The document discusses the meaning of Islam, explaining that it signifies complete submission to Allah. It contrasts Islam with kufr, the denial of God, viewing kufr as a form of ignorance that conceals one’s inherent nature of Islam. Finally, it highlights the blessings of Islam, emphasizing the recognition of God and the benefits of obedience to Him.

1. TOWARDS
UNDERSTANDING ISLAM
CHAPTER: 1 meaning of islam

2. CONTENTS
 WHAT IS ISLAM ?
 THE NATURE OF KUFR
 THE BLESSINGS OF ISLAM

3. What is ISLAM ?
 Every religion of the world has been named either after the
name of its founder or after the community and nation in
which that religion took its birth.
 For instance, Christianity takes its appellation from the name of
its prophet Jesus Christ; Zoroastrians from its founder
zoroaster; and Judaism, the religion of the Jews, from the name
of the tribe Judah.
 ‘Islam’ is an Arabic word and connotes submission, surrender,
and obedience As a religion, Islam stands for complete
submission and obedience to Allah and that is why it is called
‘ISLAM’ .

4.  Everything is assigned a place in a grand
scheme, which is working in a magnificent and
superb way.
 The sun, the moon, the stars and in fact all the
heavenly bodies are knit together in a splendid
system. They follow an unalterable law and do
not make even the slightest deviation from their
ordained course.
 The earth rotates on its own axis and in its
revolution round the sun scrupulously follows
the path laid down for it .

5. THE NATURE OF KUFR
 Kufr literally means ‘to cover’ or ‘to conceal’.
 The man who denies God is called kafir (concealer)
because he conceals by his disbelief what is inherent
in his nature and embalmed in his own soul-for,
indeed, his nature is instinctively imbued with
‘Islam’.
 But the vision of this man has been blurred, his
intellect has been befogged , and he is unable to see
the manifest.
 His own nature has become concealed from his eyes
and he thinks and acts in utter disregard of it. The

6.  Kufr is a form of ignorance, rather it is ignorance
pure and simple.
 What ignorance can be greater than to be
ignorant of God, the creator, the Lord of the
universe?
 A man observes the vast panorama of nature, the
superb mechanism that is ceaselessly working,
the grand design that is manifest in every nook
and corner of the creation-he observes this vast
machine, but he does not know who is its maker
and Director.

7. THE BLESSINGS OF ISLAM
 After surveying the evils and disadvantages of Kufr, let us now cast
a glance over the blessings of Islam.
 You find in the world around you and in the small kingdom of your
own self innumerable manifestations of God’s divine power.
 On the other hand, there is another man who emerges successful
from this trial.
 By the correct use of his knowledge and intellect he recognizes his
creator, reposes belief in Him, and, in spite of being under no
compulsion to do so, chooses the path of obedience to Him.