Islam emerged in the early decades of the seventh century as the last in the line of the Abrahamic family of revealed traditions. The message of Islam was revealed to the Holy Prophet Mohammad (peace be upon him) more than 1400 years ago. The Holy Quran is the inspired Word of God, spoken through the Prophet Mohammad(pbuh).
The word Islam derives from Salam which means "peace" and "submission" to Allah. Allah literally means "the God". Not a god, for there is only one: The God.1
Prophet Mohammad (pbuh) gave directives as to how one can cognize one’s true Self which leads to cognizing God. To attain this state, one must cognize and submit to the genuine principle of Unity (Tawheed) that governs the whole existence.
"Tawheed refers to the principle that everything in the universe is interrelated with everything else in a coherent whole, and that this unity is the inevitable result of the Oneness of the Ultimate, the Creator of all, whom the Muslims refer to as Allah and the Christians call God."2
It is through submission that one’s actions will be founded upon knowledge and wisdom, and not on ignorance, superstition, or blind faith. Unfortunately, many believe that to submit means you are subservient to someone. This is false as it is blind faith and therefore not worthy of the dignity of the human being as ordained by God.
The words of Amir-al Mo’menin Ali, the guiding light for humanity, attest to this genuine and sacred goal:
Islam is submission, and submission is stability and constancy in the true reality of Existence.3
Submission is the vitality of Islam because of the dynamic evolution and revolution that takes place from the core of the believer’s heart, where all boundaries of separation and duality cease to exist and Unity of God (Tawheed) which is the first principle of Islam manifests.
In this state of purity, the streams of knowledge shall flow from the Salik’s heart to his lips, and he shall see what the eye has not seen, nor the ear heard, nor the heart of any human being witnessed and he shall know ever clearly the reality of the manifestation of attributes. Whenever God desires the welfare of His servant, He shall open the eye of his heart, and in solouk (journey), He shall fulfill His commandment and enfold him in the Blessings of His grace, and by His Magnanimity sustain and guide him."4
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References:
1- Houston Smith, World’s Religions (Harper San Francisco, 1986) p.146
2- Robert Dickson Crane, Understanding Islam: Perils and Prospects, Lecture-Part II. p.7
3- Molana Salaheddin Ali Nader Angha, Theory "I" (M.T.O. Publications®, Riverside CA, 2002) p.166
4- Molana Shah Maghsoud Sadegh Angha, Al-Rasa’el - Purification and Enlightenment of the Hearts, (M.T.O. Shahmaghsoudi Publications®, Tehran, 1975) p.4
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