Series of Answers by the Eminent Scholar Ata bin Khalil Abu al-Rashtah, Ameer of Hizb ut Tahrir, to the Questions of Visitors to his Facebook Page "Fiqhi"
To Abu Sarah
Question:
Assalamu alaikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuhu
Our shaikh who is glorified by Allah, we want to ask you:
In the book The System of Islam (Nizam al-Islam), it is written that Islam is the religion revealed to the Prophet Muhammad to regulate human relations with Allah, human relations with themselves, and human relations with fellow humans.
My question is: Was Islam only revealed to the Prophet Muhammad and not to the previous prophets? So, what was the religion of the previous prophets?
I thank you for your answer, and may Allah reward you with great rewards.
Wassalamu alaikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuhu.
Answer:
Wa Alaikum Assalam wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuhu,
In your question, you are referring to what was mentioned at the beginning of the chapter "The Islamic System" in the book The System of Islam (Nizam al-Islam) regarding the definition of Islam as follows:
["Islam is the religion which Allah revealed to our master Muhammad ﷺ to organize man’s relationship with his Creator, with himself, and with his fellow man. The relationship with the Creator includes creeds (aqaid) and acts of worship (ibadat). The relationship with oneself includes morals (akhlaq), foodstuffs, and clothing. The relationship with others includes transactions (muamalat) and punishments (uqubat)."] End quote.
The word "Islam" and its derivatives are used in the Sharia texts with a linguistic meaning (the linguistic reality/al-haqiqah al-lughawiyyah) and a technical meaning (the Sharia reality/al-haqiqah al-shar'iyyah). The linguistic meaning of the word "Islam" is submission, surrender, and sincerity. As for the technical meaning, the term "Islam" is used as a specific name for the religion that Allah (swt) revealed to our master Muhammad ﷺ specifically, as per the definition quoted from the book The System of Islam above. Here is the clarification:
First: The Linguistic Meaning (Al-Haqiqah al-Lughawiyyah) of the term Islam:
- The linguistic meaning of the word "Islam" is mentioned in linguistic dictionaries as follows:
A- [Lisan al-Arab (12/289)]: "Islam and istaslama (surrender) mean submission. Islam in Sharia is the manifestation of humility, showing adherence to the Sharia, and committing to what the Prophet brought... As for Islam, Abu Bakr Muhammad bin Bashshar said: It is said that so-and-so is a Muslim, and there are two views on this; one is that he is the one who submits (al-mustaslim) to the command of Allah, and the second is that he is the one who is sincere (al-mukhlis) in worship to Allah, from their saying: 'he handed over (sallama) the thing to so-and-so', i.e., he cleared it for him... and in the hadith: 'There is no human except that he has a devil with him.' It was said: 'Even with you?' He said: 'Yes, but Allah helped me against him so he submitted (fa-aslama)'; and in a narration: 'until he submitted', meaning he obeyed and stopped his whispering..."
B- [Al-Muhit fi al-Lughah (2/265)]: "Islam: Submission (al-istaslam) to the command of Allah and obedience to His compliance. They say: 'We submitted (sallamna) to Allah our Lord,' meaning we surrendered to Him and submitted (aslamna). Al-Salam is also: Islam. The Muslim: The one who submits (al-mustaslim)..."
Thus, Islam linguistically means submission, obedience, and sincerity; regarding Allah (swt), it means obedience, humility, and submission to Allah, as well as sincerity to Him (swt).
