Islam is the religion of all Prophets
The mission of all Messengers was to call for the worship of Allah Alone without associating any partners with Him, and the word Islam, in general meaning, refers to worshipping or submitting to Allah Alone without partners. Allah Ta’ala Says:
﴿ وَمَا خَلَقۡتُ الۡجِنَّ وَالۡاِنۡسَ اِلَّا لِيَعۡبُدُوۡنِ ﴾
“And I (Allah) created not the jinn and mankind except that they should worship Me (Alone).” [Quran, adh-Dhariyat :56]
﴿ وَمَاۤ اَرۡسَلۡنَا مِنۡ قَبۡلِكَ مِنۡ رَّسُوۡلٍ اِلَّا نُوۡحِىۡۤ اِلَيۡهِ اَنَّهٗ لَاۤ اِلٰهَ اِلَّاۤ اَنَا فَاعۡبُدُوۡنِ ﴾
“And We did not send any Messenger before you (O Muhammad) but We inspired him (saying): ‘La ilaha illa Ana [none has the right to be worshipped but I (Allah)], so worship Me (Alone and none else).’“ [Quran, al-Anbiya:25]
﴿ وَلَـقَدۡ بَعَثۡنَا فِىۡ كُلِّ اُمَّةٍ رَّسُوۡلًا اَنِ اعۡبُدُوا اللّٰهَ وَاجۡتَنِبُوا الطَّاغُوۡتَۚ ﴾
“And verily, We have sent among every Ummah (community, nation) a Messenger (proclaiming): ‘Worship Allâh (Alone), and avoid (or keep away from) Taghut (all false deities i.e. do not worship Taghut besides Allâh).’“ [Quran, an-Nahl:36]
Allah tells us that Islam is the religion of all the Prophets.
﴿ مَا كَانَ اِبۡرٰهِيۡمُ يَهُوۡدِيًّا وَّلَا نَصۡرَانِيًّا وَّ لٰكِنۡ كَانَ حَنِيۡفًا مُّسۡلِمًا ؕ وَمَا كَانَ مِنَ الۡمُشۡرِكِيۡنَ ﴾
“Abraham was neither a Jew nor a Christian, but he was one inclining toward truth, a Muslim [submitting to Allah], and he was not of the polytheists.” [Quran, Aal ‘Imran :67]
Shaykhul-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah (may Allah have mercy on him) said in ar-Risalah at-Tadmuriyyah p.173-174:
This religion is the religion of Islam, besides which Allah will accept no other religion, either from the earlier or the later generations. All the Prophets followed Islam.
Allah Ta’ala says of Noah (peace be upon him):
﴿ وَاتْلُ عَلَيْهِمْ نَبَأَ نُوحٍ إِذْ قَالَ لِقَوْمِهِ يَا قَوْمِ إِن كَانَ كَبُرَ عَلَيْكُم مَّقَامِي وَتَذْكِيرِي بِآيَاتِ اللَّهِ فَعَلَى اللَّهِ تَوَكَّلْتُ فَأَجْمِعُوا أَمْرَكُمْ وَشُرَكَاءَكُمْ ثُمَّ لَا يَكُنْ أَمْرُكُمْ عَلَيْكُمْ غُمَّةً ثُمَّ اقْضُوا إِلَيَّ وَلَا تُنظِرُونِ فَإِن تَوَلَّيْتُمْ فَمَا سَأَلْتُكُم مِّنْ أَجْرٍ ۖ إِنْ أَجْرِيَ إِلَّا عَلَى اللَّهِ ۖ وَأُمِرْتُ أَنْ أَكُونَ مِنَ الْمُسْلِمِينَ ﴾ [يونس: 71-72]
“And recite to them the news of Nuh (Noah). When he said to his people: ‘O my people, if my stay (with you), and my reminding (you) of the Ayat (proofs, evidences, verses, lessons, signs, revelations, etc.) of Allah is hard on you, then I put my trust in Allah. So devise your plot, you and your partners, and let not your plot be in doubt for you. Then pass your sentence on me and give me no respite. ‘But if you turn away (from accepting my doctrine of Islamic Monotheism, i.e. to worship none but Allah), then no reward have I asked of you, my reward is only from Allah, and I have been commanded to be of the Muslims (i.e. those who submit to Allah’s Will).’” (Quran, Yunus [10]:71-72)
