Oneness and Remembrance Part 3
Section 2 of 18 · Faraid in Islam · Ustadh Mahmud Kurkcu
No Other Path Is Accepted
The reality is this. Everybody who lives in this age — for the last fourteen hundred years, and until the Day of Judgment, until the end of the world — is of the Ummah of Muḥammad (peace be upon him), under his jurisdiction. Any religion a person comes to Allah (swt) with, other than Islam, Allah will not accept. This is very clear in the Qur'an, in many places:
إِنَّ ٱلدِّينَ عِندَ ٱللَّهِ ٱلْإِسْلَـٰمُ ۗ وَمَا ٱخْتَلَفَ ٱلَّذِينَ أُوتُوا۟ ٱلْكِتَـٰبَ إِلَّا مِنۢ بَعْدِ مَا جَآءَهُمُ ٱلْعِلْمُ بَغْيًۢا بَيْنَهُمْ ۗ وَمَن يَكْفُرْ بِـَٔايَـٰتِ ٱللَّهِ فَإِنَّ ٱللَّهَ سَرِيعُ ٱلْحِسَابِ
“Truly, the (recognized) religion in the sight of Allah is Islām . Those who have been given the Book did not differ (among themselves) until after the knowledge had come to them, (and all this) due to envy against each other. Whoever denies the verses of Allah, then, Allah is swift at reckoning.” (3:19)
The only accepted path to Allah is through Muḥammad (peace be upon him), through the Qur'an, through Islam. Nothing else.
قُلْ إِن كُنتُمْ تُحِبُّونَ ٱللَّهَ فَٱتَّبِعُونِى يُحْبِبْكُمُ ٱللَّهُ وَيَغْفِرْ لَكُمْ ذُنُوبَكُمْ ۗ وَٱللَّهُ غَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ
“Say (O Prophet): “If you really love Allah, then follow me, and Allah shall love you and forgive you your sins. Allah is Most-Forgiving, Very-Merciful.”” (3:31)
The Christians and the Jews, in the time of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him), used to boast and go about saying that they were the chosen ones of Allah: Allah loves us and we love Allah, because Allah chose us in the past. True — that was in the past. But Allah (swt), in response to them, says: say, O Muḥammad, if you truly love Allah, then follow me. This is my time; follow me; I am the Messenger now; follow me. Whoever does not follow him has Buckley's chance. But whoever follows him, Allah (swt) will accept, and Allah (swt) will love, and Allah (swt) will forgive his past sins.