Islam the True Religion

Many religions also claim belief in One God however, they associate partners with Him. The following are examples:

• Worshipping or asking forgiveness of God through His creation

• Delegating some of God's attributes to other objects or beings

• Setting up rivals with God by elevating something to be in opposition to Him

The above mentioned beliefs or actions all go against the very principles of Islam.

Muslims believe that Muhammad (peace be upon him) is the final Prophet in a long chain of Prophets sent to call the people to the obedience and worship of God alone ('Allah' in Arabic). Some of these Prophets include Adam, Noah, Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, David, Solomon and Jesus (peace be upon them all).

Oneness of God

Say: He, Allah, is One. Allah is He on Whom all depend. He begets not, nor is He begotten. And none is like Him. Qur'an 112:1-4. The teaching of God's complete Oneness is the essence of Islam. All other laws, beliefs and commands of Islam are built on this foundation. Take it away, and there is nothing left of the religion.

The Qur'an is "a guidance for mankind... and the distinction (between right and wrong)." Qur'an 2:185 It provides direction to help mankind judge between right and wrong, without which, man would surely be in loss.

God Almighty is full of love and kindness to His creation. All blessings and goodness in this world and the next are clear proofs of His Mercy. Indeed, Islam teaches that God is more merciful toward us than our own mothers.

Similar to how Islam forbids attributing Allah's divine attributes to His creation, Islam also rejects the notion of attributing human qualities and limitations to Allah.

An example of this is how some religions claim that "God rested on the 7th day" after He created everything. Allah does not need rest and to believe so is to attribute imperfection to Allah:

Islam makes a clear distinction between the imperfection of creation and the perfection of Allah. He is far above any imperfections that His creation has described Him with.

Some religions however, believe that Allah fashioned Himself into a human body and was both fully God and fully man at the same time. We should consider that God has attributes of perfection such as being All-Knowing, All- Powerful and Immortal. Man however, has imperfect attributes.

Man has limited knowledge, limited power and is mortal. Muslims are saved from having to ponder over this illogical concept (that God became man or any aspect of His creation) due to the pure and comprehensive Islamic concept of God.

There is nothing to prevent a person from calling directly upon Allah and asking for His help and forgiveness. Allah hears all who praise and call upon Him. There is no "middle man" in Islam; everyone has uninterrupted and direct access to God. Muslims are required to maintain a direct relationship with God.

Worshipping Allah indirectly (e.g. through an idol, statue or other intermediaries) is viewed as compromising Allah's Oneness and contaminating the purity of worship that Allah surely deserves.

THE ONENESS OF God

in Islam And certainly We raised in every nation a messenger (saying): Serve Allah and avoid false gods. - Qur'an 16:36

Muslims believe in all the Prophets that Allah sent to every nation. They all came with the same message - the Oneness of God.

Below we see some examples:

Noah (peace be upon him) said [Qur'an 7:59], "O my people! Worship Allah! You have no other gods besides Him."

Abraham (peace be upon him) said [Qur'an 21:66], "Do you worship besides Allah, things that can neither be of any good to you nor do you harm?"

Moses (peace be upon him) said [Qur'an 7:140], "What! Shall I seek for you a god other than Allah while He has made you excel (all) created things?"

Jesus (peace be upon him) said [Qur'an 43:64], "For Allah, He is my Lord and your Lord: so worship Him: this is the Straight Way."

Muhammad (peace be upon him) was commanded to say [Qur'an 18:110], "I am only a man like you.It has been revealed to me that your God is One God. So whoever expects to meet his Lord then let him do good deeds and associate none as a partner in the worship of his Lord."

The foundation of the Islamic faith is belief in the Oneness and Uniqueness of Almighty God, and as we have seen, Islam discards any concept which leads to the denial of Allah's Oneness. There is One God, and none has the right to be worshipped but He.

"Allah has promised those who believe and do good deeds that for them there is forgiveness and a mighty reward." Qur'an 5:9

Allah is not like His creation Allah is worshipped directly

Some non-Muslims incorrectly believe that Muslims worship a different God than Jews and Christians. This might be due to the fact that Muslims sometimes refer to God as "Allah". In actuality, Muslims worship the God of Noah, Abraham, Moses and Jesus. The word "Allah" is simply the Arabic word for Almighty God - an Arabic word of rich meaning, denoting the one and only God.

Allah is also the same word that Arabic speaking Christians and Jews use to refer to God. If you pick up an Arabic translation of the Christian Bible, you will see the word "Allah" where "God" is used in English.

