Humanity
has been blessed with the instincts and intellect to rationally
identify and believe in the existence of a Supreme Creator and Sustainer
through the signs within and all around. The man endeavors to live the
life within the desired parameters to achieve His pleasure, the
objective of his creation. The relation of human being to the Supreme
Creator and Sustainer (commonly known as God, Allah) that which they
regard as holy, sacred, spiritual, or divine, is termed as ‘Religion’.
The word ‘religion’ is derived form Latin ‘religio’ means ‘to bind’. Thus the religion is one of the ways of binding the people together through common deity worship and rituals. According to Encyclopedia Britannica; “Religion
is commonly regarded as consisting of a person's relation to God or to
gods or spirits. Worship is probably the most basic element of religion,
but moral conduct,
right belief, and participation in religious institutions are generally
also constituent elements of the religious life as practiced by
believers and worshipers and as commanded by religious teachers,
messengers and scriptures.” In Islam the worship, in its true sense is
not only restricted to the rituals and dogmas, but it is the complete
submission and obedience to the God, to live the life, in all aspects as
desired by Him by rejecting evil temptations; a complete social system.
All the religions basically have a common origin, the history of
religion is summed up by Qur’an: “Mankind were one community, and Allah
sent (unto them) Prophets as bearers of good tidings and as warners, and
revealed therewith the Scripture with the truth that it might judge
between mankind concerning that wherein they differed. And only those
unto whom (the Scripture) was given differed concerning it, after clear
proofs had come unto them, through hatred one of another. And Allah by
His will guided those who believe unto the truth of that concerning
which they differed. Allah guides whom He will unto a Straight
path.”(Qura’n;2:213).
With the passage of time the original message of
guidance i.e. to worship and obey one God preached by messengers like
Enoch (Idris), Noah (peace be upon them), and others got obscured.
However it got revived during 18th century B.C, through Prophet Abraham
(peace be upon him), the forebear of the three great religions; Judaism,
Christianity and Islam. Over the period, even the original faith of
Abraham despite the efforts of messengers among his progeny (like
Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob, Moses and Jesus, peace be upon them all) got
obscured and corrupted, thus dividing them into sects and groups. The
other major world religions like Hinduism also have monotheistic
doctrines buried under the dust of polytheistic, idolatrous, mystic and
other practices. The sacred Hindu scriptures, urge: “O friends, do not
worship anybody but Him, the Divine One. Praise Him
alone.”(Rigveda;8:1:1). Buddhism, is considered non committal on God,
historical criticism has proved that the original teachings of Buddha
can never be known, because his teachings and doctrines were written
down 400 years, after his death. Moreover little attention was paid to
its authenticity, genuineness and purity. However prophesies of advent
of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) in Buddhist scriptures points
towards some missing links. The religions differ in their set of
principles or beliefs or the body of dogmas commonly called Faith; which
is the theological virtue defined as secure belief in God and a
trusting acceptance of God's will. Allah says: “In fact, your religion
is one religion, and I am your only Lord: so fear Me Alone. Yet people
have divided themselves into factions and each faction rejoices in its
own doctrines”(Qur’an;23:52-53). This original religion was revived in
its unique spirit of monotheism, fourteen hundred years ago in
concordance with the light of reason; exclusive of mysterious doctrines
to cast a shade of sentimental ignorance round the original truths
rooted in the human intellect, representing the latest development of
the religious faculties.
Faith:
The
‘faith’, (Greek pistis, Latin fides, Hebrew ‘aman,’ Arabic ‘Ayman’) is
the inner attitude, conviction, or trust relating man to a supreme God
or ultimate salvation. In religious traditions stressing divine grace,
it is the inner certainty or attitude of love granted by God himself.
