Where is the TRUTH?

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The individuals sereaching for the truth:

Where is the TRUTH?

ظ…طظ…ط¯ طµط§ط¯ظ‚ أ‌أ 2009-03-10

Indeed, they all encourage people to do good. So, which one is right? They cannot all be right since each claims all others are wrong. Then how does the seeker of truth choose the right way? 
 
God gave us all minds and intellects to enable us to make this crucial decision. It is the most important decision in the life of a human being. Upon it depends his future, consequently, each and every one of us must examine dispassionately the evidence presented and choose

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what appears to be right until further evidence arises. Like every other religion, Islam also claims to be the one and only true way to God. In this respect it is no different from other systems.  
 
I intend to provide some evidence for the validity of that claim. However, one can only determine the true path by putting aside emotions and prejudgment. Then, will we be able to use our God-given tools and make a rational and correct decision. 
 
The first thing that one should know and clearly understand about Islam is what the word ‘Islam” itself means. The Arabic word “Islam” means to be in peace with Allah through total obedience to the only true God, known in Arabic as “Allah”, relatively you will be named in 
Arabic a “Muslim”. The religion of Islam is not named after a person or a people, nor was it decided by a later generation of man, as in the case of Christianity which was named after Jesus Christ, Buddhism after Gautama Buddha, Judaism after the tribe of Judah and Hinduism after the Hindus. 
 
Islam is the religion which was given to Adam, the first man and the first prophet of God, and it was the religion of all the prophets and messengers sent by Allah to mankind. Further its name was chosen by God Himself and clearly mentioned in the final scripture which He revealed to man. In that final revelation, called in Arabic the Qur’an Allah states the following: Translated as: 
“This day have I perfected your religion for you, completed My favor upon you, and have chosen for you Islam as your religion.” Qur’an 5:3 
Islam does not claim to be a new religion brought by the messenger Mohammed into Arabia in the seventh century, but rather to be a re-expression in its final form of the true religion of Almighty God, Allah, as it was originally revealed to Adam and subsequent Prophets. 
 
Then, what was Jesus’ religion in actual fact, as distinct from its name? Both the name Jesus and the name Christ are derived from Hebrew words, through Greek and Latin. Jesus is the English and Latin form of the Greek Iesous, which in Hebrew is Yeshua (Joshua). 
The Greek word Christos is a translation of the Hebrew (for) 'messiah', which is a title meaning (the appointed) His religion was reflected in his teachings, which he urged his followers to accept as guiding principles in their relationship with God. 
In Islam, Jesus is a Prophet and Messenger sent by Allah and his Arabic name is Eesa. Like the Prophets before him, he called upon the people to be in total obedience to the will of God (which is what Islam stands for). For example, in the New Testament it is stated that Jesus taught his followers to pray to God as follows: Translated as: 
“Our father in heaven, hallowed be your name, may your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” Luke 11:2/Matthew 6:9-10 This concept was emphasized by Jesus in a number of his statements recorded in the Gospels. He taught, for example, that only those who submitted would inherit paradise. Jesus also pointed out that he himself submitted to the will of God. Translated as: 
“None of those who call me ‘Lord’ will enter the kingdom of God, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven.” Matthew 7:21 
“I cannot do anything of myself I judge as I hear and my judgment is honest because I am not seeking my own will but the will of Him who sent me.” John 5:30 
Thus, Jesus like the Prophets before him and the one who came after him, taught the religion of Islam: be in peace with God (Allah in Arabic) and total obedience to the will of the one true God. 
Since the total obedience of one’s will to God represents the essence of worship, the basic message of God’s divine religion, Islam, is the worship of God alone. It also requires the avoidance of worship directed to any person, place or thing other than God. He is the only one deserving of man’s worship, Jesus did not tell his followers to worship him but to worship God, as the Quran states: Translated as: 
“And behold! Allah will say: ‘O Jesus, the son of Mary! Did you say to men, worship me and my mother as gods besides Allah?, He will say: “Glory to you, I could never say what I had no right.” Qur’an 5:118 Nor did Jesus worship himself when he worshipped, but rather he worshipped God. And Jesus was reported in the Gospels to have said. Translated as: 
“It is written: 'Worship the Lord your God and serve Him only.’” Luke 4:8 It is worth emphasizing that the basic message of Islam (the worship of God alone) also proclaims that God and His creation are distinctly different entities. God is neither equal to His creation nor a part of it, nor is His creation equal to Him or a part of Him. However, the message of Islam, as brought by the Prophets of God, is to worship only One God and to avoid the worship of His creation either directly or indirectly. 
In the Qur’an God clearly states: Translated as: 
“For we assuredly sent amongst every people a prophet, with the command Worship Me and avoid false Gods.” Qur’an 16:36 
When idol worshippers are questioned as to why they bow down to idols created by men, the invariable reply is that they are not actually worshipping the stone image, but God who is present within it. They claim that the stone idol is only a focal point for God’s essence and is 
not in itself God! One who has accepted the concept of God being present in any way within His creation will be obliged to accept this argument for idolatry. Whereas, one who understands the basic message of Islam and its implications would never agree to idolatry no matter how it is rationalized. 
It should be abundantly clear by now that one who has grasped the basic message of Islam and its implications could never agree to worship another human being (Moses, Jesus, or Muhammud) 
under any circumstance. 
God’s religion, in essence, is a clear call to the worship of the Creator and the rejection of creation-worship in any form. This is the meaning of the main concept of Islam: 
“La ilaha illa Allah” (there is no God but Allah). 
The sincere declaration of this phrase and the acceptance of prophet hood automatically bring one within the fold of Islam. Belief in this declaration of faith requires that one to be in total obedience to the will of God. It also requires the believer to give up the worship of false gods. 
 
