Islam

The word “Islam” is an Arabic word which means “submission to the will of God”.  This word comes from the same root as the Arabic word “Salam”, which means “peace”. Islam as a verb (Action) means:

1.  Surrender to Almighty God
2.  Submission to his Will
3.  Obey his Commandments
4.  Sincere Worship Only For Him
5.  Peace in Mind, Heart and Soul

Islam as a Noun:

1.       6 Articles of Faith
2.       5 Pillars of Action
3.       Complete way of Life
4.       Rights and Limitations
5.       Moderation in all Things

 As such, the religion of Islam teaches that in order to achieve true peace of mind and surety of heart, one must submit to God and live according to His Divinely revealed Law.  The most important truth that God revealed to mankind is that there is nothing divine or worthy of being worshiped except for Almighty God, thus all human beings should submit to Him.

The word “Muslim” means one who submits to the will of God, regardless of their race, nationality or ethnic background.  Being a Muslim entails wilful submission and active obedience to God, and living in accordance with His message.  Some people mistakenly believe that Islam is just a religion for Arabs, but nothing could be further from the truth.  Not only are there converts to Islam in every corner of the world, especially in England and America, but by taking a look at the Muslim World from Bosnia to Nigeria, and from Indonesia to Morocco, one can clearly see that Muslims come from many various races, ethnic groups and nationalities.  It is also interesting to note that in actuality, more than 80% of all Muslims are not Arabs - there are more Muslims in Indonesia than in the whole Arab World!  So, though even though it is true that most Arabs are Muslims, the large majority of Muslims are not Arabs.  However, anyone who submits completely to God and worships Him alone is a Muslim.

Surrender to Almighty God

This is understood from a verse in the Holy Quran - Allah says:

“Certainly, the only acceptable way which Allah will accept is Islam.” [3:19]

This submission requires a fully conscious and willing effort to submit to the one Almighty God.

Submission to God’s Will

"But no, by your Lord, they can have no Faith, until they make you (Muhammad, peace be upon him) as a judge in all disputes between them, and find no resistance against your decisions, and accept (the decisions) with full submission." [Holy Quran 4:65]

Total submission is required after the surrender and some terms have to be set forth by Allah to be understood by the Muslim. There can be no option in the matter as Allah says in another verse,

"It is not fitting for the believing man nor for the believing woman, that whenever Allah and His Messenger have decided any matter, that they should have any other opinion."[Holy Quran 33:36]

Whatever Allah and His Messenger have set out as being the Way of Islam is incumbent on the believer, man or woman to follow completely. One must consciously and conscientiously give oneself to the service of Allah.

Obedience

"And obey Allah and His Messenger."[Holy Quran 3:132]

"O you who believe! Obey Allah and His Messenger and those of you who are in authority. If you differ in anything amongst yourselves, refer it to Allah and His Messenger, if you believe in Allah and in the Last Day. That is better and more suitable for final determination." [Holy Quran 4:59]

"He who obeys the Messenger has indeed obeyed Allah, but he who turns away, then we have not sent you as a watcher over them." [Holy Quran 4:80]

This means to act on what Allah enjoins all of us to do (in the Qur'an) and what His beloved Prophet, Muhammad (pbuh) encouraged us to do in his Sunnah (his lifestyle and sayings personifying the Qur'an).

After surrendering your free will to Allah and then ratifying the terms and conditions of the surrender, it is obligatory for the Muslim to live up to his terms of the bargain. It is his or her responsibility to do their best to obey the orders of Allah set forth in the Holy Quran and the teachings of the Holy Prophet, (pbuh)

Sincerity & Purity of Intention

The heart must be clean and honest. Allah is Pure and He only accepts pure.

