1. What is Islam?

Islam is the Arabic word for submission. When we speak of Islam in a religious sense it is submission to the One God. Here are several verses from the Quran that elaborate on the topic

3:19. Religion with God is Islam (submission). Those to whom The Decree was given differed only after knowledge came to them, out of envy among themselves. Whoever rejects the signs of God—God is quick to take account.

30:30. So devote yourself to the religion of hanif (monotheism)—the natural instinct God has instilled in mankind. There is no altering God’s creation. This is the upright religion, but most people do not know.

The answer to: ‘who is a Muslim?’ can be derived simply from the definition of Islam. A Muslim is one who practices Islam, that is, submission to the One God.

2. Who was the founder of Islam?

Islam has no proper founder. It is the timeless religion all the prophets and messengers of God preached.

42:13. He prescribed for you the same religion He enjoined upon Noah, and what We inspired to you, and what We enjoined upon Abraham, and Moses, and Jesus: “You shall uphold the religion, and be not divided therein.” As for the mushriks (polythiest), what you call them towards is outrageous to them. God chooses for Himself whom He wills, and He guides to Himself whoever repents.

6:161. Say, “My Lord has guided me to a straight path, an upright religion, the tradition of Abraham the monothiest, who was not a mushrik (polythiest).”

3. What is the Quran?

‘Quran’ is the Arabic word meaning ‘recital.’ The Quran is the Arabic recital revealed by God to the Prophet Muhammad in the early 7th century c.e.

10:37. This Quran (recital) could not have been produced by anyone other than God. In fact, it is a confirmation of what preceded it, and an elaboration of The Decree. There is no doubt about it—it is from the Lord of the Universe.

59:21 Had We sent this Quran down on a mountain, you would have seen it trembling, crumbling in awe of God. These parables We cite for the people, so that they may reflect.

The Quran has been recited and memorized by the Muslim community since the time of the prophet Muhammad being preserved both textually and in the hearts and minds of its devotees. Nobody knows exactly how many people alive today have dedicated the Quran to memory but it can vary from tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands. This affirms the verses of the Quran which follow:

54:17 and certainly we have made the Quran easy for remembrance so is there any who will remember?

The Quran contains 114 chapters referred to as surahs in Arabic. They are presented without a linear narrative, each chapter having self contained themes. The subjects can vary from the signs of God’s creation in nature, to promises and warnings regarding the afterlife and mankind’s moral accountability, it also includes various stories about the previous prophets and instructions to the community of believers.

The Quran claims to be from God and to be a relevant notification to all people

6:19 Say, “What thing is more solemn in testimony?” Say, “God is Witness between you and me. This Quran was revealed to me, that I may warn you with it, and whomever it may reach. Do you indeed testify that there are other gods with God?” Say, “I myself do not testify.” Say, “He is but One God, and I am innocent of your idolatry.”

7:158. Say, “O people, I am the Messenger of God to you all—He to whom belongs the kingdom of the heavens and the earth. There is no god but He. He gives life and causes death.” So believe in God and His Messenger, the gentile Prophet, who believes in God and His words. And follow him, so that you may be guided.

4. Who is God in Islam?

The Quran provides several verses that succinctly describe God.

112:1-4 Say: He is God, The One. God The Absolute He begets not nor was He begotten And there is none comparable to Him.

2:255 God! There is no god except He, the Living, the Everlasting. Neither slumber overtakes Him, nor sleep. To Him belongs everything in the heavens and everything on earth. Who is he that can intercede with Him except with His permission? He knows what is before them, and what is behind them; and they cannot grasp any of His knowledge, except as He wills. His Throne extends over the heavens and the earth, and their preservation does not burden Him. He is the Most High, the Great.

24:35 35. God is the Light of the heavens and the earth. The allegory of His light is that of a pillar on which is a lamp. The lamp is within a glass. The glass is like a brilliant planet, fueled by a blessed tree, an olive tree, neither eastern nor western. Its oil would almost illuminate, even if no fire has touched it. Light upon Light. God guides to His light whomever He wills. God thus cites the parables for the people. God is cognizant of everything.

Allah is the Arabic word for God. It is the same name used by all Arabs to refer to God regardless of their religion.

17:110 Say, “Call Him God, or call Him the Most Merciful. Whichever name you use, to Him belong the Best Names.” And be neither loud in your prayer, nor silent in it, but follow a course in between.

God in Islam as communicated to Muhammad in the Quran is described as The Creator and The Controller of all things. He gives life and causes death. He is the Lord of the Universe

5. What does God want from humanity?

The Quran is full of various instructions to mankind and specifically the believers. The following verses are demonstrative.

49:13. O people! We created you from a male and a female, and made you races and tribes, that you may know one another. The best among you in the sight of God is the most reverent. God is All-Knowing, Acquainted.

