FREE ESSAY ON ISLAM

ISLAM

The word Islam is an Arabic word which means submission to the will of God. This word
comes from the same root as the Arabic word salam, which means peace. As such, the
religion of Islam teaches that in order to achieve true peace of mind and surety of
heart, one must submit to God and live according to His Divinely revealed Law. The most
important truth that God revealed to mankind is that there is nothing divine or worthy of
being worshipped except for Almighty God, thus all human beings should submit to Him. The
word Muslim means one who submits to the will of God, regardless of their race,
nationality or ethnic background. Being a Muslim entails willful submission and active
obedience to God, and living in accordance with His message. Some people mistakenly
believe that Islam is just a religion for Arabs, but nothing could be further from the
truth. Not only are there converts to Islam in every corner of the world, especially in
England and America, but by taking a look at the Muslim World from Bosnia to Nigeria, and
from Indonesia to Morocco, one can clearly see that Muslims come from many various races,
ethnic groups and nationalities. It is also interesting to note that in actuality, more
than 80% of all Muslims are not Arabs - there are more Muslims in Indonesia than in the
whole Arab World! So though even though it is true that most Arabs are Muslims, the large
majority of Muslims are not Arabs. However, anyone who submits completely to God and
worships Him alone is a Muslim.Continuity of the MessageIslam is not a new religion
because submission to the will of God, i.e. Islam, has always been the only acceptable
religion in the sight of God. For this reason, Islam is the true natural religion, and it
is the same eternal message revealed through the ages to all of God's prophets and
messengers. Muslims believe that all of God's prophets, which include Abraham, Noah,
Moses, Jesus and Muhammad, brought the same message of Pure Monotheism. For this reason,
the Prophet Muhammad was not the founder of a new religion, as many people mistakenly
think, but he was the Final Prophet of Islam. By revealing His final message to Muhammad,
which is an eternal and universal message for all of mankind, God finally fulfilled the
covenant that He made with Abraham, who was one of the earliest and greatest prophets.
Suffice it to say that the way of Islam is the same as the way of the prophet Abraham,
because both the Bible and the Qur'an portray Abraham as a towering example of someone
who submitted himself completely to God and worshipped Him without intermediaries. Once
this is realized, it should be clear that Islam has the most continuous and universal
message of any religion, because all prophets and messengers were Muslims, i.e. those who
submitted to God's will, and they preached Islam, i.e. submission to the will of Almighty
God.The Oneness of GodThe foundation of the Islamic faith is belief in the Oneness of
Almighty God - the God of Abraham, Noah, Moses and Jesus. Islam teaches that a pure
belief in One God is intuitive in human beings and thus fulfills the natural inclination
of the soul. As such, Islam's concept of God is straightforward, unambiguous and easy to
understand. Islam teaches that the hearts, minds and souls of human beings are fitting
receptacles for clear divine revelation, and that God's revelations to man are not
clouded by self-contradictory mysteries or irrational ideas. As such, Islam teaches that
even though God cannot be fully comprehended and grasped by our finite human minds, He
also does not expect us to accept absurd or demonstrably false beliefs about Him.
According to the teachings of Islam, Almighty God is absolutely One and His Oneness
should never be compromised by associating partners with Him - neither in worship nor in
belief. Due to this, Muslims are required to maintain a direct relationship with God, and
therefore all intermediaries are absolutely forbidden. From the Islamic standpoint,
believing in the Oneness of God means to realize that all prayer and worship should be
exclusively for God, and that He alone deserves such titles as Lord and Savior. Some
religions, even though they believe on One God, do not make all of their worship and
prayers for Him alone. Also, they also give the title of Lord to beings that are not
All-Knowing, All-Powerful and Un-Changing - even according to their own scriptures.
