Islamic Belief
What is the purpose of life?
If we were made by a Creator, then surely that Creator must have had a reason, a purpose, in creating us. Thus, it is important that we seek to know God’s purpose for our existence. After coming to the realization of this purpose, we can choose whether we want to live in harmony with it or not.
The purpose of creation for all men and women for all times has been one: to know and worship God.
God said in His final revelation to mankind: “I have not created the spirits nor the human beings for any other purpose except to worship Me.” [Qur’an, chapter 51: verse 56]
That in a nutshell is the purpose of this life. The purpose behind our creation is to recognize the Creator, to worship Him, to surrender ourselves to Him, and to obey the laws that He has determined for us. This is our purpose in this life.
If you were given a hundred dollars, for no other reason than just for reading this, you would at least say thank you. What about your eyes, you brain, your heart, your breath, what about that? Who gave you that? Is He who gave you all this, not worthy of praise and thanks?
What does the term “Messenger of Allah” mean and what do they do?
God created us so that we worship Him. However, we cannot worship God on our own without having a guide to show us how to worship Him. This is why God, our Creator, sent many messengers to mankind throughout history, for the sole purpose of guiding us to understand the purpose of our being.
These prophets include Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, David, John the Baptist, and Jesus (peace be upon them all), among others.
But God’s final message to man, a reconfirmation of the eternal message and a summing-up of all that has gone before, was revealed to the Prophet Muhammad through Gabriel.
The Quran says: “And We (God) did not send any Messenger before you but we inspired him (saying): There is no god but God. None has the right to be worshipped but I (God). So worship me.” [Qur’an, chapter 21: verse 25]
Who is Allah?
The name ‘Allah’ is the Arabic word for God, in fact even Arab Christians and Jews use the word Allah for God.
Here is a summary concerning the concept of God in Islam:
- Allah is the Arabic name for God Almighty.
- The word Allah has no plural or gender.
- God is One, Great and Almighty.
- He is the Lord, Creator and Sustainer of the Universe and everything in it.
- God is above all, over the heavens.
- He is superior to everything.
- He is capable of all things.
- He is Ever-Living.
- God does not sleep nor eat.
- Everyone is in need of Him, and He is in no need of anyone.
- He has no partner.
- He has no mother or father, son or daughter.
- No one can or has seen Him in this world.
- He alone knows the past, present, and future.
- He sees, hears and knows everything.
- There is nothing or no one like Him.
- To God belong the Most Beautiful Names
How is Islam the same as other religions?
Islam 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.
Like every other religion or philosophy, Islam also claims to be the one and only true way to God. In this respect it is no different from other systems. In fact, it is a faith that is in complete conformance with nature, reason, logic and science.
Certainly all religions contradict one another and they all cannot be true at the same time. We need to search for that truth sincerely. The truth is always one. All religions of the world will give some or the other proof to validate their claim of truthfulness. It is upon us to evaluate those proofs and weigh them and then take an informed decision.
How is Islam different from other religions
The foundation of the Islamic faith is belief in the Oneness of Almighty God – the God of Abraham, Noah, Moses and Jesus. 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 “Saviour”. Some religions, even though they believe in “One God”, do not make all of their worship and prayers for Him alone. They also give the title of “Lord” to beings that are not All-Knowing, All-Powerful and Unchanging – even according to their own scriptures.
On the other hand, Islam shows us the unique and uncomplicated teachings concerning the relationship between God, man, and creation. That is the main difference that sets it apart from other religions.
What does Islam call to?
Basically Islam is a call to moral righteousness and governs all aspects of life. Islamic law regulates a person’s relationship and rights and responsibilities to:
- Allah, The Creator
- Other individual people (parents, wife, children, neighbors, customers, bosses/supervisors, etc.)
- Self
- Society
- Environment
Therefore Islamic legislation is the most comprehensive of all religious systems known to mankind today.
Islam calls to the belief in Allah, Alone, in His Lordship over creation, in His Names and Attributes and in His right to be worshipped. In establishing this role of Allah over creation, Islamic law sets up rules and regulations for living out this earthly life according to Allah’s plan and commands. The success of humankind depends upon living in accordance with these “natural laws” or laws established by Allah that put mankind into congruence with all of creation.
Why do Muslims focus on “holy war” and fighting?
First of all, the term “holy war” is a Christian term not an Islamic one. The Crusades were “holy wars”.
Islam is not a “pacifist” religion of “turn the other cheek”. While Allah instructs Muslims that giving others their rights is better and of a higher level of morality, there is a time when it becomes necessary to fight oppression. Islamic warfare defines what this oppression is very carefully and also lays out the laws of warfare in a detailed manner than no other nation, including those of today, follow.
While Muslims do not focus on fighting and warfare, it is a part of Islamic legislation and it is regulated by very detailed rules.
How does a person believe [in Allah]?
Belief in Allah is a natural result when a person learns about Allah and discovers His existence through the many signs within His creation. Allah says in Quran, in Surah Fussilat [41], Verse 53:
We will show them our signs in the horizons and within themselves until it becomes apparent to them that it is the truth…
Allah does not leave us to discover His existence on our own and by chance but rather He reveals His existence to us and makes it clear that His message is the truth. Also, logic dictates that the existence of anything is known by its physical characteristics in the physical world or by its signs. Magnetism [gravity] for example, cannot be seen but its effects can be seen and measured. Would anyone argue that magnetism or gravity does not exist?
Allah presents numerous signs of His existence, both logical and miraculous that are apparent to those who wish to acknowledge them. A person only needs to want to learn about Allah, and know Him and he will find the signs of His existence.