4:36 Serve God, and ascribe no partners to Him, and be good to the parents, and the relatives, and the orphans, and the poor, and the neighbor next door, and the distant neighbor, and the close associate, and the traveler, and your servants. God does not love the arrogant showoff.

2:177 Righteousness does not consist of turning your faces towards the East and the West. But righteous is he who believes in God, and the Last Day, and the angels, and The Decree, and the prophets. Who gives money, though dear, to near relatives, and orphans, and the needy, and the homeless, and the beggars, and for the freeing of slaves; those who perform the prayers, and pay for charity, and fulfill their promise when they promise, and patiently persevere in the face of persecution, hardship, and in the time of conflict. These are the sincere; these are the pious.

4:135-136 O you who believe! Stand firmly for justice, as witnesses to God, even if against yourselves, or your parents, or your relatives. Whether one is rich or poor, God takes care of both. So do not follow your desires, lest you swerve. If you deviate, or turn away—then God is Aware of what you do.

O you who believe! Believe in God and His messenger, and the decree He sent down to His messenger, and the decree He sent down before. Whoever rejects God, His angels, His decrees, His messengers, and the Last Day, has strayed far in error

6. The Hereafter

One of the primary messages delivered in the Quran is knowledge of the hereafter. This is one of the more difficult things for Muhammad’s people to accept when he began reciting the Quran for them and the people today have the same reluctance to accept certain realities such as the resurrection of the dead, Judgement Day and the Hereafter.

God wants to inform people about their eventual resurrection and judgment. He wants to promise those who do good Gardens of eternity and warn those who do evil of the fire of hell. He wants to remind us of our moral accountability. Here are some verses that touch upon the topic.

17:49-51 And they say, “When we have become bones and fragments, shall we really be resurrected as a new creation?” Say, “Even if you become rocks or iron” Or some substance, which, in your minds, is even harder.” Then they will say, “Who will restore us?” Say, “The One who originated you the first time.” Then they will nod their heads at you, and say, “When will it be?” Say, “Perhaps it will be soon.”

45:24-26 And they say, “There is nothing but this our present life; we die and we live, and nothing destroys us except time.” But they have no knowledge of that; they are only guessing. When Our clarifying Verses are recited to them, their only argument is to say, “Bring back our ancestors, if you are truthful.” Say, “God gives you life, then He makes you die; then He gathers you for the Day of Resurrection, about which there is no doubt. But most people do not know.”

82:1-6 When the sky breaks apart. When the planets are scattered. When the oceans explode. When the tombs are strewn around. Each soul will know what it has advanced, and what it has deferred. O mankind! What deluded you concerning your Lord, the Most Generous?

78:17-30 The Day of Sorting has been appointed.The Day when the Trumpet is blown, and you will come in droves.. And the sky is opened up, and becomes gateways. And the mountains are set in motion, and become a mirage. Hell is lying in ambush. For the oppressors, a destination. Where they will remain for eons. They will taste therein neither coolness, nor drink Except boiling water, and freezing hail. A fitting requital. For they were not anticipating any reckoning. And they denied Our signs utterly. But We have enumerated everything in writing.. So taste! We will increase you only in suffering.

9:72. God promises the believers, men and women, gardens beneath which rivers flow, abiding therein forever, and fine homes in the Gardens of Eden. But approval from God is even greater. That is the supreme achievement.

7. What does the Quran say about previous prophets?

All prophets preached and practiced Islam, submission to God. Some of these prophets are mentioned in the Quran most of whom would be familiar to anyone who has read the Hewbrew or Greek bibles.

2:136. Say, “We believe in God; and in what was revealed to us; and in what was revealed to Abraham, and Ishmael, and Isaac, and Jacob, and the descendants; and in what was given to Moses and Jesus; and in what was given to the prophets—from their Lord. We make no distinction between any of them, and to Him we surrender.”

It is important to mention Jesus in the Quran because he is particularly pertinent to many who may read this.

In the Quran Jesus is celebrated as a righteous servant of God, Jesus performed miracles with God’s permission, His mother is praised as a righteous woman and Jesus’ virgin birth is affirmed. The Quran even affirms Jesus as the Jewish Messiah. It is, however, emphatically denied that Jesus is God or that God should have a son.

4:171 O People of the Scripture! Do not exaggerate in your religion, and do not say about God except the truth. The Messiah, Jesus, the son of Mary, is the Messenger of God, and His Word that He conveyed to Mary, and a Spirit from Him. So believe in God and His messengers, and do not say, “Three.” Refrain—it is better for you. God is only one God. Glory be to Him—that He should have a son. To Him belongs everything in the heavens and the earth, and God is a sufficient Protector.