Islam is the religion of all prophets
Selections from the Book ‘’Lot (peace be upon him) and his Mission in Confronting Corruption and Sexual Deviance’’ …
Written by Dr. Ali Muhammad al-Sallabi...
Episode (18)
Allah Almighty said: {And We sent not before you any messenger except We revealed to him that, "There is no deity except Me, so worship Me".} [Al-Anbya: 25].
Islam is the religion of all the prophets. Since Adam (peace be upon him) was sent down, his religion was Islam, and his call was to Islam, which means submission to Allah Almighty, monotheism, and worshiping Him alone without any partner. Islam continued in his progeny for ten centuries until polytheism first appeared among the people of Noah. Then Allah sent His prophet Noah (peace be upon him) with Islam. After that, Allah Almighty sent His messengers successively to convey the religion of Islam to their peoples whenever polytheism appeared and the light of Islam was extinguished.
Allah Almighty said: {Indeed, the religion in the sight of Allah is Islam. And those who were given the Scripture did not differ except after knowledge had come to them - out of jealous animosity between themselves. And whoever disbelieves in the verses of Allah, then indeed, Allah is swift in [taking] account.} [Ali 'Imran: 19].
Thus, the religion of Islam and its history in its general sense existed with the existence of humanity on this earth, and it is the religion of all the prophets. As for Islam in its specific sense, it is the one with which Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) was sent, encompassing both the general Islam—monotheism and the rejection of polytheism—and the specific Sharia rulings for this Ummah (Nation). He made permissible for them what is permissible, prohibited what is impermissible, and lifted from them the burdens and shackles that were upon those before them. Hence, a complete, easy, comprehensive, and final Sharia (legislation), suitable for all times and places, was brought. This is the meaning of the Prophet's (peace and blessings be upon him) saying: " I am the nearest of all the people to Jesus, the son of Mary. The prophets are paternal brothers; their mothers are different, but their religion is one". This hadith illustrates that the prophets are like children of different mothers but one father, due to their agreement in monotheism, Islam, the fundamentals of faith, and morals, while differing in their specific Sharias.
Ibn Taymiyyah (may Allah have mercy on him) says: This religion is Islam, which Allah does not accept any religion other than, neither from the first nor from the last. All the prophets follow the religion of Islam. Allah Almighty said about Noah (peace be upon him): {And recite to them the news of Noah, when he said to his people, "O my people, if my residence and my reminding of the signs of Allah has become burdensome upon you - then I have relied upon Allah. So resolve upon your plan and [call upon] your associates.} [Yunus: 71]. To His saying: {and I have been commanded to be of the Muslims [i.e., those who submit to Allah].} [Yunus: 72]. And He said about Abraham (peace be upon him): {And who would be averse to the religion of Abraham except one who makes a fool of himself.} [Al-Baqarah: 130]. To His saying: {When his Lord said to him, "Submit," he said, "I have submitted [in Islam] to the Lord of the worlds".} [Al-Baqarah: 131]. To His saying: {so do not die except while you are Muslims.} [Al-Baqarah: 132]. He also said about Moses (peace be upon him): {O my people, if you have believed in Allah, then rely upon Him, if you should be Muslims [i.e., submitting to Him].} [Yunus: 84]. And He said in the disciples of Jesus (peace be upon him): {And [remember] when I inspired to the disciples, "Believe in Me and in My messenger [i.e., Jesus]". They said, "We have believed, so bear witness that indeed we are Muslims [in submission to Allah]".} [Al-Ma'idah: 111]. He said regarding those of the prophets who preceded: {The prophets who submitted [to Allah] judged by it for the Jews,} [Al-Ma'idah: 44]. He also said about Bilqis that she said: {My Lord, indeed I have wronged myself, and I submit with Solomon to Allah, Lord of the worlds.} [An-Naml: 44].
Islam encompasses submission to Allah alone. Whoever submits to Him and to others is a polytheist, and whoever does not submit to Him is arrogant in worship. Both the polytheist and the one who is arrogant about worship are disbelievers. Submitting to Him alone includes worshiping Him alone and obeying Him alone. This is the religion of Islam that Allah does not accept anything else. This requires obedience at all times by doing what He commands at that particular time. If we were commanded at first to face the rock (al-Aqsa) and then later commanded to face the Kaaba, then each act at the time it was commanded is part of Islam. Thus, the religion is obedience and worship of Him in both actions, although the form of the action—such as the direction of prayer—may vary. Similarly, with the prophets, even though the specific laws, paths, directions, and rituals may differ, this does not prevent the religion from being one, just as it does not prevent the religion from being one within the Sharia of a single prophet.
Sheikh Omar al-Ashqar (may Allah have mercy on him) says: “The messages that all the prophets brought were sent down from God, the All-Knowing, the All-Wise, the All-Aware, and therefore they represent one path that the predecessors and the successors follow. Through our review of the call of the messengers referred to in the Holy Qur’an, we find that the religion that all the messengers called for is Islam: {Indeed, the religion in the sight of Allah is Islam.} [Ali 'Imran: 19], and Islam in the language of the Holy Qur’an is not a name for a specific religion, but rather it is a name for the common religion that all the prophets chanted about, so Noah (peace be upon him) says to his people: {...and I have been commanded to be of the Muslims [i.e., those who submit to Allah]".} [Yunus: 72]. Islam is the religion that Allah Almighty commanded the father of the prophets, Khalil al-Rahman Abraham (peace be upon him): {When his Lord said to him, "Submit," he said, "I have submitted [in Islam] to the Lord of the worlds".} [Al-Baqarah: 131], and he commands each of Abraham, Jacob and his sons, saying: {so do not die except while you are Muslims.} [Al-Baqarah: 132], and Jacob’s sons answer their father: {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.} [Al-Baqarah: 133]. And Moses (peace be upon him) says to his people: {O my people, if you have believed in Allah, then rely upon Him, if you should be Muslims [i.e., submitting to Him].} [Yunus: 84]. And the disciples say to Jesus (peace be upon him): {We have believed in Allah and testify that we are Muslims [submitting to Him].} [Ali 'Imran: 52]. And when a group of the People of the Book heard the Holy Qur’an: {they say, "We have believed in it; indeed, it is the truth from our Lord. Indeed we were, [even] before it, Muslims [i.e., submitting to Allah]".} [Al-Qasas: 53]. ''Islam'' is a general slogan that was on the tongues of the prophets and their followers from the earliest historical times until the period of Muhammad’s (peace and blessings be upon him) prophethood.
- Ali Muhammad al-Sallabi, Lot (peace be upon him) and his Mission in Confronting Corruption and Sexual Deviance, pp. 79-83.
- Educational pauses in the light of the Holy Qur’an, Abdul Aziz Nasser Al-Jalil, 3/41-42.
- Sahih Al-Bukhari, Book of the Prophets, No. 3443.
- Al-Tuhfa Al-Mahdi, Explanation of the Tadmurian Creed, author: Faleh bin Mahdi Al Mahdi Al-Dosari, Islamic University Press, Medina, Saudi Arabia, 3rd edition, 1413 AH, p. 322.
- Messengers and Messages, Omar Suleiman Al-Ashqar, Al-Falah Library, Lebanon. Dar Al-Nafais, Kuwait, 4th edition, 1410 AH, 1989 AD, p. 243.
For further information and review of the sources for the article, see:
The Book of ‘’Lot (peace be upon him) and his Mission in Confronting Corruption and Sexual Deviance’’ on the official website of Sheikh Dr. Ali Muhammad al-Sallabi:
