by Dr. Musa Qutub
Islam literally means to submit to the win of ALLAH (God) and obedience to the physical and moral codes that He sent to mankind through His prophets and messengers. Islam is an Arabic word derived from Salam, which means "Peace". So a Muslim is at peace with his creator, with himself, with his family, and with his environment. Islam started with the onset of creation; not with prophet Muhammad (PBUH) as is reported in some of the Western literature. When Allah created the heavens and the Earth Allah asked "Do you come in submission or do you come in disobedience?" They said, "We come in submission!" Allah created the universe and created the moral codes and the physical codes and created Adam and from the same material He created Adam's wife. We are the offspring of Adam and his wife. And when the people multiplied on the Earth, Allah chose from the middle of the class a person to convey the full mow codes and physical codes and to every nation and every village a prophet was sent. Allah (God) said in the last heavenly book, the Holy Quran, there was no nation that Allah did not send someone to warn them, and there was no village that did not receive a messenger. And Allah's message from the beginning of creation to the day of judgement is applicable in every country and anywhere in the universe. Allah made it clear from the beginning that to Him religion is Islam. To Allah (God) religion is to submit to Him. And Allah said in the last heavenly book, the Quran, whoever adopt a religion other Islam "Submission" it would not be accepted by Him and on the day of judgement that person will be among the losers. All the prophets were Muslims and those who followed them are our brothers in Islam. And the heavenly books are Islamic books: the Torah, the Bible, and the books of Moses and Abraham. Psalms of David and the Quran. The foundation, the bedrock, the basis of the religion to Allah is to believe in His oneness. The oneness of Allah is mentioned in nearly every chapter of the Holy Quran. Allah gives examples of His oneness. Allah will forgive any human being who will commit a bad deed or sin and repent, but He will not forgive anyone who dies believing in associates to Allah or multiple gods. And Allah said, addressing mankind, if you associate Me with false gods, then your work on this Earth will not be accepted. So Islam calls for strict monotheism with no deviations. With absolute monotheism Allah said, concerning prophet Mohammed (PBUH), that He is the one who sent His messenger (Prophet Muhammad) with the true religion so it will prevail over all religions that we" fabricated by mankind. Islam calls for the belief in all Prophets mentioned in the Torah, Bible and Holy Qur'an. Some of them are ADAM, IDRISS, NOAH, HEBER, METHUSALEH, LOT, ABRAHAM, ISHAMAEL, ISAC, JACOB, JOSEPH, JETHRO, JOB, ISIAH, MOSES, AARON, DAVID, SOLOMON, ELIAS, ELISHA, JONAH, ZACHARIA, JOHN, JESUS, AND MUHAMMAD. The Seal of the Prophets is Muhammad (PBUH), and the holy book he received from Allah is the Qur'an. Part of being a Muslim is believing in all of the Prophets (PBUH) and the holy books revealed to them. ALL OF THE PROPHETS WERE MUSLIMS All of Allah's Prophets were Muslim and their messages have always been the same as revealed in these renderings of the Holy Qur'an: The 21st Surah [Chapter](The Prophets) Vs. 25: And (despite the fact that even) before that time (Muhammad) We never sent an apostle without having revealed to him that there is no deity but Me, you shall worship Me (alone)! MOSES: The 10th Surah (Jonah), Vs. 72: But if you turn away (from the message which I bear, remember that) I have asked no reward whatever of you: my reward rests with none but Allah, for I have been bidden to be among those who have accepted Islam. (Moses is speaking to the people of Israel.) ABRAHAM: The 22nd Surah (The Pilgrimage), Vs. 78: And stove hard in Allah's cause with all of the striving that is due to Him: it is He who has elected you (to carry His message), and has laid no hardship on you in (anything that pertains to) religion, (and hath made you follow) the creed of your forefather Abraham. He hath named you Muslims before. The 3rd Surah (The House of lmran), Vs. 67: Abraham was neither a 'Jew' or a "Christian", but was a Muslim one who turned away from all that is false, having surrendered himself unto Allah: and he was not of those who ascribe divinity to aught beside Him. The 2nd Surah (The Cow), Vs. 127, 128: And when Abraham and Ishmael were raising the foundations of the Temple "O our Sustainer! Accept Thou this from us: for, verily, Thou alone art all- hearing, all-knowing! Vs. 128: O Sustainer! Make us surrender ourselves unto Thee (make us Muslims) and make out of our offspring a community that shall surrender itself unto Thee, and show us our ways of worship, and accept our repentance for, verily, Thou alone art the Acceptor of Repentance, the Dispenser of Grace! The 2nd Surah (The Cow), Vs. 131: When Abraham's Sustainer said to him, 'Dedicate thyself unto Me!" -he answered, "I have dedicated myself unto (Thee), the Sustainer of all the worlds." The 2nd Surah, (The Cow), Vs. 132: And this very thing did Abraham bequeath unto his children, and (so did) Jacob: "O my children! Behold, Allah has granted you the purest faith (Islam); so do not allow death to overtake you ere you have dedicated yourselves unto Him." JOSEPH: The 12th Surah, (Joseph), Vs. 1 00: Joseph said: "My Lord, let me die as a Muslim and let me join the righteous." The 10th Surah, (Jonah), Vs. 84: And Moses said: "O my people! If you believe in Allah, place your trust in Him-if you have become Muslims." PHARAOH (Not one of the prophets): The 10th Surah (Jonah), Vs. 