By Hafidh Saif Al-Rawahy

The Qur’an prescribes the line of conduct as a law of life for mankind, just like every other law of nature, and one has to conform to it if he cares to profit from it.

That is the way to God, the right religion, and the law that does not alter for anyone, and in its fundamentals, it is the religion that all the prophets followed and preached. It is this very religion, which the Qur’an styles as Islam, also known as the path of surrender to the will of God or conformity to the laws of life fixed by God. “So [the prophet], as a man of pure faith, stand firm and true in devotion to the religion. This is the natural disposition God instilled in mankind—there is no altering God’s creation—and this is the right religion, though most people do not realize it. Turn to Him alone, all of you. Be mindful of Him; keep up the prayer; do not join those who ascribe partners to God, those who divide their religion into sects, with each party rejoicing in their own” [Qur’an 30:30–32].

It is this Islam, consistently delivered and upheld throughout the ages, that represents the true religion or way of life as ordained by God—the straight path. By adhering to this straight path, individuals and communities can attain success and goodness in both this life and the hereafter, thereby earning God's approval. In contrast, by neglecting it, they will perish or receive, in recompense, the disapproval of God. The Qur’an calls on the different religious groups into which mankind has divided itself to resolve and return to the path of devotion to God and of righteous living—the religion once vouchsafed for, to one and all—by discarding all the sectarian touches given to it in the course of history. “True religion in God’s eyes, is Islam [devotion to Him alone]. Nor did the People of the Book dissent therefrom except through envy of each other, after knowledge had come to them. But if anyone denies God’s revelations, God is swift to take account—if they argue with you [the prophet], say, ‘I have devoted myself to God alone and so have my followers.’ Ask those who were given the Scripture, as well as those without one, ‘Do you too devote yourselves to Him alone?’ If they do, they will be guided, but if they turn away, your only duty is to convey the message. God is aware of His servants” [Qur’an 3:19–20].

Islam is a universal religion or way of life, and the Qur’an is a universal guide, a confirmation, correction, and completion of all previous revelations. Moses, Jesus, and Muhammad (peace be upon all of them) have trodden the same path, and the scope of Islam encompasses all the revealed religions, regardless of their times and places. There could be neither contradictions nor differences in the basic tenets and principles of divine faith, nor in what was revealed to Muhammad and to his earlier brothers in the line of prophets and messengers, Moses, Jesus, and others. Contradictions can only exist between God’s revelation and the false notions and philosophies that people put forward later. The belief system and religious practice as presented in the Qur’an and prophetic teachings are commanded to those who have accepted Islam as well as to those who have not. Those who have not accepted Islam have the opportunity to return to the straight path. Islam is a religion and a way of life that are addressed to all human societies without coercion or discrimination. Whoever responds positively is taken into the fold of Islam, while those who turn away are left alone in peace. Their final accountability and judgment are with their Creator, Allah.

Islam as a way of life embraces most decisively all the manifold aspects or activities of human existence: spiritual and material, moral and physical, emotional and intellectual, and personal and social. Islam provides the confluence of the essence of this existence and the next, the meeting point of the body, the mind, and the spirit, where all three unite to form a single reality, the basis of which is a real living consciousness of the One Almighty God. It also shows the practical way of realizing and living this reality.

Islam is a religion of breathtaking simplicity. Its message is direct and uncomplicated, it easily appeals to logic and rationality. Islam lacks complicated philosophy and dogmas in its system of belief and practice in comparison to other religions. For example, there is the concept of original sin, no misdeeds of a past life standing in between man and his destiny, no mortification of the flesh, no reincarnation of God, no vicarious atonement, no renunciation of the world, no life of celibacy and monasticism, and no living spiritual head. There is no hierachy of clergy or priesthood to mediate between God and believers, no confession of one’s sins to another human being, no moral authority of one human being over another, no worshipping of saints, no any kind of middle man standing between a believer and God, no inequality in the sight of God except for righteousness, no association of partners with God, no representation of God by images, and no worship of images. Each Muslim (born and converted) has access directly to God, to the Book, and to the Prophet’s teachings. Conversion to Islam is simple and achieved by sincere recitation of the testimony of faith, “There is no deity worthy of worship except Allah; Muhammad is His messenger.” Islam provides a healthy balance between the affairs of this life and the hereafter. The choice between this life and the hereafter is not either this or that, as in some religions, but both, expressed in the Qur’an as pursuance of your “Dunya” (this life) and your “Akhera” (the hereafter).