is
One, without relatives; He has neither father, son, mother nor wife.
He is the Eternal Absolute. He neither gives birth, nor is He born,
and there is nothing like Him. He is perfect in His knowledge, in His
power, in His will, in His mercy and in all His other attributes. God
is all-powerful and perfect, while human beings are weak and
imperfect. That is how He defined Himself and how all prophets defined
Him.
Another proof that
Allah (the only God) alone deserves to be worshipped can be found
within the human soul. Islam teaches that all human beings have
imprinted on their souls an awareness of God and a natural inclination
towards worshipping Him alone imprinted on their souls. In the Qur’an,
Allah (The only God) explained that when He created
Adam He caused all of Adam’s descendants to come into existence and then He took a
pledge from all of them saying: “Am I not your Lord? To which they all
replied: Yes, we testify to it.” God then explained why He had all of
humankind bear witness that He is their Creator and only true God
worthy of worship: “That is in case you, humankind, may say on the Day
of Resurrection: Indeed we were unaware of this.” God further
elaborated on this point saying: “It is also in case you may say: It
was our ancestors who made partners with Allah, and we are only their
descendants, will you then destroy us for what those liars did?”
(7:173)Hence, people who associate partners with God in worship cannot
claim on that day that they had no idea that Allah was the only god
who deserved to be worshipped.
Prophet Muhammad
(mercy and peace of God be upon him) reported that God said: “I
created my slaves upon the right religion, but devils made them go
astray.”[8] He also said: “Each child is born in a state of Islam.
Then his parents make him a Jew, Christian or a Zoroastrian.”[9]
Thus, Islam is the
birthright of every human being, since every child is born with a
natural belief in the existence of God and an inborn inclination
towards worshipping Him alone. Just as the child submits to the
physical laws which God has imposed on the physical world, in the same
way its soul also submits naturally to the fact that God is the only
Lord and Creator. But if their parents are following a different path,
the child is usually not strong or aware enough to recognize the truth
or resist the will of the parents. In such cases, the religion which
the child follows is one of custom and upbringing. But God, the Most
Merciful and Compassionate, will not hold him to account or punish him
for following a false religion before he reaches the age of reason and
is exposed to the pure message of Islam.
IV. THE MESSAGE OF
FALSE RELIGIONS
False religions, on
the other hand, all teach the worship of creation (Paganism) in one
way or another. Some religions call to idolatry indirectly while
proclaiming God’s unity, while others openly call to the worship of
other gods besides God or along with God, instead of calling to the
worship of God alone (pure Monotheism). Idolatry is the greatest sin
that a human being commit because it equates the Creator with the
creation and diverts worship from the Creator to the creation. It also
contradicts the very purpose for which humans were created; the
worship of God alone.
One who dies in a
state of idolatry has sealed his or her fate in the next life.
This is not an
opinion, but a divinely revealed fact stated by Allah (The only God)
in the Qur’an: “Verily, Allah will not forgive joining of partners
with Him, but He may forgive sins less than that for whomsoever He
wishes.” (4:48 & 116)
Man should not
worship other than God because it makes no sense to worship the
creation which is weak in nature, and neglect the Creator who controls
the whole Universe! God says in the Qur’an: “Do they attribute to Me
partners who created nothing but are themselves created? They can
neither help others nor can they help themselves. And if you call them
to guidance they will not follow you. It is the same for you whether
you call them or you keep silent. Certainly, those whom you call upon
besides Allah are slaves like yourselves. So call upon them and let
them answer you if you are truthful. Do they have feet with which they
walk, hands with which they hold, eyes with which they see? Or do they
have ears with which they hear?” (7:190-195)
The following is an
example of a sign revealed by Allah (The only God) to a man to show
him the error of his idol-worship.
In the southeastern
region of the Amazon jungle in Brazil, South America, a primitive
tribe erected a new hut to house their main idol Skwatoo, representing
the supreme God of all creation! The following day a young man entered
the hut to pay homage to his god. While he was prostrating to what he
had been taught was his creator and sustainer, a mangy, old and
flea-ridden dog slunk into the hut. The young man looked up just in
time to see the dog lift its hind leg and pass urine on the idol.
Outraged, the young man chased the dog out of the temple, but when his
rage died down, he realized that the idol could not be the Lord of the
Universe. God must be elsewhere, he concluded. As strange as it may
seem, the dog urinating on the idol was a sign from God for that young
man that his idol does not deserve to be worshipped. This sign
contained the divine message that what he was worshipping was false.
