The Religion according to The Quran

The phrase [الدِّينُ الْقَيِّمُ] translated as ‘the correct religion’ is defined in The Quran at 9:36, 12:40, 30:30; informed about the consequences in 30:43; and  surmised in 98:5 as:

With the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful 

إِنَّ عِدَّةَ الشُّهُورِ عِندَ اللَّهِ اثْنَا عَشَرَ شَهْرًا فِي كِتَابِ اللَّهِ يَوْمَ خَلَقَ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضَ مِنْهَا أَرْبَعَةٌ حُرُمٌ ذَٰلِكَ الدِّينُ الْقَيِّمُ فَلَا تَظْلِمُوا فِيهِنَّ أَنفُسَكُمْ وَقَاتِلُوا الْمُشْرِكِينَ كَافَّةً كَمَا يُقَاتِلُونَكُمْ كَافَّةً وَاعْلَمُوا أَنَّ اللَّهَ مَعَ الْمُتَّقِينَ

#1 Q9:36 Indeed, the number of months with Allah is twelve [lunar] months in the register of Allah [from] the day He created the heavens and the earth; of these, four are sacred. That is the correct religion, so do not wrong yourselves during them. And fight against the disbelievers collectively as they fight against you collectively. And know that Allah is with the righteous [who fear Him]. 

مَا تَعْبُدُونَ مِن دُونِهِ إِلَّا أَسْمَاءً سَمَّيْتُمُوهَا أَنتُمْ وَآبَاؤُكُم مَّا أَنزَلَ اللَّهُ بِهَا مِن سُلْطَانٍ إِنِ الْحُكْمُ إِلَّا لِلَّهِ أَمَرَ أَلَّا تَعْبُدُوا إِلَّا إِيَّاهُ ذَٰلِكَ الدِّينُ الْقَيِّمُ وَلَٰكِنَّ أَكْثَرَ النَّاسِ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ

#2 Q12:40 You worship not besides Him except [mere] names you have named them, you and your fathers, for which Allah has sent down no authority. Legislation is not but for Allah. He has commanded that you worship not except Him. That is the correct religion, but most of the people do not know. 

فَأَقِمْ وَجْهَكَ لِلدِّينِ حَنِيفًا فِطْرَتَ اللَّهِ الَّتِي فَطَرَ النَّاسَ عَلَيْهَا لَا تَبْدِيلَ لِخَلْقِ اللَّهِ ذَٰلِكَ الدِّينُ الْقَيِّمُ وَلَٰكِنَّ أَكْثَرَ النَّاسِ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ

#3 Q30:30 So direct your face toward the religion, inclining to truth. [Adhere to] the fitrah of Allah upon which He has created [all] people. No change should there be in the creation of Allah. That is the correct religion, but most of the people do not know.  

فَأَقِمْ وَجْهَكَ لِلدِّينِ الْقَيِّمِ مِن قَبْلِ أَن يَأْتِيَ يَوْمٌ لَّا مَرَدَّ لَهُ مِنَ اللَّهِ يَوْمَئِذٍ يَصَّدَّعُونَ

Q30:43 So direct your face toward the correct religion before a Day comes from Allah of which there is no repelling. That Day, they will be divided. 

وَمَا أُمِرُوا إِلَّا لِيَعْبُدُوا اللَّهَ مُخْلِصِينَ لَهُ الدِّينَ حُنَفَاءَ وَيُقِيمُوا الصَّلَاةَ وَيُؤْتُوا الزَّكَاةَ وَذَٰلِكَ دِينُ الْقَيِّمَةِ

Q98:5 And they were not commanded except to worship Allah , [being] sincere to Him in religion, inclining to truth, and to establish prayer and to give zakah. And that is the correct religion. 