Some inner attitude has its part in all religious traditions, but it is
not always of central significance. For example, words in ancient Egypt
or ancient (Vedic) India that can be roughly rendered by the general
term "religion" do not allow for "faith" as a translation but rather
connote cultic duties and acts. In Hindu and Buddhist Yoga traditions,
the recommended inner attitudes are, primarily attitudes of trust in the
guru, or spiritual preceptor, and not, or not primarily, in God. Hindu
and Buddhist concepts of devotion (Sanskrit bhakti) and love or
compassion (Sanskrit karuna) are more comparable to the Christian
notions of love (Greek agape, Latin caritas) than to faith. Devotional
forms of Mahayana Buddhism and Vaisnavism show religious expressions not
wholly dissimilar to faith in Christian and Jewish traditions. Notions
of religious trust in India, China, and Japan are as a rule different
from the notion of faith in Western religions (Judaism, Christianity and
Islam). The "trust" (Pali saddha, Sanskrit shraddha) described in the
Buddhist Eightfold Path is comparable to the confidence with which a
sick person entrusts himself to a physician. The Chinese hsin
("confidence, trust, sincerity") is considered to be one of the five
principal virtues.
In
biblical, a tradition, the faith is basically based on trust. A thing
is true, and therefore worthy of trust. It admits of many degrees up to
full assurance of faith, in accordance with the evidence on which it
rests: “And “Which made heaven, and earth, the sea, and all that therein
is: which keeps truth for ever:”(Psalms;146:6); “O send out thy light
and thy truth: let them lead me; let them bring me unto thy holy hill,
and to thy tabernacles.” (Psalms;43:3) [Tabernacle: The portable
sanctuary in which the Jews carried the Ark of the Covenant through the
desert]. In other words, "faith" is principally juridical; it is the
faithfulness or truthfulness with which persons adhere to a treaty or
promise and with which God and Israel adhere to the Covenant between
them; a legacy of Abraham: “And he believed in the LORD; and he counted
it to him for righteousness.”(Genesis;15:6); “And Abram fell on his
face: and God talked with him, saying, As for me, behold, my covenant is
with thee, and thou shalt be the father of a multitude of
nations.”(Genisis;17:3-4); “And I will establish my covenant between me
and thee and thy seed after thee throughout their generations for an
everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee and to thy seed after
thee.”(Genisis;17:7);“Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him
as justice.”(Romans;4:3). The Jewish creed is monothisitic in faith:
"Hear O Israel, the Lord is our God, the Lord is One” (Deuteronomy;
6:4). The nexus between faith and justice or justification was developed
by Paul much later; after Prophet Jesus Christ (peace be upon him). The
biblical traditions of the Old Testament maintained the demand of God
of the covenant (Exodus;14:312, 19:9, Johua;24, Ishiaha;7:9). The faith
is the pledge of salvation (Isiah;28:16, 30:15, Jermiah;17:5,
Pslams;52:8-9). Some scholars think that Zoroastrianism, as well as
Judaism, may have had some importance in the development of the notion
of faith in Western religion. Zoroaster (628-551 B.C) is reported to
have spoken of a new, conscious religious choice on the part of man for
truth (asha).