It liberated him from slavishly following his traditionally learned
worship of a false god. As a result, this man was given a choice:
either to seek the true God or to continue in the error of his ways.
V. GOD AND HIS
CREATION
Islam emphasizes that
God and His creation are distinctly different entities. God is neither
a part of His creation nor is He mixed in with it.
His creation is
neither equal to Him in His attributes nor a part of Him.
Indeed, God is the
Most High; He is above all creation, above the heavens and above His
Throne, as He informed us about Himself in the Qur’an and in the
previous scriptures. This might seem obvious, but man’s worship of
creation instead of the Creator is to a large degree based on
ignorance or negligence of this fact. The wrong belief that the
essence of God is everywhere in His creation or that He is a part of
His creation, has provided justification for the worship of God’s
creation. Philosophical idol worshipers justify their idolatry by
saying that they do not actually worship the stone or metal image, but
God who becomes concentrated in it during their rituals of worship!
They claim that the stone idol is only a focal point for God’s essence
and is not itself God! Anyone who accepts the concept of God being
present in any way within His creation will be obliged to accept this
argument in justification of idolatry.
Actually, those who
have claimed divinity for themselves down through the ages have often
based their claims on the mistaken belief that God is present in
humans. Taking this belief one step further, they claim that God is
more present in them than in others, and that other humans should
therefore submit to them and worship them as God incarnate or as God
concentrated within their person. Similarly, those who have asserted
that others were God, after their deaths, have found fertile ground
among those who accept the false belief of God’s presence in man.
Some idol worshippers
try to justify what they are doing by saying: “We treat idols as
mediators and intercessors between us and God.” This is also an
incorrect belief because God does not need mediators between Him and
people. He hears everything and knows all the needs of His creation.
In fact, this argument reduces God to the level of His creatures who
often use intermediaries to achieve their goals. In hundreds of
Qur’anic verses God invites humans to have a direct relationship with
Him without any mediator or intercessor, and He prohibits them from
worshipping anything other than Him under any circumstance or for any
justification. God, the Most Wise, did not prescribe for people
religious rites that would affect the direct relationship between
Himself and humans, such as baptism confession, or belief in man as a
savior, or as an intermediary. Indeed, God is too great and perfect to
will a thing that would lower Himself to a level of weakness and
inferiority. To claim that God humbled Himself and took a human form
is to claim that He became feeble. And to claim that He decided to die
means that He decided to be as weak as His weakest creature. It also
means that those who were alive when He died would have been superior
to Him!
To conclude, all
false religions have in common one basic concept with regard to God;
that God and His creation are one. They either claim that all men are
God, or that specific men are God, or that nature is God, or that God
is a figment of man’s imagination or that man is a mediator between
people and God. Thus, it may be said that false religions invite
humans to the worship of creation instead of the Creator by calling
the creation or some aspect of it ‘God’.
VI. THE RELIGION’S
NAME
Another, evidence
that Islam is the true religion can be identified by the meaning of
the word “Islam” itself. Basically, the word ' Islam ' is an Arabic
word that denotes submission and obedience. As a religion, Islam has
two meanings; general and specific. Islam in general, refers to the
religion which God revealed to all prophets: The worship of God alone
(Monotheism) and the avoidance of Paganism. This explains why in the
Qur'an all prophets call themselves Muslims.[10] However, the word
Islam also specifically refers to the religion that was revealed to
Prophet Muhammad (mercy and peace of God be upon him). None of the
‘previous religions’ were given specifically their name by God, except
for this last religion - Islam.
Islam was not named
after a person or a group of people, nor was it decided upon by later
generations of humans. Indeed, the name Islam was given by God Himself
as is clearly mentioned in the Qur’an in many verses (e.g. “Indeed
religion with Allah is Islam.”[3:19]).On the other hand, Christianity
was named after Jesus Christ (by its followers), and Judaism after the
tribe of Judah. However, it is not mentioned anywhere in the Bible
that the religion of the followers of Prophets Isaac and Moses and
their descendants is called Judaism, or that the religion of the
followers of Christ[11] is called Christianity. In other words, the
names ‘Judaism’ and Latin. Jesus is the English equivalent and Latin
form of the Greek ‘Iesous’, which in ‘Christianity’ had no divine
origin or approval. It was not until long after Jesus' departure that
the name Christianity was given to the religion of those claiming to
be his followers. The same applies for Buddhism, which was named after
Gautama Buddha, Confucianism after Confucius, Marxism after
Karl Marx, and Hinduism after the Hindus and so on.
