DEFINITION OF RELIGION AND THE PRINCIPLES OF THE TRUE RELIGION
Religion is a set of divine laws that intelligent people, through their free will, to what is best, most truthful, and most beautiful. These laws lead people to what is beneficial and good.
People stay on the right path and find guidance as long as they follow Allah’s commands with their own free will and desire.
They reach happiness and peace both in this world and in the Hereafter.
The ideas, orders, and systems created by people may bring some harmony, but they can never be considered religion.
The only source of religion is Allah.
TYPES OF RELIGION
Religions are mainly divided into three categories:
1.True Religion
These are the religions whose rules were set by Allah the Exalted and communicated to people through prophets. These are also called "divine and heavenly religions." The true religions are also called "the religion of tawheed" because they are based on faith in the Oneness of Allah and praying Him alone.
The religions reported by all prophets, from Prophet Adam to Prophet Isa [sallallahu alayhim wa sallam], were united in principals of faith. But, these religions were later corrupted and lost their originality.
Almighty Allah sent His last and greatest Prophet, Prophet Muhammad [sallallahu alayhi wa sallam], as a messenger to all humans and jinn. Allah [Jalla Jalaluhu ] granted His servants the religion of Islam, the final and most perfect of the true religions, through him. Today, the only true religion that will remain on earth until the Day of Judgment is Islam.
The Characteristics and Benefits of a True Religion
A true religion informs people about the existence of the one and only Allah and commands them to worship Him alone. It tells that there is no creator of the universe other than Allah.
It wants belief in all prophets and the divine books sent with them (in their original forms) without making any distinction. It tells us the existence of an eternal hereafter. It shows that all humans are equal by creation. It teaches that superiority in the sight of Allah is based on piety and good character. A true religion is entirely dependable with reason and wisdom. It targets for the salvation and happiness of people. The religion possessing all these characteristics is Islam, the final religion sent with Prophet Muhammad [sallallahu alayhi wa sallam], which will continue to exist until the Day of Judgment.
Humans are intelligent and conscious creatures capable of thinking on their own creation. When left alone with their conscience, humans question themselves about where they come from, where they are going, and why they were created.
Through a true religion, humans learn the aim of their creation. They know their Lord, who created them and gave them countless blessings. They believe in the prophets, chosen by Allah, and try to follow their good qualities to brighten their lives and please their Creator. So believers live a life worthy of humanity and achieve eternal happiness in the afterlife.
Through religion, a person understands that Allah knows everything and nothing is hidden from Him, which gives them strong self-control. Strong self-controlled and good people create a society with order, stability, justice, and safety. Religion is the source of all moral excellence, human values, and politeness. Religion's moral system is very important for humanity. Lack of religion destroys the idea of morality. Lack of religion weakens morals and causes laws to be broken and ignored.
Looking at history in this way, it is clear that moral decay played an important role in the collapse of societies and states that changed the course of history.
Lack of religion also destroys the idea of law. A person without religion, who feels no moral responsibility, does not respect any rights or laws. When given the chance, they do not hesitate to commit any kind of evil.
What Is Religion