There are so many sects, cults, religions, and movements in the world, all of which claim to be the right way or the only true path of God. How can one determine which one is correct or whether, in fact, all are correct? One method by which the answer can be found is to clear away the superficial differences in the teachings of the various claimants to the ultimate truth, and identifies the central object of worship upon which they call, directly or indirectly. 
False religions all have in common one basic concept with regard to God they either claim that all men are gods, or that specific men were god, or that nature is god, or that god is a figment of man’s imagination. 
Thus, it may be stated that the basic message of false religion is that God may be worshipped in the form of His creation. False religions invite man to the worship of creation by calling the creation or some aspect of it god. For example, Prophet and Messenger Jesus invited his followers to worship God, but those who claim to be Jesus’ followers today call people to worship Jesus, claiming that he was god. Obvious, not all Christians claim that he is god. 
 
Buddha was a reformer who introduced a number of humanistic principles in the religion of India. He did not claim to be god, nor did he suggest to his followers that he be an object of worship. Yet today most Buddhists who are to be found outside of India have taken him to be god and they prostrate themselves to idols made in their perception of his likeness. 
 
By using the principle of identifying the object of worship, we can easily detect false religions and the contrived nature of their origin. As God said in the Qur’an: Translated as: 
“That which you worship besides Him are only names and you and your forefathers have invented for which Allah has sent down no authority: the command belongs only to Allah He has command that you worship Him; that is the right religion, but most men do not understand.” Qur’an 12:40 
It may be argued that all religions teach good things, so why should it matter which one we follow? The reply is that all false religions teach the greatest evil the worship of creation. Creation-worship is the greatest sin that man can commit because it contradicts the very 
purpose of His creation. Man was created to worship God alone as Allah has explicitly stated in the Qur’an: Translated as: 
“I have only created jinns and men, that they may worship Me” Qur’an 51:56 
Consequently , the worship of creation, which is the essence of idolatry is the only unforgivable sin. One who dies in this state of idolatry, has sealed his fate in the next life. This is not an opinion, but a revealed fact stated by God in his final revelation to man: translated as: 
“Verily Allah will not forgive the joining of partners with Him, but He may forgive (sins) less than that for whomsoever He wishes.” Qur’an 4:48 and 116 
The true religion of God cannot be confined to any human, place, or period of time. Nor is it logical that such a religion should impose conditions that have nothing to do with the 
relationship of man with God, such as baptism, or belief in man as a savior, or an intermediary. Within the central principle of Islam and its definition (to be in total obedience to the will of God) lie the roots of Islam’s universality. Whenever man comes to the realization that God is one and distinct from His creation, and submits himself to God, he becomes a Muslim in body and spirit. 
 
Consequently, anyone at any time in the most remote regions of the world can become Muslim, a follower of God’s religion, Islam, by merely rejecting the worship of creation and turning to God alone. Indeed, man is endowed by God with the power not only to distinguish right from wrong but also to choose between them. 
These God-given powers carry with them an important responsibility, that man is answerable to God for the choices he makes. It follows, then, that man should try his utmost to do good and avoid evil. These concepts are expressed in the Qur’an. Translated as: 
“Verily, those who believe (in the Qur’an), and those who follow the Jewish faith, and the Christians, and the Sabians (angel-and-star-worshippers) -- any of these who believe in Allah and the Last Day and work righteousness shall have their reward with their Lord. They will not be overcome by fear or grief.” Qur’an 2:62 
The question which arises here is: How can all people be expected to believe in the one true God, given their varying backgrounds, societies and cultures? For people to be held responsible for worshipping the one true God, they all need to have access to knowledge of Him. The final revelation teaches that all humans being have the recognition of the one true God imprinted on their souls as a part of their very nature (Fitrah) with which they are created. 
In the Qur’an chapter 7: 172-173, God explained that when He created Adam He caused all of Adam’s descendants to come into existence and He took a pledge from them saying: Translated as: 
“Am I not your Lord?’ To which they all replied, ‘Yes, we testify to it”  Allah then explained why He had all of mankind bear witness that He is their creator and the only true God worthy of worship. He said: Translated as: 
“That was in case you (mankind) should say on the day of Resurrection, ‘Verily we were unaware of all this’” Qur’an 7:172 That is to say, we cannot claim on that day that we had no idea that Allah, was our God and that no one told us that we were only supposed to worship Allah alone. Allah went on to further explain that: Translated as: 
“It was also in case you should say, ‘Certainly it was our ancestors who made partners (with Allah) and we are only their descendants; will you then destroy us for what those liars did?’” Qur’an 7:173 
Thus, every child is born with a natural belief in God and an in-born inclination to worship 
Him alone. This in-born belief and inclination is called in Arabic the “Fitrah“ means ( natural belief in God and man’s in-born inclination to worship Him). 
 
