The True Religion
by Dr. A. A. Bilal Philips (PhD. in Theology,
Which is the True Religion of God?
Each person is born in a circumstance which is not of his own
choosing. The religion of his family or the ideology of the state is
thrust upon him from the very beginning of his existence in this
world. By the time he reaches his teens, he is usually fully brain-
washed into believing that the beliefs of his particular society are
the correct beliefs that everyone should have. However, when some
people mature and are exposed to other belief-systems, they begin to
question the validity of their own beliefs. The seekers of truth often
reach a point of confusion upon realizing that each and every
religion, sect, ideology and philosophy claims to be the one and only
correct way for man. Indeed they all encourage people to good. So,
which one is right? They cannot all be right since each claims all
others to be wrong. Then how does the seeker of truth choose the right
way?
God gave us all minds and intellects to enable us to make this crucial
decision. It is the most important decision in the life of a human
being. Upon it depends his future. Consequently, each and every one of
us must examine dispassionately the evidence presented and choose what
appears to be right until further evidence arises.
Like every other religion or philosophy, Islam also claims to be the
one and only true way to God. In this respect it is no different from
other systems. This booklet intends to provide some evidence for the
validity of that claim. However, it must always be kept in mind that
one can only determine the true path by putting aside emotions and
prejudices, which often blind us to reality. Then, and only then, will
we be able to use our God-given intelligence and make a rational and
correct decision.
There are several arguments which may be advanced to support Islam's
claim to be the true religion of God. The following are only three of
the most obvious. The first argument is based on the Divine origin of
the names of the religion and the comprehensiveness of its meaning.
The second deals with the unique and uncomplicated teachings
concerning the relationship between God, man, and creation. The third
argument derives from the fact that Islam is universally attainable by
all men at all times. These are the three basic components of what
logic and reason dictate necessary for a religion to be considered the
true religion of God. The following pages will develop these concepts
in some detail.
The Religion's Name
The first thing that one should know and clearly understand about
Islam is what the word "Islam" itself means. The Arabic word "Islam"
means the submission or surrender of one's will to the only true God,
known in Arabic as "Allah". One who submits his will to God is termed
in Arabic a "Muslim". The religion of Islam is not named after a
person or people, nor was it decided by a later generation of man, as
in the case of Christianity which was named after Jesus Christ (p),
Buddhism after Gautama Buddha, Confucianism after Confucius, Marxism
after Karl Marx, Judaism after the tribe of
the Hindus. Islam (submission to the will of God) is the religion
which was given to Adam (p), the first man and the first prophet of
God, and it was the religion of all the prophets sent by Allah to
mankind. Further, its name was chosen by God Himself and clearly
mentioned in the final scripture which He revealed to man. In the
final revelation, called the Qur'an in Arabic, Allah states the
following:
"This day have I perfected your religion for you, completed My favour
upon you, and I have chosen for you Islam as you religion." (Qur'an
5:3)
"If anyone desires a religion other than Islam (submission to God),
never will it be accepted of him." (Qur'an 3:85)
Hence, Islam does not claim to be a new religion brought by Prophet
Muhammad (p) into
expression in its final form of the true religion of Almighty God,
Allah, as it was originally revealed to Adam (p) and subsequent
prophets.
At this point we might comment briefly on two other religions that
claim to be the true path. Nowhere in the Bible will you find God
revealing to Prophet Moses' (p) people or their descendants that their
religion is called Judaism, or to the followers of Christ (p) that
their religion is called Christianity. In other words, the names
"Judaism" and "Christianity" had no divine origin or approval. It was
not until long after his departure that the name "Christianity" was
given to Jesus' (p) religion.
What, then, was Jesus' (p) religion in actual fact, as distinct from
its name? His religion was reflected in his teachings, which he urged
his followers to accept as guiding principles in their relationship
with God. In Islam, Jesus (p) is a prophet sent by Allah and his
Arabic name is Eesa. Like the prophets before him, he called upon the
people to surrender their will to the will of God (which is what Islam
stands for). For example, in the New Testament, it is stated that
Jesus (p) taught his followers to pray to God as follows:
"Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your Name, may your will be done on
earth as it is in heaven." (Luke 11:2; Matt. 6:9-10)
This concept was emphasized by Jesus (p) in a number of his statements
recorded in the Gospels. He taught, for example, that only those who
submitted would inherit
Jesus (p) also pointed out that he himself submitted to the will of
God.
