Islam is the religion of truth. It is the embodiment of the code of life which God, the Creator and Lord of the universe, has revealed for the guidance of mankind.

For the proper development of human life, man needs two elements:
(a) The resources to maintain life and to fulfill the material needs of the individual
and society, and
(b) Knowledge of the principles of individual and social behavior to enable man to fulfill himself and to maintain justice and tranquillity in human life. The Lord of the universe has provided for both of these in full measure. To cater to the material needs of man, He has put all of nature’s resources at his disposal. To provide for his spiritual, social, and cultural needs, He has raised His prophets from among men and has revealed to them the code of life that can guide man’s steps to the right path. This code of life is known as Islam, the religion preached by all of the prophets of God.

God said:
Say, “[0 Muhammad] we believe in God and in the Revelation given to us,
and to Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac Jacob and the Tribes. We believe in the
Revelation that was sent to Moses, Jesus and all other Prophets from their
Lord. We make no distinction between them, and to Him we surrender.”
(3:83; 2:136)

He has revealed to you (O Muhammad) the scripture with truth,
confirming that which was revealed before it even as He revealed the
Torah and the Gospel before as a guide to mankind and has revealed the
Criterion (for judging between right and wrong). (3:3-4)

All of them called humanity to the way of the Lord, the way of submission
to God. All of them gave the same message, and all of them stood for the
same cause: Islam.

The Meaning of Islam
Islam is an Arabic word that denotes submission, surrender, and
obedience. As a religion, Islam stands for complete submission and
obedience to Allah—that is why it is called Islam. The other literal
meaning of the word “Islam” is “peace.” This signifies that one can achieve
real peace of body and of mind only through submission and obedience to
Allah. Such a life of obedience brings peace of the heart and establishes
real peace in society at large.

Those who believe and whose hearts find rest in the remembrance of Godindeed
it is in the remembrance of God alone that the heart of man finds
rest-those who believe and act righteously, joy is for them, and a blissful
home to return to. (13: 28-29)

The word “Islam” is from the root SLM (pronounced silm), which means
“to surrender, to submit, to yield, to give one’s self up. Thus aslama
amrahu ila Allah means “he committed his cause to God” or “he resigned
himself to the will of God.” Aslama alone would mean “he committed
himself to the will of God” or “he became a Muslim.”

The other majorshade of meaning in the root is “to become reconciled with one another” or”to make peace.” Salm means “peace.” So does silm, which also means “the religion of Islam.”
See Hans Wehr, A Dictionary of Modern Written Arabic (Wiesbaden: Otto Harrassowitz, 1971), pp. 424-25.

Imam Raghib says in alMuiradat fi Gharib al Qur’an: “Islam, in law, is of two kinds: one is a simple confession with the tongue … the other (is) that along with
confession, there is belief in the heart and a fulfillment in practice, and
resignation to God in whatever He brings to pass or decrees.” Raghib
further says: “Islam means entering into salary, and salary and silm both
signify peace.”

This message was preached by all the Prophets of God, who guided man to
the right path. But man not only veered away from the right path again and
again, but also lost or distorted the code of guidance that the prophets had
bequeathed. That was why other prophets were sent to restate the original
message and guide man back to the right path. The last of these prophets
was Muhammad, who Presented God’s guidance in its final form and
arranged to preserve it for all time. It is this guidance that is now known as
Islam and is enshrined in the Qur’an and the life-example (Sunnah) of the
Prophet.

The basic Islamic concept is that the whole universe was created by God,
whom Islam calls Allah, and who is the Lord and the Sovereign of the
universe, which He Alone sustains. He created man and appointed for each
human being a fixed period of life that he is to spend upon the earth. Allah
has prescribed a certain code of life as the correct one for mankind, but
has, at the same time, conferred upon man the freedom of choice as to
whether or not he adopts this code as the actual basis of his life. One who
chooses to follow the code revealed by God becomes a Muslim (believer)
and one who refuses to follow it becomes a kafir (disbeliever).

A man joins the fold of Islam by honestly believing in and professing faith
in the oneness of God and the prophet hood of Muhammad. Both of these
beliefs are epitomized in the kalimah (the article of faith):

La ilaha illa Allah, Muhammad Rasul Allah.
(There is no god except Allah; Muhammad is His Prophet.)

The first part of the kalimah presents the concept of tawhid (the oneness of
God) and its second part affirms the prophet hood of Muhammad.