Islamic Beliefs

Islamic Beliefs

The Islamic creed did not begin with the prophethood
of Muhammad (ĉ)1, nor was it invented by
him. It is essentially the same message contained in
previous divine scriptures and taught by all prophets
of Allah. Islamic beliefs are eternal truths that neither
change nor develop; they provide truths about Allah
and His relationship with the visible and invisible
aspects of the universe, about the reality of this life,
man's role therein and what will become of him
afterwards. The requirements, or "pillars", of the
Islamic faith are: belief in Allah, in the angels created
by Him, in His scriptures, in the prophets through
whom His revelation was conveyed to humanity, in
the eternal life after death and in Allah's perfect
judgment and complete authority over human
destiny.

Belief in Allah

Monotheism is the essence of Islam, and it
emphasizes the Oneness of Allah. Muslims believe in
One eternal and unique God. He is the Creator of all
that exists, yet He cannot be compared to anything of
His creation. Muslims acknowledge that Allah alone
is divine, that He alone is the Creator and Sustainer
of creation. He is all-knowing and all-powerful,
completely just and merciful.
Allah is not part of His creation, nor is any of it a
part of Him. The significance of exclusive divinity is
that no one and nothing in existence is worthy to be
worshipped except Allah, the Creator and Sustainer
of all things. In Islam, everything is built upon the
Oneness of Allah. No act of worship has any
meaning if the concept of monotheism is in any way
compromised.
The proper name of God is "Allah". He is the
same God known to Christians, Jews and to people
of other monotheistic faiths. Allah sent a series of
messages to mankind through appointed prophets
and messengers. Quite a few of them are familiar to
people of Judeo-Christian background, such as
Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, Jesus and many
others .

Belief in the Angels

Muslims believe that Angels exist. No one knows
their exact number except Him. They obey Him,
fulfill His commands, and guard over the universe
and the creatures that dwell within it. They carry out
the orders of Allah, from administration,
observation, guarding and protecting the universe as
well as its creatures, all according to Allah's Will and
Order. Allah has revealed to us the names of some of
the angels; for example, Gabriel, who was given the
task of revelation, Michael, who has been assigned
the task of directing rain and vegetation. There is
also the Angel of Death, who has been given the task
of collecting the souls at their appointed times.
Belief in the Scriptures
Muslims also believe in the original scriptures
revealed by Allah, such as the Scriptures of Abraham
and Moses, the Torah, the Psalms of David and the
Gospel of Jesus. The final revelation to humanity is
the Qur'an, which was revealed to Prophet
Muhammad (ĉ). The Qur'an remains preserved and
unchanged since the time of revelation in its original
Arabic text. There is only one version of the Qur'an.
It is recited and memorized by Muslims throughout
the world. It contains the final message to humanity
and legislation which both encompasses all spheres
of human life and is also suited to all peoples and all
times. Moreover, it contains numerous verses that
speak of the universe, its components and
phenomena - the earth, sun, moon, stars, mountains,
wind, rivers and seas, plants, animals, as well as the
successive stages of human embryonic development.
One of the miracles of the Qur'an, and evidence of its
divine origins, is that nothing within it contradicts
any established scientific fact.

Belief in the Messengers

A Muslim is required to believe that Allah chose
the finest amongst humanity to be Messengers
whom He sent to His creation with specific
legislations: to worship and obey Him and to
establish His religion and His Oneness. Allah, the
Almighty, says:
ƒvAnd We did not send any Messenger before
you [O Muhammad (ĉ)] but We inspired him
[saying]: none has the right to be worshipped
but I (Allah), so worship Me (Alone and none
else).ƒw [21:25]
The last of the divinely appointed messengers
was Prophet Muhammad (ĉ). To him was conveyed
the final and complete revelation from Allah. All the
prophets preached the same basic message: the
worship of Allah alone. In essence, they all preached
Islam, which means willing, peaceful submission to
Allah, the one true God; Creator of the universe.
The final prophet was sent by the Creator as a
human model to be followed and obeyed. Prophet
Muhammad (ĉ) exemplified the principles laid
down in the Qur'an, and true Muslims strive to
follow his noble example. His biography has been
recorded in minute detail and is easily accessible for
study. There is a complete, authentically narrated
documentation of his sayings and practices which is
the second source of Islamic legislation. It is
complementary to the Qur'an and supplements it
with additional details and clarification of meanings.
This record contains the prophetic traditions referred
to as the Sunnah. Scholars have carefully and
painstakingly scrutinized the reliability of the
transmitters of these traditions, and only those
whose narrators are found to be completely reliable
and sound are accepted.
Belief in the Last Day
Muslims believe that the life of this world will
come to an end. Allah says:
ƒvWhatsoever is on it (i.e. the earth) will perish.ƒw
[55:26]
The Day of Resurrection is the day when each
individual will stand before Allah and be questioned
about their deeds. The compensation for evil in the
Hereafter is exact justice, while the compensation for
good is much greater - comprehensive, multiple
rewards and complete satisfaction and happiness.
People will be judged according to their degree of
righteousness, and nothing else. Allah says:
ƒvWhoever brings a good deed shall have ten
times the like thereof to his (or her) credit, and
whoever brings an evil deed shall have only the
recompense of the like thereof.ƒw [6:160]
A person is rewarded for merely intending to do
good, even if they do not follow up that intention
with action. Prophet Muhammad (ĉ) mentioned that
Allah said:
،§Whoever intends to perform a good deed but
does not do it, Allah records it for him as one
good deed. If one intends to do a good deed and
does it, Allah records for him the like thereof
ten times, up to seven hundred times, to many
times. If one intends to do an evil deed, but
does not do it, Allah records it for him as one
good deed. If one intends to do an evil deed and
does it, Allah records it only as one evil deed.،¨
[Bukhari]

Belief in Predestination

Muslims believe in predestination, whether good
or bad, which Allah has measured and ordained for
all creatures according to His previous knowledge
and as deemed suitable by His wisdom. Allah, the
All-Knowing, knows everything that happened in
the past, everything that is happening now and all
that will happen in the future. Humankind has been
given free will and the choice of whether or not to
follow what Allah ordained. He has been given a
mind with which he is able to reason and choose
wisely.

09 Ramadhan 1432