Islam nowadays is understood as the specific religion of prophet Muhammad pbuh. The way Quran defines Islam, however, Noah, Abraham, all the prophets, and many of their followers were also Muslim. In this article we use Quran as the only source to approach a definition for Islam. Using the purified definition we then challenge the common misunderstandings such as "Islam as the religion of the followers of prophet Muhammad pbuh is the only acceptable religion", "A person has to convert to Islam to reach salvation", and etc.
Summary:
We can understand how Quran defines Islam by studying how the words from the same root are used in Quran. SaLAM means peace. It is therefore the best word people could say to each other when they greet. A peace treaty after war is also called SaLM (8:61). MoSLeM is a person who accepts another power as superior and has nothing but peaceful intentions in mind when meeting it (27:31). Quran reuses the word MoSLeM to refer to a person who accepts the God as the ultimate authority and lives in such a way that after death meet the God in peace (3:102, 2:132, 7:126, 12:101, 26:89), as the God himself is the ultimate peace (Al-SaLAM) and the home of ultimate peace can be found nowhere but with him (6:127). Such lifestyle is called eSLAM and is the intended essence of religion (3:83, 39:11, 29:46) that is recommended to all mankind (46:15) and is applied by all prophets like Noah, Lot, Abraham, the prophets sent to Children of Israel, as well as Jesus's Disciples. The religion always gets abused and perverted as it is the case now and it was the case when the prophet Muhammad pbuh started his mission. He hence started by reminding the religious people, of eSLAM being the essence of religion (2:112, 3:20, 4:125, 2:132) that is common between all of them (29:46). The revived notion of religion was hence also named eSLAM (2:128) and the people who agreed with it were also called MoSLeMs (49:14, 49:17). In this sense a nominal MoSLeM (Muslim), which is a claimed follower of the prophet Muhammad pbuh, could be different from actual MoSLeMs, who could be from any other religion and yet have peace entered in their hearts (26:89).
1. Methodology
The only reference for defining Islam in this article is Quran itself. We don't cite Arabic dictionaries or scholar's translations as they are vastly weaved into their interpretation. Moreover Quran itself is the most important literature in Arabic and a primary source in defining the grammar as well as the meaning of words. The meaning of words could change over the centuries by the changes in the culture as well as political motivations. Using Quran as the source, however, protects us from such deviations and could lead us to the true meaning of words.
In this regard, we use the same semantic methodology practiced by Dr. Izutsu [1] in studying Quran: we gather all the usages of the words from the same family, inspect the way the word used as well as the context that it was used in, and reach a unified, consistent definition of the word. This is different from the classic approach of offering a range of diverse and sometimes contradictory translations for a word as long as it does not challenge the existing understanding of religion [2].
Since this article is in English we need to provide a translation for the cited verses, and no translation is free from the translator's interpretation. From the mainstream translations, we thus selected the ones that are closer to our own understanding. Although some parts of the presented translations do not conform to our view we avoided modifying them to show that the presented view is still to some extent reflected by mainstream translations, although sometimes by only a minority of them. We instead included the original Arabic word in the translation using curly brackets (like {eSLAM}) to emphasis that the presented translation does not necessarily conform to the actual meaning. Appendix II further clarifies our translation for some key terms. We invite the non-Arabic readers to compare many translations by themselves to reach a more comprehensive view: http://tanzil.net
The root of the word eSLAM is S-L-M. In the following we present the usages of this family in Quran. We use capital letters to represent a character in Arabic and lower-case letters to express the vowels. Following this notation, eSLAM and MoSLeM in Arabic is pronounced Islam and Muslim in English respectively. In the rest of the article, we use the English words (Islam and Muslim) when we refer to these notions the way understood by the current cultures--as opposed to the way it was defined by Quran.