In
Christian theology, faith is considered to be, the divinely inspired
human response to God's historical revelation through Jesus Christ and
consequently, is of crucial significance. In the New Testament,
faith is above all, faith in Jesus and his mission as perceived by Paul,
stated in Nicene Creed (325 C.E): against the original preaching of all
previous messengers and Jesus himself.(Mathew;5:17-20, Deuteronomy;6:4,
5:7-9, 6:13-15 & Mark 12:29-30, John; 5:30). In short, the
Christian Faith is based upon the belief in; “Trinity, (God, Son and
Holy Sprit as One), Jesus as the Son of God, the Lord, Savior, who died
at the cross to redeem the sins of humanity and resurrected on third
day, ascended into heaven and is seated on the right hand of the Father
and the resurrection of the dead”. The faith is interpreted as condition
for salvation (Mathew;9:28, Mark;4:36-41, Luke;8:25). Hence in
Christianity, the doctrine of ‘Justification by Grace, through Faith’
was developed. It is the belief that a person can achieve salvation only
through faith and reliance on God's grace, not through good deeds. The
phrase is adapted from a sentence in the epistles of Paul in the Bible:"
For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it
is the gift of God (Ephesians;2:8 ); “Even when we were dead in sins,
hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are
saved;)”(Ephesians;2:5). ‘Justification’ is what sets a person
fundamentally in friendship with God, and entitles the person to life
with God in heaven after death. The passage of an individual from sin to
a state of grace has been explained in different ways: Some theologians
use the term to refer to the act of God in extending grace to the
sinner, while others use it to define the change in the condition of a
sinner who has received grace. St. Paul used the term to explain how
people moved from sin to grace through the death and resurrection of
Jesus and not through any human effort. St. Augustine saw it as an act
of God that makes sinners righteous. Whether human beings can contribute
to this justification, in addition to God's grace, was one of the great
points of division among Christians at the time of the Reformation in
16th century lead by Martin Luther (1483-1546 C.E), the German
theologian. His opposition to the wealth and corruption of the papacy
and his belief that salvation would be granted on the basis of faith
alone rather than by works, was against the common teaching of the
Roman Catholic Church that people's good works, as well as their faith,
helped to save them. Two of the slogans of Luther were "Grace Alone" and
"Faith Alone." Since the time of Luther, the differences between
Protestant and Roman Catholic teachings on point have become hard to
discern which caused excommunication of Luther from the Catholic Church
in 1521 C.E. Luther confirmed the Augsburg Confession in 1530 C.E,
effectively establishing the Lutheran Church. The Protestants as they
are called, also believe in the acceptance of the Bible as the sole
source of revelation and; the universal priesthood of all the believers.
The doctrine of Justification by Grace, through Faith’ is in direct
conflict to the Jewish position that justification is through good
works, by perfectly fulfilling law and not the gracious and gratuitous
gift of God only.
In
Islam, it is the Faith (Ayman) which sets the believer apart from
others, Allah says: “O you who have attained faith! Hold fast unto your
belief in God and His Apostle (Muhammad, peace be upon him) and the
Scripture which He hath revealed unto His messenger, and the Scripture
which He revealed aforetime. Whoso disbelieves in God and His angels and
His scriptures and His messengers and the Last Day, he verily hath
wandered far astray.”(Qur’an;4:136). It is ascertained that faith is by
the grace of God for those who use their reason, God says:” It is not
possible for anyone to believe except by the permission of Allah, and He
throws filth (of disbelief) on those who do not use their reason. Say:
"Look at whatever exists in the heavens and the earth." Signs and
warnings do not benefit those people who do not
believe.”(Qur’an;10:100-101). In Islam, the faith and good deeds both
are required for salvation. Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful
says: “Surely mankind is in loss, except those who attain Faith and do
good deeds; exhort one another to the truth and exhort one another to
patience.”(Qur’an;103:2-3); “Say: "Shall we Tell you of those who lose
Most In of their deeds?-"Those whose efforts have been wasted In This
while They thought that They were acquiring good by their works? "They
are those who deny the Signs of their Lord the fact of their having to
meet Him (in the Hereafter): vain will be their works nor shall We, on
the Day of Judgment, give them any weight. That is their reward, Hell,
because They rejected and took My Signs and My Messengers by way of
jest. As to those who believe and work righteous deeds, have, for their
entertainment, the Gardens of Paradise,”(Qur’an;18:103-107). Not any
race, or people, or community, or group, should believe that they have
exclusive possession of Allah's Grace, or that they can influence its
grant or its withholding. Allah's Grace is free, and entirely controlled
by Him, independently of any priests and privileged people. He
dispenses it according to His own wise and holy Will and Plan; and to
His Grace there is no limit. It is up to Him to bestow His Grace upon
whom He likes, He says: “…the people of the Book may know that they do
not have the sole right to the grace of Allah, and that His grace is
entirely in His own hands, which He bestows on whomever He wills: and
Allah is the Owner of mighty grace.”(Qur’an;57:29); “Now those who
believe in Allah and hold fast to Him, Allah will soon cover them with
His mercy and grace and will show them the Right Way to
Himself.”(Qur’an;4:175); “He punishes whom He wills and shows mercy to
whom He pleases, and to Him you shall be turned back.”(Qur’an;29:21).
