❀ Islam: The Final and Complete Divine Religion ❀
This article is derived from the book Islam Mustafa (علیہ الصلاۃ والسلام) by Abu Hamza Abdul Khaliq Siddiqi.✔ Islam: The Only Accepted Religion with Allah ﷻ
Every prophet sent by Allah brought forth a religion. It was obligatory for the people of that time to follow it. However, with the arrival of the Final Messenger, Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, all previous religions were abrogated, and only the religion brought by him remained:﴿إِنَّ الدِّينَ عِندَ اللَّهِ الْإِسْلَامُ﴾
[Āl ʿImrān: 19]
“Indeed, the only religion with Allah is Islam.”
✔ Meaning and Concept of Religion
Religion encompasses all the principles, rulings, and guidelines of Shariah, as well as the methodology and exemplary conduct that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ presented to the Muslims.✔ Islam: The Religion of Innate Nature (Fiṭrah)
Islam is the natural religion (fiṭrah) upon which Allah has created all mankind:﴿فَأَقِمْ وَجْهَكَ لِلدِّينِ حَنِيفًا ۚ فِطْرَتَ اللَّهِ الَّتِي فَطَرَ النَّاسَ عَلَيْهَا ۚ لَا تَبْدِيلَ لِخَلْقِ اللَّهِ ۚ ذَٰلِكَ الدِّينُ الْقَيِّمُ وَلَٰكِنَّ أَكْثَرَ النَّاسِ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ﴾
[Ar-Rūm: 30]
“Direct your face towards the religion, inclining to truth—the natural disposition (fiṭrah) upon which Allah has created mankind. There is no altering the creation of Allah. That is the upright religion, but most people do not know.”
Allah creates every human upon the natural faith of tawḥīd (monotheism) and Islam. However, due to external factors, many deviate towards disbelief and shirk. As narrated in Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī and Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim from Abu Huraira رضي الله عنه: The Prophet ﷺ said, “Every child is born upon the fiṭrah.” In another narration: “Upon this religion,” but their parents make them Jews, Christians, or Magians.
Therefore, Allah says:
﴿لَا تَبْدِيلَ لِخَلْقِ اللَّهِ﴾
“O Muslims, do not alter this nature.”
Rather, raise your children upon proper Islamic education so they remain upon tawḥīd and Islam.
➤ The Prophet ﷺ used to say in the mornings and evenings:
أصبحنا / أمسينا على فطرة الإسلام وعلى كلمة الإخلاص وعلى دين نبينا محمد صلى الله عليه وسلم وعلى ملة أبينا إبراهيم حنيفا وما كان من المشركين
Musnad Aḥmad 3/406 | Al-Adhkār An-Nawawī p. 125
“Sheikh Hamzah has declared it Ṣaḥīḥ.*
“We have entered the morning/evening upon the natural faith of Islam, the word of sincerity, the religion of our Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, and the pure faith of our father Ibrāhīm, who was not among the polytheists.”
✔ Islam: Allah’s Chosen Religion
Allah mentions His great favor and bounty upon this Ummah by bestowing a complete and perfect religion, eliminating any need for another prophet or religion:﴿الْيَوْمَ أَكْمَلْتُ لَكُمْ دِينَكُمْ وَأَتْمَمْتُ عَلَيْكُمْ نِعْمَتِي وَرَضِيتُ لَكُمُ الْإِسْلَامَ دِينًا﴾
[Al-Māʾidah: 3]
“This day I have perfected for you your religion and completed My favor upon you and have approved for you Islam as your religion.”
✔ Islam Is Complete—No Need for Innovation
This verse clearly proves that Islam has been completed. Imam Aḥmad and Al-Bukhārī and Muslim narrated from Ṭāriq bin Shihāb that a Jew said to Umar ibn Al-Khattab رضي الله عنه:“O Commander of the Faithful! You recite a verse in your Book which, had it been revealed to us, we would have taken that day as a festival.” He asked, “Which verse?” The Jew replied:
﴿الْيَوْمَ أَكْمَلْتُ لَكُمْ دِينَكُمْ﴾
Umar رضي الله عنه responded,
“By Allah, I know the day and place where this verse was revealed to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. It was on a Friday, the Day of Arafah.”
Musnad Aḥmad 1/28 | Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī, Book of Faith, Hadith 45 | Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim, Book of Tafsīr, Hadith 3017
✔ Condemnation of Innovation (Bidʿah)
Imam Mālik رحمه الله said:"Whoever innovates in Islam thinking it is good has indeed claimed that Muhammad ﷺ betrayed the message, for Allah says:
﴿الْيَوْمَ أَكْمَلْتُ لَكُمْ دِينَكُمْ﴾..."
Kitāb al-Iʿtiṣām by Ash-Shāṭibī 1/49
The Prophet ﷺ also said:
"If I narrate something to you, then do not add to it."
Musnad Aḥmad, Hadith 19618 – Declared authentic by Ahmad Shākir
In other words, do not add anything of your own to this already completed religion.
✔ Meaning of the Completion of Religion
The completion of religion means that Muslims no longer need to import any foreign principles—be they social, political, or economic—into Islam. This eliminates any need for Western democracy, communism, socialism, or any other ideology to be incorporated into Islam.✔ The Day Religion Was Perfected
Again, based on the narration of Ṭāriq bin Shihāb, a Jew remarked to Umar ibn Al-Khattab رضي الله عنه about the verse:﴿الْيَوْمَ أَكْمَلْتُ لَكُمْ﴾
He said they would have made it a day of celebration had it been revealed to them. Umar رضي الله عنه replied:
“By Allah, I know the time and place of its revelation. It was on a Friday, the Day of Arafah.”
Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī, Book of Faith, Hadith 45 | Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim, Book of Tafsīr, Hadith 3017 | Musnad Aḥmad 1/28
