[Saispapedlimi]

Dear Sunni Forum members,

My name is Lauren and I am interested in learning more about Islam. For your information, I am Australian and an Independent Christian.

I am not here to argue religion, but I wish to objectively learn and better understand your beliefs as there appears to be significant misunderstandings between cultures in regards to foreign religions.
To be honest, although I have done some basic reading, I consider myself completely ignorant. As a university student who enjoys learning new things and appreciates differences, this ignorance must be resolved!

What are some of the fundamentals or basics of Islam?

Thank you to everyone in advance,
Regards
Lauren

[syncFisee]

Hi Lauren, Welcome to the forums.

The basic belief of Islam is:

There is no God but Allah, and Muhammad, (may peace be upon him) is His slave and messenger.

Also Islam considers Adam, Abraham, Moses and Jesus (peace be upon them) as Messengers of Allah the Almighty.

Other members shall contribute more.

P.s. Perhaps you can change your 'Madhab' to Not Muslim to avoid misunderstanding. Change it from the settings: http://www.sunniforum.com/forum/prof...do=editprofile

[TerriLS]

and i was under the impression that "Lauren" is a females name. lol! if the gender sign is wrong you can also correct it on the settings or if i'm wrong you can correct me!
will try and contribute to this thread a little later on .

[Saispapedlimi]

Thank you amr123 for your kind greetings
All fixed up now! (im sure i selected 'sister' and 'non-muslim' but it must have changed somehow when I confirmed via email)

I am very interested in understanding more about Muhammad.

[13spebampiliece]

Peace, Lauren

Welcome to the forum! I was (JudeoChristian upbringing) until I learned about Allah (SWT) and His prophet Muhammad (SWS), I trust you will get many valuable responses Insha-Allah (God Willing.)

[TerriLS]

Hi, lauren

This is a very long article but i'm posting it anyway! i hope you find it useful.


I. Islam and Muslims.

The name of this religion is Islam, the root of which is Silm and Salam which means peace. Salam may also mean greeting one another with peace. One of the beautiful names of God is that He is the Peace. It means more than that: submission to the One God, and to live in peace with the Creator, within one's self, with other people and with the environment. Thus, Islam is a total system of living. A Muslim is supposed to live in peace and harmony with all these segments; hence, a Muslim is any person anywhere in the world whose obedience, allegiance, and loyalty are to God, the Lord of the Universe.

II. Muslims and Arabs.

The followers of Islam are called Muslims. Muslims are not to be confused with Arabs. Muslims may be Arabs, Turks, Persians, Indians, Pakistanis, Malaysians, Indonesians, Europeans, Africans, Americans, Chinese, or other nationalities.

An Arab could be a Muslim, a Christian, a Jew or an atheist. Any person who adopts the Arabic language is called an Arab. However, the language of the Qur'an (the Holy Book of Islam) is Arabic. Muslims all over the world try to learn Arabic so that they may be able to read the Qur'an and understand its meaning. They pray in the language of the Qur'an, namely Arabic. Supplications to God could be in any language.

While there are one billions Muslims in the world there are about 200 million Arabs. Among them, approximately ten percent are not Muslims. Thus Arab Muslims constitute only about twenty percent of the Muslim population of the world.

III. Allah the One and the Only God.

Allah is the name of the One and Only God. Allah has ninety-nine beautiful names, such as:

The Gracious, The Merciful, The Beneficent,
The Creator, The All-Knowing, The All-Wise,
The Lord of the Universe, The First, The Last, and others.

He is the Creator of all human beings. He is the God for the Christians, the Jews, the Muslims, the Buddhists, the Hindus, the atheists, and others. Muslims worship God whose name is Allah. They put their trust in Him and they seek His help and His guidance.

IV. Muhammad.

Muhammad was chosen by God to deliver His Message of Peace, namely Islam. He was born in 570 C.E. (Common Era) in Makkah, Arabia. He was entrusted with the Message of Islam when he was at the age of forty years. The revelation that he received is called the Qur'an, while the message is called Islam.