However, although Muslims, Jews and Christians believe in the same God (the Creator), their concepts regarding Him differ significantly. For example, Muslims reject the idea of God having any partners or being part of a 'trinity', and ascribe perfection only to The Almighty.

This is perhaps the biggest misconception about Islam, especially given the constant stereotyping by the media. The media portrays as a terrorist any Muslim who fights regardless of whether they fight justly or unjustly, or whether they are oppressing others or being oppressed. So the question that comes to mind is: Does Islam encourage terrorism? Certainly not! Islam totally forbids and condemns the misguided acts of vigilantes that target innocent civilians.

Of course, Islam does not remain silent in the face of oppression, injustice and humiliation. Any religion or civilization that does, would never survive --- but it certainly does not condone attacks against defenseless men, women and children.

Allah says: "If anyone murders an (innocent) person, it will be as if he has murdered the whole of humanity. And if anyone saves a person it will be as if he has saved the whole of humanity." Qur'an 5:32

"Allah does not forbid you to deal justly and kindly with those who fought not against you on account of religion, nor drove you out of your homes. Indeed, Allah loves those who deal with equity." Qur'an 60:8

To Believe in One True God

"And your god is One God. There is no god but He, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful." Qur'an 2:163 The most important topic mentioned throughout the Qur'an is the belief in the One, True God. God informs us that He has no partner, no son, no equal, and that none has the right to be worshipped except Him alone. Nothing is comparable to God and none of His creation resembles Him. The Qur'an also rejects the notion of attributing human qualities and limitations to God.

To Reject All False Gods

"And worship Allah and associate none with Him." Qur'an 4:36 Since Allah alone is the only One worthy of worship, false deities and false gods must be rejected. The Qur'an also rejects the notion of attributing divine qualities to anyone or anything other than Allah.

To Narrate the Stories from the Past

The Qur'an contains many narratives with beneficial lessons, including the true stories of previous Prophets such as, Adam, Noah, Abraham, Jesus and Moses. Of these stories, Allah says, "Indeed in their stories, there is a lesson for men of understanding." Qur'an 12:111

To Remind us of the Day of Judgement

This Noble Book reminds us that everyone will taste death and will be held accountable for all their actions and sayings: "We shall set up scales of justice for the Day of Judgment, so that not a soul will be dealt with unjustly in the least... " Qur'an 21:47

To Fulfil the Intended Way of Life

Importantly, the Qur'an teaches that the purpose of life is to worship God alone, and live one's life according to the way of life prescribed by Him. In Islam, worship is a comprehensive term that includes all actions and sayings (whether private or public) that Allah loves and is pleased with. Therefore, by doing what Allah commands, a Muslim is worshipping God and fulfilling his purpose in life. The following are examples of worship from the Qur'an:

Purpose of Revelation To pray: "O you who believe! Bow down and prostrate yourselves and worship your Lord, that you may succeed." Qur'an 22:77

To give charity: "... And spend, it is better for your souls; and whoever is saved from the greediness of his soul, these it is that are the successful." Qur'an 64:16

To be honest: "Cover not Truth with falsehood, nor conceal the Truth when you know (what it is)." Qur'an 2:42 To be modest: "Say to the believing men that they should lower their gaze and guard their modesty. And say to the believing women that they should lower their gaze and guard their modesty." Qur'an 24:30-31

To be thankful: "And Allah has brought you forth from the wombs of your mothers-- you did not know anything-- and He gave you hearing and sight and hearts that you may give thanks." Qur'an 16:78

To be just: "O you who believe! Stand firmly for justice, as witnesses to God, even as against yourselves, or your parents, or your kin, and whether it be (against) rich or poor... " Qur'an 4:135

To be patient: "And be patient, for indeed, Allah does not allow to be lost the reward of those who do good." Qur'an 11:115

To do good: "Allah has promised to those who believe and do good deeds (that) they shall have forgiveness and a mighty reward." Qur'an 5:9

Conclusion

In summary, the Qur'an teaches mankind how to worship the One True God, hence fulfilling their true purpose in life, and attaining success in both this world and the next.

"Verily, We have sent down to you (O Muhammad) the Book for mankind in truth. So whosoever accepts the guidance, it is only for his own self; and whosoever goes astray, he goes astray only for his own loss." Qur'an 39:41 Don't you owe it to yourself to at least read this Noble Book?

"Allah has promised those who believe and do good deeds that learn for them there is forgiveness and a mighty reward." Qur'an 5:9

The Qur'an

The Final Revelation

to Mankind


By Assad Ali 


Article Source:  Islam the True Religion