Introduction to Islam

ISLAM
THE SYSTEM OF LIFE
by
Mohd Fuad Mohd Salleh

"The messenger of Allah said: "Islam is to testify that there

is no god but Allah and Muhammad is the Messenger of
Allah, to perform the Solat (prayers), to pay the zakat, to fast
in Ramadhan, and to make the pilgrimage to the House if
you are able to do so." He said: " You have spoken rightly",
said Jibreel.
(From Number 2 of "Al-Nawawi's Forty Hadiths.)
"This day I have perfected your religion for you, completed
My favour upon you, and have chosen for you Islam as your
religion".
(Al-Quran 5:3)
"If anyone desires a religion other than Islam (submission to
Allah) never will It be accepted of Him"
(Al-Quran
3:85)
"Ibrahim was not a Jew nor Christian; but an upright
Muslim."
(Al-Quran 3:67)

Introduction to Islam

Five Pillars of Islam (To be a Muslim Submission to Allah)

1. To proclaim the shahadah (the creed: "There is no God

but Allah and Muhammad is his Messenger").
2. To perform the solat (prayer),
3. To pay zakat,
4. To fast during the lunar month of Ramadhan
5. To perform hajj - pilgrimate to Makkah, if economically
and physically able.

Six Pillars of Iman (Faith to be the Believers)

1. Believe in one God, Allah,
2. Believe in ar-Rasul (His Prophets/Messengers),
3. Believe in al-Kitab (Revealed Books),
4. Believe in the Malaikah (Angels),
5. Believe in al-Qiyamah (the Day of Judgement),
6. Believe in al-Qadar (Devine Predestination).

Introduction to Islam

Chapter 1

UNDERSTANDING ISLAM AS THE WAY OF LIFE

SHARI`AH

`AQIDAH

(Rules and Regulation

Safeguarding
Practices and activities)

(Faith and Believes)

Islam
AKHLAQ
(Personalities,
Behaviors, Moralaties,
and Ethics)

The diagram shows the fundamental of Islamic teaching that

constitutes three systems `Aqidah (the beliefs faith), Shari`ah (the
rules and regulation), and Akhlaq (personalities and behaviors)

Muslims life at individual and societal level is governed by

different sets of rules. The first set is the foundation that
describes the relationship between man and The Creator, Allah.
It deals with all matters of beliefs of a Muslim. It is the core set
which every other set is anchored to it. The set is known as
`Aqidah (faith). The foundation of the Islamic faith is belief in the
Oneness of Almighty God, Allah, the God of Ibrahim (Abraham),
Nuh (Noah), Musa (Moses) and Isa (Jesus). Islam teaches that a
pure belief in One God is intuitive in human beings and thus fulfil
the natural inclination of the soul.

Introduction to Islam

The second set of rules is Shari`ah (Law) consists of

constitutive and regulative rules that deal with transforming and
manifesting the faith and beliefs into action and daily practices
because these sets of rules are derived from the main source: AlQuran and As-Sunnah. All Muslims must conduct their affairs in
accordance with these rules. These set of rules constitutes two
components known as Ibadah (deal with the rituals practice with
The Creator, Allah) is concerned with the practicality of ways to
perform rites and rituals, to understand, and to explain the
relationship with Allah SWT.
The other component is Mu`amalah (deal with the world
and living things the transaction). Shari`ah being the practical
aspect is the one that gives answers to every aspects of human
life which describes the practicality of day-to-day life by defining
the rules governing social, political, and economic activities. This
Mu`amalah component defines the conduct of economic activities
within the Islamic economic system and lays down the rules for
business, commercial, financial, and banking systems.
The third set is Akhlaq (personal moral behavioral
disposition) concern about the behavior, attitude, and work ethics
of which a Muslim should live in the society. As a result of
following the guides on `Aqidah and Shari`ah, a Muslim will act
according to the teaching of Islam thus Akhlaq is the
transformation of `Aqidah and Shari`ah in the individual Muslim.
The Message of Islam
One important fact about education is by educating oneself
that is to free his or her mind from being prejudice and ignorance
regarding other areas, cultures, and religions. Education will
open ones mind to new information and knowledge. By taking
some time to learn about the religion of the Muslims, any one will
come to see a beautiful Islam.
The message of Islam ("submission" to the One God, The
Almighty Allah) has been propagated, preached, and taught
throughout time since the existence of first mankind, beginning
with Adam. All of the Prophets or Messengers mentioned in the
Taurat (Thorah) and Injil (Bible) are recognized and distinguished
in Islam; in fact, Islam is a culmination of the monotheistic
religions that came before it. There are many similarities between
Islamic practices and the moral practices of other major religions