Muhammad is the very last Prophet of God to mankind. He is the final Messenger of God. His message was and is still to the Christians, the Jews and the rest of mankind. He was sent to those religious people to inform them about the true mission of Jesus, Moses, David, Jacob, Isaac, and Abraham.

Muhammad is considered to be the summation and the culmination of all the prophets and messengers that came before him. He purified the previous messages from adulteration and completed the Message of God for all humanity. He was entrusted with the power of explaining, interpreting and living the teachings of the Qur'an.

V. Source of Islam.

The legal sources of Islam are the Qur'an and the Hadith. The Qur'an is the exact words of God; its authenticity, originality and totality are intact. The Hadith is the report of the sayings, deeds and approvals of the Prophet Muhammad. The Prophet's sayings and deeds are called Sunnah. The Seerah is the writings of followers of Muhammad about the life of the Prophet. Hence, it is the life history of the Prophet Muhammad which provides examples of daily living for Muslims.

Vl. Some Islamic Principles.

A. Oneness of God:

He is One and the Only One. He is not two in one or three in one. This means that Islam rejects the idea of trinity or such a unity of Cod which implies more than one God in one.

B. Oneness of mankind:

People are created equal in front of the Law of God. There is no superiority for one race over another. God made us of different colors, nationalities, languages and beliefs so as to test who is going to be better than others. No one can claim that he is better than others. It is only God Who knows who is better. It depends on piety and righteousness.

C. Oneness of Messengers and the Message:

Muslims believe that God sent different messengers throughout the history of mankind. All came with the same message and the same teachings. It was the people who misunderstood and misinterpreted them.

Muslims believe in Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Ismail, Jacob, Moses, David, Jesus, and Muhammad. The Prophets of Christianity and Judaism are indeed the Prophets of Islam.

D. Angels and the Day of Judgement:

Muslims believe that there are unseen creatures such as angels created by God in the universe for special missions.

Muslims believe that there is a Day of Judgement when all people of the world throughout the history of mankind till the last day of life on earth, are to be brought for accounting, reward and punishment.

E. Innocence of Man at Birth:

Muslims believe that people are born free of. sin. It is only after they reach the age of puberty and it is only after they commit sins that are to be charged for their mistakes. No responsible for or can take the responsibility for the sins of others. However, the do. forgiveness through true repentance is always open.

F. State and Religion:

Muslims believe that Islam is a total and a complete way of life. It encompasses all aspect of life. As such, the teachings of Islam do not separate religion from politics. As a matter of fact, state and religion are under the obedience of Allah through the teachings of Islam. Hence, economic and social transactions, as we educational and political systems are also of the teachings of Islam.

VII. Practices of Islam.

God instructed the Muslims to practice they believe in. In Islam there are five pillars, namely:

A. Creed (Shahada):

The verbal commitment and pledge that there is only One God and that Muhammad is the Messenger of God, is considered to be Creed of Islam.

B. Prayers (Salat):

The performance of the five daily prayers required of Muslims.

C. Fasting (Saum):

Fasting is total abstinence from food, liquids and intimate intercourse (between married couples) from dawn to sunset during the Month of Ramadan.

D. Purifying Tax (Zakat):

This is an annual payment of a certain percentage of a Muslim's property which is distributed among the poor or other rightful beneficiaries.

E. Pilgrimage (Hajj):

The performance of pilgrimage to Makkah is required once in a lifetime if means are available. Hajj is in part in memory of the trials and tribulations of Prophet Abraham, his wife Hagar and his eldest son Prophet Ishmael.

VIII. Other Related Aspects.

A. Calendar:

Islamic practices are based on the lunar calendar. However, Muslims also use the Gregorian calendar in their daily religious lives. Hence, the Islamic calendar includes both the Common Era and the migration (Higra) year of the Prophet of Islam from Makkah to Madinah in the year of 623 C.E.

B. Celebrations (Eid):

Muslims have two celebrations (Eid); namely, Eid of Sacrifice and Eid of Fast-Breaking. The Eid of Sacrifice is in remembrance of the sacrifice to be by Prophet Abraham of his son. The Eid of Fast-Breaking comes at the end of the month of fasting, Ramadan.

