Islam an all-inclusive religion

Islam seeks to bring about peace in the world by establishing a brotherhood among all religionsReflections

Islam today is the fastest-growing religion and has drawn converts from all walks of life, most notably African-Americans.
"In societies where you have minorities that are discriminated against, I think they may find an appeal in Islam," said Waleed Kazziha of American University in Cairo.
Islam is the last of the great religions - those mighty movements which have revolutionised the world and changed the destinies of nations. But it is not only the last, it is an all-inclusive religion which comprises all religions that came before it.
One of the most striking characteristics is that it requires its followers to believe that all the great religions of the world that preceded it have been revealed by God: "And who believe in the revelation sent to thee, and sent before thy time." (Holy Quran 2:4).
"Say ye: we believe in God, and the revelation given to us, and to Abraham, Ismail, Isaac, Jacob, and the Tribes, and that given to Moses and Jesus, and that given to (all) prophets from their Lord: We make no difference between one and another of them." (Holy Quran 2:136).
"The Apostle believeth in what hath been revealed to him from his Lord, as do the men of faith. Each one (of them) believeth in God, His angels, His books and His apostles. We make no distinction (they say) between one and another of His apostles." (Holy Quran 2:285).
Thus a Muslim believes not only in Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) but in all other prophets, as well. And prophets were, according to the teachings of the Quran, sent to all nations: "And there never was a people without a person who warns having lived among them (in the past). (Holy Quran 35:24).
Islam is, therefore, an all-comprehensive religion within which are included all the religions of the world; and similarly, its sacred book, the Holy Quran, is spoken of as a combination of all the sacred scriptures of the world: ".Scriptures kept pure and holy: wherein are laws (or decrees) right and straight." (Holy Quran 98:2).
In addition to being the last and an all-inclusive religion, it is the perfect expression of the Divine Will. Thus the Quran says: ".This day have I perfected your religion for you, completed My favour upon you, and have chosen for you Islam as your religion" (Holy Quran 5:4). Like every other form of consciousness, the religious consciousness of man has developed slowly and gradually down the ages, and the revelation of the great truth was thus brought to perfection in Islam.
Thus it is the great mission of Islam to bring about peace in the world by establishing a brotherhood among all religions. Islam seeks to correct their errors and sift the true from the false, to preach the eternal verities which had not been preached before and, last of all, to meet all the moral and spiritual requirements of an ever advancing humanity.
With the advent of Islam, the concept of religion received new significance. Firstly, it is to be treated not as a dogma - which man must accept if he wants to escape everlasting damnation - but as a science based on the universal experience of humanity.
It is not a particular nation that becomes the favourite of God and the recipient of divine revelation. On the contrary, revelation is recognised as a necessary factor in the evolution of man. Hence, while in its crudest form it is the universal experience of humanity, in its highest, that of prophetical revelation, it has been a divine gift bestowed upon all nations of the world.
And the idea of scientific in religion has been further strengthened by presenting its doctrines as principles of human conduct and action.
Secondly, the sphere of religion is not confined to the next world; its primary concern is rather with this life. That man, through a righteous life here on earth, may attain the consciousness of a higher existence. And so it is that the Quran deals with a vast variety of subjects related to our life in this world.
It deals not only with the ways of devotion, the forms of worship, and the means which make man attain communion with God, but also, and in richer details, with the problems of the world around us.
(The writer is a former Khaleej Times staffer)

• Ramadan 2021