What Does the Word 'Islam' Mean?

The word 'Islam' means the conscious and peaceful obedience and submission to the Will of the only true God, 'Allah'. All religions were named either after their founders or after nations or tribes e.g. Buddhism, Hinduism, Judaism and Christianity, while the name 'Islam' is not associated with any person, tribe or nation but was given by Allah in the Qur'an:

This day, I have perfected your religion for you, completed My favor upon you and have chosen for you Islam as your religion. (Qur'an, 5:3)

The word 'Muslim' is a description; anyone who submits himself to Allah's Will and obeys Him is a Muslim.

All the Prophets were Muslims because they obeyed Allah and submitted themselves to His Will. Furthermore, the true followers and companions of those Prophets were Muslims:

Then when Jesus came to know of their disbelief, he said: "Who will be my helpers in Allah's cause?" The disciples said: " We are the helpers of Allah (i.e. we will strive in His cause); we believe in Allah, and bear witness that we are Muslims (i.e. we submit to Allah). Our Lord! We believe in what You have sent down and we follow the Messenger (Jesus) so write us down among those who bear witness." (Qur'an, 3:52,53)

Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) said: "Both in this world and in the Hereafter, I am the nearest of all people to Jesus - the son of Mary. The Prophets are paternal brothers; their mothers are different, but their religion is one (Islamic Monotheism)." (Bukhari)

Early Muslims

Prophet Jesus (pbuh) and all the other Prophets from Adam to Muhammad (peace be upon them) were sent with the same Message, to command human beings to worship Allah alone, and not to join in worship partners with him. Prophet Jesus (pbuh) never claimed divinity. He taught the Oneness of Allah and confirmed that he was just a Messenger:

Jesus said,"... I am returning to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God." (John 20:17)

By myself I can do nothing; I judge only as I hear, and my judgment is just, for I seek not to please myself but him who sent me. (John 5:30)

The disciples followed the teachings of Prophet Jesus (pbuh). They worshiped Allah alone and kept religion pure for Him. They believed and supported Prophet Jesus (pbuh) to such an extent that Allah held them up as an excellent example to Muslims in the Qur'an:

O you who believe! Be you helpers (in the cause) of Allah as said Jesus - son of Mary, to the disciples: "Who will be my helpers in Allah's cause?" The disciples said: "We are the helpers of Allah (i.e. we will strive in His cause)! Then a group of the Children of Israel believed and a group disbelieved. So, We gave power to those who believed against their enemies, and they became the victorious. (Qur'an, 61:14)

Jesus the merciful Prophet (pbuh) commanded his disciples to be kind and merciful and to forgive others. Let the Qur'an now describe the followers of Prophet Jesus (pbuh):

Then, We sent after them Our Messengers, and We sent Jesus - son of Mary, and gave him the Injeel (Gospel), and placed compassion and mercy in the hearts of those who followed him. (Qur'an, 57:27)

Verily, you will find the strongest among mankind in enmity to the believers (Muslims) the Jews and those who are idolaters, and you will find the nearest in love to the believers those who say: "We are Christians." That is because amongst them are priests and monks, and they are not arrogant. (Qur'an, 5:82)

After the Ascension of Prophet Jesus (pbuh) to heaven, most of the Christians remained Unitarian. They used to believe in the Oneness of Allah following the teachings of Prophet Jesus (pbuh) and all the other Prophets. They did not believe in the doctrines of Trinity, Original Sin, Blood Atonement or Divine Sonship of Prophet Jesus (pbuh). After centuries of persecution against the Unitarian Christians, the Pauline Church prevailed and the teachings of Paul replaced the teachings of Prophet Jesus (pbuh) and Paul became the real founder of today's Christianity.

Paul, the self-appointed thirteenth apostle who never saw Jesus (pbuh), wrote more Books of the Bible than any other author, while Prophet Jesus (pbuh) did not write a single word, as the original Gospel revealed by Allah to Jesus (pbuh) was lost.

However, Paul replaced the Gospel of Jesus (pbuh) with a gospel written by him and invented the doctrines of Original Sin, Blood Atonement and Divine Sonship of Prophet Jesus (pbuh). With the exception of few verses, all the verses in Paul's letters are his own words and not the words of Prophet Jesus (pbuh):

Remember that Jesus Christ of the seed of David was raised from the dead, according to my (Paul) gospel. (2 Timothy 2:8} (KJV)

After the loss of the original Gospel of Prophet Jesus (pbuh), many gospels were written. These gospels include some of the genuine teachings of Prophet Jesus (pbuh) mixed with people's own texts and interpretations which were influenced by the beliefs of that period. Therefore, it became difficult and sometimes impossible to know which parts came from Allah and which from people. As a result, Christians deviated from the teachings of Prophet Jesus (pbuh) and followed the teachings of hundreds of monks and priests which resulted in hundreds of religious groups having different beliefs.

The Effects of the Contradictions in the Bible

The errors and contradictions in the Bible make some Christians reject Christianity and view the Bible as merely a historical book. Those people continue their disbelief to the extent that they deny the existence of God and consequently, they do not believe in all the Prophets including Prophet Jesus (pbuh).

Those people shock the Muslim more than anyone else, because no Muslim is a Muslim if he or she does not believe in Jesus Christ (pbuh). The Muslim, in compliance with the Qur'an, believes that Jesus (pbuh) was a great Messenger of Allah, that he brought the dead to life by Allah's leave, that he healed those born blind and the lepers by Allah's leave, that he was born  without any male intervention and that he was the Christ.

It is true that the errors and contradictions in the Bible mean that the Word of Allah has been mixed with people's texts and interpretations. However, they do not mean that Prophet Jesus (pbuh) was a liar nor that Allah does not exist! They do not mean that Muhammad (pbuh) was a false prophet nor that Islam is not the true religion.