Brief Introduction to Islam

By Shamsul Huda Qasmi

The word Islam is derived from the root word Salam which means peace, and submission to God. This submission requires a fully conscious and willing efforts to submit to the one Almighty God. One must consciously and carefully surrender oneself to the service of Allah. This means to act upon what Allah enjoins upon all of us to do (in the Qur'an) and what His beloved Prophet, Muhammad (pbuh) encouraged us to do in his Sunnah (his lifestyle and sayings while defining the Qur'an). Once we submit ourselves, abstain from our egoism and selfishness and submit ourselves totally to Allah, in faith and in action, we will surely feel peace in our hearts and souls. Establishing peace in our hearts will result in peace in our external conduct as well. Islam always reminds us that it is not a religion to be paid mere lip services, but it is a system of life and encompasses every sphere of life. It must be practiced continuously. Every Muslim must believe and practise the five pillars of this heavenly religion: The declaration of faith in oneness of Allah and prophethood of Muhammad (pbuh), Five time Salah (prayer) Fasting the complete month of Ramadan, Paying poor due on certain amount (Zakah) Pilgrimage to The Holy house of Makkah if one can afford the journey; Moreover faith and belief is extended in the six articles of faith: belief in God, Almighty, the Holy Books, the prophets, the angels, the Day of Judgment and decree of fate, good or bad. With reference to the above definition, a true Muslim is one who submits his will to the will of Allah, Almighty, and believes and practices the five pillars of Islam. Muslims also believe in All prophets sent to different people to guide them from time to time like Abraham, Moses, Jacob, Joseph and so forth. A Muslim can never be a true Muslim without reposing faith in all these prophets sent by God. Islam must be clearly understood as there are many misconceptions about Islam due to the misrepresentation of Islam through media. There is no concept and place of "Fundamentalism and Extremism" in Islam. The western media has coined this term to brand those Muslims who wish to return to the basic fundamental principles of Islam and want to live their lives accordingly. Islam is a religion of moderation and a practicing. Believing in one and worshiping Him alone. God fearing Muslim can neither be a fanatic nor an extremist at all. Islam always teaches its followers peace and harmony among the people and society. At the end of this brief introduction to Islam, we pray to God that he enable us to understand the teachings of Islam in a more clear approach.