2. SaLAM = Peace
SaLAM means peace and it is the word Arabs use to greet each other (perhaps historically it was used to indicate no adversarial intentions when meeting strangers):
When they entered into his presence, they said, ‘Peace!’ {SaLAM} ‘Peace!’ He answered, ‘[You are] an unfamiliar folk.’ (51:25)
The verb TaSLIM is hence also used to mean greeting with peace:
O you who have faith! Do not enter houses other than your own until you have announced [your arrival] and greeted {ToSaLLeMU} their occupants. That is better for you. Maybe you will take admonition. (24:27)
Al-SaLAM (the peace) is actually one of His names as He is the ultimate peace (59:23) and the abode of ultimate peace is found only with him:
For them shall be the abode of peace near their Lord and He will be their guardian because of what they used to do. (6:127)
When the parties involved in a war settle on a peace treaty, it is referred to as SaLM:
If they incline toward peace {SaLM}, then you [too] incline toward it, and put your trust in Allah. Indeed He is the All-hearing, the All-knowing. (8:61)
3. MoSLeM: Who comes in peace
When a party accepts the superior power of the other, thus have no plan to start a war, and come to the superior party with nothing but peaceful intentions, it is referred to as MoSLeM. A clear example is when Solomon asks the queen of Sheba not to defy him:
Rise not up against me, but come to me in surrender {MoSLeMIN}." ' (27:31)
which is commonly translated as "in surrender" or "in submission":
[It states,] ‘‘Do not defy me, and come to me in submission {MoSLeMIN}.’’ ’ (27:31)
Quran uses the same analogy to refer to the state of a person who recognizes the God as the ultimate authority and lives in such a way that after death meet the God in peace. A good example is the same story of Solomon and the Queen of Sheba, where she comes to Solomon MoSLeM, accepting his superior military power, but when realizing that the source of his power is not of this world she becomes MoSLeM, not for Solomon this time, but with Solomon and for the creator of all these powers, the God.
She was told to enter the palace. When she saw it, she thought that it was a pool and raised her clothe up to her legs. Solomon said, "This is a palace constructed with glass." She said, "My Lord, indeed I have wronged myself and I submit myself {ASLaMTo} with Solomon to the will of God, the Lord of the Universe." (27:44)
Similarly Abraham enjoined his children to live in such a way that they are MoSLeM when they meet the God after leaving this world:
And Abraham charged his sons with this and Jacob likewise: 'My sons, God has chosen for you the religion; see that you die not save in surrender {MoSLeMUN}.' (2:132)
The same is also in the prayers of the Joseph (12:101) as well as of the magicians of Pharaoh (7:126), and it is the same that the followers of the prophet Muhammad pbuh are recommended to (3:102):
Believers! Fear Allah as He should be feared, and see that you do not die save in the state of submission {MoSLeMUN} to Allah. (3:102)
In fact in Quran almost all the prophets and their true followers explicitly express becoming MoSLeM as their purpose in life, from Noah (10:72), to Abraham (3:67), to Lot (51:36), to Joseph (12:101). Becoming MoSLeM was in Abraham's creed to his children including Jacob (2:132) and Jacob's to his children (2:133), and it is not hard to infer that this continues to all prophets sent to Children of Israel (5:44), which continues to Jesus's Disciples (5:111). Therefore after many years and much perversion in the major religions prophet Muhammad pbuh reminds their followers of this ultimate essence of religion:
Say: "O followers of earlier revelation! Come unto that tenet which we and you hold in common: that we shall worship none but God, and that we shall not ascribe divinity to aught beside Him, and that we shall not take human beings for our lords beside God." And if they turn away, then say: "Bear witness that it is we who have surrendered ourselves unto Him. {MoSLeMIN}" (3:64)
and the ones who recognizes the message are the ones who were "already a MoSLeM":
and whenever it is [clearly] conveyed unto them, they [are bound to] profess, “We have come to believe in it, for, behold, it is the truth from our Sustainer - and, verily, even before this have we surrendered ourselves unto Him! {MoSLeMIN}” (28:53)
4. eSLAM: Lifestyle that leads to MoSLeM
In the previous section we explained that all the prophets invite to a lifestyle that would lead to meet the God as a MoSLeM when leaving this world. The existing religions however were perverted and were resistant against the same message that Muhammad pbuh brought:
And they say, ‘No one will enter paradise except one who is a Jew or Christian.’ Those are their [false] hopes! Say, ‘Produce your evidence, should you be truthful.’ (2:111)
To which the response was that this is not the details of a religion that qualifies a person for salvation; it is rather the quality of being a MoSLeM:
Certainly, whoever submits (aSLaM) his will to Allah and is virtuous, he shall have his reward from his Lord, and they will have no fear, nor shall they grieve. (2:112)
In fact Muhammad explained his message as not yet-another-religion but rather reviving the forgotten principle of being a MoSLeM:
Do not argue with the People of the Book except in a manner which is best, except such of them as are wrongdoers, and say, ‘We believe in what has been sent down to us and in what has been sent down to you; our God and your God is one [and the same], and to Him do we submit {MoSLeMUN}.’ (29:46)
If they argue with you, say, ‘I have submitted (aSLaMTo) my will to Allah, and [so has] he who follows me.’ And say to those who were given the Book and the uninstructed ones, ‘Do you submit {aSLaMToM}?’ If they submit {aSLaMU}, they will certainly be guided; but if they turn away, then your duty is only to communicate, and Allah watches His servants. (3:20)
It reminds that this quality of being MoSLeM was the very essence of religion the way Abraham established it:
And Abraham charged his sons with this and Jacob likewise: 'My sons, God has chosen for you the religion; see that you die not save in surrender {MoSLeMUN}.' (2:132)
It goes further and defines the very religion itself as the quality of becoming MoSLeM:
Do they seek a religion other than that of Allah, while to Him submits (aSLaM) whoever there is in the heavens and the earth, willingly or unwillingly, and to Him they will be brought back? (3:83)
Say, "I am commanded to worship God and be devoted to His religion (39:11) and I am commanded to be the first Muslim {MoSLeM}". (39:12)
Who has a better religion than him who submits {aSLaM} his will to Allah, being virtuous, and follows the creed of Abraham, a Hanif? And Allah took Abraham for a dedicated friend. (4:125)
This quality of becoming a MoSLeM was named eSLAM.
