that dim-witted critic supposes; rather, the religion in God’s sight is Islam alone. Allah the Exalted says, “Indeed, the only religion acceptable to Allah is Islam” [Q 3:19], and He says, “Whoever seeks a religion other than Islam, it will never be accepted from him, and in the Hereafter he will be among the losers” [Q 3:85].

The Prophet’s definition of Islam is found in Gabriel’s question to him. Gabriel said, “O Muhammad, tell me about Islam.” The Messenger of Allah ﷺ replied, “Islam is to testify that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, to establish the prayer, to pay the zakah, to fast Ramadan, and to make the pilgrimage to the House if you are able to find a way.” Gabriel then said, “You have spoken the truth.” The tradition is recorded by Ahmad, Muslim, and the compilers of the Sunan from ʿUmar ibn al-Khattab (d. 23 AH); al-Tirmidhi graded it sound and authentic. Al-Bukhari, Muslim, Abu Dawud, al-Nasaʾi, and Ibn Majah relate the same wording from Abu Hurayrah (d. 57 AH).

Likewise, in the two Ṣaḥīḥs and elsewhere Ibn ʿUmar (d. 73 AH) reports that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, “Islam is built upon five: bearing witness that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, establishing the prayer, paying the zakah, performing the pilgrimage, and fasting Ramadan.”

These, then, are the pillars upon which Islam is founded; the “social dealings” that those uninformed writers keep chanting about are not among them.

Second, we say: had religion truly consisted of nothing but social dealings, as this author—and, indeed, many a misguided writer in our time—claims, then all the people of the earth would already be