Islam in general, means worshipping Allah alone without attributing any equals to Him. This meaning includes all teaching conveyed by the prophets and contained in all Holy Books He had descended.
2. Islam in particular, refers to the religion brought by Prophet Muhammad -peace and blessings of Allah be upon him-. As the final teaching that ends the calling of prophets before him, and by this, Allah will only accept Islam which appropriating this last teaching. "Allah will ask mankind at the Day of Resurrection, about their respond to the prophets whom was delegated to the them. Did they believe in them, and follow their guidance, or did they objected to and set war against them?"
“Islam is (based on) the following five principles: (1) to testify that ‘Laa ilaaha illallah wa anna Muhammad -ar-Rasul Allah (none has the right to be worshipped but Allah and that Muhammad is the messenger of Allah), (2) Iqaamat as salat (to perform the [compulsory congregational] Salat/prayers), (3) to pay Zakat, (4) to perform Hajj (pilgrimage to Makkah), (5) to observe Saum (fasts [according to Islamic teachings]) during the month of Ramadan.”
{ The non muslim will be able to embrace Islam as their religion, by reciting the two sentence of testimonies (shahaadah).
- " “I testify that none has the right to be worshipped but Allah.”
“and I testify that Muhammad is the slave and the messenger of Allah."" }
The first testimony is the declaration of oneself to worship Allah alone, submitting himself and obeying His law (shari’ah). While the second one is a pledge of loyalty that one is ready to follow the teaching of Prophet Muhammad -peace and blessings of Allah be upon him-, defend his religion, call people to it, and detest all who refuses to embrace his religion...