the day when neither wealth nor children will avail, (26:88) except him who comes to Allah with a sound (SaLIM) heart,’ (26:89)
One whose chest (heart and mind) is left open for Islam {eSLAM} (submission to His will) shall receive light from God. Woe to those whose hearts have become like stone against the remembrance of God. They are clearly in error. (39:22)
eSLAM hence is not a new religion; it is rather the true meaning of religion itself:
Behold, the only [true] religion in the sight of God is [man's] self-surrender unto Him {eSLAM}; and those who were vouchsafed revelation aforetime took, out of mutual jealousy, to divergent views [on this point] only after knowledge [thereof] had come unto them. But as for him who denies the truth of God's messages - behold, God is swift in reckoning! (3:19)
Say: 'We believe in Allah and what was revealed to us and what was revealed to Abraham and Ishmael and to Issac and Jacob and his descendents, and the teachings which Allah gave to Moses and Jesus and to other Prophets. We make no distinction between any of them and to Him do we submit {MoSLeMUN}. (3:84) And whoever seeks a way other than this way a submission {eSLAM} (Islam), will find that it will not be accepted from him and in the Life to come he will be among the losers. (3:85)
5. Islam: Agreeing with Muhammad's message
In the previous section we explained that eSLAM is a term that Quran uses to refer to the lifestyle that would lead to the quality of being MoSLeM, which is the intended purpose of religion. As we know from history the notion of religion has been (and will continue to be) perverted to benefit the ones in power. Quran uses the definite form ("the" religion) to refer to religion in its original, pure form:
And Abraham charged his sons with this and Jacob likewise: 'My sons, God has chosen for you the religion (aL-DIN); see that you die not save in surrender {MoSLeMUN}.' (2:132)
Behold, the only [true] religion in the sight of God is [man's] self-surrender unto Him {eSLAM}; and those who were vouchsafed revelation aforetime took, out of mutual jealousy, to divergent views [on this point] only after knowledge [thereof] had come unto them. But as for him who denies the truth of God's messages - behold, God is swift in reckoning! (3:19)
and non-absolute form (like "your" religion, "a" religion) to refer to its generalized notion that includes also the perverted religions:
To you your religion, and to me my religion!' (109:6)
It is not hard to see the newly introduced term, eSLAM, is the most descriptive to refer to the revived notion of religion. Therefore the same term was overridden to refer to act of agreeing with the Muhammad's message and his revived notion of religion:
They count it as a favour to thee that they have surrendered {aSLaMU}! Say: 'Do not count your surrendering {eSLAM} as a favour to me; nay, but rather God confers a favour upon you, in that He has guided you to belief, if it be that you are truthful. (49:17)
which is also translated as:
They count it as a favor to you that they have embraced Islam {aSLaMU}. Say, ‘Do not count your embracing of Islam {eSLAM} as a favor to me. No, it is Allah who has done you a favor in that He has guided you to faith, if you are truthful [in your claim]. (49:17)
In this sense embracing Islam is different from the eSLAM, the quality of becoming a MoSLeM, which leads one to salvation. It is rather solely a starting point that might or might not lead to becoming a MoSLeM and having a SaLIM heart:
The Bedouins say, ‘We have faith.’ Say, ‘You do not have faith yet; rather, say, ‘‘We have embraced Islam {aSLAMNA},’’ for faith has not yet entered into your hearts. Yet if you obey Allah and His Apostle, He will not stint anything of [the reward of] your works. Indeed Allah is all-forgiving, all-merciful.’ (49:14)
6. Common Misunderstandings
We explained in Section 4 that essence of the message of all prophets was to live a lifestyle that leads us to meet the God as MoSLeM, i.e., with a peaceful heart. Section 5 shows that although this is what religion is about, earth is full of perverted non-religions; therefore the name eSLAM was used to specifically refer to this pure form of religion. Since the prophet Muhammad's main message was to revive this definition, the act of accepting his message was also termed eSLAM (or Islam). In this sense, a Muslim who has embraced Islam could be still far from the ideal MoSLeM who will meet his creator with a heart filled with peace. The two usages of the words eSLAM and Islam, as well as MoSLeM and Muslim has caused confusions for some readers.
