God’s religion is one religion. It is that one religion
which has always been revealed to prophets, but
man, in his carelessness, has always marred or
altered the true way. Prophet Muhammad revived
the divine religion and presented it in scriptural
form for posterity. His religion is the true religion
until the end of time. It is the only way to achieve
closeness to God and salvation in the afterlife.
He taught that God is One; He has no partner. He
created all things and has complete control over the
universe. We should serve Him and submit to Him
alone. In Him should we repose our hopes and to
Him should we pray. Though He cannot be seen, he
is so close to us that he hears and answers us when
we call upon Him. There is no greater sin than to
consider that He could have any counterpart or
equal.
There is no intermediary between God and man. By
remembering God, a person establishes direct
contact with Him; there is no need for any go
between. No one will be able to intercede before
God in the Hereafter either. He will decide
everyone’s case according to His own knowledge;
no one will be able to influence His judgement. God
is not accountable to anyone for His decisions. All
His judgements are based on wisdom and justice;
He is not influenced by intercession and proximity.
Worship of God is much more than just superficial
rituals; it is total submission. If one worships God,
then one devotes oneself entirely to one’s Lord,
fearing Him, loving Him, having hopes in Him, and
concentrating on Him alone. Worship of God is
total self-surrender; it is much more than occasional
observance of mere formalities.
When dealing with others, we should always bear
in mind that God is watching over us. He will deal
with us as we have dealt with others. So, in order to
avoid recrimination when our actions are weighed
up on the divine scales of justice, it is essential that
we avoid evils such as cruelty, dishonesty, pride,
antagonism, jealousy, selfishness and callousness. If
one fears God, one will not treat His creatures with
disdain, for those who mistreat God’s creatures
should not expect kindness from the Creator; only
those who have treated others well deserve good
treatment from Him.
The Prophet taught that the only acceptable life is
one of total obedience to God. The basic principles
of this life are forms of subservience as laid down in
the Qur’an, and God’s Prophet has demonstrated
them practically in his life. The only life pleasing to
God, then, is one which follows the guidance of the
Qur’an and the example set by the Holy Prophet.
The religion which the Prophet left us guides us in
every walk of life; everyone should proceed in
accordance with the scheme with which he has
provided us. This scheme is based on certain tenets
on which the whole of the Islamic life is based.
Firstly, there is the testimony: “There is no one
worthy of being served save God, and Muhammad
is His messenger.” This declaration marks man’s
exit from one arena and his entry into another—his
departure from all that is un-Islamic and his
inclusion in the ranks of Islam. Secondly, prayer,
that is worship five times a day in the manner of the
Prophet. Thirdly, fasting, a test of patience and
endurance annually performed during the month of
Ramadan. Fourthly zakat, the setting aside of a fixed
portion of one’s income for the poor. Fifthly,
pilgrimage, a visit to the House of God at least once
in a lifetime, if one has the means. When one fulfills
these five conditions, one becomes part of the
prophetically established Islamic brotherhood.
Life can be lived in either of two ways; it can be
founded either on the Hereafter or on the world. In
the former case, the Prophet’s guidance is accepted
and a person forms his beliefs and arranges his life
according to his instructions. In the latter case a
person guides himself, letting his own intellect
dictate the way he thinks and acts. The first person
can be called a God-worshipper, while the second is
a self-worshipper.
There are several parts to the credo based on
prophetic guidance: belief in God, the angels, the
scriptures, the prophets, the resurrection of man
and life after death, heaven and hell, as well as
recognition of God as the overriding Lord and
Sovereign. If one bases one’s life on these tenets of
faith, then one has truly submitted oneself to God.
All one’s efforts in the world become oriented
towards the Hereafter. One’s worship, sacrifices, life
and death are all dedicated to God and His
prophets.
The self-guided life, on the other hand, is a free and
unprincipled one. One who lives such a life is
unconcerned about the nature of reality. He believes
what he wants to; he passes his time in whatever
way his intellect and desires direct him; his efforts
all centre on worldly gain; he develops into the sort
of person he wishes to be, rather than what God
and His prophets would like to see.
People who adhere to the religion of some previous
prophet can only be counted as God’s true servants
if they believe in the Prophet of Islam. Belief in him
is in no way incompatible with adherence to their
own religion in its most complete and perfect
possible form. Those who deny his prophethood are
proving by their actions that all they follow is a
religion of conventional norms and prejudices, to
which they have attached a prophet’s name. Those
who follow a religion simply because it is their
national one can never discover the divine religion
which the prophet brought. The veil of their
prejudices will never allow them to see the truth
which God has revealed to the last of His prophets.
Those who really believe in God and His prophets
recognize the religion of the Prophet of Islam as
their own. They receive it with enthusiasm as one
does a long-lost belonging.
Ref - The Way to Find God
- by Maulana Wahiduddin Khan
