Questions you will find answers to in this article:

What is Islam?

How can Islam be my religion when I am in another religion?

What is the difference between religion and Sharia?

What does “Islam is based on human nature” mean?

Why did the prophets originate in the Middle East?

What is the importance of Abraham in Abrahamic religions?

Is Abraham a Jew, Christian or Muslim?

Do the different laws of the prophets mean that they belonged to different religions?

What does it mean for prophets to confirm what came before and foretell what will come after?

Yes… It is an ambitious title. If this is the case, this will be an article in which you will find the answers to all kinds of questions that arise in your minds, such as why you are not aware of this or why you do not accept it. Whoever you are and wherever you are, whichever faith you belong to and whichever nation you have grown up in, you should first of all know that this religion is your religion: Islam.

The first scholars who studied the etymology of Islam, which derives from the root silm (selm) meaning “to be saved, to submit, to surrender; to surrender, to give; to make peace”, explained it as “to enter into an environment of peace through submission and voluntary compliance”.

In the Holy Qur’an, Islam is defined as the name of the true religion in the sight of Allah and it is clearly emphasized that the beliefs and deeds of any other religion will not be accepted.

Whoever seeks a religion other than Islam, it will never be accepted from him and he will be among the losers in the Hereafter (3:85).

As conveyed in all celestial beliefs, the process that began after the descent of Hz Adam and Eve to the earth and continued until the Flood of Noah was a process that was tried for the coexistence of all humanity but did not yield successful results for humanity and servitude. As a result, based on the principle that “every knowledge can be known and comprehended with its opposite”, a new period started with Prophet Abraham and set an example for humanity.

This process is expressed in the verse as “you were created from a pair of human beings (male and female) and you were divided into different tribes, tribes and nations so that you might know one another”.

O mankind! Surely We created you from a male and a female and divided you into tribes and clans so that you may know one another. The most honored of you in the sight of Allah is the one who is most careful to avoid disobeying Him. Verily, Allah is All-Knowing, All-Knowing. (49:13)

The detailed information in the verse is this: The purpose of the creation of the first exemplary people, beginning with Abraham. The one who is most careful to avoid disobeying Him (Allah).

Taken as a whole, it is stated that We created you from a pair, divided you into groups so that you may know one another, and directed a people from among you who would be exemplary in their moral and human values to teach and live servitude so that your former disputes might be settled. In other words, Allah had chosen Abraham and his family after Adam and Noah to set an example for all mankind towards Islam in the name of servitude and humanity.

But the knowledge and distinction that came to them caused envy, jealousy and divisions to arise over time. And while Allah had chosen the family of Abraham to set an example for other people, tribes and groups, He began to produce from among the children of Abraham descendants, families and individuals who would set an example for others. Through Isaac and Jacob, He chose the Children of Israel, then the Jews, and finally, from among them, the family of Ali Imran, and finally Jesus (peace be upon him) as an individual. Unfortunately, these individuals, families and lineages, who were to be exemplary from among themselves, were strictly disregarded.

Verily, the religion in the sight of Allah is Islam. Those who were given the Book, after the knowledge had come to them, differed only because of their passion and excesses among themselves. Whoever disbelieves in the Verses of Allah, let him know that Allah is quick in reckoning (3:19).

In the course of time, those who should have followed their example began to legitimize their deeds by claiming that they were the descendants of these chosen ones. In this way, they were able to gain authority and position by giving divinity to their own deeds. Of course, the most prominent name among these people whom they said they were following was Ibrahim ‘alaihis-salâm’. And the last time our Lord communicated with people, He explained this situation as follows:

Ibrahim was neither a Jew nor a Christian. He was only a Muslim who submitted to Allah. He was not of the polytheists. (3/67)

This statement sharply distinguishes those who claim Abraham as their ancestor but do not follow in his footsteps, and in effect exposes the fallacies of the other Abrahamic faiths.

In the process of the formation of the religion, from the macro to the micro, from the whole of humanity to the family of Abraham, then to the lineage of Bani Israel, then to the family of Ali Imran, and finally to the individual Jesus (peace be upon him). What would happen now? Allah tried a nation to understand Tawheed and set an example, but the example was not set and the religion of Islam was not completed. From this point onwards, the concept of family, lineage and sect would be eliminated after Jesus, and the definition of two different nations, believers and non-believers, would be introduced as an ummah. This step, which would complete the religion of Islam, was to be accomplished not with those who had been weakened in any way, but with one of the untested descendants of Ishmael, the Prophet Abraham, who had gone all the way back to Jesus. That person was the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him).

