Understanding Islam
Islam is not a new religion, but the same truth that God has revealed to all
His prophets throughout history. Islam is the religion which was given to Adam,
Noah, Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Job, Moses, Aaron, David,
Solomon, Elias, Jonah, John the Baptist, and Jesus, (peace be upon them all)
Therefore, Islam is not a new religion but the continuation and culmination of
preceding monotheistic religion- For this reason, the Prophet Muhammad was not
the founder of a new religion, as many people mistakenly think, rather he is
the Final Prophet of Islam. The Arabic word "Islam" means "submission" and
derives from a word meaning "peace". The Quran proclaims in verse 3:19 "The
only religion approved by GOD is Submission." (Islam) - In a religious context
it means complete submission to the will of GOD and anyone who does so is
called a "Muslim", "If anyone desires a religion other than Islam (submission
to GOD) it will never be accepted of Him" (Quran 3:85)
Jesus told his followers just like the prophets that had come before him that
they should surrender their will to the will of GOD; (which is Islam) and GOD
warned them to stay away from the false Gods of human imagination. "Jesus
replied, ". . . The first of all the commandments is; Hear O Israel! The Lord
our God is one Lord. You shall love the Lord with all your soul, with all your
mind, and with all your strength." Mark 12:30
(The "religion" or DEEN of the entire Universe is Islam i.e. submission to the
Divine Laws)
The entire Universe is operating according to the physical laws designed and
implemented by GOD. When we discover some of these laws, we call them Science.
Yet, all the creation that exists cannot defy these laws of nature. We can
invent a compass but we cannot invent the law for the magnetic needle to point
North. And so, the water will flow down-stream, the apple will fall to the
ground, a stone will sink, a boat will float, the day and night will follow
each other, the seasons will take their turns, fire will be hot, ice will be
cold, the living beings will grow, reproduce and die. Similarly God's Laws in
Nature make no distinction between Jews or Gentiles, Hindus or Christians,
Muslims or non-Muslims. But, those who submit their free will to His Guidance
and try to establish peace, become harmonious with the Divine Plan. He calls
those people Muslims. "Islam" embraces both meanings, Submission and Peace.
(Now the Law has been revealed to Prophet Muhammad.) Those who follow the
Messenger, the Prophet who is a non-Israelite, and who was unlettered before
the Revelation (29:48). They find him well described* in the Torah and the
Gospel with them. He enjoins upon them the Right, and forbids them the Wrong.
He declares Lawful all good things, and declares Unlawful only the unclean
things. He relieves people from the burdens they carried. He breaks the
shackles that they used to wear, of mental and physical slavery, and brings
them from darkness to Light (5:15-16, 65:11, 76:4). Those who believe in him,
honor him, support him, and follow the Light that came with him, are the
eternally successful. *(Deuteronomy 18:15-18. Gospel of John 14:16, 15:26, 16:7
PARACLETOS = COMFORTER, from original Greek PERICLYTOS = THE PRAISED ONE. In
Aramaic, MAWHAMANA = THE PRAISED ONE)
3:70 O People of the Book! Why do you deny the truth of God's Messages to
which you yourselves bear witness? (Wasn't the Scripture revealed to you? And
it foretells the advent of this Prophet).
[All this, the advent of Prophet Muhammad from the Ishmaelite descendants of
Abraham has been foretold in the Bible. Genesis 21:13-18. Gospel of John 14:16,
15:26, 16:7. Historically, the Gospel of Saint Barnabas, which was accepted and
widely read in the churches, had 'Muhammad' in the exact Arabic form. But Pope
Gelasius banned that Gospel in 496 C.E., probably because of finding the Arabic
term distasteful. It was only in the 16th century C.E. when the Italian
translation of Barnabas was discovered in Vienna, Austria. Obviously
translations can never be as reliable as the original text.]
