The True Religion of God
By Dr. Abu Ameenah Bilal Philips - 3rd Edition, 1994
Contents
Which is the True Religion of God
The Message of False Religions
Universality of God's Religion
WHICH
IS THE TRUE RELIGION OF GOD?
Each
person is born in a circumstance which is not of his own choosing. The
religion of his family or the ideology of the state is thrust upon him from the
very beginning of his existence in this world. By the time he reaches his
teens, he is usually fully brain-washed into believing that the beliefs of his
particular society are the correct beliefs that everyone should have. However,
when some people mature and are exposed to other belief-systems, they begin to
question the validity of their own beliefs. The seekers of truth often reach a
point of confusion upon realizing that each and every religion, sect, ideology
and philosophy claims to be the one and only correct way for man. Indeed, they
all encourage people to do good. So, which one is
right? They cannot all be right since each claims all others are wrong. Then
how does the seeker of truth choose the right way?
God
gave us all minds and intellects to enable us to make this crucial decision. It
is the most important decision in the life of a human being. Upon it depends
his future, Consequently, each and every one of us
must examine dispassionately the evidence presented and choose what appears to
be right until further evidence arises.
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. This
booklet intends to provide some evidence for the validity of that claim.
However, it must always be kept in mind that one can only determine the true
path by putting aside emotions and prejudices, which often blind us to reality.
Then, and only then, will we be able to use our God-given intelligence and make
a rational and correct decision.
There
are several arguments, which may be advanced to support Islam’s claim to be the
true religion of God. The following are only three of the most obvious. The
first argument is based on the divine origin of the names of the religion and
the comprehensiveness of its meaning. The second deals with the unique and
uncomplicated teachings concerning the relationship between God, man, and
creation. The third argument derives from the fact that Islam is universally
attainable by all men at all times. These are the three basic components of
what logic and reason dictate necessary for a religion to be considered the
true religion of God. The following pages will develop these concepts in some
detail.
THE RELIGION’S NAME
The
first thing that one should know and clearly understand about Islam is what the
word ‘Islam" itself means. The Arabic word "Islam" means the
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 a
"Muslim". The religion of Islam is not named after a person or a
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
"This day have I perfected your religion for you,
completed My favour upon you, and have chosen for you
Islam as your 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]
Hence,
Islam does not claim to be a new religion brought by Prophet Mohammed into
At
this point we might comment briefly on two other religions that claim to be the
true path. Nowhere in the Bible will you find God revealing to Prophet Moses’
people or their descendants that their religion is called Judaism, or to the followers
of Christ that their religion is called Christianity. In other words, the names
"Judaism" and "Christianity" had no divine origin or
approval. It was not until long after his departure that the name Christianity
was given to Jesus’ religion.
What,
then, was Jesus’ religion in actual fact, as distinct from its name? (Both the
name Jesus and the name Christ are derived from Hebrew words, through Greek and
Latin. Jesus is the English and Latin form of the Greek Iesous,
which in Hebrew Is Yeshua or Yehoshua’
(Joshua). The Greek word Christos is a translation of
the Hebrew [for] 'messiah', which is a title meaning 'the anointed'.) His
religion was reflected in his teachings, which he urged his followers to accept
as guiding principles in their relationship with God. In Islam, Jesus is a
prophet sent by Allah and his Arabic name is ‘Eesa.
Like the prophets before him, he called upon the people to surrender their will
to the will of God (which is what Islam stands for). For example, in the New
Testament it is stated that Jesus taught his followers to pray to God as
follows:
"Our father in
heaven, hallowed be your name, may your will be done on earth as it is in
heaven."
[Luke 11:2/Matthew
6:9-10]
This
concept was emphasised by Jesus in a number of his statements recorded in the
Gospels. He taught, for example, that only those who submitted would inherit
paradise.
Jesus also pointed out that
he himself submitted to the will of God.
"None of those who
call me ‘Lord’ will enter the
[Matthew 7:21]
"I cannot do anything
of myself I judge as I hear and my judgment is honest because I am not seeking
my own will but the will of Him who sent me."
[John 5:30]
There
are many reports in the Gospels which show that Jesus made it clear to his
followers that he was not the one true God. For example, when speaking about
the final Hour, he said:
"No-one knows about
the day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, not the son, but only the
Father."
[Mark
Thus,
Jesus like the prophets before him and the one who came after him, taught the religion of Islam: submission to the will
of the one true God.
GOD AND CREATION
Since
the total submission of one’s will to God represents the essence of worship,
the basic message of God’s divine religion, Islam, is the worship of God alone.