VII. THE SIX
ARTICLES OF ISLAMIC FAITH
Islamic belief is
based on the following six fundamental articles of faith:
1. Belief
in God. This includes the following beliefs:
-
Belief that God is the Creator,
the Sustainer, the Owner of the Universe and its contents, the
provider of everything, the Giver of life and the Causer of death.
2. Belief
in the Angels
Angels are creatures
created by God for specific functions in this world. They are normally
invisible and they have no free will; they do as God commands them.
They are not to be worshipped. Angel Gabriel was responsible for
taking revelation to the prophets. Two angels are assigned to every
human being to record their good and evil deeds. Another angel
accompanies each human being encouraging him/her to do good deeds.
Others blow the human
spirit into the fetus when it reaches the end of the fourth month and
others take the human spirit at the time of its death by God’s
permission. There are other angels that have other responsibilities
too many to enumerate in this small booklet.[12]
3. Belief
in the Scriptures
This article of faith
refers to belief in all the scriptures revealed by God to His
messengers in their original form. These scriptures form the
enlightenment which the messengers received to show their people the
right Al-Othaimeen, published at Alhidaayah, U.K.. path of God. All
the revealed books call to the worship of God alone and avoidance of
worshipping other than Him or others besides Him. However, due to the
difference between nations in time and locations, there was some
difference in the canonical teachings (Law) between scriptures
according to the wisdom of God.
Muslims believe in
the previous books mentioned in the Qur’an: the books of Abraham (Suhuf),
the Scripture of Moses (Torah), the Psalms of David (Zaboor) and the
Gospel of Prophet Jesus (Al-Injeel). However, long before the advent
of Prophet Muhammad (mercy and peace of God be upon him), they had all
been lost or distorted by later generations over the centuries. They
were polluted with myths, superstitions, idolatry and irrational
philosophical beliefs, carrying contradicting thoughts. Hence, the
original scriptures are no longer in existence. A brief historical
review, for example, of the evolution of Christianity from pure
monotheism into tritheism within the first 400 years after Jesus’
departure clearly illustrates this process of degeneration.[13]
The Qur’an
However, God, the
Most Compassionate, didn't leave man to go astray without an
unadulterated reference. Indeed, He revealed the Qur’an and promised
to preserve it as the final revelation for humankind for all times. It
is the word of God which He revealed to Prophet Muhammad (mercy and
peace of God be upon him) through the Angel Gabriel. It was revealed
in parts over a period of 23 years. The Prophet Muhammad (mercy and
peace of God be upon him) dictated the revelation to his companions
who wrote it down during his lifetime on palm leaves, parchments,
bones, flat stones, etc. In addition, the Qur'an was committed to
heart by many of
Prophet Muhammad's
companions. One year after the death of Prophet
Muhammad (mercy and peace of God be upon him), the first Caliph,
Abu- Bakr, instructed
the Prophet’s companions to collect the whole Qur’an in one volume.
The third Caliph, Uthman, prepared several copies from the original
text and sent them to the major centers of Islamic Civilization.
From that time
onwards, more than 1400 years ago, the same Qur’anic text has been in
use with the exact wording, order and language (Arabic). Not a single
word from its 114 chapters has been changed since it was revealed.
Indeed, God promised
in the Qur’an to preserve it forever. He said: “Verily, I have sent
down the Qur’an, and indeed, I will guard it from corruption.”[14]
(15:9)
An essential point to
understand about the Qur’an is that it is a miracle both in its
revelation and content. At the time of the revelation and since, there
have been those who have denied the divine and miraculous nature of
the Qur’an saying that Muhammad (mercy and peace of God be upon him) was either taught by others or
that he wrote it by himself! In order to counteract this claim, God
lays down a challenge to the whole of humankind saying: “ If you are
in doubt concerning what I have revealed to My slave (Muhammad), then
produce one chapter like it and you may call on your helpers beside
Allah, if you are truthful.” (2:23)
These are from the prophecies which the Qur’an foretold as no one from
the time of the Prophet (mercy and peace of God be upon him) until
this day has been able to produce the like of one chapter or even a
verse of the Qur’an.
