The claim that the religion sent to Moses and Jesus was called “Dīna Shlama” in Hebrew or “Dīn al-Islām” in Arabic is interesting, but upon closer inspection it appears to rest on an amalgam of theological interpretation, linguistic connections, and religious tradition — rather than being historically attested in primary sources under exactly those names. In what follows I will explore (1) the meaning and usage of the terms involved, (2) how religious tradition views the continuity of the message of the prophets, (3) the question of naming and whether “Dīna Shlama” and “Dīn al-Islām” correspond to an earlier name for the religion of Moses and Jesus, and (4) some reflections on how this fits (or doesn’t) with mainstream scholarship.
1. Meaning of the terms
Dīn (دِين / דִּין) in Arabic (and related Semitic languages) is often translated as “religion,” “way,” “judgment,” or “law.” Scholars note that in the Qurʾān, dīn appears frequently, and its semantic range includes “obedience,” “submission,” “faith,” “judgment.” Islam Religion+3Wikipedia+3Almuslih+3
In Hebrew the root ד-י-ן (din) carries meanings of “law,” “judgment,” “justice.” Wikipedia
Islām (إِسْلَام) is the noun derived from the Arabic verb aslama (أسْلَمَ) meaning “to submit,” “to surrender” (to God). Thus, Islām commonly is understood to mean “submission (to God),” or “the religion of submission.” Wikipedia+2Islamic Foundation Ireland+2
There is also the Semitic root Š-L-M (ש-ל-ם) meaning “peace, wholeness, completeness,” which appears in Hebrew as shalom, in Aramaic/Syriac as shlama (ܫܠܡܐ), and in Arabic as salām (سلام). Wikipedia+1
Now the phrase “Dīna Shlama” appears to be a combination of “dīn/סְּלָם” (religion/way) and “shlama” (peace/completeness). In Aramaic or Syriac, shlama means “peace” (ܫܠܡܐ) and is used in Christian liturgical contexts (“peace be with you”). The Meaning of Names+1
So on the linguistic face of it: dīna shlama might be taken to mean “religion of peace/wholeness” or “way of completeness.” And dīn al-islām would mean “religion of submission” or “religion of Islam” in the Arabic sense.
2. The theological tradition of one religion of all prophets
Many Muslim scholars hold the view that all prophets from Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, Jesus through to Muhammad preached essentially the same religion: submission to the one God, obedience to God’s commands, and monotheism. For instance an article titled “The Religion’s Name” states: “Jesus … called upon the people to surrender their will to the will of God (which is what Islam stands for).” Islam Religion+1
Thus in this view, Moses’ religion (the Torah’s religion) and Jesus’ religion (the Gospel’s religion) are not entirely distinct religions but successive revelations of the same core message. According to one source:
“The Arabic word ‘Islam’ means the submission or surrender of one’s will to the only true God… the religion of Islam is not named after a person or a people … It was the religion of all the prophets sent by Allah to mankind.” Islamic Foundation Ireland
This theological stance sets the stage for speaking of the “religion of Moses and Jesus” as perhaps being what later came to be called “Islam” in Arabic, or an equivalent term in earlier languages.
3. The question: were Moses’ and Jesus’ religion called Dīna Shlama / Dīn al-Islām?
a) Historical attestation
I could not locate a credible historic source (Jewish, Christian, or early Islamic) that uses exactly the phrase “Dīna Shlama” in Hebrew (or Aramaic) to designate the religion of Moses or Jesus prior to Islam. The Aramaic term shlama appears as “peace,” but not as part of a formal address “religion of peace.”
Similarly, while Arabic sources speak of dīn al-islām or dīn Allah (the religion of God) and consider that the earlier prophets followed “Islam” in the sense of submission (not necessarily the institutionalised religion post-Muhammad), the idea that Moses or Jesus explicitly used the phrase “dīn al-islām” is more theological than strictly historical.
b) Interpretive usage
Some modern Muslim writers assert that when the Qurʾān says of the religion of God:
“Indeed, the religion with Allah is Islam.” (Qurʾān 3:19)
they interpret this to mean: the religion God accepts (from all prophets) is submission (islām). Thus they claim Moses and Jesus followed dīn al-islām. For example:
“What, then, was Jesus’ religion…? In Islam, Jesus is a prophet … he called upon people to surrender their will to the will of God (which is what Islam stands for).” Islam Religion+1
In that theological framework, one might say that Jesus’ religion was dīn al-islām — not in the sense that he called it by that Arabic phrase, but insofar as he taught submission to the same one God.
c) Hebrew/Aramaic variant “Dīna Shlama”
The phrase dīna shlama (or dīna shlāmā in Aramaic) is less frequently referenced in academic literature. The root š-l-m (š-l-m) is well attested as meaning “peace” or “wholeness.” Wikipedia+1
Thus some might propose that prior to the Arabic term islām, a Semitic language (Hebrew/Aramaic) version of “religion of peace/wholeness” was used, e.g., דִּינָא שְׁלָמָא. However, I found no mainstream historical text confirming that Moses or Jesus used exactly that phrase to name the religion.
d) Summary of the argument
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In theological Muslim discourse: yes, Moses and Jesus are regarded as following “the religion of God” which is essentially submission to God’s will.
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The Arabic term dīn al-islām is used to refer to this universal religion of submission.
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The Hebrew/Aramaic phrase dīna shlama (or similar) is proposed by some to reflect that same religion in an earlier language, meaning “religion of peace/wholeness.”
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But historically, the claim that Moses or Jesus’s community used those exact names is speculative, and the phrase “Dīna Shlama” is not attested in canonical Jewish or Christian texts.
4. Considerations and scholarly reflections
Terminology evolves: The names of religions are historically layered. For example, “Judaism” (Yahadut) became common much later, “Christianity” (Christendom) later still. Many ancient prophets would not have described their faith in terms that later tradition uses to categorise them.
Language and translation: The root dīn and the root š-l-m are Semitic and shared across Hebrew, Aramaic, Arabic. So the idea of a “religion of submission/peace/wholeness” is conceptually coherent across languages, but that doesn’t mean the exact phrases were used identically in each context.
The theological claim vs. historical naming: The theological claim that all prophets preached “Islam” in the sense of submission is different from saying they used the institutionalised, proper name “Islam” (or “Dīna Shlama”). Scholars caution against projecting later terminologies back anachronistically.
Purpose and audience: In Muslim apologetic literature, it's common to emphasise continuity of the prophetic message by saying that earlier prophets followed “Islam” (submission). For example: “The religion of Jesus was the religion of submission to God.” Islam Religion
Critical sources: Academic studies of Hebrew/Aramaic Christian texts do not widely record dīna shlama as a self-designation of the early Christian or Jewish community. Without strong manuscript evidence, the phrase remains more interpretative than historical.
5. Conclusion
In conclusion, while the idea that the religion of Moses and Jesus is essentially what Muslims call “dīn al-islām” (the religion of submission) is well-established in Islamic theological discourse, the specific Hebrew/Aramaic phrase “dīna shlama” (“religion of peace/wholeness”) as their self-designation is not firmly grounded in the historic record — it appears more as a theological interpretative device. One can therefore say:
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Yes, across the Abrahamic traditions there is the strong conviction that all prophets preached one way to God, and in Islamic thought that way is labelled “Islam.”
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But, you should be cautious about treating “Dīna Shlama” as an assured historical name used by Moses or Jesus for their religion.
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From a scholarly perspective, more work (especially text-critical and linguistic) would be needed to verify the phrase in ancient sources.
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