Why should anyone choose Islam as a religion and as a way of life

Why should anyone choose Islam as a religion and as a way of life?

Islam is the religion of about one and half billion people in the world. It is the second largest in the number of followers after Christianity. One may say that one out of four persons living on earth is a Muslim (= one who follows Islam). About fifty countries in the world have a majority Muslim population. In the United States, there are about ten million Muslims.

The word "Islam" means "peace" and also "submission" to the will of God. From the beginning of mankind on the face of the earth, revelations came to God's chosen prophets; and the first prophet was actually the first man on earth: Adam. Then the last prophet was Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), through whom the religion of God was perfected. In between, thousands of prophets came to the peoples who inhabited different lands in different periods of history. The Holy Qur'an, which is the scripture of Muslims, mentions by name only twenty-five of these prophets, included among these are Abraham (Ibraheem pbuh), Moses (Moosa pbuh), David (Dawood pbuh), Jesus (Eesa pbuh) and Muhammad pbuh.

All these prophets of God taught basically the same message of Islam to their people.

The word "Islam" today is mostly used to refer to the final form of God's religion, taught by the last prophet, Muhammad (pbuh). It is often considered as the latest of the three monotheistic religions, Judaism, Christianity and Islam. In this sense, Islam emerged in the Arabian peninsula, which we know today as Saudi Arabia. That was through Prophet Muhammad (pbuh). Judaism is believed to be based on the teachings and the laws of Prophet Moses, while Christianity is said to take its social and moral codes from the teachings of Prophet Jesus. All three religions are believed to have their roots in the teachings of the Patriarch Abraham, who also was one of God's greatest prophets.

The Holy Qur'an states in chapter 2, verses: 124-130, that God appointed Abraham an imam or leader for people. Yet, when he prayed to God to bless his children too, God answered that He would bless only the good among them, but not the evildoers. God took a covenant from Abraham and his son Ishmael (Isma'eel pbuh) to sanctify the House of God (that is the Ka'ba) at Mecca, for the sake of those who come to pray there and compbutt it around. Then, Abraham prayed again to make his children Muslims and people obedient to God; and also to send among them a messenger who would rehearse God's signs to them and instruct them through scripture and wisdom, in order to purify them. In answer to this prayer of Abraham, God sent a messenger to the Land of the Ka'ba, from among Abraham's own children, who was the God's last prophet; Muhammad (peace be on him).

It was actually through Muhammad (peace be upon him), that God's guidance for mankind was completed and perfected. Muhammad (peace be on him) taught people, the Book of God called the Qur'an. He instructed them as to how they should lead a life in submission to God. The role model of God's guidance is exemplified in the life of the Prophet, which is known as his sunnah, i.e. the example of the prophet. The Qur'an and the sunnah stogether form the foundation of Islam; and it is on this foundation that the great civilization of Islam stands.

Please view the Discover Islam section on this website for more information. Also, you may find the site Investigating Islam useful.