The Meaning of General and Specific Islam, and That Other Religions Are Invalid

And Islam is derived from the verb *aslama*, *yaslamu*. It means worshipping Allah the Exalted with what He has prescribed while the Shari'ah is in effect. Worshipping Allah with what He has prescribed while the Shari'ah is in effect—this is the meaning of Islam in the general sense. As for the specific sense, Islam is worshipping Allah with the Shari'ah of Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him). If someone asks: What is the evidence for this division, that Islam is both general and specific? We say: The evidence in the Qur'an is abundant. Allah described Ibrahim as being a *hanif* (upright) and a Muslim. He said of the Queen of Saba: And Ya'qub said to his sons: And He said of the Torah: There are many verses to this effect. Islam in the general sense is: worshipping Allah with what? With what He has prescribed while the Shari'ah is in effect. As for Islam in the specific sense: worshipping Allah with the Shari'ah of Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him). If we were to askThe questioner : Are the Jews Muslims? We would say: No, we would be wrong. And if we said: Yes, we would be wrong. So we say: In the general sense, they are Muslims, meaning that when the Shari'ah of the Torah was in effect and they were following it, they were Muslims without a doubt. But in the specific sense, which is the only one intended after the mission of Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him), they are not Muslims; rather, they are disbelievers regarding Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him). And we say the same about the Christians. If we were to askThe questioner : Are they Muslims? The answer is: It depends on the detail. If the general sense of Islam is intended, they are Muslims when? When their Shari'ah is in effect. And if the specific sense is intended, which is what is meant when the term is used without qualification after the mission of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), they are not Muslims. Here is a point we must point out: Many of the writers today, when they speak of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, say: These are the heavenly religions. The listener assumes that the religion of the Jews is in effect and that the religion of the Christians is in effect, just as the religion of Islam is in effect. This is not correct. These religions are undoubtedly heavenly religions, but they have been distorted, altered, changed, and abrogated by the mission of Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him). They are not a religion that Allah accepts for them today. Rather, those who adhere to them are disbelievers and are not counted among the Muslims. We must be aware of this point that some people make, which misleads the general public into thinking that the difference between these religions is like the difference between the Islamic schools of jurisprudence, meaning like the difference between the school of al-Shafi'i, Imam Ahmad, Malik, and Abu Hanifah. This is a great error. For whoever claims that a religion is in effect after the mission of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) is a disbeliever, for his religion has abrogated all religions. He says: What is the meaning of Islam here? The general sense or the specific sense? The specific sense, because after the mission of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), there was no religion in effect. Accordingly, the intended meaning of Islam is the Shari'ah brought by Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him). If someone asks: Is the intended meaning of Islam here what the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) taught Jibril? Or is the intended meaning the entire religion with all its outward and inward rulings? The answer is: The second. That is, the intended meaning of Islam here is not the counterpart of *iman* (faith) in the hadith of Jibril, but rather what encompasses all the rulings of Islam. So prayer is part of Islam, zakah is part of Islam, reliance upon Allah is part of Islam, and fear of Him is part of Islam, and so on. All the rulings of the religion are part of Islam. And His saying: means that the reference for whether something is a religion or not is Allah Mighty and Majestic. Is this a religion in the sight of Allah? Then it is an acceptable Islam. Is it not a religion in the sight of Allah? Then it is not Islam and not acceptable, even if its adherents claim that they are Muslims. Their claim is false and has no basis.