Lecture 5

The Main Characteristics of Islam

Divine Nature of Islam (الربانية )

The totality of Islam has its origin from the Word of Allah SWT, the Noble al-Qur’an, and its message is brought and manifested through the words and deeds of our Prophet Muhammad SAW, as his wife, Aisyah RA said, “The character of the Emissary of God was al-Qur’an.”

Al-Qur’an , the principle source of Islam, has remain intact, untouched by foreign pollutants, and without any mixture of falsehood in its truths, “Surely We have sent down the Message, and surely We are its guardian,” (15:9).

The duty of the Messenger is to communicate it accurately to others and propagate it faithfully and diligently, without mixing any human ideas—referred to in the Qur’an as ahwa or “whims”—with Divine revelations.

“By the star when it sets, your comrade (Muhammad SAW) is not astray; neither does he err, nor does he speak out of whim. This is nothing but a revelation revealed,” (al-Najm 53:1-4).

“It is true that you will not able to guide everyone you love, but Allah guides whomever He will. And He knows best those who receive guidance,” (al-Qasas 28:56).

Some of the important and fixed principles of Islam:

• Allah SWT, which includes His existence and all His attributes, is unchangeable. His Oneness, His Eternity, His Power, His Will, is all permanent Divine Realities.
• The entire universe is Allah’s creation. Allah Most High willed its existence and it came into being.
• All of Allah’s creation, that is, the objects and living beings, are in a relationship of servitude to their Creator, who alone is the Master.
• Action without faith in Allah is just as useless as faith without action. Islam demands submission in the heart, and submission in actions.
• In the sight of Allah only Islam is the true religion and Allah does not accept any other faith or way of life.
• Man, as a species, is the noblest of all the creatures on earth, because he is the khalifah and the ‘abd, servant of Allah SWT as well.
• All the people on earth came from one origin, and hence in this regard, they are all equal. They acquire merit and rank with respect to each other through their faith, consciousness of Allah, and good deeds.
• The ultimate purpose of man’s existence is the worship of Allah, in the sense of complete obedience to Allah alone. All deeds of a Muslim are considered as worship as long as his intention is directed towards Allah SWT, the action is not prohibited in Islam, and it brings benefit to the doer and His other creatures.
• In Islam, the basis of human groupings is belief and adherence to the way of Allah, not ethnicity, or nationality, or country or race, or any other earthly cause.
• The life of this world is a test of belief and action, and the life in the Hereafter is a product of accounting and reward.

Comprehensiveness (الشمولية )

Islam is a way of life; hence it covers all aspects of human life and affairs. It deals with spiritual and material aspects, matters of worship, and social, economic, political and cultural aspects of human affairs.

Islam covers all human responsibilities either in relation between Allah SWT and man, between man and man, and between man and the universe.

Islam is a comprehensive religion since it is the final religion and the universal religion.

Islam gives the explanation of the totality of existence, including its beginning, it’s functioning after the beginning, the various changes that take place in it, its growth and development, and its administration, governance and regulation.

Islam connects all these realities in such coherent, natural and logical consequences as appeal to man’s intuition and intellect, indeed to the total personality of man, as self-evident truths and in a deeply satisfying manner.

In Islam, all our actions, even the seemingly trivial ones, must be performed as acts of worship that is performed consciously as constituting a part of God’s universal plan.
The purpose of this life is to permanently and constantly worship Allah SWT in all forms of actions of human life.


Balance (التوازن )

Islam is a religion that gives to each aspect of human life its need without any imbalance or exaggeration. The material, social, spiritual, cultural, and intellectual aspect of human life is treated in a balance manner.

Islam never asks people to focus only on the spiritual dimension of their life or the material, or the moral. But Islam put each dimension in its right place and legislate the necessary instruction to fulfill and meet the need of that dimension of human life.

Islam gives man a balance between what is knowable and what is unknowable, between all the various sources of knowledge available to human understanding and comprehension, between Allah’s Divine Power and Will and human’s free will, between man’s dual responsibility as a khalifah, and as an ‘abd.

Also in relation to the inner qualities of the human soul in relation to his Creator, of finding a balance between fear and hope, anxiety and contentment, of awe and love.