It also requires the avoidance of worship directed to any person, place or
thing other than God. Since everything other than God, the creator of all the
things, is God’s creation, it may be said that Islam, in essence, calls man
away from worship of creation and invites him to worship only his Creator. He
is the only one deserving of man’s worship, because it is only by His will that
prayers are answered.
Accordingly,
if a man prays to a tree and his prayers are answered, it is not the tree which
answers his prayers but God, who allows the circumstances prayed for to take
place. One might say, "That is obvious". However, to
tree-worshippers, it might not be so. Similarly, prayers to Jesus, Buddha, or
"And behold! Allah will say: ‘O Jesus, the son of Mary!
Did you say to men, worship me and my mother as gods besides Allah?, He will say: "Glory to you, I could never say what I
had no right (to say)."
[Qur’an 5:118]
Nor
did Jesus worship himself when he worshipped, but rather he worshipped God. And
Jesus was reported in the Gospels to have said,
"It is written:
'Worship the Lord your God and serve Him only.’"
[Luke 4:8]
This
basic principle is contained in the opening chapter of the Qur’an, known as
Surah al-Fatihah, verse 4:
"you alone do we worship and from you alone do we seek
help."
Elsewhere, in the final
book of revelation, the Qur’an, God also said:
"And you Lord says: ‘Call on Me
and I will answer your (prayer).’"
[Qur’an 40:60]
It
is worth emphasizing that the basic message of Islam (namely, the worship of
God alone) also proclaims that God and His creation are distinctly different
entities. God is neither equal to His creation nor a part of it, nor is His
creation equal to Him or a part of Him.
This
might seem obvious, but man’s worship of creation, instead of the Creator is to
a large degree based on ignorance, or neglect, of this concept. It is the
belief that the essence of God is everywhere in His creation or that His divine
being is or was present in some parts of His creation, which has provided
justification for the worship of God’s creation and naming it the worship of
God. However, the message of Islam, as brought by the prophets of God, is to
worship only God and to avoid the worship of His creation either directly or
indirectly.
In the Qur’an God clearly
states:
"For we assuredly sent amongst every people a prophet,
with the command Worship Me and avoid false Gods."
[Qur’an 16:36]
When
idol worshippers are questioned as to why they bow down to idols created by men,
the invariable reply is that they are not actually worshipping the stone image,
but God who is present within it. They claim that the stone idol is only a
focal point for God’s essence and is not in itself God! One who has accepted
the concept of God being present in any way within His creation will be obliged
to accept this argument for idolatry. Whereas, one who understands the basic
message of Islam and its implications would never agree to idolatry no matter
how it is rationalized.
Those
who have claimed divinity for themselves down through the ages have often based
their claims on the mistaken belief that God is present in man. Taking one step
further, they claim that God is more present in them than in the rest of us, and that other humans should therefore submit to them
and worship them as God in person or as God concentrated within their persons.
Similarly, those who have asserted the godhood of others after their deaths
have found fertile ground among those who accept the false belief of God’s presence
in man.
It
should be abundantly clear by now that one who has grasped the basic message of
Islam and its implications could never agree to worship another human being
under any circumstance. God’s religion, in essence, is a clear call to the
worship of the Creator and the rejection of creation-worship in any form. This
is the meaning of the motto of Islam:
"Laa ilaaha
ill Allah" (there is no God but Allah)
The
sincere declaration of this phrase and the acceptance of prophethood
automatically bring one within the fold of Islam, and sincere belief in it
guarantees one
Belief
in this declaration of faith requires that one submit his/her will to God in
the way taught by the prophets of God. It also requires the believer to give up
the worship of false gods.
THE MESSAGE OF FALSE RELIGIONS
There
are so many sects, cults, religions, philosophies, and movements in the world,
all of which claim to be the right way or the only true path of God How can one
determine which one is correct or whether, in fact, all are correct? One method
by which the answer can be found is to clear away the superficial differences
in the teachings of the various claimants to the ultimate truth, and identifies
the central object of worship upon which they call, directly or indirectly.
False religions all have in common one basic concept with regard to God they either
claim that all men are gods, or that specific men were God, or that nature is
God, or that God is a figment of man’s imagination.
Thus,
it may be stated that the basic message of false religion is that God may be
worshipped in the form of His creation. False religions invite man to the
worship of creation by calling the creation or some aspect of it God. For
example, prophet Jesus invited his followers to
worship God, but those who claim to be Jesus’ followers today call people to
worship Jesus, claiming that he was God.
