Islam
is from Allah, The Creator and Sustainer of all that exists. Islam
did not originate with the prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him.
Since
the time of Adam, peace be upon him, Almighty God has set forth
Rights and Limits. The Creator and Sustainer of all that exists
(Allah) has ordained for mankind a Way of Life.
The prophet
Moses, peace be upon him, received the Commandments for his people
that included legislation and laws for the tribes of Israel to follow.
They even included dietary and health laws. Torah (Old
Testament) means literaly "law." The first and
highest Right of all is God's Right over His creation that they
never worship any other god, besides Him. This is the first Commandment
sent down on Mt. Siani to Moses and his followers. [Exodus 20]
As such,
it is for Almight God, Himself to dictate by His Command and Direct
His creation as He Determines is best and He Alone is responsible
for what He will accept and what He will not accept. It is also
for Him Alone to decree what is good and what is bad and He must
be the One to show the right path in all things.
Jesus,
peace be upon him, came to confirm this Way of Life and to enforce
its Law for his followers. His early followers were called "People
of the Way." [Acts 11] And this of course, this refers
to the Way of Jesus, in submission to God's Law; meaning to keep
the Commandments of God. Jesus, peace be upon him, taught that no
one could enter the Paradise unless they love God Almighty with
all of their heart, mind and soul and keep His Commandments. He
even clarified this Way, by saying if anyone even broke the least
of Commandments and taught this to others, they would be the least
in the Next Life. Yet, whoever would keep the Commandments and teach
this, they would be the highest in the Next Life. [Matt. 5:17,
19]
We can
understand this Way of life in two very simple terms: Rights
and Limitations.
Everything
in the material existance of life must be dictated and clarified
by the One who Created everything in the fist place. We understand
from this that Islam must be a complete and total way of living,
explaining everything in the life from beginning to end and from
birth until death. of the creations of Allah, especially for those
who have choices to make (us),
Islam
came in its complete and final form over 1,400 years ago with the
advent of the prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him. The Quran of
Allah and the teachings of Muhammad, peace be upon him, are careful
to remind us that it not a mere man-made religion to be paid mere
lip service; rather it is an all-encompassing Way of life that must
be practiced continuously for it to be Islam.
There
are other injunctions and commandments which concern virtually all
facets of one's personal, family and civic life. These include such
matters as diet, clothing, personal hygiene, interpersonal relations,
business ethics, responsibilities towards parents, spouse and children,
marriage, divorce and inheritance, civil and criminal law, fighting
in defense of Islam, relations with non-Muslims, and so much more.
In conclusion,
we are forced to realize that ISLAM is a complete Way of life for
the human being. Everything is covered in Islam from birth to death
to live in the complete submission to the Will of the One Who Created
man in the first place.