C. Diets:

Islam allows Muslims to eat everything which is good for the health. It restricts certain items such as pork and its by-products, alcohol and any narcotic or addictive drugs.

D. Place of Worship:

The place of worship is called Mosque or Masjid. There are three holy places of worship for the Muslims in the world. These are: Mosque of Kaaba in Makkah, Mosque of the Prophet Muhammad in Madinah, and Masjid Aqsa, adjacent to Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem.

A Muslim may pray anywhere in the world whether in a Mosque, a house, an office, or outside. The whole world is a place of worship. It is preferable that Muslims pray in a congregation, however, he/she may pray individually anywhere.

E. Holiday:

The holy day of the Muslims is Friday. It is considered to be sacred and the Day of Judgement will take place on Friday. Muslims join together shortly after noon on Friday for the Friday congregational prayer in a Mosque. A leader (Imam) gives a sermon (Khutba) and leads the congregational prayer.

F. Distribution of Muslims in North America:

There are approximately five million Muslims in North America and are distributed in its major cities such as New York, Detroit, Boston, Toledo, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Houston, Cedar Rapids (Iowa), Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, Edmonton, Vancouver, Windsor, Winnepeg, Calgary, and others.

C. Contributions in North America:

Muslims are now established in North America. Sears Tower and the John Hancock buildings in Chicago were designed by a Muslim chief architect, originally from Bangladesh. Muslims have established academic institutions, community centers and organizations, schools and places of worship. They live in peace and harmony among themselves and among other groups of people in the society. The rate of crime among Muslims is very minimal. Muslims in North America are highly educated and they have added to the success of American scientific and technological fields.

The Muslims of the early period of the Islamic era were pioneers in medicine, chemistry, physics, geography, navigation, arts, poetry, mathematics, algebra, logarithms, calculus, etc. They contributed to the Renaissance of Europe and world civilization.

IX. Non-Muslims.

Muslims are required to respect all those who are faithful and God conscious people, namely those who received messages. Christians and Jews are called People of the Book. Muslims are asked to call upon the People of the Book for common terms, namely, to worship One God, and to work together for the solutions of the many problems in the society.

Christians and Jews lived peacefully with Muslims throughout centuries in the Middle East and other Asian and African countries. The second Caliph Umar did not pray in the church in Jerusalem so as not to give the Muslims an excuse to take it over. Christians entrusted the Muslims, and as such the key of the Church in Jerusalem is still in the hands of the Muslims.

Jews fled from Spain during the Inquisition, and they were welcomed by the Muslims. They settled in the heart of the Islamic Caliphate. They enjoyed positions of power and authority.

Throughout the Muslim world, churches, synagogues and missionary schools were built within the Muslim neighborhoods. These places were protected by Muslims even during the contemporary crises in the Middle East.

(copied and pasted from IslamiCity.com)

[Saispapedlimi]

What a great article. Thank you for all the insights!

So Islam is a religion of Peace...
I've learnt so much, but now I have so many questions... lol
I found it interesting to learn the Islamic perception of Christianity... particularly the Trinity.
Also Muslim praying and fasting routines are interesting.

Thank you again. I hope someone can expand on the key points of this article.

[TerriLS]

What a great article. Thank you for all the insights!

So Islam is a religion of Peace...
I've learnt so much, but now I have so many questions... lol
I found it interesting to learn the Islamic perception of Christianity... particularly the Trinity.
Also Muslim praying and fasting routines are interesting.

Thank you again. I hope someone can expand on the key points of this article.

i'm glad. Yup, Islaam is the beautiful religion of peace! if you have any questions you can ask them one by one, that way it'll make it easier to answer and understand... and don't worry if your questions don't get answered immediately, as soon as the scholars see it they will reply .

[Uvgsgssu]

Thank you amr123 for your kind greetings
All fixed up now! (im sure i selected 'sister' and 'non-muslim' but it must have changed somehow when I confirmed via email)

I am very interested in understanding more about Muhammad.

