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.
The Prophet Muhammad(PBUH)
Unlike 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. |
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