Introduction to Islam

before Islam at the time of Prophet Muhammad (Peace be Upon

Him PBUH).
The word "Islam" is an Arabic word which means
"submission or surrender of one's will to the only true God,
known in Arabic as "Allah". One who submits his will to God is
termed in Arabic as a "Muslim". 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 Allah and live
according to His Divinely revealed Law. The most important truth
that Allah revealed to mankind is that there is nothing divine or
worthy of being worshipped except for Almighty Allah, thus all
human beings should submit to Him.
The word "Muslim" means one who submits to the will of
Allah, regardless of their race, nationality or ethnic background.
Being a Muslim entails wilful submission and active obedience to
Allah, 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
Europe and America, but by looking into the Muslim World from
Bosnia to Nigeria, from Malaysia to Morocco, and from China to
India, one can clearly see that Muslims come from various races,
ethnic groups and nationalities.
It is also interesting to note that in actual, more than 80% of
Muslims are not Arabs. There are more Muslims in Indonesia
than in the whole Arab World! Even though Muslims in India is
represented by small percentage, only 10%, the total number is
100 million. This number is bigger than the Muslims in the whole
Arab Countries. So, even though it is true that most Arabs are
Muslims, the large majority of Muslims are not Arabs. Not to be
left, Muslims in the United States are now increasing in numbers,
more Americans are now become Muslim. The more lies about
Islam is being transmitted by the media in the US, the bigger the
numbers of converts. However, anyone who submits completely
to Allah and worships Him alone is a Muslim.
Continuity of the Message
Islam is not an ideology. If Islam is an ideology then it has
no difference with other ideology created by human beings. Islam

Introduction to Islam

is not an ideology because it is not human creation. It comes

from Allah, The Almighty, The Creator. The first thing that one
should know and clearly understand about Islam is what the word
"Islam" itself means as mentioned above. The religion of Islam is
not named after a person or people, nor was it decided by a later
generation of man, as in the case of Christianity which was
named after Jesus Christ, Buddhism after Gautama Buddha,
Confucianism after Confucius, Marxism after Karl Marx, Judaism
after the tribe of Judah, and Hinduism after the Hindus. Islam
(submission to Allahs will) is the religion which was given to
Adam, the first man and the first prophet of Allah, and it was the
religion of all the prophets sent by Allah to mankind. Further, its
name was chosen by Allah Himself and clearly mentioned in the
final scripture, Al-Quran, in which He revealed to man. Allah
states the following:
"This day have I perfected your religion for you,
completed My favour upon you, and I have chosen
for you Islam as you religion." (Qur'an 5:3)
"If anyone desires a religion other than Islam
(submission to God), never will it be accepted of him."
(Qur'an 3:85)
Islam is not a new religion brought by Prophet Muhammad
(PBUH) into Arabia in the seventh century, but rather to be a reexpression in its final form of the true religion of Almighty Allah,
as it was originally revealed to Adam and subsequent prophets.
Islam is not a new religion because "submission to the will of
Allah", has always been the only acceptable religion in the sight
of Allah. For this reason, Islam is the true "natural religion", and it
is the same eternal message revealed through the ages to all of
Allah's prophets and messengers. Muslims believe that all of
Allah's prophets, which include Ibrahim (Abraham), Nuh (Noah),
Musa (Moses), Isa (Jesus), and Muhammad, brought the same
message of Pure Monotheism.
For this reason, the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) 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, Allah finally fulfilled the covenant that
He made with Ibrahim, one of the greatest prophets. Suffice it to
say that the way of Islam is the same as the way of the prophet

