Who is a Muslim to Allah

Ask someone in the Western world: Who is a Muslim? And one will get a widely varied response. The perception of Muslims in the West is rather complex, influenced by historical, social, and political factors. It can range from positive to negative, depending on various contexts and individual perspectives. For many, the word Muslim brings to mind the image of a terrorist, an Afghan Taliban and someone living in desert chasing camels. This perception mainly arises from the perception of Muslims aired on the social media. One would never get to see someone defining Muslim as a well educated and literate person, for a large number of Muslims are employees of some of the major conglomerates and business empires.

Today, let us define for you who actually is a Muslim. Or should we say who a Muslim is to Allah, for there is bond between a true believing Muslim and his Creator. This bondage thus defines who a Muslim is.

A Muslim is defined in the Quran as someone who submits to the will of Allah, believes in His oneness, accepts all His prophets, believes in the unseen, performs righteous deeds, accepts Allah's decree, and supports the community of believers. This comprehensive definition encompasses faith, practice, and ethical conduct, reflecting the holistic approach of Islam to human life and spirituality.

Let us now elaborate the above quoted definition of Muslim as condensed form a number of verses from Qur'an, meaning by this the man whom Allah considers to be a Muslim. Herein under is the further elaborate the characteristics of the person called Muslim:

Submission to Allah:

A Muslim is one who submits his will to Allah. This is the fundamental meaning of the term "Muslim" (from the Arabic root S-L-M, meaning "to submit" or "to surrender").

Surah Al-Baqarah (2:112): "Yes, whoever submits his face to Allah and he is a doer of good, then his reward is with his Lord, and there will be no fear concerning them, nor will they grieve."

Belief in Allah and the Prophets:

Muslims are those who believe in Allah and accept all His prophets, including the final prophet, Muhammad ﷺ. Here it may be said that Muslims believe in the entire chain of prophets and messengers right from Adam, followed by Noah, Moses, Abraham, Ishmael, and Ishaq. The list also includes Eesa (called Jesus by Christians) as a prophet of Allah too, and not as an associate or even a god at par with the One and the Only God of the universe.

"The Messenger has believed in what was revealed to him from his Lord, and [so have] the believers. All of them have believed in Allah and His angels and His books and His messengers, [saying], 'We make no distinction between any of His messengers.' And they say, 'We hear and we obey. [We seek] Your forgiveness, our Lord, and to You is the [final] destination.'"

Faith in the Unseen: This is the hallmark of a person called Muslim. Often atheists ask Muslims whether they have seen Allah they believe in? And even ask scientific explanations for they know nothing beyond 2+2=4.  But they fail to see the signs, not only the earth and countless living creations as small as a being which can only be seen with the help of a microscope, but also the fathomless and never ending ends of the universe. Even the Hubble Telescope, the marvel of the present day science has not been able to reach anything close to the ends, which to my mind do not exist. Yet Muslims believed in Allah unseen when Prophet Muhammad ﷺ asked the illiterate, rigid, hard core Bedouins of Arabia.

Muslims believe in the unseen, including the existence of Allah, angels, the afterlife, and other metaphysical aspects.

Surah Al-Baqarah (2:3): "Who believe in the unseen, establish prayer, and spend out of what We have provided for them."

Righteous Deeds: Being a Muslim involves performing righteous deeds, which include prayer, charity, fasting, and other acts of worship and kindness.

"Righteousness is not that you turn your faces toward the east or the west, but [true] righteousness is in one who believes in Allah, the Last Day, the angels, the Book, and the prophets and gives his wealth, in spite of love for it, to relatives, orphans, the needy, the traveler, those who ask [for help], and for freeing slaves; [and who] establishes prayer and gives zakah; [those who] fulfill their promise when they promise; and [those who] are patient in poverty and hardship and during battle. Those are the ones who have been true, and it is those who are the righteous." (Surah Al-Baqarah 2:177):

 

Acceptance of Allah's Decree: Muslims accept Allah's decree and trust in His wisdom and judgment.

"And those who strive for Us - We will surely guide them to Our ways. And indeed, Allah is with the doers of good." (Surah Al-Ankabut 29:69) 

Community and Brotherhood: Muslims are part of a global brotherhood, the Ummah, and are encouraged to support and care for each other.

"The believers are but brothers, so make settlement between your brothers. And fear Allah that you may receive mercy." (Surah Al-Hujurat 49:10)

Muslims are asked by Allah to call others to the Straight Path: Allah expects a person who calls himself a Muslim to invite others to Islam as has been directed in the verse mentioned below:

For every people We have prescribed a way of worship which they follow. So, (O Muhammad), let them not dispute with you concerning this, and call them to Your Lord. You are certainly on the Straight Way. (qur'an 22:67) 

The act of worship differs between the people of the Book, that is Jews, Christians and the Muslims. In the verse above, While Muslims have been asked to interfere with their form or act of worship, they have been asked to call them to Your Lord. You are certainly on the Straight Way.

These attributes are of  person whom Allah calls a Muslim and will reward them if they follow His prescribed path with complete faith in Allah and invite others to the staright path that leads to One Omnipotent Allah.

You may also like to read our earlier post: Who is a Muslim

May Allāh (سبحانه و تعالى‎) help us understand Qur'ān and follow the Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, which is embodiment of commandments of Allah contained in the Qur'ān. May Allah help us to be like the ones He loves and let our lives be lived helping others and not making others' lives miserable or unlivable. May all our wrong doings, whether intentional or unintentional, be forgiven before the angel of death knocks on our door. 

وَمَا عَلَيۡنَاۤ اِلَّا الۡبَلٰغُ الۡمُبِيۡنُ‏ 

(36:17) and our duty is no more than to clearly convey the Message.”

That is Our duty is only to convey to you the message that Allah has entrusted us with. Then it is for you to accept it or reject it. We have not been made responsible for making you accept it forcibly, and if you do not accept it, we shall not be seized in consequence of your disbelief, you will yourselves be answerable for your actions on Day of Resurrection.

May Allah forgive me if my posts ever imply a piety far greater than I possess. I am most in need of guidance.

Reading the Qur'ān should be a daily obligation of a Muslim - Reading it with translation will make it meaningful. But reading its Exegesis / Tafsir will make you understand it fully. It will also help the Muslims to have grasp over social issues and their answers discussed in the Qur'an and other matter related to inter faith so that they are able to discuss issues with non-Muslims with authority based on refences from Qur'an.

Note: When we mention God in our posts, we mean One True God, we call Allah in Islam, with no associates. Allah is the Sole Creator of all things, and that Allah is all-powerful and all-knowing. Allah has no offspring, no race, no gender, no body, and is unaffected by the characteristics of human life.

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Posted in: Deffinition,Muslim,Understanding Islam