Can you claim to be muslim if you dont believe in Muhammed? (p.b.u.h.)
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I have a friend who is not muslim but to me, is a muslim in every sense of the word, as i see 'submitters' to be. Only thing is he says he isnt sure whether he believes in Muhammed or angels he just believes in the one god and lives his life in a humanitarian way trying not to hurt anyone or anything. I was always led to believe that if you dont believe in the seven articles of faith (iman-e- muffassal), (Oneness of god, the angels, the holy books, all the prophets mentioned in these books, predestination, that all good and bad comes from Allah and life after death) that you are not a muslim. I did some research and to be honest havent found much online, but if Jesus and Abraham were quoted in the quran as being 'muslim' without ever proclaiming muhammedan-rasool-allah, than can not anyone be muslim without proclaiming it??...Ive added some text from some websites i came across...
'A Muslim is one who freely and willingly accepts the supreme power of God and strives to organize his life in total accord with the teachings of God. He also works for building social institutions, which reflect the guidance of God. There are no formal induction ceremonies into Islam. To formally become a Muslim, one has to bear witness to the statement of faith ("La Ilaha Il-lal-lah, Muhammadun Rasoolullah" by saying it. To become a true Muslim, one has to confirm the belief in that statement by heart, tongue and actions.' (www.irfi.org/articles/articles_201_250/who_is_a_muslim.htm)
'This deliberate falsification of history and theology, was propagated by the recently converted pagan Arabs during and after their worldwide conquests. From then on, they imposed their will upon the subject peoples and unjustifiably arrogated to themselves alone and later on, to other none Arabian converts- the term MUSLIMS'.
It is important that the reader be made aware of the following
Islam/Muslim-
It is derived from the Arabic verb Aslama meaning to Submit to (the will of the one and only Allah). It is the religion PAR EXCELLENCE of SUBMISSION and a follower of Islam is called a Muslim.
Contrary to all the deliberate and mendacious claims by the current followers of Muhammad, ISLAM means SUBMISSION only, and has nothing to do with PEACE which is SALAM.
Muslims before Muhammad-
Another form of Islam is Hanif; those who submit to the will of the God of Abraham. They too, preceded Muhammad and his form of Islam in their monotheism by decades if not centuries.
Among the most important Hanifs, some are mentioned in the Quran Hud of the Ad people; Saleh of the Thamud and Sho'ayb of the Medyan.
It is also a corollary that to be a Muslim, is independent of the belief that Muhammad was the messenger of Allah nor in the contents of the Quran since all of the above leaders/prophets did not know of either of them. It was only for the pagan Arabs and other pagans that it was incumbent to believe in Muhammad as the messenger of Allah, just as it was incumbent upon the Israelites to believe that Moses was the Prophet of God.
That is why, a clear and unambiguous distinction must be made by the terms MUSLIM and MUHAMMADAN (Followers of Muhammad). Any MONOTHEIST is a Muslim but not all Muslims are Muhammadans; some Muslims are of the Mosaic faith (Moussawi); some are Hanifs and in fact, any Christian who believes that Jesus was only a prophet but not the son of God, such as Unitarian Christians, is also a Muslim.
(http//www.inthenameofallah.org/Who%20is%20a%20MUSLIM.html)
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Salaam.
What constitutes being a "Muslim" has changed with the times. Obviously for everyone before Muhammad (peace be upon him), proclaiming that "Muhammad is the Messenger of God" wasn't part of being a Muslim.
But always, regardless of the times, being a Muslim was submitting to Allah. It still is. And submitting to Allah means believing that there is no God but Him, and that He is One is the purest sense of the word. Submitting also means believing in Allah's revelations. Read the Qur'an and you'll see that in most places where Allah mentions His prophets, He mentions how the people the prophets were sent to did not believe in Allah's revelations and continued worshipping their idols.
So, in order to be a Muslim in the current (and final) form of Islam, according to the Qur'an itself, one must believe that the entire Qur'an is from Allah. That is what one must believe at the very least in order to be considered Muslim in Allah's "Eyes".
