Islam (the religion and the term)

"Islam" is the name of the religion brought by the Prophet Muhammad. In Gabriel's hadith, the man (Gabriel in human form) asked the Prophet "What is Islam?" and he answered: "That you worship God and associate nothing with Him, establish the prayer, give the obligatory zakat, and fast Ramadan" ².

Abu Hurayra (may God be pleased with him) relates that a man came to the Prophet walking and asked him about faith, Islam and ihsan ². The editor explains that the man was Gabriel "in the form of a man", and that he asked about the Hour ³. After the hadith al-Bukhari says: "He made all of that part of faith" ³.

In another hadith the Prophet describes Islam as a building standing on five supports, saying: "Islam is built on five" ¹. The detail of these supports is in the five pillars of Islam.

A Bedouin asked the Prophet about Islam. He told him of the five prayers in the day and night, and the man asked: "Is anything else upon me?" The Prophet said: "No, unless you volunteer" ⁴. In another version the Ramadan fast is mentioned after the prayers ⁵, and when the man asked about zakat, the Prophet told him of the duties of Islam ⁶.

Gabriel's hadith contains three questions: about faith, about Islam, and about ihsan ². Al-Bukhari counted all of that as part of faith ³.

The relation between Islam and faith is a subject treated in the creed books. A presentation of their authors' sayings, attributed to them, will be added in a later batch; this entry presents only what is documented from the hadith text.

Sha'rawi holds that the religion with God from Adam to the Hour is the submission of the face to God, since the face is the noblest part of a person, and placing it on the ground in prostration is a sign of submission. He says that Islam is surrendering one's leadership to God, so that one's choices in this world match what God wants. ^{7 8}