Friday, January 20, 2012

What is Islam?

While most religions are named after a person or a group of people, the word Islam actually describes the spiritual state of the believer. The word Islam means Submission, Submission to the will of God, and a Muslim is a person who strives to live in a state of Islam, to live life in a way that is pleasing to God. If you think about it, that's pretty much the goal of all religions, which is interesting, because Islam is seen by Muslims as being the original religion given by God to humanity.

Islam is understood to be the natural state of human existence. At birth, we are in a completely pure and natural state, aware of God and in sync with God's will. This innate nature we possess is known as our Fitra. This is why, according to Islamic belief, we are all born as Muslims. Though we learn a particular tradition as we grow up, that Fitra remains within us. Whether we call it our conscience, or moral intuition, it's the reason we all know deep down that God exists, that we recognize basic right and wrong. For this reason, when someone who was not raised as a Muslim decides to embrace Islam, they are referred to not as a convert but as a revert, because they are returning the natural state in which they were born, recognizing and embracing their Fitra.

Islam is not a part-time religion, something you do once a week or only on holidays. Islam is 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. Islam influences everything we do, every choice we make, the way we interact with others, even the way we appreciate the world around us. So Islam is much more than just a religion. It is a complete deen, which is an Arabic word often translated as religion, but which truly means "way of life."

Now you might be asking yourself, "If Islam is Submission to God's will, how can I know that I'm living my life the way God wants me to live?" InshaAllah, God willing, we'll address that in the upcoming post on "Prophets."


"This day I have perfected for you your religion, completed My favor upon you and have chosen for you Islam as your religion."
(Qur'an 5:3)

9 comments:

  1. I agree with you entirely. Christianity and Judaism are no different. But Islam is the only religion I know that actually advocates this kind of slave-mentality (and considers it the fundamental aspect of its spiritual observation and practice). It is disgusting to see people gathering to boast about their "I'm better than you because I found God"-mentality. It's sickening that one should be proud of a religious tradition that condemns secular law, free-thought, women's rights, and even the idea of religious pluralism, diversity, or tolerance. Islam is not an ancient and recurring religion made pure again, but the recurring appearance of tribalism, hatred, religious bigotry, suppression of women, and blind faith in a paradoxical God of Love who hates everybody. You are so proud of yourselves, and self-righteous, that at the very beginning of Islam's conception and rise to power, it has (and remains) an instrument of destruction, "holy" war, ethnocentric genocide, and an unstoppable force of regressing mankind to more primitive endeavors and traditions. You've nothing (ABSOLUTELY NOTHING) to be proud of. Unless of course you are proud of the throne you have made for yourselves on a mountain of bones, surrounded by an endless sea of blood spilled and to be spilled by the fundamentalism and extremism of the Muslim horde. You promise love, and the love of your God, so why do you use Him to hate?

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  2. I have purchased a Quran. When I first read its pages, I was immediately impressed and disheartened to find yet another Abrahamic scripture filled with hatred in it. I was impressed because it was surprising to see a "holy" book with more hateful statements and destructive laws per page than the Bible (which I was previously convinced was the most hate-filled book of back-water ancient laws and beliefs that ever existed). I literally found something along the lines of "kill the rebellious infidels", and "they will burn in the Fire", and "Trust no nonbelievers", etc., on nearly every page. The only reason I still look through it is in the faint hope that I find a page that is not hurtful, mean-spirited, and the most unenlightened piece of fake-religious trash I have ever read since reading the part of the Bible, wherein Moses kills most of his followers for worshiping a golden calf.

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  3. Great job, keep going on ..
    You are inspired me to write although I'm arabic speaker .. But when i see those commonts i feel sorry for those who read Quran and never understand it .. You can't judge Quran when you are not welling to learn about it .. I'm Arabic speaker and i can't understand quran clearly becuase every sentence in it have a deep meaning and a different story .. And by reading it without a refrence explains the meaning in the vrese or tell the story in it ,we can't undertand it ..
    If you really want to understand Quran , you have to learn it with your well to understand it .

    Thank you brother ..

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  4. Thank you very much for your great explanation and it is really touching for a non-muslim to understand the concept of Islam.
    Just to elaborate more on hijab, hijab is not an oppression for us. Muslims women wear hijab as a form of protection. A correct way to wear hijab is to cover our hair and bust also to wear loose clothes as to cover the shape of our body. Try to imagine watching a miss world program during these women wear binikis and cat walking around. I'm sure men who watch this will be crazily thinking, "nice boobs", "what a tight ass", "she so beautiful i wish i could **** her"..i may not be saying all men think this way, but some do and we wouldn't know. So as a protection to ourselves, we wear hijab so no men will look at us and trying to inspect what size our boobs are, how thick our fat are etc..(i'm still not saying all men think this way, but who knows because even i'm a woman, i would still think "nice leg!").
    Women hair are also very special too. Some men are actually very attracted to it. In some movies i watched, when the hero started to get in a romantic mood, they'll start stroking the hair, the lips then they'll move on to more 'better' areas. Women's hair also can become one of sex tools and men can imagine what they can do with that long, shiny, bouncy, beautiful hair especially on bed. Get what i mean?? I bet some of you are already imagining things. But Islam understand this because you can't help it. It just crosses your mind. So to avoid this, Allah asks us to cover ourselves so we're always safe.
    Muslim women also are encouraged to cover their face and this is optional. Well, some women are born to be sooooo beautiful that men just gape at them from top to bottom even if they wear hijab. Even i would look until she was out of sight, i can't help it really. This situation sometimes are very comfortable with certain women, but for some muslim women, they are uncomfortable with the attention so they prefer to cover their face. Later on this become a tradition and enforces a certain community to oblige.
    I hope this clears up any misunderstanding..

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  5. Btw..talking about quran..we also believe in jesus but slightly different from the christians. We call jesus Prophet Isa Alaihisalam (may Allah raise his rank) and all muslims love him dearly. In quran too, we have an exclusive chapter about Isa's miraculous birth and his mother Mary (Maryam) as a women raised in status so high by Allah she is above all women in all nation at that period. This chapter is called Surah Al-Maryam. But to understand the quran, we need other references as an explanation on the insight meanings..
    Our prophet did not say the highest status for women is his wife, nor his daughter nor his mother, but our prophet give this honour to Isa's mother, Maryam. Well, quran words are the words of Allah and our faith are to Allah and his words, and our prophets.
    But i also have a question. Is there an exclusive whole CHAPTER about jesus telling about his miraculous birth and Mary's high status in any bibles modern or old? I couldn't find it somehow. Any recomendations? Pls share if u find one. I would really love to read it.

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