If you mention the word Muslim in the world today, you are sure to get a reaction. To some extent, the world has made up its own mind about what it thinks about Muslim youth, Muslim women, Muslim countries, Muslim law, and so on. A very large proportion of the world's population is Muslim, and yet there is still a lot of misunderstanding about what it actually means to be a Muslim. Since many of the youth are standard bearers of Islam, we should be sure that the basics of our belief are strong and correct.

The essential belief of a Muslim is to acknowledge that there is one Creator, Allah. The Creator has many characteristics that all point to His mercy and justice. On a daily basis, we are all witness to the unity of Allah as we look around the world, and at the universe, and see how everything works in perfect harmony; no one part of creation can function on its own, and the same applies to people, too.

The fact that life continues and functions despite mankind's horrific wars, bloodshed, and pollution is an amazing witness to Allah's existence as well as to the fact that He guides and directs all things while giving mankind freedom of choice.

Allah is Kind and Merciful, and He did not create all there is just for some kind of play and futility. Allah knows all things, so He knows what mankind will do; He knows the outcome of all things. He gave mankind freedom of choice to find his way through life and have the opportunity to know the Creator and the meaning of life. To help us along this difficult trek, Allah sent messengers to guide mankind.

The role of the messengers of Allah is unique. They receive guidance from the Lord to share with mankind, and when man adheres to this guidance, he is uplifted, civilized, and secure. The messages sent through the messengers of Allah help mankind to understand the Creator and the meaning of their lives, their origin, and their final goal. All the messengers were human beings, but they were exceedingly righteous and close to Allah; they never committed any cardinal sin or acted in a way that would put them outside the fold of faith.

All people in this world have their own potential; each person is special and has special qualities and capabilities. The role of man is to use these abilities and potentials to know Allah, obey Him, love Him, and spread goodness in the earth. We all follow our own path of destiny, and we are the ones who decide in which direction our feet will walk. We choose between right and wrong; good and evil, and we also live with the consequences of our words and actions. Allah does not expect us to be sinless, but He does want us to repent when we make mistakes. In the end, we will all be judged for what we sent forward in this world; our words and actions and the extent to which we were obedient to Allah.

Mankind achieves a state of goodness or evil through his own choices, but at the same time, a person is unable to achieve goodness — piety — without the help and guidance of Allah. The role of mankind is to strive to perfect his soul and put it, along with his desires, in submission to Allah — to be free of evil, hatred, and grudge; and to control all the desires of the heart.

Some people might say that Islam is a difficult religion: You have to pray, fast, read Qur'an, dress and behave modestly, and so on. But the reality is that life is difficult but Islam makes it easier. For example, how many problems occur between people, communities, and nations because they cannot decide on laws to suit everyone? Islam solves the problem here because divine law is suitable for all times and places. Islam also guides people how to behave within families, communities, and nations. It guides people to achieve peace and harmony on every level of life. The challenge remains for us to actually live Islam so we can reap its fruits.