Series of Answers by the Eminent Scholar Ata Bin Khalil Abu Al-Rashtah, Amir of Hizb ut Tahrir, to Questions from Visitors to His Facebook Page "Fiqhi"
Answer to a Question
Islam and the Religions of the Prophets
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 (Nizham al-Islam), it is written that Islam is a religion revealed to the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ to regulate human relations with Allah, human relations with themselves, and human relations with fellow humans.
What I ask: Is 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 System of Islam" in the book The System of 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 (Aqa'id) and acts of worship (Ibadat); the relationship with himself includes morals (Akhlaq), foodstuffs (Mat'umat), and clothing (Malbusat); and the relationship with his fellow man includes transactions (Mu'amalat) and punishments (Uqubat).] End quote.
The word "Islam" and its derivatives are used in Sharia texts in their linguistic sense (Al-Haqiqah al-Lughawiyyah) and in their technical/legal sense (Al-Haqiqah al-Shar'iyyah). As for the linguistic meaning of the word "Islam," it means submission, obedience, and sincerity. As for the technical meaning, it refers to the term "Islam" as a proper name for the religion that Allah (swt) revealed specifically to our master Muhammad ﷺ, as stated in 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 word "Islam":
The linguistic meaning of "Islam" is mentioned in language lexicons as follows:
a- [Lisan al-Arab (12/289)]: "Islam and Istislam (submission) mean obedience. 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 that it is said 'so-and-so is a Muslim,' and there are two views: one is that he is the one who submits (Mustaslim) to the command of Allah, and the second is that he is the one who is sincere (Mukhlis) to Allah in worship, based on the saying 'He surrendered (Sallama) the thing to so-and-so,' meaning he made it exclusively his... and in the Hadith: 'There is no human except that he has a devil with him.' It was asked: 'And with you?' He said: 'Yes, but Allah helped me against him, so he submitted (fa-aslama).' In another narration, '...until he submitted (aslama),' meaning he became obedient and ceased his whispering..."
b- [Al-Muhit fil-Lughah (2/265)]: "Islam is: submission (Istislam) to the command of Allah and obedience to His will. It is said: 'We submitted (Sallamna) to Allah our Lord,' meaning we surrendered and submitted to Him. As-Salam also means Islam. And the Muslim is 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).
Usage of Sharia texts for the word "Islam" in its linguistic sense:
Sharia texts have used the word "Islam" and its derivatives in various places according to the linguistic meaning mentioned above. We mention two examples from those Sharia texts:
a- The words 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 عَلَيْهِمْ 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 (remember) when Ibrahim and Ismail were raising the foundations of the House (saying), 'Our Lord! Accept (this service) from us. Verily! You are the All-Hearer, the All-Knower.' 'Our Lord! And make us Muslims (submissive) to You and of our offspring a Muslim nation (submissive) to You, and show us our Manasik (all the ceremonies of pilgrimage), and accept our repentance. Truly, You are the One Who accepts repentance, the Most Merciful.' 'Our Lord! Send amongst them a Messenger of their own, who shall recite unto them Your Verses and instruct them in the Book and Al-Hikmah (full knowledge of the Islamic laws and jurisprudence), and sanctify them. Verily! You are the All-Mighty, the All-Wise.' And who turns away from the religion of Ibrahim except him who befools himself? Truly, We chose him in this world and verily, in the Hereafter he will be among the righteous. When his Lord said to him, 'Submit!' He said, 'I have submitted myself (as a Muslim) to the Lord of the 'Alamin (mankind, jinns and all that exists).' And this (submission to Allah, Islam) was enjoined by Ibrahim upon his sons and by Ya'qub (saying), 'O my sons! Allah has chosen for you the (true) religion, then die not except in the Faith of Islam (as Muslims).' Or were you witnesses when death approached Ya'qub? When he said unto his sons, 'What will you worship after me?' They said, 'We shall worship your Ilah (God—Allah), the Ilah of your fathers, Ibrahim, Ismail, Ishaq, One Ilah, and to Him we submit (as Muslims).' That was a nation who has passed away. They shall receive the reward of what they earned and you of what you earn. And you will not be asked of what they used to do." (QS. Al-Baqarah [2]: 127-134)
All terms in these verses related to the root of Islam (Muslimayn, Muslimah, aslim, aslamtu, Muslimun) are used in the linguistic sense of the word, meaning submission, humility, and sincerity to Allah (swt). This is clarified in books of Tafsir regarding the meanings of these verses. I will quote a brief explanation from Tafsir an-Nasafi:
[Tafsir an-Nasafi (1/76)]: "﴿Our Lord! And make us Muslims to You﴾ sincere to You in our orientation... or submitting—it is said 'he submitted to him' (aslama lahu) and 'he surrendered' (istaslama) if he humbled himself and complied. The meaning is: 'Increase us in sincerity and compliance to You.' ﴿And from our offspring a Muslim nation to You﴾... ﴿When his Lord said to him: Submit!﴾ comply or obey or make your religion sincere to Allah. ﴿He said: I have submitted myself to the Lord of the worlds﴾ meaning I became sincere or I obeyed... ﴿Then die not except as Muslims﴾ so let not your death occur except in a state of being firm upon Islam... ﴿And to Him we are Muslims﴾ sincere to Allah." End quote.
