The Meaning of Islam

ISLAM is derived from the Arabic root "SALEMA": peace, purity, submission, and
obedience. In the religious sense, Islam means submission to the will of God and
obedience to His law.
Everything and every phenomenon in the world, other than man is administered
TOTALLY by God-made laws i.e. they are obedient to God and submissive to His laws i.e.
they are in the STATE OF ISLAM. Man possesses the quality of intelligence and choice,
thus he is invited to submit to the good will of God and obey His law ie. become a
Muslim. Submission to the good will of God, together with obedience to His beneficial
law, i.e. becoming a Muslim is the best safeguard for man's peace and harmony.
Islam dates back to the edge of Adam and its message has been conveyed to man by
God's Prophets and Messengers including Abrahim, Moses, Jesus and Muhammad.
Islam's message has been restored and enforced in the last stage of the religious
evolution by God's last Prophet and Messenger Muhammad.
The word Allah in the Arabic language means God, or more accurately The One and Only
Eternal God, Creator of theUniverse, Lord of all lords, King of all kings,
MostCompassionate, Most Merciful. The word Allah to mean God is also used by Arabic
speaking Jews and Christians.
Articles of Faith
Allah, the One and Only God
A muslim believes in ONE GOD, Supreme and Eternal, Infinite and Mighty, Merciful and
Compassionate, Creator and Provider. God has no father nor mother, no sons nor was
He fathered. None equal to Him. He is God of all mankind, not of a special tribe or race.
God is High and Supreme but He is very near to the pious thoughtful believers; He
answers their prayers and help them. He loves the people who love Him and forgives
their sins. He gives them peace, happiness, knowledge and success. God is the Loving
and the Provider, the Generous, and the Benevolent, the Rich and the Independent the
Forgiving and the Clement, the Patient and the Appreciative, the Unique and the
Protector, the Judge and the Peace. God's attributes are mentioned in the Quran.

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The Meaning of Islam

God creates in man the mind to understand, the soul and conscience to be good and
righteous, the feelings and sentiments to be kind and humane. If we try to count His
favours upon us, we cannot, because they are countless. In return for all the great
favours and mercy, God does not need anything from us, because He is Needless and
Independent. God asks us to know Him, to love Him and to enforce His law for our
benefit and our own benefit and our own good.
Messengers and Prophets of God
A Muslim believes in all the Messengers and Prophets of God without any discrimination.
All messengers were mortals, human beings, endowed with Divine revelations and
appointed by God to teach mankind. The Holy Quran mentions the names of 25
messengers and prophets and states that there are others. These include Noah,
Abrahim, Ishmael, Isaac, Moses, Jesus and Muhammad. Their message is the same and
it is Islam and it came from One and the Same Source; God, and it is to submit to His will
and to obey His law; i.e., to become a Muslim.
Revelations and the Quran
A Muslim believes in all scriptures and revelations of God, as they were complete and in
their original versions. Allah, the Creator, has not left man without guidance for the
conduct of his life. Revelations were given to guide the people to the right path of Allah
and sent down to selected people, the prophet and messengers, to convey it to their
fellow men.
The message of all the prophet and messengers is the same. They all asked the people
of their time to obey and worship Allah and none other. Abrahim, Moses, David, Jesus
and Muhammad who were revealed their own book of Allah, were sent at different times
to bring back straying human being from deviation to Right Course.
The Quran is the sacred book of the Muslims. It is the last book of guidance from Allah,
sent down to Muhammad, peace be upon him, through the angel Jibraeel (Gabriel). Every
word of it is the word of Allah. It was revealed over a period of 23 years in the Arabic
language. It contains 114 Surahs (chapters) and over 6000 verses.
The Quran deals with man and his ultimate goal in life. Its teachings cover all areas of
this life and the life after death. It contains principles, doctrines and directions for every
sphere of human life. The theme of the Quran broadly consists of three fundamental
ideas: Oneness of Allah, Prophethood and life after death. The success of human beings
on this earth and in the life hereafter depends on obedience to the Quranic teaching.

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The Meaning of Islam

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The Meaning of Islam

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