"None of those who call me 'Lord' will enter the
only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven." (Matt. 7:21)
"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 5:30)
There are many reports in the Gospels which show that Jesus (p) made
it clear to his followers that he was not the one true God. For
example, when speaking about the final Hour, he said:
"No one knows about the Day or Hour, not even the angels in heaven,
not the son, but only the Father." (Mark 13:32)
Thus, Jesus (p) like the prophets before him and the one who came
after him, taught the religion of Islam: submission to the will of the
One true God.
God and Creation
Since the total submission of one's will to God represents the essence
of worship, the basic message of God's divine religion, Islam, is the
worship of God alone. It also requires the avoidance of worship
directed to any person, place or thing other than God. Since
everything other than God, the Creator of all things, is God's
creation, it may be said that Islam, in essence, calls man away from
worship of creation and invites him to worship only his Creator. He is
the only one deserving of man's worship, because it is only by His
will that prayers are answered.
Accordingly, if a man prays to a tree and his prayers are answered, it
is not the tree that answered his prayers but God, Who allows the
circumstances prayed for to take place. One might say, "That is
obvious"; however, to tree-worshipers, it might not be so. Similarly,
prayers to Jesus (p), Buddha,
even to Muhammad (p), are not answered by them, but are answered by
God. Jesus (p) did not tell his followers to worship him but to
worship God, as the Qur'an states:
"And behold! Allah will say: 'O Jesus, the son of Mary! Did you say to
men, worship me and my mother as gods besides Allah?'; He will say:
'Glory to you, I could never say what I had no right (to
say)'" (Qur'an 5:116)
Nor did Jesus (p) worship himself when he worshiped, but rather he
worshiped God. And Jesus (p) was reported in the Gospels to have said:
"It is written: 'Worship the Lord your God and serve Him only.'" (Luke
4:8)
The basic principle is contained in the opening chapter of the Qur'an,
known as Surah al-Fatihah, verse 4:
"You alone do we worship and from you alone do we seek help."
Elsewhere in the final book of revelation, the Qur'an, God also said:
"And your Lord says: 'Call on Me and I will answer your
(prayer).'" (Qur'an 40:60)
It is worth emphasizing that the basic message of Islam (namely, the
worship of God alone) also proclaims that God and His creation are
distinctly different entities. God is neither equal to His creation
nor a part of it, nor is His creation equal to Him or a part of Him.
This might seem obvious, but man's worship of creation, instead of the
Creator, is to a large degree based on ignorance, or neglect, of this
concept. It is the belief that the essence of God is everywhere in His
creation or that His divine being is or was present in some parts of
His creation, which has provided justification for the worship of
God's creation and naming it the worship of God. However, the message
of Islam, as brought by the prophets of God, is to worship only God
and to avoid the worship of His creation either directly or
indirectly.
In the Qur'an, God clearly states:
"For We assuredly sent amongst every people a prophet, with the
command: Worship Me and avoid false gods." (Qur'an 16:36)
When idol worshipers are questioned as to why they bow down to idols
created by men, the invariable reply is that they are not actually
worshiping the stone image, but God Who is present within it. They
claim that the stone idol is only a focal point for God's essence and
is not in itself God! One who has accepted the concept of God being
present in any way within His creation will be obliged to accept this
argument for idolatry. Whereas, one who understands the basic message
of Islam and its implications would never agree to idolatry no matter
how it is rationalized.
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 man. Taking one step further, they claim that God is more
present in them than the rest of us, and that other humans should
therefore submit to
Which is the True Religion of God?
Each person is born in a circumstance which is not of his own
choosing. The religion of his family or the ideology of the state is
thrust upon him from the very beginning of his existence in this
world. By the time he reaches his teens, he is usually fully brain-
washed into believing that the beliefs of his particular society are
the correct beliefs that everyone should have. However, when some
people mature and are exposed to other belief-systems, they begin to
question the validity of their own beliefs. The seekers of truth often
reach a point of confusion upon realizing that each and every
religion, sect, ideology and philosophy claims to be the one and only
correct way for man. Indeed they all encourage people to good. So,
which one is right? They cannot all be right since each claims all
others to be wrong. Then how does the seeker of truth choose the right
way?
God gave us all minds and intellects to enable us to make this crucial
decision. It is the most important decision in the life of a human
being. Upon it depends his future. Consequently, each and every one of
us must examine dispassionately the evidence presented and choose what
appears to be right until further evidence arises.