Bismillah

Hi Lauren

Prophet Muhammad was seen as trustworthy even before he was given prophethood by his people. He was called Amin (Trustworthy). He used to discharge the trust and rights of the people. He was unlettered (cannot read or write). He used to go to a cave for reflection and when he was 40 years of age, Archangel Gabriel (Jibril) approached him and the first five verses of Surah (Chapter) al-Iqra was revealed. Qur'an was revealed over a period of 23 years.

During his time, people were worshipping idols along with Allah. So, his primary mission was to call people to tawheed (monotheism) and to abolish Shirk (ascribing partners in worship to Allah). So, initially he preached to his relatives and friends and some accepted Islam. Then he was asked to preach to the masses in Makkah and people persecuted him and tortured his followers especially the weak.

He preached to the people of Madinah when they came to madinah and they believed in the message of Islam. They agreed to support him. So, Prophet migrated to madinah after 13 years of preaching in Makkah. People started to enter Islam in droves. If you look at Islam, it is not a new religion as all the prophets came with a primary message, that is to worship Allah (The God) and not to ascribe partners to him.

Nuh(Noah alayhis salam) commanded his people to worship Allah alone without partners, saying,

("O my people! Worship Allah! You have no other god but Him...." [Surah Al A'raaf]

"And to `Ad (the people, We sent) their brother Hud(alayhis salam). He said: "O my people! Worship Allah! You have no other god but Him. Will you then not have Taqwa(piety, God consciousness)'

[Surah al Ar'aaf]

[Saispapedlimi]

I'd like better understand some basic concepts before I ask further questions (incase I misunderstand!)

In particular:

-what is sin
-how do you obtain forgiveness
-what does salvation mean in Islam
-how do Muslims establish a communition with God


I am also interested to know your personal testimony on how you became a Muslim.

Thank you everyone for posting information. It is really helpful (there is so much unreliable information floating around on the internet these days, and I am pleased to be asking true Muslims about their beliefs and receiving real answers).

[lipitrRrxX]

Hi Lauren! My name is Amna. I took this name after I took my Shahada (Testimony of faith), which is the official conversion to Islam. I'm from the USA. I was raised in a Catholic Christian family, but I am quite well educated in other religions as well. If you wish, we can open up a chat (email, skype, AIM, ICQ, Yahoo! Messenger, etc) and chat about it. Sometimes it's easier to get your questions answered specifically that way. Just let me know!

[Saispapedlimi]

Hey Amna. I would appreciate that thank you

[lipitrRrxX]

What medium would you like to use? Do you use Skype, or would you prefer typed?

[actioliGalm]

Hi,

If you're interested in learning Islam, many Muslims will recommend you to get a Quran translation and to read it, if possible, cover to cover. You'll have difficulty in getting right information about Islam coz of the media portrayal of Islam, and also coz some of the Muslims are not practising the way of the Prophet (peace and blessing upon him). Most Muslims you'll encounter will have some actions or opinions still dictated by their tribal/nationalism mindset, thus you won't be able to get the right and comprehensive Muslim code of conduct according to Islam. Moreover, we Muslims never ceased to learn about Islam ourselves, hence hopefully as we go along studying Islam, our manners and behaviours will improve to correctly portray the code of conduct of a Muslim.

As you've read from the replies, Muslims believes in all the prophets, from Adam to Muhamad(pbuh). Every prophet had their own speciality like Prophet David had a very beautiful voice, Prophet Solomon can talk to animals and control winds and clouds, etc. Prophet Muhamad's biggest strength was his manner. Many Islamophobes slander Prophet Muhamad(pbuh)'s characters, but God willing you can find all the refutations against the slanders in this forum.

Muslims believe Quran as the biggest miracle brought to the humankind. Many people will testify that Quran actually 'speaks' to the reader directly when one reads the Quran. Muslims consider that Quran has so many hidden information from all fields. Some scientifically, historically and others. As an example, I believe among the latest finding was about the building process of a pyramid, which was discovered and published as a book in 2002.

