Finding Truth

What kind of salvation is provided in Islam?

Sheikh Yusuf Estes

What kind of salvation is provided in Islam?

First of all, I want to mention to you, when I came to Islam, that was my concern, what kind of salvation do you get in Islam? Because I need to be saved.

I grew up in a mentality of people. Although I was a Protestant and not particularly a Baptist, but I hung out with the Baptist because there were many in our area and it was the closest church. I used to go there all the time, especially when they had their nightly revivals, when they had their special services, especially music services, choir groups and everything and I heard them preach a message over and over. Once you're saved you're always saved, declare Jesus as your savior and that you're a Baptist and then you will be saved.

But when I went to the Muslims and tried to convert a Muslim, I thought for sure they'd be impressed with our method of salvation, just say Jesus died for your sins and you are saved. Then I was amazed because the Muslim told me, "I'll go to your religion if your religion is better then my religion." I thought "there's a deal! There is no religion easier then Christianity."

You do not have to pray as a Christian, you don't have to stand and bow and prostrate like the Muslims do, you don't have to fast the month of Ramadan, you don't have to pay charity, you can, it's good for you. You don't have to make a pilgrimage to the holy land like Muslims do. You don't have to keep up with the a number of gods like the Hindus have. You don't have to do some kind of weird lotus positions and be a Buddhist.

The point is, in Christianity you don't have to do anything. All you have to do is say I believe in Jesus and that he died as a sacrifice for my sins and he is god in the flesh and he is one in three (trinity), etcetera. That's what we were told.

So, it's got to be an easy religion. The Muslim said, but " but I'll go to your religion if it's better then my religion, BUT you'll have to have proof." This is what you are asking me about today in your question. What is the proof? For sure the proof of Islam is amazing.

But let me continue just for a second. When we call to Islam, we do not promise you that if you're a Muslim you're saved, and we don't tell you that the best of the people we have are our teachers and leaders and they're going to the highest place.

In fact, what we can guarantee you when you come to Islam is that a person can go to hell, there is no doubt about that. If you want to go to hell, that's easy, just be disobedient to Allah, deny Him and that's where you will go. As far as our leaders and teachers, if they do not practice what they preach and if they preach one thing but live another, if they are, what we call "Munafiq" or hypocrites, they will be in the lowest part of hell, and Allah will start the fire of hell with them.

You might say "That's not very merciful." No it's not, unless you look at it from God's point of view, It's very merciful. It means that the people who get mercy are those who give mercy, and the ones who are dealt with in truth are those who dealt with the truth. And the liars deal with their problems.

So if you are a clean hearted, clear minded, loving soul going through this life doing your best serving your Lord, the God of the universe, to the best of your ability, according to what you know, you are on the path of salvation. It is up to Allah, the judge of all of the universe, to decide. It is up to Him to look in the heart of a person to see who is sincere, and who is not. But His mercy is prevailing over His wrath. This is what He said, that His mercy will prevail over His wrath, His anger.

To give a demonstration of His mercy, throughout the Quran, 114 chapters, 113 of those chapters begin with "Bismillah Ar-Rahman Ar-Rahim," in the name of Allah The most Beneficent, The most Merciful. Ar-Rahman is from the word "Rahmah" and it means mercy. All the chapters except one. But then we find inside of one of the other chapters, it talks about Solomon wrote a letter to Sheba and he began the letter with "Bismillah Ar-Rahman Ar-Rahim," for a total of a 114 times in the Quran, equaling the number of the Surahs in the Quran. How many times Allah has said "Bismillah Ar-Rahman Ar-Rahim," in the name of Allah the most Compassionate, the most Merciful, the most Beneficent.