utter humility before Him and perfect love for Him. This entails complete obedience to Him:

“Whoever obeys the Messenger has obeyed Allah.”

The Most High has said:

“We did not send any messenger except to be obeyed by Allah’s permission.”

And the Most High has said:

“If you love Allah, then follow me; Allah will love you and forgive you your sins.”

And the Most High has said:

“Ask those of Our messengers whom We sent before you: Did We appoint any gods besides the Most Merciful to be worshipped?”

“We did not send any messenger before you without revealing to him: There is no deity except Me, so worship Me.”

And the Most High has said:

“He has prescribed for you as religion what He enjoined upon Noah, that which We have revealed to you, and what We enjoined upon Abraham, Moses, and Jesus: ‘Establish the religion and do not be divided in it.’ What you call them to is hard for those who associate partners with Allah.”

And the Most High has said:

“O messengers, eat of the good things and do righteous deeds. Indeed, I know all that you do.”

“And indeed, this community of yours is one community, and I am your Lord, so fear Me.”

Thus, He commanded the messengers to establish the religion and not to be divided in it. Hence the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said in an authentic hadith:

“We prophets share one religion. The prophets are brothers with the same father and different mothers. Indeed, I am the closest of all people to the son of Mary; there is no prophet between him and me.”

This religion is Islam, and Allah accepts no other religion, whether from earlier or later generations, for all the prophets followed the religion of Islam. Allah Most High said concerning Noah:

“Relate to them the account of Noah, when he said to his people: ‘O my people, if you find my presence among you burdensome, along with my reminders