Introduction to Islam

Ibrahim, because both the Injil and the Qur'an portrayed Ibrahim
as a towering example of someone, a person, who submitted
himself completely to Allah 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, those who
submitted to Allah's will, and they preached "Islam", the
submission to the will of Almighty Allah.
The Concept of Tauheed (Oneness of God)
The term is derived from the three Arab consonants root
waw-ha-dal, which serves as the vehicle for the basic concept of
oneness, or unity, along with the closely related ideas of
singularity and uniqueness. These root letters are clearly
apparent in the numerical adjective wahid (one) as stated in the
Qur`an:
Your God is surely One. (37:4)
The term Tauheed demands a lengthier translation,
namely: the realization and affirmation of Oneness. The Unity of
God, the Divine Unity, Unity in its most profound sense. Allah is
The Real, The Absolute. Allah is One in His Essence, His
Attributes and His Acts. Before the existence of the universe
there was nothing but The Creator. Only in total acquiescence in
Allahs good pleasure, renunciation of ones own will, and
surrender to His will and guidance is Tauheed made perfect.
Allahs absolute unity is the beginning and the end of the spiritual
life for Muslims.
The Unity of Allah is a magnificent and a beautiful concept,
and Muslims reaffirm their adherence to it many times a day,
when they perform Solat and when they recite the shahadah in
tashahud, one of the requisite in performing Solat. To
acknowledge the fact of the affirmation-of-Oneness renew your
faith by frequent invocation of La ilaha illa llah [there is non
worthy of worship accept Allah] will be the means to eradicate
Shirk (polytheism). It is a powerful and effective concept for
focusing and organising ones worldview and epitomising a
religious and psychological orientation and authentically
expressive of an important facet of the spirit of Islam, and also
the base of economic concept in Islam. All activities should be
based on the uniqueness of Islam

Introduction to Islam

The foundation of the Islamic faith is belief in the Oneness

of Almighty God, Allah, the God of Ibrahim, Nuh, Musa and Isa.
Islam teaches that a pure belief in One God is intuitive in human
beings and thus fulfil 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 selfcontradictory 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.
Muslims believe in one, unique, incomparable God, Who
has no son nor partner, and that none has the right to be
worshipped but Him alone. He is the true God, and every other
deity is false. He has the most magnificent names and sublime
perfect attributes. No one shares His divinity, nor His
attributes. In the Quran, God describes Himself:
Say, He is God, the One. God, to Whom the
creatures turn for their needs. He begets not, nor
was He begotten, and there is none like Him.
(Quran, 112:1-4)
According to the teachings of Islam, Allah, 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 Allah, 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 "Saviour". Some religions, even though they believe in
"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

Introduction to Islam

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 Allah 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 Allah 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 Allah, 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 the
name for Almighty God that is given by Him in all the scriptures.
However, it should be clarified that even though Muslims
worship the same God as Jews and Christian, their concept of
God 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 because the Qur'an rejects it, but also because if
this was God's true nature, He would have clearly revealed it to
Ibrahim, Nuh, Musa and all other prophets. God is not Jesus, and
Jesus is not God. Even Jesus himself rejected this. Allah says
in the Quran:

Introduction to Islam

10

Indeed, they have disbelieved who have said, God is

the Messiah (Jesus), son of Mary. The Messiah said,
Children of Israel, worship Allah, my Lord and your
Lord. Whoever associates partners in worship with
Allah, then Allah has forbidden Paradise for him, and
his home is the Fire (Hell). For the wrongdoers, there
will be no helpers. (Quran, 5:72)1
God is not a trinity. Allah says in the Quran:
Indeed, they disbelieve who say, God is the third of
three (in a trinity), when there is no god but one
God. If they desist not from what they say, truly, a
painful punishment will befall the disbelievers among
them. Would they not rather repent to God and ask His
forgiveness?
For God is Oft-Forgiving, Most
Merciful. The Messiah (Jesus), son of Mary, was no
more than a messenger... (Quran, 5:73-75).

Beginning with Adam, the message of Islam ("submission"

to the Almighty Allah) has been propagated throughout time. For
example, all of the Prophets or Messengers mentioned in the Injil
1

It was reported by the Associated Press, London, on June 25, 1984,

that a majority of the Anglican bishops surveyed by a television program
said, Christians are not obliged to believe that Jesus Christ was
God. The poll was of 31 of Englands 39 bishops. The report further
stated that 19 of the 31 bishops said it was sufficient to regard Jesus as
Gods supreme agent. The poll was conducted by London Weekend
Televisions weekly religious program, Credo.

Introduction to Islam

11

(Bible) are recognized and distinguished in Islam; in fact, Islam is

a culmination of the monotheistic religions that came before it.
There are many similarities between Islamic practices and the
moral practices of other major religions before Islam at the time
of Prophet Muhammad (Peace be Upon Him PBUH).
Educating oneself frees the mind of prejudice and
ignorance regarding other cultures and religions. Take some time
to learn about the religion of the Muslims, and you too will come
to see a Beautiful Islam.
The word "Islam" is an Arabic word which means
"submission to the will of Allah". 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 Allah and live
according to His Divinely revealed Law. The most important truth
that Allah revealed to mankind is that there is nothing divine or
worthy of being worshipped except for Almighty Allah, thus all
human beings should submit to Him.
The word "Muslim" means one who submits to the will of
Allah, regardless of their race, nationality or ethnic background.
Being a Muslim entails wilful submission and active obedience to
Allah, and a contract to live 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 Malaysia to Morocco, one can
clearly see that Muslims come from 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 Allah and worships Him alone is a Muslim. Muslim
and not Moslem as stated in the some English dictionary.
Continuity of the Message:
Islam is not a new religion because "submission to the will
of Allah", i.e. Islam, has always been the only acceptable religion
in the sight of Allah. For this reason, Islam is the true "natural