For example when the following verse states that the true religion is about eSLAM and reaching the state of MoSLeM:
Behold, the only [true] religion in the sight of God is [man's] self-surrender unto Him {eSLAM}; and those who were vouchsafed revelation aforetime took, out of mutual jealousy, to divergent views [on this point] only after knowledge [thereof] had come unto them. But as for him who denies the truth of God's messages - behold, God is swift in reckoning! (3:19)
some scholars misinterpret it as only the claimed followers of prophet Muhammad pbuh are on the right religion. Along the history, such mis-interpretation has been the excuse for power-hungry leaders to invade other nations to convert them to the "right religion"! This is while it is clear for anybody who simply reads Quran that becoming MoSLeM is not about the rituals that one performs or being followers of this prophet or that prophet; it is rather about the lifestyle as well as good deeds that one actually performs:
Surely those who believe and those who are Jews and the Sabians and the Christians whoever believes in Allah and the last day and does good-- they shall have no fear nor shall they grieve. (5:69)
It is not righteousness that you turn your faces towards the East and the West, but righteousness is this that one should believe in Allah and the last day and the angels and the Book and the prophets, and give away wealth out of love for Him to the near of kin and the orphans and the needy and the wayfarer and the beggars and for (the emancipation of) the captives, and keep up prayer and pay the poor-rate; and the performers of their promise when they make a promise, and the patient in distress and affliction and in time of conflicts-- these are they who are true (to themselves) and these are they who guard (against evil). (2:177)
7. Conclusion
In this article, we showed that in Quran's view the essence of all religions is eSLAM (i.e. Islam), a lifestyle that leads meeting the creator with a heart in peace and MoSLeM (i.e., Moslem) is a person who reaches that state. Having these terms clarified we then challenged the misunderstanding that only the people who agree with the prophet Muhammad's message will reach salvation. Inspired from Quran, our position is that doing good is the key to a peaceful heart and hence salvation, and not the details and rituals of one specific religion.
Appendix I: The first MoSLeM
The prophet Muhammad pbuh refers to himself to be the first MoSLeM:
No associate has He. Even so I have been commanded, and I am the first of those that surrender {MoSLeMIN}.' (6:163)
Having the term "the first" might cause confusion that the concept of MoSLIM here is different from the type of MoSLIM that the previous prophets like Noah and Abraham were. To clarify this we can look at the other usages of the term "the first" in Quran:
We are eager that our Lord should forgive us our offences, for that we are the first of the believers.' (26:51)
Here the magicians refer to themselves as the first of the believers but surely they were not the first believers on earth; it rather means the first in the scope of the time and place that they are located in. The same applies to the term "the first MoSLIM" and the scope should not be generalized to the entire history of mankind.
Appendix II: Common mistranslations
aLLaH: literally means the God. Using the same word Allah in the translation gives the impression that Allah is yet another god or it is the God of Muslims! This is while the term the God was used to communicate exactly the opposite. In English, the term "the God" does not exist but we believe "the" is necessary to communicate the same notion that aLLaH does.
eSLAM: translating this word as Islam gives the confusion that the verse is talking about the specific religion of the claimed followers of prophet Muhammad pbuh. To surrender or to submit although in some context is similar to what eSLAM means but still different from what explained in this article. In particular, "to surrender" loses the notion of peaceful heart, which is embedded in the picture that Quran draws: having a heart filled with peace when meeting the creator.
MoSLeM: translating this word as Muslim gives the confusion that the verse is about the specific claimed followers of the prophet Muhammad pbuh.