Quran: “So kindle for me (a fire), O Hâmân, to bake (bricks out of) clay, and set up for me a Sarh (a lofty tower, or palace) in order that I may look at (or look for) the Ilâh (God) of Mûsâ (Moses); and verily, I think that he [Mûsâ (Moses)] is one of the liars."( AlQassas : 38)

You may read this posting to read about three examples of the historical information revealed in the Quran but just recently discovered;
http://www.sunniforum.com/forum/show...l=1#post680609

As for scientific claim in the Quran, God willing that can be discussed one by one, as it involves a multitude of disciplines and frameworks.

As for myself, Islam liberated my thinking to be a true universalist and humble (trying to be) and realize how small I am compared to the universe which is a testimony of the God's Greatness. Prophet Muhamad(pbuh)'s exemplary behavior is every Muslim's goal to emulate and to practice everyday. And Muslims love and look up very highly of Prophet Jesus (peace be upon him).

[stastony]

Warm welcome to Sunniforum.

I am sure sister Amna would do a better job through personal conversation with you, where you can ask anything in your mind.

I just want to briefly answer following questions:

-what is sin

The definition of sin in Islam is: for a sane and mature person to commit [verbally or physically] prohibited act, or to neglect [condition-met] prescribed [wajib or fardh] ritual. Also, there are degrees among the sinful acts. For example, killing an innocent person is a grave sin which is considered in the Qur'an as if killing entire humanity; lying, drinking alcohol, adultery, committing a suicide, rebelling to parents, stealing, ... as well as neglecting 5 times daily prayers, neglecting alms-giving (Zakat) to poor if you are considered rich, breaking family ties etc.

According to Islam there isn't any original sin at all; people are born pure and sinless. No one bears the sin of someone else. Children under maturity age are sinless no matter what they do, although they maybe charged or punished by authority or parents, but as far as "sin" is concerned children are not sinful before puberty.

-how do you obtain forgiveness

Simply by sincere repentance. That's all you need to do; a sincere regret, and a firm decision not to commit that sin again. Verbally you would say "Astaghfirullah - O Allah forgive me!". The door of forgiveness in Islam is wide open until a person dies. Also, all past sins of a convert is forgiven upon his/her conversion to Islam. In Islam, there isn't any third party priest to forgive you, no one has this authority of forgiving [sins] except Allah.

-what does salvation mean in Islam

I think Sr Amna would do a better job explaining this to you.

-how do Muslims establish a communition with God

I leave it Sr Amna. But briefly it is attained through worship and prayer alone. There isn't any third person in between you and God. Every prayer for us means a special communication with Allah. This communication is not restricted to 5 times daily prayers called Salaat, but any moment you can turn to Him for anything.

[gniewkoit]

What a great article. Thank you for all the insights!

So Islam is a religion of Peace...
I've learnt so much, but now I have so many questions... lol
I found it interesting to learn the Islamic perception of Christianity... particularly the Trinity.
Also Muslim praying and fasting routines are interesting.

Thank you again. I hope someone can expand on the key points of this article.

Hello, There are many things to explain and expand on which you can read in any book or article. Is there any specific question or confusion you have which someone can help you with.

[kucheravka]

I'd like better understand some basic concepts before I ask further questions (incase I misunderstand!)

In particular:

-what is sin
-how do you obtain forgiveness
-what does salvation mean in Islam
-how do Muslims establish a communition with God

Hi Lauren.

Brother Verdana has already beautifully replied to your first to question so let me say just a few words about the third, in order to - God willing - having a share of reward for helping you out in your quest..

Salvation means eternal beatitude in the Hereafter.
After our death, we will be alone in our graves, reaping the first fruits of our beliefs and action in this worldly life.
After a certain period of time, the whole universe as we know it will be destroyed, every created life living at that time will finally die, and thereafter the Almighty God will resurrect all the created beings for the Day of Judgment.
Whoever will pass the test, will attain the Paradise (Jannah), where he will stay forever, and death will not touch him anymore, nor sorrow, not grief. (S)he will stay in the company of the Prophets (peace be upon them all), their Companions (may God be pleased with them) and the pious people of every era and time.