Buddha
was a reformer who introduced a number of humanistic principles in the religion
of
By
using the principle of identifying the object of worship, we can easily
detect false religions and the contrived nature of their origin. As God said in
the Qur’an:
"That which you worship besides Him are only names and
you and your forefathers have invented for which Allah has sent down no
authority: the command belongs only to Allah He has command that you worship
Him; that is the right religion, but most men do not understand."
[Qur’an 12:40]
It may be argued that all
religions teach good things, so why should it matter which one we follow? The
reply is that all false religions teach the greatest evil the worship of
creation. Creation-worship is the greatest sin that man can commit because it
contradicts the very purpose of his creation. Man was created to worship God
alone as Allah has explicitly stated in the Qur’an:
"I have only created jinns and
men, that they may worship Me"
[Qur’an 51:56]
Consequently
, the worship of
creation, which is the essence of idolatry is the only unforgivable sin. One who dies in this state of idolatry, has sealed his fate
in the next life. This is not an opinion, but a revealed fact stated by God in
his final revelation to man:
"Verily Allah will not forgive the joining of partners
with Him, but He may forgive (sins) less than that for whomsoever He
wishes."
[Qur’an
UNIVERSALITY OF GOD’S RELIGION
Since
the consequences of following a false religion are so grave, the true religion
of God must have been universally understandable and universally attainable in
the past and it must continue eternally to be understandable and attainable
throughout the entire world. In other words, the true religion of God cannot be
confined to any one people, place, or period of time. Nor is it logical that
such a religion should impose conditions that have nothing to do with the
relationship of man with God, such as baptism, or belief in man as a savior, or an intermediary. Within the central principle of
Islam and its definition (the surrender of one’s will to God) lie the roots of
Islam’s universality. Whenever man comes to the realization that God is one and
distinct from His creation, and submits himself to God, he becomes a Muslim in
body and spirit and is eligible for paradise.
Consequently,
anyone at any time in the most remote regions of the world can become Muslim, a
follower of God’s religion, Islam, by merely rejecting the worship of creation
and turning to God alone. It should be noted, however, that in order to
actually submit to God’s will, one must continually choose between right and
wrong. Indeed, man is endowed by God with the power not only to distinguish
right from wrong but also to choose between them. These God-given powers carry
with them an important responsibility, namely, that man is answerable to God
for the choices he makes. It follows, then, that man should try his utmost to
do good and avoid evil. These concepts are expressed in the final revelation as
follows:
"Verily, those who believe (in the Qur’an), and those
who follow the Jewish faith, and the Christians, and the Sabians
(angel-and-star-worshippers) -- any of these who believe in Allah and the Last
Day and work righteousness shall have their reward with their Lord. They will
not be overcome by fear or grief."
[Qur’an 2:62]
If, for whatever reason,
they fail to accept the final message after it has been clearly explained to
them, they will be in grave danger. The last Prophet said:
"Whoever among the Christians
and Jews hears of me but does not affirm his belief in what I brought and dies
in this state will be among the inhabitants of hell."
(Sahih Muslim [English Translation], Vol.1 P.91 No, 284)
RECOGNITION OF GOD
The
question which arises here is : How can all people be
expected to believe in the one true God, given their varying backgrounds,
societies and cultures? For people to be held responsible for
worshipping the one true God, they all need to have access to knowledge of Him.
The final revelation teaches that all humans being have the recognition of the
one true God imprinted on their souls as a part of their very nature with which
they are created.
In
the seventh chapter of the Qur’an (Al-A’raaf, verses
172-173), God explained that when He created Adam He caused all of Adam’s
descendants to come into existence and He took a pledge from them saying:
"‘Am I
not your Lord?' To which they all replied, ‘Yes, we testity
to it'"
Allah then explained why He
had all of mankind bear witness that He is their creator and the only true God
worthy of worship. He said:
"That was in case you (mankind) should say on the day of
Resurrection, ‘Verily we were unaware of all this'"
[Qur’an 7:172]
That
is to say, we cannot claim on that day that we had no idea that Allah, was our
God and that no one told us that we were only supposed to worship Allah alone.
Allah went on to further explain that:
"It was also in case you should say, ‘Certainly it was
our ancestors who made partners (with Allah) and we are only their descendants;
will you then destroy us for what those liars did?’"
[Qur’an 7:173]
Thus,
every child is born with a natural belief in God and an in-born inclination to
worship Him alone. This in-born belief and inclination is called in Arabic the
"Fitrah".
