FROM THE PULPIT: I Believe in One God

 All the Abrahamic faiths, Judaism, Christianity and Islam, believe in one and the same God. “Allah” is Arabic for “the One God.” The five scheduled installments of “From the Pulpit” from a Muslim perspective are a great opportunity to explain to the readers of the Fall River Herald News just what are the five basic tenants of faith in Islam, a.k.a. the pillars of Islam.

 The five basic tenants of Islam are 1) to believe there is only one God and Mohammad is His Prophet, 2) to commit to performing five prayers daily, 3) to fast each day during the month of Ramadan from sunrise to sunset, 4) to commit a portion of your wealth to charity and 5) to go on pilgrimage to Mecca once in your life time, if you can afford it. In the course of the year, God Willing, we will take up one of the tenants in each of these installments.

 This month we will take up the first principle of Islam which is to believe in One God. That belief should be so strong that one is willing to accept whatever God give us in this life. The word ‘Islam” can be translated to ‘submission’ to God’s Will. A Muslim is a person who is ready to fully ‘submit’ to God’s Will, come what may.

 What that submission means has been the subject of deep thought and analysis by scholars throughout the centuries. Sadly, the idea of submission has also been interpreted superficially and used for political purposes.

 To accept the Will of God is also to accept the messages of all His Holy Prophets. To a Muslim the message of the Prophets starts with Abraham who questioned why his father worshiped idols and statues. God’s messages continue to be revealed to Noah, Moses, David and all the Prophets (peace be upon them all) of the Old Testament. The Quran repeats and reinforces the testimony of these Prophets. Equally revered in the Quran are God’s messages through John the Baptist, known as Yahya, and Jesus, known as Isa, son of Mary/Miriam. The Quran devotes a whole chapter to the sanctity of Mary and the virgin birth. God’s revelations culminate with the final messages revealed to the Prophet Mohammad (peace and blessings be upon him) contained in the Holy Quran.

 The declaration of faith in One God, therefore, concludes with the acceptance that Mohammad and by default all the Prophets who proceeded him are messengers of God.

 Faith in God cannot be forced. To be sincere, faith is a conviction a person has to determine alone. Your relationship to God is your own. Therefore, a Muslim recognizes that people of other Faiths can also have a direct connection to God. We pray only that we do not stray and make the mistake of worshipping other things instead of God; things such as success, wealth, status and idols we mistakenly think can bring us happiness. For a true Muslim of any Faith, only God determines our fate.

 The Quran reminds us that God is the Primal Force that created and sustains the heavens and earth. From this Force He provides us water, crops, animals to sustain us and the ability to reason. God “is the One who created life and death to test which of you is best in deeds (Mulk 67:2).

 Recently, I was struck that our life on earth is both a miracle and a responsibility. Three months ago I was next to my daughter as she gave birth to a beautiful baby girl. Looking at her tiny hands and feet I couldn’t help but think how from two tiny cells God creates for us with each birth a perfect miracle. And just a few days ago I was next to my stepfather as he passed away after a long, productive life.

 We have a responsibility between our birth and our inevitable death to try to be “the best in deeds.” Even with trials and tests we have to have Faith that God is not giving us a burden greater than we can bear. He may be testing us to see whether we can remember to remain close to Him in our daily prayers. We try to be charitable to those in need and kind to our parents and neighbors. We try to be good stewards of His creation. No matter what, we believe God is All-Forgiving and Merciful. Our declaration of faith is our strength.

Martin Bentz

Outreach Coordinator Islamic Society of Southeastern Massachusetts (issmass.org)