Second: Islam’s Relationship with the Other Revealed Laws

Allah willed that the message of Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) be the last of the heavenly revelations. By common usage the term “Islam” now denotes this final dispensation, just as “Judaism” or “the Mosaic Law” refers to the law of Moses (peace be upon him) and its derivatives, and “Christianity” denotes the law of Jesus (peace be upon him) and what has branched from it.

The message Allah revealed to our Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) reached the pinnacle of perfection. It is a universal, human call addressed to no single tribe or ethnic group. Allah approved it for humanity as their religion; it is the complete religion through which He perfected His favor upon us: “Today I have perfected your religion for you, completed My favor upon you, and chosen Islam for you as religion” (al-Ma’idah/3).

Before that, the noble procession of messengers and prophets (peace be upon them) carried the banner of monotheism, each one proclaiming to his own people: “O my people! I am indeed a clear warner to you” (Nuh/2); “O my people! Worship Allah; you have no deity other than Him” (al-A‘raf/59). Then came the Seal of the Prophets, the one who unified the message of all the messengers. He gathered every banner under a single standard and called out to all humanity: “O mankind! Worship your Lord who created you and those before you, so that you may be God-fearing” (al-Baqarah/21); “O mankind! There has come to you a proof from your Lord” (al-Nisa’/174); “This is a proclamation for mankind so that they may be warned by it” (Ibrahim/52). Indeed, it is a proclamation for everyone to whom its report reaches in his own age and in every age until the Day of Resurrection: “This Qur’an has been revealed to me so that I may warn you with it and whomever it reaches” (al-An‘am/19)—and the jinn and humankind