The True Religion (Islam)

Islam

Islām (Arabic: إسلام‎) is a verbal noun originating from the triliteral root S-L-M which forms a large class of words mostly relating to concepts of wholeness, submission, sincerity, safeness, and peace.[41] In a religious context, it means "voluntary submission to God".[42][43] Islām is the verbal noun of Form IV of the root, and means "submission to God" or "surrender to God". Muslim, the word applied to an adherent of Islam, is the active participle of the same verb form, and means "submitter to God" or "one who surrenders to God". The word sometimes has distinct connotations in its various occurrences in the Quran. In some verses, there is stress on the quality of Islam as an internal spiritual state: "Whomsoever God desires to guide, He opens his heart to Islam."[44] Other verses connect Islam and religion (dīn) together: "Today, I have perfected your religion (dīn) for you; I have completed My blessing upon you; I have approved Islam for your religion."[45] Still others describe Islam as an action of returning to God—more than just a verbal affirmation of faith.[46] In the Hadith of Gabriel, islām is presented as one part of a triad that also includes imān (faith), and ihsān (excellence).[47][48]

Islam was historically called Muhammadanism in Anglophone societies. This term has fallen out of use and is sometimes said to be offensive because it suggests that a human being rather than God is central to Muslims' religion, parallel to Buddha in Buddhism.[49] Some authors, however, continue to use the term Muhammadanism as a technical term for the religious system as opposed to the theological concept of Islam that exists within that system.

Concept of God

Main articles: God in Islam and Allah

Medallion showing "Allah" (God) in Hagia Sophia, Istanbul, Turkey

Islam is often seen as having the simplest doctrines of the major religions.[40] Its most fundamental concept is a rigorous monotheism, called tawḥīd (Arabic: توحيد‎). God is described in chapter 112 of the Quran as: "Say, He is God, the One and Only; God, the Eternal, Absolute; He begetteth not, nor is He begotten; And there is none like unto Him" (112:1–4).[51] Islam rejects polytheism and idolatry, called Shirk, and reject the Christian doctrine of the Trinity. In Islam, God is beyond all comprehension and thus Muslims are not expected to anthropomorphise him.[52][53][54][55] God is described and referred to by certain names or attributes, the most common being Al-Rahmān, meaning "The Compassionate" and Al-Rahīm, meaning "The Merciful" (See Names of God in Islam).[56]

Islam teaches that the creation of everything in the universe was brought into being by God's command as expressed by the wording, "Be, and it is"[57] and that the purpose of existence is to worship or to know God.[58][59] He is viewed as a personal god who responds whenever a person in need or distress calls him.[60] There are no intermediaries, such as clergy, to contact God who states, "I am nearer to him than (his) jugular vein."[61] God consciousness is referred to as Taqwa

Allāh is a term, with no plural or gender being ascribed, used by Muslims and Arabic-speaking Christians and Jews in reference to God, while ʾilāh (Arabic: إله‎) is a term used for a deity or a god in general.[62] Other non-Arab Muslims might use different names as much as Allah, for instance "Tanrı" in Turkish,[citation needed] "Khodā" in Persian or "Ḵẖudā" in Urdu.