The existence of many religions, despite the belief in one God by many, can be understood through theological, historical, and human factors. Here's an explanation in light of Islamic teachings, as well as general considerations:
- Reasons for Multiple Religions
- Human Free Will and Interpretation
- Humans are given the ability to think, interpret, and make choices. This freedom allows for diverse interpretations of divine messages.
- Over time, these interpretations can lead to differences in beliefs, practices, and the establishment of new religious systems.
- Distortion of Original Messages: Islam teaches that the original revelations given to earlier prophets (e.g., the Torah, Psalms, and Gospel) were true but were altered over time, leading to the emergence of various religions. "They change the words from their [proper] places..." (Quran 5:13)
- Sociocultural and Historical Factors
- Religion often develops in response to the cultural, social, and historical contexts of different communities.
- People adapted religious teachings to fit their lifestyles or political agendas, leading to the formation of unique traditions and beliefs.
- Test of Diversity Diversity in beliefs is part of Allah's test for humanity. The Quran states: "To each of you We prescribed a law and a method. Had Allah willed, He would have made you one nation [united in religion], but [He intended] to test you in what He has given you; so, compete in good deeds." (Quran 5:48)
Wisdom Behind Religious Diversity
From an Islamic viewpoint, the diversity of religions is part of Allah's divine plan. Some reasons might include:
- A Test for Humanity: Religious diversity tests humanity's sincerity in seeking the truth and submitting to it. "And We did not create the heavens and earth and everything between them, except in truth and [for] a specified term." (Quran 46:3)
- Evidence of Human Freedom: The variety of beliefs reflects the human exercise of free will, a gift from Allah.
- Opportunity for Dialogue: The existence of multiple religions encourages mutual learning, understanding, and striving for common ground.
"O mankind, indeed We have created you from male and female and made you peoples and tribes that you may know one another." (Quran 49:13)
The Oneness of God in Islam
The barrier start the emergence of Islam. With the Divine Revelations to Prophet Musa (Moses, peace be upon him) the birth of Jewism commenced. And the Jews considered them the superior nation. But with the birth of Prophet Eesa (Jesus, peace be upon him), another Divine religion came to forth, which was forcefully detested and contested by the Jews, which finally resulted into Crucifixion of Jesus. Now we had two religions contesting each other. But the advent of Islam which teaches that Allah is the one and only God, the Creator of all humanity, a common enemy was found both by Jews and followers of Jesus. Both religion instead of understanding the progressive process of Divine religions which has been culminated into Islam, the last Divine religion, turned against Islam. The major clash came from the followers of Jesus who found a threat to their belief that Jesus is the son of God and thus shares some powers of God, or some even consider him to be at par with God.
Thus from an Islamic perspective, the answer to the question so posed can be understood as under:
Original Revelation of Oneness: Allah sent prophets to every nation to guide humanity to His worship alone. The Quran states:
"And We certainly sent into every nation a messenger, [saying], 'Worship Allah and avoid false gods.'" (Quran 16:36)
Over time, the original message became distorted or forgotten, leading to deviations and the formation of other religions.
Islam’s Perspective on the True Religion
Islam asserts that:
- The ultimate truth lies in the worship of Allah alone and following His guidance.
- Islam is the final and complete version of the original message sent to all prophets:
- "Indeed, the religion in the sight of Allah is Islam." (Quran 3:19)
- Differences arose because of human actions, but Islam views itself as a corrective to these deviations.
Unity Amid Diversity
While Islam acknowledges the multiplicity of religions, it also emphasizes the unity of humanity under one Creator:
"Say, 'O People of the Scripture, come to a word that is equitable between us and you—that we will not worship except Allah and not associate anything with Him and not take one another as lords instead of Allah.' But if they turn away, then say, 'Bear witness that we are Muslims [submitting to Him].'" (Quran 3:64)
The existence of multiple religions, despite the belief in one God, reflects human diversity, free will, historical development, and the distortion of divine messages. Islam teaches that Allah has always been the God of everyone, but deviations occurred over time. Islam sees itself as the final and universal message meant to unite humanity under the worship of the one true God.
Thus, while Jews continue cling to their religion for being superior to others, followers of Jesus, though not agreeing with the One God concept of Jews, have instead focused their anger toward Islam for rejecting the concept of Trinity as against One God, called Allah by Muslims, and this self created confrontation has led to creation of many religions (which may also include the Hinduism, the Buddhism and Shintoism).
If one analyses each religion, as has been and is being done by many a non Muslim and leading them to embrace Islam, one would find that right from the start, the Divine religions were to progressive and adding to the previous religion. This progressive progress finally culminated in the final Divine Religion, that is Islam. More and more followers of other religions are finding Islam more closer to Divine mindset rather than man written books. For example Bible is "about Jesus" and those reading Bible should know that in Bible Jesus speaks to them. On the contrary those reading Qur'an, the last of the four Divine Scriptures, feel that God is speaking to them, and not Prophet Muhammad ﷺ.
This diversity in religions thus serves as a test and an opportunity for humans to reflect, seek truth, and live righteously amidst differences. Lucky and blessed are those who are finding the answers to their unanswered question in Islam which they could not find in their faith.
Now, you may like to an enlightening video on the subject below by Zakir Abdul Karim Naik, an Islamic televangelist and Islamic preacher. He is the founder and president of the Islamic Research Foundation. He is also the founder of the Peace TV:
Photo | For more questions about Islam as addressed by scholars of Islam, please refer to our reference page: Scholars' Viewpoint on important issues related to Islam. You may also refer to more Q&A about Understanding Islam.
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