The word Islam is an Arabic word used for a 1400 year old religion followed by 1.2 billion people around the world today. Islam is a monotheistic Abrahamic religion. Islam means submission and devotion to One deity, God. Islam shares the fundamental theology of the religions brought by Adam, Noah, Moses and Jesus: the worship of the One true God without ascribing partners to Him.
The linguistic Meaning of Islam
So, what is Islam? As all pure Arabic words, the meaning of Islam is understood from the three letter root word from which it is derived. Understanding the root word gives the derived word its fuller meaning. Islam comes from the root sa-la-ma—from the letters seen-meem-laam—which gives it the meaning of submission. Thus, in its religious context, Islam means “submission to God”.
The followers of the religion of Islam are called Muslims. The word “Muslim”, derived from the word Islam, means “the one who submits.” And, in this context, submission is to God, Allah. Thus, from this linguistic meaning, we can understand that the fundamental principle of Islam is submission to God.
What Does Submission to God Mean?
As mentioned above, what Islam means is “submission to God”. This concept requires some clarification. In the context of Islam, submission to God is the acceptance of His commands and prohibitions. Submission is through understanding God, understanding the reason and purpose for which He gave life, and fulfilling that purpose in the way that He ordained.
As God states in the Quran, in chapter 51, verse 56, “and I (Allah) created not the Jinn and mankind except to worship Me.” According to the scholar of Islam, Ibn Taymiyyah, "Worship is obedience to God by carrying out what He has commanded on the tongues of His messengers." For example, the messenger Muhammad said, "greeting your brother with a smiling face is charity…Giving directions to a person who is lost is charity. Giving assistance to a person with weak eyesight is charity…”
In, Surah 16, verse 90, Allah lists some commandments, "Indeed Allaah enjoins upon you justice, kindness and the giving of good to relatives and near ones. And He prohibits you from all shameful and evil deeds, oppression and transgression." Ibn Taymiyyah also said, "Worship is a collective term for everything which Allah loves and is pleased with from among the sayings and inward and outward actions." Thus, God ordained worship through obedience and submission of the heart—inward actions—and the limbs—outward actions.
Islam is the Continuation of the Previous Prophetic Traditions
Islam is the successor to the religion of Noah, the religion of Abraham, the religion of Moses, and the religion of Jesus. As the prophet Muhammad said, “The prophets are brothers and their religion is one, although they are of different mothers.” This can be found in the most authentic book of his sayings, Sahih Bukhari. Also, God states in the Quran, in chapter 21, verse 25, “And We sent not before you any messenger except that We revealed to him that, ‘There is no deity except Me, so worship Me.’”
As mentioned earlier, the main precept of Islam is worship of One deity, God. The fundamental principle governing all the Abrahamic religions is the concept of monotheism. In Islamic terminology, monotheism is called Tawheed—a comprehensive Arabic term. Tawheed can be summarized in the statement, “there is no deity worthy of worship except God.” This statement negates the existence of any deities besides God, and affirms the existence of God and His unique quality of Lordship.
What is Islam?
Thus, Islam means submission, and the religion of Islam is a monotheistic religion calling to submission to One deity, God. Islam shares the fundamental theology of the religions brought by Adam, Noah, Moses and Jesus: the worship of the One true God. Islam is not a religion based merely on rituals, but rather its concept of worship transcends rituals to include such things as taking care of the family, kindness to animals and people, and service to humanity. Anything beneficial to people or society can be counted as an act of worship if it is not done to seek the pleasure of anyone besides God. And that is the meaning of submission to God.
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Ibn Hasan, Abdur-Rahmaan. "AbdurRahman.org [The Meaning of Worship]."
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