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What Is
Islam?
It is mentioned in the book of
Hadith, Sahih Al-Bukhari that Abu Huraira Narrated that One day while the
Prophet was sitting in the company of some people, (The angel) Gabriel came and
asked “What is Islam?" Allah's Apostle replied, "To worship Allah
Alone and none else, to offer prayers perfectly to pay the compulsory charity
(Zakat) and to observe fasts during the month of Ramadan." The first thing that one should
know and clearly understand about Islam is what the word "Islam" itself
means. The religion of Islam is not named after a person as in the case of
Christianity, which was named after Jesus Christ, or Buddhism after Gautama
Buddha, Confucianism after Confucius, and Marxism after Karl Marx. Nor was it
named after a tribe like Judaism after the tribe of Judah, or Hinduism after
the Hindus. Islam is the true religion of "Allah" and as such, its
name represents the central principle of the religion of Allah: the total
peaceful submission to the will of Allah. The Arabic word "Islam"
means the peaceful submission or surrender of one's will to the only true God
worthy of worship, "Allah" and anyone who does so is termed a
"Muslim" Hence, it was not a new religion brought by Prophet Muhammad
(PBUH) in Arabia in the seventh century, but only the true religion of Allah
re-expressed in its final form. Islam is the religion which was
given to Adam, the first man and the first prophet of Allah, and it was the
religion of all the Prophets sent by Allah to mankind. The name of God's religion
Islam was not decided upon by later generations of man. It was chosen by Allah
Himself and clearly mentioned in His final revelation to man. In the final book
of divine revelation, the Qur'an, Allah states the following: "This day have I perfected your religion for you,
completed My favor upon you, and have chosen for you Islam as your
religion" "Abraham
was not a Jew nor Christian; but an upright Muslim." Nowhere in the Bible will you find
Allah saying to Prophet Moses' people or their descendants that their religion
is Judaism, nor to the followers of Christ that their religion is Christianity.
In fact, Christ was not even his name, nor was it Jesus! The name
"Christ" comes from the Greek word Christos which means “The
Annointed.” That is, Christ is a Greek translation of the Hebrew title
"Messiah". The name "Jesus" on the other hand, is a
latinized version of the Hebrew name Yeshua. Tomorrow's Topic: About The Word "Islam" P.S.
Please pass it on to friends, family, neighbors, Muslims and Non Muslims alike.
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