I have a rather large stack of books and tracts Muslims have given me in order to convert me to Islam. I read them from time to time. Here is the final section in a booklet called “Discover Islam” edited by the staff at Al Jumuah:
Islam is Allah’s final message, and it offers a complete legal code for humankind. It eliminates and corrects the human errors that found their way into previous religions in the realm of both belief and practice. Just as any new revised law supersedes and nullifies what came before it, Islam naturally abrogates all earlier religions.
Without doubt, one will find in every religion, especially those of divine origins, such as Judaism, Christianity and Islam, noble teachings, good moral values, encouragement toward good deeds and warnings against evil. However, what distinguishes Islam from other faiths is that Islam goes beyond simply urging people to be upright and honest. Islam diagnoses illnesses and prescribes the treatment. It gives practical solutions to man’s problems and provides the means of achieving righteousness and eliminating evil from individual and collective lives. Islam is guidance for mankind from the Creator who knows what is best and most suitable for His creation. That is why Islam is called the natural religion of man.
An earlier post on Circumpolar tried to answer the question, What is Islam? Three answers were given. I think these answers accurately and fairly represent Islam as Muslims see it. Islam is:
- Outward Conformity
- Social Control
- Worldwide Political Influence
David Shenk in his book Journeys of the Muslim Nation and the Christian Church says it best (pg. 170):
The message of biblical faith is that God in the Messiah enters personally into our sinfulness to redeem us from sin and death. God, in the Messiah, actively and personally and lovingly pursues us so that we might be reconciled to him, to one another, and to creation. The message of qur’anic faith is that God, the merciful and compassionate one, sends his will down to us. In submission to his will we find well-being. Jesus offers redemption; the Qur’an offers guidance.
But I would like to hear your perspective. How would you define Islam?
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