| In the Name of Allah, The Compassionate, The Merciful THE MEANING OF ISLAM |
| Islam, originates from the root word 'salama' which means getting free of inward evils. The derivatives are many, such as peace, submission, surrender, survival, health and safe reconciliation. Hence, a Muslim is one, who submits to none except the Will of the Creator, Who fashioned the human beings as the most excellent form of creation, and endowed them with the power called the brains. In our previous boot titled, 'Toward Peace', we discussed in detail the amazing powers of Intellect and Will, and how through their mediation we are able to recognize the Creator. We also discussed, how the benign Creator guided humanity on its path of progress by sending a chain of messengers in every land and place. We noted the theme of their messages and the remarkable unity in the prophecies they contained about the coming of the last and final Messenger. As our analysis proved in 'Towards Peace', Moses never described his teachings as Judaism, nor did Jesus choose the word Christianity for his message, or for the matter Buddha and others, named their mission as Buddhism and etc. Therefore, it is an erroneous notion to think that Islam originated a mere fourteen centuries ago, all of a sudden, in the deserts of Arabia. But as facts testify, Islam, or submission to the Almighty's Will and a healthy way of survival, was the message preached by all prophets. However with the revelation to Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w), the word Islam became a proper name for the true path, and came to acquire added significance. Thus, it is not without reason, that Islam is often referred to as the 'Natural Religion' because its dynamism has withstood the test of time, and its tenets perfectly blend with, and have scientifically catered to the needs of the human race in every time and era. The meaning of Islam p3-4 AL-BALAGH FOUNDATION |