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Is Islam a new religion?

Author: Mohamamd Hahim Qasmi Bastawi

Islam is not a new religion, but the same truth that God revealed through all His prophets to every people. Islam began on the day the first human being, Adam, was sent into the world. At that time, Allah taught him the oneness of Allah and monotheism, and also told him that the success of you and your family and descendants lies in following this monotheism and the path I have shown you. This is the message that all the prophets conveyed to their nations.

Allah almighty says in Quran:

and there was no community without a warner having passed among them.[Surah Fatir: 24]

And Allah almighty also says:

Your Allah is One Allah; there is no Allah save Him, the Beneficent, the Merciful.  [Surah Baqarah: 163]

 For a fifth of the world’s population, Islam is both a religion and a complete way of life. Muslims follow a religion of peace, mercy, and forgiveness, and the majority have nothing to do with the extremely grave events which have come to be associated with their faith.

Who are the Muslims?

One billion people from a vast range of races, nationalities and cultures across the globe – from the southern Philippines to Nigeria – are united by their common Islamic faith. About 93% live in the Arab world; the world’s largest Muslim community is in Indonesia; substantial parts of Asia and most of Africa are Muslim, while significant minorities are to be found in the Soviet Union, China, North and South America, and Europe.

What do Muslims believe?

Muslims believe in One, Unique, Incomparable God; in the Angels created by Him; in the prophets through whom His revelations were brought to mankind; in the Day of Judgement and individual accountability for actions; in God’s complete authority over human destiny and in life after death. Muslims believe in a chain of prophets starting with Adam and including Noah, Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Job, Moses, Aaron, David, Solomon, Elias, Jonah, John the Baptist, and Jesus, peace be upon them. 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.

As this concept is explained in some authentic hadiths called Hadith Jibril below:

 and said: “O Muhammad! Inform me about Islam.” The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) replied: “Islam is that you should testify that there is no deity worthy of worship except Allah and that Muhammad is His Messenger (ﷺ), that you should perform salah (ritual prayer), pay the zakah, fast during Ramadan, and perform Hajj (pilgrimage) to the House (the Ka`bah at Makkah), if you can find a way to it (or find the means for making the journey to it).”…..

“Inform me about Iman (faith).” He (the Prophet) answered, “It is that you believe in Allah and His angels and His Books and His Messengers and in the Last Day, and in fate (qadar), both in its good and in its evil aspects.” He said, “You have spoken the truth.” Then he (the man) [Sahih Muslim: 8]

  How does someone become a Muslim?

Simply by saying:

“Ashhau an laa ilaha illallah, washhadu anna muhammdan abduhu w rasuluhu”

‘There is no god apart from God, and Muhammad is the Messenger of God.’

The words are called the Shahadah and the declaration of Islam; it is necessary not only to recite them with the tongue but also to believe in them with the heart. If a person merely repeats these words with his tongue but does not sincerely acknowledge the oneness of Allah and the Prophethood of Muhammad (peace be upon him) in his heart, he cannot be considered a Muslim. Allah Almighty says in Surah Al-Munafiqun:

When the hypocrites come to you, they say: we bear witness that you are indeed the messenger of Allah.  Allah knows that you are really His messenger but Allah testifies that the hypocrites are actually liars. [Surah Al Munafiqun: 1]

As is evident from the verse, Allah did not consider those hypocrites who merely articulated the words of the Messenger of Allah’s prophethood to be Muslims; instead, He deemed them to be liars because they did not genuinely believe in the Messenger of Allah as the Prophet of God in their hearts.

This indicates that simply repeating the declaration of faith (Shahada) is not sufficient; rather, it is essential to sincerely acknowledge the Oneness of Allah and to have a true conviction in one’s heart.

 By this declaration the believer announces his or her faith in all God’s messengers, and the all they brought.

What does ‘Islam’ mean?

The Arabic word ‘Islam إسلام’ simply means ‘submission’, and derives from a word meaning ‘peace’. In a religious terms it means complete submission to the will of God. ‘Allah’ is the Arabic name for God, which is used by Arab Muslims and Christians alike.

Why does Islam often seem strange?

Islam may seem exotic or even extreme in the modern world. Perhaps this is because religion does not dominate everyday life in the West today, whereas Muslims have religion always uppermost in their minds, and make no division between secular and sacred. They believe that the Divine Law, the Shari’a, should be taken very seriously, which is why issues related to religion are still so important.

Religious Muslims, wherever they go in the world, appear foreign to others due to their adherence to their beliefs and identity. Because of their practice of their religion, people begin to perceive them as extremists, when in reality, there is no other group as peaceful as Muslims in the world. Most of those who consider them extremists are unaware of Islamic teachings; they should read about Islam seriously and impartially. After that, all their misconceptions about Muslims will be dispelled.