90: And we brought the children of Israel across the sea: and there upon Pharaoh and his hosts pursued then with vehement insolence and tyranny, until (they were overwhelmed by the waters of the sea. And, when he was about to drown, (Pharaoh) exclaimed: "I have come to believe that there is no deity save Him in whom the children of Israel believe, and I am of those who became Muslims." JESUS: The 3rd Surah (The hose of lmran), Vs. 50, 51, 52: Jesus said: "And (I have come) to confirm the truth of whatever ever still remains of the Torah, and to make lawful unto you some of the things which (aforetime) were forbidden to you. And I have come unto you with message from your Sustainer; remain; then, conscious of Allah (God) and pay heed unto me. (51)"Verily, Allah is my Sustainer as well as your Sustainer: so worship Him (Alone): this is a straight way". (52)And when Jesus became aware of their refusal to acknowledge the truth, he asked: "Who will be my helpers in Allah's cause?" The white-garbed one replied: "We shall be (thy) helpers (in the cause) of Allah! We believe in Allah: and bare thou witness that we have become Muslims." The 3rd surah (The House of lmran), Vs. 19: Behold, the only (true) religion in the sight of Allah is (man's)] self-dedication unto Him. The 3rd Surah (The House of lmran), Vs. 85: For, if one goes in search of a religion other than Islam, it will never be accepted from Him, and in the life to come he shall be among the lost. The 44th Surah, Vs 44, and (The Repast): Verily, it is We who bestowed from on high the Torah, wherein there was guidance and light. On its strength did the prophets, who were Muslims, deliver judgement unto those who followed the Jewish faith; and so did the (early) men of Allah and the rabbis, inasmuch as some of Allah's writ has been entrusted to their care; and they (all) bore witness to its truth. Therefore (O children of Israel,) hold not men in awe, but stand in awe of Me; and do not barter away My messages for a trifling gain: for they who do not judge in accordance with what Allah has bestowed from on high are, indeed, deniers of the truth I THE STUDY OF DEVINE SCRIPTURES If one studies the Divine Scriptures, i.e. Torah, Bible and Holy Quran, you will discover that the primary message of these Books are peace among humanity, charity to the poor, prayer, fasting and social morality. This consistent message began with the original Torah, Bible and continued until its completion in the last revelation, The Holy Quran. No nation was left without a Messenger of Allah and all human beings were to follow the last Prophet sent during their time, along with all the previous Prophets. Because they all delivered the same message, to disn3iss one of them would symbolize the demissal of all of the prophets. During the time of Prophet John, (also known as John the Baptist) mankind was to listen to his message and believe in his prophecies and regard his message as a continuation of the one and same religion. If Allah were to send three different religions to us, i.e. Judaism, Christianity and Islam, that would infer that His messages contradict one another. The One who created the Universe from nothing would not contradict Himself. Therefore, we can only concur that we, mankind, separated religion into three. Allah (God) delivered one religion Mankind accepted the messages sent by Allah and called them religions and called them three different names. Muhammad (PBUH) was the seal of Prophethood and was sent to all mankind to purify and remove all manmade alterations in Divine Scriptures. Those who believed in Moses and followed his teachings were Muslims and the same applies to those who followed Jesus (PBUH). If we are to accept Allah's (God) message as one, all the human race should accept the teachings of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and the Holy Quran as a Divinely revealed book and the last to be sent to us. This truth should be declared by saying "La ilaha ilallah, Mohammad-ur-Rasulullah". The meaning of this is "There is no god but The God and Muhammad is His Messenger." In the Holy Qur'an Allah has addressed all "People of the Book" and has left no doubt about their unity under one religion. He has complimented them in stages and unifies them in the end. The following are the verses pertaining to this unity: FOR THE CBMDREN OF ISRAEL Surah 11, Vs. 47 O Children of Israel! can to mind The (special) favor which I bestowed Upon you, and that I preferred you To all others (for My Message). TO CLARIFY THAT GOD'S RELIGION IS ONE Surah II, vs. 62 Those who believe (in the Quran) And those who follow the Jewish scriptures, And the Christians and the Sapiens, And who believe in God And the Last Day And work righteousness, Shall have their reward. Since the Will of Allah is unity we urge the Human Family to complete their journey in this life by exploring, understanding and comprehending Islam in its simplicity by reading books on the life of Muhammad(PBUH), his teachings and the contents of the Holy Quran with an open mind. Islam has received very biased media coverage since the time of the Crusades. Keep in mind that what you are hearing and reading deals with world politics and not the religion itself. THE PROPHET'S MESSAGE If you study the life of the prophets from Adam to Mohammed (PBUT) you will notice that they all began by correcting people's belief in Allah, and Allah put in every human being the conscience to seek Him. So when mankind tried to seek that relationship and did not know it they thought that Allah is the sun or the moon or the fire or water or, as some people currently pray to the snake. Such people are seeking a relationship with the Creator. And this