In the Qur'an, in multiple places, Allah calls Muhammad (PBUH) "The Messenger", "His Messenger", etc. And in multiple places in the Qur'an, Allah mentions Muhammad by name and calls Him the Messenger of Allah.
T not believe in Muhammad (PBUH) is to reject some parts of the Qur'an, and to reject anything in the Qur'an makes one a non-Muslim. So no, you can't be a Muslim if you don't believe in all of Allah's prophets, including the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon them all).
Furthermore, while other people who were not required to accept Muhammad (PBUH) were still Muslim in the past (such as Prophet Hud, Prophet Salih, etc. peace be upon them all), the condition to accept Muhammad (pbuh) is now a requirement for being a Muslim. And we can't say that believing in One Allah is all we need, and that we don't need to be Muslims and accept Muhammad (pbuh) as well because Allah makes it clear
"And whoso seeketh as religion other than Al-Islam, it will not be accepted from him, and he will be a loser in the Hereafter." - Qur'an 385
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"And whoso seeketh as religion other than Al-Islam, it will not be accepted from him, and he will be a loser in the Hereafter." - Qur'an 385
If you directly translate al-islami to Islam then this of course seems to say only Muslims following Islam in the current context of the religion today will be saved. How ever if you translate al-islami properly, to Submission, which is what Islam means, then you get a different approach.
And whoever be looking for a way of life other than submission to God, it will never be accepted from him. And he, in the world to come, will be among the ones who are losers.
And then consider the following verses.
262 Surely those who believe, and those who are Jews, and the Christians, and the Sabians, whoever believes in Allah and the Last day and does good, they shall have their reward from their Lord, and there is no fear for them, nor shall they grieve.
569 Surely those who believe and those who are Jews and the Sabians and the Christians whoever believes in Allah and the last day and does good-- they shall have no fear nor shall they grieve.
So given this, i dont think you have to believe in Muhammad to be a Submitter to God, a Muslim, if you devote yourself to God and follow the basic principles then you are a Muslim in my opinion.
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If you directly translate al-islami to Islam then this of course seems to say only Muslims following Islam in the current context of the religion today will be saved. How ever if you translate al-islami properly, to Submission, which is what Islam means, then you get a different approach.
And whoever be looking for a way of life other than submission to God, it will never be accepted from him. And he, in the world to come, will be among the ones who are losers.
And then consider the following verses.
262 Surely those who believe, and those who are Jews, and the Christians, and the Sabians, whoever believes in Allah and the Last day and does good, they shall have their reward from their Lord, and there is no fear for them, nor shall they grieve.
569 Surely those who believe and those who are Jews and the Sabians and the Christians whoever believes in Allah and the last day and does good-- they shall have no fear nor shall they grieve.
So given this, i dont think you have to believe in Muhammad to be a Submitter to God, a Muslim, if you devote yourself to God and follow the basic principles then you are a Muslim in my opinion.
You must take all 3 verses into context as 3 verses of the same Message. Those verses you quoted are for people in general who believe in One Allah, do good, and believe in Judgment Day. But the verse I quoted refers to people who know the truth about Islam and then reject the religion. For them, they will be losers according to Allah. That's why Allah does not call Christians, Jews, Sabians, etc. "Muslims" (literally "One who submits" --- they have not submitted to Allah, but Allah forgives whom He wills of everything except shirk.
It's clear that "The Submission" refers to following the Qur'an, since that is what Allah says multiple times in the Qur'an. And Christians, Jews, and any non-Muslim does not, by definition, follow the Qur'an.
Regardless, the argument still applies that one must reject parts of the Qur'an in order to reject that Muhammad was both a Prophet AND the last Prophet. And rejecting any part of the Qur'an makes it so that one is not submitting to Allah according to Allah who tells us to believe in the Qur'an. Therefore, not believing in Muhammad (pbuh) makes one a non-Muslim.
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Daresbears
262 Surely those who believe, and those who are Jews, and the Christians, and the Sabians, whoever believes in Allah and the Last day and does good, they shall have their reward from their Lord, and there is no fear for them, nor shall they grieve.
