Belief in Angels

Reality of Angels

In common folklore, angels are thought of as good forces of nature, hologram images, or illusions.  Western iconography sometimes depicts angels as fat cherubic babies or handsome young men or women with a halo surrounding their head.  In Islamic doctrine, they are real created beings who will eventually suffer death, but are generally hidden from our senses.

They are not divine or semi-divine, and they are not God’s associates running different districts of the universe.  Also, they are not objects to be worshipped or prayed to, as they do not deliver our prayers to God.  They all submit to God and carry out His commands.

In the Islamic worldview, there are no fallen angels: they are not divided into ‘good’ and ‘evil’ angels.  Human beings do not become angels after death.  Satan is not a fallen angel, but is one of the jinn, a creation of God parallel to human beings and angels.

Angels were created from light before human beings were created, and thus their graphic or symbolic representation in Islamic art is rare.  Nevertheless, they are generally beautiful beings with wings as described in Muslim scripture.

Angels form different cosmic hierarchies and orders in the sense that they are of different size, status, and merit.

The greatest of them is Gabriel.  The Prophet of Islam actually saw him in his original form.  Also, the attendants of God’s Throne are among the greatest angels.  They love the believers and beseech God to forgive them their sins.  They carry the Throne of God, about whom the Prophet Muhammad, may the mercy and blessings of God be upon him, said:

“I have been given permission to speak about one of the angels of God who carry the Throne.  The distance between his ear-lobes and his shoulders is equivalent to a seven-hundred-year journey.” (Abu Daud)

They do not eat or drink.  The angels do not get bored or tired of worshipping God:

“They celebrate His praises night and day, nor do they ever slacken.” (Qur'an 21:20)

The Number of Angels

How many angels there are? Only God knows.  The Much-Frequented House is a sacred heavenly sanctuary above the Kaaba, the black cube in the city of Mecca.  Every day seventy thousand angels visit it and leave, never returning to it again, followed by another group.^[1]

The Names of Angels

Muslims believe in specific angels mentioned in the Islamic sources like Jibreel (Gabriel), Mika'eel (Michael), Israfeel, Malik - the guard over Hell, and others.  Of these, only Gabriel and Michael are mentioned in the Bible.

Angelic Abilities

The angels possess great powers given to them by God.  They can take on different forms.  The Muslim scripture describes how at the moment of Jesus’ conception, God sent Gabriel to Mary in the form of a man:

“…Then We sent to her Our angel, and he appeared before her as a man in all respects.” (Qur'an 19:17)

Angels also visited Abraham in human form.  Similarly, angels came to Lot to deliver him from danger in the form of handsome, young men.  Gabriel used to visit Prophet Muhammad in different forms.  Sometimes, he would appear in the form of one of his handsome disciples, and sometimes in the form of a desert Bedouin.

Angels have the ability to take human forms in some circumstances involving common people.

Gabriel is God’s heavenly messenger to mankind.  He would convey the revelation from God to His human messengers.  God says:

“Say: whoever is an enemy to Gabriel - for he brings down the (revelation) to your heart by God’s will...” (Qur'an 2:97)

Tasks of the Angels

Some angels are put in charge of executing God’s law in the physical world.  Michael is responsible for rain, directing it wherever God wishes.  He has helpers who assist him by the command of his Lord; they direct the winds and clouds, as God wills.  Another is responsible for blowing the Horn, which will be blown by Israafeel at the onset of the Day of Judgment.  Others are responsible for taking souls out of the bodies at the time of death: the Angel of Death and his assistants.  God says:

“Say: the Angel of Death, put in charge of you, will (duly) take your souls, then shall you be brought back to your Lord.” (Qur'an 32:11)

Then there are guardian angels responsible for protecting the believer throughout his life, at home or traveling, asleep or awake.

Others are responsible for recording the deeds of man, good and bad.  These are known as the “honorable scribes.”

Two angels, Munkar and Nakeer, are responsible for testing people in the grave.