Like every other religion or philosophy, Islam also claims to be the
one and only true way to God. In this respect it is no different from
other systems. This booklet intends to provide some evidence for the
validity of that claim. However, it must always be kept in mind that
one can only determine the true path by putting aside emotions and
prejudices, which often blind us to reality. Then, and only then, will
we be able to use our God-given intelligence and make a rational and
correct decision.
There are several arguments which may be advanced to support Islam's
claim to be the true religion of God. The following are only three of
the most obvious. The first argument is based on the Divine origin of
the names of the religion and the comprehensiveness of its meaning.
The second deals with the unique and uncomplicated teachings
concerning the relationship between God, man, and creation. The third
argument derives from the fact that Islam is universally attainable by
all men at all times. These are the three basic components of what
logic and reason dictate necessary for a religion to be considered the
true religion of God. The following pages will develop these concepts
in some detail.
The Religion's Name
The first thing that one should know and clearly understand about
Islam is what the word "Islam" itself means. The Arabic word "Islam"
means the submission or surrender of one's will to the only true God,
known in Arabic as "Allah". One who submits his will to God is termed
in Arabic a "Muslim". The religion of Islam is not named after a
person or people, nor was it decided by a later generation of man, as
in the case of Christianity which was named after Jesus Christ (p),
Buddhism after Gautama Buddha, Confucianism after Confucius, Marxism
after Karl Marx, Judaism after the tribe of
the Hindus. Islam (submission to the will of God) is the religion
which was given to Adam (p), the first man and the first prophet of
God, and it was the religion of all the prophets sent by Allah to
mankind. Further, its name was chosen by God Himself and clearly
mentioned in the final scripture which He revealed to man. In the
final revelation, called the Qur'an in Arabic, Allah states the
following:
"This day have I perfected your religion for you, completed My favour
upon you, and I have chosen for you Islam as you religion." (Qur'an
5:3)
"If anyone desires a religion other than Islam (submission to God),
never will it be accepted of him." (Qur'an 3:85)
Hence, Islam does not claim to be a new religion brought by Prophet
Muhammad (p) into
expression in its final form of the true religion of Almighty God,
Allah, as it was originally revealed to Adam (p) and subsequent
prophets.
At this point we might comment briefly on two other religions that
claim to be the true path. Nowhere in the Bible will you find God
revealing to Prophet Moses' (p) people or their descendants that their
religion is called Judaism, or to the followers of Christ (p) that
their religion is called Christianity. In other words, the names
"Judaism" and "Christianity" had no divine origin or approval. It was
not until long after his departure that the name "Christianity" was
given to Jesus' (p) religion.
What, then, was Jesus' (p) religion in actual fact, as distinct from
its name? His religion was reflected in his teachings, which he urged
his followers to accept as guiding principles in their relationship
with God. In Islam, Jesus (p) is a prophet sent by Allah and his
Arabic name is Eesa. Like the prophets before him, he called upon the
people to surrender their will to the will of God (which is what Islam
stands for). For example, in the New Testament, it is stated that
Jesus (p) taught his followers to pray to God as follows:
"Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your Name, may your will be done on
earth as it is in heaven." (Luke 11:2; Matt. 6:9-10)
This concept was emphasized by Jesus (p) in a number of his statements
recorded in the Gospels. He taught, for example, that only those who
submitted would inherit
Jesus (p) also pointed out that he himself submitted to the will of
God.
"None of those who call me 'Lord' will enter the
only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven." (Matt. 7:21)
"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 5:30)
There are many reports in the Gospels which show that Jesus (p) made
it clear to his followers that he was not the one true God. For
example, when speaking about the final Hour, he said:
"No one knows about the Day or Hour, not even the angels in heaven,
not the son, but only the Father." (Mark 13:32)
Thus, Jesus (p) like the prophets before him and the one who came
after him, taught the religion of Islam: submission to the will of the
One true God.
God and Creation
Since the total submission of one's will to God represents the essence
of worship, the basic message of God's divine religion, Islam, is the
worship of God alone. It also requires the avoidance of worship
directed to any person, place or thing other than God. Since
everything other than God, the Creator of all things, is God's
creation, it may be said that Islam, in essence, calls man away from
worship of creation and invites him to worship only his Creator. He is
the only one deserving of man's worship, because it is only by His
will that prayers are answered.
