What is The Innate Religion? Islām is referred to as the deen-ul-fitrah; which translated from the original Arabic means 'the religion/way of human nature' or simply: ‘the innate religion’. That is, the way or inclination which is most natural to mankind. Intrinsic to the nature of the design of mankind is a bias or inclination, which has a role in how we decide what feels right or wrong; natural or unnatural; moral or immoral. "So direct your face [i.e. self] towards the religion, inclining to truth. Adhere to the natural disposition upon which Allāh[1] has created all people. There should be no change in the creation of Allāh [so let people remain true to their inherent good nature]. That is the correct religion, but most of the people do not know." (Qur'ān, Chapter 30, verse 30)  Although people
have an intrinsically moral bias; they also have needs, weaknesses and can have
selfish tendencies. These can often overrule their natural inclination towards
good. Therefore, the 'moral bias' is not always enough; it needs to be
supplemented with guidance and discipline. According to Islām, every
child is born in this natural disposition; the fitrah. All people
are born innocent and pure, however, they may in later life be corrupted and act
against their good nature. In Islām, there is
no concept of 'Original Sin' as every person is accountable for themselves; one
person's wrong-doing is not transferred to another to carry the consequences. "No soul earns any blame except against itself, and no bearer of burdens will be made to bear the burden of another. Then to your Lord is your return and He will inform you concerning that over which you used to differ." (Qur'ān, Chapter 6, verse 164)
Islām is a way of life and is not exclusive to a group of people or a period of time, it is for everyone to benefit from for all of time. Anyone can choose Islām. In summary, becoming Muslim is "as simple as 1,2,3":
(1) having a pure monotheistic belief in God, (2) declaring that belief, (3) acting upon and benefiting from that belief. The only condition is sincerity in all the above: (1) sincerity of belief, (2) sincerity of speech, (3) sincerity of action. One's belief should affect one's conduct; if it does not then their belief is either not sincere or not important. So what are key aspects of Islām that can benefit people? This website provides an overview (see menu options on the left) and the answers to this question can also be further elaborated by useful (external) links provided.[1] See article: “What is the Name of God?”. |