Among them are keepers of Paradise and the nineteen ‘guards’ of Hell whose leader is named ‘Malik.’

There are also angels responsible for breathing the soul into the fetus and writing down its provisions, life-span, actions, and whether it will be wretched or happy.

Some angels are roamers, traveling around the world in search of gatherings where God is remembered.  There are also angels constituting God’s heavenly army, standing in rows, they never get tired or sit down, and others who bow or prostrate, and never raise their heads, always worshipping God.

As we learn from above, the angels are a grandiose creation of God, varying in numbers, roles, and abilities. God is in no need of these creatures, but having knowledge and belief in them adds to the awe that one feels towards God, in that He is able to create as He wishes, for indeed the magnificence of His creation is a proof of the magnificence of the Creator.

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Footnotes:

[1] Saheeh Al-Bukhari.

Belief in God (part 3 of 3)

(III) God Alone Is Entitled To Worship

Islam lays much greater emphasis on how belief in God translates into righteous, obedient life and good morals rather than proving His existence through theological intricacies.  Hence, the Islamic motto is that the primary message preached by the prophets was surrender to God’s will and His worship and not so much the proof of God’s existence:

“And We never sent any Messenger before you (O Muhammad) without having revealed to Him: none has the right to be worshipped but I, therefore you shall worship Me (Alone).” (Qur'an 21:25)

God has the exclusive right to be worshipped inwardly and outwardly, by one’s heart and limbs.  Not only can no one be worshipped apart from Him, absolutely no one else can be worshipped along with Him.  He has no partners or associates in worship.  Worship, in its comprehensive sense and in all its aspects, is for Him alone.

“There is no true god worthy of worship but He, the Most Merciful, the Most Compassionate.” (Qur'an 2:163)

God’s right to be worshipped can not be over emphasized.  It is the essential meaning of Islam’s testimony of faith: La ilah illa Allah.  A person becomes Muslim by testifying to the divine right to worship.  It is the crux of Islamic belief in God, even all of Islam.  It was the central message of all prophets and messengers sent by God - the message of Abraham, Isaac, Ishmael, Moses, the Hebrew prophets, Jesus, and Muhammad, may the mercy and blessings of God be upon him. For instance, Moses declared:

“Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord.” (Deuteronomy 6:4)

Jesus repeated the same message 1500 years later when he said:

“The first of all the commandments is, ‘Hear, O Israel; the Lord our God is one Lord.’” (Mark 12:29)

And reminded Satan:

“Away from me, Satan!  For it is written: Worship the Lord your God, and serve Him only.” (Matthew 4:10)

Finally, the call of Muhammad some 600 years after Jesus reverberated across the hills of Mecca:

“And your God is One God: there is no god but He…” (Qur'an 2:163)

They all declared clearly:

“…Worship God!  You have no other god but Him…” (Qur'an 7:59, 7:65, 7:73, 7:85; 11:50, 11:61, 11:84; 23:23)

What Is Worship?

Worship in Islam consists of every act, belief, statement, or sentiment of the heart which God approves and loves; everything that brings a person closer to His Creator.  It includes ‘external’ worship like the daily ritual prayers, fasting, charity, and pilgrimage as well as ‘internal’ worship such as faith in the six articles of faith, reverence, adoration, love, gratitude, and reliance.  God is entitled to worship by the body, soul, and heart, and this worship remains incomplete unless it is done out of four essential elements: reverential fear of God, divine love and adoration, hope in divine reward, and extreme humility.

One of the greatest acts of worship is prayer, invoking the Divine Being for aid.  Islam specifies that prayer should only be directed to God.  He is deemed in total control of every man’s destiny and able to grant his needs and remove distress.  God, in Islam, reserves the right of prayer for Himself:

“And do not invoke, along with God, anything that can neither benefit you nor harm you, for behold, if you do it, you will surely be among the evildoers!” (Qur'an 10:106)

Giving anyone else - prophets, angels, Jesus, Mary, idols, or nature- a portion of one's worship, which is essentially due only to God, such as  prayer, is called Shirk and is the most enormous of sins in Islam.  Shirk is the only unforgivable sin if not repented from, and it denies the very purpose of creation.