This slide is originally posted in Muhammad ﷺ – Ascension & Return

Diversity & Pluralism

Commenting on the post on Diversity, IH wrote: 

PLURALISM TOO AS IT EXIST RIGHT NOW IN THE WORLD.  MANY PATHS LEADING TO THE SAME GOAL... (... )

QURAN RECOGNISES DIVERSITY & PLURALISM

To you WE have given the scriptures, just as WE have given the scriptures to people before you (Jews, Christians, Hindus, Buddhists, etc).  We have protected your scriptures (Quran) in its entirety.  So judge among people from what knowledge has come to you (from Quran) and follow not their vain desires (that Muslims are the only righteous and chosen people to lead) diverging far away from the TRUTH .

To each among you (referring to diverse groups – not excluding anybody) We have prescribed the Law (teachings of the indigenous, native people and Buddhist scholars, Gitas, Vedas, Torah, Gospels and The Quran) and an Open Way (given a conscience with reference to the spiritualists people).

If God had willed, all humanity would have been of one single community (this means diversity is part of God’s creation).  God’s plan is to test you in what each one has received (in form of Holy Scriptures or Conscience).  So strive, as in a race in all virtues. 

The goal of all the people is to God.  God (alone) will tell you the truth in matters of which you dispute.” 5:48

Every People have received Apostle/Prophets

 The following verse in the Quran is repeated 3 times.  These are very important verses that further the teachings of Diversity and Pluralism in the Quran.

The Quran says, “To every people was sent an Apostle to teach them in their own language in their own country – making things clear” 10:47, 14:4 & 16:36.  This means that numerous Prophets have been coming from the beginning of times to guide people for living a righteous life.  Our Prophet has said there are 124,000 Prophets (numerous) that have been send from time to time to different people all over the world.  Each Prophet preached the same message of believing in God and doing righteous acts.  This would mean that Confucius, Buddha, Ram, Krishna could also be Prophets for Buddhists and Hindus too.  Their Holy Scriptures is also just as important as the Abrahamic Scriptures, namely, The Torah, The Gospels and The Quran. 

My Answer: 

مُنِيبِينَ إِلَيْهِ وَاتَّقُوهُ وَأَقِيمُوا الصَّلَاةَ وَلَا تَكُونُوا مِنَ الْمُشْرِكِينَ

مِنَ الَّذِينَ فَرَّقُوا دِينَهُمْ وَكَانُوا شِيَعًا كُلُّ حِزْبٍ بِمَا لَدَيْهِمْ فَرِحُونَ

Turning to Him, and fear Him and establish the prayer and (do) not be of the polytheists. Of those who divide their religion and become sects, each party in what they have rejoicing. 

http://islamawakened.com/quran/30/31/ ; http://islamawakened.com/quran/30/32/ 

I should have probably quoted the Q30:31-32 as well in the last email, instead of stopping at Q30:30. Indeed God has sent, as promised when sending Adam to Earth, several prophets and messengers for the guidance of the progeny of Adam. Each nation may have received different scriptures, but all preached the same religion: monotheism and submission to The One and Only True Deity, whom in Arabic we address as Allah. The primary scriptures (Vedas, Torah/Old Testament, al-Quran) of these major religions (Hinduism, Judaism, Christianity, Islam) all preach monotheism and submission to God.   

In Surah al-Anbiya, after mentioning in brief some of the prophets and messengers, 21:92 goes on to state: 

إِنَّ هَٰذِهِ أُمَّتُكُمْ أُمَّةً وَاحِدَةً وَأَنَا رَبُّكُمْ فَاعْبُدُونِ

Indeed, this (is) your religion - religion one, and I Am your Lord, so worship Me. 

http://islamawakened.com/quran/21/92/ 

In Surah Hud, Prophet-Messenger Hud is quoted as informing his people: 

إِنِّي تَوَكَّلْتُ عَلَى اللَّهِ رَبِّي وَرَبِّكُم مَّا مِن دَابَّةٍ إِلَّا هُوَ آخِذٌ بِنَاصِيَتِهَا إِنَّ رَبِّي عَلَىٰ صِرَاطٍ مُّسْتَقِيمٍ