The
Prophet Muhammad reported that Allah said, "I created my servants in the right
religion, but devils made them go astray." The Prophet also said, "Each
child is born in a state of Fitrah. Then his parents make him a Jew, Christian
or a Zoroastrian." If the
child were left alone, he would worship God in his own way, but all children
are affected by the environment. So, just as the child submits to the physical
laws, which Allah has imposed on nature, in the same way his soul also submits
naturally to the fact that Allah is his Lord and Creator. But, if his parents
try to make him follow a different path, the child is not strong enough in the
early stages of his life to resist or oppose the will of his parents. In such
cases, the religion, which the child follows, is one of custom and upbringing,
and God does not hold him to account or punish him for his religion up to a
certain stage of his life.
THE SIGNS OF GOD
Throughout
people’s lives, from childhood until the time they die, signs of the one and
only true God are shown to them in all regions of the earth and in their own
souls, until it becomes clear that there is only one true God (Allah). God says
in the Qur’an
"We will show them our signs In
the furthest regions (of the earth) and in their souls, until it becomes clear
to them that this is the truth."
[Qur’an 41:53]
The
following is an example of God revealing by a sign to one man the error of his
idol-worship. In the south-eastern region of the Amazon jungle in
Outraged,
the youth chased the dog out of the temple; but when his rage died down he realized
that the idol could not be the Lord of the Universe. God must be elsewhere, he
concluded. As strange as it may seem, the dog urinated on the idol was a sign
from God for that young man. This sign contained the divine message that what
he was worshipping was false. It liberated from slavishly following his
traditionally learned worship of a false god. As a result, this man was given a
choice: either to seek the true god or to continue in the error of his ways.
Allah mentions Prophet
Abraham’s quest for God as an example of how those who follow His signs will be
rightly guided
"So also did we show Abraham the power and the Laws of
the heavens and the earth that he might (with understanding) have certitude. When the night covered him over, he saw a star.
He said: ‘This is my Lord.’ But when it set, he said: ‘I love not those that
set.’ When he saw the moon rising in splendour, he said: ‘This is my Lord.’ But
when the moon set, he said: ‘Unless my Lord guide me,
I shall surely be among those who go astray.’ When he saw the rising sun in
splendour, he said: ‘This is my Lord this is the greatest (of all).’ But when
the sun set, he said; ‘O my people I am indeed free from your (guilt) of giving
partners to Allah.
For me, I have set my face, firmly and truly, towards Him who
created the heavens and the earth, and never shall I give partners to
Allah"
[Qur’an 6:75-79]
As
was mentioned earlier, prophets have been sent to every nation and tribe to
support man’s natural belief in God and man’s in-born inclination to worship
Him, as well as to reinforce the divine truth in the daily signs revealed by
God. Although much of these prophets’ teachings became distorted, portions
revealing their God-inspired messages have remained untainted and have served
to guide mankind in the choice between right and wrong. The influence of
God-inspired messages down through the ages can be seen in the "Ten
Commandments" of Judaism’s Torah which were later adopted into
Christianity’s teachings, as well as in the existence of laws against murder,
stealing and adultery in most societies throughout the ancient and modern
world.
As
a result of God’s signs to mankind through the ages combined with His
revelation through His prophets, all mankind has been given a chance to
recognize the one only true God.
Consequently,
every soul will be held accountable for its belief in God and its acceptance of
the true religion of God, namely Islam, which means total submission to the
will of Allah.
CONCLUSION
The
preceding presentation has demonstrated that the name of the religion of Islam
expresses Islam’s most central principle, submission to God, and that the name
"Islam" was chosen not by man, but by God, according to the holy
scriptures of Islam. It has also been shown that Islam alone teaches the uniqueness
of God and His attributes and enjoins the worship of God alone without
intermediaries. Finally, due to the divinely instilled inclination of man to
worship God and the signs revealed by God throughout the ages to each
individual, Islam may be achieved by all men at all times.
In
short, the significance of the name Islam (submission to God), Islam’s
fundamental acknowledgment of the uniqueness of God and Islam’s accessibility
to all mankind at all times convincingly support Islam’s claim that from the
beginning of time in whatever language it was expressed, Islam alone has been,
and will be the true religion of God.
In
conclusion we ask Allah, the exalted, to keep us on the right path to which He
has guided us, and to bestow on us His blessings and mercy, for He is indeed
the Most Merciful. Praise be to Allah, the Lord of the
worlds, and peace and blessings be on prophet Muhammad and on all the prophets
of God and their righteous followers.