(IV) God Is Known By His Most Beautiful Names and Attributes

God is known in Islam by His beautiful Names and Attributes as they appear in revealed Islamic texts without the corruption or denial of their obvious meanings, picturing them, or thinking of them in human terms.

“And the Most Beautiful Names belong to God, so call on Him by them…” (Qur'an 7:180)

Therefore, it is inappropriate to use First Cause, Author, Substance, Pure Ego, Absolute, Pure Idea, Logical Concept, Unknown, Unconscious, Ego, Idea, or Big Guy as divine Names.  They simply lack beauty and that’s not how God has described Himself.  Instead, Names of God indicate His majestic beauty and perfection.  God does not forget, sleep, or get tired.  He is not unjust, and has no son, mother, father, brother, associate, or helper.  He was not born, and does not give birth.  He stands in need of none as He is perfect.  He does not become human to “understand” our suffering.  God is The Almighty (al-Qawee), The One Incomparable (al-‘Ahad), The Acceptor of Repentance (al-Tawwaab), The Compassionate (al-Raheem), The Ever-Living (al-Hayy), The All-Sustaining (al-Qayyum), The all-Knowing (al-‘Aleem), The All-Hearing (al-Samee’), The All-Seeing (al-Baseer), The Pardoner (al-‘Afuw), The Helper (al-Naseer), The Healer of the Sick (al-Shaafee).

The two most frequently invoked Names are “The Compassionate” and “The Merciful.”  All but one of the chapters of Muslim scripture begin with the phrase, “In the Name of God, the Most-Merciful, the Most Gracious.” The phrase is used, one might say, by Muslims more commonly than the names Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are heard in Christian invocations.  Muslims begin in the Name of God and remind themselves of God’s Compassion and Mercy every time they eat, drink, write a letter, or perform anything of importance.

Forgiveness is an important dimension of human relationship with God.  Human beings are realized to be weak and prone to sin, but God in His tender mercy is willing to forgive.  The Prophet Muhammad said:

“God’s mercy outweighs His wrath.” (Saheeh Al-Bukhari)

Along with the divine names “The Compassionate” and “The Merciful,” the names “The Forgiver” (al-Ghafur), “The Oft-Forgiving” (al-Ghaf-faar), “The Acceptor of Repentance ” (at-Tawwaab) and “The Pardoner” (al-Afuw) are among the most used in Muslim prayers.

Belief in God (part 2 of 3)

Belief in God in Islam consists of four matters:

(I)           Belief in God’s existence.

(II)          God is the Supreme Lord.

(III)         God Alone is entitled to worship.

(IV)        God is known by His Most Beautiful Names and Attributes.

(I)     Belief in God’s Existence

God’s existence does not require proof by scientific, mathematical, or philosophical arguments.  His existence is not a ‘discovery’ to be made by the scientific method or a mathematical theorem to be proven.  Simply said, mere common sense bears witness to God’s existence.  From a ship one learns of the ship-builder, from the cosmos one learns of its Creator.  God’s existence is also known by answers to prayers, miracles of prophets and the teaching in all revealed scriptures.

In Islam, a human being is not seen as a sinful creature to whom the message of Heaven is sent to heal the wound of original sin, but as a being who still carries his primordial nature (al-fitrah), an imprint on his soul that lies deeply buried under layers of negligence.  Humans are not born sinful, but forgetful as God has said:

“…Am I not your Lord?  They said: ‘Yes, we bear witness...’” (Qur'an 7:172)