The Messiah (Jesus), son of Mary, was no other than a Messenger, like other
Messengers before him who passed on. And his mother was a woman of truth. Both
of them were human beings who had to eat food (like all other mortals). See how
clearly We explain Our verses for them and note how they keep wandering in
thought! (Quran 5:75)
Abraham was neither a Jew nor a Christian, but he was an upright man who had
surrendered to GOD. He never ascribed divinity to anyone beside the One True
God. (Quran 3:67)
Do you claim that Abraham, and Ishmael, and Isaac, and Jacob, and the Tribal
Israelite Prophets were 'Jews' or 'Christians'? Say, "Do you know better, or
does GOD?" And who could be more unjust than he who conceals a testimony that
he has from GOD? But GOD is not unaware of what you do. (Quran 2:140)
[Amazingly, the Quran is alluding to a historical fact that was unanimously
accepted from research done centuries later! Scholars of the Bible know that
the concept of 'Jewry' came into being long after the Patriarchs and after
Moses. Likewise, the concept of 'Christianity' was unknown during the life of
Jesus.]
3:71 O People of the Book! Why do you cloak the Truth with falsehood, and
conceal the Truth that you are so well aware of?
3:98 Say, "O People of the Book! Why do you deny GOD's Messages when GOD
Himself is Witness to all that you do (including this denial of yours)?"
5:77 Say, "O People of the Book! Do not overstep the bounds of Truth in your
religious beliefs. And do not follow the errant views of people who have gone
astray long before, and led a great many others astray, and those who are still
straying from the Even Way."
Will they not rather turn to GOD and seek His forgiveness? For GOD is
Forgiving, Merciful. (Quran 5:74)
The religion of Submission, whose religious laws are detailed in the Quran,
dictates upon each human to worship GOD alone (51:56). This basic law is also
known as the first commandment or the greatest commandment in the Old and New
Testament. The word Submission is not the name of a religion, but rather it is
a description. Submission is the total submission and devotion to GOD ALONE.
Thus anyone who can bring himself or herself to believe in GOD within the
confines of the first commandment is a submitter (In Arabic: Muslim). The word
also implies "peace" which is the natural consequence of total submission to
the will of GOD. Muslims follow a religion of peace, mercy, and forgiveness,
and the majority have nothing to do with the extremely grave events which have
come to be associated with their faith.
Islam is a realistic religion. The word "Islam" means submission. This
indicates that the first condition of being a Muslim is to submit to the
realities and truths. Islam rejects every kind of obduracy, stubbornness,
prejudice, blind imitation, bias and selfishness, and regards all of them as
contrary to realism and realistic approach to truth. From the point of view of
Islam a man who seeks truth, but fails in his efforts may be excused, but the
acceptance of truth by virtue of imitation or heredity by a man who is
otherwise stubborn and arrogant has no value. A true Muslim, whether a male or
a female, eagerly accepts truth wherever he or she may find it. As far as the
acquisition of knowledge is concerned, a Muslim shows no bias. He may go even
to the farthest corner of the world for acquiring knowledge. His efforts to
gain knowledge and to find truth are not confined to any particular period of
his life nor to any territorial region. Nor does he insist to acquire
knowledge from any particular person. The Holy Prophet has said that to seek
knowledge is the duty of every Muslim, whether a man or a woman. He has also
asked the Muslims to receive it even from an idolater.
What do Muslims believe?
Muslims believe in One, Unique, Incomparable God; in the Angels created by
Him; in the prophets through whom His revelations were brought to mankind; in
the Day of Judgment and individual accountability for actions; in God's
complete authority over human destiny and in life after death. Muslims believe
in a chain of prophets starting with Adam and including Noah, Abraham, Ishmael,
Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Job, Moses, Aaron, David, Solomon, Elias, Jonah, John the
Baptist, and Jesus, peace be upon them. But God's final message to man, a
reconfirmation of the eternal message and a summing-up of all that has gone
before was revealed to the Prophet Muhammad through Gabriel.
What are the Five Pillars of Islam?
They are the framework of the Muslim life: faith, prayer, concern for the
needy, self-purification, and the pilgrimage to Makkah for those who are able.
Do Islam and Christianity have different origins?
No. Together with Judaism, they go back to the prophet and patriarch Abraham,
and their three prophets are directly descended from his sons, Muhammad from
the elder son Ishmael, and Moses and Jesus from the younger son Isaac. Abraham
established the settlement which today is the city of Makkah, and built the
Ka'ba towards which all Muslims turn when they pray.
Source: http://quranwithdvd.com/UnderstandingIslam.html
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