The Meaning of Islam

1. Islam is an Arabic word that denotes submission, surrender, and obedience. As a religion, Islam stands for complete submission and obedience to Allah—that is why it is called Islam. The other literal meaning of the word "Islam" is "peace." This signifies that one can achieve real peace of body and of mind only through submission and obedience to Allah.
2. Such a life of obedience brings peace of the heart and establishes real peace in society at large.

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1. Those who believe and whose hearts find rest in the remembrance of Godindeed it is in the remembrance of God alone that the heart of man finds rest-those who believe and act righteously, joy is for them, and a blissful home to return to. (13: 28-29)
2. The word "Islam" is from the root SLM (pronounced silm), which means "to surrender, to submit, to yield, to give one's self up. Thus aslama amrahu ila Allah means "he committed his cause to God" or "he resigned himself to the will of God." Aslama alone would mean "he committed himself to the will of God" or "he became a Muslim." The othr major shade of meaning in the root is "to become reconciled with one another" or "to make peace." Salm means "peace." So does silm, which also means "the religion of Islam." See Hans Wehr, A Dictionary of Modern Written Arabic (Wiesbaden: Otto Harrassowitz, 1971), pp. 424-25. Imam Raghib says in alMuiradat fi Gharib al Qur'an: "Islam, in law, is of two kinds: one is a simple confession with the tongue ... the other (is) that along with confession, there is belief in the heart and a fulfillment in practice, and resignation to God in whatever He brings to pass or decrees." Raghib further says: "Islam means entering into salary, and salary and silm both signify peace."
3. This message was preached by all the Prophets of God, who guided man to the right path. But man not only veered away from the right path again and again, but also lost or distorted the code of guidance that the prophets had bequeathed. That was why other prophets were sent to restate the original message and guide man back to the right path. The last of these prophets was Muhammad, who Presented God's guidance in its final form and arranged to preserve it for all time. It is this guidance that is now known as Islam and is enshrined in the Qur'an and the life-example (Sunnah) of the Prophet. The basic Islamic concept is that the whole universe was created by God, whom Islam calls Allah, and who is the Lord and the Sovereign of theuniverse, which He Alone sustains. He created man and appointed for each human being a fixed period of life that he is to spend upon the earth. Allah has prescribed a certain code of life as the correct one for mankind, but has, at the same time, conferred upon man the freedom of choice as to whether or not he adopts this code as the actual basis of his life. One who chooses to follow the code revealed by God becomes a Muslim (believer) and one who refuses to follow it becomes a kafir (disbeliever).
4. A man joins the fold of Islam by honestly believing in and professing faith in the oneness of God and the prophet hood of Muhammad. Both of these beliefs are epitomized in the kalimah (the article of faith): La ilaha illa Allah, Muhammad Rasul Allah. (There is no god except Allah; Muhammad is His Prophet.) The first part of the kalimah presents the concept of tawhid (the oneness of God) and its second part affirms the prophet hood of Muhammad