4. Belief
in the Messengers of God
This article of faith
addresses the belief that God conveyed His message through selected
human beings. These individuals, called prophets and messengers, were
selected by God to be examples of how the scriptures were to be
understood and implemented. God sent to every nation a prophet(s) to
convey the message that He alone was to be worshipped and any thing
worshipped along with Him or besides Him is false. The Qur’an mentions
the names of only twenty-five of the prophets while indicating that
many others were not mentioned by name. The first of these prophets
was Adam and the last was Muhammad
(mercy and peace of God be upon them all). Every prophet was sent to a
specific people for specific periods of time except Prophet
Muhammad (mercy and peace of God be upon him) who was sent to all people until
the Final Hour. The proofs that
Muhammad (mercy and
peace of God be upon him) was a messenger of God are more than a
thousand; all are mentioned in his biography. The greatest proof is
the miracle of the Qur’an, which couldn’t have been conveyed but by a
messenger. Indeed, mention of Prophet Muhammad’s coming can be found
in the books of the Bible in spite of the changes which have taken
place in their texts (See Deut. 18:18, 18:15; Isaiah 29:12; Songs of
Solomon 5:16; John 16:12-14 & John 14: 15-16).
5. Belief
in the Last Day
Islam teaches that
this life is but a test of conduct for man to see whether or not he
will follow the commands of God. In the Hereafter, people will be
resurrected and stand before God for a just reckoning of their worldly
deeds and actions. People with good deeds will be generously rewarded
and warmly welcomed to the heavens of God. However, those with bad
records will be punished and cast into Hell. People have been given
knowledge of right and wrong, instinctively and through revelation,
and they must choose their path in this short life. Their choices in
this life will ultimately determine their places in the eternal life
to come. God says in the Qur’an: “Whosoever has done an atom’s weight
of good will see it, and whosoever has done an atom’s weight of evil
will see it.” (99:7-8)
Belief in the Day of
Judgment implants in man’s heart the consciousness of God, impelling
man and society at large to obey Him sincerely without any external
pressure.
6. The
Belief in Predestination
It includes the
belief in the following:
a) God knows
everything. His knowledge is not bound by time. Past, present and
future are all known to Him.
b) Everything which
takes place is already written in a book called: The Preserved Tablet.
c) God has created
everything, including the actions of people, the good and the bad, but
He commanded people to do good deeds and forbade them from doing evil.
d) One must believe
that everything that happens in this Universe is happening with God’s
permission, and nothing can take place against His will.
It should be noted
that God’s prior knowledge of things does not mean that human beings
have no choice. Human beings choose, but God knows their choices prior
to their choosing and action.
VIII. THE PILLARS
OF ISLAM
Worship in Islam is
an all inclusive term for all action and sayings that God loves. Every
virtuous action which is performed with the intention of carrying the
commandments of God and seeking His pleasure is considered as an act
of worship. However, the very specific acts of worship are five. They
stand as the framework of spiritual life on which the structure of
Islam rests. They are the following:
1. The two
Declarations of faith of which the Arabic transliteration is (Ashhadu
an la elaaha illa Allah, wa Ashhadu anna Muhammad Rasool Allah) which
means: I testify that there is no god worthy of worship but God, and I
testify that Muhammad is the messenger of God. The sincere declaration of God’s unity and
the acceptance of Muhammad’s
prophethood and adherence to his teachings automatically brings one
within the fold of Islam and guarantees him Paradise. Hence, Monotheism is the cornerstone of Islam. The
acceptance of this belief differentiates the Muslim from the
non-Muslim.
2. Prayers: Formal
Prayers are prescribed five times daily as a duty to God at the
following times: dawn, noon, afternoon, sunset and nightfall. A Muslim
may offer formal prayers almost anywhere as long as the location is
clean. Muslim males are enjoined to pray in congregation in a mosque,
while females are encouraged to pray in their homes. Prayer provides
human beings with a regular contact with God, which helps them avoid
evil.
Furthermore, it is
symbolic of equality, for the poor and the rich the ruler and the
ruled, the black and the white all stand together, united in rows,
shoulder to shoulder and prostrate themselves, before Allah (The God).
Prayer strengthens the belief in Allah (The God) and elevates man to a
higher morality. It helps to purify the heart and prevent temptation
towards wrong – doing and evil.
3. Fasting the month
of Ramadhan: Fasting in Islam means abstention from food, drink and
sexual acts from dawn to sunset. It is an annual obligation during the
month of Ramadhan, the ninth month of the lunar calendar. Fasting
teaches sincerity and engenders devotion. It develops a sense of
social conscience, patience, self-restraint, will power and compassion
for the needy members of the society. Furthermore, it has been
medically proven that fasting helps to maintain good health.
4. Zakah (Charity):
Every Muslim whose net annual savings are above a certain specified
minimum must pay an annual amount of 2.5% of his savings to the poor
and needy people in the community. Zakah fosters generosity and helps
purify the soul of selfishness and greed. Zakah also helps reduce
resentment and envy between poor and rich members of the society.
