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| KNOWING ISLAM
Many people talk about Islam. They say that they are the believers of this religion, and they are Muslims. Every where people talk about Islam, it has become a famous word. But do you know what is Islam? Islam is the religion from Allah and His beloved prophet, Muhammad (Prayers and peace be upon him) was sent to preach it to all mankind and invite them to embrace it.
Therefore, the believers of this religion are truly blessed for they are given the light (hidayah) to be Allah’s precious and beloved servants. Why are they precious and loved by Allah? This is because they are the followers of the religion given by Allah to the Prophet Muhammad (Prayers and peace be upon him), the only religion that Allah wants for all man to submit to from the very beginning. The Prophet Muhammad (Prayers and peace be upon him) was not the creator of a new religion but he was the restorer of the original, uncorrupted monotheistic faith of Prophet Adam, Prophet Noah, Prophet Abraham, Prophet Jesus and others. Islam is the same truth revealed to mankind through His Messengers.
From the Holy Quran, “Say: Truly, my prayer, and my service of sacrifice, my life and my death, are (all) for Allah, the Cherisher of the Worlds; no partner hath He: this am I commanded, and I am the first of those who bow to His Will”
(Surah Al-An’am : 162-163)
What is the message of these verses? If we do not accept and surrender totally to Allah’s Commands, we are not a devoted Muslim. We know of His Commands through the Prophet (Prayers and peace be upon him) who had tried his very best preaching to mankind. Logically, man will accept His rules and will heartedly as Allah is the Most Certain, only He is certain of every thing about human life.
THE ACCEPTANCE OF ISLAM
Submission or total surrender of oneself in the religion of Allah is determined by his own words and there is no force to pressure oneself to accept Islam. The choice and readiness comes from the mind and goes into the pure heart. Many people acknowledge it but their hearts reject the truth of Allah. This is not consider as accepting Islam. We have to accept Islam with syahadah (testification) as put by Said Hawa, “ The two syahadahs are the main core of all Islamic pillars”.
If one does not believe that there is no God worthy of worship except Allah and that the Prophet Muhammad (Prayers and peace be upon him) is the Messenger, then he is not a Muslim. It is on this pillar of Islam that supports the other four pillars. The syahadah represents the fundamental pillar of Islam. The syahadah is like the soul of our body. Without the soul, the whole body will not function. Our practices and good deeds will be accepted by Allah if the syahadah is valid. The good deeds by non Muslims who work hard every day using their minds and energy to help others will not be accepted by Allah due to lack of syahadah. If a Muslim does a lot of charity but did not do it according to the syahadah, his good deeds will come to a waste, as said by the Prophet (Prayers and peace be upon him), “ a practice is valid with the correct intention”
Syahadah of Allah and the Prophet is unseparable because loving the Prophet is loving Allah.
To be continued
Nur Aisyah Ameerah Cheong |
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