SaLIM: translating the word as "sound" does not clarify its relation with the S-L-M family of words. We believe "peaceful" is a better translation.
[1] God and Man in the Koran, Toshihiko Izutsu, 1980
[2] http://corpus.quran.com/faq.jsp#translation
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Summary:
We can understand how Quran defines Islam by studying how the words from the same root are used in Quran. SaLAM means peace. It is therefore the best word people could say to each other when they greet. A peace treaty after war is also called SaLM (8:61). MoSLeM is a person who accepts another power as superior and has nothing but peaceful intentions in mind when meeting it (27:31). Quran reuses the word MoSLeM to refer to a person who accepts the God as the ultimate authority and lives in such a way that after death meet the God in peace (3:102, 2:132, 7:126, 12:101, 26:89), as the God himself is the ultimate peace (Al-SaLAM) and the home of ultimate peace can be found nowhere but with him (6:127). Such lifestyle is called eSLAM and is the intended essence of religion (3:83, 39:11, 29:46) that is recommended to all mankind (46:15) and is applied by all prophets like Noah, Lot, Abraham, the prophets sent to Children of Israel, as well as Jesus's Disciples. The religion always gets abused and perverted as it is the case now and it was the case when the prophet Muhammad pbuh started his mission. He hence started by reminding the religious people, of eSLAM being the essence of religion (2:112, 3:20, 4:125, 2:132) that is common between all of them (29:46). The revived notion of religion was hence also named eSLAM (2:128) and the people who agreed with it were also called MoSLeMs (49:14, 49:17). In this sense a nominal MoSLeM (Muslim), which is a claimed follower of the prophet Muhammad pbuh, could be different from actual MoSLeMs, who could be from any other religion and yet have peace entered in their hearts (26:89).
1. Methodology
The only reference for defining Islam in this article is Quran itself. We don't cite Arabic dictionaries or scholar's translations as they are vastly weaved into their interpretation. Moreover Quran itself is the most important literature in Arabic and a primary source in defining the grammar as well as the meaning of words. The meaning of words could change over the centuries by the changes in the culture as well as political motivations. Using Quran as the source, however, protects us from such deviations and could lead us to the true meaning of words.
In this regard, we use the same semantic methodology practiced by Dr. Izutsu [1] in studying Quran: we gather all the usages of the words from the same family, inspect the way the word used as well as the context that it was used in, and reach a unified, consistent definition of the word. This is different from the classic approach of offering a range of diverse and sometimes contradictory translations for a word as long as it does not challenge the existing understanding of religion [2].
Since this article is in English we need to provide a translation for the cited verses, and no translation is free from the translator's interpretation. From the mainstream translations, we thus selected the ones that are closer to our own understanding. Although some parts of the presented translations do not conform to our view we avoided modifying them to show that the presented view is still to some extent reflected by mainstream translations, although sometimes by only a minority of them. We instead included the original Arabic word in the translation using curly brackets (like {eSLAM}) to emphasis that the presented translation does not necessarily conform to the actual meaning. Appendix II further clarifies our translation for some key terms. We invite the non-Arabic readers to compare many translations by themselves to reach a more comprehensive view: http://tanzil.net
The root of the word eSLAM is S-L-M. In the following we present the usages of this family in Quran. We use capital letters to represent a character in Arabic and lower-case letters to express the vowels. Following this notation, eSLAM and MoSLeM in Arabic is pronounced Islam and Muslim in English respectively. In the rest of the article, we use the English words (Islam and Muslim) when we refer to these notions the way understood by the current cultures--as opposed to the way it was defined by Quran.
