Islam is a religion founded on truth. It is such a fountainhead of learning that several streams of wisdom and knowledge flow from it. It is such a lamp which can lit several lamps. Illuminating the path of Allah, Islam is a lofty beacon of light. It is such a set of principles and beliefs that will fully satisfy every seeker of truth and reality. It is known to all that Allah has made Islam, the most sublime path for the attainment of His supreme pleasure and the highest standard of his worship and obedience. He has favoured it with noble precepts, exalted principles, undoubtable arguements, unchallengable supremecy and undeniable wisdom. It is up to one to maintain the eminence and dignity granted to it by the Lord, to follow it sincerely, to do justice to its articles of faith and belief, to obey implicitly its tenets and orders and to give it the proper place in one's life.
The literal meaning of Islam is peace; surrender of one’s will i.e. losing oneself for the sake of Allah and surrendering one’s own pleasure for the pleasure of Allah. The message of Islam was revealed to the Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings on him) 1, 400 years back and was thus preserved in the Holy Quran. The Holy Quran carries a Divine guarantee of safeguard from interpolation and it claims that it combines the best features of the earlier scriptures.
The prime message of Islam is the Unity of Allah, that the Creator of the world is One and He alone is worthy of worship and that Muhammad (peace and blessings on him) is His Messenger and Servant. The follower of this belief is thus a Muslim - a Muslim’s other beliefs are: Allah’s angels, previously revealed Books of Allah, all the prophets before Mohammad (peace be on him), the Day of Judgement and indeed the Decree of Allah. A Muslim has five main duties to perform, namely; bearing witness to the Unity of Allah and Muhammad (peace and blessings on him) as His Messenger, observing the prescribed prayer, payment of Zakat, keeping the fasts of Ramadhan and performing the pilgrimage to Mecca.
Islam believes that each person is born pure. The Holy Quran tells us that Allah has given human beings a choice between good and evil and to seek Allah’s pleasure through faith, prayer and charity. Islam believes Allah created mankind in His own image and by imbuing the attributes of Allah on a human level mankind can attain His nearness. Islam’s main message is to worship Allah and to treat all Allah’s creation with kindness and compassion. Rights of parents in old age, orphans and the disadvantaged are clearly stated in Islam, which also provides safeguard to women’s rights. The rules ad principles of Islam stand universal.
Islam teaches the mankind that the path to spiritual development is open to all. Any individual who searches the One Creator can seek nearness to Allah through sincere and earnest worship; it is central to establishing a relationship with the Almighty. This positive message for humanity fills hearts with hope and courage.
At present there are 1.5 billion Muslims worldwide and they form the majority in more than 50 countries of the world. Today Islam is the fastest growing faith in the world.