Mere oral statement of belief is only the first stage, the truthfulness
of belief is tested, Allah says: “Do the people think that they will be
left alone on saying "We believe," and that they will not be tested? We
did test those who have gone before them. Allah has to see (for the
purpose of reward and punishment) who are the truthful and who are the
liars”.(Qur’an;29:2-3). The Faith (ayman) is achieved through belief and
practices, leading to piety (taqwa), Allah says: “Righteousness is not
whether you turn your face towards East or West; but the righteousness
is to believe in Allah, the Last Day, the Angels, the Books and the
Prophets, and to spend wealth out of love for Him on relatives, orphans,
helpless, needy travelers, those who ask for and on the redemption of
captives; and to establish prayers (Salah), to pay alms (Zakah), to
fulfill promises when made, to be steadfast in distress, in adversity,
and at the time of war. These people are the truthful and these are the
pious.(Qur’an;2:177). The 4th Caliph Ali (599-661 C.E) is attributed to
have said; ‘Faith precedes good actions and good actions point towards
faith. They compliment and reciprocate each other.’ The Qur’an is the
final revelation in which Allah said: "ye are the best community (Ummah)
brought forward to mankind."(Qur’an;3:110). So in order to receive His
Grace, one has to submit to the Will of God to join the best community
of the people of Islam.
It is narrated in Bible at many places that, the messengers preached and submitted to the will of God;
“..Thy will be done, in earth as it is in heaven."(Matthew;6:10,
Luke;11:2); “Thus did Noah; according to all that God commanded him, so
did he.”(Genesis;6:22);“Thus Abraham "believed God, and it was reckoned
to him as righteousness." So you see that it is men of faith who are the
sons of Abraham.”(Glatians;3:6-7); “And the children of Israel went
away, and did as the LORD had commanded Moses and Aaron, so did they
”(Exodus;12:28); “And he took the book of the covenant, and read in the
audience of the people: and they said, All that the LORD hath said will
we do, and be obedient.”(Exodus;24:7); “I have sworn, and I will perform
it, that I will keep thy righteous judgments.” (Psalms;119:106); “And
they were both (Zechariah and his wife) righteous before God, walking in
all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless.”(Luke;1:6);
“Ye shall walk after the LORD your God, and fear him, and keep his
commandments, and obey his voice, and ye shall serve him, and cleave
unto him.”(Deuteronomy;13:4); “But without faith it is impossible to
please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that
he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.”(Hebrews;11:6); “Now
therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then
ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the
earth is mine:”(Exodus;19:5); “But this thing commanded I them, saying,
Obey my voice, and I will be your God, and ye shall be my people: and
walk ye in all the ways that I have commanded you, that it may be well
unto you.”(Jeremiah;7:23);“A blessing, if ye obey the commandments of
the LORD your God, which I command you this
day:”(Deuteronomy;11:27);“Let us hear the conclusion of the whole
matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty
of man.”(Ecclesiastes;12:13). Prophet Jesus (peace be upon him)
specified adherence to the Will of God being the key for the entry to
heaven (Mathew;7:21); he said: “I seek not my own will but the Will of
Him who sent me.”(John:5:30). It is further mentioned in Bible: “Let
every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but
of God: the powers that be are ordained of God.”(Romans;13:1); “Bless
the LORD, ye his angels, that excel in strength, that do his
commandments, hearkening unto the voice of his word.”(Psalms;103:20);
“Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey
God rather than men.”(Acts;5:29); “Therefore now amend your ways and
your doings, and obey the voice of the LORD your God; and the LORD will
repent him of the evil that he hath pronounced against
you.”(Jeremiah;26:13); “And it shall come to pass, if ye shall hearken
diligently unto my commandments which I command you this day, to love
the LORD your God, and to serve him with all your heart and with all
your soul,”(Deuteronomy;11:13); “As soon as they hear of me, they shall
obey me: the strangers shall submit themselves unto me.”(Psalms;18:44);
“If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the
land:”(Isaiah;1:19); “And thou shall not go aside from any of the words
which I command thee this day, to the right hand, or to the left, to go
after other gods to serve them.”(Deuteronomy;28:14); “And a curse, if ye
will not obey the commandments of the LORD your God, but turn aside out
of the way which I command you this day, to go after other gods, which
ye have not known”(Deuteronomy;11:28). Those who do not submit to will
of God will be subjected to Divine anger and punishment: “And that
servant, which knew his Lord's will, and prepared not himself, neither
did according to his will, shall be beaten with many
stripes.”(Luke;12:47).
Islam,
also means ‘peace’; which has been frequently mentioned in Bible: “If
it be possible, so far as it depends upon you, live peaceably with
all.”(Romans;12:18); “Finally, brethren, farewell. Be perfect, be of
good comfort, be of one mind, live in peace; and the God of love and
peace shall be with you.”(2Corinthians;13:11, Romans;15:33); “LORD, thou
wilt ordain peace for us: for thou also hast wrought all our works in
us.”(Isaiah;26:12); “Acquaint now thyself with him, and be at peace:
thereby good shall come unto thee.”(Job;22:21);“For to be carnally
minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and
peace.”(Romans;8:6); “But the meek shall inherit the earth; and shall
delight themselves in the abundance of peace.”(Psalms;37:11); “Blessed
are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of
God.”(Matthew;5:9). The advise of Prophet Jacob (peace be upon him) to
his sons at the time of death to obey and worship One God, is mentioned
in Talmud and Qur’an: “..when death came to Jacob, when he said unto his
sons: What will ye worship after me? They said: We shall worship thy
God, the God of thy fathers, Abraham and Ishmael and Isaac, One God, and
unto Him we have surrendered”(Qur’an;2:133).
Though
Judaism and Christianity affirm their roots to Prophet Abraham (peace
be upon him) but, it is Islam alone, which can claim to be really
adhering to the legacy of Abraham (peace be upon him). Allah says in
Qur’an: “..He has chosen you (Muslims) and has not laid upon you any
hardship in the observance of your faith - the faith of your father
Abraham. He named you Muslims before in prior scriptures and in this
(The Qur'an), so that His Apostle may testify against you and you
yourselves may testify against rest of the mankind…”(Qur’an;22:78);
“Jews and Christians say: "Be Jews or Christians, you shall then be
rightly guided." (O Muhammad), say: "By no means! We follow the faith of
Abraham, the upright one; and he joined not gods with
Allah.”(Qur’an;2:135, similarly;3:95 & 6:161); “Say ye: "We believe
in Allah and the revelation given to us and to Abraham, Isma’il, Isaac,
Jacob and the Tribes and that given to Moses and Jesus and that given to
(all) Prophets from their Lord we make no difference between one and
another of them and we bow to Allah (in Islam)."(Qur’an;2:136); “And I
have followed the religion of my fathers, Abraham and Isaac and Jacob.
It never was for us to attribute aught as partner to Allah. This is of
the bounty of Allah unto us and unto mankind; but most men give not
thanks.”(Qur’an;12:38 & similarly at 16:123); “O people of the Book!