is why in order to set mankind on course and since Allah knows what He created and He is closer to them than anything He set up the moral codes so that mankind can succeed in " life and in the hear after. It is up to mankind to reflect and to make their decision, but Allah made it clear that they will have to face Him on the day of judgement. By then it will be too late to change. Islam is the fastest growing religion in the world. There are 1.3 BILLION Muslims. One out of five walking on this earth is a Muslim. In the United States it is the fastest growing religion with 13 million adherents and the number is growing. In every country there are Muslims. Allah made it clear in the Holy Quran also, that there is no compulsion in the religion so that no one can be forced to be a Muslim. Islam has never been spread by force, as western authors would like to convey. When people understand Islam and if governments truly understood what Allah revealed they would not want anything but Islam But Islam is being tanished by the press and because they fear what it has to offer humanity. Islam is a way of life. Islam gave the woman more rights than any other religion even though the west keeps attacking the misconceptions about women's rights in Islam They treat this topic unjustly and so if one is confused about what religion to follow and if one is to say, "I do not know which religion is correct, all of them claim to be the right religion." Then we encourage to turn to Allah and say, "O' Allah I am confused about choosing a religion and I do not know which one is the right one, but I come to You in peace and I submit to choose for me a religion." In order to become a Muslim it is very simple. First we encourage you to read the Holy Quran. If you do not have a copy of the Qur'an please write or call us and we will provide you with a free copy or contact the nearest mosque. Read the Quran and decide for yourself and if you decide to become a Muslim, call us or contact the nearest mosque in your town. To become a Muslim you pronounce in front of witnesses the declaration of accepting Islam (Shahadah). To declare the shahadah, you say "I bear witness that there is no other deity but Allah, and I bear witness that Muhammad is a prophet of Allah," which means that there is no entity in this universe worthy of worshiping except Allah. And I bear witness that there is no religion except what Allah legislated via the prophets including Prophet Muhammad, the seal of the prophets. When you do so you have freed yourself from the firs of hell and you are guaranteed a place in paradise (heaven) through your actions. And all the bad deeds that you have committed thus far will be converted into good deeds. You will be like when your mother delivered you, free from sin. And the angels will descend upon you and give you assurance and say; "We are your trustee on this earth. Do not be saddened or have any fear." You will be guided by your faith in Allah so that you will become conscious of your activities, conscious that you will not do things that would displease the Creator. And you will be on a course that will guide you to paradise and not on a course that will guide you to hell. In accepting the religion that Allah chose for you and all mankind you have set your course on the straight path and you have put your trust in Allah and he will be your guide and will not betray you. He will enrich your faith. This will be the first step, which is declaring the shahadah or declaring the acceptance of the faith. Then begin to read about Islam and you can make contact with the nearest mosque to learn how to pray and to educate yourself about the religion. That is how the people entered the faith from the time of Adam to the present. Do not wait until you have spent many years studying ft religion because death may come at any time. Do not feel that you are going backward in your faith, on the contrary you will be displaying the courage to have made up your own mind. That you have chosen the religion yourself so that you can be obedient to Allah rather than live in a world of darkness in which you may not come out of otherwise. We invite our readers to study Islam, to read the Quran and not to be influenced by what they read from the media because what is happening in some parts of the world is not accepted in Islam. Those who are using the religion to achieve their political goals will be punished by Allah. But as long as you have the intention to obey Allah and you believe in His oneness and you believe in His prophets. Those that you know and those that you do not know (because the number of prophets may reach 125,000), then you are a Muslim without being aware of it. Allah never wanted anyone to be a disbeliever or to live a life of spiritual bankruptcy. On the contrary, Allah wants us to succeed. To be strong in our faith and to live a life that will lead us to success in this life and in the hereafter because our main goal on this earth is to be submitters to Allah (God), to abide by His physical and moral laws and to build this Earth, not to destroy it. Allah said in the Holy Quran, when addressing mankind, do not be like those who forgot Allah. When they forgot Allah, Allah made them forget themselves. Millions of Americans are without a religion and are seeking a relationship with their Creator. To those who wish to fill the void in your life or have any questions or comments about Islam please feel free to contact us at the Islamic InformationCenter of America (IICA) and we will be happy to inform you about Islam. In addition, for information on how to pray, please write to UCA and request a complimentary booklet on the method of prayer. Allah (God) bless you.