Religion is the guidance of God Almighty, first inspired in human nature and then provided to humanity through His Prophets, along with all necessary details. The final Prophet in this chain is Muhammad (PBUH)1. Hence, the sole source of religion now is his noble person, and the true religion is that which he declared to be religion through his words, actions, and both tacit2 and explicit approvals. This religion has been transmitted to us through the consensus3 of his companions and an unbroken chain of continuous verbal and practical trans-mission4, preserved in two authentic forms:
1. Qurʾān
2. Sunna
1. Qurʾān
The Qurʾān is the book revealed by God Almighty to His final messenger, Muhammad (PBUH). Since its revelation, it has been faithfully preserved by the Muslim community, who firmly be-lieve it remains exactly as it was revealed. The Prophet’s (PBUH) companions were unanimous in affirming the integrity of its content and transmitted it to the world with exceptional care through their consensus and an unbroken chain of oral transmis-sion without the slightest alteration.
2. Sunna
Sunna is the tradition of the Abrahamic religion, which the Prophet (PBUH) renewed, reformed, and with certain additions, implemented among his followers as religion.
There is no difference in the authenticity between Sunna and the Qurʾān. Just as the Qurʾān was received through the consensus of the companions and verbal mass transmission, the Sunna was received through their consensus and practical mass transmission. And like the Qurʾān, it has been proven through the consensus of Muslims in every era.
If the essence of this religion were to be captured in a sin-gle word, then according to Qurʾānic terminology, it would be ‘servitude’ to God. This signifies humility and a deep sense of lowliness before Him. When this servitude emergesfrom a gen-uine recognition of Allāh Almighty, it leads a person to bow before Him with profound love and reverent fear. In reality, this servitude is an inner state. It is reflected in remembering God, ex-pressing gratitude to Him, fearing His displeasure, being sincere towards Him, placing trust in Him, and accepting His will with contentment. These are the inward manifestations of servitude. Outwardly, it is expressed through acts of worship such as bowing and prostration, glorifying and praising God, supplication, and offering sacrifices.
Since human existence also has a practical dimension, this servitude does not remain confined to the inner state. When it extends to the realm of action, it encompasses not only worship but also obedience. At that stage, it requires a person to live as a true servant of God—both inwardly and outwardly.
In the relationship between the servant and the Lord, when this servitude lays down its foundations, prescribes rituals, and sets limits and boundaries for fulfilling its demands in the world, it is referred to as ‘religion’ (Dīn) in the language of the Qurʾān.
The form of religion that God Almighty has clarified to hu-mankind through His prophets is referred to in the Qurʾān as “the true religion” (Dīn al-Ḥaqq). It instructs them to uphold it correctly and to implement it completely in their lives, without causing any divisions or dissensions within it.
For this servitude, the foundations of faith and ethics men-tioned in God’s religion are termed ‘Wisdom’ (Ḥikmah), while its rituals and its limits and restrictions are referred to as ‘The Law’ (Kitāb). Another term for it is Sharia, meaning the same as the law in our everyday language.
Ḥikma has always been the same, but Sharia, due to evolution and changes in human civilization, has varied significantly. A study of divine literature shows that mostly Sharia is discussed in the Torah, and Ḥikmah in Gospel. Psalms is a prelude to this wisdom in the form of glorification of God Almighty, and the Qurʾān was revealed as a literary masterpiece embodying both Ḥikma and Kitāb, and as a comprehensive scripture of warnings and glad tidings.
The term Ḥikma was adopted to describe two fundamental areas of discourse:
1. Faith & Beliefs
2. Morals & Morality
The topics outlined under Kitāb are:
This is religion in its entirety. Those envoys who brought this religion are known as Prophets (Nabī). From the Qurʾān, it is learned that among them, some were also bestowed with the office of Messengership (Risāla) alongside Prophethood (Nubuwwa).
Nubuwwarefers to the phenomenon in which a human being is chosen to receive revelation in order to convey the truth to people. He gives glad tidings of reward in the Hereafter to those who accept it and warns those who reject it of adverse consequences. The Qurʾān describes this role as one of warning (Indhār) and glad tidings (Bashāra)
Risāla on the other hand, is when such a person, endowed with the office of prophethood, is further entrusted with the role of being God’s judgment upon his nation. If they reject him, then God’s decree is carried out in this world through him, and the dominance of truth is practically established over them.
This happens in such a way that God Almighty selects these Messengers (Rasūl) for the manifestation of His reward and pun-ishment and then, before the Day of Judgment, enacts a minor Day of Judgment through them in this world. The Messenger’s addressees are informed that if they remain steadfast in their cov-enant with God, they will receive the reward, and if they deviate, they will face the consequences in this world itself.
The result is that the Messenger’s presence among his people becomes a sign of God for them, and they see God, as it were, walking and administering justice on earth with them. Along with this, the Messengers are commanded to preach the truth they have witnessed with their own eyes—with utmost convic-tion—and to deliver God’s guidance to the people without any additions or omissions, and with absolute certainty.