Indeed, I [I] put my trust upon Allah my Lord, and your Lord. (There is) not of a moving creature but He has grasp of its forelock. Indeed, my Lord (is) on a path straight. 

http://islamawakened.com/quran/11/56/ 

In Surah Maryam, Messiah Jesus is quoted as informing his people: 

وَإِنَّ اللَّهَ رَبِّي وَرَبُّكُمْ فَاعْبُدُوهُ هَٰذَا صِرَاطٌ مُّسْتَقِيمٌ

"And indeed, Allah (is) my Lord and your Lord, so worship Him. This (is) a path straight." 

http://islamawakened.com/quran/19/36/ 

In Surah an-Nur, we are informed: 

لَّقَدْ أَنزَلْنَا آيَاتٍ مُّبَيِّنَاتٍ وَاللَّهُ يَهْدِي مَن يَشَاءُ إِلَىٰ صِرَاطٍ مُّسْتَقِيمٍ

وَيَقُولُونَ آمَنَّا بِاللَّهِ وَبِالرَّسُولِ وَأَطَعْنَا ثُمَّ يَتَوَلَّىٰ فَرِيقٌ مِّنْهُم مِّن بَعْدِ ذَٰلِكَ وَمَا أُولَٰئِكَ بِالْمُؤْمِنِينَ

Verily, We have sent down Verses clear. And Allah guides whom He wills to a path straight. And they say, "We believe in Allah and in the Messenger and we obey." Then turns away a party of them after that. And not those (are) believers.  

http://islamawakened.com/quran/24/46/ ; http://islamawakened.com/quran/24/47/ 

In Surah at-Takwir, we are informed: 

إِنْ هُوَ إِلَّا ذِكْرٌ لِّلْعَالَمِينَ

لِمَن شَاءَ مِنكُمْ أَن يَسْتَقِيمَ

وَمَا تَشَاءُونَ إِلَّا أَن يَشَاءَ اللَّهُ رَبُّ الْعَالَمِينَ

Not it (is) except a reminder to the worlds, For whoever wills among you to take a straight way. And not you will except that wills Allah, Lord (of) the worlds. 

http://islamawakened.com/quran/81/27/ ; http://islamawakened.com/quran/81/28/ ; http://islamawakened.com/quran/81/29/ 

Thus, in Surah al-Fatihah 1:6, we daily, repeatedly pray: 

اهْدِنَا الصِّرَاطَ الْمُسْتَقِيمَ

Guide us (to) the path, the straight. 

 http://islamawakened.com/quran/1/6/ 

Duly Warn Potential Converts of Death Penalty for Apostasy in Islam

Related posts:
Apostacy

Blasphemy

Death Penalty for Leaving Islam?

N advised: For our brothers who are making dawa: You might need to mention for those want to convert to Islam,  that once they are Muslims,  they can not change back , otherwise they will be killed. Be transparent so we don't look like cheating anyone  Fair enough,  right ?

My response: Killing for leaving the religion is a practice that is not rooted in the Quran. Consider the following verses: 

Quran 4:137 Those who believe, then reject faith, then believe (again) and (again) reject faith, and go on increasing in unbelief,- Allah will not forgive them nor guide them on the way. 

How does one reject faith and then believe again if he/she is to be killed upon rejection of faith?  

Also, please consider the following verses:  

Quran 10:99 If it had been thy Lord's will, they would all have believed,- all who are on earth! wilt thou then compel mankind, against their will, to believe!

Quran 16:93 If Allah so willed, He could make you all one people: But He leaves straying whom He pleases, and He guides whom He pleases: but ye shall certainly be called to account for all your actions.

However, yes, many Muslims do believe that anyone who leaves the religion must be killed. Hence, its only fair to include it in the list of warnings about earthly trials, while laying due emphasis on the outcomes in the Hereafter (rewards for embracing the temporal trials vs the punishment for choosing the temporal over the eternal). 

No Compulsion in Religion

K shared an article claiming that there is contradiction in Quran, as Quran 2:256 states that there is no compulsion in religion while verse(s) of Chapter 9 of the Quran contradict it. 