569 Surely those who believe and those who are Jews and the Sabians and the Christians whoever believes in Allah and the last day and does good-- they shall have no fear nor shall they grieve
.These verses are regarding rewards, Yes any one who doesnot commit shirk and are believers will get good rewards.
But try to understand what Hakeem is saying and the question. -
Jazak-Allah brothers for your contribution. I must say i was uncomfortable reading the last line of bro Hakeems first reply as my friend as many of my friends is not muslim, but they are better 'muslims' than those i know so to think that our God, our LOrd would punish them even though they have given up their lives to the cause and assistance of others bewilders me. And yes i understand your later reply that it was a verse attended at those who knew islam and then rejected it, but this friend of mines is not a muslim so hasnt rejected anything really, and thus, that verse isnt really relevant in this context is it? So if you practiced unitarian monotheism and died, you would not die as a believer?
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Jazak-Allah brothers for your contribution. I must say i was uncomfortable reading the last line of bro Hakeems first reply as my friend as many of my friends is not muslim, but they are better 'muslims' than those i know so to think that our God, our LOrd would punish them even though they have given up their lives to the cause and assistance of others bewilders me.
And yes i understand your later reply that it was a verse attended at those who knew islam and then rejected it, but this friend of mines is not a muslim so hasnt rejected anything really, and thus, that verse isnt really relevant in this context is it? So if you practiced unitarian monotheism and died, you would not die as a believer?
Salaam.
I agree with you 100% about some non-Muslims being better people than some Muslims. The Muslims I personally know are amazing people, but my non-Muslim friends are infinitely better people than a lot of the Muslims you see from Muslim countries or on traditional Muslim internet forums. The good news is that the only sin Allah considers unforgivable is shirk, and He states in the Qur'an that He'll forgive anything else as He sees fit. Only Allah truly knows why a person hasn't embraced Islam (or why he/she may have rejected it), so only Allah can judge. That's why you won't even see (good) traditional Muslims saying that people are in Hell except those mentioned in the Qur'an as being condemned to Hell.
You said your friend is a non-Muslim to begin with? I may have read your post wrong then. He cannot be a Muslim if he rejects Muhammad (pbuh), but if he is a monotheist then Allah may still allow him to enter Jannah. But, that verse still applies if your friend learned about Islam and then rejected it because he didn't want to be Muslim.
To sum it up, only Allah can judge because only He knows the hearts of people.
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You must take all 3 verses into context as 3 verses of the same Message. Those verses you quoted are for people in general who believe in One Allah, do good, and believe in Judgment Day. But the verse I quoted refers to people who know the truth about Islam and then reject the religion. For them, they will be losers according to Allah. That's why Allah does not call Christians, Jews, Sabians, etc. "Muslims" (literally "One who submits" --- they have not submitted to Allah, but Allah forgives whom He wills of everything except shirk.
It's clear that "The Submission" refers to following the Qur'an, since that is what Allah says multiple times in the Qur'an. And Christians, Jews, and any non-Muslim does not, by definition, follow the Qur'an.
Regardless, the argument still applies that one must reject parts of the Qur'an in order to reject that Muhammad was both a Prophet AND the last Prophet. And rejecting any part of the Qur'an makes it so that one is not submitting to Allah according to Allah who tells us to believe in the Qur'an. Therefore, not believing in Muhammad (pbuh) makes one a non-Muslim.
salam brother Abdul-Hakeem,
you are mixing between the term muslim and mu'min.i agree totally with DaresBares..
muslim are those who submit
whilst mu'min are those who believed that Quran is the words of Allah
they are two different things..
Ibraheem AS was a muslim, he wasn't a jew nor was he a christian; but he may be a sabian, and since quran hadn't been revealed at his times then logically he won't be qualified as a believer of the quran (mu'min)wallahua3lam
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salam brother Abdul-Hakeem,
you are mixing between the term muslim and mu'min.i agree totally with DaresBares..
muslim are those who submit
whilst mu'min are those who believed that Quran is the words of Allah
they are two different things..
Ibraheem AS was a muslim, he wasn't a jew nor was he a christian; but he may be a sabian, and since quran hadn't been revealed at his times then logically he won't be qualified as a believer of the quran (mu'min)wallahua3lam
Salaam.
