Is islam a universal religion? Why Islam is a universal religion?
Islam invites all human beings and jinns.[1] Everyone, regardless of race, skin color, gender, or national origin can become a Muslim. Islam classifies humanity according to their responsibilities and rights, and it considers that only two human nations exist: believers and unbelievers.[2]
It is by no means logical that a system sent for the bliss and salvation of humanity by Allah – Whose mercy encompasses all creation – be allotted to a handful of people while all others are left devoid of this bounty. This situation contrasts with the Rahman and Raheem attributes of Allah.[3] The messenger of Allah (blessings and peace be upon him) said:
“God Almighty shows mercy to those who show mercy. Show mercy to those on earth so that those in the Heavens shall show mercy to you.” (Abu Dawud, Adab, 58/4941; Tirmizi, Birr 16/1924; Ahmad bin Hanbal, II, 160)
This hadith implies no particular race. Nor does it imply “Muslims-only.” It commands us all to be merciful to all human beings, animals, and plants.
In the Noble Quran, it is expressed that our Prophet was sent to invite all the human beings as follows:
“(My messenger!) say: “O men! I am sent unto you all, as the Messenger of Allah, to Whom belongs the dominion of the heavens and the earth…” (Al-A`raf (The Ramparts) 7:158)
“(O Muhammad!) We sent you not but as a Mercy for all creatures. (Al-Anbiya` (The Prophets), 21:107)
For this reason, the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace be upon him) invited not only Arabs to Islam, but also Byzantines (Eastern Romans), Ethiopians, Egyptians, and others by sending representatives and letters to the emperors and kings in his time.[4]
Moreover, Islam comprises all time and space. It is not confined to a specific time and location. Today, it is possible to see Muslims hailing from all parts of the world and from every nation, especially during the Hajj season, all getting together and worshipping Allah, the one God, around the Kaaba as Allah commands – an admirable Islamic community and brotherhood.
Islam has a structure that is capable of satisfying all human needs. Islam is a life and belief-system that sees to the spiritual, physical, and social rights of human beings; clarifies the meanings of life and death, deity, prophet, angels, Satan, world, hereafter, reward, punishment, paradise, and hell to which no other religion can provide as persuasive or satisfactory an explanation.
To better understand this situation, it would be sufficient to recall the following: Quran satisfies all the needs of Muslims as a source for rules and rulings, from the earliest time when the small Islamic community was formed of oppressed people, to the era when the Islamic nation established hegemony from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and became the one magnificent state of its time. As such, this community had found everything related to its creed and beliefs, types of worship, social life, social rules, and other needs present in this divine book, the Quran.[5]
[1] Translator’s note: Islam acknowledges the existence of these creatures and that they have free will.
[2] Every human is the nation of the Prophet of his time. All people after HE Muhammad had been sent as a Prophet are considered as his nation. However, while some believe his Prophethood, others deny it.
[3] Translator’s note: Rahman is interpreted as the All-Merciful in the sense that Allah’s mercy encompasses all creation in the universe, while Raheem is interpreted as Allah’s mercy for the believers in the Hereafter.
[4] While the texts of these letters are available, the originals of some of them can be seen in Istanbul Topkapi Palace Museum. See http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Muhammad_letter_muqawqis.jpg
[5] M. Hamidullah, Kur’ân-ı Kerîm Tarihi (The History of the Noble Quran) (Introduction Section of Le Saint Coran), p. 23.
Source: Dr. Murat Kaya,The Final Divine Religion: ISLAM