b- The words of Allah (swt):
وَإِذْ أَوْحَيْتُ إِلَى الْحَوَارِيِّينَ أَنْ آمِنُوا بِي وَبِرَسُولِي قَالُوا آمَنَّا وَاشْهَدْ بِأَنَّنَا مُسْلِمُونَ
"And when I put in the hearts of Al-Hawariyyun (the disciples) [of 'Isa] to believe in Me and My Messenger, they said: 'We believe. And bear witness that we are Muslims.'" (QS. Al-Ma'idah [5]: 111)
It is clear from the verse that the discussion is about the disciples, the followers of 'Isa (as), and that they said they were Muslims, meaning submissive and obedient to the command of Allah and sincere to Him. Tafsir an-Nasafi states regarding this verse:
[Tafsir an-Nasafi (1/314)]: "﴿And when I revealed﴾ inspired ﴿to the disciples﴾ the chosen or elite ﴿that you believe﴾ i.e., believe ﴿in Me and My Messenger; they said: We believe, and bear witness that we are Muslims﴾ meaning bear witness that we are sincere among those who have submitted their faces."
Second: The Technical Usage of the word Islam (Al-Haqiqah al-Shar'iyyah):
As we mentioned earlier, 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 words 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 disbelieved have given up all hope of your religion, so fear them not, but fear Me. This day, I have perfected your religion for you, completed My Favor upon you, and have chosen for you Islam as your religion." (QS. Al-Ma'idah [5]: 3)
The following is mentioned in Tafsir Ibn Kathir regarding this verse:
[Tafsir Ibn Kathir (3/26)]: "His saying: ﴿This day, I have perfected your religion for you, completed My Favor upon you, and have chosen for you Islam as your religion﴾ This is the greatest blessing of Allah (az-za wa jalla) upon this Ummah, as He perfected their religion for them, so they do not need any other religion, nor any other Prophet besides their Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him. This is why Allah made him the Seal of the Prophets and sent him to both mankind and jinn. Thus, there is no halal except what he permitted, no haram except what he prohibited, and no religion except what he legislated. Everything he informed is true and correct, with no lies or contradictions, as Allah said: ﴿And the Word of your Lord has been fulfilled in truth and in justice﴾ i.e., truth in reports and justice in commands and prohibitions. So, when He perfected the religion for them, the blessing upon them was completed. Therefore, Allah said ﴿This day, I have perfected your religion for you, completed My Favor upon you, and have chosen for you Islam as your religion﴾ meaning: be pleased with it for yourselves, for it is the religion that Allah is pleased with, loves, and sent the best of His noble Messengers with, and revealed the most honorable of His books with. Ali bin Abi Talhah narrated from Ibn Abbas regarding His saying: ﴿This day, I have perfected your religion for you﴾ and it is Islam, Allah informed His Prophet ﷺ and the believers that He perfected the faith for them, so they will never need an addition. Allah has completed it, so He will never decrease it; Allah is pleased with it, so He will never be angry with it." End quote.
It is clear from the context of the verse that the discussion is about the religion revealed by Allah (swt) to His Prophet Muhammad, which He perfected, completed, and was pleased with 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 on five: The testimony that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, the establishment of prayer, the giving of Zakat, the Hajj, and the fasting of Ramadan."
It is clear from this noble Hadith that the talk is about the religion of Islam revealed by Allah to His Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, and that the five mentioned are its pillars, as stated in other Hadiths.
