What Is the Definition of Islam? Hint: It Is Not What You Were Taught.

Article # 2 in the "Islam according to God vs. Islam according to man" Series.

Note 1: God revealed Islam in the Qur’an which is His Word. That is the God-sent version. Man changed Islam overtime with fabricated hadeeths and fatwas. That is the man-modified version. The two versions are incompatible. We write and speak to help Muslims and non-Muslims get back to the God-sent version.

Note 2: We do not deny the existence of genuine hadeeths or their value. But the most important test of any hadeeth’s genuineness is whether it contradicts the Qur’an. If it does, it cannot be genuine, and it should be discarded. No amount of theological or semantic acrobatics can change that.

Among believers in God, this should not be controversial. But unbelievably, it is.

Now, back to our main topic for this week: the definition of Islam.

Islam According to Man

Let’s assume a non-Muslim decides to convert to Islam today. It is a common occurrence as Islam is the fastest growing religion in the world.

He or she will need to do the following:

1-??? Pronounce the Testimony of Faith or 'Shahada', with sincerity.

"I bear witness that there is no God except Allah, and I bear witness that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah".

It is usually repeated in Arabic, but it could also be said in any language.

That is the verbal part. Then the following actions need to be carried out:

2-??? Do the five daily prayers (Fajr. Dhuhr, Asr, Maghreb, and Isha’a).

3-??? Give the Zakat (annual charity for the poor)

4-??? Fast during the month of Ramadan.

5-??? Do the pilgrimage to Mecca at least once in their lifetime if they can.

These 5 pillars are the definition of Islam in the man-modified version.

What is the Source of this Definition?

There is a famous hadeeth that is attributed to Omar Ibn Al-Khattab through various narration chains (of course) and with somewhat different wordings. The hadeeth provides a fantastic mise-en-scène where Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) is interviewed by Gabriel (the archangel) in front of a group of his companions.

The first of the 5 questions that Gabriel asks Muhammad (pbuh) is about Islam. It is from the Prophet’s answer that we know this definition of Islam.

Now, let’s also note that there are other hadeeths that present the pillars of Islam differently:

• In one hadeeth, the pillars are “Praying, Giving Zakat, and giving sincere Counsel to other Muslims”. (Al-Bukhari, Hadeeth # 57).
• Another hadeeth lists them as “To worship God and God alone, to pray, to give prescribed Zakat, and to fast Ramadan”. (Al-Bukhari, Hadeeth # 50).
• Yet another hadeeth lists them as “Five prayers in a day and night, the fasting of Ramadan, and Giving Zakat”. (Al-Bukhari, Hadeeth # 46).

However, this definition of Islam contradicts the Qur’an completely.

Islam According to God

Let us look at the three main contradictions of this hadeeth and this definition with the Qur’an.

Contradiction # 1

God states in the Qur’an that Islam existed before Muhammad (pbuh). He stated that the prophets and messengers who came before Muhammad (pbuh) were all Muslims (we are talking about Adam, Enoch, Noah, Eber, Shelah, Lot, Isaac, Ishmael, Jacob, Joseph, Jonah, Job, Jethro, Moses, Aaron, David, Solomon, Jesus, etc.).

The Qur’an also mentions countless other people who were not prophets and who were Muslims millennia and centuries before God sent Muhammad (pbuh) as His last messenger.

Yet, all these Muslims did not witness the message of Muhammad (pbuh), they did not fast the month of Ramadan, and they did not do the pilgrimage to Mecca.

Please see the following Qur'anic verses: (Aal Imraan: 67, Yusuf: 101, Yunus: 72, and az-Zariyat: 35-36)

From the above, it becomes clear that believing or following Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) is not a condition for being a Muslim and neither is fasting during the month of Ramadan or doing the pilgrimage to Mecca. And by the same token, and according to the Qur’an, believing in Jesus or Moses or any other prophet is not a condition for being or becoming a Muslim either.

Contradiction # 2

God said in the Qur’an that the only religion from God’s perspective is Islam. He also said that whoever seeks a religion other than Islam, God will not accept it from them. Please see the Qur'anic verses (Aal Imraan:19 and Aal Imraan: 85).

But at the same time, the Qur’an says that the followers of Muhammad, the followers of Moses, and the followers of Jesus and those from other religions who believe in God and in the Day of Judgement and do good deeds should have no fear nor be sad and will go to Heaven (Paradise). Please see (al-Baqara: 62)

This shows clearly that the Islam God is referring to is not the Islam that the hadeeth has defined.

From the above, it becomes clear that God’s definition of Islam is to believe in Him, to believe in the Day of Judgment, and to do good deeds.

There are many other verses in the Qur’an that indicate the same. Please see the following verses: (Fussilat: 33, Al-Anbiya: 108, Yunus: 90, and An-Nisa, 125).

Contradiction # 3

In the Qur’an, God describes Islam as the religion of “Fitra”. This Arabic word can be translated as “human nature”, “instinct”, or the inclinations with which man is naturally born.

This means that what Islam teaches is either something that humans seek instinctively, by their very nature or that when it is taught to them, they can accept it without having to suppress their natural inclinations as it does not go against the grain of human nature.

In other words, God said that Islam is compatible with the natural inclinations of mankind. Please see (ar-Rum: 30).

However, if we look at the definition of Islam as stated in the hadeeth above, we notice that:

• Islamic prayer goes against human “Fitra”. One is not naturally inclined to the discipline, the commitment, and the significant effort it takes to carry out these five prayers every day for life. It is a sacrifice. The Qur’an recognizes the difficulty of maintaining the daily prayers. Please see (Al-Baqara: 45).
• Fasting goes against human “Fitra”. The naural inclination of humans is to eat when hungry and to drink when thirsty. Fasting does not come to us naturally. It is a sacrifice.
• Zakat (giving away your money) is against human“Fitra”. The natural inclination of man is to accumulate wealth, not to give it away. The Qur’an recognizes man’s love of money, and maybe, that is part of why giving it to the poor is so pleasing and so meaningful to God. Please see (Al-Fajr: 20 and Al-Baqara: 177).

?From the above, we know the following:

The definition of Islam in the hadeeth above contradicts the Qur’an. Therefore the definition is incorrect and the hadeeth is not genuine.

The correct definition of Islam is:

1. To believe in God
2. To believe in the Day of Judgment (that we will respond for our actions)
3. To do good deeds in accordance with the value system common to most humans by 'Fitra".

What the hadeeth referred to as the 5 pillars of Islam are actually part of Iman which starts with the belief in Muhammad (pbuh) as the Messenger of God. The Arabic word for the people we commonly call “Muslims” is Mu’minoon (or Believers).

Only those of us who are followers of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) are required to pray, fast, pay Zakat, and do pilgrimage.

All Believers in Muhammad (pbuh) are Muslims, but not all Muslims are believers in Muhammad (pbuh).

Anyone who believes in God, the Day of Judgment, and does good deeds is a Muslim regardless of whether they are followers of Moses, Jesus, or anyone else.

This is a vast topic and we will share much more on it in the future, Inshallah.

For the textual evidence of everything mentioned here, I invite you to visit our publication on Beehiiv by clicking This Link and to subscribe to it.