ARE WE MUSLIMS? -- By: Shabrun Jamil (An ordinary man working as Islamic Counselour at Religious Affair Ministry of Tangerang District)

Bismillahirrahmanirrahim.
Assalamu'alaikum Wa Rahatullahi Wa Barakatuh.

Al-Hamdulillaahilladzii hadaanaa lihaadzaa wa maa kunnaa linahtadiya law laa an hadaanallaah
Wasshalaatu wassalaamu 'alaa asyrafil anbiyaa-i wal mursaliin
Wa 'alaa aalihii wa shahbihii ajma'iin.

Ammaa ba'du.

There are three pivotal questions that could be raised to us:

1. Since when we embrace Islam as our religion?
2. What is the hallmark of Islam as our religion?
3. What can abrogate Islam within ourselves?

The definite answers to these questions are:

1. We have been embracing Islam since we were in the womb of our mothers. Qur'an Surah Al-A'raf verse 172 stated:
Wa idz akhadza Rabbuka min banii Aadama min dzuhuurihim dzurriyyatahum wa asyhadahum 'alaa anfusihim alastu birabbikum. Qaaluu balaa syahidnaa. An taquuluu yaumal qiyaamati innaa kunnaa 'an hadzaa ghaafiliin.
"And (mention) when your Lord took from the children of Adam - from their loins - their descendents and made them testify of themselves (saying to them) "Am I not your Lord?" They said, "Yes, we have testified." lest you should say on the day of Resurrection,"Indeed, we were of this unaware."

2. The hallmark of Islam is soul and self purity, by looking up to Allah Ta'ala, looking to the middle to ourselves signs, and looking to the bottom to the nature and its surrounding.

3.  There are some cases that can abrogate Islam within ourselves, they are; making partner or partners to our Lord (Allah Ta'ala), forsaking five times prayer (Shalah) on purpose, convincing of other belief than Islam, conducting blasphemy of Qur'an and Sunnah, insulting Islam, and performing black magic.

Islam refers to the active submission to the One God, Allah Ta'ala. Otherwise, Islam doesn't mean the passive submission to the One God. Islam emphasizes the active submission, not the passive submission. We can conclude that Islam is a dynamic religion based on Qur'an and Sunnah. We can sense "delicious flavor" of Islam when we are performing active submission to Allah Ta'ala in various activities. There is no other resources which are more complet the Qur'an and Sunnah. Reciting Qur'an is very enjoyable. Learning Qur'an and Sunnah is also enjoyable. Believe it!

SUBHAANAKALLAAHUMMA WA BI HAMDIKA ASYHADU ALLAA ILAAHA ILLAA ANTA ASTAGHFIRUKA WA ATUUBU ILAIKA.