WHAT IS ISLAM?

Islam is the universal religion of more than one billion people from every race and nationality, and it is the fastest growing religion in the world today.  Islam is a religion which guides its followers in every aspect of their lives, spiritually and practically – it is a way of life.  Islam seeks to give dignity to man and a meaningful purpose to our lives on this earth, and to guide us in fulfilling that purpose by creating peace and harmony between ourselves, our Creator and our fellow human beings.

    “Islam” and “Muslim”

“Islam” is an Arabic word meaning “submission”, “surrender”, “peace”, and all that goes with a due human subordination to the One true God.  Islam is literally: - “submission and surrender to God”.  A “Muslim” is one who submits and surrenders to the will of God and follows His teachings and commandments.

 Islam – God’S message to all the Prophets

Islam teaches that God is the source of all creation, and that human beings are the best of His creation.  He communicates with us by sending Prophets who deliver God’s message.  Muslims believe that the first Prophet was Adam, followed by a long line of Prophets sent to guide humanity.   All the Prophets taught belief in the One God, upright human behaviour, and belief in the Hereafter and the accountability of all human beings.  Thus Islam is not a new religion - it is in essence the same message and guidance which God sent to all His Prophets through the ages.  It complements the teachings and is the culmination of the message sent by God to the Prophets of old - through Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses and Jesus (peace be upon them all), and completed and perfected through Muhammad, the last Prophet sent by God (peace be upon him). The message which was revealed to Muhammad (peace be upon him) is Islam in its comprehensive, complete and final form.

“Say:  We believe in Allah, and in what has been revealed to us and what was revealed to Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob and the tribes, and in (the Books) given to Moses, Jesus, and the Prophets from their Lord; we make no distinction between one and another among them, and to Allah do we bow our will (in Islam).”

(Noble Qur’an 3:84)

The oneness of God

Islam is a strictly monotheistic religion.  It teaches that there is only one God who is the origin and creator of the universe.  This is the foundation of Islam.  The belief on one God means that man should not worship any person or material thing in this universe.

“Seek refuge in Allah.  He is the One Who hears and knows all things.  Among His Signs are the Night and the Day, and the Sun and the Moon.  Adore not the sun and the moon, but adore Allah, Who created them, if it is Him you wish to serve.”

(Noble Qur’an 41:36,37)

Who is Allah?

“Allah” is the Arabic word for “God”.  It is the same word that Arabic-speaking Christians use for God; in an Arabic Bible you will see the word “Allah” being used where “God” is used in English. It is the personal name of the One true God. Nothing else can be called Allah.  In English translation the word “Allah” literally means “The God”, or “The One true God”.  In Arabic the word has a deep and religious meaning - “The One Who deserves all worship”, containing within it the pure monotheistic message of Islam and the Oneness of God.

To a Muslim, “Allah” is the Almighty, Creator and Sustainer of the Universe, Who is similar to nothing and nothing is comparable to Him. He is One and He has no equal.  He is the one who is adored in worship, who created all that exists, who has priority and superiority over all creation, who is hidden and manifest, who confounds and is beyond all human perception and understanding.

“Say:  He is Allah, the One and Only; Allah, the Eternal, Absolute; He begets not, nor is He begotten; and there is none like unto Him.”

(Noble Qur’an, Chapter 112)

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