Islam (lit. voluntary surrender or submission) means to fully submit to the Will and Law of Allah. It has the same root (S-L-M) as the Arabic words Salam (peace) and Salamah (safety, security). As is clear from the connection between the words, only by submitting to one’s Creator and living according to His Divinely revealed Law can a human attain true peace.
The word Islam, therefore, is descriptive of a state of mind and an attitude to life, not a name that derives from a specific man or nation. It is a whole way of living, thinking, and acting that Allah has ordained for mankind, described with the Quranic precept of: {It is You (alone) we worship, and You (alone) we ask for help.} (Quran 1:5)