- The use of the linguistic meaning of Islam in Sharia texts:
The Sharia texts have used the word "Islam," its derivatives, and its root in multiple places according to the aforementioned linguistic meaning. We mention two instances of these Sharia texts as examples:
A- The saying of Allah (swt):
وَإِذْ يَرْفَعُ إِبْرَاهِيمُ الْقَوَاعِدَ مِنَ الْبَيْتِ وَإِسْمَاعِيلُ رَبَّنَا تَقَبَّلْ مِنَّا إِنَّكَ أَنْتَ السَّمِيعُ الْعَلِيمُ * رَبَّنَا وَاجْعَلْنَا مُسْلِمَيْنِ لَكَ وَمِنْ ذُرِّيَّتِنَا أُمَّةً مُسْلِمَةً لَكَ وَأَرِنَا مَنَاسِكَنَا وَتُبْ عَلَيْنَا إِنَّكَ أَنْتَ التَّوَّابُ الرَّحِيمُ * رَبَّنَا وَابْعَثْ فِيهِمْ رَسُولاً مِنْهُمْ يَتْلُو عَليهمْ آيَاتِكَ وَيُعَلِّمُهُمُ الْكِتَابَ وَالْحِكْمَةَ وَيُزَكِّيهِمْ إِنَّكَ أَنْتَ الْعَزِيزُ الْحَكِيمُ * وَمَنْ يَرْغَبُ عَنْ مِلَّةِ إِبْرَاهِيمَ إِلَّا مَنْ سَفِهَ نَفْسَهُ وَلَقَدِ اصْطَفَيْنَاهُ فِي الدُّنْيَا وَإِنَّهُ فِي الْآخِرَةِ لَمِنَ الصَّالِحِينَ * إِذْ قَالَ لَهُ رَبُّهُ أَسْلِمْ قَالَ أَسْلَمْتُ لِرَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ * وَوَصَّى بِهَا إِبْرَاهِيمُ بَنِيهِ وَيَعْقُوبُ يَابَنِيَّ إِنَّ اللَّهَ اصْطَفَى لَكُمُ الدِّينَ فَلَا تَمُوتُنَّ إِلَّا وَأَنْتُمْ مُسْلِمُونَ * أَمْ كُنْتُمْ شُهَدَاءَ إِذْ حَضَرَ يَعْقُوبَ الْمَوْتُ إِذْ قَالَ لِبَنِيهِ مَا تَعْبُدُونَ مِنْ بَعْدِي قَالُوا نَعْبُدُ إِلَهَكَ وَإِلَهَ آبَائِكَ إِبْرَاهِيمَ وَإِسْمَاعِيلَ وَإِسْحَاقَ إِلَهاً وَاحِداً وَنَحْنُ لَهُ مُسْلِمُونَ * تِلْكَ أُمَّةٌ قَدْ خَلَتْ لَهَا مَا كَسَبَتْ وَلَكُمْ مَا كَسَبْتُمْ وَلَا تُسْأَلُونَ عَمَّا كَانُوا يَعْمَلُونَ
"And [mention] when Abraham was raising the foundations of the House and [with him] Ishmael, [saying], 'Our Lord, accept [this] from us. Indeed You are the Hearing, the Knowing. Our Lord, and make us Muslims [in submission] to You and from our descendants a Muslim nation [in submission] to You. And show us our rites and accept our repentance. Indeed, You are the Accepting of repentance, the Merciful. Our Lord, and send among them a messenger from themselves who will recite to them Your verses and teach them the Book and wisdom and purify them. Indeed, You are the Exalted in Might, the Wise.' And who would be averse to the religion of Abraham except one who makes a fool of himself. And We had chosen him in this world, and indeed he, in the Hereafter, will be among the righteous. When his Lord said to him, 'Submit,' he said 'I have submitted [as a Muslim] to the Lord of the worlds.' And Abraham instructed his sons [to do the same] and [so did] Jacob, [saying], 'O my sons, indeed Allah has chosen for you this religion, so do not die except while you are Muslims.' Or were you witnesses when death approached Jacob, when he said to his sons, 'What will you worship after me?' They said, 'We will worship your God and the God of your fathers, Abraham and Ishmael and Isaac - one God. And we are Muslims [in submission] to Him.' That was a nation which has passed on. It will have [the consequence of] what it earned, and you will have what you have earned. And you will not be asked about what they used to do." (Qur'an 2:127-134)
All the terms in these verses related to the root of Islam (muslimayn, muslimah, aslim, aslamtu, muslimun) carry the linguistic meaning of the word Islam, i.e., surrender, humility, and sincerity to Allah (swt). This is clarified by what is mentioned in the books of tafsir regarding the meanings of these verses. I quote a brief explanation from Tafsir al-Nasafi:
[Tafsir al-Nasafi (1/76)]: "رَبَّنَا واجعلنا مُسْلِمَيْنِ لَكَ making our faces sincere to You from His saying: ﴿أَسْلَمَ وَجْهَهُ لِلَّهِ﴾, or surrendering; it is said 'he submitted to him' and 'surrendered' if he was humble and complied. The meaning is: increase our sincerity and compliance to You. ﴿وَمِن ذُرِّيَّتِنَا﴾ and make from our descendants ﴿أُمَّةً مُّسْلِمَةً لَّكَ﴾, and 'من' (min) is for partitivity or clarification. It was said: he meant by the nation the nation of Muhammad ﷺ, and they only singled out their descendants in the prayer because they are more deserving of compassion, like His saying: ﴿قُواْ أَنفُسَكُمْ وَأَهْلِيكُمْ نَاراً﴾... ﴿إِذْ قَالَ﴾ is a zarf (adverb) for istafaynahu, or it is in the accusative case by the implication of 'mention' (idmar udhkur), as if it were said: Mention that time so you may know that he is the chosen righteous one from whose religion no one like him would turn away. ﴿لَهُ رَبُّهُ أَسْلِمْ﴾ comply or obey or make your religion sincere for Allah ﴿قَالَ أَسْلَمْتُ لِرَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ﴾ meaning I have become sincere or I have complied... ﴿فَلاَ تَمُوتُنَّ إَلاَّ وَأَنتُم مُّسْلِمُونَ﴾ so let not your death be except in a state of being steadfast upon Islam... ﴿وَنَحْنُ لَهُ مُسْلِمُونَ﴾ sincere to Allah..." End quote.
B- Allah's saying:
وَإِذْ أَوْحَيْتُ إِلَى الْحَوَارِيِّينَ أَنْ آمِنُوا بِي وَبِرَسُولِي قَالُوا آمَنَّا وَاشْهَدْ بِأَنَّنَا مُسْلِمُونَ
"And [remember] when I inspired to the disciples, 'Believe in Me and in My messenger Jesus.' They said, 'We have believed, and bear witness that we are Muslims [in submission to Allah].'" (Qur'an 5:111)
It is clear from the verse that the talk is about the disciples, the followers of Jesus (as), and that they said they were Muslims, meaning surrendering and complying with the command of Allah and being sincere to Him. Tafsir al-Nasafi mentions the following regarding this verse:
[Tafsir al-Nasafi (1/314)]: "﴿وَإِذْ أَوْحَيْتُ﴾ I inspired ﴿إِلَى الْحَوَارِيِّينَ﴾ the elite or the chosen ones ﴿أَنْ آمِنُوا﴾ that is, believe ﴿بِي وَبِرَسُولِي قَالُوا آمَنَّا وَاشْهَدْ بِأَنَّنَا مُسْلِمُونَ﴾ meaning bear witness that we are sincere among those who have submitted their faces."
Second: The Technical Use of the word Islam (The Sharia Reality):
- As we mentioned earlier, the Sharia texts have used the word Islam in its technical sense, i.e., as a proper name for the religion revealed to Muhammad ﷺ. We provide two examples:
A- The saying of Allah (swt):
الْيَوْمَ يَئِسَ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا مِنْ دِينِكُمْ فَلَا تَخْشَوْهُمْ وَاخْشَوْنِ الْيَوْمَ أَكْمَلْتُ لَكُمْ دِينَكُمْ وَأَتْمَمْتُ عَلَيْكُمْ نِعْمَتِي وَرَضِيتُ لَكُمُ الْإِسْلَامَ دِيناً
"This day those who disbelieve have despaired of [defeating] your religion; so fear them not, but fear Me. This day I have perfected for you your religion and completed My favor upon you and have approved for you Islam as religion." (Qur'an 5:3)
Tafsir Ibn Kathir mentions the following regarding this verse:
[Tafsir Ibn Kathir (3/26)]: "His saying: ﴿الْيَوْمَ أَكْمَلْتُ لَكُمْ دِينَكُمْ وَأَتْمَمْتُ عَلَيْكُمْ نِعْمَتِي وَرَضِيتُ لَكُمُ الإسْلامَ دِيناً﴾ This is the greatest of Allah's favors (az) upon this nation, as He (swt) perfected their religion for them; thus they do not need another religion besides it, nor another prophet besides their Prophet, may the blessings and peace of Allah be upon him. For this reason, Allah made him the Seal of the Prophets and sent him to mankind and the Jinn. So, there is no halal except what he permitted, no haram except what he prohibited, and no religion except what he legislated. Everything he informed us of is truth and sincerity with no lies or contradiction, as Allah (swt) said: ﴿وَتَمَّتْ كَلِمَتُ رَبِّكَ صِدْقاً وَعَدْلا﴾ meaning