"The Arabs say We believe. Say Ye believe not, but rather say "We submit," for the faith hath not yet entered into your hearts. Yet, if ye obey Allah and His messenger, He will not withhold from you aught of (the reward of) your deeds. Lo! Allah is Forgiving, Merciful.
The believers are those only who believe in Allah and His messenger and afterward doubt not, but strive with their wealth and their lives for the cause of Allah. Such are the sincere.
Say Would ye teach Allah your religion, when Allah knoweth all that is in the heavens and all that is in the earth, and Allah is Aware of all things?" - Qur'an 4914-16
We can see that, in order to be rewarded for their deeds and in order to be considered sincere believers (mu'min) according to Allah, we must believe AND strive in the cause of Allah (i.e. obey His Laws, avoid sins, enjoin what is right, etc.). That, by definition, is one who has Submitted (i.e. a Muslim).
Allah implies through these verses that one who has not submitted (i.e. a non-Muslim) is not considered a sincere believer (mu'min), nor is such a person's deeds fully rewarded.
We also see that believing in Allah's Messenger (and it is extremely obvious through the context that this is specifically referring to Muhammad peace be upon him) is a requirement for being a Muslim, as well as belief in One God.
And the last verse is Allah telling the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) to tell the people that this is not a matter of debate.
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Salaam.
"The Arabs say We believe. Say Ye believe not, but rather say "We submit," for the faith hath not yet entered into your hearts. Yet, if ye obey Allah and His messenger, He will not withhold from you aught of (the reward of) your deeds. Lo! Allah is Forgiving, Merciful.
The believers are those only who believe in Allah and His messenger and afterward doubt not, but strive with their wealth and their lives for the cause of Allah. Such are the sincere.
Say Would ye teach Allah your religion, when Allah knoweth all that is in the heavens and all that is in the earth, and Allah is Aware of all things?" - Qur'an 4914-16
We can see that, in order to be rewarded for their deeds and in order to be considered sincere believers (mu'min) according to Allah, we must believe AND strive in the cause of Allah (i.e. obey His Laws, avoid sins, enjoin what is right, etc.). That, by definition, is one who has Submitted (i.e. a Muslim).
Allah implies through these verses that one who has not submitted (i.e. a non-Muslim) is not considered a sincere believer (mu'min), nor is such a person's deeds fully rewarded.
We also see that believing in Allah's Messenger (and it is extremely obvious through the context that this is specifically referring to Muhammad peace be upon him) is a requirement for being a Muslim, as well as belief in One God.
And the last verse is Allah telling the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) to tell the people that this is not a matter of debate.
Salam Abdul-Hakeem,
I disagree with your interpretation.
The definition of a muslim is clear in this verse
Sahih International
Say, "O People of the Scripture, come to a word that is equitable between us and you - that we will not worship except Allah and not associate anything with Him and not take one another as lords instead of Allah." But if they turn away, then say, "Bear witness that we are Muslims ."The verse on the arabs(bedouins in this translation?)
Sahih International
The bedouins say, "We have believed." Say, "You have not believed; but say , 'We have submitted,' for faith has not yet entered your hearts. And if you obey Allah and His Messenger, He will not deprive you from your deeds of anything. Indeed, Allah is Forgiving and Merciful."Clearly shows that to be a muslim is one step toward becoming a mu'min. and to be a mu'min is to have it in their hearts to obey Allah and His Messenger.
This notion is fortified in the verse you quoted
Sahih International
The believers are only the ones who have believed in Allah and His Messenger and then doubt not but strive with their properties and their lives in the cause of Allah. It is those who are the truthful.So it's totally different concept between a muslim and a mu'min.
And to deny others to be called a mu'min let alone a muslim is not good as per
Sahih International
O you who have believed, when you go forth in the cause of Allah, investigate; and do not say to one who gives you peace "You are not a believer," aspiring for the goods of worldly life; for with Allah are many acquisitions. You were like that before; then Allah conferred His favor upon you, so investigate. Indeed Allah is ever, with what you do, Acquainted.wallahua3lam