2. SaLAM = Peace
SaLAM means peace and it is the word Arabs use to greet each other (perhaps historically it was used to indicate no adversarial intentions when meeting strangers):
When they entered into his presence, they said, ‘Peace!’ {SaLAM} ‘Peace!’ He answered, ‘[You are] an unfamiliar folk.’ (51:25)
The verb TaSLIM is hence also used to mean greeting with peace:
O you who have faith! Do not enter houses other than your own until you have announced [your arrival] and greeted {ToSaLLeMU} their occupants. That is better for you. Maybe you will take admonition. (24:27)
Al-SaLAM (the peace) is actually one of His names as He is the ultimate peace (59:23) and the abode of ultimate peace is found only with him:
For them shall be the abode of peace near their Lord and He will be their guardian because of what they used to do. (6:127)
When the parties involved in a war settle on a peace treaty, it is referred to as SaLM:
If they incline toward peace {SaLM}, then you [too] incline toward it, and put your trust in Allah. Indeed He is the All-hearing, the All-knowing. (8:61)
3. MoSLeM: Who comes in peace
When a party accepts the superior power of the other, thus have no plan to start a war, and come to the superior party with nothing but peaceful intentions, it is referred to as MoSLeM. A clear example is when Solomon asks the queen of Sheba not to defy him:
Rise not up against me, but come to me in surrender {MoSLeMIN}." ' (27:31)
which is commonly translated as "in surrender" or "in submission":
[It states,] ‘‘Do not defy me, and come to me in submission {MoSLeMIN}.’’ ’ (27:31)
Quran uses the same analogy to refer to the state of a person who recognizes the God as the ultimate authority and lives in such a way that after death meet the God in peace. A good example is the same story of Solomon and the Queen of Sheba, where she comes to Solomon MoSLeM, accepting his superior military power, but when realizing that the source of his power is not of this world she becomes MoSLeM, not for Solomon this time, but with Solomon and for the creator of all these powers, the God.
She was told to enter the palace. When she saw it, she thought that it was a pool and raised her clothe up to her legs. Solomon said, "This is a palace constructed with glass." She said, "My Lord, indeed I have wronged myself and I submit myself {ASLaMTo} with Solomon to the will of God, the Lord of the Universe." (27:44)
Similarly Abraham enjoined his children to live in such a way that they are MoSLeM when they meet the God after leaving this world:
And Abraham charged his sons with this and Jacob likewise: 'My sons, God has chosen for you the religion; see that you die not save in surrender {MoSLeMUN}.' (2:132)
The same is also in the prayers of the Joseph (12:101) as well as of the magicians of Pharaoh (7:126), and it is the same that the followers of the prophet Muhammad pbuh are recommended to (3:102):
Believers! Fear Allah as He should be feared, and see that you do not die save in the state of submission {MoSLeMUN} to Allah. (3:102)
In fact in Quran almost all the prophets and their true followers explicitly express becoming MoSLeM as their purpose in life, from Noah (10:72), to Abraham (3:67), to Lot (51:36), to Joseph (12:101). Becoming MoSLeM was in Abraham's creed to his children including Jacob (2:132) and Jacob's to his children (2:133), and it is not hard to infer that this continues to all prophets sent to Children of Israel (5:44), which continues to Jesus's Disciples (5:111). Therefore after many years and much perversion in the major religions prophet Muhammad pbuh reminds their followers of this ultimate essence of religion:
Say: "O followers of earlier revelation! Come unto that tenet which we and you hold in common: that we shall worship none but God, and that we shall not ascribe divinity to aught beside Him, and that we shall not take human beings for our lords beside God." And if they turn away, then say: "Bear witness that it is we who have surrendered ourselves unto Him. {MoSLeMIN}" (3:64)
and the ones who recognizes the message are the ones who were "already a MoSLeM":
and whenever it is [clearly] conveyed unto them, they [are bound to] profess, “We have come to believe in it, for, behold, it is the truth from our Sustainer - and, verily, even before this have we surrendered ourselves unto Him! {MoSLeMIN}” (28:53)
4. eSLAM: Lifestyle that leads to MoSLeM
In the previous section we explained that all the prophets invite to a lifestyle that would lead to meet the God as a MoSLeM when leaving this world. The existing religions however were perverted and were resistant against the same message that Muhammad pbuh brought:
And they say, ‘No one will enter paradise except one who is a Jew or Christian.’ Those are their [false] hopes! Say, ‘Produce your evidence, should you be truthful.’ (2:111)
To which the response was that this is not the details of a religion that qualifies a person for salvation; it is rather the quality of being a MoSLeM:
Certainly, whoever submits (aSLaM) his will to Allah and is virtuous, he shall have his reward from his Lord, and they will have no fear, nor shall they grieve. (2:112)
In fact Muhammad explained his message as not yet-another-religion but rather reviving the forgotten principle of being a MoSLeM:
Do not argue with the People of the Book except in a manner which is best, except such of them as are wrongdoers, and say, ‘We believe in what has been sent down to us and in what has been sent down to you; our God and your God is one [and the same], and to Him do we submit {MoSLeMUN}.’ (29:46)
If they argue with you, say, ‘I have submitted (aSLaMTo) my will to Allah, and [so has] he who follows me.’ And say to those who were given the Book and the uninstructed ones, ‘Do you submit {aSLaMToM}?’ If they submit {aSLaMU}, they will certainly be guided; but if they turn away, then your duty is only to communicate, and Allah watches His servants. (3:20)
It reminds that this quality of being MoSLeM was the very essence of religion the way Abraham established it:
And Abraham charged his sons with this and Jacob likewise: 'My sons, God has chosen for you the religion; see that you die not save in surrender {MoSLeMUN}.' (2:132)
It goes further and defines the very religion itself as the quality of becoming MoSLeM:
Do they seek a religion other than that of Allah, while to Him submits (aSLaM) whoever there is in the heavens and the earth, willingly or unwillingly, and to Him they will be brought back? (3:83)
Say, "I am commanded to worship God and be devoted to His religion (39:11) and I am commanded to be the first Muslim {MoSLeM}". (39:12)
Who has a better religion than him who submits {aSLaM} his will to Allah, being virtuous, and follows the creed of Abraham, a Hanif? And Allah took Abraham for a dedicated friend. (4:125)
This quality of becoming a MoSLeM was named eSLAM.