sincerity in reports and justice in commands and prohibitions. When He perfected the religion for them, the favor upon them was completed; for this reason, Allah said: ﴿الْيَوْمَ أَكْمَلْتُ لَكُمْ دِينَكُمْ وَأَتْمَمْتُ عَلَيْكُمْ نِعْمَتِي وَرَضِيتُ لَكُمُ الإسْلامَ دِيناً﴾ meaning: so be pleased with it for yourselves, for it is the religion that Allah is pleased with and loves, and with which He sent the best of His noble Messengers, and revealed in it the most honorable of His Books. Ali bin Abi Talha said, on the authority of Ibn Abbas regarding His saying: ﴿الْيَوْمَ أَكْمَلْتُ لَكُمْ دِينَكُمْ﴾ and it is Islam, Allah informed His Prophet ﷺ and the believers that He had perfected faith for them, so they would never need an increase, and Allah completed it so He would never decrease it, and Allah was pleased with it so He would never be angry with it." End quote.
It is clear from the context of the verse that the talk is about the religion that Allah (swt) revealed to His Prophet Muhammad, perfected it, completed it, and was pleased with it for the Muslims.
B- Al-Bukhari narrated in his Sahih from Ibn Umar (ra) who said: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
بُنِيَ الْإِسْلَامُ عَلَى خَمْسٍ شَهَادَةِ أَنْ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ وَأَنَّ مُحَمَّداً رَسُولُ اللَّهِ وَإِقَامِ الصَّلَاةِ وَإِيتَاءِ الزَّكَاةِ وَالْحَجِّ وَصَوْمِ رَمَضَانَ
"Islam is built upon five [pillars]: testifying that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, establishing prayer, giving Zakat, Hajj, and fasting Ramadan."
It is clear from this noble hadith that the talk is about the religion of Islam that Allah revealed to His Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, and that the five mentioned are its pillars, as mentioned in other hadiths.
- What was mentioned in the book The System of Islam in the text quoted above is about Islam in the technical sense (the Sharia reality). The book was keen to define Islam in a way that shows the comprehensiveness of the Sharia of Islam to all aspects of life. The definition presented Islam as the religion revealed to our master Muhammad ﷺ to organize man’s relationship with his Creator, with himself, and with other human beings. Thus, it did not leave any possible relationship for man without organizing it and establishing rules for it.
Third: Islam and the Religions of the Prophets:
- Islam in its linguistic sense regarding Allah (swt)—meaning compliance, humility to Allah, and sincerity to Him—is a description of the religion of all the prophets from Adam to our Prophet Muhammad ﷺ. All the prophets were upon Islam:
A- It was mentioned regarding Abraham (as) in the Noble Qur'an: ﴿إِذْ قَالَ لَهُ رَبُّهُ أَسْلِمْ قَالَ أَسْلَمْتُ لِرَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ﴾ "When his Lord said to him, 'Submit,' he said, 'I have submitted to the Lord of the worlds.'"
B- It was mentioned regarding Jacob (as) and his sons: ﴿وَوَصَّى بِهَا إِبْرَاهِيمُ بَنِيهِ وَيَعْقُوبُ يَا بَنِيَّ إِنَّ اللَّهَ اصْطَفَى لَكُمُ الدِّينَ فَلَا تَمُوتُنَّ إِلَّا وَأَنْتُمْ مُسْلِمُونَ * أَمْ كُنْتُمْ شُهَدَاءَ إِذْ حَضَرَ يَعْقُوبَ الْمَوْتُ إِذْ قَالَ لِبَنِيهِ مَا تَعْبُدُونَ مِنْ بَعْدِي قَالُوا نَعْبُدُ إِلَهَكَ وَإِلَهَ آبَائِكَ إِبْرَاهِيمَ وَإِسْمَاعِيلَ وَإِسْحَاقَ إِلَهاً وَاحِداً وَنَحْنُ لَهُ مُسْلِمُونَ﴾ "...so do not die except while you are Muslims. Or were you witnesses when death approached Jacob, when he said to his sons, 'What will you worship after me?' They said, 'We will worship your God and the God of your fathers, Abraham and Ishmael and Isaac - one God. And we are Muslims to Him.'"
