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 article 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 Judah, and Hinduism after 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 Arabia in the seventh century, but rather to be a
re-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 Paradise.
Jesus (p) also pointed out that he himself submitted to the will of God.
"None of those who call me 'Lord' will enter the kingdom of God, but
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, Krishna, St. Christopher, St. Jude, or
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 Paradise. Thus, the final Prophet 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 Paradise."
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 India. He did not claim to be God, nor did he suggest
to his followers that he be an object of worship. Yet today most
Buddhists who are to be found outside of India have taken him to 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 Brazil, South America, a primitive tribe erected a new hut 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.