Accordingly, if a man prays to a tree and his prayers are answered, it
is not the tree that answered his prayers but God, Who allows the
circumstances prayed for to take place. One might say, "That is
obvious"; however, to tree-worshipers, it might not be so. Similarly,
prayers to Jesus (p), Buddha,
even to Muhammad (p), are not answered by them, but are answered by
God. Jesus (p) did not tell his followers to worship him but to
worship God, as the Qur'an states:
"And behold! Allah will say: 'O Jesus, the son of Mary! Did you say to
men, worship me and my mother as gods besides Allah?'; He will say:
'Glory to you, I could never say what I had no right (to
say)'" (Qur'an 5:116)
Nor did Jesus (p) worship himself when he worshiped, but rather he
worshiped God. And Jesus (p) was reported in the Gospels to have said:
"It is written: 'Worship the Lord your God and serve Him only.'" (Luke
4:8)
The basic principle is contained in the opening chapter of the Qur'an,
known as Surah al-Fatihah, verse 4:
"You alone do we worship and from you alone do we seek help."
Elsewhere in the final book of revelation, the Qur'an, God also said:
"And your Lord says: 'Call on Me and I will answer your
(prayer).'" (Qur'an 40:60)
It is worth emphasizing that the basic message of Islam (namely, the
worship of God alone) also proclaims that God and His creation are
distinctly different entities. God is neither equal to His creation
nor a part of it, nor is His creation equal to Him or a part of Him.
This might seem obvious, but man's worship of creation, instead of the
Creator, is to a large degree based on ignorance, or neglect, of this
concept. It is the belief that the essence of God is everywhere in His
creation or that His divine being is or was present in some parts of
His creation, which has provided justification for the worship of
God's creation and naming it the worship of God. However, the message
of Islam, as brought by the prophets of God, is to worship only God
and to avoid the worship of His creation either directly or
indirectly.
In the Qur'an, God clearly states:
"For We assuredly sent amongst every people a prophet, with the
command: Worship Me and avoid false gods." (Qur'an 16:36)
When idol worshipers are questioned as to why they bow down to idols
created by men, the invariable reply is that they are not actually
worshiping the stone image, but God Who is present within it. They
claim that the stone idol is only a focal point for God's essence and
is not in itself God! One who has accepted the concept of God being
present in any way within His creation will be obliged to accept this
argument for idolatry. Whereas, one who understands the basic message
of Islam and its implications would never agree to idolatry no matter
how it is rationalized.
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 man. Taking one step further, they claim that God is more
present in them than the rest of us, and that other humans should
therefore submit to them and worship them as God in person or as God
concentrated within their persons. Similarly, those who have asserted
the godhood of others after their deaths have found fertile ground
among those who accept the false belief of God's presence in man.
It should be abundantly clear by now that one who has grasped the
basic message of Islam and its implications could never agree to
worship another human being under any circumstance. God's religion, in
essence, is a clear call to the worship of the Creator and the
rejection of creation-worship in any form. This is the meaning of the
motto of Islam:
Laa ilaaha illaa Allah" (there is no god but Allah)
The sincere declaration of this phrase and the acceptance of
prophethood automatically brings one within the fold of Islam, and
sincere belief in it guarrantees one
of Islam (p) is reported to have said:
"Any one who says 'There is no god but Allah', and dies holding that
(belief) will enter
Belief in this declaration of faith requires that one submit his/her
will to God in the way taught by the prophets of God. It also requires
the believer to give up the worship of false gods.
The Message of False Religions
There are so many sects, cults, religions, philosophies, and movements
in the world, all which claim to be the right way or the only true
path to God! How can one determine which one is correct or whether, in
fact, all are correct? One method by which the answer can be found is
to clear away the superficial differences in the teachings of the
various claimants to the ultimate truth, and identify the central
object of worship upon which they call, directly or indirectly. False
religions all have in common one basic concept with regard to God:
they either claim that all men are gods, or that specific men were
God, or that nature is God, or that God is a figment of man's
imagination.
Thus, it may be stated that the basic message of false religion is
that God may be worshiped in the form of His creation. False religions
invite man to the worship of creation by calling the creation or some
aspect of it God. For example, prophet Jesus (p) invited his followers
to worship God, but those who claim to be Jesus' followers today call
people to worship Jesus (p), claiming that he was God.
Buddha was a reformer who introduced a number of humanistic principles
in the religion of
suggest to his followers that he be an object of worship. Yet today
most Buddhists who are to be found outside of
be God and they prostrate themselves to idols made in their perception
of his likeness.
