The Quran and Sunnah present Islam as it is. Islam, presented in the Quran and demonstrated by the prophet, possesses the quality of being in accordance with human reason and nature. Therefore, rational thinking and academic progress do not clash with the message of Islam. That is to say, Islam and reason contradict one another at no stage. Acknowledging this characteristic of Islam, George Bernard Shaw writes:
"When the Mohammedan reformation took place, it left its followers with the enormous advantage of having the only established religion in the world, whose articles of faith any intelligent and educated person could believe. Due to this characteristic of Islam, people have been attracted to Islam before as well as after the age of science. When presented with the different aspects of Islam as it is, the modern educated mind acknowledges that it is according to nature and appeals to one's reasoning."
What George Bernard Shaw has termed an enormous advantage for the Muslims of the first phase exists equally for today's believers. Unfortunately, however, it is not being availed of. Instead of presenting Islam's message as enshrined in its sources—Quran and Sunnah—in rational terms and peacefully, Muslims present Islam as presented in traditional style, veiled with later-day interpretations, and they are putting up a violent and unfriendly image of Islam. If Islam, as it is, is presented in contemporary style, people will acknowledge that it is according to nature and appeals to one's reasoning once again.
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Fundamental to the religious structure of Islam is the concept of tawhid, or monotheism. As the seed is to tree, so is tawhid to Islam. For monotheism in Islam does not simply mean belief in one God, but in God’s oneness in all respects. No one shares in this oneness of God.
As proof of the Creator’s existence, the Quran advances the fact of the very existence of the universe. All studies of the universe show it cannot be sui genesis: some other agent is essential for the universe to have come into existence. This means the choice is not between a universe with God and one without God, rather it is between a universe with God, and no universe at all. And so, we are left with only the option of a universe with God — a condition also necessary for the existence of human beings.
As the Quran expresses it: “God; there is no deity save Him, the Living, the Eternal One. Neither slumber nor sleep overtake Him. To Him belong whatsoever is in the heavens and whatsoever is on the earth. Who can intercede with Him, except by His permission? He knows all that is before them and all that is behind them. They can grasp only that part of His knowledge, which He wills. His throne extends over the heavens and the earth; and their upholding does not weary Him. He is the Sublime, the Almighty One.” (2:255)
God acquires a very prominent position in the Quran. Every chapter in the Quran begins in the name of God. People often believe that in Islam belief in God is a matter of blind faith, but if you read the Quran you will find that the Quran treats belief in God as a matter of realization resulting from thinking and pondering over the world around us.
Source: The Seeker’s Guide
Akhirat means the Hereafter. Man is an eternal creature. However, his life-span has been divided by God into two parts. A very tiny part of it has been placed in this world, while all of the remainder has been placed in the Hereafter or the Akhirat. The present world is the world of action, while the world of the Hereafter is the place for reaping the harvest of actions. The present world is imperfect, but the world of the Hereafter is perfect in every respect. The Hereafter is a limitless world where all things have been provided in their ideal state.
God has placed His heaven—full of all kinds of blessings—in that world of the Hereafter. Those who prove to be God-fearing and pious in this world will enter into that world to find the gates of heaven eternally open for them.
But those who are oblivious of God in this present world or who opt for the path of contumacy in regard to God’s matters are criminals in God’s eyes. All such people will be deprived of the blessings of the Hereafter.
God is invisible in this present world, and will appear in all His power and majesty only in the world of the Hereafter. Then all human beings will bow low before Him. But at that time, surrendering will be of no avail. Self-abnegation and acceptance of God is desired only while God is still invisible. Surrendering before God after seeing Him in the Hereafter will not benefit anyone.
Death is not the end of a person’s life. It is only the beginning of the next stage of life. Death is that interim stage when man leaves this temporary world of today for the eternal world of tomorrow. He goes out of the temporary accommodation of the world to enter the eternal resting place of the Hereafter. The coming of this stage in the Hereafter is the greatest certainty in one’s life. No one can save himself from this fate in the Hereafter.
Source: Principles of Islam
Human destiny, by Islamic teachings, is a matter of man having been placed on this earth by God, so that he may be put to the test—the test of his capacity to make correct moral choices. It is for this purpose that man has been given complete freedom, for without such freedom, the divine test would have no meaning, no validity. It is required of man that he should lead his life on earth following a regimen of strict self-discipline. Wherein should he find the guiding principles for such a course? The true source of guidance, according to Islam, is to be found in prophethood.
God has endowed man with a thinking mind so that he may understand. But this mind can only grasp things that are apparent. It cannot go beyond the perceivable, and there are many things to be apprehended, for which superficial knowledge is insufficient. The higher realities of this world are beyond the scope of the human mind, and as far as God and the next world are concerned, they must remain forever invisible—beyond the reach of human perception.
What the Prophet does is to enlighten people so that they may overcome the human inadequacy of not knowing things beyond the scope of the human mind. He tells of the reality of things here and now and also gives tidings of the next world. He thereby enables the individual to formulate a plan for his entire existence in the full light of knowledge and awareness so that he may carve out a successful life for himself.
Throughout the history of mankind, God appointed certain human beings—prophets—who would be the recipients and conveyors of His guidance as sent through His angels. The last in the series was the Prophet Muhammad.
Source: Spirit of Islam March 2015
Islam means submission and peace. The religion of Islam is so named because it is based on obedience to God with a peaceful character. A true believer in Islam is one who subordinates his thinking to God, who follows God’s dictates in all aspects of his life and becomes a peaceful person of society. The Prophet of Islam said, “Be God-conscious wherever you are, follow a bad deed with a good deed and it will erase it, and behave with good character towards people.” (Sunan al-Tirmidhi, Hadith No. 1987)
Islam is the religion of the entire universe. For the entire universe and all its parts are functioning in accordance with the law laid down by God.
Such behaviour is also desired of man. Man should also lead his life as God’s obedient servant just as the rest of the universe is fully subservient to God. The only difference is that the universe has submitted to God compulsorily, while man is required to submit to the will of God by his own choice.
When man adopts Islam, first of all it is his thinking, which comes under Islam, then his desires, his feelings, his interests, his relations, his loves and his hatred. All are coloured by his obedience to God’s will.
When man, in his daily life comes under God’s command, his behaviour with people, his dealings all are moulded by the demands of Islam. From inside to outside he becomes a person devoted to God.
Man is God’s servant, and indeed, the only proper way for man in this world is to live as the servant of God. Islam, in fact, is another name for this life of servitude to God. Where the Islamic life is devoted to the service of God, the un-Islamic life unashamedly flouts the will of God. Islam teaches man to lead an obedient life and surrender himself completely to the will of God. It is people who do so who will share God’s blessings in the next world.
Source: The Quran (Introduction)
