[Woodrow LI]

Originally Posted by Continuum

From S-L-M to Islam

The term Islam stems from the fourth form of the verb, which literally transliterated would be i-s-l-m, and it means "to surrender." The verbal noun of this verb form always inserts an "a" between the third and fourth letters, which results in the word "Islam," or "submission."
The proper noun Islam, the definite article, is preceded by the article "al," which is the Arabic version of "the." Therefore, the religion of Islam, in Arabic, is known as Al-Islam.
Etymology of Islam | People - Opposing Views

Note the following verses [mine]

5:3
....
This day have I [Allah] Perfected your religion [deenakum] for you [Muslims] and completed My favour unto you [Muslims], and have chosen for you [Muslims] as religion [deenan] AL-ISLAM.
....

3:5 Indeed, the religion near Allah (is) Islam.
Inna alddeena AAinda Allahi al-islamu

which is correct, except the Arabic concept of religion is not the same as the English concept.

Madhab is much closer to being a Religion, in the English definition of religion than Islam is.

How the term Dīn came to be used in Islamic Arabia is uncertain, but its use in modern Persian may derive etymologically from the Zoroastrian concept of Daena, as it is called in the ancient Eastern Iranian Avestan language, which represents "insight" and "revelation", and from this "conscience" and "religion". Here, Daena is the Eternal Law, which was revealed to humanity through the Mathra-Spenta ("Holy Words"). Alternatively, the Hebrew term "דין", transliterated as "dīn", means either "law" or "judgement". In the Kabbalah of Judaism, the term can, alongside "Gevurah" (cognate to the Arabic "Jabaarah"), refer to "power", and to "judgement".[3] It may be the root of the common Semitic word Madīnah (city), and of Madyan, a geographical place and a people mentioned in the Bible and in the Qur'an. Thus, Dīn does not simply mean "religion" or "faith", but refers to "Governance".

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/D%C4%ABn