In this verse, the “they” refers to all human beings, male and female.  The ‘yes’ confirms the affirmation of God’s oneness by us in our precosmic state.  Islamic doctrine holds that men and women still carry the echo of this ‘yes’ deep down within their souls.  The call of Islam is directed to this primordial nature, which uttered ‘yes’ even before they inhabited the earth.  Knowledge that this universe has a Creator is something instinctive in Islam and therefore it requires no proof.  Scientists, such as Andrew Newberg and Eugene D’Aquili, both affiliated with the University of Pennsylvania and pioneers in the neurological research of religion, say “We are wired for God.”[1]

The Holy Qur'an rhetorically asks:

“…Can there be any doubt about God, the Creator of the heavens and the earth?...” (Qur'an 14:10)

One might ask, ‘if belief in God is natural, then why do some people lack this belief?’  The answer is simple.  Every human being has an innate belief in a Creator, but this belief is not a result of learning or personal deductive thinking.  With the passage of time, outside influences effect this innate belief and confuse the person.  So, one’s environment and upbringing veil the primordial nature from the truth.  The Prophet of Islam, may the mercy and blessings of God be upon him, said:

“Every child is born in a state of fitrah (a natural belief in God), then his parents make him a Jew, a Christian, or a Magian.” (Saheeh Muslim)

Often these veils are lifted when a human being is faced with a spiritual crisis and left helpless and vulnerable.

(II)   God Is the Supreme Lord

God is the only Lord of heaven and earth.  He is the Lord of the physical universe and the Lawgiver for human life.  He is the Master of the physical world and Ruler of the affairs of men.  God is the Lord of every man, woman, and child.  Historically, only a few have denied the existence of the Lord, which means that throughout the ages people have, for most part, believed in One God, a Supreme Being, a supernatural Creator.  That God is the Lord specifically contains the following meanings:

First, God is the sole Lord and Ruler of the physical world.  Lord means He is the Creator, Controller, and Owner of the Kingdom of the heaven and the earth; they belong exclusively to Him.  He alone brought existence out of non-existence, and all existence depends on Him for its conservation and continuance.  He did not create the universe and leave it to pursue its own course according to fixed laws, thereafter ceasing to take any further interest in it.  The power of the Living God is required at every moment to sustain all creatures.  Creation has no Lord besides Him.

“Say (O Muhammad): ‘Who provides for you from the sky and the earth?  Or who owns hearing and sight?  And who brings out the living from the dead and brings out the dead from the living?  And who disposes the affairs?’  They will say: ‘God.’ Say: ‘Will you not then be afraid of God’s punishment (for setting up rivals with Him)?’” (Qur'an 10:31)

He is the ever-ruling King and the Savior, the Loving God, full of wisdom.  No one can change His decisions.  Angels, prophets, human beings, and the animal and plant kingdoms are under His control.

Beauty in nature.  The Grand Falls of the Chaudiere River near St. Georges, Quebec.  (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)

Second, God is the only Ruler of the affairs of men.  God is the supreme Lawgiver,[2]  the Absolute Judge, the Legislator, and He distinguishes right from wrong.  Just like the physical world submits to its Lord, human beings must submit to the moral and religious teaching of their Lord, the Lord who sets right apart from wrong for them.  In other words, God alone has the authority to make laws, determine acts of worship, decide morals, and set standards of human interaction and behavior.  His is the command:

“…Surely, His is the creation and the command; blessed be God, the Lord of the worlds.” (Qur'an 7:54)

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Footnotes:

[1] “Why God Won’t Go Away”. Science and the Biology of Belief, p. 107.

[2] God’s existence proven by the existence of a supreme Lawgiver is called the ‘ethical’ argument by Western theologians.

Belief in God (part 1 of 3)

Introduction

At the heart of Islam lies belief in God.

The core of the Islamic creed is bearing witness to the phrase, La illaha illa Allah, “There is no true deity deserving worship but God.”  The testimony to this belief, called tawhid, is the axis around which all Islam revolves.  Moreover, it is the first of the two testimonies by which a person becomes a Muslim.  Striving after the realization of that oneness, or tawhid, is the core of Islamic life.

