What is the True Religion?

If religion is necessary, how can I recognize the true one?

The world is full of religions—thousands of them. So if a Creator exists and He communicated with humanity, how do we know which message is from Him?

The answer is simple: Truth leaves a fingerprint. And falsehood always contradicts itself.

Let’s step back.

A true religion—if it exists—must meet three conditions:

  1. It must teach pure monotheism.
    That is, it must recognize one, supreme, eternal Creator—without partners, idols, or intermediaries.

  2. It must be internally consistent.
    Truth never contradicts itself—whether in its beliefs, laws, or claims about the universe.

  3. It must be preserved.
    If the message of the Creator was lost, distorted, or rewritten by people, then it can no longer claim divine origin.

Now, let’s see how the world’s religions measure up.

Christianity, Hinduism, and other traditions all recognize a supreme Creator. But over time, they attached to Him:

  • Partners (like Jesus or saints)
  • Intermediaries (like spirits or gurus)
  • Or myths (like multiple gods or incarnations)

But even their own scriptures acknowledge a single divine being:

“And if you asked them, “Who created the heavens and the earth, and regulated the sun and the moon?” They would say, “Allah.” Then why do they deviate?’

[Surat Al-‘Ankabūt: 61]

The problem is not a denial of the Creator—but associating others with Him in worship.

Many religions started with a message of truth. But they were altered.

  • The Bible was written over centuries by multiple anonymous authors—full of contradictions, missing originals.

  • Hindu texts describe gods with human weaknesses—far from perfection.

  • Tribal and ancient beliefs vary widely even within the same cultures.

How can the eternal Creator have sent multiple, contradictory messages?

Truth must be consistent.

There is one religion that:

  • Preaches pure monotheism: worshiping the One Creator alone.

  • Matches the belief of all prophets: from Adam, Noah, Abraham to Moses and Jesus.

  • Is preserved word-for-word since its revelation.

  • Offers a book with no contradictions, no edits, and a divine challenge to prove otherwise.

That religion… is Islam.

But don’t take it on name alone. Continue the journey.

“We sent no messenger before you, without inspiring him that: “There is no god except I, so worship Me.”
[Surat Al-Anbiyā: 25]

All prophets taught the same essential message: There is One God. Worship Him alone. Submit to His will.

That is what “Islam” means: Submission to God.

But if there’s a loving, powerful God

Why is the world full of pain and evil?