the day when neither wealth nor children will avail, (26:88) except him who comes to Allah with a sound (SaLIM) heart,’ (26:89)
One whose chest (heart and mind) is left open for Islam {eSLAM} (submission to His will) shall receive light from God. Woe to those whose hearts have become like stone against the remembrance of God. They are clearly in error. (39:22)
eSLAM hence is not a new religion; it is rather the true meaning of religion itself:
Behold, the only [true] religion in the sight of God is [man's] self-surrender unto Him {eSLAM}; and those who were vouchsafed revelation aforetime took, out of mutual jealousy, to divergent views [on this point] only after knowledge [thereof] had come unto them. But as for him who denies the truth of God's messages - behold, God is swift in reckoning! (3:19)
Say: 'We believe in Allah and what was revealed to us and what was revealed to Abraham and Ishmael and to Issac and Jacob and his descendents, and the teachings which Allah gave to Moses and Jesus and to other Prophets. We make no distinction between any of them and to Him do we submit {MoSLeMUN}. (3:84) And whoever seeks a way other than this way a submission {eSLAM} (Islam), will find that it will not be accepted from him and in the Life to come he will be among the losers. (3:85)
5. Islam: Agreeing with Muhammad's message
In the previous section we explained that eSLAM is a term that Quran uses to refer to the lifestyle that would lead to the quality of being MoSLeM, which is the intended purpose of religion. As we know from history the notion of religion has been (and will continue to be) perverted to benefit the ones in power. Quran uses the definite form ("the" religion) to refer to religion in its original, pure form:
And Abraham charged his sons with this and Jacob likewise: 'My sons, God has chosen for you the religion (aL-DIN); see that you die not save in surrender {MoSLeMUN}.' (2:132)
Behold, the only [true] religion in the sight of God is [man's] self-surrender unto Him {eSLAM}; and those who were vouchsafed revelation aforetime took, out of mutual jealousy, to divergent views [on this point] only after knowledge [thereof] had come unto them. But as for him who denies the truth of God's messages - behold, God is swift in reckoning! (3:19)
and non-absolute form (like "your" religion, "a" religion) to refer to its generalized notion that includes also the perverted religions:
To you your religion, and to me my religion!' (109:6)
It is not hard to see the newly introduced term, eSLAM, is the most descriptive to refer to the revived notion of religion. Therefore the same term was overridden to refer to act of agreeing with the Muhammad's message and his revived notion of religion:
They count it as a favour to thee that they have surrendered {aSLaMU}! Say: 'Do not count your surrendering {eSLAM} as a favour to me; nay, but rather God confers a favour upon you, in that He has guided you to belief, if it be that you are truthful. (49:17)
which is also translated as:
They count it as a favor to you that they have embraced Islam {aSLaMU}. Say, ‘Do not count your embracing of Islam {eSLAM} as a favor to me. No, it is Allah who has done you a favor in that He has guided you to faith, if you are truthful [in your claim]. (49:17)
In this sense embracing Islam is different from the eSLAM, the quality of becoming a MoSLeM, which leads one to salvation. It is rather solely a starting point that might or might not lead to becoming a MoSLeM and having a SaLIM heart:
The Bedouins say, ‘We have faith.’ Say, ‘You do not have faith yet; rather, say, ‘‘We have embraced Islam {aSLAMNA},’’ for faith has not yet entered into your hearts. Yet if you obey Allah and His Apostle, He will not stint anything of [the reward of] your works. Indeed Allah is all-forgiving, all-merciful.’ (49:14)
6. Common Misunderstandings
We explained in Section 4 that essence of the message of all prophets was to live a lifestyle that leads us to meet the God as MoSLeM, i.e., with a peaceful heart. Section 5 shows that although this is what religion is about, earth is full of perverted non-religions; therefore the name eSLAM was used to specifically refer to this pure form of religion. Since the prophet Muhammad's main message was to revive this definition, the act of accepting his message was also termed eSLAM (or Islam). In this sense, a Muslim who has embraced Islam could be still far from the ideal MoSLeM who will meet his creator with a heart filled with peace. The two usages of the words eSLAM and Islam, as well as MoSLeM and Muslim has caused confusions for some readers.