And Allah says of Abraham (peace be upon him):
﴿ وَمَنْ يَرْغَبُ عَنْ مِلَّةِ إِبْرَاهِيمَ إِلا مَنْ سَفِهَ نَفْسَهُ وَلَقَدِ اصْطَفَيْنَاهُ فِي الدُّنْيَا وَإِنَّهُ فِي الْآخِرَةِ لَمِنَ الصَّالِحِينَ إِذْ قَالَ لَهُ رَبُّهُ أَسْلِمْ قَالَ أَسْلَمْتُ لِرَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ وَوَصَّى بِهَا إِبْرَاهِيمُ بَنِيهِ وَيَعْقُوبُ يَا بَنِيَّ إِنَّ اللَّهَ اصْطَفَى لَكُمُ الدِّينَ فَلا تَمُوتُنَّ إِلا وَأَنْتُمْ مُسْلِمُونَ ﴾ [البقرة :130-132]
“And who turns away from the religion of Ibrahim (Abraham) (i.e. Islamic Monotheism ) except him who befools himself? Truly, We chose him in this world and verily, in the Hereafter he will be among the righteous. When his Lord said to him, ‘Submit (i.e. be a Muslim)!’ He said, ‘I have submitted myself (as a Muslim) to the Lord of the ‘Alamin (mankind, jinn and all that exists).’ And this (submission to Allah, Islam) was enjoined by Ibrahim (Abraham) upon his sons and by Ya’qub (Jacob) (saying), ‘O my sons! Allah has chosen for you the (true) religion, then die not except as Muslims.’” (Quran, al-Baqarah [2]:130-132)
And He says of Moses (peace be upon him):
﴿ وَقَالَ مُوسَى يَا قَوْمِ إِنْ كُنْتُمْ آمَنْتُمْ بِاللَّهِ فَعَلَيْهِ تَوَكَّلُوا إِنْ كُنْتُمْ مُسْلِمِينَ ﴾ [يونس :84]
“And Musa (Moses) said: ‘O my people! If you have believed in Allah, then put your trust in Him if you are Muslims (those who submit to Allah’s Will).’” [Quran, Yunus 10:84]
And He says of the Messiah (peace be upon him):
﴿ وَإِذْ أَوْحَيْتُ إِلَى الْحَوَارِيِّينَ أَنْ آمِنُوا بِي وَبِرَسُولِي قَالُوا آمَنَّا وَاشْهَدْ بِأَنَّنَا مُسْلِمُونَ ﴾ [المائدة:111]
“And when I (Allah) inspired Al-Hawariyyun (the disciples) [of ‘Isa (Jesus)] to believe in Me and My Messenger, they said: ‘We believe. And bear witness that we are Muslims.’” [Quran, al-Maidah 5:111]
And He says of the previous Prophets (peace be upon them):
﴿ يَحْكُمُ بِهَا النَّبِيُّونَ الَّذِينَ أَسْلَمُوا لِلَّذِينَ هَادُوا ﴾ [المائدة:44]
“…by which the Prophets, who submitted themselves to Allah’s Will …” [Quran, al-Maidah 5:44]
And He tells us that Bilqis said:
﴿ رَبِّ إِنِّي ظَلَمْتُ نَفْسِي وَأَسْلَمْتُ مَعَ سُلَيْمَانَ لِلَّهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ ﴾ [النمل:44]
“My Lord! Verily, I have wronged myself, and I submit [in Islam, together with Sulayman (Solomon)] to Allah, the Lord of the ‘Alamin(mankind, jinn and all that exists).” [Quran, an-Naml 27:44]
This is the religion of Islam, besides which Allah does not accept any other. This means obeying Allah at any given time by doing what He commanded at that time. So initially the command was to face towards the Rock [in Jerusalem] in prayer, then the command came to face towards the Ka’bah. Both actions come under the heading of the religion of Islam, because religion is obedience and worship in both cases, but the actions varied in some regards which was the direction faced in prayer. Similarly the religion of all the Messengers is one and the same, but their laws varied.
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