Those who remained behind were those who boasted of their ancestors and were left with books that had been altered for their own desires. Although there were some statements of tawheed and servitude, this was prevented by the beliefs that had been added over time. To give an example of those that are oriented towards tawheed and servitude: Man was created to know and recognize his Creator and to serve Him (Exodus, 20/2-3; Deuteronomy, 6/4-5; Matthew, 4/10; Acts, 17/26-28). According to the Torah, the first man and his children, Noah (Deuteronomy, 1/26-28; 4/26; 6/9), Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph called to God, who is one. The Psalms (Psalms) of David also invoke the one God, and Jesus, who is presented as the son of God, emphasizes the unity of God as the first commandment in the Sharia (Mark, 12/28-29). However, he falsifies the definition of unity and introduces a trinity. In short, although the doors to such servitude and tawheed are open in words, the paths/beliefs to reach it are based on certain lineage, offspring or trinity.

But it should concern everyone as human beings, without any conditions or rules. God should not have taken sides, but should have held everyone accountable to a single religion if He was going to test and question them in this life. This, of course, had to be a religion that was suitable for all human beings in terms of creation. Otherwise the test would inevitably be unfair. Islam, as the religion of creation/nature, was completed with the Holy Qur’an, declaring that it would be protected by its owner, without leaving the possibility of being changed or destroyed to man. And the ummah mentality embraced everyone without any distinctive characteristics such as belief, language, race, sect, creed. And the supremacy was based solely on the fear of Allah.

In one of the sayings of the Prophet Muhammad that has reached us, he states that “every human being is born with the Islamic nature, but this characteristic of his creation is altered by the influence of family and environment with beliefs such as Judaism, Christianity or paganism.” (Bukhārī, “Jannāʾiz”, 80, 93, “Tafsīr”, 30/1, “Ḳader”, 3; Muslim, “Ḳader”, 22-25)

In other words, the fact that our family or the place where we live directly influences our beliefs prevented us from correctly recognizing, accepting or living the religion of Islam, which is in accordance with our nature. This truth and our summary narratives up to this point lead us to the truth that Islam is the religion of all of us, but there are beliefs, groupings or narratives that prevent us from accepting it even if we hear it.

These words of the Prophet are so important that they are the reason why there are millions of people who, despite being Muslims and even being in a Muslim society, are unable to recognize and submit to Islam properly. The situation of Muslims today could only be explained so clearly and accurately. The ignorance or backwardness of the two billion Muslim community, the fact that it does not even feel the need to change its life despite all the immoral behaviors it does, rather than the polytheists in the Ahl al-Bayt and other geographies, has developed entirely due to the beliefs of the geography it lives in, created under the name of Islam. This is certainly the shame of Muslims, not Islam. Those who cannot make this distinction are as ignorant as those who do not feel the need to learn their religion correctly.

Let us take a look at our explanations up to this point in the words of the verses.Please read the explanations thoughtfully.

<<Who turns away from the religion of Abraham except he who does not know himself?Surely We have made Abraham distinguished in this world, and surely he is of the righteous in the Hereafter. When his Lord said to him, “Submit,” he said, “I submit to the Lord of the worlds.” Abraham bequeathed this to his sons, and so did Jacob: “My sons! Allah has chosen this religion (Islam) for you. So die only as Muslims.” Or were you present when Jacob said to his children on his deathbed, “Whom will you worship after me?” and they said, “We will worship only one God, your God and the God of your forefathers, Abraham, Ishmael and Isaac, and we are Muslims in submission to Him.” They are a nation that has passed away. What they earned is theirs and what you earn is yours. You will not be held responsible for what they do. (The Jews) said, “Become Jews,” and (the Christians) said, “Become Christians so that you may be guided.” Say: “No, we follow the religion of Abraham, who followed the truth.He was not of those who associate partners with Allah.” Say: “We have believed in Allah, and in what has been sent down to us (the Qur’an), and in what was sent down to Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob and the sons of Jacob, and in what was given to Moses and Jesus (the Torah and the Gospel), and in what was given to all the other messengers from their Lord, and we do not distinguish one of them from the other, and we are submitted to Him.” If they believe as you believe, they have indeed found the right path; but if they turn away, they are surely deeply disunited. Allah will protect you against them. He is All-Hearing, All-Knowing. “We are painted with the paint of Allah. Who is more beautiful in color than Allah? We are His worshippers” (say). Say to them: “Do you dispute with us about Allah, when He is our Lord and your Lord. What we have done belongs to us and what you have done belongs to you. We are devoted to Him.” Or do you say, “Abraham and Ishmael and Isaac and Jacob and the sons of Jacob were Jews or Christians”? Say: “Who is more unjust than he who conceals a truth which has reached him from Allah? Allah is not unaware of what you do. >> (2/130-140)