TEACHINGS OF ISLAM

There is nothing in Islam’s teachings that can lead to atheism. There are no mysteries or ambiguities within Islam that could confuse the mind. Islam is straightforward and solid. These are the main teachings of Islam:

The Oneness of God

Islam holds that there is only one God “Allah” in the universe. He is the creator of all things and everything in the universe. There is nothing like Him. Only the Muslim can worship Allah Ta’ala. They must communicate with their Creator directly, without any intermediary or priest. Allah Ta’ala is more merciful than a mother to her child, and He will forgive them if they repent. It is the Creator’s right to be worshiped alone and Man’s right to have a relationship with his Lord.

The Prophets and Monotheism

Islam says that God does not appear in human, animal or stone form. He does not have a spouse nor a child. To spread monotheism, Allah Ta’ala sent prophets such as Moses (عليه السلام), Jesus (عليه السلام) and Muhammad (ﷺ). Adam (عليه السلام) and Jesus (عليه السلام) were created without parents. Allah Ta’ala creates, but He does not give birth. He told us to worship Him alone and to go to Him as the prophets (عليهم السلام) worshiped Him. The Muslim must worship Allah Ta’ala in the same way as Jesus (عليه السلام), but not Jesus. He must also worship Allah Ta’ala as Muhammad (ﷺ) did, but not Muhammad (ﷺ).

Islam teaches us that belief in God is based upon the fact that all things are not created by chance or without cause. To explain the finite material universe, we also need an immaterial, eternal, independent source.

God’s Attributes and Jesus in Islam

Islam teaches us that God is perfect and does not need to be killed for us. He is both life and death. He is not made incarnate. Also, Jesus Christ did not die in His place and He was not resurrected. He protected His prophet Jesus from the crucifixion and saved him.

Forgiveness and Responsibility

Islam teaches us that God’s first act of forgiveness is to forgive Adam (عليه السلام) for having eaten the forbidden fruit. It is not an issue of the original sin, but every person has to bear the consequences of it. This lesson demonstrates Allah Ta’ala’s mercy. The person is born without sins, but they are held responsible for their sins when they reach puberty or mature.

Islam teaches us that sins committed by humans are not to be held responsible. We can also be saved if we do not try to be good. Each soul is responsible for their actions. Allah Ta’ala gave Man life, and the ability to test him. Only man is responsible for his own actions. Only the limits of his knowledge, abilities and freedom allow the human being to make choices. Responsibility is followed by judgment. Allah Ta’ala does not judge us based on our appearance, social status, or tribal affiliations. Freedom with strife, for Man, is better than slavery with happiness. Without choice, judgment and reward are meaningless.

Belief in Prophets and Previous Revelations

Islam is believing in all the messengers sent by Allah Ta’ala to people at different times and without separating between them. Denying one of Allah Ta’ala’s prophets is a violation of Islam. This belief creates strong bonds with people of other faiths. {1}

Islam is a belief in all previous revelations of Allah Ta’ala (Abraham’s scriptures, The Book of David, The Torah, and The Gospel of Jesus Christ). Pure monotheism is Islam’s belief that all sacred texts contain the original message. This means that one Allah Ta’ala, “the Creator”, is believed and has a direct relationship with Him.

Preservation of the Qur’an

The Qur’an, unlike the Divine scriptures before it, is not held in the hands any specific group or Muslims clergymen. This could have led to misinterpretation and alteration. The Qur’an text is preserved in its original language (Arabic), without any distortion or alteration. It will be preserved as Allah Ta’ala promised. It is accessible to all Muslims. A large number of Muslims know it by heart. The current Qur’an translations are merely a translation of Qur’an’s meanings. The authenticated narrators confirmed that the Prophet Muhammad’s (ﷺ) teachings were passed on to them.

Allah Ta’ala’s Control over the Universe and Human Civilization

Islam holds that all of the universe is Allah Ta’ala’s property and under His domination. He is omniscient, has preponderant power and has absolute control. All things are subject to His Absolute Knowledge, Will. Since His creation, the Sun, planets, and galaxies have operated in perfect precision without fail. The same precision is applied to the creation of humans. Allah Ta’ala does not place human souls in animal bodies. This is evident by the perfect harmony and order that exists between soul and body. They are not allowed to wander between insects and plants (reincarnation), so the person will never be able to know his past. Allah Ta’ala created the human civilized in his innate ability, gave him knowledge and vicegerent for Earth and made him commander over all other creatures. Allah Ta’ala will not humiliate human beings.

Harmony Between Human Nature and True Religion

Islam is a religion that teaches harmony between human nature and the true religion of Allah Ta’ala. It is a single religion that is simple, straightforward, and easy to understand. It can be used in any time or place. It is not necessary to have mediators between Allah Ta’ala and humanity in worship. This leads to a plurality of religions. Harmony is possible when everyone worships the Creator directly, without any intermediary.