C- Regarding Joseph (as): ﴿تَوَفَّنِي مُسْلِماً وَأَلْحِقْنِي بِالصَّالِحِينَ﴾ "Cause me to die a Muslim and join me with the righteous."
D- Regarding Moses (as) and his followers, as well as the sorcerers who believed in him: ﴿وَقَالَ مُوسَى يَا قَوْمِ إِنْ كُنْتُمْ آمَنْتُمْ بِاللَّهِ فَعَلَيْهِ تَوَكَّلُوا إِنْ كُنْتُمْ مُسْلِمِينَ﴾ "And Moses said, 'O my people, if you have believed in Allah, then rely upon Him, if you should be Muslims'"; ﴿وَمَا تَنْقِمُ مِنَّا إِلَّا أَنْ آمَنَّا بِآيَاتِ رَبِّنَا لَمَّا جَاءَتْنَا رَبَّنَا أَفْرِغْ عَلَيْنَا صَبْراً وَتَوَفَّنَا مُسْلِمِينَ﴾ "Our Lord, pour upon us patience and cause us to die as Muslims."
E- Regarding Solomon (as): ﴿فَلَمَّا جَاءَتْ قِيلَ أَهَكَذَا عَرْشُكِ قَالَتْ كَأَنَّهُ هُوَ وَأُوتِينَا الْعلمَ مِنْ قَبْلِهَا وَكُنَّا مُسْلِمِينَ﴾ "And we were given knowledge before her, and we were Muslims."
F- Regarding Jesus (as) and his supporters: ﴿فَلَمَّا أَحَسَّ عِيسَى مِنْهُمُ الْكُفْرَ قَالَ مَنْ أَنْصَارِي إِلَى اللَّهِ قَالَ الْحَوَارِيُّونَ نَحْنُ أَنْصَارُ اللَّهِ آمَنَّا بِاللَّهِ وَاشْهَدْ بِأَنَّا مُسْلِمُونَ﴾ "But when Jesus felt [persistence in] disbelief from them, he said, 'Who are my supporters for [the cause of] Allah?' The disciples said, 'We are supporters for Allah. We have believed in Allah and testify that we are Muslims.'"
G- Regarding the People of the Book: ﴿الَّذِينَ آتَيْنَاهُمُ الْكِتَابَ مِنْ قَبْلِهِ هُمْ بِهِ يُؤْمِنُونَ * وَإِذَا يُتْلَى عَلَيْهِمْ قَالُوا آمَنَّا بِهِ إِنَّهُ الْحَقُّ مِنْ رَبِّنَا إِنَّا كُنَّا مِنْ قَبْلِهِ مُسْلِمِينَ﴾ "Those to whom We gave the Scripture before it - they believe in it. And when it is recited to them, they say, 'We have believed in it; indeed, it is the truth from our Lord. Indeed we were, [even] before it, Muslims.'"
Thus, Islam in the sense of surrender and compliance to Allah (swt) and sincerity to Him, is a description of the religion of all the prophets.
As for the technical Sharia sense, it is as stated in The System of Islam:
["Islam is the religion which Allah revealed to our master Muhammad ﷺ to organize man’s relationship with his Creator, with himself, and with his fellow man. The relationship with the Creator includes creeds and acts of worship. The relationship with oneself includes morals, foodstuffs, and clothing. The relationship with others includes transactions and punishments."] End quote. The evidence for this is many and definitive, and we have clarified some of it above.
I hope this answer is sufficient, and Allah is All-Knowing and All-Wise.
Your brother, Ata bin Khalil Abu al-Rashtah
08 Jumada al-Akhirah 1444 AH Corresponding to 01/01/2023 CE
Link to the answer from the Ameer's Facebook page: Facebook