Some Distinctive Features of Islam — Page 4
4 No Monopoly of Truth While speaking on the subject of the distinctive features of Islam, the first and most attractive feature that strikes one, is its most endearing disclaimer that Islam denies having a monopoly of truth, and that there have been no other true religions. Nor does it claim that Arabs alone have been the recipients of God’s love. Islam is the only religion that totally rejects the notion that truth is the monopoly of any single faith, race or people; instead it professes that Divine guidance is a general bounty that has sustained humanity in all ages. The Holy Quran tells us that there is neither a race nor a people, who have not been blessed with the bounty of Divine guidance, and there is neither a region of the earth nor a body of people who have not received Prophets and Messengers of God. 1 Contrary to this worldwide Islamic view of the manifestation of Allah’s favour upon all people of the earth we are struck by the fact that no Book of any other religion verifies or even mentions the possibility of other peoples and nations having received light and guidance from Allah at any stage in history. In fact, the truth and validity of a local or regional religion is often emphasised so greatly, and the truth of other faiths ignored so totally, as if the sun of truth had only risen and set upon the limited horizon of certain people to the exclusion of the rest of the world, so to say, abandoned and condemned to eternal darkness. For instance, the Bible presents only the God of Israel, and it repeatedly says: Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel. 2