"Verily, deeds are rewarded by intention. And everyone will have the reward for that which he has intended."[Sahih Al-Bukhari Vol. 1 #1]

Sincere intention is the key to the success or failure of the Muslim. All that he or she does must be for the sake of Allah and not for the chance to show off or call attention to himself or herself. If there is even a speck of pride or showing off for the people instead of doing for Allah, then the whole of the matter will be rejected by Allah on the Day of Judgment. This is due to the fact that Allah wants purity of intention and purity in deed.

Peace in Mind, Heart and Soul

"Peace" (Salam) is mentioned many times in the Holy Quran and it is certainly the most sought after condition for the life of every human on earth.

"The Peace" (As-Salam) is also one of the attributes which Allah has named Himself by in the Holy Quran:

"He is Allah beside Whom there is none worthy of worship, The King, The Holy, The Peace, The Watcher, The All Mighty, The Compeller, The Supreme. Glory be to Allah! He is above all that they try to associate with Him as partners." [Holy Quran 59:23] 

We are all striving to achieve some sort of peace and tranquility in our lives. And providing that the other four conditions have been met, then this is the inevitable result of the one who is truly seeking Allah.

So as soon as he or she has totally surrendered and submitted and obeyed Allah, in complete sincerity and as a result has achieved total and complete peace in this life and in the next.

It does not imply that they will not be tested however. And this must be quickly understood. The one whom Allah loves, He tests. The person who will be successful in this life and the Next Life will be tested as Allah has said:

"Do they think that they will be left alone on saying, 'We believe and that they will not be tested'? For sure we will test them as we have tested those who came before them, to show (them) the truthful of the honest and the liars in their falsehood."[Quran 29:2-3]

Once we humble ourselves, rid ourselves of our egoism and submit totally to Allah, and to Him exclusively, in faith and in action, we will surely feel peace in our hearts. Establishing peace in our hearts will bring about peace in our external conduct as well.

The 6 Articles of Faith

The six articles of faith or belief, derived from the Quran and Sunnah is accepted by all Muslims. In Islam, Muslim doctrine is often summarized in "Six Articles of Faith." These are the fundamental beliefs which every Muslim must ascribe to:

1.     One God

The central belief in Islam, and arguably the most important theme of Islam, is that God is One, Unique unlike his creation, Perfect in every way; Not like or in his Creation.

2.     The Angels of God

Angels in Islam are spiritual creatures that serve the purposes of Allah. They are messengers who relay communication to people and carry out other responsibilities. Angels, such as Gabriel is mentioned in the Quran. Angels are often found in Islam art, revealing their importance to the Islamic worldview.

3.     The Holy Books of God

The Quran is the most important writing in the religion of Islam and is the highest authority in both religious and legal matters. The word "Quran" means "recitation" in Arabic. Muslims believe the Quran to be an errorless record of the angel Gabriel's revelations to Muhammad, from 610 until his death in 632 AD.

4.     The Prophets of God

Muhammad is the most important historical and theological figure in Islam. His name, which means "highly praised," reflects this. Muhammad was born in Mecca in 570 AD. His father died before he was born and his mother died when he was six-years-old. Muhammad was then raised primarily by his uncle, for whom he worked as a shepherd.

5.     The Day of Resurrection

The afterlife is very important to the Islamic worldview. Muslims believe in the continued existence of the soul and a transformed physical existence after death. Islam teaches that there will be a day of judgment when all humans will be divided between the eternal destinations of Paradise and Hell.

6.      Predestination

Islam teaches that God not only foreknows, but also foreordains all that comes to pass in the world and in the lives of individuals.

The Five Pillars of Islam

The most important Muslim practices are the Five Pillars of Islam.

The Five Pillars of Islam are the five obligations that every Muslim must satisfy in order to live a good and responsible life according to Islam.

The Five Pillars consist of:

·         Shahadah: sincerely reciting the Muslim profession of faith

·         Salat: performing ritual prayers in the proper way five times each day

·         Zakat: paying an alms (or charity) tax to benefit the poor and the needy

·         Sawm: fasting during the month of Ramadan

·         Hajj: pilgrimage to Mecca