What is ISLAM?

Islam is not started during Muhammad time which was about 1400 years ago. Hence Muhammad was not a founder of Islam. Instead, to understand what is Islam, firstly we have to know the meaning of the word "ISLAM".

The word ISLAM is an Arabic word. This word of ISLAM derived from the root Arabic words, those are Aslama, Salima & Salaam.

Aslama means Submission, Surrender, Obedience and similar meanings.

Salima means Authentic, Pure and similar meanings.

Salaam means Harmony, Calm, Peace and similar meanings.

Or in other words, ISLAM means Submit (refer to word Aslama) to Pure/True (refer to word Salima) God in an Authentic (refer to word Salima) Way so that one can achieve Peace (refer to word Salaam) here and hereafter. Hence this Arabic word of ISLAM is a description of an action of obeying the True God so that ones can save during hereafter.

*In short = Submit to the True God in authentic way (according to God, and not according to us) to get a peace (get salvation in hereafter).



After Adam & Eve did the mistake by eating the forbidden fruit, then they repented. And after that they were forgiven by God (Quran 2:37 and 20:122). This is one of the true love of God in which none of their descendant carry their sin.

After they repented and then were sent down to the earth as God's initial plan (God already plan before the creation of Adam that He will create human to stay in the earth - Quran 2:30), then God said that He will send messengers among Adam's descendants (Quran 2:38-39; 20:123-124) so that everybody knows Him and everybody knows what is the purpose of the creation (Quran 51:56). That's why for every nation they have messengers (prophets) among them (Quran 13:7; 35:24; 16:36). And this messengers speak according to their own languages (Quran 14:4).
What all these messengers taught? As the most important commandment, they taught their people to worship Allah alone (Quran 16:36; 21:25) so that the purpose of human's creation (Quran 51:56) was known by all mankind.

Some story of the messengers were told in the Quran and some were not (Quran 40:78; 4:164). It's because there were so many messengers.

And then God sent His final messenger i.e. Muhammad pbuh as a final prophet (Quran 33:40) and as a prophet to all mankind (Quran 34:28).
Before this final prophet, although all the messengers brought the same teaching about God, but every nation in that time have their own rule of life (Quran 5:48). But then as a final messenger, the teaching i.e. Quran of this final messenger i.e. Muhammad pbuh, is not only for certain nation, but it's for all mankind. And this is not my word. This comes from God in Quran 2:185; 14:52; 25:1.
Hmmm...if Muhammad was the last prophet, then who will tell people about the purpose of creation (Quran 51:56) and to know Allah as a God alone (Quran 16:36; 21:25) after his death? The answer is in Quran 3:104 & 3:110. If before Muhammad pbuh, only prophets have a duty to ask people to know God. But as a people of the final prophet, then we (all mankind) are required to call every single person to worship Him alone. This is again not my word. This comes from Allah in the Quran 3:104 & 3:110 above. That's why we are the best nation as mentioned in the Quran 3:110.


Anyway, all prophets got revelations from God, but we don't get any revelation from God. Instead we only use the scripture & teaching brought by final messenger to bring (or call) people to God i.e. Quran (and his teaching that we call as Sunnah). And due to this duty (for all of us), then God promise to preserve His message i.e. Quran, from any corruption (Quran 15:9; 6:115; 18:27).


However, can we sure that the true message about God reach all human being since Adam until hereafter? And if there are people that never heard “clearly” the true message of Islam, where will they go in hereafter?

The answers are in several verses in the Quran.

In the Quran 17:15 stated that God will not punish to those who doesn’t receive or hear any message about Him and the message to surrender to The One & Only True God so that we can have peace (save). And this refers to a CLEAR message (Quran 2:159) and NOT a wrong message (such as Islam is a terrorist in which media can easily manipulate).

Finally, the only sin that God will not forgive is when we put partner to Him (Quran 4:48 & 116) INTENTIONALLY (Quran 4:115-116). What do I mean with intentionally? Let me give ONE example here…

Let say in our mind, our heart and (according to) our logic, we say that God should be One and Only in which HIS CONCEPT should be EASY TO UNDERSTAND, and at the same time we heard and received already about that message (which is “He is Truely One” and “His concept is understood easily by us”). But then we still accept the concept that we DON’T FULLY understand (or mystery), then this is the person who put partner to God intentionally.

SUPPOSE GOD MAKE IT EASY TO UNDERSTAND HIS CONCEPT. IF NOT, GOD CAN'T BLAME THOSE WHO REJECT HIM IN HEREAFTER.