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What is Al-Islam?
?This day have those who reject faith given up all hope of your religion, yet
fear them not, but fear Me. This day have I perfected your religion for you,
completed my favor upon you, and have chosen for you Al-Islam as your religion.?
(Qur'an 5:4)
Al-Islam is the definitive form of the Arabic word Islam that is derived from
the root word aslama meaning ?to submit peacefully.? Central to the core of
Islam are the concepts of ?peace? and ?submission.? The submission is only to
God, the Creator, Fashioner, and Sustainer of all that exists, seen and unseen.
By submitting to God, His will, His commands, and His plan, we inevitably
establish peace. Peace surrounds us in our daily lives, in our families, in our
communities, in our cities, in our nations, and in our world. When humanity
mutually works toward the goal of submitting to God and toward the effect of
establishing peace, the world will enjoy justice, equality, and freedom.
Al-Islam, The submission to the will of God, is not a new phenomenon but rather
the culmination and perfection of truth that was revealed from God to humanity
over the course of humanity's short existence. The path of human development
began with the first human being, Adam, and was perfected in the model for all
humanity and final Prophet of God, Muhammed (upon both of them be peace).
The truth which we speak of is the first principle of Al-Islam and the key to
understanding our existence. This principle, called Tawheed in Arabic, is the
oneness, uniqueness, and independence of the one God, called Allah in Arabic.
Allah is the One who created all. All are dependent upon Him, and yet He is
independent of all. Nothing in creation is similar to Him.
?Say: He, Allah is One. Allah, The Eternal, The Absolute. He begets not, nor is
He begotten. And there is nothing like Him.? (Qur'an 112:1-4)
To Allah belongs all that is in the heavens and on earth. All submit to Him,
willingly or unwillingly. He created all creatures to be subservient to Him. It
is their nature, or fitr in Arabic, to follow His commands and to serve Him
obediently.
Humanity, however, was given a special prize possession, which is both its aide
and its enemy. The intellect of the human being is unlike other creatures.
Unlike animals, plants, or even inanimate objects, human beings have wills,
desires, passions, rational thought processes, and emotions. To this degree,
humanity has the potential to be disobedient, though its nature is to serve its
Creator.
Thus, in order for humanity to not lose its footing in the treacherous and
unforgiving wilderness that is our earth, Allah sent prophets and messengers,
one after another, to guide people to the truth that is Islam. Every prophet
that was sent reminded his people of the One God, warned them of the impending
punishment for disobeying their God, and gave them glad tidings of an eternal,
blissful afterlife if they submitted and worshipped only the One God.
Inevitably, these prophets, who were only themselves human beings, died, and
their people turned away from their Lord and Sustainer returning to their
ignorant, godless ways. Many fashioned for themselves false gods and primitive
myths. This proved to be their destruction.
Each prophet was sent to a particular nation or community of people, speaking
the language of the people, and being from their kindred. Finally, when humanity
was most in need, Allah sent a final prophet who would be the seal of
prophethood and the bringer of the final Message to all people in all nations.
His name was Muhammed ibn Abdullah (upon whom be peace). He was born in 570 C.E.
and died in 632 C.E. Through the angel Jibril (Gabriel), Allah revealed the
Qur'an to Muhammed over the course of 23 years. During this time, as with all
the prophets before him, he taught the people to serve the one and only God, Who
had no partners, intermediaries, sons or daughters. One God.
To what extent faith coincides with actions is evident by pillars of Islam, of
which there are 5:
1. Bel
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What is Al-Islam?
May 24 2004, 02:47 PM
