T H E    R E L I G I O N    I S L A M

The Concept of God: According to this concept there is an Entity that made this Universe and everything present in it. This Entity is called God. The other important part of this concept is that this Entity which is called God is Only One. This concept of monotheism is a fundamental when it comes to believing in God, especially in the religion of Islam. God is an english word which in arabic is known as 'Allah' and may be known by some other words in other languages, but it is the same Entity. Some of the biggest misconceptions that people have is to do with the word 'Allah'. For various reasons, many people have come to believe that in the religion of Islam the Muslims worship a different God than Christians and Jews. This is totally false, since " Allah is simply the arabic word for God ". The whole idea of religion revolves around the concept of God. Since No God - No Religion. So the first thing is to believe in God and all what I have to say about the existence of God is mentioned in the article " Existence of God ".

What is Islam: Islam is not simply the name of a religion, the followers of which are called Muslims. The word 'Islam' is an arabic word which in relation to religion means submission. In simple words Islam means submission to God and to follow the instructions conveyed by the Prophet of one's time e.g.Islam at the time of Abrahim (peace be upon him) was to obey the orders of God and to follow the instructions of the Prophet Abrahim (p.b.u.h). Islam at the time of Moses (peace be upon him) was to obey the orders of God and to follow the instructions of the Prophet Moses (p.b.u.h). Islam at the time of Jesus (peace be upon him) was to obey the orders of God and to follow the instructions of the Prophet Jesus (p.b.u.h). In the same manner, Islam after the arrival of the last Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) is to obey the orders of God and to follow the instructions of the Prophet Muhammad (p.b.u.h).

Who is a Muslim: Muslim is not a name of a particular group but an arabic word for one who submits to the concept of Islam (as mentioned above), also known as 'Believers' e.g. In the era of Prophet Moses (p.b.u.h), people who followed him, believed in all the Prophets and Revelations before him and obeyed the orders of God were Muslims. In the era of Prophet Jesus (p.b.u.h), people who followed him, believed in all the Prophets and Revelations before him and obeyed the orders of God were Muslims. In the same manner, after the arrival of the last Prophet Muhammad (p.b.u.h), people who follow him, believe in all the Prophets and Revelations before him and obey the orders of God are known as Muslims.

Who is a Non-Muslim: Those who do not submit to the concept of Islam are known as Non-Muslims or Disbelievers e.g. The followers of Moses (p.b.u.h) were Muslims when they followed him and obeyed the orders of God, but when some of them denied the prophet-hood of Jesus (p.b.u.h) who came after Moses (p.b.u.h) and whatever was revealed upon him, they fell in the category of non-muslims, as they breached the concept of Islam. Those who accepted Jesus (p.b.u.h) and what was revealed upon him, remained Muslims. Similarly the followers of Jesus (p.b.u.h) were Muslims when they followed him and obeyed the orders of God, but when some of them denied the prophet-hood of Muhammad (p.b.u.h) who came after Jesus (p.b.u.h) and the revelation which he brought, they fell in the category of non-muslims, as they breached the concept of Islam. Those who accepted Muhammad (p.b.u.h) and the revelation which he brouhgt, remained Muslims. In the same manner the followers of Muhammad (p.b.u.h) are Muslims since they follow him and obey the orders of God, but if they deny the prophet-hood of any Prophet before Muhammad (p.b.u.h) whether it is of Jesus (p.b.u.h), Moses (p.b.u.h) or any other, or deny any of the previous Revelations, or give the status of Prophet to anyone after the last Prophet Muhammad (p.b.u.h) then they will fall in the category of non-muslims due to breaching the concept of Islam.

Note: Prophet Muhammad (p.b.u.h) was the last Prophet in the religion of Islam because he declared that he is the last Prophet and that there will be no prophet after him. On the other hand Jesus (p.b.u.h) was not the last Prophet because he did not declare that he is the last one and neither warned that there will ne no prophet after him. Infact he told his followers that there will be a Prophet after him whose name will be Ahmad, which is the second name of Muhammad (p.b.u.h).

How did People Deviate: When it comes to religion, in my observation there are two types of groups which are present at all times. One group comprises of people who do not want to believe in religion and deliberately distort the truth to misguide others for their vested interests. They have gone to the extent of exterminating individuals and altering the text of scriptures to fufill their selfish desires. While the other group comprises of people whose intentions are not bad but their deviation from the right track is due to lack of research in finding the truth about religion and blind passion for their scholars and forefathers. People in this group have gone to an extreme which has made them deaf regarding listening to anything else apart from what their scholars or forefathers tell them.

Take for example the followers of Moses (p.b.u.h). There were some who altered the scripture i.e. Torah while others never accepted Jesus (p.b.u.h) as a Prophet and adhered to the way of their scholars and forefathers. Same is true regarding followers of Jesus (p.b.u.h) as there were some who altered the scripture i.e. Bible while others never accepted Muhammad (p.b.u.h) as a Prophet and adhered to the way of their scholars and forefathers. This did not change even after the arrival of the last Prophet Muhammad (p.b.u.h). Some of his followers committed the same old mistakes which were done earlier by followers of previous Prophets. Some raised pseudo prophets to fufill their selfish desires where some twisted the interpretation of the last revelation i.e. Qur'an. They could not alter the text of the Qur'an as God made it impossible for them to do so. While some denied the traditions of the Prophet, others blindly followed their personal choice of scholars and the way of their forefathers, rather than following the Prophet which they themselves claim they believe in. Thus leading to various factions which we see nowadays.

About TheReligionIslam.com Website: Information about the religion of Islam in this website is related to the era after the last Prophet Muhammad (p.b.u.h). I have tried my best to make the text of Qur'an (which is the last revelation in the religion of Islam) and authentic traditions of the Prophet Muhammad (who is the last Prophet in the religion of Islam - p.b.u.h), the only two sources to explain Islam in TheReligionIslam.com website. Though I respect all scholars of the past and the present and benefit from their research and from whatever they have contributed to the religion Islam, I am not inclined to any individual or his school of thought in particular. I prefer straightforward dialogues, and because of this viewpoint, some contents of TheReligionIslam.com website are likely to offend a few Muslims and non-Muslims, for whom I cannot do much but to express my regrets in anticipation. The idea behind is not to spread hatred but to reveal some facts and information to those who like to ponder in finding the truth about the religion of Islam.

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