The Universal Message of the Quran

[In the name of God the Most Compassionate]

Nurjahan Ruby Amatulla

Throughout the Quran it is repeatedly proclaimed that Islam is no new religion and it did not start with prophet Muhammad [pbuh]: it started with Adam [pbuh] the first human being.

Islam is the universal religion for mankind. The essence of which is: There is no god but God, he is the Truth [huq] the ultimate reality which sustains all transitory realities. One can achieve salvation by believing in God and Hereafter and through righteous conduct in this life. Therefore Islam is not a proper name; it is a description of the mindset and actions of those who submit to God and His Will and comply with His moral laws. All these ideas are quintessential part of the concept of “self-surrender to God” or islam.

To give a deeper understanding of this concept the Quran proclaims that the entire universe is in a state of islam as it is complying with God laws. Only humans are given the burden of choice for which humans remain accountable before God. The rest automatically

This is the essence of the Message of the Quran to humankind which remains unchanged irrespective of time or place. Innumerable Messengers or prophets, known and unknown, have been sent to different societies at different times carrying the same fundamental message. This is clarified in the Quran [41:43]: “Nothing is said to thee that was not said to the Messengers before thee”. ( addressing Muhammad).

The Quran proclaims that the Quran is the confirmation to the Messages or Scriptures sent before, and it is the last Book of revelation to humankind and Muhammad is the ‘seal’ of the prophets. The Quran confirms and validates the uncorrupted parts of other scriptures. If we see differences in religions it is not because God has changed His word for different people but because people have changed the word of God.

There is one God, and all human beings are created equal due to God’s spirit incorporated into all of them [15:29, 30:30]. The Quran often addresses its audience as “the children of Adam” or as “humankind” to portray an all-inclusive perspective of humanity and setting the spirit of a greater brotherhood in humanity.

Islam proclaims that there is one God and there is one ever true religion for humanity which is defined as follows:

“And so, set your face steadfastly towards the [one ever-true] faith, turning away from all that is false, in accordance with the natural disposition which God has instilled into human: not to allow any change to corrupt what God has thus created – this is the [purpose of the one] ever true faith; but most people know it not.”

[Quran 30:30]

The Quran lays down in 49:13 that true righteousness/God consciousness [‘taqwa’] is

the drive that leads to true success or salvation: and this concept transcends the boundary of any institutional religion, denomination or sect.

“O mankind! We created you from a single (pair) of a male and a female and

made you into nations and tribes that ye may know each other. Verily the most honored of

you in the sight of God is the one who is most righteous [or most deeply consciousness of

God] of you. Behold, God is all-Knowing, all-Aware. “

Therefore, the righteousness of a person does not depend on the brand of a faith or allegiance to any institutional religion but it depends on his/her faith in God and righteous work.

“Verily, those who have attained to faith [in this divine writ], as well as those who follow the Jewish faith, and the Christians, and the Sabians (note 49) – all who believe in God and the Last Day and do righteous deeds – shall have their reward with their Sustainer; and no few need they have, and neither shall they grieve. [Quran 2:62]

A contemporary famous scholar, Mohammad Asad, who translated the Quran says in his note to this and similar verses: “The above passage – which recurs in the Quran several times – lays down a fundamental doctrine of Islam. With a breadth of vision unparalleled in any other

religious faith, the idea of “salvation” is here make conditional upon three elements only:

belief in God, belief in the Day of Judgment, and righteous action in life. ……..”

Asad also emphasizes the universal meaning of the terms ‘muslim’ and ‘islam’ the Quran uses which

are different from the meanings that are in currency in the Muslim world. He writes in his

note to verse [68:35] “Throughout this work, I have translated the terms ‘muslim’ and ‘islam’

in accordance with their original connotations, namely “ one who surrenders [ or “has

surrendered”] himself to God” and “man’s self-surrender to God”:…… It should be borne in mind that the “institutionalized” use of these terms – that is, their exclusive application to the followers of the Prophet Muhammad – represents a definitely post-Quranic development and, hence, must be avoided in a translation of the Quran.”

However, it is important to note that there are also some verses in the Quran against some of the

Jews and Christians during the period of the revelation fourteen centuries ago that could appear to be contradicting some of these universal ideas of Islam. The contexts of these verses are critical for a correct understanding. The Quran itself warns against distorting truth by

disregarding contexts [5:13]. There are verses that were revealed in a state of war. The enemies

were totally committed to the annihilation of the Muslim community at that time and launched wars

against the Muslims. At other times the new community faced various stressful times of treason,

hypocrisy and dissention that also threatened the security and stability of the society. The misuse and abused of these verses took place by power elites, vested interests and/or extremists down through this 14 centuries especially in our time.

The Quran claims that there is no inconsistency in the Scripture. However, if these verses are taken out of the contexts and interpreted erroneously, it would render the Quran inconsistent

and therefore invalid.