Islam (Submission to God) is the only religion
authorised by God in all the Scriptures
By: A. Mohamed
The title of this article cannot be correctly understood unless we have the correct meaning of the word Islam. To do so, the following two points need to be clarified:
FIRST:
Contrary to some interpretations, the word Islam does not mean peace. It means submission (to God). The Arabic words used in the Quran for peace are:
1- Salam, as in 11:48
2- Silm, as in 8:61.
In 2:131, God commanded prophet Abraham with the word "Aslim" (submit), which is the verb in command from. Abraham replied, "Aslamt l'rab al-alameen" which means "I have submitted to the Lord of the Worlds".
When his Lord said to him, "Aslim" (submit), he said, "Aslamtu (I have submitted) to the Lord of the Worlds." 2:131
God was not commanding Abraham to offer Him peace, nor did Abraham respond by saying to God 'I offer you peace'. The command was to submit, to which Abraham duely complied.
Those who interpret Islam to mean peace also say:
"Islam is to be in peace with God".
While as the above statement is correct, Islam is more than just being in peace with God. For one can be in peace with an enemy, but that does not mean that one submits to that enemy!
Naturally, submission to God brings with it a sense of peace with our Creator. However, it is the act of submitting to God that makes a person a Muslim and not just being in peace with God.
SECOND:
It is also necessary to demonstrate that Islam is not a religion that is exclusive to the Quran, nor is Islam a religion that was started by prophet Muhammad. This article will present evidence that Islam is the only religion that was authorised by God in all the Scriptures.
To that, some may say, "What about Judaism and Christianity? Are they not also religions authorised by God in the previous Scriptures?" The simple answer is no, they are not.
This article will therefore provide the following evidence:
1- Judaism and Christianity are not religions authorised by God. The evidence will not come only from the Quran, but indeed from the Old and New Testaments as well.
2- Islam is the only religion authorised by God. Once again, the evidence will not come only from the Quran, but indeed from the Old and New Testaments as well.
The Evidence
1- The Old Testament (Tanakh)
It is significant to note that if we read the Old Testament, we never see the word Judaism mentioned anywhere. Would God authorise a religion called Judaism in the Torah but not inform the recipients of the Torah of its name?
However, we find the message of Submission to God advocated clearly in various verses of the Old Testament:
- Submit to God and be at peace with Him; in this way, prosperity will come to you. (Job 22:21)
- Do not be stiff-necked, as your ancestors were; submit to the Lord. Come to His sanctuary, which He has consecrated forever. Serve the Lord your God, so that His fierce anger will turn away from you. (2 Chronicles 30:8)
- Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to the Lord, and He will make your paths straight. (Proverbs 3:5-6)
2- The New Testament
The same significant observation exists in the New Testament. If we search all the pages of the New Testament, we would not see the word Christianity mentioned anywhere. Once again, would God reveal a religion in a Scripture and keep its name a secret obscured from the recipients of that Scripture?
And once again, the message of Submission to God is well-pronounced in various verses of the New Testament:
- Therefore, submit to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. (James 4:7)
- Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time.(1 Peter 5:6)
- The mind governed by the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God's law, nor can it do so. (Romans 8:7)
- For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and seeking to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted to the righteousness God. (Romans 10:3)
3- The Quran
In the Quran, it is stressed that Islam (Submission to God) is the only religion authorised by God:
- Indeed, the religion in the sight of God is Islam (Submission to God). 3:19
- Whoever seeks other than Islam for a religion, it will not be accepted from him, and in the Hereafter, he will be among the losers. 3:85
The Quran also confirms that Judaism and Christianity are not religions authorised by God. This is evident in the following verse in which God addresses prophet Muhammad:
Neither the Jews nor the Christians will approve of you until you follow their 'millat' (creed). 2:120
The word 'deen' (religion) was deliberately not used by God in connection with the Jews and Christians, but God used the word 'millat' (creed). In other words, what the Jews and Christians follow are creeds and not religions authorised by God.
If the word 'religion' was used in 2:120, that would constitute a recognition by God that Judaism and Christianity are religions authorised by God.
The difference between the two words is that the word 'deen' (religion) means a complete system of rituals and laws, while the word 'millat' (creed) simply means a belief or conviction. Any belief/conviction is a creed. The following are two contrasting examples from the Quran that confirm the meaning of the word 'millat':
1- One of the principle Quranic instructions is to follow the creed of Abraham which was Monotheism:
Then We inspired you to follow the 'millat' (creed) of Abraham. He was a monotheist and was not one of the mushrikeen. 16:123
Monotheism, which is the conviction that God is One, is a creed and not a religion. We note that in Sura 6, both words 'religion' and 'creed' are mentioned, confirming that they do not have the same meaning:
Say, "My Lord has guided me to a straight path, a correct religion, the creed of Abraham. He was a monotheist and was not one of the mushrikeen." 6:161
2- In contrast, we read in Sura 12 about atheism, also described as a creed in the words of Joseph:
I have abandoned the creed of a people who do not believe in God, and with regard to the Hereafter, they are disbelievers. 12:37
Those who do not believe in God (atheists) do not follow a religion. It is their belief that there is no creator of the universe. Such is their creed (belief/conviction).
Conclusion:
1- The only religion authorised by God is Islam (Submission).
2- The religion of Islam is not a religion exclusive to the Quran, nor is a religion that was initiated by prophet Muhammad.
3- The words Judaism and Christianity are never mentioned in the previous Books. This confirms that they are not titles of God-given religions.
4- The religion of Islam (Submission to God), which is authorised in the Quran, is clearly endorsed in the previous Scriptures.
-------------------------------------------