Why do you argue with us about Abraham, as to whether he was a Jew or a
Christian? You know, that the Torah and the Gospel were revealed long
after him? Will you then not, then, use your reason? So far you have
been arguing about things of which you had some knowledge! Must you now
argue about that of which you know nothing at all? Allah knows while you
do not. Abraham was neither a “Jew” nor a “Christian”, but was one who
turned away from all that is false, having surrendered himself unto God,
true in faith, and he was not of those who ascribe divinity to aught
beside Him.”(Qur’an;3:65-67). Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), the
last messenger of God, said: “..you (Muslims) are an heir to the
heritage of Abraham”(Sunan Abu Dawood;770).
Islam
is not only confined to some beliefs, rituals and dogmas. Islam is a
Din (complete way of life; social system). Din is the root of Arabic
term used for ‘habit’, ‘way’, ‘account’, ‘obedience’, ‘judgment’ and
‘reward’. It implies that living in obedience to God is an obligation
owed to Him, for which people will be taken in to account, judged and
recompensed. Din can generally refer to any path that a human follows
for their lives :(Qur’an;2:256, 16:9) or more specifically to Islam as
the comprehensive way of life chosen by God for humanity’s temporal and
eternal benefit. Din encompasses beliefs, thoughts, character, behavior
and deeds. Thus if these aspects of life are derived from God’s guidance
as originally taught by prophets, they comprise Islam. Islam has its
own political, social, economic, legal (Shari’a) and other philosophies
covering every sphere of spiritual and non-spiritual (secular) aspects
of human life, with methodologies for their practical implementation.
However if the way of life in a society is based upon human innovations
in deviation from what the messengers of God taught, they are only
generally considered as the different ways that groups or individuals
have chosen for themselves. Din is also used in different contexts as;
‘faith’, ‘religious law’, ‘moral law’ or ‘way of life’. All previous
messengers and scriptures were meant for specific people and for
specific period; hence with due reverence to all of them, the Din for
the humanity now is Islam, the legacy of Prophet Abraham (peace be upon
him), as preached and practiced by Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him).
Allah says: “And afterward We inspired thee (Muhammad, saying): Follow
the religion of Abraham, as one by nature upright. He was not of the
idolaters.”(Qur’an;16:123); “It is He Who has sent His Apostle with
Guidance and the Religion of Truth that he may proclaim it over all
(false) religions even though the idolaters may detest it”(Qur’an;61:9);
“The religion with God (is) The Surrender (to His will and guidance
i.e. Islam). Those who (formerly) received the Scripture differed only
after knowledge came unto them, through transgression among themselves.
They should know that Allah is swift in calling to account those who
deny His revelations.” (Qur’an;3:19). “If anyone is looking for a
religion other than Islam, then let it be known that it will not be
accepted from him; and in the Hereafter he will be among the
losers.”(Qur’an;3:85). Therefore Islam or peaceful submission to God, in
beliefs, rituals, character and sociopolitical and economic interaction
is termed as “Way of the Truth” (din ul haqq) which is accepted by God.
The sincere worship of none but ‘Him’ is the ‘straight path’
established for the mankind (ad-den al-qayyim). Islam is the 'primordial
religion' (din-al-hanif), it seeks to return man to his original, true
nature in which he is in harmony with creation, inspired to do good, and
confirming the Oneness of God. Allah says: “Therefore, stand firm in
your devotion to the upright faith - the nature made by Allah, the one
on which mankind is created - and the laws of Nature ordained by Allah
cannot be changed. That is the standard of true faith (ad-den
al-qayyim), but most among mankind do not know”.(Qur’an;30:30 similarly
6:161 & 4:125). Narrated Tamim ad-Dari: The Apostle of Allah (peace
be upon him) observed: “Ad-Din is a name of sincerity and well-wishing.
Upon this we said: For whom? He replied: for Allah, His Book, His
Messenger and for the leaders and the common Muslims.”(Sahih Muslim
Hadith:21).Keep reading >>>>
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