For example when the following verse states that the true religion is about eSLAM and reaching the state of MoSLeM:
Behold, the only [true] religion in the sight of God is [man's] self-surrender unto Him {eSLAM}; and those who were vouchsafed revelation aforetime took, out of mutual jealousy, to divergent views [on this point] only after knowledge [thereof] had come unto them. But as for him who denies the truth of God's messages - behold, God is swift in reckoning! (3:19)
some scholars misinterpret it as only the claimed followers of prophet Muhammad pbuh are on the right religion. Along the history, such mis-interpretation has been the excuse for power-hungry leaders to invade other nations to convert them to the "right religion"! This is while it is clear for anybody who simply reads Quran that becoming MoSLeM is not about the rituals that one performs or being followers of this prophet or that prophet; it is rather about the lifestyle as well as good deeds that one actually performs:
Surely those who believe and those who are Jews and the Sabians and the Christians whoever believes in Allah and the last day and does good-- they shall have no fear nor shall they grieve. (5:69)
It is not righteousness that you turn your faces towards the East and the West, but righteousness is this that one should believe in Allah and the last day and the angels and the Book and the prophets, and give away wealth out of love for Him to the near of kin and the orphans and the needy and the wayfarer and the beggars and for (the emancipation of) the captives, and keep up prayer and pay the poor-rate; and the performers of their promise when they make a promise, and the patient in distress and affliction and in time of conflicts-- these are they who are true (to themselves) and these are they who guard (against evil). (2:177)
7. Conclusion
In this article, we showed that in Quran's view the essence of all religions is eSLAM (i.e. Islam), a lifestyle that leads meeting the creator with a heart in peace and MoSLeM (i.e., Moslem) is a person who reaches that state. Having these terms clarified we then challenged the misunderstanding that only the people who agree with the prophet Muhammad's message will reach salvation. Inspired from Quran, our position is that doing good is the key to a peaceful heart and hence salvation, and not the details and rituals of one specific religion.
Appendix I: The first MoSLeM
The prophet Muhammad pbuh refers to himself to be the first MoSLeM:
No associate has He. Even so I have been commanded, and I am the first of those that surrender {MoSLeMIN}.' (6:163)
Having the term "the first" might cause confusion that the concept of MoSLIM here is different from the type of MoSLIM that the previous prophets like Noah and Abraham were. To clarify this we can look at the other usages of the term "the first" in Quran:
We are eager that our Lord should forgive us our offences, for that we are the first of the believers.' (26:51)
Here the magicians refer to themselves as the first of the believers but surely they were not the first believers on earth; it rather means the first in the scope of the time and place that they are located in. The same applies to the term "the first MoSLIM" and the scope should not be generalized to the entire history of mankind.
Appendix II: Common mistranslations
aLLaH: literally means the God. Using the same word Allah in the translation gives the impression that Allah is yet another god or it is the God of Muslims! This is while the term the God was used to communicate exactly the opposite. In English, the term "the God" does not exist but we believe "the" is necessary to communicate the same notion that aLLaH does.
eSLAM: translating this word as Islam gives the confusion that the verse is talking about the specific religion of the claimed followers of prophet Muhammad pbuh. To surrender or to submit although in some context is similar to what eSLAM means but still different from what explained in this article. In particular, "to surrender" loses the notion of peaceful heart, which is embedded in the picture that Quran draws: having a heart filled with peace when meeting the creator.
MoSLeM: translating this word as Muslim gives the confusion that the verse is about the specific claimed followers of the prophet Muhammad pbuh.
SaLIM: translating the word as "sound" does not clarify its relation with the S-L-M family of words. We believe "peaceful" is a better translation.
[1] God and Man in the Koran, Toshihiko Izutsu, 1980
[2] http://corpus.quran.com/faq.jsp#translation
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