The basic condition to fulfill in order to attain salvation is to bring faith in the last message that the Almighty God sent to the whole humanity, through His Beloved and Chosen Prophet, our Master Muhammad (Peace and Blessings be upon him), believing in the heart and declaring with the tongue that:

"There is no god but Allah [the name of God in Arabic language], Muhammad is the Prophet of Allah"

In Arabic:

"Ashhadu an la ilaha illa Allah, wa ashhadu anna Muhammadan Rasulu-Llah".

This is the key to the gardens of Paradise and to success in this life and in the Hereafter, and I pray God that you may be amongst His chosen servants and believers, amin.

Please feel free to ask more about anything about Islam; we'll do our best to help you!

[PolPitasc]

Bismillah Al-Rehman Al-Raheem

Dear Lauren:

May Allah guide you and me and all of us to the Straight Path and give us the courage and knowledge to implement His Will.

You have a beautiful name. I wanted to thank you for coming into the Forum, and I also wanted to thank you for your beautiful manners. Sister, we are happy to share Islam with anyone of a sincere heart who looks to learn about Islam.

Sister, I am sure you are well-read as a university student, but I wanted to especially give you material that you can watch instead of simply bringing you material to read because I think that will Insha-Allah (God-willing) be easier for you to handle.

Sister, the two videos that I wanted to share with you are called: Divine Speech Prologue 1 and Divine Speech Prologue 2. They are long but very informative and brilliantly delivered speeches on the divine nature of Quran, the holy book, that Muslims follow, that came as a revelation onto the heart of Prophet Muhammad (SAW) to be shared with mankind.

Prophet Muhammad (SAW) is a man about whom much is written, but to understand the true historical figure, context, culture, and understanding of his nature is necessary, which the book Muhammad: His Life Based on the Earliest Sources by Martin Lings provides.

Also, from The Deen Show, the story of Dr. Lawrence Brown, will give you a perspective on why some non-Muslims revert to Islam, after their search of religion, God, and purpose of life: Dr. Lawrence Brown Video 1, Video 2 (continued), Video 3 (continued) (which are approximately ten minutes each); Dr. Lawrence Brown has a doctorate in religious studies, and he came on the chat show to share his story.

For very basic information, you may feel free to visit the The Deen Show site. And to gain an understanding of the miraculous nature of the Quran, another good site might be: Miracles of the Quran.

If you have any further questions or concerns, I am sure other brothers and sisters will be very happy to help you. Thank you for joining SunniForum, and I wish you a great time learning about Islam.

If I have said anything that is good and true, it is from Allah; and anything other than that is my own mistake.

[Rounteetepe]

Hello and welcome here,

I'm sure other members will give you good replies but I commend you for your openness and desire to learn our way of life (not 'religion') directly from us.

You stated you'd like to have testimonies on how some became Muslims here, so this thread may help you .

[Falik]

Peace

Islam is the religion of all prophets and menkind...It is the total submission to our creator