Encouragement of Good Deeds and Moral Principles

Islam encourages good deeds as well as avoiding bad ones. This includes the right of the parents to be kind and generous, the right of the children to have a decent life, providing for their needs, money preservation, justice in words, justice deeds, fulfillment of covenants, the prohibition against immorality, or even the approach to it, and the prohibition on killing the human soul unjustly. These values are inherent moral principles. These values are instinctively and naturally innately known by people.

Islam is a religion that teaches us to treat each other with kindness in order to help humanity. It does not replace believing in Allah Ta’ala and adhering to universal morals. Good manners and the reconstruction of the earth are not the goal of religion. They are just means. Religion’s purpose is to inform the person about their Lord and then guide them to their source, path, or destiny. Only Allah Ta’ala’s satisfaction can bring about the best end and future. That is possible through good manners and the reconstruction of the Earth.

The Purpose of Religion

Islam says that there is no priesthood within Allah Ta’ala’s religion and that faith is open to all. As people are all equal, just like the teeth of an comb before Allah Ta’ala’s eyes, there is no distinction between Arabs and non-Arabs except for piety, good deeds, and nothing else.

Islam teaches us that Allah Ta’ala is “The All-Wise”; He doesn’t create anything in vain. Exalted be He! He creates things to reflect His Great Wisdom. He created us to have mercy upon us and to bring us joy. All of the beautiful human qualities can be traced back to His attributes. Our existence here on earth is to serve a noble purpose: to know Allah Ta’ala and turn to Him through repentance and seeking His help.

Islam teaches us that good is the rule and evil is an exception. Unless something is done to collect them from the outside, organized things will eventually fall apart and disintegrate.

Islam holds that the Creator created the laws of nature as well as the laws that govern them. It defends itself against environmental corruption and imbalances, and maintains the balance to improve the quality of life. What stays and remains on earth is what benefits people and lives. Allah Ta’ala’s names, attributes, and powers are revealed when calamities happen on earth. His name, Wise is also evident in the trials of the sinner. He is rewarded if he is patient and tortured if he complains. The person who knows the Lord’s Majesty is able to distinguish calamities from his own, just as he can tell the Attributes and Beauty of gifts from his own. It is like a person doesn’t know Allah Ta’ala, the Exalted, if they only know Divine Beauty.

Islam holds that Allah Ta’ala’s Will is what allows calamities. Allah Ta’ala’s Will refers to absolute wisdom. Absolute wisdom is also related to absolute goodness, since there is no absolute evil. A person’s worldly life is but a brief glimpse of eternal life. He forgets everything he has suffered in this world and can enjoy the bliss of paradise. This worldly life is just the beginning of an eternal journey, which Man will continue after death through resurrection and Judgment. The reward is his.

Islam teaches us that man can act in a way that is contrary to Allah Ta’ala’s will, but cannot do anything against His Will. Allah Ta’ala gave us the freedom to act against His will (we disobey Him), but He did not give anyone the right to go against His Will. Our experience has shown that this freedom is not possible to force the heart to accept anything it doesn’t want. You can threaten anyone to make them stay with you, but they will not love you if we put them under any pressure. Allah Ta’ala has protected our hearts against all forms of compulsion or duress. This is why Allah Ta’ala judges according to the heart and rewards according to the intent, which is invisible to anyone but Him.

Islam teaches us that Islam’s greatest strength is its simplicity and universality. Islam’s name does not refer to any particular person, place, or group. It reflects the relationship between humans and their Creator (submission towards Allah Ta’ala).

Islam’s teachings include:

• Solah: To keep the connection with Allah Ta’ala, perform ritualistic prayers.
• Sawm: Ramadan is a month-long fast to improve self-control and to appreciate Allah Ta’ala’s blessings.
• Zakah: A specific percentage of a person’s wealth is given annually to the poor. This helps maintain economic balance, purify wealth and revitalize the economy.
• Hajj: The pilgrimage to Makkah {2} is a once-in-a-lifetime act of unity for all believers, regardless of their backgrounds or languages.

Islam is a religion that teaches people to be kind and compassionate to others. An employee cannot keep his relationships with his coworkers perfect and ignore his manager’s. Our relationship with Allah Ta’ala should be the best of our lives.

Islam teaches us that there are many people who go through doubt and search before they find a way to Allah Ta’ala. It’s like a child lost in the woods searching for his mother. They finally find peace when they establish a relationship with Allah Ta’ala.

{1} Many of the prophets and messengers Allah Ta’ala sent to different nations are named in the Qur’an (i.e. Jesus, Moses, Abraham, Noah, David, Solomon, Ismail, Isaac, Joseph, etc.) Others are not mentioned. It is possible that other religious teachers, such as Gautama Buddha, Krishna, and Lord Rama, were prophets of Allah Ta’ala.

{2} Saudi Arabian city where Muslims believe it has the first House (Ka’aba), which was established for humanity to worship Allah Ta’ala as a single entity without any intermediary.