According to the Qurʾān, this is establishing the testimony (Shahāda). When this testimony is established, it becomes the basis for divine judgment in both this world and the hereafter. Thus, God Almighty grants dominance to these Messengers and unleashes His punishment upon the deniers of their message.
In addition to the Messengers, the office of testimony was also bestowed upon the descendants of Prophet Abraham (PBUH). From this perspective, the Qurʾān describes them as a community positioned between God’s Messenger and the people, entrusted with bearing witness to the truth. It further states that they were chosen in the same way that God Almighty selects certain indi-viduals for Prophethood and Messengership.
Along with the prophets and messengers, God Almighty generally also revealed His scriptures. According to the Qurʾān, the purpose of these revelations is to serve as a standard for dis-tinguishing truth from falsehood. They enable people to resolve their disputes and establish justice by adhering to the truth.
This chain of prophethood and messengership started with Adam (PBUH) and concluded with Muhammad, the Messenger of God (PBUH). After his departure from this world, the doors to revelation and inspiration have been permanently closed, and prophethood has been terminated. Consequently, the responsibil-ity of Warning (Indhār) to keep people steadfast on religion now lies with the scholars of this Umma until the Day of Judgment.
The name of this religion is ‘Islām,’ and God Almighty has declared in His book that no other religion will be accepted from humanity.
Just as the term ‘Islām’ refers to the entire religion, it is some-times also used to describe the external, visible aspects of Islam. In this outward aspect, ‘Islām’ consists of the following five practices:
The inner core of religion is faith. According to the details men-tioned in the Qurʾān, it also consists of five things:
1. Belief in God.
2. Belief in the Angels.
3. Belief in the Prophets.
4. Belief in the Books.
5. Belief in the Day of Judgment.
When this faith, in terms of its essence, takes root in the heart and becomes firmly established, its very existence demands the following:
1. Righteous deeds, and
Righteous deeds mean every act that results from the purifica- tion of ethics. The foundations of righteous deeds are rooted in reason and innate human nature, and God’s Sharia has been revealed to guide mankind toward them.
The meanings of ‘Tawāṣī bi-l-ḥaqq’ and ‘Tawāṣī bi-ṣ-ṣabr’ are advising one another, within one’s surroundings, to uphold the truth and remain steadfast in it.
The Qurʾān also refers to this as enjoining what is right (Amr bi-l-maʿrūf) and forbidding what is wrong (Nahy ʿani-l-munkar). In other words, the things recognized as good by intellect and hu-man nature should be promoted in one’s immediate surroundings, and things considered as wrong should be discouraged. These are the obligations of faith in normal circumstances. However, the challenges of the world may give rise to situations that call for three additional responsibilities:
1. Migration (Hijra),
2. Support (Nuṣra), and
3. Upholding Justice (Qiyām bi-l-qiṣṭ).
If a believer faces a situation where remaining steadfast in the worship of God risks their life, or if they are persecuted to the point where practicing and expressing their faith becomes impossible, their faith obligates them to leave such a place and relocate to a place where they can openly practice their religion. The Qurʾān refers to this as Migration (Hijra) and issues a stern warning of hellfire for those who, after the Prophet’s call, find themselves in such circumstances yet fail to fulfill this obligation.
Similarly, if for the propagation or protection of religion there arises a need for some action, then faith demands that one sup-ports the religion with their life and wealth. According to the terminology of the Qurʾān, this is the Support (Nuṣra) of God, and it asserts that if at any moment such a demand arises, then nothing in this world should be dearer to a believer than meeting this demand.
Moreover, if in any religious or worldly affair, one’s emotions, prejudices, interests, or desires attempt to divert one from the path of justice, then the same faith demands that not only should a believer remain steadfast on justice and truth but also, if the situation demands testimony, he should be willing to risk his life to fulfill this demand. Speak the truth, submit to the truth, administer justice, bear witness to justice, and never choose any-thing other than justice in belief and action. The Qurʾān utilizes the phrase Establishing Justice (Qiyām bi-l-qiṣṭ) for this.
The objective of this religion, as outlined in the Qurʾān, is Purification (Tazkiya). This refers to the process of purifying both the individual and collective aspects of human life from impurities, while nurturing thoughts and actions in the right direction. The Qurʾān consistently emphasizes that the ultimate goal for humanity is to attain the highest level of paradise, and the key to reaching this position is the purification of oneself in this world. Therefore, the central purpose of religion is purification. Prophets were sent for this very purpose, and the entire revelation of religion serves to guide humanity toward achieving this goal and reaching the ultimate success.
The attitude that followers of this religion should adopt in practicing it is Excellence (Iḥsān). Iḥsān means to perform any task in the best possible manner. Its expression is such that a person worships God Almighty as if they are seeing Him. And if they cannot see Him, then they are fully aware that their Lord is always watching them.
- Peace be upon him
- This means that something appeared before the Prophet (PBUH) in the capacity of religion, and he did not forbid it.
- That is, with complete agreement and without any disagreement.
- That is, continuously and without interruption—reciting, writ- ing, narrating, and practicing it from generation to generation.