THE
MESSAGE OF FALSE RELIGIONS
By Dr Bilal Philips
There are so many sects, cults, religions, philosophies, and
movements in the world, all of which claim to be the right way or the only true path to
God! How can one determine which one is correct or whether, in fact, all are correct?
One method by which the answer can be found is to clear away the
superficial differences in teachings of the various claimants to ultimate truth, and
identify the central object of worship upon which they call, directly or indirectly.
False religions all have in common one basic concept with regard
to God: They either claim that all men are gods, or that specific men were God, or that
nature is God, or that God is a figment of man's imagination.
Thus, it may be stated that the basic message of false religion
is that God may be worshipped in the form of His creation. False religion invites man to
the worship of creation by calling the creation or some aspect of it God. For example,
Jesus invited his followers to worship God, but those who claim to be Jesus' followers
today call people to worship Jesus, claiming that he was God.
Buddha was a reformer who introduced a number of humanistic
principles in the religion of India. He did not claim to be God, nor did he suggest to his
followers that he be an object of worship. Yet today most Buddhists who are to be found
outside India have taken him to be God and they prostrate themselves to idols made in
their perception of his likeness.
By using the principle of identifying the object of worship, we
can easily detect false religions and the contrived nature of their origin. As God said in
the Qur'an:
"That which you worship besides Him are only names you and
your forefathers have invented for which Allah has sent down no authority; the command
belongs only to Allah: He has commanded that you worship Him; that is right religion, but
most men do not understand." (Sura Yousuf 12:40)
It may be argued that all religions teach good things, so why
should it matter which one we follow? The reply is that all false religions teach the
greatest evil: the worship of creation. Creationworship is the greatest sin that man can
commit because it contradicts the very purpose of his creation. Man was created to worship
God alone as Allah has explicitly stated in the Qur'an:
"I have only created jinns and men, that they may worship
Me." (Sura AdhDhaariyaat 51:56)
Consequently, the worship of creation, which is the essence of
idolatry, is the only unforgivable sin. One who dies in this state of idolatry has sealed
his fate in the next life. This is not an opinion, but a revealed fact stated by God in
his final revelation to man:
"Verily Allah will not forgive the joining of partners with
Him, but He may forgive (sins) less than that for whomsoever He wishes." (Sura
AnNisaa' 4:48 and 116)
UNIVERSALITY OF GOD'S RELIGION
Since the consequences of following a false religion are so
grave, the true religion of God must have been universally understandable and universally
attainable in the past and it must continue eternally to be understandable and attainable
throughout the entire world. In other words, the true religion of God cannot be confined
to any one people, place, or period of time. Nor is it logical that such a religion should
impose conditions that have nothing to do with the relationship of man with God, such as
baptism, or belief in man as a saviour, or gobetween.
Within the central principle of Islam and its definition (the
surrender of one's will to God) lie the roots of Islam's universality. Whenever man comes
to the realisation that God is one and distinct from His creation, and submits himself to
God, he becomes a Muslim in body and spirit and is eligible for paradise.
Consequently, anyone at any time in the most remote regions of
the world can become a Muslim, a follower of God's religion, Islam, by merely rejecting
the worship or creation and turning to God alone. It should be noted, however, that in
order to actually submit to God's will one must continually choose between right and
wrong.
Indeed, man is endowed by God with the power not only to
distinguish right from wrong but also to choose between them. These Godgiven powers
carry with them an important responsibility, namely, that man is answerable to God for the
choices he makes. It follows, then, that man should try his utmost to do good and avoid
evil. These concepts are expressed in the final revelation as follows:
"Verily, those who believe (in the Qur'an), and those who
follow the Jewish faith, and the Christians, and the Sabians (angel and
starworshippers) - any of these who believe in Allah and the Last Day and work
righteousness shall have their reward with their Lord. They will not be overcome by fear
or grief." (Sura AlBaqarah 2:62)
If, for whatever reason, they fail to accept the final message
after it has been clearly explained to them, they will be in grave danger. The last
Prophet (pbuh) said:
"Whoever among the Christians and Jews hears of me but does
not affirm his belief in what I brought and dies in this state will be among the
inhabitants of hell." (Sahih Muslim - English translation - Vol 1, P 91, No.284)
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