My response: The 'No compulsion in religion, is it?! ' is a very misleading article. There is indeed no compulsion in religion nor are there contradictions in the Quran. The entire Quran repeatedly informs and warns that whenever a Messenger of God is sent to a people, and the signs of God are made clear to them, then that which they have been warned against will indeed come to pass, and God and His Messenger will prevail! [Quran 58:21] 

After warning the direct addressees of Prophet Muhammad (may peace be upon him) for about two decades, then a formal announcement of annulment of treaty [Quran 9:1] is made at the beginning of the quoted chapter 9 of the Quran, a notice period of four months announced [Quran 9:2], and after that God and His Messenger prevailed over Mecca and the surrounding areas. Moreover, those heads of states to whom the letters had been sent by the Messenger of God were also subsequently prevailed upon by the immediate successors of Prophet Muhammad (may peace be upon him), who only subdued the nations whose leaders had already been warned by the Messenger of God.    

K responded: So does it mean, now we need to force anybody if he/she does not accept Islam? Islam itself has divided into hundreds of  groups and sects. So which islam? Shia islam or Sunni Islam? If sunni Islam then Jihadi Islam or sufi islam? The list is endless... Do you believe Islam is a religion of peace or religion of jihad? Please enlighten me brother. Thank you. 

My response: We Muslims are not the Messenger of God and we are not authorised to use force against anybody who does not accept Islam. Even the Prophets and Messengers of God were not authorised to force anyone to accept Islam. The Messengers of God prevailed because it is the decree of God that whenever he decides the punishment of a people, he sends a Messenger to warn of the imminent punishment. Copied below are the literal word to word translations of Quran 17:15 and Quran 58:21 Please visit the links to see multiple translations of verse.  

http://islamawakened.com/quran/17/15/  

Whoever (is) guided then only he is guided for his soul. And whoever goes astray then only he goes astray against it And not will bear one laden with burden, burden (of) another. And not We are to punish until, We have sent a Messenger. 

http://islamawakened.com/quran/58/21/ 

Allah has decreed, "Surely, I and My Messengers." Indeed, Allah (is) All-Strong, All-Mighty. 

The question it raises is that 'if there is no compulsion in religion, why then does God decide to punish a people in this world?'. I have tried to understand the narrative of the ancient civilisations in the following blogposts: 

http://signsandscience.blogspot.ca/2015/01/the-mighty-ancients.html 

http://signsandscience.blogspot.ca/2015/06/mission-of-messengers.html 

We Muslims are entrusted with the scripture (Quran) and it is our duty to understand, obey and share the knowledge in a spirit of compassion, so that as we find ourselves guided and grow in guidance, we share our light with others as well. Whether others accept or reject it is entirely between them and God. 

Faith and Doubt

Excerpts of an email conversation I (SI) had with a mathematician (B)  

B: I don't ask you to abandon your faith, but to doubt the literacy of its rendering. 

SI: Then it would no longer be faith! 

  

B: Jews, christians, and muslims were more open to, if not more aware of, the Platonist way to conceive/search God in their earlier periods, but eventually the mainstream continues to stick on the Aristotelian dogma, like notably, the existence of some primitively physical beings. 

SI: I believe in [1] Allah, [2] His Angels, [3] His Books, [4] His Messengers, [5] The Latter Day (of destruction and re-creation), [6] Predestination (all fate, good or otherwise, is from Allah, the Most High), [7] Resurrection after Death. I believe in it just like I believe I’m alive in the present moment and that I will be dead at some future moment.   

  

B: To progress in the fundamental, we have to progress in doubting *almost* everything. OK?

SI: I am willing to doubt reason and logic and all other constructs of human intellect including my own. I am willing to question your theory and assumptions and proofs, in an effort to arrive at the possible truth. However, I am not willing to sacrifice faith on the altar of doubt. I do not believe that science has the ability to conceive God but I’m a believer in science’ ability to reason the existence of God, without presuming the existence of God. I think your comp represents the latter approach. That is why it interests me. 