Chapter 3

أَفَغَيۡرَ دِينِ ٱللَّهِ يَبۡغُونَ وَلَهُ ۥۤ أَسۡلَمَ مَن فِى ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٲتِ وَٱلۡأَرۡضِ طَوۡعً۬ا وَڪَرۡهً۬ا وَإِلَيۡهِ يُرۡجَعُونَ (٨٣)
قُلۡ ءَامَنَّا بِٱللَّهِ وَمَآ أُنزِلَ عَلَيۡنَا وَمَآ أُنزِلَ عَلَىٰٓ إِبۡرَٲهِيمَ وَإِسۡمَـٰعِيلَ وَإِسۡحَـٰقَ وَيَعۡقُوبَ وَٱلۡأَسۡبَاطِ وَمَآ أُوتِىَ مُوسَىٰ وَعِيسَىٰ وَٱلنَّبِيُّونَ مِن رَّبِّهِمۡ لَا نُفَرِّقُ بَيۡنَ أَحَدٍ۬ مِّنۡهُمۡ وَنَحۡنُ لَهُ ۥ مُسۡلِمُونَ (٨٤) وَمَن يَبۡتَغِ غَيۡرَ ٱلۡإِسۡلَـٰمِ دِينً۬ا فَلَن يُقۡبَلَ مِنۡهُ وَهُوَ فِى ٱلۡأَخِرَةِ مِنَ ٱلۡخَـٰسِرِينَ (٨٥) كَيۡفَ يَهۡدِى ٱللَّهُ قَوۡمً۬ا ڪَفَرُواْ بَعۡدَ إِيمَـٰنِہِمۡ وَشَهِدُوٓاْ أَنَّ ٱلرَّسُولَ حَقٌّ۬ وَجَآءَهُمُ ٱلۡبَيِّنَـٰتُۚ وَٱللَّهُ لَا يَهۡدِى ٱلۡقَوۡمَ ٱلظَّـٰلِمِينَ (٨٦) أُوْلَـٰٓٮِٕكَ جَزَآؤُهُمۡ أَنَّ عَلَيۡهِمۡ لَعۡنَةَ ٱللَّهِ وَٱلۡمَلَـٰٓٮِٕكَةِ وَٱلنَّاسِ أَجۡمَعِينَ (٨٧) خَـٰلِدِينَ فِيہَا لَا يُخَفَّفُ عَنۡهُمُ ٱلۡعَذَابُ وَلَا هُمۡ يُنظَرُونَ (٨٨) إِلَّا ٱلَّذِينَ تَابُواْ مِنۢ بَعۡدِ ذَٲلِكَ وَأَصۡلَحُواْ فَإِنَّ ٱللَّهَ غَفُورٌ۬ رَّحِيمٌ (٨٩) إِنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ بَعۡدَ إِيمَـٰنِهِمۡ ثُمَّ ٱزۡدَادُواْ كُفۡرً۬ا لَّن تُقۡبَلَ تَوۡبَتُهُمۡ وَأُوْلَـٰٓٮِٕكَ هُمُ ٱلضَّآلُّونَ (٩٠) إِنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ وَمَاتُواْ وَهُمۡ كُفَّارٌ۬ فَلَن يُقۡبَلَ مِنۡ أَحَدِهِم مِّلۡءُ ٱلۡأَرۡضِ ذَهَبً۬ا وَلَوِ ٱفۡتَدَىٰ بِهِۦۤۗ أُوْلَـٰٓٮِٕكَ لَهُمۡ عَذَابٌ أَلِيمٌ۬ وَمَا لَهُم مِّن نَّـٰصِرِينَ (٩١)

Do they seek for other than the Religion of Allah?―While all creatures in the heavens and on earth have willing, or unwilling, submitted to His Will (accepted Islam), and to Him shall they all be brought back. (83) Say: "We believe in Allah, and in what has been revealed to us and what was revealed to Abraham, Isma`il, Isaac, Jacob, and the Tribes, and in (the Books) given to Moses, Jesus, and the Prophets, from their Lord; we make no distinction between one and another among them, and to Allah do we submit ." (84) If anyone desires a religion other than Islam never will it be accepted of him; and in the Hereafter he will be in the ranks of those who have lost. (all spiritual good). (85) How shall Allah guide those who reject Faith after they accepted it and bore witness that the Messenger was true and that clear signs had come unto them? But Allah guides not a people unjust. (86) Of such the reward is that on them (rests) the curse of Allah, of His angels, and of all mankind. (87) In that will they dwell; nor will their penalty be lightened, nor respite be their (lot). (88) Except for those that repent (even) after that and make amends: for verily Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful. (89) But those who reject faith after they accepted it, and then go on adding to their defiance of faith,―never will their repentance be accepted; for they are those who have gone astray. (90) As to those who reject Faith and die rejecting―never would be accepted from any such as much gold as the earth contains, though they should offer it for ransom. For such is (in store) a penalty grievous and they will find no helpers. (91)