Islam: What does it Mean, and Who are the
Muslims?
Islam literally means Surrender, Submission, that is, the
complete handing over of one's self to another. Islam also means
Peace.
Islam as a religion means an unconditional and complete
submission to the All-Supreme and the Absolute Sovereign
authority of the Lord of the Universe. In other words, the total
submission of the individual will to the Universal will of the
Lord. Whoever does this is a Muslim.
In fact, once one does this one's individual will ceases to
operate and it becomes subject to the Universal will of the Lord.
In relation to this state of submission, the Holy Qur'an declares:
Say: Verily my prayer and my sacrifice, my life and my
death (are all, only) for God, the Lord of the worlds.
(6:163)
Verily the religion with God is ISLAM (submission to
God's will); and those to whom the Book had been given
did not differ, but after the knowledge (of the Truth) had
come unto them... (3:18)
Yea! whosoever submitteth his self (entirely) to God and
is a doer of good, for him there shall be his reward with
the Lord, on such shall be no fear, nor shall they grieve.
(2:112)
And who is better in religion than he who resigneth
himself entirely unto God and is righteous, and followeth
the creed of Abraham, the Upright One, And God took
Abraham for a Friend. (4:125)
What is demanded of a human being, or that which is acceptable
to God, is nothing short of Islam:
This day have I perfected for you your religion, and have
completed My favour on you, and chosen for you ISLAM
(to be) the Religion. (5:3)
The following verse gives the last word on the choice of a
religion for mankind:
And whosoever seeketh any religion other than Islam
(total resignation unto God) never shall it be accepted
from him, and in the next world he shall be among the
losers. (3:84)
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