Islam and Humanity
Allah Almighty stated the following in our Holy Qur'an:
"The true religion in the sight of Allah is Islam." (Ali Imran, 19)
Again, He warns in another ayah:
“This day those who disbelieve have despaired of [defeating] your religion; so fear them not, but fear Me. This day I have perfected for you your religion and completed My favor upon you and have approved for you Islam as religion.” (Al-Ma’idah, 3)
These verses clearly state that the religion of Islam is the only correct way for humanity, and it will continue unabated until the Day of Judgment.
It had been established in various ways what a marvelous system of justice, compassion, and mercy Islam is from the earliest days. It is striking that firstly the poor and oppressed people of Makkah as well as the people closest to Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) professed their faith and became honored with Islam when he started calling people to it. This was the first thing the mushriks strongly reacted to; they could not accept being equal with those they considered to be from the lower class, the slaves. The leaders of the society having felt it beneath themselves to have the same rights and status as their slaves, is counted among the first reasons of hostility towards Islam.
There are two characteristics that Islam brought to believers in the challenging years in Makkah al-Mukarramah. The first is to reach the essence of creation by being honored with faith, which is to be people of tawhid; the second is to be strong by standing shoulder to shoulder with the brotherhood of faith and fight against cruelty. Believers in poverty were glorified by the brotherhood of faith and empowered; justice, safety, and mercy spread primarily in all societies honored with Islam.
As it is stated in this verse, “[W]ho restrain anger and who pardon the people - and Allah loves the doers of good.” (Ali Imran, 134), believers chose to forgive instead of being reactive; they adopted the principle of attaining the rida (pleasure) of Allah Almighty. Again as stated in the book, "You are of a great moral character" (Qalam, 4), the lives of the people have turned into a utopian existence with the Qur'an and Sunnah. This fact is in line with the purpose of sending Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) and with the hadith’s line, "I have been sent to perfect good character."
In every community honored with Islam, the concept of tawhid settled first. Thus, they adopted the principle of living with the consciousness that this world is mortal, people are tested in it, and their deeds will be weighed and taken into account in the akhirah. Indeed, the only thing in this world that can restrain human beings against the cruelty and oppression of their nafs is iman. No system in the world can establish the consciousness of justice and compassion rightly. The only factor that will provide this for someone is the ability to look at his own existence, the existence of other people, and the total universal existence, from the point of having faith in the Rabb (Lord) of All the Worlds.
Our supreme religion Islam is the only religion compatible with human nature: the nature embedded in our creation. That is why it has spread to the most distant geographies in a very short time, and it has been accepted by people of different cultures, races, and colors. With this awareness, Muslims have communicated our religion throughout history without any hesitation or sense of deficiency.
It is this consciousness that we believers need today. Islam’s nur (light) is current and relevant for every age and enough to illuminate every darkness. Today, it is the only order that will illuminate the way of humanity and separate right from wrong and truth from falsehood. The spirit of justice, trust, and compassion that humanity needs today and tomorrow is in Islam.
Allah Almighty states the following in the Holy Quran:
“You are the best ‘Ummah ever raised for mankind.” (Ali Imran, 110)
Our sublime religion, Islam is an indispensable need for every person's apparent outwardly visible life and inner world. The need to believe and see their existence and the whole of creation in a greater framework, and be reassured by a feeling of satisfaction in the heart, is in the nature of every human being. In addition, the high morals Islam upholds as one of its fundamental principles is the key to truly civilized life; it contains the essentials that every human being will find natural to adopt.
Allah Almighty says in the Qur’an:
“Allah has ordained for you the same religion what He enjoined upon Noah and that which We have revealed to you, [O Muhammad], and what We enjoined upon Abraham and Moses and Jesus - to establish the religion and not be divided therein. Difficult for those who associate others with Allah is that to which you invite them…” (Ash-Shuraa, 13)
The real tradition, way, and order of humanity is Islam. All prophets who have come to and left this world have communicated the principles of Islam, and fought and died for this cause.
Strengthening our faith and taking care of our deeds, as those who obey the orders of our Rabb, will undoubtedly improve our morals and conditions. Our goodness and good morals will be instrumental in the enlightenment of our environment with the nur of Islam. May Allah Almighty bless us with faith, as well as those who are honored with service to Islam in these end times.
With His tawfiq and inayah...
Sheikh Sayyid M. Mübarek Elhüseyni