By using the principle of identifying the object of worship, we can
easily detect false religions and the contrived nature of their
origin. As God said in the Qur'an:
"That which you worship besides Him are only names and you and your
forefathers have invented for which Allah has sent down no authority;
the command belongs only to Allah: He has command that you worship
Him; that is the right religion, but most men do not
understand." (Qur'an 12:40)
It may be argued that all religions teach good things, so why should
it matter which one we follow? The reply is that all false religions
teach the greatest evil: the worship of creation. Creation-worship is
the greatest sin that man can commit because it contradicts the very
purpose of His creation. Man was created to worship God alone as Allah
has explicitly stated in the Qur'an:
"I have only created jinns and men, that they may worship Me." (Qur'an
51:56)
Consequently, the worship of creation, which is the essence of
idolatry, is the only unforgivable sin. One who dies in this state of
idolatry has sealed his fate in the next life. This is not an option,
but a revealed fact stated by God in His final revelation to man:
"Verily Allah will not forgive the joining of partners with Him, but
He may forgive (sins) less than that for whomsoever He
wishes." (Qur'an 4:48,116)
Universality of God's Religion
Since the consequences of following a false religion are so grave, the
true religion of God must have been universally understandable and
universally attainable in the past and it must continue eternally to
be understandable and attainable throughout the entire world. In other
words, the true religion of God cannot be confined to any one people,
place, or period of time. Nor is it logical that such a religion
should impose conditions that have nothing to do with the relationship
of man with God, such as baptism, or belief in man as a savior, or an
intermediary. Within the central principle of Islam and its definition
(the surrender of one's will to God) lie the roots of Islam's
universality. Whenever man comes to the realization that God is one
and distinct from His creation, and submits himself to God, he becomes
a Muslim in body and spirit and is eligible for paradise.
Consequently, anyone at any time in the most remote regions of the
world can become Muslim, a follower of God's religion, Islam, be
merely rejecting the worship of creation and turning to God alone. It
should be noted, however, that in order to actually submit to God's
will, one must continually choose between right and wrong. Indeed, man
is endowed by God with the power not only to distinguish right from
wrong but also to choose between them. These God-given powers carry
with them an important responsibility, namely, that man is answerable
to God for the choices he makes. It follows, then, that man should try
his utmost to do good and avoid evil. These concepts are expressed in
the final revelation as follows:
"Verily, those who believe (in the Qur'an), and those who follow the
Jewish faith, and the Christians, and the Sabians (angel-and-star
worshipers) - any of these who believe in Allah and the Last Day and
work righteousness shall have their reward with their Lord. They will
not be overcome by fear or grief." (Qur'an 2:62)
If, for whatever reason, they fail to accept the final message after
it has been clearly explained to them, they will be in grave danger.
The last Prophet said:
"Whoever among the Christians and Jews hears of me but does not affirm
his belief in what I brought and dies in that state will be among the
inhabitants of Hell." (Sahih Muslim [English Translation], Vol.1 P.91
No.284)
Recognition of God
The question which arises here is: How can all people be expected to
believe in the one true God, given their varying backgrounds,
societies and cultures? For people to be held responsible for
worshipping the one true God, they all need to have access to
knowledge of him. The final revelation teaches that all human beings
have the recognition of the one true God imprinted on their souls as a
part of their very nature with which they are created.
In the seventh chapter of the Qur'an (Al-A'raaf, verses 172-173),God
explained that when He created Adam He caused all of Adam's
descentants to come into existence and He took a pledge from them
saying:
"'Am I not your Lord?' To which they all replied, 'Yes, we testify to
it.'"
Allah then explained why He had all of mankind bear witness that He is
their creator and the only true God worthy of worship. He said:
"That was in case you (mankind) should say on the Day of Resurrection,
'Verily we were unaware of all this.'" (Qur'an 7:172)
That is to say, we cannot claim on that Day that we had no idea that
Allah was our God and that no one told us that we were supposed to
worship Allah alone. Allah went on to further explain that:
"It was also in case you should say, 'Certainly 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?'" (Qur'an 7:173)
Thus, every child is born with a natural belief in God and an in-born
inclination to worship Him alone. This in-born belief and inclination
is called in Arabic the "Fitrah".
The Prophet Muhammad reported that Allah said, "I created my servants
in the right religion, but devils made them go astray." The Prophet
also said, "Each child is born in a state of Fitrah. Then his parents
make him a Jew, Christian or a Zoroastrian." If the child were left
alone, he would worship God in his own way, but all children are
affected by the environment. So, just as the child submits to the
physical laws which Allah has imposed on nature, in the same way his
soul also submits naturally to the fact that Allah is his Lord and
Creator. But, if his parents try to make him follow a different path,
the child is not strong enough in the early stages of his life to
resist or oppose the will of his parents. In such cases, the religion
which the child follows is one of custom and upbringing, and God does
not hold him to account or punish him for his religion up to a certain
stage of his life.
