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The word Islam is derived from the Arabic root ‘salama’ which means, among other things, peace,
purity, submission and obedience. In the religious sense theword Islam means submission to the Will of Allah and obedi-
ence to His Law. The connection between the original and thereligious meanings of the word is strong and obvious. Only
through submission to the Will of Allah and by obedience to HisLaw can one achieve true peace and enjoy lasting purity.
Those who follow Islamic teachings are Muslims. Contrary topopular misconceptions, Islam or submission to the Will of
Allah, together with obedience to His Law, does not mean inany way loss of individual freedom or surrender to fatalism.
Anyone who thinks or believes so has certainly failed to under-stand the true meaning of Islam and the concept of Allah in
Islam. The concept of Allah in Islam describes Him as the MostMerciful and Gracious, and the Most Loving and most con-
cerned with the well-being of man, and as Full of Wisdom andcare for His Creatures. His Will, accordingly, is a Will of
Benevolence and Goodness, and whatever Law He pre-scribes must be in the best interest of mankind.
Submission to the good Will of Allah, therefore, does not takeaway or curtail individual freedom. On the contrary, it gives free-
dom of a high degree in abundant measures. It frees the mindfrom super stitions and fills it with truth. It frees the soul from sin
and wrong and quickens it with goodness and purity. It frees theself from vanity and greed, from envy and tension, from fear
and insecurity. It frees man from subjugation to false deities andlow desires, and unfolds before him the beautiful horizons of
goodness and excellence.
Submission to the good Will of Allah, together with obedienceto His beneficial Law, is the best safeguard of peace and har-
mony. It enables man to make peace between himself and hisfellow men on the one hand, and between the human com-
munity and Allah on the other. It creates harmony among theelements of Nature. Man is singled out as being endowed with
intelligence and the power of making choices. When he choos-es the course of submission to the Law of Allah, he will be mak-
ing harmony between himself and all the other elements ofNature, which are by necessity obedient to Allah. He will be
consistent with the truth and in harmony with all the other ele-ments of the universe. But if he chooses disobedience he will
deviate from the Right Path and will be inconsistent. Besides,he will incur the displeasure and punishment of the Law-Giver.
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