For many non-Muslims, the term Allah, the Arabic name of God, refers to some distant and strange deity worshipped by the Arabs.  Some even think it to be some pagan “moon-god”.  However, in Arabic, the word Allah means the One True God. Even, Arabic speaking Jews and Christians refer to the Supreme Being as Allah.

Finding God

Western philosophers, Eastern mystics as well as today’s scientists attempt to reach God in their own way.  Mystics teach of a God who is found through spiritual experiences, a God who is part of the world and resides within His creation.  The philosophers seek God through pure reason and often speak of a God as a detached Watch-Maker with no interest in His creation.  A group of philosophers teach agnosticism, an ideology that holds that one can neither prove nor disprove God's existence. Practically speaking, an agnostic asserts he must be able to perceive God directly in order to have faith. God has said:

“And those who are devoid of knowledge say: ‘Why does not God speak unto us or why is not a [miraculous] sign shown to us?’  So said the people before them words of similar import.  Their hearts are all alike...” (Qur'an 2:118)

The argument is nothing new; people in the past and present have raised the same objection.

According to Islam, the correct way of finding God is through the preserved teachings of the prophets.  Islam maintains that the prophets were sent by God Himself throughout the ages to guide human beings to Him.  God says in the Holy Qur'an that the correct path to belief is to reflect upon His signs, which point to Him:

“…Indeed, We have made all the signs manifest unto people who are endowed with inner certainty.” (Qur'an 2:118)

Mention of God’s handiwork occurs often in the Qur'an as the locus of divine revelation.  Anyone who sees the natural world in all its wonder with open eyes and an open heart will see the unmistakable signs of the Creator.

“Say: Go all over the earth and behold how [wondrously] He has created [man] in the first instance: and thus, too, will God bring into being your second life – for, verily, God has power to will anything.” (Qur'an 20:29)

God’s handiwork is also present within the individual:

“And on earth there are signs [of God’s existence, visible] to all who are endowed with inner certainty, just as [there are signs thereof] within your own selves: can you not, then see?” (Qur'an 51:20-21)

The beauty and complexity of our universe.  The Cone Nebula pictured by NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope.  (AP Photo/NASA)

What is Islam? (part 4 of 4): Islamic Worship

There are five simple but essential observances that all practicing Muslims accept and follow.  These “Pillars of Islam” represent the core that unites all Muslims.

1)     The ‘Declaration of Faith’

A Muslim is one who testifies that “none deserves worship but Allah, and Muhammad is the messenger of Allah.”  This declaration is known as the “shahada” (witness, testimony).  Allah is the Arabic name for God, just as Yahweh is the Hebrew name for God.  By making this simple proclamation one becomes a Muslim.  The proclamation affirms Islam’s absolute belief in the oneness of God, His exclusive right to be worshipped, as well as the doctrine that associating anything else with God is the one unforgivable sin as we read in the Koran:

“God does not forgive anyone for associating something with Him, while He does forgive whomever He wishes to for anything else.  Anyone who gives God partners has invented an awful sin.” (Qur'an 4:48)

The second part of the testimony of faith states that Muhammad, may the mercy and blessings of God be upon him, is a prophet of God like Abraham, Moses and Jesus before him.  Muhammad brought the last and final revelation.  In accepting Muhammad as the “seal of the prophets,” Muslims believe that his prophecy confirms and fulfills all of the revealed messages, beginning with Adam’s.  In addition, Muhammad serves as the role model through his exemplary life.  A believer’s effort to follow Muhammad’s example reflects the emphasis of Islam on practice and action.