Introduction to Islam

12

religion", and it is the same eternal message revealed through

the ages to all of Allah's prophets and messengers. Muslims
believe that all of Allah's prophets, which include Ibrahim
(Abraham), Nuh (Noah), Musa (Moses), Isa (Jesus), and
Muhammad, brought the same message of Pure Monotheism.
For this reason, the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) 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, Allah finally fulfillled the covenant
that He made with Ibrahim, one of the greatest prophets. Suffice
it to say that the way of Islam is the same as the way of the
prophet Ibrahim, because both the Injil and the Qur'an portray
Ibrahim as a towering example of someone who submitted
himself completely to Allah 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 Allah's will, and they preached "Islam", i.e.
submission to the will of Almighty Allah.
The Oneness of God
The foundation of the Islamic faith is belief in the Oneness
of Almighty Allah - the God of Ibrahim, Nuh, Musa and Isa. Islam
teaches that a pure belief in One God is intuitive in human beings
and thus fulfillls 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 selfcontradictory 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, Allah, 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 Allah, and therefore all intermediaries are absolutely
forbidden. From the Islamic standpoint, believing in the Oneness

Introduction to Islam

13

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 in
"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 Allah 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 Allah 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 Allah, 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

Introduction to Islam

14

enemies of Islam, is completely false since the word "Allah" is the

name for Almighty God that is given by Him in all the scriptures.
However, it should be clarified that even though Muslims worship
the same God as Jews and Christian, their concept of God 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
because the Qur'an rejects it, but also because if this was God's
true nature, He would have clearly revealed it to Ibrahim, Nuh,
Musa and all other prophets.
The Qur'an:
The Arabic world "Al-Qur'an" literally means "the recitation".
When used in regards to Islam, the word Qur'an means Allah's
final message to mankind that was revealed to the Prophet
Muhammad (PBUH). The Qu'ran, sometimes spelled Koran, is
the literal the word of Allah - 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 known to be inimitable in its style, form and spiritual
impact.
Allah's final revelation to mankind, the Qur'an, was
revealed to 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 Allah by those who believed in it, i.e. it
isn'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
Prophet Muhammad. The entire Qur'an was also completely
reveal during the lifetime of the Prophet, and numerous
companions of the Prophet memorized the entire Qur'an wordfor-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 Allah'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 -

Introduction to Islam

15

submit to Almighty Allah and worship Him alone. As such, Allah'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 Ibrahim, Nuh, Musa and Isa; as well as many
commands and prohibitions from Allah. 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 for
excellence.
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 The God's (Allah)
words that were revealed to Prophet 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 Allah, 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 "Allah's
Messenger and His Slave". The mission of the last and final
prophet of Allah was to simply teach that "there is nothing divine
or worthy of being worshipped except for Almighty Allah", as well
as being a living example of Allah's revelation. In simple terms,
Allah 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 than 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 to Allah, 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 Allah, because Muhammad not only showed us

Introduction to Islam

16

how to deal with our fellow human beings, but more importantly,
he showed us how to relate to and worship Allah, 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
Allah's prophets, not because he had new doctrines or greater
miracles, but because the results of his mission have brought
more human beings into the pure and proper belief in the One
True God than any other prophet.
The Islamic Way of Life:
In the Holy Qur'an, Allah 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 Allah 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 Allah 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. Allah
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 Allah 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 Allah The Almighty loves the repentant

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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 Allah as
well as a sincere belief in His infinite Mercy.
A life without fear of Allah leads to sin and disobedience,
while believing that we have sinned so much that Allah 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
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 Allah
for their beliefs and actions in their earthly lives.
In judging human beings, Almighty Allah 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 Allah.
A sincere belief in the life hereafter is the key to leading a wellbalanced 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 Life:
Islam teaches that true happiness can only being obtained by
living a life full of God-consciousness and being satisfied with
what Allah 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 Allah, as well
as the sense of purpose and belonging that one 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,

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ethnic and national prejudices. By accepting to live a Godconscious life, and realizing that the only thing that distinguishes
people in the sight of Allah is their consciousness of Him, a
person's true human dignity is realized.