What was mentioned in the book The System of Islam in the text quoted above concerns Islam in its technical sense (Al-Haqiqah al-Shar'iyyah). It was careful to define Islam in a way that shows the comprehensiveness of the Sharia of Islam across all aspects of life. It introduced the definition by stating that Islam is the religion revealed to our master Muhammad ﷺ to organize man’s relationship with his Creator, with himself, and with his fellow human beings. Thus, it did not leave any potential human relationship without organizing it and establishing laws for it.
Third: Islam and the Religions of the Prophets:
Islam in its linguistic sense regarding Allah (swt)—meaning submission, 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 on Islam:
a- Regarding Ibrahim (as), the Quran states: إِذْ قَالَ لَهُ رَبُّهُ أَسْلِمْ قَالَ أَسْلَمْتُ لِرَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ "When his Lord said to him, 'Submit!' He said, 'I have submitted myself to the Lord of the worlds.'" (QS. Al-Baqarah [2]: 131)
b- Regarding Ya'qub (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 "And this was enjoined by Ibrahim upon his sons and by Ya'qub (saying), 'O my sons! Allah has chosen for you the religion, then die not except as Muslims.' Or were you witnesses when death approached Ya'qub? When he said unto his sons, 'What will you worship after me?' They said, 'We shall worship your God, the God of your fathers, Ibrahim, Ismail, and Ishaq, One God, and to Him we submit.'" (QS. Al-Baqarah [2]: 132-133)
c- Regarding Yusuf (as): تَوَفَّنِي مُسْلِماً وَأَلْحِقْنِي بِالصَّالِحِينَ "Cause me to die as a Muslim, and join me with the righteous." (QS. Yusuf [12]: 101)
d- Regarding Musa (as) and his followers, and the magicians who believed in him: وَقَالَ مُوسَى يَا قَوْمِ إِنْ كُنْتُمْ آمَنْتُمْ بِاللَّهِ فَعَلَيْهِ تَوَكَّلُوا إِنْ كُنْتُمْ مُسْلِمِينَ "And Musa said: 'O my people! If you have believed in Allah, then put your trust in Him if you are Muslims.'" (QS. Yunus [10]: 84)
وَمَا تَنْقِمُ مِنَّا إِلَّا أَنْ آمَنَّا بِآيَاتِ رَبِّنَا لَمَّا جَاءَتْنَا رَبَّنَا أَفْرِغْ عَلَيْنَا صَبْراً وَتَوَفَّنَا مُسْلِمِينَ "And you take vengeance on us only because we believed in the signs of our Lord when they reached us. Our Lord! Pour out on us patience, and cause us to die as Muslims." (QS. Al-A'raf [7]: 126)
e- Regarding Sulaiman (as): فَلَمَّا جَاءَتْ قِيلَ أَهَكَذَا عَرْشُكِ قَالَتْ كَأَنَّهُ هُوَ وَأُوتِينَا الْعِلْمَ مِنْ قَبْلِهَا وَكُنَّا مُسْلِمِينَ "So when she came, it was said: 'Is your throne like this?' She said: '(It is) as though it were it.' [Sulaiman said]: 'And knowledge was given to us before her, and we were Muslims.'" (QS. An-Naml [27]: 42)
f- Regarding 'Isa (as) and his supporters: فَلَمَّا أَحَسَّ عِيسَى مِنْهُمُ الْكُفْرَ قَالَ مَنْ أَنْصَارِي إِلَى اللَّهِ قَالَ الْحَوَارِيُّونَ نَحْنُ أَنْصَارُ اللَّهِ آمَنَّا بِاللَّهِ وَاشْهَدْ بِأَنَّا مُسْلِمُونَ "Then when 'Isa came to know of their disbelief, he said: 'Who will be my helpers in the cause of Allah?' The disciples said: 'We are the helpers of Allah; we believe in Allah, and bear witness that we are Muslims.'" (QS. Ali 'Imran [3]: 52)
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 believe in it. Verily, it is the truth from our Lord. Indeed even before it we were Muslims.'" (QS. Al-Qashash [28]: 52-53)
Thus, Islam in the sense of submission and obedience to Allah (swt) and sincerity to Him is a description of the religion of all the Prophets.
As for the technical Sharia meaning, 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 himself includes morals, foodstuffs, and clothing; and the relationship with his fellow man includes transactions and punishments.] End quote. The evidence for this is abundant and definitive, and we have explained some of it above...
I hope this answer is sufficient, and Allah is most Knowing and most 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 Amir’s Facebook page (may Allah protect him): on Facebook