2)     The Prayer (Salah)

Muslims worship five times a day: at daybreak, noon, mid afternoon, sunset, and evening.  It helps keep believers mindful of God in the stress of work and family.  It resets the spiritual focus, reaffirms total dependence on God, and puts worldly concerns within the perspective of the last judgment and the afterlife.  The prayers consist of standing, bowing, kneeling, putting the forehead on the ground, and sitting.  The Prayer is a means in which a relationship between God and His creation is maintained.  It includes recitations from the Qur'an, praises of God, prayers for forgiveness and other various supplications.  The prayer is an expression of submission, humility, and adoration of God.  Prayers can be offered in any clean place, alone or together, in a mosque or at home, at work or on the road, indoors or out.  It is preferable to pray with others as one body united in the worship of God, demonstrating discipline, brotherhood, equality, and solidarity.  As they pray, Muslims face Mecca, the holy city centered around the Kaaba - the house of God built by Abraham and his son Ishmael.

3)     The Compulsory Charity (Zakah)

In Islam, the true owner of everything is God, not man.  People are given wealth as a trust from God.  Zakah is worship and thanksgiving to God by supporting the poor, and through it one’s wealth is purified.  It requires an annual contribution of 2.5 percent of an individual’s wealth and assets.  Therefore, Zakah is not mere “charity”, it is an obligation on those who have received their wealth from God to meet the needs of less fortunate members of the community.  Zakah is used to support the poor and the needy, help those in debt, and, in olden times, to free slaves.

4)     The Fast of Ramadan (Sawm)

Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic lunar calendar which is spent in fasting.  Healthy Muslims abstain from dawn to sunset from food, drink, and sexual activity.  Fasting develops spirituality, dependence upon God, and brings identification with the less fortunate.  A special evening prayer is also held in mosques in which recitations of the Qur'an are heard.  Families rise before dawn to take their first meal of the day to sustain them till sunset.  The month of Ramadan ends with one of the two major Islamic celebrations, the Feast of the Breaking of the Fast, called Eid al-Fitr, which is marked by joyfulness, family visits, and exchanging of gifts.

5)     The fifth Pillar is the Pilgrimage or Hajj to Mecca

At least once in a lifetime, every adult Muslim who is physically and financially able is required to sacrifice time, wealth, status, and ordinary comforts of life to make the Hajj pilgrimage, putting himself totally at God’s service.  Every year over two million believers from a diversity of cultures and languages travel from all over the world to the sacred city of Mecca[1] to respond to God’s call.

Who are Muslims?

The Arabic word “Muslim” literally means “someone who is in a state of Islam (submission to the will and law of God)”.  The message of Islam is meant for the entire world, and anyone who accepts this message becomes a Muslim.  There are over a billion Muslims worldwide.  Muslims represent the majority population in fifty-six countries.  Many people are surprised to know that the majority of Muslims are not Arab.  Even though most Arabs are Muslims, there are Arabs who are Christians, Jews and atheists.  Only 20 percent of the world’s 1.2 billion Muslims come from Arab countries.  There are significant Muslim populations in India, China, Central Asian Republics, Russia, Europe, and America.  If one just takes a look at the various peoples who live in the Muslim World - from Nigeria to Bosnia and from Morocco to Indonesia - it is easy enough to see that Muslims come from all different races, ethnic groups, cultures and nationalities.  Islam has always been a universal message for all people.  Islam is the second largest religion in the world and will soon be the second largest religion in America.  Yet, few people know what Islam is.

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Footnotes:

[1] Mecca city is located in Saudi Arabia.

What is Islam? (part 3 of 4): The Essential Beliefs of Islam

There are many aspects of belief in which one who adheres to Islam must have firm conviction.  From those aspects, the most important are six, known as the “Six Articles of Belief”.

1)     Belief in God

Islam upholds strict monotheism and belief in God forms the heart of their faith.  Islam teaches belief in one God who neither gives birth nor was born Himself, and has no share in His caretaking of the world.  He alone gives life, causes death, brings good, causes affliction, and provides sustenance for His creation.  God in Islam is the sole Creator, Lord, Sustainer, Ruler, Judge, and Savior of the universe.  He has no equal in His qualities and abilities, such as knowledge and power.  All worship, veneration and homage is to be directed to God and none else.  Any breach of these concepts negates the basis of Islam.