The Signs of God
Throughout people's lives, from childhood until the time they die,
signs of the one and only true God are shown to them in all regions of
the earth and in their own souls, until it becomes clear that there is
only one true God (Allah). God says in the Qur'an:
"We will show them our signs in the furthest regions (of the earth)
and in their souls, until it becomes clear to them that this is the
truth." (Qur'an 41:53)
The following is an example of God revealing by a sign to one man the
error of his idol-worship. In the south-eastern region of the Amazon
jungle in
to house their man-idol Skwatch, representing the supreme God of all
creation. The following day a young man entered the hut to pay homage
to the God, and while he was in prostration to what he had been taught
was his Creator and Sustainer, a mangy old flea-ridden dog slunk into
the hut. The young man looked up in time to see the dog lift his hind
leg and pass urine on the idol. Outraged, the youth 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. This sign contained the divine
message that what he was worshiping 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.
Allah mentions Prophet Abraham's quest for God as an example of how
those who follow His signs will be rightly guided:
"So also did We show Abraham the power and the Laws of the heavens and
the earth that he might (with understanding) have certitude.
When the night covered him over, he saw a star. He said: 'This is my
Lord.' But when it set, he said: 'I love not those that set.'
When he saw the moon rising in splendor, he said: 'This is my Lord.'
But when the moon set, he said: 'Unless my Lord guide me, I shall
surely be among those who go astray.'
When he saw the rising sun in splendor, he said:
'This is my Lord, this is the greatest (of all).' But when the sun
set, he said: 'O my people! I am indeed free from your (guilt) of
giving partners to Allah.
For me, I have set my face, firmly and truly, towards Him Who created
the heavens and the earth, and never shall I give partners to
Allah.'" (Qur'an 6:75-79)
As was mentioned earlier, prophets have been sent to every nation and
tribe to support man's natural belief in God and man's in-born
inclination to worship Him, as well as to reinforce the divine truth
in the daily signs revealed by God. Although much of these prophets'
teachings became distorted, portions revealing their God-inspired
messages have remained untainted and have served to guide mankind in
the choice between right and wrong. The influence of God-inspired
messages down through the ages can be seen in the "Ten Commandments"
of Judaisn's Torah which were later adopted into Christianity's
teachings, as well as in the existence of laws against murder,
stealing and adultery in most societies throughout the ancient and
modern world.
As a result of God's signs to mankind through the ages combined with
His revelation through His prophets, all mankind has been given a
chance to recognize the one and only true God.
Consequently, every soul will be held accountable for its belief in
God and its acceptance of the true religion of God, namely Islam,
which means total submission to the will of Allah.
Conclusion
The preceding presentation has demonstrated that the name of the
religion of Islam expresses Islam's most central principle, submission
to God, and that the name "Islam" was chosen not by man, but by God,
according to the holy scriptures of Islam. It has also been shown that
Islam alone teaches the uniqueness of God and His attributes and
enjoins the worship of God alone without intermediaries. Finally, due
to the divinely instilled inclination of man to worship God and the
signs revealed by God throughout the ages to each individual, Islam
may be achieved by all men at all times.
In short, the significance of the name Islam (submission to God), is
Islam's fundamental acknowledgement of the uniqueness of God and
Islam's accessibility to all mankind at all times convincingly support
Islam's claim that from the beginning of time in whatever language it
was expressed, Islam alone has been and will be the true religion of
God.
In conclusion we ask Allah, the Exalted, to keep us on the right path
to which He has guided us, and to bestow on us His blessings and
mercy, for He is indeed the Most-Merciful. Praise be to Allah, the
Lord of the worlds, and peace and blessings be on Prophet Muhammad and
all the prophets of God and their righteous followers.
If you wish to know more about Islam, we prefer to visit the
following websites:
http://www.islamhouse.com/s/9661
http://www.quran-m.com/firas/en1
http://www.rasoulallah.net/v2/index.aspx?lang=e
http://www.thetruereligion.org
http://www.usc.edu/dept/MSA/quran
http://www.quranexplorer.com/quran
http://www.prophetmuhammed.org
http://www.chatislamonline.org/ar
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