Islam simply means to submit our will to Allah, the Most High. It is to say that if a person has surrendered his wills and desires to obey the Lord of all creation, Allah (may He be glorified) then he indeed has fulfilled his Islam. An example of it could be that, a person has a desire to engage in premarital sex but he has surrendered his desire to restrain himself from such act so that he doesn't go against what Allah has revealed to us in His book. This basically is Islam. Every Prophet and Messenger (عَـلَـيْهِمُ السَّلَام) submitted their will to Allah, thus they were all muslim. A muslim is someone who prioritizes the will of Allah rather than worshipping his own wills which are neither just nor has overall goodness in it. With this I say that, any person who has neglected his will and embraced the divine will of Allah has protected himself from the harms of this life and afterlife.
There are 5 pillers of Islam mentioned in the Hadith of Prophet (ﷺ) recorded in Imam Bukhari's (may Allah have mercy on his soul) Sahih-
عَنِ ابْنِ عُمَرَ ـ رضى الله عنهما ـ قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم " بُنِيَ الإِسْلاَمُ عَلَى خَمْسٍ شَهَادَةِ أَنْ لاَ إِلَهَ إِلاَّ اللَّهُ وَأَنَّ مُحَمَّدًا رَسُولُ اللَّهِ، وَإِقَامِ الصَّلاَةِ، وَإِيتَاءِ الزَّكَاةِ، وَالْحَجِّ، وَصَوْمِ رَمَضَانَ
Narrated Ibn 'Umar:
Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said: Islam is based on (the following) five (principles):
1. To testify that none has the right to be worshipped but Allah and Muhammad is Allah's Messenger (ﷺ).
2. To offer the (compulsory congregational) prayers dutifully and perfectly.
3. To pay Zakat (i.e. obligatory charity) .
4. To perform Hajj (i.e. Pilgrimage to Mecca).
5. To observe fast during the month of Ramadan.
[The Hadith is authentic]
From this I say that, Declaration of Faith, Prayer, Zakat (obligatory charity), Hajj (pilgrimage) and Fasting the month of Ramadan are the foundation of Islam. Many misunderstand this and assume that, Islam is limited in only these five acts which is not true. As mentioned before, Obeying Allah (may He be glorified) by surrendering our own whims and desires is Islam. So obeying Him (Allah) in every aspect of one's life is also Islam. But indeed, the five acts mentioned above are the foundation of Islam and there is no denying it. We must not leave the foundation nor should we limit Islam in only its foundation.
No doubt that Islam is a blessing from Allah to us, it is a complete religion which gives us the manual for success in both lives and Islam is the only religion that is acceptable in the sight of Allah. Regarding such, Allah says in His book, Quran (the final revelation) :
[3:19]
إِنَّ ٱلدِّينَ عِندَ ٱللَّهِ ٱلْإِسْلَٰمُ
"The Religion before Allah is Islam (submission to His Will)."
[5:3]
الْيَوْمَ أَكْمَلْتُ لَكُمْ دِينَكُمْ وَأَتْمَمْتُ عَلَيْكُمْ نِعْمَتِي وَرَضِيتُ لَكُمُ الْإِسْلَامَ دِينًا
"This day I have perfected for you your religion and completed My favor upon you and have approved for you Islam as religion."
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Beginners guide to Islam (Vol-01)
Non-FictionIn Volume-01 of "Beginners guide to Islam", very important religious matters such as "What is Islam?", "Declaration of Faith", "Basis of Faith and its articles", "Belief in Allah" which includes "Tawheed" and "Shirk" were discussed in details and th...
