Etymologically, the word ‘Islam‘ has several meanings. Amongst them are: Submitting and obeying. Islaf (salaf transaction): ordering of things by advance payment. (Al Mausu’ah Al Fiqhiyyah Al Kuwaitiyyah, 1427 H) While in terminology, ‘Islam‘ means submitting of oneself to Allah by worshipping Him alone, obeying His commands in performing righteous deeds, and abandoning shirk and making the one committing shirk as enemy (Tsalatsatul Ushul/The 3 Foundations, page 7) Some scholars gave explanation regarding this terminological meaning by detailing the meaning of Islam into 2 parts, General and particular meaning, respectively. (Husul Al Ma’mul, page 7) First: Islam in general, means worshipping Allah alone without attributing any equals to Him. This meaning includes all teaching conveyed by the prophets and contained in all Holy Books He had descended. Allah decreed, إِنَّا أَنْزَلْنَا التَّوْرَاةَ فِيهَا هُدًى وَنُورٌ يَحْكُمُ بِهَا النَّبِيُّونَ الَّذِينَ أَسْلَمُوا لِلَّذِينَ هَادُوا “Indeed We sent down the Torah, in which was guidance and light. The prophets who submitted (to Allah) judged by it for the Jews.” (Al Maida/The Table Spread: 44) Allah termed the prophets of the offsprings of Israel by “Islam”, which indicated that Islam is not solely related to the teaching of Prophet Muhammad -peace and blessings of Allah be upon him-. However, this general meaning was only accepted before the envoy of Prophet Muhammad -peace and blessings of Allah be upon him- as Allah’s messenger. Second: Islam in particular, refers to the religion brought by Prophet Muhammad -peace and blessings of Allah be upon him-. As the final teaching that ends the calling of prophets before him, and by this, Allah will only accept Islam which appropriating this last teaching. Allah decreed, وَمَنْ يَبْتَغِ غَيْرَ الْإِسْلَامِ دِينًا فَلَنْ يُقْبَلَ مِنْهُ وَهُوَ فِي الْآخِرَةِ مِنَ الْخَاسِرِينَ “And whoever desires other than Islam as religion -never will it be accepted from him, and he, in the Hereafter, will be among the losers.” (Ali Imran/The Family of Imran: 85) Allah will only accept the religion of Islam Every human being will receive a security of happiness in Hereafter, if he embraces Islam as his religion. One will be dubbed as embracing Islam if he follows the guidance of the prophet who was sent to him. Allah decreed, وَيَوْمَ يُنَادِيهِمْ فَيَقُولُ مَاذَا أَجَبْتُمُ الْمُرْسَلِينَ “And (mention) the Day He will call them and say, “What did you answer the messengers?” (Al Qashash/The Stories: 65) Allah will ask mankind at the Day of Resurrection, about their respond to the prophets whom was delegated to the them. Did they believe in them, and follow their guidance, or did they objected to and set war against them? The indication that Allah will only accept Islam, comes in His verse: إِنَّ الدِّينَ عِنْدَ اللَّهِ الْإِسْلَام “Indeed, the religion in the sight of Allah is Islam.” (Ali Imran/The Family of Imran: 19) And His verse, “And whoever desires other than Islam as religion -never will it be accepted from him, and he, in the Hereafter, will be among the losers.” (Ali Imran/The Family of Imran: 85) The Five Pillars of Islam The Pillars of Islam are five major things: testimony (shahaadah) of ‘Laa ilaaha illallah‘ (None has the right to be worshipped but Allah), obligational prayers, obligational charity, fasts, and hajj or pilgrimage. These pillars are taken from hadith of the messenger of Allah -peace and blessings of Allah may be upon him- where he said, بُنِيَ الإِسْلامُ عَلَى خَمْسٍ: شَهَادَةِ أَنْ لاَ إِلَهَ إِلاَّ اللَّهُ ، وَإِقَامِ الصَّلاةِ وَإِيتَاءِ الزَّكَاةِ ، وَالْحَجِّ ، وَصَوْمِ رَمَضَانَ “Islam is (based on) the following five principles: (1) to testify that ‘Laa ilaaha illallah wa anna Muhammad -ar-Rasul Allah (none has the right to be worshipped but Allah and that Muhammad is the messenger of Allah), (2) Iqaamat as salat (to perform the [compulsory congregational] Salat/prayers), (3) to pay Zakat, (4) to perform Hajj (pilgrimage to Makkah), (5) to observe Saum (fasts [according to Islamic teachings]) during the month of Ramadan.” (Collected by Bukhari in hadith no. 8, and Muslim in hadith no. 16) Testimony or shahaadah is the Gate to Embrace Islam
Posted on: Sat, 15 Nov 2014 22:16:15 +0000
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