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The fact is that the Muslims never worshipped Muhammad or any other human being.
They have always believed that Muhammad was mortal like the numerous prophets
before him, and it is the highest tribute to humanity that a man could achieve the most
exalted status of prophethood.
The Muslims believe that Muhammad was the last, not the only prophet, who
reinforced and immortalized the eternal message of God to mankind. This message
was revealed by God to many prophets of different nations at different times.
Including Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, David, Moses, Jesus, and Muhammad (peace be
upon them). What is more important is that the Muslims believe in them without
discrimination against any.
Because of their universal outlook and cosmopolitan orientation, the Muslims
sorrowfully consider it an unfortunate misnomer to call them Mohammedans and their
faith Mohammedanism. The implications are distasteful and for good reasons. The
Muslims do not think of themselves as a racial or ethnic group with any exclusive
monopolies. Their religion is not named after a man or place; it is transcendent and
atemporal.
The proper name of the religion is Islam and its followers are properly called
Muslims. In the religious context, the word Islam means submission to the will of
God and obedience to God’ s Law. The will of God is defined by the Qur'an as good
and compassionate, and His law as the most beneficient and equitable. Any human
being who so submits and obeys is, therefore a Muslim in a moral state of Islam. It is
in this sense that the Qur'an calls Abraham and all authentic prophets Muslims and
designates their religions by one and the same title, namely Islam. Hence, the Muslim
is not only a follower of Muhammad exclusively he also follows Abraham, Moses,
Jesus, and the rest of God’ s messengers.
Finally, the word Allah in Islam simply but most emphatically means the One and
only Eternal God, Creator of the universe, Lord of all lords, and King of all kings. The
only unforgivable sin in Islam is the belief in any deity besides or other than God. The
most common daily prayer among Muslims is: “ In the name of God, the Most
Compassionate, the Most Merciful.”
The Fundamental Articles of Faith In Islam
The true, faithful Muslim believes in the following principal articles of faith:
1. He believes in One God, Supreme and Eternal, Infinite and Mighty, Merciful and
Compassionate, Creator and Provider. This belief, in order to be effective, requires
complete trust and hope in God, submission to His Will and reliance on His aid. It
secures man’ s dignity and saves him from fear and despair, from guilt and confusion.
The reader is invited to see the meaning of Islam as explained above.
2. He believes in all the messengers of God without any discrimination among them.
Every known nation had a warner or messenger from God. These messengers were
great teachers of the good and true champions of the right. They were chosen by God
to teach mankind and deliver His Divine message. They were sent at different times
of history and every known nation had one messenger or more. During certain periods
two or more messengers were sent by God at the same time to the same nation. The
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