  

B: We will never sacrifice faith. How could we? Why should we? On the contrary, faith is what really remains when you attempt the universal doubt. Of course, I distinguish faith in God, from faith in anything a human can relate to God. By experience I know it is difficult to do that by mail. I am curious to see how much you are open to science/doubt, and so how much deep is your faith. (and I test myself in passing, and everybody is invited to seized the opportunity). 

SI: My faith encourages me to pursue the sciences, to use my faculties and intelligence for reason and logic, and the study of the sciences is not doubt. Doubt is the lack of faith! 

  

B: Doubt about God, is a lack of faith. Doubt about humans and all what they say, especially on God, is an evidence of faith. All texts, all theories, all reports, all journals, all books, can and should be put in doubt, always, if you are confident enough in the search of truth. 

SI: Agree in principle, differ in detail. 

And about a couple of weeks later  

B: I am not sure I commented on this. It might be the heart of the matter. Science is only doubt. But as Descartes saw, we cannot doubt of everything, and so, we do trust something. The more we are able to doubt, the more we can see what remains undoubtable, and faith can build on that. So, those who have the faith have no problem doubting any theories, texts, etc. The faith rises from within, and is definitely beyond words, texts, theories, equations,  etc. The universal machines are confronted to something similar when they introspect themselves (in the sense of Kleene second recursion diagonal way). In front of the absolute truth, science can only augment the doubt, but without ever needing to abandon faith. It is the faith in the ineffable which invites the doubt on *all* the fables. 

An atheist/agnostic responded: So you must have faith - but not in anything in particular? 

  

Religion and Science

Question: 'Science and religion both originate from the same source'. What does this mean? Science is a man made construct. Its a human form of knowledge. What source does science originate from?
Answer: Evolution existed millions of years before Darwin or Dawkins, right? The Universe, the laws of physics, the science has been there all along. We humans have simply discovered and figured out ways to harness science.
Similarly, if any of the holy books is actually divine, then it must have also originated from the same source as the science... the Creator must be the same, and must know what He's talking about.
We make hypotheses, build theories and reject most of them all the time. The few that pass the test are accepted as facts of science, which again may undergo revision a few centuries down. Similarly, we need to objectively study scripture and see if it makes sense. I think its important if we are ever to evolve from the dogmatic limbo we are in. Personally, to me the Quran does. Many muslims profess faith, but fear losing faith if exposed to scientific scrutiny. Understanding the same origin will help them cross the bridge without fear.

Comment: Endorsing the effort to try to find more "scientific facts" from the Quran? I think it cheapens both fields
Answer: Physicists search for a grand unified theory of Physics. Does that mean they are cheapening the Electromagnetic or the Strong or the Weak force or Gravity? Objective study and exploration of all realms and sources of knowledge doesn't cheapen any one... it simply enriches and provides a wider perspective, similar to how Liberal Arts allow you to delve in and explore different, seemingly unrelated areas of study, broadening your horizon.

Religion and Control

A comment about religion: religion provided both social, cultural and legal regulations to boot. man's greed has had to have societal constraints, as far back and before written history. religion just added another aspect of the controls over people as they gathered into early societies, the society being the basic form of protection against other men, wild creatures and things that go bump in the night. I still sprinkle salt all around my doors and windows, to keep out the roving wood willies that patter about in the dark of night!!!!!
My Response: Humans who are greedy, and seek to control, indulge in tyranny... they use all possible resources: political, economic, ideological to that end. Religion becomes yet another tool in the hands of these tyrants. We have been blessed with many things, and guidance is one of them. Some people then took on the role of the leaders [priests] of these religions, and others chose to become their followers. It is not the fault of guidance, the onus lies on those who seek to control and those who choose to follow.