5. Hajj (Pilgrimage
to Makkah): Hajj is obligatory for every Muslim once in a lifetime, if
one can afford it financially and bear it physically. During Hajj,
Muslims from all corners of the world meet in an international
congregation dedicated to the worship of God. It is a great lesson in
patience. The huge gatherings in Hajj remind one of the Day of
Judgment when people will gather for their reckoning. It emphasizes
the belief that all Muslims are brothers, irrespective of their
geographical, cultural or racial origins.
IX. ISLAM AND
OTHER RELIGIONS
One may ask: “If all
true religions came with the same message, namely the worship of God
alone, why then do we find differences between them?” The answer is
that the original forms of these earlier messages were either lost or
distorted by later generations. Consequently, the pure messages of
monotheism became polluted with myths, superstitions, idolatry and
irrational philosophical beliefs and hence, those religions are no
more valid. But God, the Compassionate, did not leave human beings
astray.
He sent, ultimately,
Prophet
Muhammad (mercy and peace of God be upon him) to revive the original message
and to call human beings back to the correct path: belief in the
unique oneness of God and worship of Him according to His teachings
mentioned in the Qur'an. Consequently, Islam is the seal of all
religions, and the Qur'an is the seal of all revealed books, and
Prophet
Muhammad (mercy and peace of God be upon him) is the seal of all
prophets.
X. BEAUTIES OF
ISLAM
All of the Qur’an is
a proclamation of Tawheed (The Oneness and Unity of God). Some of the
verses inform about God, His Names, Attributes, Acts and Speech. These
verses indicate the Unity and Oneness of God with respect to His most
excellent Names and perfect Attributes. Other verses call to the
necessity of worshipping God alone, without any associate or partner
and the renunciation of worship of anything other than Him.
These verses indicate
the Oneness and Unity of Worship and the necessity for people to
single out their Lord in their intention, desire, requesting and their
turning to Him. The Qur’an also contains injunctions and prohibitions,
and so the doing of something or refraining from doing it is the
fulfillment and perfection of the affirmation of the Oneness and Unity
of God. In addition, the Qur’an includes stories and information about
the people of true and sincere belief and tells of their immediate
reward in the life of this world as well as the immense reward
reserved for them in the hereafter. The Qur’an also contains stories
about those who associate partners with God and informs of their
punishment in the life of this world and the punishment they are
promised in the hereafter. This is the reward for those that associate
partners with God and deviate from affirmation of God’s Oneness and
Unity.
The Qur’an calls for
the correcting and strengthening of peoples’ relationship with their
Lord, and their relationship with each other. It also calls for people
to correct and straighten their own selves, both inwardly and
outwardly.
Concerning the
correcting and strengthening of the relationship between a person and
his Lord, the Qur’an calls for people to draw close to Him through
both physical and financial acts of worship such as prayer, Hajj,
sacrifice and so forth. In addition, the Qur’an calls to the knowledge
of God through His Names and Attributes and this instills fear and awe
of the Lord in peoples’ hearts and establishes discipline in applying
God’s commands and prohibitions and strengthens the relationship
between people and their Lord.
Concerning the
straightening of a person’s relationship with other people, the Qur’an
calls to behavior which strengthens and reinforces social
relationships such as the importance given to the role of the family.
So treating parents
kindly, maintaining good relations with other family members, seeing
to the rights and needs of wives and children, doing good to neighbors
are all obligatory while disobeying parents, severing family ties and
social isolation are all prohibited. The Qur’an also instructs that
reconciliation should be encouraged between husband and wife if a
dispute occurs between them to avoid the break up of the family and
separation of the children.
In addition, the
Qur’an instructs that all people should be treated with high moral
behavior and noble manners such as smiling with them, being gentle in
speech to them, controlling one’s anger with them, forgiving any harm
or offence they may have caused and even returning that harm with
good, in order that any spite or hatred might be removed from the
hearts and that enmity be turned into love and affection. Whoever
achieves this is promised an immense reward.
The Prophet, mercy
and peace be upon him, instructed that even animals be treated fairly
and with kindness, instructing that they should be fed and watered and
informing that such action would be rewarded on the Day of
Resurrection. He also instructed that they should not be made to carry
a burden more than they could bear, nor tormented or caused undue
suffering or killed unless they were harmful. And if an animal was to
be eaten then it should be made to feel relaxed at the time of
slaughter and other animals should not be slaughtered in front of it.
