SURRENDER TO GOD

The word “Islam” means submission to God, and an adherent of Islam is called a moslem (muslim). The word “Islam” is a verbal noun originating from the trilateral roots “s – l – m”, and is derived from the Arabic verb “aslama”, which means “to give up, to desert, to surrender to God. Another word derived from the same root is “salaam”, which means “peace”.

Islam is the monotheistic religion articulated by The Holy Qur’an and The Sunnah (Hadith). The Holy Qur’an is a text considered by its adherents to be the verbatim word of God (Allah), and The Sunnah is normative example by teachings of Muhammad, and Muhammad is the last prophet in (to) the world.

Moslems demonstrate submission to God by worshipping God, following God commands, and avoiding polytheism. Moslem identify the prophets as those human chosen by God to be God Messengers.

In Islam, the normative example of Muhammad’s life is called The Sunnah (literally trodden path). This example is preserved in traditions known as Hadith (report), which recount his words, his actions, and his personal characteristics. The Sunnah is seen as crucial to guiding interpretation of The Holy Qur’an.

The prophets chosen by God to bring the will of God to the peoples of the nations. Moslems believe that prophets are human and not divine, though some are able to perform miracles to prove their claim.

Islamic theology says that all of God’s Messengers preached the message of Islam. Moslems believe that God finally sent Muhammad to convey the divine message to the whole world.

Allah is the term with no plural or gender used by moslems to refer to the one God. Islam concept is a rigorous monotheism, called “tauhid”. God is described in chapter 112 of The Holy Qur’an as: “Say, God, is the One and Only; God, The Eternal, absolute. God beget not, nor is God begotten. And there is none like unto God” (The Holy Qur’an, 112:1-4).

Moslems believe that: First, God is one and incomparable. Second, Islam is the complete and universal version of a primordial faith that was revealed at many times and places before.

Moslems maintain that previous messages and revelations have been partially changed and corrupted overtime, but consider The Holy Qur’an to be both unaltered and the final revelation from God.

Religious concepts and practices include the five pillars of Islam, which are basic concepts and obligatory acts of worship, and following Islamic law, which touches on virtually every aspect of life and society, encompassing everything from banking and welfare, to warfare and the environment.

Source: Wikipedia English, 2011