IT SEEMS BIOLOGY (NOT RELIGION) EQUALS MORALITY

Comments on: http://www.edge.org/3rd_culture/hauser09/hauser09_index.html
Very true. Morality is built-in in our biology (or soul) so that all humans ( and for that matter, animals also) know that lying, cheating, not giving full measure, fraud, hurting somebody's feelings, etc, etc are wrong. Be athiest or theist, young or old, our conscience pricks us every time we do something wrong. The purpose of religion is not to teach morality, but to confirm it, to emphasize being true to that inner voice, and discovering the true purpose of this otherwise meaningless existence. It attempts to guide us where we may go wrong, where our emotions may lead us astray, where our judgement may flounder. For instance, if we take the example of the Holy Quran, it barely talks about Marriage, Business, Personal Property, but does give detailed advice on social issues pertaining to Divorce, Usury, Inheritance, etc.
If I were to summarize what I understand religion's aim, to me it is: To make a good and nice person better, to polish an uncut gem bringing to fore its true beauty!
Thank you for sharing the article.

------

It helps the faithful in keeping their duty: 

ذَٰلِكَ الْكِتَابُ لَا رَيْبَ فِيهِ هُدًى لِّلْمُتَّقِينَ

That (is) the book no doubt in it, a Guidance for the God-conscious.

[Al-Quran 2:2] 

Related Post: The Covenant & Its Ratification  

Last updated on: January 7, 2018

On God delusion

Assalam-alai-kum (May peace be upon you all),
Saw the 'God delusion' video, and read the 'love yourself' post as well. Few observations and points I'd like to make:
The way religion is being ABUSED by vested interests to further their own political agendas is certainly reprehensible. The purpose of religion is to emancipate humanity; raise us from our lowly animal selves and give purpose, meaning and direction to life; to help us and guide us; to make us better human beings!
In today's world, Islam is being abused by both: those who call themselves muslims, and those who wish to see Islam and muslims destroyed. The name of Allah is dragged into every conflict as a means to an end. Islam is made out to be intolerant and blood-thirsty. This is as far removed from the facts as it possibly can be. Islam is a religion of peace; it came to confirm the message of old_ brought by countless prophets before Muhammad, and it came as a message of peace and love for all. The Quran repeatedly addresses all humans (ya-aiyo-hannass: O humans), and appeals to rationality and logic in putting its message through. It tells of humanity's purpose on Earth, relation to its Creator, and how we must interact with each other to develop a just and prosperous world for all. It acknowledges that many would not believe, and postpones the decision of their fate to the Day of Reckoning. It proclaims that their is NO COMPULSON IN RELIGION.
As far as religion being used to further personal/political interests is concerned, most religions other than Islam have been used and abused similarly. A study of world history provides ample examples of unthinkable savagery and suffering perpetrated upon humans by humans. The media somehow fails to miss the point, and instead of helping identify such miscreants and educate the masses, it simply has become the vehicle to promote anti-Islam sentiments. If a non-muslim does some crime, it is just a crime of a criminal mind, but if a muslim commits a crime, the entire muslim world, Islam and Allah are implicated. Why? How? I live in Pakistan, and we are suffering perhaps the most in terms of violence and suicide bombings. But do we blame Islam? No, we know that these are anti-Islam, anti-Muslim, anti-state elements who are involved in these heinous crimes which are claiming the lives of so many of our men, women and children; they are being well-funded by their masters as the level, scale and precision with which these operations are being carried out neccessarily must involve huge sums of money and detailed planning. Poor, illiterate young people, who are used as the vehicle for the suicide-bombs, are being brain-washed and bought with promises of a better afterlife for themselves and financial security for their destitute families in lieu of the sacrifice of their lives. This is not Islam_ this is a Bond movie with a twist!
Coming to 'Love yourself', yes, as they say, charity begins from home. If we are at peace with ourselves, our inner harmony in good form, we will indeed radiate love and be in a position to share it with others. On the contrary, if we go through life with a lot of emotional dissonance, it'll eventually take its toll. Therefore, we must love ourselves, our near and dear ones, our Creator and all He has created. Love is going to help us overcome the irrationality we see and suffer everyday.