The Qur’an also
enjoins both physical and spiritual cleanliness and purification. It
encourages that the body be kept clean, the wearing of clean clothes
and shoes and the use of perfume. A bath should be taken every Friday
and after sexual intercourse and ablution performed before prayer,
nails should be clipped, hair under the armpit plucked, pubic hair
shaved, the moustache trimmed, the siwak (the small branch of a tree
used for cleaning the teeth) used regularly and the private parts
washed after going to the toilet.
Concerning spiritual
purity the Qur’an instructs that the soul be straightened and
corrected and that the heart be purified of spite, malice, jealousy,
pride and inequity. It calls for integrity of heart and love,
affection and humility towards people. It instructs that the tongue be
purified from lying, backbiting, slander and insulting people and
adorned with truthfulness and softness of speech. The eyes should be
restrained from looking at pornographic pictures and at peoples’
private parts and the ears should be kept from listening to loose and
immoral talk. The Qur’an praises and encourages knowledge and
criticizes ignorance saying that it leads to destruction. It commands
to action and dynamism while prohibiting inaction and laziness.
Likewise, the Qur’an calls to all similar praiseworthy behavior and
virtuous qualities.
The Qur’an orders
that children be born within a legal marriage contract and that sexual
desire be controlled and contained within these parameters. Marriage
is fulfilled by the obligatory payment of a dowry by the husband and
by his supporting his wife and children financially and treating them
kindly. In the same manner, the Qur’an prohibits fornication because
it is one of the worst assaults on other peoples’ honour and dignity
and something which causes disease and produces illegitimate children.
Likewise, the Qur’an
forbids everything which leads to fornication and so it prohibits
looking at pornographic pictures and being alone with marriageable
women. It also commands that men should lower their gaze from looking
or staring at improperly dressed women just as it has ordered women to
dress modestly and cover their bodies.
The Qur’an also calls
to the protection and sanctity of peoples’ lives and specifically
mentions that the taking of an innocent life is one of the worst and
most hideous crimes. The Prophet forbade breaking the bones of a dead
animal so what about the taking of an innocent life? The Qur’an
prescribes a life for a life and an eye for an eye for all injuries,
however large or small, unless the family of the person killed or the
injured person accepts financial compensation instead.
The Qur’an commands
that peoples’ property and wealth be safe and inviolable and therefore
prohibits theft, bribery, usury and deception. It calls for moderation
in spending and so forbids extravagance, lavishness and the
squandering of money while at the same time forbidding the hoarding
and amassing of wealth. It calls for balance and commands that people
should neither be greedy and covetous nor spend thrifty and wasteful.
It encourages the seeking and striving for provision in lawful ways
such as buying, selling and renting - activities that bring financial
or material benefit to all parties concerned - as well safeguarding
the rights and needs of the poor, especially those of them who are
relatives.
Islam promotes the
protection of good health and has therefore commanded that only
wholesome and nutritious food in moderation be eaten and has
prohibited the consumption of all bad and harmful food and drink such
as carrion, liquor, smoking, drugs and so forth. It also prescribes
fasting that has many benefits for the body, especially the stomach.
The Prophet, mercy
and peace be upon him, taught many general good manners, including the
virtue of adopting the correct manners for eating and drinking. These
include eating with the right hand and not finding fault with the food
but rather being satisfied with it. Therefore, if someone likes the
food, they should eat it but if they have no appetite for it, they
should leave it without criticizing it. This is both out of respect
for the blessing of the food and in order not to hurt the feelings of
the person who cooked it. It is also preferred that a person eats with
others and not alone, either by eating with his family or by inviting
a poor person to eat with him.
The words ‘In the
name of God’ (bismillah) should be said before beginning to eat, and
‘All praise belongs to God’ (Al-hamdulillah) after finishing the food,
in order that people remember the blessing they have been given and
the One who provided it. The prophet, mercy and peace be upon him,
also prohibited people from blowing on food or drink or breathing on
to it, out of respect for others who may be sharing it and to avoid
the spread of contagious diseases.
The Prophet, mercy
and peace be upon him, instructed people to adopt good manners when in
a gathering such as not raising one’s voice, respecting elders,
showing mercy to the young, greeting those present (saying as-salaam)
when entering the gathering and guarding the tongue from saying bad
things about people, even if it is true.
