Muslims and followers of other divine religions believe that the life of a person who does not believe in a just creator and a life hereafter is meaningless and sheer absurdity leading to unrewarded suffering and a futile adventure, where the righteous will be rewarded.

The faithful believe that it is impossible to comprehend the contradiction, injustice and the suffering of this life without believing in a just and wise creator who is the disposer of all affairs and who has made an end for this life after which each person will reap the fruits of his deeds.

Only then can profound faith in all the values and concepts such as justice, love, compassion, honesty, patience and mercy become a fact that is consistent with one’s personality. Only then, challenges be given true purpose and meaning, achievement be given taste and patience be given sweetness.

The Qur’an, the Holy Book of Islam clearly points to this and informs us in 3:191 that those who are endowed with understanding “… reflect on the creation of the heavens and the earth, saying, ‘Our Lord, You have not created this in vain. Glory be to You! …”

Most world religions are named after a person, a nation or a country where the religion originated. For instance, Christianity was named after Jesus Christ, Judaism after the Tribe of Judah, Buddhism after its founder and Hinduism after India.

Islam however, is not named after any particular person, tribe, ethnic group or nation. Islam does not exist for the purpose of a specific human nation, nor was it founded by anyone to be named after its founder. It is only called Islam, which simply means total submission to God’s will.

A cursory look at the root of the Arabic word ‘Islam’ will reveal that it comprises a number of meanings including submission, obedience, sincerity, devotion, peace and tranquillity.

Islam means total submission to the Lord, the Creator and True King, and freedom from all forms of worship to other than Him.

This is the very meaning that the Qur’an stresses in a number of verses.

In 31:22,  we read that “whoever surrenders himself sincerely and completely to God, obeys His commands and avoids what He has prohibited has indeed grasped the firmest handhold, attained safety and realized all good”.
Thus, Islam means total submission to God and rejection of all other forms of worship asides Him. By the same token, a follower of Islam, a Muslim, is someone who submits himself completely to God, sincerely worships Him, leads a life of inner peace and spreads peace all around him.
However, is this the message of all God’s messengers?

The Qur’an stresses that God sent messengers to all past nations in different eras to teach them God’s religion. Addressing Prophet Muhammad Peace be upon him (PBUH), the Qur’an (35:24) states, “We have sent you with the truth as a bearer of good news and a warner. There is no nation to which a warner has not come.” Therefore, all God’s messengers came with the true religion, and they do not differ regarding the fundamentals of faith and morals.
The Religion of Islam was brought by Prophet Muhammad (PUBH), the final messenger, over 1,400 years ago. Prophet Muhammad’s (PUBH) message is the same in essence to that given to all God’s messengers before him and thus constitutes an extension of the religion with which all previous God’s messengers came. The Qur’an (2: 136) requires Muslims to believe in the revelation sent down to previous God’s messengers, such as Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob, Moses and Jesus.
It is worth noting that the Qur’an (2: 132) relates to us the commandment of Abraham to his children before his death, just as it relates to us that of Jacob to his children, saying to them that God had chosen the true religion for them and warning them not to die except as Muslims meaning, in full submission to God.
Therefore, Islam is an extension of the religion of all God’s messengers. The set of beliefs remain in its original and undistorted nature that is essentially the same, and differences only exist in the laws and their niceties that change according to the various times, places and the general circumstances. Muhammad (PUBH) is the last messenger in the chain, and he was sent to all humankind with the final divine law.
Thus, the Qur’an (3:19) clearly states that religion is one, namely Islam, and the differences we perceive among followers of divine religions in regard to beliefs are mere distortions that have set them apart from what their messengers actually brought them.