Suffice it to say that according to Islam, it is not enough that people believe that God
is One, but they must actualize this belief by proper conduct. In short, in the Islamic
concept of God, which is completely based on Divine Revelation, there is no ambiguity in
divinity - God is God and man is man. Since God is the only Creator and continual
Sustainer of the Universe, He is transcendent above His creation - the Creator and the
creature never mix. Islam teaches that God has a unique nature and that He is free from
gender, human weaknesses and beyond anything which human beings can imagine. The Qur'an
teaches that the signs and proofs of God's wisdom, power and existence are evident in the
world around us. As such, God calls on man to ponder over the creation in order to build
a better understanding of his Creator. Muslims believe that God is Loving, Compassionate
and Merciful, and that He is concerned with the daily affairs of human beings. In this,
Islam strikes a unique balance between false religious and philosophical extremes. Some
religions and philosophies portray God as just an impersonal Higher Power who is
uninterested, or unaware, of the life of each individual human. Other religions tend to
give God human qualities and teach that He is present in His creation, by being incarnate
in someone, something - or even everything. In Islam, however, Almighty God has clarified
the truth by letting mankind know that He is Compassionate, Merciful, Loving and the
Answerer of Prayers. But He as also emphasized strongly that there is nothing like unto
Him, and that He is high above time, space and His creation. Finally, it should be
mentioned that the God that Muslims worship is the same God that Jews and Christians
worship - because there is only one God. It is unfortunate that some people mistakenly
believe that Muslims worship a different God than Jews and Christians, and that Allah is
just the god of the Arabs. This myth, which has been propagated by the enemies of Islam,
is completely false since the word Allah is simply the Arabic name for Almighty God. It
is the same word for God which is used by Arabic-speaking Jews and Christians. However,
it should be clarified that even though Muslims worship the same God as Jews and
Christian, their concept of Him differs somewhat from the beliefs of other religions -
mainly because it is based completely on Divine Revelation from God. For example, Muslims
reject the Christian belief that God is a Trinity, not only becaue the Qur'an rejects it,
but also because if this was God's true nature, He would have clearly revealed it to
Abraham, Noah, Jesus and all of the other prophets.The Qur'anThe Arabic world Al-Qur'an
literally means the recitation. When used in regards to Islam, the word Qur'an means
God's final message to mankind that was revealed to the Prophet Muhammad. The Qu'ran,
sometimes spelled Koran, is the literal the word of God - as it clearly says time and
time again. Unlike other sacred scriptures, the Qur'an has been perfectly preserved in
both its words and meaning in a living language. The Qu'ran is a living miracle in the
Arabic language; and is know to be inimitable in its style, form and spiritual impact.
God's final revelation to mankind, the Qur'an, was revealed to the Prophet Muhammad over
a period of 23 years. The Qur'an, in contrast to many other religious books, was always
thought to be the Word of God by those who believed in it, i.e. it wasn't something
decreed by a religious council many years after being written. Also, the Qu'ran was
recited publicly in front of both the Muslim and non-Muslim communities during the life
of the Prophet Muhammad. The entire Qur'an was also completely written down in lifetime
of the Prophet, and numerous companions of the Prophet memorized the entire Qur'an
word-for-word as it was revealed. So unlike other scriptures, the Qur'an was always in
the hands of the common believers, it was always thought to be God's word and, due to
wide-spread memorization, it was perfectly preserved. In regards to the teachings of the
Qur'an - it is a universal scripture, and it is addressed to all of mankind, and not to a
particular tribe or chosen people. The message that it brings is nothing new, but the
same message of all of the prophets - submit to Almighty God and worship Him alone. As
such, God's revelation in the Qur'an focuses on teaching human beings the importance of
believing in the Unity of God and framing their lives around the guidance which He has
sent. Additionally, the Qur'an contains the stories of the previous prophets, such as
Abraham, Noah, Moses and Jesus; as well as many commands and prohibitions from God. In
modern times in which so many people are caught up in doubt, spiritual despair and
political correctness, the Qur'anic teachings offer solutions to the emptiness of our
lives and the turmoil that is gripping the world today. In short, the Qur'an is the book
of guidance par excellence.The Prophet MuhammadUnlike the founders of many religious, the
final prophet of Islam is a real documented and historical figure. He lived in the full
light of history, and the most minute details of his life are known. Not only do Muslims
have the complete text of God's words that were revealed to Muhammad, but they have also
preserved his saying and teachings in what is called hadith literature. This having been
said, it should be understood that Muslims believe that the Prophet Muhammad was only a
man chosen by God, and that he is not divine in any way. In order to avoid the misguided
wish to deify him, the Prophet Muhammad taught Muslims to refer to him as God's Messenger