The Prophet, mercy
and peace be upon him, also instructed people to remember God at all
times and in every situation. This creates a permanent connection
between people and their Lord and instills stability, stillness and
tranquility in their hearts and it is one of the means of protecting
against evil and vice. The Prophet, mercy and peace be upon him, for
example instructed that specific invocations be said at the time of
sleep, before entering the toilet, before sexual intercourse, while
traveling, due to fear of a people, upon entering or leaving one’s
house, first thing in the morning and in the afternoon, on being
afflicted by distress, anxiety or misfortune, when burdened by debt or
poverty, upon entering a graveyard, when stopping for a rest or
setting up camp and other situations when specific invocations and
prayers should be said.
Another aspect of
general behavior which the Prophet, mercy and peace be upon him, gave
guidance about concerns correct behavior and manners when traveling.
For example, he instructed that the one traveling should say goodbye
to his family and supplicate for them just as they should supplicate
and pray for him. In addition, he instructed that a person should not
travel alone but in company, one of whom should be appointed as the
leader, who undertakes to make decisions after consulting the others.
The traveler should also make continual invocation and remembrance of
God during his journey. He should also not surprise his family by
returning unexpectedly late at night. Rather, he should inform them
before he arrives in order that the wife can prepare for his arrival
or leave returning until the following morning.
The Prophet, mercy
and peace be upon him, also instructed that a woman should not travel
by herself but travel either with her husband or with someone who she
cannot marry such as her father or brother to ensure that both her
honor and wealth are protected.
Islam calls for
justice and noble conduct and urges that agreements and contracts be
fulfilled, that trusts are returned, that rulers are obeyed and
enjoins every noble character just as it forbids vileness, baseness,
crime, oppression, hostility, aggression and all blameworthy and
reprehensible qualities.
XI. UNIVERSAL
APPEAL OF A COMPREHENSIVE RELIGION
Islam is a universal
message because God sent every previous prophet to his own people for
limited periods of time except Prophet Muhammad (mercy and peace of
God be upon him) who was sent to all people; black and white, rich and
poor, the ruler and the ruled, Arabs and non-Arabs, the slave and the
master. Islam is for all people from when it was revealed until the
Day of Judgment. It is universally attainable in the sense that it can
be practiced anywhere on earth ((or even on the surface of the moon)).
God has made the
message of Islam easy to understand and to follow. He annulled some
previously prescribed rites and practices while affirming others
according to His wisdom and hence, the Islamic law suits all peoples’
spiritual, psychological, social and economical needs, for all times.
Islamic teachings
have the following unique features:
1. Rational
teachings: The seeker of truth will find the teachings of Islam to be
quite logical and reasonable.
2. Perfection: Since
God is perfect, His teachings must also be perfect and free from any
contradiction or error.
3. Clarity: God is
the Most Compassionate. He guides us through clear and simple
revelation free of myths, superstitions and mysteries.
4. Scientific: It is
not surprising to find in the Qur’an and statements of Prophet
Muhammad (mercy and peace of God be upon him) some information which has only
recently been discovered by modern scientists. This points to the fact
that Qur’an is the word of God and that
Muhammad
(mercy and peace of God be upon him) is a prophet of God.15
5. Prophecy: Many of
the events prophesized in the Qur’an and Prophet’s sayings (Sunnah)
have come to pass.
6. Moderate: In
Islam, there is no conflict between spiritual and mundane life. Man is
accountable for all his actions and everyday activities. Provided they
are done with the correct intention, they are a means to achieve
divine reward in the same way that specific acts of worship are. So,
secularism, materialism, monasticism and extreme asceticism are all
rejected in Islam, which provides a middle way to achieve harmony and
balance between the spiritual and material needs of man. This is why
God called the Muslim nation in the Qur’an: the Moderate
Nation.(2:143) 15 See " The Qur’an and Modern Science " by Dr.
Maurice Bucaille.
7. Comprehensive:
Islamic teachings provide to people definite guidelines to follow in
all walks of life: spiritual, individual, social, moral, political,
economical, etc.
8. Inimitable:
Islamic teachings are an infallible living miracle that cannot be
imitated by people.
9. Equality: Islamic
teachings do not discriminate between people on the basis of color,
tribe, race, nationality, etc. because people descend from one father
and one mother namely Adam and
Eve.
Islam teaches that
the criteria of good and bad is righteousness (i.e., the best person
in the view of God is the most righteous). A verse of Glorious Qur’an
reads: : “The best of you in the sight of God is the one who is most
righteous. ” (49:13)
XII. WHY ISLAM?
We have to become
Muslims because God Has sealed and superseded all previous messages
with Islam. God says to all people in the Qur’an: “This day I have
perfected your religion for you, completed My favor upon you, and have
chosen for you Islam as your religion.” (5:3)
We have to become
Muslims because people in every age must worship their Lord (Allah)
according to the Law prescribed by Him as revealed to His prophet. The
tribes of Israel, for example, were ordered to worship God according
to the Law of Moses (mercy and peace of God be upon him). When Prophet
Jesus (mercy and peace of God be upon him) was sent to them, they were
ordered to worship God according to what was prescribed in the Gospel
(Al-Injeel). Then, when God sent Prophet Muhammad (mercy and peace of
God be upon him) with the message of Islam to all people, it became
incumbent on all people, the tribes of Israel and all others, to enter
Islam.