2)     Belief in the Angels

Adherents to Islam must believe in the Unseen world as mentioned in the Qur'an.  From this world are the angels’ emissaries of God, each assigned with a specific task. They have no free-will or ability to disobey; it is their very nature to be God's faithful servants. Angels are not to be taken as demigods or objects of praise or veneration; they are mere servants of God obeying His every command.

3)     Belief in the Prophets and Messengers

Islam is a universal and inclusive religion.  Muslims believe in the prophets, not just the Prophet Muhammad, may the mercy and blessings of God be upon him, but the Hebrew prophets, including Abraham and Moses, as well as the prophets of the New Testament, Jesus, and John the Baptist.  Islam teaches God did not send prophets to Jews and Christians alone, rather He sent prophets to all nations in the world with one central message: worship God alone.  Muslims must believe in all prophets sent by God mentioned in the Qur'an, without making any distinction between them.  Muhammad was sent with the final message, and there is no prophet to come after him.  His message is final and eternal, and through him God completed His Message to humanity.

4)     Belief in the Sacred Texts

Muslims believe in all books that God has sent down to humanity through His prophets.  These books include the Books of Abraham, the Torah of Moses, the Psalms of David, and the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  These books all had the same source (God), the same message, and all were revealed in truth.  This does not mean that they have been preserved in truth.  Muslims (and many other Jewish and Christian scholars and historians) find that the books in existence today are not the original scriptures, which in fact have been lost, changed, and/or translated over and over again, losing the original message.

As Christians view the New Testament to fulfill and complete the Old Testament, Muslims believe that the Prophet Muhammad received revelations from God through the angel Gabriel to correct human error that had entered into the scriptures and doctrine of Judaism, Christianity and all other religions.  This revelation is the Qur'an, revealed in the Arabic language, and found today in its pristine form.  It seeks to guide mankind in all walks of life; spiritual, temporal, individual and collective.  It contains directions for the conduct of life, relates stories and parables, describes the attributes of God, and speaks of the best rules to govern social life.  It has directions for everybody, every place, and for all time.  Millions of people today have memorized the Qur'an, and all copies of the found today and in the past are identical.  God has promised that He will guard the Qur'an from change until the end of times, so that Guidance be clear to humanity and the message of all the prophets be available for those who seek it.

5)     Belief in Life after Death

Muslims believe that a day will come when all of creation will perish and resurrected in order to be judged for their deeds: The Day of Judgment.  On this day, all will gather in the presence of God and each individual will be questioned about their life in the world and how they lived it.  Those who held correct beliefs about God and life, and followed their belief with righteous deeds will enter Paradise, even though they may pay for some of their sins in Hell if God out of His Infinite Justice chooses not to forgive them.  As for those who fell into polytheism in its many faces, they will enter Hellfire, never to leave therefrom.

6)     Belief in the Divine Decree

Islam asserts that God has full power and knowledge of all things, and that nothing happens except by His Will and with His full knowledge.  What is known as divine decree, fate, or "destiny" is known in Arabic as al-Qadr.  The destiny of every creature is already known to God.

This belief however does not contradict with the idea of man's free will to choose his course of action.  God does not force us to do anything; we can choose whether to obey or disobey Him.  Our choice is known to God before we even do it.  We do not know what our destiny is; but God knows the fate of all things.

Therefore, we should have firm faith that whatever befalls us, it is according to God's will and with His full knowledge.  There may be things that happen in this world that we do not understand, but we should trust that God has wisdom in all things.

What is Islam? (part 2 of 4): The Origins of Islam

But where does the message of Muhammad, may the mercy and blessings of God be upon him, fit in with the previous messages revealed by God?  A brief history of the prophets might clear this point.