and His Slave. The mission of the last and final prophet of God was to simply teach that
there is nothing divine or worthy of being worshipped except for Almighty God, as well as
being a living example of God's revelation. In simple terms, God sent the revelation to
Muhammad, who in turn taught it , preached it, lived it and put it into practice. In this
way, Muhammad was more that just a prophet in the sense of many of the Biblical prophets,
since he was also a statesman and ruler. He was a man who lived a humble life in the
service of God, and established an all-encompassing religion and way of life by showing
what it means to be an ideal friend, husband, teacher, ruler, warrior and judge. For this
reason, Muslims follow him not for his own sake, but in obedience to God, because
Muhammad not only showed us how to deal with our fellow human beings, but more
importantly, he showed us how to relate to and worship God, worship Him in the only way
pleasing to Him. Like other prophets, Muhammad faced a great deal of opposition and
persecution during his mission. However, he was always patient and just, and he treated
his enemies well. The results of his mission were very successful, and even though his
mission started in one of the most backward and remotes places on earth, within a hundred
years of the death of Muhammad, Islam had spread from Spain to China. The Prophet
Muhammad was the greatest of all of God's prophets, not because he had new doctrines or
greater miracles, but because the results of his mission have broght more human beings
into the pure and proper belief in the One True God than any other prophet.The Islamic
Way of LifeIn the Holy Qur'an, God teaches human beings that they were created in order
to worship Him, and that the basis of all true worship is God-consciousness. Since the
teachings of Islamic encompass all aspects of life and ethics, God-consciousness is
encouraged in all human affairs. Islam makes it clear that all human acts are acts of
worship if they are done for God alone and in accordance to His Divine Law. As such,
worship in Islam is not limited to religious rituals. The teachings of Islam act as a
mercy and a healing for the human soul, and such qualities as humility, sincerity,
patience and charity are strongly encouraged. Additionally, Islam condemns pride and
self-righteousness, since Almighty God is the only judge of human righteousness. The
Islamic view of the nature of man is also realistic and well-balanced. Human beings are
not believed to be inherently sinful, but are seen as equally capable of both good and
evil. Islam also teaches that faith and action go hand-in-hand. God has given people
free-will, and the measure of one's faith is one's deeds and actions. However, human
beings have also been created weak and regularly fall into sin. This is the nature of the
human being as created by God in His Wisdom, and it is not inherently corrupt or in need
of repair. This is because the avenue of repentance of always open to all human beings,
and Almighty God loves the repentant sinner more than one who does not sin at all. The
true balance of an Islamic life is established by having a healthy fear of God as well as
a sincere belief in His infinite Mercy. A life without fear of God leads to sin and
disobedience, while believing that we have sinned so much that God will not possibly
forgive us only leads to despair. In light of this, Islam teaches that: only the
misguided despair of the Mercy of their Lord. Additionally, the Holy Qur'an, which was
revealed to the Prophet Muhammad, contains a great deal of teachings about the life
hereafter and the Day of Judgment. Due to this, Muslims believe that all human beings
will ultimately be judged by God for their beliefs and actions in their earthly lives. In
judging human beings, Almighty God will be both Merciful and Just, and people will only
be judged for what they were capable of. Suffice it to say that Islam teaches that life
is a test, and that all human beings will be accountable before God. A sincere belief in
the life hereafter is key to leading a well-balanced life and moral. Otherwise, life is
viewed as an end in itself, which causes human beings to become more selfish,
materialistic and immoral.Islam for a Better LifeIslam teaches that true happiness can
only being obtained by living a life full of God-consciousness and being satisfied with
what God has given us. Additionally, true freedom is freedom from being controlled by our
base human desires and being ruled by man-made ideologies. This stands in stark contrast
to the view of many people in the modern world, who consider freedom to be the ability to
satisfy all of their desires without inhibition. The clear and comprehensive guidance of
Islam gives human-beings a well-defined purpose and direction in life. In addition to
being members of the human-brotherhood of Islam, its well-balanced and practical
teachings are a source of spiritual comfort, guidance and morality. A direct and clear
relationship with Almighty God, as well as the sense of purpose and belonging that ones
feels as a Muslim, frees a person from the many worries of everyday life. In short, the
Islamic way of life is pure and wholesome. It builds self-discipline and self-control
thought regular prayer and fasting, and frees human-beings from superstition and all
sorts of racial, ethnic and national prejudices. By accepting to live a God-conscious
life, and realizing that the only thing that distinguishes people in the sight of God is
their consciousness of Him, a person's true human dignity is realized. Provided by;
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