If, for whatever
reason, man rejects the message of Islam, then he has committed the
greatest sin. Unfortunately, if he dies in this state, then he will be
punished and cast into the Hellfire to live eternally therein. This
concept is emphasized hundreds of times in the Qur’an and in the
sayings of Prophet Muhammad (mercy and peace of God be upon him). God
says in the Qur’an: “If anyone desires a Religion other than Islam,
never will it be accepted from him, and in the Hereafter he will be
among the losers.” (3:85)Also, Prophet Muhammad (mercy and peace of
God be upon him) said: “Whoever among the Christians and Jews hears of
me and does not follow what I have brought, and dies in this state
will be among the inhabitants of Hell fire.”[15]
Some people may not
accept Islam because they think that becoming a Muslim means to turn
one’s back on all previous prophets sent by God!
This is a false
concept because of the following: First, the belief in all messengers
of God is a pillar of Islamic faith and hence, no Muslim is a Muslim
if he doesn't believe in Jesus, Moses or any other prophet. Second,
belief in the messengers is a part of what each messenger taught
(i.e., every prophet called his people to believe in the next prophet
who comes after him and follow him whenever he appears). So, rejecting
a prophet means rejecting the predecessor. Thirdly, rejecting any
messenger means rejecting his sender: God.
Hence, in the Islamic
perspective the relationship between the messengers is like the
relationship between the links in a chain, where rejecting one of them
means rejecting all. However, becoming a Muslim means having the honor
of believing in all the prophets who came before Prophet Muhammad
(mercy and peace of God be upon them) and not to turn one's back on
all previous prophets as some people may think.
XIII. CONCLUSION
The following facts
were explained and proved herein above:
-
The purpose of creation is to
worship God (Allah) alone.
-
The basic message of Islam is to
worship Allah (The God) alone without any intercessor or mediator.
-
Evidences that only Allah has the
right to be worshipped, was elaborated.
-
The message of false religions is
the worship of creation instead of God (Paganism).
-
Allah (The only God) and His
creation are totally different entities. He is only one, distinct
from His creations.
-
The divine origin of the name of
the religion ‘Islam’ and the comprehensiveness of its meaning points
to its truth.
-
Islam's basic principles and
characteristics point to its truth.
-
Qur'an is the word of God which
was preserved throughout the ages.
-
Islamic teachings are uniquely
rational and uncomplicated.
-
Prophets are human beings sent by
God to convey and revive the original message: worship of God alone
and (Monotheism) and the avoidance of worshipping anything beside
Him. Prophets are only human beings sent by God to be examples of
how the scriptures were to be understood and implemented. They were
created from a mother and a father except
Adam and Jesus (mercy
and peace of God be upon them all). The former was created from the
clay whereas the latter was created from a mother without a father.
-
Islam is the only religion that
teaches the right concept of God, free of any confusion or
irrational facts.
-
Islamic sources have the obvious
proofs that affirm the fact that God has sent Prophet Muhammad
(mercy and peace of God be upon him) with the universal message of
Islam that supercedes all previous messages.
-
It is proved that Islam is a
restatement of the basic message of all religions: worship of God
alone. It is the last religion for all people, for all times. Every
one who hears about it should follow it and whoever rejects it then
it means that he has rejected the message of God and accordingly
will be cast into Hell.
-
Last but not least, Islam is
universally attainable by all people at all times.
These are nine
fourteen basic components of what logic and rationality dictate for
Islam to be considered the last and true religion of God which all
people should follow.
Oh Reader! You Have
been shown here in the right path, and God has given you the ability
to distinguish right from wrong, and the freedom of choice whether to
accept the message of Islam or not. If you accept His call, then you
will be warmly welcomed into Paradise. If you reject it, you will be
in for a rude awakening once you die; the biggest shock of your life.
From the
Booklet “Islam is your Birthright”
Compiled
by Majed S.
Al-Rassi
Edited by
Dr. Bilal Philips
Reviewed by Malik Naveed Ahmed Zafar
Go top ^
|