The first human, Adam, followed Islam, in that he directed worship to God alone and none else and abided by His commandments.  But through the passage of time and the dispersal of humanity throughout the earth, people strayed from this message and began directing worship to others instead of or along with God.  Some took to worshipping the pious who passed away amongst them, while others took to worshipping spirits and forces of nature.  It was then that God started to send messengers to humanity steering them back to the worship of God Alone, which accorded to their true nature, and warning them of the grave consequences of directing any type of worship to others besides Him.

The first of these messengers was Noah, who was sent to preach this message of Islam to his people, after they had started to direct worship to their pious forefathers along with God.  Noah called his people to leave the worship of their idols, and ordered them to return to the worship of God Alone.  Some of them followed the teachings of Noah, while the majority disbelieved in him.  Those who followed Noah were followers of Islam, or Muslims, while those that did not, remained in their disbelief and were seized with a punishment for doing so.

After Noah, God sent messengers to every nation who had strayed from the Truth, to steer them back to it.  This Truth was the same throughout time: to reject all objects of worship and to direct all worship without exception to God and none else, the Creator and Lord of all, and to abide by His commandments.  But as we mentioned before, because each nation differed in regards to their way of life, language, and culture, specific messengers were sent to specific nations for a specific time period.

God sent messengers to all nations, and to the Kingdom of Babylon He sent Abraham –  one of the earliest and greatest prophets –  who called his people to reject the worship of the idols to which they were devoted.  He called them to Islam, but they rejected him and even tried to kill him.  God put Abraham through many tests, and he proved true to all of them.  For his many sacrifices, God proclaimed that he would raise from amongst his progeny a great nation and choose prophets from amongst them.  Whenever people from his progeny started to stray away from the Truth, which was to worship none but God alone and to obey His commandments, God sent them another messenger steering them back to it.

Consequently, we see that many prophets were sent amongst the progeny of Abraham, such as his two sons Isaac and Ishmael, along with Jacob (Israel), Joseph, David, Solomon, Moses, and of course, Jesus, to mention a few, may the peace and blessings of God be upon them all.  Each prophet was sent to the Children of Israel (the Jews) when they went astray from the true religion of God, and it became obligatory upon them to follow the messenger which was sent to them and obey their commandments.  All of the messengers came with the same message, to reject worship of all other beings except God Alone and to obey His commandments.  Some disbelieved in the prophets, while others believed.  Those that believed were followers of Islam, or Muslims.

From amongst the messengers was Muhammad, may the mercy and blessings of God be upon him, from the progeny of Ishmael, the son of Abraham, may the mercy and blessings of God be upon him, who was sent as a messenger in succession to Jesus.  Muhammad preached the same message of Islam as the previous prophets and messengers – to direct all worship to God Alone and none else and to obey His commandments – in which the followers of the previous prophets went astray.

So as we see, the Prophet Muhammad was not the founder of a new religion, as many people mistakenly think, but he was sent as the Final Prophet of Islam.  By revealing His final message to Muhammad, which is an eternal and universal message for all of mankind, God finally fulfilled the covenant that He made with Abraham.

Just as it was incumbent upon the those who were alive to follow the message of the last of the succession of prophets which was sent to them, it becomes incumbent upon all of humanity to follow the message of Muhammad.  God promised that this message would remain unchanged and fit for all times and places.  Suffice is it to say that the way of Islam is the same as the way of the prophet Abraham, because both the Bible and the Qur'an portray Abraham as a towering example of someone who submitted himself completely to God and directed worship to Him alone and none else, and without any intermediaries.  Once this is realized, it should be clear that Islam has the most continuous and universal message of any religion, because all prophets and messengers were “Muslims”, i.e. those who submitted to God’s will, and they preached “Islam”, i.e. submission to the will of Almighty God by worshipping Him Alone and obeying His commandments.

So we see that those who call themselves Muslims today do not follow a new religion; rather they follow the religion and message of all prophets and messengers which were sent to humanity by God’s command, also known as Islam.  The word “Islam” is an Arabic word which literally means “submission to God”, and Muslims are those who willfully submit to and actively obey God, living in accordance with His message.