If the child were left alone, he would worship God in his own way, but all children are affected by the environment. So, just as the child submits to the physical laws, which Allah has imposed on nature, in the same way his soul also submits naturally to the fact that Allah is his Lord and Creator. But, if his parents try to make him follow a different path, the child is not strong enough in the early stages of his life to resist or oppose the will of his parents. In such cases, the religion, which the child follows, is one of custom and upbringing, and God does not hold him to account or punish him for his religion up to a certain stage of his life. 
 
Throughout people’s lives, from childhood until the time they die, signs of the one and only true God are shown to them in all regions of the earth and in their own souls, until it becomes clear that there is only one true God (Allah). God says in the Qur’an: Translated as: 
“We will show them our signs In the furthest regions (of the earth) and in their souls, until it becomes clear to them that this is the truth.” [Qur’an 41:53] 
Allah mentions Prophet Abraham’s quest for God, as an example of how those who follow His 
signs will be rightly guided: Translated as; 
“So also did we show Abraham the power and the Laws of the heavens and the earth that he might (with understanding) have certitude. When the night covered him over, he saw a star. He said: ‘This is my Lord.’ But when it set, he said: ‘I love not those that 
set’ When he saw the moon rising in splendor, he said: ‘This is my Lord.’ But when the moon set, he said: ‘Unless my Lord guide me, I shall surely be among those who go astray.’ When he saw the rising sun in splendor, he said: ‘This is my Lord this is the greatest (of all).’ But when the sun set, he said; ‘O my people I am indeed free from your (guilt) of giving partners to Allah. For me, I have set my face, firmly and truly, towards Him who created the heavens and the earth, and never shall I give partners to Allah” Qur’an 6:75-79 
As was mentioned earlier, Prophets have been sent to every nation and tribe to support man’s natural belief in God and man’s in-born inclination to worship Him, as well as to reinforce the divine truth in the daily signs revealed by God. Although much of these Prophets’ teachings became distorted, portions revealing their God-inspired messages have remained untainted and have served to guide mankind in the choice between right and wrong. 
The influence of God inspired messages down through the ages can be seen in the “Ten Commandments” of Judaism’s Torah which were later adopted into Christianity’s teachings, as well as in the existence of laws against murder, stealing and adultery in most societies throughout the ancient and modern world. 
 
As a result of God’s signs to mankind through the ages combined with His revelation through His Prophets, all mankind has been given a chance to recognize the only one true God. Consequently, every soul will be held accountable for its belief in God and its acceptance of the 
true religion of God, namely Islam, which means total obedience to the will of Allah. 
 
Conclusion. The Judaism name came after the tribe of Judah. Nowhere in the Torah ( Old testament) will you find God revealing to Prophet Moses’ people that their religion is called Judaism. 
Christianity which was named after Jesus Christ. Long after his departure that the name Christianity was given to Jesus’ religion. Nowhere in the Gospels will you find God revealing to Prophet Jesus that their religion is called Christianity. 
Islam is not named after a person or a people. So where this name came from? not from Muhammad, not from the people after him. We read in the qur’an.Translated as: 
“This day have I perfected your religion for you and completed My favor unto you, and have chosen for you as religion al-Islam..” Qur’an 5:3 
Where is the word Muslims came from? We read in the Qur’an, translated as: 
“….the faith of your father Ibrahim; He named you Muslims before….” Qur’an 22:87 
Note, that the Prophet Ibrahim is the father of all the prophets including Moses, Jesus and Muhammad, and before all the revealed scriptures. The Qur’an does not claim to be a new religion brought by the Messenger Mohammed into Arabia in the seventh century, but is the final form of the religion of Almighty God, Allah, as it was originally revealed to Adam and all the Prophets. 
So, from what was discussed earlier, we came up with conclusion that the only divine name of the religion of Allah is Islam. Judaism and Christianity are not divine names. 
 
Finally, due to the divinely instilled inclination of man to worship God and the signs revealed by God throughout the ages to each individual, Islam may be achieved by all men at all times.

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