Interfaith Dialog Student Association

Week 1

January 27, 2005

Dr. Sefik Hikmet Toprak

IDSA at UTD

Topic: The meaning of Islam from an etymological and historical perspective.

Summary: The word Islam is derived from the root “silm” and means submission, salvation and peace. Islam predates the creation. It is the title of the universal divine harmony. Every thing and every being submits to universal order and laws of nature such as physical and biological laws created by the Supreme Creator. Consider the gravitational force, electromagnetic force, laws of germination and growth to name a few. In that sense, the heavens and the earth and everything else in the universe are Muslims. Read:

أَفَغَيْرَ دِينِ اللّهِ يَبْغُونَ وَلَهُ أَسْلَمَ مَن فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالأَرْضِ طَوْعًا وَكَرْهًا وَإِلَيْهِ يُرْجَعُونَ

3:83 Do they seek for other than the Religion of Allah. -while all creatures in the heavens and on earth have, willing or unwilling, bowed to His Will (Accepted Islam), and to Him shall they all be brought back.

As regards to its relation to humanity, Islam is manifested when the first man stepped foot on earth, namely with the decent of the first man and the first prophet Adam (pbuh) and Eve. Prophet Adam (pbuh) has received guidance in order to harmonize themselves and their children with the rest of the creation. This guidance is the reality that we call “religion” or “deen”. Note that we use religion as the reflection of the universal divine system, Islam, to human life and thus Islam is used in a more general sense than religion. Read:

إِنَّ الدِّينَ عِندَ اللّهِ الإِسْلاَمُ

3:19 The Religion before Allah is Islam (submission to His Will).

The laws of nature and the principles of religion correspond to each other in a perfect manner. The gravitational force holding celestial bodies translates to love, affection and respect in society holding individuals together leading to social awareness and harmony. The cleanliness in the universe translates to Muslims’ purifying themselves every time before performing ritual prayers. From atoms to galaxies everything is in constant activity and this relentless action translates to the virtue of hardworking for Muslims. The fact that nothing is wasted in universe is clearly in accord with the principle of religion that wasting resources is unlawful in Islam. The precise timing of natural phenomena relates to performing ritual prayers at specific times and being punctual. The perfect balance in the universe translates to being balanced in every aspect of our lives, etc.

In the course of the history alien ideas found their way into the original teachings of the religion of Islam due to various reasons, including false translations of divine scriptures, misinterpretations of the essentials of the religion by clergy according to their own personal views and philosophies, or gradual penetration of idolatry due to excessive honoring of heroic figures in form of erecting their statues, etc. Out of His Mercy, Allah sent down guidance by His messengers periodically to lead humanity to His straight path and bring them into light from darkness. Islam is represented by these select messengers throughout the time, including Adam, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Ismail, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Jesus and many others that we do not know by name, peace be upon them all. They were sent for a specific mission to a specific location and for a specific period of time. Read:

وَوَصَّى بِهَا إِبْرَاهِيمُ بَنِيهِ وَيَعْقُوبُ يَا بَنِيَّ إِنَّ اللّهَ اصْطَفَى لَكُمُ الدِّينَ فَلاَ تَمُوتُنَّ إَلاَّ وَأَنتُم مُّسْلِمُونَ

2:132 And this was the legacy that Abraham left to his sons, and so did Jacob; "Oh my sons! Allah hath chosen the Faith for you; then die not except in the Faith of Islam."